TNPSC Current Affairs December 31, 2019

www.tnpsc.academy – TNPSC Current Affairs Dec 31, 2019 (31/12/2019)

Topic: General Administration, Latest Diary of Events

Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR)

The government has launched a web portal, ‘Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR)’, to facilitate blocking and tracing of stolen/lost mobile phones in Delhi.

The web portal was first launched in Mumbai.

Services provided: The launch of the project in Delhi will facilitate – request for blocking of stolen or lost mobile phone by customers; blocking of such mobile phones across mobile networks; sharing of traceability data with the Police; and unblocking of recovered/ found stolen or lost mobile phones.

Topic: Latest Diary of Events, Latest Reports, Public Awareness

Sustainable Development Goal Index

NITI Aayog has released the 2019 SDG India Index. The index evaluates progress of States and Union Territories on social, economic and environmental parameters.

Key facts:

The SDG India Index, launched last year by Niti Aayog with the help of United Nations, took into account 16 out of 17 goals specified by the United Nations as SDGs .

The Index this year ranked states based on 54 targets spread over 100 indicators out of 306 outlined by the UN.

The year 2020 will be the fifth anniversary of the adoption of SDGs by 193 countries at the UN General Assembly.

The SDGs, constituted through an unprecedented consultative process, have 17 goals and 169 related targets to be achieved by 2030.

Performance of various states:

Kerala retained the top rank with a score of 70. Himachal Pradesh took the second spot while Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana shared the third spot.

Chandigarh maintained its top spot among the UTs with a score of 70.

Relative performance: Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim have shown maximum improvement, but states like Gujarat have not shown any progress vis-a-vis 2018 rankings.

Bihar, Jharkhand and Arunachal Pradesh are the worst performing states.

Only three states were placed in the category of Front Runners (with a score in the range 65-99, including both) in 2018 – Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. In 2019, five more states joined this league – Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Sikkim and Goa, taking the total tally to eight.

With regard to poverty reduction, states which have done well include Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Sikkim.

On ‘zero hunger’ parameters, Goa, Mizoram, Kerala, Nagaland and Manipur were the front runners.

Overall India’s performance:

India’s composite score improved from 57 in 2018 to 60 in 2019 with major success in water and sanitation, industry and innovation.

However, nutrition and gender continue to be problem areas for India, requiring more focussed approach from the government.

While three out of five states in the top spots perform equal to or better than the country average on 12 goals, the other two states do the same on 11 goals.