1

Weekly Current Affairs – January Last Week

1. Hard power and soft power

2. ILO – Future of work

3. Social Audit

4. Curative petition

5. Electoral Bonds Scheme

6. Charter of Patients’ Rights

7. Bharat Ratna

8. Nitrogen Pollution

9. Solid Waste Management

10. Bandipur National Park

11. Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary

12. Manas National Park

13. Article 35A

14. Fall Armyworm

15. Swine Flu (H1N1)

16. Autonomous District Council

17. Loktak Lake

18. Jiban Sampark Project of Odisha

19. Report on ‘e-waste’ by UN

20. Exercise Sea Vigil

21. IAFTX 2019

22. Project ReWeave

23. Pakke Paga Hornbill Festival (PPHF)

24. National Museum of Indian Cinema

25. Zearalenone in cereals

26. World Malaria Report of 2018

Hard Power and Soft Power

Context

A nation’s hard power and soft power complement each other in helping a country

achieve its growth targets.

Soft power and hard power are public diplomacy tools that communicate the nation’s

competitive identity and advantage to the world. India’s global image is as much

determined by its trade and geopolitical standing as by its ability to share its culture with

the world through food, music, bollywood films, technological prowess and tourism

potential

Hard Power

2

The term hard power describes a nation or political body’s ability to use economic

incentives or military strength to influence other actors’ behaviors.

Hard power is linked with the possession of certain tangible resources, including

population, territory, natural resources, economic and military strength, among others.

Hard power is time-effective and generating hard power requires much less time as its

resources are tangible.

Soft Power

Soft power is persuasive power deriving from attraction and emulation and grounded on

intangible resources like tourism, culture, and heritage.

It is the ability to get what you want through attraction rather than coercion, as used in

hard power.

The importance and relevance of soft power is growing as more of humanity becomes

connected. This dramatically enhanced presence everywhere on the globe has the

potential to generate a surge of global opinion.

Soft power is useful in complex situations and helps a nation to achieve difficult

outcomes. India received a nuclear waiver in 2008 despite not being a member of NSG

because of its history of non-alignment and strong political ideals.

Trends in World of Work

Context

International Labour Organization’s (ILO) has released a report titled ‘Future of Work’

Current State of the World of Work

According to ILO

The job creation has been positive from 1991 to 2016, however, growth in job has

remained below the population growth. The total employment in 2016 stood at 3.2

billion.

The female labour participation has increased considerably over the past years and at

presents stands at 49% (27% below that of males)

Working poverty has declined significantly. The share of employed persons in emerging

and developing countries living in extreme poverty (i.e. living with their families on less

than US$1.90 per person per day) fell from over 50% in 1991 to just over 10% in 2016

There have been significant gains in social protection and at present there is no country

without some sort of social protection scheme for workers

3

Improvements in labour regulation have significantly improved occupational health and

safety for workers in many sectors. For example: The number of fatal injuries/ 1000

workers have decreased from 7.5 for the period 2003–2007 to 3.5 for the period 2011–

2015.

There have been significant improvement in effective recognition of the right to

collective bargaining, the elimination of forced or compulsory labour, the abolition of

child labour and the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and

occupation

Social Audit

Context

The process to bring legislation on social accountability, which will ensure better

delivery of public goods and services and make officials accountable, will start shortly in

Rajasthan after a protracted campaign by civil rights groups. The Congress government

in the State will also strengthen the public grievances redressal system.

Details of the issue

The Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangthan (MKSS), led by social activist and Magsaysay

Award winner Aruna Roy, has proposed a draft Bill to the State government. The Bill has

been divided into sections such as transparency in governance, citizens’ participation in

governance, accountability in delivery of services, decentralisation of the process and

establishment of an independent grievance redressal structure.

Mr. Gehlot said social audit of the government’s functioning would be an important

aspect of the new legislation. He called upon the non-government organisations to play a

bigger role in making the administration accountable to people, while affirming that

empowering the NGOs would bring pressure on the government right from the Pradhans

of panchayat samitis to the top officers.

Nikhil Dey of MKSS said the draft Bill’s provisions were based on best practices in the

country and were an extension of the Right to Information.

Social Audit

Social audit is where information is to be proactively shared amongst people. They can,

in turn, “performance audit” a service or programme.

It involves people in planning, implementation and evaluation phases. Sharing

information, recording comments and acting on findings are the processes involved.

4

Social Audit is an independent evaluation of the performance of an organisation as it

relates to the attainment of its social goals. It is an instrument of social accountability of

an organisation.

Social Audit of administration means understanding the administrative system and its

internal dynamics from the angle of what they mean for the vast majority of the people,

who are not essentially a part of the State or its machinery or the ruling class of the day,

for whom they are meant to work.

Objectives of Social Audit

Accurate identification of requirements

Prioritization of developmental activities as per requirements

Proper utilization of funds

Conformity of the developmental activity with the stated goals

Quality of service

Curative petition

Context

The Supreme Court on Monday decided to examine in April a curative petition by the

government for more compensation to the victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy, over and

above the $470 million paid by Union Carbide.

Bhopal Gas Tragedy

The tragedy unfolded in Bhopal on the intervening night of December 2 and 3, 1984,

when the highly dangerous and toxic gas, Methyl Isocyanate, escaped from the Union

Carbide India Limited (UCIL). It resulted in the death of 5,295 humans and injuries to

5,68,292 persons, besides a loss of livestock and property of 5,478 persons.

