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Current News Analysis
07-11-2016
A. GS1 Related
1. Lost Chandrabhaga river found in Odisha
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/lost-chandrabhaga-
river-found-in-odisha/article9312348.ece
Category: Indian Geography
Topic: Chandrabhaga River
Key Points:
After an expert panel recently confirmed the existence of the mythical Saraswati
river in India’s North-West, scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology, IIT -
Kharagpur now claim they have found evidence of another lost Indian river –
Chandrabhaga
The ancient river is believed to have existed at a distance of about 2 km from the
13th century Sun Temple at Konark, a Unesco World Heritage Site in Odisha. The
Scientists have reported no trace of any water body is at present visible in the
proximity of the temple, but the mythical river figures prominently in ancient
literature. Almost all myths regarding Konark, including illustrations and
photographs, indicate the presence of the Chandrabhaga River in the proximity of the
temple.
They did this through integrated geological and geophysical exploration in
conjunction with historical evidence and analysis of satellite data. Imagery from
Landsat and Terra satellites of the US and those obtained by NASA Space Shuttle
Endeavour’s ‘Radar Topography Mission’ in 2000 were used.
According to their report, the satellite imagery and Google Earth image showed a
sinusoidal trace, characteristic of a typical palaeo channel - remnant of an inactive
river passing north of the Sun Temple extending approximately parallel to the coast.
The existence of a palaeo channel was further corroborated through profiling the
surface using ground-penetrating radar that showed the existence of a V-shaped
subsurface river valley, the scientists report.
B. GS2 Related
1. Government shuts schools as Delhi chokes
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/govt-shuts-schools-as-delhi-
chokes/article9313212.ece
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/delhi-pollution-
haryana-farmers-lay-blame-on-mechanised-harvesters/article9312466.ece
Category: Air pollution
Topic: Delhi’s ai uality
Key Points:
As air pollution levels remained alarmingly high, with a blanket of smog enveloping
the city, Chief Minister of Delhi announced that all schools in the Capital will remain
shut for 3 days. The decision was taken at an emergency Cabinet meeting to discuss
measures to tackle the air pollution.
The city has turned into a gas chamber mainly due to large-scale crop stubble burning
in neighbouring States. The base level of pollution was already very high.
The government is also considering bringing back the odd-even car rationing scheme
to bring down the pollution levels. All construction and demolition work in the city
has also been banned for five days. The government also announced that the coal-
based Badarpur power plant would be shut for the next 10 days.
Haryana farmers lay blame on mechanised harvesters –
The 4 districts of Kaithal, Fatehabad, Karnal and Kurukshetra account for almost 80
per cent of the stubble burning in Haryana.
Most of the villagers in the area still preferred to burn the crop waste. Burning the
stubble seems to be the most convenient, cheap and pragmatic solution to get rid of
it. Most of the farmers prefer to cut their crops using combine harvesters which do not
cut crops close to the ground and leave the plant stalk, usually up to two feet high,
standing. Unlike, the wheat stalk which is used for making fodder for the cattle, the
paddy stalk is of inferior quality and is of practically no use. So, the farmers cut it and
set it afire.
2. Sri Lanka wants an end to bottom trawling
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/sri-lanka-wants-an-end-to-
bottom-trawling/article9312912.ece
Category: Bilateral
Topic: India – Sri Lanka Fisherman issue
Key Points:
Sri Lanka urged India to expeditiously end unsustainable industrial-scale fishing in
the coastal waters between the two countries. Sri Lanka said Indian trawlers were
using heavy-duty fishing techniques in the coastal waters that must be ended at the
earliest.
The Joint Working Group to resolve the fishermen issue would have 3 tasks - of
expeditiously working to end bottom trawling, facilitating joint patrolling of the
coastal waters, and working towards release of arrested fishermen who strayed into
each other’s waters.
The agreement to end bottom trawling through the JWG came at the end of a long
series of discussions. Earlier, Sri Lanka had rejected the suggestion that India would
phase out industrial-scale trawlers over a 3-year period, arguing that such a policy
would damage the marine ecosystem.
3.India will highlight climate impact on Himalayas at CoP-22
http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/at-cop-22-india-
will-highlight-climate-impact-on-himalayas/article9312452.ece
Category: International Summits
Topic: UNFCCC
Key Points:
India will host a special side event during the UN Climate Change Conference at
Marrakech - Morocco, on the 12 Himalayan States that face the impact of a
changing climate. The Himalayas provide water to 1.3 billion people in Asia, but
have been inadequately represented over the past three decades in climate change
discussions. Currently, the Himalayas are not spoken about even at discussions in
international forums on mountain countries.
Almora-based G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment and
Sustainable Development has been asked by the centre to represent the 12 Himalayan
States at CoP - 22. The Hindu Kush region was represented at UNFCCC by the
Nepal-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.
At the CoP - 22, the impact of climate change on disasters, biodiversity, livelihood,
and agriculture will be highlighted. Though the Himalayas are warming faster than
the global average, they are not yet in focus. Plans to mitigate climate impact will be
drawn up.
4. Trains to clock 160 kmph on way to Delhi from Mumbai, Howrah
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/trains-to-clock-160-kmph-on-way-
to-delhi-from-mumbai-howrah/article9312353.ece
Category: Ministry of Railways
Topic: High speed train
Key Points:
After the successful launch of Gatimaan Express, the Railways has undertaken a
mammoth exercise of reducing journey time on the Delhi-Howrah and Delhi-
Mumbai routes by increasing the speed of trains up to 160 km per hour at an
estimated cost of Rs. 10,000 crore.
Mission Raftaar - The Ministry of Railways has firmed up an action plan to increase
the train speed up to 160 km per hour on the total 9,000-km main trunk routes
across the country as part of the Mission Raftaar project. To begin with, we have
started the work on 2 major busy routes of Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah.
Plan - Strengthening of the track, upgrading of signalling system and fencing off
vulnerable sections along the route are to be undertaken to ensure the speed on the
two busy corridors, as per the plan.
Note - Railways has recently introduced Gatimaan Express between Delhi and Agra
at 160 km per hour speed.
The 1,400-km-long Delhi-Howrah and the 1,500-km-long Delhi-Mumbai rail
corridors are among the 2 major busy routes of the Golden Quadrilateral of Indian
Railways. Other routes are Howrah-Chennai, Delhi-Chennai and Chennai-Mumbai.
5. Ar y’s De chok issio a success
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/armys-demchok-mission-a-
success/article9312345.ece
Category: Defense
Topic: Demchok mission
Key Points:
The Army has completed laying an irrigation pipeline for residents of villages in the
Demchok region of Eastern Ladakh despite a face-off with Chinese troops over the
work. The irrigation project was being built under the Mahatma Gandhi National
Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme - MGNREGS to link a village with a hot
spring.
In order to protest the laying of the pipeline, Chinese troops attempted to erect a
fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) hut on the border. However, the Indian Army and the
Indo-Tibetan Border Police - ITBP did not allow that. Officials said the Army had
fortified the area and prevented Chinese forces from further entering into Indian
Territory.
This is the first time since 2014 when the Chinese Army had come deep inside the
Indian territory in Demchok in protest against an ongoing irrigation project.
6. PM calls for sustainable growth
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/modi-calls-for-
sustainable-growth/article9313137.ece
Category: International Summits
Topic: International Agro-biodiversity Congress
Key Points:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Laws on conservation of agro-biodiversity
should not hamper growth of agriculture in developing nations like India while
asserting that use of technologies for crop enhancement must not be at the cost of
sustainable development.
Addressing the 1st ever International Agro-biodiversity Congress at New Delhi, Mr.
Modi cautioned against growing threat to plant and animal species and said there
was a need to adopt a shared vision for conserving them through focussed research
and proper management of genetic resources.
PM Modi further said “World over, crores of poor people are fighting hunger, malnutrition and poverty. To address these issues, science and technology is very
important. While finding solution to these problems, we should not ignore sustainable
development and conservation of biodiversity”
‘There is a need to assess the negative impact of use of the technology in agriculture,’ the Prime Minister said, citing the example of pesticide usage affecting honeybee in
pollination process.
7. U.S. backed rebels launch operation to retake Raqqa
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/usbacked-rebels-launch-
operation-to-retake-raqqa/article9312398.ece
Category: International issues
Topic: Mission Raqqa
Key Points:
U.S.-backed rebels said they were launching an operation to retake the Syrian city
of Raqqa, the de facto capital of Islamic State - IS. The attack ratchets up pressure
on the militant group at a critical moment, with its fighters already battling an
offensive by Iraqi security forces on their remaining Iraqi stronghold in the northern
city of Mosul.
The U.S. backed Syria Democratic Forces - SDF, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab
armed groups, first announced that a campaign to retake Raqqa would begin within
hours, with U.S. forces providing air cover. Soon afterwards, it said that the operation
Euphrates Anger had begun.
C.GS3 Related
1. NCBS researchers find a biomarker for stress-induced memory loss
http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/ncbs-researchers-find-a-biomarker-
for-stressinduced-memory-loss/article9310152.ece
Category: S&T
Topic: NCBS
Key Points:
Timely intervention to prevent or delay hippocampus-linked memory loss that
occurs as a result of chronic stress may now be possible, thanks to the discovery of a
biomarker by Scientists of National centre for biological sciences (NCBS) - a
reduction in hippocampal volume at an early time point after the onset of chronic
stress.
The reduction in the hippocampal volume is not only linked to stress-induced
memory loss, it may, in fact, be an early risk factor for the eventual development of
cognitive impairments.
D. GS4 Related
E. Important Editorials
The Hindu
1. Looking for a humane solution
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/indiasri-lanka-fishing-dispute-
looking-for-a-humane-solution/article9312303.ece
The agreement between India and Sri Lanka on establishing a Joint Working
Group on fisheries is a small step forward in resolving the dispute between fishermen
of both countries. In fact, such a mechanism had been in place until a few years ago
to address problems that arose whenever fishermen from Tamil Nadu were arrested
by Sri Lanka.
The points agreed on are important: a hotline between the Coast Guards of both
countries, a meeting of the JWG once in three months, and a meeting of the fisheries
ministers every six months. Welcome too is the commitment that there would be no
violence or loss of life of fishermen. These measures are useful in getting Indian
fishermen or their boats released from custody, but they are unlikely to have any
immediate impact on the livelihood crisis facing the fishermen of northern Sri Lanka.
Such a crisis may grip Tamil Nadu fishermen too one day, after the fishery resources
in the Palk Bay are exhausted.
