Daily Current Affairs : 28/1/2019

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC CSE

Topics Covered

1. Indus Water Treaty
2. Sickle cell disease
3. Serious Fraud Investigation Office
4. Sufi & Bhakti Movement and Wahhabism
5. Zearalenone
6. Charter of Patient’s Rights
7. Climate Change to be declared as security issue
8. Facts for Prelims

1 . Indus River Water Treaty

Context : A Pakistani delegation arrived in India on Sunday to visit the Chenab river basin in Jammu and Kashmir for inspection, as mandated under the Indus Water Treaty. The tour will be followed by a visit of India’s Indus Commissioner to Pakistan at a mutually convenient date, the official added.

What is Indus Water Treaty?

• In the year 1960, India and Pakistan signed a water distribution agreement — came to be known as Indus Water Treaty which was orchestrated by the World Bank.
• This agreement took nine years of negotiations and divides the control of six rivers between the two nations once signed.
• Under this treaty, India got control over: Beas, Ravi, Sutlej
• Pakistan got control over: Indus, Chenab, Jhelum

Why this treaty is important for Pakistan

• Indus, Chenab and Jhelum are the lifelines of Pakistan as the country is highly dependent on these rivers for its water supply. Since these rivers do not originate from Pakistan but flow to the country through India, Pakistan fears the threat of drought and famine.
• While Chenab and Jhelum originate from India, Indus originates from China, making its way to Pakistan via India.
• The treaty clearly spells the do’s and don’ts for both countries; as it allows India to use only 20 per cent of the total water carried by the Indus river.

Why are the two countries dissatisfied by the treaty?

• From the Indian point of view, the basic dissatisfaction with the treaty arises from the fact that it prevents the country from building any storage systems on the western rivers.
• Even though the treaty lays out that under certain exceptional circumstances storage systems can be built, the complaint raised by India is that Pakistan deliberately stops any such effort due to the political rivalry it shares with India.
• The matter is further aggravated by the fact that the western rivers lie in the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir, which has been a subject of tussle between the two countries since independence.
• Since the treaty’s conception in 1960, the two countries have been embroiled in conflicts over a number of projects including the Salal hydroelectric project on the Chenab, the Tulbul project, the Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric plants.

2 . Sickle Cell Disease

Context : Scientists have long known what causes sickle-cell disease and its devastating effects: a single mutation in one errant gene. But for decades, there has been only modest progress against an inherited condition that mainly afflicts people of African descent.With advances in gene therapy, that is quickly changing — so much so that scientists have begun to talk of a cure.

About Sickle Cell Disease

• Sickle cell disease is a group of disorders that affects hemoglobin, the molecule in red blood cells that delivers oxygen to cells throughout the body.
• People with this disorder have atypical hemoglobin molecules called hemoglobin S, which can distort red blood cells into a sickle, or crescent, shape.
• Signs and symptoms of sickle cell disease include a low number of red blood cells (anemia), repeated infections, and periodic episodes of pain.
• In sickle-cell disease, blood cells stuffed with haemoglobin are distorted into sickle shapes. The misshapen cells get stuck in blood vessels, causing strokes, organ damage and episodes of agonizing pain — called crises — as muscles are starved of oxygen
• At the moment, the only remedy for sickle-cell disease is a dangerous and expensive bone marrow transplant, an option rarely used.
• An effective gene therapy would not be simple or inexpensive, but it could change the lives of tens of thousands of people.

3 . Serious Fraud Investigation Office

Context : Essel Group has admitted that the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) has asked the group for information regarding certain transactions and that documents were provided.

About SFIO

• SFIO is a multi-disciplinary organization under Ministry of Corporate Affairs, consisting of experts in the field of accountancy, forensic auditing, law, information technology, investigation, company law, capital market and taxation for detecting and prosecuting or recommending for prosecution white-collar crimes/frauds. 
• It is formed as per the recommendation of Naresh Chandra Committee and in the backdrop of stock market scams as also the failure of non-banking companies resulting in huge financial loss to the public
• Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) is formed in 2003

Responsibilities and functions of the SFIO

• The SFIO is expected to be a multi-disciplinary organisation consisting of experts in the field of accountancy, forensic auditing, law, information technology, investigation, company law, capital market and taxation for detecting and prosecuting or recommending for prosecution white collar crimes/frauds.
• The SFIO will normally take up for investigation only such cases, which are characterized by – 

1. complexity and having inter-departmental and multi- disciplinary ramifications;
2. substantial involvement of public interest to be judged by size, either in terms of monetary
3. the possibility of investigation leading to or contributing towards a clear improvement in systems, laws or procedures.

