14 September 2015

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The roots of Europe’s refugee crisis  –   (International Relation)

  • It was in pursuance of narrow political objectives that Western powers entered West Asian territories and destabilised them. They cannot now absolve themselves of all responsibility.
  • If refugees return to their homeland, they will be vulnerable to attacks by warring groups and may even join them for survival.

 

No thought for food  –    (Indian polity)

  • Can one person’s religious freedom interfere with another’s food preferences? And what if the freedom of one religious group is in conflict with that of another?
  • The ban imposed in some States on the sale of meat during the Jain community’s annual fasting period of Paryushan is problematic for more than one reason, and militates against the food preferences of a majority of the people in the States concerned.

 

Roads, power investments rise  –    (Economics)

  • New projects worth Rs. 1.2 lakh crore were announced in the first quarter of financial year 2015-16, up 48 per cent from the same period the previous year, analysis by The Hindu shows. Projects worth Rs. 1.5 lakh crore were completed in the first quarter of this year, up by 31 per cent over last year.
  • Over the last week, the government has gone to great lengths to convey its success in getting stalled projects moving and also in boosting new investments, notably in the road sector.

 

On ground, satellite transport gets complex  –    (Science And Technology)

  • In the business and science of Space, it is apparently not enough if you just keep building better spacecraft and bigger launch vehicles. The Indian Space Research Organisation says it must also keep improving many other less-known but related systems alongside.
  • Last month, ISRO Satellite Centre literally rolled out its upgraded Satellite Transportation System or STS. It was used to move the 1,650-kg Astrosat, India’s upcoming space observatory, by road to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, some 400 km away in Andhra Pradesh.

 

Satyabhama who reinvented Mohiniyattam passes away  –    (Indian Culture)

  • Kalamandalam Satyabhama, a pioneer who accorded Mohiniyattam a well-knit structure for the first time, died early on Sunday at a private nursing home at Ottappalam, near here, following a brief illness. The classical dancer, teacher, and choreographer was 77.
  • A Padma Shri awardee, her contributions to the realm of Kerala’s performing arts remain immense. Satyabhama’s career with the Kerala Kalamandalam marked a crucial phase in preserving and reinventing Mohiniyattam.

 

U.N. reforms process reaches crucial stage today  –   (International Relation)

  • Indian officials are bracing for “last-minute surprises” that could stall the U.N. reforms process on September 14 when Sam Kutesa, President of the United Nations General Assembly, presents a resolution to continue the negotiations for another year.
  • The negotiations of the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGN), which have for the first time included written submissions from all countries, could give the process of an expansion of the U.N. Security Council, as India has demanded, some momentum. However, if countries like China, or other groups opposed to the UNSC expansion demand a division, India and other countries who are bidding for a Security Council seat may have to muster up the numbers for a vote to pass the text.

 

Harappan settlement razed to expand farmland, build houses  –    (Indian Culture)

  • A 5000-year-old Indus Valley settlement located in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh, stands abandoned and unprotected.
  • The archaeological site, discovered in 1957 in Alamgirpur village of the district, is regarded as one of the most historically significant finds in the country as it showed for the first time evidence of habitation pertaining to the Harappan period in the Upper Doab region between the Ganga and the Yamuna.

 

‘Russia building airstrip in Syrian regime stronghold’  –    (International Relation)

  • Russia is building an airstrip in the Syrian regime’s stronghold, Latakia province, and has brought hundreds of technicians and military advisers to the site, a monitor said on Sunday.
  • The claim comes as Washington accuses Moscow of a military build-up in Syria, where Russia has backed President Bashar al-Assad’s regime against an uprising of more than four years.

 

‘India-Sri Lanka trade pact not on agenda’  –    (International Relation)

  • Even as Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe begins his three-day visit to India on Monday, the Sri Lankan government on Sunday made it clear that the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) would not be signed during the visit.

 

‘Aurangzeb is a severely misunderstood figure’  –    (Indian culture)

  • The Mughals are a significant part of Indian history and Sanskrit is a significant part of the story of the Mughal empire.
  • Aurangzeb decided to move away from what little remained of the Mughal interest in Sanskrit as a political decision, rather than as a cultural or religious judgment.

 

Act with firmness  –   (International Relation)

  • In a country that has seen much outrage over cases of rape and has passed strict laws in the past few years to check such crimes, it seems ironic that the Indian government must watch helplessly as a diplomat who has been accused of brutalising two women is able to evade police action.
  • The Saudi Arabian official cannot even be taken in for questioning on the allegedly barbaric crimes he and some of his family members participated in at their residence in New Delhi. While it would be unfair and imprudent to pronounce him (and possibly others) guilty without going through due process of law.

 

Jayant Sinha pitches for lower rates, making exports more competitive   –    (Economics)

  • Making a case for lowering of interest rates, Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha has said the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) should take into account various factors, including low inflation, while deciding on monetary policy stance.
  • He also stressed on the need to make the exports more competitive by bringing down the cost of capital as also the cost of manufacturing.

 

 

Healthcare BPO sector in India facing competition from U.S. and Philippines’   –    (Economics)

  • Players engaged in business process outsourcing (BPO) in healthcare sector in India are facing stiff competition from their Filipino counterparts, according to a recent joint study.
  • “The Philippines and other low-cost locations are emerging as a big challenge to Indian BPO industry including the healthcare vertical,” pointed out the study —Medical Process Outsourcing in India — jointly conducted by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) and global professional services organisation EY.

 

Microfinance firms lend Rs.16,000 cr in first quarter  –    (Economics)

  • The non-banking financial companies-microfinance institutions (NBFC-MFIs) in the country have disbursed microcredit of nearly Rs.16,000 crore during the first quarter ended June 30, 2015.
  • As many as 52 NBFC-MFIs granted licence by RBI and members of Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN), provided micro-credit of Rs.15,986 crore, marking an increase of 70 per cent over the previous quarter figure of Rs.9,399 crore. At the same time, the average loan disbursed per account also increased to Rs.17,848 from Rs.14,847.