APRIL 29, 2019

Ishad mango, the pride of Ankola, is becoming rare:It is facing intense competition from hybrid varieties: ANKOLA (UTTARA KANNADA)

• A local mango variety called Ishad, the pulp of which has been extracted for over a century for making value-added products, is facing the threat of becoming rare in its homeland, Ankola of Uttara Kannada district, due to competition from hybrid varieties.
• But hopes of its revival are not completely lost as a cooperative society, Hichkad Group Vividhoddeshagala Sahakari Sangha Niyamita, in this coastal town continues to extract and market its pulp under the brand name ‘Oriental (Ishad Mango Pulp)’, though in small quantities.
• Oriental Canneries and Industries set up a unit in Ankola in 1908 to extract pulp from Ishad for making value-added products. The then Bombay government supported it by supplying wood. The pulp, which was also being exported, was being marketed by the then Bombay-based Veerachand Panachand Company. The pulp could be used for making 48 recipes. It was being used in the United States, Australia and Sri Lanka.
• The mango, harvested from mid-May, has a short shelf life of not more than two or three days. But its pulp lasts more than a year.The mango has two variants — Kari Ishad, which has thin skin, more pulp and is sweeter, and Bili Ishad, which has thick skin and has less pulp and sweetness.
• A small quantity of the fruit is being marketed in Hubballi, Belagavi and Mangaluru during the season. It is delicate to handle given its short shelf life. Hence, the fruit cannot be transported to faraway places,adding that the demand for the pulp has not come down as about 95% of the pulp made by the cooperative is sold every year. But there is a need to conserve this variety.

 

Expert help bolsters deceased organ donation:Pvt. hospital which appointed transplant procurement manager posts good results.

• In November,2018, when the Kerala State government decided to follow the Spanish model in organ donation and to have the entire process coordinated in the intensive care units through dedicated transplant procurement managers (TPMs), it was a pro-active measure to breathe life into Mrithasanjeevani, the government’s deceased donor organ donation programme, which had been flagging since 2016.
• Mrithasanjeevani is run with the involvement of private hospitals designated as transplant centres across the State. Though the GO on appointing TPMs had been sent to all registered transplant centres in the State, both public and private, only one private hospital chose to implement it. None of the government MCHs did.
• The lone private hospital, a prominent transplant centre in the south, which appointed a TPM, is now leading the way in organ donation and demonstrating how a committed medical team and a supportive hospital administration can change the system.
• It puts immense strain on the hospital but they have shown how a dedicated team to coordinate activities, right from maintaining the potential donor in the ICU to counselling the grieving families, can win the trust of the public and smoothen the donation process. We need to implement the system in our MCHs soon so that more lives can be saved.

Spain, the global leader

• KNOS had recommended the TPM model to the government following interactions with its Spanish counterpart.
• Spain has been the world leader in deceased organ donation and it has been training several developing nations to emulate the model.
• A TPM, essentially a neurosurgeon/intensivist working in ICUs, is expected to “provide clinical leadership within the hospital and to raise the value of organ donation”.
• His main task is to identify potential donors in ICUs, help conduct tests as required under law to confirm brain death and to ensure that the rest of the processes, including approaching families, is carried out in a professional manner.

 

• Kerala's Deceased Donor Organ Transplantation Program, a Kerala Government Initiative established on 12th August 2012.
• The Online Transplant Registry maintain records of patients on waiting list for Kidney, Liver, Heart and Pancreas transplants in the state.
• The programme was initiated as a large number of patients suffers from an account of irreversible organ ailments involving Heart, Liver, Pancreas and kidney.
• The programme aims at giving such vulnerable individual an opportunity to have a transplant surgery and lead a healthy life.
• Moreover, considering the ethical issues surrounding the live and deceased organ transplantation, Government felt the need to streamline the procedures for deceased donor Multi organ transplantation (DDMOT) in the State.
• Any issues related to it should be addressed to the State Convenor.

The Delhi HC verdict on basmati production came on a plea by Madhya Pradesh.

The Delhi High Court has struck down the decision of the Central government restricting basmati rice production to only seven States in the Indo-Gangetic plains.

The verdict came on the Madhya Pradesh government’s plea to include 13 districts in the State under the Geographical Indications (GI) category for this rice variety.

GI certification gives recognition and several protections to a basmati rice producer and helps in maintaining the specific qualities of the variety grown in that particular region.

The Ministry of Agriculture had through two Office Memorandums (OMs) of May 2008 and February 2014 confined the description of basmati to rice grown in the Indo-Gangetic plains in the States of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and parts of Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

The Madhya Pradesh government contended that the two OMs were outside the scope of the Seeds Act, 1966.

It additionally argued that the OMs encroach upon its power to pass laws in relation to agriculture, which is a State subject.

 

Srinagar-Leh NH open for traffic after 4 months

The 434-km strategic Srinagar-Leh National Highway, connecting the Kashmir Valley with the Ladakh region, was thrown open for traffic on Sunday after being closed for over four months due to heavy snowfall.

The strategic road was closed for traffic in mid-December last year due to heavy accumulation of snow from Gagangir in Ganderbal district to Drass in Kargil district.

Zojila Pass, at 11,516 feet above sea level, connects the picturesque Kashmir Valley with the cold Indus valley desert through the 434-km long Srinagar-Leh road.

 

Corridor linking India, Myanmar no longer under BRI framework:South Asia is now covered by three other major projects.

India’s decision to skip the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) may have led to the exclusion of the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) economic corridor from the list of projects covered by the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) umbrella.

Instead, South Asia is covered by three major undertakings — the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC); the Nepal-China Trans-Himalayan Multi-dimensional Connectivity Network, including Nepal-China cross-border railway; and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Citing “sovereignty” concerns, India, for the second time, did not participate in the BRF, as the CPEC passes through Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The 2,800-km BCIM corridor proposes to link Kunming in China’s Yunnan province with Kolkata, passing though nodes such as Mandalay in Myanmar and Dhaka in Bangladesh before heading to Kolkata.

the BRI had got a high octane boost when Myanmar inked an agreement with China to establish the CMEC. The 1,700-km corridor provides China yet another node to access the Indian Ocean.

The CMEC will run from Yunnan Province of China to Mandalay in Central Myanmar. From there it will head towards Yangon, before terminating at the Kyaukpyu Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the Bay of Bengal.

April 30^th  2019

Army invokes emergency powers for missile deal:Set to procure two systems from Israel and Russia.

• The Army is in the process of procuring Spike-LR Anti-Tank Missiles from Israel and Igla-S Very Short Range Air Defence Systems (VSHORAD) from Russia through a set of new financial powers for emergency procurements sanctioned by the Defence Ministry in April,2018.
• Under the latest emergency financial powers, armed forces have been given a free hand to procure equipment worth up to Rs.300 crore on a priority basis.
• Entirely new systems not in use can also be procured under the new powers.
• Under the emergency route, the Army is looking to procure about 12 launchers and around 250 missiles for each system.
• The Spike-LR (Long Range) being procured is a different variant from the one tested and shortlisted as part of the earlier procurement for over 8,000 missiles and 300 launchers along with technology transfer.
• The deal for VSHORAD, to replace the legacy Igla systems in service, began in 2010 and has since seen several trials and re-trials with three contenders in the fray — MBDA of France, Rosoboronexport of Russia and SAAB of Sweden. Eventually, all three were declared technically complaint last year.

 

For a malnutrition-free India:Effective monitoring and implementation of programmes are required for the country to achieve its goal by 2022.

 

• Despite programme commitments since 1975, such as creating Integrated Child Development Services and national coverage of the mid-day meal scheme, India continues to grapple with a high rate of undernutrition. Improving nutrition and managing stunting continue to be big challenges, and they can be addressed only with an inter-sectoral strategy.
• Stunting has lifelong consequences on human capital, poverty and equity. It leads to less potential in education and fewer professional opportunities.
• According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-4, India has unacceptably high levels of stunting, despite marginal improvement over the years.
• In 2015-16, 38.4% of children below five years were stunted and 35.8% were underweight. India ranks 158 out of 195 countries on the human capital index. Lack of investment in health and education leads to slower economic growth.
• The World Bank says, “A 1% loss in adult height due to childhood stunting is associated with a 1.4% loss in economic productivity”. Stunting also has lasting effects on future generations.
• Since 53.1% of women were anaemic in 2015-16, this will have lasting effects on their future pregnancies and children. The situation further worsens when infants are fed inadequate diets.
• The aim of the National Nutrition Strategy of 2017 is to achieve a malnutrition-free India by 2022.
• The plan is to reduce stunting prevalence in children (0-3 years) by about three percentage points per year by 2022 from NFHS-4 levels, and achieve a one-third reduction in anaemia in children, adolescents and women of reproductive age.
• This is an ambitious goal, especially given that the decadal decline in stunting from 48% in 2006 to 38.4% in 2016 is only one percentage point a year. This promise calls for serious alignment among line ministries, convergence of nutrition programmes, and stringent monitoring of the progress made in achieving these goals.
• Stunting prevalence tends to increase with age and peaks at 18-23 months. Timely nutritional interventions of breastfeeding, age-appropriate complementary feeding, full immunisation, and Vitamin A supplementation have been proven effective in improving outcomes in children.
• However, data show that only 41.6% children are breastfed within one hour of birth, 54.9% are exclusively breastfed for six months, 42.7% are provided timely complementary foods, and only 9.6% children below two years receive an adequate diet. India must improve in these areas.
• Vitamin A deficiency can increase infections like measles and diarrhoeal diseases. About 40% of children don’t get full immunisation and Vitamin A supplementation. They must be provided these for disease prevention.
• According to NFHS-4 data, India has more stunted children in rural areas as compared to urban areas, possibly due to the low socio-economic status of households in those areas.
• Almost double the prevalence of stunting is found in children born to mothers with no schooling as compared to mothers with 12 or more years of schooling. Stunting shows a steady decline with increase in household income. The inter-generational cycle of malnutrition is to be tackled with effective interventions for both mother (pre- and post-pregnancy) and child, to address the high burden of stunting.
• In terms of geographical regions, Bihar (48%), Uttar Pradesh (46%) and Jharkhand (45%) have very high rates of stunting, while States with the lowest rates include Kerala, and Goa (20%). While nutrition has improved across all States, inter-State variabilities remain extremely high. The most significant decline has been noted in Chhattisgarh (a 15 percentage point drop in the last decade). Thus, the government can take lessons from Chhattisgarh. The least progress has been made in Tamil Nadu.
• A study by the International Food Policy Research Institute shows that stunting prevalence varies across districts (12.4-65.1%), and almost 40% districts have stunting levels above 40%. U.P. tops the list, with six out of 10 districts having the highest rates of stunting.
• Looking at this data, it is imperative to push for convergence of health and nutrition programmes right from pregnancy until the child reaches five years of age. This is doable. India must adopt a multi-pronged approach in bringing about socio-behavioural change. What is really needed is effective monitoring and implementation of programmes to address malnutrition.

India-China team on pharma to meet next month

In 2018-19, China figured in the 17th spot in the list of India’s top pharma export destinations. At $230.19 million, exports increased 14.83% from the previous year’s $200.46 million.

Genes of climate-resistant chickpea varieties identified

• An international team led by the Hyderabad-based International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has identified in chickpea four important genes for heat tolerance and three important genes for drought tolerance.
• With rising temperatures and increasing climatic fluctuations due to climate change, the identification of these genes will help in developing newer chickpea varieties that can tolerate temperatures up to 38°C. Also, the identification of other genes with useful traits will help in increasing the yield and providing better resistance to pests and diseases. The study was based on complete genome sequencing of 429 chickpea lines from 45 countries.
• More than 90% of chickpea cultivation area is in South Asia, including India. Globally, more than 70% yield is lost due to drought and increasing temperatures. Chickpea is a cool season crop, so in general any further increase in temperature is expected to further reduce the yield.
• With the identification of the heat- and drought-tolerant genes, it will be possible to cross a chickpea landrace carrying those genes with a variety and select only those lines (progenies) with the genetic markers that have the heat and drought tolerance genes. By using such a genomics-assisted breeding approach, the time taken to produce a new heat- and drought-tolerant chickpea variety can be halved from about eight to four years.
• Chickpea is generally sown in September-October and harvested in January-February. Currently, in India, chickpea does not face a major threat from increasing temperature. But we are already witnessing a slight warming during the months of January and February. So a new variety with heat and drought tolerance will be highly useful to Indian farmers.
• When heat-tolerant chickpeas are developed in future, farmers in India may have a possibility to go in for a second round of cropping. Though the yield will be less for the second crop, farmers will still stand to gain.
• The study has found that chickpea originated in the Mediterranean/south-west Asia and migrated to south Asia. It reached India about two centuries ago, apparently through Afghanistan. In parallel, it migrated from the Mediterranean to east Africa and central Asia. The study provides insights into chickpea’s genetic diversity and domestication too.

‘Drug-resistant diseases could kill 10 million a year by 2050’:UN report calls for prudent use of antibiotics.

• Drug-resistant diseases could cause 10 million deaths each year by 2050, warned the UN Ad Hoc Interagency Coordinating Group on Antimicrobial Resistance in a report .
• It added that by 2030, antimicrobial resistance could force up to 24 million people into extreme poverty.
• Currently, at least 7,00,000 people die each year due to drug-resistant diseases, including 2,30,000 people who die from multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.
• It also noted that more and more common diseases, including respiratory tract infections, sexually transmitted infections and urinary tract infections, are becoming untreatable; lifesaving medical procedures are becoming riskier, and food systems are getting increasingly precarious.
• Antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest threats we face as a global community. This report reflects the depth and scope of the response needed to curb its rise and protect a century of progress in health.
• The report noted that the world was already feeling the economic and health consequences as crucial medicines become ineffective. Without investment from countries in all income brackets, future generations will face the disastrous impacts of uncontrolled antimicrobial resistance.
• It has now recommended that countries prioritise national action plans to scale-up financing and capacity-building efforts, put in place stronger regulatory systems and support awareness programs for responsible and prudent use of antimicrobials by professionals in human, animal and plant health and invest in ambitious research and development for new technologies to combat antimicrobial resistance.

May 1

 

Tourist footfall in Hampi down by nearly a lakh

• As many as 6,34,145 lakh tourists (6,05,765 lakh domestic and 28,380 lakh foreigners) visited Hampi between April 2018 and March 2019
• Contrary to the expectations that footfall in Hampi would increase, especially after a group of monuments at the world heritage site was listed number two on the “must see” tourist spots by The New York Times, tourist flow has dipped by nearly a lakh between April 2018 and March 2019.
• As many as 6,34,145 lakh tourists (6,05,765 lakh domestic and 28,380 lakh foreigners) visited Hampi in this period. The footfall for the same period the previous year was 7,30,456 lakh (6,95,903 lakh domestic and 34,553 lakh foreigners).
• The figures provided by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Mini Circle Hampi pertain to tourists visiting ticketed monuments — Vijaya Vittala temple, which houses the stone chariots and musical pillars and is considered as “architectural marvel of human genius”, the Lotus Mahal and the museum.
• Though the tourist season is mostly from September to March, the inflow of foreign tourist is above 500 in the hot months of April, May, June, and July. It gradually increases from August. The number is usually the highest from October to February.

 

Train 18

• Celebrated as India’s fastest train and one of the most successful products of the ‘Make in India’ initiative, future production of the indigenously-built Train 18 — helmed by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai.
• the first train set, christened the Vande Bharat Express and flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been running successfully for over 16 hours a day between New Delhi and Varanasi since February 2019.
• The ICF, the world’s largest rail coach manufacturing unit, rolled out the Train 18 with a maximum operating speed of 160 kmph in a record time of just 18 months in 2018.
• The self-propelled train set, comprising 16 air-conditioned coaches, was built at a cost of Rs.100 crore, about half the cost of importing such a rake, with about 80% indigenous components in alignment with the Prime Minister’s call for ‘Make in India’.

India and China should be guided by the Wuhan spirit, and not by differences over BRI

• Since 2017, India, the U.S. and other countries have been critical of the lack of transparency with which many of the BRI projects were negotiated with governments.
• Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Malaysia had second thoughts on some of the infrastructure projects over fears of a “debt trap”, and allegations of corruption in BRI projects became election issues.
• In April last year, European Union Ambassadors to Beijing issued a statement saying the BRI ran “counter” to their agenda for liberalising trade and “pushed the balance of power in favour of subsidised Chinese companies”.
• After Central Asia and South East Asia, China’s biggest foray is into Europe, and the criticism did not go unheeded by Beijing. China agreed to renegotiate terms on projects, reached out to regional organisations like the Arab and African forums and the EU, where Premier Li Keqiang pledged to “respect EU rules and standards” at a summit of “17+1” Central and Eastern European countries that are part of the BRI.
• It is hoped that China will take this understanding forward and help build an infrastructure financing network that is equitable and transparent, especially for smaller states.
• India’s objection to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is that it runs through parts of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, and this has led to government’s decision to stay away from the summit.
• India’s other concern over the BRI’s inroads in South Asia will also grow: at the summit, China listed the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor and the Nepal-China Trans-Himalayan Multi-dimensional Connectivity Network, and the CPEC as focus areas.
• Even so, India has abandoned its sharp rhetoric against the BRI this time compared to 2017, and China issued statements saying it would not allow the decision to affect the bilateral relationship. This was an indicator that both would rather be guided on the issue by the Wuhan spirit than by the deep differences they continue to have over the BRI project.

The American stance on Iranian oil exports could only cause mayhem in West Asia

• S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the United States would not issue any additional ‘Significant Reduction Exceptions’ to existing importers of Iranian oil who had received such exemptions last November.
• the objective was to bring Iranian oil exports to “zero”. India, China and Turkey, the principal remaining oil importers from Iran, will feel the greatest impact of this policy, which will take effect on May 2.
• The end of the waivers is expected to bring different responses from the main importers. China, one of the largest importers of Iranian oil, is likely to defy the American demand because as a great power and potential challenger to U.S. hegemony it will not want to be seen as bowing to American pressure. Furthermore, Beijing is firmly opposed to unilateral sanctions, as it fears that one day it may be subjected to similar treatment.
• Turkey and Iran have overlapping strategic interests regarding Kurdish secessionism, the territorial integrity of Iraq, and shared antipathy towards Saudi Arabia. Iran is the second largest supplier of energy to Turkey and a leading trading partner as well.
• Furthermore, Turkey’s relations with the U.S. are currently rocky over U.S. support to the Syrian Kurdish militia, the YPG, that Ankara considers a terrorist organisation because of its close relations with the secessionist PKK.
• The threat of American sanctions on Turkey following the latter’s decision to buy S-400 missile defence systems from Russia has also contributed greatly to tensions between the two countries. Therefore, it is unlikely that Turkey will bend completely to American will although it may do so partially to placate its NATO ally.
• New Delhi is likely to comply with American demands, as India’s relations with the U.S. in the economic sphere are very important to it. The U.S. is India’s largest trading partner and a leading source of foreign investment.
• It has become increasingly important in the strategic arena as well because of the convergence of American and Indian interests regarding containing China in the Indo-Pacific region. Moreover, the civil nuclear relationship with the U.S. is very important for India, as is American support for India’s bid to enter the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
• However, compliance with the American diktat will not come without costs. India is heavily involved in building the Chabahar port in southern Iran. This port is expected to become a major access route for India not only to Iran but also to Afghanistan and Central Asia bypassing hostile Pakistani territory.
• Tehran is also important for New Delhi in the context of Afghanistan as both are unequivocally opposed to the Pakistan-supported Taliban returning to power even in a power-sharing arrangement.
• Furthermore, Iran shares India’s antipathy toward Pakistan, which it considers Washington’s proxy and Saudi Arabia’s ally. India’s decision to stop importing oil from Iran at America’s behest could drive a wedge between New Delhi and Tehran that will be very difficult to repair and cost India strategically.
• The most important question is whether Iran will capitulate to the American threat of cutting oil imports down to zero and accept Washington’s demand to revise its position on issues the U.S. considers important.
• These include Tehran totally giving up its right to enrich uranium and closing down all nuclear facilities including those engaged in research for peaceful purposes. Additionally, it would entail Iran drastically curtailing if not completely eradicating its ballistic missile programme, and radically changing its West Asia policy to fall in line with American preferences in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen.
• However, this appears to be a Washington pipe dream. Iran has stood up to unprecedented sanctions for four decades and remained unbowed. The current American policy of forcing Tehran to cut its oil exports to zero will only aid Iranian hardliners and end up with Tehran adopting an even more virulent anti-American posture, further impeding the realisation of American strategic objectives in the region.
• While this confrontationist policy may please Israel and Saudi Arabia, it can well become a prelude to another major war in West Asia. Pushed to the wall by its inability to export oil in sufficient quantities, Iran is likely to retaliate by withdrawing from the nuclear accord and resuming full-scale nuclear enrichment close to weapon grade-level.
• This could lead to either an American and/or Israeli air and missile strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Such attacks are bound to invite Iranian retaliation against American targets in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan and around the Gulf, either through proxies or directly. Iranian retribution is likely to include air strikes against Saudi and Emirati targets as well and concerted efforts to block the Straits of Hormuz.
• The mayhem that this action-reaction phenomenon will cause in the region can be disastrous for West Asia and could seriously disrupt the flow of energy supplies from the Gulf through the narrow Straits of Hormuz. It is ironic that some of the authors of America’s disastrous invasion of Iraq, such as National Security Adviser John Bolton, are also the masterminds behind the current American confrontationist policy towards Iran.
• If not reversed, such a strategy could well lead to another American misadventure in West Asia before which the tragic consequences of the Iraqi invasion, such as state failure and the boost to international terrorism, are likely to pale into insignificance.

 

 

Article 239A allows greater powers for Puducherry House : Madras High Court curbs L-G role in administration

• Madras High Court pointed out the significant differences in the powers conferred on the legislatures of Puducherry and Delhi under Articles 239A and 239AA of the Constitution.
• The Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) of Puducherry could not interfere with the day-to-day administration of the Union Territory when an elected government was in place.
• Though Article 239AA imposes several restrictions on the legislature of Delhi, no such restrictions had been imposed explicitly in the case of Puducherry under Article 239A.
• The above Article symbolises the supremacy of the Legislature above the Administrator in case of the Union Territory of Puducherry.
• The judge held that government secretaries of the Puducherry administration were required to report to the Council of Ministers headed by the Chief Minister on all official matters.
• The secretaries are not empowered to issue orders on their own or upon the instructions of the Administrator.
• Government of Union Territories Act, 1963, Section 44 states that there shall be a Council of Ministers in each Union Territory to aid and advice the Administrator who shall act in his/her discretion only in so far as any special responsibilities were concerned.
• However, since the Act does not specify the ‘special responsibilities’ in relation to which the L-G could apply his/her discretion, it is the bounden duty of the Administrator and the Council of Ministers to avoid logjam and facilitate the smooth functioning of the government in public interest, leaving the political differences apart.

In Japan, end of an era as emperor Akihito steps down

• Emperor Akihito of Japan formally stepped down , the first abdication for 200 years in the world's oldest monarchy, as his son Naruhito prepared to take the Chrysanthemum Throne and usher in a new imperial era.
• In the “Room of Pine” in Tokyo's Imperial Palace.

May 2, 2019

UN Security Council designates Masood Azhar as global terrorist

• Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar was listed as a designated terrorist by the UN Security Council 1267 Committee.
• Significantly, the reasons for listing did not mention the Pulwama attack of February 14, for which the JeM had claimed responsibility, and which found mention in the latest (February 27) listing request for Azhar.
• Nevertheless, the listing is a victory for India in a decade-old diplomatic battle waged primarily by it and supported by its friends at the UNSC, as it would mean a travel ban, arms embargo and asset freeze on Azhar.
• China placed a hold on the request — which normally lasts for three months — on March 13. This was the fourth such attempt to designate Azhar, over a decade, that had gone awry.
• At the end of March, the U.S. circulated a draft resolution (to sanction Azhar) among the UNSC members, i.e., outside the 1267 Committee, presumably to pressure China into either supporting the listing or having to take a stand in open proceedings and risk being seen as supporting terror.
• Earlier this week, China had said “some progress” had been made and indicated it was willing to change its decade-long position.
• Welcoming the decision, India called it a “step in the right direction.”

Groundwater plummets in Cauvery’s heartland

 

Borewells in most parts of district, the heartland of the State’s Cauvery basin, are either drying up or yielding less as the groundwater level has been alarmingly depleting owing to intense pumping and successive droughts.

The latest data based on a study by the Directorate of Groundwater, which works under the Department of Mines and Geology, states that groundwater level has precariously plummeted in six out of seven taluks in Mandya district in the last three years.

To study the rise and fall in groundwater table, ‘Observation Wells’ have been drilled at 72 places across the district. The fluctuation in the water level is being monitored twice a month through the wells.

According to the study, the situation has worsened in Nagamangala taluk with the groundwater table dipping by 8.8 metres since July 2016. In Maddur taluk, water level has surprisingly increased by 1.73 metres since July 2016, while it has depleted from 1.01 metres to 3.94 metres in the other five taluks during the same period.

The absence of rainwater harvesting, intense pumping of groundwater, scanty rainfall, failure to fill lakes, deepening of borewells, and insensible use of water have attributed to the depletion of groundwater level in the district.

The flow in Shimsha that had dried up for several years, and filling up of lakes and farmers’ preferences to cultivate non-water intensive crops are some of the reasons that improved the groundwater level in Maddur taluk in the last three years.

The total area under cultivation in the district is 2.49 lakh hectares. Scanty rainfall and consecutive droughts since 2012 have prompted several thousands of farmers to drill/deepen borewells, besides drying up the waterbodies. Hence, the groundwater level has been dropping.

Varuna Mitra boosted farm income:‘Rain forecast helped farmers get average net gain of Rs.5,106 per acre’

• Rain forecast reduced cultivation cost by 49%
• Increased yield by 50%
• Yield improvement: Jowar (16%), ragi (9%) and coffee (8%)
• 84% farmers received accurate information from high rainfall districts.
• Accuracy in the weather information provided by Varuna Mitra, the 24x7 help desk launched by the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre, has helped farmers realise average net gain of 5,106 per acre.
• Launched in 2010, Varuna Mitra provides weather forecast at the gram panchayat level for the benefit of farmers and the public. It provides forecast on rainfall, temperature, humidity, wind speed and its direction three days in advance.
• Data was collected from 1,350 farmers across nine districts of high (over 1,200 mm), moderate (600 to 1,200 mm) and low rainfall (less than 600 mm) regions covering eight agro-climatic zones during 2016-17 in the State.
• It revealed that accuracy in weather forecast enabled reduction in cost of cultivation and post-harvest loss, improvements in crop yield, and net incomes.
• Arecanut growers used most of the facility since incidence of rain during the harvest period could increase the moisture content in arecanut, thereby lowering quality and price.
• At the State level, forecast information has led to an annual incremental gain of 495.3 crore for all area covered under Varuna Mitra.
• Owing to erratic monsoons, 84% of farmers from high rainfall districts, 50% from moderate rainfall districts and 39% from low rainfall districts indicated accuracy in information received from the agency on rainfall.

Chandrayaan-2 :India’s second moon mission has been put off many times

 

India’s much-delayed second lunar mission, Chandrayaan-2, has got yet another launch window. The mission is now set to be launched any time between July 5 and July 16 this year.

The moon landing is likely to be around September 6, 2019, nearly two months after the launch, close to the lunar South Pole, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.

The lunar South Pole is believed to contain ice and other minerals, and international space expedition plans are hotting up with NASA planning to land astronauts there by 2024, while China reportedly plans to build a scientific research station on the lunar South Pole within the next decade.

The launch of India’s second moon mission, which has been put off multiple times, was scheduled for launch between January 3 and February 16 this year but was again pushed to April. With various tests to be completed and in the final stages, ISRO has now finalised another launch window in July.

3 modules

Chandrayaan-2 is a fully-indigenous mission that comprises three modules — an Orbiter, a Lander named ‘Vikram’, and a Rover named ‘Pragyan’ — and will be launched on board a GSLV-MkIII rocket. The GSLV Mk-III is a three-stage heavy lift launch vehicle that has been designed to carry four-tonne class satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). The Chandrayaan-1 mission was launched on board a PSLV.

The Chandrayaan-2 weighs around 3,290 kg, according to ISRO. It would orbit around the moon and carry out remote sensing of the moon. The payloads will collect scientific information on lunar topography, mineralogy, elemental abundance, lunar exosphere and signatures of hydroxyl and water-ice.

The Orbiter and the Lander will be stacked together as an integrated module, while the Rover will be housed inside the Lander. According to ISRO, once the Orbiter reaches the 100 km lunar orbit, the Lander will separate from it and ISRO will carry out a controlled descent at a specific site and deploy the Rover.

CJI appears before panel probing sexual harassment charge

• Bobde Committee had sent a ‘letter of request’ as is the case with high constitutional office-holders; complainant has declined to attend hearing without lawyer
• In an unprecedented development, Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi has appeared before the Justice S.A. Bobde in-house inquiry committee examining sexual harassment allegations levelled against the top judge by a former Supreme Court employee.
• High constitutional office-holders like the CJI are not issued summons as is the usual case. They are sent a 'letter of request' to participate in the proceedings.

Inspired by the ruling on Delhi, the Madras HC bats in favour of elected regime in Puducherry

• The Madras High Court verdict that the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry should not interfere in the day-to-day administration of the Union Territory is a serious setback to the incumbent Administrator, Kiran Bedi.
• She has been locked in a prolonged dispute over the extent of her powers with Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy, who says she has been disregarding the elected regime and seeking to run the Union Territory on her own.
• The court has laid down that “the decision taken by the Council of Ministers and the Chief Minister is binding on the Secretaries and other officials.”
• Inspired by the Supreme Court’s appeal to constitutional morality and trust among high dignitaries, the High Court has also reminded the Centre and the Administrator that they should be true to the concept of democratic principles, lest the constitutional scheme based on democracy and republicanism be defeated.
• The judgment is based mainly on the principles that were laid down in last year’s Constitution Bench decision on the conflict between the elected regime in the National Capital Territory (NCT) and its Lt.Governor. The five-judge Bench had ruled that the L-G has to either act on the ‘aid and advice’ of the Council of Ministers, or refer to the President for a decision any matter on which there is a difference with the Ministry, but has no independent decision-making powers.
• The High Court also says the Administrator is bound by the ‘aid and advice’ clause in matters over which the Assembly is competent to enact laws. The L-G’s power to refer any matter to the President to resolve differences should not mean “every matter”, the court has cautioned.
• The Puducherry legislature is the creation of a parliamentary law, based on an enabling provision in Article 239A of the Constitution, whereas the NCT legislature has been created by the Constitution itself under Article 239AA.
• The Supreme Court had described the NCT as sui generis. At the same time, the NCT Assembly is limited in the extent of its legislative powers, as it is barred from dealing with the subjects of public order, police and land.
• However, looking at the Business Rules as well as other statutory provisions on Puducherry, the judge has sought to give greater credence to the concept of a representative government. He has set aside two clarifications issued by the Centre in 2017 to the effect that the L-G enjoys more power than the Governor of a State and can act without aid and advice.
• In view of the Constitution Bench judgment on Delhi, he has differed with another Madras High Court decision of 2018 in which the LG’s power to act irrespective of the Cabinet’s advice was upheld.

India must brace for the economic shocks from uncontrolled antimicrobial resistance

• Even though antimicrobial resistance is acknowledged by policymakers as a major health crisis, few have considered its economic impact.
• With nearly 10 million people estimated to die annually from resistant infections by 2050, health-care costs and the cost of food production will spike, while income inequality will widen.
• In the worst-case scenario, the world will lose 3.8% of its annual GDP by 2050, while 24 million people will be pushed into extreme poverty by 2030.
• India first published almost nine years ago the broad contours of a plan to fight antimicrobial resistance. The difficulty has been in implementing it, given the twin challenges of antibiotic overuse and underuse.
• On the one hand, many Indians still die of diseases like sepsis and pneumonia because they don’t get the right drug at the right time. On the other hand, a poorly regulated pharmaceutical industry means that antibiotics are freely available to those who can afford them.

By focussing only on this issue, New Delhi risks alienating the Sikh diaspora

• India-Canada ties have deteriorated in recent years, especially given the view that the current Justin Trudeau administration is soft on individuals and organisations that support the demand for Khalistan, a separate Sikh homeland.
• Members of Mr. Trudeau’s Cabinet, especially Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan, have been accused of having links with Sikh separatists. When Mr. Sajjan visited India in April 2017, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh refused to meet him for this reason.
• Similarly, Mr. Trudeau received the cold shoulder during his India visit in February 2018. When Mr. Singh met Mr. Trudeau, their discussion was on the Khalistan issue, rather than on areas of mutual cooperation. Recently, Mr. Trudeau drew the ire of the Indian government when a report on terror threats avoided the words ‘Khalistani extremism’.
• There is no doubt that some overseas Sikhs support a separate Sikh homeland, and that there is not much appetite for the same in Punjab.

Iraq remains top oil supplier to India

• Contributes a fifth of India’s needs; imports from U.S. rise fourfold from 2017-18.
• Iraq has, for the second year in a row, become India’s top crude oil supplier, meeting more than a fifth of the country’s oil needs in 2018-19 fiscal year.
• India provisionally imported 207.3 mt of crude oil in 2018-19, down from 220.4 mt in the previous financial year.
• Saudi Arabia has traditionally been India’s top oil source, but it was for the first time dethroned by Iraq in 2017-18 fiscal year. In 2018-19, Saudi exported 40.33 mt of crude oil, up from 36.16 mt of oil sold in the previous year.
• While India stopped importing crude oil from Iran following reimposition of economic sanctions this month by the U.S., the Persian Gulf nation was the third largest crude oil supplier to India. It sold 23.9 mt of crude in 2018-19, up from 22.59 mt in the previous year, according to the data.
• UAE sold 17.49 mt of crude oil to India. In 2017-18, Venezuela had supplied 18.34 mt and UAE 14.29 mt. Nigeria was the next biggest supplier with 16.83 mt of exports in 2018-19, down from 18.11 mt in the previous year. Kuwait supplied 10.78 mt of oil and Mexico another 10.28 mt.
• The U.S., which began selling crude oil to India in 2017, is fast becoming a major source.
• 4 mt from U.S.
• Supplies from the U.S. jumped more than fourfold to 6.4 mt in the 2018-19 fiscal year. In 2017-18, the first year of imports from the U.S., the supplies were at 1.4 mt.
• Iran was India’s second biggest supplier of crude oil after Saudi Arabia till 2010-11, but western sanctions over its suspected nuclear programme relegated it to the seventh spot in subsequent years.

May 3, 2019

Blast from the past A tree fossil that was found at Kharapathar in Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh on Thursday. The fossil belongs to the Mesozoic geological era (67-250 million years ago).

 

Bandipur night traffic ban should stay, Highways Ministry tells SC:The ban was imposed by Karnataka’s Department of Forests in 2009

• The State’s long-drawn battle to keep roads through Bandipur National Park closed at night got a shot in the arm after the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) informed the Supreme Court that they have accepted the recommendation of maintaining status quo on National Highway 766.
• The committee, which included senior officials from Karnataka, Kerala, MoRTH, MoEF, and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), had noted that wildlife in the eco-sensitive tiger reserve had adapted to the ban between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., while the road was opened for emergency vehicles during this time.
• The ban was imposed by the State Forest Department in 2009, and won the case in the High Court of Karnataka a year later. In 2010, Kerala filed a Special Leave Petition against the High Court order.

PepsiCo agrees to withdraw cases against Gujarat farmers

• In a victory for Gujarat potato farmers dragged to court by PepsiCo for alleged rights infringement, the food and beverages giant says it has agreed to withdraw the cases.
• This decision applies to the nine farmers PepsiCo has sued over the last two years for allegedly growing its registered potato variety, which is used for Lays chips.

SC to hear petition to debar Rahul from polls

• It wanted the court to decide whether a person who has voluntarily acquired British citizenship should be allowed to contest from Amethi and Wayanad, and then “fill a seat” in Parliament.
• It was evident that Mr. Gandhi had acquired British nationality. This was clear from the incorporation certificate of U.K. company BACKOPS Limited and the returns filed by the company.
• The petition wanted a declaration that Mr. Gandhi “is not an Indian citizen and he is incompetent to contest as per the provisions of the Constitution read with the Representation of the People Act, 1951.”
• The plea follows a notice issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs to Mr. Gandhi on the question of his “dual citizenship”.

Robust plan in place to import oil:U.S. refuses to extend sanctions waiver to India on Iran oil import; OMCs stop placing orders from Iran.

Last year, the U.S. re-imposed sanctions on Iran, prohibiting countries from importing oil from it, but waived these sanctions for eight countries, including India. That waiver has now expired and the U.S. announced last month that it would not be extending it.

Prior to the sanctions and the subsequent reduction in the quantity of oil imported from Iran, Iran accounted for about 10% of India’s oil requirements.

Central banks step up gold buying in 2019:Diversification and desire for safe, liquid assets were main drivers of purchases

• Central banks across the globe are building up gold reserves with the first quarter of 2019 seeing significant buying from such entities.
• According to the latest Gold Demand Trends report by the World Gold Council, central banks bought 145.5 tonnes of gold in the first quarter — a 68% jump from the same period in 2018 and also the strongest start to a year since 2013.
• Meanwhile, the overall global gold demand rose to 1,053.3 tonnes in the first quarter of 2019, up 7% compared to the same period last year.
• A lower local rupee gold price in late February and early March coincided with the traditional gold buying wedding season, lifting jewellery demand in India to 125.4 tonnes, a 5% increase on the same period last year and the highest Q1 since 2015.
• According to the WGC, this was purely due to a fall in demand for gold bars, as official gold coin buying grew 12% to 56.1 tonnes even as China and Japan were the main contributors to the decline.