Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Comprehensive Current affairs 18 August 2020

PMO denies information regarding PM-CARES sought via RTI.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has denied a Right to Information (RTI) request related to the PM-CARES Fund on the grounds that providing it would “disproportionately divert the resources of the office”.

However, a High Court judgment and multiple orders of the Central Information Commission (CIC) have previously held that, under the RTI Act, this rationale can only be used to change the format of information provided, not deny it altogether.

This is a “misuse” of the Act, which should attract penalties under the law, says the country’s first Chief Information Commissioner WajahatHabibullah.

RTI activist Commodore LokeshBatra (retd.) had filed an RTI request asking for the total number of RTI applications and appeals received and disposed of in the PMO since April 2020, and the number of such applications related to PM-CARES and the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.
Section 7(9) of the Act says, “An information shall ordinarily be provided in the form in which it

is sought unless it would disproportionately divert the resources of the public authority or would be detrimental to the safety or preservation of the record in question.”

“There is no ambiguity. This is a misuse of the clause by CPIOs. It is up to the information commissions to levy penalties as this would amount to misinformation provided under the Act,” said Mr.Habibullah.

IB officials to fast track Naga peace process

The National Socialist Council of Nagaland-IM (NSCN-IM) said on Sunday that after Naga interlocutor R.N. Ravi created an imbroglio in the peace talk process, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had mandated a team of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials to fast-track the communication and clear the pending issues.

The group also released a copy of the original 2015 framework agreement, which stated that the Centre had agreed on “sharing the sovereign power” and provided for an “enduring inclusive new relationship of peaceful co-existence of the two entities”.

The NSCN-IM, one of the largest Naga groups, signed a framework agreement in the presence of Prime Minister on August 3, 2015 to end the decades-old Naga issue.

Mr. Ravi had signed the agreement on behalf of the Centre. After five years, the group is demanding the removal of Mr. Ravi, accusing him of “highhandedness” and tweaking the agreement to mislead the other Naga groups. Mr. Ravi was also appointed as Nagaland Governor last year.

India-Poland to expand bilateral investments post COVID.

Central Europe’s biggest nation and India’s traditional partner in the region is keen to invest in India and simultaneously keen to expand basket of Indian investments in the country.
PM NarendraModi is keen on creating new investment opportunities in India in the post-COVID period and on facilitating the inflow of foreign investments. India is the primary location in Asia for Polish investors (currently 270 mln USD).

Poland would encourage its entrepreneurs to invest in India and also would like to invite more Indian investors to make business in Poland, sources informed.

Increasing two-way investments was one of key issues discussed at the Indo-Polish Foreign Office Consultations held last week through a virtual meet. Poland has also proposed cooperation with India on research and innovation.

The global COVID-19 crisis has seriously challenged free trade and created significant disruptions in global supply chains, which is particularly problematic as regards deliveries of medical and protective equipment needed to tackle the pandemic. The best way to overcome this global crisis is by strengthening international cooperation.

Presently, about 30-40% of goods exported by India to Poland are reexported to other EU Countries. Poland possesses reputed clean coal technologies and Polish public-sector companies have played a substantial role in development of mining and power sectors in India.

Post deal, Israel-UAE establish direct phone link

The Israeli and UAE Foreign Ministers inaugurated on Sunday direct phone services between the two countries in their first announced call after an agreement to normalise relations, said an Emirati official.
The UAE’s Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and Israel’s Gabi Ashkenazi “inaugurated a phone link between the United Arab Emirates and the state of Israel, and exchanged greetings following the historic Peace Accord signed by the two countries,” tweeted Hend al-Otaiba, director of strategic communications at the UAE’s Foreign Ministry.

The Israel-UAE deal, announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, is only the third such accord Israel has struck with an Arab country, and raises the prospect of similar deals with other pro-Western Gulf states.

Mr. Trump said leaders from the two countries would sign the agreement at the White House in around three weeks.

Plasmodium vivax

The parasite Plasmodium vivax, responsible for 7.5 million malaria cases worldwide,remains understudied. An international team has developed a system to breed parasites
Plasmodium vivax in the lab and then infect cultured human liver cells with it. This can help establish a robust liver stage assay in P. vivax-endemic regions such as India.
Plasmodium Vivax:

• Malaria is a significant global health problem with a substantial disease burden worldwide.

In 2017 there were approximately 219 million cases of malaria responsible for about 435000 deaths, the majority on the African continent (WHO World Malaria Report 2018).

• Malaria results from infection with single-celled parasites belonging to the Plasmodium genus. Five species of Plasmodium are known to cause disease in humans: P. falciparum,

P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae, and P. knowlesi.

• Globally, Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax account for the majority of cases of malaria.
• While Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for more deaths, Plasmodium vivax is the most widespread of all of the malaria species, can cause severe, even fatal infections and results in significant global morbidity and mortality.

New Method:

• An improved method for breeding Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes in the lab was developed.
• The females were fed with blood collected from Indian patients with the P. vivax infection.

• Two weeks later, the mature sporozoites were taken from the mosquitoes’ salivary glands, added to cultured liver cells (multiple human hepatocyte platforms) and studied.

