Daily Current Affairs 16 March 2020 | UPSC Current Affairs 2020

Current Affairs Of Today Are

1) Mongoose poached in urban tank

In what appears to be poaching of Indian grey mongoose (Herpestes edwardsii) for meat and fur, a raw material for painting and cosmetic brushes, snares to trap the animal were found on the bunds of an urban water body in Coimbatore.
Indian grey mongoose, Ruddy mongoose, Small Indian mongoose, Crabeating mongoose, Stripenecked mongoose, and Brown mongoose are types of mongoose found in India and all the species are protected under Schedule II of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, poaching of which may lead to imprisonment up to seven years and or a hefty fine.
They are also covered under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), an international agreement between governments, with a complete ban on its commercial trade throughout the world. In July 2017, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) had seized around

Source: The Hindu

2) The parliamentary standing committee on Defence

The parliamentary standing committee on Defence has expressed concern that the widening gap between projections and allocations in the outlay for the Defence the sector will affect modernization and recommended dedicated funds for committed liabilities and procurements.
The shortfall in the allocation has affected the setting up of three triservice organizations and the operational readiness of the Andaman and Nicobar Command, the committee noted.
The gap in capital allocation for the Army increased from ₹4,596 crore in 2015-16 to ₹17,911.22 crore in 2020-21 (14% to 36%). For the Navy, the gap increased from ₹1,264.89 crore to ₹18,580 crores (5% to 41%). The Air Force’s gap rose from ₹12,505.21 to ₹22,925.38 crores (27% to 35%).
The committee opines that such situation is not conducive for preparation of country to modernday warfare, where possession of capital intensive modern machines are a prerequisite for not only tilting the result of the war in our favor but also having a credible deterrence
The committee observes that the Navy’s fighting capabilities depend on the high-value platforms like an aircraft carrier, submarines, destroyers, and frigate but the allocation of the capital budget for Navy [percentagewise] has the sharpest decline
On the committed liabilities, which are payments anticipated during a financial year for contracts concluded in previous years, the committee noted that they constitute a significant part of the capital head
The Navy and the IAF have committed liabilities higher their share of the capital allocation in the Budget. To offset this, the Services have been forced to defer payment of committed liabilities of the defense public sector undertakings among other measures.
In the allocation for the
joint staff, the projection under miscellaneous expenditure was ₹660.94 crore while the allotment is ₹294 crores. The standing committee was informed that the carryforward burden from the previous year is ₹32.14 crores. Hence, the net availability is ₹261.86 crore and the net shortfall ₹399.08 crore
The implications of the shortfall in miscellaneous expenditure include the inability to operationalization of Defence Space Agency (DSA), Defence Cyber Agency (DCYA) and Armed Forces Special Operations Division (AFSOD).”
Other implications are lower operational readiness of Andaman and Nicobar Command ships due to impact on annual refit plans, maintenance of SIGINT (Signal Intelligence) equipment and administration of training institutes and operational units.

Source: The Hindu

3) COVID-19 affects textile exports

Textile and clothing exporters have started feeling the impact of Covid-19 because of supply chain disruptions, fall in exports and the cancellation of international events.
According to the Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (Texprocil), 11 countries buy 41% of India’s cotton yarn exports and these countries have reported COVID19 cases.
Yarn exports are down 30% in value terms in JanuaryFebruary compared with a year earlier. There is a sharp fall in cotton yarn exports to China, Iran, Korea, and Vietnam
In the case of home textiles, the biggest markets include France, Germany, and the U.S
Texprocil has also called off IndTexpo 2020, its flagship event which is a reverse buyer-seller meet, to have been held in Coimbatore between March 17 and 19. The Apparel Export Promotion Council had asked garment exporters who depend on China largely for their import requirements to explore other sources.
In a communique to members, the council listed suppliers from Japan for woven fabric made out of artificial filament yarn, slide fasteners and parts, sewing machines, furniture, bases and covers, and sewing machine needles. “AEPC has made a preliminary study on the possible impact of disruptions of the supply of raw materials from China

Source: The Hindu

4) AT-1 Bonds

Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has made a proposal to write-down Additional Tier-1 (AT-1) bonds as part of the SBI-led restructuring package for Yes Bank.

Key Points

AT-1 bonds are a type of unsecured, perpetual bonds that banks issue to shore up their core capital base to meet the Basel-III norms.
There are two routes through which these bonds can be acquired:

Initial private placement offers of AT-1 bonds by banks seeking to raise money.
Secondary market buys of already-traded AT-1 bonds.

AT-1 bonds are like any other bonds issued by banks and companies, but pay a slightly higher rate of interest compared to other bonds.
These bonds are also listed and traded on the exchanges. So, if an AT-1 bondholder needs money, he can sell it in the secondary market.
Investors cannot return these bonds to the issuing bank and get the money. i.e there is no put option available to its holders.
However, the issuing banks have the option to recall AT-1 bonds issued by them (termed call options that allow banks to redeem them after 5 or 10 years).
Banks issuing AT-1 bonds can skip interest payouts for a particular year or even reduce the bonds’ face value.
AT-1 bonds are regulated by RBI. If the RBI feels that a bank needs a rescue, it can simply ask the bank to write off its outstanding AT-1 bonds without consulting its investors.

Basel-III Norms

It is an international regulatory accord that introduced a set of reforms designed to improve the regulation, supervision and risk management within the banking sector, post-2008 financial crisis.
Under the Basel-III norms, banks were asked to maintain a certain minimum level of capital and not lend all the money they receive from deposits.
According to Basel-III, I norm banks' regulatory capital is divided into Tier 1 and Tier 2, while Tier 1 is subdivided into Common Equity Tier-1 (CET-1) and Additional Tier-1 (AT-1) capital.
Common Equity Tier 1 capital includes equity instruments where returns are linked to the banks’ performance and therefore the performance of the share price. They have no maturity.
Additional Tier-1 capital is perpetual bonds that carry a fixed coupon payable annually from past or present profits of the bank.
They have no maturity, and their dividends can be canceled at any time.
Together, CET and AT-1 are called Common Equity. Under Basel III norms, the minimum requirement for Common Equity Capital has been defined.
Tier 2 capital consists of unsecured subordinated debt with an original maturity of at least five years.
According to the Basel norms, if minimum Tier-1 capital falls below 6%, it allows for a write-off of these bonds.

RBI’s Regulations Over Banks

In a situation where a bank faces severe losses leading to erosion of regulatory capital, the RBI can decide if the bank has reached a situation wherein it is no longer viable.
The RBI can then activate a Point of Non-Viability Trigger (PONV) and assume the executive powers of the bank.
By doing so, the RBI can do whatever is required to get the bank on track, including superseding the existing management, forcing the bank to raise additional capital and so on.
However, activating PONV is followed by a write-down of the AT-1 bonds, as determined by the RBI through the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

5) Spanish Flu

As COVID-19 declared a global health crisis, parallels are being drawn with the Spanish influenza of 1918-19, which is considered the most devastating pandemic in recent history.

Key Points

Spanish flu was caused by an H1N1 influenza virus.

There is no universal consensus regarding where the virus originated. It is believed that World War I was partly responsible for it’s spread.

Spain was one of the earliest countries where the epidemic was identified, but historians believe this was likely a result of wartime censorship.

Spain was a neutral nation during the war and did not enforce strict censorship of its press, which freely published early accounts of the illness. As a result, people falsely believed the illness was specific to Spain, and the name "Spanish flu" stuck.

How was the Outbreak Tamed

Awareness: That word got around about this killer disease through government efforts and through informal communications.
Social Distance: People were practicing social distancing and taking other preventive steps.
Natural Phenomenon: The virus evolved to become milder in the process.

There is a theory that, as viruses propagate, the more virulent strains are unable to survive, reproduce, and propagate as effectively as the less virulent strains, because their hosts die before the virus can jump to new susceptible hosts.

Climatic Conditions: Differences in climate across India.

Influenza viruses tend to not do as well in warm and moist conditions as they do in cooler, drier conditions.

Learning from the Spanish flu

Quick Response: A quick initial emergency response to deal with pandemic COVID-19.Locations close to an entry point will have extremely short windows of time to deal with a virulent pathogen.

While locations that are distant from the entry point will have longer windows of time to prepare for and deal with less-lethal variants of the disease.

Hygiene: To be extra vigilant about hygiene and aggressively practice social distancing.

H1N1 Virus

H1N1 influenza virus causes Swine Flu.
Swine Flu is an infection of the respiratory tract characterized by the usual symptoms of flu — cough, nasal secretions, fever, loss of appetite, fatigue, and headache.
It is called swine flu because it was known in the past to occur in people who had been in the vicinity of pigs.
The virus is transmitted by short-distance airborne transmission, particularly in crowded enclosed spaces. Hand contamination and direct contact are other possible sources of transmission.

Source: Indian Express

6) Speeding up Generation of RBCs in the Lab

A team of Indian researchers has invented a process through which generation of Red Blood Cells(RBCs) outside the body (in vitro) from Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs) can be speeded up.
The invented process would help to fasten the process of transfusion of RBCs in life-saving treatments for numerous conditions such as severe anemia, transplant surgery, pregnancy-related complications, and blood-related cancers.

Background

The blood banks, particularly in developing countries, often face a severe shortage of whole blood as well as components of blood like red blood cells.
Various groups have been able to produce RBCs in the laboratory from HSCs. However, the process takes a long time - around 21 days.
The umbilical cord blood contains special cells called hematopoietic stem cells that can be used to treat some types of diseases.
Hematopoietic stem cells can mature into different types of blood cells in the body.
The resources required to grow cells in the laboratory over such a long duration can be very expensive for the generation of RBCs on a large scale for clinical purposes.

Key Points

The process of generation of RBCs in the laboratory from HSCs can be speeded up by adding a very low concentration of a small protein molecule called `Transforming Growth Factor β1’ (TGF-β1), along with a hormone called `Erythropoietin’ (EPO). The whole process takes 18 days.
Usually, the addition of only Erythropoietin (EPO) to HSCs generate RBCs in 21 days.
Indian researchers have found that the addition of TGF-β1 with EPO has cut down the processing time by three days.
The physical appearance and the quality of the cells formed has revealed that the RBCs formed using this procedure are normal.

Blood

Blood is a fluid connective tissue that consists of plasma, blood cells, and platelets.
It helps to circulate oxygen and nutrients to various cells and tissues.
The major types of blood cells include:
Red Blood Cell

Red Blood Cells (RBCs) are also known as Erythrocytes.
RBCs contain the iron-rich protein called hemoglobin that gives blood its red color.
RBCs are the most copious blood cell produced in bone marrows. Their main function is to transport oxygen from and to various tissues and organs.

White Blood Cells

The White Blood Cells (WBCs) are also known as Leucocytes and are the colorless blood cells as it is devoid of hemoglobin.
It mainly contributes to immunity and defense mechanism.

Source: PIB

7) The time is right for ‘One Health’ science

The Nipah virus outbreak was thought to have come from fruit bats. These diseases, which “spillover” from animals to humans are referred to as zoonotic diseases, and represent more than 60% of emerging infectious diseases worldwide.
The destruction of the natural environment, globalized trade and travel, and industrialized food production systems have created numerous pathways for new pathogens to jump between animals and humans.
Understanding this critical intersection between human health, domestic and wild animal health and the environment requires a new integrated framework — a paradigm called ‘OneHealth’.

One Health

‘One Health’ is an approach to designing and implementing programs, policies, legislation, and research in which multiple sectors communicate and work together to achieve better public health outcomes.
The areas of work in which a One Health approach is particularly relevant include food safety, the control of zoonoses (diseases that can spread between animals and humans, such as flu, rabies, and Rift Valley Fever), and combatting antibiotic resistance (when bacteria change after being exposed to antibiotics and become more difficult to treat).

Why do we need a One Health approach?

Many of the same microbes infect animals and humans, as they share the eco-systems they live in. Efforts by just one sector cannot prevent or eliminate the problem.
For instance, rabies in humans is effectively prevented only by targeting the animal source of the virus (for example, by vaccinating dogs).
So to effectively contain it, a well-coordinated approach in humans and in animals is required.

How does it work?

Many professionals with a range of expertise who are active in different sectors, such as public health, animal health, plant health, and the environment are required to find a solution to the problem.
To effectively detect, respond to, and prevent outbreaks of zoonoses and food safety problems, epidemiological data and laboratory information should be shared across sectors.
Government officials, researchers and workers across sectors at the local, national, regional and global levels should implement joint responses to health threats.

Example- Kyasanur Forest Disease

The concept of one health may be of recent origin but it was operationalized back in the late 1950s.
A stellar example of OneHealth being operationalized helped discover the source of Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), a highly dangerous hemorrhagic fever more threatening than COVID-19.
It took pioneering interdisciplinary work to bring together diverse entities like the
Rockefeller Foundation
It provided the financial and technical support, including laboratory facilities
The Virus Research Centre (later the National Institute of Virology), Pune.
A team of dedicated researchers from the Virus Research Centre searched the forests of the Western Ghats for potential carriers and autopsied monkeys in their investigations into the cause of the disease.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Bombay Natural History Society.
The birdman of India, Salim Ali, supported by WHO funds, tagged migratory birds to rule out the possibility that they were carrying pathogens responsible for the disease in their cross-continental flights.
This model of cross-sectoral collaboration did not set the tone for further research along similar lines or fructify into readying our public health system to address zoonotic diseases.

Range of permissions

The regulatory framework for doing OneHealth research in India with international collaboration typically requires approvals from multiple authorities, including Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the Ministries of External Affairs and Finance, Directorate General of the Armed Forces, National Biodiversity Authority, Committee for the Purpose of Control & Supervision of Experiments on Animals and State health authorities, among others.
Additional permissions are required from state forest authorities and biodiversity boards for accessing biological resources within natural landscapes.
Yes, there is a necessity for permission, but the range of permissions needed and the long waiting periods (ranging from three months to more than a year), raises the issue of whether we are unwittingly hampering our ability to rapidly respond to emerging threats from infectious diseases.

National Mission on Biodiversity and Human Well-being

The mission aims to explore the neglected links between biodiversity science and human well-being across the sectors of health, economic development, agricultural production and livelihood generation, in combination with efforts to mitigate climate change and related disasters.
One of the components of the mission explicitly links biodiversity to human health through the OneHealth framework.

Significance of OneHealth

The frequency with which new pathogens are emerging or old ones are re-emerging across the world are alarm calls for greater transparency, cross-country collaborations, and enhanced national infrastructure and capacity for integrated OneHealth science.
The OneHealth program aims to encourage team science by having networks of institutions collectively bid for grants to set up integrated OneHealth surveillance systems across India at 25 sentinel surveillance sites in potential emerging infectious disease hotspots.
In this manner, government and private institutions, across a range of disciplines, from virology to epidemiology, genomics to ecology, and social and behavioral sciences to veterinary and animal sciences can collaborate to understand how zoonotic diseases can emerge, the threats they can pose, and the mechanisms by which the emergence or spread can be controlled.

Conclusion

Given our pioneering historical contribution to combat zoonotic diseases, and a robust institutional framework for biomedical research, India has the opportunity to take the lead in combating the massive public health crisis posed by emerging infectious diseases.
An opportunity now exists for India to leap-frog over the systemic and institutional barriers that prevent an integrated OneHealth framework from being operationalized.

Source: The Hindu

8) What is a floor test or trust vote?

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath has requested Governor Lalji Tandon to hold a floor test in the Assembly session starting from March 16, on a date fixed by the Speaker.

What is a floor test or trust vote?

A floor test is a constitutional mechanism. It is used to determine if the incumbent government enjoys the support of the legislature.

How it takes place?

This voting process happens in the state’s Legislative Assembly or the Lok Sabha at the central level.
Technically, the chief minister of a state is appointed by the Governor. The appointed chief minister usually belongs to the single largest party or the coalition which has the ‘magic number’. The magic number is the total number of seats required to form a government or stay in power. It is the half-way mark, plus one. In case of a tie, the Speaker casts the deciding vote.
However, at times, a government’s majority can be questioned. The leader of the party claiming the majority has to move a vote of confidence.
If some MLAs remain absent or abstain from voting, the majority is counted based on those present and voting. This effectively reduces the strength of the House and in turn, brings down the majority-mark.
The voting process can happen orally, with electronic gadgets or a ballot process.
The Governor can also ask the Chief Minister to prove his or her majority in the House if the stability of the government comes into question.

Composite floor test:

While there is another test, Composite floor test, which is necessitated when more than one person stakes the claim to form the government and the majority is not clear.
Governor may call a special session to assess who has the majority. The majority is counted based on those present and voting and this can be done through voice vote also.

Source: The Hindu

9) Delhi Assembly passes resolution against NPR, NRC

Delhi Assembly passes resolution against NPR, NRC.

As many as 11 Indian States have passed a resolution against the NRC and the NPR.

Can States Refuse To Implement NPR And NRC? What Does The Constitution Say?

Under Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, the subject of citizenship, naturalization, and aliens (foreigners) finds mention exclusively in the Union List which contains a total of 97 subjects.
So, citizenship and the laws related to it are exclusively in the domain of the central government and the refusal by states to implement NRC or NPR has no legal ground.

What can the states do?

The state governments can move the courts to challenge the central government but a refusal to implement is not within their powers. Article 365 of the Constitution makes it mandatory for the state governments to follow and implement the directions of the Central government, failing which the President can hold that the state government cannot carry on.

Why states’ cooperation is necessary?

For all practical purposes, a nationwide NRC is impossible without the help of the state governments.
It’s a huge exercise that involves the use of massive administrative machinery. The central government cannot send its officers without the protection provided by the states’ law and order machinery. Hence, it will be difficult to go ahead without the co-operation of the state governments.

Source: The Hindu

10) National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)

Union Environment Ministry has asked for city-level plans for the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) as these problems need to be dealt with at the local level.

What is the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)?

Launched in January 2019, it is the first-ever effort in the country to frame a national framework for air quality management with a time-bound reduction target.
The program will not be notified under the Environment Protection Act or any other Act to create a firm mandate with a strong legal back up for cities and regions to implement NCAP in a time-bound manner for effective reduction.
The plan includes 102 non-attainment cities, across 23 states and Union territories, which were identified by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) based on their ambient air quality data between 2011 and 2015.

What are Non-attainment?

Non-attainment cities are those which have been consistently showing poorer air quality than the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. These include Delhi, Varanasi, Bhopal, Kolkata, Noida, Muzaffarpur, and Mumbai.

Key features of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP):

Target: Achieve a national-level target of 20-30% reduction of PM2.5 and PM10 concentration by between 2017 and 2024.
Implementation: Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) will execute this nation-wide program in consonance with section 162 (b) of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act.
As part of the program, the Centre also plans to scale up the air quality monitoring network across India. At least 4,000 monitors are needed across the country, instead of the existing 101 real-time air quality (AQ) monitors, according to an analysis.
The plan proposes a three-tier system, including real-time physical data collection, data archiving, and an action trigger system in all 102 cities, besides extensive plantation plans, research on clean-technologies, landscaping of major arterial roads, and stringent industrial standards.
It also proposes state-level plans of e-mobility in the two-wheeler sector, rapid augmentation of charging infrastructure, stringent implementation of BS-VI norms, boosting public transportation system, and adoption of third-party audits for polluting industries.
Various committees proposed: The national plan has proposed setting up an apex committee under environment minister, a steering committee under-secretary (environment) and a monitoring committee under a joint secretary. There would be project monitoring committees at the state-level with scientists and trained personnel.

Source: The Hindu

11) Heat stress may impact over 1.2 billion people annually by 2100

According to research as published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, heat stress from extreme heat and humidity will annually affect areas now home to 1.2 billion people by 2100, assuming current greenhouse gas emissions.
This is more than four times the number of people affected today and more than 12 times the number who would have been affected without industrial-era global warming

What is Heat Stress?

Heat stress is caused by the body’s inability to cool down properly through sweating. It happens when the body’s means of controlling its internal temperature starts to fail.
The body reacts to heat by increasing the blood flow to the skin’s surface, and by sweating. This results in cooling as sweat evaporates from the body’s surface and heat is carried to the surface of the body from within by the increased blood flow.
It occurs when the body cannot get rid of excess heat.
When this happens, the body’s core temperature rises and the heart rate increases.

What are the effects of heat stress?

Typical symptoms are:

Body temperature can rise rapidly, and high temperatures may damage the brain and other vital organs.
an inability to concentrate
muscle cramps
heat rash
fainting
heat exhaustion – fatigue, giddiness, nausea, headache, moist skin
Heatstroke – hot dry skin, confusion, convulsions and eventual loss of consciousness.

What does the report say?

Annual exposure to extreme heat and humidity over safety guidelines is projected to affect areas currently home to about 500 million people if the planet warms by 1.5 degrees Celsius, and nearly 800 million at 2 degrees Celsius
An estimated 2 billion people would be affected with 3 degrees Celsius of warming
It not only harms the health of humans but its impact is felt on agriculture, economy, and environment.

Source: The Hindu

12) Public Financial Management System (PFMS)

The Public Financial Management System (PFMS), earlier known as Central Plan Schemes Monitoring System (CPSMS), is a web-based online software application developed and implemented by the Office of Controller General of Accounts (CGA), Ministry of Finance.
PFMS was initially started during 2009 as a Central Sector Scheme of Planning Commission with the objective of tracking funds released under all Plan schemes of the Government of India, and real-time reporting of expenditure at all levels of Programme implementation.
Subsequently in the year 2013, the scope was enlarged to cover direct payment to beneficiaries under both Plan and non-Plan Schemes.
In 2017, the Government scrapped the distinction between plan and non-plan expenditure.
The primary objective of PFMS is to facilitate a sound Public Financial Management System for the Government of India (GoI) by establishing an efficient fund flow system as well as a payment cum accounting network.
At present, the ambit of PFMS coverage includes Central Sector and Centrally Sponsored Schemes as well as other expenditures including the Finance Commission Grants.
PFMS provides various stakeholders with a real-time, reliable and meaningful management information system and an effective decision support system, as part of the Digital India initiative of GoI.
PFMS is integrated with the core banking system in the country.