Current Affairs for BANK, IBPS Exams - 19 December 2017

::National::

Over 12,000 cases of stubble burning have been reported during the kharif season in Haryana

Over 12,000 cases of stubble burning have been reported during the kharif season in Haryana in 2017 while the satellite data have revealed that more than 42,000 such cases were reported in Punjab in the same period.
The written reply by Minister of State for Environment Mahesh Sharma in the Rajya Sabha came at a time when the entire northern region of India is facing a severe crisis of air pollution.
“As informed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), total number of stubble burning cases reported in Haryana during kharif season in 2017 is 12,606; 236 FIRs have been lodged and Rs. 39,85,000 collected as fines for 1,493 cases.
“As per satellite data received from the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre, total number of stubble burning cases reported during kharif season in Punjab in 2017 is 42,337,” he said.
He said steps taken by the Central government, the CPCB and the State boards include banning of stubble burning, mass awareness programmes, constitution of a task force to suggest remedial measures for crop residue burning, including options such as use of innovative farm implements like ‘Happy Seeder’ among others.

BJP Wins Gujarat and H.P. elections

CM and deputy CM of Gujrat won their seats while five serving Ministers and Assembly Speaker Ramanlal Vora were defeated. Top Congress leaders Arjun Modwadia, Shaktisinh Gohil, Tushar Chaudhury and Siddharth Patel also lost.
“Gujarat election results are historic. In this day and age, for a party to keep winning for so long is unprecedented,” Mr. Modi stated.
“For me, Gujarat polls are a matter of double happiness. I am so happy that after I left the State, my colleagues and party workers continued their good work, making it possible for the party to win a sixth time.”
The Prime Minister’s 20-minute speech reflected his worries and the party’s vulnerabilities despite the victory in their backyard.
“In Gujarat, 30 years back, the poison of caste was spread so badly that it took workers like me 30 years to get rid of it. In the last few months, there were attempts to again sow the seeds of casteism, but people rejected it. I congratulate them, but people must be alert,” he said.
However, though the BJP has won despite the anti-incumbency factor, caste and social agitation and a slowing economy, the State polls turned into a photo finish unlike the landslide some exit polls predicted and much below the BJP’s target of winning 150 seats set by party president Amit Shah.
Saurashtra, the BJP’s stronghold since 1995, dealt the party a big blow as the Congress won 30 out of 54 seats in the region.

VVPAT slips and the EVM results matched in the randomly selected polling station

There Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips and the EVM results matched in the randomly selected polling station in each of the 182 constituencies in Gujarat when counting was held on Monday.
While the Assembly elections in the State were conducted for the first time with the EVMs linked to VVPAT printers, the Commission decided to count the paper-trail slips of one polling booth selected at random in each constituency, to ensure greater transparency in the vote counting process.
During the counting, it is learnt that the Commission matched the results of VVPAT slips and the EVMs, and did not find any discrepancy. The VVPAT machines had been deployed in all 50,128 booths.

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::International::

New national security strategy for U.S.

Prioritising national sovereignty over alliances, President Donald Trump is poised to outline a new national security strategy that envisions nations in a perpetual state of competition.
It reverses Obama-era warnings on climate change, and de-emphasises multinational agreements that have dominated the U.S.’s foreign policy since the Cold War.
The Republican President, who ran on a platform of “America First”, was to detail his plan later on Monday, one that if fully implemented could sharply alter the U.S.’s relationships with the rest of the world.
The plan is to focus on four main themes — protecting the homeland and way of life; promoting American prosperity; demonstrating peace through strength; and advancing American influence in an ever-competitive world.
Mr. Trump’s doctrine holds that nation states are in perpetual competition and that the U.S. must fight on all fronts to protect and defend its sovereignty from friend and foe alike.
Despite the risk of potential isolation presented by Mr. Trump’s strategy, its fundamentals are not a surprise. The Associated Press reviewed excerpts of a late draft of the roughly 70-page document and spoke to two people familiar with it.
The draft emphasises that U.S. economic security is national security and that economic security must be ensured with military might. And they said it would stress the U.S. is interested only in relationships with other countries, including alliances like NATO, that are fair and reciprocal.
Mr. Trump is also planning to renew his call for the member states in the United Nations and NATO to spend more on defence, saying that the U.S. will insist on its alliances being fair and reciprocal.

::Business and Economy::

Out of pocket expenditure is very high in India on health sector

Out of pocket medical expenses make up about 62% of all healthcare costs in India, said Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) Chairman T.S. Vijayan.
“There is a need to bring down out of pocket expenses of patients, currently at about 62% of all healthcare costs,” Mr. Vijayan said.
“This is extremely high and leads to impoverishment of patients. In comparison, out of pocket hospital expenses in developed countries such as the U.S. and the U.K. is 20% and in BRICS countries about 20-25%.”
Mr. Vijayan also highlighted the need to create health insurance products that were simple and intelligible to customers, provided coverage to the aged and infirm and those suffering from chronic ailments, brought down distribution costs, and ensured that there was no profiteering to the detriment of the insured.
“The time is perhaps ripe to look at introducing community group insurance products to bring down distribution costs and determine the genuineness of health insurance claims,” he said.
“The veracity of claims by an insured person can be verified through members of a community or group, so that insurance companies are not unnecessarily burdened with fictitious claims.”

Govt to expedite agricultural reforms and employment generation’ initiatives

Taking note of the BJP’s lacklustre performance in rural areas in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state as well as the development mandate in the hill state — will ‘prioritise and expedite agricultural reforms and employment generation’ initiatives from now on.
This victory, in the backdrop of concerns over demonetisation and the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax regime, is a huge shot in the arm for the reform credentials, reform resolve and reform reinforcement of the [NDA] government. Therefore, the reforms will continue.
Priority areas are likely to be the mission to ‘double the income of farmers by 2022’ as well as employment generation in sectors including housing and exports.
Mr. Kumar added that revamping of the National Skill Development Mission and an emphasis on the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (for “promoting apprenticeship training and incentivising employers keen on engaging apprentices”) were key with regard to job creation.
In the farm sector, the plan is to ensure that farmers are not just producers but are part of the entire value chain, he said.
The government is compiling a list of all successful farm experiments in the country that have resulted in a substantial jump in the income of farmers involved in those projects, so that they can, in turn, be replicated and scaled up through about ten pilot projects.
In the exports sector, the government is studying supply-side constraints, especially the labour-intensive ones, with a view to increase employment.
Current priority concerns protection of the common man’s savings and the focus was hence on the Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill, its controversial ‘bail-in’ clause and addressing concerns over depositors’ money in case of a lender failing.

IT department is set to issue notices to 4 to 5 lakh HNI

Widening its probe into bitcoin investments and trade, the Income Tax (I-T) department is set to issue notices to 4 to 5 lakh high networth individuals (HNI) across the country who were trading on the exchanges of this unregulated virtual currency.
The taxman had conducted surveys at nine such exchanges last week to check instances of tax evasion.
The department found that out of the estimated 20 lakh entities registered on these exchanges, about 4-5 lakh were “operational” and indulging in transactions and investments.
Bitcoin, a virtual currency, is not regulated in the country.