Daily Current Affairs : 11-Jan-2020
Major Topics Covered :
NATIONAL YOUTH FESTIVAL-2020
NATIONAL CYBER CRIME REPORTING PORTAL
STATE ENERGY EFFICIENCY INDEX 2019
IN-DEPTH REVIEW OF NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY
PURVODAYA
CORONA VIRUS
SC VERDICT ON INTERNET SHUTDOWNS
CHINESE PADDLEFISH -PSEPHURUS GLADIUS
50TH SESSION OF ALL INDIA ORIENTAL CONFERENCE
SCHEME TO ‘TRADE’ IN FORESTS
NATIONAL YOUTH FESTIVAL-2020
Part of GS- 1 Social Issue
Why in news?
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and State Government of Uttar Pradesh are jointly organizing 23rd National Youth Festival (NYF) 2020 at Indira Pratishthan, Lucknow from 12th to 16th January, 2020.
Highlights:
The Government has been organizing National Youth Festival (NYF) since 1995.
The objective of NYF is to provide a platform to bring the youth of the country together in an attempt to provide them opportunity to showcase their talents in various activities.
It also provides an arena, by creating a mini-India, where youth interact in formal and informal settings and exchange their social and cultural uniqueness.
This blend of diverse socio-cultural milieu proves the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s commitment and belief in ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’.
The theme of the 23rd National Youth Festival 2020 is ‘FIT YOUTH FIT INDIA’ in pursuance of the goal of Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi for New India to be a fit India.
The NYF 2020 will be inaugurated on 12th January on the occasion of birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, the great Youth icon.
NYF 2020 would leverage on the knowledge and ideas that Youth of today bring to the table where they are hugely connected and integrated through online and offline communication channels than ever before.
The NYF 2020 intends to focus on bringing the attention of the Youth towards dialogue and discussions on selected thematic interfaces so that the outcome feeds into a National Level.
The National Youth Festival is like a mega National Integration Camp.
NYF 2020 would have around 6000 participants (volunteers from NYKS, NSS and local youth) from each State of the country.
Source: PIB
NATIONAL CYBER CRIME REPORTING PORTAL
Part of GS- 3 Defence and Security
Why in news?
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on 10th January, 2020 inaugurated the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) and also dedicated National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal to the nation.
Highlights:
The scheme to set up I4C was approved in October 2018 at an estimated cost of around 416 crore rupees to deal with all types of cyber-crimes in a comprehensive and coordinated manner.
National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (www.cybercrime.gov.in) is a citizen-centric initiative that will enable citizens to report cyber-crimes online through the portal.
All the cyber-crime related complaints will be accessed by the concerned law enforcement agencies in the States and Union Territories for taking action as per law.
At the initiative of Home Ministry, 15 States and UTs have given their consent to set up Regional Cyber Crime Coordination Centres.
This state-of-the-art Centre is located in New Delhi.
Source: PIB
STATE ENERGY EFFICIENCY INDEX 2019
Part of GS-3 Economy
Why in news?
Govt Releases State Energy Efficiency Index 2019. The State Energy Efficiency Index categorises states as ‘Front Runner’, ‘Achiever’, ‘Contender’ and ‘Aspirant’ based on their efforts and achievements towards energy efficiency implementation.
Highlights:
‘Front Runner’, ‘Achiever’, ‘Contender’ and ‘Aspirant’
The top performing states in the State EE Index 2019 - Haryana, Kerala and Karnataka - are in the ‘Achiever’ category.
There isn’t any ‘front runner’ state, it can be inferred that a lot more can be done at the state level to realise energy savings from energy efficiency.
This index, developed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in association with the Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE), showed that a majority of the initiatives taken by states are on the Policies and Regulations front.
Haryana, Karnataka and Kerala have topped the State Energy Efficiency Index 2019. This index tracks the progress of Energy Efficiency (EE) initiatives in 36 states and union territories based on 97 significant indicators.
Manipur, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand and Rajasthan perform worst in their groups.
For a rational comparison, the States or Union Territories are grouped into four groups based on the aggregated Total Primary Energy Supply (TPES) required to meet the state’s actual energy demand (electricity, coal, oil, gas, among others) across sectors.
Source: PIB
IN-DEPTH REVIEW OF NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY
Part of GS-3 Economy
Why in news?
In partnership with NITI Aayog, International Energy Agency (IEA) on 10th January, 2020 released the first in-depth review of India’s energy policies.
Highlights:
The report highlights the achievements of India’s energy policies and provides recommendations to support the government’s goals of promoting well-functioning energy markets and boosting deployment of renewable.
According to IEA ‘The energy choices that India makes will be critical for Indian citizens as well as the future of the planet. This was demonstrated at IEA’s 2019 ministerial meeting, which mandated the Agency to start consultations with India for a strategic partnership that could serve as a path to eventual membership, a game-changer for international energy governance.’
The IEA report congratulates the Indian government on its outstanding achievements in extending citizens’ access to electricity, affordable efficient lighting and clean cooking in record time through historic schemes like SAUBHAGYA, UJALA and UJJWALA, while pursuing energy market reforms and the swift deployment of renewable technologies.
Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy congratulated IEA and NITI Aayog for the launch of the report: ‘India’s energy policy is a global story.
India has the largest unified power grid that operates in a single frequency. India has moved from scarcity to surplus electricity over the past few years, while implementing the largest and the fastest energy access improvement and energy efficiency programmes in the world.’
Recommendation by IEA:
Government should adopt a long-term energy plan for the country with focus on rationalising the energy prices, building energy infrastructure needs, energy security and access to affordable energy even as the government strives to open up the sector for private players and move towards cleaner fuels across sectors.
The draft National Energy Policy by NITI Aayog, currently under consultation, should be adopted swiftly to guide policy making, implementation and enforcement across central and state governments.
Government should continue reducing and consider phasing out fossil fuel subsidies through the reform of the LPG scheme in favour of cleaner fuels.
Source: PIB
PURVODAYA
Part of GS- 3 Economy
Why in news?
Ministry of steel in partnership with CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) and JPC (Joint Parliamentary Committee) is organising the launch of Purvodaya-Accelerated Development of Eastern Region through an Integrated Steel hub, in line with Prime Minister's Vision for focused development of the Eastern States.
Highlights:
Creation of such a world-class steel hub would significantly contribute to Purvodaya by propelling socio-economic development in the Eastern region.
Steel capacity addition as envisioned in the hub would entail capital investments of >70 Bn. $ and lead to an incremental GSDP of >35 Bn. $ through steel alone.
Growth of steel industry through such a hub would lead to significant employment opportunities across the entire value chain, creating over 2.5 Million jobs in the region.
The Eastern region of India, though extremely rich in resources, lags behind other states in terms of development.
Eastern states of India (Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Northern Andhra Pradesh) collectively hold ~80% of the country’s iron ore, ~100% of coking coal and significant portion of chromite, bauxite and dolomite reserves.
Integrated Steel Hub
The proposed Integrated Steel Hub, encompassing Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Northern Andhra Pradesh, would serve as a torchbearer for socio-economic growth of Eastern India.
The objective of this hub would be to enable swift capacity addition and improve overall competitiveness of steel producers both in terms of cost and quality.
In addition to increased steel capacity, this hub would also help enhance best-in- class value addition capabilities. The Integrated Steel Hub would focus on 3 key elements:
Capacity addition through easing the setup of Greenfield steel plants.
Development of steel clusters near integrated steel plants as well as demand centres
Transformation of logistics and utilities infrastructure which would change the socio-economic landscape in the East.
Source: PIB
CORONA VIRUS
Part of GS-Health
Why in news?
Highlights:
Corona viruses are a specific family of viruses, with some of them causing less-severe damage, such as the common cold, and others causing respiratory and intestinal diseases.
A corona virus has many “regularly arranged” protrusions on its surface, because of which the entire virus particle looks like an emperor’s crown, hence the name “coronavirus”.
Apart from human beings, corona viruses can affect mammals including pigs, cattle, cats, dogs, martens, camels, hedgehogs and some birds.
So far, there are four known disease-causing corona viruses, among which the best known are the SARS corona virus and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) corona virus, both of which can cause severe respiratory diseases.
Source: Indian Express
SC VERDICT ON INTERNET SHUTDOWNS
Part of GS-2 Polity and Governance
Why in news?
The Supreme Court declared that the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression and the right to carry on trade or business using the Internet are constitutionally protected.
Highlights:
While India’s longest Internet suspension continues, the verdict has laid down a framework of how the Internet can be suspended, and what rights and legal recourses a citizen has when it is suspended.
Although, the Apex Court stopped short of ruling that access to Internet is a fundamental right, it said that the Internet as a medium is used to exercise other fundamental rights.
The court recognised that the 2017 Rules are the only procedure to be followed to suspend Internet services in the occurrence of a “public emergency” or for it to be “in the interest of public safety”.
The verdict reiterated that the competent authority to issue an order under the Suspension Rules, in ordinary circumstances, would be the Secretary to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Rules also say that in case the confirmation does not come from a competent authority, the orders shall cease to exist within a period of 24 hours.
What procedure does the government follow to suspend Internet services?
SECTION 144:
Before 2017, Internet suspension orders were issued under Section 144 of the CrPC. A law retained from the colonial era, it empowers a district magistrate, a sub-divisional magistrate or any other executive magistrate specially empowered by the state government in this behalf to issue orders to prevent and address urgent cases of apprehended danger or nuisance.
The use of Section 144 to suspend mobile internet was challenged before the Gujarat High Court in 2015 but the court upheld the power of the magistrate to issue such orders.
SUSPENSION RULES: In 2017, the central government notified the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Service) Rules under the Telegraph Act to govern suspension of Internet. These Rules derive their powers from Section 5(2) of the Indian Telegraph Act, which talks about interception of messages in the “interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India”.
Source: Indian Express
CHINESE PADDLEFISH -PSEPHURUS GLADIUS
Part of GS-3 Environment
Why in news?
One of the largest freshwater fish has been declared extinct in a study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.
Highlights:
The Chinese paddlefish (Psephurus gladius) was an iconic species, measuring up to 7 m in length, dating back from 200 million years ago, and therefore swimming the rivers when dinosaurs ruled the Earth.
Its ancestral home was the Yangtze River.
Between 1981 and 2003, there were just around 210 sightings of the fish. The researchers estimate that it became functionally extinct by 1993, and extinct sometime between 2005-2010.
Source: Indian Express
50TH SESSION OF ALL INDIA ORIENTAL CONFERENCE
Part of GS-1 A&C
Why in news?
Inaugurating the 50th session of All India Oriental Conference in Nagpur on 10th January 2020, the Vice President said Sanskrit should be simplified so that common man understands it. New words can be added as and when required.
Highlights:
Observing that a language should not be seen through the prism of religion or community, Shri Naidu said “Vedas, Upanishads and Sanskrit belong to the entire country.
Everybody should have access to learn a language.
The AIOC is a biennial Conference.
The sessions have taken their occasions in all parts and in the cities most renowned as the centres for Sanskrit studies and Oriental Study in general, in India.
He wanted all ancient books to be translated into various regional languages for the younger generation to understand the culture, traditions and history of India.
In this context, Shri Naidu pointed out that extensive research on Sanskrit was being undertaken in Germany, while India was not paying adequate attention to the growth and promotion of the language.
The All India Oriental Conference (AIOC) was founded in 1918 by the founders of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI) with a pan Indian dialogue of Indological scholars in view.
Source: PIB
SCHEME TO ‘TRADE’ IN FORESTS
Why in news?
The Forest Advisory Committee, an apex body tasked with adjudicating requests by the industry to raze forest land for commercial ends, has approved a scheme that could allow “forests” to be traded as a commodity.
Highlights:
In the current system, industry needs to make good the loss of forest by finding appropriate non-forest land — equal to that which would be razed.
It also must pay the State Forest Department the current economic equivalent — called Net Present Value — of the forest land.
It’s then the Forest Department’s responsibility to grow appropriate vegetation that, over time, would grow into forests.
Green Credit Scheme
The proposed ‘Green Credit Scheme’, as it is called, allows agencies they could be private companies, village forest communities to identify land and begin growing plantations.
After three years, they would be eligible to be considered as compensatory forest land if they met the Forest Department’s criteria.
The participating agency will be free to trade its asset that is plantation, in parcels with project proponents who need forest land.
This is not the first time that such a scheme has been mooted.
In 2015, a ‘Green Credit Scheme’ for degraded forest land with public-private participation was recommended, but it was not approved by the Union Environment Minister, the final authority.
An industry needing forest land could then approach the agency and pay it for parcels of such forested land, and this would then be transferred to the Forest Department and be recorded as forest land.
Source: The Hindu