Current Affairs Of Today Are
1) Radiotagging Indian pangolin
- For the first time, scientists have radiotagged the Indian pangolin, an endangered animal that is rarely sighted in forests here.
- The Indian pangolin, which dons a thick scaly skin, is hunted for meat and used in traditional Chinese medicine. Researchers say tagging the animal will help understand the habits of the reclusive, nocturnal animal.
- Radiotagging involves attaching a transmitter to an animal to monitor its movement.
- Pangolins are among the most trafficked wildlife species in the world. The projected population declines range from 50% to 80% across the genus.
- Out of the eight species of pangolin, the Indian and the Chinese pangolins are found in India. Both these species are listed under Schedule I Part I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
About Radio Tagging
Radio tagging provides a convenient and cost-effective means of remotely monitoring the physiology, movements, resource selection, and demographics of wild animals. Consequently, radio tagging has become an important and attractive tool for ecologists. The past 10 years have been a particularly interesting time for users of telemetry. Radio tags have become smaller and more reliable; advancing technologies such as satellite telemetry, global positioning systems, and user-friendly, PC-based geographic information systems (GIS) have emerged; and new data-analysis techniques to incorporate those advancements are numerous and impressive. Despite those advancements, there has been no up-to-date synthesis on radio tagging wild animals
About Wildlife Protection Act, 1972
The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted for the protection of plants and animal species. Before 1972, India had only five designated national parks. Among other reforms, the Act established schedules of protected plant and animal species; hunting or harvesting these species was largely outlawed. The Act provides for the protection of wild animals, birds, and plants; and for matters connected therewith or ancillary or incidental thereto. It extends to the whole of India. It has six schedules that give varying degrees of protection. Schedule I and part II of Schedule II provide absolute protection - offenses under these are prescribed the highest penalties. Species listed in Schedule III and Schedule IV are also protected, but the penalties are much lower. Schedule V includes the animals which may be hunted. The specified endemic plants in Schedule VI are prohibited from cultivation and planting. The hunting to the Enforcement authorities has the power to compound offenses under this Schedule (i.e. they impose fines on the offenders). Up to April 2010, there have been 16 convictions under this act relating to the death of tigers.
Source: The Hindu
2) USTR takes India off Developing Country List
- The office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has taken off India from the list of developing and least-developed countries that are eligible to claim benefits for preferential treatment concerning Countervailing duties (CVDs) investigations.
- The preferential treatment concerning CVDs investigations falls under the US’ Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) scheme.
- Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) is an umbrella that comprises the bulk of preferential schemes granted by industrialized nations to developing countries.
- Countervailing duty (CVD) is an import tax imposed on certain goods to prevent dumping or counter export subsidies.
- Along with India, USTR has also eliminated other countries including Brazil, Indonesia, Hong Kong, South Africa, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Argentina from getting preferential treatment.
- The new lists consist of 36 developing countries and 44 least developed countries.
- The move comes ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to India to talk and potentially sign a trade deal.
Background
- The USA had come up with lists of countries classified as per their level of development to harmonize the USA preferential treatment laws with the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM) Agreement in 1998.
- The WTO Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures disciplines the use of subsidies, and it regulates the actions countries can take to counter the effects of subsidies.
- Under the agreement, a country can use the WTO’s dispute-settlement procedure to seek the withdrawal of the subsidy or the removal of its adverse effects. Or the country can launch its own investigation and ultimately charge extra duty (“countervailing duty”) on subsidized imports that are found to be hurting domestic producers.
- The classification of the countries (developed, developing and least-developed) is done according to the following criteria:
- Per capita Gross National Income or GNI.
- Share of world trade.
- Other factors such as Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) membership or application for membership, EU membership, and Group of Twenty (G20) membership, etc.
- Thus the country with per capita GNI above $12,375 or Rs 8.82 lakh, the share of more than 0.5% to the world trade and membership to the above-mentioned organizations is considered as a developed country by USTR.
India- As a USTR’s Developed Country
- According to USTR, India’s share in global trade was 2.1 % for exports and 2.6% for imports in 2017.
- Also India, along with nations like Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia, and South Africa, is part of the G20 bloc and G20 membership indicates that a country is developed.
- As the G20 members account for large shares of global economic output and trade.
- Further, being a part of G20 India can be classified as a developed country despite having a per capita GNI below $12,375.
Impact on India
- India is the largest beneficiary nation under the GSP, with total benefits from tariff exemptions amounting to $260 million in 2018, according to the data from the USTR’s office.
- In 2018, India exported goods worth $6.3 billion (as per USTR figures) to the US under the GSP, accounting for around 12.1% of India’s total export to that country.
- India no longer in the list of developing countries allows the USA to hold a CVD investigation.
- The CVD laws allow the US to hold an investigation into the trade policies of other countries to determine whether they are harming the US trade.
- If the investigation finds that India’s policies allow exporters to sell their products in the US at a lower rate the US can impose a countervailing duty, to make the Indian goods more expensive in the US markets.
- Despite having a minimal impact on India's overall outbound trade with the US, specific exports from India in a diverse set of sectors such as jewelry, leather, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and agricultural products may face higher costs and competition.
Source: The Hindu
3) SC Order on Criminalisation of Politics
- The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered political parties to publish the entire criminal history of their candidates for Assembly and Lok Sabha elections along with the reasons that forced them to field suspected criminals.
- The order was a reply to the contempt petition about the general disregard shown by political parties to a 2018 Constitution Bench judgment (Public Interest Foundation v. Union of India) to publish the criminal details of their candidates in their respective websites and print as well as electronic media for public awareness.
- The SC passed an order while exercising powers under Articles 129 and 142 of the Constitution which deals with the contempt power of the Supreme Court and enforcement of its decrees and orders.
Highlights of the Order
- It is mandatory for political parties (at the Central and State election level) to upload on their website detailed information regarding individuals with pending criminal cases.
- It shall also include the nature of their offenses, charges framed against them, the court concerned, case number, etc.
- Additionally, the political parties need to offer an explanation as to why candidates with pending criminal cases are selected as candidates in the first place.
- Thus the candidate’s ‘mere winnability at the polls’ shall not be the sole reason for handing over a ticket to the candidate to contest elections.
- The above information needs to be published in a local as well as a national newspaper as well as the parties’ social media handles.
- The information mandatorily to be published either within 48 hours of the selection of candidates or less than two weeks before the first date for filing of nominations, whichever is earlier.
- The political parties need to submit compliance reports with the Election Commission of India within 72 hours.
- If a political party fails to submit then the Election Commission shall bring such non-compliance by the political party concerned to the notice of the Supreme Court as being in contempt of this Court’s orders/directions.
Significance of the Order
- Over the last four general elections, there has been an alarming increase in the incidence of criminals in politics. The increasing criminalization of politics threatens the law-making process and thus lawmakers should be above any kind of serious criminal allegation.
- In 2004, 24% of the Members of Parliament (MPs) had criminal cases pending against them. This number has increased to 43% of MPs in 2019.
- The direction of SC to legislate parliamentary legislation to curb criminalization of politics may help to deliver constitutional governance.
Source: The Hindu
4) BIMSTEC Conference on ‘Combating Drug Trafficking'
- Recently, India hosted the first-ever BIMSTEC Conference on Combating Drug Trafficking in New Delhi. It was organized by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), India’s federal agency for drug law enforcement.
- BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) is an international organization comprising 7 countries — India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand - that fall in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal.
Key Points
- Drug trafficking is a global illicit trade involving the cultivation, manufacture, distribution, and sale of substances that are subject to drug prohibition laws.
- The UN's World Drug Report points out that over 5% of the global population between 15-64 years of age is addicted to narcotics and the use of illicit drugs.
- The BIMSTEC conference sought to provide an opportunity for all the member nations to deliberate on the increased threats posed by drug trafficking and the collective steps that were required to negate such threats.
BIMSTEC and Drug-Trafficking
- Regional maritime connectivity and trade through the Bay of Bengal are imperative for the shared prosperity and economic growth of the entire BIMSTEC region. However, one of the most prominent security challenges for the region is drug trafficking through the sea.
- It is thus very important for all countries to engage with each other to exchange ideas, policies and best practices to combat this menace.
