India revokes Pak.’s MFN status day after terrorist strike in J&K

GS PAPER - 02 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS- India and its neighborhood- relations

Context:

     ★ India has revoked the Most Favoured Nation status to Pakistan in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack.

Most Favoured Nation Status :

     ★ Most Favoured Nation status is given to an international trade partner to ensure non-discriminatory trade between all partner countries of the WTO.

     ★ A country which provides MFN status to another country has to provide concessions, privileges, and immunity in trade agreements. It is the first clause in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

     ★ Under rules of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), a member country is not allowed to discriminate between trade partners and if a special status is granted to one trade partner, the country is required to extend it to all members of the WTO.

     ★ MFN is a non-discriminatory trade policy as it ensures equal trading among all WTO member nations rather than exclusive trading privileges.

     ★ India accorded MFN status to all WTO member countries, including Pakistan, from the date of entry into force of the so called Marrakesh Agreement, establishing the WTO.

     ★ Since India and Pakistan are part of the WTO, both are required to grant MFN status to each other and other partner countries.

Some Exceptions to MFN:

     ★ Right to engage in Free Trade Agreements: This means members can participate in regional trade agreements or free trade agreements where there is discrimination between member countries and non-member countries.

     ★ Members can give developing countries special and differential treatment like greater market access. This special concession are in different forms like reduced tariff rates from developing country imports, concessions that allows developing countries to give subsidies to their production sectors etc.

     ★ All these exceptions are subjected to strict conditions.

When did India grant MFN to Pakistan?

     ★ India gave Pakistan the status in 1996, a year after the WTO was formed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had put the status under review after the Uri attacks of 2016, but it was only revoked earlier today after the Cabinet Committee on Security met to discuss the security situation in Kashmir.

     ★ Pakistan, however, did not grant India the same status till now.

     ★ In November 2018, Pakistan government officials had said they did not have any immediate plans to grant India the status but they were working on free trade agreements with many countries, including China.

Revoking of MFN Mean:

    ★ Revoking it means India can levy whatever import tariffs it wants. India can now make it very expensive for Pakistan to export its goods or services to India.

Will this hurt Pakistan?

     ★ So far, India has only revoked the MFN status. It has not altered the import duties on Pakistan. However, if it does hike them, then this will likely have an impact on that country.

                                                                                                                         Source:- The Hindu

A lifetime of finding genes to counter heart disease

GS PAPER - 03 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY - Awareness in the fields of bio-technology.

Context:

     ★ Geneticist Helen Hobbs found that when people had a mutation in PCSK9, they ended up with lower levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or bad cholesterol.

     ★ This mechanism of mutation protected people against heart disease without any side effects.

 More about the news:

     ★ She had won the 2016 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for discovery of a mutation in a gene called PCSK9,

     ★ The PCSK9 are a new class of injectable drugs that reportedly reduce ‘bad’ cholesterol levels by up to 60% when combined with a statin (another class of drugs prescribed to help lower cholesterol levels).

                                                                                                                     Source:- The Hindu

Section 66A: SC asks States to sensitise cops

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Context:

     ★ The Supreme Court Friday directed all state governments to sensitise their police personnel about its judgment in 'Shreya Singhal v. Union of India' which had scrapped Section 66A of Information Technology Act, so that people are not unnecessarily arrested under the struck down provision.

     ★ It also asked all the high courts to send the copy of the verdict to all the trial court to avoid people being prosecuted under the scrapped provision which provided for jail term to people who posted offensive content online.

     ★ The bench also directed the Union Government to make available copies of the said judgment to the Chief Secretaries of all the State Governments and the Union Territories

Background:

     ★ The bench issued these directions while disposing an application filed by Peoples' Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), on the continued use of Section 66A of the Information Technology Act.

     ★ In its petition, PUCL had brought to the notice of the bench that more than 22 people have been prosecuted under the provision, after it was scrapped in 2015.

Continued Use of Section 66A :

     ★ The Internet Freedom Foundation had released a paper in October last year, claiming that Section 66A continued to be used across India, despite the judgement.

     ★ The paper, co-authored by Abhinav Sekhri and Apar Gupta, had called Section 66A a "legal zombie", asserting that it haunts to Indian criminal process, despite more than three years having passed since the judgment.

     ★ It had argued that this was because of deeper institutional problems which resulted in judicial decisions not reaching state actors at the ground level.

     ★ The Study also Said that, "Right from the police station, to trial courts, and all the way to High Courts, one finds that Section 66-A is still in use despite it being denied a place on the statute book,".

                                                                                                  Source:- Indian Express

Why only bureaucrats on information panels, asks SC

GS PAPER - Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies

Context:

     ★ SC observed that, The Central Information Commission (CIC) and State Information Commissions, the country’s apex bodies entrusted to uphold the citizen’s right to information, have been bastions of government employees and their retired counterparts.

     ★ The court raised concerns over how government employees or retired ones had consistently been found “more competent and more suitable” than eminent persons from other walks of life.

Issue:

     ★ The selection committee, which shortlists candidates for appointment, is itself composed of government employees.

     ★ Official bias in favour of its own class is writ large in the selection process.

     ★ This is against the fundamental principles of the Right to Information Act of 2005 which itself requires people from varied domains to man the Commissions.

     ★ RTI mechanism has been choked by rising pendency and growing number of vacancies of Information Commissioners.

Way forward:

     ★ The Right to Information Act of 2005 law was enacted to ensure accountability in governance.

     ★ The act itself requires people from varied domains to man the Commissions.

     ★ The apex court directed the government to look beyond bureaucrats and appoint professionals from “all walks of life,” including eminent persons with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology, social service, management, journalism as Information Commissioners.

     ★ Further the court directed that the process of appointment should commence at least one or two months before the retirement is due.

                                                                                                                   Source:- The Hindu

No change in China’s stance

GS PAPER - 02 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS - Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India's interests, Indian diaspora.

Context:

     ★ The dastardly attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama by Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) notwithstanding, China signalled that it would not change its stance on Masood Azhar, head of the Pakistan-based terrorist organization.

     ★ China has repeatedly used its veto power at 15 member UN Security council(UNSC) to block the listing of Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the 1267 Sanctions Committee.

UNSC 1267 Committee:

     ★ The UNSC 1267 Committee was established as a result of resolution 1267 (1999).

     ★ It is also known as the AlQaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee as it was initially established to oversee the sanctions imposed on Taliban.

     ★ If an individual or an organisation is included in the list, it helps in restricting their movement, financial penalties and assets freeze among others.

                                                                                                                           Source:- Times of India

Antibiotic-resistant NDM-1 gene found in pristine Arctic

GS PAPER - 03 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Context:

     ★ The recent detection of the antibiotic resistant (AR) gene NDM-1, first isolated in India, in the Arctic region is a further indication of the globalisation of antimicrobial resistance, said a study.

     ★ The research was conducted in the High Arctic zone (Kongsfjorden region of Svalbard) and scientists were surprised to find a rather robust presence of NDM-1, according to Clare McCann, principal author of the study.

Issue:

     ★ A superbug, also called multi-resistant, is a bacterium that carries several resistance genes. These are resistant to multiple antibiotics and are able to survive even after exposure to one or more antibiotics.

     ★ Like any living organism, bacteria can mutate as they multiply.

     ★ Also like any living organism, bacteria have a strong evolutionary drive to survive.

     ★ So, over time, a select few will mutate in particular ways that make them resistant to antibiotics.

     ★ Then, when antibiotics are introduced, only the bacteria that can resist that treatment can survive to multiply further, proliferating the line of drug-resistant bugs.

     ★ The discovery of antibiotics less than a century ago was a turning point in public health that has saved countless lives. Although antibiotic resistance develops naturally with normal bacterial mutation, humans are speeding it up by using antibiotics improperly. According to a research, now, 2 million people a year in the US develop antibiotic-resistant infections, and 23,000 of them die of those infections.

     ★ Basically, superbugs are becoming more powerful and widespread than ever. Medical experts are afraid that we’re one step away from deadly, untreatable infections, since the mcr-1 E.coli is resistant to that last-resort antibiotic Colistin. Antibiotic-resistance is passed relatively easily from one bacteria to the next, since it is transmitted by way of loose genetic material that most bacteria have in common.

     ★ The World Health Organization (WHO) is afraid of a post-antibiotic world, where loads of bacteria are superbugs. Already, infections like tuberculosis, gonorrhea, and pneumonia are becoming harder to treat with typical antibiotics.

Way forward:

     ★ First step would be to limit antibiotic use. If a patient has a virus, for instance, an antibiotic won’t work, so doctors shouldn’t prescribe antibiotics even if the patient insists.

     ★ When patients do need antibiotics, it’s important to make sure they take the full course to kill off every last infection-causing germ. Otherwise the strong survive, mutate, and spread. As a society, curbing antibiotic use in healthy animals used in human food production is another important step.

                                                                                                                    Source:- The Hindu

Tagore Award

GS PAPER - 01 HISTORY - Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the presentsignificant events, personalities

Context:

     ★ President of India will present the Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony to Shri Rajkumar Singhajit Singh; Chhayanaut (a cultural organization of Bangladesh); and Shri Ram Sutar Vanji for the years 2014, 2015 & 2016 respectively at Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra, New Delhi

Tagore Award:

     ★ Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony was instituted by the Government of India from 2012 recognizing the contributions made by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore to humanity at large with his works and ideas, as part of the Commemoration of his 150th Birth Anniversary in 2012, for promoting values of Cultural Harmony.

    ★ It is awarded annually

    ★ It carries an amount of Rs. One Crore (convertible to foreign currency), a citation in a Scroll, a Plaque as well as an exquisite traditional handicraft/handloom item.

     ★ This annual award is given to individuals, associations, institutions or organizations for their outstanding contribution towards promoting values of Cultural Harmony.

     ★ The Award is open to all persons regardless of nationality, race, language, caste, creed or gender.

     ★ Normally, contributions made during ten years immediately preceding the nomination are considered.

     ★ Older contributions may also be considered if their significance has become apparent only recently.

                                                                                                                               Source:- PIB

LADIS – Least Available Depth Information System - Portal

GS PAPER - 03 Economy -  Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, and Railways etc.

Context:

     ★ Inland Waterways Authority of India launches portal for real-time information on available depth on stretches of National Waterways.

LADIS Portal:

     ★ LADIS will ensure that real-time data on least available depths is disseminated for ship/barge and cargo owners so that they can undertake transportation on NWs in a more planned way.

     ★ The portal being hosted on IWAI’s website www.iwai.nic.in has been developed in-house

     ★ Initially, LAD information will be available for NW-1, NW-2, Indo-Bangladesh Protocol route and NW-3, along with the date of survey. The facility will be expanded to other NWs also.

     ★ IWAI has designed LADIS to facilitate the day to day operations of inland vessels plying on National Waterways and to avoid any hindrance in service and operation.

     ★ It will enhance credibility and efficiency of information sharing to achieve seamless operations on National Waterways, besides pre-empting problems that may occur during movement of vessels.

                                                                                                                              Source:- PIB

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------