There was a leakage in the water pipe and as result water entered into methyl iso

cyanide(MIC) tank. Also refrigeration system was not working to cool MIC and prevent

chemical reaction. Due to this, exothermic reaction took place releasing large amount of

heat and the volume of gas increased and a cloud of gases phosgene, carbon monoxide

and MIC started coming out.

As it was very spontaneous, it spread rapidly and soon a very dense cloud was formed

over the city of Bhopal exposing half a million people.

Curative petition

The concept of Curative petition was evolved by the Supreme Court of India in the matter

of Rupa Ashok Hurra vs. Ashok Hurra and Anr (2002) where the question was whether

5

an aggrieved person is entitled to any relief against the final judgement/order of the

Supreme Court, after dismissal of a review petition.

The Supreme Court in the said case held that in order to prevent abuse of its process and

to cure gross miscarriage of justice, it may reconsider its judgements in exercise of its

inherent powers.

For this purpose the Court has devised what has been termed as a “curative” petition. In

the Curative petition, the petitioner is required to aver specifically that the grounds

mentioned therein had been taken in the review petition filed earlier and that it was

dismissed by circulation.

This has to be certified by a senior advocate. The Curative petition is then circulated to

the three senior most judges and the judges who delivered the impugned judgement, if

available. No time limit is given for filing Curative petition.

Electoral Bonds Scheme

Context

The electoral bond scheme introduced by the government in 2017-18, which saw the

ruling BJP getting the highest funding, had turned out to be a “damp squib and [a] huge

disappointment” because of its failure to address the issue of black money paid to

political parties, former Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla said here on

Saturday. It had emerged as a “greater method of camouflage”, he said.

Electoral Bonds Scheme

The electoral bonds scheme was announced in Union Budget 2017-18 with an aim for

increasing transparency in political funding.

It makes India first country in the world to have such unique bonds for electoral funding.

These bonds are bearer instrument in nature of promissory note and interest-free banking

instrument.

It aims at rooting out current system of largely anonymous cash donations made to

political parties which lead to generation of black money in the economy.

These electoral bonds can be bought for any value in multiples of Rs 1,000, Rs 10,000,

Rs 1 lakh, Rs 10 lakh or Rs 1 crore after fulfilling all existing Know Your Customer

(KYC) norms and making payments from bank account.

It will not carry name of payee. The bond deposited by any eligible political party to its

account shall be credited on the same day.

Electoral Bonds are valid for fifteen calendar days from the date of issue. No payment

shall be made to any payee political party if bond is deposited after expiry of validity

period.

6

Eligible political parties can encash electoral bonds only through their bank accounts.

Electoral Bonds may be purchased by only citizen of India. An individual can buy

Electoral Bonds, either singly or jointly with other individuals.

Only registered political parties, that have secured not less than 1% of votes polled in last

election of Lok Sabha or legislative assembly of state, will be eligible to receive electoral

bonds.

The cash donation has been capped at Rs. 2000 and beyond that donations are via

electoral bonds.

Charter of Patients’ Rights

Context

The Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA), a national platform working on health and healthcare

services, urged the Ministry of Health to immediately implement the Charter of Patients’

Rights and ensure the inclusion of the entire range of patients’ rights without any

dilution.

“In August 2018, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced its plans to

implement this Charter, which was placed in the public domain for inviting comments up

to 30th September, 2018. Although nearly 4 months have elapsed since this declaration of

intent, there seems to have been no further progress on finalisation and adoption of the

charter,” the group noted.

Need for the Charter of Patients’ Rights

There is no consolidated uniform document on patients’ rights that can be followed by all

states uniformly.

Some states have adopted National Clinical Establishments Act, 2010 and certain others

have enacted their own State-level legislations to regulate hospitals.

Right to non-discrimination in medical treatment is important right. Every patient has

right to receive treatment without any discrimination based on his or her illnesses or

conditions, including HIV status or other health condition, religion, caste, ethnicity or

sexual orientation.

Draft Charter of Patients’ Rights

Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has released draft Charter of Patients’

Rights prepared by National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

The draft charter is inspired by international charters and is guided by national level

provisions with objective of consolidating comprehensive document on patients’ rights in

India.

7

It provides patients with right to emergency medical care and informed consent, right to

non-discrimination, seek a second opinion and choose alternative treatment options, if

available.

It also includes 17 rights with description and draws upon all relevant provisions.

Ministry plans to implement the Charter of Patients’ Rights through State governments

for provision of proper health care by clinical establishments.

This charter is expected to act as guidance document for Union Government and State

Governments to formulate concrete mechanisms so that Patients’ Rights are given

adequate protection and operational mechanisms are set up to make these rights

functional and enforceable by law.

Bharat Ratna

Context

President Ramnath Kovind on Friday conferred the Bharat Ratna, the nation’s highest

civilian honour, on former President Pranab Mukherjee, along with social activist Nanaji

Deshmukh (posthumous), and Assamese musician Bhupen Hazarika (posthumous).

Know about Bharat Ratnas

Born in 1935, Mukherjee served as president between 2012 and 2017. Fondly known as

‘Pranab Da’, he has been a senior leader in the Congress and had held several ministerial

portfolios. He was also the finance minister from 2009-2012 under the prime ministership

of Manmohan Singh. Having dabbled in politics in 1969, Mukherjee had worked closely

with former PM Indira Gandhi, becoming one of her trusted lieutenants.

