Daily Current Affairs 4 July 2020 | UPSC Current Affairs 2020

Current Affairs Of Today Are

1) ‘PRERAK DAUUR SAMMAN’ NEW CATEGORY OF AWARDS INTRODUCED

• Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA), while launching the toolkit for Swachh Survekshan 2021, the sixth edition of the annual cleanliness survey of urban India conducted by MoHUA announced a new category of awards titled ‘Prerak Dauur Samman’ as part of Swachh Survekshan 2021. The Prerak Dauur Samman has a total of five additional subcategories -Divya (Platinum), Anupam (Gold), Ujjwal (Silver), Udit (Bronze), Aarohi (Aspiring) - with top three cities being recognized in each. In a departure from the present criteria of evaluating cities on ‘population category’, this new category will categorize cities based on six select indicator wise performance criteria which are as follows:
• Segregation of waste into Wet, Dry and Hazard categories
• Processing capacity against wet waste generated
• Processing and recycling of wet and dry waste
• Construction & Demolition (C&D) waste processing
• Percentage of waste going to landfills
• Sanitation status of cities
• As a prelude to encouraging cities to improve urban sanitation, MoHUA had conducted the Swachh Survekshan 2016 survey for the rating of 73 cities in January 2016, followed by Swachh Survekshan 2017 conducted in January-February 2017 ranking 434 cities. Swachh Survekshan 2018, which became the world’s largest cleanliness survey, ranked 4203 cities followed by Swachh Survekshan 2019 which not only covered 4237 cities but was also the first of its kind completely digital survey completed in a record time of 28 days. Swachh Survekshan 2020 continued the momentum and saw unprecedented participation of 1.87 crore citizens.  Going a step forward, to ensure the sustainability of the on-ground performance of cities, the Ministry has also introduced Swachh Survekshan League last year, a quarterly cleanliness assessment of cities and towns to be done in three quarters and 25% weightage integrated into the final Swachh Survekshan results.
• ​Since its launch in 2014, Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) has made significant progress in the area of both sanitation and solid waste management. 4324 Urban ULBs have been declared ODF (4204 certified ODF), 1306 cities certified ODF+ and 489 cities certified ODF++.  Moreover, 66 lakhs individual household toilets and over 6 lakhs community/ public toilets have been constructed/ or are under construction. Additionally, over 59,900 toilets across 2900+ cities have been made live on Google Maps. In the area of solid waste management, 96% of wards have 100% door-to-door collection while 66% of the total waste generated is being processed. A total of six cities have been certified as 5 Star, 86 as 3 stars, and 64 as 1 star under the Star Rating Protocol for Garbage Free Cities.
• ​Swachh Survekshan has caught the imagination of citizens and stakeholders alike and the increasing participation with every passing year is testimony to how the citizens have taken complete ownership of the Swachhata of their cities. The survey has thus succeeded in fostering a spirit of healthy competition among towns and cities to improve their service delivery to citizens, towards creating a cleaner, more habitable cities. Swachh Survekshan has today made ‘Swachhata’ a thing of motivation and pride – something to look forward to and aspire for.  While Mysuru had won the award for the Cleanest City of India in the first edition of the survey, Indore has retained the top position for three consecutive years (2017,2018, 2019). The results for Swachh Survekshan 2020 will be announced shortly by the Ministry.
• ​Knowledge management and capacity building continue to be a key focus of the Ministry. With this objective in mind, the Ministry launched two documents prepared by the Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation (CPHEEO) – the ‘Advisory on On-Site and Off-Site Sewage Management Practices’ and the guide book on ‘Segregated Collection and Transportation of Municipal Solid Waste’. While the first will be of immense use to States and cities in adopting integrated on-site and off-site sewage treatment technologies, the latter elaborates on various aspects of segregated waste collection and transportation systems along with case studies and best practices from different ULBs.

Source: PIB

2) IIT Hyderabad uses artificial intelligence to study supply chain network of biofuels

• Bio-derived fuels are gaining widespread attention among the scientific community across the world. The work on biofuels is in response to the global call for reducing carbon emissions associated with the use of fossil fuels. In India too, biofuels have caught the imagination of researchers.
• For instance, researchers of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad have started using computational methods to understand the factors and impediments in incorporating biofuels into the fuel sector in India.
• A unique feature of this work is that the framework considers revenue generation not only as an outcome of sales of the biofuel but also in terms of carbon credits via greenhouse gas emission savings throughout the project lifecycle.
• The model has shown that if bioethanol is integrated with mainstream fuel, the costs associated with it follow: production cost 43 percent, import 25 percent, transport 17 percent, infrastructure 15 percent, and inventory 0.43 percent. The model has also shown that the feed available to the tune of at least 40 percent of the capacity is needed to meet the projected demands.
• In India, biofuels generated from non-food sources is the most promising source of carbon-neutral renewable energy. These second-generation sources include agricultural waste products such as straw, hay, and wood, among others, that do not intrude upon food sources
• The team has considered multiple technologies available for bioenergy generation across several zones in the country and performed a thorough feasibility study using data of suppliers, transport, storage, and production, among others, published by the Indian Government. 
• They use machine learning techniques to understand the supply chain network. Machine learning is a branch of artificial intelligence in which the computer learns patterns from available data and updates automatically to produce an understanding of the system and predictions for the future
• The techno-economic-environmental analysis on country-wide multi-layered supply chain network and the use of machine learning techniques have helped us capture the uncertainty in forecasting demands and other supply chain parameters and their effects on the operational and design decisions in the long run

Source: PIB

3) Dhamma Chakra Day

• The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind will inaugurate the Asadha Poornima celebrations being observed as Dhamma Chakra Day, from Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi
• The Dhamma Chakra Day celebrations are being organized by the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. This follows a very successful hosting of Virtual Vesak and Global Prayer Week from May 7- 16, 2020 by IBC and Ministry of Culture.
• The festivities would start off with chanting of prayers at Sarnath, Varanasi (U.P.) which will be live-streamed, following which the opening event will be shifted to the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
• The auspicious day of Asadha Poornima falls on the first full moon day of the month of Asadha as per the Indian sun calendar.
• It is also known as Esala Poya in Sri Lanka and Asanha Bucha in Thailand.
• It is the second most sacred day for Buddhists after the Buddha Poornima or Vesak.
• The day marks Buddha's first teaching after attaining Enlightenment to the first five ascetic disciples (pañcavargika) on the full-moon day of Asadha at ‘Deer Park', Ṛiṣipatana in the current day Sarnath, near Varanasi, India.
• This teaching of Dhamma Cakka- PavattanaSutta (Pali) or Dharma chakra Pravartana Sutra (Sanskrit) is also known as the First Turning of Wheels of Dharma and comprised of the Four Noble Truths and Noble Eightfold Path.
• The Rainy Season retreat (Varsha Vassa) for the Monks and Nuns also starts with this day lasting for three lunar months from July to October, during which they remain in a single place, generally in their temples (Viharas/ Chaityas) dedicated to intensive meditation.
• The day is also observed as Guru Poornima by both Buddhists and Hindus as a day to mark reverence to their Gurus.

Guru Purnima

• According to the Hindu calendar, Guru Purnima generally falls on a full-moon day in the Hindu month of Ashadh.
• It is dedicated to Maharshi Veda Vyasa, the sage who is believed to have edited the sacred Hindu text, the Vedas, and created the 18 Puranas, Mahabharata, and the Srimad Bhagavatam.
• For Buddhists, the festival marks the first sermon of Lord Buddha, which is said to have been delivered at Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, on this very day.
• It is also believed to mark the onset of monsoons.

