Current Affairs for BANK, IBPS Exams - 14 June 2022

::National::

IGNCA to be vehicle of cultural transformation: Ram Bahadur Rai

The Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA), which is being relocated as part of the Central Vista project, will be a vehicle of cultural transformation and map local artists across the country to create a register to promote them, IGNCA chief Ram Bahadur Rai has said.
“...the team is focused on... cultural awareness. Village-level performers and local artists need a platform to showcase their talent. IGNCA will work on an intellectual and functional level to provide this platform,” said Rai.
Rai said Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to ensure cultural aspects of the Indian heritage are given greater attention. “In keeping with that, the new [IGNCA] building will also have a dedicated space for women performers to rehearse and practice.”
The building, scheduled to be completed by October 2023, will have five floors, four blocks, an open-air theatre, an amphitheater, an experimental theatre, a guest house, a rooftop cafe, and multiple exhibition halls.
A library with over 700,000 books, journals, manuscripts, and archival material will be moved to the new building, which will also likely have environmentally controlled archival spaces and multiple gardens.
Rai said IGNCA conducted over 150 book discussions and organised cultural programmes virtually during the Covid-19 pandemic. He rejected criticism over the “saffronisation” of IGNCA and added it has become accessible to the masses instead of just elites. “Earlier, few people would visit the institute but now we want it to be accessible to everyone. The programmes have also become more people-oriented. We want the youth to be more culturally aware of India’s cultural roots...”

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::International::

Governments' inaction on climate is 'dangerous,' warns UN chief

UN Secretary-General António Guterreswarned of a “dangerous disconnect” between what scientists and citizens are demanding to curb climate change, and what governments are actually doing about it.
Guterres said global greenhouse gas emissions need to drop by 45% this decade, but are currently forecast to increase by 14%.
“We are witnessing a historic and dangerous disconnect: science and citizens are demanding ambitious and transformative climate action,” he said at a climate conference in Austria. “Meanwhile many governments are dragging their feet. This inaction has grave consequences.”
Guterres said Russia's war in Ukraine risked worsening the crisis, because major economies were “doubling down on fossil fuels” that are to blame for much of the emissions stoking global warming.
“New funding for fossil fuel exploration and production infrastructure is delusional,” he said in a video message to the Austrian World Summit, initiated by former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. “It will only further feed the scourge of war, pollution and climate catastrophe.”
Guterres urged countries to instead end all coal use by 2040, with rich nations doing so by 2030, and focus on replacing fossil fuels with renewable sources of energy, such as solar and wind power.

::Economy::

For India, response to Covid won't be complete without TRIPS waiver: Goyal

The package of measures, which the WTO is negotiating here as part of the response to COVID-19 pandemic, must include the patent waiver proposal of India and South Africa as it would help in dealing with this disease, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said.
"For India, a response to the pandemic would not be complete without a TRIPS (Trade Related aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) waiver," Goyal said here.
He was speaking at the thematic session in response to pandemic and TRIPS waiver at MC 12 (ministerial conference of the World Trade Organisation).
For the past year-and-a-half, Goyalsaid, India and South Africa and 63 co-sponsors of the waiver proposal had urged the WTO membership to adopt the TRIPS waiver proposal for ramping up production of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics to comprehensively combat the COVID-19 pandemic by enhancing supply and ensuring equitable and affordable access.

