Table of Contents - PrepMate€¦ · Bengaluru to get India's first 'heli-taxi' service (Relevant for GS Prelims)..... 69 3. "New India Manthan, ïï (Relevant for GS Prelims

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Table of Contents Polity & Governance ......................................................................................................... 1

1. Congress in disarray: On Gujarat Rajya Sabha elections (GS Mains Paper II) ............................ 1

2. Regulator turns up heat on erring CAs (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II) ............. 1

3. Panagariya quits NITI Aayog (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II)........................ 3

4. RERA rules (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II, III) ...................................................... 3

5. NOTA in Rajya Sabha polls (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II) ............................. 4

6. Aadhaar pre-requisite for death certificates (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper

II, III) ............................................................................................................................................................................ 5

7. Where is the opposition in India? (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II) ................ 6

8. Subsidise rail losses: PMO (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II) ............................... 7

9. Articles 370, 35A pertaining to J & K in question (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains

Paper II)...................................................................................................................................................................... 8

10. Qureshi: AAI Administrator (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II) ........................ 10

11. Cycle of violence of Kannur (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II) ......................... 10

12. Article 35A comes under scrutiny (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II) ............ 12

13. CoA report attacks BCCI (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II) ............................... 13

14. Finding Investors: on Sahara case (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II, III) .... 13

15. Privileges in prisons: On favourable exemptions to Sasikala in jail (Relevant for GS Prelims

and GS Mains Paper II) ..................................................................................................................................... 15

16. OBC list to be sub-categorised (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II, III) ............ 16

17. All you need to know about Article 35A (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II) 17

18. HC slams the Haryana government (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II)......... 19

International Organizations and Relations ......................................................... 20

1. Uncertainty ahead in Pakistan (Relevant for GS Mains Paper II) .................................................. 20

2. US pressurizes India to reduce relations with North Korea (Relevant for GS Mains Paper II)

..................................................................................................................................................................................... 21

3. Nepal Prime Minister's visit brings bilateral hope (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains

Paper II)................................................................................................................................................................... 21

4. Russia's expulsion of the U.S. staff (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II) ............ 22

5. India, China to join Indian Ocean exercise (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II)

..................................................................................................................................................................................... 23

6. Rising attacks over Europe (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II) ......................... 24

7. Disturbing videos from Ladakh (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II) ................. 25

8. Drones on a mission to restore Myanmar's mangrove cover (Relevant for GS Prelims and

GS Mains Paper III) ............................................................................................................................................. 26

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9. Trump's new Afghan strategy with India's role in it (Relevant forGS Prelims and GS Mains

Paper II) ................................................................................................................................................................. 27

10. Ending the Doklam stand-off (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II) ..................... 29

11. North Korea fires missile over Japan (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II) ...... 30

Economics ......................................................................................................................... 32

1. Analysis of Housing prices (Relevant for GS Mains Paper III) ................................................................. 32

2. The Nifty bull run (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper III) .............................................. 34

3. On food security in India (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper III) ................................ 35

4. Stronger rupee likely to hit export competitiveness (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains

Paper III) ................................................................................................................................................................................... 36

5. About the rupee performance (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper III) ..................... 37

6. Trade of SEBI restrictions: A hasty order (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper III)

.......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 38

7. Vishal Sikka quits as Infosys CEO, shares take a beating (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS

Mains Paper III) .................................................................................................................................................. 39

8. Why are vegetable prices soaring? (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper III) .......... 41

9. Centre to unveil 'future-ready' industrial policy (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains

Paper III) ................................................................................................................................................................. 42

Environment ..................................................................................................................... 43

1. India has 27,312 elephants: census (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper III) ......... 43

Geography ......................................................................................................................... 44

1. Massive floods in Western and Eastern India (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper

I) .................................................................................................................................................................................. 44

2. Heavy rains in Mumbai (Relevant for GS Mains Paper I) .................................................................... 45

Internal Security ............................................................................................................ 46

1. Price of Illegal Mining (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper III) ...................................... 46

2. Gujarat drug haul may be tip of the iceberg (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper

III) .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 47

3. Utkal Express derailment (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper III) ............................... 48

4. Incident management system under new NHAI plans (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS

Mains Paper III) .................................................................................................................................................................... 49








Science & Technology .................................................................................................... 51

1. Reduction in nicotine levels of cigarettes (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper III)

..................................................................................................................................................................................... 51

2. After SC order, focus on chemicals in firecrackers (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains

Paper III) ................................................................................................................................................................. 52

3. ISRO to develop full-fledged Earth observation (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains

Paper III) ................................................................................................................................................................. 53

4. Satellite built by ISRO-industry partnership set for launch (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS

Mains Paper III) ................................................................................................................................................... 54

5. Tobacco sellers barred from displaying products (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains

Paper III) ................................................................................................................................................................. 54

6. Rooftop solar project (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper III) ...................................... 55

7. Questions on Bt cotton (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper III) ................................... 56

8. Why does the 2022 target for rooftop solar seem ambitious? (Relevant for GS Prelims and

GS mains paper III)) ........................................................................................................................................... 57

Social Issues ..................................................................................................................... 59

1. Protest over SC ruling on dowry (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper I) ................... 59

2. Doctors warn against rising popularity of killer game (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS

Mains Paper I, III) ................................................................................................................................................................ 59

3. Should marital rape be criminalized? (Relevant for GS Mains) ............................................................. 61

4. Stalking: not a mere annoyance Crime that requires swift punishment (Relevant for GS

Prelims and GS Mains Paper I, II) .............................................................................................................................. 61

5. On scrapping no-detention policy (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper I, III) ........ 62

6. On Kerala conversion case: Choice & conversion (Relevant for GS Mains Paper I) ................... 63

7. Verdict of Ram Rahim (Relevant for GS Mains Paper I, II) ........................................................................ 64

8. Why was Guru Ram Rahim dera popular (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper I,

II) .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 66

9. Dera head Guru Ram Rahim given 20 years imprisonment (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS

Mains Paper I, II) ................................................................................................................................................................. 68

Miscellaneous .................................................................................................................. 69

1. Travel Delhi-Chandigarh in two hours (Relevant for GS Prelims) ................................................. 69

2. Bengaluru to get India's first 'heli-taxi' service (Relevant for GS Prelims) .................................... 69

3. "New India Manthan,’’ (Relevant for GS Prelims) ................................................................................. 70

4. NHAI takes steps to facilitate availability of FASTags for Electronic Toll Collection

(Relevant for GS Prelims) ................................................................................................................................. 70








5. Forex reserves of India may hit $400 bn by next month: Morgan Stanley (Relevant for GS

Prelims) ................................................................................................................................................................... 71

6. Plans to make Bhubaneswar an ecotourism hotspot (Relevant for GS Prelims) ........................ 72

7. Justice Dipak Misra takes oath as 45th CJI (Relevant for GS Prelims) ............................................... 72

8. ISRO opens up satellite making to industry (Relevant for GS Prelims) ............................................. 73






1



Polity & Governance

1. Congress in disarray: On Gujarat Rajya Sabha elections (GS Mains Paper II)

State of BJP in Gujarat

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, no longer boasts a strong regional leader: Narendra

Modi moved over as Prime Minister, and his successors, Anandiben Patel and Vijay Rupani,

have not managed to step out of his shadow. Also, after five consecutive victories, the anti-

incumbency factor hangs heavily over the BJP.

Crisis in Gujarat Congress

The first hints of a was that the Congress Leader of the Opposition in the State, Shankersinh

Vaghela, unfollowing party vice-president Rahul Gandhi and senior leader Ahmed Patel on

Twitter. What looked like a pressure tactic to earn nomination as the Congress s chief

ministerial candidate soon turned into open defiance, and eventually ended in a parting of

ways. Mr. Vaghela, who joined the Congress in 1998 after deserting the BJP in 1996, seems

to have resented the influence wielded by Mr. Ahmed Patel, a confidant of the Nehru-

Gandhi family, within the Congress organisational structure.

Open defection by 6 Congress MLAs

Once he quit the Congress, the stage was set for an open revolt when Mr. Patel was re-

nominated for a Rajya Sabha seat from Gujarat. As six members of the legislature deserted

the party, the Congress was in panic mode. In normal circumstances a party in the

opposition would not be alarmed at the switching of sides by a few MLAs. But the Congress,

which lays great store by Mr. Patel s backroom manoeuvring skills, evidently thinks it

cannot afford to see him defeated, and flew the remaining 44 MLAs to Karnataka.

Future of Congress in Gujarat

But beyond the election of Mr. Patel, what should worry the Congress is the longer-term

impact of the desertion from its ranks. With the Assembly election due by the end of the

year, the party needs to galvanise its cadres and functionaries. But over the years, Mr. Modi

seems to have succeeded in portraying a cloak of invincibility; he is now a larger-than-life

figure in Gujarat, after having served as Chief Minister for record 12 consecutive years.

(Adapted from The Hindu)

2. Regulator turns up heat on erring CAs (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II)






2



PM had sought action against erring CAs

This development comes within a few weeks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi indicating

stringent measures against those involved in money laundering including through shell

companies following demonetisation and asking the ICAI to hasten action against CAs

helping tax evaders.

Mr. Modi had said it was worrying that there were over 1,400 cases pending against CAs for

several years, and that it took years for the ICAI to take a single decision.

Response from Institute of Chartered Accountants of India

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has said 4,445 complaints have been

registered against CAs as on June 30 this year, and punishment has been awarded in 402

cases until March 2017. The CA regulator, however, said it was pushing for amendments to

the norms to help expedite action against wrongdoers in the profession.

About ICAI

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) is the national professional

accounting body of India. It was established on 1 July 1949 as a statutory body to regulate

the profession of Chartered Accountancy in India.







3



3. Panagariya quits NITI Aayog (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II)

Arvind Panagariya has stepped down as Vice-Chairman of the government think tank NITI

Aayog. The Columbia University professor will be returning to the U.S. to rejoin academia.

About Mr. Panagariya

The noted economist, who was appointed to the post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in

January 2015, has written to Mr. Modi requesting to be relieved by the end of the month as

he has not been granted an extension of leave from Columbia University.

Mr. Panagariya, 64, is a Professor of Indian Political Economy at Columbia University.

The Prime Minister is the Chairman of the NITI Aayog

Mr. Panagariya holds a Ph.D in Economics from Princeton University and has also worked

for the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organisation, and the

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in various capacities.

Mr. Panagariya was often outspoken on issues including labour reforms, privatisation of Air

India and sick PSUs, for which RSS-affiliate Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) had accused

the NITI Aayog of furthering the corporate lobby s agenda in the country.

About NitiAayog

NITI Aayog or the National Institution for Transforming India, is a Government of India

policy think-tank established by the BJP government to replace the Planning Commission.

The think tank aims to bring improvement in governance and thus, suggests reforms.


4. RERA rules (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II, III)

A recent meeting of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India

(CREDAI) in London was dominated by discussions over the Real Estate (Regulation and

Development) Act 2016, better known as RERA, with industry representatives voicing their

concerns particularly over the legislation s impact on ongoing projects.

The CREDAI delegates attending the meeting debated the changing dynamics and

opportunities in the Indian real estate market as well as the opportunities in Britain, which

is keen to lure investment from India into its real estate sector.

Why was RERA established?






4



RERA, brought in to protect the interests of home buyers, and codify the running of the

sector (with the aim of boosting investment in real estate over the long term) came into

force on May 1, with individual States required to declare the rules within a 90-day period.

Response of CREDAI

While CREDAI has welcomed the regulations, on grounds that it will help weed out

unscrupulous developers and set higher standards, its members are concerned about the

provisions regarding ongoing projects, warning that it could have long term negative

reverberations for the industry, ultimately hitting supply and pricing.

What are the concerns behind the legislation?

Part of the problem lies around the lack of clarity on what constitutes an ongoing project. It

is actually un-implementable in several ways

1. The legislation s requirement that 70 of proceeds from the project be placed in a

separate account.

2. Under the law, developers have 90 days to register ongoing projects, but with many

States having pushed close to the deadline to declare the rules (Maharashtra was the only

state to declare them from the outset), developers have been struggling to meet the 90-day

registration process, leaving them potentially in breach of the legislation, and unable to

market or sell their projects.

3. In its effort to protect customers, the legislation was in danger of going to the other

extreme, potentially risking the long-term goal of increasing secure and affordable housing.

4. In the legislation there is no place where developers can go, if they don t get a completion

certification in time for a completed project, or they don t get the electricity connection or

the water for a completed project.


5. NOTA in Rajya Sabha polls (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II)

Should NOTA (none of the above) be an option in a State Assembly vote for the Rajya

Sabha, as it is for the electorate in direct elections?

Background

Following the Gujarat Assembly secretary s statement that the NOTA option will be

available on the ballot paper in the RajyaSabha election next week, both the Congress and

the BharatiyaJanata Party have sought to convince the Supreme Court and the Election

Commission that MLAs should not have this option.






5



Response of the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court refused to stay the process to allow NOTA, saying that the provision

has been in place since April 2014 after a direction by the EC. It is important to note that

open ballots are used in the Rajya Sabha elections. These elections follow a proportional

representation system based on the single transferable vote, unlike the general elections to

the Lok Sabha, which are conducted with secret ballots (or votes) and based on the first-

past-the-post principle.

About the NOTA votes

While NOTA votes are tallied, the candidate with the highest number of votes polled is

declared elected irrespective of the NOTA total.

In the case of the Rajya Sabha elections, the vote allows for the preferential ordering of

candidates. If an MLA chooses NOTA, the vote is rendered ineffective.

In principle, the presence of the NOTA option for the legislator allows the possibility of a

protest vote against the party high command for choosing candidates who are not

agreeable to her, without having to choose candidates from opposing parties. The principle

of a protest vote remains the same even if these are indirect elections. The party high

command can issue a whip for a Rajya Sabha candidate, but anti-defection law provisions

do not apply, and a defiant MLA is not disqualified from membership of the House.

Why is Congress protesting?

The Congress party s protest on the introduction of NOTA draws from anxiety about

mopping up sufficient votes to have its nominee Ahmed Patel elected to the Rajya Sabha.

Six of its MLAs have already resigned, and there is concern that some of the remaining

MLAs may not heed the party whip.


6. Aadhaar pre-requisite for death certificates (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains

Paper II, III)

Terming it a move to curb identity fraud, the government made Aadhaar number a pre-

requisite for issuing death certificates to residents of all States barring Jammu& Kashmir,

Meghalaya and Assam in order to establish the identity of the deceased.

The order comes into effect from October 1, 2017. A date will be notified separately for the

remaining three States.

What if the person doesn t possess Aadhaar?






6



If a person applying for the death certificate is not aware of the Aadhaar number or

Aadhaar enrolment ID Number (EID) of the deceased, he or she would be required to

provide a certificate stating that the deceased person does not possess an Aadhaar number

to the best of her or his knowledge.

Penalty for giving the wrong declaration

Any false declaration given by the applicant would be treated as an offence as per the

provisions of the Aadhaar Act, 2016 and also the Registration of Birth and Death Act, 1969.

How will this move be beneficial?

1. The use of Aadhaar for the applicants of the death certificate will result in ensuring

accuracy of the details provided by the relatives/ dependents / acquaintances of the

deceased.

2. It will provide an effective method to prevent identity fraud.

3. It will also help in recording the identity of a deceased person.

4. It claimed that this would obviate need to produce multiple documents to prove the

identity of a deceased person.

Which legislations are backing the move?

Section 57 of the Aadhaar Act 2016 permits the use of Aadhaar number for establishing the

identity of an individual for any purpose pursuant to any law or any contract to this effect.

The registration of births and deaths are being done under the provisions of Registration of

Births and Deaths (RBD) Act, 1969 and the corresponding Rules made by State

governments.


7. Where is the opposition in India? (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II)

There are questions arising: Is any real opposition left in India — both at the national level

and in many States?

In Bihar, where Chief Minister Nitish Kumar switched from his grand alliance with Lalu

Prasad to staying the Chief Minister with the support of the party (BJP) that he had

rebuffed just three years ago.

Once Mr. Kumar made the switch, the opposition to the BJP was revealed as basically

ineffective and non-existent. This seemed to follow the pattern at the Centre and in some






7



other States. This is also far more worrying, because the BJP does exist as the ruling party

today, but the opposition seems to exist less and less with each year.

There are various reasons for it.

1. Inability of the Congress to abandon its ruling family, compounded by the fact that Rahul

Gandhi, as decent a person as any in politics, nevertheless lacks the type of political

charisma that is required to lead a party to victory in India today.

2. The communists have long been split between a highly intellectual urban circle, which

can get across only to people with university degrees, and a very parochial rural

movement, which addresses genuine problems.

3. As for the rest, well, they seem to comprise parties led by powerful— regional leaders,

and often run by specific families. Sometimes the words come up secularism, democracy,

human rights, etc. — but they seldom seem to be anything other than rhetoric used by a

certain group to obtain fleeting electoral support.

Opposition as a need of a democracy

Any democracy needs a thriving and coherent opposition. The great tragedy of India is the

lack of a real and issue-based opposition. The BJP s ideology is reasonably clear, in both its

extreme and moderate forms.

But the opposition seems to lack a coherent and consistent platform. It largely fails to

provide alternative views of government and it seldom responds cohesively to the BJP s

moves, leaving it to be afflicted politicians to react singly.


8. Subsidise rail losses: PMO (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II)






8



Finance Ministry asked to reimburse expenses on non-profitable routes

The Prime Minister s Office (PMO) has directed the Ministry of Finance to fund the losses

incurred by the Indian Railways in operating non-profitable trains on strategic lines and

backward areas.

Implications of the directive

The directive ends a tussle that began following the merger of the Railway and Union

Budgets, as the Ministry of Finance had discontinued the practice of providing an annual

subsidy to the Railways.

The decision comes as a relief for the Railways which feels that the social service obligation

borne by it in running non-profitable lines of national and strategic importance should be

funded by the Central government.


9. Articles 370, 35A pertaining to J & K in question (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS

Mains Paper II)

Blaming Article 370 of the Constitution for the creation of a separatist psyche , the Jammu

and Kashmir unit of the BJP said that the time has come for the people of the State to say

goodbye to it and also to Article 35A.

What are the views of the state political parties?






9



At a recent event in Delhi, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had said that if Article 35A was

tinkered with, there will be no one in Kashmir to uphold the national flag. Opposition

National Conference (NC) has also spoken against any attempt to tamper with these

provisions.

What are Article 370 and Article 35A?

Article 35A of the Indian Constitution is an article that empowers the Jammu and Kashmir

state's legislature to define permanent residents of the state and provide special rights and

privileges to those permanent residents. It is added to the Constitution through a

Presidential Order, i.e., The Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Order, 1954 -

issued by the President of India, "in exercise of the powers conferred by" clause (1) of

Article 370 of the Constitution, with the concurrence of the Government of the State of

Jammu and Kashmir.

Introduction

Jammu & Kashmir entered into Indian Union by signing Instrument of Accession in

1954.The agreement was signed by Maharaja Hari Singh of Jammu and Kashmir and was

endorsed by popular leader Sheikh Abdullah. The agreement provided that J&K would have

large power to self-determine its affairs and thus J&K would enjoy large autonomy.

At the same time, Article 370 was incorporated in the Constitution of India.

Article 370 Special provisions with respect to Jammu and Kashmir

1. Parliament can make laws related to J&K on those matters of Union and

Concurrent List which are:

a. Mentioned in the instrument of accession. Instrument of accession contained defence,

external affairs, communication and matters which are ancillary to these matters.

b. Other matters specified by the President in concurrence with the State Government.

2. Application of Indian constitution to J&K:

a. Art.1 is applicable to J&K.

b. Art.370 which provides special status to the state of J&K is also applicable. Art.370 can

cease to operate when the President does so, on the recommendation of J&K constituent

assembly.

c. Apart from Art.1 and Art.370, other provisions of Indian constitution are applicable to

the state with such exceptions and modifications as specified by the President in

consultation with state Government.






10




10. Qureshi: AAI Administrator (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II)

Former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Qureshi has been appointed the Administrator for

the Archery Association of India (AAI).

The Delhi High Court announced the verdict in response to a petition. Archery is a sport

where we stand a good chance to win Olympics medals and it is important it is governed

well.

Background

The AAI had conducted its last elections in November 2012 in violation of the National

Sports Development Code and was subsequently de-recognised by the Government. The

High Court had directed the AAI to hold fresh elections as per the sports code, but the

federation had not complied fully.

What has the court said now?

The Court has ordered fresh elections to be supervised by Qureshi. He has been asked to

resolve the affiliation/disaffiliation issues, finalise the electoral college and hold elections

within six weeks.

The newly-elected body will carry out the amendments to the constitution to bring it in

conformity with the National Sports Code. The elections will then be held as per the

amended constitution.

Meanwhile, no financial transactions by the AAI will be permitted without the prior

approval of the Administrator.


11. Cycle of violence of Kannur (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II)






11



Peace talks, and meetings are being planned in Kannur to break the cycle of violence

between rival CPI(M) and RSS groups.

What is the latest trigger?

Since the murder of RSS worker Rajesh in Thiruvananthapuram on July 29, the Sangh

Parivar has stepped up its campaign against CPI(M)-sponsored violence targeting its

workers.

Who is to blame?

The BJP alleges that the CPI(M) is trying to experiment with its Kannur model of

elimination of political rivals in other districts of Kerala.

The number of workers killed on both sides in political clashes over the past several years

shows that neither side can claim to be innocent. Police figures show that of the 52 cases of

political murders in Kannur since 2005, 26 were Sangh Parivar workers and 21CPI(M)

workers. The highest number of political murders during the period, however, occurred in

2006-2011 when the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front government was in power.






12



Though the CPI(M) is still a major political force in the district, the SanghParivar rank and

file in the district now show a combative spirit, which is attributed to the coming to power

of the NarendaModi-led government at the Centre.

Where is the source of violence?

The social historical backdrop of the north Malabar region where Kannur district is located

has shaped its combative political climate.

There are factors such as economic and social backwardness in the region that explain why

violence is often the means of political expression in Kannur.

The culture of violence that prevailed in the region over the past few centuries in the form

of blood feuds has fostered a tendency to settle differences through violence and not

through democratic debate and conversation. The history of Communist-led agrarian

struggles, which often led to instances of violence, in different parts of the district before

and after Independence helped Communists to consolidate their hold.


12. Article 35A comes under scrutiny (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper

II)

The indication that the constitutionality of Article 35A will be under scrutiny came from a

Bench of Justices Dipak Misra and A.M. Khanwilkar while hearing a petition filed by Charu

Wali Khanna, who has challenged the Article as well as Section 6 of the Jammu and Kashmir

Constitution, which deal with the permanent residents status in J&K.

What was the petition about?

1. The petition said Article 35A protects certain provisions of the J&K Constitution which

denies property rights to native women who marry from outside the State. The denial of

these rights extends to her children also. This should ideally go before a Constitution

Bench, Justice Misra said.

2. Article 35A also empowers the State s legislature to frame any law without attracting a

challenge on grounds of violating the Right to Equality of people from other States or any

other right under the Constitution.

3. Section 6 of the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution restricts the basic right of women to

marry a man of their choice by not giving the heirs any right to property if the woman

marries a man not holding the Permanent Resident Certificate. Her children are denied a

permanent resident certificate thereby considering them illegitimate.






13



4. State s special autonomous status under Articles 35A and 370, was discriminatory

against non-residents as far as government jobs and real estate purchases are concerned. A

number of other petitions were also filed on similar grounds.


13. CoA report attacks BCCI (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II)

The latest status report by the Committee of Administrators (CoA) has not only questioned

the Board of Control for Cricket in India s efforts and intentions in implementing the

Supreme Court-ordered reforms but also sought directions to remove the current office-

bearers for flouting the orders with impunity.

The fifth status report, submitted by CoA members stated the following

1. The BCCI and its affiliated associations were not interested in implementing any of the

reforms because of vested interests and had been in contempt of the SC.

2. Since the previous president and secretary (Anurag Thakur and Ajay Shirke) had been

removed (in January 2017) for failing to implement the reforms mandated by the (SC)

judgement despite a period of six months having elapsed, it is only fair that the current

office-bearers be treated in the same manner.

3. Describing these issues (the reforms) as impracticable or difficult is nothing short of a

gross abuse/contempt of the court order and ought to attract appropriate consequences, it

said.

4. CoA sought revision of electoral rolls in States under the supervision of an administrator

and a forensic audit of each association.

5. The CoA also accused certain individuals of treating State associations as personal

fiefdoms with vested interest in maintaining the status quo and feared they might make

changes to the membership to ensure they continue to remain in control.

The cause for CoA s harsh words was the Special General Meeting of the BCCI on July 26

that saw the State associations resist the adoption or implementation of the reforms, as

recommended by the Justice Lodha committee, and indicate their inability to do so any time

in near future.







14



14. Finding Investors: on Sahara case (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II,

III)

It has been about five years since the Supreme Court ordered the Sahara Group, led by

Subrata Roy, to refund money that it borrowed from investors without sufficient regulatory

clearance. But the Securities and Exchange Board of India, which was tasked by the

Supreme Court to oversee the actual transfer of money from the Sahara Group to investors,

is clueless about where to find those investors.

What is the progress?

The total amount, including interest on the initial principal, that needs to be refunded to

investors has bulged to about Rs. 40,000 crore now. Of this, SEBI has received an aggregate

amount, including interest earned on deposits, of about Rs. 14,487 crore from the Sahara

Group. But according to SEBI s latest annual report, as on March 31, 2017 only about Rs.

85.02 crore, including interest of about Rs. 38.05 crore, of this amount has actually been

returned to investors.

Background

As a background to the case, it is notable that Sahara India Real Estate Corporation Ltd. and

Sahara Housing Investment Corporation Ltd., entities that come under the Sahara Group,

were directed by SEBI in 2011 to return about Rs. 24,000 crore that they had raised

through the issue of debentures.

The entities had collected the money without seeking SEBI s approval, which led the

regulator to order the money to be returned to investors with appropriate interest.

The task of finding investors

The fact that very few investors have come forward to reclaim their money is bizarre. SEBI

has been requesting genuine investors in Sahara to step forward and claim their money

since at least May 2013.

This obviously raises questions about the authenticity of Sahara s investor base, which

needs to be investigated thoroughly.

The Sahara Group earlier claimed that it had already returned 95% of the capital that it

borrowed from investors even before the Supreme Court s 2012 decision, it says this is the

reason much of the refund money remains unclaimed.

But the Group failed to satisfy the Supreme Court s request to provide evidence of the

source of funds used to make the claimed return payments.






15



It was always clear that the Sahara case was hardly about investor protection, one that

could be handled by SEBI. Yet, even as crores of rupees remain unclaimed from SEBI,

investigations into the case from the angle of possible money laundering have been slow.

Way out

The Enforcement Directorate began proceedings in 2014 against the Sahara Group under

the Prevention of Money Laundering Act but has had very little to show for its efforts. The

government must step in to expedite a probe into what could be a massive money

laundering exercise. This will yield better results than waiting for millions of missing

investors to turn up. Finally, the Ministry s rationale for approving Sahara s initial fund-

raising efforts should not be left uninvestigated either.


15. Privileges in prisons: On favourable exemptions to Sasikala in jail (Relevant for

GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II)

It is not uncommon for some influential prisoners to get concessions or privileges from

obliging officials.

The privileges and favourable exemptions that V.K. Sasikala seems to enjoy in the

Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru appear to confirm what one hears only in

corruption folklore.

What is said about her stay in the prison?

Initially, it was rumoured she had a makeshift kitchen and been provided with an inmate as

a cook; it was said she had a special visitors room with enough chairs for political

confabulations.

Now, dramatic footage has emerged showing her and her relative and fellow convict, J.

Ilavarasi, entering by the prison s main door, suggesting that she may be returning from a

trip outside the prison s precincts. It appears, in the video, that she has been exempted

from wearing a convict s uniform.

Who shared the video?

These are not fanciful charges emerging from unreliable quarters. These are part of

purported evidence submitted to investigators by former Deputy Inspector General

(Prisons) D. Roopa, who blew the whistle on Sasikala s special privileges weeks ago. Ms.

Roopa has submitted the footage, presumably taken from a surveillance camera focussed

on the prison s entry point to the Anti-Corruption Bureau which wanted proof of her

earlier charges about rampant corruption among prison officials.






16



Ms. Roopa had been transferred out from the post after she made the sensational allegation

that the Director General (Prisons) and other top officials had taken a Rs. 2-crore bribe to

extend these privileges to Sasikala.

What action is the government taking now?

The Karnataka government has ordered an inquiry headed by Vinay Kumar, a retired

bureaucrat, into irregularities in the prison, while the Anti-Corruption Bureau is examining

the corruption charges.

Importance of the investigation

These investigations should not be mere formalities as prison corruption poses a great

danger to society. It is not only influential politicians but also offenders jailed for serious

charges, who are the beneficiaries of such a system.

Other concerns regarding the prisons of the country

In recent years, newer vices have been added to the list of problems: availability of drugs,

for instance, and access to mobile phones to prisoners to beat the communication protocol.

Way out

Any inquiry into Ms. Roopa s charges cannot be limited to the facilities that one or two

prisoners may enjoy but should comprehensively address all these issues. Failure to curb

the illegal facilities allowed to some prisoners will ultimately lead to the loss of whatever

deterrent value a jail term has.


16. OBC list to be sub-categorised (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II, III)

In a move that could have a far-reaching political and social impact, the Union Cabinet

approved a proposal to set up a commission which will examine the issue of sub-

categorisation of the Other Backward Classes (OBC).

The committee has a three-point mandate.

1. It has to examine the extent of inequitable distribution of benefits of reservation among

various castes and communities that come under the Central OBC list.

2. The committee also has to work out the mechanism, criteria and parameters for the

actual sub-categorisation. This will be tricky. The actual reservation will continue to be

27% and within this the committee will have to do the re-arranging.

For example, if the committee comes to the conclusion that in the last many years Yadavs

have benefited far more than Khatiks or Sainis then the amount of reservation for them will






17



be increased vis-à-vis the Yadavs. Of course, some castes will suffer a few cuts, but

ultimately it will facilitate better distribution of benefits.

3. Bringing order to the Central list of OBCs by removing any repetitions. The National

Commission for Backward Classes had recommended it in 2011 and a standing committee

too had repeated this.

Already 11 States, including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Jharkhand, West Bengal and

Jammu region have such a categorisation in State government jobs.

Creamy layer cap raised

The Union Cabinet also increased the creamy layer ceiling for the Other Backward Classes

to Rs. 8 lakh per annum from the existing Rs.6 lakh for Central government jobs. This

means that the umbrella of reservation is widened and those earning up to Rs. 8 lakh per

annum would now get the benefits.

Implications of the move

The decision of the Modi government to form a commission for the sub-categorisation of

OBCs, is a move that will prioritise the Extremely Backward Classes and adheres to the

principles of justice.


17. All you need to know about Article 35A (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains

Paper II)

What is Article 35A?

Article 35A is a provision incorporated in the Constitution giving the Jammu and Kashmir

Legislature a carte blanche to decide who all are permanent residents of the State and

confer on them special rights and privileges in public sector jobs, acquisition of property in

the State, scholarships and other public aid and welfare.

The provision mandates that no act of the legislature coming under it can be challenged for

violating the Constitution or any other law of the land.

Background

Article 35A was incorporated into the Constitution in 1954 by an order of the then

President Rajendra Prasad on the advice of the Jawaharlal Nehru Cabinet. The Presidential

Order was issued under Article 370 (1) (d) of the Constitution.

What does Article 370 (1) (d) say?






18



This provision allows the President to make certain exceptions and modifications to the

Constitution for the benefit of State subjects of Jammu and Kashmir.

So, Article 35A was added to the Constitution as a testimony of the special consideration

the Indian government accorded to the permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir.

How did this come into force?

The parliamentary route of law making was bypassed when the President incorporated

Article 35A into the Constitution.

What did the court say over the validity of Article 35A and what is the present status?

Article 368 (1) of the Constitution empowers only Parliament to amend the Constitution.

A five-judge Bench of the Supreme Court in its March 1961 judgment in Puranlal Lakhanpal

vs. The President of India discusses the President s powers under Article 370 to modify the

Constitution.

Though the court observed that the President may modify an existing provision in the

Constitution under Article 370, the judgment is silent as to whether the President can,

without the Parliament s knowledge, introduce a new Article. This question remains open.

What claims were made in petition?

A writ petition filed by NGO We the Citizens challenges the validity of both Article 35A and

Article 370.

1. It argues that four representatives from Kashmir were part of the Constituent Assembly

involved in the drafting of the Constitution and the State of Jammu and Kashmir was never

accorded any special status in the Constitution.

2. Article 370 was only a temporary provision to help bring normality in Jammu and

Kashmir and strengthen democracy in that State.

3. The petition said Article 35 A is against the very spirit of oneness of India as it creates a

class within a class of Indian citizens . Restricting citizens from other States from getting

employment or buying property within Jammu and Kashmir is a violation of fundamental

rights under Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution.

A second petition filed by Jammu and Kashmir native Charu Wali Khanna has challenged

Article 35A for protecting certain provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution, which

restrict the basic right to property if a native woman marries a man not holding a

permanent resident certificate. Herchildren are denied a permanent resident certificate,

thereby considering them illegitimate.






19




18. HC slams the Haryana government (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper

II)

A day after deadly violence claimed 31 lives and left over 250 injured in Haryana, the

Punjab and Haryana High Court came down heavily on the Manohar Lal Khattar - led BJP

government, calling its inaction a political surrender to allure vote bank.

A PIL filed

A full Bench of the court, was hearing a Public Interest Litigation petition filed by a

Panchkula resident, raising law and order concerns as a large number of people had

reportedly entered the district, despite prohibitor orders.

What all did the High Court say?

1. Asking how the State government had not taken notice of the build-up of Dera supporters in Panchkula, the court — in the backdrop of Mr. Khattar s alleged statement that anti-social elements had created the problem — remarked: If the Chief Minister was aware of the presence of anti-social elements, why the government was not able to prevent their entry for the past seven days?

2. The court, while remarking on the statement of Additional Solicitor-General

(representing the Centre) that violence was a matter of the State, said: The Prime Minister

is PM of the country and not of particular party... Is Punjab and Haryana not a part of

India?

3. Action against the Dera: Applications for damage

The court, has directed the Deputy Commissioners in Haryana and Punjab to identify the

assets and properties of the DeraSachaSauda and submit a list of the same to the court for

attachment.

The list should include assets, incomes, bank accounts and properties. However, till then,

no properties of the Dera Sacha Sauda shall be sold, transferred, alienated or encumbered

in any manner.

The court said the Deputy Commissioners in Haryana and Punjab shall invite applications

for claims for damage caused to public and private properties, which shall be verified and

forwarded to the court.







20



International Organization & Relations

1. Uncertainty ahead in Pakistan (Relevant for GS Mains Paper II)

Disqualification of Nawaz Sharif

The disqualification of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from holding public office, by the

Pakistan Supreme Court in the Panama Papers case, leaves a huge political vacuum in the

country. This is the third time Mr. Sharif s premiership has been cut short. If his first two

terms were ended by the country s powerful military, first forcing him to resign and then

overthrowing his government in a coup, this time it was through a formal legal process.

Controversial Order by Supreme Court of Pakistan

The Supreme Court invoked a controversial Article of the Constitution that requires

politicians to be honest and righteous. The court ruled that Mr. Sharif was dishonest in

failing to disclose in his 2013 election nomination papers his association with a UAE-based

company and therefore was unfit to continue in office. The court also referred money-

laundering allegations against Mr. Sharif and his children to the National Accountability

Bureau, the anti-corruption regulator.

While Opposition politicians, especially the Tehreek-e-Insaf s Imran Khan who filed a

petition in the Supreme Court against the Sharif family, have welcomed the ruling as an

endorsement of accountability, there are some worrying legal and procedural questions

about the Supreme Court s decision. For instance, should it have waited for the full

investigation into the corruption allegations before disqualifying him?

Whether Sharif s ouster will lead to political instability in Pakistan?

At the practical level, the focus is on whether Mr. Sharif s exit will fuel political instability. A

seasoned politician with immense popularity and experience in dealing with the military,

he upheld his authority in his third term despite sustained pressure from the generals.

There were occasional flashpoints, but the military largely refrained from showing its hand.

It had chosen to exercise its powers over the executive indirectly, to avoid public

disenchantment of the sort that undermined its image during the years of Pervez

Musharraf s presidency.

Over the last four years Pakistan has had a spell of relative economic stability, an easing of

the electricity crisis and a drop-in terror attacks. But now that Mr. Sharif is gone, it is not

clear how the military will deal with any resultant political instability or executive frailty.

Successor and his challenges






21



The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has quickly named Shahbaz Sharif, the former Prime

Minister s brother and the Chief Minister of Punjab, as his successor to ensure a smooth

transition as well as to stop its rivals from gaining from a prolonged crisis. But the younger

Sharif, who had a run-in with the military last year, has big shoes to fill at a challenging

time.

With Pakistan going to the polls next year and the opposition, mainly Mr. Khan s PTI which

is in effect the king s party, trying to turn corruption into a galvanising electoral issue,

Shahbaz Sharif will take charge while the country is virtually in campaign mode. All this is

happening at a time when Pakistan is coming under increased pressure from the United

States to act against militants, and while border tensions with India and Afghanistan

continue to remain high.


2. US pressurizes India to reduce relations with North Korea (Relevant for GS Mains

Paper II)

India is facing increased pressure to reduce North Korea s diplomatic presence in the

country as Pyongyang flexes its military muscles.

During talks with Indian officials, a U.S. State Department delegation took up the presence

of a large number of North Korean diplomats in India and urged New Delhi to shrink North

Korea s diplomatic footprint in South Asia.

India s ties with North Korea

India has criticised recent North Korean missile launches and nuclear tests. However,

bilateral political and diplomatic ties, though minimal, have remained on track.

India has maintained ties with North Korea since the birth of the nation following the

Korean war in the 1950s, and North Korea had been an active member of the Non-

Alignment movement during the Cold War.

However, bilateral ties cooled in the 1990s when Pakistan extended support to North

Korea s nuclear programme.


3. Nepal Prime Minister's visit brings bilateral hope (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS

Mains Paper II)






22



At a time when the Doklam stand-off had focussed attention on Himalayan geopolitics, the

significance of the visit of Nepal s Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba to India is huge. This

was his first foreign visit as Prime Minister, and it confirmed Kathmandu s abiding interest

in strong ties with India.

In the past, there was downslide in the relations between both the nations.

Why did the relations between India and Nepal experience a downfall?

1. India had mounted strong opposition to the Constitution with demands that it be made

more inclusive, especially vis-à-vis the Madhesis in the Teraiarea, making ties with

Kathmandu s ruling establishment on a downward spiral.

2. As Nepal struggled to cope with rehabilitation work after the massive earthquake of

2015, many in Kathmandu held India responsible for the three-month-long great blockade

of goods and fuel supplies that followed sustained protests by Madhesi groups.

Implications of the visit

To that end, Mr. Deuba s visit was another opportunity to repair the India-Nepal

relationship. The joint statement refers to the deep, comprehensive and multi-faceted ties

between the neighbours as it listed projects being developed in Nepal under lines of credit

provided by India.

These include $200 million for irrigation projects, $330 million for road development and

$250 million for power infrastructure in Nepal. India made the obligatory appeal to

Kathmandu to take all sections of society on board while implementing its Constitution, but

the tenor was notably softer this time. No mention was made of a key amendment to the

Constitution to accommodate Madhesi demands that had been defeated recently.

Does this mean that the relations are now as normal as ever?

It would be a mistake to presume that ties can so easily return to their pre-2015 strength,

as the ground has shifted in too many ways since then.

1. The memories of the blockade still rankle in Nepal. The land-locked country has actively

sought to break its dependence on India for fuel and connectivity.

2. Since 2015, Nepal and China have cooperated on infrastructure plans, including a big

hydroelectric project and a rail link to Tibet.

3. Nepal is also part of China s Belt and Road Initiative. India is struggling to leverage the

historical closeness with Nepal, the open border the two share and the special status

Nepalis working in India have enjoyed.






23




4. Russia's expulsion of the U.S. staff (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II)

Russian President Vladimir Putin s decision to cut the U.S. diplomatic presence in the

country by 755 officials signals a serious escalation in tensions between the two

superpowers.

His move came three days after the U.S. Senate passed a sanctions Bill targeting Moscow

and allies. The scale of the cut is unprecedented and is comparable to the shutdown of the

American diplomatic mission in Russia after the 1917 Bolshevik revolution.

Background

The decision also signals that Mr. Putin, who had pinned hopes on the Donald Trump

administration to improve ties, is losing heart about such a reset. When Barack Obama

expelled Russian diplomats in the last leg of his presidency over Moscow s alleged

interference in the presidential election, Mr. Putin did not retaliate, apparently hoping to

strike a new beginning with the incoming administration. During his campaign, Mr. Trump

himself had expressed interest in building stronger ties with Moscow.

Impact of the sanctions on Russia

The new sanctions will add to Russia s economic troubles at a time when it is already

battling sanctions imposed by Europe and the U.S. and dealing with aeconomic meltdown.

Mr. Putin could impose counter-sanctions, but the chances of winning a trade war with the

world s largest economy (US) are slim.

What if Russia – America join hands?

Whenever Russia and the U.S. joined hands to address the world s pressing problems in

recent years, there were results.

1. The Iran nuclear deal is one example.

2. The Trump administration s willingness to work with the Russians in Syria has also

helped calm parts of the war-ravaged country. The ceasefire brokered by Moscow and

Washington between the Syrian regime and rebels in July is still holding, raising hopes for a

sustainable political solution to the crisis.

3. If the U.S. wants to address the North Korean nuclear crisis diplomatically, which is

perhaps the biggest foreign policy challenge before the Trump administration today, it

could do with Russia s help.

4. Russia is also crucial to stabilising Afghanistan.






24




5. India, China to join Indian Ocean exercise (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains

Paper II)

Despite growing tensions with China, the Indian Navy would join the People s Liberation

Army (PLA) Navy in a maiden maritime search and rescue exercise to be chaired by

Bangladesh at the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) in November this year.

About Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS)

The IONS is a regional forum of Indian Ocean littoral states, represented by their Navy

chiefs, launched by India in February 2008. It presently has 23 members and nine

observers.

Under the charter of business adopted in 2014, the grouping has working groups on

Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), Information Security and

Interoperability (IS&I) and anti-piracy now renamed as maritime security.

Background

dominance in the Indian Ocean — navies of China and Japan, presently observers, in

addition to member states like India, France, Iran and the U.K.

The exercise comes at a time of intensifying competition among regional navies for

In addition, Bangladesh is also scheduling an extraordinary conclave of Chiefs, a meeting of

chiefs of Navy before it hands over the Chair to Iran next year.


6. Rising attacks over Europe (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II)

A vehicular attack to maximise casualties and spread panic is now a well-tested terrorist

strategy in European cities.

What has happened?

Barcelona became the latest urban centre to be so hit when a van ploughed into

pedestrians on a busy street, leaving at least 14 dead and more than 100 injured.

This is Spain s worst terrorist incident since the Madrid train bombings of 2004. The

Islamic State has claimed responsibility.






25



The plot appeared to be multi-site and involved numerous actors, not just a lone wolf . This

hints at meticulous planning. The police have linked the van attack in Barcelona s Las

Ramblas area to an explosion the previous evening that ripped through a home and killed

one person in a town 200 km south of Barcelona.

Authorities also saw connections to a second vehicle attack that occurred in the resort

town of Cambrils, south of Barcelona. With at least one attacker, the driver of the van, said

to be at large, the Spanish government is likely to be grappling with the same question as

its counterparts elsewhere in Europe: what options are available to law enforcement to

thwart attacks using easy-to-obtain vehicles to grab the headlines?

Other similar incidents

Over the past year, the weaponization of vehicles has increasingly become the tactic of

choice for extremists: it was used in London (2017, at least 12 killed), Stockholm (2017,

five killed), Berlin (2016, 12 killed), and Nice (2016, 86 killed).

If indeed it is established that the IS was behind the Barcelona attack, even if only as an

inspiration and not in terms of planning or execution, this would call for a renewed focus

on containing the jihadist group s recruitment agenda in Europe.

There is a real risk that with the steady erosion of the IS s territorial control in Iraq and

Syria, recently highlighted by its defeat in Mosul, foreign fighters may return from those

battlefields to their home countries and focus on carrying out attacks there.


7. Disturbing videos from Ladakh (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II)

A video grab of the August 15 skirmish between Indian and Chinese troops by the

Pangonglake in Ladakh shows the incident was a significant showdown, involving fisticuffs

and stone-throwing.

Lieutenant-General (Retd) Prakash Khatoch, told The Hindu that the visuals clearly showed

that it was the Chinese who started to push around Indian soldiers and they also started

throwing stones.

What does the video show?

The video, shot from a smartphone, shows an ugly brawl and captures the frayed nerves

along the border at a time when the standoff between the two sides in Doklam has

continued for the third month.






26



Some Army sources, however, insisted that it was not very unusual for the two sides to

engage in fisticuffs.

The video begins with a few dozen soldiers from both sides jostling, and then it soon breaks

down into kicking, punching and stone-throwing.

This depicts that it is high time, governments on both sides should try to resolve the matter

as soon as possible, in a mature manner.


8. Drones on a mission to restore Myanmar's mangrove cover (Relevant for GS

Prelims and GS Mains Paper III)

Fast-dwindling mangroves— in Myanmar s low-lying Ayeyarwady Delta, ravaged by

decades of deforestation and conversion of land for agriculture and aquaculture, could find

an unlikely saviour drones.

State of mangroves in Myanmar

Myanmar has lost more than 1 million hectares (about 2.5 million acres) of mangroves

since 1980, said Worldview International Foundation (WIF), which has worked with two

local universities to restore mangroves in the Southeast Asian nation since 2012.

In the delta region, known as the country s rice bowl, only 16% of original mangrove cover

remains.

An annual climate risk index by Germanwatch, a green research group, ranked Myanmar

which suffered decades of military rule second among the 10 countries worst affected by

extreme weather from 1996 to 2015.

WIF has so far planted some 3 million mangrove trees, but the task is laborious and time-

consuming.

How can drones help?

Drones, on the other hand, could plant trees 10 times faster and cut costs by half, according

to UK-based start-up Bio-Carbon Engineering (BCE).

Once the process is fully automated, a single pilot operating six drones can plant up to

100,000 trees per day.






27



The inaugural Bridge Builder Challenge, which awards $1 million in prize money for ideas

with global impact, selected as one of its winners a proposal by BCE and WIF to test the use

of BCE s drones to plant a million mangroves in Myanmar.

Benefits of mangroves

Experts say thriving mangrove ecosystems can store two to four times more carbon than

most other tropical forests, helping reduce planet-warming gases in the atmosphere, while

slowing coastal erosion and shielding communities against tsunamis and storm surges.

They also provide breeding grounds for fish and other sea creatures. Mangroves have been

estimated to support 30 percent of Southeast Asia s fish catch, and almost 100 percent of

its shrimp catch.

Yet they are being destroyed at rates three to five times higher than global deforestation, a

2014 U.N. report warned.

How it works?

BCE s technology, works in two phases:

1. Drones flying 100 metres (328 ft) above the ground take highly detailed, 3D images of

the land while sensors record information such as soil type, soil quality and moisture.

2. The data is then used to create a planting pattern, pinpointing the best spots and species

to plant in each location.

3. Then a drone uploaded with the mapping information flies 2 metres above the ground,

shooting biodegradable seed pods designed to enhance germination success.


9. Trump's new Afghan strategy with India's role in it (Relevant forGS Prelims and GS

Mains Paper II)






28



President Donald Trump, who announced his new Afghan strategy, linked a proposal for

India playing a bigger role in the war-torn country to its trade surplus with the United

States.

Describing India as a key security and economic partner of the United States, the

President said America would further develop its strategic partnership with India the

world s largest democracy.

He also urged India to play a larger role in providing economic and development assistance

to the war-torn Afghanistan.

Implications of the move

By inviting India to be a partner in Afghanistan, Mr. Trump has entirely overruled Pakistan

s position that India s involvement to its west is part of the problem.

About the new strategy of US in Afghanistan






29



The new U.S. strategy for South Asia, unveiled by President Donald Trump after months of

deliberations, has many old elements, but in a departure from the past, it commits troops in

Afghanistan for an open-ended period of time.

The policy also sets the stage for a new wave of U.S. offensive against Islamist forces in

Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Pentagon and NATO allies are redrawing their operational

plans in America s longest war that began in 2001, and an increase in troop levels is

expected soon.

In another component of his South Asia policy that pleases India, he said America would no

longer tolerate Pakistan s policy of harbouring terrorists.


10. Ending the Doklam stand-off (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II)

The separate announcements by India and China that the Doklam military stand-off has

ended are a welcome sign that diplomacy has prevailed over the harsh rhetoric of the past

10 weeks.

Both the nations issued statements:

The measured tone of the statement from New Delhi, referring to the expeditious

disengagement of border personnel as part of the understanding between the two

countries, shows that the government s policy of pursuing diplomatic measures in the face

of China s angry rhetoric was wise.

In turn, China s statement, which said that Indian troops had withdrawn from the disputed

Doklam plateau while Chinese troops continue to patrol the area, gives Beijing the latitude

it requires to end the stand-off peacefully.

What do these statements signify?

The differing versions and the lack of further information leave several questions

unanswered about the terms of the disengagement. But the very fact that both countries

have been able to issue statements even if they were designed to satisfy their domestic

audiences suggests that in diplomatic negotiations, each took into account the other s

constraints.

The decision comes a week before Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to go to

China for BRICS summit to be held in Xiamen.







30



11. North Korea fires missile over Japan (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper

II)

Nuclear-armed North Korea said that it had fired a missile over Japan, the first time it has

ever acknowledged doing so.

Significance of the act

The launch represented a major escalation by Pyongyang in the face of tensions over its

weapons programmes, which have seen it threaten to send a salvo of missiles towards the

US territory of Guam and prompted President Donald Trump to warn of fire and fury .

Shortly before the North Korean statement, Mr. Trump said that all options were on the

table, reviving his implied threat of pre-emptive US military action just days after

congratulating himself that North Korea's Kim Jong-Un appeared to be "starting to respect"

him by holding off on missile firings.

Previous acts by North Korea against Japan

North Korea has twice previously sent rockets over the main islands of Japan, in 1998 and

2009, but on both occasions claimed they were space launch vehicles.

The launch, was timed to mark the 107th anniversary of the "disgraceful" Japan-Korea

treaty of 1910, under which Tokyo colonised the Korean peninsula.

It ushered in a period of oppressive ruled that only ended with Japan's defeat in the Second

World War and is resented by Koreans on both sides of the divided peninsula, complicating

the relationship between Tokyo and Seoul, both of them US allies threatened by Pyongyang.

Impact on Japan

Missile overflight triggered alarm in world capitals and on the ground, with sirens blaring

out and text message alerts are sent in Japan warning people to take cover.

Action taken against North Korea

At an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in New York which has already

imposed seven sets of sanctions on Pyongyang over its weapons programmes.

The North last month carried out its first two successful tests of an intercontinental

ballistic missile (ICBM), apparently bringing much of the US mainland into range.

Response from China

China, the North's key ally and main trading partner, urged restraint, saying the US-South

Korean military drills were partly to blame for the tensions and warned that all sides

should pull back from a tipping point.






31









32



Economics

1. Analysis of Housing prices (Relevant for GS Mains Paper III)

Can the selling price rise when a market is over-supplied, and demand is dull? Economics

tells us that it can t, but the Indian housing market seems to be defying this rule.

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Housing flagged off a new index the NHB Residex

designed to track housing price trends in 50 cities across India.

Resilient prices

Trends in the Residex certainly support this claim. According to lenders data compiled by

the NHB Residex, as many as 32 of the 50 cities tracked registered rising housing prices

and 13 recorded stable trends, in the twelve months to March 2017. Only 5 cities saw

declines.

But this trend of resilient prices sits rather oddly with the tales of woe about the residential

market doing the rounds in the last couple of years, which talk of slower sales and a

stockpile of unsold homes.

Recent factors affecting real estate






33



The year 2016-17 saw a perfect storm of events come together to dampen demand for

housing in India. First came demonetisation and the resulting purge of the cash component

in real estate transactions. Cloudy job prospects, stingy increments and layoffs for the IT

sector dampened purchases by this crucial segment too.

The last nail in the coffin was the enactment of RERA (Real Estate Regulation Act) on May 1.

The new law, which forces developers to segregate buyer advances and deploy it only in

specific projects, was expected to result in a working capital crunch for developers. The

industry was in go-slow mode in the run up to this event.

Reduction in sale of housing units

Reports show that these events did, in fact, shake up the housing market. Consulting firm

Knight Frank India noted in a recent review that, the sales of residential homes in the top

eight cities fell by a precipitous 48% in the second half of 2016, compared with the

previous year. In January-June 2017, they climbed from that abyss, but home sales in these

cities were still 11% below 2016 levels.

Slowing sales saddled developers with large unsold inventory

Industry researcher Liases Foras estimated that, at an all-India level, builders sat on about

46 months of housing inventory in September 2016. In effect, even if they refrained from

launches, it would take 4 years for them to liquidate their existing stock.

Why the price rise?

Such excess inventory in any business would normally lead to sellers resorting to fire sales.

But the Residex tells us that home prices didn t fall in a majority of cities. What could

explain this?

There are three possibilities. One, given that home ownership is a big aspiration in India,

new categories of buyers may have emerged to take up the slack.

For instance, while investment buying was muted, it is likely that lower interest rates

induced more first-time home buyers to take home loans to acquire residential property.

The 12% growth in bank home loan disbursements in FY17, as per RBI data, indicates this.

Two, the lower demand for upmarket homes may have been made up by a surge in demand

for affordable homes. The Knight Frank report notes that homes costing up to Rs. 25 lakh

accounted for 36% of launches in H1 2017, compared with 17% a year earlier.

Three, it is also possible that, thanks to private equity or political funding, many sellers in

the Indian real estate industry have staying power, allowing them to wait interminably for

buyers to return.






34



Such explanations apart, the price trends captured in the Residex could also have a lot to do

with the strange nature of the real estate beast.

One, unlike the market for shares, where all transactions take place on a national exchange

and can be collated into a single quote, the housing market is fragmented into dozens of

micro-markets.

What is NHB Residex?

NHB Residex from the National Housing Bank, designed by a technical advisory committee

comprising Government representatives, lenders and property market players, is a set of

benchmarks that aims to track housing price indicators across Indian cities.

Originally flagged off in July 2007, the index was discontinued in 2015 and was refurbished

and re-introduced earlier this month. It now sports enhanced city coverage (rising from 26

to 50, to be eventually raised to 100), a new base year (2012-13) and new data sources

(with data from banks and home finance companies and market surveys).

The NHB Residex currently offers two sets of quarterly Housing Price Indices (HPIs) across

the cities it tracks. List prices of under-construction property, collated through a survey of

developers, are captured in the Market HPI. Data reported by banks and finance companies

that extend home loans, is collated into the Assessment HPI. While these two datasets have

been released for 50 cities from 2013 to 2017, indices on resale homes, rental values, land

prices and building materials are awaited.


2. The Nifty bull run (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper III)

Nifty, which is the benchmark equity index of the National Stock Exchange (NSE), breached

the 10,000 marks for the first time ever on July 25. It has managed to stay above the level

since then.

It took the index close to 22 years to reach this level, rising from its base value of 1,000 in

November 1995. Interestingly, the index took a little over nine years to move from 1,000 in

November 1995 to 2,000 in December 2004. But it took less than five months to move from

9,000 on March 3 to 10,000 on July 25.

How did it come about?

1. Institutional investors, both domestic and foreign, have been putting in huge amounts in

the Indian equity markets pushing the benchmarks to hitherto unseen levels.






35



2. Incidentally, Life Insurance Corporation, the largest domestic institutional investor, has

invested about Rs. 15,000crore in the current financial year.

The Life Insurance Corporation had invested Rs. 43,800crore in the previous financial year

in the equity segment.

Comparison with other Asian nations in foreign inflows

Even Japan, which enjoys a distinct status among the leading Asian economies, lags behind.

Only China and Taiwan have reported higher foreign flows than India in 2017, though

Indian markets have fared better in terms of returns in the current year.

What is its importance?

It matters– as many investors, – especially retail, look at the performance of the benchmark

indices Sensex and Nifty to decide on equity investments.

The financial health of the biggest companies of India can be gauged from the performance

of Nifty since it tracks the performance of a portfolio of the 50 largest and most liquid

Indian securities.


3. On food security in India (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper III)

The National Food Security Act, 2013, has met with prolonged political indifference, but

there is some hope now since the Centre has been asked by the Supreme Court to ensure

that States implement key aspects of the progressive law.

What has happened?

The directives in the Swaraj Abhiyan case shows that several State governments have not

met key requirements in the legislation which empower the common person in securing

subsidised food.

Sections 14, 15 and 16, which require the setting up of a grievance redress mechanism and

a State Food Commission with responsibility to monitor the implementation of the law,

have been heeded only in name, as in Haryana, or not at all.

The court has pointed out, Article 256, which casts a responsibility on the States and the

Union to ensure compliance with laws made by Parliament, also provides the remedy, as it

can be invoked by the Centre to set things right.

How can NFSA be better implemented?






36



There is great merit in providing highly subsidised food grains to targeted households

chosen by the State governments, with a ceiling of 75% of the population in rural areas and

50% in urban areas.

1. The system should have in-built mechanisms to allow for the entry of new households

that suddenly find themselves in financial distress, while others can exit it based on

changed circumstances.

2. Modernisation of the PDS, with the use of information technology, could incorporate

such dynamic features to the supply of subsidised food to those who need it, and eliminate

deficiencies and fraud.

Such arrangements can be made only when there is a full-fledged, independent machinery

in the form of a Food Commission, and district-level grievance redress, besides social

audits. All these are provided for under the Act but have been ignored.


4. Stronger rupee likely to hit export competitiveness (Relevant for GS Prelims and

GS Mains Paper III)

Rupee has appreciated by more than 6% so far in 2017. The rupee s appreciation against

the U.S. dollar since the presentation of the Union Budget on February 1 and the victory of

the BJP in the U.P. elections has startled Indian exporters.

Currency analysts a majority of whom were in February predicting that the rupee would

trade in a 70-72 to a dollar range by the end of 2017 now predict the local unit will trade

between 66-64 by March 2018, with some even more aggressive calls placing it at 62.

What are Depreciation and Appreciation?

Greater Demand (than supply) of a currency leads to its appreciation and Greater Supply

(than demand) of a currency leads to its depreciation.

Let us assume that in case you go to a bank and ask the bank that you intend to buy

US$100. Bank informs you that you need to pay Rs 6500/-. This means you can buy US$ @

Rs.65 per dollar. This is the selling rate of the said bank for US $ for that day.

Now after six months, you go to the bank and again ask the bank that you wish to buy US$

100, and bank tells you that this time you have to pay Rs.6700. So, you have to pay more to

receive the same amount of US $. This means the local currency has depreciated. This will

be known as Depreciation of Indian Rupee. In the above example, the value of rupee has

reduced when compared to US$.






37



On the other hand, if the rate quoted by bank after six months is Rs. 6300/–-. It will be

considered as appreciation of rupee; the value of rupee has increased vis-a vis dollar.

Note: In the above example, the depreciation of rupee corresponds to appreciation of

dollar and the appreciation of rupee corresponds to depreciation of dollar. In other words,

one currency s appreciation is other currency s depreciation and vice-versa.

How doe appreciation of rupee discourages exports?

Appreciation of rupee discourages exports.

Let us say that the value of exports is $ 1,000. The conversion rates before and after

appreciation were 65/ 1$ and 63/ 1$ respectively.

The export earnings before and after appreciation were Rs. 65,000 and Rs. 63,000

respectively.


5. About the rupee performance (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper III)

How has the rupee performed?

After falling 2.6% against the dollar in 2016, the rupee is on a roll in 2017. In this calendar

year, the rupee is one of the best performing Asian currencies which has strengthened

5.9% against the dollar.

When did the turnaround begin?

1. Union Budget in which Finance Minister Arun Jaitley showed a resolve to stick to the

path of fiscal discipline and the government s thrust on reforms boosted investors

confidence.

2. Monetary policy of the central bank which changed its stance from accommodative to

neutral, indicating it wanted to keep inflation under check. This further boosted investor

sentiment as reflected in the rise of the equity indices both Sensex and Nifty touching all-

time highs in recent weeks.

How are the authorities reacting?

For a long time, the sharp appreciation of the rupee was seen as a worry as it hurts exports.

However, it seems there is a change in the thought process of the NarendraModi-led NDA

government.






38



What is the worry?

With regard to trade with China, if the rupee continued to appreciate it could adversely

impact the production of these domestic industries. The rupee also appreciated about 3.7%

against the Chinese Renminbi since February. This has resulted in a surge in cheaper

imports from China.


6. Trade of SEBI restrictions: A hasty order (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains

Paper III)

The order of the Securities and Exchange Board of India imposing trading restrictions on

331 companies suspected of being shell entities is an example of rash regulatory action.

A little cover up for the mistake

The Securities Appellate Tribunal has since rightly ordered the lifting of the trading

restrictions imposed on two of the companies that approached it, namely J Kumar

Infraprojects and Prakash Industries. In fact, the tribunal stated in its order that it is

apparent that SEBI passed the impugned order without any investigation.

Why were restrictions imposed on these companies?

The regulatory body had acted on a list of suspect companies that the Ministry of Corporate

Affairs had forwarded after consultation with the Serious Fraud Investigation Office and

the Income Tax department.

What did SEBI do?

Instead of conducting an independent investigation into these suspect companies, SEBI

asked the exchange to impose immediate trading restrictions on the companies.

These companies were put under stage four of the Graded Surveillance Measure, whereby

trading is limited to one day a month, the trading price is capped, and buyers are required

to deposit money.

What is suspected of these companies?

It is suspected that trading on the shares of these shell companies was used as a way to

launder black money.

About SEBI

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in 1988 was constituted as the regulator of

capital markets in India under a resolution of the Government of India.






39



The SEBI is managed by its members, which consists of following:

1. The chairman who is nominated by Union Government of India.

2. Two members, i.e., Officers from Union Finance Ministry.

3. One member from the Reserve Bank of India.

4. The remaining five members are nominated by Union Government of India, out of them

at least three shall be whole-time members.

After amendment of 1999, collective investment scheme brought under SEBI except NIDHI,

chit fund and cooperatives.

Implications of the directive

1. A sound business environment, which is an important need of the nation, requires that

the government adhere to the basic rules of justice at all times.

2. Handing out extremely harsh punishment on suspect companies without giving them an

adequate chance to explain their positions, sends out negative sentiment.

3. The economic costs of freezing the trading of shares of popular companies are not

commensurate with the purported benefits of such action.

4. While the SAT order has brought some fairness to the entire proceedings, SEBI s action

will deal a blow to its credibility among investors as being an effective and unbiased

regulatory body.

What next?

Not surprisingly, investor unease was at least partially evident on the street where stocks

witnessed a sharp fall after the order. In order to restore confidence, SEBI and the

government must explain the rationale behind their actions.


7. Vishal Sikka quits as Infosys CEO, shares take a beating (Relevant for GS Prelims

and GS Mains Paper III)






40



Vishal Sikka, CEO and managing director of Infosys, resigned citing what he termed

baseless, malicious and increasingly personal attacks by the founders of India s second-

largest software services exporter, led by N.R. Narayana Murthy, that had constrained his

ability to bring about change.

Background

The news of Mr. Sikka s departure, just a little over three years after he took responsibility

of Infosys CEO, sent the company s shares falling down 9.6%.

Mr. Murthy, co-founder of Infosys, had over the past couple of months raised issues of

corporate governance and salary increases paid to Mr. Sikka and chief operating officer U.B.

PravinRao.

Mr. Murthy had also sought that a probe report on alleged irregularities over the $200

million acquisition of cloud solutions start-up Panaya, be made public.






41




8. Why are vegetable prices soaring? (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper

III)

What happened in July?

July saw a rise in inflation at the wholesale level to 1.88% from 0.9% in June, with the

spiralling tomato prices, along with other food items, contributing significantly to this rise.

Tomatoes saw a sharp inflation of over 209.5% in July against contraction of 29.4% in June,

according to data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy.

The prices of tomato, onion and potato have increased in recent months owing to disparity

between demand and supply on account of a drop-in production because of unfavourable

weather, a rise in transport costs, seasonality and supply chain constraints.

Why is supply low?

The Centre maintains that seasonal fluctuations in market arrivals have hit supplies. The

other reasons for the fall in supply are adverse weather conditions and imperfections in

marketing channels.

Where is the problem?

For years, the consumer, the producer (farmer) and the middleman have had a clash of

interest when it comes to agricultural commodities.

While the consumer wants to buy a commodity at the lowest price, the producer (farmer)

desires to sell the produce at the maximum price.

The middleman, on the other hand, wants to maximise profits. Striking a balance among

these stakeholders could possibly address the issue of price fluctuation to some extent.

Vegetable producers, especially small landholders, depend on intermediaries to sell their

produce.

Way out

Agricultural commodities with a short shelf-life are prone to price fluctuation and hence

require better infrastructure for marketing.

1. Improved transport and upgraded storage infrastructure will keep a check on price

volatility.






42



India s cold storage capacity at present is nearly 3.5 crore tonnes, which is short by 30-40

lakh tonnes, and it needs to be increased.

2. Also, the high cost of transport needs to be addressed. In the case of perishable

vegetables, the government could consider promoting low-cost refrigerated trucks and

weigh the option of freight subsidy.

3. Creation of co-operative groups and societies are probably an alternative that could

assist in minimising the marketing channel. Such groups can work in tandem across the

States and supply vegetables from surplus regions to places where the produce is in

demand.


9. Centre to unveil 'future-ready' industrial policy (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS

Mains Paper III)

The government said it would announce the new future-ready Industrial Policy in October,

by suitably incorporating measures to facilitate the use of smart technologies such as the

internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics for advanced manufacturing.

The new policy would aim at making India a manufacturing hub by promoting Make in

India .

Wide consultations

The illustrative outcomes of the policy include

1. Increasing the number of global-Indian firms in the Fortune-500 category in the long-

term, and in the medium-term helping attract $100 billion inward FDI annually and

supporting outward FDI to assert Indian presence in world markets and addressing the

problem of low job creation in the formal sector.

2. The other illustrative outcomes include developing alternatives to banks and improving

access to capital for MSMEs through peer to peer lending and crowd funding, providing a

credit rating mechanism for MSMEs.

3. Studying the impact of automation on jobs and employment, ensuring minimal/zero

waste from industrial activities and targeting certain sectors to radically cut emissions.







43



Environment

1. India has 27,312 elephants: census (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper

III)

Preliminary results from the first-ever synchronised all-India Elephant Population

estimation pegs India s Asian elephant population at 27,312.

The estimate, derived from the sighting-based direct count method alone, will be confirmed

with estimates from the indirect dung-count method in three months.

States with highest number of elephants

According to the report, released by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate

Change, Karnataka has the highest number of elephants (6,049), followed by Assam (5,719)

and Kerala (3,054).

Findings of the census

1. The numbers are lower than from the last census estimate in 2012 (between 29,391 and

30,711).

But experts say parallels cannot be drawn, because in the 2012 count, various states used

different methodologies and the effort was not synchronised across the country; errors and

duplication could have led to overestimation.

2. This time, a number of indices, including birth rate, indicate that the elephant population

is increasing.

3. Due to habitat fragmentation, elephants are moving out to agricultural landscapes

leading to an increase in man-elephant conflict.

Conflict includes both crop damage and loss of lives. The census spanned four regions of

the country: the northeast, east-central, south and north.

Who all helped to conduct the survey?

The Asian Nature Conservation Foundation (ANCF) at the Indian Institute of Science

(Bengaluru), several NGOs and independent conservationists along with Elephant

Directorate and forest departments of 23 states.







44



Geography

1. Massive floods in Western and Eastern India (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS

Mains Paper I)

The floods that have ravaged parts of eastern and western India, leaving at least 600 people

dead and displacing thousands, highlight the need for a massive capacity-building

programme to deal with frequent, destructive weather events.

A monsoon deluge is not an uncommon occurrence in the subcontinent, and there is

considerable variability in the duration and frequency of rainfall in different regions.

Moreover, there is a clear trend of even drought-prone regions in Gujarat and Rajasthan

encountering floods, in addition to the traditional axis covering States along the

Brahmaputra and the Ganga.

Way out

1. Alleviating financial losses is crucial for a return to normality, and the Centre has

announced a compensation for the next of kin of those who have died.

2. Short-term housing, food, safe water, access to health care and protection for women,

children and the elderly.

3. A review of the deployment of National Disaster Response Force teams near waterbodies

and their experience, together with data compiled by the Central Water Commission, is

bound to reveal the hotspots where better management and perhaps, additional reservoirs,

can mitigate damage.

4. It is essential also to look at the public health dimension: many without the coping

capacity develop mental health issues including post-traumatic stress disorder in the wake

of such catastrophes and need counselling.

A vigorous monsoon is vital for the economy, but governments should be prepared to deal

with the consequences of excess rainfall.

Loopholes in tacking the flood effectively by the States

1. It is dismaying that some States have not been able to use disaster relief funds as

intended.

Catastrophic events, such as the Chennai flood of 2015, also necessitate a review of the

protocol followed by State governments in controlling flows from dams and reservoirs.






45



2. Apparently, much of the waters that have inundated parts of Rajasthan flowed from a

dam that was opened to relieve pressure, catching many by surprise.

Casualties because of floods

Official data put together by the Centre show that even in the past four years, between

1,000 and 2,100 people have died annually; while damages to crops, public utilities and

houses touched Rs. 33,000 crore in one of the years.


2. Heavy rains in Mumbai (Relevant for GS Mains Paper I)

Heavy and incessant rain in Mumbai, continued unabated throughout the day, brought the

city to a virtual standstill. According to the India Meteorological Department, the city had

recorded 297 mm of rain. Heavy rains lead to large standing volume of water in the city.

The situation was compounded by the high tide that prevented natural drainage into the

sea.

Lack of preparedness of urban areas

1. Vehicles broke down

Thousands of vehicles were stranded on roads.

2. Many stranded

Lakhs of Mumbaikars left home in the morning were stuck on the way as water

accumulated on the tracks and roads, bringing both rail and road transport to a halt.

Suburban train services on all three lines Central, Western and Harbour were suspended

between various stations after water level on the tracks reached as high as 200 mm in

some places.







46



Internal Security

1. Price of Illegal Mining (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper III)

In ordering that lease-holders should pay compensation to the extent of 100% of the price

of the quantum of minerals they had illegally extracted, the Supreme Court has gone

beyond a mere affirmation of the polluter pays principle. It has also set a significant

benchmark for stringent action against those who indulge in mining without

environmental or forest clearance.

What had the Central Empowered Committee recommended?

Even the Central Empowered Committee had recommended compensation to the extent of

30% of the value of the iron ore and manganese ore illegally mined in Odisha, but the court

has been firm about not compromising on the quantum of compensation.

It is impossible to dispute the court s reasoning that the defaulter or violator should bear

the consequences of the illegality, and therefore cannot be allowed the benefit of pocketing

70% of the illegally mined ore.

What amounts to illegal mining according to the court?

The court has firmly ruled that any excess extraction within the leased area would also

amount to unlawful mining. It has clarified that every renewal of a mining lease would

require such clearance, even if there is no expansion, modernisation or increase in the

pollution load.

Court dismissed all other claims like

1. Some of them argued that they did not require environmental clearance as they had

started operations prior to 1994, when the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification

was first issued, and that unless there was an expansion, they did not require

environmental clearance.

2. Some said illegal mining was limited to mining activity outside the leased area.

The apex court has been passing a series of orders on illegal mining activity, notably in Goa

and Karnataka. It has often voiced concern over the extent to which mining laws are being

flouted and how illegal mining is depleting the country s natural resources. In this verdict

as well, the court identified rapacious mining in Odisha as a cause for great concern.

In strong words, it has asked the Centre to revisit its National Mineral Policy, 2008, which

seems to be only on paper and is not being enforced, perhaps due to the involvement of

very powerful vested interests or a failure of nerve.






47



Impacts of illegal mining

It has become a source for corruption, excessive exploitation of natural resources and a

scourge in the lives of forest dwellers and tribals.


2. Gujarat drug haul may be tip of the iceberg (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains

Paper III)

For the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and intelligence agencies, the 1,400 kg heroin

capture from the Panamanian ship MV Hennry, caught off Porbandar, was a big success.

What is the case?

According to an official involved in the case, the original input for the ship-chase came from

phone chatter, picked up by the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) in the

Arabian Sea on July 27. From the intercepts it appeared the 26-year-old captain of Indian

origin had —decided to strike a side deal with one Vishal Yadav, a drug dealer in Mumbai,

for a commission of Rs.50 crore, instead of sticking with the original plan made by his

employer a Dubai- based Iranian Sayeid Ali Morani of conveying the narcotic shipment to

Egypt.






48



As soon as the NTRO intercepted the satellite phone conversations, a crisis centre was set

up in Delhi.

Challenge to India

According to the report submitted to the government one was that though the ship was

suspected to be carrying only drugs, it was impossible to ignore the fact that it could also be

used for a 26/11 style attack, especially as it came via Pakistan.

What has happened?

Coast Guard Dornier aircraft conducted a sea-air— coordinated search with two

helicopters and two vessels and arrested eleven persons eight crew of the ship, including

Tiwari, and three others.

According to NCB officials, the consignment was loaded into the vessel at sea by a Pakistani

boat near the Gwadar port and it left, supposedly for Egypt, on July 20.

About Captain Tiwari

Captain Tiwari was a resident of Kolkata, where he completed a marine engineering course.

He was hired by Morani in Iran in May this year to command the ship. Vishal Yadav, who

offered him a commission of Rs. 50 crore for the consignment worth more than Rs.

3,000crore, was arrested along with Tiwari s brother, who went to collect a token amount

from Vishal Yadav.

About National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO)

The National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) is a highly specialised technical

intelligence gathering agency. It was set up in 2004.

NTRO acts as a super-feeder agency for providing technical intelligence to other agencies

on internal and external security.


3. Utkal Express derailment (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper III)

Thirteen coaches of the Puri Haridwar Utkal Express derailed at Khatauli, near

Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, killing at least 23 people.

A portion of the track had been disjointed and was being welded in order to be put back in

place as part of routine maintenance. But no one bothered to put a traffic blockade in place,

as required, and the welding could not be completed before the train passed through.

Lack of trust in Railway inquiries






49



Reposing confidence in the inquiry process may appear difficult as the CRS is yet to

conclude its investigation into one of the deadliest railway mishaps in the past decade: the

Indore-Patna Express crash near Kanpur last November, that killed 152 passengers.

In Khatauli, evidence is available of serious lapses, including an audio recording of railway

officers conceding bungling over the maintenance work.

Past accidents

Nearly 70% of the 303 rail accidents reported between 2012-13 and 2015-16 were caused

by carelessness of railway staff, which includes shortcuts in maintenance work and failure

to heed safety norms.

Derailments often caused by defects in the tracks or the rolling stock have been the second

biggest reason for accidents and casualties over the past decade.

Way out

1. There must be a quick inquiry into the Khatauli accident, and a larger safety upgrade.

2. The induction of coaches with anti-climbing features, that could minimise fatalities in

incidents like Khatauli.

A five-year corporate safety plan, first announced in the Rail Budget for 2015-16, has been

drafted, but is yet to be approved.


4. Incident management system under new NHAI plans (Relevant for GS Prelims and

GS Mains Paper III)

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) set to roll out an incident management

system.

What is the incident management system?

Under this system, ambulances will be stationed every 50 kilometres to be able to respond

to any mishap within 15 minutes of it being reported on a national accident helpline.

A larger four-bedded ambulance with medical recovery systems that can save lives within

the golden hour will be placed every 100 km of highway lengths in seven States to begin

with.

Status of accidental deaths in India

Every year, around 1.5 lakh people die on Indian roads.






50



National highways accounted for 35% of total deaths on Indian roads and 29% of the total

number of persons injured in road accidents in 2015, as per official statistics.







51



Science & Technology

1. Reduction in nicotine levels of cigarettes (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains

Paper III)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has struck panic among tobacco companies by

announcing a comprehensive proposal to reduce the amount of nicotine in cigarettes to

non-addictive levels.

How will reduced Nicotine in cigarettes be helpful?

This is aimed at striking at the root of the problem of smokers getting addicted and being

unable to quit the habit. While the proposal is at an early stage and it may take a while

before it gets implemented, if at all, it outlines a powerful strategy.

About Nicotine

Nicotine does not directly cause cancers and other diseases that kill people but is extremely

addictive.

By keeping smokers addicted for the long term, nicotine exposes them to nearly 7,000

chemicals, many of them deadly, every time they smoke.

Reducing nicotine in cigarettes to non-addictive levels would therefore have

multiple benefits

1. Reduce the likelihood of new users (those in the 15-24 age group) getting hooked to

cigarettes.

2. Increase the chances of habitual smokers being able to quit and cut smoking-related

disease and death burden overall.

In the U.S. alone, nearly half a million smoking-related deaths are reported each year.

India s plans

The FDA, however, has no plans to regulate nicotine content in electronic cigarettes and

other nicotine-replacement products, which are seen to be alternatives to help smokers

quit the habit.

A study published a few days ago in the journal BMJ found that a substantial increase in e-

cigarette use among adult smokers had led to a significant increase in the quitting rate

among smokers.






52



By making it illegal a year ago to sell e-cigarettes to children, the FDA has effectively

addressed the growing concern about children taking to vaping.

About the Food and Drug Administration (FDA or USFDA)

The Food and Drug Administrations a federal agency of the United States Department of

Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public

health through the control and supervision of food safety.

Tacking smoking in India

While India is yet to prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes to minors, it has followed most of the

measures mentioned in the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control guidelines.

1. India banned tobacco advertisements long ago and introduced pictorial warnings

(covering 85% of the front and back of packages of tobacco products).

2. Prohibited the use of descriptors such as light, mild and low as well as the sale of

flavoured cigarettes.

Threatened by the dwindling number of young smokers, there is the possibility that—

tobacco companies will target developing countries such as India with renewed vigour. The

government should remain resolute in not losing the gains made in the last few years the

number of tobacco users reduced by more than eight million between 2010 and 2016.


2. After SC order, focus on chemicals in firecrackers (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS

Mains Paper III)

The Supreme Court ban on the use of antimony, lithium, mercury, arsenic and lead in the

manufacture of firecrackers to prevent air pollution has turned the focus on what

chemicals are used to produce spectacular visual effects and noise.

Who is the authority responsible for ensuring compliance to the order?

The court entrusted the Petroleum and Explosive Safety Organisation (PESO) with the

responsibility of ensuring compliance particularly in Sivakasi. Over 90% of cracker

production is done in Sivakasi.

Response by the fireworks manufacturers

The Tamil Nadu Fireworks Manufacturers Association, which produces most of the

fireworks in the country, says none of the specific products banned by the court are used.






53



Cracker manufacturers in Sivakasi, who denied using the banned chemicals, said the sound

and light show is produced by chemicals such as sulphur, aluminium powder and charcoal

(used as fuel), besides potassium nitrate and barium nitrate (as oxidising agents), the

industry says.

Aluminium powder, sulphur and potassium nitrate go into noise-making crackers, while

barium nitrate (green) and strontium nitrate (red) emit light. Aluminium powder is used in

sparklers.

Where do the chemicals for the firecracker industry come from?

Sources in the industry and the PESO claim that the chemicals are domestically procured.

Fireworks manufacturers are also involved in aluminium powder production and they

supply the entire industry s requirement.

But a PESO source said the procurement of raw materials for fireworks does not come

under the purview of the Explosives Act. The PESO has been testing samples of crackers

only for adherence to the sound limit of 125 decibels at a distance of four metres.

About PESO

Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) is the department formed by

Government of India to control and administer the usage of explosives. The Petroleum and

Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) with its headquarter at Nagpur and a network of 5

Circle offices, 18 Sub-circle offices and Central Testing Station has been continuing for over

100 years in all matters relating to safety in manufacture, storage, transport and handling

of explosives, petroleum, compressed gases and other hazardous substances.


3. ISRO to develop full-fledged Earth observation (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS

Mains Paper III)

The Indian Space Research—Organisation (ISRO) plans to launch a full-fledged niche Earth

observation (EO) satellite called the Hyperspectral Imaging Satellite or HySIS using a

critical chip it has developed.

ISRO is endeavouring to enter the domain of operational hyperspectral imaging from earth

orbit with a satellite that can see in 55 spectral or colour bands from 630 km above ground.

About Hyperspectral Imaging

1. Hyperspectral or hyspex imaging is said to be an EO trend that is being experimented

globally.






54



2. It can be used for a range of activities from monitoring—the environment, crops, looking

for minerals and all the way up to military surveillance all of which need images that

show a high level of differentiation of the object or scene.

3. Hyspex imaging is said to enable distinct identification of objects, materials or processes

on Earth by reading the spectrum for each pixel of a scene from space.


4. Satellite built by ISRO-industry partnership set for launch (Relevant for GS Prelims

and GS Mains Paper III)

First move for an independent Indian satellite-building industry, the first of two

replacements or spare navigation satellites assembled in partnership with a private

industry consortium, was flagged off from Bengaluru.

What is the need of this new satellite?

The 1,400-kg IRNSS-1H satellite, is due to be deployed in space from Sriharikota. It will

back up the crippled IRNSS-1A, on which all three-rubidium atom-based clocks have failed.

What role has private sector previously played in this field?

Until now, public and private sector industries have only supplied satellite parts, hardware

or material required by the Indian Space Research Organisation.

With 1H, they are being readied to build satellites too.

Background

Early last year, ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC), which assembles Indian satellites, started one

such initiative with two spare navigation (IRNSS or NavIC) satellites. Seven of them, 1A to

1G, are in orbit. Over the last six months, ISAC roped in about 70 personnel from a six-

company consortium for assembly, integration and testing.

ISAC Director credited about 25% of the realisation of 1H to the external team. 1H is the

eighth NavIC satellite.


5. Tobacco sellers barred from displaying products (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS

Mains Paper III)

In a first in the country, the Rajasthan government has barred sellers from displaying

tobacco products in the open at their shops. The sellers at shops, kiosks, counters and






55



mobile selling outlets will be fined if they continue to display cigarettes, tobacco pouches

and other tobacco items.

What is the legislation backing the move?

The orders were issued under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003,

directing that that the tobacco products should not be displayed in such a manner that they

would be available to children under 18 years of age.

The Act prohibits selling of tobacco products to minor children. The amended rule of 2011

under Section 6 (a) of the Act had made it mandatory that the tobacco products would not

be displayed at the selling points.

Non-government organisations working for elimination of tobacco consumption in the

State have welcomed the decision.


6. Rooftop solar project (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper III)

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched a grid-connected rooftop solar programme

through net-metering system.

About the grid-connected solar systems:

Mr. Patnaik said grid-connected solar systems are best options for adding renewable solar

capacity through people s participation.

These centralised systems also have the ability to strengthen the grid. Stating that the

rooftop solar project will reduce power losses and benefit the public.

What is the programme?

1. Under the programme, consumers can install small solar plants on their rooftops and

consume the generated solar power during daytime.

2. Excess power if any can be exported to the grid at 220V/440V level through their service

cables.

3. The exported power is metered on a special type of metre, Net-Metre, which is provided

by the respective power distribution companies. The positive difference of import from the

grid and the export to the grid is billed by the consumer.






56



4. In this manner, the consumer can reduce his consumption of power by using his own

solar power and simultaneously can get a reduced bill on account of export of solar power

to the grid.

How much investment will be needed for this?

The investment on a rooftop solar system is about Rs. 70,000 per KW. Subsidy to the tune

of 30% is available to consumers belonging to residential and institutional segments as

well as registered societies and trusts.


7. Questions on Bt cotton (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper III)

Reigniting the debate on GM crops, a Parliamentary panel headed by Congress MP

RenukaChowdhury in a report, said the government agencies have portrayed a rosy picture

on Bt Cotton which is far removed from the truth.

What does the report reveal?

1. The report of the Standing Committee on Science and Technology claimed that the

government cited only overall cotton output and not the average yield in area. India s

cotton yields increased by 69% in the five years (2000-2005) when Bt Cotton was less than

6% of total cotton area, but by only 10% in the 10 years from 2005-2015 when Bt Cotton

grew to 94% of the total cotton area, the report noted.

2. It slammed the government for its casual approach to the need for a scientific study of

GM crop impact on health. The committee said that no study on impact of GM crops on

human or animal health was carried out. All the studies that the government has been

quoting are done in other countries growing GM crops.

3. The committee noted that 20 years after introduction of GM crops in 1996, only six

countries continue to account for over 90 % of all GM crop area globally including U.S.,

Brazil, Argentina, Canada, China and India. If GM technology was so good, then why would

all the countries not embrace it? Ms. Chowdhury asked.

4. The Ministry of Agriculture conceded to the committee that herbicide-tolerant gene may

escape through pollen into nearby farm and fields, to another GM or non-GM crop.

5. Finally, unless bio-safety and socio-economic desirability studies are done through a

participatory, independent and transparent process, the committee has recommended that

no GM crop should be introduced.







57



8. Why does the 2022 target for rooftop solar seem ambitious? (Relevant for GS

Prelims and GS mains paper III)

The government has set itself a target of 100 GW of solar power by 2022, of which 60 GW is

to come from utilities and 40 GW from rooftop solar installations. While the 60 GW target

seems achievable, the country is lagging behind on the target set for rooftop solar.

What is rooftop solar?

Rooftop solar installations as opposed to large-scale solar power generation plants can be

installed on the roofs of buildings.

What are the benefits?

1. Rooftop solar provides companies and residential areas the option of an alternative

source of electricity to that provided by the grid.

2. While the main benefit of this is to the environment, since it reduces the dependence on

fossil-fuel generated electricity, solar power can also augment the grid supply in places

where it is erratic.

3. Rooftop solar also has the great benefit of being able to provide electricity to those areas

that are not yet connected to the grid remote locations and areas where the terrain

makes it difficult to set up power stations and lay power lines.

What is the potential for rooftop solar in India?

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has pegged the market potential for rooftop

solar at 124 GW. However, only 1,247 MW of capacity had been installed as of December

31, 2016.

Why is it not being adopted widely?

One of the major problems with rooftop solar — and what affects solar energy generation

in general — is the variability in supply. Not only can the efficiency of the solar panels vary

on any given day depending on how bright the sunlight is, but the solar panels also produce

no electricity during the night. Arguably, night is when off-grid locations most need

alternative sources of electricity.

What is the solution to this problem?

1. The solution to this is storage. Storage technology for electricity, however, is still

underdeveloped and storage solutions are expensive.

2. Another major reason why rooftop solar is not becoming popular is that the current

electricity tariff structure renders it an unviable option.






58



Many states have adopted a net metering policy, which allows disaggregated power

producers to sell excess electricity to the grid. Subsidised tariffs charged to residential

customers undermine the economic viability of installing rooftop solar panels.

3. Imports of cheap solar panels are continuously placing a downward pressure on prices

and so this scenario could change in the future. Commercial applications of rooftop solar

are already viable in most states.







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Social Issues

1. Protest over SC ruling on dowry (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper I)

View of Supreme Court

While pronouncing its judgment in a dowry harassment case, the Supreme Court had

observed that there was a need to reduce the growing instances of abuse of the said

provision as innocent family members, including senior citizens, were often harassed

under Section 498A.

To keep a check on false cases, the apex court had directed constitution of a Family Welfare

Committee in every district and barred any arrest till the committee submitted its report.

Provisions of Section 498A

Section 498A states that whoever, the husband or a relative of the husband, subjects a

woman to cruelty (for property or dowry) shall be punished with imprisonment for a term

which may extend to three years. Such an offence is cognisable and non-bailable under the

law.

Opposition to the judgement

Activists from organisations such as AIDWA, National Federation of Indian Women and

others demanded a review of the SC order.

Pointing to the court s decision to exempt only cases involving tangible physical injuries or

death from being referred to such committees, the memorandum submitted to the CJI

stated: Mental torture and abuse and infliction of physical violence, which may not be

evident, has not been considered by the judgment though Section 498A expressly covers

both mental and physical violence.


2. Doctors warn against rising popularity of killer game (Relevant for GS Prelims and

GS Mains Paper I, III)






60



sAn online gaming challenge that allegedly goads players into committing suicide has

raised concerns among parents, teachers and doctors.

About the game

The Blue Whale game or Blue Whale challenge is believed to be a suicide game, wherein a

group of administrators or a certain curator gives a participant a task to complete daily for

a period of 50 days — the final of which is the participant committing suicide.

1. The players are expected to share photos of the tasks completed by them.

2. The daily tasks start off easy such as listening to certain genres of music, waking up at

odd hours, watching a horror movie and then escalate to self-mutilation and suicide.

The recent horror associated with the game is the death of a 14-year-old student in

Mumbai, who apparently jumped off the terrace of the building in which he lived.

Meanwhile, there is uncertainty over how the game is played.

Linked to social

While some say the user has to install some app on their smartphone, others say it s via

social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, where the administrators get in

touch with the participant after those interested throw out postings on social media asking

for a curator .

A number of hashtags #bluewhalechallenge, #curatorfindme, #i_am_whale act as signals

for the anonymous curators, .






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It is advised for the parents to be vigilant towards their children s activities on social media

and the Internet.


3. Should marital rape be criminalized? (Relevant for GS Mains)

What did the court say about marital rape?

Marital rape cannot be made a criminal offence as it could become a phenomenon which

may destabilise the institution of marriage and an easy tool for harassing the husbands, the

Central government submitted before the Delhi High Court.

This has been because of the already growing misuse of dowry demand and domestic

violence charges.

What did the petitions seek?

The government was responding to various petitions seeking declaration that marital rape

be made offence.


4. Stalking: not a mere annoyance Crime that requires swift punishment (Relevant

for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper I, II)

The issue of women s safety comes under the national limelight with shameful regularity.

The recent incident of a woman being pursued at night by men in a car in Chandigarh is a

reminder that neither law nor public odium is a sufficient deterrent to such crimes.

What had happened?

Two men, one of them the son of the Bharatiya Janata Party s Haryana State unit chief, have

been booked for stalking the woman.

What was the action taken against them?

They were released on bail; Section 354D of the Indian Penal Code, which pertains to

stalking, is a bailable offence.

This has attracted the criticism that the police did not invoke more stringent provisions. It

is believed that the police had originally sought to include sections relating to an attempt to

kidnap the woman but dropped the idea. The use of a particular section depends on

whether the ingredients of the offence are present in the actions of the accused.

What next?






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The onus is on the Chandigarh police to show that available evidence is limited to the

offence of stalking. The claim that there is no closed-circuit television footage from

anywhere along the entire route needs investigation.

Why should this case be taken very seriously?

The victim s presence of mind to call the police in time foiled her pursuers designs, but not

every woman may survive such an ordeal in the same manner. This is one reason police

ought to take complaints of stalking seriously, and act at an early stage.

As crimes against women go, stalking is far too often dismissed as harmless. However, it is

important to understand how traumatic and inhibiting it is for a woman to be pursued with

unsolicited interest, and for such stalking to be considered normal. There are times when

stalking contains the seed for a bigger, often violent crime. It should not be forgotten that

murders and acid attacks have had their origins in stalking.


5. On scrapping no-detention policy (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper I,

III)

About RTE Act

Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2010, guarantees uninterrupted

schooling under sections 16 and 30(1) which is the base for no-detention policy until Class

8.

This is a protection that should not be trifled with to compensate for the overall failure to

improve the school education system, beginning with the neglect of teacher education, bad

recruitment policies, and confusion over what the goals of schooling are.

The Union Cabinet has recently decided to scrap the no-detention policy at the elementary

level and introduce detention of students who fail a designated test in Class 5 or 6. This can

lead to the following negative effects:

1. It can lead to going back to a regime of early dropouts.

2. Such a move can only feed the pool of cheap child labour.

Way out

1. Rather than detain a child early through a stigmatising test, a progressive system should

open avenues for skills training after the elementary level for those who would prefer that

over academic studies.






63



Such a model has served industrial nations such as Germany for decades, raising the

standard of living for all, while ensuring economic productivity. The objective is not to

relegate academic attainments to a second order priority.

2. Raising the quality of classroom teaching, continuous monitoring of teacher attendance

and introduction of free vocational and industrial skills training for all those with such an

aptitude after elementary schooling should be the priority.

Transferring the onus of performance in a narrow testing framework to children, many of

whom come from underprivileged backgrounds, can only produce a less literate citizenry.

A more open and liberal approach to schooling will have good long-term outcomes.


6. On Kerala conversion case: Choice & conversion (Relevant for GS Mains Paper I)

The case of Akhila/Hadiya is becoming curiouser by the day. Entrusted with adjudicating

whether her conversion to Islam and marriage to a Muslim man were voluntary acts, the

Supreme Court has embarked on a roving inquiry into whether Hindu women in parts of

Kerala are being radicalised.

What was the question before the court?

The question before the court was the correctness of the Kerala High Court s decision to

annul her marriage.

In the process, it made the odd observations that a woman s marriage requires the

involvement of her parents and that even if she had attained the age of majority, she was

still at a vulnerable age

About the Supreme Court’s response

The Supreme Court s reasoning for its position that it needs the inputs of all stakeholders

before it speaks to the woman concerned is hard to comprehend.

Of what use would these inputs be if she maintains that she chose to convert and marry

voluntarily? This happened in the course of hearings on a plea by her father complaining

that she was under the influence of radical groups.

The court has sought inputs from the National Investigation Agency (NIA), tasked with

tackling terrorism, to probe the circumstances of the 24-year-old s conversion and

marriage even before it heard her out.






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But the inquiry itself has come about because of a submission made by the NIA that there is

a pattern to such incidents in Kerala.

But the mere suspicion that they are working in an organised way to convert people is not

sufficient to conclude that they are involved in recruiting them for overseas terror

operations for groups such as the Islamic State.

What does the family of the family of the girl say?

The woman s father maintains that she is under the spell and influence of radical activists

who, he says, would transport her abroad to destinations such as Syria.

Analysis of the Supreme Court’s decision

It is unfortunate that the plea that she was living under custody in her parental home

despite being a major failed to cut any ice before the two-judge bench.

In refusing to entertain the plea, the Supreme Court has lent the unfortunate impression

that it has placed a judicial curtailment on her volition. Rather than do this, it should have

striven to find a way to protect her freedom of religion and movement.


7. Verdict of Ram Rahim (Relevant for GS Mains Paper I, II)

IT TOOK all of 20 minutes for Special CBI Judge Jagdeep Singh to pronounce the verdict in

the rape case against DeraSachaSauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

The judge also told him not to create lawlessness. Ram Rahim did not utter a single word in

response.

Ram Rahim convicted in rape case,

Background: How the case unfolded

2002: Two women disciples send anonymous letters to then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and

Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, alleging that they were raped by Gurmeet

Ram Rahim Singh.

November 2003: Taking suomotucognizance, HC orders CBI probe into allegation of rape

of sadhvis by Ram Rahim.

2006: CBI records statements of victims, who show the spot where they were assaulted at

the Dera headquarters in Sirsa.

2007: CBI presents challan in court.






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2008: Charges framed against Ram Rahim.

2009-10: Two complainants record their statements before the court.

April 2011: Special CBI court shifts from Ambala to Panchkula; case against Ram Rahim

transferred.

2014: CBI records statement of Ram Rahim.

2015: In his statements under CrPC, Ram Rahim claims he is impotent. CBI says at the time

of incident he was 32 and had three children.

August 25, 2017: Verdict delivered.

Family background and his story of becoming a guru

He was born in Sri Gurusar Modia village in Rajasthan s Sri Ganganagar district on August

15, 1967, to a landlord father. An only child, Gurmeet helped his father in the farm in his

early years.

Gurmeet, it is said, was always spiritual. When he was seven, he was picked out by Shah

Satnam Singh, then head of the DeraSachaSauda in Sirsa, who named him Ram Rahim.

Sixteen years later, in 1990, Satnam Singh invited his disciples from all over the country for

a grand satsang where 23-year-old Gurmeet Ram Rahim was chosen as his successor.

The Dera chief, who completed his high school, is married to HarjeetKaur. They have two

daughters, both of whom are married, and a son. He also adopted a girl.

Violence after the verdict

At least 30 people were killed and 250 injured in Panchkula and other parts of Haryana

after supporters of the DeraSachaSauda sect went on the rampage as news broke that their

chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh had been convicted of rape by a CBI special court.

Ram Rahim s followers pelted stones on security forces and set ablaze several parked

vehicles and public property. They also damaged OB vans belonging to TV channels and

attacked members of the public. Security personnel fired teargas shells, used water

cannons and batons and opened fire in an attempt to bring the situation under control.

Earlier tens of thousands of the godman s supporters had converged on Panchkula in

anticipation of the court verdict over the past few days, leading to widespread

apprehension of trouble and violence.






66



As death and destruction engulfed Panchkula, the district administration-imposed curfew.

In neighbouring Punjab, curfew was imposed in Ferozpur, Muktsar, Bathinda and Mansa

after incidents of arson were reported in a few towns. Dera followers attempted to set

railway stations on fire at Malout, Balluana and Gidderbaha in Muktsar district. Incidents of

violence were also reported from Rajasthan and Delhi, where two empty bogies of a train

were set on fire at the AnandVihar railway station

(Adapted from The Indian Express and The Hindu)

8. Why was Guru Ram Rahim dera popular (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains

Paper I, II)

The Dera Sacha Sauda sect headed by Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is a fascinating

phenomenon which cannot be analysed through the standard upper middle-class lens only.

A home for the downtrodden of the society

In the hard, menial work of routine made more meaningless by modernity, the simplified

faith that Singh adopts makes sense, provides a sense of equal to the society, welcoming the

poor and the discarded in a way that ideology cannot. English middle-class snobbishness

dismisses the sect as mediocre, as a law and order problem.

Deras being a mix of both good and bad

Perusing a list of Dera Sacha Sauda ashrams in India, one can see them as terrains of social

service or as personal enclaves full of sexual kinkiness, most probably a combination of

both.

These groups are large, and States like Haryana, Bihar, Punjab and Rajasthan are fertile

grounds for people who dream of a millennial equality, where good and evil combine.

It is true that the relation between these groups and electoral politics is a bit seedy. The

size of the following makes politicians see them as vote banks, pamper them with real

estate, turn a blind eye to the little exploitations and the sheer defiance of the government

that must be going on in these enclaves. Politicians love to be invited as VIPs to these

enclaves.

Some areas of concern

The challenge today is, how do we separate the different Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh s: the

reformer, the devotee, the fraud, the rapist?

The demographic emergence of millennial ashrams is a source of concern and curiosity.

Some questions worth giving a thought






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How do these ashrams, which deal with small-town meaning and modernity, appear and

become global phenomena?

How do they acquire so much freedom so as to become parallel communities which

challenge the official?

How long have they been beyond the scrutiny of law and order forces? How could so many

of them assemble arsenal?

Dismissing these groups as bad faith will not do. Few functional aspects of such groups%

1. People and even the government realise that at moments of disaster these groups have

the power and commitment to be among the best disaster-managers.

2. Their work ethic and their religiosity create a network of competence that the state and

secular humanitarians cannot match.

3. Imagine doing a human indicators study of these ashrams, comparing them with

enclaves where the government has conducted its welfare projects, these ashrams will

probably receive a better rating.

4. They read the classifications of marginal beyond standard categories and cater to the

diversity of livelihoods in a way social worker cannot match. Their ideology is a bricolage

of Bhakti, technology, spirituality and social science, the very idioms in which many of us

speak.

5. These groups provide a mirror to an alternative future which our secular Constitution

has no sense of.

What next?

We have two options: dismiss Ram Rahim Singh as a law and order problem or go out and

understand what is happening to our culture today under the stress of modernity and

globalisation.

The proliferation of goddesses, the epidemic of gurus, and the appeal of millennialism

reveals that India is a mix of secularism, faith, and superstition that has an experimental

pluralist quality to it. It demands that we step out of our drawing-room ideas of governance

and social science and get a vernacular sense of what India is thinking beyond the realm of

consumption and marketing today.







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9. Dera head Guru Ram Rahim given 20 years imprisonment (Relevant for GS Prelims

and GS Mains Paper I, II)

Head of the Dera Sacha Sauda Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was awarded two consecutive

sentences of 10 years rigorous imprisonment in two rape cases registered by the CBI in

2002, and a fine of Rs. 15 lakh in each case.

Sentence has been awarded under the following sections:

The court said Ram Rahim had been charged under Section 376 (rape) and Section 506

(criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) keeping in view the entire facts and

circumstances pertaining to both the victims.

The sentences under Section 376 of the IPC shall run consecutively, holding that he would

have to undergo a total of 20 years imprisonment. Under Section 506 of the IPC, the judge

awarded two years rigorous imprisonment (one year for each victim) with a fine of Rs.

10,000.







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Miscellaneous

1. Travel Delhi-Chandigarh in two hours (Relevant for GS Prelims)

The Indian Railways is going full steam to achieve the target of covering the 245-km long

Delhi - Chandigarh distance in flat two hours despite many curves on the proposed semi-

high-speed route.

The Delhi-Chandigarh corridor, one of the busiest routes in north India, is slated to be first

semi-high-speed project being taken up by the State-owned transporter to run trains at

maximum speeds of 200 kmph with French help.

No land acquisitions

The public transporter will not go for land acquisition required for straightening up several

curves on the Delhi-Chandigarh semi-high-speed corridor and instead opt for slowing

down while negotiating the track, according to the railways.

French collaboration

SNCF, the French railways, has been assigned the task of submitting the execution strategy

and implementation model with detailed cost of the semi-high-speed project involving

upgradation of the Chandigarh route.


2. Bengaluru to get India's first 'heli-taxi' service (Relevant for GS Prelims)

Bengaluru is all set to get India s first dedicated helicopter-taxi (heli-taxi) service.

Who will operate the services?

The service, expected to take off in three months, will be operated by a private company

Thumby Aviation Private Limited.

Which places will be connected?

Initially, the services will be between KIA and Electronics City, where a helipad is expected

to come up.

Other details

1. Estimates by the company peg the travel time at around 15 minutes.

2. The services could also be used to ferry patients in need of urgent medical care.






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What is the current fare and travel time?

Current fares for an air-conditioned taxi between KIA and Electronics City range between

Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 2,500 for a 50-km ride. The travel time could be 90 minutes to three hours

depending on traffic.


3. "New India Manthan,’’ (Relevant for GS Prelims)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed– District Collectors across the country via video-

conference on the theme of New India Manthan, which according to him is aimed at

catalysing the country and the people at the grassroots level. The programme was launched

on the 75th anniversary of Quit India movement.

The Prime Minister said the Centre wants every individual, each family and organisation to

set goals to be reached by 2022. He said the district collectors now have to decide where

they want to see their districts in that year.

He said some districts have always lagged in basic services such as electricity, water,

education and health and added that when the socio-economic conditions of 100 most

backward districts improve, it would help in the overall development parameters of the

country.

The Prime Minister compared the development work in a district to a relay race. He said

that just as the baton is passed from one athlete to the next, with the ultimate objective of

winning the race, the development baton should pass on from one collector to the next.

(Adapted from The Hindu Businessline)

4. NHAI takes steps to facilitate availability of FASTags for Electronic Toll Collection

(Relevant for GS Prelims)

In order to facilitate the availability of FASTags for Electronic Toll Collection, NHAI has

taken two revolutionary steps in consultation with RBI and NPCI.

These include Online sale of FASTags and offline sale through Common Services Centre

(CSC) near toll plazas.

About Hybrid Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) network

Hybrid ETC that involves installation & integration of RFID readers in all the Toll Plaza

lanes is already under progress and is likely to be completed by 31st October 2017. Out of

all Hybrid Lanes, at least one shall be exclusively dedicated for FASTag vehicles where no






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other mode of Toll Payment shall be accepted. This exclusive one lane for FASTag vehicles

will be operational with effect from 1 September 2017.

What are fast tags?

The fast tag is essentially a Radio Frequency Identification Card (RFID) pasted to the

windscreen of the vehicle. The system operates on the lines of a prepaid phone card. Each

vehicle is issued a radio frequency tag in the form of Radio frequency identification (RFID)

card that is affixed to the windshield.

How does it work?

An RFID reader is installed about 80 meters from the toll plaza acting as a sensor that

would pick up the radio frequency ID and verify its validity and the account balance in the

card of the vehicle.

Within a 10 metres range, the RFID reader will sense the radio frequency tag and classify

the vehicle. If the amount is available with the prepaid card, the vehicle may pass through.

Where there is a discrepancy in the card, the balance amount or validity, the vehicle will be

alerted to eject from the lane.

(Adapted from PIB and The Hindu)

5. Forex reserves of India may hit $400 bn by next month: Morgan Stanley (Relevant

for GS Prelims)

The country's forex reserves are expected to hit $400 billion by September, driven by

robust capital inflows.

According to the global financial services major, Indian forex reserves are at an all-time

high and have increased at the fastest pace since 2015.

If the pace of forex reserves is similar to that of the past four weeks, forex reserves would

hit $400 billion by September 8, 2017.

Reason for rise

Morgan Stanley, attributed rise in forex to foreign direct and institutional investment,

tracking at $63 billion and $17 billion on a 12-month trailing sum basis.

Negative impact of rise in forex

The report, however, noted that as capital flows remained buoyant, it would put

appreciation pressures on rupee and could lead to excess liquidity, which in turn would

create challenges for the RBI to manage its monetary policy.






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But RBI is not likely to cut policy rates and lower real rates to prevent further currency

appreciation, as the central bank is following a flexible inflation targeting regime, the

report said.

Hence, RBI monetary policy will only take into account the impact of currency appreciation

on inflation into its policy decision, rather than tackling currency appreciation per se,

Morgan Stanley said.

RBI has already intervened in the currency markets in both spot and forward market to the

tune of $3 billion and $17 billion, respectively, as of June 2017.

The report noted that as the excess liquidity challenge looks set to persist, RBI will need

more tools to manage excess liquidity.


6. Plans to make Bhubaneswar an ecotourism hotspot (Relevant for GS Prelims)

The Odisha government proposes to connect three major forests in and around

Bhubaneswar by bus service in order to make optimum use of their ecotourism potential.

Tourists are likely to be ferried by tourist buses to Nandankanan Biological Park and

Chudanga and Bharatpur forests as part of the government s larger plan to showcase

Bhubaneswar s ecotourism assets.

Taking a cue from Karnataka, which has been gainingfrom the exquisite natural beauty of

the Bannerghatta Biological Park, about 22 km from Bengaluru city, the State government

is contemplating creation of two more safaris in Chudanga Reserve Forest and Bharatpur

Reserve Forest.


7. Justice Dipak Misra takes oath as 45th CJI (Relevant for GS Prelims)

President Ram Nath Kovind administered the oath to Justice Misra, as the 45th Chief Justice

of India.

He has a tenure of just under 14 months, till October 2, 2018.

Background of Judge






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Misrais the 45th Chief Justice of India (CJI), succeeding the 44th CJI, Justice J. S. Khehar. He

is a judge of the Supreme Court of India and a former Chief Justice of the Patna and Delhi

High Courts.

Justice Misra was elevated to the Supreme Court on October 10, 2011. He enrolled himself

as an advocate on February 14, 1977 and was appointed as an Additional Judge of the

Orissa High Court in 1996. After a stint in the Madhya Pradesh High Court, he became a

Permanent Judge in December 1997 before assuming charge as the Chief Justice of the

Patna High Court in 2009. Later, he served as the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court.


8. ISRO opens up satellite making to industry (Relevant for GS Prelims)

The Bengaluru-based ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC), which has so far produced about 90

Indian spacecrafts, invited single or combined domestic entities that can give it up to 18

spacecraft a year starting mid to late 2018.






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The Indian Space Research Organization currently makes four categories of spacecraft communication, remote sensing, navigation and scientific missions and in three sizes of 1,000 kg to 4,000 kg. Benefits to ISRO How would the exercise benefit ISRO or ISAC which has around 900 engineers versed in different skills related to spacecraft? 1. The manpower of ISAC/ISRO is not adequate for meeting both the increased load of making more satellites; and also, for the R&D that we need for future satellites. The present bid to outsource will help it re-deploy the human resources effectively and focus on R&D. 2. It would also aid self-reliance by way of an independent Indian satellite industry.






Documents

Table of Contents - PrepMate€¦ · Bengaluru to get India's first 'heli-taxi' service (Relevant for GS Prelims)..... 69 3. "New India Manthan, ïï (Relevant for GS Prelims