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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 02 November 2020

::NATIONAL::

Andhra Pradesh celebrates its formation day

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy paid floral tributes at the statue of freedom fighter, Potti Sriramulu and Telugu Thalli on the occasion of its formation day.
This is the second year since Andhra's bifurcation that the state is celebrating the Formation Day on November 1.
On November 1, 1956, Andhra Pradesh was formed with the merger of erstwhile Andhra State and Hyderabad State.
After becoming the first chief minister of a truncated Andhra Prdesh in 2014, Chandrababu Naidu had decided to celebrate its Formation Day on June 2. The Jagan government, however, reverted to November 1 date to celebrate the Foundation Day.

Creation of Andhra Pradesh:

Against the recommendations of Dhar Commission and JVP Committee popular movements for state’s reorganization on linguistic basis began all over the country. One such movement was Vishal-Andhra Movement – a movement for separate Andhra; it was led by Potti Sriramulu.
The Vishal-Andhra movement demanded that Telugu speaking areas of Madras province should be separated and made into a separate Andhra province. But the Central govt. vacillated.
Its leader Potti Sriramulu went on an indefinite fast in oct 1952 and died after 56 days.
This unleashed unrest and violence in Telugu speaking regions.
The govt. finally gave in and agreed to the demand for a separate Andhra state which came into existence in 1953. Simultaneously, Tamil Nadu was created as a Tamil speaking state.
After this demand from other states started coming.And for this purpose states reorganization commission was appointed in 1953 by Nehru.

IIT Bombay launched a self-help website called Bandhu

Union Minister of State for Education launched a self-help website – Bandhu – for students of IIT Bombay.
Bandhu has been designed in conjunction with the counsellors at IIT Bombay along with external experts.
It addresses challenges ranging from adjustment to college life, academic stress, and mental health. Bandhu has curated reads, motivational alumni journeys, expert podcasts and tools for self-exploration.
Project Bandhu was initiated by alumni of the Class of 1992, as a part of their silver jubilee reunion in 2017. They pledged to support IIT Bombay and help students enhance their emotional well-being. The self-help website is one of the first steps in this direction.

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::ECONOMY::

RERA order on brokerage

In a first of its kind order, RERA last week put a cap on the commission being charged by the brokers while facilitating a land deal. Now, no real estate agent in Haryana can charge more than 0.5 per cent commission each from the buyer and the seller per deal.

The order reads:

For real estate registered projects, RERA has decided to issue restrain orders to all promoters and brokers not to charge commission more than one per centum on agreed consideration value to be paid by the seller and purchaser of the property, that is 0.5 per cent by each of them, on finalization of the deal as per their agreement entered in the register of the dealer under the valid receipt.
The one per centum commission is also defined under the Haryana Regulation of Property Dealers and Consultants Rules and under the Haryana Regulation of Property Dealers and Consultants Act.
The order will be applicable only to those who are registered under the Haryana Regulation of Property Dealers and Consultants Act, 2008. Registration of the property dealer to negotiate or mediate real estate deal of a registered project is done by the RERA under Section 9 of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 and the registration is then granted subject to the condition that the agent shall not contravene the provisions of any other law for the time being as applicable to him.
However, if any buyer or seller complains to RERA about an unregistered property dealer or agent or RERA finds out any unregistered person acting as an agent, the violator shall be liable for penal action.

Background information:

Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act took effect in May 2016 to regulate and promote the real estate sector.
It aims to bring about transparency and efficiency in an opaque industry and has a mandate to protect consumer interest, including establishing a speedy redressal system.

Cabinet Approves Extension of Norms for Mandatory Jute Packaging

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister has approved that 100% of foodgrains and 20% of the sugar shall be mandatorily packed indiversified jute bags.
The jute industry is predominantly dependent on the Government sector which purchases jute bags forpacking foodgrains.
The approval will benefit nearly 3.7 lakh workers and several lakh farm families who are dependent for theirlivelihood on the jute sectors.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

Gilgit-Baltistan a part of India, says MEA

India slammed Pakistan for its attempt to accord provincial status to the “so-called Gilgit-Baltistan”, saying it is intended to camouflage the “illegal” occupation of the region by Islamabad.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson has said India “firmly rejects” the attempt by Pakistan to bring material changes to a part of Indian territory which is under Islamabad’s “illegal and forcible occupation” and asked the neighbouring country to immediately vacate such areas.
In a ruling earlier this year, the Pakistan Supreme Court allowed Islamabad to amend a 2018 administrative order to conduct general elections in the region.
The Gilgit-Baltistan Order of 2018 provided for administrative changes, including authorising the Prime Minister of Pakistan to legislate on an array of subjects.

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

16 Psyche

A recent study has found that asteroid 16 Psyche, which orbits between Mars and Jupiter, could be made entirely of metal and is worth an estimated $10,000 quadrillion — more than the entire economy of Earth.
According to the study published in The Planetary Science Journal, New images from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope offer a closer view of the mysterious asteroid 16 Psyche, whose surface may mostly comprise iron and nickel, similar to the Earth’s core.
In fact, scientists believe that the asteroid may be the leftover core of an earlier planet that lost its crust and mantle after multiple collisions during the creation of our solar system.

What is asteroid 16 Psyche?

It is located around 370 million kilometres away from Earth, asteroid 16 Psyche is one of the most massive objects in the asteroid belt in our solar system. The somewhat potato-shaped asteroid has a diameter of around 140 miles, according to NASA.
It was first discovered on March 17, 1853, by the Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis and was named after the ancient Greek goddess of the soul, Psyche.
Unlike most asteroids that are made up of rocks or ice, scientists believe that Psyche is a dense and largely metallic object thought to be the core of an earlier planet that failed in formation.
NASA scientists believe that the asteroid is made up of almost entirely of iron, nickel and several other rare materials like gold, platinum, cobalt, iridium and rhenium. Hypothetically, if it was to be transported to Earth, NASA Psyche mission’s lead scientist Lindy Elkins-Tanton has calculated that the iron alone would be worth more than $10,000 quadrillion.

What is known about NASA’s Psyche mission?

Scientists will only learn about the true composition of asteroid 16 Psyche if it is studied up close. NASA plans to do just that two years from now, when it will launch a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to orbit the asteroid for around 21 months.
The unmanned spacecraft will reach the asteroid in January, 2026. The first objective of the mission is to capture a photograph of the metallic asteroid, after which the spacecraft will study and map it from a distance.
Another objective of the mission, led by Arizona State University, is to determine whether the asteroid is, in fact, the core of an earlier planet or if it is merely made up of unmelted material. Based on the data collected, scientists will also ascertain the age and origins of the mammoth metallic asteroid.
The mission was originally slated to take place in 2023, but was later moved up to 2022.

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