Current News Analysis

26-02-2017

A. GS1 Related

1. Why the Barren Island volcano erupts again? http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/the-barren-islandvolcano-erupts-

again/article17369862.ece

Category: Geography

Topic: Volcanoes

Key Points: India’s only active volcano — the Barren Island volcano — in the Andaman and

Nicobar Islands is again spewing lava and ash. A team of scientists from the Goa-based National Institute of Oceanography (NIO)

chanced upon it as part of an ocean expedition in January. The volcano was erupting in small episodes lasting 5-10 minutes.

Where is Barren Island? The Barren Island, about 140 km from Port Blair, is a tourist destination and

surrounded by waters ideal for scuba diving and is home to a wide variety of aquatic life.

It’s the only active volcano along a chain of volcanoes from Sumatra to Myanmar. Historically, the first record of the volcano’s eruption dates back to 1787. detailed studies have shown that the volcano first erupted 1.6 million years ago and

sits on a 106-million-year-old crust. In 1991, the volcano’s eruption was catastrophic for several animal species.

B. GS2 Related

C.GS3 Related

1. Two endangered plant species spotted

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/two-endangered-plant-

species-spotted/article17370078.ece

Category: Environment and Ecology

Topic: Conservation

Key Points: In a major breakthrough in eco-conservation, forest officials in Munnar have spotted

two critically endangered impatiens plant species on the peripheries of the Eravikulam National Park.

Two new species of balsams (impatiens) have been discovered by the officials from the shola forests on the periphery of the park and Mankulam with the help of scientists.

What are Impatiens? Impatiens, also called jewel weeds, are seen in pristine forests where moisture

content and relative humidity are high.

2. Black rhinos on the brink of extinction http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/black-rhinos-on-

the-brink-of-extinction/article17368916.ece

Category: Environment and Ecology

Topic: Conservation

Key Points: As the value of rhinoceros horn touches $65,000 per kg, poaching has begun to drive

the African black rhinoceros to “the verge of extinction”. This is happening not just by reducing its population size, but by erasing 70% of the

species’ genetic diversity. Why is Genetic Variation Important?

Genetic variation is the cornerstone of evolution, without which there can be no natural selection, and so a low genetic diversity decreases the ability of a species to survive and reproduce.

When did the geneti erosion egin?

The origins of the ‘genetic erosion’ coincided with colonial rule in Africa and the popularity of big game hunting.

From the second half of the 20th century, however, poaching for horns has dramatically depleted their population and genetic diversity, especially in Kenya and Tanzania.

Concluding Remarks

Greater the genetic diversity, the better is the population's ability to respond to pressures such as climate change and diseases.

Thus the loss of so much evolutionary potential in the black rhino is worrying for its future adaptability.

3. What is the McGurk effect? http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/demystifying-science-

february-26-2017/article17370018.ece

Category: Science and Technology

Topic: Developments

Key Points: The McGurk effect is a powerful multisensory illusion occurring with

audiovisual speech whereby the brain can be deceived into hearing sounds that don’t exist.

It involves showing a person’s lips making the shape of one sound — like “bah” — while the audio is actually the person saying “fah.”

It demonstrates the overwhelming influence that sight exerts over the brain and how the latter reorders perception to give us a consistent picture of the world.

D. GS4 Related

E. Important Editorials

The Hindu

1. India needs the rubella vaccine http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/india-needs-the-rubella-

vaccine/article17369830.ece

Category: Science and Technology

Topic: Developments, Health

Key Points: India has set an ambitious target of eliminating measles and controlling congenital rubella

syndrome (CRS), caused by the rubella virus, by 2020.

While two doses of measles vaccine given at 9-12 months and 16-24 months have already

been part of the national immunisation programme, it is the first time that the rubella

vaccine has been included in the programme.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), “a single dose of rubella vaccine gives more than 95% long-lasting immunity.”

All children aged nine months and 15 years will be administered a single dose of the

combination vaccine.

A note on Measles and Rubella

Measles is highly infectious and is one of the major childhood killer diseases. Of the

1,34,000 measles deaths globally in 2015, an estimated 47,000 occurred in India.

Unlike measles, rubella is a mild viral infection that mainly occurs in children. But a

woman infected with the rubella virus during the early stage of pregnancy has a 90%

chance of transmitting it to the foetus. The virus can cause hearing impairments, eye and

heart defects and brain damage in newborns, and even spontaneous abortion and foetal

deaths. Of the 1,10,000 children born with CRS every year globally, an estimated 40,000

cases occur in India alone.

The Way Forward

With the target set for 2020 to eliminate measles and control CRS, there is a compelling

need to create a solid wall of immunity in all children up to 15 years in one go at the

earliest.

That can be achieved only if immunisation is carried out in a campaign mode by targeting

410 million children nationwide within 18 months.

Though the goal is only to eliminate measles and control rubella by 2020, both viruses

can be eliminated if their transmission can be broken.

For this to happen, the vaccine coverage has to be over 95% during the campaign and in

the immunisation programme that follows it.

Furthermore, India has to ramp up surveillance of both diseases, maintain outbreak

preparedness, respond rapidly to outbreaks by vaccinating all children in a community

and ensure effective and timely treatment of cases anywhere in the country.

According to the WHO, elimination of measles will help to achieve Sustainable

Development Goal’s target 3.2, which aims to end preventable deaths of children under 5 years by 2030.

PIB

1. East African Community is becoming an Economical and

Political reality http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=158679

Category: International Relations

Topic: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests

Key Points: The Vice President of India, Shri M. Hamid Ansari has said that the East African

Community is taking shape as an Economical and Political Community and many of our

programmes and initiatives in the region will no longer be purely bilateral but will have

to be adapted to work for the entire community.

The Vice President said that India's approach, as long standing friends, has been to give

our African partners assistance in their developmental programmes in those areas where

they want and it is them to convert that into specific requests.

He further said that the broader issues of India's approach to cooperation with African

Countries are well known and well appreciated. One issue of concern to both India and

Africa is scourge of terrorism and there was a total meeting of minds in condemning

terrorism in all shapes and forms, he added.

The Vice President said that the visit to Kigali Genocide Memorial was a tribute to the

determination of the people of Rwanda and that he was glad that they were able to

overcome that heart-rending disaster and re-build their country.

Reacting to a question on trade imbalance, the Vice President said that there was trade

imbalance with Uganda as India exports a lot of things to them and their export basket to

India was presently limited.

He further said that there are two ways to address this; one by increasing the products in

their export basket and two; instead of exporting finished goods from India to Uganda,

some Indian manufacturers could set up their manufacturing units in Uganda.

F. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn:

1. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn

Sustainable Development Goals

World Health Organisation (WHO)

Barren Island

2. BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/ORGS IN NEWS

BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/ORGANISATIONS

IN NEWS

Links to Refer

Act East Policy

http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=133837

3. Tags

Sustainable Development Goals

World Health Organisation (WHO)

Barren Island

Practice Questions

Date: 26th February, 2017 Category: Environment and Ecology Topic: Conservation Source: The Hindu Difficulty level: Medium Type: Factual

1] Consider the following statements,

1] Genetic variation is the cornerstone of evolution, without which there can be no natural selection, and so a low genetic diversity decreases the ability of a species to survive and reproduce.

2] Greater the genetic diversity, the better is the population's ability to respond to pressures such as climate change and diseases.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

a) 1 Only

b) 2 Only c) Both 1 and 2 d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans c) Both 1 and 2

Both the statements are correct.

Genetic variation is the cornerstone of evolution, without which there can be no natural selection, and so a low genetic diversity decreases the ability of a species to survive and reproduce. Greater the genetic diversity, the better is the population's ability to respond to pressures such as climate change and diseases.

Date: 26th February, 2017 Category: Science and Technology Topic: Developments Source: The Hindu Difficulty level: Medium Type: Factual

2] Consider the following statements,

1] The McGurk effect is a powerful multisensory illusion occurring with audiovisual speech whereby the brain can be deceived into hearing sounds that don’t exist.

2] It demonstrates the overwhelming influence that sight exerts over the brain and how the latter reorders perception to give us a consistent picture of the world.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

a) 1 Only b) 2 Only c) Both 1 and 2 d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans c) Both the statements are correct.

The McGurk effect is a powerful multisensory illusion occurring with audiovisual speech whereby the brain can be deceived into hearing sounds that don’t exist. It demonstrates the overwhelming influence that sight exerts over the brain and how the latter reorders perception to give us a consistent picture of the world.

Date: 26th February, 2017 Category: Environment and Ecology Topic: Conservation Source: The Hindu Difficulty level: Medium Type: Factual

3] “Eravikulam National Park” was recently in the news. Where is it located?

a) Kerala

b) Karnataka

c) Tamil Nadu

d) Telangana

Ans a) Kerala

“Eravikulam National Park” is located in the state of Kerala.

Date: 26th February, 2017 Category: Geography Topic: Volcanoes Source: The Hindu Difficulty level: Medium Type: Factual

4] Consider the following statements,

1] The Barren Island volcano is India’s only active volcano.

2] It’s the only active volcano along a chain of volcanoes from Sumatra to Myanmar.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

a) 1 Only

b) 2 Only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans c) Both 1 and 2

Both the statements are correct.

The Barren Island volcano is India’s only active volcano. It’s the only active volcano along a chain of volcanoes from Sumatra to Myanmar.

Date: 26th February, 2017

Category: International Relations

Topic: Reports, Organizations Source: The Hindu

Difficulty level: Medium

Type: Factual

5] Which of the following organizations bring out the report known as ‘World Investment Report’?

(a) UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development)

(b) The United Nations Development Programme

(c) The World Economic Forum

(d) The World Bank

Answer: (a) UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) brings out the report known as ‘World Investment Report’.

Current News Analysis

27/02/2017

A. GS 2 Related

1. What exactly is a money bill? http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/what-exactly-is-a-money-bill/article17372184.ece

Category: Constitution

Topic: Article 110; Right to Privacy; Judicial review

The writ petition filed, under Article 32, against Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial

& Other Subsidies, Benefits & Services) Act, 2016 will get the final hearing by Supreme

Court next month. Aadhaar Act was introduced and passed as a Money bill last year and

the legality of the procedure was put in to question.

Article 110 defines a Money bill as that which, broadly, deals with taxation, government

receipts and expenditure, government borrowings, guarantees and any matter

incidental to these affairs. But Aadhaar Act has several other provisions, including the

creation of a framework for maintaining a central database of biometric information

collected from citizens.

If any question arises whether a Bill is a Money Bill or not, the decision of the Speaker of

the Lok Sabha is deemed final under Article 110 (3). Also, Article 122 prohibits the courts

from questioning the validity of proceedings in parliament on the ground of any alleged

irregularity of procedure.

I Raja Ra pal s Ho le Speaker of Lok Sa ha ase, SC as of the ie that proceedings of the legislature were immune from questioning by courts in the case of

procedural irregularity but not in the case of illegality. Though in a more recent

judgment in Mohd. Saeed Siddiqui v. State of UP (2014), SC opined that a Speaker s decision to classify a draft statute as a money Bill, is not judicially reviewable, even if the

classification was incorrect.

Moreover, infringement of Right to Privacy (implicit under Article 21) of the citizens has

been questioned. As Aadhar Act permits the creation of a database of not only

biometric information but also various other private data, without so much as bothering

about safeguards that need to be installed to ensure their security.

2. Ways of sharing http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/ways-of-sharing/article17372178.ece

Category: International relations

Topic: India and its neighborhood

India has allowed its border roads in Mizoram and Tripura to be used by Bangladeshi

forces, during the meeting of Home Ministry and security officials in Dhaka, working

on closer border management cooperation.

This came as a step to further abridge the trust deficit between India and

Bangladesh, after the landmark Land Boundary Agreement of 2015.

In April, during Ms. Hasina s isit to I dia, there are spe ulatio s a out other agreements like defence partnership agreement, movement on the Teesta water-

sharing agreement, ganga water barrage project, other energy and connectivity

projects.

For these agreements to be worked out, Centre has to ring up various stakeholders

(affected Indian States) like West Bengal (Teesta water), Bihar (Farakka barrage) etc.

Strengthening of relations with neighboring countries like this is the way forward to

peaceful co-existence.

3. Protecting the rights of tribals http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/protecting-the-rights-of-

tribals/article17372134.ece

Category: Foreign investment; Social Justice

Topic: Bilateral investment treaties; Tribal rights

Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority (RAKIA), an Emirati investor, initiated an

Investment treaty arbitration (ITA) claim against India under the India-UAE Bilateral

Investment Treaty (BIT), seeking compensation of $44.71 million. This claim arose

after a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Andhra Pradesh and RAKIA

to supply bauxite to Anrak Aluminum Limited was cancelled, allegedly due to the

concerns of the tribal population in those areas.

But this threat of ITA against the state may compel it to refrain from implementing

tribal rights in the development project area.

A recent report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

recognizes three main reasons for the serious impact that foreign investments have

on the rights of indigenous people: failure to adequately address human rights

issues of tribal people in BITs; the perceived threat of ITA for enforcement of

investor protection; and exclusion of indigenous people from the policymaking

process.

Legal and Constitutional provisions for Tribal rights

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP),

adopted in 2007, for which India voted, recognizes among other things indigenous

peoples rights to self-determination, autonomy or self-governance, and their right

against forcible displacement and relocation from their lands or territories without

free, prior and informed consent.

International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention concerns Indigenous and Tribal

Peoples is ased o the respe t for the ultures a d ays of life of indigenous

peoples a d re og izes their right to la d a d atural resour es a d to defi e their o priorities for de elop e t.

Also, Constitution provides autonomy to tribal areas in matters of governance under

the Fifth and Sixth Schedules. Supreme Court opined that the transfer of tribal land

to private parties for mining was null and void under the Fifth Schedule.

Recognition of Forest Rights Act, 2006 protects the individual and community rights

of tribal people in forest areas and their right to free and prior informed consent in

event of their displacement and resettlement.

But Xaxa Committee report of 2014 highlighted that these legislations are regularly

disregarded. Instead of ensuring that tribals are not ousted from the land to which

they are historically and culturally connected, the state becomes more concerned

about fulfilling contractual obligations towards the private investor.

The way forward

Include provisions relating to the protection of indigenous people in BITs.

Implementation of domestic legislations for the protection of the rights of

tribals, where the state does not consider tribals as impediments in the

development process.

Tribal people should be given representation even in investment policymaking.

4. Need for a credible regulatory body for medical devices http://blogs.economictimes.indiatimes.com/et-editorials/need-for-a-credible-regulatory-

body-for-medical-devices/

Category: Polity; Governance

Topic: Regulatory bodies

A regulatory body for credible standards-setting and certifying authority for stents

and other medical devices is missing in India which thwarts the full extent of

competition possible in stents and other medical devices.

A price cap that has been used by National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority on

coronary stents is a blunt instrument in a sector that undergoes rapid technological

evolution.

What can be done?

Institution of stiff, bankruptcy-threatening penalties for ethical violations on

hospitals.

A market for insuring the risk of such violations.

Classification of stents into broad categories based on therapeutic efficacy,

accompanied by strict certification of standards.

B. GS3 Related

1. Ministry of UD to push dense urban growth along mass transit

corridors for better living experience

http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=158690

Category: Indian economy; Governance

Topic: Urban development

The Ministry of Urban development has for ulated a Natio al Tra sit Orie ted De elop e t Poli y hi h ill e discussed with the States and Union Territories at

a National Workshop on Urban Development.

Policy aims to bring better depth of understanding and a viable solution to many of

the challenges like haphazard urban growth and sprawl, mobility, rapidly rising

private vehicles on roads, pollution, housing choices etc by having co-ordination

with the states and UT's.

Transit Oriented Development (TOD) will be incentivized by the Ministry under two

more initiatives viz., Metro Policy and Green Urban Mobility Scheme. TOD promotes

integration of land use planning with transportation and infrastructure development

which will be financed by channelizing a part of increases in property values

resulting from investments in transit corridors through Betterment Levies and Value

Capture Financing tools.

Promotion of Non-motorized Transport Infrastructure for walking and cycling to

transport stations, development of street networks in the influence zone of transit

corridors, multi-modal integration, effective first and last mile connectivity through

feeder services to enable people access public transit in 5 to 10 minutes from home

and work places is the goal of the program.

City densification will be promoted along mass transit corridors through vertical

construction by substantially enhancing FARs (Floor Area Ratio).

Focus on Increased private sector participation will result in economic development

and employment generation.

Mixed neighborhood development in the form of a range of housing choices

including affordable housing and ensuring spaces for street vendors is the plan of

implementation.

Questions

1. Which authority sets the price caps on medical devices in India?

a)National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority

b)National Medical Regulatory Authority

c)Medical council of India

d)Drug Regulatory Authority

Answer: a)

2. Consider the following:

i) Autonomy to tribal areas in matters of governance is provided under the Fifth Schedule

only.

ii) Tribal people have right to free and prior informed consent in event of their

displacement and resettlement.

Choose the correct option:

a) Both i) and ii) are correct

b) Both i) and ii) are incorrect

c) i) is correct but ii) is incorrect

d) i) is incorrect but ii) is correct

Answer: d)

3. i) Land boundary agreement was signed between India and Bangladesh in 2011.

ii)Bangladesh and India exchanged 162 adversely-held enclaves.

Choose the correct option:

a) Both i) and ii) are correct

b) Both i) and ii) are incorrect

c) i) is correct but ii) is incorrect

d) i) is incorrect but ii) is correct

Answer: d)

4. Consider the following:

i) Lok Sabha cannot consider the amendments made by Rajya Sabha in a Money bill.

ii) Constitution defines a money bill which deals with 7 provisions provided under Article

110 (1).

Which of the above statements is correct?

a) i) only

b) ii) only

c) Both

d) None

Answer: c)

Current News Analysis

28-02-2017

A. GS1 Related

B. GS2 Related

C.GS3 Related

D. GS4 Related

E. Important Editorials

The Hindu

1. Seeing the light http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/seeing-the-light/article17378354.ece

Category: Indian Economy

Topic: International Trade

Key Points: In the renewable energy sector, India and the U.S. have been filing a number of disputes

against each other, challenging the other’s domestic content requirement. Issue being contested currently

India claims that California, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Michigan,

Minnesota, Montana and Washington are providing renewable energy subsidies

similar to those of the domestic content requirement under the Jawaharlal Nehru

National Solar Mission (JNNSM), which, the U.S. claims, violates World Trade

Organisation (WTO) law.

India alleges that these states have been granting subsidies to local manufacturers

in the renewable energy industry along with the requirement that the products be

made domestically.

As India lost the case filed by the U.S. at the WTO, critics claim that the present

case has been filed by India as a reciprocation.

India seems to be charging the U.S. of the same issues in the same field to

leverage a settlement in the case that it lost.

The WTO Ruling JNNSM required that 20 gigawatt (GW) of solar power should be generated from

domestically produced modules or solar cells.

The WTO found that the mandatory domestic content requirement under JNNSM

violated the National Treatment provision of Article III:4 of the WTO agreement.

The Indian government has significantly reduced the domestic content

requirement after the initiation of proceedings at the WTO.

At the beginning of the mission, the domestic content requirement in the

auctioned contracts was as much as 50% of the total output generating capacity.

This value dropped significantly through the auctions and is currently down to

5%.

The U.S. is still unsatisfied with the measures undertaken by the government.

Concluding Remarks

Few imagined that India would pursue the dispute and ask the WTO to establish

a panel.

The decision to not pursue the formation of a WTO dispute resolution panel

came after Indian officials met the transition team of U.S. President Donald

Trump and were assured that a settlement would be reached.

However, with the new Trump administration and its ‘America First’ policy, there is a good chance that the panel will be established and the case argued

before the WTO.

This would affect relations between the U.S. and India.

Both the cases are in fact the same, so it would be in the best interest of both

nations to settle it.

2. NOTA and the Indian voter http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/nota-and-the-indian-

voter/article17378495.ece

Category: Polity and Governance

Topic: Elections

Key Points: The introduction of the ‘None of The Above’ (NOTA) option in the Indian electoral

system has seen three years, one Lok Sabha election and four rounds of Assembly elections pass.

The 2016 Assembly elections also saw some active canvassing for NOTA.

Patterns Involving NOTA NOTA polling figures are still small. On an average, the maximum NOTA vote share has not crossed 2.02% of the total

votes polled in any election cycle.

A Brief History of NOTA NOTA was introduced in India following the 2013 Supreme Court directive in

the People’s Union for Civil Liberties v. Union of India judgment. Thus, India became the 14th country to institute negative voting. However, NOTA in India does not provide for a ‘right to reject’. The candidate with the maximum votes wins the election irrespective of the number

of NOTA votes polled.

Important Observations Regarding NOTA

Reserved constituencies have seen a relatively larger number of NOTA votes, which points to the continued social prejudice against political reservation for SC/STs.

Constituencies affected by left-wing extremism have also recorded higher NOTA performance and here probably it served as an instrument of protest against the State itself.

Overall, Indian voters seem to be using NOTA not just to show their disapproval of the candidates in the fray but to express their protest against many things they perceive wrong in the political system.

Concluding Remarks

The early trends of NOTA need to be explored further with more elaborate statistical and ethnographic analysis.

So far, a small number of Indian voters have come to see NOTA as an instrument of protest.

This electoral option will become a meaningful means of negative voting only if it becomes a ‘right to reject’ rather than being a symbolic instrument to express resentment as it is now.

A PIL has already been filed in Madras High Court seeking the full right to reject in place of NOTA.

3. The IS challenge http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/the-is-

challenge/article17378478.ece

Category: Internal Security

Topic: Challenges to Internal Security

Key Points:

Recently, two suspected Islamic State associates from Gujarat were arrested. This development once again raises the question whether the terrorist group is

finding support in India. In recent months, anti-terror officials have arrested young people from different

parts of the country — in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, West Bengal and Rajasthan.

What does the IS thrive on? The IS thrives on support from foreign jihadists, largely the young. Ever since the

organisation declared a ‘Caliphate’ in 2014, it has attracted tens of thousands of fighters from around the world.

It used two tactics — urging sympathisers either to travel to Iraq or Syria, its strongholds, and join the war, or carry out terror attacks in their own countries after declaring allegiance to the ‘Caliph’, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.\

Indian Context India has remained largely insulated from this trend. The number of Indians to have joined the ranks of the IS is very small.

The IS’s puritanical, one-size-fits-all brand of Islam hasn’t found much resonance in India. Given the syncretic nature of Indian Islam, it is extremely difficult for groups such as the IS to become popular among Muslims, as it did in parts of Iraq and Syria.

Method adopted by IS

The IS’s medium is the Internet. It reaches out through online propaganda.

The Way Forward To prevent the group from gaining a foothold on its territory, India needs

high-level intelligence and counter-terror operations to continue. Equally important is better coordination between the state and Muslim

religious leaders in countering radicalisation and having in place specific de-radicalisation programmes, as western governments do.

It is important to not let these isolated arrests be blown out of proportion to target the larger Muslim population, which right-wing elements often try to do. Bigotry cannot be checked with bigotry.

BusinessLine

1. For climate-smart farming http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/editorial/rainfall-mapping-

must-develop-microlevel-precision/article9562341.ece

Category: Geography

Topic: Agriculture, Monsoons

Key Points:

Causes for Concern

Reports of a residual El Nino effect from last year impacting the subcontinent in

the latter half of 2017 should be cause for concern for farm economy managers.

What the southern states, particularly Karnataka and Kerala, already in the midst

of a prolonged spell of dry weather, can scarcely afford is another indifferent

crop year.

Factors Affecting Rainfall

Erratic trends in the spatial and temporal distribution of rainfall arguably have a

more significant effect on crop output than rising temperatures (both being

features of climate change), with half of India’s cropped area being rainfed. Researchers point out that while temperature raises pest activity, over 50 per cent

of the year-on-year variation in crop output can be attributed to annual variations

in rainfall.

IOD Activity

The forecast for this calendar year suggests a warming activity in the Indian Ocean as well (El Nino pertains to warming of the Pacific), called Indian Ocean Dipole in Met parlance.

This tends to negate malignant effects of El Nino. IOD activity is believed to have a stronger influence on rainfall patterns in

India, but it tends to favour central India and the west coast. However, Japanese national forecaster Jamstec has identified the central

region as a candidate for weak rainfall this year.

The Met Department’s first long-range forecast is due in April, by which time more information is likely to be available on the interplay of IOD and El Nino.

It is only to be expected that floods and droughts can break out in different (or even the same) regions in a particular year, or that there can be pockets of crop failure in an otherwise successful agriculture year.

The Way Forward

The Met Department, ICAR and agriculture universities should work towards a

more precise, micro-level understanding of rainfall, temperature, crop choice and

inputs, particularly in rainfed areas.

The focus of farm research should shift towards mapping climate patterns at the taluk level over long periods — perhaps decades — to arrive at better surmises on the monsoon

For example, The Kerala government has initiated an effort along these lines. Research focus on the effects of input-intensive farming in irrigated regions

has led to the neglect of more traditional areas such as managing rain variability.

Climate intelligence must form a more integral part of agriculture policy and extension services.

Finally, there must be a concerted shift towards integrated, sustainable farming, with agro-forestry practices.

Farmers need credit and support to manage this transition.

PIB

1. Indian Navy Concludes Theatre Level Exercise Tropex 2017 http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=158689

Category: Internal Security

Topic: Defense, Coastal Security

Key Points: The Indian Navy’s Annual Theatre Level Readiness and Operational Exercise

(TROPEX 17) was conducted on the Western Seaboard from 24 Jan 17 till 23

Feb 17.

The month long exercise saw participation of over 45 ships from both the

Western and Eastern Naval Commands of the Indian Navy, including the aircraft

carrier INS Vikramaditya, 05 submarines including the nuclear powered Chakra,

50 Naval aircraft, 11 ships from the Coast Guard, troops from the Army and 20

aircraft from the Air Force including Su 30s, Jaguars and AWACS.

Significance TROPEX 2017 assumes great significance in the backdrop of current security

scenario.

The exercise provided an apt-opportunity to test the combat capability of the

Indian Navy, Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Coast Guard, and strengthened

inter-operability and joint operations in complex conflict situation.

2. Three Forest Research Institutes Develop High-Yielding

Varieties of Plant Species

http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=158708

Category: Environment and Ecology

Topic: Conservation

Key Points: Three institutes of Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE),

Dehradun, have developed 20 high-yielding varieties of plant species.

The Variety Releasing Committee (VRC) of ICFRE, granted approval for the

release of these varieties of plant species.

Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, has worked, for more than a decade, on ten

improved varieties of Melia dubia and three clones of Eucalyptus tereticornis, the

timber of which is in high demand in the industry.

The released cultivars of Melia, popularly known as Dreake, or Malabar Neem,

not only have a high productivity per unit area, with an average of 34.57 cubic

metre per hectare per annum, but also have an excellent bole form, which is a

desirable characteristic for plywood industry.

A brief note on ICFRE Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun

established as an autonomous organisation under Ministry of Environment,

Forest and Climate Change, carries out the holistic research on forestry species.

The nine Institutes under ICFRE are actively engaged in improvement of

plantation tree species to improve yield, quality and productivity to meet the

demand for domestic consumption by industries.

3. India & Ukraine to strengthen bilateral cooperation

through Cinema http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=158710

Category: International Relations

Topic: Bilateral Relations

Key Points: India and Ukraine have agreed to strengthen the bilateral cooperation between

the two countries through the medium of Cinema.

The cooperation would be worked out through a policy and institutional

framework to showcase films through the medium of Film Festivals and utilizing

the Film Facilitation Office platform established by India.

The screening of films with subtitles was also discussed in order to reach out to

people.

During the discussions, Shri Naidu said that Ministry of Information &

Broadcasting would extend all possible support to promote exchange programs

between public broadcasters of the two countries, content creation, screening and

distribution of films.

The possibility of translating programs and content and providing subtitles in

respective languages of both the countries was also discussed with respect to the

Public Broadcasters of both the countries.

F. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn:

1. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn

Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE)

El Nino

2. BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/ORGS IN NEWS

BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/ORGANISATIONS

IN NEWS

Links to Refer

Act East Policy

http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=133837

3. Tags

Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE)

El Nino

Practice Questions

Date: 28th February, 2017 Category: Environment and Ecology Topic: Conservation Source: The Hindu Difficulty level: Medium Type: Factual

1] Consider the following statements,

1] Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun established as an autonomous

organisation under Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, carries out the holistic research

on forestry species.

2] Recently, three institutes of Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun,

have developed 20 high-yielding varieties of plant species.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

a) 1 Only b) 2 Only c) Both 1 and 2 d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans c) Both 1 and 2

Both the statements are correct.

Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun established as an autonomous

organisation under Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, carries out the holistic research

on forestry species. Recently, three institutes of Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education

(ICFRE), Dehradun, have developed 20 high-yielding varieties of plant species.

Date: 28th February, 2017 Category: Polity and Governance Topic: Elections Source: The Hindu Difficulty level: Medium Type: Factual

2] Consider the following statements,

1] NOTA was introduced in India following the 2013 Supreme Court directive in the People’s Union for Civil Liberties v. Union of India judgment.

2] India became the 14th country to institute negative voting.

3] Significantly, NOTA in India does not provide for a ‘right to reject’.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

a) 1 and 2 Only b) 2 and 3 Only c) 1 and 3 Only d) All 1, 2 and 3

Ans d) All 1, 2 and 3.

NOTA was introduced in India following the 2013 Supreme Court directive in the People’s Union for Civil Liberties v. Union of India judgment. India became the 14th country to institute negative voting. Significantly, NOTA in India does not provide for a ‘right to reject’.

Date: 28th February, 2017 Category: Science and Technology Topic: Developments Source: The Hindu Difficulty level: Medium Type: Factual

3] “INS Vikramaditya” was recently in the news. What is it?

a) Aircraft Carrier

b) A nuclear submarine

c) A Frigate

d) An offshore patrol vessel

Ans a) Aircraft Carrier

“INS Vikramaditya” is an Aircraft carrier. Date: 28th February, 2017 Category: Geography Topic: Various Parts of the World 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 above statements is/are correct?

a) 1 Only

b) 2 Only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans c) Both 1 and 2

Both the statements are correct.

Ukraine is bordered by the waters of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Ukraine borders with seven

countries: Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Russia, and Belarus.

Date: 28th February, 2017

Category: International Relations

Topic: Reports, Organizations Source: The Hindu

Difficulty level: Medium

Type: Factual

5] Which of the following organizations bring out the report known as ‘World Happiness Report’?

(a) Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)

(b) The United Nations Development Programme

(c) The World Economic Forum

(d) The World Bank

Answer: (a) Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) brings out the report known as ‘World Happiness Report’.

Current News Analysis

01-03-2017

A. GS1 Related

1. Copper axes point to an ancient culture story http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/copper-axes-point-to-an-ancient-

culture-story/article17383808.ece

Category: Indian History

Topic: Ancient India

Key Points: Recently, six copper axes and some pieces of pottery discovered in Sakatpur

of Saharanpur district in Uttar Pradesh. This development could point to a separate culture that straddled the Ganga

and Yamuna, coinciding with the Indus Valley Civilisation, say archaeologists.

Important Points to Note When the Indus Valley civilisation flourished in what is today Punjab,

Haryana and parts of Pakistan, a parallel culture is thought to have co-existed in the fertile plains between the Ganga and the Yamuna in western Uttar Pradesh.

The copper axes and pottery sherds found last week may be related to the Ochre Coloured Pottery (OCP) culture in the doab (plains) of the two rivers in the late Harappan period, around 2000 BC.

B. GS2 Related

1. India pushes for Mall a’s e tradition http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-pushes-for-mallyas-

extradition/article17384129.ece

Category: International Relations

Topic: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests

Key Points: Over the past two days, the issue of the overstaying of “certain individuals” wanted by

India was raised including with British Prime Minister Theresa May, during meetings held between Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and senior Cabinet members in the U.K.

While discussions did not name individuals, it was a clear reference to India’s bid to push for the extradition of Vijay Mallya.

Mr. Jaitley has been on a five-day visit to the U.K. which has combined the launch of the

India-U.K. year of culture — and a grand reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by Queen Elizabeth.

2. India, Oman to hold counter-terror exercises http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-oman-to-hold-counterterror-

exercises/article17384866.ece

Category: International Relations

Topic: Bilateral Relations

Key Points: The armies of India and Oman are scheduled to conduct their second bilateral exercise,

Al Nagah-II 2017, in March with a focus on counter-terrorism. India has, of late, been deepening its defence cooperation with the region. The Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba, is on a tour of Oman and the UAE to

“explore new avenues for naval cooperation”. The Army said in a statement that the exercise would be held in the Dhauladhar Ranges

at Bakloh in Himachal Pradesh from March 6 to 19.

Aim of the exercise

“The aim of the exercise is to build and promote bilateral Army-to-Army relations and enhance interoperability while exchanging skills and experiences between the Indian Army and the Royal Army of Oman,”

India and Oman already have extensive cooperation in the maritime domain. The navies of the two countries have been holding the bilateral maritime exercises called

‘Naseem Al Bahr’ since 1993.

C.GS3 Related

1. Spectrum auctions to be held annually: Deepak

http://www.thehindu.com/business/spectrum-auctions-to-be-held-annually-

deepak/article17383702.ece

Category: Indian Economy

Topic: Industry, Communications

Key Points:

Recently, the government has decided to hold fresh spectrum auctions between July and December this year and the exercise will be an annual affair from now, Telecom Secretary JS Deepak.

The Centre is also working to ensure that India embraces 5G telecom networks in tandem with the rest of the world, unlike 3G and 4G technologies whose rollout was far slower.

D. GS4 Related

E. Important Editorials

The Hindu

1. Back on track? http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/back-on-track/article17383640.ece

Category: International Relations

Topic: Bilateral Relations

Key Points: The recent discussions between Indian and Chinese officials on the way forward in

Afghanistan are a welcome sign that both countries are attempting to put a very bad year in bilateral ties behind them, and seek common ground where possible.

Points of Convergence In Afghanistan, both China and India see potential for investment and share

concerns over the rise of radicalism and terrorism. There are many avenues for cooperation in Afghanistan.

In fact Beijing had initiated the special talks by inviting Indian officials who deal with Afghanistan and proposed a “joint development project”.

This encourages the conclusion that China is unwilling to have its options cramped by Pakistan’s reservations about India’s role in Afghanistan.

The Way Forward It has been suggested that India must prepare for the larger challenge this year

that will inevitably come from China’s Belt and Road Initiative (B&RI, or One Belt, One Road).

Through the mega infrastructure and trade project, China has plans in place to reach out to each one of India’s land and maritime neighbours, most of whom have signed up for it.

India has decided to not join the B&RI and will not attend even as an observer as the $51-billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor, now an integral part of the B&RI initiative, runs through areas of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

This concerns India’s territorial integrity, and New Delhi needs to find ways to make China more sensitive to its concerns.

2. Game of tones http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/game-of-tones/article17383643.ece

Category: Indian Economy

Topic: Industry, Communications

Key Points: It is interesting to note the current wave of mergers and acquisitions in India’s

telecommunications industry. This wave started in November 2015 with Reliance Communications’

agreement to acquire Sistema’s Indian wireless business.

The wave of mergers and acquisitions have gained considerable momentum over the last 15 months with several more announcements — of deals struck or confirmation of ongoing merger negotiations — having been made.

Changed Dynamics

A little more than five years ago, as many as 12 private players jostled with the two state-run telephone operators, BSNL and MTNL.

These two state-run operators vied for a share of the country’s 893.8 million wireless subscribers as of December 2011.

And while the market had expanded to almost 1.13 billion subscribers as of December 2016, the number of non-state mobile services providers had shrunk to 10, inclusive of Reliance Jio.

The industry is now finally poised to coalesce into four large private sector entities, a welcome development both from the industry and government perspective.

Economic Times

1. The right and wrong of free speech http://blogs.economictimes.indiatimes.com/et-editorials/the-right-and-wrong-

of-free-speech/

Category: Polity and Governance

Topic: Basic Provisions

Key Points:

Causes for Concern

It has been suggested that the recent events at Ramjas College in Delhi University truncate the right to freedom of speech.

It is true that the Constitution places reasonable restrictions on this freedom, on grounds of sovereignty and national integrity, security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, decency, defamation and incitement to an offence.

It is important to note that free speech is not meant only for those who agree with a dominant view; it matters most when it comes to unpopular, minority views.

Concluding Remarks

In conclusion, it is important to note that the country’s courts are the final arbiters of when a restriction on free speech is warranted, but in a technical sense.

It is the lived practice of democracy — with citizens actively defending free speech, even of the kind they disagree with — that will give substance to this and other fundamental rights.

PIB

1. India and ADB sign $375 million in loans and grants for first

phase of 2,500–kilometer long East Coast Economic

Corridor http://pib.nic.in/newsite/printrelease.aspx?relid=158722

Category: Indian Economy

Topic: International Trade

Key Points: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed here

$375 million in loans and grants to develop 800-kilometer Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor, which is the First Phase of a planned 2,500–kilometer long East Coast Economic Corridor (ECEC).

The Corridor is expected to spur development on India’s eastern coast in line with the Government of India’s Make in India policy to stimulate manufacturing, and Act East policy to integrate the Indian economy with Asia’s dynamic global production networks.

The signing event was held on 23.02.2017 followed the ADB approval of $631 million in loans and grants in September 2016 to develop the Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor.

ADB’s approved loans comprise a $500 million multi-tranche facility to build key infrastructure in the four main centers along the corridor – Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Amaravati, and Yerpedu-Srikalahasti in the State of Andhra Pradesh.

The First Tranche of $245 million was signed today that will finance sub-projects to develop high-quality internal infrastructure in 2 of the 4 nodes of the corridor–Visakhapatnam and Yerpedu-Srikalahasti.

Another component of the approved ADB funds signed on 23.02.2017 was a $125 million policy-based loan that will be used for capacity development of institutions engaged in corridor management, provide support to enhance ease of doing business and for supporting industrial and sector policies to stimulate industrial development.

2. India signs Financing Agreement with World Bank for US$

63 Million for Tejaswini: Socio-Economic Empowerment of

Adolescent Girls and Young Women Project http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=158720

Category: Environment and Ecology

Topic: Conservation

Key Points: A Financing Agreement for IDA credit of US$ 63 million (equivalent) for the

“Tejaswini” Socio-Economic Empowerment of Adolescent Girls and Young Women Project” was signed here with the World Bank on 23rd February, 2017.

The Financing Agreement was signed by Mr. Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance on behalf of the Government of India and Mr. Junaid Kamal Ahmad, Country Director, World Bank (India) on behalf of the World Bank.

A Project Agreement was also signed by Mr. Mukhmeet Singh Bhatia, Principal Secretary, Department of Women, Child Development, Government of Jharkhand and Mr. Junaid Kamal Ahmad, Country Director, World Bank.

The project seeks to empower the adolescent girls with basic life skills and thereafter provide further opportunities to acquire market driven skill training or completion of secondary education, depending on the inclination of the beneficiary.

The project will be delivered in 17 Districts of Jharkhand. The project has three main components, (i) Expanding social, educational and economic opportunities (ii) Intensive service delivery (iii) State capacity-building and implementation support. About 680,000 adolescent girls and young women in the project Districts are expected to benefit from the program.

F. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn: 1. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn

Asian Development Bank (ADB)

China’s Belt and Road Initiative

2. BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/ORGS IN NEWS

BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/ORGANISATIONS

IN NEWS

Links to Refer

Act East Policy

http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=133837

3. Tags

Asian Development Bank (ADB)

China’s Belt and Road Initiative

Practice Questions

Date: 1st March, 2017 Category: Ancient India Topic: Mauryan Kingdom Source: The Hindu

Difficulty level: Medium Type: Factual

1. The statue of Gomateshwara at Sravanabelagola was built by which of the following rulers,

A. Chandragupta Maurya

B. Kharvela

C. Amoghavarsha

D. Chamundaraya

Ans : (D)

Chamundaraya had built statue of Gomateshwara at Sravanabelagola.

Date: 1st March, 2017 Category: Indian History Topic: Modern Indian History Source: The Hindu Difficulty level: Medium Type: Factual

2] The first Indian ruler who joined the subsidiary Alliance was which of the following,

A. The Nawab of Oudh

B. The Nizam of Hyderabad

C. Peshwa Baji Rao II

D. The king of Travancore

Ans : (B)

The Nizam of Hyderabad was the first Indian ruler who joined the subsidiary Alliance.

Date: 1st March, 2017 Category: International Relations Topic: Bilateral Relations Source: The Hindu Difficulty level: Medium Type: Factual

3] “Naseem Al Bahr” was recently in the news. What is it?

a) A bilateral maritime exercise between India and Oman

b) A bilateral maritime exercise between India and Iran

c) A bilateral maritime exercise between India and Indonesia

d) A bilateral maritime exercise between India and U.A.E

Ans a) “Naseem Al Bahr” is a bilateral maritime exercise between India and Oman.

Date: 1st March, 2017 Category: Ancient India Topic: Indus Valley Civilization Source: The Hindu Difficulty level: Medium Type: Factual

4] Which among the following is the largest site in the Indus Valley Civilization,

a) Rakhigarhi

b) Harappa c) Mohenjodaro d) Kalibangan

Ans a) Rakhigarhi is the largest site in the Indus Valley Civilization.

Date: 1

st March, 2017

Category: International Relations

Topic: Reports, Organizations Source: The Hindu Difficulty level: Medium Type: Factual

5] Which of the following organizations bring out the report known as ‘Global Information

Technology Report’?

(a) Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)

(b) The United Nations Development Programme

(c) The World Economic Forum

(d) The World Bank

Answer: (c) WEF (World Economic Forum) brings out the report known as ‘Global Information Technology Report’.

Current News Analysis

02-03-2017

A. GS1 Related

B. GS2 Related

C.GS3 Related

1. Interceptor missile test successful http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/interceptor-missile-test-

successful/article17389133.ece

Category: Science and Technology

Topic: Developments

Key Points: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on 1st

March, 2017 successfully carried out a test of an interceptor missile.

This further validated the reliability of the under-development, two-layered

Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) in shooting down enemy missiles.

This missile is an endo-atmospheric missile, that can intercept missiles at

ranges of 15-30 km.

A note on the Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) The BMD consists of two interceptor missiles, the Prithvi Defence Vehicle

(PDV) for exo-atmospheric ranges and the Advanced Area Defence (AAD)

missile for endo-atmosphere or lower altitudes.

The BMD is critical to protect the country from the long-range ballistic

missiles proliferating in the neighbourhood.

DRDO expects to have shield ready for deployment by 2022.

D. GS4 Related

E. Important Editorials

The Hindu

1. Withering highs

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/withering-highs/article17390693.ece

Category: Geography

Topic: Climatology, Monsoon

Key Points: It is important to note that Global weather in recent times has come under

pressure from the El Nino warming that began in 2015 and exerted its influence

into the first quarter of 2016.

Further, it is also significant to note that the Australian international weather

bureau says there is a 50% prospect of a similar phenomenon this year as well,

making it a significant alert on hotter temperatures, and possibly a debilitated

monsoon and weaker agricultural prospects.

Impact

As the temperature edged past 40ºC last year, schools in some states decided to

extend their summer vacations by a week or two.

This may become necessary again.

Urban water distress poses another challenge, because big cities in several States

have not received adequate rainfall to replenish their reservoirs and are using up

groundwater at unsustainable rates.

For farmers, another harsh period would add to their difficulties, requiring a

sensitive approach to their needs.

Administrative decisions for summer management will need to be refined on the

basis of coming IMD updates, although the overall trend appears to be clear.

Concluding Remarks

Temperatures in different parts of the world may have variations due to local

weather phenomena.

The effect of El Nino on the global temperature average is only a small part of

the overall rise, indicating that the trend could be correlated with the rise in

greenhouse gases.

There are clear signs that the world must shift away from further high-emission

pathways in the economy and adopt leapfrogging technologies.

It is also a call for policy initiatives to build resilience by improving water

harvesting and expanding tree cover, including in cities.

For rural India, building surface irrigation facilities such as ponds through the

employment guarantee scheme and climate funds would seem a natural choice,

while urban water supply augmentation needs more reservoirs to be built.

Economic Times

1. Whatever the Q3 growth rate, get on with reforms http://blogs.economictimes.indiatimes.com/et-editorials/whatever-the-q3-

growth-rate-get-on-with-reforms/

Category: Indian Economy

Topic: Government Policy

Key Points:

The recent development of the Central Statistics Office’s (CSO) second advance estimate of economic activity would suggest that the financial shock of removing

86 per cent of the currency from circulation in an economy where more than 90

per cent of transactions were in cash has not hurt economic growth. Growth in the quarter ending December, when the impact of demonetisation

would have been the worst, is estimated to have been 7 per cent and the estimate

for 2016-17 as a whole is 7.1 per cent. The robust growth in agriculture, of 6 per cent in Q3 and 4.4 per cent for the

whole year, after two years of drought does not quite explain it: after all,

agriculture, forestry and fishing account for just 15 per cent of GDP. But there are rational explanations for this seeming mismatch between

expectation and outcome.

Concluding Remarks

CSO estimates GDP using the financial results of companies and sales tax paid

by traders. It is conceivable that quite a few entities declared unusual levels of income and

sales, to bring hoarded cash into formal channels and, thus, presented an inflated

picture of economic activity. This bump in activity would disappear in the fourth quarter, if this were so. And

the CSO figures imply precisely that: growth in Q4 is expected to turn in at 6.9

per cent.

PIB

1. Minister for Civil Aviation Dedicates First Integrated

Heliport to the Nation http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=158731

Category: Indian Economy

Topic: Government Policy

Key Points: The First Integrated Heliport was dedicated to the Nation by Ministry of Civil

Aviation in association with Pawan Hans.

After inaugurating the facility the Minister for Civil Aviation Shri Ashok

Gajapathi Raju said that the heliport was an excellent infrastructure but pointed

out that helicopter services in India are still at a nascent stage.

2. PM greets the scientists on National Science Day; salutes

Sir CV Raman for his contribution to science http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=158727

Category: Science and Technology

Topic: Developments

Key Points: The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has greeted the scientists on National

Science Day. The Prime Minister also saluted Sir CV Raman for his contribution

to the science.

“On National Science Day, my greetings and best wishes to our scientific

community. Their role in nation building and advancement is paramount.

We salute Sir CV Raman for his pioneering contribution to science, which

continues to inspire generations of science enthusiasts’’, the Prime Minister said.

3. Successful Test Firing of AAD Endo-Atmospheric

Interceptor Missile http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=158774

Category: Science and Technology

Topic: Developments

Key Points: DRDO conducted the successful launch of the interceptor missile Advanced Area

Defence (AAD).

The endo-atmospheric missile, capable of intercepting incoming targets at an

altitude of 15 to 25 kms successfully destroyed the incoming missile.

All the mission objectives were successfully met.

The weapon system radars tracked the target and provided the initial guidance to

the interceptor which could precisely home on to the target and destroyed it in

endo-atmospheric layer.

The complete event including the engagement and destruction was tracked by a

number of electro-optical tracking systems using infrared imagery.

Radars and telemetry stations tracked the target and the interceptor till the

destruction of the target.

The launch has proved the Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) prowess of the

country.

F. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn:

1. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn

First Integrated Heliport

National Science Day

Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD)

2. BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/ORGS IN NEWS

BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/ORGANISATIONS Links to Refer

IN NEWS

Act East Policy

http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=133837

3. Tags

First Integrated Heliport

National Science Day

Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD)

Practice Questions

Date: 2nd March, 2017 Category: Science and Technology Topic: Developments Source: The Hindu Difficulty level: Medium Type: Factual

1] Consider the following statements, regarding Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD),

1] The BMD consists of two interceptor missiles, the Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV) for exo-atmospheric

ranges and the Advanced Area Defence (AAD) missile for endo-atmosphere or lower altitudes.

2] The BMD is critical to protect the country from the long-range ballistic missiles proliferating in the

neighbourhood.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

a) 1 Only b) 2 Only c) Both 1 and 2 d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans c) Both 1 and 2

Both the statements are correct.

The BMD consists of two interceptor missiles, the Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV) for exo-atmospheric

ranges and the Advanced Area Defence (AAD) missile for endo-atmosphere or lower altitudes.

The BMD is critical to protect the country from the long-range ballistic missiles proliferating in the

neighbourhood.

Date: 2nd March, 2017 Category: Geography Topic: Ocean Currents Source: The Hindu Difficulty level: Medium Type: Factual

2] Consider the following statements,

1] The Agulhas Current and Gulf Stream are warm water currents.

2] The West Wind Drift is a cold water current.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

a) 1 Only b) 2 Only c) Both 1 and 2 d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans c) Both 1 and 2

Both the statements are correct.

The Agulhas Current and Gulf Stream are warm water currents. The West Wind Drift is a cold water

current.

Date: 2nd March, 2017 Category: Science and Technology Topic: Developments Source: The Hindu Difficulty level: Medium Type: Factual

3] “INS Chakra” was recently in the news. What is it?

a) Aircraft Carrier

b) A nuclear submarine

c) A Frigate

d) An offshore patrol vessel

Ans b) A nuclear submarine

“INS Chakra” is a nuclear submarine.

Date: 2nd March, 2017 Category: Science and Technology Topic: Developments Source: The Hindu Difficulty level: Medium Type: Factual

4] Consider the following statements,

1] BRAHMOS missile operates on a ‘Fire and Forget Principle’.

2] BRAHMOS is a two-stage missile with a solid propellant booster engine as its first stage.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

a) 1 Only

b) 2 Only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans c) Both 1 and 2

Both the statements are correct.

BRAHMOS missile operates on a ‘Fire and Forget Principle’. BRAHMOS is a two-stage missile with a

solid propellant booster engine as its first stage.

Date: 2nd

March, 2017

Category: International Relations

Topic: Reports, Organizations Source: The Hindu

Difficulty level: Medium

Type: Factual

5] Which of the following organizations bring out the report known as ‘Ease of Doing Business’?

(a) IBRD (World Bank)

(b) The United Nations Development Programme

(c) The World Economic Forum

(d) The World Bank

Answer: (a) IBRD (World Bank) brings out the report known as ‘Ease of Doing Business’.

Current News Analysis

03-03-2017

A. GS1 Related

B. GS2 Related

1. India to attend Lahore meet on Indus Waters Treaty http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-to-attend-lahore-meet-on-indus-

waters-treaty/article17396619.ece

Category: International Relations

Topic: Bilateral Relations

Key Points: India has recently accepted an invitation to attend a meeting of the

Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) to be held in Lahore in March.

This development signals a major shift in India’s position on talks with Pakistan on the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).

2. Pakistan returns to SAARC, gets Secretary General post http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/herd-of-deer-

found-dead-outside-nagarahole-park/article17397712.ece

Category: International Relations

Topic: India and its Neighbourhood

Key Points: Pakistan succeeded in getting its official elected to the post of the Secretary

General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

This was backed by all members, including India, which made the selection

consensus-based.

However, Officials at the SAARC secretariat, however, said the election was

of administrative nature and diplomatic intent should not be read in it.

Sources at the SAARC secretariat in Kathmandu said the election of Mr. Sial

was possible as India and Pakistan had indicated a greater willingness to

allow SAARC to function.

C.GS3 Related

1. Herd of deer found dead outside Nagarahole park http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-

andhrapradesh/herd-of-deer-found-dead-outside-nagarahole-

park/article17397712.ece

Category: Environment and Ecology

Topic: Conservation

Key Points: A herd of deer desperate to quench their thirst was found dead close to a

watering hole outside the Nagarahole National Park on 2nd

March, 2017.

This development is suspected to be a case of deliberate poisoning.

Wild animals are reeling under the impact of severe drought and extreme

water stress and the authorities are stunned by the poisoning of even the

limited water source though it was outside the park boundary.

Sources in the Forest Department told The Hindu that it was not uncommon

for miscreants to liberally sprinkle urea in waterbodies close to protected

areas, as they are frequented by angulates such as spotted deer, barking deer,

sambar etc. to quench their thirst. The miscreants then trailed the desperate

animals which would fall dead and then poached for meat, they said.

2. No camps within 100 m of Ganga: NGT http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-miscellaneous/tp-others/no-

camps-within-100-m-of-ganga-ngt/article17397735.ece

Category: Environment and Ecology

Topic: Conservation

Key Points: The National Green Tribunal recently prohibited all camping activity from

Shivpuri to Rishikesh on beaches along the Ganga which fall within 100

meters of the river.

What about Eco-tourism? It cannot be disputed that river rafting is one of the significant components of

eco-tourism.

It needs to be encouraged but with a clear mandate that it should not cause

any environmental and biodiversity degradation particularly in relation to the

flood plains and the forest areas adjacent to the sites identified for river

rafting.

Who filed the petition? The judgment came on a petition filed by environment activist Vikrant

Tongad, who highlighted how unregulated camping was leading to pollution

in the river and its adjoining areas.

He also highlighted how tourists coming to the area left behind litter and

polluted the river and the soil.

Position of the bench

The bench clarified that “the portion of the identified beaches which mostly fall outside the restriction of 100 meters should alone be used for effective

camping activity.”

The remaining part of the beach should not be permitted for any effective

activity, the bench said. “In other words, on the remnant part of the beach that falls within 100 meters any activity involving tenting, toilets and other

incidental requirements should remain prohibited,” the bench said. “While on the other hand, if 70% area falls within 100 meters and only 30%

area falls outside 100 meters then the effective camping activity with its

related infrastructure requirements could be carried on only in 30% of the

beach area while leaving the entire 70% area free from such interference,” it said.

3. A weapon-locati g radar for the Ar y Swati extensively tested along LoC http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/a-weaponlocating-radar-for-the-

army/article17396689.ece

Category: Science and Technology

Topic: Developments

Key Points: The DRDO has formally handed over an indigenously developed Weapon

Locating Radar (WLR) system called ‘Swati’ to the Army. It has been extensively tested along the Line of Control.

The organisation also handed over a Nuclear, Biological and Chemical

(NBC) recce vehicle and NBC treatment drugs to the Army.

A ote o Swati Swati provides quick, automatic and accurate location of all enemy weapons

like mortars, shells and rockets firing within its effective zone of coverage

and simultaneously handles multiple projectiles fired from different weapons

at different locations.

Swati can also direct artillery response based on the incoming enemy fire.

Swati has a range of 50 km which brings all artillery guns presently in

service worldwide under its coverage.

Four systems are currently in operation and another 30 are on order for the

Army.

D. GS4 Related

E. Important Editorials

The Hindu

1. Are our campuses under siege?

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/are-our-campuses-under-

siege/article17395902.ece

Category: Polity and Governance

Topic: Basic Provisions of Constitution

Key Points: Here, there are three views expressed. The first being ‘Left of Center’, the second being, ‘Right of Center’, and the third being a Centrist position.

Left of Center Views

The writer believes that the political party in power has weakened democratic

institutions which has led to restlessness.

Unfortunately, moral and cultural policing, misuse of force with the involvement

of police, and attacks on universities and colleges are tools with which assaults

on students are organised.

While noting the use and misuse of the media, the writer observes that there is a

classic creation of a surveillance society.

Crucially, the writer observes that in Central and State-funded universities, a

large number of students who take admission belong to the marginal sections of

society and the middle-lower class, and that if they undergo the process of

cultural understanding about the relationship between state and society, they can

be effectively used for institutionalising an alternative polity of the working class

in which the working class, peasantry and women along with SCs, STs and

minorities play instrumental roles in the decision-making process.

Right of Center Views

The writer points out that based on the available literature related to the concept of

nation and nationalism (largely drawn on the Western historical experiences and

philosophical traditions), one can broadly identify three major schools of thought.

The primordialist school, for instance, claims that nations are ‘real’, and ethnicity forms the basis for a nation to emerge. Germany comes to mind,

where people came to together to create the nation first and then a unified

state.

The second are the proponents of civic nationalism — as in France — where

the state is first, then the nation.

The third, popularly known as the constructivist school, contests the

existence of nation as ‘real’ or ‘natural. For the constructivists, the discourse on nation makes it ‘real’.

National identity, according to them, is made-up narratives based on

selective manipulation of facts and used as an instrument by the political elite

for mobilisation and capture of state power.

Indian Context:

Interestingly, India, or Bharat as the Constitution defines it, does not fit into any

of the three categories. India as a nation-state model is sui generis.

It emerged in 1947 as a modern, sovereign nation-state entity but that does

not mean that the idea of Bharatavarsha is new.

The description of Bharat is found in our epics, our sacred texts, shastras, in

Kalidasa’s poem ‘Meghaduta’ (Cloud Messenger), apart from the speeches

and writings of Swami Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo.

The idea of Bharat Rashtra is thus neither a product of imagination or

narration; it is a natural reality.

Centrist Views

The writer points out that in India, historians R.S. Sharma and Romila

Thapar, both historians of ancient India, are considered Leftists but have very

different methodologies to understand the past.

Knowledge is very fluid. Existentialism impacted Marxism and got changed

in the process; similarly Freud helped Marxists see human nature in a very

different light.

It is true that the Left, when in power, has displayed a tendency to

hegemonise all social and cultural spaces. It destroyed the intellectual life of

West Bengal. When knowledge-seeking is made subservient to what is

thought to be politically correct, it flounders.

Economic Times

1. RBI, scrap these cash transaction charges http://blogs.economictimes.indiatimes.com/et-editorials/rbi-scrap-these-cash-

transaction-charges/

Category: Indian Economy

Topic: Money and Banking, Government Policy

Key Points:

Recently, three of the country’s largest private sector banks — ICICI, HDFC and

Axis — have imposed costs on consumers for transactions in cash at bank

branches.

Only four cash withdrawals or deposits would be free per account in a branch. From

the fifth transaction, a minimum of Rs 150 would be added on as cost.

ICICI Bank would levy an additional Rs 5 every Rs 1,000 transacted. ATM

transactions are exempt, they say: only branch transactions are affected.

Situation on the ground:

A country of 1.33 billion people has less than 2.2 lakh ATM machines, mostly

confined to metropolitan sites.

Everybody else in the vast hinterland has to operate through branch banking.

Restricting third-party cash transactions to Rs 25,000 per day as HDFC Bank

proposes, or Rs 50,000 per day, as ICICI Bank will have it, along with these new

cash transaction costs, can destroy small and medium business, the informal and

farm economy, and slam the brakes on growth.

Zero-balance and salary accounts have not been spared the four-transactions-per-

month rule by private banks.

Concluding Remarks

If the government and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) do not step in immediately to

stop private banks from imposing these transaction costs, state-owned banks

might also follow suit.

The aim should be to make digital transactions so easy and costless as to make

use of cash look foolish.

PIB

1. Maiden Anti-Ship Missile launch by Kalvari http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=158789

Category: Science and Technology

Topic: Developments

Key Points: The Indian Navy, successfully conducted the maiden firing of an Anti-Ship

missile from the first of the indigenously built Kalvari class submarines, during a

test firing in the Arabian Sea.

The missile successfully hit a surface target at extended ranges during the trial

firing, held this morning.

This missile launch is a significant milestone, not only for the Kalvari, which is

the first in a series of Scorpene class submarines being built in India, but also in

enhancing the Indian Navy’s sub-surface warfare capability.

All six Kalvari class submarines being built in India will be equipped with this

anti-ship missile, which has a proven record in combat. These missiles will

provide the submarines the ability to neutralise surface threats at extended

ranges.

F. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn:

1. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn

Weapon Locating Radar (WLR)

Kalvari class submarines

2. BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/ORGS IN NEWS

BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/ORGANISATIONS

IN NEWS

Links to Refer

Act East Policy

http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=133837

3. Tags

Weapon Locating Radar (WLR)

Kalvari class submarines

Practice Questions

Date: 3rd March, 2017 Category: Science and Technology Topic: Developments Source: The Hindu Difficulty level: Medium Type: Factual

1] Consider the following statements,

1] Recently, the DRDO has formally handed over an indigenously developed Weapon Locating Radar

(WLR) system called ‘Swati’ to the Army.

2] Swati provides quick, automatic and accurate location of all enemy weapons like mortars, shells and

rockets firing within its effective zone of coverage and simultaneously handles multiple projectiles fired

from different weapons at different locations.

3] Swati has a range of 50 km which brings all artillery guns presently in service worldwide under its

coverage.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

a) 1 and 3 Only b) 2 and 3 Only c) 1 and 2 Only d) All, 1, 2 and 3

Ans d) All, 1, 2 and 3

All the statements are correct.

Recently, the DRDO has formally handed over an indigenously developed Weapon Locating Radar

(WLR) system called ‘Swati’ to the Army. Swati provides quick, automatic and accurate location of all enemy weapons like mortars, shells and rockets firing within its effective zone of coverage and

simultaneously handles multiple projectiles fired from different weapons at different locations. Swati has

a range of 50 km which brings all artillery guns presently in service worldwide under its coverage.

Date: 3rd March, 2017 Category: Environment and Ecology Topic: Conservation Source: The Hindu Difficulty level: Medium Type: Factual

2] ‘Nagarahole National Park’ was recently in the news. Where is it located?

a) Karnataka

b) Tamil Nadu

c) Madhya Pradesh

d) Kerala

Ans a) Karnataka

Both the statements are correct.

‘Nagarahole National Park’ is located in Karnataka.

Date: 3rd March, 2017 Category: Science and Technology Topic: Developments Source: The Hindu Difficulty level: Medium Type: Factual

3] “INS Kalvari” was recently in the news. What is it?

a) Aircraft Carrier

b) A submarine

c) A Frigate

d) An offshore patrol vessel

Ans b) A submarine

“INS Kalvari” is a submarine.

Date: 3rd March, 2017 Category: Indian History Topic: Ancient India Source: The Hindu

Difficulty level: Medium Type: Factual

4] ‘Meghaduta’ was composed by?

a) Kalidasa

b) Tulsidas

c) Aryabhatta

d) Harshavardhana

Ans c) Both 1 and 2

‘Meghaduta’ was composed by Kalidasa.

Date: 3rd

March, 2017

Category: International Relations

Topic: Reports, Organizations Source: The Hindu

Difficulty level: Medium

Type: Factual

5] Which of the following organizations bring out the report known as ‘Southeast Asia Energy

Outlook’?

(a) International Energy Agency

(b) The United Nations Development Programme

(c) The World Economic Forum

(d) The World Bank

Answer: (a) International Energy Agency brings out the report known as ‘Southeast Asia Energy Outlook’.

Current News Analysis

04-03-2017

A. GS1 Related

B. GS2 Related

1. UN body slams Sri Lanka http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/un-body-slams-sri-

lanka/article17405516.ece

Category: International Relations

Topic: Bilateral Relations

Key Points: The UN has recently said that reports of abuses including torture remain

widespread in Sri Lanka eight years after the end of a decades-long civil war.

The UN criticized the government’s slow progress in addressing wartime crimes.

At least 1,00,000 people died in the conflict between Tamil separatists and

government forces that ended in 2009.

The UN has been pushing for a special court to investigate allegations that

government forces killed up to 40,000 Tamil civilians in the final months of

fighting.

Mr. Sirisena had agreed to a UN Human Rights Council resolution in

October 2015 which called for special tribunals and reparations for victims

and gave Sri Lanka 18 months to establish credible investigations.

But the deadline lapsed without those commitments being met.

C.GS3 Related

1. For Olive Ridle s, it’s paradise lost http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/for-olive-ridleys-its-

paradise-lost/article17405178.ece

Category: Environment and Ecology

Topic: Conservation

Key Points: In a recent development, tens of thousands of eggs laid by Olive Ridley sea

turtles this year in Gahirmatha Sanctuary in Odisha, one of the world’s largest nesting grounds, are getting destroyed due to shrinking coastal space.

Gahirmatha once had 32 km of beach and nesting area of 1,80,000 square

metres.

2. Centre dithers on Western Ghats issue http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/centre-dithers-on-western-ghats-

issue/article17403548.ece

Category: Environment and Ecology

Topic: Conservation

Key Points: The Environment Ministry has dithered, for the second time in three years,

from bringing into force a law that will make about 56,825 sqkm of the

ecologically-rich Western Ghats out of bounds for industrial development.

Ever since a committee headed by ecologist Madhav Gadgil recommended in

2011 that all of the Western Ghats be declared as the Ecological Sensitive

Area (ESA) — with only limited development allowed in graded zones—

States have forced the Centre to consistently delay imposing the ESA

restrictions.

A committee headed by K. Kasturirangan, former ISRO chairman,

recommended that only about 60,000 sq km — or about 37% of the WG and

a significant reduction from that of the Gadgil committee — be declared as

ESA.

3. U.S. i ed I dia’s plea o refor s i edici e http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/us-nixed-indias-plea-on-reforms-

in-medicine/article17403526.ece

Category: Indian Economy

Topic: International Trade

Key Points: A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) response has revealed that the United

States government had opposed including agenda items proposed by India,

which aimed at reforming medical innovation that currently pump up drug

prices to unaffordable levels.

This development come a month after the 140th World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Executive Board meeting.

What did India propose? The Indian government — along with 11 South East Asian countries — had

proposed a discussion on an ‘Access to Medicines’ report by the United

Nations High Level Panel that had recommended reforms in the funding of

biomedical research and development.

However, the set of documents released by Knowledge Ecology International

(KEI), a not for profit organisation that gives technical advice to

governments, reveals that both the United States and the WHO opposed

including the proposal by India.

D. GS4 Related

E. Important Editorials

The Hindu

1. Crossing a bridge

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/crossing-a-

bridge/article17403329.ece

Category: International Relations

Topic: India and its Neighbourhood

Key Points:

A note on the Permanent Indus Commission: It is important to note that the Permanent Indus Commission mandated to

implement the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) has met like clockwork, 112

times in 56 years, annually in each country.

The commission has experts who look into issues and disputes on the ground

over the utilisation of the waters of six rivers of the Indus system.

Under the treaty, India has full use of the three “eastern” rivers (Beas, Ravi, Sutlej), while Pakistan has control over the three “western” rivers (Indus, Chenab, Jhelum), although India is given rights to use these partially as well for

certain purposes.

Recent Development

The recent development of India accepting Pakistan’s invitation to the next round of talks is welcome, as it denotes India’s commitment to the treaty that has stood the test of time and war, and also displays New Delhi’s sincerity on the issue of water-sharing, given that the IWT is seen to be a model in dispute management.

Background before the development

In September last year, doubts had been raised over India’s commitment after the terrorist attack on an army camp in Uri, killing 19 soldiers.

In the days that followed, senior officials announced the suspension of talks until there was an

“atmosphere free of terror” after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a review meeting on the treaty to consider retaliatory measures against Pakistan for the attack, saying, “blood and water cannot go together”

The atmosphere was also charged after the government announced “surgical strikes” had been carried out along the Line of Control and subsequently pulled out from the SAARC summit in

Pakistan, leading to fears of a freeze in bilateral ties.

Concluding Remarks

The decision follows several other moves between India and Pakistan in the past few weeks

indicating a softening of positions on some other issues as well: from a marked reduction in LoC

firing, the regular annual exchange of nuclear lists, the release of prisoners by both countries, and

India being part of the consensus to elect the Pakistani nominee as the SAARC Secretary-General

this week.

It would be premature to expect that any of these events, some of which are routine, consolidate a

thaw in relations between the two countries.

However, they reaffirm the high stakes that are woven into India-Pakistan relations, and the need

to keep certain issues such as water-sharing above the politics of the moment.

Economic Times

1. Neither collegiu or a co issio : Judges’ appointment must involve Parliament http://blogs.economictimes.indiatimes.com/et-editorials/neither-collegium-

nor-a-commission-judges-appointment-must-involve-parliament/

Category: Polity and Governance

Topic: Judiciary

Key Points: In a recent development, Justice J Chelameswar, one of the three senior-most

judges of the Supreme Court after the chief justice and, thus, a member of the

collegium that nominates additions to the higher judiciary, has penned a note of

dissent on the exclusion of Justice Manjula Chellur from the list of high court

judges submitted by the collegium to the government for elevation to the

Supreme Court.

Brief Background of the issue:

Ever since the Supreme Court ruled the Judicial Appointments Commission

proposed by the government to be unfit, there have been strained relations

between the executive and the judiciary.

The government has delayed appointments, refused transfers and refused to

relent.

Current Situation:

It has been argued that the ongoing system of appointing judges of the

Supreme Court is neither transparent nor accountable.

Concluding Remarks

When a vacancy opens up for a judge in a high court or in the Supreme

Court, eligible members of the judicial fraternity, including lawyers, should

be able to formally register their interest.

The chief law officer of the government and the chief justice should be able

to nominate judges for consideration.

But their appointment as judges must be conditional on confirmation by a

committee of the Rajya Sabha with representatives from all the major

political parties.

F. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn:

1. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn

SAARC

Indus Waters Treaty (IWT)

UN Human Rights Council

2. BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/ORGS IN NEWS

BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/ORGANISATIONS

IN NEWS

Links to Refer

Act East Policy

http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=133837

3. Tags

SAARC

Indus Waters Treaty (IWT)

UN Human Rights Council

Practice Questions

Date: 4th March, 2017 Category: International Relations; Geography Topic: Agreements; Drainage Source: The Hindu Difficulty level: Medium Type: Factual

1] Consider the following statements,

1] The Permanent Indus Commission is mandated to implement the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).

2] The commission has experts who look into issues and disputes on the ground over the utilisation of the

waters of six rivers of the Indus system.

3] Under the treaty, India has full use of the three “eastern” rivers (Beas, Ravi, Sutlej), while Pakistan has control over the three “western” rivers (Indus, Chenab, Jhelum), although India is given rights to use

these partially as well for certain purposes.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

a) 1 and 3 Only

b) 2 and 3 Only c) 1 and 2 Only d) All, 1, 2 and 3

Ans d) All, 1, 2 and 3

All the statements are correct.

The Permanent Indus Commission is mandated to implement the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). The

commission has experts who look into issues and disputes on the ground over the utilisation of the waters

of six rivers of the Indus system. Under the treaty, India has full use of the three “eastern” rivers (Beas, Ravi, Sutlej), while Pakistan has control over the three “western” rivers (Indus, Chenab, Jhelum), although India is given rights to use these partially as well for certain purposes.

Date: 4th March, 2017 Category: Environment and Ecology Topic: Conservation Source: The Hindu Difficulty level: Medium Type: Factual

2] ‘Gahirmatha Sanctuary’ was recently in the news. Where is it located?

a) Odisha

b) Tamil Nadu

c) Madhya Pradesh

d) Kerala

Ans a) Odisha ‘Gahirmatha Sanctuary’ is located in Odisha.

Date: 4th March, 2017 Category: Environment and Ecology Topic: Conservation Source: The Hindu

Difficulty level: Medium Type: Factual

3] “Gadgil Commission” is often mentioned in the news. What is it in relation to?

a) Western Ghats Ecology

b) Eastern Ghats Ecology

c) Himalayan Ecology

d) Underground Hydrology

Ans a) Western Ghats Ecology

“Gadgil Commission” was an environmental research commission appointed by the Ministry of Environment and Forests of India. Its main area of focus was Western Ghats Ecology.

Date: 4th March, 2017 Category: Indian History Topic: Ancient India Source: The Hindu Difficulty level: Medium Type: Factual

4] ‘Abhijnanasakuntalam’ was composed by?

a) Kalidasa

b) Tulsidas

c) Aryabhatta

d) Harshavardhana

Ans a) Kalidasa

‘Abhijnanasakuntalam’ was composed by Kalidasa.

Date: 4th March, 2017

Category: International Relations

Topic: Reports, Organizations Source: The Hindu

Difficulty level: Medium

Type: Factual

5] Which of the following organizations bring out the report known as ‘Asian Development Outlook’?

(a) ADB (Asian Development bank)

(b) The United Nations Development Programme

(c) The World Economic Forum

(d) The World Bank

Answer: (a) ADB (Asian Development bank) brings out the report known as ‘Asian Development Outlook’.