Current Affairs from the Hindu DATE:30-03-15

Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:30-03-15

S.NO. NEWS ITEM SYLLUBUS ESSENCE OF THE ARTICLE

1. a) International a) Russia, Australia and Netherlands announced its Russia, Australia, decision to join the China-led Asian Infrastructure Netherlands to Investment Bank. join AIIB (Page 12)

2. a) International The war in Yemen a) Another Arab nation faces a humanitarian crisis (Page 8) following military conflict, as the localised war between various forces in Yemen has taken on a regional dimension.

3. a) International Deal reached on a) Iran and six world powers have reached tentative number of Iran agreement on key parts of a deal sharply reducing centrifuges (Page Tehrans nuclear programme. 12)

4. a) National The greatness of a a) The judgment cancelling Section 66A of the IT Act landmark b) Polity is a landmark judgment, but for its other sections and not those specific to free speech. judgment (Page 9) c) Social issue

5. a) National Prime Minister a) PM Modi does not want one of his pet projects wants housing (Housing for All by 2022) to miss its target. target met (Pages 1 and 10)

6. a) National Centre will stand a) Union Finance Minister said the Centre would by rain-hit provide all possible help to farmers whose crops had been farmers: Jaitley damaged in the unseasonal rains and hail, even if it meant (Page 10) relaxing the norms for compensation.

7. a) S&T Upgraded a) A newly configured version of an interceptor missile interceptor missile (designed to improve its capacity) will be test-fired to be test-fired on against an electronic target missile from Wheeler Island April 6 (Page 11) on April 6.

1 S.NO. NEWS ITEM SYLLUBUS BACKGROUND IMPORTANT POINTS

1. a) International a) Asian Infrastructure a) Russia, Australia and the Russia, Australia, Investment Bank (AIIB) Netherlands announced its Netherlands to decision to join the China-led join AIIB (Page b) Silk Road Economic AIIB. The decision of key 12) Belt European powers along with c) Chinas One belt One South Korea to join the bank road initiative (overriding strong objections d) Maritime Silk Road from US), has split the Atlantic (MSR) project Alliance on this issue. b) Russian Deputy PM said that Russia welcomes Chinas Silk Road Economic Belt initiative and is happy about stepping up cooperation. c) The Russian Minister was referring to Chinas One belt One road initiative, which foresees connecting the Pacific coast with Europe by an extensive transport, cyber and energy network along the Eurasian corridor. d) Inter-linked with the land route, China wants to establish the 21st century MSR, which would connect China with a string of ports in Southeast Asia, South Asia, West Asia and Africa. The MSR would terminate in Europe. e) The AIIBs apparent success has now brought into sharper focus Chinas One belt One Road initiative which requires massive investment (including finance from the $40 Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:30-03-15

billion Silk Road fund) which the Chinese have separately established. f) Analysts point out that the One Belt One Road initiative once implemented is expected to accelerate the shift of geo- economic power away from the US towards Eurasia.

2. a) International a) Yemen crisis The war in a) Another Arab nation faces Yemen (Page 8) b) Houthi rebel group a humanitarian crisis following military conflict, as the c) Gulf Cooperation Council localised war between various forces in Yemen has taken on a d) Al-Qaeda in the regional dimension. Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) b) After the besieged Yemeni govt requested help, the Gulf Cooperation Council (led by Saudi Arabia) launched air attacks against Houthi rebel positions in Yemen on March 26. The Saudis have deployed a large force with help from Arab countries such as Egypt and Jordan and others such as Pakistan and Sudan. c) This military action (without UN sanction) has also involved logistical help from the US. The apparent reason for Saudi intervention is to temper the rising Iranian influence in its immediate neighbourhood. d) The US involvement is more of a reflexive reaction to register support for its Saudi allies and for the besieged transitional govt in Yemen. Saudi Arabia and its allies who have joined the effort allege that

3 the Houthis are being funded and armed by Iran. e) The Houthis are a Zaidi Shia group that had participated in uprisings against former Yemeni President and long-time ruler Abdullah Saleh and who had felt left out from the transitional govt that followed Salehs rule. f) The Houthis have a large degree of control over many areas of northwestern Yemen, including over the capital Sanaa. The Houthi-led insurgency is not the only military conflict raging in Yemen. The AQAP leads another insurgency in the southeast along with the Ansar al-Sharia; this one is a Sunni Islamist rebellion. g) The Houthi forces consolidation in the south could have presented an opportunity for a new, more inclusive and legitimate govt following a ceasefire but that option is now ruled out as the conflict has been effectively regionalised with the Saudi intervention. h) Yemen increasingly appears to be heading towards Syrias fate. What started as yet another promising chapter of Arab Spring has now taken a turn that follows events elsewhere in the region.

3. a) International a) Irans nuclear a) Western diplomats said Deal reached on programme that Iran and six world powers Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:30-03-15

b) US – Iran nuclear have reached tentative number of Iran deal agreement on key parts of a deal centrifuges (Page sharply reducing Tehrans 12) c) P5+1 group nuclear programme. b) They said Iran had more or less agreed to cut the number of its centrifuge machines by more than two-thirds and to ship abroad most of its stockpile of nuclear material. c) Iranian diplomats rejected that any tentative agreement on these points has been struck, saying that reports of a specific number of centrifuges and exporting its stockpiles were journalistic speculation.

4. a) National a) Section 66A of the a) A great judgment is one The greatness of a IT Act of 2000 that restores the constitutional landmark b) Polity values of a polity from the judgment (Page 9) b) Freedom of speech c) Social issue waywardness into which it may c) Doctrine of have fallen, while a landmark Severability judgment is one which opens up new directions in our constitutional thinking and in the process, adds new dimensions to what are regarded as established constitutional principles. b) For many commentators, the judgment (striking down as unconstitutional Section 66A of the IT Act of 2000 by the Supreme Court Bench in the Shreya Singhal case) is seen as a landmark judgment. It is regarded as signaling the birth of new free speech jurisprudence and restoring the public space for dissent in India. c) The author see the analytical distinction made in the judgment of three forms of

5 free speech and expression, i.e., discussion, advocacy and incitement, as preliminary to a fine distinction being worked out but one which was not done. The distinction is inadequately executed since it does not provide for the societal dynamics of each form. d) The judgment does not make important distinction between speech and expression and while it elaborates on need to protect speech and the written word, it has little to say on expression especially in its many forms of photographs, paintings, films, cartoons, etc. e) The other weakness is the judgments acceptance of the distinction between the print and digital media, or rather between the old mainstream and the new social media. f) However these few areas of weakness should not detract from the judgments significant contribution to free speech especially in these dark times of censorship. It is without doubt a great judgment and will soon become touchstone for new free speech jurisprudence in India. g) The author does consider it a landmark judgment but for its other sections and not those specifically relating to free speech. The implications of these sections are that they give powerful legal weapons to those fighting the rule of state. h) They decrease arrogance of govt, resurrect the principle Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:30-03-15

of limited govt and reinstate the genuine rule of law. After a long time, the govt and this is cause for celebration has again become subject to oppressive rule of law. i) There are three exercises performed by the Honourable Justices that have produced this outcome. The first is their dismissal of the assurances given by govt on the ground that the law cannot be based on the assurances of any regime in power. The second is the role the judgment performs in educating the public about the govts mind by placing the key aspects of the govts submission in the public domain. And the third relates to their observation that vagueness in formulation of laws produces an oppressive rule of power. j) When the Additional Solicitor General sought to assure the court that even if certain portions of the law were vague, the government (being committed to free speech) would not use the section to control free speech. k) The law must stand on its own. Similarly, when the Additional Solicitor General asked that parts of Section 66A be saved under the Doctrine of Severability, the Honourable Judges held that no part of Section 66A is severable and the provision as a whole must be declared unconstitutional. l) By dismissing both requests of the govt, the Court

7 achieved two major outcomes. It established the fact that the law must be delinked from the agency and intentions of govt. It must be read independently of the intentions of those who administer it. Second, the court distanced itself from common perception that it normally acts in a govt-friendly manner. m) All the three exercises will infuse a new strength in the litigants fight for citizenship rights. It will make those who draft laws cautious and increase parliamentary scrutiny of articles and clauses. It will make law officers realise that their submissions will be subject to public scrutiny. n) As the custodian of the Constitution, the court has to fight oppressive rule. The judgment has struck a powerful blow for limiting government. This is what makes it a landmark judgment.

5. a) National a) Housing for All by a) PM Modi does not want Prime Minister 2022 scheme one of his pet projects (Housing wants housing for All by 2022) to miss its target met (Pages b) Urban development target. 1 and 10) c) Smart cities b) The govt has announced construction of two crore houses annually to meet the target but Modi has instructed the Urban Development and the Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Ministries to verify if more houses should be built. c) Official said that Modi has been taking a keen interest in the schemes related to urban development and renewal, Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:30-03-15

housing and construction of smart cities. d) In February, PM Modi put on hold the Housing for All scheme and asked officials to merge it with the rural housing component being carried out by Rural Development Ministry. e) Officials said that affordable housing has been listed as a priority by Modi.

6. a) National a) MPLAD Fund a) Union Finance Minister Centre will stand said the Centre would provide by rain-hit b) MGNREGA all possible help to farmers farmers: Jaitley whose crops had been damaged (Page 10) in the unseasonal rains and hail, even if it meant relaxing the norms for compensation. b) The Rajasthan govt made out a case for extending relief work beyond 90 days, providing 200 days of work under MGNREGA and relaxing rules for providing compensation to all farmers based on the loss rather than to only those who had lost more than 50 percent of the crop. c) The State also sought relaxation in utilising more money for relief from the MPLAD Fund and the CMs Calamity Relief Fund.

7. a) S&T a) Interceptor missile a) A newly configured Upgraded (AAD) version of an interceptor missile interceptor (designed to improve its missile to be test- b) Ballistic Missile capacity) will be test-fired fired on April 6 Defence system against an electronic target (Page 11) c) Wheeler Island missile from Wheeler Island on April 6. b) As part of Indias plans to deploy a two-tier Ballistic

9 Missile Defence system to protect important cities and installations, missile technologists of DRDO have conducted nine interceptor missile tests. Six of tests were conducted in endo-atmosphere (below 40km altitude) and three in exo-atmosphere (above 80 km). 8 tests were successful. c) In the upcoming test to be conducted in the endo- atmosphere, the reconfigured version of the interceptor missile (AAD) would be launched to validate its capability to carry a bigger warhead and minimise the mis- distance, among other parameters. d) Another crucial feature that of powering the missile when the target missile is detected with a reduced reaction time would also be tested during the mission.