• This approach can be used to further study the liver stage.

How do Mosquitoes Inject the Parasite?

• Mosquitoes inject the sporozoite (spore-like) stage of the parasite into the skin when they bite, and the sporozoites travel to the liver.

• Some 50 parasites enter our liver and each infect one liver cell or hepatocyte and multiply enormously to 10,000 or more.

•These can then move out and infect blood cells.

• Not much is known about its dormant stage in the liver. The study can help establish a robust liver stage assay in P. vivax-endemic regions such as India.

• As the number is very low in the liver, our immune system barely notices it. This was believed to be a silent stage.

• The parasite can remain in the liver in a dormant stage and relapse later. So there is an urgent need to find drugs for P. vivax which will kill both the blood and liver stages.

Drug Resistant Malaria Parasites:

• Certain malaria-endemic countries have abandoned chloroquine for P. vivax treatment.
Fortunately chloroquine is still effective in India.

• But the currently used anti-relapse drug, Primaquine, has many undesirable side-effects, especially in patients with a genetic defect called G6PD deficiency. Moreover, it takes 14 days to administer this drug for radical cure

• Hence there is an urgent need for development of a new class of drugs. The researchers add that this assay could also be used to test if a specific anti-malarial drug would work for
an individual, thus paving the way for individualised treatment for patients.

Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO)

•The Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) have recently been launched by the Defence Minister of India.

Highlights:
• Its objective is to foster innovation and indigenisation for self-reliance in defence in keeping with the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

• It will put in place dedicated structures for the end-users to interact with academia and industry. It is a three-tiered organisation.

• Naval Technology Acceleration Council (N-TAC) will bring together the twin aspects of innovation and indigenisation and provide apex level directives. It is a working group
under the N-TAC will implement the projects.

• Technology Development Acceleration Cell (TDAC) has been created for induction of emerging disruptive technology in an accelerated time frame.

• Indian Navy already has a functional Directorate of Indigenisation (DoI) and the new structures will build upon the ongoing indigenisation initiatives, as well as focus on innovation.

• A compendium concise collection of information of Indian Navy’s indigenisation perspective plans titled ‘SWAVLAMBAN’ has also been released.

•The Draft Defence Production and Export Promotion Policy 2020 envisages Service Headquarters establishing an Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation within existing resources.
• The Navy has an in-house design bureau, which has made progress in designing the ‘float’ and move (propulsion) components.

•There is a heavy reliance on imports for armaments, called the ‘fight’ component.

Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) Sarthak.

An Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) for the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) was recently launched and named as Indian Coast Guard Ship ‘Sarthak’.

Highlights:
• It is the 4th in the series of the indigenous project for 05 OPVs.

• It is a long-range surface ships capable of coastal and offshore patrolling, policing maritime zones, control and surveillance, anti-smuggling and anti-piracy operations with
limited wartime roles.

• It has been designed & built indigenously by M/s Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) in line with the government’s vision of ‘Make in India’.

• It has about 70% indigenous content, thus providing the necessary fillip to the Indian shipbuilding industry and a giant leap towards achieving ‘Atmanirbar Bharat’.

• It is fitted with state-of-the-art Navigation and Communication equipment, sensor and machinery.
• It is designed to embark and carry a twin-engine helicopter, four high speed boats and one inflatable boat for swift boarding and Search & Rescue operations.
• It is also capable of carrying limited pollution response equipment to undertake oil spill pollution response at sea.

Germany to ban use of light in a major way to protect insects.

The German ministry of environment is preparing a draft law that will outline measures to protect the country’s insect populations, according to a report in Outlook Magazine.

Light traps will be banned outdoors as part of the measures. Searchlights and spotlights will also be prohibited post sundown for 10 months in a year.

Insecticides will be banned from being used in national parks with five to 10 metres from a major water body. Orchards and dry-stone walls are to be preserved as natural habitats of insects.
The environment ministry is seeking to get cabinet approval for the draft law this October.

Microplastics increasing in the Maldives

The proportion of microplastics, miniscule pieces of plastic waste that are less than 5 millimetres long, has increased dramatically in the island country of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, according to a study by Flinders University, Australia.

Scientists from the university found plastic pollution in sand on 22 sites across Naifaru, the most populous island in the Maldives.

The concentration of microplastics found on Naifaru was found to be 55 -1127.5 microplastics / kg, that is greater than 3 – 611 microplastics / kg, the concentration previously found on a highly populated site at Tamil Nadu, India, the study said.

The microplastics were being transported by ocean countries from neighbouring countries like India or were getting concentrated due to the Maldives’ own flawed policies regarding waste like using uninhabited islands as landfills, the study added.

Finance ministry to workout norms regarding re-appointment of central government officers.

The finance ministry is working on norms to regulate salary paid to retired central government employees re-appointed on contract and has proposed keeping nomination-based appointments at "bare minimum".

The expenditure department has framed draft regulations for salary payments in case of appointment of retired central government employees and has invited comments of ministries/departments within 10 days.

