CURRENT AFFAIRS 25 OCTOBER 2019

CURRENT AFFAIRS

25 OCTOBER 2019

IMPORTANT TOPICS IN THE CONTEXT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, INDIAN POLITY,ECONOMY AND SOCIETY,ENVIRONMENT for TODAY TO LOOK AT

*1.Kartarpur Corridor(gs-1,2)* *Context:India, Pakistan sign agreement to operationalise Kartarpur Corridor* *2.Prasar Bharati(gs-2)* *Context:Prasar Bharti Chairman A Surya Prakash inaugurates Prasar Bharti News Service* *3.Sri Sathya Sai Sanathana Samskruti Project* *India-Japan Ties(gs-1,3)* *Context:President Kovind lays foundation stone for Sri Sathya Sai Sanathana Samskruti Project in Japan* *4.World Bank (gs-3)* *Context:India needs fresh reforms to be in top 50 nations with ease of doing business: World Bank* *5. Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)(gs-2)* *Context:ASI nod for excavation in four sites* *6.Poliovirus(gs-2,3)* *Context:2 out of 3 wild poliovirus strains have been eradicated, says WHO* *7.United Nations Population Fund(gs-1,2)* *Context:411 child marriages prevented in Odisha* *8.Fitch Ratings(gs-3)* *Context:Fitch slashes India’s growth outlook to 6-year low of 5.5 per cent* *9.Palm oil(gs-,2)* *Context:Palm oil import boycott: India asks Malaysia leadership to do ‘serious introspection’*

1.Kartarpur Corridor(gs-1,2)

Context:India, Pakistan sign agreement to operationalise Kartarpur Corridor
India and Pakistan on Thursday signed a landmark agreement to operationalise the historic Kartarpur Corridor to allow Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit the holy Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, notwithstanding a chill in bilateral ties.
The corridor will connect the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Punjab with Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur, just about four km from the international border, located at Narowal district of Pakistan’s Punjab province.
The agreement signing ceremony took place at the Kartarpur Zero Point at the International Border, removing a key legal hurdle for the opening of the corridor.

Kartarpur Corridor:

Kartarpur gurudwara is the revered shrine across the border where Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism spent the last 18 years of his life.
The corridor will connect the holy shrines of Dera Baba Nanak Sahib in Gurdaspur district of Punjab in India with Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur in Pakistan.
The length of the corridor is about 4 km (2 km on either side of the international border).
The Pakistan government has also decided to open the corridor.
The corridor will commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.
Pilgrimages between India and Pakistan are governed by the 1974 Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines, which includes a list of shrines in Pakistan and India open for visitors from the other country, and for which visas are required.
The Kartarpur Corridor, which will provide visa-free access to the shrine when it becomes ready on both sides, may need a separate treaty.

Significance

The Kartarpur Sahib corridor was first proposed in 1999 when Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee took a bus ride to Lahore.
The Kartarpur corridor will be implemented as an integrated development project with Government of India funding. The development comes ahead of the 550th Prakash Purab or 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak in 2019.
It will allow Indian devotees to visit Kartarpur shrine located 2 km inside Pakistan in Narowal district.
Until now, most Indian devotees have had to contend with a darshan using binoculars installed at Dera Baba Nanak Sahib.
India has also asked Pakistan to develop the corridor with suitable facilities in its territory from the International Border to facilitate easier access of Indian pilgrims.

The forward movement on the Kartarpur corridor can be considered a big development since despite the India-Pakistan deadlock in talks, both New Delhi and Islamabad have been able to form a consensus on the issue.

Additional Information

Guru Nanak Dev Jayanti is observed on the full-moon day in the month of Katak to celebrate the birth of Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539), who is the first of the 10 Sikh Gurus and the founder of Sikhism.
He advocated the 'Nirguna' form of bhakti.
He rejected sacrifices, ritual baths, image worship, austerities and the scriptures of both Hindus and Muslims.
He organised his followers into a community. He set up rules for congregational worship (sangat) involving collective recitation.
He appointed one of his disciples, Angad, to succeed him as the preceptor (guru), and this practice was followed for nearly 200 years.
The fifth preceptor, Guru Arjan, compiled Baba Guru Nanak’s hymns along with those of his four successors and other religious poets like Baba Farid, Ravidas (also known as Raidas) and Kabir in the Adi Granth Sahib.
These hymns, called 'Gurbani', are composed in many languages.
In the late seventeenth century the tenth preceptor, Guru Gobind Singh, included the compositions of the ninth guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, and this scripture was called the Guru Granth Sahib.
Guru Gobind Singh also laid the foundation of the Khalsa Panth (army of the pure) and defined its five symbols: uncut hair, a dagger, a pair of shorts, a comb and a steel bangle. Under him, the community got consolidated as a socio-religious and military force.

2.Prasar Bharati(gs-2,3)

Context:Prasar Bharti Chairman A Surya Prakash inaugurates Prasar Bharti News Service
Prasar Bharti Chairman A Surya Prakash inaugurated Prasar Bharti News Service, PBNS in New Delhi today. Speaking on the occasion, he said, it is a very important step and it will feed both All India Radio and Doordarshan.
He said this must be the most vibrant news setup. Mr Surya Prakash said, PBNS should be able to compete with the best of news agencies in the world. AIR correspondent reports that digital first is the main theme of the Prasar Bharti News Service

Prasar Bharati :

Prasar Bharati is India's largest public broadcasting agency. It is a statutory autonomous body set up by an Act of Parliament and comprises the Doordarshan Television Network and All India Radio, which were earlier media units of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The Parliament of India passed the Prasar Bharati Act to grant this autonomy in 1990, but it was not enacted until 15 September 1997.
Dr A. Surya Prakash is the current chairperson of Prasar Bharati (he succeeded Dr Mrinal Pandey). Shashi Shekhar Vempati is the CEO of Prasar Bharati (he succeeded Jawhar Sircar who was the CEO until November 2016)

3.Sri Sathya Sai Sanathana Samskruti Project

India-Japan Ties(gs-1,3)

Context:President Kovind lays foundation stone for Sri Sathya Sai Sanathana Samskruti Project in Japan
President Ram Nath Kovind laid the foundation stone for Sri Sathya Sai Sanathana Samskruti Project at Sai no Sato, Kakegawa, Japan

Sai no Sato will be developed as a temple on the lines of Akshardham and Swaminarayan Temple to promote Indian traditional culture.
Speaking on the occasion, the President said that in today’s world, where we are searching for inner peace and happiness, looking to bring communities and cultures together, places like Sai no Sato provide us the right answers.
We need not just one but many more such fonts of peaceful existence, where women and men can contemplate about self and society, individual and community and eliminate the distance between “us and them”.
In the evening, the President also attended a banquet hosted in his honour by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan

Key Highlights

The President attended the enthronement ceremony of the Emperor Naruhito of Japan in the Imperial Palace.
He visited the Tsukiji Hongwanji Buddhist Temple and planted a sapling from Bodh Gaya.
He also visited the Shinto Meiji Shrine and interacted with a delegation from the Gotemba Pagoda.
The Shrine is dedicated to the deified spirit of Emperor Meiji . The Meiji restoration in 1868 was a watershed moment in Japanese history in which Japan was completely transformed into a modern country.

The Peace Park in Gotemba City provides a beautiful view of Mt. Fuji (the highest mountain in Japan) and houses the chalky stupa. The stupa, the symbol of the park, keeps the Buddha’s ashes presented by late Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
He addressed the members of Indian diaspora in Tokyo and sought their support for creating a progressive and prosperous India.
He also laid the foundation stone for Sri Sathya Sai Sanathana Samskruti Project at Sai no Sato, Kakegawa, Japan.
Sai no Sato will be developed as a temple on the lines of Akshardham and Swaminarayan Temple to promote Indian traditional culture.

India-Japan Ties

India and Japan share robust ties with cooperation in areas of defence, science and cooperation and trade.
In 2014, India and Japan upgraded their relationship to 'Special Strategic and Global Partnership'.
Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Railway (MAHSR) is a very important area of cooperation between India and Japan in Railway Sector.
A “India-Japan Digital Partnership” (I-JDP) was launched during the visit of the Prime Minister of India to Japan in October 2018, furthering existing areas of cooperation as well as new initiatives within the scope of cooperation in S&T/ICT, focusing more on “Digital ICT Technologies”.
The India-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) that came into force in August 2011 covers trade in goods, services, movement of natural persons, investments, Intellectual Property Rights, custom procedures and other trade related issues.
India and Japan defence forces organize a series of bilateral exercises namely, JIMEX, SHINYUU Maitri, and Dharma Guardian. Both the countries also participate in Malabar exercise with USA.

4.World Bank (gs-3)

Context:India needs fresh reforms to be in top 50 nations with ease of doing business: World Bank
India needs a fresh set of "bold reforms" in the next three to four years if it wants to be among the top 50 countries with ease of doing business, a top World Bank official said on Thursday. The official's remarks came as India jumped 14 places to take the 63rd position on the World Bank's ease of doing business ranking. With the current reform agenda that the bank is watching like Insolvency and Banking Code, enforcing contracts, tax reforms being completed next year or the year after, India can get within the top 50, "may be even in the 40", Simeon Djankov, director of development economics at the World Bank, told PTI in an interview. India will face greater competition from other economies in Latin America and Europe to move up the ladder in the ease of doing business report. "But then to improve beyond that you need fresh set of reforms,” Djankov said. "India needs to ask, what it can do to be in the top 50 to the top 25 economies

World Bank :
World Bank Group and India

India was one of the forty-four original signatories to the agreements reached at Bretton Woods that established the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
It was also one of the founding members of the IFC in 1956 and the IDA in 1960. India later became a member of the MIGA in January 1994.
India is not a member of ICSID. India claimed ICSID Convention is not fair, convention's rules for arbitration leaned towards the developed countries. In ICSID, the Chairman of the Centre is the Chairman of the World Bank. The Chairman appoints the arbitrators. If the arbitration award is not satisfactory, then the aggrieved party would appeal to a panel, which will also be constituted by the ICSID. There is no scope for a review of the award by an Indian court, even if the award is against public interest.
IBRD lending to India commenced in 1949 with a loan to the Indian railways; the first investment by the IFC in India took place in 1959, and by IDA in 1961 (a highway construction project).
During the 1950s, the IBRD was India's sole source of World Bank borrowings.
By the end of the decade, India's mounting debt problems became an important factor in the launch of the IDA, the soft loan affiliate of the World Bank (WB) group.
By the end of the 1960s, the United States, until then India's largest source of external resources, sharply cut its bilateral aid program. Since then, the WB emerged as the most important source of official long-term finance.
During the 1960s and 1970s, the IDA accounted for nearly three-fourths of all WB lending to India and, in turn, India was by far the largest recipient of IDA funds, accounting for more than two-fifths of all its lending.
The subsequent decade, with China joining the WB in 1980 and accordingly entering its own claims to limited IDA resources, the worsening economic fortunes of Africa, and India's better performance, saw a sharp decline in India's share in IDA.
Instead, its share of IBRD lending grew sharply in the 1980s, buoyed by its improving credit-worthiness and the Indian government's waning inhibitions with regard to non-concessional borrowing.
During the 1980s, while the WB shifted its emphasis to stress policy reforms and greater economic liberalization, it continued to lend to poorly governed public sector institutions in India and was muted in its criticism of India's closed economy.
The lending portfolio changed sharply after the 1991 macroeconomic crisis. In the immediate aftermath, India became one of the last important WB borrowers to partake of structural adjustment lending, which supported policy reforms in finance, taxation, and the investment and trade regime.
India is currently classified as a “blend” country — defined as one in transition from lower middle-income to middle-income — and is creditworthy for lending from both IDA and IBRD.
India is the largest IBRD client of the World Bank. Between 2015 and 2018, the World Bank lent around $10.2 billion to India.
The World Bank Group (WBG) has approved a $25-30 billion commitment plan for India for the period 2019-22.
MIGA Performance Standards are environmental and social standards which help to structure and implement sustainable projects. For Indian market, one of the options is a breach of contract insurance which MIGA would offer to investors. In case the government doesn’t perform its obligation, under the contract arrangement, then MIGA can come and cover that risk for investment.

World Bank Reforms

Some critics have pointed out that the World Bank really caters to the agenda of World Capitalism in the garb of its “Structural Adjustment Programme’ (SAP) and continues to be dominated by rich countries. SAP is a set of "free market" economic policy reforms imposed on developing countries by the World Bank as a condition for receipt of loans.
It is argued SAP policies have increased the gap between rich and poor in both local and global terms.
The emerging new economic powers, particularly India and China, and some other Asian and Latin American countries of the world should be given due place and role..
The leadership succession debate should be used to create space for reflection on the purpose of the multilateral body, the substantive role it should play in the future, the need to strengthen inclusive multilateralism, and the actions needed to bolster the position of emerging economies and developing countries.
Failure of World Bank to adapt to the changing world order may see rising economies going their own way.
Eg. Establishment of the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) by China.
Such a development would signify the emergence of multi-polarity without multilateralism, and create a climate of conflicting interests and values among a diverse group of countries.
Deep reforms of the World Bank are necessary as part of rethinking the current world order, and giving rising powers and developing countries a meaningful voice in this institution.

5. Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)(gs-2)

Context:ASI nod for excavation in four sites
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has acceded to the Tamil Nadu government's request to undertake excavations in four sites across the State.
The government had sought permission to undertake excavations at Keeladi in Sivaganga (sixth excavation), Kodumanal in Erode, Sivagalai in Tirunelveli and Adichanallur in Thoothukudi districts.
“The approval is valid up to September 30, 2020.

Archaeological Survey of India (ASI):

The ASI is the premier organization for the archaeological researches and protection of the cultural heritage of the country.
The prime objection of ASI is to maintain the archaeological sites, ancient monuments and remains of national importance.
Headquarters: New Delhi.
Established: 1861 by Alexander Cunningham.
It regulates all archaeological activities as per the provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.
It functions under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Culture.
It also regulates Antiquities and Art Treasure Act, 1972.

6.Poliovirus(gs-2,3)

Context:2 out of 3 wild poliovirus strains have been eradicated, says WHO
In an announcement by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on World Polio Day (October 24), an independent commission of experts declared that wild poliovirus type 3 (WPV3) has been eradicated worldwide.
This follows the eradication of smallpox and wild poliovirus type 2.
“The achievement of polio eradication will be a milestone for global health. Commitment from partners and countries, coupled with innovation, means that of the three wild polio serotypes, only type one remains,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO and Chair of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) Polio Oversight Board, said on Thursday. He urged stakeholders to stay the course until final success is achieved.

Poliovirus:
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one among 200 polio infections results in permanent paralysis and this disease has been eradicated thanks to the development of a polio vaccine. The most recent WHO poll, in 2010, reported only 1,352 cases of polio worldwide. (WHO).”

The virus is transmitted by person-to-person through the following ways –

1) Through the fecal-oral route.

2) By contaminated water or food.

This virus primarily grows and multiplies in the intestine, from where it can attack the nervous system and will cause polio and paralysis on an advanced level.

Types of Polio

There are three types of polio infections:

1) Subclinical: This type of polio do not experience any symptoms as this does not affect the central nervous system – the brain and spinal cord. 95 percent of polio cases identifies are usually subclinical.

2) Non-paralytic: This type of polio does affect the central nervous system but does not result in paralysis.

3) Paralytic: This is the most serious and rarest form of polio as it results in full or partial paralysis in the patient. Three types of paralytic polio are –

Spinal Polio – As the name suggests, it affects the spine.
Bulbar Polio – It affects the brainstem.
Bulbospinal Polio – It affects the spine and brainstem.

What is Poliomyelitis?

Poliomyelitis in nothing but the scientific term or synonym of the disease Polio. In very rare cases it causes muscle weakness resulting in an inability to move or paralysis. Poliovirus can spread from person to person or by food or water containing human feces and less commonly from infected saliva.

Signs and Symptoms of Poliomyelitis

As we discussed, there are three different types of polio, so the symptoms also varies.

If a person is infected with Sub-clinical Polio then he can face the following symptoms –

Headache.
Slight fever.
Sore and red throat.
General discomfort.
Vomiting.

The following are the symptoms of Non-paralytic Polio –

Fever.
A sore throat.
Vomiting.
Headache.
Fatigue.
Abnormal reflexes.
Stiffness and pain in arm and leg pain.
Problems with swallowing and breathing.
Back pain, particularly neck stiffness.
Muscle tenderness and spasms.

People with paralytic polio experience the symptoms of Non-paralytic Polio followed by these symptoms-

Loss of reflexes.
Severe spasms and muscle pain.
Loose and floppy limbs.
Sudden paralysis.
Deformed limbs.

7.United Nations Population Fund(gs-1,2)

Context:411 child marriages prevented in Odisha
Timely intervention by authorities and social activists have prevented 411 child marriages involving mostly minor girls in Odisha last year, said the State government here on Thursday.
In Odisha, the risk of a girl marrying before her 18th birthday has dropped. The prevalence of child marriages among girls in the State was reported to be 21.3%, against the national average of 26.8%, whereas for boys it is only 11% against the national average of 20.3%
“It is a matter of concern that Khurda, which is a developed district and has a high literacy rate, has recorded 18% child marriages. In Malkangiri, the percentage is very high at 39%,” said Deepa Prasad, State Programme Coordinator of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). There is no district where there is no child marriage.

United Nations Population Fund:

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, is a UN organization.
The UNFPA says it "is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled".
Their work involves the improvement of reproductive health; including creation of national strategies and protocols, and birth control by providing supplies and services.
The organization has recently been known for its worldwide campaign against child marriage, obstetric fistula and female genital mutilation.
The UNFPA supports programs in more than 150 countries and areas spread across four geographic regions: Arab States and Europe, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa. A
round three quarters of the staff work in the field. It is a member of the United Nations Development Group and part of its executive committee

8.Fitch Ratings(gs-3)

Context:Fitch slashes India’s growth outlook to 6-year low of 5.5 per cent
Fitch Ratings has slashed India’s GDP growth forecast to a to a six-year low of 5.5 per cent in the current fiscal as “economy is being held back by a large squeeze in credit availability emanating from non-bank financial companies (NBFCs)”.
Data from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) shows that the flow of new lending from non-bank sources was down 60 per cent year on year between April and September.

Fitch Ratings:

Fitch Ratings Inc. is an American credit rating agency and is one of the "Big Three credit rating agencies",the other two being Moody's and Standard & Poor's. It is one of the three nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (NRSRO) designated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in 1975.

Fitch Ratings is dual headquartered in New York and London.Hearst owns 100 percent of the company following its acquisition of an additional 20 percent for $2.8 billion on April 12, 2018.Hearst had owned 80 percent of the company after increasing its ownership stake by 30 percent on December 12, 2014, in a transaction valued at $1.965 billion. Hearst's previous equity interest was 50 percent following expansions on an original acquisition in 2006.
Hearst had jointly owned Fitch with FIMALAC SA, which held 20 percent of the company until the 2018 transaction. Fitch Ratings and Fitch Solutions are part of the Fitch Group.
The firm was founded by John Knowles Fitch on December 24, 1914, in New York City as the Fitch Publishing Company. In 1989, the company was acquired by a group including Robert Van Kampen.In 1997, Fitch was acquired by FIMALAC and was merged with London-based IBCA Limited, a FIMALAC subsidiary.In 2000 Fitch acquired both Chicago-based Duff & Phelps Credit Rating Co. (April) and Thomson Financial BankWatch (December).
Fitch Ratings is the smallest of the "big three" NRSROs, covering a more limited share of the market than S&P and Moody's, though it has grown with acquisitions and frequently positions itself as a "tie-breaker" when the other two agencies have ratings similar, but not equal, in scale.
In September 2011, Fitch Group announced the sale of Algorithmics (risk analytics software) to IBM for $387 million.The deal closed on October 21, 2011

9.Palm oil(gs-,2)

Context:Palm oil import boycott: India asks Malaysia leadership to do ‘serious introspection’
Calling Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s comments “unacceptable”, India on Thursday slammed Malaysia for raising the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and asked its leadership to do “serious introspection”

Referring to the palm oil import boycott, Delhi said that trade cannot be “impervious” to the state of the bilateral relationship.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said that “his statements are unacceptable and are not keeping with the facts and we hope Malaysia will do serious introspection on the position it has taken”.

Palm oil(import)

As per Commerce Ministry data, India’s vegetable oil imports were valued at Rs 69,023.79 cr in 2018-19 and Rs 27,972.27 cr during April-August 2019.

Earlier:The country’s apex edible oil trade association has urged its members to “refrain” from importing palm oil from Malaysia in the light of its Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, raising the Kashmir issue at the United Nations General Assembly.
As per Commerce Ministry data, India’s vegetable oil imports were valued at Rs 69,023.79 crore in 2018-19 and Rs 27,972.27 crore during April-August 2019. A significant chunk of this comprised palm oil: Rs 36,632.99 crore (2018-19) and Rs 15,452.70 crore (April-August 2019). The share of Malaysia within that was Rs 10,049.04 crore (2018-19) and Rs 8,392.16 crore (April-August). While imports from Indonesia were higher in 2018-19 (Rs 23,643.28 crore), they have, however, been lower in April-August this year (Rs 5,289.46 crore)

Palm oil in India:

Scope for Oil Palm cultivation
Oil palm crop is one of the highest oil (palm oil) yielding crops among the all perennial crops. Oil palm tree produces edible palm-oil as well as palm kernel-oil. This oil palm is considered as golden palm due to its high yielding capacity. Oil palm produces 4 to 5 tonnes per ha of Crude Palm Oil (CPO) and 0.40 to 0.50 tonne per ha of Palm Kernel Oil (PKO) from 4th to 30th year of its productive life spam.
Oil palm crop provides the excellent substitute of importing the oil. In India, oil palm is being cultivated in 13 states by covering about 3,15,000 hectares by 2017-18 under irrigated conditions. Potential states are Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Bihar.

our sponsors today: