Current Affairs for IAS Exams

Current Affairs for IAS Exams – 11 August 2016

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold talks with all political parties on the Kashmir unrest, Home Minister Rajnath Singh informed the Rajya Sabha.
The House also passed a unanimous resolution appealing to the people of the Kashmir Valley to restore peace and harmony, adding that there “cannot be any compromise on national security.”
Asserting that security forces were asked to show “maximum restraint” in using pellet guns against protesters, Mr. Singh was non-committal on their immediate withdrawal.\
He said Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists were issuing threats to family members of security forces and civil administration officials in the Valley. \
Mr. Singh said there was no question of handing over Kashmir to the Army and rumours were being spread “deliberately.”

The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill tabled in the Lok Sabha includes a section focusing on the safety of children.
One of the main points includes an amendment making it compulsory for every child above 4 years to wear a helmet.
The Transport Department hopes that an amendment to the Motor Vehicles Act will create more awareness on the safety of children.
A heavy helmet made for adults can lead to neck and spinal issues in children
Certification: The desire to buy a lightweight helmet could result in the purchase of a non-standard helmet
The helmet must fit perfectly on the head with no free space for movement.
The child should be able to remove the helmet easily in the absence of an adult.

The U.S. is in favour of India providing greater security assistance to Afghanistan.
The gift of four MI-25 attack helicopters by India to Afghanistan was specially cited by the U.S. military commander while flagging the crucial role India is playing in the war-torn country.
The tremendous cooperation India has made in the human capital of Afghan security forces is the one contribution that is going to be enduring.
He said efforts were under way to create a facility in Afghanistan for servicing Russian made military equipment such as the MI-25 helicopters they got from India.
The fight against Taliban, he said, is making progress. “Last year, Afghan forces suffered over 5,000 deaths. But by the end of the year, they were able to take control of all major population centres.
After President Obama gave authority to attack the IS in January this year, U.S. forces have been aggressively targeting them.