Current Affairs for BANK, IBPS Exams - 06 August 2021

::NATIONAL::

Parliament passed a bill to set up a commission for air quality management in and around the National Capital Region

A bill which seeks to set up a statutory authority with appropriate powers to tackle air pollution in the National Capital Region (NCR) and adjoining areas was passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
'The Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Bill, 2021', introduced last week, was moved for consideration and passage by Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav amid din created by opposition members over the Pegasus spying row and farmers' issue.
Moving the bill, Yadav said it is an important mechanism to tackle pollution in the NCR and urged all members to support the legislation.
Several amendments moved by Opposition members were rejected by a voice vote and amid sloganeering, the bill was passed.
Once passed by Rajya Sabha, the bill will replace an ordinance issued in the recent past.
"It is observed that sources of air pollution, particularly in the National Capital Region, consist of a variety of factors which are beyond the local limits of the National Capital Region.
As Parliament was not in session and there was an immediate need for legislation in this regard, the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Ordinance, 2020, was promulgated on October 28, 2020.
But a bill to replace the ordinance could not be introduced in Parliament. Consequently, the Ordinance lapsed on March 12, 2021. Thereafter, the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Ordinance, 2021 was promulgated on April 13, 2021.

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::International::

Ebrahim Raisi sworn in as new President of Iran

Mr Raisi, a hardline cleric, succeeds Hassan Rouhani, seen in the West as a relative moderate.
It comes at a time of growing challenges for Iran, whose economy has been crippled by US-led sanctions.
There are also heightened tensions with foreign powers who have blamed Iran for a deadly drone attack on a tanker near Oman last week, which Iran has denied.
Two people - British and Romanian security guards - were killed when the MV Mercer Street, operated by an Israeli-owned company, was struck. Britain, the US and Israel accused Iran of carrying it out.
Tensions with the US have soared since 2018, when then-President Donald Trump pulled out of a multilateral deal over Iran's nuclear programme and restored sanctions.
"The Iranian people expect the new government to improve their livelihoods... All illegal US sanctions against the Iranian nation must be lifted," he said.
Thorny negotiations were taking place in Vienna between Iran and other countries which are still part of the agreement to try to revive the frayed deal and lift sanctions. However the talks have been on hold for several weeks.
The battered economy has led to growing discontent among ordinary Iranians, who have seen a sharp rise in the cost of living. Iran has also blamed US sanctions for an acute shortage of medicines.
Alongside the economic crisis, Iran is battling the coronavirus pandemic. It is the worst-hit country in the region and has recorded its highest number of cases for the past three days running.

::Economy::

CBIC launches Compliance Information Portal (CIP)

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, also known as CBIC, has launched an all-new portal for Indian importers and exporters known as Customs Compliance Information Portal (CIP) on 4th August 2021.
The Compliance Information Portal provides free access to all the Customs regulatory compliance and import-export procedures for about 12,000 tariff entries. It also lists down the duties and taxes applicable to each commodity.
The information about import-export through post and courier, re-import and re-export, project imports, import of samples and self-sealing facility available for exporters are also hosted on this portal.
It also hosts the list of customs stations, land customs stations, seaports and airports across India by allowing users to choose from the map. The portal validates import-export code, authorised dealer code and goods and services tax identification number.
The portal has a tool built into it that allows users to obtain necessary information about the import or export of a particular tariff item free of cost. It increases awareness among Indian businesses to self-understand the procedures and their duty liabilities without being dependant on experts for the same.
Before this portal was launched, customs information was scattered across different portals, and some were not updated. Hence, the new portal is made available as a measure of trade facilitation.

::Science and tech::

Union Science and Technology Minister released "Biotech-Pride"

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today released “Biotech-PRIDE (Promotion of Research and Innovation through Data Exchange) Guidelines” developed by Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology.On the occasion, Dr.RenuSwarup, Secretary Department of Biotechnology, other senior Officials from Government and researchers from various Institutions were also present. The Minister also launched the website of Indian Biological Data Centre, IBDC.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that in a large population of over 135 crore and heterogeneous character of the country, India needs its own exclusive database for Indian Research and Solutions. He said, there is no dearth of talent in the country and the indigenous database will have huge enabling mechanism for exchange and adoption of data by young scientists and researchers for the benefit of Indian Citizens.
Describing the release of Biotech-PRIDE as 1st of its kind by the DBT, Dr Jitendra Singh said, India ranks number 4 amongst the top 20 countries contributing biological databases1.
The Government invests a large amount of public funds to generate data in various sectors, including in the biosciences for knowledge generation, to gain deep insights into intricate biological mechanisms and other processes and for translation, he added.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, advances in DNA sequencing and other high-throughput technologies along with a steep drop in DNA sequencing cost have enabled government agencies to fund research towards generation of large volumes of biological data in various sectors of Biosciences.

::Sports::

Ravi Kumar Dahiya of India won silver medal in men's 57kg freestyle wrestling

Indian wrestler Ravi Kumar Dahiya bagged the silver medal after losing in the final of men's 57kg freestyle category to Russian Olympic Committee’s (ROC) Zavur Uguev on Thursday. This is India's fifth medal at the Tokyo Olympics and the second silver of the campaign.
Uguev got the first point of the bout after a tense start that saw both wrestlers defending really well. Uguev pushed the Indian wrestler out of the playing area twice in the initial minutes of the first round to take a 2-0 lead.