PERIYAR IAS CURRENT AFFAIRS 19-MAY-2018
Topic: Indian
culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and
Architecture from ancient to modern times.
Lalit Kala Akademi
Context: President
Ram Nath Kovind has appointed Mumbai-based sculptor Uttam Pacharne the chairman
of Lalit Kala Akademi.
Lalit Kala Akademi:
§ The Lalit
Kala Akademi or National Academy of Art is India’s National Academy of Fine
Arts.
§ It is an
autonomous organization, established at New Delhi in 1954 to promote and
propagate understanding of Indian art, both within and outside the country.
§ It does so
through providing scholarships, a fellow program, and sponsoring and organizing
numerous exhibitions in India and overseas.
Sources:
the hindu.
Paper 2:
Topic:
Separation of powers between various organs dispute redressal mechanisms and
institutions.
Cauvery Management Scheme
Context: The
Supreme Court has ordered the Central government to implement its draft Cauvery
Management Scheme after finding it in consonance with its February 16 judgment.
The court also found the draft scheme in conformity with Section 6A of the
Inter-State River Water Disputes Act.
Background:
The apex
court, in its verdict delivered on February 16, had asked the Centre to frame
the Cauvery management scheme, including creation of the Cauvery Managament
Board, for release of water from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu, Kerala and
Puducherry.
Modifications made by the Court:
§ The top
court had modified the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) award of 2007 and
made it clear that it will not be extending the time for this on any ground.
§ It had
raised the 270 tmcft share of Cauvery water for Karnataka by 14.75 tmcft and
reduced Tamil Nadu’s share, while compensating it by allowing extraction of 10
tmcft groundwater from the river basin, saying the issue of drinking water has
to be placed on a “higher pedestal”.
About the Cauvery Management Scheme:
§ The
Cauvery water management scheme will deal with the release of water from
Karnataka to Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry.
§ It will be
implemented by the Cauvery Management Authority (CMA). CMA will be the sole
body to implement the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award as modified by the
apex court. The Centre would have no say in it except for issuing
administrative advisories to it.
What’s the dispute?
The
dispute began with Karnataka’s demand of ‘equitable sharing of the waters’
after it expanded farming activities in the Cauvery basin. It claimed that the
previous agreements, which happened between erstwhile Madras Presidency and
Kingdom of Mysore in 1924, were highly skewed to what is present day Tamil
Nadu. Tamil Nadu used to get about 602 TMC of the total water, leaving only
about 138 TMC for Karnataka.
Facts for Prelims:
§ Cauvery
River rises on Brahmagiri Hill of the Western Ghats in south-western Karnataka
state. It flows in a south-easterly direction for 475 miles through the states
of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
§ Before
emptying into the Bay of Bengal south of Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, the river
breaks into a large number of distributaries forming a wide delta called the
“garden of southern India.” The river is important for its irrigation canal
projects.
§ In the
upper course, at the Krishnaraja Sagara, the Kaveri is joined by two
tributaries, the Hemavati and Lakshmantirtha, where a dam was constructed for
irrigation.
§ Upon
entering Tamil Nadu, the Kaveri continues through a series of twisted wild
gorges until it reaches Hogenakal Falls. There the Mettur Dam was construted
for irrigation and hydel power.
§ The
Kaveri’s main tributaries are the Kabani (Kabbani), Amaravati, Noyil, and
Bhavani rivers.
Sources:
the hindu.
Topic:
Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies.
“AYUSH” finds a place in English Language
Context: The
Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology has decided to adopt the
word ‘AYUSH’ in Hindi and English languages for scientific and technical
purposes.
As
approved by the Commission, the word ‘ayush’ will have the meaning “Traditional
and Non-Conventional Systems of Health Care and Healing which include Ayurveda,
Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa, Homoeopathy etc.
Background:
The
“AYUSH” became popular as the acronym for five traditional and complementary
systems of medicine, namely Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and
Homoeopathy and successfully adopted and used in all Government communications.
Implications:
This
decision will give a boost to India’s efforts to find a place for the Indian
Systems of Healthcare in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) of
the World Health Organization. The Indian systems finding a place in ICD
will lead to their international acceptance, increased rigor of research in
them and their over-all development.
About International Classification of
Diseases (ICD):
§ The
International Classification of Diseases is the standard diagnostic tool for
epidemiology, health management, and clinical purposes. This includes the
analysis of the general health situation of population groups. It is used to
monitor the incidence and prevalence of diseases and other health problems,
providing a picture of the general health situation of countries and
populations.
§ The first
international classification edition, known as the International List of Causes
of Death, was adopted by the International Statistical Institute in 1893. WHO
was entrusted with the ICD at its creation in 1948. The ICD is revised
periodically and is currently in its 10th revision.
Uses of ICD:
Uses
include monitoring of the incidence and prevalence of diseases, observing
reimbursements and resource allocation trends, and keeping track of safety and
quality guidelines. They also include the counting of deaths as well as
diseases, injuries, symptoms, reasons for encounter, factors that influence
health status, and external causes of disease.
Facts for Prelims:
Commission for Scientific and Technical
Terminology:
The
Commission for Scientific & Technical Terminology (CSTT) was set up on
December 21, 1960 by a resolution of Government of India under the proviso to
Clause (4) of Article 344 of the Constitution with the objective to evolve and
define scientific and technical terms in Hindi and all Indian languages;
publish glossaries, definitional dictionaries, encyclopaedia.
What’s important?
§ For
Prelims: ICD- 10, CSTT.
§ For Mains:
Significance and the need of ICD.
Sources:
pib.
Topic:
Important International institutions, agencies and fora, their structure,
mandate.
SCO Cultural Ministers’ meeting
Context: 15th SCO
Cultural Ministers’ Meeting is being held in Sanya, China. India is
participating in the Cultural Ministers’ Meet for first time as full time
member.
About SCO:
§ The
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an eight-member multilateral
organization, established on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai, China by the leaders of
China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
§ Pakistan
also became the full member of SCO along with India, taking its membership to
8.
§ After the
expansion of membership, SCO represents approximately 42% of the world’s
population, 20% of its GDP and 22% of the landmass.
§ The main
objectives of the SCO are to strengthen relations among member states; promote
cooperation in various fields like political affairs, economics, and education,
culture, tourism, environment protection etc. and promote regional peace,
security, and stability among others.
What’s important?
§ For
Prelims: SCO Cultural Ministers’ meet.
§ For Mains:
SCO and its significance.
Sources:
pib.
Paper 3:
Topic:
Infrastructure.
Zoji La Tunnel
Context: The
construction of the much-awaited infrastructure project Zoji La tunnel has
begun.
About the Zojila pass tunnel:
What is it? It
is a 14.2-km long tunnel project in Jammu and Kashmir to provide all-weather
connectivity between Srinagar, Kargil and Leh, which remains cut-off from the
rest of India during winters due to heavy snowfall. “Zojila tunnel will be the
longest bi-directional tunnel in Asia.
Implementation: The
project will be implemented by the ministry of road transport and highways
(MoRT&H) through the National Highways and Infrastructure Development
Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).
Benefits of the tunnel: The
project would enhance the safety of travellers crossing Zojila Pass and reduce
the travel time from 3.5 hours to 15 minutes. This pass is most strategic for
the entire Kargil sector which has seen intrusion and war in the past. It will
further increase the employment potential for the local labourers for the
project activities.
Facts for Prelims:
Zojila
pass is situated at an altitude of 11,578 feet on Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National
Highway which remains closed during winters (December to April) due to heavy
snowfall and avalanches cutting off Leh-Ladakh region from Kashmir.
Sources:
pib.
Topic:
Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact
assessment.
Arsenic contamination
Context: The
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in collaboration
with a private company has developed a new device- ‘Arsenic Sensor and
Removal Media- which can be used to detect and remove arsenic content from
water and make it safe and usable by households.
Permissible limit:
According
to the WHO’s guidelines for drinking water quality (2011), the permissible
limit of Arsenic in groundwater is .01 mg per litre. However, in India the
permissible limit in drinking water has recently been revised from .05 mg per
litre to .01 mg per litre.
Arsenic in groundwater:
§ Arsenic in
ground water is a geogenic contaminant i.e. caused by natural geologic
processes. Incidence of high arsenic in groundwater reported from various parts
of the country, particularly in the Ganga- plains is a serious threat to the
health of human being.
§ Over the
last three decades numerous measures have been initiated which includes
alternate arrangement for supply of arsenic free water to the affected populace
and providing arsenic removal plants. Arsenic occurrences in ground water in
these areas is highly sporadic in nature and all the sources in these areas are
not necessarily contaminated.
§ Technological
options to combat arsenic menace, in groundwater, to ensure supply of arsenic
free water, in the affected areas can be in-situ remediation of arsenic from
aquifer system, ex-situ remediation of arsenic from tapped groundwater by
arsenic removal technologies, use of surface water source as an alternative to
the contaminated groundwater source, tapping alternate safe aquifers for supply
of arsenic free groundwater or combination of above techniques.
What has the government done in this regard?
§ The
government is tapping alternate safe aquifers, for supply of arsenic free
groundwater in many areas on a local scale; however, this approach would
require extensive studies and analysis for mapping of groundwater availability,
freshwater reserves and to examine mobilization of arsenic in the aquifer, both
on spatial and temporal scale, due to forcing perturbation.
§ Under the
National Aquifer mapping programme (NAQUIM) of CGWB special attention has been
given to this aspect and water wells have been constructed tapping arsenic free
aquifers using state of the art technology in parts of Ballia and Ghazipur
districts of Uttar Pradesh”.
§ However,
the growing arsenic occurrences demands a systematic translation of success
stories of one place/region to another and formulating a comprehensive plan to
mitigate the arsenic problem through a wider consultation process.
Way ahead:
Technological
options to combat arsenic menace, in groundwater, to ensure supply of arsenic
free water, in the affected areas can be in-situ remediation of arsenic from
aquifer system, ex-situ remediation of arsenic from tapped groundwater by
arsenic removal technologies, use of surface water source as an alternative to
the contaminated groundwater source, tapping alternate safe aquifers for supply
of arsenic free groundwater or combination of above techniques.
What’s important?
For
Prelims and Mains: Arsenic contamination- effects, causes and solutions.
Sources:
the hindu.
Topic:
Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact
assessment.
‘Green Good Deeds’
Context: The
BRICS Ministerial on Environment has agreed to include “Green Good Deeds” in
its official agenda in the next Ministerial in Brazil and another meeting in
Russia.
“Green Good Deeds” campaign:
§ The
campaign has been launched by the Environment Ministry to sensitise the people
and students, in particular, about climate change and global warming. The
objective of the campaign is to restore and return the clean and green
environment to the next generation.
§ The
Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change had drawn up a list of
over 500 Green Good Deeds and asked people to alter their behaviour to Green
Good Behaviour to fulfil their Green Social Responsibility.
§ These
small positive actions to be performed by individuals or organisations to
strengthen the cause of environmental protection, were put on a mobile
application named “Dr Harsh Vardhan App”.
Significance of this move:
International
conferences on Environment have been deliberating and adopting declarations.
However, these declarations are hardly put to practice at the ground level,
involving every section of the society. “Green Good Deeds” is an idea to take
it to the people and get them involved.
What’s important?
§ For
Prelims: Green Good Deeds campaign, Dr Harsh Vardhan App.
§ For Mains:
Significance and the need for such campaigns in creating awareness, Environment
protection campaigns as people’s movement.
Sources:
pib.
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