The draft guidelines state that appointment of retired employees on contract basis, including as consultants, by way of nomination based on the credentials of past service and not through open market advertisement, should not be made as a "matter of practice and must be kept at bare minimum".
With regard to salary payment, the draft guidelines said a fixed monthly amount shall be admissible, arrived at by deducting the basic pension from the salary drawn at the time of retirement. It shall be termed as "salary".

It further said that in cases where the appointment of retired central government employee is made from open market, then the remuneration may be regulated as per terms and conditions of the contract.

PM aims to cover all villages through optical fibre network

In the coming one thousand days, every village in the country will be connected with Optical Fibre Cable (OFC), Prime Minister NarendraModi said in his address on the occasion of 74th Independence Day today.

Mr.Modi mentioned that before 2014, only five dozen Panchayats in the country were connected with optical fiber cable. In the last five years, nearly one lakh 50 thousand Gram Panchayats in the country have been connected with optical fiber cable. 

He further added that participation of rural India and villages in Digital India is very important for balanced development of India. To enable this, he said, optical fibre networks will be expanded in the country.

This will reach all the six lakh villages within the next one thousand days. Prime Minister also announced that in the next one thousand days, Lakshadweep will be connected with submarine optical fiber cable.

Organic Food for Health and Nutrition

India ranks first in number of organic farmers and ninth in terms of area under organic Farming.
Initiatives for Organic farming:

• Sikkim became the first State in the world to become fully organic.

• North East India has traditionally been organic with very less consumption of chemicals.
• Two dedicated programs- Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region (MOVCD) and Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) were launched in 2015 to
encourage chemical free farming.

• It was aimed for assisting farmers to adopt organic farming and improve remunerations
due to premium prices.

• Both PKVY and MOVCD are promoting certification under Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) and National Program for Organic Production (NPOP) respectively to target domestic and exports markets.

Major Organic Exports from India:

• The major organic exports from India are flax seeds, sesame, soybean, tea, medicinal plants, rice and pulses.

• They were instrumental in driving an increase of nearly 50% in organic exports in 2018-19, touching Rs 5151 crore.

Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region (MOVCD):

• It is a Central Sector Scheme, launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

• It is a sub-mission under National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA).

• It aims to development of certified organic production in a value chain mode (VCM).

• VCM aims to link growers with consumers and to support the development of entire value
chain.
• It is implemented in all 8 North-Eastern states (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura).

Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana:

• PKVY is an extended component of Soil Health Management under Centrally Sponsored National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA).

• Launched in 2015, it aims at supporting and promoting organic farming for improvement
of soil health.

 Objective:

Promote organic farming among rural youth/ farmers/ consumers/ traders.

Disseminate latest technologies in organic farming.

Utilize the services of experts from public agricultural research system in India.

Organize a minimum of one cluster demonstration in a village.

Major Features of the Scheme:

• The cluster chosen for Organic Farming shall be 20 ha or 50 acres in extent and in as contiguous a form as possible.

• Of the total number of farmers in a cluster, a minimum of 65% farmers should be allocated
to small and marginal category, to be fulfilled at cluster level as far as practicable.

Components:

Adoption of Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) certification through cluster approach.
Adoption of organic village for manure management and biological nitrogen harvesting through cluster approach.

Financial Assistance:

Maximum assistance of Rs. 10 lakhs per cluster subject to a maximum of Rs. 50,000 per farmer per ha under Manure Management and Biological Nitrogen Harvesting.

At least 30% of the budget allocations need to be earmarked for women beneficiaries/
farmers.
Jaivik Kheti Portal:

• Jaivik Kheti portal is an initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture to promote organic farming globally. Buyer can now avail organic products at their doorstep through the portal at much lower prices. This portal links various stakeholders like regional councils,local groups, individual farmers, buyers, government agencies and input suppliers.

• It provides various price discovery mechanisms to help farmers get the best prices for their products through forward auction, price-quantity bidding, book building and reverse auction mechanisms.

 

Monday, August 17, 2020

Comprehensive Current affairs 17 August 2020

 China grants its first covid vaccine patent to CanSino.

China's vaccine maker CanSino Biologics Inc has won a patent approval from Beijing for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate Ad5-nCOV, citing documents from the country's intellectual property regulator. The patent was submitted for application on March 18, and was approved on August 11.

It is the first COVID-19 vaccine patent granted by China.

On August 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Russia had won the global race to approve a covid vaccine. Russia said that the first consignments of its "Sputnik" vaccine had been produced and will be given to healthcare professionals on a voluntary basis.

China's CanSino's vaccine uses a modified common cold virus to carry genetic material from the new coronavirus into the human body, a method also used by the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.

 

Both vaccines elicited antibody and T-cell immune responses and neither prompted any serious side effects in early trials. T-cells are an important component of the immune system's attack against foreign invaders, such as viruses.

CanSino's covid vaccine has already received the greenlight to be used by China's military despite not yet undergoing the type of large-scale testing needed to prove its ability to prevent infection.

CanSino's vaccine candidate was the first in China to move into human testing in March but other potential vaccines developed by Sinovac Biotech and a unit of China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) have already been approved for Phase III trials overseas.

Saudi Arabia is going to test virus vaccine, says Russia.

