Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 06 April 2017

:: National ::

China says visit of Dalai Lama severely damaged ties

• The row between India and China on the visit of the Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh spiralled, with the Chinese Foreign Ministry asserting that the Tibetan leader’s visit to the State “will escalate the dispute in border areas.”

• China also lodged a protest with India’s Ambassador in Beijing Vijay Gokhale.

• China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson HuaChunying stressed, in response to a question at her regular briefing, that the Dalai Lama’s visit had “severely damaged” Sino-Indian ties.

• “India is keenly aware of the role of the 14th Dalai Lama. Arranging this visit to the disputed areas not only runs counter to India’s commitments on Tibet but will escalate the dispute in border areas,” she observed.

• According to her, India had acted “obstinately” by green-lighting the visit, despite repeated Chinese protests.Arunachal Pradesh is at the heart of the Sino-Indian boundary dispute in the eastern sector.

• The dispute in this zone is over territory south of the McMahon Line in Arunachal Pradesh, which includes Tawang — which is on the Dalai Lama’s itinerary. The McMahon Line was the result of the 1914 Simla Convention, between British India and Tibet, and was rejected by China.

Govt clarified on deposits and withdrawal limits

• The Rs. 2 lakh cap on cash transactions will not apply to deposits in and withdrawals from banks, the government clarified, adding that capital expenditure of more than Rs. 10,000 will not be eligible for depreciation allowance.

• “that no person… shall receive two lakh rupees or more, (a) in aggregate from a person in a day; (b) in one transaction; or (c) in transactions relating to one event or occasion from a person, otherwise than by an account payee cheque or draft or through a bank account,” a statement said.

9 out of every 10 children aged 6-23 do not get an adequate diet in Bihar and Jharkhand

• In Bihar and Jharkhand, nine out of every 10 children aged 6-23 do not get an adequate diet. The nutrition and health status of children in these two States has been found to be “critically low” in comparison to the national standard.

• According to NFHS-4, 2015-16 data, only 7.5% and 7.2% of children in Bihar and Jharkhand respectively in this age group receive an adequate diet, according to a trend analysis of the NFHS-4 data released by the NGO, Child Rights and You (CRY).

• CRY’s findings indicate that inadequate provision of quality antenatal care, and the States’ failure to address the special nutritional requirements of expecting and lactating mothers are negatively affecting child health.

• The NFHS-4 data on child-feeding practices and the nutritional status of children further suggest that almost two-thirds of children under the age of 3 years in these two States are not breastfed within the first hour of birth.

• The analysis also observed that almost two-thirds of children (63.5% in Bihar and 69.9% in Jharkhand) aged 6-59 months were suffering from acute anaemia.

• The prevalence of anaemia among a high percentage of pregnant women in the age-group of 15-49 years (62.6% in Jharkhand and 58.3% in Bihar) further indicates that juvenile anaemia is merely a manifestation of the malnutrition-cycle transmitted through generations, thereby extending the legacy of under-nutrition.

• Further, the data on maternal health also revealed that only 9% of pregnant women in Bihar and 15% of pregnant women in Jharkhand consumed iron and folic acid supplements for hundred days or more during pregnancy.

• On the positive side, both Bihar and Jharkhand have done well in several child health and nutrition indicators such as institutional delivery, immunisation, and treatment of critical childhood diseases.

Govt wants BC commission to get constitutional status (Register and Login to read Full News)

India says it has sovereignty over Gilgit-Baltistan region (Register and Login to read Full News)

New guidelines for accreditation of 30 lakh NGOs handed over to SC (Register and Login to read Full News)

:: International ::

First meeting between Trump and Xi

• President Donald Trump’s first meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping could be the beginning of a reorientation of bilateral ties.

• North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast. The missile flew about 60 km from its launch site at Sinpo, a port city on the east coast, South Korea said. Sinpo is home to a North submarine base.

• The Secretary of State had said last month that military options to neutralise North Korea’s nuclear capability were on the table.

• Mr. Trump has repeatedly blamed China for not taking effective measures to rein in Pyongyang. “North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been ‘playing’ the United States for years. China has done little to help,” the President tweeted last month.

• China has tightened sanctions on North Korea in recent months but it has not touched the oil supply to it. “China has its own North Korea policy, independent of what the U.S. might want.”

• The One-China policy and trade will be the other two issues that could dominate the talks between the two leaders. Mr. Gupta said there would be a number of disquieting undercurrents in America’s Taiwan policy from China’s point of view”.

• Trade and economic issues could also lead to what Mr. Trump has described as “difficult” talks with Mr. Xi.

• But on this, the U.S. President will be more thoughtful and planned, compared to the urgency he is showing about the North Korean threat.

:: Business and Economy ::

200 rupee note to come soon

• The Centre is examining a proposal from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to introduce Rs. 200 denomination currency notes to improve the cash situation.

• According to the sources, a smaller denomination note will improve liquidity. In November last year, the Centre announced the demonetisation of Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 500 notes.

• While a new Rs. 500 note was introduced with added security features, a new Rs. 1,000 note was not reintroduced. Instead, a new Rs. 2,000 denomination currency note was introduced.

• There are two bank note printing presses in the country — Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Limited — a subsidiary of the RBI, and the government-owned Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited.

• According to RBI, smaller denomination notes constituted only 13.6% of the total currency in circulation, in value terms, as at March 2016.

• The higher denomination notes — Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 — that were demonetised constituted 86.4% of the currency in circulation.

• At end-March 2016, the value of banknotes in circulation was Rs. 16.415 lakh crore — a rise of 14.9% over the previous year. According to RBI, the volume of banknotes increased by 8% against 8.1% in 2014- 15.

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