News Analysis

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27^th October 2020 News analysis

> Context: Centre promises law to check stubble burning

Prelims (Environment & Ecology)

About stubble burning:

• Stubble burning is intentionally setting fire to the straw stubble that remains after grains, like paddy, wheat, etc., have been harvested.
• The main adverse effects of crop residue burning include the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) that contributes to the global warming, increased levels of particulate matter (PM) and smog that cause health hazards, loss of biodiversity of agricultural lands, and the deterioration of soil fertility.

• Happy Seeder is one of the unique technique which is used for sowing wheat without any burning of rice residue.
• This technology is eco-friendly with environment for the health of soil as well as it also saves water.

> India to sign geo-spatial cooperation deal with U.S.

Prelims (International relations)

What is BECA?

• The Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) is essentially an agreement proposed between the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency of the US department of defence and the defence ministry.
• That will allow India and the US to share military information which includes maps, nautical and aeronautical charts, commercial and other unclassified imagery, geodetic, geophysical, geomagnetic and gravity data.
• Most of the information that will be shared will be that of the unclassified category but there is a provision of sharing classified information as well with proper safeguards in place to ensure that the information is not shared with any third party.

Mains GS-II: (Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests)

What will India gain from the agreement?

• The agreement will allow US armed forces to provide advanced financial navigational aids and geospatial intelligence which will improve the military’s accuracy of automated hardware systems and weapons like cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and drones.
• BECA will also help India and US counter the growing Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region thereby strengthening the Quad.
• The agreement will also help India at a time of standoff with the Chinese army in Ladakh.

> Anti-­traffic pollution drive launched in Delhi

Mains GS-III: (Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation)

• A single vehicle contributes to 15%­-20% pollution while idling at traffic signals and the aim is to reduce that percentage by switching vehicle ignitions off. (Use this example to write about the conservation efforts)

> ‘India is much safer against tsunami threat’ – However, communities need to be prepared better, says new INCOIS director.

Prelims (Geography)

What is Tsunami?

• Tsunami is devastating natural disaster and immensely affects the economic and living conditions of region where it hits.
• This geophysical phenomenon is associated with earthquake or volcanic eruption or landslides or adjacent to oceans and results in unexpected movement of water column.
• The channel of tsunami involves the movement of water from surface to seafloor which indicates it is directly linked to depth of water bodies that is deeper the ocean, higher is the movement of water.
• Consequently, as wave approaches land and reaches increasingly shallow water, it gets slow down.
• Tsunami is a Japanese phrase which means tsu means harbour and nami means wave.

What is INCOIS?

• Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) is an autonomous organization of the Government of India, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, located in, Hyderabad.
• ESSO-INCOIS was established as an autonomous body in 2007 under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and is a unit of the Earth System Science Organization (ESSO).
• ESSO- INCOIS is mandated to provide the best possible ocean information and advisory services to society, industry, government agencies and the scientific community through sustained ocean observations and constant improvements through systematic and focussed research.

> We don’t have land even to bury the dead – There is deep cynicism among members of the Rishidev community, one of the 21 Mahadalit castes in Bihar, with village after village echoing the same hopelessness that nothing is going to change for them no matter who comes to power.

 [Use this example in your GS1 & GS4 answers]

Mains (GS-I : Indian society, Social empowerment | GS-IV : compassion towards the
weaker-sections.)

> Attorney General of India K.K. Venugopal on Monday pushed for live­streaming court proceedings to make hearings accessible to all.
But Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde, heading a three­ judge Bench of the Supreme Court, sounded a cautionary note, saying it was susceptible to “abuses.”

[Use this example to quote CJI on judicial reforms]

Mains (GS-II: Judiciary)

> Russian strikes kill 78 Turkey­ backed rebels in Syria

Prelims (Geography mapping)

Idlib province:

> The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Karnataka High Court to decide on the CCI’s plea for vacating a stay on the investigation against Amazon and Flipkart for alleged anti­competitive practices.

Prelims (Economy)

What is CCI?

• Competition Commission of India is a statutory body of the Government of India.
• It is responsible for enforcing The Competition Act, 2002 throughout India to prevent activities that have an appreciable adverse effect on competition in India.
• The Commission comprises a Chairperson and not less than 2 and not more than 6 other members appointed by the Central Government.

Objectives

• Make the markets work for the benefit and welfare of consumers.
• Ensure fair and healthy competition in economic activities in the country for faster and inclusive growth and development of the economy.
• Implement competition policies with an aim to effectuate the most efficient utilization of economic resources.
• Develop and nurture effective relations and interactions with sectoral regulators to ensure smooth alignment of sectoral regulatory laws in tandem with the competition law.
• Effectively carry out competition advocacy and spread the information on benefits of competition among all stakeholders to establish and nurture competition culture in Indian economy.