Current Affairs for BANK, IBPS Exams - 09 September 2021

::National::

Armed forces will recruit women in NDA

A bench of justices Sanjay KishanKaul and Hrishikesh Roy threw open the doors of the joint defence service training institute of the Indian armed forces to women cadets, directing the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) to give wide publicity to the new advertisement on admissions so that intent of the order is translated into effect and more women apply.
In its interim order, the bench said women candidates will be permitted to sit for exam scheduled for September 5 (now rescheduled for November 14) and added that their admission will be subject to the final orders of the court. The court will hear the matter next on September 8.
The court’s ruling comes days before the service chiefs of the army, navy and the air force are set to visit the NDA in Pune to review facilities and arrangements for women cadets. The visit was planned earlier this month, a senior army officer said on the condition of anonymity.
Rejecting an argument by the Union government that the restriction against women from training at the Pune-based NDA was a policy decision, the court recorded in its order: “This is a policy decision based on gender discrimination. We expect the army and the government to take a more constructive view of the matter...”
Hearing a petition filed by lawyer Kush Kalra for equal opportunity for women at NDA and the Indian Naval Academy, the bench expressed its disgruntlement over the “mindset” of the Indian Army when it comes to equal service opportunities for men and women in the country’s armed forces.

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::International::

Mexico: Supreme Court declares abortion non-criminal

Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to punish abortion, unanimously annulling several provisions of a law from Coahuila — a state on the Texas border — that had made abortion a criminal act.
The decision will immediately affect only the northern border state, but it establishes a historic precedent and “obligatory criteria for all of the country’s judges,” compelling them to act the same way in similar cases, said court President Arturo Zaldívar. “From now on you will not be able to, without violating the court's criteria and the constitution, charge any woman who aborts under the circumstances this court has ruled as valid.”
The decision comes one week after a Texas law took effect prohibiting abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity in the fetus. It allows any private citizen to sue Texas abortion providers who violate the law, as well as anyone who “aids or abets” a woman getting the procedure.
Only four Mexican states — Mexico City, Oaxaca, Veracruz and Hidalgo — now allow abortion in most circumstances. The other 28 states penalize abortion with some exceptions.
There are currently no women imprisoned for abortions in Mexico, but there are some 4,600 open investigations for it, said Cruz, whose organization freed the last women who had been in prison for it.
Cruz believes the feminist movement will have to maintain pressure on state legislatures to change their laws, because as long as they exist someone will be trying to punish a woman.

::Economy::

Cabinet committee on security approves purchase of 56 transport aircraft

India’s Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Wednesday cleared the much-delayed purchase of 56 C-295 medium transport aircraft to replace the Indian Air Force’s ageing fleet of Avro-748 planes, the defence ministry announced on Wednesday.
The deal is expected to be worth $2.5 billion.
Airbus Defence and Space and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) will jointly execute the project to equip the air force with the new transport aircraft under the Make-in-India initiative in the aerospace sector. Airbus will supply the first 16 aircraft in flyaway condition while the remaining 40 will be assembled in India by TASL.
The Avro replacement project was in the works for almost a decade.
“Sixteen aircraft will be delivered in flyaway condition from Spain within 48 months of signing of the contract, and 40 aircraft will be manufactured in India by Tata consortium within ten years of signing of the contract. This is the first project of its kind in which a military aircraft will be manufactured in India by a private company,” the ministry said in a statement.
While the C-295s are meant to replace the Avro-748 transport planes, the new aircraft will also be suitable for demanding roles that the AN-32 currently undertakes. The aircraft can operate from short, unprepared airstrips and carry out a variety of missions in all-weather conditions.
The defence acquisition council accorded its acceptance of necessity (AoN) to replace the Avro planes with 56 new aircraft in 2012. Under India’s defence procurement rules, an AoN by the council is the first step towards buying military hardware. The Avro-748 entered service in the early 1960s and has been long due for replacement.

Central government approves ₹10,683 crore PLI scheme for the textile sector

The cabinet approved the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme worth Rs 10,683 crore for textiles sector with an aim to boost domestic manufacturing and exports.
The decision was taken in a meeting which was chaired by Prime Minister NarendraModi here.
The cabinet has approved the PLI scheme for textiles for MMF (man-made fibre) apparel, MMF fabrics and ten segments/products of technical textiles with a budgetary outlay of Rs 10,683 crore.
PLI scheme for textiles is part of the overall announcement of the scheme for 13 sectors made earlier during the Union Budget 2021-22, with an outlay of Rs 1.97 lakh crore.
Incentives worth Rs 10,683 crore will be provided over 5 years, said Thakur.
The government expects investments of more than Rs 19,000 crore into the sector during the five-year period.
It is also expected to bring about additional production turnover of over Rs 3 lakh crore during the period and create employment opportunities of over 750,000 people directly and several lakhs more for supporting activities, as per the government.
The government will give higher priority for investment in the aspirational districts and tier-3 cities.

::Science and tech::

Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft completed 9,000 orbits around the Moon

India’s Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft has completed more than 9,000 orbits around the Moon, and imaging and scientific instruments onboard have been providing excellent data, officials said on Monday.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is holding a two-day Lunar Science Workshop 2021, which began on Monday, to commemorate the completion of two years of operation of Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft around the lunar orbit.
“Till date, the Chandrayaan-2 has completed more than 9,000 orbits around the Moon,” added Sivan, also Secretary in the Department of Space (DoS).
According to the Bengaluru-headquartered ISRO, data product and science documents were released by Sivan, along with data from Chandrayaan-2 orbiter payloads.
“The science data are being made available for analysis by academia and institutes, for a greater participation to bring out more science from Chandrayaan-2 mission,” ISRO said.
Sivan said he has reviewed the science results, and found them to be “very much encouraging”.
Chairman of Apex Science Board, ISRO, A S Kiran Kumar said the imaging and scientific instruments onboard the Chandrayaan-2 satellite have been providing excellent data.