Russia has reached an agreement in principle to conduct clinical trials of its controversial coronavirus vaccine in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, according to the head of its sovereign wealth fund. According to the chief executive officer of the Russian Direct Investment Fund,The Russians are working with a pharmaceutical company in the kingdom and have shared data from Phase I and Phase II trials with Saudi partners.

Russian scientists engage with Saudi scientists and the Saudi Health Ministry, and Saudi is believed to be a very strong partner for their joint work on the Sputnik V vaccine.”

Earlier this month Russia approved a coronavirus shot before crucial tests have shown it’s safe and effective. The plan is to begin mass inoculation soon. A local association of multinational pharmaceutical companies has called the rushed regulatory approval risky.

Russia also shared its data with the UAE and is expecting to start its trials there later in August.

Additionally, it plans to conduct clinical trials in the Philippines and Brazil as well as at home.

 

 

National Digital Health Mission launched.

Modi launched the National Digital Health Mission on the 74th Independence day. It is expected that the mission would revolutionize India’s health sector.

Highlights:

Under the National Digital Health Mission, every Indian will receive a unique health identity card.

The mission features Tele-consultation and E-Pharmacies.

Every citizen who holds the cards shall allow one-time access to the doctors and health care providers during their visit to the hospitals.

National Digital Health Mission Mission allows patients to access health services remotely.

The card will ensure permission to access confidential medical data which will be provided for every visit by the patient himself. It will assure the privacy and maintenance of the patient. Also, the control of access to the digital records .

It will be completely in the hands of the patient and the doctors will be able to access the medical record every time only at the will of the patients.

Odisha topped in implementing AMRUT scheme.

Odisha has topped in the implementation of the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme. As per the data provided by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Odisha has secured a score of 85.67%. Also, Chandigarh and Telangana have secured the second and third positions followed by Gujarat and Karnataka.

AMRUT scheme:

AMRUT scheme was launched by PM Narendra Modi in June 2015.

 

The scheme aims to establish an infrastructure that will ensure robust sewage networks and water supply for urban transformation.

Under the mission, efforts have been made towards universal coverage of water supply, construction of sewage treatment plants, and improving green spaces in the 9 AMRUT cities of Odisha.

The nine cities are Balasore, Bhubaneswar, Baripada, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Rourkela, Bhadrak, Berhampur, and Puri. These cities are covered under the AMRUT scheme in Odisha.

A total of 191 projects are grounded in the state. Out of the total 1919 projects, 148 projects have been implemented and the rest are likely to be completed by March 2021.

Under the scheme, the Universal coverage of piped water supply has been completed by laying or replacing 400 km of pipeline to date, and all the nine AMRUT cities will have 100 percent network coverage by December 2020.

Also, several parks with well-conceived landscaping and rejuvenation facilities, open gyms, and jogging trails have been developed.

Naga Independence Day celebrated in Nagaland and Manipur.

Nagaland and parts of Manipur celebrated 74th Naga Independence Day on 14th August 2020, amid the Naga political issue involving several extremist groups. The day is celebrated since 14 August 1947. The celebrations were lead by the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) in Nagaland. The day was celebrated by hoisting the ‘Naga national flag’, which is one of the demands made by Naga organizations for an honourable solution to the 23-year-old peace process. Nagas declared independence a day ahead of the Independence Day of India in 1947 seeking self-rule.

History

In the year 1947, India became independent from British rule. But the Nagas under the Naga National Council wished to remain free. Hence, a Plebiscite was conducted in 1951 where 99.9%

 

 voted for Naga independence. Following this, the Nagas did not take part in the first and second general elections that were held in 1952 and 1957. Hence according to the Nagas, the Bordoloi and Hydari Agreements were not implemented.

Later in 1963, Nagaland attained statehood and the moderates signed the Shillong Accord in 1975, which is the first peace agreement. But it has been rejected by the hardliners and is continued with the armed movement for Naga sovereignty.

Renewable Energy Ministry received proposals over 10 GW of fresh solar power Equipment.

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has received proposals over 10 gigawatt (GW) of fresh solar power Equipment. The move is in line with the Government of India's Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan. The move is to set up 100 GW of solar energy by the end of 2022. By October 2019, India has already achieved 31 GW. Currently, India is focusing on domestic manufacturing to reduce dependency on imports. Previously, a 750 megawatt (MW) solar project was also inaugurated in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh.

GoI's measure:

GoI is yet to approve a proposal to levy basic customs duty in the range of 20-40% on solar equipment

Departments and Institutions under GoI were brought under the ruling that they have to purchase only domestically manufactured solar cells.

Also, a 5 percent interest subvention scheme was proposed for wafers, ingots, and cells manufactured in the country

GoI implemented several Safeguard Duties against solar equipment imported from China and Malaysia

Background:

 

At the Paris summit, India has pledged that it would bring 40% of its electricity generation from non-fossil fuels by 2030. Non-fossil fuels include nuclear power, solar power, hydropower, renewable energy, etc.

Indigenous AUM Photonic System developed for Real-Time Remote Monitoring of Air Quality.

