CURRENT AFFAIRS 23 SEPTEMBER 2019

 CURRENT AFFAIRS 

23 SEPTEMBER 2019

BY SUMIT BHARDWAJ

IMPORTANT NEWS ARTICLES ANALYSIS

1.Modi, Trump set new course on terrorism, border security(gs-2)
Context: HOWDY MODI

PM defends action on Article 370 at massive joint rally in Houston
In a fierce defence of the government’s actions in Jammu & Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said those criticising the decision to revoke Article 370 of the Constitution were “promoting terrorism”.
Mr. Modi’s comments came during his address, along with U.S. President Donald Trump, at a rally of over 50,000 Indian-Americans at the NRG stadium in Houston. Both leaders announced a joint front on several key issues, but articulated an entirely new script on cooperation on terrorism.


IN CASE YOU HAVE MISSED THE YESTERDAYS LIVE “HOWDY MODI” CLICK ON THE LINK TO SEE HOW THE SUPERPOWER NATION EMBRACED OUR INDIAN CULTURE,HERITAGE AND OF COURCE OUR PM NARENDRA MODI........HOWDY MODI

The USA Loves India! https://t.co/xlfnWafxpg

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 22, 2019

Thank you Houston for such amazing affection! #HowdyModi pic.twitter.com/xlbWsMVkae

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 22, 2019

 2.WHAT IS (Aquifer Storage & Recovery for Sustainable Agriculture),ASRA?(GS-1,3)

CONTEXT:At Rajgir­based Nalanda University in Bihar, a new research entitled “Aquifer Storage & Recovery for Sustainable Agriculture” (ASRA) is being carried out by the School of Ecology and Environment Studies to create a model of “Aquifer Storage and Recovery” (ASR) technology using floodwaters to provide an opportunity to farmers to raise their income. The research is being undertaken with support from the Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research. The model aims to help farmers of south Bihar to raise their income through agriculture and allied activities with the help of assured irrigation from reuse of water stored beneath the surface during episodes of high rainfall, run­offs and water logging.

ASRA (Aquifer Storage & Recovery for Sustainable Agriculture) 

ASRA (Aquifer Storage & Recovery for Sustainable Agriculture) is an aquifer recharge project, funded by Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research under the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Government of Australia. A team of four investigators and three researchers at School of Ecology and Environment Studies, Nalanda University are executing the project. The objective of this project is to test a model of aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) technology using seasonal flood waters in the region of South Bihar -a drought prone region. This model aims to recharge the subsurface aquifers. The goal of the project is to provide the opportunity to farmers of the region to raise their incomes from agriculture and allied activities, through assured irrigation from the reuse of water stored beneath the surface during draught. The proposed work primarily involves aquifer mapping, assessment of social perception about technology adoption, measuring environmental risk due to groundwater depletion, etc.

Nalanda University:

Nalanda University (also known as Nalanda International University) is an international and research-intensive university located in the historical city of Rajgir, near Nalanda, India, which was established by an Act of Parliament to emulate the famous Nalanda of ancient India. The original university, widely considered to be the greatest and most glorious of all ancient monasteries and the world's first residential institution, functioned for over 800 years, starting from around 400 AD. Nalanda University at its peak housed 10,000 students from all across Asia. Some famous personalities associated with the original illustrious university include Lord Buddha, who had preached at Rajgir centuries earlier, the great Indian mathematician Aryabhata, the celebrated Indian Emperor Harshavardhana, and the legendary Buddhist master Atiśa. The university began its first academic session on September 1, 2014 with 15 students including five women. Its original faculty consisted of world-class professors from some of the top universities across the globe. Initially set up with temporary facilities in Rajgir, a massive modern campus is expected to be finished by 2020. The university has been designated as an Institutes of National Importance by the Parliament of India.

Nalanda is exclusively a graduate school, currently only offering Master's courses, with PhD programmes to be offered in future.

3.UNDERTANDING MONSOONS AND IMD..(GS-1,3)

CONTEXT: Extended monsoon likely to linger till Oct.

MONSOON:

Generally, across the world, the monsoons are experienced in the tropical area roughly between 20° N and 20° S.

The climate of India is described as the ‘monsoon’ type. In Asia, this type of climate is found mainly in the south and the southeast.

Out of a total of 4 seasonal divisions of India, monsoon occupy 2 divisions, namely.

The southwest monsoon season - Rainfall received from the southwest monsoons is seasonal in character, which occurs between June and September.
The retreating monsoon season - The months of October and November are known for retreating monsoons.
Factors Influencing South-West Monsoon Formation

The differential heating and cooling of land and water creates a low pressure on the landmass of India while the seas around experience comparatively high pressure.
The shift of the position of Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) in summer, over the Ganga plain (this is the equatorial trough normally positioned about 5°N of the equator. It is also known as the monsoon-trough during the monsoon season).
Inter Tropical Convergence Zone

The Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ,) is a broad trough of low pressure in equatorial latitudes. This is where the northeast and the southeast trade winds converge. This convergence zone lies more or less parallel to the equator but moves north or south with the apparent movement of the sun.
The presence of the high-pressure area, east of Madagascar, approximately at 20°S over the Indian Ocean. The intensity and position of this high-pressure area affect the Indian Monsoon.
The Tibetan plateau gets intensely heated during summer, which results in strong vertical air currents and the formation of low pressure over the plateau at about 9 km above sea level.
The movement of the westerly jet stream to the north of the Himalayas and the presence of the tropical easterly jet stream over the Indian peninsula during summer.
Tropical Easterly Jet (African Easterly Jet).
Southern Oscillation (SO): Normally when the tropical eastern south Pacific Ocean experiences high pressure, the tropical eastern Indian Ocean experiences low pressure. But in certain years, there is a reversal in the pressure conditions and the eastern Pacific has lower pressure in comparison to the eastern Indian Ocean. This periodic change in pressure conditions is known as the SO.
El Nino

This is a name given to the periodic development of a warm ocean current along the coast of Peru as a temporary replacement of the cold Peruvian current. ‘El Nino’ is a Spanish word meaning ‘the child’, and refers to the baby Christ, as this current starts flowing during Christmas. The presence of the El Nino leads to an increase in sea-surface temperatures and weakening of the trade winds in the region.
Mechanism

Onset of the South-West Monsoon

The location of ITCZ shifts north and south of the equator with the apparent movement of the Sun.
During the month of June, the sun shines vertically over the Tropic of Cancer and the ITCZ shifts northwards.
The southeast trade winds of the southern hemisphere cross the equator and start blowing in southwest to northeast direction under the influence of Coriolis force.
These winds collect moisture as they travel over the warm Indian Ocean.
In the month of July, the ITCZ shifts to 20°-25° N latitude and is located in the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the south-west monsoons blow from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. The ITCZ in this position is often called the Monsoon Trough.
The shift in the position of the ITCZ is also related to the phenomenon of the withdrawal of the westerly jet stream from its position over the north Indian plain, south of the Himalayas.
The easterly Jet Stream (Somali Jet) sets in along 15°N latitude only after the western jet stream has withdrawn itself from the region. This easterly jet stream is held responsible for the burst of the monsoon in India.
As these winds approach the land, their southwesterly direction is modified by the relief and thermal low pressure over northwest India. The monsoon approaches the Indian landmass in two branches: 
The Arabian Sea branch - The monsoon winds originating over the Arabian Sea.
The Bay of Bengal branch - The Arakan Hills along the coast of Myanmar deflect a big portion of this branch towards the Indian subcontinent. The monsoon, therefore, enters West Bengal and Bangladesh from south and southeast instead of from the south-westerly direction.
Another phenomenon associated with the monsoon is its tendency to have ‘breaks’ in rainfall. The monsoon rains take place only for a few days at a time. They are interspersed with rainless intervals. These breaks in monsoon are related to the movement of the monsoon trough.



Impact of Monsoons on Life in India

Positive

About 64% of people in India depend on agriculture for their livelihood and agriculture itself is based on monsoon.
Agricultural prosperity of India depends very much on timely and adequately distributed rainfall. If it fails, agriculture is adversely affected particularly in those regions where means of irrigation are not developed.
Regional variations in monsoon climate help in growing various types of crops.
Regional monsoon variation in India is reflected in the vast variety of food, clothes and house types.
Monsoon rain helps recharge dams and reservoirs, which is further used for the generation of hydro-electric power.
Winter rainfall by temperate cyclones in north India is highly beneficial for Rabi crops.

Negative

Variability of rainfall brings droughts or floods every year in some parts of the country.
Sudden monsoon burst creates a problem of soil erosion over large areas in India.
In hilly areas sudden rainfall brings landslide which damages natural and physical infrastructure subsequently disrupting human life economically as well as socially.
Monsoon Prediction In India

More than a century ago, when there were no computers, IMD’s forecasts depended only on snow cover. Lesser cover meant a better monsoon.
British physicist Gilbert Walker, who headed the IMD, designed a statistical weather model – an empirical way of predicting the weather – based on the relationship between two weather phenomena.
In 2014, the IMD started to use numerical models to supplement statistical models for long-range forecasting as well.
Now, although the numerical models used by the IMD are state-of-the-art – developed by the US National Centres for Environmental Prediction – their forecast capacity is still weak because a longer period of forecast creates more uncertainty in prediction.
At the moment, the IMD provides district-wise weather data but it’s not sufficient; because when IMD says there will be scattered rainfall over a particular district, it means that 26-50% that district (by area) will receive rainfall.
The IMD collects weather data like temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation through 679 automatic weather stations, 550 surface observatories, 43 radiosonde or weather balloons, 24 radars and three satellites.
Currently, highly advanced dynamical models need supercomputers. Prediction models will not run until proper data about current weather conditions is available.
Factors Responsible for Inaccurate Monsoon Forecast

The lack of data due to insufficient monitoring stations.
Automatic weather stations are of substandard quality. They need to be calibrated and cleaned regularly, which does not happen often. That affects data.
Then, there are major data gaps, like those involving dust, aerosols, soil moisture and maritime conditions are not monitored.
The models that we have brought from the west have been developed by western scientists to forecast in their region, little progress has been made is the fine-tuning of weather models to suit Indian conditions.
Lack of competent software professionals and scientists working with the IMD.


India Meteorological Department (IMD):


The IMD is the national meteorological service of the country and it is the chief government agency dealing in everything related to meteorology, seismology and associated subjects. It was formed in 1875. Currently, the Director General of Meteorology (DGM) of the IMD is Dr. K J Ramesh. The IMD is under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India. The current minister in charge is Dr. Harsh Vardhan, who is the Union Minister for the Earth Sciences Ministry and the Science and Technology Ministry.

IMD Mandate
Taking meteorological observations and providing current information and forecasting information for the most favorable operation of weather-dependent activities such as irrigation, agriculture, aviation, shipping, offshore oil exploration and so on.
Offering warning against severe weather phenomenon such as tropical cyclones, dust storms, norwesters, heat waves, cold waves, heavy rains, heavy snow, etc.
Providing met-related statistics needed for agriculture, industries, water resources management, oil exploration, and any other strategically important activities for the country.
Engaging in research in meteorology and allied subjects.
Detection and location of earthquakes and evaluation of seismicity in various parts of the country for developmental projects.

4.What is EndoSulfan?

CONTEXT:Endosulfan victims send notice to Kerala(GS-2,3)

What is EndoSulfan?

Endosulfan is an organochlorine insecticide which was first introduced in the 1950s and is commonly known by its trade name Thiodan.
Use of Endosulfan

Sprayed on crops like cotton, cashew, fruits, tea, paddy, tobacco etc. for control of pests such as whiteflies, aphids, beetles, worms etc.
Impact of Endosulfan

Environment
Endosulfan in the environment gets accumulated in food chains leading to higher doses causing problems.
If Endosulfan is released to water, it is expected to absorb to the sediment and may bioconcentrate in aquatic organisms.
Humans And Animals
The endosulfan ingestion results in diseases ranging from physical deformities, cancer, birth disorders and damage to the brain and nervous system.
Ban on Endosulfan

The Supreme Court in India has banned the manufacture, sale, use, and export of endosulfan throughout the country, citing its harmful health effects in 2015.
Endosulfan is listed under both Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.

Rotterdam convention 1998

The convention aims to promote cooperation and responsibility sharing measures amongst different countries dealing with trade in hazardous chemicals and pesticides.
PIC, Prior Informed Consent is the main feature of the convention and is legally binding on the party members.
PIC facilitates information exchange about nature and trade-related information amongst the party members.
The Convention creates obligations for the implementation of the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure.

Stockholm convention 2001

The convention aims to reduce the concentration of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) which are chemical substances that not only remain in the atmosphere for longer periods but also possess the ability to bio-accumulate.
The convention listed 12 POPs as ‘dirty dozen’.

5.Food and Drug Administration,N-Nitrosodimethylamine

CONTEXT:Doctors issue warning against heartburn drug
(GS-2,3)

ISSUE: U.S. Food and

Drug Administration (FDA)

for the presence of human

carcinogen called NDMA, or

N­Nitrosodimethylamine in

Zantac and its generic

forms, doctors in India too

have cautioned the general

public about this popular

drug and asked for an urgent

advisory by the Indian drug

Regulator

Food and Drug Administration:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or USFDA) is a federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food safety, tobacco products, dietary supplements, prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceutical drugs (medications), vaccines, biopharmaceuticals, blood transfusions, medical devices, electromagnetic radiation emitting devices (ERED), cosmetics, animal foods & feed and veterinary products.

The FDA was empowered by the United States Congress to enforce the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, which serves as the primary focus for the Agency; the FDA also enforces other laws, notably Section 361 of the Public Health Service Act and associated regulations, many of which are not directly related to food or drugs. These include regulating lasers, cellular phones, condoms and control of disease on products ranging from certain household pets to sperm donation for assisted reproduction.

N-Nitrosodimethylamine:

N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), also known as dimethylnitrosamine (DMN), is a semi-volatile organic chemical, produced as by-product of several industrial processes and present at very low levels in certain foodstuffs, especially those cooked, smoked, or cured. NDMA is water-soluble, yellow in color, and has little or no taste and odor. It is toxic to the liver and other organs and is a probable human carcinogen. It is also used to create cancer in rats for cancer research.

6.LOKAYUKTAS.

CONTEXT:Odisha Lokayukta seeks report from police on 2014 land deal(GS-2)

The Lokayukta is an anti-corruption authority orombudsman (An ombudsman is an official, appointed by the government or by parliament to represent the interests of the public).

He works along with the Income Tax Department and the Anti Corruption Bureau. The Lokayukta (sometimes referred to the institution itself) investigates allegations of corruption and mal-administration against public servants and is tasked with speedy redressal of public grievances.

The range of powers vary. In, say, Delhi, the Lokayukta inquires into allegations of corruption, misuse of authority and wrong doings of public functionaries including Chief Minister, Ministers and MLAs. And civil servants/bureaucrats, judiciary, police and the Delhi Development Authority are excluded from its ambit.

In Karnataka, which in the 1980s was the first state to move to get a Lokayukta and where there has been much controversy over the teeth that the office has, the new powers promised to the Lokayukta keep the Chief Minister, ministers, MPS and MLAs out of the purview.

Structural Variations

The structure of the lokayukta is not same in all the states. Some States like Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra have created the lokayukta as well as upalokayukta, while some others like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh have created only the lokayukta. There are still other states like Punjab and Orissa that have designated officials as Lokpal. This pattern was not suggested by the ARC in the states.

Appointment

The lokayukta and upalokayukta are appointed by the governor of the state. While appointing, the governor in most of the states consults:

The chief justice of the state high court.
The leader of Opposition in the state legislative assembly.
The Lokayukta is usually a former High Court Chief Justice or former Supreme Court judge and has a fixed tenure.

Qualifications

Judicial qualifications are prescribed for the lokayukta in the States of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Orissa, Karnataka and Assam.

But no specific qualifications are prescribed in the states of Bihar, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.

Tenure

In most of the states, the term of office fixed for lokayukta is of 5 years duration or 65 years of age, whichever is earlier. He is not eligible for reappointment for a second term.

Investigations and Scope of Cases Covered

Any citizen can make his/her complaints of corruption directly to the Lokayukta against any government official or elected representative. Lokayukta’s power varies from State to State.

In some States, the Lokayukta inquires into allegations against public functionaries including Chief Minister, Ministers and MLAs.

While some has the power to investigate into civil servants/bureaucrats, judiciary and police.

Lack of prosecution powers, adequate staff, funds and lack of independence are some of the limitation of the Lokayukta.

7.Sheikh Mujibur Rahman AND BANGABANDHU

CONTEXT:Delhi, Dhaka to boost maritime ties(GS-2)

Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh is on a visit to Dhaka where these issues would be discussed along with other maritime and security issues

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was a Bangladeshi politician and statesman. He is often called the father of Bengali nation. He served as the first President of Bangladesh and later as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 17 April 1971 until his assassination on 15 August 1975. He is considered to be the driving force behind the independence of Bangladesh. He is popularly dubbed with the title of "Bangabandhu" (Bôngobondhu "Friend of Bengal") by the people of Bangladesh. He became a leading figure in and eventually the leader of the Awami League, founded in 1949 as an East Pakistan-based political party in Pakistan. Mujib is credited as an important figure in efforts to gain political autonomy for East Pakistan and later as the central figure behind the Bangladesh Liberation Movement and the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. Thus, he is regarded "Jatir Janak" or "Jatir Pita" (Jatir Jônok or Jatir Pita, both meaning "Father of the Nation") of Bangladesh. His daughter Sheikh Hasina is the current leader of the Awami League and also the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

8. 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)

CONTEXT:After Houston, it’s a busy New York week
Modi will attend 40 meetings, culminating in the UN General Assembly address

INFORMATION BY UNGA:

The 74th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 74) will open on September 17, 2019. The first day of the high-level General Debate will be September 24, 2019.

During the week of the debate, several other high-level events also will convene (as of November 27, 2018):

• September 23: UN Secretary-General will convene a Climate Summit and the UNGA will hold a one-day high-level meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC);
• September 24: following the opening of the 74th General Debate, the UNGA will convene a meeting of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), which will take place on the afternoon of September 24 and all day on September 25.
• September 26: the UNGA will hold a high-level dialogue on financing for development (FfD), as well as a high-level meeting on the elimination of nuclear weapons.
• September 27: the UNGA will hold the high-level meeting to review progress made in addressing the priorities of small island developing States (SIDS) through the implementation of the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway.