IASTODAY DAILY CAPSULES -General Studies-02

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Tamil Nadu, Fujian Province to establish ‘sister-state relations’

News

• India and China decided to establish “sister-state relations” between Tamil Nadu and Fujian Province.

Sister-state relations

• This followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi coming up with a number of ideas on the connect between the Indian State and the Chinese Province during his discussion with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the second India-China “informal summit,” now called “Chennai Connect.”
• The two leaders also agreed to explore the possibility of establishing an academy to study links between Mamallapuram and the Fujian Province on the lines of the experience between Ajanta and Dunhuang, besides conducting research on maritime links.

U.S., China inch closer to trade deal

News

• S. President Donald Trump outlined the first phase of a deal to end a trade war with China and suspended a threatened tariff hike, but officials on both sides said much more work needed to be done before an accord could be agreed.

Trade war

• The emerging deal, covering agriculture, currency and some aspects of intellectual property protections, would represent the biggest step by the two countries in 15 months to end a tariff tit-for-tat that has whipsawed financial markets and slowed global growth.
• The President told that the two sides were very close to ending their trade dispute.
• China’s official said that both sides “agreed to make the efforts towards a final agreement.”
• China called the latest round of talks constructive, frank and efficient and noted that while the two sides were moving toward a resolution, it is impossible to resolve the problem by putting arbitrary pressure on the Chinese side.

Private CNG vehicles will not be exempted from odd-even scheme, says Kejriwal

News

• Private vehicles plying on CNG (compressed natural gas) will not be exempted from following the provisions of the odd-even road rationing scheme, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced here on Saturday.

Odd-even road rationing scheme

• The list of exempted categories is being discussed at various levels in the government. Women drivers will continue to be exempted from the provisions of the odd-even road rationing scheme.
• This means any vehicle being driven by a single woman driver, a single woman driver being accompanied by other female passengers as well as women driving with children up to 12 years of age.
• Unlike the previous two instalments of the scheme, private vehicles running on CNG will not be exempted from the provisions of the odd even road rationing scheme this time.
• This was due to complaints of black marketing of CNG stickers and other loopholes related to them brought to the attention of the Delhi government during the previous instances of the scheme.
• The scheme will be enforced from 8 am to 8 pm between November 4 and November 15.

India, China to set up high-level economic, trade dialogue mechanism

News

• India and China agreed to set up a high-level economic and trade dialogue mechanism to go into trade, investment and services.

Informal summit

• The mechanism would include Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and China’s Vice-Premier Hu Chunhua.
• This was one of the outcomes of the two-day second India-China “informal summit” between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China’s President Xi Jinping that concluded in Kovalam, about 30 km from Chennai.
• The Chinese President, during the deliberations, had agreed to have the issue of trade deficit addressed, which was a “visible progress”.
• The two leaders also agreed that the possibility of forming a “manufacturing partnership” should be explored through the proposed mechanism.
• As for India signing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement covering the 10-member ASEAN bloc (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) and its trading partners China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.
• The two sides had agreed that it is important to support and strengthen the rules-based multilateral trading system at a time when globally agreed trade practices and norms are being selectively questioned. India and China will continue to work together for open and inclusive trade arrangements that will benefit all countries.

IASTODAY DAILY CAPSULES -General Studies-03

Reservoirs common to A.P. and Telangana brimming

News

• Notwithstanding the squabbling between the two Telugu States over allocation of water at the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) meeting, the three major and common reservoirs Srisailam, Nagarjuna Sagar and Pulichintala are brimming with water, thanks to the heavy rains in the catchment areas of the Krishna.

Common reservoirs

• Because of the several reservoirs that have come up in the upper reaches, a flood is seen in these reservoirs only in the best of years.
• This year, the river went into a spate twice, forcing the authorities to raise the crest gates of the dams on more than one occasion.
• While the water level was up to the brim in Srisailam (885 ft) and Pulichintala (175 ft), the level in Nagarjuna Sagar (589.5 ft) was six inches less than the full reservoir level (FRL) of 590 ft.
• The three reservoirs together have 163 tmcft more than what they had on the corresponding date the previous year.
• The additional 163 tmcft is sufficient to irrigate the entire 13 lakh acres ayacut in the Krishna delta.
• Though the northeast monsoon recorded 47.2% deficit, the rainfall is normal this season in the entire State till date.

Map on regional foods proposed to fight malnutrition

News

• In a bid to counter nutritional inadequacy among infants, the government will develop a map highlighting local foods of different States, Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani said at the fifth meeting of the National Nutrition Council.

Fight malnutrition

• The announcement by the Minister comes days after the government’s first-ever survey on nutrition highlighted that only 6% of children between the age group of 6 and 23 months received a minimum acceptable diet.
• As per the study, the prevalence of minimum acceptable diet was as low as 1% in Andhra Pradesh. It was the highest in Sikkim with only 36% children being adequately fed. In 10 out of 30 states, less than 5% of children aged 6 to 23 months received a minimum acceptable diet. In fact, the findings of the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey were raised several times at the meeting by different members of the government’s largest body on nutrition.

The solution

• The solution to tackling malnutrition lies in promoting regional cropping patterns and embracing local food that are rich in protein.
• The map, to be developed by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Deendayal Research Institute, was among the measures suggested to address the issue of food inadequacy in our nutrition system.
• Children have to eat more often twice a day between six to nine months, thrice between nine and 12 months and four times a day beyond 12 months. They also must eat diverse foods, which should include cereals, protein, fat, sugar or jaggery, milk and fruits. Both meal frequency and diverse diets together make an acceptable diet.

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