Comprehensive Current affairs 28 September 2020

 Bilateral Maritime Exercise between Japan and India, JIMEX 20, to Commence on 29 Sept.

The 4th edition of Maritime bilateral exercise between India and Japan "JIMEX 20" has been scheduled to be held from 26 to 28 September 2020. The exercise is conducted biennially between the Indian Navy and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).

JIMEX 20:

• JIMEX 20 will be conducted in North Arabian Sea.

• The exercise will showcase joint operational skills and high degree of inter-operability through conduct of a multitude of advanced exercises, across the spectrum of maritime operations.

• The exercise will include Multi-faceted tactical exercises like weapon firings, cross deck helicopter operations and complex surface.

 • It also incluse anti-submarine and air warfare drills that will consolidate coordination developed by the two navies.

•JIMEX 20 will be conducted in a ‘non-contact at-sea-only format’, in view of COVID-19 restrictions.

• The exercise aims to enhance the cooperation and mutual confidence between the two navies. It also aims to fortify the long standing bond of friendship between the two countries.

• From Indian Side, the indigenously built stealth destroyer Chennai, Teg Class stealth frigate Tarkash and Fleet Tanker Deepak, under the command of Rear Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet, will participate in the exercise.

• From Japanese Side, JMSDF Ships Kaga, an Izumo Class Helicopter Destroyer and Ikazuchi, a Guided Missile Destroyer, led by Rear Admiral Konno Yasushige, Commander Escort Flotilla – 2 (CCF - 2) will participate in the exercise.

Background:

JIMEX series of exercises commenced in January 2012. The main objective of the exercise is to focus on maritime security cooperation. The last edition of JIMEX was conducted in October 2018 off Visakhapatnam, India.

Kerala Tourisms Human by Nature campaign bagged 2020 PATA Grand Award.

Kerala Tourism's internationally- acclaimed 'Human by Nature' campaign has bagged one of the three PATA Grand Awards 2020. The awards were announced live during a virtual presentation ceremony in Beijing, China. The award recognized the campaign's Marketing, giving a huge stimulus to the state's tourism industry, which has been severely impacted by COVID-19 pandemic.

 PATA Award Highlights:

• The PATA Gold Awards 2020 received 121 entries from 62 organisations and individuals across the world.

• The winners were selected by a judging committee of 16 personalities from various destinations.

• PATA 2020 presented 3 Grand Title Winners and 21 Gold Awards for best of show entries in the categories of Marketing, Sustainability and Human Capital Development.

CAG report finds 40% toilets in govt. schools non-existent and unused.

Public sector units claimed to have constructed 1.4 lakh toilets in government schools as part of a Right to Education project, but almost 40% of those surveyed by the Comptroller and Auditor-General were found to be non-existent, partially constructed, or unused.

In an audit report presented in Parliament on Wednesday, the CAG said over 70% did not have running water facilities in the toilets, while 75% were not being maintained hygienically.

The SwachhVidyalayaAbhiyan was launched by the Human Resource Development Ministry in September 2014 to meet the Right to Education Act’s mandate that all schools must have separate toilets for boys and girls.

Lack of dedicated funds, poor maintenance and poor water availability in toilets were identified as major challenges, and central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) were roped in to bridge the gap over a one-year period.

Out of that sample, CPSEs identified but did not construct 83. Another 200 toilets were reported to be constructed, but were non-existent, while 86 toilets were only partially constructed.

Out of the 1,967 coeducational schools surveyed, 99 schools had no functional toilets while 436 had only one functional toilet, meaning that the objective of providing separate toilets for boys and girls was not fulfilled in 27% of the schools, said the CAG.

 SAUBHAGYA completes three years since inception.

PradhanMantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana -“Saubhagya” has completed three years since its inception. P M Modi had launched this scheme on the 25th of September, 2017 to ensure electrification of all willing households in the country in rural as well as urban areas.

•The scheme was launched with an aim to achieve universal household electrification by providing last mile connectivity and electricity connections to all households in rural areas and all poor households in urban areas across the country.

•The scheme was started with an outlay of 16,320 crore rupees. Out of the total amount, the outlay for the rural households is over 14 thousand crore rupees while for the urban households the outlay is 2,295 crore rupees.

Around 400 detention camps in Chinese Xinjiang province.

China is running hundreds of detention centres in northwest Xinjiang across a network that is much bigger than previously thought, according to research presented on Thursday by an Australian think tank.

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) said it had identified more than 380 “suspected detention facilities” in the region, where China is believed to have held more than one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim Turkic-speaking residents.

The number of facilities is around 40% greater than previous estimates, the research said, and has been growing despite China's claims that many Uighurs have been released.

Using satellite imagery, eyewitness accounts, media reports and official construction tender documents, the institute said “at least 61 detention sites have seen new construction and expansion work between July 2019 and July 2020”.

 Beijing on Thursday again denied the existence of detention sites. The government says they are vocational training centres used to counter extremism.

U.S. lawmakers recently voted to ban imports from Xinjiang, citing the alleged use of systematic forced labour.

Beijing recently published a white paper defending its policies in Xinjiang, where it says training programmes, work schemes and better education mean life has improved.

India-Pakistan trade charges at SAARC and CICA meetings.

