Daily Current Affairs 15 August 2020 | UPSC Current Affairs 2020

 Current Affairs Of Today Are

1) ATL AI Step Up Module

• After a successful launch of a unique initiative to take Artificial Intelligence (AI) to schools through ‘ATL AI Modules’, Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog in collaboration with NASSCOM launched the ‘ATL AI Step Up Module’ for students on the eve of India’s Independence Day to drive AI education and innovation to the next level in schools across the country. 
• This module is the next step in bringing AI to Indian classrooms and is a successor to the AI Base module launched in February this year. The AI Step-up Module provides a comprehensive set of learning it yourself Advanced modules to those who wish to expand their knowledge base after becoming familiar with the basics of the AI discipline through the AI base module. 
• With this new launch, through hands-on projects and activities, the step-up module encourages a deeper understanding of AI which can be applied in the real world. The module is designed in an attractive graphical manner that is comprehensible for all students belonging to rural and urban areas. 
• Meanwhile, the step-up module needs no previous knowledge and introduces the concepts to students from the basics using interactive tools and activities to keep their attention undivided. Moreover, the objective of this module is to challenge students and create opportunities in the coming years making students the Changemakers and torchbearers of innovation. 
• The Base module was specifically devised considering students as young as 12 years of age, with absolutely no prior background of AI to ignite curiosity on AI in their young minds and to contribute to the ecosystem of innovation.  Step up module has been exquisitely designed and presented to involve young students across the country to induce inclusive learning and to empower youngsters of our country to create AI integrated innovations
• The module is a directed step by the government of India in building citizens and a workforce that is aware of AI and can work with AI. It has been created keeping the age group of its intended audience in mind so that they can be easily understood by any individual who has just been exposed to the idea of AI. 

Source: PIB

2) SWASTHYA

• Union Tribal Affairs Minister Shri Arjun Munda will e-Launch “Swasthya”, a first of its kind tribal Health & Nutrition Portal: One-stop solution for the health & nutrition status of the tribal population of India here on 17th August, 2020
• ‘Swasthya’ is the first of its kind comprehensive platform for health and nutrition-related information of the tribal population of India. It has a dashboard, knowledge repository, partner segment, Sickle Cell Diseases (SCD) support corner. The dashboard presents data curated from multiple sources for the 177 identified high priority tribal districts. Also, the Portal has research studies, innovations, and best practices on tribal community curated from multiple sources related to tribal health and nutrition. Also, the SCDSupport Corneravailable in the Portal encourages people with Sickle Cell disease or trait to register themselves. It is hoped that this Portal will bridge the existing knowledge, drive evidence-based policymaking and catalyze a series of actions that will ultimately lead to overall improvements in the health and nutrition status of the tribal population in India.
• The Portal will be managed by the Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Knowledge Management inHealth and Nutrition, established by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs in collaboration with Piramal Swasthya Management and Research Institute. This CoE works towards consolidating data for tribal health & nutrition, facilitating evidence-based policymaking, documenting successful models, best practices and innovative solutions, disseminating and facilitating the exchange of knowledge, creating networks, and collaborating with stakeholders to improve tribal health & nutrition outcomes.

Source: PIB

3) Israel-UAE Peace Deal

• Recently, the President of the USA has announced that Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to establish full diplomatic ties as part of a deal to halt the annexation of occupied land sought by the Palestinians for their future state.
• Both the UAE and Israel are the USA’s close allies in West Asia.
• The UAE has become the first Gulf Arab state to do so and only the third Arab nation to have active diplomatic ties with Israel.
• Egypt made a peace deal with Israel in 1979, followed by Jordan in 1994.
• Under the deal, Israel would suspend its plans to annex large parts of the occupied West Bank.
• The West Bank is sandwiched between Israel and Jordan. One of its major cities is Ramallah, the de facto administrative capital of Palestine.
• Israel took control of it in the Six-day Arab-Israeli war, 1967, and has over the years established settlements there.
• A joint statement from the USA, the UAE, and Israel has been issued which says that delegations would meet in the coming weeks to sign deals on direct flights, security, telecommunications, energy, tourism, and health care.
• Both nations will also partner on fighting the Covid-19 pandemic together.
• It remains unclear what prompted Israel and the UAE to make the announcement now.
• In June 2020, the UAE’s ambassador to the USA warned that Israel’s plan to annex the Jordan Valley and other parts of the occupied West Bank would upend Israel’s efforts to improve ties with Arab nations.

Background

• Formed in 1971, the UAE is a USA-allied federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula which did not recognize Israel over its occupation of land home to the Palestinians.
• The UAE relied on white-collar (people who perform professional, desk, managerial or administrative work) Palestinians in creating its nation and maintained its stance that Israel should allow the creation of a Palestinian state on land it seized in the 1967 war.
• In recent years, ties between Gulf Arab nations and Israel have quietly grown, in part over their shared enmity of Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
• The UAE also shares Israel’s distrust of Islamist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood and the militant group Hamas that holds the Gaza Strip.

Impact on the UAE:

• The deal smoothens the UAE’s international campaign to be seen as a beacon of tolerance in the Middle East despite being governed by autocratic rulers.
• It puts the UAE out first in a regional recognition race among neighboring Gulf Arab states.

Impact on Israel:

• The announcement justifies the year-long claims of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his government enjoys closer ties to Arab nations than publicly acknowledged.
• The deal gives Netanyahu a domestic boost at a time when Israel’s coalition government is facing infighting and the possibility of early elections.

Impact on the USA:

• The recognition grants a diplomatic win to the USA President Donald Trump ahead of the November election.
• Neither his efforts to bring the war in Afghanistan to an end nor efforts to bring peace between Israel and the Palestinians have been successful yet.

For Palestine:

• For Palestinians, who long have relied on Arab backing in their struggle for independence, the announcement marked both a win and setback for the Israel-Palestine relations.
• While the deal halts Israeli annexation plans, the Palestinians have repeatedly urged Arab governments not to normalize relations with Israel until a peace agreement establishing an independent Palestinian state is reached.

India on this deal

• India welcomed the normalization of ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), calling them both “key strategic partners”. 
• India has consistently supported peace, stability, and development in West Asia, which is its extended neighborhood. In that context, we welcome the full normalization of ties between UAE and Israel
• While the announcement of the agreement has been welcomed by India, it will also mean continuing to walk a balance on West Asian politics. According to experts, the normalization of ties between Israel and the UAE could be followed by similar actions by other Gulf countries, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and strong reactions from other countries in a region India has deep stakes in terms of energy supplies and expatriate populations. New Delhi will also need to watch ties with Iran, which has slammed the agreement and will see Arab-­Israeli tie­-ups as a direct threat to its security

Source: Indian Express

4) Demand for 6th Schedule Status: Arunachal Pradesh

• The recent revival of the demand for two autonomous councils in Arunachal Pradesh has led to the call for bringing the entire Arunachal Pradesh under the ambit of the 6th Schedule or Article 371 (A) of the Constitution.
• Arunachal Pradesh is a 5th Schedule State. Currently, the 6th Schedule is applied in Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura.
• On the other hand, Article 371 A is applied in Nagaland which provides special status to Nagaland.

6th Schedule:

• The 6th Schedule of the Constitution provides for the administration of tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram to safeguard the rights of the tribal population in these states. This special provision is provided under Article 244(2) and Article 275(1) of the Constitution.
• The tribes in the above states have not assimilated much with the life and ways of the other people in these states. These areas still have the presence of anthropological specimens.
• Based on the reports of the Bordoloi Committee formed by the Constituent Assembly, the 6th Schedule was formulated to provide limited autonomy to the tribal regions of North-East.
• The committee report stated that there was a need for a system of administration that would allow tribal areas to become developed.
• The report also called for the protection of these tribal areas from exploitation by the people in the plains and preserving their distinct social customs.

