Daily Current Affairs 14 February 2020

Current Affairs Of Today Are

1) The Future of Earth, 2020

• Five global risks that have the potential to impact and amplify one another in ways that may cascade to create a global systemic crisis have been listed by ‘The Future of Earth, 2020,’ which was released by the South Asia Future Earth Regional Office, Divecha Centre for Climate Change, Indian Institute of Science.
• The report, released by K. Kasturirangan, former Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), lists the failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation; extreme weather events; major biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse; food crises; and water crises, as the five global risks.
• As many as 222 leading scientists from 52 countries conducted the survey by Future Earth, an international sustainability research network. The Bengaluru launch was among similar parallel ones across other parts of the world scheduled between February 13 and 21.
• The report was prepared with the aim of reducing carbon footprint and halting global warming below 2 degrees Celsius by 2050.
• Offering examples of how the interrelation of risk factors play a role, scientists say extreme heatwaves can accelerate global warming by releasing large amounts of stored carbon from affected ecosystems, and at the same time intensify water crises and/ or food scarcity.
• The loss of biodiversity also weakens the capacity of natural and agricultural systems to cope with climate extremes, increasing our vulnerability to food crises, they point out.

Source: The Hindu

2) Reservation Issue in AP

The Supreme Court has questioned the Andhra Pradesh government’s decision in 1988 to provide a 100% reservation to Scheduled Tribes for teacher posts in Scheduled Areas.

Key Points

• The Supreme Court has mentioned that the 100% reservation would deprive other backward communities (including SCs, OBCs) of availing reservation benefits.
• The notification to provide a 100% reservation to Scheduled Tribes (STs) for teacher posts in Scheduled Areas was issued by then governor of the Andhra Pradesh.
• The Fifth Schedule of the Indian Constitution dealing with the administration of Scheduled Areas vests the Governor with legislative and administrative powers.
• The Supreme Court also questioned the availability of data based on which the Governor of the Andhra Pradesh decided that ST is the only deprived group in the area.
• Article 16 (4) of the Constitution empowers the state to make any provision for the reservation of appointments or posts in favor of any backward class of citizens which, in the opinion of the state, is not adequately represented in the services under the state.
• The Supreme Court ruled that the Governor's decision can’t be above the law while referring to its judgment in Indira Sawhney's case of 1992 which mentioned that the reservation limit should not exceed 50 % except in exceptional circumstances.

Fifth Schedule of the Indian Constitution

• The Fifth Schedule of the Constitution deals with the administration and control of scheduled areas and scheduled tribes in any state except the four states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.
• The scheduled areas are treated differently from the other areas in the country because they are inhabited by ‘aboriginals’ who are socially and economically rather backward, and special efforts need to be made to improve their condition. Therefore, the whole of the normal administrative machinery operating in a state is not extended to the scheduled areas.
• Declaration of Scheduled Areas: The President is empowered to declare an area to be a scheduled area. He can also increase or decrease its area, alter its boundary lines, rescind such designation or make fresh orders for such redesignation on an area in consultation with the governor of the state concerned.
• Administration of Scheduled Areas:
• Executive Power of State and Centre
• The executive power of a state extends to the scheduled areas therein. But the governor has a special responsibility regarding such areas. He has to submit a report to the President regarding the administration of such areas, annually or whenever so required by the President.
• The executive power of the Centre extends to giving directions to the states regarding the administration of such areas.
• Tribes Advisory Council: Each state having scheduled areas has to establish a tribes advisory council to advise on welfare and advancement of the scheduled tribes.
• Law applicable to Scheduled Areas
• The Governor is empowered to direct that any particular act of Parliament or the state legislature does not apply to a scheduled area or apply with specified modifications and exceptions.
• He can also make regulations for the peace and good government of a scheduled area after consulting the tribe's advisory council.
• Also, a regulation may repeal or amend any act of Parliament or the state legislature, which applies to a scheduled area. But, all such regulations require the assent of the President.

Source: Indian Express

3) Foreign Ambassadors in Srinagar

• Twenty-five foreign Ambassadors visited Srinagar, Jammu, and Kashmir (J&K) to assess the situation in the region nearly six months after the Central government revoked Article 370.
• They asked for suggestions from locals including few politicians, elected grass-roots representatives, editors and traders on the measures for moving ahead.
• Around 100 local delegates formed separate groups and met the envoys.
• These delegates also met the Members of the European Parliament in October 2019.
• The Ministry of External Affairs has said that there would be more such visits as the situation in J&K further normalizes.

Significance

• It assumes significance because of the U.S. President’s upcoming visit to India and the European Union’s (EU) plan to discuss the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the reading down of Article 370 in the European Parliament in March 2020.
• The visit marks an important step by the government after it faced huge criticism in the EU and in the US over scrapping Article 370.
• The visit gives a better understanding of the cultural and religious diversity of the state apart from giving a clear view of the development and governance priorities of the region.

