Reading Content from Current Affairs with PT
Given below is the full content of the Current Affairs session conducted for above date. Relevant news clips can be opened here, relevant video can be opened from datewise listing here, and our Youtube channel playlist is here. Enjoy the learning, and do write us a Testimonial here!
___________
India chases away Pakistan copter
breaching airspace
1.The incident : A chopper carrying the POK
PM Raja Farooq Haider was shot at by Indian security forces
on 30th Sept. as it violated the airspace
agreement.
However, the incident was not confirmed by Pakistani High Commission.
2.What the agreement says : As per the agreement, helicopters
are barred from coming within 1 km on both sides of the LoC. This incident was a violation.
3.Exchange
of fire : On
29th Sept. forces on both sides exchanged
fire along the Loc in Kupwara
district.
Indian forces foiled an infiltration attempt also.
4. Not
at the cost of self-respect : The Indian PM on 30th
Sept had said that India is committed to taking the peace process forward but it
cannot come at the cost of self respect and sovereignty of India.
5. Largest
contributor to Peace-Keeping : India has never eyed
someone’s territory maliciously. PM Modi said that India
is one of the largest contributors to various United Nations Peace Keeping
Forces (UNPKF) in terms of personnel.
Download PT APP | UPSC IAS Prep courses | The Hindu Editorial Analysis Course | Subscribe Youtube channel | हिंदी में समाचार
___________
New
CEA to be appointed only after poll
1.Vacant post : After Arvind Subramanian left office in July 2018, the post of the Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) is vacant. It will be so till the 2019 elections are
over!
2.Few applications : Since the Govt. advertised the post in July, only a few
applications have been received.
3.Long process : After
the approval of the selection committee, some more approvals are needed before the name reaches the Appointments Committee.
4.Work not affected : The
Government says it is satisfied at the moment with the
advisory role being fulfilled by the current officials. (Which bodies? PM EAC. Any other?)
5.Current structure : The Finance Ministry has a Principal Economic Adviser (Sanjeev Sanyal)
and the PM has an Economic
Advisory Council, comprising economists such as
Bibek Debroy, Rathin Roy, and Surjit Bhalla.
Bibek Debroy, Rathin Roy, and Surjit Bhalla.
Some
CEAs to the GoI
Rakesh Mohan - 2001 - 2002
Ashok K Lahiri -
2002 - 2007
Arvind Virmani - 2007 - 2009
Kaushik Basu - Dec 2009 - July 2012
Raghuram Rajan - August 2012 - Sept 2013
Arvind Subramanian - Oct 2014 - June 2018
Download PT APP | UPSC IAS Prep courses | The Hindu Editorial Analysis Course | Subscribe Youtube channel | हिंदी में समाचार
___________
‘All help to raise HAL output’ – Raksha Mantri
1.MoD’s efforts : The
Defence Minister said the GoI is helping HAL to increase production of LCA and remove any
difference with its customer IAF.
2.Capacity increase : The production capacity of the LCAs will increase from eight to
16,
per year.
3.More expensive : The Russian Sukhoi-30 MKI fighters that HAL makes for the IAF are
more expensive than those made in Russia. More help is needed.
4.The deal with France : The
minister said that the 2016
Inter-Governmental Agreement with France is a much better deal than the
previous one.
5.HAL not a part of any
deal with Rafale : HAL had not been part of any deal with Rafale’s
original manufacturer Dassault Aviation, so hasn’t lost anything.
Download PT APP | UPSC IAS Prep courses | The Hindu Editorial Analysis Course | Subscribe Youtube channel | हिंदी में समाचार
___________
Terracotta artefacts unearthed on the
banks of the Pampa river
1.Pampa valley civilisation? A
few terracotta artefacts of architectural value were unearthed on the banks of
the river Pampa. Perhaps a culturally
rich Pampa valley civilisation may have existed.
2.Police protection
provided : Local
police provided protection to these artefacts. This discovery is the first of
its kind in the Pampa river basin.
3.At par with the IVC : The
broken terracotta pieces were of Naga images, a male bust, female face,
ornaments, etc. and maybe 1000-2000 years old. Speculation
is that this civilisation may have been at par with the Indus Valley Civilisation.
The Pamba
River
(also called Pampa river) is the third longest river in Kerala after Periyar and
Bharathappuzha,
and the longest river in the princely state of Travancore. The river is also
known as 'Dakshina Bhageerathi'.
The Sabarimala
temple dedicated to Lord Ayyappa is located on the banks of the river Pamba. In
Hindu Epics, Pampa was Lord Brahma's daughter, who was later married to Lord
Shiva.
Download PT APP | UPSC IAS Prep courses | The Hindu Editorial Analysis Course | Subscribe Youtube channel | हिंदी में समाचार
___________
Supreme
Court on a crusade for women’s rights
1.SC in past two years :
The SC has aggressively questioned patriarchy in the Indian
society and
has not shied away from confronting age-old practices and rituals.
2.Gender bias : In the Sabarimala case the CJI commented that no philosophy has so far convinced the
large population of this country to open up and accept
women as equal partners in the journey of spirituality.
3.Sabaraimal-Haji Ali Dargah : In 2016 Chief Justice Thakur had
observed that exclusion is practised by both Hindus
and Muslims. There was a similarity
between not allowing women in the Sabarimala temple and the Haji-Ali-Dargah.
4.Triple Talaq : The Khehar
court in August 2017 declared that triple
talaq was
against the baisc
tenets of Holy Quran and violated the Sharia.
5.Dawoodi Bohra Sect : The
Supreme Court the question whether the practice of female circumcision or khafz,
prevalent in the Dawoodi Bohra sect, amounts
to “female genital mutilation”.
6.However? Experts find that in cases like the Ayodhya
dispute and the arrest of five activists in the Bhima-Koregaon
violence case, the court continued to rely on technicalities while deciding.
Download PT APP | UPSC IAS Prep courses | The Hindu Editorial Analysis Course | Subscribe Youtube channel | हिंदी में समाचार
___________
Punjab to post nodal officers to curb
stubble burning
1.Nodal officers : To
curb the menace of stubble burning the Punjab Government will appoint nodal officers in 8,000 paddy growing villages.
2.Educate : The administrators will depute the officials
to each village to spread awareness on the dangers
of stubble burning on health and environment.
3.MSP : A minimum support price (MSP) for paddy at
Rs.1,770 per quintal for Grade A
and Rs.1,750 per quintal for the common variety has been fixed by the Central Govt.
4. Statistics : Paddy is grown on 65 lakh acres in Punjab. After harvesting, about 20
million tonnes of straw is left on the fields. Approx. 15 million tonnes of straw is burnt by
farmers to clear the fields and make them ready for the next crop. This is a an environmental hazard.
5. Procurement : The
procurement commenced on 1st
Oct, 2018. 1,834 purchase centres are set up in Punjab.
The road to e-vehicles
1.Jharkhand initiative : The Jharkhand Govt. has introduced electric vehicles for official
use. While 20 vehicles are acquired for phase 1, another 30 are to be added
soon.
2.Fuel prices and
climate change : The prices
of fuel have increased and climate
change is a persisting threat. Switching to e-vehicles will reduce the
expenditure of the exchequer.
3.Global Mobility summit
: Addressing the recently held Global Mobility
summit, the Indian PM favoured
investments in electric vehicles and charging stations.
4.Stated goal : India’s stated goal is
to ensure that by 2030 all public transport
and 30% of the private vehicles should be electric. In
Norway and France a substantial % of the vehicles run on electricity or
alternate fuels.
5.Faster policy making
needed : To
achieve the stated goal the government needs to speed up the formulation of rules for
e-vehicles as a category.
Download PT APP | UPSC IAS Prep courses | The Hindu Editorial Analysis Course | Subscribe Youtube channel | हिंदी में समाचार
___________
S-400, Kamov on the agenda of Modi,
Putin
1. Inter-governmental deal : India and Russia have concluded an
Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) for 200 helicopters costing over $1 billion.
