UPSC 2017: Comprehensive News Analysis - July 05

Context:

• A long forgotten slice of martial history related to Mysuru will be revisited when Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays tribute to fallen Indian soldiers at the Haifa cemetery in Israel.

The Mysore Imperial Service and the liberation of Haifa:

• The Mysore Imperial Service played a big role in the liberation of Haifa on September 23, 1918, from Ottoman Turks and Germans, by allied forces.
• This is seen as one of the fiercest battles in the west Asian theatre of World War I in which India, as a British colony, fought German and the Ottoman troops.
• The Mysore Lancers were in the 15th Imperial Service as the forces sent by the princely states of Mysore, Jodhpur and Hyderabad.
• The then Mysuru Maharaja Nalwudi Krishnaraja Wadiyar sent his troops to defend the empire and even gave nearly ₹50 lakh to the India War Fund.

Context:

• December 15, 2016 Supreme Court order: prohibited the sale of liquor within a distance of 500 metres from the outer edge of national and State highways.
• March 2017 order: the ban was not restricted to just liquor shops alongside the highways but also to other larger establishments, including pubs and hotels.
• Intention: to prevent drunken driving on high-speed thoroughfares.
• Many states started de-notifying highways in order to circumvent the December 15^th

Petition: filed by NGO Arrive Safe Society challenging the Chandigarh administration’s move to de-notify certain roads.

In news:

The Supreme Court observations

• nothing wrong in de-notifying particular stretches of highways running inside city limits as city roads and such de-classification does not violate its earlier order of banning liquor sales near National and State highways.

Reasons given:

• Traffic inside city limits is usually slow and heavy, and stretches de-notified fall within the city limits.
• .The goal of the liquor ban was to prevent drunken driving in fast-moving traffic.
• The pace of traffic with the city is very different from traffic outside city limits.
• Purpose of the ban is to avoid drivers getting inebriated while driving on highways inter-linking cities.

Widespread relief: especially to pubs and restaurants in the metros, which were forced to shut down

Context: demonetization

In news:

• The Supreme Court asked the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to come up with a policy to offer a window to people who could not deposit their demonetised notes for legitimate reasons before last year’s December 30 deadline.

In news:

• As per the inputs from a senior Home Ministry official: The Centre is considering partial removal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) from Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. There was no proposal to withdraw it in Jammu and Kashmir.
• In Arunachal Pradesh, complete withdrawal, except two districts in the east bordering Myanmar and Nagaland.
• Views sought: The Ministry has asked the two States for their views on AFSPA withdrawal and said that it was open to reviewing the stringent law in other States like Manipur.

Basics of AFSPA :

• Armed Forces (Special Powers) Acts (AFSPA), are Acts of the Parliament of India that grant special powers to the Indian Armed Forces in what each act terms “disturbed areas”.According to The Disturbed Areas (Special Courts) Act, 1976 once declared ‘disturbed’, the area has to maintain status quo for a minimum of 3 months.
• The AFSPA gives powers to the Army and Central forces deployed in “disturbed areas” to kill anyone acting in contravention of law, arrest and search any premises without a warrant.
• It provides cover to forces from prosecution and legal suits without the Centre’s sanction.

Active AFSPA:

• Whole of Nagaland, Assam, Manipur (excluding the seven Assembly constituencies of Imphal).
• In Arunachal Pradesh, it is in force in 16 police stations and in Tirap, Longding and Changlang districts bordering Assam.
• Tripura withdrew AFSPA in 2015.
• It is not in force in Meghalaya (except 20 kilometre area along Assam border) and Mizoram.

Supreme court ruling:

• On July 8, 2016, in a landmark ruling, The Supreme Court of India ended the immunity of the armed forces from prosecution under AFSPA, saying,“It does not matter whether the victim was a common person or a militant or a terrorist, nor does it matter whether the aggressor was a common person or the state. The law is the same for both and is equally applicable to both… This is the requirement of a democracy and the requirement of preservation of the rule of law and the preservation of individual liberties.”
• Supreme Court said that any encounter carried out by armed forces in the garb of AFSPA should be subjected to thorough inquiry.

In news:

• The Law Commission of India- the commission headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice B.S. Chauhan, has recommended compulsory registration of marriages.

Why?

• To protect gullible women who become victims of fake marriages.
• The lack of provisions for compulsory registration of marriages had proven disastrous for women and deprived them of societal recognition and legal security.

Key fact: Fraudulent marriages are on the rise especially among non-resident Indians. Compulsory registration can serve as a means to ensure that conditions of a valid marriage have been performed.

Minor amendment:

• Minor amendment to the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, including a provision for compulsory registration of marriage, would serve the purpose.
• And there was no need to amend any of the personal laws of religious communities.

2006 Supreme Court in Seema vs Ashwani case:

• Marriages of persons who are citizens of India belonging to various religions should be registered compulsorily in their States.

Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel

In news:

The leaders to focus on a “non-security” strategic partnership involving agriculture, water, tourism, science technology and space.

In News:

• Incidents of transgression by the People’s Liberation Army(PLA) has increased marginally this year along the disputed Sino-Indian border compared to 2016.
• Key Fact: 20-25% increase in transgressions by the Chinese PLA till May this year, particularly in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. On an average around 300 transgressions are reported along the China border due to “difference in perception.

Sovereignty claims:

• Over the years both sides have developed a strategy of sending long patrols into disputed areas in summer months to assert their claims for sovereignty.
• These patrols are undertaken at eight of the key disputed locations, mostly in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh and are believed to enjoy political sanction.

Reasons for increased transgression:

• Indian troops have improved their observation of the presence of Chinese patrols in disputed areas.
• The Chinese have stepped up border patrols as part of an aggressive posture along the border.

Ladakh border: 

• Along the Ladakh border, India sticks mostly to a boundary drawn by British civil servant H. Johnson in 1865, which showed Aksai Chin as part of J&K.
• China disputes this claim and in the 1950s and built a road connecting Xinjiang and Tibet which ran through Aksai Chin.
• In northeast India, New Delhi sticks to the McMahon Line. China claims that McMahon Line has no legal standing and claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of Tibet.

Delhi Dialogue IX:

• A platform for discussion between ASEAN and India.
• The Delhi Dialogue IX marks the beginning of the celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of India-ASEAN diplomatic ties
• Vietnam on asked:
• India to play a greater role in ASEAN’s strategic and security affairs.
• India should support freedom of navigation in the South China Sea on the basis of international law and conventions.

India and ASEAN: India’s tie with ASEAN is at the centre of India’s Act East Policy.

In news:

• North Korea claimed it successfully test-launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile
• North Korea’s Academy of Defence Science said the test of an ICBM the Hwasong-14 marked the “final step” in creating a “confident and powerful nuclear state that can strike anywhere on Earth.”
• Test a direct rebuke to U.S. President Donald Trump’s earlier declaration that such a test “won’t happen!”

Capability:

• A U.S. scientist examining the height and distance said the missile could potentially be powerful enough to reach Alaska.

Category: ECONOMICS

1. Tap GST for jobs data: PM-appointed panel

Category: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. Drug-resistant TB higher among children than expected: report

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Nothing here for Today!!!

Nothing here for Today!!!

G. Practice Questions for UPSC Prelims Exam

Question 1:The Navegaon National Park is located in which state?

Question 2: The Supreme Court’s power to hear Inter-State Water Disputes can be 
classified under its

Question 3: What is/are the eligibility criteria’s that needs to be fulfilled, in order to
be the member of a G7 group?

Question 4: The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority is a

Question 5: VAJRA (Visiting Advanced Joint Research) Faculty scheme is being implemented 
by which agency?