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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 24 January 2020

::NATIONAL::

CJI moots importance for capital punishment to reach its finality

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad A. Bobde on Thursday said a condemned person cannot fight the death penalty endlessly and it was important for the capital punishment to reach its finality.
The death penalty, he noted, cannot be questioned at every turn by the convict. “One cannot go on fighting endlessly for everything.”
The CJI said it was not for a judge to forgive a crime. The cardinal duty of a judge was to see if the punishment was proportionate to the crime. The law applied whether the criminal was a first-timer or a hardened one.
The oral remarks came a day after the Centre filed an application, in the background of the Nirbhaya case, to modify a 2014 judgment of the court in the ShatrughanChauhan case.
The 2014 verdict had issued guidelines, which primarily held that an unexplained delay in carrying out an execution would lead to commutation of the death penalty to life imprisonment.
The remarks and discussion on Thursday were part of a hearing of the review petitions filed by Shabnam and her partner, Salim, both of whom have been condemned to death for the murder of seven members of her family, including an infant.

Former President says any attempt to denigrate EC undermines democracy

Former President Pranab Mukherjee has said that any attempt to denigrate election commission will be an act of undermining the democracy itself. He said, Indian democracy has been tested time and again adding consensus is the life blood of democracy.
He was giving the first SukumarSen Memorial Lecture in New Delhi on Thursday. SukumarSen was the first Chief Election Commissioner of India, who commendably conducted the first two general elections to the LokSabha.
The Former President also emphasised the importance of people in the electoral process and said it is the key to the healthy democracy.
He lauded the role of Election Commission in the practical play in the democracy and said the challenges it has had to face have been daunting.
Mr Mukherjee said the management of an electorate of over 900 million in 2019 that is nearly the combined population of third, fourth and fifth largest nations in the world, and ensuring fair polling is not an easy job.
Meanwhile Election Commission of India will host the 10th Annual Meeting of the Forum of the Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBoSA) in New Delhi today. Election Commission of India will take over the Chair of the forum for the year 2020.

::ECONOMY::

India plans for more off-budget expenditures

India is likely to fund roughly $28 billion of its expenditure outlay in its budget for fiscal 2020/21 via off-budget borrowings, three government sources said, as it seeks to revive a sagging economy while keeping its fiscal deficit in check.
Off-budget borrowings are a means by which the government keeps its fiscal deficit in check by making quasi-government entities borrow on its behalf, to partly fund its expenditure plan for the year.
This would mark a roughly 13.8% increase in so-called off-budget borrowings from an estimated 1.75 trillion rupees ($24.6 billion) in the ongoing fiscal year, said the three sources, who have direct knowledge of the matter.
The government could increase the target of raising revenue through privatisation of state companies to 1.5 trillion rupees for next fiscal year, the second official said
India's committed spending, excluding capital spending, could be targeted at near 27 trillion rupees ($379.91 billion) for the next fiscal year, compared to the budgeted 24.5 trillion rupees in the current fiscal year, while about 4 trillion rupees could be allocated to capital spending, the first official said.

India ranked 80th at latest corruption perception index

India has been ranked at the 80th position among 180 countries and territories in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) prepared by Transparency International.
The CPI, released at the WEF 2020 here, ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, according to experts and business people.
Denmark and New Zealand have cornered the top spot, followed by Finland, Singapore, Sweden and Switzerland in the top ten.With a score of 41, India is at the 80th spot. The rank is also shared by China, Benin, Ghana and Morocco. Neighbouring Pakistan is ranked at the 120th place.
This year's analysis shows corruption is more pervasive in countries where big money can flow freely into electoral campaigns and where governments listen only to the voices of wealthy or well-connected individuals, Transparency International said.
According to the non-government group's report, even in democracies, such as Australia and India, unfair and opaque political financing and undue influence in decision-making and lobbying by powerful corporate interest groups, result in stagnation or decline in control of corruption.
Not only are more than two-thirds of countries -- along with many of the world's most advanced economies -- stagnating, some are seriously backsliding. In the last eight years, only 22 countries have shown significant improvement on the CPI, while almost as many have declined, it noted.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

India reiterates role of any third party in Kashmir issue

India today reiterated that there is no role for any third party on the Kashmir issue. Responding to a media query on United States President Donald Trump's remarks to help in resolving the Kashmir issue, External Affairs Ministry Spokesman Raveesh Kumar said.
New Delhi's position has been clear and consistent that the issue should be discussed between India and Pakistan under provisions of Shimla Agreement and Lahore Declaration. He said the onus is on Pakistan to create an environment for engagement.
The Spokesman added that Pakistan's attempt to create an alarmist situation in Kashmir has failed as the global community understands Islamabad's double standard. The US President had reportedly offered to mediate between the two nations during the World Economic Forum summit in Davos.
On remarks made by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan at Davos on India and India-Pakistan relations, the Spokesman said, the remarks are factually inaccurate and contradictory.
He said Pakistan has to realize that the global community has seen through their double-standard of playing the victim card in their fight against terror on the one hand and supporting terror groups on the other.

India first to respond to Maldivian health crisis

India on Thursday supplied 30,000 doses of Measles/Rubella vaccine to the Government of Maldives in response to their emergency requirement.
While Measles has been eliminated from the Maldives, four cases have tested positive in the last one week. Government suspects an outbreak and required emergency supplies of vaccine.
MEA, working closely with Ministry of Health, procured supply of 30,000 doses of Measles/Rubella vaccine from the Serum Institute of India, Pune and delivered the consignment on 23rd January. This will suffice the immediate requirement of Maldives.
India once again proved to be first responder in times of emergency for Maldives. In 2015, India responded to the water crisis in Malé due to breakdown of the main RO plant. India airlifted water immediately and also sent supplies by ship, including an RO plant.
Similarly, India sent immediate assistance on 26 December, 2004 when tsunami struck Maldives and other countries of the region. In 1988, India responded to an SOS from the then President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on account of Coup with a swift action by sending paratroopers onboard IL-76 aircraft.

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

New snake eel species discovered in Odisha

A new snake eel species residing in the Bay of Bengal has been discovered and documented this month (January) by the Estuarine Biology Regional Centre (EBRC) of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) at Gopalpur-on-sea in Odisha.
This new marine species has been named Ophichthuskailashchandrai to honour the vast contributions of Dr.Kailash Chandra, Director of ZSI, to Indian animal taxonomy.
Ophichthuskailashchandrai is the eighth species of the Ophichthus genus found on the Indian coast. It is the fifth new species discovered by the Gopalpur ZSI in the last two years.
In 2019, two new species of marine eel, Gymnothoraxandamanensesis and Gymnothoraxsmithi were been discovered by this ZSI centre.

::SPORTS::

World Archery lifts suspension on India

The World Archery today conditionally lifted the suspension on India, less than a week after the embattled national federation held its elections.
A statement from the World Archery said the federation needs to comply with good governance and activity portions of the World Archery constitution and rules. Must report every three months.
The Indian archers, who had to compete as neutral athletes at the Asian Championships because of the suspension, can now represent the country under the Tricolour. The next international tournament is Indoor World Series in Las Vegas in three weeks' time.