daily news simplified - dns...2020/01/16 · daily news simplified - dns 15 01 2020 notes sl. no....

Daily News Simplified - DNS 15 01 2020

Notes

SL. NO. TOPICS

THE HINDU

PAGE NO.

1 Kerala govt. challenges CAA in SC 01

2 Hallmarking must for gold jewellery 01

3 The long wait for empowered mayors 10

4 Theological thicket 10

5 The risk of a domino effect 11

6 CRZ rules eased for ‘Blue Flag’ beaches 09

7

Chalk and cheese in private vs. government schools (Pg 10) + Annual

Status of Education Report flags poor learning outcomes in schools (Pg

12)

10 & 12

Dated: 15. Jan. 2020 DNS Notes - Revision Title 1. Kerala govt. challenges CAA in SC (Page 14)

Syllabus Mains: Paper II – Polity and Governance

Theme Centre-State Relations, Citizenship, Original Jurisdiction of Supreme Court

Highlights Context

Kerala became the first State to challenge the constitutionality of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019, in the Supreme Court.

Background

• Kerala filed the original suit under Article 131 which relates to dispute between Centre and State and thus comes under ‘original jurisdiction’ of Supreme Court.

Kerala’s contention

• Kerala has said that it would be compelled under Article 256 to comply with the CAA which was “manifestly arbitrary, unreasonable, irrational and violative of fundamental rights”.

• As a result there exists a dispute, involving questions of law and fact, between the State of Kerala and the Union of India, regarding the enforcement of legal rights as a State and as well for the enforcement of the fundamental, statutory constitutional and other legal rights of the inhabitants of the State of Kerala.

Dated: 15. Jan. 2020 DNS Notes - Revision

Personal Notes

Dated: 15. Jan. 2020 DNS Notes - Revision Title 2. Hallmarking must for gold jewellery (The Hindu Page 01)

Syllabus Mains: Paper III: Economy Prelims: Current Events Theme Gold Certification

Highlights Context

• Government has made hallmarking for gold jewellery and artifacts mandatory. • Compulsory hallmarking is necessary to ensure consumers are not cheated while buying

gold ornaments and get the purity as marked on the ornaments.

BIS Identification Mark

What is Hallmarking? Hallmarking is the accurate determination and official recording of the proportionate content of precious metal in precious metal articles. Hallmarks are thus official marks used as a guarantee of purity of precious metal articles. Objectives of Hallmarking The principal objectives of the Hallmarking Scheme are to protect the public against adulteration and to obligate manufacturers to maintain legal standards of purity. Who does Hallmarking in India? The Indian government has identified the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) as the sole agency to operate the Hallmarking Scheme. BIS Hallmarking Scheme is voluntary in nature and operates under the BIS Act, Rules and Regulations. How the Hallmarking is done? The Bureau of Indian Standards has formulated Hall Marking Scheme for certification of gold/silver Jewellery & artefacts. As per this scheme, the Jewellery retailer/manufacturer desirous of obtaining a licence has to apply to BIS for use of Standard Mark (Hallmark). After grant of licence, the jeweller must follow a BIS-approved Scheme for certification. A BIS-certified jeweller has right to approach any of the BIS-recognized Assaying and Hallmarking Centres to get his/her jewellery hallmarked. Components of Hallmarking BIS hallmarking consists of four components to ensure the purity of gold which are as follows: 1. BIS Mark; 2. Purity in Karat and fineness; Purity of gold is indicated in two ways: Karat (denoted as KT) and fineness number. Fineness number is purity in parts per thousand. The Hallmarked Gold jewellery is available in three grades of 14 Carat (14K585),18 Carat (18K750) and 22 Carat (22K916) 3. Assaying and Hallmarking Centre's identification mark/number;


4. Jeweller's Identification mark/number Is Gold Hallmarking Mandatory? Presently, it is not mandatory, and it is voluntary in nature. Not all jewellers offer hallmarked BIS jewellery. Some jewellers offer their in-house hallmarking of jewellery which is not verified by the BIS. About Bureau of Indian Standards Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the National Standard Body of India and works under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs. BIS is responsible for the harmonious development of the activities of standardization, marking and quality certification of goods. Important Schemes of BIS BIS operates a Product Certification scheme for ensuring compliance to Indian Standards. Presence of BIS standard mark (popularly known as ISI mark) on a product indicates conformity to the relevant Indian Standard. The BIS certification scheme is voluntary in nature. However, for a number of products, compliance to Indian Standards made mandatory by the Central Government under various

Dated: 15. Jan. 2020 DNS Notes - Revision Personal Notes

Dated: 15. Jan. 2020 DNS Notes - Revision Title 3. The long wait for empowered mayors (The Hindu Magazine Page 10)

Syllabus Mains: GS Paper II – Polity and Governance

Theme Urban Administration

Highlights Context: About Mayors in Urban India

• As Indian cities grow in number and size, the pressure for better urban governance increases. However, Indian urban governance in its current form is fraught with inefficiency and mismanagement. According to new research, this is a result of the restricted executive powers mayors of Indian cities enjoy.

