Comprehensive Current affairs 2 November 2020

Prime Minister inaugurates seaplane services to Statue of Unity.

Indian PM launched the country’s first seaplane service between the Statue of Unity near Kevadiya in Gujarat's Narmada district and Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad.

The 19-seater seaplane will be used for flights between the Sabarmati riverfront and Kevadia as a part of the regional connectivity scheme. Initially, the plane will make four trips a day.

DGCA regulations:

The twin-engine Otter aircraft operated by SpiceJet for the seaplane service is nearly 50-years-old, though India’s aviation regulatory body, the DGCA, has reservations on allowing planes older than 20 years to be imported into the country.

 The DGCA's Civil Aviation Requirements or rules require pressurised aircraft imported and used in passenger services to not be older than 18 years. The age limit for cargo aircraft is 25 years.

The DGCA explains that the reason for imposing age restrictions is to ensure aircraft “does not have problems of corrosion, fatigue, metal fatigue, cracks” which can be missed even during major maintenance checks.

However, it recognises that foreign countries operating aircraft older than the design-economic life may be better equipped than India to ensure their proper upkeep and modifications as per advice of manufacturers and regulatory bodies.

The Kerala government also proposed seaplane services in 2013 through Kerala Tourism Infrastructure Limited, but it failed to take off due to protests from fishermen.

A few private entities, including Meh Air provided the service in Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshwadeep islands, but these wrapped soon after because of lack of commercial viability.

Public Affairs Index 2020.

Kerala was adjudged the best governed state in the country while Uttar Pradesh ended at the bottom in the large states category, according to the Public Affairs Index-2020 released by the Public Affairs Centre in Bengaluru.

Public Affairs Index(PAI) is a data driven platform to rank States/UTS on governance. PAI has been developed by the not-for-profitPublic Affairs Centre (PAC).

Governance performance is analysed in the context of sustainable development defined by three pillars ofequity, growth and sustainability.

In large states category: Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh are top three. Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Biharwere at the bottom.

Male employees will be getting Child Care Leave.

The Male Government employees who are single parents will now be eligible for child care leave.

 Highlight:

• It aims to Ease-of-living for Government Servants.

• The Single male parents includes unmarried employees, widowers and divorcees, who may be expected to take up the responsibility of caring for a child single-handedly.

• Child care leave can be granted at 100% of leave salary for the first 365 days and 80% of leave salary for the next 365 days.

• In case of a disabled child, the condition of availing child care leave up to the age of 22 years of the child has been removed and now child care leave can be availed by a government servant for a disabled child of any age.

• It is treated as earned leave and is generally granted to women employees.

• Women employees having minor children (children upto 18 years of age) may be granted child care leave for a maximum period of two years (i.e. 730 days) during their entire service for taking care of upto two minor children.

• The child care leave is granted either for rearing children or to look after any of the needs of children like examination, sickness etc.

OCI and PIO Card Holders.

Initially Indian citizens living out of the country had the option of either applying for a Person of Indian Origin (PIO) Card or an Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card.

• These acted as a long-term traveling and identifying document in lieu of a visa. Eventually these were merged and the Indian government advised everyone to apply for an OCI.

• Starting September 30, 2019, all PIOs will be deemed invalid and only OCIs will be acceptable as a valid traveling document for all travelers of Indian origin living abroad.

• PIO card (Person of Indian Origin) card and OCI cards (Overseas Citizen of India) give Different Benefits.

 Benefits of a PIO Card:

• A PIO card holder doesn’t need a visa to visit India. The holder also doesn’t require a student or employment visa to acquire employment or academic opportunities in india.

• The holder was exempted from registering at the foreigner regional registration office (FRRO) during the duration of stay in India.

• The holder also enjoys parity with NRIs in concern to economic, financial and educational matters. These may include matters related to property transfer or acquisition, holding, disposal, investment, admission of children in educational institutions under general category quota for NRIs.

• Separate immigration counters are provided at all International airports in India for PIO card holders.

Drawbacks of PIO Card:

• It does not provide voting rights to the holder. Prior permission is needed to undertake mountaineering expeditions or any such related research work in protected areas.

• Meanwhile, the PM promoted the idea of converting their PIO cards with OCI cards. The OCI cards also provided several benefits.

• OCI is essentially a lifetime visa status offered by India to an Indian person who has given up his citizenship.

• The benefits of OCI cards are substantial.

• OCI cards give you lifetime multiple entry visa to India. Also, you never have to register with the FRRO no matter how long your stay is.

• If you remain an OCI for 5 years, you can attain Indian citizenship and then live in India for a period of one year including short breaks.

 • Special immigration counters are provided at all international airports in India for OCI card holders.

• An OCI cards holder can open special bank accounts in India just like NRIs and make investments. OCI holders can also buy non-farm property and exercise ownership rights.

• An OCI card allows you to apply for a driver’s license, PAN card or open a bank account in India. You get same economic, financial and educational benefits like NRIs and you can also adopt children.

Restrictions for OCI Card Holders:

• An OCI card holder cannot vote, hold a government job or purchase agricultural or farm land. The person can also not run for public office or travel to restricted areas without Permission.

5). European Commission signs pact with ICSSR.

The European Commission and the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) have signed a new implementing arrangement to enhance scientific cooperation encouraging top Indian social scientists to join research teams in Europe, funded by the European Research Council (ERC) on a temporary basis.

Arrangement is to enhance scientific cooperation encouraging top Indian social scientists to join researchteams in Europe, funded by European Research Council (ERC) on a temporary basis.

Founded in 2007, ERC aims to encourage the highest quality research in Europe through competitivefunding and to support investigator-driven frontier research across all fields.

ERC is a flagship component of Horizon 2020, European Union's (EU) Research Framework Programme for2014 to 2020.

It will also help in providing cooperation under EU next research and innovation programme 'HorizonEurope' (2021-2027).

Horizon Europe is an €100 billion research and innovation programme to succeed Horizon 2020.

 

Rural Development Fund.

The Union government’s decision to withhold rural development fee from Punjab, and letters asking the Punjab Government to explain its utilisation of the Rural Development Fund (RDF) that it gets largely from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has enraged the state government.

Punjab Minister for Food Supplies claims the Centre is hitting back at the state for its opposition to the new farm laws.

What is Rural Development Fund or RDF?

RDF is the 3 per cent cess levied on the purchase or sale of agricultural produce under the Rural Development Fund Act, 1987 which is executed by Punjab Rural Development Board (PRDB) with the Chief Minister as its chairman.

What is Rural Development Board (RDB)?

The RDB was incorporated in April 1987 under Rural Development Act, 1987 and is mandated with the promotion of better agriculture, and granting relief for the loss and damage to agricultural produce.

It also provides the facility of streets lights, dharamshalas, panchayat ghars, canals and drains, government health infrastructure, drinking water, sanitation, and government educational institutions in rural areas.

Sources and usages the fund:

It comes mainly from central government’s purchase agency, Food Corporation of India, which buys around 13 million tonnes of wheat and 16 million tonnes of paddy every year.

This fund is supposed to be used for the creation and maintenance of rural infrastructure in and outside mandis. But there have been charges in the past that it was diverted by the state for other purposes.

 Why has the central government suspended this fund?

The central government, in a letter from the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, has observed that the fund is being diverted, and has asked the state government to explain how it is utilising this money. It has also not made any provision for this fund in the cost sheet that it has sent to the state.

Why is the Punjab government fuming?

The Punjab government was to give the earnings from RDF to pay interest on a loan of Rs 4,500 crore it has taken from various banks to pay for debt waiver to farmers. If this fund is not received by the state, it will have to dip into its depleting coffers to pay for this interest.

3D atomic map of novel coronavirus replication mechanism.

In the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is an enzyme called the main protease, which drives its replication once it infects the human cell.

For the first time, scientists have completed a 3D map that reveals the location of every atom in the molecule of this enzyme.

The mapping was done by researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory under the US Department of Energy.

As Covid-19 cases surge again in several countries, this 3D mapping will allow scientists to better understand how the coronavirus behaves, and how it can be stopped.

SARS-CoV-2:

SARS-CoV-2 expresses long chains of proteins. When these chains are broken down and cut into smaller strands, it enables the virus to reproduce. This task is performed by the main protease.

Its structure: two identical protein molecules held together by hydrogen bonds. If a drug can be developed that inhibits or blocks the protease activity, it will prevent the virus from replicating and spreading to other cells in the body.

 Key findings:

Researchers used a technique called neutron crystallography. The site containing the amino acids where the protein chains are cut, these experiments revealed, is in an electrically charged reactive state — not in a resting or neutral state, contrary to previously held beliefs.

The researchers mapped the location of each hydrogen atom in the places where drug inhibitors could bind to the protease enzyme, as well as the electrical charges of the associated amino acids.

Previous research published in Nature Communications creates a complete atomic structure of the protease enzyme. The new research builds on that.

The team will now use the newly obtained information to investigate the binding properties of drug molecule candidates to produce improved Covid-19 therapeutics.

Benefits:

It is the first time anyone has obtained a neutron structure of a coronavirus protein.

It is also the first time anyone has looked at this class of protease enzymes using neutrons.

Further, the fact that the protein chains are cut at a site that is in an electrically charged reactive state, rather than neutral, was a surprise finding.

IISc, IOCL to develop hydrogen generation technology.

The Indian Institute of Science(IISc) and the Research and Development Centre of IndianOil Corporation Limited have signed an MoU to develop and demonstrate biomass gasification-based hydrogen generation technology for producing fuel cell-grade hydrogen at an affordable price.

Under this MOU, which was signed on October 29, the IISc and IndianOil will work jointly on the optimisation of both biomass gasification and hydrogen purification processes, the IISc said in a statement.

The developed technology will be scaled up and demonstrated at IndianOils research and development Centre at Faridabad.

 Hydrogen generated from this demonstration plant will be used to power fuel cell buses as part of a bigger project being conceived by Indian Oil towards ushering in the country’s hydrogen economy.

Comprehensive Current affairs 1 November 2020 2020

 CPCB flags pollution control at railway stations.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has “insisted” that the Ministry of Railways devise a modern environmental management plan to control air, water and noise pollution at major railway stations.

According to sources in the railways, the CPCB had called for the formation of a joint committee comprising Railway and State government/local body officials to ensure basic civic amenities and improve environment conditions at Class-I stations. The move follows a high-level meeting convened by the CPCB involving top officials of the Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Housing & Urban Development.

The Railways in turn requested the CPCB to assign due weightage to different components/parameters in the template for environment performance based on rating of railway stations that are currently under review by the CPCB.

 However, the central agency insisted on developing a modern environmental plan to address issues relating to air, water and noise pollution in each of the 720 stations taken up for assessment across the country.

A separate template on environment assessment and management would be prepared for all metro stations, the sources said.The CPCB has now advised that the Ministry of Railways shall be responsible for the implementation of various pollution controlling measures.

Modi is going to launch seaplane service from statue of unity in Gujarat.

Indian PM Modi will launch the seaplane service connecting Statue of Unity in Kevadia with Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad today. Modi inaugurated a cruise service near the Statue of Unity.

• The 40-minute cruise will cover six kilometres. The prime minister also inaugurated EktaMall, an emporium spread over 35,000 square feet, where handicrafts from all over the country will be up for sale.

• A Nutrition Park and a Safari Park are among the several other attractions that he threw open yesterday. The Safari Park is spread over 375 acre and has 1100 species of birds from India and abroad and about 100 animals.

• Modi also launched an application whereby information about Kevadia will be available in six languages. Key areas of the developed region have been lit by LED lights.

• Modi arrived in Ahmedabad yesterday morning. Immediately thereafter, he headed towards Keshubhai Patel’s residence in Gandhinagar to pay tribute to the leader, who passed away on Thursday. Mr Modi also paid tribute to singer-actor duo Mahesh-Naresh Kanodiya in Gandhinagar and met their family members.

Kisan Suryodaya Yojana

Prime Minister of India Modi has recently launched the ‘Kisan Suryodaya Yojana’ aimed at providing day-time Electricity to farmers in Gujarat for Irrigation and farming purposes. He also launched a 2.3 km-long ropeway project on Mount Girnar in Junagadh city, a major pilgrimage site.

About Kisan Suryodaya Yojana:

• The Rs. 3,500 crore will be spent over the next three years for providing solar power to farmers for irrigation during daytime (5 AM to 9 PM). About 3,500 circuit kilometers (CKM) of new transmission lines will be laid.

• The 10 districts including Dahod, Gir-Somnath and Tapi have been selected under the Scheme for 2020-21. The remaining districts will be covered in a phase-wise manner by 2022-23.

• It would help in the expansion of micro irrigation in the state. Micro irrigation is defined as the frequent application of small quantities of water directly above and below the soil surface; usually as discrete drops, continuous drops or tiny streams through emitters placed along a water delivery line.

• It would complement irrigation projects of the State- Sujalam Sufalam and SAUNI (Saurashtra-Narmada Avtaran Irrigation) yojana.

• It would complement central government initiatives like neem coating urea, Soil Health Cards, KUSUM Yojana, etc.

• India has now reached 5th position in the world in the last few years in solar power and is advancing fast. Further, it has given the world the plan of ‘One Sun, One World, One Grid’.

• The PM emphasised that farmers should save water and adopt the mantra ‘per drop, more crop’.

• The objective of "per drop, more crop", Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) was also launched in 2015.

• It is a centrally sponsored scheme being implemented to expand cultivated areas with assured irrigation, reduce wastage of water and improve water use efficiency and ensure "Har Khet Ko Paani".

 • It was conceived by amalgamating ongoing schemes viz.

• Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) of the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation (now Ministry of Jal Shakti).

• Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) of Ministry of Rural

Development.

• On Farm Water Management (OFWM) of Department of Agriculture and Cooperation (DAC).

• The scheme is implemented by the Ministries of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Jal Shakti and Rural Development.

About Ropeway Project:

• The 2.3 km- long ropeway project is being touted as the longest temple ropeway in Asia.

• Mount Girnar has Gorakhnath peak, Guru Dattatreya peak and a Jain Temple.

• It is the fourth ropeway in Gujarat along with Banaskantha, Pavagadh and Satpura.

• It will give a boost to adventure activities as well as tourism in the state.

• Sites like Shivarajpur beach which has got blue flag certification and Statue of Unity, provides a lot of employment opportunities to the locals.

IPU general council to be held next month.

The 206th Session of the Governing Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU will be held from 1st to 4th November this year. It will be an Extraordinary Virtual Session, which is being organised in place of a full-fledged in-person Statutory Assembly of IPU due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.

The agenda of the Virtual Session includes the election of the new President of IPU through remote electronic secret ballot since the outgoing President of IPU Ms. Gabriela Cuevas Barron (MP, Mexico) had completed her term on 19th of this month. An Indian Parliamentary Delegation led by LokSabha Speaker Om Birla and consisting of LokSabha MP Poonamben Maadam and RajyaSabha MP Swapan Dasgupta will participate in the above mentioned Virtual Session and will cast their votes.

There are four candidates in the fray for the election of IPU President. They are Duarte Pacheco from Portugal, Muhammad Sanjrani from Pakistan, Akmal Saidov from Uzbekistan and Salma Ataullah jan from Canada.

Protests erupt against French president in muslim countries.

Thousands of Muslims, from Pakistan to Lebanon to the Palestinian territories, poured out of prayer services to join anti-France protests on Friday, as the French President’s vow to protect the right to caricature Prophet Muhammed continues to roil the Muslim world.

Demonstrations in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad turned violent as some 2,000 people who tried to march toward the French Embassy were pushed back by police firing tear gas and beating protesters with batons.

A few hundred demonstrators in Lebanon’s capital Beirut flocked toward the Palais des Pins, the official residence of the French Ambassador to Lebanon, but found their way blocked by lines of police officers in riot gear. Waving black and white flags with Islamist insignia, the Sunni Islamist activists cried, “At your service, oh prophet of God.”

The sight of anti-France protests in Lebanon is an embarrassment for Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, who is trying to form a new government that would implement a French plan for reform.

Cries of “Death to France” rang out in Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul and several other provinces as thousands filled the streets. Demonstrators trampled on portraits of Macron and called on Afghan leaders to shut down the French Embassy, halt French imports and ban French citizens from visiting the country.

 

NITI Aayog claims India no more a closed economy, import barriers not perpetual.

Any tariff protection to promote local manufacturing in India will come with an in-built sunset clause, NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar said on Friday, asserting that the country’s self-reliance mission must not be equated to it becoming a ‘protectionist’ and closed economy.

The government is set to extend the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for manufacturing pharmaceuticals, medical devices and electronics announced under the AtmaNirbhar Bharat package to six more sectors, he said.

Explaining the rationale for the PLI schemes that, he said, will soon become valid for ‘nine to 10’ sectors from four at present, Mr. Kumar said this is meant to incentivise investors already in the country to put up globally comparable capacities in scale and competitiveness.

He emphasised that India’s efforts towards self-reliance were not dissimilar to what other nations are doing to insulate themselves from global supply chain shocks and revive the economy.

Mr. Kumar also called for a more empathetic and humane approach to assess economic growth beyond GDP numbers and flagged concerns about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the onset of technologies like robotics, machine learning and artificial intelligence on job creation.

Ministry of Shipping brings in draft coastal shipping bill 2020.

Ministry of Shipping has issued the draft of Coastal Shipping Bill, 2020 for suggestions from stakeholders and general public. A need was felt to have a separate legislation on coastal shipping as the shipping sector grows and evolves in the country.

The global best practices have also been considered while drafting this Bill. The definition of coastal shipping and coastal waters has been expanded in the Bill.It is proposed to do away with the requirement of trading licence for Indian flag vessels for coastal trade.

The Bill seeks to create a competitive environment and reduce transportation costs, while encouraging Indian vessels to increase their share in coastal shipping.

 The Bill also proposes integration of coastal maritime transport with inland waterways.The draft bill is uploaded on the Shipping Ministry's website.Citizens can submit their suggestions and opinions regarding the draft bill to coastalshipping2020@gmail.com latest by 6th of November.

8). South Asian Flash Flood Guidance System.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has recently launched the South Asian Flash Flood Guidance System (FFGS).

• It is aimed at helping disaster management teams and governments make timely evacuation plans ahead of the actual event of flooding.

• A dedicated FFGS centre will be established in New Delhi, where weather modelling and analysis of rainfall data observations from member countries will be done.

• Flash Floods are sudden surges in water levels during or following an intense spell of rain.

• These are highly localised events of short duration with a very high peak and usually have less than six hours between the occurrence of the rainfall and peak flood.

• The flood situation worsens in the presence of choked drainage lines or encroachments obstructing the natural flow of water.

• Forecasting flash floods is very difficult as an event can occur within three to six hours and the water run-off quantity is very high.

• Frequency of extreme rainfall events has increased due to climate change and south Asia is highly prone to flash floods.

• Data suggest that across the world, about 5,000 people die Annually due to Flash Floods.

NewZealand votes for legalising Euthanasia.

New Zealanders have voted in favor of illegalizing the euthanasia for people with a terminal illness. The decision was taken in the aftermath of campaigners who were saying that people who are suffering extreme pain should be given a choice of how and when they want to bring their life to an end.

• The decision of legalizing the euthanasia appeared as a referendum question alongside a second referendum question of legalizing cannabis on October 17, 2020 general election ballot paper. The referendum question of legalizing cannabis did not succeed.

• Euthanasia is the practice of ending a life to relieve pain and suffering intentionally. Different countries defines euthanasia differently. In Britain, euthanasia is defined as an intervention undertaken with the intention of ending life, to relieve intractable suffering”.

• While in Netherlands and Belgium, euthanasia is described as “termination of life by a doctor at the request of a patient”. In Dutch law ‘euthanasia’ term is not included but there is a concept called “assisted suicide and termination of life on request”.

• Passive euthanasia is legal in India under strict guidelines since March 2018. In India, Patients’ consent is required through a living will. The patient must be either terminally ill or in a vegetative state.

• The supreme court of India legalized the passive euthanasia on 9 March 2018 as a part of the verdict in light of Aruna Shanbaug who had been in a Persistent Vegetative State (PVS) until her death in 2015.

Yellow dust from China could spread COVID: North Korea.

• North Korean authorities have urged its citizens to remain indoors to avoid contact with a mysterious cloud of yellow dust blowing in from China.

• They fear that a new type of coronavirus can be introduced into the Korean territory together with the particles of yellow dust.

What is Yellow Dust?

• Yellow dust is sand from deserts in China and Mongolia carried by high speed surface winds into both North and South Korea during specific Periods Every Year.

• The Sand Particles tend to mix with other toxic substances such as industrial pollutants, as a result of which the yellow dust is known to cause a number of respiratory ailments.

• Usually when the dust reaches unhealthy levels (crosses around 800 micrograms/cubic meter) in the atmosphere schools are shut and outdoor events cancelled in the affected areas.

Can Covid-19 be transmitted through dust clouds?

• As per the US Centres for Disease Control the virus can remain airborne for hours, but it is highly unlikely for the COVID-19 infection to spread through the Dust Clouds.

Comprehensive Current affairs 31 October 2020

 ASER report finds 20% rural children lacking text books at home.

About 20% of rural children have no textbooks at home, according to the Annual State of Education Report (ASER) survey conducted in September, the sixth month of school closures due to COVID-19 across the country.

In Andhra Pradesh, less than 35% of children had textbooks, and only 60% had textbooks in Rajasthan. More than 98% had textbooks in West Bengal, Nagaland and Assam.
In the week of the survey, about one in three rural children had done no learning activity at all. About two in three had no learning material or activity given by their school that week, and only one in 10 had access to live online classes.

Although the Centre has now permitted States to start reopening schools if they can follow COVID-19 safety protocols, a majority of the country’s 25 crore students are still at home after seven straight months.

The ASER survey provides a glimpse into the levels of learning loss that students in rural India are suffering, with varying levels of access to technology, school and family resources, resulting in a digital divide in education.

In 2018, ASER surveyors found that about 36% of rural households with school-going children had smartphones. By 2020, that figure had spiked to 62%. About 11% of families bought a new phone after the lockdown, of which 80% were smartphones.

This may indicate why WhatsApp was by far the most popular mode of transmitting learning materials to students, with 75% of students who got some input receiving it via the app. About a quarter of those who got input had personal contact with a teacher.

Centre streamlines process for patent filing.

The patent process has been streamlined to facilitate the compliance burden and boost innovation.
The recent Patents (Amendment) Rules, 2020 have further streamlined the requirements related to the filing of Form 27 and submission of verified English translation of priority documents.
Now the patentee would get the flexibility to file a single Form-27 in respect of a single or multiple related patents and authorized agents would be able to submit Form-27 on behalf of patentees.
In addition, patentees would get six months from the expiry of the financial year for filing of Form-27.
Besides, the applicant would not be required to submit the priority document in the Indian Patent Office, if the document is available in WIPO's (World Intellectual Property Organization) digital library.
These changes will streamline the requirements related to the submission of statement regarding the working of a patented invention on a commercial scale in India.

Integrated Theatre Commands

The next step in defence reforms after the appointment of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) would be the formation of integrated theatre commands, Army Chief Gen. Manoj Naravane said on Wednesday. This process would be “deliberate, thoughtful and well considered.”

Integrated Theatre Command:

• An integrated theatre command is one that enables the pooling of resources of all three services under a single commander, towards securing a particular geographical area.
• A military commander in charge of a joint command will have the resources of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force at his/her disposal in the face of a national security threat. The commander can also carry out joint training while benefitting from the logistics of all three services.
India’s Service Commands:

• Currently, India only has two tri-service commands.

• The first of these, known as the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), was created in 2001 and is led by service chiefs on a rotational basis.

• The second is a functional command (not overseeing a particular geographical location) called the Strategic Forces Command established in 2006.

• The current structure of the armed forces includes 17 different commands, seven each belonging to the Army and the Air Force, and three headed by the Navy. Under the Army, the commands are the Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western, Central, Southwestern, Central and Maintenance and Training. The Navy is divided into Western, Eastern and Southern commands.

• However, defence analysts have called for the elimination of this separation through the establishment of integrated theatre commands that enable all three services to prosecute
operations collectively.

Sir Syed’s Day has observed .

Sir Syed Ahmad Khan was born in 1817 in a family that was close to the Mughal court, he was a man of many distinctions, a civil servant, journalist, educationist, social reformer and historian among others.

• He served the British administration before the revolt of 1857.

• He has also written a pamphlet titled “The Causes of the Indian Revolt'' to explain the reasons for the revolt from an Indian perspective.

• He is the first and foremost, known for his pioneering role in transforming the educational opportunities for Muslims.

• He realised that Muslims could only make progress if they took to modern education. For this he started the Aligarh movement.

• He also pushed for social reforms and was a champion of democratic ideals and freedom of speech.
• He was against religious intolerance, ignorance and irrationalism. He denounced purdah, polygamy and easy divorce.

• Tahzebul Akhlaq (Social Reformer in English), a magazine founded by him, tried to awaken people’s consciousness on social and religious issues in a very expressive prose.

About Aligarh Movement:

• It was a systemic movement aimed at reforming the social, political and educational aspects of the Muslim community.

• The movement undertook to modernise Muslim’s education by adapting English as a medium of learning and western education rather than just focusing on traditional teachings.

• Sir Syed established the Scientific Society in 1864, in Aligarh to translate Western works into Indian languages to prepare the Muslims to accept Western education and to inculcate scientific Temperament among the Muslims.

• The Aligarh Institute Gazette, a magazine published by Sir Syed was an organ of the Scientific Society.
• In 1877, he founded the Muhammadan Anglo Oriental College on the pattern of Oxford and Cambridge universities. The college later grew into Aligarh Muslim University.

• The Aligarh Movement helped in the Muslim revival. It gave them a common language—Urdu.

Withdrawal of General Consent to CBI.

Maharashtra has withdrawn general consent to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Recently.

• General consent is the help given to CBI to investigate corruption cases against central Government Employees in the Concerned state.

• Without general consent, CBI would have to request the State Government on a case-by-case basis to Carry out Investigations.

There are Two Types of Consent:

• General: This consent is normally given to help CBI seamlessly conduct its investigation into cases of corruption against central government employees in the concerned state.

Almost all states have given such consent. The state can withdraw this consent as well.
• Case-Specific: If state government do not give the “general consent”, then CBI has to approach the concerned state government.

• The CBI is governed by the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946 that makes consent of a state government mandatory for conducting investigation in that state and its jurisdiction is limited to Delhi and Union Territories.

• As policing is a state subject, the law permits the agency to function within its jurisdiction only with the state government’s approval.

• Section 5 of the Act extends the powers and jurisdiction of the CBI to states.

• But Sec 5 is restricted by Section 6 which says: the agency cannot investigate or conduct a raid in a state without the express consent of the Government Concerned.

Exceptions:
• CBI will still have the power to investigate old cases registered when general consent existed.

• Also, cases registered anywhere else in the country, but involving people stationed in Maharashtra, would allow CBI’s jurisdiction to extend to Maharashtra.

Additional Information:

• The CBI is divided into three categories when it comes to investigation.

• Anti-Corruption Division:

✓ Investigates cases against public servants of:

✓ Central government

✓ Central Public sector undertakings

✓ State governments

✓ Investigates cases entrusted to the CBI by the states

✓ Investigates serious departmental irregularities committed by the above mentioned.

✓ Economic Offenses Division:

✓ Investigates financial crimes, bank frauds, money laundering, illegal money market operations, graft in PSUs and banks.

• Special Crimes Division:

✓ It handles cases of conventional nature such as offences relating to internal security, espionage, sabotage, narcotics and psychotropic substances, antiquities, murders, dacoities/robberies, and cheating among others.

✓ The CBI can take over a criminal case registered by state police only in three situations:
1. Situation 1: State Government concerned makes a request to that effect and the Centre agrees to it pursuant to receiving comments from the CBI.

 2. Situation 2: State Government issues notification of consent under Section 6 of the DPSE Act and the Centre also issues a similar notification.

3. Situation 3: if the Supreme Court or the High Court orders the CBI to take up a case.

Key Facts:

• The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has jurisdiction across the country and does not need special permission from State Governments.

• The Enforcement Directorate (ED) which conducts its probe under the PMLA and FERA Act does not require and has nothing to do with the Delhi Police Special Establishment (DPSE) Act which gives power to the CBI.

• In the past, Sikkim, Nagaland, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and among others have withdrawn General Consent to CBI.

• The superintendence of CBI related to investigation of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 lies with the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and in other matters with the Department of Personnel & Training (DOPT) in the Ministry of Personnel, Pension & Grievances of the Government of India.

Central Asian countries welcome India’s line of credit.

The Foreign Minister of Central Asian Countries welcomed the provision by India of one billion US dollar Line of Credit for priority developmental projects in fields such as energy, IT, healthcare, education and agriculture in the region. 

• Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan as well as First Deputy Foreign Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic participated in the meeting. 

• According to the Joint Statement of the meeting, the Ministers emphasized the need to continue close cooperation between the Sanitary and Epidemiological Services of India and the Central Asian countries in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic. 

• The statement added that the Ministers emphasized the importance of concerted efforts to further expand trade and economic cooperation including promoting direct ties between the businesses of India and the Central Asian countries. 

• The Ministers appreciated India’s efforts to modernize the infrastructure of the Chabahar port in Iran, which could become an important link in trade and transport communications between the markets of Central and South Asia

Evo Morales calls for calm in Bolivia.

Exiled former Bolivian President Evo Morales called for calm after several hundred right-wing protesters demanded that a “military junta” replace socialist President-elect Luis Arce.
On Monday, hundreds of demonstrators marched to military barracks in the eastern city of Santa Cruz — a right-wing stronghold — and called for “military help” to prevent the Movement for Socialism party from regaining power following a year under conservative Jeanine Anez’s interim government.
Mr. Morales wrote on Twitter, however, that “the Constitution is very clear on the role of the armed forces and the Bolivian police: We, as we always have done, will respect them as institutions”.“We must all act calmly in a constitutional way.”

Bolivia has been in political crisis for a year after Mr. Morales ignored the Constitution and stood for and won a fourth successive term as President, even though leaders are limited to two terms.

RBI asks lending institutions to waive interests.

The Reserve Bank has asked all lending institutions to credit the interest waiver on loans upto two crore rupees for the six months moratorium period beginning March 1, 2020.

The government announced the scheme for grant of ex-gratia payment of difference between compound interest and simple interest for six months to borrowers in specified loan accounts.
Under the scheme, the lending institutions have been mandated to grant ex-gratia payment to certain categories of borrowers through crediting the difference between simple interest and compound interest for the period between March 1- August 31, 2020.

Post payment, lenders can claim the amount from the central government. The scheme will cover education, housing, automobile  loans, MSME loans, personal loans to professionals, credit card dues, consumer durable loans and consumption loans.

NITI Aayog releases report on electricity access in India.

NITI Aayog, Ministry of Power, Rockefeller Foundation and Smart Power India today launched the ‘Electricity Access in India and Benchmarking Distribution Utilities’ report.

According to the report, 92 per cent of customers reported the overall availability of electricity infrastructure within 50 metres of their premises.

87 per cent of the surveyed customers have access to grid-based electricity. The remaining 13 per cent either use non-grid sources or do not use any electricity at all.

The hours of supply have improved significantly across the customer categories to nearly 17 hours per day.

The report is based on a primary survey conducted across ten states, representing about 65 per cent of the total rural population of India and with a sample size of more than 25 thousand, including households, commercial enterprises and institutions.

The minister emphasized that the key recommendations provided in the report in the areas of policy and regulation, process improvement and infrastructure will be utilized for improving the power distribution sector.

The report underlines some best practices adopted by the better-performing electricity distribution utilities in India and provides key recommendations to enhance sustainable electricity access.

 

South Asian Flash Flood Guidance System

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has recently launched the South Asian Flash Flood Guidance System (FFGS).

Highlights:
• It is aimed at helping disaster management teams and governments make timely evacuation plans ahead of the actual event of flooding.

• A dedicated FFGS centre will be established in New Delhi, where weather modelling and analysis of rainfall data observations from member countries will be done.

• Flash Floods are sudden surges in water levels during or following an intense spell of rain.

• These are highly localised events of short duration with a very high peak and usually have less than six hours between the occurrence of the rainfall and peak flood.

• The flood situation worsens in the presence of choked drainage lines or encroachments obstructing the natural flow of water.

• Forecasting flash floods is very difficult as an event can occur within three to six hours and the water run-off quantity is very high.

• Frequency of extreme rainfall events has increased due to climate change and south Asia is highly prone to flash floods.

• Data suggest that across the world, about 5,000 people die Annually due to Flash Floods.
• Despite such high mortality, there was no robust Forecasting or Warning System for flash Floods.

About South Asian Flash Flood Guidance System:

• It has been developed by US-based Hydrologic Research Centre after the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and few South Asian countries put forth their views and the urgent need for such a warning system.

• It based on the rainfall and potential Flooding Scenario, flash flood warnings will be issued to Respective Nations.

• Flash flood threat warning will be issued six hours in advance, whereas flood risk warning will be issued 24 hours in advance. Warnings about watershed level will be issued 12 hours in advance.

• India is leading the delegation of nations, including Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal, in sharing hydrological and Meteorological data towards preparing Flash Flood Forecasts.

• India’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Central Water Commission (CWC) partnered in developing the System.

Habitat decline for Himalayan brown bear by 2050.

A recent study on the Himalayan brown bear has predicted a massive decline of 73% of the bear’s habitat by 2050 due to Climate Change.

Outcome of the Study:

• These losses in habitat will result in loss of habitat from 13 protected areas (PAs). 8 of 13 will become completely uninhabitable by the year 2050.

• What should be done? There is a need to adopt spatial planning of PAs in the western Himalayan region for the long-term viability of the species.

• Adaptive spatial planning refers to conserving the existing landscape and augmenting the fragmented areas of the habitat of the species.

Himalayan Brown Bear:

• India has four species of bears: Asiatic Black, Sloth, Sun and Himalayan Brown Bear.
• All Indian Bear species are listed under Appendix I in CITES and Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

• The Himalayan brown bear, also known as the Himalayan red bear, isabelline bear or DzuTeh, is a subspecies of the brown bear.

• It is world’s largest terrestrial carnivore.

• It is a top carnivore of the high-altitude Himalayan region as well India’s largest land carnivore.

• Appearance: It is smaller than Grizzly bears and the Kodiak bears. It has thick reddish brown coat with no clear chest markings.

• Behavior: It is the least arboreal bear and is largely terrestrial. It hibernates in winter.
They are diurnal and are generally solitary.

• Habitat: North-western and central Himalaya (higher reaches, of Himalaya) including Pakistan, India, Nepal, Tibetan Autonomous Region of China and Bhutan.

• It is found in small and isolated populations and sometimes extremely rare in many of its ranges.
• Populations are present in the Great Himalayan National Park (Himachal Pradesh) and the Deosai National Park, Pakistan.

• May also be present in south and western Ladakh, in the upper Suru and Zanskar valleys.
Conservation Status:

• IUCN:

✓ Endangered in Himalaya Mountains (in Nepal, India and Pakistan)

✓ Critically Endangered in Hindu Kush Mountain range (Pakistan)

✓ Note: IUCN status of Brown bear (not Himalayan brown bear), found across Eurasia and North America, is Least concerned.

✓ Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972: Schedule 1

✓ CITES: Appendix I

• Threats:

✓ Global warming: The elevation gradient in which the brown bear is distributed in Himalayas is most vulnerable to global warming as this elevation belt is getting warmer faster than other elevation zones of Himalayas.

 

✓ Habitat loss, killing by livestock herders, and poaching for fur and for the illegal body parts trade. In Pakistan there are the additional threat of habitat insularisation (creation of islands of habitats/ fragmented habitats).