{Current Affairs} Daily News Notes: 3rd Dec, 2013

· Prime Minister said market-based pricing and technology are essential for meeting India's energy needs. Speaking at the 8th Asia Gas Partnership Summit in New Delhi, he said India, which currently is world's seventh largest energy producer needs to increase its energy supply by 3 to 4 times within the next two decades. Also, India is currently the fourth largest energy consumer behind US, China and Japan. To bridge the gap between supply and demand, Dr. Singh said the government is encouraging domestic and global companies to explore onshore and offshore regions. India, which imports about 80 per cent of its oil needs and more than half of its natural gas requirement, has market based pricing for crude but sub-market rates for gas. Further, the Prime Minister inaugurated online, the 1000km Dabhol (MH) – Bangaluru (KA) Gas Pipeline connecting South India. It has been constructed at an investment of Rs 4,500 crore. The pipeline passes through Belgaum, Dharwad, Gadag, Bellary, Devanagere, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Ramanagaram, Bengaluru Rural and Bengaluru Urban districts. Speaking on the changing energy scenario in the world, the Prime Minister said the discovery of shale gas had brought about a “sea change” in this context and India was hopeful of discovering shale gas reserves.
· The Supreme Court has directed all state governments and Union Territories to frame rules for regulating the sale of acid by the 31st of next year. The apex court also sought response from them to provide free treatment to acid victims including the cost of plastic surgery. The court asked the Chief Secretaries of all states and administrators of Union Territories to give their response by the 15th April of 2014. Earlier, in July, the Supreme Court had passed an interim order on regulating the sale of acid at retail outlets in market across the country. It had directed state governments to pay 3 lakh rupees compensation to all acid attack victims. The court had also ruled that the medical treatment and rehabilitation costs of the acid attack victims will be borne by the state governments.
· India today successfully test fired its surface to surface ballistic missile Prithvi-ll from Chandipur in the Balesore district of Odisha. The test is a part of the user training exercise of the Army. With a striking range of 350 km the nuclear tipped missile can carry a payload of 1000 kg. The nine meter long missile has a liquid propelled system. It was last tested on October 7th this year.
· Today is the birth anniversary of India's first President, Dr Rajendra Prasad. He was born in 1884 in Siwan district of Bihar. Dr Prasad was the only premier who served two terms as the president of India. He was awarded Bharat Ratna in 1962.
· The Ministry of Women and Child Development’s plan to empower the Juvenile Justice Boards to try under the Indian Penal Code children involved in heinous crimes, such as murder and rape, has come under criticism. However, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has said the plan will amount to violating the right to life, liberty and equality of children. At present, the Juvenile Justice Boards, which try children in conflict with law, can prescribe a maximum punishment of up to three years. But the draft of the proposal says children aged above 16 can be tried under the IPC if they are involved in heinous crimes. This can only be done by amending the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000.
· The Current Account Deficit (CAD) of the country has narrowed down sharply to $5.2 billion, or 1.2 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), for the second quarter — July to September — in the current financial year. This was much lower than 5 per cent of the GDP ($21 billion) recorded in the corresponding period of the last financial year and 4.9 per cent of the GDP in the first quarter of the current fiscal. “The lower CAD was primarily on account of a decline in the trade deficit as merchandise exports picked up and imports moderated, particularly gold imports,” said the Reserve Bank of India on Monday. On a Balance of Payments (BoP) basis, merchandise exports increased by 11.9 per cent to $81.2 billion in the second quarter of 2013-14 “on the back of significant growth, especially in the exports of textile and textile products, leather and leather products and chemicals,” the RBI added. On the other hand, merchandise imports, at $114.5 billion, recorded a decline of 4.8 per cent in the second quarter of the current financial year as compared to a decline of 3 per cent in the second quarter of 2012-13. This was “primarily led by a steep decline in gold imports, which amounted to $3.9 billion, as compared to $16.4 billion in the first quarter of 2013-14 and $11.1 billion in the second quarter of 2012-13.” {INFOGRAPHIC}
· The President presented the National Awards for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities-2013. In September, 2013, the United Nations General Assembly convened a High-level Meeting of all nations to highlight the close linkage between development and disability, the President said that since, it was felt the development of a nation is not possible if the needs and capacities of PwDs are not recognized, all nations resolved to seriously consider disability concerns in all their developmental activities. The President said that economic empowerment of persons with disabilities is key to their well-being and can enable them to lead a life with dignity. We have provisions for reservation in employment in establishments in the Government sector for Persons with Disabilities. However, concerted efforts are required to fill up the backlog of the reserved vacancies. The Government as well as public and private sectors should work hand in hand to improve the skill-levels with a view to enhance their employability. He further said that the theme selected by the United Nations for this day is: “Break barriers, open doors: for an inclusive society and development for all,” as Persons with disabilities face barriers in participation in all aspects of society, which are not just physical but also attitudinal, communicational, cultural, economic, environmental, institutional, political, religious, social or structural barriers which hamper their full and effective participation. The President said that over one billion people, or approximately 15 per cent of the world’s population, live with some form of disability and face barriers which exclude them from participating as equal members of society. They are disproportionately represented among the world’s poorest, and lack equal access to basic resources, services and also have a higher mortality rate. Further, the Government is actively endeavoring to bring in a new Act in place of the existing PwD Act of 1995. The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2013 is at an advanced stage of finalization. The new Bill envisages more rights and entitlements to all categories of persons with disabilities and would also provide for strong implementation mechanisms.
· With 2,800-mega watt (mw) of nuclear power capacity already under construction, the government is all set to announce the setting up of yet another 1,400-mw nuclear power plant at Gorakhpur in Fatehabad district of Haryana at an estimated cost of about Rs. 20,600 crore. To be called as the Gorakhpur Haryana Anu Vidyut Pariyojana Units-1&2 (GHAVP-1&2), the plant will be built by the Nuclear Power Corp of India (NPCIL) using the indigenous Pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) technology — the mainstay of India’s atomic power generation sector. After construction of this new project, along with 2,800 mw under construction at Kakrapar in Gujarat and Rawatbhata in Rajasthan, India’s nuclear power capacity will go up to 8,660 mw.
· Maharashtra will have its fifth tiger reserve in Nagzira as the National Tiger Conservation Authority has given nod to the development of the conservation zone. The tiger reserve will be set up between Bhandara and Gondia districts. The Nagzira-Navegaon tiger reserve will be established to conserve tigers wandering outside the Tadoba reserve territory. The other four tiger reserves in Maharashtra are in: Melghat, Tadoba, Pench, Sahyadri.
· Ex- Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) Satyananda Mishra has been appointed as the chairman of Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (MCX) board. The Forward Markets Commission (FMC) also approved the appointment of Satyananda Mishra as the independent Director of MCX’s board.
· India’s first “Synthetic Rubber Plant” was unveiled at Panipat in Haryana. The plant will be the country’s first unit to produce e-SBR (Styrene Butadiene Rubber). The rubber produced would be used in industrial units for manufacturing automobile and daily need products.
· India has decided to offer a financial contribution of one million dollars for the development of Syria which has been severely affected by the use of chemical weapons. The financial contribution will be given to the Trust Fund set up at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague (). New Delhi has also offered the services of its experts in the destruction verification activity as well as training slots for the personnel participating in the UN and OPCW mission. India is a party to the Chemical Weapons Convention and as a possessor state, it has completed the destruction of its chemical weapons in accordance with the Convention. The financial assistance to Syria is a concrete demonstration of New Delhi's consistent position of support for the complete destruction and elimination of chemical weapons worldwide.
· India stood 94th on corruption index : Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia are seen as the world's most corrupt countries while Denmark and New Zealand are nearly squeaky-clean, graft watchdog Transparency International said in a survey.
· Indian Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has bagged this year's "ICC People's Choice Award". Dhoni has become only the third cricketer to win this coveted prize. Sachin Tendulkar in 2010 was the first-ever recipient of the award, while Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara won it in 2011 and 2012.