CURRENT AFFAIRS 26 OCTOBER 2019

CURRENT AFFAIRS

26 OCTOBER 2019

1. Cyclonic storm Kyarr(gs-1,3)

Context:Cyclonic storm Kyarr intensifies over Arabian sea, moves towards Oman
The Very Severe Cyclonic Storm 'KYARR' over the east-central Arabian Sea is moving west-northwestwards towards the coast with a speed of 12 kmph. At 0830 in the morning, it was about 370 km south-southwest of Mumbai and 1740 km east-southeast of Oman, the warning was issued yesterday afternoon by the Mumbai centre of the India Meteorological Department (IMD). A warning, indicating 'extremely heavy rainfall', has been issued for Sindhudurg district in Maharashtra. Heavy rains along with gusty winds battered Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri districts in last 24 hours. In Malwan in Sindhudurg, more than 200 mm of rain has been recorded in last 24 hours. Due to high tide, coastal areas in the Sindhudurg district have been inundated and crops have been damaged. In Ratnagiri, 80 small boats drowned in the sea. Heavy rains were also witnessed in other districts in the Konkan region. Authorities have issued a warning for fishermen not to venture out in the sea.

In Goa, in view of cyclone Kyarra, India Meteorological Department has asked the tourists to stay away from the state.

Meanwhile, due to the rain and gusty wind, there were traffic congestions at several places in the state capital Panaji. A trawler headed towards Betul jetty turned turtle off Mobor due to turbulent sea conditions. The helicopter was pressed into service to assist distressed fishermen.

In Karnataka, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts were battered by heavy showers yesterday leading to the death of two people. The District Commissioners of both the districts have declared holidays for schools and colleges today. The car street surrounding Sri Krishna Temple in Udupi was flooded with the district receiving 74.90 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours. Belthangady in Dakshin Kannada district received the highest rainfall of 39.5 mm.

the Director of Met department in Bengaluru Srinivas Reddy has informed that Kyarr cyclone is moving away from the Karnataka coast resulting in a reduction in rainfall today. He, however, said that the sea waves will still be violent. The fishing boats in both the district were seen anchored at the old port. The heavy downpour yesterday and day before resulted in sea erosion in several places and temporary sea walls washed away in the fury of the waves. The wind and rain also took toll of several trees across the coastline. The Coast Guard is on high warning till the cyclone effect recedes.

Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Kyarr:

A depression formed in the Arabian Sea on October 24, with IMD giving it the identifier ARB 03, later intensifying into a deep depression before JTWC recognized it as Tropical Cyclone 04A. It further intensified and became a cyclonic storm, receiving the name Kyarr from IMD as the 5th cyclonic storm of the season.

2.National Unity Day(gs-1,3)

Context:National Unity Day to be celebrated on Oct 31; Arrangements in full swing
National Unity Day will be celebrated on 31st of this month to mark the birth anniversary of Ironman Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Arrangements are in full swing to celebrate the National Unity Day on 31st of this month. Lakhs of people from more than 700 districts will take part in the events to be organized to commemorate the Birth Anniversary of Sardar Vallabhai Patel. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Kevadia in Gujarat to pay homage to the great leader at the Statue of Unity.
Home Minister Amit Shah will flag off the commemorative Run For Unity from New Delhi's Major Dhyanchand National Stadium at 7.10 AM on 31st of October. The Delhi Metro services will start running from 4 AM from all terminal stations across the national capital on October 31st to facilitate 'Run for Unity' event participants.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his 'Mann ki Baat' address in October 2018 urged the youths of the country to take part in the 'Run for Unity' in largest possible numbers.

Ironman Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel:

First Deputy Prime Minister of India
Widely considered to be the architect of modern India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel played an important role in the integration of all the princely states (especially Hyderabad, Junagadh and Kashmir) into the Indian Union after the British left India in 1947.

Provided good governance as an able administrator in diverse fields like modern farming and empowerment of tribal communities
Organised peasants from Kheda, Borsad, and Bardoli in Gujarat in non-violent civil disobedience against the British Raj, becoming one of the most influential leaders in Gujarat.
He earned the title of “Sardar” after spearheading a no-tax campaign by peasants at Bardoli in Gujarat.
He also led the relief and rehabilitation operations when Gujarat was ravaged by floods and worked tirelessly during a plague outbreak in Ahmedabad.
He is also remembered as the “patron saint of India’s civil servants” for having established the modern all-India services system. “A civil servant cannot afford to, and must not, take part in politics. Nor must he involve himself in communal wrangles. To depart from the path of rectitude in either of these respects is to debase public service and to lower its dignity,” he had cautioned them on April 21, 1947.