::Science and tech::

Calcutta HC upholds state govt's Metro Dairy stake sale to Keventer

The Calcutta High Court dismissed a petition alleging the sale of State’s Metro Dairy Limited (MDL) shares to Keventer Agro Ltd (KAL) in 2017 was non-transparent or opaque.
A division bench of the court said the state has not adopted a non-transparent method to sell 47 per cent of its stake to KAL and there is no need for a CBI probe into the sale.
The shareholding of MDL since inception was as follows:
a. State of West Bengal: 47%
b. National Dairy Development Board (NDDB): 10%
c. Keventer Agro Limited (KAL): 43%
Later NDDB sold its share to KAL after which the latter became a majority shareholder. Later, the State sold its shares to KAL.
The court was hearing a public-interest litigation filed by Congress’s AdhirRanjanChowdhury, alleging that the West Bengal government sold its 47 per cent stake to KAL at a lower price, whereas Keventer had sold 15 per cent of MDL shares to another company for a much higher consideration.
The Counsel appearing for KAL said that the 15 per cent shares sold by them had no connection with the shares of MDL. He also said that due process was followed during the sale.
Noting the contentions, the court said, “The decision in respect of disinvestment and transfer of 47 per cent of shares in MDL by the State is essentially a policy decision based upon economic and other considerations. Such a policy decision is not open to interference unless the same is unconstitutional, violative of statutory provision, totally arbitrary or suffers from the vice of malice. Courts may also interfere if any illegality is committed in the execution of such a policy decision.”
The court held that in the present case, nothing has been pointed out to show that the decision of the State to sell 47 per cent shares of MDL ran counter to any statutory provision or is illegal in any manner. “It has been pointed out from the record that MDL is a company dealing in dairy business alone and sometime around 2004-05, Amul milk, owned by Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation, had entered the West Bengal Milk Market as competitor to the MDL as a result of which, the annual procurement of milk as also annual sale of MDL were continuously declining,” the court observed.

::Science and tech::

Air pollution reducing life expectancy in India by 5 years: Study

Air pollution is the greatest threat to human health in India reducing life expectancy by five years with Delhi, the most polluted state, standing to gain it by 10 years on average if annual average pollution levels did not exceed five micrograms per cubic metres, according to Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC)’s Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) released on Tuesday. In contrast, child and maternal malnutrition reduces average life expectancy by about 1.8 years and smoking by 1.5 years, it said.
Delhi was also the most polluted state with around 9.7 years of life expectancy lost on average as per AQLI’s analysis last year based on the old revised World Health Organisation (WHO) target of 10 micrograms per cubic metre for reducing the burden of disease. As per this year’s analysis, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana and Tripura are among the top five polluted states, which stand to gain the most in life expectancy if the pollution levels are met.
Globally, India is the second most polluted country preceded by Bangladesh, where life expectancy reduced by 6.9 years in 2020 due to poor air and followed by Nepal (4.1 years), Pakistan (3.8 years) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (2.9 years).
The AQLI found that particulate air pollution takes 2.2 years off global average life expectancy, or a combined 17 billion life years. The impact on life expectancy is comparable to that of smoking, more than three times that of alcohol use and unsafe water, six times that of HIV/AIDS, and 89 times that of conflict and terrorism, the analysis said.
All of India’s 1.3 billion people live in areas, where the annual average particulate pollution level exceeds the WHO limit. Over 63% of the population lives in areas that exceed the country’s own national annual air quality standard of 40 micrograms per cubic metre, the analysis found.

::Sports::

Haryana won the title of Khelo India Youth Games 2021

The Khelo India Youth Games 2021 with Haryana grabbed the top position in the medal tally with 52 gold, 39 silver and 46 bronze medals. Maharashtra got second position by winning 125 medals including 45 gold, 40 silver and 40 bronze medals. Karnataka remained at third place with 22 gold,17 silver and 28 bronze medals
In the closing ceremony organised at Indradanush Auditorium in Panchkula, Chief Guest Haryana Governor BandaruDattatreya said that he is sure the Khelo India Youth games will produce international level players. He said that the players from different states did hard work and won the medals.
Addressing the sportspersons on this occasion Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur congratulated the Chief Minister ManoharLal and Haryana Sports Minister Sandeep Singh for organizing the fourth edition of Khelo India youth Games 2021 and providing all the facilities to the participating sports persons.
The fourth edition of the Khelo India Youth Games saw athletes from over 36 states and Union Territories compete in 25 different sports.