February 2019 Full News.pdf

CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019

I.

CULTURE

Who has the right to light ‘makaravilakku’? •

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The Assembly became a forum for clearing the “mystery” over the lighting of the ‘makaravilakku’ on Ponnambalamedu at Sabarimala and on the rights of the Mala Araya community for lighting the same. The issue came up through a calling attention motion moved by BJP legislator O. Rajagopal on the necessity of restoring the rights of the Mala Araya community to light the ‘makaravilakku’.

3 golden crowns missing from Govindaraja Swamy temple •

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The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) and the Andhra Pradesh police have begun investigations after three golden crowns were found missing from Sri Govindaraja Swamy temple in Tirupati. The combined weight of the three crowns is put at 1,300g of gold. The crowns are used to adorn the processional deities of Sri Kalyana Venkateswara, his consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi in the Kalyana Mandapa. The CCTV camera installed at the Kalyana Mandapam, where the deities were placed, was reportedly removed recently due to a malfunction.

Naveen unveils statue of Guru Padmasambhava • • • •

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik unveiled a 19-foot-high statue of Guru Padmasambhava, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism, at Jirang in Gajapati district, Odisha. This 29 tonne stone statue is placed in the middle of ‘Padma Sarovar’, a large tank near Padmasambhava Mahavihara, the largest Buddhist monastery in eastern India. The Dalai Lama had inaugurated this monastery in 2010. Tibetan refugees settled in this region over six decades ago. 13 | Page

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Historians claim that Guru Padmasambhava, also known as second Buddha, was born and brought up in Odisha before he left for Tibet. Addressing the gathering, Mr. Patnaik said Odisha was once a major centre of learning and practice of Buddhism. It is evident form Buddhist archaeological sites in the State. It is the land that transformed Emperor Ashoka to a benevolent king, said Mr. Patnaik.

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State forts to get a Rs. 600-cr. revamp •

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The Raigad Development Authority (RDA) has put in place a Rs. 600-crore joint funding plan for the scientific restoration and conservation of numerous forts in Maharashtra, including access roads leading to the heritage sites. Works worth Rs. 28 crore are already under way. The State has over 300 forts in forest areas. In the past, individual efforts at restoration and upkeep of forts such as Vishalgad and Raigad initiated by self-help organisations were often stymied due to either the Forest Act regulations or heritage laws. While 45 forts come under the purview of the Archeology Society of India (ASI) at the Centre, 33 fall under the State ASI domain. The Centre has separately promised Rs. 100 crore for the accelerated conservation efforts of 10 forts, including Panhala, Sindhudurg, Juna Killa (Bhoikot fort) in Solapur, Vidarbha and Shivneri forts. The authority is keen to exploit the forts of Maharashtra as professionally managed tourism locations, as is seen in Europe and the United Kingdom. .

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 ‘Angkor did not suffer a sudden collapse’ • • • • • • • •

Angkor, the ancient capital of the Khmer empire, appears to have suffered a gradual decline rather than a catastrophic collapse, according to a study. Archaeologists and historians have long sought to explain the 15th-century abandonment of Angkor, with many attributing it to the 1431 invasion by Thai forces from Ayutthaya. “We don’t have a written record that tells us why they left or when or how,” said a researcher involved. “Everything that survived is carved on stone.” For the study, the team examined 70-cm sediment cores taken from a moat that surrounded Angkor Thom, the capital of the Khmer empire. Mr. Penny said the cores serve as a “natural history book recording changes in land use, and climate, and in vegetation, year after year.” Where humans live, they leave traces through fire, soil erosion through agriculture and disturbed vegetation. When they leave, conditions change. In the first decades of the 14th century, Mr. Penny said you start to see a decline in land use, wood burning, destabilised vegetation and a reduction in soil erosion. By the end of the 14th century, “the southern moat of Angkor Thom was overgrown with vegetation, and management, by implication, had ceased,” the authors said in the study.

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‘Campaign on to prove Gumnami baba as Netaji’ •

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Some family members of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose alleged that a “sinister campaign” is on by certain sections in the country to prove that ‘Gumnami Baba’ was the nationalist leader and urged the Centre to release all Intelligence Bureau files on the recluse. Claiming that it is a “criminal offence” to term ‘Gumnami Baba’ as Netaji in disguise without any documentary or photographic evidence to support it, BJP leader and Netaji’s grandnephew Chandra Kumar Bose said the Centre must also start an inquiry to find out who are supporting such false campaigns. “There has been an on-going sinister campaign to dishonour Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose as being one ‘Gumnami Baba of Faizabad’ who reportedly lived in Uttar Pradesh since the 1950s for over three decades. The fact is Gumnami Baba was not Netaji,” Mr. Chandra Bose, who is also the BJP State unit vice-president, told newsmen here. The “sinister campaign” is an attempt to damage the image and legacy of Netaji in the eyes of the present and future generations, he said and demanded that the IB files on Gumnami Baba be declassified to bring out the truth. “That the so-called ‘Gumnami Baba’, who reportedly died in 1985 leaving his teeth among his trunk load of personal belongings, was not Netaji was established in a scientific DNA test,” he said.

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Modi opens war memorial, hits out at Congress on Rafale • •

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the National War Memorial (NWM) near the India Gate in New Delhi. Mr. Modi formally dedicated to the nation the NWM, constructed at the ‘C’ Hexagon near India Gate, at the Princes Park complex gate, to honour over 25,000 soldiers who have laid down their lives for the country since Independence. The government approved the construction of NWM on October 7, 2015 with a tentative timeframe of five years for completion of the project. A new Amar Jawan Jyoti (AJJ) was also inaugurated at the memorial and according to officials, the NWM will henceforth be the place for wreath laying for all designated events. The NWM built at a cost of Rs. 171 crore, has a 15.5 metre tall main obelisk with an eternal flame at the centre. This is surrounded by four concentric circles — 1. the Amar Chakra or Circle of Immortality, 2. the Veerta Chakra or Circle of Bravery, 3. the Tyag Chakra or Circle of Sacrifice and 4. the Rakshak Chakra or Circle of Protection. The Tyag Chakra has 16 circular walls of honour which bear the names of 25,942 soldiers written in gold on granite walls. Statues of the 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees have also been installed.

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III.

GEOGRAPHY

Scientists discover massive mountains under Earth’s crust • • • •

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Scientists have discovered massive mountains in the Earth’s mantle, an advance that may change our understanding of how the planet was formed. Most school children learn that the Earth has three layers: a crust, mantle and core, which is subdivided into an inner and outer core. While that is not wrong, it does leave out several other layers that scientists have identified within the Earth. In a study published in the journal Science, scientists used data from an enormous magnitude 8.2 earthquake in Bolivia in 1994 to find mountains and other topography on a layer located 660 km straight down, which separates the upper and lower mantle. Lacking a formal name for this layer, the researchers simply call it “the 660-km boundary.” Data from earthquakes that are magnitude 7.0 or higher send out shockwaves in all directions that can travel through the core to the other side of the planet — and back again. The magnitude 8.2 earthquake — the second-largest deep earthquake ever recorded — that shook Bolivia in 1994. The researchers also examined a layer 410 km down, at the top of the mid-mantle “transition zone,” and they did not find similar roughness. The presence of roughness on the 660-km boundary has significant implications for understanding how our planet formed and evolved.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Drought less probable this year: Skymet •

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There’s unlikely to be a drought in 2019 as the El Nino — a climate phenomenon linked to poor monsoon in India — is likely to peter out by the beginning of the season, according to a forecast by private weather forecaster Skymet. “The El Nino conditions were on the rise in the Pacific Ocean till December 2018. The temperatures are now declining, and the probability of El Nino is also falling. This will reduce to about 50% by the time monsoon arrives with a gradual decline thereafter as well. This means it is going to be a devolving El Nino year,” said Jatin Singh, managing director, Skymet Weather. An El Nino refers to a half-to-one-degree rise in temperatures in the Central equatorial Pacific and is linked to a reduction in rains over key monsoon belts. Earlier in February 2019, the U.S. National Climate Centre issued a forecast that an El Nino had formed, was likely to persist until spring but there was only a 50% chance that it would persist beyond spring (March-April). Skymet defines ‘normal rains’ as that in a 4% window of 88 cm between June and September; 88 cm means ‘100%’ rainfall. Anything from 90% to 96% of the normal is ‘below normal’ and less than 90% constitutes a drought. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) too concurred that a strong El Nino is unlikely but said it’s too early to rule out a drought. “The way we compute…we need weather conditions until March 30 to input into our models and only then we get a sense of the monsoon. However, the odds of a strong El Nino are low,” said K.J. Ramesh, Director-General, IMD.

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POLITY 1) JUDICIARY SC may curb advocates from speaking on cases •

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The Supreme Court agreed to examine the possibility of imposing curbs on advocates airing their views in the media about pending cases and the judges handling them, during a hearing on contempt petitions filed by the government and the Attorney General of India against civil rights lawyer Prashant Bhushan. Observing that “freedom carries with it a responsibility”, it noted that some lawyers even used air time to attack judges, whose code of conduct did not allow them to go public. Only one version of the matter was thus heard. “The judiciary should be protected,” Justice Mishra said. “If the Bar is out to kill the judiciary, what can be done.” Both the government and Attorney General K.K. Venugopal termed as “scandalous” Mr. Bhushan’s February 1 tweets alleging that the government — via the top law officer — misled the apex court about the appointment of M. Nageswara Rao as interim CBI Director. Mr. Bhushan tweeted that the government, through Attorney General K.K. Venugopal, perhaps presented “fabricated” minutes of the high-power committee meeting of January 9-10. The government contended that the tweets “wilfully and deliberately” made a false statement in a case pending in court.

Govt. not holding up appointments: CJI • • •

Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi indicated there was no delay on the part of the government in clearing files for appointment of judges to constitutional courts. If at all, the delay lay with the Supreme Court Collegium itself, headed by him. “As the Chief Justice, I am telling you only 27 files are with the government, and 70 to 80 files are with the Collegium,” Chief Justice Gogoi observed orally. 27 | Page

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“It is we who have not been able to clear the proposals for appointment of high court judges… Appointments are being done much quicker now,” Chief Justice Gogoi said. The CJI’s remarks came in response to a petition filed by Centre for PIL, represented by advocate Prashant Bhushan. The petition alleged that government was sitting on the recommendations of the Collegium on judicial appointments to the various high courts. As a result, the judicial vacancies and pendency in these high courts were going up. The petition said the government has delayed its approval to names reiterated by the Collegium for appointment. It alleged the government’s inaction reflects a “breakdown of the consultative process” between the government and the CJI, through the Collegium, in judicial appointments.

POLITY 2) ELECTIONS 100% use of VVPAT for Lok Sabha polls: EC •

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The Election Commission informed the Madras High Court that it had made it clear way back in 2017 that there shall be 100% use of the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system during the Lok Sabha election this year to gain voter confidence. The VVPAT allowed every voter to see a printed slip for seven seconds to verify and confirm that the vote cast had gone to the candidate of his or her choice. The system would be used fully during the Lok Sabha election. The submission was made during the hearing of a public interest litigation petition seeking 100% use of the VVPAT during every election. The judges dismissed the petition after recording the submissions of the EC that it had already decided to use VVPAT in all booths in accordance with a 2013 Supreme Court directive. In his affidavit, the petitioner, S. Packiaraj, 67, of Anna Nagar here regretted that the EC did not have its own permanent staff in every district of the country. He said that using government staff to conduct elections did not help in prosecuting election offences because the EC had no powers over their service after the polls. Leaders of Opposition parties had approached the EC in New Delhi to express concerns about the possibility of EVMs being doctored. They had demanded that the EC should ensure that 50% of the EVM results were matched and cross-checked with VVPATs before it declared the results in the Lok Sabha election. Opposition

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EC allots symbols to 27 unrecognised parties •

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Twenty-seven registered unrecognised political parties have been allotted symbols ranging from chappals, tea filter and chapati roller to gas stove and phone charger, for the coming Lok Sabha election. The applications of the 27 parties for concession in the allotment of a common symbol to their candidates in the general elections had been accepted by the Commission, says an EC order. Different symbols, including Bat, Pressure Cooker, Ring and Cup & Saucer, in various States. Some of these parties will be fighting the Lok Sabha elections in only one State. “However, the said symbol shall be available for allotment as free symbol to other candidates in the constituencies where the aforesaid party does not actually set up its candidates. In the event of the above said party failing to meet the requirement of the minimum number of candidates…then the said common symbol shall not be available to its candidates,” the order says.

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‘What action can you take against political parties?’ •

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The Delhi High Court sought the stand of the Election Commission of India (ECI) on taking action against political parties, which do not comply with its instructions to disclose funding and expenditure details. “You wrote to them, but they have not complied. What further? When compliance has not been done, tell us what you propose to do? What powers do you have? Your response indicates helplessness on your part,” a Bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V.K. Rao said. The EC told the Bench that it has been consistently writing to the parties, which have not disclosed their expenditure. The High Court directed the EC to file an affidavit indicating what powers or options it has to ensure implementation or enforcement of its guidelines regarding disclosure of expenditure by political parties and what steps it can take when there is violation of its norms. The High Court was hearing a petition by NGO Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) seeking implementation of the guidelines as well as the Law Commission’s recommendation that a provision be enacted to monitor and regulate the expenditure by political parties during elections.

BSP to contest 38 seats in U.P. as SP settles for 37; RLD to get 3 •

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The Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) announced that they will contest 75 out of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh in the 2019 general election, practically ruling out any possibility of the Congress joining the anti-BJP alliance in the State. While the SP will contest 37, the BSP will fight it out in 38 seats, the presidents of the two parties, Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati, said in a joint statement. Out of the remaining five seats, three will go to the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). The alliance has decided to not field any candidates in Rae Bareli and Amethi, currently held by Sonia Gandhi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Some key constituencies, held by high-profile BJP leaders, including Varanasi, Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Kairana, Phulpur, Allahabad, Azamgarh and Faizabad, have been allotted to the SP. 31 | Page

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While Varanasi is the constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gorakhpur is the bastion of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Lucknow is currently held by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

POLITY 3) BILL/ACT/ORDINANCE Govt. gives up on triple talaq Bill •

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The government has effectively given up on at least two of its more controversial legislations — the Citizenship Amendment Bill and the triple talaq Bill — that were awaiting consideration by the Rajya Sabha, after opposition parties made it clear that they could not guarantee smooth functioning of the House if any contentious bills were tabled. With the numbers stacked against the government on both the contentious issues in the Upper House, the two bills, which were cleared by the Lok Sabha in the last session, will now lapse once the 16th Lok Sabha’s term ends.

Citizenship, triple talaq Bills lapse •

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The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, that had set off a series of violent protests across the northeastern States, lapsed as the government failed to push it through Rajya Sabha despite a last- ditch effort on the last day of the 16th Lok Sabha. Along with the Citizenship Bill, the triple talaq Bill that criminalises instant divorce in a Muslim marriage has also lapsed. There have been widespread protests against the Citizenship Bill that proposed to grant citizenship to six religious minorities — Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, Parsis, Christians and Buddhists — from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who came to India before December 31, 2014. The Bill was seen as violating the terms of the 1985 Assam Accord that had set March 24, 1971 as the cut-off for granting citizenship. Prime Minister Narendra Modi faced black flags and nude protests during his recent trip to Guwahati.

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Triple talaq ordinance to be reissued •

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The Union Cabinet gave its approval to reissue the triple talaq ordinance that makes the practice of talaq-e-biddat or instant triple talaq by Muslim men a criminal offence with a jail term. The government adopted the ordinance route after the Bill lapsed, failing to get passed in the Rajya Sabha in the recently concluded session of Parliament. For the third time in less than a year, the ordinance will become law once President Ram Nath Kovind signs it. The Cabinet also gave its approval to an ordinance to plug loopholes in the corporate governance framework and improve the ease of doing business.

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Rajasthan to scrap education criterion • • •

The Rajasthan Assembly passed two Bills which seek to end the minimum education criterion for panchayat and civic poll candidates. The House passed by voice vote the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2019 and the Rajasthan Municipality (Amendment) Bill, 2019. The previous Vasundhara Raje-led government had introduced education criterion in 2015 which required a candidate to pass Class X for contesting zila parishad, panchayat samiti and municipal elections. 34 | Page

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For contesting elections for sarpanch of a panchayat in scheduled and non-scheduled areas, it was mandatory to pass Class V and VIII, respectively.

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Bill to counter exploitation by NRI spouses •

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In a bid to counter growing incidents of exploitation of Indian women by NRI (Non Resident Indian) spouses, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj introduced a Bill in the Rajya Sabha. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that the Bill will create accountability and protect those who are trapped in fraudulent marriages and are abandoned by their spouses. According to the new Bill, a marriage between an NRI and an Indian citizen will have to be registered within 30 days from the date of marriage. Necessary legal provisions have been created in the criminal code and the Passports Act, 1967, to initiate action against erring NRI spouses.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 POLITY 4) STATES/UTs Home Ministry is trying to ‘destroy’ NRC process, says SC •

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The Supreme Court lashed out at the Centre after Attorney-General K.K. Venugopal urged the court to allow the NRC work to be kept in abeyance during the Lok Sabha election, observing that the Ministry of Home Affairs had been attempting to undermine “the Assam NRC process from the very beginning.” The Bench of Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Rohinton Nariman reacted angrily after Mr. Venugopal sought to highlight the requirement for redeploying 167 companies of Central armed police forces, currently engaged in the NRC work, to other parts of the country during the general election. Explaining that about 2,700 companies were needed to maintain law and order across the country, and given that the election was anticipated to be held in a “highly surcharged atmosphere,” the Attorney-General said conducting the NRC work simultaneously would prove difficult. “We have noticed this from the Ministry of Home Affairs — you do not want the NRC work to carry on at any cost,” Justice Gogoi said. “For that you are coming up with all kinds of excuses... All your efforts have been from the beginning to destroy the NRC process.” “You have 3,000 companies of Central armed police forces... You need 2,700 companies for the election. The NRC work requires 167 companies. So what is the problem,” he asked. The Home Ministry, which had initially sought a three-week suspension of the NRC work from the last date of filing of nominations to the date of polling, had subsequently curtailed its plea to two weeks. The Bench, however, remained unmoved. The Bench directed that an “adequate number” of the State government officials — Assam State NRC Co-ordinator Prateek Hajela had indicated a number of 3,457 — be kept free for the NRC work. It also requested the Election Commission of India to examine the scope for exempting officers of the ranks of District Magistrates and Additional District Magistrates from any transfer likely to be made in view of the election.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 1,490 detained in Assam in three years; 691 released later •

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The Foreigners’ Tribunals in Assam have in the last three years sent 1,490 people in detention centres in the State, out of nearly 8,992 cases they received to determine citizenship, the Rajya Sabha was informed. Later on, 691 people were released from these centres after judicial process. Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said that according to the information made available by the State government, 2,764 people were referred to the tribunals in 2016, 4,223 people in 2017 and 2,005 people in 2018. These people were referred to the tribunals to ascertain whether they were Indians or foreigners in terms of the provisions contained in the Foreigners’ (Tribunal) Order, 1964, he said in a written reply to a question. The Foreigners’ Tribunals had decided to send 236 people to the detention centres in 2016, 826 people in 2017 and 428 people in 2018. Mr. Rijiju said among the people who were ordered to be kept in detention centres in last three years, 111 people in 2016 were either released on the basis of the opinion given by the tribunals or by the higher courts or repatriated to their native country, 453 people in 2017 and 127 people in 2018.

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Bhupen’s Bharat Ratna tied to Bill •

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Tez Hazarika, the U.S.-based son of music maestro Bhupen Hazarika, has said that accepting or rejecting the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award bestowed posthumously on his father, depends on “how the Centre moves” on the issue of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. Assam and the other northeastern States are opposed to the Bill that seeks to fast-track the process of granting citizenship to non-Muslims who took refuge in India after fleeing religious persecution in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan up to December 31, 2014. The Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha in January 2019 and awaits its fate in the Rajya Sabha. “I believe that my father’s name and words are being invoked and celebrated publicly while plans are afoot to pass a painfully unpopular Bill regarding citizenship that is actually undermining his documented position. It would, in reality, be in direct opposition to what Bupenda believed in his heart of hearts,” Mr. Haziraka said in a statement. A few days ago, Manipur-based film-maker and music composer Aribam Shyam Sharma decided to return his 2006 Padma Shri award in protest against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA’s bid to have the Bill passed in Parliament. Before him, a majority of survivors of the martyrs of the Assam Agitation (1979-85) had returned the mementos awarded by the BJP-led coalition government in the State in 2016.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Assam to cut pay of staff who neglect parents •

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The Assam government formed a three-member commission for hearing cases under a pay-cut policy envisaged to make its employees take care of their dependent elderly parents and physically challenged siblings. The three-member PRANAM (Parents Responsibility and Norms for Accountability and Monitoring) Commission is headed by Chief Commissioner V.B. Pyarelal. Former MLA Alaka Desai Sarma and social worker Jugabala Buragohain are the two Commissioners. The commission shall hear the cases and ensure no employee is punished arbitrarily Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had in 2017 said that such a law would be introduced to ensure parents are cared for. Geriatric care was linked to the State government employees’ pay from the 2018-2019 fiscal. The PRANAM Act requires a neglected parent to lodge a complaint in order to receive sustenance money from the pay of his or her ward. The policy, enforced on October 2, 2018, said an employee would be liable to part with 10-15% of his or her pay if found guilty of ignoring their dependent parents and physically challenged siblings. The deducted money would then be transferred to the bank account of a parent or sibling.

Gehlot govt. gears up for social accountability Bill •

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After a protracted campaign of civil rights groups, the Congress government in Rajasthan has started the process for bringing the legislation on social accountability, which will make officials accountable for timely delivery of public goods and services as citizens’ entitlement. The Bill will also set up a grievance redressal mechanism starting from village panchayats. The draft has been uploaded on the web portal of the Administrative Reforms and Coordination Department and suggestions invited from citizens. The Bill included provisions for citizens’ charter, public hearing, social audit and information and facilitation centres. Through the Rajasthan Social Accountability Bill, the government intends to ensure the right of every person or group of persons to get time-bound delivery of goods and services and be entitled for redressal of complaints, with the provision for penalty on erring officials and compensation to the public. 40 | Page

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The Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, led by social activist and Magsaysay Award winner Aruna Roy, had proposed a draft law to the State government. The official draft has incorporated the suggested provisions for transparency in governance, citizens’ participation, accountability in delivery of services, decentralisation of the process and establishment of an independent grievance redressal structure. The MKSS had taken out a 100-day-long ‘Jawabdehi Yatra’ through all the 33 districts of the State in 2015 during the previous BJP regime, pressing for the legislation. The Yatra had raised the issue of accountability as an extension of the Right to Information.

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A.P. gets new South Coast Railway zone •

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The Centre announced the creation of a separate railway zone South Coast Railway (SCoR), with headquarters at Visakhapatnam, in Andhra Pradesh — a long pending demand of the ruling NDA’s erstwhile ally, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). A separate railway zone was one of the key promises made to Andhra Pradesh in the bifurcation act. “As per item 8 of Schedule 13 (Infrastructure) of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, Indian Railways was required to examine establishing a new railway zone in the successor State of Andhra Pradesh,” Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal said.

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God’s Own Country gets back visitors after deluge of issues •

Travel curbs imposed following the outbreak of the Nipah virus, the devastating August deluge, and the frequent hartals on the Sabarimala controversy badly affected tourism in Kerala in 2018.

SC sends Delhi power tussle case to larger Bench •

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A Supreme Court Bench of Justices A.K. Sikri and Ashok Bhushan gave a split opinion on whether the Delhi government has control over the administration’s services and decided to refer the question to a larger Bench. While Justice Bhushan held that the Delhi government has no power over services, observing that Entry 41 of the State List in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution — dealing with ‘State Public Services’ — was outside the purview of the Delhi Assembly, Justice Sikri, the lead judge on the Bench, took the middle path. 44 | Page

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SC upset at the plight of illegal migrants in Assam centres • •

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Illegal immigrants should not languish for long in detention centres in Assam; instead they should be repatriated or deported expeditiously, the Supreme Court and the Centre agreed. The Centre assured the court that it would hold consultations with the State on a scheme to expedite deportation or repatriation of illegal foreigners and report back to the Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, on March 13. The court is hearing a petition by activist Harsh Mander about the dismal living conditions in Assam’s detention centres. The court noticed that many detainees were kept in these centres even after they served their term of imprisonment. “The petition says the conditions are pathetic, even inhuman. Detention should only be for a minimum time… For all these years, these centres were virtual jails,” Chief Justice Gogoi observed. Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta submitted that detention centres had a variety of recreational facilities, including chess, carrom and choice TV programmes. The Bench referred to the draft list of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) for Assam that left out 40 lakh people. On the other hand, the Foreigner Tribunals were able to identify only 52,000 illegal foreigners. 46 | Page

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Mr. Mander drew a parallel between the plight of families languishing in these detention centres and the family separation policy imposed on illegal immigrants in the U.S. by the Donald Trump administration. The Bench had sought the response of the Centre and the Assam government to the petition on the plight of families that languished in the six detention centres, as “declared foreigners,” separated from each other and their children.

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POLITY 5) STATES- J&K Govt. grants divisional status to Ladakh • •

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Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik granted Ladakh a divisional status, thus creating three administrative units of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh in the State. “The J&K government has approved the creation of a separate administrative and revenue division for Ladakh. It will comprise Leh and Kargil districts, with headquarters at Leh,” said a government order. Earlier, Ladakh was a part of the Kashmir division. A section in Leh has been demanding Union Territory status and it was backed by the BJP. The move leaves the Kashmir valley geographically the smallest division at 15,948 sq. km, Jammu division at 26,293 sq. km and Ladakh, the biggest division, at 86,909 sq. km. Ladakh will now get its own Divisional Commissioner and Inspector General of Police. “During the winter months, the entire Ladakh region remains cut-off from the rest of the country for almost six months. The remoteness and inaccessibility of the area makes it eligible for establishing a separate division,” said the government order. Ladakh’s Kargil and Leh districts already have separate hill development councils for local administrative powers.

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The Governor’s decision has fuelled demands for similar status to Pir Panjal and Chenab Valley regions.

Teething troubles in Ladakh •

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Thousands of people marched the streets of Kargil in Ladakh and Kashmir against the administration’s decision to permanently post the divisional commissioner and Inspector General of Police (IGP) offices for the newly created Ladakh division in Leh town. The people of Kargil are demanding that divisional commissioner and IGP offices function on rotational basis - in Kargil during summers and in Leh during winters. Urging the Governor Satya Pal Malik to review his decision, the participants were seen chanting slogans throughout the rally, pledging support to the “united movement” in support of the “genuine rights” of the people of Kargil. The Jammu and Kashmir administration has sanctioned creation of a separate administrative and revenue division for Ladakh, with its headquarters at Leh. Cutting across party lines, prominent politicians from Kargil came together and threatened mass agitation if the Governor’s administration did not review its decision.

Secretaries’ panel to look into demands of people of Kargil •

The Jammu and Kashmir administration constituted a committee of secretaries to look into the demands of the people of Kargil, where a shutdown was observed for the fourth consecutive day over the demand for rotational offices. 49 | Page

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The government has formed a committee of senior officers "to determine the location and scope and size of division level offices, their staffing, size and most importantly, their location in the division." The protest shutdown is against the administration’s decision to set up divisional commissioner’s office at Leh after Ladakh was declared a separate division recently and was split from Kashmir division. Their demand is to have “rotational headquarters at both Kargil and Leh”.

Shutdown over Article 35A paralyses Valley •

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Normal life was paralysed in the Kashmir Valley due to a shutdown called by separatists in anticipation of the petitions challenging Article 35A coming up before the Supreme Court for hearing. The J&K government, which is under President’s Rule, has submitted an application before the court and sought adjournment. The Article 35A, which was incorporated in the Constitution by a 1954 Presidential order, accords special rights and privileges to the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir and bars people from outside from acquiring any immovable property in the State.

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POLITY 7) CAG ‘Govt. accounts opaque, Rs. 2.18 lakh cr. in limbo’ •

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More than 50% of the expenditure under 36 major heads of the government’s spending in 2017-18 was classified as ‘other expenditure’ thereby “rendering the accounts opaque”, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) said in a report tabled in Parliament. The CAG also noted that several heads of cess that had been collected had not been disbursed to the appropriate funds for spending. The quantum of monies lying in limbo like this was a substantial Rs. 2.18 lakh crore. “Due to failure of the authorities mentioned… Rs. 20,855 crore was booked as expenditure under minor head 800 — Other Expenditure during 2017-18,” the CAG observed in the audit report. “Six GoI ministries/departments booked Rs. 6,475 crore, representing more than 50% of the expenditure against 10 specific major heads, under the other expenditure category, the auditor said. Similarly, the Comptroller and Auditor General found that 14 central ministries or departments had booked receipts of Rs. 5,326 crore under the minor head 800-Other Receipts, which, it noted, was more than 50% of the receipts of Rs. 6,228 crore. According to the accounting rules, the minor head 800 relating to ‘Other Receipts/ Other Expenditure’ is to be used only in cases when the appropriate minor head has not been provided for in the accounts.

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CAG pulls up IAF for helicopter deal •

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The Comptroller and Auditor General in its report has pulled up the Indian Air Force (IAF) for framing its service specifications in the tenders for heavy-lift and attack helicopters to suit “products of a particular vendor.” The IAF had chosen Chinook Heavy Lift Helicopters and Apache attack helicopters of Boeing from an evaluation process. “In the case of acquisition of Apache Attack Helicopters and Chinook Heavy Lift Helicopters, the Air Staff Qualitative Requirements (ASQR) were aligned to products of a particular vendor,” the federal auditor said in the report tabled in Parliament. The report said the IAF drafted the ASQR by copying the technical specifications of products available in the market and also based on inputs from vendors in response to the Request for Information issued to them. Under the $3 bn deal in September 2015, India contracted 22 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and 15 CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters from Boeing through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales programme. Deliveries are set to commence later in 2019 and completed by mid-2020. The CAG also found in the audit that for the Apache attack helicopters, the United States government was supplying missiles from their stock whose “normal life of 10 years has expired.” As per specifications, the rockets and missiles for the Apache helicopters should have a minimum life of 10 years extendable to 20 years. The missiles were to be delivered in 2018. “Thus Ministry had procured missiles that were 14 to 16 years old at the time of delivery,” the report stated.

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Why only bureaucrats on information panels, asks SC •

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The Central Information Commission (CIC) and State Information Commissions, the country’s apex bodies entrusted to uphold the citizen’s fundamental right to information, have been bastions of government employees and their retired counterparts. This “strange phenomenon” was exposed in a 52-page judgment pronounced by a Supreme Court Bench of Justices A.K. Sikri and S. Abdul Nazeer. The apex court found that “official bias” in favour of bureaucrats and government employees was evident from the very beginning of the process for appointment of Chief Information Commissioners and Information Commissioners. In fact, the selection committee, which shortlists candidates for appointment, is itself composed of government employees. The Right to Information Act of 2005 itself requires people from varied domains to man the Commissions. The 2005 law was enacted to ensure accountability in governance. The Commissions are meant to be the law’s eyes and hands to provide information to ordinary people. 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. The Supreme Court concluded that the entire RTI mechanism has been choked by rising pendency and growing number of vacancies of Information Commissioners. Now, the Supreme Court has, for the first time, put the government on a deadline as far as filling vacancies in the Commissions. The court directed that the process of appointment should commence at least one or two months before the retirement is due.

EVM is ‘information’ under RTI, says CIC •

An Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) is “information” under the Right to Information Act, the Central Information Commission has ruled. 58 | Page

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Among the cases are the recently lodged illegal mining case involving former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav, land acquisition case involving former CM of Haryana Bhupinder Hooda and Aircel Maxis case with former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram named as accused among others.

SC holds Rao guilty of contempt •

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The Supreme Court held the former interim Director of the CBI, M. Nageswara Rao, guilty of contempt for disobeying its order not to transfer Joint Director A.K. Sharma, who was probing the Bihar shelter home cases, from the investigating agency. A Bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, termed his act “blatant” disobedience of the order and directed him and the agency’s legal adviser, S. Bhasuram, to sit in the courtroom for the remainder of the working hours. It also levied a fine of Rs. 1 lakh each on the officers. The Bench, comprising Justices L.N. Rao and Sanjiv Khanna, refused to accept the unconditional apology tendered by Mr. Rao, saying he was aware of the order. The Bench said it was unable to comprehend why Mr. Rao transferred Mr. Sharma as Additional Director-General of the CRPF on January 17 but did not communicate his decision to the court, despite being advised to submit an affidavit immediately.

Denial of consent can’t stall ongoing probes •

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The high drama over the CBI’s move to question Kolkata Police Commissioner in the chit fund scam cases raises questions about the agency’s jurisdiction in a State which has already withdrawn “general consent” for its investigations . The CBI has been investigating the Saradha scam after the Supreme Court transferred the case to it in the Subrata Chattoraj versus Union of India judgment on May 9, 2014. The withdrawal of general consent to the CBI to exercise jurisdiction within its territory applies prospectively in Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, both of which withdrew consent in 2018. But the withdrawal of consent would not have retrospective effect. 61 | Page

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“We found that some of the documents handed over to the CBI by Mr. Kumar were doctored. They were not all there. We summoned him, but he did not come. We wrote to the DGP, there was no response. The cell phone of Mr. Sudipto Sen (main accused in Saradha scam) was returned to him by the SIT. Call records were not complete. Discrepancies were seen in the number of calls. Information on who called and whom are missing... The call records were doctored,” Mr. Venugopal submitted. Reacting to this, Chief Justice Gogoi observed orally that “there should be no difficulty for the Kolkata Police Commissioner to co-operate.”

‘Prove police officer tampered with call data’ •

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The Supreme Court refused to budge on a contempt plea filed by the CBI against the West Bengal government and its State police until the agency’s Director himself files an affidavit placing on record adequate material to prove that former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajiv Kumar connived to tamper with the call data records (CDRs) to help senior State politicians accused in the multi-crore Saradha and Rose Valley ponzi scams. A Bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna ordered the CBI Director to file his affidavit by March 26, the next date of hearing. Chief Justice Gogoi said the court was not satisfied with the material placed before it by the CBI against Mr. Kumar. It asked why the CBI had waited till February 2019 to tell the Supreme Court that Mr. Kumar tampered with the CDRs. “If the Commissioner has done this, it is very serious,” Chief Justice Gogoi observed. The call records were handed over by Mr. Kumar to the CBI on June 28, 2018. He was the functional head of the Special Investigation Team which probed the ponzi scams before the Supreme Court handed over the investigation to the CBI in May 2014. The agency alleged that the Kumar-led SIT used both inaction and selective action to shield police and chit fund nexus. The Attorney General, Mr. Venugopal said the call records handed over by Mr. Kumar were sent for analysis on July 12, 2018. “But the service provider told us that we need to get permission from the Ministry of Home Affairs. We got permission from the Ministry in November,” Mr. Venugopal explained the delay. Further, the top law officer said Mr. Kumar failed to respond to repeated summons from the CBI to explain the incorrect CDRs. Mr. Venugopal submitted that Mr. Kumar was summoned twice in October 2017 and once in July 2018. He had never bothered to come.

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GOVERNANCE 1) POLICY Cabinet approves new National Electronics Policy •

The Union Cabinet approved the National Electronics Policy 2019 aimed at achieving a turnover of $400 billion (about Rs. 26 lakh crore) for the electronics system design and manufacturing sector by 2025, while generating employment opportunities for one crore people. 64 | Page

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Asked if the move would enable the government to block content or help in surveillance, the official said, “If the government wants to block a website, we have a mechanism in place. We can send a list to the ISPs for reasons such as child porn or fake news, and they have to comply with the order.” “If you use any public DNS, they access and use all your data. It is not that users will compulsorily need to shift to India public DNS. A user is free to choose any DNS,” the official said, adding that with the government’s public DNS, Indian users’ data would be stored within the country. The ministry, as part of its ongoing awareness campaign for safer Internet, also plans to reach out to end-users to educate them on DNS and how they could shift to an Indian public DNS if they desired.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 GOVERNANCE 2) AADHAAR Only 50% of PAN linked to Aadhaar •

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With less than two months to go for the deadline to link Permanent Account Number (PAN) and Aadhaar, only a little more than half of PAN holders have linked them, Central Board of Direct Taxes Chairman Sushil Chandra said. Only 23 crore of the total 42 crore PAN holders have linked them, he said. According to him the government could even cancel the PAN cards that were not Aadhaar-linked after the deadline of March 31, 2019. “By linking with Aadhaar, we will know whether there are any duplicate PANs or not,” Mr. Chandra said. “If it is not linked, we may cancel the PAN also.” Mr. Chandra’s statements come just days after the Supreme Court ruled that the linking of PAN with Aadhaar would be mandatory to file income tax returns from April 1, 2019 onwards. According to Section 139AA of the Income Tax Act, inserted in 2017, not only is Aadhaar mandatory for filing income tax returns but it is also mandatory for applying for a PAN card. This means that going ahead, all new PAN cards issued will automatically be linked to Aadhaar. The Section also says that “in case of failure to intimate the Aadhaar number, the permanent account number allotted to the person shall be deemed to be invalid”. Tax analysts say that the number of PAN card holders far exceeds the number of people filing income tax returns, but add that the linking of the two IDs was mandatory for even those who do not need to file returns since the PAN would be cancelled otherwise.

