Daily Current Affairs 30 January 2020

Current Affairs Of Today Are

1) Cabinet approves the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 to amend the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971. The Bill will be introduced in the ensuing session of the parliament.

Salient features of proposed amendments:

• Proposing requirement for the opinion of one provider for termination of pregnancy, up to 20 weeks of gestation and introducing the requirement of the opinion of two providers for termination of pregnancy of 20-24 weeks of gestation.
• Enhancing the upper gestation limit from 20 to 24 weeks for special categories of women which will be defined in the amendments to the MTP Rules and would include 'vulnerable women including survivors of rape, victims of incest and other vulnerable women (like differently-abled women, Minors), etc.
• The upper gestation limit not to apply in cases of substantial fetal abnormalities diagnosed by the Medical Board. The composition, functions and other details of Medical Board to be prescribed subsequently in Rules under the Act.
• Name and other particulars of a woman whose pregnancy has been terminated shall not be revealed except to a person authorized in any law for the time being in force.
• The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 is for expanding access of women to safe and legal abortion services on therapeutic, eugenic, humanitarian or social grounds. The proposed amendments include substitution of certain sub-sections, insertion of certain new clauses under some sections in the existing Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971, to increase upper gestation limit for termination of pregnancy under certain conditions and to strengthen access to comprehensive abortion care, under strict conditions, without compromising service and quality of safe abortion.
• It is a step towards the safety and well-being of the women and many women will be benefitted from this. Recently several petitions were received by the Courts seeking permission for aborting pregnancies at a gestational age beyond the present permissible limit on grounds of fetal abnormalities or pregnancies due to sexual violence faced by women. The proposed increase in gestational age will ensure dignity, autonomy, confidentiality, and justice for women who need to terminate the pregnancy.
• To increase access of women to safe abortion services and taking into account the advances in medical technology, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare proposed amendments after extensive consultation with various stakeholders and several ministries.

2) Yellow Rust Attack

• The detection of yellow rust disease in the wheat crop in sub mountainous parts of Punjab and Haryana has raised anxiety among farmers about the drop in the crop's yield even as respective agriculture departments are leaving nothing to chance to ensure the spread of the disease doesn't go beyond control. 
• Agriculture officials from both the States have fanned out to fields suggesting farmers adopt remedial measures to deal with the situation. In Punjab, yellow rust has been reported in a few villages of Ropar, Hoshiarpur and Pathankot districts. In Haryana, it has been detected in the wheat crop in a few villages of Panchkula, Yamunanagar and Ambala districts.

About Yellow Rust disease

Yellow rust is a fungal disease which turns the crop's leaves into a yellowish color and stops photosynthesis activity, which eventually could result in a drop of wheat crop productivity

Crops

• Wheat, the main rabi (winter) crop, is sown between late October till December while the harvesting of the crop will start from April onwards.
• The minimum temperature has been hovering around 1.6 to 3.0 degrees Celsius above normal at many places in parts of Punjab during the past few days.

Advisory

The situation is not alarming. Farmers should spray their crops [with insecticides] as per the advisory to contain the attack. The recent rains in the region coupled with a slight increase in the temperature and humid conditions are favorable for yellow rust

3) Modified kilns protect potters from toxic fumes

• A technical intervention in the fabrication of pottery kilns has come to the aid of the ‘Kumhar’ (potter) community in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur district by ensuring protection against toxic fumes, consumption of a lesser amount of fuel and high production of earthen pots and utensils. The modified furnace has been installed in Unch village of Nadbai tehsil
• Potters belonging to the Prajapat clan have traditionally been fabricating kilns of mud and clay and using tudi, made of vestiges of mustard crop, like fuel for heating these furnaces. The round-shaped kilns produce smoke and fumes in huge quantity as well as high flames caused by baking of earthen pots.
• Bharatpur­based Lupin Foundation has taken an initiative for improvement in conventional kilns with the assistance of the Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG) at the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi. The RuTAG takes up a modification of existing technology and redesigns gadgets for adoption by the users at the grassroots.
• The masonry method of “rat trap construction” was used for the fabrication of kilns, in which the bricks were placed in a vertical position instead of the conventional horizontal order, creating hollow space within the wall.
• The insulation created in this manner traps heat in the furnace and reduces fuel consumption by 60%. The results are very encouraging... A similar initiative was earlier taken for modifying bangle kilns in Unch village

4) Operation Vanilla

• Indian Navy Ship Airavat, whilst mission deployed in the Southern Indian Ocean has been diverted to Antsiranana based on the request received from Madagascar. The ship will undertake Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief mission as part of 'Operation Vanilla' which has been launched to provide assistance to the affected population of Madagascar post devastation caused by Cyclone Diane.
• During the port call, the ship, in coordination with Embassy of India and Government of Madagascar is planned to undertake relief operations to provide succor to the flood-affected populace.  The Indian Navy Ship is geared to set up medical camp and provide food, water, and other necessary relief material.
• The situation is being monitored and the Indian Navy is prepared to render all necessary assistance to the local population in Madagascar

