Current Affairs for BANK, IBPS Exams 01 November 2016

Current Affairs for BANK, IBPS Exams

Several cities, including Agra, Ahmedabad, Patna, Delhi and Varanasi, were choked by particulate matter pollution, when the northern parts of the country celebrated Deepavali.
Fireworks and stagnant air led to a precipitous dip in air quality in a third of the 29 cities monitored by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Concentrations of fine particulate matter rose to levels that harm respiratory health in normal people and severely debilitate those with illnesses.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) reading for Agra was 384, Ahmedabad 385, and Faridabad and Delhi the worst, at 428 and 445.
An AQI of 100 is the limit for good air quality. Bengaluru, Chennai and Mumbai were in the ‘moderate’ to ‘satisfactory’ category, similar to last year’s Deepavali. Hyderabad improved from ‘poor’ to ‘satisfactory.’
AQI has deteriorated from October 27 in northern cities, primarily due to an ‘anticyclone’ effect – a shift in wind-patterns that prevents dust and particulate matter from being flushed out.
Deepavali and dipping temperature raised concentrations of PM2.5 (particulate matter 2.5 micrometres and smaller) and PM10 unlike in 2015, when winds swept pollutants away.
Deepavali pollution could not strictly be compared year-on-year because it varied over the months and was influenced by changing weather. It was too early to assess relative impact of firecracker smoke on Delhi’s air.

Nepal has successfully drained part of a giant glacial lake near Mount Everest, averting risk of a disastrous flood that could have threatened thousands of lives.
Scientists say climate change is causing Himalayan glaciers to melt at an alarming rate, creating huge glacial lakes which could burst their banks and devastate mountain communities.
ImjaTsho, located at an altitude of 16,437 feet, just 10 km south of the world's highest peak, is the fastest-growing glacial lake in Nepal.
The Himalayan nation was devastated by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake last year, raising alarm about about the risks of flash flooding from glacial lakes.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid rich tributes to the first Home Minister, Sardar Vallabbhai Patel, on his birth anniversary and urged the people to build a “strong nation” and be cautious against divisive forces.
Flagging off the ‘Run for Unity’ marathon from the Major Dhyanchand Stadium, he said the government was marking the day as ‘Rashtriya Ekta Diwas’ because of Sardar Patel’s signal contribution to uniting the country.
As Independent India’s first Home Minister, Patel had the unenviable task of persuading the erstwhile princely states who had enjoyed a degree of autonomy under British rule to join the Indian Union.
The Prime Minister inaugurated a digital museum established in memory of Sardar Patel.“It should have been built 40-50 years ago. History will ask the question why it was not built before,” he said.

The World Bank Group will soon bring out an “ease of living” index that will rank cities globally, even as it is looking at tweaking the methodology used in its country-wise “ease of doing” business rankings to better capture reforms.
The decision comes at a time when India has launched a mission to develop over 100 smart cities.
On the World Bank Group’s Doing Business index, India had suggested that reforms undertaken across the country and not just in Mumbai and Delhi be considered.
On the proposed ‘ease of living’ index to rank cities world-wide, World Bank Country Director, India, said, “One of the moot questions is that as you move more into high income, urban centres become extremely important, accommodation and so on.
For cities to actually generate growth, the ease of living there has got to be very important.
The index could include categories on social inclusion, cost of living, public transport, housing, education, health, environment-friendliness, crime/safety, governance and corruption.

A rebel assault to break the siege of Syria’s Aleppo slowed amid fierce resistance from regime forces, as the UN said it was “appalled” by opposition fire on civilians.
Rebels launched a major assault on Friday, backed by car bombs and salvos of rockets, to break through government lines and reach the 250,000 people besieged in the city's east.
Aleppo has been hit by some of the worst violence in Syria’s five-year conflict, turning the once-bustling economic hub into a divided and bombed-out symbol of the brutal war.
Regime and Russian air strikes were hitting the battlefronts on the city’s edges, but with less intensity than in previous days.
According to Syrian state news agency SANA, three civilians were killed in rebel fire on Aleppo.UN peace envoy Staffan de Mistura said the high civilian toll raised deep concern.
Aleppo’s front line runs through the heart of the city, dividing rebels in the east from government forces in the west.
Rebel groups have pledged to push east from Dahiyet al-Assad to Hamdaniyeh, a regime-controlled neighbourhood directly adjacent to the besieged eastern districts.

India’s core sector grew by 5 per cent overall in September driven mainly by strong growth in steel and petroleum products sectors, data released by the government showed.
Growth in the Index of Eight Core Industries in September was much stronger than the 3.2 per cent growth seen in August.
Growth seen in these two sectors can be linked to the government’s push in roads and railways. With steel, earlier there was dumping by China that was affecting the sector.
Steel sector grew by 16.3 per cent in September, down from the 17 per cent seen in August which was the highest growth rate it saw in more than three years.
The refinery products sector also contributed strongly to the overall growth of the index, growing at a robust 9.3 per cent in September compared with 3.5 per cent in August.
The cement sector grew by 5.5 per cent in September, faster than the 3.1 per cent seen in August. Similarly, the electricity sector grew by 2.2 per cent in September compared with 0.1 per cent in August.