• Introducing direct election of mayors could improve efficiency in urban governance. At present, mayors are elected by city councillors who themselves are directly elected by urban voters.

• Despite being considered the political and executive head of the municipal body, mayors assume a largely titular position with the government-appointed municipal commissioner holding executive power. This leaves the mayor with little authority to influence urban development, planning and operation.

• Metros have been deprived of empowered Mayors who can raise efficiency, productivity and liveability. Mayors in many global cities go on to lead their country, which possibly explains why they have been reduced to obscure, ceremonial figures by national parties in India.

• The Economic Survey of 2017-18 notes that a third of the population now lives in urban areas which produce three-fifths of the GDP. But India’s overflowing cities lack capacity, infrastructure and leadership.

• The Survey attributes it to the absence of a single city government in charge, and low spending on infrastructure. State governments amass the large economic output from urban agglomerations, but are averse to a strong Mayoral system.

• Chief Ministers see a potential threat from a charismatic and empowered Mayor with progressive policies. Some of them have used the excuse of poor performance of urban local bodies as a justification to replace direct election of Mayors with an indirect system.

• There are some states where Mayors are elected by direct elections but in none of the mega cities of India, mayors are directly elected. Several States are averse to directly-elected Mayors even for their biggest cities, in spite of the Mayor being deprived of any significant powers.

• Thus, 74th Amendment must be respected and followed in letter and spirit. Directly elected Mayors with adequate power and authority can help solving problems faced by large cities. It can also solve the problems associated with achieving goals of Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the UN Habitat New Urban Agenda.


Need for a directly elected Mayors for cities

1. A direct mandate from urban residents adds to the legitimacy and accountability of the mayor’s office. It would also resolve the power tussles between mayors and Municipal Commissioners.

2. Fixed tenures for mayors offer greater continuity as opposed to state-appointed bureaucrats who can be abruptly transferred.

3. In the current model, councillor elections are held at the ward level and are based on hyper-local issues, which may not resonate with the whole city. A directly elected mayor would ensure a focus on the whole city instead of certain wards.


Personal Notes

Dated: 15. Jan. 2020 DNS Notes - Revision Title 4. Theological Thicket (The Hindu Page 10)

Syllabus Mains: Paper II: Social Issues

Theme Religious Freedom v/s Constitutional Morality

Highlights Context The 9-judge bench of the Supreme Court is set give an authoritative pronouncement on the nature of religious freedom under Indian constitution.


Personal Notes

Dated: 15. Jan. 2020 DNS Notes - Revision Title 5. The risk of a domino effect (The Hindu Page 11)

Syllabus Mains: GS Paper II – International Relations

Theme West Asia

Highlights Context This article explains as to how US-Iran conflict can cause problems for Lebanon and Iraq. Domino Effect - The domino effect refers to how one action can have a knock-on effect to related subjects. In economics, the domino theory is often used to explain how an economic problem in one country can spread like a contagion or domino effect to similar countries and firms. Consequences for Lebanon

• Lebanon is home to Iran’s most important regional collaborator, Hezbollah. Although an autonomous political player, Hezbollah takes help from Iran for financial and military support that has helped it solidify its base in Lebanon and confront Israel, a strong U.S. ally.

• Hezbollah has acted as Iran’s foremost proxy in the Syrian civil war and has contributed substantially to the Assad regime’s victory over rebels. Hezbollah considers Israel its foremost enemy against whom it last fought a major war in 2006.

• According to political analysts, Iran could have asked Hezbollah to bomb northern Israel from Lebanon. But this could have destroyed Lebanon, its infrastructure and its people as it did in 2006.

• This attack would have also destablised Lebanon politically and could have joined to become a failed state.

Consequences for Iraq • US used Iraqi soil for its own personal ends against Iran violating the sovereignty

of Iraq. Even Iran retaliated by attacking two US military bases. This confrontation of US & Iran on Iraqi soil has led to the Iraqi Parliament passing a resolution removing all foreign troops from its soil.

• a sympathy wave has turned the tide of popular opinion in favour of Iran as majority of citizens of Iraq are Shia Muslims.

• The wave of anti-Americanism also clearly depicts the fissure within the Iraqi polity between the Kurds and the Shia Arab majority. This was highlighted when the Kurdish representatives, in addition to most Sunni Arab members, boycotted the parliamentary session that passed the resolution calling for U.S. withdrawal.

• This was because most Kurds consider American military presence essential to safeguard their autonomy in the north and to continue the fight against the Islamic State (IS).

• The projected removal of U.S. forces and Soleimani’s killing are likely to


embolden IS cells in Iraq to increase their terrorist attacks in the country and emerge once again as a threat to the Iraqi state and its population.

Conclusion - Since 2003, Iraq has become the principal arena in which U.S.-Iran competition has played out in West Asia. The escalation of this rivalry is likely to add to its inherent fragility, once again opening up the possibility of its eventual descent into a failed state. Iraq is the centrepiece of the regional order that was constructed at the end of World War I. Its unravelling is bound to affect Syria and Lebanon, both suffering from state debilitation, and could lead to an unstoppable domino effect that may well change the map of West Asia.

Personal Notes

Dated: 15. Jan. 2020 DNS Notes - Revision Title 6. CRZ rules eased for ‘Blue Flag’ beaches (The Hindu Page 09)

Syllabus Mains: GS Paper III – Environment and Ecology

Theme Coastal Development

Highlights The News

• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has relaxed the Coastal Regulation Zone rules in certain beaches to allow infrastructure creation that will enable them to compete for ‘Blue Flag’ certification.

Context

• In July this year the MoEFCC selected 13 Indian beaches to compete for ‘Blue-flag’ certification, an international eco-label conferred on beaches that meet certain cleanliness and environment standards.

• Accordingly the beaches required to house certain infrastructure including portable toilet blocks, grey water treatment plants, a solar power plant, seating facilities, CCTV surveillance etc which are currently prohibited under the Coastal Regulation Zone Rules.

• Now the MoEFCC has approved changes in the CRZ Rules to allow construction of such infrastructure on beaches and islands specifically for the “purposes of Blue Flag certification”.

• However construction of such infrastructure will be permitted at a minimum distance of 10m from the High Tide Line.

Background

About Blue Flag Certification

• ‘Blue Flag’ is an international voluntary eco-label awarded to beaches, marinas, and sustainable boating tourism operators.

• The programme for beaches was started by the Copenhagen-based Foundation for Environmental Education in 1985 in France.

• It aims to promote sustainable development in freshwater and marine areas. • In order to qualify for this award, a series of stringent environmental, educational,

safety-related and access-related criteria must be met and maintained. • About 4500 beaches, marinas and boat operators from 44 different countries have

joined the ‘blue-flag’ network. Criteria

• The Blue Flag certification is accorded based on 33 stringent criteria under four major heads including (i) Environmental Education and Information (ii) Bathing Water Quality (iii) Environment Management and Conservation and (iv) Safety and Services.

• Some of the important criteria include water quality standards, waste disposal facilities, disabled- friendly, first aid facilities, and no access to pets in the main areas of the beach etc.


India’s efforts

• In December 2017 India adopted ‘blue flag’ standards to develop the Indian beaches. • Society for Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM) under MoEFCC is entrusted with

the responsibility of developing beaches in accordance with ‘blue flag’ standards. • In June 2019, the Chandrabhaga beach in Puri district in Odisha became the first beach

in India to be accorded the Blue Flag certification. • In addition, India also selected 12 beaches to compete for blue flag challenge including

1. Ghoghala beach (Diu) 2. Shivrajpur beach (Gujarat) 3. Bhogave beach (Maharashtra) 4. Padubidri and Kasarkod beaches (Karnataka) 5. Kappad beach (Kerala) 6. Kovalam beach (Tamil Nadu) 7. Eden beach (Puducherry) 8. Rushikonda beach (Andhra Pradesh) 9. Miramar beach (Goa) 10. Golden beach (Odisha) 11. Radhanagar beach (Andaman & Nicobar Islands) 12. Bangaram beach (Lakshadweep)

About Foundation for Environmental Education

• The Foundation for Environmental Education Copenhagen-based NGO promoting sustainable development through environmental education.

• It is credited with 5 programmes including Blue Flag, Eco-Schools, Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE), Learning about Forests (LEAF) and Green Key International.

Personal Notes

Dated: 15. Jan. 2020 DNS Notes - Revision Title 7. Chalk and cheese in private vs. government schools (Pg 10) + Annual Status of Education

Report flags poor learning outcomes in schools (Pg 12)

Syllabus Mains: General Studies II: Social Justice Theme Issues related to education Highlights Context

• The Annual Survey of Education Report 2019 was released by Pratham, an NGO working in the education sector.

About ASER 2019

• The theme of ASER 2019 is ‘Early Years’. • The report focuses on pre-school learning levels of children of age group 4-8 years and

the consequent school readiness of these children. • The learning level of children was studied under 4 broad domains including

1. Cognitive development: Can children do simple problem-solving tasks? 2. Early language: Do children have early language skills? 3. Early numeracy: Do children have a sense of numbers and quantity? 4. Social and emotional development: Are children able to identify emotions?

• The report has shown that pre-school learning levels depend on a number of factors including Child’s home background (affluence) Mother’s education level Type of pre-school (Anganwadis or private pre-school) Age of child entering Class 1

Key Highlights

Learning Levels

• Language skill Only 21% children in class 1 of government schools could read words compared

to 46.7% in private schools. Only 16% of children in class 1 can read text at the prescribed level. About 40% cannot even recognise letters

• Cognitive skills Under the cognitive tasks (serial order identification, pattern recognition and

puzzle) only 23.8% children of grade one in government schools could do all three tasks compared to 43.1% in private schools.

• Numerical skills Only 41% of these children could recognise two digit numbers. 28% in government schools could do simple addition compared to 47% in

private schools. Key observation

• The difference in learning levels between private and government schools is attributed to pre-school learning.

• This is because private schools are starting school-based curriculum in pre-school itself.


Way forward

• The early childhood programme under the Integrated Child Development Services should streamline pre-school curriculum to build cognitive, early literacy and numeracy skills.

Personal Notes

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