current update 22nd to 28th december

8/13/2019 Current Update 22nd to 28th December

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[Weekly Current Update forthe week 22-28 Dec, 2013]

2014

For the week 22-28 December, 2013


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CONTENTSNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 3

Judiciary ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 3

Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) ........................................................................................................................................... 3

Defence & security ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 4

Agni-III missile test fired ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 4

Agni-I ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Agni-II ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 4

Agni-III ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Agni-IV ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Agni-V ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 5

Social Issues ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Maternal Mortality Ratio (figures for 2010-2012) ............................................................................................................................... 5

Economic Perspective ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 6

NATIONAL INVESTMENT & MANUFACTURING ZONES ...................................................................................................................... 6

NIMZs................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6

Canara bank ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 6

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 6

Indian UN peacekeeper killed in S. Sudan ...................................................................................................................................... 6

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS..................................................................................................................................................................................... 7

Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar economic corridor ........................................................................................................... 7

Indo-Nepal ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7

Indo-Nepal relations ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 8

SINO-PAKISTAN ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8


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Environment/Ecology .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 9

for the Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA s) ............................................................................................................................................ 9

Why these steps have been taken? ...................................................................................................................................................... 9

Health and medicine ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 10

Insulin Pill ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 10

Artificial heart ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 11

Resistance gene identified in malaria parasite .............................................................................................................................. 11

MISCELLANEOUS ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 11

PERSONALITIES........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 11

Mikhail Kalashnikov ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 11

Usha Sangwan ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 12

Dr. Michiaki Takahashi .................................................................................................................................................................................. 12

Mr. Vinod Kumar Duggal ............................................................................................................................................................................. 12

Mr. Sidharth Birla ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 12


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NATIONAL PERSPECTIV

JUDICIARY

JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS COMMISSION (JAC)

The Union Cabinet has given its nod for conferring constitutional status on the proposed Judicial AppointmentsCommission (JAC) for appointment and transfer of judges to the higher judiciary. Earlier the governmentaccepted the report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice, which recommended that thestructure and functions of the JAC to replace the present collegium system be governed by a constitutional

provision.ABOUT THE COMMISSION

A Bill has been introduced in conjunction with the Constitutional (One Hundred and Twentieth Amendment)Bill, 2013, which inserts Article 124A, providing for the setting up of a Judicial Appointments Commission,and is pending before Parliament. The Commission is sought to be established for the purpose of recommending

persons for appointment as Chief Justice of India and other Judges of the Supreme Court, and Chief Justice andother Judges of High Courts. The Bill seeks to enable equal part icipation of Judiciary and Executive, ensure thatthe appointments to the higher judiciary are more participatory, transparent and objective.COMPOSITION OF COMMISSION The Commission shall be chaired by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) and shall comprise two other senior

most Judges of the Supreme Court, the Union Minister for Law and Justice, and two eminent persons to benominated by the collegium.

The collegium 1 comprises the Prime Minister, the CJI and Leader of Opposition of the Lok Sabha. The eminent members will retain membership for a three year period and are not eligible for re nomination.

The Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Justice shall be the convener of theCommission.

FUNCTIONS OF COMMISSION Will recommend persons for appointment as Chief Justice of India; judges of the Supreme Court, Chief

Justices of High Courts and other judges of High Courts. Will recommend transfer of Chief Justices of High Courts and the judges of High Courts, from on High

Court to any other High Court.

Ensuring that the person recommended is of ability, integrity and standing in the legal profession.

1 Collegium : 1. An executive council or committee of equally empowered members, especially one supervising an industry. 2. A group wmembers pursue shared goals while working within a framework of mutual trust and respect


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The procedure for recommendation with respect to appointment of High Court Judges includes eliciting viewsof the Governor, Chief Minister and Chief Justice of High Court of the concerned state, in writing.

