9 PM Current Affairs Brief – April 27th, 2018

Nutritional politics Context After more than a decade of discussions, there is no agreement on what to feed children in anganwadis What has happened? Data on malnutrition should serve as a wake-up call for the government: 38% of children are stunted and 35.7% are underweight in India. About 21% of children under the age of… Continue reading Nutritional politics

Unpacking the Dalit angst Context Reverence for Ambedkar requires fighting caste discrimination and safeguarding the Constitution BJP reveres Ambedkar Stung by the criticism over his government’s alleged inaction in defending the Scheduled Castes and Schedule Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, before the Supreme Court, Mr. Modi cited his reverence for Ambedkar as proof of… Continue reading Unpacking the Dalit angst

H-4 visa move draws criticism Context Several Democratic lawmakers oppose plan to scrap work permits for spouses of H-1B visa holders What has happened? The move by the Donald Trump administration to end work permits for spouses of H-1B visa holders is a regressive measure that would also adversely impact the American economy, according to… Continue reading H-4 visa move draws criticism

Saving Afghanistan Context Global and regional powers must desist from playing the ‘Great Game’ and build peace Current situation in Afghanistan Violence escalated this year The new ‘South Asia’ policy hasn’t yielded any major results, as violence continues on the ground. The statement from the Taliban rejecting Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s offer of talks “without… Continue reading Saving Afghanistan

World Bank loan for Biopharma Mission What has happened? The government has secured a loan of about Rs. 1,600 crore from the World Bank to develop new vaccines, medical devices and medicines Key points The money will be disbursed over five years and is part of the Department of Biotechnology-led National Biopharma Mission. The goal… Continue reading World Bank loan for Biopharma Mission

‘Simplifying Finance Bill must be the next big reform’ Context Interview excerpt with the new president of the Confederation of Indian Industry Rakesh Bharti Mittal What is the real progress you are seeing in fixing the twin balance sheet problem, especially on the company balance sheet side? There is good progress, especially on the company side… Continue reading ‘Simplifying Finance Bill must be the next big reform’

‘India to lose if oil prices climb more’ What has happened? India, along with other emerging economies like Turkey and the Philippines, will be a loser if the recent oil price rise continues, according to a Nomura report Affecting net oil importers with weak economic fundamentals The supply side-driven increase in crude oil prices is… Continue reading ‘India to lose if oil prices climb more’ 

Aadhaar-SIM linking based on SC orders’ What has happened? The government on Thursday insisted that the directives of the Department of Telecommunications to seed SIM cards with Aadhaar is based on “at least two Supreme Court orders” Constitution bench Attorney General K.K. Venugopal said one of the Supreme Court orders was from Justice D.Y. Chandrachud,… Continue reading Aadhaar-SIM linking based on SC orders’

‘States unable to implement farmer price support schemes’ Context Infrastructure and funding required What has happened? The Centre’s proposals to decentralise price support schemes for farmers are not viable as State governments do not possess the infrastructure or the willingness required to implement them, said S.K. Singh, additional managing director of the National Agricultural Cooperative… Continue reading ‘States unable to implement farmer price support schemes’