Daily Current Affairs : Date 27/12/2018

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC Civil Services Exam

Topics Covered

1. Separate High Court for Andhra and Telangana
2. Bimal Jalan Committee
3. Avangard System
4. India-Nepal Relationship
5. Anti trafficking bill
6. Olive Ridley Turtle
7. Rat-hole Mining

1 . Separate High Court for Andhra and Telangana

Context : Following a Supreme Court order to the Centre to notify the bifurcation of the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana High Courts by January 1, President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday ordered the separation of the “common” Hyderabad High Court into the two separate High Courts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

Background

• With the enactment of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated into two States, viz., State of Andhra Pradesh and State of Telangana.
• The Act, which had come into effect from June 2, 2014 has also a provision for separate high courts for State of Telangana and State of Andhra Pradesh.
• Since the bifurcation of the State on June 2, 2014, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have had a common high court situated at Hyderabad, the latter’s capital city.

About New Courts

• Hyderabad, which was the capital of erstwhile State of Andhra Pradesh is now part of Telangana and has become its capital.The existing high court which is located at Hyderabad would be housing the High Court of State of Telangana.
• Insofar as State of Andhra Pradesh is concerned it has decided to create and construct new city known as Amaravati which is going to be the capital of the State and the new High Court of Andhra Pradesh would be located in that city.
• Sixteen HC judges, including Justice Ramesh Ranganathan, who is now the Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court, shall become judges of the Andhra Pradesh High Court from January
• The new Telangana High Court will have a sanctioned strength of 10 judges.
• It will be the 25th high court in the country 

Constitutional Provisions regarding creation of Courts

• Article 214 of the Constitution provides that there shall be a High Court for each State

Sharing of Highcourts

• Bombay High Court – Shared by Daman and Diu, Goa, Maharashtra
• Calcutta High Court – Andaman and Nicobar islands, West Bengal
• Gauhati High Court – Arunachal, Assam, Mizoram, Nagaland
• Madras High Court – Tamil Nadu and Puducherry
• Kerala High Court – Lakshadweep and Kerala
• Punjab and Haryana High Court in Chandigarh – Punjab and Haryana

2 . Bimal Jalan Committee

Context : The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), in consultation with the government, has set up a six-member committee to review the economic capital framework of the central bank.

Background

• After the government started pushing the central bank to review its economic capital framework, the RBI board, at its meeting on November 19, decided to set up a committee to review the issue.

Issue of Economic Capital Framework

What is Economic Capital

• Economic capital is the best estimate of required capital that financial institutions/Central Bank use internally to manage their own risk and to allocate the cost of maintaining mandatory capital to be maintained among different units within the organization.

Issue

• The most contentious of the issues that have cropped up between the government and the central bank recently is that of the RBI’s balance sheet. Some sections in the government have argued that the RBI is holding excess reserves, which should be transferred to the government. There are two material components to RBI’s reserves:

1. A Contingency Fund of Rs 2.5 lakh crore.
2. A Currency and Gold Revaluation Reserve of Rs 6.91 lakh crore.

• Most economists agree that a transfer from the unrealised gains in the currency and gold revaluation reserve is not possible without a sale of gold or foreign currency assets. Hence, the debate is centered around whether the central bank is holding excess contingency reserves and whether it should transfer any more funds to it in the future.
• The current economic capital framework followed by the RBI is not in public domain. A committee in 1997 had recommended that contingency reserves be maintained at about 12 percent of total assets. At present, these reserves are at about 7 percent.
• The government has argued it differently and is looking at the total capital on the RBI’s balance sheet, which it believes is excessive. According to one government calculation, the RBI may be sitting on Rs 3.6 lakh crore in excess capital.

