Comprehensive Current affairs 10 October 2020

 Apex court claims indefinite occupation of public places for protests as unacceptable.

Indian Supreme Court found the indefinite “occupation” of a public road by the Shaheen Bagh protesters unacceptable.

•The court felt that the protest, considered an iconic dissent mounted by mothers, children and senior citizens of Shaheen Bagh against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, became inconvenient to commuters.

•The court suggested that the outcry may have even gone out of hand for the women protesters. It referred to reports about how women were ensconced inside a tent while a “huge periphery” of “male protesters, volunteers and bystanders”, who wanted the blockade to continue, milled around.

•The court noted that Shaheen Bagh seemed typical of the many digitally-fuelled “leaderless” events of dissent seen in modern times. Technology and social media could both empower and weaken mass movements.

The court held it was entirely the responsibility of the administration to prevent encroachments in public spaces. They should do so without waiting for courts to pass suitable orders.

 Data Governance Quality Index (DGQI)

Department of Fertilizers ranked 2nd amongst the 16 Economic Ministries/Departments and ranked 3rd amongst the 65 Ministries/Departments in the Survey Report on Data Governance Quality Index.

DGQI:

• The DGQI exercise was undertaken by the Development Monitoring & Evaluation Office (DMEO), NITI Aayog. The exercise is a ‘Self-assessment-based review of data preparedness levels’ to produce a DGQI scorecard.

• The survey was initiated with an objective to assess the data preparedness of Ministries or

Departments on a standardized framework.

• The survey was also meant to drive healthy competition among them and promote cooperative peer learning from best practices.

• For the survey, an online questionnaire was prepared under six major themes of DGQI:

✓ Data Generation

✓ Data Quality

✓ Use of Technology

✓ Data Analysis, Use and Dissemination

✓ Data Security

✓ HR Capacity and Case Studies

✓ The Ministries and Departments were classified into Six Categories namely,

Administrative, Economic, Strategic, Infrastructure, Social and Scientific.

Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO):

• DMEO was constituted in 2015 by merging the erstwhile Program Evaluation Office (PEO) and the Independent Evaluation Office (IEO).

• It is an attached office under NITI Aayog, aimed at fulfilling the organization’s monitoring and evaluation (M&E) mandate and building the M&E ecosystem in India.

 • DMEO has been mandated to actively monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Government of India programmes and initiatives so as to strengthen their implementation and scope of delivery on an ongoing basis.

• Additionally, DMEO undertakes evaluation of selected programmes/schemes, suo-moto or on the request of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) or programme implementing Ministries/Departments of the Government of India.

ICGS Kanaklata Barua commissioned.

A Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) named ICGS Kanaklata Barua was commissioned by the Indian Coast Guard Recently.

Highlights:

• The vessel was constructed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd.

• These FPVs are medium-range surface vessels and can reach a speed of 34 knots.

• It is the fifth and last in a series of FPVs. Other FPVs are ICGS Priyadarshini (named after Indira Gandhi), ICGS Annie Besant, ICGS Kamala Devi (after Kamala Devi Chattopadhyay), and ICGS Amrit Kaur.

• FPVs are useful for Patrolling, Maritime Surveillance, Anti-smuggling, Anti-poaching Operations, Search and Rescue Missions.

Kanaklata Barua:

• Kanaklata Barua was a teenage freedom fighter from Assam.

• She led the Mukti Bahini, a procession of freedom fighters to unfurl the Tricolour at Gohpur police station during the Quit India Movement in 1942.

• An altercation with police led to firing and killing of Kanaklata Barua.

Cabinet approves Indo-Japanese MoU on cybersecurity .

The GoI has given its approval to major reforms in the marketing of Natural Gas in the country. The Cabinet, under the chairmanship of PM Modi approved the reforms to push the usage of Natural Gas.

•Briefing the media in New Delhi, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister said that the government will initiate standardised e-bidding for bringing transparency in the price of Natural Gas in the country.

•Railway Minister informed that the Cabinet has also given its approval for the revised estimate cost for East West Corridor of the Kolkata Metro Rail Project.

 •Minister for Railways said that the project, with an estimated cost of nearly 8 thousand 575 crore rupees, will be open for the public by December 2021. He said the total Route length of the East-West Metro Corridor in Kolkata will be 16.6 kilometre and will have 12 stations.

•The cabinet also gave its approval for signing a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) in the field of cyber-security between India and Japan.

•The MoC will enhance cooperation in areas of mutual interest, which includes capacity building in the area of cyberspace, protection of critical infrastructure, cooperation in emerging technologies, sharing information on cyber security threats and malicious cyber activities.Another MoU was signed between Zoological Survey of India and its Canadian Counterpart on bar coding of faunal Genomes.