DEFENCE & SECURIT

AGNI-III MISSILE TEST FIRED

India successfully test fired the nuclear weapons capable Agni-III surface-to-surface ballistic missile for its fullrange of a little over 3,000 km from the Wheeler Island, off the Odisha coast.

The Agni series of missiles are being developed as part of the Integrated Guided Missile DevelopmentProgramme (IGMDP) started in early 1980s for the development of a comprehensive range of missiles whichincludes:

The intermediate range Agni Missile (surface to surface) Short range missiles viz the Prithvi ballistic (surface to surface), Akash missile (surface to air) Astra missile (air to air), Trishul missile & Nag Missile

ABOUT AGNI MISSILE SYSTEM

The Agni missile is a family of Medium to Intercontinental range ballistic missiles developed by DRDO andmanufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited of India. Indian nuclear and missile development programmes arenot Pakistan-centric. That the Pakistani threat is only a marginal factor in Indias security calculus and Agni isat the heart of deterrence in the larger context of Sino-Indian equation.

AGNI-I

Single stage solid fueled missile 700900 km range Both rail and road mobile Can carry a nuclear payload of 1,000 kg

AGNI-II

Two and a half stage, solid fueled missile Range 20003000 km Both rail and road mobile Can carry a nuclear payload of 1000 kg

AGNI-III


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Two stage solid propulsion Range 35005000 km Can carry a nuclear payload of 2490 kg

AGNI-IV Two-stage missile powered by solid propellant

Range 3,000-4000 km Can take a warhead of 1 tonnes

AGNI-V Solid fueled intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Range more than 5000 km Will be road mobile

SOCIAL ISSUESMATERNAL MORTALITY RATIO (FIGURES FOR 2010-2012)

As per the latest Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) figures for 2010-2012, released by the Registrar-Generalof India, the MMR had come down to 178 from 212 with an annual decline of 5.7 per cent.

While Kerala has the lowest MMR at 66 as against 81 in 2007-2009 Sample Registration Survey figures,Assam tops the list in absolute numbers with 328 deaths per 1,00,000 live births.

Tamil Nadu has slipped to the third position with 90 deaths due to the better performance of Maharashtra

and West Bengal has been placed at fourth. The eight Empowered Action Group (EAG) States (Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand, U.P., M.P. Chhattisgarh,Andhra Pradesh and Odisha) which traditionally had very bad health indicators have shown remarkableachievements.

With these recent figures the Millennium Development Goal now looks achievable as India is inchingforward to meet its global commitment to reduce the ratio to 109 by year 2015.

The Centre has launched several schemes under the NRHM for improving reproductive and child health,including Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram, free transportation and focussing on adolescent health, whosefull impact would be known only in the coming years. States have also taken measures to save mothers andinfants.

In Bihar, the government has provided caesarean facilities at 60 places which have helped save lives. Earlydetection of complications, provision of ambulances, enlarging the pool of anaesthetists by training MBBSdoctors and providing good residential facilities for doctors has vastly improved the situation in the State.

Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) number of women who die of pregnancy-related causes per 1, 00,000live births.


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ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE

NATIONAL INVESTMENT & MANUFACTURING ZONES

The ministry of commerce and industry has approved two more National Investment and ManufacturingZones (NIMZ) in Karnataka. The second and third NIMZs will be set up at Bidar and Gulbarga. Theministry has already sanctioned the first such zone in Tumkur, for which land acquisition is under progress.The government is also considering to provide the status of NIMZ to the proposed Information TechnologyInvestment Region (ITIR) near international airport in Bangalore.

These will be part of the 14 NIMZs approved across the country, eight of them around the Delhi-MumbaiIndustrial Corridor. Two major corridors are being taken up on partnership mode in Karnataka. TheChennai-Bangalore corridor proposed by Japan and the Mumbai Bangalore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC)

project is proposed by United Kingdom (UK). Government has decided to extend the Chennai-Bangalorecorridor up to Chitradurga.

