Prelims Tidbits 08 Sep

US backs sale of fighter planes to India 

• The Trump administration has told the U.S. Congress that it “strongly supports” the sale of F-18 and F-16 fighter planes to India, built by American companies Boeing and Lockheed Martin respectively 
• Both companies have offered to assemble these planes in India, should New Delhi decide to buy them.

• The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a twin-engine supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable multirole combatjet, designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft (hence the F/A designation). Designed by McDonnell Douglas(now Boeing) and Northrop
•  F/A-18 has a top speed of Mach 1.8
• It can carry a wide variety of bombs and missiles, including air-to-air and air-to-ground

Single Engine fighter acquisition for the IAF:
• F-16: Manufactured by Lockheed Martin, USA
• Gripen: Manufactured by Saab, Sweden
Twin Engine fighter acquisition for the Indian Navy:
• Rafale: Manufactured by Dassault Aviation, France
• F-18: Manufactured by Boeing, USA

Dhauladhar get snowfall

• The foothills of the Dhauladhar mountain ranges in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday received the season’s first snowfall, while rain lashed several other areas of the State.
• The Dhauladhar ranges received mild snowfall , bringing the day temperature in Dharamsala down to around 2 degrees Celsius.
• In Himachal Himalayas, The Greater Himalaya is represented by the Zaskar range, lesser Himalaya by Pir Panjal and Dhauladhar ranges and the Outer Himalaya by the Shiwalik range.

Central Information Commission:

• The Central Information Commission (CIC) is set up under the Right to Information Act and is the authorised/statutory body, established in 2005, under the (Minstry of personnel) Government of India.
• The Chief Information Commissioner heads the Central Information Commission. CIC hears appeals from information-seekers who have not been satisfied by the public authority, and also addresses major issues concerning the RTI Act.
• The Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners are appointed by the President on the recommendation of a committee consisting of—

1. The Prime Minister, who shall be the Chairperson of the committee.
2. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
3. A Union Cabinet Minister to be nominated by the Prime Minister.

• CIC is a high-powered independent body which inter alia looks into the complaints made to it and decides the appeals regarding the information sought by the public. 
• It entertains complaints and appeals pertaining to offices, financial institutions, public sector undertakings, etc., under the Central Government and the Union Territories. 
• The Commission consists of a Chief Information Commissioner and not more than ten Information Commissioners. It is not only an advisory but an action body as well.
• The Chief Information Commissioner and an Information Commissioner have a fixed tenure and are not eligible for reappointment 

FUNCTIONS:
Commission has suo-moto power to order an inquiry for violation of RTI Act. 
 While inquiring the Commission has the power of a civil court. 
 The Commission has the power to secure compliance from the public authority and power to impose penalty. 
 The Commission submits an annual report to the Central Government on the implementation of the provisions of this Act which is placed before Parliament.

 TRAI

•    The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is the independent regulator of the telecommunications business in India. It was established by an act of Parliament, called the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act 1997, to regulate telecom services, including fixation/revision of tariffs for telecom services which were earlier vested in the Central Government.
• Central Government of India appoints a Chairperson and maximum six other members in Telecommunication Regulatory Authority of India. The Chair person must have worked as Supreme Court Judge or Chief Justice of a High Court. The TRAI members should have professional knowledge in telecommunication industry, finance, law, accountancy, and management.
• Any person with working experience for minimum 3 years as Secretary or additional Secretary or any equivalent post in the Central or State Governments in India are also eligible for posts of TRAI Chairperson and Members. TRAI authority can appoint officers and other employees as and when required for efficient functions of the authority.

Functions of TRAI
a)guide Govt on spectrum auction ,license fee,tenure etc.
b)Level playing field to Public v/s Private Players 
c)Provide service to service providers & protect consumers /decide service quality norms 
d)monitor service quality through "performance monitoring reports 

The TRAI Act was amended by an ordinance, effective from 24 January 2000, establishing a Telecommunications Dispute Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) to take over the adjudicatory and disputes functions from TRAI.

INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY

The 51st International Literacy Day is being celebrated on 8th September, 2017 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi and the theme announced by UNESCO is `Literacy in a digital world’.

The programme would include; felicitation to the dignitaries, distribution of Saakshar Bharat Awards to the best performing States, Districts, Gram Panchayats and NGOs.

What

1. The International Literacy Day is celebrated on 8th September every year throughout the world.  On this day, in the year 1965 the World Congress of Ministers of Education met in Tehran for the first time to discuss the programme of education at the international level.  
2. The UNESCO in its 14th Session in November, 1966, declared 8th September as the International Literacy Day.  Since then, ILD is celebrated on 8th September every year by most of the member countries. 
3. The key aspect of the observance of ILD is to mobilize public opinion in favour of struggle against illiteracy. 
4. ILD is a forum to disseminate information on literacy and raise the public awareness and the significance of literacy for individual and national development.
5. The National Literacy Mission Authority started celebrating International Literacy Day every year from 1988 onwards.  
6. The   eradication of illiteracy has been one of the major national concerns of the Govt. of India since independence. The occasion of ILD is used for raising public awareness to eradicate illiteracy and create environment in favour of adult education programmes.
7. From 1996 onwards some new elements were introduced to make the programme more attractive. 
8. In the year 1996 a ‘Mashal March’ was organized involving school students and literacy functionaries. In subsequent years, variety of activities were included as a part of ILD celebration.

Prelims Tidbits 07th July

• Article 256

As per article 256, States are expected to comply with the laws of parliament and not impede the exercise of the executive powers of the union. In this regard the union government can issue necessary directives to the states.

Why in the NEWS ?

The Supreme Court has given directions to states against Cow Vigilantees (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/attacks-by-cow-vigilantes-must-stop-sc-tells-states/article19633253.ece) 

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• Citizenship in India & Indian citizenship acts

Indian citizenship act, 1955

• Indian constitution provides single citizenship to all irrespective of the states a person belongs to
• Constitution simply describes classes of people deemed to be citizens of India as on 26th Jan 1950 & leaves entire law of citizenship to be regulated by parliamentary laws

• Parliament enacted Indian citizenship act, 1955 for acquisition & loss of Indian citizenship.

Acquisition of Indian Citizenship as per Citizenship act, 1955

1. Citizenship by birth: Every person born in India on or after January 26, 1950, shall be a citizen of India by birth.
2. Citizenship by descent: A person born outside India on or after January 26, 1950, shall be a citizen of India by descent if either of his parents is a citizen of India at the time of the person’s birth.
3. Citizenship by registration: A person can acquire Indian citizenship by registering themselves before the prescribed authority, e.g. persons of Indian origin who are ordinarily resident in India and have been so for five years immediately before making the application for registration; persons who are married to citizens of India.
4. Citizenship by naturalization:  A foreigner can acquire Indian citizenship, on application for naturalisation to the Government of India.
5. Citizenship by Incorporation of territory: If any new territory becomes a part of India, the Government of India shall specify the persons of that territory as citizens of India.

Termination of Indian Citizenship

1. Renunciation by Voluntary Act.
2. After acquiring the citizenship of another country.
3. Deprivation of citizenship by an order of the Government of India.

Why in NEWS ?

TRS MLA stripped of Citizenship(http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/trs-mla-stripped-of-indian-citizenship/article19631149.ece)

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 Middle East to India Deepwater Pipeline (MEIDP)  

It will connect the Gas Rich Gulf & Middle East regions to India, for the transportation of Natural Gas to secure India´s Energy Needs. 

Middle East to India Deepwater Pipeline (MEIDP), can be seen as an alternative to IPI(Iran-Pakistan-India) pipeline and TAPI(Turkemenistan-Afghanstan-Pakistan-India) project. The pipeline starts from Chabahar port and ends at Porbandar in South Gujarat of India. It passes through Sea of Omen to Omani coast.

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Uday Kotak Committee

• constituted by SEBI on Corporate Governance 

• The mandate of the committee is to make recommendations on:

1. Ensuring independence in spirit of independent directors and their active participation in functioning of the company.
2. The steps that are need to be taken for improving safeguards and disclosures pertaining to related party transactions.
3. To suggest measures for addressing issues faced by investors on voting and participation in general meetings
4. The steps required for improving effectiveness of board evaluation practices. Suggest on issues pertaining to disclosure and transparency.

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NATIONAL NUTRITION STRATEGY

• NITI Aayog calls renewed focus on Nutrition, launches the National Nutrition Strategy
• To address this and to bring nutrition to the centre-stage of the National Development Agenda, NITI Aayog has drafted the National Nutrition Strategy. Formulated through an extensive consultative process, the Strategy lays down a roadmap for effective action, among both implementers and practitioners, in achieving our nutrition objectives. 
• The nutrition strategy envisages a framework wherein the four proximate determinants of nutrition – uptake of health services, food, drinking water & sanitation and income & livelihoods – work together to accelerate decline of under nutrition in India. 
• Currently, there is also a lack of real time measurement of these determinants, which reduces our capacity for targeted action among the most vulnerable mothers and children. 
• The Nutrition Strategy framework envisages a Kuposhan Mukt Bharat - linked to Swachh Bharat and Swasth Bharat. The aim is to ensure that States create customized State/ District Action Plans to address local needs and challenges. This is especially relevant in view of enhanced resources available with the States, to prioritise focussed interventions with a greater role for panchayats and urban local bodies. 

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SURYAKIRAN 

• It is the Joint-military excercise of the Army of India and Nepal .
• Why in NEWS? -Recently both countries  began their joint military exercise in the western part of the Himalayan country, focusing on counter-terrorism and forest fighting operations. The exercise - Surya Kiran - was being participated by around 300 troops each side in Rupandehi district

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PM visits Ananda Temple, Bagan

• This is a Buddhist temple built in the early 12th century. It is the second largest temple in the entire Bagan region. 
• The Archaeological Survey of India has carried out structural conservation and chemical preservation work of this temple. Restoration work is being carried out after damage during the earthquake last year. 
• The Prime Minister offered prayers and made a Parikrama of the temple, during which ASI representatives explained the restoration process

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 The Central government has constituted a new task force led by NITI Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar to recommend measures to increase employment by promoting labour-intensive exports.

Terms of reference for the task force:

• To help create ‘well-paid, formal sector jobs’ include sector-specific policy interventions
• Measures to enhance services trade where there is high employment potential and identifying macro-economic factors holding back exports.
• Shall propose a comprehensive action plan to generate jobs as well as fix ‘under-employment’.
• Ascertain the effectiveness of existing export promotion schemes and logistical or trade facilitation issues.
• Also examine how trade data can be improved so that ‘it is reliable, globally comparable and timely, particularly with respect to trade in services.’

NITI Aayog statement on employment status in India: “While the Indian workforce has high aspirations, a majority of the workers are still employed in low-productivity, low-wage jobs in small, micro and own-account enterprises. An urgent and sustained expansion of the organized sector is essential to address India’s unemployment and under-employment issue,”

 

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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.
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• 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.