Daily Current Affairs 5 December 2019

Current Affairs Of Today Are

1) The Union Cabinet  cleared the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019

• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 paving the way for its introduction in Parliament on December 9.
• The Bill seeks to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 by seeking to grant citizenship to undocumented non-­Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.
• The Bill shall not apply to tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura is included in the sixth schedule of the Constitution and States of Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland protected by the Inner Line Permit (ILP)
• Citizens of other States require ILP to visit the three States as per the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873
• The exemption means that Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Parsi, Jain and Sikh communities from the three countries will not be able to take up jobs, purchase land or settle down in these areas

About Inner Line Permit (ILP)

Inner Line Permit (ILP) is an official travel document issued by the Government of India to allow inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected area for a limited period. Indian citizens from outside those states must obtain a permit for entering into the protected state. The document is an effort by the government to regulate movement to certain areas located near the international border of India. This is an offshoot of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulations, 1873, which protected Crown's interest in the tea, oil and elephant trade by prohibiting "British subjects" from entering into these "Protected Areas" (to prevent them from establishing any commercial venture that could rival the Crown's agents). The word "British subjects" was replaced by the Citizen of India in 1950. Although the ILP was originally created by the British to safeguard their commercial interests, it continues to be used in India, officially to protect tribal cultures in northeastern India. There are different kinds of ILP's, one for tourists and others for people who intend to stay for long-term periods, often for employment purposes.

2) ISRO Open it's Research Lab at Tiruchirappalli

• ISRO has set-up a Space Technology Incubation Centre (S-TIC) at the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Tiruchirappalli. The center will work with ISRO on the technical problems at hand related to the future Space programs and shall provide solutions.
• This S-TIC will cater to the southern region of India, including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamilnadu, Telangana, the Union Territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry.

3) Cabinet approves the launch of Bharat Bond Exchange Traded Fund

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for creation and launch of Bharat Bond Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) to create an additional source of funding for Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs) Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), Central Public Financial Institutions (CPFIs) and other Government organizations.  Bharat Bond ETF would be the first corporate Bond ETF in the country.

Features of Bharat Bond ETF

ETF will be a basket of bonds issued by CPSE/CPSU/CPFI/any other Government organization Bonds (Initially, all AAA-rated bonds)

• Tradable on exchange
• Small unit size Rs 1,000    
• Transparent NAV (Periodic live NAV during the day)
• Transparent Portfolio (Daily disclosure on the website)
• Low cost (0.0005%)

4) Cabinet approves pact with Germany on Railways

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was apprised of the Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) between India and Germany regarding cooperation on strategic projects in the field of Railways. 

Benefits

Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) with the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy of the Federal Republic of Germany will provide a platform to Indian Railways to interact and share the latest developments and knowledge in the field of Railways. The Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) will facilitate the exchange of information expert meetings, seminars, technical visits and implementation of jointly agreed cooperation projects.

Background

Ministry of Railways have signed Memorandums of Understanding/ Memorandums of Cooperation/ Administrative Arrangements/ Joint Declarations of Intent for technical cooperation in the rail sector with various foreign Governments and National Railways in respect of identified areas of cooperation, which inter alia, include high speed rail, speed raising of existing routes, development of world-class stations, heavy haul operations and modernization of rail infrastructure etc.

5) U.S. House passes The Uighur Act of 2019

• The Uighur Act of 2019 is a stronger version of a Bill that angered Beijing when it passed the Senate in September. It calls on President Donald Trump to impose sanctions for the first time on a member of China’s powerful politburo
• The Uighur Bill, which passed by 407­1 in the Democratic­controlled House, requires the U.S. President to condemn abuses against Muslims and call for the closure of mass detention camps in the northwestern region of Xinjiang. It calls for sanctions against senior Chinese officials who, it says, are responsible. It specifically names Xinjiang Communist Party Secretary Chen Quanguo, who, as a politburo member, is in the upper echelons of China’s leadership.
• The revised bill still has to be approved by the Republican­controlled Senate before being sent to Mr.Trump for approval. 
• China’s Foreign Ministry called the Bill a malicious attack against China.

6) The Global Climate Risk Index - Japan worst­hit, India ranked fifth for water shortages, crop failures, and flooding

• The Global Climate Risk Index, published on Wednesday by environmental think­-tank Germanwatch,
• rated Japan as the most­affected country in 2018, while Germany was in the third position.
• Both of the industrialized nations were hit hard by heatwaves and drought that year, as was India in the fifth position which suffered water shortages, crop failures, and worst flooding, Germanwatch said in a report.
• Worsening heatwaves are taking a heavier toll on rich as well as poor countries
• Across Europe, extreme heat spells are now up to 100 times more likely than a century ago
• The impacts of heatwaves on African countries may be under­represented due to a lack of data.
• Powerful storms also left a trail of destruction in 2018, with the Philippines second in the climate risk index due to large losses when it was battered by top­-strength Typhoon Mangkhut.
• Madagascar was the fourth most weather­-affected country as two cyclones killed about 70 people and forced 70,000 to seek refuge.
• In 2018, a severe summer heatwave in Japan killed 138 people and caused more than 70,000 people to be hospitalized with heat stroke and exhaustion, the report said.
• And in Germany, the period from April-­July 2018 was the hottest ever recorded in the country, leading to the deaths of over 1,200 people.

7) A wild hunt for food crop genes -  Crop Wild Relatives project

• Scientists have been on a global search for the wild relatives of our food crops, hoping to bolster their defenses against disease and climate change, a study said. Humans have domesticated wild plants for some 10,000 years to provide food but in doing so they have bred out many of their natural defenses, leaving them and us potentially exposed 
• A wild relative of one of these crops, in the Americas, Africa or Asia, pest resistance, which can benefit all of us in the future
• Going back to the original source plants of some 28 foods, for example, of rice, potatoes, oats, groundnuts researchers collected as wide a variety of seeds as possible in 25 countries to fill in the gaps in existing gene banks. 

8) The Union Cabinet approved the introduction of the Personal Data Protection Bill in Parliament

• The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the introduction of the Personal Data Protection Bill in Parliament, the government announced
• The draft bill, the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2018, was prepared by a high­level expert committee headed by former Supreme Court judge B.N. Srikrishna.
• The Bill deals with the broad guidelines on the collection, storage, and processing of personal data, the consent of individuals, penalties and compensation, and a code of conduct. 
• The draft Bill classifies ‘sensitive personal data’ as including passwords, financial data, health data, sex life, sexual orientation, biometric data, genetic data, transgender status, intersex status, caste or tribe, and religious or political belief or affiliation. The draft Bill says that such sensitive personal data can be processed only with the explicit consent of the person, and this consent needs to be informed, clear, and specific, as defined by the Bill itself.
• The draft bill also has a provision for the right to be forgotten, where the person “shall have the right to restrict or prevent continuing disclosure of personal data”. 
• There is also a provision for the central government to notify categories of personal data as critical personal data, which will then be only processed in a server or data center located in India.
• Personal data is to be stored in India but can be processed outside with the consent of the person.
• The draft Bill also specifies penalties for not following its provisions, including a penalty of ₹5 crores or 2% of turnover, whichever is higher, if no action is taken on a data leak

Sources are From The Hindu and PIB

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