Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:21-04-15
S.NO. / NEWS ITEM / SYLLUBUS / ESSENCE OF THE ARTICLE1. / India to hand over three Cheetal copters to Kabul (Page 10) / a) I.R / a) PM Modi is scheduled to hand over three indigenously-built Cheetal multi-role helicopters during the visit of Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani to India at the end of this month.
2. / Make in India Lion does not roar as expected at Hannover Messe (Page 11) / a) I.R / a) PM Modis visit to Europe and Canada ended with a number of important agreements being announced but the performance of Indian companies at Hannover Messe may not have matched up with the publicity.
3. / Xi launches $46-bn investment plan in Pakistan (Page 12) / a) International / a) Chinese President Xi started a $46 bn investment plan in Pakistan that aims to create direct links between China and Arabian Sea and boost the Pakistani economy.
4. / No frisson in talks over fission (Page 8) / a) International / a) The 2015 Review of the Non Proliferation Treaty is a process expected to be stormy and contentious due to a new set of geopolitical drivers. Yet, it could leave the dream of nuclear disarmament unattained and the purpose of preventing proliferation defeated.
5. / Centre extends food security Act deadline (Page 7) / a) National / a) The period for identification of households eligible for coverage under the National Food Security Act has been extended up to Sept 30 2015 through an order issued by Department of Food and Public Distribution.
6. / More leaders, better relations (Page 9) / a) National / a) Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidus recent visit to China as head of a delegation is an encouraging sign of including the States in foreign relations.
7. / NCDC team in Goa to study Kyasanur Forest Disease (Page 7) / a) National
b) Health / a) A team from the National Centre for Disease Control is presently in Goa carrying out detailed investigation of the outbreak Kyasanur Forest Disease.
8. / Investment via P-Notes surges (Page 13) / a) Economy / a) Investments into India markets through participatory notes has reached to highest level in over seven years at 2.72 lakh crore at the end of March 2015.
9. / Scientists work on DNA barcoding to help conserve ornamental fish (Page 7) / a) S&T
b) Geography / a) Indian scientists are using a new approach to identify animal species based on genetic labels or barcodes to monitor and prevent trafficking of ornamental fish from the North east – a biodiversity hotspot.
10. / India has 988 species on IUCN Red List (Pg 18) / a) Environment
b) Geography / a) India has added 15 more species to the Red List of threatened species published by the IUCN in 2014 but it has climbed down a spot to the seventh position.
S.NO. / NEWS ITEM / SYLLUBUS / BACKGROUND / IMPORTANT POINTS
1. / India to hand over three Cheetal copters to Kabul (Page 10) / a) I.R / a) India – Afghanistan relations
b) Cheetal multi-role helicopters
c) Hindustan Aeronautics Limited / a) Sources said that PM Modi is scheduled to hand over three indigenously-built Cheetal multi-role helicopters during the visit of Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani to India at the end of this month.
b) This comes among increasing perception that Indias strategic space in Afghanistan is under threat after formation of the new Unity govt there and its major policy shift towards Pakistan and China.
c) Cheetals are the upgraded variants of Cheetah light utility, multi-role helicopters built by HAL. They can be used for personnel transport, casualty evacuation, reconnaissance and aerial survey, logistic support and rescue and can operate in high-altitude areas, a critical requirement for Afghanistans mountainous regions.
d) Afghanistan has in the past repeatedly requested India for military assistance and lethal hardware, including tanks, helicopters and artillery guns among others in addition to training of military personnel. But India had been reluctant to disaffect Pakistan which views Indias role in Afghanistan with suspicion.
e) Officials said that the choppers are being supplied under the strategic partnership agreement between the two counties signed in 2011.
2. / Make in India Lion does not roar as expected at Hannover Messe (Page 11) / a) I.R / a) India – Canada relations
b) India – Europe relations
c) Hannover Messe / a) PM Modis visit to Europe and Canada ended with a number of important agreements being announced but the performance of Indian companies at the Hannover Messe may not have matched up with the publicity that surrounded it.
b) An analysis of the agreements indicates solar and renewable energy agreements were the focus and officials say a major MoU on clean energy is likely to be signed when German Chancellor Merkel visits India in October this year.
3. / Xi launches $46-bn investment plan in Pakistan (Page 12) / a) International / a) China – Pakistan relations
b) China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)
c) Chinas Belt and Road plan / a) Chinese President Xi started a $46 billion investment plan in Pakistan that aims to create direct links between China and Arabian Sea and boost the Pakistani economy.
b) Islamabad and Beijing hope the CPEC will transform Pakistan into a regional economic hub and bring growth to the restive western Chinese region of Xinjiang.
c) The corridor scheme is part of Chinas Belt and Road plan to expand its trade and transport footprint across Central and South Asia, while countering US and Indian influence.
d) The projected investments dominate a US assistance package to Pakistan of $5 billion that began in 2010 but has made less impact than hoped.
e) They foresee the creation of road, rail and pipeline links that will connect China to the Arabian Sea, cutting several thousand kilometres off the route that transports oil from the Middle East.
4. / No frisson in talks over fission (Page 8) / a) International / a) Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
b) Nuclear Weapons States (NWS)
c) Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between the P5+1 and Iran
d) Islamic State (IS) / a) The 2015 Review of the NPT is a process expected to be stormy and contentious due to a new set of geopolitical drivers. Yet, it could leave the dream of nuclear disarmament unattained and the purpose of preventing proliferation defeated.
b) The desire of non-nuclear states to see better progress on disarmament by the NWS will figure as before. The discourse on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons has given a new shape to the NPT debate.
c) Relations among the NWS after Russian actions in Ukraine will have a substantial impact on the conference. Moscows responses have led to a rethink on the role and relevance of nuclear deterrence, even among the non-nuclear states of eastern Europe. The situation in West Asia will loom large since it involves the uncertainties of Iran, Israel, Syria and the IS in particular and the rest of the Arab world in general.
d) The NPT Review Conference in 2010 built a hard-fought consensus based on more than 60 action points spread over three broad areas. These three pillars were nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
e) West Asia figured large (which primarily meant finding a way to a nuclear-free zone), which in turn meant addressing the issue of Israels nuclear weapons. This has now been much covered by Irans own nuclear programme which in turn could now be resolved if the JCPOA between the P5+1 and Iran comes to fulfillment.
f) Nuclear disarmament is possibly the easiest issue on the table, more so because there is no solution possible or even conceivable. As a result, a formulaic approach is likely to get used in which non-nuclear weapon states deplore the NWSs lack of progress on reducing their arms and making good on promises made in the past.
g) West Asia has undergone significant shifts of power and capabilities since the 2010 conference. Mixed outcomes of the Arab Spring, the ongoing struggle for power within and among the states of the region, and the emergence of the IS have made West Asia a region of uncertainties.
h) An agreement flowing from the JCPOA that provides for the lifting of sanctions on Iran will change altogether the balance of strategic strength in the region. Israel has serious objections to this plan and its PM Benjamin Netanyahus recent statements suggest no lowering in its hard stance on the issue.
i) The Nuclear Weapons Free Zone in West Asia will have to be worked on wholly new parameters, whose shape and content remain unclear. The conference next week will thus provide a platform for a lively, combination of protagonists and antagonists. Whether it leads to clarity or confusion on West Asia remains to be seen.
j) Events in the Ukraine have had a far-reaching impact in many fields, all of which have a bearing on the imminent NPT Review. Russian-US strategic arms control equations have reached their watermark. Russia is unwilling to engage in negotiations on bilateral arms reductions. On its part, Russia is witnessing a narrative of resurgence in the face of containment and sanctions by the West. A reset of US-Russia relations does not seem likely in the foreseeable future.
k) South Asias two states with nuclear weapons are also steadily improving their strategic capabilities of nuclear warheads, missiles and submarines. Pakistan continues to assert its new found capability in tactical nuclear weapons, as a counter to Indian conventional military capabilities. This is viewed as another form of proliferation by Western nuclear groups, whose best solution is confined to advising India on restraint in dealing with Pakistan
l) An idea of the straitjacket of ideas which drives the NPT can be had from the resolution passed in the UN last year. This had demanded that India and other non-signatories to the NPT join the Treaty as Non Nuclear Weapons States. India had rightly rejected the resolution which ignores the ground realities.
m) The future of the NPT seems uncertain and the best outcome of Review Conference may be another extension to the agreed action plans of the past, even as the Treaty has failed to either stop nuclear proliferation or encourage disarmament.
5. / Centre extends food security Act deadline (Page 7) / a) National / a) National Food Security Act (NFSA)
b) Midday Meal Scheme
c) Integrated Child Development Services scheme
d) Public Distribution System (PDS) / a) The period for identification of households eligible for coverage under the NFSA has been extended up to Sept 30 2015 through an order issued by the Department of Food and Public Distribution on March 24. Though the law stipulates that any such orders made under the Act are tabled in Parliament, the Centre has no such plans.
b) As per Section 42 of the NFSA Act, if any difficulty arises in giving effect to the provisions of this Act, the Central govt may make such provisions, as appear to it to be necessary or expedient for removing the difficulty. But this is upon the condition that every order made under this Section shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before each House of Parliament.
c) The Act aims to provide subsidised food grains to over one billion Indians.It also legally entitles beneficiaries of the Midday Meal Scheme, the Integrated Child Development Services scheme and the PDS to food.
6. / More leaders, better relations (Page 9) / a) National / a) India – China relations
b) Indias foreign policy
c) FDI
d) Chinas investments in Andhra Pradesh / a) Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu recently visited China(not just as an ambassador for his State) but with the larger objective of improving bilateral relations between India and China.
b) There were some significant takeaways from the CMs visit. A number of solar companies such as Trina Solar and JA Solar evinced interest in investing in Andhra Pradesh. MOUs were signed with China Association of Small and Medium Enterprises and China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.
c) Both Guizhou and Sichuan Provinces also seemed to be interested in building sister-state linkages with Andhra Pradesh. He also proposed the idea of an exclusive industrial park for Chinese companies to the China Harbour Engineering Company.
d) Overall, he managed to not just put forward some of the advantages of investing in Andhra Pradesh and his vision for the State (especially for infrastructural development), he was also able to contribute a positive message for bilateral relationship by sending a clear signal that despite differences with China, India is keen to enhance economic cooperation, and that the provinces would contribute towards this.
e) In the last 11 months in office, PM Modi has introduced a number of changes to the practice of Indian diplomacy such as the utilisation of soft power and using of diaspora, as evident from his visits to US, Australia and recently Canada. During investor summits and economic forums, he has urged the States to partner in Indias economic growth by competing for FDI.
f) While it is well known that Modi attracted investors to Gujarat, a fact lesser known is that Naidu and former Karnataka CM S.M. Krishna were among the first South Indian CMs to attract investors to their respective States.
g) It is encouraging to see the increasing trend of CMs seeking foreign investment from overseas and holding Investor Summits. Besides Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, such summits have been organised by West Bengal, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab as well.
h) It is also positive to see that the current government is recognising the pivotal role of State governments in Indian foreign policy. The idea of sending Naidu to head a delegation to China is a clear illustration of this point. There is also the possibility of an agreement being signed during PM Modis China visit in May, when meetings between Indian CMs and Chinese Governors will be institutionalised.
7. / NCDC team in Goa to study Kyasanur Forest Disease (Page 7) / a) National
b) Health / a) Kyasanur Forest Disease(KFD)
b) Kyasanur Forest Disease Virus (KFDV)
c) National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)
d) Kyasanur Forest
e) Hard ticks (Hemaphysalis spinigera) / a) A team from the NCDC is presently in Goa carrying out detailed investigation of the outbreak KFD and also give expertise in prevention and control measures in the affected areas.
b) KFD is caused by the KFDV. The virus was identified in 1957 when it was isolated from a sick monkey from the Kyasanur Forest in Karnataka (formerly Mysore State).
c) Hard ticks are the reservoir of the KFD virus and once infected, remain so for life. Rodents, shrews and monkeys are common hosts for KFDV after being bitten by an infected tick, KFDV can cause epizootics with high fatality in primates.
d) Transmission to humans may occur after a tick bite or contact with an infected animal, most importantly a sick or recently dead monkey. No person-to-person transmission has been described.
e) The disease has historically been limited to the western and central districts of Karnataka.
8. / Investment via P-Notes surges (Page 13) / a) Economy / a) Participatory notes (P-Notes)
b) HNIs (High Networth Individuals)
c) Hedge funds
d) Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) / a) Investments into Indian markets through P-Notes has surged to the highest level in over seven years at Rs.2.72 lakh crore at the end of March 2015.
b) P-Notes (mostly used by overseas HNIs, hedge funds and other foreign institutions) allow such investors to invest in Indian markets through registered FIIs.
c) This saves time and costs for investors, but the flip side is that the route can also be used for round tripping of black money.
9. / Scientists work on DNA barcoding to help conserve ornamental fish (Page 7) / a) S&T
b) Geography / a) Ornamental fish
b) Biodiversity hotspot
c) Northeast region
d) DNA barcoding / a) Indian scientists are using a new approach to identify animal species based on genetic labels or barcodes, to monitor and prevent trafficking of ornamental fish from the Northeast - a biodiversity hotspot.
b) Combined with traditional methods of identification, barcoding can pinpoint threatened fish species being sold under nicknames or popular trade names by exporters in Northeast India, to mislead and avoid detection.
c) The northeast region is home to around 267 species of fish and about 250 are known for their ornamental value.According to a Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute report, the region contributes 80 percent of the ornamental fish trade in the country.
10. / India has 988 species on IUCN Red List (Pg 18) / a) Environment
b) Geography / a) Red List
b) International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
c) endangered species
d) Deforestation / a) India has added 15 more species to the Red List of threatened species published by the IUCN in 2014 but the country has climbed down a spot to the seventh position.
b) By the year-end, India had 988 threatened species on list, which lists critically endangered, endangered and vulnerable species. Increase is due to better research identifying more threatened species and deforestation.
c) A recent World Bank mapping of endangered mammals shows India as having the 4th largest number of threatened species in the world, 31 of them endemic to the region.
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