Daily Current Affairs 25 February 2020

Current Affairs Of Today Are 

1) SARS-­CoV-­2 

• A paper published in a recent issue of the peer­reviewed, open­access journal ‘Emerging Microbes and Infections’ has cautioned that SARS­-CoV-­2, the virus causing the COVID-­19 outbreak, is being shed through multiple routes, so testing through oral swabs alone might not be sufficient
• A paper by Wei Zhang, et al, all from the CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, says investigations on patients in a local hospital infected with the virus revealed the presence of SARS-CoV-­2 in anal swabs and blood as well. What’s more, more anal swabs than oral swabs tested positive at a later stage of infection. Since COVID­19 is believed to be a disease of the respiratory tract, usually only oral swabs are used for diagnosis, and discharge is based on the oral swabs testing negative. The anal positives suggested, they argued, shedding through the oral ­fecal route, and therefore transmission is possible as well. The researchers also showed that a serology test (testing blood for antibodies) can improve detection positive rate, and thus should be used in the future.
• As part of the research, samples ­ including oral swabs, anal swabs and blood were collected by Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital. Two investigations were performed the paper describes ­ In the first investigation, samples were taken from 39 patients, 7 of whom were in a ‘severe condition’. In the second investigation, samples were lifted from 139 patients, whose clinical records were not available.
• When counting all swab positives together, we found most of the positives came from oral swab (8/10, 80%) on day 0. However, this trend appears to change on day 5. We found more (6/8, 75%) anal swab positive than oral swab positive (4/8, 50%)
• The data suggested a shift from more oral positives during the early period to more anal positives during the later period
• The current strategy for the detection of viral RNA in oral swabs used for 2019­nCoV diagnosis is not perfect. The virus may be present in anal swabs or blood of patients when oral swabs detection negative
• This observation implies that a patient cannot be discharged purely based on oral swabs testing negative, and the researchers go on to make a recommendation to do serological tests to confirm the status

About Coronaviruses

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that may cause illness in animals or humans.  In humans, several coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The most recently discovered coronavirus causes coronavirus disease COVID-19.

What is COVID-19?

COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus. This new virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.

About SARS

The virus that causes COVID-19 and the one that causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) are related to each other genetically, but they are different. SARS is more deadly but much less infectious than COVID-19. There have been no outbreaks of SARS anywhere in the world since 2003.

Source: The Hindu 

2) G20 Meeting in Saudi Arabia

• Recently, the ministers and central bankers from the world’s largest economies participated in the G20 meeting held in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia).
• It was presided by Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is the first Arab nation to hold the G20 presidency.
• The 2020 G20 Presidency will focus discussions, forums, working groups and Ministerial Meetings under the theme of “Realizing Opportunities of the 21st Century for All”.

Key Points

• Global Economy:
• The global economic growth remains slow and downside risks due to the geopolitical and remaining trade tensions, and policy uncertainty.
• Though the economic growth is expected to increase in 2020 and 2021 due to loose monetary policy and an easing of trade tensions.
• IMF’ Views at the Meeting:
• It projects a “V-shaped, rapid recovery” for the global economy, but it warns about the uncertainty around the spread of the coronavirus (COVID 19).
• The IMF also warned about other risks including rising debt levels in some countries as well as climate change.
• Demand for Global Taxation System:
• It discussed ways to achieve consensus on a global taxation system for the digital era by the end of 2020.
• It aims to allow governments to tax digital companies where they do business, rather than where they are registered for tax purposes.
• India has also demanded closer collaboration between international revenue agencies to investigate the tax affairs of offenders who cross borders for escaping tax investigation.

G-20

• About
• The G20 is an informal group of 19 countries and the European Union, with representatives of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
• The G20 membership comprises a mix of the world’s largest advanced and emerging economies, representing about two-thirds of the world’s population, 85% of global gross domestic product, 80% of global investment and over 75% of global trade.
• Headquarter
• The G20 operates as a forum and not as an organization. Therefore, it does not have any permanent secretariat or management and administrative structure.
• Origin
• 1997-1999 Asian Financial Crisis: This was a ministerial-level forum that emerged after G7 invited both developed and developing economies. The finance ministers and central bank governors began meeting in 1999.
• Amid the 2008 Financial Crisis, the world saw the need for a new consensus-building at the highest political level. It was decided that the G20 leaders would begin meeting once annually.
• Members
• The members of the G20 are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union.
• One nation holds the Chair every year, known as the 'G20 Presidency'. Argentina chaired the G20 summit of 2018 and Japan for 2019.
• V-Shaped Recovery

• A V-shaped recovery is characterized by a sharp economic decline followed by a quick and sustained recovery.
• The recession of 1953 is an example of a V-shaped recovery.
• A V-shaped recovery is different from an L-shaped recovery, in which the economy stays in a slump for a prolonged period.

Source: Time Of India

3) International Judicial Conference 2020

The International Judicial Conference 2020 was held from 21st-23rd February 2020 in New Delhi.

• The Conference was organized by the Supreme Court of India.
• The theme of the Conference was ‘Judiciary and the Changing World’.
• Important Topics of discussion at the conference included :
• Gender Justice,
• Contemporary Perspectives on Protection of Constitutional Values,
• Dynamic Interpretations of the Constitution in a Changing World,
• Harmonization of Environment Protection vis-à-vis Sustainable Development and
• Protection of Right to Privacy in the Internet Age.

Highlights from the Conference

• Sustainable Development: The Indian judiciary was appreciated for its balance between development and environment, and continued guidance in it.
• E.g. Judgement on Sardar Sarovar Project
• Increased Accessibility: The Supreme Court was hailed for the “extraordinary effort” to make its judgments more accessible to the common man by making them available in nine vernacular languages, keeping in mind the nation’s linguistic diversity.
• Gender Justice: The recent directives for granting equal status to women in the Army, guidelines for preventing sexual harassment at the workplace, etc. were appreciated.
• Global Reference: The Chief Justice of India said that the Supreme Court’s judgments are cited by courts of other countries and have served as a “beacon of hope” to independent and developing nations.
• A 2001 verdict of the South African court cited the Indian case of Narain Das Jain v Agra Nagar Mahapalika decided by the Supreme Court in 1991 to benchmark the compensation to be provided while acquiring land.
• Use of ICT: The need for technology was highlighted to deliver speedy justice.
• The Government is making an effort to connect every court of the country to the E-court Integrated Mission Mode Project. The establishment of the National Judicial Data Grid will make court procedures easier.
• Future Challenges: It was highlighted that issues like data protection and cybercrimes pose new challenges for the judiciary.

E-court Integrated Mission Mode Project

• The E-Courts Project was conceptualized based on the "National Policy and Action Plan for Implementation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the Indian Judiciary - 2005" submitted by the e-Committee of the Supreme Court of India (set up in 2004).
• The main objectives of the e-Court Project are as follows:
• To provide efficient & time-bound citizen-centric service delivery.
• To develop, install & implement decision support systems in courts.
• To automate the processes to provide transparency of Information access to its stakeholders.
• To enhance judicial productivity both qualitatively & quantitatively, to make the justice delivery system affordable, accessible, cost-effective & transparent.
• The e-Courts National portal (ecourts.gov.in) was launched in 2013. This provides Case Status, daily Case-list, Cases Filed and Cases Registered through the Case information System (CIS) Software.
• The National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) is a part of the e-Courts Integrated Mission Mode Project. It was launched in 2015. The aim is to track judicial performance across different courts in the country.
• The NJDG is working as a National data warehouse for case data including the orders/judgments for Courts across the country.
• NJDG works as a monitoring tool to identify, manage & reduce pendency of cases.
• It also helps to provide timely inputs for making policy decisions to reduce delay and arrears in the system, facilitate better monitoring of court performance and systemic bottlenecks, and, thus, facilitate better resource management.
• NJDG has specifically helped India improve its ranking in the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Report.

Source: PIB

4) Craspedotropis Gretathunbergae

A group of scientists has recently discovered a new species of land snail in Brunei.

• The new species reside in tropical rainforests and are sensitive to drought and extreme temperatures (which have become more frequent due to climate change).
• Hence as an honor to Swedish Climate Change activist Greta Thunberg, who has been making efforts to raise awareness about climate change, the new snail species was named Craspedotropis Gretathunbergae.
• Recently, a tiny species of beetle was also named after her as Nelloptodes Greta.
• In 2018, a new species of beetle (Grouvellinus Leonardodicaprioi) was named after the actor Leonardo DiCaprio (an American actor, producer, and environmentalist).

Source: Indian Express 

5) Biodiversity management committees (BMC)

The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) is set to tell the National Green Tribunal that it created 243,499 biodiversity management committees (BMC) and 95,525 people’s biodiversity registers (PBR) as of January 2020.

Background:

NGT is hearing a case on the full implementation of the Biodiversity Act, 2002.

Biodiversity Management Committees (BMC)

• As per the Biological Diversity Act 2002, BMCs are created for “promoting conservation, sustainable use and documentation of biological diversity” by local bodies across the country.
• Composition:
• It shall consist of a chairperson and not more than six persons nominated by the local body, of whom not less than one third should be women and not less than 18% should belong to the Scheduled Castes/ Scheduled Tribes.
• The Chairperson of the Biodiversity Management Committee shall be elected from amongst the members of the committee in a meeting to be chaired by the Chairperson of the local body.
• The chairperson of the local body shall have the casting votes in case of a tie.
• Functions:
• The main function of the BMC is to prepare People’s Biodiversity Register in consultation with the local people. The Register shall contain comprehensive information on availability and knowledge of local biological resources, their medicinal or any other use or any other.

Source: PIB

6) Joint Commands

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) office is working on a tentative timeline for the establishment of joint commands among the three defense services Army, Navy and Air Force beginning with an Air Defence Command.

Joint Commands

• It is a unified command in which the resources of all the services are unified under a single commander looking at a geographical theatre.
• Meaning, a single military commander, as per the requirements, will have the resources of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force to manage a security threat.
• Functions of joint command:
• The commander of a joint command will have the freedom to train and equip his command.
• He will have the logistics of all the services at his beckoning.
• However, the three services will retain their independent identities as well.
• Joint command at present:
• There are two tri-services commands at the moment.
• The joint command at the moment, the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), is a theatre command, which is headed by the chiefs of the three services in rotation. It was created in 2001 after a Group of Ministers had given a report on national security following the Kargil War.
• The Strategic Forces Command was established in 2006 and is a functional tri-services command.
• What is the structure right now?
• There are 17 commands, divided among the three services.
• The Army and the Air Force have seven commands each, while the Navy has three commands.
• These commands report to their respective services and are headed by three-star officers.
• Though these commands are in the same regions, they are no located together.
• Need for joint commands?
• The leader of unified command has control over more varied resources, compared to the heads of the commands under the services now. And the officer commanding will have access to the Air Force’s fighter jets and can use them if needed. Through such integration and jointness, the three forces will be able to avoid duplication of resources. The resources available under each service will be available to other services too. The services will get to know one another better, strengthening cohesion in the defense establishment.
• Do the militaries of other countries have such commands?
• Several major militaries are divided into integrated theatre commands. China’s People’s Liberation Army has five theatre commands: Eastern, Western, Northern, Southern and Central. Its Western Theatre Command is responsible for India. The US Armed Forces have 11 unified commands, of which seven are geographic and four functional commands. Its geographic commands are Africa, Central, European, Indo-Pacific, Northern, Southern, and Space. Cyber, Special Operations, Transportation and Strategic are its functional commands.

Source: Indian Express

7) World’s largest cavefish discovered in Meghalaya

A team of experts from the UK, Switzerland, and India have discovered the world’s largest species of cavefish in Meghalaya’s Jaintia Hills.

About

• The cavefish, similar in anatomy to an endangered mahseer species, is around one and a half feet in length and was found inside a remote cave in Jaintia Hills.
• The fish has no eyes and is white due to a lack of melanin pigmentation.
• As they live in a nutrient-limited environment most of these species are small.

Source: The Hindu

8) Pakke Tiger Reserve (PTR)

• The State Government of Arunachal Pradesh intends to build a highway through the 862 sq km Pakke Tiger Reserve (PTR) in East Kameng district.
• The Government had in the past built a highway through the Namdapha National Park.

Key Points

• The project is named the East-West Industrial Corridor which is a proposed elevated corridor at the tiger reserve, to be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs.2,550 crore.
• The highway aims to connect Bhairabhunda in West Kameng district and Myanmar in Changlang district along Arunachal Pradesh’s border with Assam.
• The argument over an elevated corridor at the PTR was that it can ensure the free movement of wild animals.
• The state government felt the project would enhance connectivity and develop the state’s foothill areas into economic and industrial zones.

Issue Area

• Trees may have to be felled and pillars erected from the ground. Petrol, diesel and other materials will be transported, leading to loss of natural habitat.
• This corridor will be a threat to the adjoining Nameri Tiger Reserve in Assam too.

What should the Govt. do?

• The Government, while building such a mega project, should consult renowned conservation organizations in the area and also bring all stakeholders who will be impacted by the project on to the negotiating table.

Pakke Tiger Reserve (PTR)

• It lies in the foothills of the Eastern Himalaya in the East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh.
• It falls within the Eastern Himalaya Biodiversity Hotspot.
• Pakke is also the only Hornbill sanctuary in India.
• The vegetation is predominantly tropical semi-evergreen forest.
• What makes PTR special are the brilliant efforts of the Forest Department and local communities like that of the Nyishi Tribe who inhabit the area around the park to protect the wildlife here.

9) Amendments in Arms Act, 1959 and Arms Rules, 2016 notified

• Shooting is an important Olympic sport in India. The Indian shooters have excelled in international competitions. Keeping this in mind, the Ministry of Home Affairs, vide its notification issued under the Arms Act 1959, has made provisions to provide adequate firearms and ammunition to the shooters for their practice. The Ministry of Home Affairs vides its notifications dated 12th February 2020 has amended the provisions of the Arms Act, 1959 and the Arms Rules, 2016 to increase the number of firearms that can be kept by the shooters and enhanced the quantity of ammunition fixed for their practice for the year. These provisions shall greatly facilitate their shooting practice.
• As per the new rules, now International Medalists/Renowned Shooters are allowed to keep additional weapons up to a total of twelve under the exempted category, which earlier was seven. If a shooter is renowned in one event, he can keep maximum eight (previously it was four), if a shooter is renowned in two events he can keep maximum ten (previously it was seven) and if a shooter is renowned in more than two events, he can keep maximum twelve (previously it was seven) firearms under exempted category. The junior target shooter/ aspiring shooter is now allowed to possess two weapons (previously one) of any category in which the person is a junior target shooter/aspiring shooter. This provision shall facilitate shooters in practicing with various types of firearms. Apart from the above exemptions, the shooters are entitled to possess two firearms as normal citizens under provisions of the Arms Act, 1959.
• Similarly, by amending the provision under Rule 40 of the Arms Rules, 2016 the quantity of ammunition that can be purchased by the shooters during the year for the practice has also been increased considerably. As per the new provisions, for .22 LR rifle/pistol 5000 instead of 1000, for another type of Pistol/Revolver 2000 instead of 600 and for shotgun calibers 5000 instead 500 can be purchased by the shooters.
• Apart from this, the Ministry of Home Affairs has also made other necessary amendments in the Arms Rules, 2016 by amending the Arms Act, 1959, vide the Arms (Amendment) Act, 2019. Through these amendments, it has also been clarified that no license is required for Indian citizens for acquisitions, possession of small arms falling under the category of curio. However, an appropriate license as prescribed would be required for use or to carry or transport such as small arms. Without the endorsement of such firearms in the prescribed license of the owner, no ammunition shall be sold for their use.
• It may be noted that as per the provisions of the Arms (Amendment) Act, 2019, the maximum number of firearms to be possessed by any person has been reduced from three to two. Those in possession of three firearms have been given the facility to retain any two of such firearms and to deposit the remaining firearm by 13.12.2020.

Source: PIB

10) Corporates join Ganga Rejuvenation effort

• A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), State Program Management Group-Uttarakhand (SPMG-UK) and Indorama Charitable Trust (ICT) to work together for renovation/ development of the Ghat at Badrinath and Ghats and Crematoria at Gangotri in Uttarakhandat a total cost of 26.64 Crore.
• Rivers in India have always been considered sacred and the Ganga river, in particular, is the identity and lifeline of India. Pilgrim sites and urban centers have developed along the river. These centers have drawn sustenance from the river and have been thriving over time. Ghats and Crematoria are part of the lifestyle of people and pilgrimages to visit the holy river Ganga play a vital role in strengthening the People-River Connect. Gangotri and Badrinath being part of the Char Dham yatra, are especially important. This MoU is a significant step for improving amenities and sanitation at these holy locations with the underlying spirit of partnership and of private corporates taking responsibility by contributing to the National Mission: Rejuvenation of the sacred river Ganga.
• The Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been developed by M/S WAPCOS, a Govt. of India Enterprise.
• The activities under the project include:
• Construction of Bathing Ghats and Crematoria
• Repair and modernization of existing Ghats and Crematoria
• Providing public amenities on Ghats
• Bank erosion protection works
• Operation & Maintenance (O&M) for 5 years
• Work is expected to start by March 2020 and likely to be completed in 15 months. This MoU is effective for 7 years.

PROJECT DETAILS

Badrinath Bathing Ghat

Badrinath Bathing Ghat is situated along the bank of river Alaknanda. Through local consultation, the sites of Ghat was identified. The total area to be developed at Badrinath Bathing Ghat is 2099 m2. The total cost of the project will be Rs. 10.31 crore. Operation and Maintenance for the ghat will be for five years. Development of BadrinathGhat includes the various components like Changing Room, Toilet with bio-digester and reed bed, water spout, chhatri, platform, signages, horticulture work, railing, etc. Construction of the ghat will be completed in 15 months.

Gangotri Bathing Ghat and Crematoria

GangotriGhat is situated along the bank of river Bhagirathi at Gangotri. One bathing ghat and one crematorium to be developed at Gangotri. The total area to be developed at GangotriGhat is 2170 m2. The total cost of the project will be Rs. 16.02 crore. Development of ghat includes the various components like Changing Room, Toilet with bio-digester and reed bed, IWC, water spout, chhatri, platform, signages, horticulture work, railing, solar light pole, etc. Construction of the ghat will be completed in 15 months.

Benefits:

• Rejuvenated Ghats, along the river, would improve the people -river connect and would also become places that reflect local culture and history.
• The project will significantly improve the visual aesthetics of the area. For Ganga Rejuvenation, improvement in aesthetics is also an important aspect.
• River water quality improvement through a reduction in the disposal of untreated sewage, solid waste disposal, etc.
• Increase in Tourism which will create opportunities for local employment.
• Prevent the disposal of un-burnt / partially burnt bodies in the river and reduce the pollution due to the cremation process (IWC save 200 kg of wood per cremation and 1 tree per 3 cremations).

Source: PIB