- In general, Asian countries are increasingly being affected by drug trafficking. BIMSTEC, being the key link between South Asian and Southeast Asian nations, is one of the most effective platforms to tackle this global threat.
India and Drug-Trafficking
- India is a transit point for opiates produced illegally.
- India is in the middle of two major illicit opium production regions in the world:
- The Golden Crescent (Iran-Afghanistan-Pakistan) in the West.
- The Golden Triangle (South-East Asia) in the East.
- Manipur and Mizoram having borders with Myanmar and other coastal States are sensitive and may become a gateway for illicit drugs entering India.
- To protect itself from the menace of drug trafficking, India has adopted a Zero Tolerance Policy towards all kinds of narcotics and psychotropic substances to realize its vision of a Drug-free India.
- India has also started an e-portal for the digitalization of drug data to assist various drug enforcement agencies.
Source: PIB
5) Conservation Plan for Konark Temple
- The Union Government has decided to restore and preserve the nearly 800-year-old Konark Sun Temple, Odisha.
- Earlier, the monument had entered into the controversy over allegations that the stone carvings on the outer surface were being replaced with plain blocks of stones causing irreplaceable loss to the uniqueness of the temple.
Key Points
- Konark was built by King Narasimhadeva I (1238-1264AD) in the 13th century and is located in Eastern Odisha near the sacred city of Puri.
- King Narasimhadeva I was a famous ruler of the Ganga Dynasty and with his accession to the throne, the Ganga Dynasty reached its zenith.
- It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1984).
- Dedicated to the Sun God, Konark is the culmination of Odisha temple architecture, and one of the most outstanding monuments of religious architecture in the world.
- Its scale, refinement, and conception represent the strength and stability of the Ganga Dynasty as well as the value systems of the historic milieu.
- The entire temple was designed in the shape of a colossal chariot with 7 horses and 24 wheels, carrying the sun god, Surya, across the heavens.
- ‘Konarka’, the place bears a name composed of two world elements: KONA meaning corner and ARKA meaning the Sun.
- The Sun god worshipped in Ark Kshetra is also called Konark.
- In 'Brahma Purana' the Sun God in Ark-kshetra has been described as Konaditya.
- Surya has been a popular deity in India since the Vedic period.
Source: The Hindu
6) Telcos asked to pay AGR dues immediately
The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the managing directors and directors of companies, including telecom majors Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, to show cause why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them for failing to pay even a “single penny” to the government in Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues, worth ₹1.47 lakh crore, despite an October 2019 judgment.
About AGR
- The telecom sector was liberalized under the National Telecom Policy, 1994 after which licenses were issued to companies in return for a fixed license fee. To provide relief from the steep fixed license fee, the government in 1999 gave an option to the licensees to migrate to the revenue sharing fee model.
- Under this, mobile telephone operators were required to share a percentage of their AGR with the government as annual license fee (LF) and spectrum usage charges (SUC). License agreements between the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the telecom companies define the gross revenues of the latter. AGR is then computed after allowing for certain deductions spelled out in these license agreements. The LF and SUC were set at 8 percent and between 3-5 percent of AGR respectively, based on the agreement.
- The dispute between DoT and the mobile operators was mainly on the definition of AGR. The DoT argued that AGR includes all revenues (before discounts) from both telecom and non-telecom services. The companies claimed that AGR should comprise just the revenue accrued from core services and not dividend, interest income or profit on the sale of any investment or fixed assets.
- In 2005, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) challenged the government’s definition for AGR calculation.
- In 2015, the TDSAT (Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal) stayed the case in favor of telecom companies and held that AGR includes all receipts except capital receipts and revenue from non-core sources such as rent, profit on the sale of fixed assets, dividend, interest and miscellaneous income.
- However, setting aside TDSAT’s order, Supreme Court on October 24, 2019, upheld the definition of AGR as stipulated by the DoT.
Why is it important?
- The definition of AGR has been such a contentious issue because it has huge financial implications for both telcos and the government. The revenue shared by telcos with the government goes into the consolidated fund of India. It was estimated, after the SC’s judgment, that the telecom operators owe the government about ₹92,000 crores in bank charges, interest and penalties on license fee alone.
