04-05-12-22 Daily-Kerala-KPSC Current Affairs

The government has ignored most of the questions raised by the opposition as well as ruling party members in the assembly on the actual position of the state finances.

Not even one third of unstarred questions (written questions and answers) to finance minister K N Balagopal in the recently-concluded seventh session of the assembly has been answered.

Out of the 321 questions asked to the FM, only 105 (32.7%) questions have been answered, shows the data from the assembly. This is in violation of assembly rules and despite the fact that the finance department itself had issued a circular on December 3, two days before the beginning of the assembly session, asking all the officials to ensure that the assembly questions are answered on the same day, without delay.

Astronomers fromIndian Institute of Science(IISc) in Bengaluru andMcGill Universityin Canada have used data from the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) in Pune to detect a radio signal originating from atomic hydrogen in an extremely distant galaxy.

The signal was emitted when the universe was only 4.9 billion years old.

It means the look-back time for this source is 8.8 billion years. The findings have been published in the monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
The astronomical distance over which such a signal has been picked up is the largest so far by a large margin. This is also the first confirmed detection of strong lensing of 21cm emission from a galaxy.

India’s richest stateMaharashtrais also the country’s best performer across financial and social indicators, according to state rankings released by credit rating company.

The rankings, released by CareEdge research arm of Care Ratings showed that Prime Minister Narendra Modis Home state Gujarat is at the second spot, with robust economic Growth and fiscal management.

Meanwhile, Indias most industrialized state Naduwas ranked third with an edge in social and Governance categories.

Maharashtra had a composite score of 55.7 followed by Gujarat (51.8), Tamil Nadu (51.1), Telangana (50.9) and Karnataka (50.4).

In Group B (Northeast, hilly & small states), Goa topped the overall ranking and was a front-runner in social, Infrastructure, Financial Inclusion and fiscal categories.

Among the northeastern states,Sikkimwas the best performer due to better score in economic, social, infrastructure and Environment categories.

Notably, Odisha topped the rankings in the fiscal category due to better score on revenue and Fiscal Deficit and healthy Debt Management indicators (CSF & GRF).

Maharashtra topped in financial inclusion with best performance in credit/GSDP ratio, NBFC sanctions and Health Insurance penetration. It also fared relatively well in mutual fund penetration.

Punjab and Haryana topped in the infrastructure ranking, mainly due to high power availability, RAILWAY density and greater irrigated area. However, both lagged in terms of social infrastructure (hospital beds & schools), the report said.
On governance,Andhra Pradeshand Telangana were at the top due to high Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) rank and better scores in the court conviction rate.

The U.N. Security Council has adopted its first ever resolution on Myanmar in 74 years todemand an end to violence and urge the military junta to release all political prisoners,including ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Ms. Kyi, 77, has been a prisoner since the armytoppled her government almost two years ago and violently cracked down on dissent.

The 15-member council has long been split on how to deal with the Myanmar crisis with Chinaand Russia arguing against strong action. They both abstained from the vote, along with India.

The remaining 12 members voted in favor.

The resolution urges the junta to immediately release all arbitrarily detained prisoners,including Suu Kyi and ex-president Win Myint.

It also demands an immediate end to all forms of violence and asks for all parties to respect Human Rights, fundamental freedoms and the .