Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

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Colistin banned in animal food industry

News

• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued an order prohibiting the manufacture, sale and distribution of colistin and its formulations for food-producing animals, poultry, aqua farming and animal feed supplements.

Beyond News

• Intensivists across the country are rejoicing as the move is a “massive victory” for the movement against anti-microbial resistance.
• Colistin is a valuable, last-resort antibiotic that saves lives in critical care units and in recent years, medical professionals have been alarmed by the number of patients who have exhibited resistance to the drug.
• Therefore, any move to ensure that arbitrary use of colistin in the food industry, particularly as growth supplements used in animals, poultry, aqua farms, would likely reduce the antimicrobial resistance within the country.
• The order directed manufacturers of colistin and its formulations (since it is also used to treat humans) to affix a label on the container reading thus: Not to be used in food producing animals, poultry, aqua farming and animal feed supplements: on the package, insert and promotional literature.

RTI Bill introduced

News

• A Bill to amend the Right to Information(RTI) Act and give the Union government the power to set the service conditions and salaries of Information Commissioners was introduced in the Lok Sabha.

Beyond News

• The Bill was eventually introduced after the Treasury benches won a vote with 224 MPs supporting it and nine opposing.
• The new Bill seeks to change the status of the Information Commissioners who are on a par with the Election Commissioners, and states that the term of office, salaries, allowances and other terms and conditions shall be “as prescribed by the Central government”.
• Currently, Section 13(5) of the Act provides that these are equivalent to that of the Chief Election Commissioner for the Chief Information Commissioner and to an Election Commissioner for an Information Commissioner.
• The functions being carried out by the Election Commission and the Central and State Information Commissions are totally different. The Election Commission of India is a constitutional body. On the other hand, the Central Information Commission and State Information Commissions are statutory bodies established under the Right to Information Act, 2005, the Bill said.
• The Bill is aimed at institutionalisation and streamlining of the RTI Act. It strengthened the overall RTI structure, corrected anomalies and described it as an enabling legislation for administration purposes.

Bills to help transgenders, depositors introduced

News

• A new Bill that seeks to empower the transgender community and another legislation to crack down on Ponzi schemes were introduced in the Lok Sabha.

Beyond News

• The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019, introduced by Social Justice and Empowerment Minister,provides a mechanism to empower the transgender community socially and economically, along with their educational advancement.
• The Transgender Persons Bill gives a person the right to choose to be identified as a man, woman or transgender, irrespective of sex reassignment surgery and hormonal therapy.
• While the legislation provides for a person to go through a district screening committee and the district magistrate to get certified as a transgender, a contentious provision that criminalised begging by transgenders has been dropped.

Lok Sabha clears Bill on NHRC constitution

News

• The Lok Sabha  passed The Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill 2019 by voice vote.

Beyond News

• The Bill expedites the process of appointment of chairperson and members of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and provides for, among others, including the chairpersons of the National Commission for Backward Classes, the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights and the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities as members of the NHRC.

Paradise in peril: Western tourists give a wide berth to Kashmir after Pulwama

News

• Even five months after the Pulwama attack, major Western countries continue to advise their citizens against travelling to the Kashmir Valley, affecting the State’s tourism-reliant economy severely.

Beyond News

• France, Germany, Canada, Australia, the U.K. and the U.S., from which high-spending tourists used to visit the scenic valley, have decided to maintain their advisories on Kashmir at the “highest danger” level.
• It urges American citizens to avoid travel to “within 10 km of the India-Pakistan border due to the potential for armed conflict”.
• The U.K.’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office advised against all travel to: “Jammu and Kashmir, with the exception of (i) travel within the city of Jammu, (ii) travel by air to the city of Jammu, and (iii) travel within the region of Ladakh”.
• It warns that terrorists are “very likely to try to carry out attacks in India”.
• There are similar advisories from Canada, France and Germany, which, in the past, had lowered the danger level on its travel advisories to “green” for Srinagar and “orange” for the Valley.
• France had categorised Srinagar as “green” (free to go) for its citizens immediately after the five-month agitation in 2016.
• It was only after the Pulwama suicide blast that many countries, which had earlier eased curbs on travel to Srinagar and the neighbouring tourist destinations of Gulmarg, Sonamarg and Pahalgam, had advised against visits to the Valley.
• Nearly 40 CRPF jawans were killed in the attack, which almost brought India and Pakistan to the brink of a conflict after the two nuclear-armed nations deployed their Air Forces in limited operations.
• The adverse travel advisories have proved detrimental to an already moribund tourism industry in the State. According to the State Tourism Department, against foreign tourist arrivals of 9,517; 2,360; and 3,031 for April, May and June in 2018, the numbers has fallen to 8,167; 1,293; and 2,669 for the corresponding months this year.
• Against 13 lakh tourists who travelled to Kashmir in 2016, the first six months of 2019 recorded just 3.54 lakh.

Release our sailors, India tells Iran

News

• India has reached out to the Iranian government to help release 18 Indian crew members on board the British oil tanker seized by Iranian forces in the Straits of Hormuz, the government said.

Beyond News

• The Iranian Embassy in Delhi said it did not have further information on the charges against the Indians arrested, but Iran would protect them.
• The ship’s captain and 17 other crew members detained on board are Indians, said an Iranian official. The official listed five others with Russian, Philippines and Latvian nationalities.
• According to the Iranian government, the Stena Impero was involved in a collision with a smaller Iranian fishing boat in the Straits, which the IRGC called a “violation of international regulations”. After it was seized, it was transferred to Iranian shores to undergo legal procedure.
• The Stena Imperois owned by a Swedish company, Sten Bulk, but was flying the British flag. U.K. officials say they believe that the seizure by Iran was in retaliation for the seizure of an Iranian tanker Grace 1 off Gibraltar by British forces earlier this month.
• The oil tanker is alleged to have violated U.S. sanctions on Syria. Four Indians among the crew on board the vessel were detained but later freed on bail without charges.
• The seizures of both tankers in the past few weeks highlight one more aspect of how India is being affected by growing tensions between the U.S. and its allies, and Iran.
• Indian sailors on various ships are under threat from the tit-for-tat actions on the high seas, along with the lakhs of Indians living in the Gulf region who would face the consequences of any open conflict.
• For the past few weeks, Indian air carriers have avoided overflying parts of Iranian airspace after American FAA strictures, which has already meant crores in losses.

Karnataka releases Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu

News

• The State has started discharging Cauvery waters from KRS reservoir to Tamil Nadu.

Beyond News

• According to the Supreme Court’s verdict, Karnataka has to discharge 34 tmcft of water to the neighbouring State in July.
• In spite of “very poor storage” in the reservoir, the State is discharging the water.
• The outflow quantum to the river was measured at the rate of 355 cusecs.
• The water level in KRS stood at 90.53 ft on Friday as against the full reservoir level of 124.8 ft. The level on the same day in 2018 was 124.1 ft.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

Relentless rain in Kerala claims two lives, inflicts heavy damage

News

• Heavy rain that lashed the State claimed two lives, and, combined with coastal erosion, caused widespread damage to property forcing the administrations of several districts to relocate scores of families to relief camps.

Beyond News

• In Kozhikode district, 36 families from the Cheruvannur area were shifted to a temporary relief camp at Nallalam. Officials said 191 persons were given accommodation. In Kannur, 30 families from Thavakkara, Padannapalam and Vallikkunnu areas were shifted to two separate relief camps.
• At Valiyathura in Thiruvananthapuram, several families were shifted to the nearby St. Roch’s School and the godown of the Fisheries Department following severe coastal erosion.
• Coastal erosion also forced 18 families consisting of 72 people to relocate to a relief camp in Alappuzha. Marauding waves damaged 20 houses at Arattupuzha.
• In coastal Chellanam in Ernakulam district, several houses were inundated after waves breached the shore. As has been the case for many years now, the twin wards of Companypady and Bazar were the worst affected.
• Idukki district reported heavy rain and isolated landslips. The shutters of Pampa and Kallarkutty dams have been opened, and the KeralaState Electricity Board has issued alerts to people living on the banks of the Periyar.
• For the first time this monsoon season, the Idukki reservoir recorded an increasing water level.
• In Pathanamthitta, the Pampa Manalpuram in the foothills of Sabarimala was flooded in the torrential rainfall that lashed the forest areas. The police warned pilgrims to be cautious while taking their customary bath (Pampasnanom) at Pampa-Triveni.

Madhya Pradesh yet to form tiger protection force

News

• Having resolved to constitute a Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) more than seven years ago, Madhya Pradesh is yet to constitute the battalion, even as the State has registered the most number of tiger deaths due to poaching since 2012.

Beyond News

• According to an agreement, the State Forest Department was supposed to raise, arm and deploy the force in the reserves within two years of the agreement.
• However, in the absence of an independent elite unit to protect tigers in the State, 30 deaths due to poaching have been reported between 2012 and 2018. The causes of 16 of the total 141 deaths, including natural and unnatural ones, reported in the State during the period are being investigated, according to the NTCA.
• This year, one case of death due to poaching has been reported of the 14 deaths in the State. Out of the 14 deaths reported in the State this year, one case was due to poaching.
• Famous as the ‘Tiger State’ at least until 2006 when it boasted the most number of tigers with an estimated 300 in its six reserves, Madhya Pradesh lost out to Karnataka in 2010 and fell behind Uttarakhand too in 2014, according to the Status of Tigers in India report.
• Apart from the two States having the with STPFs, which are partially funded by the Centre, Assam constituted a Special Rhino Protection Force comprising 82 constables, trained over 43 weeks, to tackle rhino and tiger poaching in the Kaziranga National Park.

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