Daily Current Affairs : 5th June 2020

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC CSE

Topics Covered

1. India-Australia Virtual Summit
2. TULIP
3. State of Environment Report
4. GAVI
5. Facts for Prelims

1. India-Australia meet strengthens ties

Context: India and Australia raised their relationship to a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” after a ‘virtual’ summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who concluded nine agreements including a Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA) and issued a joint declaration on a “Shared Vision for Maritime Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.”

Details of the Virtual Summit

• Strengthening India-Australia ties for the long term, both the countries decided to elevate the bilateral Strategic Partnership concluded in 2009 to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP).
• Under the CSP, both countries decided to work together in the areas of mutual cooperation as per the following:
  • Enhancing science, technology and research collaboration
    • Australia – India Strategic Research Fund to promote innovative solutions for responding to and treating COVID-19
    • Share the benefits of scientific and medical research and development, strengthen healthcare systems, and reflect on the recommendations of the independent and comprehensive evaluation of the international health response to COVID-19 to improve capacity for global pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.
    • Decided to work together in the areas of digital economy, cyber security and critical and emerging technologies as identified by the Framework Arrangement on Cyber and Cyber-Enabled Critical Technology Cooperation.
    • MOU on cooperation in the field of mining and processing of Critical and Strategic minerals identifies specific areas where both sides will work together to meet the technological demands of the future economy.
  • Maritime cooperation for an Open and Inclusive Indo-Pacific
  • Defence Cooperation
    • Both sides agreed to increase military inter-operability through defence exercises through their Arrangement concerning Mutual Logistics Support (MLSA). It was agreed that the Implementing Arrangement concerning cooperation in Defence Science and Technology to the MoU on Defence Cooperation provides a framework for growing collaboration between the defence science and technology research organisations of both countries.
  •  Regional and Multilateral cooperation
  • Terrorism
  • Economic cooperation: A More Prosperous Shared Future
  • Innovation & Entrepreneurship
  • Agriculture Cooperation and Water Resources Management
  • Education, Culture, Tourism and People-to-people ties
  •  Support in UN and international bodies
• Both the Countries also decided to increase the frequency of Prime Ministerial contact through reciprocal bilateral visits and annual meetings in the margins of international events.

2. TULIP (The Urban Learning Internship Programme)

Context: At a time of soaring unemployment and few prospects for new entrants into the labour force, the Centre has launched a scheme to provide internship opportunities within smart cities and urban local bodies for 25,000 fresh graduates, mostly from technical courses.

About TULIP (The Urban Learning Internship Programme)

• TULIP is a program for providing fresh graduates experiential learning opportunities in the urban sector
•  According to the Scheme urban local bodies across the country would provide internship opportunities to fresh engineers for a period up to one year.”  
• It is is a five-year joint venture between MoHUA and the All India Council for Technical Education
• City administrations can register available opportunities on the portal, ranging from positions in urban planning or water supply and waste management to slum improvement and digital governance.
• Applicants must be Indian citizens who have completed their final year of college within the last 18 months.
• Internship durations can range from eight weeks to one year.
• TULIP is founded on a value-driven pull strategy.
• For students, it’s about experiential learning that makes them ready for the job market or may help them contribute to start-ups developing solutions for ground zero India.
• For city administrations, it is a valuable way to inject fresh energy and ideas into our urban governance.
• The programme does not have any budget of its own, but the 100 smart cities and 4,400 urban local bodies can use the administrative expenses allocated by the Centre to pay stipends or perks, if they wish to.
• They are also free to develop their own selection procedures.

Benefits

• Such a program will help reap the benefits of India’s demographic dividend as it is poised to have the largest working-age population in the world in the coming years.
• India has a substantial pool of technical graduates for whom exposure to real world project implementation and planning is essential for professional development.
• TULIP would help enhance the value-to-market of India’s graduates and help create a potential talent pool in diverse fields like urban planning, transport engineering, environment, municipal finance etc. thus not only catalyzing creation of prospective city managers but also talented private/ non-government sector professionals.  
• TULIP would benefit ULBs and smart cities immensely. It will lead to infusion of fresh ideas and energy with engagement of youth in co-creation of solutions for solving India’s urban challenges. 

3. State of India’s Environment report

Context: India had one in five of all internal displacements caused by disasters across the world in 2019, mostly caused by floods, cyclones and drought, according to the State of India’s Environment in Figures 2020 report by Centre for Science and Environment. 19 major extreme weather events claimed 1,357 lives last year.

About the Report

• Report is Published by Research and advocacy organisation Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), 

Details of the Report

• There were more than 50 lakh internal displacements in India last year, the highest in the world. This refers to the number of movements, not people, as individuals can be displaced several times.
• Flooding caused by the southwest monsoon led to 26 lakh displacements, while Cyclone Fani alone led to 18 lakh displacements, followed by cyclones Vayu and Bulbul. On the other hand, drought conditions in 19 States led to another 63,000 displacements.
• There were over 45 crore migrants in the country at the time, with the vast majority migrating within their own State.
• In 2011, over 1.7 crore new migrants had moved for employment purposes, mostly from rural to urban areas.
• There were 747 more tigers in 2018 than in 2014. However, the net area meant for tiger conservation shrunk by 179 sq.km.
• Forest cover has shrunk in 38% of districts, while five out of 21 river basins are now in a state of absolute water scarcity.

4. GAVI

Context: India pledged $15 million to Gavi, the international vaccine alliance

About virtual Global Vaccine Summit

• The virtual Global Vaccine Summit was hosted by the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
• It was attended by heads of state, Ministers, business leaders, U.N. agencies and civil society of over 50 countries.

About GAVI

• Created in 2000, Gavi is an international organisation – a global Vaccine Alliance, bringing together public and private sectors with the shared goal of creating equal access to new and underused vaccines for children living in the world’s poorest countries.
• GAVI brings together developing country and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry in both industrialised and developing countries, research and technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation  and other private philanthropists.
• GAVI has observer status at the World Health Assembly.

5 . Facts for Prelims

Amended VISA rules for Tablighi activities

• Foreign nationals granted any type of visa and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cardholders shall not be permitted to engage themselves in Tabligh work.
• There will be no restriction in visiting religious places and attending normal religious activities like attending religious discourses.
• However, preaching religious ideologies, making speeches in religious places, distribution of audio or visual display/pamphlets pertaining to religious ideologies, spreading conversion, etc. will not be allowed.