Daily Current Affairs for Competitive Exams: November 1, 2016

Hello readers,

Here are today's important headlines with key details for UPSC, SSC, IBPS and other competitive examinations.

National

Central Government reconstitutes the Inter-State Council

• The Union Government reconstituted the Inter-State Council (ISC) and the Standing Committee of the ISC. The Inter-State Council is a constitutional body to facilitate coordination between the states and the centre.  
• The composition of reconstituted Inter-State Council: Chief Ministers of all states and Union Territories (having legislative Assembly), Six Union Ministers. Besides, administrators of Union Territories which do not have legislative Assembly are also members of the Council.

What is the inter-state council? 

• It investigates and discusses subjects, in which some or all the states, the Central government, have a common interest. It was set up on the on the recommendation of Sarkaria Commission.  
• Not a permanent constitutional body: The Inter-state council is not a permanent constitutional body. Rather, President can establish it at any time if it appears to him that the public interests would be served by the establishment of such a council. 

The composition of the inter-state council?

• The Council is headed by Prime Minister (Chairman).  Besides, Chief Ministers of all states and UTs (having legislative Assembly) are its members. Six Union ministers of cabinet rank nominated by the Prime Minister are also members.

Himachal Pradesh becomes India’s second open defecation free state

• Himachal Pradesh on October 28, 2016, was declared the second state in India to became Open Defecation Free (ODF) State. Himachal Pradesh successfully achieved 100 percent rural sanitation in the state.
• The state is also the first among bigger Indian states to become ODF under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachch Bharat Abhiyan.

What is open defecation?

• Open defecation is the practice of defecating outside and not into a designated toilet.
• High levels of open defecation in a country are usually correlated with high child mortality, as well as high levels of undernutrition, high levels of poverty, and large disparities between rich and poor.
• Open defecation causes public health problems in areas where people defecate in fields, urban parks, rivers, and open trenches near the living space of others.
• About one billion people around the globe practice open defecation.
• India has the highest number of people practicing open defecation (around 190 million people). 

AP and Telengana tops the ease of doing business list

• Andhra Pradesh and Telengana have jointly topped the 2016 all-India State/Union Territory-wise Ease of Doing Business rankings, while last-year's topper Gujarat slipped to the third spot.

Methodology

• The rankings are given on the basis of a 340-point business reform action plan and their implementation by the States. This covers the period from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016.
• These 340 reform areas are under six key categories:  Tax reforms, Single-window systems, Environment and Labour reforms, Construction permits, Inspection reforms and commercial disputes and paper-less courts. 32 States and UTs had submitted evidence of implementation of 7,124 reforms. These submissions were reviewed by the World Bank team and validated by the DIPP.

Institutions involved in the Ranking

• The ease of doing business index is annually released by the World Bank Group in its Ease of Doing Business Report. It was introduced in 2004.

Other Facts

• Four of seven States with lowest income levels in India had found a place in top 10. All seven such lowest income levels states had an implementation rate of over 75%.  
• These low-income States included Chhattisgarh (97.32%, 4th rank), Madhya Pradesh (97.01%, 5th rank), Jharkhand (96.57%, 7th), Rajasthan (96.43% and 8th), Odisha (92.73%, 11th), Uttar Pradesh (84.52%, 14th), and Bihar (75.82%, 16th rank).
• Top 10 states: Andhra Pradesh (Score 98.78%), Telangana (98.78%), Gujarat (98.21%), Chhattisgarh (97.32%), Madhya Pradesh (97.01%), Haryana (96.95%), Jharkhand (96.57%), Rajasthan (96.43%), Uttarakhand (96.13%) and Maharashtra (92.86).

International

World's largest Marine Protected Area declared in Antarctica

• The Ross Sea, a deep bay of the Southern Ocean in Antarctica, was declared as the world’s largest Marine Protected Area (MPA) on October 28, 2016. With this, there will be a blanket ban on commercial fishing in that area for coming 35 years.
• It will be the world's largest marine protected area and covers 1.6 million square kilometres

About Ross Sea

• The Ross Sea is a deep bay of the Southern Ocean in Antarctica, between Victoria Land and Marie Byrd Land.            
• To the west of the sea lies Ross Island and to the east Roosevelt Island, while the southernmost part is covered by the Ross Ice Shelf, and is about 200 miles (320 km) from the South Pole.
• The nutrient-laden water supports an abundance of plankton and this encourages a rich marine fauna.