Prelims Tidbits 12 sep 17

XAFECOPY Malware 

Ønew malware detected in India which steals money through victims' mobile phones. 
ØIts attacks are targeted in countries where mobile payment method is popular 
ØAround 40% of target of the malware has been detected in India
ØIt uses technology to bypass 'captcha' systems designed to protect users by confirming the action is being performed by a human
ØThis malware can delete incoming text messages to hide alerts from mobile network operators about stolen money.

Giant African Snail

ØThe infestation of giant African snail in the key coffee-growing areas of Karnataka has triggered concerns.
ØThe pest has surfaced over an estimated 1,500 acres this year.Ø It has led to higher cultivation costs, impacting earnings of coffee and pepper.
Ø The tender plants of coffee, pepper vines and papaya, among others, have been damaged by the pests in the regions.
Ø This snail species has been considered a significant cause in pest issues around the world.
ØInternationally, it is the most frequently occurring invasive species of snail.
Ø It is a nuisance pest for urban areas, and spreads human disease.

Prelims Tidbits 09 sep 17

Directorate General of Civil Aviation 

Context:
1. Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is the Indian governmental
regulatory body for civil aviation under the Ministry of Civil Aviation. This
directorate investigates aviation accidents and incidents.

2. It is headquartered at New Delhi.

3. The Government of India is planning to replace the organisation with a Civil
Aviation Authority (CAA), modelled on the lines of the American Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA)

4. Its vision is Endeavour to promote safe and efficient Air Transportation through
regulation and proactive safety oversight system

Aranmua boat Race

Context:
1. The famous annual snake-boat regatta Uthrittathi Vallamkali was held in the
river Pampa at Aranmula with colour and gaiety on Friday afternoon.

❖ Aranmula Boat Race:-
1. The Aranmula Boat Race the oldest river boat fiesta in Kerala, the south western
State of India is held during Onam (August–September).
2. It takes place at Aranmula, near a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Krishna and
Arjuna.
3. The snake boats move in pairs to the rhythm of full-throated singing and
shouting watched by an exciting crowd.
4. In 1972, snake boat races were also added to the program of the festival.
5. Thousands of people gather on the banks of the river Pampa to watch the snake

boat races.

Union and its terrtory (Part 1  & Scheule Ist )

Article 1 :- Name & Territory of the Union:
2. 1) India/Bharat: Union of States (Federation word not used)
3. 2) Territories of 1stSchedule
4. 3) Territory comprise: a) States b) UT c) May acquired

5. Article 2 :- Establishment of New States, Parliament may by law(can done by
Ordinary Bill) admit into Union

6. Article 3 :- a) Form new state from separating from any state b) Increase area of
state c) Decrease area state d) Alter boundaries of state

e) Alter Name (Article 2 External & Article 3 Internal modification)

FAME-India Scheme

Context:
1. The centre is considering the extension of FAME- India scheme to promote
electric and hybrid vehicles by another six months.

❖ FAME-India scheme:
1. FAME India – Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles
in India – is a part of the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan.

2. The scheme has four focus areas, technology development, demand creation,
pilot projects and charging infrastructure.

3. The scheme envisages Rs 795 crore support in the first two fiscals starting with
the current year.

4. It is being administered by the Heavy Industries Ministry.

Prelims Tidbits 11th sep 2017

Uttrakhand to Bring Special Heritage Law 

Context :
1.Uttarakhand plans to bring special heritage act to boost preservation
2. Seeking to preserve buildings and sites of historic, aesthetic, cultural or
environmental value, the Uttarakhand government is planning to bring a special
legislation to cover unprotected heritage in the state.
3. The Uttarakhand Heritage Act seeks to conserve landmarks such as the Almora
Jail, where Jawaharlal Nehru was imprisoned, the colonial era Raj Bhawan in
Nainital, historic precincts and trees, groves and natural fields of environmental
significance, an official said.
4. It aims at preserving and restoring heritage buildings and sites, which are not
protected either by the central law of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) or
any other existing government policies.
5. The draft (of the Heritage Act) is ready and it will soon be sent for the cabinet's
approval,"

Archaeological Survey of India

Context:
1. Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), under the Ministry of Culture, is the
premier organization for the archaeological researches and protection of the
cultural heritage of the nation.
2. It was established in 1861.
3. Maintenance of ancient monuments and archaeological sites and remains of
national importance is the prime concern of the ASI.
4. Besides it regulate all archaeological activities in the country as per the
provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains
Act, 1958.
5. It also regulates Antiquities and Art Treasure Act, 1972

India-US in talks for C-17 deal

CONTEXT
1.India is in talks with the U.S. for buying another Boeing C-17 Globemaster
transport aircraft to be added to its fleet of 10.
2. Since induction in 2013, the aircraft has become the mainstay of India’s
humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts.
3. The aircraft, along with associated equipment, technical support and warranty,
is estimated to cost $366.2 million.
4. Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft.
5. It was developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) from the 1980s to the

early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas.

Army to induct women into Military Police to probe gender crimes

Context:
1. The government has decided to recruit women jawans into the Army’s Corps of
Military Police (CMP) for investigating gender specific crimes. The proposal is
very significant as women will be inducted in the military’s non-officer cadre for
the first time, although they will be in a non-combat role.

❖ Key facts:
1. Women were required in the Corps of Military Police (CMP) to investigate
gender-specific allegations and crime.
2. The women will be inducted as junior commissioned officers and jawans.

❖ Background:-
1. The armed forces account for around 3,500 women officers, all of whom are in
non-combat roles. Women were allowed to join the military as officers outside

the medical stream for the first time in 1992

Corp of Military Police

Context:

Ø Corps of Military Police (CMP) is the military police of the Indian Army.

Ø CMP is trained to handle prisoners of war and to regulate traffic, as well as to

handle basic telecommunication equipment such as telephone exchanges.

Ø They can be identified by their red berets, white lanyards and belts, and they also

wear a black brassard with the letters MP imprinted in red.

Ø The term ‘red berets’ is synonymous with the personnel of the elite corps of

Military Police (CMP), since all ranks of this Corps adorn the exclusive red berets

along with white belts to distinguish themselves from other Corps of Army.

Ø Functions:

 The role of this Corps is primarily to assist Army formations in maintaining a high

standard of discipline of its troops, prevent breaches of various rules and

regulations and to assist in the preservation of high morale of all ranks of the

formation.

 

  Indian Astronomical Union

1.The International Astronomical Union (IAU) was founded in 1919.

2. Its mission is to promote and safeguard the science of astronomy in all its

aspects through international cooperation.

3. Its individual members — structured into Divisions, Commissions, and Working

Groups — are professional astronomers from all over the world, at the Ph.D.

level and beyond, who are active in professional research and education in

astronomy.

4. The IAU has 12625 members.

5. Among other activities, it acts as the internationally recognized authority for

assigning designations to celestial bodies (stars, planets, asteroids, etc.) and any

surface features on them

Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland

1. Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland is a Greater Naga Revolutionist, Naga

nationalist insurgent group operating mainly in Northeast India, with minor

activities in northwest Myanmar (Burma) until 2012.

2. The main goal of the organisation is to establish a sovereign Naga state,

"Nagalim",which would consist of all the areas inhabited by the Naga people in

Northeast India and Northwest Myanmar.

3. The NSCN (K) has been designated a terrorist organisation in India under the

Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967

North-East calling 

Ø The “North East Calling” event is being organised by the Ministry of

Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Government of

India under its ‘Destination North East’ series of this year.

Ø The purpose of the event is to promote the art, culture, heritage,

cuisine, handicrafts, business and tourism of North East India.

Ø On the above occasion, Dr Jitendra Singh also launched ‘North East

Venture Fund’,which is a joint initiative of Ministry of DoNER and North Eastern

Development Finance Corporation Ltd.

Ø The objective of the fund is to promote entrepreneurship and Start

up in the North Eastern Region.

Ø It is the first dedicated Venture Fund for the region with a corpus

of Rs 100 crores.

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) 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

• 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)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 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.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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. 

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 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,”

 

• 
  

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.