About the Committee

• Former RBI Governor Bimal Jalan will be the committee’s chairman and former Deputy Governor Rakesh Mohan deputy chairman.
• The other members are Economic Affairs Secretary Subash Chandra Garg, RBI Deputy Governor N.S. Vishwanathan and two board members of the RBI — Bharat Doshi and Sudhir Mankad.
• The committee would submit its report within 90 days from the date of its first meeting

Terms of Reference

• The terms of reference of the committee would be to review status, need and justification of various provisions, reserves and buffers presently provided for by the RBI, keeping in mind ‘public policy mandate of the RBI, including financial stability considerations.’
• The committee will also review best practices followed by the central banks globally in making assessment and provisions for risks, to which central bank balance sheets are subjected.
• The panel would also suggest an adequate level of risk provisioning that the RBI needs to maintain, and to determine whether it is holding provisions, reserves and buffers in surplus or deficit of the required level.
• The committee would also propose a suitable profit distribution policy taking into account all the likely situations of the RBI, including holding more provisions than required and the RBI holding less provisions than required

3 . Avangard System

Context : Russia successfully tests hypersonic missile

About Avangard Hypersonic Missile System

The Avangard is powered by a scramjet engine that accelerates it up to Mach 20. When approaching a target, the glider is capable of sharp high speed evasive maneuvers in flight making it “absolutely invulnerable for any missile defence system

4 . India – Nepal Relationship

Context : Nepal imposed a monthly limit on the amount of Indian currency its citizen can spend in India. A spokesperson of the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) said a visiting Nepali citizen would not be able to spend more than Rs. 1 lakh every month while paying for goods and services in India and that the decision was taken to deal with the current account deficit of Nepal.

Timeline

Reasons

• The new decision has been taken to address the growing current account deficit and the balance of payment crisis

Effect of Demonetization

• New policy is also considered as the result of India’s demonetization effect on Nepal and is coming after a series of issues following the announcement of demonetization in 2016.
• It is assumed that demonetization policy has sent negative signals to Nepalis and Kathmandu is now taking measures to secure itself from any similar moves from India in the future.
• The last time India went for demonetization Nepal left holding huge amount of Indian currency that has not been exchanged so far by India.
• Hence the move is seen as Nepal Government’s readiness to stay prepared to similar situations in future.

Effects

• It will affect the spending patterns
• The new policy is also expected to impact trade-related business across the Indo-Nepal border areas, where Nepali businessmen usually transact in Indian currency.

5 . Anti Trafficking Bill

Context : The anti-trafficking Bill, set to be introduced in the Rajya Sabha, has triggered disquiet among sex workers and lawyers about the proposed law’s potential to criminalise all adult sex work in the absence of a clear distinction between the victims of sexual exploitation or human trafficking and persons who voluntarily opt to provide sex to make a living.

Anti Trafficking Bill

The Bill broadly has the following features:-

1. Addresses the issue of trafficking from the point of view of prevention, rescue and rehabilitation.
2. Aggravated forms of trafficking, which includes trafficking for the purpose of forced labour, begging, trafficking by administering chemical substance or hormones on a personfor the purpose of early sexual maturity, trafficking of a woman or child for the purpose of marriage or under the pretext of marriage or after marriage etc.
3. Punishment for promoting or facilitating trafficking of person which includesproducing, printing, issuing or distributing unissued, tampered or fake certificates, registration or stickers as proof of compliance with Government requirements; orcommits fraudfor procuring or facilitating the acquisition ofclearances and necessary documents from Government agencies.
4. The confidentiality ofvictims/ witnesses and complainants by not disclosing their identity. Further the confidentiality of the victims is maintained by recordingtheir statement through video conferencing (this also helps in trans-border and inter-State crimes).
5. Time bound trial and repatriation of the victims – within a period of one year from taking into cognizance.
6. Immediate protection of rescued victims and their rehabilitation. The Victims are entitled to interim relief immediately within 30 days to address their physical, mental trauma etc. and further appropriate relief within 60 days from the date of filing of charge sheet.
7. Rehabilitation of the victim which is not contingent upon criminal proceedings being initiated against the accused or the outcome thereof.
8. Rehabilitation Fund created for the first time. To be used for the physical, psychological and social well-being of the victim including education, skill development, health care/psychological support, legal aid, safe accommodation,etc.    
9. Designated courts in each district for the speedy trial of the cases.
10. The Bill creates dedicated institutional mechanisms at District, State and CentralLevel. These will be responsible for prevention, protection, investigation and rehabilitation work related to trafficking.  National Investigation Agency (NIA) will perform the tasks of Anti-Trafficking Bureau at the national level present under theMHA.
11. Punishment ranges from rigorous minimum 10 years to life and fine not less than Rs. 1 lakh.
12. In order to break the organized nexus, both at the national and international level, the Bill provides for the attachment & forfeiture of property and also theproceeds for crime.
13. The Bill comprehensively addresses the transnational nature of the crime. The National Anti-Trafficking Bureau will perform the functions of international coordination with authorities in foreign countries and international organizations; international assistance in investigation; facilitate inter-State and trans-border transfer of evidence and materials, witnesses and others for expeditingprosecution; facilitate inter-state and international video conferencing in judicial proceedings etc.

