CURRENT AFFAIRS 27 SEPTEMBER 2019

CURRENT AFFAIRS 

27 SEPTEMBER 2019

BY SUMIT BHARDWAJ

1.Cahabahar port, Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)(gs-2,3)

Context: Narendra Modi, Hassan Rouhani discuss Chabahar port progress

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani met on Thursday along the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s 74th session in New York. The two leaders discussed progress on Iran’s Chabahar Port — which India is helping to develop…

The meeting comes at a difficult time in the relationship between the two countries. India has stopped orders for Iranian oil since May 2 following U.S. sanctions that kicked in last November, after it Washington pulled out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) , an international deal to limit Iran’s nuclear program. India was one of the countries that was given an exemption from these sanctions until early May

Cahabahar port:Where is Chabahar port?

Iran’s Chabahar port is located on the Gulf of Oman and is the only oceanic port of the country. The port gives access to the energy-rich Persian Gulf nations’ southern coast.

Why Chabahar port is crucial for India?

The first and foremost significance of the Chabahar port is the fact that India can bypass Pakistan in transporting goods to Afghanistan. Chabahar port will boost India’s access to Iran, the key gateway to the International North-South Transport Corridor that has sea, rail and road routes between India, Russia, Iran, Europe and Central Asia.

Chabahar port will be beneficial to India in countering Chinese presence in the Arabian Sea which China is trying to ensure by helping Pakistan develop the Gwadar port. Gwadar port is less than 400 km from Chabahar by road and 100 km by sea.

With Chabahar port being developed and operated by India, Iran also becomes a military ally to India. Chabahar could be used in case China decides to flex its navy muscles by stationing ships in Gwadar port to reckon its upper hand in the Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf and Middle East.

With Chabahar port becoming functional, there will be a significant boost in the import of iron ore, sugar and rice to India. The import cost of oil to India will also see a considerable decline. India has already increased its crude purchase from Iran since the West imposed ban on Iran was lifted.

Chabahar port will ensure in the establishment of a politically sustainable connectivity between India and Afghanistan. This will in turn, lead to better economic ties between the two countries.

From a diplomatic perspective, Chabahar port could be used as a point from where humanitarian operations could be coordinated.

Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA):

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) known commonly as the Iran deal or Iran nuclear deal, is an international agreement on the nuclear program of Iran reached in Vienna on 14 July 2015 between Iran, the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council—China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States—plus Germany), and the European Union.

Formal negotiations toward the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran’s nuclear program began with the adoption of the Joint Plan of Action, an interim agreement signed between Iran and the P5+1 countries in November 2013. For the next twenty months, Iran and the P5+1 countries engaged in negotiations, and in April 2015 agreed on an Iran nuclear deal framework for the final agreement and in July 2015, Iran and the P5+1 agreed on the plan.

Under the agreement, Iran agreed to eliminate its stockpile of medium-enriched uranium, cut its stockpile of low-enriched uranium by 98%, and reduce by about two-thirds the number of its gas centrifuges for 13 years.

For the next 15 years, Iran will only enrich uranium up to 3.67%. Iran also agreed not to build any new heavy-water facilities for the same period of time. Uranium-enrichment activities will be limited to a single facility using first-generation centrifuges for 10 years. Other facilities will be converted to avoid proliferation risks.

To monitor and verify Iran’s compliance with the agreement, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will have regular access to all Iranian nuclear facilities.

The agreement provides that in return for verifiably abiding by its commitments, Iran will receive relief from U.S., European Union, and United Nations Security Council nuclear-related economic sanctions.

The JCPOA is not a bilateral deal between Iran and the U.S.; other parties are China, France, Germany, Russia, the U.K., and the EU. Further, the JCPOA was unanimously supported by the United Nations Security Council (Resolution 2231) enabling Security Council sanctions to be lifted

Latest:

On 8 May 2018 Trump announced United States withdrawal from JCPOA.Following the U.S.'s withdrawal, the EU enacted an updated blocking statute on 7 August 2018 to nullify US sanctions on countries trading with Iran. In November 2018 U.S. sanctions came back into effect intended to force Iran to dramatically alter its policies, including its support for militant groups in the region and its development of ballistic missiles.

In May 2019 the IAEA certified that Iran was abiding by the main terms of the deal, though questions were raised about how many advanced centrifuges Iran was allowed to have, as that was only loosely defined in the deal.

On 1 July 2019 Iran announced that it had breached the limit set on its stockpile of low-enriched uranium, which the IAEA confirmed. Shortly afterward Iran announced an increase in uranium enrichment beyond the agreed limit of the deal. Foreign minister Javad Zarif tweeted that the measures Iran had taken to scale back its commitment to the nuclear deal were reversible if the European signatories to the pact fulfilled their obligations

2.SAARC(South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation )(gs-2,3)

CONTEXT:High drama at SAARC meet as External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, Pakistan Foreign Minister Qureshi boycott each other’s statements

Pakistan and India boycotted each other’s statements at a meeting of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Foreign Ministers here. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said he would not attend the speech by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar first, announcing at the last minute that he would not attend the SAARC Minister’s lunch while Mr. Jaishankar was speaking. Mr. Jaishankar then made his statement and left the meeting, minutes before the Pakistani Foreign Minister’s arrival, ensuring that the two Ministers were not present in the room together at any point.

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC):

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established with the signing of the SAARC Charter in Dhaka on 8 December 1985.

The idea of regional cooperation in South Asia was first raised in November 1980. After consultations, the foreign secretaries of the seven founding countries—Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka—met for the first time in Colombo in April 1981. 

Afghanistan became the newest member of SAARC at the 13th annual summit in 2005.

The Headquarters and Secretariat of the Association are at Kathmandu, Nepal.

Principles

Cooperation within the framework of the SAARC shall be based on:

Respect for the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, political independence, non-interference in the internal affairs of other States and mutual benefit.

Such cooperation shall not be a substitute for bilateral and multilateral cooperation but shall complement them.

Such cooperation shall not be inconsistent with bilateral and multilateral obligations.

Members of SAARC

SAARC comprises of eight member States: 

• Afghanistan
• Bangladesh
• Bhutan
• India
• Maldives
• Nepal
• Pakistan
• Sri Lanka

There are currently nine Observers to SAARC, namely: (i) Australia; (ii) China; (iii) the European Union; (iv) Iran; (v) Japan; (vi) the Republic of Korea; (vii) Mauritius; (viii) Myanmar; and (ix) the United States of America.

Areas of Cooperation

• Human Resource Development and Tourism
• Agriculture and Rural Development
• Environment, Natural Disasters and Biotechnology
• Economic, Trade and Finance
• Social Affairs
• Information and Poverty Alleviation
• Energy, Transport, Science and Technology
• Education, Security and Culture and Others

The Objectives of the SAARC

• To promote the welfare of the people of South Asia and to improve their quality of life.
• To accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region and to provide all individuals the opportunity to live in dignity and to realize their full potentials.
• To promote and strengthen collective self-reliance among the countries of South Asia.
• To contribute to mutual trust, understanding and appreciation of one another’s problems..
• To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance in the economic, social, cultural, technical and scientific fields.
• To strengthen cooperation with other developing countries.
• To strengthen cooperation among themselves in international forums on matters of common interests; and
• To cooperate with international and regional organizations with similar aims and purposes.

Principal Organs

• Meeting of Heads of State or Government
• Meetings are held at the Summit level, usually on an annual basis.
• Standing Committee of Foreign Secretaries
• The Committee provides overall monitoring and coordination, determines priorities, mobilizes resources, and approves projects and financing.
• Secretariat
• The SAARC Secretariat was established in Kathmandu on 16 January 1987. Its role is to coordinate and monitor the implementation of SAARC activities, service the meetings of the association and serve as a channel of communication between SAARC and other international organizations.
• The Secretariat comprises the secretary-general, seven directors, and the general services staff. The secretary-general is appointed by the Council of Ministers on the principle of rotation, for a non-renewable tenure of three years.

SAARC Specialized Bodies

• SAARC Development Fund (SDF): Its primary objective is funding of project-based collaboration in social sectors such as poverty alleviation, development, etc.
• SDF is governed by a Board consisting of representatives from the Ministry of Finance of the Member States. The Governing Council of SDF (Finance Ministers of MSs) oversees the functioning of the Board.
• South Asian University
• South Asian University (SAU) is an international university, located in India. Degrees and Certificates awarded by the SAU are at par with the respective Degrees and Certificates awarded by the National Universities/ Institutions.
• South Asian Regional Standards Organization
• South Asian Regional Standards Organization (SARSO) has its Secretariat at Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• It was established to achieve and enhance coordination and cooperation among SAARC member states in the fields of standardization and conformity assessment and is aimed to develop harmonized Standards for the region to facilitate intra-regional trade and to have access in the global market.

SAARC Arbitration Council

• It is an inter-governmental body having its office in Pakistan is mandated to provide a legal framework/forum within the region for fair and efficient settlement of commercial, industrial, trade, banking, investment and such other disputes, as may be referred to it by the member states and their people.

SAARC and its Importance

• SAARC comprises 3% of the world's area, 21% of the world's population and 3.8% (US$2.9 trillion) of the global economy.
• Creating synergies: It is the world’s most densely populated region and one of the most fertile areas. SAARC countries have common tradition, dress, food and culture and political aspects thereby synergizing their actions.
• Common solutions: All the SAARC countries have common problems and issues like poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition, natural disasters, internal conflicts, industrial and technological backwardness, low GDP and poor socio-economic condition and uplift their living standards thereby creating common areas of development and progress having common solutions.

SAARC Achievements

• Free Trade Area (FTA): SAARC is comparatively a new organization in the global arena. The member countries have established a Free Trade Area (FTA) which will increase their internal trade and lessen the trade gap of some states considerably.
• SAPTA: South Asia Preferential Trading Agreement for promoting trade amongst the member countries came into effect in 1995.
• SAFTA: A Free Trade Agreement confined to goods, but excluding all services like information technology. Agreement was signed to reduce customs duties of all traded goods to zero by the year 2016.
• SAARC Agreement on Trade in Services (SATIS): SATIS is following the GATS-plus 'positive list' approach for trade in services liberalization.
• SAARC University: Establish a SAARC university in India, a food bank and also an energy reserve in Pakistan.

Significance for India

• 
  
• Neighbourhood first: Primacy to the country’s immediate neighbours.
• Geostrategic significance: Can counter China (OBOR initiative) through engaging Nepal, Bhutan, the Maldives and Sri Lanka in development process and economic cooperation.
• Regional stability: SAARC can help in creation of mutual trust and peace within the region.
• Global leadership role: It offers India a platform to showcase its leadership in the region by taking up extra responsibilities.
• Game changer for India’s Act East Policy: by linking South Asian economies with South East asian will bring further economic integration and prosperity to India mainly in the Services Sector.

Challenges

• Low frequency of meetings: More engagement is required by the member states and instead of meeting biennial meetings should be held annually.
• Broad area of cooperation leads to diversion of energy and resources.
• Limitation in SAFTA: The implementation of SAFTA has not been satisfactory a Free Trade Agreement confined to goods, excluding all services like information technology.
• Indo-Pak Relations: Escalated tension and conflict between India and Pakistan have severely hampered the prospects of SAARC.

3.Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (gs-2)

Context:Kashmir issue: Rescind action on Article 370, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation tells India

Calling on India to “rescind” its actions revoking Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, Saudi Arabia joined Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Niger to issue a statement on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Kashmir contact group, criticising the government’s actions there.

The statement from the contact group, which has issued statements against India on the J&K dispute in the past, is not the first from the group since India decided to attend the OIC earlier in 2019, and follows a statement by the OIC on August 14.

Organisation of Islamic Cooperation 

• Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is an international organization founded in 1969, consisting of 57 member states.
• It is the second largest inter-governmental organization after the United Nations.
• The organisation states that it is “the collective voice of the Muslim world” and works to “safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony“.
• The OIC has permanent delegations to the United Nations and the European Union.
• Permanent Secretariat is in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
• Like NAM again, the OIC is a toothless tigerwhen it comes to dealing with squabbles among member states.

Significance of OIC for India:

• OIC’s growing economic and energy interdependence with India has become important in recent times.
• That India has one of the world’s largest Muslim populations, of course, is the immediate explanation of the surprising invite for Swaraj to address the OIC.

OIC was in news recently …..

• Recently, India's External Affairs minister (EAM) (late sushma swaraj)attended 46th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
• India was invited by the host UAE as the "Guest of Honour” to attend the inaugural session of the OIC.
• Even though Pakistan is a founding member of OIC. It absented itself during the session.
• 2019 is the 50th anniversary of OIC.

India’s address at OIC

• At the summit, EAM has said that the fight is against terrorism and not a confrontation with any religion.
• Without naming Pakistan, EAM said countries that provided shelter and funding to terrorists must be asked to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorist camps and stop providing funding and shelter to terror organizations based in their countries.
• EAM also said that India is home to more than 185 million Muslims and they practice their respective beliefs and live in harmony with each other and with their non-Muslim brethren.

4.ANTI DEFECTION LAW,(GS-2)

CONTEXT: Karnataka bypolls will be deferred, EC tells SC 

Court to hear dissident MLAs’ petitions on October 22 

ANTI DEFECTION LAW(SOURCE:RSTV)What the incidents like that in Karnataka indicate?

• It has raised the question of whether one should link or delink resignation with disqualification.
• The situation is that a resignation has been tendered and there is a disqualification proceeding that is also initiated.
• The Speaker is in a fix, that is, whether to take a call on disqualification first, as a consequence of which, resignation becomes redundant or accept the resignation first, in which case perhaps the disqualification may become redundant.
• The incident calls for an interpretation of the three provisions of the Constitution: Article 190 (vacation of seats), Article 164 (1B), and the Xth schedule of the Constitution.
• The Speaker has the power to not accept resignation if s/he comes to the conclusion that there are grounds to believe that the resignation is a consequence of coercion or any other kind of undue influence or inducement. Inducement could also mean some kind of post/position elsewhere.
• If the Speaker comes to a conclusion that resignation is effectively connected and linked to the aspect of defection, then perhaps that particular resignation can be kept on hold and it need not be accepted.
• The defection is happening due to the lure of money and ministerial offices.
• The decision to resign before disqualification is taken because it allows one to become a minister in the current House otherwise one cannot become a minister in the current House until one’s re-election or the expiry of term, whichever is earlier.

Anti-Defection Law

• What is the anti-defection law? It refers to the 'Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram' culture, a phrase coined after Haryana MLA Gaya Lal changed his party twice in one day and thrice within a fortnight in 1967. In response to this, Rajiv Gandhi’s government brought anti-defection law to prevent such political defections in the year 1985.

• The law is necessary because when a voter decides to cast his/her vote for a candidate, he/she is considers not only the candidate but also the party that the candidate stands for and the manifesto the party presented. Hence, when the defection takes place, it's the electorate that is let down, making a mockery of democracy.
• That is why in the year 1985, amendment to the constitution was effected and Xth schedule was introduced. The amendment and the schedule are connected to Article 102 and Article 191 of the Constitution. Both the articles pertain to disqualification for membership.
• The purpose of this mini-legislation within the constitution is to create a deterrent for any kind of defections and it prescribes disqualification for doing so.

Role of the Judiciary

• The practice so far is that courts do not interfere until a decision regarding disqualification is taken. The Xth schedule is pretty clear that on such particular issues, there is a bar on the jurisdiction of courts.
• However, there have been instances when people have approached courts for a direction to the Speaker for him/her to take an expeditious decision with respect to disqualification. There had been instances when the Speaker took 4 years to settle such matters.

Problems in the 

Organisation of Islamic Cooperation 

• The real problem with the anti-defection law is that leaders have tried to solve a political problem using a law. If one tries to solve a political problem using law as a tool, it will always have limited applications because politics has its own ways and means of circumventing things.
• Politics is all about power and individuals tend to shift to the political group which can offer them more power.
• There can also be genuine cases where individual MPs or may be 6-10 MPs or MLAs are genuinely not convinced by the line taken by their party. Should s/he kill her/his conscience, then?
• Article 105 (2) and Article 194 (2) provide complete freedom of speech to MPs and also give them protection from any sort of consequences for anything said or vote given in the House. Xth schedule also goes against these articles.
• Another problem with anti-defection law is that too much importance given to the Speaker. On many instances speakers have not acted in a fashion that can be termed as neutral. Their partisan conduct has lowered the dignity of the office, which is why their decisions are questioned in a court of law.

Can MLAs facing disqualification be tried under the Anti-Defection Law even after they resign?

PIC SOURCE:UNACADEMY

• One way is to go with the way judges are removed i.e. wherein, if removal proceedings are going against a judge and the judge chooses to resign, immediately that proceeding ends. Going by that, in such cases, once the resignations are accepted, the disqualification proceedings will be over automatically.
• Another way is to take some kind of inspiration from the Company Law where even after a person has resigned from his post as a director, he can be held accountable for actions that he took as a Director under Section 168 (2) of the Companies Act.
• It can happen that the Speaker accepts the resignation when it is tendered, on the belief that the same has been tendered in a bonafide fashion but after sometime if s/he comes to realise that there has been malafide reason behind the resignation, due action can be taken.
• The fact is that the Speaker does not have a legal tool in his hand to actually hold that particular person accountable and to return that particular resignation. Presently, if the resignation is accepted, the Speaker has to necessarily declare that the particular seat has been rendered vacant.
• The disqualified MLAs have an option to challenge the disqualification before the courts as the Speaker’s decision is subjected to judicial review.

• Way Forward

• Anti-Defection Law should be made applicable only in a situation where there is a vote for survival of the government or trust vote of no confidence motion.
• The Speaker’s power regarding such issue can be given to the governor or the President as in the case of Office of Profit or there should be a tribunal which can decide such cases. However, some political strategists consider that such matters are related to the House and should be resolved within it only.
• There has to be some way out for the cases in which the MPs or MLAs genuinely feel that they should not be voting on party lines. Also, there should be an option that a conscientious politician can resign and stand for election again, if he doesn’t agree with the party line.
• There is a need to provide the Speaker with a timeline i.e. providing him/ her specified number of days for reviewing a resignation.
• The Speaker needs to strike a distinction between bonafide political reasons and malafide political reasons.

5.Food and procurement policy(GS-2)

CONTEXT: Odisha Cabinet approves food and procurement policy

Paddy procurement target of 60 lakh metric tonnes fIxed

for 2019­20

The Odisha Cabinet on Thursday approved the food and procurement policy for the kharif marketing season 2019­20 that will commence from October 1 and conclude on September 30 next year.

FOOD PROCUREMENT POLICY

The Indian government’s food procurement policy is geared to achieve the twin objective of serving consumers through price subsidy and supporting the price for producers.

The major elements of the food policy are:

•  Procurement of grain at Minimum Support Prices (MSP).
• Maintenance of buffer stocks.
• Distribution at subsidized rates through the Public Distribution System (PDS).

• The Government of India (GoI) allocates states to grain at Central Issue Price (CIP) for distribution to consumers. The Food Corporation of India (FCI), an agency of the GoI, handles procurement, storage, and transportation of grains to states. The state in turn distributes to consumers at subsidized prices of a network to more than 460,000 Fair Price Shops (FPSs). The ‘food subsidy’ comprises the cost of procurement incurred by the GoI net of sales realization (for rice, wheat and sugar) and the carrying costs for maintaining the central pool of buffer stock incurred by the FCI reimbursed by the GoI.

• The policy is effective for rice and wheat in major surplus states. For wheat, the government offers to buy all grain that comes forth for sale at the announced MSP. In the case of rice, part of procurement is in the form of paddy at the MSP, which is custom milled at the rest, which is the major part, is procured as rice in the form of a statutory levy imposed by all major rice- producing states on rice millers/dealers. The levy percentage varies widely from 10 percent in Pondicherry to 75 percent in Haryana, Punjab, and Orissa. Rice millers are paid levy rice prices fixed by the state government. The Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) recommends levels at which the MSP should be fixed on several considerations. These include cost of cultivation, the overall shortage of grains as reflected by the trend in wholesale prices, and the need to keep in check the rate of inflation in the consumers’ interest.

• Apart from supporting farmer’s prices the government’s policy of procurement helps supply grain to the PDS, the scheme to distribute subsidized grain to consumers. In order to reduce the budgetary costs of these schemes well as to direct subsidy mainly to the poor, the government shifted from a universal PDS to as Targeted PDS (TPDS) in 1997. However, in general the TPDS suffers diversion of grain to the open market due to lack of transparent and accountable delivery systems. The move by the government to decentralize the procurement and PDS operations to states is in part meant to rectify these problems.

6.Nandankanan zoo, elephant endotheliotropicherpesvirus (EEHV)(GS-1,3)

CONTEXT:Nandankanan zoo to follow sanitation disinfection protocol

The zoological park lost four elephants to EEHV virus in a 

Month

After losing four jumbos to the fatal elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) in a month, Nandankanan Zoological Park authorities are set to follow a strict sanitation and disinfection protocol to prevent further elephant deaths

Nandankanan zoo:

Nandankanan Zoological Park is a 437-hectare (1,080-acre) zoo and botanical garden in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. Established in 1960, it was opened to the public in 1979 and became the first zoo in India to join World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) in 2009. It also contains a botanical garden and part of it has been declared a sanctuary. Nandankanan, literally meaning The Garden of Heaven,[1] is located near the capital city, Bhubaneswar, in the environs of the Chandaka forest, and includes the 134-acre (54 ha) Kanjia lake.

A major upgrade was done in 2000 (after the damage caused by the super-cyclone of 1999 in coastal Odisha). More than 3.3 million visitors visit Nandankanan every year

endotheliotropic herpes virus:(EEHV) :

Elephant endotheliotropic herpesviruses (EEHV) or Elephantid betaherpesvirus 1 (ElHV-1) is a type of herpesvirus, which can cause a highly fatal hemorrhagic disease when transmitted to young Asian elephants. In African elephants, related forms of these viruses, which have been identified in wild populations, are generally benign, occasionally surfacing to cause small growths or lesions. However, some types of EEHV can cause a highly fatal disease in Asian elephants, which kills up to 80% of severely affected individuals. The disease can be treated with the rapid application of antiviral drugs, but this has only been effective in around a third of cases.

The first case of a fatal form of the disease was documented in 1995, though tissue samples from as early as the 1980s have since tested positive for the virus, and localized skin lesions in wild African elephants were recorded in the 1970s. Since 1995, there have been over fifty documented disease cases in North America and Europe, of which only nine have been successfully cured. Those affected are mostly young animals born in captivity, though a small number of older wild-born adults held in zoos have died, and a number of cases caused by the same pathogenic type of EEHV have been identified in both orphan and wild calves in Asian elephant populations

7.KRISHNA RIVER(GS-1)

CONTEXT:Krishna in spate for third time

Increase in inflows

forces authorities to let out 2.52 lakh cusecs from Srisailam

KRISHNA RIVER:

• The Krishna is the second largest east flowing river of the Peninsula.
• The Krishna Basin extends over Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka having a total area of ~2.6 lakh Sq.km.
• It is bounded by Balaghat range on the north, by the Eastern Ghats on the south and the east and by the Western Ghats on the west.
• The Krishna River rises from the Western Ghats near Jor village of Satara district of Maharashtra at an altitude of 1,337 m just north of Mahabaleshwar.
• The total length of river from origin to its outfall into the Bay of Bengal is 1,400 km.
• The major part of basin is covered with agricultural land accounting to 75.86% of the total area.
• The Krishna forms a large delta with a shoreline of about 120 km. The Krishna delta appears to merge with that formed by the Godavari and extends about 35 km into the sea.

Tributaries of Krishna River

• Right bank: the Ghatprabha, the Malprabha and the Tungabhadra.
• Left Bank: the Bhima, the Musi and the Munneru.
• The Koyna is a small tributary but is known for Koyna Dam. This dam was perhaps the main cause of the devastating earthquake (6.4 on richter scale) in 1967 that killed 150 people.
• The Bhima originates from the Matheron Hills and joins the Krishna near Raichur after for a distance of 861 km.
• The Tungabhadra is formed by the unification of the Tunga and the Bhadra originating from Gangamula in the Central Sahyadri. Its total length is 531 km.
• At Wazirabad, it receives its last important tributary, the Musi, on whose banks the city of Hyderabad is located.

Projects on Krishna River

• Important ones are the Tungabhadra, Ghataprabha, Nagarjunasagar, Malaprabha, Bhima, Bhadra and Telugu Ganga.
• The major Hydro Power stations in the basin are Koyna, Tungabhadara, Sri Sailam, Nagarjuna Sagar, Almatti, Naryanpur, Bhadra.
• Tunagabhadra is a major inter-States project in the basin. In order to operate the project and to regulate the flows among the beneficiary States of Karnataka and Andhara Pradesh.

Resources in Krishna Basin

• The basin has rich mineral deposits and there is good potential for industrial development.
• Iron and steel, cement, sugar cane vegetable oil extraction and rice milling are important industrial activities at present in the basin.
• Recently oil has been struck in this basin which is bound to have an effect on the future industrial scenario of this basin.

Industry in Krishna Basin

• The major Urban Centers in the Basin are Pune, Hyderabad.
• Hyderabad is the state capital of Telangana and is now a major IT hub.
• Pune in Maharashtra has number of automobile and IT industry and is major education centre.

Drought and Floods in Krishna Basin

• Some parts of the basin, especially the Rayalaseema area of Andhra Pradesh, Bellary, Raichur, Dharwar, Chitradurga, Belgaum and Bijapur districts of Karnataka and Pune, Sholapur, Osmanabad and Ahmedanagar districts of Maharashtra are drought-prone.
• The delta area of the basin is subject to flooding. It has been observed that the river bed in delta area is continuously raised due to silt deposition resulting in reduction in carrying capacity of the channel.
• The coastal cyclonic rainfall of high intensity and short duration makes the flood problem worse.

8. Act of 1856“To remove all legal obstaclesto the marriage of HinduWidows”;Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar(GS-1)

CONTEXT:Kolkata organises display on Vidyasagar

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar:

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar CIE (26 September 1820 – 29 July 1891),born Ishwar Chandra Bandyopadhyay (Ishshor Chôndro Bôndopaddhae), was a Bengali polymath from the Indian subcontinent, and a key figure of the Bengal Renaissance. He was a philosopher, academic educator, writer, translator, printer, publisher, entrepreneur, reformer and philanthropist. His efforts to simplify and modernize Bengali prose were significant. He also rationalized and simplified the Bengali alphabet and type, which had remained unchanged since Charles Wilkins and Panchanan Karmakar had cut the first (wooden) Bengali type in 1780.

He was the most prominent campaigner for Hindu widow remarriage and petitioned Legislative council despite severe opposition and a counter petition against the proposal with nearly four times more signatures by Radhakanta Deb and the Dharma Sabha.But Lord Dalhousie personally finalised the bill despite the opposition and it being considered a flagrant breach of Hindu customs as prevalent then and the Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, 1856 was passed.

He received the title "Vidyasagar" (in Sanskrit Vidya means knowledge and Sagar means ocean, i.e., Ocean of Knowledge) from Sanskrit College, Calcutta (from where he graduated), due to his excellent performance in Sanskrit studies and philosophy. Noted Cambridge mathematician Anil Kumar Gain founded Vidyasagar University, named in his honour.[8]

In 2004, Vidyasagar was ranked number 9 in BBC's poll of the Greatest Bengali of all time

9.What is Dermatoglyphics Multiple Intelligence Test.?It’s also Called DMIT Test

CONTEXT:Calling it “medical palmistry”, doctors in India have questioned the eff??ectiveness of Dermatoglyphics Multiple Intelligence Test (DMIT), a popular test used on school children as a “scientifi??c” study of fi??ngerprints patterns and human brain lobes to determine the “intrinsic potential in a child”

Dermatoglyphics Multiple Intelligence test is a truly scientific study of the fingerprint patterns. This will help in understanding a great individual’s potential & personality Type. Dermatoglyphics Multiple Intelligence Test (DMIT) is based on understanding from Neuroscience, Genetics, Dermatoglyphics, Psychology and Embryology. DMIT Test Assessment method has been formulated by scientists and Medical experts. DMIT Test has accepted by Entire world and also from renowned universities. Medical experts and Approved clinical experience confirmed that finger prints provide accurate analysis of humans Multiple Intelligences and inborn potential. Traditionally only IQ test is used to be a measurement tool for degree of intelligence. Now Dermatoglyphics Multiple Intelligence Test Using in the field of School college and educational institutions. Human resource management. Children memory Enhancements Programs. Career Guidance and Career Counseling

10.Daewoo in, SAAB out of submarine tender(GS-2,3)

Testing the waters: The Scorpene submarine Khanderi to be inducted into the Navy on Saturday. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

CONTEXT:The Swedish defence major SAAB has pulled out of the contest to supply the Navy with six advanced conventional submarines under Project-75I. South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering has made a last-minute entry, official sources said.

The Navy on September 24 opened the responses from the original equipment manufacturers to its expression of interest. SAAB informed the Defence Ministry that it could not take part in the tender, and Daewoo Shipbuilding was given the last-minute invite to submit its bid, a defence source said.

RS 45,000-crore deal

The RS 45,000-crore deal to build six submarines in India under technology transfer is being processed through the Strategic Partnership, under which foreign manufacturers will have to tie up with Indian private companies to make the product locally. The request for information was issued in mid-2017, but there was no progress for want of clarity on some aspects of the Strategic Partnership. The expression of interest was issued in June this year.

11.New Snake Species Named After Uddhav's Thackeray's Younger Son..

CONTEXT: new species of snakes has been discovered in the Western Ghats in Maharashtra and named after Tejas Thackeray, the younger son of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, for his contribution to the find.

The species falls in the category commonly called as cat snakes and belong to the genus Boiga, director of the Pune-based Foundation for Biodiversity Conservation Varad Giri told news agency PTI today.

A research paper describing the new species was published in the journal of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) on Thursday, he said.

"Snakes belonging to this genus are distributed across India, but a few species are endemic to the Western Ghats," he said.

The new species was named "Thackeray's cat snake'' (scientific name "Boiga thackerayi'') for researcher Tejas Thackeray for his contribution to the discovery, Mr Giri said.

Tejas Thackeray spotted this species for the first time in 2015 and studied its behavior in detail. He presented these details to the Foundation for Biodiversity Conservation and helped us with further research," Giri said.

"This new snake is arboreal, mostly seen close to forest streams, and is active during the night. It is non-venomous and is known to grow up to three feet in length. It feeds on eggs of Humayun's night frog (Nyctibatrachushumayuni). This behavior was never reported in cat snakes from the Western Ghats earlier," Giri said.

The new species was found in the Koyna region of Satara district in western Maharashtra.

"There are still surprises hidden in the Western Ghats," Giri said. Besides Giri, the team which studied the snake included taxonomist Ashok Captain, Dr V Deepak of the Natural History Museum (London), naturalist Swapnil Pawar and Dr Frank Tillack of the Museum fr Naturkunde, Berlin, Germany.

Tejas' elder brother and Shiv Sena youth wing chief Aaditya Thackeray posted a picture of the snake on Twitter.

Boiga thackerayi sp. nov - Thackeray’s cat snake, a new species with Tiger like stripes on it’s body from the Sahyadri tiger reserve in Maharashtra! pic.twitter.com/gkdKjOpih4

— Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) September 26, 2019