Daily Current Affairs 9 December 2019

Current Affairs of Today Are

1) Telangana to host ‘Bird Walk’ festival

• The Forest Department in Kumram Bheem (KB) Asifabad district of Telangana is all set to earn the distinction of being the first in the State to organize a Bird Walk Festival on December 14 and 15, promoting awareness of that part of nature which it protects. There are umpteen places and spots that will enthrall bird watchers in the district and from outside who will get to see some of the pristine patches of forest.
• The Bird Walk tour includes a visit to the scenic habitat of the Long­billed vultures in Penchikalpet range, the scavenger bird being the flagship species. The habitat is located in a beautiful setting at a bend in the Peddavagu stream close to where it joins the Pranahita river on the Inter­State border with Maharashtra near Motlaguda village.

2) Lokpal is not yet in full force after 6 years of passing the bill

• Almost six years after the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, was signed into law, several key provisions needed for the anti­corruption ombudsman to function have still not been operationalized. The process of constituting the Lokpal’s inquiry and prosecution wings has not yet begun, and regulations for how to conduct preliminary investigations have not been made
• The movement to ensure accountability through an anti­-corruption ombudsman has been long. The term Lokpal was coined in 1963 but it was not until January 2014 that the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act came into force. It was more than five years later, in March 2019, that the first chairperson and members of the Lokpal were appointed. 
• More than eight months later, the institution is functioning out of a government-owned hotel in Delhi. While it approved a logo and motto for itself last month, the Lokpal has not yet notified a format for filing complaints. Despite that obstacle, 1,065 complaints were sent to the Lokpal office
• After scrutiny, complaints that did not fall within the mandate of the Lokpal were disposed of and complainants have been informed accordingly  1,000 such complaints have been disposed of until September 30.

Powers yet to be given 

• Section 60 of the Act gives the Lokpal the power to make regulations on “the manner and procedure of conducting preliminary inquiry or investigation”. It also deals with making regulations on the website display of the status of all complaints pending or disposed  along with records and evidence Till now, no regulations have been made by the Lokpal under Section 60
• Similarly, asked about the setting up of a special wing to prosecute public servants for corruption, as mandated by the Act, the Lokpal’s office said, “The process of constitution of Prosecution Wing of Lokpal is yet to be initiated in consultation with the government of India.”
• The rules for the disclosure of assets and liabilities by public servants have not been notified either. This is a key provision as the amassing of assets disproportionate to the known sources of income is often the basis for a complaint. The draft rules of 2017 were referred to a Parliamentary Standing Committee, which submitted its recommendations to the government in July 2018. The Centre is yet to submit an Action Taken Report to the Rajya Sabha

The Lokpal has said in response to RTI queries

3) Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) pulls up 19 States for tire disposal

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has pulled up 270 tire pyrolysis units in 19 States for employing technology that is polluting and harmful to the health of the workers employed.

About Tire Pyrolysis

• Tire pyrolysis refers to a technique of breaking down used tires in the absence of oxygen. Shredded tires, at temperatures between 250 degrees Celcius and 500 degrees Celcius, produce liquid oil and gases.
• While this is considered a safer technique than burning tires, pyrolysis leaves fine carbon matter, pyro­-gas, and oil as residue and the inadequate management of these by-­products poses health risks
• States should be closing down all pyrolysis units that are not compliant and that the import of hazardous substances these include used tires ought to be strictly regulated.

Used tires

India is also a recipient of used tires from Australia and the U.K., which are sent for recycling and disposal.  As of 2016­17, official estimates indicate 127.34 million tires were produced in India, which was seen to be a 12% increase from the previous year. A 37% increase in the tire production has been observed in the two­wheeler segment, a 23% increase in the tractor segment and 16% in the passenger car/jeep segment. India discards about 100 million tires every day and only a fraction of it is recycled. India is also responsible for 6% of the global tire waste, according to a 2017 report by environmentalist group Chintan.

About the prohibition on pyrolysis

• The National Green Tribunal in 2014 prohibited used tires from being burnt in the open or being used as fuel in brick kilns, because of the toxic emissions. The authority asked the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board to look at ways to dispose of used tires safely. Subsequently, the board issued a set of guidelines, in which pyrolysis was recommended as an acceptable model.  
• More than 40% of tire pyrolysis units were not complying with rules, the NGT observed in April 2019, after it sought a report from the CPCB. The CPCB reported that there were 637 units in 19 States of which 251 units were compliant, 270 noncompliant and 116 were closed.