NIMZS The Government of India has announced a National Manufacturing Policy with the objective of enhancing

the share of manufacturing in GDP to 25% within a decade and creating 100 million jobs. The NIMZs areenvisaged as integrated industrial townships of at least 50 sq km (5,000 hectares) with state of the artinfrastructure; land use on the basis of zoning; clean and energy efficient technology; necessary socialinfrastructure; skill development facilities etc. to provide a productive environment for persons transitioningfrom the primary to the secondary and tertiary sectors. At least 30 per cent of the total land area would bedevoted to manufacturing units.

These industrial townships are to be self-governing and autonomous bodies under Article 243 (Q-c) of theConstitution. NIMZs are different from SEZs in terms of size, level of infrastructure planning, and

governance structure related to regulatory procedures and exit policy. One major difference is that SEZswere tax-free and duty-free deemed foreign territories.

CANARA BANK

Indian state-owned Canara Bank has received a license from the US regulators to open a branch in NewYork. This is the first time that an Indian bank has secured an approval of the US regulators. The bank isheadquartered in Bangalore, Karnataka.

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVEINTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

INDIAN UN PEACEKEEPER KILLED IN S. SUDANThree United Nations peacekeepers from India were killed when a base sheltering civilians in South Sudan wasstormed.


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The compound of the UN mission in Akobo was besieged by local youths from the Nuer community intent onrevenge for alleged targeted killings of their kinsmen in the capital, Juba.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

BANGLADESH-CHINA-INDIA-MYANMAR ECONOMIC CORRIDOR

BRICS members China and India have formed an intergovernmental body with Bangladesh and Myanmar forthe BCIM economic corridor. This was announced after a two-day meet of the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Economic Corridor working group in Kunming, capital of southwest Chinas YunnanProvince. The four nations have also signed a joint research plan on the construction of the corridor. This couldsignificantly stimulate the economic growth of large and medium-sized cities along the corridor. Consultationshave been held earlier on the feasibility of a BCIM Economic corridor, a region host to 40% of the worlds

population. The belt hopes to retrace the lost trails and revive commercial trade in the Southern Silk Route

China proposed the building of the BCIM Economic Corridor during Premier Li Keqiangs visit to India.

China sees the corridor as a platform to not only boost strategic ties with India, but also as a means to injectvitality into its landlocked southwestern provinces, which have the highest poverty rates in China. Once theBCIM economic corridor is established, it will combine the China-ASEAN-India Free Trade Area, shaping the

biggest free trade area in the world. The BCIM economic corridor includes Yunnan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, andWest Bengal, Bihar and states in northeastern India.The economic advantages of the BCIM trade corridor are:-

Approach to numerous markets in Southeast Asia Improvement of transportation infrastructure and Creation of industrial zones

INDO-NEPALDuring the two-day Inter-Governmental Committee meeting, India and Nepal have agreed to address eachother's concerns on commerce and transit, including reduction of tariff barriers and checking illegal trade alongthe porous border between the two countries.

Highlights of the meeting: Agreed to step up efforts to check unauthorised trade, including controlling trade in fake Indian currency.

The Indian side agreed to provide 10,000 cows in response to a demand from Nepal to meet the country'sincreasing demand for milk and dairy products. The two sides agreed on a 14-point agenda to enhance trade, promote cooperation and address concerns of

the private sector of both sides. Nepal agreed to adjust the five per cent agriculture reforms charge it has been charging on Indian exports.

India agreed to resolve difficulties related to export of Nepali books and newspapers.


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INDO-NEPAL RELATIONS

The geographical, historical, economic and socio-cultural factors have shaped up Indo-Nepal relations, bothformally and informally, in such a manner that the two countries are bound to maintain a closer cooperation andunderstanding. Beginning in 1950, however relations were based on two treaties under the Treaty of Peace andFriendship, where each government agreed to acknowledge and respect the others sovereignty, territorialintegrity, and independence; to continue diplomatic relations, and, on matters pertaining to industrial andeconomic development to grant rights equal to those of its own citizen to the nationals of the other residing inits territory. India always supported the democratic movements in Nepal.

AREAS OF SCOPE FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF JOINT VENTURES

Leather and skins Jute carpet industries Cement, textiles, herbs, sports and hiking goods Pharmaceuticals Milk products Climate change and tourism Hydro -power Education and health care Food products

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS WHERE INDIA AND NEPAL CAN WORK TOGETHER United Nations

NAM SAARC BIMSTEC

SINO-PAKISTAN Tacitly 2 confirming reports of signing of an agreement with Pakistan to build a huge 1000 MW nuclear

power plant at Karachi, China defended the deal saying that it confirmed to safeguards of the IAEA andrejected allegations that it has violated NSG norms.

China is a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). The nuclear trade body forbids members fromtransferring technology to countries that have not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Indiaobtained a waiver from the body only after undertaking various commitments.

In recent years China and Pakistan have had some cooperation in the field of civilian nuclear cooperationwhich causes ripples of concern, particularly in the U.S. and India, due to the sensitivity of nuclear

2 Tacitly : unclearly, unambiguous


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Only 37% of the natural landscape is biologically rich area and identified as Ecologically Sensitive Area(ESA).

Working Group has recommended a non-tolerance policy with respect to highly interventionist andenvironmentally damaging activities like mining or polluting industries and made specific recommendationsabout prohibited activities and those that require high level of scrutiny and assessment before clearancewithin ESA.

Working Group also took note of the environmentally friendly practices in coffee plantations in Kodagu andcardamom plantations in Idduki and Wayanad where integration of natural landscapes with humansettlements exists.

Working Group also recommended to MoEF for setting up of a Decision Support and Monitoring Centrefor Western Ghats.

The future lies in working on green growth strategies that build on the natural endowment of the Western Ghatsregion to create a vibrant economy, while preserving, conserving and rejuvenating the ecology.

HEALTH AND MEDICININSULIN PILL

Indian scientists form National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research in Punjab havedeveloped a long-sought insulin pill. In experiments with rats, the "pill" lowered blood glucose levelsalmost as much as injected insulin. For years, researchers have sought a way to transform delivery of insulintherapy from a jab to a pill, but it has been a challenge.

The idea of oral insulin has been around since the 1930s, but the difficulties of making it have previouslyseemed too large to overcome. First, insulin is a proteinwhen it comes in contact with stomach enzymes,it is quickly destroyed. Second, if insulin can pass through the stomach safely, it is too big a molecule (about30 times the size of aspirin) to be absorbed into the bloodstream, where it needs to be in order to regulate

blood-sugar levels. To overcome these hurdles, researchers combined two approaches to shield insulin from the digestive

enzymes and then get it into the blood. They packaged insulin in tiny sacs made of lipids, called liposomes.Then, they wrapped the liposomes in layers of protective molecules called polyelectrolytes. To help these"layersomes" get absorbed into the bloodstream, they attached folic acid, a kind of vitamin B shown to helptransport liposomes into the blood.

The benefits of an insulin pill include more than just ease of taking the drug. A pill would mean patients canstart taking insulin earlier in the disease's development, which could reduce some of diabetes' secondarycomplications like blindness and the impaired healing that leads to amputations 3 .

3 Amputation: to cut off sb's arm, leg, finger or toe in a medical operation


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Nearly 350 million people worldwide suffer from diabetes, and that number is predicted to grow to more than500 million by 2030. While the more common form, type-2 diabetes, does not always need insulin treatment,nearly a quarter of all diabetes patients depend on insulin injections. Estimated annual sales of oral insulin could

be as high as $17 billion.About diabetes

Diabetes suppresses the production or use of insulin, which is a hormone that helps blood glucose or bloodsugar become absorbed into cells and gives them energy. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body doesnt makeenough insulin, and type 2 diabetes occurs when the body doesnt make or use insulin very well, causingglucose to remain in the blood, which can lead to serious problems.

ARTIFICIAL HEART French biomedical firm Carmat has developed an artificial heart and a 75-year-old man, who became the

first person to receive, has been successfully operated at the Georges Pompidou Hospital in Paris. Theartificial heart can give patients up to five years of extra life.

The artificial heart, developed with the help of engineers from the Dutch-based European Aeronautic

Defence and Space Company (EADS), weighs 2lbs almost three times as much as an average healthyhuman heart. It mimics heart muscle contractions and contains sensors that adapt the blood flow to the patients moves. The heart is powered by watch-style lithium batteries that can be worn externally. It uses arange of biomaterials, including bovine tissue (instead of synthetic materials such as plastic, which cancause blood clots), to reduce the likelihood of the body rejecting it.

RESISTANCE GENE IDENTIFIED IN MALARIA PARASITE An international team from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the

US National Institutes of Health has found a genetic marker for the malaria-causing parasites that areresistant to artemisinin, an important drug for treating the mosquito-borne disease.

Artemisinin, combined with other drugs, is an important first line of defense against malaria. However, inrecent years, development of artemisinin resistance in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum inSoutheast Asia poses a real threat to global malaria control and elimination.

Malaria is a disease caused by Plasmodium parasites that infect about 154 to 289 million people per year,resulting in approximately 660,000 deaths worldwide. Symptoms of malaria include recurrent cycles (everyone to three days) of fever, chills, muscle aches, headaches, nausea, vomiting, and jaundice.Anopheles mosquitoes transmit the parasites to humans when they bite. Africa, Asia, and Central and SouthAmerica are the areas with high numbers of malarial infections. The prognosis for the majority of malaria

patients is good. Most recover with no problems unless infected with P. falciparum or P. knowlesi, whichmay have fair to poor outcomes unless treated immediately.

MISCELLANEOUSPERSONALITIES

MIKHAIL KALASHNIKOV Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov was a Russian general and small arms designer, passed away recently. Hewas famous for developing the AK-47 assault rifle and its improvements, AKM and AK-74, as well as the PKmachine gun. AK-47s name stands for Kalashnikovs Automatic and the year it was designed, 1947.


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USHA SANGWAN

The GOI appointed Ms Usha Sangwan as the first woman managing director of Life Insurance Corporationof India (LIC) and Vijay Kumar Sharma as an MD and chief executive officer of LIC Housing Finance. Withthese appointments, LIC is set to function at its full strength of four MDs. As per the norms, LIC can have fourMDs, and a chairman, as part of its top management.

DR. MICHIAKI TAKAHASHI He was Japanese virologist, who developed a vaccine for the chicken pox virus passed away. Dr. Takahashi

developed his vaccine by growing live but weakened versions of the virus in animal and human cells. Chickenpox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, a form of herpes. If a person contracts the virus, has an

active infection and then recovers, the virus is not actually gone from the body. It can hide in nerve cells foryears or decades then emerge again to cause shingles, a painful condition that causes a skin rash and occursmostly in adults.

MR. VINOD KUMAR DUGGALMr. Vinod Kumar Duggal, the former Home Secretary has been appointed the new Governor of Manipur.

MR. SIDHARTH BIRLAMr. Sidharth Birla, Chairman of Xpro India Limited took the charge as the President of Federation of IndianChambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI ) 5succeeding the HSBC India Country Head Naina Lal Kidwai.

4 LIC: Indian state-owned insurance group and Investment Company offers a variety of insurance products to its customers such as insurance plans, pension plans, unit-linked plans, special plans and group schemes. Headquarters: Mumbai Founded in 1956 Current Chairman: SK Roy

5 FICCI is the largest and oldest apex business organization in India Established in 1927 as a non-government, not-for-profit organization withits Headquarters in New Delhi. The mission of the organisation is to enhance efficiency and global competitiveness of Indian industry and toexpand business opportunities both in domestic and foreign markets through a range of specialized services and global linkages.

current update 22nd to 28th december

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