National Current Affairs – UPSC/KAS Exams- 8th November 2018

UDAN 3

Topic: Government Policies

IN NEWS: Seaplanes may soon be operating commercial passenger flights in India with the Centre inviting bids for connecting selected destinations under the regional connectivity scheme (RCS).

About UDAN Scheme:

• UDAN (‘Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik’) is a first-of-its-kind scheme globally to stimulate regional connectivity through a market-based mechanism.

Why UDAN

• There are as many as 398 “unserved” airports which have no commercial flights and 18 “under-served” airports host less than seven flights per week.
• Besides, a major reason for the poor regional air connectivity in India is that airlines do not find it lucrative to operate from small cities. The government has tried to address this concern by an adroit combination of subsidies and fare caps.

Significance of the Scheme

• It could lead to development of smaller cities as faster air connectivity will attract infrastructure & investment
• It could ease passenger pressure from Railways & Roads.
• It may provide major boost to Tourism industry in India
• Smaller Airlines could successfully compete with bigger airlines.
• Moreover, of the 35 crore middle class citizens, only 8 cr people fly. Capping of fares, enhancing connectivity will lead to an increase in the number of citizens who can fly and can take some burden off railways
• It will give impetus to India’s ambition of becoming third largest aviation market by 2020

Source:PIB

Kedarnath Temple

Topic: Art and Culture

IN NEWS:On the occasion of Diwali, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kedarnath. The Kedarnath Temple complex is currently the focus of a major development and reconstruction effort, following the severe flood and landslide that affected the region in 2013.

About Kedarnath Temple

• Kedarnath  is a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is on the Garhwal Himalayan range near the Mandakini river in Kedarnath, Uttarakhand in India.
• Due to extreme weather conditions, the temple is open only between the end of April (Akshaya Tritriya) to November (Kartik Purnima – the autumn full moon). During the winters, the vigrahas (deities) from Kedarnath temple are brought to Ukhimath and worshipped there for six months. Lord Shiva is worshipped as Kedarnath, the ‘Lord of Kedar Khand’, the historical name of the region.
• The temple is one of the four major sites in India’s Chota Char Dham pilgrimage of Northern Himalayas. This temple is the highest among the 12 Jyotirlingas.

Source:PIB

Ozone Layer is Recovering

Topic: Environment and Ecology

In news: A UN study stated that the ozone layer that shields life from cancer-causing solar rays is recovering at a rate of one to three percent per decade, reversing years of dangerous depletion caused by the release of harmful chemicals.

More on the Topic:

• The statement was issued at the four-yearly review of the Montreal Protocol. It is a 1987 ban on man-made gases that damage the fragile high-altitude ozone layer, found long-term decreases in the atmospheric abundance of controlled ozone-depleting substances and the ongoing recovery of stratospheric ozone.

About Montreal Protocol:

• The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (a protocol to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer) is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion.
• It was agreed on 26 August 1987, and entered into force on 26 August 1989, followed by a first meeting in Helsinki, May 1989. Since then, it has undergone eight revisions.
• Due to its widespread adoption and implementation it has been hailed as an example of exceptional international co-operation, with Kofi Annan quoted as saying that “perhaps the single most successful international agreement to date has been the Montreal Protocol”.
• The treaty is structured around several groups of halogenated hydrocarbons that deplete stratospheric ozone. All of the ozone depleting substances controlled by the Montreal Protocol contain either chlorine or bromine (substances containing only fluorine do not harm the ozone layer).

Source: PIB

International Telecommunications Union (ITU)

Topic: International Organisations

In news: India elected as a Member of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Council for another 4-year term (2019-2022)”

 More on the Topic:

• The elections to the Council were held during the ongoing ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2018 at Dubai, UAE.
• The ITU has 193memberstates who elect representatives to the Council.
• India has been an active member of the ITU since 1869, earnestly supporting the development and propagation of telecom in the global community of nations. The country has been a regular member of the ITU Council since 1952, and has played an important role in harmonizing the contributions of member States from the region, always respecting the principlesof equality andconsensus-building.

About ITU

• ITU is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies – ICTs.
• It allocate global radio spectrum and satellite orbits, develop the technical standards that ensure networks and technologies seamlessly interconnect, and strive to improve access to ICTs to underserved communities worldwide.
• It is unique among UN agencies in having both public and private sector membership. In addition to 193 Member States, ITU membership includes ICT regulators, many leading academic institutions and around 700 tech companies.
• In an increasingly interconnected world, ITU is the single global organization embracing all players in this dynamic and fast-growing sector.

Source:The Hindu

Nuclear Triad

Topic: Science and Technology

In news: India announced the completion of its survivable nuclear triad by adding maritime strike capability to land and air-based delivery platforms for nuclear weapons.

More On the topic:

• A nuclear triad is a three-pronged military force structure that consists of land-launched nuclear missiles, nuclear-missile-armed submarines and strategic aircraft with nuclear bombs and missiles.
• India has become the sixth country — after US, Russia, UK, France and China — to have a fully operational nuclear triad.
• This was after indigenous ballistic missile nuclear submarine INS Arihant achieved a milestone by conducting its first deterrence patrol
• It essentially means that Arihant is now prowling the deep seas carrying ballistic missiles equipped with nuclear warheads
• The second submarine in the series, Arighat is now undergoing sea trials after which it will be inducted into service.

INS Arihant:

• INS Arihant, a strategic asset, was developed for over two decades under the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) programme.
• INS Arihant is India’s first indigenously-designed, developed and manufactured nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, and three more such submarines are reportedly under various stages of construction.
• INS Arihant development project was officially acknowledged in 1998 and the submarine was launched in 2009.
• The nuclear reactor of the submarine went critical in 2013 and it was commissioned three years later.
• Because they are powered by nuclear reactors, these submarines can stay underwater indefinitely without the adversary detecting it. The other two platforms land-based and air-launched are far easier to detect.

Source:Hindu

US renews Iran sanctions; India, China get oil waivers

Topic: International Affairs

In news: The United States snapped sanctions back in place to choke Iran’s oil and shipping industries, while temporarily allowing top customers such as India and China to keep buying crude from the Islamic Republic.

More On the Topic

• Having abandoned a 2015 Iran nuclear deal, US President Donald Trump is trying to cripple Iran’s oil-dependent economy and force Tehran to quash not only its missile and nuclear programmes, but also diminish its influence in the Middle East.
• According to the official statement the oil waivers were issued to countries that have already cut purchases of Iranian crude over the past six months, and to “ensure a well-supplied oil market”. The exceptions are designed to last 180 days.

Why the Sanctions:

• On May 8, President Donald Trump took the United States out of the nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 — formally the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reached in July 2015 and implemented from January 2016 — and announced a phased reimposition of sanctions at the end of two “wind-down” periods of 90 and 180 days
• Iran said that it was in “preparatory works” to restart nuclear activities.This is in the event of the failure of the 2015 accord.In such a scenario, Iran could restart its activities without any limits.
• The preparatory works mentioned refer to steps to boost uranium enrichment capacity by producing new centrifuges.In addition, it had notified of a plan to restart activity at its uranium conversion facility to produce the UF6 feedstock for centrifuges.
• Iran’s notification illustrates the risks associated with the recent U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal. According to the deal, Iran can enrich uranium, but under tight restrictions.
• It would not be technically violating the agreement as long as it does not produce centrifuges. But the move to open a production facility could be seen as a provocative step by the remaining parties to the agreement.
• The other signatories to the deal said they remain committed to the agreement.But they are yet to come up with a framework to continue the deal.The latest Iranian announcement could pressurise the European powers.
• They are forced to come up with guarantees that the deal’s benefits will be in place even with U.S. sanctions.