Comprehensive Current affairs 13 October 2020

 MHA asks states to follow SOP in crimes against women.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued an advisory to all States regarding “mandatory action by the police in crimes against women”.

The Ministry reiterated that the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, provides that the statement, written or verbal, by a person who is dead shall be treated as relevant fact in the investigation.

“In order to facilitate the State police to monitor compliance, in this regard MHA has provided an online portal called Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences for monitoring the same. This is available exclusively to law enforcement officers,” the Ministry said.

It reminded the States regarding compulsory registration of FIR in cases of cognisable offences.

“The law also enables the police to register FIR or a ‘Zero FIR’ (in case the crime is committed outside the jurisdiction of police station) in the event of receipt of information on commission of a cognizable offence, which includes cases of sexual assault on women,” the MHA said.

 The MHA also asked States to adhere to the guidelines issued by the Directorate of Forensic Science Services for collection, preservation and transportation of forensic evidence in sexual assault cases.

“In order to facilitate the State Police, Bureau of Police Research and Development has issued Sexual Assault Evidence CollectionKits to every State/UT. It is necessary to use these SAEC kits in every case of sexual assault reported,” it said.

Interview for jobs abolished in majority of states/UT’s

Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh has said that so far, interview for jobs has been abolished in 23 States and eight Union Territories of India.

•He said, this is a follow up to the abolition of interview for Group-B (Non-Gazetted) and Group-C posts in the Central Government ever since 2016.

•Mr Singh said, in the past, there had been complaints, grievances and allegations about marks in interviews being manipulated to help certain favoured candidates. He said, the abolition of interview and considering only the written test marks as merit for selection, offers an equal level-playing field to all the candidates.

•The Minister said, several states have also reported heavy savings on the State Exchequer because quite a substantial expenditure was being incurred in conducting interviews of candidates whose number often ran in thousands and the interview process continued for several days together.

NCERT Books in Indian Sign Language.

The Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC) and the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to make NCERT textbooks accessible to hearing-impaired students in Sign Language.

•NCERT textbooks, teachers’ handbooks and other materials for Class I-XII of all subjects in Hindi and English medium would be converted into Indian Sign Language (ISL) in Digital Format.

 Significance:

• It is a step towards fulfilling needs of Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act, 2016 and New Education Policy, 2020.

• Signing of this MoU is based on the United Nations Children's Fund - UNICEF’s initiative “Accessible Digital Textbooks for All”.

• So far, hearing impaired children used to study only through verbal or written medium now they can study through Indian Sign Language which is the same all over the country.

• In the childhood days, cognitive skills of children are developed and it is very necessary to provide them educational material as per their learning needs.

• It will not only enhance their vocabulary but also enhance their capabilities to understand concepts.

Indian Sign Language (ISL):

• Broadly, it’s a set of hand and facial gestures used to communicate, most often by the hearing and speech impaired.

• It has its own grammar, syntax and regional “dialects", essentially different gestures for the same word or sentiment.

• The main difference from spoken languages lies in form: Sign languages are visual, spoken ones are auditory.

• Sign language is recognized as an official language in many countries across the world like the USA.

• Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre.

• ISLRTC is an autonomous national institute of Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

 • It was established in 2015.

• It is dedicated to the task of developing man-power for popularizing the use of Indian Sign Language, teaching and conducting research in Indian Sign Language.

NCERT:

• It is an Autonomous Organization under the Ministry of Education (MoE) which is responsible for:

• Ensuring Qualitative improvement in school education by undertaking and promoting research in areas related to school education.

• Prepare and publish model textbooks, supplementary material.

• Develop and disseminate innovative educational techniques and practices.

• Act as a nodal Agency for achieving the Goals of Universalization of Elementary Education.

Ministry of external affairs hails potential of NAM. .

Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan has said that the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) has potential to take lead in addressing the primary issues of current times that demand global cooperation.

•Addressing the virtual Ministerial Meeting of the NAM, Mr Muraleedharan said, individual members must stop and think before raising issues that are not on the agenda and which find no resonance in the wider membership. He said, the NAM never was and never can be a platform for pursuits aimed at undermining the territorial integrity of a State by another State.

•The Minister said, terrorism and their enablers continue to spread their tentacles unabated. Misinformation and fake news are wreaking havoc on social cohesion and collective security.

•Climate change has become an existential threat, especially to the most vulnerable Small Island Developing States or SIDS countries. He said, Cyber security threats and the uneven impact of frontier technologies are causing turbulence.

 •Mr Muraleedharan said, COVID-19 has reminded us of our interconnectedness, and dependence on each other as one cannot fight this adversary alone.

RBI seeks permission to limit extension of loan moratorium. .

The Reserve Bank of India submitted to the Supreme Court that a loan moratorium exceeding six months might result in vitiating the overall credit discipline, which will have a debilitating impact on the process of credit creation in the economy.

•In an affidavit filed in the apex court in the loan moratorium case, the RBI has said that a long moratorium period could impact credit behaviour of borrowers and increase the risks of delinquencies post resumption of scheduled payments.

