Current Affairs 26-06-2020

Article 371 A

What is in news?

• In a scathing letter to Chief  Minister Neiphiu Rio, Nagaland Governor R.N. Ravi has said the “scenario in the State is grim” and that “law and order has collapsed”.
• The Governor said he could no longer abstain from constitutional obligations and proposed that under Article 371A (1) (b) of the Constitution, important functions like “transfer and posting of officials"entrusted with the maintenance of law and order of and above the district level will be with the approval of the Governor.

What is Article 371 ?

• Articles 369 through 392 appear in Part XXI of the Constitution, titled ‘Temporary, Transitional and Special Provisions’.
• Article 371 of the Constitution includes “special provisions” for 11 states, including six states of the Northeast.
• Articles 370 and 371 were part of the Constitution at the time of its commencement on January 26, 1950; Articles 371A through 371J were incorporated subsequently.

About :

Article 371, Maharashtra and Gujarat:

• Governor has “special responsibility” to establish “separate development boards” for “Vidarbha, Marathwada, and the rest of Maharashtra”, and Saurashtra and Kutch in Gujarat; ensure “equitable allocation of funds for developmental expenditure over the said areas”, and “equitable arrangement providing adequate facilities for technical education and vocational training, and adequate opportunities for employment” under the state government.

Article 371A (13th Amendment Act, 1962), Nagaland:

• Inserted after a 16-point agreement between the Centre and the Naga People’s Convention in 1960, which led to the creation of Nagaland in 1963.
• Parliament cannot legislate in matters of Naga religion or social practices, Naga customary law and procedure, administration of civil and criminal justice involving decisions according to Naga customary law, and ownership and transfer of land without concurrence of the state Assembly.

Article 371B (22nd Amendment Act, 1969), Assam:

• The President may provide for the constitution and functions of a committee of the Assembly consisting of members elected from the state’s tribal areas.

Article 371C (27th Amendment Act, 1971), Manipur:

• The President may provide for the constitution of a committee of elected members from the Hill areas in the Assembly, and entrust “special responsibility” to the Governor to ensure its proper functioning.

Article 371D (32nd Amendment Act, 1973; substituted by The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014), Andhra Pradesh and Telangana:

• President must ensure “equitable opportunities and facilities” in “public employment and education to people from different parts of the state”. He may require the state government to organise “any class or classes of posts in a civil service of, or any class or classes of civil posts under, the State into different local cadres for different parts of the State”. He has similar powers vis-à-vis admissions in educational institutions.

Article 371E:

• Allows for the establishment of a university in Andhra Pradesh by a law of Parliament. But this is not a “special provision” in the sense of the others in this part.

Article 371F (36th Amendment Act, 1975), Sikkim:

• The members of the Legislative Assembly of Sikkim shall elect the representative of Sikkim in the House of the People. To protect the rights and interests of various sections of the population of Sikkim, Parliament may provide for the number of seats in the Assembly, which may be filled only by candidates from those sections.

Article 371G (53rd Amendment Act, 1986), Mizoram:

• Parliament cannot make laws on “religious or social practices of the Mizos, Mizo customary law and procedure, administration of civil and criminal justice involving decisions according to Mizo customary law, ownership and transfer of land… unless the Assembly… so decides”.

Article 371H (55th Amendment Act, 1986), Arunachal Pradesh:

• The Governor has a special responsibility with regard to law and order, and “he shall, after consulting the Council of Ministers, exercise his individual judgment as to the action to be taken”.

Article 371J (98th Amendment Act, 2012), Karnataka:

• There is a provision for a separate development board for the Hyderabad-Karnataka region. There shall be “equitable allocation of funds for developmental expenditure over the said region”, and “equitable opportunities and facilities” for people of this region in government jobs and education. A proportion of seats in educational institutions and state government jobs in Hyderabad-Karnataka can be reserved for individuals from that region.
• Article 371I deals with Goa, but it does not include any provision that can be deemed ‘special’.

 Significance:

• All these provisions take into account the special circumstances of individual states, and lay down a wide range of specific safeguards that are deemed important for these states.
• In this range of Articles from 371 to 371J, Article 371I, which deals with Goa, stands out in the sense that it does not include any provision that can be deemed “special”. Article 371E, which deals with Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, too, is not that “special”.

2. ‘eBloodServices’ MOBILE APP

What is in news?

Union Health Minister launched the ‘eBloodServices’ mobile App developed under the guidance of Indian Red Cross Society. The Health Minister is also the Chairman of Indian Red Cross Society.

About:

• This application is developed by the E-Raktkosh team of Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) under the Digital India scheme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015.
• Through this App, four units of blood can be requisitioned at a time and the blood bank will wait for as long as 12 hours for the person to collect it. This app makes it easy for those in need to request for Blood units.

3. Navigating the new normal

NITI Aayog, in partnership with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Centre for Social and Behavioural Change (CSBC), Ashoka University, and the Ministries of Health and WCD, launched a behaviour change campaign called ‘Navigating the New Normal’, and its website.

About:

• The campaign focusses on COVID-safe behaviours, especially wearing masks, during the ‘Unlock’ phase of the ongoing pandemic.
• Developed under the guidance of Empowered Group 6, constituted by the Government of India and chaired by CEO, NITI Aayog, the campaign has two parts.
• The first is a web portal, http://www.covidthenewnormal.com/, containing resources informed by behavioral science and the use of nudge and social norms theory, related to COVID-safe behavioral norms during the ongoing Unlock phase.
• The second is a media campaign focused on the wearing of masks.

4. Scheme for promotion of academic and research collaboration (SPARC)

What is in news?

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) are collaborating with their counterparts in Germany to develop new materials for green energy solutions.

About:

• The project, taken up under the Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC), aims at developing alternative technologies to produce green hydrogen in anticipation of the transition to a hydrogen-based economy.
• conventional methods of generating hydrogen result in a large quantity of carbon dioxide. Whereas electrochemical splitting of water, called ‘Water Electrolysis’ (WE), is a clean, facile, and highly efficient technology for large-scale production of high-purity H2.

Important Facts :

• SPARC is an initiative of the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
• It aims at improving the research ecosystem of India’s Higher Educational Institutions by facilitating academic and research collaborations between Indian Institutions and the best institutions in the world from 28 selected nations to jointly solve problems of national and/or international relevance.

Nanozymes

What is in news?

A research team at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru has developed nanozymes that destroy the cell membrane of bacteria by directly targeting its phospholipids.

About:

• Nanozymes are nanomaterials that can disintegrate the cell membranes of a range of diseases causing bacteria.
• The nanomaterial developed in IISc is tested on several potentially pathogenic bacteria causing typhoid, gastroenteritis, dysentery, cholera and pneumonia. It was found that the nanozyme stopped growth and killed the microbes.
• Nanozymes developed by them can replace the antibiotics that have become ineffective as several bacteria have developed resistance to them by producing their own enzymes.

6. Tanzanite

What is in news?

A small-scale miner in Tanzania has become an overnight millionaire after unearthing two of the biggest rough tanzanite gemstones ever found. Tanzania's government bought the book-sized stones weighing 20 pounds (9 kg) and 11 pounds (5 kg) from miner Saniniu Laizer for USD 3.4 million.

About:

• Tanzanite is the blue and violet variety of the mineral zoisite (a calcium aluminium hydroxyl sorosilicate), caused by small amounts of vanadium.
• Tanzanite belongs to the epidote mineral group.
• Tanzanite is only found in Tanzania, in a very small mining area near the Mererani Hills. The gemstone is named after Tanzania, the country in which it was discovered.
• Tanzanite is noted for its remarkably strong trichroism, appearing alternately blue, violet, and burgundy depending on crystal orientation.

7 TRIFED

• TRIFED under Ministry of Tribal Affairs works for the promotion of tribal commerce in the best interests of almost 50 lakh forest-dwelling tribal families aligning them to their skill sets, ensuring a fair deal to tribals in their trade of Minor Forest Produces, and Handlooms and Handicrafts.

About :

• TRIFED has embarked on a digitisation drive to map and link its village based tribal producers to the national and international markets setting up state of art e- platforms benchmarked to international standards.
• The digital transformation strategy includes a state of art website (https://trifed.tribal.gov.in/); setting up an e-Market Place for Tribal Artisans to trade and directly market theirs produces.
• The TRIFED website https://trifed.tribal.gov.in/ offers all information related to the organization, it’s schemes of tribal welfare.
• TRIFED’s Van Dhan Integrated Information Network facilitates the pooling of all information pertaining to forest dwellers engaged in Minimum Support Price Operations and its Van Dhan Yojana linking them up to Village has and Warehouses.
• This scheme has been implemented in 22 States touching the lives of almost 10 lac tribal households.

8. Maareech  Advanced Torpedo Decoy System  

What is in news?

Anti - Submarine Warfare capability of the Indian Navy has received a major boost today with the conclusion of a contract for Advanced Torpedo Decoy System Maareech capable of being fired from all frontline warships.

About:

• Design & Development of this anti-torpedo decoy system has been undertaken indigenously DRDO labs (NSTL and NPOL). Bharat Electronics Limited, a Defence PSU, would undertake the production of this decoy system.
• This induction not only stands testimony to the joint resolve of the Indian Navy and DRDO towards indigenous development of Defence technology, but has also given a major fillip to the Government's 'Make in India' initiative and the country's resolve to become 'Atmanirbhar' in niche technology.
• Maareech Advanced Torpedo Defence System (ATDS) is a torpedo detection and countermeasure system used by the Indian Navy. The system offers a complete solution to detect and locate an incoming torpedo and to apply countermeasures to protect naval platform against torpedo attack.
• It was developed as a joint project of the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), Kochi and the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL), Visakhapatnam

9. Korean war , 1950

What is in news?

On the occasion of the 70th Anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi paid rich tribute to the bravehearts who sacrificed their lives in the pursuit of peace on the Korean Peninsula.

About:

• The beginning of the cold war saw the Soviet dispensation backing a communist regime in Korean peninsula’s Northern region.
• But the US faction was backing a liberal government that eventually took control of the southern part of the peninsula.
• The inter-Korean war lasted for three years between 1950 and 1953, which was a proxy war between USSR and the US.
• Although a truce was reached in 1953 through the “Armistice Agreement”, both Korean regimes never officially ended the war till recently.
• The agreement divided the Korean peninsula into two along the 38th Parallel (latitude) and also provided for neutral international peace patrol.

India’s Role in Korea war ,1950 :

• India under Nehru was actively involved in negotiating peace in the Korean peninsula by engaging all the major stakeholders – US, USSR and China.  
• In late 1952, the Indian resolution on Korea was adopted at the UN with unanimous non-Soviet support.
• But India rightly recognized any deal without the Soviets will fail and immediately flung into action to get them on board, which happened in 1953.
• Ultimately, despite the rough international political climate, India succeeded in building consensus – which precipitated in the “Armistice Agreement”.
• Effectuation - One of the follow-up actions to the Armistice Agreement was the establishment of a Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission (NNRC)..
• As an interim arrangement, Nehru decided to grant them abode in India until the UN directive on their request is pronounced.

10. Dekho Apna Desh

What is in news?

The Union Tourism Ministry’s Webinar Series under the banner “Dekho Apna Desh” on 25th June 2020 showcased the potential Motoring Expeditions(Driving Holidays in India. The webinar showcased diverse network of roads and terrain available in various corners of the Country. DekhoApnaDesh Webinar Series is an effort to showcase India’s rich diversity under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.

About:

• The objective of these webinars is to create awareness about and promote various tourism destinations of India.
• These include the lesser known destinations and lesser known facets of popular destinations.
• In addition, thematic Webinars are also being organised on subjects such as Accessible Tourism.
• The 6th Webinar of the series was organized on 22nd of last month on the subject ‘Making India an Inclusive Travel Destination For All’.

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