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Facts in news is published on a weekly basis that consists a gist of all crucial news articles from ‘The Hindu’ that may bear relevance to Civil Services Preparation.
Here is the Summary of all current happenings from around the world for the Third week of November.
Download Facts in News PDF file here.
| Bills, Programs, Policies, Schemes, orders, Judgment | |
|---|---|
| NEWS | FACT |
| SC refuses T.N.’s plea for release of Cauvery water | Context: • The Supreme Court recently refused Tamil Nadu’s plea to direct Karnataka to forthwith release Cauvery water from its reservoirs to make good a shortfall of 63 tmc ft at Billgundulu. Cauvery Water Dispute: • The Cauvery River originates in Karnataka’s Kodagu district, flows into Tamil Nadu and reaches the Bay of Bengal at Poompuhar. • Parts of three Indian states – Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka – and the Union Territory of Pondicherry lie in the Cauvery basin. • Initially, the dispute was between Karnataka and TN but later Kerala and Puducherry also entered the fray. |
| BC panel Bill to return to House | Context: • The Union government will reintroduce the Constitution (123rd ) Amendment Bill, 2017, in the winter session of Parliament. • The Bill will seek to accord constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC). The Constitution(123rd)Amendment Bill, 2017: • The Constitution (123rd Amendment) Bill, 2017 was introduced in Lok Sabha by the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment. • It seeks to grant the National Commission on Backward Classes (NCBC) constitutional status, at par with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes. National Commission for Backward Classes: • The NCBC is a body set up under the National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993. • It has the power to examine complaints regarding inclusion or exclusion of groups within the list of backward classes. • It also advises the central government in this regard. • The Bill seeks to establish the NCBC under the Constitution, and provide it the authority to examine complaints and welfare measures regarding socially and educationally backward classes. |
| BC panel Bill to return to House SC dumps PMLA clause denying bail | Context: • The Supreme Court recently struck down a provision which can deny a person bail even if there is reasonable ground to believe that he or she did not commit the offence of money laundering. Facts: • The history of bail practices traces back to the Magna Carta, the apex court declared Section 45(1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) of 2002 violative of the fundamental right to equality, life and personal liberty guaranteed under the Constitution. Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 : • It is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted to prevent money-laundering. • It also provide for confiscation of property derived from money-laundering. • PMLA and the Rules notified there under came into force with effect from July 1, 2005. Objectives of the Bill: • To prevent and control money laundering • To confiscate and seize the property obtained from the laundered money; and • To deal with any other issue connected with money laundering in India. |
| Cabinet approves new finance panel | Context: • The Cabinet recently set the ball rolling for the constitution of the Fifteenth Finance Commission. • The Commission will decide the devolution formula for revenue-sharing between the Centre and States from the year 2020 till 2025. The Fourteenth Finance: • The Commission, whose recommendations were accepted by the government and are effective till March 31, 2020, had mooted a ten percentage point’s jump in States’ share of the central pool of taxes from 32% earlier to 42%. About Finance Commission: • The Finance Commission was established by the President of India in 1951 under Article 280 of the Indian Constitution. • It was formed to define the financial relations between the central government of India and the individual state governments. • Finance Commission (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act of 1951 additionally defines the terms of qualification, appointment and disqualification, the term, eligibility and powers of the Finance Commission. • As per the Constitution, the Commission is appointed every five years and consists of a chairman and four other members. Functions of Finance Commission: 1. Distribution of net proceeds of taxes between Center and the States, to be divided as per their respective contributions to the taxes. 2. Determine factors governing Grants-in Aid to the states and the magnitude of the same. 3. Finance commission is autonomous body which is governed by the government of India. Disqualification from being a member of the Commission A member may be disqualified if: 1. He is mentally unsound; 2. He is an undischarged insolvent 3. He has been convicted of an immoral offence; 4. His financial and other interests are such that it hinders smooth functioning of the Commission. |
| Pradhan Mantri Mahila Shakti Kendras (PMMSK) Scheme | Context : • This scheme will empower rural women through community participation to create an environment so that they can realize their full potential. • This scheme will perform under the patronage of Ministry of Women and Child Development. • The government plans to reach the 115 most backward districts in the country with 920 Mahila Shakti Kendra. • The government plans to reach the 115 most backward districts in the country with 920 Mahila Shakti Kendra. Objectives • This is a welfare scheme especially for care, protection, and development of women. • The central government will establish Mahila Shakti Kendra in the 115 most backward districts of the country. • The government will establish One Stop Centers (OSCs) in 150 additional districts during this period that would be connected with women helpline and will provide 24 hour emergency and non-emergency response to women. • All the supporters of the scheme will provide technical support to the government regarding any issues related to women. • The central government will also establish additional Swadhar Greh to provide relief and rehabilitation to approximately 26,000 beneficiaries • Under the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme, the government will intensify the campaign nation-wide. |
| SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY | |
| North Korea successfully tested a new Intercontinental ballistic missile(ICBM) | Context • North Korea successfully tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in a “breakthrough” that puts the U.S. mainland within the range of its nuclear weapons whose warheads could withstand re-entry to the Earth’s atmosphere. ICBM • It is a guided ballistic missile – which follows a path – and has a range of 5,500kms. • They are primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery but can also carry chemical and biological weapons. • They were first developed in World War Two • These missiles can carry a number of separate nuclear warheads – which means a single missile can hit multiple targets • Speed: An intercontinental ballistic missile constantly changes speed and altitude but the peak speed of an ICBM is about 6-7km/s • They are like rockets: All ICBMs are large rockets with space for a payload on top. • Flies like a football, destroys like a weapon. How an ICBM works? • 3 stages: To reach high speeds and strike with such precision, ICBMs typically have three (or sometimes four) separate rocket motors, also called stages. This is because smaller rocket motors are easier to make than one big motor • 1st stage: The lower, first-stage rocket is sometimes called a booster. Boosters are the largest part of rockets and do most of the heavy lifting. (ICBMs weigh as much as a few school buses, mostly because of the large amounts of rocket fuel they carry • 2nd stage: Once the booster has used up its fuel dozens of miles above Earth, it detaches, and the second-stage rocket motor ignites. The same process happens with any subsequent stages • In-flight adjustments: During flight, ICBMs use several tricks to stay on course, though most adjustments happen during boosting. • Gravity does its work: At each stage of flight, the missile and its payload move faster and faster, though they coast (moving without power) for some stretches to ensure an accurate strike. • Last stage: By the time the last stage has burned out, all that remains is for the payload – a nuclear warhead, chemical weapon , or biological weapon – to deploy Hwasong-15 • The new Hwasong-15, named after planet Mars, was a more advanced version of an ICBM tested twice in July. • It was designed to carry a “super-large heavy warhead.” • Based on its trajectory and distance, the missile would have a range of over 13,000 km, more than enough to reach Washington D.C. and the rest of the U.S |
| India and Singapore Defence ministerial dialogue | Context • India and Singapore 2nd Defence ministerial dialogue What has happened? • India and Singapore agreed on greater cooperation and activity in the Strait of Malacca and the Andaman Sea even as the two countries concluded a wide ranging naval agreement for maritime cooperation including logistical support, during the 2nd defence ministerial dialogue Agreements • Naval cooperation: The two countries concluded a bilateral agreement for naval cooperation, which includes maritime security, joint exercises and temporary deployments from the naval facilities of each other and mutual logistical support. The agreement would give the Navy the ability for extended deployments in the region SIMBEX (Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercises): It is a joint naval exercise b/w Indian and Singapore navies. Latest edition i.e. SIMBEX 17, was held in South China Sea in May 2017 • Singapore accepted India’s proposal to institutionalise naval engagements in the shared maritime space, including setting up maritime exercises with like-minded countries and other ASEAN partners • The two countries also agreed to explore joints projects in research and development Significance Agreement assumes significance as the strait is considered a critical choke point for global commerce and is seen by China as vulnerability for its energy security. The development is likely to be followed closely by Beijing. |
| Sagardhwani retraces historic Indian Ocean expedition routes | Context • Marine acoustic research vessel INS Sagardhwani is riding a wave of history that charted the course of oceanographic research in the Indian Ocean. INS Sagardhwani • The Kochi-based ship, operated by the Navy and equipped with eight scientific laboratories, recently joined an international campaign to revisit the first major interdisciplinary ‘International Indian Ocean Exploration (IIOE)’ undertaken by 13 countries with 46 vessels in the 1960s History • Indian Naval Ships Kristna and Varuna had taken part in the expedition held under the United Nations. Kistna • Kistna, a frigate which was converted for ocean surveys for want of a dedicated vessel for the purpose, had conducted 29 cruises carrying scientists from various organisations, including the then fledgling Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), a DRDO laboratory which now owns the state-of-the-art Sagardhwani. • The massive drive also covered a large part of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, including the coastal seas • Sagardhwani’s present cruise retraces certain routes followed by Kistna in its mission that lasted till 1965. Between November 17 and 20, Sagardhwani followed the sixth cruise track of Kistna in the southern Bay of Bengal in 1963. IIOE-2 • As the ongoing commemorative expedition is known, is organised by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) under the UN. • It hopes to furthering the scientific A total of 52 nations are taking part in IIOE-2, carrying out oceanographic research in designated areas in the Indian Ocean. IIOE-1 • It was a watershed event for ocean research in India • Four Indian vessels, including two small trawlers, from Kochi, had taken part in it. • But it triggered the formation of several ocean-based research institutions in India like the NIO, NIOT, INCOIS and NCAOR & ocean studies departments in various universities • The event was among the factors instrumental in rechristening the Indian Naval Physical Laboratory in 1968 to NPOL |
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