23Rd Jan 2021 Current Affairs Analysis by Iastoppers' Editorial Team | 2021-01-23 17:00:00

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23rd Jan 2021 Current Affairs Analysis By IASToppers' Editorial Team | 2021-01-23 17:00:00

Polity & Governance How A Bill Becomes an Act?

Farmers protesting against the three laws passed by the Parliament in October, 2019 are demanding that the Government repeal these laws.

Procedure followed:

Parliament has the power to make a law and to remove it from the statute books. A law can be struck down by the judiciary if it is unconstitutional. Once the Parliament has passed a Bill, it goes through three more steps before it becomes a law (or an Act). First step: President’s assent (Article 111 of the Constitution) on the Bill. President can either sign off on the Bill or withhold his consent. A Bill is sent to Parliament for reconsideration if the President withholds his or her assent on it. And if Parliament sends it back to the President, he or he has no choice but to approve it. Second step: Deciding the date on which the law comes into effect. Parliament delegates to the government the power to determine this date. Third step: Government frames the rules and regulations to make the law operational on the ground. Parliament has recommended that the government make rules within six months of passing any law. If the government does not make rules and regulations, a law or parts of it will not get implemented. Example: The Benami Transactions Act of 1988 remained unimplemented in the absence of regulations.

Repealing and Amending Act, 2019:

To meet the need for periodic review of old and obsolete laws, the Parliament passed the Repealing and Amending Act, 2019.

The Act seeks to repeal certain enactments and to amend certain other enactments. It provides for repealing fifty-eight old Laws including the Beedi Workers Welfare Fund Act, 1976, and the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2001 which have no relevance today.

[Ref: Indian Express]

Government Schemes & Policies 850 MW Ratle Hydro Electric (HE) Project

Recently, the Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister has given its approval for investment of Rs.5281.94 crore for 850 MW Ratle Hydro Electric (HE) Project located on river Chenab, in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

About Ratle Hydroelectric Power Project:

Ratle is the first hydropower project in India to be awarded on a tariff-based international competitive bidding (ICB) process. It will be developed on the basis of a build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) model of Public Private Partnership (PPP). Under BOOT model a private company undertakes development of the infrastructure project which will be owned, maintained and operated by a private company for a set period of time. After the completion of time period the ownership is transferred to the public entity as per the original contract. Other models for PPP: Build, operate, transfer (BOT): The private organisation does not own the project as an asset, they merely receive a concession to operate it for a period of time. Build lease transfer (BLT): The public sector partner leases the project from the contractor and also takes responsibility for its operation.

Design, build, finance and operate (DBFO): Assigns the design responsibility to the private organisation.

About Chenab river:

Origin: Lahaul valley of Himachal Pradesh. River system: It flows between the Siwalik Range (south) and the Lesser Himalayas (north). The river Chenab (or Chandra Bhaga) is formed after the two streams the Chandra and the Bhaga merge with each other. After receiving the Jhelum River near Trimmu, the Chenab empties into the Sutlej River, a tributary of the Indus River. Chenab is the major left bank tributary of Indus river. Total length: 974 km. Watershed area: Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir Dams: Salal Dam

Dul Hasti Hydroelectric Plant Pakal Dul Dam Ratle Hydroelectric Plant Kiru Hydroelectric Power Project Kwar Hydroelectric Power Project

About Indus Water Treaty:

The erstwhile Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru and President of Pakistan Mohammad Ayub Khan signed the Indus Waters Treaty in September 1960. Waters of the western rivers, the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab were assigned to Pakistan and those of the eastern rivers, the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej to India. It also provided for the funding and building of dams, link canals, barrages, and tube wells. E.g., Tarbela Dam on the Indus River and the Mangla Dam on the Jhelum River. The treaty provided for the creation of a Permanent Indus Commission, with a commissioner from each country to maintain a channel for communication and to resolve questions about implementation of the treaty.

[Ref: PIB]

A new draft ‘Arctic’ policy

Recently, a new draft ‘Arctic’ policy has been unveiled by India to expand scientific research, sustainable tourism and mineral oil and gas exploration in the Arctic region.

Highlights of the policy:

Objective: To explore arctic resources sustainably. Implementation: The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research under the Ministry of Earth Science located at Goa. Five pillars of the policy: Scientific research Economics and human development Connectivity Global governance and international cooperation Development of Indian human resource capabilities. Benefits: It enables India to pursue various diplomatic, economic and scientific activities in the arctic. Scientists will be able to study the melting rates of the third pole (the Himalayan glaciers) with the help of Arctic research because of the similarities between third pole and the Arctic.

About Arctic Region:

The Arctic is the northernmost region on Earth. It is dominated by the Arctic Ocean basin, Scandinavia, Russia, the U.S. state of Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. Characteristics: Extreme fluctuations between summer and winter temperatures. Permanently frozen ground (permafrost), the surface layer of which is subject to summer thawing. At the time of the equinox in winter months there is complete darkness from December to early March on Arctic Region. At the time of the equinox in summer months there is complete light from March to June on Arctic Region. Importance: North pole route: It is a shorter route to connect Europe and other Asian countries. Abundance of mineral and forest resources. 13% of the undiscovered petroleum and 30% of the undiscovered natural gas resources are found in the Arctic. Study of the area provides important information about climate change. The glaciers and icebergs in the Arctic make up about 20% of Earth’s supply of

freshwater.

Arctic Expeditions of India:

Svalbard Treaty: It was signed in 1920 between Norway, US, Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Great Britain and Ireland and the British overseas Dominions and Sweden concerning Spitsbergen. First Scientific Expedition to arctic was launched in 2007 using the international research facility at Ny-Alesund in the Spitsbergen Island of Norway. HIMADRI: It is a research station in Arctic launched in 2008. India is an observer state in the International Arctic Science Committee.

The Arctic Council:

The Arctic Council is an intergovernmental body to promote cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic States, the indigenous communities and other Arctic inhabitants. Set up by Ottawa declaration. Members: Norway Sweden Finland Iceland Denmark (Greenland and Faroe Islands) Canada US Russia Observer status is given to Non-governmental organizations, Non-littoral states as well as to Intergovernmental and Inter-Parliamentary organizations. India is an observer state.

[Ref: The Hindu]

Issues related to Health & Education India is 3rd Globally in Scientific Publications

According to US agency, the National Science Foundation (NSF) India recorded the fastest average annual growth rate of 10.73 per cent for publications between 2008 and 2018.

Growth rate of China and United States was 7.81 and 0.71 per cent respectively.

India specific:

Growth rate: 12.9% 65% of the total patents filed were from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Delhi. Investment in research and development (R&D) has increased.

Government initiatives:

5th National Science Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP):

Nodal agency: Department of Science and Technology Aim: To bring about profound changes through short-term, medium-term, and long-term mission mode projects by building a nurtured ecosystem that promotes research and innovation on the part of both individuals and organizations.

to foster, develop, and nurture a robust system for evidence and stakeholder-driven Science Technology and Innovation (STI) planning, information, evaluation, and policy research in India.

Objectives: to identify and address strengths and weaknesses of the Indian STI ecosystem to catalyse socio-economic development of the country and also make the Indian STI ecosystem

globally competitive. Central repository: A National STI Observatory

National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI):

Nodal agency: Department of Science and Technology It is an umbrella programme for nurturing ideas and innovations (knowledge-based and technology-driven) into successful startups. Entrepreneurs-in- Residence (EIR) Programme is one of the programs introduced under NIDHI to: Inspire the best talents to be entrepreneurs. Minimise the risk involved in pursuing startups. Partially set off their opportunity costs of high paying jobs. Benefits of NIDHI programme: Guidance from experienced, innovative and highly successful entrepreneurs on the business concept, strategy or venture and insight into specific industries or markets. Provide knowledge about best practices for starting a business and broaden the professional network. Co-working spaces for developing the idea into a marketable product.

[Ref: NDTV]

US resumes support for WHO

The United States announced to provide a boost to efforts to share out corona virus vaccines across the world.

The United States will also resume funding for the World Health Organization.

About WHO:

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. Objective: The attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland, with six semi-autonomous regional offices and 150 field offices worldwide. The WHO incorporated the assets, personnel, and duties of the League of Nations' Health Organisation and the International Office of Public Hygiene, including the International Classification of Diseases (ICD).

How is WHO funded?

WHO gets its funding from two main sources: Member States paying their assessed contributions (countries’ membership dues), Voluntary contributions from Member States and other partners. Assessed contributions (AC) are a percentage of a country’s Gross Domestic Product (the percentage is agreed by the United Nations General Assembly). Member States approve them every two years at the World Health Assembly, covering less than 20% of the total budget. The remainder of WHO’s financing is in the form of voluntary contributions (VC), largely from Member States as well as from other United Nations organizations, intergovernmental organizations, philanthropic foundations, the private sector, and other sources.

[Ref: TRT World]

Economy RBI proposes 4-layered Framework for Regulation of NBFCs

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) proposed a four-layered structure for the regulation of Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs).

About the Proposal:

The framework has been envisaged as a pyramid-like structure, where regulated entities will be classified into each layer based on parameters like: Asset size Type of liabilities Systemic importance of liabilities.

What is a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC)?

An NBFC is a company registered under the Companies Act, 1956. It is engaged in the business of loans and advances, acquisition of shares/ stocks/ bonds/ debentures/ securities issued by Government or local authority or other marketable securities. NBFC does not include any institution whose principal business is: Agriculture activity Industrial activity Purchase or sale of any goods (other than securities) Providing any services and sale/purchase/construction of immovable property. NBFCs whose asset size is of ? 500 crore or more as per last audited balance sheet are considered as systemically important NBFCs.

Difference between Banks & NBFCs:

NBFC cannot accept demand deposits. NBFCs do not form part of the payment and settlement system and cannot issue cheques drawn on itself. Deposit insurance facility is not available to depositors of NBFCs, unlike in case of banks.

[Ref: Financial Express]

Environment, Ecology and Disaster management Scientists counting elephants from space

Researchers from the University of Oxford Wildlife Conservation Research Unit and Machine Learning Research Group detected elephants in South Africa from space using Artificial Intelligence.

Very high-resolution satellite imagery is being used to count and detect wildlife species with an accuracy that they have compared to human detection capabilities.

Significance of counting:

The population of African elephants has dropped over the last century due to poaching, retaliatory

killing from crop-raiding and habitat fragmentation. Therefore, it is important to track elephant populations for their conservation. Inaccurate counts can lead to misallocation of conservation resources.

How did scientists track the elephants?

The most common survey methods to keep a check on elephant involved aerial counts undertaken from manned aircraft. This method does not deliver accurate results since observers on aircraft are prone to get exhausted, are sometimes hindered by poor visibility and may even succumb to bias. Aerial surveys are costly and logistically challenging. To test the new method, they used satellite imagery that required no ground presence to monitor the elephants. Researchers used the highest resolution satellite imagery currently available, called Worldview3. The team created a training dataset of 1,000 elephants and compared the results to human performance. In 2002, scientists started using geographic information systems (GIS) technology to understand how they could conserve Asian elephants. At the time, scientists launched the first satellite-tracking project on Asian elephants in Myanmar.

About Geographic Information System (GIS):

A Geographic Information System (GIS) is a framework for gathering, managing, and analysing data. It integrates many types of data. It analyses spatial location and organizes layers of information into visualizations using maps and 3D scenes. ? With this unique capability, GIS reveals deeper insights into data, such as patterns, relationships, and situations—helping users make smarter decisions.

[Ref: The Indian Express]

Bilateral & International Relations India – Sri Lanka: Fishermen issue

Recently, the Tamil Nadu government alleged that the bodies which washed ashore in Sri Lanka belonged to four Indian fishermen and that they were beaten to death by the Lankan Navy.

Reason behind the Conflict:

Fishermen from Rameswaram and nearby coasts continue to sail towards Talaimannar and Katchatheevu coasts, a region famous for rich maritime resources in Sri Lanka.

Plenty of catch in this region has triggered a proliferation of fishing trawlers in Tamil Nadu coast in the past three decades. At the time of the Sri Lankan civil war, Indian fishermen’s access to Sri Lankan water was easier. Sri Lanka remained preoccupied with its war against the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam). Absence of poor Tamil fishermen of Sri Lanka due to the war also favored fishing by Indian trawlers. With the civil war ending in 2009, arrests and attacks increased on Indian fishermen as they continued fishing in Lankan waters because of depletion of marine resources on the Indian side.

About Katchatheevu Island:

Katchatheevu is an uninhabited island in the Palk Strait administered by Sri Lanka. The island is located between Neduntheevu, Sri Lanka and Rameswaram, India and has been traditionally used by both Sri Lankan Tamil and Indian fishermen. In 1974, the disputed island was ceded to Sri Lanka after an agreement was signed between the two countries. The agreement allows Indian fishermen “access to Katchatheevu for rest, for drying of nests and for the annual St Anthony’s festival” but it did not ensure the traditional fishing rights.

What are Trawlers?

Trawlers are mechanized boats with highly exploitative fishing nets compared to the traditional fishing methods. Each trawler in Tamil Nadu travels up to 18 kms towards Talaimannar and Katchatheevu in search of better catch. Hoping for better profits, too many people started buying trawlers in Rameswaram and nearby Tamil Nadu coasts.

[Ref: Indian Express]

Indian History

PM to address an event at Sivasagar's Jerenga Pothar

Prime Minister visits Assam to launch an Assam government initiative to distribute over one lakh land pattas (documents) to indigenous communities of the state.

The venue is historic Sivasagar- Jerenga Pothar in Upper Assam. Formerly known as Rangpur, it was the seat of the powerful Ahom dynasty.

The historical significance of Jerenga Pothar:

Jerenga Pothar, an open field in Sivasagar town, is popularly connected to the valour of 17th century Ahom princess Joymoti. While the courage of Ahom kings is well-documented, Joymoti’s story is celebrated and invoked as a symbol of inspiration. From 1671 to 1681, the Ahom kingdom was undergoing a period of tumult, meaning the nobles and prime ministers were more important than the king, who were often puppets. At this time Sulikhpaa— also known as ‘Lora Raja’ or the boy prince — and his prime minister Laluksala Borphukan were tracking down, and killing, possible heirs, to ensure a clear passage to the throne. Prince Godapani, Joymoti’s husband, was next in line, but he escaped to the Naga Hills to avoid capture. It was then that Lora Raja sought out Godapani’s wife Joymoti, hoping she would tell him about his whereabouts. However, despite being tortured for days, tied to a thorny plant, in an open field, Joymoti refused to divulge any information. She died, sacrificing her life for her husband, who ultimately became the king, ushering in an era of stability and peace in Assam. The place Joymoti was tortured to death was Jerenga Pothar.

The Ahom Kingdom:

The Ahom kingdom was a late medieval kingdom in the Brahmaputra Valley in Assam. It is well known for maintaining its sovereignty for nearly 600 years and successfully resisting

Mughal expansion in Northeast India.

Established by Sukaphaa, a Tai prince from Mong Mao, it began as a mong in the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra based on wet rice agriculture. It expanded suddenly under Suhungmung in the 16th century, casting a profound effect on the political and social life of the entire Brahmaputra valley. The kingdom became weaker with the rise of the Moamoria rebellion, and subsequently fell to repeated Burmese invasions of Assam. With the defeat of the Burmese after the First Anglo-Burmese War and the Treaty of Yandabo in 1826, control of the kingdom passed into East India Company hands. Though it came to be called the Ahom kingdom in the colonial and subsequent times, it was largely multi-ethnic. Most people from different ethnic groups became a part of the Ahom population due to Ahomisation. The Ahoms adopted Assam in later times. The British-controlled province after 1838 and later the Indian state of Assam came to be known by this name.

[Ref: The Indian Express]

Key Facts for Prelims

501Y.V2: South African SARS-CoV-2 Strain

Recently, a study has found that 501Y.V2 variant of SARS-CoV-2 has the ability to evade antibodies. It has the ability to reinfect patients who have recovered from Covid-19. The findings also have implications for the effectiveness of current Covid-19 vaccines which are based on the spike protein of the original virus.

ShramShakti portal

Recently, the Union Minister of Tribal Affairs launched “ShramShakti”, a National Migration Support Portal through a virtual conference.

About Portal:

It would help in smooth formulation of state and national level programs for migrant workers. Nodal ministry: Ministry of Labour & Employment Objective: To consolidate information of Labour Inspection and its enforcement.

Benefits:

Portal will increase transparency and accountability in inspections. The performance will be monitored using key indicators thus making the evaluation process objective.

ShramSaathi:

Shram Saathi is a training manual for migrant workers.

[Ref: PIB]

Smart Anti Airfield Weapon

DRDO successfully conducted captive and release trial of indigenously developed Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW).

It was conducted from Hawk-I of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) off the Odisha coast on 21 January 2021.

Key Highlights:

The smart weapon was successfully test fired from Indian Hawk-Mk132 of HAL. This was the 9th successful mission of SAAW conducted by DRDO till now. The telemetry (in situ collection of measurements or other data) and tracking systems installed at Interim Test Range (ITR) captured all the mission events.

About SAAW:

SAAW is indigenously designed and developed by DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat (RCI) Hyderabad. This is 125 Kg class smart weapon. Capable of engaging ground enemy airfield assets such as radars, bunkers, taxi tracks, and runways etc. up to a range of 100 kms. The high precision guided bomb is light weight as compared to weapon system of the same class. The weapon was earlier successfully test fired from Jaguar aircraft.

[Ref: PIB]