•The banking regulator filed the affidavit in pursuance to the apex court's October 5 order asking the Centre and the RBI to place on record the K V Kamath committee recommendations on debt restructuring because of COVID-19 related stress on various sectors as well as the notifications and circulars issued so far on loan moratorium.

•In its affidavit, the RBI has said that any waiver of interest on interest would entail significant economic costs which cannot be absorbed by the banks without serious dent of their finances which would have huge implications for the depositors and the broader financial stability.

•The RBI has said that mere continuation of the temporary moratorium would not even be in the interest of borrowers.The affidavit said the RBI has been the most proactive in announcing several measures to mitigate the impact of COVID-19.

DRDO test fires anti-radiation missile.

A new-generation anti-radiation missile, RudraM-I, was successfully flight-tested on Friday by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). This is the first indigenous anti-radiation missile.

An anti-radiation missile can locate and target radiation-emitting sources such as enemy radars, communication sites and other radio frequency-emitting targets. They can play a key role in neutralising any jamming platforms of the enemy or take out radar stations, thereby clearing a path for fighter jets to carry out an offensive and prevent own systems from being jammed.

• The missile, integrated with the SU-30 MkI aircraft, has a capability of varying ranges based on the launch conditions. Having the Inertial Navigation System (INS)-Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation with Passive Homing Head (PHH) for the final attack, it is a potent weapon for the Indian Air Force for suppression of enemy air defence effectively from large stand-off ranges, the DRDO said.

• Another source said that once the SU-30 MkI approached the target, the launch processor in the launcher, the on-board computer and the passive seeker in the missile worked in unison to display the required mission data to the pilot. “After completion of alignment of navigation system of the missile, the dynamic launch zone was displayed to the pilot,” the source said.

The NGARM is being developed by Defence Research Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad, as the nodal agency. It is a joint effort involving DRDO labs, the IAF, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. and several public and private sector enterprises.

Temporary shelters for migratory birds in Sambhar Lake.

The Rajasthan government has recently decided to build temporary shelters for migratory birds near the Sambhar Lake near Jaipur before 2020’s Winter Season.

• More than 20,000 migratory birds died due to avian botulism in the lake, in 2019. Every year, a large number of birds from the cold northern regions of Central Asia come to Sambhar Lake.

• The Court has constituted a seven-member expert committee to study the impact of salt-forming and identify any illegal salt mining in the lake.

• It has suggested the state government seek the centre’s support for more funds for creating an infrastructure for the safety and security of birds.

About Sambhar Lake:

 • It is India's largest inland saline water body located near Jaipur in Rajasthan.

• It is surrounded on all sides by the Aravali hills.

• It is the source of most of Rajasthan's salt production.

• It has been designated as a Ramsar site (recognised wetland of international importance) because the wetland is a key wintering area for tens of thousands of flamingos and other Migratory Birds.

About Avian Botulism

• It is a neuro-muscular illness caused by Botulinum (natural toxin) that is produced by bacteria, Clostridium botulinum.

• The bacteria are commonly found in the soil, rivers, and seawater. It affects both humans and animals.

• The bacteria also need anaerobic (absence of oxygen) conditions and do not grow in acidic Conditions.

• The illness affects the nervous system of birds, leading to paralysis in their legs and wings.

• The outbreaks of avian botulism tend to occur when average temperatures are above 21 Degrees Celsius, and during droughts.

IhalSarin wins Chess.com's 2020 online championship. .

In Chess, Young Indian player NihalSarin emerged winner in the Chess.com's 2020 Junior Speed Online Championship in Chennai, beating Russia's world junior No. 6 Alexey Sarana 18-7 in the final.

•The title win earned the 16-year old Sarin 8,766 US Dollars and enabled him to qualify for the 2020 Speed Chess Championship Final which will feature the world's best players.

 Focus on Civil service mains:

Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)

The Emmanuelle Charpentier of France and Jennifer A Doudna of the USA have recently been awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing CRISPR/Cas9 genetic Scissors, one of Gene Technology’s Sharpest Tools.

Highlights:

• It is for the first time a Nobel science prize has gone to a women-only team.

• The Nobel Prize for Medicine/Physiology, 2020 is give to Harvey J Alter and Charles M Rice from the USA and Michael Houghton from the UK for the discovery of the Hepatitis C Virus.

• The Nobel Prize in Physics 2020 is given to three astrophysicists Roger Penrose from the UK, Reinhard Genzel from Germany, and Andrea Ghez from the USA for discoveries related to blackholes.

• Recent Discoveries in Cas9:

• Charpentier, while studying the Streptococcus pyogenes, a harmful bacterium, discovered a previously unknown molecule, tracrRNA.

• TracrRNA is part of bacteria’s ancient immune system, CRISPR/Cas, that disarmed viruses by cleaving (cutting) their DNA. It is programmed to locate the particular problematic sequence on the DNA strand, and a special protein called Cas9 (also known as genetic scissor) is used to break and remove the problematic sequence.

• Both scientists collaborated and succeeded in recreating the bacteria’s genetic scissors in a test tube and simplifying the scissors’ molecular components making it easier to use.

• In their natural form, the scissors recognise DNA from viruses but the duo reprogrammed them so that they could be controlled and can cut any DNA molecule at a predetermined site.

 About CRISPR Technology:

• It is a technology for gene-editing was first developed in 2012.

• It makes gene sequencing very easy, simple and extremely efficient providing nearly endless possibilities.

• The Editing, or modifying, gene sequences is not new and has been happening for several decades now, particularly in the field of agriculture, where several crops have been genetically modified to provide particular traits.

• The technology replicates a natural defence mechanism in Streptococcus pyogenes that use a similar method to protect it from virus attacks.

• The DNA strand, when broken, has a natural tendency to repair itself but the auto-repair mechanism can lead to the re-growth of a problematic sequence.

• The Scientists intervene during this auto-repair process by supplying the desired sequence of genetic codes, which replaces the original sequence.

• It can be used to change the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of animals, plants and microorganisms with extremely high precision.

• It has already contributed to significant gains in crop resilience, altering their genetic code to better withstand drought and pests.

• This technology has had are volutionary impact on the life sciences and contributes to new cancer therapies. It has the potential of Curing Inherited Diseases.

Suggestions:

• Ethical Concerns such as Ease of altering DNA will allow more people to choose the characteristics of their progeny and this will hamper the natural process.

 • A Chinese researcher claimed to have altered the genes of a human embryo that eventually resulted in the birth of twin baby girls. It was the first documented case of a ‘designer babies’ being produced using gene-editing tools like CRISPR.

• It was probably done without any regulatory permission or oversight which makes it even worse.

• Few scientists have pointed out that CRISPR technology is not 100% accurate, and it is possible that some other genes could also get altered by mistake.

• Doudna has been campaigning for the development of international rules and guidelines for the use of CRISPR technology and has also advocated a general pause on these kinds of applications till such time.

Ratification of 7 Persistent Organic Pollutants.

The Cabinet further delegated its powers to ratify chemicals under the Stockholm Convention to Union Ministries of External Affairs (MEA) and Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MEFCC) in respect of POPs for streamlining the procedure.

• Considering its commitment towards providing a safe environment and addressing human health risks, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) had notified the 'Regulation of Persistent Organic Pollutants Rules, in 2018 under the provisions of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

• The regulation inter alia prohibits the manufacture, trade, use, import and export of seven Chemicals, Namely:

✓ Chlordecone,

✓ Hexabromobiphenyl,

✓ Hexabromodiphenyl ether and Hepta Bromodiphenyl Ether (Commercial octa-BDE),

✓ Tetrabromodiphenyl ether and Pentabromodiphenyl ether (Commercial penta-BDE),

 ✓ Pentachlorobenzene,

✓ Hexabromocyclododecane, and

✓ Hexachlorobutadiene.

About Persistent Organic Pollutants:

• POPs are identified chemical substances that are characterised by:

✓ Persistence in the environment.

✓ Bio-accumulation in the fatty acids in living organisms.

✓ Less soluble in water.

✓ Adverse effect on Human Health/ Environment.

• Exposure to POPs can lead to cancer, damage to central & peripheral nervous systems, diseases of the immune system, reproductive disorders and interference with normal infant and Child Development.

• The property of long-range environmental transport (LRET) makes them spread widely in the Atmosphere.

About the Stockholm Convention:

• It is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from POPs.

• It was opened for signature in 2001 in Stockholm (Sweden) and became effective in 2004.

• POPs are listed in various Annexes to the Stockholm Convention after thorough scientific research, deliberations and negotiations among member countries.

• Objectives of the Convention are:

✓ Support the transition to safer alternatives.

 ✓ Target additional POPs for action.

✓ Clean-up old stockpiles and equipment containing POPs.

✓ Work together for a POPs-free future.

• India ratified the Stockholm Convention in 2006 as per Article 25(4), which enabled it to keep itself in a default "opt-out" position such that amendments in various Annexes of the convention cannot be enforced on it unless an instrument of ratification/ acceptance/ approval or accession is explicitly deposited with UN depositary.

• The convention calls to ban nine of the dirty dozen chemicals (key POPs), limit the use of DDT to malaria control, and curtail inadvertent production of dioxins and furans. The convention listed twelve distinct chemicals in three categories:

✓ Eight pesticides (aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, mirex and toxaphene)

✓ Two industrial chemicals (poly chlorinated biphenyls and hexachlorobenzene)

✓ Two unintended by-products of many industrial processes involving chlorine such as waste incineration, chemical and pesticide manufacturing and pulp and paper bleaching (poly chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans, commonly referred to as dioxins and furans).

Significance of Decision:

• The Cabinet's approval for ratification of POPs demonstrates India's commitment to meet its international obligations with regard to protection of Environment and Human Health.

• It also indicates the resolve of the Government to take action on POPs by implementing control measures, develop and implement action plans for unintentionally produced chemicals, develop inventories of the chemicals' stockpiles and review.

• The ratification process would enable India to access the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Financial Resources.

 What is Global Environment Facility?

• GEF was established with the Rio Earth Summit of 1992.

• It is headquartered at Washington, D.C., USA.

• The GEF is jointly managed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank, and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

• The financial mechanism was established to help tackle our planet’s most pressing environmental problems.

• It provides funds to the developing countries and transition economies for projects related to climate change, biodiversity, the ozone layer, etc.

• It is a Financial Mechanism for 5 Major International Environmental Conventions:

✓ The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC),

✓ The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD),

✓ The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs),

✓ The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and

✓ The Minamata Convention on Mercury.

Poverty and Shared Prosperity Report.

The World Bank in its biennial Poverty and Shared Prosperity Report mentions that

COVID-19 can add around 27-40 million new poor in Sub-Saharan Africa and around 49-57 million in South Asia region.

Who will be the New Poor?

• The “new poor” will:

 ✓ Be more urban poor.

✓ Be more engaged in informal services and manufacturing and less in agriculture.

✓ Live in congested urban settings and work in the sectors most affected by lockdowns and mobility restrictions.

Stats of the Report:

• Extreme Poverty Projection: The COVID-19 pandemic is estimated to push an additional 88 million to 115 million people into extreme poverty this year, with the total rising to as many as 150 million by 2021, depending on the severity of the economic contraction.

• Percentage of Population: The pandemic and global recession may cause over 1.4% of the world’s population to fall into extreme poverty.

• Extreme poverty: It is defined as living on less than $1.90 a day. The World Bank measures poverty lines of $3.20 and $5.50, and also a multidimensional spectrum that includes access to education and basic infrastructure.

• Increase in Rate of Poverty: Global extreme poverty rate is projected to rise by around 1.3% to 9.2% in 2020. If the pandemic would not have been there, the poverty rate was expected to drop to 7.9% in 2020.

• Regions of Incidence: Many of the newly poor individuals will be from countries that already have high poverty rates (Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia). Around 82% of the total poor will be in middle income countries (MICs).

• Flood Prone Areas: About 132 million of the global poor live in high flood risk regions.

The focus on flooding in this report primarily reflects the fact that floods are one of the most common and severe hazards, especially in lower-income countries.

• Reverse of Progress Made: Current increasing poverty is reversal of the achievements made in two-and-a-half decades (1990-2015).

 ✓ Extreme poverty rate declined by 26%. It dropped to 10% from nearly 36%.

✓ During 2012-2017, the growth was inclusive and the incomes of the poorest 40% of the population grew.

✓ The Average Global Shared Prosperity was 2.3% during the period.

• Diminished Shared Prosperity: Average Global shared Prosperity is estimated to stagnate or even contract over 2019-2021 due to the reduced Growth in Average Incomes.

✓ Shared prosperity is defined as the growth in the income of the poorest 40% of a country’s population.

Reasons for the Poverty:

• Global extreme poverty is expected to rise for the first time in 20 years because of the disruption caused by COVID-19. It is exacerbating the impact of conflict and climate change, which were already slowing down Poverty Reduction.

Proposed Strategy:

• The World Bank recommends for a complementary two-track approach which involves short as well as long term strategy:

• Short-run: Without policy actions, the COVID-19 crisis may lead to an increase in income inequality, resulting in a world that is less inclusive. Countries need to prepare for a different economy post-COVID, by allowing capital, labour, skills, and innovation to move into new businesses and sectors.

• Long-run: Continuing to focus on foundational development problems, including conflict and climate change as the Key Areas.

Poverty in India:

 • Poverty estimation in India is carried out by NITI Aayog’s task force through the calculation of poverty line based on the data captured by the National Sample Survey Office under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI).

• Poverty line estimation in India is based on the consumption expenditure and not on the Income Levels.

About Global Multidimensional Poverty Index 2020:

• India lifted as many as 270 million people out of multidimensional poverty between 2005-06 and 2015-16.

• Impact of COVID-19: COVID-19 is having a profound impact on the development landscape.

• The study finds that on average, poverty levels will be set back 3 to 10 years due to COVID-19.

• Sustainable Development Goals: The index emphasises on measuring and monitoring progress under the goals to reach ‘zero poverty by 2030-Goal 1’ of the SDGs.

Recent Measures taken by India:

• The government enhanced its social safety programs including direct benefit transfers such as cash transfers under PM Kisan scheme, more liberal financing under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 like advance disbursement, direct cash grants to construction workers and release of free and subsidized food grains under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana to about 800 million people to ensure food for all.

• The Government announced a special economic package of Rs 20 lakh crore (equivalent to 10% of India’s GDP) under Atma Nirbhar Bharat Scheme with the aim of making the country independent against the tough competition in the global supply chain and to help in empowering the poor, labourers, migrants who have been adversely affected by COVID.

Way Forward:

• The Challenge of Poverty is Enormous especially in the background of COVID-19. The need is to collaborate at both Global and Regional levels.

• Collaboration in the form of Sharing information on disease and cure.

• Developmental and Poverty Eradication aid by the international financial organizations is of real meaning here.

• At national level, respective governments must ensure both short and long-run strategies proposed by the World Bank apart from Existing efforts of National Governments.

Comprehensive Current affairs 12 October 2020

 Supreme court questions repatriation of children by NCPCR.

The Supreme Court on Friday sought a response from the country’s apex child rights body, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), to its request to eight States to “produce” children living in care homes before the local child welfare committees for their “immediate repatriation” with their families.

•The NCPCR reportedly wrote to Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Mizoram, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and Meghalaya in this regard. These States together have 1.84 lakh children in care homes. This accounts for over 70% of the children in care homes.

•A Bench led by Justice L. NageswaraRao asked the NCPCR to respond why such repatriation of the children to their families should not be done on an individual basis. The next hearing is on November 24. The court is suomotu monitoring the welfare of children placed in care homes during the pandemic.

 •The NCPCR, in a letter on September 24, explained the need for a child to grow up in a familial environment. In an April 6 order, the court directed juvenile authorities to “proactively consider whether a child or children should be kept in the child care institutions considering the best interest, health and safety concerns”.

•However, on Friday, the court wondered whether the NCPCR could issue such general directions to the States without considering the education, health, safety of the children, the consent of their parents and their economical situation.

India to launch physical property cards under SVAMITVA scheme.

Indian PM Modi will launch the physical distribution of Property Cards under the SVAMITVA Scheme tomorrow through video conferencing to transform rural India and empower millions of people.

•The SVAMITVA scheme, which was launched in April this year, aims to provide the record of rights to village household owners in rural areas and issue Property Cards.

•The Scheme is being implemented across the country in a phased manner over a period of four years and will cover around six lakh 62 thousand villages of the country.

•The launch will enable around one lakh property holders to download their Property Cards through the SMS link delivered on their mobile phones. This would be followed by physical distribution of the Property Cards by the respective State governments.

•These beneficiaries are from 763 villages across six States including 346 from Uttar Pradesh, 221 from Haryana, 100 from Maharashtra, 44 from Madhya Pradesh, 50 from Uttarakhand and two from Karnataka.

International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons .

Recently, High-level Meeting to commemorate and promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons 26th September 2020, India reiterated that nuclear weapons should be abolished in a step -by-step non-discriminatory process.

 About International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons:

• The UN General Assembly (UNGA) declared 26th September 2013 to be the International

Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons (Nuclear Abolition Day).

• Its objective is to total elimination of nuclear weapons through enhancing public awareness and education about the threat posed to humanity by nuclear weapons and the necessity for their Total Elimination.

• Achieving global nuclear disarmament is one of the oldest goals of the United Nations.

• It also calls for progress on a nuclear weapons convention, a global treaty involving the nuclear-armed states in the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons under strict and effective international control.

Highlights:

• India remains committed to the policy of No First Use (NFU) against nuclear weapon states and non-use against non-nuclear-weapon states. The recent stand indicates that India has not revised its key principles regarding the NFU principle.

• The Defense Minister hinted at a possibility of changing the principle by declaring that ‘circumstances’ will determine the “No First Use” stance, in 2019.

• India is a key partner in global efforts towards disarmament and strengthening the non-proliferation order.

• India believes that nuclear disarmament can be achieved through a step-by-step process underwritten by a universal commitment and an agreed multilateral framework after meaningful dialogues among all States possessing nuclear weapons, for building trust and confidence.

• The Conference on Disarmament (CD) remains the “world’s single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum” and India supports holding of negotiations on a Comprehensive Nuclear Weapons Convention at the CD.

 • India also remains committed to negotiations regarding a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) in the CD.

• FMCT is a proposed international agreement that prohibits the production of two main components of nuclear weapons: highly-enriched Uranium and Plutonium.

• The consultations under the treaty laid down the most appropriate arrangement to negotiate a treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.

• The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the New START Treaty (between the USA and the Russian Federation) are few of the most important global efforts towards nuclear disarmament.

• India has not signed NPT and CTBT.

UNWFP wins Nobel peace prize

The United Nations’ World Food. Programme (WFP) won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for its efforts to combat hunger around the world and improve conditions for peace in areas affected by conflict.

•The Rome-based organisation says it helps some 97 million people in about 88 countries each year, and that one in nine people worldwide still do not have enough to eat.

•“The need for international solidarity and multilateral cooperation is more conspicuous than ever,” Berit Reiss-Andersen, chairwoman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, told a news conference.

•She called the WFP a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict, and said the COVID-19 pandemic, which the WFP says could double hunger worldwide, had made it even more relevant.

 •WFP runs a logistics service that has dispatched medical cargoes to over 120 countries throughout the pandemic to help governments and health partners fighting COVID-19.

•It also has provided passenger services to ferry humanitarian and health workers where commercial flights were unavailable.

Kyrgyz opposition topples government and grabs power.

The Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan slid deeper into chaos today, as rival opposition factions made grabs for power.

•Earlier, the Kyrgyz Central Election Commission declared the results of the parliamentary elections held on October 4 void, amid violent protests.

•Meanwhile, United Nations has said that UN Secretary General is closely monitoring the situation in the Kyrgyz Republic, where protests erupted in the aftermath of the October 4 parliamentary elections, reportedly leaving one person dead and over one hundred injured.

•The Secretary-General regretted the loss of life and urged all parties to exercise the utmost restraint and refrain from violence.

•He urged all Kyrgyz actors to engage in dialogue and agree on a way forward within the constitutional framework.

•The UN offered all support to find a peaceful resolution of the current situation, including through the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia.

RBI announces no change in policy rates.

The Reserve Bank of India in its bi-monthly Monetary Policy statement issued today has maintained a status quo keeping the key interest rates unchanged.The reverse repo rate remains unchanged at 3.35 per cent, the repo rate at four per cent.

• The Monetary Policy Committee has also decided to maintain its accommodative stance as long as necessary at least through the current financial year and next year as Indian economy is entering into decisive phase in its fight against coronavirus.

• In major announcements today, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das proposed that the RTGS system for real time fund transfer to become 24X7 from December 2020.

• He said, the RBI stands ready to undertake further measures as necessary to assure market participants of access to liquidity and easy finance conditions.The new housing loans risk weights to be linked to Loan-to-value ratio and also rationalize risk weights for all new housing loans until March 31, 2022.

• Also the bank will extend scheme for co-lending to all NBFC, HFC. As for GDP, the growth may break out of contraction and enter positive zone by fourth quarter of current fiscal.

RBI decides to discontinue system- based automatic caution-listing of exporters.

In an effort to provide flexibility to exporters in the realisation of export proceeds, the Reserve Bank has decided to discontinue the system-based automatic caution-listing of exporters.

•Addressing a virtual press conference today, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said the decision will also empower exporters to negotiate better terms with overseas buyers.

•Stating that exports have been adversely affected due to the pandemic related contraction in demand, Mr. Das said the decision is likely to make the system more exporter-friendly and equitable.

•As part of automation of the Export Data Processing and Monitoring System, the 'Caution/De-caution Listing' of exporters was automated in 2016. Accordingly, the exporters were to be caution-listed automatically, if any shipping bill against them remained outstanding for more than two years.

 Genome editing technology wins Nobel Prize in chemistry.

Two women named Emmanuelle Charpentier of France, and American Jennifer Doudna have been award with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Charpentier and Doudna were working to develop the technology of genome editing.

•The Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) is a technology for genome editing which makes a natural defence mechanism in bacteria in order to get protection from virus attacks.

•Cas9 or the ‘genetic scissor’ protein is used to remove the problematic sequence in the DNA strand that is identified through programmed RNA.

•But, with this method, problematic sequence might regrow because of auto-repair properties of DNA strand. So, under the CRISPR technology, genetic codes are supplied while the DNA Strand is repairing itself.

•The CRISPR technology is not 100 percent accurate so it can alter the genome. Further, there is no any regulatory permission or oversight to regulate the technology. Thus, the technology can be misused.

•In that regard, Jennifer Doudna has been campaigning for the development of internationally rules and guidelines for the use of CRISPR technology.

Zombie Fire increasing frequently.

According to a new study, the fire regimes in the Arctic are changing rapidly, with ‘zombie fires’ becoming more frequent in addition to fires occurring in the once-frozen tundra.

Zombie Fire:

• It is a fire from a previous growing season that can smoulder under the ground which is made up of carbon-rich peat. When the weather warms, the fire can reignite. These are also known as holdover fires.

 • The fires in the Arctic spreading to areas which were formerly fire-resistant is a more worrying feature.

• The tundra is drying up and vegetation there like moss, grass, dwarf shrubs, etc are starting to catch fire.

• In 2019 and 2020, burning occurred well above the Arctic Circle, a region not normally known to support large wildfires. Wildfires on permafrost in Siberia south of the Arctic are not uncommon.

Reasons:

• The reason for this anomaly is that temperatures in winter and spring were warmer than usual during 2019-20. Temperature in Siberia in 2020 had gone through the roof, with the region recording a Severe Heatwave.

• Nearly all of this year’s fires inside the Arctic Circle occurred on continuous permafrost,with over half of these Burning on Ancient carbon-rich peat soils.

Impact:

• The fires and record temperatures had the potential of turning the carbon sink into a carbon source and increasing global warming.

• The Arctic region has a cold body of water and permafrost, it naturally acts as a carbon sink. On average it absorbs 58 megatons of CO2 a year in its cold water.

• Soils in areas of permafrost contain twice as much carbon as there is currently in the atmosphere. As the climate and permafrost soils have warmed, microbes have started to break down this organic carbon, which has been frozen and fixed in the permafrost. That has led to a rise in land emissions of CO2 and methane.

• Also there will be less absorption of carbon by water with rising temperature.

 • It will be a feedback loop: As peatlands release more carbon, global warming increases,which thaws more peat and causes more wildfires.

• Arctic fires will affect the global climate over the long term depending on what they burnt.

That’s because peatlands, unlike boreal forest, do not regrow quickly after a fire, so the carbon released is permanently lost to the atmosphere.

Precision Agriculture.

The Session on “Sensors and Sensing for Precision Agriculture” was recently organized by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-IARI).

Highlights:

• Recent advances in the field of sensors, remote sensing, deep learning, artificial intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT) for monitoring and quantification of soil, plant and environment to enhance farm productivity with increased input use efficiency and environmental sustainability.

• The session is a part of the Vaishwik Bhartiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) Summit 2020.

• VAIBHAV is a Government of India initiative to bring together the thought process,practices, research and development (R&D) culture of overseas and Indian Scientists/Academicians.

About Precision Agriculture:

• It is an approach where inputs are utilised in precise amounts to get increased average yields, compared to traditional cultivation techniques such as agroforestry, intercropping, crop rotation, etc.

• It is this century’s most valuable innovation in farm management that is based on using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).

• It is based on sustainable agriculture and healthy food production and it consists of profitability and increasing production, economic efficiency and the reduction of side effects on the environment.

 Advantages:

• It increases agriculture productivity.

• It prevents soil degradation.

• It reduces chemical application in crop production.

• It uses of water resources efficiently.

• It disseminates modern farm practices to improve the quality, quantity and reduced cost of production.

• It changes the socio-economic status of farmers.

Focus on Civil Service Mains:

India and Myanmar relationship review.

Recently, a two-day visit by the Foreign Secretary of India and the Army Chief to Myanmar completed with Greater Engagement between India and Myanmar.

• As a part of India’s Medical or Drug Diplomacy a package of 3,000 vials of the antiviral Remdesivir given to assist Myanmar in its fight against the pandemic.

• India has shown willingness to prioritise Myanmar in sharing Covid -19 vaccines, when available.

• Operationalisation of the crucial Sittwe port in Myanmar’s Rakhine state by March 2021 is committed.

• The two sides also discussed progress in the ongoing Indian-assisted infrastructure projects such as the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway and the Kaladan Multi-

Modal Transit Transport Project.

 • The project will link Kolkata to Sittwe in Myanmar and then from Myanmar’s Kaladan river to India’s north-east.

• Security: India has been concerned over some militant groups like the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) and National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) from the North-East region taking shelter in Myanmar.

• Myanmar handed over 22 cadres of Indian insurgent groups in May 2020.

• The maintenance of security and stability in their border areas and mutual commitment not to allow their respective territories to be used for activities inimical to each other were re-stressed.

Transition to Democracy:

• Myanmar successfully conducted the 4th meeting of the 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference in Nay Pyi Taw.

• The Union Peace Conference: 21st Century Panglong is a continuing peace conference started in 2016.

• It aims to have a stable political environment in Myanmar with peaceful transition into democracy.

• Outcome of 4th Meeting: The Government of Myanmar and ten armed ethnic groups signed a framework agreement for the National Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).

• Indian Support: India assured continued support in sharing experiences in constitutionalism and federalism to assist Myanmar in its democratic transition.

Rohingya Issues:

• India came forward for support for ensuring safe, sustainable and speedy return of Rohingya refugees from Refugees Camps of Bangladesh.

 • Building on the progress made under the Rakhine State Development Programme (RSDP), India proposed to finalise projects under phase-III of the programme, including setting up of a skills training centre and upgrading of agricultural mechanisation.

• Liaison Office: With the formal inauguration of liaison office in Naypyitaw, India has taken one more significant step towards establishing its embassy in Naypyitaw.

• India has its embassy in Yangon, the former capital.

Highlights:

• A bust of Bal Gangadhar Tilak in Mandalay Jail is a symbolic gesture for a closer relationship and understanding mutual existence.

• Between 1908 and 1914, he spent 6 years in Mandalay Prison for defending the actions of revolutionaries Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki.

• Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki had tried to assassinate the District Judge, Mr.

Kingsford by throwing bombs at the carriage in which he was supposed to travel.

• With investments of over USD 1.2 billion, Myanmar has the highest Indian investment in any country in South Asia.

• India's development cooperation in Myanmar is estimated at USD 1.4 billion. The two countries are also expanding partnership in the area of energy cooperation.

• Recently, India approved an investment of over USD 120 million in the Shwe Oil and Gas project.

About India-Myanmar:

• India and Myanmar have shared cultural roots and historical relations, apart from the strategic, Economic, Social and political ties.

• Myanmar is a member of both Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which is an organization of East Asian nations as well as the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) which bridges South and

South-East Asia.

• Connectivity projects through Myanmar help India overcome its Chicken-neck dilemma (Siliguri Corridor). Myanmar is also necessary for the development of North-Eastern India.

• Myanmar stands at the confluence of India’s Neighbourhood First and Act East Policy and India-Myanmar partnership is at the heart of India’s vision to create a connected and cooperative neighbourhood.

• Recently, India and Myanmar had signed 10 agreements with a focus on socio-economic development of Myanmar, during Myanmar President U Win Myint’s visit to India.

• Myanmar's growing closeness with China and the recent proposal of China Myanmar Economic Corridor is a cause of concern for India amidst growing India-China tension.

1Centre to fix Jurisdiction of River Boards.

Water Resources Minister of India has recently said that the Centre will determine the jurisdictions of the Krishna and Godavari river management boards (KRMB and GRMB).

Constitutional Provisions regarding Inter-State River Disputes:

• Entry 17 of State List deals with water i.e. water supply, irrigation, canal, drainage,embankments, water storage and water power.

• Entry 56 of Union List empowers the Union Government for the regulation and development of inter-state rivers and river valleys to the extent declared by Parliament to be expedient in the public interest.

• According to Article 262, in case of disputes relating to waters:

 ✓ Parliament may by law provide for the adjudication of any dispute or complaint with respect to the use, distribution or control of the waters of, or in, any inter-State river or river valley.

✓ Parliament may, by law provide that neither the Supreme Court nor any other court shall exercise jurisdiction in respect of any such dispute or complaint as mentioned above.

Mechanism for Inter-State River Water Disputes Resolution:

• The resolution of water dispute is governed by the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act,1956.

• According to its provisions, if a State Government makes a request regarding any water dispute and the Central Government is of opinion that the water dispute cannot be settled by negotiations, then a Water Disputes Tribunal is constituted for the adjudication of the water dispute.

• The act was amended in 2002, to include the major recommendations of the Sarkaria Commission.

• The amendments mandated a one year time frame to setup the water disputes tribunal and also a 3 year time frame to give a decision.

Water Dispute between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh:

• Telangana and Andhra Pradesh share stretches of the Krishna and the Godavari and own their tributaries.

• Both states have proposed several new projects without getting clearance from the river boards, the Central Water Commission and the Apex Council, as mandated by the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014.

• The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 mandates for constitution of an Apex Council by Central Government for the supervision of the functioning of the Godavari River Management Board and Krishna River Management Board.

• The Apex Council comprises the Union Water Resources Minister and the Chief Ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

 • The Andhra Pradesh government’s proposal to increase the utilisation of the Krishna water from a section of the river above the Srisailam Reservoir led to the Telangana government filing a complaint against Andhra Pradesh.

• The Srisailam reservoir is constructed across the Krishna River in Andhra Pradesh. It is located in the Nallamala hills.

• The Andhra Pradesh government retaliated with its own complaints saying that Palamuru-Rangareddy, Dindi Lift Irrigation Schemes on the Krishna River and Kaleshwaram,Tupakulagudem schemes and a few barrages proposed across the Godavari are all new projects.

Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal:

• Two tribunals have been constituted to resolve the disputes of the Krishna water.

• Andhra Pradesh has countered the second Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal (KWDT) order issued by Justice Brijesh Kumar in 2010.

• The Brijesh Kumar Tribunal has allocated 81 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) of surplus water to Maharashtra, 177 tmcft to Karnataka and only 196 tmcft to Andhra Pradesh.

• After the creation of Telangana as a separate state in 2014, Andhra Pradesh is asking to include Telangana as a separate party at the KWDT and that the allocation of Krishna waters is reworked among four states, instead of three.

• It has challenged the order of the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal in the Supreme Court.

Godavari Water Dispute Tribunal:

• The Godavari Water Dispute Tribunal headed by Justice Bachawat was constituted by the Government in April, 1969.

• The tribunal was tasked to look after the dispute over Godavari River between Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Karnataka over the sharing of the Godavari river water.

• The Bachawat Tribunal gave its final award in 1980.

• Accordingly, each State was free to utilise the flow in Godavari and its tributaries up to a certain level.

• Thus, Andhra Pradesh decided to divert 80 tmcft of Godavari water from Polavaram to Krishna River, upstream of Vijayawada, so that it could be shared with Karnataka and Maharashtra.

• Once Telangana came into existence in 2014, the Godavari water and, more specifically, the Polavaram project became the bone of contention between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

• While the project will take care of the irrigation needs of the Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana fears it would submerge many villages in its Khammam district.

• Odisha too has expressed its reservations over the Polavaram dam's design.

About Godavari River:

• Source: Godavari River rises from Trimbakeshwar near Nasik in Maharashtra and flows for a length of about 1465 km before out falling into the Bay of Bengal.

• Drainage Basin: The Godavari basin extends over states of Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha in addition to smaller parts in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Union territory of Puducherry.

• Tributaries: Pravara, Purna, Manjra, Penganga, Wardha, Wainganga, Pranhita (combined flow of Wainganga,Penganga, Wardha), Indravati, Maner and the Sabri.

About Krishna River:

• Source: It originates near Mahabaleshwar (Satara) in Maharashtra. It is the second biggest river in peninsular India after the Godavari River.

• Drainage: It runs from four states Maharashtra (303 km), North Karnataka (480 km) and the rest of its 1300 km journey in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh before it empties into the Bay of Bengal.

• Tributaries: Tungabhadra, Mallaprabha, Koyna, Bhima, Ghataprabha, Yerla, Warna, Dindi, Musi and Dudhganga.

About Krishna River:

• Source:It originates near Mahabaleshwar (Satara) in Maharashtra. It is the second biggest river in peninsular India after the Godavari River.

• Drainage: It runs from four states Maharashtra (303 km), North Karnataka (480 km) and the rest of its 1300 km journey in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh before it empties into the Bay of Bengal.

• Tributaries: Tungabhadra, Mallaprabha, Koyna, Bhima, Ghataprabha, Yerla, Warna,Dindi, Musi and Dudhganga.

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