National Current Affairs – UPSC/IAS Exams- 18th January 2020

Bru Refugees

Topic: Polity and Governance

In News: Displaced Bru tribals from Mizoram, living as refugees in Tripura since 1997, were allowed to permanently settle in Tripura.

More on the Topic:

• The agreement, allowing 30,000 Bru tribals to permanently settle in Tripura, took 20 years and nine attempts in the making, and was signed between the Centre, the state governments of Tripura and Mizoram, and Bru-Reang representatives.
• The Brus–spread across Tripura, Mizoram and parts of southern Assam–are the most populous tribe in Tripura. Also known as Reangs in the state, they are ethnically different from the Mizos, with their own distinct language and dialect and form one of the 21 scheduled tribes of Tripura.
• While Mizoram has as many as 40,000 Brus living in the state, in Tripura, their numbers stand at approximately 32,000, spread across six refugee camps in the state.

Back ground:

• In 1997, roughly half the Bru population fled to Tripura, following violent clashes with the Mizo population, which led to the Brus’ demand for an Autonomous District Council (ADC), under the 6th Schedule of the Constitution, in western Mizoram, where they were the more dominant lot, outnumbering the ethnic Mizo population.
• In June 2018, community leaders from the Bru camps signed an agreement with the Centre and the two state governments, providing for repatriation in Mizoram. But most camp residents rejected the terms of the agreement.
• The camp residents say that the agreement doesn’t guarantee their safety in Mizoram.
• In October 2019, the supply of ration to relief camps was stopped on instructions of the Home Ministry in a bid to hastily complete the repatriation of refugees to Mizoram. Civil society outfits had alleged that at least six refugees died due to starvation.
• The tribe’s food and cash supply was stopped  prompting the tribe to take to the streets.
• Due to this crisis the union home ministry started a round of talks with the state governments of Mizoram and Tripura to legitimize the 30,000-odd refugees.

Proposed New Agreement

• According to the 2018 agreement, the Bru tribals would have settled in Mizoram, but according to the new agreement, they will now settle in Tripura.
• The stakeholders in the issue expect a package of Rs 600 crore from the Centre which includes:
• Plots of 2,500 sq ft for each Bru family in addition to agricultural land.
• A stipend of Rs 5,000 per month and free ration for each family for the next two years.
• Bru tribals would be included in Tripura’s voter list.

Source: Hindu

e-mobility mission

Topic: Environment and Ecology

In News: The Supreme Court on Friday sought the response of the government on a petition that alleges the non-implementation of the National E-Mobility Mission Plan, 2020 (NEMMP), which came out in 2012.

More on the Topic:

• The petition contended that the governmental apathy has violated the fundamental rights of citizens to health and clean environment guaranteed under under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.
• The government had failed in its obligation to mitigate the impact of climate change and air pollution partly attributable to emissions from vehicles that burn fossil fuels.
• Transport vehicles are currently one of the biggest consumers of fossil fuels and more than 99.9% of transport vehicles in India are based on fossil fuels.

About National e-mobility mission:

• Under its National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP), the government is targeting to achieve 6-7 million sales of electric and hybrid vehicles in India by 2020. NEMMP aims to achieve national fuel security by promoting hybrid and electric vehicles in the country.
• NEMM intends to allow hybrid and electric vehicles to become the first choice for the purchasers so that these vehicles can replace the conventional vehicles and thus reduce liquid fuel consumption in the country from the automobile sector.

National Electric Mobility Mission is a composite scheme using different policy-levers such as:

• Demand side incentives to facilitate the acquisition of hybrid/electric vehicles.
• Promoting R&D in technology including battery technology, power electronics, motors, systems integration, battery management system, testing infrastructure, and ensuring industry participation in the same.
• Promoting charging infrastructure.
• Supply side incentives.
• Encouraging retro-fitment of on-road vehicles its hybrid kit.
• Under NEMMP 2020, Government has launched Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME India) scheme to promote manufacturing of electric and hybrid vehicle technology.

Source: Hindu

Yada Yada Virus

Topic: Health

In News: Researchers have named the newly discovered virus as Yada Yada.

More on the Topic:

• Yada Yada is an alphavirus, a group of viruses that the researchers described as “small, single-stranded positive-sense RNA viruses (that) include species important to human and animal health, such as Chikungunya virus and Eastern equine encephalitis virus and which are transmitted primarily by mosquitoes and are pathogenic in their vertebrate hosts”. Unlike some other alphaviruses, Yada Yada does not pose a threat to human beings.

Source: Hindu

The Women Business and the Law (WBL) 2020 index

Topic: Reports and Indices

In News: The Women Business and the Law (WBL) 2020 index to measure the economic empowerment of women was recently published.

More on the Topic:

• India was placed 117th among 190 countries on the index.
• India, the world’s most populous democracy scored 74.4 on a par with Benin and Gambia and way below least developed countries like Rwanda and Lesotho.
• The global average was 75.2 — a slight increase from 73.9 in the previous index released in 2017.
• Only eight economies scored a perfect 100 — Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Latvia, Luxembourg, and Sweden.
• Those countries have ensured equal legal standing to men and women on all the eight indicators of the index.
• No economy in ‘East Asia and the Pacific’, ‘Europe and Central Asia’, or ‘Latin America and the Caribbean’ were among top reformers, the report claimed.
• Countries in ‘Middle East and North Africa’ and ‘Sub-Saharan Africa’ accounted for nine of the 10 top progressing countries on the WBL Index.

· The WBL report released by the World Bank. · It is based on the countries’ formal laws and regulations that have a bearing on women’s economic participation, covering eight areas (eg, parenthood, equality of pay). · It tracks how laws affect women at different stages in their working lives and focusing on those laws applicable in the main business city.

Source: Hindu

Sahyog-Kaijin

Topic: Defence and Security

In News: India and Japan took part in a joint exercise called “Sahyog-Kaijin”.

More on the Topic:

• The exercise was held between the coastal guards of the countries at Chennai Port.
• The exercise was conducted based on the agreement signed by the Coast Guards of the countries in 2006.
• Apart from Coastal Guard Exercises, Indian and Japan hold other military exercises as well. The “Shinyuu Maitri” is the joint Air Force Exercise that was held in October 2019 for the first time.
• The India-Japan Maritime Exercise called JIMEX was conducted in 2013 for the first time. It focuses on maritime security cooperation. Dharma Guardian is the military exercise that is conducted between the armies of the countries.

Source: Hindu

Assam Inland Water Transport Project

Topic: Infrastructure Development

In News: The Government of Assam, Government of India and World Bank signed 88 million USD agreement. The agreement aims to modernize Assam’s Ferry transport service on the Brahmaputra river.

More on the Topic:

• The agreement aims to modernize Assam’s Ferry transport service on the Brahmaputra river.
• The aim of Assam Inland Water Transport Project (AIWTP) is to help Assam improve its ferry infrastructure and strengthen institutions operating inland water transport.
• It also aims at introducing new and energy efficient vessels with least disturbance to nature. The project also includes cargo transport vessels in the route.
• The inland water transport is the most sustainable water transport for Assam. This is mainly because it provides low-cost and low-carbon options.
• There are over 361 ferry routes across Brahmaputra river in Assam. These routes act as a crucial means of transport to 1000s of commuters in both rural and urban areas of the valley.

Significance of the project:

• Around 15 waterways are operating in Assam.
• It is important to develop these water ways as they are connected to Bay of Bengal through the Brahmaputra and will help increase exports of locally produced goods of north east.

Source: Hindu