Hindu Notes from General Studies-01

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Cyclone Vayu skirts Gujarat, but alert continues

News

• The deadly cyclonic storm Vayu that brought life to a standstill in coastal Saurashtra and threatened to cause extensive damage in Gujarat upon its landfall has changed course.

Beyond News

• The authorities are, however, not taking any chances. They are continuing with all the precautionary measures as light rains accompanied by strong winds began to lash Saurashtra coast.
• Coastal airports and ports were shut as sea became rough with high waves inundating low lying areas in coastal towns.
• The “very severe cyclonic storm” moved north-northwestwards in the night over the Arabian Sea and lay centred around 110 kilometres from the coast of Gujarat.
• The Western Railways decided to fully cancel 86 mainline trains, while 37 other mainline trains were short terminated with partial cancellation as a precautionary measure.
• More than 30 NDRF and State disaster response force teams were deployed in all 10 coastal districts in Saurashtra. All schools and colleges in the region will remained closed on Friday as well.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

PM Modi meets Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of SCO summit in Bishkek

News

• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek.

Beyond News

• The SCO is a China-led 8-member economic and security bloc with India and Pakistan being admitted to the grouping in 2017.
• Indian Prime Minister met Chinese President Xi Jinping and discussed ways to further strengthen the bilateral relations.
• Later, Indian Prime Minister also met Russian President Vladimir Putin and the two leaders reviewed all aspects of bilateral relations to further strengthen the bilateral strategic relationship.
• Russia has been one of India’s key suppliers of arms and ammunition.
• Indian Prime Minister, President Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a trilateral meeting, the second among the three countries after a gap of 12 years, on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Buenos Aires during which they underscored the benefits of a multilateral trading system and an open world economy for global growth and prosperity.
• The economic and commercial engagement between India and China constitutes a major component of the bilateral relations with bilateral trade which crossed $95 billion last year and is set to cross $100 billion this year.
• The Wuhan summit between Indian Prime Minister and President Xi was largely credited to have turned around the bilateral relations soured by the 73-day Doklam standoff, triggered by Chinese troops attempts to build a road close to Indian border in an area also claimed by Bhutan in 2017.
• After the Wuhan summit, both the countries stepped up efforts to improve relations on different spheres including the military-to-military ties.
• Last month, the 1267 al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the powerful U.N. Security Council designated Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist after veto-wielding permanent member China lifted its technical hold on the proposal by the U.S., the U.K. and France to blacklist him.

It was a huge diplomatic victory for India after a decade of relentless efforts to ban the mastermind of several terror attacks against India, including the deadly Pulwama attack against Indian security forces.

TRAI asked to revisit spectrum auction recommendations

News

• The Digital Communications Commission (DCC) the highest decision-making body at the Department of Telecom, asked the TRAI to reconsider its entire recommendation on the forthcoming spectrum auctions, that includes reserve price and methodology, keeping in view the larger objective of Digital India

Beyond News

• The move comes amid industry voicing concerns over high spectrum prices, including that of airwaves used to offer 5G services.
• The official added that given the government’s target of holding the auctions this calendar year, TRAI’s views have been sought within one month after which the DCC will reconvene to look at the revised suggestions.
• TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) has been asked to review the recommendations as the total quantum of available spectrum has gone up with the department’s harmonisation efforts as well as a standing committee’s suggestion that administratively allocated spectrum in 2001 should also be put into this auction.
• The committee had accepted the recommendations of the Abhay Karandikar Panel on offering experimental/trial spectrum for 5G.
• The government had earlier this month stated its intention of holding trials for 5G in the next 100 days.
• The government will “very soon” take a final view of participation of controversy-ridden Chinese equipment-maker Huawei in the 5G trials to be held in India.
• The decision will be taken keeping in view India’s capabilities, commercial and strategic requirements.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

Pakistan-trained hand behind Anantnag CRPF attack, say officials

News

• A day after five CRPF personnel were killed in an attack in South Kashmir’s Anantnag the first major attack since the Pulwama suicide bomber attack officials said the AK-47 toting, ‘hardened’ militant was not a local and was trained in Pakistan.

Beyond News

• The fidayeen(on a suicide mission) acted alone, killing five personnel in the initial burst of fire.
• The busy Khanbal-Pahalgam road, where the attack took place is the main approach road to the Amarnath shrine. The Amarnath Yatra commences, more than two lakh pilgrims are expected to visit the shrine.
• In wake of the attack, the security arrangements for the Yatra were also reviewed. Around 30,000 security personnel are to be deployed for security during the Yatra.
• A terrorist outfit, the Al-Umar Mujahideen, that used to be active in the 90s, has claimed responsibility for the attack. An official claimed the attack was coordinated from Pakistan and it was a ploy to rake up the names of obscure outfits to maintain deniability in international arenas.

In Maharashtra, over 60% employed children work in agriculture: CRY

News

• The percentage of working children engaged in agriculture stands at 60.67% in Maharashtra, according to an analysis by the NGO, Child Rights and You (CRY), which was released, World Day Against Child Labour.

Findings

• The analysis of the Census 2011 data sets released in 2016 shows that the problem of child labour in agriculture gets exacerbated in drought-prone regions of Maharashtra, like Marathwada.
• It showed that when families migrate, the condition of children worsens with a rise in rate of dropouts, child marriages and children working as daily wage labourers.
• The analysis highlighted the problems children face, especially in the districts of Latur and Parbhani.
• With most fields drying up and non-availability of water, children are forced to migrate with their parents in search of work to nearby villages or cities. Many children eventually drop out of schools and begin working with their parents at the place of migration.
• Children working in the fields face serious dangers such as exposure to pesticides as well as pesticide-contaminated water and food. For children working in farms, hours of work can get extremely long during planting and harvesting seasons. It is physically demanding and strenuous, involving long periods of standing, stooping, bending and carrying heavy or awkward loads.
• Children work mainly to help their families because the adults do not have adequate income.
• Children work also because there is a demand for cheap labour in the market. When they are forced to work for long hours, their chance of attending school gets limited, preventing them from gaining education. Their time to play and leisure is somehow compromised.
• Nationally, 62.5% of working children and adolescents below 18 years appear to be engaged in agriculture and related industries in India. In absolute numbers, among 40.34 million of the working children and adolescents, 25.23 million work in the agricultural sector.
• The International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) recent global estimates cite that there are approximately 152 million children in child labour and seven out of every 10 working children are engaged in agriculture. ILO also considers agriculture to be the second most hazardous occupation globally.

State on alert as high waves lash coast

News

• Coastal areas across the State have been put on alert with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warning that high waves are expected to lash the Kerala

Beyond News

• The forecast is valid for the coastal stretch from Pozhiyoor in Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod. Waves as high as 2.5 metres to 3.3 metres are likely to lash the coast, according to the IMD.
• Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea as strong winds are blowing from a westerly direction along the Kerala and Karnataka coasts with the ‘Very Severe Cyclone’, Vayu, moving on a north-northwesterly path in the Arabian Sea.
• While Kerala is not in the path of the cyclone, sea conditions are expected to remain rough for the next few days.
• Meanwhile, Kerala is likely to receive widespread rainfall. The IMD has issued an orange alert for Malappuram indicating the possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall
• . Yellow alerts indicative of isolated heavy rainfall have been issued for Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Kozhikode Kannur and Kasaragod.
• In Malappuram, dozens of houses along the coast of Ponnani and adjacent areas were damaged as the turbid Arabian Sea carved into the coast at places where the seawalls were missing. Hundreds of people evacuated their houses following the threat of sea erosion.

In Arunachal, the golden cat wears new colours

News

• Golden is no longer the only colour the elusive Asiatic golden cat can be associated with. Its coat comes in five other shades in Arunachal Pradesh,scientists have discovered.

Beyond News

• The Asiatic golden cat (Catopuma temminckii) is listed as near threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of threatened species. It is found across eastern Nepal through north-eastern India to Indonesia.
• Bhutan and China were known to have two morphs of the golden cat one the colour of cinnamon and the other with markings similar to the ocelot, a small wild cat found in the Americas.
• Indian scientists have discovered six colour morphs of the golden cat in Dibang Valley of Arunachal Pradesh. The findings have contributed to an evolutionary puzzle because no other place on earth has so many colours of wild cats of the same species.
• The study, aims to uncover a “greater understanding of human-wildlife interactions” in the region.
• The Idu Mishmis, were aware of the different shades of the golden cat. The community believes that the cat, particularly its melanistic (dark pigmentation as opposed to albinism) morph, possesses great powers and thus observe a strict taboo on hunting the cat.
• Within the six colour morphs recorded, an entirely new colour morph was also found in one of the community-owned forests. The “tightly-rosetted” morph named after the leopard-like rosettes on the coat, now sits alongside cinnamon, melanistic, gray, golden, and ocelot types.
• ZSL scientists believe that the wide variation displayed in the cat’s coats provides them with several ecological benefits such as occupying different habitats at different elevations from wet tropical lowland forests to alpine scrubs and providing camouflage while preying on pheasants and rabbits.
• Colour morphs are thought to arise from random genetic mutations and take hold in the population through natural selection.

 

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