3.National Corporate Social Responsibility(gs-2,3)

Context:President Kovind to present National Corporate Social Responsibility Awards on Oct 29
President Ram Nath Kovind will present the National Corporate Social Responsibility Awards to the companies for their outstanding contribution in area of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on 29th of October in New Delhi.
The National CSR Awards have been instituted by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs to recognize corporate initiatives in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to achieve inclusive growth and sustainable development.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) :

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is also known as corporate conscience, corporate citizenship or responsible business refers to a corporation owning the responsibility for environmental and social wellbeing. It includes incurring of expenses towards generating positive socio-environmental externalities as opposed to profit maximization. CSR thus is a concept rooted in ethics and may include corporate philanthropy, community volunteering, responsible business practices, ethical labour practices etc.

Corporate Social Responsibility in India

Evolution of CSR in India

Before Independence the concept manifested in the form of charitable acts of businessmen and philanthropists.
Gandhian model of trusteeship encourages responsible behaviour towards employees and stakeholders as business entities were seen to be operating in public trust.
Post-2000 Indian government becomes the first to mandate CSR under Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013. Under this legislation, every company with net worth of Rs 500 Crore or a turnover of Rs 1000 Cr or net profits of Rs 5 Crore is required to invest at least 2% of its net profit on CSR activities and also to constitute a CSR Committee consisting of at least 3 directors including an independent director. This committee will formulate the CSR policies for the company.

Activities that can be undertaken under CSR as listed in the Companies Act,2013
Eradicating hunger, poverty and malnutrition.
Promoting education and enhancing vocational skills.
Promoting gender equality.
Ensuring environmental sustainability, contributing to Clean Ganga Fund.
Protection of national heritage, art and culture.
Measures for the benefit of armed forces veterans, war widows and their dependents.
Promoting rural sports, Paralympic and Olympic sports.
Contributing to technology incubators.
Slum area development, rural area development.
Contribution to PM s National Relief Fund.
Benefits from Corporate Social Responsibility

To the company

Brand and Image building CSR is a tool for companies to meet aspirations of the community and in turn obtain a license to operate from them or gain their loyalty and trust.
Employee retention and satisfaction improves as CSR initiatives increase employee morale and create a sense of belongingness in them.

To the community

The community benefits through welfare initiatives taken by companies under CSR.
Plays a value positive role CSR fosters social trust and inspires ethical conduct amongst employees and members of society.

To the government

Reduced pressure on the country s fiscal resources.
Aids in achieving welfare obligations of the government as investments are made towards education, healthcare etc.
Bridging of socio-economic disparities

4.Rohingya(gs-1,2,3)

Context:Rohingya, major challenge for Bangladesh: Sheikh Hasina
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh has said that the Rohingya crisis has the potential to destabilise Bangladesh and other countries of the region. Speaking at the plenary session of the 18th Non-aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Azerbaijan on Friday she said that the voluntary return of the displaced Rohingyas to Myanmar with security and dignity is the only solution to the crisis.

Rohingyas:

Who are Rohingyas?

They are an Ethnic group, mostly Muslims. They were not granted full citizenship by Myanmar. They were classified as “resident foreigners or associate citizens”. They speak a dialect of Bengali and not Burmese. Ethnically they are much closer to Indo-Aryan people of India and Bangladesh than to the Sino-Tibetans of the Country.

What’s the issue?

Few years ago, religious and ethnic tensions between the Rohingya Muslims and the Rakhine Buddhists (who make up the majority of the population in Myanmar) escalated into widespread, deadly rioting. Hundreds of thousands were forced to flee. Since then, ongoing violent attacks have forced even more people to leave their homes.
The Myanmar Government says that Rohingya people are not Burmese citizens – but the Rohingya have been living in Myanmar for generations. Today, they are a people with no home or citizenship.
Rohingya people are being widely abused and exploited. They are one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.

5.Lieutenant Governor(gs-2)

Context:First Lt Governors of JK and Ladakh appointed; Oath on October 31
Girish Chander Murmu, a senior IAS officer, who worked closely with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gujarat and is currently the expenditure secretary, was on Friday appointed the first Lt Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, six days ahead of the state becoming a union territory.
Murmu, 59, an IAS officer of 1985 batch, worked as Modi’s additional principal secretary during his tenure as Gujarat chief minister. He was due for retirement on November 30.
He will be administered the oath of office on October 31 in Srinagar after which he will be the administrative head of Kashmir and Jammu provinces. The state’s third province — Ladakh– has been carved out as a separate Union Territory.
Former defence secretary RK Mathur was appointed the first Lt Governor of strategically located Ladakh. The 65-year-old bureaucrat, belonging to 1977 IAS batch, retired as chief information commissioner last year. He will be administered the oath of office on October 31 in Leh.

The present governor of the state Satya Pal Malik moves to Goa for the remainder of his tenure as the governor. He was first appointed the governor of Bihar on September 2017 and later shifted to Jammu and Kashmir last year in August.
Malik succeeds Mridula Sinha, who completed her five-year tenure in August this year but continued to hold the post till October 23.
The two Union territories — Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir — will come into existence on October 31 after the Centre abrogated the special status of the state and bifurcated it into union territories on August 5.
With the appointment of Murmu, the tenure of advisors to the Jammu and Kashmir Governor — K Vijay Kumar, Khursheed Ganai, K Sikandan and KK Sharma — may come to an end as all of them are seniors in service to the new Lt Governor.
In another order, former Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief and Union government-appointed interlocutor to Jammu and Kashmir, Dineshwar Sharma, has been appointed as administrator to Lakshadweep. In order to this effect was issued by the Union home ministry.
BJP’s Kerala president P S Sreedharan Pillai has been appointed as the new governor of Mizoram, the Rashtrapati Bhawan statement said. Assam governor Jagdish Mukhi has been holding the additional charge of Mizoram.

Governor and Lieutenant Governor

Governor is the head of the state, appointed by the President. After the 7th Constitutional Amendment, 1956 a Governor can be appointed for more than one state.
Lieutenant-Governor is the head of a Union Territory.
However, in India, the post is present only in the Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Delhi and Puducherry. In other Union Territories, administrators are appointed.

The functions and powers of a Governor and a Lieutenant Governor are, more or less, the same. The LG, like the Governor, acts a titular head of the Union Territory. But, the powers of an LG are wider than that of a Governor. This is because, a Governor of a state has to act solely on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers, whereas, the LG does not need the approval of the Council of Ministers on every matter. In case of Delhi, the government exercises no power in the domain of land, law, and police. The LG has complete discretion to decide upon any of these matters.

Powers of Lieutenant Governor

The powers and functions of the Lt. Governor of NCT of Delhi are derived from the constitutions and several statutory provisions. Some of them are:-

(i) Provisions of the Constitution. (Art 239)

(ii) Provisions of the Government of National Capital Territory (GNCT) of Delhi Act, 1991

(iii) Provisions under various Acts of the Parliament.

(iv) Delhi Police Act 1978, Delhi Development (DDA) Act 1957, (Delhi Municipal Corporation) DMC Act 1957, Environmental Protection Act, etc.

(v) Delegation through executive orders issued under Article 239(1) by the President under various law.

Article 239AA

Art 239AA of the Constitution of India has some special provisions with respect to Delhi. The article was inserted in the constitution through the 61st Constitutional Amendment Act. The article lays down the basis of the powers conferred upon the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory by the Constitution.

The article reads as follows:

‘There shall be a Council of Ministers consisting of not more than ten percent, of the total number of members in the Legislative Assembly, with the Chief Minister at the head to aid and advise the Lieutenant Governor in the exercise to his functions in relation to matters with respect to which the Legislative Assembly has power to make laws, except in so far as he is, by or under any law, required to act in his discretion.’
However, the interpretation powers of the LG in Delhi and the extent of the control exercised in the decisions and functioning of the government have been murky since last few months. It has been a subject of debate for the country as the differences between the state government and the LG reached unprecedented heights. The Supreme Court, in a recent judgement, laid down broad parameters for the governance of Delhi while enunciating the powers resting with the LG.

Supreme Court’s Verdict on the Powers of Lieutenant Governor

In its verdict on July 4th, 2014, the Supreme Court clearly laid down the extent and boundaries of the powers vested in the post of Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Delhi. The verdict was given in the case which arose out of the power tussle between the Delhi government and the Centre continuing since last few months. The Supreme Court said that Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal does not have independent decision making powers, and is bound to act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers.
The CJI Dipak Misra and Justices Sikri and Khanwilkar gave the majority verdict.
The Court said that “all decisions of the Council of Ministers, who are elected representatives of the people of Delhi, must be communicated to the Lieutenant Governor but that does not mean his concurrence is required”. The court ruled that “there is no room for absolutism and there is no room for anarchism also”. It further said the LG should not act in a mechanical manner and stall the decisions of the Council of Ministers.
Points of difference between the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi and Puducherry
Both Delhi and Puducherry has an elected legislature and government. But, the functions and powers of the Lieutenant Governors of Delhi and Puducherry are marked by certain differences.
The LG of Delhi enjoys greater powers than the LG of Puducherry.
The LG of Delhi is vested with “Executive Functions” that enable him to exercise powers in matters connected to public order, police and land “in consultation with the Chief Minister, if it is so provided under any order issued by the President under Article 239 of the Constitution”.

While the L-G of Delhi is guided by the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991, and the Transaction of Business of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Rules, 1993, the L-G of Puducherry is guided by the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963.
Articles 239 and 239AA of the Constitution, as well as the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991, clearly underline that the role of Centre is more prominent in the UT of Delhi, where the L-G is the eyes and ears of the Centre. Under the constitution, the Delhi Assembly has the power to legislate on all subjects except law and order and land.
Whereas, the Puducherry Assembly can legislate on any issue under the Concurrent and State Lists. However, if the law is in conflict with a law passed by Parliament, the law passed by Parliament prevails.