Saturday, 10 March 2018
India ranks fifth lowest in having women at top leadership positions - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis
India ranks fifth lowest in having women at top leadership positions
The data shows that gender equality policies are abundant and widespread.
India's ranking in gender diversity has improved with the representation of women in top leadership positions rising to 20 per cent in 2018, even as the country ranks fifth lowest in having women in such roles, says a report. The findings in this report are drawn from 4,995 interviews conducted between July and December 2017 with chief executive officers, managing directors, chairs, and other senior decision-makers from all industry sectors in mid-market businesses in 35 countries.
According to Grant Thornton's Women in business: Beyond policy to progress report, though the percentage of leadership roles held by women in India has increased, still 30 per cent of the respondents said they have no women in the leadership roles.
Also, according to the report, there has been a steady growth in women in leadership positions from 17 per cent last year to 20 per cent in 2018. This number stood at 14 per cent in 2014.
"While the representation of women in top leadership roles is on the rise, the process is indeed slow, limited to the dated approach of ticking the diversity box," said Kavita Mathur, People & Culture Leader, Grant Thornton Advisory Private Limited.
While 57 per cent of the surveyed Indian businesses suggested that government should do more to address the issue of gender inequality in business leadership at a legislative level, only 31 per cent expressed that businesses and government need to work collaboratively in this area.(Source: The Business Standard)
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India ranks fifth lowest in having women at top leadership positions
Cabinet approves MoU between UPSC and Public Service Commission of Mauritius - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis
Cabinet approves MoU between UPSC and Public Service Commission of Mauritius
The data shows that gender equality policies are abundant and widespread.
The MoU will strengthen the existing relationship between UPSC and Public Service Commission of Mauritius. It will facilitate sharing of experience and expertise of both the parties in the area of recruitment.
The MoU will develop institutionalized linkage between the Public Service Commissions of two countries. It defines the scope of cooperation between the PSC, Mauritius and the UPSC and sets out the areas of cooperation and obligations of the Parties. The areas of co-operation include the following-
i. exchange of experience on modern approach to public service recruitment and selection, particularly the functions of the UPSC and the PSC;
ii. exchange of information and expertise including books, manuals and other documents which are not of a confidential nature;
iii. sharing of expertise in the use of Information Technology (IT) in the preparation of written examinations and holding of Computer Based Recruitment Tests and Online Examinations;
iv. sharing of experience in Single Window System for expeditious scrutiny and speedy disposal of applications;
v. sharing of experience and expertise on the various processes involved in the examination system which are routine in nature;
vi. organizing training sessions for officials, including through short attachments to the Parties secretariat/headquarters on air matters concerned by the respective mandate of the Parties.
(vii) sharing of experience on the modalities adopted on audit of processes and procedures followed by various Government Agencies in recruitment of posts under the delegated powers. Background:
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Cabinet approves MoU between UPSC and Public Service Commission of Mauritius
Wednesday, 7 March 2018
13 South Indian cities have toxic air; at least 26 more are unsafe: Study - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis
13 South Indian cities have toxic air; at least 26 more are unsafe: Study
The Centre's list includes three cities from Telangana, five from Andhra Pradesh, one from Tamil Nadu and four from Karnataka.
As the Centre plans to clean the air in 13 south Indian cities, 26 more cities spread across four south Indian states reported annual particulate pollution levels higher than the national safe standards, according to an analysis of government data.
The union environment ministry is planning to bring down air pollution in around 100 cities nationwide–exceeding national air pollution standards–by 50% in the next five years through the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
NCAP includes expansion of monitoring network, conducting air pollution health impact studies, setting up of air information systems, certification of monitoring institutes, air quality forecasting systems, awareness and capacity building drives.
The Centre’s list includes three cities from Telangana, five from Andhra Pradesh, one from Tamil Nadu and four from Karnataka. In comparison, 10 cities in Telangana, 15 in Andhra Pradesh, four in Tamil Nadu and 10 in Karnataka reported annual levels of PM 10–tiny airborne particles seven times finer than human hair–exceeding national standards (60 micrograms per cubic metre, or µg/m³) in 2015 and 2016, according to this January 2018 analysis byGreenpeace-India, an advocacy, based on data obtained from state pollution control boards using right to information applications.
Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh exceeded the annual PM 10 standard levels by 68%. Bidar and Tumkur in Karnataka exceeded the levels by 88% and 144%, respectively.
Tamil Nadu’s Thoothukudi and Telangana’s Kothur exceeded the annual PM 10 standard levels by 200% and 78%.
All these cities need city-specific action plans to fight air pollution.
For now, Delhi’s Graded Response Action is the only available programme in India to combat pollution. It entails a number of actions to be taken as soon as the air quality plunges, such as stopping garbage burning, not allowing trucks to enter the city, shutting down power plants, and closing brick kilns and stone crushers, IndiaSpend reported on December 22, 2017.
How bad is south India’s air pollution problem: The tale of two metros
In a bid to shift the limelight from over the National Capital Region (NCR) to southern parts of the country–which are also suffering from bad air quality–independent researchers used two separate methods for monitoring air quality in Chennai and Bengaluru.
While the researchers deployed roof-top air quality monitoring stations in five locations across Chennai, Bengaluru was monitored for pollution levels on seven arterial roads during peak traffic hours.
The Bengaluru experiment showed instant results of high air pollution exposure, ranging between 100 and 200 µg/m³ for PM 2.5, and between 300 and 850 µg/m³ for PM 10.
“The safety limits for particulate pollutants are available for 24-hour and annual averages only, therefore, one cannot directly say how unsafe the instant values are in comparison to the regulatory norms,” said a statement by Co Media Lab, a community radio, and Climate Trends, an advocacy, supporters of the report.
However, studies have shown that even brief exposures to high air pollution result in premature deaths, as IndiaSpend reported on January 19, 2018.
PM 2.5 levels up to 60 µg/m³ (annual average) and 40 µg/m³ (24 hour average) are considered safe, while for PM 10 levels up to 100 µg/m³ (24 hour average) and 60 µg/m³ (annual average) are considered safe, according to Indian national standards.
To calculate the bad air a person is exposed to during peak hours in Bengaluru’s busiest routes, researchers installed small air quality monitoring units in autos armed with a GPS tracker to locate various junctions and sensitive areas at which pollution spikes have taken place. The exercise was done for seven days during February 5-15, 2018.
Other than recording high instant values, the averages observed over the four-hour auto rides carried out in two parts during the study also consistently generated averages above 200 µg/m³.
“[This] indicates that very poor air quality levels prevail for several hours every day owing to traffic congestion,” said the statement.
“There is a high incidence of heart attacks among the auto and cab drivers in the city as they spend long hours in slow moving traffic,” said Rahul Patil, a cardiologist at Bengaluru-based Jayadeva Hospital.
Residents of Bengaluru should become more aware of the rising pollution crisis and not walk and cycle on or near busy roads as the benefits might not outweigh the risks, he added.
The report also looked at the annual averages of air quality data from the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board.
The PM 2.5 values have exceeded national safe standards by 3% to 45% during 2016-17, while PM 10 exceeded the standards by 30% to 120%, the analysis showed.
Chennai’s air was not any better. During a nearly month-long air quality monitoring exercise in the city, 80% days saw 24- hour averages exceeding the national standards, according to this statement jointly released by advocacies Chennai-based Human Lung Foundation, The Other Media, Health Energy Initiative and Mumbai-based Urban Sciences.
None of the days had particulate levels within the more stringent World Health Organization (WHO) standards of 25 µg/m³, the statement said.
“All locations recorded hazardous levels (above 180 µg/m³) of PM 2.5 on 13 January (2018), the day of Bhogi festival (first day of four days pongal festival),” it added. That was three times more than the national standard and about seven times more than the WHO limits.
Large-scale citizen-efforts in air-quality monitoring, like Chennai, are needed to bring about awareness at an individual level as well as to provide a mechanism for data-driven dialogues between citizens and policy makers, Ronak Sutaria, founder, Urban Sciences, told IndiaSpend.
These monitoring efforts are also essential in light of the inadequate monitoring capacities of monitoring stations deployed the the state pollution control boards, experts believe. (Source: The Business Standard)
the above article can also be read using the link below:
13 South Indian cities have toxic air; at least 26 more are unsafe: Study
SpaceX carries out 50th launch of Falcon 9 rocket - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis
SpaceX carries out 50th launch of Falcon 9 rocket
SpaceX carried out the 50th launch of its signature Falcon 9 rocket early today, about 33 minutes into the flight, the satellite was deployed into geo-stationary orbit.
SpaceX carried out the 50th launch of its signature Falcon 9 rocket early Tuesday, a swift ascent to a milestone which many aerospace giants take far longer to attain.
The launch of the Falcon 9 carrying a Hispasat Spanish-language telecommunications and broadband satellite took place on schedule at 12:33 am (0533 GMT) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
About 33 minutes into the flight, the satellite was deployed into geo-stationary orbit, SpaceX said in a webcast.
The satellite weighs six tonnes and is almost the size of a city bus, making it the largest geostationary satellite that SpaceX has taken into space.
The satellite aims to expand television, broadband and telecommunications service in Europe and Northwest Africa.
The Falcon 9 first flew in 2010, and since then has become the California-based company’s workhorse for sending supplies to the International Space Station, as well as launching both commercial satellites and secretive government payloads.
Powered by nine Merlin engines, the Falcon 9’s first stage has also mastered the art of landing upright on solid ground or on floating platforms in the ocean after launch.
These “recycled” rocket launches are part of SpaceX’s goal to cut the cost of space flight and re-use expensive rocket parts instead of tossing them in the ocean after each launch.
But SpaceX did not attempt to land Falcon 9’s booster Tuesday due to unfavorable weather in the recovery area off Florida’s Atlantic coast, said a company statement.
According to the website ArsTechnica, SpaceX’s 50 launches are “double the maximum number of flights the Atlas V (2014 and 2015) and space shuttle (1985) performed during their most prolific years.”
Elon Musk’s grand visions for space exploration include sending tourists into orbit around the Moon and eventually colonizing Mars.
Last month SpaceX launched its monster Falcon Heavy rocket—three times as powerful as the Falcon 9—for the first time, propelling Musk’s own Tesla roadster with a spacesuit-clad dummy at the wheel into orbit near Mars.
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SpaceX carries out 50th launch of Falcon 9 rocket
Government constitutes a Steering Committee on Fintech related issues - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis
Government constitutes a Steering Committee on Fintech related issues
The Government constitutes a Steering Committee on Fintech related issues to consider various issues relating to development of Fintech space in India with a view to make Fintech related regulations more flexible and generate enhanced entrepreneurship in an area where India has distinctive comparative strengths vis-à-vis other emerging economies.
In pursuance to the announcement made by the Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shri ArunJaitleyin his Budget Speech 2018-19, a Steering Committee has been constituted under the Chairmanship of Subhash Chandra Garg Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs(DEA), Ministry of Finance.
Objective: - To consider various issues relating to development of Fintech space in India with a view to make Fintech related regulations more flexible and generate enhanced entrepreneurship in an area where India has distinctive comparative strengths vis-à-vis other emerging economies. The Steering Committee will also focus on how Fintech can be leveraged to enhance financial inclusion of MSMEs.
Terms of Reference: The Terms of Reference of the Steering Committee will be as follows:-
i. To take stock of the developments in the Fintech sector globally, and in India, and arrive at a common shared understanding of the current state of play;
ii. To analyse critically the regulatory regime spread over different entities that has impacted the growth of Fintech in India;
iii. To consider how Fintech can be leveraged in critical sectors of the economy, especially financing of MSMEs, affordable housing, delivery of e-services to vulnerable sections, provision of land record management and other government services, access and adoption of digital payments, and to study the developments in these areas;
iv. To develop regulatory interventions, e.g., regulatory sandbox model, that will enhance the role of Fintech in the sectors identified for focused interventions;
v. To promote ease of doing business in the Fintech sector;
vi. To consider means of using data with GSTN and data residing with information utilities such as Credit Information Companies (CICs),etc in open domain with a view to developing applications for financing of MSMEs.
vii. To work with Government agencies like UIDAI to explore creation and use of unique enterprise identification number;
viii. To consider international cooperation opportunities in Fintech with countries like Singapore, UK, China, etc. (Source:PIB)
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Government constitutes a Steering Committee on Fintech related issues
Tuesday, 6 March 2018
India 12th largest overseas holder of US securities in 2017 - Pragnya IAs Academy - News Analysis
India 12th largest overseas holder of US securities in 2017
In 2017, neighbouring China was the largest holder of US government securities with holdings to the tune of $1.18 trillion, followed by Japan at $1.06 trillion.
Wshington, Mar 4 (PTI) Indias exposure to US government securities rose sharply to a high of USD 144.7 billion at the end of 2017, according to latest official data.
The country remained the 12th largest overseas holder of such securities, just behind oil rich Saudi Arabia, whose holding stood at USD 147.4 billion in December 2017.
India has been raising its holding of American government securities during last year except for a few months when the total exposure had declined.
Figures compiled by the US Treasury Department show that the holding of India went up to USD 144.7 billion in December last, an increase of little over USD 26 billion compared to the year-ago period. In December 2016, the exposure was just USD 118.2 billion.
While holding at the end of December is at a one-year high compared to December 2016, the exposure was slightly higher at USD 145.1 billion in September 2017.
In 2017, neighbouring China was the largest holder of US government securities with holdings to the tune of USD 1.18 trillion, followed by Japan at USD 1.06 trillion. At the third position was Ireland whose exposure rose to USD 326.5 billion.
As per the data, Cayman Islands was at the fourth position with holding worth USD 269.9 billion, followed by Brazil (USD 256.8 billion), the UK (USD 250 billion), Switzerland (USD 249.6 billion), Luxembourg (USD 217.6 billion), Hong Kong (USD 194.7 billion) and Taiwan (USD 180.9 billion). Among the BRIC countries, India had the third largest exposure while that of Russia was lower at USD 102.2 billion.
Earlier this month, preliminary data from the June 2017 benchmark survey of foreign portfolio holdings of US securities showed that the total value of such holding was USD 18.44 trillion. Out of the total, USD 7.19 trillion was in equities, USD 10.29 trillion in long-term debt securities and USD 954 billion in short-term debt securities.
"The previous survey, conducted as of June 30, 2016, measured the value of total foreign holdings of US securities at USD 17,139 billion, with holdings of USD 6,186 billion in US equities, USD 10,044 billion in US long-term debt securities and USD 909 billion in US short-term debt securities," the Treasury Department had said in a release. (Source: The Times of India)
The above article can also be read using the link below:
India 12th largest overseas holder of US securities in 2017
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