National Current Affairs – UPSC/IAS Exams- 24th September 2019

by Mentors4ias · September 25, 2019

RCEP

Topic: International Relations

In News: While India has not yet signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement, it has accepted suggestions of other countries regarding rules on investments.

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India and the other RCEP countries are currently in the final phase of negotiations in Vietnam.
India has so far agreed to several provisions that bring it in line with the investment rules applicable in most comparable countries, including banning host countries from mandating that the investing companies transfer technology and training to their domestic partners, and removing the cap on the quantum of royalties domestic companies can pay their foreign partners.
If the RCEP agreement is signed, these rules are expected to attract greater investment in India from the other 15 RCEP countries (the 10 ASEAN countries, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand).
Indian laws currently have the provision wherein companies investing in the country can be made to transfer technology or know-hows to their domestic counterparts.
The government and Reserve Bank of India also currently impose a cap on the royalties a domestic company can pay to its foreign parent or partner, for certain kinds of investments.
While there is apprehension in industry that removing the cap on royalty payments would lead to increased outflow in foreign exchange and deplete the ability of domestic firms to pay dividends to shareholders, there is also the view that removal of these restrictions will result in increased investments in India.

About RCEP:

RCEP is proposed between the ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) and the six states with which ASEAN has existing FTAs (Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand).
RCEP negotiations were formally launched in November 2012 at the ASEAN Summit in Cambodia.
RCEP aims to boost goods trade by eliminating most tariff and non-tariff barriers, a move that is expected to provide the region’s consumers greater choice of quality products at affordable rates. It also seeks to liberalise investment norms and do away with services trade restrictions.

India’s Concerns:

Greater access to Chinese goods may have impact on the Indian manufacturing sector. India has got massive trade deficit with China. Under these circumstances, India proposed differential market access strategy for China.
There are demands by other RCEP countries for lowering customs duties on a number of products and greater access to the market than India has been willing to provide.

Significance of RCEP:

If India is out of the RCEP, it would make its exports price uncompetitive with other RCEP members’ exports in each RCEP market, and the ensuing export-losses contributing to foreign exchange shortages and the subsequent extent of depreciation of the rupee can only be left to imagination. Some of the sectors that have been identified as potential sources of India’s export growth impulses under RCEP to the tune of approximately $200 billion.
There are more compelling trade and economic reasons for RCEP to become India-led in future, than otherwise. India would get greater market access in other countries not only in terms of goods, but in services and investments also.

Source: Hindu

Agro Ecology and the lobbies

Topic: Agriculture

In News: Powerful lobbies with vested interests see agroecology as a threat to their influence on farming systems. New development is that the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, based on a brainstorming session that included industry representatives, sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi opposing Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF).

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Farming in India, as in most other countries, is largely under the control of powerful lobbies with vested interests. These include fossil fuel, fertilizer and seed companies as well as scientists with funding connections to agribusiness.
These lobbies perceive large-scale transitions to agroecology as a substantial threat to their influence on farming systems.
If India, a large developing country, shifts to sustainable farming methods, they would all have to look elsewhere for support. We presently have a subsidy-based agricultural system where farm inputs are firmly in the hands of corporations and their elite networks.
Agroecology-based farming is not regressive, but rather a technology of the future with a traditional idiom.

Global Scenario:

In Britain, when public hearings were held in the early 2000s to discuss genetically modified (GM) crops, corporations threatened to pull grants from scientists on the committees if they voted against GM.
When individual scientists in Europe and the University of California published articles describing how GM foods and crops affected the health of human beings and insects adversely, they were personally attacked and vilified.
When glyphosate trials against Monsanto were recently decided in favour of litigants who accused the company of causing cancer, some voices called to have only scientists on such juries.

About Zero Budget Natural Farming:

Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) is a farming practice that believes in natural growth of crops without adding any fertilizers and pesticides or any other foriegn elements. The word Zero Budget refers to the zero net cost of production of all crops (inter crops, border crops, multi crops).
The most prominent voice for ZBNF is Palekar’s and the developing experiment is showing success largely because farmers are supporting it.
The practice may not be all zero budget, may not be fully successful everywhere and will need to be adapted to India’s various agroecological zones.
The funds for the Andhra model (₹16,500 crore) are reportedly going mostly to train farmers.
This is small in comparison with huge subsidies for the Green Revolution and the numerous lobbies it has spawned.
In the revised guidelines of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana PKVY scheme various organic farming models like Natural Farming, Rishi Farming, Vedic Farming, Cow Farming, Homa Farming, Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) etc. have been included wherein flexibility is given to states to adopt any model of Organic Farming including ZBNF depending on farmer’s choice.
Through Agro ecological farmimg farmers may even double their incomes and India’s food security could sow new beginnings.

Source: Hindu

“Right to be forgotten”

Topic: Science and Technology

In News: The European Union’s top court ruled that Google does not have to apply “Right to be forgotten law” globally. This means that the US based Tech giant has to remove data links to personal information only in its European version of search results and not elsewhere in the world.

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The right to be forgotten was laid down by the European Court in 2014. Under the law the court ruled that people can ask search engines like Google to remove irrelevant information appearing under searches for their names. Since then Google received 845,501 million requests and removed 45% of the requests.

Background:

The Right to be forgotten has its roots from a French concept called “right of oblivion”. It offers protection to personal data. The European legal systems tend to give privacy more weight than the American systems especially in balancing personal protections against free expression.
The case was a landmark test of whether people can demand omitting information about themselves without smothering freedom of speech and public interest.
Policy makers around the world looked it as a test if the EU can extend its laws beyond its borders.
The search engine was supported by other digital big shots like Microsoft, Twitter, Facebook. They together believe that the right prevents or at the least discourages an Internet user.
The right will also brush aside internet freedom if less democratic parts of the world embraced same policy.
The major concern in the US was that removing information from the internet contradicts the open nature of the web and hinders free flow of information.

Indian Context:

Neither the Information Technology (IT) Act 2000 (amended in 2008) nor the IT Rules, 2011 deals with the right to be forgotten.
Only Section 27 of the draft Data Protection bill has listed out three scenarios in which an individual will have the right to restrict or prevent continuing disclosure of personal data, also known as the right to be forgotten.
This will be applicable if data disclosure is no longer necessary, or the consent to use data has been withdrawn, or if data is being used contrary to the provisions of the law.
There have been instances, where the High courts have upheld the right of an individual to be forgotten.
For instance, the Karnataka High Court upheld a woman’s right to be forgotten stating that the right is in line with the trend in the western countries. In the sensitive cases involving women in general and highly sensitive cases involving rape or affecting the modesty and reputation of the person concerned, it must be adhered to.
The Delhi High Court, in another case had asked from the Centre and Google whether the right to privacy included the right to delink from the Internet the irrelevant information.

Model Mains Question: A comprehensive data protection law must address the conflict between the two fundamental rights Art.19 and 21 of the Indian constitution. Comment

Source: Hindu

CHC Farm Machinery App and Krishi Kisan App

Topic: e- Governance

In News: The Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister has launched two agriculture-related mobile applications, CHC Farm Machinery App and Krishi Kisan App.

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CHC Farm Machinery App is a multilingual app through which farmers can select and order the required machinery at the rates feasible for them from the Custom Hiring Centers located in the radius of 50 Kms.
Custom Hiring Centers have been established under the various schemes like Sub –Mission on Agricultural Mechanization, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana etc. to provide Agricultural Machinery on rental basis to the Farmers, especially small & marginal farmers who cannot afford to buy the high value machinery & equipments.
Through Krishi Kisan App for Geo Tagging, Any farmer with high quality of crops can utilise this platform to demonstrate best practices of cultivation to other farmers so that this will help other farmers also to adopt these methods.
The App will also help in geo-tagging and geo-fencing of crop and give weather forecast message to farmers.

Source: PIB

Siachen Glacier

Topic: Geography

In News: Nearly 130 tonnes of waste has been brought down from the Siachen Glacier and disposed of by Indian Army.

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The Siachen Glacier is the world’s highest battlefield.
The entire Siachen Glacier, with all major passes, is currently under the administration of India since 1984 (Operation Meghdoot).
The Army has made bringing down waste a part of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for troops under the concept of waste management because in the high altitude areas of 18,000 to 21,000 feet nothing degrades at sub-zero temperatures.
The Siachen Glacier is located in the Eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas, just northeast of Point NJ9842 where the Line of Control between India and Pakistan ends.

Source: Hindu

Marsiya Poetry

Topic: Art and Culture

In News: Former Vice President, praised Marsiya tradition of Urdu poetry, calling the art form an important part of ‘Adab’ (literature).

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The word ‘Marsiya’ means ‘Elegy’, meaning a poem which is a lament for the dead.
Marsiya is typically read in the month of Muharram.
The Marsiya tradition first evolved in Delhi and the Deccan.
It reached its zenith under the patronage of the Nawabs of Lucknow.
Its most iconic poets are ‘Mir Anis’ and ‘Mirza Dabir’, who made a profound impact on Marsiya.
Marsiya is usually sung, and set to Indian Ragas, creating a fusion of music and poetry.

Source: Hindu

Methane-powered rocket engine

Topic: Science and Technology

In News: In its endeavour to develop cutting-edge technologies that are on par with elsewhere in the world, Indian space agency, ISRO, is developing methane-powered rocket engines.

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Methane, which can be synthesised with water and carbon dioxide in space, is often described as the space fuel of the future.
One of the two projects is trying to convert the existing cryogenic engine, which uses liquid hydrogen for fuel, into a LOx methane engine. The other is a smaller engine of 3 tonnes thrust, which will feature an electric motor.
These are being developed at ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre at Trivandrum.
ISRO currently prefers to use a fuel called Unsymmetrical Di-Methyl Hydrazine, along with Nitrogen tetroxide for oxidiser, in its liquid fuel (Vikas) engines, which are used in the lower stages of its rockets, PSLV and GSLV. This fuel, like all hydrazine-based fuels, is said to be highly toxic and cancer-causing.

Significance of Methane as fuel:

Methane beats hydrazine on the facts that apart from being non-toxic, it has a higher specific impulse (which means one kg of the gas can life one kg of mass for a longer time), it is easy to store, does not leave a residue upon burning, less bulky, and, importantly, can be synthesised up in space.
Drawback of methane-fired engines is the need of an igniter to start the fire. Hydrazine fuels are hypergolic, which means they start burning on their own upon coming in contact with oxygen.

Source: Hindu Business Line