Current Affairs Webinar

30/05/18 to 05/06/18

1. National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC)

Context: Former Supreme Court judge Justice R K Agrawal has been appointed the President of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC).

About NCDRC:

The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC), India is a quasi-judicial commission in India which was set up in 1988 under the Consumer Protection Act of 1986.

The commission is headed by a sitting or retired judge of the Supreme Court of India.

It is headquartered in New Delhi.

Jurisdiction:

Section 21 of Consumer Protection Act, 1986 describes, the NCDRC shall have jurisdiction: to entertain a complaint valued more than 1 crore and also have Appellate and Revisional jurisdiction from the orders of State Commissions.

a. to entertain:

i. complaints where the value of the goods or services and compensation, if any, claimed exceeds rupees one crore; and

ii. appeals against the orders of any State Commission; and

b. to call for the records and pass appropriate orders in any consumer dispute which is pending before or has been decided by any State Commission where it appears to the National Commission that such State Commission has exercised a jurisdiction not vested in it by law, or has failed to exercise a jurisdiction so vested, or has acted in the exercise of its jurisdiction illegally or with material irregularity.

Appeal: Section 23 of Consumer Protection Act, 1986, provides that any person aggrieved by an order of NCDRC, may prefer an Appeal against such order to Supreme Court of India within a period of 30 days.

2. TRAI proposes use of blockchain technology

Context:

Telecom regulator TRAI has issued new draft norms to curb pesky calls and SMS’s by using blockchain technology.

When implemented, TRAI will become first organisation to implement this kind of regulation.

Key points: The new technology aims to ensure that telemarketing messages are sent only to those who

have subscribed to them, and that too by authorized entities. The draft proposes to check misuse of repeated unsolicited calls being made even to those

subscribers who have given consent. The new technology based norms will record all communication between subscribers and

entities, capturing customer consent for information and authorised telemarketing agencies. A subscriber may have given consent for a service but that consent is liable to be misused.

Under the proposed regulation. The subscriber will be able to revoke consent given to entities whenever he or she desires through TRAI app and other mechanism that will be provided under the regulation.

What is the current system to tackle it?

Under the current regulatory framework, a customer can register to fully or partially block calls and SMSes from telemarketers using the toll-free code 1909.

TRAI has also launched a DND (do-not-disturb) app that helps detect and report spam through crowd-sourcing.

If registered telemarketers violate norms, they have to pay penalties and in case of repeated non-compliance beyond a threshold, they are black-listed for two years and the telecom resources allocated to them are withdrawn.

What’s the issue with this system?

Miscreants are not easy to trace. Often, people aren’t aware of the implications of sharing numbers. There is no robust mechanism to record consent.

What does TRAI propose to do now?

TRAI wants to work with telecom operators to harness the power of blockchain, or distributed ledger technology, to ensure cryptographic security of data.

So, although the information is available in a centrally accessible ledger, it is available only to registered telemarketers.

Moreover, companies that want to communicate with interested users have to confirm their identity through a header registered in their name.

How will the new rules help you?

A user’s consent to receive such communication will be explicitly recorded by a third party and activated only after confirmation.

The subscriber would also have an option to review or revoke his/her consent at any point of time.

Currently, it takes seven days for the preferences registered by the customer to become effective. Through blockchain, this can happen in real time.

Complaints will also be resolved faster.

What is Blockchain? Blockchain is the digital and decentralized ledger that records transactions without the need for a financial intermediary, which in most cases is a bank. A blockchain is an anonymous online ledger that uses data structure to simplify the way we transact. Blockchain allows users to manipulate the ledger in a secure way without the help of a third party.

How it works? Blockchain enables two entities that do not know each other to agree that something is true without the need of a third party. As opposed to writing entries into a single sheet of paper, a blockchain is a distributed database that takes a number of inputs and places them into a block. Each block is then ‘chained’ to the next block using a cryptographic signature. This allows blockchains to be used as a ledger which is accessible by anyone with permission to do so. If everyone in the process is pre-selected, the ledger is termed ‘permissioned’. If the process is open to the whole world, the ledger is called unpermissioned.

Benefits of blockchain technology: A blockchain is anonymous, protecting the identities of the users. This makes blockchain a more secure way to carry out transactions. The algorithm used in blockchain reduces the dependence on people to verify the transactions.

Concerns associated: Blockchain is still a (relatively) new technology and is not without its problems. For a start, there are ongoing concerns about privacy in the settlement and storage of securities – blockchain providers are working hard to address.

Banks are also at threat with blockchain, since more and more firms (using their IT service providers from India and elsewhere) will build systems that can create and exchange ‘blocks’ with one another completely legally, without ever having to use the banks as a financial intermediary.

Way ahead:

Blockchain is not a panacea for all issues facing the banking system today. However, blockchain is an ideal technology to ensure proof of integrity to the data and reduce incidents of fraud.

3. PRAAPTI app

Context: In a bid to rein in errant distribution companies (discoms) that delay payments to power generation companies, the Power Ministry has launched the Praapti web portal that aims at bringing transparency in power sector of India.

About PRAAPTI:

PRAAPTI, Payment Ratification and Analysis in Power procurement for bringing Transparency in Invoicing of generators, will contain all details related to payments.

The App and Web Portal will capture the Invoicing and payment data for various long term Power Purchasing Agreements from the Generators.

The app will enable citizens to monitor the payments that are being made to power generation companies. The app will also allow its users to know the details related to the payments made by the discoms to the power generation company and when it was made.

PRAAPTI will also enable the consumers to know the performance of their discoms in terms of payments that are being made to the generation companies. Later, the performance of the discoms will be rated on the basis of payments that were made.

4. 4th Room-Temperature Ferromagnetic Element - Ruthenium discovered

Context: A platinum-group chemical element called ruthenium (Ru) is the fourth single element to have unique ferromagnetic properties at room temperature.

About Ru: Ruthenium is a chemical element with symbol Ru and atomic number 44. It is a rare transition

metal belonging to the platinum group of the periodic table. Like the other metals of the platinum group, ruthenium is inert to most other chemicals.

Most ruthenium produced is used in wear-resistant electrical contacts and thick-film resistors.

A minor application for ruthenium is in platinum alloys and as a chemistry catalyst. A new application of ruthenium is as the capping layer for extreme ultraviolet photomasks.

Ruthenium is generally found in ores with the other platinum group metals in the Ural Mountains and in North and South America.

Small but commercially important quantities are also found in pentlandite extracted from Sudbury, Ontario and in pyroxenite deposits in South Africa.

From an application perspective, Ru is interesting because it does not oxidize easily and theoretical predictions indicate it is particularly temperature-stable, which is an important property allowing scaling of magnetic memories.

Significance of the discovery: The discovery could be used to improve sensors, devices in the computer memory and logic industry, or other devices using magnetic materials.

Facts for Prelims: Ferromagnetism is the basic mechanism by which certain materials form permanent magnets,

or are attracted to magnets. So far, only three single elements were found to be ferromagnetic at room temperature: iron

(Fe), cobalt (Co), and nickel (Ni); the rare earth element gadolinium (Gd) nearly misses by only 8 degrees Celsius.

Magnetic materials are very important in industry and modern technology and have been used for fundamental studies and in many everyday applications such as sensors, electric motors, generators, hard disk media, and most recently spintronic memories.

5. GI tag for rural crafts

Context: The Chau mask of Purulia, the wooden mask of Kushmandi, the Patachitra, the Dokras of Bengal, and Madhurkathi (a kind of mat) have been presented with the Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the Geographical Indication Registry and Intellectual Property India.

Significance of this recognition: GI tags for these five rural crafts would not only help the artisans create their own brand but would also provide legal protection to artisans practising the crafts against attempts to duplicate them in other regions. It will also have a direct impact on the occupation of 5,000-6,000 families in the State.

About GI tag:

A GI tag is primarily given to an agricultural, natural or a manufactured product (handicrafts and industrial goods) originating from a definite geographical territory.

Typically, such a name conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness, which is essentially attributable to the place of its origin.

Once the GI protection is granted, no other producer can misuse the name to market similar products. It also provides comfort to customers about the authenticity of that product.

6. Pentagon Renames Pacific Command Context:

The US military has renamed its Pacific Command to US-Indo Pacific Command, underlining the growing connectivity between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

The symbolic move came in recognition of the growing importance of the Indian Ocean in US strategic thinking.

What necessitated this move? The renaming reflects the existing geographic coverage of the command and the acknowledgment of the increasing connectedness between the two oceans — Pacific and India —, but also, more broadly, the process of India’s re-entry into the US government’s “Asia” orbit.”

Background: Formerly known as United States Pacific Command, it is a unified combatant command of the

United States Armed Forces responsible for the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. It is the oldest and largest of the unified combatant commands.

Its commander, the senior U.S. military officer in the Pacific, is responsible for military operations in an area which encompasses more than 100 million square miles, or roughly 52% of the Earth’s surface, stretching from the waters off the west coast of the United States to the west coast of India, and from the Arctic to the Antarctic.

The Commander reports to the President of the United States through the Secretary of Defense and is supported by Service component and subordinate unified commands, including U.S. Army Pacific, U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. Pacific Air Forces, U.S. Marine Forces Pacific, U.S. Forces Japan, U.S. Forces Korea, Special Operations Command Korea, and Special Operations Command Pacific.

Significance of INDOPACOM:

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command is critical for “a region open to investment and free, fair and reciprocal trade, not bound by any nation’s predatory economics or threat of coercion, for the Indo-Pacific has many belts and many roads.”

Also, renaming the combatant command is strategically significant, in that it reflects a recognition within the U.S. government that East Asia and the Indian Ocean Region are gradually becoming a single competitive space.

It’s also shrewd marketing — a way of reaffirming to New Delhi and to the rest of the world that India is, and ought to be, an indispensable pole of the future Asian order.

Way ahead:

The US move comes in the wake of a series of measures by China that have raised tensions in the South China Sea.

China claims almost all of the South China Sea. Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims over the area.

The US also rejects China’s claims of ownership of the area. However, the effectiveness of an Indo-Pacific defense and security strategy and US-India

cooperation will still depend on the level of discussion and coordination across combatant commands and bureaus.

7. Andhra Pradesh announces State symbols Four years after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, the government of the residual state has announced its state symbols. State bird: rose ringed parakeet (psittacula krameri) or Rama Chiluka State animal: Blackbuck (antilope cervicapra) or Krishna Jinka. State tree: Neem (azadirachta indica) or Vepa Chettu. State Flower: Jasmine

8. Badshahi Ashoorkhana Context: Telangana government and Aga Khan Trust are working to restore Hyderabad’s 17th century Badshahi Ashoorkhana.

About Hyderabad’s 17th century Badshahi Ashoorkhana: The 400-year old Ashoorkhana was built by Muhammed Quli Qutub Shah. It was a house of mourning, where large congregations of Muslims gathered in memory of the

martyrdom of Imam Hussain during the month of Muharram. The building consists of a Kaman, Naqqar Khana (where ceremonial drums are beaten), Niyaz

Khana (where visitors are fed), Sarai Khana (place to rest), Abdar Khana (drinking water is stored), the chabutra (platform) and a guard room.

During the rule of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, in 1178 Hijri (about 1764 AD), the Ashoorkhana was converted into a bandikhana. For 80 years, it was used as a stable where horses were kept, before it was restored as a place of worship by the then mutawalli Mir Nawazish Ali Khan.

The eight wooden pillars were reconstructed and the alams were reinstalled. During this time,

the main entrance, Bab-e-Faiz-e-Imam-e-Alamiyan, was also constructed.

9. Cauvery Management Authority Context: Acting on the Supreme Court’s direction, the Centre recently constituted a Cauvery Water Management Authority (CMA) to address the dispute over sharing of river water among Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry.

About the Cauvery Management Authority: Composition: The authority would comprise a chairman, eight members besides a secretary. Out of eight members, two will be full-time and two will be part-time members representing the centre, while the rest four would be part-time members from states. Powers: The authority will exercise power and discharge such duty for “sufficient and expedient for securing compliance and implementation” of the Supreme Court order in relation to “storage, apportionment, regulation and control of Cauvery waters”. It can also seek the help of the central government for implementation of the award and take appropriate action.

Other functions: The authority will supervise operation of reservoirs and with regulation of water releases

therefrom with the assistance of Cauvery Water Regulation Committee. The authority will also look at regulated release of water by Karnataka, at the inter-state

contact point presently identified as Billigundulu gauge and discharge station, located on the common border of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

The authority at the beginning of the water year (June 1 each year) would determine the total residual storage in the specified reservoirs.

The authority has also been tasked to advise the states to take suitable measures to improve water use efficiency, by way of promoting micro-irrigation (drip and sprinkler), change in cropping pattern, improved agronomic practices, system deficiency correction and command area development.

It has to also prepare an annual report covering the activities of the authority for the preceding year. The Centre will initially contribute a sum of Rs 2 crore for the functioning of the authority.

Background: The apex court, in its verdict delivered on February 16, had asked the Centre to frame the Cauvery management scheme, including creation of the Cauvery Managament Board, for release of water from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry.

Modifications made by the Court: The top court had modified the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) award of 2007 and

made it clear that it will not be extending the time for this on any ground. It had raised the 270 tmcft share of Cauvery water for Karnataka by 14.75 tmcft and reduced

Tamil Nadu’s share, while compensating it by allowing extraction of 10 tmcft groundwater from the river basin, saying the issue of drinking water has to be placed on a “higher pedestal”.

The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee has to meet once in 10 days during the months of June and October when the south-west and north-east monsoon set in and again after the monsoon has set in.

Facts for Prelims: Cauvery River rises on Brahmagiri Hill of the Western Ghats in south-western Karnataka state.

It flows in a south-easterly direction for 475 miles through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Before emptying into the Bay of Bengal just south of Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, the river breaks into a large number of distributaries forming a wide delta called the “garden of southern India.” The river is important for its irrigation canal projects.

In the upper course, at the Krishnaraja Sagara, the Kaveri is joined by two tributaries, the Hemavati and Lakshmantirtha, where a dam was constructed for irrigation.

Upon entering Tamil Nadu, the Kaveri continues through a series of twisted wild gorges until it reaches Hogenakal Falls. There the Mettur Dam was constructed for irrigation and hydel power.

Its main tributaries are the Kabini, Amaravati, Noyil, and Bhavani rivers.

10. India, Indonesia elevate ties

India and Indonesia elevated their bilateral ties to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with PM Modi’s first-ever official visit to Indonesia.

The two countries condemned terrorism in all its forms. The two countries also signed 15 agreements, including one to boost defence cooperation,

and called for freedom of navigation in the strategic Indo-Pacific region. The two leaders discussed areas of strategic cooperation and ways to ensure better

economic ties and closer cultural relations, besides regional and global issues of mutual interest.

Modi said India’s Act East Policy and the vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for all in the Region) matched Mr. Widodo’s ‘Global Maritime Fulcrum’ Vision.

He further said that as mutual partners and neighbours, our worries are similar. It is our duty to ensure maritime security and safety. This is also for the safety of our economic interests.

The visit comes against the backdrop of an offer from the Indonesian government to grant India access to its Sabang port for the development of the port and an economic zone.

Located at the mouth of the strategically important Strait of Malacca, Sabang is only 100 nautical miles from the southern tip of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

India and Indonesia share multiple common concerns, one of which is China’s growing maritime footprint in the eastern Indian Ocean.

Sabang, with its naval base, naval air station, and maintenance and repair facilities, has the potential to serve as the focal point of a budding strategic partnership between the two countries.

The strategically important Straits of Malacca, Lombok and Sunda fall under the Indian Navy’s primary area of interest, and access to Indonesian naval bases such as Sabang will significantly enhance the Indian Navy’s ability to maintain a forward presence and monitor movements in the Straits of Malacca.

Mutual logistical support and reciprocal berthing rights will facilitate a more intimate maritime security partnership.

This will allow India to gain access to naval bases in Lampung on the Sunda Strait, and Denpasar and Banyuwangi on the Lombok Strait, augmenting the Indian Navy’s operational breadth in the eastern Indian Ocean.

30-day free visa - Modi announced a free 30-day visa for Indonesian citizens and invited the diaspora to travel to their country of origin to experience the New India.

SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region)

It is a maritime initiative which gives priority to Indian Ocean region. It is to ensure peace, stability and prosperity of India in Indian Ocean region. The goal is to seek a climate of trust and transparency; respect for international maritime rules

and norms by all countries; sensitivity to each other`s interests; peaceful resolution of maritime issues; and increase in maritime cooperation.

11. Singapore a strategic partner: PM India and Singapore agreed to deepen their economic and defence ties as they signed eight

agreements, one on logistics cooperation between their Navies, after wide-ranging talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterpart, Lee Hsien Loong.

Mr Modi said that India-Singapore relations fulfil the criterion of strategic partnership in the true sense and that there is no uneasiness in their relationships, rather it has only warmth, harmony and faith.

The two countries signed an implementation agreement between their Navies on mutual coordination, logistics and services support for visits of naval ships, submarines and naval aircraft — including ship-borne aviation assets.

Both Prime Ministers welcomed the exchange of the Implementing Arrangement between the Navies of both countries concerning mutual coordination, logistics and services support, and called for the early renewal of the Army Bilateral Agreement.

Maritime exercises

Appreciating India’s leading role in the Indian Ocean region, both sides agreed to New Delhi’s proposal for continuous and institutionalised naval engagements in their shared maritime space, including establishing maritime exercises with like-minded regional or ASEAN partners.

Singapore India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) – 25 Years

Singapore India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) is an annual bilateral naval exercise conducted by the Indian Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN).

CECA review

Mr Modi said that they have been able to conclude successfully the second review of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), but that’s not just their target and goal but only a means to an end.

The officials will soon begin discussions on upgrading and reforming this agreement. Modi and Mr. Lee exchanged views on the regional and global challenges and reiterated their

principled position on maritime security and expressed commitment to a rules-based order. The two leaders also agreed on the need to maintain an open, stable and fair international

trade regime. They also reiterated their strong commitment to combat terrorism. Modi welcomed the progress towards realisation of the ASEAN community and expressed full

support for ASEAN’s unity, centrality and leadership in the evolving regional architecture. Lee said that India and Singapore were collaborating on technology, smart cities and skills

development. He reaffirmed Singapore’s continuing support for India as a permanent member in a reformed

United Nations Security Council.

Technology breaks social barriers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed the importance of technology and innovation in every sphere of life.

A technology-driven society breaks social barriers. Technology has to be affordable and user-friendly. We should not see every disruption as destruction. People were apprehensive about computers

but see how computers changed human history. Technology is aiding human creativity. Various social media platforms have given voice to millions.

Modi gifts replica of Buddhagupta stone

Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong a replica of the 5th century CE Buddhagupta stone.

Buddhagupta stone

The original stone, housed in the Indian Museum in Kolkata, bears a Sanskrit inscription in Pallava script and serves as important evidence of the transmission of Buddhism from India to South East Asia.

A replica of the stone is also housed in the National Museum in Kuala Lumpur. It was discovered by Lt. Col. James Low of the East India Company in Bujang Valley, Kedah, in

1834 in the ruins of what was believed to be a Buddhist monument. A sangha of local and Indian monks, supported by Malays and Indian merchants, used to live

along the coast.

12. PM affirms India’s ‘strategic autonomy’ India’s principle of strategic autonomy remains strong, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said,

drawing an equivalence in ties with Russia, the U.S. and China and cautioning against a return to the age of great power rivalries, at a conference in Singapore.

The speech by Mr. Modi, the first Indian Prime Minister to have accepted an invitation to address the Shangri-La dialogue, which draws Defence Ministers from the Asia-Pacific region each year, was awaited with much anticipation due to the timing of the conference.

In the past year, India has increased its engagement with the ASEAN region, joined a quadrilateral grouping with the U.S., Japan and Australia for the Indo-Pacific, as well as reached out to China and Russia and has joined the SCO.

The Indo-Pacific strategy

Amid India’s varied strategic moves, as well as the flux in the region, Mr. Modi’s speech was expected to clarify India’s position on the Indo-Pacific strategy which is often seen as a platform to contain China’s moves in the South China Sea.

However, Mr. Modi denied the Indo-Pacific was part of a strategy and called it a natural geographical region, placing the 10 countries of South East Asia (ASEAN) at the centre of the forum.

Referring specifically to relations between India and Russia, U.S., and China separately, Mr. Modi made it clear that he believed India, like Singapore didn’t stand behind one power or the other.

China

In his keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue, he also called the relationship with China a multi-layered one, as he drew out his seven-point vision for the Indo-Pacific region (Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean).

India and China have displayed maturity and wisdom in managing issues and ensuring a peaceful border, said the PM.

Modi’s words were significant, days before another visit to China’s Qingdao city to attend the SCO summit, a visit which comes a few weeks after he travelled to Wuhan to meet President Xi Jinping.

Russia

India and Russia share their views on the need for a strong multi-polar world order for dealing with the challenges of these times.

USA

At the same time, India’s global strategic partnership with the United States has overcome the hesitations of history and continues to deepen across the extraordinary breadth of their relationship.

13. Centre to start measuring ‘green GDP’ of States Starting this year, the government will begin a five-year exercise to compute district-level data

of the country’s environmental wealth. The numbers will eventually be used to calculate every State’s ‘green’ Gross Domestic Product

(GDP). The metric will help with a range of policy decisions, such as compensation to be paid during

land acquisition, calculation of funds required for climate mitigation, and so on. This is the first time such a national environment survey is being undertaken. India’s

environmental diversity and riches are universally recognised but have never been quantified.

Pilot project

A pilot project is set to begin this September in 54 districts. Land will be demarcated into grids with about 15-20 grids per district. These will capture the diversity in the State’s geography, farmland, wildlife, and emissions

pattern, and will be used to compute a value. The funds for the pilot project are already available. But the budget has not been specified. Much of the data required for the inventory would be sourced from datasets that already exist

with other government ministries.

Green skilling programme

The government has also launched a ‘green skilling’ programme under which youth, particularly school dropouts, would be trained in a range of ‘green jobs’.

Some of the labour required for the survey would also be sourced from the green-skilled workforce.