DNA 22 Aug

China wants to go back to ‘1959 LAC’ 

•  China urged India to abide by the Line of Actual Control (LAC) position of 1959, following last week’s scuffle between troops of the two countries along the Pangong lake in Ladakh
• China accused Indian troops of undertaking “violent actions” and injuring Chinese personnel.
• China urged India to abide by the “1959 LAC” — an apparent reference to the alignment espoused by former Chinese Premier Zhou en Lai in a letter to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. 
• In his 2016 book, Choices: Inside the Making of India’s Foreign Policy, former National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon points out that in the proposal of November 1959, the Chinese describe the LAC “only in general terms on maps not to scale”. India rejected the proposal in 1959 and 1962.
• Zhou en Lai then wrote to Nehru that in the eastern sector, the line “coincides in the main with the so-called McMahon Line, and in the western and middle sectors, it coincides in the main with the traditional customary line which has consistently been pointed out by China”

Now, passport sans police verication 

• Home Ministry launches the CCTNS Project,which ams to connect the Country's all 15,398 police stations
• The physical police verification for getting a passport may soon be dispensed with as the Centre plans to connect the procedure with the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems Project (CCTNS), a project first conceptualised by the UPA government in 2009. 
• CCTNS, an exhaustive national database of crimes and criminals that will check the antecedents of applicants at the click of a mouse, was expected to be linked with the passport service of the External Affairs Ministry.

National database 

• Police will be given handheld devices to go to an applicant’s address and his or her details will be uploaded on the network. It will minimise contact of an individual with police and reduce time (for getting passport)  
• The mandate of the CCTNS had been expanded by incorporating citizen-centric services such as 

[i]tenant verification, which could be done with the consent of the person being verified

[ii]quick registration of FIR in any crime and 

[iii]connecting the network with criminal justice delivery system.

Will SC end personal laws’ immunity?

• The Supreme Court’s judgment on the constitutionality of triple talaq may also decide the age-old debate whether personal laws can be brought within the ambit of Article 13 (laws inconsistent with or in derogation of, the fundamental rights) of the Constitution.
• While the All India Muslim Personal Law Board ( AIMPLB) has argued that the Supreme Court does not have jurisdiction to strike down provisions of personal law, organisations calling for reform and Muslim women from various walks of life across the country have urged the court to declare triple talaq and polygamy “un-Islamic”
• This is the first time that aggrieved persons — individual Muslim women — themselves have approached the apex court in person to settle the law on whether religious law is immune from constitutional standards enshrined under fundamental rights. 
• Article 13 includes in its ambit any “ordinance, order, by-law, rule, regulation, notification and even customs and usages” passed or made  by the Legislature or any other “competent authority”. It mandates that any law in force in the country before or after the commencement of Constitution should not violate the fundamental rights of citizens enshrined in Part III.

Discordant notes

In the past, courts have made discordant notes about the immunity enjoyed by personal laws. 

• In 1951, the Bombay High Court in State of Bombay versus Narasu Appa Mali held that personal law is not ‘law’ under Article 13. The judgment was never challenged in the Supreme Court
• In Ahmedabad Women Action Group versus Union of India, the Supreme Court was asked to consider that unilateral divorce by talaq and polygamy violated Articles 14 and 15. The court rejected the claim, saying it was for the legislature to determine. 

Infosys compliance: SEBI seeks data

• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is examining whether there were any lapses in corporate governance or disclosure requirements by Infosys.
• The SEBI move comes reportedly after a few shareholders approached the regulator following the resignation of Vishal Sikka as the chief executive officer amidst allegations by cofounder N.R. Narayana Murthy
• The regulator had asked the stock exchanges to look into this matter by seeking clarification from the company. Exchanges, being the firstlevel regulators, often seek clarification from companies based on regulatory directions or media reports.

Impact on buyback?  

• The SEBI move could affect the proposed ₹13,000-crore buyback of Infosys shares as well. The regulator could insist on getting a complete clarity on investor complaints before giving a final go-ahead for the buy-back proposal.

Will Infosys face class action law suits in India?

• A class action suit allows a number of claimants, who have a common grouse, to pool their resources and file a suit against a company.
• Such option for company law cases is a well-established principle in foreign jurisdictions, especially in the U.S. 
• The Satyam episode forced company law formulators to incorporate a rule providing for such action in India. Section 245 of the Companies Act, 2013 provides for such an option for Indian investors. Such a suit can be filed before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).
• Sec. 245 also gives the option to claim damages or compensation or demand any other suitable action against “the company or its directors for any fraudulent, unlawful or wrongful act or omission or conduct or any likely act or omission or conduct on its or their part.”  
• One can sue the firm, its directors, auditors and technical advisers who are party to alleged fraud.
• Once the suit is admitted, NCLT will issue a public notice to allow those not having enough qualifying shares to join. Similar applications in other jurisdictions will be consolidated into a single application.   

DNA 21 Aug

Ghantasala to get 70-ft Buddha statue  

• To develop Ghantasala village in Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh as one of the prime Buddhist tourist spots in the State, decks have been cleared for construction of a Rs. 1.5-crore project here.
• The new facility will be themed on Mahaparinirvana of the Buddha. A two-storied structure in Buddhist architecture resembling a pedestal with a 100-ft wide and 70-ft high Budha in Mahaparinirvanaposture will be a major highlight.
• It represents the historical Buddha during his last illness, about to enter the mahaparinirvana.
• It shows Buddha lying on the right flank, his head resting on a cushion or on his right elbow, supporting his head with his hand.
• This pattern seems to have emerged at the same time as other representations of the Buddha in the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara.
• The two floors will house a Buddhist library, a meditation centre, an auditorium for spiritual classes, an exhibition hall for digital replicas of the Buddhist antiques exhibited in the Paris museum and monasteries.
• In Buddhism, mahaparinirvanameans the ultimate state - everlasting, highest peace and happiness - entered by an Awakened Being (Buddha).
• Ghantasala, known as Katakasila in the ancient times, was a renowned Buddhist centre located near the coast.
• Ptolemy, the Greek geographer, had made a specific mention of an emporium of Kontakossyla in the region of Misolia (present Machilipatnam).
• The maha stupa was once encased with well decorated sculptured slabs like that of Amaravathi and had an ornate railing also.
• Initially, the archaeological significance of Ghantasala was reported by Boswel in 1870-71 and the site was subsequently subjected to excavations by Alexander Rea which brought out the stupa architecture in detail.

Army to get only six Apaches

• The Army’s request for 11 Apache attack helicopters was cut down to six by the Defence Ministry after objections from the Finance Division .  
• The MoD Finance had red-flagged the proposal for 11 [helicopters]. They said if these helicopters go to the Army, it will be a duplication of assets as the Indian Air Force is already in the process of acquiring 22 of them
• Last week, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Arun Jaitley, had approved the procurement of six Apache helicopters along with associated equipment at a cost of Rs.4,168 crore. 
• These would be procured under optional clause in the $3-billion deal signed with Boeing of the U.S. in November 2015 for 22 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and 15 CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters. 
• The optional clause is for 11 helicopters, which would be available at the same price. However, the validity of the clause expires next month. “MoD Finance was not in favour of going for the option clause
• The Army has for long pitched for its own dedicated attack helicopter fleet integrated with its Strike Corps and has expressed a need for 39 Apaches. It had even sparred with the Air Force for control of the 22 helicopters which was rejected by the government. However, the government had stated that future acquisitions would go to the Army 

Yawning gaps in communication and track safety

• A High Level Safety Review Committee under the chairmanship of Dr. Anil Kakodkar to review the safety of the Indian Railways and recommend improvements
•  Passenger fares have not been increased in the last decade and the infrastructure is severely strained. All safety margins have been squeezed. This has led to a neglect of infrastructure maintenance.
• In the present situation, the three vital functions (rule making, operations and the regulation) are all vested in the Railway Board. There is need for an independent mechanism for safety regulation. The Committee recommends the creation of a statutory Railway Safety Authority with enough powers to have a safety oversight on the operational mode of Railways.
• The Research Design and Standards Organization (RDSO), the apex technical wing of the Railways, is highly constrained. This has hampered the ability of the system to internalize emerging technologies. The Committee recommends restructuring of RDSO for greater empowerment. It also recommends that a Railway Research and Development Council (RRDC) be set up directly under the government.
• The Committee recommends the adoption of an Advanced Signalling System (akin to the European Train Control System) for the entire trunk route length of 19,000 km within 5 years. This is estimated to cost Rs 20,000 crore.
• Committee recommended monitoring of all the bridges in terms of scientific measurements of deflections/displacements, water level and flow velocity on a continuous basis and data should be communicated to the office of the concerned Chief Bridge Engineer for monitoring.
• Panel notes that Railways had classified at least 3,000 bridges to be 100 years old or more and 32 bridges as distressed structures, wanted vulnerable bridges fitted with water level gauges and turbine flow meters to measure flow which should be interlocked in a way to warn the driver of the approaching train.
• The Kakodkar committee’s analysis of data for the last five years showed that in the Indian Railway system spread across 64,000 route kilometres, derailments accounted for nearly half the total accidents followed by accidents at unmanned level crossing gates (36 per cent). 
• Level crossing incidents contributed to 59 per cent of the deaths and 42 per cent of casualties.

Corporate governance: focus on SEBI

What is Corporate governance ?

1. Corporate governance is the system of rules, practices and processes by which a company is directed and controlled
2. Corporate governance essentially involves balancing the interests of a company’s many stakeholders, such as shareholders, management, customers, suppliers, financiers, government and the community
3. Since corporate governance also provides the framework for attaining a company’s objectives, it encompasses practically every sphere of management, from action plans and internal controls to performance measurement and corporate disclosure

SEBI had constituted a committee on corporate governance under the chairmanship of Uday Kotak in June this year. The committee is expected to submit its report within four months

‘Subjective views’ 

• In India, corporate governance continues to see subjective interpretation.
• While India is moving towards internationally accepted norms of corporate governance, we are bound to see this kind of volatility
• This is a fight between modern, freemarket capitalism on the one side and the forces of ‘compassionate capitalism’ on the other . 
• The governing board or a supervisory board would be an important top layer setting the direction for such companies

Zip past toll barriers

What is FASTag?

• It is a device that uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for making toll payments directly from the prepaid account linked to it. It is affixed on the windscreen of your vehicle and enables you to drive through toll plazas without waiting as you would for a cash transaction. The tag has a validity of 5 years and after purchase, it only needs to be recharged or topped up. The service is applicable to all kinds of vehicles but use of the service is currently voluntary.  
• The tag can be linked to the MyFastTag mobile app. Purchase and top ups can be done through the app. If your car manufacturer has prefixed an RFID sensor, the same can be linked to the app for use at toll plazas. All lanes in 371 toll plazas in the country will be FASTag-enabled by October 1. All these plazas will have a dedicated FASTag lane by September 1. 

How is it beneficial?

• It helps quicken your passage through toll barriers and helps avoid use of cash. Long queues of vehicles waiting while cumbersome cash transactions happen at the counter can be avoided. 
• Here, it helps reduce use of fuel and pollution due to high waitingtimes at the barriers. 
• It can also help the government identify the quantum of road use and types of vehicles passing through, aiding budgets for road widening and other infrastructure expenses
• It could help increase accruals to the government as some operators managing toll plazas have, in the past, have been suspected of under reporting their revenues.   

‘New state of matter’ discovered 

• Scientists have discovered a potential new state of matter that may help explain phenomena like superconductivity. 
• Superconductivity is extensively used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), particle accelerators, magnetic fusion devices, and microwave filters. 
• Researchers from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in the U.S. showed that among superconducting materials in high magnetic fields, the phenomenon of electronic symmetry breaking is common.

Superconductivity

• Superconductivity is a phenomenon of exactly zero electrical resistance and expulsion of magnetic flux fields occurring in certain materials, called superconductors, when cooled below a characteristic critical temperature.
• It was discovered by Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes on April 8, 1911.
• Like ferromagnetism and atomic spectral lines, superconductivity is a quantum mechanical phenomenon.
• The electrical resistance of a metallic conductor decreases gradually as temperature is lowered. In ordinary conductors, such as copper or silver, this decrease is limited by impurities and other defects.
• An electric current flowing through a loop of superconducting wire can persist indefinitely with no power source.[

Superconducting magnets are some of the most powerful electromagnets known. They are used in MRI/NMR machines, mass spectrometers, the beam-steering magnets used in particle accelerators and plasma confining magnets in some tokamaks. 

DNA 19 August

China bristles at Japan’s remarks on Doklam

• China has reacted sharply to Japanese Ambassador to India comments supporting India’s position on Doklam. 
• However, India has refused to react to the comments that came as the first clear show of backing from a major power on the two-month long standoff at the India-China-Bhutan tri-junction.  

Consistent position

• According to the Japanese Embassy in Delhi, the Ambassdor has made a statement “consistent with our position on the international rule of law”, when he advised all parties concerned with the Doklam standoff not to “resort to unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force, and resolve the dispute in a peaceful manner”
• A Japanese embassy official told that the comments should be read as a reiteration of Japan’s traditional position on resolving disputes, and added that Japan welcomes External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s statement that the standoff should be ended through early dialogue

No data from China on Brahmaputra this year

India has not received hydrological data from China this year despite an agreement, the external affairs ministry said but maintained that it was "premature" to link it with the recent floods in some parts of the country.

The development comes in the backdrop of the ongoing standoff between Chinese and Indian troops in Dokalam in Sikkim sector.

There is an existing mechanism named India China Expert-Level mechanism started in 2006 to share hydrological data during the flood season for Brahmaputra and Satluj rivers. Under the MoUs, the hydrological data is to be shared between May 15 to October 15 every year but from May 15 till now, we have no data from China

Cooperation Necessary

• The spokesperson hinted at the necessity for regional cooperation to control floods and explained that the responsibility of sharing data is with China as it hosts the points of origin of the Brahmaputra and Satluj
• He also noted that in view of floods in Bihar, India was closely coordinating with Nepal, both at Centre and state-level.

Northern States reel under swine flu

What is H1N1?

• H1N1 flu is also known as swine flu. It's called swine flu because in the past, the people who caught it had direct contact with pigs.
• In 2009, H1N1 was spreading fast around the world, so the World Health Organization called it a pandemic. 
• When people who have it cough or sneeze, they spray tiny drops of the virus into the air.
• If you come in contact with these drops, touch a surface (like a doorknob or sink) where the drops landed, or touch something an infected person has recently touched, you can catch H1N1 swine flu.
• Its symptoms are pretty much the same as seasonal flu. They can include – Cough, Fever, Sore throat, Stuffy or runny nose, Body aches, Headache, Chills and Fatigue.

What is its geographical spread?

• The statistics of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Project of the Health Department shows that there have been 233 confirmed cases of H1N1 this year till date, including 16 deaths.
• H1N1 has been on the rise in all south Indian States this year and doctors should necessarily follow the ABC guidelines and standard treatment protocols for H1N1 when treating patients with cold and fever.

What are ABC guidelines?

• The Centre has come up with exhaustive guidelines for the States to follow for combating the H1N1 outbreak.
• In Category A will be those who do not require testing for H1N1. Patients with mild fever, cough and sore throat, body ache, headache, nausea and diarrhoea will be put in Category A and can be monitored for 24-48 hours.
• These patients will be advised to stay at home and not mingle with the others. They will not need testing for H1N1 and no treatment with Oseltamivir.
• In Category B will be those who have all the symptoms mentioned in Category A, but have high-grade fever and are in the high-risk category; they will need treatment with Oseltamivir and will have to be confined at home.
• High-risk category includes children with mild illness, pregnant women, persons over 65, patients with lung, liver, heart, kidney, blood or neurological diseases or have been on long-term cortisone therapy.
• In Category C will be those who have all the signs and symptoms of Category A and B and depending on their health condition will have to be hospitalised.

What is the way ahead?

• The public should take care to seek professional care if mild influenza, cough, cold with fever or respiratory distress do not subside in a reasonable time.
• Pregnant women, children, elderly, and those with respiratory issues; co-morbidities such as diabetes, renal diseases, hypertension and cardiac issues; and immune-compromised conditions such as cancer or HIV should take special care as H1N1 has been known to cause high mortality among these groups.
• People with flu should stay home away from crowded public places.

Rajasthan govt. grants reservation for Gujjars

• Rajasthan has decided to increase reservation for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) from the present 21% to 26%.
• The Government has  assured the Gujjar leaders that the revised OBC quota would be split to grant 5% reservation to the “Most Backward Classes”. The new category will include Gujjars and four other castes — Banjara, Gadia-Lohar, Raika and Gadaria.
• 
  
• The decision will take the total reservation in the State to 54%, going beyond the Supreme Court-mandated 50% cap.

Two issues :

1. A bill for conferring constituonal status on the National Commission on backward Classes commission 
2. S.C.judgement mandating 50 % Cap

‘Lack of diagnostic facilities forces doctors to do guesswork’

• It would be unfair to say that all the reported deaths occurred due to one reason alone — be it drop in oxygen level or anything else, says ICMR chief 
• ICMR research shows that 40-60% of AES in this region is caused by scrub typhus infection
• There may be other risk factors in this region that make scrub typhus present as AES, which need to be explored. 
• Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) is a syndrome and the causative agent of AES is known to vary with season and geographical location 
• Of course, early diagnosis is key to controlling patient load and reducing mortality. But we have to understand that this disease itself presents with fever and scrub typhus is not easy to distinguish from any other fever, without good diagnostics. ICMR has provided a clinical algorithm to assist in early diagnosis. 

NHRC issues notice on Rohingyas 

NHRC observed that the refugees are no doubt foreign nationals but they are human beings and before taking a big step, the Government of India has to look into every aspect of the situation.

NHRC highlighted the Supreme Court’s decisions that say the Right to Life and Personal Liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution apply to all, irrespective of their citizenship

India has continued to recieve a large no. of Refugees from different countries.India is not a signatory to the 1951 Convention on Refugees and the 1967 Protocol 

But India is s a signatory to many United Nations and world conventions on human rights

Till today, the country has evolved a practical balance between human and humanitarian obligations on the one hand and security and national interests on the other

Who are Rohingyas?

• The Rohingya are an ethnic Muslim group in the majority Buddhist country
• They reside predominantly in Rakhine state and speak a Bengali dialect.
• They are not recognised by the Myanmar government as an official ethnic group and are therefore denied citizenship.
• While it is claimed that there were no Rohingyas in Myanmar before the British brought ‘Bengalis’ to Burma, there is sufficient evidence to show for the Rohingyas’ pre-existence.
• They are often said to be the world's most persecuted minority.

Setting agenda for next BRICS meet 

• As the countdown for the September summit of the Brazil-Russia-India-ChinaSouth Africa (BRICS) grouping begins, scholars, academics and government officials have been brainstorming ways in which the emerging economies can set the global agenda, based on new rules of governance. 
• Delegates to a BRICS seminar, organised by the Communist Party of China (CPC) in the southeast city of Quanzhou, analysed and debated the Chinese model of development as the template for rapid growth, especially of the global South. 
• The BRICS summit is being held in China’s coastal city of Xiamen on September 3-5. It highlights the theme — BRICS: stronger partnership for a brighter future

Former World Bank chief economist Justin Lin Yifu said at the seminar that:

[i] Among nearly 200 developing economies since the end of the Second World War, only two have transitioned from low-income to high-income economies, with China possibly emerging as the third by 2025. 

[ii]He attributed the failure to the avoidance of either the middle-income or the low-income trap and to the pursuit of western mainstream economic theories — structuralism, and neoliberalism

[iii] A right balance between the role of the market and the state was required in order to achieve breakthroughs

[iv]He  highlighted that the “secret of China’s success is its use of both the invisible hand and the visible hand.”

[v]He added that technological innovation and industrial upgrading could proceed smoothly, only when the market and the state played their complementary roles

Four Comprehensives

• A China expert,focussed on the pursuit of ‘Four Comprehensives’ by Chinese leaders as an overarching framework to achieve rapid development goals. The ‘Four Comprehensives’ cover- 

                    [i]Efforts to pursue a moderately prosperous society, 

                   [ii]Reform

                  [iii]Rule of law and 

                  [iv]Party discipline,

• The brainstorming in was preceded by a conference earlier this month of the BRICS trade minister in Shanghai, which focussed on the continued relevance of globalisation.n. In the wake of protectionist sentiments in the U.S. and Europe, it underscored the need for a united stand of the emerging economies against protectionism, and backing for a multilateral trade system.
• In late July, a BRICS security meeting was held in Beijing, with discussions on global governance, anti-terrorism, the Internet, energy, national security and development. 

DNA 31st July

Regulator turns up heat on erring CAs :

• The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has said 4,445 complaints have been registered against CAs as on June 30 this year, and punishment has been awarded in 402 cases until March 2017. 
• The CA regulator said it was pushing for amendments to the norms to help expedite action against wrongdoers in the profession
• This development comes within a few weeks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi indicating stringent measures against those involved in money laundering — including through shell companies — following demonetisation, and asking the ICAI to hasten action against CAs “helping tax evaders.”
• The ICAI is under the Corporate Affairs Ministry’s administrative control.
• While the PM asked the auditors to help end black money and corruption, he sought to know from the ICAI why in the last 11 years, it had taken action against just 25 erring members. 

Steps taken so far :

• ICAI said that from the inception of the ‘New Disciplinary Mechanism’ in November 2006 till this June-end, as many as 3,810 cases were registered against CAs.

Solution:

• There is a need for amending the concerned rules/ regulations” to expedite disciplinary action against the wrongdoers,adding that the ICAI (Council) had submitted interim recommendations to a High Level Committee formed by the Corporate Affairs Ministry for strengthening the disciplinary mechanism.

Parliamentary Nod:

• He said amendments to the CA Act would require Parliamentary nod, adding that the Centre had the power to amend the Rules including the Disciplinary Rules (framed under the CA Act). 

Whitefly pest sighted in Punjab cotton producing districts:

• Whitefly sighted in the cotton belt districts of Punjab due to the prevailing hot and humid weather conditions
• The whitefly attack in Punjab that damaged over 75 per cent crop across the cotton belt had led to widespread protests in the past few days. The damage to the cotton crop, over 95 per cent of which is Bt cotton, is estimated to be around Rs. 4,500 crore. It is also being blamed as a reason for suicides of over a dozen farmers in the cotton belt, including Abohar, Fazileka, Bathinda and Muktsar districts.
• Whitefly attack is expected to cause over 50 per cent drop in cotton yield this season in Punjab
• PAU is now recommending farmers to sow traditional non-Bt varieties of American and desi (indigenous) cotton during next season in areas susceptible to high infestation of whitefly.
• Cotton farmers in Punjab, say Desi cotton is not viable as its yield is very low and also it has its own set of infestation problems

U.S. prods India on Pyongyang 

• India is facing increased pressure to reduce North Korea’s diplomatic presence in the country as Pyongyang flexes its military muscles.
• During talks with Indian officials last week, a U.S. State Department delegation took up the presence of a large number of North Korean diplomats in India, and urged New Delhi to “shrink” North Korea’s diplomatic footprint in South Asia. 
• India has criticised recent North Korean missile launches and nuclear tests. However, bilateral political and diplomatic ties, though minimal, have remained on track.  

Why Pressure is being built now ?

• The western pressure is driven by the fact that India and the U.S. have held talks on the North Korean actions most recently during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington on June 27 when both sides “condemned” Pyongyang’s actions. They also indicated that both sides would “work together to counter the DPRK’s weapons of mass destruction programmes”
•  U.S. officials have indicated that they would like to see “less” diplomatic courtesies extended to the North Korean officials present in India
• India has maintained ties with North Korea since the birth of the nation following the Korean war in the 1950s, and North Korea had been an active member of the Non-Alignment movement during the Cold War.

 Gas discovery: ONGC for pricing freedom

•  Oil and Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC) has sought pricing and marketing freedom to help bring to production a one-trillion cubic feet gas discovery that will open up a new sedimentary basin after over three decades
• ONGC, which has opened for commercial production six out of India’s seven producing basins, has made a significant natural gas discovery in the Gulf of Kutch of Gujarat coast that can produce about three million standard cubic meters per day
• This will open up the country’s eighth sedimentary basin — the first in over three decades — for oil and gas production in two years
• “The present government-mandated gas price of $2.48 per million British thermal unit does not make the discovery commercially viable. Since the find is in shallow waters, it does not qualify to get the $5.56 per mmBtu cap price set for difficult fields

 

DNA 30 July

NIA unearths new Kashmir terror funding channels

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is focussing on a hawala racket relating to the annual Haj pilgrimage and trade fraud along the Line of Control (LoC) as two funding channels being used by separatists and terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir

As part of its probe, which recently led to the arrest of seven Kashmiri separatists, the NIA is examining what it regards as a ‘deep conspiracy’ to ‘keep the Valley burning’, and not just individual acts of terror.

According to the NIA, some travel agents who send Indians on the Haj pilgrimage are hand in glove with associates of separatists based in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. 

A part of the money collected from pilgrims is diverted for terror and separatist activities, while the cost of accommodation and food are borne by these associates 

Rare birds return to safer, better managed Seshachalam

Black-hooded Oriole (Oriolus xanthornus which belongs to the corvidae family), a common resident bird of Seshachalam forest in the Eastern Ghats, went missing over three years ago. But a few of them were captured in a bunch

Besides India, the Blackhooded Oriole is seen in Srilanka and Indonesia. 

The Oriole, along with other species such as Golden Oriole, Black-naped Monarch and Indian Nightjar, had gone away from the region about three years ago due to increased red sanders felling and smuggling, and hostile weather conditions, 

“Many avian species disappeared a few years ago due to increased human activity, smuggling and fast changing weather conditions in the reserve forest. 

But, of late, we have seen the birds coming back due to favourable weather and ecological conditions. 

To our surprise, we see a bunch of Brahminy kites (Haliastur indus, called Tella Garuda Pakshi in Telugu) in the Kalyani Dam area. This species is specific to the Western Ghats but has been sighted here, perhaps due to the improving habitat.

On the scent of dead big cats 

NTCA data show 46% of the tiger deaths so far this year took place outside the reserves

Despite the success of tiger conservation in the country over the past decade, protection of the big cat remains a concern, data of tiger deaths and seizure of body parts show

Till July 29, International Tiger Day, in 2017, 62 tigers died of natural or unnatural causes and 14 cases of seizure of body parts had been reported from across the country, show the official database of the National Tiger Conservation Authority

 46%, of the deaths occurred outside tiger reserves. The remaining 33 deaths are inside the reserves. In 2016, of the 100 deaths, 37 occurred outside the reserves.

  An increase in the deaths recorded outside the reserves poses a question on the tiger conservation

Since more tiger deaths in 2017 occured outside the Tiger Reserves, there was a need for “intensifying the protection mechanism outside tiger reserves

When the population increased, chances of a spill-over effect were likely. Other than poaching for gains, tigers were killed in retaliation for attack on humans.

“The real concern is whether these deaths are due to poaching and if they are being killed inside protected zones where the breeding is taking place

 But if the target killings exceed natural deaths, it is a cause of concern 

A two-in-one solution

Hepatitis C, a disease that closely mimics the deadly HIV infection, has been ignored for long, say medical experts. The chronic liver infection caused by the blood-borne hepatitis C virus (HCV) kills nearly 96,000 people in India annually. This, despite the fact that the availability of a range of new drugs has drastically improved its cure rate to over 95%. 

Solution :Testing for two

Experts also point to the threat of HCV co-infection with HIV, given that both diseases have same routes of transmission.

The need of the hour is to integrate HCV testing and treatment as a component in the already existing national programme for HIV

Instead of designing a new programme that may take years, tweaking an existing programme would be simpler and faster

Just like HIV, that now has a ‘test and treat’ policy as a part of the Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) guidelines, a revised version could add a similar approach for HCV.

Modes of Transmission of HCV:

Like HIV, HCV can be transmitted through injectable drug use through the sharing of needles, reuse or inadequate sterilisation of medical equipment such as syringes and needles, and transfusion of unscreened blood and blood products. 

Though very uncommon, it can also be transmitted sexually and can be passed from an infected mother to her baby.

Co-infection cases 

Approximately 12 million people in India are chronically infected with hepatitis C. 

Globally, 2.3 million people living HIV are co-infected with HCV of which nearly 1.3 million are injectable drug users. While India lacks data on co-infections, rough estimates state that 60,000 people with HIV also have HCV

Challenge :The disease often presents no symptoms and hence is diagnosed very late.

India’s first ever U.S. crude purchase to arrive in Sept. 

• India’s first ever purchase of crude oil from the U.S. will be delivered in September,the company’s deal with the U.S. resulted in cheaper oil for India than even Basra Light because the U.S. could sell at highly competitive rates, and the company transporting the shipment — PetroChina — had provided ‘very favourable’ terms of trade. 

• Why U.S. Oil ?

          [I]High-sulfur grade:IOC reportedly bought 1.6 million barrels of high-sulfur grade U.S. Mars             crude oil and 400,000 barrels of Western Canadian Select.

          [II]This deal has PetroChina as the trader, which will transport the oil to India and the price of             transport is also very low

          [III]The deal with the U.S., signed earlier this month, comes at a time when India’s oil imports           from Iran have fallen to their lowest levels in more than a year due to tensions between the two           countries over the awarding of the Iranian Farzab B gas field

          [IV] Iran has also cut short the credit period it offers Indian companies for oil they buy, from               90 days to 60 days

• Bharat Petroleum Corporation also announced in July that it had become the second Indian company to buy oil from the U.S.

DNA 29 july

Doval wants BRICS to step up ght against terrorism

• National Security Adviser Ajit Doval has called upon the Brazil-Russia-IndiaChina-South Africa (BRICS) grouping, to exercise international leadership in countering terrorism.
• As part of his remarks, he also advocated that the five emerging economies should work towards setting the agenda “on strategic issues of regional and global importance.”
• Mr. Doval’s call on Mr. Xi, acquired a sharp bilateral context, in view of the on-going military face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in Doklam
• President Xi said that having successfully completed its first 10 years, the BRICS in the coming decade can focus on three areas: security communication and coordination, financial cooperation as well as cultural exchanges

SC rejects abortion plea of 10-year-old 

• A 10-year-old rape victim has been left with no choice but to continue with her pregnancy after a medical panel informed the Supreme Court that an abortion will endanger both the girl and her 32-week-old foetus.
• Permanent boards:Supreme Court urged the Centre to consider setting up permanent medical boards across the States so that women, especially child rape victims, could receive expedient access to medical care 
• The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1971 bars abortion if the foetus has crossed the 20-week mark. 
• An exception to the law is made if a registered medical practitioner certifies to a court that the continued pregnancy is life-threatening for either the mother or the baby.
• Presently, women are forced to undertake the cumbersome process of approaching different courts, from district courts to high courts and finally the Supreme Court, for permission to medically terminate their pregnancies which are over 20 weeks.
• An amended Bill of the 1971 law which extends the bar from 20 to 24 weeks has been in the cold storage for the past three years. This draft Bill allows women, whose pregnancies are within 24 weeks, reproductive rights in consultation with their medical practitioners. The draft Bill also allows abortion beyond 24 weeks in case the foetus suffers from substantial abnormalities

LS passes Bill for more autonomy to IIMs

• The Lok Sabha on Friday passed a Bill to grant Indian Institutes of Management the power to grant degrees instead of postgraduate diplomas. It also allows students to acquire Ph.D degrees from the IIMs.
• Human Resource Development Minister said, “It is because the fellowships of IIMs were not regarded by many as Ph.Ds that there were less students for Ph.Ds to become Fellows. They used to go after doing Diploma here. They used to go to foreign countries and do research. Now research will be (done) here.” 
• The Bill confers on the 20 IIMs the status of institutions of national importance and also grants them greater functional autonomy by restricting the role of the government in them
• At present, the Centre has a role in the functioning of the IIMs, including the appointment of the chairpersons to the Boards of the IIMs, their directors and fixing the pay of the directors. 
• As per the IIM Bill, 2017, a Board of Governors will appoint the director of each IIM. 
• A search-cum-selection-committee will recommend the names. And the director will be eligible for variable pay determined by the Board

CAG spots weaknesses in missile defence system 

• The strategic missile system, a medium range supersonic surface to air missile system to counter aerial threats were “deficient in quality”, according to a report tabled by the Comptroller and Auditor General in Parliament
• Over 70% of the under vehicle scanners (UVS) installed at Indian Air Force (IAF) bases were non-functional
• . It also said that the IL series of aircraft, which provides vital transport support to the IAF during contingencies, “has not been upgraded, and continue to fly with 1985 vintage avionics”. 
• The report comes amid increased threat perception to defence installations in the wake of terrorist attack at the Pathankot airbase in January 2016. 
• The IAF in February said that out of the 57 UVS systems, 52 had been installed and only five were yet to be installed
• However, 35 systems still remained in “unserviceable condition”.
•  Audit found that the system delivered by Bharat Electricals Limited was deficient in quality 

Centre seeks inputs on trade, industrial policies, services 

• Commerce Minister sought inputs from the academia on three topics — 

[i]Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) review
[ii]The proposed revamp of manufacturing and industrial policies and
[iii]India’s proposal at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on services sector liberalisation

• Centre working on a new manufacturing and industrial policy to increase the contribution of the manufacturing sector in the country’s GDP to 25% by 2020 from the current level of about 16%
• India needs more research on this emerging area showing how Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics and Internet of Things (IoT) will impact India’s manufacturing and services
• Since India is already a part of many ‘global value chains’, the two new policies will aim to make India a global manufacturing hub in items including textile, pharmaceuticals and electronics. 
• The Centre is working on these new policies to align the current manufacturing policy (of 2011) and the industrial policy (of 2009) with the Fourth Industrial Revolution that includes AI, robotics and IoT.
• India needs to generate good quality manpower in large numbers at all stages of the knowledge pyramid if it has to become globally competitive in the manufacturing sector
• Many Policy-level challenges have retarded growth in Manufacturing sector in India :