- While the government has been deprived of the extra revenue, the financial implications for telecom companies — who now have to cough up overdue amounts piled up for years — are serious too. Especially at the current juncture, when profits for telcos are under pressure from severe competition and the falling ARPUs (average revenue per user).
Source: The Hindu
7) Melting of Thwaites Glacier
Recently, a new study has detected the presence of warm water at a vital point beneath the Thwaites glacier as the cause of its melting.
Key Points
- The study has observed that the temperature of the water at the grounding zone or grounding line of the glacier is two degrees higher than the freezing point of the water.
- The grounding line is the place below a glacier at which the ice transitions between resting fully on bedrock and floating on the ocean as an ice shelf.
- The location of the line is a pointer to the rate of retreat of a glacier.
- When glaciers melt and lose weight, they float off the land where they used to be situated. It makes a retreat of the grounding line.
- That exposes more of a glacier’s underside to seawater, increasing the likelihood it will melt faster. This results in the glacier speeding up, stretching out, and thinning, causing the grounding line to retreat ever further.
Thwaites Glacier
- Thwaites Glacier is a 120 km wide, fast-moving glacier located in Antarctica.
- Because of its size (1.9 lakh square km), it contains enough water to raise the world sea level by more than half a meter.
- It's melting already contributes 4% to global sea-level rise each year. It is estimated that it would collapse into the sea in 200-900 years.
- Studies have found the amount of ice flowing out of it has nearly doubled over the past 30 years.
- It is important for Antarctica as it slows the ice behind it from freely flowing into the ocean. Because of the risk it faces — and poses — Thwaites is often called the Doomsday Glacier.
Source: Indian Express
8) WCD Ministry partners with Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship for Skilling of Women & Children
- The Ministries of Women & Child Development (WCD) and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship are partnering to enable and empower the women and youth of India with skilling in every segment where India is competent to make a mark said the Union Minister of WCD and Textiles Smriti Zubin Irani in New Delhi
- India’s demographic dividend, where 65 percent of the population is in the working-age group of 29 years, allows India to be the skill capital of the world. To harness India’s advantage in human capital the Skill India Mission envisions translating India’s demographic advantage into productivity dividends by enabling jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities in sync with the aspirations and abilities of India’s youth.
- women's participation in the labor force for India is low at 17.5 percent, skill development becomes critical for women empowerment as it has a positive correlation not only with better economic opportunities but also overall with social recognition, confidence, and financial independence.
- According to the sixth economic census (2013-14), 14% or 8.05 million establishments were owned by women in India. To enable the breaking of the glass ceiling, women should feel safe, secure and free to pursue their passion. The government of India has taken a comprehensive view of providing security to women transcending beyond physical security to cover aspects related to healthcare, social empowerment (through Swachh Vidyalaya, Ujjwala), differentiated financial incentives to working women and dedicated interventions to educate the girl child.
- From an economic point of view, the glass ceiling can be broken by facilitating an increase in the number of hours spent by women on the job and including them in higher-productivity sectors. There is a need to make the grassroots aware of the above Government initiatives and continuously improve the implementation of these initiatives to effect a mind-set change for accelerating the gender parity movement.
- The ecosystem for short and long term skilling can also look at innovative ways like providing child care facilities for women participants to make it more responsive to their needs.
- We are in the midst of the Industrial Revolution (IR) 4.0 and the economies that will succeed in this revolution will be those that can realize the full potential of their human capital. India with its robust start-up ecosystem and leading technology sector has the opportunity to be one of the leaders in IR 4.0.
- The country could add up to USD 770 billion—more than 18%—to its GDP by 2025, simply by giving equal opportunities to women, according to a report by the McKinsey Global Institute. Channelizing the available female talent for the new age economy is therefore quintessential to realize the full potential of human capital. Currently, roughly 10% of founders in the Indian startup industry are females. Again, India has the second-largest artificial intelligence (AI) workforce but only 22 percent of roles filled by women.
- The inclusion agenda of the Government of India entails creating opportunities for the traditionally disadvantaged sections including children from the Child Care Institutions which currently house 3.7 Lakh children living in 9500 institutions and differently-abled individuals especially women.
Source: PIB
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