Daily Current Affairs 19 May 2020 | UPSC Current Affairs 2020

Current Affairs Of Today Are

1) Super cyclone, Amphan

• The storm system in the Bay of Bengal, Amphan, developed into a super cyclone and is expected to make landfall along the West Bengal­ Bangladesh coast on Wednesday, according to the India Meteorological Department. 
• Currently, Amphan is located about 730 km south of Paradip in Odisha, 890 km south­southwest of Digha in West Bengal, and 1,010 km south­southwest of Khepupara in Bangladesh. 
• Wind speeds are expected to hit 240 kmph and extensive damage along the coast is expected in Odisha and West Bengal. Cyclone Phailin in 2013 and the super cyclone of 1999 — both of which hit coastal Odisha — have been the most powerful cyclones in the Bay of Bengal in the past two decades in terms of wind speed.
• It is a very intense cyclone with an associated wind speed of 220-230 kmph.
• It is expected to cross West Bengal–Bangladesh coasts between Digha(West Bengal) and Hatiya Islands (Bangladesh) close to Sundarbansduring afternoon/evening of 20th May 2020.
• It will hit land as an Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm with a wind speed of 165-175 kmph gusting to 195 kmph.
• It will cause heavy to extremely heavy rainfall over Gangetic West Bengal and heavy to very heavy rainfall over north coastal Odisha on the 19th and 20th.
• A storm surge of about 4-6 meters above astronomical tide is likely to inundate low lying areas of south & north 24 Parganas and about 3-4 meters over the low lying areas of East Medinipur district of West Bengal during the time of landfall.
• This cyclone has extensive damaging potential. It will cause extensive large scale damage.

Damage expected over West Bengal (East Medinipur, south & north 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hoogli, Kolkata districts) and action suggested

• Extensive damage to all types of kutcha houses, some damage to old badly managed Pucca structures. The potential threat from flying objects.
• Extensive uprooting of communication and power poles. Disruption of rail/road link.
• Extensive damage to standing crops, plantations, orchards. Blowing down of Palm&coconut trees. The uprooting of large bushy trees. Large boats and ships may get torn from their moorings.

Fishermen Warning & Action Suggested:

• Total suspension of fishing operations from 18th to 20th May 2020.
• Diversion or suspension of rail and road traffic.
• People in affected areas to remain indoors. Mobilize evacuation from Low lying areas.
• Movement in motorboats and small ships not advisable.

Damage expected over Odisha (Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Jajpur & Mayurbhanj)

• Total destruction of thatched houses/ extensive damage to kutcha houses. The potential threat from flying objects. Bending/ uprooting of power and communication poles.
• Major damage to Kutcha and Pucca roads. Minor disruption of railways, overhead power lines, and signaling systems.
• Widespread damage to standing crops, plantations, orchards, falling of green coconuts, and tearing of palm fronds. Blowing down of bushy trees like mango.
• Small boats, country crafts may get detached from moorings.

Fishermen Warning & Action Suggested:

• Total suspension of fishing operations from 18th to 20th May 2020.
• Diversion or suspension of rail and road traffic.
• People in affected areas to remain indoors.
• Movement in motorboats and small ships not advisable.

Observed and forecast track of Super cyclonic storm AMPHAN along with of (a) cone of uncertainty and (b) quadrant wise wind distribution

(c) INSAT 3D satellite imagery based on 1230 hrs IST of 18th May and (d) Storm surge guidance from INCOIS

Source: PIB

2) Union Finance Minister announces several initiatives to boost Education Sector

• A comprehensive initiative called PM e-VIDYA will be launched which unifies all efforts related to digital/online/on-air education. This will enable multi-mode access to education and includes: DIKSHA (one nation-one digital platform) which will now become the nation’s digital infrastructure for providing quality e-content in school education for all the states/UTs; TV (one class-one channel) where one dedicated channel per grade for each of the classes 1 to 12 will provide access to quality educational material: SWAYAM online courses in MOOCS format for school and higher education; IITPAL for IITJEE/NEET preparation; Air through Community radio and CBSE Shiksha Vani podcast;  and study material for the differently-abled developed on Digitally Accessible Information System (DAISY) and in sign language on NIOS website/ YouTube. This will benefit nearly 25 crore school-going children across the country
• In this time of the global pandemic, we must provide psychosocial support to students, teachers, and families for mental health and emotional wellbeing. The Manodarpan initiative is being launched to provide such support through a website, a toll-free helpline, national directory of counselors, interactive chat platform, etc. This initiative will benefit all school-going children in the country, along with their parents, teachers, and the community of stakeholders in school education.
• The government is expanding e-learning in higher education – by liberalizing open, distance, and online education regulatory framework. Top 100 universities will start online courses. Also, online components in conventional Universities and ODL programs will be raised from the present 20% to 40%. This will provide enhanced learning opportunities to nearly 7 crore students across different colleges and Universities.
• There is a need to promote critical thinking, creative and communication skills, along with experiential and joyful learning for the students focussing on learning outcomes. The curriculum must be rooted in the Indian ethos and integrated with global skill requirements. Therefore, it has been decided to prepare a new National Curriculum and Pedagogical Framework for school education, teacher education and early childhood stage to prepare students and future teachers as per global benchmarks.
• A National Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Mission will be launched, for ensuring that every child in the country necessarily attains foundational literacy and numeracy in Grade 3 by 202 For this, teacher capacity building, a robust curricular framework, engaging learning material – both online and offline, learning outcomes and their measurement indices, assessment techniques, tracking of learning progress, etc. will be designed to take it forward in a systematic fashion. This mission will cover the learning needs of nearly 4 crore children in the age group of 3 to 11 years.

Source: PIB

3) Pinanga andamanensis

• A rare palm endemic to the South Andaman Island is finding a second home at Palode here, courtesy the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute ( JNTBGRI). An earlier JNTBGRI effort in this direction had been thwarted by mischievous wild elephants that ate up all the specimens!
• At first glance,  Pinanga andamanensis — which at one point was written off as extinct — resembles the area palm to which it is closely related. But its entire population of some 600 specimens naturally occurs only in a tiny, evergreen forest pocket in South Andaman’s Mount Harriet National Park.
• JNTBGRI scientists termed the Pinanga andamanensis “a critically endangered species and one of the least known among the endemic palms of the Andaman Islands”
• By conserving the germplasm on the Indian mainland, JNTBGRI can ensure its continued survival in the event of its minuscule original home getting wiped out by, say, a natural calamity
• Pinanga andamanensis has a colorful history. It was originally described by the Italian botanist Odoardo Beccari in 1934. His description was based on an old herbarium specimen collected by E.H. Man, a late­19th century assistant superintendent in the Andaman administration. After that first identification, it was thought to be extinct till 1992. 
• Such a small gene pool means the species is vulnerable to natural calamities such as cyclones, earthquakes
• The pith of the trunks of these palms is sweet
• So why is this palm called Pinanga? Well, it has something to do with areca nuts, after all. The name is derived from ‘Penang’, the modern­day Malaysian state. “Penang itself has its origins in ‘Pulau Pinang’, which means ‘Island of the Areca Nut Palm

Source: The Hindu

4) Afghanistan’s Power-Sharing Deal

Recently, Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani and his political rival Abdullah Abdullah have signed a power-sharing agreement.

Key Points

• Power-sharing deal
• According to the deal, Mr. Ghani will remain as president while both Mr. Ghani and Mr. Abdullah will choose an equal number of ministers in the cabinet.
• The deal calls for Abdullah to lead the country’s National Reconciliation High Council.
• The Reconciliation Council has been given the authority to handle and approve all affairs related to Afghanistan’s peace process including the peace talks with the Taliban.
• Background
• The deal has been signed two months after the presidential election dispute that arose in September 2019 between Mr. Ghani and Mr. Abdullah.
• The Election Commission declared Mr. Ghani to be the winner of the presidential election, but Mr. Abdullah and the Elections Complaint Commission charged widespread voting irregularities in the election.
• Following this, both declared themselves the winner of the presidential election and have been locked in a power struggle since then.
• U.S.- Taliban peace deal:
• Earlier, a peace deal between the U.S. Government and the Taliban was signed on 29 February 2020.
• The deal calls for U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) troops to leave Afghanistan.
• The U.S.-Taliban peace deal is seen as Afghanistan’s best chance to come at peace in decades of war.
• Since then, the U.S. has been trying to get the Taliban and the Afghan government to begin intra-Afghan negotiations, but the political turmoil and personal hostility between Mr. Ghani and Mr. Abdullah have impeded talks.
• This prompted the U.S. Government to announce that it would cut $1 billion in assistance to Afghanistan if the two weren’t able to work out their differences.
• India’s Stand
• India has welcomed the power-sharing deal between President Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah.
• It hopes that the power-sharing deal will result in renewed efforts for establishing enduring peace and stability, and putting an end to externally-sponsored terrorism and violence in Afghanistan.
• Importance of Afghanistan for India:
• Afghanistan's main advantage is its geography.
• Anyone who controls Afghanistan controls the land routes between the Indian subcontinent, Iran, and resource-rich Central Asia.
• Economically, it is a gateway to the oil and mineral-rich Central Asian republics.
• Afghanistan has become the second-largest recipient of Indian foreign aid over the last five years.
• India has become more and more popular in Afghanistan, not only because of its soft power, but also by setting up infrastructure, including hospitals, roads, and dams, and contributing to the fabric of a democratic nation-state.

Source: The Hindu

5) Push for Probe into Covid-19 Origin

Recently, India joined 61 countries that have moved a proposal at the World Health Assembly to identify the zoonotic source of the coronavirus.

• The World Health Assembly is the decision making body of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
• Zoonotic refers to diseases that can be passed from animals to humans.

Key Points

• The Proposal:
• It is a part of a seven-page draft resolution moved by 35 countries and the 27-member European Union.
• It asks the WHO chief to work with the World Organisation for Animal Health to conduct scientific and collaborative field missions and the route of introduction to the human population (novel coronavirus), including the possible role of intermediate hosts.
• The countries also demanded an “impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation” of the World Health Organization's (WHO) response to Covid-19.
• Earlier, the WHO was slammed for accepting the findings given by China on face-value. The US has even suspended funding to the body.
• Signatories of the Proposal:
• The resolution is supported by three of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council — UK, Russia, and France — along with Japan, Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, South Africa, and Turkey.
• From the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations, only India, Bangladesh, and Bhutan have signed up.
• India's stand:
• This is the first time India has taken a position in an international forum on the origin of the virus and the need for an independent evaluation of WHO’s response to the crisis.
• Earlier, India had maintained that it is engaged in the fight against Covid-19, and will revisit the issue after the crisis is over.
• But Prime Minister Modi did indicate India's stand at the G20 summit in March where he backed WHO reform and referred to the need for transparency and accountability.
• The virus has cost loss of livelihoods, poverty increase, and economic crisis in each sector of India.
• Role of China and its Response:
• The virus is widely believed to have originated from China’s Wuhan, where the first case of Covid-19 was reported.
• China is accused of concealing crucial information about its spread and clinical diagnosis.
• China had stated in its defense that it may support a review “at an appropriate time”, but criticized the politicization of the virus’s origin by the US and some other countries, and an inquiry “based on the presumption of guilt”.
• It said that Wuhan city has first reported Covid-19 cases, but that does not mean the virus originated in Wuhan.

Source: Indian Express

6) National Legal Services Authority (NALSA)

• NALSA has released a report on several undertrials released during the lockdown period.

Highlights:

• Legal services institutions have intervened to release 42,529 undertrial prisoners as well as 16,391 convicts on parole to de-congest prisons during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The highest number of undertrial prisoners released was 9,977 in Uttar Pradesh, followed by 5,460 in Rajasthan and 4,547 in Tamil Nadu, 3,698 in Punjab, and 3,400 in Maharashtra.

Background:

• There are 1,339 prisons with approximately 4,66,084 inmates. The rate of occupancy at Indian prisons at 117.6%.

Need:

• The Supreme Court observed in March that physical distancing, an effective measure to check the spread of the novel coronavirus, would be difficult in prisons.
• Further, the court issued guidelines, formed committees, and asked the legal services authorities to work together and release undertrial prisoners and those on bail and parole to bring the prison population down.

About NALSA:

• NALSA has been constituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, to provide free legal services to weaker sections of society.
• The aim is to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reasons of economic or other disabilities.
• ‘Nyaya Deep’ is the official newsletter of NALSA.

Composition:

• As per section 3(2) of the Legal Service Authorities Act, the Chief Justice of India shall be the Patron-in-Chief.
• The second senior-most judge of the Supreme Court of India is the Executive-Chairman.

Important functions performed by NALSA:

• Organize Lok Adalats for amicable settlement of disputes.
• Identify specific categories of the marginalized and excluded groups and formulates various schemes for the implementation of preventive and strategic legal service programs.
• Provide free legal aid in civil and criminal matters for the poor and marginalized people who cannot afford the services of a lawyer in any court or tribunal.

State and district legal services authorities:

• In every State, State Legal Services Authority has been constituted to give effect to the policies and directions of the NALSA and to give free legal services to the people and conduct Lok Adalats in the State. The State Legal Services Authority is headed by Hon’ble the Chief Justice of the respective High Court who is the Patron-in-Chief of the State Legal Services Authority.
• In every District, District Legal Services Authority has been constituted to implement Legal Services Programmes in the District. The District Legal Services Authority is situated in the District Courts Complex in every District and chaired by the District Judge of the respective district.

Need- Constitutional basis:

• Article 39A of the Constitution of India provides that State shall secure that the operation of the legal system promotes justice on a basis of equal opportunity, and shall, in particular, provide free legal aid, by suitable legislation or schemes or in any other way, to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen because of economic or other disability.
• Articles 14 and 22(1) also make it obligatory for the State to ensure equality before the law and a legal system that promotes justice on a basis of equal opportunity to all. Legal aid strives to ensure that the constitutional pledge is fulfilled in its letter and spirit and equal justice is made available to the poor, downtrodden, and weaker sections of the society.

Source: The Hindu

7) Why the govt had to inject money into the power sector?

• As part of its strategy to bring India’s battered economy back on track, India will provide ₹90,000 crore liquidity injection for the fund-starved electricity distribution companies (discoms).
• This is part of the first tranche to combat the economic disruption from the coronavirus lockdown, which has worsened the already precarious finances of power discoms.

How this works?

• State-owned Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) will infuse the liquidity by raising an amount of about ₹90,000 crores from the market against the receivables of discoms. The state governments will provide a guarantee.
• This one-time time liquidity infusion will be used to pay the central public sector power generation companies, transmission companies, independent power producers, and renewable energy generators.

Why this was necessary?

• Energy consumption, especially electricity and refinery products, is usually linked to overall demand in the economy.
• With at least 10 states losing about a third of the power supplied to their consumers in distribution losses, their overdue has not only hit power producers but has also contributed to stress in the banking sector.
• Besides, the electricity demand load shifted to homes during the lockdown, resulting in lower realizations. With peak electricity demand coming down, commercial and industrial power demand has taken a hit after many factories shut down.

How the power sector works?

It is a three-stage process:

• First stage: Electricity is generated at thermal, hydro or renewable energy power plants, which are operated by either state-owned companies or private companies.
• Second stage: The generated electricity then moves through a complex transmission grid system comprising electricity substations, transformers, and power lines that connect electricity producers and the end-consumers. Further, each state has a State Transmission Utility (STU) along with private transmission companies that are responsible for setting up intra-state transmission projects.
• Third stage: This last-mile link is where discoms come in, operated largely by state governments. However, in cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Kolkata, private entities own the entire distribution business or parts of it.

Discoms essentially purchase power from generation companies through power purchase agreements (PPAs) and then supply it to their consumers (in their area of distribution).

But, why the financial situation of state discoms is in poor condition?

• In India, electricity price for certain segments such as agriculture and the domestic category is cross-subsidized by the industries and the commercial sector. This affects the competitiveness of the industry.
• There is also the problem of AT&C (aggregate transmission and distribution losses), which is a technical term that stands for the gap between the cost of the electricity that a discom gets from the generating company, the bills that it raises and the final realization from the collection process from end-consumers.

Source: The Hindu

8) International Telecommunications Union (ITU)

• World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2020 was observed on 17 May with the theme “Connect 2030: ICTs for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”

Background:

• It has been celebrated annually on 17 May since 1969, marking the founding of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention in 1865.

About the International Telecommunication Union (ITU):

• It is an agency of the United Nations (UN) whose purpose is to coordinate telecommunication operations and services throughout the world.
• Originally founded in 1865, as the International Telegraph Union, the ITU is the oldest existing international organization.
• The headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland.

The ITU consists of three sectors:

• Radiocommunication (ITU-R) — ensures the optimal, fair, and rational use of the radio frequency (RF) spectrum.
• Telecommunication Standardization (ITU-T) — formulates recommendations for standardizing telecommunication operations worldwide.
• Telecommunication Development (ITU-D) — assists countries in developing and maintaining internal communication operations.

Membership:

• There are 193 Member States of the ITU, including all UN member states except the Republic of Palau, plus the Vatican City.
• Membership of ITU is open to only UN members, which may join the Union as the Member States, as well as to private organizations like carriers, equipment manufacturers, funding bodies, research and development organizations, and international and regional telecommunication organizations, which may join ITU as non-voting Sector Members.

Functions:

• The ITU sets and publishes regulations and standards relevant to electronic communication and broadcasting technologies of all kinds including radio, television, satellite, telephone, and the Internet.
• The organization conducts working parties, study groups and meetings to address current and future issues and to resolve disputes. The ITU organizes and holds an exhibition and forum known as the Global TELECOM every four years.
• Another important aspect of the ITU’s mandate is helping emerging countries to establish and develop telecommunication systems of their own.
• Although the recommendations of the ITU are non-binding, most countries adhere to them in the interest of maintaining an effective international electronic communication environment.

India and the ITU:

• India has been an active member of the ITU since 1869 and has been a regular member of the ITU Council since 1952. In November 2018, India was elected as a Member of the ITU Council for another 4-year term (2019-2022).

Source: PIB