9 PM Current Affairs Brief – January 29, 2018

New book claims Netaji died in 1945 Context Reports by Japanese and other international authorities have conclusively proved that Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose died in an air crash on August 18, 1945, a new book has claimed Book Findings have been made in the book titled Laid to Rest: The Controversy over Subhash Chandra Bose’s… Continue reading New book claims Netaji died in 1945

NASA keen on India-made technology for spacecraft Context A new thermal spray coating technology used for gas turbine engine in spacecraft developed by a Rajasthan-based researcher has caught the attention of a NASA scientist, an official said. Satish Tailor’s thermal spray coating useful for gas turbine engine Expressing his interest in the research, James L.… Continue reading NASA keen on India-made technology for spacecraft

What are we teaching the robots? Context Hearing ‘VR, AR, AI, Bitcoin’ in one sentence is like hearing ‘5GB, 512KB and Pentium’ in the late ’90s. It fires up your inner geek. But to the discerning, VR and AR are so 2017 that they are almost retro. And at the moment, Bitcoin is looking bubblier… Continue reading What are we teaching the robots?

All borders to be fenced, says Rijiju Context By the end of 2018 or early 2019, smart fencing will be deployed all along the Indo-Bangladesh and Indo-Pakistan border to prevent infiltration and illegal migration, Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said on Sunday. Backdrop Passing-out parade of the second all-woman batch of Central… Continue reading All borders to be fenced, says Rijiju

Red alert on the green index Context India’s poor ranking in the Environmental Performance Index should force a policy appraisal India’s poor ranking in the Environmental Performance Index should force a policy appraisal Reports, late last year, on India’s improved ranking in the World Bank’s ‘Ease of Doing Business’ Index (from 130 to 100) have been cause… Continue reading Red alert on the green index

Rebuilding our cities  Context Soon after World War II, Americans chose to align their cities not with European ideals but with places that reflected American conditions. That great swathes of cheap land and newer technologies for construction were available meant that the new American city could have denser civic centres, a large component of suburban… Continue reading Rebuilding our cities 

PCA: Ministry to appraise bank heads Context The Finance Ministry would soon initiate a performance review of heads of public sector banks that are under the RBI’s Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) as part of the reform process, official sources said 12 lenders under watch on NPA issue. So far, the Reserve Bank has put 12… Continue reading PCA: Ministry to appraise bank heads

Textiles sector seeks a leg-up from government Context  A couple of major issues have impacted the country’s textile and clothing sector in the past year. Expectedly, the industry’s aspirations for the Union Budget are related to the revival of exports and the GST ‘Stagnant exports, technology upgradation need attention’ According to data available with the… Continue reading Textiles sector seeks a leg-up from government

Govt. may alter insolvency law Context The insolvency law might be amended depending on recommendations of the panel reviewing issues related to the legislation, including those pertaining to home buyers, a senior government official said. What: Insolvency Law Committee A 14-member panel, also chaired by Mr. Srinivas, is working to identify and suggest ways to… Continue reading Govt. may alter insolvency law

Conservative banking not bail-in, will bail us out Context FRDI Bill 2017 New method: Bail-in The Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance (FRDI) Bill 2017 now pending before the joint committee of Parliament contains a new method for saving a failing bank — a ‘bail-in’ of customers deposits instead of a ‘bail-out’ by the government What… Continue reading Conservative banking not bail-in, will bail us out

Where intent overrides impact Context The e-way bill, set to be introduced across India from February 1 as part of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, could lead to ‘large scale’ disruption in the transportation of goods, transporters caution Intended purpose of the bill While the bill is intended as a mechanism to prevent… Continue reading Where intent overrides impact

Banking on good faith: on efforts to recapitalise PSBs  Context More structural reforms are needed to maximize the bank recapitalization effort Benefit of recapitalization This capital offers a fresh lease of life as it will help meet regulatory requirements under the Basel-III regime as well as cushion them to an extent from possible haircuts on… Continue reading Banking on good faith: on efforts to recapitalise PSBs 

Trans-pacific pact could hurt India Context If India were to join the mega-regional Free Trade Agreement (FTA) called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and adopt its norms, they would severely hurt the country’s agriculture, manufacturing, services and the generic pharma industry, according to a new book Book Titled “Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement: A framework for future trade… Continue reading Trans-pacific pact could hurt India

A vote for state funding Context Election Finance in India Issues Corporate donations constitute the main source of election funding in India which constitutes mainly of black money, business and corporate donations to political parties. The public disclosure system that exists is limited In 2008, using the provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the… Continue reading A vote for state funding

Plea to exclude SC/ST creamy layer from quota Context The Supreme Court will hear a petition to exclude the affluent members, or the creamy layer, of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes from the benefits of reservation What does the petition say? The petition filed by Samta Andolan Samiti, which represents the poor strata of… Continue reading Plea to exclude SC/ST creamy layer from quota

Analysis: could a jail term for Khaleda Zia spell unrest in Bangladesh? Context Verdict to be announced on February 8th on the case of alleged embezzlement of Tk. 21 million in foreign donations meant for the ‘Zia Orphanage Trust’ Threat of violence The BNP, backed by its Islamist allies, has warned that it would take… Continue reading Analysis: could a jail term for Khaleda Zia spell unrest in Bangladesh?