Comprehensive News Analysis - 21 August 2016

Table of Contents:

A. GS1 Related:
B. GS2 Related:

1. Boost for mental care

2. Speaker asks BRICS to join hands for SDGs

3. Myanmar to support Silk Road, BCIM

C. GS3 Related:

1. The penny drops: Govt. wanted continuity, chose Urjit Patel

2. What is a quantum satellite?

3. SBI to sharpen marketing focus

D. GS4 Related
E. Important Editorials : A Quick Glance

The Hindu

F. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn:
G. Fun with Practice Questions 🙂
H. Archives

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Useful News Articles

A. GS1 Related

Nothing here today folks!

 

B. GS2 Related


  1. Boost for mental care

Category: Polity and Governance

  Topic:  Government Interventions

Key Points:

  • The Rajya Sabha passed the Mental Health Care Bill (MHC), 2016 recently.
  • This new bill replaces the existing Mental Health Act, 1987.
  • There have been two previous mental health laws – the Indian Lunacy Act, 1912 and the Mental Health Act, 1987.

 

Salient Features regarding the new bill

  • The new bill decriminalises attempted suicide, a clause which received considerable media attention.
  • The law aims for social inclusion of persons with mental illness
  • The new law emphasizes that treatment and care is to be provided in a way that enables these persons to live with their families in their own community.
  • The law introduces ‘Advance Directives’. These act like a living will, allowing a person to state how they want to be treated if they are ever affected by a mental illness and not in a position to make decisions for themselves.

 

Critical Analysis of Precedents

  • The Indian Lunacy Act was essentially focussed on protecting society from persons with mental illness and the emphasis of the Indian Lunacy Act was on custodial care in institutions.
  • The Mental Health Act, 1987 had provisions for treatment of persons with mental illness in general hospitals and provisions for discharge from institutions.
  • However, The Mental Health Act, 1987, continued with certain regressive aspects of the Indian Lunacy Act, such as guardianship and management of property of persons with mental illness.
  • The MHA, 1987 was also criticised for being majorly concerned with the regulation and administration of mental health care in institutional settings, instead of addressing mental health problems of the community or protecting the rights of persons with mental illness.

 

2. Speaker asks BRICS to join hands for SDGs

Category: Polity and Governance, International Relations

Topic:  Government Interventions, Important International Institutions

image001 (3)

Key Points:

  • Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said a united front would help in the successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
  • The first meeting of the BRICS Women Parliamentarians’ Forum at the Rajasthan Assembly, was inaugurated by Ms. Mahajan.
  • She highlighted the fact that BRICS should innovate new institutional means for meeting the needs of the member countries.
  • The speaker went on to add that the success of the SDGs would be heavily dependent on their successful implementation in the BRICS countries.
  • She further highlighted, referring to the 2030 agenda for the SDGs that women parliamentarians had added responsibilities,  because worldwide, women are facing disproportionate risks and greater burdens from the impacts of poverty, climate change and other social, political and economic crises.

 

3. Myanmar to support Silk Road, BCIM

Category: International Relations

Topic:  Agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests

image002 (3)

Key Points:

  • Aung San Suu Kyi concluded her visit to China by seeking Beijing’s support for her country’s infrastructure projects.
  • She thus embarked on a tough balancing act taking into consideration the demands of environmental groups back in her home country, who oppose such foreign-backed initiatives.
  • The joint statement released after Ms. Suu Kyi met China’s President Xi Jinping, was able to place on record Myanmar’s support for China’s ‘Belt and Road’ connectivity initiative.
  • The joint statement also supported the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) economic corridor.
  • It is important to remember that the (BCIM) economic corridor is meant to industrialise a stretch — spanning more than 2,000-km — linking Kunming in China with Mandalay in Myanmar, passing through Bangladesh, and ending at Kolkata in India.
  • Enroute, it would also pass through one of Myanmar’s major cities, Mandalay.
  • It is significant to note that there was no mention of the South China Sea dispute.

 

C. GS3 Related


1. The penny drops: Govt. wanted continuity, chose Urjit Patel

Category: Economy 

Topic:  Monetary Policy

image003 (1)

  • The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has announced the appointment of Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor Urijit Patel as successor to Governor Raghuram Rajan.
  • The choice of Dr. Patel is reflective of the government’s preference for continuity to the Rajan tradition.
  • Patel, is the senior-most Deputy Governor at the RBI
  • He is the architect of the new monetary policy framework and is working closely with the Cabinet Secretariat and the Finance Ministry to ensure a smooth transition.
  • It is important to note that the responsibility for setting interest rates is being transferred from the Governor to a six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).

 

2. What is a quantum satellite?

Category: Science and Technology

Topic: Developments in Science and Technology

Key Points:

  • Quantum satellites can be the future of wireless communication and set new standards in Internet security.
  • China had recently launched a quantum satellite, called Micius, named after the ancient Chinese scientist and philosopher.
  • This satellite is a 600-kg satellite that will try to communicate with earth using the principle of quantum entanglement.
  • Quantum entanglement is a process whereby subatomic particles become inextricably linked or “entangled” in such a way that any change in one disturbs the other even if both are at opposite ends of the universe.
  • What this means is that any attempt at hacking entangled particles would, in principle, be impossible.

 

3. SBI to sharpen marketing focus.

Category: Economy

Topic: Money and Banking

Key Points:

  • State Bank of India has said that it will redeploy its manpower in customer-facing roles with a sharper marketing focus.
  • State Bank of India, has also started the process of merging its five associate banks and Bharatiya Mahila Bank.
  • SBI has also said that the merger will lead to faster rollout of digital initiatives across the bank.
  • Where customers stand to benefit is that the speed of credit delivery, particularly large credit approvals, will improve as instead of seven sanctions by seven banks, customers will have to deal with a single credit approval process.

 

D. GS4 Related

Nothing here today folks!


E. Important Editorials: A Quick Glance

Nothing here today folks!

 

The Hindu
Nothing here today folks!


F. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn:
  • Quantum satellites
  • BCIM economic corridor
  • The Indian Lunacy Act
  • The Mental Health Act
  • Mental Health Care Bill (MHC)
  • BRICS
  • Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC)

 

G. Fun with Practice Questions 🙂
Question 1: Consider the following statements?
  1. The world’s first quantum satellite was recently launched by China.
  2. A quantum satellite is designed to establish ultra-secure quantum communications by transmitting uncrackable keys from space to the ground.

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2


Question 2: Consider the following statements?
  1. The recently passed Mental Health Care Bill (MHC), 2016decriminalizes attempted suicide.
  2. This bill enshrines fundamental rights, under Article 21, to care and dignity for persons with mental illness.

a) Only 1

b) Only 2

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2 


Question 3: Which of the following paramilitary forces guards the Indo-Myanmar border?
    a) ITBP

    b) Assam Rifles

    c) SSB

    d) BSF 


Question 4: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is headquartered at

a) Jeddah

b) Abu Dhabi

c) Istanbul

d) Cairo 


Question 5: In which country does the Mekong River originate?
    a) Myanmar

    b) Laos

    c) Cambodia

    d) China

 

Check Your Answers

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