The real issue is how long trawlers from Tamil Nadu will continue to fish in Sri
Lankan territorial waters, and how soon bottom trawling is ended. The official
statement after the talks between the foreign ministers refers to expediting the
transition towards ending the practice of bottom trawling at the earliest. An
agreement on this is crucial, but in the absence of a time frame there remains a
question mark over a solution emerging.
Sri Lankan Tamil fishermen are firm on an immediate end to all incursions and
are against seized Indian boats being released without legal process, even though
they agree that the arrested fishermen should be released. In talks between
representatives of fishermen held a few days earlier, Tamil Nadu fishermen had asked
for a three-year phase-out period for their trawlers, and a deal under which they
would fish for 85 days a year until then.
This was rejected outright by the Sri Lankan side, which holds that the Indian
vessels cause serious economic and ecological damage. One way of preventing
boundary transgression is to find a livelihood alternative for Tamil Nadu fishermen.
Equipping them for deep sea fishing is an option.
For now, Tamil Nadu should show greater understanding of the plight of the Sri
Lankan Tamil fishermen, who are economically weaker and yet to fully recover from
a devastating war, and agree to a more reasonable phase-out period. Sri Lanka, then,
can look at a licensing system under which fishermen from both sides can fish on
specified days using sustainable methods and permissible equipment. It is important
that all sides recognise that there is a humanitarian dimension to the issue.
F. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn:
1. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn
River Chandrabhaga
Indo-Lanka Fishermen issue
Air Pollution
Mission Raftar
UNFCCC
National centre for biological sciences
Operation Raqqa
2. BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/ORGS IN NEWS
BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES
/ORGS IN NEWS
Links to Refer
National centre for
Biological sciences
UN Framework
Convention on
Climate change
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Centre_for_Biological_Science
s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Framework_Conventio
n_on_Climate_Change
3. Tags
International Agro-biodiversity Congress
CoP-22
Demchok mission
Practice Questions
Date: 7
th November, 2016
Category: Geography
Topic: Ancient Rivers
Source: The Hindu
Difficulty level: Medium
Type: Factual
1. Which of the following Ancient Indian rivers path were recently discovered by a group of
specialists?
a) Saraswati and Gayathri
b) Saraswati and Chandrabhaga
c) Chandrabhaga and Gayathri
d) Gayathri and Indra
Ans (b)
Date: 7
th November, 2016
Category: International conferences
Topic: Agro-biodiversity congress
Source: The Hindu
Difficulty level: Medium
Type: Factual
2. The 1st Agro-Biodiversity Congress took place at -
a) New Delhi
b) Mumbai
c) Bangalore
d) Gurugram
Ans (a)
Date: 7th November, 2016
Category: Important places in news
Source: The Hindu
Difficulty level: Medium
Type: Factual
3. Which of the following is correctly matched?
(i) Raqqa - Syria
(ii) Demchok - J&K
(iii) Mosul - Iran
a) (i) only
b) (i) and (ii) only
c) (ii) and (iii) only
d) All 3 are correctly matched
Ans (b)
Date: 7th November, 2016
Category: UNFCCC
Topic: CoP-22
Source: The Hindu
Difficulty level: Medium
Type: factual
4. UN Framework Convention on Climate change’s CoP-22, 2016 will be held at
(a) New Delhi, India
(b) Warsaw, Poland
(c) Lima, Peru
(d) Marrakesh, Morocco
Ans (d)
Date: 7th November, 2016
Category: National programs and policies
Difficulty level: Easy
Type: Factual
5. The Ministry of Railways has firmed up an action plan to increase the train speed up to
160 km per hour on the total 9,000-km main trunk routes across the country under
a) Mission Raftaar
b) Mission Indradhanush
c) Mission Kayakalp
d) Mission Janshathabdi
Ans (a)
Comprehensive News Analysis
08-11-2016
B. GS2 Related
1. Linking food and nutrition security
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/its-not-about-just-national-
security/article9316832.ece
Category: Social Justice Topic: Health
Key Points:
The euphoria around the National Food Security Act ( NFSA), 2013, seems to have
dwindled
As per the statements by Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public
Distribution, Ram Vilas Paswan, the Act was to be fully implemented across India
by July 2016
As of now, only five States have fully executed it as per the provisions of the
Central Act and the progress in other States has been tardy
The front runners are Punjab, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.
The Act has been partially implemented in Bihar, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and
Karnataka
The Act, if fully implemented, is likely to benefit 720 million people through availability
of 5 kg per capita per month of subsidised foodgrains ( rice, wheat and coarse cereals) at
a much lower rate than that in the open market
This would ensure food security and enhance nutritional status
The two concepts are interlinked, but nutrition security has a much wider connotation
than food security
It encompasses a biological approach, that is, adequate and safe intake of protein,
energy, vitamin and minerals along with proper health and social environment
C. GS3 Related
1. Construction banned near Uttarakhand glaciers
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/construction-banned-near-uttarakhand-glaciers/article9316856.ece
Category: Environment
Topic: Climate Change
Key Points:
Taking notice of the degradation in the Himalayan ecology and environment, the Uttarakhand High Court has directed the government to take steps to preserve the Hill State’s glaciers
Uttarakhand has 968 glaciers
In view of the rapidly melting Uttarakhand glaciers, which are a source of major rivers including the Ganga and the Yamuna, the Division Bench comprising Justice Alok Singh and Justice Rajiv Sharma, took cognisance of the rapid reduction in snow cover due to climate change and the melting of glaciers
In the Order, the Court directed that no new permanent constructions must come up within a 25 kilometre radius from the “edges” of all the glaciers across the State
The court also passed orders restricting the burning of fossil fuels within a 10 kilometre radius of the “edges of glaciers”
“The State Government is directed to provide the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Kerosene Oil, in abundance, to the people living in these areas to mitigate their hardships by involving Oil Companies,” the Order stated
The State government could also impose a cess in the form of “Glacier Tax” on persons visiting places in the vicinity of the glaciers, the Order stated
The Court Order also prohibits the use of plastic, in all forms, within a 20 kilometre radius of glaciers
Also, the State administration is directed to put up stations 20 kilometres from each glacier to ensure the enforcement of the Court directions
However, the Army and the paramilitary forces shall be permitted to set up infrastructures but they too must consider the environment of the area before undertaking constructions of any kind
2. Solutions after the smog
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/solutions-after-the-
smog/article9316831.ece
Category: Environment Topic: Pollution Key Points:
If Delhi’s crippling pollution crisis is to end, at least in the coming years, the Centre and the States concerned need to adopt a two- pronged approach:
- tackle problems created by urbanization
Every measure to curb the release of pollutants is important since the weather
pattern in the post- monsoon months causes smog to persist
The capital experiences the inversion effect of air pressure retarding the
dispersal of the foul cloud
There has to be strong political will to implement a time- bound programme that
will stop the burning of crop residues and put them to commercial use
As the eminent agriculture scientist M. S. Swaminathan has pointed out, farmers
are not at fault for trying to remove the waste from the land, and they need help
In the northwestern States, they resort to burning straw to prepare for a wheat
crop weeks after harvesting rice
The Indian Agricultural Research Institute published a guidance report four years
ago on ways to use the residue, with an emphasis on converting paddy straw into
livestock feed, compost, raw material for power generation, biofuel production and
as substrate for mushroom farming
State support is vital for straw to be used as fodder, and farmers should be
assisted with supplemental stocks of urea and molasses, green fodder and legume
waste
Smoke- generating brick kilns around the national capital need to be cleaned up
through a state- guided modernisation programme, since they become active during
the period when the weather is unhelpful
It is also important to pave all roads well to curb dust, and show zero tolerance
to civic agencies leaving exposed mud after executing projects
A more diffused problem is the burning of waste and other materials by the poor
who do not have access to cleaner forms of heating in the winter months
If that is unavoidable in the short term, it is certainly possible to clean up the
transport sector
Delhi’s bus fleet should be augmented, preferably doubled, with modern high- capacity zero emission electric vehicles of the kind being introduced in Europe
Higher parking fees for private vehicles can pay for this
The capital —indeed, all Indian cities — can achieve better efficiencies if transport data are opened up to build smartphone apps giving users real- time service information
D. GS4 Related
D. Important Editorials
The Hindu: For a breath of fresh air
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/for-a-breath-of-fresh-air/article9316835.ece
Category: Environment/ Governance Topic: Climate Change/ Policies
Key Points:
Three perspectives on adopting a medium- to long- term approach for pollution control
First, minor reductions in pollution do not reduce health risks significantly
The Global Burden of Disease finds that health impacts of pollution are nonlinear
This means that significant declines in adverse health outcomes for Delhi and other polluted Indian cities will only be realised when pollution levels reach National Ambient Air Quality Standards
Second, enhance the capacity of the CPCB and the SPCBs
Pollution monitoring, regulation and control are complex, technical issues and require trained manpower
CPCBs and SPCBs are required to provide scientific inputs needed to drive pollution control policies
Third, leverage technology for innovative solutions. It is well understood that trans- boundary sources contribute 20- 30 per cent to Delhi’s pollution
Whereas seasonal crop burning in Punjab and Haryana makes headlines, little is made of pollution from industrial clusters in Faridabad and Ghaziabad
Yet, we have barely considered developing the business models by which farmers can secure revenue from wasteto- energy projects or providing pollution control technologies to industrial clusters of small and medium enterprises
PIB: Indian Amphibious Warship INS Shardul enters Port Louis, Mauritius
http://www.pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=66214
Category: International Relations Topic: India-Maurituis
Key Points:
In a demonstration of India’s commitment to its ties with Mauritius and to promote maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region, Indian Naval Ship Shardul has arrived at Port Louis on a three day visit
INS Shardul, an amphibious ship of the Indian Navy, is currently on a month long deployment in the Southern Indian Ocean in keeping with the vision of SAGAR – Security and Growth for All in the Region
Accordingly, the Indian Navy will be progressing maritime security cooperation with Mauritius National Coast Guard (NCG) towards ensuring a secure and stable regional maritime environment for unhindered economic development in the region
INS Shardul’s visit is part of its mission to carry out surveillance in the Mauritius EEZ with NCG personnel embarked onboard
Livemint: Internet governance: India can begin at home
http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/KJHojir6OCoromHGs0N59K/Internet-
governance-India-can-begin-at-home.html
Category: Governance Topic: Policies
Key Points:
On 5th November, India hosted the ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names
and Numbers) 57 meeting in Hyderabad
If the Internet has a backbone, ICANN is it
From its inception in 1998 until 1 October this year, it was based in and controlled by the
US
That the first summit after the US ceded control was held in India makes for neat
symbolism
But if New Delhi wishes India to have a significant say in global Internet governance
going forward—a must—it will have to go beyond mere symbolism
Current IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad’s unequivocal statement last year about an “Indian vision” for the Internet—one that sees multi-stakeholderism as the only way
forward—shows that the government has settled upon a cohesive, sensible approach
This is a pragmatic decision given that the proponents of a multilateral approach
included China and Russia—and under the circumstances, Washington had made it clear
it would not cede control of ICANN to an inter-governmental body
The problem, however, is that given India’s track record so far, converting its support for a multi-stakeholder model into an actionable approach that gives it a voice in shaping
future outcomes is going to take some doing
The first step to redressing the current state of affairs is looking at the domestic policymaking process in Internet-related issues
A ‘Centre for Communication Governance’ report, Analysing Indian Engagement at Global Internet Governance Institutions 2011-2015 by Puneeth Nagaraj and Aarti Bhavana notes that the small number of civil society, academic and government representatives who have participated in global governance forums so far have shared concerns regarding accountability, legitimacy, diversity and capacity
That’s well and good—except that when it comes to freedom of expression, website blocking, policy issues such as the encryption bill and the geospatial bill, and a multitude of other such issues, successive governments have been unconcerned with the need to engage civil society and technical experts adequately
The capabilities and willingness to participate in global governance at the international level will not come into existence in a vacuum
They must first be cultivated at the domestic level
The future of the Internet is too important to leave to governments alone
F. CONCEPTS IN NEWS
1. Air Pollution
2. Smog
3. Internet Governance
4. India-Mauritius
5. NFSA
Tags:
Pollution, INS Shardul, ICANN, Glaciers, Food security
G. BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/ORGS IN NEWS
National Food Security Act
http://www.prsindia.org/uploads/media/Food%20Security/National%20Food%20Security%2
0Act%202013.pdf
Practice Questions
Date: 8th November, 2016 Category: Economy Topic: India-Mauritius Source: PIB Difficulty level: Moderate Type: Factual
1] Which of the following is/are true regarding Double Tax Avoidance Agreements (DTAA)?
i. A DTAA is a tax treaty signed between two or more countries with the objective that tax-payers in these countries can avoid being taxed twice for the same income
ii. Countries with which India has DTAA include Mauritius, Canada and Bangladesh
a. Only 1 b. Only 2 c. Both 1 and 2 d. Neither 1 nor 2
Ans (c)
Date: 8th November, 2016 Category: Governance Topic: Policies and acts Source: Hindu Difficulty level: Moderate Type: Analytical
2] Which of the following is/are true regarding National Food Security Act ?
a. An Act to provide for food and nutritional security in human life cycle approach
b. It seeks to ensure access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices to
people
c. One of the key components is to provide a life with dignity to the people
d. All of the above
Ans(d)
Date: 8th November, 2016
Category: Geography Topic: Mountains Source: The Hindu Difficulty level: Moderate Type: Factual
3] Which of the following is true?
a. River Satluj originates from Rakas Lake in Tibet b. River Jhelum originates from Gangotri c. River Yamuna originates from Verinag
d. Both a and c
Ans(a)
Date: 8th November, 2016 Category: Environment Topic: Pollution
Source: The Hindu Difficulty level: Moderate Type: Factual
4] Which of the following is true regarding Pollution according to the Environment Pollution Act, 1986?
i. "environment" includes water, air and land and the inter- relationship which exists among and between water, air and land, and human beings, other living creatures, plants, micro-organism and property
ii. "environmental pollutant" means any solid, liquid or gaseous substance present in such concentration as may be, or tend to be, injurious to environment;
a. Only 1 b. Only 2 c. Both 1 and 2 d. Neither 1 nor 2
Ans(c)
Date: 8th November, 2016
Category: Technology
Topic: Technology Source: Livemint Difficulty level: Moderate Type: Factual
5] Which of the following is not true?
i. Internet of things simply means a thing or any device that can be connected to the internet
ii. The scope of ‘Internet of Things’ comes under the Ministry of Earth Sciences
a. Only 1 b. Only 2 c. Both 1 and 2 d. Neither 1 nor 2
Ans(b)
Current News Analysis
09-11-2016
A. GS1 Related
B. GS2 Related
1.Centre extends AFSPA to check Naga factions
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/centre-extends-afspa-
to-check-naga-factions/article9320851.ece
Category: Government legislations
Topic: AFSPA
Key Points:
The Centre has decided to extend the Armed Forces Special Powers Act - AFSPA in
3 districts of Arunachal Pradesh. One of the primary reasons cited by the Centre is
extortion and intimidation by the cadres of National Socialist Council of Nagaland -
NSCN (Isak-Muivah), who are contriving to dominate areas hitherto occupied by
NSCN (Khaplang).
The ceasefire signed with NSCN-IM is only for Nagaland; it does not include
Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. This notification has been issued after much
consultation between the security agencies.
The Government signed a framework agreement with NSCN-IM in September 2015
to find a final solution to the 6-decade-old Naga issue. The order said the 3 districts
were being declared as disturbed area under Section 3 of the AFSPA as Naga
underground factions including NSCN-IM and NSCN-K continue to indulge in
extortion, area domination, recruitment of locals and inter-factional rivalry.
The Home Ministry for the first time has extended AFSPA in the districts of Tirap,
Changlang and Longding all bordering Assam, as the NSCN-IM was desperate to
regain control from the NSCN-K.
NSCN-K was banned in 2015 after its alleged involvement in an ambush on an Army
convoy in Manipur’s Chandel district, resulting in the death of 17 personnel. Its leader S.S. Khaplang is said to be in Myanmar. The Home Ministry said security
scenario in 3 districts of Arunachal Pradesh remains vitiated by the spill over of the
Naga insurgency.
Note - After decades of violence, the NSCN-IM had entered into a ceasefire
agreement with India in 1997. The largest group representing the Nagas has
demanded a Greater Nagalim or a contiguous land for the Nagas, across the States of
Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Mizoram.
2. Do you have an action plan on pollution: SC asks centre
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/do-you-have-an-action-plan-on-
pollution-sc/article9321736.ece
Category: Air Pollution
Topic: Judicial activism
Key Points:
The Apex Court asked the Centre, “Will you have an action plan ready before pollution attains such lethal levels that the entire city will be shut down and human
lives are threatened”. The centre promised to share comprehensive details of the
government’s plans with the court.
Addressing the centre, Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur said “When pollution increases, first schools are shut down. When it becomes dangerous, construction
activities etc., are shut down. When it becomes even more dangerous, hazardous
industries are shut down. When it becomes lethal, the entire city is shut down”
The bench said cities like Beijing and Singapore had to be shut down due to
pollution.
3.India makes fresh push to gain NSG entry
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-makes-fresh-push-to-gain-nsg-
entry/article9321248.ece
Category: Multilateral Groupings
Topic: NSG
Key Points:
India’s bid for membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) will be the centre-
stage once again as the group meets for the Consultative Group technical meeting on
September 9-10, followed by the Plenary session in Vienna.
While a slew of leaders from New Zealand, Turkey, Brazil and South Africa, all NSG
countries that have hardline positions, have been invited to India recently, India’s nuclear negotiators have travelled to other countries, who are still unconvinced
about the issue of non-signatories to the Non Proliferations Treaty - NPT like India
being made members of the nuclear club.
However, with China making it clear that its position hasn’t changed, and little
movement in the objections of other countries on the issue of the NPT, officials are
calling it a long haul, given that the NSG works by consensus.
At best, India will hope that a process will be set into motion to define criteria for
non signatories to the NPT, but that the criteria will broadly fit India’s credentials as
a non-proliferator. India, Pakistan, Israel and South Sudan are all non-signatories
of NPT, of which India and Pakistan have both applied for NSG membership in 2015.
Meanwhile, India has been working with its support base that includes the U.S.,
Japan, Australia and South Korea, that has been exerting its influence as the new
Chairperson of the NSG to push for India’s case. India also hopes Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Tokyo on November 11 that coincides with the NSG Plenary session
will boost India’s non-proliferation image, as India and Japan are expected to
announce their civil nuclear accord.
The U.S., that has backed India, said it remained optimistic about India’s chances of NSG membership by the end of 2016.
4. China and Pakistan decide to start counter-terror system jointly
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/joint-chinapak-counterterror-
system-to-be-setup/article9320821.ece?css=print
Category: Bilateral
Topic: China-Pak
Key Points:
China and Pakistan planned to set up a Joint counter-terrorism command system
even as they held a bilateral anti-terrorism exercise. Their joint military exercise was
carried out in a border region and involved elite commandos from both special forces
The Chinese and Pakistani forces have conducted in-depth and detailed
communication regarding the subjects of construction of a counter-terrorism
command system and use of tactics
C.GS3 Related
1. Rs. 500, Rs. 1,000 notes no longer legal tender
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/rs-500-rs-1000-notes-no-longer-legal-
tender/article9321562.ece
http://www.thehindu.com/news/resources/demonetisation-of-rs-500-1000-
notes-text-of-modis-address-to-the-nation/article9320730.ece
Category: Indian Economy
Topic: Black money
Key Points:
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in a surprise address to the nation
announced that 500 and 1,000 rupee notes will cease to be legal tender from 9th
Nov,
2016. He said the decision was taken to root out the menace of Terrorism, black
money and corruption. Notes of 100, 50, 20, 10, five, two and one rupee remain
legal tender and will be unaffected by the decision.
This is one of the methods to end circulation of unaccounted wealth across the
country
The 500 and 1000 rupee notes hoarded by anti-national and anti-social elements
will become just worthless pieces of paper. The rights and the interests of honest,
hard-working people will be fully protected.
Secretary of Department of Economic affairs said the Reserve Bank of India will
issue new Rs. 500 and Rs. 2,000 notes starting from November 10. The new Rs. 500
note will feature the Red Fort and the new Rs. 2,000 note will feature Mangalyaan.
The Prime Minister made a pointed reference to cross-border terror which was
being funded by forged currency notes. Justifying the last-minute announcement to
demonetise the currency notes, the government said that the move was necessary to
stop terrorists and drug cartels in their tracks. An element of surprise is essential, or
else the black money holders would have made necessary arrangements.
The Government claimed that this will result in a reduction of inflation as
conspicuous consumption will come down. The magnitude of cash in circulation is
directly linked to the level of corruption. Inflation becomes worse through the
deployment of cash earned in corrupt ways. The poor have to bear the brunt of this. It
has a direct effect on the purchasing power of the poor and the middle class. People
have experienced when buying land or a house, that apart from the amount paid by
cheque, a large amount is demanded in cash. This creates problems for an honest
person in buying property. The misuse of cash has led to artificial increase in the cost
of goods and services like houses, land, and higher education, health care and so on.
High circulation of cash also strengthens the hawala trade which is directly
connected to black money and illegal trade in weapons. Debate on the role of black
money in elections has been going on for years.
Note - Till March 2016, Rs. 14 lakh crore out of Rs. 16 lakh crore worth currency
issued by RBI were in denominations of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000, as per the central
bank’s official data.
Corruption, black money & terrorism are festering sores: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced demonetisation of Rs. 1000 and Rs. 500
notes with effect from midnight, making these notes invalid in a major assault on
black money, fake currency and corruption.
Chronology: The government began a battle against corruption by setting up an SIT
headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, immediately upon taking office. Since then
a law was passed in 2015 for disclosure of foreign black money;
agreements with many countries, including the USA, have been made to add
provisions for sharing banking information;
a strict law has come into force from August 2016 to curb benami transactions,
which are used to deploy black money earned through corruption;
a scheme was introduced for declaring black money after paying a stiff penalty
The Government has brought into the open nearly 1.25 lakh crore rupees of black money
belonging to the corrupt.
Note - However, the unaccounted money stashed abroad is a different thing and needs to
be addressed separately.
New notes to cost RBI more than Rs. 12,000 crore –
Replacing all the Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 denomination notes with other
denominations, as ordered by the government, could cost the Reserve Bank of India
at least Rs. 12,000 crore, based on the number of notes in circulation and the cost
incurred in printing them.
2. Commercial apps will soon be able to strike open data gold
http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/commercial-apps-will-soon-
beable-to-strike-open-data-gold/article9320916.ece
Category: Indian Economy – Gover e t’s Policies
Topic: E-Apps
Key Points:
The Centre will soon notify a policy that will allow apps and services to be created
for commercial purposes using over 42,000 databases. This will remove the
restriction on their use solely for academic purposes. The Open Government Data
Platform publishes datasets collected by various Ministries and departments,
including Agriculture, Union Budget, Transport and Commerce.
India has chosen to make public a lot of government data, giving it a place among
the top 10 countries that have an open data platform. Earlier, the government
permitted their use only for academic or government purposes. Recently, centre took
a decision to allow people to create value added services for commercial purposes.
D. GS4 Related
E. Important Editorials
The Hindu
1. The long battle for Raqqa
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/the-long-battle-for-
raqqa/article9320716.ece
The operation to recapture Raqqa in Syria launched by a U.S.-backed coalition of
Kurdish and Arab fighters is bound to increase the military pressure on the Islamic
State, which is already under attack in Mosul, its power centre in Iraq. The Raqqa
offensive has long been on the cards.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) finally moved their troops to the city’s defence lines after getting weapons and the clearance from the U.S. As in the case of
the battle for Mosul where the U.S. provides air cover to the Iraqi forces and Shia
militias, in Raqqa it will provide assistance to the SDF.
The U.S. strategy is to choke the IS from both sides, and its partners on the ground
seem ready to take the high risk of attacking the group’s strongest bases. Over the
past year the Kurdish fighters have been consistently effective in ground battles
against the IS. Most of the major territorial losses of the IS in Syria - be it Kobane,
Tal Abyad or Manbij were at the hands of the Kurds.
The jihadist group, which once had direct access to the Turkish border, has now
retreated to its core in Syria, stretching from Raqqa to Deir Ezzour. Against this
background, the SDF clearly has an upper hand; the IS will also find it challenging to
defend two of its most important cities at the same time. But that doesn’t mean that the SDF will have an easy walk into Raqqa.
The SDF is certain to face strong resistance. Raqqa is one of the first cities the IS
captured; it has in place a ferocious, ideologically charged and battle-ready team to
build a strong defence. As the ongoing Mosul battle shows, breaching the IS defence
lines will take time and also lives.
Raqqa has a population of about 2.2 lakh. Major air-borne campaigns to help the
SDF advance on the ground will be risky and could result in large civilian
casualties. The IS also uses human shields to stop ground advances of enemies. But
the most pressing challenge the SDF faces is the response from Turkey.
Raqqa is a Sunni-populated town. Turkey is opposed to the SDF taking over Raqqa
as a major constituent of the coalition is the Kurdish militia, the People’s Protection Units (YPG).
Turkey sees the YPG as the Syrian unit of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which it
calls a terrorist force. The dilemma that the U.S. faces is one of bringing both the
YPG and Turkey on the same side of the battle for Raqqa. Turkey had in the past
played dubious games with the IS. If it decides to do that again now, the war on the
IS could be derailed.
F. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn:
1. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn
Armed Forces Special Powers act - AFSPA
Nuclear Suppliers Group
Air Pollution
Black Money
Operation Raqqa
2. BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/ORGS IN NEWS
BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/ORGS
IN NEWS
Links to Refer
Treaty on the Non-
Proliferation of Nuclear
Weapons
Nuclear Suppliers Group
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_on_the_Non-
Proliferation_of_Nuclear_Weapons
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Suppliers_Group
3. Tags
SIT on black money
NPT
NSCN
Practice Questions
Date: 9
th November, 2016
Category: National legislations
Topic: AFSPA
Source: The Hindu
Difficulty level: Medium
Type: Factual
1. The centre recently extended AFSPA in order to counter extortion and intimidation by
the cadres of National Socialist Council of Nagaland – NSCN in the 3 districts of
a) Nagaland
b) Arunachal Pradesh
c) Himachal Pradesh
d) Mizoram
Ans (b)
Date: 9th November, 2016
Category: International Nuclear regime
Topic: NPT
Source: The Hindu
Difficulty level: Medium
Type: Factual
2. Which of the following countries are non-signatories of nuclear non-proliferation treaty?
a) India, Pakistan, Israel and South-Sudan
b) India, Israel, Iran and South-Sudan
c) India, Pakistan, North-Korea and South-Sudan
d) India, North-Korea, Israel, South-Sudan
Ans (a)
Date: 9th November, 2016
Category: Air pollution – New Delhi
Source: The Hindu
Difficulty level: Medium
Type: Factual
3. It is reported that Photochemical smog is responsible for severe deterioration of air
quality in New Delhi. What are its constituents?
(i) Ozone (O3)
(ii) Peroxy-Acyl Nitrate (PAN)
(iii) Nitrogen di oxide (NO2)
a) (i) only
b) (i) and (ii) only
c) (ii) and (iii) only
d) All 3
Ans (d)
Date: 9th November, 2016
Category: National programs and policies
Topic: Counter Black money
Source: The Hindu
Difficulty level: Medium
Type: conceptual
4. Which of the following are the steps taken by the centre to counter the menace of black
money/parallel economy?
(i) Formation of a Special Investigative Team (SIT) under Retd. Judge
(ii) Income disclosure scheme - 2016
(iii) a strict law has come into force from August 2016 to curb benami transactions
(iv) Cancelling legal tender of 500 and 1,000 rupee notes
a) (i) only
b) (i) and (ii) only
c) (i), (ii) and (iii) only
d) All 4
Ans (d)
Date: 9th November, 2016
Category: Important places in news
Difficulty level: Easy
Type: Factual
5. Which of the following cities are located in Syria?
a) Raqqa, Mosul, Damascus
b) Raqqa, Sirte, Damascus
c) Raqqa and Damascus
d) Raqqa, Mosul, Damascus and Sirte
Ans (c)
Current News Analysis
10-11-2016
A. GS1 Related
B. GS2 Related
1. Donald Trump wins U.S. Presidential elections
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/shock-and-awe-win-for-donald-
trump/article9325940.ece
Category: International
Topic: U.S. Presidential election
Key Points:
Republican Donald J. Trump, the 70-year-old real estate mogul-turned-politician
was elected the 45th President of the United States, succeeding President Barack
Obama. He is now the oldest person to be elected President.
Mr. Trump defeated Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton by garnering about 300
votes in the Electoral College. He did so by winning most of the swing states, despite
losing the popular vote marginally to Ms. Clinton.
Working-class whites made the difference -
Donald Trump won the presidency by riding an enormous wave of support among
white working-class voters. It was always a possibility, but it had looked highly
unlikely.
Hillary Clinton led in nearly every national poll and in other surveys in the states
worth the requisite 270 electoral votes. The traditional view of recent U.S. elections
gave even more reason to think Ms. Clinton was safe. National exit polls suggested
that President Barack Obama won the 2012 presidential election despite faring worse
among white voters than any Democrat since Walter Mondale. The polls showed that
white voters without a degree were now just one-third of the electorate.
The truth was that Democrats were far more dependent on white working-class
voters than many believed. In the end, the bastions of industrial-era Democratic
strength among white working-class voters fell to Mr. Trump. So did many of the
areas where Mr. Obama fared best in 2008 and 2012. In the end, the linchpin of Mr.
Obama’s winning coalition broke hard to the Republicans.
Note - Pramila Jayapal becomes first Indian-American woman to be elected to the
U.S. House of Representatives. She won the Washington State Senate seat. India-
born Ms. Jayapal made a mark with her progressive agenda in the Washington State
Senate.
Five Indian-Americans in U.S. Congress –
Indian Americans have the largest ever presence in the U.S Congress now and the
community has got its first Senator in Kamala Harris, who won from California.
Besides Senator-elect Harris, Indian American community now has 4 members of the
U.S House of Representatives. Ami Bera, the lone member of the outgoing House has
won his California seat narrowly while Raja Krishnamurthi from Chicago, Pramila
Jayapal from Washington and Ro Khanna from California will be fresh Indian
Americans faces in the U.S legislature.
2. Currency recall version 3.0
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/currency-recall-version-30-also-has-
same-story-to-tell/article9325692.ece
Category: Ce tre’s progra s a d policies
Topic: Demonetization
Key Points:
Years and years have gone by since the country witnessed the first and the second
demonetisation of high denomination currency notes. But, the primary reason behind
the move remains the same. The country’s first demonetisation took place in January 1946 and the second, thirty two years later (January 1978).
On both the occasions, as is being pointed out now, the elimination of black money
was cited as one of the major reasons.
C.GS3 Related
1. Demonetisation to hit terror financing hard
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/demonetisation-to-hit-
terror-financing-hard/article9325904.ece
Category: Indian Economy
Topic: Demonetization
Key Points:
The government has said one of the reasons to demonetise currency notes of Rs.
500 and Rs. 1,000 was to curb the circulation of fake currency notes, but there
seems to be no definite account of the amount of such notes in circulation.
Different agencies have their own estimates based on the recoveries made by them -
As per a study done by the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, in 2015, the only
concrete work done on the subject, at any given point of time Rs. 400 crore worth
of fake currency notes were in circulation in the economy. This is merely 0.025
per cent of the total budget outlay of Rs. 19.7 lakh crore as announced this fiscal.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), in 2015, various law
enforcement agencies seized 1,78,022 pieces of fake Rs. 1,000 currency notes.
This means Rs. 17 crore fake notes which were in circulation could be calculated
as they could be seized.
A Big step toward cashless economy –
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the demonetisation move is a big step to maintain
international credibility. It is also a big step towards a cashless economy. The move
will also give a significant setback to the parallel black economy because it will
force money outside the system to enter the system.
Those who have lawful money have nothing to fear, and those with unlawful money
will be treated as per the Income Tax Act.
2. Navy vessel with all-woman crew flagged off from Panaji
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/navy-vessel-with-
allwomen-crew-flagged-off/article9324992.ece
Category: Defense
Topic: Navy
Key Points:
Indian Naval Ship Vessel – INSV Mhadei with an all-woman crew was flagged off
from Goa to Cape Town, South Africa by the Commandant of the Naval War
College. The vessel will participate in the Cape to Rio Race (Cape Town to Rio de
Janeiro), which will start on December 26 - 2016.
The present voyage of INSV Mhadei consists of four legs, which include Goa to
Cape Town, Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro (the actual race), and back to Goa.
Rear Admiral Monty Khanna said “Sea faring is our profession and there is nothing better than long distance Ocean sailing to learn the fine nuances of seamanship and
understanding the oceans. The women officers have already sailed to Mauritius in
the peak of monsoons and we are confident that the experience gained will hold them
in good stead during the long voyage”
3. According to a research Uttarakhand accounts for one-third of tigers outside
reserves
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/uttarakhand-accounts-
for-onethird-of-tigers-outside-reserves-study/article9325113.ece
Category: Bio-diversity
Topic: Conservation of tigers
Key Points:
While tiger reserves contain the majority of the country’s tiger population, a new
research - ‘Status of Tiger, Habitats and Corridors in Western Circle, Uttarakhand’, undertaken in an area of 2,573.6 sq.km spread across Uttarakhand’s Shivalik, Bhabar and Terai regions reveals that Uttarakhand forest department’s western circle has 119 tigers, which is 1/3rd of the total tiger population found outside the
49 tiger reserves across the country.
The study was carried out as ‘Phase IV monitoring’, which, according to the
National Tiger Conservation Authority - NTCA guidelines, involves monitoring of
tiger and its prey on an annual basis, while Phase I to III monitoring are done at every
4-year interval at the national level.
The survey found that the State’s western circle has more tigers than states such as
Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Arunachal
Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, all of which have less than 119 tigers each. A similar study
on tiger population is currently being undertaken in the Corbett Tiger Reserve.
4. Goa hosts International bird festival
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/goa-bird-festival-
begins-tomorrow/article9325132.ece
Category: Bio-diversity
Topic: International bird festival
Key Points:
Goa will host a 3-day bird festival from November 11 to 13, targeting audiences from
both within the country as also internationally. Goa's state bird Bulbul has been
chosen as the logo for the festival.
Environment & Forest minister of Goa said, the Western Ghats constitute one of
the 25 mega bio-diversity hot spots in the world and by virtue of its location; the
State represents a unique confluence of two diverse eco-systems, one influenced by
marine environment and the other by terrestrial forest resulting in an astonishing
diversity of species with high endemism, habitats and diversity. He said that of the
1224 bird species recorded in India, out of 10293 in the world, tiny Goa has recorded
432 species.
During the festival, bird watching will take place in Bondla and Mollem wildlife
sanctuaries and Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, Chorao.
D. GS4 Related
E. Important Editorials
The Hindu
1. Understanding Trumpocalypse
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/trump-as-us-president-
understanding-us-elections-2016/article9325103.ece
Donald Trump will be the 45th President of the United States. These words will
echo in the hearts of 324 million Americans today, some shell-shocked and downcast,
others delirious with joy. The sheer divergence of emotions over the surprise result is
a poignant signal of how deeply divided the nation is, after a polarising two-year
election campaign.
Bigotry, patriarchy and racist rancour, which reared their ugly heads throughout
this season of incivility, may find no welcome catharsis with the apotheosis of Mr.
Trump. According to the exit polls, 58 per cent of whites and 21 per cent of non-
whites voted for Mr. Trump, whereas 37 per cent of whites and 74 per cent of non-
whites voted for his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. He also scored higher
with men than women, and with those voters who did not have a college degree. In
other words, blue-collared white men and women thronged to Mr. Trump in droves,
angry about their perceived impoverishment and disenfranchisement inflicted by the
country’s political and financial elites. It had left them with only one option: to throw a metaphorical grenade at these power centres.
At the heart of the shock result is the shock itself, which stemmed from what most
analysts have been calling the vote of the silent majority. Why did the U.S. media
and pollsters fail to see which way the wind was blowing? They apparently did not
suspect, when poll results suggested that Ms. Clinton was the more acceptable
candidate, that some of the respondents to these polls may have been unwilling to
admit to being supporters of Mr. Trump.
It is likely for instance that women, 42 per cent of whom voted for Mr. Trump, were
reluctant to reveal their preference after Mr. Trump was exposed for boasting about
sexual assault and faced allegations of the same. What was not taken proper note of
was that in almost every swing State, there were between 11 and 18 per cent
undecided voters in late October - a significant number of people that tilted the
election in favour of Mr. Trump. Insofar as this election reflected expressions of
frustration that went against the grain of political correctness, the Trump victory
resembles Brexit. However, in his victory speech Mr. Trump has appeared to quickly
move past campaign recrimination, the conciliatory tone of which may go a little way
in calming nerves at home as well as of anxious world leaders watching the election
from afar. If indeed he presents a softer, more collaborative face at home and abroad,
the Divided States of America may yet hold firm and lend strength to the global
order, as it has done in the past.
2. A method in the shock therapy
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/demonetisation-of-rupee-notes-a-
method-in-the-shock-therapy/article9325096.ece
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s move to curb unaccounted cash, or black money,
circulating in the Indian economy by withdrawing the highest-value currency notes
of Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 as legal tender within three-odd hours of the
announcement, is a bold one.
He invoked provocative imagery to explain the measure of corrupt officials stashing
kilos of ill-gained cash under their mattresses, and such illicit black money fuelling
inflation as well as terrorism. He pointed out how difficult it is for honest taxpayers to
buy a house as the real estate sector seldom operates without a cash component, some
of which finds its way to political funding.
The increase in the circulation of these notes in the past five years has been
disproportionate to the economy’s growth. The introduction of new Rs.500 and
Rs.2,000 notes, the government argues, would not only check counterfeit currency, a
problem that has assumed serious dimensions, but also purge India’s economy of the black wealth amassed in the form of high-value notes.
Any decision like this needs to be sudden, and it is not surprising that it has caused
hardship as people scramble to get notes of smaller denomination for daily
expenditure. The only defence for this is that the larger public purpose outweighs the
immediate difficulties.
Having promised during the 2014 election campaign to bring back black money
worth lakhs of crores supposedly stashed abroad, the NDA government has been
under pressure to do something dramatic.
The two amnesty schemes it launched over the past year, including one for foreign
assets, didn’t yield anything near the 23.2 per cent of GDP that the World Bank had
estimated India’s shadow economy to be in 2007.
Today that would be nearly $479 billion in unaccounted wealth, according to rating
agency Crisil. While there will be pain and confusion in the short term for common
people and the economy, a disruptive measure was perhaps the only way to shake up
the system to a new compliance normal. But the Centre must ensure that no poor
person is saddled with old, useless notes due to the lack of official identity documents
or a bank account, and avoid putting to disadvantage older citizens unable to visit a
bank repeatedly to exchange high-value notes.
It should find ways to check black money parked in benami properties (possibly
through a digital land and realty inventory) and gold. There must also be
administrative and electoral reforms to advance digital payments and eliminate the
prospect of the new currency regime spawning the ghost economy afresh.
F. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn:
1. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn
U.S. Presidential elections
Demonetization
Conservation of tigers
International bird festival
INSV Mhadei
Black money
2. BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/ORGS IN NEWS
BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/OR
GS IN NEWS
Links to Refer
National Tiger
Conservation Authority
- NTCA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Tiger_Conservation_Auth
ority
3. Tags
SIT on black money
NTCA
Demonetization
Practice Questions
Date: 10
th November, 2016
Category: Defense
Topic: Indian Navy
Source: The Hindu
Difficulty level: Medium
Type: Factual
1. The India Navy vessel with all-woman crew was flagged off from Panaji. The name of
the vessel is
a) INSV Mhadei
b) ICGS Rani Abbakka
c) INS Laxmi
d) INS Astradharani
Ans (a)
Date: 10
th November, 2016
Category: International Summits
Topic: Bird Festival
Source: The Hindu
Difficulty level: Medium
Type: Factual
2. Which of the following Indian state hosted the International bird festival-2016?
a) Kerala
b) Maharashtra
c) Meghalaya
d) Goa
Ans (d)
Date: 10th November, 2016
Category: Conservation of bio-diversity
Source: The Hindu
Difficulty level: Medium
Type: Factual
3. Which of the following statements are correct regarding the National Tiger Conservation
Authority - NTCA?
(i) It works under the Union ministry of Environment and forests
(ii) It is a statutory body
(iii) It is responsible for conducting the tiger census, implementing project tiger in
different tiger reserves of the country
a) (i) only
b) (i) and (ii) only
c) (ii) and (iii) only
d) All 3
Ans (d)
Date: 10th November, 2016
Category: Conservation of bio-diversity
Topic: Hotspots
Source: The Hindu
Difficulty level: Medium
Type: conceptual
4. Which of the following is not a Bio-diversity hotspot?
a) Indo-Malaya region
b) Eastern Himalayas
c) Sunderbans
d) Western Ghats
Ans (c)
Date: 10th November, 2016
Category: Indian Economy
Difficulty level: Easy
Type: Factual
5. ‘Parallel - economy’ is used to indicate
a) Black Money
b) Money Laundering
c) Hawala transactions
d) Inflation
Ans (a)
Comprehensive News Analysis
11-11-2016
B. GS2 Related
1. Theresa May’s underwhelming visit
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/theresa-mays-underwhelming-visit-to-india/article9330337.ece
Category: International Relations Topic: India-Britain
Key Points:
India and the U. K. have many reasons to have close relations
They are two pillars of the Commonwealth, sharing democratic values and a world view on many political issues including terrorism.
The Indian community that has settled in Britain has helped deepen ties
Today India is the third largest investor in the U. K., and the U. K. is the largest G20 investor in India
It stands to reason that for her first foreign visit outside Europe after taking over as Prime Minister, Theresa May chose India
The two MoUs signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ms. May, on improving the ease of doing business and on intellectual property rights
Just three days before her visit to India, London announced new restrictions on overseas students, including two- tier visa rules based on the “ quality of courses”, and a crackdown on work visas to control migration
The irony is that London has refused to budge on facilitating the “ return” of the likes of Vijay Mallya and Lalit Modi
2. SYL Land Bill unwarranted, says court
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/syl-land-bill-unwarranted-says-court/article9331293.ece
Category: Governance Topic: River water disputes
Key Points:
The Supreme Court, referring to its 2006 Mullaperiyar dam judgment, held that a State Assembly “cannot through legislation do an act in conflict with the judgment of the highest court which has attained finality”
The opinion termed the enactment of the Punjab Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal Land (Transfer of Proprietary Rights) Bill in 2016 by the current Akali Dal government as “unwarranted developments” when the Presidential Reference was still pending in the apex court
The 2016 Bill, which is yet to receive the assent of the Governor, planned to give back to the farmers over 5000 acres acquired for the canal
C. GS3 Related
1. Making climate rules at Marrakech
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/making-climate-rules-at-marrakech/article9330342.ece
Category: Environment
Topic: Climate Change
Key Points:
The United Nations conference on climate change now under way in Marrakech, Morocco, has the ambitious task of drawing up the first steps on enhanced finance and technology transfer, which is vital to advance the Paris Agreement that entered into force on November 4
India’s negotiating positions at the ongoing Conference of the Parties 22 ( CoP 22) must ensure that on both these aspects, the basic principle of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities laid down by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change are upheld
Mitigating greenhouse gas emissions is central to the effort to contain the rise of the global average temperature in the current century to well below 2 ° Celsius since pre- industrial levels
But that goal is considered impossible even if sincere action is taken on all pledges made so far, necessitating a higher ambition
Moreover, the Paris Agreement does not have a carbon budget system that gives weightage to the emerging economies taking their historical handicap into account
The imperative therefore is to demand suitably high financial flows to both mitigate emissions and prepare communities to adapt to climate change
In India’s case, new developments in sectors such as construction, transport, energy production, waste and water management, as well as agriculture, can benefit from fresh funding and technology
Adopting green technologies in power generation, which has a lock- in effect lasting decades, and other areas like transport with immediate impacts such as reduced air pollution has a twin advantage
The local environment is cleaned up, improving the quality of life, and carbon emissions are cut
It is imperative therefore that the national position raises pressure on rich countries for technological and funding assistance under the Paris Agreement
In parallel, India would have to update its preparedness to meet the new regime of transparency that is to be launched under the climate pact
D. GS4 Related
D. Important Editorials
The Hindu: The forgotten war
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/maoists-turmoil-in-india-the-forgotten-war/article9330325.ece
Category: Internal Security Topic: Terrorism
Key Points:
On October 24, the Communist Party of India (Maoist) lost around 30 of its cadres in a covert operation jointly organised by the Greyhounds of Andhra Pradesh and the Special Operations Group of Odisha
This occurred in the densely forested region of Malkangiri district in Odisha
Many in the establishment, including some among the security forces and the media, have since claimed that it marked the beginning of the end of the Naxalite movement in the country
We are, hence, hardly at an inflection point in the battle against Maoists
Nevertheless, the gap still remains wide, enabling movements such as those of the Maoists to exploit the situation
Admittedly, there is little in common between today’s Maoists who indulge in unbridled and often gruesome violent acts and the erstwhile purist revolutionaries of the Charu Majumdar era who had hoped to bring about “A Spring Thunder over India”. Yet, there is still more than an umbilical link between the latter and today’s Maoists. This cannot be ignored.
The movement cannot be written off
It still has reservoirs of support in many rural pockets, and still more so in the more neglected and forgotten tribal regions of the country
It is still able to convey an impression that the Maoists are the ‘torch bearers’ of ‘an idea’ whose time is about to come
Central and State governments, the administration and the security establishment need to recognise that the movement cannot be approached from a purely law and order point of view
The process of improving the conditions of the poor and the tribals clearly need to be speeded up if the movement is to be effectively checked
The Hindu: The new colour of money
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/demonetisation-the-new-colour-of-money/article9330318.ece
Category: Indian Economy Topic: Black Money/ Demonetisation
Key Points:
The government had announced that the Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes in circulation till
the midnight of November 8 will no longer count as legal tender
Demonetisation is a standard tool in any government’s bag of public policy instruments
On the taxman’s radar, a demonetisation that delegitimises a certain currency, or even
certain denominations of it, would extinguish wealth held in that form
Existing black money cannot be used to generate more of the same
To this extent the scheme cannot be faulted
Of course, it cannot be assumed that what is in a bank will necessarily be declared to the
income tax authorities, but it will certainly come under scrutiny in a way that it was not
when stashed under the mattress
What are some reasons why we may welcome such a move?
1. The concealment of income with a view to avoid tax is a crime. So, in a constitutional democracy such as ours, those who do deserve to be punished
2. In order to evade the law, those with unaccounted wealth proceed to corrupt others, most importantly representatives of the state.This criminalises the system further. If democracy is a way of actualising the public will, such criminalisation of the machinery of government works against the ideal. So, the practice of tax evasion needs to be rooted. To that extent this move of the government may be welcomed
But how significant is it likely to be in the punishment it metes out to tax evaders and in
its ability to control the generation of unaccounted wealth in the future?
The quantitative significance of this move depends upon the extent to which
unaccounted, or ‘ black’, wealth is held in the form of high- value currency notes of the
specified denomination
If unaccounted money by Indians is held in the form of foreign bank accounts, the
present scheme can do nothing about it
There is, however, the separate issue of counterfeit currency
If there is a significant volume of counterfeit currency circulating in the form of Rs. 500
or Rs. 1,000 notes, the demonetisation will also extinguish unaccounted money from this
source
If counterfeit currency is actually used to de- stabilise the Indian Union, as has been
claimed, deflating this route enhances its security
This would count as another reason to welcome the move
Now to the question of whether the demonetisation will eliminate the black economy of
the future. It should be obvious that it cannot by itself
For this we would need a policy that checks the generation of black incomes at source. It
would be a good surmise that much of the unaccounted money is generated in the
purchase and sale of gold and of property
The markets for gold and property are highly concentrated, with relatively few sellers
exerting considerable control over supply
Currency after all is only the medium in which unaccounted wealth money is held
Pulping the stock of money of certain denominations cannot stem the flow of
unaccounted income to be generated in the future
Strict oversight of transactions in the areas of the economy where they thrive can alone
achieve this result
Asian Age: The order of compassion
http://www.asianage.com/editorial/order-compassion-541
Category: Society Topic: Culture
Key Points:
The last word is yet to be said on the top court’s ban on the conduct of jallikattu (bull taming), a sport popular in rural Tamil Nadu held in celebration of the annual harvest
festival, Pongal
However, the great compassion that a two-judge bench showered on animals in their
obiter dicta suggests that the Supreme Court will just not permit the sport since it clearly
inflicts untold miseries on animals
The same argument would also hold good against the running of bullock (rekla) races
popular in Maharashtra and any other forms of entertainment like cockfights involving
cruelty to animals
The judges’ concern for animals came through in every line they spoke
The suggestion that people would be better off playing computer games was particularly
stinging and should bring a sense of shame in these enlightened times even as the
dichotomy in compassion to cows and cruelty to bulls was pithily brought out
The issue has become deeply political in Tamil Nadu where the taming of bulls is seen
not just as a “valorous” sport but as a part of the ancient Tamil culture in which rearing
of bulls is tied to entertainment at annual fetes
F. CONCEPTS IN NEWS
1. Demonetisation
2. Climate Change
3. Jallikattu
4. Naxalism
5. India - Britain
Tags:
Jallikattu, Marrakesh treaty, Climate Change, naxalism
G. BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/ORGS IN NEWS
Overview of ground water in India – Discussion Paper
http://www.prsindia.org/parliamenttrack/discussion-papers/overview-of-ground-water-in-
india-4173/
Practice Questions
Date: 11th November, 2016 Category: Economy
Topic: India-Britain Source: The Hindu Difficulty level: Moderate Type: Factual
1] Which of the following is/are true?
i. UK is the 3rd largest inward investor in India, after Mauritius, and Singapore
ii. UK ranks first among the G20 countries and accounts for around 9% of all foreign direct investment into India for the period April 2000 – September 2015
a. Only 1 b. Only 2 c. Both 1 and 2 d. Neither 1 nor 2
Ans (c)
Date: 11th November, 2016 Category: Geography Topic: River water Source: Hindu Difficulty level: Moderate Type: Factual
2] Which of the following is/are not correctly matched ?
River Dam a. Satluj Bhakra Nangal b. Kaveri Alamatti c. Ravi Chamera d. Periyar Idukki
Ans(b)
Date: 11th November, 2016
Category: Environment Topic: Climate Change Source: The Hindu Difficulty level: Moderate Type: Factual
3] Which of the following is true?
i. The "Marrakesh Agreement", was signed in Marrakesh, Morocco, on April 15, 1994, at the conclusion of the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations
ii. All WTO members are parties to the Marrakesh Agreement, including countries that have joined the WTO since it was signed
a. Only 1 b. Only 2 c. Neither 1 nor 2 d. Both 1 and 2
Ans(d)
Date: 11th November, 2016 Category: Economy Topic: Demonetisation
Source: The Hindu Difficulty level: Moderate Type: Factual
4] Which of the following best explains the concept of ‘Demonetisation’?
i. Demonetization is the act of stripping a currency unit of its status as legal tender
ii. Demonetization enchances the changes of hoarding of money, increase in parallel
economy and offers new ventures for producing fake currency in the economy
a. Only 1 b. Only 2 c. Both 1 and 2 d. Neither 1 nor 2
Ans(a)
Date: 11th November, 2016
Category: Geography
Topic: United Kingdom Source: The Hindu Difficulty level: Moderate Type: Factual
5] Which of the following is/ are not a part of Great Britain?
a. Scotland b. Northern Ireland c. Wales d. Scotland
Ans(b)
Current News Analysis
12-11-2016
A. GS1 Related
B. GS2 Related
1. India signs landmark civil nuclear deal with Japan
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/india-signs-landmark-civil-nuclear-
deal-with-japan/article9336221.ece
Category: Bilateral
Topic: India - Japan
Key Points:
India signed a landmark civilian nuclear deal with Japan during the annual
bilateral summit-2016 held in Tokyo. Prime Minister Narendra Modi after signing
the deal which marked the high point of the ongoing visit to Japan described it as a
historic step.