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SOCIAL 1) EDUCATION Village school in Maharashtra welcomes ‘Alexa teacher’ • • • • • •

A municipal primary schools in Maharashtra’s Badnera town, has ‘three teachers’ for its 42 students studying from Classes I to IV. For a similar school, the ratio may have been only two teachers. Alexa, Amazon’s ‘virtual assistant’ is the ‘third teacher’ in the Marathi medium institution. Slow net speeds Sharing the one-time investment cost with Ms. Kapse, Mr. Bhuyar has independently built a mannequin around an Amazon Echo device, giving a face to Alexa. Poor Internet speeds in the hinterland notwithstanding, students speak to Alexa in English, and are now learning math, poems, general knowledge, weather information and more, from the device.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 SOCIAL 2) HEALTH Kerala sets up drug price monitor •

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Kerala has become the first State to set up a price monitoring and research unit (PMRU) to track violation of prices of essential drugs and medical devices under the Drugs Price Control Order (DPCO). The move comes more than five years after the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) proposed such a system for the States and the Union Territories. The new watchdog will offer technical help to the State Drug Controllers and the NPPA to monitor notified prices of medicines, detect violation of the provisions of the DPCO, look at price compliance, collect test samples of medicines, and collect and compile market-based data of scheduled as well as non-scheduled formulations. Pharma companies have been accused of overcharging prices of drugs in the scheduled category fixed by the DPCO and those outside its ambit too. The NPPA had fixed the prices of around 1,000 drugs and the unit would track if buyers were being overcharged. It would also check if pharma companies were hiking the prices of non-scheduled drugs by more than 10% a year. It will also check if there is any shortage of essential medicines. There is also a plan to collect data on the prices of surgical devices and stents in the market.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Kerala takes the lead in the fight against trans fat •

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In a first, the Health Department of Kerala has drawn up an action plan to generate public awareness on the harmful effects of trans fatty acids (TFA) in commercially available food items and to encourage the local food industry to meet the current statutory limits set for TFA. The draft is expected to be finalised and released shortly. The initiative has been launched after the Health Department’s various studies suggest that an unhealthy diet with a high TFA content is a significant factor that pushes up metabolic syndrome and the burden of its associated complications. The Health Department is being supported in this initiative by Vital Strategies, the nutrition wing of the World Bank; the WHO; the FSSAI; and the State Food Safety wing, which will be in charge of enforcement.

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Medical devices to be treated as drugs •

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The Centre in a notification said that medical devices — all implantable devices, CT Scan, PET and MRI equipment, defibrillators, dialysis machines and bone marrow separators — will be treated as drugs for human beings with effect from April 1, 2020. The decision was taken in consultation with the Drugs Technical Advisory Board. Majority of medical devices are completely unregulated in India. With this move, all implantable devices and some diagnostic equipment will be brought into the regulatory framework which is important from a patient safety perspective.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 ‘Ayushman Bharat world’s largest health scheme’ •

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“Ayushman Bharat has stabilised as the largest health scheme in the world, benefiting over 10 lakh patients since its launch, and created an atmosphere of positivity,” said Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J. P. Nadda at the inauguration of the newly-constituted National Health Authority (NHA). The minister, who also launched the Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY) mobile app through a live demo, said that the States which had not opted for Ayushman Bharat were denying the poor the opportunity to benefit from the scheme.

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TB survivors challenge patent extension for latest drug •

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Two tuberculosis survivors from India and South Africa have challenged a patent held by pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson (J&J), to prevent the firm from extending its monopoly on bedaquiline, one of the two latest drugs, to combat the disease. Mumbai’s Nandita Venkatesan and Cape Town’s Phumeza Tisile, both survived drug resistant TB but lost their hearing because of the toxicity of drugs used. They are now advocating for a wider rollout of newer drugs like bedaquiline over older forms of treatment, including painful injections and drugs with severe side effects. “With this patent challenge, we want to stop an extension of the patent monopoly that will continue to block people from accessing more affordable generic versions of bedaquiline,” Ms. Venkatesan said in a statement. The patent challenge has been filed with support from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). “J&J recently announced a reduced price of $400 for six months of bedaquiline treatment for South Africa and countries procuring the drug through the Global Drug Facility, but this falls short of making the drug affordable in all countries affected by the DR-TB epidemic,” a statement from the MSF said. The statement also said the J&J patent application being challenged is for the salt form of bedaquiline, which does not merit patenting under India’s patent law. If granted, J&J’s monopoly on bedaquiline would be extended from 2023 to 2027, delaying entry of generics by four additional years.

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Action plan for free treatment of hepatitis patients launched • •

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Patients infected with hepatitis B and C virus, will soon be able to avail free treatment. Eight model treatment centres in Maharashtra, including the Sion Hospital, Mumbai, will roll out free treatment for hepatitis C from March 2019 while that for hepatitis B will be rolled out from July 2019. Viral hepatitis is a global public health problem that kills nearly 2.72 lakh people annually. It is an inflammatory condition of the liver caused by five known hepatitis viruses — A, B,C,D and E. Of these, B and C are known to cause 96% mortality. While hepatitis B requires life-long treatment which costs around Rs. 2,500 per month, hepatitis C requires a 84-day long course costing nearly Rs. 40,000. According to the action plan, one model hepatitis treatment centre will be established in each State in a government institution in the first year. While the number of model centres will be increased gradually, by the end of the second year, efforts will be made to establish one such centre at district level. Setting up a national reference laboratory and State-level reference laboratories is also under planning. Launching the action plan to tackle hepatitis B, actor Amitabh Bachchan said he will do everything required to spread awareness and combat the disease. Infected with hepatitis B, Mr. Bachchan has been living with only 25% functional liver. “

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Antibiotic-resistant NDM-1 gene found in pristine Arctic • • • •

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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. NDM-1 was first reported in 2007 in a patient admitted to a hospital in New Delhi, but was reported to be present in Germany, the same year. “The first finding of NDM-1 in the environment, rather than a clinic setting, was in surface waters of Delhi, in 2010. So finding NDM-1 in the High Arctic three years after the first report of its presence in the environment was very intriguing. The results show how far reaching and fast resistance can move around the globe,” a researcher said. The findings point towards the involvement of migratory birds, who could carry the resistance in the gut and transfer it to the Arctic soil through faecal matter. “However, it is also possible that it may have migrated with humans and spread via local wildlife, or it may be a combination of factors,” the scientist explained.

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Whistle-blower makes fresh charges in Fortis matter •

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The Fortis Hospitals matter, in which the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) ordered the company to refund over Rs. 400 crore in December 2018, has taken a new turn, with the regulator receiving a complaint alleging that the real beneficiaries of the money were some of the top officials managing different businesses of the Religare Group. Initially, the money was believed to have moved from the listed entity to a subsidiary and thereafter to three borrower entities. This assumes significance as the SEBI probe that was initiated in February 2018 was based on reports that the promoters of Fortis Healthcare took out Rs. 500 crore from the company.

More than 4 lakh children are inhalant addicts: survey •

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Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Chattisgarh and Arunachal Pradesh have emerged front runners in alcohol abuse and health complications arising due to the addiction, according to a survey conducted by the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi. The survey report, which was submitted to the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, noted that 5.7 crore people in the country suffered from alcohol-related problems. 79 | Page

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Of the 16 crore people who consumed alcohol across the country, prevalence of alcohol consumption was 17 times higher among men than among women. More than 4 lakh children and 18 lakh adults needed help for inhalant abuse and dependence, the report said. The survey also revealed that about 3.1 crore individuals consumed cannabis, with 72 lakh of them needing help for cannabis use problems. Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Odisha registered maximum cannabis dependence. The most common opioid used was heroin. The current use of heroin was 1.14%, followed by pharmaceutical opioids (0.96%) and opium (0.52%). The abuse was found most prevalent in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana. The Ministry for Social Justice and Empowerment maintained that a national guideline would be formulated after detailed consultation with all stakeholders to counter the drug menace in the country.

Standard mediclaim policy on the cards, guidelines to be framed •

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The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has set in motion the process of formulating guidelines for a Standard Health Product that it wants all general and health insurance companies to offer. The Standard Mediclaim Policy, followed by the name of the insurer concerned, as the product would be called, will have a minimum basic sum insured of Rs. 50,000 and a maximum limit of Rs. 10 lakh. It will be for those above 18 years of age with the maximum age at entry of 65 years. With health products differing significantly in terms of their benefits, it is essential that potential customers need to have access to a basic health insurance cover. This would enable them to choose the coverage based on the need, IRDAI said, inviting suggestions from stakeholders on the draft guidelines. Dependent child/children aged upto 25 years are to be covered under the policy. Expenses incurred on treatment under Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH) systems of medicines would be covered as well as those on pre and post hospitalisation medical expenses subject to certain conditions, the proposed guideline said. Wellness incentives are to be offered as part of the proposed policy. 80 | Page

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GS II: SOCIAL – SCHEMES PM-KISAN: Aadhaar must for second instalment •

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Farmers who wish to avail themselves of benefits under PM-KISAN, the new income support scheme announced in the Union Budget, must have Aadhaar identification to get the money from the second instalment, which would be paid by July 2019. However, this would not be compulsory for the first instalment expected to be disbursed by March 31, before the Lok Sabha polls. In a letter to the Chief Secretaries of all States and Union Territories, Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal spelt out guidelines for the States, which would have to do the lion’s share of work in actual implementation of the scheme, especially since the first transfer is due in less than two months. States have been told to prepare a database of beneficiaries — small and marginal landholder farmer families in all villages — including whether they belong to SC/ST, bank account, mobile and Aadhaar details. The situation is complicated in the northeastern States, as land ownership rights in the region are community-based, making it difficult to identify beneficiaries. An alternate implementation mechanism would be developed by a committee including the State governments, as well as the Union Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, Land Resources ministry and Agriculture ministry, the official wrote. States would be given a maximum of 0.25% of funds transferred to beneficiaries in the first instalment to pay for their administrative expenses in the implementation of the scheme. That amount would drop to 0.125% for all further instalments.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 SOCIAL 4) WOMEN & CHILDREN Bihar shelter home abuse case shifted to Delhi •

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The Supreme Court transferred the trial of the Muzaffarpur shelter home abuse case to Delhi, besides ordering the presence of the former Interim Director of the CBI, M. Nageswara Rao, in connection with the transfer of the lead CBI officer investigating the case in violation of an embargo from the court. A Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, ordered Mr. Rao and other officials concerned to be present on February 12 to explain the transfer of A.K. Sharma to the Central Reserve Police Force in January 2019 without the court’s permission. The Chief Justice said the transfer amounted to prima facie contempt of court. Meanwhile, the Bench, comprising Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjeev Khanna, directed the POCSO court at Saket in the national capital to complete the Muzzafarpur case trial in six months.

60% children adopted in India between 2015 and 2018 are girls • • • • •

India may have a skewed gender ratio, but the female child happens to be the first choice when it comes to adoption. The number of female children placed for in-country adoptions and inter-country adoptions between 2015 and 2018 are relatively higher than male children. During this period, about 11,649 children were put up for in-country adoptions; of them 6,962 were girls and 4,687 were boys. Female children comprise almost 60% of all in-country adoptions. When it came to inter-country adoptions, the number of female children was even higher: 69%.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Centre launches panic button on mobiles • •

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The government launched the panic button feature on mobile phones for safety of women and other emergency services across 16 States and Mumbai. The initiative was opened jointly by Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi nearly three years after the government first made the safety feature a mandatory requirement in phones through a gazette notification. In order to access an emergency service, such as police, medical and other services, a user can dial 112 from any phone. A smartphone user can also press the power button thrice in quick succession and a user of a basic or feature phone can long press 5 or 9 on the key pad. One can also download the 112 mobile application. Once a user presses the panic button, five calls will be made to emergency number 112 as well as call log details and the geo location of the victim will be sent by SMSes and emails to police officials at the State, district and local level. The panic button facility, also known as the Emergency Response Support System, is being supported under the Nirbhaya Fund set up for safety of women.

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Bench reserves orders on Sabarimala review petitions •

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A Constitution Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, reserved for orders a series of petitions seeking re-consideration of a Supreme Court judgment that lifted the bar on menstruating women from worshipping at the Sabarimala temple in Kerala. A total of 65 petitions challenged the authority of the court to intervene in a centuries-old belief that the Sabarimala deity is a ‘Naishtika Brahmachari’, whose penance should not be disturbed by the entry of women worshippers of the menstruating age of 10-50. Senior advocate Indira Jaising, representing Bindu and Kanakadurga, who fought the odds to enter the temple premises, said it was the fundamental duty of citizens under Article 51A (h) of the Constitution to “develop scientific temper, humanism, spirit of enquiry and reform.” That is what the Supreme Court judgment urges citizens to do. The majority judgment in September 2018 concluded that the exclusion of menstruating women was akin to treating them as the children of a “lesser God”. It said that exclusion, especially based on a biological attribute, amounted to untouchability, an abolished social evil. The Nair Service Society, represented by veteran lawyer K. Parasaran, sought a review of the verdict on the ground that the exclusion was not based on gender or sex, but on religious faith in and character of the deity. “What is the effect of your Sabarimala judgment? It is a mandamus given to a particular religious community that you shall not hold this belief,” said senior advocate Shekhar Naphade. 88 | Page

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“Hinduism is the most diverse religion on planet Earth. And here, you want to allow only practices or customs which are ‘universally ethical’ to all Hindus? Is it possible? Surely, that’s not the right approach to take in such a diverse religion,” Mr. Singhvi said. But the Kerala government countered the review petition, saying courts can set aside religious practices which violated fundamental rights like dignity of women. “The touchstone of our Constitution is ‘you will not discriminate or exclude’”, senior advocate Jaideep Gupta submitted for the State. Lastly, advocate P.V. Dinesh for two other Kerala-based women who filed a contempt of court petition, asked the court: “If it is believed that a 10-year-old girl child can breach the naishtika brahmacharyam of a God, then a child is being portrayed as a sexual object!”

Period. It’s time to carry an Oscar •

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She may not have climbed on to the stage at Hollywood’s Dolby theatre but Guneet Monga was one of the rare executive producers of Period. End of Sentence to have got a loud shoutout from its filmmakers Rayka Zehtabchi and Melissa Berton on winning the award for best documentary (short) at the 91st Academy Awards. Monga and the 26-minute documentary set in Kathi Khera village in Hapur have been India’s big connect at the Oscars this year. Period. End of Sentence is about a low-cost sanitary pad-making machine — the creation of Arunachalam “Pad Man” Muruganantham — setting off a revolution of sorts in the U.P. village. The documentary shows how in Kathi Khera village in Uttar Pradesh, local women, deprived of affordable pads, don’t just find steady income and empowerment by making their own brand called Fly but also end up getting access to the feminine hygiene product themselves. Period is an end of a sentence but not a girl’s education. This was how the Oscar-winning Period. End of Sentence got to be made: Ten teenaged girls from Oakwood School, North Hollywood, had read that girls in rural Indian schools drop out because of periods. 89 | Page

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They raised $3,000 to donate a pad-making machine, with the help of GLI (Girls Learn International), an NGO in Los Angeles, and Action India, Delhi. Later, they decided to make a short film on the effort, to spread the message further. This is the second film set in India, after Megan Mylan’s Smile Pinki (2008), to have won the best documentary short Oscar. Mylan’s documentary was also set in U.P. — Rampur Dahaba village in Mirzapur, near Varanasi.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 NIA questions couple via WhatsApp • •

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In a first, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) questioned an Indian couple currently in Yemen through the messaging platform WhatsApp. Shirin Shahana and Fasal Musthafa, who allegedly persuaded Hadiya (Akhila Asokan), a homeopathy student from Kerala, to convert to Islam, were recently sent questions by the agency. A senior NIA official said the agency recorded the replies as part of their investigation files. In 2016, Ms. Hadiya’s father had moved the Kerala High Court alleging that she was radicalised and forcibly married to a Muslim man. The Kerala High Court annulled the marriage and her husband Shafin Jahan moved the Supreme Court, which asked the NIA to investigate the case. The apex court restored Ms. Hadiya’s marriage to Mr. Jahan in March 2018, but allowed the NIA to continue its investigation into any criminality involved. It asked the agency to steer clear of Ms. Hadiya’s choice to marry Mr. Jahan. The NIA said it had not closed the investigations in the case and it would continue the work. In a status report to the Supreme Court in 2018, it said the agency had evidence that Ms. Hadiya was “brainwashed in difficult academic conditions to embrace Islam” by the couple.

‘Plot is the vilest by state against citizens’ •

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Anand Teltumbde, a member of the faculty at the Goa Institute of Management and a former MD of Petronet India, termed the charges against him and his abrupt arrest for several hours by the Pune police as part of a larger conspiracy against intellectuals and people fighting for democratic rights. “This is the vilest post-independence plot by the state against its own citizens,” Prof. Teltumbde said during a media interaction. Prof. Teltumbde, who was arrested at the Mumbai airport by the Pune police morning, was released hours later by a Pune special court, which took the police to task for detaining the academic despite a clear Supreme Court directive protecting him from arrest till February 11. 93 | Page

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Describing the term ‘urban Naxal’ as a bogey created by the authorities to silence those who have the courage to speak against government policies, Prof. Teltumbde said, “There is nothing like urban Maoist; the nomenclature is also a deceptive one.” Prof. Teltumbde has been charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for allegedly being part of a conspiracy that led to the violence at Bhima Koregaon in January 2018. He said that he had been in Pune for a wedding during the Elgar Parishad, but did not participate in it due to ideological differences. “Their accusation is that the Elgar Parishad led to the violence... despite my being critical of the event, they are accusing me of being part of the programme.” he said wryly.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 NSA invoked against three men accused of cow slaughter in M.P. • • •

Authorities in Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone district have invoked the stringent National Security Act against three persons accused of killing a cow near Kharkhali village. The incident took place three days after the newly elected Congress government decided to open 1,000 gaushalas for stray cattle in the State over the next four months. The police informed the district administration about the incident, which asked it to slap NSA against the accused.

NSA slapped on two in M.P. for ‘illegal’ cow transport •

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The authorities in district of Madhya Pradesh booked two men under the draconian National Security Act (NSA) for allegedly transporting cattle illegally and disrupting public peace, a police officer said. Earlier, the Congress-led government had invoked the NSA against three men accused of cow slaughter in Khandwa district.

Chidambaram says imposing NSA on cow smugglers wrong •

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Former Union minister P. Chidambaram said the recent case of the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh invoking the stringent National Security Act (NSA) against two men accused of alleged cattle smuggling was a mistake. Mr. Chidambaram, a former Home Minister, said the party leadership had communicated this to the State government in Bhopal.

7 get life term in Muzaffarnagar riots case •

Seven persons were sentenced to life imprisonment by a session court for killing two men. 95 | Page

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The incident is believed to have triggered the riots in U.P. in 2013 in which over 60 people were killed. A fine of Rs. 2,12,000 on each of the seven accused— Muzammil, Mujassim, Furkan, Nadeem, Janangir, Afzal and Iqbal — for killing Gaurav and Sachin on August 27, 2013, and rioting. The court said 80% of the fine will go to the family of the two men killed. This is the first case out of a total 57 in which the seven men were found guilty.

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The Supreme Court referred the contentious issue of minority status for Aligarh Muslim University to a seven-judge Constitution Bench. A Bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices L. Nageswara Rao and Sanjiv Khanna agreed that the issue of the varsity seeking minority status needed to be referred to a larger Bench. In April 2016, the NDA government had backed out of an appeal challenging Allahabad High Court’s 2006 order denying minority status to the historic university. Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi had then told the Supreme Court that the government was convinced that the 1967 Constitution Bench judgment in the Azeez Basha case, 1967, which held that AMU was not “established” by Muslims, still held sway. In the Azeez Basha case, the SC had denied the AMU protection under Article 30 of the Constitution. 96 | Page

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Article 30 provides minority communities the fundamental right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice. The verdict was criticised as AMU was not a party to the case and nor was it heard.

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Sedition charge a conspiracy: AMUSU •

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Students of Aligarh Muslim University alleged that the institution has been constantly under a series of attacks to create communal hatred and the recent sedition charge against 14 students is a part of a well-orchestrated conspiracy. At a public meeting on campus, AMUSU leaders said they would continue to boycott classes and protest peacefully until the charges levelled against the students in an FIR are withdrawn and Ajay Singh, a student and grandson of Dalveer Singh, BJP MLA from Barauli in Aligarh, is rusticated for allegedly spoiling communal harmony on campus. Mr. Ajay had recently given the university authorities a 15-day deadline to build a temple on the campus. On February 12, the district president of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, Mukesh Lodhi, had lodged an FIR claiming that he was attacked by some AMU students who were chanting “anti-India” slogans.

SC to hear plea for protection to Kashmiris from attacks •

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The Supreme Court agreed to hear a petition seeking protection for Kashmiris, especially students, from public harassment and attacks in the aftermath of the Pulwama suicide bombing. The petitioner sought a direction to “forthwith take steps to prevent threats, assaults, violent attacks, social boycotts, ostracism, evictions and other coercive acts committed by groups and mobs against Kashmiris and other minorities, particularly in the wake of the Pulwama attack.” At least 300 students studying in colleges in Uttarakhand fled to Jammu and Delhi following large-scale evictions from campuses and hostels, The Hindu reported. The Jammu and Kashmir administration confirmed that a large number of distress calls had been received from students in Uttarakhand. The court may also hear a PIL plea filed by Vineet Dhanda seeking an independent probe led by a retired apex court judge into the Pulwama attack. Mr. Dhanda wants the apex court to set up the judicial commission to investigate any lapses at the local level and probe the “role played by Indian nationals in helping the terrorists from Pakistan in executing” the Pulwama attack.

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The petitioner has also sought an appropriate direction to the Centre to submit a “detailed report regarding the action taken against the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leaders who are actively involved in anti-national activities.” The plea also wants a direction to freeze the accounts belonging to the APHC and its leaders and submit an action taken report before the apex court.

Rajya Sabha clears law removing leprosy as ground for divorce •

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Parliament passed the Personal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2018 to remove leprosy as a ground for divorce in five personal laws — Hindu Marriage Act, Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act, Divorce Act (for Christians), Special Marriage Act and the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act. However, consensus eluded on the Consumer Protection Bill which the government sought to push. The Consumer Protection Bill 2018 would replace the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.

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Ensure safety of Kashmiris, orders SC •

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The Supreme Court firmly directed the Centre, the Chief Secretaries and the police chiefs of several States to ensure that Kashmiris and minority communities, especially students, are protected from any backlash in the aftermath of the February 14 Pulwama terror attack. A Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, issued notice and ordered the Chief Secretaries and police chiefs across several sensitive States to be proactive to nip any efforts by mobs to take the law into their hands. State police chiefs have been asked to direct officers to take prompt action on complaints. The Supreme Court, in its order, also provided the contact details of nodal officers in 35 States and Union Territories. These officers are charged with protecting Kashmiris and minorities in their respective jurisdictions. The petition referred to incidents of violence against these communities in the States of Bihar, Chattisgarh, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. Attorney-General K.K. Venugopal, for the Centre, informed the court about an advisory sent out to the States and Union Territories on February 16 to thwart violence against vulnerable groups after the Pulwama incident. Mr. Venugopal said the Centre could only go so far as law and order is a State subject. The court took a leaf from its July 2018 judgment, wherein the court had said that “horrendous acts of mobocracy” threaten the country’s “pluralistic social fabric”.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 A memorial to remember Odisha’s witch-hunt victims • • • •

A memorial for witch-hunt victims may sound odd, but the Odisha police have chosen this innovative way to sensitise people to shun the heinous practice. The witch-hunt victims’ memorial, said to be the first of its kind in the country, was opened to the public in the district headquarter town of Keonjhar. While it has a symbolic statue in memory of all the innocents who were killed after being branded as witch, the names of the victims have been etched on a granite stone. “The inhuman practice of witch-hunting prevails in several States, including Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Assam, mainly in the tribal areas. The social evil has long vanished from most parts of the world, barring India and some African countries,” said Keonjhar Superintendent of Police Jai Narayan Pankaj.

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‘Expedite implementation of Forest Rights Act’ •

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The Odisha State Food Commission has again asked the State government to expedite implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006, that would help ensure food and nutritional security to the vulnerable section of society. In a letter addressed to all Collectors, OSFC chairperson Ranglal Jamuda pointed out that “out of 4,25,563 IFR titles distributed till December 2018, demarcation of land has been completed in respect of 2,99,471 titles representing 70.37% of the total titles.

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Lakhs of forest dwellers face eviction •

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A recent Supreme Court order may lead to the eviction of lakhs of persons belonging to the Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFDs) categories across 21 States — their claim as forest dwellers have been rejected under the Forest Rights Act of 2006. A three-judge Bench of Justices Arun Mishra, Navin Sinha and Indira Banerjee on February 13 had ordered the Chief Secretaries of many of these States to evict those whose claims as forest dwellers have been finally rejected under the law. The court directed that the eviction should be carried out on or before July 24, 2019, that is, the next date of hearing. The Bench, in a 19-page order, cautioned the States that if the evictions are not carried out within the stipulated time, “the matter would be viewed seriously.” The court ordered the States’ Chief Secretaries to also file affidavits by July 12, explaining why the rejected claimants were not evicted even after their claims were junked. The court ordered the Forest Survey of India (FSI) to make a satellite survey and place on record the “encroachment positions.” It directed FSI to also place on record the position “after the eviction as far as possible.” Section 6 of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act of 2006 shows a multi-layered and hierarchical procedure for recognition or rejection of forest-dweller claims starting at the gram sabha level with multiple appellate committees at the State level. 104 | Page

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The Act is intended to provide a framework to “recognise and vest the forest rights and occupation in forest land in forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers who have been residing in such forests for generations but whose rights could not be recorded.”

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 SC eviction order only against encroachers •

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The February 13 order of the Supreme Court to several States to evict lakhs of claimants finally rejected under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006, is an outcome of the consistent stand taken by the top court in the case since 2016 that encroachers should be evicted from forest land after due process. On January 29, 2016, a three-judge Bench of Justices J. Chelameswar (now retired), A.M. Sapre and Amitava Roy (retired) held that “if the claim is found to be not tenable by the competent authority, the result would be that the claimant is not entitled for the grant of any patta or any other right under the Act, but such a claimant is also either required to be evicted from that parcel of land or some other action is to be taken in accordance with law.” Two years later, on March 7, 2018, an apex court Bench of Justices Madan B. Lokur, Kurian Joseph (both retired) and Deepak Gupta again sought information from the States concerned about the “action taken against those claimants whose claims have been rejected” and “the status of eviction of those claimants whose claims have been rejected and the total area from which they have been evicted”, among other directions. The February 13 order was a follow-up of these two orders. All three orders are based on a writ petition jointly filed by NGOs Wildlife First, Nature Conservation Society and Tiger Research and Conservation Trust, in 2008. The three orders — 2016, 2018 and 2019 — passed by the Supreme Court do not question the threetier verification process which forest rights claims undergo under the 2006 Act. The process of verification of the claims of forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFD) is initiated by none other than the gram sabha. The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Rules of 2007 mandate that the gram sabha should have adequate representation from the Scheduled Tribes, particularly vulnerable tribal groups and pre-agricultural communities. An appeal would lie with the sub-divisional level committee against the gram sabha’s decision. A second appeal can be filed with the district level committee. It is these “finally rejected” claims that the SC is bothered about. It has not interfered with genuine titles.

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The Centre filed an application urging the Supreme Court to modify its February 13 order directing the eviction of thousands of Scheduled Tribes (STs) and other traditional forest dwellers whose claims for forest land rights have been rejected under the Forest Rights Act of 2006. 106 | Page

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Solicitor General Tushar Mehta made an urgent oral mention of the applications before the Bench led by Justice Arun Mishra, which had passed the February 13 order. The Bench agreed to hear the case on February 28. In its application, the Centre said the claims of lakhs of forest-dwelling STs and other traditional forest dwellers had been rejected by the States without observing due process of law. Referring to its letter of September 12, 2014, which speaks of the various injustices meted out to the tribal populations and forest dwellers in States hit by left wing extremism, the Centre said such States also have high tribal populations. The forest land claims of these tribes and forest dwellers, who live off the forest, are mostly rejected by the States. Being poor and illiterate people who live in remote areas, they do not know the appropriate procedure for filing claims, the government submitted. The gram sabhas, which initiate the verification of their claims, are low on awareness about how to deal with these claims and rejection orders are not even communicated to the forest-dwelling STs and communities. The Centre said the 2014 letter had not produced any change on the ground and had been followed by a series of letters in 2015 highlighting issues like “high rate of rejection of claims, noncommunication of rejection order, unrealistic timelines in deciding claims, irregular holding of State Level Monitoring Committee meetings, lack of support from the district administration concerned in providing revenue or forest maps, rejection of claims despite incomplete or insufficient evidence, etc. “It was requested that technology such as satellite imagery may be used for consideration of claims,” the Centre had suggested to the States in one of the letters. But no efforts seem to have been taken by the State governments to remedy the situation to effectively implement the 2006 Act, the Centre indicated. “It is uncertain whether the data furnished by the State governments accurately indicates whether the rejection orders were passed after observance of due process of law; compliance with principles of natural justice and whether appeal mechanisms have been properly exhausted. Without such information and compliance with the mandate of law in letter and spirit, the eviction of such tribals, would amount to serious miscarriage of justice,” the Centre argued.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 SOCIAL 6) UNREST Challenge to Ayodhya Act posted before SC Bench •

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The Supreme Court referred to the Ayodhya Bench a plea challenging the validity of the Ayodhya Act, 1993, under which the Centre acquired 67.703 acres of land, including the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid premises and adjacent areas. “List it before that Bench,” a Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, directed. Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, for the Muslim side in the Ayodhya title suit appeals, said the issue raised in the petition had already been decided by a Constitution Bench in the 1994 Ismail Faruqui verdict. The present petition has been filed despite the fact that the Constitution Bench, in its 1994 judgment in the Ismail Faruqui case, had upheld the validity of the Ayodhya Act, except for sub-section (3) of Section 4 which mandates the abatement of “all pending suits and legal proceedings without providing for an alternative dispute resolution mechanism for resolution of the dispute between the parties.” The petitioners claimed that the 1993 Act infringed on the right to religion of Hindus guaranteed and protected under Article 25 (freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion) of the Constitution. The plea sought the court’s direction restraining the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government from interfering in “puja, darshan and performance of rituals at the places of worship situated within the land measuring 67.703 acres acquired under the Act, particularly the land belonging to Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas, Manas Bhavan, Sankat Mochan Mandir, Ram Janmasthan Temple, Janki Mahal and Katha Mandap.” Recently, the Centre had moved an application seeking leave to return the superfluous excess land acquired adjacent to the disputed area to its rightful owners after mapping the extent of acreage required to provide easy access and enjoyment of the RJBM area to the ultimate winner of the title dispute appeals pending in the apex court.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 SC pitches for mediation in Ayodhya case •

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A five-judge Constitution Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, has proposed a court-monitored mediation process between the Hindu and Muslim parties litigating the Ayodhya dispute, asserting that both sides ought to give it a try even if there was only a “1% chance of success.” Adopting a two-pronged approach, the Bench pitched the healing touch that an out-of-court settlement could provide, even as it went ahead with the preparations to finally hear the Ayodhya title suit appeals that have been pending in the court for almost nine years. Justice S.A. Bobde explained that the mediation, if undertaken, would be confidential and courtmonitored and would last eight weeks. Observing that the dispute was “much more” than a mere property dispute and had dragged on for decades, the Bench said mediation might result in a permanent resolution. The eight-week period is also the time given to the Muslim parties to examine the accuracy and relevance of the Uttar Pradesh government’s official translation of thousands of pages of oral depositions and exhibits in the appeals. A shot at mediation under Section 89 of the Civil Procedure Code would hence be an “effective utilisation of time” during the interregnum, Chief Justice Gogoi observed. The court, however, deferred a decision on referring the dispute for ‘mediation’ to March 5. “We will pass orders then,” Justice Gogoi observed. The CJI also expressed the hope that mediation may help give a peaceful end to the volatile dispute between two faiths over the land where the Babri Masjid had once stood before it was demolished by kar sevaks on December 6, 1992.

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Hindutva and exclusion connected: Amartya •

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Expressing grave concern at the exclusionary thought guiding the ruling establishment, Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen said that “there is a connection between Hindutva psychology and exclusion.” He was speaking at the launch of a book — whose title is borrowed from his own phrase ‘A Quantum Leap in the Wrong Direction?’ — which aims to evaluate the promises and policies of the current BJP-led government. Professor Sen argued that the social inequality inherent in Hindutva translates into an acceptance of economic inequality also. “ “There is a kind of tolerance of inequality and tolerance of judging progress by what is happening to the most successful,” he added, pointing out that the richest 10% of the country are faring better than ever. The book argues that the government has failed to fulfil its poll slogan of “sabka saath, sabka vikas”, and has also suppressed the data which shows this failure. “The most problematic aspect of Hindutva is the issue of the treatment of lower castes and tribes. It’s not only that you can ignore some people, but that you identify who it is that you can ignore.”

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Two protesters were killed in firing by security forces and three others injured in Itanagar as protests over granting permanent resident certificates (PRCs) to six communities escalated. Protesters also vandalised and partly burnt down the house of Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, set ablaze a shopping complex owned by Environment and Forest Minister Nabam Rebia and a shopping mall owned by BJP leader Tame Phassang, apart from ransacking the office of the Capital Complex Deputy Commissioner and the Itanagar Police Station. Security forces opened fire when a section of protesters tried to attack the private residence of Chief Minister Pema Khandu near the Circuit House, leading to the death of two men. 110 | Page

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The protesters had also set a 5 p.m. deadline on 24 February 2019 for Mr. Khandu and Mr. Mein to resign for “betraying the indigenous communities”, and the transfer of Chief Secretary Satya Gopal. The current round of violence followed a 48-hour shutdown called by 18 indigenous groups protesting the State government’s decision granting PRC to six non-APST (Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribes) communities. Later, the Chief Secretary in a statement, said: “Considering the present situation... the State government has decided that no further action will be taken in grant of PRCs.”

SOCIAL 7) RESERVATION SC declines stay on 10% quota •

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The Supreme Court declined to stay the Constitution (103rd Amendment) Act, 2019, which provides a 10% reservation in government jobs and educational institutions for the economically backward in the unreserved category, but agreed to an early hearing of the challenge to the law. A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi consented to tagging a petition filed by businessman Tehseen Poonawalla, which seeks to have the Act quashed on the grounds that backwardness for the purpose of reservation cannot be defined by “economic status alone”, with other similar petitions filed earlier. Mr. Poonawala contends that the quota will be over and above the existing 50% reservation to SCs, STs and Other Backward Classes (OBCs). The law was passed by Parliament and received the President’s assent in January 2019. The Act amends Articles 15 and 16 of the Constitution by adding clauses empowering the government to provide reservation on the basis of economic backwardness. The petitions in the Supreme Court contend that the Act violates the basic features of the Constitution. The petitioners argue that the 50% ceiling limit on quota has been “engrafted as a part of the Basic Structure of the Constitution’s equality code” by the Supreme Court. The Bench has already issued notice on an earlier petition filed by Youth For Equality, which had contended that a nine-judge Constitution Bench in the Indira Sawhney case had already settled the law that economic backwardness cannot be the sole basis for reservation. The plea had argued that the Act was “vulnerable” and negates a binding judgment of the top court. 111 | Page

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The petitioners have contended that the amendments exclude the OBCs and the SC/ST communities from the scope of the economic reservation. They have alleged that the high creamy layer limit of Rs. 8 lakh a year ensures that the elite capture the reservation benefits.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Gujjar quota stir turns violent in Rajasthan •

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The Gujjar agitation in Rajasthan for 5% reservation in government jobs and educational institutions took a violent turn, as the protesters opened fire, torched vehicles and hurled stones on the police force in Dholpur district, 270 km east of Jaipur. The police lobbed teargas shells to disperse the mob.

Gujjar reservation demand • • • • • • • • • • •

Members of the Gujjar community are demanding 5 percent reservation under the Special Backwards Category (SBC). The Gujjars have been covered under the OBC category since 1994. However, in 2006, they demanded that their community be given reservations under the Scheduled Tribe category. After the Chopra Commission ruled that Gujjars cannot be covered under the ST category, they settled for 5 percent reservation under a new SBC category. But this crossed the 50 percent ceiling of reservations earmarked by the Supreme Court, and was eventually quashed by Rajasthan High Court. In 2008, the Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government had tabled a bill granting 5 percent reservation to Gujjars and four other communities under the SBC category. After the Rajasthan High Court stayed the bill, the ruling BJP tabled it again in September 2015. The Rajasthan High Court struck it down again in December 2016. An unyielding Rajasthan government again introduced a bill to raise the OBC quota from 21 percent to 26 percent, granting the additional 5 percent to Gujjars. This too was struck down by the high court on grounds of breaching the 50 percent ceiling for reservation. The current status of reservation in Rajasthan: Scheduled Caste – 16% Scheduled Tribe – 12 % Other Backward Classes (OBCs) – 21% Gujjars (Under Most Backward Class) – 1% Total – 50 %

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Gujjar stalemate continues in Rajasthan •

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Stalemate over the ongoing Gujjar agitation in Rajasthan demanding reservation in government jobs and education continued after the State government issued a notification to enforce the Bill passed by the Assembly, which cleared 5% quota for Gujjars and four other nomadic communities. The Rajasthan Backward Classes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutes and of Appointments and Posts in Services) Amendment Bill, 2019, has amended an Act of 2017 and made a provision of 5% reservation to Gujjars and others, terming them “extremely backward classes”. A resolution passed by the State Assembly recommends the legislation's inclusion in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution and the government-issued notification to the agitators. Gujjars occupying the Delhi-Mumbai railway tracks in Sawai Madhopur district said they were studying all aspects of the Bill and would take a decision on calling off the agitation only after being satisfied with the “legislation's strength”. Kirori Singh Bainsla, who is leading the agitation, said the stir would be called off only after the community is satisfied the statute will withstand judicial scrutiny. “We are simple people. We don't want to get involved in litigation at a later stage. We have faced it earlier when the previous Acts were challenged in the courts,” Col (retd.) Bainsla said.

Doctors, CAs, among BPL cardholders •

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A cross-verification of database available with the Telangana Agriculture department to identify beneficiaries of the Prime Minister’s Kisan Samman Nidhi (PMKSN) at gram sabhas in villages has revealed stunning details. About 7,000 Telangana government employees, 3,000 pensioners, doctors, advocates, chartered accountants, ex-MPs, MLAs and Ministers were found to be in possession of white ration cards issued to below-poverty-line (BPL) families in the past. A senior official said it might not be the intention of such people to get subsidised ration from fair price shops but just have white cards to utilise government schemes like Aarogyasri and double bedroom housing.

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SOCIAL 8) MEDIA Govt. diktat may cost privacy in WhatsApp •

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The Indian government’s proposal to make it mandatory for online platforms to trace the origin of unlawful messages is ‘overbroad’ and given the end-to-end encryption that we provide, it will require WhatsApp to re-architect the product into one without privacy, a spokesperson for the instant messaging app said. The firm, however, did not elaborate on the plans for India, its largest market with over 200 million users, if the proposal is accepted. The Facebook-owned instant messaging platform has said on multiple occasions that it would not comply with the government’s demand as it would undermine the privacy of WhatsApp users. The government, on the other hand, said that it did not want WhatsApp to decrypt and read messages, but insisted that it should be able to trace the origin of messages that lead to serious crimes. WhatsApp, which has 1.5 billion monthly active users, bans about 2 million accounts every month.

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House panel summons Twitter head on Feb. 25 •

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The Parliamentary panel on Information Technology has summoned Twitter head Jack Dorsey to appear before it on February 25 and refused to meet “junior officials” of the microblogging site during its meeting on February 11, 2019. After the meeting on ‘Safeguarding citizens rights on social/ online news media platforms’, the committee’s chairman and BJP MP Anurag Thakur said the Twitter head and senior officials have been “summoned” to appear before it on February 25. The panel passed a unanimous resolution that Mr. Dorsey should make himself available to show the “company’s seriousness in safeguarding rights of Indian citizens online”, sources said. As per the resolution, the panel would hear only the CEO or a senior member of the firm’s global team “who has decision making authority regarding Twitter’s operations in India,” they added.

Minister promises to get TikTok banned •

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TikTok, a popular Chinese-developed mobile phone application that allows users to shoot and share 15-second videos with lip-sync set to popular film songs and dialogues among others, is being seen as a “cultural” and “law and order” threat by a section of politicians in Tamil Nadu. PMK leader S Ramadoss sought a ban complaining that many users were uploading “suggestive sexual dance choreography”. An MLA raised the issue saying people, regardless of age groups, were getting “addicted” to the application. Another MLA said the government could not sit in judgment over what defined obscenity. It would amount to cultural policing.

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A scathing British parliamentary report referred to Facebook as a “digital gangster” that failed to fight the spread of fake news and violated data privacy. 117 | Page

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Lawmakers’ 18-month investigation into technology companies and disinformation also accused the world’s largest social media platform of trying to hide the extent of Russian interference in foreign elections. Parliamentary committee chair Damian Collins said Facebook “deliberately sought to frustrate our work by giving incomplete, disingenuous and at times misleading answers to our questions”. Facebook co-founder and chief Mark Zuckerberg turned down three requests to appear before the committee. “Companies like Facebook should not be allowed to behave like ‘digital gangsters’ in the online world, considering themselves to be ahead of and beyond the law,” the 108-page report said. The committee urged a compulsory code of ethics for all tech companies that would be overseen by an independent U.K. regulator. It said Facebook should be obliged to take down “sources of harmful content”. “We further recommend that the Government launches an independent investigation into past elections — including the U.K. election of 2017, the U.K. Referendum of 2016, and the Scottish Referendum of 2014 — to explore what actually happened with regard to foreign influence,” the report said. The committee had earlier found that Facebook’s engineers had flagged potentially malicious Russian activity as early as 2014 — long before it became public.

VII. ECONOMY 1) INDICATORS ‘Unemployment data based on draft report’ • • • • •

The government’s think tank NITI Aayog debunked claims of a news report that unemployment in 2017-18 was at a 45-year high. The NITI Aayog said the report of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), cited as the source for the report, was in fact a draft and not approved by the government. A report in the Business Standard, which cited the NSSO’s periodic labour force survey — that is yet to be released — said the unemployment rate was 6.1% in 2017-18. The only year of comparable data when the unemployment rate was higher was in 1972-73. It was at 2.2% in 2011-12.

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The NSSO report is a matter of much controversy, with the two external members of the National Statistical Commission citing the delay in its release as a major reason for their resignations on 28 January 2019. The data reportedly showed that joblessness was higher in urban India (7.8%) than in rural India (5.3%). Within this, it stood at 17.4% for rural males and 13.6% for rural females. In urban India, joblessness was at 18.7% among males and a huge 27.2% among females. Importantly, the data reportedly showed that the labour force participation rate (LFPR), the measure of people working or looking for jobs, declined from 39.5% in 2011-12 to 36.9% in 2017-18. This phenomenon — of unemployment rising while the LFPR dipped — is a cause for serious worry, experts say, explaining that it probably shows that people are simply giving up on finding jobs and have stopped seeking work.

Twitter told to ensure no interference in election • • • • •

A parliamentary committee, headed by BJP MP Anurag Thakur, asked Twitter to ensure that Indian elections were not undermined and influenced by foreign entities. The Standing Committee on Information and Technology had summoned Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, but he skipped the meeting for the second time in a row. The committee has given 10 days to reply, in writing, to questions posed by the members. The committee will meet next on March 6, and officials of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram have been invited for this meeting. The message to the micro-blogging site was in an apparent reference to complaints of interference by social media platforms in the U.S. elections, the sources said.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 ‘No unemployment data post-demonetisation’ • • • • •

There is no data available on unemployment subsequent to the period of demonetisation, Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar told Parliament, in a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha. More than a third of the questions asked by Members of Parliament to the Labour Ministry were related to unemployment data. The Ministry held firmly to citing Labour Bureau surveys on unemployment, for which the latest data available is pre-demonetisation. According to this data, the unemployment rate in 2015-16 was 3.7%, Mr. Gangwar said. Asked why the Labour Bureau’s Quarterly Employment Surveys have been put on hold, he said that a committee under the chairmanship of former MoSPI secretary T.C.A. Anant had submitted a report examining the current relevance of these surveys and that the report was being studied.

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Labour Bureau files MUDRA job report •

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The Labour Bureau has completed its survey on employment generated by the MUDRA loan scheme, giving the Centre a potential data tool to combat other reports showing a dismal scenario on jobs. It submitted the report to the Labour Ministry. The Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana was introduced in April 2015 as an effort to extend affordable credit to micro and small enterprises. Loans up to Rs. 10 lakh are extended to these non-corporate, non-farm enterprises by the Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency (MUDRA) through last-mile financial institutions. So far, 15.56 crore loans worth a total of Rs. 7.23 lakh crore have been disbursed. 121 | Page

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The Labour Bureau’s completed report on MUDRA loans has now been submitted to the Centre at a time when it is taking flak for not releasing the results of the National Sample Survey Organisation’s periodic labour force survey. According to reports, a leaked copy of the NSSO’s findings showed that unemployment hit a 45year high of 6.1% in 2017-18. Central government ministers and officials have already attempted to use the MUDRA scheme’s performance to combat criticism based on the leaked NSSO job survey report. Some economists, however, have advised caution in the interpretation of MUDRA data, especially as it relates to jobs. “Every new loan certainly doesn’t imply creation of a new job,” ICRIER fellow Radhicka Kapoor, wrote in a working paper titled ‘Waiting for Jobs’. “It is improbable that these loans are being given to those who were formerly unemployed. They are more likely being given to people who are moving to self employment from other jobs resulting in no new net job creation.” Further, she asserted: “Given that the average size of the loan disbursed under MUDRA is quite small, it is unlikely that the loan seekers are providing a job to anyone other than themselves.”

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Govt. revises up GDP growth to 7.2% • • •

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The government revised its GDP growth forecast for 2017-18 to 7.2% from the earlier estimate of 6.7%. It revised the actual growth rate in 2016-17 to 8.2% from 7.1%. The revisions were made by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation in its First Revised Estimates of National Income, Consumption Expenditure, Saving and Capital Formation, 2017-18. These revisions have been criticised by economists, who say the numbers do not match with the ground realities. This is especially the case in the demonetisation year of 2016-17, which shows a strong growth in sectors that were widely agreed to have been badly hit by the exercise. “For 2016-17, this hike of 1.1 percentage points in GDP growth comes as a surprise because it was the demonetisation year,” D.K. Srivastava, chief policy adviser at EY India, said. “If you look at the demand side, the main factor for this is the increase in private final consumption expenditure, which has also increased 1 percentage point. That is inconsistent with the idea of people having less cash to make purchases.” He further said the main driver of the upward revision on the output side in 2016-17 was the construction sector, which has been revised upwards by 4.7 percentage points. “Construction is also a sector which has a large informal sector component and all earlier analyses had indicated that demonetisation adversely affected the informal sectors,” Mr. Srivastava said. “So that is also a surprise.” Looking at 2017-18, analysts say the government’s explanation does not hold water because the two main drivers of the upward revision — the mining and quarrying sector and the public administration sector — both have data that is compiled by the government itself and so should not have undergone such a vast revision. “It is not something we are able to explain,” Madan Sabnavis, Chief Economist at CARE Ratings, said. “The revisions where the growth rates are going up by 1 percentage point and 0.5 percentage points are difficult to reconcile with the ground-level facts.”

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Core sector grows slowest in 18 months • • •

Eight core sectors grew at their slowest pace in 18 months at 2.6% in December 2018 due to the fall in output of crude oil, refinery products and fertilizers, official data showed. The previous lowest expansion in output of these key sectors was recorded in June 2017 at 1%. The growth rate of the eight core infrastructure sectors — coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilizers, steel, cement and electricity — stood at 3.8% in December 2017.

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Manufacturing PMI rises to 53.9 in January •

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The country’s manufacturing sector activity edged higher in January 2019 as companies continued to scale up production and employment, driven by the fastest rise in factory orders since December 2017, a monthly survey said. The Nikkei India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) increased from 53.2 in December 2018 to 53.9 in January 2019, indicating stronger improvement in the health of the goods producing sector. This is the 18th consecutive month that the manufacturing PMI remained above the 50-point mark. In PMI parlance, a print above 50 means expansion, while a score below 50 denotes contraction. According to the survey, the increase in factory orders was the strongest seen in 13 months. Besides, favourable economic conditions, strengthening demand and sales growth also picked up in January.

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April-Dec. fiscal deficit at 112.4% of budget target •

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The fiscal deficit for the period April-December 2018 has touched 112.4% of the budget target of Rs. 6.24 lakh crore for the financial year 2018-19, data from the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) showed. In absolute figures, the fiscal deficit was at Rs. 7.01 lakh crore during April-December of this financial year. The situation, however, is marginally better than last year, where the fiscal deficit at the end of December 2017 was 113.6% of that year’s budget estimate. It should be noted, though, that the fiscal deficit came in at 3.5% for 2017-18 against a target of 3.2%. In the Interim Budget, the government said it would be missing its fiscal deficit target of 3.3% for this year as well. The fiscal deficit is expected to come in at 3.4%.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Fiscal deficit in Jan. at 121.5% of full-year target • • • • • • • •

Fiscal deficit widened in January 2019 to Rs.7.7 lakh crore, or 121.5% of the Budget Estimates for the full year, official data released showed. The fiscal deficit stood at Rs.7 lakh crore in the April-December 2018 period, which was 112.4% of the full year target. In 2018, the fiscal deficit in the April to January period was at 113.7% of the full year target. The fiscal deficit figure works out to 5.5% of GDP for the year as per the first advance estimate released by the government in January 2019, the latest data available. Finance Minister Piyush Goyal had in the Budget 2019-20 said that the fiscal deficit would come to 3.4% of GDP in 2018-19, marginally higher than the targeted 3.3%. The government’s total receipts were at Rs.12.30 lakh crore in the April to January period, which is 67.5% of the target for the year. This figure was 71.7% of the budget estimate during the same period in the previous year. The total expenditure during the period was Rs.20 lakh crore, which is 81.5% of the budgeted target for the full year.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Merchandise trade deficit widens to $14.73 bn in Jan. • •

India’s merchandise trade deficit widened to $14.73 billion in January 2019, largely driven by a strong growth in the import of gold and silver, official data released showed. The trade deficit stood at $13.08 billion in December 2018, and $15.67 billion last January 2018.

Govt. subsidy spend on the rise again •

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Rising LPG prices and higher subscribers have resulted in the government’s subsidy expenditure over the last two years reversing a declining trend established in the previous six years, an analysis of Budget documents shows. The data show that the government’s total expenditure on subsidies is expected to make up 9.83% of its total expenditure overall in 2019-20, according to the Budget estimate for the year, up from the 9.65% in the revised estimate for 2018-19. This increase might not seem significant by itself, but it becomes noteworthy when viewed against the backdrop of a consistent annual fall from 18.2% in 2012-13 to 8.15% in 2017-18. A deeper dive into the data shows that the reason for this reversal is the sharp rise in food and petroleum subsidies over the last two budgets of 2018-19 and 2019-20. Food subsidies increased to Rs. 1,71,298 crore in 2018-19, up a whopping 70.8% over its allocation in the previous year. Similarly, petroleum subsidies have been budgeted to increase a significant 50.9% in 2019-20 to Rs. 37,478 crore. While the increase in the food subsidy allocation is a reflection of the increase in the Minimum Support Prices hiked across the board, the reason behind the increase in the petroleum subsidy has to do in particular with the government’s focus on LPG as a source of cleaner cooking fuel. “LPG prices have been rising, and the number of subscribers has been increasing, so the subsidy amount will naturally increase.” According to data with the Indian Oil Corporation, subsidised LPG prices in Delhi have risen from Rs. 399.26 per 14.2 kg cylinder in June 2011 to Rs. 500.9 per cylinder in December 2018. The price of an unsubsidised cylinder was Rs. 809.50 in December, which means the subsidy was Rs. 308 a cylinder. And the Centre subsidises 12 cylinders a year per customer. The government has two major schemes in the LPG sector. PAHAL scheme, the first, involves direct cash transfers to LPG consumers for 12 numbers of 14.2 kg cylinders per year. The second scheme, the Ujjwala Yojana, seeks to give free LPG connections to poor households.

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Some suggest that Indian household expectations of inflation tend to be ‘adaptive.’ That is, when asked about inflation rates or expectations, households base their responses on past data, instead of sticking their neck out on how prices would move in future. But even if households base their inflation ‘predictions’ on past data, it isn’t clear why they have remained anchored to inflation rates that prevailed a good four years ago. Others critique the survey questions as being too complicated for laymen to grasp. Some flag the possibility that 5,800 respondents for this survey don’t really represent a broad cross-section of the population. This can certainly be true, as RBI’s survey is confined to urban respondents from 18 chosen cities while the CPI Combined captures the inflation experience in rural areas as well. Rural consumers are estimated to spend far more on food items than their urban counterparts. Food items, which have been deflating on collapsing crop prices, carry a weight of 54% in the CPI Rural index, but only 36% in the CPI Urban index. A third and very likely possibility is that the actual spending patterns of Indian households now bear very little resemblance to the weights assumed in the CPI index. Given that the current CPI series has 2012 as its base year, the weights that it assigns to different items of the household budget are based on spending patterns captured a good seven years ago. Recently, MPC member Ravindra Dholakia argued to replace this outdated method of fixedbase inflation indexing with a contemporary chain-weighted index. But if it turns out that Indian households are increasingly cutting back on their food budgets to splurge on housing, health, entertainment and education, an index rejig could actually bump up the official inflation rate. Overall, figuring out the reasons for the widening gap between perception and reality on consumer price inflation, is important for a government keen to convince the electorate that it has succeeded in taming the inflation monster. RBI needs to crack this puzzle too, to reassure the common man that its hawkish interest rate policies have done him some good.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 ECONOMY 2) POLICY Centre firm on FDI rules deadline • • • • •

The government said it would not be extending the deadline for implementation of the new rules governing FDI in e-commerce. The new rules will come into effect on 1 February, 2019 as per plan. arge e-commerce firms such as Amazon and Flipkart have repeatedly approached the Centre seeking either dilution of the rules or extension of the deadline. The new rules ban any firm that has any stake owned by an e-commerce company from selling on the platform run by that e-commerce company. Further, no company that has 25% or more of its purchases from an e-commerce group firm may sell on that firm’s platform.

Amazon removes many products from its India website •

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E-commerce rules that went into effect in India on 1 February 2019, caused widespread disruption for Amazon.com, forcing it to take down an array of items from its India website, including Echo speakers. In December 2018, India modified foreign direct investment (FDI) rules for its burgeoning ecommerce sector, which has drawn major bets from not only Amazon.com but also the likes of Walmart Inc., which last year bought a majority stake in homegrown e-commerce player Flipkart. India’s new e-commerce investment rules bar online retailers from selling products via vendors in which they have an equity interest, and also from making deals with sellers to sell exclusively on their platforms. Numerous items sold by vendors such as Cloudtail, in which Amazon holds an indirect equity stake, were no longer available on Amazon India site. Clothing from Indian department store chain Shopper’s Stop was also no longer available, as Amazon owns 5% percent of the company. Amazon’s own range of Echo speakers, its Presto-branded home cleaning goods and other Amazon Basics products such as chargers and batteries had also vanished from the website. 132 | Page

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Centre may relax angel tax norms for start-ups, sets up panel • • • • • •

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The government decided to set up a five-member working committee to look into the angel tax issue and come up with guidelines in one week. It also agreed to implement some key changes requested by start-ups regarding the issue. The ‘angel tax’, as it is commonly called, is a tax on the excess capital raised by an unlisted company through the issue of shares over and above the fair market value of those shares. This excess capital is treated as income and taxed accordingly. This tax most commonly affects start-ups and the angel investors who back them. According to a January 16, 2019 notification, start-ups whose aggregate amount of paid-up share capital and share premium after the proposed issue of share does not exceed Rs. 10 crore are eligible for exemption from the tax. During the meeting, officials representing the government agreed to raise this limit to Rs. 25 crore. They also agreed to amend the definition of a start-up to include companies that have been in operation for up to 10 years rather than the previous limit of 7 years. On the investor side, the notification had said that the angel investor should have filed income tax returns of at least Rs. 50 lakh for the year preceding the year in which the investment was made and have a net worth of Rs. 2 crore. This, according to a source who attended the meeting, would be modified to be Rs. 25 lakh and Rs. 1 crore, respectively. The government said the tax could not be scrapped as money laundering was a major problem with the existence of shell companies.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Startups to be listed for angel tax exemption •

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The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) agreed to compile a list of startups eligible for angel tax exemption, based on their audited financial statements and income tax returns of the previous year. The notification is likely be issued in a couple of days. The government also decided to raise the maximum time limit below which a firm would be deemed eligible for angel tax exemption to 10 years from the earlier 7, a member of the committee set up to look into the issue said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Further, the paid-up share capital threshold below which startups would be eligible for an exemption has been set at Rs. 25 crore. In cases where the investment exceeds Rs. 25 crore, the firms would be eligible for exemption if the angel investors can prove a net worth of Rs. 2 crore or more in the previous financial year. For investments below Rs. 25 crore, no questions would be asked. Angel tax is imposed on the excess share capital raised by an unlisted firm, over and above the fair market value of its shares. This tax usually impacts startups and the angel investments they attract. While aimed at curbing money-laundering, the angel tax has also resulted in a large number of genuine startups receiving notices from the IT Department.

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The notification said that an eligible start-up would be one that is registered with the government, has been incorporated for less than 10 years, and has a turnover that has not exceeded Rs. 100 crore over that period. “It is a positive move by the government,” Bhavin Shah, Financial Services Tax Leader at PwC India said. “This clarification would help in avoiding potentially significant tax challenges faced by startups. In order to register with the government as a start-up, the company will also have to make an online application to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). This application will have to be accompanied by a copy of the Certificate of Incorporation or Registration, a write-up about the nature of the business highlighting how it is working towards “innovation, development or improvement of products or processes or services, or its scalability in terms of employment generation or wealth creation.” Welcoming the move, the start-up community said some issues such as start-ups having already been sent tax notices, and the applicability of Section 68 of the I-T Act still remained and that they would take it up with the tax department. Once the signed declaration and documents are submitted to the DPIIT, the body will decide on the eligibility of the start-up and then communicate a list of eligible start-ups to the Central Board of Direct Taxes.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Relief for start-ups with tax notice •

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About 300 start-ups which had received tax payment orders due to issues related to ‘angel tax’ may soon get relief, as the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has asked industry representatives to submit the names and PAN details of all the affected start-ups. Though the government notified the new rules pertaining to angel tax that exempted registered start-ups of a specified size from the tax, and any scrutiny to do with its applicability, it did not address the issues of start-ups that had already received assessment orders. Once the list is handed over, the CBDT, which met industry representatives, may issue directives to its officers for “expeditious disposal of appeals.”

NPS: minimum assured return scheme on the cards • • •

Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) is working on a minimum assured return scheme (MARS) for subscribers of the National Pension System (NPS). The regulator is in the process of designing and developing MARS, according to a PFRDA document. Some aspects, including what kind of guarantee — absolute return guarantees or relative rate of return guarantees (sector and benchmark-based) — can be reasonably provided by the pension funds with recommendation of suitable proposals, need to be examined, the PFRDA said in the expression of interest.

Unregulated deposit schemes to be banned • •

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The Union Cabinet approved the official amendments to an Act that classifies any deposit scheme not registered with the government as an offence and bans it, the government announced. The Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill, 2018, pursuant to the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Finance, will prevent such schemes from duping poor and gullible people of their hard-earned savings. Among the provisions is one that bans deposit-takers from promoting, issuing advertisements or accepting deposits in any unregulated scheme. The principle is that the Bill would ban unregulated deposit-taking activities altogether, by making them an offence ex-ante rather than the existing legislative-cum-regulatory framework that only comes into effect ex-post with considerable time lags. The Bill creates three different types of offences: (i) running of unregulated deposit schemes, (ii) fraudulent default in regulated deposit schemes, and (iii) wrongful inducement in relation to unregulated deposit schemes. The government said the Bill provides for “severe punishment and heavy pecuniary fines” to act as a deterrent. Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said penalties could involve jail term as well as the sale of the offenders’ assets to pay back the defrauded party within set timelines. “The Bill has adequate provisions for disgorgement or repayment of deposits in cases where such schemes nonetheless manage to raise deposits illegally,” the release said.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Cabinet approves unified regulator for IFSCs •

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The Cabinet has approved the setting up of a unified authority that would regulate all the financial services in International Financial Services Centres (IFSC), such as the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) in Gandhinagar. This is to be done through the International Financial Services Centres Authority Bill, 2019. An IFSC is aimed at encouraging Indian companies that are conducting business in foreign financial centres such as London and Singapore, to bring that business to India by providing them with a global-standard regulatory and business environment. “Currently, the banking, capital markets and insurance sectors in IFSCs are regulated by multiple regulators, i.e. RBI, SEBI and IRDAI,” it added.

‘Time for independent debt management office’ •

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NITI Aayog vice chairman Rajiv Kumar made a strong case for setting up of an independent debt management office outside the purview of Reserve Bank of India, saying it was “an idea whose time has come.” The idea of a Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA) was proposed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his February 2015 Budget speech, though it has not yet been implemented. “... It is important for this particular office to be separate, because then you can pay much more attention on public debt management. That will help the government bring down cost of its debt,” Mr. Kumar said. At present, the government debt, including market borrowing, is managed by the Reserve Bank of India.

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States allocation: panel sticks to 2011 census • • •

The 15th Finance Commission will not alter its approach on solely using the 2011 Census for population figures in its calculations for allocations to States, Chairman N.K. Singh said. However, he added that other measures would be included that would ensure that States that have performed well by controlling population growth would not be penalised. The Chairman, however, said the Commission had not yet finalised whether it would be altering the previous Commission’s recommendation that 42% of the Centre’s tax revenue be shared with the States. 140 | Page

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Performance of PSUS/CPSESs

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Central banks on gold-buying spree in 2018 •

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High and volatile domestic prices of gold led to a marginal dip in the demand for the precious metal in India in 2018, even as central banks across the globe upped their buying to end the year at the highest level since 1971 and also the second-highest annual purchase ever recorded. According to the latest report by World Gold Council (WGC), central banks bought 651.5 tonnes of gold in 2018, which was 74% higher than 2017 and also the second highest yearly total on record. Incidentally, net purchases jumped to their highest level since the end of U.S. dollar convertibility into gold in 1971, as a greater pool of central banks turned to gold as a diversifier. Alistair Hewitt, Head of Market Intelligence, WGC, attributed the surge in central bank buying to concerns related to slowdown in global growth, heightened geopolitical tensions, and financial market volatility. Meanwhile, global gold demand reached 4,345.1 tonnes in 2018, up 4%, when compared to 2017 and in line with the five-year average demand of 4,347.5 tonnes.

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ECONOMY 3) BANKING RBI cuts rates to spur growth •

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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cut the policy repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.25% in a bid to revive economic growth as it projected retail inflation to remain below its target of 4% for the next 12 months. The rate reduction was the first since August 2017. The RBI also simultaneously changed the stance of the policy to ‘neutral’ from ‘calibrated tightening,’ which indicates that the central bank remains ready to move in either direction based on incoming data. The move will enable banks to lower their lending rates. While all six members of the monetary policy committee voted for a change in the stance, the vote for a rate cut saw two members breaking with the majority view by backing the status quo. Interestingly, this is the first time since the monetary policy committee (MPC) was set up in October 2016 that the RBI Governor and the Deputy Governor voted differently. While Governor Shaktikanta Das backed a rate cut, Deputy Governor Viral Acharya — who oversees monetary policy — voted to stay put. The RBI revised downwards its inflation projection to 2.8% for Jan-March and to 3.2-3.4% for the first half of the next financial year. It also estimated inflation for the third quarter of 2019-20 at 3.9%, assuming a normal monsoon this year. The central bank forecast GDP growth in the next financial year at 7.4%, with the pace projected to accelerate from 7.2-7.4% in the first half to 7.5% in the third quarter.

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Das to meet bank CEOs to discuss passing on rate cut to customers • • • • •

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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor will soon meet chief executives of public sector banks to discuss, among other things, the issue of monetary policy transmission. This follows the central bank lowering the interest rates for the first time in one-and-a-half years. Banks have always been reluctant to reduce interest rates whenever there is a rate cut by the RBI. Banks have been increasing lending rates since March 2018. Non-banking finance companies, which are predominantly dependent on bank funding and have seen their borrowing costs climb ever since the IL&FS crisis broke out in August, also expect the cost of funds to come down. While the RBI has proposed that banks should move to an external benchmark for loan pricing from April 1, lenders have been opposing the move saying their funding costs were not linked to the external benchmarks proposed by the regulator. 144 | Page

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Will try to pass on rate cut: banks • • • •

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Banks are set to reduce interest rates, particularly on retail loans like home and automobiles, following an interaction with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) top brass. Commercial banks have been reluctant to lower interest rates even after the central bank had reduced the key policy rate or the repo rate by 25 bps to 6.25% earlier in February 2019. RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das met the chief executives of banks to discuss transmission of the monetary policy rates. While banks have been reluctant to reduce the lending rate after RBI rate cut, during the rate hike cycle of 2018 — when the RBI had hiked interest rates by 50 bps — banks responded by increasing their benchmark lending rate by at least 60 bps. After the central bank cut rate earlier this month, only the State Bank of India has reduced the interest rate by 5bps on home loans of up to Rs. 30 lakh. Bankers said while there is not much scope to reduce the benchmark rate — that is marginal cost of fund based lending rate (MCLR) — the spread between the benchmark rate and the actual lending rate could be narrowed. Banks typically add a spread over MCLR while pricing the interest rate for a particular loan. At the same time, the bank chiefs have expressed concern on the liquidity deficit in the system and said the lack of liquidity is not allowing them to reduce deposit rates. Deposit rates are an important component of the cost of funds of banks to which the benchmark rate is linked. Analysts said with the government announcing capital infusion of Rs. 48,200 crore in public sector banks, the move would also help the lenders to reduce interest rates.

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Banks may set repo rate as benchmark • • •

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Most commercial banks in India are likely to select RBI’s repo rate as the external benchmark to decide their lending rates, from April 1. The repo rate is the key policy rate of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The banking regulator had asked the banks to move to an external benchmark for loan pricing from April 1, a move expected to improve monetary transmission as lenders had, in the past, been found reluctant to reduce lending rate. Banks had four options from which to choose the external benchmark: 1. the repo rate, 2. the 91-day treasury bill, 3. the 182-day T-bill or 4. any other benchmark interest rate produced by the Financial Benchmarks India Private Ltd (FBIL). “The repo rate is the most stable one as compared to the other options,” a chief executive of a large public sector bank said. At present, the repo rate is 6.25%. The marginal cost of fund based lending rate (MCLR) is currently the benchmark for all loan rates. Banks typically add a spread to the MCLR while pricing loans for homes and automobiles. For the new benchmark, the central bank has mandated that the spread over the benchmark rate — to be decided by banks at the inception of the loan — should remain unchanged through the life of the loan, unless the borrower’s credit assessment undergoes a substantial change and as agreed upon in the loan contract. 147 | Page

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RBI justified its action by saying “though the net NPA ratio was 7.15%, as per the published results of third quarter, the government has since infused sufficient capital and bank has brought the net NPA ratio to less than 6%.”

Centre clears Rs. 48,239 cr. recapitalisation package for PSBs • •

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The government has approved the disbursal of a recapitalisation package of Rs. 48,239 crore for 12 public sector banks, Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Kumar announced. He said that this package had a fourfold objective: (i) bringing the better-performing banks currently in the Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) category out of it, (ii) helping those that have recently come out of PCA to stay out of it, (iii) equipping non-PCA banks to meet regulatory requirements, (iv) helping the remaining PCA banks to meet their requirements as well. Towards this, a total of Rs. 15,982 crore is to be disbursed to Allahabad Bank and Corporation Bank, both of which fall within the first objective. Bank of India and Bank of Maharashtra, which recently exited the PCA category, are to receive a total of Rs. 4,843 crore. The bulk of this (Rs. 4,638 crore) is allocated for Bank of India. Four of the non-PCA banks (Punjab National Bank, Union Bank, Andhra Bank and Syndicate Bank) will get a total of Rs. 14,879 crore. The largest share of this, of Rs. 5,908 crore, will go to PNB. The last category — of PCA public sector banks looking to meet their regulatory requirements — will get a total of Rs. 12,535 crore. These banks are Central Bank, United Bank, UCO Bank, and Indian Overseas Bank. This is a supplement to the earlier package of recapitalisation, which was much bigger. 149 | Page

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The Centre had infused Rs. 28,615 crore into 7 banks via recapitalisation bonds in December 2018.

RBI takes 3 banks off prompt corrective action framework •

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Three more banks — Allahabad Bank and Corporation Bank, from the public sector, and Dhanlaxmi Bank from the private sector — are now out of the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) prompt and corrective action (PCA) framework. Earlier, such restrictions were taken off Bank of India, Oriental Bank of Commerce and Bank of Maharashtra. There are another six banks that are still under PCA framework. While lifting the restrictions on the State-run lenders, RBI said the Board for Financial Supervision (BFS) reviewed the performance of the banks under PCA and noted that these two banks had received capital infusion from the government. As on December 31, Allahabad Bank had a capital adequacy ratio of 10.42% and net NPA ratio of 7.7%, while Corporation Bank’s CAR was at 11.12% and net NPA 11.47%. According to norms, PCA framework gets triggered when a bank breaches one of the three risk thresholds. Crossing 6% net NPA is one of them. RBI also decided to take Dhanlaxmi Bank out of PCA, as the bank was found not to be breaching any of the risk thresholds of the framework.

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‘RBI pay norms may make private bank CEOs more accountable’ •

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The norms proposed by the RBI for compensation of chief executives and board members of private sector banks has been viewed as an effort to improve transparency and accountability of the banking system. In a discussion paper, RBI had proposed that 50% of the compensation should be variable and that employee stock options (ESOPs) should be a part of the variable pay. The new norms propose variable pay to be capped at 200% of fixed pay, compared with the 70% now. Also, ESOPs are not a part of variable pay now. RBI had also proposed that if there is divergence in a bank’s asset classification or provisioning from the central bank’s norms that exceeds the prescribed threshold for public disclosure, the lender shall not pay the unvested portion of the variable compensation for the assessment year. There have been instances wherein some banks had reported significant divergence in disclosing bad loans and provisioning.

RBI unlikely to transfer contingency fund to govt. •

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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is unlikely to give in to the government’s demand of transferring funds that was set aside for contingency reserves in 2016-17 and 2017-18, according to sources. A total of Rs. 27,330 crore — Rs. 13,140 crore in FY17 and Rs. 14,190 crore in FY18 — was set aside by the RBI for the contingency fund. The sources said there was no precedence of such a dividend being paid, that is, from funds that have already been set aside for contingencies. Finance Minister Piyush Goyal, in a written response to the Rajya Sabha, had said: “The government has requested the RBI for providing an interim surplus for the financial year 2018-19 on the analogy of previous financial year and transfer of the amount withheld from the surplus of 2016-17 and 201718.” At the same time, the RBI has now decided to conduct statutory audit of its account twice a year, so that it can transfer the surplus to the government as many times. The government has been demanding more funds as dividend from the RBI which has become a bone of contention. A six-member committee headed by former RBI Governor Bimal Jalan has been formed to review the economic capital framework of the central bank. 151 | Page

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The committee would submit its report within 90 days from the date of its first meeting.

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RBI to transfer Rs. 28,000 crore interim surplus to government • • • • • • •

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The board of Reserve Bank of India decided to transfer an interim surplus (dividend) of Rs. 28,000 crore to the government, the central bank said. This is second consecutive year that the central bank has transferred interim surplus to the government. For 2017-18, RBI had transferred Rs. 10,000 crore as interim surplus. Later, Rs. 40,000 crore transferred by the central bank as final dividend for 2017-18. The accounting year of the RBI runs from July to June. Thus, the Centre has earned a total of Rs. 68,000 crore as dividend from the RBI for the 2018-19 fiscal. “Based on a limited audit review and after applying the extant economic capital framework, the board decided to transfer an interim surplus of Rs. 280 billion to the Central government for the half-year ended December 31, 2018. This is the second successive year that the Reserve Bank will be transferring an interim surplus,” the RBI said in a statement. Sources indicate the system of audit of balance sheet twice a year would be continued for the coming years also in order to decide on the interim surplus. The government had been putting pressure on the central bank to transfer more funds from the contingency reserves. A panel, headed by former RBI Governor Bimal Jalan, had been formed to review the economic capital framework of the bank.

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NCLT bars auditor for issuing ‘false’ certificate •

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In what could perhaps be the first order of its kind, the Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has barred an auditor, Mukesh Choksi, from auditing companies for five years after it was found that he colluded with the chairman of a company — Zen Shaving Company — and gave a false audit certificate without even examining and verifying the books of accounts. It also directed Mr. Choksi to refund the remuneration he received from the company — Zen Shaving Company — during the period he acted as its auditor. Significance of order The order assumes significance as the NCLT has been primarily formed as a quasi-judicial body to hear appeals against companies under the Companies Act. Recently, the government created the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) as an independent regulator for the auditing profession. In the past, the Securities and Exchange Board of India has been dragged to court for taking similar action against auditors who believe only bodies like the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and now the NFRA have powers to act against accounting firms.

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In rescue effort, banks to acquire majority stake in Jet •

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A consortium of commercial banks led by State Bank of India (SBI) will acquire a majority stake in Jet Airways (India) Ltd. by converting part of their debt into equity for a consideration of Rs. 1 and advancing more capital to give the airline a lifeline to enable it to achieve a turnaround. Jet Airways’ board, considered and approved a bank-led provisional resolution plan (BLPRP) that proposes restructuring under the provisions of the ‘RBI Circular’ to meet a funding gap of nearly Rs. 8,500 crore, including proposed repayment of aircraft debt of Rs. 1,700 crore. This will be met by an appropriate mix of equity infusion, debt restructuring, sale/sale and lease back/refinancing of aircraft, among other things. The BLPRP will be presented to the consortium of lenders, overseeing the committee of the Indian Bankers’ Association, board of directors of Etihad Airways and promoter Naresh Goyal, for consideration. Lenders will convert debt into 11.4 crore shares of Rs. 10 each by allotment of such number of equity shares at an aggregate consideration of Rs. 1. Mr. Goyal’s stake is likely to be reduced substantially to about 20%, post debt recast from 51%. The BLPRP is subject to the company receiving requisite approvals from shareholders at its EGM to be held on February 21, 2019. Jet Airways Group reported a net loss of Rs. 732 crore (standalone net loss Rs. 587 crore) for the third quarter ended December 31, 2018, against a net profit of Rs. 186 crore for the same period last year. During the quarter, the airline restructured its network, moving capacity away from unviable routes to profitable ones.

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Anil Ambani, RCom guilty of contempt of court, rules SC •

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The Supreme Court found Reliance Communications Ltd. (RCom) and its chairman Anil Ambani and two other group firms guilty of contempt of court, observing that the defendants had adopted a “cavalier attitude” despite the court’s best efforts to “lend a helping hand” to pay off dues worth Rs. 550 crore to Swedish telecommunications equipment major Ericsson. A Bench of Justices Rohinton Nariman and Vineet Saran ordered RCom to “purge” the contempt by paying a balance of Rs. 453 crore of dues to Ericsson within four weeks. If not, Mr. Ambani, along with Reliance Telecom Ltd. (RTL) chairperson Satish Seth and Reliance Infratel Ltd. (RITL) chairperson Chhaya Virani, would each have to serve a sentence of three months’ imprisonment. The court said the three chairpersons had given “conditional” undertakings on behalf of their respective companies in order to “wriggle” out of the commitment to the court. “The undertakings given on the footing that the amount of Rs. 550 crore would be paid only out of the sale of assets was false to the knowledge of the three Reliance companies,” Justice Nariman wrote. “This itself affects the administration of justice, and is, therefore, contempt of court,” the Bench held. It said “conditional” undertakings given by the three chairpersons on August 9, 2018, to the Supreme Court to pay the Rs. 550 crore amounted to “misdemeanour”. They gave these undertakings despite the court, in an order dated August 3, having given them leeway of a 120-day-period to pay back Ericsson. “It is clear that the three Reliance companies had no intention, at the very least, of adhering to the time limit of 120 days or to the extended time limit of 60 days plus, as was given by way of indulgence, by the order dated October 23, 2018,” the court said. Their undertakings had said the money would be paid on condition of the sale of assets of the company. Their action was contrary to earlier unconditional undertakings given by the authorised persons of the three companies to the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) in May 2018. 158 | Page

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The Bench ruled that the chairpersons’ undertakings were neither as per the court’s orders nor in accordance with the earlier ones given in the NCLAT. The court also dismissed RCom’s argument that the sale of spectrum to Reliance Jio, led by Mr. Ambani’s elder brother Mukesh Ambani, had failed to fructify because the Department of Telecommunications had refused to give a no-objection certificate. “It fell through only because the prospective buyer, Reliance Jio, refused to give the undertaking that if called upon, it would pay the erstwhile debts of the seller of the spectrum,” Justice Nariman wrote. The court also ordered the three companies to pay the Supreme Court registry a fine of Rs. 1 crore each within four weeks. The money would be paid over to the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee. In case of default on payment of the fine, the chairpersons of the three companies would have to spend a month in jail. The court, however, dismissed Ericsson’s contempt plea against the State Bank of India chairperson, who had headed the joint lenders’ forum comprising of 46 financial creditors of the RCom group. The dispute stemmed from an agreement between Ericsson and RCom in January 2013 whereby Ericsson agreed to provide RCom managed services like operation, maintenance, and management of RCom’s network. The Bench pointed out how Ericsson had raised invoices from time to time in consideration of the services provided, but had received no payment from RCom. The Bench noted that Rs. 118 crore had already been deposited in the court’s Registry and directed that this be handed over to Ericsson within a week.

U.K. clears Mallya’s extradition to India • • • •

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British Home Secretary Sajid Javid has signed the order for the extradition of liquor baron Vijay Mallya to India. The signing of the order came just a few days shy of the two-month window from the date of judgment — December 10, 2018— within which a decision had to be made. Under Britain’s extradition rules, Mr. Javid had two months from the date of the judgment to determine whether or not to order the extradition. In making extradition decisions, the Minister has to consider issues including whether the death penalty would be involved or the person be extradited to a third country (neither of which would apply in this case). An appeal can only be lodged after the signing of the order by the Minister. 159 | Page

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The businessman — whose legal team had previously indicated its intention to appeal the extradition — will now have two weeks to file an appeal. Should the appeal to the High Court fail, Mr. Mallya would still have further opportunities to attempt to overturn the extradition order, by seeking permission to appeal to the Supreme Court, though that could only take place if the High Court certified that the appeal involved a “point of law of general public importance, and either the High Court or the Supreme Court gives leave for the appeal to be made.”

ECONOMY 4) GST GST collections cross Rs. 1 lakh crore in January • •

The government said that Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections crossed the Rs. 1 lakhcrore mark in January 2019, the third month this financial year it would have done so. This increase has been achieved despite various tax relief measures implemented by the GST Council to lower the tax burden on the consumers.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 GoM favours GST cut on houses under construction • •

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A panel of State Ministers favoured lowering GST on under-construction residential properties to 5% without ITC, from the 12% currently with ITC. The Group of Ministers, (GoM) under Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, was set up in January 2019 to analyse tax rates and issues/challenges being faced by the real estate sector under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime. In its first meeting, the GoM also favoured slashing GST on affordable housing from 8% to 3%. Currently, GST is levied at 12% with Input tax credit (ITC) on payments made for under-construction property or ready-to-move-in flats where completion certificate has not been issued at the time of sale. The effective pre-GST tax incidence on such housing property was 15-18%. GST, however, is not levied on buyers of real estate properties for which completion certificate has been issued at the time of sale. There have been complaints that builders are not passing on the ITC benefit to consumers by way of reduction in price of the property after the roll-out of GST. The GST Council, headed by Union Finance Minister and comprising his State counterparts, had on January 10, 2019, decided to set up a Group of Ministers to look into ways to boost housing sector under GST.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 GST Council to discuss realty rates •

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The Goods and Services Tax Council will meet via video-conferencing on 20 February, 2019, to discuss key issues such as the possible reduction of GST rates on the real estate sector, and ways to increase tax collections. Experts feel that this will be the last meeting of the Council before the general elections, since the model code of conduct will come into force soon. The GST Council, in December 2018, had created a Group of Ministers to look into the applicability of GST rates on under-construction properties. One of the options reportedly recommended by the GoM was to reduce the tax rate on the sale of such properties to 5% without input tax credits (ITC) from the current 12% with ITC. In general, tax experts feel that removing ITC for the real estate sector would be a big blow to the structure of GST since it would open the doorway for other sectors to ask for similar treatment, whereas the backbone of GST is built on the provision of ITC. Apart from the single-point rate agenda of real estate, the Council will likely discuss ways to improve overall collections as well.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 GST Council extends returns filing deadline, no decision yet on realty •

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The Goods and Services Tax Council decided to hold off on adjusting tax rates on the real estate sector as several States said that they would like to voice their opinions in person rather than through video conference. The Council will take up the real estate issue again. It, however, decided to extend the deadline for filing the GSTR-3B to the midnight of February 22 for most of the country, and February 28 for J&K. The original deadline for filing the summary GSTR-3B for the month of January was February 20. Given the volume of submissions received, the Council decided to extend this deadline by two days, Mr. Jaitley said.

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The Goods and Services Tax Council decided to reduce tax rates on the sale of underconstruction residential properties from April 1, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced. The Council decided that the rate for normal residential properties would be 5% without the option of availing input tax credits. In the affordable housing segment, the rate has been reduced to a nominal 1% without input tax credits. The previous rates were 12% for the affordable housing segment and 18% for the normal housing segment, both with the option to avail input tax credits. The Council has also arrived at a definition of ‘affordable housing’ in metros as well as non-metro locations. In metros, affordable housing includes properties that have a carpet area of up to 60 sq m (646 sq feet) and cost up to Rs. 45 lakh. Metros include Delhi NCR, Mumbai MMR, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. In non-metros, affordable housing includes properties with a carpet area of up to 90 sq m (969 sq feet) and that cost up to Rs. 45 lakh. However, the removal of input tax credits for the real estate sector could lead to several problems, tax analysts and industry leaders say. “Having certain categories which are not eligible for input tax credits is an aberration of the basic principles of a good GST, in addition to leading to issues of traceability of transactions and making the transactions opaque,” M.S. Mani, partner at Deloitte India, said. “The GST rate on cement has not been reduced as was expected, [and] at 28% it remains among the highest taxed inputs for construction,” Mr. Hiranandani added. “And there will be no input tax credit, so developers will face a challenging time.”

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Govt. detects Rs. 20,000 cr. GST evasion, Rs. 10,000 cr. recovered • • •

The government has detected Rs. 20,000 crore worth GST evasion so far this fiscal and will take more steps to check frauds and increase compliance, a senior tax officer said. Of this, Rs. 10,000 crore was recovered. He said the tax officers detected a fake invoice worth Rs. 1,500 crore, which was used to claim illegal GST credit of Rs. 75 crore. “We have already recovered Rs. 25 crore and the rest is on the way,” he said. ECONOMY 5) STOCKS

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Companies are using the current market volatility and the recent price correction as an opportunity to buy back their shares with as many as a dozen such buy-back offers currently underway. While the current financial year had already seen 44 buy-back offers with a cumulative offer size of more than Rs. 38,000 crore, there are almost 20 more companies in the pipeline that have already taken board approval for buy-back and will be launching the offers in the near future. Market participants are of the view that with most companies, especially mid-caps, trading well below their highs, entities are looking at buying back the shares at an attractive premium to the market price. This, they say, would help the companies reward their shareholders while, at the same time, promoters can increase their stake in the company as the tendered shares are extinguished. “Buy-back is the most efficient way of returning surplus cash to the equity holders,” an expert says. Interestingly, the cumulative amount of buy-back offers in the current fiscal would have been still higher if the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) had not rejected the Rs. 9,000 crore buy-back of engineering major Larsen & Toubro (L&T). The regulator found the offer size non-compliant with the Companies Act as well as with the SEBI regulations.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 SEBI proposes circuit filters for derivative stocks in cash segment •

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As part of its attempts to assuage investor concerns emanating from huge single-day swings in many stocks, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has proposed introducing circuit filters in the cash segment on stocks that are part of the derivatives market. The regulator released a discussion paper seeking market feedback on the proposals regarding introduction of either hard circuit limits or a combination of dynamic and hard limits on such stocks. “Concerns have been raised that investors’ wealth is getting wiped out in a single day by recent falls in stocks on which derivative products are available, as no price bands/ circuit filters are applicable on them,” stated the discussion paper. “In view of recent abnormal intraday price movements, suggestions are being made to review the rules to prevent such extraordinary price movements,” it added. As per one of the proposals in the discussion paper, all stocks, including those on which derivatives contracts are available, would have a 20% circuit filter. “Imposing price bands/ circuit filters on scrips on which derivatives products are available may arrest abnormal movement of the price of the scrip beyond a certain limit,” SEBI said. It, however, added that this move could lead to mis-alignment between the price of the underlying shares in the cash segment and the price of the derivative products. “While the price movement of the underlying scrip in cash segment would be bound with the price band/ circuit filter, the price movement of the derivative products may go much beyond,” it said. Incidentally, a SEBI analysis showed that 40 stocks witnessed an intraday movement of more than 20% in the last six months. Of these 40 stocks, 29 witnessed an intraday movement between 20% and 30% while five stocks witnessed intraday movement of between 30% and 40%. Six stocks even witnessed intraday movement of more than 40%.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 NBFCs will retain place under the sun •

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After a steady growth over the past few fiscals, the trajectory of NBFCs (non-banking financial companies) and housing finance companies (HFCs) is set to change again after the latest round of liquidity challenges. This fiscal, interest rates and borrowing costs started swinging north. This, coupled with liquidity issues faced by NBFCs in the last five months or so, have resulted in funding access challenges. Measures by the Government of India, the Reserve Bank of India, the State Bank of India, and the National Housing Bank have for sure mitigated the stress to an extent, but it’s not business as usual yet. In the third quarter of this fiscal, non-banks have curtailed disbursements by 20-40%, even more in the non-retail segments. Consequently, growth in assets under management (AUM) is expected to halve in the second half, and lower the entire fiscal’s AUM growth to about 15%. That said, annualised growth of NBFCS in the first half of this fiscal was a healthy 20%, similar to the 18% compound annual growth seen between fiscals 2014 and 2018. This was because of their inherent strengths such as excellent customer relationships, adaptability, local knowledge and innovativeness. Further, wholesale lending, which has been one of the growth engines in the recent times for NBFCs, will decelerate. Low interest rates between fiscals 2015 and 2018 led to higher capital market borrowings, especially short-term, by NBFCs. This led to a mismatch in asset-liability maturity profiles for entities with longer-term assets. While most NBFCs had maintained adequate bank lines for these, access in a timely manner became challenging, putting the spotlight on cash and equivalents in balance sheets. Two, NBFCs are expected to re-orient their resource profile by reducing reliance on short-term borrowings. Three, while their funding requirement will remain high, commercial banks, saddled with their own issues (both in terms of capital and Prompt Corrective Action framework stipulations), are unlikely to immediately fill the void. NBFCs, after a period of adjustment, are expected to continue their key role in the Indian financial system.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Mutual fund industry in India

ECONOMY 7) TELECOM TRAI’s new regulation for broadcasting and cable service came into effect from Feb 1, 2019

BharatNet can monetise fibre assets •

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Digital Communications Commission (DCC), the highest decision-making body for the telecom sector, has given an in-principle approval to monetise 2.5 lakh km of fibre laid under the government’s flagship BharatNet programme, by leasing or selling the assets to private players. “…because we have not been able to ensure effective utilisation… so, its proposed that fibre assets should be offered on lease or sold off through an auction to private players. Some fibre will be retained by BBNL (Bharat Broadband Network Limited),” a senior official said after the meeting. 170 | Page

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The official said the lease model is being worked out and the USOF (Universal Service Obligation Fund) has been asked to present a plan within 10 days, along with estimates of the revenue proceeds. Additionally, the DCC deferred the decision on Rs. 3,050 crore penalty on Bharti Airtel and Vodafone- Idea recommended by regulator TRAI in October 2016 for alleged denial of interconnection to Reliance Jio. Further, the DCC has asked the loss-making telecom PSUs — BSNL and MTNL — to present a plan on how they could achieve higher revenue if the revival package sought by them was approved. Both firms have asked for monetisation of land assets as well as approval for a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) for employees. “ The revenue to wage ratio for MTNL had risen to 90% while in the case of BSNL it was about 6070%.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 He added that the exclusion of tenant farmers, landless cultivators and Adivasi farmers was troubling.

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income support scheme, it should double the amount given by reducing some food and fertilizer subsidies. The Central scheme’s payout is lower than what is being given in similar schemes by two States — Telangana and Odisha. Telengana’s Rythu Bandhu scheme and Odisha’s KALIA scheme offer more than the Central scheme.

Payouts to ryots from this month itself: Garg •

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The government will start disbursing a substantial amount under the income support scheme for small farmers this month itself as beneficiary data are already in place, a top official of the Finance Ministry said. In his interim Budget speech, Finance Minister Piyush Goyal announced the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme, under which Rs. 6,000 per year would be provided to farmers holding cultivable land of up to 2 hectare. Mr. Goyal has already earmarked Rs. 20,000 crore for disbursal among 12 crore farmers under the scheme in the current financial year. “It has been decided to implement the scheme with effect from December 1, 2018. The allocation of Rs. 20,000 crore, required for the current fiscal, has been made in the Budget. Land record data are available. We have all the information about small and marginal farmers,” Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg told PTI in a post-Budget interview.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Not really bullish on native cow breeds •

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Finance Minister Piyush Goyal announced the allotment of Rs. 750 crore to the Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM) under which farmers who rear the best indigenous breeds of cattle win prizes from the government. The outlay was, it emerged, the revised estimate for 2018-19. But when it came to funds for 2019-20, it was only Rs. 302 crore, nearly the same as the original allocation of Rs. 301.5 crore in last year’s Budget. The Mission is managed by the Department of Animal Health and Husbandry (DAHD). Budget documents show that the Department only managed to spend Rs. 187.73 crore under the scheme in 2017-18, although Gopal Ratna and Kamdhenu awards were instituted for breeders since that year, and 43 winners have been chosen. The RGM was launched in December 2014 with an outlay of Rs. 500 crore (2014-15 to 20162017) for developing and conserving indigenous breeds through selective breeding and genetically upgrading ‘nondescript’ bovine population. The RGM aims to develop ‘Gokul Gram’ care centres for indigenous breeds of high “genetic merit” as well as other lesser breeds. The objective is to get native breeds to produce more milk, be more fecund, and to raise the quality of Indian cows and bulls to eventually outdo Jerseys and Holsteins. Though Mr. Goyal talked of "cow welfare" and farmer distress, the RGM doesn't look at ageing and unproductive cattle, posing a problem for farmers.

New panel for welfare of nomadic communities • •

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The Centre will form a welfare panel for nomadic, semi-nomadic and de-notified communities, Finance Minister Piyush Goyal announced in the Interim Budget speech. To start with, a committee will be set up under NITI Aayog to complete the task of identifying de-notified, nomadic and semi-nomadic communities, especially as they move from place to place in search of a livelihood. The committee will follow up on the work of the Renke Commission and the Idate Commission. A Welfare Development Board will also be set up under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to design and implement programmes for these hard-to-reach communities, Mr. Goyal said. He said a substantial increase is proposed in the allocation for welfare of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 a separate Third schedule as Scheduled De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes. 5. In its report, the commission has noted that entire communities were branded as criminals under the colonial rule through enforcement of the Criminal Tribes Act, 1871. Despite repeal of the Act after Independence, subsequent legislations have forcibly alienated them from their traditional occupation and habitations. 6. Noting that all that the Centre has done so far are “symbolic reparations”, the Idate Commission advocated for release of 2011 caste census, which is yet to be made public, at least on the DT/ NT/ SNT community, so that policies can be made specifically for these communities.

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The Interim Budget may have provided a bonus for landholding farmers, but the jobs guarantee scheme, which is a lifeline for landless labourers and other rural workers, faces a continued funds crunch. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme was allocated only Rs. 60,000 crore for the next financial year, slightly lower than its revised estimate of Rs. 61,084 crore for the current year. Finance Minister Piyush Goyal said, “Additional amount would be provided if required.” The last Budget had announced an original allocation of Rs. 55,000 crore for the scheme for 2018-19. However, by the end of the 2018, the scheme had already exhausted 99% of its funding and had a negative net balance of Rs. 4,413 crore according to its financial statement on February 1. Early in January 2019, the Centre had announced an additional allocation of Rs. 6,084 crore for MGNREGA. Recognising that this amount was unlikely to suffice for the remainder of the year, the Rural Development Ministry had requested another supplementary allocation of Rs. 5,000 crore. Instead of increasing this year’s allocation, however, this Budget has actually reduced next year’s allocation for the scheme. Activists have warned that the funding crunch is resulting in difficulties in meeting the demand for work, as well as delayed payment of wages to workers.

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Change in fiscal deficit glide path may put Reserve Bank in a fix •

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The government’s decision to push the glide path for achieving 3% fiscal deficit target would weigh on the monetary policy committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) when it meets in February 2019 to discuss the last monetary policy of the financial year, which will also be the first under the new Governor Shaktikanta Das. In the Budget speech, Finance Minister Piyush Goyal revised the fiscal deficit target for 2018-19 to 3.4% from 3.3%. He said it would be 3.4% in FY20, too. “We have maintained the glide path towards our target of 3% of fiscal deficit to be achieved by 2020-21,” Mr. Goyal said. Originally, the target was to reach a fiscal deficit of 3.1% of GDP by March 2020, and 3% by March 2021. At a time when retail inflation — the main yardstick of RBI for policymaking purpose — has fallen to an 18-month low of 2.2%, there is a case for the central bank to lower the interest rate and change stance to ‘neutral’. In the wake of the development on the fiscal deficit front, the RBI may now opt for status quo.

Increased govt. sourcing, 2% subvention for loans a boost for MSMEs •

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The micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) sector, the cornerstone of Indian economy, has got a boost in the Interim Budget, with the government offering 2% subvention for loans up to Rs. 1 crore and extending the Government eMarketplace (GeM) platform to support domestic services and trade. With the Budget largely focused on the rural segments of the country, this will benefit the MSME sector greatly as 51% of all 634 lakh MSMEs are based in rural areas, consequently being a vital source of rural employment. The government has increased the share of its procurements from MSMEs through GeM to 25% and 3% from only women-owned SMEs.

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So far, GeM has registered transactions of more than Rs. 17,500 crore, which has led to savings of 25%-28%. Trade Receivables Discounting System (TreDS) that has enabled working capital finance to MSMEs as well.

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AI centre on the anvil •

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Union Finance Minister Piyush Goyal’s announcement of a ‘National Programme on Artificial Intelligence’ ties into an existing programme led by the Union Science Ministry called the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS). The latter was cleared by the Union Cabinet in December 2018 at a total outlay of Rs. 3,660 crore for five years. “Artificial Intelligence is an important component of cyber physical systems,” Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, Department of Science of Technology, said, “However we are yet to identify a centre where this will be hosted.” The budget document has allotted Rs. 5 crore for the year ahead for the mission. Cyber physical systems deal with training youth for new kinds of jobs that would be created due to the destruction of conventional jobs and the mechanisation of jobs. The mission aims to establish of 15 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIH), six Application Innovation Hubs (AIH), four Technology Translation Research Parks (TTRP). The hubs and TTRPs would connect to academics, industry, Central Ministries and State government in developing solutions at reputed academic, R&D and other organisations across the country in a hub and spoke model, according to a note from the Union Science Ministry. About 40,000 jobs would be created in the short term and about 2,00,000 in long term, the note adds. CPS and its associated technologies, include Artificial Intelligence (Al), Internet of Things (loT), Machine Learning (ML), Deep Learning (DP), Big Data Analytics, robotics, quantum 184 | Page

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 computing, quantum communication, quantum encryption (quantum key distribution), Data Science and Predictive Analytics.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Goyal unveils Vision 2030, highlighting 10 dimensions •

Presenting the Interim Budget, Finance Minister Piyush Goyal laid out the government’s vision for India in 2030, highlighting “10 most important dimensions.” 1. Stating that India aspires to become a $10-trillion economy in the next eight years, he said the first dimension or point of this vision is to build physical as well as social infrastructure for a $10-trillion economy and facilitate ease of living. “On the social infrastructure side, every family will have a roof on its head and will live in a healthy, clean and wholesome environment.” 2. The second dimension of “our vision” is to create a Digital India, 3. Making India a pollution-free nation is the third point which will be driven by electric vehicles and renewables. 4. “Expanding rural industrialisation using modern digital technologies to generate massive employment is the fourth dimension of our vision,” he said. This will be built upon this government’s flagship ‘Make in India’ programme. 5. Under the fifth dimension, Mr. Goyal talked about clean rivers and safe drinking water for all Indians. 6. “India’s long coastline has the potential of becoming the strength of the economy, particularly through exploitation of the Blue Economy…coastline and our ocean waters powering India’s development and growth is the sixth dimension of our vision,” the Minister said. 7. “The seventh dimension of our vision aims at the outer skies. 8. Making India self-sufficient in food, exporting to the world to meet their food needs and producing food in the most organic way is the eighth dimension of our vision. 9. Next comes the vision of a healthy India. “By 2030, we will work towards a distress-free healthcare and a functional and comprehensive wellness system for all.” 10. “Our vision can be delivered by Team India — our employees working together with the elected government, transforming India into a minimum government, maximum governance nation. This is the tenth dimension,” the Minister said.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Vision 2030 to push-start EVs, mass transportation •

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The government’s commitment for a ‘Clean & Green’ India through proposals in the interim budget such as measures to reduce the use of fossil fuel in a phased manner by 2030 is expected to ensure faster adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and environment friendly mass transportation in the country. The emphasis laid on electric mobility in the ‘2030 Vision’ is aimed at increasing energy security, reducing oil import dependence and reducing vehicular pollution. The FAME II scheme, to be announced before March 31, would lay the roadmap for EVs. The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) said it would work with the government in creating an ecosystem that would enable India to achieve the target of becoming the world leader in electric mobility. However, it requested the government to reduce the customs duty on lithium batteries from 5% to nil.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Railways gets Rs. 1.59 lakh cr., the highest-ever allocation • • • • • • •

Union Finance Minister Piyush Goyal proposed a capital expenditure of Rs. 1,58,658 crore for the Railways Ministry for the year 2019-20 in the Interim Budget. This is the highest-ever allocation for the national transporter, surpassing last year’s allocation of Rs. 1,48,528 crore. Mr. Goyal, who is also the Railways Minister, added that the operating ratio of Indian Railways is expected to improve to 95% in 2019-20 from 96.2% in 2018-19, and 98.4% in 2017-18. An operating ratio of 95% means that railways is spending 95 paise to earn 100 paise. “Capital support from the budget for railways is proposed at Rs. 64,587 crore in 2019-20 (BE). The Railways’ overall capital expenditure programme is of Rs. 1,58,658 crore. Additionally, all unmanned level crossings on broad gauge network had been eliminated. Talking about first indigenously developed and manufactured semi high-speed ‘Vande Bharat Express,’ Mr. Goyal said this was a major leap in technology wholly-developed by Indian engineers.

VIII.

ENERGY

‘Inkjet’ solar panels set to reshape green energy •

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Polish physicist and businesswoman Olga Malinkiewicz has developed a novel inkjet processing method for perovskites — a new generation of cheaper solar cells — that makes it possible to produce solar panels under lower temperatures, thus sharply reducing costs. “In our opinion, perovskite solar cells have the potential to address the world energy poverty,” said Mohammad Khaja Nazeeruddin, a professor at Switzerland’s Federal Institue of Technology Lausanne. Solar panels coated with the mineral are light, flexible, efficient, inexpensive and come in varying hues and degrees of transparency. They can easily be fixed to almost any surface — be it laptop, car, drone, spacecraft or building — to produce electricity, including in the shade or indoors. Though the excitement is new, perovskite has been known to science since at least the 1830s, when it was first identified by German mineralogist Gustav Rose while prospecting in the Ural mountains and named after Russian mineralogist Lev Perovski. ‘Bull’s eye’ In the following decades, synthesising the atomic structure of perovskite became easier. But it was not until 2009 that Japanese researcher Tsutomu Miyasaka discovered that perovskites can be used to form photovoltaic solar cells. Initially the process was complicated and required ultra high temperatures, so only materials that could withstand extreme heat — like glass — could be coated with perovskite cells. In 2013, while still a Ph.D student at the University of Valencia in Spain, Ms. Malinkiewicz figured out a way to coat flexible foil with perovskites using an evaporation method. 189 | Page

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Later, she developed an inkjet printing procedure that lowered production costs enough to make mass production economically feasible. “That was a bull’s eye. Now high temperatures are no longer required to coat things with a photovoltaic layer,” she said. Her discovery earned her an article in the journal Nature and media attention, as well as the Photonics21 Student Innovation award in a competition organised by the European Commission. She went on to cofound the company Saule Technologies — named after the Baltic goddess of the sun — along with two Polish businessmen. The company is building an industrial-scale production site. “This will be the world’s first production line using this technology. Its capacity will reach 40,000 square metres of panels by the end of the year and 1,80,000 square metres the following year,” Ms. Malinkiewicz said. Self-sufficient buildings The Swedish construction group Skanska is testing the cutting-edge panels on the facade of one of its buildings in Warsaw. It also inked a licencing partnership with Saule for exclusive right to incorporate the technology in its projects in Europe, the U.S. and Canada. “More or less transparent, the panels also respond to design requirements. Thanks to their flexibility and varying tints, there’s no need to add any extra architectural elements,” said Adam Targowski, sustainability manager at Skanska.

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With sector in trouble, solar players’ hopes singed in Budget •

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The energy sector’s reactions to the Interim Budget have been a mixed bag, with solar sector players expressing disappointment that nothing concrete was announced for them at a time when the sector is floundering, and energy storage players welcoming the steps taken to make imports cheaper. Those in the hydrocarbon space welcomed the government’s intent to continue with the push for the Ujjwala Yojana and increasing exploration. The government has allotted Rs. 2,479.9 crore for grid-connected solar power in 2019-20, up from the Rs. 2,157.24 crore in the revised estimates of 2018-19. Wind energy, however, saw allocation fall to Rs. 720 crore from Rs. 950 crore over the same period. India aims to achieve 227 GW of energy from renewable sources and nearly 113 GW through solar power.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Smart turn: Karimnagar looks to the sun Cabinet approves Phase II of rooftop solar programme • •

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Telangana’s fastest growing urban centre, Karimnagar, is looking to the sun to reduce its carbon footprint. The Municipal Corporation of Karimnagar (MCK) signed an MoU with the Telangana State Renewable Energy Development Corporation (TSREDCO) for the generation of 1.45 MW of power through solar rooftop panels. The municipal body has passed a resolution requiring all houses, apartments, community halls and commercial establishments with a built up area of more than 300 square yards (2,700 sq.ft) to install solar panels on rooftops. From March 1, new buildings of more than 300 square yards, must make provision for solar rooftop panels before they can get construction permits. Older structures will also have to install solar panels. Telangana is ranked second nationally in solar power, generating more than 3,000 MW. The civic body would provide a 30% subsidy for the installation through TSREDCO. Integrating solar power is mandatory as part of the Karimnagar Smart City project, and the civic body is making it easier by providing net-metering facility with the Northern Power Distribution Company Limited (NPDCL). This would enable property owners to earn from the surplus power they generate. The NPDCL would purchase power at Rs. 3.50 per unit.

Wasted effort: half of India’s waste-to-energy plants defunct • • • •

Nearly half of India’s waste-to-energy (WTE) plants, meant to convert non-biodegradable waste, are defunct. Further, the country’s inability to segregate waste has resulted in even the existing plants working below capacity, says an analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment. Since 1987, 15 WTE plants have been set up across the country. However, seven of these plants have shut down. Apart from Delhi, these include plants at Kanpur, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Vijayawada and Karimnagar. 192 | Page

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The key reasons for closure are the plants’ inability to handle mixed solid waste and the high cost of electricity generated by them that renders it unattractive to power companies. However, this has not stopped the government from betting big on WTE. The NITI Aayog, as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission, envisages 800 megawatt from WTE plants by 2018-19, which is 10 times the capacity of all the existing WTE plants put together. It also proposes setting up a Waste-to-Energy Corporation of India, which would construct incineration plants through PPP models. Currently, there are 40-odd WTE plants at various stages of construction. “The fundamental reason (for the inefficiency of these plants) is the quality and composition of waste. MSW (municipal solid waste) in India has low calorific value and high moisture content. As most wastes sent to the WTE plants are unsegregated, they also have high inert content. These wastes are just not suitable for burning in these plants. To burn them, additional fuel is required which makes these plants expensive to run,” said Swati Singh Sambyal, author of the report and researcher on waste management, at the CSE. About 1.43 lakh tonnes per day (TPD) of municipal solid waste (MSW) is generated across the country. Of this, 1.11 lakh TPD (77.6%) is collected and 35,602 TPD (24.8%) processed. In addition, India generates close to 25,940 TPD of plastic waste of which 15,342 remains uncollected, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. As per the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, MSW generation will reach 4.5 lakh TPD by 2031 and 11.9 lakh TPD by 2050. The WTEs have also triggered widespread opprobrium among citizens. For instance, there has been a continuous protest against the Okhla WTE plant for polluting the environment. In 2016, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) slapped environmental compensation fine of Rs. 25 lakh on the plant. Moreover, the plants are expensive because they produce power at nearly Rs. 7 per unit, which is more than the Rs. 3-5 offered by thermal as well as solar sources.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Travel on a jet plane, using a little cooking oil •

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Your used cooking oil could help fly a jet in the near future. The Dehradun-based CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum has successfully finished a pilot test to convert used cooking oil into bioaviation turbine fuel (Bio-ATF), which can be blended with conventional ATF and used as aircraft fuel. The Institute collected used cooking oil from caterers and hotels in Dehradun for the pilot, which has now set the platform for commercial use of the technology. “ The Bio-ATF derived from used cooking oil is yet to be tested on a flight. The pilot test has proven that it is very similar to Bio-ATF derived from jatropha oil. The test assumes importance as the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has launched the Repurpose Cooking Oil (RUCO) initiative to collect and convert used cooking oil into bio-fuel. As many as 64 companies in 101 locations across the country have been identified for the purpose by FSSAI. The food safety body says that by 2020, it should be possible to recover about 220 crore litres of used cooking oil for conversion into bio-fuel. Reducing the re-use of cooking oil in the food industry will have positive public health outcomes and its conversion into Bio-ATF will help the aviation sector reduce its carbon footprint The CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum is looking for partners to commercialise the technology. A source in the Air War Strategy Cell of the Indian Air Force said the IAF and the civil aviation sector consume about 100 crore litres and 900 crore litres of ATF per annum.

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IX.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Bullet train gets green light via flamingo haven, national park •

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A committee, chaired by Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan, has accorded wildlife clearance to the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed train corridor that encroaches Thane Creek Flamingo Wildlife Sanctuary and the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, home to leopards, in Mumbai. The project for one of India’s first ‘bullet trains’ was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in Ahmedabad in September, 2017. It is expected to be ready by 2022.

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Kerala to get country’s 2nd longest rail tunnel • •

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A 10.7-km railway line, including a 9.02-km tunnel, has been proposed to connect the upcoming Vizhinjam International Multipurpose Deepwater Seaport to the railway network. The 9.02-km tunnel, mooted by Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd (KRCL) from near the Balaramapuram station on the Kanyakumari-Thiruvananthapuram railway line, will be the second longest railway tunnel in the country. The 11.26-km Pir Panjal rail tunnel, connecting Banihal and Hillar Shahabad, is the longest.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Vande Bharat: India’s fastest train takes off • • •

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The inaugural trip of India’s first semi-high speed train, Vande Bharat Express, was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the New Delhi railway station on 15 February 2019. The train, named ‘Train 18’ at the concept stage, is a plush 16-coach, air-conditioned, selfpropelled train set and doesn’t have a locomotive. The express will ply between Delhi and Varanasi, with halts at Kanpur and Allahabad. It will complete the 780-km journey in eight hours, slicing off 180 minutes from the current travel time of 11-and-a-half hours. This is India’s fastest train to date, capable of commercial speeds up to 160 km per hour.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Security of Air India One to be at par with Air Force One of USA

Govt. forms panel on regional transport planes • • • •

The government has set up a committee for the development of regional transport aircraft for commercial use in the country, it said in Parliament. This is part of the road map being prepared by the government for domestic manufacturing of aircraft. Currently, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is the only entity that produces aircraft and helicopters for military and non-military purposes. A separate committee of experts has also been formed to explore manufacturing of aircraft, helicopters and associated equipment within the country.

Only 4 UDAN routes in northeast operational •

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Two years since the launch of the ambitious low-cost flying regional connectivity scheme (RCS), also known as Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN), in March 2017, aerial connectivity continues to elude the northeastern region. Under the scheme, the government provides a subsidy to airlines, who have to cap airfares for 50% of the total seats at Rs. 2,500 per hour of flight. While as many as 20 bi-directional routes were awarded to various airlines during this period, only four are currently operational. A total of five routes were identified from the northeast in 2017. These routes, connecting Shillong with five other destinations in Meghalaya, were bagged by Air Deccan. All of them now stand withdrawn because of the failure on the part of the airline to commence operations on some routes, and due to erratic services on others.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 DGCA keeping tabs on IndiGo’s crew strength • • • •

Aviation watchdog DGCA is monitoring IndiGo to check if the airline has sufficient crew to match its rapid fleet expansion, according to a top official. IndiGo has decided to cancel at least 30 flights per day in February and March due to shortage of pilots. The country’s biggest airline in market share (43%) and fleet size (208 aircraft) has nearly 400 more planes on order and 3,000 pilots on its rolls. “For new inductions, airlines need to show availability of crew. We are closely monitoring the same for IndiGo,” a DGCA official said.

7 islands in Andamans, Lakshadweep identified for seaplane operations •

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Four islands in the Andamans and three in Lakshadweep have been identified for seaplane operations, while private sector participation has been invited for tourism-based projects, the Home Ministry said. The 5th meeting of the Island Development Agency, chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, also reviewed the progress made towards the programme ‘Holistic development of islands’. Swaraj Dweep, Shaheed Dweep, Hutbay and Long Island in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Kavaratti, Agatti and Minicoy in Lakshadweep have been identified for seaplane operations. Key infrastructure projects such as operationalisation of the Diglipur airport for civilian aircraft and the construction of a new airport on Minicoy Island have been accorded high priority by the government, while Coastal Regulation Zone clearance (CRZ) has been accorded for ‘Middle Strait Bridge’ on Andaman Trunk Road. Bids for private sector participation in three tourism-based projects have already been invited by the Andaman & Nicobar Administration. They include eco-tourism projects on Smith Island and Long 202 | Page

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Island and a tent city project on Aves Island. Bids will be invited shortly for one more project on Neil Island. Three projects in Lakshadweep have been identified for issue of bids. These include tourism projects in the islands of Kadmat, Minicoy and Suheli Cheriyakara. Environmental Clearance (EC), CRZ clearance and all other clearances required for these projects are being obtained upfront, on priority, to attract more number of reputed bidders, the statement said. The Ministry of Commerce has issued a notification extending tax incentives for investments made in the manufacturing and service sector in the islands of Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep. In order to sustainably utilise the potential of Tuna fish, 10 deep-sea modern fishing vessels are being procured by the Lakshadweep administration from Cochin Shipyard Limited. The Home Minister expressed satisfaction at the progress made since the last meeting held on June 30, 2018, when directions were given to focus on creation of recreational facilities along with tourism infrastructure, implementation of renewable energy projects, incentives for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and the development of a film city.

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Jet may see turnaround in 6-9 months •

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The Bank-led Resolution Plan (BLRP) for troubled carrier Jet Airways, which will be taken up for shareholders’ approval at an EGM on 21 February 2019, has projected that the airline will start turning in net profits from the October-December quarter of 2019-20. As per the BLRP, lenders will convert a part of their Rs. 8,200 crore debt into equity such that they will collectively have 51% stake initially in the company just for Rs. 1, as per RBI norms. It is not known how much of the debt is getting converted into equity and at what price, but according to analysts, conversion is happening closer to Rs. 150 a share. After conversion of debt into equity, the holding of promoters and existing shareholders would be reduced by half. Therefore, Naresh Goyal’s stake would fall from 51% to 25.5%, Etihad’s from 24% to 12% and the general public holding from 25% to 12.5%. The remaining part of the debt will be restructured with a longer tenure for repayment, providing a breather to the airline. 203 | Page

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Too many imponderables in Jet rescue plan • •

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The bailout of Jet Airways by its lenders and approved by shareholders on February 21 is reminiscent of a bailout seven years ago of another high-profile airline that fell into bad times. In an attempt to rescue Kingfisher Airlines, a consortium of lenders led by State Bank of India (yes, the same SBI which is now leading the effort to keep Jet Airways flying) decided to convert a part of its loans into equity. Thus, in April 2011, a sum of Rs. 1,303 crore, representing a third of the airline’s total dues of Rs. 4,263 crore to banks, was converted into equity. The scandal, though, was the fact that the conversion happened at a premium of 61% to the then prevailing market price of the Kingfisher Airlines share. The SBI-led consortium agreed to convert its debt into equity at a price of Rs. 64.48 a share against the market price of Rs. 39.90! Jet, which is reeling under losses for the last four consecutive quarters, has a debt overload of Rs. 8,414 crore (as of March 31, 2018) which includes terms loans from banks and dues to lessors for aircraft lease. The airline and banks announced the bailout with much fanfare, but the crucial details have not been disclosed. How much of the banks’ dues have been converted into equity? And at what price? The answers to these questions will help us understand how harmful the bailout is for the lenders. The larger question here is why did the lenders decide to rescue the airline instead of referring it to the bankruptcy court as they have done in so many other cases? That would have been the less controversial of the two options and probably safer too. What happens if the rescue doesn’t work to plan? Dragging the airline to bankruptcy court later will cause a loss to banks which would then have been demoted to the status of equity holders. 204 | Page

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The parallels here with the Kingfisher bailout are too similar for comfort. Banks need to come out with full disclosure on the deal, as it is public money that is now being used to fund a private airline. With public sector banks assuming majority ownership of Jet, the airline now de facto becomes a government company and will remain so at least until the rights issue goes through successfully. This means that the Government of India now owns and runs two airlines — Air India and Jet Airways. Both loss-making, with an uncertain future.

‘Poor decisions harming aviation’ • • •

SpiceJet Chaiman and Managing Director Ajay Singh said that the aviation sector was reeling under high costs because of poor “leadership” and decision making. He cited the delay in getting aviation turbine fuel under the GST regime as an example. “We struggled with that forever,” he added. “Our civil aviation policy says that its objective is to reduce cost, we are actually going on adding costs. I think this is a mindset issue. People, politicians and bureaucrats, still believe mistakenly that this is something airlines can afford…I think we our shooting ourselves in the foot,” Mr. Singh said.

Adani is the highest bidder for 5 airports • • •

Adani Enterprises Ltd. emerged as the highest bidder for five of the six airports offered for bidding by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The winner would operate, manage and develop the airports for a period of 50 years. The Cabinet has to accord its approval for the same, according to a senior AAI official. 205 | Page

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The AAI opened the financial bids of nine entities, more than a week after technical bids were opened in a two-phase bidding process. Adani Enterprises was among the 10 companies which had submitted a total of 32 bids for the six airports. One of the bidders didn’t make it to the final round because of an error in its submission. Bids were invited on the basis of per-passenger fee for passengers handled at the airport. The result for the sixth airport was withheld as per the directions of the Gauhati High Court which said the bid should not be opened until a hearing. An AAI official said the HC had now permitted it to open the bid on Tuesday, though the final awarding of the airport would be subject to the court’s order. Adani Enterprises has offered Rs. 177 per passenger for Ahmedabad Airport, Rs. 174 for Jaipur, Rs. 171 for Lucknow, Rs. 168 for Thiruvananthpuram and Rs. 115 for Mangaluru. The request for proposal document doesn’t bar the Authority from awarding different airports to the same entity. Industry experts estimate that the AAI would be able to garner more than Rs. 500 crore in the first year alone of awarding the airports to the concessionaires.

Adani Group flies high in airport privatisation plan • • • •

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The adage ‘the winner takes it all’ has come true in the case of the outcome of the latest round of Airports Authority of India’s (AAI) airport privatisation programme. Ahmedabad-based Adani Group was named the winning bidder for all the five airports for which the bids were made public. These include airports at Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Mangaluru, Lucknow and Thiruvananthapuram which are all run by AAI now and will undergo ownership change in 90 days. Going by the bids, Adani Group, a new entrant in the airport space, has bid aggressively with the second-highest bidders quoting far less than the winner, indicating the aggression with which the group had placed its bids. GMR, which had also bid for all the airports, was found to be lacking in aggression. Through this, AAI would realise Rs. 2,500 crore in 90 days via upfront payment from the winning bidder and approximately Rs. 525 crore annually as concession fee. This will enable AAI to invest in the development of new airports or modernising the existing ones. An analyst, who did not wish to be named, questioned the rationale behind awarding all the airports to a single player who had no experience in running airports. 206 | Page

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Adani wins bid for Guwahati airport too •

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Adani Enterprises Ltd. made the highest bid for the Guwahati airport, thus becoming a claimant for all the six airports offered by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for operations, management and development for a period of 50 years. The decision on awarding the airports would be taken by the Union Cabinet, a senior AAI official has said. X.

AGRICULTURE

Record production of horticulture crops, prices fall

A ‘pink revolution’ quietly takes shape in Maharashtra •

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A ‘pink revolution’ is quietly taking shape in Maharashtra. The objective is to breed imported pigs to address the problem of protein deficiency in a sizeable section of the population that has been deprived of access to affordable meat besides providing livelihood to farmers. Pigs imported from Canada can be bred under hygienic conditions for production of high quality meat. Many consumers stay away from consuming pork as local pigs are mostly bred under unhygienic conditions.

Hiking MSPs distorts agri market: official •

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A senior Finance Ministry official has slammed a key plank of the government’s agriculture policy, saying that raising minimum support prices (MSP) for major crops causes distortions in the agriculture market. This leads to a vicious cycle of oversupply of such crops and a crash in market prices, said the official, adding that cash transfers are a better strategy than increased MSPs. The official said farmers over-invest in such crops, leading to a vicious cycle of over-supply, crashing prices, and increased government intervention and procurement, with burgeoning stocks then leading to a further fall in prices. The Centre’s 2018 decision to hike MSPs for all major crops to 50% more than the cost of production is a major element of the National Democratic Alliance government’s strategy for the agriculture sector; it has also featured prominently in the BJP’s political messaging to the farming community at a time of agricultural distress. In the run-up to the last Lok Sabha elections in 2014, the BJP had promised to hike MSPs to 1.5 times the cost of production in accordance with the M.S. Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations. It claimed to have fulfilled that promise in 2018, although there have been disputes regarding the formula used to calculate production costs. 207 | Page

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90,000 farmers counselled in 14 ‘suicide-prone’ districts of Maharashtra • •

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The Maharashtra government has said over 90,000 farmers in 14 “suicide-prone” districts of the State have been provided “counselling” under its project ‘Prerna’. Prerna, which has been underway since 2015 to stop farm suicides, comprises social workers, psychiatrists and Accredited Social Health Activist Scheme (ASHA) workers who counsel farmers suffering from depression. The release said 12,700 personnel have been trained as part of the project, and the 14 districts now have a total of 20,913 ASHA workers. These ASHA workers survey villages and contact the project’s helpline number in case a farmer is in need of counselling. About 26,000 calls were received on helpline number 104, the release said. As many as 8,000 farmers were treated individually and 6,000 counselled publicly.

Incubating agro forestry models — an idea blooms • • • • • •

The Aadhimalai Pazhangudiyinar Producer Company at Kotagiri is a farmer-producer firm with 1,609 tribal people from the Nilgiris region as its shareholders. Started in 2013 and incubated by Keystone Foundation, this company currently has four production centres and runs four retail outlets. It sells non-timber forest produce such as honey, amla and coconut, and value-added products, including coffee and pickles, candies, and textiles, all grown or produced by the tribal people. These are sold in bulk to traders and in the retail market. The Agroforestry Business Incubation Forum project, which is to be inaugurated at Mettupalayam on February 19, it joined the forum as a member. The incubation facility would have the machinery that the company needs.

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The facility has been set up by the Forest College and Research Institute of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University on its premises at Mettupalayam with Rs. 2.4 crore financial support from the Entrepreneurship Development and Innovation Institute. The agro forestry business incubation centre is said to be the first-of-its-kind in India. The centre’s aim is to develop entrepreneurship in agro forestry and create business opportunities. It will have lab and machinery to produce value-added items, equipment to develop products on a pilot scale and a training centre. It will accommodate 20-50 incubatees at a time with an incubation period of about two years.

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XI.

ENVIRONMENT 1) POLLUTION

Emission levels rising faster in Indian cities than in China • •

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Urbanisation is accelerating greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles in India at a faster pace than in China. On an average, an Indian emitted about 20 kg per capita while commuting for work, with the highest (140 kg CO2) in Gurugram district (Haryana) and the lowest (1.8 kg CO2) in Shrawasti district (Uttar Pradesh), says a study that analysed the link between population density and emissions from transport, across India's districts. The experience in most developed countries was that urbanisation led to a reduction in emissions — more urbanisation meant shorter distances between the workplace and home and thereby, a preference for public transport. However this didn’t effectively apply to developing countries, the authors argue. In China a 1% increase in urbanisation was linked with a 0.12% increase in CO2 emissions whereas, in India, it translated into 0.24% increase in emissions, said the study, to be published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Research Letters. India’s CO2 emission grew by an estimated 4.6% in 2017 and its per-capita emission was about 1.8 tonnes. In spite of being the 4th largest emitter, India's per capita emissions are much lower than the world average of 4.2 tonnes. But those emissions have been growing steadily, with an average growth rate over the past decade of 6%, according to data from the Global Carbon Project. Fuel price hikes aren’t always a solution to curb emissions, the study says. With a Rs. 1 increase in diesel price, commuting emissions decreased by 11% in some districts whereas it only fell by about 3% in low-income districts Delhi had the highest commuting emissions per capita. Because there were several instances of districts with similar population density but varying per capita emissions, a “simple-minded densification” was an inappropriate policy for reducing commuters’ GHG emissions and India would do well to focus on electric vehicles and efficient public transit system. This to however ought to be tailored to a region’s geographical context, the authors contended.

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NGT raps U.P. govt. over incomplete data on hospitals • • •

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The National Green Tribunal (NGT) rapped the Uttar Pradesh government for not providing data on the number of hospitals and health centres in the State. Directing the State government to furnish a performance guarantee of Rs. 10 crore, the green panel directed the U.P. government to furnish a compliance report within one month. A Bench headed by NGT judicial member Justice Raghuvendra S. Rathore said, “You are not able to tell the total number of hospitals. What sort of functioning is (this)? We fail to understand… it reflects the [lack of] seriousness and responsibility which the State of U.P. has towards the issue.” During the hearing, the State’s Directorate of Medical and Health informed the tribunal that the figure of 5,240 is incomplete and surveys are currently under way in several districts. Authorities further informed that the entire process will take two months to be completed. The observations came while the green panel was hearing a plea that sought directions to shut down hospitals, nursing homes and health centres in the State that are not complying with relevant biomedical waste rules.

SC pulls up U.P. govt. for poor upkeep of Taj • • •

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The Supreme Court pulled up the Uttar Pradesh government for the poor upkeep of the Taj Mahal. A Bench led by Justice S.A. Bobde asked the State to file a fresh vision document in four weeks, detailing the manner in which the monument would be preserved and protected. Earlier, the court had said the protection of the Taj Mahal should not be restricted to the world heritage monument alone but everything around it that goes to protect the ivory-white mausoleum commissioned by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, in 1632. The court had said that the Taj Mahal was only the “centre-piece”. The forest cover, the river Yamuna and the grounds of the Taj Mahal should also be saved from pollution. The Bench had said the Vision Document for Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) should examine and end the proliferation of hazardous industries, foundries, seepage and emissions which are slowly but steadily destroying the Taj Mahal and the protective cover around it. In its 1996 judgment, the Supreme Court had noted that the Taj Mahal was not threatened by only traditional causes of decay, but also social and economic conditions. 213 | Page

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Industrial emissions, brick-kilns, vehicular traffic and generator-sets polluted air around TTZ. The monument itself was slowly turning yellow from the collected grime.

SC sets aside NGT order to reopen Sterlite plant • •

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The Supreme Court set aside the decision of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to reopen the Sterlite copper plant in Thoothukudi. The plant was shut down on April 9, 2018 after the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board rejected its application for renewal of consent to operate; for non-compliance with certain conditions laid down under the Air Act and the Water Act. However, the Supreme Court Bench, led by Justice Rohinton Nariman, gave Vedanta (the parent company of Sterlite Copper) the liberty to file a writ petition before the Madras High Court. The Supreme Court said Vedanta was free to apply to the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court for “expeditious hearing” of its writ petition. The petition would be heard on merits of the case. The court gave Vedanta permission to apply to the High Court for interim relief after considering the fact that the plant has remained shut since April 9, 2018.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Where are the green crackers: SC •

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Four months after it banned polluting firecrackers, the Supreme Court realised that the concept of non-polluting ‘green crackers’ remains a non-starter, while its ban has affected the livelihood of four lakh workers and resulted in the closure of 974 firecracker units in Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu, alone. “Where are the green crackers,” a Bench, led by Justice A.K. Sikri, asked the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI). The court refused to accept submissions that the finalisation of the formula for green crackers and passing it on to manufacturers would take another three months. Justice Sikri said the October 23 ban and the insistence on green crackers were meant to stop pollution and, at the same time, ensure that livelihoods were not affected. He observed that the court had ordered the ban under the belief that a formula for non-polluting crackers was in place. On October 31, the Supreme Court had, on an application from Tamil Nadu, clarified that only green crackers could be made henceforth across the country. The mandatory manufacture and sale of green crackers was implemented in the National Capital Region with immediate effect from 2018 itself.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 What the world needs is a personal war on plastic •

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Treating plastic like a drug habit that needs to be kicked is a lifestyle pledge being shared by more consumers, horrified by the nearly 300 million tonnes of plastic created worldwide each year, much of it in the form of single-use items like straws, that end up in landfills or the ocean. Designers have embraced plastic free as a new challenge, whether it’s building a supermarket aisle without plastic or making eco-friendly clothing that does not involve virgin plastic. Even some Fortune 500 companies like Procter & Gamble and PepsiCo want a piece of the action. This summer, those companies will test selling products like Tropicana orange juice in glass bottles, Pantene shampoo in aluminum bottles and other items in refillable nonplastic containers.

Plan to ban water sachets in Araku Valley •

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Having banned the use of plastic carry bags and polythene covers in Araku Valley in January 2019, officials of the Integrated Tribal Development Authority (ITDA), Paderu, are now planning to enforce a prohibition on the sale of plastic water sachets at tourist spots. According to officials, water sachets amount to around 40%-50% of the total plastic waste dumped at the tourist destinations here. Apart from environment pollution, these sachets are inadvertently consumed by stray cattle, putting their lives at risk, they say. “Before the ban, we need to ensure alternative drinking water facilities for tourists. We will also elicit suggestions from shopkeepers,” a senior official of ITDA Paderu said. ITDA officials are also planning to extend the plastic ban to more areas in the Visakhapatnam Agency area. Now, the prohibition is being implemented only in Araku Valley and a proposal has been made to extend it over the areas from the Borra Caves to Chaparai waterfalls. 217 | Page

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Meet the sea squirt that sucks plastic particles from the ocean •

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A rubbery sea creature with an irritating habit of clinging to ships and invading beaches could help measure plastic pollution as it can filter tiny particles from the ocean and store them in its soft tissue. Israeli researchers have found that ascidians — round, palm-sized animals also known as sea squirts — can thrive in dirty industrial areas and pristine waters alike, allowing them to detect and analyse waste and its impact in various regions. A staggering amount of plastic flows into the ocean each year. The United Nations says it is as if a garbage truck full of plastic was dumped into the water every minute, a rate some estimates show could lead to oceans carrying more plastic than fish in 30 years. But the long-term impact of the waste, particularly tiny pieces called microplastic, is still not fully understood. As a bonus, sea squirts are related in evolutionary terms to human beings. So studying them and the plastic inside them could be more insightful than looking at creatures like fish

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ENVIRONMENT 2) BIO DIVERSITY Dasara elephants help trap tiger on the prowl • •

The tiger that is suspected to have killed two persons in the D.B. Kuppe range of Nagarahole National Park was successfully tranquillised. Seven elephants — most of them having taken part in the Jumboo Savari during Dasara — were pressed into combing operations.

Bullock cart racing to make a comeback at Kila Raipur meet •

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The Punjab government paved the way for the revival of bullock cart races at the annual Kila Raipur rural sports meet in Ludhiana, in view of the significant role played by the traditional rural sports event and fair, which has been taking place at Kila Raipur (Ludhiana) since the 1930s. The Cabinet gave its nod to present the ‘Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2019’. The bullock cart races were prohibited by the Supreme Court in 2014. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 (Central Act 59 of 1960) was enacted to prevent infliction of unnecessary cruelty and suffering on animals. The Act also recognises the need to exempt the application of its provisions in certain circumstances. 219 | Page

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Fundraiser to secure 96 elephant corridors •

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At a time when a recent survey found 7 elephant corridors in the country impaired, the Asian Elephant Alliance, an umbrella initiative by five NGOs, has come together to secure 96 out of the 101 existing corridors used by elephants across 12 States in India. The joint venture is aiming at raising £20 million (Rs. 187.16 crore) to secure the 96 remaining elephant corridors, old and new, in the next ten years. The alliance joined hands to raise the mammoth sum as money was the main constraint in securing the land. According to a recent survey, seven elephant corridors in Jharkhand, U.P., Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have already been impaired due to land use changes. Out of 101 elephant corridors identified by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) in its 2012-15 study, five of them — two in Meghalaya and one each in Assam, Kerala and Karnataka — have already been secured by the WTI with the help of conservation partners and the support of State governments. The new alliance is aims to secure the 96 remaining elephant corridors in the next ten years by raising the money. NGOs Elephant Family, International Fund for Animal Welfare, IUCN Netherlands and World Land Trust have teamed up with WTI in the alliance.

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Panel defers resort project at Andamans •

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An expert committee of the Union Environment Ministry has “deferred” clearance to a Rs. 100 crore proposal by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation Limited (ANIIDCL) at Lalaji Bay, Long Island, to develop an island resort, as well as put up “premium tents” and “tree houses”, on the grounds that it doesn’t take into account the biodiversity of the islands’ coast. The committee also expressed “concern” over the management of solid waste collection, treatment and disposal; and how these would be managed once the project was commissioned and handed over to the managers of the resort. The Centre has been working on a long-term plan to make several of the islands more conducive to tourism. In 2018, the Home Ministry revived an Island Development Agency that would coordinate infrastructure projects to aid tourism in the A&N islands as well as Lakshadweep. In January 2019, the Environment Ministry approved a new set of rules for infrastructure development along the coasts. The arrival of domestic tourists in A&N islands rose from over 2.02 lakh in 2011 to over 3.84 lakh in 2016. The inflow of foreign tourists was stagnant at around 15,000, according to the NITI Aayog in a presentation in August 2018. When the latest CRZ rules were announced in December 2018, environmentalists had raised concerns that the A&N islands — already vulnerable to soil erosion and threat of climate change — would be further susceptible to environmental challenges from infrastructure development.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Vet institute, ambulances mooted in Rs. 98 crore lion conservation plan • • • • •

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Three months after at least 20 lions in Gujarat succumbed to a virus, the Centre and the Gujarat government have announced a Rs. 97.85 crore Asiatic Lion Conservation Project. A key outcome of the project is to have a dedicated veterinary institute, “lion ambulances”, and back-up stocks of vaccines that may be required. There are close to 600 lions in Gujarat, according to State forest officials at the meeting. However, there has been no move yet to translocate lions to a location outside Gujarat. There is a committee of experts from both States examining the suitability of Madhya Pradesh as a potential lion reserve. The Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh was identified to be the most suitable for reintroducing the species, according to a Supreme Court-appointed technical expert committee, but there has been no progress on the proposal. The SC in April 2013 had ordered the translocation of some lions from Gujarat to Madhya Pradesh within six months, but this hasn’t happened. This was ordered after several recommendations by expert groups, including the Wildlife Institute of India. It emphasised that the long-term survival of the lion as a species was best served if they could be present outside Gujarat, too, so that they are protected against, say, a forest fire, a disease, or calamities. While the lion deaths of last year brought these questions to the fore, they also pointed to the stark reality of lion numbers rising to an extent that several of them were now found outside protected areas and involved in human-animal conflict as well as in increasing contact with domestic animals as well as feral dogs, from where they could have contracted the virus. The Gujarat government, on its part, has envisaged a ‘Greater Gir’ that includes, other than the existing Gir National Park, sanctuaries in Girnar, Pania and Mitiyala. Key aspects of the conservation project include undertaking “habitat improvement” measures, making more sources of water available, creating a wildlife crime cell, and a task force for the Greater Gir region. It would also involve having in place a GPS-based tracking system, which would look at surveillance tracking, animal and vehicle tracking. There would also be an automated sensor grid that would have magnetic sensors, movement sensors and infra-red heat sensors.

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99.82% projects in forests got nod •

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India’s apex National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) — charged with allowing forest land in Protected Areas to be diverted for industry — cleared 682 of the 687 projects (99.82%) that came up for scrutiny, according to a response to a query in the Lok Sabha. Only five projects were rejected since August 2014. A wildlife expert, formerly associated with the NBWL, described it as a “clearance house.” From 2009-2013, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) recommended 260 of the 328 that came into its purview — or about 80% of the projects. It had deferred nearly 243 projects after 2013, according to a 2017 analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment. The NBWL, formally headed by the Prime Minister, adjudicates on industrial projects, road diversions or the like that could encroach into Protected Areas or eco-sensitive zones of forests. A smaller Standing Committee of the NBWL is charged with deliberating on the merits of projects that come to it for scrutiny; the committee comprises scientists and government officials and is chaired by Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Entire Aravalli area is devastated, rues SC • •

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In a stinging attack on the Rajasthan government, the Supreme Court said the State authorities are hand in glove with illegal miners who operate in the fast-depleting Aravalli region. A Bench led by Justice Arun Mishra was annoyed when the State’s counsel submitted that the ground-truthing exercise to ascertain the area where illegal mining had allegedly been conducted remained incomplete due to the recently held Assembly elections and the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. “What are you saying? As elections are there, so illegal mining will go on till then? What is this? You do not want to do this because this suits you. The entire machinery is rotten,” the court asked. The court said the once-lush Aravalli region is devastated after years of indiscriminate and illegal mining. “You are hand in glove and your officers are hand in glove with them (illegal miners). The entire Aravalli area is devastated and the entire flora and fauna there has gone,” the court said. The court recounted how the State had promised to finish the exercise in three months on October 29, 2018 and ordered the personal appearance of the State Chief Secretary. “We want compliance of our order. We want only compliance,” the court said, refusing to give more time to the counsel to get instructions from the State.

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Caught down the wire: Punjab’s blackbuck fight for existence •

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In 2019, so far, as many as eight blackbuck have died in the Abohar Wildlife Sanctuary (AWS), Punjab, and a majority of them succumbed to their injuries, caused by barbed wires while trying to escape from stray dogs, officials said. Other unnatural reasons for blackbuck deaths include road accidents and falling into water storage tanks and concrete drains. Blackbuck, Punjab’s State animal, faces a severe threat from stray cattle, attacks by stray dogs, and habitat fragmentation due to change in land use and cropping patterns over the past few years. The district administration has banned the sale and use of barbed wires, yet its use continues unabated in the sanctuary area. Fencing agricultural fields, especially with cobra wires that have blade-edged iron wire mesh, has been a major cause of worry, and a key reason behind causing fatal injuries to blackbuck during dog attacks. The AWS is an open sanctuary, spread across private land in 13 villages. The blackbuck was notified as the State animal of Punjab in 1989 and its presence in the State is confined to the AWS due to the unique habitat of semi-arid plains consisting of agricultural fields, intermittent fallow-barren lands, scattered sand dunes, sand mounds and ridges. Locals who have been peacefully co-existing with this near-threatened species of blackbuck for several years are annoyed with the alleged indifference of the State government towards solving the problem of stray cattle which destroy standing crops. They say that if the problem of stray cattle is resolved, then there would be no need for them to fence their farms with barbed wires, which would eventually allow free movement of blackbuck and help them thrive. In AWS, where land in mainly owned by the Bishnoi community, there were 3,273 blackbuck according to the 2017 census, conducted jointly by the Punjab Biodiversity Board and the Department of Forest and Wildlife Preservation, against 3,500 in the year 2011. “While the government collects cow cess in the name of taking care of stray animals, the problem continues to grow.” 228 | Page

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 ‘Flying bulldog’: world’s largest bee spotted again •

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The world’s largest bee — a giant insect roughly the size of a human thumb — has been rediscovered in a remote part of Indonesia in its first sighting in nearly 40 years, researchers said. Despite its conspicuous size, no one had observed Wallace’s giant bee — discovered in the 19th century by British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace and nicknamed the “flying bulldog” — in the wild since 1981, the Global Wildlife Conservation said. “To actually see how beautiful and big the species is in life, to hear the sound of its giant wings... was just incredible,” said Clay Bolt, a specialist bee photographer who snapped the enormous insect. The bee (Megachile pluto), which lives in the Indonesian island region of North Moluccas, makes its nest in termite mounds, using its large fang-like mandibles to collect sticky resin to protect its home from the termites.

Aussie mammal the first ‘climate change extinction’ •

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Australia officially declared a Great Barrier Reef rodent, rat-like Bramble Cay Melomys , on 19 February 2019, making it the first mammal believed to have been killed off by humaninduced climate change. Its only known habitat was a small sandy island in far northern Australia. It has not been spotted in a decade. Researchers from Queensland determined a key factor in its disappearance was “almost certainly” repeated ocean inundation of the cay — a low-lying island on a coral reef — over the last decade, which had resulted in dramatic habitat loss. Available data on sea-level rise and weather events in the Torres Strait region “point to humaninduced climate change being the root cause of the loss of the Bramble Cay Melomys”, a study released in 2016 mentioned. The Melomys rubicola, considered the Great Barrier Reef’s only endemic mammal species, was first discovered on the cay in 1845 by Europeans who shot the “large rats” for sport.

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ENVIRONMENT 3) CLIMATE CHANGE Frozen Arctic winds blow over North America

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Giant cavity in Antarctic glacier signals rapid decay •

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NASA scientists have discovered a gigantic cavity, almost 300 metres tall, growing at the bottom of the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica, indicating rapid decay of the ice sheet and acceleration in global sea levels due to climate change. The findings, published in the journal Science Advances, highlight the need for detailed observations of Antarctic glaciers’ undersides in calculating how fast sea levels will rise in response to warming. The size and explosive growth rate of the hole, however, surprised them. It is big enough to have contained 14 billion tonnes of ice, and most of that ice melted over the last three years. The cavity was revealed by ice-penetrating radar in NASA’s Operation IceBridge, an airborne campaign beginning in 2010 that studies connections between the polar regions and the global climate.

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Warming imperils clouds that deter ‘hothouse’ conditions •

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Marine clouds that protect us from hothouse Earth conditions by reflecting sunlight back into space could break up and vanish if CO2 in the atmosphere triples, researchers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California warned. So-called stratocumulus clouds cover about 20% of subtropical oceans, mostly near western seaboards such as the coasts of California, Mexico and Peru. “When they disappear, Earth warms dramatically, by about eight degrees Celsius — in addition to the global warming that comes from enhanced greenhouse concentrations alone,” according to the study. A temperature increase of that magnitude would melt polar ice and lift sea levels tens of metres. The last time the planet was that hot, some 50 million years ago during the Eocene Epoch, crocodiles roamed the Arctic. A barely one-degree increase since the mid-19th century — mostly in the last 50 years — has been enough to worsen heatwaves, droughts, and flooding, along with cyclones engorged by rising seas. 235 | Page

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The 2015 Paris climate treaty enjoins nations to cap the rise in temperatures at “well below” 2oC.

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XII. S&T 1) SPACE Gaganyaan’s review panel to meet in March • •

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A national review committee on Gaganyaan is slated to meet for the first time here on March 5 and 6 and comprehensively scan the contours of the first Indian human mission to space. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) wants to unveil the human mission’s details to stakeholders from multiple agencies, and also keep the nation in the loop about the prestigious mission, K.Sivan, ISRO Chairman and Secretary, Department of Space, said. The broad-based review committee may have around 100 experts and scientists related to all aspects of the Rs. 10,000-crore human mission, it is learnt. The committee will also be briefed on March 6 on the lunar lander and rover mission, Chandrayaan-2, which may take place around April. Gaganyaan was announced on August 15, 2018 as a marquee mission for the 75th year of Independence. It is slated to take place at a ‘near-Earth’ distance of 400 km. Before that, two unmanned trial flights with human-friendly capsules are to be flown in 2020, carrying a few micro-gravity experiments.

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New Mars rover named after Rosalind Franklin • • •

A British-made rover that will set off for Mars next year in search for signs of life was named after DNA pioneer Rosalind Franklin. It is part of the ExoMars mission of European Space Agency (ESA). U.K. Science Minister Chris Skidmore said at the unveiling, “Franklin helped us understand life on the Earth and now her namesake will do the same on Mars”.

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NASA heading back to the moon • • •

NASA is accelerating plans to return Americans to the moon, and this time, the U.S. space agency says it will be there to stay. U.S.A. hopes to have astronauts back there by 2028. “This time, when we go to the moon, we’re actually going to stay. We’re not going to leave flags and footprints and then come home to not go back for another 50 years” President Trump said. 239 | Page

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The last person to walk on the moon was Eugene Cernan in December 1972, during the Apollo 17 mission. Before humans set foot on the lunar surface again, NASA aims to land an unmanned vehicle on the moon by 2024, and has invited bids from the burgeoning private sector to build the probe

NASA’s Hubble telescope discovers dwarf galaxy • •

The Hubble Space Telescope has made an unexpected discovery of a never-before-seen dwarf galaxy in our cosmic backyard, located just 30 million light-years away. An international team of astronomers used the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to study white dwarf stars within the globular cluster NGC 6752. 240 | Page

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New Universe map unveils 3,00,000 more galaxies • • • •

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The known Universe just got a lot bigger. A new map of the night sky charts hundreds of thousands of previously unknown galaxies discovered using a telescope that can detect light sources optical instruments cannot see. The team behind the space survey said their discovery literally shed new light on some of the Universe’s deepest secrets, including the physics of black holes and how clusters of galaxies evolve. More than 200 astronomers from 18 countries were involved in the study, which used radio astronomy to look at a segment of sky over the northern hemisphere, and found 3,00,000 previously unseen light sources thought to be distant galaxies. Radio astronomy helps detect radiation produced when massive celestial objects interact The team used the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) telescope in the Netherlands to pick up traces — or “jets” — of ancient radiation produced when galaxies merge. These jets, previously undetected, can extend over millions of light years. 242 | Page

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Celestial billboards spark debate on who owns the sky • •

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StartRocket, a Russian start-up aims to put billboards in space. The firm plans to turn hundreds of tiny satellites into a massive display visible from the earth — something its CEO, Vlad Sitnikov, said would make him the first man to draw in space since the ancient Greeks grouped stars into constellations.. From space hotels to asteroid mining, the ambitious project is the latest in a series of ventures, often backed by capital and technology from Silicon Valley, looking at outer space as a new business frontier. But since it was announced in January 2019, the initiative has angered astronomers and raised questions about the need to better regulate who owns the skies — and what is in them. The team aims to put 200 tiny satellites, known as CubeSats, at an altitude of about 500 kilometres in the lower orbit by 2021. The satellites, each equipped with a sun-reflecting sail, would fly close together to comprise the pixels of a giant screen that could be switched on and off to display short words or logos. Production costs alone are expected to be more than $150 million, he said. The firm plans to charge about $200,000 for every eight hours of advertising. In 2018, U.S.-New Zealand rocket propulsion company Rocket Lab launched a shiny disco ball called Humanity Star into orbit, where it remained visible to the human eye for months.

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India’s 40th communication satellite, GSAT–31, launched from French Guiana

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How Hobbs found a way to fight bad cholesterol • •

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The discovery of cholesterol-lowering mutations in a human gene called PCSK9 led to the development of the most promising new drugs against heart disease since statins. Geneticist Helen Hobbs and her colleague at Dallas’ UT Southwestern Medical Center, geneticist Jonathan Cohen, found that when people had a mutation in PCSK9, they ended up with lower levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or bad cholesterol. Through this mechanism, the mutation protected people against heart disease, seemingly without side effects. In 2016, Ms. Hobbs was awarded the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for her work. From Mendelian, or single-gene disorders, the researchers already knew that elevated LDL made people sick. People with Mendelian heart disease often have no other risk factor, such as obesity or smoking. LDL seems sufficient to make them ill. The findings led to the development of the PCSK9 inhibitors Alirocumab and Evolocumab within 10 years, an unusually rapid example of drug development. The average time between the discovery of a drug target to commercialisation is typically 15 years.

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A lifetime of finding genes to counter heart disease •

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Geneticist Helen Hobbs, who works at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre, has been in India for most of February 2019 and discussed her research on genetic mutations and their influence on heart disease as well as fatty liver disease. Her work has led to the development of a new class of drugs for the treatment of excessive cholesterol build-up and the prevention of coronary atherosclerosis (hardening and narrowing of arteries). Dr. Hobbs, who won the 2016 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, discovered a mutation in a gene called PCSK9, which particularly protects African-Americans against heart disease. The PCSK9 discoveries led to the development of PCSK9 inhibitors, said to be the most effective drugs to lower cholesterol — or low density lipoprotein (LDL) — since statins.

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While most of her peers were focussed on genome-wide association studies, which involves finding variations in common genes, she opted to look for rare genes that dramatically influenced cholesterol levels. More recently, Dr. Hobbs’ team has identified genetic signatures that are associated with the full spectrum of alcoholic and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, including steatosis, steatohepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Japan approves stem cells trial to treat spinal cord injuries • • •

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A team of Japanese researchers will carry out an unprecedented trial using human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) to treat spinal cord injuries, the specialists said. iPS cells are created by stimulating mature, already specialised, cells back into a juvenile state — basically cloning without the need for an embryo. The team at Tokyo’s Keio University has received government approval for the trial — which have the potential to develop into any cell in the body — to treat patients with serious spinal cord injuries. The trial, expected to begin later in 2019, will initially focus on four patients who suffered injuries just 14 to 28 days beforehand, the university said. The team will transplant two million iPS cells into the spines of the patients, who will be monitored for a year. The strict limitations on the number of participants is necessary because the process is an “unprecedented, world first clinical trial”, the university added. There are more than 1,00,000 patients in Japan who are paralysed due to spinal cord injuries but there is no effective treatment. The announcement comes after researchers in Kyoto said in November 2018 they had transplanted 2.4 million iPS cells into the brain of a patient in a bid to cure Parkinson’s disease. The man was stable after the operation and he will be monitored for two years. Parkinson’s disease is a chronic, degenerative neurological disorder that affects the body’s motor system, often causing shaking and other difficulties in movement.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 ‘Lack of cleaning in brain cells causes Alzheimer’s’ •

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A weakened cleaning system of the brain cells in animals and humans is central to developing Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study which may lead to new treatments for the neurodegenerative disorder. Researchers, including those from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, found that improving mitophagy — the cleaning system of the brain cells — nearly removed the symptoms of Alzheimer’s in the animals. “When the cleaning system does not work properly, there will be an accumulation of defective mitochondria in the brain cells. And this may be really dangerous,” “At any rate, the cleaning system is markedly weakened in cells from both humans and animals with Alzheimer’s. And when we improve the cleaning in live animals, their Alzheimer’s symptoms almost disappear,” a researcher involved said. They plan to start clinical trials on humans in the near future.

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Indivior loses plea against DRL in U.S. court •

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Pharma major Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories received a shot in the arm in its legal battle to resume launch of a generic version of Indivior’s opioid dependence treatment drug Suboxone with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) turning down the British drug maker’s plea for rehearing. The launch in the U.S. of a generic product that could be directly substituted by a pharmacist for the branded product without consultation with the patient would result in the branded incumbent (in this case Suboxone) losing up to 80% of its market share within a matter of months, Indivior said.

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Dr. Reddy’s re-launches generic version of Suboxone in U.S. • •

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Pharma major Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL) has re-launched in the U.S. its generic version of the opioid dependence treatment drug Suboxone of the British drugmaker Indivior. The re-launch, announced by Dr. Reddy’s, follows the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) vacating the District Court’s preliminary injunction that prohibited DRL from selling the generic. The company has resumed shipping the product – Buprenorphine and Naloxone Sublingual Film– a therapeutic equivalent generic version of Suboxone. For DRL, Suboxone is one of the drugs that could deliver a blockbuster impact on the revenues. A slice of that was evident when the firm sold the product briefly, before a U.S. court, in June 2018, passed a temporary restraining order on the sale in response to a plea by Indivior in a patent case.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Parkinson’s drug trial offers glimmer of hope for cell repair •

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An experimental drug could offer hope for restoring damaged brain cells in Parkinson’s patients, scientists, although they cautioned that a clinical trial was not able to prove that the treatment slowed or halted the neurodegenerative disease. The trial involved delivery of a protein therapy directly into the brains of Parkinson’s patients. Scientists said some brain scans revealed “extremely promising” effects on damaged neurons of those who received the treatment. Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative disease that affects around 1% to 2% of people over age 65. It causes tremors, muscle stiffness and movement and balance problems. Although some medicines can improve symptoms, there is no cure or treatment that can slow progression of the disease. This trial involved 41 patients who all underwent robot-assisted surgery to have tubes placed into their brains. That allowed doctors to infuse either the experimental treatment — called Glial Cell Line Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF) - or a placebo directly to the affected brain areas. GDNF is made by privately-held Canadian biotech firm MedGenesis Therapeutix. The placebo effect has been known to confound clinical trials of treatments for conditions involving the brain, boosted by patients’ expectations that a potential treatment will work. GDNF could be a means to possibly reawaken and restore” brain cells that are gradually destroyed in Parkinson’s.

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How split-sex insects and birds are helping science • •

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All serious butterfly collectors remember their first: a butterfly with a colour and pattern that are distinctly male on one wing and female on the other. For biologist Nipam H. Patel, the sighting offered a possible answer to a question he had been pondering for years: During embryonic and larval development, how do cells know where to stop and where to go? He was sure that the delicate black outlines between male and female regions appearing on one wing — but not the other — identified a key facet of animal development. “It immediately struck me that this was telling me something interesting about how the wing was being made,” said Mr. Patel, a biologist who now heads the Marine Biological Laboratory, a research institute in Massachusetts, affiliated with the University of Chicago, in the U.S. The patterning on the gynandromorph’s wing shows that the body uses signalling centres to control where cells go during development and what tissues they become in creatures as diverse as butterflies and people, Mr. Patel said. Gynandromorph butterflies and other half-male, half-female creatures, particularly birds, have fascinated both scientists and amateurs for centuries. Scientists say these instances of split-sex animals and insects could offer clues to why some human diseases strike one sex more than the other. Obesity, metabolic syndrome, autoimmune disease, Alzheimer’s, even ageing differs by sex, Mammals have X and Y chromosomes, birds and insects have Z and W, and some reptiles can change their sex depending on temperature, or a combination of temperature and sex chromosomes, she said. How gynandromorphs are born at all still remains a mystery. 261 | Page

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For birds, the most likely explanation is that a female makes an unusual double-nucleus egg cell, one with a Z chromosome and one with a W chromosome, and each is fertilized by a Z sperm, making some cells ZZ and others ZW in the same individual, Mr. Arnold said. The same process is very unlikely to happen in mammals, he said. Female mammals naturally have two of the same sex chromosomes, and the instant a mammalian egg and sperm fuse, “dramatic changes prevent the entry of a second sperm.” Gynandromorphs occur naturally, usually resulting from a random genetic error, Mr. Patel said.

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China to act against rogue scientists •

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China has drafted new rules to supervise biotechnology research, with fines and bans against rogue scientists after a Chinese researcher caused a global outcry by claiming that he gene-edited babies. The announcement comes as He Jiankui’s controversial experiment continues to transfix the scientific community, with researchers saying the procedure had the potential of enhancing the learning capabilities and memory of the babies. He announced in November 2018 that the world’s first gene-edited babies — twin girls — were born that same month after he altered their DNA to prevent them from contracting HIV by deleting a certain gene under a technique known as CRISPR. The claim shocked scientists worldwide, raising questions about bioethics and putting a spotlight on China’s lax oversight of scientific research. The new rules unveiled propose to classify technology used for extracting genetic materials, gene editing, gene transfer and stem cell research as “high risk”. Health authorities under the central government would manage such research. Scientists can be fined 10 to 20 times the amount of “illegal income” earned from unauthorised research and be banned from their field of work for six months to one year. “If the circumstances are serious, their medical practice licence shall be revoked and the individual shall not engage in clinical research for life,” the rules say.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 S&T 4) PHYSICS Jaipur physicist solves puzzles on interactions of nature •

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The work of a physicist on the standard model of particle physics, explaining new aspects of dark matter, dark energy and disappearance of anti-matter in the Universe, has been recognised by Belle Collaboration, an international body of more than 400 physicists and engineers, head quartered at the High Energy Accelerator Research Organisation, Tsukuba, Japan. Physicist Dinesh Kumar and his team has provided “tantalising hints” of laws of nature beyond the current theory of Higgs boson, also referred to as the elusive God particle. Dr. Kumar has made measurements that cannot be explained by the standard model and are related to the decay of a sub-atomic particle known as “beauty meson”. Dr. Kumar, who earlier taught at Rajasthan University, is currently with the National Centre for Nuclear Research, Warsaw, Poland. The findings of his research, which started in 2016, have been confirmed by Belle Collaboration. Dr. Kumar said that his work has helped solve “puzzles on new interactions of nature” by seeking to explain the disappearance of anti-matter in the universe. He said this decay could not be explained by the standard model.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 XIV.

SECURITY

26/11 case: warrant against two Pakistan Army officials • •

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A sessions court has issued non-bailable warrants against Pakistani Army officials Major Abdul Rehman Pasha and Major Iqbal in the 26/11 terror attacks case. While Major Pasha has retired, the prosecution believes Major Iqbal is still serving as an ISI official in Pakistan, as disclosed by U.S.-born Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist David Coleman Headley, an approver in the case. The officials are shown as wanted accused in the chargesheet filed by the city police. The court is presently conducting trial against alleged LeT operative Sayyed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Mr. Nikam said the role of the two Pakistani Army officials was revealed further during Headley’s testimony. Headley had claimed that during the conspiracy to commit the terror attacks in Mumbai, Major Iqbal and Major Pasha were present at the meetings where targets were selected. It is claimed Headley’s testimony is not the only evidence against Major Pasha and Major Iqbal, and that the prosecution also has in its possession corroborative documentary evidence.

Centre bans Kashmir outfit •

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The Union Home Ministry has banned the Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen (TuM) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for promoting terrorism and radicalising and recruiting youth for terrorist activities in India. Set up in the 1990s, TuM claims to be fighting for the “liberation of Kashmir,” the Ministry said in a notification announcing the ban. “The TuM carried out a number of terrorist attacks besides subversive acts, namely grenade attacks, weapons snatching incidents, supporting other terrorist outfits such as Hizb-ulMujahideen (HuM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), etc. in terms of financial and logistic support in the recent past,” the Ministry said. In 2018, eight TuM men were killed in various operations by security forces. Mostly, welleducated and belonging to urban settlements, the “gang” members had carried out grenade attacks on checkpoints and snatched weapons from security forces in the past. A TuM spokesman said the ban would be used as an “election plank” by the Modi government. He said the resolution of Kashmir issue was in India’s interest. “It should resolve this issue in the light of UN resolutions. This way this country can get over poverty and hunger,” the spokesperson said.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 37 CRPF men killed in J&K suicide attack •

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At least 37 CRPF personnel were killed when a convoy in which they were travelling was attacked by a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) suicide bomber, who rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into one of the convoy’s buses near Awantipora on the -Jammu Highway. The bombing in the Lethpora area of Pulwama district also left at least eight jawans critically injured and was the deadliest attack in terms of casualties in the last three decades of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir. A sports utility vehicle laden with 300 to 350 kg of explosives rammed into the CRPF convoy of 70 vehicles on the way to Srinagar from Jammu, as the highway had opened after a week-long closure due to snowfall. About 2,500 personnel were travelling to the Valley at the time of the attack. The attack raises questions over security on the national highway, which is patrolled by three agencies — the local police, the CRPF and Army — on a daily basis. Immediately after the attack, the JeM claimed responsibility and released a picture of its local operative who had carried out the attack. He was identified as Adil Ahmad Dar alias ‘Waqas Commando’, a resident of Pulwama’s Kakapora. According to the police, Dar joined the outfit in 2018 and was a Class 10 dropout. In 2001, 38 people were killed when a three-member JeM squad blew up a car outside the J&K Assembly. The toll in the 14 February 2019 attack exceeded the fatalities inflicted by militants in Uri, in 2016, when 19 Armymen were killed near the LoC.

Suicide bomber set off a huge cache of RDX • • • • • • •

A post-blast analysis conducted by the National Security Guard at the scene of attack in Pulwama has established that the SUV driven by the suicide bomber was packed with RDX. A senior government official said that preliminary investigations suggested that 100-150 kg of RDX was used in the attack on the CRPF convoy. The official said samples had been collected for further forensic analysis. Adil Ahmed Dar, the Jaish-e-Mohammed suicide bomber, rammed a bus in the convoy, killing 40 personnel near Pulwama, 30 km from Srinagar. The CRPF had been moving such convoys, comprising more than 2,500 personnel each, on the Srinagar-Jammu highway. The road was open for movement of civilian vehicles, and an hour back, the route had been sanitised for the presence of improvised explosive devices. More than 2,000 men were deployed for road security, an official said.

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3 Jaish men killed in Pulwama •

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Four Army personnel including an Army officer, and three Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists – two Pakistanis and a local – were among the nine persons killed in an 18-hour gunfight in Pulwama’s Pinglena area, four days after 40 CRPF jawans lost their lives in a suicide car-bomb attack in the region. The dead included a policeman and a civilian as well. A Brigadier and a Deputy Inspector-General were among the nine injured. Four weapons and ammunition were recovered from the site. Four houses, including one in which the terrorists were holed up, caught fire and were damaged. The operation was the first joint exercise of security agencies against the JeM, which is recruiting locals.

Owner of Pulwama attack vehicle has joined Jaish: NIA •

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The National Investigation Agency said it had tracked down the owner of the car used by the suspected Jaish-e Mohammed (JeM) suicide bomber in the February 14 attack on the Central Reserve Police Force convoy in Pulwama. Forty jawans were killed and five injured in the attack. The owner of the vehicle has since joined the terror outfit, the agency said.

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Around 33,000 CRPF personnel, the lead force operating in Maoist-affected areas, will benefit from the order. The decision pending since 2017 was expedited after the Pulwama terror attack. A committee under the chairmanship of the Union Home Secretary was constituted in 2017 for “classification of field areas for grant of risk and hardship allowance in CAPFs.”

UN Security Council condemns Pulwama attack • • •

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The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) issued a statement condemning the Pulwama attack and underlining the need to hold those responsible accountable. Significantly Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has been named on the statement as having taken responsibility for the attack. “The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly suicide bombing in Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in over 40 Indian paramilitary forces dead and dozens wounded on February 14, 2019, for which Jaish-e-Mohammed has claimed responsibility,” the statement said. Sources at the UN said the UNSC statement was released after prolonged Security Council negotiations. China had wanted additional time to think it through as it had some concerns, they said. France is also working, in parallel, to sanction JeM chief Masood Azhar at the UNSC. Similar action against Azhar in 2017 was blocked by China. India had moved the 1267 Sanctions Committee to ban Azhar twice before in 2009 and 2016. UN Secretary General António Guterres had called on India and Pakistan to defuse tensions and for “meaningful mutual engagement.” “The members of the Security Council underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice, and urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the Government of India and all other relevant authorities in this regard,” the statement read. 276 | Page

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EU, Germany join calls for Pakistan to act on terror •

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Calling on Pakistan to take “clear and sustainable” actions against terror groups including those who have taken responsibility for the Pulwama attack, the European Union joined a number of international entities attempting to defuse tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi called German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to discuss Pakistan’s concerns with tensions post-Pulwama. “FM Heiko Maas … appealed to both sides to work to de-escalate the situation. Specifically, Pakistan resolutely needs to put a stop to cross-border terrorism,” the German Foreign Ministry said. The statements shared a sharp tone in telling Pakistan to act against the Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Taiba and other banned groups, something welcomed by External Affairs Ministry officials. However, the Ministry did not respond to questions on the flurry of calls for “de-escalation”, or any hint of mediation by other countries, seen as interference in India’s bilateral affairs.

India to push for UN ban on JeM chief •

With the UN Security Council and the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force both issuing strong press statements on the Pulwama attack and calling on Pakistan to act against the Jaishe-Mohammed (JeM), diplomats in Delhi and New York say they have begun negotiations on a new proposal to place JeM chief Masood Azhar on the ban list operated by the UNSC’s 1267 committee, the fourth such request in four consecutive years. 277 | Page

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Beijing has vetoed each of the past three attempts to list Azhar: in 2016, 2017 and most recently in 2018. China agreed to the UNSC press statement that named the JeM after considerable wrangling over the wording, particularly insisting on leaving out any direct reference to Pakistan in it and objecting to any “political statements,” diplomats aware of the negotiations in New York said. The effort coordinated between France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the embassy in Delhi and the UN, is likely to take some weeks, the diplomats said. In March 2019, France will take over the presidency of the UNSC, which comprises 5 permanent and 10 non-permanent members. Ms. Swaraj is expected to meet Mr. Wang for the trilateral meeting of Russia-India-China (RIC) Foreign Ministers along with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Wuzhen, and then will meet both bilaterally. “It will be critical to see what role Russia plays in this effort, not just on supporting India, but on actively convincing China to withdraw its objections to the listing,” the diplomat said.

JuD, FIF change name, bypass ban • •

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Hafiz Saeed’s extremist groups continue to function in Pakistan despite a recent ban, a leading Pakistani newspaper has reported. Days after the government of Imran Khan reimposed a ban on Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and its charity arm Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF) against the backdrop of the Pulwama terror attack, the Daily Times of Pakistan reported that the groups continue to operate with impunity in various parts of Pakistan. The paper reported that JuD and FIF outlets have put up new banners outside offices and collection centres and are continuing to work as before. In various places, the two organisations have re-branded themselves as Al Madina and Aisar Foundation.

Police officer, Army jawan killed in Kulgam encounter •

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A Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP)-rank police officer, a soldier and three Jaish-eMohammed (JeM) terrorists were killed and six persons, including three civilians, were injured in an encounter in Kulgam. The Kashmir Valley remained tense for the second straight day and observed a shutdown over fears of an escalation of India-Pakistan tensions and scrapping of Article 35A. The Kulgam encounter was the second major operation against the JeM since February 14 when a suicide car bombing killed 40 CRPF jawans in Pulwama. 278 | Page

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 In a first, Air Force commissions aerial surveillance •

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The Indian Air Force (IAF) has commissioned the development of an aerial surveillance system for monitoring suspicious movements under dense foliage cover along the international border and some parts within the country. This hyper spectral imagery programme, a first for the country, seeks to locate and identify suspicious movements and is expected to be operational in the next two years. What the programme would mean is that the data gathered from aerial sources would be processed within minutes, and researchers would be able to tell security forces on the ground of “unwanted” human presence in the area, their numbers and locations, among other inputs. The IAF is spending Rs. 13 crore for the programme in which human resources from premier research and education institutions across the country are being put together, and has roped in a senior researcher and lead technologist of Indian origin from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as the chief technologist for the programme. The IAF, which had tracked the work of Houston-based senior scientist Kumar Krishen’s work for nearly three years, finally roped him in after he quit NASA in September 2018. Data/images will be captured through optical and infra red sensors — to be most likely mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle — and processed through deep learning algorithms.

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When 12 warplanes locked on to the target • • •

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12 Mirage-2000 combat jets of the Indian Air Force, which struck at Balakot, were armed with Israeli precision guided munitions. “Twelve Mirage-2000 jets from Gwalior were involved in the strike and they carried SPICE 2000 and Crystal Maze Mk2, also called AGM-142 Popeye PGMs,” an IAF source confirmed. SPICE stands for ‘Smart, Precise Impact and Cost-Effective,’ a kit which converts a conventional bomb into a smart munition. It is manufactured by Rafael of Israel. The ‘2000’ refers to a bomb of 2,000 pounds (about 1,000 kg). The precision guided munitions (PGMs) enable the aircraft to release them from stand-off distances while staying away from harm’s way and the munitions glide to the target once launched. Defence sources said five 1,000 kg PGMs were dropped in the strike. The IAF also deployed the Israeli Phalcon and indigenous Netra early warning aircraft to monitor the mission — to direct the aircraft as well as to keep an eye out for Pakistani F-16s that might be deployed to counter them — and a Heron long range UAV that was used for monitoring and assessment. Sukhoi Su-30MKIs fighter jets were also airborne and standing by. The use of air power is significant as it is the first time since the 1971 war that the IAF crossed over and struck inside Pakistani territory. Even during the Kargil conflict, the IAF was under strict instructions to not cross the LoC.

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Balakot camp had over 200 terrorists, says official • • • • • • •

The Balakot camp run by the terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) that was hit by the Indian Air Force “housed more than 200 terrorists”, a senior government official said. The camp was headed by Jaish chief Masood Azhar’s brother-in-law Yusuf Azhar, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said. It is located around 200 km from Islamabad on a hilltop in a forest far from the civilian area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. On the banks of the Kunhar river, the camp offered the possibility of aquatic training to terrorists. Trainers at the camp were “ex-Army personnel”, the official said. The camp was initially used as a training camp by the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM), another terrorist outfit active in Jammu and Kashmir and supported by Pakistan. He was one of the main conspirators involved in the hijacking of the Indian Airlines flight IC 814 to Kandahar in 1999. 281 | Page

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The JeM chief was released by India in exchange for the hijacked passengers. His name was on a list of 20 fugitives handed over by India to Pakistan in 2002.

Opposition hails IAF for precision strike • •

Congress president Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to praise Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots soon after news broke of air strikes on terror camps across the LoC. Responses from other Opposition leaders were nearly identical. While maintaining tactical silence on the role of the Narendra Modi government, all praised the IAF.

India gets support from Australia, France • •

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India received support for its air strikes from several countries, including Australia and France. “France recognises India’s legitimacy to ensure its security against cross-border terrorism and asks Pakistan to put an end to operations of terrorist groups established on its territory,” the spokesperson of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The British government called on India and Pakistan to pursue diplomatic solutions. However, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation condemned “the Indian incursion and aerial violation.” The criticism comes four days ahead of Ms. Swaraj’s speech at the OIC inaugural address in the UAE, which will be India’s first appearance at the 57-nation grouping.

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Cautious China urges India, Pak. to improve ties •

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China has responded cautiously to Indian air strikes across the Line of Control (LoC), criticising New Delhi for taking unilateral action but urging both India and Pakistan to improve ties. China has repeatedly placed a “technical hold” on designating Masood Azhar, head of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) — a UN designated terror group based in Pakistan — as an international terrorist by the 1267 committee of the UN Security Council, as demanded by India and other Permanent members of the Council. The JeM has claimed responsibility for the February 14 attack on a paramilitary convoy that killed 40 troops. 283 | Page

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China is expected to further elaborate on its stance on 27 February 2019, when Mr. Wang meets External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on the sidelines of the Foreign Ministerial meeting of Russia-India-China (RIC) in Wuzhen in East China.

IAF plane shot down, pilot taken captive by Pak. army •

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An Indian pilot was captured by Pakistan after a major aerial confrontation and chase between Pakistan Air Force planes, which dropped bombs in four locations of Jammu and Kashmir, and Indian Air Force jets that countered them over the Line of Control (LoC). The confrontation began after Pakistan sent several aircraft to the LoC in retaliation for the Indian Air Force strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammad camp in Balakot a day earlier. The government said IAF jets shot down an F-16 jet of the PAF in the skirmish, and the wreckage had fallen on the Pakistan side. Pakistan’s military, however, denied the loss of any aircraft. Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman began to chase the Pakistani jets to push them back, when he had to eject over the LoC after the MiG-21 he was flying was shot by a Pakistani plane. He landed in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, where he was taken into custody. The Ministry of External Affairs demanded his “safe and immediate return.” In amateur videos, he is seen being manhandled by a crowd in the PoK. Later, the Pakistan military released a video of Wg Cdr Varthaman drinking tea and speaking to Pakistani military personnel as proof that he had not been harmed. According to a release from the Pakistani Foreign Ministry, the PAF had carried out strikes without crossing the LoC at “non-military targets, avoiding human loss and collateral damage”, in words that mirrored the MEA statement. Terming the Pakistani operations an “unprovoked act of aggression”, the government said India reserves the right to “take firm and decisive action”, calling for the immediate return of the pilot. With the possibility of escalation growing, several countries rushed in to appeal for restraint from New Delhi and Islamabad.

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Airspace north of Delhi turns no-fly zone for four hours • • • • • •

The airspace north of Delhi was a no-fly zone for commercial airlines for nearly four hours, forcing airlines to suspend flights to and from nine airports. Operations at Leh, Jammu, Srinagar, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Dehradun, Dharamashala, Shimla and Kullu were affected between 10.30 a.m. and 2.30 p.m. Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority, too, shut its airspace around 11.15 a.m. “The Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan has officially closed its airspace until further notice and issued NOTAM,” it said on Twitter. NOTAM stands for Notice To Airmen, or a circular. “International flights exiting Indian airspace north of Mumbai will have to re-route through Muscat,” said an official of the Ministry of Civil Aviation. As a result, flights of Indian and foreign carriers that overfly Pakistan had to take a longer route.

China offers tacit support to India •

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China appeared to have walked a thin line by tacitly supporting Indian air strikes against the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorist camp in Pakistan, but making it plain that it would not label Islamabad as a state sponsor of terrorism. Mr. Wang said that it was “especially important” to “eradicate the breeding grounds of terrorism and extremism.” Referring to the adoption of a common approach by the three RIC countries, Ms. Swaraj said that, “This is not only a common strategy for the three of us, but it is resolution for the three of us.” But the Chinese Foreign Minister also said Pakistan was opposed to terrorism. Short of offering mediation, the Chinese Foreign Minister said that Beijing was “playing a constructive role not the opposite.”

Assam Rifles granted power to arrest anyone in the Northeast •

Assam Rifles, deployed along the Myanmar border, has been empowered by the Centre to arrest anyone and search a place without warrant in the border districts of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram. 285 | Page

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According to a Home Ministry notification, “an officer of the rank corresponding to that of the lowest rank of members of the Assam Rifles” has been given these powers under the Code of Criminal Procedure. Earlier, Assam Rifles was making arrests only in areas where the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act was in effect. “They were finding it difficult to make seizures and arrest in Mizoram, which doesn’t have AFSPA. This is to basically correct that anomaly. As per law, they have to hand over the suspects to the local police within 24 hours,” said a government official. The MHA had lifted AFSPA from some areas of Arunachal Pradesh in 2018. Assam Rifles personnel will exercise these powers and discharge their duties “under sub-section(1) of section 41, sections 47, 48, 49, 51, 53, 54, 149, 150, 151 and 152 of the CrPC within the local limits of the area comprised within the border districts of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram,” the notification said. Section 41 of the CrPC states that any police officer may, without an order from a magistrate and without a warrant, arrest any person. Section 47 gives powers for search of place entered by person sought to be arrested. Section 48 says a police officer may, for the purpose of arresting without warrant any person, pursue such person into any place in India. Section 49 states the person arrested shall not be subjected to more restraint than is necessary to prevent his escape.

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Home Ministry puts Assam Rifles notification on hold •

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The Home Ministry has kept “in abeyance” its order that empowered the Assam Rifles, deployed along the Myanmar border, to arrest anyone and search a place without a warrant in the border districts of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram. The notification was withheld after Opposition parties moved an adjournment motion against the order in the Assam Assembly. The Ministry said the matter would be “revisited in consultation with the State governments”. The notification said “an officer of the rank corresponding to that of the lowest rank of members of the Assam Rifles” would have the powers under the CrPC. 289 | Page

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Sources present at the briefing of diplomats said that Ms. Swaraj stressed the point that India had only conducted a counter-terror strike on a training camp in Pakistan, and did not wish to “escalate” the situation further.

XV.

DEFENCE

IAF chief flags delays in manufacture of equipment •

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The Indian Air Force (IAF) has not shifted any goal posts and is fully committed to indigenisation, Air Chief Marshal (ACM) B.S. Dhanoa said, while flagging delays in domestic development and manufacture of defence equipment. “IAF has not shifted any goal posts as alleged. The development has taken such an incredibly long time that armament and technology has gone obsolete… I, as the service chief, can make concessions to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Will the enemy make concessions to me when I go and meet the enemy?” said ACM Dhanoa. “In combat, there is no silver medal. Either you win or you lose.” His comments come in the backdrop of recent reports that the IAF has been changing parameters of the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, adding to the delay in development. The IAF has contracted for 40 LCA Mk-I jets, issued a Request For Proposal (RFP) for 83 LCA MkIA variants and committed to procure 12 squadrons of LCA Mk-II and eventually the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). ACM Dhanoa said a crucial contribution to the success of indigenisation was also the sacrifice of IAF’s pilots in testing these aircraft to battle worthy standards. “We have lost 17 pilots and engineers in air accidents during testing and evaluation of the indigenous Marut, Kiran, Ajeet, Saras and early warning prototype aircraft,” he said. Air power would remain a major player in future conflicts, he stated. Investment in air power was an expensive proposition. For instance, each Su-30 costs Rs. 417 crores. Even the LCA Mk I costs Rs. 191 crores.

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There had to be a mix high, medium and low technology, ACM Dhanoa said. “It’s the high end fighters and other equipment that help you shape the air battle for others to be able to carry out their task.” The Rafale jets and the S-400 air defence systems fit in this, he observed. ACM Dhanoa said that as on date, the backlog with HAL due to a long overhaul cycle and delays in upgradation was approximately of one squadron Jaguars, nearly two squadrons of Su-30MKI and one squadron of Mirage-2000 jets.

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To strengthen the perimeter security of its air stations, the Navy has finalised a Rs. 700 crore contract with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for establishing an upgraded Naval Airfield Integrated Security System. After terrorists attacked the Pathankot Air Force Station, in 2016 the system was formulated as a comprehensive project for upgrading the security of naval airfields, an official said. The request for information went out in March 2016 for the project to be implemented at six major air stations. From a field of 48 vendors who responded, three public sector undertakings qualified, and among them was BEL, which was declared the lowest bidder early this month. The contract was signed on January 22, and the implementation would be completed between January and June 2020,” the official said. The measures forming part of the project include an anti-climbing fence, drain detection intrusion systems, a CCTV network and under-vehicle surveillance.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 India inks contract for 72,000 assault rifles •

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After several failed attempts to equip the infantry with a basic rifle, the Army signed a contract with Sig Sauer of the U.S. for 72,400 SIG716 assault rifles for front-line soldiers deployed in operational areas. The entire lot will be delivered in 12 months. Of the 72,400 rifles, 66,400 are meant for the Army, 2,000 for the Navy and 4,000 for the Air Force. The broad parameters for the weapon are an effective range of 500 m and weight of less than 3 kg. The new rifles will replace the Indian National Small Arms System (INSAS) rifles. The Defence Ministry also issued the Expression of Interest (EoI) for a deal to buy 111 naval utility helicopters. This is the first project to be executed through the strategic partnership policy. Under this, the chosen Indian private company will team up with the Original Equipment Manufacturer to build the product in India. The EoI follows the Request for Information (RFI). The Navy will likely issue a detailed Request for Proposal (RFP) at the end of the third quarter of this year to short-listed Indian companies. The copters will replace the ageing Chetak fleet.

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India, Russia close to inking multi-billion agreement for AK-103 assault rifles • • • • •

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India and Russia are close to concluding an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) for a multibillion deal to locally bulk manufacture AK-103 assault rifles in the next few months,. India has signed several multi-billion dollar defence deals with Russia in the last couple of years and more are in the piigpeline. Upon signing the IGA, there will be direct business negotiations between Kalashnikov from our side and India’s Ordnance Factory Board (OFB). The AK-103 will be bulk produced by the OFB with technology transfer. The Army has recently signed a contract for 72,400 assault rifles from Sig Sauer of the U.S. and another tender for 93,895 Close Quarter Battle (CQB) carbines is in advanced stage of conclusion. These rifles are for frontline troops deployed in forward areas. However, the Army is looking to replace the indigenous INSAS (Indian National Small Arms System) rifles in use with a modern rifle.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Tejas, world’s lightest fighter, is ‘battle ready’ • • • • •

Mark I (MkI) Tejas, the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) designed and developed in India, overcame its last hurdle by finally bagging final operational clearance (FOC) certification. The FOC certifies that the world’s lightest fighter plane is “ready for battle.” Start Secretary, Defence R&D, Dr. G. Satheesh Reddy, declared the aircraft FOC compliant. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is ready to start producing 16 LCAs in the improved FOC version,

HAL production capability on a par with peers: CMD • • •

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Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd said its production quality and capability is on a par with any other comparable aerospace OEM (original equipment manufacturer). HAL CMD R. Madhavan said, the morale of employees remains intact even after HAL faced aspersions on its competence. The state-owned defence public enterprise has been repeatedly berated openly by people ranging from Ministers to high-ranking officers, that the aircraft it makes for the Indian Air Force and its productivity were not up to the mark. He said the February 1 crash of a Mirage fighter plane being upgraded by HAL was one trigger. “It is not as it has been projected. Let us wait for the court of inquiry to come out with its report.” The company would not comment on the cause of the crash while an inquiry was on, he said. The other older issue is that it did not get the licence to produce the Rafale fighter planes that are being bought for the IAF. One reason for its rejection is that HAL’s man hours earlier cited to produce the fighters were higher than those of France’s Dassault Aviation, which is the Rafale plane’s OEM. 296 | Page

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DRDO scouts for R&D partners •

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The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is looking for potential partners to co-develop an engine for its planned Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) and five other future technologies, its chairman G. Satheesh Reddy said. It is on the lookout for collaborators to realise the other military technologies that it hopes to have in around five years — Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs) and UAVs, materials, sensors, avionics, and artificial intelligence. “An aeroengine of the 110-kilo Newton type that we want for the AMCA is not available today. We will evaluate and involve them in research and development. Materials development is another very important area for making aircraft or missiles light and stealthy [or undetected],” he said. Dr. Reddy, who is also secretary, Department of Defence R&D, said industry would be enlisted at the beginning of a project so that it can begin production as a natural partner. The new time-bound ‘Dare to Dream’ challenge has received 1,000 responses from individuals and startups.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Deadlier version of BrahMos to be tested in three years •

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A sleeker, more lethal version of the supersonic cruise missile BrahMos is under development and the prototype should be ready for testing in about three years, said Dr. Sudhir K. Mishra, CEO and MD of BrahMos Aerospace. BrahMos is a joint venture between India and Russia and named after Brahmaputra and Moscowa rivers. It is capable of being launched from land, sea, sub-sea and air against surface and sea-based targets. The development trials of an anti-shipping variant began in 2003 and combat trials began in 2005. “We are working on BrahMos NG. The idea is to have a smaller missile with the same capabilities. So the missile will fly at 3.5 times the speed of sound instead of 2.8 Mach. The range will remain at 300 km,” Dr. Mishra said at the ongoing Aero India. For this several mechanical components in the missile are being replaced with electrical components which will also reduce the size. A structural study has been carried out and several sub-systems have already been developed. “In three years we expect to develop a prototype for launch,” Dr. Mishra stated. The reduced weight enables the NG variant to be carried by the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). An LCA can carry two missiles while a Su-30MKI can carry five of them, Dr. Mishra added. The land and sea variants of BrahMos are already operational with the Army and Navy and the air-launched version is under development.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Budget shortfall worries Defence Services •

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The shortfall in Defence allocation in the interim Budget 2019-20, especially in its capital allocation, has left the Services worried as it threatens to derail the capability enhancement and modernisation under way. This comes at a time of fast-paced developments in the region, and China’s rapid advancements will only leave India further behind in terms of military capabilities. Significant shortfall A look at the numbers reveals the shortfall is so significant that, for the Navy and the Air Force, the capital allocation does not even meet the committed liabilities, that is, payments for deals already contracted. The Army, meanwhile, is looking at a shortfall in its non-salary revenue expenditure. For instance, the Air Force, which has signed major deals in the past two years, including for the 36 Rafale jets and S-400 air defence systems, and is beginning to induct platforms like CH-47F Chinook heavy lift helicopters and AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, has committed liabilities of Rs. 47,413 crore. In contrast, the entire capital allocation is Rs. 39,347 crore and the projected capital requirement is Rs. 74,895 crore. Similarly, for the Navy, the committed liabilities for the coming year stand at Rs. 25,461 crore, while the total capital allocation is Rs. 22,227 crore. The Defence allocation in the interim Budget was Rs. 3.18 lakh crore, and Defence pensions stood at Rs. 1.12 lakh crore. Of this, allocation for revenue expenditure (net) is Rs. 2.01 lakh crore and capital expenditure (net) is Rs. 1.08 lakh crore. The share of the three Services in the overall defence budget stands as follows: Army–54%, Navy–14% and Air Force–22%. Another concern is the large proportion of vintage equipment in the Army and even the IAF, which is in urgent need of replacement. For instance, in 2018, the Army had stated that 68% of its equipment is vintage. The three Services are pushing through several procurements on a priority basis, many of which were to reach a decisive phase in the coming year, but there are no funds left for their conclusion.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Goyal’s claim on OROP misleading, say veterans •

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In his Budget speech, Finance Minister Piyush Goyal said the government had implemented the long-pending One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme and increased other allowances for soldiers. But the remark has not enthused the veterans. A section of them says several other allowances, like Non-Functional Upgrade (NFU), have not been sanctioned yet.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Two IAF pilots killed in Mirage crash •

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Two squadron leaders of the Indian Air Force were killed when the Mirage 2000 aircraft they were flying crashed during take-off at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) airport here on Friday. An upgraded Mirage 2000, the aircraft was on a customer acceptance flight when it crashed, a statement from HAL said. “The plane is suspected to have developed a snag during the take-off and did not gain height. It caught fire and the plane fell into a gorge next to the runway, leading to a blast,” said senior police officials.

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While highlighting the need to enhance the might of the Air Force to match that of other countries in the backdrop of the recent crash of a Mirage trainer aircraft and the death of two pilots in Bengaluru, Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi ruled out any probe into the matter. The CJI-led Bench was hearing a plea from advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava for a judicial inquiry into the crash. The hearing began with the Chief Justice asking Mr. Srivastava about the aircraft and the era to which it belonged. “What generation fighter is the Mirage?” he asked. When Mr. Srivastava could not answer, the Chief Justice upbraided him. “You do not even know which generation fighter the Mirage is; yet, you want a judicial inquiry into the crash...,” he said. Then the Chief Justice said the Mirage would be a “three or three point five generation fighter.” “Other countries use the fifth or sixth generation fighters... What do you expect? It [the Mirage crash] is bound to happen. It was an accident. An accident is an accident, and there is no question of a judicial inquiry,” the Chief Justice said orally. The PIL had sought a SC-monitored panel to probe the crash.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 IAF pilot killed, two injured in crash •

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A pilot was killed and two others were injured when two Hawk trainers of the Indian Air Force’s Surya Kiran Aerobatics Display Team (SKAT) grazed each other mid-air and crashed into a residential layout behind the Air Force base in Yelahanka near Bengaluru. They were practising manoeuvres ahead of the Aero India 2019. SKAT plane came into contact with each other while performing a mirror or Calypso pass. The manoeuvre involves one plane flying inverted above the other, with a gap of four to five metres between them. The five-day Aero India 2019, the largest so far in terms of participation, opens on 20 February 2019 as scheduled. The aerobatics team will, however, be grounded till the inquiry is over.

‘Biggest ever’ Aero India opens with tribute to deceased pilot •

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Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman rolled out a red carpet of opportunities in local defence and aerospace manufacturing to global investors as she launched Aero India 2019 in Bengaluru on 20 February, 2019. As the 12th edition of the biennial international military and civil expo and air show opened at the Air Force Station Yelahanka, the gathering and airmen showered tributes to Wing Commander Sahil Gandhi, who was killed during a rehearsal on 19 February, 2019. Ministers, heads of global defence aerospace companies, corporate and government policymakers, military brass, entrepreneurs, delegates and exhibitors from across the world were at the event. After many years, the edition brings civil aviation back to a largely military show. Three IAF fighter jets and a Rafale aircraft paid an aerial tribute to Wing Commander Sahil Gandhi. The Indian jets Tejas, Sukhoi Su-30MKI and Jaguar flew past in a formation called Missing Man.

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Six personnel of the Indian Air Force (IAF), including a pilot and a co-pilot, and a civilian were killed in an Mi-17 V5 helicopter crash in Budgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The helicopter had taken off from Srinagar on a routine mission and crashed at Garend Kalaan, near Budgam. 304 | Page

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 DEFENCE 2) RAFALE Opposition hits out at govt. over Rafale •

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The Congress led the Opposition parties in attacking the Narendra Modi government over the Rafale fighter aircraft deal both in Parliament and outside that crucial anti-corruption safeguards were dropped from the final agreement. Congress president Rahul Gandhi said the government had waived anti-corruption clauses to open the door for Anil Ambani to “steal” Rs. 30,000 crore. The CPI(M) said that The Hindu report showed that the Prime Minister’s Office was facilitating the loot of the exchequer, adding that the Supreme Court should revisit its ruling dismissing calls for an investigation. “The PMO was conducting parallel negotiations keeping the official negotiating team in the dark. The PMO refused the suggestion of an escrow account. Not only was there no sovereign guarantee from the French government but it now appears that the PMO also batted for no bank guarantees. All this to facilitate the loot of the Indian exchequer by the Prime Minister’s crony capitalist friend,” the party’s Polit Bureau said in a statement. “Now it is revealed that crucial changes were made to the clauses in the standard Defence Procurement Procedure. No sovereign guarantee, no bank guarantee, no escrow account, yet a huge amount was paid as advance.” “No penalty clause for undue influence, no clause against agency commission, no clause for access to suppliers accounts and Dassault goes laughing all the way to the bank.”

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Parrikar downplayed concerns of officials, file noting shows •

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As new evidence of interference by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in the Rafale negotiations appeared in an exclusive story in The Hindu, the government, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sought to defend itself by citing the then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s file noting, which appeared to downplay the concerns of the then Defence Secretary G. Mohan Kumar. The Hindu reported that officials of the Ministry of Defence had raised a red flag over the PMO’s direct negotiations with the French government that — they noted in the file — undermined the official negotiating team’s position. Below Mr. Kumar’s noting, Mr. Parrikar wrote: “It appears that the PMO and French President’s office are monitoring the progress of issues which was an outcome of the summit meeting and Para 5 appears to be an overreaction. Def Sec may resolve issue/matter in consultation with the Pr. Sec to PM.”

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This letter of comfort came after another last-minute intervention by the Indian government in September, when the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by the Prime Minister issued a corrigendum to the note forwarded by the Defence Ministry for the CCS, doing away with the requirement for an escrow account operated by the French government to make payments to the two companies. CCS Note stated that “in the event of payment into escrow account is not found feasible, MOD shall work out alternative safeguards in consultation with the French Government, in which an assurance will be obtained from the French Government to provide effective oversight of utilization of payments released to the French industrial suppliers.” The escrow account was a measure of financial prudence: the payments would be released by the French government to Dassault and MBDA with the concurrence of the Indian government. The proposal to have an escrow account operated by the French Government was recommended by Sudhansu Mohanty, Financial Adviser (DS) on January 14, 2016. One of Mr. Mohanty’s important observations was: “In the absence of a sovereign/bank guarantee, in a case like this where an IGA is to be signed, it would be prudent to involve the French Govt. as far as releases are concerned. This possibly could be done through an Escrow account or a variant of the same where the money released by the buyer (Govt. of India) is paid to the Escrow account held under the charge of French Govt. to make further payments to the firm as per terms & conditions agreed to by the Indian and French Govt. through IGA. This would make French Govt. morally and materially responsible for the procurement so proposed. Since they are one of the parties to the IGA and also jointly and severally responsible for the execution of the supply protocol, they should not be having any reservation about it.” Evidently, the French government did.

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Congress accuses CAG of conflict of interest •

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Ahead of the possible tabling of the Comptroller and Auditor-General’s report on the Rafale deal in Parliament, the Congress has questioned how CAG Rajiv Mehrishi could conduct the audit when he himself had been part of the Rafale negotiations. In a strongly worded letter to Mr. Mehrishi, Congress leaders Kapil Sibal and Ghulam Nabi Azad pointed out that Mr. Mehrishi was the Finance Secretary when the Rafale deal was signed. “It is an act of gross impropriety for you to deal with the audit of the 36 Rafale aircraft deal on account of patent conflict of interest writ large. You are constitutionally, legally and morally 311 | Page

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disentitled to either conduct an audit or to present a report before the PAC [Public Accounts Committee] and Parliament. We urge upon you to recuse yourself and publicly accept the gross impropriety committed by you in initiating the audit of the 36 Rafale aircraft deal,” the letter read. Mr. Mehrishi was Finance Secretary from October 24, 2014 to August 30, 2015, and in between Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to Paris on April 10, 2015 and announced the signing of the Rafale deal. “Mr. Mehrishi was the Finance Secretary on June 24, 2015, when the contract for the 126 aircraft was cancelled. He still held the post when the negotiations were going on. In fact, the Finance Ministry plays an important role in these negotiations... Now it is clear that the Rafale deal happened under Rajiv Mehrishi,” Mr. Sibal said. He also pointed out that a government affidavit, which formed the basis of a Supreme Court judgment on a PIL petition on the Rafale deal, said the CAG report on the deal had already been tabled in Parliament. The report did not exist till then but the affidavit, Mr. Sibal said, pointed out that “the government possibly has advance knowledge of the goings-on in the CAG and the contents of the CAG report”.

Govt. application to correct Rafale verdict awaits hearing • • •

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The Supreme Court is yet to hear an application filed by the government on December 15, 2018, for a correction in the Rafale judgment. The silence that shrouds the application belies the urgency with which the government returned to the apex court on December 15 — the very next day of the pronouncement of the judgment. In the application, the government claimed the apex court judgment erred in English grammar to “misinterpret” information submitted to it in a sealed cover note about the pricing of the deal for 36 Rafale jets. It had filed the application in the face of a political storm whipped up by the verdict. The Opposition had gone public about how the Supreme Court was made to believe by the government that the pricing details of the Rafale jets were shared with the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and examined by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). The verdict said, “The pricing details have, however, been shared with the CAG, and the report of the CAG has been examined by the PAC. Only a redacted portion of the report was placed before Parliament and is in the public domain.” The eight-page ‘correction’ application by a government says that the court misinterpreted its “is” in the note as “has been.” It was only citing procedure and not an actuality that happened. The review petitions filed by Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie, Prashant Bhushan and Aam Aadmi party MP Sanjay Singh want the apex court to reconsider its “erroneous” judgment, which relies on a “non-existent” CAG report to uphold the Rafale deal. 312 | Page

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The petitioners contend that the judgment based on a hypothetical CAG report was not merely a “clerical or arithmetical slip” but a substantial error. The petitioners have also questioned the judgment’s dismissal of lack of sovereign guarantee from the French government’s side as a “minor deviation.”

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Three senior Defence Ministry officials who were the domain experts on the seven-member Indian Negotiating Team (INT) came to a well-substantiated and clear conclusion that the Narendra Modi government’s new Rafale deal for 36 flyaway aircraft was not on “better terms” than the offer made by Dassault Aviation during the procurement process for 126 aircraft under the United Progressive Alliance government. They also concluded that the delivery schedule of even the first 18 of the 36 flyaway Rafale aircraft in the new deal was slower than the one offered for the 18 flyaway aircraft in the original procurement process. These findings are directly contrary to the two central claims made by the Indian government of a cheaper deal and faster delivery of fighter aircraft, claims that have been affirmed before the Supreme Court of India in official submissions. Further, the three officials registered serious concern over the Indian government’s acceptance of a ‘Letter of Comfort’ in lieu of a sovereign or government guarantee or bank guarantees, legal issues relating to the IGA, offset issues, and Dassault Aviation’s restrictive trade practices. Commenting on the final €7.87 billion cost of the new Rafale deal, the domain experts stated that “the reasonability of price offered by the French Government is not established. Even the final price offered by the French Government cannot be considered as ‘better terms’ compared to the MMRCA [medium multi-role combat aircraft] offer and therefore not meeting the requirement of the Joint Statement.” This was a reference to the Indo-French Joint Statement issued on April 10, 2015 during Mr. Modi’s visit to France. It promised that the new deal to acquire 36 Rafale jets in flyaway condition through an inter-governmental agreement would be on “terms that would be better than conveyed by Dassault Aviation as part of a separate process under way” and that the delivery would be in “a time frame that would be compatible with the operational requirement of the IAF.” The joint statement also confirmed that the aircraft and associated systems would be delivered in “the same configuration as had been tested and approved by IAF, and with a longer maintenance responsibility by France.” The note from the three domain experts provides crucial and hitherto unpublished information on how the final price for the whole Rafale package shot up to €7.87 billion:

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 IAF clarifies on guarantees •

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In the backdrop of revelations that government had waived guarantees and anti-corruption clauses for France in the Rafale fighter jet deal, senior Indian Air Force (IAF) officers said there were no such pacts even in deals with Russia and there are flexibilities offered in procurement procedures for Inter-Governmental Agreements (IGA). “There is no sovereign guarantee or integrity pact with the Russians for the S-400 deal,” Air Marshal V.R. Chaudhari, Deputy Chief of Air Staff, said. With Russia, where all defence companies are state-owned, deals are signed with their State Corporation which does away with the need for a sovereign guarantee. With the U.S., IGAs are through the Foreign Military Sales route of the Pentagon and there are no separate agreements with the U.S. industry which would warrant a sovereign guarantee. In the Rafale deal, while the agreement is through an IGA with the French government, the supply protocols have been signed with the French industry.

Rafale cost is 2.86% lower, but Dassault benefited without bank guarantee: CAG •

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The contract signed in 2016 to acquire 36 Rafale fighter jets from France through the InterGovernmental Agreement (IGA) was 2.86% lower in value than “Audit’s aligned price” of the bid received in 2007 when the then UPA government had sought to purchase 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA), the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India said in its report, tabled in Parliament. The CAG also observed that the price could have been reduced further had the benefits of waiving of the bank guarantees for the vendor (Dassault Aviation) been passed on to India. There have been varying claims from government officials on how much cheaper the 2016 deal was, with estimates ranging from 9% to 20%. On the delivery schedule, the national auditor found that the 2016 deal’s terms would ensure only a month’s advantage over the timeline offered in the 2007 bid. On the overall delivery schedule of the 36 jets as per the 2016 deal, compared with the delivery of 18 jets in flyaway condition plus another 18 produced in India under licence under the terms of the MMRCA proposal, CAG noted that there was an improvement of only one month in the 2016 contract. The report, which had been widely awaited in the wake of a string of revelations on procedural deviations in the negotiations to acquire the French Rafale jets and political allegations of financial irregularities in the deal, was tabled in the Rajya Sabha on the last day of the 16th Lok Sabha.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 •

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In its performance audit report on ‘Capital Acquisition of the Indian Air Force’, the CAG reviewed 11 contracts signed between 2012-13 and 2017-18 with an approximate value of Rs. 95,000 crore. On the Rafale’s India Specific Enhancements, which cost more than €1.3 billion of the €7.87 billion deal, the CAG stated that there was a saving of 17.08%. However, the audit noted that four enhancements were “stated not to be required in the technical and staff evaluations” and that the cost of these four items constituted about 14% of the ISE estimated cost. “The Ministry has stated that scaling down the requirement to limit cash outgo cannot be considered as saving,” the CAG said. The Centre has made repeated assertions that under the IGA, better terms had been achieved in terms of “better pricing, better maintenance terms and better delivery schedule.” Underscoring the importance of a sovereign guarantee to this deal, the CAG observed that in case of a breach of agreement, the Indian party (Ministry) would have to first settle it through arbitration directly with the French vendors. “If the arbitration award were in favour of Indian party and the French party fails to honour the award, Indian party should exhaust all available legal remedies. Only then the French government would make these payments on behalf of the vendors,” the CAG noted.

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have helped to reduce the cost of the Rafale deal with France through an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA). There were 13 ISEs sought by the Indian Air Force (IAF) in the Rafale, which cost more than €1.3 billion. These include radar enhancements for long-range capability, ‘helmet mounted display’, ability to start and operate from high-altitude airfields, advanced infrared search and track sensors and a very potent electronic jammer pod, besides other items pertaining to avionics. However, during the contract negotiations in 2015, in view of the huge cost and the reduced number of aircraft to be purchased, the Indian Negotiation Team (INT) headed by the Deputy Chief of Air Staff (DCAS), proposed to reduce the number of ISEs. But Dassault Aviation stated that since its price was a total package, the Ministry would have to take up the matter with the French government. “In August 2016, before submission of the note to the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), DCAS (with the approval of CAS) intimated the Ministry that the ISE scope could be reduced by postponing six enhancements, which could be included if more Rafale aircraft were procured in future,” the CAG noted. However, the MoD did not accept this proposal contending that it would have been tantamount to dilution of the Air Staff Qualitative Requirements, which would have gone against the basic framework of the joint statement of April 10, 2015, by the Defence Acquisition Council stressing that the aircraft ought to have the same configuration.

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The CAG’s report on the Rafale fighter aircraft deal is significant not for what it has said but for what it has not said, Congress leader P. Chidambaram alleged, criticising the audit body for allowing itself to become a “joke”. The report contains no useful information or conclusion and its motive is to hide the truth, he told reporters. He reiterated his party’s demand for a joint parliamentary committee to probe the deal, saying only such a panel can call for all relevant records. The former Finance Minister said the actual information was not in the 33 pages of the CAG report but in the preface. Quoting from the preface, he said that on the insistence of the Defence Ministry, commercial details, including the price of the aircraft, were redacted on the grounds of security concerns. Thanks to the redacted portion, the report made no sense at all, he said. The report, Mr. Chidambaram alleged, failed to answer six questions including what is the monetary gain to Dassault due to amortisation of the India-specific enhancement costs over 36 aircraft rather than 126 aircraft. It also fails to answer ‘what is the hidden purpose of waiving the mandatory anti-corruption clauses?’. Or even the basic question on when the first and last of the 36 aircraft will be delivered.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 CJI blames lawyers for delay in listing Rafale petitions •

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Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi revealed in court that the government’s application to modify the Rafale judgment and separate review pleas by petitioners to reconsider the December 14 verdict of the Supreme Court are lying in the court registry, waiting for lawyers to correct defects in the documents filed. The Chief Justice made it clear that the delay in listing the case is not the court’s doing but that of the lawyers concerned. It has been over a month since the pleas were filed. The occasion for the Chief Justice to clear the air came during the oral mentioning of an unrelated case by a lawyer. Recently, the court had recused its guidelines to avoid the situation of lawyers crowding courtrooms to orally mention their cases for an early hearing. The court under the CJI has devised a mechanism by which cases are listed the very same week they are filed. However, this particular lawyer began to complain that the registry was not listing his case. To this, the Chief Justice replied that the registry might not be at fault. The lapse in some cases lies with the lawyers, too. They do not cure defects in their petitions on time for an early hearing. It was in this context, he mentioned the state of the Rafale case. There is no word about the government application filed on December 15, 2018, for a correction in the Rafale judgment. The silence that shrouds the application belies the urgency with which the government had returned to the court on December 15, the very next day of the judgment. The government has so far not made any oral mention before the court for an early hearing of its application. In the application, the government claimed the judgment erred in English grammar to “misinterpret” information submitted to it in a sealed cover note about the pricing of the 36 Rafale jets deal. The review petitions filed by Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie, Prashant Bhushan and Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh are also pending in court. These petitions allege that the judgment is riddled with fault lines. They want the court to reconsider its “erroneous” judgment, which relies on a “non-existent” CAG report to uphold the Rafale deal. The petitioners contend the judgment, based on a hypothetical CAG report, was not merely a “clerical or arithmetical slip” but a substantial error. They want a “recall” of the verdict.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Rafale case: petition seeks perjury action •

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The PIL petitioners in the Rafale case moved the Supreme Court with an application to initiate perjury proceedings against government officials who submitted “false/misleading information” in sealed cover notes, which misled the court. On December 14, 2018, a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi had ruled that it saw no grounds to judicially review the 36-Rafale aircraft deal, after perusing the documents submitted by the government. The petitioners, former Ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie and senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan, submitted that, post-judgment, information had come into the public domain which prima facie showed the court was not in the full grasp of facts before it decided in favour of the bona fide of the aircraft deal. The petitioners asserted in the application, filed through advocate Rahul Gupta, that the judgment was based on “more than one untruth submitted by the government”.

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XVI.

CORRUPTION

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The Enforcement Directorate conducted searches in connection with the “Smarak” (memorial) scam during the tenure of Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh between 2007 and 2011. “The searches have been carried out at seven places on the premises of the accused persons, including in Lucknow,” said an ED official. The Directorate is conducting the money laundering probe on the basis of an FIR registered by the Uttar Pradesh State Vigilance Department in 2014, alleging a loss of more than Rs. 111 crore to the government exchequer and unlawful gain to the accused public servants and private individuals. It is alleged that there were financial irregularities in the procurement of material for the construction of memorials in Noida and Lucknow between 2007 and 2012, which resulted in the losses. The State government then headed by Ms. Mayawati had built the memorials, statues and parks at a cost of over Rs. 2,600 crore. The Uttar Pradesh Lokayukta had earlier prepared a report which identified several irregularities in the execution of the project. Earlier in January 2019, the agency had raided several locations in a money laundering case booked to probe illegal mining in the State. The case has links to former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party.

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SC tells Mayawati to pay for statues •

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The Supreme Court indicated its “tentative view” that Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati will have to cough up and pay back to the public exchequer the money she spent on erecting statues of herself and party symbol ‘Elephant’ in public parks across Lucknow and Noida. A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, and including Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjeev Khanna, posted the matter for final hearing on April 2. The petition, filed by Supreme Court advocate Ravi Kant in 2009, alleged that crores of public money was spent by the then Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mayawati, on these acts of selfaggrandisement. Mr. Kant has alleged that about Rs. 2,000 crore was used from the State budget for 2008-09 and 2009-10 to ‘falsely glorify’ the then Chief Minister. The petitioner has said the State government should be directed to remove the statues of Ms. Mayawati and her party symbol ‘elephant’ from public land.

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Assam admits scholarship distribution scam •

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The Assam government admitted that a scam has taken place in the distribution of scholarships to minority students from Class X and below, and the investigation has been handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Assam Police. Five persons have been already arrested for their involvement in the scam.

SC declines plea to close appeal in Enron case •

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The Supreme Court refused to entertain the Maharashtra government’s request for closing an appeal filed by the Centre for Indian Trade Union in 1997 alleging corruption by, and paybacks to, politicians and bureaucrats in the setting up of the Enron-promoted Dabhol power plant in the State. Two decades after the case was filed in the court, a Bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and Sanjeev Khanna decided to revive the special leave petition, saying the serious accusations should be taken to their logical conclusion. 325 | Page

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The Bench asked counsel for Maharashtra to inform the court on March 13 of the steps needed to be taken. A high-powered committee, headed by Madhav Godbole, was formed to review the 2,184-MW, $3-billion project. It had recommended the constitution of a judicial commission. The committee had said the deal showed utter failure of governance at almost every step of the decision-making process. It was critical of former Chief Minister Sharad Pawar; the BJP-led government at the Centre, which had a tenure of 13 days in 1996; and the Shiv Sena-BJP coalition that entered office in the State.

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XVII.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

26 dead in U.P. hooch tragedy; toll may go up •

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At least 26 people died after drinking spurious liquor in two districts of Uttar Pradesh, officials said, prompting the Yogi Adityanath government to suspend several policemen and excise officials. A case was registered under Sections 304 and 272 of the IPC.

Assam hooch tragedy toll rises to 143 • • •

The hooch tragedy so far left 143 people, including 45 women, dead in eastern Assam’s Golaghat and Jorhat districts. Tragedy had first struck the Halmira Tea Estate when plantation workers gathered at the house of a tea plucker to celebrate the birth of a baby. The “poisonous” liquor, which officials said could have been sourced from the same illegal brewer, soon felled people in the adjoining Jugibari and Goronga villages and at the Borhola Tea Estate in the adjoining Jorhat district.

Supreme Court issues notice to owner of Meghalaya coal mine •

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The Supreme Court issued notice to the owner of a coal mine in Meghalaya where 15 people have been trapped for nearly two months, saying he was responsible for the illegal mining due to which the mishap took place. The top court directed that the owner of the mine be made a party in the pending petition seeking urgent steps for rescuing the miners trapped in the rat-hole mine since December 13, 2018. The illegal mine is located at Ksan in East Jaintia Hills district, about 3.7 km deep inside a forest and can be accessed after crossing three streams. It was flooded when water from the nearby gushed into it. The court sought the mine owner’s reply by February 22 and directed the Meghalaya and Coal India Ltd. to furnish details of other illegal mines operating in the area.

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On January 28, 2019, the apex court was informed that the body of a person, among the 15 miners trapped, has been retrieved while another body was spotted by the Navy.

Avalanche kills seven in J&K’s Kulgam •

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Seven people were found dead at the end of an over 18-hour-long operation to save 10 people who were trapped under several feet of snow when a major avalanche hit an installation near the Jawahar Tunnel in south Kashmir’s Kulgam. Among the dead, five were policemen and two were alleged criminals. Kulgam district, where the tunnel is located, witnessed more than four feet snow.

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Dhaka fire shows lapses in development •

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A fire in Bangladesh that killed at least 70 people in Chawkbazar, the oldest part of the capital shows the lapses in public safety that continue to plague the South Asian country despite its rapid economic growth. While the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina touts the garment factories and gleaming office towers in Dhaka’s north side as signs of progress, illegal shops and overcrowding in Chawkbazar, one of the city’s many warren-like southern districts, impeded firefighters’ ability to put out the blaze, illustrating the country’s uneven development. The government has zoning laws and regulations on the books, but has met public resistance when it tried to enforce them, Bangladesh planning experts said. Business owners in old Dhaka routinely bribe government employees responsible for building oversight, they said. After a warehouse storing flammable material caught fire in 2010 in Nimtoli, a district near Chawkbazar, killing at least 123 people, authorities promised to bring the area into compliance with building codes, and evict chemical warehouses from buildings where people lived.

Over 170 cars gutted in Chennai fire •

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A day after close to 300 cars were gutted at the Aero India 2019 show in Bengaluru, over 170 cars belonging to ‘UToo’, a defunct call taxi company, parked in an open ground at Porur in Chennai, were destroyed in a fire that broke out The cars were lying unused after the owner incurred losses in the call taxi business

Fire spreads in Bandipur National Park

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The raging fire in the Bandipur National Park (BNP) spread and ravaged vast tracts of forests in the Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta range, even as the authorities continued their struggle to contain it. The U.S.-based National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Fire Information for Resource Management System (NASA-FIRMS) alert indicated that 32 fire incidents were detected at Bandipur, based on information processed during a satellite overpass. Sources feared that more than 6,000 acres of forest may have been ravaged. The fire line has spread across vast tracts of the forest, making it impossible for authorities to deploy personnel and resources to douse the flames all along the stretch. One of the methods to contain forest fires is counter fire, a technique in which wild fire is doused by deliberately setting fire in the opposite direction of the raging flames. The inward movement of the counter fire consumes all vegetation and leaves a bare strip of land with no fuel to burn and the wild fire gets extinguished naturally. “But in Bandipur, the wind speed and direction has made it a difficult proposition for the authorities to try this,” said K.S. Sudheer of Voice for Wildlife.

IAF choppers roped in to bring Bandipur blaze under control •

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Water-bombing by the Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters, pressed into service, helped contain forest fires that have been ravaging vast tracts of the Bandipur Tiger Reserve and National Park over the last few days, destroying at least 6,000 to 8,000 acres. After a location survey was conducted around 11.30 a.m. over the Himavad Gopalswamy Betta range, the worst affected area, water dropping commenced around 2 p.m. The helicopters, which did a reconnaissance and location survey, established coordinates of the spots from where the smoke was billowing to zero in for water-bombing. Two choppers did around 10 sorties each and helped douse the flames. Each bucket has a capacity of 2,000 litres and the fire was doused in Kaardikal Betta and Chamanahalla, which were two critical areas. 330 | Page

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Over 15,000 acres ravaged in Bandipur • •

The immensity of the fire that has ravaged Bandipur is becoming clearer with satellite data analyses indicating that the extent of forests burnt could be over 15,000 acres. Though the authorities had estimated the damage to be between 6,000 and 8,000 acres, a summary report by the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Hyderabad, released presented a grimmer picture.

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The report said that 24.49 hectares were affected on February 23, 1,808.64 hectares on February 24, and 4,419.54 hectares on February 25. This translates to nearly 15,450 acres. The NRSC report said that the assessment using Sentinel 2 satellite data was carried out based on the tone, texture, shape and association of the burnt patches. P. Sridhar, head of the forest forces and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, confirmed the data but said that of the total burnt area, a little over 1,300 acres were severely ravaged.

Seemanchal Express derails in Bihar; 6 dead, 30 injured • • •

Six passengers were killed and over 30 injured when 11 coaches of the Delhi-bound Seemanchal Express derailed in Vaishali district of Bihar. While an inquiry has been ordered, a rail fracture is said to have led to the derailment, railway officials said. Locals were the first on the site helping the injured before teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force, along with railway officials, doctors, and district administration officials arrived.

XVIII. BILATERAL 1) INDIA-ASIA Kartarpur corridor site plans shared with Pak. •

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India has shared with Pakistan coordinates of the ‘zero point’ along the border in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district where the 100-yard corridor, leading to the Kartarpur Sahib shrine, will be built. “The notification to acquire land for an Integrated Checkpost (ICP) will be issued. The Punjab government has assured that the land will be made available for both projects [the highway and ICP] by mid-March,” said a senior Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) official. Sikh groups have been petitioning governments in New Delhi and Islamabad to build a pilgrim corridor over the border from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur to Kartarpur in Pakistani Punjab’s Narowal province. The plan is to complete the project by November 23, 2019, the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. On January 19, Pakistan announced that it had shared the draft of the agreement, to be signed by the two governments, for “facilitation of (Indian) Sikh Yatrees to visit the Gurudwara, Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, Narowal, Pakistan”.

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New immigration checkpoint for Kartarpur Sahib corridor •

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The Home Ministry has designated the Dera Baba Nanak land check post in Gurdaspur district, the exit and entry point in Punjab for visiting the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan, as an authorised immigration checkpoint. In a notification, the Ministry said that anyone with valid travel documents could exit or enter through the check post. Sikh bodies have been petitioning both the governments to build a pilgrim corridor over the border from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur to Kartarpur in the Narowal province of Pakistani Punjab. The plan is to complete the project by November 23, the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. On November 26, 2018, Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu laid the foundation stone of the Dera Baba Nanak-Kartarpur Sahib Corridor (up to the International Border) at an event at Mann village in Gurdaspur district. On November 28, 2018, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan laid the foundation stone of the 4-km corridor on the Pakistan side, which is expected to be completed by 2019.

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Quash Kulbhushan verdict, says India •

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The first day of oral arguments in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case at the International Court of Justice in concluded, with India accusing Pakistan of “knowingly, wilfully and brazenly” flouting the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. India also attacked the “farcical” trial of Mr. Jadhav, who was found guilty of spying and sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court in 2017. It requested the court to annul the verdict and direct Pakistan to set Mr. Jadhav free on the basis of the “review and reconsideration” process that would be available to him in that country. The hearing took place without former Pakistani Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, who was taken ill before the proceedings commenced and before he could be sworn in as an ad hoc ICJ judge. He is expected to take part in the proceedings the next day. The 2017 provisional measures introduced by the ICJ that required Pakistan to not execute Mr. Jadhav until the full proceedings could take place. Indian counsel, Mr. Harish Salve, rejected Pakistan’s contentions that the circumstances of the case – and the fact that Mr. Jadhav is accused of espionage and the case relates to national security – made those consular access requirements redundant, and repeatedly accused Pakistan of using the case for domestic propaganda purposes. India also maintains that it is the 1963 Convention on consular relations rather than the 2008 bilateral agreement on consular relations that applies to the case, putting it firmly in the jurisdiction of the ICJ. Mr. Salve also focused on the military court system in Pakistan, attacking the increased use of such courts to try civilians, in “opaque and secret” proceedings; 274 civilians – including 336 | Page

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“possibly children” — had been convicted in Pakistan’s military courts over the past couple of years, he said, contrasting it with India which had “never considered amending,” the Army Act to cover civilians. In a detailed account of the events that had unfolded since March 3, 2016, when Pakistan said it had arrested Mr. Jadhav in Balochistan, Mr. Salve noted not only the repeated lack of consular access, despite repeated requests from India but also the lack of information provided to it on the specifics of the trial process and charges against Mr. Jadhav. Instead, he accused Pakistan of engaging in repeated propaganda, and of using the case to build a narrative against India. “We have not seen the evidence against Jadhav, we have seen the doctored confession “over and over again,” he said. The high rate of “confessions” from those civilians who had been found guilty by military courts raised questions about the adequacy of safeguards within them, including raising the possibility of torture being used to extract confessions, and the “high risk of mistreatment,” he said. Rather than pushing for the court to order a review of the case in Pakistan, Mr. Salve argued that the evidence suggested that the review and relief mechanisms available to Mr. Jadhav and India were “highly inadequate.”

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

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India revoked the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status of Pakistan and warned of more measures in response to its support for terrorist groups targeting India. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that those responsible for 14 February 2019 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir would be given a “befitting reply,” the Opposition rallied behind the government in a show of solemn unity. The suicide car bombing in Pulwama district killed 40 paramilitary personnel, making it one of the worst incidents of violence in the history of the State’s insurgency. The attacker — a school dropout who had gone missing in 2018 amid heightened volatility in J&K — rammed a vehicle loaded with explosives into a convoy of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The lowdown on the MFN status • • • • • • • • •

India revoked the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status bestowed on Pakistan in 1996. While the term suggests special preference for the country given MFN status, it actually means it would be treated equally as all others. According to the World Trade Organisation rules, countries cannot normally discriminate between their trading partners. If one country is granted a trade concession such as, for example, lower import duties, then all WTO members must be extended the same concessions. This principle is known as the Most Favoured Nation treatment. Despite repeated promises, Pakistan has never granted MFN status to India. Revoking MFN 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. India’s total trade with Pakistan stood at $2.4 billion in 2017-18, with just $488.56 million of this being imports from Pakistan, according to Commerce Ministry data. Revoking Pakistan’s MFN status seems to be more of a symbolic move.

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The lowdown on the MFN status • • • • • • • • •

India revoked the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status bestowed on Pakistan in 1996. While the term suggests special preference for the country given MFN status, it actually means it would be treated equally as all others. According to the World Trade Organisation rules, countries cannot normally discriminate between their trading partners. If one country is granted a trade concession such as, for example, lower import duties, then all WTO members must be extended the same concessions. This principle is known as the Most Favoured Nation treatment. Despite repeated promises, Pakistan has never granted MFN status to India. Revoking MFN 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. India’s total trade with Pakistan stood at $2.4 billion in 2017-18, with just $488.56 million of this being imports from Pakistan, according to Commerce Ministry data. Revoking Pakistan’s MFN status seems to be more of a symbolic move.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Cement makers happy as MFN status to Pakistan withdrawn •

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Cement manufacturers are heaving a sigh of relief after India decided to withdraw most favoured nation (MFN) status to Pakistan and also slap 200% duty on imports from that country in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack. One of the major items of import from Pakistan is cement and the Centre’s action would erase the price advantage that the neighbouring country had enjoyed for quite some years. Cement industry sources had estimated imports from Pakistan in the range of 40,000 to 50,000 tonnes annually. With Islamabad enjoying the MFN status (now withdrawn), Pakistani cement enjoyed a price advantage of almost Rs. 100 for a bag of 50 kg. Compared with the India-made cement, it ranks very low in quality.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Pakistan will hit back if India strikes, says Imran •

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Breaking his silence on the Pulwama terror attack, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan warned India that Islamabad would retaliate if New Delhi decided to take punitive military action against it. Using a mix of Urdu and English, he said, “We all know that it’s in a person’s hands to begin a war, but it’s not in his hands to end a war. Where this will go, God knows better. That’s why I hope better sense will prevail.” Claiming that India had presented “no evidence” of Pakistan’s involvement in the Pulwama attack, Mr. Khan wanted to know what advantage would accrue to Pakistan when the country itself was a “victim” of terrorism. Mr. Khan said he understood that it was election year in India and any “lesson to Pakistan would give a boost [to the party in power].” He promised that if India provided Islamabad with “actionable intelligence” about Pakistani involvement in the Pulwama attack, in which 40 paramilitary personnel were killed, “I guarantee action.” India, he suggested, should embrace a “new thought process” and introspect why young people in Kashmir were no longer scared of death.

Pakistani convict killed in Jaipur jail •

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A 50-year-old Pakistani national serving a life term in the Central Jail in Jaipur after his conviction in a case of unlawful activities and terror funding was allegedly killed by a group of inmates after a quarrel. He sustained serious injuries on the head and bled to death. The prisoner, identified as Shakir Ullah, hailing from Sialkot district in Pakistan’s Punjab province, was arrested by the Rajasthan Anti-Terrorist Squad in 2011 and convicted under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, by a Sessions Court here in November 2017. The ATS had claimed in the court that Shakir Ullah was a member of the terror group Lashkar-eTaiba.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Will stop India’s share of water going to Pak., says Gadkari • • •

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India will use its share of water from the Indus network of rivers that flows through its territory, Road Transport and Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari reiterated. The Minister’s statement coincided with the announcement of implementation of the ShahpurKandi dam project in Punjab on the river Ravi. “Under the leadership of Honourable PM Narendra Modi, Our Government has decided to stop our share of water which used to flow to Pakistan. We will divert water from Eastern rivers and supply it to our people in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab,” Mr. Gadkari said. The implementation of the project will allow irrigation of 5,000 hectares in Punjab and 32,173 hectares in Jammu and Kashmir. Once implemented, India will be able to use its share of water which now goes downstream to Pakistan.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 India pitches for global action against terrorism •

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Sponsors of terrorism and safe havens for terrorists should face all possible pressure from the international community, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, welcoming Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his visit to India. Addressing a press conference, the visiting dignitary said his country would share intelligence with India and other countries that were willing to fight terrorism. The Crown Prince said ties with India were in the blood of the Saudi people. “We have common goals in energy and agriculture and we will diversify this spirit to other sectors,” he said. The MEA announced that on request from the Indian leader the Crown Prince ordered the release of 850 prisoners from Saudi jails before his visit came to an end. Prime Minister Modi praised the Saudi role as a crucial energy supplier to India and said that both sides are moving towards sustainable energy. A joint statement issued at the end of the visit, agreed to expedite the work for the $44 billion West Coast Refinery and Petrochemical Project. The visit is the first by the Saudi dignitary who is known to have brought in a new vision to the oilrich economy. Mr. Modi described Saudi Arabia as one of India’s most valuable strategic partners. The joint statement urged for early adoption of the UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism and pitched for “comprehensive sanctioning of terrorists and their organisations by the UN.” Both sides also resolved to create a “Comprehensive Security Dialogue” consisting of National Security Advisers and set up a Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism. Both sides also launched a Strategic Partnership Council that will be led by the Prime Minister and the Crown Prince. During the visit of Mohammed Bin Salman, Saudi Arabia joined the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

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Olympic dream under threat as visa is denied to 2 Pak. shooters • • • • •

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India’s future as a host for sporting events remained uncertain following a decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The issue arose when India refused visa requests from two Pakistani shooters expected to participate in the ongoing ISSF World Cup in New Delhi. This is a qualification competition for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 in which direct quotas are earned by the respective NOCs. The two Pakistani athletes were due to compete in the men’s 25m rapid fire pistol event, in which two quota places are available for the Games. In a letter to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), the IOC made it clear that all future international sporting events in India would be put on hold unless the host gave a written guarantee that there would be no discrimination on participation of athletes which violates the rules of the Olympic Charter. It recommended that the IFs [International Sports Federations] neither award to nor hold sports events in India until the guarantees are obtained. The IOC sanctions may lead to cancellation of international events this year in badminton, chess, golf and hockey, among others. 345 | Page

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The IOC decided to withdraw the recognition as an Olympic qualification event, the 25m rapid fire pistol competition in which the two Pakistani athletes were supposed to participate. The ISSF (International Shooting Sport Federation) was asked to make a proposal on how the two available Olympic quota places will now be otherwise reassigned.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Shun terror sponsors, BCCI tells ICC • •

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) called for a boycott of countries encouraging terrorism, in the wake of the terrorist attack in Pulwama on February 14. In a letter to the International Cricket Council (ICC), Board CEO Rahul Johri also said the BCCI feared for the safety of players and officials participating in upcoming events, including the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Terror monitor keeps Pak. on grey list, seeks action •

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Condemning the Pulwama February 14 attack, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), issued a stern statement to Pakistan to comply with an action plan on terror financing or face further action, according to a decision taken at its plenary session in Paris on 22 February 2019. The week-long deliberations of the 37-member group decided not to remove Pakistan from the ‘grey list’, as Islamabad had lobbied for, but also did not accept an Indian demand to move Pakistan to the ‘black list’ yet. The ‘grey-listing’ continued despite a last-minute decision by the Pakistan government to put the Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD) and the Falah-e Insaniat Foundation (FIF), two offshoots of the Hafiz Saeed-led Lashkar-e-Taiba on its ‘schedule-1’ list of banned organisations. The FATF criticised Pakistan for not demonstrating “a proper understanding” of the terror financing risks posed by “Da’esh (Islamic State), al Qaeda, Jamaat-ud Dawa, Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Haqqani Network, and persons affiliated with the Taliban.” Pakistan was put on the ‘grey list’ or watch list of the FATF in June 2018 after a proposal moved by the U.S., the U.K., Germany and France was passed. In its public statement that did not name any countries or groups, President of the body Marshall Billingslea said the group “notes with grave concern and condemns the violent terrorist attack last week that killed at least 40 Indian security forces in Pulwama in the State of Jammu and Kashmir…

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No change in China’s stance •

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China reiterated that it stood by a UN ban on the Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-eMohammed (JeM), but stopped short of reversing its stance against sanctioning its chief, Masood Azhar, as a global terrorist. In a statement in New Delhi, the External Affairs Ministry called upon “all members of the international community to support the proposal to list terrorists, including JeM chief Masood Azhar, as a designated terrorist under the 1267 Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council and to ban terrorist organisations operating from territories controlled by Pakistan.”

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‘A significant and successful visit’ • •

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Saudi crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman showed “considerable sensitivity to India’s terror concerns” during his one-day visit to Delhi, sources said. Among the highlights of the Crown Prince’s visit, they said, was the structure it gave the IndiaKSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) strategic partnership signed in 2010, substantial enhancement of cooperation on maritime security and intelligence sharing, and a commitment to invest in projects of up to $100 billion in India. According to the new structures agreed upon, three Ministerial groups will now be set up between the two governments and will meet regularly as a part of the new Strategic Partnership Council.

Doklam crisis not fully over, says Tharoor • • •

The Doklam crisis is not yet over as the Chinese maintain their presence in a nearby area, Shashi Tharoor, MP, who heads the Standing Committee on External Affairs, said. The report of the committee on the Doklam crisis of 2017 and India-China relations, he said India needed to upgrade infrastructure in the border area. “The crisis is not fully over in the sense that though the Chinese have pulled back from the faceoff point, they are still in the part of the plateau known as North Doklam and what is more, 353 | Page

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they have installed fairly permanent looking structures there which will enable them to station and provision much larger number of people than they have ever historically done. So clearly, they are keeping the powder dry for a future opportunity,” Mr. Tharoor said while presenting key points from the report that was presented to the Lok Sabha Speaker in September 2018. The report was prepared after a team of MPs visited the Himalayan frontiers of India in the eastern and western sectors where they received extensive briefings from the military.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Rohingya issue dominates India-Bangladesh discussions • • •

The Rohingya issue dominated meetings that the Bangladesh Foreign Minister with the Indian leadership. Bangladesh sought continued support of India in resolving the humanitarian disaster that has brought more than a million refugees to Chittagong. Bangladesh Foreign Minister sought India’s support for early repatriation of the Rohingya to the Rakhine state of Myanmar.

India, Maldives reverse visa stand-off •

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India and Maldives exchanged an agreement to facilitate visas for travel between the two countries in a number of categories, easing a bilateral stand-off which had resulted in thousands of Indian job seekers being denied work permits in 2018. “This Agreement provides a very liberal visa regime for Maldivian nationals to visit India for tourism, business, education & medical purposes. It also makes it easier for Indians to travel to Maldives for business purposes,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. The “Visa Facilitation Agreement” was signed in December 2018 during the visit of Maldives President Ibu Solih. Under the agreement, the government will free up the visa regime for Maldives citizens who travel to India for medical reasons and for education in particular. This will include allowing Maldives citizens who receive a visa on arrival in India to change their visa status to medical visas if they require hospitalisation during their stay. Medical visas will also be granted to attendants to accompany patients. The government has also agreed to grant visas for parents and other dependants to live in India while their children attend school here. The facilitation has been a long-pending demand of the Maldives government, given the difficulties faced by thousands of short-term visa applicants each year.

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H-1B visa holders, whose children and spouses get H4-dependent visas, are asking that H4 children be given green cards straight away, so that they can remain in the U.S. after they turn 21 without having to switch to another visa category or having to self-deport. The third demand of those rallying was to remove the country caps for green card allotments. Currently, no country may be allocated more than 7% (around 9,800) of the total number of green cards granted each year. India, which sends a relatively large number of skilled workers to the U.S. each year — over 70% of all H-1B visas in fiscal year 2018 went to Indians — inevitably uses up all the green cards allocated to it. China, Vietnam and the Philippines are other examples, though the excess demand for immigrant visas is far less in these countries. Bills have been introduced in 2019 by Democratic Senator Kamala Harris and Republican Senator Mike Lee, the Fairness for High Skilled Immigrants Act of 2019 which will eliminate country caps for employment-based green cards and increase the caps from 7% to 15% for familybased green cards. A similar Bill has been introduced by Zoe Lofgren, a Representative from California in the House of Representatives.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Bills introduced to remove per-country limits on green card •

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Two identical legislation backed by top companies from Silicon Valley, like Google, have been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate to end the per-country limit on green cards. They could benefit thousands of Indian professionals waiting to gain permanent legal residency. In the Senate, Republican Mike Lee and Democratic presidential aspirant Kamala Harris introduced the ‘Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act’, a Bill that would remove per-country cap for employment-based green cards. The U.S. currently offers 1,40,000 green cards every year to employment-based immigrants. The existing law, however, provides that not more than 7% of these green cards can go to nationals of any one country — even though some countries are more populous than others. Because of this limit, a Chinese or an Indian postgraduate may have to wait half a decade or more for a Green Card, much longer than a student from a less-populated country.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 U.S. to discuss trade, e-com rules with India •

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U.S. Ambassador Kenneth I. Juster will lead a delegation of officials to hold talks with Union Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu to resolve several sore trade points, including the concerns of American CEOs regarding doing business in India and bilateral trade imbalance. The status of the review of India’s eligibility for the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) — under which India is allowed duty-free exports to the U.S. for about 2,000 product lines — is also likely to come up in the light of recent developments where the U.S. has again threatened to withdraw the export exemptions for India. U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross would participate in the discussions “remotely” as he had to cancel his scheduled trip to India due to inclement weather and logistical issues, the U.S. Commerce Department said in a statement. Other issues that had particularly incensed American businesses are India’s new data localisation rules that force foreign companies to store Indians’ data within the country, and rules amending FDI rules in e-commerce that had hurt American giants like Amazon and Walmart. These are likely to be high on the agenda of Indo-U.S. CEO Forum. Trade tensions between the two countries rose last March when U.S. President Donald Trump notified the imposition of higher import tariffs on steel and aluminium, which affected several countries, including India. In retaliation, India announced counter-tariffs on 29 American goods, worth about $235 million, but has delayed implementing them in the hope of resolving the matter. “Approximately two-thirds of U.S. imports under GSP are raw materials, components, or machinery and equipment used by U.S. companies to manufacture goods in the U.S. for domestic consumption or for export.” India’s exports to the U.S. in 2017-18 stood at $47.9 billion and imports $26.7 billion.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 U.S. may end zero-tariffs for India •

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India could lose a vital U.S. trade concession, under which it enjoys zero tariffs on $5.6 billion of exports to the United States, amid a widening dispute over its trade and investment policies, people with close knowledge of the matter said. A move to withdraw the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) from India, the world’s largest beneficiary of a scheme that has been in force since the 1970s, would be the strongest punitive action against India since President Donald Trump took office in 2017, vowing to reduce the U.S. deficit with large economies. Mr. Trump has repeatedly called out India for its high tariffs. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has courted foreign investment as part of his Make-in-India campaign to turn India into a manufacturing hub and deliver jobs to the millions of youth. Mr. Trump, for his part, has pushed for U.S. manufacturing to return home as part of his Make America Great Again campaign. The trigger for the latest downturn in trade ties was India’s new rules on e-commerce that restrict the way Amazon.com Inc. and Walmart-backed Flipkart do business in a rapidly growing online market set to touch $200 billion by 2027. That, coming on top of a drive to force global card payments companies such as Mastercard and Visa to move their data to India and the imposition of higher tariffs on electronic products and smartphones, left a broader trade package the two sides were working on through 2018 in tatters. The GSP was tied to the trade package and since that deal had slipped further away, the U.S. was considering withdrawing or scaling back the preferential arrangement, people familiar with the matter said.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 India delays retaliatory tariffs levy on U.S. goods • •

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The government has extended the deadline to impose retaliatory customs duties on 29 U.S. products, including almonds, walnut and pulses, till April 1. As discussions are under way between India and the U.S. for a proposed trade package, the Commerce Ministry had asked its finance counterpart to again defer the implementation of a notification to impose high duties on U.S. products. A notification said that implementation of increased customs duty on specified imports originating in USA has been postponed from March 2, 2019 to April 1, 2019. In June 2017, India decided to impose retaliatory tariffs after the U.S. imposed high customs duties on certain steel and aluminium products. As part of the imposition of higher import duties, New Delhi has notified higher tariffs on several products. While import duty on walnut has been hiked to 120% from 30% currently, duty on chickpeas, Bengal gram (chana) and masur dal will be raised to 70% from 30% currently.

BILATERAL 3) INDIA-EUROPE Stop MPs’ meet on Kashmir, India tells U.K. • •

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India has registered its protest with the British government about an upcoming meet on Kashmir at the British Parliament, the Ministry of External Affairs said. “We have told the United Kingdom [government] quite strongly that their territory must not be used for anti-India activity conferences or rallies, and we hope they will take it seriously, and take action against this kind of conference,” said MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar. The meeting in the House of Commons on February 4 is of the “All Party Parliamentary Group on Pakistan” (APPG-Pakistan) — a group that includes Conservative and Labour Party MPs. Officials said they hoped that Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi would not be given an official welcome during his visit to London. The British High Commission said the visit by Mr. Qureshi was a “private” one. India has raised the issue of “anti-India” groups within the U.K. often in the past few months. In August 2018, the British government turned down an Indian request to cancel a proKhalistani rally in London. 363 | Page

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BILATERAL 4) INDIA-PACIFIC

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Both India and China are important partners of Fiji and the island nation will continue to strengthen ties with the two Asian giants, its High Commissioner to India, Yogesh Punja, has said. We have defence cooperation not only with China but Russia at the same time. He said that politically Fiji was more attached to India. Of the 9,00,000 people of the south Pacific island nation, some 40% are of Indian origin. Asked about Fiji’s participation in the China-led transborder infrastructure project, Belt and Road Initiative, Mr. Punja said his country had signed up with the Chinese for several infrastructure projects but “we do not want to be dependent on loans.” In an indirect reference to China’s debt diplomacy, which faces criticism for entrapping smaller powers in prolonged debt burdens, the High Commissioner said: “The Chinese experience in the Pacific is well known... We have learnt from what we have seen. We are using Chinese loans for our infrastructure development...[but] the government is functioning with the agenda that we do not throw the baby out with the bathwater.” Both India and Fiji signed a defence agreement in 2017 with a goal to deepen cooperation in maritime security and provide training for Fiji troops. He added that there are a number of areas other than defence that both sides have identified to strengthen bilateral ties. “We have close to 28 MoUs on the table,” said the envoy. These include MoUs on sugar industry, agriculture and tourism. Fiji is a major producer of sugar. The state-owned Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC) is the largest public enterprise in the country, employing some 3,000 people. Mr. Punja added that Fiji is planning to focus on attracting more Indian tourists to the country. S.N. Srikanth, Honorary Consul of Fiji, said that the Consulate in Chennai would announce some initiatives in collaboration with the High Commission to create awareness of climate change in South India and to make available the experience and expertise that Fiji has in these matters. 364 | Page

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Stay out of politics, Pak. SC tells armed forces •

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Pakistan’s Supreme Court rebuked the military and intelligence agencies, asking them to uphold free speech and stay out of politics in a country ruled by the Generals for nearly half its existence. The unusually strong criticism was issued in a judgment released criticising the role of the intelligence agencies in anti-blasphemy protests which paralysed the capital Islamabad for several weeks in 2017. “If any personnel of the Armed Forces indulges in any form of politicking or tries to manipulate the media, he undermines the integrity and professionalism of the Armed Forces,” the judgment stated. Pakistan’s Constitution “emphatically prohibits” members of the armed forces from “engaging in any kind of political activity”, it added, ordering the government and the Chiefs of the Army, Air Force and Navy to take action against anyone found violating their oaths to uphold the document. Videos of the 2017 protests showing what appeared to be soldiers handing out cash to protesters helped fuel speculation that the demonstrators were backed by the military.

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Turkey called on China to close its internment camps for Muslims, saying the camps, which reportedly hold a million Uighur people, are a “great shame for humanity”. Rights activists urged European and Muslim nations to take the lead in establishing a UN investigation into China’s detention and “forced indoctrination” of up to one million Uighurs and other Muslims. “The policy of systematic assimilation against the Uighur Turks carried out by the authorities of China is a great shame for humanity,” Turkish Foreign Ministry said “It is no longer a secret that more than one million Uighur Turks incurring arbitrary arrests are subjected to torture and political brainwashing in internment camps and prisons,” Mr. Aksoy said.

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40th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 House passes resolution to end U.S. support for Yemen war • • •

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The House of Representatives passed a resolution to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen. The resolution, introduced by Representative Ro Khanna (incidentally, an Indian American) of California, passed 248 to 177, with 18 Republicans and 230 Democrats supporting it. The U.S., while not directly involved in combat in Yemen, has, since 2015, provided the Saudiled coalition with support and intelligence for its war against Houthi rebels, who have some backing from Iran. The war has left some 50,000 dead, according to an independent estimate, millions displaced, and spawned a famine. In November 2018, the U.S. announced that it was stopping to refuel coalition aircraft engaged in Yemen. The resolution calls for the U.S. to withdraw any troops that affect the Yemen war within a period of 30 days. It grants an exemption to forces fighting al-Qaeda and its associates. The Resolution also formalises and mandates the Department of Defense policy of halting aircraft refuelling.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 China-Japan frontline sees a ‘cold peace’ •

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From their forward base in Ishigaki, a part of the Okinawa chain of 150 islands, large ships of the Japanese coast guard, all gleaming white, keep a tight round- the-clock vigil on a group of islands, 170 km away. Their mission is to ensure that Japan maintains its hold over these small but strategically significant islands in the East China Sea. The Japanese call them Senkaku, and designate them as sovereign territory. According to the Japanese argument, in the late 19th century, about 200 nationals pioneered a settlement in these uninhabited islands. Over there, they established a business of gathering albatross feathers, which were used for making warm clothing. China, they say, contested Japanese sovereignty only after 1968, when a UN body cited the possibility of oil reserves in the area. On the contrary, China as well as Taiwan point to documentary evidence suggesting that China held the territory before the onset of the First Sino-Japanese War. Consequently, Japan has been accused of seizing this territory, which should be returned, in tune with practice after the Second World War, when imperial Japan gave back captured territories to their original owners.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 China uses DNA to track its people, with U.S. help • • •

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Chinese officials are collecting DNA — and they got unlikely corporate and academic help from the U.S. to do it. China wants to make the country’s Uighurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic group, more subservient to the Communist Party. It has detained up to 1 million people in what China calls “re-education” camps, drawing condemnation from human rights groups and a threat of sanctions from the Trump administration. Collecting genetic material is a key part of China’s campaign, according to human rights groups and Uighur activists. They say a comprehensive DNA database could be used to chase down any Uighurs who resist conforming to the campaign. Police forces in the U.S. and elsewhere use genetic material from family members to find suspects and solve crimes. To bolster their DNA capabilities, scientists affiliated with China’s police used equipment made by Thermo Fisher, a Massachusetts company. For comparison with Uighur DNA, they also relied on genetic material from people around the world that was provided by Kenneth Kidd, a prominent Yale University geneticist. On Wednesday, Thermo Fisher said it would no longer sell its equipment in Xinjiang, the part of China where the campaign to track Uighurs is mostly taking place. The company said it was working with U.S. officials to figure out how its technology was being used. Mr. Kidd said he had been unaware of how his material and know-how were being used. He said he believed Chinese scientists were acting within scientific norms that require informed consent by DNA donors. In Xinjiang, in northwestern China, the programme was known as “Physicals for All.” From 2016-17, nearly 36 million people took part in it, according to Xinhua. Officials collected DNA samples, images of irises and other personal data, according to Uighurs and rights groups. Xinjiang has a population of about 24.5 million. In recent years, it has blamed Uighurs for a series of terrorist attacks in Xinjiang and elsewhere in China, including a 2013 incident in which a driver struck two people in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. In late 2016, the Communist Party embarked on a campaign to turn the Uighurs and other largely Muslim minority groups into loyal supporters. The government locked up hundreds of thousands of them in what it called job training camps, touted as a way to escape poverty, backwardness and radical Islam. It also began to take DNA samples.

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Beijing punishes millions for ‘social credit’ offences • •

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Forgot to pay a fine in China? Then forget about buying an airline ticket. Would-be air travellers were blocked from buying tickets 17.5 million times in 2018 under a controversial ‘social credit’ system the ruling Communist Party says will improve public behaviour. Some 5.5 million people were barred from buying train tickets, according to the National Public Credit Information Center. In an annual report, it said 128 people were blocked from leaving China because they were behind on their taxes. The system is part of efforts by President Xi Jinping’s government to use technology from data processing to genetic sequencing and facial recognition to tighten control. Authorities have experimented with ‘social credit’ since 2014 in areas across China. Points are deducted for breaking the law or, in some areas, offences as minor as walking a dog without a leash. The ruling party says it plans to have a nationwide ‘social credit’ system in place by 2020 but has yet to say how it will operate. Possible penalties include restrictions on travel, business and access to education. A slogan repeated in state media says, “Once you lose trust, you will face restrictions everywhere.” Companies on the blacklist can lose government contracts or access to bank loans. Offences penalised under ‘social credit’ in 2018 ranged from failure to pay taxes to false advertising or violating drug safety rules, the government information centre said. Individuals were blocked 2,90,000 times from taking senior management jobs or acting as a company’s legal representative.

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Saudi Arabia, China cement ties during Crown Prince’s visit •

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China and Saudi Arabia have cemented ties based on a stronger energy relationship as well as Riyadh’s decision to distance itself from the controversy surrounding Beijing’s approach towards Xinjiang. Saudi Arabia has also pledged support for the Belt and Road Initiative — Chinese President Xi Jinping’s signature connectivity enterprise. A statement by the Saudi energy giant, Aramco, said the company had agreed to set up a joint venture with China’s military equipment heavyweight, Norinco. The two would build a refining and petrochemical complex, worth more than $10 billion in the northeastern Chinese city of Panjin. They would form the Huajin Aramco Petrochemical Company — a new firm that would include a refinery processing 300,000 barrels per day, as well as an ethylene cracker. The deal was signed during Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to China. INTERNATIONAL 2) USA

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The U.S is suspending its obligations under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty effective February 2 and will withdraw from the treaty in six months, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at a press briefing. The treaty, signed during the Cold War in 1987, bans ground-launched missiles with a range of 500 km-5,500 km. 375 | Page

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It was key to ending the arms race between the (then) two superpowers and helped protect the U.S.’s NATO allies in Europe from Soviet missile attacks. The U.S. will formally give Russia and the other treaty parties a formal notice that it is withdrawing under Article XV of the Treaty, Mr. Pompeo said. Article XV mandates a six-month notice period before withdrawal. “Russia has jeopardised the United States’ security interests and we can no longer be restricted by the treaty while Russia shamelessly violates it,” Mr. Pompeo said. The Trump and Obama administrations have repeatedly alleged that Russia was violating the treaty by fielding a ground-based cruise missile, the Novator 9M729 (“SSC-8” in NATO terminology) that could strike Europe at a short notice, an allegation that Russia has repeatedly denied. The Russians have raised counterallegations against the U.S., with regard to launchers for antiballistic missile systems in Europe. The U.S. has also been concerned that China has been gaining a strategic advantage over it as it is not party to the treaty and bound by its terms. Withdrawal from the treaty will increase the weapons options for the U.S. in the Pacific, where China has increased its influence.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 US pulls out of INF treaty, Russia follows

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Speaking words of bipartisanship, U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a State of the Union (SOTU) address that suggested he would continue to pursue policies that have most deeply divided the country. Standing in front of Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker, Mr. Trump delivered an hour-and-twentyminute speech that exposed, in parts, a chasm between his words and the reality of his governance. “Millions of our fellow citizens are watching us now, gathered in this great chamber, hoping that we will govern not as two parties but as one nation,” he said, adding, “…we must reject the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution — and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise, and the common good.” However, he quickly swivelled to the migrant caravan — a concept Mr. Trump has often used to fire up his voter base and back his claims for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. 378 | Page

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“The lawless state of our southern border is a threat to the safety, security, and financial well-being of all America,” Mr. Trump said. His demand for a wall and the Democrats’ refusal to allow a physical structure across the 2,000-mile border had shut the government down for a record 35 days over December 2018 and January 2019. In terms of foreign policy, there were no major surprises or deviations from his themes: China and trade, Iran being the leading sponsor of terror and condemnation of the Maduro regime in Venezuela.

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President Donald Trump formally declared a national emergency at the border to access billions of dollars to build a border wall that Congress refused to give him, transforming a highly charged policy dispute into a fundamental confrontation over separation of powers. In a televised announcement in the Rose Garden, Mr. Trump said he was signing the declaration to protect the country from the flow of drugs, criminals and illegal immigrants coming across the southwestern border from Mexico, which he characterised as a profound threat to national security. The declaration will enable Mr. Trump to divert $3.6 billion budgeted for military construction projects to the border wall, White House officials said. Mr. Trump will also use more traditional presidential budgetary discretion to tap $2.5 billion from counternarcotics programmes and $600 million from a Treasury Department asset forfeiture fund. Combined with the $1.375 billion authorised for fencing in a spending package passed by Congress, Mr. Trump would then have about $8 billion in all to advance construction of new barriers and repairs or replacement of existing barriers along the border this year, significantly more than the $5.7 billion that Congress refused to give him. The spending package passed by Congress after a two-month showdown with the President included none of the $5.7 billion that Mr. Trump demanded for 234 miles of steel wall. Instead, it provided $1.375 billion for about 55 miles of fencing. The President’s decision triggered instant condemnation from Democrats and some Republicans, who called it an abuse of power.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 Emergency declared by President Trump

16 U.S. states sue Trump over border wall emergency •

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Sixteen U.S. states sued President Donald Trump’s administration over his decision to declare a national emergency to fund a wall on the southern border with Mexico, saying the move violated the Constitution. Mr. Trump announced the emergency on 15 February, 2019 in order to bypass Congress, which approved only a quarter of the $5.6 billion he wanted for the wall in a spending Bill. But the lawsuit, filed in a federal court in California, said the President’s order was contrary to the Constitution’s presentment and appropriations clauses, which outline legislative procedures and define Congress as the final arbiter of public funds, respectively. California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Virginia are party to the complaint seeking an injunction. The States “bring this action to protect their residents, natural resources, and economic interests from President Donald J. Trump’s flagrant disregard of fundamental separation of powers principles engrained in the United States Constitution,” the complaint said. It added that Mr. Trump had veered the country toward a “constitutional crisis of his own making.” “Congress has repeatedly rebuffed the President’s insistence to fund a border wall, recently resulting in a record 35-day partial government shutdown over the border wall dispute,” it said. 381 | Page

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“After the government reopened, Congress approved, and the President signed into law, a $1.375 billion appropriation for fencing along the southern border, but Congress made clear that funding could not be used to build President Trump’s proposed border wall.” The complaint also questioned Mr. Trump’s categorisation of illegal border crossings as a national emergency, saying data issued by the administration refuted it. “Customs and Border Protection data show that unlawful entries are near 45-year lows,” it said.

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U.S. President Donald Trump called on his European allies to take back alleged jihadists captured in Syria, as Islamic State (IS) group fighters defended the last scrap of their “caliphate”. After years of fighting IS, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) hold hundreds of foreigners accused of fighting for the group, as well as related women and children. Syria’s Kurds have repeatedly called for their countries of origin to take them back, but these nations have been reluctant. The issue has taken on greater urgency, however, amid fears of a security vacuum since Mr. Trump’s shock announcement in December 2018 that U.S. troops would withdraw. “The United States is asking Britain, France, Germany and other European allies to take back over 800 ISIS fighters that we captured in Syria and put them on trial,” Mr. Trump said in a tweet, using another acronym for IS.

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Islamic State seeking comeback

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CURRENT AFFAIRS FEBRUARY 2019 S. Korea agrees to pay more for U.S. troops •

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Officials signed a short-term agreement to boost South Korea’s contribution toward the upkeep of U.S. troops on the peninsula, after a previous deal lapsed amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for the South to pay more. About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea, where the U.S. has maintained a military presence since the Korean War. The deal would boost Seoul’s contribution to 1.03 trillion won ($890 million) from 960 billion won in 2018. Unlike past agreements, this one is scheduled to expire in a year, forcing both sides back to the bargaining table within months.

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N. Korea asks Trump to ignore critics •

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North Korea warned President Donald Trump not to listen to U.S. critics who were disrupting efforts to improve ties, as its leader Kim Jong-un made his way across China by train to a second summit with Mr. Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam. The two leaders will meet in eight months after their historic summit in Singapore, where they pledged to work toward the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. But their vaguely worded agreement has produced few results and U.S. Democratic Senators and U.S. security officials have warned Mr. Trump against cutting a deal that would do little to curb North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. The North’s KCNA state news agency said such opposition was aimed at derailing the talks. The Trump administration has pressed the North to give up its nuclear weapons programme, which, combined with its missile capabilities, pose a threat to the United States, before it can expect any concessions. But a week before his second summit with Mr. Kim, Mr. Trump signalled a possible softening of that stance, saying he would love to be able to remove sanctions if there was meaningful progress on denuclearisation. Mr. Trump also said he was in no rush and had no pressing schedule for North Korea’s denuclearisation, hinting at a more gradual, reciprocal approach, long favoured by Pyongyang. The North also wants security guarantees and a formal end of the 1950-1953 Korean War, which ended in a truce, not a treaty.

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Trump, Kim arrive for summit •

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Hanoi, ahead of a second summit closely watched for concrete steps to dismantle Pyongyang’s nuclear programme. Mr. Trump hinted more summits could follow the Hanoi meeting, reducing expectations of a dramatic breakthrough in the Vietnamese capital. Diplomatic progress since Singapore summit has stalled over the definition of denuclearisation, with Stephen Biegun, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, admitting that there was no “shared agreement” of what that means.

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Women activists concerned over Neomi Rao’s candidacy •

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A group of 54 South Asian women, including professors, lawyers and human rights activists, have written a letter to (Republican) Senator Lindsay Graham, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and its ranking Democrat, Senator Diane Feinstein, expressing concerns about Indian American Neomi Rao’s candidacy for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. “We firmly believe in the importance of a diverse federal judiciary, and it is not lost upon us that if confirmed, Neomi Rao would be the first South Asian American woman to sit on a federal appellate court,” the letter says, adding, “However, we are deeply alarmed by Neomi Rao’s record, particularly around gender rights, and we do not believe that she will bring independence and fairness to the federal bench.” Ms. Rao, whose parents are from India, will, if confirmed, sit on what is considered the country’s second most powerful court. She will replace the vacancy created by Brett Kavanaugh’s controversial elevation to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018. “Rao’s policy decisions have led to the rollbacks of public protections relied upon by vulnerable communities, including women, survivors of sexual violence, and LGBTQ people,” the letter says. Ms. Rao currently leads the White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), and is in charge of conducting cost benefit analyses for government regulations and deciding how to proceed with U.S. President Donald Trump’s agenda of deregulation. The letter referred to Ms. Rao undoing the “equal pay initiative”, an Obama-era rule that had not yet come into force, requiring employers to collect data on what they pay workers and workers’ race, ethnicity and gender. 388 | Page

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INTERNATIONAL 4) EUROPE ‘Britain should hand over Chagos islands to Mauritius’ •

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Britain has an obligation to end its administration of the Chagos archipelago — home to the U.S. military base of Diego Garcia — and complete the process of decolonisation of Mauritius, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague has said in an advisory opinion that is a significant legal victory for Mauritius and other nations, including India, which supported its case. Delivering the opinion, ICJ president Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf said the judges had rejected the contention that the issue did not fall within its jurisdiction because it was a bilateral matter for the two countries, and concluded that the decolonisation of Mauritius was not lawfully completed as a result of Britain’s continued administration of the Chagos islands. He found that the continued administration of the territory by the U.K. amounted to a “wrongful act,” that was not consistent with the right to the people of “self determination.” The judges concluded that any detachment of part of a colony had to be based on the “freely expressed and genuine will” of the people. The Chagos islands are home to the U.S. military base of Diego Garcia, under lease from the United Kingdom since the 1960s. 392 | Page

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May offers MPs a choice of ruling out a no-deal Brexit •

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The campaigns to delay, modify — or even halt — the British government’s interpretation of Brexit gained a boost, as Prime Minister Theresa May said she could offer MPs a choice of ruling out a no-deal exit, or a time limited-delay to Brexit. The move comes a day after the Labour Party said it would support the holding of a second referendum if the government failed to back its alternative vision of Brexit. The developments come as Britain prepares to leave the EU in just over a month’s time, so far without a withdrawal agreement amenable to both sides, and as the Prime Minister prepares to put the terms of leaving the EU to MPs in a meaningful vote on March 12, just 17 days before Britain is due to leave. 395 | Page

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Should her deal not be agreed to on March 12, Ms. May has pledged to offer MPs votes on the next two days, firstly (on March 13) on ruling out a no-deal exit, and secondly (on March 14) on requesting an extension to the Article 50 negotiation process. She added that she did not want Article 50 extended, and would not revoke Article 50. She also warned against anything but a short delay, noting that if it went beyond June 2018, Britain would have to take part in European Parliamentary elections (or else face a ‘sharper cliff edge’ exit a few months down the road).

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INTERNATIONAL 5) SOUTH AMERICA Vote seeks EU recognition for Guaidó • • •

The European Parliament voted to recognise Venezuela’s Juan Guaidó as acting President and urged the European Union (EU) and its member states to follow suit. The vote joins the growing international pressure on President Nicolás Maduro and his remaining backers to step aside and allow free elections. It does not change EU policy, but adds to calls for the EU executive and its member states to join the United States, Canada and Brazil in backing Mr. Guaidó.

11 EU nations back Guaido as President •

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Eleven European nations joined the U.S. in recognising opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s interim President, heightening a global showdown over Nicolas Maduro’s socialist rule. Critics say incompetent policies and corruption have impoverished the once-wealthy nation while dissent has been brutally crushed. Mr. Maduro won re-election last year, but critics say the vote was a sham. Italy's 5-Star Movement says it cannot recognise self-appointed leaders. Ireland shared that reluctance and declined to recognise Mr. Guaido specifically.

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XXI.

AWARDS

Modi gets Seoul Peace Prize for fostering global links • • • • • •

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given the Seoul Peace Prize for 2018 for his contribution to international cooperation and fostering global economic growth. The Seoul Peace Prize Foundation presented the award at a grand ceremony. A short film on the life and achievements of Mr. Modi was screened. He said he was honoured that the award is being conferred on him in the year that India celebrated the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The Prime Minister dedicated the $200,000 (Rs. 1.42 crore) prize money to the Namami Gange programme that seeks to stop pollution in the Ganga and rejuvenate the river. Mr. Modi expressed concern over terrorism, and recalled that a few weeks before the Seoul Olympics in 1988, an organisation called the Al-Qaeda was formed. As South Korea, India also suffered the pain of cross-border strife.

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XXII.

PERSONALITIES

Mukesh Ambani is first Indian in top 10 rich list • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Indian’s richest individual Mukesh Ambani, CMD of Reliance Industries, figures in the top 10 richest individuals globally as per the ‘Loong Palace Hurun Global Rich List 2019. Coming in at position eight globally, he is the first Indian to achieve this position as also the only Asian in this year’s list. His net worth is estimated at $54 billion (Rs.3,83,700 crore). Mr. Ambani’s net worth increased 20% in a year. As per the report, Mukesh Ambani added $30 billion in the last seven years, and his brother Anil Ambani lost $5 billion (from $7 billion seven years back) and came in at $1.9 billion this year. S.P. Hinduja whose ranking is 40 globally and number two in India, has estimated wealth of $21 billion (Rs.1,50,500 crore), as per the list. Azim Premji, at position 57 globally and third-richest in India, is followed by Cyrus Poonawalla and Laxmi Mittal who are globally ranked 100 and 112 respectively. Globally ranked 129 Uday Kotak is India’s sixth-richest, followed by Gautam Adani seventh richest in India while his ranking globally is 157. Sun Pharma’s Dilip Shanghvi is eighth-richest in India and is followed by Cyrus and Shapoor Mistry. Jeff Bezos of Amazon, with net worth of $147 billion (Rs.10,44,000 crore) retained the top slot for the second year running. In one year, he added $24 billion (Rs.171,500 crore) to his fortune. A total of 2,470 individuals figured in the list with total wealth of $49.5 trillion — or 12% of global GDP. Of them, 658 are from China, 584 from the U.S. and 117 are from Germany. A record 430 billionaires dropped off the list in 2019, of whom 52 are from India. “Since 2012, this is the first time that India has slipped to fifth rank in the List. An underperforming rupee and lacklustre stock market resulted in India losing one third of the list,” said a researcher involved. 399 | Page

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