UPSC 2017: Comprehensive News Analysis - November 04

A. GS1 Related

B. GS2 Related

Context:

• Petition challenging the linking of mobile numbers with Aadhaar The Supreme Court ordered that mobile service providers and banks should mention that February 6, 2018 and December 31, 2017 are the last dates for Aadhaar linking.

In news:

• The Supreme Court on Friday sent a clear message to the public to not panic, by directing mobile service providers and banks to specify the last dates for linking mobile numbers and bank accounts to Aadhaar in the SMSs and e-mails they send to millions of subscribers.
• The Supreme Court Bench made it clear that the question of the very validity of the Aadhaar scheme is scheduled to be heard from the last week of November 2017.
• In case, by any chance, if the hearing is delayed, the petitioners are at liberty to mention for an extension in the Aadhaar linking of bank accounts.

Contention of the petitioner:

• The petitioners challenging the Aadhaar scheme argue that the mandatory requirement of Aadhaar for public welfare schemes “constrict rights and freedoms which a citizen has long been enjoying unless and until they part with their personal biometric information to the government”.
• The petitions have termed the Aadhaar Act of 2016 unconstitutional and contrary to concept of limited and accountable governance.

PMLA and Aadhaar :

• Rule 2(b) of the Prevention of Money Laundering (Maintenance of Records) Second Amendment Rules of 2017 requires Aadhaar for opening new bank accounts and for verification of existing bank accounts by December 31, 2017, failing which the “bank accounts will cease to be operational”.

In news:

• Haj subsidy borne by the government and extended to pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia could be phased out as early as 2018.
• Supreme Court order: The subsidy was to be phased out after a Supreme Court order recommended the same to the government in 2012, with 2022 as the outer limit.

New Alternative plans:

• Government is planning to spend the funds on educational programmes especially for girl children of the minority community.

Reformative measures:

• Among the recommendations was reducing the Haj subsidy to nil by 2018, allowing women without a male relative/escort/ mehram to undertake the Haj and to reduce embarkation points for Haj from 22 to nine airports which had flights to Saudi Arabia.

Context:

• Appointment of Judges.
• Supreme Court observation: Let judiciary, and not the Intelligence Bureau (IB), be the best judge of professional competence of candidates considered for judicial appointments

In news:

• The Collegium of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, Justices J. Chelameswar and Ranjan Gogoi made it clear that the IB should not delve into the professional competence of persons shortlisted for the judiciary.
• The IB does a background check on the candidates once their names are considered for elevation by the High Court Collegium concerned.
• The Supreme Court Collegium further laid down that only factually proven information supplied by the IB on candidates should be taken cognisance of by the Collegium.

In news:

• In a major setback to thousands of students who pursued engineering studies through correspondence courses offered by deemed universities in the last 16 years, the Supreme Court declared that the degrees were invalid, putting them at risk of losing jobs obtained on the basis of the certificates.
• SC observation: the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) did not approve distance learning programmes in engineering studies and the approval granted by the Distance Education Council (DEC) for such courses was illegal.
• The SC decision exposes the extent to which the regulatory system was compromised as the courses were being run for more than a decade and a half without attracting serious scrutiny.

Keep a vigil:

• The apex court directed the Centre to create an oversight mechanism to regulate deemed universities, saying that UGC completely failed to curb the commercialisation of education.
• It asked the government to review the deemed university status of various institutions.

Context:

• Financial Action Task Force plenary in Buenos Aires
• FATF looks into the matters of terror financing.
• China vetoed the latest bid to have Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar designated at the UNSC.

In news:

• Pakistan has failed to penalise or curb the activities of any of the terror groups [designated by the UNSC].
• India raised the issue at the International Cooperation Review Group (ICRG) in Argentina. Other countries supported India and now Pakistan has to submit a compliance report during the next session in February 2018.

FATFs’ International Cooperation Review Group (ICRG) directives:

• Pakistan has been asked to report again in February on action taken against designated terror groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba and its off-shoots Jamaat-ud Dawa and Falah-i-Insaniyat.

About FATF:

• The Financial Action Task Force (on Money Laundering) (FATF), is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1989 on the initiative of the G7 to develop policies to combat money laundering.
• In 2001 the purpose expanded to act on terrorism financing.
• The 37-member FATF is a voluntary group, without much power to enforce its ruling, it works through “peer pressure” and “naming and shaming” countries into compliance on terror finance by putting them on “grey lists and black lists”.

In news:

• Exercise Sampriti: The Indian and Bangladeshi armies are all set to hold an intensive combat exercise at the Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School at Vairengte in Mizoram from next week as part of the overall policy to bolster bilateral military ties.
• The aim behind “Exercise Sampriti is to enhance interoperability between the two armies while conducting counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations in a semi-mountainous jungle terrain.
• “Sampriti will include a field training exercise at Vairengte, which will include heli-borne operations and neutralization of IEDs, and a command post exercise called Milap .
• Interestingly, the two armies will also hold a joint training capsule on anti-terror operations. The capsule’s main aim will to be train junior commanders of the Bangladesh Army in effectively handling such operations.
• The Indian armed forces, seeking closer cooperation on the counter-terrorism front, are working towards “building capacity” of the Bangladesh military, which ranges from training and exercises to military supplies and defence technologies.
• Bilateral naval cooperation has been traditionally strong, encompassing a wide span to include operational interactions through training, port calls, passage exercises along with “capability building and capacity augmentation initiatives”. The Bangladeshi Navy is also the present chair of the Indian Ocean Symposium (IONS), which is a multilateral maritime cooperation platform launched by the Indian Navy.

C. GS3 Related

Context:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi address at World Food India (WFI) 2017.

In news:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the private sector to invest more in contract farming, raw material-sourcing and creating agri-linkages.
• He also pointed out that there are huge opportunities for global super-market chains considering India as a major outsourcing hub.
• Besides, he suggested that aerated drinks manufacturers consider blending 5% fruit juice in their products, and said such a procedure has major potential since fruit-juice based drinks are an intrinsic part of Indian food habits.
• In addition, he pitched for a venture based on ‘nutrition-rich and climate-smart crops’ to boost production and supply of India’s coarse grains and millets that ‘not only have high nutritional value, but can also withstand adverse agro-climatic conditions’.

Category: INTERNAL SECURITY

1. IAF, DRDO successfully test indigenous ‘glide’ bomb, to be inducted soon

Nothing here for Today!!!

Question 1. Consider the following statements

See

Question 2. Consider the following statements

See

Question 3. The Gangotri National Park (GNP) is located in which state?

Question 4. Jorwe culture, a Chalcolithic culture, was first discovered in which of the following states of India?

1. Maharashtra
2. Rajasthan
3. Gujarat
4. Jammu & Kashmir

Question 5. Silver Tanka” and “Copper Jital” coins were introduced by:

GS Paper II

1. To enhance the quality of democracy in India the Election Commission of India has proposed electoral reforms in 2016. What are the suggested reforms and how far are they significant to make democracy successful?

GS Paper III

1. What are the salient features of ‘inclusive growth’? Has India been experiencing such a growth process? Analyze and suggest measures for inclusive growth.

Also, check previous Daily News Analysis

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