9 PM Current Affairs Brief – September 21st, 2018

Is the NITI Aayog relevant today? Article This column debates the relevance of NITI Aayog, its shortcomings and why planning commission failed in India. Why is Niti Aayog Relevant 2. As a premier think tank of the government: The first mandate of NITI Aayog is to act as a think tank. It was formed to… Continue reading Is the NITI Aayog relevant today?

PMJAY: The promises and challenges of a bold experiment News: Ayushman Bharat—Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), a health insurance scheme announced in the last budget, will be launched on 23 September this year. Important Facts:  It is the most ambitious social health insurance (SHI) programme ever launched anywhere in the world. The need for… Continue reading PMJAY: The promises and challenges of a bold experiment

Flag child porn, online sex abuse from home anonymously News 1.The Home Ministry launched separate portals to register online complaint for women’s and child safety. Important news The portal ‘cybercrime.gov.in’ and ‘National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO)’ is launched A) About gov.in It is a user friendly portal, it will receive online complaints regarding child… Continue reading Flag child porn, online sex abuse from home anonymously

Sushma to meet Pakistan’s Foreign Minister in New York News External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will meet Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in New York. Important Facts India accepted Pakistan’s proposal for talks between the Foreign Ministers on the sidelines of the ongoing annual UN General Assembly session in New York. India has made… Continue reading Sushma to meet Pakistan’s Foreign Minister in New York

Pak. invites Saudi Arabia to be third partner in CPEC News Pakistan has invited Saudi Arabia to join the CPEC as the third strategic partner. Important Facts 2. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is the fastest-moving and flagship project of multi-billion dollar global Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). 3. It is the pet project… Continue reading Pak. invites Saudi Arabia to be third partner in CPEC

PT  FACTS. Russian athletes to return to competition as WADA lifts doping ban: The world Anti doping Agency (WADA) lifted ban on Russia’s Anti doping agency (RUSADA) opening the door for Russian athletes to return in world’s sports competition. About WADA: The WADA is a foundation initiated by the International Olympic Committee based in Canada.… Continue reading PT  FACTS.

Powering up the transmission sector Article: Writer has talked about rising cost of power transmission by giving preferential treatment to incumbent public entity. Important Analysis: The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC), in its recent Tariff Approach Paper, has mentioned that the cost of inter-State transmission has increased by 69 per cent in the last seven… Continue reading Powering up the transmission sector

Upward mobility: Muslims down; SCs, STs Up; upper-caste & OBCs unchanged Article 1.Sam Asher, of the World Bank; Paul Novosad of Dartmouth College and Charlie Rafkin of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) published a report on India’s  social groups and intergenerational mobility There is little intergenerational mobility in India and it has not changed… Continue reading Upward mobility: Muslims down; SCs, STs Up; upper-caste & OBCs unchanged

It’s broke, fix it Article  Ila Patnaik advocates  for an orderly mechanism for resolution of a financial firm. The weaknesses in the India’s financial regulatory architecture need to be corrected to prevent systemic risks. Important Facts  Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) is a large infrastructure finance company which is in distress as its subsidiaries… Continue reading It’s broke, fix it

Engineering self esteem News: Ministry of Human Resource Development launched National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) which is a  part of India’s Massive Open Online Courses, SWAYAM. Important Facts: About NPTEL It is an initiative by  Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) for creating course contents in engineering and… Continue reading Engineering self esteem

Go for green bonds News: India must raise climate finance through Green Bonds. Important News: Global population and Economic growth has caused global warming, increase in Carbon Dioxide emissions. India must raise climate finance through Green Bonds to tackle issues arising of climate change. What are Green Bonds: Green Bond is a debt instrument with… Continue reading Go for green bonds