World Bank projects global extreme poverty to rise first time in 20 years.

Global extreme poverty is expected to rise for the first time in 20 years because of the disruption caused by COVID-19, exacerbating the impact of conflict and climate change, which were already slowing down poverty reduction, the World Bank said on Tuesday.

The pandemic may push another 88 million to 115 million into extreme poverty or having to live on less than $1.50 per day, resulting in a total of 150 million such individuals, the Bank said in its biennial Poverty and Shared Prosperity Report.

Some 9.1% to 9.4% of the world will be affected by extreme poverty in 2020, the Bank said, compared to 7.9% in the counterfactual scenario where the pandemic had not raged across the world.

Many of the newly poor individuals will be from countries that already have high poverty rates while many in middle income countries (MICs) will slip below the poverty line, as per the report. Some 82% of the total will be in MICs.

Sub-Saharan Africa, with 27-40 million new poor, and South Asia, with 49-57 million new poor, will be badly hit as per the Bank’s projections.

First ever brand name and logo for Indian cotton launched.

Indian Minister for Textiles launched the first ever Brand and Logo for Indian Cotton on Second World Cotton Day through video conferencing.

•Now India’s premium cotton would be known as ‘Kasturi Cotton’ in the world cotton trade. The Kasturi Cotton brand will represent Whiteness, Brightness, Softness, Purity, Luster, Uniqueness and Indianness. this is said to be a much awaited moment as the Indian Cotton has been endowed with a Brand and Logo.

  Cotton is one of the principal commercial crops of the India and it provides livelihood to about six million cotton farmers. India is also the second largest cotton producer and the largest consumer of cotton in the world.

•It produces about six million tonnes of cotton every year which is about 23 per cent of the world cotton. India produces about 51 per cent of the total organic cotton production of the world, which demonstrates India’s effort towards sustainability.

•Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) has also made ever highest Minimum Support Price (MSP) operation of cotton and during the new cotton season, the procurement under MSP may also be increased.

Possibility of reforms for natural gas marketing in the country.

GoI has been approved the major reforms in marketing of Natural Gas in the country. The Cabinet has approved the reforms to push usage of Natural Gas.

The government is also going to initiate standardised e-bidding for bringing transparency in the price of Natural Gas in the country and the Cabinet has also given its approval for the revised estimate cost for East West Corridor of the Kolkata Metro Rail Project. the project that would incur an estimated cost of nearly 8 thousand 575 crore rupees is going to be opened for the public in December 2021.

The total Route length of the East-West Metro Corridor in Kolkata will be 16.6 kilometre and will have 12 stations and the project will ease traffic congestion, enhance urban connectivity and provide a cleaner mobility solution to lakhs of daily commuters in Kolkata.

Nanofiber Yarns.

A Team of Researchers at IIT Madras is ready with a prototype of suture thread made of Nanofiber Yarns.

Sutures with Nanofiber Yarns:

• It is bio-absorbable.

• It can deliver a higher load of antibiotics and/or therapeutics at the site itself.

• The suture material uses nanofibers woven as yarn using certain specific techniques, and the strength can be varied depending on the target tissue (skin, muscle, cartilage).

• Each strand has a good tensile strength, besides degrading rapidly and mimics the collagen fibrils of body tissues.

 • Several innovations globally in suture material have advanced infection control and achieved in some cases, better recovery among patients, even as other options such as staples, glues and strips have become available.

• Arti Sunil Richard, Research Scholar, Department of Biotechnology, IIT Madras, also worked on the project that won the ‘SITARE-Gandhian Young Technological Innovation (GYTI) Award 2020’

• The way the nanofibers mimicked the collagen fibril sparked the idea in a lab that primarily works on scaffold-based tissue engineering to create thread like structures by twisting nanofibers together using custom-made machinery.

• Several experiments were done to prove its compatibility, mechanical strength, stem cell interaction, immune responses, and antibacterial property, and they were compatible with prescribed norms in surgical procedure.

• The team also loaded the fibers to deliver drugs at site and it might be more suitable for internal sutures and on soft tissues.

• The bio absorbability aspect makes sure that the Sutures do not have to be Removed.

• Initial funding has been received for the project, and the team is looking for further Funding to Deliver surgery-ready Nanofiber yarn at Reasonable Costs.

Nanofiber Yarns:

• Nanofiber yarns are thread-like structures formed by twisting together hundreds of nanofibers.

• Nano-size fiber production by electrospinning has been a common application method recently.

• Generally, in this system, fibers are produced directly as a non-woven surface of fiber-web and this limits potential end-uses of these high Performance Fibers.

Inauguration of Atal Tunnel, Rohtang.

Atal Tunnel is going to be the longest highway tunnel in the World. The 9.02 Km long tunnel connects Manali to Lahaul-Spiti valley throughout the year.

Earlier the valley was cut off for about 6 months each year owing to Heavy Snowfall.

• The Tunnel is built with ultra-modern specifications in the Pir Panjal range of Himalayas at an altitude of 3000 Mtrs (10,000 Feet) from the Mean Sea Level (MSL).

• The tunnel reduces the road distance by 46 Kms between Manali and Leh and the time by about 4 to 5 hours.

• The South Portal (SP) of Atal Tunnel is located at a distance of 25 Km from Manali at an altitude of 3060 Mtrs, while the North Portal (NP) of the tunnel is located near village Teling, Sissu, in Lahaul Valley at an altitude of 3071 Mtrs.

• It is horse shoe shaped, single tube double lane tunnel with a roadway of 8 Mtrs. It has an overhead clearance of 5.525 Mtrs.

• It is 10.5-metre wide and has a 3.6 x 2.25 Mtrs fire proof emergency egress tunnel built into the main tunnel itself.

• Atal Tunnel has been designed for traffic density of 3000 cars per day and 1500 trucks per day with max speed of 80 km/hr.

• It has the state-of-the-art electromechanical system including semi transverse ventilation system, SCADA controlled firefighting, illumination and monitoring system.

Background:

• The historic decision to construct a strategic tunnel below the Rohtang Pass was taken on June 03, 2000 when Vajpayee was the Prime Minister.

• The foundation stone for the Access Road to the South Portal of the tunnel was laid on May 26, 2002.

• The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) worked relentlessly to overcome major geological, terrain and weather challenges that included the most difficult stretch of the 587-metre Seri Nalah Fault Zone. The breakthrough from both ends was achieved on October 15, 2017.

• The Union Cabinet met on 24th December 2019 and decided to name the Rohtang Tunnel as Atal Tunnel to honour the contribution made by the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Key Safety Features of the Tunnel:

✓ Tunnel entry barriers at both portals.

✓ Telephone connections at every 150 Mtrs for emergency communication.

✓ Fire hydrant mechanisms at every 60 Mtrs.

✓ Auto incident detection system with CCTV cameras at every 250 Mtrs.

✓ Air quality monitoring at every 1 Km.

✓ Evacuation Lighting / Exit signs at every 25 Mtrs.

✓ Broadcasting System throughout the tunnel.

 

✓ Fire rated Dampers at every 50 Mtrs.

✓ Cameras at every 60 Mtrs.

Focus on UPSC mains.

China Seeks BRI Push to Bangladesh.

President Xi Jinping said he stands ready with Bangladesh leaders to better align the two countries’ strategies and jointly promote the construction of his multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

• The Belt and Road Initiative, also known as the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) project was launched by the President Xi Jinping in 2013.

• The project intends to link Asia with Europe and Africa through an overland “belt” and a maritime silk “road”.

But it is more than that as it Involves:

✓ The export of Chinese capital, labour, technology.

✓ The use of the Yuan and

✓ The development of new ports, industrial hubs, special economic zones and military facilities, under Beijing’s auspices.

Why has China launched it?

• Bridging the Infrastructure Gap in Asia: According to China, the Belt and Road

Initiative will bridge the ‘infrastructure gap’ and thus accelerate economic growth across the Asia Pacific area and Central and Eastern Europe.

• Economic Motives of China: OBOR is aimed at boosting domestic growth in China which has slipped in recent years. In 2016 china grew by 6.7%which is the lowest since 1990. OBOR also provides china a market to sells its product especially Steel.

• Global Leadership: But some feel that BRI is more out of political motivation rather than real demand for infrastructure. It is a masterstroke by China to establish itself as a world-leading economy and to spread its power, particularly in the South Asian region at the expense of the US.

Why India has not Joined BRI?

• The primary objection is that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (part of BRI) passes through Gilgit-Baltistan region which India claims it's own hence India thinks that it ignores her “sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

 • BRI would lead to Chinese neo-colonialism causing unsustainable debt burden for communities and an adverse impact on the environment in the partner countries.

• Then, there is a lack of transparency in China’s agenda. Some experts believe that BRI is not just an economic project but one that China is promoting for political control.

• Besides Pakistan, where China initiated over $60 billion as part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), China has stepped up its huge infrastructure investments in Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives rising concerns of its growing influence in India’s Immediate Neighbourhood.

Geo-Political Challenges Posed by BRI to India:

• China in Kashmir: China is gradually emerging the real third force in Kashmir. Since 1950s, China is in occupation of Aksai chin; In 1963, Pakistan ceded Trans-KarakoramTract to china; China’s first trans-border infrastructure project in Kashmir — the Karakoram Highway — dates back to the late 1960s and now it’s presence is increasing further with CPEC.

• China in South Asia: BRI will massively strengthen China’s commercial, economic, Political and Security influence in South Asia which could Marginalize India’s regional Primacy.

Way Ahead for India:

• Improve Infrastructure in Frontier Regions: Whether it is in Kashmir, Arunachal, the Andamans or the neighbourhood, India’s neglect of its frontier regions has weakened its regional position. Thus India need to improve infrastructure in frontier regions.

• Improve Internal Connectivity: India should remember that China’s BRI did not start out as an external initiative. It was built on the existing internal “Go West” strategy launched two decades ago, that has focused on unifying China’s domestic market and connecting its developed east coast with the interior provinces.

• Improve Connectivity with Neighbours: India should modernize connectivity across its land and maritime frontiers with its neighbours in the Subcontinent, South East Asia and the Gulf by completing projects in these regions.

• India can work with nations like Japan in developing regional connectivity. Japan has already outlined a Belt and Road initiative of its own, called the Partnership for Quality Infrastructure under which Japan has put up nearly $150 billion to support infrastructure projects all across the Indo-Pacific and Eurasia.

• India should also improve it's access to Europe by expediting projects like INSTC and others.

• On Participation in BRI: India must focus on debating the specific terms of individual projects rather than having to say “Yes” or “No” to the BRI as a whole.

 Inadequate Compensatory Afforestation.

Recently, a study on compensatory afforestation in lieu of forest diversion for development of projects in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district, only 10% of saplings said to be planted were actually found on the site and their survival rate was as low as 3.6%.

Data Analysis:

• It has been carried out by Himdhara Environment Research and Action Collective. It is based on government data and ground research and was conducted between 2012 and

2016.

• The Total area demarcated for compensatory afforestation was 1,930 ha in lieu of 984 ha of forest land diverted for non-forest activities, including roads, hydro-projects, transmission lines, etc.

• The Total diverted forest land in Kinnaur had 11,598 standing trees, belonging to 21 species.

• The Majority of the trees felled were coniferous, dominated by cedar (3,612 felled) and near-threatened chilgoza pines (2,743).

• Between 2002 and 2014, of the Rs.162.82 crore collected under Catchment Area Treatment (CAT) plan funds of Kinnaur’s projects, only 36% had been spent till 31st March

2014.

• CAT plan funds are budgeted as mitigation measures for hydroelectric power projects.

• More than 90% of the diversion of forest in Kinnaur takes place for the development of hydropower projects and transmission lines.

• Himachal Pradesh has the highest installed capacity of hydropower projects of 10,000 MW

in the country and located in Sutlej basin, Kinnaur is the state’s hydropower hub with 53 planned Hydropower Projects.

About Compensatory Afforestation:

• According to Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) rules, for every hectare of forest land diverted, double the area of ‘degraded’ lands are used as sites for ‘compensatory afforestation’.

• Every time forest land is diverted for non-forest purposes such as mining or industry, the user agency pays for planting forests over an equal area of non-forest land, or when such land is not available, twice the area of degraded forest land.

 • As per the rules, 90% of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) money is to be given to the states while 10% is to be retained by the Centre.

• The funds are used for CAT, assisted natural generation, forest management, wildlife protection and management, relocation of villages from protected areas, managing human-wildlife conflicts, training and awareness generation, supply of wood saving devices and allied activities.

Challenges:

• One of the reasons why the forest department is unable to fulfil the target is because there’s simply no land available for the compensatory afforestation.

• A large part of Kinnaur is rocky and a cold desert where nothing grows.

• Around 10% of the district is already forested and the rest is either used for agriculture or are grasslands.

• Many of the plots carved out for afforestation are actually grasslands which are used by the villagers for grazing cattle.

• In many instances, the villagers uproot the saplings because they do not want the grassland converted to a forest.

• This lack of land for afforestation means that once a forest has been felled, it is often lost permanently. The authorities only look at identifying plots of land where afforestation can take place just because it is mandated which makes the concept faulty.

• Socio-economic needs are not considered and there is also no monitoring of the afforestation as well.

• About Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority.

• It works as a national advisory council under the chairmanship of the Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for monitoring, technical assistance and evaluation of compensatory Afforestation Activities.

• Objectives of CAMPA: To promote afforestation and regeneration activities as a way of compensating for forest land diverted to non-forest uses.

Way Ahead:

• There is a need to understand the adverse effects of deforestation and address it in a timely manner with adequate resources and sufficient monitoring and guidance.

• The state should encourage people’s participation allowing more connections between the people and the forests leading to better care and protection of the new Saplings and the Existing Trees.

 • Rapidly running out of space for compensatory afforestation, the Forest Department should carry out Plantations in other Districts in lieu of Forest Land Diverted in KINNAUR.