9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – September 11, 2017

Shifting ties:  Context: PM Modi’s recent visit to Myanmar marked 70 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Issues:  Shifting India-Myanmar ties  Slow pace of India’s reflexes vis-a-vis China to influence neighbours and safeguard their strategic and economic interests.  Rohingya Issue Shifting India-Myanmar ties  Over the last 25 years, India has shifted its stand… Continue reading Shifting ties: 

The disaster next door:  Context: India’s stand on Rohingya refugees’ issues and its implications. How India’s stance undermines its ties with Bangladesh and its regional leadership? Rohingya refugees from the Rakhine state in Myanmar has put Bangladesh in a difficult situation. Almost 300,000 refugees have taken shelter in squalid, unsanitary camps scattered along Myanmar-Bangladesh border… Continue reading The disaster next door: 

Dhaka plea made MEA shift stand:  Context: Shift in India’s position on the Myanmar issue Introduction: The Government of India has expressed its concerns about the outflow of Rohingya refugees. A series of requests from the Bangladesh government made India to shift its position. What disappointed the Bangladesh government? Bangladesh was disappointed due to the… Continue reading Dhaka plea made MEA shift stand: 

India, U.S. in talks for C-17 deal:  Context India plans to buy another Boeing C-17 Globemaster from the United states What shall be the terms and conditions of the contract? The aircraft shall be handed over within a month of signing the contract The validity of the contract expires in mid-October The aircraft, along with… Continue reading India, U.S. in talks for C-17 deal: 

Why infections picked up in hospitals are the big threat today, how world is trying to cope: Context A Bengaluru firm has become India’s first to receive the international Combating Antibiotic Resistant Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) grant to develop antibiotics to treat hospital-acquired infections. What is Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB – X)?  CARB-X,… Continue reading Why infections picked up in hospitals are the big threat today, how world is trying to cope:

No feel for the pulse:  Context In 2016-17, India witnessed its highest ever domestic production of pulses, but in spite of that prices crashed last year What is the significance of pulses in India agriculture? Pulses are an interesting and unique commodity group in the Indian agri-food space. The country ranks first not only in… Continue reading No feel for the pulse: 

Search for quality:  Context Securities and Exchange Board of India has released a consultation paper and sought feedback on a new set of rules to improve “market efficiency” and enhance “the governance, accountability and functioning of credit rating agencies”. Will SEBI’s proposed rules improve the quality of credit rating services? Credit rating agencies may be… Continue reading Search for quality: 

GST: efficiencies have risen in manufacturing:  Context Until recently, the manufacturing sector was burdened with multiple indirect taxes. Introduction of GST, in the backdrop of the ‘Make in India’ initiative, does away with multi-layered taxation. What was the concern? State-border check posts, established to scrutinize documents and location-based compliance, adversely impacted the overall production and… Continue reading GST: efficiencies have risen in manufacturing: 

NPAs: challenge is to avoid delays’: Context The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has come up with a suggestion asking banks to file insolvency and bankruptcy proceedings for 12 loan accounts, in which banks had an exposure of more than Rs. 5,000 crore each. Bankers worry that appeals to other courts and the workload at… Continue reading NPAs: challenge is to avoid delays’:

Fall in GDP figures structural, not transient, says SBI report:        Context India’s falling GDP in the first quarter of the current fiscal shows underscores the problem as more structural than momentary Is Goods and Sales Tax the reason for the present fall in GDP? There has been a lot of talks concerning… Continue reading Fall in GDP figures structural, not transient, says SBI report: