Daily Current Affairs 9th March 2020

Daily Current Affairs 9th March 2020 Today’s Important Topic’s For UPSC Preparation 1. NARI SHAKTI PURASKAR. 2. RANA KAPOOR ARRESTED BY ED. 3. OVER 40% GOVT. SCHOOLS DON’T HAVE POWER, PLAYGROUNDS. 4. CEPI. 5. CORAL BLEACHING. NARI SHAKTI PURASKAR Ministry: Ministry of women and child development The Nari Shakti Puraskar, instituted by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, are “National Award in recognition of exceptional work for women empowerment”.

Nari Shakti Puraskar(formerly Stree Shakti Puraskar), literally meaning “Woman Power Award”, is India’s highest civilian award for recognising the achievements and contributions of women.

The awards are given away by the President of India every year on 8 March, International Women’s Day at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

The Nari Shakti Puraskar is conferred on individual women, public and private institutions and public departments for their activism and/ or their contributions to the cause of women’s empowerment.

The award, instituted in the year 1999 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, is given in six institutional categories and two individual categories.

Stree Shakti Puraskar, the predecessor of the Nari Shakti Puraskar, was instituted in the year 1991.

The Stree Shakti Puraskar was given in the same six categories as the Nari Shakti Award.

Institutional categories: Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Award for Best Private Sector organization/ Public sector undertaking in promoting the well-being and welfare of women, named after Ahilyabai Holkar, 18th-century ruler of the Malwa kingdom.

Kannagi Devi Award for Best State which has appreciably improved Child Sex Ratio (CSR), named after Kannagi, the central character of the Tamil epic Silapathikaram.

Mata Jijabai Award for Best Urban Local body for providing services and facilities to women, named after Mata Jijabai, mother of Shivaji, who founded the Maratha Empire in the 17th century.

Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award for Best Civil Society organization (CSO) doing outstanding work for the welfare and well-being of women, named after Rani Gaidinliu, a 20th-century Naga spiritual and political leader Rani Lakshmi Bai Award for Best Institution for Research & Development in the field of women empowerment, named after Lakshmibai, one of the leading figures of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and erstwhile queen of Jhansi.

Rani Rudramma Devi Awards for two District Panchayats and two Gram Panchayats, named after Rudrama Devi, a 13th-century ruler of Deccan Plateau.

Why in News?

Nari Shakti 2019 winners are from fields as diverse as agriculture, sports, handicrafts, afforestation and wildlife conservation, armed forces and education.

Bina Devi, 43, a mushroom grower, won the award for popularising mushroom production in five blocks and 105 neighbouring villages of Munger district, helping 1,500 women.

Mann Kaur, 103, known as the “Miracle from Chandigarh”, started her athletic career at the age of 93. She won four golds at the World Masters Athletic Championship, Poland and set a record by becoming the world’s fastest centenarian at the American Masters Game, 2016.

Kalavati Devi, a 58-year-old mason, won the award for acting as the driving force towards reducing open defecation in Kanpur. She is responsible for building over 4,000 toilets in villages and has gone door to door to create awareness of the ills of open defecation.

Padala Bhudevi, 40, who has been working for the welfare of tribal women and widows, won the award for training 30 women in making mehendi cones and hair care products.

Arifa Jan, 33, was awarded for reviving the art of Numdha handicrafts and has trained more than 100 women in Kashmir.

Chami Murmu, 47, fondly known as the ‘Lady Tarzan’ of Jharkhand, has been involved in planting more than 25 lakh trees along with the Forest Department and by mobilising more than 3,000 women.

Nilza Wangmo, 40, is an entrepreneur running Alchi Kitchen Restaurant, the first one to serve traditional Ladakhi cuisines. She has trained 20 women from Ladakh who manage the restaurant and has represented Ladakhi recipes in 5-star hotels.

Rashmi Urdhwardeshe, 60, has been the director of the Automotive Research Association of

India. She has rich experience in the fields of automotive R&D, testing and homologation, framing of test standards and regulations.

Tashi and Nungshi Malik, 28, from Uttrakhand were the first women twins to scale Everest in 2013.

Kaushiki Chakraborty, 38, is a classical vocalist with more than 15 years of experience.

Avani Chaturvedi, 26, Bhawanna Kanth, 27, and Mohana Singh Jitarwal 28, are the first women fighter pilots. The three women pilots were the first to take a solo flight in MIG-21 in 2018.

Bhageerathi Amma, 105, and Karthyayini Amma, 98, have passed the Class IV literacy equivalent examinations. Karthiyani Amma had topped “AkshraLaksham”, a flagship programme of the Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority, in 2018 scoring 98/100 marks.

NARI SHAKTI PURASKAR

RANA KAPOOR ARRESTED BY ED Enforcement Directorate: Ministry: Ministry of Finance: Agency: Department of Revenue: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) is a law enforcement agency and economic intelligence agency responsible for enforcing economic laws and fighting economic crime in India.

It is part of the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Government Of India It is composed of officers from the Indian Revenue Service, Indian Corporate Law Service, Indian Police Service and the Indian Administrative Service.

The origin of this Directorate goes back to 1 May 1956, when an ‘Enforcement Unit’ was formed, in Department of Economic Affairs, for handling Exchange Control Laws violations under Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1947.

In the year 1957, this Unit was renamed as ‘Enforcement Directorate’.

Objectives: The prime objective of the Enforcement Directorate is the enforcement of two key Acts of the Government of India namely,

The Foreign Exchange Management Act 1999 (FEMA) The Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002 (PMLA) Functions of the Enforcement Directorate: ED; investigates suspected violations of the provisions of the FEMA. Suspected violations includes; non-realization of export proceeds, “hawala transactions”, purchase of assets abroad, possession of foreign currency in huge amount, non-repatriation of foreign exchange, foreign exchange violations and other forms of violations under FEMA. ED collects, develops and disseminates intelligence information related to violations of FEMA, 1999. The ED receives the intelligence inputs from Central and State Intelligence agencies, complaints etc.

ED has the power to attach the asset of the culprits found guilty of violation of FEMA. “Attachment of the assets” means prohibition of transfer, conversion, disposition or movement of property by an order issued under Chapter III of the Money Laundering Act [Section 2(1) (d)].

To undertake, search, seizure, arrest, prosecution action and survey etc. against offender of PMLA offence.

To provide and seek mutual legal assistance to/from respective states in respect of attachment/confiscation of proceeds of crime and handed over the transfer of accused persons under Money Laundering Act. To settle cases of violations of the erstwhile FERA, 1973 and FEMA, 1999 and to decide penalties imposed on conclusion of settlement proceedings.

So this was all about the reason behind the establishment and functions of the Enforcement Directorate. ED is playing a very crucial role in fighting the menace of corruption in the country.

Currently it is investing the assets purchased by the Robert Vadra and some time ago it attached the assets of the fugitive offender Vijay Malya.

RANA KAPOOR ARRESTED BY ED

Why in News?

Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor was placed under arrest by the Enforcement Directorate under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a separate offence against Mr. Kapoor for cheating under the IPC, along with accepting illegal gratification and misconduct under the

Prevention of Corruption Act. Kapoor is under the scanner for granting large loans to the crisis-hit Dewan Housing Finance Limited (DHFL), allegedly in exchange for kickbacks to the tune of ₹600 crore that were paid into accounts of his family members.

OVER 40% GOVT. SCHOOLS DON’T HAVE POWER, PLAYGROUNDS Almost half the government schools in the country do not have electricity or playgrounds, according to a report submitted by the parliamentary panel on education.

In its report on the 2020-2021 demand for grants for school education submitted to the Rajya Sabha, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resource Development (HRD) expressed concern that budgetary allocations saw a 27% cut from proposals made by the School Education Department.

Despite proposals for ₹82,570 crore, only ₹59,845 crore was allocated.

Noting similar 27% reductions for the central and centrally sponsored schemes as well, the panel recommended that these core schemes get additional funds at the revised estimates stage.

The panel “expressed dismay” at the stark deficits in the government school infrastructure, citing the latest survey data.

Only 56% of schools have electricity, with the lowest rates in Manipur and Madhya Pradesh, where less than 20% have access to power.

Less than 57% of schools have playgrounds, including less than 30% of schools in Odisha and Jammu and Kashmir, according to the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) 2017-18 survey. over 40% govt. schools don’t have power, playgrounds

Recommendations: The panel recommended that the HRD Ministry collaborate with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme(MGNREGA) to construct boundary walls Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to provide solar and other energy sources so that schools have access to power.

Overall, for the core Samagra Shiksha Scheme, the department had only spent 71% of revised estimates by December 31, 2019.

OVER 40% GOVT. SCHOOLS DON’T HAVE POWER, PLAYGROUNDS

Samagra Shiksha Scheme: Ministry: Ministry of Human Resource Development

Samagra Shiksha is an overarching programme for the school education sector extending from pre-school to class 12.

The scheme has been prepared with the broader goal of improving school effectiveness measured in terms of equal opportunities for schooling and equitable learning outcomes.

It subsumes the three Schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE).

Objectives:

The major objectives of the Scheme are

Provision of quality education and enhancing learning outcomes of students; Bridging Social and Gender Gaps in School Education; Ensuring equity and inclusion at all levels of school education; Ensuring minimum standards in schooling provisions; Promoting Vocationalisation of education; Support States in implementation of Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009; and Strengthening and up-gradation of SCERTs/State Institutes of Education and DIET as a nodal agencies for teacher training.

Samagra Shiksha Scheme:

MGNREGA: Ministry: Ministry of Rural Development

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), also known as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) is Indian legislation enacted on August 25, 2005.

The MGNREGA provides a legal guarantee for one hundred days of employment in every financial year to adult members of any rural household willing to do public work-related unskilled manual work at the statutory minimum wage.

The Ministry of Rural Development (MRD), Govt of India is monitoring the entire implementation of this scheme in association with state governments.

This act was introduced with an aim of improving the purchasing power of the rural people, primarily semi or un-skilled work to people living below poverty line in rural India.

An additional 50 days of wage employment are provided over and above 100 days in the notified drought affected areas or natural calamity areas in the country on recommendation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

The Ministry also mandates the provision of additional 50 days of wage employment to every Scheduled Tribe Household in a forest area, provided that these households have no other private property except for the land rights provided under the FRA Act, 2006.

Wage rates for workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005 are notified annually based on Consumer Price Index-Agricultural Labourers (CPI-AL) by the Central Government in accordance with the provisions of section 6(1) of the MGNREGA. It is an Indian labour law and social security measure that aims to guarantee the ‘right to work’.

Within 15 days of submitting the application or from the day work is demanded, wage employment will be provided to the applicant.

MGNREGA focuses on the economic and social empowerment of women.

MGNREGA provides “Green” and “Decent” work.

Social Audit of MGNREGA works is mandatory, which lends to accountability and transparency.

MGNREGA works address the climate change vulnerability and protect the farmers from such risks and conserve natural resources.

The Gram Sabha is the principal forum for wage seekers to raise their voices and make demands.

It is the Gram Sabha and the Gram Panchayat which approves the shelf of works under MGNREGA and fix their priority.

MGNREGA

CEPI The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has developed a Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI). CPCB has done a nation wide environmental assessment of Industrial Clusters based on CEPI and 43 such industrial clusters having CEPI greater than 70, on a scale of 0 to 100, has been identified as critically polluted.

The data refers to the Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI) scores of the critically polluted industrial clusters/areas. The index captures the various dimensions of environment including air, water and land.

Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI), which is a rational number to characterize the environmental quality at a given location following the algorithm of source, pathway and receptor have been developed.

Why in News?

The CPCB filed a consolidated status report in respone to the NGT order for information on the list of industries prohibited due to non-compliance and details of environmental compensation.

The state Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) were asked to submit the action plans for improving environmental quality, including the demarcated boundaries of critically polluted areas (CPAs) and severely polluted areas (SPAs).

Among the 100 polluted industrial areas (PIAs) identified for Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI) evaluation, 38 PIAs were categorised as CPAs and 31 PIAs were categorised as SPAs located in 20 states / Union territories.

The CPCB report informed the tribunal that according to the data received from 18 SPCBs / PCCs, there are a total of 3,892 non-complying industries / activities out of which, 1,536 noncomplying industries / activities have been issued closure directions. The incidences of violation by construction activity, stubble burning etc have also been included by a few SPCBs in number of non-complying industries/activities.

Around 5,302 industries / activities have been reported to be non-compliant with environmental standards in the last five years and environmental compensation of Rs 59,285.68 lakh have been imposed on them.

CORAL BLEACHING What are Corals?

Coral colonies are made up of hundreds or even thousands of genetically identical individuals called polyps.

These polyps have microscopic algae called zooxanthellae living within their tissues.

The coral provides the zooxanthellae with the compounds necessary for photosynthesis, which are metabolic waste products of the coral.

In return, the zooxanthellae produce oxygen and help the coral to remove wastes.

Most importantly, they supply the coral with organic products of photosynthesis which are predominantly carbohydrates.

These compounds are utilized by the coral as building blocks in the manufacture of fats, as well as the synthesis of their calcium carbonate skeletons.

Each coral polyp builds a skeleton of calcium carbonate. These corals together form a coral reef.

CORAL BLEACHING

What is Coral Bleaching?

When corals face stress by changes in conditions such as temperature, light, or nutrients, they expel the symbiotic algae zooxanthellae living in their tissues, causing them to turn completely white. This phenonmen is called coral bleaching.

The pale white colour is of the translucent tissues of calcium carbonate which are visible due to the loss of pigment producing zooxanthellae.

What is Coral Bleaching?

What is Coral Bleaching?

How is it caused?

Elevated sea temperature– This is considered to be the most common factor responsible for extensive coral bleaching. Corals grow in warm shallow waters that receive plenty of light. A few species can tolerate cooler and deeper waters. However, most coral species live in waters close to the warmest temperature they can tolerate- 29° C. This means that slight increases in ocean temperature can harm corals.

El Nino elevates the sea temperature and destroys coral reefs. The last big El Niño in 1998 caused the worst coral bleaching in recorded history. It destroyed about 15% of the world’s corals.

Ocean Acidification– There is a rise in carbon dioxide levels. Oceans absorb the carbon dioxide.

When the uptake increases, the acidity of ocean water increases. This inhibits the corals ability to create calcareous skeletons, which is essential for their survival.

Solar radiation and ultraviolet radiation– UV radiation induces coral bleaching. Global warming causes changes in tropical weather patterns which results in less cloud cover and thus more radiation. In fact, reduced cloud cover also affect solar radiation.

Infectious Diseasescauses by bacteria vibrio shiloi inhibits photosynthesis of zooxanthellae.

These bacteria become more virulent with elevated sea temperatures.

Chemical pollution and increased elemental nutrient concentrations increase the density of zooxanthellae . Thereby lowering coral resistance to diseases.

Increased sedimentationdue to poor land use, deforestation, dredging make the algae more prone to bleaching.

Human induced threats like over fishing, especially using damaging practices like cyanide fishing , pollution from agricultural and industrial runoff, coral mining, development of industrial areas near coral ecosystems are also causes. Remember, Adani’s coal plant in Australia made news – it is a threat to the corals.

Consequences: The death of corals and the resulting disappearance of reefs would result in the loss of a number of marine animals that rely on the reef for survival.

The entire food chain gets disturbed then.

The elimination of coral reefs would also result in great losses of income and resources from tourism.

Corals also hold prospects as medicinal value for humans. Its a potential loss there.

Coral reefs also protect coastlines by absorbing constant wave energy from the ocean, thereby protecting people living near the coast from increased storm damage, erosion and flooding.

Coral Reef

Great Barrier Reef: The Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Queensland in northeastern Australia, is the largest living thing on Earth, and even visible from outer space.

The 2,300km-long ecosystem comprises thousands of reefs and hundreds of islands made of over 600 types of hard and soft coral and is home to countless species of colourful fish, molluscs and starfish, plus turtles, dolphins and sharks.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, between 2014 and 2016 the longest recorded global bleaching events killed coral on an unprecedented scale.

In 2016, bleaching of coral on the Great Barrier Reef killed between 29 and 50 percent of the reef’s coral and in 2017, the bleaching extended into the central region of the reef.

The average interval between bleaching events has halved between 1980 and 2016.

Great Barrier Reef:

Why in News?

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which spreads across a length of over 2,300 km and is roughly the size of Italy, is home to about 3,000 coral reefs, 600 continental islands, 1,625 type of fish, 133 varieties of shark and rays and 600 types of soft and hard corals.

Today, the reef is a Marine Park and World Heritage Area and supports a range of activities and contributes over AUD $5.6 billion each year to the Australian economy and is also responsible for creating over 70,000 jobs.