Daily Current Affairs :  05-12-2020

Table of Contents :

1. Global Teacher Prize 2020
2. Supermme court upholds levy of GST on lottery, betting, and Gambling
3. Indo Gangetic plain(IGP) global hotspot of atmospheric ammonia CNH3), Kharagpur study
4. Asian development bank, India Sign $50-milloion loan to boost Bengal's public financial management (PFM) reforms
5. Karnataka Learning Management System (KLMS)
6. The Malayan Giant Squirrel
7. Govt Announces 2 new Army posts with focus on reforms
8. India,USA sign MoU on Intellectual Property(IP)
9. Fluorosis 
10. India Votes to reclassify cannabis

1.Global Teacher Prize 2020

• A primary school teacher from Maharashtra won $1 million annual GlobalTeacher Prize 2020.
• He was awarded in recognition of his efforts to promote girls' education and trigger a quick-response (QR) coded tel(to book revolution in India.
• This annual prize was founded by the Varkey Foundation (global charitable foundation) in 2014to recognize an exception an l teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession.

Source: The Hindu

2.Supermme court upholds levy of GST on lottery, betting, and Gambling

• A plea filed in SC seeks that lottery cannot be regarded as 'goods' withi·n the meaning of the Central Goods and ServicesTax Act, 2017(CGST Act).
• Definition of 'goods' under Article 366(12) of the Cor1stitution includes only "materials, commodities and articles" and not "actionable claims".
• Actionable claim means a claim for any debt which is related to any benefit arising out from any movable property which is not in possession and for which relief can be claimed in civil court.
• It was argued that 'lottery' was in the nature of an actionable claim.
• The Act is discriminatory (Article 14) as all actionable claims except 'lottery, betting and gambling' have been exempted from GST.
• SC observed that the definition of goods under Article 366(12) of the Constitution was Inclusive and there was no intention to give any restrictive meaning to goods.
• When the Parliament has been conferred power to make law with respect to goods and services, the legislative power of the Parliament is plenary.
• GST Act 2017 was enacted by the Parliament in the exercise of the power conferred under Article 246A of the Constitution.

Source: The Hindu

3.Indo Gangetic plain(IGP) global hotspot of atmospheric ammonia CNH3), Kharagpur study

Study finds

• IGP is the global hot-spot of NH3 due to intense agricultural activities and fertilizer production.
• There is a  positive correlation of  NH3 with total fertilizer consumption and temperature since high temperature favors volatilization.
• Agricultural emission is negatively correlated with total precipitation as wet deposition helps removal of NH3.
•  NH3 plays a key role in the deterioration of air quality by actively contributing to the formation of secondary aerosols.

Agricultural emissions In India

• The agriculture sector is responsible for climate change due to  Greenhouse gas (GHG)emissions.
• They are generated through the production and use of agricultural inputs (mainly water, fertilizers, and pesticides)  farm machinery,  soil disturbance,  residue management and Irrigation.
• Agriculture and livestock account for 18% of gross national emissions of C02 in India.

Steps to decrease emissions:

• Low External Input Sustainable Agriculture (LEISA), which seeks to optimize the use of locally available resources replacing external inputs.
• Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF), a low-input,climate-resilient type of farming that eliminates the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Source: The Hindu

4.Asian development bank, India Sign $50-milloion loan to boost Bengal's public financial management (PFM) reforms

• The loan has been granted to West Bengal to improve its PFMprocedures and operational efficiencies.
• PFMreferstotheset to laws, rules, systems and processes used by sovereign nations (and sub-national governments), to mobilize revenue, allocate public funds, undertake public spending, account for funds, and audit results.
• Public finance reforms include fiscal reforms, regulatory reforms, Expenditure Management, Public Debt Management, Process Improvement, Management Information System, Capacity Development, Institutional Strengthening etc.

The objective of PFMis to ensure that

• Aggregate levels of tax collection and public spending are consistent with targets for the fiscal deficit.
• Public resources are allocated to agreed strategic priorities.
• Operational efficiency is achieved,in the sense of achieving maximum value for money in the delivery of services.
• Significance of PFM
• It will help generate fiscal savings that could help the state augment growth-enhancing development financing.
• The pesto delivers services more effectively and equitably and regulates markets more efficiently and fairly.
• Help prevent corruption and foster aid effectiveness.
• Also, the World Bank is supporting Chhattisgarh for its PFM reforms with the support of a $25.2mloan.

Source: The Hindu

5.Karnataka Learning Management System (KLMS)

• Recently, it was launched by the Karnataka Government.
• It is implemented in two ways: LMS-based digital learning and establishing 2500 ICT enabled classes covering government first-grade colleges, polytechnics and engineering colleges.
• It encourages digital learning and would improve the quality and Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) In higher education.
• This would benefit students and teachers to make an impact on their learning and teaching, respectively, hence improving the quality of higher education.

Source: The Hindu

6.the Malayan Giant Squirrel

• It is an arboreal, herbivorous rodent found in the evergreen and semi-evergreen forests of north-eastern India. It is also considered to be a 'forest health indicator' species.
• According to the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) vanishing forests, & climate change have put a threat to its existence.
• > By 2050, the species may have access to only 3% of the suitable habitat and may face challenges of getting extinct.
• IUCNstatus: NearThreatened
• Grizzled giant squirrels and India (Malabar) giant squirrels are other giant squirrels of India.

Source: The Hindu

7.Govt Announces 2 new Army posts with focus on reforms

• Deputy Chief of the Army Staff, or DCOAS, (Strategy): It was created to deal with military operations, military intelligence, strategic planning and operational logistics. It will oversee the work of the Director-General of Military Operations {DGMO) and that of the Director-General Military Intelligence (DGMI).
• Director-General {Informat ion Warfare) at the army headquarters: This new officer will work at how to deal with fake narratives and ail kinds of current challenges that it poses:'

Source: The Hindu

8.India,USA sign MoU on Intellectual Property(IP)

• Mou was signed between Department for Promotion of Industry and InternalTrade, Ministry of Commerce and US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
• It aims at increasing IP co-operation between the two countries by facilitating the exchange of best practices, experiences, and knowledge on IP among public industry, universities etc.
• Intellectual Property Rights are given to persons over creations of their minds: Inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols, names and images used in commerce.
• Types - patents,trademarks,copyrights1geographical indications,industrial designs.

Source: The Hindu

9.Fluorosis 

• Fluorosis is a crippling disease that resulted from the deposition of fluorides in the hard and soft tissues of body.
• It is a  public health problem caused by excess intake of fluoride through drinking water/food products/industrial pollutants over a long period.
• Ingestion of excess fluoride, most commonly in drinking-water affects the teeth and bones.

Source: The Hindu

10.India Votes to reclassify cannabis

• India has voted with the majority at the United Nations to remove cannabis and cannabis resin from the list of most dangerous substances from Schedule IV of 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.
• The convention allows for control over trafficking in narcotics, marijuana, cocaine and coca leaf.
• India had signed and ratified the convention.
• Now, the decision by UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) will lead to changes in the way cannabis is regulated internationally.
• Under India's Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, the production, manufacture, possession, sale, purchase, transport, and use of cannabis is a punishable offense.

Source: The Hindu

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