Daily Current Affairs 31 January 2020

Current Affairs of Today Are

1) 4 hydro projects violate Ganga flow norms

Over a year after the government made it mandatory for hydropower projects on the upper reaches of the river Ganga’s tributaries to release minimum quantities of water through the year, 4 of the 11 projects are flouting norms, says a report by the Central Water Commission (CWC).

The Ecological Flow- About Norms

The ecological flow, or e-flow notification as it is called, specifies that the upper stretches of the Ganga — from its origins in the glaciers and until Haridwar — would have to maintain: 20% of the monthly average flow of the preceding 10­ days between November and March, which is the dry season; 25% of the average during the ‘lean season’ of October, April and May; and 30% of monthly average during the monsoon months of June­-September

Background

• After the monsoon period, many of the projects are not meeting the mandated e-flows,” the CWC report says. The Centre’s e-­flow notification came into effect last October and gave companies three years to modify their design plans, if required, to ensure that a minimum amount of water flowed during all seasons.  In September 2019, the government advanced this deadline, from October 2021 to December 2019.  This was after the CWC undertook field visits to hydropower sites and reported that most of the power projects they could begin implementing the norms right away and didn’t need three years.
• The CWC is tasked with measuring the flow and ensuring that plants comply with the law. The non­compliant ones are Maneri Bhali Phase 2, Vishnuprayag Hydroelectric project, Srinagar Hydroelectric project, and the Pashulok barrage project. The Vishnuprayag and Srinagar projects are on the Alaknanda river, the Maneri Bhali on the Bhagirathi and the Pashulok is on the Ganga mainstream

Source: The Hindu

2) Khadi Watches

• On the occasion of Martyrs’ Day, paying tribute on the 72nd death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Union Minister for MSME, Shri Nitin Gadkari, launched the limited edition of Khadi wristwatches in New Delhi
• Designed by Titan, a non-horological material like Khadi has been used on the dial and strap of the watches for the first time ever. Since Khadi is handwoven, every single watch in this collection is unique because of the distinctive weave and texture. The straps of the watches have also been treated with a special coating to make them more durable without compromising on its authentic texture. The collection is a unique and elegant blend of simplicity and modernity.
• Titan and KVIC have come together to create a modern watch that celebrates the fabric which is integral to our Indian heritage.
• Khadi is one of the most eco-friendly materials with zero carbon footprint and requires the least water consumption. Together with Titan, KAVIC has created beautiful contemporary timepieces that are truly special for the generations to keep by using authentic Khadi.

Source: PIB

3) India-Bangladesh JT Exercise SAMPRITI-IX

• As part of the ongoing Indo-Bangladesh defense cooperation, a joint military training exercise SAMPRITI-IX is being conducted at UMROI, Meghalaya, India from 03 Feb to 16 Feb 2020. Exercise SAMPRITI is an important bilateral defense cooperation endeavor between India and Bangladesh and will be the ninth edition of the exercise which is hosted alternately by both countries.
• During the joint military exercise SAMPRITI-IX, a Command Post Exercise (CPX) and a Field Training Exercise (FTX) will be conducted. For both the CPX and FTX, a scenario where both nations are working together in a Counter-Terrorism environment will be simulated under the UN Charter. The FTX curriculum is progressively planned where the participants will initially get familiar with each other’s organizational structure and tactical drills. Subsequently, joint tactical exercise will be conducted wherein the battle drills of both the armies will be practiced. The training will culminate with a final validation exercise in which troops of both armies will jointly practice a Counter-Terrorist Operation in a controlled and simulated environment.
• Also, to understand each other at a tactical level, greater cultural understanding will be emphasized to strengthen military trust and cooperation between the two nations.

Source: PIB

4) Indian Railways implementing Automatic Identification and Data Collection (AIDC) of Rolling Stock (RFID Project)

Indian Railways is amongst the largest Railway systems in the world, addressing a significant part of the country’s transportation needs, both in the passenger and freight segment. It carries about 23 million passengers per day and over 3 million tons of freight every day over 65000 route kilometers. It has major growth plans and needs to improve service levels and operating efficiency. As a part of this endeavor, the RFID project has been taken up which aims to automatically and accurately track and trace rolling stock as they move across the country with a special focus on improving their safety and reliability. Two works for the RFID project have been sanctioned by Railway Board for a total of Rs. 112.96 Crores.

For implementing this project over Indian Railways, the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS, the IT arm of the Indian Railways), GS1 India and the Indian Industry have come together. Thereby creating a new segment in the AIDC (Automatic Identification and Data Collection) industry in India uniquely suited for the Indian Railways requirements. This project is being spearheaded by the Rolling Stock Department of the Indian Railways. GS1 India is deeply involved in ensuring the quality of the work and the proper adoption of international standards. CRIS has been utilizing the considerable expertise of GS1 in developing and validating solutions, based on GS1 Standards, for the Indian Railways.

The project enables real-time visibility of railway wagons through the National Rail Network using cutting edge technologies like RFID with GS1 global standards for unique & universal identification, in line with global best practices. It enables enhanced operational efficiency of the Indian Railways. This unique initiative of standards-based technology development coupled with high-paced fieldwork done by CRIS during the last 15 months has now borne fruit – the complete technology eco-system for RFID implementation on the Indian Railways has been established jointly.

So that RFID tags can be used in all locations in the country including those with poor connectivity, Indian Railways opted to use the GIAI-202 standard. Indian Railways has successfully field-tested this CRIS designed GIAI202 encoded tags at a speed of 182.7 kmph. This feat puts the Indian Railways in the league of leaders concerning AIDC technology in the Railways sector.

Implementation plans: 

• The Indian Railways has aggressive implementation plans for RFID. All Rolling Stock, roughly 3,50,000 vehicles, are expected to be tagged by 2021. Till now approximately 22,000 wagons and 1200 coaches have been fitted with RFID tags. Additionally, roughly 3500 fixed RFID readers are expected to come up which shall communicate to a central control center using GS1's LLRP (low-level reader protocol) standard.
• The complete solution also includes the integration of RFID readers with various equipment such as Train Presence Detectors (TPDs), trackside condition monitoring equipment, etc. The combination of all of these allows for an early identification of rolling stock that may need maintenance. This will enable a paradigm shift on the Indian Railways in its move to improve the reliability of its Rolling Stock, by moving from a predominantly time-based maintenance methodology to condition-based maintenance. The operational advantages in terms of improved availability and reliability of Rolling Stock will affect each and every customer of the Indian Railways.

Source: PIB

5) Ranking of Aspirational districts

• NITI Aayog recently released the ranking of Aspirational Districts of the country for December 2019.
• The Chandauli district of UP topped the list followed by Bolangir of Odisha, YSR (AP) in second and third positions respectively.
• The districts have been ranked on a transparent basis on parameters across various performance indicators like Health and Nutrition, Education, Skill Development and Basic Infrastructure among others.
• The rankings are based on the data that is publicly available through the Champions of Change Dashboard, which includes data entered on a real-time basis at the district level.

About Aspirational Districts Programme:

• The program aims to quickly and effectively transform some of the most underdeveloped districts of the country.
• The broad contours of the program are Convergence (of Central & State Schemes), Collaboration (of Central, State level ‘Prabhari’ Officers & District Collectors), and Competition among districts driven by a Mass Movement or a Jan Andolan.
• With States as the main drivers, this program will focus on the strength of each district, identify low-hanging fruits for immediate improvement, measure progress, and rank districts.

The focus of the program:

• To enable optimum utilization of their potential, this program focuses closely on improving people’s ability to participate fully in the burgeoning economy. Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & Skill Development, and Basic Infrastructure are this program’s core areas of focus.

Significance of the scheme:

• If these districts are transformed, there would be a tremendous improvement in the internal security environment of the country. If Prabhari officers can bring convergence in the development efforts of different Ministries and State Governments and the schemes specially launched by Home Ministry in these districts, it would serve as a great opportunity to ensure rapid development in the country.

Source: The Hindu

6) World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day(World NTD Day),

• January 30, 2020, is the first-ever World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day(World NTD Day), a day when we celebrate the achievements made towards control of the world’s NTDs, yet recognize the daunting challenges we face in the control and elimination of these conditions.
• The National Health Policy (2017) sets an ambition to stimulate innovation to meet health needs and ensure that new drugs are affordable for those who need them most, but it does not specifically tackle neglected diseases.
• The National Policy on Treatment of Rare Diseases (2018) includes infectious tropical diseases and identifies a need to support research on treatments for rare diseases. It has not yet prioritized diseases and areas for research funding or how innovation would be supported.

What's lacking?

• A comprehensive policy to foster research and innovation in drug discovery, diagnostics, and vaccine development in neglected tropical diseases is lacking.
• While political intent and will are expressed in a few, clear operational plans and funding mechanisms are not specified. Consequently, follow-up action is patchy or absent.
• No institutional mechanism exists at a national level to identify gaps in neglected diseases research, set priorities, liaise with research institutions, or monitor research output.
• There is often no coordination between the various funding and research bodies to prioritize the research agenda and minimize duplication.

Why are some tropical diseases called “neglected”?

• The people who are most affected by these diseases are often the poorest populations, living in remote, rural areas, urban slums or conflict zones. Neglected tropical diseases persist under conditions of poverty and are concentrated almost exclusively in impoverished populations in the developing world.

Challenges and concerns:

• Lacking a strong political voice, people affected by these tropical diseases have a low profile and status in public health priorities.
• Lack of reliable statistics and unpronounceable names of diseases have all hampered efforts to bring them out of the shadows.
• Neglected tropical diseases affect more than 1 billion people, primarily poor populations living in tropical and subtropical climates.
• They are frequently clustered together geographically and individuals are often afflicted with more than one parasite or infection.
• More than 70% of countries and territories that report the presence of neglected tropical diseases are low-income or lower-middle-income economies.

Spread:

• Infections are caused by unsafe water, poor housing conditions, and poor sanitation.
• Children are the most vulnerable to these diseases, which kill, impair or permanently disable millions of people every year, often resulting in life-long physical pain and social stigmatization.

Control:

• Many neglected tropical diseases can be prevented, eliminated or even eradicated with improved access to existing safe and cost-effective tools. Control relies on simple interventions that can be carried out by non-specialists — for example schoolteachers, village heads and local volunteers — in community-based preventive action.

The need of the hour:

• A unified program on neglected diseases encompassing research and elimination measures is likely to have a greater impact on prioritizing the matter in the health agenda and streamlining efforts towards disease elimination.
• Creating an enabling environment for research and innovation will be crucial if India is to achieve the target set in sustainable development goal 3.3 to end epidemics of neglected tropical diseases by 2030.

Source: The Hindu

7) Nagoba Jatara

• A month-long Nagoba Jatra festival has come to an end in Telangana.
• It is a tribal festival held in Telangana.
• Also known as Keslapur jatara.
• It is a huge religious and cultural event of the Boigutta branch of Mesram clan of the aboriginal Raj Gond and Pardhan tribes.
• During the festival, the maha puja of serpent god Nagoba is held.
• The Gusadi Dance performance by dancers from the Gond tribe is a major special attraction of the event.

8) Indian National Commission For Cooperation (INCCU) with UNESCO

• Union Human Resource Development Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ chaired the meeting of the Indian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO (INCCU) in New Delhi
• The membership of the National Commission consists of members of five Sub Commissions namely, Sub Commission for (i) Education (ii) Natural Sciences (iii) Social Sciences (iv) Communication (v) Culture. The members of the Sub Commissions briefed the chair about the activities carried out by their respective Sub Commissions.
• National Commission can play a powerful role in coordinating the activities that are being carried out by the institutions under each of the five sub-commissions so that India’s efforts and achievements get due support, acknowledgment, and recognition across countries.
• UNESCO’s objective of making quality education available to everyone.  Many steps have been taken to improve access, equity, and quality of education. A New Education Policy is on the anvil, which has been formulated after the largest ever process of consultation with stakeholders.
• UNESCO’s programs aim to promote, preserve and safeguard cultural heritage and spread respect for all cultures. India has an unparalleled heritage – both tangible and intangible.

Source: PIB

9)  Novel coronavirus infection (nCoV) in India

• Thrissur in Kerala has been put on high alert after one of the four persons admitted to the isolation ward of the district general hospital with symptoms of novel coronavirus infection (nCoV), tested positive. The other three persons tested negative for the virus. The condition of the patient is stable, according to Health Department sources. 
• A 24­hour control room has been set up at the District Medical Office and the district Collectorate. The student had reached Kolkata from Wuhan, China, on the night of January 23. She traveled to Kochi the next day from where she went to her hometown in Thrissur. 
• People, who were in contact with the student have been put under house quarantine. The Health Department is also tracking and identifying persons who may have come into contact with her. 

Isolation rooms

Special isolation rooms have been set up in government Medical College Hospital (MCH), Thrissur, to treat cases of nCoV infections. In all, 20 pay­ward rooms have been vacated to make the special arrangements. The isolation ward has been set up according to Standard Operative Procedure

People to come back to India

• The infected patient may be shifted to the MCH, Thrissur, on Thursday night after a Rapid Reaction medical team will reach there with the Health Minister, to examine her.
• The Health Department has asked people, who returned from China, to report without any delay. The officials have asked people visiting the general hospitals and the area around it to wear masks.

Evacuation from Hubei

Meanwhile, stating that India is still awaiting necessary approval from China to evacuate Indians in the Hubei province of China, External Affairs Ministry’s spokesperson Raveesh Kumar, said: “We have established contact with over 600 Indians across the province and are individually ascertaining their willingness to be repatriated. We are working round­the­clock on the ground to work out the

necessary logistics. Arrangements are being put in place for people to travel to the airport.”

Source: The Hindu