Source: The Hindu

4) Jal Jeevan Mission

Rajasthan has demanded higher central assistance for Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) to achieve the targets of the mission

About Jal Jeevan Mission

• Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) envisages supply of 55 liters of water per person per day to every rural household through Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) by 2024.
• JJM focuses on integrated demand and supply-side management of water at the local level.
• The creation of local infrastructure for source sustainability measures as mandatory elements, like rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge, and management of household wastewater for reuse, would be undertaken in convergence with other government programs/schemes.
• The Mission is based on a community approach to water and includes extensive Information, Education and Communication as a key component of the mission.
• JJM looks to create a Jan Andolan for water, thereby making it everyone’s priority.
• Funding Pattern: The fund sharing pattern between the Centre and states is 90:10 for Himalayan and North-Eastern States, 50:50 for other states, and 100% for Union Territories.
• The Central government has recently released the operational guidelines for JJM.
• For the implementation of JJM, following institutional arrangement has been proposed:
• National Jal Jeevan Mission (NJJM) at the Central level
• State Water and Sanitation Mission (SWSM) at the State level
• District Water and Sanitation Mission (DWSM) at the District level
• Village Water Sanitation Committee (VWSC) at Village level
• Every village will prepare a Village Action Plan (VAP) which will have three components:
• Water source & its maintenance
• Water supply and
• Greywater (domestic wastewater) management.

Source: The Hindu

5) Wainganga River

• Wainganga River is one of the key tributaries of the river Godavari.
• Source: The river rises in the Mahadeo Hills in the Seoni District of Madhya Pradesh.
• Drainage Basin: It drains Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
• Longest Tributary: Kanhan River, which rises in the hills at the southern edge of the Satpura Range in the Chhindwara District (Madhya Pradesh).
• The Wainganga after joining the Wardha River at Chaprala in Gadchiroli district (Maharashtra) is known as the Pranahita River.
• Wardha river originates in Satpura Range in Betul District, Madhya Pradesh.
• Penang river is a major tributary of the Wardha river and rises in the Ajanta range.
• Pranahita river empties into the Godavari River at Kaleshwaram, Telangana.
• Pranahita river is the largest tributary of the Godavari river covering about 34% of its drainage basin.
• Gosekhurdh irrigation project is being constructed on the Wainganga River.

About Godavari River

• It is India's second-longest river after the Ganga. Its source is in Trimbakeshwar, Maharashtra. It flows east for 1,465 kilometers, draining the states of Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Karnataka.
• Major Tributaries: Indravati, Pravara, Wardha, Wainganga, Kanhan, Purna, Pranhita, Sabari, Manjira, Bindusara River etc.
• The Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project is an under-construction multi-purpose irrigation project on the Godavari River in Kaleshwaram, Bhoopalpally, Telangana.
• The project starts at the confluence point of Pranahita River and Godavari River.

Source: The Hindu

6) Jamuna Progresses joint Hydrographic Operations off Sri Lanka

• Indian Navy’s Sandhayak class Hydrographic Survey Ship, INS Jamuna (J16), commanded by Captain HA Hardas, arrived in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 06 Feb 20. The ship has been deployed to Sri Lanka based on a mutual agreement to carry out the Joint Hydrographic Survey off the South West Coast of Sri Lanka.
• Over the two months deployment period, the ship will carry out detailed hydrographic surveys and several shore-based survey activities. Sri Lanka Navy personnel will embark on the ship during the conduct of the Joint Survey.  Additionally, Sri Lanka Navy personnel will also be provided ‘hands-on’ survey training during every operational turn around in port.
•  As a precursor to the survey operations at sea, several shore-based survey activities were progressed during the ship's stay in Colombo harbor including a familiarization visit of Sri Lankan personnel onboard, briefing on capabilities of the ship, and a Harbour Training Program for the SLN sailors. INS Jamuna also hosted a meeting between Rear Admiral Sisira Jayakody, Chief Hydrographer of Sri Lankan Navy, officers of Sri Lankan hydrographic department and Indian officers of the ship.

About Hydrographic Surveys

• Hydrographic survey is the science of measurement and description of features that affect maritime navigation, marine construction, dredging, offshore oil exploration/offshore oil drilling and related activities. A strong emphasis is placed on soundings, shorelines, tides, currents, seabed and submerged obstructions that relate to the previously mentioned activities. The term hydrography is used synonymously to describe maritime cartography, which in the final stages of the hydrographic process uses the raw data collected through a hydrographic survey into information usable by the end-user.
• Hydrography is collected under rules which vary depending on the acceptance authority. Traditionally conducted by ships with a sounding line or echo sounding, surveys are increasingly conducted with the aid of aircraft and sophisticated electronic sensor systems in shallow waters.

Source: PIB

7) Yaravirus

• Researchers have discovered an unusually small virus in a lake in Brazil.
• The virus has been named Yaravirus after ‘Yara’, a water-queen figure in Brazilian mythology.
• The Yaravirus infects amoeba and has genes that have not been described before, something that could challenge how Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) viruses are classified.
• DNA viruses are classified based on the protein that makes up their shell, or capsid. The Yaravirus capsid doesn't resemble any previously known protein.
• The Yaravirus does not infect human cells.

About Virus

• A virus is a small parasite that cannot reproduce by itself. Once it infects a susceptible cell, however, a virus can direct the cell machinery to produce more viruses.
• Most viruses have either Ribonucleic acid (RNA) or Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) as their genetic material.
• Diseases caused by viruses: HIV/AIDS, smallpox, Ebola, etc.

Source: Indian Express

8) Apiary on Wheels

• ‘Apiary on Wheels’, a unique concept designed by KVIC for the easy upkeep and migration of Bee Boxes having live Bee colonies, was flagged off by the Union Minister of MSME Shri Nitin Gadkari in Delhi, in the presence of Shri V.K. Saxena, Chairman KVIC.

KVIC Honey Mission

• KVIC launched Honey Mission in 2017 and has been training beekeepers, distributing Bee Boxes and helping rural, educated but unemployed youth to earn extra income through beekeeping activities, at their doorstep. However, beekeeping involves laborious and mentally challenging tasks such as placing the bee boxes in a strategic position to provide enough nectar from flowers to the bees, maintaining the bees during summers and migrating the bee boxes accordingly to fulfill the nourishment needs of the bees, etc. KVIC has been continuously evolving in new ways to make this process easier and less laborious.

About Apiary on Wheels

• Apiary on Wheels is a platform that can carry 20 Bee Boxes from one place to another without any difficulty. Two large wheels on either side of the Apiary on Wheels and 4 separate compartments with independent doors, having 5 bee boxes each help the platform to remain intact without disturbing the live bee colonies. The Apiary on Wheels is also connected with a solar panel system which automatically triggers a fan inside the compartment as soon as the temperature reaches 35-degree centigrade or above. Not only this, but the Apiary on Wheels also has sugar drips which help to feed the bees in the summer season. The Apiary on Wheels is like an attachment that can be easily connected with a Tractor or a Trolley and may be pulled to any suitable destination. Especially, in summers, the beekeepers usually adopted crude methods to feed the bees and many bees used to die in the process. This concept of migration, cooling with the help of solar panels and sugar drips with zero risks to the lives of bees, will prevent any damages to the bee boxes or bee colonies and help produce quality, honey.

Source: PIB

9) “Arth-Ganga” will channelize economic activity along the banks of Ganga River

• Shri Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State for Shipping (Independent Charge), Chemical, and Fertilizers while addressing the press conference highlighted that Inland Waterways is one of the most important pillars of “Arth-Ganga” project, which will result into inclusive growth and play a key role in generation of enormous employment opportunities in the National Waterways stretch.
• Ministry of Shipping has taken several initiatives in the last few years which has resulted in substantial growth in terms of increasing Inland Cruises from 3 to 9, Cargo from 30,00,000 MT to 70,00,000 MT, and Vessels in-flow from 300 to 700.
• A lot of activities like the development of small jetties by the Ministry of Shipping have been carried out for the benefit for small communities especially for farmers, traders and the general public in the 1400km stretch of National Waterway - 1 from Banaras to Haldia. The Farmers will get a better return for their produce as the transportation of goods would become easier and cost-effective by this. It will improve ‘Ease of Living’ and ‘Ease of Doing Business’.
• Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is deploying small floating jetties and ten (10) Ro-Ro vessels for easier and cost-effective transportation of goods/cargo as shown below:

• Ministry of Shipping is developing Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) Freight Village and Sahibganj (Jharkhand) Industrial Cluster-cum-Logistics Park with an objective of creating synergy with Inland Waterways at the cost of Rs. 200 crores. This will create enormous direct and indirect employment, giving an economical boost in this particular area.
• India as a nation is always supporting Nepal in its economic transformation. National Waterway - 1 will act as the main conduit of connection with Nepal in a trilateral manner,i.e. from Varanasi toNautanwa(280km), KaughattoRaxaul (204km) andSahibganjto Biratnagar (233km). Earlier Nepal was connected by Kolkata and Visakhapatnam Ports for transporting cargo. Now, Inland Waterways, particularly NW-1 will be allowed under Treaty for Transit of Cargo between Government of India and Government of Nepal. It will save logistic cost and decongest Kolkata Port as well.

Source: PIB