The deal is significant as it will help guarantee Japan’s continued support to India’s civil nuclear programme. Apart from the Russian reactors, the planned nuclear
reactors with France and the U.S. depend on Japanese parts. The deal is also likely to
revitalise Japanese nuclear majors that are yet to recover from the setback of the
Fukushima accident.
The nuclear deal which will help India access Japan’s nuclear market had been
under negotiation for 6 years and was firmed up during the 2015 visit of Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe to India when the principles of the agreement were frozen.
However, the final seal on the text had to wait legislative clearance from Japan,
which has 13 civil nuclear agreements with countries such as France and the U.S.
The deal would allow Japan to export nuclear technology to India, making it the
first non-NPT signatory to have such a deal with Japan. Japan is a major player in
the nuclear energy market and an atomic deal with it will make it easier for US-
based nuclear plant makers Westinghouse Electric Corporation and GE Energy Inc to
set up atomic plants in India as both these conglomerates have Japanese investments.
The last stage of negotiations was keenly watched due to a nullification clause which
seeks automatic cancellation of the deal if India resorts to nuclear testing.
Negotiations which began in 2010 during the UPA government were stuck on India’s non-NPT status as Japan sought assurances that the deal would be used for peaceful
purposes. There was political resistance in Japan, the only country to suffer atomic
bombings during World War II against a nuclear deal with India, particularly after the
disaster at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in 2011.
Note - India and Japan also signed 9 agreements including one on cooperation
between ISRO and JAXA in outer space. Another MoU that was signed covered
investment in infrastructure projects in railways and transport terminals.
2. Centre unveils steps to boost Cyber security
http://www.thehindu.com/business/centre-unveils-steps-to-boost-
cybersecurity/article9335123.ece
Category: Ce tre’s progra s a d policies
Topic: Cyber-security
Key Points:
The government announced a slew of measures to strengthen cyber security in India,
including that all organisations having a significant IT infrastructure will need to
appoint cyber security officers & efforts to strengthen Cert-IN, the government’s cyber security arm.
The Ministry of Communications has approved 26 new posts. State Certs are being
planned by Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala and Jharkhand. Also, 3
sectoral Certs in power sector - generation, transmission and distribution, have been
set up, in addition to the banking one.
The Ministry of communications said a National cyber coordination center is being
set up to provide near real time situational awareness and rapid response at a cost of
Rs 985 crore. This project will be completed in 5 years.
3. World Bank asks India, Pak to agree to mediation in Hydel projects
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/hydel-projects-world-bank-asks-
india-pak-to-agree-to-mediation/article9336223.ece
Category: Bilateral
Topic: India - Pakistan
Key Points:
The World Bank has urged India and Pakistan to agree to mediation on how to
proceed in their dispute over 2 hydropower dam projects in Jammu and Kashmir.
Replying to a strong statement from India that the World Bank, a signatory to the
Indus Waters Treaty 1960, was favouring Pakistan by going ahead with an
arbitration process, the Bank said it had gone ahead with both countries’ requests.
The dispute is over the Kishenganga (330 MW) and Ratle (850 MW) hydel plants
India is constructing on the Kishenganga and Chenab rivers.
4. Important first step taken to resolve fisheries conflict
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/step-taken-to-resolve-fisheries-
conflict-samaraweera/article9335059.ece
Category: Bilateral
Topic: India - Sri Lanka
Key Points:
Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera said India realised the dangers
of bottom-trawling, but the 2 countries should work out a win-win situation for poor
fishermen on both sides of the Palk Bay. The minister had called for a ban on
bottom-trawling, citing its adverse impact on marine ecosystems.
The Joint Working Group - JWG that the neighbours have set up, following the
high-level talks in New Delhi recently, will meet in Colombo early January, 2017 to
take discussions forward.
C.GS3 Related
1. EU said Expiry of investment pacts will hurt FDI into India
http://www.thehindu.com/business/Economy/expiry-of-investment-pacts-will-
hurt-fdi-eu/article9335124.ece
Category: Indian Economy - Foreign Investment
Topic: Bilateral Investment Treaties
Key Points:
European Commission said India’s separate Bilateral Investment Treaties - BIT
with 23 European Union (EU) member countries will soon expire one after the other
and the absence of an investment protection pact will hurt Foreign Direct Investment
(FDI) from EU to India.
The European Commission, therefore, wants India to agree to extend the expiry
date of these BITs till an India-EU BIT is in place. Pointing out that the expiry of
these BITs will begin with the one with the Netherlands shortly, the Commission
said such a situation will create a legal vacuum something that is troubling European
companies looking to make huge investments in India.
European Commission further said the lack of a BIT adds to the risk premium and
increases the cost of funds for investors, a situation that would result in European
companies deciding to invest lesser in India than earlier planned. The easiest way to
address this issue is to prolong the legal validity of the existing BITs till an India-EU
BIT is in place. The Commission has conveyed this to the Indian government.
2. INS Vikramaditya completes first refit in Kochi
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/ins-vikramaditya-completes-
first-refit-in-kochi/article9335282.ece
Category: Defense
Topic: Navy
Key Points:
The aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya has successfully completed its first routine
maintenance, a 43-day short refit, at the Cochin Shipyard, and is at a high level of
operational competence and preparedness. The maiden dry-docking of the vessel
after its induction into the Navy in November, 2013, had put to rest apprehensions
about the feasibility of carrying out its first cycle of underwater maintenance within
India.
The ship arrived in Kochi in early September, and was dry-docked at Cochin
Shipyard on September 23, 2016 close on the heels of the soon-to-be-retired aircraft
carrier INS Viraat was undocked following its decommissioning refit.
The Naval authorities said the vessel added a great national capability, enhancing the
image of the Navy. All systems, including the long range surface to air missile (LR-
SAM), the close-in weapon system (CIWS), the main gun were all in place and the
process of exploiting the capabilities of the carrier and its air arm had come a long
way with the ship’s company and the systems integrating well.
D. GS4 Related
E. Important Editorials
The Hindu
1.Punjab’s legislative adventurism
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/punjab-assembly-election-
punjabs-legislative-adventurism/article9335057.ece
There was never any doubt that Punjab’s legislative adventurism in enacting a law in 2004 to terminate all previous agreements on sharing the waters of the Ravi and
the Beas with its neighbours would not survive judicial scrutiny. Answering a
Presidential reference on the validity of Punjab’s action, the Supreme Court has
declared the State’s law illegal.
It has ruled that Punjab reneged on its solemn promises by terminating its 1981
agreement with Haryana and Rajasthan to discharge itself of the obligation to
construct the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal. Its objective was to overcome the
2004 decree passed by the Supreme Court directing it to complete the canal work
expeditiously.
The court’s reasoning draws from previous verdicts relating to the Cauvery and Mullaperiyar disputes, reiterating the principle that “a State cannot, through legislation, do an act in conflict with the judgment of the highest court which has
attained finality.” It is another matter if legislation takes the form of a validating Act to cure specific illegalities or one that removes the basis for a particular verdict.
The verdict by a five-member Bench is a timely reminder that it would be
destructive of the rule of law and federalism if a State were to be allowed to usurp
judicial powers by nullifying a verdict that has rendered findings on both fact and
law.
As Punjab heads for the Assembly election, this issue has already led to posturing by
all major parties on which among them is the best protector of the State’s interests. This attitude leads to a disturbing tendency among States to be judges in their own
cause, especially when it comes to water disputes. Political parties in power
increasingly resort to legislation or Assembly resolutions rather than negotiation.
The Opposition parties collaborate in this with equal zeal, lest they be seen to be
wanting in passion for the cause. Punjab may well have had legitimate grievances,
historically, in the sharing of waters. This was, in fact, the reason the Rajiv-
Longowal accord of 1985 contained clauses relating to river-water sharing too.
Earlier, differences were first settled by a notification by the Centre in 1976. When
the matter led to litigation, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi brokered an agreement in
1981.
In effect, the present arrangements, which Punjab seeks to wriggle out of, are backed
by three agreements. The Supreme Court ruled against Punjab in 2002 as well as in
2004. The State’s obligation to allow the completion of the SYL Link Canal, so that
Haryana can utilise the share of water allocated to it, cannot be frustrated any more. If
Punjab feels aggrieved, there may be scope for negotiation and conciliation even
now, but it cannot take action unilaterally.
F. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn:
1. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn
River water treaties.
Interstate water dispute act
Nuclear power in India
Renewable energy
Bilateral investment treaties
Cyber security
2. BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/ORGS IN NEWS
BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/ORGS
IN NEWS
Links to Refer
Interstate water dispute
act
http://wrmin.nic.in/forms/list.aspx?lid=366
3. Tags
River water disputes.
Nuclear power
Cyber security
Practice Questions
Date: 12th November, 2016
Category: energy
Topic: nuclear power security
Source: The Hindu
Difficulty level: Medium
Type: Factual
1. Recently India has signed landmark civil nuclear deal with
a) Japan
b) USA
c) China
d) France
Ans (a)
Date: 12th November, 2016
Category: International treaties
Topic: river water treaties
Source: The Hindu
Difficulty level: Medium
Type: Factual
2. Indus water treaty is between-
a) India&Pakistan
b) India&Srilanka
c) India&Bangladesh
d) India&Nepal
Ans (a)
Date: 12th November, 2016
Category: cyber security
Source: The Hindu
Difficulty level: Medium
Type: Factual
3. Cyber security in india comes under
(i) Ministry of Communication and Information Technology.
(ii) Ministry of defense
(iii) Ministry of information & broadcasting
a) (i) only
b) (i) and (ii) only
c) (ii) and (iii) only
d) All 3
Ans (a)
Date: 12th November, 2016
Category: rivers
Topic-rivers
Source: The Hindu
Difficulty level: Medium
Type: conceptual
4. Which of the following is not a tributary of Indus?
a) Chenab
b) Ravi
c) Satluj
d) Ghaghara
Ans (d)
Date: 12th November, 2016
Category: energy
Difficulty level: Easy
Type: Factual
5. Which among the following is the largest source of electricity in india?
a) thermal
b) hydroelectric
c) solar
d)nuclear
Ans (a)
Current News Analysis
13-11-2016
A. GS1 Related
B. GS2 Related
1. India, Japan differ on nuclear tests
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-japan-differ-on-nuclear-
tests/article9339039.ece
Category: International Relations
Topic: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests
Key Points:
By signing the civil nuclear agreement with India, Japan made a major exception for a non-signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
This departure was made based on India’s impeccable nuclear record. Sources allege that India may have given exceptional commitments on its nuclear sovereignty
and right to conduct nuclear tests in order to bag the deal. Foreign Secretary S.Jaishankar has maintained that there were “striking similiarities” in the
Japan deal with those of other countries. Former nuclear envoys say the text signifies India has gone “much further” in commitments
to Japan than ever before. In India, the debate over nuclear sovereignty will be an important issue. This would be similar to the criticism the government faced over curtailing liability of foreign
suppliers in the India-U.S. civil nuclear agreement resolution between PM Modi and US President Obama in January 2015.
2. India and Ukraine to close gap in ties
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-and-ukraine-to-close-gap-in-
ties/article9339079.ece
Category: International Relations
Topic: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests
Key Points:
After a gap of four years, India and Ukraine are set to begin a new phase of exchanges. This initiative is likely to warm up political, military and diplomatic ties. The last major visit from Ukraine was by President Viktor Yanukovych who visited Delhi and
met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2012. Reasons for the gap in ties:
Ukraine’s military ties with Pakistan. India had evacuated citizens from Ukraine in 2014 as an ongoing violence in the
eastern part of Ukraine had intensified.
Why is Ukraine Important: Ukraine’s rising profile in multilateral platforms. Ukraine is a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) Ukraine is a non-permanent member with two-year term at the U.N. Security
Council.
3. We are not for building walls, says Canada Minister
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/we-are-not-for-building-walls-says-candadian-minister/article9339066.ece
Category: International Relations
Topic: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests
Key Points:
Canada will invite more Indian students and high tech professionals as part of its immigrant-friendly policy.
Comments from Canada are significant as they came on Tuesday, which was when the U.S election process was underway.
U.S. President-elect Mr. Trump had opposed immigration from Mexico and Islamic countries to the U.S.
The Canadian Government has maintained that the immigration process for global talent from the high-tech sector and for international students will be made easier and seamless.
Students will also be provided ‘express entries’ as part of the new immigration process.
C.GS3 Related
1. India still losing fight against child pneumonia, diarrhoea epidemics
http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/raising-cain-over-child-pneumonia-
deaths/article9339053.ece
Category: Science and Technology
Topic: Health, Govt. Initiatives
Key Points:
The International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) published the Pneumonia and
Diarrhoea Progress Report and this report has put India at the top of the list of 15 nations.
India recently announced a partial introduction of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in five states (Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh) from 2017.
Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda has mentioned that, “Adding life-saving vaccines such as PCV (pneumococcal conjugate) and rotavirus to our immunisation programme will not only improve the health of our children but will also reduce hospitalisation and other conditions associated with diarrhoea and pneumonia, such as malnutrition and delayed physical and mental development among children.”
2. As ATMs run out of ash, ‘BI en ourages pu li to go digital
http://www.thehindu.com/business/Economy/rbi-urges-public-to-adopt-
digital-as-atms-run-dry/article9339020.ece
Category: Indian Economy
Topic: Govt. Policies
Key Points:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has urged citizens to switch to alternative modes of
payments such as such as pre-paid cards, credit and debit cards, mobile banking, and
Internet banking.
The RBI has maintained that such usage will alleviate the pressure on the physical
currency and also enhance the experience of living in the digital world.
The central bank maintained that adequate stocks of notes were kept ready in currency
chests located at more than 4,000 places across the country.
3. What are pumpkin stars?
Category: Science and Technology
Topic: Developments
Key Points:
Recently, astronomers have discovered a batch of rapidly spinning stars that produce X-
rays at more than 100 times the peak levels ever seen from the sun.
These stars spin so fast that they’ve been squashed into pumpkin- like shapes.
These stars are thought to be the result of close binary systems where two sun-like stars
merge.
So far, 18 such stars have been found.
4. Burning an HIV test
Category: Science and Technology
Topic: Developments
Key Points:
HIV can now be tested with a pen drive.
The device, created by scientists at Imperial College London and DNA Electronics, uses
a drop of blood to detect HIV, and then creates an electrical signal that can be read by a
computer, laptop or handheld device.
The disposable test could be used for HIV patients to monitor their own treatment.
D. GS4 Related
E. Important Editorials
The Hindu
1. Make medical education a public good
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/make-medical-education-a-public-
good/article9339438.ece
Category: Governance, Science and Technology
Topic: Health, Govt. Initiatives
Key Points:
There is a justification for commercialization of education.
The justification lies in the belief that it will incentivise investors to set up medical
colleges, increase the supply of doctors, induce competition and reduce the cost of
tuition fees and services.
However, one should also take note of how things have unfolded in the U.S. where,
post 2002, student debt has climbed to $1.2 trillion with 44 per cent of loan defaults
among the “working-class students”.
The NITI Aayog, has given a three-point recommendation. These recommendations include,
1) allowing private investors to establish medical colleges untrammelled by regulations
2) freedom to levy fees for 60 per cent of the students to recoup their money
3) making the exit examination the marker for quality and for crowding out substandard
institutions
These three-point recommendations are is expected to trigger healthy competition, reduce
prices and assure quality.
The Indian Landscape:
India has 422 medical colleges with 58,000 annual admissions.
There is a dire need of doctors, with the doctor-population ratio at 1:1,500
Thus, a comprehensive policy framework is important. This would consist of a
package of innovative approaches such as use of technology, faculty training in
pedagogical skills, permitting foreign faculty to teach, etc.
These would be required to optimise churning out of doctors appropriate to our
needs from existing colleges besides establishing new ones.
2. Will ENDS justify the means?
http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/will-ends-justify-the-
means/article9339022.ece
Category: Environment and Ecology
Topic: Climate Change
Key Points:
The recently concluded global anti-tobacco conference toed a hard line towards e-
cigarettes and other vaping devices.
This was the seventh session of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)
The session ended with Southeast Asian countries voting for complete prohibition of
Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) and Electronic Non-Nicotine Delivery
Systems (ENNDS) in the region.
What is ‘Vaping’?
‘Vaping’ — a ‘tobacco-free’ version of the cigarette where smokers inhale the vapour through liquid in a vaporiser — has become extremely popular among smokers as a ‘healthier’ option to smoking.
It is important to note that, all vaping devices heat a solution called ‘e-liquid’. This creates an aerosol; the e-liquid comes in flavours that are dissolved into propylene glycol or/and
glycerine.
What Health Organizations say?
Health organisations maintain that the toxicants generated by e-liquids can vary enormously.
Variations occur even within brands.
This is due to the increased thermal decomposition of e-liquid ingredients with rising applied
temperatures in open system devices.
F. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn:
1. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)
Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS)
Electronic Non-Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENNDS) in the region
Vaping
2. BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/ORGS IN NEWS
BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/ORGANISATIONS
IN NEWS
Links to Refer
WHO Framework Convention on
Tobacco Control (FCTC) http://www.who.int/fctc/en/
3. Tags
WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)
Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS)
Electronic Non-Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENNDS) in the region
Vaping
Practice Questions
Date: 13
th November, 2016
Category: Science and Technology
Topic: Developments Source: The Hindu
Difficulty level: Medium
Type: Factual
1. Consider the following statements,
1] ‘Vaping’ — a ‘tobacco-free’ version of the cigarette where smokers inhale the vapour through liquid in a vaporiser — has become extremely popular among smokers as a
‘healthier’ option to smoking. 2] All vaping devices heat a solution called ‘e-liquid’. This creates an aerosol; the e-liquid
comes in flavours that are dissolved into propylene glycol or/and glycerine.
Which of the following statements is/are correct?
a) 1 Only
b) 2 Only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2
Ans (c)
Date: 13
th November, 2016
Category: Science and Technology
Topic: Developments Source: The Hindu
Difficulty level: Medium
Type: Factual
2. Consider the following statements,
1] Recently, astronomers have discovered a batch of rapidly spinning stars that produce
X- rays at more than 100 times the peak levels ever seen from the sun.
2] These stars spin so fast that they’ve been squashed into pumpkin- like shapes. These
stars are thought to be the result of close binary systems where two sun-like stars merge.
Which of the following statements is/are correct?
a) 1 Only
b) 2 Only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2
Ans (c)
Date: 13th November, 2016
Category: Polity and Governance
Topic: Govt. Initiatives Source: The Hindu
Difficulty level: Medium
Type: Factual
3. Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding the three-point
recommendation given by the NITI Aayog, regarding commercialization of education,
1. Allowing private investors to establish medical colleges untrammelled by regulations
2. Freedom to levy fees for 60 per cent of the students to recoup their money
3. Making the exit examination the marker for quality and for crowding out
substandard institutions
Which of the following statements is/are correct?
a) 1 and 2 Only
b) 2 and 3 Only
c) All, 1, 2 and 3
d) Neither 1 nor 2 nor 3
Ans (c)
Date: 13th November, 2016
Category: Geography
Topic: World Geography Source: The Hindu
Difficulty level: Medium
Type: Factual
4. Consider the following statements,
1] Ukraine is bordered by the waters of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
2] Ukraine borders with seven countries: Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Russia,
and Belarus.
Which of the following statements is/are correct?
a) 1 Only
b) 2 Only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2
Ans (c)
Date: 13th November, 2016
Category: International Relations
Topic: International Organizations Source: The Hindu
Difficulty level: Medium
Type: Factual
5. Consider the following statements,
1] The IAEA is the international centre for cooperation in the nuclear field, and works within the
United Nations family.
2] The Agency works with its Member States and multiple partners worldwide to promote the safe,
secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies.
Which of the following statements is/are correct?
a) 1 Only
b) 2 Only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2
Ans (c)
