Current Affairs Question - September 2020

Explanation :

On 24th September, 2020, renowned Malayalam poet Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri was conferred the 55th edition of the Jnanpith Award.

About Award

• Jnanpith Award is an Indian literary award presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to an author for their "outstanding contribution towards literature".
• Instituted in 1961, the award is bestowed only on Indian writers writing in Indian languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India and English, with no posthumous conferral.
• Until 1982 it was presented for a specific work; thereafter, it was given for a writer’s overall contribution to literature. Since then, the award has typically been given every year to one author, although in some years it has been jointly offered to two.
• The first recipient of the award was the Malayalam writer G. SankaraKurup who received the award in 1965 for his collection of poems, Odakkuzhal (The Bamboo Flute), published in 1950.

Explanation :

The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, which is wreaking havoc the world over, has hit the Kashmir Valley’s centuries-old culinary tradition of Trami.

About TramiTardition

• It is the Kashmir Valley’s centuries-old culinary tradition.
• It’s origin can be traced during the Sultan period, especially during eighth Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin, between 1418 and 1470.
• It involves eating together from one plate during weddings.
• In trami four guests join in simultaneously to have their portion of food from around a circular 2X2 feet decorated copper plate.Itsymbolised brotherhood and sharing.
• But due to COVID-19 the Kashmiris have learnt to adapt to the situation and have replaced the Trami tradition with individual copper utensils in the weddings.

Explanation :

• Cess is a form of tax charged/levied over and above the base tax liability of a taxpayer.
• A cess is usually imposed additionally when the state or the central government looks to raise funds for specific purposes.
• For example, the government levies an education cess to generate additional revenue for funding primary, secondary, and higher education.
• It is not a permanent source of revenue for the government, and it is discontinued when the purpose levying it is fulfilled.
• It can be levied on both indirect and direct taxes.
• In the case of the cess levied on direct taxes, it is added to the basic tax liability of the taxpayer and is paid as a part of the total tax paid by the taxpayers themselves.
• In the case of the cess levied on indirect taxes, such as service tax or sales tax, or GST in India’s case, it is paid by the producer of the goods and services.

Difference between Tax and Cess

• Cess is different from taxes such as income tax, GST, and excise duty, etc. as it is charged over and above the existing taxes.
• While all taxes go to the Consolidated Fund of India (CFI), cess may initially go to the CFI but has to be used for the purpose for which it was collected.
• If the cess collected in a particular year goes unspent, it cannot be allocated for other purposes. The amount gets carried over to the next year and can only be used for the cause it was meant for.

Types of Cess in India

• Education Cess: Education cess was introduced to finance and provide standard quality education to poor people.
• Health and Education Cess: Proposed in Budget 2018 to meet the education and health needs of rural and rural and Below Poverty Line (BPL) families.
• Swachh Bharat Cess: Introduced in 2015, a 0.5% Swachh Bharat cess was imposed to fund national campaign for clearing the roads, streets and the infrastructure of India.
• KrishiKalyanCess: This cess was aimed at developing the agricultural economy, and was collected at the rate of 0.5%.
• Infrastructure Cess: Announced in Union Budget 2016, this cess was charged on the production of vehicles.

Explanation :

• The Convention on Biological Diversity was opened for signature at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro on 5 June 1992 and entered into force on 29 December 1993.
• It is a key document regarding sustainable development. It comes under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
• It has two supplementary agreements, the Cartagena Protocol and Nagoya Protocol.

Main Goals

• Conservation of biological diversity.
• Sustainable use of its components.
• Fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources.

Members

• 196 countries are a party to the CBD.
• India is also a party to the Convention. India ratified it in 1994.The Biological Diversity Act, 2002 was enacted for giving effect to the provisions of the Convention.

Cartagena Protocol

• The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity is an international treaty governing the movements of living modified organisms (LMOs) resulting from modern biotechnology from one country to another.
• It was adopted on 29 January 2000 as a supplementary agreement to the CBD and entered into force on 11 September 2003.

Nagoya Protocol

• The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (ABS) to the Convention on Biological Diversity is another supplementary agreement to the CBD.
• It provides a transparent legal framework for the effective implementation of one of the three objectives of the CBD.
• It was adopted on 29 October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan and entered into force on 12 October 2014.

Explanation :

• On March 27, 2019, India conducted Mission Shakti, an anti-satellite missile test, from the Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam Island launch complex, Odisha(formerly known as Wheeler Island).
• This was a technological mission carried out by DRDO. The satellite used in the mission was one of India’s existing satellites operating in lower orbit.
• The significance of the test is that India has tested and successfully demonstrated its capability to interdict and intercept a satellite in outer space based on complete indigenous technology.
• The test made India the fourth country after the US, Russia and China to have tested an ASAT weapon.

Explanation :

• Dhrupad is the most ancient style of Hindustani classical music that has survived until today in its original form. The Dhrupad tradition is a major tradition of Indian culture.
• The word ‘Dhrupad’ is derived from DHRUVA the steadfast evening star that moves through our galaxy and ‘Pada’ meaning poetry.
• It is a form of devotional music that traces its origin to the ancient text of Samaveda. The Samavedawas chanted with the help of melody and rhythm called Samgana.
• Gradually this developed into other vocal style called ‘Chhanda’ and ‘Prabandha’ with introduction of verse and meter. The fusion of these two elements led to the emergence of Dhrupad.
• The nature of Dhrupad music is spiritual, seeking not to entertain, but to induce feelings of peace and contemplation in the listener.
• Performance of Dhrupad is done in two parts viz. the Alap and Bandish.
• In the Alap, the singer uses syllables from Sanskrit Mantra which add texture to the notes. The Raga is slowly and methodically developed in a meditative mode.

Explanation :

• Blue Flag is an international certification of environmental properties and cleanliness on beaches.
• A ‘Blue Flag’ beach provides hygienic and clean bathing water, basic infrastructure to tourists and sustainable development in the area.
• This Certification is accorded by an international agency Foundation for Environment Education(FEE), Denmark based on 33 stringent criteria in four major heads i.e.
• -Environmental Education and Information,
• -Bathing Water Quality,
• -Environment Management and Conservation and
• -Safety and Services in the beaches.
• The programme originally started in France in 1985. It was presented to the FEE in 1987. It then became the European Blue Flag.
• In 2001, when South Africa became the first country outside of Europe to join the programme, the initiative changed its name to International Blue Flag.
• Spain has the largest number of 566 Blue Flag beaches while Greece and France have 515 and 395 such Blue Flag beaches respectively.
• Chandrabhaga beach located on the Konark coast of Odisha is the first beach in the country to receive Blue Flag Certification.

Explanation :

Adjournment Motion

• It is introduced only in the Lok Sabha to draw the attention of the House to a definite matter of urgent public importance.
• It involves an element of censure against the government, therefore Rajya Sabha is not permitted to make use of this device.
• It is regarded as an extraordinary device as it interrupts the normal business of the House. It needs the support of 50 members to be admitted.
• The discussion on this motion should last for not less than two hours and thirty minutes.
• The power of adjournment lies with the presiding officer of the House.

Adjournment Sine Die

• Adjournment sine die means terminating a sitting of Parliament for an indefinite period.
• In other words, when the House is adjourned without naming a day for reassembly, it is called adjournment sine die.
• The power of adjournment sine die lies with the presiding officer of the House.

Explanation :

Supplementary Grant

• It is granted when the amount authorised by the Parliament through the appropriation act for a particular service for the current financial year is found to be insufficient for that year.
• The Comptroller and Auditor General of India brings such excesses to the notice of the Parliament.
• The Public Accounts Committee examines these excesses and gives recommendations to the Parliament.

Additional Grant

• It is granted when a need has arisen during the current financial year for additional expenditure upon some new service not contemplated in the budget for that year.

Token Grant

• It is granted when funds to meet the proposed expenditure on a new service can be made available by re-appropriation.
• A demand for the grant of a token sum (of Re 1) is submitted to the vote of the Lok Sabha and if assented, funds are made available.
• Re-appropriation involves transfer of funds from one head to another. It does not involve any additional expenditure.

Constitutional Provision

• Article 115: Supplementary, additional or excess grants.
• Article 116: Votes on account, votes of credit and exceptional grants.

Explanation :

• Maharashtra is set to become the first coastal state to declare a state mangrove tree species as a symbol to enhance conservation of the salt-tolerant vegetation.
• Earlier, Maharashtra has declared the State Tree (Mango), State Animal (Indian Giant Squirrel), State Bird (Yellow-footed Green Pigeon), State Butterfly (Blue Mormon), and State Flower (Jarul) to focus on their ecological significance.

Sonneratiaalba

• Also known as mangrove apple and as white chippi in Marathi, it grows up to five feet and bear white flowers with a pink base as well as green fruits, that resemble apple and are used to make pickles.
• They often grow on newly-formed mudflats and play an important role in combating land erosion.
• The flowers, which bloom at night, are pollinated by nocturnal creatures like bats.

Explanation :

• Rogan painting is an art of cloth printing practiced in the Kutch District of Gujarat.
• It is the technique of painting on fabric, crafted from a thick brightly coloured paint like substance made with castor seed oil.
• Rogan Art, an ancient textile art, with its origins in Persia, came to Kutch around 300 years ago.
• Traditionally, the craft was used to beautify bridal clothing of the regional tribes.
• Beautiful borders and floral patterns on ghagras, odhanis and bed spreads were painstakingly painted.
• The intricate motifs – geometric flowers, peacocks, the tree of life, etc. – are drawn from the history and folk culture of the Kutch region.

Explanation :

• The Malabar Rebellion, also known as the MoplahRebellion, was an armed revolt staged by the Mappila Muslims of Kerala in 1921.
• The most prominent leaders of the rebellion were VariankunnathKunjahammad Haji, SithiKoyaThangal and Ali Musliyar.
• Three different political movements merged to trigger the rebellion —one, the tenancy movement, was rooted in local agrarian grievances (particularly in south Malabar); the other two were the Khilafat (Caliphate) movement and the Non-Cooperation movement, launched jointly by the All-India Khilafat Committee and the Indian National Congress.
• In August 1920, Gandhi along with Shaukat Ali (the leader of the KhilafatMovement in India) visited Calicut to spread the combined message of non-cooperation and Khilafat among the residents of Malabar.
• In response to Gandhi’s call, a Khilafat committee was formed in Malabar and the Mappilas, under their religious head MahadumTangal of Ponnani pledged support to the Non-cooperation Movement.
• The Moplah tenants agitated against the Hindu landlords (locally referred to as Janmi) and the British government.
• Most of their grievances were related to the security of tenure, high rents, renewal fees and other unfair exactions of the landlords.
• The British government responded with much aggression, bringing in Gurkha regiments to suppress it and imposing martial law.
• Wagon Tragedy: A noteworthy event of the British suppression was the wagon tragedy when approximately 60 Mappila prisoners on their way to prison, were suffocated to death in a closed railway goods wagon.

Explanation :

• A ramjet is a form of air-breathing jet engine that uses the vehicle’s forward motion to compress incoming air for combustion without a rotating compressor. Fuel is injected in the combustion chamber where it mixes with the hot compressed air and ignites.
• A ramjet-powered vehicle requires an assisted take-off like a rocket assist to accelerate it to a speed where it begins to produce thrust.
• Ramjets work most efficiently at supersonic speeds around Mach 3 (three times the speed of sound) and can operate up to speeds of Mach 6. However, the ramjet efficiency starts to drop when the vehicle reaches hypersonic speeds.
• A scramjet engine is an improvement over the ramjet engine as it efficiently operates at hypersonic speeds and allows supersonic combustion. Thus it is known as Supersonic Combustion Ramjet, or Scramjet.
• A dual mode ramjet (DMRJ) is a type of jet engine where a ramjet transforms into scramjet over Mach 4-8 range, which means it can efficiently operate both in subsonic and supersonic combustor modes.

Explanation :

• The Group of Twenty (G20) is the premier international forum for global economic cooperation.
• Formed in 1999, the G-20 has the mandate to promote global economic growth, international trade, and regulation of financial markets.
• The members of the G20 are: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, and the European Union.
• Because the G-20 is a forum, not a legislative body, its agreements and decisions have no legal impact, but they do influence countries' policies and global cooperation.
• It does not have any permanent secretariat or headquarters.
• The G-20's ranks include all members of the Group of Seven (G-7), a forum of the seven countries with the world's largest developed economies: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

Objectives

• Policy coordination between its members in order to achieve global economic stability, sustainable growth.
• To promote financial regulations that reduce risks and prevent future financial crises.
• To create a new international financial architecture.

Significance

• G20 members account for 85 percent of the world economy, 75 percent of global trade, and two-thirds of the world's population, including more than half of the world's poor.

Explanation :

• The Yanomami are the largest relatively isolated tribe in South America. They live in the rain forests and mountains of northern Brazil and southern Venezuela.
• They can be classified as foraging horticulturalists, depending heavily on rain forest resources; they use slash-and-burn horticulture, grow bananas, gather fruit, and hunt animals and fish.
• They live in large, circular houses called yanos or shabonos.
• The Yanomami consider all people to be equal, and do not have a chief. Instead, all decisions are based on consensus after long discussions and debates.

Explanation :

• Article 23 prohibits trafficking in human beings and begar and other similar forms of forced labour and any contravention of this provision shall be an offence punishable in accordance with the law.
• Article 24 says that “No child below the age of fourteen years shall be employed to work in any factory or mine or engaged in any other hazardous employment.”
• Article 29 provides that any section of the citizens residing in any part of India having a distinct language, script or culture of its own, shall have the right to conserve the same.It grants protection to both religious minorities as well as linguistic minorities. However, the Supreme Court held that the scope of this Article is not necessarily restricted to minorities only, as use of the word ‘section of citizens’ in the Article that include minorities as well as majority.
• Article 30 of the Indian Constitution states the right of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions. All minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.

Explanation :

• Qatar has brought about a change in its labour laws. The reforms, which were announced by the Emir of Qatar in October 2019, were signed into law recently.

Reforms Announced

• The first reform has abolished the unjustified ‘Kafala system’ or requirement for a “no objection certificate” that migrant workers needed to get from their employers before changing jobs. Now, workers will have to serve a one-month notice period if they have worked for less than two years and notice period of two months if they have worked longer.
• The second reform involves increasing the minimum wage by 25 percent to $274 or 1000 Qatari riyals and an additional 300 QAR for food and 500 QAR for accommodation in case not provided by the company. These reforms are now applicable to workers of all nationalities and in all sectors, including domestic workers who were previously excluded.

Need for Reform

• Qatar is hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup and in the run-up to the sporting event that is viewed by more than half of the global population, the country has faced flak for its labour laws, seen by many as being exploitative of migrant labourers.

About Kafala System

• It is a system that lays down obligations in the treatment and protection of foreign ‘guests’. Kafala means ‘to guarantee’ or ‘to take care of’ in Arabic.
• Under this, a migrant worker’s immigration status is legally bound to an individual employer or sponsor (‘kafeel’) during the contract period.
• The migrant worker cannot enter the country, transfer employment nor leave the country for any reason without first obtaining explicit written permission from the kafeel.

Origin

• The Kafala system began in the 1950s when several Middle East countries started hiring foreign workers to accelerate development following the discovery of oil.

Countries Practicing Kafala System

• It is being practiced in the Gulf Cooperation Council member countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and also in the Arab states of Jordan and Lebanon.

Explanation :

Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups on Andaman Islands

Great Andamanese Tribe

• These are a part of the Negrito tribes that inhabit isolated parts of Southeast Asia and the Andaman Islands.
• The tribe speaks Jeru dialect among themselves.

Jarwas

• Jarawa tribe is native to the South Andaman Nicobar Island.
• They are the tribes of African origin living in Andaman who settled 50 years back.

Shompens

• They are the only tribe in the region with Mongoloid features.
• The other PVTGs have Negroid features.

Onges

• The Little Andaman Island is home to Onges tribes, who are fewer than 100.

North Sentinelese

• North Sentinel Island is part of North Andaman region home to the Sentinelese tribe.

Explanation :

• Togo has become the first African country to eliminate sleeping sickness as a public health problem.
• According to the WHO, sleeping sickness is currently found in 36 sub-Saharan African countries.

Sleeping Sickness(African Trypanosomiasis)

• It is caused by infection with the protozoa Trypanosoma brucei.
• African trypanosomiasis is transmitted to humans by bites of tsetse fly (found only in rural Africa).
• Early symptoms include fever, headaches, joint pains and itching.
• Later stages may include behavioral changes, confusion and poor coordination.
• Treatment involves drugs to kill the parasites.

Togo

• Togo is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north.
• The country extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its capital Lome is located.
• It is a tropical, sub-Saharan nation, whose economy depends highly on agriculture, with a climate that provides good growing seasons.

Explanation :

• Channapatna toys are a particular form of wooden toys that are manufactured in the town of Channapatna, Ramanagara district of Karnataka.
• As a result of the popularity of these toys, Channapatna is known as Gombegala Ooru (toy-town) of Karnataka.
• The origin of these toys can be traced to the reign of Tipu Sultan who invited artisans from Persia to train the local artisans in the making of wooden toys.
• The major raw material used for the manufacturing of toys is the wood of the Wrightiatinctoria tree,colloquially called Aalemara (ivory-wood).
• However, the craft has diversified over time; in addition to the traditional ivory-wood, other woods—including rubber, sycamore, cedar, pine and teak—are now used as well.
• This traditional craft is protected as a geographical indication (GI)(2006) under the World Trade Organization, administered by the Government of Karnataka

Explanation :

• The Baltic Nations, also known as the Baltic countries, Baltic republics, Baltic kingdom, or simply the Baltics, is a geopolitical term, typically used to group the three sovereign states in Northern Europe on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
• The term is not used in the context of cultural areas, national identity, or language, because while the majority of people in Latvia and Lithuania are Baltic people, the majority in Estonia are Finnic.
• The three countries do not form an official union, but engage in intergovernmental and parliamentary cooperation.
• The most important areas of cooperation between the three countries are foreign and security policy, defence, energy, and transportation.
• All three countries are members of NATO, the Eurozone, the OECD, and the European Union.
• All three are classified as high-income economies by the World Bank and maintain a very high Human Development Index.
• For 2020-21, Estonia has been elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.