IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 17th May 2018

Archives

(PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS)

Karnataka Governor invites BJP to form government

Part of: GS Prelims and Mains III – Polity; Appointment of chief minister and role of Governor

Key Pointers:

Appointment of chief minister

The Constitution does not contain any specific procedure for the selection and appointment of the Chief Minister.

Article 164 only says that the Chief Minister shall be appointed by the governor. However, this does not imply that the governor is free to appoint any one as the Chief Minister.

• In accordance with the convections of the parliamentary system of government, the governor has to appoint the leader of the majority party in the state legislative assembly as the Chief Minister.
• But, when no party has a clear majority in the assembly, then the governor may exercise his personal discretion in the selection and appointment of the Chief Minister.
• In such a situation, the governor usually appoints the leader of the largest party or coalition in the assembly as the Chief Minister and ask him to seek a vote of confidence in the House within a month.

Do you know?

Situational discretion (i.e., the hidden discretion derived from the exigencies of a prevailing political situation) of Governor.

Governor can use situational discretion in the following cases:

1. Appointment of chief minister when no party has a clear-cut majority in the state legislative assembly or when the chief minister in office dies suddenly and there is no obvious successor.
2. Dismissal of the council of ministers when it cannot prove the confidence of the state legislative assembly.
3. Dissolution of the state legislative assembly if the council of ministers has lost its majority.

Concept of ‘Political ethics’ and Bommai judgment

Former Supreme Court judge, Justice K.T. Thomas, said it is “political ethics” for the Governor to first invite the single largest party to form a “stable government.”

Justice Thomas refers to the Bommai judgment of 1994 to support his argument. The Bommai judgment endorses the Sarkaria Commission report of the 1988. The Commission recommends that in case of no pre-poll alliance among parties, the Governor should give first preference to the single largest party.

However, the Bommai judgment also mentions that the Governor can either invite the “single largest party/group.”

Place in news: Kishanganga hydroelectric project at Bandipore

Part of: GS Prelims and Mains II

In News:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi to open the Kishanganga hydroelectric project at Bandipore in north Kashmir

Important Value Additions:

The Kishanganga Hydroelectric Plant is part of a run-of-the-river hydroelectric scheme that is designed to divert water from the Kishanganga River to a power plant in the Jhelum River basin.

Pic link: http://images.indianexpress.com/2018/04/kishanganga-project.jpg

Do you know?

• Construction on the Kishanganga hydroelectric project began in 2007 and was expected to be complete in 2016.
• Construction on the dam was temporarily halted by the Hague’s Permanent Court of Arbitration (CoA) in October 2011 due to Pakistan’s protest of its effect on the flow of the Kishanganga River (called the Neelum River in Pakistan).
• However, in 2013, the CoA ruled that India could divert all the water leaving a minimum amount of water to the downstream of the dam on Kishanganga River for the purpose of environmental flows.

About Hague’s Permanent Court of Arbitration (CoA)

• It is an intergovernmental organization, located at The Hague in the Netherlands.
• The PCA is not a court “in the traditional sense” but provides services of arbitral tribunal to resolve disputes that arise out of international agreements between member states, international organizations or private parties.
• The cases span a range of legal issues involving territorial and maritime boundaries, sovereignty, human rights, international investment, and international and regional trade.
• The organization is not a United Nations agency, but PCA is an official United Nations Observer.

Article Link: Centre halts security ops in J&K

Vulture Conservation: Critically endangered vultures

Part of: GS Prelims and Mains III – Environment and Biodiversity; Animal Conservation

In news:

• Palarapu cliff vulture habitat in Telangana.
• Forest Department officials  from Palarapu cliff vulture habitat visited Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre (JCBC), Pinjore, Haryana, to study the methods and status of conservation.
• Vulture Safe Zone (VSZ) initiative of the Pinjore JCBC to be implemented in Telangana.
• The project envisages elimination of the probability of consumption of the drug diclofenac through animal carcasses by the vultures within a radius of 100 km which is considered to be the range of the habitat.