India and Pakistan crossed swords over terrorism and Jammu and Kashmir at the Foreign Minister’s meetings of the 8-nation South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the 27-nation Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

Speaking at the South Asian meeting, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar called on all SAARC members to “collectively resolve to defeat the scourge of terrorism, including the forces that nurture, support and encourage an environment of terror and conflict, which impede the objective of SAARC to realise its full potential for collective collaboration and prosperity across South Asia”, without a direct reference to Pakistan.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who also attended the meet along with the Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, used the SAARC platform to make a detailed statement on the resolution of “long-standing disputes”, a veiled reference to Jammu and Kashmir and New Delhi’s 2019 move to withdraw Article 370.

RBI releases document to enhance cybersecurity of urban co-operative banks (UCBs).

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has come out with a document to enhance cybersecurity of urban co-operative banks (UCBs).The ‘Technology Vision for Cyber Security for Urban Co-operatve Banks (UCBs) 2020-2023’ has been formalised based on inputs from various stakeholders.

 It plans to achieve its objective through a five-pillared strategic approach GUARD, viz. Governance Oversight, Utile Technology Investment, Appropriate Regulation and Supervision, Robust Collaboration and Developing necessary IT, cybersecurity skill sets.

With concerted efforts and involvement of all stake holders, the vision document, with its 12 specific action points, aspires to involve more board oversight over cybersecurity; enable UCBs to better manage and secure IT assets; implement an offsite supervisory mechanism framework for UCBs on cybersecurity-related controls; develop a forum for UCBs so that they can share best practices and discuss practical issues and challenges; and implement a framework for providing awareness/training for all UCBs, the RBI said.

“The cybersecurity landscape will continue to evolve with wider adoption of digital banking channels, thus necessitating the UCBs to manage the associated risks effectively. Active collaboration within UCBs and stakeholders would be necessary for sharing and co-ordinating various measures taken on cyber security aspects,” it said..

SEBI issues guidelines for investment advisers.

Markets regulator SEBI has come out with detailed guidelines for investment advisers (IA) asking them to ensure segregation of advisory and distribution activities at the client level.

Besides, SEBI has fixed a cap on fee that IA can charge from clients.Under the rules, an individual IA will apply for registration as non-individual investment adviser on onboarding 150 clients and IA will have to enter into an investment advisory agreement with its clients.

In a circular on Wednesday, the regulator said investment advisers will have to ensure compliance with regard to client-level segregation of advisory and distribution activities.

Setting up of plastic parks in India.

indian Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers has approved to set up ten plastic parks in the country under the Plastic Park scheme. The Scheme was launched in 2019.

 The plastic Park scheme has been launched with an aim to increase the competitiveness and value addition in the plastic processing industry. This will be achieved through research and development in the field.

The scheme would boost the plastic trade. Currently, India’s share in the Global market of plastics is very low. The Global trade of plastics is 1 trillion USD while India’s share is just 1%.

Major challenge with the plastic industries in India is its Recycling. Only 60% of plastic waste gets recycled in India. This further causes pollution which is also threatening aquatic resources at a larger scale.

The plastic parks will be set up in Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand.

Standards for Safety Evaluation 0f Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles.

The Standards for Safety Evaluation of Hydrogen Fuel Cells vehicles were recently notified by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

The motor vehicles of Category M and Category N, running on compressed gaseous hydrogen fuel cell, shall be in accordance with AIS 157:2020, as amended from time to time, till the corresponding Bureau of Indian Standard Act, 2016, specification is notified.

Also, the hydrogen fuel specification for fuel cell vehicles will be in accordance with ISO 14687.

They were notified through an amendment to Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989.

These standards are also at par with the available international standards.

This would facilitate the promotion of Hydrogen Fuel Cell based vehicles in India.

Hydrogen Fuel Cell based vehicles are energy efficient and environment friendly.

 Focus on UPSC mains:

Passage of Two Farm Bills by Upper House.

Two of the three agriculture-related legislation aimed at liberalising the farm sector, were passed by the Rajya Sabha by voice Vote Recently.

The two bills were passed in the House to replace the ordinances that were promulgated in June 2020. The passed Bills were:

✓ The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020

✓ The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020

About the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020:

• This bill seeks to provide for the creation of an ecosystem where the farmers and traders enjoy the freedom of choice relating to the sale and purchase of farmers’ produce which facilitates remunerative prices through competitive alternative trading channels to promote efficient, transparent and barrier-free inter-State and intra-State trade and commerce of farmers’ produce outside physical premises of markets or deemed markets notified under various State agricultural produce market legislations.

• A facilitative framework for electronic trading and related matters.

• The Bill basically aims at creating additional trading opportunities Outside the APMC market yards to help farmers get remunerative prices due to Additional Competition.

• This will supplement the existing MSP procurement system which is providing stable income to farmers.

• It is expected to pave the way for the creation of a ‘One India, One Agriculture Market’.

 Background:

• Farmers Faced many restrictions in Marketing their produce.

• There were restrictions in selling agri-produce outside the notified APMC market yards.

• The farmers were also restricted to sell the produce only to registered licensees of the State Governments.

• Further, barriers existed in the free flow of agriculture produce between various States owing to the prevalence of various APMC legislations enacted by the State Governments.

Expected benefits of the New Bill:

•Freedom of choice of sale and purchase of agri-produce.

• Promote barrier-free inter-state and intra-state trade.

• Promote commerce outside the physical premises of markets notified under State Agricultural Produce Marketing legislations.

• Help farmers in getting a better price for their produce because of more choices of markets.

• Help farmers of regions with surplus produce to get better prices and consumers of regions with shortages, lower prices.

• The Bill also proposes electronic trading in transaction platform for ensuring a seamless trade electronically.

• The farmers will not be charged any cess or levy for sale of their produce under this Act.

• There will also be a separate dispute resolution mechanism for the farmers.

About the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020:

• This bill seeks to provide for a national framework on farming agreements that protects and empowers farmers to engage with agri-business firms, processors, wholesalers, exporters or large retailers for farm services and sale of future farming produce at a mutually agreed Remunerative Price Framework in a fair and Transparent Manner.

Background:

• Indian agriculture is characterized by fragmentation due to smallholding sizes and has certain weaknesses such as weather dependence, production uncertainties and market unpredictability.

• This makes agriculture risky and inefficient in respect of both input & output management.

Expected Benefits of the Bill:

• Empower farmers for engaging with processors, wholesalers, aggregators, wholesalers, large retailers, exporters, etc., on a level playing field without any fear of exploitation.

• Transfer the risk of market unpredictability from the farmer to the sponsor.

• Enable the Farmer to access Modern Technology and Better Inputs.

• Reduce the cost of Marketing and Improve the Income of Farmers.

• Help attract private sector investment for building Supply chains for the supply of Indian farm produce to national and global markets, and in Agricultural Infrastructure.

• Farmers will engage in direct marketing thereby eliminating intermediaries resulting in full realization of price.

• Farmers have been provided with adequate protection.

• Sale, lease or mortgage of farmers’ land is totally prohibited and farmers’ land is also protected against any recovery.

• An effective dispute resolution mechanism has been provided with clear timelines for redressal.

What is a ‘Trade Area’, as Mentioned in the Bill?

• Section 2(m) of The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020 defines “trade area” as any area or location, place of production,collection and aggregation.

• It includes (a) farm gates; (b) factory premises; (c) warehouses; (d) silos; (e) cold storages; or (f) any other structures or places, from where the trade of farmers’ produce may be undertaken in the territory of India.

• In effect, existing mandis established under APMC Acts have been excluded from the definition of trade area under the new legislation.

• The government says the creation of an additional trade area outside of mandis will provide farmers with the freedom of choice to conduct trade in their produce.

Why are Farmers Protesting?

• The protesters say this provision will confine APMC mandis to their physical boundaries and give a free hand to big corporate buyers.

• The APMC mandi system has developed very well as every mandi caters to 200-300 villages.

• But the new ordinance has Confined the mandis to their Physical Boundaries.

What is ‘Trader’ and how is it linked to the protests?

• Section 2(n) of the first bill defines a “trader” as “a person who buys farmers’ produce by way of inter-State trade or intra-State trade or a combination thereof.

• Thus, it includes processor, exporter, wholesaler, miller, and retailer.

• According to the Ministry of the Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, “Any trader with a PAN card can buy the farmers’ produce in the trade area.”

•In the present mandi system, commission agents have to get a licence to trade in a mandi.

• The protesters say commission agents have credibility as their financial status is verified during the licence approval process.

Why does the Provision on ‘Market Fee’ worry Protesters?

• Section 6 states that no market fee or cess or levy, by whatever name called, under any State APMC Act or any other State law, shall be levied in a trade area.

• Government officials say this provision will reduce the cost of the transaction and will benefit both the farmers and the traders.

• Under the existing system, such charges in states like Punjab come to around 8.5% — a market fee of 3%, a rural development charge of 3% and the Agent's commission of about 2.5%.

• By removing the fee on trade, the government is indirectly incentivizing big corporates.

Comprehensive Current affairs 26 September 2020

 House of Commons adjourned sine de, speaker announces culmination of session.

India's Lower House was adjourned sine die after passing the Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020 yesterday. Speaker Om Birla announced the culmination of the 4th session of the 17th LokSabha.

He thanked every member of the house for following the COVID-19 related protocol in letter and spirit. Birla highlighted that the productivity of the house in the 10 day session has been recorded to be the highest till date at 167 per cent. He said, the session was held for 60 hours whereas the allocated time was 37 hours.

Mr. Birla informed that replies to 2 thousand 300 unstarred questions were also provided in this session by the lower house whereas 370 questions were raised during the Zero Hour. He added that under rule

 377, members raised 181 questions to which replies will be sent by the ministries concerned within next one month.

Both the houses of parliament were adjourned sine die yesterday, leading to the culmination of the Monsoon session. The session was scheduled to go on till 1st October but it was curtailed due to COVID concerns. The 4th session of 17th LokSabha and the 252nd session of the RajyaSabha were marked by several novel features induced by the outbreak of coronavirus.

Both the House had to function from different locations, including chambers of both the houses and galleries. The parliament also functioned on Saturday and Sunday of the last week without taking the usual break.

GOI raises limits for usage of SDRF funds by states.

Narendra Modi has announced that the limit of using the State Disaster Response Fund for COVID specific infrastructure has been increased from 35 per cent to 50 per cent. He said, the decision will help States have more finances at their disposal to fight the virus.

Interacting with Chief Ministers of six states and one Union Territory through video conference, Mr Modi said, there is a need to further strengthen health infrastructure to tackle COVID. More than 63 per cent of the active cases of the country are concentrated in six States and a Union Territory.

G4 countries pushes for UNSC reforms.

Foreign Ministers of the G4 countries - India, Brazil, Japan, and Germany have highlighted the urgency of reforming the United Nations and updating its main decision-making bodies, in order to better reflect contemporary realities.

They expressed disappointment at attempts to derail this process and committed to addressing the issue in a meaningful way and with increased urgency at this 75th anniversary of the UN.

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, and his counterparts from Brazil, Japan and Germany met virtually during the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly yesterday.

 In a Joint Press Statement, the G4 Ministers said, only reforms in UN Security Council can save it from becoming obsolete. Broader membership of the Security Council will allow it to preserve its credibility and create the political backing needed for the peaceful resolution of today’s international crises.

The G4 Ministers expressed their concern at the lack of any meaningful movement forward in the Intergovernmental Negotiations on Security Council reform.

The G4 Ministers reiterated their support for each other’s candidatures as aspiring new permanent members in a reformed Security Council. They expressed their determination to seek concrete outcomes during the 75th session of the General Assembly.

China reiterates commitment of carbon neutrality by 2060 at UN session.

The U.S. is guilty of “obstructing” the global fight against emissions, China said on Wednesday, as Beijing seized the climate agenda by vowing to go carbon neutral by 2060, a target welcomed by environmentalists despite its patchy detail.

The goals, which include a pledge to reach peak emissions in 2030, are the most concrete ones yet announced by China, which is the world's biggest polluter and accounts for a quarter of the planet's greenhouse gas emissions. They also open a new divergence in relations with the U.S., which are already pinched by squabbles over trade, tech, defence and human rights.

Speaking to the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday renewed his support for the Paris climate accord and called for a ‘green focus’ as the world recovers from the COVID-19 crisis.

CAG points out shortfall in transfer to reserve funds by centre.

The Centre retained in the Consolidated Fund of India (CFI) more than ₹1.1 lakh crore out of the almost ₹2.75 lakh crore collected in 2018-19 through various cesses, instead of transferring the receipts to the specified Reserve Funds that Parliament had approved for such levies, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India observed in a report.

 Moreover, ₹1,24,399crore collected as cess on crude oil over the last decade had not been transferred to the designated Reserve Fund — the Oil Industry Development Board — and had been retained in the Centre’s coffers, the CAG reckoned.

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Compensation Cess, which has become a bone of contention between the States and the Centre, was also ‘short-credited’ to the relevant reserve fund to the extent of ₹40,806 crore in 2018-19.

As much as ₹10,157 crore of the Road and Infrastructure Cess collected during the year was neither transferred to the related Reserve Fund nor utilised for the purpose for which the cess was collected. Separately, the CAG said that a journal entry after the close of the year was used to transfer ₹10,250 crore from the Central Road Fund, recording the same as a non-tax receipt in violation of accounting procedures.

Similarly, ₹2,123 crore of Universal Service levy and ₹79 crore collected as National Mineral Trust levy was not transferred to the relevant funds.

Railway moots 100% electrification by 2023.

Indian Railways has planned for 100 per cent electrification of its broad gauge routes by 2023. This was stated by the Railway Minister in a written reply in the Upper House.

The Minister informed that around 63 per cent broad gauge lines have already been electrified out of a total 63,631 route kilometers as on 1st of April this year.He said, a total of 23,765 route kilometre lines are yet to be electrified in the country.

India home to largest number of one-horned rhinos.

According to Indian Environment ministry India is home to the largest number of Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros in the world with population in the range of 3000 animals in Assam, West Bengal and UP.

On the occasion of World Rhino Day, Environment Ministry has launched a National Conservation Strategy for Indian One-Horned Rhino. According to the ministry, conservation initiatives for

rhino has also enriched the grassland management which help in reducing the negative impacts of climate change through carbon sequestration.

The National Rhino Conservation Strategy for India was launched last year to conserve the greater one-horned rhinoceros. This is a first of its kind for the species in India which aims to work for the conservation of the species under five objectives.

DRDO Successfully test-fired Laser-Guided ATGM.

DRDO successfully test-fired Laser-Guided Anti Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) from MBT Arjun Tank at KK Ranges, Armoured Corps Centre and School (ACC&S) Ahmednagar on 22 September 2020. The missile has been developed with multiple-platform launch capability. The ATGM is currently undergoing technical evaluation trials from the gun of MBT Arjun.

Laser Guided Anti Tank Guided Missile.

ATGM was developed by Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE) Pune in association with High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) Pune, and Instruments Research & Development Establishment (IRDE) Dehradun.

•During the test, ATGM successfully defeated a target located at 3 km.

• Using Laser designation, the Laser guided ATGMs lock and track the targets to ensure precision hit accuracy.

•The missile employs a tandem high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead to defeat Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA) protected armoured vehicles.

Djokovic wins Italian Open tennis tournament.

In tennis, world number one Novak Djokovic won a record 36th Masters title by beating Diego Schwartzman in the Italian Open at Rome last night.

The Serb, playing in his first tournament since being disqualified from this month's US Open, won 7-5, 6-3 in the final to ensure he goes into next week's French Open on a high.

Comprehensive Current affairs 25 September 2020

 

 World Maritime Day is observed on 24 September.

World Maritime Day is observed on 24th September 2020. The day is observed on Last Thursday of September Month. The day aims to mark the contribution of international maritime industries towards the economy of the world especially shipping. The Day focuses on the importance of shipping safety, maritime security, and the marine environment.

Theme:

The theme for 2020 World Maritime Day is "Sustainable shipping for a sustainable planet". The theme focus to provide an opportunity to raise awareness of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

History:

World Maritime Day was initiated by the United Nations (UN), through the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The day is to celebrate the contribution offered by the industry of international maritime towards the world’s economy, especially in shipping. World Maritime Day was observed for the first time on 17 March 1978. The day is observed to mark when the IMO Convention entered into force in the year 1958.

International Maritime Organization (IMO):

Formed on: 17 March 1948

Headquarters: London, United Kingdom

Secretary-General: Kitack Lim

Parent organization: United Nations Economic and Social Council (UNESC)

IMO was established after the agreement at a UN conference held in Geneva in 1948. It is responsible to regulate shipping. The IMO also focuses on areas such as safety, maritime security, environmental concerns, legal matters, technical co-operation, and the efficiency of shipping.

Monsoon Session 2020 of Parliament Concluded.

Monsson Session 2020 of Parliament commenced on 14th September 2020. The session was scheduled to culminate on 1 October 2020, but due to COVID-19 pandemic risks, the session was adjourned sine-die on 23 September 2020. During the Session, 22 Bills (6 in Rajya Sabha and 16 in Lok Sabha, were introduced. The Lower House and the Upper House individually passed 25 Bills each. 27 Bills were passed by both the Houses of Parliament.

Some of the important Bills are listed below:

Covid-19 related Legislations:

Salary, Allowance and Pensions of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2020

 Salaries and Allowances of Ministers (Amendment) Bill, 2020

Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Bill, 2020

Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code (Second Amendment) Bill, 2020

Agriculture Bills:

Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020

Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Prices Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020

Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020

Education Bills:

National Forensic Sciences University Bill, 2020

Rashtriya Raksha University Bill, 2020

Health Sector:

National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Bill, 2020

National Commission for Homeopathy Bill, 2020

Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda Bill, 2020

Labour Bills:

Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code Bill, 2020

Code on Social Security Bill, 2020

Industrial Relations Code Bill, 2020

Economic Sector Bills:

Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2020.

Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2020

Bilateral Netting of Qualified Financial Contracts Bill, 2020.

Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation of Certain Provisions) Bill, 2020.

Loksabha passes bills aimed at improving condition of workers.

The LokSabha on Tuesday cleared three labour Bills amalgamating laws on social security, occupational safety and industrial relations which would usher in changes including allowing companies with less than 300 workers to hire and fire without prior approval and provide gig and platform workers social security.

Union Labour and Employment Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar while speaking about the bill in the lower house said that the labour Codes have been brought with a view to balance the interests, rights and obligations of employees and the employers in the country.

He stressed that these Labour codes will prove to be a Game-Changer milestone in ensuring the welfare of labours in the country.

Referring to several provisions made for the first time in 73 years, he informed that these include the right of letter appointment which will encourage formal employment.

He also said the definition of migrant labour has been expanded to also include those who move to other states for work without routing through the contractors.This will help them secure entitlement of and better targeting of welfare schemes in the country.

The minister added that recognising the importance of the Trade Unions, a tri-stage process of conciliation has been proposed at Enterprise level, State level, and the National level for speedier resolutions of labour issues.

 Parliamentary panel finds massive backlogs in recruitment/promotion of SC/ST's.

A massive backlog exists in the direct recruitment and promotion of SCs and STs in various posts at the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), a parliamentary panel has pointed out.

•According to a report of the committee on the welfare of SCs and STs on the subject "Reservation for and employment of SC and ST in NDMC", representation of SC/ST employees, who attended the training, seminars, symposia, conferences in foreign countries during the last five years, is not adequate.

EAM moots development of African region during global rebalancing.

Outlining India's strong commitment in supporting Africa in its development journey, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar today said that any broader global rebalancing is incomplete without the genuine re-emergence of the Africa.

In an address at a conclave on India-Africa partnership, Dr Jaishankar said, only after genuine emergence of Africa, world’s strategic diversity will come into full play.Hesaid, New Delhi welcomes the evolution and rise of the continent as a key factor in the contemporary world.

The Minister also talked about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and said its consequences will be far-reaching and will define the world order as de-colonisation did in 1950s and 1960s.

He said, the pandemic is the most debilitating global event of the past 80 years and we are at a point in history that is comparable to the aftermath of the Second World War Jaishankar said, the pandemic has infected more than 31 million people and killed nearly 9 lakh 60 thousand people around the world.

The External Affairs Minister said, the challenge to the global economy, to the reliability of supply chains and the achievement of the sustainable development goals should not be discounted.

 On Africa's development journey, Jaishankar said India is committed to supporting the countries in the continent as per their individual priorities and our shared ethics.

He said India's relationship with Africa is based on four key pillars -- development partnership, trade, people-to-people contact and cooperation in defence and security sector.

India explores ways to utilise Arab FTA’s.

India has pitched for elevating India-Arab economic partnership commensurate with the strategic partnership between the two sides and exploring opportunities to utilise Arab World’s FTA with US and EU for Indian businesses.

High Technology cooperation, especially in defence and space has potential to be stepped up. “We have cooperation agreements in both sectors with most Arab countries. With the increased participation of private sector in these areas, the potential for cooperation is much higher. In defence sector, we can expand equipment and armament export. In space sector, there is potential for training, launch of satellites, sharing of satellite data etc,” a senior diplomat recommended.

TRAI recommends creation of MSB to monitor net neutrality.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on Tuesday recommended the creation of a multi-stakeholder body (MSB) to ensure that Internet access providers adhere to the provisions of net neutrality.

The MSB, which could include telecom service providers, Internet service providers, content providers, researchers, academic and technical community, civil society organisations, and the government, should be set up as a non-profit entity.

“The role of the MSB shall be to provide advice and support to DoT in the monitoring and enforcement of net neutrality principles,” TRAI said.

The MSB may also be required to investigate complaints regarding the violation of net neutrality.

 TRAI also suggested that the MSB help DoT in maintenance of a repository of reasonable traffic management practices.

The net neutrality principles adopted by DoT were technology neutral and would apply equally to 5G technology, the telecom regulator clarified.

Borrowing s by states governments increase by 45% this fiscal.

Eleven States raised a total of ₹14,298 crore at the auction of State government securities or State development loans (SDLs) held on Tuesday.

This is ₹1,500 crore more than the notified amount of the auction as Maharashtra and Gujarat had accepted an additional ₹1,000 crore and ₹500 crore respectively, CARE Ratings said in a report based on RBI data.

From April 7 to September 22 in this financial year, 27 States and 2 Union Territories have cumulatively raised ₹3.26 lakh crore via market borrowings, which is a 45% increase from the borrowings in the corresponding period of 2019-20.

DRDO conducts test flight of ABHYAS.

The successful flight test of ABHYAS - High-speed Expendable Aerial Target was today conducted by Defence Research and Development Organisation, DRDO from the Interim Test Range, Balasore in Odisha.

During the trials, two demonstrator vehicles were successfully test flown. The vehicle can be used as target for evaluation of various missile systems.Abhyas is designed and developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment of DRDO.

The air vehicle is launched using twin underslung booster. It is powered by a small gas turbine engine and has MEMS based Inertial Navigation System for navigation along with the Flight Control Computer for guidance and control.

 

Comprehensive Current affairs 12 September 2020

 Making nature conservation a people’s movement.

V.P of India Venkaiah Naidu has called for making nature’s conservation a people’s movement and appealed to all citizens, especially the youth to actively take up this cause.

Speaking at a webinar on the occasion of Himalayan Day,Naidu called for rethinking on the development paradigm in such a way that human beings and nature co-exist and thrive together.

He said, the Himalayas are an invaluable treasure house and emphasized the need for their protection and preservation. He also called for a pan-Himalayan development strategy based on the region's natural resources, culture and traditional knowledge.

Drawing attention to the threat of degradation faced by the fragile Himalayan ecosystem, the Vice President stressed that development should not be at the cost of the environment. He said, frequent natural calamities are a result of our carelessness towards nature.

 On this occasion, the Vice President also virtually presented the copy of a book titled “Sansad Mein Himalaya” written by the Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

Kerala Tops in Care for Children.

Young child outcomes report recently brought out by non-governmental organisation Mobile Creches.

Report:

• The index is part of the ‘State of the Young Child’ in India report released the 50-year-old NGO, which works in the field of early childhood care and development by ensuring creche services at construction sites and slum settlements across several cities.

• The index has been constructed for two time periods (2005–2006 and 2015–2016) to enable inter-State comparisons as well as provide an idea of change over time.

• Another index called the young child environment index by State of the Young Child’ in India to understand the Policy and Environment Enablers that influence a child’s well-being.

• According to the Environment index; Kerala, Goa, Sikkim, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh secured the top Five Positions.

• It uses five policy enablers that influence child well-being outcomes, including poverty alleviation, strengthening primary healthcare, improving education levels, safe water supply and Promotion of Gender Equity.

Highlights of the Report:

• The index measures health, nutrition and cognitive growth with the help of indicators such as infant Mortality rate, Stunting and net Attendance at the Primary School Level.

• Kerala, Goa, Tripura, Tamil Nadu and Mizoram are among the top five States for well-being of children.

 • It identifies eight States that have scores below the country’s average: Assam, Meghalaya,Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

• Towards child nutrition, healthcare, education and other necessary protection services,India spent ₹1723 per child in 2018–2019.

• The budgetary allocation for the Ministry of Women and Child Development has seen a year-on-year increase, all the additional funds have been allocated towards nutrition delivery under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS).

Apex court's stay order on reservation for Maratha community.

A three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court on Wednesday referred a group of petitions challenging the Maratha reservation law to a Constitution Bench.

