WEBINAR HANDOUT...Impact of Dam It is affecting Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Vietnam,...

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WEBINAR HANDOUT Weekly Current Affairs

Transcript of WEBINAR HANDOUT...Impact of Dam It is affecting Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Vietnam,...

  • WEBINAR HANDOUT

    Weekly Current A�airs

  • DECEMBER 2020 (1st WEEK) 

       

     Webinar Link:  Note : Please open the above link using Google Chrome.    

    S. No.  Topics  Page No. 

    01.  PM PITCHES FOR ‘ONE NATION, ONE ELECTION’ 

    02.  CHINESE DAM PROJECTS ON BRAHMAPUTRA

    03.  FISCAL DEFICIT REACHES 120% OF ANNUAL TARGET 

    04.  POSHAN ABHIYAAN NEEDS A BOOST 

    05.  NAVY INDUCTS 2 DRONES ON LEASE FROM THE U.S. 

    10 

    06.  MORATORIUM ON BANKS  12 

    07.  ISSUE WITH REVISING SECTION OF KERALA POLICE ACT, 2011 

    14 

         

  • 1. PM PITCHES FOR ‘ONE NATION, ONE ELECTION’  Context Prime Minister’s suggestions on elections in India at the 80th All India Presiding                         Officers Conference.  Details ● The Prime Minister pitched for ‘One Nation, One Election’. ● As per him elections taking place every few months hampered development                     

    works. ● Simultaneous elections refer to holding elections to Lok Sabha, State Legislative                     

    Assemblies, Panchayats and Urban local bodies simultaneously, once in five                   years. 

    ● He advocated for a single voter list for all polls in the country. ● It is argued that the preparation of a separate voters’ list causes duplication of the                             

    effort and the expenditure. ● In its 255th report in 2015, the Law Commission recommended a single electoral                         

    roll.  Need for Synchronizing the Elections ● For holding all elections on a particular day, the terms of the Lok Sabha and the                               

    state legislative assemblies should be synchronized in such a way that elections                       can be held within a given span of time.  

    ● Articles 83, 85, 172, 174, and 356 of the Constitution of India would need to be                               amended.  

    ● The elections to some state assemblies have also been recently held, whereas                       some were held last year (2018), and some were held during the previous year.  

    ● Thus, for the implementation of simultaneous elections in the country, the terms                       of some legislative assemblies should be extended, or in some cases, they must be                           curtailed.  

     Are Simultaneous Elections feasible on the ground? ● The Law Commission of India examined the constitutional aspects as well as the                         

    legal aspects. ● If simultaneous elections are to be brought in, then the Constitution of India                         

    would need to be amended. The Representation of People Act, 1951 would need                         to be amended. Also, Parliamentary procedures would need to be amended.  

    ● It would also reduce the burden on the administrative setup and security forces.  ● It would ensure timely implementation of the Government policies, and ensure                     

    that the administrative machinery is engaged in developmental activities rather                   than electioneering.  

    ● In 1951-52, simultaneous elections were held. But when a State assembly got                       dissolved in between, it posed to be an obstruction towards conducting                     simultaneous elections.   

    ● India cannot afford to alter the basic structure of the Indian Constitution and go                           for a Presidential form of Government. 

    ● It is important to note that even if India goes with the Presidential form of                             Government, it would also affect the federal structure of the country.  

  • ● Thus, synchronizing the elections of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha within                         the existing framework of the Constitution of India with a few amendments is                         something which can be done through consensus by all political parties. 

    ● Thus taking the consensus of all political parties, and other stakeholders,                     including taking the judiciary into confidence would be the right way forward. 

     Challenges with respect to Simultaneous Elections  ● Logistical problems would definitely be there. If we hold simultaneous elections,                     

    the requirements for the EVM’s and the VVPAT’s will double.  ● There would also be some additional requirement of polling staff as well. ● There would also naturally be difficulty in transporting all these materials to the                         

    polling stations. Thus, the requirement of transport, polling personnel, and the                     requirement of central police forces as well would need to be augmented. 

    ● Simultaneous elections would weaken the federal democratic structure of the                   Indian polity. 

    ● Simultaneous elections would benefit larger national parties at the cost of                     state/regional parties in case of a “national wave in favor of large national                         parties”. 

    ● Many jobs are created during elections, boosting the economy at the grass-root                       levels, which may not happen in simultaneous elections.  

     Conclusion ● The final solution may lie in either amending the Constitution and going with a                           

    Presidential form of Government or fixing the tenure of the assemblies and the                         Lok Sabha. 

    ● The issue would demand that apart from the 2/3rds majority in both the Houses                           of Parliament, it would require the ratification of at least half of the state                           legislatures.  

    ● There should be a greater consensus within the country on whether the nation                         should have a “One Nation, One Election” system.  

       

  • 2. CHINESE DAM PROJECTS ON BRAHMAPUTRA  Context China’s dam constructions on the Brahmaputra River in Tibet.  About the Brahmaputra ● The 2,880 km-long Brahmaputra is a           

    perennial river which originates in         Tibet, where it is known as the             Yarlung Tsangpo. 

    ● It flows eastwards through southern         Tibet for a distance of 1,625           kilometres and at its easternmost         point, it swings around to make a             spectacular U-turn at the Shuomatan         Point or Great Bend before it enters             India’s easternmost state, Arunachal       Pradesh. Here it is known as the             Siang River. 

      Tributary: ○ Major Left Bank: Burhi-Dihing and Dhansari (South). ○ Major Right Bank: Subansiri, Kameng, Manas and Sankosh. 

     

         

    TRIBUTARY  ORIGIN  IMPORTANCE 

    SUBANSIRI  Tibet  It is one of the largest tributaries of               the Brahmaputra. 

    DHANSARI  South west corner of Nagaland, down the Laishiang peak 

    Forms the boundary between the Cachar, Nagaon and Nagaland districts. 

    TISTA  North Sikkim, Himalayas 

    Largest river in North Bengal 

    MANAS  Himalayas  ● Transboundary river in the Himalayan foothills between southern Bhutan and India. 

    ● Largest river system of Bhutan 

    KOPILI  Saipong Reserve Forest,     south east of     Meghalaya. 

    Forms the border of Meghalaya         and Assam. 

  • Different Names of Brahmaputra: ● Tibet : Tsangpo ● China : Yarlung Zangbo Jiangin ● Assam Valley : Dihang or Siong, South of Sadiya: Brahmaputra ● Bangladesh : Jamuna River ; Padma River: Combined Waters of Ganga and                       

    Brahmaputra ; Meghana: From the confluence of Padma and Meghna  Issues faced by inhabitants along the river People living near the Brahmaputra region have to deal with two floods annually:                         One caused by the melting of the Himalayan snow in summer and the other due to                               the monsoon flows. ● Climate change has further intensified the frequency of floods in this region                       

    which has posed a major threat to lower riparian countries like India and                         Bangladesh. 

    ● The river Brahmaputra is in itself dynamic as frequent landslides and geological                       activity force it to change course very often. 

     Why is China constructing more dams on the Chinese side? ● China, which is home to close to 20 per cent of the world’s population, has only 7                                 

    per cent of its water resources. ● Rapid industrialization has polluted the surface and the groundwater. ● China’s northern part is water-stressed and its southern part is water-rich.  ● China has an ambitious plan to link its south and north through canals,                         

    aqueducts and linking of major rivers to ensure water security. In pursuit of these                           goals, China, being an upper riparian state in Asia, has been blocking rivers like                           the Mekong and its tributaries. 

     Impact of Dam ● It is affecting Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and                     

    Cambodia. Dam construction has resulted in widely fluctuating river flow,                   threatening fish productivity, which is key to the region’s people and economy. 

    ● It has caused immense damage to the environment.  Why India is worried? ● India is severely water-stressed as well. ● In summer, a vast majority of urban areas face water shortages. India has 17 per                             

    cent of the world’s population and 4 per cent of water. ● While a majority of India’s population reside in the Gangetic plains, the southern                         

    and western regions experience harsh and dry summer and the rainfall is scarce                         and erratic in the eastern coast. 

            

  • Concerns ● Construction of Dam will eventually lead to degradation of the entire basin as                         

    massive amounts of silt carried by the river would get blocked by dams which                           leads to a fall in the quality of soil and eventual reduction in agricultural                           productivity. 

    ● The location of the dams in the Himalayas poses a risk. Seismologists consider                         the Himalayas as most vulnerable to earthquakes and seismic activity. 

    ● For the Chinese, water is a key weapon in their expansionist designs. China                         believes dam building on the Brahmaputra helps it assert a claim over Arunachal                         Pradesh. 

    ● Dams, canals, irrigation systems can turn water into a political weapon to be                         wielded in war, or during peace to signal annoyance with a co-riparian state. 

     Way forward ● Both sides must cease new constructions on the river and commit to potentially                         

    less destructive solutions. ● Building a decentralised network of check dams, rain-capturing lakes and using                     

    traditional means of water capture have shown effective results in restoring the                       ecological balance while supporting the populations of the regions in a                     sustainable manner. 

       

  • 3. FISCAL DEFICIT REACHES 120% OF ANNUAL TARGET  Context The fiscal deficit further widened to ₹9.53 lakh crore, or close to 120% of the annual                               budget estimate, at the end of October of the current fiscal (2020-21).  Details ● The deficit widened mainly due to poor revenue realisation. ● The fiscal deficit or gap between the expenditure and revenue had breached the                         

    annual target in July this year.  Fiscal Deficit ● Fiscal deficit is the difference between the government’s total expenditure and its                       

    total receipts (excluding borrowing). A fiscal deficit occurs when this expenditure                     exceeds the revenue generated. 

    ● In India, the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act suggests that                     bringing the fiscal deficit down to about 3 percent of the GDP is the ideal target. 

    ● However, successive governments have not been able to achieve this target. ● For the financial year, the government had pegged the fiscal deficit at Rs 7.96                           

    lakh crore or 3.5 percent of the GDP in the budget, presented by the Finance                             Minister in February 2020. 

     Fiscal Deficit Calculation Fiscal deficit is arrived at by calculating the difference between the total                       expenditures incurred by the government in a fiscal year and the total revenue                         obtained by it. Fiscal deficit = Total Expenditure – Total Revenue (excluding the borrowings). The                       fiscal deficit is usually expressed as a percentage of GDP.  Components of Fiscal Deficit  

    The two components of the fiscal deficit are income and expenditure. 1. Income: the total income generated by the government can be divided into: 

    1. Tax revenue: GST, customs duties, corporate tax, etc. 2. Non-tax revenue: dividends and profits, interest receipts, etc. 

    2. Expenditure: this includes capital expenditure, revenue expenditure, grants for                 capital assets creation, interest payments, etc. 

     How is Fiscal Deficit Financed?  There are two sources to finance the fiscal deficit. They are: 1. Borrowings: internally from a commercial bank, or from external sources like the                       

    IMF, other governments, etc. 2. Deficit financing (that is, printing new currency): borrowing funds from RBI                     

    against its securities (so, RBI prints new currency). The government meets the fiscal deficit by borrowing, so it can be said that the total                               borrowing requirements of a government in a year is equal to the fiscal deficit of that                               year.    

  • 4. POSHAN ABHIYAAN NEEDS A BOOST  Context As per the report by NITI Aayog, the Poshan Abhiyaan must be stepped up to meet                               the targets set by the Centre to reduce stunting, wasting and anaemia by 2022.  About POSHAN Abhiyaan ● POSHAN Abhiyaan is     

    also known as the       National Nutrition   Mission. 

    ● The term ‘Poshan’ in the         name of the programme       stands for ‘Prime     Minister’s Overarching   Scheme for Holistic     Nutrition’. 

    ● It is the world’s largest         nutrition programme for     children and mothers. 

    ● The mission is a multi-ministerial initiative and aims at removing malnutrition                     from the country by 2022. 

    ● It aims to reduce stunting and wasting by 2% a year (total 6% until 2022) among                               children and anaemia by 3% a year (total 9%) among children, adolescent girls                         and pregnant women and lactating mothers. 

    ● The mission also encompasses mapping of various other schemes related to                     malnutrition and enabling synergies through ICT-based real-time monitoring               system, robust convergence between the schemes, incentivising states and UTs                   for meeting the set targets, and optimising Anganwadi centres’ functioning, apart                     from conducting social audits. ○ These other schemes include the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana                   

    (PMMVY), Janani Suraksha Yojana, Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG),                 Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, PDS, National Health Mission, etc. 

    ○ For Anganwadi centres, the mission envisages the following: ■ Giving incentives to Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) for using IT-based                 

    tools. ■ Elimination of registers used by AWWs. ■ Measuring the height of children at Anganwadi centres. 

    ● Another component of the mission is the gradual scaling up of the interventions                         under the World Bank assisted Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)                   Systems. 

     Issues identified in the report  ● More than a third of the children under five face stunting and wasting and 40%                             

    aged between one and four are anaemic. ● Over 50% of pregnant and other women were found to be anaemic, said the                           

    National Family Health Survey 4 released in 2016. 

  • ● India’s targets are conservative as compared to the global targets defined by the                         World Health Assembly (WHA), which is a prevalence rate of 5% of stunting as                           opposed to India’s goal of reducing stunting levels to 13.3% by 2022. 

    ● The target of reducing prevalence levels of anaemia among pregnant women                     from 50.3% in 2016 to 34.4% in 2022 and among adolescent girls from 52.9% in                             2016 to 39.66%, is also considered conservative. 

     Way forward ● NITI Aayog suggested strengthening the four pillars of the Abhiyaan and a                       

    renewed focus on other social determinants in addition to addressing the                     governance challenges of National Health Mission (NHM)/Integrated Child               Development Service (ICDS) scheme delivery mechanisms. 

    ● It calls for a need to lay as much emphasis on complementary feeding as it does                               on breastfeeding, which it points out can help avert 60% of the total stunting                           cases in India. 

    ● domestic producers further worsening the unemployment situation, which had                 led to fears of de-industrialisation in some sectors. 

       

  • 5. NAVY INDUCTS 2 DRONES ON LEASE FROM THE U.S.  Context Recently Indian Navy has inducted two MQ-9B Sea Guardian unarmed drones                     procured from the U.S. on lease.  Details ● The drones are on lease for one year. All planning, execution and operations will                           

    be with the Indian Navy. ● The Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) will play a support role for                     

    maintenance as laid down in the agreement. ● Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 has introduced an option for leasing                     

    military platforms. ● As part of its force restructuring to offset budgetary constraints, the Navy has                         

    been looking to induct more unmanned solutions, both aerial and underwater.  About Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP), 2020 ● The Defence Ministry has       

    removed the offset clause       requirement in   Intergovernmental Agreements   (IGA). 

    ● There will be no offset clause in             government-to-government, single vendor and IGAs. 

        Why was the clause removed? ● It has been removed in order to bring down the additional costs in the defence                             

    contracts. ● Vendors would load extra cost in the contract to balance the costs, and doing                           

    away with the offsets could bring down the costs in such contracts. ● Also, there are administrative costs involved in discharging offset obligations,                   

    which the vendors pay.  Other features of Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP), 2020 ● It also introduces a new category for leasing of military equipment. ● Other proposed measures include: 

    ○ Making after-sales support a part of the capital acquisition contract ○ Higher indigenous content in acquisitions ○ Incentives for local material and software and emphasis on product export                     

    under offsets. ● Leasing has been introduced as a new category for acquisition in addition to the                           

    existing ‘Buy’ and ‘Make’ categories. ● This would substitute huge initial capital outlays with periodical rental                   

    payments. 

  • ● A new procedure has been included as a new chapter in Defence Acquisition                         Procedure and structured as an enabling provision for Services to procure                     essential items through Capital Budget under a simplified procedure in a                     time-bound manner. 

       

  • 6. MORATORIUM ON BANKS  Context ● Lakshmi Vilas Bank financial position has deteriorated, the regulator placed it                     

    under the Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework. ● As per the recommendation of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Central                         

    government imposed a moratorium on Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB) for a period of                         30 days, due to a high level of bad loans, lack of sufficient capital to manage risks,                                 and negative return on assets for two consecutive years. 

     Prompt Corrective Action ● To ensure that banks don’t deteriorate, RBI has some trigger points to assess,                         

    monitor, control and take corrective actions on banks which are weak and                       troubled.  

    ● The process or mechanism under which such actions are taken is known as                         Prompt Corrective Action or PCA. 

     What will a bank do if PCA is triggered?  ● Banks are not allowed to renew or access costly deposits or take steps to increase                             

    their fee-based income.  ● Banks will also have to launch a special drive to reduce the stock of NPAs and                               

    contain the generation of fresh NPAs.  ● They will also not be allowed to enter into new lines of business. RBI will also                               

    impose restrictions on the bank on borrowings from the interbank market. ● The RBI move comes at a time when the Delhi Police Economic Offences Wing                           

    has registered a complaint against the board of LVB alleging cheating and                       misappropriation of funds. 

    ● RBI has also advised the bank on the restrictions put in place and the actions to                               be taken by the bank, which the bank has taken note of for necessary compliance,                             with progress to be reported on a monthly basis to RBI, 

    ● For FY19, the bank’s net NPA stood at 7.49%, capital adequacy ratio was at 7.72%                             and its return on assets was (-) 2.32%. It had reported a net loss of ₹894.10 crore                                 for 2018-19. 

     Details  What is a moratorium? ● When a moratorium is placed on a bank’s operations for a specified period of                           

    time, under such a situation depositors will not be able to withdraw funds at will. ● There would be a ceiling on the limits of money that can be withdrawn by the                               

    bank’s customers.  When does moratorium come into play? ● The RBI steps in with a recommendation of a moratorium if it feels that the                             

    bank’s assets (mainly the value of loans given to borrowers) are declining below                         the level of liabilities (deposits) and senses the danger of the bank failing to meet                             its obligations to depositors. 

     

  • Significance of a moratorium ● A moratorium helps prevent a ‘run’ on the bank by clamping down on rapid                           

    outflow of funds by wary depositors, who seek to take their money out in fear of                               the bank’s imminent collapse. 

    ● A moratorium provides much needed time to first take stock of the actual                         financial situation at the troubled bank and take corrective measures. 

    ● A key objective of a moratorium is to protect the interests of depositors.    

  • 7. ISSUE WITH REVISING SECTION OF KERALA POLICE ACT, 2011  Context Kerala government decided not to put into immediate effect the ordinance revising                       the Kerala Police Act, 2011, seeking to empower the police to prosecute persons                         spreading defamatory content.  Background ● Kerala Governor recently signed       

    an ordinance to amend the law           which gives the police more         powers to prosecute persons who         exploit various communication     platforms to slander fellow       citizens. 

    ● The ordinance has introduced a         new provision, Section 118-A, to         the Kerala Police Act, 2011. 

    ● It proposes three years of         imprisonment and a fine of up to             ₹10,000 for those convicted of producing, publishing or disseminating                 derogatory content through any means of communication to intimidate, insult or                     defame any person. 

     About Ordinance ● An ordinance is a law that is promulgated by the President of India only when                             

    the Indian parliament is not in session. President promulgates an ordinance on                       the recommendation of the union cabinet.  

    ● Similarly, Governor of Indian states can also initiate ordinances only when a                       legislative assembly is not in session when it is a unicameral legislature and                         when legislative assembly along with legislative council both are not in session                       when it is the bicameral legislature. 

     Ordinance making power of Governor  Article 213 deals with the power of the Governor to legislate through ordinances.                         His power of ordinance making is quite similar to the President’s power.  

    He can roll-out an ordinance for only those matters on which state legislature can                           make laws 

    His ordinances have the same effect on policies as state’s acts will have. If his                             ordinance legislates on matters which state government has no power on, the                       ordinance stands null and void 

    The ordinance introduced by him can be withdrawn anytime 

    His power to promulgate ordinance is not a discretionary power. Council of                       Ministers’ (headed by CM) advice is a prerequisite 

  •  Issues with Ordinance  ● It is argued that       

    the amendment   would reverse   the course on     media freedom,   curb free speech     and jeopardize   civil liberties. 

    ● The new offence     is also defined     and is made     cognisable, whereas criminal   defamation under the IPC is non-cognisable. 

    ● Section 118A lays down a three-year prison term, which is two years under the                           IPC. 

    ● By making defamatory statements cognisable and raising the prison term, the                     Kerala ordinance effectively amends the IPC and Cr.P.C., a move for which the                         Centre’s assent is mandatory. 

     Section 66 A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 ● In 2015, the Supreme Court struck down Section 66A of the Information                       

    Technology Act, 2000, which gave the government power to arrest and imprison                       an individual for allegedly offensive online posts. 

    ● The court ruled that as it did not distinguish between speech that was merely                           “offensive or annoying”.  

    ● The same judgment also declared as invalid Section 118 (d) of the Kerala Police                           Act, which prescribed a jail term for those who caused annoyance to others by                           indecent statements, comments, calls or messages. 

     Conclusion ● Despite the guarantees in the Constitution, free speech, dissent and even                     

    legitimate criticism is looked at as an exercise in bad faith and projected as an                             attack on democratically elected authority.  

    ● As a result, existing laws are being weaponized to arrest journalists and citizens                         for a tweet or a slogan or a Facebook post. 

    ● The ordinance decides to strike a blow against liberty and is a sign of an endemic                               intolerance to dissent, cutting across ideological lines. 

    President’s instructions on the following three cases are must: ● If a bill containing the same provisions would have required the previous                       

    sanction of the President for its introduction into the state legislature ● If he would have deemed it necessary to reserve a bill containing the same                           

    provisions for the consideration of the President ● If an act of the state legislature containing the same provisions would have been                           

    invalid without receiving the President’s assent 

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