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RED COLOUR: Important for Mains.
BLACK COLOUR: Must Read !
BLUE COLOUR : Important Links/Survey.
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Page Contents:
13th Oct Current Affairs News Analysis | Prelims & Mains 2021
Today's Must Read Articles :Taro : Disappearing Vegetable
HEADLINES:
Taro: In which you can eat both shoots and leaves
WHY IN NEWS:
Taro, better known as arbi, is the fifth most consumed root vegetable in the world.
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3: Agriculture : Climate Change
ISSUE:
Taro is among the earliest root crops cultivatedTARO
- This is a vegetable that restaurants rarely serve, but is cooked quite regularly in Indian homes.
- Taro, or Colocasia esculenta, is prepared in each state in its own special way.
- It is called arbi in Hindi, kochu in Bangla, chempu in Tamil, alu in Marathi, kesave in Kannada, chama in Telugu, chembu in Malayalam and venti in Konkani.
- Its uniqueness lies in the fact that all its parts, from root to shoot, are consumed as each has its own distinct taste.
- Taro, however, is quite difficult to handle as it makes the skin terribly itchy.
- To prevent the annoying itch, people apply generous amounts of mustard oil on hands before cutting the vegetable.
- This is fried on high heat in a little extra oil to eliminate chances of itchy throat or mouth when consumed.
TRACING THE ROOTS
- Among the earliest root crops cultivated, taro spread from Southeast Asia to China, Japan and the Pacific Islands.
- It then travelled westward to Arabia and the Mediterranean region and by 100 BC, it was being grown in Egypt.
- Another reason for its popularity is that it grows vegetatively and spreads profusely in suitable conditions.
- But the crop is water intensive and therefore, vulnerable to drought.
- It estimated that production of the root crop is 10.5 million tonnes per year from the 1.4 million hectares cultivated.
IASbhai WINDUP:
- However, in many parts of Australia, such as Queensland and New South Wales, the plant has been labelled a weed.
- It is listed as invasive even in Hawaii, French Polynesia, the Juan Fernández Islands, the Galapagos.
- Although it is cultivated in many other Pacific Islands.
- With climate change, we might lose this important food crop.
- Therefore, efforts must be made to protect the vegetable so well loved the world over.
SOURCES:DownToEarth | 13th Oct Current Affairs News Analysis
No penal provision to protect transgenders
HEADLINES:
No penal provision to protect transgenders from assault
WHY IN NEWS:
SC asks govt. to respond to plea on ensuring equal protection
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 2 : Judiciary
ISSUE:
NO PENAL PROVISIONS
- The petition said there was no penal provision which protected them from sex crimes.
- The Bench also stood up to protect rights, filled up the vacuum caused by the absence of statutory law.
- The court referred to the Vishaka guidelines dealing with the sexual harassment of women at the workplace .
- The court also referred to decriminalisation of consensual gay sex acts in this context.
- Indian Penal Code (IPC) and other criminal laws which do not mention offences against “transgenders, transsexuals, kinnar and eunuchs”.
IASbhai WINDUP:
- In spite of declaring transgender people to be a ‘third gender’ by this court, there is no provision/section in the Indian Penal Code .
- The PIL challenged the constitutional validity of certain clauses of Section 354A (outraging the modesty of woman) of the IPC.
- The PIL stated – to the extent that they are interpreted to exclude victims of sexual harassment who are transgender persons.
SOURCES:THE HINDU | 13th Oct Current Affairs News Analysis
Sri Lanka : Debt Trap
HEADLINES:
Sri Lanka in talks to secure $500 mn in Chinese loans
WHY IN NEWS:
Pompeo is also likely to visit Colombo later this month
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 2 : IR
ISSUE:
THE DEBT TRAP
- A $500 million concessional loan requested by Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Finance to a “China financial institute” is under negotiation, but yet to be finalised.
- If sanctioned, the loan will take Sri Lanka’s total borrowings from China over $1 billion.
- After the $500 million “urgent financial assistance” that Beijing extended in March to help Sri Lanka cope with the economic impact of the pandemic.
DEBT FREEZE
- That the Sri Lankan government did not discuss a possible debt freeze in talks with China.
- The focus now is on possible investment from China, not just loans.
- The request for a $1 billion currency swap facility, is being discussed at the official level.
IASbhai WINDUP:
The negotiations come at a time when Sri Lanka is mulling ways to repay its mounting foreign loans.
SOURCES:THE HINDU | 13th Oct Current Affairs News Analysis
Anti-microbe drug
HEADLINES:
Anti-microbe drug can fight coronavirus, say scientists
WHY IN NEWS:
Common drug used to treat stomach ulcers shows promise
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3: Diseases
ISSUE:
METALLOGRUGS
- Researchers set out to explore whether metallodrugs — compounds containing metal that are more commonly used against bacteria is effective against SARS CoV-2.
- The researchers tested for anti-viral properties that could fight the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
RANITIDINE BISMUTH CITRATE
- Researchers found that one of the drugs, ranitidine bismuth citrate (RBC), was “a potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 agent”.
- This demonstrate that RBC is a potential anti-viral agent for COVID-19.
IASbhai WINDUP:
- The Hong Kong scientists – RBC was a commonly available drug used against stomach ulcers with a safe and comprehensive pharmacological profile.
- It’s been used for decades, so it’s pretty safe.
SOURCES:THE HINDU | 13th Oct Current Affairs News Analysis
Consumer Price Index
HEADLINES:
Factory output shrinks for sixth month
WHY IN NEWS:
Industrial production contracts 8% in August; food, transport costs drive consumer inflation to 7.3%
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3: Economy
ISSUE:
IIP
- The index of industrial production (IIP) shrank 8% in August on a year-on-year basis.
- This marked a marginally improvement compared with July when output contracted 10.8% .
- CPI inflation came in higher at 7.4% against our forecast of 6.4%
CONSUMER PRICE INDEX
- Consumer Price Index or CPI as it is commonly called is an index measuring retail inflation in the economy .
- Called market basket, CPI is calculated for a fixed list of items including food, housing, apparel, etc.
- This can be further used to compute the cost of living.
- This also provides insights as to how much a consumer can spend to be on par with the price change.
- Remember, CPI is different from WPI, or Wholesale Price Index, which measures inflation at the wholesale level.
HOW DOES CONSUMER PRICE INDEX HELP?
- The Reserve Bank of India and other statistical agencies study CPI so as to understand the price change.
CPI is also a helpful pointer in understanding :
- The real value of wages, salaries and pensions,
- The purchasing power of a country’s currency; and regulating prices.
WHO MAINTAINS CONSUMER PRICE INDEX IN INDIA?
In India, there are four consumer price index numbers, which are calculated, and these are as follows:
- CPI for Industrial Workers (IW)
- CPI for Agricultural Labourers (AL)
- CPI for Rural Labourers (RL) and
- CPI for Urban Non-Manual Employees (UNME).
- The remaining three are collected by the Labour Bureau in the Ministry of Labour.
HOW IS CONSUMER PRICE INDEX CALCULATED?
- The CPI is calculated with reference to a base year, which is used as a benchmark.
- The price change pertains to that year.
- Then, it is multiplied by 100.
CONSUMER PRICE INDEX FORMULA
- CPI’s annual percentage change is also used to assess inflation.
- In India, the base years of the current series of CPI(IW), CPI(AL) and CPI(RL), are 1982, 1986-87 and 1984-85, respectively.
IASbhai WINDUP:
- All segments of industrial production contracted in August, including food, pharma products and fast-moving consumer goods.
- Overall, the mining sector shrank 9.8% in August, manufacturing output declined 8.6%, while power sector output contracted 1.8%.
- Capital goods, primary goods and consumer durables all clocked negative growth rates over 10% — 15.4%, 11.1% and 10.3%, respectively.
SOURCES:THE HINDU & PIB | 13th Oct Current Affairs News Analysis
Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP)
HEADLINES:
Delhi, Male ink $400-mn pact for connectivity
WHY IN NEWS:
India had previously loaned $800 mn
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 2 : IR
ISSUE:
GREATER MALE CONNECTIVITY PROJECT
- The line of credit (LoC) will fund the Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP).
- India has also pledged a grant of $ 100 million for the initiative.
SOURCES : INDIA TV
- The Greater Male Connectivity Project will lead to greater possibilities.
- It is the gateway to a more developed and economically-resilient nation.
- The grant and LoC come in addition to the previous LoC of $800 million, among India’s largest loans extended in the region.
THE INITIATIVE INCLUDES
- Air connectivity “bubble” for travel
- A direct ferry service
- A submarine cable for telecom connectivity
LOCATION
This 6.7 kilometre bridge project connecting Male with Gulhifalhu Port and Thilafushi industrial zone will help revitalise and transform Maldivian economy.
IASbhai WINDUP:
- The GMCP project will include construction of a bridge-and-causeway link spanning 6.7 kms.
- Thereby boosting economic activity, generating employment and promoting holistic urban development in the Malé region.
SOURCES:THE HINDU | 13th Oct Current Affairs News Analysis
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