5) NCRB Launches two online national-level services related to Search of Missing Persons and to Generate Vehicle NOC

• National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) launched Police related Citizen centric services on CCTNS platform
• These online services will help Citizens in Searching their Missing Persons and Generating Vehicle NOC. The services can be accessed through ‘digitalpolicecitizenservices.gov.in’ portal or through a link in the existing ‘Digital Police Portal’. So far such services are being provided through the state-citizen portals and it is the first time that these are being launched centrally
• Generate Vehicle NOC which allows citizens to ascertain the status of a vehicle before its second-hand purchase, as to whether it is suspicious or clean from Police records. This search could be made against the National database based on the vehicle’s details; one can generate and download the relevant NOC, required by the RTO before the transfer of ownership.
• NCRB and Cyber Peace foundation together have designed CCTNS Hackathon and Cyber Challenge 2020 intending to enhance skills and knowledge of law enforcement personnel at ground level. This Hackathon has been organized to offer a unique experience to the participants, to advance their skills and knowledge and to promote coordination with industry and academia.
• NCRB and National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children’s (NCMEC), USA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to receive information on such material originating from India. NCMEC is a non-profit organization established by the United States Congress. It has a centralized reporting system by which internet service providers across the world or intermediaries like Facebook, youtube, etc. can report about persons who circulate images of child pornography.

6) Cabinet approves the allocation of thirty percent of the NEC’s allocation for new projects

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the following: 

• Allocation of 30 percent of North Eastern Council’s (NEC’s) allocation for new projects under the existing “Schemes of North Eastern Council” for focussed development of deprived areas; deprived/neglected sections of society and emerging priority sectors in the Northeastern States.  The balance allocation shall be bifurcated in the existing two components (State component-60% and Central component-40%)
• Revision of the NEC guidelines for simplification of appraisal and approval mechanism
• Allowing projects under State component, up to 25% of each State’s normative allocation, for sectors not covered in the mandate of NEC, but which are considered important as per locally felt needs as per the recommendations of the State Governments.
• The projects under the existing “Schemes of NEC” will accrue socio-economic benefits to the marginalized and vulnerable groups of people in backward and neglected areas of the North Eastern States. It will lead to faster decision making and quick implementation of the projects.

7) Import duty on palm oil cut

• India has cut import duty on crude palm oil (CPO) and refined, bleached and deodorized (RBD) palm oil, and also moved RBD oil from the “free” to the “restricted” list of imports.
• The move has been construed as retaliation against Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad, who has criticized India’s internal policy decisions such as the revocation of the special status for Jammu and Kashmir and the new citizenship Act.
• Malaysia has also been sheltering since 2017 the Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, who is wanted by India on charges of money laundering, hate speech, and links to terror.
• Indonesia and Malaysia together produce 85% of the world’s palm oil, and India is among the biggest buyers.
• Both Indonesia and Malaysia produce refined palm oil; however, Malaysia’s refining capacity equals its production capacity — this is why Malaysia is keen on exporting refined oil.
• Crude oil contains fatty acids, gums, and wax-like substances. Refining neutralizes the acids and filters out the other substances.
• The filtrate is bleached so that the oil does not change color after repeated use.
• Substances that may cause the oil to smell are removed physically or chemically.
• This entire process increases the value of a barrel of crude oil by about 4%.
• Additionally, there are costs of transporting crude, which makes it more cost-effective to import refined oil.
• The refining industry has been demanding that the import duty on refined oil be increased, which would make importing crude oil cheaper than importing refined oil. This will mainly benefit domestic refiners, which include big-ticket names like the Adani Wilmar group.
• It is the cheapest edible oil available naturally.
• Its inert taste makes it suitable for use in foods ranging from baked goods to fried snacks.
• It stays relatively stable at high temperatures and is, therefore, suitable for reuse and deep-frying.
• On Indian consumers: Palm oil is not used in Indian homes and the fact that CPO continues to be imported, makes it unlikely that the decision to restrict refined palm oil imports will impact food inflation immediately.
• On Malayasia: With imports to its largest market restricted (India bought over 23% of all CPO produced by Malaysia in 2019), Malaysian palm oil futures fell by almost 10% between January 10 and January 17, although it has recovered since then. If India does not issue licenses for importing refined oil, Malaysia will have to find new buyers for its product.

