CURRENT AFFAIRS
TOPICS :
Retail inflation eases to 7.04%.
GS III Indian economy
India is expanding its nuclear arsenal: SIPRI
GSII Important International Institutions.
Centre to boost supply of fortified rice.
GSIII: Food Processing
New norms for sentence remission
GSII Aspects of Governance.
Retail inflation eases to 7.04%
Context:
India’s retail inflation eased marginally to 7.04% in May from the nearly eight year high of 7.79% in April.
Progress:
- Inflation faced by rural consumers fell to 7.01% in May from 8.38% in April.
- Households in urban areas, the pace of price rise was virtually flat month on month, moving from 7.09% in April to 7.08% in May.
- Food price inflation, which had hit a 17month high of 8.31% in April, eased a little to 7.97% in May.
Still Problems we are facing:
- However, the Consumer Food Price Index surged further for urban India to 8.2% in May from 8.09% in April.
- A sharp rise in tomato prices, along with hardening potato prices, raised the inflation in vegetables, even as wheat and rice prices climbed to keep cereals inflation elevated.
- CARE Ratings said food remained the main inflation driver, with a nearly 50% contribution.
Steps taken by government to tackle Inflation:
- Lowering of excise duties on fuel products by the Centre.
- Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has raised key interest rates by 90 basis points since April.
- RBI has projected an average inflation rate of 7.5% for the first quarter of 2022-23.
Challenges:
- Rise in crude oil prices (conflict between Russia and Ukraine)
- The Indian rupee’s depreciation (The rupee closed at an all time low recently )
- These two reasons are posing upside risks to the June 2022 retail inflation.
- Food inflation was high with edible oils, spices and vegetables pushing it up and there is unlikely to be respite any time soon on these items
- Food grain prices may inch up even if there is a good harvest after the significant increase in minimum support prices for the Kharif crop
- Three subcategories of food items clocked a further escalation vegetables, meat and fish, and milk products.
- Supply side constraints are likely to keep prices high for long despite tightening monetary policy.
India is expanding its nuclear arsenal: SIPRI
Context:
India had 160 nuclear warheads as on January 2022 and it appears to be expanding its nuclear arsenal, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a defence think tank, said on 13-06-2022.
- While India’s nuclear stockpile increased from 156 in January 2021 to 160 in January 2022
China:
- China had 350 nuclear warheads in January 2021 and 2022.
- China is in the middle of a substantial expansion of its nuclear weapon arsenal, which satellite images indicate includes the construction of over 300 new missile silos.
Pakistan
- Pakistan’s nuclear stockpile has remained at 165.
- Pakistan appear to be expanding its nuclear arsenals, and country introduced and continued to develop new types of nuclear delivery system in 2021.
About SIPRI: (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute)
- The SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament.
- It was established in 1966 in Stockholm (Sweden)
- SIPRI’s vision is a world in which sources of insecurity are identified and understood, conflicts are prevented or resolved, and peace is sustained.
SIPRI’s mission is to:
- Undertake research and activities on security, conflict and peace
- Provide policy analysis and recommendations
- Facilitate dialogue and build capacities
- Promote transparency and accountability
Centre to boost supply of fortified rice
Context:
Centre had started the second phase of distribution of fortified rice from April 1. A total of 90 districts have been covered, and the Centre is targeting 291 districts.
- Aims to supply fortified rice to beneficiaries of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman, or PM-POSHAN, scheme.
- Food Corporation of India (FCI) had procured about 90 lakh tonnes of fortified rice and about 2.2 lakh tonnes had been supplied to 90 districts in 16 States.
PROBLEMS BECAUSE OF MALNUTRITION
- Productivity of labour may decreases.
- Illness and death.
- The country lost about 1% of GDP from anaemia.
Food Fortification and its benefits
- Food Fortification is a scientifically proven, cost-effective, scalable and sustainable global intervention that addresses the issue of micronutrient deficiencies.
- Fortifying staples namely Wheat Flour and Rice (with Iron, Vitamin B12 and Folic Acid), Milk and Edible Oil (with Vitamins A and D) and Double Fortified Salt (with Iodine and Iron).
- Reduce the high burden of micronutrient malnutrition in India.
- Reduce Anaemia in women.
ABOUT PM-POSHAN
- Provide one hot cooked meal in Government and Government-aided schools.
- The scheme replaced the national programme for mid-day meal in schools or Mid-day Meal Scheme.
- It has been launched for an initial period of five years (2021-22 to 2025-26)
- The scheme has a provision for supplementary nutrition for children in aspirational districts and those with high prevalence of anaemia.
- Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system for providing compensation to the cooks and helpers working under the scheme.
- TithiBhojan is a community participation programme in which people provide special food to children on special occasions/festivals under this scheme.
Nutritional Gardens:
- Use of locally-grown nutritional food items will be encouraged from “school nutrition gardens” for boosting the local economic growth.
New norms for sentence remission
Context:
The Union Home Ministry on Monday issued a set of guidelines to the States and the Union Territories on the grant of special remission to prisoners to commemorate the 75th year of Independence.
ABOUT THIS ISSUE:
- As part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, the special remission would be granted to a certain category of prisoners.
- They would be released in three phases — August 15, 2022, January 26, 2023 and August 15, 2023.
- The prisoners who would qualify for premature release are
- Women and transgender convicts of ages 50 and above
- Male convicts of 60 and above who have completed 50% of their total sentence period without counting the period of general remission earned.
Convicts with disabilities
- Physically challenged or disabled convicts with 70% disability and more who have completed 50% of their total sentence Period.
Terminally ill convicts.
- Convicted prisoners who have completed two thirds (66%) of their total sentence.
- Poor or indigent prisoners who have completed their sentence but are still in jail due to non payment of fine imposed on them by waiving off the fine.
- The Ministry said that persons who committed an offence at a young age (18-21) and with no other criminal involvement or case against them.
- Who have completed 50% of their sentence period would also be eligible for the remission.
- The age of the convicts should be determined on the basis of the matriculation or birth certificate.
Punishments would not be eligible for the grant of special remission:
- Persons convicted with death sentence
- Where death sentence has been commuted to life imprisonment
- Persons convicted for an offence for which punishment of death
- Persons convicted with sentence of life imprisonment,
- Convicts involved in terrorist activities or persons convicted under the
- Terrorist and Disruptive (Prevention) Act, 1985
- Prevention of Terrorist Act, 2002,
- Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967,
- Explosives Act, 1908,
- National Security Act,1982,
- Official Secrets Act, 1923
- Anti-Hijacking Act, 2016, would not be eligible.
UPSC Civil Services Daily Current Affairs 14th June 2022
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