1. Difficult business environment 
2. Infrastructural constraints
3. Including peak power deficit
4. Labour market limitations 
5. Trade unionism 
6. Difficulty in availing commercial bank credit particularly for small firms

DNA 28TH JULY

Carbon dating confirms T.N. site is from Sangam era:

• For several years, experts had surmised that the archaeological site at Keezhadi in Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu dates back to the Sangam era.
• Now, carbon dating has confirmed that two samples sent from the site are indeed nearly 2,200 years old.
• The Keezhadi dig that started in 2013 provides archaeological evidence of ancient Tamil life that has so far been known largely from texts like Sangam literature
• “Radio Carbon dating suggests that the samples go back to 2,160+30 years and 2,200+30 years,”
• Unlike many other archaeological sites excavated in Tamil Nadu, Keezhadi is a major habitation site.
• “The last time habitation sites were excavated in Tamil Nadu was at Arikamedu. We zeroed in on Keezhadi after studying both banks of Vaigai river through its entire stretch from Western Ghats till the point it reaches the Bay of Bengal
• A total of 72 potsherds with Tamil Brahmi script were found at Keezhadi which had several Tamil names.

Oriental white ibis nesting in Ganjam 

•  A group of Oriental white ibis birds have nested at Beguniapada in Ganjam district of Odisha
• This indicates that these birds feel secure at Beguniapada and that the environment was conducive for breeding.
• Usually Oriental white ibis are seen in large number in the Chilika lake during winter months
• These birds had started building nests on a few coconut trees.

Chilika Lake :Asia's largest brackish water lagoon

Some of the prominent islands are Nalabana, Kalijal, Somolo, Honeymoon, Break-fast, Birds and Rajahansa

Chilika was designated as a Ramsar site in 1981 to afford better protection. 

Oriental white ibis

• It is a species of wading bird of the ibis family which breeds in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia from northern India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka east up to Japan.
• It builds a stick nest in a tree and lays 2-4 eggs.
• It occurs in marshy wetlands inland and on the coast, where it feeds on various fish, frogs and other water creatures, as well as on insects.
• It walks on marshy land probing with its bill into soft mud and often feeds in shallow water with its head momentarily submerged.
• Like storks and spoonbills, it lacks a true voice-producing mechanism and is silent except for peculiar ventriloquial grunts uttered when nesting.
• Adults are typically 75 cm long and white-plumaged, with some greyer areas on the wings.
• The bald head, the neck and legs are black.

SC for panels to examine dowry cases

 The Supreme Court ordered the setting up of ‘family welfare committees’ in all districts under the aegis of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA). 

No suspect shall be arrested in a dowry case immediately after a complaint is registered. Police and the courts will have to wait for the committee’s inquiry report

A Bench of Justices said Section 498A (dowry harassment) of the IPC had come under much abuse. Dowry complaints were being filed in the heat of the moment over trivial issues

The three-member family welfare committees will be set up by the district legal services authorities. Members can be appointed from para legal volunteers, social workers, retired persons, “wives of working officers” and other citizens.

 National Legal Services Authority (NALSA)

• It was formed in 1995 under the authority of the Legal Services Authorities Act 1987.
• Its purpose is to provide free legal services to the weaker sections of the society, and to organize Lok Adalats for speedy resolution of cases.
• The Chief Justice of India is patron-in-chief of NALSA while second seniormost judge of Supreme Court of India is the Executive-Chairman.
• There is a provision for similar mechanism at state and district level also headed by Chief Justice of High Courts and Chief Judges of District courts respectively.
• The prime objective of NALSA is speedy disposal of cases and reducing the burden of judiciary.

Privacy built into Aadhaar Act, says UIDAI

• “Privacy is non-negotiable, confidentiality is non-negotiable under the Aadhaar Act,” the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the nodal agency implementing the Aadhaar scheme, has said in the Supreme Court
• Additional Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the UIDAI, made this emphatic claim on Thursday when apprehensions were raised by a nine-judge Bench that personal data collected during Aadhaar enrolment might make its way into the hands of private players, for whom such details would transform into “vital commercial information”.
• The court was, in turn, responding to a submission by Attorney-General K.K. Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, that citizens could not claim informational privacy when the state asks for data for a legitimate purpose such as Aadhaar. 
• “There is no denying that Aadhaar is a social welfare scheme, but the government must first concede that the state is obliged to put a robust personal data protection mechanism in place,” Justice said

Fundamental right

• Section 28 of the statute dealing with “security and confidentiality of information”. It was in the State’s legitimate interest to keep personal data secure as this would make Aadhaar acceptable to one and all
•  does this mean Government do recognise privacy as a fundamental right?
• Here, Justice Rohinton F. Nariman observed that the government had dedicated an entire chapter in the 2016 Act to the protection of privacy and security. “So is this not a statutory recognition of privacy as a fundamental right ” 
• 
  

 

DNA 27th JULY

Privacy is a fundamental but wholly qualified right: Centre

• The Centre on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that privacy was indeed a fundamental right, but a “wholly qualified” one
• This led a nine-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar on Wednesday to sum up Attorney-General K.K. Venugopal’s submission thus: “You are saying that right to privacy is a fundamental right. But not every aspect of it [privacy] is a fundamental right. It depends on a case-to-case basis.

 

• The Attorney General explained to the Bench that the government did not consider privacy to be a single, homogeneous right but rather a “sub-species of the fundamental right to personal liberty and consists of diverse aspects. Not every aspect of privacy is a fundamental right.” Some aspects of privacy were expressly defined in the Constitution, while some were not
• Mr. Venugopal argued that privacy was submissive to the fundamental right to life under Article 21. Aadhaar was a measure by the state to ensure the teeming millions of poor in the country were not reduced to lead an “animal existence.”

Ruckus over MP filming House 

The Congress demanded that the act of filming the live proceedings of the Lok Sabha by Anurag Thakur, BJP MP, be referred to the Privileges Committee.

Dual yardstick Alleging a dual yardstick, the party recalled that Aam Aadmi Party MP Bhagwant Mann had been suspended for an entire session for a similar offence, but Mr. Thakur had been let off with a “simple warning” 

Committee of Privileges[Lok Sabha]

• This committee consist of 15 members nominated by the speaker.
• Its function is to examine every question involving the breach of privilege of the House or of the members of any committee thereof referred to it by the house or by the speaker .It determines with reference to the facts of each case whether a breach of privilege is involved and makes suitable recommendations n its report.
• With the coming into force w.e.f 18.03.1986 of the members of Lok sabha (Disqualification on ground of Defection)Rules 1985 ,made by the speaker under 10^th Schedule to the Constitution ,an additional function has been assigned to the  committee .The Speaker may refer to the committee any petition regarding disqualification of a member on ground of defection for making a preliminary enquiry and submitting a report to him.

Policy boosts care for blood disorders

• People living with Thalassaemia, sickle cell anaemia and other variant haemoglobins can now look forward to better screening and treatment.
• The Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry’s new policy on the Prevention and Control of haemoglobinopathies in India.
• Supported by the National Health Mission, Blood Cell and the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram, the guidelines provide for screening of pregnant women during antenatal check-up, pre-marital counselling at college level and one-time screening for variant anaemia in children.
• Thalassaemia and sickle cell anaemia are the most frequently encountered ‘rare blood disorders’ in the country and impose a significant economic burden on families.
• The policy aims at creating treatment protocol benchmarks, to improve the quality of life of patients.
• It is also a guide on prevention and control, which includes antenatal and prenatal testing to reduce the incidence of live haemoglobin disorder births (currently pegged at 10,000-15,000 live births a year).
• The guidelines include the creation of a national registry to plan future patient services. The registry will also collect useful data, such as the location of patients to identify areas of high concentration, ethnicity or other characteristics, age distribution, records of deaths and their cause.
• Testing cannot be made compulsory and people should opt for it.  

 ‘India-Israel ties can affect Al Aqsa conflict’

• India’s friendly ties with Israel could ‘interfere’ with the ongoing Israel-Palestinians conflict over the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem
•  The Palestinian Ambassador, termed Israel’s latest security measures in Al Aqsa compound a ‘religious war’ and said Palestine expected a “positive attitude” from the Indian government
• The Al Aqsa mosque is an Islamic place of worship. 
• Jerusalem is a city of three religions and we respect all religions

CAC adopts Codex norms for three spices

• In a significant move, the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) adopted three Codex standards for black, white and green pepper, cumin and thyme paving the way for an universal agreement on identifying quality spices in various countries
• The CAC cleared these standards at its session held in Geneva recently. 
• It will help evolve a common standardisation process for their global trade and availability.
•  Codex standard will bring harmony to the global spice trade and ensure availability of high quality, clean and safe spices to the world
• small beginning considering the number of commodities waiting in the ranks for the standardisation process. But what is really heartening is that spices have made a definitive entry into the league of commodities having Codex standards, and India played a key role in achieving this objective.
• The Codex Alimentarius or “Food Code” is a collection of standards, guidelines and codes of practice adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
• The Commission, also known as CAC, is the central part of the joint FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations)/WHO (World Health Organisation) Food Standards Programme.
• It was established by FAO and WHO to protect consumer health and promote fair practices in food trade.

‘India must free procurement’:RCEPTalks

• Pressure is mounting on India to open up its more than $300 billion-worth public procurement market under the proposed mega Free Trade Agreement (FTA) called the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
• Government procurement broadly refers to the process by which government (at the Central, State and local levels), its agencies/ departments and State owned enterprises procure goods and/or services only for their own use, and not for sale/resale commercially.
• Insistence on binding commitments :An increasing number of countries including China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand as well as a few from the 10-member ASEAN bloc including Singapore and Malaysia, were pushing for binding commitments to mutually liberalise government procurement markets in the 16 Asia Pacific nations, including themselves and India involved in the mega-FTA talks  
• The 16 countries agreed to constitute a Working Group on government procurement to take forward negotiations on the topic and include it as a separate chapter in the final agreement
• India would not give in to the demands from these countries for “market access and national treatment (equal treatment of foreign and local firms)” pertaining to government procurement in the RCEP agreement 
• India's firm stand :Even in India’s separate FTAs with Japan, South Korea and Singapore (that are already in force), “market access and national treatment” have been kept out of the government procurement chapter
•  The maximum extent that India could go to, is to agree to ensure transparency and cooperation in government procurement matters (including information exchange and sharing of knowledge) as part of the RCEP agreement
• ‘Language barrier’: Countries like China, Japan and South Korea, may outwardly have an open procurement market, but make it difficult for foreign firms to participate by phrasing requirements in local language
• India is not a signatory to the Government Procurement Agreement within the WTO framework because it wants to retain its policy space to meet its development needs through public procurement process.
•  In May 2017, the Indian government had brought out a policy providing preference in government procurement to local goods and services suppliers. 
• This was to push the ‘Make In India’ initiative, ensure greater flow of capital and technology into domestic services and manufacturing, and in turn, boost job creation locally as well as promote small enterprises.
• Then in June, it came up with an order restricting or excluding from public procurement tenders in India, the firms from those nations where Indian suppliers are not allowed to participate and/or compete in government procurement process.

Boost for India on easy visa norms 

• A few ASEAN countries are also understood to be supporting India’s proposal for an RCEP Travel Card to facilitate visa-free multiple short-term entry across the RCEP region for business and tourism purposes.
• India, which has a vast pool of services professionals, including from IT/ ITeS, sector, had been leading the talks on easing restrictions on temporary movement of professionals.