Important Value Additions:

Of the 9 species found in India, 4 have been listed as critically endangered.

Remember only critically endangered vultures

1. Indian White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis) — Critically endangered
2. Long-billed Vulture or Indian Vulture (Gyps indicus) — Critically endangered
3. Slender-billed Vulture (Gyps tenuirostris) — Critically endangered
4. Red-headed Vulture (Sarcogyps calvus) — Critically endangered

Article link: Cliff habitat needs a vulture safe zone

‘Swachh Survekshan 2018’: Swachh rankings are out

Part of: GS Prelims and Mains III – Environment and Ecology; Biodiversity; Pollution

Key Pointers:

• Swachh Survekshan survey is released by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs

‘Swachh Survekshan 2018’ Rankings:

• State-wise: Jharkhand emerges as best performing State. Maharashtra stood second, while Chhattisgarh was at the third position in the category of ‘best-performing States’.
• City-wise: Indore gets cleanest city tag; followed by Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal, while Union Territory of Chandigarh stands at the third place

Mysuru has been ranked the cleanest medium-sized city in the country. Mysuru has been ranked the cleanest among cities with a population of between 3 lakh and one million.

Mangaluru has been ranked the best city in solid waste management.

Article Link: Swachh rankings are out, Indore gets cleanest city tag – NATIONAL …

New Bio-Fuel Policy

Part of: GS Prelims and Mains III – Environment and Ecology; Biodiversity; Pollution

In news:

• Union Cabinet approved a national policy on biofuels.

Key pointers:

The new policy seeks to help farmers dispose of their surplus stock in an economic manner and reduce India’s oil-import dependence.

Scope of raw material for ethanol production expanded

The policy expands the scope of raw material for ethanol production by allowing use of –

• sugarcane juice
• sugar containing materials like sugar beet, sweet sorghum
• starch containing materials like corn, cassava
• damaged food grains like wheat, broken rice
• rotten potatoes [that are] unfit for human consumption

Policy allows use of surplus food grains for production of ethanol for blending with petrol with the approval of National Biofuel Coordination Committee.

The policy provides for a viability gap funding scheme for second generation (more advanced) ethanol bio-refineries in addition to tax incentives and a higher purchase price as compared to first generation biofuels.

Important Value Additions:

• A biofuel is a fuel that is produced through contemporary biological processes, such as agriculture and anaerobic digestion, rather than a fuel produced by geological processes such as those involved in the formation of fossil fuels, such as coal and petroleum, from prehistoric biological matter.

• Earlier Bio-fuel policy had proposed indicative target of 20% blending of biofuels, both for bio-diesel and bio-ethanol, by 2017.
• Ethanol run bus launched in Nagpur under ‘Green Bus’ Project

Article link: Cabinet approves new biofuels policy – The Hindu

Banned ozone-destroying chemical on rise: scientists

In News:

• The 1987 Montreal Protocol banned industrial aerosols such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that were chemically dissolving ozone, especially above Antarctica.
• Measurements at remote sites, including the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, of the chemical, known as CFC-11, point to East Asia as the source or renewed production.

7. All-women crew of INSV Tarini to return

Part of: GS Prelims – Defence/Science

In news:

• INSV Tarini, the naval sail ship with an all-women crew circumnavigating the globe for the past nine months, will return to India this week after successful completion of the ambitious mission.
• The expedition is named as ‘Navika Sagar Parikrama’

Important Value Additions:

• INSV Tarini is almost identical to her illustrious predecessor, the iconic Mhadei which has sailed over 115000 nautical miles in the past eight years.

