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Current Affairs News Analysis for UPSC | 24th Nov 2020
Today's Must Read Articles :Oxford vaccine is 70% effective
HEADLINES:
Oxford vaccine is 70% effective
WHY IN NEWS:
200 million doses will be ready by year-end, says pharma major
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3:Health:Diseases
ISSUE:
ASTRAZENECA
SOURCES : THE HINDU
- This will give the world’s fight against the global pandemic a new weapon, cheaper to make, easier to distribute and faster to scale-up than rivals.
- Seven hundred million doses could be ready globally as early as the end of the first quarter of 2021.
- The vaccine on average prevented 70% of COVID-19 cases in late-stage trials in Britain and Brazil.
- The efficacy was 62% if the full dose was given twice, as it was for most study participants.
- No serious safety events were confirmed, the company said.
IASbhai WINDUP:
- However, AstraZeneca’s shares fell 4%, , as investors perceived the efficacy data as disappointing compared with rivals.
- Pfizer and Moderna, which reported that their vaccines prevented around 95% of cases, had set the bar for success sky-high.
- The AstraZeneca shot does, however, have some advantages over offerings from U.S. rivals.
SOURCES: THE HINDU | Current Affairs News Analysis for UPSC | 24th Nov 2020
Bhutan border village on disputed land
HEADLINES:
Bhutan border village on disputed land
WHY IN NEWS:
Media claims it is on Chinese territory
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 2 : IR
ISSUE:
PANGDA VILLAGE
- The released images of the village show its location on territory disputed by the two countries.
- The newspaper placed the village in disputed territory, a couple of kilometres inside what Bhutan sees as its territory.
BHUTAN’S DENIAL
- Last week, however, Bhutan’s officials denied the village was on their territory.
- 27 households voluntarily moved from Shangdui village of Duina prefecture of Yadong county to Pangda village in September 2020.-Global Times
IASbhai WINDUP:
- Chinese media reported there were 27 households, and the village was covered by asphalt roads .
- It also has a public square, village committee, health room, police room, kindergarten, supermarket and plastic runway.
SOURCES: THE HINDU | Current Affairs News Analysis for UPSC | 24th Nov 2020
Kerala puts new libel law on hold
HEADLINES:
Kerala puts new libel law on hold
WHY IN NEWS:
We will seek debate on amendment: CM
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 2 : Fundamental Rights
ISSUE:
- Various quarters had aired scepticism about the recent revision to the Kerala Police Act, 2011.
- The government had decided not to implement the ordinance signed into law by Kerala Governor Arif Muhammad Khan.
CRITICISM
- The government had come under criticism for promulgating a “black law” that threatened free speech and the freedom of the press.
- However, the scope of potential abuse of the law prompted its abandonment.
IASbhai WINDUP:
- Alternatively, the government would seek a consensus by placing the amendment for debate in the Assembly.
SOURCES: THE HINDU | Current Affairs News Analysis for UPSC | 24th Nov 2020
“Padharo Mhare Des”
HEADLINES:
Digital concert series supports folk artistes during pandemic
WHY IN NEWS:
Initiative will present some renowned performers
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 1 : Art and Culture : Art Forms
ISSUE:
PADHARO MHARE DES
AIM
- The fund-raising series will present some renowned performers and promote virtual tourism during the pandemic.
SIGNIFICANCE
- The initiative would play a crucial role in the growth of art forms in the State and extend support to the artistes solely dependent on their performances for livelihood.
- The series has been planned and organised by Jaipur-based Arpan Foundation.
- This will highlight the rich heritage of traditional music and dance forms of the Thar desert.
- The teams of entertainment professionals have reached out to far-off regions and recorded performances of artistes at their native places.
MOHUN VEENA RECITAL
- “Padharo Mhare Des” will have special episode on Grammy Award winner Vishwa Mohan Bhatt on his iconic Mohan Veena.
IASbhai WINDUP:
DATABASE DRIVE
- State government will prepare a database of artistes practising in different spheres of crafts and techniques to help in with crowdsourcing.
- Folk artistes who formed an integral part of the State’s cultural fabric had been badly hit during the pandemic.
- Tourism, cultural performances, events and celebrations having been scaled down.
SOURCES: THE HINDU | Current Affairs News Analysis for UPSC | 24th Nov 2020
Govt. to fast-track green nod
HEADLINES:
Govt. to fast-track green nod
WHY IN NEWS:
MoEF issues fresh guidelines to accelerate environmental appraisal of projects
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3: Environment and Ecology : EIA : EAC
ISSUE:
RAPID RESULTS
- The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) wants to expedite the environment appraisal of industrial projects.
- They are trained in matters of ecology, wildlife and habitat preservation.
EXPERT APPRAISAL COMMITTEES (EACS)
- The Expert Appraisal Committees (EACs) opine on whether a proposed project beyond a certain size ought to be commissioned and recommend ways to mitigate the potential environmental impact.
- Ministry’s EIA division, that coordinates EAC meetings, issued fresh guidelines to accelerate the appraisal process.
