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Section 377

2018-09-09T08:27:00.000-07:00

Section 377
The Supreme Court has pronounced its much-awaited verdict on a clutch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of section 377 of the IPC which criminalises consensual gay sex.

The verdict and its significance:
The Court said gay sex among consenting adults is not an offence. The verdict assumes significance as in the earlier round of litigation in 2013 the Supreme Court had reversed the Delhi high court ruling decriminalising homosexuality or same sex relationship.
However, bestiality will continue as an offence. Any kind of sexual activity with animals shall remain penal offence under Section 377 of the IPC.
The judgement is based on the interpretation of Article 14 (Right to Equality); Article 15 (prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth); Article 19 (Freedom of Speech and Expression); and Article 21 (Right to Life and Right to Privacy) of the Indian Constitution.
The law:
Section 377 of IPC – which came into force in 1862 – defines unnatural offences. It says, “Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to 10 years, and shall also be liable to fine.”
Delhi HC legalises homosexuality:
The Delhi high court had in July 2009 de-criminalised consensual homosexual acts in private by declaring as unconstitutional a part of Section 377 of IPC that criminalises unnatural sex, saying “the section denies a gay person a right to full personhood…”
SC re-criminalises homosexuality:
The Supreme Court chose to reverse the verdict in December 2013. Upholding the constitutional validity of Section 377 IPC, an SC bench headed by Justice GS Singhvi (since retired), put the ball in the Parliament’s court, saying it was for the legislature to take a call on the desirability of the controversial provision.
Implications for heterosexuals:
The case has implications for heterosexuals also, as consensual sexual acts of adults such as oral and anal sex in private are currently treated as unnatural and punishable under Section 377 IPC.
Background:
Homosexuality is considered a taboo in a largely conservative Indian society which appears to be divided on the controversial issue. Freedom loving people (not necessarily belonging to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender or LGBT community) want homosexuality de-criminalised but many still consider it a “deviant behaviour” and not merely a question of one’s sexual orientation or preference.
International developments:
There have been many positive developments in favour of LGBT community on the international front. In May 2015, Ireland legalised same-sex marriage. The country which had decriminalized homosexuality in 1993 became the first country to allow same sex marriage a national level by popular vote.
In June 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled that same sex marriages were legal. Near home, Nepal legalised homosexuality in 2007 and the new Constitution of the country too gives many rights to the LGBT community.
France, UK, Canada, United States, Australia and Brazil have de-criminalised homosexuality. Other countries like Belgium, Brazil, Canada,France, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal,South Africa, Spain, Sweden and Uruguay allow either same sex marriage or a civil union.
India currently stands with a host of countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Mauritania, Qatar and Pakistan which criminalises homosexuality.

Criticisms:

Child abuse and Section 377: Many child rights activists had criticised the Delhi HC verdict de-criminalising homosexuality on the ground that Section 377 was needed to be on the statute book to tackle cases of child abuse. However, the enactment of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012 has removed the need to use Section 377 in child sexual abuse cases. POCSO is more child-friendly and much more stringent.

Law and morality: Those against legalising gay sex argue that it is against the moral values of the society. However, activists arguing for it say what is forbidden in religion need not be prohibited in law. They argue that morality cannot be a ground to restrict the fundamental rights of citizens. A legal wrong is necessarily a moral wrong but vice versa is not correct. A moral wrong becomes a legal wrong only when its consequences are for society and not just the person/s committing it.

Challenges ahead:
The Supreme Court judgment only deals with a narrow interpretation of Section 377. Besides decriminalising homosexuality, the judgment does not confer any further rights.

Gay marriages: Marriages between same-sex partners are not recognised in india, but this can be changed by inserting a provision in the Special Marriage Act.

Adoption: Law prohibits adoption of a child by a gay couple.

Inheritance: One partner cannot inherit properties left behind by their same-sex partner, unless a will is drawn in favour of the person. A will, too, can be contested by family members of the partners.

On pending criminal cases: The judgment will have a bearing on criminal cases pending trial, appeal or revision on disposed off cases. The judgment will have no bearing on disposed off cases and old cases cannot be reopened. It opens the flood gates for securing other civil rights.

Politics over Nehru Memorial must stop

2018-08-29T21:53:00.000-07:00

India’s first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru has been dead for the last fifty four years. He passed away on May 27, 1964 at his official residence in Delhi. A doyen of the independence movement, Nehru served as the Prime Minister of India for the first 17 years of the Republic.
Dr Manmohan Singh’s letter to Prime Minister Modi is one of the latest attempts by the Congress to emphasise that Nehru’s legacy is above party politics and that it belongs “not just to the Congress” but the “entire nation.”  On the one hand BJP government is building a multi-million dollar statue of Patel in Gujarat, on the other it is proposing to make Nehru’s memorial a shared space for all former Prime Ministers of India.

The Nehru Memorial Museum and Library located near the Parliament used to be residence of the Commander in Chief of the British army. Today its sprawling grounds that house the Nehru Memorial Museum, a medieval hinting lodge built in the reign of Firoz Shah Tuglaq, and the Planetarium. Abutting the old building that was the residence of Nehru is the Library that houses lakhs of books, microfilms, private papers, and photographs.

The library is open to all kinds of bonafide researchers and remains a true safe and liberating space for those seeking to indulge in genuine research. The plan to build more memorials for all previous Prime Ministers of India stands to seriously jeopardise the scholarly environs of the Nehru library.

It’s a lose-lose for members of the library, many of whom seek refuge in the quietude afforded by the 30-acres campus that houses only three buildings. More memorials would mean more construction, and more construction would mean more noise and pollution.

The tender for the ‘New Museum’ itself says that “the Founders of the NMML decided that as an autonomous organisation it should have three main constituents: a Memorial Museum, a Library and a Centre for research relating to modern Indian History. The Nehru Memorial Museum at the Teen Murti House is a national memorial. Developed primarily as a personalia museum, it seeks to give a glimpse into the life and works of Jawaharlal Nehru, the ideals cherished by him, the great Independence movement of which he was an integral part and a record of the early years of independent India.”

Despite this acknowledgement of the historical purpose of the Nehru Memorial the tender goes on to say that ‘Ministry of Culture, Government of India proposes to set up a modernistic and sui generis museum building dedicated to the ‘PRIME MINISTERS OF INDIA’ in the premises of Nehru Memorial Museum & Library, New Delhi. The New Museum will celebrate, document and disseminate the lives and contributions of all the Prime Ministers of India.”.

By all means all PMs deserve to be commemorated. But, must that be done within the precincts of the memorial that was solely dedicated to Jawaharlal Nehru?

Surely, if there is space for new buildings to come up in the India Gate hexagon grounds, a memorial to all PMs could come up there. If it is to celebrate the legacy of these PMs it is indeed more sensible to make this memorial where there is more footfalls.

Visitors to Teen Murti house or the Nehru Memorial come from all across the country and in and around Delhi. They come as part of school trips and packaged tours. For many of them it’s their first trip to Delhi and perhaps the only for a long time to come. At the memorial they revise their knowledge about the independence moment and gawk at the spartan style of living of India’s first Prime Minister.

They express amazement at the number of books in his personal rooms, the long pens and ink-pots, Nehru’s shervanis and achkans, and hundreds of photos that show the very human side of the man who served as Prime Minister for the longest time.

NMML’s Director, Shakti Sinha has tried to allay fears expressed by former Prime Minster Dr Manmohan Singh about the government’s unstated policy of ‘obliteration’ of Nehru. Sinha says that they are only to trying to make the memorial ‘Nehru-plus’ and not trying to reduce his importance.

Sinha’s assurances are welcome as it would be the greatest disservice to a Prime Minister who worked ceaselessly till his dying day to build a modern, inclusive and equal India.

India’s water dispute problem

2018-08-11T08:04:00.000-07:00

The Centre has decided to set up a single, permanent Tribunal to adjudicate all inter-state river water disputes subsuming existing tribunals, a step which is aimed at resolving grievances of states in a speedy manner. Besides the Tribunal, the government has also proposed to float some benches by amending the Inter-State Water Disputes Act, 1956 to look into disputes as and when required. Unlike the Tribunal, the benches will cease to exist once the disputes are resolved.

Key facts:

The proposed amendment to the Inter-State River Water Dispute Act of 1956 talks of benches under the permanent tribunal that will look into specific disputes.
It also provides for setting up of a dispute resolution committee, comprising experts and policy-makers, every time a clash crops up—the committee must try and resolve river-water sharing fights before these are taken to the tribunal.
The plan to put a 3-year deadline for delivering a verdict is also appealing given how long disputes last.
In order to give more teeth to the Tribunal, it is proposed that whenever it gives order, the verdict gets notified automatically. Until now, the government required to notify the awards, causing delay in its implementation.

How are disputes adjudicated presently?

As per the current provisions of the 1956 Act, a tribunal can be formed after a state government approaches Union Government with such request and the Centre is convinced of the need to form the tribunal.

Eight such tribunals exist now. After they have heard the matter and awarded their decisions, the tribunals are allowed to collapse.
This system has had some successes, especially with the first generation of tribunals set up soon after independence—to adjudicate on the Krishna, Narmada and Godavari rivers.

Problems with the present system:

The present system has struggled to bring warring parties on the same page and offer equitable solutions.
It has led to protracted proceedings and extreme delays in dispute resolution. Under the present system, the Centre takes years to decide whether a matter needs to be heard by a tribunal in the first place. Also, after the tribunal has been formed, it again takes many years to pronounce its award.
Another reason for delay is the requirement that the Centre notify the order of the tribunal to bring it into effect.
Opacity in the institutional framework and guidelines that define these proceedings have also added to the problem. Besides, ensuring compliance is another problem.
The absence of authoritative water data that is acceptable to all parties also makes it difficult to even set up a baseline for adjudication.
Besides, India’s messy federal polity and its colonial legacy have set the stage for n-compliance wherein state governments have sometimes rejected tribunal awards. For example, the Punjab government played truant in the case of the Ravi-Beas tribunal. It should be noted here that water is a state subject but the “regulation and development of inter-state rivers and river valleys in the public interest” is on the Union list.
The courts have also often been ignored, including the Supreme Court, which importantly only has very limited jurisdiction over the tribunals, as per the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act of 1956. This has its roots in the Government of India Act, 1935 which mandated separate tribunals and limited the jurisdiction of the federal court.

What’s good about the proposed permanent tribunal:

Since water-sharing disputes are only going to rise, and the existing mechanisms of setting up tribunals for each case are clearly not working, the government’s plan to set up a permanent, over-arching tribunal to adjudicate all such fights looks appealing.

There will be an expert agency to collect data on rainfall, irrigation and surface water flows. This acquires importance because party-States have a tendency to fiercely question data provided by the other side. A permanent forum having reliable data in its hands sounds like an ideal mechanism to apportion water.

Challenges before the tribunal:

The Cabinet’s proposal to have a permanent tribunal that will subsume existing tribunals is expected to provide for speedier adjudication. But whether this will resolve the problem of protracted proceedings is doubtful. Given the number of ongoing inter-State disputes and those likely to arise in future, it may be difficult for a single institution with a former Supreme Court judge as its chairperson to give its ruling within three years. Secondly, its interlocutory orders as well as final award are likely to be challenged in the Supreme Court.

The idea of a Dispute Resolution Committee, an expert body that will seek to resolve inter-State differences before a tribunal is approached, may also prove to be another disincentive for needless litigation.

Why is the new move being criticised?

According to few experts, the Centre’s efforts to set up a single, permanent tribunal to adjudicate inter-state water disputes will undermine the principles of federalism and will make things more complicated instead of resolving them. It is because Centralised tribunal would not yield the desired results and would only further delay the implementation of final awards of existing tribunals.

Water management experts say this could cause long legal battles. It may also result in an enormous legal battle.

Way ahead:

Today, inter-state water disputes are no longer just about water allocation. They have become hugely politicized—the recent eruption of the Cauvery dispute, framed as an ethnic identity issue between Tamilians and Kannadigas, which led to widespread civil unrest, is only the most recent example. Public opinion is an important factor that cannot be wished away. The Central government must keep these factors in mind when setting up the proposed tribunal. A robust institutional framework—and a transparent one to ease state and public buy-in—is a must. Without that cooperative approach, India’s water dispute resolution is unlikely to see much improvement.

Also, water disputes have humanitarian dimensions, including agrarian problems worsened by drought and monsoon failures. Adjudication, by whatever mechanism, should not be at the mercy of partisan leaders who turn claims into dangerously emotive issues. Institutional mechanisms should be backed by the political will to make them work.

Conclusion:

The Centre’s proposal to set up a single, permanent tribunal, subsuming all existing ad hoc tribunals, to adjudicate on inter-state river water disputes could be a major step towards streamlining the dispute redressal mechanism. But it alone will not be able to address the different kinds of problems—legal, administrative, constitutional and political—that plague the overall framework. A comprehensive policy and relook is the need of the hour.

WHAT IS THE KIKI CHALLENGER

2018-08-01T22:58:00.000-07:00

WHAT IS THE KIKI CHALLENGER
👉The KiKi Challenge involves a person jumping out of a slow-moving vehicle and dancing on the road to Drake's song "In My Feelings," from his latest album, Scorpion. 👉The challenge is to keep up with the pace and direction of the vehicle while dancing, which also involves the signature heart move.

👉Lyrics:"Kiki, do you love me? Are you riding? Say you'll never ever leave from beside me, 'cause I want you and need you, and I'm down for you always."

👉The lyrics are from Drake's "In My Feelings," from his latest album, Scorpion. However, the rapper wasn't the one who started the challenge. It was, in fact, internet comedian Shiggy who posted a video of him dancing on the street that also threw up the hashtags #ShiggyChallenge or #DoTheShiggy.
👉Before you lash out on him for first coming up with the idea, his version was much safer and did not involve any vehicle. 👉A few celebrities too tried the challenge, and a lot of them were seen getting out of their stationary cars.
👉But social media users clearly love the thrill and the risk that comes with and have been using slow-moving cars to take up the challenge.

LOOK AT ME
👉Attention is other people thinking about you, and if there were ever humans who didn't need it, they are now extinct. 👉"Attention is one of the most valuable resources in existence for social animals," says Dr Geoff MacDonald, a psychologist at the University of Toronto.
👉India ranks number one when it comes to accidents related to selfies.
👉The country accounts for almost 60 per cent of the total selfie accidents that happen throughout the world. International Journal of Mental Health.
#NEVERINMYFEELING

A defence without Aadhaar

2018-08-01T05:25:00.000-07:00

A defence without Aadhaar

👉Disclosing Aadhar number publicly is against the rules
👉Real ISSUE is NOT security of the number 👉Aadhar made applicable to every walk of public life despite assurance from the government that it was voluntary 48 % of Indians who do not avail of any subsidy or service - why Aadhar for them?
👉Black money and tax evasion are deep-rooted and Aadhar will not make the slightest dent to these evils.
👉 Not possible without Aadhar
👉Telephone connection, Admission for child even in private school, Cremations , entry into Tirupati temple
👉Right to live in peace and not be compelled to have their every activity monitored and recorded

WORLD DAY AGAINST TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS 2018

2018-07-30T04:48:00.000-07:00

WORLD DAY AGAINST TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS 2018

World Day against Trafficking in Persons 2018 is held on July 30th 2018 annually.
People trafficking and modern day slavery is a massive worldwide problem in which
very few countries are immune to human trafficking, and the event by the
United Nations is to raise awareness and increase prevention of the same.

Every Year,Thousands of men, women and children end up in the hands of traffickers ,
often through being tricked & mislead to believe that they are being taken to
work that will make their family better off, or through force, kidnap, or even through
very poor families selling children in order to survive. There are many ways that
people get caught up in trafficking, but the result is the same, they lose their
rights and identity and are used and abused, and it is a global problem, an industry
not far behind drugs and arms in terms of profit for traffickers.
Trafficked people are forced to work, often doing hard labor or prostitution,
for no reward, and usually have their identity and documents removed from
them and are warned of terrible punishments if they escape, and often
they are taken to unfamiliar countries where they don’t know the language
and have no way of getting help, some die and are never heard of again by their
families and communities.

A global problem like trafficking needs a global solution, which is why the
United Nations organise the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, to
raise awareness encourage vigilance and gain support for prevention of human
trafficking, and also why they have produced a protocol to punish
human trafficking and are hoping to implement this globally, as well as
an act to protect victims of trafficking.

39% indian techies learn to code before they turn 20: TechGig survey

2018-07-27T02:59:00.000-07:00

39% indian techies learn to code before they turn 20: TechGig survey - :

In an exclusive survey on Indian coders, TechGig found out that nearly 39% coders learned to code at the age of 15-20 years, and more than 45% programmers started coding between the age of 20-24 years. That means 84% coders learned to code before they turned 24 years of age!