About Tarani and Mhadei

• The boat draws her origin from the famous Tara-Tarini temple of Orissa’s Ganjam district.
• The word Tarini means a Boat and is also a Sanskrit word for Saviour.
• Tara-Tarini is a patron deity for sailors and merchants and is worshipped for safety and success at sea.
• Tara-Tarini of Orissa is known to have historical linkages with the river Goddess Mhadei- the exclusive boat deity of the Mhadei river of Goa.
• Both the deities Tarini and Mhadei have sculptural similarities.

Article Link: Crew of INSV Tarini to return

Newest frog: Mangaluru narrow-mouthed frog

Part of: GS Prelims and Mains III – Environment and Biodiversity

In News:

• The latest addition to India’s frog fauna is the Mangaluru narrow-mouthed frog
• The new frog is christened Microhyla kodial after the city of Mangaluru (called kodial in the Konkani language)
• The frog is found only in a small industrial space in the city

Article Link: Newest frog for India from Karnataka

(MAINS FOCUS)

NATIONAL

TOPIC:

General Studies 2:

• Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

General Studies 3:

• Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

India on its path to becoming an Electric Vehicle hub

Background:

Over the past 12 months, the government has been steadfastly advocating a move to phase out petrol and diesel cars completely and transforming the country into an all-electric market by the year 2030. Action plans have been formulated.
The question remains, however, is India on the right track to becoming an EV hub?

Benefits of shifting to EV:

• Cut down on fuel bills.
• Reduce emissions.
• Cut the escalating demand for road infrastructure.
• Above all, it will change the face of the automotive industry and transform India into the leading electric vehicle market in the region and perhaps the world.

Opportunities:

• All eyes remain on India to excel in this space, not only due to the strong presence of many of the world’s leading automotive brands, but also the government’s clearly voiced support.
  Malaysia has announced recently that it plans to lean on Indian expertise in developing its own auto industry.
• Many leading companies are already gearing up for EVs. Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai announced their plans to introduce their first electric vehicles in India by 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Challenges:

• With more than half of the automotive suppliers in India based on engine-and-transmission systems, the industry is likely to take a hit.
  Strong government support will be required to help transform these companies.
• The risk falls on the industry in determining the market readiness of electric vehicles.

Charging infrastructure:

• While the EV fleet and charging networks across the world have grown concurrently, it has led to the emergence of different charging standards in different regions.
• Every car has a different charging system. All models of different manufacturers cannot be charged at any station.
• At present, there are very few charging stations in India, which makes long-distance travel almost impossible.
  Given that more than 80 per cent of car owners in India state that they have only one car for their household, this limitation has always been a big hurdle to accepting EVs.

Government incentives such as offering subsidised electricity tariffs and promoting public awareness will help in developing the infrastructure.
The recent government initiative to set up EV charging stations at parking lots of railway stations is likely to generate greater interest and acceptability.

Other focus areas:

• Platforms to develop battery cell technologies and pack, innovative software, and telematics — whereby detailed data about the areas in a city that have the most number of EVs at any point in time, should be developed.
• The strategic placement of charging points at coffee shops, restaurants, and malls — will help in easing the potential hiccups faced by the prospect of charging EVs outside key hub spots.

Increased energy generation:

There are opportunities for energy and renewable energy firms to leverage on the eventual increased demand for electricity (by the EVs). Addressing the increased energy needs hand-in-hand should thus go hand in hand with discussions surrounding the EV sector.
India’s largest power generation utility, NTPC, is currently seeking a pan-India licence to set up charging stations.
In order to increase the momentum of electrification development, an innovative and pragmatic approach should be adopted to address energy supplies.

Govt support:

Short-term incentives such as cash subsidies, lowering road taxes and cutting GST for EVs, along with other measures such as tax rebates, would help to project a stronger long-term committed strategy.

The industry awaits further clarity on the government’s position on electric vehicles (EVs) regarding:

• Availability of charging infrastructure.
• Investment and incentive guidelines.
• The role of state governments to support the launch of EVs.

China example:

China has already shown the way on how to support growth in this sector.

• Besides offering EV owners generous subsidies, China has also introduced a preferential vehicle licensing system, whereby EV buyers get their license plates free and with least delay.
• China is focusing investments into EV charging stations.