Criticisms of Anti trafficking bill

• Voluntary adult sex work is not illegal in India under certain circumstances, such as when a woman provides the service in her own home without any solicitation but the bill
  does not distinguish between voluntary sex work and trafficking hence their key demand is that the Bill should explicitly exclude adult persons voluntarily engaged in sex work.
• Bill is unclear with respect to existing laws which already penalise trafficking and exploitation of trafficked victims for sexual exploitation, bonded labour, contract labour and inter-state migrant work.
• Bill goes against fundamental principles of criminal justice and the Indian Constitution by creating new offences unrelated to trafficking, use of unclear sentencing policy, vesting excessive powers in the police, etc.
• Bill ignores and furthers the failures of existing ‘protection’ homes, fails to hold magistrates accountable, and explicitly bars victims of trafficking from accessing the legal remedies that every citizen of India is entitled to, in the name of ‘protection’.
• Bill lacks consultation with trade unions, labour groups, sex workers, and transgender communities, specifically with respect to impact on informal labour, including begging, sex work, and domestic work, thereby categorically targeting marginalised communities.
• Bill does not hold accountable state actors and employers, but instead declares one’s choice and form of labour and sustenance as trafficking and prescribes excessive punishment for the marginalised communities engaging in these forms of labour.  
• Bill criminalises the administration of hormones and other medicines, failing to distinguish between coercion and assistance in accessing gender-affirming hormone therapy.
• Bill is against international legal norms which focus on human rights and a victim-centred approach. 

6 . Olive Ridley Turtle

Context : The Odisha forest department is all set to add another olive ridley mass nesting site to its wildlife map.

About the Nesting site

• This year, a few hundred olive ridleys had nested at Bahuda river mouth in February.
• This encouraged the forest department to develop it as a second mass nesting site for the turtles on the Ganjam coast.
• At present, mating olive ridleys are being sighted near the Bahuda rookery. It is being hoped that the turtles will find the beach conducive and their mass nesting number at Bahuda will increase in 2019.
  
• Marine fishermen in the area have been requested to refrain from using gill nets during fishing as that can kill the turtles.Fishermen near Rushikulya rookery do not use such nets.
• With the support of local residents, efforts are being made to reduce polythene pollution caused by tourists and picnickers at Bahuda river mouth to keep the sand clean for mass nesting.

About Olive Ridley Turtles

• The Olive ridley turtle is the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles
• The Olive ridley gets its name from its olive green coloured carapace, which is heart-shaped
• Olive ridley turtles use three different strategies to nest: arribadas, solitary nests and mixed strategy.
• An arribada is a mass-nesting event when thousands of turtles come ashore at the same time to lay eggs on the same
• In the Indian Ocean, the majority of olive ridleys nest in two or three large groups near Gahirmatha in Odisha. The coast of Odisha in India is the largest mass nesting site for the olive ridley, followed by the coasts of Mexico and Costa Rica
• The Gahirmatha Beach in Kendrapara district of Odisha (India), which is now a part of the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary, is the largest breeding ground for these turtles
• IUCN list status – Vulnerable

Threats

• Olive-ridleys face serious threats across their migratory route, habitat and nesting beaches, due to human activities such as turtle unfriendly fishing practices, development and exploitation of nesting beaches for ports, and tourist centres.
• Though international trade in these turtles and their products is banned under CITES Appendix I, they are still extensively poached for their meat, shell and leather, and their eggs, though illegal to harvest, have a significantly large market around the coastal regions.
• However, the most severe threat they face is the accidental killing of adult turtles through entanglement in trawl nets and gill nets due to uncontrolled fishing during their mating season around nesting beaches.

7 . Rat hole Mining

Context : Collapse of a coal mine in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills, trapping at least 15 workers who were still missing until Wednesday and are feared dead

What is Rat Hole Mining

• It involves digging of very small tunnels, usually only 3-4 feet high, which workers (often children) enter and extract coal.
• The rat-hole mining is broadly of two types. “In side-cutting procedure, narrow tunnels are dug on the hill slopes and workers go inside until they find the coal seam. The coal seam in hills of Meghalaya is very thin, less than 2 m in most cases
• In the other type of rat-hole mining, called box-cutting, a rectangular opening is made, varying from 10 to 100 sq m, and through that is dug a vertical pit, 100 to 400 feet deep.
• Once the coal seam is found, rat-hole-sized tunnels are dug horizontally through which workers can extract the coal
• Such mining techniques including all “unscientific and illegal mining are banned by NGT

Why Rat-hole mining was banned

• The NGT order bans rat-hole mining due to the following reasons :

1. Ecology – In their petition to the NGT, Assam’s All Dimasa Students’ Union and the Dima Hasao District Committee complained that rat-hole mining in Meghalaya had caused the water in the Kopili river (it flows through Meghalaya and Assam) to turn acidic. The NGT order quoted a report by Prof Singh: “Entire roadsides in and around mining areas are used for piling of coal which is a major source of air, water and soil pollution. Off road movement of trucks and other vehicles in the area causes further damage to the ecology of the area.”
2. Risk of lives – The NGT observed, “It is also informed that there are umpteen number of cases where by virtue of rat-hole mining, during the rainy season, water flooded into the mining areas resulting in death of many individuals including employees/workers.” Following the state’s appeal, civil society groups this month submitted a ‘Citizens’ Report’ to Supreme Court-appointed amicus curiae Colin Gonsalves: “A worker carries with him a pickaxe, a shovel and a wheelbarrow. As the cave is dark he carries a torch… If water has seeped into the cave, the worker can enter only after the water is pumped out. Workers usually enter the cave early in the morning and keep on working till they are tired, or if they are hungry or when they feel that they have earned enough money for the day.”

Why Rat-hole mining is still used in Meghalaya

• Coal seam is extremely thin in Meghalaya, removal of rocks from the hilly terrain and putting up pillars inside the mine to prevent collapse would be costlier.
• In Jharkhand, for example, the coal layer is extremely thick. You can do open-cast mining but it cant be done in case of meghalaya

How such mining was still allowed in Meghalaya

• State of Meghalaya has promulgated a mining policy which does not deal with rat-hole mining. The policy on the contrary allows small and traditional system of mining by local people in their own land shall not be unnecessarily disturbed
• The 6th Schedule of the Constitution intends to protect the community’s ownership over its land and the community’s autonomy and consent over its nature of use.
• Coal mining currently underway in Meghalaya was a corruption of this Constitutional Provision wherein private individuals having private interests in earning monetary benefits from minerals vested under the land are engaging in coal mining and are attempting to legitimize this act by claiming immunity through tribal autonomy over land ownership