Comprehensive News Analysis - 12 December 2016

A. GS1 Related

Nothing here today folks!

B. GS2 Related

1. Children drive the change for children

Category: Polity and Governance    

Topic: Government Initiatives  

Key Points:

• President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday (11^th Dec, 2016), flagged off the “100 million for 100 million” campaign.
• This campaign, is a global initiative that seeks to support 100 million youth to be the voice of the 100 million children and youth across the world who have been denied basic rights and freedom.
• The event  saw participation by over 5,000 students from Delhi schools.
• This event was part of the two-day “Laureates and Leaders for Children Summit” organised by the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation.
• The campaign launch culminated the two-day summit that brought together around 25 laureates and leaders, youth and more than 150 eminent personalities from diverse walks of life.
• The campaign seeks to build partnerships between universities, students’ organisations and teachers’ associations to promote values of global citizenship amongst the youth.
• The aim is to primarily use social media for sensitising people and building awareness about children’s causes.

2. U.S. arms technologies come closer

Category: International Relations

Topic: Agreements involving India

Key Points:

• The U.S. recently designated India as a Major Defence Partner (MDP).
• With Major Defence Partner status, for India, licensing regulations to acquire sensitive military technologies, such as those that go into the F-16 and F-18 fighter jets, will be simplified.
• It is important to note that the designation “institutionalises” the cooperation achieved so far between the two countries.
• Further, this is a unique designation conferred on India, outside the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) countries and U.S. treaty allies such as Australia and Japan.

C. GS3 Related

1. Cancel illegal salt pans in Sambhar Lake: NGT

Category: Environment and Ecology  

Topic: Conservation, Wetlands

Key Points:

• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Rajasthan government to cancel allotments of salt pans in the Sambhar Salt Lake that fall within the wetland and run contrary to the mandate of Wetland Rules, 2010.
• The State wetland authority, has been directed to review the allotments made so far and has been asked to submit the compliance report within six months.
• It was alleged by a petitioner that in and around the Sambhar Lake, commercial and other activities detrimental to the eco-system of the wetland were being carried out contrary to the provisions of the Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules framed under the Environment Protection Acts of 1986 and 2010.

2. ISRO signs deal for first privately built satellite

Category: Science and Technology    

Topic: Developments, Space  

Key Points:

• Indian Space Research Organisation, signed a contract on 9th Dec, 2016, by virtue of which, it has roped in a consortium of six companies to deliver India’s first industry-built spacecraft by late 2017.
• The contract includes assembly, integration and testing (AIT) of two spare navigation satellites consecutively in around 18 months.

3. Legislation on GST may miss Winter Session

Category: Indian Economy     

Topic: Taxation

Key Points:

• The sixth meeting of the Goods and Services Tax Council on Sunday (11th Dec, 2016) failed to reach a consensus.
• As a result of this, the four pieces of legislation required to be passed by Parliament for the roll-out of the Goods and Services Tax will not be tabled in the Winter Session.
• It is important to note that the Winter session ends on December 16.

4. Cyclone Vardah heads towards Chennai shores

Category: Disaster Management     

Topic: Cyclones, Disaster Mitigation

Key Points:

• Cyclonic storm Vardah is likely to make landfall by 12th Dec afternoon along north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh coast, close to Chennai.
• The storm would be accompanied by strong winds with speeds of 80 to 90 kmph. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam chaired a meeting in the Secretariat on 11th Dec to review the preparations by government agencies.
• Schools and colleges in Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Villupuram and Cuddalore districts have been closed on Monday (12th Dec).
• The government also issued an advisory to private undertakings and establishments to permit their staff to avail of a holiday or to work from home.
• National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force teams have been stationed at Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts as a precautionary measure.
• Real-time updates from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), have helped the Andhra Pradesh government monitor the progress of cyclone Vardah.

• The Andhra Pradesh government is getting inputs from ISRO through its National Remote Sensing Centre and other wings round the clock.

D. GS4 Related

E. Important Editorials: A Quick Glance

1. Arrest of a military chief

Category: Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude   

Topic: Probity, Corruption

Key Points:

• The arrest of Indian Air Force former chief Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi, by the Central Bureau of Investigation, is the first instance of a serving or retired military chief being arrested on charges of corruption.
• The CBI mentioned that there were alleged irregularities in the procurement of a dozen AW101 VVIP helicopters from U.K.-based AgustaWestland.
• AgustaWestland is a part of the Italian consortium Finmeccanica.

Past precedents

• In 1987 the central investigation agencies had raided Admiral S.M. Nanda, accusing him of being a middleman in the sale of German-made HDW submarines to India in the early 1980s.
• Much later, the case was formally closed by the CBI, saying no concrete evidence was available.
• In 2006 the CBI filed an FIR alleging kickbacks in the purchase of the Barak missile system from Israel, naming among others Admiral Sushil Kumar.

Indian Express

1. Binding friendship

Category: International Relations

Topic: Agreements involving India

Key Points:

• During the 1971 war for the liberation of Bangladesh, the US had sent its Seventh Fleet to the Bay of Bengal to threaten India.
• Thirty-five years later, the US wants to have the same fleet to sail alongside Indian naval ships.
• It is important to note that the Obama administration and the Modi government have displayed an unexpected level of closeness in the past 31 months – five president-prime minister meetings, three bilateral summits, 45 working groups, 100 new initiatives, and seven defence secretary-defence minister meetings.
• The U.S. recently designated India as a Major Defence Partner (MDP).
• With Major Defence Partner status, for India, licensing regulations to acquire sensitive military technologies, such as those that go into the F-16 and F-18 fighter jets, will be simplified.
• The status of “Major Defense Partner” is based on the concept of the US treating India as its closest ally and partner for the purpose of technology transfer.
• It is important to note that the designation “institutionalises” the cooperation achieved so far between the two countries.
• Further, this is a unique designation conferred on India, outside the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) countries and U.S. treaty allies such as Australia and Japan.

PIB

1. Mobile and Digital Banking induction campaign for youth

Category: Polity and Governance

Topic: Government Initiatives

Key Points:

• Minister of State( I/C) for Youth Affairs and Sports Vijay Goel, recently led a Mobile and Digital Banking induction campaign for youth.
• It is important to note that as the demonetisation phase completes one month, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports continues to promote the benefits of online banking and boosts the methods of cashless transactions with the help of youngsters.
• The Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan which comes under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports is leading the initiative and has invited interested youngsters to join the drive for #Youth4DigitalPaisa.
• More than 600 youngsters not only from various parts of Delhi but even outskirts joined the induction programme.
• A special team constituted by the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan  took on the spot tests and interviews to choose the best 100 out of all those present.
• The selected ones will be associated with the Ministry’s Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan  for a month and will be given a target to educate/create awareness among 100 households for which the trainer will be paid an honorarium of Rs. 10,000/-.
• Those who can’t give their full time to the programme can opt for a certificate if they qualify in the tests, therefore enabling them to teach the public about mobile banking during his/her free time.

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

• North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)
• Major Defence Partner (MDP)
• #Youth4DigitalPaisa
• National Green Tribunal (NGT)
• Sambhar Lake

G. BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/ORGS IN NEWS

India-US Relations

H. Fun with Practice Questions 🙂

Question 1: Consider the following statements,

Question 2: Consider the following statements, 

Question 3: Consider the following statements,

Question 4: Consider the following statements,

Question 5: Consider the following statements,

I. Archives:

You can check out some more recent News Analysis sections to build even more context

List of all DNA Articles

Practice More: Enroll for India’s Largest All-India Test Series