DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS -2nd AUGUST 2019- 10 MOST IMPORTANT TOPICS FROM THE HINDU

IMPORTANT TOPICS FOR TODAY 

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BY SUMIT BHARDWAJ                     2nd August 2019

1.India evaluating Pakistan proposal for consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav        

  (GS-2)

• CONTEXT:India is examining Pakistan’s proposal to grant consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav, a former Navy officer, who was sentenced to death by a Pakistan military court on espionage and terrorism charges in 2017.
• Raveesh Kumar, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said the established channels were being used to convey India’s response. “We have received a proposal from Pakistan. We are evaluating the proposal in the light of the judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ),” 
• Consular access :The Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963 is an international treaty that defines a framework for consular relations between independent states. A consul normally operates out of an embassy in another country, and performs two functions: (1) protecting in the host country the interests of their countrymen, and (2) furthering the commercial and economic relations between the two states.
• The treaty provides for consular immunity.The treaty has been ratified by 180 states.
• International Court of Justice (ICJ):
• The International Court of Justice sometimes called the World Court, is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. The ICJ's primary functions are to settle international legal disputes submitted by states and give advisory opinions on legal issues referred to it by the UN.

2.Kaziranga tigers: spotlight on official-poacher nexus   (GS-3)

• CONTEXT:An evaluation report on India’s tiger reserves has put the spotlight on an alleged nexus between some officials of Kaziranga National Park and poachers.
• Kaziranga National Park is a national park in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of the state of Assam, India. The sanctuary, which hosts two-thirds of the world's great one-horned rhinoceroses, is a World Heritage Site.According to the census held in March 2018 which was jointly conducted by the Forest Department of the Government of Assam and some recognized wildlife NGOs, the rhino population in Kaziranga National Park is 2,413. It comprises 1,641 adult rhinos (642 males, 793 females, 206 unsexed); 387 sub-adults (116 males, 149 females, 122 unsexed); and 385 calves.In 2015, the rhino population stood at 2401.
•  Kaziranga is home to the highest density of tigers among protected areas in the world, and was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006 (now the highest tiger density is in Orang National Park, Assam) . The park is home to large breeding populations of elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer. Kaziranga is recognized as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International for conservation of avifaunal species. When compared with other protected areas in India, Kaziranga has achieved notable success in wildlife conservation. Located on the edge of the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot, the park combines high species diversity and visibility
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3.a. Bandipur is worth a staggering RS 6,405 cr.

(GS-3)

• CONTEXT:If monetary values could be assigned to tiger reserves, then the Bandipur Tiger Reserve would record a staggering RS 6,405.7 crore annually, says an economic evaluation of tiger reserves released by the National Tiger Conservation Authority. For every rupee spent on the reserve, the rate of return through various tangible and non-tangible benefits is an incredible 700%.

b. KARNATAKA’S five tiger reserves get an overall rating of 80.47 in performance(GS-3)

• CONTEXT: Karnataka’s increase in tiger numbers comes on the back of an increase in protection and conservation of its five tiger reserves. The Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) report by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which ranks tiger reserves on numerous parameters, shows that the five tiger reserves in Karnataka have an overall score of 80.47, which is a 10% increase from the MEE evaluation in 2014, and reflects “better protection status” of the reserves.
• Bandipur Tiger Reserve :Bandipur National Park established in 1974 as a tiger reserve under Project Tiger, is a national park located in the Indian state of Karnataka, which is the state with the second highest tiger population in India. It is one of the premier Tiger Reserves in the country along with the adjoining Nagarhole national park. It was once a private hunting reserve for the Maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore but has now been upgraded to Bandipur Tiger Reserve. Bandipur is known for its wildlife and has many types of biomes, but dry deciduous forest is dominant.
• National Tiger Conservation Authority:The National Tiger Conservation Authority was established in December 2005 following a recommendation of the Tiger Task Force, constituted by the Prime Minister of India for reorganised management of Project Tiger and the many Tiger Reserves in India
• Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) :Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) is the assessment of how well protected areas such as national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, conservation reserves, community reserves and tiger reserves are being managed and their effectiveness in conserving target flora and fauna.

4.Normal rains likely in August, September

(GS-1)

• CONTEXT:The monsoon is expected to be normal in August and September, the India Meteorological Department said on Thursday in its forecast for the second half of the four-month rainfall season.
• Quantitatively, the rainfall across the country as a whole during the two-month period is likely to be 100% of the Long Period Average (LPA) with a model error of plus or minus 8%, the IMD said.
• India Meteorological Department :The India Meteorological Department is an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India. It is the principal agency responsible for meteorological observations, weather forecasting and seismology.
• Long Period Average (LPA) :
• LPA is the average rainfall received by the country as a whole during the south-west monsoon, for a 50-year period. The current LPA is 89 cm, based on the average rainfall over years 1951 and 2000. This acts as a benchmark against which the rainfall in any monsoon season is measured. The country is said to have received deficient rainfall if the actual rainfall falls below 90 per cent of LPA. Similarly, the country is said to have received excess rainfall if the rainfall is greater than 110 per cent of LPA. It is deemed ‘normal’ when the actual rainfall received falls between 96 and 104 per cent of LPA.

5.UGC panel urges review of process to appoint V-Cs           (GS-2)

• CONTEXT:A panel set up by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to promote and improve the quality of research in Indian universities, has called for a review of the way Vice-Chancellors (V-Cs) are appointed. The panel emphasised that the quality of research culture depended on good academic leadership.
• UGC:
• The University Grants Commission of India (UGC India) is a statutory body set up by the Indian Union government in accordance to the UGC Act 1956 ,under Ministry of Human Resource Development, and is charged with coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of higher education. It provides recognition to universities in India, and disbursements of funds to such recognised universities and colleges. Its headquarters is in New Delhi, and has six regional centres in Pune, Bhopal, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Guwahati and Bangalore.
• UGC is modelled after University Grants Committee of UK which was an advisory committee of the British government and advised on the distribution of grant funding amongst the British universities. The committee was in existence from 1919 until 1989.

6.   25 science museum vans, rainwater harvesting at monuments among Culture Ministry’s 100-day agenda(GS-2)

• CONTEXT:Installing big screens and audio systems at two dozen spots where a large number of devotees gather for prayers or aarti, rolling out 25 science museums on wheels to reach out to rural students, and digging rainwater harvesting pits at over 100 major monuments across the country are all on the Union Culture Ministry's 100-day agenda.
• Also on the 100-day plan was the development of places for aarti in order to facilitate the large number of people who visit daily
• A total of 24 spots, including Har ki Pauri in Haridwar and sites in Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat among others, would have large screens and audio systems.
• The Ministry would deploy 25 mobile vans that will house science museums. So far, the Ministry operates 23 such vans, but they tend to visit State capitals and metropolitan areas only
• The 25 new vans would be deployed in the 115 “aspirational districts”, as identified by the Centre, so that children in rural areas have access to science education, the official added. The official said the programme had been able to operate 23 vans since it was started in 1965, but now the Ministry was aiming to add 25 vans in 100 days.

7.Fed’s insurance policy: On Federal Reserve’s rate cut (GS-2,3)

• CONTEXT:The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday announced its first reduction in the funds rate since 2008, a move that was widely expected.
• The U.S. economy, which expanded by 2.9% in 2018 and posted a 3.1% expansion in the first quarter, slowed to a 2.1% pace in the second quarter, with the ongoing trade war with China blamed for a manufacturing slowdown as well as a decline in business investment. Just last week, the IMF pared its forecast for global growth in 2019 by 0.1 percentage point to 3.2%, warning that “risks to the forecast are mainly to the downside”. 
• U.S. Federal Reserve :
• The Federal Reserve System (also known as the Federal Reserve or simply the Fed) is the central banking system of the United States of America. It was created on December 23, 1913, with the enactment of the Federal Reserve Act, after a series of financial panics (particularly the panic of 1907) led to the desire for central control of the monetary system in order to alleviate financial crises. Over the years, events such as the Great Depression in the 1930s and the Great Recession during the 2000s have led to the expansion of the roles and responsibilities of the Federal Reserve System
• IMF :
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF), also known as the Fund, is an international organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 189 countries working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world. Formed in 1944 at the Bretton Woods Conference primarily by the ideas of Harry Dexter White and John Maynard Keynes, it came into formal existence in 1945 with 29 member countries and the goal of reconstructing the international payment system. It now plays a central role in the management of balance of payments difficulties and international financial crises. Countries contribute funds to a pool through a quota system from which countries experiencing balance of payments problems can borrow money. As of 2016, the fund had SDR477 billion (about $667 billion).

8.With district-wise data, Assam govt. pushes for NRC (GS-2)

• CONTEXT:The Assam government on Thursday pushed for re-verification of the applications for the National Register of Citizens (NRC) after district-wise data presented in the Assembly suggested most people in areas bordering Bangladesh have been included in the citizenship list, while many in districts dominated by the indigenous people have been left out.
• 
• SOURCE:THE HINDU
• National Register of Citizens (NRC)
• The National Register of Citizens (NRC)is a register containing names of all genuine Indian citizens. The register was first prepared after the 1951 Census of India. Census of India.The NRC is now being updated in Assam to include the names of those persons (or their descendants) who appear in the NRC, 1951, or in any of the Electoral Rolls up to the midnight of 24th March, 1971 or in any one of the other admissible documents issued up to mid-night of 24th March, 1971, which would prove their presence in Assam or in any part of India on or before 24th March, 1971.
• The update process of NRC started in the year 2013, when the Supreme Court of India passed orders for its update. Since then, the Supreme Court (bench of Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and Rohintan Fali Nariman) have been monitoring it continuously. The entire project is headed by the State Coordinator of National Registration, Assam, Mr Prateek Hajela; under the strict monitoring of Supreme Court of India.

9.Nifty below 11,000 first time since March.

(GS-3)

• CONTEXT:A day after the U.S. Federal Reserve reduced interest rate for the first time since 2008, global equity markets, including India, lost heavy ground as the U.S. central bank did not take a dovish stance as was widely expected by markets across the globe.
• The Indian benchmarks lost more than 1% on Wednesday, with the 50-share Nifty falling below the psychological 11,000-mark for the first time since March.
• While investors sold shares across sectors, the maximum losses were in auto, banking, metal and technology stocks.
• NIFTY:
• The NIFTY 50 index is National Stock Exchange of India's benchmark broad based stock market index for the Indian equity market. Full form of NIFTY is National Stock Exchange Fifty . It represents the weighted average of 50 Indian company stocks in 13 sectors and is one of the two main stock indices used in India, the other being the BSE Sensex.
• Nifty is owned and managed by India Index Services and Products (IISL), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the NSE Strategic Investment Corporation Limited. IISL had a marketing and licensing agreement with Standard & Poor's for co-branding equity indices until 2013. The Nifty 50 was launched 1 April 1996, and is one of the many stock indices of Nifty.
• NIFTY 50 Index has shaped up as a largest single financial product in India, with an ecosystem comprising: exchange-traded funds (onshore and offshore), exchange-traded futures and options (at NSE in India and at SGX and CME abroad), other index funds and OTC derivatives (mostly offshore). NIFTY 50 is the world's most actively traded contract. WFE, IOMA and FIA surveys endorse NSE's leadership position.
• The NIFTY 50 covers 12 sectors (as of 7 October 2017) of the Indian economy and offers investment managers exposure to the Indian market in one portfolio. During 2008-12, NIFTY 50 50 Index share of NSE market capitalisation fell from 65% to 29% due to the rise of sectoral indices like NIFTY Bank, NIFTY IT, NIFTY Pharma, NIFTY SERV SECTOR, NIFTY Next 50, etc. The NIFTY 50 Index gives 29.70% weightage to financial services, 0.73% weightage to industrial manufacturing and nil weightage to agricultural sector.
• The NIFTY 50 index is a free float market capitalisation weighted index. The index was initially calculated on full market capitalisation methodology. From 26 June 2009, the computation was changed to free float methodology. The base period for the CNX Nifty index is 3 November 1995, which marked the completion of one year of operations of National Stock Exchange Equity Market Segment. The base value of the index has been set at 1000 and a base capital of Rs 2.06 trillion. In February 2019, Britannia Industries entered into Nifty 50 by replacing Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. HPCL moves to Nifty Next 50.

10.Indus Valley seals carried meaninglike modern coins do, shows study  (GS-1)

• CONTEXT:A majority of the Indus Valley inscriptions were written logographically (by using word signs) and not by using phonograms (speech sounds units), claims a recent research paper published in Palgrave Communications, a Nature group journal.
• The paper, titled Interrogating Indus inscription to unravel their mechanism of meaning conveyance, points out that the inscriptions can be compared to the structured messages found on stamps, coupons, tokens and currency coins of modern times
• INDUS VALLEY CIVILISATION:
• The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC) was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form from 2600 BCE to 1900 BCE.Along with ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia it was one of three early civilisations of the region comprising North Africa, West Asia and South Asia, and of the three, the most widespread, its sites spanning an area stretching from northeast Afghanistan, through much of Pakistan, and into western and northwestern India.It flourished in the basins of the Indus River, which flows through the length of Pakistan, and along a system of perennial, mostly monsoon-fed, rivers that once coursed in the vicinity of the seasonal Ghaggar-Hakra river in northwest India and eastern Pakistan
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SOURCE:THE HINDU

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