Administration in the 6th Schedule:

• The tribal areas in the 6th Schedule area have been constituted as autonomous districts. The autonomous districts have been given varying degrees of autonomy within the State Legislature.
• There are 10 autonomous districts – three in Assam, Meghalaya, and Mizoram and one in Tripura.
• Each autonomous district can also have a separate regional council.
• The tribals have been given the freedom to exercise legislative and executive powers through an autonomous regional council and autonomous district councils (ADCs).
• The ADCs are empowered with civil and judicial powers. They can also make laws on matters like land, forests, fisheries, social security, etc. with due approval from the governor.
• The Acts passed by Parliament and state legislatures may or may not be levied in these regions unless the President and the governor give her or his approval, with or without modifications in the laws for the autonomous regions.
• Governor’s Control:
• Despite various degrees of autonomy, the 6th Schedule area does not fall outside the executive authority of the state concerned.
• The governor is empowered to organize and re-organize the autonomous districts. He can increase or decrease the areas of autonomous districts or change their names or define their boundaries and so on.
• If there are different tribes in an autonomous district, the governor can also divide the district into several autonomous regions.

Composition of Autonomous Councils:

• Each autonomous district and regional council consists of not more than 30 members, of which four are nominated by the governor and the rest via elections. All of them remain in power for a term of five years.
• However, the Bodoland Territorial Council is an exception as it can constitute up to 46 members.

Article 371 A:

• The Acts of Parliament relating to the following matters would not apply to Nagaland unless decided by the State Legislative Assembly:
• Religious or social practices of the Nagas.
• Naga customary law and procedure.
• Administration of civil and criminal justice involving decisions according to Naga customary law.
• Ownership and transfer of land and its resources.

Source: The Hindu

5) RBI okays surplus transfer to the government

• THE CENTRAL Board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved the transfer of Rs 57,128 crore as surplus—or dividend—to the central government for the accounting year 2019-20, sharply lower by 67.5 percent from Rs1.76lakh last year
• The government, which is finding ways to put the COVID-hit economy back on the rails, could use the amount to contain the fiscal deficit and recapitalize public sector banks. The RBI’s transfer this year is as per the economic capital framework (ECF) adopted by the RBI board last year, the government was not expecting a repeat of the bonanza as last year’s transfer included Rs 1,23,414 crore of dividends due from the previous financial year (2018-19), and Rs52,637 crore of excess provisions as per the revised ECF.
• As per Section 47 of the RBI Act, profits of the RBI are to be transferred to the government, after making various contingency provisions, public policy mandate of the RBI, including financial stability considerations.
• The central bank’s income typically comes largely from the returns it earns on its foreign currency assets, deposits with other central banks, the interest it earns on its holdings of local rupee-denominated government bonds or securities and lending to banks for very short tenures (such as overnight) and management commission on handling the borrowings of state governments and the central government
• However, as per the ECF adopted by the RBI board last year, the contingency risk buffer(CRB), or realized equity, has to be maintained at 5.5-6.5 percent of the balance sheet. The RBI board decided to maintain the buffer at 5.5 percent this year
• The RBI’s central board last year accepted the recommendations of the high-level panel, under the leadership of former RBI Governor Bimal Jalan, which was formed to recommend ways to utilize RBI's excess cash reserve and part transfer to the government.

Change in the accounting year

• The RBI is aligning its July-June accounting year with the government’s April March fiscal year to ensure more effective management of the country’s finances. The current accounting year will be a nine-month period which started from July 2020 and ends on March 31, 2021

 Economic Capital Framework (ECF)

