Comprehensive News Analysis - 08 April 2016

A. GS1 Related

– Nothing here for today folks! –

B. GS2 Related

1. High Court asks Centre about funds for traffic management

Topic: Governance

Category: judicial intervention

Location: The Hindu

Key points:

• The Delhi HC asked the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to submit a proposal to the court for allocation of specific funds for implementation of an intelligent traffic management system in the Capital
• Hearing a PIL initiated on its own on air pollution in Delhi, a Division Bench of the court suggested that the use of helicopters be started in the Capital for traffic management
• It asked for a specific timeline for acquisition of equipment in order to manage road traffic with modern technology

2.Capital to get women security squads

Topic: Governance

Category: government policies and intervention

Location: The Hindu

Key points:

• Close to 3,000 squads dedicated to enhancing women’s safety are expected to come up across the Capital
• 2,800 Mohalla Suraksha Dals consisting of eight -member patrolling teams each are to be deployed across each of the 70 Assembly Constituencies in Delhi
• This would also generate employment for an estimated 22,400 unemployed youths residing in Delhi

3. Pak. envoy accuses India of suspending dialogue

Topic: India’s Neighbours

Category: Indo- Pak relations

Location: The Hindu

Key points:

• Pak High Commissioner Abdul accused India of suspending Foreign Secretary-level talks
• He also hinted that the NIA team due to visit Pakistan had not received clearance from Islamabad yet
• He accused India of putting the Jammu and Kashmir issue in the back burner

4. Make GM mustard data public: CIC

Topic : Governance

Category: governmental interference

Location: The Hindu

Key points:

• the department of biotechnology has been asked to make public the biosafety dossier, which detail the GM mustard variety’s performance
• there are allegations that the GM mustard produced aren’t substantially better than existing mustard varieties
• The technology of making GM mustard involves using a complex of genes, sourced from soil bacterium, which makes it easier for seed developers to develop hybrid varieties of mustard, a self pollinating plant
• Hybrids varieties are generally known to produce greater yields but they necessitate farmers to keep going to seed companies every year to buy fresh seed
• GM cotton is the only transgenic crop commercially available now

5. World military spending up in 2015, India in sixth position

 Topic : Governance

Category: defence

Location: The Hindu

Key points:

• India is the sixth largest military spender in 2015 having spent $51.3 billion as per the latest report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
• World defence expenditure- $1,676 billion
• World military expenditure rose by 1 per cent in 2015
• The U.S. remained by far the world’s largest spender in 2015 (defence expenditure – $596 billion) followed by China, Saudi Arabia, Russia and U.K
• India is also ahead of countries like France, Germany and Israel who happen to be among its top arms suppliers

6. Colombo tries to strike a balance between India, China

Topic : International Relations

Category: India-Sri Lanka relations

Location: The Hindu

Key points:

• Sri Lanka is to go ahead with $1.4-billion Colombo Port City Project with China
• The port city project has been proposed alongside the Colombo port, which is a vital infrastructure  for India-Sri Lanka economic exchanges
• Sri Lanka has made it clear that land to develop the city will be provided on a long-term lease and not on free hold
• Sri Lanka has to keep in good humour both the powers by reviving the Port City project and going along with India for the Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement

C. GS3 Related

1. Ministry plans Rs.10,000 minimum monthly wage for contract workers

Topic: Economy

Category: Labour issues

Location: The Hindu

Key points:

• Labour ministry proposes Rs.10,000 minimum monthly wage for contract workers uniformly across all economic activities
• At present, employers give the fixed minimum wages to workers for 45 economic activities, as mentioned in the Minimum Wages Act, 1948
• Labour Ministry is seeking to amend the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Central Rules, 1971 which says that the wages of the contract labourers shall be as prescribed under Minimum Wages Act
• However, out of the 3.6 lakh contract workers, only 60 lakh contract workers were covered under the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970
• Industry has reacted sharply. It could adversely affect the MSME sector

2. Govt. may relax rule to enable sick public sector firms to run their own PF trusts

Topic: Economy

Category: personal finance

Location: The Hindu

Key points:

• The government will soon amend the Employees Provident Fund Scheme 1952 to enable loss-making public sector enterprises to continue to run their own PF scheme
• Such PF trusts to give the staff speedier and simpler access to their retirement corpus at a lower cost
• Presently the PF trusts of firms incurring losses for three successive years are transferred to the state-run EPFO
• But there’s no relief for private firms

D. GS4 Related

E. Important Editorials: A Quick Glance

The Hindu

1. Lessons from the Chinese veto

Topic: International Relations

Category: Sino-Indian relations

Key points:

• India’s protests of Chinese bid to stop blacklisting Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar of in the UNSC is justified
• Even if China awaits evidence of Azhar’s role in the Pathankot attacks, it cannot be unaware of his long association with terrorist activity, including the 2001 Parliament assault
• Also, it is impossible to ignore the fact that IC-814 was hijacked and hundreds of innocent lives were endangered only to secure his release
• China has blocked India many a time since 2014
• India’s resolutions to have Syed Salahuddin added to the terrorist blacklist were opposed
• So was the call for action against Pakistan for violating the ban on Saeed and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi
• Border incursions by Chinese troops to India, closer ties between China and Pakistan and closer ties between India and US are long standing irritants in Sino-Indian relations
• Whatever be the case, prudent diplomacy and negotiation is the only way forward

Indian Express:

1. Aadhaar project: Last chance for a welfare state

Topic: Governance

Category: E-Governance

Key Points:

• The Aadhaar project is set to become the focus for governance in India.
• The Aadhaar act creates a mechanism for unique identification of individuals in order to deliver subsidies, services and benefits from the Consolidated Fund of India.
• The major concern is around privacy of citizens’ data  and how the Aadhaar structure affects it.
• The Aadhaar database is not much sophisticated with the capacity to profile individuals by storing information like passport details, PAN card information, etc.
• The act has asserted that core biometric information shall not be shared for any purpose, including for national security as demographic data that is shareable has strong safeguards.
• The demographic data can only be used for the purposes that the individual consents to and only with such persons and the individual has the right to access his information, update and correct it.
• All of the above measures would require new regulations, revised enrolment forms and fresh authentication protocols.
• The UIDAI must utilize its regulatory powers under Section 23 of the Aadhar act to set up a robust grievance redressal mechanism, including an ombudsman, to sufficiently boost the  accountability factor on data privacy .
• This is necessary not just to protect privacy but also to emphasize the seriousness of the state in delivering services to vast sections of the population that are identity-less and excluded.

 

Others

Economic Times:

1. You can’t force patriotism like you can’t force a smile

Topic: Polity

Category: Social Issues

Key Points

• It is unpatriotic to target individuals and communities in the name of Bharat Mata.
• The first task of true patriotism is, therefore, to propagate a culture of pan-Indian unity, transcending divisive labels and barriers.
• So long as people are labelled, targeted or traumatised, the compulsion to thrust slogans on them coercively will remain.
• Coercion can see only one side of the problem which implies that it cannot spot any other side of the problem.
• Equality is inherent in equation and it is the mindset of inequality that drives coercion.
• But use of force is that has only worked, all through history, to the corruption and destruction of peoples and nations.

3. Business Standard:India’s nuclear dilemma

Topic: Economy

Category: Energy sector

Key points:

• Problems of nuclear energy: safety concerns, dependence on uranium-based fuel imports, cost, the liability issue
• India has 5.8 gigawatt (Gw) of capacity, which contributes almost three per cent of total generation ( 21 operational plants )
• It targets 14.8 Gw by 2021 and 27.5 Gw by 2032, with 25 per cent of generation by 2050
• Six reactors are under construction, 36 more are planned
• Companies such as EDF-Areva, Toshiba-Westinghouse, GE Hitachi and Rosatom will supply reactors and related equipment
• The NPCIL received an averaged tariff of Rs 2.50 per unit in 2014-15. Kudankulan 1-2 will receive Rs 3.95 per unit while Kudankulan 3-4 will need tariffs of Rs 6.30 per unit
• Solar is already cheaper
• The author asks why expand nuclear energy when alternatives like renewables can be rolled out much faster and cheaper

F. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn:

1. NIA
2. GM Mustard
3. CIC
4. EPFO
5. Jurisdictions of SC

G. Fun with Practice Questions 🙂

Question 1: Which of the following terrorist organisations are 
"banned organisations" under Unlawful activities(Prevention)Act 1967?

Question 2:Which of the following statement is  true?

Question 3:Which of the following is the nodal orgnanistion for EPFO
(Emplyoee Provident Fund Organisation)

Question 4: Which of the following statement is true regarding
the jurisdiction of the supreme court?

Question 5:Which among them are the steps taken by the Government 
for women safety in India?

H. Archives:

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03rd April 2016: Daily News & Current Affairs Analysis

02nd April 2016: Daily News & Current Affairs Analysis

01st April 2016: Daily News & Current Affairs Analysis

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