Comprehensive News Analysis - 29 January 2017

A. GS1 Related

1. What is the Gibraltar Arc?

Category: Geography

Topic: World Physiography

Key Points:

• It is important to note that the Gibraltar Arc is a geological region, considered one of the most narrowest landforms on Earth.
• Recently, a team of Andalusian scientists, led by the University of Granada (UGR), has been able to reconstruct for the first time what the Gibraltar Arc was like 9 million years ago.
• The researchers have been able to prove that, since then, large blocks of land, with sizes about 300 kilometres long and 150 kilometres wide, have rotated clockwise (in the case of the Baetic System mountain range) and counter-clockwise (in the case of the Rif mountain range, in the north of Morocco).
• The said movements have completely reshaped the Gibraltar Arc, since they have been carried out at a very high speed.

B. GS2 Related

Category: International Relations

Topic: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests

Key Points:

• It is unfortunate to note that India’s trade with Iran is yet to be fully normalised even a year after the lifting of international sanctions on Tehran.
• In fact, Indian exporters are complaining of difficulties faced by them due to some Indian nationalised banks refusing to deal with Iran-related transactions, according to the apex body for exporters in the country, the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO).
• This development is despite the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), in a notification in May 2016, specifying that payment or remittance or reimbursement can be made from or to Iran in any freely convertible currency for imports from Iran and exports to that country.

A note on India- Iran Trade:

• India’s trade with Iran in FY’16 was $9 billion, of which $6.3 billion were imports from Iran (of which $4.5 billion was the oil import bill), while India’s exports were worth only $2.7 billion.
• The trade between India and Iran were worth $16.2 billion in 2011-12 (India’s exports of $2.4 billion and imports from Iran worth $13.8 billion).
• It is important to note that, in an effort to boost India-Iran trade, FIEO had in December 2016 asked the RBI to soon allow Iranian banks such as Persia International Bank, Parsian Bank, Bank Pasargad, Bank Mellat and Saman Bank to open branches in India.

C. GS3 Related

Category: Indian Economy

Topic: Government Policy

Key Points:

• Stressing the benefits of a cashless economy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 28^th January, 2017 called upon the youth to use the BHIM app and develop a habit of digital payments.
• Stating that the country is moving towards digital currency, Mr. Modi said that NCC cadets had played an instrumental role in that endeavour.

2. India Post gets payments bank licence

Category: Indian Economy

Topic: Government Policy

Key Points:

• In an important development, India Post has received payments bank licence from the Reserve Bank of India to start rollout of banking operations commercially under the permit.
• India Post Payments Bank is the third entity to receive payments bank permit after Bharti Airtel and Paytm.
• It is important to note that Payments banks can accept deposits up to Rs 1 lakh per account from individuals and small businesses.

D. GS4 Related

E. Important Editorials: A Quick Glance

1. Why India needs to step up its fight

Category: Science and Technology

Topic: Health, Government Policy 

Key Points:

• It has been suggested that India’s fight against leprosy, especially 16 years after being eliminated globally as a public health issue, is far from over.

Important Statistics:

• It is worth pointing out that the World Health Organization (WHO) has asked South-East Asian countries, including India which accounted for 60% per cent of such cases worldwide in 2015, to focus on preventing disabilities in children.
• According to WHO, leprosy affected 2,12,000 people globally in 2015.
• India alone reported 1,27,326 new cases, accounting for 60% of new cases globally.
• The other high-burden countries were Brazil and Indonesia.
• Of the new cases, 8.9% were children and 6.7% presented with visible deformities. The remaining 10,286 new cases (5%) were reported by 92 countries. Thirty countries reported zero new cases.

Significantly, it is important to note that India is among the 22 countries considered as having a “high burden for leprosy” along with high transmission by WHO.

It is important to note that the mode of transmission of leprosy is not known.
The most widely held belief is that the disease was transmitted by contact between those with leprosy and healthy persons.

Further, it is important to note that although leprosy affects both sexes, in most parts of the world males are affected more frequently than females, often in the ratio of 2:1, according to WHO’s Global Leprosy Report.

PIB

Category: Internal Security

Topic: Coastal Security, Defence   

Key Points:

• The Indian Navy’s Annual Theatre Readiness Operational Exercise (TROPEX) got underway on 24 Jan 17. The month long exercise will have ships and aircraft of both the Western and Eastern Naval Commands, as also assets from the Indian Air Force, Indian Army and the Indian Coast Guard exercising together.
• The exercise is being conducted off the Western Seaboard. The last edition of the exercise was conducted in January 2015.
• TROPEX has grown in scale and complexity over the years and will see participation of major surface combatants and air assets of the Indian Navy including the aircraft carrier Vikramaditya, nuclear submarine Chakra, Landing Platform Dock (LPD) Jalashwa, the recently commissioned destroyer Chennai, the P-8I long range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft operating alongside SU-30 MKI, Jaguars, AWACS, IL-78 Flight Refuelling Aircraft of the Indian Air Force and Infantry units of the Indian Army.
• The exercise will be conducted in various phases, both in harbour and at sea encompassing the various facets of war-fighting and combat operations.
• TROPEX 17 assumes special significance in the backdrop of the current security scenario.
• The exercise is aimed at testing combat readiness of the combined fleets of the Indian Navy, and the assets of the Indian Air Force, Indian Army and the Indian Coast Guard. It will also strengthen inter-operability and joint operations in a complex environment.

2. ‘India Pharma 2017’ & ‘India Medical Device 2017’: for responsible Healthcare

Category: Science and Technology

Topic: Health

Key Points:

• The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, along with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), is organising ‘India Pharma & India Medical Device 2017’, with the Vision -‘For Responsible Healthcare’, the 2nd International exhibition and conference on Pharmaceutical& Medical Device sector from 11th-13thFebruary, 2017 in Bengaluru. 
• Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Ananth Kumar, informed that the International event would not only provide a platform to tap global potential for the Indian Pharmaceutical and Medical Device sector, but also provide an opportunity to project India as an attractive investment destination for this sector and bring in foreign investment to new areas such as Research & Developments, Clinical Trials by promoting Joint Ventures with the Indian Manufacturers and bringing in best practices in the sector from around the world.
• Further, the Minister informed that this year the ‘India Pharma & Medical Device 2017’ Conference is based around the Themes: Medical Devices-‘Shaping the Future-Making the Right Choices’ and Pharma -‘Shaping the future of India Pharma’. This initiative will be a platform to give a push to the Indian Pharma & Medical Devices sector in becoming globally competitive. It would play the role of a meeting point for International Drug Regulators, International Buyers, Investors and CEOs from the Global Pharma & Medical Devices sector that will provide ample opportunities to the participating stakeholders to network and learn amongst themselves. 

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

• Payments Bank
• TROPEX

G. BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/ORGS IN NEWS

The National Policy for Children

H. Fun with Practice Questions 🙂

Question 1: Consider the following statements,

Question 2: Consider the following statements,

1. ‘TROPEX’ is the Indian Navy’s Annual Theatre Readiness Operational Exercise

.

2. TROPEX 17 is aimed at testing combat readiness of the combined fleets of the Indian Navy, and the assets of the Indian Air Force, Indian Army and the Indian Coast Guard. It will also strengthen inter-operability and joint operations in a complex environment.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

a) 1 Only

b) 2 Only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

Question 3: Consider the following statements, with respect to the ‘India Pharma & India Medical Device 2017’, which was recently in the news,

Question 4: Which of the following organizations releases the ‘Global Leprosy Report’?

a) WHO

b) UNESCO

c) IMF

d) World Bank

Question 5: Consider the following statements,

I. Archives:

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