DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS- 6 SEPTEMBER 2019

   IMPORTANT TOPICS FOR TODAY

BY SUMIT BHARDWAJ                        6 September 2019

1.UNDERSTANDING ANTICIPATORY BAIL,ED,CBI(GS-2)

CONTEXT:Chidambaram sent to Tihar jail till Sept. 19 in INX Media case

• ANTICIPATORY BAIL:
• The right to liberty is the natural right and also the fundamental right of an individual. However, a person has to respect the rights of others recognized by law like the inviolability of their body and their property. When a person is reasonably suspected to have committed an offence the machinery of law is set in motion to arrest him and to bring him to trial and punish him if found guilty. The act of arrest deprives a man of his liberty. Bail sets him free on securing his promise to take trial at a future date and to undergo punishment if found guilty.
• The concept of bail flows from the right to liberty which is sanctified as one of the fundamental rights in the Constitution of India in Article 211 and its practice prescribed in Article22(2) as a working theorem and its corollaries in the provisions of Sections 436, 437 and 439 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 with a new multiple of Anticipatory Bail thrown in to be resolved into infinite kindly factors by the developed minds of judges imagining what the true state of facts would have been to balance for the time being the agonies of the supposed wrong-doer and the wronged.
• Law Commission of India in its 41st report recommended incorporating a provision for Anticipatory Bail. Section 438 of Criminal Procedure Code dealt with the Anticipatory Bail. This provision allows a person to seek bail in anticipation of an arrest on accusation of non-bail able offence having committed by him. It is a direction to release a person on bail, issued even before the person is arrested. In this I will be dealing with Anticipatory Bail; Application for Anticipatory Bail; Application Seeking Grant of Bail; Arrest; Pre-Arrest Bail; Protection of Anticipatory Bail; Refusal to Bail; Resale on Bail; Scope of Sections 167 and 438 and further the article concentrates on the power of misusing anticipatory bail and its suggestions given by the government and scholarly members
• Introduction
• Bail means temporary release of an accused person awaiting trial, sometimes on condition that a sum of money is lodged to guarantee their appearance in court. In other words release or secure the release of a prisoner on payment of bail. It may be defined as Security. Such as cash, a bond, or property, pledged or given to a court by or on behalf of one accused of committing a crime, to obtain release from incarceration and to ensure the person's future appearance in court when required during the criminal proceeding. Bail is money or some property that is deposited or pledged to a court, in order to secure the release from custody or jail of a suspect who has been arrested, with the understanding that the suspect will return for their trial and required court appearances. From the above, to conclude what bail is, as a concept in law, means an accused is granted release from custody fro officers of the law (the police) and into the custody of a person that is normally known to the accused as sureties.
• Purpose
• The object of arrest and its detention of the accused person is primarily to secure his appearance at the time of trial and to ensure that in case he is found guilty he is available to receive the sentence. If his presence at the trial could be reasonably ensured otherwise than by his arrest and detention, it would be unjust and unfair to deprive the accused of his liberty during the pendency of the criminal proceedings against him. The provisions regarding the release of the accused person on bail are aimed at ensuring the presence of accused at his trial but without unreasonably and unjustifiably interfering with his liberty.
• There is no definition of bail in the Code, although the terms "bail able offence" and "non-bail able offence" been defined in Sec.2a of the Code. Bail is the amount of money defendants must post to be released from custody until their trial. Bail is not a fine. Its not supposed to be used as punishment. The purpose of bail is simply to ensure that defendants will appear for trial and all pretrial hearings for which they must be present. In bail, we pay a set amount of money to obtain our release from police custody. As part of our release, we promise to appear in court for all of our scheduled criminal proceedings. If we show up to court as promised, bail amount will be refunded or returned.
• Types of Bail
• With the Constitution of India, there is one basic rule with the law as Bail and not Jail. Thus, everyone who is accused of an offence Civil or Criminal has a right to apply for Bail. Only exception for it is if the said or accused is a repeat offence maker or other is a dire possibility of the fleeing away from justice, intimidating the witness or the crime is grave enough. Bail is the kind of security that you provide to the law for them to release you. It is a surety that you would be available in court as and when required in future. As mentioned before bail is the right, its right to freedom and that must apply for it. There are different categories of bails applicable depending upon the type of charges.
• Interim Bail- is for certain period of time granted before hearing to the prosecution.
• Permanent Bail- permanent in nature and granted only after hearing to the petitioner a well as the prosecution.
• Bail Before Arrest- it is granted when the court feels that the accused is falsely involved in the case and an arrest would affect his honor and dignity badly.
• Bail On Arrest under Section 497 of Cr. Pc. Bail can be granted for both bail able as well as non bail able offences after the accused is arrested against a charge.
• Protective Bail- A bail granted so that the accused can approach the provincial court for getting a pre-arrest bail without touching its merit.
• Directly Approaching Superior Court- the Superior Courts can grant pre-arrest bail in some appropriate cases directly if the accused has been deprived or prevented of approaching lower courts.
• Bail For The Convict- Once convicted, bail is granted to the accused even if the appeal for the same is accepted if court finds that there are considerable grounds for his/her release.
• Anticipatory Bail
• The concept of Anticipatory Bail comes into place when the accused may rightfully fear arrest in cases of cognizable offences. Bail is a legal relief that a person may be entitled to in order to get temporary freedom until his case is disposed of. Depending on the gravity of the allegations, a person may be able to avoid arrest altogether. However, there are cases in which arrest is made and the accused is set free as per the provisions of the bail as given under the Criminal Procedure Code. In cases of Criminal cases, especially those pertaining to dowry, anticipatory bail comes as a relief to many accused person. It is literally applied for in anticipation of arrest.
• Application of Anticipatory Bail
• Anticipatory bail is literally applied for ‘in anticipation of arrest'. It is a direction to release a person on bail, issued even before the person is arrested. If the accused has a reason to believe that he or she may be arrested on accusation of having committed a non-bail able offence then he or she has the right to apply for an anticipatory bail in the Sessions Court or High Court. One may apply for anticipatory bail after learning about a criminal complaint made against them to the police by their wife, or by any threats made by hr family against themselves and their family. It is also important to know whether, in cases where the FIR has been filed, the offence is bail able or non-bail able. While in the former bail in granted as a matter of right, the grant of bail in the latter is based on several contingencies.
• Procedures
• The public prosecutor will talk to the police officer concerned. If there is no FIR filed, the PP would be of the view that there were no grounds for granting anticipatory bail. The judge will agree to this and your lawyer will be verbally asked to withdraw the anticipatory bail. The lawyer will make an oral prayer for seven days pre-arrest notice in case the police formulates an intention to arrest. In all the above cases, judge will grant plea. An order will be passed accordingly. This is called the ‘notice bail' commonly. If the bail application is rejected in the Sessions Court then it would be applied in High Court. If the High Court also rejects the bail, then further application on Supreme Court is permitted. In cases when the FIR has been filed, the Investigating officer will send a notice of arrest. As soon as that notice is received, one should apply for anticipatory bail following the same procedure as stated above.
• The High Court or Court of Session may direct that any person who has been released on bail be arrested and commit him to custody on an application moved by the complainant or prosecution in case any of the conditions imposed by the Court are being violated.(SOURCE:LEGAL SERVICE INDIA)

ED:

• The Directorate General of Economic Enforcement is a law enforcement agency and economic intelligence agency responsible for enforcing economic laws and fighting economic crime in India. It is part of the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance. It comprises officers of the Indian Revenue Service, Indian Police Service and the Indian Administrative Service. The origin of this Directorate goes back to 1st May, 1956, when an ‘Enforcement Unit’ was formed, in Department of Economic Affairs, for handling Exchange Control Laws violations under Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1947. In the year 1957, this Unit was renamed as ‘Enforcement Directorate’.
• ACTS RELATED TO ED:
• Its prime objective is enforcement of two key Acts of Government of India namely:
• Foreign Exchange Management Act 1999 (FEMA) and
• Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002 (PMLA)
• to check money laundering by curb black money and hawala trade cases.
• It is composed of officers from the Indian Revenue Service, Indian Police Service and the Indian Administrative Service.
• It was established in 1956 as ‘Enforcement Unit’ in Department of Economic Affairs.
• It is headquartered in New Delhi.

CBI:Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI)

• Being India's premier investigating agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), handles all high-profile cases. Its job is to ensure a fair and an impartial probe. But in recent days, the agency has been in the news for all the inappropriate reasons. Two top officials of the agency - Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana were involved in a major squabble that led to government intervention. Both officers have been had been sent on leave, with the government claiming that the decision was taken to restore the institutional integrity and credibility of CBI.
• The Internal Feud
• Spat between top officials of CBI is first of its kind in the history of CBI.
• Alok Verma objected to Rakesh Asthana’s elevation as special Director of CBI before Central Vigilance Commission(CVC).
• But, CVC cleared Asthana’s promotion in a unanimous decision.
• Public Interest Litigation filed by NGO Common Cause against the decision was also turned down by the Supreme Court.
• Rakesh Asthana, in charge of special investigation team handling sensitive cases including those related to Vijay Mallya, AgustaWestland etc., also filed a complaint against Alok Verma - alleging corruption.
• CVC sought files of cases mentioned in the tussle between these two people.
• Genesis of CBI
• Origins of CBI can be traced back to the Special Police Establishment (SPE) set up in 1941 in order to investigate cases of bribery and corruption in War & Supply Department of India during World War II.
• The need for a Central Government agency to investigate cases of bribery and corruption was felt after the end of World War II. So, DSPE (Delhi Special Police Establishment) Act, 1946 was brought that gave the legal power of investigating cases to CBI.
• CBI comes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
• The appointment procedure of CBI Director
• The CBI is headed by an IPS officer of the rank of Director General of Police.
• Till 2014, the appointments were made on the basis of Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946.
• In 2003, DSPE Act was revised on Supreme Court’s recommendation. A committee that had members from Central Vigilance Commission, Secretaries from Home Ministry, Ministry of Personnel and Public Grievances would send recommendations to Central Government for the appointment of CBI Director.
• In 2014, the Lokpal Act provided a committee for appointment of CBI Director was formed:
• Headed by Prime Minister
• Other members - Leader of Opposition/ Leader of the single largest opposition party, Chief Justice of India/ a Supreme Court Judge.
• Home Ministry sends a list of eligible candidates to DoPT. Then, the DoPT prepares the final list on basis of seniority, integrity, and experience in the investigation of anti-corruption cases, and sends it to the committee.
• Functions of CBI
• Investigating cases against the central govt. employees or concerning affairs of central govt.
• Investigation of cases in which the financial interest of the central govt. are involved.
• And, cases related to breaches in central laws. Big cases of frauds cheating and embezzlement.
• Cases committed by gangs and criminals which have ramifications in several states.
• Cases having inter-state and international ramifications.
• Initially, CBI was tasked with the responsibility of investigation with respect to central govt. employees. However, since 1965 the powers of the investigating unit was expanded. So, it takes up investigation of Economic offenses, conventional cases on a selective basis.
• It also obliges the state if they put in a request to investigate a certain case. Central Government authorizes CBI to investigate cases in any state.
• It takes up cases as directed by the Supreme Court and the High Courts. Supreme court, High Court can ask CBI to investigate without state’s consent.

CID

• Established in 1902 by the British Government, CID (Crime Investigation Department) is an investigation and intelligence department of state police. On the other hand, CBI is an agency of the Central Government.
• CID is looking into murder, assault, riot or any cases as directed by respective High Courts.

2. UNDERSTANDING PREVENTIVE DETENTION.(GS-2)

CONTEXT:SC allows Iltija Mufti to meet her mother Mehbooba

PREVENTIVE DETENTION:

• Preventive Detention:
• Preventive Detention is the most contentious part of fundamental rights in the Indian constitution. 
• The Article 22 (3) of the Indian constitution provides that if a person is arrested or detained under a law providing for preventive detention, then the protection against arrest and detention under Article 22 (1) and 22 (2) shall not be available.
• Types of arrests:
• Punitive Detention: Detention as a punishment for the crime committed by an individual. It takes place after the actual commission of an offence or at least after an attempt has been made. 
• Preventive Detention: The imprisonment of a person with the aim of preventing them from committing further offences or of maintaining public order.
• The grounds for Preventive detention are:
• Security of state.
• Maintenance of public order.
• Maintenance of supplies and essential services and defence.
• Foreign affairs or security of India.
• SC’s view in this regard:
• The judgment dealt with the case of a seed manufacturer in Telangana who was taken into preventive detention by the authorities on the allegation that he is selling spurious chilli seeds to poor farmers.
• Detention of a person was a serious matter affecting the liberty of the citizen. Hence, preventive detention cannot be resorted to when sufficient remedies are available under the general laws of the land for any omission or commission under such laws.
• The order of preventive detention, though based on the subjective satisfaction of the detaining authority, is nonetheless a serious matter, affecting the life and liberty of the citizen under Articles 14, 19, 21 and 22 of the Constitution. The power being statutory in nature, its exercise has to be within the limitations of the statute, and must be exercised for the purpose the power is conferred.
• If the power is misused, or abused for collateral purposes, and is based on grounds beyond the statute, takes into consideration extraneous or irrelevant materials, it will stand vitiated as being in colourable exercise of power.
• Section 41 of CrPC:
• Provides power to arrest people without warrant
• Yogendra Yadav arrest issue:
• Yogendra Yadav, enroute Tiruvannamalai, to meet the farmers’ families who were apparently affected by the land acquisition for the proposed Chennai-Salem greenfield corridor project was arrested.

3.WHAT IS Institute of Eminence (IOE)(GS-2)

• CONTEXT:The Human Resource Development Ministry has awarded the status of Institute of Eminence to IIT­Madras, IIT­Kharagpur, Delhi University, Banaras Hindu University and University of Hyderabad, said an offi­ cial statement. Four private universities — Vellore Institute of Technology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Jamia Hamdard and Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology — were issued Letters of Intent to grant them the status.

Institutions of Eminence scheme:

• The institutes of eminence scheme under the Union human resource development (HRD) ministry aims to project Indian institutes to global recognition.
• The selected institutes will enjoy complete academic and administrative autonomy.
• The government will run 10 of these and they will receive special funding.
• The selection shall be made through challenge method mode by the Empowered Expert Committee constituted for the purpose.
• Eligibility: Only higher education institutions currently placed in the top 500 of global rankings or top 50 of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) are eligible to apply for the eminence tag.
• The private Institutions of Eminence can also come up as greenfield ventures provided the sponsoring organisation submits a convincing perspective plan for 15 years.

4.WHAT IS LINE OF CREDIT?

(GS-2,3)

• CONTEXT:India extends $1 b line of credit to Russia’s Far East.

LINE OF CREDIT:

• The Government of India is reasonably satisfied with the progress in implementation of Lines of Credit supported by India in foreign nations over the past 3 years.
• The Line of Credit is not a grant but a ‘soft loan’ provided on concessional interest rates to developing countries, which has to be repaid by the borrowing government.  
• The LOCs also helps to promote exports of Indian goods and services, as 75% of the value of the contract must be sourced from India. The projects under LOCs are spread over different sectors (Agriculture, Infrastructure, Telecom, Railway, Transmission/Power, Renewable Energy etc.).
• The actual implementation of LOC projects in various countries is dependent on local factors, such as prevailing political & social conditions, statutory clearances by the borrowing Governments, making available land and other infrastructural support.  In many cases, the borrowing governments may not wish to proceed with the LOC or change the purpose or are unable to provide detailed information regarding the project through a proper Detailed Project Report / Feasibility Study.
• The Government has approved the new Indian Development Assistance Scheme (IDEAS) in December 2015. The scheme includes provisions to provide better terms of credit, which will be attractive to many developing countries, who are now seeking alternative means of finance.  
• Several changes have been made in the operational guidelines such as making a DPR, or Feasibility Study essential for project proposals, strengthening of monitoring system, pre-qualification of competent companies and requirement of regular reports by the borrowing governments.
• In addition, regular monitoring is also being carried out by borrowing Governments, Project Management Consultants (PMCs), implementing agency and Indian Missions abroad to ensure projects are executed in a timely manner. These changes should improve the implementation of projects undertaken through these LOCs.
• It is true that in past some Indian companies had been awarded a majority of the projects under Lines of Credit, based on requests received from borrowing governments. However, several LOC projects have also been executed by a variety of other companies, especially public sector organisations like RITES, IRCON, WAPCOS etc.
• PMCs/Contractors are selected by the borrowing Government through an open competitive bidding process, as per the procurement laws of the borrowing country and prescribed LOC Guidelines of Government of India. Only Indian Companies/firms can bid for executing the LOC projects.

LATEST:(SOURCE:THE HINDU BUSINESS LINE)

• Development of resources in the Far East region of Russia, where 98 per cent of diamond and 50 per cent of gold are mined, is one the top priorities for the Russian government and who if not India, an old friend and strategic partner, could lend a helping hand?
• Speaking at plenary session of the 5th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India would walk shoulder-to-shoulder with Russia in its development of the Far East for which it would extend a $1 billion line of credit.
• Expanding economic cooperation is one of the key challenges for New Delhi and Moscow. In December 2014, the countries’ leaders set a goal to bring bilateral trade and investment figures to $30 billion by 2025. While two-side investments have crossed $50 billion by 2017, thanks to acquisition of Essar Oil by the Rosneft-led consortium, the pace of bilateral trade is still far from the set bar, despite the doubling of indicators over the past couple of years.

Far East projects

• Earlier this year, vice-governor of Far East Konstantin Bogdanenko said in 2018 the trade turnover of the region with India increased by 20 per cent and amounted to more than $42 million.
• India's largest state-owned companies as well as private business conglomerates have been investing in the Far East, which includes ONGC’s investments in oil and gas projects, the development of coal and gold deposits by Tata Power and Sun Group, diamond polishing factories set up recently by KGK group and M Suresh, among others.
• However, experts in both countries believe the scale of these investments does not correspond to the potential of the region, nor to the opportunities or interests of Indian business.
• Multiple delegations of state authorities and business from both countries have visited each other since the beginning of 2019. The latest and largest delegation of four chief ministers and over 130 companies was headed by Minister of Railways and Minister of Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal.
• Read: India, Russia agree to step up trade to $30 bn by 2025
• The talks resulted in numerous MoUs, and according to sources, and a few investments projects in mining, logistics, oil and gas sectors are likely to be finalised soon.
• Several Indian investors in Russia whom BusinessLine spoke to said it is most important for the investors whether they get tangible preferences and whether their investments are protected.
• During the 20th summit, the two countries discussed the India-Russia Intergovernmental Agreement on Promotion and Mutual Protection of Investments, which is yet to be signed. As for the preferences, the administration of Far East region has gone a long way to create favourable conditions for investors, including 5-year tax holidays, and new proposals were made during this EEF.
• “The far East has created a system of preferences with the lowest level of taxation in the Asia-Pacific region. There are several preferential regimes — analogues of special economic zones — created here, so-called “territories of advanced development.
• “In addition to providing tax benefits and preferences, the government also provides all the necessary infrastructure — water, gas, roads,” Leonid Petukhov. General Director, Far East Investment and Export Agency, told BusinessLine. He added till date, 1,786 projects worth above $60 billion have been set up here.
• Also read: Modi and his elusive shipbuilding ambitions for India
• According to Petukhov, Russia has introduced e-visa option for business people travelling to some of the locations, including the Far East. “More than 130 residents of India have already used e-visa,” he said.
• “The political leadership in Russia and India deserve a huge amount of credit for bringing a renewed impetus on bilateral cooperation in the Russian Far East in partnership with the private sector from both the countries,” Shiv Khemka, Vice Chairman, SUN Group said.

ALSO:

• In the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the ‘Act Far East’ policy to boost India’s engagement with the Russian region.

5.WHAT IS facial recognition ?(GS-3)

• CONTEXT:IGI Airport to start trial on facial recognition entry at T3 today.

facial recognition :

• China is using a secret system of advanced facial recognition technology to track and control the Uighurs Muslims. It is the first known example of a government intentionally using artificial intelligence for racial profiling, which has drawn wide international condemnation.
• About:
• Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) is a biometric technology for identifying a person by analysing the characteristics of a person’s face images taken with a digital camera.
• Working: The mathematical algorithms of FRT follow following stages of image processing:
• Capture: The first step is to capture the image by using cameras or by scanning existing images.
• Extraction: Unique facial data is then extracted from the sample.
• Comparison: The data is then compared with the database.
• Matching: The software then decides whether the sample matches any picture in the database or not.
• Application and benefits: It greatly improves security measures. It is already being used for examination, investigation, and monitoring by Governments all over the world to identify potential and current threats. There is even a progressive adaptation of FRT in medical applications.
• Privacy Concerns: FRT can be used to unearth other personal data associated with an individual.
• India scenario: In August 2018, UIDAI has announced the phased roll-out of face recognition feature as an additional mode of authentication, starting with telecom service providers from September 15.(SOURCE:VAJIRAM AND RAVI)

6.Govt. launches campaign to promote ‘eat right movement(GS-2)

• CONTEXT:Crucial measure to trigger social and behavioural change’
• “It’s time for India to eat right,” said Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday, kick-starting POSHAN Maah 2019 with a year-long social and mass media campaign on the Eat Right India movement.
• Leading with a tweet-a-day focusing on a weekly theme of eating right for the next 365 days, Dr. Vardhan also launched the new Eat Right India logo that represents a healthy plate, an online eat right quiz and online course for frontline health 

POSHAN Maah 2019 :

• Theme: ‘Complementary Feeding’ Rashtriya Poshan Maah was first announced by PM Modi in his recent ‘Mann ki Baat’ programme, while speaking about malnutrition. He also highlighted that due to lack of awareness, both poor and affluent families are affected by it. Purpose of celebrating Poshan month is to take message of nutrition to every nook and corner of India and to focus on complimentary food, treatment and prevention from infections in children. .

POSHAN Abhiyaan: 

• POSHAN stands for Prime Minister’s Overreaching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment. The POSHAN Abhiyaan is a multi- ministerial convergence mission with vision to address malnutrition with a targeted approach by 2022. Poshan Abhiyaan was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2018 from Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan. It aims at achieving improvement in nutritional status of children up to 6 years of age, adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers.

7.WHO South-East Asia Region plans to banish measles, rubella by 2023(GS-2)

• CONTEXT:Member-countries of the World Health Organisation (WHO) South-East Asia Region have resolved to eliminate highly infectious childhood killer diseases measles and rubella by 2023.
• “The new target to eliminate both the diseases will leverage the existing momentum and a strong political commitment, which is being demonstrated through unprecedented efforts, progress and successes in recent years,” said Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia.
• A resolution to eliminate the diseases was adopted at the 72nd session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia in Delhi.
• Measles is particularly dangerous for the poor, as it attacks malnourished children and those with reduced immunity. It can cause serious complications, including blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhoea, ear infection and pneumonia, while rubella/ congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) causes irreversible birth defects.

WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia 

The Regional Committee for South-East Asia is the World Health Organization’s
 governing body in the South-East Asia Region, with representatives from all 11
 Member States of the Region. It meets in September every year to review progress
 in health development in the Region, formulate resolutions on health issues for
 the Member States, as well as to consider the regional implications of World Health
 Assembly resolutions, among others.
 This report summarizes the discussions of the Seventieth Session of the WHO
 Regional Committee for South-East Asia held on Paradise Island, Maldives, on 6–10
 September 2017. At this session, the Committee reviewed and discussed a number
 of public health issues relevant and important to the Region, such as hepatitis,
 vector control, tuberculosis, access to medicines and the Sustainable Development
 Goals, among others. The Committee also adopted a number of resolutions and
 decisions on selected issues.

8.Russia proposes joint development of submarines with India(GS-2,3)

The Main Naval Parade in St Petersburg (SOURCE:RUSSIAN NAVY)

• CONTEXT:Conventional vessels to be built to Navy’s requirements with technology access
• Russia has offered India joint design and development of conventional submarines through an Inter Governmental Agreement (IGA) at the delegation-level dialogue between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok, sources said.
• “The proposal includes joint design and development of a conventional submarine with Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) through an IGA as per the Indian Navy requirements with full access to technology and Intellectual Property Rights [IPR],” a Russian source said.
• The Navy has issued an Expression of Interest (EoI) for six advanced conventional diesel-electric submarines under Project 75I and the bids are expected to be submitted later month. The procurement is through the Strategic Partnership (SP) model of the defence procurement procedure and valued over Rs. 40,000 crore.
• The indigenous AIP being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) could be incorporated in the submarine, the source stated. However, the Russian fifth generation fighter aircraft, Su-57, was not offered to India, the sources added.
• For the P-75I, Russia has pitched a modified Amur 1650 conventional submarine to suit Indian requirements. The contenders in the P-75I are Naval Group of France, Rosoboronexport Rubin Design Bureau of Russia, ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems of Germany and Saab group of Sweden.
• India has signed a series of mega defence deals with Russia in the last few years through the IGA route

Inter Governmental Agreement (IGA) 

• An Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) between two sovereign governments ensures transparency and avoids troubles later. It has become the only way now to conclude pending critical deals. Especially with elections close by, this is a safe bet,

IGAs with Russia

• India and Russia have a long history of IGAs. Most recently, in October 2015, the two countries signed three IGAs for the purchase of Kamov-226T utility helicopters, S-400 Triumph air defence systems and the construction of four follow-on stealth frigates. In an interview to The Hindu recently, Russia’s Ambassador to India Nikolay Kudashev expressed confidence that the deals would be concluded this year.
• Of all the deals, the Kamov-226T deal is likely to be the first one to see closure. The two sides are currently engaged in negotiations on the Joint Venture and there are a few procedural issues to be sorted before the final deal can be inked. “The deal is in the final step. The commercial agreement is likely to be concluded in the first half of this year,” one official said.
• In addition to the Rafale, other recent big ticket deals took the inter-government route. In November 2016, India and the US signed a $737 million deal for 145 M777 Ultra-Light Howitzers for the Army. This is the first new artillery deal for the Army since the Bofors guns were procured in the 1980s.

9.Trump keeps defending wrong map of Hurricane Dorian’s path(GS-1,3)

• CONTEXT:He displayed a map showing edited path, which is against the law
• Trouble is raining down on U.S. President Donald Trump, who appears to have given Americans incorrect information on Hurricane Dorian’s trajectory.
• During an Oval Office press briefing on Wednesday, Mr. Trump displayed a map from the National Hurricane Center showing the storm’s predicted path.
• As he held up the poster to give the journalists a better view, it became clear the map had been edited: Dorian’s cone had been extended with what appeared to be black marker to include the state of Alabama. It is against the law to falsify a National Weather Service forecast and pass it off as official.

Hurricane Dorian:

Recently the Hurricane Dorian became the strongest storm in modern records to hit the northwestern Bahamas (a country in the Caribbean Islands).

Hurricane Dorian

It is an extremely powerful tropical cyclone currently affecting the Bahamas and threatening the Southeastern United States.

It is developed from a tropical wave in the Central Atlantic.

It is categorised as a Category 5 storm on Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale (SSHWS) with maximum sustained winds of 285 km per hour.

Hurricanes

A Hurricane is a tropical cyclone that occurs in the Atlantic Ocean and the northeastern Pacific Ocean.

These are formed over the warm ocean waters near the equator.

Hurricanes typically form between 5 to 15 degrees latitude north and south of the equator.

Hurricanes are known to be one of nature's most destructive storms as they bring heavy rains, deadly waves and fierce winds.

Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale

The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is a 1 to 5 rating based on a hurricane's sustained wind speed. This scale estimates potential property damage.

10. China clones its fIrst kitten (NEW YORK TIMES)(GS-3)

• CONTEXT:Sinogene produced what China’s official news media declared to be the country’s first cloned cat — and another sign of the country’s emergence as a power in cloning and genetics. It also suggests that China could turn pet cloning into a viable business.

CLONING IS A SCIENTIFIC MARVEL BUT AN ETHICAL DILEMMA….
Significance 

• Genetically identical animals are useful in research because confounding factors caused by genetic variability in non-cloned animals can complicate experiments. This development breaks technical barrier for the cloning of primate species, including humans. It will make possible to study diseases in populations of genetically uniform monkey and test new drugs for a range of diseases before clinical use. 

Concerns 

• The research underscores important role at the cutting-edge of biosciences, where scientists have at times pushed ethical boundaries but calls for debate on what should or should not be acceptable practice in primate cloning. 

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) SCNT is a laboratory technique for creating an ovum with donor nucleus. In it, nucleus containing the organism’s DNA of somatic cell (a body cell other than sperm or egg cell) is removed and rest of cell discarded. The nucleus of somatic cell is then inserted into enucleated egg cell which reprograms somatic cell nucleus by the host cell. The egg, now containing nucleus of somatic cell, is stimulated with a shock and will begin to divide forming blastocyst (an early stage embryo with about 100 cells) with almost identical DNA to original organism. It can be used in embryonic stem cell research, regenerative medicine i.e. “therapeutic cloning.” It can also be used as first step in process of reproductive cloning.