Daily Current Affairs 12 March 2020 | UPSC Current Affairs 2020

Current Affairs Of Today Are

1) Cocoon production

Cocoon production in Karnataka, which had been hit by a mulberry disease, appears poised to pick up just in time to meet the growing demand for indigenous silk.
The leafroller insect, which eats the shoots of mulberry plants, had affected the production in the State. With the climate change in the last few days and the use of pesticides bringing the disease under control, most cocoon markets have reported an increase in arrivals. The prices of the cocoon, which had remained high for the last three months, had begun to ease in the last week
The cocoon market in Ramanagaram, one of the largest in the State, was trading 25 to 30 tonnes of cocoons daily during the last three to four months when the production was low. But, in the last one week, the arrivals had crossed 50 tonnes a day, consequently bringing down the price
The average price of cocoons used to between ₹480 and ₹495 for the crossbreed and between ₹630 and ₹670 for the superior quality bivoltine during January and February, has eased to an average of ₹400 for the former and ₹492 for the latter in the last one week.
With the price of cocoons easing and the demand for raw silk expected to increase owing to COVID-19 disrupting the import of silk from China, the production of indigenous raw silk is likely to increase. The available stocks of Chinese silk are fast exhausting. With no consignment of silk from China for almost two months now, the indigenous silk is expected to bridge the gap.
Indian silk weaving industry caters primarily to the domestic market. Exports play a limited role
The silk goods manufacturers catering to the local market, including the sari makers, are unperturbed.

Mulberry

Mulberry is the name given to several species of deciduous shrub or tree in the genus Morus (family Moraceae) which are grown for their edible fruits. The genus includes white mulberry (Morus alba) and red mulberry (Morus rubra). Mulberries are small to medium-sized shrubs or trees with a thick tan-gray ridged trunk and light green leaves which vary in shape depending on the variety. Leaves are arranged alternately and are lobed or unlobed, cordate (heart-shaped), dentate (toothed) and acuminate (tapering). The trees produce small green-yellow flowers in dense spikes and an oval aggregate fruit made up of individual drupelets. The fruit can be white, pink or purple to purple-black in color and contains numerous brown seeds. Mulberry can reach a height of 15 m (49 ft) and are quite short-lived, with an economic lifespan of around 15 years. Mulberry is believed to originate from China.

Source: The Hindu

2) Epidemic Disease Act, 1897

It has been decided that all States/Union Territories should be advised to invoke provisions of Section 2 of the Epidemic Disease Act, 1897 so that all advisories being issued from time to time by the Ministry/State/UTs are enforceable
The GoM was constituted to review the measures taken for the management of COVID-19 in India
The guidance provides critical considerations and practical checklists to keep schools safe. It also advises national and local authorities on how to adapt and implement emergency plans for educational facilities
This means having solid plans in place to ensure the continuity of learning, including remote learning options such as online education strategies and radio broadcasts of academic content, and access to essential services for all children. These plans should also include necessary steps for the eventual safe reopening of schools
The International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) also issued new guidance to help protect children and schools from the transmission of the COVID19.

THE EPIDEMIC DISEASES ACT, 1897

An Act to provide for the better prevention of the spread of Dangerous Epidemic Diseases.

Section-2 Power to take special measures and prescribe regulations as to dangerous epidemic diseases.

(1) When at any time the [State Government] is satisfied that [the State] or any part
thereof is visited by, or threatened with, an outbreak of any dangerous epidemic disease, the 8
[State Government], if [it] thinks that the ordinary provisions of the law for the time being in force are insufficient for the purpose, may take, or require or empower any person to take, such measures and, by public notice, prescribe such temporary regulations to be observed by the public or by any person or class of persons as [it] shall deem necessary to prevent the outbreak of such disease or the spread thereof, and may determine in what manner and by whom any expenses incurred (including compensation if any) shall be defrayed.
(2) In particular and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing provisions, the [State Government] may take measures and prescribe regulations for—

(b) the inspection of persons traveling by railway or otherwise, and the segregation, in hospital, temporary accommodation or otherwise, of persons suspected by the inspecting officer of being infected with any such disease.

Source: The Hindu

3) Forcible dispossession of a person’s property is a human rights violation: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has reiterated that forcible dispossession of a person of his private property without due process of law is a violation of human rights.
The court stressed that right to property is both a human right and a constitutional right — the latter under Article 300A of the Constitution.
It is accepted in every jurisprudence and by different political thinkers that some amount of property right is an indispensable safeguard against tyranny and economic oppression of the government... The property itself is the seedbed which must be conserved if other constitutional values are to flourish

Article 300A

Right to Property is no longer a fundamental right, rather it is a Constitutional Right and now exists in Article 300A.
Article 300A states that - No person shall be deprived of his property save by the authority of law.
Therefore, the article protects an individual from interference by the State and dispossess a person of the property unless it is by the procedure established by law.
Though compensation is not expressly mentioned in the Article, in K.T Plantation Pvt. Ltd. Vs. The state of Karnataka, 2011 the SC held that public purpose was a pre-condition for deprivation of a person of his property under Article 300A of the Constitution and the right to claim compensation was also inbuilt in that Article. In the case, the then CJI S.H. Kapadia said that -“The requirement of public purpose is invariably the rule for depriving a person of his property, violation of which is amenable to judicial review. Acquisition of property for a public purpose may meet with a lot of contingencies, like deprivation of livelihood, leading to violation of Article 21, but that per se is not a ground to strike down a statute or its provisions.” Notes on Article 300A

If the State intends to appropriate private property without the owner’s consent by acting under statutory provisions for compulsory acquisition, the procedure authorized by law has to be mandatorily and compulsorily followed.
In-State of Jharkhand vs. Jitendra Kumar Srivastava, 2013, the SC held that pension is not a bounty but it is a property and cannot be taken away without complying with due process of law.
The right to property includes within it the right to use the property by the law as it stands at a particular time.
In Tukaram Kana Joshi vs M.I.D.C, 2013 the SC said that human rights are a domain under individual rights and are gaining a bigger multi-faceted dimension and the Right to property is a part of this new dimension.
Section 29 of the State Finance Corporations Act 1951 deals with the Rights of Financial Corporation in case of default. The corporation has the power to take possession of the property of an individual concerned if the latter defaults on payment of any loan or advance or any installment and such action of possession are not violative of Articles 14, 19, 21 or 300A of the constitution.

Source: The Hindu

4) Sir Creek pact

The third edition of WION’s global summit was held in Dubai recently.
Theme: “Navigating and negotiating global imperatives”.
Several topics, including balancing and recalibrating Pakistan’s diplomatic strategy and getting the youth to participate in democracy, were discussed at the summit.
At the event, Former Pakistan Minister Kasuri recalled the plan for Sir Creek pact.

What is Sir Creek?

Sir Creek is a 96-km strip of water disputed between India and Pakistan in the Rann of Kutch marshlands.
Originally named Ban Ganga, Sir Creek is named after a British representative.
The Creek opens up in the Arabian Sea and roughly divides the Kutch region of Gujarat from the Sindh Province of Pakistan.

What’s the dispute?

The dispute lies in the interpretation of the maritime boundary line between Kutch and Sindh.
Before India’s independence, the provincial region was a part of the Bombay Presidency of British India. But after India’s independence in 1947, Sindh became a part of Pakistan while Kutch remained a part of India.

Pakistan claims the entire creek as per paragraphs 9 and 10 of the Bombay Government Resolution of 1914 signed between then the Government of Sindh and Rao Maharaj of Kutch.
The resolution, which demarcated the boundaries between the two territories, included the creek as part of Sindh, thus setting the boundary as the eastern flank of the creek popularly known as Green Line.
But India claims that the boundary lies mid-channel as depicted in another map drawn in 1925, and implemented by the installation of mid-channel pillars back in 1924.
In its support, it cites the Thalweg Doctrine in International Maritime Law, which states that river boundaries between two states may be divided by the mid-channel if the water-body is navigable.

