fr Josh CURRENT AFFAIRS (October 2019) IAS | BANKING | SSC| NDA/CDS| AND OTHER COMPETITIVE EXAMS Howdy, Modi! SHARED DREAMS, BRIGHT FUTURES. Gf SUS ae aela Si YH tay SSC & SBI Exams SY Oem A etm (ig IBPS, SSC & SBI Exams tok ree) www.OliveBoard.comMeee Gad wow jagranjosh, com REFACE the Current Affa month of July. Current Affairs is a crucial component of SSC, Banking and MBA. 2019 eBook covers the current events that happened in the ims including IAS|PCS, s Octobe ny competitive e3 Current Affairs play the bigger role in many competitive and government exams. It holds the power of makin Affairs thoroughly and smartly or breaking your chance of success. Therefore, the candidates should cover the Current However, there are huge numbers of student who are often confused about haw to prepare the current affairs section of the different competitive exams. To clear such doubts and confusion, Jagranjosh.com has come up with eBook concept We at jagranjosh.com work tirelessly to create this magazine and bring it to you with a great sense of sratitude every month, We always strive for excellence and therefore, our research team continuously endeavour to give you the best material. ‘The Current Affairs October -2019 eBook is divided into different section keeping in mind the need of various exams. The sections covered are International, National, Economy, Eeology and Environment, ice & Technology, Corporate, Sports, States News Makers and few others. Every news item in each section is chosen on the basis of its importat We also analytical stories which may have direct impact on your ce in competitive exan kept a clase eye on some of the re understanding of the issue. ed meticulously. It has been planned in such a tion, Wherev ich news item Presentation of the given current affairs has been plam way that it remains in the minds of readers for a longer du is presented along with a background and analysis so as to help candidates contemplate all the necessary important current events at the time of exam in an effective way. Copyright Jagranjosh.com All rights reserved, Na part or the whole ofthis eook may be eo ‘unsmitted anor cited anywhe otherwise), without the written permission of the copsright owner. I any miscanduct ed innotice, strict aetion wil he taken. Disclaimer Readers are requested to verify/eross-check up to ti and external contents any miss-happening, i result, ny similar ineident occurs de to information cited or referenced inthis e-hook. Editor, Drector/s, employees of Jagranjosh.com can't be held liable/responsile in any matter whatsoever. No responsibilities eas well in case of the advertisements, advertorials, and external contents id, reproduced, stored in retsieval system oF hotucopyng, recording oF nknowledge or hrought He PREFACE | October 2019www jagranjosh.com Tee Naat OM a Economy... Corporate. Environment & Ecology. Science & Technology a International. 96 October 2019 | INDEXJAGRAN . ‘Current Affairs Annual Issue 420 | 8 for All Competitive Exam Like IAS | BANKING | SSC | NDA/CDS To download visit: ca.jagranjosh.comean Mathematics Formula & Shortcuts eBook TTA NE em AUR cag ral fl Vaan |\ = CTE CD Nia 4) 4 ea avs iS aa FUNC De at Ui Lea ea ees Lie aa Na NOKCUM (Oa ae II Osco A DUT OR) —— for All Competitive Exam Like IAS | BANKING | SSC| NDA/CDSMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com Nai nal Electors Verification Programme launched by Election Commission 0 September Come Join the Largest Elector's Verification Drive Electors Verification Programme Electors Verification Programme: The Election Commission launched the Electors Verification Programme (EVP) across the nation on September The authenticate voter details and ensure an error-free electoral roll. 2019. ‘lectors Verification Programme is a one-stop solution to verify and ‘The program was launched at all levels starting from the state/UT by 32 CEOs, district level by about 700 DEOs and at around 1 million polling stations by BLOs/EROs and will continue from September 1, 2019 to October 15, 2019. adquarters Electors Verification Programme Objective ‘The main aim of the Electors Verification Programme is to improve the health of electoral rolls and provide better electoral services to the also aims to increase the level of communication between the vote: vens, ‘The programme and the commission. HZ National | October 2019www jagranjosh.com CURRENT AFFAIRS Under the EVP programme, voters can verily or authenticate their details by logging on to NVSP portal (nvsp.in) or Voter Helpline App or Common Service Centres or by visiting any nearby voter facilitation centre, The EVP programme can be availed both online and offline, A.username and password will be provided to a voter from each family, allowing the person to upload all documents related to electoral registration and tag similar details about his or her family members. The entered details will be verified by block-level officers, by 36 CEOs at the state headquarters level, by 740 district electoral officers at the district level and by BLOs and electoral registration officers in around one million polling stations. Following are the facilities that a voter can avail under the EVP programme: » — Verify and correct existing details > — Authenticate entry by furnishing scanned/DigiLocker copy of one of the following documents: ( Indian Passport Gi Driving License (i (iv) Ration Card Aadhaar Card (v) Identity card for government/semi-government officials (vi) Bank Passhooks (vii) Farmer's Identity Card (viii) PAN Card (ix) Smart Card issued by RGI {bill for water/electricity/telephone/gas connection, (x) Li » — Furnish details of family members and verify their entries > Update details of family members already enrolled as voters but permanently shifted or expired October 2019 | National HlMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com > — Furnish details of eligible un-enrolled family members (born on or before 01.01.2001) and prospective electors born between (02.01.2002 till 01.01.2003) who are residing with the elector. Furnish GIS Coordinates of House (through Mobile App) to avail better electoral Services > — Give feedback regarding existing polling stations and give suggestions on any alternate polling station. v Electors Verification Programme Significance ‘The one-time verification and authentication of details and sharing of contact detail would help electors to get an update on online application status, the status of EPIC, Election Day announcement, voter slip on their registered email and mobile number. Besides, regular notification on modifications on serial no. and details of the polling station, change in BLO/ ERO and all other information related to polling station will also be shared with the electors, ‘The Ek authenti India accepts Pakistan's offer of consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav ction Commission began thi programme by verifying and icating their details along with their families. India has accepted Pakistan's offer of consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav. The meeting is expected to he held on September 2, 2019. Pakistan's surp time when tensions are high between the two e offer to India comes at a countries over the Kashmir issi Senior Indian diplomat, Charge dl Affaires at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, Gauray Ahluwalia will be meeting Kulbhushan Jadhav today. The meeting's venue has not been shared, P September 1, 2019. The decision was in line with the judgement delivered by the Ha National | October 2019 kistan announced its decision to grant consular access to Jadhav onwww jagranjosh.com Tee aa International Court of Justice (IC)) on July 18, in which it had directed Pakistan to provide Jadhav with a fair trial and consular access. Kulbhushan Jadhav verdict by IC] ‘The International Court of Justice had on July 18, 2019 puta stay on the execution of Kulbhushan Jadhav. The IG) directed Pakistan to review and reconsider the death sentence order awarded to Jadhav by a Pakistani military court on the charges of espionage and terrorism. ‘The IG} bench, headed by President of the Court Judge Abdulawi Ahmed Yusul, ruled in India’s favour by 15 to 1 votes. The bench not only rejected all objections raised by Pakistan but also Kulbhushan Jadhav’s conviction and also directed Pakistan to provide Jadhav without further delay. alled for effective review and reconsideration of consular acces ‘The IC) ruled that providing Jadhav diplomatic access was in accordance with the Vienna Convention and Pakistan had violated it by denying him the right. Ever since Jadhav ing for consular access. Kulbhushan Jadhav Kulbhushan Jadhav is an Indian national, a retired Indian Navy officer, who was arrest, India had been arrested in Mashkel, Balochistan on March 3, 2016 on charges of terrorism, espionage and sabotage activities. While Pakistan accused him of being a serving commander in the Indian Navy for spying for Indian intelligence agency RAW, India claimed that Jadhav was a former naval officer, who took premature retirement. A Pakistani military court sentenced Jadhav to death on April 10, 2017. Background Pakistan had previously granted India consular access to Jadhav on August 1. However, India did not accept the offer due to certain conditions put by Paki such as the presence of a Pakistani official during the meeting. The current offer has come at a time when the relations between India and Pakistan are strained due to recent decision by the Indian government to withdraw the special state status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate it into two Union Territories. October 2019 | National ElMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com Abhinandan Varthaman flies with IAF Chief BS Dhanoa on his last sortie Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, the recipient of Vir Chakra, flew ith JAF Chief BS Dhanoa on his last sortie aboard MiG-21 fighter aircraft on September 2, 2019. Indian Air Force Chief BS Dhanoa and Wing Commander Abhinandan took off in MiG-21 trainer from the Pathankot Airbase in Punjab and flew for 30 minutes. The Air Chief Marshal sat in the front seat and Wing Commander Abhinandan sat in the . It was the last sortie flown by the LAF Chief BS Dhanoa in a fighter aft before I 30. He said that it was a pleasure for him to fly with Abhinandan as he has got his flying category back and that pilots look forward to. “I also ejected in 1988, it took me 9 months to get my category back. He has been back in less than 6 months.” Dhanoa said. ctirement on Septem what all ‘The IAF chief further said that he and Abhinandan had two things in common, “First, both of us ejected and second, both of us have fought Pakistanis.” While IAF Chief BS Dhanoa had fought in the Kargil war, Abhinandan fought afler Balakot. ‘The so pointed out that he had also flown withAbhinandan’s father who retired as an Air Marshal around five years ago. "I have flown with his father: It's an. honour for me to do my last sortie in IAB, in a fighter ai ‘afl, with his son,” Dhanoa said. Background Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman had started flying the Mi about two weeks ago. He had been grounded f¢ ion from his MiG-21 Bison jet, after it was shot down during aerial combat with Pakistani fighter jets on February 27, a day afler the Balakot airstrike by India. 21 just ix months due to eje¢ Abhinandan fell in the Pakistani territory and was captured by the Pakistani Army, leading to a diplomatic tussle with India applying pressure on Pakistan to release the prisoner of war. Pakistan also faced immense international pressure to ¢ Abhinandan, Wing Commander Abhinandan was finally released by Pakistan on March 1, 2019 from the India-Pakistan border at Wagah. Due to injuries that Abhinandan sustained while ejecting from his Mit ir Force. Before ej 21 fighter ng from his 16 jet of the Pakistani air force. National | October 2019www jagranjosh.com Tee In the recent conferral of Gallantry awards, Wing Commander Abhinandan was conferred with the Vir Chakra, the Indian gallantry award presented for acts of bravery on the battlefield. The award is the third-highest gallantry award after the Paramvir Chakra and the Mahavir Chakra. PM Modi to attend Eastern Economic Forum at Vladivostok in Russia Prime Minister Narendra Modi will leave for Russia today to participate in three-day Eastern Economic Forum at Vladivostok. It is the fifth edition of Eastern Economic Forum (EEF). Apart from this s 2oth annual summit between Russ mmit, PM Modi will also participate in the and India, For Vijay Gokhale released a statement that strengthening bilateral relations in the field of oil and gas e ion will be high on the agenda during the v He also said that India and Ru: want to move beyond the conventional cooperation in defence and nuclear civil cooperation to the new areas plora of the economy. Other countries i ilso participate in this three-day summit including China, South Korea, North Korea, Singapore and Indonesia, State Council View 1 other countri Premier Hu Chunhua of China will lead the Chinese delegation, the Minister of Economy and Finance Hong Nam-ki and the North Korean government will be represented by it's Vice Premier of Cabinet Ri Ryong-Nam, the South Korean delegation will be headed by Deputy Prime Minister for Economy. Importance of EEF India attaches a lol of importance to ess engagement with Rus on the issue of Jammu @ Kashmir and cross-border as the government wants to focus on and other Far Eastern countries. India has. terrorism. About Eastern Economic Forum > _ Itwas established by the order of the President of the Russian Federation in the year 2015. > — Several key issues of the world economy, regional integration and development are highlighted in the event. > — EEF also discuss global challenges facing by Russia and other countries like climate change, global warming, digital currency etc. October 2019 | NationalMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com > — Anumber of business dialogues also take place in the forum with leading partner countries. > Ithas emerged as an international platform for discussing the strategy for developing political, economic and cultural ties between Russia and the Asia Pacific. INX Media case: P Chidambaram sent to Tihar jail till September 19 INX Media Case: P Chidambaram has been sent to Tihar jail till September 19, 2019. The order was given by Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi where the CBI's eas inance Minister in relation to INX Media corruption c: against the former e Was being heard. Following the ruling, P Chidambaram filed an application before the Delhi court seeking the following directions for the jail authoritie: - To ensure safe detention while in judicial custody. ~ To provide him with adequate security. ~ To provide separate cell with adequate security. ion of the senior Congress leader to provide him a separate cell with adequate security ‘The Delhi Court allowed the applic Chidambaram’s lawyers also moved an application in the court stating that Chidambaram wanted to surrender in the ED case. In response, notice to ED and sought its reply. The hearing on Chidambaram’s surrender application will be held on September 12. Chidambaram will remain in judicial custody in CBI till September 19. the court issued a SC rejects Chidambaram’s anticipatory bail plea in ED case ‘The Supreme Court has rejected P Chidambaram's anticipatory bail plea in the INX Media case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The judgement comes as. a huge setback for the former Finance Minister. The Supreme Court bench headed by Justice R Banumathi and comprising Justice AS Bopanna, dismissed Chidambaram’s plea for protection from arrest a agreed with the plea of ED that Chidambaram should be sent for custodial interrogation, The ruling came on Chidambaram’s petition, which he had filed against the Delhi high court order rejecting his anticipatory bail on August 20. HE National | October 2019www jagranjosh.com Tee ‘The top court, however, continues to hear Chidambaram's petition against the CBI custody order given on August 22. The Supreme Court had e: asked Chidambaram to approach the concerned court for interim protection. The top Court had also asked the CBI to file its response on Chidambaram’s plea challenging the non-bailable warrant issued against him and the arrest order by the trial court Chidambaram's CBI custody was extended till September 5, 2019. The SC bench had also extended the interim protection granted to Chidambaram from arrest in ED case till September 5. SC rejects Chidambaram’s plea challenging Delhi HC order denying him anticipatory bail in CBI case ‘The Supreme Court had earli the Delhi High Court's order det dismissed P Chidambaram's plea challenging him anticipatory bail, calling it “invalid apex court bench headed by Justice R Banumathi refused to hear ( plea against his arrest by the CBI and said that ‘as far as the CBI is concerned, it (the plea) has been rendered infructuous.’ ‘The Supreme Court further stated that the former finance Minister ist the liberty to moye regular bail before the concerned court, which will decide it without getting influenced by any observation of any other court. ne jidambaram's SC grants anticipatory bail to Chidambaram in ED case On August 25, the Supreme Court had Chidambaram in the ED case till August 26, 2019. The former Union Minister, however, continued to remain in CBI custody as the top court did not g ranted anticipatory bail to P any relief in the CBI c: P Chidambaram CBI custody P Chidambaram was sent to CBI custody till August 26 by a special anti- corruption court in Delhi on August and senior Congress leader was questioned by the CBI for almost four hours in relation to the INX Media corruption case. 2019. Prior to this, the former Union Minister ‘The CBI officials que: of granting the clearances and his alleged meetings with INX Media Director Indrani Mukherjea and companies Chess Management and Advantas Jambaram is bein; al the CBI Headquarters. fioned P Chidambaram on the proc: held October 2019 | NationalMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com P Chidambaram’s arrest The 73-year-old former Union Minister was arrested from his Jor Bagh residence in New Delhi by the CBI and ED officials in a high-drama event on August 21, 2019, Though the CBI officiz initially denied entry into Chidamba hous }e the arrest. s were , they climbed over the walls to i Chidambaram’s arrest unfolded in a 55-minute drama, after the Delhi Hi; Court rejected Chidambaram’s bail plea in the INX Media case. Before his arrest, Chidambaram, who had been untraceable for almost 27 hours since Monday the media on the afternoon, appeared briefly at the AICC headquarters to addi charges leveled against him, Chidambaram in his brief media address strongly defended himself, saying that no chargesheet was filed in the case and no FIR was filed against him in the 1 Media c: Though CBI officials arrived at the AICC headquart st him, Chidambaram had left the venue by then. When the news broke that the s a team of CBI immediately rnior Congress leader had returned to his ched there but they were denied entry into the house, prompting them to climb over the walls of the property on Wednesday. The theatrics continued for about 55 minutes, afler which Chidambaram wa ina CBI vehicle by the CBI officers to the CBI headquarters for questioning in relation to the INX Me« scorted out case. INX Media case: Why did the CBI arrest former Finance Minister P Chidambaram? ‘The CBI and ED offici interrogate him regarding the INX \ Is arrested former Finance Minister P Chidambaram to Jedia corruption case. INX Media corruption case: What is it? ‘The INX Media corruption lates lo the irregularities in the FIPB (Foreign Investment Promotion Board) to the INX Media group for getting overseas funds worth around Rs 305 crore in 2007. This was the time when P Chidambaram was the finance minister under the UPA-I government. INX Media case: All you need to know ‘The Enforcement Directorate had filed an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) against P Chidambaram's son Karti Chidambaram in May 2017, INX He National | October 2019www jagranjosh.com Tee aa Media and its directors, Peter and Indrani Mukerjea under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). inst Karti Chidambaram and INX anted to INX Media in 2007 for ‘The CBI also subsequently filed an FIR Media alle; in the FIPB cl receiving overseas funds worth Rs 305 crore. P Chidambaram had told the Supreme Court in October 2017 that the BJP-led central government was carrying out a ‘politically-motivated vendetta’ and his son Karti Chidambaram, ainst him ‘The Enforcement Directorate then lodged a money launderin; pin this, regard in 2018 and the CBI summoned Chidambaram for que ioning. P Chidambaram sought anticipatory bail in the corruption case from the Delhi High Court in May 30, 2018. The Minister also sought anticipatory bail from Delhi HC in the money laundering case registered by the ED in July 2018. The Delhi High Court granted the senior Congress leader interim protection from arrest in both the cases in July’ 2018. Further, the ED in October 2018 attached Karti Chidambaram’s assets worth Rs 54 crore in India, the UK and Spain, in connection with the INX Media money aundering case. In January 2019, the Delhi High Court reserved it Chidambaram’'s anticipatory bail plea in both the cases. judgement on P The Enforcement Directorate asked Karti Chidamba am to vacate his Jor Bagh residence in New Delhi on August 1 and 19 days later, on August 20, 2019, the Delhi High Court dismissed Chidambaram’s bail pleas, observing that he appeared to be the "kingpin" in the money laundering case. The High Court also declined Chidambaram's request to stay the order for three day appeal in the SC till then. s to enable him to move an ‘The Supreme Court also declined Chidambaram’s plea for urgent hearing on the matter on August 21 and listed the matter for hearing on Friday. INX Media case: How is P Chidambaram involved in the case? P Chidambaram is suspected to have played a leading role in getting clearance from the FIPB (Foreign Investment Promotion Board) the second time round after the FIPB had rejected the application in the first round. October 2019 | National ElMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com ‘The FIPB had approved Rs 4.62 crore worth of foreign investment into INX Media but it did not approve the proposal of INX Media's downstream 26 per cent investment into INX News. However, INX Media not only received Rs 305.36 crore in violation of FIPB rules, it also invested in 26 per cent equity in INX News without FIPB approval ‘The other allegations include that of bribery against Karti Chida reportedly demanded $1 million in foreign accounts when Peter and Indrani Mukerje approached him to get approvals. ‘The CBI and ED would also like to enquire whether Chidambaram influenced any finance ministry officials to approve INX News application the second time. ‘Three members who were in the Department of Economic Affairs when Chidambaram was the finance minister, Sindhushree Khullar, Anup K Pujari, Prabodh Saxena, have been accused of corruption in the INX Media case. P Chidambaram arrest: How it happened? After the Delhi High Court rejected Chidamb: ipatory bail plea, the former Finance Minsiter’s legal counsel tried to get him an anticipatory bail from the Supreme Court. However, the top court has listed the matter for hearing on Friday. Chidabaram had requested the CBI and ED to wait till Friday till the bail plea is heard by the apex court. The WD and CBI issued separate look out cit from leaving the county. The CBI also posted a notice outside Chidabaram’s m's ant asking him to appear for questioning within two hours. Investigation into crimes ‘prerogative’ of police, courts should not interfere: SC Supreme Court ruled that a court's interference at each stage of criminal investigation would affect the normal course of the investig: The Supreme ( 2019 that investigation into crimes is a "prerogative" of the police and the courts should not interfere in ils every stage. The top court said that a court’s interference lage would affect the normal course of the investigation. National | October 2019 uurt ruled on September 5,www jagranjosh.com Tee aa ‘The ruling was delivered by an SC bench comprising Justices R Banumathi and AS Bopanna while denying anticipatory bail to former Union Minister P Chidambaram in the INX Media money laundering eas investigation agency should be the one deciding the cou judiciary should be kept out of it, except in rare cases. . The top court said that the of the probe and the ‘The Supreme Court bench stated that it is not among the court's duti monitor investigation process as long as it does not violate any law and the investigation agencies should get to decide on how to proceed in the interrogation of the accused and the nature of questions put to him. SC Judgement: Key Points ‘The investigation of a cognizable offence and the following stages including the interrogation of the accused is exclusively reserved for the investigating agency powers are unregulated as long as the investigating officer exere igating powers within the provisions of the law and the legal bounds. courts can interfere and issue directions only when it is convinced that the power of investigating officer is “exereised mala fide’ or there is an abuse of power and non-compliance of the provisions of Code of Criminal Procedure. An investigation into crimes is the prerogative of the police, excepting in rare cases, and the judiciary should keep out all the areas of investigation, ‘There is a well-defined and demareated function in the field of investigation tion. and its subsequent adjudi Ifthe court interferes in every stage of the investigation, it would affect the normal course of the investigation. igating agency should get to decide on how to proceed with the interrogation of the accused and the nature of questions put to him and the manner of interrogation, the inv of Itis open for the courts to quash the proceedings where there is a clear c abuse of power by the investigating officer. In the ini ul stages of the inv regular bail or anti function of the investigation and collection of evidence or mat igation where the court is considering granting ipatory bail, it is not for the court to enter into the demarcated hing ials for establis the offence and interrogation of the accused and the witnes October 2019 | NationalMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com ‘The interrogation of the accused, questions put to him and the answers given by him are part of the investigation, which is purely the domain of the investigation officer. The court cannot interfere in the matter unless it is convinced that the police officer has improperly and illegally exercised his investigating powers in breach of any statutory provision. ‘The privilege of anticipatory bail should be granted only in “exceptional cases as the grant of this relief, to some extent, interferes in the probe of an offence. Hence, the court must be cireumspect while exercising such power for grant of anticipatory bail. Anticipatory bail is not to be granted generally but only when the court is convinced that exceptional circumstances exist that resort it to take the extraordinary remedy. ‘The court is aware that apprehending arrest is to s the possibility of being humiliated and from being subjected to unnecess custody. tion 438 CrPG, the power of granting bail to person feguard the individual's liberty and to protect him from ry police Abalane¢ personal liberty of an individual and the societal interest. Background ‘The Supreme Court gave the judgement after it dismissed P Chida petition against Delhi High Court’s order denying him anticipatory bail in the INX Media case lodged by the Enforcement Directorate. The court said that there were no grounds for interfering with the order. The Court had previously also dismissed P Chidambaram's petition for an anticipatory bail in the CBI case, calling it ‘invalid’, is required to be established between the two rights, safeguarding the ‘The CBI had on May 15, 2017 lodged an FIR alleging irregularities in FIPB nice granted to INX Media group for receiving overseas funds worth Rs 305 crore in 2007 during Chidambaram’s tenure as the Union finance minister, Following this, the ED also launched a money laundering case against the senior Cong leader in 2017. clear S National | October 2019www jagranjosh.com Tee aa Water conservation in India: How to manage water and what to learn from Israel? Water ¢ nd il ervation are major concerns in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also urged people to con: water amid country’s water col Ive juring his ‘Mann ki Ba: day, several parts of the country are experiencing an acute water ct therefore, the government of India has taken a step to conserve water through the production of alternative crops for optimal water usage. programme. | The Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Gajendra Shekhawat recently said, “The water requirement for agriculture is considerably high in India. Outof our total groundwater availability, we use 6% for domestic use and another 5% for industrial purpose. ‘The remaining 86% goes for agriculture.” He als grow one “Our studi that to ilogramme of paddy, we consume 5,600 litres of water whereas China produces the same amount of paddy with just 330-340 litres of water.” Need of water conservation in India > — Minister of Jal Shakti, Gajendra Shekhawat said that out of the 178.7 million rural households in the country, only 32.7 million or 18% got drinking water from tap connections. According to the Economic Survey, by 2050, India will be in the global hot spot for ‘water insecurity.’ >» — China and India are the two largest rice producers in the world respectively. Both countries contribute nearly half of the world’s total rice production, ¥ October 2019 | NationalMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com > — Around 89% of groundwater extracted is used for irrigation and crops such as paddy and sugarcane consume more than 60% of irrigation water. v According to the Economic Survey, the focus should shift from land productivity to irrigation water productivity so that farmers can work on conserving water. Sugarcane production and water consumption India gets around 5.2 kg of sugarcane in one cubic metre of water. This is better than the global average of 4.80 kg/m3, But South Africa produces up to 7.8 kg with the same quantity of water and Thailand gets between 5.8 and 6.5 kg/m3 of water. Acommittee of secretaries (CoS) is set to emphasize the need to cut down on \ge on crops especially paddy and suga ¢ committee was formed to look into the agriculture and related matters under the directions of PM Modi, The water ministry, a pa development, has pitched for less water for crops as a high priority iss Lof the CoS on agriculture and rur How to manage water? About 15300mm amount of water is required for irrigated rice in the Asian region. Rice crop needed 34-43% of the total world’s irrigation water or about 24-30% of the entire world’s developed freshwater resourc procedure can be adapted to use less water in rice farming: he following > — Some field channels can be constructed in the farmland to improve control over water by individual farmers, Such channels can be constructed in any type of irrigation system. According to the studies, performing shallow tillage operations before land soaking can be a great help for water conservation. It will fill the cracks and can greatly reduce the amount of water used in land preparation. Farmers level their fields from time to time so that it can save more ¥ v water. This is nearly an extra 10% of the total water requirement to grow the crop, Farmlands must be covered with the construction of bunds around it. The average height of bunds should be high enough (at least 20 cm) to avoid overflowing during heavy rainfall. HE] National | October 2019 ¥www jagranjosh.com una Learning from Israel Israel has become a perfect example for the world for water conservation as it treats about 94 % of ils wastewater and recycles around 85% water. Israel is expecting five-seven years, India has to first put into place rainwater collection systems. Also, India has to make sure that the water collected does not get contaminated. to bring this level to 90% over the ne: Israel is one such country that ensures more than 50 % of its water is man- made. It means that the water created by us out of wastewater, or through ination. 1 cles every drop of w: nd maki cl is not only visible in farms but also in gr gardens and even plants grown inside the houses. J&K, Ladakh Union Territories to have common High Court s it available to us ss lawns, public de: ewater ‘The two Union Territories- Jammu and Kashmir-and Ladakh will havea common high court, Jammu and Kashmir High Court. The information was shared by the State Judicial Academy's Director Rajeev Gupta on September 8, 2019. Rajeev Gupta said that 108 Central Laws would be applicable for the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. He also said that 164 state laws would be repealed and 166 state laws will continue to be applicable. Under the centre’s announcement after revoking of Article 370, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will have a legislative Assembly, while the Union Territory of Ladakh will come under the direct control of the Union Government. ‘The two Union Tet laws will change, the existing law procedure for practice in the high court will remain the same, itories will now share a common high court. While some October 2019 | National ElMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com Rajeev Gupta made the announcement while speaking are nnised by the SJA on "Appreci her programme, ion of evidence with specific reference to Dying Session Judges Declaration, Accomplice Statement and Confessional Statement’ for of Jammu province, During his speech, Gupta also discussed the effects of J@K Reorganization Act, 2019 on State Laws in Jammu and Kashmir and the pending cases. States/UTs with common High Courts 1, Bombay High Court: The jur ion of the high court covers the states of Goa and Maharashtra and Union Territories- Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu. 2. Caleutla High Court: The Bengal and the Union Te calcutta High Court has jurisdiction over West ory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. 3. Madras High Court: The High Court has jurisdiction over Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry. Gauhati High Cou Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland. (he High Court has jurisdiction over four states- 5. Kerala High Court: The High Court has Territory of Lakshadweep. urisdiction over Kerala and the Union 6, Punjab and Haryana High Court: The High Court has jurisdiction over the states of Punjab and Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh. Background ‘The Union Government on August 5, 2019 abrogated Article 370 of the Indian constitution, revoking the special status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The resolution was approved by the Parliament. ‘The Parliament also passed a bill, bifur into two Union Territories of JK and Ladakh. ing the state of Jammu and Kashmir President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 on August o, thus, finalizing the bifurcation of the state. The two Union Territories will come into existence from October 31, 2019. EE National | October 2019www jagranjosh.com CURRENT AFFAIRS PM Modi to launch National Animal Disease Control Programme Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be launching the National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP) on September n, 2019 in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh to eradicate the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Brucellosis in the livestock. ‘The move is aimed at empowering farmers and doubling their income, as promised under the Union Budget. ‘The National Animal Disease Control Programme aims to provide vaccination to 500 million livestock including cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats and pigs against the over FMD. National Animal Disease Control Programme The National Animal Disease Control Programme also aims to provide vaccination to about 36 million female bovine calves annually in its fight against the Brucelle discase. The Programme has two main objectives- 1. To control the diseases by 2025 2. To eradicate the diseases by 2030. ‘The programme will be receiving 100 percent funding from the Union Government. The government has earmarked funds worth Rs programme, for five years till 2024, trores for the Background PM Modi will also be launching the National Artificial Insemination Programme on the same di ere will also be a simultaneous launch of the nationwide workshops in Krishi Vigyan Kendras in all the 687 districts of the country. The topics that will be discussed at the workshops include productivity, vaccination, disease management and ar October 2019 | National insemination,Meee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com Single-use plastic ban: What is single-use plastic and why is it being banned? Single-use plastic ban: Pep co Cola and other packaged drinks manufacturers have been asked to come up with an alternative packaging solution by Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan within the next thr days. Single-use plastic items will be banned in India from October 2, 2019. ‘To prepare ahead for the single-use plastic ban, Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan held a meeting in New Delhi with bottled water manufacturers and various government departments to find a suitable alternative to single-use plastic bottles for selling drinking water. Single-use plastic ban from October 2 India is set to impose a nation-wide ban on single-use plastic on October 2, 2019, on the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. As per reports, six single-use plastic items will be scrapped with effect from the including plastic bags, straws, cups, plates, small bottles and certain types of sachets. Prime Minis Narendra Modi, who has set the goal to make India free of single-use plastics by 2022, had appealed to the nation to stop the use of single-use plastic in his speech on India’s Independence Day. The Union Government is expected to launch a nation-wide campaign against single-us week of September. plastic in the second Bollywood advocates single-use plastic ban Bollywood actor Aamir Khan came out in support of PM Modi's initiative to curb ‘single use plastic’ by saying that itis an effort that everyone should support strongly. Salman Khan had also shared a video in June, in which he was seen offering water lo a monkey from a plastic bottle and the monkey refused to take it. When the superstar offered the monk angi Bhai glass the monkey qui whom he referred to as "Baji in", water ina Single-use plastic items ‘The single-use plastic ban is expected to cover six single-use plastic items initially including plastic bags, s ‘ups, plates, small bottles and certain types of sachets. The ban will cover manufacturing, usage and import of such items. The EE National | October 2019www jagranjosh.com Tee aa centre has asked all the Ministries to participate in the campaign. ‘The campaign part of the central government's ongoing Swatch Bharat Mission, Let us now understand what is single-use plastic and why is it being banned. What is single-use plastic? Single-use plastic meaning: Single-use plastic is a form of plastic that disposable, which is only used once and then has to be thrown away or recycled. Single-use plastic water bottles, soda bottle: coffee stirrers. Why is single-use plastic being banned? With climate and environment becoming a rising global concern, plastic pollution and plastic waste management have become the focal point of worry. : The single-use plastic items include plastic bags, plastic plates, cups, most food packaging and Wi Millions of tons of plastic is being produced every year, which is not biodegradable. Henge, the countries across the globe are adopting and implementing strategies ainied at eliminating the use of single-use plastic. nit of the plastic items ble, the r Asonly 1-13 pe ends up either buried in the land or water bodies, eventually reaching the oceans, leading to polluting of water bodies and killing of marine life. Most of the plastic is not biodegradable and over a period of time the plastic breaks up and releases toxic chemicals into the water bodies, which in turn make their way into food and water supplies. Ifthe plastic does not end up in the wate is hard to dispose of. it ends up as a huge pile of waste that Many of the south Asian countries have become global dump yards of plastic. ‘The plastic pile-up is not only affecting the human body but also choking the environment. ‘The UN Environment head Erik Solheim had also highlighted earlier that plastic pollution is one of the world's biggest environmental threats and countries have to come up with a better plasti iste management and disposal plan to deal with the huge plastic dump that is degrading the environment. October 2019 | National El waMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com India's effort to curb use of single-use plastic India in the first phase of its campaign against single-use plastic will spread s about harmful effects of single-use plastic. In the second phase, the government agencies will collect all the single-use plastic items and they will be recycled in the last phase. nation-wide awarene: The government will be introducing penalties for violation of the single-use plastic ban but the penalties are expected to come into effect six months after the ban, in order to give people time to adopt alternatives to the single-use plas tems, nd use of Uttar Some ates in India have already introduced a ban on sale, stora: asti¢ items such as Sikkim , Delhi, Maharashtr Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Nagaland and Jharkhand . Air India, national carrier also announced its plan of banning single-use plas items in its flights from October 2, 2019. In the first phase, the airlines will implement the ban on all flights of Air India Express and Alliance air and in the second phase, ic the plan will be implemented in Air India flights. Global single-use plastic ban ‘The European Union has targeted to eliminate single s. knives, forks and cotton buds by 2021, se plastic items such as plastic stra China is also gradually cutting down its use of single-use plastics. One of island provinces, Hainan, has already set its goal of eliminating single-use astic by 2025. The Chinese Government also imposed a ban on the import of foreign plastic waste, forcing countries like the US and UK to find new outlets to dispose off their plastic trash. As a result, plastic waste was redirected in huge quantities to Southeast Asian nations. Marriott International, one of the world’s largest hotel chain, also announced that it would be eliminating the single-use toiletry bottles from its toiletry kit for guests. The move is a part of the hotel chain to reduce its environmental impact. Single-use plastic alternatives ‘There is no viable alternative as of now for single-use plastic items. The especially single-use plastic both used to sell packaged drinking water, needs to be affordable for the cons drinking water bottle, which costs Rs 20 currently, cannot be priced higher than that. HE National | October 2019 alternative Lo single-use plastic item 's, Which are mers. Awww jagranjosh.com Tee Further, customers have shown confidence in the sealed water bottles over the years and hence, the alternative should also be up to the mark. ing of plastic is not a permanent solution, manufacturers of single- use plastic have been asked to look for other alternatives that are biodegradable. Railway ministry, which manufactures and sells packaged drinking water ‘Rail Neer’ is also looking for alternatives including polymers to make their packaging biodegradable. PM Modi Twitter: PM Modi crosses 50 million followers, becomes third most followed leader PM Modi Twitter: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has crossed the mark of 50 million followers on his twitter account, becoming the third most followed world leader after Donald Trump and Barack Obama PM Modi is the most followed Indian on Twitter, even ahead of Bollywood superstars like Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan and Indian skipper Virat Kohli October 2019 | National ElMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com . Modi is close behind US Pres Among the world leaders 64 million followers. lent Donald Trump, who has PM Modi, known for his oratory skill ctive on twitter and shares, ything from 8 al various platforms to his visits and interactions and even telephonic conversations with foreign leaders. PM Modi’s ability to reach out to the masses has placed him on the same platform as s world’s biggest leaders, as far as social media is concerned. is very almost ev me of the PM Modi began using twitter in 2009 when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. However, his popularity rose by multiple folds when he became the Prime Minister of India in 2014, afler a remarkable victory in the Lok Sabha Elections. In comparison to other Indian politicians, Modi's twitter following is ahead by a linist 's official twitter account followed by 50 million people, he huge margin. The number of followers of the Prime also crossed 30 million recently. While PM Modi himself follows 227 accounts and has tweeted 24.5K times. World leaders with more twitter followers than PM Modi: 1. Donald Trump: 64.1M US President Donald Trump with 64.1 million followers is the most followed incumbent Head of state on Twitter. Trump is also widely popular on other social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. Trump's tweets have mostly hit the headlines for thei content, as the President often uses his personal account to make major polic tack opponents, Trump follows just 47 people, who largely comprise his family, advisors and US state department heads. erratic and controver: announcements 01 2. Barack Obama:108.4M Barack Obama, who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017 has the highest number of Twitter followers. The two-term former President has a whopping reach of 108.4 million and follows 612.1K people, Obama's tweets are filled with positivity with a message of hope for the future ‘Twitter followers of other world leade: Pakistani PM Imran Khan: 10.3M. Indian Pi | 29] National | October 2019 ident Ram Nath Kovind: 6.4Mwww jagranjosh.com ENT AFFAIRS Canadian PM Justin Trudeau: 4.6M French President Emmanuel Macron: 4.2 M UK PM Boris Johnson: 1.1M Italian PM Giuseppe Conte: 276. Australian PM Scott Morrison: 19: Background An international survey had ranked PM Modi among the world’s top three leaders. The survey wi ied out by Gallup International. ‘The survey had ranked German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the top, followed by French President Emmanuel Macron. ‘The survey placed Narendra Modi at the third position in the world, ahead of est head of states including Russian President Vladimir PM some of the world’s bi ;ping, Israel's Benjamin Netanyahwand the then B PM Modi inaugurates first cross-border pipeline in South Asia Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the India-Nepal cross- border petroleum ipeline along with Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli through video conferencing on September 10, 2019. The India-Nepal cros 's first cross- border pipeline. -border petroleum pipeline is South ‘The PMO called the project a symbol of India’s close relations with Nepal. October 2019 | National ElMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com India-Nepal cross-border petroleum pipeline will: - Enhance the energy security of Nepal ~ Ensure reduction in fuel prices by cutting down on transit costs substantially India-Nepal cross-border petroleum pipeline: Key Highlights ‘The oil pipeline will connect Motihari in India and Amlekhgunj in Nepal. ‘The oil pipeline project was first proposed in 1996. The Motihari- Amlekhgunj oil pipeline was expected to begin operations in mid-April 2019 but it got delayed due to permission required to cut trees in the Parsa National Park. sssssss ‘The 60 km-long pipeline is the first cross-border petroleum product pipeline in South Asia. ‘Through this pipeline, clean petroleum produets weighing about 2 million metric ton will be provided to the people of Nepal every year at affordable rates. Under India and Nepal's agreement that has been in place since 1973, Indian tankers will carry the petroleum produets from India to Nepal. Background India has invested around Rs 3. Narendra Modi and Nepal PM KP § the pipeline project at the Hyde 2018. billion in the oil pipeline project. Indian PM arma Oli had jointly laid the foundation stone for abad House in New Delhi during Oli's visit to India in Jammu and Kashmir Bifurcation: Government forms 3-member panel to oversee bifurcation of J&K Jammu and Kashmir Bifurcation: A three- member panel has been formed by the Union Government to oversee the implementation of bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories. ‘The 3-member advisory committee will be headed by former defence sec HE National | October 2019 Lary Sanjay Mitra andwww jagranjosh.com CURRENT AFFAIRS its members include retired LAS officer Arun Goyal and retired Indian Cin 5 Accounts: Service officer Girir sad. Advisory panel functions ‘The 3-member committee will have to oversee the distribution of assets and liabilities between the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The Union Territory status will come into effect from October 31. Advisory panel term ‘The advisory committee will start functioning with immediate effect. The ly have a term of six months and it will get extended further if committee will ini needed. Advisory panel constitution A notification from the Union Home Ministry, “the Central government has constituted the advisory committee by exercising the powers conferred by Section 84 and Section 85 of the J@K Reorganisation Act . 2010." Section 84 ‘The Section 84 of the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019 states that assets and liabilities of Jammu and Kashmir will have to be distributed among the two Union Territories, Section 85 The Section 85 of the JE@K Reorganisation Act, 2019 states that the centre has the power to constitute committees to oversee the matters of apportionment of assets, ‘ights and liabilt of the companies and corporations of the newly created Union Territories. Background ‘The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Bill 2019 was passed by the Indian Parliament in August 2019. The bill proposed bifurcation of the state into two Union Yertitories ~ Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, ‘The centre also revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir by withdrawing Article 37o of the Indian constitution. Though Jammu and K; have its legislative assembly, Ladakh will be directly governed by the centre. mir will October 2019 | NationalEne AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com PM Modi launches mega farmers welfare schemes from Mathura National Animal Disease Control programme and Artificial Insemination Programme have been launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mathura, Apart from this, he participated in the sacchata hi Sewa” programme in the same r National Animal Disease Control Programme aimed at doubling farmers’ income, eradicating Foot and Mouth Disease and Brucellosis in livestock. The programme aims at vaccinating over 500 Million Livestock against the Footand Mouth Disease with 100 Percent funding from the Central Government of Rs crores for a period of five y Key Highlights >» PM Modi launched National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP) for vaccinating over 500 Million Livestock in the country. Livestock including cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats and pigs against the disease. » The NADCP will be implemented for a period of five years till 2024 ata cost around Rs. 13,000 crores. > — National Artificial Insemination Programme and Babugarh Sex Semen facility were also launched by PM Modi. » Nationwide workshops in Krishi Vigyan Kendras in all 687 Districts of India on vaccination, disease management, artificial insemination and productivity were also launched. 's till 2024. ¥ Significance According to the reports, foot and mouth disease and brucellosis are common among livestock such as goats, cows, bulls, buffaloes, sheep and pigs. These diseases National | October 2019www jagranjosh.com Tee aa puta direct negative impact on the trade of milk and other livestock products. When a cow or buffalo gets infected with FMD, the milk loss is up to 100% which could last for4-6 months. On the other hand, in the case of Brucellosis, the milk output reduces by 30% during the entire life cycle of animal and also causes infertility among animals, Another fear is, infection of brucellosis can also be transmitted to farmworkers and livestock owners. India joins global antimicrobial resistance R&D hub India has become a member of the Global Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Research and Development (RED) lub. The announcement was made by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology in New Delhi on September 2019. With India’s inclusion, the Global Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Development hub now has 16 member nations. The hub also has the European Commission, two philanthropic foundations as members and four international organisations as observer ‘The partnership works to address challenges and improve coordination and collaboration in the global antimicrobial resistance re ‘The issue of antimicrobial resistance requires global action with active participation from all world regions and One Health sectors. earch and development Global Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Development Hub ‘The global res launched in May 2018 on the sidelines of the rch and development hub on antimicrobial resistance was 7 ion of the World Health Assembly. The hub was set up following a call from the Gzo member nations in 2017. ‘The hub supports global priority setting and evidence-based decision-making on the allocation of re and development through the identification of gaps, overlaps and potential for cross-sectoral collaboration and leveraging in AMR RED. ources for antimicrobial resistance research ‘The operations of the hub are supported through a Secretariat, which is plished in Berlin, est German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG). October 2019 | National Ell ermany. [Lis currently financed through grants from theeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh. India at Global Antimicrobial Resistance R&D hub India will be one of the board members of the Global Antimicrobial Resistance R&D hub. India aims to work with all the hub partners to boost their existing capabilities, resources and collectively focus on new R&D intervention to address infections that are drug resistant. What is antimicrobial resistance? Antimicrobial resistance refers to a microbe’s ability to resist the effects of drugs that could once treat it successfully. The emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance is currently unchecked around the world. Resi: ant microbes are very difficult to treat. Such microbes require alternative medication or higher doses of antimicrobials, which can be more expensive, more toxic or both. The microbes resistant to multiple antimicrobials are called multidrug-resistant (MDR). India feels that itis fe: ies of antimicrobial resistance through One Health approach which should be supported by long-term commitments from all stakeholders sible to explore Indian Railways announces incentives to boost economy Indian Railways has announced ain freight incentives to boost the ce Indian economy. ‘The measures were announced by Railway Board member PS Mishra on September 12, 2019 to support various segments of the industry. New Railway measures: In Detail Freight rate related measures 1. Levy of Busy Season Charge deferred ‘The Indian Railways has decided to defer the implementation of Busy Season Charge till further advice, The charge is levied at 15 percent from October 1-June 30. Now, the levy of the charge will he deferred except for iron ore and POL. Coal & coke Iso exempted from the charge. EE National | October 2019 and container traffic werewww jagranjosh.com Tee aa 2. Waiver of supplementary charges on mini and two point rakes: The Indian Railways has decided to eaive off the 5 percent supplementary charges applicable on the loading on mini and two point rakes. The move is expé to boost loading of smaller cargo sizes and help in the loading of cement, food grains, ted steel and fertilizers. 3. 25 percent discount on empty container and empty flat wagon movement The Railways has decided to provide 25 percent discount in the movement of emply containers and empty flat wagons. The dis movement of empty flat wagons to ports, thereby, increasing loaded container traffic nce pr through other modes of transport and expand freight basket by capturing new alli count aims to encourage the in return. The move is expected to enh competitiveness of Railv V 4. Round-trip charging on container traffic: ‘The Indian Railways has decided to start round-trip charging on container traffic, As per haulage charge rating of container traffic, the minimunydistanc for charging is 0-50 km and largely the container traffic in thi hort lead very low. Hence, the Railways have decided to introduce round-trip charging of container ip for a distance that is le for 0-100 km slab will be charged for to and fro movement. ins! 50 km slab each way. than 50 km on each way. With this, the haulage charge J of charging for o- ‘This would be 35 percent cheaper. It IM xpected to give a boost to the E traffic between ports and Inland Container Depots. 5. Large-scale de-notification of commodities for container traffic Under container haulage charging policy, the notified commodities a Rates (CCR), which (GTR), while the remaining commodities are charged at Freight All Kind (FAK) rates. The FAK rates are lower than CCR harged 5 percent lower than General Tariff Rates at Container ( ‘The Railways recently de-notified 90 mare commodities. Now, out of 635 riff, only 38 commodities fall under the notified category commodities in Goods 1 with CCR rates. October 2019 | NationalMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com Freight Marketing initiatives: ‘The Railways has inducted more New Modified Goods car rakes and also introduced a new design of Bi-level auto car wagons (BCACBM wagons). The rationalization of road railer with 4 new weight slabs instead of earlier 3 wei has also made rates more competitive. Further, the weight and weighment conditions have been relaxed in perishable traffic when loaded in goods wagons. Measures to enhance ease of business and digitisation 1. Pan-India Implementation of eT-RR ‘The Railways successfully implemented the facility of Electronic Transmis y Receipts (eT-RR) across the country with effect from August 1, 2019. facility is a paperless and user-friendly transaction system where the Railway receipt is generated and transmitted to the customer electronically through Freight Operation Information System (FOIS). ‘The delivery of goods is given through e-surrender of eT-RR. This saves the customer the hassle of carrying physical Railway Receipt from the originating station to the destination, “The electronic receipt facilily is expected to bring down the for further digitization in transaction costs of rail customers and also pave the wa the Indian Railways. 2. Weighment-related reforms ‘The Railways has permitted pre-weigh bin system for weighment of goods traffic in private sidings. The move is expected to bring down the time for weighment and loading and bring in higher accuracy in weighment. Under the earlier policy, if second weighment of wagons was done, the higher reading was considered final for charging or levy of penalty. The policy has now been modified and the second weighment will be considered final for cha shange makes the second weighment more meaningful and it is, customers’ grievance in accuracy of Weighment. ‘The poli expected to red Further, the Railways has exempted low density commodities such as Pet Coke, Met Coke, Chuni and De-oiled cake from mandatory weighment. This is expected to save transit time and increase fluidit ing for which will translate into cost say customers. HE National | October 2019www jagranjosh.com Tee aa PM Kisan Man Dhan Yojana: How will it help farmers? PM Kisan Man Dhan Yojana: Pradhan Mant na was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 12 in Ranchi, Jharkhand. ‘The Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana aims to secure the lives of farmers. Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana will secure the lives of crore small and marginal farmers by providing a minimum pension worth Rs 3000 each month, to those who attain 60 years of age. Kisan Man Dhan Yojana: Important Points ‘The Union Government has kept aside funds worth Rs 10.774 crores for the scheme for the next three years All small and marginal farmers, who are currently aged between 18 and 40 years, will be eligible to apply for the scheme. ‘The farmer's monthly contribution can be made from the installments of PM- KISAN or through CSCs. Ekalvya Model Residential Schools ‘The Prime Minister also launched 46; Schools during his visit to Jharkhand. Model Residential ‘The main aim of Ekalvya schools is to provide quality upper primary, secondary and senior secondary level education to Scheduled Tribe students in tribal- dominated areas. ‘The scheme will be implemented in blocks with a tribal population of at least 20,000. ‘The Eklavya schools will not only serve as medium of education for tribal children but it will also have facilities for sports and skill development along with protection of local arts and culture. ig from Class 6 to 12. The than Rs one lakh a year on every tribal child in these The schools will be for tribal students studyi government will spend moi schools. The construction of the schools will be undertaken at Rs 10,000 crore in Odisha, Jharkhand, northeas rn and other states in the next two y October 2019 | NationalMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com New Jharkhand Vidhan Sabha Building PM Modi also inaugurated the new Jhat the foundation stone of the new Sceretariat bu the assembly building be area of 39 act ibha Building and laid ing at Ranchi. The construction of gan in 2016 for Rs 465 crore. It will be spread over a total -s and will be equipped with all modern facili PM Modi also inaugurated the multi-model vessel terminal built on the banks of river Ganga in Sahebganj. Hindi Divas 2019: Why is Hindi Diwas celebrated? commemorates the adopti mn of Hi official language of The day is observed annually on September 14.0n this day in 1949, Hindi written in Devanagari seript was adopted as the official language of India by the C san nstituent Assembly of India. ‘The Hindi Diw ‘stablished due to the efforts of several stalwarts who rallied and lobbied in favour of Hindi across India. The most notable among them nha along with other pro-Hindi Ralell Maithili Sharan Gupt and Seth Govind Das even debated in the Parliament on the issue. Hindi was finally adopted as the official language by India’s Constituent Assembly on September 14, 1949, on the occasion of Beohar Rajendra Simha’s 50th birth anniversary. The decision was later ratified by the Indian Constitution, which came into effect on January 26, 1950. Hindi Divas 2019 On Hindi Diwas Awards to the chiefs of outstanding performances 2010, Home Minister Amit Shah would be presenting Rajbhasha ous Mil . departments and offices for their in promoting the language. How many people speak Hindi in India? Hindi is spoken by around 4o percent of people in India he language is the single largest spoken language among the 22 scheduled languages in the sixth schedule of the Indian constitution. Currently, Hindi is well known and well-received at international forums, The pioneer of Hindi in international forums in former PM Atal Bihari V National | October 2019 Vajpayee and he iswww jagranjosh.com Tee now followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who also chooses to speak in Hindi in most significant global exchanges. However, th gions in India, mostly South India, which some Hindi as the official language and feel that all languages, including regional ones, should be given the same level of importance as Hindi. Hindi Diwas: Background Hindi written in Devanagari script was adopted as the official language under Article 343 of the Indian Constitution. Overall, there are 22 scheduled languages of India, among which, two are used officially by the Union government- Hindi and English. Hindi with 341 million native speakers is the fourth most spoken language in the world, afler Mandarin, Spanish and English. Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Amendment Bill, 2019 comes into force The Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Amendment Bill, 2079 that will facilitate smooth and speedy eviction of unauthor from government residential accommodations, ed occupants as come into effect. ‘The Bill was passed by the Parliament during the last Budget session. ‘The Public Pi 2019 would en mises (Eviction of Unauthori: i -d Occupants) Amendment Bill, of the residential government accommodations from are unauthorised occupants without requiring elaborate procedures under sections 4 and 5 of the Act. Public Premises Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants Amendment Bill, 2019 ‘The bill is expected to increase the availability of government residential accommodations for the eligible beneficiaries and reduce the waiting period. As October 2019 | NationalMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com the provisions of the Amended Bill, the es notice of three days before the eviction of the unauthorized occupant from the ate officer w sue a short show cause Government accommodation. Government residential accommodations rules ‘The government provides residential accommodation to its employees including the Members of Parliament and other dignitaries on a license basis while they are in service or till the term of their office. As per the existing allotment rules, after the end of the license, the occupants of the residential accommodations become unauthorized occupants and are supposed to vacate the place. The Act empowers the Estate Officers to evict such unauthorized occupants from public premises in a smooth, speedy and time-bound manner, Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Amendment Bill, 2019: In Detail ‘The Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Amendment Bill, 2019 amends the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971. The act provides for the eviction of unauthorised occupants from government residential accommodations in cases where there is a violation of license term. What is residential accommodation occupation? “Residential accommodation occupation’ is defined by the bill as the occupation of public premises by an individual on the grant of a license for such an occupation. ‘The license is given for a fixed term or for the period the person is in public service. ‘The occupation of the premises must be allowed under the rules made by the centre tatutory authority such as the Parliament Secretariat or ors ale government or a s central government company. Procedure for Eviction ‘The bill lays down the provision for eviction from the residential accommodation. Under it, the estate officer, who is an officer of the central government, is required to issue a written notice to a person who is in unauthorised occupation of a government residential accommodation. ‘The notice will require the individual to cite the reason as to why an eviction order should not be made against him, within three working days. must be fixed to a conspicuous part of the accommodation, in a p National | October 2019 he written notice ‘ibed manner.www jagranjosh.com Tee aa Eviction Order After considering the show cause of the individual and making the other required inquiring, the estate officer can issue an eviction order. If the unauthorized resident fails to comply with the order, the estate officer can evict ich ape on from the accommodation and take possession of it. The estate officer can also use force if necessary, If the unauthorised occupant of the residential accommodation challenges the eviction order, he will have to pay damages for every month of such occupation. Govt notifies new rules for foreign funding of NGOs ‘The Ministry of Home Affairs has notified new rules for those receiving foreign funding. Now, key function: office bearers and members of NGOs, receiving foreign funds, will have to declare before the government that they were not prosecuted or convicted for converting anyone from one faith to another. ie ‘The Ministry has announced in a notification that the changes in the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 and Rules, 2011 (FCRA), has been made. Any individual receiving a personal gift valued up to Rs 1 Lakh need notinform the government about it anymore. Notification Itis NGOs to certify that they have not been "prosecuted or convicted" for "conversion" from one faith to another and for creating "communal tension and disharmony". Key Highlights > — Every member of an NGO must also now, under oath, through an affidavit, certify that they have never been involved in "diverting" foreign funds or propagating "sedition" or "advocating violent means”. > Earlier, the applicant or director-level person was to given this declaration but now all members of the NGO need to be given this declaration. Earlier, as per the market value of the gift item in India was Rs. 25,000, now it has been raised to Rs, one lakh. > If any individual, from NGO, hospitalized during a foreign visit, he/she has to be intimated the government within one month. mandatory for the office bearers and key functionaries and members of the v What is FCRA? October 2019 | NationalMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com Government of India enacted the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (ECRA) ion of in the year 1976 with an objective of regulating the acceptance and lili foreign contribution and foreign hospitality by persons and associations working in the important areas of national life. The act was majorly modified in 2010 with several amendments because many NGOs were found using illegal use of foreign funding. In 2016 license of about 20,000 NGOs were cancelled after reviewing their work. “PoK is a part of India,” says EAM S Jaishankar; Pakistan reverts Pakistan has condemned Indian External Affairs Minister S comments on PoK, ble”. Pakistan warned that such statements would escalate tensions between India and Pakistan and that it is ready to respond to any acts of aggression. lling them “inflammatory” and “ir Indian EAM S Jaishankar had on September 17, 2019 stated "India’s position on PoK is, has always been and will always be very clear- PoK is a part of India and we expect one day that we will have jurisdiction over it. Jaishankar made the statement while addressing a press conference on the completion of the firsti00 days of his ministry. ‘The External Aft the first 100 days of hi Minister spoke on all the changes that were brought up in overnment including foreign policy changes such as changes to Article 370 and long-standing issues such as cross-border terrorism. EAM on Pakistan On Pakistan, S Jaishankar said that the issue is not Article 370 but Pakistan's terrorists. He emphasized that India must make the world realize this. He said that he will meet the Pakistani Foreign Minister on the sidelines of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, which began on September 17. EAM on PoK ‘The External Affairs Minister clea part of India and India expects to have phy stated that PoK is and has always been a ical jurisdiction over the area one day. Further, talking about minorities in Pakistan, Jaishankar stated that the minority number in Pakistan has come down drastically in the last zo years to point where it is not even put out publicly anymore. EE National | October 2019www jagranjosh.com Tee EAM on Kulbhushan Jadhav The Indian External Affairs Minister clarified that their main objective in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case was to gain consular access to him and to know his wellbeing. Jaishankar stated that se providing a solution that would help bring an innocent person back to his country. ‘ing consular access in one step towards eventually The External Aff factors and see what importance one can put at this time to ascertain his well being, 's Minister clarified that India had to look at a variety of as his well being was the top priority. “Whether the Pakistanis carried out in letter & spirit what the International Court of Justice wanted them to do, I think is obvious to all,” the EAM added. EAM on Zakir Naik India has been requesting extradition of Zakir Naik from Ma Minister said that Indi working towards his e aysia, The External Aft ir Naik, who is facing probe both in India and Bangladesh, in connection with the Bakery bomb attack in Dhaka in July 2016, has been living in Malaysia for the past three years. Naik is facing investigation in India on charges of inciting communal disharmony and unlawful activities, Zakir Naik was surprisingly given permanent citizenship under the previous Malaysian government. SC sets October 18 as deadline to conclude Ayodhya hearing ‘The Supreme Court has fixed October 18, 2019 as the deadline for the conclusion of hearings in the Ram janmabhoomi- Babri Masjid title dispute. The decision indicates the Supreme ess in delivering the verdict in Ayodhya case before CJI Ranjan Gogoi’s retirement in November 2019. October 2019 | National Court’s keyMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com ‘The cons tution bench hearing the Ayodhya dispute is headed by C71 Ranjan Gogoi, acho is set to retire on November 17, 2019. 1 the judgement on the case is not delivered before the GJI’s retirement, then the entire case would have to be heard afresh with a new judge replacing Justice Gogoi. ‘The SC bench had earlier sought a tentative time frame from all the concerned parties for the completion of their arguments in the Ayodhya land dispute case so that the judges could estimate how much time they would have to write the judgement. After consulting all the parties and getting their tentative timeframes, the five-judge constitution bench decided to set October 18 as the deadline. ‘The GJl said that the Supreme Court bench is willing to put in extra hours to complete the hearings in the Ayodhya case before the set deadline. “Let us make a joint effort to conclude the same by Oct 18. Ifneed be, we can extend our sitting by an hour”, CI Ranjan Gogoi appealed to all the parties and their kawy ‘The cons tution bench also reopened the possibility of mediation to resolve the decades-old issue and s jated that the concerned parties are free to mediate and come to a settlement during this time. The mediation panel had carlier written to the constitution bench after it received a letter from one of the parties asking the panel to give mediation one more shot. Background The five-judge constitution bench began daily hearings of the Ram janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute from August 2019 to fast-track the the Supreme Court-appointed mediation panel failed to get all the parties to agree to an amicable resolution in the is ue. ‘The mediation panel headed by former SC Judge FM Kalifulla also compr spiritual guru hankar and senior advocate Sriram Panchu, The mediation proceedings had begun in March and the panel submitted its report to the constitution bench on August 1. According to the mediation panel, some of the parties have shown interest in continuing the mediation procs but the ‘The Supreme Court has given a go-ahead to the mediation proc hearings in the court will continue as planned. Hz National | October 2019www jagranjosh.com Tee ‘The Supreme Court is currently hearing petitions from all the concerned parties challenging the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgment. In 2010, the Allahabad High Court had ruled that the disputed land in Ayodhya will be divided equally among the three major parties- Nirmohi Akhara, Sunni Waqf Board and Ram Lalla. Rajnath Singh approves proposal for writing history of India’s borders Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has given authori: writing the history of India’s borders. ation for starting work of Rajnath Singh made this announcement during a meeting with eminent personalities of Directorate General of Archives, Indian Council Research, officials of Nehru Memorial Museum and Ministry of External Affairs. What is the project? ‘cording to the Defence Minister, the work has been proposed to cover pects of borders including tracing its earli border, roles of security forces in protecting borde economic lives of the Indian people. various: tate, it's making, shifling of 's and its impact on socio- Minist of Defence estimated that this work may complete in the next two years. Importance of the project > The people of India would get a better understanding of the borders in general and officials in particular. It will make people aware of national borders and people living in the border regions. > — Itwill help to ensure safety and security in border areas after gaining much information about its past and present ep About Indian borders India's disputed borders are adjacent with Pakistan and China. The length of Indian borders is approximately 15,106.7 km. Line of Actual Control has already seen many confrontations due to different perceptions. After ‘ond airstrike various political leaders had claimed that India would get back Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. india’ October 2019 | NationalMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com Nirmala Sitharaman press conference: Corporate tax rates slashed, enhanced surcharge not applicable on capital gains Nirmala Sitharaman . press conference: Union Inance & Finance Minister Nirmala haraman addressed a press ember, 20 conference in Panjim, ( ptember 20, 2019. The Finance Minister announced that the Government has proposed to slash the corporate tax rates for domestic companies and for new domestic manufacturing companie: stated that the ordinance for slashing the tax rate has already been passed. The tax exemptions will be effective from the current financial year whieh began on April, ‘itharaman 2019. Nirmala Sitharaman conference: Key Points ‘ate slashed: The Finance Minister has proposed to slash the and new domestic manufacturing re will now be 2: 1. Corporate ta’ corporate tax rate for domestic compani percent inclusive surcl companies. The corporate tax rate after of all cess and surcharges for domestic companies. The corporate tax rate has been brought down from 30 percent to 22 percent. 2, New domestic company to pay income tax at 15%: ‘To attract more investment in manufacturing and boost Ma Act with effect from 2019-20, which wil company incorpor: 019 making fr manufacturing to pay income tax at a rate of 15 percent. ‘The effective ti in India, a new insertion has been made in the Income Ta low any new domestic stment in rate for ied on or afler October sh inv these companies will be 17.01 percent inclusive of all surcharge and ces: 3. Domestic company to pay income tax at 22%: To boost growth, another s been inserted in the Income Tax Act with effect from the fiscal ye: provision hi 2019-20, which will allow any domestic company to pay income tax at 22 percent National | October 2019www jagranjosh.com Tee aa subject to the condition that they will not avail any incentive or xemptions. The of all surcharge and cess, The companies shall also be exempted from paying the Minimum Alternate Tax(MAT), effecti 7% inclusive rate for these companies shall be 2: 4. MAT reduced from 18.5% to 15%: For companies that continue to avail incentive or exemption, the government has decided to provide a Minimum Alternate Tax(MAT) relief, The Mat rate has been reduced from the existing 18.5 percent to 15 percent. 5. Buyback Tax exempted: The listed companies that announced buyback before July 5, 2019 will not be charged tax on buyback of shares. 6, Enhanced surcharge not applicable on capital gains: ‘fo stabilise the flow of funds into the capital market, the government has decided that the enhanced surcharge introduced in Budget of July 2019 will not apply on capital gains arising on. sale of equity share in a company or a unit of an equity-oriented fund. The enhanced surcharge shall not apply on capital gains arising on sale of any security including derivatives in the hands of foreign portfolio investors. ‘The Finance Minister said that total stimulus is worth Rs 1.45 lakh crore, which is approximately 1 percent of GDP. This is being done to promote investment and growth, These moves are a part of initiatives that the centre is taking to boost the economy of the country and to bring growth on track. PM Modi to be conferred Global Gatekeepers Award by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be honoured with the Global Gatekeepers Award for his leadership in India's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The foundation stated that Narendra Modi is receiving the av Goalkeepers Global Goals Awards for the progress India has made in improving sanitation, as a part of its drive towards the achievement of UN's Sustainable Development Goals. PM Modi will be receiving the award in the United States. rd at the ‘This is PM Modi's third award in the span of the last ten days. The announcement made by MoS PMO, Jitendra Singh, who tweeted saying, *, ‘Another award, another moment of pride for every Indian as PM Modi’s diligent and innovative initiatives bring laurels from across the world,” Singh stated that PM October 2019 | NationalMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com Modu will receive the award from Bill @ Melinda Gates Foundation for Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan during his visit to the US. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is one of the ambitious projects that was introduced during PM Modi’s first term as the Prime Minister of India. The project was launched on October 2, 2014, on the occasion of Gandhi's birth anniversary. ‘The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan aims to make India Open Defecation Free’ by 2019. Many states including Haryana, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala and Sikkim have already declared themselves to be ODF. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ‘The Bill @ Melinda Gates Foundation is a private foundation owned by Microsoft founder Bill G; ind his wife Melinda Gates, Bill Gates had previously even praised PM Modi for the launch of Ayushman Bharat scheme, the healthcare scheme that'aims to provide free healthcare to over 10 crore people. Background Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on August 24, 2019 honoured with the Order of Zayed, Us highest civilian award. The honour was bestowed upon the Prime Minister to recognise his "pivotal role’ in strengthening ties between the two nations. \¢ award was conferred to PM Modi by UAE Crown Prince, Mohamed bin ed ALN ‘ahyan. ‘The Prime Minister was also conferred Bahrain Order-First ( King, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in recognition of his efforts to strengthen bilateral relations of India with the Kingdom of Bahrain on August 26, 2019. The award is also known as the King Hamad Order of the Renaissance. ss by Bahrain's National | October 2019www jagranjosh.com Tee SC seeks report from J&K Juvenile Justice panel on alleged ill-treatment of children in Kashmir he Supreme Court on September 2019 directed the J&K Juvenile Justi Committee to submit a report on the allegations of illegal detention and ill- wealment of children in Jammu and Kashmir, ‘The apex court has asked the committee to subinit its report within a ‘he court has also sent a notice to the centre on the matter. ‘The three-judge bench of the Supreme Court headed by CJI Ranjan Gogoi and comprising Justices Bobde and Abdul Nazeer sought the report after hearing a plea filed by child rights expert Enakshi Ganguly and first Chairperson of National Commission for Child Rights (NCPC! anta Sinha against the alleged illegal detention and ill-treatment of children in J@K in the wake of withdrawal of Article 370 and bifurcation of state into two Union Territories. bmitted that there have been exter The two petitioners describe violation in J&K including loss of life and liberty and ill-treatment of a large number minor and youth and that the reports were serious enough to call for a judicial review of the situation, especially with respect to the children in the state and enforce immediate corrective action. ive news reports that The petitioners highlighted the following two important areas of concern: 1, Illegal detention and in some cas s beatings of young boys by security fore injuries and deaths of children through deliberate or accidental action by security forces. The petitioners stated that as a constitutional democracy, it is imperative, that the Supreme Court ensures that no such violation should take place against women and children, who are most vulnerable in such tense situations. October 2019 | NationalMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com stated that even if the child is a potenti: or she should not be detained without the written orders of judic ‘The petitioners als Lone-pelter’, he I authori ‘They further highlighted that the situation in Kashmir is urgent and disturbing from the pe security forces in the state are not only violation of specific laws concerning children but also the constitutional principles and the International Child rights. Background In the previous hearing on September 16, 2019, while responding to petitions claimed that the J@K High Court wa sible, CJI Ranjan Gogoi had stated that he will himself visit Srinagar if the situation is inde dire as itis being suggested. pective of a child's wellbeing and that the reports indicate that the The CJ] was responding to claims made by the counsels of news editor Anuradha Bhasin and two child rights activists Enakshi Ganguly and Professor Shanta Sinha, ‘The lawyers of the pelitions had claimed that internet and public transport was not working in Jammu and Kashmir due to the lockdown imposed in the state and hence it was difficult for people of the state to approach the J@K High Court. ‘The lawyers were responding to the bench when it enquired about the r they were petitioning before the Supreme Court directly and not before the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. son ‘The apex court then sought a report from the Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court on the statement made by the petitioners’ lawyers. However, the report filed by the Chief Justice of the High Court did not support the lawyers’ statement, as it denied that there were any hurdles in accessing the J@K High Court. CJ Ranjan Gogoi observed that there were conflicting reports on the situation and since the issue is about the alleged illegal detention of children, the apex court will ask J@K’s Juvenile Justice Committee to inquire on the matter. EE! National | October 2019www jagranjosh.co Tee India, Mongolia sign MoUs and release Joint statement India and Mongolia released a joint statement on September 20, 2019 after bilateral talks between Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and visiting Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga ‘The President of Mongolia, Khaltmaagi in Battulga, is on a state visit to India from September 19-23, 2019 al the invitation of Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, During his visit, the Mongolian President also held discussions with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two sides spoke on a wide range of bilateral issues covering regional and international issues of mutual interest. The talks were frank, warm and friendly. Following the talks, four Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) were signed between the two nations in areas including space, disaster management & culture: S.no Name of Document Objectives ‘To promote cooperation and cultural exchanges in nge Protocol(2019-2023) the field of music, dance, theater, arts, library, museums ete L Cultur MoU in the field of Disaster Management between National Disaster Management Authority (India) and National Emergency Management Agency (Mongolia). ‘To promote cooperation in the field of Disaster Management and Disaster Risk Reduction. MoU on Coope ace between To promote co-operation 3 Department of Space (India) and in the field of space Communications and Information exploration for pe: ful October 2019 | National ElMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com ‘Technology Authority (Mongolia) and ci ian purposes. Pursuant to the 2015 Agreement between India Comprehensive Work Plan between and Mongolia on Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry cooperation in the field of 4. and Dairying (India) and Ministry of Animal Health and Dairy, Food. Agriculture and Light Industry the Work Plan lays out a (Mongolia). series of activities to intensify cooperation in this sector. Joint Statement: Key Highlights Bilateral relations India and Mongolia reaffirmed that as countries sharing civilisational, historical, spiritual and cultural linkages and shared values and ideals of democracy and freedom, they will continue to deepen and broaden their Strategic Partnership. further appreciated the sustained exchange of bilateral visits since 2015 and agteedto keep up the momentum of reciprocal high-level visits, The two sid Both India and Mongolia recognised the role played by regular meetings of the lations. In the same context, both sides decided to hold the next meeting of the India-Mongolia Joint Committee on Cooperation in New Delhi at a mutually convenient time. institutional mechanisms in furthering bilateral r¢ E-Visa regime India and Mongolia both appr jated the mutual steps taken further promote people-to-people exchanges and simplify the Visa regime for broad-basing the bilater egic Partnership. Mongolia appreciated India’s decision to introduce the e~ announced a ‘visa on ar sa facility for the Mongolian short-term visitors. In reciprocation, Mongolia al” scheme arrangement for Indian short-term visitors to encourage mutual tourism. UNSC reforms India and Mongolia reaffirmed their support for the ongoing reforms of the UN and its principal organs to make the organisation more representative, democratic, transparent and efficient. They emphasized on the importance of early reforms in the United Nations Security Council (U BE! National | October 2019 ), in the permanent and non-permanentwww jagranjosh.com Tee aa membership categor' accountable, representative and effective manner. to ensure that reflects the current realities in an erated its support to India's permanent membership bid at the Iso reaffirmed their support for their r permanent seat in the UNSC for the terms 2021-2022 and 2023- pective bids for a non- 24 respectively Terrorism India and Mongolia, while recognising extremism and terrorism as a grave threat to the entire humanity, reiterated their strong condemnation of terrorism in all ils forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism. They also agreed that terrorism cannot be justified on any grounds and it should not be associated greed to work with any rel towards eliminating safe havens of terrorist and their acti international community to strengthen the efforts to pre ‘d their commitment in combating organized cing of terrorism on the basis of the Financial Action ‘ ‘on, nationality, creed and ethnicity. They further nt terrorist financing. The ne, money sk Force two nations also expre: laundering and fina recommendations. Indo-Pacific Region India explained its "Indo-Pacific highlighting that i open, free and inclusive architecture in the Indo-Pacific region through inclusive and collective efforts while considering the legitimate interests of all states in the region and abiding by a rules-b imed to create an Documents: The beneficiary will be required to carry an Aadhaar card and a saving bank or Jan-Dhan Account passbook. Age limit: The beneficiary should be within the age of 18-40 years. » — GSTIN: GSTIN is required only for those with turnover above Rs. 40 lakhs. > — Free entry: The enrolment under the scheme will be free of cost for the beneficiaries. > — Self-certificati The enrolment is based upon self-certification. National Pension Scheme for Traders: What is it? ‘The pension scheme is a voluntary and contributory scheme for those aged between 18 and 4o years. ‘The minimum assured pension under the scheme will be a monthly pension of Rs 3,000 on attaining the age of 60 years, ¢ beneficiary should not be ii yer and also nota member of EPFO/ESIC/NPS (Govt.)/PM-SYM. Economy | October 2019 come Larwww jagranjosh.com Tee aa While 50 percent share of the monthly contribution will be given by the Union Government, the remaining 5o percent contribution shall be made by the beneficiary. he monthly contribution has been kept low to make it affordable, The beneficiary will have to contribute as little as Rs.100 per month at a median entry of 29 years. Background The Union Government ha and Self Employed Persons to acknowledge the notable contribution of shopkeepers, retail traders and self-employed persons, approved the National Pension Scheme for Traders Around 3 crore retailers across India are expected to benefit from the new pension scheme. The scheme will aim to enroll 25 lakh subscribers in 2019-20 and 2 crore subscribers by 2023-2024. This pension scheme is one of the top priorities of Modi Government 2.0. Saudi Oil Facility Attack: Explained The drone attacks on Saudi Arabia's major oil facilities have engineered the rise of Global Oil prices. The attack caused disruption on more than 5 percent of global supply. In the aftermath of the attack, the United States accused Iran as the main culprit. However, Iran strongly rejected the US accusation. ‘The drone strike knocked out 5,7 million barrels of daily crude production or 50 percent of the Saudi's oil output in an attack on Aramco’s processing plants at Khurais and Abgaiq oil field, one of the world’s biggest petraleum-processing facility. Itaffects more than 5 percent of global daily oil production. After this attack, that caused global oil-supply disruption, Brent crude jumped to $66.28 a barrel an increase of nearly 10 percent. ‘The impact of this attack is surge, but on financial markets around the world including gold, the yen and Treasuries. Also, commodity- linked currencies like Norwegian krone and the Canadian dollar also surged. ‘The U gasoline futures jumped almost 13%, while West Texas Intermediate rose to $59.75 in ian trading, an increase of 8.9 percent. not only sible on Oil price However, prices came down slightly after US President Donald Trump ordered the release of US reserves. October 2019 | Economy ElMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com US Reaction: Ina series of tweets, US President Donald Trump said "Saudi Arabia oil supply was attacked, There is a reason to believe that we know the culprit, are locked and loaded depending on verification, but are waiting to hear from the Kingdom as to who they believe was the cause of thi attack, and under what terms we would proceed!". He also authorized the release of oil fram the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, ifneeded. "Based on the attack on Saudi have authorized the r rabia, which may have an impact on oil prices, l lease of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, if needed, in a to-be-determined amount sufficient to keep the markets well-supplied’. Itis to be noted that this is the first time the President has directly hinted a potential military response to the attack and said "US is locked and loaded" to respond. However, these remarks drew an angry response from Iran. Abbas Mousavi, the foreign ministry spokesperson said: "Such fruitless and blind accusations and remarks are incomprehensible and meaningless, The remarks were designed to damage Iran's reputation and provide a pretext for "future actions’ against the Islamic republic’. The US and Iran have been at loggerheads ever since President Trump decided to pull out from 2015 Nuclear deal that ensured Iran ease from sanctions in return for curbs on its nuclear program What Now? ‘The Energy Minister of Saudi Arabia Prince Abdula: Arabia will use its existing huge oil reserves to counter dis ‘These oil reserves have been built during 1988 and 2009 to be used in a cris Arabia had built five such giant underground stor: z bin Salman said Saudi ruption to production, saudi ge facilities across the country Impacts on India India is World's third-largest importer of oil and Saudi Arabia is the second- largest supplier of crude oil and cooking gas to India. In such scenarios, it has a reason to worry as geopolitical tensions in West Asia could further diminish the prospect of India's economy. BE] Economy | October 2019www jagranjosh.com Tee aa For India, Rising oil is negative for the economy and it may affect stocks and rupee. Because a dollar increase in the price of oil will raise the import bill by around Rsio,700 crore annually. To control it, major steps needed to bring the Indian economy on track. What is NIRVIK scheme? How will it help exporters? NIRVIK scheme: Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India (ECG introduced ‘WIRVIK' scheme to ease the lending proces lability for exporters. The details of the scheme were and enhance loan ava hared by Union Minister of Commerce and Industry and Railways, Piyush Goyal on September 16, 2019 during a press conference, The scheme was announced by the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on September 14 as a part of measures to boost exports. Under the new ‘NIRVIK’ scheme, which is also called the Export Credit icheme (KCIS), the insurance cover gui pal and int Insuran ntced will cover up to 90 percent of the prin ‘The insurance cover will include both pre and post- shipment credit. The Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India (ECGC) currently provides cfedit guarantee of up to Go percent loss, Enhanced Insurance Cover: Benefits ‘The main aim behind introducing the scheme was to enhance accessibility and affordability of credit for exporters. The decision will help make Indian exports competitive and make ECGC procedures exporter friendly, benefiting MSME exporters with a new scheme for reimbursing taxes, reduced insurance cost and case of doing business. ‘The insurance cover is expected to bring down the cost of credit due to capital less provision requirement and liquidity due to qui relie! settlement of claims and will ensure timely and adequate working capital to the export sector. Under the ‘NIRVIK’ scheme, the gems, jewellery and diamond(GJD) sector borrowers with limit of over Rs 80 crore will have a higher premium rate in comparison to the non-GJD sector borrowers of this category due to the higher loss ratio. ‘The ECGC insurance caver will provide additional comfort to banks as the unt. The increased below 4 credit ting of the borrower will be enhanced to AA rated a cover will ensure that foreign and rupee export credit interest rates percent and 8 percent respectively for the exporters. October 2019 | EconomyMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com NIRVIK scheme: Key Details The Finance Ministry has decided to increase the insurance cover for banks up to 90 percent for working capital loans and moderation in premium incidence for the MSME sector to provide additional support to the banks in the wake ofa global slowdown and rising NPAs. The enhanced insurance cover will ensure that foreign and rupee export credit interest rates will be below 4 and 8 percent respectively for the exporters. Itwill catalyze the banks to enhance the volume of export credit lending, especially to the MSME Sector with optimal pricing due to capital and r optimization, The existing insurance covers issued by the ECGG will continue for the existing customer banks and similar covers will also be made available to all other banks. All standard accounts covered under ECGC on the date of transition shall be eligible for the insurance cover under the ECIS, ‘The insurance cover wil include not only the principal outstanding but also the unpaid interest fora maximum of two quarters or the NPA date, whichever is ea nin The coverage has be cased to 90 percent from the pre percent for both principal and interest. entaverage of 60 Itwill also cover both pre-shipment and pos! present system, where two different documents are hipment advances unlike the sued by the ECGC. ‘The scheme also aims to simplify the procedure for settlement of claims and provisional payment of up to 50 pert on production of proof of end-use of the advances in default by the Insured Bank. The scheme will be in force for a period of ;-years and on the conclusion, the standard EC gular featur 3C covers will be made available to the Banks with For accounts with limits below Rs 8o crore, the premium rates will be moderated to 0.60 per annum and for those exceeding Rs8o crore, the rates will be 0.72 per annum for the same enhanced cover. Further, the scheme will mandate inspection of bank documents and records by ECGC offi ing Rs.10 crore as against the present Rs scrore. Ez Economy | October 2019 ials for losses exceetwww CURRENT AFFAIRS ‘The banks shall pay a premium to ECGC monthly on the principal and interest as the cover is offered for both outstandings. Othe! premium, report of default, Lodgment of Claim, extension in due date under Pre- Shipment/Post-Shipment, placing of borrower in Specific Approval List (SAL), Checking of Buyers Specific Approval List (BSAL) and Checking of Restricted Cover Category (RCC) and sharing of recovery will continue as per the existing terms and conditions of cover of ECGC, pects such as seeking approval of limits, monthly declarations with The banks will also continue to follow the internal guidelines of the RBI relating to export finance backed by enhanced due diligence on the borrower, ECGC: About ‘The Export Credit government-owned company that was established in 1957 intee Corporation of India (ECG) is a fully to promote exports by providing credit insurance services. port Credit Insurance to Banks (GIB) to protect the banks from losses on account of export credit at the Pre and Post-Shipment stage given to exporters due to the risks of insolvency or protracted default of the exporter borrower, Coal Ministry signs allotment agreement with West Bengal power Development Corporation Ministry of Goal has signed an allotment agreement with the We Bengal Power Development Corporation Limited (WBPDCL) regarding the Deacha Pachami Dewanganj-Harinsingha coal block. The agreement was signed on September 16, 2010. Under the provisions of Coal Block Allocation Rules, 2017, the West Ber (WBPDCL) has been allocated the Deocha Pachami Dewanganj-Harinsingha coal block. The coal block is located in Birbhum district of West Bengal and covers an area 1 Power Development Corporation Limited October 2019 | EconomyMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh. of 12.28 sq kin with estimated reserves of 2102 million tonnes for generation of power. The Coal Block Allocation Rules, 2017 were made under the Mines and Minerals, (Development and Regulations) Act, 1957. Coal block allotment to West Bengal: Significance ‘The coal block allotment to West Bengal will help generate considerable amount of direct and indirect employment in West Bengal and also contribute to the socio- economic development of the region. The project will also address the immediate as well as the future coal and power requirements of the region, ‘The Deocha Pachami Dewanganj-Harinsingha Coal Mine is the znd largest coal mine in the world with an estimated reserve of 2102 million tonnes. Allotment agreement signatories ‘The new allotment agreement was signed by Coal Ministry's Deputy Secretary Ram Shiromani Saroj and WBPDCL's Director (Regulatory Affairs) Amit Bhattacharyya in the presence of Secretary of Coal Sumanta Chadhuri and WBPDCL MD/ Chairman PB Salim, Sensex falls by 642 Points; Rupee falls to 71.97 against US dollar Indian market suffered heavy losses on September 17, 2019 with Sensex falling by 704 points to 36,419.09 and Nifty slumping below 10,800, giving up all its gains of 2019. The Indian rupee also suffered losses by falling to 71.97 against |p the US dollar. The SEP BSE Sensex index also fell by 704 points to 36,419.09 At the day’s close, while Sensex ended up al 36,481, down by 642 points, Nifly comes amidst ended up 17 percent lower at 10,817. The sharp lo: s of rising global crude oil prices due to recent drone attacks on Saudi Arabia's major oil facilities. The selling pressure was visible across sectors such as and IT, HE Economy | October 2019 anking, metawww jagranjosh.com Tee GAGS Besides this, market volatility India VIX, which is commonly referred to as fear sed by 7 percent to 15.99. gauge. Nifty slump ‘The NS level of 10,796. fly 50 benchmark dropped by almost 207 points to the day's lowest o. With the fall, the National Stock Exchange benchmark index turned negative for the year 2019. This means that all the gains made by the index in 2019 were erased. Top losers Banks including HDFC, ICICI, Axis, SBI and Indusind Bank were among the top losers in the Nifty 50 basket of shar Other biggest drags on Sensex included Hero MotoCorp, Reliance Industri ‘Tata Consultancy Services and Maruti Suzuki, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Reliance Industries, Axis Bank, Tata Consultancy Services and SBI collectively wiped out over 350 points from the Nifty index EPFO to credit 8.65% interest in over 6 crore accounts Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) to pay 8.65% inte than 6 crore subscribers for the period of 2018-19. Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar announced that the money will be credited to the bank account of est on the deposits of more the EPFO subscribers. In the past wo years, it is the first increase in the interest rate of the Employees’ Provident Fund . AL present, an interest rate of 8.55% is being paid by the EPFO, However, the interest rate of 8.55% was fixed for the period of 2017- 18. Other a > Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar said that ministry is developing infrastructure in newly established union territories Ladhak and Jammu & Kashmir. October 2019 | Economy uncementsMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com > — He also informed that the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) would start a 100-bed hospital Srinagar and a 30-bed hospital in Leh. > — Santosh Gangwar said that two offices of EPFO in Srinagar and Jammu are also coming soon. > — He informed that the Labour Ministry is working for over 40 crore unorganized workers in the country to provide them suitable work environment. About EPFO Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) is generally a contribution to employees’ contribute 12% of their salary towa salary and employer. Employees gener However, there is no limit that prohibits an employee to contribute more than 12" his basic salary to the EPP. ' Provident ‘The EPFO was established with the circulation of the Employ Funds Ordinance on November 15, 1951, but it was replaced by the Employees’ Provident Funds Act, 1952. hemes - EPF Scheme 1952, Pension LI). ‘This organization controls three major Scheme 1995 (EPS) and Insurance Scheme 1976 (E Ez Corporate | October 2019ww jagranjosh. co Tee Corporate Huawei ban: What is Huawei controversy all about? Huawei ban: Huawei recently accused the US government of launching cyber- attacks to infiltrate its internal information s Huawei ystems and disrupt its busine also accused the US of unlawfully detaining its {and trying to coerce and entice ils staff to turn against it but did not offer any evidence for the allegations. US President Donald Trump, on the other hand, asserted recently that Huawei is a national security concern for the United States, US Military as well as the US intelligence agencies. Trump announced, "We're not going to be doing business with Huawei” and said that the Chinese Technology giant will not be a part of US's ongoing negotiations with CI ina on trade. US, Google suspend business with Huawei Huawei and 7o of its affiliates were put on US trade blacklist, “Entity List’, in May 2019 by US Commerce Department for posing a threat to US national security. The move restricted the telecom giant from buying parts and components from US companies without the approval of the US government. ‘This was followed by Google suspending all its business with Huawei, which requir Huawei's Android license. transfer of hardware, software and technical services. Google also cancelled Huawei ban: Impact >» — Google's decision of cancelling Huawei’s Android license banned the tech giant from using Google's proprietary Android operating system and its other services. Huawei could only use the public version of Google's OS through the Android Open Source Project. The ban also means that future Huawei phones may not have Google services such as Chrome, Gmail, YouTube and Google Play. >» The move could impact the future of Android on smartphones made by the Chinese company and its sub-brand, Honor. ay w The move could also impact future updates to Huawei phones and the company largely relies on Android for the smartphones it sells outside October 2019 | Corporate ElMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com of China, However, within China, it uses a modified version of Android that doesn’t have preinstalled Google apps because Google is blocked in China. What will be the impact on existing users of Huawei phones? > — Google announced that the users of Huawei phones will currently retain their access to Android services and will also be able to update the apps. > However, unless the tussle between the US and Huawei ends, there are possibilities that future Huawei phones may run without Google apps and services such as Gmail, YouTube and Chrome. Huawei ban: What is the controversy about? ‘The Pentagon banned the sale of Huawei phones on US military bases amid security concerns in May 2018, Other countries including Japan, Canada, Australia, Britain and Germany also expressed security concerns regarding Huawei’ telecom. equipment In January 2019, the US charged Huawei with 23 incidents of alleged trade secret theft and fraud. The US had earlier banned Huawei from selling networking equipment in the US. Following the alleged cas ecret theft and fraud, the US urged European countries also to stop using Huawei equipment in their 5G rollouts. es of trade In March 2019, a report revealed that Huawei is developing its own operating system in case it can't use Android or Windows. In April 2019, while Huawei set new goals to overtake Samsung and Apple, a CIA report alleged that Huawei is funded by Chinese state security. On April 24, 2019, though Britain reportedly announced that it will allow Huawei limited access to its 5G infrastructure, a Huawei leak led to the sacking of UK defense minister Gavin Williamson. Vodafone had also reportedly found hidden backdoors in Huawei equipment, Despite US warning against the security threat in using Huawei's equipment, many countries drafted their 5G security prope On May 15, 2019, US President Donald Trump issued a national security order banning Huawei and all its equipment in the United States. Google on May 19 suspended its business with Huawei and banned Huawei phones from future Hz Corporate | October 2019www jagranjosh.com Tee aa Android updates. A day later, Huawei received temporary relief from the US trade ban, following which Google also rev 1 its work with Huawei temporaril Huawei is reportedly developing its own operating system called “Hongmeng’ and the company plans to launch itin China later this year and globally in 2020. However, Huawei claimed that Hongmeng was not a replacement for Google's Android. Further, in June, Huawei chairman announced that the company is planning to sign a "no-spy" deal with the US. On June 6, 2019 Russia allowed Huawei to develop the country's 5G network and China issued 5 licenses to the tech company. A day later, Facebook banned Huawei from pre-installing its apps, On July 1, 2018, US President Donald Trump lifted restrictions on US companies selling to Huawei but it was only applicable on the widely available products, The US later announced that it will allow licensed sales to Huawei, but the company will remain blacklisted. In August 2019, Huawei revealed its Android replacement ‘Harmony’ but the company said that it has no plans to launch a phone with Harmony OS. In the same month, US President Trump announced that the US will not be doing any busine with Huawei due to the national securi y threat it represents. In Se ptember 2019, Huawei accused the US of using cyber attacks and threats to disrupt its business. Huawei What is Huawei? Huawei Technologies Co, Ltd. is a Chinese multinational telecommunications: equipment and consumer electronics manufacturer, headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. In the first quarter of 2019, Huawei was the second-largest smartphone maker by global market shar Around 49 percent of Huawei's smartphone shipments in the first quarter of 2019 were to international mar! lc of mainland China, as per data from research firm Canalys. October 2019 | Corporate ElMeee GAGS www jagranjosh.com ‘The company has previously laid out its ambitions to become the top player in smartphones by 2020. But the latest ban could put a dent in that. Jio Fiber Plans launched: Know all rentals, offers and other details Reliance Jio Fiber broadband services have been launched, Jio Fiber plans will be ry aieysrg started at Rs. 699 and will go up to Rs. 8,499 with several facilities. The lowest rental will Pasi eae provide 100 Mbps speed while the highest plan will give 1 Gbps speed. y Now, Jio Fiber broadband servi be available for all customers in 1600 cities oss the country, Jio Fiber offers free voice calling anywhere in the country, unlimited data and video conferencing with all plans. ‘The RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani announced the official launch of Jio Fiber broadband services in India at the 42" AGM of RIL. AM cheapest data plan of Jio Giga Fibe capped al 100Mbps. Jio Fiber Plans > — Reliance Jio has launched Jio Fiber plans under six categories - Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond, Platinum and Titanium. > — Jio Fiber Bronze plan will provide 100 Mbps of ording to the announcement by RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani, the priced at Rs. 70 per month with speeds speed at Rs. 699 per month rental. The plan included free voice call facility anywhere in India. > _ jio Fiber Silver Plan will be available at the cost of Rs. 849 per month with 100 Mbps of speed. Corporate | October 2019www jagranjosh.co CURRENT AFFAIRS > A free LED TV will be provided with Jio Fiber Gold two-year subscription plan, Monthly rental of this plan is Rs. 1299. > The Reliance Jio announced complimentary high definition set-top box and an advance modem Jio Home Gateway in all the plans priced between Rs, 699 to Rs. 8,499 per month, > — Cable TV service will be provided under a separate payment subscription plan through the cable fibre or DTH. Jio Set-Top Box Jio Fiber is providing a 4K $ brand new ‘Top box to ils consumers that will provide a in India. The Jio Set-top Box will not only ble facility but also offer features like video conferencing, access to apps, online gaming, and more. However, any specification or price have not been shared by the company. Jio Set~Top Box will be available with three multiple system operators (MSOs) on board, namely Hathway, Den, and GTPL, that will help bring the newly launched Jio Set-Top Box to various Indian homes. perience at the lowest pric provide traditional Jio Fiber in 1600 towns ‘The company aims to extend the facility of Reliance fio Fiber to 1,600 cities or towns of the country. The service of Reliance Jio Fiber is currently available on trial in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Surat, Vadodara, Chennai, Noida, shaziabad, Bhubaneswar, V i, Pr Visakhapatnam, Lucknow, Jamshedpur, Haridwar, Available in Gaya, Patna and Port Blair, igraj, Bangalore, Agra, Meerut, Jack Ma retirement: Jack Ma to step down as Chairman of Alibaba Jack Ma retirement: Alibaba Chairman Jack Ma will step down from his position on Se ‘Ma's retirement will mark the end of an era for Alibaba and mark a new beginning. Daniel Zhang, Alibaba's CEO, ptember 10, 2019, Jack will replace Jack Ma as Executive Chairman of the group. October 2019 | Corporate [i]Meee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com Jack Ma, had co-founded grew up to become one of Asia’ capitalization of Alibaba is around $460 billion. Jack Ma had announced his decision to retire from the Chairman position in September 2018. He had handpicked Daniel Zhang as his successor. It is rare for a founder of such a big tech firm to retire so carly, Jack Ma planned to retire on his 55th birthday. ibabz most valuable listed compa n 1999 and under his leadership, the company y. The current market Jack Ma Jack Ma, who began his er, founded Alibaba apartment in Hangzhou in 1999 along with a group of 18 founde: convinced to invest in the online marketplace. atea in his small shared reer , whom he From its headquarters in an apartment, Alibaba grew into an international heavyweight and it is now currently valued at over $ 460 billion. Jack Ma himself enjoys a net worth $38.6bn and is among the world's richest illionaires. ji ‘k Ma has also been frequently listed by Forbes as one of the world’s most powerful people. Besides, being the co-founder of one of the biggest tech companies, Ma is also known for his flamboyant and charismat ide. Jack Ma announced his retirement from Alibaba on September 10, 2018 to pursue his other passion, education. He chose Daniel Zhang to succeed him as Chairman, As of June 2019, Jack Ma is one of China’ billion, chest men with a net worth of $35.6 Jack Ma retirement plans Jack Ma plans to invest his vast earnings in philanthropy and education. He would also be retaining his seat on Alibaba's board of directors and would continue to mentor the company's management. Daniel Zhang Daniel Zhang is very unlike Jack Ma, is he quiet and soft. ‘ade. accountant by Jack Ma described Zhang as someone who has the logic and critical thinking skills of super computer. “Zhang has a commitment to his vision, the courage to wholeheartedly dare to take on innovative business models sof the future," added Ma, Hg Corporate | October 2019 and induswww jagranjosh.com CURRENT AFFAIRS One of the key challenges that await Zhang in his new role will be finding new areas of growth as China's e-commerce sector matures. Alibaba Alibaba is the world's largest retailer and e-commerce company and one of the largest Internet and Al companies. It is also one of the world’s biggest venture capital firms and investinent corporations in the world, The company hosts the larges ‘Tall marketplace online marketplace, Alibaba and Taobao and ‘The online sales and profits of Alibaba have surp: Amazon, Walmart and eBay combined since 2015. issed all US retailers including Alibaba employs over 100,000 people and has now es Joud computing and artificial intelligence. media industry. panded into financial servit Itis also expanding into the Recently, Alibaba announced investments worth $27 billion in usury goods retail platform Kaola and a musi¢ streaming firm. The move demonstrates the firm's flexibility in adopting new strategies, Background Jack Ma had announced on September 10, 2018 that he will step down as the Chairman of Alibaba in 2019. He had named Alibaba's CEO Daniel Zhang as his successor and said that he will work closely with Zhang to ensure a smooth transition of the chairmanship in the next 12 months. Jack Ma had however, said that he remain as directors a director on Alibaba’s board of «da permanent member of the Alibaba Partnership. October 2019 | Corporate ElMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com Google for India 2019: Google and Skill India partners to tap India’s job search market 2019 event has 30ogle for Indi announced various new services exclusively for the Indian user: Google has announced new jobs platform and a business app. According to the announcement at Google for India 2019, Google Pay has achieved a huge success in India from 17 million to 918 million users in just two years. Now, a job search feature will also be added in Google Pay serv Google for India 2019 announced that Google Pay for Busin on Google Pay will be new features in i s app and Jobs Spot services. ‘This feature has been launched to find out entry-level jobs: Google Pay India shared a tweet, “Introducing the new Jobs Spot on Google Pay, which helps people ‘owing industries like re find entry-level jobs in fast il, hospitality and on-demand busines: soogleF orlndi: Jobs Spot at Google Pay > — Google has launched the entry level jobs search platform - Jobs Spot at Google Pay. This feature will be given exclusively to indian customers. > Entry level job can be searched from here, The company has said that it is for basic jobs. > There will be an option of jobs in Google Pay, from where you will be able to use it. > — Onewill be able to create a profile and write own experience here. Once complete, it can be downloaded like a CV. > — For this purpose, the Google has partnered with Skill india. Skill India programme graduates will get a digital badge so that the employer can get enough information about them. » Itwas also announced that by 2020 about 400 million people will search jobs on the internet. Corporate | October 2019www jagranjosh.com Sic unaacd Benefits of Job Search at Google Pay 67Mn people use Google Pay monthly Driving transactions B worth $110Bn, onan annualised basis Google for > — Google announced that Google india has done a partnership with Skill India programme and NSDC India > The students of Skill india programme will get additional benefits through a digital badge given to them by Skill India. > — Job seekers can help themselves to prepare for interviews and learn new skills through new Jobs tools. > Users can schedule their interviews and directly contact with potential employers. Al lab in Bengaluru Google for India 2019 ha be established in Bengalurt compute Research will also collaborate across the country. also announced that an Ar gence lab will fundamental stitutions and Google India This initiative will help to ad ience research in India. Several academic About Skill India Programme skill India Programme was launched by PM Narendra Modi in the year 2015 with an aim to train more than 4o cr people by 2022. The National Skill Development Corporation India (NSDC) was established to provide various training campaigns under the Skill India programme, Numerous initiatives of the government like PMKVY, National Skill Development Mission, and Skill loan scheme are included under the Skill India Programme October 2019 | CorporateGaLz) www jagranjos Environment & Ecology India to undertake deep ocean mining with ‘Samudrayaan’ project After Chandrayaan, India’s is planning mudr: to explore the deep sea region with the ‘Samudrayaan’ project. ‘The 'Samudrayaan’ project proposes to send men into the deep sea ina submersible vehicle for ocean studies. The project is expected to become a reality by 2021 ‘The project has been undertaken by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), NIOT Director MA Atmanand said that NIOT has similarly undertaken. Samudrayaan as ISRO has envisioned carrying an astronaut to space under its 2022 ‘Gaganyaan' mission. Samudrayaan: Key Facts ‘The ‘Samudrayaan’ is a pilot project of the Mit ry of Earth Sciences for deep ocean mining for rare mine Under the proposed mudrayaan’ project, three inen will be sent into deep sea ina submersible vehicle to a depth of about 6000 metres to carry out various deep underwater studies. ‘The submersible vehicle, which will be indigenously developed, would be capable of crawling on the sea bed at a depth of kilometer for 72 hours. The project will go deeper in phases with more trials and the ocean mining is expected to commence in 2022. ‘The submarines deployed currently go only about 200 metres deep into the sea. he expenditure of the ambitious project is expected to be around Rs 200 crore. Ha Environment & Ecology | October 2019www jagranjosh.com Tee aa Samudrayaan Significance If the 'Samudrayaan' project is successful, India will join the league of developed nations in the exploration of minerals from oceans. Developed countries have already carried out such missions. India could be the first developing country to undertake such a project. Background ‘The 'Samudrayaan’ will be a part of the Rs 6000 crore ‘Deep Ocean’ mission that though has received in-principle approval but itis still awaiting final approval from the Union Finance Ministry. The final approvals are expected to come through in October 2019. UNCCD COPI14: What is it and why is it relevant? Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a high-level segment meeting at the gathering at the Conference of Parties (COP14) to United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). He said that climate change was leading to land degradation of various kinds. It was discussed during, the bilateral meeting between India and China that bilateral cooperation in the area mework of UNCCD will be fortified. tion offic ang Jianlong and Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary UNCCD were also present during the discus: of combating desertification within the fh National Forestry and Grassland Admini: of Chin: ‘ion. Desertifical areas (Not the natural expansion of existing deserts) in; Degradation of land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid Land Degradation: Deterioration in the quality of land (its topsoil caused by excessive or inappropriate exploitation) Causes of desertification are - overexploitation, overgrazing, deforestation and ices. Some of the solutions are - prevention of soil erosion, October 2019 | Environment & Ecology jz |Meee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com water resource management and sustainable practices. About 40,000 Lakh Hectares (/3" of total geographical area) of land is undergoing degradation. And in India, it is about 960 Lakh Hectares (29.32% of the total geographic area) land is facing degradation. India will resolve to do three things 1, Restore 50 lakh hectares of degraded land in 10 years. 2. Provisions of the New Delhi declaration to be adopted at the end of the conference. 3. Center of Ex ellence to be established at Forest Research Institute. UNCCD 2018-2030 Strategic Framework > The Parties adopted a new strategic framework for implementing the Convention for the period of 2018-2030. it was adopted during 13th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP13) held in China. > Parties agreed to establish national policies, measures and governance for drought preparedness and management, including drought contingency plans, according to the mandate of the Convention. >> Through this Strategy and in accordance with their obligations as stated in the Convention, Parties aim to Increase mobilization of financial and non-financial resources for the implementation of the Convention from international and domestic, public and private sources as well as from local communities, including non-traditional funding sources, and climate finance. According to the framework, parties aim to Establish policies and enabling environments for promoting and implementing solutions to combat desertification/land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought, including prevention, relief and recovery. ¥ About Conference of Parties (COP) > tis the supreme decision-making body of UNCCD and 197 country parties (including EU) are constituent members of this body. > Main functions of COP are to review reports submitted by the Parties and make recommendations, adopt new annexes to the Convention. > It guides the convention about global circumstances and changes in national needs. COP meeting held biennially since 2001. COP13 was held at the Ordos, China in September 2017. | 77] Environment & Ecology | October 2019 ¥www jagranjosh.com Tee > India will take over COP presidency from China for the next two years (2019-2021), About LOGO of UNCCD COP14 > — COP14 logo has been given by India and it signifies a successful use of Government's IT outreach through crowd sourcing. Sapling rising from bottom to top shows v2 COP14 progress while the leaves on the top represent life itself, while Sun's rays depict hope. > — Land and water in the logo shows importance as being the source of life. » The hand represents the importance of human involvement for the betterment of life. v About UNCCD > — United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was established in 1994, Itis the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management. UNCCD addresses semi-arid, arid and dry sub-humid areas, known as the dry-lands, where some of the most vulnerable ecosystems and peoples can be found. > All parties (197) of convention work together to improve the living conditions for people in dry-lands, to maintain and restore land and soil productivity, and to mitigate the effects of drought. The Convention is specifically committed to a bottom-up approach, encouraging the participation of local people in combating desertification and land degradation. ot ¥ v Previous Summits ‘The Conference of the Parties (COP) started its biennial sessions from 2001 earlier it was an annual summit. The first session of COP w: iL session was held at Ordos (China) in 2017. s held at Rome (Italy) in 1997 while the |: October 2019 | Environment & Ecologywww jagranjosh.com Tee > India will take over COP presidency from China for the next two years (2019-2021), About LOGO of UNCCD COP14 > — COP14 logo has been given by India and it signifies a successful use of Government's IT outreach through crowd sourcing. Sapling rising from bottom to top shows v2 COP14 progress while the leaves on the top represent life itself, while Sun's rays depict hope. > — Land and water in the logo shows importance as being the source of life. » The hand represents the importance of human involvement for the betterment of life. v About UNCCD > — United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was established in 1994, Itis the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management. UNCCD addresses semi-arid, arid and dry sub-humid areas, known as the dry-lands, where some of the most vulnerable ecosystems and peoples can be found. > All parties (197) of convention work together to improve the living conditions for people in dry-lands, to maintain and restore land and soil productivity, and to mitigate the effects of drought. The Convention is specifically committed to a bottom-up approach, encouraging the participation of local people in combating desertification and land degradation. ot ¥ v Previous Summits ‘The Conference of the Parties (COP) started its biennial sessions from 2001 earlier it was an annual summit. The first session of COP w: iL session was held at Ordos (China) in 2017. s held at Rome (Italy) in 1997 while the |: October 2019 | Environment & EcologyEne AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com List of All COP Sessions COP 4: Rome (Italy), 29 September to 10 October 1997. COP 2: Dakar (Senegal), 30 November to 11 December 1998. COP 3: Recife (Brazil), 15 to 26 November 1999, COP 4: Bonn (Germany), 11 to 22 December 2000. COP 5: Geneva (Switzerland), 1 to 12 October 2001. COP 6: Havana (Cuba), 25 August to 5 September 2003. COP 7: Nairobi (Kenya), 17 to 28 October 2005. COP 8: Madrid (Spain), 3 to 14 September 2007. COP 9: Buenos Aires (Argentine), 21 September to 2 October 2009. COP 10: Changwon (South Korea), 10 to 20 October 2011. COP 11: Windhoek (Namibia), 16 to 27 September 2013. COP 12: Ankara (Turkey), 12 to 23 October 2015, COP 13: Ordos City (China), 6 to 16 September 2017. COP 14: New Delhi (India), 2 to 13 September 2019 Single-use plastic ban: What is single-use plastic and why is it being banned? Single-use plastic ban: Pepsi, Coco Cola and other packaged ‘s manufacturers have been drin asked to come up with an alternative packaging solution by Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Pas days. ilas wan within the next three Single-use plastic items will be banned in India from October 2, 2019. ‘To prepare ahead for the single-use plastic ban, Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan held a meeting in New Delhi with bottled water manufacturers and various. government departments to find a suitable alternative to si for selling drinking water Environment & Ecology | October 2019 isle-use plastic bottleswww jagranjosh.com Tee aa Single-use plastic ban from October 2 India is set to impose a nation-wide ban on single-use plastic on October 2, 2019, on the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. As per r ingle including plastic bags, straws, cups, plates, small bottles and certain types of sachets. port use plastic items will be scrapped with effect from the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has set the goal to make India free of had appealed to the nation to stop the use of single-use h on India's Independence Day. The Union Government is single-use plastics by 202 plastic in his sp expected to launch a nation-wide campaign week of September. inst single-use plastic in the second Bollywood advocates single-use plastic ban Bollywood actor Aamir Khan came out in support of PM Modi’s initiative to curb ‘single use plas strongly. by saying thal it is an effort that everyone should support salman Khan had also shared a video in June, in which he was seen offering water to a monkey from a plastic bottle and the monkey refused to take it. When the superstar offered the monkey, whom he referred to as "Bajrangi Bhaijaan", water in a slass the monkey quickly accepted. Single-use plastic items The single-use plastic ban is expected to cover six single-use plastic items initially including plastic bags, straws, cups, plates, small bottles and certain types of sachets. The ban will cover manufacturing, usage and import of such items, The centre has asked all the Ministries to participate in the campaign. The campaign is a part of the central government's ongoing Swatch Bharat Mission. Let us now understand what is single-use plastic and why is being banned. What is single-use plastic? Single-use plastic meaning: Single-use plastic is a form of plastic that is disposable, which is only used once and then has to be thrown away or recycled. Single-use plastic items: The single-use plastic items include plastic bags, water bottles, soda bottles, straws, plastic plates, cups, most food packaging and coffee stirrers. October 2019 | Environment & Ecology ElMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com Why is single-use plastic being banned? With climate and environment becoming a rising global concert pollution and plasti plastic aaste management have become the focal point of worry Millions of tons of plastic is being produced every year, which is not egradable. Hence, the countries across the globe are adopting and implementing strategies aimed at eliminating the use of single-use plastic. biods As only 1-13 percent of the plastic items are recyclable, the rest ends up either buried in the land or water bodies, eventually reaching the oceans, leading to polluting of water bodies and killing of marine life. Most of the plastic is not biodegradable and over a period of time the plastic breaks up and releases toxic chemicals into the water bodies, which in turn make their way into food and water supplies. I the plastic does not end up in the water, it ends up as a huge pile of waste that is hard to dispose of. Many of the south Asian counties have become global dump yards of plastic: The plastic pile-up is not only affecting the human body but also choking the environment. ‘The UN Environment head Erik Solheim had also highlighted e pollution is one of the world's biggest environmental threats and countries have to come up with a better plastic waste management and disposal plan to deal with the huge plastic dump that is degrading the environment. lier that plastic India’s effort to curb use of single-use plastic India in the first pha nation-wide awareness about harmful effects of single-use plastic. In the second ¢ oF its campaign against single-use plastic will spread phase, the government agencies will collect all the single-use plastic i will be recycled in the last phase. and they ‘The government will be introducing penalties for violation of the single-use plastic ban but the penalties are expected to come into effect six months after the ban, in order to give people time to adopt alternatives to the single-use plastic items. Some states in India have already introduced a ban on sal ., Storage and use of Uttar single-use plastic items such as Sikkim , Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Nagaland and Jharkhand . Ez Environment & Ecology | October 2019www jagranjosh.com Tee aa India, national c: rier also announced its plan of banning single-use plastic items in its flights from October 2, 2019. In the first phase, the airlines will implement the ban on all flights of Air India Express and Alliance air and in the second phase, the plan will be implemented in Air India flight Global single-use plastic ban The European Union has targeted to eliminate single-use plastic items such as plastic straws, knives, forks and cotton buds by 2021, ina is also gradually cutting down its use of China's island provinces, Hainan, has already set its ingle-use plastics. One of al of eliminating single-use plastic by 2d The Chinese Government also imposed a ban on the import of foreign plastic waste, forcing countries like the d UK to find new outlets to dispose off their plastic trash. As a result, plastic waste was redirected in huge quantities to Southeast Asian nations, Marriott International, one of the world's largest hotel chain, also announced that it would be climinating the single-use toiletry bottles trom its toiletry kit for guests, The move is a part of the hotel chain to reduce its environmental impact. Single-use plastic alternatives ‘There is no viable alternative as of now for single-use plas alternative to single-use plastic items, especially single-use plastic bottles, which are used to sell packaged drinking water, needs to be affordable for the consumers. items. The A drinking water bottle, which costs Rs 20 currently, cannot be priced higher than that, Further, customers have shown confidence the years and hence, the alternative should also be up to the mark. in the sealed water bottles over Since recycling of plastic is nota permanent solution, manufacturers of single~ use plastic have been asked to look for other alternatives that are biodegradable. Railway ministry, which manufactures and sells packaged drinking water ‘Rail Neer‘ is also looking for alternatives including polymers to make their pacl biodegradable.Meee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com Plastic Waste Management Campaign: All you need to know Plastic camy ‘ment campaign will be launched in India today by the Department for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade (DPITT), The campaign is a part of PM Modi’s call to action for plastic waste management in India, It will be launched under the Swachhta Hi Sewa 2019, which is beginning from September 11. Swachhta Hi Sewa 2019 theme: ‘Plastic Waste Management’ ‘The DPIT is playing a achhta hi Sewa campaign as mandated by Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti. | two-fold role for the success of the Plastic waste management campaign: Objectives > — DPIIT will collect plastic waste through nationwide shramdaan on October 2, 2019. > — DPIITwill ensure recycling of all plastic waste collected on October 2, 2019 in cement kilns by Diwali 2019. Plastic waste management campaign: Action Points DPIT has requested all the state governments and Union Territories to mobilise the industrial parks in their areas to collect plastic waste from all Industrial Estates, parks, under the Swachhta hi Sewa 2019 campaign. vorridors, nodes and Industrial Are: The DPIIT has also requested the state governments and UTs to sensitize Industrial Parks by focusing on plastic waste management on a sustained and continuous basis. will be sel ‘The state governments and Union ‘ ¢ up nodal teams to monitor the progress of the campaign. ‘The Swachhta hi Sewa 2o19 campaign will begin from September 11, 2010. Environment & Ecology | October 2019www jagranjosh.com CURRENT AFFAIRS Background PM Modi, while launching the National Animal Disease Control Programme for eradicating foot and mouth dis s among the livestock in UP on September 11, 2019, urged people to stop the use of single-use plastic for the sake of the environment. ‘The Prime Minister said that people need to change their habits to protect the environment. PM Modi said that we all need to make efforts to rid our homes, offices and workplaces of single-use plastic by October 2, 2019. PM Modi stated that when people go to market, they should carry a bag and ing for plastic bags, He further appealed to all the self-help groups, civil society, individuals and others to join the mission. Swacchta hi Seva 2019: Explained Swacchta hi Seva 2019: Swachhta hi Seva 2019 was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Mathura on September 019. The Swachhta hi Sewa-2619 theme ‘plastic waste aicareness and management avoid Swachhta hi Seva is a massive nationwide awareness and mobilization campaign on Swachhta. The Swachhta hi Seva 2019 is being organized from September 11 till October 2, 2019. PM Modi had set the goal of making India ODF by October 2, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). ntly organized by Animal ion department of the central Swachhta hi Seva 2019 campaign launch was Husbandry and Dairy and Drinking Water and Sani government along with the state government of Uttar Pradesh. Swachhta hi Seva 2019 Swachhta hi Seva 2019 will witness mass awareness generation activities on plastic waste management between September 1 and October 1, October 2019 | Environment & EcologyGaLz) anjos ‘The campaign will also involve a nationwide shramdaan for plastic waste collection and segregation on October 2. The collected plastic waste will then be recycled and effectively disposed before Diwali, which is on October 2019. PM Modi himself had written per nd Swachhagrahis to motivate them to make Swachhta hi Seva 2019 a grand success. The personal letters were read out on September 11 al special Gram Sabhas. onal letters to all Sarpanch Swachhta hi Seva 2019 launch details After the launch of Swachhta hi Seva 2019, PM Modi vit ted the Pashudhan Arogya Vigyan Mela, where cows were being operated to remove plastic waste from their stomachs. The Prime Min agroup of women from. Uttar Pradesh who segregate plastic waste into recyclables and non-recyclables and also participated in the segregation activity himself. PM Modi urged all citizens to rid their house, offices and work spaces from single-use plastic. He drew people’s attention to the hazardous effects of single-use plastic on the environment and the health of animals and aquatic life. He appealed to people to use cloth or jute bags whil in offices. going out shopping and tise metal ox earthen glasses for serving wa ‘The Prime Minister also asked people to collect all plastic waste from their surroundings at an identified place and ensure its proper disposal with the support of the local administration. Water discovered on a potentially habitable super-Earth! Water has been found by scientists in the atmosphere of a potentially habitable super-Earth, The exoplanet, named K'2- 18b, is twice the size and eight times the of Earth, K2-18b is the first planet ma outside the solar system in the habitable zone of its star ‘The discovery was published ina paper in a scientific journal, Nature Astronomy on September u. Ee Environment & Ecology | October 2019 019 by researcherswww jagranjosh.com Tee aa ‘sity College London (UCL). The paper revealed that scientists studied the atmosphere of K2-18b, a distant super-Earth and for the first time discovers vapor in its atmosphere and temperature that could potentially support life. from Unive ed water K2-18b exoplanet: Everything you need to know! The exoplanet is twice the size and eight times the mass of Earth and hence, known as a super-Earth, Super-Earths are exoplanets that are larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune. The exoplanet orbits a red dwarf star, K2-18 and is 110 light y from Earth in the Leo constellation, years ‘Though the red dwarf star it orbits is quite active actual conditions on the surface of the planet are not known, the ‘This means that the planet will be exposed to ultraviolet radiation. However, the study reveals that K2-18b receives about the same amount of radiation from its star as the Earth does from the sun. ‘The exoplanet also lies within the habitable zone of its star, which means it will have the right temperature for liquid water to exist on the surface of the planet and potentially support life. This indicates that the planet could be habitable. Can K2-18b have human life? ‘Though scientists have tagged exoplanet K2-18b as potentially habitable. it doesn’t mean that humans could live there. Water is essential for life and the habitable zone is the region around a star where temperatures would let liquid water exist on a planet's surface. The exoplanet K2-18b has relatively moderate temperatures in comparison to the Earth. K2-18b is the first planet outside the solar system in the habitable zone of its star known to have water in ils atmosphere. However, there are many unknown things about factors affecting potential habitability in this world. Discovery of water on K2-18b: How did it happen? cd by the Hubble s plured starlight as it passed through the exoplanet’s atmosphere. When the researchers put the data through algorithms, they saw signs of water vapour in the atmosphere. ‘The research team used archived data collect between 2016 and 2017 that had ¢; The researchers also saw traces of hydrogen and helium in the atmosphere, two of the most abundant elements in the universe. October 2019 | Environment & Ecology ElMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com Background The planet was first discovered by exoplanet completes one orbit around its closer to its star than the EF: cooler than the Sun. ASA's Kepler spacecraft in 2015. The K2-18b ar every 33 days, The super-Earth is much rth is to the sun. However, the red dwarf star is much. Hence, based on the calculations of the researchers, the exoplanet could have a temperature, similar to that of the Earth. The temperature range, however, could include temperatures much colder and warmer than Earth and this cannot be completely confirmed by the researchers due to data constraints. thor, Ingo Waldmann, the discovery of the -18b could be the first of many such discoveries in re According to the study-co~: pitable exoplanet K- super-Earths like K2-18b and red dwarf stars smaller than the Sun a nd stars in our Galaxy. potentially hal the future, as the most common planet K2-18 a 18c, but the planet is closer to the star and is not likely to be in the habitable zone. K2-18¢ was discovered by Cloutier in so has another super-Karth, K Further, while the Hubble Space Telescope is only sensitive to the signature of water, future telescopes such as the James Webb Space Telescope and the ES ARIEL mission are capable of studying the atmosphere of exoplanets in much greater detail with more advanced instruments. World Ozone Day 2019: What is Ozone Layer, How it is recovering from depletion? World Ozone Day 2010 is also known as the International Day for the preservation of the Ozone Layer. ILis observed annually on September 16 to commemorate the signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. The Montr Protocol was signed in 1987. Environment & Ecology | October 2019www jagranjosh.com Tee aa World Ozone Day 2019 Theme: 32 Years and Healing World Ozone Day 2019 theme celebrates over three decades of international cooperation to protect and heal the ozone layer and the climate under the Montreal Protocol. The da Tt serv healthy people and a healthy planet. aims to increase awareness of climate change and ozone depletion. asa reminder that humans must keep up their momentum to ensure World 07 Protocol”, whi ie Day 2018 theme was “Keep Cool and Carry on: The Montreal med to urge everyone to carry on the exemplary work of protecting the ozone layer and the climate under the Montreal Protocol. Facts about Ozone layer What is Ozone layer? The ozone layer is a fragile shield of gas that protects the Earth and its ecosystem from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun, thus help preserve life on the planet. The phaseout of controlled uses of substances that deplete the ozone layer will not only protect the ozone layer for future generations but will also boost global efforts to address the issue of climate change: Is the Ozone Layer recovering? According to a study completed in 2018, ‘Scientific Ass Depletion’, some parts of the ozone layer has recovered at a rate of 1 to 3% per decade since 2000. This report suggested that by the end of 2030 Ozone layer may heal completely in Northern hemisphere ssment of Ozone similarly, the ozone layer in Southern hemisphere and Polar Regions will be recovered by 2050 and 2060 respective What is Montreal Protocol? ‘The objective of the Montreal Protocol is to protect the ozone layer by taking iate measures to bring down global production and consumption of inces that harm the ozone appr subst r. According to this protocol, there is a list of more than 100 chemicals. Montreal Protocol sets outa timetable for the phase-out of production and consumption of with the aim of eventually eliminating them completely. thase subs! October 2019 | Environment & Ecology Elleta ce www jagranjos Coal Ministry signs allotment agreement with West Bengal power Development Corporation Ministry of Coal has signed an allotment agreement with the West Bengal Power Development Corporation Limited (WBPDCL) regarding the Deocha Pachami Dexcanganj-Harinsingha coal block. The agreement was signed on September 16, 2010. Under the provisions of Coal Block Allocation Rules, 2017, the West Bengal Power Development Corpor: imited (WBPDCL) has been allocated the Deocha Pachami Dewanganj-Harinsingha coal block. The coal block is located in Birbhum district of West Bengal and cove sq km with estimated reserves of tion of power. The Goal Block Allocation Rules, 2017 made under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulations) Act, 1957. ‘san area of 2102 million tonnes for gener w Coal block allotment to West Bengal: Significance The coal block allotment to West Bengal will help generate considerable amount of direct and indirect employment in West Bengal and also contribute to the socio- economic development of the region: The project will also address the immediate as well as the future coal and power requirements of the ‘The Deocha Pachami Dewanganj-Harinsingha Coal Mine is the 2nd largest coal mine in the world with an estimated reserve of 2102 million tonnes. Allotment agreement signatories ‘The new allotment agreement was signed by Coal Ministry's Deputy Secretary Ram Shiromani Saroj and WBPDCL's Director (Regulatory Affairs) Amit Bhattacharyya in the presence of Secretary of Goal Sumanta Chadhuri and WBPDCL MD/ Chairman PB Salim. EE Science & Technology | October 2019www jagranjosh.com Tee Science & Technology ISRO Chandrayaan- 2: What happened, next what and everything you should know ISRO Chandrayaan- 2: The lander Vikram of ISRO Chandrayaan-2 lost communication with the ground staff few minutes before its scheduled landing on the moon. ISRO experienced this setback early this morning soon afler Vikram successfully started its final dese and encouraged the nt. ientists for their PM Narendra Modi visited ISRO headquarte: best efforts and hard work. While addressing ISRO scientists and the nation, he said, will make us stronger and better: come in our space programme; India fhe learnings from there will be a new dawn, The best is yet to is with you. Count toda ss people have got access to ‘ntists. Our determination to touch moon has become even stronger, we came closer but we need to cover more ground." a better life due to the hard work of our space sc What happened in the last minute? Chandrayaan-2 succe ‘sfully entered the Moon's orbit on August 20 and itwas expected to touchdown the surface of the moon early on September 7. The entire journey of Chandrayaan-2 took 48 days. Entire ISRO staff and nation was glued to the screens to know each and every detail of Chandrayaan-2. ‘The ISRO centre burst into applause when lander Vikram successfully started its final descent about 1.50 am. Prime Minist rendra Modi was also there to watch the action from behind a glass screen, But, suddenly, a silence prevailed, Scientists were lookin, PM Modi left the ISRO centre, K Sivan announced that lander V communication, Data would be analyzed. anxious, soon after am has lost October 2019 | Science & TechnologyMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com What was Chandrayaan-2 mission all about? Chandrayaan-2 was an ISRO mission comprising an orbiter and a soft lander ‘am and a rover Pragyan. According to the ISRO, the primary objective of Chandrayaan 10 demonstrate the ability to soft-land on the luna operate a robotic rover on the surface. Other scientific objectives of the Chandrayaan-2 mission were - studies of mineralogy, lunar topography, the lunar exosphere, elemental abundance, and signatures of hydroxyl and water ice. surface and How it was significant for India? It was an opportunity for India to become the fourth country in the world to ¢ a soft landing on the moon. achievement for ISRO and India that could pave the way for future Indian space missions. ma iL would have been a huge technological Another s space mi Muthaya Vanitha, the project director, the brains behind the Chand ignificance of that it was for the first time in India’s on history when two women chandrayaan=2 ient ‘ientists s led the expedition. , and Ritu Karidhal, the mission director were aan-2 mission, Why to explore Lunar South Pole? ‘The lunar South Pole always remains in the dark and it is quite interesting for scientific discoveries. Scientists believe that the shadow part of the Moon may be larger than its North Pole. According to the bility of the presence of water was also very high at the South Pole. Chandrayaan-2 was expected to attempt a soft landing in a high plain between two craters, Manzinus C pelius N, at a latitude of about 70° south. ntifie discoveries, the possi and Si Mission Cost India’s Chandrayaan-2 mission was the cheapest lunar miss the project was about Rs. 978 crores including the cost of orbiter, lander, navigation and ground support network, Geo-stationary Satellite Launch Vehicle's (GSLV) cost was around 375 crores. India’s Moon mission was a completely indigenous project. Segments of Chandryaan-2 Mission Orbiter: It was the ma a role of mediator between Ind: on ever. The cost of rover, segment of the lunar mission that was supposed to play in Deep Space Network (IDSN) at Byalalu as well as the Vikram Lander. However, Orbiter will remain in the orbit of the moon for one HE Science & Technology | October 2019www jagranjosh.co Tee year to send pictur km hinar polar orbit for th and other information to the SRO. It has been placed 100X100 Junar mission, Lander-V handray Dr. Vikram A the father of the Indian Space Programme. IL was supposed to land on the surface of the moon on September 7 but failed, It was designed to work for one lunar day which is equivalent to 14 earth day s landing device on the moon was named after Rover ~ Pragyan: A solar-powered Al-based 6-wheeled robotic vehicle named Pragyan was built to explore the surface of the moon. Pragyan was designed to travel up to 500m for its scientific discoveries. Next What? As per the announcement of ISRO Chairman K Sivan, scientists will analyze the data sent by Chandrayaan-2. Once this data was explained only then the next plan will be made, However, ISRO was planning to launch Gaganyaan mission soon alter the accomplishment of Chandray ng three Indians to space. ISRO’s Vikram lander found unbroken but in a tilted position on the Moon vi found in a tilted position and in a single piece on the surface of the Moon. Vikram found in a single piece that means it has not broken despite a hard landing. ISRO is trying its best efforts to re- sion aims to bri aan-2, Ganganyaan mis am lander of Chandrayaan-2 has establish communication with Vikram lander. According to the various media repor it was clear from photographs sent by the on-board camera of the orbiter that the lander’s hard landing has occurred where the kanding was to take place. The sa single piece in the photo of the orbit ing ina tilted position on the lunar lander is visible The lander is not broken into pieces. Is I: r, the Viki programme Vikram § m lander, which was named after India's father of Indi 's space ‘abhai, had lost communication with ChandiMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com orbiter. According to the information released by ISRO ( lander was located by Chandrayaan-2 and efforts to res continue for at least 14 days.” Or found on the lunar surfa rman K Sivan, “Vikram ore contact the probe will iter sent a thermal image of the lander Vil ISRO has not yet released that thermal image of Vikram on the Moon or described any potential condition of the lander. ISRO has mentioned in its release that Vikram lander could not succeed in its planned landing but the craft has already showcased key technologies for next ISRO missions. About Orbiter The Orbiter of Chandrayaan-2 study the lunar planet. is equipped with various space instruments to ‘The orbiter is equipped with - a dual-frequency radio s sxperiment to study the moon's ionosphere, a lunar mapping camera, a sensor to study the moon's thin exosphere; dual frequency synthetic aperture radar for studying moon water ice h resolution camera, a solar and lunar mapping, ahi ray monitor and an imaging infrared spectrometer. About Chandrayaan-2 mission ‘The landers last descent was successfully started but communication was stopped last minute until 2 kilometres from the lunar surface, Chandrayaan-2 mis jon was launched on July 22, 2019, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Chandrayaan-2 spent about 48 days in the space to reach its target ~ Moon. ‘The Chandrayaan-2 mission was performing well as the lander V successfully separated from the orbiter on September 2, 2019. ‘There are only three count lunar surface, those countries ar in the world who have landed a spacecraft on the and China, Science & Technology | October 2019www jagranjosh.com Tee GAGS Govt launched multilingual ‘CHC Farm Machinery’ Mobile App for farmers ‘The Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Purushottam Rupala recently launched a multilingual Machinery Machinery’ during the National Conference on crop residue Management for farmers in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister also shared his ideas among farmers to ensure zero burning in all villages and also thanked farmers for bringing down incidents of stubble burning, While launching the mobile app several farmers shared experiences anil gave Suggestions about crop residue management, ILwas claimed by the ministry that more than 1000 farmers attended the conference from four ‘CHC Farm Machinery Mobile App’ > — Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Purushottam Rupala said that this mobile app will allow farmers to avail custom hiring services of CHCs located in a radius of 50 km. > CHC Farm Machinery Mobile App connects the farmers with Custom Hiring Service Centers in their area, Farmers can download this mobile app on any android phone from Google Play Store. Farmers can get affordable access to cutting-edge technology at their doorsteps with the help of this mobile app. tes. v Crop residue burning ‘The issue of crop residue burning has become a major environmental problem causing health issues as well as contributing to global warming. There are some rable techniques like Composting, biochar production and mechanization that can help to curtail the issue while retaining the nutrients present in the crop residue in the soil. However, some steps by the government of India have taken to curtail this problem, Several measures and campaigns ned to promote sustainableMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com management methods such as converting crop residue into energy have also started. In recent years, the alarming rise of air pollution levels caused by crop r burning in the city of Delhi and other northern areas in India observed. due India successfully test-fires air-to-air missile Astra India has ssfully test-fired air-to-air missile Astra from Sukhoi-30 MKI. The indigenously developed missile was tested off the coast of Odisha on September 17, 2019. s SUCC! Astra missile is capable of engaging targets of different ranges and altitudes including short and long-range targets. The state-of-art-missile was launched by the Indian Air force as a part of user trials from Sukhoi-30 MKI. Astra missile completed its test with success, as it was able to accurately engage the live aerial target. The mission took place as planned. Various radars including Optical Tracking em (KOTS) and sensors were able to suc fully track down the missile and confirm ils engagement with the live target. The was conducted by India’s Defence rand Development Organisation (DRDO). Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO and IAF teams for the successful completion of the test. Astra missile Astra mi missile. The m ile is India’s first indigenous air-to-air and beyond visual range ile can engage targets of different ranges and altitudes Astra missile has a strike speed of over 5,555 km per hour. nge of aver 7o km. It can fly towards its target at a ‘The missile carries a 15-kg high-explosive pre-fragmented warhead. It will be integrated on MiG-29, Mirage-2000 and LCA Tejas aircrat, ‘The missile has been de: igned and developed by DRDO along with 50 other public and private organisations, which were involved at various stages of its development. EE International | October 2019ww jagranjosh. co Tee International India-Japan Defence Ministerial meeting held in Tokyo India and Japan organised a Defence Ministerial meeting, co-chaired by Union ister Rajnath Singh and Japanese Defence Minister Takeshi lwaya, i Tokyo on September 2, 2019. ‘The meeting involved dis mutual concern such as ways to further strengthen the existing bilateral co- operative arrangements and adopt new initiatives towards achieving peace and Defence Min in ‘ussions on various issues of security in the region. India and Japan Defence Ministerial Meeting: Key Points ‘The Indo-pacifie vi 1 mecting with an expression of India’s preference for a rules-based order along with centrality of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and inclusiven all. on was discussed during the Defence Minister sand security for ‘The meeting also highlighted the significance of the Special Strategic and Global Partnership between India and Japan, especially in addressing the security, stability and regional peace. ‘The Defence Ministers of the two nations also held discu ions on the emerging regional security issues. Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also discussed about revoking of Article 370 of the constitution and reiterated that talks with Pakistan and cross-border terrorism cannot go hand-in-hand. Singh further extended an invitation to Japanese companies to participate in the biennial DefExpo 2020 to be held in Lucknow. Other Details Rajnath Singh also met Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and appr regarding the contents of the disct ised him on at the Defence Ministerial Dialogue. ‘The Indian Defence Minister also conveyed to the Japanese PM that Jammu & Kashmir is an integral part of India and revoking of Article 370 is only meant to October 2019 | International EEMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com benefit the people of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, He emphasized that Pakistan has no right in this internal matter. ed the need to Overall, India and Japan reali ngthen Defence Equipment and Technology Co-operation. PM Modi’s Russia visit: Explained in Ten Points PM Modi Russia visit ‘ime Minister Narendra Modi has become the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Vladivostok, the far-cast region of Russia, The Prime Minister landed in Vladivostok on September 4, as a part of his two-day v Russia from September 4-6, 2010. PM Modi was greeted by Vladimir Putin at Viadivostok and the Russian President, in a special gesture, also accompanied Modi to the Zvezda shipyard in Vladivostok, Following the shipyard visit, both the leaders participated in the 2oth India-Russia Annual Summit, While addressing the press after the summit, PM Modi said that both India and Russia are against outside influence in the internal matters of any nation, PM Modi is scheduled to attend the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok tomorrow, as the Chief Guest of the forum. PM Modi Russia visit: Ten Key Points 1 First Indian Prime Minister to visit Russian Far East Region PM Modi with his visit to Vladivostok has become the first Indian prime minister to visit the Russian Far t Region. The Prime Minister is scheduled to attend the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok along with other fo: eign lead Speaking on his visit, the Prime Minister said that his visit to Russia will give a "new energy and a new impetus’ to relations between the two countries. 2. Siberian cranes-Gujarat link PM Modi stated in a press interview that nature itself connects India to the far- east. The Prime Minister referred to the "Siberian cranes-Gujarat” link and pointed out that every December, Siberian cranes fly to his native state a tourist destination for them and many Indians go to the Far East. jaral, which is like 3. PM Modi’s visit to Zvezda shipyard PM Modi visited th hipbuilding complex in in Vladivostok along with ian President Vladimir Putin. The Zvezda shipyard will produce heavy tonnage Ri International | October 2019www jagranjosh.com CURRENT AFFAIRS shi class vessels, Is, and other marine . offshore platform element . equipment. The ships built at the shipyard will be used to deliver (G and Russian oil to world markets including India, Prime Minister Modi tweeted saying that the Zvezda shipyard is poised to make a huge contribution to the development of Arctic shipping. 4. 20th India-Russia Annual Summit Post the Zvezda shipyard visit, PM Modi and Vladimir Putin held the 2oth India- Russia Annual Summit. The summit was held on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum. The annual summit covered a number of regional and international issues of mutual intet including the situation in the Gulf region, the Afghan peace process and the possibilities to further strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the oil and gas sector. 5. Eastern Economic Forum PM Modi is the chief guest of the 5th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), which i in Vladivostok. Russia has hosted the Eastern Economic Forum: since 2015 to boost partnerships with Asian countries, The 5th Eastern Economic Forum is expected to focus on the development of businesses and investment opportunities in the Russian Far East Region, The forum presents a great opportunity and Russia in the currently under’ to develop close and mutually beneficial cooperation between In region. Speaking on Putin's invitation to attend the Eastern Economic Forum, PM Modi said that the invitation for Eastern Economic Forum is a matter of great respect for him, The Prime Minister said that it is a historical occasion to give a new dimension to the support between the two countries. 6. India- Russia exchange 25 agreements India and Russia exchanged 25 agreements in the field of defence. trade, industrial cooperation, investments, conneetivity corridors and energy. The s were exchanged in the presence of Prime Minist jan President Vladimir. Narendra Modi and 7. “Russia is an integral friend,” says PM Modi PM Modi, during delegation-level talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said, “Russia is an integral friend and trustworthy partner of India.” Modi further credited the Russian President for personally focusing on expanding the special and October 2019 | International ElMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com strategic partnership between the wo countries. Modi said that as integral friends, the two leaders have met cach other regularly and spoken about several issues. 8. PM Modi to be awarded Russia’s highest civilian honour PM Modi expressed his gratitude to the Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia for deciding to honour him with Ru: highest civilian award. The Indian prime minister will be awarded the ‘Order of St Andrew the Apostle’ in April for his exceptional services in promoting bilateral ties between India and Russia, 9. India and Russia agree to make AK-203 rifles also agreed to the proposal of Russia building 20 more nuclear India and Ru: power plants in India, 10. Full-fledged maritime route proposed between Chennai and Vladivostok PM Modi stated that a proposal has been made to have a full fledged maritime route, which will link Chennai in India to Vladivostok in the Russian Far East region, Why is PM Modi visiting Russian Far East region? PM Modi's visit to the Far East Region of Russia aims to diversify and further strengthen the bonds of the two nation’s robust bilater ations. PM Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to ever visit the region. pate in the sth issian President and to The key objective behind PM Mod astern Economic Forum conduct the 20th In India-Russia Bilateral Relations India and Russia enjoy cl of their special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. India and Russia share song military, trade and investment relations. Both the nations cooperate in the strategic energy and peaceful uses of space. bilateral relations, based on the strong foundation fields of defence, civil nuclea Their relations are complemented by a desire to promote a multipolar world. India and Russia are also a part of the BRICS group of major emerging economies along with Brazil, China and South Atri Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), which is an east- Asian political, India and Russia are also a part of the economic and EE International | October 2019 urity alliance.www jagranjosh.com Tee aa Exercise Yudh-Abhyas 2019 begins between India and USA ‘The joint military exercise, Yudh Abhyas 2019, begins on September 5, 2019, at the Joint Base Lewis Macard near ington between India and USA. This exercise will last until 18 September. It is one of the biggest joint military exercise and defence corporation endeavours between India and the USA. Yudh Abhyas 2019 is the cise hosted alternately between the two 15th edition of the joint military ex¢ countries. Benefits This joint military exercise between India and USA will offer a prospect to the armed forces of both countries to train in an integrated manner at Battalion level with joint planning at Brigade level The joint military exercise will provide multiple scenarios with a view to understand each other's organisational structure and battle procedures. According to the official curtain-raiser of the Government of India, the wv exercise will result in a higher degree of collaboration that can further facilitate interoperability between the armed forces of both countries to meet any unforeseen contingency across the globe. Yudh Abhyas 2019 is also significant because it provides an ideal platform to learn from each other's expertise and experiences of planning and execution of operations. ¥ Yudh Abhyas 2019 > The armies of India and USA will jointly plan, train and execute a series of well developed operations for neutralization of threats of varied nature. Once planning and trainings were done, a joint level exercise will be undertaken by both countries in an operational setting under a UN mandate. ¥ October 2019 | International EmGaLz) yw jagranjosh.c > Apart from this, academic and military discussions will be organized by experts from both sides to share each other's experiences on varied topics for mutual benefit. Eastern Economic Forum: India pledges 1 billion "3 bet USD as ‘Line of credit’ for development of Far East E: Minister Narendra Modi attended the 5th Eastern Economic Forum at Vladivostok, Ru invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. stern Economie Forum: Prime ja as its Chief Guest at the special While speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum, the Prime Minister made a landmark announcement. The Prime Minister announced that India would be giving 1 billion dollar worth ‘Line of Credit’ for the development of the Far East. This is the first time that India would be giving line of credit to an area of another country. PM Modi said that his government's ‘Aet East Policy’ has actively engaged Fast Asia and he believes that India's credit line offer would serve as a take- off point of det Far East’. The move would also add a nev diplomacy and help strengthen India's cooper: pect to India's economic ndly nations in the ‘ion with region. PM Modi further said that India ind Russia's friendship is not restricted to just governmental interactions in capital cities but itis, in fact, about the people and close business relations. PM Modi said that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin have kept ambitious targets for cooperation between the two countries, He said that the two nations have agreed to add new aspects to their relations by extending their cooperation to the private industry, states and regions. Indo-Pacific Region PM Modi announced that he and Putin have decided to start a new phase of cooperation in the Indo-Pacific Region. Towards this, the two leaders have agreed to aritime link between Cher nd Vladivostok. a proposal to establish a International | October 2019www jagranjosh.com Tee aa PM Modi said that when ships begin to sail on the maritime route, it will open a new chapter in the history of cooperation between India and Russia and the relations between the two countries will deepen further. ‘The Prime Minister said that it will open a new era of peace and progress in the Indo-Pacific region. Far East Street Exhibition Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the ‘Far East Street’ exhibition on September 4, 2019 with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The ‘Far East Street’ hibition showcased the vibrant culture of the Russian Far E e PM Modi's Bilateral Meetings Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral interactions with the leaders of Japan, Malaysia and Mongolia on the sidelines of the 5th Eastern Economic Forum at Vladivostok. 1. Japan PM Modi first met Japanese PM Shinzo Abe and held in-depth discus wide range of subjects such as strengthening ties in aveas including trade, economy, defence, security, 5G and also exchanged views on the regional situation, The two leaders also spoke about bettering trade and cultural relations between India and Japan. 2. Malaysia PM Modi later met Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and discussed bilateral ties between the two nations and ways to further divers ons ona cooperation. 3. Mongolia PM Modi also met Mongolian President Khallmaagiin Battulga and reviewed the full range of bilateral ties between India and Mongolia and deliberated on ways to enhance cooperation for the mutual benefit of the people of the two nations. What is Eastern Economic Forum? Eastern Economic Forum was established by Russia to boost the economic development of Russi ist and expand international cooperation in the Asia- Pacific region. ‘The 3th Eastern Economic Forum was participation from several countries at ministerial level such as China, Indonesia, Singapore, South Kore North Korea. 's Far October 2019 | International EaMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com including Japan, China, Australia, Republic of Korea, New Zealand and Vietnam invest in the Russian Far East region. According to the EEF website, since 2014, almost 32 per cent of all FDI into Russia has come to this region. Currenth Robert Mugabe: Former Zimbabwe President passes away Robert Mugabe: Robert Mugabe, former Zimbabwe President passed away at the age of 95 on September 6, 2019. Robert Mugabe had ruled Zimbabwe for almost four decades before he was ousted from power in a military coup two years ago. Robert Mugabe passed away in a hospital in Singapore, where he had been received medical treatment since April 2019, Current Zimbabwe President announced Robert Mugabe's death by tweeting, “IL is with the utmost sadness that 1 announce the passing on of Zimbabwe's founding father and former President, Cde Robert Mugabe.” Robert Mugabe had ruled Zimbabwe since its independence from the British rule in 1980. Mugabe will be remembered as a key figure in Atri movement and struggle against colonialism, Mugabe held on to his power for nearly four decades, until lie was ousted ina coup by his own army. 's liberation Robert Mugabe Robert Mugabe, born on February 21, 1924, entered politics in 1960. He was. led four years later for opposing the British rule. During his jail term, Mugabe's in Ghana in 1966 and Mugabe was denied. ik infant son passed away due to malari parole to attend his funeral. Following his release from jail, Robert Mugabe rose to the top of the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army guerrilla movement, He had earned the reputation as the “thinking man's guertill Robert Mugabe served as the Prime as the President from 1987 lo 2017. He belonged to the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF). ler of Zimbabwe from 1980- 1987 and. Mugabe was known as the champion of racial reconciliation when he first assumed power in a nation that was divided by nearly a century of white colonial rule. However, afler 2000, his health started deteriorating and the economy of Zimbabwe started seeing a downfall, Many people had come to see Mugabe as International | October 2019www jagranjosh.com Tee aa power-obsessed, as someone who would rig elections and let the economy take a downfall due to his unrelenting pursuit of power. Zimbabwe witnessed unrest, an increase in poverty and hyperinflation during this period. Robert Mugabe ouster from power Robert Mugabe was ousted from the post of President by his own armed forces in November 2017. Mugabe was forced to resign and his resignation was celebrated s the country. Mugabe, however, considered the coup as al by his party and people. by millions of people acr an “unconstitutional and humiliating’ act of betr After the incident, Mu: mained like ¢ turned bitter against his party and r that till the end. In fact, during the first elections that were conducted without him last year, Mugabe said that he would vote for the opposition. 's ouster, however, failed to revive Zimbabwe's economy and the nation is currently facing its worst economic crisis in a decade with inflation rising up to almost tiple digits. The rolling power cuts and shortage of US dollar and basic goods has brought back memories of 2009 when the nation was forced to ditch its currency due to hyperinflation, India's reply at UNHRC: "Pakistan epicenter of terrorism, conducts cross-border terrorism as alternate diplomacy” India's reply at UNH crisp statement. India clarified in clear terms that sovereign decisions like J@K legislation is entirely internal to India and it will not accept interference in its internal affairs. India strongly rebutted Pakistan's claims by saying, "silence only emboldens terrorists and Pakistan is the epicentre of global terrorism." India hit out at Pakistan at the UNHRC with a short yet India stated that those who are misusing this platform for malicious political agendas under the garb of human rights should be called out. India stated countries (Pakistan) cry victim when they actually are the perpetrators. India further pointed out without naming Pakistan, that the world is aware of the fabricated narrative that comes from the epicentre of terrorism, which has given s. India strongly put forward how Pakis sm as a form of alternate diplomacy October 2019 | International El shelter to ring leaders for y an conducts cross-border terrorMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com India's reply to Pakistan came afler the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) urged India on September 10, 2019 to end the lockdown and curfew in Kashmir and restore basic communications services, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said that she was “deeply concerned’ about the Indian government's actions in Kashmir and called for an end to the lockdown and communication blockage. UNHRC on Kashmir Bachelet expressed deep concet actions on the human rights of Kashmiris, including imposition of communication restrictions, restrictions on peaceful assembly and detention of local political leade and activists. n about the impact of Indian government's Michelle Bachelet asked both India and Pakistan to uphold the rights of . She stated that her office has received reports on the human rights situation on both sides of the LoC after India revoked Article 370 of its Constitution and withdrew the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir and divided it into two Kashmit Union Territories, ‘The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights further said that it was important that the people of Kashmir are engaged in any decis that will have an impact on their future. jon-making proc UNHRC on Assam ‘The UN High Commi up Assam NRC and expressed concern for the lakhs of people who have been excluded from the citizen's list. Bachelet said that the recent NRC verification process in Assam has caused great uncertainty and anxiety. Almost 1.9 million people were excluded from the final NRC list, which wa appealed to India to ensure people are protected from statelessness. jioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet also brought published on August 31. Bachelet India’s statement on Kashmir India reiterated that withdrawing of Article 370 was its internal matter and strongly criticised Pakistan for making "irresponsible statements" and provocative anti-India rhetoric over its internal matters. India stated that legislative measures taken by the government will ensure that pros schemes of the government such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Jan Dhan, Ujawala International | October 2019 ve welfare programmes andwww jagranjosh.com Tee aa Yojana, Swachh Bharat and Jal Shakti will also be fully applicable to the citizens of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. India’s statement on Assam NRC On NRC, India stated that updating of NRC is a ansparent, statutory and legal process mandated and monitored by the Supreme Court. India stated that any decision taken during the proce: Indian law and India's democratic traditions. India also maintained that the exclusion from NRC has no implication on the rights of an individual res of its implementation will be in line with the ‘ident in Assam. ¢ External Affairs Ministry had also cleared in a statement last week that “those who are not in the final list will not be detained and will continue to enjoy all the rights like they did before until they have exhausted all the possible remedies available under the law, It does not make the excluded person ‘Stateless'” India clarified that this does not make the p nd they will not be deprived of any rights or entitlements joyed before. 9/11: 18 years since America’s worst terrorist attack f the 9/11 terror attacks on the World Trade Centre. The attacks were one of the worst terrorist attacks on American soil. On September: assenger airliners were hijacked by militants and two of the planes were crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Centre. On the occasion, tributes will be held at the memorial plaza at the World Trade Center site in New York City. in the Ws Pennsylvania, on the field where afler ils passengers and crew members foiled hijackers’ plan to crash it into the US Capitol, the home of the US Congress. Thi afler US President Donald Trump announced that he had planned a secret meeting with the top leaders of Taliban at the presidential retreat in Camp David. commemorations are touched by controvers ‘The Taliban had reportedly supported the Al-Qaeda group in Afghani: President Trump, however, cancelled the meetings after Taliban masterminded an attack in Kabul that killed one US soldier and 12 others. an, October 2019 | InternationalMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com 9/11: How it happened? On September 11, 2001, four-passenger planes were hijacked by terrorist ieved to belong to the Al-Qaeda terrorist group. All the planes were bound for San Francisco and Los Angeles. The terrori ts crashed two of the planes into the North and South towers of the World Trade Centre, reducing the 110-storey buildings to a pile of debris within an hour and 42 minutes, The resulting fire caused a partial or complete collapse of all other buildings in the World Trade Centre complex. ‘The attacks killed over 3000 people and injured about 6,000 others. Many people died later of cancer and respiratory diseases in the months following the attacks. The third plane was crashed into the headquarters of US Defence Department, Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, which led to a partial collapse of the building's west side. The fourth plane, which was meant to be flown towards Washington DC, crashed into a field in Stony kK Township, Pennsylvania, after thwarted the hija assengers ickers. 1 9/11 terror attack is the single deadliest ter well as the history of the United States of Americ: attack in human history, as 9/11: Impact ‘The o/11 attacks changed the whole dynamics of world politics. The United States launched a war on terror and invaded Afghanistan (o weed out Al-Queda terrorists and depose Taliban, which had failed to comply with the US demands to expel al-Qaeda from Afghanistan and extradite Al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden. Though Osama bin Laden, initially denied any involvement, he claimed responsibility for the attacks in 2004. The al-Qaeda leader to Israel, US presence in Saudi Arabia and US sanctions motives behind the attack. cd included US support inst Iraq as the main ‘The United States located and killed the Al-Qaeda chief, Osama Bin Laden, ina covert operation by SEAL Team Six of the US Navy in May 2011, International | October 2019www jagranjosh.com Tee aa s it divided the world jally within the United ‘The 0/1 attacks had other major repercussions as well, based on religion, giving rise to anti-Muslim sentiment, espe: States. Al-Qaeda: What remains of the terror group now? The Al- Qaeda that carried out the 9/11 attacks has been reduced to just a shell of its previous self, especially after the capture and killing of Al- Qaeda Chief Osama Bin Laden. Most of the Al-Qaeda leaders are either dead o1 ng. ‘The birth of the Islamic State with i ‘oung recruits has also stolen Al-Qaeda's position of being the world's most feared terrorist organisation. However, even 18 years after the deadly terror attack, we cannot write off Al- Qaeda completely, as counter-terrorism experts warn that the group is slowly rebuilding itself. Even before 9/11 attacks, the Al-Qaeda group was virtually unknown, Osama Bin Laden and his deputy Ayman Zawahiri had built the core infrastructure of the Al- Qaida in Afghanistan and Pakistan in the 19908 with the protection of the Afghan Taliban and Pakistan. ‘The group reportedly survived American invasion of Afghanistan by moving its to Pakistan, ‘The group is ed to have planned and conducted all its ive attacks such as the Madrid train bombing in 2004 from Pakistan. be Barack Obama’s administration was mainly focused on finding Bin Laden and hitting Al- Qaeda at its core. The government w sful in weeding out Bin Laden and killing him in Abbottabad, Pakistan in 2011, uc ‘Though Bin Laden's deputy Ayman Zawahiri is reportedly still alive, the core of the group is defeated. Osama Bin Ladet mysteriously killed earlier this y son and assumed heir of the terror group, Hamza was also Even the Islamic State has now lost control of most of the ground that it had gained once in Iraq and Syria, The organiz; of the deadliest terrorist group; on is still, however, considered to be one October 2019 | International Emeee AFFAIRS wow jagranjos India, Slovenia sign seven MoUs to boost bilateral ties am Nath Kovind and his Slovenian counterpart Borut Pahor have agreed to strengthen multilateralism and promote multi- ‘The President of Indi: polar world. President Ram Nath Kovind reached Ljubljana, Slovenia in the final leg of his visit to - Iceland, nd and Slovenia, Ram Nath Switzer: Kovind’s visit is the first-ever presidential visit from India to Slovenia. President Ram Nath Kovind held a bilateral meeting with President of Slovenia Borut Pahor at Lubliyana, the capital city of Slovenia. He thanked Slovenian President for supporting India in its fight against cross border terrorism, Slovenian President, in a statement, expressed his commitment for greater ties with India. Seven MoUs Seven MoUs and agreements were signed in the presence of the President of India Ram Nath Kovind and Slovenian President Borut Pahor. ‘ments are ~ Programmes of Cooperation in the fields of River ion), Culture, Investment, Science & Technology, These seven agr Rejuvenation (Clean Ganga Mi Sports and Standards Discussion between India-Slovenia > President Ram Nath Kovind said that India's growth and Slovenia's technology and manufacturing capacity complement each other. > — Both the countries highlighted that there is a huge possibility of cooperation between the two countries in the fields of clean technology, especially robotics and artificial intelligence. > President Kovind said that Slovenia has developed niche technology in the defence sector and is a proven leader in the field of Artificial Intelligence, defence equipment and clean water technologies. International | October 2019www jagranjosh.com Tee India-Slovenia Relations > First time, Slovenia opened its embassy in India on August 01, 2002. Initially, this mission was headed by Charge d’Affaires, it was later upgraded to Ambassador level in September 2009. On the other hand, India started its resident Mission in Ljubljana in February 2007. > Both countries have signed various high-level agreements as a sign of warm bilateral relations. ‘A Parliamentary delegation led by Meira Kumar, former Speaker of Lok Sabha visited Slovenia from May 26-30 2013. >» — |n 2014, the total bilateral trade in goods stood at Euro 213.03 million with India enjoying a trade surplus of Euro 7.19 million, In 2013, the total bilateral trade was to the tune of Euro 282.41mn with a trade surplus of Euro 138.65 million in favour of India. ¥ Taiwan and Kiribati cut off diplomatic ties amid China pressure ‘Taiwan has cut off its ties with Kiribati thereby losing its second ally within a matter of a week. iwan and Kiribati called off their diplomatic relations amid Taiwan's tensions with China. China claims Taiwan to be its ter no right to having formal ties with any country. As per latest reports, China has been putting immense pressure on nations that hold diplomatic relations with Taiwan to cut off their ties. tory and says that it has ‘Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu announced on September 20, 2019 that ‘Taipei has terminated its diplomatic ties with Kiribati and it will be immediately closing down its embassy there. Joseph Wu stated that condemns” Kiribati for disregarding its long-standir the aid provided by it. He also accused Kiribati’s president Taneti Mamau of entertaining “highly unrealistic expectations regarding China” and requesting “massive financial assistance from Taiwan to purchase commercial airplanes”, which it did not feel was consistent with its aid policy. October 2019 | International iwan “rejects and strongly relationship with Taiwan andMeee AFFAIRS www jagranjosh.com Taiw 's foreign minister also stated that China had ‘lured diplomatic ties" with promises of investment and aid. Taiwan before the Kiribati government formally announced its decision to cut off its ties with ‘Taiwan, just as it had done before the Solomon Islands officially announced their decision. China praised k bati to change its announcement came ‘ibati for its decision of cutting its ties with Taiwan. ‘The Solomon Islands announced on September 16, 2019 that it would be breaking its long-standing ties with Taiwan, Following the move, the United States announced that it is considering cutting aid to the Solomon Islands in retribution, Surp ly, the United States does not recognize Taiwan, they recognize China. ‘Taiwan currently has offi worldwide. In the past three years, since 1 s ‘aiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen’s election in 2016, the nations has lost 7 of its allies including Burkina Faso, Dominican Republic, Sao Tome and Principe, Panama, E most recently Kiribati. diplomatic relations with only 15 countri Ivador, the Solomon Islands and Is Taiwan an independent nation or a part of China? ‘Taiwan has been a sovereign nation since the civil war ended in 1949. However, China still views it as its territory that is awaiting reunification. iiwan is self-ruled, but China considers it hence, it feels that it should not have diplomati recognises Taiwan as a state. Currently its province and elations with any country that Most of the countries including the United States and the switched their recognition to China in the past few decades, le a handful of loyal allies, who largely belong to Latin Ameri iropean countri ing Taiwan with just and the South Pacific, Till recently, Taiwan was known to have a stronghold in the south pacific with six island nations as its allies, However, with Kiribati and the Solomon Islands ending their ties with Taiwan, itis left with just four allies in the Pacific~ N: Islands, Palau and Tuvalu along with Caribbean allies and allies in Latin Americ uru, Marshall ‘Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen, who supports the self-ruled island nation’s sovereignty, will be facing elections in January 2020. The move by € ina to pressurize Taiwan's allies into breaking their ties with the island nation has unnerved many major countries in the region including the United States and Australia, International | October 2019