The court said the Maratha quota, meanwhile, will not apply for admissions and appointments made in the State for 2020-21. However, the postgraduate admissions which have already been made will be left unaltered.

The appeals challenging the Maratha quota law contend that the statute provides 12 to 13% quota for the community in Maharashtra. This has breached the 50% cap declared by a nine-judge Bench of the apex court in 1992.

Lawyers had submitted that the court should take into consideration recent developments like the 10% quota for economically weaker sections introduced through the 103rd Constitutional Amendment.

Japan calls for increased cooperation in Indo-Pacific region.

Japanese Defence Minister Taro Kono has called for increased cooperation in the India-Pacific region to counter Chinese expansion.

Speaking at a webinar held by Washington-based Center for Strategic & International Studies in Tokyo, Kono pitched for a larger regional mechanism or global mechanism to counter China.

 Indo Pacific region is largely viewed as an area comprising the Indian Ocean and the western and central Pacific Ocean, including the South China Sea.

China's territorial claims in the South China Sea its efforts to advance into the Indian Ocean are seen to have challenged the established rules-based system.

Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims in the South China Sea.

In recent years, Japan has expressed increasing concern regarding Beijing's activities in the region especially concerning the situation with the disputed Senkaku islands, known in China as the Diaoyudao islands and claimed by Beijing to be Chinese territory.

India, France& Australia holds first trilateral dialogue.

The first India-France-Australia Trilateral Dialogue was held virtually today. The meeting was co-chaired by Foreign Secretary Harsh VardhanShringla, Secretary-General, French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs François Delattre, and Secretary, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Frances Adamson. The focus of the dialogue was on enhancing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

The outcome oriented meeting was held with the objective of building on the strong bilateral relations that the three countries share with each other. The three sides agreed to hold the dialogue on an annual basis.

During the dialogue, the three sides discussed economic and geostrategic challenges and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and domestic responses to it.

Finance ministry launches PSB’s door step banking services.

Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman today inaugurated Doorstep Banking Services by Public Sector Banks and participated in the awards ceremony to felicitate best performing banks on EASE Banking Reforms Index.

 As part of the EASE Reforms, Doorstep Banking Services is envisaged to provide convenience of banking services to the customers at their doorstep through the universal touch points of Call Centre, Web Portal or Mobile App. Customers can also track their service request through these channels. The services shall be rendered by the Doorstep Banking Agents deployed by the selected Service Providers at 100 centres across the country.

At present only non-financial services like pick up of negotiable instruments, new cheque book requisition slip, 15G / 15H forms, IT / GST challan, issue request for standing instructions, request for account statement are available to customers. Financial services shall be made available from next month.The services can be availed by customers of Public Sector Banks at nominal charges.

A common reform agenda for PSBs, EASE Agenda is aimed at institutionalizing clean and smart banking. It was launched in January 2018. PSBs have shown a healthy trajectory in their performance over four quarters since the launch of EASE 2.0 Reforms Agenda.

Government aims to add 5 crore additional jobs in MSME sector.

Minister for MSME NitinGadkari has said that Government aims to enhance MSME contribution to GDP from about 30 per cent to 50 per cent and in exports from 49 per cent to 60 per cent.

Speaking at a virtual meet organised to launch Aatmanirbhar Bharat ARISE Atal New India Challenges by NITI Aayog today, Mr Gadkari said, Government is aiming to create 5 crore additional jobs in the MSME sector which presently employs about 11 crore people.

He applauded the Aatmanirbhar Bharat ARISE Atal New India Challenge initiative of NitiAyog and called for using technology in finding solutions to the problems being faced in different areas ensuring value addition.

The Minister cited the issue of excess rice which can be utilised for producing ethanol thereby addressing the problem of storage on the one hand and providing green fuel to the country as import replacement on the other.

 UN releases report on trends in child mortality.

On September 9, 2020, the United Nations released “Levels and Trends in Child Mortality” report. The report says that child mortality rate of India has declined between 1990 and 2019. It was 126 in 1990 and has now declined to 34 in 2019.

Though, there is reduction in child mortality, India along with Nigeria accounts to almost one-third of under five deaths in 2019. India registered 4.5% annual rate of reduction between 1990 and 2019. The number of annual under-five deaths in India was 3.4 million in 1990 and it has now dropped to 824,000 in 2019.

According to the report, globally the child mortality deaths under five has dropped from 12.5 million in 1990 to 5.2 million in 2019.

The report says that the regions of Oceania, Central and Southern Asia saw a faster decline between 2010-19 as compared to that of 2000-2009.

France win over Croatia in nations league.

France earned a roller-coaster 4-2 home win over Croatia in a top-tier Nations League A Group 3 match on Tuesday with a carbon copy result of their memorable 2018 World Cup final clash.

While Ronaldo rattled home a superb first-half free kick to become only the second male player to score 100 international goals as Portugal outclassed Sweden 2-0.

Two Black Holes Merged Billions of Years Ago.

Billions of years ago, a collision between two black holes sent gravitational waves rippling through the universe. In 2019, signals from these waves were detected at the gravitational wave observatory LIGO (United States) and the detector Virgo (Italy).

Highlights:

• The signal detected at LIGO and Virgo resembled “about four short wiggles” and lasted less than one-tenth of a Second.

 • It was in 2015, the first gravitational wave was actually detected — by LIGO. Since then,there have been a Number of Subsequent Detections of Gravitational Waves. Where did it Come From?

• Analysis suggested that GW190521 had most likely been generated by a merger of two Black Holes.

• It was calculated to have come from Roughly 17 billion light years away, and from a time when the Universe was about Half its Age.

• One of the two merging black holes falls in an “intermediate mass” range, which misfit and cannot be Explained by Traditional Knowledge.

Why is it Unusual?

• In the merger leading to the GW190521 signal, the larger black hole was of 85 solar masses.

• It is the first “intermediate mass” black hole ever observed.

• Stars that could give birth to black holes are between 65 and 120 solar masses. Stars in this range blow themselves apart when they die, without collapsing into a black hole.

• The smaller black hole too is borderline, at 66 solar masses.

• Merger create a new black hole of about 142 solar masses. Energy equivalent to eight solar masses was released in the form of gravitational waves, leading to the strongest ever wave detected.

Gravitational Waves:

• Gravitational Waves are Invisible Ripples that Form when a star explodes in a supernova; when two big stars orbit each other; and when Two Black Holes Merge.

• Travelling at the Speed of light, Gravitational Waves squeeze and Stretch anything in their path.

• Gravitational Waves were proposed by Albert Einstein in his General Theory of Relativity over a century ago.

 • Massive Accelerating Objects would disrupt space-time in such a way that ‘waves’ of undulating space-time would propagate in all directions away from the source.

• These cosmic ripples would carry Information about their origins, as well as clues to the nature of Gravity itself.

• The strongest gravitational waves are produced by cataclysmic events such as colliding black holes, Supernovae and Colliding Neutron Stars.

Focus on Mains:

Forex Reserves.

While the overall situation on the economic front is gloomy, with India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Growth having contracted 23.9 per cent in the April-June quarter, and manufacturing activity and trade at standstill, the stock of forex reserves is one data point that India can cheer about amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

• India’s Foreign Exchange (Forex) Reserves Surged by $3.883 billion to touch a lifetime high of $541.431 billion in the week ended August 28.

Forex Reserves:

• Forex reserves are external assets in the form of gold, SDRs (special drawing rights of the IMF) and foreign currency assets (capital inflows to the capital markets, FDI and external commercial borrowings) accumulated by India and controlled by the RBI.

• India's reserve position with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is also considered by some a part of Forex Reserves.

Why are Forex Reserves Rising Despite the Slowdown in the Economy?

• The major reason for the rise in Forex Reserves is the rise in investment in foreign portfolio investors in Indian Stocks and Foreign direct investments (FDIs).

• Foreign investors have acquired stakes in several Indian companies over the past several months.

 • The Fall in Crude Oil Prices has brought down the oil Import Bill, saving precious foreign Exchange.

• Similarly, overseas Remittances and Foreign Travels have Fallen Steeply.

What’s the Significance of Rising Forex Reserves?

• The Rising Forex Reserves give comfort to the government and the RBI in managing India’s external and internal financial issues at a time of major contraction in economic growth and to cover the import bill of the Country for a Year.

• The Rising Reserves have also helped the rupee to Strengthen against the Dollar.

• The International Monetary Fund says official Foreign Exchange Reserves are held in support of a range of objectives like supporting and maintaining confidence in the policiesfor monetary and exchange rate management including the capacity to intervene in support of the national or union currency.

• It also limits external vulnerability by maintaining foreign currency liquidity to absorb shocks during times of crisis or when access to borrowing is curtailed.

What does the RBI do with the Forex Reserves at its Disposal?

• The Reserve Bank functions as the custodian and manager of forex reserves, and operates within the overall policy framework agreed upon with the government.

• The RBI allocates the dollars for specific purposes.

• For example, under the Liberalised Remittances Scheme, individuals are allowed to remit up to $250,000 every year.

• The RBI uses its forex kitty for the orderly movement of the rupee.

• It sells the dollar when the rupee weakens and buys the dollar when the rupee strengthens.

• When the RBI mops up dollars, it releases an equal amount in rupees.

 • This excess liquidity is sterilised through the issue of bonds and securities and Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) operations.

Where are India’s Forex Reserves kept?

• The RBI Act, 1934 provides the overarching legal framework for deployment of reserves in different foreign currency assets and gold.

• As much as 64 per cent of the foreign currency reserves are held in securities like Treasury bills of foreign countries, mainly the US; 28 per cent is deposited in foreign central banks; and 7.4 per cent is deposited in commercial banks abroad, according to RBI data.

• In value terms (USD), the share of gold in the total foreign exchange reserves increased from about 6.14 per cent as at end-September 2019 to about 6.40 per cent as at end-March 2020.

Is there a cost Involved in Maintaining Forex Reserves?

• The return on India’s forex reserves kept in foreign central banks and commercial banks is negligible — analysts say it could be around 1 per cent, or even less than that, considering the fall in interest rates in the US and Euro zone.

• There was a demand from some quarters that Forex Reserves should be used for infrastructure development in the country. However, the RBI had opposed the plan.

• Another issue is the high ratio of volatile flows (portfolio flows and short-term debt) to reserves which is around 80 per cent. This money can exit at a fast pace.