Tuesday, August 8, 2017

DNA 25th jULY

Speaker suspends six Cong. MPs for 5 days 

  • Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan suspended six Congress MPs for five days for "unruly behaviour" and disrupting the proceedings of the House.
  • The Lok Sabha got off to a stormy start with leader of the Congress' Legislative Party Mallikarjuna Kharge demanding a discussion on widespread incidents of mob violence and murder.
  • The party had moved an adjournment motion for the discussion but it was denied by the Speaker.
  • This is not the first time Ms Mahajan has suspended opposition MPs; in July 2015 she had suspended 25 Congress MPs for five days for causing disruption.
Related Terms:

Question Hour:The first Hour of every sitting of the Parliament is generally reserved for asking and answering of Questions.
Zero Hour:The time immediately following the Question Hour  has come to be known as Zero Hour.It starts at around 12 noon (hence the name) and members can,with prior notice to the speaker,raise issues of importance during this time.Typically,discussions on important Bills,the Budget and other issues of national importance takes place from 2 PM onwards .  

Gangotri glacier retreated 0.15 sq km in 9 years: govt

The Gangotri glacier has retreated 0.15 sq km between 2007 and 2016, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Monday. 
The melting of Gangotri glacier has been studied by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) by taking Survey of India maps of 1962 as the base 
Study over 40 years: The ISRO study during last four decades has revealed that loss in area of Gangotri glacier during the years: (i) 1962 and 2005 was 3.19 sq km; (ii) 1990 and 2007 was 0.13 sq km and (iii) 2007 and 2016 was 0.15 sq km
Major initiatives taken under the National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) include establishment of a Centre for Himalayan Glaciology at the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology in Dehradun and setting up of six thematic task forces
Climate changes: They include natural and geological wealth, water, ice, snow including glaciers, micro flora and fauna and wildlife and animal population, Himalayan agriculture, traditional knowledge system and forest resources and plant diversity. 
He said climate change centres have been set up in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya and West Bengal.
He added that as per the fifth assessment report (AR5) of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published in 2014, globally land and ocean surface temperature has risen by 0.85 degrees Celsius (0.65 to 1.06 degrees) over the period of 1880 to 2012

Soul of India is in tolerance: Pranab

In his last address to the nation as the Head of State, President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday stressed the need for pluralism and tolerance, saying that the soul of India resides in these values. 
He also made a strong pitch for freeing public discourse from violence, both “physical as well as verbal”
“Multiplicity in culture, faith and language is what makes India special. We derive our strength from tolerance ” 
Plurality had become an essential part of the country after centuries of assimilation of ideas. The soul of India resided in pluralism and tolerance
 Compassion and Empathy were the “true foundation” of India’s civilisation
He contended that only a non-violent society could ensure the participation of all sections of the people, particularly the marginalised and the dispossessed, in the democratic process
 “India is not just a geographical entity. It carries a history of ideas, philosophy, intellect, industrial genius, craft innovation and experience
“We may argue, we may agree or we may not agree. But we cannot deny the essential prevalence of multiplicity of opinion. Otherwise, a fundamental character of our thought process will wither away,” he asserted. 
He reminded people of Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy and said that the creation of an inclusive society had to be an article of faith. The President also stressed the need for financial inclusion for an equitable society, and said that the poorest needed to be empowered.

Opposition seeks scrutiny of Banking Regulation Bill

  • Union Finance Minister introduced the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2017, in the Lok Sabha on Monday. 
  • The Bill seeks to authorise the RBI to resolve the problem of stressed assets, even as the Opposition demanded that it be sent to a standing committee for scrutiny.  
  • The Bill seeks to amend the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, and replace the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Ordinance promulgated in May. 
  • It allows the RBI to open an insolvency resolution process in respect of specific stressed assets. 
  • The RBI will also be empowered to issue directives for resolution and appoint authorities or committees to advise the banking companies on stressed asset resolution.

IMF retains India 2017 GDP growth forecast at 7.2% 

  • The International Monetary Fund's (IMF) July World Economic Outlook Update retained India's projected GDP growth rate for 2017-18 at 7.2%, and at 7.7% for 2018-19.
  •   “Growth in India is forecast to pick up further in 2017 and 2018, in line with the April 2017 forecast,” the IMF said
  • The IMF added that while activity slowed following demonetisation, growth for 2016-17 was higher than anticipated on the back of government spending and stronger momentum in the first part of that year, as revealed by data revisions.
  • On the other hand, the growth outlook was revised upwards for Japan, the euro area, and China.
  • "Inflation in advanced economies remains subdued and generally below targets; it has also been declining in several emerging economies, such as Brazil, India, and Russia," the IMF said.

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