IMPORTANT TOPICS FOR 17 JULY 2019

IMPORTANT TOPICS FOR TODAY 

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BY SUMIT BHARDWAJ                               17 JULY 2019

1.ICJ to deliver verdict on Kulbhushan Jadhav  (GS-3)

• What is the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav ?
• India won the plea against Pakistan to grant counsellor access to Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav.
• Preliminary order from the International Court of Justice that prevents Pakistan from carrying out the execution of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav. 
• What is the International Court of Justice?
• It is the primary judicial branch of the United Nations (UN), seated in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands.
• The court settles legal disputes submitted to it by states and provides advisory opinions on legal questions submitted to it by duly authorized international branches, agencies, and the UN General Assembly.
• The ICJ is composed of fifteen judges elected to nine-year terms by the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council from a list of people nominated by the national groups in the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
• Five judges elected every three years to ensure continuity within the court.
• No two judges may be nationals of the same country.
• The p5 members of the UNSC (France, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, and the United States) always have a judge on the Court.
• The exception was China, which did not have a judge on the Court from 1967 to 1985 because it did not put forward a candidate.
• Judges may deliver joint judgments or give their own separate opinions.
• Decisions and Advisory Opinions are by majority, and, in the event of an equal division, the President’s vote becomes decisive.

2.Central Universities Bill cleared..      (GS-2)

• BACKGROUND:The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed the Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2019, for establishing a Central University and Tribal University in Andhra Pradesh.
• ABOUT The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2019 :
• The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was introduced in Lok Sabha by Mr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Minister of Human Resource Development on July 8, 2019. The Bill seeks to amend the Central Universities Act, 2009, which establishes universities for teaching and research in various states. 
• The Bill provides for the establishment of two central universities in Andhra Pradesh to be known as the Central University of Andhra Pradesh and the Central Tribal University of Andhra Pradesh. The Central Tribal University will take additional measures to provide higher educational and research facilities in tribal art, culture, and customs primarily to the tribal population of India. 
• Note that the establishment of a Central University and a Central Tribal University in the Andhra Pradesh is obligatory under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014.

3.Centre, Assam move SC for sample re-verification of NRC.                             (GS-2)

• The Centre and the State of Assam on Tuesday made an urgent mention before the Chief Justice of India for an extension of the deadline for the final publication of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) from July 31, 2019, to a “future date”
• ABOUT NRC:
• Background:
• On December 6, 2013, the government issued the first notification setting a deadline of three years for completion of the entire NRC process. Since then, five extensions have been given by the government. The draft NRC was published on July 30 and included the names of 2.9 crore people of the total 3.29 crore applicants.
• Why is NRC being updated in Assam?
• Officially, the NRC process will address the issue of illegal migrants, specifically from Bangladesh. The National Register of Citizens was first published in 1951 to record citizens, their houses and holdings. Updating the NRC to root out foreigners was a demand during the Assam Agitation (1979-1985).
• Why is March 24, 1971 the cut-off date?
•  There have been several waves of migration to Assam from Bangladesh, but the biggest was in March 1971 when the Pakistan army crackdown forced many to flee to India. The Assam Accord of 1985 that ended the six-year anti-foreigners’ agitation decided upon the midnight of March 24, 1971 as the cut-off date.
• Who is a citizen in Assam?
•  The Citizenship Act of 1955 was amended after the Assam Accord  for all Indian-origin people who came from Bangladesh before January 1, 1966 to be deemed as citizens. Those who came between January 1, 1966 and March 25, 1971 were eligible for citizenship after registering and living in the State for 10 years while those entering after March 25, 1971, were to be deported.

4.Sewer deaths: Centre calls for quick response units                                                     ( GS-2,4)

• BACKGROUND:MANNUAL SCAVENGING,SOCIETAL ISSUE.
• Concerned by the incidents of workers dying while cleaning sewers and septic tanks, the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has asked all States and Union Territories to set up emergency response sanitation units (ERSU), which would include trained cleaners wearing protective gear.
• While manual scavenging is officially banned, under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, incidents of private individuals, local bodies and contractors forcing people to enter sewers and tanks to clear blockages continue to be reported. The official said the workers had not been given protective gear, training or backup support by their employers.
• The district Magistrate or municipal commissioner would be designated as the Responsible Sanitation Authority, which would organise the staff for the ERSU, the letter said. He added that those trained, equipped and certified as sewer entry professionals would be the only ones allowed to enter sewers and septic tanks.CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING IMAGE……
  

5.Rajya Sabha nod for changes to airports regulator Bill..                                           (GS-2)

• BACKGROUND:The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed a Bill to amend the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India Act, 2008, whereby the Airports Authority would not determine tariff structures in the case of privatised airports as that was part of the bid offered at the time of the privatisation
• In all, 16 airports would come under the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA), while the others would continue to be under the Civil Aviation Ministry.

6.Ursula Von der Leyen is the first female European Commission president             (GS-3)

• Germany's Ursula von der Leyen secured European parliamentary approval on Tuesday to become the first female European Commission president after she won over socialists and liberals with her vision of a greener, fairer and rule-based Europe.
• A long-standing ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, von der Leyen gained the support of both groups, on top of endorsement by her fellow conservatives. This is expected to give her legitimacy, allowing her to tackle controversial issues such as climate change, trade and maintaining democracy in the bloc.
• ABOUT European Commission :
• The European Commission is the executive branch of the European Union, responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the EU treaties and managing the day-to-day business of the EU.
• ABOUT  European Union:
• The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 28 member states that are located primarily in Europe. It has an area of 4,475,757 km2 (1,728,099 sq mi) and an estimated population of about 513 million. The EU has developed an internal single market through a standardised system of laws that apply in all member states in those matters, and only those matters, where members have agreed to act as one. EU policies aim to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services and capital within the internal market,enact legislation in justice and home affairs and maintain common policies on trade,agriculture,fisheries and regional development. For travel within the Schengen Area, passport controls have been abolished.A monetary union was established in 1999 and came into full force in 2002 and is composed of 19 EU member states which use the euro currency.

7.321 protected monuments, sites encroached upon, Rajya Sabha told….                  (GS-1,2)

• BACKGROUND:Over 300 Centrally-protected monuments and sites, including World Heritage Sites, across the country are “under encroachment”, according to the government.
• IMPORTANT ASPECTS IN THE NEWS ARTICLE:
• Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 and Rules, 1959
• 321 encroached-upon monuments and sites :the highest number were in Uttar Pradesh (75), followed by Tamil Nadu (74), Karnataka (48), Maharashtra (46), Rajasthan (22), Delhi (11), Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Punjab (seven each), Assam, Bihar and Odisha (six each), Himachal Pradesh (three), Madhya Pradesh (two) and West Bengal (1).
• Among the monuments that have encroachments are Purana Qila in Delhi, Ellora Caves in Maharashtra, Sun Temple in Konark in Odisha and Brahma Temple in Pushkar, Rajasthan.
• In order to contain the encroachments and remove them, the superintending archaeologist in charge of the Circles have been vested with the powers of Estate Officers to issue eviction notices/orders to the encroachers under Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971. In addition to the regular watch and ward staff, private security personnel, State police guards and CISF have also been deployed for the safety and security of selected monuments.

8.BDL going strong with missile orders for 8000 crore                                                   GS-3

• BACKGROUND:Bharat Dynamics Limited(BDL), celebrating its golden jubilee this year, has ordersworth 8,000crore for making various missiles for theArmed Forces to be deliveredwithin the next five year 
• ABOUT BDL :Bharat Dynamics Limited is one of India's manufacturers of ammunitions and missile systems. It was founded in 1970 in Hyderabad, Telangana. BDL was established in the year 1970 to be a manufacturing base for guided weapon systems    
• BDL began work with the Anti­Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) SS11B1 undertechnical collaboration with Aerospatiale of France. BDLnow works in partnership with the Defence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO) and the Armed Forces in making the latest missile systems .Akash, a surface-to-air missile is manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited.  

9.   Rethinking KUSUM                           (GS-3)

• ARTICLE ON THE GOVERNMENT SCHEME KUSUM,IMPORTANT POINTS :
• Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan(KUSUM)
• KUSUM aims to provide energy sufficiency and sustainable irrigation access to farmers
• KUSUM could radically
• transform the irrigation economy if the government
• chooses an approach of equity by
• design and prudence over populism

• Equity by design:
•  KUSUM should aim to reduce the existing disparity among States with regard to solarpumps deployment and irrigation access

•  KUSUM must also address inequity within a State. For instance, 90%  of Bihar’sfarmers are small and marginal
• instead of a one­size­fits­all approach, KUSUM should provide greater financial assistance to smaller farmers
• Prudence over populism:

• Polarising existing grid connected pumps, as proposed under the scheme,needs a complete rethink.
•  Earn regular income from the DISCOM on feedingsurplus electricity, furthering the inequitabledistribution of taxpayers’ resources

10.HEAVY RAIN AND FLOODINGS IN ASSAM AND BIHAR….                        (GS-1,3)

• SOME IMPORTANT GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS TO REMEMBER:

• RIVER KOSI:

• The Koshi or Kosi River drains the northern slopes of the Himalayas in Tibet and the southern slopes in Nepal. From a major confluence of tributaries north of the Chatra Gorge onwards, the Koshi River is also known as Saptakoshi for its seven upper tributaries

• RIVER BAGMATI :

• The Bagmati River runs through the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal and separates Kathmandu from Patan. It is considered holy by both Hindus and Buddhists. A number of Hindu temples are located on its banks

• RIVER MAHANANDA: 

•  The Mahananda River is a trans-boundary river that flows through the Indian states of West Bengal and Bihar, and Bangladesh  

•   Kaziranga National Park :

• Kaziranga National Park is a protected area in the northeast Indian state of Assam. Spread across the floodplains of the Brahmaputra River, its forests, wetlands and grasslands are home to tigers, elephants and the world’s largest population of Indian one-horned rhinoceroses. Ganges River dolphins swim in the park’s waters. It’s visited by many rare migratory birds, and gray pelicans roost near Kaziranga village

                    

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