Relevance IN - Prelims (about CT-TTX) + Mains (GS II Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India's interests)

What's the NEWS

• The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will host the first-ever counter-terrorism exercise for the Quad countries, including India, the US, Japan and Australia, here at its headquarters on November 21 and 22.

Know! more about CT-TTX

• NIA said the ‘CT-TTX' (counter-terrorism table-top exercise) would be the first engagement among the four countries to discuss issues of common interest related to counter-terrorism.
• The purpose of the exercise is to assess and validate counter-terrorism response mechanisms in the light of emerging terrorist threats.
• The event was aimed at enabling the participating countries to understand the response systems to terror incidents that exist in other member countries.
• This will help in the recognition of best practices prevalent in the respective countries.
• The table-top exercise also aims at improving the inter-agency cooperation between different counter-terrorism and other agencies of the Quad countries.

Internal Security
NRC to cover all citizens of India: Home Minister Amit Shah
Relevance IN - Prelims (about NRC and about Citizenship Amendment Bill.) + Mains (GS III internal security)
What's the NEWS

• The Home Minister said that the NRC will cover everyone, irrespective of their religion.
• The process of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) will be carried out across the nation.
• This was announced by Home Minister Amit Shah in the Rajya Sabha on November 20, 2019.
• The Home Minister said that the NRC will cover everyone, irrespective of their religion. He said that there was no reason for anyone to be worried, as it is just a process to get everyone to come under NRC.

Citizenship Amendment Bill.

• Citizenship Amendment Bill - People of all religions including Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, Christian, Parsi refugees should get Indian citizenship.
• The refugees who are being discriminated on the basis of religion in Pakistan, Bangladesh or Afghanistan get Indian citizenship.
• The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was passed by the Lok Sabha on January 8, 2019.
• The bill aimed to grant citizenship to non-Muslim refugees who came to India from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan before December 31, 2014.
• However, the bill lapsed due to the dissolution of the parliament for Lok Sabha Elections 2019.

Know! about NRC

• The final Assam NRC, which was published on August 31, 2019, included 3,11,21,004 people and left out a total of 19,06,657 persons.
• Most of these people are those who had not submitted the required documents to support their claim in Assam.
• Those left out of the final draft have the option of appealing at the Foreigners` Tribunals and contest their exclusion.
• No action has yet been taken against those who have been left out of the final NRC list in Assam.
• The NRC process was initiated in Assam to identify the illegal immigrants who settled in the state after March 25, 1971, when Bangladesh was formed.
• People whose name has not figured in the NRC draft list have the right to go to the tribunal.
• In Assam NRC, tribunals have been constituted across the state. In case of those who can't afford to hire a lawyer for the tribunal, the Assam government will bear the cost to hire a lawyer for them.

Defence
US approves sale of 13 Naval guns worth $1 billion to India
Relevance IN - Prelims (about the Naval guns)
What's the NEWS

• United States has approved the sale of 13 MK45 Naval guns and related equipment for an estimated cost of $1.0210 billion to India.

Know! more about MK-45 Gun System

• The MK-45 Gun System will provide the capability to conduct anti-surface warfare and anti-air defense missions while enhancing interoperability with the U.S. and other allied forces.
• India will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense,
• It stressed that the proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.The principal contractor will be BAE Systems Land and Armaments, Minneapolis, Minnesota with gun manufacturing in Louisville, Kentucky.
• DSCA said that there are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.

Know! about DSCA

• The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), as part of the United States Department of Defense (DoD), provides financial and technical assistance, transfer of defense matériel, training and services to allies, and promotes military-to-military contacts.

Social Issues
Cabinet approves code to allow fixed-term employment

Relevance IN - Prelims (about different labour code and about fixed term contract)+ Mains ( GS II Social issues - Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation )
What's the NEWS

• The Union cabinet approved the Labour Code on Industrial Relations 2019, allowing companies to hire workers on fixed-term contract of any duration.

Know! more about the code

• The code has retained the threshold on the worker count at 100 for prior government approval before retrenchment, but it has a provision for changing 'such number of employees' through notification.
• Fixed-term employment means a worker can be hired for any duration, three months or six months or a year depending on season and orders.
• The bill is expected to be tabled in the ongoing winter session of the Parliament. "While this means workers can be hired seasonally for six months or a year it also means that all workers will be treated at par with regular workers for benefits
• The code also provides setting up of a two-member tribunal (in place of one member) wherein important cases will be adjudicated jointly and the rest by a single member, resulting speedier disposal of cases.
• Besides, it has vested powers with the government officers for adjudication of disputes involving penalty as fines, thereby lessening the burden on tribunal.
• The industrial relations code is the third out of four labour codes that have got approval from the cabinet. The code will combine Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, the Trade Unions Act, 1926, and the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946.
• The Labour Code on Wages has already been approved by Parliament in August while the Labour Code on Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions has been referred to the standing committee of labour.
• The government has already allowed fixed-term employment across all sectors last year. It has now been codified, which means that once approved by Parliament it will become a legislation to be abided by all.
• The labour ministry has decided to amalgamate 44 labour laws into four codes - on wages, industrial relations, social security, and safety, health and working conditions.

Prelims Factoids
Avian botulism killed 18,000 birds at Sambhar: Govt report
Relevance IN - Prelims (about Avian botulism)
What's the NEWS

• Avian botulism killed over 18,000 birds in and around Rajasthan's Sambhar lake, the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly, said in a report released on November 21, 2019.

Know! about Botulinum

• Botulinum is a natural toxin produced by a bacteria known as Clostridium botulin. It produces the toxin when it starts reproducing.
• The bacteria is commonly found in the soil, river, and sea water. There are around eight types - A, B, C1, C2, D, E, F, and G - of botulinum toxin and they are distinguishable when diagnosed. But all types of toxins attack the neurons, which leads to muscle paralysis
• The report by IVRI, Bareilly, states that climatic conditions were ultimately responsible for having triggered the mass die-off
• This bacterium spreads in the body of birds by the consumption of water or worms. It causes paralysis or death of the birds.
• The infection transits into other birds through having the same food or water.
• Botulism does not affect large birds such as flamingos and pelican. Avian Botulism is difficult to cure in migratory or non-persistent birds. Avian Botulism generally does not occur in rivers.

State Specific
Arundhati Gold Scheme
Assam govt to gift 10 gramme gold to every bride
Relevance IN - Prelims (about Arundhati gold scheme)
What's the NEWS

• The Assam government would give 'one tola' (10 gramme) of gold to every bride of the state from 2020 onward. BJP government in the state will roll out the 'Arundhati Gold Scheme' in the state from January 1, 2020.
• The move was aimed to strengthen women empowerment and reduce child marriage.

Know! more about the scheme

• The Assam government will give one tola [10gm] of gold to the bride if a marriage is solemnised and registered.
• Because, if you register a marriage then there will be a minimum age which is notified as 18 years and 21 years for the bride and bridegroom
• Now any marriage which will be registered, the bride will get Rs 30,000 from the state government to purchase gold.
• But, to have benefit from the scheme, your minimum age has to be 18 years and 21 years and you have to matriculate (Class 10 pass)

The Assam government has mentioned four conditions to avail this benefit-

• The bride should be an adult (18 or 18 plus) and the groom should be above 21 years.
• The bride should have studied at least till Class 10. However, the educational criteria would not be applicable to girls of tea tribes and the Adivasis.
• The marriage of the bride must be registered.
• Lastly, the annual income of the family of the bride has to be less than Rs 5 lakh .
  
  

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