8) Spitzer telescope

• Spitzer space telescope of NASA will be retired on January 30, 2020. Spitzer is going to shut down permanently after about 16 years of exploring the cosmos in infrared light.
• Launched into solar orbit on August 25, 2003, Spitzer was initially scheduled for a minimum 2.5-year primary mission. But the space telescope has lasted far beyond its expected lifetime.
• The telescope has a very particular orbit, trailing about 158 million miles behind the Earth to keep it away from interfering heat.
• In about 53 years, Spitzer’s orbit will take it past our planet. But, once the telescope flies by Spaceship Earth, Spitzer will drift off in the opposite direction into the emptiness of space.
• Spitzer’s discoveries extend from our own planetary backyard to planets around other stars, to the far reaches of the universe.
• Spitzer has logged over 106,000 hours of observation time in the past 15 years. It has illuminated some of the oldest galaxies in the universe, revealed a new ring around Saturn, and peered through shrouds of dust to study newborn stars and black holes.
• The telescope also assisted in the discovery of planets beyond our solar system, including the detection of seven Earth-size planets orbiting the star TRAPPIST-1, among other accomplishments.

About Spitzer 

• NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope was launched in 2003 to study the universe in the infrared.
• It is the last mission of the NASA Great Observatories program, which saw four specialized telescopes (including the Hubble Space Telescope) launched between 1990 and 2003.
• The goal of the Great Observatories is to observe the universe in distinct wavelengths of light.
• The other observatories in Greta Observatories Program looked at visible light (Hubble, still operational), gamma-rays (Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory, no longer operational) and X-rays (the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, still operational).

Working of spitzer

• Spitzer focuses on the infrared band, which normally represents heat radiation from objects.
• Spitzer’s highly sensitive instruments allow scientists to peer into cosmic regions that are hidden from optical telescopes, including dusty stellar nurseries, the centers of galaxies, and newly forming planetary systems.
• Spitzer’s infrared eyes also allow astronomers to see cooler objects in space, like failed stars (brown dwarfs), extrasolar planets, giant molecular clouds, and organic molecules that may hold the secret to life on other planets.

9) West Asia peace plan

A map of the proposed

Palestine state tweeted by

the U.S. President.

• The West Asia peace plan unveiled by U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to give the Israelis what they have long wanted an expansive state with Jerusalem as its “undivided capital” and tight security control over a future Palestinian state. With his plan, Mr. Trump is actually pushing to revive the stalled two­state talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians, but on his own terms. 
• The Trump plan seeks to address most of the contentious issues in the conflict such as the border of Israel, status of Palestinian refugees, Jewish settlements on the West Bank, Israel’s security concerns and the status of the city of Jerusalem. However, the solutions Mr. Trump has proposed to almost all of these issues favor the Israeli positions. For example, Israel would be allowed to annex the Jewish settlements on the West Bank as well as the Jordan Valley. The Palestinian refugees, who were forced out from their homes during the 1948 Arab­Israeli war that followed the declaration of the state of Israel in historic Palestine, would not be allowed to return. They could move to the future Palestinian state, be integrated into the host countries or settled in other regional countries.
• Jerusalem, perhaps the most contentious issue, would be “the undivided capital” of Israel, with Palestine gaining its capital in the east of the city. In return, Israel would freeze further settlement activities on the West Bank for four years the time for negotiations. During this period, the Palestinian Authority should dismiss its current complaints at the International Criminal Court against Israel and refrain itself from taking further actions. It should also crack down on “terrorist” groups such as Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. Mr. Trump has also proposed $50 billion in investment over 10 years should Palestine accept the proposals.  
• In the final settlement, Palestine would get control over more land than what it currently controls. The plan also proposes to enlarge Gaza and connect the strip with the West Bank through a tunnel. The Arab towns in the southeast of Israel, which are close to Gaza, could become part of a future Palestinian state.

Will it work?

• The Palestine position is that an independent, sovereign Palestinian state should be formed based on the 1967 border (meaning the whole of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip) with East Jerusalem as its capital (including the Old City that houses Haramesh­Sharif, also known as Temple Mount, a holy site for both Muslims and Jews). Issues like the right of return of the Palestinian refugees are to be settled in final negotiations. But Mr. Trump has effectively rejected the Palestinian claims and asked them to make more compromises. He seeks to give Jerusalem and about 30% of the West Bank to the Israelis and has denied the right of return of the Palestinian refugees — all for truncated sovereignty for the Palestinians in a state that would practically be surrounded by Israel. And for this, the Palestinians should take action against militant groups, stop supporting Palestinian families of those jailed or killed by Israel and refrain itself from questioning the occupation in international fora.
• The Fatah party of President Mahmoud Abbas runs the Palestinian Authority on the West Bank, while Hamas is running Gaza. While there’s a bitter feud between these two, both sides, as well as the Islamic Jihad, have come together in rejecting the Trump plan. It would be difficult for any Palestinian leader to sell Mr. Trump’s proposals to a people who are living under occupation for decades.  The Palestinians say the Trump administration, which recognized the disputed Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and supported the settlements on the West Bank, cannot be an impartial mediator for peace. The Trump plan seems to be underscoring this argument