National Current Affairs UPSC/KAS Exams – 4th October 2018

Supreme Court refuses to stop deportation of 7 Rohingya refugees

Topic: India and its neighbourhood- relations.

IN NEWS: The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to stop the deportation of seven Rohingya Muslims set to be deported from Manipur to Myanmar. The Myanmar government had acknowledged that the seven were its nationals and given them a certificate of identity to facilitate their return.

Who are Rohingyas:

• Described by the United Nations in 2013 as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world,the Rohingya population is denied citizenship under the 1982 Myanmar nationality law.
• According to Human Rights Watch, the 1982 laws “effectively deny to the Rohingya the possibility of acquiring a nationality”. Despite being able to trace Rohingya history to the 8th century,Myanmar law does not recognize the ethnic minority as one of the eight “national indigenous races”.
• They are also restricted from freedom of movement, state education and civil service jobs.

The Crisis:

• Myanmar state, which was ruled by the military junta until 2011, has been accused of ethnic cleansing in Rakhine by the United Nations. It deported thousands of Rohingya to Bangladesh in the seventies and the citizenship law was also enacted by the junta.
• Things changed a little for the Rohingya even after the political reforms in 2011 that eventually led to the first general elections in 2015, as the democratically-elected government-headed by President Htin Kyaw has been unwilling to grant citizenship.
• Sectarian violence between Rohingyas and Rakhine’s Buddhist natives began flaring up in June 2012, following the rape and murder of a Rakhine woman in a Rohingya-dominated locality. The riots, which were triggered as a result, went on for almost a month with causalities on both the sides.
• Another round of riots broke out in October, due to which the government moved around a million Rohingyas to refugee camps. Thousands of Rohingyas fled their homes and sought refugee in neighbouring Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority nation. Some of them sought asylum in South East Asian nations of Thailand, The Phillipines, Indonesia and Malaysia.
• This ethnic conflict flared up as religious violence spreading to the other provinces of Myanmar. It was finally contained in 2013 after military intervention.
• Muslim militants in Myanmar staged a coordinated attack on 30 police posts and an army base in Rakhine state on August 25. The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a group previously known as Harakah al-Yaqin, which instigated the October attacks, claimed responsibility for the attacks. In the counter attacks launched by Army at least 59 of the insurgents and 12 security personnel were killed.
• The ARSA is an armed guerilla outfit, which is active since 2016, claiming to fight for a “ democratic Muslim state for the Rohingya.” The group has been targeting Myanmar armed forces. Bangladesh and India have also claimed ARSA is creating trouble in their soil too.
• The “clearance operations” to root out ARSA launched by the Myanmar military has once again affected the lives of Rohingya, many of whom have been living in relief camps since 2012. Reports of villages being torched, civilian deaths, and Rohingya youths being picked up for interrogation have followed the militant attack.

Challenges:

Bangladesh:

• An estimated 87,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar to Bangladesh since late 2016. The influx has been increasing since August 25. About five lakh Rohingyas have already taken shelter in Bangladesh over the last two decades and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is clearly unwilling to take in more.
• She has even urged the United States to to put pressure on Myanmar to stop the exodus of Rohingyas. “We have given shelter to a huge number of Rohingya refugees on humanitarian grounds and it’s a big problem for us,” she had said. The country has opened its border for Rohingyas upon UNHCR’s request and continues to shelter Rohingya in over-crowded refugee camps at Cox Bazar.

India:

• According to the Ministry of Home Affairs there are approximately 40,000 Rohingyas living in India. They have reportedly reached India from Bangladesh through the land route over the years. MoS Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, recently informed the parliament that all the Rohingyas in India were “illegal immigrants” and they will be deported soon, a decision that has surprised many given the record of India accepting refugees.
• Without overtly mentioning Rohingya, the Home Ministry in an advisory to states said “infiltration from Rakhine State of Myanmar into Indian territory…besides being burden on the limited resources of the country also aggravates the security challenges posed to the country.

Way forward:

• It is not possible to solve Rohingya issue without the active participation of the Myanmar government.
• More pressure should be asserted over Myanmar by the international communities.
• India should deal with this issue without forgetting India’s position regarding refugees in the past.(ex: Tibetan Refugee crisis)
• This should be done without compromising the security of the nation.

First State water grid portal launched in Jaipur

Topic: Environment and Ecology

IN NEWS: The first State water grid portal was launched at Rajasthan along with the start of fourth phase of the Jal Swavalamban Abhiyan, which is the Rajasthan government’s flagship water conservation project. The campaign has led to construction of about 4 lakh water harvesting structures in over 12,000 villages.

More on the Topic

• The Water Resources Department has developed the portal to monitor the availability and supply of water from different sources.
• Jal Swavalamban Abhiyan had led to an average increase by 4.66 feet in the ground water level and reactivation of 63% of dry handpumps and 20% of tube-wells. Besides, the green cover had expanded over an area measuring 3,678 hectares.
• The JSA’s fourth phase will cover about 4,000 villages across the State with the emphasis on restoration of irrigation potential of waterbodies and revival of traditional water sources.
• The campaign had changed the scenario in the desert State by ensuring an active participation of voluntary groups, common people and elected representatives. While the National Green Tribunal had suggested its replication in other States, the` NITI Aayog had given an improved ranking to Rajasthan in water management index.

Source:The Hindu

ECB norms for oil firms eased

Topic: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment.

In news: With the rupee under pressure following rise in global crude oil prices, the Reserve Bank of India liberalised the norms for oil marketing companies (OMCs) to raise funds through external commercial borrowings (ECB).

More on the topic:

• Oil companies can raise ECBs for working capital with a minimum average maturity of three to five years.
• The central bank said the individual limit of $750 million or equivalent and mandatory hedging requirements as per the ECB framework have also been waived for borrowings. However, the overall ceiling for such ECBs is capped at $10 billion.
• This will help in broadening the basket of borrowing sources for working capital. In a rising working capital scenario, a long term loan to meet the working capital would provide the much needed stability for fund management.
• Doing away with the mandatory hedging will make loans cheaper and would also give it flexibility to hedge prudently based on market conditions. The flexibility of fixing tenor of the loans will also remove the concern and pressures of bunching of repayments.

External commercial borrowing: (ECBs) are loans in India made by non-resident lenders in foreign currency to Indian borrowers. They are used widely in India to facilitate access to foreign money by Indian corporations and PSUs (public sector undertakings).

Source:The Hindu

Japan drops new robot on Asteroid

Topic: Science and Technology

In news: A Japanese probe launched a new observation robot towards an asteroid as it pursues a mission to shed light on the origins of the solar system.

More on The Project:

• The Hayabusa2 probe launched the French-German Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout, or MASCOT, towards the Ryugu asteroid’s surface.
• The 10-kg box-shaped MASCOT is loaded with sensors. It can take images at multiple wavelengths, investigate minerals with a microscope, gauge surface temperatures and measure magnetic fields.
• It was the first time that moving, robotic observation device have been successfully landed on an asteroid.
• The Hayabusa2 is scheduled later this month to deploy an “impactor” that will explode above the asteroid, shooting a two-kilo copper object into it to blast a small crater on the surface.
• The probe will then hover over the artificial crater and collect samples using an extended arm.

Source:The Hindu

88 million-year-old isle and crater to be geoparks

Topic: Development, Bio diversity, Environment,In news: In a first, an ancient circular lake created by a meteorite strike in Maharashtra and a hexagonal mosaic of basaltic rocks in an island off Udupi are poised to become global geoparks, under a Geological Survey of India (GSI) plan.

More On the topic:

• Lonar Lake in Maharashtra and St. Mary’s Island and Malpe beach in coastal Karnataka are the GSI’s candidates for UNESCO Global Geopark Network status.
• Lonar lake:It is the only known meteorite crater in basaltic rock and is world famous. Lonar crater became a geo-heritage site in 1979.
• It is relatively young geologically, at just 50,000 years old. A meteorite estimated to weigh two-million-tonnes slammed into the Earth, creating a 1.83-km diameter crater where the lake formed.
• It is distinguished by a near-perfect, circular ejecta blanket, which refers to earth thrown up during the collision, around it.
• Mary’s island: It is a unique phenomenon that has been preserved well.

St. Mary’s Island, declared a national geo-heritage site in 1975, is estimated to be an 88-million-year-old formation that goes back to a time when Greater India broke away from Madagascar.

UNESCO Global Geopark Network status

• The Global Geoparks Network (GGN) (also known as the Global Network of National Geoparks) is a UNESCO assisted network established in 1998.
• Managed under the body’s Ecological and Earth Sciences Division, the GGN seeks the promotion and conservation of the planet’s geological heritage, as well as encourages the sustainable research and development by the concerned communities.

UNESCO

• The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO; is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) based in Paris.
• Its declared purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through educational, scientific, and cultural reforms in order to increase universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and human rights along with fundamental freedom proclaimed in the United Nations Charter.
• UNESCO pursues its objectives through five major programs: education, natural sciences, social/human sciences, culture and communication/information.
• Projects sponsored by UNESCO include literacy, technical, and teacher-training programs, international science programs, the promotion of independent media and freedom of the press, regional and cultural history projects, the promotion of cultural diversity, translations of world literature, international cooperation agreements to secure the world’s cultural and natural heritage (World Heritage sites) and to preserve human rights, and attempts to bridge the worldwide digital divide.
• It is also a member of the United Nations Development Group.

Lagoon villas for Lakshadweep

Topic: Salient features of  physical geography.

In news: Government is planning to set up island water villas in Lakshadweep’s lagoons. This is intended to boost the islands tourism sector.

What is Lagoon

• A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by barrier islands or reefs. Lagoons are commonly divided into coastal lagoons and atoll lagoons.
• They have also been identified as occurring on mixed-sand and gravel coastlines. There is an overlap between bodies of water classified as coastal lagoons and bodies of water classified as estuaries.
• Lagoons are common coastal features around many parts of the world.

Indian Islands:

• The major islands groups of India are Andaman and Nicobar Archipelago (A chain of islands similar in origin) in Bay of Bengal and Lakshadweep islands in Arabian Sea.
• Andaman and Nicobar Islands were formed due to collision between Indian Plate and Burma Minor Plate [part of Eurasian Plate][Similar to formation of Himalayas].
• Andaman and Nicobar Islands are southward extension of Arakan Yoma range [Myanmar][Arakan Yoma in itself is an extension of Purvanchal Hills].
• Lakshadweep Islands are coral islands.
• Other than these two groups there are islands in Indo-Gangetic Delta [they are more a part of delta than islands] and between India and Sri Lanka [Remnants of Adams Bridge; formed due to submergence].

Lakshadweep Islands

In the Arabian Sea, there are three types of islands.

1.Amindivi Islands (consisting of six main islands of Amini, Keltan, Chetlat, Kadmat, Bitra and Perumul Par). [don’t have to remember all these names]

2.Laccadive Islands (consisting of five major islands of Androth, Kalpeni, Kavaratti, Pitti and Suheli Par) and

3.Minicoy Island.

• At present these islands are collectively known as Lakshadweep.
• The Lakshadweep Islands are a group of 25 small islands.They are widely scattered about 200-500 km south-west of the Kerala coast.
• Amendivi Islands are the northern most while the Minicoy island is the southernmost.
• All are tiny islands of coral origin {Atoll} and aresurrounded by fringing reefs.
• The largest and the most advanced is the Minicoy island with an area of 4.53 sq km.
• Most of the islands have low elevation and do not rise more than five metre above sea level (Extremely Vulnerable to sea level change).
• Their topography is flat and relief features such as hills, streams, valleys, etc. are absent.

Source:The Hindu

Development Trials of Astra BVR-AAM Completed Successfully

Topic: GS-3 indigenization of technology and developing new technology.

 In news: A series of flight trials of Astra Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVR-AAM) was conducted by Indian Air Force  at Integrated Test Range (ITR), Balasore as part of final development trials of the missile. More than 50 private and public sector industries are involved in the development and production of different sub-systems of the missile. The missile is expected to be inducted into IAF in 2019.

 Astra Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile

• Astra is an all weather beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, India. It is the first air-to-air missile developed by India.
• It features mid-course inertial guidance with terminal active radar homing. Astra is designed to be capable of engaging targets at varying range and altitudes allowing for engagement of both short-range targets at a distance of 20 km (12 mi) and long-range targets up to a distance of 80 km (50 mi).
• Astra has been integrated with Indian Air Force’s Sukhoi Su-30MKI and will be integrated with Dassault Mirage 2000 and Mikoyan MiG-29 in the future.