Indian IAS Academy (iiA): (16.07.2014) Dear UPSC aspirants Todays Current Titbits: National News: 1. India will head the first 100 billion dollars BRICS Development Bank. The leaders of the five BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - have signed a deal to create a new 100 billion dollars development bank and an emergency reserve fund of equal amount. The capital for the bank will be split equally among the five participating countries. The bank will have its headquarters at Shanghai in China. Brazils President, Dilma Rousseff announced the creation of the bank at a Brics summit meeting in Fortaleza, Brazil yesterday. At first, the bank will start off with 50 billion dollars in initial capital. The emergency reserve fund which was announced as a Contingency Reserve Arrangement, will also have 100 billion dollars and will help developing nations avoid short term liquidity pressures, promote further Brics cooperation, strengthen the global financial safety net and complement existing international arrangements. The creation of the Brics bank will almost surely create competition for both the World Bank and other similar regional funds. Brics nations have criticised the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund for not giving developing nations enough voting rights. Meanwhile, the BRICS nations have expressed disappointment and concern over the current non-implementation of the 2010 International Monetary Fund reforms. A statement issued after the first day of the Summit said that it has negatively impacted the IMF’s legitimacy, credibility and effectiveness. 2. The Union Minister of Minority Affairs released the UN Secretary General’s Global Millennium Development Goals Report 2014 here today. Speaking on the occasion Dr.Najma Heptulla said Human Development was an essential component of Mahatma Gandhi’s thoughts. The Minister said that the four references to India in the synopsis of the report being released pertain to poverty, infant-deaths, maternal deaths and sanitation. None of these references are flattering. Even before this report, several challenges including those mentioned in the report had been identified. The Minister underlined that the Prime Minister has given special emphasis for giving highest priorities of the Government for provision of adequate sanitation, drinking water, maternal and child care, particularly to the disadvantaged sections. When the fifteen-year review of the Sustainable Development Goals is undertaken in 2030, India will present a very different and upbeat picture, she hoped. The UN’s annual report on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) published each year tracks the progress made around the world in reaching the Millennium Development Goals.In a global summit in September 2015 world leaders will hopefully adopt a new expanded framework. 3. Urban population in the country has increased from 27.80% of the total population in 2001 to 31.10% in 2011 marking an increase of 3.30%. People living in urban areas of the country have increased by over nine crores during this period. Four southern states, six Union Territories besides the states of Gujarat, Goa, Haryana, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura have led this growth in urbanization. Details of urbanization in the country during the said period were today furnished by the Minister of Urban Development, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation and Parliamentary Affairs Shri M Venkaiah Naidu in reply to an Unstarred Question raised by Shri B.Sriramulu, Shri Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav and Shri D.K. Suresh. Shri Naidu informed that as against the national trend, urban population in the southern states increased by 21.70% in Kerala, 6.10% in undivided Andhra Pradesh, 4.70% in Karnataka and 4.40% in Tamil Nadu. The increase in respect of UTs has been-Daman & Diu (39.00%), Lakshadweep (33.60%), Dadra and Nagar-Haveli (23.80%), Chandigarh (7.50), Delhi (4.30%), Andaman & Nicobar Islands (5.10%). Puducherry reported an increase of only 1.70%. Other states to have exceeded national average in urbanization included: Goa (22.40%), Sikkim (14.10%), Nagaland (10.70%), Haryana (6.0%), Gujarat (5.20%), Uttarakhand (4.50%), West Bengal (3.90%) and Punjab (3.60%). Major states to have fallen below the national average in urban growth included: HP(only 0.20% increase in urban population),UP(0.50%), Bihar (0.80%), Assam (1.20%), Rajasthan (1.50%), Odisha (1.70%), Jharkhand (1.80%) and Maharashtra (2.80%).
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 10:39:18 +0000
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