Comprehensive Current affairs 17 November 2020

Now employer free to reject overqualified applicants.

The Supreme Court has informed in a judgement that, A prospective employer has discretion not to appoint a candidate who may have a “higher qualification”, but not the one prescribed for the job vacancy.

About:

The judgment came on an appeal filed by the Punjab National Bank against an Orissa High Court decision allowing an over-qualified candidate to be appointed as a peon.

A Bench led by Justice Ashok Bhushan said courts have limited judicial review over such decisions by employers. Prescription of qualifications for a post is a matter of recruitment policy. Discretion lies with the employer.

“It is for the employer to determine and decide the relevancy and suitability of the qualifications for any post, and it is not for the courts to consider and assess,” Justice M.R. Shah, who authored the verdict, pointed out.

The apex court said courts allow a “greater latitude” for employers to prescribe the necessary qualification for a post.

Draft Rules Under the Code on Social Security, 2020

Union Ministry of Labour and Employment has notified the draft rules under the Code on Social Security, 2020.

About.

The draft rules provide for Aadhaar based registration including self-registration by unorganised workers, gig workers and platform workers, Building and Other Construction Workers on the portal of the Central Government.

Provision has also been made in the rules regarding gratuity to an employee who is on fixed term employment.

The rules also provide for single electronic registration of an establishment including cancellation of the registration in case of closure of business activities.

Provision has also been made regarding manners and conditions for exiting an establishment from EPFO and ESIC coverage.

The procedure for self-assessment and payment of Cess in respect of building and other construction workers has been elaborated in the rules.

The rate of Interest for delayed payment of such cess has been reduced from 2% every month or part of a month to 1%.

Centre for traditional medicine .

The World Health Organisation announced that it will set up a Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in India.

 WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement in a video message at an event in which Prime Minister Modi dedicated two future-ready Ayurveda institutions in Jaipur and Jamnagar to the nation via video conferencing on the occasion of the 5th Ayurveda Day.

This new centre will support WHO’s efforts to implement the WHO traditional medicine strategy 2014-2023 which aims to support countries in developing policies and action plans to strengthen the role of traditional medicine as part of their journey to universal health coverage and a healthier, fairer and safer world.

East Container Terminal.

Sri Lanka signed a memorandum of cooperation with India and Japan to jointly upgrade the strategic East Container Terminal (ECT) at the Colombo Port.

The objective was to enhance Sri Lanka’s status as a maritime hub.

However, the project could not move forward owing to resistance against foreign involvement in national assets.

India’s role:

India’s interest in the project has well-known commercial and strategic motives.

The ECT adjoins the Colombo International Container Terminal (CICT), the SLPA’s joint venture with China Merchants Port Holdings Company that holds an 85% stake.

A deep-water container terminal, the CICT is the busiest at the Colombo Port.

New species of vine snakes discovered.

A team of researchers from the Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), after extensive sampling across peninsular India, have discovered new species of vine snakes in the region.

 Vine snakes are known to be among the most common snakes in peninsular India, found even in many peri-urban areas wherever there is some greenery, and in the Western Ghats.

These species were superficially similar in their morphology, but separated by geographic or ecological barriers.

High fluoride content in Khordha, Nayagarh groundwater

According to a study, Fluoride concentration in groundwater are high in parts of Khordha and Nayagarh districts in Odisha have found. This can be a serious threat to human health.

The region in Eastern Ghats comprise deformed metamorphic and igneous rocks, containing fluoride-bearing minerals.

Key highlights:

The researchers collected and analysed 22 water samples from tube wells and dug wells. They also analysed samples of rainwater, from each hot spring and from a local river.

Rainwater was acidic with low electrical conductivity while groundwater was slightly acidic-to-neutral with low-to-high electrical conductivity.

High electrical conductivity indicates salinity in groundwater.

A high concentration of fluoride was found in nearly 40 per cent of the groundwater samples. Some samples had more than 3.5 milligrams per litre (mg / l), much above the Bureau of Indian Standard permissible limit of 1 mg / l.

Samples with low fluoride concentration show comparatively higher bicarbonate values. The researcher concluded that the accumulation of fluoride in water is not due to evapotranspiration or due to calcite precipitation. Fertilizers are sources of fluoride contamination.

Amur falcons

Manipur government has launched an awareness campaign to protect Amur falcons.

Amur falcons are the world’s longest travelling bird that covers at least 20,000 km every year, travelling between their breeding and wintering grounds.

Northeast India falls in their migration route, while migrating to winter in Southern Africa from Serbia and China.

Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile System.

Recently, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test-fired Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile system (QRSAM).

The test was conducted at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off Odisha coast.

The Test was in continuation of a series of missile tests conducted by DRDO over the past two months.

Key Points.

QRSAM is a canister-based system, which means that it is stored and operated from specially designed compartments.

In the canister, the inside environment is controlled, thus along with making its transport and storage easier, the shelf life of weapons also improves significantly.

The system is capable of detecting and tracking targets on the move and engaging targets with short halts.

Range and mobility:

It is a short range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, primarily designed and developed by DRDO to provide a protective shield to moving armoured columns of the Army from enemy aerial attacks.

The entire weapon system has been configured on a mobile and manoeuvrable platform and is capable of providing air defence on the move.

It has been designed for induction into the Army and has a range of 25 to 30 km.

Functioning:

The QRSAM weapon ensemble which functions on the move consists of a fully automated command and control system.

It also consists of two radars - Active Array Battery Surveillance Radar and Active Array Battery Multifunction Radar - with one launcher.

Both radars have 360-degree coverage with “search on move” and “track on move” capabilities.

The system is compact, uses a single stage solid propelled missile and has a mid-course inertial navigation system with two-way data link and terminal active seeker developed indigenously by DRDO.

New Ramsar Sites.

Recently, the Meteor lake at Lonar in Buldhana district of Maharashtra and the Soor Sarovar at Agra have been declared Ramsar sites, a conservation status conferred by International Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

Earlier this year Kabartal Wetland (Bihar) and Asan Conservation Reserve (Uttrakhand) were also designated as Ramsar sites.

With latest inclusions, the total number of Ramsar sites in India is 41, the highest in South Asia.

Lonar Lake.

Location:

The Lonar lake, situated in the Deccan Plateau’s volcanic basalt rock, was created by the impact of a meteor 35,000 to 50,000 years ago.

The lake is part of Lonar Wildlife Sanctuary which falls under the unified control of the Melghat Tiger Reserve (MTR).

It is also known as Lonar crater and is a notified National Geo-heritage Monument. Geo-heritage refers to the geological features which are inherently or culturally significant offering insight to earth’s evolution or history to earth science or that can be utilized for education.

It is the second Ramsar site in Maharashtra after Nandur Madhmeshwar Bird Sanctuary in Nashik district.

The water in the lake is highly saline and alkaline, containing special microorganisms like anaerobes, Cyanobacteria and phytoplankton.

b). Soor Sarovar Lake.

It is also known as Keetham lake situated within the Soor Sarovar Bird Sanctuary, which was declared as a bird sanctuary in the year 1991.

Location:

This lake is situated alongside river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh.

The Soor Sarovar bird sanctuary covered an area of 7.97 sq km.

It is today home to more than 165 species of migratory and resident birds.

It also has a Bear Rescue centre for rescued dancing bears.

Benefits:

With Ramsar status, the sites will benefit in terms of international publicity and prestige.

They will get Financial aid through the convention’s grant and also access to expert advice on national and site-related problems.

c). Ramsar Convention.

Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty adopted in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar, on the southern shore of the Caspian Sea.

It came into force for India on 1st February, 1982. Those wetlands which are of international importance are declared as Ramsar sites.

The Convention’s mission is “the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world.

The Montreux Record is a register of wetland sites on the List of Wetlands of International Importance where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur as a result of technological developments, pollution or other human interference. It is maintained as part of the Ramsar List.

At present, two wetlands of India are in Montreux Record:

Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) and

Loktak Lake (Manipur).

Chilika Lake (Odisha) was placed in the record but later removed from it.

Focus on mains:

RCEP. ...

Recently, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) has come into existence on the sidelines of the 37th ASEAN Summit.

It has laid down the path for restarting discussion that had failed to admit India earlier and said “new” developments would be taken into consideration if India re-applies.

Key Points

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership:

It consists of 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members, as well as South Korea, China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

 It excludes the USA, which withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in 2017.

Negotiations over the RCEP deal began in 2012. India was also part of the negotiations but it pulled out in 2019 over concerns that lower tariffs could hurt local producers.

Members of the RCEP make up nearly a third of the world's population and account for 29% of global gross domestic product (GDP).

The China-backed group will emerge as the largest free trade agreement (FTA) in the world surpassing both the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement and the European Union (EU).

It is expected to eliminate a range of tariffs on imports within 20 years and also includes provisions on intellectual property, telecommunications, financial services, e-commerce and professional services.

Under RCEP, parts from any member nation would be treated equally, which might give companies in RCEP countries an incentive to look within the trade region for suppliers.

Businesses with global supply chains might face tariffs even within an FTA because their products contain components that are made elsewhere.

The deal could increase global national income by USD 186 billion annually by 2030 and add 0.2% to the economy of its member states.

However, some analysts think the deal is likely to benefit China, Japan and South Korea more than other member states.

However, it could be some time before any country sees the benefits, because six Asean nations and three other nations have to ratify it before it takes effect.

Ratification will likely be tricky in national parliaments, owing to both anti-trade and anti-China sentiments among the countries.

Significance for China:

The beginning of RCEP is a major development that will help China and trade in the Asia-Pacific region in the post-Covid-19 scenario.

It will give China access to Japanese and South Korean markets in a big way, as the three countries have not yet agreed on their FTA.

While China already has a number of bilateral trade agreements, this is the first time it has signed up to a regional multilateral trade pact.

India’s Stand:

While addressing the ASEAN Summit, India highlighted the necessity for peace and stability in the region but maintained silence regarding RCEP as it is not very welcoming of the China-backed grouping in the light of the ongoing military tension in eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

In the meantime, India held Malabar Exercise with Japan and the USA for the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) which was interpreted as an anti-China move.

However, these moves did not influence Japanese and Australian plans regarding RCEP.

India ended negotiation on RCEP over terms that were perceived to be against its interests.

One of the major concerns for India was inadequate protection against surges in imports as its industry had fears that signing RCEP would allow cheaper products from China to flood the market in India.

The extended power to China could lead to actions and incidents eroding trust in the maritime region disrespecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty.

For example, the ongoing tensions at LAC and Chinese activities in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

RCEP on India’s Membership:

India, as an original negotiating participant of the RCEP, has the option of joining the agreement without having to wait 18 months as stipulated for new members in the terms of the pact.

 RCEP signatory states plan to commence negotiations with India once it submits a request of its intention to join the pact "in writing", and it may participate in meetings as an observer prior to its accession.

Way Forward

The mega trade bloc is a landmark trade initiative which is expected to boost commerce among the member-countries spread across the Asia-Pacific region.

India needs to keep its interests on the table as the road to further expansion of its exports to RCEP member nations is very much still open, given that India already has trade and investment agreements with 12 of them.

Utilising existing agreements better while proactively exploring new opportunities in other geographies will diversify both Indian markets as well as an export basket.