Current Affairs Summary-May 2016
The Supreme Court recently upheld the validity of the criminal defamation law. Reputation of an individual, constituent in Article 21 is an equally important right as free speech. Criminalization of defamation to protect individual dignity and reputation is a “reasonable restriction”.
The court made no mention of the fact that Section 499 does not allow for “honest mistake” as a defence.
This very Supreme Court, 22 years ago, had found the civil law of defamation unconstitutional and a disproportionate restriction upon free speech as it did not allow for “honest mistake”.
Constitution bench is the name given to the benches of the Supreme Court of India which consist of at least five judges of the court which sit to decide any case “involving a substantial question of law as to the interpretation” of the Constitution of India.
As per Section 16 of RTE Act, the students up to class VIII are automatically promoted to the next class without being held back even if they do not get a passing grade.
The Union Cabinet gave its approval to amend the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 by pursuing the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013 which was pending before the Rajya Sabha.
It is proposed to ensure speedy trial by providing a trial completion within 2 years.
Intentional enriching by public servants will be construed as criminal misconduct and possession of disproportionate assets as proof of such illicit enrichment.
Non-monetary gratification has been covered within the definition of the word gratification.
Penal provisions being enhanced from minimum 6 months to 3 years and from maximum 5 years to 7 years. The seven year imprisonment brings corruption to the heinous crime category.
To contain gain of benefits from profits of corruption, the powers of attachment are proposed to be conferred upon the trial Court (Special Judge) instead of the District Court.
Expanding the ambit of provision for containing inducement of public servant from individuals to commercial entities is being added to contain supply side of corruption.
Recently, Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) was launched in Madhya Pradesh by its Chief Minister and Union Minister for Power, Coal and Renewable Energy.
Objective
The main objective is to promote efficient lighting, enhance awareness on using efficient equipment, which reduce electricity bills and help preserve environment. As of now, EESL has distributed over 10 crore LED bulbs under UJALA programme.
State governments are voluntarily adopting this scheme and is already present in over 13 states.
The bulbs will be distributed through special counters set up at designated places in the city.
The Electricity Distribution Company and Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) a joint venture public sector body of Government of India are implementing the programme.
India and Iran signed the “historic” Chabahar port agreement, which has the potential of becoming India’s gateway to Afghanistan, Central Asia and Europe.
MoU on provision of services by Indian Railways, including financing to the tune of $1.6 billion, for the Chabahar-Zahedan railway line — also part of the trilateral agreement between India, Iran and Afghanistan on a transit and trade corridor.
India will invest in setting up industries —from aluminium to urea plants — in Chabahar free trade zone
Chabahar is situated just 100 km from Pakistan’s Gwadar port, the centrepiece of a $46 billion economic corridor that China is building.
It will act as a gateway for India to Central Asia bypassing the China-Pakistan arc.
International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS)
ITLOS is an intergovernmental organization created by the mandate of the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea.
It was signed at Montego Bay, Jamaica, in 1982.
The tribunal is based in Hamburg, Germany.
The Tribunal has the power to settle disputes between party states
RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT (R2P)
R2P or RtoP is a global political commitment endorsed by all member states of the United Nations at 2005 World Summit to prevent genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.
Pillars of R2P
The three pillars of the responsibility to protect, as stipulated in the Outcome Document of the 2005 United Nations World Summit and formulated in the Secretary-General’s 2009 Report on Implementing the Responsibility to Protect are
The State carries the primary responsibility for protecting populations from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing, and their incitement;
The international community has a responsibility to encourage and assist States in fulfilling this responsibility;
Also, it has a responsibility to use appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian and other means to protect populations from these crimes.
If a State is manifestly failing to protect its populations, the international community must be prepared to take collective action, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.
Criticism of R2P doctrine
The R2P doctrine has been used selectively for regime change rather than humanitarian causes. The critics worry that intervention of the Western variety ignores causes and produces poor outcomes.
The NSG was founded in response to the Indian nuclear test in May 1974 and first met in November 1975.
As of 2014 the NSG has 48 members.
India got an exemption from the NSG for nuclear imports in 2008, following the civil nuclear deal with the U.S., despite not being a signatory to the NPT
As the 48-member NSG works by consensus, not majority, India is reaching out to every possible country, much like the push at the UNGA for reforms.
Since 1991, with Narasimham committee report, creation of large
size banks is demanded. Second edition of Gyan Sangam (the
annual banker’s conclave) also discussed the need for consolidation of banks
AMENDMENT OF DTAA WITH MAURITIUS
Protocol to amend the 30-year old Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with Mauritius has been signed recently.
What is DTAA?
Taxes are usually of 2 types – source based & resident based.
While western countries mostly rely on resident based taxation (as they have more global income), developing countries like India favour source-based taxation due to investment opportunities here.
Problem of Double Taxation arises when both source country and country of residence concurrently exercise their rights of taxation; in order to avoid this DTAA is signed.
As per the treaty signed in 1983, only Mauritius was allowed to tax capital gains. But generally Mauritius did not impose it. So companies were fully tax exempt.
This resulted in large inflow of FDI via Mauritius route (34% of total FDI in India) largely for tax evasion.
Main features of the amendment
India can now tax capital gains even on a company based in Mauritius
The limit is 50% of Indian rates for transitional period of two years till 2019- this 50% benefit will accrue to a company only if it passes the main purpose and legitimate business test; a company will be termed a shell/conduit company if its total expenditure on operations in Mauritius is less than 27 lakhs in the
preceding 12 months.
It will also apply to Singapore treaty
Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) refers to tax planning strategies that exploit gaps and mismatches in tax rules to artificially shift profits to low or no-tax locations where there is little or no economic activity, resulting in little or no overall corporate tax being paid.
BEPS is of major significance for developing countries due to their heavy reliance on corporate income tax, particularly from multinational enterprises (MNEs).
Together Mauritius and Singapore constitute 50% of FDI flow in India
SOCIAL PROGRESS INDEX (SPI)
What is Social Progress Index?
It is an aggregate index of social and environmental indicators that captures 3 dimensions of social progress: Basic Human Needs, Foundations of Wellbeing, and Opportunity.
Limitation of other Indices
- Gross Domestic Product (GDP): While the GDP measures the economic progress of a nation, it does not include non-market activities like gardening at home; mother taking care of child etc. It also excludes factors like environment, happiness, equality, access to justice etc.
- Gini Coeffecient: It measures the income inequalities among citizens but ignores other aspects like health, education and other social benefits
- Gross Happiness Index: Originally developed by Bhutan, it measures the happiness level but ignores elements like gender equality, quality education and good infrastructure. Further it can’t be used for international comparison due to subjectivity in the meaning of happiness.
- Human Development Index: It covers life expectancy, mean years of schooling, expected years of schooling, and living standards but it falls short in capture of unequal distribution of wealth, environmental and infrastructural development.
Government has announced National Intellectual Property Rights Policy.
Policy is in compliance with TRIPS.
Policy aims to push
IPRs as marketable financial assets
Promote innovation
Protecting Public Interest ensuring availability of essential drugs at affordable prices
Only 2.9 crore Indians filed personal income tax returns for the assessment year 2012-13.
This constitutes only 4% of the adult population in India as per 2011 census
More than half who filed tax returns didn’t pay any tax using different tax exemptions criteria
Corporate Tax forms major chunk of direct tax
Growth rate of tax collected has fallen over the years
- Growth rate Corporate tax has fallen due to lower profits of corporates
- Growth rate of Income tax stays roughly constant
5% of corporates form 94% of the taxable income
Criteria for on tap banking license
A minimum capital of Rs.500 crore,
A 10-year track record,
Requirement of 10 years’ experience for individual applicants in banking and finance,
Minimum 13 per cent capital adequacy ratio for three years,
For firms having more than Rs 5000 crore assets, non-financial business of the group should not contribute more than 40% of the total assets or gross income
Promoters’ stake to be reduced to 30 per cent over 10 years and to 15 per cent over 12 years and
Bank should be listed on the stock exchanges within six years.
Ports acquire immense significance because maritime trade accounts to about 95% of Indian trade by volume and close to 70% by value.
Core Industries: Coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilizers, steel, cement and electricity make up the 8 core industries. They constitute 38% in Index of Industrial Production (IIP). Electricity has the largest share in IIP.
National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) is a sovereign fund created by the govt. with a corpus of 40,000 crore. It would fund commercially viable Greenfield, Brownfield and stalled projects. While the government will invest Rs.20,000 crore in NIIF, the remaining amount will come from private investors.
The 15-year vision document is also in line with the 15 year agenda to meet Sustainable development goal (SDG) by 2030 and the vision also sets action plan for it.
The Central Statistics Office has updated the base year and weights for the various goods and services in the consumer price index (CPI). Now that the RBI and the finance ministry have agreed that the CPI would be the sole parameter to set policy rates and anchor inflationary expectations, the revision has huge implications.
The CCEA has approved HAM(Hybrid Annuity Model) last year to revive highway projects and renew interest among all stake holders: developers, lenders and concessionaires. But the response was very luke-warm.
The aggressive promotion by NHAI through awareness campaigns yielded positive results.
Now the average bidders for projects have increased by 3 times.
What is Hybrid Annuity?
Hybrid Annuity model (HAM) is a new type of public-private partnership (PPP) model.
In this HAM model, the government invests 40 per cent of the construction cost for building highways over a period and the balance comes from the private developer.
Toll is collected by the government. Fixed payments (annuity) with a profit margin are paid to the developer.
Land Acquisition and Environmental clearances: are major sources of delay and stalling of many projects. In HAM model govt. offers 80% of these clearances to private players.
Projects speeded up: Losses due to time overruns are prevented.
Sensible risk and reward sharing
Investment burden shared: Since corporate bank balance sheets are weak, private players cannot bear full capital investment burden. (HAM has 40% investment from govt.)
Higher revenue certainty and reduced risk of developer: In the BOT model, private partner bears the construction and maintenance risks. As Govt. is going to collect toll tax in HAM, govt. also bears the risk.
Monitoring mechanism: as government will invest money in five equal installments based on the targeted completion of the road project.
Cost overruns: tackled due to provisions for inflation adjusted project costs.
Various types of PPP used in Highway sector are
- BOT-Toll
- Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) – Govt. bears the cost. Due to reduced private sector participation, Govt. has increasingly resorted to EPC in 2013-14 and 2014-15.
- BOT- Annuity (from April 2014)– project is financed only to the extent of a certain percentage of the cost by the private investor and this investment is recovered through annuity payments
Now HAM is launched as a mix between EPC and BOT formats. This is a flexible and suitable method, for sensible sharing of risks, dealing with funding constraints and leveraging strengths of private sector.
EQUALISATION LEVY/GOOGLETAX
The budget 2016-17 provision for levying an equalisation tax of 6 per cent on online advertisement services offered in the country by non-resident entities, aimed at taxing business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce transactions, came into effect from June 2016.
BASE EROSION PROFIT SHIFTING
The issue of Internet firms not paying enough taxes in places where they generate profits, by shifting them to tax havens, has been debated across the globe. OECD under a project called Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) had issued action plans addressing this challenge last year.
India has become the first country to implement the action plans as proposed by the OECD in this direction.
The equalization levy as proposed in the Budget would apply at a rate of 6% on the gross consideration payable for a “specified service” which include online advertisements, provision of digital advertising space or any other facility or service for the purpose of online advertisements.
Only an entity making a payment exceeding in aggregate Rs.1 lakh in a year will be required to comply.
The onus of deducting the levy lies with the Indian payer; he would need to pay the same to the government.
As the levy is not introduced as part of Income Tax Act but as a separate legislation, global firms that offer such services cannot claim tax credit in their home country under double taxation avoidance agreements.
SILICOSIS
In a recent case on Occupational Health hazard, Supreme Court directed the Gujarat government to pay a compensation of 3 lakh per person to the kin of 238 people who died of silicosis. In the particular case the workers who died were poor Adivasis from MP who had migrated to Gujarat to work in quartz and stone cutting industries.
The fine silica dust in mining, construction, stone crushing, gem cutting and other such industries impairs lung function characteristic of silicosis, leaving people vulnerable to diseases like tuberculosis (TB). Silicosis is listed as an occupational disease in India but rarely have workers been able to prove that illness or death was caused due to exposure to silica dust.
A recent Supreme Court judgment made all admissions to medical colleges in India subject to obtaining a rank in National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). NEET is a common entrance test system for admission to undergraduate and post-graduate medical courses.
There are about 35 entrance tests for admissions to 412 medical colleges in the country.
Based on petition filed in 2009, SC directed the possibility of holding single national test.
In 2016, SC permitted the national test to be held in two phases for the current year.
The Union health ministry is planning to notify the NEET-PG as the common exit test, which will replace multiple university-level examinations that MBBS students have to take before they start practising medicine.
This is to ensure that a doctor irrespective of the institution studied had the basic skills and competencies as per laid down standards.
This test will be made mandatory for those wanting MCI licence to practice anywhere in the country or go abroad.
A common entrance exam will force the “bogus” medical colleges to provide quality training or face rejection by students.
It may require an amendment to the Indian Medical Council Act by the Parliament
SAIEVAC MEETING
Eight nations composing the South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children (SAIEVAC) assembled in Delhi in May for their 4th Ministerial Meeting.
Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India and the World Health Organization have signed a Project Collaboration Agreement (PCA) on traditional medicine.
It is for cooperation on promoting quality, safety and effectiveness of service provision in traditional and complementary medicine.
It aims to support WHO in the development and implementation of the ‘WHO Traditional and Complementary Medicine Strategy: 2014-2023’
The PCA for the period 2016-2020 will deliver for the first time WHO benchmark document for training in Yoga, and WHO benchmarks for practice in Ayurveda, Unani and Panchakarma.
DRDO has come up with a new indigenously
produced Advanced Air Defence (AAD)
interceptor missile, Ashwin.
The missile was tested on the newly named Abdul
Kalam Island located in the Balashore district off
the Odisha coast. This was the 12th test in the
series to develop interceptor missiles.
The test involved the launch of the single-stage
Ashvin Advanced Defense interceptor missile
from a mobile launcher and the successful
destruction of an incoming nuclear-capable
Dhanush ballistic missile at endo-atmospheric
altitudes of 20-40 kilometers.
The ‘kill’ effect of the interceptor was ascertained
by analyzing data from multiple tracking sources.
India’s BMD
India began developing a multi-tiered Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system in 1999, after the end of the Kargil War in reaction to Pakistan’s growing missile arsenal.
A consortium of 40 Indian companies were involved in the development of the missile defense shield.
India’s BMD shield is a two-tiered defense system
Prithvi Air Defense (PAD) / Pradyumna Ballistic Missile Interceptor destroying missiles at exo-atmospheric altitudes of 50–80 kilometers (31–50 miles),
Advanced Air Defense (AAD)/ Ashvin Advanced Defense interceptor missile endo-atmosphere at altitudes of 20-40 kilometers (12-24 miles).
In addition to the indigenously developed BMD system, India has procured six regiments of Russian S-300 air defense systems and is negotiating for five regiments of more advanced S-400 systems with Russia. After the successful test, India became the fourth country in the world to have full-fledged multi-layer Ballistic Missile Defence system. Only United States, Russia and Israel are in the same league.
HELIUM MICROSCOPE
This device would enable scientists to study human, animal and plant samples, as well as computer chips and pharmaceutical drugs, without damaging or changing them.
This would be able to see much smaller objects with a much higher resolution.
It may be helpful in clean up of toxic or radioactive spills, without harming the surrounding flora or fauna.
It could lead to the development of stealth technology and new explosives.
Recently, a woman in the U.S. was detected with E.coli bacteria, bearing a new gene, MCR-1, resistant to a last-resort antibiotic like colistin.
Why is it being called as Superbug?
Though resistance to colistin had been detected in several countries in the past, it was overlooked as such resistance was brought about by gene mutations that cannot spread easily between bacteria.
But MCR-1 poses a threat of an entirely different order; in this case a small piece of DNA (plasmid) found outside the chromosome carries a gene responsible for antibiotic resistance. Since the gene is found outside the chromosome, it can spread easily among different types of bacteria, as well as among patients.
If this gene spreads to bugs treatable by only last-resort antibiotics, it could create the superbug.
It could well lead to an era without effective drugs to treat bacterial infections — the post-antibiotic age.
The unchecked use of antibiotics in livestock is a major reason for the development of drug resistance.
What is the Red Line Campaign?
Consumption of antibiotics in India increased sharply, while the effectiveness of these to treat bacterial infections has been steadily declining. India consumed 13 billion units of antibiotics, the highest in the world.
A much-needed public awareness campaign called ‘Medicines with the Red Line’ to highlight the dangers of misuse and irrational use of antibiotics was launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Now, packs of certain medicines carry a ‘red line’ differentiating them from other drugs.
Way forward
Drug companies manufacturing irrational fixed-dose combination drugs should be checked.
The government should also regulate drug companies discharging antimicrobial waste into the environment and use of antibiotics in animal feed.
IISc Bangalore concluded study on quercetin recently and found it to be extremely useful for cancer patients.
Quercetin is a flavonoid (plant pigment) commonly found in fruits and vegetables, especially onions, citrus, and apples.
The primary benefit of quercetin is that it possesses potent antioxidants. Antioxidants fight against free radicals – chemically reactive compounds that damage cell membranes and DNA and also cause cell death.
Quercetin, known to cause anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activity, reportedly induces ‘apoptosis,’ a process by which cells commit suicide in a controlled manner.
The compound may also prevent multiplication of cancerous cells by blocking the process of cell division.
It can even kill the highly aggressive leukaemia cell line K562, which is resistant to most anti-cancer drugs.
It is an originally purified compound, which is now also commercially purified and sold.
It was found to have no adverse effects on the non-cancerous cells even while killing the cancerous ones, including in the experimental animals.
KEPLER -62F
It is a planet which is about 1,200 light-years away from Earth and, in all probability, has surface liquid water is a good prospect for a habitable world.
Kepler-62f, which is in the direction of the constellation Lyra, is in the Goldilock zone.
It is the outermost of five planets orbiting a star that is smaller and cooler than the sun.
There are multiple atmospheric compositions that allow it to be warm enough to have surface liquid water.
Further research is being done with simulations varying the amounts of carbon dioxide required to keep the planet warm enough for liquid and life to exist on its surface.
ROSETTA FINDINGS
Ingredients regarded as crucial for the origin of life on Earth have been discovered at the comet that ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft has been probing for almost two years.
The Rosetta spacecraft sent a probe, which discovered some basic building blocks of life on comet 67P, including phosphorus and the amino acid glycine.
Glycine is commonly found in proteins and phosphorus is a key ingredient of DNA.
The important point is that comets have not changed in 4.5 billion years, so they have the same ingredients that can be formed without our Sun or planets. This means that amino acids are kind of universal.
Crucially the finding suggests that if comets transported the ingredients of life to Earth, they may have transported them elsewhere, raising the prospect of life on other planets.
The comet probably contains all necessary ingredients for life, except one thing, and that’s energy.
MUKHOTA
Fishing crews mainly from Porbandar, Verawal and other parts of Gujarat being arrested for accidentally crossing international maritime boundaries.
To help these fishermen, a Mumbai-based NGO ‘Work in India’ and a digital firm Kinetic India and have come up with a device called Mukhota.
It is GPS-enabled and coded in such a way that once it comes near the coastal border, it sends out an alert.
For now, each device costs Rs 5,000 but after receiving grants from state governments, the cost will be reduced to make it more easily affordable.
Recently, Indian scientists discovered 3 new clusters of bacteria not related to any other bacteria.
The discovery happened during LOHAFEX experiment in the Southern Ocean, Antarctica, which was aimed at increasing CO sequestration through ocean iron fertilisation as part of studies on global warming mitigation.
Among the three new LOHAFEX clusters that were discovered, the first was related to class of Bacteroidetes while the second and third belonged to Firmicutes.
A unique feature of the three clusters was their differentiated response to the presence of iron in the ocean.
What is LOHAFEX all about? The Indo-German project (Loha means iron in Hindi while Fex is an acronym for fertilization) in the Antarctic assumed that the algal bloom (algae need iron to grow) induced by iron fertilization would suck up a lot of carbon dioxide from the environment and sink it.
Experiments in oceans near Antarctica have indicated that seeding the oceans with iron might not help to suck up carbon dioxide from the environment in sufficient quantities as to check global warming.
CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF (CDS) The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence has demanded that the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) be appointed at the earliest. In 2011, the Naresh Chandra task force on national security recommended the appointment of a permanent chairman, chiefs of staff committee.
The appointment of CDS is aimed at promoting “jointness at the top” when it comes to planning, operations and modernization of the military.
Though India has a tri-service command, a three-star officer heads it and he is junior to the military chiefs who are four-star.
A single-point military advisor’s post in the form of Chief of Defence Staff was proposed by the Kargil Review Committee headed by K Subrahmanyam, and endorsed by the follow-up group of ministers report.
ROLE OF CHINA IN NORTH-EAST INSURGENCY
For the first time, the Centre has admitted officially that the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang), intensified violence in the Northeast in 2015 at the behest of the Chinese.
The admission was made in depositions by the Centre and other States before a tribunal set up early this year to adjudicate the ban on the insurgent outfit under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
It was in September 2015, the Centre moved to ban the NSCN-K following which the tribunal under the UAPA, led by Delhi High Court judge Najmi Waziri, was set up.
Nagaland was the only State which was not in favour of declaring the NSCN-K an unlawful association and sought a “peaceful political solution”. Arunachal and Manipur supported the ban.
PRITHVI-II MISSILE
India successfully test-fired indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile.
It is the first missile to be developed by DRDO under India’s prestigious IGMDP (Integrated Guided Missile Development Program).
It was inducted into India’s armed forces in 2003.
It is a surface-to-surface ballistic missile
Variants of Prithvi
The Prithvi missile project encompassed developing 3 variants for use by the Army, Air Force and Navy.
Prithvi I (SS-150) – Army Version (150 km range with a payload of 1,000 kg).
Prithvi II (SS-250) – Air Force Version (250km range with a payload of 500 kg).
Prithvi III (SS-350) – Naval Version (350 km range with a payload of 1000 kg).
INS KALVARI
The first of the six indigenous Scorpene-class submarines set out for sea trials.
Named Kalvari—sea tiger shark—the 66-m-long vessel is set to be inducted later this year.
The submarines are being built by Mumbai-based Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL) in collaboration with French company DCNS.
It is part of Project 75I, promulgated under the ambitious “30-year submarine construction plan”, approved by the Cabinet in 1999 to build 24 conventional submarines.
COMPENSATORY AFFORESTATION FUND BILL
Lok Sabha passed the Compensatory Afforestation Fund bill, 2015. It is pending in Rajya Sabha.
The Bill establishes the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of India, and a State Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of each state.
Public Account of India is fund that does not belong to the government. It has to be paid back at some time to its rightful owners eg. provident funds, small savings.
Currently Reserved Forest or a Protected Area (PA) land may be diverted under the Forest (Conservation)
Act, 1980 for non forest developmental activities
like an industrial or infrastructure project with
approval of central and state government.
To compensate for diversion of forestland,
afforestation must be done on a separate piece of
land called as compensatory afforestation. In
addition compensation must be paid for loss of
forest ecosystem and biodiversity. Valuation of
this forest ecosystem is called net present value.
Cost for both is borne by agency responsible for
diversion of forestland and money is collected by
the state government for afforestation and forest
development.
In 2002, Supreme Court observed that these funds
were not been utilized, and for this purpose an ad-
hoc authority called compensatory afforestation
fund management and planning authority
(CAMPA) was set up. In the absence of permanent
institutional mechanism more than Rs. 40,000
crores have accumulated which are being kept in
Nationalized Banks and managed by CAMPA.
The National Fund will receive 10% and the State Funds will receive the remaining 90%.
It will help in achieving our target of 33% forest cover and 2.5 billion tonne of carbon sink as indicated in our INDCs.
They occur in tropical areas, where seawater is warm enough (>27 C) to feed the cyclone with
latent energy.
They don’t occur close to the equator, even when seawater is warm. This is because of the low Coriolis force in equatorial areas. Coriolis force makes the winds have to turn into central low pressure.
They form closer to the Equatorial trough and therefore in Indian Ocean we have 2 peak seasons of cyclone occurrence: May and September.
SANGAI BROW- ANTLERED DEER
Why in News?
The scientists of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) have been assigned with the task of providing second home to Sangai due to its depleting population in the area.
About Sangai
The Sangai is an endemic and rare subspecies of brow-antlered deer found only in Manipur.
It is also the state animal of Manipur
Its habitat is restricted to the marshy wetland of Keibal Lamjao over the floating biomass in Loktak lake which is locally called ‘phumdi’.
While walking on the floating biomass, Sangai often balances itself which looks as if it is dancing on the green grassland and therefore popularly called as ‘dancing deer’ of Manipur.
It is classified as ‘endangered’ by the IUCN but is part of MoEF’s ‘Recovery Programme for critically
endangered species and habitats’.
SANGAI BROW- ANTLERED DEER
Why in News?
The scientists of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) have been assigned with the task of providing second home to Sangai due to its depleting population in the area.
About Sangai
The Sangai is an endemic and rare subspecies of brow-antlered deer found only in Manipur.
It is also the state animal of Manipur
Its habitat is restricted to the marshy wetland of Keibal Lamjao over the floating biomass in Loktak lake which is locally called ‘phumdi’.
While walking on the floating biomass, Sangai often balances itself which looks as if it is dancing on the green grassland and therefore popularly called as ‘dancing deer’ of Manipur.
It is classified as ‘endangered’ by the IUCN but is part of MoEF’s ‘Recovery Programme for critically
endangered species and habitats’.
Reasons for declining Sangai population
Change in water regime due to construction of artificial reservoir and barrage. This is resulting in thinning of phumdi which is unable to bear the weight of deers.
The shelter plants are stunted, mainly due to constant floating of phumdis making Sangai vulnerable to poaching.
Related information
Loktak lake is one of the seven Ramsar sites of international importance.
Keibal Lamjao is the only floating national park in India.
Phumdi is the floating mass of entangled vegetation formed by the accumulation of organic debris and
biomass with soil.
IMPACT OF KEN-BETWA LINK ON TIGER POPULATION
Background
The Ken-Betwa river linking project aims to irrigate the drought-ravaged Bundelkhand region.
It involves building a 288-metre Daudhan dam, and transfer of surplus water from the Ken river basin to the Betwa basin.
This will submerge nearly 400 of the 4,300 hectares of the Panna tiger reserve.
Experts suggest that the result could be drastic for the tiger population, as they have to adjust to the changes.
Impact area will be far greater with associated activities related to construction, power houses etc.
A team of wildlife experts have submitted a report on the environmental impact of the project.
DELHI NOT THE WORLD’S MOST POLLUTED CITY
As per the Global Urban Ambient Air Pollution Database (update 2016) released by WHO, Delhi is no longer the most polluted city in the world.
Delhi is placed 11th in terms of PM 2.5, and at 25th in terms of PM 10 among 3,000 cities in 103 countries.
Zabol in Iran is placed at the most polluted city in the world closely followed by Gwalior and Allahabad. Patna and Raipur are also in global top 10.
About particulate matter
It is the term for a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air.
It includes
ü ‘Inhalable coarse particles’, with diameters larger than 2.5 micrometers and smaller than 10 micrometers (PM 10); and
ü ‘Fine particles’, with diameters that are 2.5 micrometers and smaller (PM 2.5)
They are formed in two ways
ü Primary particles; emitted directly from a source, such as construction sites, unpaved roads, fields, smokestacks or fires.
ü Secondary particles; formed due to complicated reactions in the atmosphere of chemicals such as sulfur dioxides and nitrogen oxides that are emitted from power plants, industries and automobiles.
INDIAN WILD ORANGE
Earlier it was reported only from the Garo hills of Meghalya, where it is locally called ‘Biurengthai’ and is used for medicinal and spiritual purposes by the Garo people.
However, recently it has been found in Manipur as well, in a remote village called Diolong.
About
It is a native Indian species of citrus with the scientific name ‘citrus indica’.
It is considered to be the most primitive citrus likely to be an ancestor of all citrus fruits in the world.
It is an endangered species that require a specific microclimate.
The Nokrek Biosphere Reserve is an important site for the species
Major threat to the specie has been habitat destruction due to slash and burn (jhum) activity.
Bread manufacturers are using Potassium bromate and potassium iodate in breads that may have potential health effects.
Effects of Potassium bromate – International agency for research on cancer (IARC) classified it as class 2B – possible carcinogenic
FSSAI – announced its decision to remove potassium bromate from the list of permitted additives. Ban will be notified soon. It is examining evidence against potassium iodate before restricting its use
All India Breadmakers association has decided voluntarily to stop using these and use safer alternatives – ascorbic acid, enzymes and emulsifiers.
HANGUL MAY GO EXTINCT
Hangul, also known as Kashmir Deer, is an endangered species mainly concentrated at Srinagar’s Dachigam National Park. The reasons for its dwindling numbers are
Domestic livestock grazing by Kashmir’s “bakarwal” community – the nomadic tribe practicing goat herding and shepherding.
Full-fledged government-run sheep breeding centre inside the park which causes bacterial infections that affect foetuses resulting in a low birthrate of hangul
Human activities – security forces, offices of fisheries, protocol, and tourism departments inside the park
Construction of structures outside the park by some influential people in complete violation of rules.
TAJ MAHAL TURNS GREEN
The historical monument is turning green due to release of faeces and dirt by insect, Geoldichironomus (Chironomus calligraphus).
Yamuna has become so stagnant due to pouring of waste directly into it, that fish that earlier kept insect populations in check are dying.
This is resulting into “explosive breeding” of the insect, which is a biological indicator of water quality and localised water pollution
BHARATVANI PORTAL LAUNCHED
What is it?
A multilingual knowledge portal.
It aims to deliver knowledge about various languages in India using multimedia formats through a portal.
It is a project of the Ministry of HRD and was launched at Lucknow
It will be implemented by Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) Mysuru.
Salient features
It will focus on becoming single point source for multiple language learning, content and technology.
It will be an inclusive, interactive and dynamic platform.
It is proposed to develop it as the largest language portal in the world by aggregating multimedia content from all Indian writers, govt. and non-governmental institutions
It will also include a mobile app based multi-lingual dictionary.
The portal has been launched in 22 scheduled languages, and will be later extended to 100 more languages
Significance
It will foster national integration by bridging the Digital and language divide
It is a step towards protection, preservation and inclusion of all Indian languages through technological development without discrimination.
It will also put the linguistic diversity and culture of India on a global platform via cyber space.
The massive data with Bharatvani will leverage R&D in Indian languages. It aims to be a single point online window to knowledge in and about Indian Languages, dictionaries, language IT tools and textbooks.
It will be a big help in the initiatives of skill India, tourism industry etc.
It is also an effort towards Open Knowledge movement with the help of involvement of people.
NARIKURAVA TRIBE
They have recently been included in the Scheduled Tribe category by the union government.
Narikurava is an indigenous community from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
It is one of the most socially and educationally backward communities in India.
Their traditional occupation is hunting. But they were prohibited from entering forests. So they moved on to selling beaded ornaments for survival.
Buddhist Circuit
The map of the Buddhist circuit as envisaged by the Ministry includes Bodh Gaya, Vaishali, Rajgir in Bihar, Kushinagar, Sarnath and Shravasthi in UP, along with Kapilvastu and Lumbini in Nepal.
Bodh Gaya
Located in Gaya district, Bihar, this is one of the four most important pilgrimage sites for Buddhists. It is the place where Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree.
The Mahabodhi Temple Complex became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002.
Vaishali
It is a district in Bihar named after the ancient city of Vaishali of Mithila mentioned in the Mahabharat. It is important to both Buddhists and Jains.
It was the capital of Lichchavi dynasty considered one of the first example of a republic in Vrijji Mahajanapada.
Buddha preached his last sermon here before his death in 483 BC. In 383 BC the Second Buddhist Council was convened here.
It also contains one of the best preserved Ashokan pillars topped by a single Asiatic lion.
Rajgir
Located in the Nalanda district of Bihar, it was the first capital of Magadhan kingdom. This too is of importance to both Buddhists and Jains.
Buddha is believed to have delivered several of his sermons here during his twelve year stay here. Also Buddha is believed to have set in motion his second wheel of law here.
The first Buddhist Council was also held here.
Kushinagar
Kushinagar is in Uttar Pradesh. This is where it is believed that Buddha attained Parinirvana. It is an International Buddhist pilgrimage centre.
Sarnath
The city of Sarnath is located in UP on the confluence of the rivers Ganges and Gomati.
It is in Sarnath that Buddha first taught the Dharma after attaining enlightenment.
Shravasthi
Shravasthi is located near west Rapti river in UP. The ancient city of Shravasthi was the capital of the Kosala.
It is belived that Buddha spent fourteen Chaturmases (a holy period of four months) here.
The many old stupas, viharas and temples in the city establish its association with Buddha.
Kapilvastu
Kapilvastu is located in southern Nepal. In ancient times Kapivastu was the capital of the Shakya kingdom where Siddhartha was believed to have stayed with his parents till he left the palace at the age of 29.
Lumbini
Lumbini is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in the Rupendehi district of Nepal. It is believed by Buddhists to be the place where Queen Maya gave birth to Gautama Siddhartha in 563 BC.
It became a UNESCO world heritage site in 1997.
INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION
IIT Kharagpur and Archaeological Survey of India in a study published in the ‘Nature’ journal have made some course changing revelations about the Indus Valley Civilizations.
Origins
They have uncovered evidence that Indus Valley Civilization might be 8000 years old rather than 5500 years old as previously estimated.
This means that it took root well before Egyptian Civilization (7000 to 3000 BC) and Mesopotamian Civilization (6500-3100 BC).
The researchers have also found evidence of a Pre-Harappan Civilization that existed 1000 years before this.
They used a technique called “optically stimulated luminescence” to date pottery shards.
Expanse
The scientists believe that the Indus valley civilization spread to a vast expanse stretching to the banks of the now lost Saraswati river or Ghaggar-Hakra river but this has not been studied enough.
They found that it proliferated to other Indian sites like Bhirrana in Haryana apart from the now known locations.
Decline
Through an oxygen isotope composition study in bones and tooth remains from the sites, which preserve the traces of ancient meteoric water, the intensity of monsoon rains can be found.
This technique was used to determine that rainfall was much stronger between the period 9000 to 7000 years from now.
The study revealed that rainfall started weakening around 7000 years ago which coincided with de-urbanisation, de-population, violence etc in late Harrapan sites but the civilization did not disappear.
The people adapted to the climate change by shifting from large grained cereals like wheat and barley to drought resistant varieties of rice.
The climate change led eventually to the de-urbanisation of the civilization rather than an abrupt collapse.