What’s the importance of Sir Creek?

Apart from the strategic location, Sir Creek’s core importance is fishing resources. Sir Creek is considered to be among the largest fishing grounds in Asia.
Another vital reason is the possible presence of great oil and gas concentration under the sea, which are currently unexploited thanks to the impending deadlock on the issue.

Source: The Hindu

5) Defense Corridors

In pursuance to the budget announcement (2018-19), it has been decided to set up two Defence Industrial Corridors in the Country, one in Uttar Pradesh and another in Tamil Nadu. Subsequently, six nodes in Uttar Pradesh Defence Corridor viz. Agra, Aligarh, Chitrakoot, Jhansi, Kanpur, and Lucknow have been identified. Similarly, for Tamil Nadu Defence Corridor, five nodes viz. Chennai, Coimbatore, Hosur, Salem, and Tiruchirappalli have been identified. To date, six consultation meetings of stakeholders each in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu were organized across its various nodes.
Investments of approximately Rs 3,700 crore were announced by Ordnance Factory Board (OFB/Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) & Private Industries for Uttar Pradesh Defence Corridors and investment of approx Rs 3,100 crore were announced by OFB/DPSUs & private industries for Tamil Nadu Defence Corridor.
Further, the Government has also appointed a consultant for the preparation of policy and Detailed Project Report (DPR) for these two Defence Corridors. Incentives to private players and foreign companies are provided under the respective state policies.
Setting up of Defence Industrial Corridors would catalyze indigenous production of defense and aerospace-related items, thereby reducing our reliance on imports and promoting export of these items to other countries. This will lead to achieving India’s goal of self-reliance in defense, generation of direct/indirect employment opportunities and growth of private domestic manufacturers, Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and Star-ups.
Presently, there is no proposal to set up more Defence Industrial Corridor(s) in the country.

Source: PIB

6) New Hub Under National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar, Punjab is setting up a Sectoral Application Hub in Technologies for Agriculture and Water.

Key Points

The hub is being set up under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NMICPS) and is granted by Union Government’s Science and Engineering Research Board.
The application hub will bring solutions for stubble management, water quality improvement and mapping of hazardous substances in water.
The hub aims at carrying out translational research and work with concerned departments to develop prototypes, products, and implementations.

National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems

It was launched in 2018 and is implemented by the Department of Science & Technology for five years.
NMICPS covers entire India which includes Central Ministries, State Governments, Industry and Academia.
Objectives:

It is a comprehensive mission which would address technology development, application development, human resource development & skill enhancement, entrepreneurship and start-up development in Cyber-Physical System (CPS) and associated technologies.
The mission aims at establishing 15 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIH), six Application Innovation Hubs (AIH) and four Technology Translation Research Parks (TTRP).
These Hubs & TTRPs will connect to Academics, Industry, Central Ministries and State Government in developing solutions at reputed academic, R&D and other organizations across the country in a hub and spoke model.

The Hubs & TTRPs have four focused areas namely:
Technology Development.
HRD & Skill Development.
Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Start-ups Ecosystem Development.
International Collaborations.

Cyber-Physical Systems

These systems integrate sensing, computation, control, and networking into physical objects and infrastructure, connecting them to the Internet and to each other.
Few Potential applications:

Driverless cars that communicate securely with each other on smart roads.
Sensors in the home to detect changing health conditions.
Improving agricultural practices.
Enabling scientists to address issues arising out of climate change.

Advances in cyber-physical systems will enable capability, adaptability, scalability, resiliency, safety, security and usability that will far exceed the simple embedded systems of today.

Source: The Hindu

7) Preservation of Eastern, Western Ghats

A public interest litigation petition has been filed in the Madras High Court seeking a direction to the Centre and State government to constitute a permanent body for taking serious steps to safeguard the flora, fauna and other natural resources in the Eastern and Western Ghat areas in Tamil Nadu.
The petition is based on the recommendations made by the Madhav Gadgil and Kasturi Rangan committees.

What’s the issue? Why there is a need for protection?

Petitioner contended that the natural resources abundantly available in this area are being properly utilized by other regions, except Tamil Nadu. They are being misutilised and mismanaged not only by the administrators but also by the public at large.
Besides, large-scale plantations of coffee, tea and orchards have been raised in the hills of Western Ghats. Aromatic and valuable trees like sandals are removed illegally. Despite the Wildlife Protection Act, hunting takes place in some pockets. The forests are getting degraded because of the illicit collection of firewood, illicit grazing and illicit felling of trees.

What did the Gadgil Committee say?

It defined the boundaries of the Western Ghats for the purposes of ecological management.
It proposed that this entire area be designated as an ecologically sensitive area (ESA).
Within this area, smaller regions were to be identified as ecologically sensitive zones (ESZ) I, II or III based on their existing condition and nature of the threat.
It proposed to divide the area into about 2,200 grids, of which 75 percent would fall under ESZ I or II or under already existing protected areas such as wildlife sanctuaries or natural parks.
The committee proposed a Western Ghats Ecology Authority to regulate these activities in the area.

Recommendations of the Kasturirangan Committee:

A ban on mining, quarrying and sand mining.
No new thermal power projects, but hydropower projects allowed with restrictions.
A ban on new polluting industries.
Building and construction projects up to 20,000 sq m were to be allowed but townships were to be banned.
Forest diversion could be allowed with extra safeguards.

Importance of western ghats:

The Western Ghats is an extensive region spanning over six States. It is the home of many endangered plants and animals. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
It is one of the eight “hottest hot-spots” of biological diversity in the world.
According to UNESCO, the Western Ghats are older than the Himalayas. They influence Indian monsoon weather patterns by intercepting the rain-laden monsoon winds that sweep in from the south-west during late summer.

Eastern Ghats:

The Eastern Ghats run from northern Odisha through Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in the south passing some parts of Karnataka.
They are eroded and cut through by four major rivers of peninsular India, viz. Godavari, Mahanadi, Krishna, and Kaveri.

Source: The Hindu

8) Attukal Pongala Festival

The annual “Attukal Pongala”, one of the largest all-women religious congregations began recently amid the COVID-19 virus threat.

Key Points

Pongala is a ten-day-long festival of Attukal Bhagavathy Temple.
The festival commences with the musical rendering of the story of the Goddess (Kannaki Charitam) during the "Kappu Kettu ceremony".
The story invokes the presence of Kodungallur Bhagavathy and the slaying of the Pandyan King. This festival commemorates the victory of Good over Evil, by the slaying of Pandyan King.
The event of the Goddess annihilating the Pandyan King is accompanied by much sound and fury of the temple drums and "Vaykurava" by devotees, immediately followed by the lighting of the hearths for the preparation of the offering for the Goddess.

Pongala

Pongala, which means 'to boil over’, is the ritual in which women prepare sweet payasam (a pudding made from rice, jaggery, coconut and plantains cooked together) and offer it to the Goddess or ‘Bhagavathy’.
The Pongal is cooked in pots – preferably earthen.

Attukal Bhagavathy temple

This temple is dedicated to Goddess Bhagavathy.
Also known as “the Sabarimala of Women'', this temple attracts the biggest set of women devotees for the annual Attukal Pongala festival.
Attukal Devi temple and its main festival Attukal Pongala reached Guinness Book of World Records of the largest annual gathering of women, when 1.5 million (15 Lakhs) women offered pongala on February 23, 1997, and on March 10, 2009, when over 2.5 million people took part in it.
The temple is built with elements of Kerala architectural style and Tamil architectural style as well.
The main building also comprises Goddess Kali, Goddess Parvathy, Lord Shiva, Goddess Sri Rajarajeswari and several others.

Kerala Architectural Style

It displays certain variations on plan and elevation from its counterparts on the eastern coast of south India.
These variations are mainly owing to distinct climatic conditions and the employment of different building materials along with the native systems of beliefs and culture.
Kerala temples have a distinct style of their own by the lavish use of wood, stone, and metals.
Wood is used for making Temples because of rich forest cover.
The base structure of the temple is made using granite and laterite.
The roof may have one, two or even three stories.
The shape of the roof depends on the plan of the sanctum below.
The steep and needle-like roof is made of wood and is covered with copper plates to protect the inner skeletal framework from the vigorous monsoons.

Source: The Hindu

9) ‘United for Biodiversity’

The European Commission (EC) has launched the ‘United for Biodiversity’ coalition.

It was launched on World Wildlife Day 2020- 3rd March.

What is it?

The coalition is made up of zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, national parks, and natural history and science museums from around the world.
The coalition offers the opportunity for all such institutions to “join forces and boost public awareness about the nature crisis, ahead of the crucial COP-15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Kunming, China in October 2020.

A common pledge adopted:

The coalition adopted a common pledge, citing the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Global Assessment finding that one million species were already at risk of extinction, and appeals to visitors to each of their institutions to “raise their voice for nature.”

Need for this coalition:

These organizations are vital not only for cataloging and preserving the natural world but are indispensable and invaluable centers for education and mobilization — particularly for young leaders and decision-makers of the future.

Source: The Hindu

10) COVID-19 now a pandemic

The World Health Organization (WHO) said that according to its assessment, COVID 19 can be characterized as a pandemic
According to the WHO, a pandemic is declared when a new disease for which people do not have immunity spreads around the world beyond expectations. It noted with concern that 1,18,000 positive cases had been reported in 114 countries, and more than 90% of cases were in just four.

What is a pandemic?

The description is reserved for an infectious disease where we see significant and ongoing person-to-person spread in multiple countries.
The last time a pandemic occurred was in 2009 with swine flu, which experts think killed hundreds of thousands of people.
Pandemics are more likely if a virus is brand new, able to infect people easily and can spread from person to person in an efficient and sustained way.
Coronavirus appears to tick all of those boxes.
With no vaccine or treatment that can prevent it yet, containing its spread is vital.

Why is the term being used now?

At the end of February, Dr. Tedros said while coronavirus "absolutely" had pandemic potential it was not there yet because "we are not witnessing uncontained global spread".
What has changed is the number of countries dealing with cases. There have now been 118,000 in 114 countries.

Source: BBC

11) Government to Launch Mahua-based Alcoholic Drink

The central government is set to launch a mahua-based alcoholic beverage ‘Mahua Nutribeverage’ in the market for the first time.
The Beverage will come in six fruit-based flavors and will be available at the price of ₹700 for a 750ml bottle.
This is the first time that the Ministry of Tribal Affairs is getting into bottling and sale of alcoholic beverages.

Key Points

The beverage has a high nutritional value and relatively low alcohol content (5%).
It has been developed by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi in collaboration with the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED).

TRIFED is a national-level apex organization functioning under the administrative control of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

TRIFED has signed a memorandum with the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) to undertake the assignment of technology transfer to suitable entrepreneurs for the production and marketing of the beverage.
The marketing is being undertaken under the Van Dhan Vikas Karyakram.

It is Tribal Affairs Ministry’s value-addition scheme which was launched in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur in 2018.
The nation-wide program earmarked ₹500-600 crore for training tribal clusters to add value to their produce and sell it in a packaged format, aiming to increase their income manifold.
The products marketed under the scheme include only those that need primary-level processing, including handicrafts, textiles, food items, jams and pulps, and jewelry.

Besides mahua, other tribal staples such as tamarind and amla will be de-seeded and brought to the market in the form of candies and jams.

Mahua

Its scientific name is Madhuca indica.
It is a prominent forest tree in tribal areas of Bastar (Chhattisgarh) and plays an important role in the rural economy.
The mahua flowers are a rich source of sugars and are said to contain vitamins, minerals, and calcium.
The flowers are fermented and distilled yielding spirituous liquor also known as ‘country beer’.
An estimated 90% of the annual production of Mahua flower is used in the process of brewing beverages.

Source: Indian Express

12) Hubli-Ankola Railway Line Project

The Hubballi-Ankola railway line project saw stiff opposition from a majority of the board members of the Karnataka State Wildlife Board.

Key Points

The proposed 164.44-km railway line passes through forests between two major protected areas — Kali Tiger Reserve and Bedthi Conservation Reserve.
More than 80% of the line has to pass through the dense forest lands of the Western Ghats, and this entails the diversion of 727 hectares of prime forests.

Kali Tiger Reserve

Kali Tiger Reserve is located in the central portion of the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka state.
The Tiger Reserve comprises two important protected areas of the region viz., Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary and Anshi National Park.
These two protected areas are contiguous to each other and form a single tract of the protected area located in the biologically sensitive Western Ghats.
Forests of the Tiger Reserve are primarily moist deciduous and semi-evergreen, with excellent patches of evergreen forests in the westernmost parts as well as in deep valleys.
Animals found in the Tiger Reserve include Tiger, Leopard, Elephant, Bison, Wild dog, Sambar, Spotted deer, Sloth bear, Wild boar, Hanuman langur, Bonnet macaque, varieties of reptiles and birds, etc.

State Boards for Wildlife

SBWL is constituted under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
The SBWL is headed by the Chief Minister, with the Forest Minister of the State as the Vice-Chair.
State Boards for Wildlife advises the state governments in the selection and management of protected areas and other matters connected with the protection of wildlife.

Source: The Hindu

13) Foundation Day of National Archives of India

Recently, on the occasion of 130th Foundation Day of National Archives of India, an exhibition “Jallianwala Bagh” was inaugurated, to mark the Jallianwala Bagh massacre centenary.

Key Points

The present exhibition is primarily presented with the help of original and digital copies of archival documents relating to the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre available in the National Archives of India.
This is an attempt to portray the relentless struggle of the Indian people against the British tyranny through our record holdings.

National Archives of India

The National Archives of India is an attached office under the Ministry of Culture. It was established on 11 March 1891 at Kolkata (Calcutta) as the Imperial Record Department.
Following the transfer of the capital from Calcutta to Delhi in 1911, the present building of the National Archives of India was constructed in 1926 which was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.
The transfer of all records from Calcutta to New Delhi was completed in 1937. It is the nodal agency for the implementation of the Public Records Act, 1993 and Public Record Rules, 1997.

Source: PIB

14) 11th Bengaluru INDIA Nano 2020

11th Bengaluru INDIA Nano conference and exhibition showcased technologies and products developed by academia and companies in nanotechnology. The three-day event was organized by the Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of Karnataka and Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), in association with other Govt Institutions and corporate companies. JNCASR is an autonomous institution of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.
Research work related to novel approaches to tackle infections related to antimicrobial resistance, eco-friendly batteries, and tools on nanotechnology developed for agriculture were showcased by JNCASR at the exhibition
Some of the technologies exhibited included Rhino Lure and Rhyncho Lure, eco-friendly, cost-effective, and residual free control strategy tools to monitor and manage Rhinoceros Beetle and Red Plam Weevil pests and protect crops like coconut, date palm, oil palm, and areca nut.
A set of eco-friendly batteries were also displayed. These had been developed by the team led by Prof. Tapas K. Maji from Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit, JNCASR. The fabricated Zn-air battery uses Metal-Organic Framework (MOF) derived core-shell nanocomposite as a cathode material, which is trifunctional in nature, which means active for ORR (Oxygen reduction reaction), OER (Oxygen evolution reaction) as well as HER (Hydrogen evolution reaction) catalytic reactions. The fabricated Zn-air battery is safe, lightweight, and is recharged electrically as well as mechanically. Along with this, to exploit the HER activity, the same material was used as anode and cathode in the water electrolyzer which is powered by the fabricated Zn-air battery and thus showing self-powered overall water splitting process.

Source: PIB