Highlights |UPSC Exam Current Affairs 15-01-2020
UPSC exam current affairs 15-01-2020 The following article contains all the updated events and news for IAS Preparation. Our daily IAS Current Affairs and News cover the most important topics to give precise information to the reader and IAS Aspirants.
- Diego, the giant tortoise
- Kerala files suit against CAA
- US President Donald Trump is likely to visit India
- Centre eases CRZ rules for ‘Blue Flag’ beaches
- Inflation
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UPSC Exam Current Affairs and News Analysis (15-01-2020)
Diego, the giant tortoise
Part of: GS Prelims –Environment and GS-III- Conservation
In news:
The Galapagos National Park, where Diego lived, called off the captive breeding programme.
Do you Know?
- Tortoises on the Galápagos Islands filled in as an astounding wellspring of nourishment for sailors during the 1800s.
- They could make due inside boats for as long as a year, thus an enormous number was gotten from the islands.
From Prelims point of view:
Galapagos National Park
- Built-up in 1959 is Ecuador’s first national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- named “compromised” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Diego Turtle
- An individual from the Chelonoidis hoodensis, or the goliath tortoise species, Diego has spent quite a bit of his long life — he is 100 years of age — in sparing his benevolent 1979 UNESCO announced the Galápagos Islands Natural Heritage for Humanity.
- Kerala turned into the primary State to join residents the nation over the range to challenge in the Supreme Court the lawfulness of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA)
Kerala files suit against CAA
Part of: GS Prelims Polity–and GS-II- Citizenship
In news:
- Kerala became the first State to join citizens across the country’s spectrum to challenge in the Supreme Court the constitutionality of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA)
From Prelims point:
Article 131
- Article 131 vests the Supreme Court with a unique ward over any question emerging between the states or between the middle and state. The article enables the Supreme Court to take up such cases straight as opposed to experiencing a lower court or looking into a lower court’s judgment.
- The principal judgment revealed in 2012 – State of Madhya Pradesh versus Union of India – held that States can’t challenge a focal law under Article 131
Article 256 in The Constitution Of India (Obligation of States and the Union):
- The official intensity of each State will be so practised as to guarantee consistence with the laws made by Parliament and any current laws which apply in that State, and the official intensity of the Union will reach out to the giving of such headings to a State as may appear to the Government of India to be important for that reason.
US President Donald Trump is likely to visit India
Part of: GS Prelims Polity–and GS-II- India’s Foreign Relations
In News:
- A Trump Presidential outing to India has for quite some time been on the cards (he has visited India before on excursions for work) with a pending greeting from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
From Prelims Point of view:
Generalized System of Preferences (GSP)
- It is an umbrella that involves the greater part of particular plans conceded by industrialized countries to creating nations.
- It includes diminished Most Favored Nations (MFN) Tariffs or obligation free passage of qualified items sent out by recipient nations to the business sectors of benefactor nations.
Centre eases CRZ rules for ‘Blue Flag’ beaches
Part of: GS Prelims Polity–and GS-II- India’s Foreign Relation
In News:
- The Environment Ministry has loosened up Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) decides that confine development close to seashores to assist States with building foundation and empower them to get ‘Blue Flag’ confirmation.
From Prelims Point of view:
Blue Flag certification:
- It seashores to make certain framework — compact latrine squares, greywater treatment plants, a sunlight based force plant, seating offices, CCTV reconnaissance and so forth.
- The confirmation is agreed by the Denmark-based Foundation for Environment Education, with 33 stringent criteria under four significant heads for the seashores, that is, (I) Environmental Education and Information (ii) Bathing Water Quality (iii) Environment Management and Conservation and (iv) Safety and Services.
- The ‘Blue Flag’ seashore is an ‘eco-the travel industry model’ and stamps out seashores as giving visitors and beachgoers perfect and clean washing water, offices/conveniences, a protected and solid condition, and practical advancement of the region.
Coastal Regulation Zones
Beachfront stretches of oceans, coves, estuaries, rivers, waterways, and backwaters were announced as CRZs under waterfront zone guideline notice in 1991.
CRZs have been classified into 4 zones for the purpose of regulation:
- CRZ-I: incorporates environmentally delicate territories, where no development is permitted with the exception of exercises for nuclear force plants, safeguard.
- CRZ-II: incorporates assigned urban territories that are generously developed. Development exercises are permitted on the landward side as it were.
- CRZ-III: incorporates moderately undisturbed regions, mostly country zones. No new development of structures permitted in this zone with the exception of fixing of the current ones. In any case, developments of staying units in the plot territory lying between 200-500m of the elevated tide line are permitted.
- CRZ-IV: incorporates the water zone secured between Low Tide Line and 12 nautical miles offshore. Aside from angling and related exercises, all activities criticizing on the ocean and tidal water will be controlled in this zone.
Arunachal to start red-listing of orchids
Part of: GS Prelims –Environment and GS-III- Conservation
In news:
- Arunachal has become the primary state in the nation to start the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) ‘red posting’ at the state level
From Prelims point of View:
Red List
- The IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species is a basic marker of the wellbeing of the world’s biodiversity. A useful asset to advise and catalyze activity for biodiversity preservation and strategy change, it is basic in securing the regular assets.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
- IUCN is an enrollment association remarkably made out of both government and common society associations.
- Made in 1948, it is the worldwide expert on the status of the common world and the measures expected to shield it.
- It is headquartered in Switzerland.
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is the world’s most complete stock of the worldwide protection status of plant and creature species.
- It utilizes a lot of quantitative criteria to assess the eradication danger of species. These criteria are pertinent to most species and all areas of the world.
- The IUCN Red List Categories characterize the elimination danger of species surveyed. Nine classifications reach out from NE (Not Evaluated) to EX (Extinct). Basically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN) and Vulnerable (VU) species are viewed as compromised with termination.
- It is perceived as the most definitive manual for the status of natural decent variety.
- It is additionally a key marker for the SDGs and Aichi Targets.
(MAINS FOCUS)
Indian Economy
TOPIC: General Studies 3:
- Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.
Inflation
Context:
- Shopper value swelling (Retail expansion) has contacted a high of 7.35% in December which has set off feelings of trepidation about whether India is entering a time of moderate development joined by high swelling, as it were, stagflation.
Swelling is characterized as a circumstance where there is a continued, unchecked increment in the general value level of merchandise and ventures in an economy.
Indices which measure inflation in an economy
Wholesale Price Index (WPI)
- WPI measures the adjustments in the costs of products sold and exchanged mass by discount organizations to different organizations. At the end of the day, WPI tracks cost at the processing plant entryway before the retail level.
- The numbers are discharged by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry
- Indeed, even as the WPI is utilized as a key proportion of swelling in certain economies, the RBI never again utilizes it for approach purposes, including setting repo rates.
Consumer Price Index (CPI) – Retail Inflation
- It is a file estimating retail swelling in the economy by gathering the adjustment in costs of most basic merchandise and ventures utilized by shoppers.
- It is discharged by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Program usage
- In April 2014, the RBI had received the CPI as its key proportion of swelling.
What is the difference between WPI & CPI?
- WPI tracks swelling at the maker level and CPI catches changes in costs levels at the customer level.
- The two containers measure inflationary patterns (the development of value signals) inside the more extensive economy, the two lists vary in which loads are doled out to nourishment, fuel and made things.
- WPI doesn’t catch changes in the costs of administrations, which CPI does.
Headline Retail Inflation vs Core Inflation
- Feature swelling is the crude expansion figure revealed through the Consumer Price Index (CPI) that is discharged by CSO. The feature figure isn’t balanced for regularity or for the frequently unpredictable components.
- Center expansion expels the CPI parts that can display a lot of unpredictability from month to month, which can make undesirable twisting the feature figure. The most ordinarily expelled elements are those identifying with the expense of nourishment and vitality.
Concern for RBI
- Value security in an economy is one of the significant obligations of the Central Bank. The untamed expansion will, in the long run, disintegrate trust in an economy subsequently crashing financial development.
- The December swelling is additionally path over the money related approach advisory group’s (MPC) commanded the breaking point of CPI at 6% (4% in addition to 2%)
- High swelling means RBI is compelled to cut rates (repo rate) further particularly when there is pressure on the national bank to cut rates in any event once again to animate development (anticipated GDP development for FY-2020 is simply 5%)
What is the reason for unexpected inflation in December?
- The feature expansion number is driven for the most part by nourishment swelling at 14.12%
- Since the general retail expansion has 45.86 percent of nourishment articles, the general CPI has additionally shot up.
- Substantial downpours from September to November 2019 has made overwhelming harm the standing Kharif crops prompting supply deficiency and consequently driving up the nourishment costs
- Onion pushed up value expansion in vegetables to an enormous 60.50% contrasted with December 2018, costs of other nourishment things, for example, meat and fish (up 9.57%), milk (up 4.22%), eggs (up 8.79%) and a few heartbeats were likewise on the rise.
- Short the expansion in costs of onion, potato and ginger, feature CPI swelling would be simply 4.48%.
- Center swelling, which is the one that ought to be of concern, has just crept up imperceptibly from 3.5% in November to 3.7% in December.
Is High Food inflation going to continue in the near future?
- Significant expenses of vegetables being for the most part regular and brief span are relied upon to fall in the coming months.
- The costs will turn around once the stock setback is tended to.
Food price may ease due to the same reason it rose
- Overwhelming downpours as of late have energized groundwater springs and filled the significant water system repositories to approach the full limit, demonstrating useful to the rabi crop.
- The information shows that there has been 8 percent more region planted and this combined with the improved soil dampness conditions and an ordinary winter, is required to convert into a guard reap, balancing any Kharif misfortunes and cutting the nourishment costs.
Caution
- One main consideration that can even now keep the clients paying more for the nourishment articles is a choppiness in the worldwide costs as the UN Food and Agricultural Organization’s Food Price Index (base year: 2002-04 = 100) found the middle value of 181.7 focuses in December 2019, the most noteworthy since the 185.8 degree of December 2014.
- This mirrored a solidifying pattern in the global costs of nourishment things which makes imports of nourishment articles (like Palm oil, beats) costlier.
Way Ahead
- Atmosphere strong horticulture which can all the more likely adjust to visit atmosphere limits.
- Better cooperation at the universal level to guarantee that basic nourishment articles are disseminated equally over the globe where at present we have wastage on one hand and yearning/lack on other hand
Connecting the Dots
- FAO index rise is driven largely by which food components and its bearing on Indian domestic economy
- Is high food prices impact on farmers income and thus boosting rural demand?
(TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE)
Model questions: (You can now post your answers in the comment section)
Q.1) The power of the Supreme Court of India to decide disputes between the Centre and the State falls under its:
(a) advisory jurisdiction
(b) appellate jurisdiction
(c) original jurisdiction
(d) constitutional jurisdiction
Q.2) Consider the following statements:
- The Standard Mark of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is mandatory for automotive tyres and tubes.
- AGMARK is a quality Certification Mark issued by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Q 3) The “Red Data Books’’ published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural resources (IUCN) contain lists of? [
- Endemic plant and animal species present in the biodiversity hotspots.
- Threatened plant and animal species.
- Protected sites for conservation of nature and natural resources in various countries.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
(a) 1 and 3
(b) 2 only
(c) 2 and 3
(d) 3 only
Q 4) With reference to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which of the following statements is/are correct?
- IUCN is an organ of the United Nations and CITES is an international agreement between governments.
- IUCN runs thousands of field projects around the world to better manage natural environments
- CITES is legally binding on the States that have joined it, but this Convention does not take the place of national laws.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
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