4) Iran hopes to use Russian fund to counter U.S. sanctions 

• Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani announced on Sunday a “budget of resistance” against U.S. sanctions targeting the country’s vital oil sector, backed by a $5 billion Russian investment.
• The aim was to reduce “hardships” in Iran where a shock fuel price hike last month triggered nationwide demonstrations that turned deadly.
• After unilaterally withdrawing from a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers last year, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Tehran, including on oil exports, which it aims to squeeze to zero in a campaign of “maximum pressure”. Iran has suffered a sharp economic downturn, with a plummeting currency sending inflation skyrocketing.
• Mr. Rouhani told Parliament that the budget of 4,845 trillion rials ($36 billion), was devised to help Iran’s people overcome difficulty. “We know that under the situation of sanctions and pressure, people are in hardship. We know people’s purchasing power has declined
• The budget would benefit from a $5 billion “investment” from Russia which was still being finalized

5) U.S. House on Kashmir 

A Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Pramila Jayapal, introduced a bipartisan resolution in the House calling for an end to the restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir and for the Government of India to respect international human rights law.

Republican on this

The resolution, co­-sponsored by Steve Watkins, a first­-time Republican Congressman from Kansas 

the U.S. House of Representatives “recognizes the dire security challenges faced by the Government and India in Jammu and Kashmir and the continuing threat of state-supported cross­border terrorism,” and that the House “rejects arbitrary detention, use of excessive force against civilians, and suppression of peaceful expression of dissent as proportional responses to security challenges

About the Resolution

The resolution urges the Government of India to quickly release those arbitrarily detained; “lift the remaining restrictions on communications and restore Internet access” across the region; “refrain from the use of threats and excessive force” against detainees and those protesting peacefully; refrain from conditioning the release of detainees on them signing bonds prohibiting political speeches and activities.  Ms. Jayapal’s resolution asks the government to allow international human rights observers and journalists into Jammu and Kashmir and to operate freely across India, without threats. It also urges the Government of India to “condemn, at the highest levels, all religiously motivated violence, including that violence which targets religious minorities.”

6) Joint Exercise Hand-In-Hand-2019

• The Eighth Edition of India China joint training exercise ‘Hand-in-Hand-2019’ commenced at Joint Training Node, Umroi, Meghalaya on 07 December 2019. The People's Liberations Army (PLA) contingent from the Tibet Military Command& Indian Army contingent comprising of one Infantry company along with supporting staff is participating in the 14 days long joint training exercise.
• The exercise aims to enrich both the contingents from each other's experience in counter-terrorism operations. Besides counter-terrorism operations, discussions on Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief (HADR) operations will also be conducted as part of the exercise.
• The exercise will send a strong signal to the world that both India and China well understand the emerging threat of terrorism and stand shoulder to shoulder in countering this menace plaguing the world.

7) The third battle of Panipat

Rajasthan Tourism Minister Vishvendra Singh demanded a ban on the screening of Ashutosh Gowariker’s  Panipat in north India to avoid a law and order situation, following protest against the film in Bharatpur

Why ban?

Maharaja Surajmal of Bharatpur shown in a bad light

Who is Maharaja Surajmal?

Maharaja Suraj Mal (February 1707 – 25 December 1763) or Sujan Singh was a Jat ruler of Bharatpur in Rajasthan, India.

A contemporary historian has described him as "the Plato of the Jat people" and by a modern writer as the "Jat Odysseus", because of his political sagacity, steady intellect, and clear vision. The Jats, under Suraj Mal, overran the Mughal garrison at Agra and plundered the city taking with them the two great silver doors of the entrance of the famous Taj Mahal which were then melted down by Suraj Mal in 1763. Suraj Mal was killed in an ambush by the Mughal Army on the night of 25 December 1763 near Hindon River, Shahadra, Delhi.

Communities are protesting

The vociferous protest by the Jat community in Haryana, Rajasthan and other regions of North India

The movie is based on the third battle of Panipat fought between the Maratha empire and Afghan king Ahmad Shah Abdali in 1761.

8)  Police to connect with the public through social media

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the top police officers of the country to use social media effectively and promote the good work done by the force. The Prime Minister and Home Minister Amit Shah addressed the annual all­ India conference of DirectorsGeneral and Inspectors­General of Police organized by the Intelligence Bureau in Pune on December 6 and 7. 
• The Prime Minister stressed using Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to regularly inform the public about the good work done by the police and focus on improving its image. The message was to directly interact with the public
• The meeting held on the premises of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, the officers brainstormed on several policing issues.
• The conference deliberated on a gamut of policing and security issues, including border protection, the linkage of narcotics and terrorism, up-gradation of forensic capability, the threat from radicalization in the digital era, and evidence­based policing
• There was no exclusive session on women security or safety
• The IB and the Telangana police apprised the delegates of the arrests of IS­inspired modules in the past few years. So far, 155 IS members have been arrested across the country by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the State police forces. The bulk of such arrests, 127, were made by the NIA in 28 cases. 

New universities

The Home Minister announced the government’s plans to set up an All India Police University and All India Forensic Science University and underscored the government’s resolve to initiate changes in the Indian Penal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) to make them more conducive to today’s democratic set­up