30th December, 2022 Current Affairs

Sakshi Education

NATIONAL
Election Commission proposes remote voting for inter-state migrants

Election Commission has proposed introduction of ‘remote voting’ for domestic migrants, using a multi-constituency electronic voting machine (EVM) that will retain all security features of the EVMs currently in use. This modified form of EVM can handle up to 72 multiple constituencies from a single remote polling booth.
The initiative, if implemented, can lead to a social transformation for the migrants and connect with their roots as many times they are reluctant to get themselves enrolled at their place of work for various reasons such as frequently changing residences.
In this regard, the Commission has invited all Recognised National and State Political Parties on 16th of January next year to demonstrate the functioning of the multi-constituency prototype Remote Electronic Voting Machine. The Technical Expert Committee members will also be present in the meeting.
It has also solicited written views of recognised political parties by 31st of January on various related issues including changes required in legislation, changes in administrative procedures and voting method if any other, for the domestic migrants.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurates Goa's new Zuari bridge

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated Goa's new Zuari bridge yesterday. The bridge is an important link between North and South Goa.
This 13.20-kilometer eight-lane bridge costing 2530 Crores across Zuari river from Bambolim to Verna will have significant benefits for transport from North Goa to South Goa. It will reduce travel time between North Goa to South Goa by 30 minutes by strengthening connectivity for Mormugao Port Trust.
While dedicating bridge to the people of Goa, the Union minister said, this bridge is an example of state of art construction. He said, Goa is a beautiful state and efforts need to take for ensuring pollution-free Goa.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, government is taking efforts to make road infrastructure in India superior by 2024.

INTERNATIONAL
India and Cyprus sign agreement on defence and military cooperation

India and Cyprus have signed a number of agreements in various areas including on Defence and Military Cooperation between the two countries.
A Letter of Intent on Migration and Mobility Partnership was also signed to provide a common framework of arrangement and cooperation to facilitate the mobility of students, academics, business people and professionals. It will also help in combating irregular migration.
The agreements were signed following talks between External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar and Foreign Minister of Cyprus. Dr Jaishankar is on an official visit to Cyprus and Austria from today till 3rd of next month.
The India-Cyprus partnership is rooted in shared values of democracy, diversity and pluralism. He added that the strategic aspects of the relationship have gained new meaning in recent years.

Benjamin Netanyahu sworn-in as Israel's Prime Minister again

Benjamin Netanyahu has been sworn in as Israel’s Prime Minister again today in a comeback at the head of a hard-right cabinet that promises to expand Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and pursue other policies criticised at home and abroad. His allies include the Religious Zionism and Jewish Power parties, which oppose Palestinian statehood and whose leaders - both West Bank settlers - have in the past agitated against Israel’s justice system, its Arab minority and LGBT rights.
Netanyahu has repeatedly pledged to promote tolerance and pursue peace. He told parliament that “ending the Israeli-Arab conflict” was his top priority, along with thwarting Iran’s nuclear programme and building up Israel’s military capacity.
His government secured 63 of a possible 120 parliamentary votes in a confirmatory ballot, before the cabinet was sworn in. For Palestinians, Netanyahu’s line-up has darkened an already bleak outlook, with violence surging and Jewish settlements set to expand in the West Bank - among territories where they hope to build a future state.
Extending his heartiest congratulations to the Israeli Prime Minister for forming the government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that he is looking forward to working together to strengthen their strategic partnership.

USAID coordinates with Keells, HNB for USD 4 million aid

In Srilanka, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has coordinated with Keells Supermarkets and Hatton National Bank (HNB) on a supply chain financing facility that supports micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the food sector to access capital.
The facility reduces the supply chain disruptions like those that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic or recent economic crisis. The facility provides MSMEs with competitive fixed-interest rate financing.
The facility lent a total of USD 430,000 to eight suppliers in its first weeks of operations. The partnership plans to support approximately 100 MSMEs to obtain USD 4 million worth of credit over six months.
This partnership will enable MSMEs to meet their working capital needs, such as purchasing raw materials, paying salaries, and covering other short-term expenses, so businesses continue running smoothly.

Myanmar military court extends Aung San Suu Kyi's jail term by further seven years, making it overall 33

A Myanmar military court has sentenced Aung San Suu Kyi to a further seven years in prison for corruption, taking her overall jail time to 33 years. The country's former democratically-elected leader has been under house arrest since a military ousted her government in a coup in February 2021.
Since then she's faced 18 months of trials on 19 charges. Today, she was sentenced on the final five charges she faced. A court found her guilty of corruption because she had not followed regulations in renting a helicopter for a government minister.
She had already been convicted of 14 different crimes including breaching Covid public safety rules, importing walkie-talkies and violating the official secrets act. She has denied all the charges against her.
The 77-year-old Nobel laureate has spent most of her time in detention under house arrest in the capital Nay Pyi Taw. The UN Security Council called for her release last week.

ECONOMY
RBI releases web publication entitled ‘Statistical Tables relating to Banks in India: 2021-22’ covering activities of banking sector

The Reserve Bank released its web publication entitled ‘Statistical Tables relating to Banks in India: 2021-22’ covering the activities of the Indian banking sector yesterday.
The publication presents entity-wise information on major items of liabilities and assets along with their maturity profile; income and expenses; select financial ratios, number of employees, and details of priority sector advances for scheduled commercial banks excluding regional rural banks. In addition, capital-to-risk-weighted asset ratios, non-performing assets, exposure to sensitive sectors, contingent liabilities, and unclaimed deposits are included. State-wise distribution of consolidated balance sheet of rural cooperative banks are also presented.
The publication can be accessed on the RBI website through the link ‘Time Series Publications’ under the Database on Indian Economy, where the time series on all variables have been updated up to 2021-22.

Published date : 30 Dec 2022 06:23PM