Deshmukh was a Sangh Parivar veteran, founder member of the Janata Party and one of

the seniormost members of the Bharatiya Janata Party. A social activist, Nanaji played an

important role in carrying out social restructuring programme in over 500 villages of

Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. He passed away on February 27, 2010 in Chitrakoot,

at the age of 93.

Hazarika (1926-2011) was a singer and filmmaker, popularly known as Sudhakantha. He

was born in Sadiya, Assam. Known for his flawless baritone and his trademark Nepali

cap, he was respected nationwide, as a great balladeer and also came to be known as the

‘Bard of the Brahmaputra’.A poet and a lyricist, Hazarika also penned songs, which

although written and sung in Assamese, have been known to have a universal appeal,

stepped in themes of humanity and communal harmony.

Bharat Ratna

Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award of the Republic of India. The provision of

Bharat Ratna was introduced in 1954.

8

Any person without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex is eligible for these

awards. There is no written provision that Bharat Ratna should be awarded to Indian

citizens only.

It is awarded in recognition of exceptional service/performance of the highest order in

any field of human endeavour.

The award was originally limited to achievements in the arts, literature, science and

public services but the government expanded the criteria to include “any field of human

endeavour” in December 2011.

In terms of Article 18 (1) of the Constitution, the award cannot be used as a prefix or

suffix to the recipient’s name. However, should an award winner consider it necessary,

he/she may use the expression in their biodata/letterhead/visiting card etc. to indicate that

he/she is a recipient of the award.

Nitrogen Pollution

Context

Eighteen research institutions in India are among a group of 50 institutions — called the

South Asian Nitrogen Hub (SANH) — in the United Kingdom and South Asia that have

secured £20 million (about ₹200 crore) from the U.K. government to assess and study the

quantum and impact of “nitrogen pollution” in South Asia.

While nitrogen is the dominant gas in the atmosphere, it is inert and doesn’t react.

However, when it is released as part of compounds from agriculture, sewage and

biological waste, nitrogen is considered “reactive”, and may pollute and even exert a

potent greenhouse gas (heat trapping) effect.

A note on Nitrogen Pollution

Nitrogen is an inert gas that’s necessary for life. But we’re changing it into forms that are

harmful, overloading the environment with it, and throwing the natural nitrogen cycle out

of whack.

Nitrogen compounds running off farmland have led to water pollution problems around

the world, while nitrogen emissions from industry, agriculture and vehicles make a big

contribution to air pollution.

Over 80% of the nitrogen in soil is not utilised by humans. While over four-fifths of the

nitrogen is used to feed livestock, only about six per cent reaches humans in case of non-

vegetarian diet, as compared to the 20% that reaches the plate of a vegetarian.

Nitrogen becomes a pollutant when it escapes into the environment and reacts with other

organic compounds. It is either released into the atmosphere, gets dissolved in water

sources such as rivers, lakes or groundwater, or remains in the soil.

While it might lead to favourable growth of species that can utilise this nutrient, nitrogen

as a pollutant is often detrimental to the environment and health.

9

According to the World Health Organization, nitrate-contaminated drinking water can

cause reduced blood function, cancer and endemic goiters. Surplus inputs of nitrogen

compounds have been found to cause soil acidification. The lowering pH, as a result of

the acidification, can lead to nutrient disorders and increased toxicity in plants. It may

also affect natural soil decomposition.

It creates of harmful algal blooms and dead zones in our waterways and oceans; the algae

produce toxins which are harmful to human and aquatic organisms (and indirectly affects

fisheries and biodiversity in coastal areas)

Over 10 million people in Europe are potentially exposed to drinking water with nitrate

concentrations above recommended levels. This can have an adverse effect on human

health.

Excessive nitrogen fertiliser application contributes to soil nutrient depletion. As the

world needs to feed an ever growing population loss of arable land is major global

problem.

The release of Nitrous Oxide is essentially a greenhouse gas which is harmful to the

environment.

Solid Waste Management

Solid waste encompasses the following waste components:

Construction and demolition waste – wastes generated in construction of new buildings,

renovation and demolition work.

Plastic waste– includes polythene bags, plastic bottles etc

Biomedical waste – wastes involved in diagnosis, treatment and immunization such as

human and animal anatomical waste, treatment apparatus such as needles and syringes

and cytotoxic drugs.

Hazardous waste– wastes that cause immediate danger to exposed individuals or

environment.

E-waste – includes discarded computer monitors, motherboards, cathode ray tubes

(CRTs), printed circuit board (PCB), mobile phones and chargers, compact discs,

headphones etc.

Solid Waste Management

It is a term that is used to refer to the process of collecting and treating solid wastes. It

also includes solutions for recycling items that do not belong to garbage or trash.

Issues and Challenges in India’s SWM

10

With rapid urbanisation, there is substantial increase in solid waste generation which has

strained the Solid Waste Management System

Most Urban local bodies in India struggle to provide efficient waste management services

due to financial problems, lack of infrastructure and technology

Though solid waste management rules mandate source segregation of wastes, it has

largely not been followed. Due to improper segregation of waste, much of recyclability of

waste is lost.

Most of the municipal authorities deposit solid waste at open dump sites without any

leachates treatment. These sites emanate foul smell and is breeding grounds for pests and

insects causing disease. Liquid seeping out of waste pollutes groundwater and poses a

serious threat to health and environment. Further, these landfill sites are also responsible

for air pollution.

Most of the funds for solid waste management is allotted to collection and transportation,

with very less left for processing or resource recovery and disposal. Also many waste-to-

energy plants are non-operational.

