17 Jun 2019: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

A. GS1 Related

Context:

According to the forecasts of Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the very severe cyclonic storm Vayu is expected to recurve and make landfall as a “depression” near Porbandar in coastal Gujarat.

Vayu:

• Vayu is the strongest tropical cyclone to affect the Saurashtra Peninsula of northwestern India in 21 years.
• It is the third tropical depression, third cyclonic storm and second very severe cyclonic storm of the 2019 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, and the first of which to form in the Arabian Sea.
• The names of Tropical cyclones in the North Indian Ocean cyclone region are assigned from a list of names contributed by eight countries in the basin.
• The cyclone has been named by India.

B. GS2 Related

Category: HEALTH

1. Drugs of 18 pharma firms found substandard since 2018

Context:

Calling for China to maintain status quo in the Doklam region, Bhutan’s Prime Minister said that no side should do anything near the tri-junction point between India, China and Bhutan unilaterally.

Doklam Issue:

• The standoff between India and China at the Doklam plateau which lies at a tri-junction between the India, China, and Bhutan has gained much attention.
• It has turned into the biggest military stand-off between the two armies in years.
• It started when India (Indian Army) objected a road construction by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China in the Doklam plateau which China claims to be a part of its Donglang region. However, India and Bhutan recognise it as Doklam, a Bhutan territory.
• Later, China accused Indian troops of entering in its territory and India accused the Chinese of destroying its bunkers (People’s Liberation Army bulldozed an old bunker of the Indian army stationed in Doklam).
• Although a military standoff was averted, diplomatic negotiations have not yielded many results to cool-off the passions across the border.
• The disputed region is very close to India’s Siliguri Corridor which connects the seven north eastern states to the Indian mainland.

Why did India intervene if it is a matter between Bhutan and China?

• India has signed a Friendship Treaty with Bhutan (renewed in 2007) which drives India to intervene for the goodwill of Bhutan among many other provisions.
• Also, Bhutan asked for India’s help to protect its interest in Doklam from Chinese intervention.
• India has been making special efforts to ensure its special ties with Bhutan are strong.
• Also, the access to the Tri-junction area (via road from Doklam) would give China easy access to transportation of war machinery such as tanks and vehicles to the border of India.

Details:

• Now, the Bhutanese leader has said that as long as status quo was maintained, there will be peace and tranquillity in the region.
• He said that the boundary talks with 25 completed rounds of talks, between the two sides had made good progress.
• The comments point to alignment in the views of India and Bhutan on the military standoff between India and China in 2017.
• The comments also show that attempts by China to draw Bhutan closer into its sphere of influence have not worked.

Context:

The Prime Minister of Bhutan has called on India and Pakistan to work together for the growth of South Asia.

Details:

• Bhutan is one of the eight member states of the regional bloc SAARC
• These remarks come at a time when the SAARC process is stalled due to the hostile relationship between India and Pakistan due to cross-border terrorism issues.
• The comments follow reported calls by Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena and Nepal’s Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli to revive the SAARC, which has not held a summit since 2014 due to the tensions between India and Pakistan.

SAARC:

• SAARC is the acronym for an intergovernmental organisation of south Asian countries.
• It stands for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.
• SAARC was founded in 1985.
• It is a geopolitical body comprising of 8 members.
• It is headquartered in Kathmandu, Nepal.
• Its members include India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) grouping:

• Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) had signed a framework MVA in 2015to enable movement of passenger and cargo vehicles across their borders.
• Bhutan has not yet ratified the pact for its entry to come into force.
• However, Bhutan had given its consent for the BBIN MVA to enter into force.
• Bangladesh, India and Nepal have already ratified it.
• The Prime Minister has expressed his country’s reservation over a Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA) under the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) grouping proposed by India a couple of years ago.
• He has shared that there is a serious rift between the ruling and opposition parties of Bhutan over passing the MVA deal through the Parliament.

Context:

A 294 years old Indian temple and its nature-loving caretaker are helping the black softshell turtle which is officially extinct in the wild make a tentative comeback.

Details:

• Assam was once rich in freshwater turtles, but habitat loss and over-exploitation (once a popular local food) have massively depleted their population.
• The pond of the Ugratara Temple has provided a safe haven.
• In turtle hatchlings, that were hand-reared at the temple, are now released into a nearby wildlife sanctuary.
• Jorpukhuri translates into twin tanks, one of which abuts Ugratara Temple that is dedicated to Goddess Tara, a ‘fiery’ avatar of Kali.
• A similar initiative for 11 hatchlings of the equally endangered Indian roofed turtle (Pangshura tecta) and the Indian tent turtle (Pangshura tentoria) was organised at the Hayagriv Madhab Temple in Hajo.

Concerns:

• The eggs of the freshwater turtles have a soft shell.
• Unlike rivers or natural water bodies where they lay eggs a foot under silt, the clayey bottom of the ponds forces the turtles to lay eggs on the surface.
• Only about 20% of the eggs laid in these ponds hatch because of factors such as shallowness and resultant water temperature.

Black softshell turtle:

• Black softshell turtle (Nilssonia nigricans) is a species of freshwater turtle found in India (Assam) and Bangladesh.
• IUCN conservation status: Extinct in the Wild

Indian tent turtle:

• The Indian tent turtle (Pangshura tentoria) is a species of turtle endemic to India and Bangladesh.
• IUCN conservation status: Least Concerned

Indian Roofed Turtle:

• The Indian roofed turtle (Pangshura tecta) can be distinguished by the distinct “roof” at the topmost part of the shell.
• It is found in the major rivers of South Asia.
• It is a common pet in the Indian Subcontinent.
• IUCN conservation status: Least Concerned

Context:

Environment and energy ministers of the Group of 20 major economies met in Karuizawa, northwest of Tokyo, ahead of the G20 summit in Osaka.

Details:

• The environment ministers of the grouping have agreed to adopt a new implementation framework for actions to tackle the issue of marine plastic waste on a global scale.
• One of the major issues is ocean plastic waste as images of plastic debris-strewn beaches and dead animals with stomachs full of plastic have sparked outrage.
• Many countries have taken a drastic step of banning plastic bags outright.
• The new framework is aimed at facilitating further concrete action on marine waste on a voluntary basis post the G20 Hamburg Summit in Germany adopted “G20 action plan on marine litter” in 2017.
• Under the new framework, G20 members would promote a comprehensive life-cycle approach to prevent and reduce plastic litter discharge to the oceans through various measures and international cooperation.
• Best practices will be shared, innovation promoted.

G 20:

• The G20 (Group of 20) is an international forum which includes 19 of the world’s largest economies and the European Union.
• It was founded in 1999 with the aim to discuss policy pertaining to the promotion of international financial stability.
• While economic and financial issues tend to lead the agenda, other areas have gained momentum.
• Traditional topics include the global economy, financial markets, fiscal affairs, trade, agriculture, employment, energy and the fight against corruption.
• India is a member country.

D. GS4 Related

E. Editorials

Context:

The Supreme Court in a recent judgement expressed it concerns about almost every public tender being challenged through PIL petitions as a matter of routine, affecting the promptness and efficacy of delivery in public sector projects.

Absence of legislation:

• The judgement throws lights upon the fact that these challenges are the effect of inadequate national public procurement laws.
• Procurement by the government accounts for 30% of the GDP; despite such fiscal significance, there is no comprehensive parliamentary legislation passed in the country to regulate such public procurement by the Central government.
• However, there is a maze of guidelines, rules and regulations.

Inadequacies in State law:

• State public procurement is regulated by a State Act only in five States: Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Assam.
• The grievance redressal mechanisms provided in these Acts are neither independent nor effective.
• These acts fall short of the prescriptions set out by the Supreme Court in Madras Bar Association v. Union of India, in which the court spelt out the requirements that tribunals must possess to qualify them as being efficacious alternative remedy — a phrase provided in Article 226.
• The Madras High Court, in a judgment, while testing the efficacy of these mechanisms, denounced them.

Issue:

• The United Progressive Alliance introduced the Public Procurement Bill in the Lok Sabha in 2012, to regulate public procurement with the objective of ensuring transparency accountability and probity in the procurement process. It was not passed by Parliament.
• The National Democratic Alliance, in 2015, revamped the provisions to come up with the Public Procurement Bill, 2015. Unfortunately, this Bill has also not been passed.
• Both versions had provisions for robust internal machinery for grievance redress arising out of public procurement. Both these bills have not been able to become legislations.
• Existing constitutional provisions are themselves no great help in this area.
• While Article 282 provides for financial autonomy in public spending, there are no further provisions that provide any guidance on public procurement principles, policies, and procedures or for grievance redressal.
• Courts have imposed such stringent self-imposed restrictions in the area of judicial review vis-à-vis tenders that the power to interfere is very sparingly exercised.
• The procuring officer is empowered by judicial principles such as “Government must be allowed a play in the joints”.
• Given such a feeble legal framework which demands so little accountability, the award of tenders can pave way for unscrupulous practices.

Way forward:

• Restraints imposed on courts by themselves would be admirable if alternative efficacious remedy is available.
• In the absence of an alternate efficacious remedy to redress grievances, growth of other negative aspects of public procurement would continue.
• In such a legal scenario, it is no surprise that public procurement tender awards are often challenged in constitutional courts.
• Also, in the past, instances of charges of corruption in public procurement have brought down elected governments.
• Given such a scenario, parliamentary legislation to regulate public procurements which provide adequate means for aggrieved parties to challenge inequities and illegalities in public procurement is the need of the hour.

2. Qualifying for Leader of the Opposition

Q1. Consider the following statements:

Q2. The wind blowing in the northern plains in summers is known as:

Q3. Consider the following statements: