Current Affairs for IAS Exams – 02 June 2016
:: National ::
Govt hiked MSP for pulses
- In a bid to boost the domestic production of pulses during the kharif season, the Centre announced a hike by up to Rs. 425 per quintal in the minimum support price (MSP) for pulses.
- The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), which met here gave approval to the MSP for kharif crops of the 2016-17 season.
- It increased the MSP for the common paddy (rice) variety by Rs. 60 to Rs. 1,470 per quintal and Grade A variety to Rs. 1,510 per quintal.
- The CCEA approved the MSP, inclusive of bonus, for tur (arhar) dal at Rs. 5,050 per quintal for this year as against Rs. 4,625 last year, moong dal at Rs. 5,225 against Rs. 4,850 and urad dal at Rs. 5,000 from Rs. 4,625.
- In the oilseeds category, the MSP for groundnut has been increased by Rs. 190 per quintal to Rs. 4,220, while for soyabean and nigerseed it has been hiked by Rs. 175 per quintal each to Rs. 2,775 and Rs. 3,825, respectively.
Govt would have consultation with seed companies for new policy
- The Agriculture Ministry would have a wider consultation with seed companies, seed technology companies and farmers before introducing a new policy for technology agreements between seed technology companies and private seed companies.
- On May 18, the Ministry issued — and retracted in less than a week — a new set of terms that would govern contracts between licensors and licensees of genetically modified cotton seeds.
- The short-lived notification, called the Licensing and Formats for GM Technology Agreement Guidelines, 2016, specified that companies that licensed GM technology could charge seed companies royalty no more than 10% of the government-specified maximum sale price of a packet of cotton for 5 years.
- Moreover, they would have to reduce this value by 10% every year from the sixth year and were it proved that the potency of the technology was waning, the company could no longer claim this royalty.
- Finally, technology firms also could not refuse any eligible seed company wanting genes and any request not followed upon within 30 days would be deemed to have been granted.
- Genetically modified seeds are only permitted in cotton and the dominant player in the business of licensing seed technology is Monsanto Mahyco Biotech Ltd (MMBL).
- It licenses technology to several seed companies and underlies at least 95% of commercially grown cotton in the country.
- Earlier this year, the Central government capped the sale price of cotton seeds and the royalty that companies like MMBL could charge.
- The government caps have been challenged in the courts and separately MMBL is also fighting a legal battle to recover royalty payments from the Andhra Pradesh-based Nuziveedu Seeds.
- Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said the government order was to ensure that cotton seeds were cheaply and readily available to farmers.
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:: International ::
Pak army says U.S. drone strikes in Pakistani territory are regrettable and must stop
- U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan “must stop”, Pakistan’s Army chief General Raheel Sharif said, days after American special forces killed Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a drone attack in the country’s restive Balochistan province.
- Gen. Sharif said: “U.S. drone strikes in Pakistani territory are regrettable and must stop.”
- U.S. President Barack Obama, hailing Mansour’s death as an “important milestone” in efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan, had said American forces would continue to go after threats on Pakistani soil.
- Gen. Sharif added the border management with Afghanistan was improving and urged Kabul to take matching measures on its side of the border.
- He declared that the $46-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor was a national project and it would be completed at any cost.
- The security situation in the country, especially in Karachi city and Balochistan province, is improving, he added.
The UN children’s fund issued warning to Iraqi troops and IS militants for children
- The UN children’s fund on Wednesday issued a stark warning to Iraqi troops and Islamic State (IS) militants in the battle for Fallujah to spare the children.
- Children are the most vulnerable among tens of thousands of civilians trapped in the city west of Baghdad.
- Iraqi forces, backed by U.S.-led air strikes and mainly Shia militias, launched an operation more than a week ago to recapture Fallujah, which has been held by the extremist group for more than two years.
- More than 50,000 people are believed to be trapped inside the Sunni majority city. Government forces have imposed a tight blockade on the city and IS militants are reportedly preventing residents from leaving.
- UNICEF estimated the number of the children trapped with their families inside the city at about 20,000, warning that they face a dire humanitarian situation, in addition to the risk of forced recruitment by IS.
- Iraqi special forces, meanwhile, continued their push into the city from its southern edge, said Brig. Haider al-Obeidi, who said “fierce” clashes were under way on Wednesday.
- The fight for Fallujah is expected to be protracted because IS has had more than two years to dig in. Hidden bombs are believed to be strewn throughout the city, and the presence of trapped civilians will limit the use of supporting airstrikes.
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:: Science and Technology ::
3D printing technology getting better
- Scientists have developed a new interactive 3D printing system that can allow designers to make changes to the model while it is still in the printer.
- WirePrint aimed to speed prototyping by creating a model of the shape of an object instead of printing the entire solid.