The waste management sector in India is constituted primarily of the informal workers

who come from the urban poor. The rag pickers, who are instrumental in waste recycling,

are highly vulnerable to health damages owing to poor work conditions.

Apathy on the part of management and also poor community participation is a major

constraint in solid waste management in India

Bandipur National Park

It is tagged as one of the most beautiful and the well-managed national parks of India.

It is situated amidst the picturesque surroundings of the towering Western Ghats

Mountains on the Mysore-Ooty highway in Karnataka.

It creates the India's biggest biosphere reserve popularly known as the 'Nilgiri Biosphere

Reserve. This national Park occupies a special place in India's efforts towards Eco-

conservation.

Bandipur also has a sizable number of Tigers. Other natural inhabitants of this lovely

park are gaur (a type of bull), sambhar, chital, mouse deer, four-horned antelope, wild

dogs, wild boar, jackal, sloth bear, panther, Malabar squirrel, porcupines and the black-

knapped hare. Birds like jungle fowl and green pigeon are also found here.

Initially Maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore created a sanctuary of 90 km2 (35 sq mi) in

1931 and named it the Venugopala Wildlife Park.

The Bandipur Tiger Reserve was established under Project Tiger in 1973 by adding

nearly 800 km2 (310 sq mi) to the Venugopala Wildlife Park.

The park has a variety of biomes including dry deciduous forests, moist deciduous forests

and scrublands.

11

The park is surrounded by the Kabini River in the north and the Moyar River in the south

while the Nugu River runs through the park.

Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary

Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is an animal sanctuary in Wayanad, Kerala. It is bounded by

protected area network of Nagarhole and Bandipur of Karnataka and by Mudumalai of

Tamil Nadu.

Established in 1973, the sanctuary is now an integral part of the Nilgiri Biosphere

Reserve.

Vegetation - It is part of the Deccan Plateau and the vegetation is predominantly of the

south Indian moist deciduous teak forests. Also, the sanctuary has pastures of the west-

coast semi-evergreen trees. The wildlife sanctuary comes under Project Elephant.

Wayanad district has the largest population of Adivasi in Kerala. Scheduled tribes here

include Paniyas, Kurumas, Adiyans, Kurichiyas, Ooralis and Kattunaikkans.

Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the safest havens for different species of vultures

like the White-rumped Vultures and the Red-headed Vultures.

Chrysilla vollupe - Recently,a rare spider Chrysilla vollupe was rediscovered after 150

years, which was believed to be extinct. The Spider belongs to the family of jumping

spider (Salticidae).The spider has eight black eyes.

Manas National Park

Manas National Park is a national park, UNESCO Natural World Heritage site, a Project

Tiger reserve, an elephant reserve and a biosphere reserve in Assam, India

It is located in the Himalayan foothills,

It is contiguous with the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan

The Manas river flows thorough the west of the park and is the main river within it. It is a

major tributary of Brahmaputra river

The Manas river also serves as an international border dividing India and Bhutan

Article 35A

Context

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it will be taking an “in-chamber” decision on the

listing of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of Article 35-A, which provides

special rights and privileges to permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir.

12

The oral observation came from a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi in

response to an oral mentioning for early hearing of the petitions.

The three-judge Bench will decide whether or not to refer the issue to the Constitution

Bench.

What is Article 35A?

The heading of Article 35A reads: “saving of laws with respect to permanent residents

and their rights”.

The laws granting special rights to permanent residents would not be deemed a violation

of the fundamental rights of other citizens.

Arguments against Article 35A

The ‘classification’ created by Article 35A has to be tested on the principle of equality as

it treats non-permanent residents of J&K as ‘second-class’ citizens.

Such persons are not eligible for employment under the State government and are also

debarred from contesting elections.

Meritorious students are denied scholarships and they cannot even seek redress in any

court of law.

Further, the issues of refugees who migrated to J&K during Partition are still not treated

as ‘State subjects’ under the J&K Constitution.

It was inserted unconstitutionally, bypassing Article 368 which empowers only

Parliament to amend the Constitution.

The laws enacted in pursuance of Article 35A are ultra vires of the fundamental rights

conferred by Part III of the Constitution, especially, and not limited to, Articles 14 (right

to equality) and 21 (protection of life).

Arguments in favour of Legality of Article 35A

Article 370 (1) (d) empowers the President of India to extend with requisite exceptions

and modifications the other provisions of the Indian Constitution to J&K as may be

necessary.

The Delhi Agreement of 1952 followed Article 370. According to the Clause 2 of the

agreement, the State Legislature of J&K was given power to make laws for conferring

special rights and privileges on the ‘state subjects’.

Article 35A follows the Instrument of Accession and the guarantee given to the State of

J&K that the State’s autonomy will not be disturbed.

Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and such other states also have laws which say that

no outsider can buy land.

Fall Armyworm

13

Context

After coping with successive droughts in the past few years, Sri Lanka’s maize farmers

are now battling a tiny but powerful enemy – the fall armyworm.

Dominating headlines in Sri Lankan media, the fall armyworm has acquired the local

name sena (army) worm, as it comes in big groups and attacks crops, particularly maize.

Maize is among the top seasonal crops produced in Sri Lanka, harvested in the island’s

two seasons of cultivation — the ‘Maha’ and ‘Yala’, linked to the two monsoons.

An insect that is known to be native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas,

according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the species is said to have travelled

east to other tropical regions. In recent months, fall armyworm infestations were reported

in different parts of India, including Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and

Gujarat.

