National Current Affairs – UPSC/KAS Exams- 23rd November 2018

India, Pakistan commit to Kartarpur corridor

Topic: International Relations

IN NEWS: India and Pakistan exchanged letters, committing to build the required infrastructure for visa-free direct travel by Indian Sikh pilgrims to Pakistan’s Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara, allowing them to mark the 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev in November 2019.

More on the Topic:

• Officials from India and Pakistan will meet soon to discuss the logistics of the corridor and point of border crossing where the roads which pilgrims will traverse on the Indian side from Dera Guru Nanak Dev in Gurdaspur district directly to the border and from the Pakistani side of the border directly to Kartarpur Darbar Sahib Gurudwara.
• The Kartarpur Sahib corridor was first proposed in 1999 when Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee took a bus ride to Lahore, as a long-standing demand from the Sikh community for easy access to the revered shrine across the border where Guru Nanak spent the last 18 years of his life.

Guru Nanak

• Guru Nanak (29 November 1469 – 10 October 1539) was the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. His birth is celebrated worldwide as Guru Nanak Gurpurab on Kartik Pooranmashi, the full-moon day in the month of Katak, October–November.
• Guru Nanak’s words are registered in the form of 974 poetic hymns in the holy text of Sikhism, the Guru Granth Sahib.

Source:Hindu

Government makes jute packaging mandatory for all food grains

Topic: Indian Economy

IN NEWS: The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved a proposal making jute packaging mandatory for all food grains. “The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved that 100 per cent of the food grains and 20 per cent of the sugar shall be mandatorily packed in diversified jute bags.

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• The move, which expanded the scope of Jute Packaging Material (JPM) Act, 1987, retained an earlier decision that 20 per cent of the sugar shall be mandatorily packed in diversified jute bags. Earlier, it was compulsory to pack 90 per cent of the food grains and 20 per cent of the sugar in jute bags.
• “Initially, 10 per cent of the indents of jute bags for packing food grains would be placed through reverse auction on the GeM (Government e-Marketplace) portal. This will gradually usher in a regime of price discovery.

Significance:

• The move is significant as nearly 7 lakh workers and several lakh farm families are dependent for their livelihood on the jute sector. The jute industry is predominantly dependent on the government sector, which purchases jute bags worth more than Rs 6,500 crore every year for packing food grains.
• The decision is supposed to benefit farmers and workers located in the Eastern and North Eastern regions of the country particularly in the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya and Tripura.

Government Interventions To promote Jute Industry:

• Jute Corporation of India (JCI) has been given a grant of Rs. 100 crore for two years to enable JCI to conduct MSP operations and ensure price stabilization in the jute sector.
• Also with a view to boost demand in the jute sector, the Centre has imposed definitive anti-dumping duty on import of jute goods from Bangladesh and Nepal. This has resulted 13 Twine mills in Andhra Pradesh to resume operation, benefitting 20,000 workers.

Source:The Hindu

Cabinet approves extension of the term of the Commission to examine the issue of Sub-categorization of Other Backward Classes

Topic: Polity and Governance

In news: The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the extension of the term of the Commission to examine the issue of Sub-categorization of Other Backward Classes in the Central List for six months.

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• The Commission has held extensive meetings with the stake holders including the State Governments, the State Backward Classes Commissions, various community associations and general public belonging to various Backward Classes.
• Commissions and also obtained records, caste-wise, of OBCs admitted in higher educational institution as well as similar caste-wise data of recruits in Central Departments, Central Public Sector Undertakings, Public Sector Banks & Financial Institutions.

OBC Reservation Highlights:

• The Mandal Commission was established in India in 1979 by the (Janata Party) government with a mandate to “identify the socially or educationally backward.” It was headed by Indian parliamentarian B.P. Mandal to consider the question of seat reservations and quotas for people to redress caste discrimination, and used eleven social, economic, and educational indicators to determine backwardness.
• In 1980, the commission’s report affirmed the affirmative action practice under Indian law whereby members of Other Backward Classes (OBC), were given exclusive access to a certain portion of government Jobs and slots in public universities.
• 27% seats in central government jobs and educational institutions are reserved for the backward classes after Mandal Commission recommendations were implemented by the government in 1990, resulting in a paradigm shift in the national polity. The decision was later upheld by the Supreme Court in the Indra Sawhney Case.
• The government gave constitutional status to the National Backward Classes Commission through a Constitution amendment Bill.

Sub-categorisation of OBC in central list too

• Nine States Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Puducherry, Karnataka, Haryana, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have already implemented sub-categorization of Other Backward Classes.  There is no sub categorisation in the central list.
• The government approved setting up of a commission to examine the sub categorisation of backward communities in the central list to ensure that the benefits extended to OBCs reach all the backward castes.
• The Cabinet also increased the ‘creamy layer’ ceiling for the OBC category to Rs 8 lakh per annum from the existing Rs 6 lakh for central government jobs.Those in the OBC category earning up to Rs 8 lakh per annum would now get the reservation benefits.

Mandate of the commission on OBC sub categorisation

• The commission will examine the extent of inequitable distribution of benefits of reservation among the castes/communities included in the broad category of OBCs, with reference to the OBCs included in the Central list.
• It will also work out the mechanism, criteria, norms and parameters, in a scientific approach, for sub-categorization within such OBCs, and take up the exercise of identifying the respective castes/communities/ sub-castes/ synonyms in the Central List of OBCs and classifying them into their respective sub-categories.

Source: The Hindu

‘Institution’s Innovation Council (IIC)’Program

Topic: Government Policies

In news: The government has launched the ‘Institution’s Innovation Council (IIC) program under Innovation cell of MHRD.

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• The purpose of formation of network of Institution’s Innovation Councils (IICs) is to encourage, inspire and nurture young students by exposing them to new ideas and processes resulting in innovative activities in their formative years.
• The program aims to institutionalize innovation and develop a scientific temperament in the country.
• More than 1000 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have already formed IICs in their campuses and enrolled for the IIC network managed by MHRD’s Innovation cell to promote innovation through multitudinous modes leading to an innovation promotion eco-system in their campuses.
• Ministry of Human Resource Development has established an “Innovation cell” at AICTE with a purpose to systematically foster the culture of Innovation in all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across the country.

Source:PIB

e-registration must for jobs in 18 countries

Topic: Polity and Governance

In news: Passport holders with “non-Emigration Check Required (non-ECR)” status will soon have to get themselves registered with the Ministry of External Affairs before taking up jobs abroad.The rule, which takes effect on January 1, is said to be aimed at the welfare of Indians going abroad.

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• It applies to jobs in 18 countries, including the six Gulf Cooperation Council nations, which have the largest number of expats.
• The non-ECR category of passengers include Indians paying income tax and those with educational qualification above matriculation.
• As of now only ECR category passport holders were required to get emigration clearance from the office of the Protector of Emigrants to seek employment abroad.
• All those seeking employment will have to register online via the website www.emigrate.gov.in.
• Those failing to register at least 24 hours prior to actual departure will be off-loaded at the airports.For all other visa categories, there is no change in existing procedures.
• The objective of the directive is to protect workers with higher educational qualification from not getting into blue collar jobs.

Source:The Hindu

7th International Tourism Mart : Agartala

Topic: Economy

In news:The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, in association with the Department of Tourism, Government of Tripura and the North Eastern States is organizing the “International Tourism Mart” in Agartala, Tripura from the 22nd to 24th November 2018.

More on the Topic:

• This is the 7th edition of the International Tourism Mart, an annual event organised in the North Eastern region with the objective of highlighting the tourism potential of the region in the domestic and international markets.
• The event has been planned and scheduled to facilitate interaction between buyers, sellers, media, Government agencies and other stakeholders.
• The International Tourism Marts are organised in the North Eastern States on rotation basis.
• The earlier editions of this mart have been held in Guwahati, Tawang, Shillong, Gangtok and Imphal.
• The ITM will see wide participation of International buyers and media delegates from countries around the world and from different regions of the country.
• This will enable the tourism product suppliers from the region to reach out to international and domestic buyers, with the objective of promoting tourism to the region.

Source: The Hindu