‘AVOID DELAYS’
- The recommendations include ensuring that EAC meetings are held at least once in 15 days.
- All proposals that were placed for approval 10 days before a meeting ought to be considered (It is 15 days now).
- It was legally contentious if an office order could curtail the role of the EAC that requires detailed scrutiny of applications seeking environmental clearance.
IASbhai WINDUP:
- Accelerated approvals definitely don’t allow for good environmental decisions.
- Also, they do not necessitate that projects will be up and running to support an already sluggish economy.
SOURCES: THE HINDU | Current Affairs News Analysis for UPSC | 24th Nov 2020
Aviation Safety Awareness Week 2020
HEADLINES:
AAI observes Aviation Safety Awareness Week 2020
WHY IN NEWS:
Airports Authority of India (AAI) commenced Aviation Safety Awareness Week 2020 (23rd November to 27th November 2020).
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3 : Transport : Airports
ISSUE:
AVIATION SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK 2020
AIM
- AAI, requested all Regional Executive Directors & Airport Directors to be proactive.
- Covid-19 situation in spite of reduced flight movements, it has been observed that wildlife/bird menace has increased at airports.
EVENTS
- AAI will undertake various employee engagement programs at the airports and ANS stations .
- Various social campaigns too will be rolled out to raise awareness on the issue.
- Banners and posters are being displayed across AAI offices and operational centres.
SIGNIFICANE
- Safety preventive measures should continue unabated irrespective of traffic volume.
- The event is to educate both external and internal stakeholders on the significance of the Safety Awareness Week.
IASbhai WINDUP:
SOURCES: PIB | Current Affairs News Analysis for UPSC | 24th Nov 2020
ATAL Faculty Development Programmes (FDPs)-AICTE
HEADLINES:
Union Minister of Education inaugurates 46 online ATAL Faculty Development Programmes (FDPs) organised by AICTE
WHY IN NEWS:
Book of World Records, London acknowledges the training of over one lakh people in 1,000 programs under ‘FDP’ as a world record
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3: Education
CONTEXT:
ATAL – FACULTY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES (FDPs)
- Union Education Minister, inaugurated 46 online AICTE Training and Learning (ATAL) Academy Faculty Development Programmes (FDPs) .
AIM
- The main objective of ATAL Academy is to provide quality technical education in the country and to promote research and entrepreneurship.
- The FDPs will be conducted in 22 Indian states.
FUNDING
- This year the online FDP program will cost Rs 10 crores.
SIGNIFICANCE
- The online FDPs will be conducted according to the new National Education Policy (2020).
- CBSE teachers have been trained under the ‘Flipped Classroom‘ and ‘Blended Learning‘ concept.
TRAINING AND BENEFICIARIES
- FDPs in over 100 emerging areas will benefit one lakh faculty members across premier institutions like IITs, NITs, and IIITs.
- In the year 2020-21, new thrust areas in the field of Engineering, Management, Life Skills, Design & Media have been incorporated.
- Out of 1000, 499 FDPs have already been completed with more than 70,000 faculty members already trained.
KEY FOCUS AREAS
FDPs in nine thrust areas —
- Artificial Intelligence
- Internet of Things
- Block-chain, Robotics
- Quantum Computing
- Data Sciences
- Cyber Security
- 3D Printing & Design
- Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality
IASbhai WINDUP:
- In the flipped classroom model, students can take online lectures at home as per their convenience and the next day in class, they do assignments related to that lecture.
- This method not only improves learning ability, but also students’ scores.
- Under this, teachers record their lectures and post videos online, which can be accessed by students.
- Students watch these videos and study at home and when they come to class they are ready with that lecture.
- The next day, teachers in classrooms provide activities related to the post lecture and students participate.
SOURCES: PIB | Current Affairs News Analysis for UPSC | 24th Nov 2020
Corporates into Indian banking sector
HEADLINES:
S&P sceptical of allowing corporates into Indian banking sector
WHY IN NEWS:
Former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, and former deputy governor Viral Acharya also criticised the proposal, calling it a “bad” idea.
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3: RBI
ISSUE:
CORPORATES INTO INDIAN BANKING SECTOR
- A working group at the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recommended a series of changes, details of which were made public last week.
- It includes allowing industrial houses to act as so-called bank promoters, meaning they could take a major stake in a lender.
CONCERNS
The working group’s concerns regarding
- Conflict of interest
- Concentration of economic power
- Financial stability in allowing corporates to own banks are potential risks
- Adding that contagion risk from corporate defaults would also rise significantly if industrial houses were at the helm of a bank.
- Non-performing assets (NPA) within the corporate sector remain elevated even though they came down from 18% in March 2018 to 13% in March 2020.
IASbhai WINDUP:
- Former RBI governor, Raghuram Rajan, and a former deputy governor, Viral Acharya, also criticised the proposal, calling it a “bad” idea.
- It will further exacerbate the concentration of economic (and political) power in certain business houses
SOURCES: IE | Current Affairs News Analysis for UPSC | 24th Nov 2020
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