Scientific and Industrial Research Centre (GVP-SIRC) and GVP College of Engineering, Visakhapatnam, has developed an indigenous photonic system for real-time remote monitoring of air quality parameters. The system titled Air Unique-quality Monitoring (AUM) was developed under the Clean Air Research Initiative of the Department of Science and Technology.

Air Unique-quality Monitoring System:

The AUM system is an innovative application of the principles of statistical mechanics, laser backscattering, optoelectronics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine/deep learning, and Internet of Things.

AUM can identify, classify, and quantify various pollutants simultaneously of orders of less than one part per billion and meteorological parameters, with sensitivity, very high precision, and accuracy.

AUM was successfully evaluated during laboratory trials with gold standards in collaboration with EffecTech, UK.

The system is operated by Karnataka State Pollution Control Board under the aegis of the Central Pollution Control Board of India.

The system is capable of simultaneous detection and quantification of all air quality parameters.

It offers a number of merits like portablility, compactibility, low powered nature and economical over any of the currently available conventional systems.

 

This system is expected to boost India’s efforts towards self-reliance in high-end technologies.

It can additionally be instrumental in supporting the endeavours in improving the nation’s health and economy.

India extended USD 1 million assistance to Antigua, Barbuda to tackle Covid-19 pandemic.

Government of India has extended an assistance of $1 million to Antigua and Barbuda to fight the COVID-19 outbreak. This assistance is aimed to improve health infrastructure and capacities in Antigua and Barbuda. Indian High Commissioner KJ Srinivasa handed over the medical supplies and medicine to Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne.

Highlights:

The assistance of $1 million from India will be used to improve health infrastructure in Antigua and Barbuda, for procurement of life-saving medical supplies and equipment like ventilators, etc.

Under this assistance, ventilators, full cover goggles, disposable impervious gowns, face shields, examination gloves and disposable masks were facilitated.

1 GoI has also provided 10,000 hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) tablets to the Government of Antigua and Barbuda to support its fight against COVID-19.

The Government of Antigua and Barbuda's proposal for assistance and collaboration named 'Strengthening national Health capacities and reducing socio-economic and human development

negative impacts of COVID-19 crisis in Antigua and Barbuda' was processed under India-United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Fund managed by United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) and the guidelines of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

 

 

A platform for Transparent Taxation -was launched to honour the honest.

Indian P.M Modi launched a platform for “Transparent Taxation - Honouring the Honest” through video conferencing on 13 August 2020. The platform is expected to meet the requirements of the 21st-century taxation system. The platform has major reforms like Faceless Appeal, Faceless Assessment, and Taxpayers Charter. The platform focuses on the reduction in tax rates and simplification of direct tax laws,

Transparent Taxation - Honouring the Honest:

With this launch, the Faceless Assessment and Taxpayers Charter have come into force. The facility of faceless appeal will be available for citizens across the country from 25th September, Deen Dayal Upadhyay's birth anniversary.

The new platform apart from being faceless is also aimed at boosting the confidence of the taxpayer and making him/her fearless.

The platform is in line with the GoI's move towards “Banking the Unbanked, Securing the Unsecured and Funding the Unfunded”.

With Tax Charter, taxpayers will now be assured of fair, courteous, and rational behavior.

It aims to provide resolution of pending tax disputes, the department also brought out the Direct Tax Vivad se Vishwas Act, 2020. Currently, declarations for settling disputes are being filed under this.

 

 

 

 

Expect a wet September, late monsoon withdrawal due to La Niña::Research.

There is a 50-55 per cent chance for the development of a La Niña condition in the equatorial Pacific Ocean during the autumn of 2020, according to the latest update by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

There is a 50 per cent chance that it might continue into the winter season as well. Currently, El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) neutral conditions are prevailing in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.

During the last four weeks, equatorial sea surface temperatures were below average from the International Date Line to the eastern Pacific and were above average in the western Pacific. The International Date Line is an imaginary line on the Earth’s surface, defining the boundary between one day and the next.

La Niña is the cooling phase of the ENSO cycle in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, as opposed to the warming El Niño phase. It is characterised by the unusual cooling of the central and east-central equatorial Pacific Ocean.

Both, El Niño and La Niña, are deviations from normal surface temperatures that occur due to the anomalous behaviour of trade winds. In the case of El Niño, the trade winds weaken, leading to warming.

In La Niña, the opposite happens and the trade winds strengthen, leading to cooling. Both these events can have large-scale impacts not only on ocean processes, but also on global weather and climate.

During El Niño, the central and equatorial Pacific Ocean becomes unusually warm. This disrupts global wind patterns, affecting climatic conditions in tropical areas like Africa, sub-tropical areas like India and extra-tropical areas like North America.

 

In India this often, but not always, causes erratic monsoons and droughts. In the case of La Niña, the exact opposite happens and India receives more rainfall than normal, leading to floods.

El Niño and La Niña episodes typically last nine to 12 months, but some prolonged events may last for years. While their frequency can be quite irregular, El Niño and La Niña events occur on average every two to seven years. Typically, El Niño occurs more frequently than La Niña.

El Niño tends to produce a weaker monsoon but only 50 per cent of the weaker monsoons are attributable to El Niño. La Niña tends to do the opposite and produce a wetter Monson.

Considering that the monsoon is below normal along much of the west coast and central India, La Niña could produce more rain during the rest of August and into September, according to researchers.

The inter-annual variability of the monsoon, in fact, tends to be the largest in September. Hence, La Niña may produce a wetter September and a delayed withdrawal if it grows stronger, he added. La Niña itself has been changing over the past four decades.

A La Niña can affect India’s winter.

The winds during the winter are from the northeast near the land surface and this is accompanied by a so-called Southwesterly Jet in the upper atmosphere. During an El Niño, this jet is pushed southward and this allows more western disturbance to bring rain and snow into northwestern India. But a La Niña actually produces a more north-south low pressure system which brings in Siberian air and the cold wave can extend much further south. During some years, we have had frost in Mahabaleshwar and cold waves in hilly parts of Tamil Nadu and so on. These can be associated with a La Niña.

The monsoon rainfall over India during La Niña events after 1980 has reduced by six-eight per cent. The main reasons for this are the changes in the spatial pattern and intensity of La Niña within the tropical Pacific Ocean.

 

Warmer eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean temperatures are impacting the La Niña phenomenon.

The warming of the Indian Ocean has also been affecting the rainfall during La Niña years after 1980 over central India, which could have an impact on the long-term water availability of the region.

One instance of a deficit monsoon season in the region during a La Niña year was in 2010.

Large areas covering eastcentral India, the Bay of Bengal and extending eastward into the South China Sea and the Philippines received deficit monsoon rains” during the year. This is when north west India and Pakistan had extensive floods during the same period of time.

Saturday, August 8, 2020

Comprehensive Current affairs 8 August 2020

 

Massive sunspot is turning towards Earth this can result in major solar flares that can effect electrical systems.

The sunspot AR2770 was detected earlier this week and is expected to grow in size in the upcoming days.

A report by SpaceWeather.com - a space weather forecasting website - said that multiple minor flares have been emitted by the sunspot already as it faced towards the earth. These flares have caused "minor waves of ionization to ripple through Earth's upper atmosphere" but nothing major yet. sunspots are dark spots on the sun that are comparatively colder than the rest of the star. These are formed as a result of interactions with the sun's magnetic field. The intense magnetic activities lead to the release of a great amount of energy that erupts out in the form of solar flares and storms known as coronal mass ejections (CME).

Although the entire mechanism is not yet understood, these spots occur on the photosphere region of the sun and can be huge in size - up to 50,000 kilometres in diameter. While solar flares are huge explosions on the sun, a CME is an 'enormous bubble of plasma' expelled by the sun.

A clear picture of the AR2770 has also surfaced that gives a better idea into the current phenomenon. It was captured by an amateur astronomer Martin Wise from Trenton, Florida. The size of the "primary dark core" is about as wide as Mars and it has several "spotlets" on its surface, which are similar to the craters on the surface of the moon.

According to the report in International Business Times, Wise captured the dark sunspot using an 8-inch telescope with safe solar filters and it's dimensions make this sunspot "one of the largest sunspot groups of the current Solar Minimum.”

With the spot growing and turning towards earth, its flares might grow in impact and affect electrical operations and facilities greatly.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), strong solar storms can cause "fluctuations of electrical currents in space and energize electrons and protons trapped in Earth's varying magnetic field". These events can affect radio communications, Global Positioning Systems (GPS) connectivity, power grids and satellites.

 

 

 

National handloom day was observed.

National Handloom Day is being organised today by the Ministry of Textiles on a virtual platform. Textiles Minister SmritiIrani will be the Chief Guest on the occasion. During the function, handloom clusters across India, NIFT campuses, all the 28 Weaver Service Centres, National Handloom Development Corporation and others will be connected online.

7th August was chosen as the National Handloom Day to commemorate the Swadeshi Movement which was launched on the same date in the year 1905. The objective is to generate awareness about the Handloom Industry among the public and its contribution to socio-economic development.

To mark the occasion and to instil pride in the workmanship of handloom weaving amongst citizens, a social media campaign is planned for the handloom weaving community.

Modi has said, the Handloom and Handicrafts of India encompass a glorious history of hundreds of years.

In his Mann Ki Baat address on All India Radio last month, the Prime Minister urged everyone to use Indian Handloom and Handicrafts as much as possible, and also communicate to more and more people about them. He said, local artisans and weavers will benefit from conversations about the richness and diversity of Indian handloom and handicrafts.

The Prime Minister emphasized that the correct and positive approach always goes a long way in transforming distressing times into opportunities, adversities into triggers of development and progress. 

Indian government is going to launch national clinical registry for COVID-19.

The Government is set to launch a National Clinical Registry for COVID-19. The main objective of this registry is to collect real time clinical data which will help in evidence based clinical practice, research, formulation of guidelines and policy making.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and All India Institute of Medical Sciences have proposed to establish a COVID-19 clinical registry for data collection from 100 hospitals across the country.

The duration of the study will be one year and any COVID-19 lab confirmed and hospitalized patient will be enrolled.

ICMR invited a letter of intent from institutions, hospitals identified as dedicated COVID Hospitals and COVID Health Centres to establish this registry.This study is aimed at collecting data regarding clinical and laboratory features, treatments and outcomes of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in India.

Agri-infra fund: Modi is going to launch financing facility of ₹1 lakh cr.

Indian PM Modi is going to launch financing facility of ₹1 lakh crore under Agriculture Infrastructure Fund through video conferencing. Govt in July had approved the setting up of an agri-infra fund with a corpus of ₹1 lakh crore to extend subsidised credit for farm infrastructure project also release 6th installment of ₹17,000 crores fund to 8.5 crores farmers under PM-KISAN scheme.

The agri-infra fund was part of the over ₹20 lakh crore stimulus package announced in response to the COVID-19 crisis it’s duration will be 10 years till 2029.

It aims to provide medium-to-long term debt financing facility for investment in viable projects for post-harvest management infrastructure and community farming assets through interest subvention and financial support.It also aimed to boost private investment and generate more jobs in rural areas.

Rs. 10,000 crore for current year

About Rs.1 lakh crore will be provided by banks and financial institutions as loans to primary agri credit societies, farmer groups, farmer producer organisations (FPOs), agri-entrepreneurs, start-ups and agri-tech players.

Loans will be disbursed in four years starting with sanction of ₹10,000 crore in the current year and ₹30,000 crore each in the next three financial years.

All loans under this financing facility will have interest subvention of 3 per cent per annum up to a limit of ₹2 crore. This subvention will be available for a maximum period of seven years.

Management Information System.

agri-infra fund, which will be managed and monitored through an online Management Information System (MIS) platform, will enable all the qualified entities to apply for loan under the fund.

The online platform will also provide benefits such as transparency of interest rates offered by multiple banks, scheme details including interest subvention and credit guarantee offered, minimum documentation, faster approval process as also integration with other scheme benefits.

RBI decides to leave policy rates unchanged at 4%

RBI governor Dr.Shaktikanta Das today said that the apex bank's monetary policy committee has decided to unanimously leave the policy repo rate unchanged at 4 per cent. He added that RBI will continue with the accommodative stance of monetary policy as long as necessary to revive growth, mitigate the impact of COVID-19, while ensuring that inflation remains within the target going forward.

In an address after the conclusion of the three day MPC meeting today via video conferencing, Dr.Das said the Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and the Bank rate remain unchanged at 4.25 per cent.

He said, the reverse repo rate stands unchanged at 3.35 per cent. He said the MPC’s assessment is that the global economic activity has remained fragile and in retrenchment in the first half of 2020.

The RBI Governor said the headline CPI inflation, which was at 5.8 per cent in March 2020, was placed at 6.1 per cent in the provisional estimates for June 2020.

He said given the uncertainty surrounding the inflation outlook and extremely weak state of the economy in the midst of an unprecedented shock from the ongoing pandemic, the MPC decided to keep the policy rate on hold, while remaining watchful for a durable reduction in inflation to use available space to support the revival of the economy.

RBI to broaden scope of priority sector lending

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Thursday decided to broaden the scope of priority sector lending (PSL) by including start-ups and enhancing borrowing limits for renewable energy sectors.

The central bank would also increase the targets for lending to ‘small and marginal farmers’ and ‘weaker sections’ under the PSL. Eligible entities get access to credit on easier terms from banks under the PSL.

Banks are required to assign 40% of adjusted net bank credit or credit equivalent amount of off-balance sheet exposure, whichever is higher, to priority sector, including agriculture and micro-enterprises, it said.

Can Two Police Forces Investigate the Same Case?

Sushant Singh Rajput’s body was found at his residence in Mumbai. But the Bihar Police, too, is probing his death. This arises the question whether two police forces can investigate the Same case.

Accidental Death Report (ADR):

• After actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s dead body was found in Mumbai, the local police registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) in the matter.

• As per Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, an ADR is taken when an accidental death, suicidal death or unnatural death comes to light. The officer in charge of a police station receives information that a person has committed suicide, he/she shall proceed to the place where the body of such deceased person is, and there, draw up a report of the apparent cause of death.

• The officer then records statements of those who can shed light behind the cause of death. If no one makes any allegations and the post mortem report does not indicate murder, an ACP rank officer then ends the report at ADR stage.

What happens if the family makes an allegation or some foul play comes to light?

Generally, the Post Mortem report points out if a person died of suicide or was killed.

• There have been cases where an ADR was later turned into a murder case, under Section

302 the Indian Penal Code (Punishment for murder), after the post mortem report indicated a person was murdered. Apart from this, if the family members allege someone drove the person to die by suicide, or if a suicide note is found, the police can register an abetment to suicide case under Section 306 of IPC.

What cases have the Mumbai Police and Bihar Police Registered?

• Since the family members of Rajput did not make any allegations and the post mortem reports did not indicate any foul play, the matter is still as an ADR at Mumbai Police Station.

• However, Bihar Police registered an FIR based on the allegations made by Rajput’s father.

It is as part of this FIR that a police team from Bihar came to the Mumbai, resulting in a tussle between the Two Forces.

Can two police forces investigate the same case?

• A case can be Formally transferred to another agency like the CBI, but two agencies cannot probe the same FIR simultaneously.

