Retirement age for Central forces
Category: Defence
- The Union Home Ministry has fixed the retirement age of all Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel at 60 years.
- All personnel in the Central Industrial Security Force and the Assam Rifles retire at the age of 60. However, in the other four forces — Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Sashastra Seema Bal — those from the ranks of constable to commandant retire at 57, but those above them retired at 60.
- Now, the MHA issued an order that the age of retirement in the regular cadre of paramilitary component will be 60 years “irrespective of rank”.
Gold imports
Category: Economy
- The country’s gold imports, which have a bearing on the current account deficit (CAD), increased to $13.16 billion (about ₹92,000 crore).
- CAD, which is the difference between the inflow and outflow of foreign exchange, increased to $57.2 billion or 2.1% of GDP in 2018-19 as against 1.8% in the previous year. It stood at $48.7 billion in 2017-18.
- Since January this year, gold imports have recorded a double-digit growth, except in February, when it dipped by about 11%.
- India is the largest importer of gold, which mainly caters to the demand of the jewellery industry.
- In volume terms, the country imports 800-900 tonnes of gold annually.
- To mitigate the negative impact of gold imports on trade deficit and CAD, the government increased the import duty on gold to 12.5% from 10% in this year’s budget.
- The country’s gold imports dipped about 3% in value terms to $32.8 billion during 2018-19.
Madhya Pradesh wants Legislative Council
Category: Polity
- The Madhya Pradesh government has indicated that it plans to initiate steps towards creation of a Legislative Council.
- Just as Parliament has two Houses, so can the states, if they choose to.
- Article 71 of the Constitution provides for the option of a state to have a Legislative Council in addition to its Legislative Assembly.
- As in Rajya Sabha, members of a Legislative Council are not directly elected by voters.
- A second House can help check hasty actions by the directly elected House, and also enable non-elected individuals to contribute to the legislative process.
- Under Article 169, a Legislative Council can be formed “if the Legislative Assembly of the State passes a resolution to that effect by a majority of the total membership of the Assembly and by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members of the Assembly present and voting”. Parliament can then pass a law to this effect.
- Advertising Currently, six states have Legislative Councils. Jammu and Kashmir too had one, until the state was bifurcated into the Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
- Tamil Nadu’s then DMK government had passed a law to set up a Council but the subsequent AIADMK government withdrew it after coming to power in 2010.
- Andhra Pradesh’s Legislative Council, set up in 1958, was abolished in 1985, then reconstituted in 2007.
- The Odisha Assembly recently passed a resolution for a Legislative Council.
- Proposals to create Councils in Rajasthan and Assam are pending in Parliament.
- Under Article 171 of the Constitution, the Legislative Council of a state shall not have more than one-third of the number of MLAs of the state, and not less than 40 members.
How plastic pollutes
Category: Environment
- 75 per cent of all plastic produced is waste, and 87 per cent of this is leaked into the environment.
- An average person may be ingesting 5 grams of plastic every week.
- Over one-third of plastic waste ends up in nature, especially water, which is the largest source of plastic ingestion.
- India ranks number three in terms of plastic fibres found in a sample of tap water – 82.4 per cent of tap water sampled in India contained over four plastic fibres per 500 ml.
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe
Category: Sc & tech
- NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has completed a year in service.
- It is part of NASA’s “Living With a Star” programme that explores different aspects of the Sun-Earth system.
- The probe seeks to gather information about the Sun’s atmosphere and NASA says that it “will revolutionise our understanding of the Sun”.
- It is also the closest a human-made object has ever gone to the Sun.
- The mission’s central aim is to trace how energy and heat move through the Sun’s corona and to study the source of the solar wind’s acceleration.
- The mission is likely to last for seven years during which it will complete 24 orbits.
India-France to launch satellites
Category: Sc & tech
- In a bid to keep an eye on Chinese moves in the Indo-Pacific region, India and France are likely to sign a pact on maritime surveillance.
- Both countries have planned the launch of 8-10 satellites as part of a “constellation” for maritime surveillance in the region. This will be India’s largest space cooperation with any country so far.
- The purpose of the constellation is monitoring sea traffic management.
- While the Indian Ocean region is the prime focus for New Delhi, Paris has its territories spread across the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean.
