Current Affairs 11-07-2020

F-1 VISA

What is in news?

India has expressed concern over the possibility that F-1 visa students attending online-only classes in the US may lead to the return of large number of Indian students studying there.

About:

In the United States, the F visas are a type of non-immigrant student visa that allows foreigners to pursue education (academic studies and/or language training programs) in the United States.

Three types of F visa:

• F-1 visas are for full-time students.

• F-2 visas are for spouses and children of F-1 visa holders — these are technically called "dependents."

• F-3 visas are for "border commuters" who reside in their country of origin while attending school in the United States. F-3 visas are granted only to nationals of Mexico or Canada and these visa holders may study part- or full-time.

Snakebite mortality in India

What is in news?

The Centre for Global Health Research (CGHR) at the University of Toronto, Canada recently released a study titled ‘Snakebite Mortality in India: A Nationally Representative Mortality Survey’.

Key findings:

• India recorded 1.2 million snakebite deaths in the 20-year period from 2000 to 2019 with an average of 58,000 deaths caused by snakebite annually.

• Around 70% of these deaths occurred in low altitude, rural areas of eight States — Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan and Gujarat.

• Half of all the snakebite deaths occurred during the monsoon period from June to September.

• Snakebite deaths occurred mostly in rural areas (97%), were more common in males (59%) than females (41%), and peaked in the age group of 15-29 years (25%).

• The numbers for annual snakebite deaths were highest in the States of Uttar Pradesh (8,700), Andhra Pradesh (5,200) and Bihar (4,500).

• The World Health Organization (WHO) recognises snakebite as a top-priority neglected tropical disease.

• Indian anti-venoms neutralise venom from only the spectacled cobra (there are three other Indian cobra species), common krait (there are seven other krait species), Russell’s viper and saw-scaled viper, whereas there are 12 other snake species causing fatal bites in the country.

ASEEM Portal

What is in news?

Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has launched Aatamanirbhar Skilled Employee-Employer Mapping (ASEEM) portal to help skilled people find sustainable livelihood opportunities.

About:

• ASEEM portal will provide employers a platform to assess the availability of skilled workforce and formulate their hiring plans.

• The portal will map details of workers based on regions and local industry demands and will bridge demand-supply gap of skilled workforce across sectors.

• The Artificial Intelligence-based platform will also provide real-time granular information by identifying relevant skilling requirements and employment prospects.

Bhashan char

What is in news?

Bangladesh has announced that it will not move the Rohingyas settled on the Bhashan char island amid Corona pandemic.

About:

• Bhasan Char, also known as Char Piya, is an island in Hatiya Upazila, Bangladesh. It is located in the Bay of Bengal, 37 miles from the coast. The island was formed with Himalayan silt in 2006.

• Bhashan char is an uninhabited island where the government of Bangladesh has made shelter houses for one lakh Rohingya refugees. In June 2015, the Bangladeshi government suggested resettling Rohingya refugees on the island.

• However, environmentalists say that the Bhashan Char falls in an ecologically fragile area prone to floods, erosion and cyclones. The issue of forced relocation and lack of mobility on the island has also been raised by organisations working among the Rohingyas.

Draft 'Aids to Navigation Bill 2020'

What is in news?

The Shipping Ministry has issued a draft of 'Aids to Navigation Bill, 2020' for suggestions from the stakeholders and public.

About:

• The draft bill is proposed to replace the Lighthouse Act, 1927 to incorporate the best global practices, technological developments and India's International obligations in the field of Aids to Marine Navigation.

• The draft bill provides for empowering Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL) with additional power and functions such as Vessel Traffic Service, Wreck flagging, training and certification, implementation of other obligations under International Conventions.

• It also provides for identification and development of heritage lighthouses.

• The draft bill comprises a new schedule of offences, along with commensurate penalties for obstructing and damaging the aids to navigation, and non-compliance with directives issued by the Central Government and other bodies under the draft bill.

Rewa Solar Project

What is in news?

Prime Minister Modi will dedicate to the nation the 750 MW Solar Project set up at Rewa, Madhya Pradesh on July 10, 2020.

About:

• This Project comprises of three solar generating units of 250 MW each located on a 500 hectare plot of land situated inside a Solar Park (total area 1500 hectare).

• The Solar Park was developed by the Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited (RUMSL), a Joint Venture Company of Madhya Pradesh UrjaVikas Nigam Limited (MPUVN), and Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), a Central Public Sector Undertaking.

• This project will reduce carbon emission equivalent to approx. 15 lakh ton of CO2 per year.

• The Rewa Solar Project was the first solar project in the country to break the grid parity barrier.

• The project is also the first renewable energy project to supply to an institutional customer outside the State, i.e. Delhi Metro, which will get 24% of energy from the project with remaining 76% being supplied to the State DISCOMs of Madhya Pradesh.

• It has also received World Bank Group President’s Award for innovation and excellence.

Srilanka, Maldives are now Measles-free

What is in news?

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that Measles and rubella have been eradicated from Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

About:

• With this, Maldives and Sri Lanka became the first two countries in WHO South-East Asia Region to achieve measles and rubella elimination ahead of the 2023 target.

• A country is verified as having eliminated measles and rubella when there is no evidence of endemic transmission of the measles and rubella viruses for over three years in the presence of a well performing surveillance system.

• In September 2019, member countries of WHO South-East Asia Region set 2023 as target for elimination of measles and rubella, revising the goal of the flagship programme that since 2014 had focused on measles elimination and rubella control.

• Bhutan, North Korea and Timor-Leste are other countries in the Region who have eliminated measles.

Ex-Servicemen Contribution Health Scheme (ECHS)

What is in news?

Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced that Unmarried permanently disabled sons of ECHS beneficiaries will be eligible to get benefits of ECHS facilities even after attaining 25 years.

About:

• The unmarried permanently disabled and financially dependent sons of Ex-Servicemen Contribution Health Scheme (ECHS) beneficiaries who have become disabled after attaining the age of 25 years will now also be eligible for benefits under the schemes.

• This was decided by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare (DESW).

• This follows a similar decision for the beneficiaries of the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) in January this year.

Patrolling Points (PPs)

What is in news?

The standoffs between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), where initial steps towards disengagement have taken place, are around a number of patrolling points (PPs) in Galwan, Hot Springs and Gogra areas.

About:

Patrolling Points (PPs) are identified and marked on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), which are patrolled with a stipulated frequency by the security forces.

Significance:

• They serve as a guide to the location of the LAC for the soldiers, acting as indicators of the extent of ‘actual control’ exercised on the territory by India. By regularly patrolling up to these PPs, the Indian side is able to establish and assert its physical claim about the LAC.

• Not all of the Patrolling Points are numbered. Some of the PPs are prominent and identifiable geographical features, such as a pass, or a nala junction where no numerals are given.

• Almost all of the Patrolling Points are on the LAC, except for the Depsang plains in northern Ladakh, where PP10, PP11, PP11A, PP12 and PP13 – from Raki Nala to Jivan Nala – do not fall on the LAC. These are short of the LAC, on the Indian side.

• The PPs are not posts and thus not manned. They are just physical markers on the ground, chosen for their location and have no defensive potential or tactical importance for the Army.

Mongolian Kanjur Manuscripts

What is in news?

The Ministry of Culture had taken up the project of reprinting of 108 volumes of Mongolian Kanjur under the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM).

Now, the first set of five volumes of Mongolian Kanjur have been released.

What is Mongolian Kanjur?

• In the Mongolian language ‘Kanjur’ means ‘Concise Orders’- the words of Lord Buddha in particular.

• It is held in high esteem by Mongolian Buddhists and they worship the Kanjur at temples and recite the lines of Kanjur in daily life as a sacred ritual.

• The Mongolian Kanjur has been translated from Tibetan. The language of the Kanjur is Classical Mongolian.

About the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM):

• NMM was launched in February 2003 by the Government of India, under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture.

• It has the mandate of documenting, conserving and disseminating the knowledge preserved in manuscripts.

• India possesses an estimate of ten million manuscripts, probably the largest collection in the world. These cover a variety of themes, textures and aesthetics, scripts, languages, calligraphies, illuminations and illustrations.

Australia and the Malabar Exercise

Why in News?

India to shortly take a call on Australia’s inclusion in Malabar.

Why Australia should be included in the group?

• Australia’s inclusion would be seen as a possible first step towards the militarisation of the Quad coalition, something Beijing has opposed in the past.

• Besides, even Japan and the U.S. have been keen on Canberra’s inclusion for sometime now and have been pushing India to consider it.

About Malabar exercise:

• Malabar began as a bilateral naval exercise between India and the U.S. in 1992, and was expanded into a trilateral format with the inclusion of Japan in 2015.

• It has been delayed this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

What is Quad grouping?

• The quadrilateral formation includes Japan, India, United States and Australia.

• All four nations find a common ground of being the democratic nations and common interests of unhindered maritime trade and security.

• The idea was first mooted by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007. However, the idea couldn’t move ahead with Australia pulling out of it.

Significance of the grouping:

• Quad is an opportunity for like-minded countries to share notes and collaborate on projects of mutual interest.

• Members share a vision of an open and free Indo-Pacific.

• It is one of the many avenues for interaction among India, Australia, Japan and the US and should not be seen in an exclusive context.