CURRENT AFFAIRS 13-14 NOVEMBER 2019

CURRENT AFFAIRS

13-14 NOVEMBER 2019

1.RTI(GS-2)

CONTEXT: Chief Justice of India's office is public authority under RTI Act: SC
The Supreme Court today held that office of Chief Justice of India is a public authority under Right to Information (RTI) Act.
A five-judge Constitution Bench headed by the Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi pronounced its verdict after listening to a petition filed against a 2010 Judgement of the Delhi High Court.
The High Court in its order had declared the CJI's office a public authority and said that it should come under the RTI Act.
The bench, also comprising Justices N V Ramana, D Y Chandrachud, Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, said that only the names of judges recommended by the Collegium for appointment can be disclosed, not the reasons.
It said that the Right to Privacy is an important aspect and it has to be balanced with transparency while deciding to give out information from the office of the Chief Justice.

RTI:

Historical Background

The right to information gained power when Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948 providing everyone the right to seek, receive, information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
The International Covenant on Civil and Political rights 1966 states that everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression, the freedom to seek and impart information and ideas of all kinds.
According to Thomas Jefferson “Information is the currency of democracy,” and critical to the emergence and development of a vibrant civil society. However, with a view to set out a practical regime for the citizens to secure information as a matter of right, the Indian Parliament enacted the Right to Information Act, 2005.
Genesis of RTI law started in 1986, through judgement of Supreme Court in Mr. Kulwal v/s Jaipur Municipal Corporation case, in which it directed that freedom of speech and expression provided under Article 19 of the Constitution clearly implies Right to Information, as without information the freedom of speech and expression cannot be fully used by the citizens.

Objectives of the Act

To empower the citizens
To promote transparency and accountability
To contain corruption and
To enhance people’s participation in democratic process.
Reasons for Adoption of Information Act

The factors responsible for adoption of information act are as follows-

Corruption and scandals
International pressure and activism
Modernization and the information society

Features of the Act

Section 1(2) : It extends to the whole of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
Section- 2 (f): "Information" means any material in any form, including Records, Documents, Memos, e-mails, Opinions, Advices, Press releases, Circulars, Orders, Logbooks, Contracts, Reports, Papers, Samples, Models, Data material held in any electronic form and information relating to any private body which can be accessed by a Public Authority under any other law for the time being in force.
Section- 2(j) : "Right to Information" means the right to information accessible under this Act which is held by or under the control of any public authority and includes the right to:
Inspection of work, documents, records;
Taking notes, extracts or certified copies of documents or records;
Taking certified samples of material;
Obtaining information in the form of diskettes, floppies, tapes, video cassettes or in any other electronic mode or through printouts where such information is stored in a computer or in any other device.

What is Public Authority?

"Public authority" means any authority or body or institution of self government established or constituted—
by or under the Constitution;
by any other law made by Parliament/State Legislature.
by notification issued or order made by the appropriate Government, and includes any—
body owned, controlled or substantially financed;
non-Government organisation substantially financed, directly or indirectly by funds provided by the appropriate Government.
Section 4 of the RTI Act requires suo motu disclosure of information by each public authority. However, such disclosures have remained less than satisfactory.
Section 8 (1) mentions exemptions against furnishing information under RTI Act.
Section 8 (2) provides for disclosure of information exempted under Official Secrets Act, 1923 if larger public interest is served.
The Act also provides for appointment of Information Commissioners at Central and State level. Public authorities have designated some of its officers as Public Information Officer. They are responsible to give information to a person who seeks information under the RTI Act.
Time period: In normal course, information to an applicant is to be supplied within 30 days from the receipt of application by the public authority.
If information sought concerns the life or liberty of a person, it shall be supplied within 48 hours.
In case the application is sent through the Assistant Public Information Officer or it is sent to a wrong public authority, five days shall be added to the period of thirty days or 48 hours, as the case may be.

Importance

The RTI Act, 2005 did not create a new bureaucracy for implementing the law. Instead, it tasked and mandated officials in every office to change their attitude and duty from one of secrecy to one of sharing and openness.
It carefully and deliberately empowered the Information Commission to be the highest authority in the country with the mandate to order any office in the country to provide information as per the provisions of the Act. And it empowered the Commission to fine any official who did not follow the mandate.
Right to information has been seen as the key to strengthening participatory democracy and ushering in people centred governance.
Access to information can empower the poor and the weaker sections of society to demand and get information about public policies and actions, thereby leading to their welfare. It showed an early promise by exposing wrongdoings at high places, such as in the organisation of the Commonwealth Games, and the allocation of 2G spectrum and coal blocks.
Right to information opens up government’s records to public scrutiny, thereby arming citizens with a vital tool to inform them about what the government does and how effectively, thus making the government more accountable.
Improves decision making by public authority by removing unnecessary secrecy.

RIGHT TO INFORMATION (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2019:

What does the RTI Act do?

Under the RTI Act, 2005, Public Authorities are required to make disclosures on various aspects of their structure and functioning.
This includes: (i) disclosure on their organisation, functions, and structure, (ii) powers and duties of its officers and employees, and (iii) financial information.

Need:

The intent of such suo moto disclosures is that the public should need minimum recourse through the Act to obtain such information. The intent behind the enactment of the Act is to promote transparency and accountability in the working of Public Authorities.

Who is included in the ambit of ‘Public Authorities’?

‘Public Authorities’ include bodies of self-government established under the Constitution, or under any law or government notification. For instance, these include Ministries, public sector undertakings, and regulators. It also includes any entities owned, controlled or substantially financed and non-government organizations substantially financed directly or indirectly by funds provided by the government.

How is the right to information enforced under the Act?

The Act has established a three tier structure for enforcing the right to information guaranteed under the Act.
Public Authorities designate some of their officers as Public Information Officers.
The first request for information goes to Central/State Assistant Public Information Officer and Central/State Public Information Officer, designated by the Public Authorities. These Officers are required to provide information to an RTI applicant within 30 days of the request.

Appeals from their decisions go to an Appellate Authority.

Information Commissions:

Appeals against the order of the Appellate Authority go to the State Information Commission or the Central Information Commission.
These Information Commissions consists of a Chief Information Commissioner, and up to 10 Information Commissioners.

What does the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019 propose?

The Bill changes the terms and conditions of service of the CIC and Information Commissioners at the centre and in states.
The Bill states that the central government will notify the term of office for the CIC and the ICs.
The Bill states that the salaries, allowances, and other terms and conditions of service of the central and state CIC and ICs will be determined by the central government.

Mains Question: The Right to Information (RTI) has emerged as an effective tool for citizen’s dispute resolution. Should the ambit of RTI be expanded to politicians and Judiciary too? Give your opinion with substantial justification.

2.Representation of peoples act 1951, 91ST AMENDMENT

(GS-2)

CONTEXT:SC upholds former Karnataka Speaker’s order disqualifying 17 MLAs
The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the disqualification of 17 Congress-JD(S) MLAs in Karnataka on orders of the Speaker but allowed them to contest the December 5 bypolls in the state.
The court struck down the portion of the order of then Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar by which the legislators were disqualified till the end of the 15th Karnataka Assembly.

Representation of peoples act 1951:

The Representation of People Act 1951 or the RPA 1951 deals with the electoral system in India. This act was passed by the Indian Parliament before the very first General Elections. It provides for the elections in our country. The act also talks about the terms and qualification/disqualification of the members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, and also the state legislatures.

Salient Features of the Representation of People Act 1951

Actual conduct of elections
Poll
Administrative machinery for the conduct of elections
By-elections
Election offences
Election disputes
Registration of political parties
It is this act that prevents the entry of criminals into the representative bodies, at least on paper. This act has been amended many times, the latest being in 2013.

The original RPA 1951 contains 13 parts and 171 sections. Part 2 deals with qualifications and disqualifications of the members of the parliament and the state legislatures. Part 4A deals with the registration of political parties. Part 5A deals with the free supply of certain materials to candidates of recognised political parties. Part 13A mentions the Chief Electoral Officer.
This act is important because it is cited judges frequently in preventing criminals from entering the electoral system and representative bodies of the country.

