current affairs – p df (ias 2021) paper – i (may 2020) · 2020. 6. 2. · current affairs – p...

Current Affairs – PDF (IAS 2021)

Paper – I (May 2020)

Q: Which of the following days is celebrated as ‘World Turtle Day’?

a. May 21b. May 23c. May 24d. May 25

Answer: B

Note: Turtles are reptiles The World Turtle Day is celebrated annually on May 23, since

2000. The main aim behind the celebration of this day is to spreadawareness about the protection of the natural habitat of turtles andtortoises

The theme for 2020 is – ‘Adopt, Don’t Shop’ People dress up in the colour green in support of World Turtle

Day. Multiple events are also organised. A lot of knowledge isshared about the importance of turtles in the marine ecosystemand for the entire environment. Along with this, different ideasare also shared about the conservation of this shell covered seacreature. World Turtle Day lesson plans and craft projectsencourage teaching about turtles in classrooms.

the official announcement of World Turtle Day occurred in 2000by ATR (American Tortoise Rescue) a non-profit organisation,and that is when this was the starting of the journey of WorldTurtle Day

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Kalyan Sir www.KalyanIAS.com N. Kalyana Chakravarthy

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The American Tortoise Rescue (ATR) launched World Turtle Day to increase the respect and knowledge of turtles and tortoises which are becoming endangered due to illegal smuggling and exotic food industry habitat destruction, global warming and pet trade.

What are reptiles?

Any of a class (Reptilia) of cold-blooded, air-breathing, usually egg-laying vertebrates that include the alligators and crocodiles, lizards, snakes, turtles, and extinct related forms (such as dinosaurs and pterosaurs) and that have a body typically covered with scales or bony plates and a bony skeleton with a single occipital Condyle, a distinct quadrate bone usually immovably articulated with the skull, and ribs attached to the sternum

Note: Dinosaurs livid during Mesozoic era Pterosaurs first appeared in the late Triassic Period and roamed

the skies until the end of the Cretaceous Period (228 to 66 million years ago). Pterosaurs lived among the dinosaurs and became extinct around the same time, but they were not dinosaurs. Rather, pterosaurs were flying reptiles.



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Difference between tortoise and turtle:

Tortoises have more rounded and domed shells where turtles have thinner, more water-dynamic shells. Turtle shells are more streamlined to aid in swimming.

One major key difference is that tortoises spend most of their time on land and turtles are adapted for life spent in water.

Tortoises have club-like forelegs and 'elephantine' hind legs. Because tortoise are often larger and heavier, there elephantine hind legs help them move around and carry the extra weight!

Turtles will have more flipper like legs, or webbed feet to make it easier to cruise through the water

Source: Major differences



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Geological Time Scale:

The Geologic Time Scale (GTS) is an arbitrary chronological arrangement or sequence of geologic events, used as a measure of the relative or absolute duration or age of any part of geologic time, and usually presented in the form of a chart showing the names of the various rock-stratigraphic, time-stratigraphic, or geologic-time units.

Geology:

It’s a science which deals with the physical structure and substance of the earth, their history, and the processes which act on them.



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Source: GSA



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Kalyan Sir OnlineIAS.com

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Geographical Indication (GI)

Before knowing GI lets understand IPRs. Intellectual property rights include patents, copyright, industrial

design rights, trademarks, plant variety rights, trade dress, geographical indications, and in some jurisdictions trade secrets

IP is protected in law by, for example, patents, copyrights and trademarks, which enable people to earn recognition or financial benefit from what they invent or create. By striking the right balance between the interests of innovators and the wider public interest, the IP system aims to foster an environment in which creativity and innovation can flourish.

Geographical Indications are part of the intellectual property rights that comes under the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property. (March 20, 1883). It was one of the first property intellectual rights.

A geographical indication or GI is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.

In India, Geographical Indications registration is administered by

the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act of 1999.

Geographical indications are typically used for agricultural products, foodstuffs, wine and spirit drinks, handicrafts, and industrial products.



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ECB and NCDs:

ECB: The external commercial borrowings are considered as a source

of finance to expand the existing capacity of the Indian corporates and finance new investment ventures, with an objective to have a sound economic growth.

The government of India seeks investment in the infrastructure and core sectors such as power, coal, railways, roads, telecom, etc. which are directly related to economic development of the country.

External commercial borrowings cannot be used for the investments in a stock market or any speculation business. And to keep a check on it, department of economic affairs, finance ministry, government of India and RBI monitor and regulates the policies of external commercial borrowings.

The ECBs is known as the money borrowed from the foreign sources or the non-resident lenders and include Commercial bank loans, Floating rate notes and fixed rate bonds (securitized instruments), Buyer’s and supplier’s credit, credit notes, mortgage-backed securities, etc.

Here, one thing should be made clear that such borrowing is a type of funding other than equity. This means, if the money is used to finance the core capital (equity shares, preference shares, convertible preference shares, convertible debentures, etc.) of any



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company, then it will be termed as a foreign direct investment and is not included under external commercial borrowings.

NCDs:

Non-convertible debentures (NCDs) are a financial instrument that is used by companies to raise long-term capital. This is done through a public issue.

NCDs are a debt instrument with a fixed tenure and people who invest in these receive regular interest at a certain rate. Non-convertible Meaning

Some debentures can be converted into shares after a certain point in time. This is done at the discretion of the owner. However, this is not possible in the case of NCDs. That’s why they are known as non-convertible.

Even though NCDs cannot be converted into shares, they offer other benefits.

The rate of return on NCDs is around 11-12%. This is high compared to most investment options. For example, fixed deposits (FDs) are another popular avenue where people put their money for regular returns. However, the returns are much lower.

There are various interest payout options including monthly,

quarterly, semi-annually and annual payments. The maturity period for an NCD can be anywhere between 90 days to 20 years. This gives you the flexibility to choose between short and long tenures based on your investment goals.



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• Liquidity Since they are listed on the stock exchanges, NCDs are easy to withdraw. Redeeming your NCD investment may be a little tougher than selling regular stocks, but they are more liquid than bank fixed deposits.

• Secured and unsecured NCDs An NCD can either be secured or unsecured. A secured NCD is

backed by the issuing company’s assets. This means that the company has to fulfil its debt obligation whatsoever. However, that’s not the case for unsecured NCDs. This makes secured NCDs safer since they have a lower default risk.

• Ratings

If you seek to buy NCDs, it is very important to know the rating of the debenture before you buy it. Every company that seeks to raise money through an NCD is rated by agencies such as Fitch Ratings, CRISIL, ICRA and CARE. These rating agencies rate the company based on its ability to service its debt on time. So, a lower rating means a higher credit risk.

• Tenor

A non convertible debenture is simply a debt instrument used by a company when it wishes to raise money from the public. The company issues a debt paper for a specific tenor. During this period, it pays a fixed rate of interest to the buyer. This could be on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis. At the end of the tenor, the money that is invested is returned back to the buyer.

Yield is a financial jargon used to describe the income return

earned on a security over a specific period of time. In case of NCDs, the yield on redemption has been quite attractive for



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buyers. This is because they generally offer higher yields when compared to even corporate FDs.

(Source: Economic Times of May 27, 2020)

Several companies with China connections are raising funds through the external commercial borrowing (ECB) route after the government tightened foreign direct investment (FDI) norms.

At least three-four Chinese multinational companies (MNCs) are in the process of issuing ECB instruments to parent firms based in China and more will follow.

Any investment from countries sharing a land border with India, including the China and Hong Kong region, will need special pre-approval, the government said last month (April 2020). If a company needs emergency funding from China, the ECB is the best route since the transaction can be closed within a week. (According to legal experts)

If the parent company wants, it can convert this debt (ECB) into equity. However, such a conversion will need government approval since equity is part of FDI norms.”

The ECB route has restrictions. The foreign entity should hold at least 25% of the Indian company. In other words, this route can only be used by Indian subsidiaries and joint ventures of Chinese companies.



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“As long as the company meets the requirements specified under ECB route, funding can be received by the Indian entity from China with an option to later convert the borrowing into equity with requisite government approval and other compliances being in place,”.

If the target company is not an MNC or doesn’t have any China connection but wants to rope in new investors from the region, it can do so by issuing unlisted corporate bonds. However, the Chinese investor will have to register with the SEBI as a foreign portfolio investor (FPI).



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“The restrictions do not apply to foreign loans as well as investments under the FPI route,”. “Investors from such land border countries can therefore lend money to their Indian entities without the need to approach the government for specific approval.”

Currently, there are no restrictions on Chinese entities using the FPI route. If the target company is listed, any FPI can own up to 9.99% equity. However, if the company is unlisted or if the Chinese investor wants to take a bigger exposure, then unlisted nonconvertible debentures (NCDs) are the preferred option.


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International Day for Biological Diversity

The Convention on Biological Diversity gives a formal definition of biodiversity in its article 2: "biological diversity means the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems". Note:

Signed by 150 government leaders at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, the Convention on Biological Diversity is dedicated to promoting sustainable development. Conceived as a practical tool for translating the principles of Agenda 21 into reality, the Convention recognizes that biological diversity is about more than plants, animals and microorganisms and their ecosystems – it is about people and our need for food security, medicines, fresh



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air and water, shelter, and a clean and healthy environment in which to live. What is Agenda 21?

Agenda 21 is a comprehensive plan of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally by organizations of the United Nations System, Governments, and Major Groups in every area in which human impacts on the environment.

Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the Statement of principles for the Sustainable Management of Forests were adopted by more than 178 Governments at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 3 to 14 June 1992.

The Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was created in December 1992 to ensure effective follow-up of UNCED, to monitor and report on implementation of the agreements at the local, national, regional and international levels. It was agreed that a five year review of Earth Summit progress would be made in 1997 by the United Nations General Assembly meeting in special session.

The full implementation of Agenda 21, the Programme for Further Implementation of Agenda 21 and the Commitments to the Rio principles, were strongly reaffirmed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) held in Johannesburg, South Africa from 26 August to 4 September 2002.

Biodiversity is not only the sum of all ecosystems, species and genetic material. Rather, it represents the variability within and among them. It can be distinguished from the expression "biological resources", which refer to the tangible components of ecosystems. Biological resources are real entities (a particular species of bird, a wheat variety growing in a field, oak wood, etc.) while biological diversity is rather an attribute of life (the variety of bird species, the genetic variability of wheat around the world, forest types, etc.).

Biological diversity is often understood at three levels:



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https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/Agenda21.pdf

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/Agenda21.pdf

species diversity refers to the variety of different species (plants, animals, fungi and micro-organisms) such as palm trees, elephants or bacteria;

genetic diversity corresponds to the variety of genes contained in plants, animals, fungi and micro-organisms. It occurs within a species as well as between species. For example, poodles, German shepherds and golden retrievers are all dogs, but they all look different;

ecosystem diversity refers to all the different habitats - or places - that exist, like tropical or temperate forests, hot and cold deserts, wetlands, rivers, mountains, coral reefs, etc. Each ecosystem corresponds to a series of complex relationships between biotic (living) components such as plants and animals and abiotic (non-living) components which include sunlight, air, water, minerals and nutrients.

The United Nations has proclaimed May 22 as The International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. When first created by the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly in late 1993, 29 December (the date of entry into force of the Convention of Biological Diversity), was designated The International Day for Biological Diversity. In December 2000, the UN General Assembly adopted 22 May as IDB, to commemorate the adoption of the text of the Convention on 22 May 1992 by the Nairobi Final Act of the Conference for the Adoption of the Agreed Text of the Convention on Biological Diversity. This was partly done because it was difficult for many countries to plan and carry out suitable celebrations for the date of 29 December, given the number of holidays that coincide around that time of year.

The theme of the year 2020 – ‘Our Solutions are in Nature’

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Opened for



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signature at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, and entering into force in December 1993, the Convention on Biological Diversity is an international treaty for the conservation of biodiversity, the sustainable use of the components of biodiversity and the equitable sharing of the benefits derived from the use of genetic resources. With 196 Parties, the Convention has near universal participation among countries. The Convention seeks to address all threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services, including threats from climate change, through scientific assessments, the development of tools, incentives and processes, the transfer of

technologies and good practices and the full and active involvement of relevant stakeholders including indigenous and local communities, youth, NGOs, women and the business community.

100 YEARS OF AGRICULTURAL CHANGE: SOME TRENDS AND FIGURES RELATED TO AGROBIODIVERSITY

Since the 1900s, some 75 percent of plant genetic diversity has

been lost as farmers worldwide have left their multiple local varieties and landraces for genetically uniform, high-yielding varieties.

30 percent of livestock breeds are at risk of extinction; six breeds

are lost each month.

Today, 75 percent of the world’s food is generated from only 12 plants and five animal species.

Of the 4 percent of the 250 000 to 300 000 known edible plant species, only 150 to 200 are used by humans. Only three - rice, maize and wheat - contribute nearly 60 percent of calories and proteins obtained by humans from plants.



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Animals provide some 30 percent of human requirements for

food and agriculture and 12 percent of the world’s population live almost entirely on products from ruminants.


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Travel Bubble:

This is also called travel bridges.

Travel bubbles, also called travel bridges or corona corridors, do away with that waiting period for a select group of travellers from certain countries where the coronavirus has been contained.

“In a ‘travel bubble’ a set of countries agree to open their borders to each other, but keep borders to all other countries closed. So people can move freely within the bubble, but cannot enter from the outside,”

“The idea is to allow people additional freedom without causing additional harm.” Travel bubbles are an extension of one of Block’s research specialties —social bubbles, where people expand their quarantine zones to include more people they consider safe.



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Travel bubbles do require a certain amount of faith and trust in partner countries and their ability to contain the virus, including widespread testing, contact tracing and effective quarantining. The easiest time to form a bubble “is when two countries have no more cases” and thus, very low risk in allowing travelers from the other country.

Australia and New Zealand, for instance, are some of the nations close to coming to such an agreement.

Currently Australia has just 15 new cases; New Zealand has zero, as per google’s virus tracker and so long as new infection numbers remain near zero, politicians are weighing options to safely ease open the border, just a little.

Benefits of travel bubbles:

A travel bubble would help both countries’ flagging tourism industries. Australians make up to 40 percent of international arrivals to New Zealand, with tourism being that country's biggest export industry.

If New Zealand can make their travel bubble work with Australia and keep new infections at zero, which appears to be their bar, they may expand the bubble to include other countries that are effectively containing the virus, including Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea.

The Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania opened their borders to one another on May 15. It’s a move that Lithuania's Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis called "a glimmer of hope for the people that life is getting back to normal" in a statement. While citizens and residents can move freely between the three



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nations, anyone arriving from outside the zone will have to continue to self-isolate for 14 days.

If the virus levels stay low, Finland and Poland may be next to join the Baltic travel bubble

In Asia, Beijing is considering expanding its “travel bubble” covering mainland China to include Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau as well as South Korea

What are Baltic Nations?

Baltic region: The countries that have shorelines along the Baltic Sea: Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, and Sweden.



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Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

Scandinavian Countries:

Norway, Denmark and Sweden



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current affairs – p df (ias 2021) paper – i (may 2020) · 2020. 6. 2. · current affairs – p...

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