Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 04 April 2017

:: National ::

IISc has been rated as the top higher educational institution of India

• The Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, has been rated as the top higher educational institution of India across disciplines, as per the first-ever overall ranking of institutions released by the Centre.

• The seven top IITs, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Benaras Hindu University (BHU) figure in the top 10 among the 2,995 institutions that participated in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), 2017.

• IIT-Madras ranks second, while JNU ranks sixth in the all-India list. Releasing the rankings, Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar said the government would give more grants to the institutions ranked higher.

• However, the elite Indian Institutes of Management have not performed too well, with IIM-Ahmedabad, the top business school, standing 17th in the list. All other IIMs rank below 20.

• There are separate lists within disciplines for engineering, management and pharmacy, and for universities and colleges.

Besides the loss of revenue lakhs of people could loose job due to SC order

• Besides loss of revenue to the Haryana exchequer running into several hundred crores, more than 50,000 people could lose their jobs in the face of the ban on bars and pubs along national and state highways.

• Hotel and Restaurant Association of Haryana president Manbeer Choudhary expressed apprehension that the Haryana government could lose around 20% of its Rs. 5,200 crore excise revenue in the current financial year due to the order.

• The State hospitality industry hasn’t resorted to layoffs yet, over 50,000 people could lose their jobs with bars losing business.

• Of the 478 bars in Haryana, 194 are expected to be affected by the Supreme Court order, according to Haryana government sources. Most of the affected bars are located in Gurugram (106), followed by Faridabad(14) and Ambala (8).

• On the dispute over measurement of distance from highways, Mr. Kaushal said aggrieved parties can approach the committee constituted at the district level.

• If they aren’t satisfied with the resolution, they can write to the Excise and Taxation Commissioner or give a representation to the government, he said.

Six DU colleges made it to the list of top 10 educational institutions

• Six Delhi University (DU) colleges made it to the list of top 10 educational institutions released under the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).

• While Miranda House was ranked the best college in the country, SRCC, which has consistently done well in ranking surveys, came in third best and Lady Shri Ram College was adjudged the sixth best in the country.

• While St. Stephen’s College and Hindu College did not even figure in the list, Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College on South Campus was ranked the fifth best college in the country, finishing above Lady Shri Ram College.

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Defence Acquisition Council approved the purchase of Barak (Register and Login to read Full News)

Centre has sought public opinion on proposed amendments to RTI Act (Register and Login to read Full News)

:: International ::

Saint Petersburg metro station probed as act of terror

• An unexploded device was found at a second Saint Petersburg metro station after a blast in the underground that killed 10 people and injured dozens, local news agencies cited Russia’s anti-terrorism committee as saying.

• The national anti-terrorism committee (NAK) said in a statement carried by Russian agencies that such a device was “found and neutralised in a timely fashion” at the Vosstaniya Square station.

• The St. Petersburg subway immediately shut down all of its stations and the national anti-terrorism body said security measures would be tightened at all key transport facilities across Russia.

• Russian President Vladimir Putin was in St. Petersburg for talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. He went ahead with the talks after appearing on Russian television to speak about the attack.

• No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. But Russia’s Investigative Committee said it was probing a suspected “act of terror”.

• “Despite the fact that a criminal case under article 205 of the Criminal Code (act of terror) has been opened, the investigation intends on verifying all other possible versions of this incident,” the committee said in a statement.

• Russia’s public transportation systems have been targeted in the past. In 2013, Russia was hit by twin suicide strikes that claimed 34 lives.

• Russia has intervened militarily to bolster Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces in September 2015, turning the tables on the battlefield just as rebel forces were strengthening their hold on key areas.

• Russian bombardments helped the regime retake rebel areas in the east of the northern city of Aleppo after four years of fighting.

• More than 310,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict broke out in March 2011 with protests against Mr. Assad’s rule.

Pakistan resumed its mass repatriation of Afghan refugees (Register and Login to read Full News)

:: India and World ::

UAV deal with Israel may get done during PM's visit

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to get a display of the Heron TP armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) during his visit to Israel later this summer.

• These would be India’s first armed drones, significantly expanding the aerial offensive capabilities of the military.

• Armed UAVs for the Indian Air Force (IAF) are already being manufactured in Israel and did not rule out the possibility of them being handed over to the IAF in the near future.

• The deal is expected to cost around $400 million for 10 drones. The discussion for the Heron TP drones has been going on for several years but the exact status of the deal is unclear as the progress is strictly under wraps.

• India currently operates a large number of Israeli-built Heron and Searcher UAVs, which were inducted since the late 1990s, and the three services have been quite pleased with their performance.

• With the indigenous efforts to build UAVs delayed, India has expanded its arsenal of Israeli drones.

• India also procured a small number of Harpy loitering drones in the past which can destroy targets by direct hits. However the Heron TP would be the first true armed UAV in the arsenal.

• UAVs have become routine tools for surveillance and the armed variants would give decision makers a new and safe option in planning short and swift strikes on terrorist camps.

• The manufacturer stated on its website that Heron TP is a Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) drone which can fly upto an altitude of 45,000 feet, has an endurance of over 30 hours and can carry a mission payload of 1,000 kgs.

• The other defence deal expected during the visit is for two additional Phalcon long range Airborne Warning And Control Systems (AWACS) which would join the three systems in service with the Air Force.

• The radars are mounted on Russian IL-76 transport aircraft and Russian industry officials have earlier stated that India has already ordered aircraft for the purpose.

:: Business and Economy ::

Commercial vehicle manufacturers hit hard by BS III ban

• The Supreme Court’s (SC) ban on the sale and registration of BS-III vehicles from April 1, 2017 has hit commercial vehicle (CV) manufacturers hard as the order is estimated to have cost them Rs. 2,500 crore.

• The discounts and incentives on vehicles sold till March 31, 2017 are expected to have cost CV manufacturers about Rs. 1,200 crore. Additionally Rs. 1,300 crore would be incurred to dispose of the unsold inventory.

• While the two-wheeler segment witnessed marginal impact with most of the BS-III bikes and scooters being sold with up to 30% discounts, the passenger car segment remained largely unaffected as this segment had mostly shifted to BS-IV beginning last year.

• The CV makers had built up large inventory and even continued to manufacture BS-III vehicles till March in anticipation of strong buying in April given the price increases of 8% to 10% expected on BS-IV vehicles.

• The CV industry is believed to have sold 55% of the inventory by offering discounts of up to 40% on the sticker price thus bearing a cost of Rs. 1,200 crore.

• As many as 40,000 to 45,000 units of unsold inventory lying with dealers would be returned in the coming months. These units are likely to upgraded to BS-IV or dismantled for spares or would be exported in the coming six months.

Purchasing Managers’ Index rose to 52.5 in March (Register and Login to read Full News)

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