• In cases where a money laundering aspect emerges, the Enforcement Directorate registers an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) and restricts its probe to the money laundering aspect of it.

• Even in the Sushant Singh Rajput case, after his father alleged to Bihar Police that money had been transferred to unidentified accounts from Rajput’s bank account, the ED registered an ECIR under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

• However, under regular crimes, if an offence has taken place in Mumbai and the family is in Bihar, they can go to the nearest police station in Bihar and register a Zero FIR.

What is Zero FIR?

• In order to Ensure that a Citizen does not have to run from one police station to another to register an FIR, the law has allowed any police station across the country to register an FIR as soon a cognisable offence is disclosed to them.

• Hence, a zero FIR is Registered by a police station when an offence reported to it has been committed in the area under the jurisdiction of a different police station.

• As per Section 154 of the Criminal Procedure Code, a police officer is duty bound to register the Zero FIR Irrespective of Territorial Jurisdiction.

Controversy in the Sushant Singh Rajput case?

• In the current case, after registering the FIR, the Bihar Police themselves came to Mumbai to investigate the case instead of transferring the case to the local police.

• There is also a demand from former Maharashtra CM that the case be transferred to the CBI. The Supreme Court will take a final call on who will investigate the matter.

EWS Quota Challenge referred to Constitution Bench.

The Supreme Court referred to a five-judge Bench the “substantial question of law” whether grant of 10% reservation to economically weaker sections of the society is unconstitutional and violates the 50% ceiling cap on quota declared by the court itself.

Who are “Economically Weaker Sections”?

For the purposes of article 15 and article 16, “economically weaker sections” shall be such as may be notified by the State from time to time on the basis of family income and other indicators of economic disadvantage.’

• Central Government of India has specified certain criteria for identifying the EWS. This will be a class distinct from the already specified classes of SCs, STs and socially and educationally backward classes (OBCs).

• The EWS quota applies to household with

Annual household income below Rs 8 lakh.

Agriculture land below 5 acres.

Residential house below 1000 sq ft.

Residential plot below 100 yards in notified municipality.

Residential plot below 200 yards in non-notified municipality area.

What are the Implications?

• The 10% reservation will be in addition to the existing cap of 50% reservation for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and the Other Backward Classes, taking total reservation to 60%. The quota targets the poor among the upper castes. This will be over and above 50% mandated by Constitution and hence the need for Constitution amendment Bill.

Supreme Court in Indira Sawhney case:

• The Proposed law would face roadblocks if challenged in the Supreme Court.

• A nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in the Indira Sawhney case of 1992 specifically answered the question “whether backward classes can be identified only and exclusively with reference to the economic criterion.”

• The constitution bench had categorically ruled that a backward class cannot be determined only and exclusively with reference to economic criterion. The bench had held that economic criterion may be a consideration or basis along with, and in addition to, social backwardness, but it can never be the sole criterion.

• The bench in its judgement declared 50% quota as the rule unless extraordinary situations “inherent in the great diversity of this country and the people” happen. Even then, the court stated that extreme caution is to be exercised and a special case should be made out.

What is the Centre’s Argument?

• The Centre had argued that it was every State’s prerogative to provide 10% economic reservation in State government jobs and admissions in State-run education institutions.

• Whether or not to provide reservation to the economically weaker section (EWS) of the society for appointment in State government jobs and for admission to State government educational institutions, as per provisions of the newly inserted Articles 15(6) and 16(6) of the Constitution, is to be decided by the State Government Concerned.

RaTG13 Sarbecovirus

The recent study published in Nature Microbiology, the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has been circulating unnoticed in bats for decades. Bats have been the ‘primary reservoirs’ for SARS-CoV-2, which is likely to have diverged from closely related bat viruses called the RaTG13 sarbecovirus, 40-70 years ago. 

Highlights:

• The study confirms an earlier Chinese study and also suggests the probable time of divergence of the two viruses.

• The SARS-CoV-2 is most closely related to RaTG13, which was isolated from a horseshoe bat in Yunnan province in 2013.

• It is based on the nearly 96% genome sequence identity between SARS-CoV-2 and

RaTG13, it was held that an origin in bats is probable for the Covid-19 outbreak.

• The SARS-CoV-2 has not arisen from recombination of any sarbecovirus.

• Recombination is a process by which pieces of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) are broken and recombined to produce new combinations of alleles (forms of a gene). This process creates genetic diversity at the level of genes that reflects differences in the DNA sequences of different organisms.

• The ability of the spike protein in the virus to bind to Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2

(ACE2) human receptors had emerged within bats and is an ancestral trait shared with bat viruses and not one acquired recently via recombination.

• The results of the study suggest the presence of a ‘single lineage’ circulating in bats with properties that allowed it to infect human cells. This was also the case with the bat sarbecoviruses related to the 2002 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) lineage.

About the Evolutionary History of SARS-CoV-2:

• The researchers analysed the evolutionary history of SARS-CoV-2 using genomic data on sarbecoviruses.

• They employed three approaches to identify regions in the virus that had not undergone recombination and that could be used to reconstruct its evolution.

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