9 PM Current Affairs Brief – 21th December, 2017

No plan to take away J&K’s special status, says Centre  Context The government informed Parliament on Wednesday that there was no proposal as of now for abolition of Articles 35A and 370 which give special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Article 370 gives autonomous status to Jammu and Kashmir The reply came in response to… Continue reading No plan to take away J&K’s special status, says Centre 

Ryan student to be tried as an adult  Context The 16-year-old student of the Ryan International School, apprehended in connection with the murder of his schoolmate Pradhyuman Thakur, will be tried as an adult, the Juvenile Justice Board said here on Wednesday. The Judgement Pronouncing its judgment around noon, the court said the juvenile in… Continue reading Ryan student to be tried as an adult 

Cleaning up  Context A permanent mechanism is needed to review laws and weed out the obsolete ones A permanent mechanism is needed to review laws and weed out the obsolete ones If law-making is a long and tedious process, it appears that unmaking existing laws is an equally arduous task  Backdrop In the latest round,… Continue reading Cleaning up 

Finding used copters for Kabul  Context In a bid to bolster Afghanistan’s air capabilities, India is considering buying several second-hand Russian-made Mi35s for the Afghan National Defence Security Forces (ANDSF) from other countries, a move that signals closer cooperation between New Delhi and Moscow on Afghanistan, Indian and Afghan officials confirmed to The Hindu. India is… Continue reading Finding used copters for Kabul 

Being neighbourly  Context To fulfill ambitions in Indo-Pacific and beyond, India must work for a cohesive South Asia SCAARCE? The 32-year-old SAARC scarcely registers in our foreign policy debate, which is preoccupied with the exciting prospect of India’s role in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. The South Asian agenda has been reduced, at least in public… Continue reading Being neighbourly 

In Donald Trump’s world  Context National Security Strategy of US Author’s contention For India, continuity in US policy towards the Subcontinent under Trump is welcome but Delhi must watch out for the implications of Trump’s determination to pare down America’s expansive internationalism that has been there since the end of the Second World War Serious about… Continue reading In Donald Trump’s world 

SSB enhances security next to Doklam area  Context Political changes in Nepal and the growing Chinese influence in the neighbouring country are some of the major challenges for the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), the Central armed force deployed along the Nepal-Bhutan border.  Plans to set up new border posts The SSB said it was “more… Continue reading SSB enhances security next to Doklam area 

Sri Lanka is keen to introduce an Aadhaar-like initiative Context Sri Lanka will explore launching an application similar to the Unified Mobile Application for New age Governance (UMANG) in India, and it is in talks with New Delhi at the highest levels, said Minister of Telecommunication and Digital Infrastructure Harin Fernando. Colombo also wishes to… Continue reading Sri Lanka is keen to introduce an Aadhaar-like initiative

Platform created to connect Chinese hardware with Indian software  Context A new wave of Indian software  developers will soon be able to plug into China’s next wave of industrialisation, based on Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things (IOT). NASSCOM, in association with the Dalian government, has set up the initiative Indian software developers face an existential threat… Continue reading Platform created to connect Chinese hardware with Indian software 

Lobbying intensifies for India’s UNGA vote on Jerusalem  Context The draft resolution on the status of Jerusalem to be presented on Thursday expresses deep “regret” on the US’ stated position on Jerusalem and calls for “the final status of Jerusalem to be resolved through negotiations.” Backdrop International lobbying has intensified to get India on board… Continue reading Lobbying intensifies for India’s UNGA vote on Jerusalem 

Pak issues visas to Jadhav’s kin Context The  Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi on Wednesday issued visas to the wife and mother of alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav to allow them to meet him on December 25, Foreign Office spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal tweeted. They will be allowed to meet him, accompanied by an… Continue reading Pak issues visas to Jadhav’s kin

Wait and watch: on U.S. security strategy  Context India has unequivocally welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of the National Security Strategy (NSS) for his country during his tenure. India should be wary of being drawn too tightly into the U.S. security embrace India has unequivocally welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of the National Security Strategy… Continue reading Wait and watch: on U.S. security strategy 

India, Myanmar seal deal  Context Rohingya crisis What has happened? India and Myanmar on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at developing Myanmar’s Rakhine state Backdrop The MoU comes in the backdrop of massive migration of Rohingya refugees from violence-wracked Rakhine to Bangladesh MoU The MoU is a government-to-government (G2G) agreement on long-term… Continue reading India, Myanmar seal deal 

Reconsider the Rules: on 2017 Wetland Rules  Context The 2017 Wetland Rules limit monitoring and omit important wetland types Backdrop Earlier this year, a judgment by the Uttarakhand High Court, stating that Ganga and Yamuna rivers are “living entities”, captured the national imagination Policy Transition Wetlands, the other major water-based ecosystem apart from rivers, are… Continue reading Reconsider the Rules: on 2017 Wetland Rules 

‘2017 may be among top 3 hottest years’  Context The year 2017 will likely be among the three warmest years on global record, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). U.N. agency warns of long-term trend The first 11 months of 2017 were the third warmest on record, behind 2016 and 2015, with much-warmer-than-average conditions… Continue reading ‘2017 may be among top 3 hottest years’ 

How the 2G controversy shaped telecom policy, impacted industry  Context Earlier this year, the Reserve Bank of India red-flagged the telecom industry and asked banks to review their exposure to the sector. Revamp of Telecom Sector: Changes The cancellation of telecom licences by the Supreme Court in 2012 in the 2G case prompted the key stakeholders… Continue reading How the 2G controversy shaped telecom policy, impacted industry 

Raise social security budget, Jaitley told  Context Sixty of India’s leading development economists wrote to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday asking for a big increase in the budget allocation for social security pensions and maternity entitlements. Economists for higher widow pension Sixty of India’s leading development economists wrote to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on… Continue reading Raise social security budget, Jaitley told 

‘PSBs not meeting recap target’  Context The Finance Ministry on Wednesday said it had not provided the entire amount towards capital infusion in public sector banks as most of them failed to meet the performance target. Indradhanush Plan As part of the Indradhanush Plan to revitalise state-owned lenders, the government had proposed to infuse Rs.… Continue reading ‘PSBs not meeting recap target’ 

The outlook for oil in 2018  Context The price of oil rose this year as the supply-cut agreement signed by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 2016 managed to survive despite a lot of speculation otherwise. A bull market looks unlikely  How did oil fare in 2017? The price of oil rose this… Continue reading The outlook for oil in 2018 

Rising crude oil prices, fiscal slippage a concern, says Patel  Context Reserve Bank of India Governor Urjit Patel voiced concern over rising crude oil prices and fiscal slippage, during the meeting of the fifth bi-monthly monetary policy review held earlier this month. Uncertainties persist on fiscal, external fronts: RBI Governor The recent upturn in crude… Continue reading Rising crude oil prices, fiscal slippage a concern, says Patel 

No systemic risk due to bitcoins as yet: Tyagi  Context Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Chairman Ajay Tyagi said that while bitcoins could not be ignored, the cryptocurrency had so far not posed any systemic risk and the government has formed a panel to look into it. Panel looking into virtual currency Regulators,… Continue reading No systemic risk due to bitcoins as yet: Tyagi 

Another tool of resolution  Context The Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill does not take away from the government’s implicit guarantee to depositors. The Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill does not take away from the government’s implicit guarantee to depositors The reason we need bank resolutions and also a special law to deal with… Continue reading Another tool of resolution