Hindu Notes from General Studies-01

Editorials are covered separately. HINDU NOTES are available free date wise| CLICK HERE

Neolithic site discovered in Kurnool district

News

• A unique Neolithic site has been found at Nagaruru in Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh, which has the potential to open newer areas of research on ancient man’s settled life.

Beyond News

• After the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods, marked respectively by hunting and gathering food, the Neolithic man led a settled life by producing food. Archaeologist, found traces of Neolithic culture at Nagaruru village in Aspari mandal, located 11 km south of Adoni (Yadava Avani), one of the historical towns in Kurnool district.
• As the earliest discovery of Neolithic tools in South India was made by Meadows Taylor in 1842 in Lingasugur in Raichur district of Karnataka, the adjoining Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh is also believed to be one of the richest prehistoric zones, deserving enough attention on early man’s activities.
• The Neolithic man used polished stone axes, which are the salient features of the age. Neolithic people settled on tops of granitoid hills or on levelled terraces on hillsides or in the valleys.
• The Nagaruru site also reveals the nature of Neolithic occupations, as it is located at the granite foothills of Thimmappa Mettalu on the banks of the brook ‘Eedulavanka.’ The researchers,visited this unknown site and collected various stone tools, claimed to date back to 2900 BC – 1000 BC. The tools include polished triangular axes of sizes measuring 8.2 cm to 15.8 cm in length, axe celts, adzes, chisels, rubbing/mill stones, grinding trough, terracota beads and stoneware marbles.
• These stone tools were made of dolerite intrusions and granite stone. The pottery shreds also collected here is predominantly handmade red, black, buff brown ware, red slipped ware and black slipped ware. Bones and animal teeth were also collected.
• Iron stones and slag in the site, which show cultural continuity from Neolithic to Megalithic culture/iron age culture (B.C. 1000 – B.C. 300), were also observed.
• One Telugu inscription belonged to the early medieval period also found in the nearby Someswara Swamy temple is yet to be studied.
• This way, this site is believed to be a good example of cultural continuity from prehistoric period to protohistoric and historical periods.

India not on track to meet 2030 targets of reducing child mortality

News

• Almost half of the districts in India are not on track to reduce the mortality rates of newborns and meet the target set under the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, a study has found.

Findings

• India still has the world’s highest number of deaths among children under five and newborns, around 1.1 million per year.
• The study, is the first to evaluate neonatal and under-five mortality at a district level in India, as well as a state level.
• Under the World Health Organization’s Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG3), all countries should aim to reduce neonatal mortality to 12 deaths per 1,000 live births per year, and under-five mortality to a maximum of 25.
• Researchers used data from the National Family Health Survey, a survey of the full birth history of women aged 15-49, carried out most recently in 2015-16, and used the data from the previous round conducted in 2005-06 to model future trends.
• They found that the various measures employed in India have cut the number of deaths of under-fives by around half in in the past 23 years, from 109 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to around 50 in 2013, but this is still double the target.
• The number of neonatal deaths remains around 2.4 times higher than the target, at around 29 deaths per 1,000 live births. The picture, however, is very complex.
• The vast majority of the worst performing states on mortality rates are in the poorer states of north-central and eastern India, although there are some high-risk districts in richer, more developed states such as Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat.
• There is also some variation between genders. The female neonatal mortality rate is below that of males, which is expected as this is the global trend. However, this is not the case with under-five mortality, indicating gender discrimination.
• Much of the variation is likely due to socioeconomic and geographic disparities. District-level female literacy rates vary from 24-89 per cent while urbanisation ranges from 0-100 per cent.
• There are also large differences in the implementation of mortality reduction schemes and the accessibility and availability of healthcare.
• It is important to note that India experienced the highest reduction in mortality rate in the period 2005-2016. Therefore, to achieve the SDG-related mortality goals at the district level, it needs to intervene more rigorously than ever.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

Lok Sabha passes amendments to SC/ST Act

News

• The Lok Sabhapassed the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill, 2018, to bypass the recent ruling of the Supreme Court laying down procedures for arrests under the Act. The Bill will now go to the Upper House.

Beyond News

• The Bill inserts section 18A (1) (a) in the 1989 Act, that says a “preliminary enquiry shall not be required for registration of an FIR against any person.” The Bill also inserts Section 18A (1) (b), which says “the investigating officer shall not require approval for the arrest, if necessary, of any person against whom an accusation of having committed an offence under this Act has been made and no procedure, other than that provided under this Act or the Code, shall apply.”
• The Bill’s Statement of Objects and Reasons says that under the CrPC, the decision to arrest a person is taken by the investigating officer and there was no requirement for approval.
• The Bill also goes back to the original SC/ST (PoA) Bill, doing away with the provision of anticipatory bail the Supreme Court ruling had permitted.
• The provision of section 438 of the Code shall not apply to a case under this Act, notwithstanding any judgment or order or direction of any Court, says section 18A (2) of the Bill.
• Section 438 of the CrPC deals with direction for grant of bail to a person apprehending arrest.
• The Supreme Court had on March 20, 2018, introduced protective provisions in the SC/ST (PoA) Act, 1989, to permit anticipatory bail despite a section of the Act denying it and laying down a preliminary enquiry by police before any action is taken. It had also laid down that the permission of the appointing authority would be required to arrest a public servant and that of an SSP for the arrest of a person who is not a public servant.
  

  Sushma in Kyrgyzstan to boost ties

  News

External Affairs Minister held talks with her Kyrgyzstan counterpart, Erlan Abdyldaev,on deepening cooperation in trade, energy, defence, security and other areas.

• Beyond News
  • External Affairs Minister arrived at Issyk Kul in eastern Kyrgyzstan on a two-day visit after wrapping up her tour of Kazakhstan.
  • Taking steps to tap the huge potential that exists between our two countries! EAM Sushma Swaraj and Kyrgyzstan Foreign Minister Abdyldaev discussed opportunities for cooperation in fields of trade and investment, defence and security, IT, health, HRD, tourism and joint film production.
  • Swaraj has interacted with Mr. Abdyldaev on a number of occasions, including on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York.
  • The Minister is on a three-nation tour of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan as part of India’s efforts to boost strategic partnership with the resource-rich Central Asian nations.
  • India and Kyrgyzstan share multi-dimensional relations including political, parliamentary, defence, science and technology and health.

  Andhra Pradesh is the front-runner in energy efficiency measures

  News

Andhra Pradesh has emerged the “front-runner” in the field of energy efficiency according to the States’ Energy Efficiency Preparedness Index (SEEPI) released by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and NITI Aayog.

• Beyond News
  • The World Bank has already ranked A.P. No. 1 in Energy Efficiency Implementation Readiness, according to an official release.
  • In the first edition of SEEPI, Andhra Pradesh is followed by Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra.
  • The BEE’s assessment is based on the State’s adoption of energy efficiency and energy savings measures and other key parameters.
  • Andhra Pradesh is ahead of other States in the race to the top by performing exceedingly well on the energy efficiency front in municipalities and agriculture in demand-side management and domestic/buildings sector.

  E-tattoos to help monitor health

  News

Chinese scientists have developed skin-like electronic tattoos, that can be used to monitor health parameters such as blood pressure and body temperature in real time.

Beyond News

• The graphene-based electronic tattoo, developed by scientists, can be easily transferred onto various surfaces such as the human skin, leaves and silk. Graphene, a super thin material with excellent flexibility and conductivity, is an ideal material for electronic skin, researchers said.
• It could also be attached to masks and throats to measure body signals such as breathing, heartbeat and voice.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

Launch of India’s second moon mission postponed

News

• The launch of India’s second mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-2, may be delayed till January 2019, according to a top official.

Beyond News

• The postponement comes in the wake of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) facing quick setbacks.
• Earlier this year, the ISRO had launched GSAT-6A, a military communication satellite, but lost communication with it. Following this, the ISRO also recalled the launch of GSAT-11 from Kourou, French Guiana, for additional technical checks. Last September, the PSLV- C39 mission, carrying the IRNSS-1H navigation satellite, failed after the heat shield refused to open and release the satellite.
• The ISRO is treading a cautious path after these two setbacks as Chandrayaan-2 is one of the crucial launches for the space agency, particularly after Chandrayaan-1 and Mangalyaan (Mars Orbiter Mission).
• It is also ISRO’s first mission to land on any celestial body.
• Chandrayaan-2 will be ISRO’s first time attempt to land a rover, on the Moon. The rover, costing nearly Rs. 800 crore , will be made to land near the yet-unexplored south pole of the moon.

Man-animal conflict to be listed as disaster under SDRF by UP govt

News

• In possibly the first-of-its-kind move, the Uttar Pradesh government has given its in-principle approval to bring man-animal conflict under listed disasters in the State Disaster Response Fund.
• The move will enable faster relief, creating awareness, ensuring police support in areas when such conflicts are reported, and proper guidelines to handle situations when wild animals venture in human in-habitation.

CLICK HERE TO SEE DATE WISE CURRENT AFFAIRS.