Connect to Current -Daily Current Capsules 13th March 2019

Factoids
Arecanut gets ‘Sirsi supari' geographical indication tag

Relevance IN - Prelims( about sirsi supari)

What's the NEWS
• Arecanut (also known as supari or betel nut) is the latest entrant in the list of agricultural produce with a GI (geographical indication) tag

Know! more about Sirsi Supari

• On March 4, the Registrar of Geographical Indications, Government of India, accorded a GI tag, ‘Sirsi Supari', to arecanut grown in Sirsi, Siddpaur and Yellapur taluks of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka.

• It is cultivated in Yellapura, Siddapura and Sirsi taluks. Totgars' Cooperative Sale Society Ltd., Sirsi, is the registered proprietor of the GI.

• The Registrar of Geographical Indications, under the Union government, Chennai, issued the certificate to the society on March 4, 2019.

• According to it, the particular arecanut "is medium in size, somewhat flat and rounded in shape, somewhat ash coloured, and has a hard seed.

• The arecanut grown in these taluks have unique features like a round and flattened coin shape, particular texture, size, cross-sectional views, taste, etc.

• These features are not seen in arecanut grown in any other regions.

• The World Intellectual Property Organisation defines GI as a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.

Factoids
Wood snake, last seen in 1878, rediscovered by scientists
The species is endemic to the Meghamalai forests and Periyar Tiger Reserve area

What's the NEWS
• A species of wood snake that wasn't seen for 140 years has resurfaced in a survey conducted by scientists in the Meghamalai Wildlife Sanctuary.

Know! more about this species
• The species, endemic to the Meghamalai forests and the Periyar Tiger Reserve landscape, was recently rediscovered

• The findings of the surveys, conducted over two years (2014-2016), were published in the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society last month.

• The snake is a ‘point endemic' (found only in Meghamalai). It was found in the same region that Colonel Beddome alluded to, and the morphological characters match with his specimen

• The local population of wood snakes was last spotted and recorded by British military officer and naturalist Colonel Richard Henry Beddome in 1878

• The rediscovery of the snake indicated that the quality of the habitat was good.
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Polity and Governance
SC may send plea challenging quota Bill to Constitution Bench

IN - Prelims ( about EWS provisions) + Mains ( GS II role of judiciary + social issues)

What's the NEWS

• The Constitution(103rd) Amendment Act introducing Articles 15(6) and 16(6) in the Constitution to provide for economic reservation does not affect the basis structure of the Constitution, said the Centre in its affidavit filed in Supreme Court countering the petitions challenging economic reservation.

• The Supreme Court decided to consider the question of whether the challenge to the 10% economic reservation law should be heard by a Constitution Bench.

• A three-judge Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, scheduled the hearing for March 28.

• The court, however, refused to pass any interim order to stay or hamper the implementation of the Constitution (103rd Amendment) Act that provides for 10% reservation in government jobs and educational institutions to the economically backward in the unreserved category.

What's the issue
• The issue arose when senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan pointed out that the 50% quota limit was part of the Basic Structure of the Constitution, and the new amendment tinkered with it.

• The Act amends Articles 15 and 16 of the Constitution, adding clauses empowering the government to provide reservation on the basis of economic backwardness

• The Act violated the basic features of the Constitution. The petitioners argued that the 50% ceiling was "engrafted as a part of the Basic Structure of the Constitution's equality code" by the court.

• The challenge on the ground that EWS quota will breach 50% limit of reservation is rebutted by stating that this limit imposed by Supreme Court in Indira Sawhney case is not applicable after constitution amendment.

Know! all about Indira Sawhney case
• In the famous Mandal case (Indra Sawhney v. Union of India 1992), the scope and extent of Article 16(4), which provides for reservation of jobs in favour of backward classes, has been examined thoroughly by the Supreme Court.

• Though the Court has rejected the additional reservation of 10% for poorer sections of higher castes, it upheld the constitutional validity of 27% reservation for the OBCs with certain conditions

- The advanced sections among the OBCs (the creamy layer) should be excluded from the list of beneficiaries of reservation.

- No reservation in promotions; reservation should be confined to initial appointments only. Any existing reservation in promotions can continue for five years only (i.e., upto 1997).

- The total reserved quota should not exceed 50% except in some extraordinary situations. This rule should be applied every year.

- The ‘carry forward rule' in case of unfilled (backlog) vacancies is valid. But it should not violate 50% rule.

- A permanent statutory body should be established to examine complaints of over-inclusion and under-inclusion in the list of OBCs.

International Organisations
India is world's 2nd largest arms importer
Figures decreased by 24% between 2009-13 and 2014-18, partly due to delays in delivery
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about SIPRI report ) + Mains ( GS III international organisations)

What's the NEWS
• India was the world's second largest arms importer from 2014-18, ceding the long-held tag as largest importer to Saudi Arabia, which accounted for 12% of the total imports during the period.

• India was the world's second largest importer of major arms in 2014-18 and accounted for 9.5% of the global total," according to the latest report published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)

Know! more about the SIPRI report
• Indian imports decreased by 24% between 2009-13 and 2014-18, partly due to delays in deliveries of arms produced under licence from foreign suppliers, such as combat aircraft ordered from Russia in 2001 and submarines ordered from France in 2008, the report stated.

• Russia accounted for 58% of Indian arms imports in 2014-18, compared with 76% in 2009-13.
• Israel, the U.S. and France all increased their arms exports to India in 2014-18.

• However, the Russian share in Indian imports is likely to sharply go up for the next five-year period as India signed several big-ticket deals recently, and more are in the pipeline.

• These include S-400 air defence systems, four stealth frigates, AK-203 assault rifles, a second nuclear attack submarine on lease, and deals for Kamov-226T utility helicopters, Mi-17 helicopters and short-range air defence systems.

• The report noted that despite the long-standing conflict between India and Pakistan, arms imports decreased for both countries in 2014-18 compared with 2009-13.

• Pakistan stood at the 11th position accounting for 2.7% of all global imports.

• Its biggest source was China, from which 70% of arms were sourced, followed by the U.S. at 8.9% and, interestingly, Russia at 6%.

• The five largest exporters in 2014-18 were the United States, Russia, France, Germany and China together accounting for 75% of the total volume of arms exports in 2014-18.

• The flow of arms increased to the Middle East between 2009-13 and 2014-18, while there was a decrease in flows to all other regions

• China, which has emerged as a major arms exporter, has increased its share by 2.7% for 2014-18 compared to 2009-13. Its biggest customers are Pakistan and Bangladesh.


Know! about SIPRI

• SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament.
• Established in 1966, SIPRI provides data, analysis and recommendations, based on open sources, to policymakers, researchers, media and the interested public.
• Based in Stockholm, SIPRI is regularly ranked among the most respected think tanks worldwide.

Vision and mission
• SIPRI's vision is a world in which sources of insecurity are identified and understood, conflicts are prevented or resolved, and peace is sustained.
SIPRI's mission is to:
• undertake research and activities on security, conflict and peace;
• provide policy analysis and recommendations;
• facilitate dialogue and build capacities;
• promote transparency and accountability; and
• deliver authoritative information to global audiences.

Defence
The DRDO Develops 'combat drugs' to reduce casualties in Pulwama type attacks, warfare
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the combat drugs) + Mains (GS III security challenges and internal security)

Highlights

• The spectrum includes bleeding wound sealants, super absorptive dressings and glycerated salines, all of which can save lives in the event of warfare in jungle and high altitude areas as well as in terror attacks

What's the NEWS
• With 90 per cent of gravely wounded security personnel succumbing to injuries within a few hours, DRDO's medical laboratory has come up with a range of 'combat casualty drugs' that can extend the golden hour till the trooper is shifted to hospital.

• This range of drugs can bring down the death toll during instances like the recent Pulwama Terrorist Attack.

• According to developers of the drugs at the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences, a laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation, chances of survival and minimum disability are highest when effective first aid care is given within the golden hour.

Know! about theses combat casualty drugs

• Among the drugs developed is glycerated saline, a battlefield intravenous fluid that does not freeze till -18 degrees Celsius and is useful in handling trauma cases in high altitude areas.

• Glycerated saline, unlike normal saline, reduces inflammation. The drug can be life saving, particularly if the traumatic edema, collection of fluid in tissues and cavities of the body, is in the brain or lungs.

• Glycerated saline has life-saving capacities as it gives more time to the medical personnel to shift the wounded patient to a higher care facility.

• INMAS has also developed a special medicated dressing material which is 200 times more absorptive than normal dressings during bleeding wounds.

• This range of casualty drugs are aimed at enhancing the chances of survival and minimum disability by providing effective first aid care is given within the golden hour

Bilateral Relations
PM Modi, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, jointly unveil e-plaques for development projects in Bangladesh
Relevance IN - Prelims( about various launched projects) + Mains ( GS II bilateral relations)

What's the NEWS
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, jointly unveiled e-plaques for development projects in Bangladesh, through video conference.

Know! more about the launched development projects

• Both leaders unveiled e-plaques for supply of buses and trucks, inauguration of 36 community clinics, 11 water treatment plants, and extension of National Knowledge Network to Bangladesh.

• These unveilings will boost not just transport connectivity, but also knowledge connectivity.
• The National Knowledge Network will connect scholars and research institutes in Bangladesh, to India and the world.

• The buses and trucks would assist the efforts towards affordable public transportation; water treatment plants will help supply clean water; and community clinics will benefit about 2 lakh people, in Bangladesh.

Know! more about National Knowledge Network
• National Knowledge Network (NKN) is a state-of-the art pan-Indian resource sharing network aimed at digitally connecting all national universities, colleges and research establishments to create country-wide virtual classrooms.

• National Knowledge Network project was initiated in 2009 for a period of 10 years. At present, the National Knowledge Network programme is a component of the umbrella "Digital India" programme.

• NKN facilitates advanced distance education in specialized fields like engineering, science, medicine etc. as well as enable an ultra-high speed e-Governance backbone.

Prelims Practise Question

Consider the following statements
1. The Registrar of Geographical Indications, Government of India, accorded a GI tag, ‘Sirsi Supari', to arecanut grown in Sirsi, Siddpaur and Yellapur taluks of Uttara Kannada district in Tamil Nadu.
2. SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament.

Find the correct statements from the option given below
a. 1 and 2
b. 1 only
c. 2 only
d. None

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