About:

• C-FLOWS, an acronym for Chennai FLOod Warning System, is a flood warning system customised for use in Chennai.
  
  
• The six-module ensemble can predict flooding due to heavy rainfall, sea-level rise and increase in water levels of the three rivers — Cooum, Adyar and Kosasthalaiyar — that traverse the city.
  
  
• Knowing the elevation at different spots, the system can predict the way the area would flood based on different scenarios that have been simulated, two weeks ahead of the event.
  
  
• The system is a joint initiative of the office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to government of India, research institutions, chief among them the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), Chennai, and IITs
  
  
• The move comes in the aftermath of Chennai Urban Floods of 2015 which paralysed Chennai with over 18 lakh people being displaced.
  
  
• In the coming time, similar system will be developed for Mumbai and Cochin.
  
  

Findings by Parliamentary Panel:

• Lack of basic amenities:
  • Nearly 82% of Border Outposts (BOPs) of the ITBP do not have access to clean drinking water. Drinking water is obtained from rivulets and springs which are polluted.
    
    
  • Only 24% of BOPs of the ITBP have a regular supply of electricity. The rest (76%) are dependent on generators.
    
    
  
  
  
• Border roads: Over 40% of BOPs of the ITBP are unconnected by road. Only 32 out of 73 roads along the China border are complete, even as ITBP has proposed to construct 96 more roads.
  
  
• Health issues: The ITBP personnel are at risk of several high altitude health hazards. In the past three years alone, over 500 were said to be suffering from High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPO), Acute Cerebral Edema and loss of memory. Moreover, there are a large number of vacancies in the medical team.
  
  
• Ill-equipped force: The Committee criticized the Government for not equipping the ITBP personnel with basic training gadgets and facilities, viz., modern equipment like eight-lane firing simulator and interactive touch display.
  
  

Recommendations made:

• The Committee strongly recommends that proper provisions be made to make clean and safe drinking water available to the ITBP personnel in all the BOPs.
  
  
• The modernization of the Force must be given utmost priority as this Force not only has to face any enemy from across the border but also vagaries of nature.
  
  

About:

• India is a Party to the UNFCCC, which enjoins upon all Parties to furnish information, in the form of a National Communication regarding implementation of the Convention.
  
  
• At COP17, it was decided that Biennial Update Reports (BURs) shall be submitted every two years.
  
  
• The scope of second BUR is to provide an update to India's first BUR to UNFCCC.
  
  
• The BUR contains five major components: (1) National Circumstances; (2) National Greenhouse Gas Inventory; (3) Mitigation Actions; (4) Finance, Technology and Capacity Building Needs and (5) Support Received and Domestic Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) arrangements.
  
  
• Submission of India's Second BUR will fulfil the obligation of India to furnish information regarding implementation of the Convention, being a Party.
  
  

In 2014, 2.6 billion tonnes of CC-2 equivalent of GHGs were emitted from all activities (excluding LULUCF) in India.Salient Features of India's Second BUR to UNFCCC:

The net national GHG emissions after including LULUCF were 2.3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent.

• Out of the total emissions, energy sector accounted for 73%, IPPU 8%, agriculture 16% and waste sector 3%.
  
  
• About 12% of emissions were offset by the carbon sink action of forestland, cropland and settlements.
  
  

About:

• Kullu, the “Valley of Gods”, also known as “Kulanthapitha” is located in Himachal Pradesh.
  
  
• The valley is also renowned for its grand Dussehra celebrations. Kullu Dussehra was declared an international event in 1972 and is witnessed by around 4-5 Lac people from across the globe.
  
  
• Its origins can be traced back to the regime of Raja Jagat Singh in 17^th
  
  

Key events:

• On the first day of the festival, the idol of Raghunathji is placed on a chariot and taken through the Dhalpur Maidan.
  
  
• The subsequent days see cultural events, including song and dance performances by local and international artists
  
  
• The 7-day festival ends with the “symbolic Lanka Dahan” by burning a heap of grass on fire beside the Beas River and the return of Raghunathji to its abode at Sultanpur temple.
  
  

Comparison with other Dussehra celebrations:

• Similarity: Like other Dussehra celebrations, this is also a festival of a triumph of good over evil.
  
  
• Difference:
  
  

About:

• Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) is a term describing a group of military ranks.
  
  
• Soldiers holding JCO rank receive a commission from the President, but this commission is of a lower status than that held by full commissioned officers.
  
  
• The recent clarification follows a long standing controversy over the issue. This is a reversal of an order issued in June 2018, in which Defence Ministry observed that there was no case for accepting JCOs as Gazetted officers.
  
  

Gazetted officer:

• Gazetted officer means any public servant whose appointment is published in the government gazette.
  
  
• The Gazette of India:
  • It is a public journal and an authorised legal document of the Government of India. As a public journal, the Gazette prints official notices from the government.
    
    
  • It is published weekly by the Department of Publication, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
    
    
  
  
  

Internal Complaints Committee (ICC):

• Under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, it is mandatory for any organisation with 10 or more employees to constitute an ICC.
  
  
• An employer who doesn’t do so could face a fine of up to ₹50,000.
  
  
• Composition: An ICC should consist of a –
  • presiding officer, who is a woman employee at a senior level in the same organisation,
    
    
  • at least two employees “preferably committed to the cause of women”, and
    
    
  • a member from an NGO or a person “familiar with issues relating to sexual harassment.”
    
    
  
  
  
• Powers: ICC would have powers similar to those of a civil court and would have to complete its inquiry within 90 days.
  
  

Recent decision:

• For making the disclosure mandatory, Corporate Affairs Ministry has amended the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014, governed by the Companies Act, 2013.
  
  
• The amended rules state that the Annual Reports of Private companies will have to contain a statement about status of Internal Complaints Committee (ICC).
  
  

About:

• Guru Gobind Singh (1666 – 1708), was the tenth Sikh Guru, warrior, poet and philosopher.
  
  
• He was born as Gobind Rai as the son of Guru Tegh Bahadur.
  
  
• Khalsa:
  • He founded the Sikh warrior community called Khalsa in 1699.
    
    
  • He introduced the Five Ks (Kesh, Kangha, Kara, Kirpan and Kacchera), the five articles of faith that Khalsa Sikhs wear at all times.
    
    
  
  
  
• Contribution to Sikh texts:
  • Finalized the Guru Granth Sahib in 1706 and declared this text to be the eternal Guru for Sikhs.
    
    
  • Wrote the Chandi di Var in Punjabi language – a legendary war between the good and the evil, as described in the ancient Sanskrit text Markandeya Purana.
    
    
  • composed Dasam Granth which includes compositions which are part of the daily prayers/lessons of Sikhs.
    
    
  
  
  
• List of Sikh Takhts associated with him:
  
  

About:

• Researchers at the University of California, Riverside in the U.S. tracked molecular signs of animal life, called biomarkers, as far back as 660-635 million years ago during the Neoproterozoic era.
  
  
• In ancient rocks and oils from India, Oman, Siberia, they found a steroid compound produced only by sponges, which are among the earliest forms of animal life.
  
  
• The “Cambrian Explosion” refers to the sudden appearance in the fossil record of complex animals with mineralised skeletal remains 541 million years ago.
  
  
• The biomarker they identified, a steroid compound named 26-methylstigmastane (26-mes), has a unique structure that is currently only known to be synthesised by certain species of modern sponges called
  
  
• This steroid biomarker is the first evidence that demosponges, and hence multicellular animals, were thriving in ancient seas at least as far back as 635 million years ago.
  
  

About:

• The panel will look into the legal and institutional framework which is in place for handling complaints of sexual harassment at workplaces and advise the Ministry on how to strengthen the frameworks.
  
  
• WCD minister also said that the complaints can be given to the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) or can be submitted at the dedicated portal of www.shebox.nic.in.
  
  

About:

• The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system.
  
  
• It meets at the UN Office at Geneva.
  
  
• Functions:
  • It investigates allegations of breaches of human rights in UN member states.
    
    
  • It also addresses important thematic human rights issues such as freedom of expression, women's rights, LGBT rights, and the rights of racial and ethnic minorities.
    
    
  • The UNHRC works closely with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
    
    
  
  
  
• Establishment: It was founded in 2006. It replaced the former United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) that had been strongly criticised for allowing countries with poor human rights records to be members.
  
  
• Membership:
  • The Council is made of 47 Member States, which are elected by the UN General Assembly. The Council's Membership is based on equitable geographical distribution.
    
    
  • Members of the Council serve for a period of three years and are not eligible for immediate re-election after serving two consecutive terms.
    
    
  • In June 2018, the United States announced its withdrawal from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) terming it “hypocritical and self-serving.”
    
    
  
  
  

Recent elections for new members:

• The 193-member UN General Assembly held elections here for new members to the UNHRC. The 18 new members were elected by absolute majority through a secret ballot.
  
  
• India had previously been elected to the UNHRC for the 2011-2014 and 2014-2017 terms.
  
  

About:

• Objective: The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) including Self-Employment and Talent Utilisation (SETU) is Government of India's endeavor to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship esp. in technology driven areas.
  
  
• Mission HQ: New Delhi.
  
  
• Background: In 2016, Union Cabinet approved the establishment of Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and Self-Employment and Talent Utilisation (SETU) in NITI Aayog.
  
  
• It has two core Functions: (1) Entrepreneurship promotion through Self-Employment and Talent Utilisation wherein innovators will be supported to become successful entrepreneurs and (2) Innovation promotion to provide a platform where innovative ideas are generated.
  
  

Components:

Following are the three platforms established by AIM to promote entrepreneurship in the country.

1. Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs): ATLs will be established in school across India as a workspace where young minds can give shape to their ideas through hands-on do-it-yourself mode, and learn innovation skills.
   
   
2. Atal Incubation Centres (AICs): To be established across India to help start-ups expand quicker and enable innovation-entrepreneurship, in core sectors such as manufacturing, transport, energy, education, agriculture, water and sanitation, etc.
   
   
3. Scale-up support to Established Incubators (EIC): Under it, the start-up ecosystem in the country will be transformed by upgrading the Established Incubation Centres to world-class standards.
   
   

About:

• The agreement was earlier signed in May 2018. Under it, any Myanmarese or Indian national with a valid passport and visa can now cross over without requiring special permission.
  
  
• Significance: The Agreement opens up roads between the two countries, and brings them closer for travellers and traders. It is a key step in India’s Act East policy.
  
  

Background:

• The two crossing points are at Moreh in Manipur, opposite Tamu in Myanmar’s Sagaing division, and Zokhawthar in Mizoram, opposite Rhikhawdar in Myanmar’s Chin state.
  
  
• Earlier, these crossing points were meant only for people of the border villages on either side. Border passes valid for up to three days were issued for these visits, and travel was restricted to 16 km from the crossing point.
  
  
• Passes were issued to other citizens, but they could not stay overnight across the border. To travel further on either side, cross-border visitors needed special permits.
  
  
• Under the new regime, for anyone with a passport and visa, the crossing points will be open routinely to travel anywhere in the other country.
  
  

About:

• The Vice President of India, M Venkaiah Naidu conferred awards on 17 organizations and individuals for their outstanding contribution in different fields of textiles sector in New Delhi.
  
  
• This is for the first time that the Textiles Ministry is giving awards.
  
  
• the awards were conferred during the day-long event ‘National Conclave on Accomplishments and Way Forward for Textiles Sector’.
  
  

Norms for minimum environmental flow (e-flow) for Ganga:

• The e-flows are the acceptable flow regimes that are required to maintain a river in the desired environmental state.
  
  
• The norms will apply to the upper Ganga River Basin - starting from originating glaciers and through respective confluences of its head tributaries which meet at Devaprayag up to Haridwar - and the main stem of the river Ganga up to Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh.
  
  
• The flow conditions will be monitored at hourly intervals from time to time.
  
  
• The Central Water Commission (CWC) will be the designated authority for supervision, monitoring, regulation of flows.
  
  
• The central government through National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) may direct release of additional water in the river Ganga to meet special demand as and when required.
  
  

Structures included & excluded:

• Any dam or structure meant for diversion of river flows for the purpose of irrigation, hydro-power and domestic or industrial use will now have to maintain the minimum flow.
  
  
• However, mini and micro projects, which do not alter the flow significantly are exempted.
  
  
• Projects, which currently do not meet the norms, will have to comply with it within three years.
  
  

Comment:

• In the words of Union water resources minister, "The notification will ensure the river Ganga's 'Aviralta' or continuous flow."
  
  
• Uninterrupted flow of water in any river is important to keep it clean through its natural ecological functions and processes.
  
  

About:

• Scientific name: Acinonyx Jubatus.
  
  
• Common Name(s): Cheetah, Hunting Leopard.
  
  
• Key features:
  • It is the fastest land animal. It can reach speeds of 30 m/s.
    
    
  • Its main diet is Antelope, wild pigs, hares and gazelle. Research indicates that the cheetah avoids livestock populations.
    
    
  
  
  
• Habitat: Cheetah lives in Dryland Ecosystem i.e. Grasslands, Scrublands and Open Forests.
  
  
• Distribution:
  • In Asia, they are found only in the arid regions of eastern IRAN in Asia.
    
    
  • In Africa, they are found in Isolated populations in grasslands, scrublands and open forests across the continent, esp. in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa.
    
    
  
  
  
• Indian scenario:
  • India was once home to many cheetahs, but became extinct due to over-hunting in India in historical times.
    
    
  • Cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1952. It is the only large mammal to have been declared extinct in our country in recorded history.
    
    
  
  
  
• Conservation Actions:
  • IUCN status: The known Cheetah population is roughly 6,700 adult and adolescent animals.
    
    
  • The species is listed on Appendix I of CITES.
    
    
  
  
  

Earlier Plan:

• According to the earlier plan formulated in 2011, 20 cheetahs were to be translocated to Nauradehi sanctuary located in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district from Namibia in Africa.
  
  
• Nauradehi was found to be the most suitable area for the cheetahs as its forests are not very dense to restrict the fast movement of the spotted cat. Besides, the prey base for cheetahs is also in abundance at the sanctuary.
  
  
• Namibia Cheetah Conservation Fund even showed its willingness to donate Cheetah to India. However, the State was not ready to finance the plan contending that it was Centre’s project.
  
  

About:

• Mission objectives: The probe will investigate two key questions about solar physics:
  • How the solar wind is accelerated i.e. how do they attain speeds of as much as 1.8 million mph?
    
    
  • Why the sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, is so much hotter than the solar surface?
    
    
  
  
  
• Journey:
  • The probe will fly through the Sun’s atmosphere and will come as close as 3.8 million miles to the star’s surface. It is expected to make 24 loops of the Sun over seven years.
    
    
  • In order to reach an orbit around the sun, it will take seven flybys of Venus that will help the probe in reducing its orbital distance to the sun.
    
    
  • The mission is scheduled to end in 2025. The first data download from the Parker Solar Probe is expected in early December 2018 after the probe reaches its first close approach of the sun in November.
    
    
  
  
  
• Significant firsts:
  • The Parker Solar Probe’s departure promises to set a number of records, including speediest spacecraft, highest velocity while leaving Earth and closest solar approach (within the corona of a star).
    
    
  • So far, the Helios 2 spacecraft has made the closest approach, which flew within 27 million miles in 1976.
    
    
  
  
  
• The mission is the first to be named after a living scientist, Eugene N Parker, who was the first scientist to describe solar wind in 1958.
  
  

About:

• The waterway from Manjhighat at Ganga-Gaghra river confluence to Faizabad/Ayodhya along Gaghra River for a length of 354 km was declared as NW-40 during the year 2016, as part of Government’s renewed push to develop inland waterways sector in the country.
  
  
• The Detailed Project Report on the development of NW-40 envisages terminal at five locations – Ayodhya, Mahirpur (Tanda/Kalwari), Dohrighat, Tortipar and Manjhighat.
  
  
• Significance:
  • Together with NW-1 (on river Ganga), NW-40 will be a major transport modal choice for cargo and passenger movement.
    
    
  • The DPR on NW-40 projects movement of various categories of cargo, namely, agricultural products, industrials products, coal (for Tanda power plant), coarse sand and other general goods etc. through inland vessel capacity up to 1000 tonne.
    
    
  • Besides cargo and passenger movement, NW-40 will provide a connectivity to tourist and pilgrimage places along river Gaghra and Ganga.
    
    
  
  
  

LIGO:

• LIGO stands for Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory.
  
  
• The LIGO project operates three gravitational-wave (GW) detectors in USA. Two are at Hanford in the State of Washington and one is at Livingston in Louisiana.
  
  
• The discovery of gravitational waves earned three U.S. scientists (who were closely involved with LIGO) the Nobel for physics in 2017.
  
  

LIGO-India:

• The proposed LIGO-India project aims to move one Advanced LIGO detector from Hanford to India to detect gravitational waves.
  
  
• Proposed Location: Hingoli District of Maharashtra.
  
  
• Agencies involved:
  • It is a joint collaboration between the LIGO laboratories of the Caltech and MIT of the USA and three lead institutions in the LIGO-India consortium namely –
    • Institute of Plasma Research (IPR), Gandhinagar;
      
      
    • Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune; and
      
      
    • Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), Indore.
      
      
    
    
    
  • This project will be jointly funded by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and the Department of Science & Technology (DST).
    
    
  
  
  
• Timeline: The project was given in-principle approval by the Union Cabinet in 2016. It is expected to be completed by 2025.
  
  
• Significance:
  • It is an important project in the field of fundamental sciences in the country. It will help to launch an entirely new discipline of gravitational-wave astronomy.
    
    
  • Large separation of Indian observatory with the two in USA which will permit better detection of gravitational wave.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• Doing Good Index (DGI) is released by Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society’s (CAPS).
  
  
• It is a first of its kind survey that looks at factors that enable or impede philanthropic giving.
  
  
• It considers factors under four sub-indexes: (1) Regulations, (2) Tax and Fiscal Policy, (3) Ecosystem and (4) Procurement.
  
  
• The 2018 index covers 15 Asian economies which have been categorised into 4 clusters on the basis their philanthropic activity
  
  

• Steps taken by India towards Philanthropy:
  • Companies Act, 2013 requires that companies (with revenue of more than ₹10 billion) will have to invest 2% of their net profits for corporate social responsibility (CSR).
    
    
  • India has also put in place the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act in 2010, which regulates foreign contribution (especially monetary donation) provided to NGOs and others within India.
    
    
  
  
  

 Operation Magic Hunt:

• Under this, IMA is compiling the details of people offering ‘magical cure’.
  
  
• The campaign has been launched on demand from the intelligence wing of the Kerala police in the background of several high-profile people falling prey to unscientific practices.
  
  

Indian Medical Association (IMA):

• IMA is a national voluntary organisation of Doctors of Modern Scientific System of Medicine.
  
  
• Objective: To look after the interest of doctors as well as the well-being of the community.
  
  
• History: It was established in 1928 and is registered under Societies Registration Act of 1860.
  
  

About:

• background:
  • The inaugural 2+2 dialogue was held last September and was chaired by the Defence and External Affairs Ministers and their U.S. counterparts.
    
    
  • The dialogue is similar to India-Japan 2+2 Dialogue between foreign and defence secretaries of the two countries.
    
    
  
  
  
• Objective: To elevate and insulate the India-US strategic relationship from trade and commercial disputes between the two nations and replaces the India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue.
  
  
• As the next step in furthering defence cooperation, negotiations are on to conclude the ISA and the BECA.
  
  
• Industrial Security Annex (ISA):
  • It allows sharing of classified information from the U.S. government and American companies with the Indian private sector, which is so far limited to the Indian government and the defence public sector undertakings.
    
    
  • It is essential as the Indian industry looks for a greater role in defence manufacturing.
    
    
  
  
  
• Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-spatial Cooperation (BECA):
  • It would facilitate exchange of geospatial information between India and United States for both military and civilian use.
    
    
  • The U.S. has already shared a draft of BECA, the last foundational agreement to be signed.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• CROSS BOW-18 was the combined guided weapons firing exercise of Surface to Air Missile.
  
  
• During it, firing of four different class of missiles – AKASH, SPYDER, OSA-AK-M and IGLA was successfully carried out on 5^th, 7^th and 8^th December 2018 during day and night in an integrated networked environment.
  
  
• This exercise was undertaken to improve the combat skills of missile Squadron crew.
  
  

About:

• Kaziranga National Park is located in the Golaghat and Nagaon district of Assam.
  
  
• Conservation status:
  • It was declared a national park in 1974.
    
    
  • UNESCO declared it a world heritage site in 1985.
    
    
  • It became a Tiger Reserve in 2007.
    
    
  • It is also recognized as an ‘Important Bird Area’ by BirdLife International for the conservation of avifaunal species.
    
    
  
  
  
• Fauna: KNP has an estimated –
  • two-thirds of the Indian rhinoceros numbered at 2,413 (Acc. to the latest Rhino census),
    
    
  • 57% of the world’s wild water buffalo population,
    
    
  • One of the largest groups of Asian elephants and
    
    
  • 21 Royal Bengal tigers per 100 sq.km – arguably the highest Tiger density.
    
    
  
  
  
• Threat to Indian Rhinoceros:
  • Indian rhinoceros, or greater one-horned rhino, is categorised as ‘vulnerable’ by IUCN.
    
    
  • The major threats to are Poaching and annual floods in the Brahmaputra which creates havoc in the Kaziranga.
    
    
  
  
  

Recent Division of KNP:

• Assam’s Environment Department has notified the splitting of KNP into (1) Eastern Assam division and (2) Biswanath division, with the Brahmaputra coming in between.
  
  
• Splitting the KNP into two divisions will ensure better deployment of divisional forest officers in the Biswanath area, where most of Rhinoceros poaching happens.
  
  

About:

• Timeline:
  • Arbind Modi task force: The Government had constituted a Task Force in November 2017 to draft a New Direct Tax Law under the Convenorship of Arbind Modi, the then Member (Legislation), CBDT.
    
    
  • Akhilesh Ranjan task force: However, on superannuation of Arbind Modi, the Task Force was reconstituted in November 2018 under the Convenorship of Akhilesh Ranjan, the then Member (Legislation), CBDT.
    
    
  • The task force is required to submit its report to the Government by February 28, 2019.
    
    
  
  
  
• Terms of reference: Its mandate is to draft an appropriate direct tax legislation keeping in view:
  • the direct tax system prevalent in various countries;
    
    
  • the international best practices;
    
    
  • the economic needs for the country and;
    
    
  • any other matter connected thereto.
    
    
  
  
  

Freight Village:

• A freight village is a designated area where facilities for various modes of transportation, distribution of goods and other logistics are available in a synchronized manner on a large scale.
  
  
• The main function of freight villages is management and utilization of various modes of transport, synergizing them and decongesting the existing mode of transportation.
  
  
• Delivery and coordination of various freight related activities under one roof ensures ease of doing business.
  
  

Varanasi freight village:

• The Varanasi freight village will serve as a cargo hub, and a centre for aggregation and value addition. It will also provide support to stimulate development of a professional logistics industry in Varanasi.
  
  
• Implementing agency: It will be developed by the Inland Waterways Authority of India.
  
  
• Why Varanasi?
  • A World Bank study has found Varanasi to be a suitable site for the freight village.
    
    
  • The city is a focal point in the logistics chain of Eastern Transport Corridor of India where the National Waterways-1, Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC), National Highway-7 and National Highway-2 pass through.
    
    
  • The volume of traffic on inland waterway to Varanasi is expected to increase with the commissioning of the multi modal terminal being built under the Jal Marg Vikas project.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• The task force will comprise of “network of hundreds of people”, including specialists who will monitor advertising to make sure that ads are appropriate, and specialists to constantly look at the content.
  
  
• The company will also work with local political parties to understand what they are doing.
  
  

Background:

• Facebook is under criticism for improper use of its data to influence elections in its home country, the United States, following which, Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg, earlier this year, had announced putting in place a new policy to prevent interference in future elections.
  
  
• Facebook had said that the data of nearly 5.6 lakh Indian users may have been “improperly” shared with British political analytics company Cambridge Analytica.
  
  

About:

• Central Water Commission (CWC) of India uses a colour-coded warning system to alert local populations of the severity of a flood situation.
  
  
• The colour-coded warning system includes Orange, Red and Yellow alert (refer table).
  
  
• Water Levels wrt Flooding:
  • Each flood forecasting station of the river has a defined ‘warning level’, ‘danger level’ and ‘highest flood level’.
    
    
  • While the warning and danger levels are fixed for a river, the highest flood level is adjusted every year ahead of the start of the flood season on the basis of levels reached the previous year.
    
    
  
  
  

About:

• The purpose of the Bill is to amend and remove the existing provisions of the laws which can be misused to harass authors by vested interests.
  
  
• The bill puts on the government the onus of explaining why a book needs to be banned and removes the government’s right to ban books indefinitely.
  
  
• The Bill envisages amending the following sections which are a major deterrent to free expression –
  • Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) that provides for imprisonment of up to three years for “deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings”
    
    
  • as well as Section 298 of IPC, which is similar to 295A as it criminalises speech critical of religious organisations or religious figures
    
    
  
  
  
• It also seeks to amend are the obscenity laws that are “not in consonance with a liberal state.” These include Sections 292 and 293 of the IPC and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act.
  
  
• It also seeks to amend the Customs Act that allows governments to suspend the shipping in of books over an indefinite period of time (as had happened with the ban on Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses) and Sections 95 and 96 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
  
  

Comment:

• Tharoor cites the example of Wendy Doniger’s The Hindus: An Alternative History, which was banned in India because of legal issues under 295A.
  
  
• There are already other hate laws, like Section 153, that crack down on deliberate acts hurting religious sentiments, so India do not need other laws to specifically hurt authors.
  
  
• As a private member’s Bill, the legislation has hardly any hope of passing, but it reflects the contested terrain of freedom of speech and expression despite constitutional safeguards.
  
  

List of Agreements/MoUs Exchanged between India and Russia:

• Protocol for Consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and MEA for the period 2019-2023.
  
  
• MoU between the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russia and NITI Aayog.
  
  
• MoU between ISRO and the Federal Space Agency of Russia ‘ROSCOSMOS’ on Joint Activities in the field of Human Spaceflight Programme.
  
  
• MoU between the Indian and Russian Railways.
  
  
• Action Plan for Prioritization and Implementation of Cooperation Areas in the Nuclear Field.
  
  
• MoU between the Russian Ministry of Transport and Indian Railways in the Development Cooperation in Transport Education.
  
  
• MoU between the National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC), of India and the Russian Small and Medium Business Corporation (RSMB), on Cooperation in the field of MSME.
  
  
• Cooperation Agreement in the Fertilizers Sector between the Russian Direct Investment Fund" ("RDIF”); PJSC Phosagro (PhosAgro) and Indian Potash Limited (IPL).
  
  

S-400 ‘Triumf’ missile systems:

• India and Russia concluded the contract for five S-400 ‘Triumf’ missile systems, estimated at $5.43 billion (Rs. 40,300 crore). Under it, Russia would supply the S-400 long range surface to air missile to India.
  
  
• Deliveries of S-400 will begin in 24 months, at the end of 2020. India would pay about 15% in advance, likely through the rupee-rouble mechanism both countries use for trade in their own currencies.
  
  
• It is one of the biggest defence deals in recent times.
  
  
• The deal could attract sanctions from the U.S. under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) law, which penalises defence purchases from Russia, Iran and North Korea, as soon as the first payment is made, unless granted a “waiver.”