• The SFIO shall investigate serious cases of fraud received from Department of Company Affairs. The SFIO would make investigations under the provisions of the Companies Act, 1956 and would also forward the investigated reports on violations of the provisions of other acts to the concerned agencies for prosecution/appropriate action.
• Whether or not an investigation should be taken up by the SFIO would be decided by the Director, SFIO who will be expected to record the reasons in writing. These decisions will be further subject to review by a coordination committee. 

4 . Sufi & Bhakti Movement and Wahhabism

The Sufis

• The Sufis were mystics. They opposed the vulgar display of wealth in public life and the readiness of the ulema to serve “ungodly” rulers.
• The Sufis laid emphasis upon free thought and liberal ideas. They were against formal worship, rigidity and fanaticism in religion.
• The message of the Sufi movement was universal love and brotherhood of man
• The Sufis turned to meditation in order to achieve religious satisfaction. Like the Bhakti saints, the Sufis too interpreted religion as ‘love of god’ and service of humanity.
• In course of time, the Sufis were divided into different silsilahs (orders) with each silsilah having its own pir (guide) called Khwaja or Sheikh.
• The pir and his disciples lived in a khanqah (hospice). A pir nominated a successor or wali from his disciples to carry on his work.
• The Sufis organised samas (a recital of holy songs) to arouse mystical ecstasy. Basra in Iraq became the centre of Sufi activities.
• It must be noted that the Sufi saints were not setting up a new religion, but were preparing a more liberal movement within the framework of Islam. They owed their allegiance to the Quran as much as the ulema did.

Sufism in India

• The advent of Sufism in India is said to be in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. One of the early Sufis of eminence, who settled in India, was Al-Hujwari who died in 1089, popularly known as Data Ganj Baksh (Distributor of Unlimited Treasure).
• The main centres of the Sufis were Multan and Punjab. By the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the Sufis had spread to Kashmir, Bihar, Bengal and the Deccan.
• The Sufis came to India via Afghanistan on their own free will. Their emphasis upon a pure life, devotional love and service to humanity made them popular and earned them a place of honour in Indian society.
• Abul Fazl while writing in the Ain-i-Akbari speaks of fourteen silsilahs of the Sufis. These silsilahs were divided into two types: Ba-shara and Be-shara. Ba-shara were those orders that followed the Islamic Law (Sharia) and its directives such as namaz and roza.
• Chief amongst these were the Chishti, Suhrawardi, Firdawsi, Qadiri and Naqshbandi silsilahs. The beshara silsilahs were not bound by the Sharia. The Qalandars belonged to this group

Bhakti Movement

• The development of Bhakti movement took place in Tamil Nadu between the seventh and twelfth centuries. It was reflected in the emotional poems of the Nayanars (devotees of Shiva) and Alvars (devotees of Vishnu).
• These saints looked upon religion not as a cold formal worship but as a loving bond based upon love between the worshipped and worshipper. They wrote in local languages, Tamil and Telugu and were therefore able to reach out to many people.
• The Bhakti saints believed that salvation can be achieved by all. They made no distinction of caste, creed or religion before God. They themselves came from diverse backgrounds.
• The saints stressed equality, disregarded the caste system and attacked institutionalised religion. The saints did not confine themselves to purely religious ideas.
• They advocated social reforms too. They opposed sati and female infanticide. Women were encouraged to join kirtans.
• Mirabai and Lalla (of Kashmir) composed verses that are popular even today.
• Amongst the non-sectarian Bhakti saints, the most outstanding contribution was made by Kabir and Guru Nanak.
• Their ideas were drawn from both Hindu and Islamic traditions and were aimed at bridging the gulf between the Hindus and the Muslims.
• The Bhakti saints were divided into the Nirgun and Sagun believers.  Unlike the Nirgun believers the Sagun believers saw God as having a definite form such as Rama or Krishna.

Importance

• The importance of the Bhakti and Sufi saints lies in the new atmosphere created by them, which continued to affect the social, religious and political life of India even in later centuries.
• The interaction between the Bhakti and Sufi saints had an impact upon Indian society. The Sufi theory of Wahdat-al-Wujud (Unity of Being) was remarkably similar to that in the Hindu Upanishads.
• Many Sufi poet-saints preferred to use Hindi terms rather than Persian verses to explain concepts.
• The use of terms such as Krishna, Radha, Gopi, Jamuna, Ganga etc. became so common in literature that an eminent Sufi, Mir Abdul Wahid wrote a treatise Haqaiq-i-Hïndi to explain their Islamic equivalents.
• In later years this interaction continued as Akbar and Jahangir followed a liberal religious policy.
• The popular verses and songs of the Bhakti saints also served as forerunners of a musical renaissance. New musical compositions were written for the purpose of group singing at kirtans. Even today Mira’s bhajans and Tulsidas’s chaupais are recited at prayer meetings

Wahhabism

• Wahhabism is a conservative movement within Islam’s Sunni branch. It’s named after its founder, theologian Mohamed ibn Abdul Wahhab, who was born in the 18th century in what is now Saudi Arabia.
• Wahhab advocated a return to a “purer” form of Islam, focusing on its origins and the absolute sovereignty of God. That means banning the cult of saints and forbidding tobacco, alcohol and shaving. Their mosques are plain and public prayer attendance is strictly enforced. 

5 . Zearalenone

What is it?

• Zearalenone is a fungal toxin infesting cereals such as wheat, maize and barley. It attacks crops while they are growing, but can also develop when cereals are stored without being dried fully.
• While numerous studies document this toxin in cereals across the world, no data existed for India until now.
•  Journal of Food Science study detected zearalenone in wheat, rice, corn and oats from markets in Uttar Pradesh.
• The study, by researchers from Lucknow’s Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (IITR), found the substance in 70 of the 117 samples tested.
• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India does not impose maximum limits for zearalenone, though the European Union (EU) does.

Fungal Toxins

• Fungal toxins are commonly found in food, and can be a public health concern. India regulates the levels of some of these, including aflatoxin, deoxynivalenol, ergot and patulin.
• The first three infest cereals, while patulin is found in apples. Each of these toxins has been associated with disease outbreaks.
• Meanwhile, chronic aflatoxin consumption has been shown to cause liver cancer. Given this, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies aflatoxin as a Group 1 carcinogen
• In zearalenone’s case, there is no strong evidence of toxicity in humans so far, though several research groups are investigating

Effects of Zearalenone

• Zearalenone behaves like oestrogen, the female sex hormone, and could cause endocrine disturbances in humans.
• Its nasty effects in animals, such as pigs, when fed with mouldy corn, pigs develop inflamed vaginas, infertility and other symptoms

6 . Charter of Patients Rights

Context : In August 2018, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced its plans to implement this Charter, which was placed in the public domain for inviting comments up to 30th September, 2018. Although nearly 4 months have elapsed since this declaration of intent, there seems to have been no further progress on finalisation and adoption of the charter,

Background

• In September Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has released a ‘Charter of Patients Rights’ that compiles the lawful rights as stated in the Constitution of India.
• The draft charter, which includes 17 rights with descriptions, draws upon all relevant provisions, inspired by international charters and guided by national-level provisions
• Charter is expected to act as a guidance document for the Union government and the State governments to formulate concrete mechanisms so that patients’ rights are given adequate protection and operational mechanisms are set up to make these rights enforceable by law

Important Rights Provided under the draft Charter

Responsibilities of Patients and Caretaker provided under the draft Charter

• Patients should provide all required health related information to their doctor, in response to the doctor’s queries without concealing any relevant information, so that diagnosis and treatment can be facilitated.
• Patients should cooperate with the doctor during examination, diagnostic tests and treatment, and should follow doctor’s advice, while keeping in view their right to participate in decision making related to treatment.
• Patients should follow all instructions regarding appointment time, cooperate with hospital staff and fellow patients, avoid creating disturbance to other patients, and maintain cleanliness in the hospital.
• Patients should respect the dignity of the doctor and other hospital staff as human beings and as professionals. Whatever the grievance may be, patient / caregivers should not resort to violence in any form and damage or destroy any property of the hospital or the service provider.
• The Patients should take responsibility for their actions based on choices made regarding treatment options, and in case they refuse treatment

Importance

• The adoption of the charter is urgent to ensure that the many violations of patients’ rights are immediately addressed to stop loss of health and even lives

7 . Climate Change to be declared as security issue

Context : India has questioned the rush at the UN to declare climate change an international security issue, potentially giving the Security Council the right to take action on it, and pointed to the pitfalls in the approach.

Background

• The UN Security Council convened a session i July last year to discuss the nexus between climate change and global conflicts and to deepen understanding of climate-related security risks.
• The session marked the Council’s first debate on climate change and security in seven years.

About the Issue

• For the United Nations has made less progress in addressing the risks of social and political instability, insecurity and conflict that arise from the interaction of climate change and social, economic, demographic, and political factors.
• It is mainly due to the fact that the UN Security Council has a pre-eminent role concerning international peace and security, some responsibility for addressing the interlinkages between climate change and threats to international security inevitably lies within the Security Council. 
• Hence it is proposed by UN to declare climate change as an international security issue thereby providing UNSC the power and right to deal with Climate Change

Relationship between Climate Change and Security

• Climate change has a multitude of security impacts – rolling back the gains in nutrition and access to food; heightening the risk of wildfires and exacerbating air quality challenges; increasing the potential for water conflict; leading to more internal displacement and migration 

Arguments against the Proposal

• Security Council really struggles with information flows. It does not have any independent capacity to generate good analyses and information. The countries on the Council that do have that capacity often don’t share that information and information is shared very poorly with other parts of the United Nations system. For example the humanitarian organs.
• The Council is almost a reactive body. And so much of the climate security agenda is preventive. What we keep hearing when we talk to people in and around the Council is that until crisis hits, until refugees start showing up its very difficult to know what it is that the Council could do.
• Many other countries around the Council are very weary of seeing it intrude upon the responsibilities of other parts of the UN system, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the activities of some of the specialised agencies. There is lots of suspicion about the Council as being a hierarchical, unrepresentative body.

8 . Facts for Prelims

Satkosia Tiger Reserve

Patrolling in the Satkosia Tiger Reserve is set to be strengthened as two trained elephants would be deployed there shortly. Two pachyderms being brought from Similipal reserve.

• Satkosia Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve located in the Angul district of Odisha
• It is located where the Mahanadi River passes through a 22 km long gorge in the Eastern Ghats mountains.
• The area is also a part of the Mahanadi elephant reserve.
• Satkosia is the meeting point of two bio-geographic regions of India; the Deccan Peninsula and the Eastern Ghats, contributing immense biodiversity.

Sarus Crane

Context : The population of the Sarus crane, a bird distinguishable by its red upper neck and white collar, has climbed to 15,938 as per the 2018 census (summer). This is a jump of 5.2% from 2017, when there were 15,138 Sarus cranes across U.P., as per the State Forest and Wildlife department

• The Sarus crane is the tallest flying bird in the world standing 152-156 cm tall with a wingspan of 240cm. 
• The Sarus crane has three disjunct populations in the Indian sub-continent, south-east Asia and northern Australia with an estimated global population of 25,000-37,000 individuals.
• In the Indian subcontinent, it is found in northern and central India, Terai Nepal and Pakistan. It was once a common site in the paddy fields of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Assam.
• The main threat to the Sarus crane in India is habitat loss and degradation due to draining the wetland and conversion of land for agriculture. The landscape of its historic range is rapidly changing due to construction of highways, housing colonies, roads, and railway lines. 
• IUCN Status – Vulnerable