Buddhism and Diplomacy

• Buddhism has become an important tool in contemporary geopolitics particularly in Asia, and it has become increasingly evident that whoever controls the Buddhist discourse and activities will sway influence in Asia.
• The celebration of Dharma Chakra Day is being pushed as an event to show India’s strong Buddhist heritage amid tensions with China. It will see the virtual participation of leaders from major Buddhist countries, except China.
• The timing of the event is particularly important because this is when both countries would like to resurrect their linkages with others. To show that like-minded countries are coming together sends across a message. What is however important is that one has to put in the sustained effort at this, and have a relook at India-China policy with strategic cultural moves.
• The Central Tibetan Administration has asked Tibetan Buddhists to participate in the online event in large numbers to “support and appreciate” the effort.
• The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) is an organization headquartered in McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala, India. It is also referred to as the Tibetan Government in Exile which has never been recognized by China.
• The position of the CTA is that Tibet is a distinct nation with a long history of independence and it considers China's administration of Tibet as an illegitimate military occupation.
• In addition to political advocacy, it administers a network of schools and other cultural activities for Tibetans in India.
• Meanwhile, the People’s Republic of China (PRC)'s World Buddhist Forum (WBF) has been hosting congregations of Buddhist monks since 2005. China's extensive infrastructure investment in Lumbini, Buddha's birthplace in Nepal, is also seen as a strategic move to claim the Buddhist legacy.

Suggestions

• While Buddhism might have vanished from India as a religion practiced by many people, it is still a critical part of India's civilizational ethos.
• There should be more Buddhist corridors including Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, and Arunachal Pradesh, apart from Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh.
• There could be nodal centers for people-to-people exchanges for those who come from South Korea, Taiwan, and other countries.
• Although no other country can take Buddhist leadership away from India, the status of Buddhism in India is quite different now.
• India has not been promoting its own Buddhist streams or strengthening the original Buddhism.
• Promoting anything else or any other brand than its own limits a genuine outreach. Promoting anything else becomes a subject of contestation, and the essence of using Buddhism as a diplomatic card gets lost.

Way Forward

• Hundreds of millions of Chinese have a deep devotion to Buddhism. India needs to reach out to those Chinese constituencies too, for long term gains. After all, India conquered the hearts and minds of Chinese for 200 years without sending a single troop to China.

Source: PIB

4) Italian Marines Case

• Recently, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) has published an extract of the final award of the ad-hoc tribunal constituted to settle disputes related to the United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) regarding Italian marine Case between India and Italy.
• It has rejected India’s contention that the soldiers, who were accused of killing Indian fishermen, could be tried in Indian courts and ordered India to cease all criminal proceedings.

Background

• In 2012, Indian police had detained two Italian marines posted on oil tanker Enrica Lexie who had shot at two Indian fishermen on an Indian vessel, apparently mistaking them for pirates operating near the Kerala Coast.
• After three years, Italy moved the International Tribunal for Law of the Sea (ITLOS) seeking two Italian marines to stay in their own country during the trial process and also to stop India from going ahead with its criminal prosecution.
• At that time, India had set up a specially designated court, as ordered by Indian Supreme Court, to determine the applicability of jurisdiction.
• India’s National Investigation Agency had already slapped charges against the two Italians under sections of the Indian Penal Code, related to murder, attempt to murder, mischief, and common intent.
• The ITLOS judgment of 2015 called on Italy and India to suspend all domestic prosecutions arising from the Enrica Lexie case. It had also ordered not to initiate any steps that might jeopardize or prejudice the carrying out of any decision which the arbitral tribunal may provide.
• The matter led to a long freeze in diplomatic relations between India and Italy, which were reset only in 2016.

Key Points

• Judgments in Favour of India:
• The tribunal held that the actions of the Italian military officers breached India’s freedom of navigation under UNCLOS Article 87(1)(a) and 90.
• The tribunal also held that India is entitled to payment of compensation in connection with loss of life, physical harm, material damage to property, and moral harm suffered by captain and crew of ‘St Antony’, the Indian vessel.
• Judgments in Favour of Italy:
• India had called on the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) UNCLOS tribunal to adjudge and declare that PCA has no jurisdiction for the case submitted to it by Italy. However, a majority of the court's five-member bench ruled 4-1 that it had jurisdiction in the matter.
• Italian position that the marines, being members of the Italian armed forces in the official exercise cannot be tried by Indian courts, was held and immunity was granted to Italian marine officials.
• Basis of the Judgement:
• The tribunal observed that India and Italy had concurrent jurisdiction over the incident and a valid legal basis to institute criminal proceedings against the marines.
• However, it also observed that the immunities enjoyed by the marines as State officials operate as an exception to the jurisdiction of the Indian courts and, hence, preclude them to judge the marines.

Permanent Court of Arbitration

• The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) was established in 1899 and headquartered at the Hague in the Netherlands.
• It is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to serve the international community in the field of dispute resolution and to facilitate arbitration and other forms of dispute resolution between States.
• It has a Financial Assistance Fund which aims at helping developing countries meet part of the costs involved in international arbitration or other means of dispute settlement offered by the PCA.

Way Forward

• India has taken note of the Award and will be following with relevant entities on the matter and regulatory framework established by the Government.
• Further, increasing awareness about the incident and treating it as a lesson for Indian diplomacy would help India to handle future challenges better.

Source: The Hindu

5) Annual Marine Fish Landings in India for 2019

Annual Marine Fish Landings in India for 2019” report

Released by - Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI)

Key findings -

• India’s marine fish production has increased marginally by 2.1% to 3.56 million tonnes (mt) in 2019 as compared to 3.49 mt in 2018.
• The top States in annual fish production -
• Tamil Nadu (7.75 lakh tonnes)
• Gujarat (7.49 lakh tonnes)Kerala (5.44 lakh tonnes)
• Kerala (5.44 lakh tonnes)
• The terminology used in the report - “LANDING” means getting fish out of the water and brought to the land.
• Global Marine Fish Production -
• China
• Indonesia
• India

Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI)

• Established - 3 February 1947
• Ministry responsible - Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
• Headquarters - Kochi, Kerala
• Objectives -
•  Marine Fishery Resource Assessment
• Productivity and Production enhancement through Mariculture
• Conservation of Marine Biodiversity
• Transfer of Technology, Training, and Consultancy
• MARICULTURE: A branch of Aquaculture involving the farming of aquatic plants and animals in saltwater.

Source: Financial Express

6) Constitutional Amendments in Russia

• The Russian citizens have supported a set of constitutional amendments including the continuation of the presidency by Vladimir Putin in a recently held referendum in the country.
• The referendum also included clauses related to the reorganization of the government, introducing a higher minimum pension and wages, a ban on gay marriage, restricting top officials from holding dual citizenship, enshrining “faith in God” as a core value and emphasizing the primacy of the Constitution over international treaties and rulings.
• A referendum is a direct and universal vote in which an entire electorate is invited to vote on a particular proposal and can have nationwide or local forms.
• It supports direct democracy.
• The referendum was originally planned for April 2020 but was delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Key Points

• Clause for Continuation of Presidency Term:
• The Russian Constitution bars more than two consecutive presidential terms.
• The new Constitution doesn’t change the two-term limit in theory, but in practice, it resets Mr. Putin's terms so that it will be the first election under the new Constitution for him, to be held in 2024.
• According to the referendum, the current President of Russia Vladimir Putin can stay in power for two more six-year terms (until 2036) after his term expires in 2024.
• Significance:
• The amendments have enhanced the powers of the State Council, an advisory body. Overall, the changes will help to tighten his grip over Russia.
• The proposed changes had already been approved by Parliament and the Supreme Court but it was put to vote to gain legitimacy and popular approval.
• The preliminary results released by the Election Commission showed that almost 78% of voters endorsed the amendments, while 21% voted against them. Some 65% of voters had turned up to cast their ballots.
• Background:
• Mr. Putin became President for the first time in 2000. After completing his two terms, he swapped the presidency with Mr. Dmitry Medvedv. During the Medvedev presidency, Mr. Putin remained the center of power as Prime Minister.
• Mr. Medvedv served one term and stepped aside for Mr. Putin to assume the presidency again. Thus, Mr. Putin is now into the second term of his second stint as President, which will expire in 2024.
• If Mr. Putin stays in power for two more terms, he will be the longest-serving Russian leader since Peter the Great.
• The Tsar, who built the Russian Empire, was in power for 43 years until his death in 1725.
• Challenges Ahead:
• According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the economy hasn’t expanded in dollar terms for a decade. The Fund estimates the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to shrink by 6.6% in 2020.
• The pandemic affecting local businesses and the falling oil prices reducing export revenue.
• In foreign policy, Russia’s relationship with the West remains troublesome. The sanctions imposed on Russia after the annexation of Crimea in 2014 are still in place.
• Though Russia managed to prevent the collapse of the Syrian regime after it intervened in the civil war, the Syrian crisis is far from resolved.
• Russia also faces allegations of interference in the elections of other countries.

Way Forward

• Earlier, Mr. Putin had inherited a Russia that was in an economic free fall.
• Now Mr. Putin needs to rebuild the state and the economy and restore some of the country’s lost global clout.

Source: Indian Express

7) Elephant Deaths in Botswana

In the past two months, hundreds of elephants have died mysteriously in Botswana’s Okavango Delta.

Key Points

• The cause of the deaths is yet to be established. However, poaching has been ruled out since the dead elephants were found with tusks.
• Several live elephants appeared to have been weak, lethargic, and skeletal, with some showing signs of disorientation, difficulty in walking or limping.
• Okavango Delta: It is one of the very few major interior delta systems that do not flow into a sea or ocean.
• This delta comprises permanent marshlands and seasonally flooded plains.
• The delta covers part of Kalahari Desert and owes its existence to the Okavango (Kavango) River.
• It is home to some of the world’s most endangered species of large mammals, such as the cheetah, white rhinoceros, black rhinoceros, African wild dog, and lion.
• Botswana: It is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Its 70% territory is covered by the Kalahari Desert.
• Botswana has the world’s largest elephant population, estimated to be around 130,000.
• It is Africa's oldest continuous democracy.

Source: The Hindu

8) China's anti-India move at the UN Security Council blocked by US, Germany

• The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has condemned in the strongest terms the "heinous and cowardly terrorist attack" that took place at Pakistan stock exchange building in Pakistan's Karachi, killing 11 people. But the UNSC's statement has come after much delay due to the US and Germany's reluctance to sign the draft press statement prepared by China.
• China introduced the statement on Tuesday but Germany stepped in to put a delay in issuing the statement at the last moment. Then, the US intervened also at the last moment.
• The move to delay the statement by US and Germany is being read as silent solidarity with India, after the Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and PM Imran Khan blamed India for the attack.
• "The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly terrorist attack that took place in Karachi, Pakistan, on June 29, which resulted in several people killed," read the statement.
• The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, according to the statement.
• Four terrorists attacked the Pakistan stock exchange building. Two security guards and a police officer were killed in the attack, along with all the four terrorists. Several people, including three police officials, have been injured, the police said in a statement cited by Dawn.
• The Baloch Liberation Army claimed the responsibility of the attack.

More Info on Pakistan Stock Exchange attack

Source: Mint

9) SheshNaag - the longest train ever

• The Indian Railways on Thursday (July 2, 2020) broke another record by operating 'SheshNaag', a 2.8 km-long train amalgamating four empty BOXN rakes, powered by four sets of electric locomotives.
• It may be noted that 'SheshNaag' is the longest train ever to be operated by the Indian Railways. The formation was made by joining four empty BOXN rakes and is powered by four sets of electric locomotives. It has nine engines and four guards van.
• The 251-wagon long-haul goods train named ‘SheshNaag’ was operated by the South East Central Railway (SECR), Nagpur Division of the Indian Railways.
• Two days ago, on June 30, the Railway Ministry had run a 177-coach freight train named ‘Super Anaconda’.

Source: Mint

10) FPI investments into India in June hit 15-month high; foreign investors return despite poor ratings

• Even as various rating agencies downgraded India’s sovereign credit rating in June 2020, it could not break the trust of foreign investors as FPI inflows stood at a 15-month high level in June.
• India received an FPI of over Rs 26,000 crore last month, which was the highest FPI inflow after March 2019, according to the National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL).
• The overall FPI inflow was mainly driven by a high volume equity inflow of Rs 21,832 crore in June.
• Foreign investors have invested in Indian stocks despite Fitch Ratings revised outlook on India’s long-term foreign-currency to ‘negative’ from ‘stable’, and affirmed issuer default rating (IDR) at BBB-, which is the lowest investment grade.
• Last month, another rating agency Moody’s had also downgraded India’s sovereign rating by a notch to ‘Baa3’ from ‘Baa2’ for the first time in 22 years, and kept the outlook ‘negative’.
• However, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das had said that it is the government’s policies, macroeconomic fundamentals, and the outlook matters for the foreign investors, therefore, India will keep on getting foreign portfolio investment (FPI) and foreign direct investment (FDI).

Source: Financial Express