Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 21 October 2018

::NATIONAL::

Nation commemorates 75th Anniversary of Formation of Azad Hind Government

Prime Minister congratulated the nation on the proud occasion of 75thanniversary of formation of Azad Hind Government. Speaking on the occasion, he said that Azad Hind government represented the vision laid down by Subhas Chandra Bose, of a strong undivided India.He added that Azad Hind government was actively involved in nation building and had even startedits own bank, currency and stamps.
Recalling the contributions of Netaji, Modi said that Subhas Chandra Bose was a visionary,who united Indians to fight against the powerful colonial British rule. He added that Bose showed patriotism right from a young age, as was visible from the letters he wrote to his mother.
Prime Minister said that Netaji was not just an inspiration for Indians, but for all those who were fighting for self-determination and freedom in countries all over the world. In context he mentioned how South African leader Nelson Mandela was inspired by Netaji.
Reminding the nation that there is a long way to go before building a new India as envisioned by Subhas Chandra Bose, Prime Minister urged the citizens to get inspired by Netaji and work towards the development of the nation. He added that India achieved independence after lots of sacrifices and it is the duty of citizens to preserve that independence.
Addressing the gathering, Prime Minister said that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose laid down the foundation for equal opportunity for women in armed forces, through the formation of Rani Jhansi Regiment. Prime Minister said that the government is carrying forward this legacy in true means and reiterated that women will be given equal opportunity for permanent commission in armed forces.

Threat from landslip-induced barrier in Tsangpo river in China blows over

People residing on the banks of the Siang river in Arunachal Pradesh heaved a sigh of relief on Saturday, as water overflowing from a landslip-induced barrier across the river upstream in China eased within 14 hours.
Beijing had informed New Delhi that the natural overflow from the barrier in Yaluzangbu (Tsangpo) occurred at 2.30 p.m. on Friday and the discharge was 18,000 cubic metres per second. The barrier was formed soon after a landslip at Jiala village in Milin county of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China on October 17.
The Tsangpo flows into Arunachal Pradesh as the Siang, which meets two other rivers to form the Brahmaputra downstream in Assam.
Soon after the Central Water Commission issued an alert about the Tsangpo barrier breach, Arunachal Pradesh’s Disaster Management Secretary, Bidol Tayeng, instructed the authorities of districts that the Siang passes through to take precautionary measures.
“A fairly high volume of clear water reached Pasighat town around 7.30 a.m., but the flow was not as forceful as we had feared. The water level has been rising, besides turning turbid by 10 a.m., but there’s no reason to panic,” Tamiyo Tatak, Deputy Commissioner of East Siang district, told The Hindu .
The water took more than 14 hours to reach Pasighat, the headquarters of East Siang district, close to the border with Assam.Tuting, in Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, is the habitation on the Siang river closest to the China border.

::ECONOMY::

Reducing crop burning & promoting biofuel is the centre’s agenda

In May this year, the government announced a National Policy on Biofuels, which laid out the path towards increasing the country’s ethanol and biodiesel production. One of the stated benefits of biofuels was the impact this would have on the practice of burning crop waste in preparation for the next planting season.
“By reducing crop burning and conversion of agricultural residues/wastes to biofuels, there will be further reduction in greenhouse gas emissions,” the government said at the time the policy was announced.
However, this has not come to pass. Crop burning still remains a major problem across the country, and in particular, in the agrarian States of Haryana and Punjab.
It will still take years before the process of using crop residue for biofuel and thus, eliminating the need for stubble burning, becomes economically viable for the farmers and biofuel companies alike, according to industry players.
Sector experts say that while the government has introduced the macro-level policy on biofuels, there is a need for the State governments to come out with their own specific guidelines and then, for the companies to begin making the required changes.
With India’s ethanol consumption is set to rise in the coming years, crop residue can serve as a ready and environmentally-friendly source of raw material to bolster this trend
“India’s ethanol consumption will outgrow production for the fourth consecutive year due to an uptick in fuel ethanol purchases and steady demand from the industrial and potable sectors,” according to a report by the US Department of Agriculture.

Air purifier makers eye NCR & adjoining areas to drive their sales

Air purifier makers are again looking at a big spike in their sales like previous years since the air quality in the national capital region and adjoining areas is likely to deteriorate further in the coming weeks.
The companies are again expecting Delhi NCR to drive their sales this year, though, they are also witnessing a rise in demand from smaller and tier II cities, other than metros.
“Around Diwali, we have seen in the past the air quality levels going down further and some of them will surely convert into a heightened awareness and demand for the category,” Eureka Forbes chief transformation officer Shashank Sinha said.
Although the air purifier industry is small in size and limited to metro cities, makers are witnessing a high double digit growth in the segment due to increased awareness among the people who are willing to spend money to improve the quality of air around them.
Among other companies, Honeywell also expects a rise in the demand around the festive season, when the pollution index goes up.
The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi was recorded at 337 last week, which falls in the ‘very poor’ category and is the highest for this season, creating hazy conditions, said data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

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::INTERNATIONAL::

U.S to pull out of INF treaty with Russia

U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that the U.S. would pull out of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia, a crucial Cold War-era treaty banning the development, testing and possession of short and medium range ground-launched nuclear missiles with a range of 500-5,000 km.
The treaty, signed in 1987, was central to ending the arms race between the two superpowers, and protected America’s NATO allies in Europe from Soviet missile attacks.
Accusations of Russia violating the treaty pre-date the Trump presidency, and go back to 2008. “I don’t know why President Obama didn’t negotiate or pull out. And we’re not going to let them violate a nuclear agreement and go out and do weapons and we’re not allowed to,” said Mr. Trump.
The U.S. administration, under former President Barack Obama, raised the issue of Russia testing a ground-launched cruise missile with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014. The Russians denied the allegations and raised counter-allegations of the U.S. installing missile defence systems in Europe.
The Russian government on Sunday warned the U.S. against such a withdrawal. “If the Americans continue to act as crudely and bluntly... and unilaterally withdraw from all sorts of agreement and mechanisms from the Iran deal to the International Postal treaty, then we’ll be reduced to taking action in response, including of a military nature. But we don’t want to go that far,” said Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
Reactions across Europe were varied. The German Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas, called Mr Trump’s decision “regrettable” and the U.K. Defence Secretary, Gavin Williamson, said Britain would remain “absolutely resolute” in standing by the U.S. in its position against Russia.

With just months away from Brexit Ireland wooes Indian companies

With just six months away for Brexit to become a reality, Ireland is wooing Indian companies, currently having United Kingdom (U.K.) as their EU headquarters, to shift base to the country.
“Indian companies in the U.K. and particularly, those using the U.K. as a gateway to the EU face some important strategic and operational decisions,” said Tanaz Buhariwalla, director, India, IDA Ireland.
Since IT, automobile and pharmaceutical industries may be among the most prominent sectors for which Brexit poses some special challenges, Ireland has stepped up efforts to attact them. Also, other industries such as garments, chemicals, polymers and consumer goods, which will have to review their strategies for a post-Brexit EU, are on the radar.
The EU, even without the U.K., is the third largest market for Indian companies. About 800 Indian companies use the U.K. as a gateway into the EU; over 1,10,000 people are employed with those companies. “An important segment of the automobile industry is also nervous about the post-Brexit world,” Ms. Buhariwalla said.
For Tata Motors Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), Europe is an important market, accounting for 25% of the global sales.
As Brexit draws closer, she said Indian firms must also factor in several uncertainties that are lying ahead

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

ADMM plus summit held at Singapore

Defence minister attended the 5thADMM Plus meet in Singapore today, which is a forum for Defence Ministers from ten ASEAN and eight ASEAN Plus countries. The theme of this year’s dialogue was ‘Strengthening Cooperation, Building Resilience’.The dialogue adopted two resolutions on ‘Countering the Threat of Terrorism’ and ‘Practical Confidence Building Measures’.
Speaking on the occasion, Raksha Mantri Smt Sitharaman emphasised India’s concern on the grave challenges to international peace and stability due to the threat of terrorism. Condemning the use of terror as an instrument to further state policies, She conveyed that the interplay between states and non-state actors used as proxies to foment violence had worsened this menace
She also highlighted that the continued presence of terrorist infrastructure and support to terrorists in the immediate neighbourhood constantly tested India’s patience. As a responsible power, great restraint was being exercised by India in dealing with this menace. However, India had exhibited measures to disrupt and deter the activities of terrorists groups and their patrons and would not hesitate to do so again if required in future.
Complimenting the ADMM Plus for emerging as a credible and effective platform forging practical cooperation among the members of the armed forces, Minister informed the partners of India’s active participation in all the ADMM Plus mechanism contributing effectively to their success.
India and Myanmar are the co-chairs for the Expert Working Group for Military Medicine for this cycle and a standalone Field Training Exercise on Military Medicine will be held in Lucknow in March 2019 along with the release of ASEAN Military Medicine Handbook.
Raksha Mantri Smt Sitharaman emphasised India’s commitment to a rules based international order that was inclusive and democratic. She reiterated India’s desire to work both bilaterally with ASEAN member states as well as institutionally and welcomed Thailand’s taking over the chairmanship of the ADMM Plus.

::SPORTS::

Saina loses in Denmark open final

Saina Nehwal gave her all before losing steam as the ace Indian shuttler yet again succumbed to nemesis and world no.1 Tai Tzu Ying to settle for a runner-up finish at the Denmark Open here on Sunday.
In an exciting but energy-sapping 52-minute final, Saina lost 13-21 21-13 6-21 to the superior Chinese Taipei rival.Tzu Ying claimed the Denmark Open title after a gap of two years. She had last won the tournament in 2016.
The win also bettered Tzu Ying’s head-to-head record against Saina to 13-5.