1st May 2018 - Daily PIB Analysis For UPSC/IAS

Table of Contents

Labour Minister

• Today is International Labour Day, also known as International Worker’s Day or May Day.
• The day marks the victory of workers’ movement for eight hours of work.
• Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said, there is a need for out of the box ideas to improve the lives of the labour workforce of the country.
• Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar said, several steps have been taken for simplification, amalgamation and rationalization of central labour laws.
• Both the ministers also launched EPFO’s new initiatives and new online services through Shram Suvidha Portal on the occasion.

Finance Minister

• Arun Jaitley has said, GST collections in April exceeding D1 lakh crore is a landmark
achievement and a confirmation of increased economic activity.
• Mr Jaitley said, increased tax collections will help the nation to expand its economic
horizons and take it to loftier heights.
• The Finance Ministry today said, this is the first occasion that the monthly revenue has
breached the 1 trillion milestone.
• It said, the buoyancy in the tax revenue of GST reflects the upswing in the economy and
better compliance.

Power Ministry

• The Power Ministry today reiterated that the Government had taken up electrification of remaining un-electrified census villages, duly identifiable as per census code, reported by the States as on 1st April 2015, under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojna’, DDUGJY.
• Ministry said, electrification of all these villages has been reported complete by all
the concerned States.

Supreme Court

• The Supreme Court today issued a slew of directions to all high courts regarding trial
in sexual assault cases involving children.
• The bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra directed them to ensure that such
cases are fast-tracked and decided by special courts.
• The apex court also asked the high courts to instruct trial courts not to grant
unnecessary adjournments during trial of cases under the Protection of Children
from Sexual Offences Act.

Civil Aviation

• Air passengers will soon have access to WiFi connections on board aircraft as the
Telecom Commission today approved a proposal in this regard.
• Telecom Commission approved data and voice services in flights over Indian
airspace.
• Mr Prabhu said, he will ensure earliest implementation of the proposal.
• Flying time more productively and more efficiently.

Terror attack in Syria

• In Syria, at least 23 civilians including 10 children were killed and several others
injured in a village held by the Islamic State group in the Al-Hasakah province.
• State news agency SANA and Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
monitor reported that air strikes were carried out on the Al-Fadl settlement
located near the city of Al-Shaddadi.
• The Monitor said, it was not clear if U.S.- led coalition or Iraqi warplanes carried
out the attack. It said, several residential dwellings were also destroyed in the
attack.

Ministry of Defence

• 20000 troops, cutting edge equipment and state of the art force multipliers in the
Mahajan Field Firing Ranges close to Suratgarh in Rajasthan.
• The exercise is aimed to orchestrate wide spectrum of threats which are planned to
be tackled through high tempo joint air and land operation involving hundreds of
aircraft’s, thousands of tanks and artillery pieces supported by real time intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and just in time logistic support.

India-Pakistan

• After a reset with China through the recent informal summit between Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, New Delhi appears to
be exchanging feelers regarding a possible resumption of engagement with
Islamabad.
• Government seems to have agreed to revive Track II diplomacy with Pakistan
with a high-powered delegation of former diplomats, military veterans and
academics travelling to that country between April 28 and 30.
• The Track II initiative called the Neemrana Dialogue is significant in that the foreign
ministries of both countries have associated with it in the past.
• Talks with Pakistan have always been a case of ‘one step forward two steps
back’.
• This is compounded by the fact that the civilian administration in Pakistan is
hardly its decision maker on foreign policy.
• That role is assumed by the Pakistani military and ISI, loosely known as ‘the
establishment’.
• In fact, if talks are to have any chance of success then India should open direct
channels of communication with the Pakistani army.
• At a time when the US is cranking up pressure on Pakistan for sponsoring
terrorism, Islamabad is getting increasingly isolated.
• Meanwhile, China may be Pakistan’s all weather friend but it too will demand its
pound of flesh for its support.
• Given this scenario, restarting the India Pakistan Track II diplomacy is akin to
dangling a carrot for the entire Pakistani establishment.
• Either it can abjure terrorism and come for talks, or it can continue on its present
path and keep getting diplomatically isolated.
• Choosing the latter could mean Pakistan becoming a Chinese vassal state in the
near future.
1. Which of the following state can nominate two women members to the Legislative Assembly?
1. Himachal Pradesh
2. Kerala
3. Jammu and Kashmir
4. Uttar Pradesh