Pak. bans UNSC designated outfits; Delhi not convinced

GS PAPER -02 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS - Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India's interests

Context :

★  Facing severe pressure from the Financial Action Task Force, and calls from several countries to crack down on terror groups, especially after tensions with India, the Pakistan government has passed an order to effectively ban Lashkar-e-Taiba offshoots Jamat-ud Dawa and Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation.

 

More about the news:

★ India is still sceptical about the move, given Pakistan’s attempts to ban these groups in the past, only to drop the ban over a period of time. In February 2018, Islamabad passed a similar order as a  Presidential Ordinance, but then allowed it to lapse six months later.

★ The Statutory Regulatory Order passed on March 4 says all “properties owned or controlled…directly or indirectly, by a designated entity or designated individual” and any income from the assets would be frozen or physically seized by the Pakistani authorities. Islamabad said it will “streamline” the banning of groups proscribed by the United Nations Security Council.

★ The JuD and FiF were listed by the UNSC as aliases for the Hafiz Saeed-led Lashkar-e Taiba (LeT) that was banned in May 2005. However, Pakistan only had them on a watch list (Schedule-2) not the banned list (Schedule-1).

★ Both the LeT and the Masood Azhar-led Jaish-e Mohammad (JeM) are amongst the 68 organisations presently on the list of proscribed organisations maintained by the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (NATCA) of Pakistan.

★ At the FATF meeting last month, Pakistan was censured for not having aligned its legislative orders in line with the UNSC’s orders.

★ On February 21, even as the FATF meeting was underway, the Imran Khan government passed an order banning the JuD and FiF. But the order is yet to be included in the NATCA’s latest listing that came out recently.

         

Financial action task force (FATF) : ★The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 on the initiative of the G7. ★The FATF Secretariat is housed at the OECD headquarters in Paris. ★The FATF monitors the progress of its members in implementing necessary measures, reviews money laundering and terrorist financing techniques and counter-measures, and promotes the adoption and implementation of appropriate measures globally. ★In collaboration with other international stakeholders, the FATF works to identify national-level vulnerabilities with the aim of protecting the international financial system from misuse ★The FATF expanded its membership from the original 16 to 36 members. Objective : ★The objectives of the FATF are to set standards and promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.  ★The FATF is therefore a “policy-making body” which works to generate the necessary political will to bring about national legislative and regulatory reforms in these areas.

                                                                         Source :- The Hindu

 

Manipur ‘considering’ ST status for Meiteis

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Development processes and the development industry- the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders.

Context :

★ Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh informed the state assembly that the state government is positively looking into the demand to include the Meitei community in the Schedule Tribe (ST) list.

 

Arguments favour for inclusion :

★Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee (STDC) has been resorting to various forms of agitations in the State, demanding ST status for the Meiteis.

★According to the 2011 census the total population of state is above 28 lakhs, of which 40 per cent are the general Meitei/Meetei.

★Despite being the largest community, the STDC claim that they (Meitei) are constantly under threat of extinction without constitutional protection in the wake of influx of illegal immigrants.

★As Meiteis/Meeteis are indigenous people we demand that we are included the community in the scheduled tribe list,

★If the indigenous community are considered as generals we will not have constitutional protection as different laws have been framed to build a common platform for all the citizen and we are fearful that we might be pushed to brink of extinction

★The committee said that despite several attempts to convince the State Government on the urgent need to include Meitei/Meetei in ST it has failed to fulfil the demand of the STDC, showing the sheer negligence of Government towards the plight of the community.

 

Arguments against the inclusion of Meeties in ST list :

★The All Tribal Rights Protection Forum, Manipur (ATRPFM) reiterated its stand to oppose the inclusion of Meitei/Meetei in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category of India.

★According to the Forum, primitive ways of living is one of the primary criteria to decide whether a community can be included into the ST category.

★“But the living standard of Meiteis are far higher than the primitive stage and they are not qualified to confer the status of ST

★The forum further says that, being the most advanced community in the State, there is “no question of shyness” to contact with the rest world for the Meiteis.

★Their representation in the public employment is excellent, their economic status is very high and Meiteis are advanced in every respect from every angle.

★According to the ATRPFM, the tribes of Manipur have been facing economic and social injustice, their representation in the public employment is extremely low and they are still living in the primitive stage.

★“They live in the far-flung hill areas in difficult terrains without any modern basic facilities like roads, health, educations and so on.

★There is no source of income for the hill people who live in the forests, they depend their livelihood on forest produces and shifting cultivation.

★They still need reservation in schools and offices due to inadequate representations. Meiteis do not face such problems.

                                                                                                   Source :- The Hindu

 

Crop burning raises risk of respiratory illness threefold, says IFPRI study

GS PAPER  - 03 ENVIRONMENT - Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

Context :

★In a first of its kind report, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has estimated economic and health costs of air pollution caused due to stubble burning in North India — which is around $30 billion or Rs 2 lakh crore per year. This is more than thrice the amount the Union government spent in its budget for the health sector.

 

Key findings :

★ The study says that Crop Residue Burning alone caused 66,200 deaths in 2015 in India. Besides affecting human health, it also deteriorates soil fertility, releases greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming and results in the loss of biodiversity.

★ The findings were based on a study of the health records of 250,000 people in Haryana (which sees a spike in crop burning episodes in winter), and Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, which don’t see similar burning episodes. The study is to appear in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Epidemiology.

★ The researchers used health records and satellite data from September 2013-February 2014. The satellite data was for crop-burning fires detected by the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Terra satellite, managed by the National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA).

★ In Haryana, 5.4% of surveyed individuals reported suffering from ARI (Acute Respiratory Infection) whereas the reported ARI symptoms in southern States was only 0.1%.

★ Among those who reported suffering from ARI, 83% also reported receiving treatment for ARI at a private or public medical facility.

★ Whereas high-intensity fire exposure was virtually absent in south India, 17.5% of individuals in Haryana lived in a district where 100 or more fires per day were observed by the satellite.

★ For about a decade now, Delhi has been complaining about the practice of stubble burning, holding it responsible for the abysmal air quality in the capital in winter.

★ Factors like smoke from burning of agricultural crop residue by farmers in Haryana and Punjab especially contributes to Delhi’s poor air, increasing the risk of ARI three-fold for those living in districts with intense crop burning

★ In 2013, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) issued a directive to Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, asking them to ban stubble burning.

★ The Environment Ministers of these States as well as top officials at the Centre declared a “zero tolerance” policy on the burning of stubble, which has been estimated to contribute anywhere from 7% to 78% of the particulate matter-emission load in Delhi during winter.

                                                                                 Source :- The Hindu; Down to Earth

 

India to tie-up with 4 nations to save rhinos

GS PAPER - 03 ENVIRONMENT - Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

Context :

★ India will collaborate with Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia and Malaysia to increase the population of three species of Asian rhinos, including the Greater one-horned rhinoceros found in the Indian sub-continent.

★ The five rhino range nations signed a declaration ‘The Declaration on Asian Rhinos 2019’ for the conservation and protection of the species at the recently held Second Asian Rhino Range Countries meeting.

 

Declaration on Asian Rhinos 2019 :

Declaration was signed to :

★ conserve and review the population of the Greater one-horned, Javan and Sumatran rhinos every four years

★ to reassess the need for joint actions to secure their future.

★ The declaration includes:

★ undertaking studies on health issues of the rhinos, their potential  diseases and taking necessary steps;

★ collaborating and strengthening wildlife forensics and strengthening of  transboundary collaboration among India, Nepal and Bhutan for  conservation of the Greater one-horned rhino.

 

12 Strategic actions outlined under  the declaration are:

★ To collaborate to strengthen protection regimes, strategic information gathering, and real time sharing of actionable information on rhino crime and its horn trade to secure the rhino population within and between range countries.

★ To initiate research on various habitat parameters including invasive species threatening the suitable habitats of Asian rhinos and take appropriate steps to optimally manage the habitats.

★ To explore possibilities of expanding rhino ranges within country or between rhino range countries for optimal population management.

★ To strengthen transboundary collaboration among India, Nepal, and Bhutan for the greater one-horned rhino conservation and protection.

★ To identify connectivity and corridors across international boundaries and keep them functional, safe and secure for free movement of Asian rhinos and other wildlife.

★ To increase the engagement of the local communities as stewards to secure the future of rhinos in range countries.

★ To initiate proactive monitoring on potential adverse impacts of climate change on rhino health and their habitats in range countries.

★ To undertake studies on Rhino health issues & potential diseases and take necessary steps for management intervention.

★ To regularly organize exposure visits for managers and frontline staffs of the rhino range countries and to document the best practices for wider dissemination.

★ To collaborate and strengthen wildlife forensics for the purpose of investigation.

★ To accelerate natural and conservation breeding of critically endangered Sumatran rhino including best use of all available individuals and technologies.

★ To call to the attention of all countries that possible opening of international trade of rhino horn and other derivatives will have a severe detrimental impact on rhino populations in Asian rhino range countries.

                                                                                                                  Source :- The Hindu

 

Border surveillance in Dhubri from today

GS PAPER -03 SECURITY - Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate

Context :

★ After Indo-Pak border, now Indo-Bangladesh border gets smart fencing

★ The Union Home Minister has inaugurated the BOLD-QIT (Border Electronically Dominated QRT Interception Technique) on India-Bangladesh border in Dhubri District of Assam.

          BOLD-QIT (Border Electronically Dominated QRT Interception Technique)

         

          

★ BOLD-QIT is the project to install technical systems under the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS).which enables BSF to equip Indo-Bangla borders with different kind of sensors in unfenced riverine area of Brahmaputra and its tributaries.

 

Need of BOLD - QIT :

★ Border Security Force is responsible for safeguarding of 4,096 Km long International Border with Bangladesh.

★ At various places, it is not possible to erect Border Fence due to the geographical barriers.

★ The 61 Kms of Border area in District Dhubri, Assam where River Brahmaputra enters into Bangladesh is consisting of vast char lands and innumerable river channels thus making border guarding in this area, a daunting task especially during rainy season.

★ To overcome this problem, in the year 2017, Ministry of Home Affairs decided to go for technological solution besides the physical presence of manpower of BSF.

 

Significance of Smart Borders :

★ The implementation of this project will not only help BSF to curb all type of cross border crimes but also provide respite to the troops from round the clock human surveillance.

 

CIBMS :

★ CIBMS is an integration of a number of high tech surveillance equipment, technologies and trained human resource to ensure robust surveillance across borders.

★ It is designed to guard stretches where physical surveillance is not possible either due to inhospitable terrain or riverine borders.

                                                                                                              Source :- The Hindu; PIB

 

 

Delhi world’s most polluted capital: Report

GS PAPER - 03 ENVIRONMENT - Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

Context :

★ IQAir AirVisual and Greenpeace have released World Air Quality Report 2018.

 

 Objective of the Report :

★ World’s most polluted cities ranking, prepared in collaboration with Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

★  The main objective behind the report was to measure the presence of fine particulate matter known as Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5, which has been recorded in real-time in 2018.

 

Highlights of the Report :

          

★ The report, based on a study of 3000 cities, said that 64 percent of the cities exceeded the World Health Organisation’s annual exposure guideline for PM 2.5. In South Asia itself, 99 percent of the cities exceeded the WHO’s safe standard exposure of 10 micrograms/cubic metre annually.

★ Of the 10 cities with highest pollution, seven are in India, while one is in China and two are in Pakistan.

★ seven of the top 10 most polluted cities in the world are in India.

★ India’s Gurugram led the list of most polluted cities in the world in 2018, followed by Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Noida, and Bhiwadi in the top six worst-affected cities.

★ Among the top 30 most polluted cities, India makes up for 22 with five in China, two in Pakistan and one in Bangladesh.

★ The only non-Indian city in the top five list is Faisalabad, Pakistan.

★ Delhi was ranked as the most polluted capital in the world, with Dhaka at second and Kabul at third position.

★ China made a remarkable improvement since 2013 as the country's pollution levels have gone down by 40 percent. In 2013, Beijing topped the pollution charts. Beijing ranks now as the 122nd most polluted city in the world in 2018.

★ In South Asia, out of 20 most polluted cities in the world, 18 are in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

★  In Southeast Asia, Jakarta and Hanoi are the most polluted cities.

★ In US and Canada, historic wildfires had a dramatic impact on air quality in August and November 2018, with 5 out of 10 most polluted cities in the world during August 2018 found in North America.

★ Massive populations of the continental Africa and South America do not have adequate air quality measuring data.

                                                                                        Source :- Times of India

 

           

 Young Scientist Programme Launched at ISRO

GS PAPER -02 GOVERNANCE - Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources

Context :

★ Indian Space Research Organisation has launched a special programme for School Children called “Young Scientist Programme” “YUva VIgyani KAryakram” (YUVIKA).

 

Young Scientist Programme :

★ The Program is primarily aimed at imparting basic knowledge on Space Technology, Space Science and Space Applications to the younger ones with the intent of arousing their interest in the emerging areas of Space activities.

★ ISRO has chalked out this programme to “Catch them young”.

 

Participants :

★ The residential training programme will be of around two weeks duration during summer holidays and it is proposed to select 3 students each from each State/ Union Territory to participate in this programme every year covering CBSE, ICSE and State syllabus.

★ Those who have finished 8th standard and currently studying in 9th standard will be eligible for the programme.

                                                                                                              Source :- PIB

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