Daily Current Affairs Of 22nd October 2019

Current Affairs Of Today are

1) MNRE clarifies in respect of domestically manufactured solar PV cells

In a major decision that is likely to give a further boost to domestic manufacturing of solar cells in India, MNRE has issued a clarification in respect of domestically manufactured solar PV cell

Why it is needed?

It may be noted that several flagship programs of MNRE such as KUSUM have provisions for mandatory use of domestically manufactured solar PV cells. However, it was seen that some manufacturers have been importing semi-processed solar PV cells (generally called blue wafer) and making final Solar PV cells with little value addition in India.

The Ministry has clarified that if diffused silicon wafer (generally called ‘Blue Wafer’) is imported and the same is used as raw material for the manufacture of solar PV cells in India, such solar PV cells shall not qualify as domestically manufactured solar PV cells, for the purpose of MNRE’s Schemes / Programmes. A solar PV cell shall be considered to be domestically manufactured only if the same has been manufactured in India, using undiffused silicon wafer (generally called ‘Black Wafer’).

It is expected that this decision will help in establishing a strong solar manufacturing base in India.

2) 19th Session of the Indo-Swedish Joint Commission

Commerce and Industry & Railways Minister, Piyush Goyal will attend the 19th Session of the Indo-Swedish Joint Commission for Economic, Industrial and Scientific Cooperation in Stockholm, Sweden on 23rd October 2019. The session will be co-chaired by Ms. Anna Hallberg, Minister of Foreign Trade, Government of the Kingdom of Sweden and Piyush Goyal, Commerce and Industry Minister, Government of India.

There is significant potential for enhancing bilateral collaboration in key areas like green technologies, renewable energy, smart infrastructure, healthcare, and defense. Trade-in services are large and growing, especially in areas of IT, business services, travel, and transportation. According to the International Trade Centre figures, in 2016, the total bilateral trade in service was worth USD 1.23 billion, which included Indian service exports of USD 767 million to Sweden and Swedish service exports of USD 458 million to India.

3) Total wealth in India touches $12.6 trillion

• Total wealth in India increased fourfold between 2000 and 2019, reaching $12.6 trillion in 2019, making India the fifth globally in terms of the number of ultrahigh net­worth individuals, as per a Credit Suisse study.
• According to the study, the wealth per adult in India grew by an average of 11% annually over the period 2000–2019 and the wealth per adult is estimated at $14,569 in mid­2019 after a year of moderate growth
• India is expected to grow its wealth very rapidly and add $4.4 trillion in just five years, reflecting an increase of 43% according to study.
• While wealth has been rising in India, not everyone has shared in this growth. There is still considerable wealth poverty, reflected in the fact that 78% of the adult population has wealth below $10,000
• Prior to 2008, wealth rose strongly, from $2,127 in 2000 to $6,378 in 2007. After falling 29% in 2008, it rebounded and grew at an average rate of 12% up to 2019

4) 2nd Annual India Leadership Summit of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum

• Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Shri Dharmendra Pradhan participated in the 2nd Annual India Leadership Summit of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum.
• India has moved to an open, transparent, process-driven policy atmosphere, and all are welcome to invest. The investing companies must bring technology, capital and good business models to India.
• India is expanding its footprints in carbon-free energy, including renewables and bio-energy. Technology and innovation can become game-changers for India's quest for decarbonizing and developing into a gas-based economy for a cleaner & sustainable energy future
• India had set an ambitious target of producing 175 GW energy through renewable energy sources which has been further enhanced to 450 GW.
• From less than 1% ethanol blending in 2015, India has increased EBP to 6%.
• 10 billion dollars investment is to be made in setting up ethanol plants in the country. 
• The US can collaborate with us through the deployment of its technological innovations and capital resources in India and become a partner in India’s bio-fuel revolution the 600MT of non-fossilised biomass available in the country

5) Social Media's new rule to regulate

The Ministry of Information Technology announced in an affidavit that rules to regulate social media intermediaries needed to be revised. The regulatory regime had to be ramped up considering the “ever­growing threats to individual rights and the nation’s integrity, sovereignty, and security.”

The new Information Technology Intermediaries Guidelines (Amendment) Rules would be

notified by January 15, 2020. 

Why it is needed?

The Internet is becoming a platform for spreading hate and fake news. The Internet had led to an exponential rise in “anti­national activities.”

Problems in the regulation of rules

Social media intermediaries like Facebook and WhatsApp have argued that this would lead to loss of individual privacy

If on the one hand technology has led to economic growth and societal development, on the other hand, there has been an exponential rise in hate speech, fake news, public order, anti­national activities, defamatory postings, and other unlawful activities using Internet/ social media platforms

6) National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). 

National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) released data It showed that Delhi recorded a 40.4% share of total Indian Penal Code (IPC) crimes registered in 19 cities in 2017 with Bengaluru taking the second position at 8.9% followed by Mumbai at 7.4%. The population of Delhi is 163.1 lakh while Mumbai’s is 184.1 lakh

About the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). 

The National Crime Records Bureau, abbreviated to NCRB, is an Indian government agency responsible for collecting and analyzing crime data as defined by the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Special and Local Laws (SLL). NCRB is headquartered in New Delhi and is part of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India. The current Director of NCRB is Ramphal Pawar (IPS).

7) Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA) Avoid oil imports from Malaysia

 India’s apex oil trade body Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA)  advised all its members to avoid imports from the southeast Asian nation amid prevailing tensions between the two countries.

Why this action been taken?

When speaking at the 74th session of the UNGA, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Bin Mohamad had reportedly remarked that Jammu and Kashmir “has been invaded and occupied,” a statement that angered the Union government

Palm oil imports

India’s total annual palm oil import is approximately 9 million tonnes out of which around 3­3.5 million tonnes is imported from Malaysia and rest from Indonesia, another major palm oil-producing country

Palm oil accounts for almost two­thirds of the country’s total edible oil imports. In the first nine months of 2019, India was the biggest buyer of Malaysian palm oil, taking 3.9 million tonnes, as per the industry data.

8) Kartarpur MoU to be signed on October 23

• India and Pakistan are all set to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on October 23 for the opening of the Kartarpur corridor that will link two important Sikh shrines on either side. 
• New Delhi has asked Islamabad to reconsider its demand for charging a $20 service fee from each pilgrim. 
• The corridor is being built by both nations to connect Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan, the final resting place of Guru Nanak, to commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of the founder of Sikhism on November 12.

9) Crime in India Report 2017 

• After a delay of two years, the annual Crime in India Report 2017 was published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)
• As per the report, 3,59,849 cases of crime against women were reported in the country. 
• Uttar Pradesh topped the list with 56,011 cases followed by Maharashtra with 31,979 cases and West Bengal 30,002.
• Majority of cases under crimes against women were registered under ‘Cruelty by Husband or his Relatives’ (27.9%) followed by ‘Assault on Women with Intent to Outrage her Modesty’ (21.7%), ‘Kidnapping & Abduction of Women’ (20.5%) and ‘Rape’ (7.0%)

Riots

• 58,880 incidents of rioting were reported, of which the maximum incidents were reported from Bihar 11,698, followed by Uttar Pradesh ­ 8,990  and Maharashtra 7,743. 
• Of the total riots reported, communal and sectarian riots accounted for 723 and 183 incidents respectively
• There were 805 riots due to caste conflict and 1909 riots occurred due to political reasons

False/Fake news and rumors

Under the category, maximum incidents were reported from Madhya Pradesh (138), Uttar Pradesh (32) and Kerala (18).

Kidnapping and Abduction

A total of 95,893 cases of kidnapping and abduction were registered during 2017, showing an increase of 9.0% over 2016 (88,008 cases). 

10) Siachen now open for tourism

The Siachen glacier is “now open” for tourists and tourism after inaugurating a strategically important bridge on the Shyok river in Eastern Ladakh.

From Siachen Base Camp to Kumar Post, the entire area has been opened for tourism purposes