Section 6 in The Representation of the People Act, 1951

6. Qualifications for membership of a Legislative Council.—
(1) A person shall not be qualified to be chosen to fill a seat in the Legislative Council of a State to be filled by election unless he is an elector for any Assembly constituency in that State.
(2) A person shall not be qualified to be chosen to fill a seat in the Legislative Council of a State to be filled by nomination by the Governor 1[***] unless he is ordinarily resident in the State.

Section 8 of the RPA 1951

1 – A person convicted of an offence punishable under certain acts of Indian Penal Code, Protection of Civil Rights Act 1955, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967, Prevention of Corruption Act 1988, Prevention of Terrorism Act 2002 etc. shall be disqualified, where the convicted person is sentenced to — (i) only fine, for a period of six years from the date of such conviction; (ii) imprisonment, from the date of such conviction and shall continue to be disqualified for a further period of six years since his release.
2 – A person convicted for the contravention of—(a) any law providing for the prevention of hoarding or profiteering; or (b) any law relating to the adulteration of food or drugs; or (c) any provisions of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961.
3 – A person convicted of any offence and sentenced to imprisonment for not less than two years [other than any offence referred to in sub-section (1) or sub-section (2)] shall be disqualified from the date of such conviction and shall continue to be disqualified for a further period of six years since his release.
A fourth subsection, i.e., 8(4) was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013. This subsection had provisions for convicted lawmakers to retain their seats if they filed an appeal within 3 months of their conviction.

91ST AMENDMENT(VIDEO BY UNACDAEMY)…..

3.The Finance Act, 2017(GS-2,3)

CONTEXT:In Setback for Govt, SC Strikes Down Finance Act Rules for Appointments to Judicial Tribunals
Striking down the rules framed under the amended Finance Act 2017 for appointments to tribunals, the Supreme Court has directed the government to reframe fresh norms for such appointments on the basis of existing statutes and not the rules framed under the Finance Act of 2017, which was passed as a Money Bill.
A five-judge Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi directed the law ministry to conduct an impact study and submit a report to the apex court. It said that there is a need-based requirement to conduct ‘Judicial Impact Assessment’ of all the tribunals so as to analyse the ramifications of the changes in the framework of tribunals as provided under the Finance Act, 2017. However, it referred the issue challenging the validity of passage of Finance Act 2017 as Money Bill to a larger bench of seven judges.

The Finance Act, 2017:

India's finance bill for the financial year 2016-2017 (the "Bill") was presented by the Finance Minister on February 1, 2017 and approved by the Lok Sabha with certain modifications on March 22, 2017. The Lok Sabha voted the Bill to be a money bill.
Finance bills are legislative proposals presented in the Lok Sabha (India's lower house) before the beginning of every financial year and after the budget announcement for the next financial year. Finance bills essentially propose all the amendments to be made to various acts (such as the Income Tax Act 1961) to implement the budget in the coming financial year.
Generally, bills that exclusively contain provisions for the imposition and abolition of taxes and the appropriation of moneys out of the Consolidated Fund are certified as money bills.1 The significance of a money bill is that it only needs to be put to vote in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha (India's upper house) can only suggest certain amendments to a money bill. The amendments are then presented before the Lok Sabha, which can either accept or reject them.
On March 30, 2017, the Lok Sabha rejected all the amendments proposed by the Rajya Sabha to the Bill and the same was sent to the President of India for his assent. The Finance Act, 2017 (the "Act") came into effect from April 1, 2017 after the President granted assent to the Bill on March 31, 2017.

