24 April 2016 Current Affair for Competition Exams

WTO's Trade Facilitation Agreement ratified by India.
On 22 April 2016 India ratified the new Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) of World trade Organisation (WTO), which aims at easing customs procedures to boost commerce.
India's WTO ambassador, Anjali Prasad, handed over the country’s instrument of acceptance to WTO’s Director-General Roberto Azevêdo.
This will help India further boost economic growth by reducing trade costs and supporting its integration into the global economy.
The TFA contains provisions for expediting the movement, release and clearance of goods, including goods in transit, which was concluded at the WTO’s 2013 Bali Ministerial Conference. India submitted its Category A notification to the WTO.
Implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) could increase global merchandise exports by up to 1 trillion US dollar annualy.


Mahindra became first Indian company to join EP100 campaign.
EP100 is a new energy campaign, announced by an international non-profit group, The Climate Group, that will work with the world’s most influential businesses in setting commitments to double their energy productivity and maximize the economic output.
On 22 April 2016 Mahindra & Mahindra became the first Indian company to join a global energy campaign, EP100. Anand Mahindra, chairman of mahindra group, represented the corporate world at the high-level signing ceremony of the historic Paris climate change agreement at the United Nations.


Eminent personalities nominated to Rajya Sabha.
On 22 April 2016 President Pranab Mukherjee nominated six eminent personalities from different fields to Rajya Sabha following a recommendation of the Union government.
The nominated members are;
Subramanian Swamy,a BJP leader from Tamil Nadu.
Narendra Jadhav, a renowned economist.
Navjot Singh Sidhu, Former Indian cricketer.
Suresh Gopi, a Malayalam actor.
Swapan Dasgupta, a journalist.
Mary Kom, Legendary boxer and Olympic bronze medallist
President has a provision to nominate 12 members in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) on the recommendation of Union Cabinet as per Article 80 of the Constitution of India.

Panel set up by Union government to double farmers income.
On 22 April 2016 Union government constituted the inter-ministerial panel to prepare a blueprint for doubling farmers' income by 2022.
The panel will be headed by Ashok Dalwai, Additional Secretary at the Union Agriculture Ministry. The other members will be officials from Agriculture and Food Ministries as well as experts from the Delhi-based National Council of Applied Economic Research and National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research.
The panel will prepare a plan to shift farm policies from being production-oriented to income based ones. It will also look at reducing the cost of cultivation and addressing unpredictability of weather and price fluctuations in farm sector.