daily current affairs 18.10.2020 ( selfstudyforias.com )...baba banda singh bahadur ( gs-i topic :...

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 18.10.2020 ( SELFSTUDYforIAS.com )

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DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS : 18.10.2020

CONTENTS

General Studies 1

Baba Banda Singh Bahadur ( GS-I Topic : Indian History )

General Studies 2

Global Hunger Index, 2020 released:( GS-II Topics : Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.)

Food and Agriculture Organisation ( GS-II Topic : Poverty and Hunger )

South China sea: ( GS-II Topics : Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora. )

General Studies -3

Centre to Borrow on Behalf of States to meet the GST shortfall ( GS-III

Topic : Taxation )

Bodoland Statehood Movement ( GS –III Topics : Challenges to internal security )

Bioremediation Mechanism for Oil Spills ( GS-III Topic: Environmental Pollution and Degradation )

Increased Emissions of N2O ( GS – III Topic : Environmental Pollution and Degradation )



Facts for Prelims

Kapila Campaign launched

Zojila tunnel

Rashtriya Aajeevika Mission

General Studies 1

Baba Banda Singh Bahadur ( GS-I Topic : Indian History )

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has paid tributes to the brave Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Ji on his 350th Jayanti.

About Baba Banda Singh Bahadur

Banda Singh Bahadur, also called Lachman Das, Lachman Dev, or Madho Das, (born 1670, Rajauri [India]—died June 1716, Delhi), first Sikh military leader to wage an offensive war against the Mughal rulers of India, thereby temporarily extending Sikh territory.

As a youth, he decided to be a samana (ascetic), and until 1708, when he became a disciple of Guru Gobind Singh, he was known as Madho Das. After his initiation into the Sikh brotherhood, he took the name Banda Singh Bahadur and became a respected, if not popular, general; his cold and impersonal character did not endear him to his men.

Banda Singh set out in 1709 to attack the Mughals, conquering large tracts of territory. His pillaging and massacring in the Deccan led the Mughal rulers finally to move against him in force.

After an eight-month siege, the fortress town of Gurdas Nangal fell to the Mughals in 1715. Banda Singh and his men were taken as prisoners to Delhi, where every day for six months a few of his men were taken out and executed.

When his own turn came, Banda Singh stated to the Muslim judge that this fate befell him justly because he had failed his beloved Guru Gobind Singh. He was tortured to death with red-hot irons.



Source : The Hindu

General Studies 2

Global Hunger Index, 2020 released:( GS-II Topics : Issues relating to

development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to

Health, Education, Human Resources.)

What is Global Hunger Index?

The report is a peer-reviewed publication released annually by Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide.

How are Countries ranked?

The GHI scores are based on a formula that captures three dimensions of hunger—insufficient caloric intake, child undernutrition, and child mortality—using four component indicators:

UNDERNOURISHMENT: the share of the population that is under-nourished, reflecting insufficient caloric intake

CHILD WASTING: the share of children under the age of five who are wasted (low weight-for-height), reflecting acute undernutrition.

CHILD STUNTING: the share of children under the age of five who are stunted (low height-for-age), reflecting chronic undernutrition.

CHILD MORTALITY: the mortality rate of children under the age of five.

Score:

The GHI ranks countries on a 100-point scale, with 0 being the best score (no hunger) and 100 being the worst. Values less than 10 reflect low hunger, values from 20 to 34.9 indicate serious hunger; values from 35 to 49.9 are alarming; and values of 50 or more are extremely alarming.

Key findings:



India has the highest prevalence of wasted children under five years in the world, which reflects acute undernutrition.

India ranks 94 out of 107 countries in the Index, lower than her neighbours such as Bangladesh (75) and Pakistan (88).

The report put India under serious category with the score of 27.2.

The child stunting rate in India was 37.4 %.

The child wasting was at 17.3 %.

The undernourishment rate of India was at 14% and child mortality at 3.7 %.

Source : The Hindu

Food and Agriculture Organisation ( GS-II Topic : Poverty and Hunger )

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released commemorative coins of Rs 75 denomination to mark the 75th anniversary of FAO. He also dedicated to the nation, 17 recently developed biofortified varieties of crops.

About Food and Agriculture Organisation

The FAO is a specialised agency of the United Nations. Established in 1945, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has

its headquarters in Rome, Italy. It was founded with a goal to provide food security for everyone and

assure that people will have access to high-quality food in sufficient quantities to achieve a healthy lifestyle.

The FAO has 197 member countries, which includes the European Union as well. It conducts biennial conferences. The FAO Council is the executive arm of the governing body. The members elect the Council which is composed of 49 members.

The FAO Council also approved India’s membership to the Executive Board of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) for 2020 and 2021.



World Food Day is an international day celebrated every year worldwide on 16 October to commemorate the date of the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation in 1945.

Functions of FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is a global organisation and its functions can be listed as follows:

Helping Governments and Development Agencies coordinate their activities which are targeted to develop and improve agriculture, fisheries, forestry and other water and land resources.

Conducting research and providing technical assistance to various projects related to improving agricultural output and development.

Conducting training and educational programs and also collecting and analysing agricultural data to improve yield and production.

The FAO also brings out a number of publications/reports, some of which are, the State of the World, the Global Report on Food Crises, the State of Food and Agriculture, the State of the World’s Forests, etc.

Source : The Hindu

South China sea: ( GS-II Topics : Effect of policies and politics of developed

and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora. )

Context:

Philippine government has decided to resume oil exploration in its exclusive economic zone, a 320-km stretch of waters where a coastal state can exclusively exploit maritime resources under the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.

This includes Reed Bank, which China also claims. This region is

located in the disputed South China Sea.

About the dispute:



It is a dispute over territory and sovereignty over ocean areas, and the Paracels and the Spratlys – two island chains claimed in whole or in part by a number of countries.

Alongside the fully fledged islands, there are dozens of rocky outcrops, atolls, sandbanks and reefs, such as the Scarborough Shoal.

Who Claims What?

China:

claims by far the largest portion of territory – an area defined by the “nine-dash line” which stretches hundreds of miles south and east from its most southerly province of Hainan.

Vietnam:

hotly disputes China’s historical account, saying China had never claimed sovereignty over the islands before the 1940s. Vietnam says it has actively ruled over both the Paracels and the Spratlys since the 17th Century – and has the documents to prove it.

Philippines:

both the Philippines and China lay claim to the Scarborough Shoal (known as Huangyan Island in China) – a little more than 100 miles (160km) from the Philippines and 500 miles from China.

Malaysia and Brunei:

They lay claim to territory in the South China Sea that they say falls within their economic exclusion zones, as defined by UNCLOS – the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Brunei does not claim any of the disputed islands, but Malaysia claims a small number of islands in the Spratlys



Source : The Indian Express

General Studies 3

Centre to Borrow on Behalf of States to meet the GST shortfall ( GS-III Topic :

Taxation )

In news Recently, the Centre has decided to borrow an estimated revenue shortfall

of Rs. 1.1 lakh crore as loans to States to meet the GST shortfall.

Key takeaways



The borrowing will not have any impact on the fiscal deficit of the

Government as the Centre is acting as mediator only. The Centre will borrow the loan and pass on to the states. The amounts will be reflected as the capital receipts of the state

governments and it will be a part of financing its respective fiscal deficits.

Background of the news The economic slowdown due to covid-19 had reduced both GST and cess

collections in FY 2019-20, due to which there was 40% gap (shortfall) between the compensation paid and cess collected.

The Centre distinguished the GST shortfall into two types: (1) Due to GST implementation itself; (2) due to the impact of Covid-19.

The fall of GST revenue due to Covid-19 was termed as an act of God. Also, the GST Compensation Act, 2017 guaranteed states that they would

be compensated for any loss of revenue in the first five years of GST implementation, until 2022, using a cess levied on sin and luxury goods. It did not foresee an act of God.

Thus, The Centre had earlier refused to compensate GST shortfall arising due to covid-19 to the states.

In August 2020 at GST Council meet, the Centre had proposed two options to states to meet the shortfall: (1) A special window could be provided, in consultation with the RBI so that the states can get Rs. 97,000 crore at a reasonable rate of interest. The amount can be repaid after five years (of GST implementation) ending 2022 from cess collection; (2) Another option is that this entire gap of Rs. 2.35 lakh crore can be met by the borrowing by the states in consultation with RBI.

However, many states were against these two options and were planning to move the Supreme Court over the issue.

Benefits of the recent decision The borrowing by the Centre would avoid differential rates of interest that

individual states may be charged for their respective State Development Loans (SDLs).

The country’s general government debt, which includes both the Centre’s and States’ borrowings will not increase due to this step.



The States that get the benefit from the Special Window may borrow a lesser amount from the additional borrowing facility of 2% of Gross State Domestic Product under Atma Nirbhar Package.

Important value additions Goods and Services Tax GST was introduced through the 101st Constitution Amendment Act, 2016. It is an indirect tax on the supply of final goods and services. It has subsumed indirect taxes like excise duty, Value Added Tax (VAT),

service tax, luxury tax etc. It is levied at the final consumption point. It is levied only on the value addition. It is collected on goods and services at each point of sale in the supply line. The GST avoids the cascading effect or tax on tax which increases the tax

burden on the end consumer. Tax Structure under GST: (1) Central GST to cover Excise duty, Service tax

etc.; (2) State GST to cover VAT, luxury tax etc.; (3) Integrated GST to cover inter-state trade.

It has a 4-tier tax structure for all goods and services under the slabs- 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%.


Bodoland Statehood Movement ( GS –III Topics : Challenges to internal

security )

Why in News

A new organisation (All India Bodo People’s National League for Bodoland Statehood) has announced the revival of the Bodoland statehood movement ahead of the elections to the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC).



Key Points

About Bodos: These are the single largest community among the notified Scheduled Tribes in Assam. Part of the larger umbrella of Bodo-Kachari, the Bodos constitute about 5-6% of Assam’s population.

About Bodo Statehood Movement:

o 1967-68: First organised demand for a Bodo state came under the banner of the political party Plains Tribals Council of Assam.

o 1986: The armed group Bodo Security Force arose, which subsequently renamed itself ‘National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB)’, an organisation that is known to be involved in attacks, killings, and extortions. It later split into factions.

o 1987: All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) renewed the demand.

A fallout of the Assam Movement (1979-85), whose culmination - the Assam Accord - addressed the demands of protection and safeguards for the “Assamese people”, leading the Bodos to launch a movement to protect their own identity.

o 1990s: Indian security forces launched extensive operations against the NDFB, causing the latter to flee to bordering Bhutan.

In Bhutan, the group faced stiff counter-insurgency operations by the Indian Army and the Royal Bhutan Army in the early 2000s.

Government Interventions:

o 1993 Bodo Accord: The ABSU-led movement from 1987 culminated in a 1993 Bodo Accord, which paved the way for a Bodoland Autonomous Council (BAC), but ABSU withdrew its agreement and renewed its demand for a separate state.

o 2003 Bodo Accord: In 2003, the second Bodo Accord was signed by the extremist group Bodo Liberation Tiger Force (BLTF), the Centre and the state. This led to the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC).



BTC is an autonomous body under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

The area under the jurisdiction of BTC was called the Bodo Territorial Autonomous District (BTAD).

o 2020 Accord: The Central government signed a tripartite agreement with the state government and different Bodo groups,

including four factions of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), for a “permanent” solution to the Bodo issue. Some features:

It provides for “alteration of area of BTAD” and “provisions for Bodos outside BTAD”

The BTAD was renamed Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).

It provides for more legislative, executive, administrative and financial powers to BTC.

Provision for rehabilitation of surrendered militants of NDFB and bringing a special development package of Rs. 1,500 crore for the region.

Present Revival of the Bodoland Statehood Movement:

o According to the new organisation, the new (2020) accord has been a betrayal of the Bodo people. Besides being an inferior accord, it prescribes a reduction of the area currently under the BTC.

https://www.drishtiias.com/images/uploads/1602928645_image2.png



The accord has a provision for excluding from the BTR villages with more than 50% non-Bodos and including villages with more than 50% Bodo people left out of the BTC map after the 2003 accord.

Way Forward

The signatories of the accord will be under pressure to find a way out to ensure the successful implementation of the accord. Support of relevant organisations will be required.

Further, the opposition to the latest accord voiced by organisations of non-Bodo communities, including Koch-Rajbangshis, Adivasis and religious and linguistic minorities, has given rise to fears that if their grievances are not addressed, the ethnic fault lines in Assam will deepen. Thus, the accord’s success will lie in the stakeholders working out a power-sharing arrangement in the BTR that privileges equity over hegemony.

Peace will continue to be fragile in Assam’s Bodo heartland until an all-inclusive power sharing and governance model is evolved under the provisions of the Sixth Schedule.

Source : The Hindu

Bioremediation Mechanism for Oil Spills ( GS-III Topic: Environmental Pollution

and Degradation )

Why in News

The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chnnai has developed an eco-friendly crude oil bioremediation mechanism technology using consortia (group of two or more species) of marine microbes wheat bran (WB) immobilized (microbes controlled degradation) on agro-residue bacterial cells.

Wheat bran is the hard outer layer of the wheat kernel. It's stripped away during the milling process.



Key Points

Eco-friendly Crude Oil Bioremediation Mechanism Technology

o Bioremediation: It can be defined as any process that uses microorganisms or their enzymes to remove and or neutralize contaminants within the environment to their original condition.

o In the marine ecosystem, deep sea hydrocarbonoclastic (ability to degrade hydrocarbon) microbial consortium plays an important role in breaking down oil in the event of a spill.

The microbial community serves as energetic primary degraders of a complex mixture of petroleum hydrocarbons into various aldehydes, ketones and acidic metabolites.

These hydrocarbon degrading bacteria don’t depend on hydrocarbons for survival, but have a metabolic mechanism where they use petroleum products as carbon and energy source and thus, help cleaning up oil spills.

The complete breakdown and degradation of crude oil is achievable using wheat bran marine bacterial consortia (which are low-cost non-toxic agro-residues) in an environmentally sustainable manner.

o Advantages of Immobilized State:

They are more effective in their immobilised state than the free bacteria cells in degrading the oil spills.

They could remove 84% of the oils within 10 days. The free bacterial cells degraded a maximum of 60% of the crude oil at optimised conditions.

They are more versatile and resistant to adverse conditions.

They have efficacy in treating accidental bulk discharge of oil in marine environments through non-toxic clean-up technology.




Increased Emissions of N2O ( GS – III Topic : Environmental Pollution and

Degradation )

Why in News

According to a recent research paper, human emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) have increased by 30% between 1980 and 2016.

The research was conducted through an international collaboration between the International Nitrogen Initiative (INI) and the Global Carbon Project of Future Earth, a partner of the World Climate Research Programme.

Key Points

Nitrous Oxide (N2O):

o It is a greenhouse gas (GHG) 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2).

o It has the third-highest concentration, after CO2 and methane (CH4), in Earth’s atmosphere among GHGs responsible for global warming.

o N2O is also the only remaining threat to the ozone (O3) layer, for it accumulates in the atmosphere over a long period of time, just like CO2.

o It can live in the atmosphere for up to 125 years.

o Its global concentration levels have increased from 270 parts per billion (ppb) in 1750 to 331 ppb in 2018, a jump of 20%.

The growth has been the quickest in the past five decades because of human emissions.

Research and the Study:



o This is the most comprehensive study of global N2O emissions ever published, as it combines both natural and anthropogenic (man-made) sources.

o The study found that 43% of the total emissions came from human sources and most N2O emissions came from emerging countries like India, China and Brazil.

o Increase in its emissions means that the climatic burden on the atmosphere is increasing from non-carbon sources as well, while the major focus of global climate change negotiations is currently centred on carbon, its emissions and mitigation.

o It also highlighted the dichotomy of the climate crisis and global food security.

A major proportion of the N2O emissions in the last four decades came from the agricultural sector, mainly because of the use of nitrogen-based fertilisers.

The growing demand for food and feed for animals will further increase its global emissions, leading to a direct conflict between the way countries are feeding people and stabilising the climate.

Suggestions:

o There are well-established practices and technologies like crop and manure management, the use of bio-fertilisers, to mitigate N2O emissions which need to be utilised to their full extent.

o Revised industrial and agricultural policies at the global level will reduce such emissions considerably.

o Reducing GHGs emissions will also have the co-benefits of reduced air and water pollution.

o There is a need to bring the non-carbon sources under the major global climate change negotiations.

o It is possible to slow down N2O emissions if countries implement the United Nations Global Campaign on Sustainable Nitrogen



Management, 2019 held in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The focus of the event was to finalise the Colombo Declaration, a follow up on the UNEA 4 Resolution on Sustainable Nitrogen Management which aims to further the dialogue on Nitrogen management.


Facts for Prelims

Kapila Campaign launched In news The Ministry of Education launched the ‘KAPILA’ (Kalam Program for

Intellectual Property Literacy and Awareness) campaign on the 89th birth anniversary of former President and Scientist Late Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.

Key takeaways Under this campaign, students pursuing education in higher educational

institutions will get information about the correct system of application process for patenting their invention and they will be aware of their rights.

The Institution Innovation Council (IIC 2.0) annual report was also presented on the occasion.

The launch of IIC 3.0 and its website were also announced. It has also been decided to celebrate the week of October 15th to 23rd as

‘Intellectual Property Literacy Week’.

Zojila tunnel:

Context:



Union Transport Ministry has launched the first blasting for construction-related work at the Zojila tunnel that will provide all-year connectivity between Srinagar valley and Leh.

Key facts:

The Zojila is set to be Asia’s longest bi-directional tunnel.

It will connect Srinagar, Dras, Kargil and Leh via a tunnel through the famous Zojila Pass.

Located at more than 11,500 feet above sea level, the all-weather Zojila tunnel will be 14.15 km long and ensure road connectivity even during winters.

It will make the travel on the 434-km Srinagar-Kargil-Leh Section of NH-1 free from avalanches, enhance safety and reduce the travel time from more than 3 hours to just 15 minutes.

Rashtriya Aajeevika Mission:

Official name: Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).

Implemented by: Ministry of Rural Development.

Mission objective: Organizing the rural poor women into Self Help Groups (SHGs), and continuously nurturing and supporting them to take economic activities so that they come out of abject poverty.

Sub-schemes under DAY-NRLM:

1. Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs), enables a trainee to take bank credit and start his/her own Micro-enterprise.

2. Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) for facilitating the rural poor for setting up of micro Enterprises.

3. Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana (AGEY) to facilitate transport facilities in the rural areas which also provides self employment opportunities to the rural poor.

daily current affairs 18.10.2020 ( selfstudyforias.com )...baba banda singh bahadur ( gs-i topic :...

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