THIS AMENDMENT HAS BEEN STUCK DOWN BY THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA:

2.3 Restructuring of certain tribunals
Pursuant to the Act, certain existing tribunals are to be restructured and merged. In particular:
the Competition Appellate Tribunal will be merged with the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal;
the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority Appellate Tribunal and the Cyber Appellate Tribunal will be merged with the Telecom Dispute Settlement and Appellate Tribunal;
the National Highways Tribunal will be merged with the Airport Appellate Tribunal;
the Employees Provident Fund Appellate Tribunal will be merged with the Industrial Tribunal;
the Copyright Board will be merged with the Intellectual Property Appellate Board;
the Railways Rates Tribunal will be merged with the Railways Claims Tribunal; and
the Appellate Tribunal for Foreign Exchange will be merged with Appellate Tribunal (constituted under relevant foreign exchange manipulation legislation).
While several of these mergers appear to have merit on grounds of functional similarity, there are a few mergers, which might raise eyebrows. It's not immediately apparent, for example, why the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority Appellate Tribunal is to be merged with the Cyber Appellate Tribunal and the Telecom Dispute Settlement and Appellate Tribunal? Questions have also been raised on the constitutionality of merging these tribunals through a money bill.

4.Inflation at Retail Level (Consumer Level)(GS-3)

CONTEXT:Retail inflation surges to 4.62% in October on higher food prices
The rate of retail inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) breached the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) medium-term target of 4 per cent in October, for the first time in 15 months, on the back of higher food prices.
The CPI-inflation rate had stood at 3.99 per cent in September and 3.38 per cent in October 2018.

Inflation at Retail Level (Consumer Level)

Consumer often directly buys from retailer. So the inflation experienced at retail shops is the actual reflection of the price rise in the country. It also shows the cost of living better.

In India, the index which shows the inflation rate at retail level is known as Consumer Price Index (CPI). CPI is based on 260 commodities, but includes certain services too. There were four Consumer Price Indices covering different socio-economic groups in the economy. These four indices were Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW); Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labourers (CPI-AL); Consumer Price Index for Rural Labourers (CPI -RL) and Consumer Price Index for Urban Non-Manual Employees (CPI-UNME). CPI is now using a new series on the base 2010=100 for all-India and States/UTs separately for rural, urban and combined. The Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation releases Consumer Price Indices (CPI). CPI is based on retail prices and this index is used to calculate the Dearness Allowance (DA) for government employees.

5.WAYU, designed by NEERI,What is a HEPA filter?(GS-3)

CONTEXT:‘Roadside air purifiers failed to curb pollution in Capital’
Environment Secretary says more experimenting needs to be done
Roadside air purifiers and those installed on the top of buses to combat pollution have failed, Union Environment Ministry Secretary C.K. Mishra said at a conference on Wednesday. “Some measures have worked, some have not. The NEERI air purifiers on roadsides that were meant to suck polluted air have not worked; HEPA filters installed on top of buses have also not worked. However, we have to try different solutions and keep experimenting,” said Mr. Mishra. He was the keynote speaker at a conference organised by The Energy Resources Institute. On Wednesday, the air quality in the city was in the ‘severe’ category. The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), a Nagpurbased laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), had developed WAYU to address air pollution at traffic intersections and dense traffic zones

WAYU, the air filter device that will make sure the people of Delhi get to breathe fresh air:

Delhi is among the most polluted cities in the world, and with 17 million inhabitants, is also the fifth most populated. A report by the WHO (World Health Organization) stated the air in the capital city has a high presence of PM10 (particulate matter). PM10 in Delhi's air is around 292 micrograms per cubic metre, as against the safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic metre set by WHO, making breathing in Delhi equal to smoking 44 cigarettes a day. While there have been many policies, ranging from banning unauthorised industries releasing harmful chemicals, to bringing electric mobility, only a few have been successful.

To combat the worsening air quality, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), the Nagpur-based laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has developed the WAYU (Wind Augmentation and Purification Units) device. This device, designed in collaboration with Industrial Design Centre at IIT Bombay, can tackle air pollution at high traffic zones.

The purification process The WAYU device works in two stages. The first stage uses a fan to suck in air around the device, which contains all kinds of pollutants like dust and particulate matter. These are separated using three blades of different dimensions.
Prototypes of the WAYU device have been installed at the ITO Junction in central Delhi, and Mukarba Chowk in north Delhi and were unveiled by Minister for Science and Technology Dr Harsh Vardhan, on Tuesday.

What is a HEPA filter?

Think about the long list of important terms, buzzwords, and acronyms in your life that you haven’t quite wrapped your brain around: FDIC-insured, Big Data, Organic, to name a few. If you’ve ever bought an air purifier or vacuum, you can probably add “HEPA” to that list.
What does it mean for a filter to be called “HEPA”, and why does it matter? We’re happy to explain:
What does HEPA mean and where did it come from?
HEPA, which stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air, is a designation used to describe filters that are able to trap 99.97 percent of particles that are 0.3 microns. Though the HEPA standard and certification process wasn’t established until 1983, development of HEPA filters dates back to World War II, when American scientists with the Manhattan Project created the first HEPA filter to capture radioactive particles released during the creation of the atomic bomb.

Why 0.3 microns?

That micron size (0.3) is referred to by scientists as the MPPS, or the most penetrating particle size. Scientists have found that particles of that size evade air filters more than larger or smaller particles. We’ll get into why in a little bit.
What are HEPA filters made from and how do they work?
Most modern HEPA filters consist of interlaced glass fibers that are twisted and turned in myriad directions to create a fibrous maze. As particles traverse this web, they’re taken out of circulation in the following ways:

What_is_HEPA_Explained_INSET

Direct Impaction: Large contaminants, such as certain types of dust, mold, and pollen, travel in a straight path, collide with a fiber, and stick to it.
Sieving: The air stream carries a particle between two fibers, but the particle is larger than the gap, so it becomes ensnared.
Interception: Airflow is nimble enough to reroute around fibers, but, thanks to inertia, particles continue on their path and stick to the sides of fibers.
Diffusion: Small, ultrafine particles move more erratically than larger ones, so they’re more likely to hit and stick to fibers.

What about when particles penetrate a HEPA filter? Are they going straight to my lungs?

Don’t worry. There are other technologies that work in concert with HEPA filters to ward off many super-small contaminants, such as smoke, fumes, and other chemicals. Activated carbon filters, like those in Airmega’s Max2 filters for example, use small pores to capture some chemicals, odors, and smoke that a HEPA filter might not catch.

I keep hearing the term ‘True HEPA.’ Are there different forms of HEPA?
There are quite a few terms marketers use to describe air filters. While True HEPA is technically a marketing term, it’s used by many to differentiate between American and European HEPA standards. In Europe, a filter only needs to capture 85 percent of particles sized at 0.3 microns—compared to the 99.97-percent U.S. standard—to be HEPA-certified. The American standard is, thus, often referred to as “True HEPA.” “HEPA-type,” “Ultra HEPA,” and other HEPA variations aren’t recognized by the accrediting bodies in the U.S. or Europe.

What if a filter advertises itself as capable of capturing 99.9 percent of small or large particles—that’s good, right?
Not necessarily. A filter that says it can suck up 99.9 percent of large particles may be poor at capturing ultra-fine ones. Likewise, a filter that touts its ability to trap the smallest of particles isn’t telling you how well it captures particles that are 0.3 microns, which we know are the most troublesome.

Where are HEPA filters used?
Like in the Manhattan Project, HEPA filters were originally intended to be used in lab and factory settings. Today, they’ve also made their way into consumer products, including cars, vacuum cleaners, and—you guessed it—air purifiers.

6.BRICS(GS-2,3)

CONTEXT:PM Modi addresses BRICS Business Forum
Addressing the BRICS Business Forum, the Prime Minister said that in the last 10 years, the intra-BRICS business has increased, and regulations should ease out to promote it further. He asked BRICS business Forum to study ways and means to bring down the cost of intra BRICS trade.
Prime Minister urged that forum should map at least 5 fields by next BRICS summit in which joint ventures can be made.
He said that economic complementarities between BRICS economics should be utilized. Prime Minister also urged the BRICS grouping to think of mutual social security agreements. He said that with political stability, business-friendly policies and greater ease of doing business, India offers unlimited opportunities and invited BRICS Business communities to increase their presence in India.
Mr Modi requested the private sector to get connected with human resource initiatives such as I-BRICS and BRICS Institute of the future network.
Addressing the forum, Chinese President Xi Jinping said he has received good ideas for multilateral trade cooperation and has identified areas for intra-BRICS trade. He assured the BRICS members to take necessary decisions to open up the Chinese market for them to improve business relations.

BRICS:

BRICS is an acronym for the grouping of the world’s leading emerging economies, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
The BRICS Leaders’ Summit is convened annually.
Structure
BRICS does not exist in form of organization, but it is an annual summit between the supreme leaders of five nations.
The Chairmanship of the forum is rotated annually among the members, in accordance with the acronym B-R-I-C-S.
BRICS cooperation in the past decade has expanded to include an annual programme of over 100 sectoral meetings.

Salient Features

Together, BRICS accounts for about 40% of the world’s population and about 30% of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product), making it a critical economic engine.
It’s an emerging investment market and global power bloc.

Genesis

The acronym "BRICS" was initially formulated in 2001 by economist Jim O'Neill, of Goldman Sachs, in a report on growth prospects for the economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China – which together represented a significant share of the world's production and population.
In 2006, the four countries initiated a regular informal diplomatic coordination, with annual meetings of Foreign Ministers at the margins of the General Debate of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).
This successful interaction led to the decision that the dialogue was to be carried out at the level of Heads of State and Government in annual Summits.

Timeline

The first BRIC Summit took place in 2009 in the Russian Federation and focused on issues such as reform of the global financial architecture.
South Africa was invited to join BRIC in December 2010, after which the group adopted the acronym BRICS. South Africa subsequently attended the Third BRICS Summit in Sanya, China, in March 2011.

Objectives

The BRICS seeks to deepen, broaden and intensify cooperation within the grouping and among the individual countries for more sustainable, equitable and mutually beneficial development.
BRICS takes into consideration each member’s growth, development and poverty objectives to ensure relations are built on the respective country’s economic strengths and to avoid competition where possible.
BRICS is emerging as a new and promising political-diplomatic entity with diverse objectives, far beyond the original objective of reforming global financial institutions.

Areas of Cooperation

1. Economic Cooperation

There are rapidly growing trade and investment flows between BRICS countries as well as economic cooperation activities across a range of sectors.
Agreements have been concluded in the areas of Economic and Trade Cooperation; Innovation Cooperation, Customs Cooperation; strategic cooperation between the BRICS Business Council , Contingent Reserve Agreement and the New Development Bank.
These agreements contribute to realisation of the shared objectives of deepening economic cooperation and fostering integrated trade and investment markets.

2. People-to-People exchange

BRICS members have recognised the need for strengthening People-to-People exchanges and to foster closer cooperation in the areas of culture, sport, education, film and youth.

People-to-People exchanges seek to forge new friendships; deepen relations and mutual understanding between BRICS peoples in the spirit of openness, inclusiveness, diversity and mutual learning.

Such People to people exchanges include the Young Diplomats Forum, Parliamentarian Forum, Trade Union Forum, Civil BRICS as well as the Media Forum.

3. Political and Security Cooperation

BRICS member political and security cooperation is aimed at achieving peace, security, development and cooperation for a more equitable and fair world.

BRICS provides opportunities for sharing policy advice and exchanges of best practices in terms of domestic and regional challenges as well as advancing the restructuring of the global political architecture so that it is more balanced, resting on the pillar of multilateralism.

BRICS is utilised as a driver for South Africa’s foreign policy priorities including the pursuit of the African Agenda and South-South Cooperation.

4. Cooperation Mechanism

Cooperation among members is achieved through:

Track I: Formal diplomatic engagement between the national governments.

Track II: Engagement through government-affiliated institutions, e.g. state-owned enterprises and business councils.

Track III: Civil society and People-to-People engagement.

Impacts of BRICS on global institutional reforms

The main reason for co-operation to start among the BRICs nation was the financial crises of 2008. The crises raised doubts over sustainability of the dollar-dominated monetary system.

The BRICs called for the “the reform of multilateral institutions in order that they reflect the structural changes in the world economy and the increasingly central role that emerging markets now play”.

BRICs managed to push for institutional reform which led to International Monetary Fund (IMF) quota reform in 2010. Thus the financial crises had momentarily reduced western legitimacy and briefly let the BRICs countries become “agenda setters” in multilateral institutions.

7.39th India International Trade Fair to begin today(GS-2,3)

39th India International Trade Fair will begin today at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. The theme for this edition of the fair is 'Ease of Doing Business'. The fair will be inaugurated by Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Nitin Gadkari.
First five days will be reserved for business and the Fair will be open to the general public from the 19th of this month. Entry tickets for business days will be available for 500 rupees per person and season ticket for 1,800 rupees.
For all visitors during public days, ticket charges will be Rs. 60 for adults and Rs. 40 for children on working days.
On Saturday, Sunday and any public holiday, the tickets will be 120 rupees for adult and Rs. 60 for children.
Entry tickets are available at 66 metro stations, excluding Pragati Maidan metro station and entry gates of trade fair. People can visit the Fair from 9:30 AM to 7:30 PM.
Several countries, including Australia, Iran, the UK, Vietnam, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Egypt, Hong Kong, Indonesia are participating in the 14-day Trade Fair.
This year the status of 'Partner Country' has been accorded to Afghanistan and South Korea will be the Focus Country. Bihar and Jharkhand will be the focus states

8. Maitree Diwas (GS-2)

CONTEXT:Rajnath Singh to attend Maitree Diwas celebrations in Arunachal Pradesh today
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Arunachal Pradesh today to attend the Maitree Diwas celebrations at Tawang.
Maitree Diwas (Civil-Military Friendship) will be celebrated for two days at Gyalwa Tsangyang Gyatso High Altitude Stadium Tawang.
This will be the 11th edition of Maitree Diwas which celebrates civil-military bonhomie in the area.
Rajnath Singh will also inaugurate Sisseri River Bridge and National Highway-52 in East Siang District tomorrow.

Maitree Diwas :

In Arunachal Pradesh, Maitree Diwas, a multi-cultural social event, is being organized at Tawang on November 28th and 29th.
It is jointly organized by the local civil administration and the Tawang Military Garrison.
Maitree Diwas aims at celebrating the strong spirit of friendship and bonhomie that exists between the civilians and the Indian Army.

9.Western Ghats(GS-1,3)

CONTEXT:The Western Ghats still home to a rainbow of butterflies
The Western Ghats is still home to a kaleidoscope of butterflies. A survey that ended in the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) on Monday could sight 191 species, 12 of which are endemic to the biodiversity-rich region.
The first-time sighting of Silver forget me not, Common three ring, and Brown onyx was also recorded. The sighting of Silver forget me not was reported only from the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary in Idukki district of the State. The three-day survey was done jointly by the Forest and Wildlife Department in association with the Ferns Nature Conservation Society (FNCS).

Western Ghats:

The Western Ghats are the mountain groups running parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula. The Ghats is well known for its biodiversity, where we can find a variety of flora and fauna. The Western Ghats again find a place in the news after the announcement of the UNESCO World Heritage site. Followed by UNESCO announcement, the government of India appointed two committees [Gadgil committee and Kasturirangan committee] to study the measures taken to protect it.

Geographical Features

Mountain range starts around the border of Gujarat and Maharashtra, to the south of river Tapti.
Runs through the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Ends at Kanyakumari, the southern tip of India. It covers approximately 1600km.
The Western Ghats blocks southwestern monsoon winds reaching the Deccan plateau.

Rivers

Major rivers originate from the Ghats, these include Godavari, Kaveri, Krishna, Thamiraparani, Tungabhadra.
These watersheds feeding the perennial rivers.
These rivers flow to the east and drain into the Bay of Bengal.
The tributaries, Kabini, Periyar, Bhima etc flow towards the west to western ghats and drain into the Arabian sea.
The major use of these water bodies is irrigation and hydroelectric purposes.

Biodiversity of Western Ghats:

The Western Ghats are home to thousands of species, including globally threatened species.
These species include mammals like lion-tailed macaque, Indian elephants [endangered species].
Reptile includes various snake population and vulnerable Mugger crocodiles.
Amphibians of the Ghats are diverse and unique that includes endangered species of purple frog. Moreover, it is home to many caecilian species.
A variety of fishes are present in the rivers of the Western Ghats including threatened, vulnerable and endangered fishes.
Bird population includes more than 500 species like Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, broad-tailed grass bird etc.
Apart from these the Ghats homes to various insects, mollusks, and fauna.

The significance of conserving The Western Ghats:

It is clear from the data that these Ghats play a pivotal role in maintaining ecological balance. Moreover maintaining ecological balance, it also conserves natural biodiversity. However, overpopulation and industrialization put a huge burden on the Western Ghats. Due to these reasons, deforestation has increased at an alarming rate thereby creating a threat to ecology and species.
The single reason behind the complete protection of the Western Ghats is the phenomenon of endemism. There are around 1500 species of flowering plants, 500 species of fishes, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals according to various studies

Gadgil committee and Kasturirangan committee

Gadgil committee, headed by ecologist Madhav Gadgil, appointed by union ministry in 2011. The committee recommended to declare the whole of Western Ghats as an ecologically sensitive area[ESA]. Only limited developments allowed in graded zones. These recommendations waved widespread protests from the states. The reason for such oppositions is due to the fact that it affects the agricultural production, the livelihood of the major inhabitants. Furthermore, according to Gadgil committee suggestions, local inhabitants should leave their dwellings. Because of these reasons, the state governments forced the center to delay imposing ESA restrictions.

Kasturi Rangan committee:

It headed by former ISRO chairman, K. Kasturirangan. The central government appointed this committee in view of string oppositions from public and state governments. The major recommendations include only 37%[60,000Sq Km] of western ghats is to be declared as ESA. A significant reduction in figures when compared to the Gadgil committee. However, Kerala managed to reduce the ESA in response to all party protests. Kerala applied to the ministry of environment and forests[MoEF] to exclude 3,117 square km of settlements.
Overall, the recent issues can be viewed as a tag of war between development and conservation. It is undeniable fact that western ghats play a seminal role in mediating role over the monsoon in the country. Furthermore, the country is undergoing the worst drought of the century. In this context, the preservation of the ghats deserves at most importance. A speedy action is necessary from the government side beyond the development of wildlife sanctuaries and national parks. Otherwise, huge environmental problems will arise in near future, for instance, drying up of many rivers. Industrialization is the major hurdle in the demarcation of ESA, however, it cannot be delayed.

10.Paris Peace Forum(GS-1,2)

CONTEXT:Jaishankar meets French President Macron in Paris, discusses strategic issues
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has met French President Emmanuel Macron here and held a “good discussion” with him on important strategic issues.
The two leaders met at the Paris Peace Forum on Tuesday.
“Met with President @EmmanuelMacron at the #ParisPeaceForum. A good discussion on important strategic issues,” Jaishankar tweeted after the meeting.
In 1998, India and France established a Strategic Partnership. The areas of defence and security cooperation, space cooperation and civil nuclear cooperation constitute the principal pillars of the Strategic Partnership.
The Indian Air Force last month received its first Rafale fighter jet from a series of 36 aircraft purchased from France.
Jaishankar, during his address at the Paris Peace Forum, called for coordinated action by nations, bilaterally or multilaterally, to prevent the forces of terrorism and extremism from building presence in the digital domain.

Paris Peace Forum:

The Paris Peace Forum is an international event on global governance issues and multilateralism, held annually in Paris, France.The second edition is due to take place on 11–13 November, at la Grande Halle de la Villette under the presidency of Pascal Lamy.
The Forum convenes heads of states, national and local representatives, representatives from international organizations and actors of civil society (non-governmental organizations, private corporations, unions, think tanks, experts, journalists, media etc) for the purpose of discussing in depth major global challenges and finding practical solutions. The Forum also showcases more than 100 projects coming from all around the world, that have put in practice specific solutions to governance challenges. The 1st Edition took place on 11–13 November 2018, at the Grande Halle de la Villette, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Armistice day, with Justin Vaïsse as president.