July 27, 2018, New Delhi: 14-year old Tanmay Bakshi's appointment as Artificial Intelligence scientist with IBM baffled many, and it outlined a major upcoming trend -youngsters are, raring to join the tech world, and the race to become super coders.

Tanmay Bakshi is a child prodigy, like many others in the technology world. Nine-year-old Anvitha Vijay - who has several iOS applications to her credit - was the youngest participant at Apple's Worldwide Developers' Conference. This list is growing every day and it points at a fact that technology is welcoming all aficionados and age is no bar.

This fact was again verified by more than 2,000 coders who participated in TechGig's exclusive survey and stated that 84% of them learned to code before they turned 25 years of age! Of these, nearly 45% of programmers started coding between the age of 20-24 years, and more than 39% of coders learned to code at the age of 15-20 years.Ramathreya Krishnamurthi, Business Head, TimesJobs & TechGig added a pertinent point here, "With a growing millennial population, India is a hub of young professionals. Our survey states that 84% of programming professionals started coding between the age of 15-24 years! This is good news because, coding will be a major skill in demand in the future and the sooner you learn it, the better it is."

IT professionals ditch startups for big companiesAnother surprising fact came up from this survey is that techies now prefer established companies to startups. This is a complete U-turn from some time ago when most technologists wanted to work in startups or turn entrepreneurs. TechGig's survey found that 30% of coders want to work in IT firms, another 30% want to work with established companies. Around 24% of coders would want to work with startups and 16% of respondents want to start their own venture.

IT recruiters prefer on the job learners coding talentDigitisation is no more a choice, but a norm. Hence people with coding skills are sought after in every industry. TechGig also surveyed 2,000 hiring managers to understand their preference of tech talent. Nearly 33% of recruiters said they look for 'on the job learners' when hiring coders. Only 25% of recruiters look for university certified programming professionals and just 16% prefer short-term diploma holders. It's an indication that more than educational degrees, it's the attitude to learn and adapt to the job requirements that finds preference among the hiring managers.

TechGig survey findings indicate that 33% of recruiters, assess skills before onboarding techies and this is indeed one of the biggest hiring challenges. Apart from this, finding good coders in a competitive market is also a certain challenge. Nearly 18% of recruiters found the interview process for coders to be exhausting.

Nelson Mandela 100th birth anniversary

2018-07-18T04:42:00.000-07:00

NELSON MANDELA

CHILDHOOD
👉He was born on 18 July, 1918, at Mvezo, a tiny village on the banks of the Mbashe River in the district of Umtata, the capital of the Transkei.
👉His father, Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa, was a chief by both blood and custom and his mother Nosekeni Fanny was basically a housewife.
👉His childhood was very simple and of tribal customs.He slept on mat on the ground in the huts and was a very simple child
👉In his early days he acquired his childhood through observation and after the death of his father he left his village with his mother and adopted by Jogintaba(Regent)
👉When he was 16, the regent decided that it was time that he became a man. Xhosa tradition is performed for this.
YOUNG MANDELA
👉He knew that despite all sorts of descrimination he will study and took admission in Clarkebury Institute was in the Transkei. At the time, Clarkebury was the highest institution of learning for Africans in Thembuland.
👉After slow and undistinguished start, he managed to get the hang of things, and accelerated the program, completing the junior certificate in two years instead of the usual three.
👉In 1937, when Mandela was 19,he joined Justice at Healdtown and life was rigorous there.
👉Finally he joined Fort Hare which was the biggest college at that time for pursuing higher education,it was Oxford and Cambridge, Harvard and Yale, all rolled into one Fort Hare, like Clarkebury and Healdtown, was a missionary college.
STRUGGLE YEARS
👉He had a step brother named Justice and regent fixed the marriage of both and it was to take place immediately but justice was in love with the Mandela's bride and they decided to run away.
👉They managed to get on a train there but it only went as far as Queenstown and all the chaos happened but ultimately settled.
👉They both shifted to Johanesberg where life was not easy at all. From luxury to difficult life and poverty for Mandela.
👉Justice worked as a clerk and Mandela as a security guard.So there little life was nevertheless happy.
EXPERIENCES
👉They were removed from their jobs due to pressure from regent and they went to see Dr A. B. Xuma, an old friend of the regent's who was the president-general of the African National Congress.
👉Brothers parted their ways and Mandela moved to Alexandria where sometime he didn't had anything to eat and to wear.
👉 At the end of 1941, he received word that the regent was visiting Johannesburg and wanted to see me.Mandela was nervous but ultimately the conflict was resolved.
👉Justice's circumstances were different and after the regents death he had important new responsibilities. He went to succeed the regent chief and had decided to remain in Mqhekezweni and take up his Birth right.
BIRTH OF A LEADER
👉Till then he was aware of the condition of African people and how they face discrimination and deprive to vote and education.
👉ANC was the oldest national African organization in the country, having been founded in 1912.
👉Mandela was beginning to see that his duty was to his people as a whole, not just a particular section or branch.
👉He came under the wise tutelage of Walter Sisulu.Walter was strong.reasonable, practical, and dedicated.He never lost his head in a crisis: he was often silent when others were shouting.He believed that the ANC was the means to effect change in South.
ANYTHING FOR THE COUNTRY
👉He organized Youth League Youth League to help recruit new members to the organization.The actual formation of the Youth League took place on Easter Sunday. 1944.
👉He married Evelyn(his love interest but later sperated) and continued his freedom struggle.
👉He was very much inspired by India and with the help of Transvaal Indian Congress he fought against Asiatic Land Tenure Act and conducted mass protests.
👉Malan's platform was known as apartheid and the horrified ideology came into force when national party(white only government)came into force in 4 June 1948.
LEADER
👉In 1949, the ANC officially adopted the Youth League's methods of boycott, strike, civil disobedience and non-cooperation, with policy goals of full citizenship, redistribution of land, trade union rights, and free and compulsory education for al children.
👉In March 1950, the Defend Free Speech Convention was held in Johannesburg bringing together African, Indian, and communist activists to call a May Day general strike in resulting in increased police repression and the introduction of the Suppression of Communism Act.1950.
👉In 1956, Mandela and 150 others were arrested and charged with treason for their political advocacy (theywere eventually acquitted).
👉On 12 June 1964, justice De Wet found Mandela and two of his co-accused guility on four charges, the judge condemned them to life imprisonment.
ROBBEN ISLAND( 18 YEAR JAIL TERM)
👉Mandela and his co-accused were transferred from Pretoria to the prison on Robben Island, remaining there for the next 18 years.
👉Term was not easy at all.He faced immense hardships torture but due to his dynamic willpower he overcame everything.
👉During this time, he contracted tuberculosis and, as a black political prisoner, received the lowest level of treatment from prison workers.
👉In 1982, Mandela and other ANC leaders were moved to Pollsmoor Prison.In 1985, President P.W.Botha offered Mandela's release in exchange for renouncing armed strugglethe prisoner flatly rejected the offer.
FREEDOM
👉With increasing local and international pressure for his release, the government participated in several talks with Mandela over the ensuing years, but no deal was made.
👉It wasn't until Botha suffered a stroke and was replaced by Frederik Willem de Klerk that Mandela's release was finally announced, on February 11, 1990. De Klerk also unbanned the ANC, removed restrictions on political groups and suspended executions.
👉In 1991. Mandelawas elected president of the African National Congress, with lifelong friend and colleague Oliver Tambo serving as national chairperson.
👉Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as the country's first black president on May 10 1994, at the age of 77, with de Klerk as his first deputy.
👉From 1994 until June 1999, President Mandela worked to bring about the transition from minority rule and apartheid to black majority rule.
DEATH AND HONOURS
👉After suffering from a prolonged respiratory infectio Mandela died on 5 December 2013 at the age of 9.
👉In 1993, Nelson Mandela and President de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their work toward dismantling apartheid in South Africa.
👉Mandela received more than260 awards over 40 years.Bestowed Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, A October.
👉His ife was a struggle for the emancipation.He fought with challenges and with patience.He is an inspiration for many and it is very much important that we should follow the footsteps of these great people.

WEAK NEGATIVE INDIAN OCEAN DIPOLE

2018-07-17T07:56:00.001-07:00

INDIAN OCEAN DIPOLE
👉weak negative Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) conditions that are likely to develop during the middle of the monsoon season and continue to persist till the early part of the post-monsoon season. effect obstructs the progression of monsoon over India

What is IOD?
👉Sustained changes in the difference between sea surface temperatures of the tropical western and eastern Indian Ocean are known as the Indian Ocean Dipole or IOD

Neutral IOD phase

👉Water from the Pacific flows between the islands of Indonesia, keeping seas to Australia's northwest warm.Air rises above this area and falls over the western half of the Indian Ocean basin, blowing westerly winds along the equator.

👉The neutral IOD results in little change to Australia's climate

Negative IOD phase

👉Westerly winds intensify along the equator, allowing warmer waters to concentrate near Australia. This sets up a temperature difference across the tropical Indian Ocean, with warmer than normal water in the east and cooler than normal water in the west.

👉A negative IOD typically results in above-average winter-spring rainfall over parts of southern Australia as the warmer waters off northwest Australia provide more available moisture to weather systems crossing the country

Positive IOD phase

👉Westerly winds weaken along the equator allowing warm water to shift towards Africa .

👉Changes in the winds also allow cool water to rise up from the deep ocean in the east.This sets up a temperature difference across the tropical Indian Ocean with cooler than normal water in the east and warmer than normal water in the west.

👉Generally this means there is less moisture than normal in the atmosphere to the northwest of Australia.

👉This changes the path of weather systems coming from Australia's west, often resulting in less rainfall and higher than normal temperatures over parts of Australia during winter and spring.

Bansagar canal project

2018-07-16T20:28:00.000-07:00

✅ Bansagar canal project ✅

✔️ Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently inaugurated the Bansagar canal project in Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh.

✔️ Bansagar canal project

Bansagar Dam project is a joint venture between Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.Bansagar Dam is a multipurpose river Valley Project on Sone River situated in the Ganges Basin in Madhya Pradesh.The total canal network under it is 171 kms long.Canals under this project will bring waters from Shahdol district in Madhya Pradesh for Adwa Barrage, Meza Dam and Jirgo reservoir.The project aims to provide a big boost to irrigation in the region. It promises to be greatly beneficial for the farmers of Mirzapur and Allahabad districts of Uttar Pradesh.As per the projections, the project will benefit 1 lakh 70 thousand farmers of Mirzapur and Allahabad districts.

✔️ About Son River:

Son River of central India is the second largest of the Ganges’s southern tributaries after Yamuna River.The Son originates near Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh just east of the headwater of the Narmada River, and flows north-northwest through Madhya Pradesh state before turning sharply eastward where it encounters the southwest-northeast-Kaimur Range.Son is an extension of the Narmada Valley, and the Kaimur Range an extension of the Vindhya Range.

✔️ What’s important?

For Prelims and Mains: Bansagar Canal Project and its significance, Son river.

Brexit strategy

2018-07-13T23:21:00.000-07:00

Brexit strategy

The UK government’s latest blueprint for Brexit released on 13 July 2018 threatens to derail plans for closer trade ties with India as it would prevent Britain from making the kind of concessions on trade in goods that New Delhi seeks. The so-called Brexit White Paper has already shaken up Prime Minister Theresa May’s leadership following resignations of her Brexit minister David Davis and foreign secretary Boris Johnson, who disagreed with what is seen as a much closer alignment with the European Union (EU) than desired, as it would reportedly make trade deals with other countries more difficult.

What

Now, according to details of a confidential joint UK-India Trade Review released to ‘Greenpeace Unearthed’, it would appear that India would be among the countries unlikely to reap many post-Brexit benefits.

The trade review highlights a range of non-tariff barriers to trade identified by Indian businesses that the Indian government would want the UK to reconsider as part of any new post-Brexit trade deal.

These include limits on fungicides in Basmati rice, the enforcement of food hygiene standards for milk and dairy products, such as ‘paneer’, and the use of hormone-disrupting chemicals across a range of non-food products.

These rules are imposed by the EU and under the new Brexit plan of a common rule book between the UK and EU on goods, any changes to food standards or chemical safety are unlikely.

The UK is due to leave the 28-member European Union on March 29, 2019, but the two sides have yet to agree how trade will work between the UK and the EU after that.

The UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT) also sought to downplay the impact of the strategy on trade ties with countries like India.

The joint trade review’s findings underline the continued strength of the bilateral relationship between the UK and India, and we are committed to driving forward this mutually beneficial trading arrangement, the spokesperson said.

The UK-India Joint Trade Review, which also focused on life sciences and information technology, formed the crux of a new UK-India trade partnership announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the UK in April for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). But experts have warned that closer trade relations still face considerable hurdles.

The commitments to bind the UK to the EU’s regulatory approach on goods will constrain the ability of the UK to address Indian demands related to food and plant health, said Sam Lowe, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for European Reform.

The Brexit White Paper, which was greeted with some chaotic scenes in the House of Commons, has been described as the most important document to emerge since the Brexit referendum in June 2016.
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Rise in temperature 🔥

2018-07-13T07:06:00.000-07:00

Due to the rise in temperature, people in South Asia are more at risk
A recent World Bank report says that the average temperature has increased in the past six decades and this trend continues in South Asia. This is particularly likely to have an impact on India, where 75% of the population is dependent on agriculture and which is one of the most sensitive areas for the effects of climate change.
According to this report, more than 800 million people, more than half of South Asia's population, currently live in areas which are estimated to be in the form of medium hot spots under carbon-intensive landscape by 2050.
Due to the increase in sea water level and changes in tropical storms, there will be a more risky condition for the lower coastal areas, but due to the melting of snow, glaciers and natural disasters, the mountainous regions may also face a more risky situation.
India's average annual temperature is expected to increase from 1 degree Celsius to 2 degree Celsius by 2050, even though preventive measures should be taken according to the recommendation of the 2015 Parisian Climate Change Agreement.
It has been said in the report that if no measures are taken, the average temperature is expected to increase from 1.5 ° C to 3 ° C.
According to recent researchers' research, the increase in average temperature and changes in seasonal rain patterns have already been affecting the entire Indian agriculture.
Due to changes in temperature and rainfall, there has been negative impact on the yield of major crops such as rice and wheat.
According to new studies, its impact on areas of South Asia is potentially also in the production of vegetables and beans.
Irrigation is a major factor in the consumption of water, by which access to water is limited to other uses.
That is why one of the measures to overcome negative impact on agriculture will be to reduce the problem of water deficiency.
Scientists have warned that climate change can lead to extreme changes in weather and that will increase sensitivity towards food security.
It is worth mentioning that India has to meet the food requirements of about 394 million people by the year 2050.
-ASHISH MISHRA

GST IN INDIA

2018-07-03T01:29:00.000-07:00

ONE YEAR OF GST IN INDIA
GST implementation in India completed one year this month. There have been a lot of debates around the effectiveness, impact on inflation, tax buoyancy, and implementation challenges, among others. The June collection numbers have also been discussed with an element of hope that the rate of collections is inching up to expectations and the marketsare taking note of the same.

Let’s look at the numbers and try to assess the ability to meet FY19 budgeted revenues and hence, impact on the targeted fiscal deficit numbers.

Based on the monthly release, total GST collections stood at Rs 95.6k crore in June compared with Rs 94k crore in May. CGST collection in June amounted to Rs 16k crore, SGST Rs 22k crore and IGST Rs 49.5k crore against Rs 15.9k crore, Rs 21.7k crore and Rs 49.1k crore respectively in the preceding month.
Since March, year-end activity is not a trend indicator. We compare numbers of the two months with February and observe that IGST collections have increased while CGST and SGST mop-up has remained stable. The improvement observed could be due to the inter-state e-way bill, which led to higher compliance.

An improvement in CGST and SGST collections can be expected on the back of intra-state e-way bill implementation, for which incoming data will provide better insights. The number of GSTN returns filed is seeing a continuous improvement over months. From 59 lakh returns in July 2017, we have moved up to about 65 lakh.
The budgeted GST run rate is estimated around Rs 104k crore per month. The current run rate as discussed is a bit lower till date and the asking rate is going up as months pass. Continuous improvement in compliance with intra-state e-way bill and overall economic activity improvement will be a bare minimum requirement for the overall budgeted number to be achieved. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.
From an overall fiscal deficit perspective, the GST numbers at best will be able to meet up to the budget estimates. But with the upcoming general elections in early 2019, the government may eventually loosen its purse strings even if revenues fail to catch up, leading to some slippage in fiscal deficit.