Current Affairs Question - June 2020

Explanation :

Golden Triangle

• It is represented by the area where the borders of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar meet at the confluence of the Ruak and Mekong rivers.
• It is Southeast Asia’s main opium-producing region and one of the oldest narcotics supply routes to Europe and North America.

Golden Crescent

• This space overlaps three nations, Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan, whose mountainous peripheries define the crescent.
• It is a principal global site for opium production and distribution in South Asia.

Explanation :

• Seabed 2030 is a collaborative project between the Nippon Foundation of Japan and the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO).
• It aims to bring together all available bathymetric data to produce the definitive map of the world ocean floor by 2030 and make it available to all.
• The project was launched at the United Nations (UN) Ocean Conference in June 2017 and is aligned with the UN's Sustainable Development Goal-14 to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.

Need

• Despite many years of effort, less than 20 percent of the world ocean’s seafloor has been mapped.
• A co-ordinated international effort is needed to bring together all existing data sets and to identify areas for future surveys - to help us 'map the gaps'.
• Further, knowing the depth and shape of the seafloor (bathymetry) is fundamental for understanding ocean circulation, tides, tsunami forecasting, fishing resources, sediment transport, environmental change, underwater geo-hazards, cable and pipeline routing, mineral extraction, oil and gas exploration and development, infrastructure construction and maintenance and much more.

General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO)

• GEBCO is an international group of mapping experts developing a range of bathymetric data sets and data products.
• It operates under the joint auspices of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC).

Explanation :

• Under Article 340 of the Indian Constitution, the President may by order appoint a Commission consisting of such persons as he thinks fit to investigate the conditions of socially and educationally backward classes within the territory of India and to make recommendations to remove such difficulties and to improve their conditions.
• The One Hundred and Second Amendment of the Constitution of India, officially known as the Constitution (One Hundred and Second Amendment) Act, 2018, granted constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC).
• The Amendment Act inserted new Articles 338 B and 342

Explanation :

Ashadhi Bij

• The festival is associated with the beginning of rains in the Kutch region of Gujarat.
• It falls on the second day of Shukla paksha of Ashada month of Hindu calendar.
• During Ashadhi Bij, the moisture in the atmosphere is checked to predict which crop would do best in the coming monsoon.

Sajibu Cheiraoba

• It is celebrated by Meiteis (an ethnic group in Manipur) which is observed on the first day of Manipur lunar month Shajibu, which falls in the month of April every year.

Losoong

• Also known as Namsoong, it is the Sikkimese New Year.
• It is mostly celebrated in the month of December every year with traditional gaiety and colour both by the Lepchas and Bhutias.

Explanation :

Total Solar Eclipse

• It occurs when the Moon completely blocks the solar disk.
• In a total solar eclipse, the narrowest part of the path (where the Sun is completely blocked and the Moon casts its darkest shadow (called the umbra)) is called the “zone of totality”.
• A phenomenon called “Bailey’s Beads” often appears as sunlight shines out through valleys on the lunar surface.

Annular Solar Eclipse

• An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is smaller than the Sun's, blocking most of the Sun's light and causing the Sun to look like an annulus (ring).

Partial Solar Eclipse

• It occurs when Earth moves through the lunar penumbra (the lighter part of the Moon’s shadow) as the Moon moves between Earth and the Sun.
• The Moon does not block the entire solar disk, as seen from Earth.
• Depending on location during a partial eclipse, one might see anything from a small sliver of the Sun being blotted out to a nearly total eclipse.

Explanation :

• A new species of fish has been discovered in Arunachal Pradesh.
• The fish species is named as Schizothorax sikusirumensis.
• The fish species belongs to genus Schizothorax.
• The name of this fish species has been derived from the name of the rivers where it was found- junction of River Siku and Sirum near Gakang area under Mebo circle of East Siang District.

Explanation :

• Mount Merapi, Gunung Merapi (literally Fire Mountain in Indonesian and Javanese), is an active stratovolcano located on the border between Central Java and Special Region of Yogyakarta provinces, Indonesia.
• It is the most active volcano in Indonesia.
• It is situated at a subduction zone, where the Indo-Australian Plate is subducting under the Sunda Plate.
• It has been designated as one of the Decade Volcanoes.

Decade Volcanoes

• These are 16 volcanoes identified by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI) as being worthy of particular study in light of their history of large, destructive eruptions and proximity to populated areas.
• They are named Decade Volcanoes because the project was initiated in the 1990s as part of the United Nations–sponsored International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction.

Explanation :

• Gee's golden langur (Trachypithecus geei), also known as simply the golden langur, is an Old World monkey found in a small region of western Assam, India and in the neighboring foothills of the Black Mountains of Bhutan.
• It is one of the most endangered primate species of India.
• Their habitat is restricted to the region surrounded by four geographical landmarks: the foothills of Bhutan (North), Manas river (East), Sankosh river (West), and Brahmaputra river (South).
• They are highly dependent on trees, living in the upper canopy of forests. They are also known as leaf monkeys.

Conservation Status

• IUCN List of Threatened Species: Endangered
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora(CITES): Appendix I
• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 : Schedule I

Ecological Role

• Like most primates who eat fruits, golden langurs likely play a role in seed dispersal, seed predation, and pollination, all of which are critical for forest repopulation.

Explanation :

• Pangolins are mammals of the order Pholidota.
• The one extant family, Manidae, has three genera: Manis, Phataginus and Smutsia.
• Pangolins have large, protective keratin scales covering their skin; they are the only known mammals with this feature.
• These are nocturnal, and their diet consists of mainly ants and termites, which they capture using their long tongues.
• Of the eight species of pangolin worldwide, two are found in India.

Protection Status

• Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) has been listed as “endangered”.
• Chinese pangolin has been listed as “critically endangered”.
• It is also a Schedule I category protected animal, under the Wildlife Protection Act (1972).

Explanation :

Mugger

• The mugger crocodile, also called the Indian crocodile, or marsh crocodile, is found throughout the Indian subcontinent.
• It is mainly a freshwater species, and found in lakes, rivers and marshes.

Conservation Status

• IUCN : Vulnerable
• CITES : Appendix I
• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 : Schedule I

Saltwater Crocodile

• It is the largest of all living reptiles.
• It is found throughout the east coast of India.

Conservation Status

• IUCN: Least Concern
• CITES: Appendix I (except the populations of Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, which are included in Appendix II).
• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 : Schedule I

Gharial

• The Gharial or fish eating crocodile is native to the Indian subcontinent.
• The chambal river in the northern slopes of the Vindhya mountains ( Madhya Pradesh) is known as the primary habitat of gharials.

Conservation Status

• IUCN: Critically Endangered
• CITES : Appendix I
• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 : Schedule I

Explanation :

• Axone , also spelled akhuni, is a fermented soya bean of Nagaland, known for its distinctive flavour and smell.
• As much an ingredient as it is a condiment, axone used to make pickles and chutneys or curries.
• It is prepared and eaten across Nagaland mainly by the Sumi (also Sema) tribe.
• It belongs to the broader phenomena of fermentation necessary for food preservation in certain ecological contexts.

Sumi Tribe

• It is one of the major ethnic group in Nagaland.
• The Sumis mainly inhabit Zunheboto district, Dimapur district and Kiphire district although many have spread and are now living in a few more districts within Nagaland.
• Sumi Naga tribe practiced kiti-do and were headhunters as every other Naga tribe.
• Tuluni and Ahuna are the major festivals.

Explanation :

• The Ninth Schedule contains a list of central and state laws which cannot be challenged in courts and was added by the Constitution (First Amendment) Act, 1951.
• It was created by the new Article 31B, which along with Article 31A was brought in by the government to protect laws related to agrarian reform and for abolishing the Zamindari system.
• The First Amendment added 13 laws to the Schedule. Subsequent amendments in 1955, 1964, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1984, 1990, 1994, and 1999 have taken the number of protected laws to 284.

Article 31A and 31 B

• While Article 31A extends protection to ‘classes’ of laws, A. 31B shields specific laws or enactments.
• Article 31B also has retrospective operation: meaning if laws are inserted in the Ninth Schedule after they are declared unconstitutional, they are considered to have been in the Schedule since their commencement, and thus valid.
• Although Article 31B excludes judicial review, the apex court has said in the past that even laws under the Ninth Schedule would be open to scrutiny if they violated fundamental rights or the basic structure of the Constitution.

Explanation :

• GST Council is an apex member committee to modify, reconcile or to procure any law or regulation based on the context of goods and services tax in India.
• It is a constitutional body under Article 279A.
• It was introduced by the Constitution (One Hundred and First Amendment) Act, 2016.

Structure

According to the article, GST Council will be a joint forum for the Centre and the States. It consists of the following members:

• The Union Finance Minister will be the Chairperson
• As a member, the Union Minister of State will be in charge of Revenue of Finance
• The Minister in charge of finance or taxation or any other Minister nominated by each State government, as members.

Functions

• The GST Council dictates tax rate, tax exemption, the due date of forms, tax laws, and tax deadlines, keeping in mind special rates and provisions for some states.
• The predominant responsibility of the GST Council is to ensure to have one uniform tax rate for goods and services across the nation.

Explanation :

• The Raja Parba of Odisha is one of most popular festivals of the state.
• This is a three-day-long festival dedicated to Bhuma Devi, the consort of Lord Vishnu, Raja Parba celebrates womanhood.
• The festivities begin a day before Mithuna Sankranti and conclude two days after that.
• The first day of the festival is called Pahili Raja, the second is Mithuna Sankranti and the third Bhu daha or Basi Raja.
• The preparation begins one day before Pahili Raja, and it is called Sajabaja. Primarily, it is a time for the unmarried girls to prepare for their matrimony.
• They follow various customs related to the festival by consuming nutritious food like Podapitha, not walking barefoot, taking a bath on the first day, and merrily swinging on ropes attached to a tree.
• During the Parba, Odia people do not undertake any construction works or tilling that requires the earth to be dug. And by not doing such activities, they pay ode to the Mother Earth who needs a break from routine work.
• The festival concludes with a custom called Vasumati Snana or the bathing of Bhuma Devi.
• This festival is also associated with the end of the summer season and the arrival of the monsoon.
• And therefore, it is also associated with agriculture and cultivation related communities and activities.

Explanation :

On 3rd June, 2020, the government announced the renaming of Kolkata Port Trust after Syama Prasad Mukherjee at a function to mark the 150th-anniversary celebrations of the port trust

Kolkata Port

• The Kolkata Port is the first Major Port as well as the only riverine port of the country.
• It came to be governed by a Trust on October 17, 1870, on appointment of the Commissioners for Improvement of the Port of Calcutta as per Act V of 1870.
• It features in The First Schedule, Part I—Major Ports of the Indian Ports Act, 1908 and is governed by the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963.

Explanation :

• On the occasion of the World Environment Day (5^th June, 2020), Andhra Pradesh government launched an online waste management platform to handle liquid waste, hazardous, and non-hazardous solid waste and air pollutants.
• The Andhra Pradesh Environment Management Corporation (APEMC), which will handle the platform, will henceforth be responsible for safe disposal of all industrial waste generated in the state.
• The APEMC will streamline collection of the waste from industries, sort and streamline the waste as hazardous or non-hazardous or e-waste according to category, and scientifically dispose it off at various waste disposal centres.
• It will work in close coordination with Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB), with a strong regulatory framework to handle the waste from cradle to grave,” Reddy said.

Need

• Andhra Pradesh has a large number of industries falling under red and orange categories, which generate significant quantities of liquid waste, hazardous and non-hazardous solid waste and air pollutants.
• They also generate other waste like e-waste, which needs to be addressed. As of now, the waste management system is not adequately organised to handle the total quantity being generated.
• Hence, there is a requirement for an appropriate system intervention to streamline and scientifically dispose off the waste generated in the state.

Explanation :

• Border adjustment tax is a short name for a proposed destination-based cash flow tax (DBCFT).
• It is a value-added tax on imported goods and is also referred to as a border-adjusted tax, destination tax or border tax adjustment.
• The border adjustment tax (BAT) levies a tax depending on where a good is consumed rather than where it is produced.
• It is a fiscal measure that imposes a charge on goods or services in accordance with the destination principle of taxation.
• BAT seeks to promote “equal conditions of competition” for foreign and domestic companies supplying products or services within a taxing jurisdiction.