Current Affairs for BANK, IBPS Exams - 04 January 2022

::National::

SC notice on plea challenging inner line permit in Manipur

The Supreme Court sought the responses of the Centre and the Manipur government to a petition challenging the constitutional validity of the inner line permit (ILP) system which controls the entry to Manipur of people who are not residents, and prohibits them from conducting business without a special permit.
A bench of justices S Abdul Nazeer and Krishna Murari issued notices on a petition filed by a Kolkata-based sociocultural organisationAmraBangalee.
The petition challenged the decision of the Centre in 2019 to extend the ILP system in Manipur by way of an order promulgated by the President. It also challenged permit guidelines issued by the state government restricting the entry of outsiders, and imposing curbs on them with respect to business activity and land purchase.
Terming the law and accompanying regulations to be violative of the constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of equality (Article 14), life and liberty (Article 21), non-discrimination (Article 15) and movement and trade (Article 19), the petition filed through advocate Fuzail Ahmad Ayyubi said: “The effect of ILP system in Manipur is that no person who is not a resident of the state is permitted to enter the state or engage in business without applying for a special permit known as ILP.”
Describing the law as part of the colonial legacy introduced under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) of 1873, advocate Ayyubi said that this regulation was enacted during British rule to create a monopoly by prohibiting Indians from engaging in trade with the local tribal population. “The said restriction is continued post-Independence as well under the guise of protecting interests of tribal areas.”
BEFR was retained by way of a 1950 order, and made applicable to most of North-East region. In 2019, an amendment was made to the Adaptation of Laws Order 1950 to extend it to Manipur besides Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and areas of districts of Nagaland as notified from time to time. The 1950 order applied to certain districts in the above states.

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::International::

US, allies will ‘respond decisively’ to Russian invasion: Joe Biden to Ukraine

US President Joe Biden assured Ukrainian counterpart VolodymyrZelenskyy in a phone call on Sunday that the United States and its allies will “respond decisively” if Russia invades Ukraine any further.
The stern warning for Moscow came just days after Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged warnings over Ukraine.
Biden told Putin in a video call the US and allies will inflict “serious costs and consequences” and Putin warned of a “complete rupture” in ties.
“President Biden made clear that the United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine,” the White House said in a readout of Biden’s call with Zelenskyy.
Biden underscored the commitment of the United States and its allies and partners to the principle of “nothing about you without you” and “reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
In a Tweet, Zelenskyy praised the “unwavering support” that Ukraine has received from the US.
“We made it clear to President Putin that if he makes any more moves and goes into Ukraine, we will have severe sanctions. We will increase our presence in Europe with our Nato allies and it will be a heavy price to pay for it,” Biden told reporters in a day after the call on New Year’s eve.
The United States and its western allies have watched with alarm Russia amass more than 100,000 troops along the border with Ukraine raising fears of an imminent attack. The build-up appears to be a repeat of a similar deployment preceding the 2014 invasion when Russia annexed Crime from Ukraine.

::Economy::

India achieved highest-ever monthly exports of $37 bn in Dec 2021: Goyal

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry PiyushGoyal said that India has achieved its highest-ever monthly exports of USD 37 billion in December 2021, registering a jump of 37 per cent from figures of December 2020.
The minister was addressing a press conference in Delhi.
"India has achieved the highest ever monthly exports of $37 billion in December 2021, which is a 37% jump over figures of December 2020," said Goyal while addressing the media.
Goyal said the country is on track to achieve an export target of $400 billion, adding that the top 10 major commodity groups constituting 80 per cent of exports have grown by 41 per cent over last December.
"We are on track to achieve an export target of $400 billion. The top 10 major commodity groups constituting 80 per cent of exports have grown by 41 per cent over last December," said the minister.
He said that Uttar Pradesh is one of the best performing states in terms of the 'One District, One Product' scheme.
"It is expected that UP exports will rise to 2 lakh crores in the current financial year," he added.
The ODOP scheme by the UP government focuses on boosting the economy of the state by encouraging indigenous and specialised products of the various districts.

RBI caps upper limit of offline payment transaction at Rs 200

Setting the ball rolling on digital payments through the offline mode, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday released a framework for such payments, wherein it stated that the upper limit of an offline payment transaction will be Rs 200, the overall limit Rs 2,000 on a payment instrument at any point in time until the balance in the account is replenished.
Offline payments can be made using any channel or instrument like cards, wallets, and mobile devices, the RBI had stated.
According to the RBI, an offline payment means a transaction not requiring internet or telecommunication (telecom) connectivity to take effect.
“Offline transactions are expected to give digital transactions a push in areas with poor or weak internet or telecom connectivity, particularly in semi-urban and rural areas,” the RBI said.
The central bank had announced its intention of doing pilot tests on transfers without internet in the developmental and regulatory statement dated August 6, 2020. After that, three pilots were successfully conducted under the scheme in different parts of the country between September 2020 and June 2021, involving small-value transactions covering a volume of 241,000 for a value of Rs 1.16 crore.
The RBI said offline payments will be made in proximity (face-to-face) mode only and offline payment transactions can be offered without additional factor authentication (AFA). However, replenishment of the used limit (Rs 2,000) will be allowed only in online mode with AFA.

::Science and tech::

Isro chief talks about 2022 plans, Gaganyaan, Venus mission

Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) chairman K Sivan has acknowledged there is a feeling that very little happened in the space agency in 2021 "primarily due to less number of launches". But he highlighted that Isro undertook many technology development initiatives, and planned for the next decade of space activities during the "lull period".
“India's flagship Gaganyaan project has completed the design phase and has entered into the testing phase,” Sivan said.
“Tests are in progress for human rated Ll 10 Vikas engine, Cryogenic stage, Crew escape system motors and service module propulsion system,” he added.
Gaganyaan is India’s first human space mission and was announced by Prime Minister NarendraModi in 2018 and was expected to take off on the Independence Day this year. But the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic led to a delay.
However, Sivan said that efforts are on to meet the schedule.
"There is a directive to launch the first unmanned mission before the 75th anniversary of India's independence (August 15, 2022) and all the stake-holders are putting their best effort to meet the schedule. I am sure that we will be able to meet this target," Sivan said in his message.

::Sport::

Mbappe hits hat-trick as PSG stroll into French Cup last 16

Holders Paris St Germain eased into the French Cup last 16 after a second-half hat-trick from KylianMbappe following PresnelKimpembe's opener gave them a 4-0 win at fourth-tier Vannes.
With several regular starters absent, PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino fielded a makeshift side which dominated throughout, although they played at walking pace for much of the contest.
Home goalkeeper Clement Petrel denied Ander Herrera and GeorginioWijnaldum with fine saves before central defender Kimpembe fired the visitors ahead with a diving header from close range in the 28th minute.
Mbappe, who had a quiet first half, doubled the lead in the 59th after he raced clear of his markers from Kimpembe's pass and beat Petrel, with the keeper unlucky not to keep the ball out after getting his body to it.