60 will be imported from Russia, and 140
will be built in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) with technology
transfer.
2. S-400 systems : During Mr. Putin’s visit to India, the focus
would be on the proposed Rs.39,000-crore deal for five
S-400 air defence systems. (US
has opposed the deal)
3. US sanctions : US officials have warned India against the
deal, threatening sanctions. In Sept. 2018 the Trump administration imposed
sanctions on entities and individuals in China
as it acquired Su-35 fighter jets and S-400 systems.
4. India to go ahead? India
would go ahead with the deal. The
US will have to find a way around CAATSA to avoid sanctions.
5. Advanced system : The state-of-the-art
S-400 Triumf
(NATO name SA-21 Growler) is considered one of the most advanced long-range
defence systems in the world. It has a range of 400 km and can hit targets
at a height of up to 30 km.
Pakistan’s terror charge outrageous :
India
1.Pakistan’s statement :
At
the UNGA, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister blamed
India for the terrorist strike that killed 149 people (mostly children), at
the Army Public School, Peshawar.
2.India’s reply : The
Indian envoy Eanam Gambhir said that “The despicable insinuation
dishonours the memory of the innocent lives lost to terrorists on that day.”
3.Widely condoled in
India : The
Indian envoy said that there
was an outpouring of grief from India after that attack and
India’s Parliament had expressed solidarity with Pakistan after the attack.
4.Pakistan’s own
creation? The
attack was the result of monster of terror that Pakistan had created to destabilise India.
5.Back channel talks
must continue : Meanwhile Pakistani
diplomats say that the back-channel talks between the National
Security Advisers of India and Pakistan from 2015 to 2018 were a good instrument and
should continue.
Download PT APP | UPSC IAS Prep courses | The Hindu Editorial Analysis Course | Subscribe Youtube channel | हिंदी में समाचार
___________
Social media giants to help EC clean up
poll campaign
1.Assurances : The
CEC O.P. Rawat
says social media giants Twitter and Facebook
have assured the EC to not allow their platforms to be used for
anything affecting sanctity of polls during campaign period.
2.Pilot Testing : A
beginning was made in the Karnataka elections. These
assurances will now be tested elections in the four States of Madhya
Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram before the Lok Sabha
elections in 2019.
3.Local heads contacted
: The
EC met the regional and local heads of Google, Facebook and Twitter and asked them on how to prevent the adverse impact of fake news and targeted
communication to voters. However, Youtube and WhatsApp are not in the loop.
4.Whatsapp? Since
Whatsapp is
owned now by Facebook, these rules might apply to Whatsapp
also. But the experience before Karnataka elections may not support this
conclusion. Youtube is owned by Google.
Download PT APP | UPSC IAS Prep courses | The Hindu Editorial Analysis Course | Subscribe Youtube channel | हिंदी में समाचार
___________
Musk out as Tesla chair, stays CEO in
$40 mn SEC
deal
1.The tweet : In
August 2018, Elon
Musk had tweeted that he was considering taking electronic car maker Tesla off
the stock market and he had "funding secured" for the proposal,
which would value Tesla at $420 per share.
2.The Lawsuit : After
this, the Securities Exchanges Commission (SEC) filed a lawsuit alleging Musk of duping
investors with misleading statements.
3.Settlement : Tesla
and its CEO Musk agreed to pay a total of $40 million and make a series of
concessions to settle this lawsuit. The settlement
lets Musk remain the CEO but he has to relinquish his role as chairman
for at least three years.
4.Stocks plummeted : Tesla’s stock plummeted 14% on 28th Sept, after the SEC filed its lawsuit, erasing
more than $7 billion in shareholder wealth.
5.Lesson learnt : No
matter how big a corporate star you are, the law catches up ultimately!
Download PT APP | UPSC IAS Prep courses | The Hindu Editorial Analysis Course | Subscribe Youtube channel | हिंदी में समाचार
___________
Headwinds build up for the economy
1.The last three weeks :
In
the last three weeks defaults by IFL&S and rising oil prices have cast a shadow on Indian economy’s growth prospects.
2.Pressure on the
Government : As domestic prices of fuels race towards the Rs.100 mark, tremendous pressure will be on the Centre to cut taxes to
reduce prices.
3.Horrible choices : If
the Government cuts the excise duty, the revenues will be hit, increasing the
fiscal deficit. If not, then prices of a range of commodities will increase.
4.Inelastic demand? Petrol
consumption has grown by 8.2% in the April-August period. Reducing the excise
duty would increase the CAD. However, there will come a time when the higher prices would result in
lower consumption.
5.Debt crisis : The IL&FS situation has to be managed carefully and
confidence restored in the markets. The upcoming monetary policy statement from
RBI is crucial in this context.
Download PT APP | UPSC IAS Prep courses | The Hindu Editorial Analysis Course | Subscribe Youtube channel | हिंदी में समाचार
___________
For the first time, South African lion
cubs conceived artificially
1.Trials at the University of Pretoria : After 18 months of trial in artificial insemination in the
University of Pretoria, two cubs (male and female) were born on August 25. They
are in a healthy state.
2.The process : The sperm of a healthy lion was collected
and when the lioness’ hormone levels
were found to be viable, she was inseminated artificially. Scientists hope that the technique can
be used to save endangered big cats.
3.Worrisome status : According to the IUCN, lions
are extinct in 26 African countries and numbers in the wild have plummeted 43% over the last two
decades, with roughly only 20,000 left.
4.Welfare organisations : Animal welfare organisations are of the opinion that the captive lion breeding industry is
exploitative and profit-driven.
Download PT APP | UPSC IAS Prep courses | The Hindu Editorial Analysis Course | Subscribe Youtube channel | हिंदी में समाचार
___________
The Story of
MUDRA
Download PT APP | UPSC IAS Prep courses | The Hindu Editorial Analysis Course | Subscribe Youtube channel | हिंदी में समाचार
___________
Download PT APP | UPSC IAS Prep courses | The Hindu Editorial Analysis Course | Subscribe Youtube channel | हिंदी में समाचार
___________
Lucknow
shooting case highlights the problems with an encounter culture
Congress demands smart city status for
Jodhpur
AMUL is an alternative economic model,
says the PM
Law University students at Raipur go on
hunger strike, VC resigns
Indonesian earthquake and tsunami
disaster toll keeps mounting
“We fell in love”, says Trump about Kim
Jong-un
of North Korea
Download PT APP | UPSC IAS Prep courses | The Hindu Editorial Analysis Course | Subscribe Youtube channel | हिंदी में समाचार
___________
EDITORIALS & OP-ED
1.TRICKY CALL
AHEAD
How the RBI will look at policy rates in next MPC
How the RBI will look at policy rates in next MPC
2.CUP OF SURPRISES
The interesting outcome of Asia Cup Cricket 2018
The interesting outcome of Asia Cup Cricket 2018
3.AN ONGOING QUEST FOR
EQUALITY
Supreme Court’s Sabarimala verdict and the many questions
Supreme Court’s Sabarimala verdict and the many questions
4.IN PARLIAMENT’S COURT
How the S.C. lose the opportunity to decriminalise
politics!
5. GANDHI : A FOX OR A
HEDGEHOG
The remarkable legacy of Mahatma Gandhi
The remarkable legacy of Mahatma Gandhi
Download PT APP | UPSC IAS Prep courses | The Hindu Editorial Analysis Course | Subscribe Youtube channel | हिंदी में समाचार
___________
AROUND THE MEDIA – 10 IMPORTANT NEWS
FREE PT APP | CURRENT AFFAIRS Home All Posts Shrutis Power of 10 | CIVILS TAPASYA Home Tapasya Annual Prep - TAP GS-Study Mat. Exams Analyses Downloads | APTITUDE Power of Apti | TEST SERIES | CONTRIBUTE | TESTIMONIALS | PREMIUM PT GURUKUL | PRABODHAN Mastercourse | C.S.E. Self-Prep Online | SANDEEP SIR Site Youtube
COMMENTS