Relevance IN - Prelims (about COSC + Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) + The Integrated Defence Staff + Mains ( GS III various security challenges and their management in border areas
What's the NEWS

• Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat received the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) baton from outgoing Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa
• The Air Chief Marshal was appointed as Chairman, COSC on May 31, 2019. Under his stewardship, the Services progressed joint Manship and integration on a number of fronts in synchronisation with the motto ‘Victory through Jointness'.

• General Bipin Rawat as the Chief of Army Staff, he has been a member of COSC since January 2017.
• During his tenure in COSC, the Committee has deliberated on a number of diverse issues ranging from operations, training and administration, with an aim to enhance jointmanship and integration.
• As the next Chairman COSC, General Rawat is focused to operationalise the appointment of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), enhance Tri-Service integration, stimulate simultaneous growth of the Services, rapid operationalisation and synchronisation of modern war fighting capabilities to ensure that the Armed Forces are well aligned to the future.

Know! all about COSC

• The Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, is the head of the Chiefs of Staff Committee. The most senior chief of staff is appointed to serve as a chairman until he retires.
• Following the end of the Kargil war, Kargil Review Committee found there was a lack of communication between the service branches, and therefore suggested to create the position of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
• This was however rejected at that time by many members of the military, arguing that only great or imperial powers engaging in power projection needed that amount of integration.
• A compromise was created with the establishment of the COSC. The Chairman is responsible for inter-service synergy.
• However, as the COSC only serve as Primus inter pares to the other Chiefs of Staff, he does not wield any power.
• The Chairman is assisted by the Integrated Defence Staff. It has been suggested that the position of chairman be made permanent, with a renewable two year term.
• On Independence Day 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the government's decision to replace the post of Chairman, COSC with a permanent Chief of the Defence Staff, who would be senior to each service chief and who would deal with India's national security with a comprehensive approach, acting as a single-point military adviser to the prime minister and defence minister.

Know! about IDS

• The Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) is an organisation responsible for fostering coordination and enabling prioritisation across the different branches of the Indian Armed Forces.
• It is composed of representatives from the Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, Ministry of External Affairs, Defence Research and Development Organisation, Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Finance.
• The IDS is headed by Chief of Integrated Defence Staff along with Deputy Chiefs of Integrated Defence Staff.
• The body advises and assists the chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee. It was established on 23 November 2001 after the recommendations of the Kargil Review Committee and is located at New Delhi
  

Health Awareness
28 September is World Rabies Day
Relevance IN - Prelims (about Rabies and World Rabies Day)
What's the NEWS

• 28 September also marks the anniversary of Louis Pasteur's death, the French chemist and microbiologist, who developed the first rabies vaccine
• It is celebrated annually to raise awareness about rabies prevention and to highlight progress in defeating this horrifying disease.

Know! about World Rabies Day

• World Rabies Day is an international awareness campaign coordinated by the Global Alliance for Rabies Control, a non-profit organization with headquarters in the United States.
• It is a United Nations Observance and has been endorsed by international human and veterinary health organizations such as the World Health Organization.
• World Rabies Day aims to raise awareness about the impact of rabies on humans and animals, provide information and advice on how to prevent the disease in at-risk communities, and support advocacy for increased efforts in rabies control.
• Rabies remains a significant health problem in many countries of the world. Over 99% of all human deaths caused by rabid dog bites happen in the developing world, with 95% of deaths occurring in Africa and Asia.
• One major problem with rabies prevention is a lack of basic life-saving knowledge among people at risk. Organizations working on the issue can often feel isolated, and, as a neglected disease, rabies does not attract sufficient resources, even though the world has the tools and knowledge to prevent rabies and nobody needs to die from this disease.
• Health awareness days can help to improve policy on diseases and increase resources to prevent and control them. This understanding led to the development of an awareness day against rabies.

Know! about Rabies

• Rabies is a viral disease that causes inflammation of the brain in humans and other mammals. Early symptoms can include fever and tingling at the site of exposure.
• Rabies is caused by lyssaviruses, including the rabies virus and Australian bat lyssavirus. It is spread when an infected animal scratches or bites another animal or human.
• Saliva from an infected animal can also transmit rabies if the saliva comes into contact with the eyes, mouth, or nose.
• Globally, dogs are the most common animal involved. In countries where dogs commonly have the disease, more than 99% of rabies cases are the direct result of dog bites. In the Americas, bat bites are the most common source of rabies infections in humans, and less than 5% of cases are from dogs.

Prelims Factoids
K Siva Reddy to get Saraswati Samman
Relevance IN - Prelims (about Saraswati Samman)
What's the NEWS

• Telugu poet K Siva Reddy is to be conferred the prestigious Saraswati Samman, 2018, for his collection of poems titled Pakkaki Ottigilite (Turning Aside While Lying Down).
• Saraswati Samman - It is the highest recognition in the field of Indian literature and carries a cash purse of Rs 15 lakh, apart from a citation and a plaque.

Know! about K Siva Reddy

• Born in 1943 in a farmer's family in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur, Reddy is counted among the most renowned modern poets in Telugu. He has also taught English literature and produced 23 volumes of poetry.
• Reddy has also published critical essays on poetry. According to the citation provided by the foundation, Reddy attributes his poetic excellence to his faith in poetry as a weapon in combating injustice and calls himself a wanderer who is forever in search of equality and humanity.
• Pakkaki Ottigilite, published in 2016, is an anthology of 104 poems in blank verse. It captures the responses of the poet over the years to social change, the evolution of his own self and his dynamic relationship with the world.

Know! about the award

• The award, instituted by the KK Birla Foundation, is given annually for an outstanding literary work written in any official Indian language and published during the preceding 10 years.
• It is the highest recognition in the field of Indian literature and carries a cash purse of Rs 15 lakh, apart from a citation and a plaque.
• Reddy was chosen for the award after a rigorous selection process carried out by the Chayan Parishad, or selection committee
• The Chayan Parishad is assisted by five Kshetra Samities, or regional committees, and 22 Bhasha Samities, or language committees, consisting of eminent writers, scholars and critics in various languages from all parts of the country.
• To felicitate writers, the KK Birla Foundation has instituted three awards in the field of literature. These are the Saraswati Samman, Vyas Samman (for Hindi) and Bihari Puraskar (for Hindi and Rajasthani writers of Rajasthan).
• Past recipients of the Saraswati Samman include poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan, and writers Vijay Tendulkar, Shamsur Rahman Faruqi and Dr Indira Parthasarathy Ramanujar, among many others.

Prelims Factoids
World Tourism Day
Relevance IN - Prelims (about World tourism day)
What's the NEWS

• World Tourism Day is celebrated on September 27 every year. This date was chosen as the Constitution of the World Tourism Organization was accepted on this day in 1970.
• On this global day, Indian leaders have urged the youth to explore India and its diverse cultural heritage.
• This year, the theme of World Tourism Day is "Tourism and jobs: a better future for all". India is the hosting country for World Tourism Day 2019.

Know! more about World Tourism Day

• The purpose of celebrating World Tourism Day is to raise awareness about the role of tourism around the world and to promote social, cultural, political and economic values.
• This day can help in increasing mutual understanding among people all over the world. On the occasion of World Tourism Day, many types of events are organized all over the world
• The purpose of celebrating this day is to make people aware of tourism around the world.
• The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) keeps the theme of World Tourism Day different every year to make people aware.
• The United Nations decided to celebrate September 27, 1980, as World Tourism Day. The day of September 27 was chosen for World Tourism Day because the Constitution of the World Tourism Organization was accepted on this day in 1970.
  
  

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