• Economic capital is a measure of risk in terms of capital. More specifically, it's the amount of capital that a company (usually in financial services) needs to ensure that it stays solvent (opposite of bankruptcy) given its risk profile. Economic capital is calculated internally by the company and is it the amount of capital that the firm should have to support any risks that it takes.
• RBI has developed an Economic Capital Framework (ECF) for determining the allocation of funds to its capital reserves so that any risk contingency can be met and as well as to transfer the profit of the RBI to the government.
• As per the RBI Act 1934, Section 47, There are two clear objectives for the ECF. First, the RBI as a macroeconomic institution has the responsibility to fight any crisis in the financial system, and to handle such a crisis, the RBI should have adequate funds attached under the capital reserve. And, second is transferring the remaining part of the net income to the government.
• The process of adding funds to the capital reserve is a yearly one where the RBI allots money out of its net income to the capital reserve. How many funds shall be added to the capital reserve each year depends upon the risky situation in the financial system and the economy. After allotting money to the capital reserve, the remaining net income of the RBI is transferred to the government as profit (as Govt. is the 100% owner of RBI).
• Here, the determination of the amount of money to be provisioned or allocated to the capital reserve is a difficult and technical task. And hence 'Bimal Jalan' Committee was appointed which gave its recommendations in Aug 2019. And as per the recommendation, RBI should maintain 5.5 to 6.5% of the balance sheet as Contingency Risk Buffer. As at that time RBI had surplus funds in the "Contingency Fund", so, it gave Rs. 53,000 crore from the Contingency Fund and Rs. 1.23 lakh crore was a regular income (2018-19). So, last year (2018-19) RBI gave as dividend Rs. 1.76 lakh crore (Rs. 1.23 lakh crore + Rs. 53000 crore).  
• And as per yesterday's news, for the year 2019-20, RBI will give Rs. 57,128 crore funds as dividend to govt.
• The committee also recommended that "there always needs to be harmony in the objectives of the Government and the RBI"
• 4. Even RBI's regular income in 2018-19 was Rs. 1.23 lakh crore which was quite high because RBI purchased a lot of govt bonds in the OMO to pump liquidity in that year as there was liquidity crisis because of IL&FS (NBFC) default. Otherwise, RBI's income is generally Rs. 60,000 crore to Rs. 70,000 crore.
• 5RBI's sources of Income
• Foreign Currency Assets (FCA) are around 90% of the Forex reserve of around $520 billion. This FCA RBI has invested in US govt bonds and it earns interest on that.
• It has deposited some FCA with other Central Banks also
• When RBI purchases Indian Govt. bonds from the OMO, then it earns interest on the holding of govt bonds/securities
• Lending at Repo rate to banks
• RBI acts as 'Debt Manager' of Central Govt and State Govt for which it gets commission/income.
• Till now RBI's account year was from 1st July to 30th June. And now it has decided to align it with Govt's fiscal year i.e. 1st April to 31st March. So this year, RBI's accounting year is going to be only for 9 months from 1st July 2020 to 31st March 2021, and then from next year, it will be from 1st April 2021 to 31 March 2022.
  

Source: The Hindu

6) Seed Bombs: Solution to Man-Animal Conflict

• Odisha’s Athagarh Forest Division has started casting seed balls (or bombs) inside different reserve forest areas to enrich food stock for wild elephants.
• This has been done to prevent man-elephant conflict.
• On the eve of World Elephant Day 2020, the Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change has launched a portal on Human-Elephant Conflict ‘Surakhsya’.
• Further, the Government has taken initiative for fodder and water augmentation in forest areas so that animals get food and water in forest areas and not come outside. LiDAR technology is being used for the same.
• Villagers who bear the brunt of the elephant attacks have come forward to prepare the bamboo seed balls and scatter them in 38 reserve forests under the Athagarh Forest Division.
• The growth in bamboo plantations is expected to meet the needs of the elephants, which often stray out of the forests and raid human habitations.
• Athagarh Forest Division is one of the worst-hit areas as far as man-elephant conflict is concerned.
• Elephants frequently raid villages coming under Athagarh and Khuntuni range and damage standing paddy crops. Even fruit-bearing trees and vegetable plants are not spared.
• The situation becomes extremely volatile when any human gets killed by elephants.
• In 2019, the division had thrown seed balls using 950 kg of bamboo seeds inside the forest. The survival rate ranged from 50-60%.

Seed Bomb

• A seed bomb is a little ball generally made up of a combination of compost, clay, and seeds.
• The compost and clay act as a carrier for the seeds so they can be launched over walls or fences and into inaccessible areas such as wasteland or railways.
• The compost offers nutrients for the seeds to germinate and grow strong during their infancy and the clay binds the seed bomb, making it hard enough not to break when it hits the ground.
• It is used in revegetation and reforestation of the fragile ecosystems.
• The plantation technique wherein seed balls are sprayed using aerial devices, including planes, helicopters, or drones, is known as aerial seeding.
• Recent Initiatives:
• Udaipur has been chosen for experimenting with the seed bombing technique to increase forest cover in Rajasthan.
• The Haryana government has employed aerial seeding techniques to improve green cover in the Aravalli area of the State.

Way Forward

• India has a large population of the tiger, Asian elephant, leopard, sloth bear, gaur, and many others. Keeping these animals restricted to a few hundred kilometers of protected areas can be difficult. Thus, coordinated and collaborative conservation actions are required to motivate communities to shift from conflict to coexistence with wildlife.
• Inclusive development with a long-term vision that cares for the environment is a solution to man-animal conflict.

Source: The Hindu

7) PURA Initiative

• The Pune Rural Administration has been able to implement the Provision of Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA) initiative amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
• PURA was mooted by the former President Dr. Abdul Kalam in January 2003 as a way of empowering and accelerating rural development.
• The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) implemented the PURA scheme on a pilot basis in seven clusters for a period of three years (2004- 05 to 2006-07).
• PURA 2.0 as a central sector scheme was launched in 2012 focussing on the development of potential growth centers such as census towns.
• Objective: Provision of livelihood opportunities and urban amenities in rural areas to bridge the rural-urban divide.
• Mission: Holistic and accelerated development of compact areas around a potential growth center in a Gram Panchayat (or a group of Gram Panchayats) through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework for providing livelihood opportunities and urban amenities to improve the quality of life in rural areas.
• Amenities and economic activities provided under PURA include Water and Sewerage, Construction and maintenance of Village streets, Drainage, Solid Waste Management, Skill Development, village street lighting, telecom, electricity generation, village linked tourism, etc.
• In 2014-15, the government made no allocation to the PURA scheme and instead introduced the Rurban Mission with an initial allocation of Rs. 100 crore.
• The aim of the Rurban Mission is to create 300 rural growth clusters across the country.

Source: The Hindu

8) Universal Ratification to Child Labour Convention

• Recently, the International Labour Organization (ILO)’s Convention on Worst Forms of Child Labour also known as Convention No. 182 received universal ratification after the Kingdom of Tonga ratified the same.

Universal Ratification:

• It means ratification by all the members of an organization. Convention No. 182 has received ratification from all the 187 members of ILO.

Child Labour:

• The ILO defines child labor as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential, and their dignity, and that is harmful to their physical and mental development.
• In the least developed countries, slightly more than one in four children (ages 5 to 17) are engaged in labor that is considered detrimental to their health and development.
• The eradication of child labor is part of the Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.7.
• The UN General Assembly has declared 2021 as the year for the elimination of child labor.

Convention No. 182:

• The convention was adopted by the ILO member states meeting in Geneva in 1999.
• It aims to protect children from the worst forms of child labor, which include slavery, prostitution, trafficking, deployment of children in armed conflict, and other conditions that compromise their overall well-being.

Other International Laws on Child Labour:

• The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989: It contains the idea that children are not just objects who belong to their parents and for whom decisions are made or adults in training. Rather, they are human beings and individuals with their own rights.
• Minimum Age Convention 1973: It aims to prevent the employment of children below a lower age threshold.
• Both Convention No. 182 and the 1973 Minimum Age Convention are among the eight core ILO Conventions regarded as embodying the spirit of the 1998 declaration on fundamental principles and rights at work.
• India ratified Convention No. 182 and the 1973 Minimum Age Convention in 2017.

Impact of Laws on Child Labour:

• According to ILO, the incidence of child labor and its worst forms dropped by almost 40% between 2000 and 2016 as ratification rates on child labor increased and countries adopted laws and policies.
• The conventions have resulted in significant increases in enrolments in primary education.
• These conventions also provide the necessary framework to counteract the predominance of informality in the conditions of work and ought to be a priority for governments.

Challenges Related to Child Labour:

• The Sustainable Developmental Goal (SDG) aims at the complete abolition of child labor by 2025. However, still, an estimated 152 million are trapped in child labor and 72 million of them are engaged in hazardous work.
• The Covid-19 pandemic is also threatening the reversal of recent gains, with widespread job losses, deterioration in conditions of work, the decline in household incomes, and temporary school closures.

Way Forward

• The cycle of poverty and its implications must be addressed properly, so families can find other means to survive. Many NGOs like Bachpan Bachao Andolan, ChildFund, CARE India, etc. have been working to eradicate child labor in India.
• The right kind of focus and orientation with state-level authorities is also needed to avoid the practice of child labor. Forced Child Labour requires urgent action from governments and the international communities.

Source: The Hindu