Hindu Notes from General Studies-01

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Asia’s glaciers help prevent water shortage during droughts, says a new study

News

• Glaciers become the largest supplier of water to some of Asia’s major river basins during droughts, fulfilling the basic needs of 221 million people when water shortages are at their worst, a study has found.
• The study has important economic and social implications for a region that is vulnerable to drought.

Findings

• Climate change is causing most of the region’s glaciers to shrink.
• The melt-water is important for the people living downstream when the rains fail and water shortages are at their worst.
• According to researchers, each summer, glaciers release 36 cubic kilometres of water – equivalent to 14 million Olympic swimming pools – to these rivers.
• This is enough water to cater to the needs of 221 million people. The high-mountain region of Asia, known as the Third Pole, including the Himalayas, has 95,000 glaciers in total.
• About 800 million people are partly dependent on their melt-water. However, this supply is unsustainable because climate change is causing the region’s glaciers to lose 1.6 times more water than they gain each year from new snowfall.
• Against a background of increasing drought-related water and food shortages and malnutrition, which have been predicted with high confidence for the coming decades, Asia’s glaciers will play an increasingly important part in protecting downstream populations from drought-induced spikes in water stress.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

India criticises lack of transparency in functioning of UNSC’s Sanctions Committees

News

• India has strongly criticised the lack of transparency in the functioning of the UN Security Council’s Sanctions Committee which took over a decade to blacklist Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist.

Beyond News

• India’s remarks came a month after getting Azhar blacklisted as a global terrorist by the UN. Referring to the subterranean world of subsidiary bodies in the Security Council.
• India in May finally succeeded in its efforts to get Azhar designated as a global terrorist by the Council’s 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee, capping 10-year long efforts by New Delhi and its allies the US, UK and France to ban the Pakistan-based mastermind of several terrorist attacks against India, including the Pulwama terror attack targeting Indian security forces this year.

UK Foreign Office Board gets first Indian-origin member

News

• Kumar Iyer has been appointed by the UK government as the Chief Economist of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), making him the first Indian-origin member of the department’s management board.
• In this new role as the Chief Economist, which commences in July, he will lead the FCO’s Economics Unit which provides in-house economic analysis input into foreign policy formulation, and also develops economics capability within the FCO through the Economics and Prosperity Faculty of the Diplomatic Academy.

SEBI, MCA sign pact for more data scrutiny

News

• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to facilitate seamless sharing of data and information for carrying out scrutiny, inspection, investigation and prosecution.

Beyond News

• This assumes significance as the MCA has the database of all registered firms while SEBI only regulates listed entities that may have unlisted subsidiaries, with the MCA having access to all the data of such unlisted entities.
• The MoU comes in the wake of increasing need for surveillance in the context of corporate frauds affecting important sectors of the economy. As the private sector plays an increasingly vital role in economic growth, the need for a robust corporate governance mechanism becomes the need of the hour.
• Incidentally, there is already a protocol of sharing of data between the capital markets regulator Ministry and, in many cases, the regulator has also sent its orders against various entities to the MCA for further action.
• The MoU will facilitate the sharing of data and information between the regulator and the MCA on an automatic and regular basis, while enabling sharing of specific information such as details of suspended companies, delisted firms, shareholding pattern from the SEBI and financial statements filed with the Registrar by corporates, returns of allotment of shares and audit reports relating to corporates.
• The MoU will ensure that both the MCA and the SEBI have seamless linkage for regulatory purposes and in addition to regular exchange of data, the two will also exchange with each other, on request, any available information for scrutiny, inspection, investigation and prosecution.
• A Data Exchange Steering Group will meet periodically to review the data exchange status.

Over a million new cases of STIs detected daily worldwide: WHO

News

• Every day, more than 1 million new cases of curable sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are detected in people aged 15-49 years, according to latest data released by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
• This amounts to more than 376 million new cases annually of four infections chlamydia, gonorrhoea, trichomoniasis and syphilis.

Findings

• The research shows that, among men and women aged 15-49 years, there are 127 million new cases of chlamydia in 2016; 87 million cases of gonorrhoea; 6.3 million cases of syphilis; and 156 million cases of trichomoniasis.
• These STIs have a profound impact on the health of adults and children worldwide. If untreated, they can lead to serious and chronic health effects that include neurological and cardiovascular disease, infertility, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirths, and increased risk of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). They are also associated with significant levels of stigma and domestic violence.
• Syphilis alone caused an estimated 200,000 stillbirths and newborn deaths in 2016, making it one of the leading causes of infant mortality globally.
• Warning that STIs remain a persistent and endemic health threat worldwide, the WHO noted that, since the last published data for 2012, there has been no substantive decline in either the rates of new or existing infections. On average, approximately 1 in 25 people globally have at least one of these STIs, according to the latest figures, with some experiencing multiple infections at the same time.
• STIs spread predominantly through unprotected sexual contact, including vaginal, anal and oral sex.
• Timely and affordable testing and treatment are crucial for reducing the burden of STIs globally, alongside efforts to encourage people who are sexually active to get screened for STIs. The WHO further recommends that pregnant women should be systematically screened for syphilis as well as HIV.
• All bacterial STIs can be treated and cured with widely available medication. Recent shortages in the global supply of benzathine penicillin has made it more difficult to treat syphilis.
• Rapidly increasing antimicrobial resistance to gonorrhoea treatments is also a growing health threat, and may lead eventually to the disease being impossible to treat.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

RBI issues new NPA recognition norms

News

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a new framework for resolution of bad loans, replacing the previous norms quashed by the Supreme Court in April, offering a 30-day gap for stress recognition instead of the one-day default earlier.

Beyond News

• The new norms replaces all the earlier resolution plans such as the framework for revitalising distressed assets, corporate debt restructuring scheme, flexible structuring of existing long-term project loans, strategic debt restructuring scheme (SDR), change in ownership outside SDR, and scheme for sustainable structuring of stressed assets (S4A), and the joint lenders’ forum with immediate effect.
• The apex court struck down the stringent RBI circular, for resolving bad loans under which a company could be labelled an Non-performing asset (NPA) if it missed repayment for a day banks were asked to find a resolution within 180 days or else it should be sent to bankruptcy courts.
• The new circular provides for a framework for early recognition, reporting and time-bound resolution of bad loans.
• The central bank said lenders shall recognise incipient stress in loan accounts, immediately on default, by classifying such assets as special mention accounts (SMA).
• Since default with any lender is a lagging indicator of financial stress faced by the borrower, it is expected that the lenders initiate the process of implementing a resolution plan (RP) even before a default.
• The central bank said once a borrower is reported to be in default by any lenders, financial institutions, small finance banks or NBFCs, the lenders shall undertake a prima facie review of the borrower account within 30 days from the day of default.
• During this review period of 30 days, lenders may decide on the resolution strategy, including the nature of the resolution plan (RP) and the approach for implementation of the RP.
• In cases where RP is to be implemented, all lenders shall enter into an inter-creditor agreement [ICA], during the review period, to provide for ground rules for finalisation and implementation of the RP in respect of borrowers with credit facilities from more than one lender.
• The lenders are free to initiate legal proceedings for insolvency or recovery, the central bank said.
• The joint lenders’ forum (JLF) as mandatory institutional mechanism for resolution of stressed accounts also stands discontinued, the RBI said.
• The RBI said the new directions will come into force with immediate effect.

Al-Qaeda announces new chief for India-specific wing after death of Zakir Musa

News

• Global terror outfit al-Qaeda has announced a new chief for its India-specific wing Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGH), two weeks after its top commander Zakir Musa was killed in an encounter in Pulwama’s Tral.

Beyond News

• Hameed Lelhari alias Haroon Abbas will replace Musa and Ghazi Ibrahim Khalid will be his deputy, Abu Ubaidah Hafizahullah, a spokesman of the group made these claims in an 11-minute video released on the outfit’s official media handle al-Hurr on the occasion of Id.
• AGH chief Musa was killed in an operation in Pulwama’s Tral. He had replaced slain militant ‘commander’ Burhan Wani in 2016 but quit the Hizbul Mujahideen.
• Interestingly, his name did not figure in the top ten wanted militants complied by the Union home ministry recently.

Kerala Disaster Management Authority issues new guidelines for preparedness

News

• With the State all set to receive the first southwest monsoon after the devastating 2018 floods, the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has operationalised its new disaster preparedness guidelines for the rainy season.
• The ‘Monsoon preparedness and emergency response plan,’ a first-of-its kind document for the State for handling emergencies during the two monsoons, has been sent to all District Collectors, heads of State government departments/agencies and Central agencies, including defence forces stationed in the State.

Guidelines on dams

• Initial warning at least 36 hours before releasing water from dams
• 24-hour gap between the sounding of first and third alert
• No discharge of water from dams between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
• To be implemented by the Irrigation Department, Kerala State Electricity Board, and the Kerala Water Authority

Beyond News

• The guidelines require the Irrigation Department, Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) and the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) to try and issue the initial warning at least 36 hours before releasing water from dams under their jurisdiction.
• They are also to make sure that a gap of 24 hours exists between the sounding of the first and third alerts.
• Under no circumstances should water be discharged anew from dams between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., stipulate the guidelines.
• The Kerala Dam Safety Authority should inspect all dams ahead of the monsoons and submit reports to the government.
• The PWD should conduct structural audits of all bridges ahead of the monsoons. Recommendations on traffic regulations on weak bridges should be submitted to district-level disaster management authorities.
• The Fisheries Department has been asked to ensure the availability of speed boats to enable quick search and rescue at sea.
• The Local Self-Government Department should ensure the removal of trees, hoardings and old utility posts that pose a threat during heavy rains and winds.
• The Health Department should take steps to prevent epidemics and stock medicines in all hospitals. Similarly, the Animal Husbandry Department should prevent the emergence of zoonotic diseases during the monsoon months.
• The Revenue Department has been asked to appoint an officer not below the rank of deputy tahsildar at its State-level control room. Among other things, the department should also identify buildings that can be used as shelters in an emergency.

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