These measures have culminated in a boom for the industry with sales of electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles up 53 per cent in 2016.
If India can look to replicate at least some of these measures, the EV industry would respond positively.

Conclusion:

India’s automotive industry is headed for an inflection point. To make India an EV hub setting up the required infrastructure is most crucial. Also, keeping the industry and its customers at the core of all relevant smart mobility plans is crucial to ensure that India stays on the right track to becoming an EV hub.

Connecting the dots:

• India’s automotive industry is headed for an inflection point. To make India an EV hub setting up the required infrastructure is most crucial. Discuss.

(TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE)

Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section)

Q.1) In which of the following cases, Governor can use situational discretion?

1. During appointment of chief minister when no party has a clear-cut majority in the state legislative assembly.
2. When the chief minister in office dies suddenly and there is no obvious successor.
3. Dismissal of the council of ministers when it cannot prove the confidence of the state legislative assembly.
4. Dissolution of the state legislative assembly if the council of ministers has lost its majority.

Choose appropriate code:

1. 2 and 3 only
2. 1, 3 and 4
3. 1, 2 and 3
4. 1, 2, 4 and 4

Q.2) Consider the following statements

1. Constitution does not contain any specific procedure for the selection and appointment of the Chief Minister.
2. According to the Indian Constitution, in case of no pre-poll alliance among parties, the Governor should give first preference to the single largest party.
3. Governor has provision to exercise his/her personal discretion in the selection and appointment of the Chief Minister, when no party has a clear majority in the assembly.

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. 1 and 2
2. 1 and 3
3. 2 and 3
4. All of the above

Q.3) The oath of office and secrecy is administered to the Chief Minister by

1. Speaker of Legislative Assembly
2. Governor
3. Chief Justice of the High Court
4. Senior most Member of Legislative Assembly

Q.4) ‘Navika Sagar Parikrama’ is a voyage of circumnavigation of Globe by an India crew. What is special about it?

1. It is first ever attempt to circumnavigate the globe by an Indian crew.
2. It is the first time an indigenous ship is being used to circumnavigate the globe.
3. This is the first-ever Indian circumnavigation of the globe by an all-women crew.
4. This is the first ever circumnavigation of globe attempted in History.

Q.5) Pakistan has objected over the India’s 330 MW Kishanganga hydroelectric project in kishanganga river, Kishanganga is a tributary of which river?

1. Jhelum
2. Indus
3. Chenab
4. None of the above

Q.6) Consider the below statements in reference to Permanent Court of Arbitration (CoA)

1. It is an intergovernmental organization, located at The Hague in the Netherlands.
2. The organization is not a United Nations agency, but PCA is an official United Nations Observer.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Q.7) Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre (JCBC) is part of –

1. Telangana’s vulture conservation programme
2. Haryana’s vulture conservation programme
3. Maharashtra’s vulture conservation programme
4. Madhya Pradesh’s vulture conservation programme

Q.8) Vultures are considered to be declining in population mostly due to consumption of carcasses of livestock and cattle injected with

1. Ketoprofen
2. Diclofenac
3. Both (a) and (b)
4. Neither (a) nor (b)

Q.9) Consider the below statements with regard to Swachh Survekshan 2018’:

1. Swachh Survekshan survey is released by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
2. Mysuru has been ranked the best city in solid waste management.
3. Indore gets cleanest city tag; followed by Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal, while Union Territory of Chandigarh stands at the third place.

Which of the following statements are correct?

1. 1 and 2
2. 1 and 3
3. 3 only
4. All of the above

Q.10) Which among the following can be used as raw material for ethanol production?

1. Sugarcane
2. sugar beet
3. broken rice
4. rotten potatoes
5. corn

Choose appropriate answer:

1. 1, 2 and 5
2. 1, 2, 4 and 5
3. 1, 2 and 4
4. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

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