National Current Affairs – UPSC/KAS – 2nd November 2018

Veer Surendra Sai Airport, Jharsuguda

Topic: Modern Indian History

IN NEWS: The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved renaming of Jharsuguda Airport, Odisha as “Veer Surendra Sai Airport, Jharsuguda”

More on the Topic

• Surendra Sai was an Indian freedom fighter and tribal leader who sacrificed his life fighting against the British East India Company.Surendra Sai and his associates resisted the British and successfully protected most parts of Western Odisha region for some time from the British rule.
• Most of them died unnoticed fighting for freedom from the British. Many of them were hanged by the British; a few died in the Cellular Jail in the Andamans.
• Sai espoused the cause of the downtrodden tribal people in Sambalpur by promoting their language and culture in response to the higher castes and the British trying to exploit them to establish their political power in Sambalpur region.
• He began protesting the British at age 18 in 1827, moved operations to the hilly tracts of Western Odisha in 1857 and continued until he surrendered in 1862 and went to Hazaribagh Jail.
• Before his surrender he spent 17 years in prison and after his final arrest served a term of 20 years including his detention of 19 years in the remote Asirgarh hill fort until he died.
• Renaming of the Jharsuguda airport in his name will fulfill long-pending demand of the Odisha Government, which reflects the sentiments of the local public of the respective area. It will also be a befitting tribute to the contribution of the revered personality associated with the State.

Source:The Hindu

Shanghai Cooperation Organization Joint Exercise on Urban Earthquake Search & Rescue -2019

Topic: Disaster Management

In news: The two-day long preparatory meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Joint Exercise on Urban Earthquake Search & Rescue- 2019 began. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been entrusted with the responsibility of organizing the exercise by Government of India.

National Disaster Response Force:

• The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is a specialised force constituted “for the purpose of specialist response to a threatening disaster situation or disaster” under the Disaster Management Act, 2005
• The “Apex Body for Disaster Management”in India is the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The Chairman of the NDMA is the Prime Minister.
• The responsibility for disaster management in India’s federal system is that of the State Government. The ‘nodal Ministry’ in the central government for management of natural disasters is the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)
• When ‘calamities of severe nature’ occur, the Central Government is responsible for providing aid and assistance to the affected state, including deploying, at the State’s request, of Armed Forces, Central Paramilitary Forces, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and such communication, air and other assets, as are available and needed.
• National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is a force of 12 battalions, organised on para-military lines, and manned by persons on deputation from the para-military forces of India.

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

• The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), or Shanghai Pact,[1] is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance, the creation of which was announced on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai, China by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
• The SCO is widely regarded as the “alliance of East”, due to its growing centrality in Asia-Pacific, and has been the primary security pillar of the region.
• Being the world’s forefront regional organisation in economic power and political influence,and one of the world’s strongest military alliances,it is also the largest regional organisation in the world in terms of geographical coverage and population, covering three-fifths of the Eurasian continent and nearly half of the human population.
• At present, the SCO is one of the world’s most powerful and influential organisations.

Source:The Hindu

Oceans heating faster: study

Topic: Environment and Ecology

In news: The new study says that the world’s oceans have absorbed 60% more heat than previously thought over the last quarter of a century.

More on the Topic:

• Oceans cover more than two thirds of the planet’s surface and play a vital role in sustaining life on Earth.
• Scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said that the world’s oceans have absorbed 90% of the temperature rise caused by man-made carbon emissions.
• New research published in the journal Nature used a novel method of measuring ocean temperature.
• It found that for each of the last 25 years, oceans had absorbed heat energy equivalent to 150 times the amount of electricity mankind produces annually.
• That is 60% higher than what previous studies showed.
• The result significantly increases the confidence we can place in estimates of ocean warming and therefore helps reduce uncertainty.
• The IPCC warns that drastic measures need taking in order to limit global warming to 1.5 Celsius by the end of the century.

Source:The Hindu

461 elephants electrocuted between 2009 and 2017

Topic: Environment and Ecology

In news: Between August to October 2018, more than a dozen of elephants died of electrocution in the eastern and north eastern part of India, including seven in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district.

 More on the Topic:

• While human-elephant conflict remains a major concern for policy makers and conservationists, electrocution of elephants is turning out to be a critical area in the management of India’s elephant population.
• An analysis of data pertaining to elephant deaths in India due to electrocution between 2009 and November 2017 points out that, every year, about 50 elephants have died on average due to electrocution.
• A closer look at the data reveals that States in the eastern and north eastern region of the country have accounted for most of these deaths in Odisha, 90 elephants died of electrocution; 70 elephants died of electrocution in Assam; 48 elephants in West Bengal; and 23 elephants in Chhattisgarh.
• Karnataka, which has the highest population of elephants, has recorded the highest causalities in elephant deaths by electrocution, numbering 106.
• While 17 elephants died in Kerala due to electrocution, in Tamil Nadu, the number of deaths in the same period was 50. The data has been sourced from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC).

Possible Remedies:

• Representatives of the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), who along with the MOEFCC’s Project Elephant had come out with a publication on the right of passage in 101 elephant corridors of the country in 2017, stressed on the need for greater surveillance and protection of elephant corridors.
• There needs to be greater coordination between the Forest Department and different agencies, including the Power Department, as well as continuous monitoring of electrical wires passing through areas of elephant movement.

Source:The Hindu

RAtal Pension Yojana (APY)

Topic: Government Policies

In news: The Subscriber base under APY has crossed 1.24 crore mark; More than 27 lacs new subscribers have joined the Scheme during the Current Financial Year 2018-19.

More on the Topic:

• Atal Pension Yojana (APY) is open to all bank account holders who are not members of any statutory social security scheme
• The APY will be focussed on all citizens in the unorganised sector, who join the National Pension System (NPS) administered by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) and who are not members of any statutory social security scheme.
• Now small finance banks and payment banks can also offer APY (Changed in January 2018)
• Contribution of subscribers would vary based on their age
• Subscribers would receive the fixed pension of Rs. 1K/2K/3K/4K/5K per month, at the age of 60 years, depending on their contributions.
• The Central Government would also co-contribute 50% of the subscriber’s contribution or Rs. 1000 per annum, whichever is lower, to each eligible subscriber account, for a period of 5 years, i.e., from 2015-16 to 2019-20, who join the NPS before 31st December, 2015 and who are not income tax payers
• There is no exit to the scheme before the age of 60. In case of death of subscriber, the spouse of the subscriber shall be entitled for the same amount of pension till his or her death.

Factual Information:

• The minimum age of joining APY is 18 years and maximum age is 65 years.
• Minimum period of contribution by the subscriber under APY would be 20 years or more.
• Launched in 2015
• The existing subscribers of Swavalamban Scheme would be automatically migrated to APY, unless they opt out
• Administered by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority
• Aadhar has been made mandatory to get benefits of APY

Source:The Hindu

Cabinet approves MoU with Korea to strengthen tourism

Topic: International Relations

In News: The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Korea for strengthening cooperation in the field of Tourism.

More on the topic:

• The main objectives of the MoU are to expand bilateral cooperation in tourism sector, increase exchange of information and data related to tourism.
• It is also aimed at encouraging cooperation between tourism stakeholders including hotels and tour operators and establish exchange programmes for cooperation in human resources development.
• As per a press release by the government, the agreement will also encourage investment in the tourism and hospitality sectors, exchange visits of tour operators, media and opinion makers for promotion of two-way tourism.
• It will also enable exchange experience in the areas of promotion, marketing destination development and management, apart from boosting participation in travel fairs/exhibitions in each other’s country and will also promote safe, honorable and sustainable tourism.
• India and Korea have enjoyed a strong diplomatic and long economic relationship. The two parties now desiring to strengthen and further develop the established relationship for strengthening cooperation in the field of Tourism.
• Korea is one of the leading tourist generating markets for India from East Asia. The signing of the MoU with Korea will be instrumental in increasing arrival from this source market.

Source:The Hindu