Fall Armyworm (spodoptera frugiperda)

It is an Agricultural pest. Basically, it is a Maize Pest i.e., It prefers maize, but can feed

on 80 species of plants, including rice, sorghum, millet, sugarcane, and cotton.

This pest is native to Americas. FAW arrived in Africa in 2016. Since then it has spread

to 44 African countries. India’s tropical climate could allow the pest to thrive.

It can be controlled with insecticides, through natural enemies, or by inter-cropping.

(Insecticides like lambda-cyhalothrin, natural predators like coccinellid beetles, fungal

species like nomuraea rileyi also infects this worm).

Intercropping is a multiple cropping practices involving growing two or more crops in

proximity. The most common goal of intercropping is to produce a greater yield on a

given piece of land by making use of resources or ecological processes that would

otherwise not be utilized by a single crop.

It is an invasive species. An invasive species can be any kind of living organism—an

amphibian (like the cane toad), plant, insect, fish, fungus, bacteria, or even an organism’s

seeds or eggs—that is not native to an ecosystem and causes harm. They can harm the

environment, the economy, or even human health. It can also be called as alien species.

Another remarkable trait of the larva is that they practice cannibalism. Cannibalism is the

act of one individual of a species consuming all or part of another individual of the same

species as food.

Autonomous District Council

Context

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a constitutional amendment to increase the

financial and executive powers of the 10 autonomous councils in the Sixth Schedule

areas of the northeast.

14

Autonomous District Council

As per the Sixth Schedule, the four states viz. Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram

contain the Tribal Areas which are technically different from the Scheduled Areas.

Though these areas fall within the executive authority of the state, provision has been

made for the creation of the District Councils and regional councils for the exercise of the

certain legislative and judicial powers.

Each district is an autonomous district and Governor can modify / divide the boundaries

of the said Tribal areas by notification. Currently, there are ten such Councils in the

region as listed below

Details of the proposed amendment

The amendment would impact a population of about 1 crore tribals living in Assam,

Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram

The Finance Commission would be mandated to recommend devolution of financial

resources to the councils, the government said in an official statement. Till now, the

autonomous councils have depended on grants from Central Ministries and the State

governments for specific projects.

As per the proposed amendment, at least one third of the seats would be reserved for

women in the village and municipal councils in the Sixth Schedule areas of Assam,

Mizoram and Tripura.

The amendment also provides for transfer of additional 30 subjects, including the

departments of Public Works, Forests, Public Health Engineering, Health and Family

Welfare, Urban Development and Food and Civil Supply to Karbi Anglong Autonomous

Territorial Council and Dima Hasao Autonomous Territorial Council in Assam.

The proposed amendments provide for elected village municipal councils, ensuring

democracy at the grass-roots level. The State Election Commissions would hold elections

to the autonomous councils, village and municipal councils in the areas of Assam,

Mizoram and Tripura.

Swine Flu (H1N1)

Context

With 49 swine flu deaths and 1,694 cases reported in just one fortnight from January 1-13

as per data released by the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), several

States are on alert.

Rajasthan alone has reported 31 deaths in this period with other instances being reported

from Delhi, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Prdaesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and

Telangana.

15

While the Rajasthan health department has reported that the number of cases in the State

has crossed 1,000 with more than 200 people having died in the past 13 months, the

Union Health Ministry has said that there is no cause for panic and that the situation is

being closely monitored.

Swine Flu (H1N1)

Swine influenza, also called pig influenza, swine flu, hog flu and pig flu, is an infection

caused by any one of several types of swine influenza viruses. Swine influenza virus is

any strain of the influenza family of viruses that is endemic in pigs.

Influenza A (H1N1) virus is the subtype of influenza A virus that is the most common

cause of human influenza.

It is an orthomyxovirus that contains the glycoproteins haemagglutinin and

neuraminidase. For this reason, they are described as H1N1, H1N2 etc. depending on the

type of H or N antigens they express with metabolic synergy. Haemagglutinin causes red

blood cells to clump together and binds the virus to the infected cell. Neuraminidase is a

type of glycoside hydrolase enzyme which helps to move the virus particles through the

infected cell and assist in budding from the host cells.

Some strains of H1N1 are endemic in humans and cause a small fraction of all influenza-

like illness and a small fraction of all seasonal influenza. Other strains of H1N1 are

endemic in pigs (swine influenza) and in birds (avian influenza).

H1N1 influenza (or swine flu) is a highly contagious acute respiratory disease of pigs

caused by type A influenza virus that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza in pigs.

Swine flu viruses do not normally infect humans. However, sporadic human infections

with swine flu have occurred.

Most commonly, these cases occur in people with direct exposure to pigs (e.g., children

near pigs at a fair or workers in the swine industry). However, there have been cases of

human-to-human spread of swine flu.

Loktak Lake

Context

The Manipur government’s plan to set up a bird sanctuary at the Loktak lake in

Bishnupur district has met with stiff opposition from the villagers in nearby areas.

A large number of residents of Thingnunggei village took out a massive procession

against the government’s proposal on Sunday.

Background

Thousands of migratory birds flock to the Loktak lake, the largest freshwater lake in

north-eastern India, every year. However, in the past few years there has been a sharp

decline in the number of migratory birds coming to the lake.

16

Reports indicate that bird poachers are active in the area, targeting the winged guests.

Officials of the forest department's wildlife wing say in view of the widespread bird

poaching at the lake, setting up of the sanctuary is a must.

Birdwatchers on the other hand blame human intrusion, bird poaching and hydroelectric

power project near the lake for the decline in the number of migratory birds and brow-

antlered deer in the Keibul Lamjao national park in the vicinity.

“The villagers of Thingnunggei are poor and they have no other means of earning a

livelihood except for catching fish and plucking vegetables from the lake. If fishing is

banned in the lake, the villagers would starve. We are all for protection of birds, most of

whom are migratory, but the new scheme should not be implemented at the cost of the

poor villagers,” said one of the protesters.

Loktak Lake

Loktak Lake is the largest freshwater lake in North -East India. It is located in the

Bishupur District of Manipur.

The most unique feature of the Loktak lake is the presence of a series of floating islands

locally known as phumdis. These are massive heterogeneous masses of soil, vegetation

and organic matter in different stages of decomposition

Keibul Lamjao National Park located at the south western part of the lake. It is home to

the endangered Manipuri brow-antlered deer, Sangai.

Loktak Lake was designated for the List of Wetlands of International Importance (Under

Ramsar Convention) in 1990.

In 1993 it was inscribed in the Montreux Record of sites whose ecological character has

changed, is changing, or is about to change as a result of human interference.

Jiban Sampark Project of Odisha

Context

Odisha has launched Jiban Sampark project for the welfare of the Particularly Vulnerable

Tribal Groups.

Key features:

The Project is being undertaken in association with UNICEF.

It aims to generate awareness among Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) in

Odisha on various development and welfare initiatives of State Government, especially

on women and child welfare.

The focus areas of the Project are skill development, empowering communities,

cooperation and innovation among the groups.

About ‘Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)’

17

PVTGs are more vulnerable among the tribal groups. In 1975, the Government of India

initiated to identify the most vulnerable tribal groups as a separate category called

PVTGs and declared 52 such groups, while in 1993 an additional 23 groups were added

to the category, making it a total of 75 PVTGs out of 705 Scheduled Tribes, spread over

17 states and one Union Territory(UT), in the country (2011 census).

Among the 75 listed PVTG’s the highest number are found in Odisha (13), followed by

Andhra Pradesh (12).

Who are the Scheduled Tribes?

A tribe is a social division in a traditional society consisting of families linked by social,

economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture and dialect. A tribe possesses

certain qualities and characteristics that make it a unique cultural, social, and political

entity.

The nature of what constitutes an Indian tribe and the very nature of tribes have changed

considerably over the course of centuries. Constitution of India has recognized tribal

communities in India under ‘Schedule 5’ of the constitution. Hence the tribes recognized

by the Constitution are known as ‘ Scheduled Tribes’.

The Constitution ensures certain protection and benefits for communities deemed as

having Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Social and political mobilisation has led to the increase of number of STs 225 in 1960 to

700 today.

As the number of communities demanding ST status expands, it brings the criteria of the

recognition and the legitimacy of the process under scrutiny. The Constitution only states

that STs are specified by the President after consultation with the Governor. It does not

define or specify a particular criterion.

According to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, the criterion includes

Indication of primitive traits

Distinctive culture

Geographical isolation

Shyness of connect with the community at large &

Backwardness

Report on ‘e-waste’ by UN

Context

To highlight the rising challenge posed by mountains of discarded electronics worldwide,

seven UN entities have come together to launch the report- “A New Circular Vision for

Electronics – Time for a Global Reboot”- at the World Economic Forum in Davos,

18

Switzerland, in a bid to offer some solutions to a behemoth-sized problem that is making

the world sicker and adding to environmental degradation.

The joint report calls for a new vision for e-waste based on the “circular economy”

concept, whereby a regenerative system can minimize waste and energy leakage.

International convention in this regard:

E-waste export, though, is regulated under the Basel Convention on the Control of

Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, which has been

ratified by 188 nations.

So where is the crisis?

It lies in the fact that globally, only up to 20% of e-waste is recycled. The rest is

undocumented and experts predict that it gets buried under the ground in landfills for

centuries as it is not biodegradable.

And how does it impact us? “From lead-lined, cathode ray tubes to old TVs, to lead and

chromium in circuit boards (of various devices), e-waste contains substances that are

hazardous to human health, including, mercury, cadmium and lead. E-waste can pollute

water sources and food-supply chains.”

Solutions to the crisis- Highlights of the report by UN:

The report calls for systematic collaboration with major brands, small and medium-sized

enterprises, academia, trade unions, civil society and associations in a deliberative

process to reorient the system and reduce the waste of resources each year with a value

greater than the GDP of most countries.

To capture the global value of materials in e-waste and create global circular value

chains, use new technology to create service business models, better product tracking and

manufacturer or retailer take-back programmes.

The report notes that material efficiency, recycling infrastructure and scaling up the

volume and quality of recycled materials to meet the needs of electronics supply chains

will all be essential for future production.

The producers should also have buy-back or return offers for old equipment, and plans to

incentivise the consumer financially. The report also advocates a system of ‘urban

mining’ by strengthening the extended producer responsibility provision.

Job potential: If the electronics sector is supported with the right policy mix and managed

in the right way, it could lead to the creation of millions of decent jobs worldwide.

E-waste Coalition:

The report supports the work of the E-waste Coalition, which includes International

Labour Organization (ILO); International Telecommunication Union (ITU); United

19

Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment); United Nations Industrial

Development Organization (UNIDO); United Nations Institute for Training and Research

(UNITAR); United Nations University (UNU) and Secretariats of the Basel and

Stockholm Conventions.

Why worry about e-waste?

Organic and easily recyclable metal, glass and plastic waste need not permanently remain

in landfills. But hard-to-recover substances from e-waste like mercury make their home

in landfills and keep leaching into ground water.

In recent years, its e-waste has grown faster than earlier anticipated. The Greenpeace

study found e-waste growing at 15% annually and projected it to go up to 800,000 tonnes

by 2012. But it stood at 1.7 million tonnes in 2014, the fifth highest in the world,

according to a UN study.

In India, e waste accounts for 4% of global e-waste and 2.5% of global GDP (2014

figures) – so it has a higher share of e-waste than its share of gross domestic product

(GDP). For China, the two ratios are about the same. The US, on the other hand, accounts

for a lower share of global e-waste than its share of GDP.

According to a 2011 Rajya Sabha secretariat study, e-waste accounts for 70% of Indian

landfills. If penetration of electronics and electrical products in India by 2030 have to

grow even to today’s average world capita which leads to e waste of 6 kg per capita, the

absolute e waste generation for India will grow five times the current level to 9 million

tonnes in 2030.

Why it is difficult to manage e waste in India?

The producers/manufacturers do not have adequate information on their website

regarding e waste management.

Customer care representatives do not have inkling about any take back or recycling

programme and even if they have set up collection centres, they are simply not enough

for a geographically vast country like India.

India being a vast country, setting up collection mechanism is a big challenge. If any of

the brands try individually to reach out to all corners of the country, it will economically

not be sustainable or feasible.

Improper enforcement of the existing laws is another hurdle.

Exercise Sea Vigil

Context

Ten years after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, India conducted its largest coastal

defence drill, Exercise Sea Vigil.

20

The exercise aims to test its preparedness along the entire 7,516.6 km-long-coastline and

exclusive economic zone of the country.

Exercise Sea Vigil aims to comprehensively and holistically validate the efficacy of the

measures taken since 26/11.

It aims to simultaneously activate the coastal security mechanism across all 13 coastal

States and Union Territories.

This involves the evaluation of critical areas and processes, including inter-agency

coordination, information sharing and technical surveillance.

Multi agency audit and identification of gaps, shortfalls and incorporation of lessons

learnt into Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) are also the desired outcomes.

Role of Indian Navy

Post 26/11, the Navy was designated as the agency responsible for overall maritime

security, including offshore and coastal security.

The Coast Guard was designated as the agency responsible for coastal security in

territorial waters.

A multi-tiered patrol and surveillance mechanism with focus on technical surveillance

and augmenting Maritime Domain Awareness through the coastal radar chain was

adopted.

Progress has been made in real-time information sharing through the National Command

Control Communication and Intelligence (NC3I) Network and improving intelligence

and operational coordination.

IAFTX 2019

The joint exercise named ‘India-Africa Field Training’ is being conducted with an aim to

synergise United Nations peacekeeping operations.

Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia,

Namibia, Mozambique and Uganda will be participating in the joint military exercise.

It scheduled to be conducted at Aundh Military Station and College of Military

Engineering, Pune from 18 March to 27 March 2019.

The joint training exercise is being conducted with more than a dozen African countries

& India.

Benefits

The IAFTX-2019 is a positive step towards growing political and military ties with the

member nations of African continent.

It aims at synergizing humanitarian mine action and joint peace operations.

It will boost the already strong strategic cooperation between the countries.

21

Project ReWeave

Context

Microsoft India Saturday announced the launch of a new e-commerce platform here for

handloom weavers under its Project ReWeave, as part of its philanthropic initiative.

Details

It is e-commerce platform that would help connect artisans to the buyers directly enabling

them to expand to newer customers and markets.

It hosts signature collections created by the weaver communities, showcase traditional

designs and products created from natural dyes.

It would help sell to a broad set of customers, support weavers in increasing their income

and earning a sustainable livelihood while also reviving traditional forgotten Indian art.

Microsoft, in association with the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), has

also curated a special curriculum in ‘CAD and Colour for Handloom Weaving’ to

provide digital training in handloom design.

Benefits of such initiatives

With the introduction of our new e-commerce platform, digital empowerment centres and

the new design curriculum, the weavers will be able to build on the rich handloom

heritage of India and also reach out to a wider customer base.

These initiatives like e-commerce marketplace and design training would ensure weaver

communities sustain themselves and provide livelihood to artisans.

This also is a practical solution to motivate younger generation of weavers to continue

with their traditions and not divert into other professions.

Pakke Paga Hornbill Festival (PPHF)

Context

The government of Arunachal Pradesh has declared the Pakke Paga Hornbill Festival

(PPHF)–the state’s only conservation festival, as a “state festival”.

Details

The first-ever PPHF was held on January 16–18, 2015.

The organizers had a number of objectives in mind-

to recognise the role played by the resident Nyishi tribe in conserving hornbills in the

Pakke Tiger Reserve (PTR),

22

to devise alternative sources of income for a region that relies on hunting and logging,

and

to tell the rest of the country about the wonders of the PTR and its surrounding areas.

As part of the festival, visitors are treated to cultural programmes, food stalls, plays, sightseeing,

river and village walks, bird-watching, screenings of short films as well as local tribal sports and

dances.

About Great Indian Hornbill

The great hornbill (Buceros bicornis) also known as the great Indian hornbill or great

pied hornbill, is one of the larger members of the hornbill family.

The great hornbill is long-lived, living for nearly 50 years in captivity.

It is predominantly fruit eating, but is an opportunist and preys on small mammals,

reptiles and birds.

Its impressive size and colour have made it important in many tribal cultures and rituals.

IUCN status: Vulnerable (uplisted from Near Threatened in 2018).

It is also listed in Appendix I of CITES.

National Museum of Indian Cinema

Context

Hon’ble PM Modi has inaugurated the National Museum of Indian Cinema (NMIC) in

Mumbai.

Details

The state-of-the-art Museum aims to take its visitors through an absorbing journey of

over a century of Indian cinema in a story telling mode with the help of visuals, graphics,

artifacts, interactive exhibits and multimedia expositions.

The creation of the Museum has been guided by the Museum Advisory Committee

headed by Shri Shyam Benegal.

The Museum is housed in two buildings – the New Museum Building and the 19th

century historic palace Gulshan Mahal – in the Films Division campus in Mumbai.

New Museum Building has four Exhibition Halls which encapsulate:

Gandhi & Cinema: It not only depicts the movies made on the life Mahatma Gandhi but

also showcases the deep impact his life had on cinema.

Children’s Film Studio: it gives visitors, particularly children, an opportunity to explore

the science, technology and art behind filmmaking.

23

Technology, creativity & Indian cinema: it showcases the creative use of technology by

Indian film makers over the years to produce cinematographic impact on the silver

screen.

Cinema across India: it showcases the charismatic kaleidoscopic presence of the vibrant

cinematographic culture across India.

Gulshan Mahal

It is an ASI Grade-II Heritage Structure which has been restored as part of the NMIC

project.

The displays present here showcase the journey of over a hundred years of Indian

cinema.

It is divided into 9 sections viz. The Origin of Cinema, Cinema comes to India, Indian

Silent Film, Advent of Sound, The Studio Era, The impact of World War II, Creative

Resonance, New Wave and Beyond and Regional Cinema.

Importance of Indian Cinema

The Indian Cinema has a big role in enhancing India’s soft power, its credibility and

building the Brand India across the world.

Through Cinema important social issues such as sanitation, women empowerment, sports

etc are now reaching to people.

Cinema plays an important role in nation Building and strengthens the feeling of Ek

Bharat Shresth Bharat.

The film Industry has a huge potential of contributing in the growth of Tourism in the

country.

Various measures for Film Industry

Government is working to provide facility of ‘Ease of Filming’ by putting in place a

Single Window Clearance system, for Film Shooting approvals in different parts of the

country.

It is also working on amending Cinematograph Act 1952 to check the problem of Film

Piracy.

Zearalenone in cereals

Zearalenone is a fungal toxin infesting cereals such as wheat, maize and barley. It attacks

crops while they are growing, but can also develop when cereals are stored without being

dried fully.

While numerous studies document this toxin in cereals across the world, no data existed

for India until now. This month, a Journal of Food Science study detected zearalenone in

wheat, rice, corn and oats from markets in Uttar Pradesh.

24

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India does not impose maximum limits for

zearalenone, though the European Union (EU) does.

Fungal toxins are commonly found in food, and can be a public health concern. India

regulates the levels of some of these, including aflatoxin, deoxynivalenol, ergot and

patulin. The first three infest cereals, while patulin is found in apples. Each of these

toxins has been associated with disease outbreaks.

For example, in 1974, a hepatitis outbreak in Rajasthan and Gujarat, which made 398

people sick and killed 106, was linked to aflatoxin in maize. Meanwhile, chronic

aflatoxin consumption has been shown to cause liver cancer.

Given this, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies aflatoxin

as a Group 1 carcinogen, meaning there is enough evidence for its carcinogenicity.

In zearalenone’s case, there is no strong evidence of toxicity in humans so far, though

several research groups are investigating. As a result, the IARC classifies it as a Group 3

carcinogen, which means evidence is not sufficient for an evaluation yet.

World Malaria Report of 2018

Context

As per World Health Organisation’s World Malaria Report of 2018, India is the only

country among the 11 highest-burden countries that saw substantial progress in reducing

disease burden: it saw a 24% decrease in 2017 compared to 2016.

Significance

This shows that India has assumed a leadership role in advancing global efforts to end

malaria. The country’s success provides hope to the other highest-burden countries to

tackle malaria head-on.

India’s efforts in this regard

India’s progress in fighting malaria is an outcome of concerted efforts to ensure that its

malaria programme is country-owned and country-led, even as it is in alignment with

globally accepted strategies.

At the East Asia Summit in 2015, India pledged to eliminate the disease by 2030.

Following this public declaration, India launched the five-year National Strategic Plan for

Malaria Elimination. This marked a shift in focus from malaria “control” to

“elimination”. The plan provides a roadmap to achieve the target of ending malaria in

571 districts out of India’s 678 districts by 2022.

Way ahead

25

The plan requires more than ₹10,000 crore. Adequate investment combined with

coordinated action between governments, civil society and philanthropic donors is

imperative to achieve this goal. Since health is a State subject, State governments across

the country shoulder a special responsibility in tackling the disease.

Durgama Anchalare Malaria Nirakaran (DAMaN) initiative:

Among states, Odisha’s Durgama Anchalare Malaria Nirakaran (DAMaN) initiative is

significant.

The initiative aims to deliver services to the most inaccessible and hardest hit people of

the State. The initiative has in-built innovative strategies to combat asymptomatic

malaria.

The programme is jointly implemented by Indian Council of Medical Research-National

Institute of Malaria Research (ICMR-NIMR), National Vector Borne Disease Control

Programme (NVBDCP), Odisha and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV).