U.S., Taliban sign peace deal
Context :
The United States signed a historic deal with Taliban insurgents that could pave the way toward a full withdrawal of foreign soldiers from Afghanistan over the next 14 months and represent a step toward ending the 18-year-war there.
Highlights :
- The deal was signed in the Qatari capital Doha by U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.
- For U.S President Donald Trump, the deal represents a chance to make good on his promise to bring U.S. troops home.
- Hours before the deal, the Taliban ordered all its fighters in Afghanistan “to refrain from any kind of attack … for the happiness of the nation.”
- The deal will pave way for U.S. troop numbers to drop to 8,600 from about 13,000 in the weeks following the deal.
- The Taliban wants 5,000 fighters to be released from Afghan-run jails, but it is not clear whether the Afghan government will agree.
Impact of the Deal :
- For millions of Afghans, the deal represents some hope for an end to years of bloodshed.
Germany’s far-right problem
Context :
The killing of nine people at two shisha lounges in Hanau, Germany, last week by a person suspected to have a far-right background has heightened concerns about the country’s right-wing extremism.
Why so serious :
The Hanau attacker had released a manifesto before the assault, targeting mainly those of Kurdish origin, which called for extermination of people in several West Asian countries.
Whats the Actual Problem :
In recent years, Germany, has seen twin far-right problems — growing street violence by extremists against minorities and immigrants and the rapid political rise of the far-right party Alternative for Germany (Alternative für Deutschland or AfD), which has normalised to an extent anti-immigrant rhetoric in the country’s political discourse. The growing popularity of the AfD, which is already represented in all regional parliaments in the country, is what makes Germany more vulnerable to far-right threats than other countries in the continent.
What does the AfD want :
The AfD was focused on its anti-euro agenda and staunchly opposed German taxpayer’s money being used to bail out debt-trapped countries in the euro zone, mainly Greece.
World Defence Day
Context :
World Defence Day is celebrated on 1 March 2020. The day is observed to raise awareness of public protection from natural and technogenic disasters and rescue service work.
History :
World Civil Defense Day was instituted by the International Civil Defense Organization (ICDO) General Assembly in 1990. It commemorates the day when the ICDO Constitution came into force as an intergovernmental organization in 1972.
ICDO :
ICDO was established by French Surgeon-General George Saint-Paul in 1931 in Paris. It was recognized by the French Parliament in June 1935 and in 1972 it achieved the status of an intergovernmental organization. The Constitution of ICDO has two main purposes that are aimed to bring attention of the world public to the vital importance of Civil Protection, raise awareness of the preparedness for self-protection and preventive measures to be taken in the event of accidents or disasters and pay tribute to the efforts and sacrifices of the national services responsible for the fight against disasters.
Sedition cases in India
Context :
Latest data suggest that the sedition law remains as relevant as ever with sedition arrests increasing in recent years.
The data :
- The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), though, has only been collecting separate data on sedition cases since 2014. In 2014, there were 47 cases of sedition but that number increased to 70 in 2018 (the latest year with available data).
- Compared to other offences, sedition remains a rare crime (it accounts for less than 0.01% of all IPC crimes).
- But within India, some parts are emerging as sedition hotspots. Assam and Jharkhand, for instance, with 37 sedition cases each, account for 32% of all sedition cases between 2014-2018.
- In 2018, there were 1,182 cases registered under UAPA. And almost all these cases (92%) were concentrated in five states (Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Jharkhand and Manipur).
What is Sedition :
Sedition, which falls under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code, is defined as any action that brings or attempts to bring hatred or contempt towards the government of India and has been illegal in India since 1870.
Kedarnath Singh vs State of Bihar :
Section 124A has been challenged in various courts in specific cases. The validity of the provision itself was upheld by a Constitution Bench in 1962, in Kedarnath Singh vs State of Bihar.
- That judgment went into the issue of whether the law on sedition is consistent with the fundamental right under Article 19 (1) (a) which guarantees each citizen’s freedom of speech and expression.
- The Supreme Court laid down that every citizen has a right to say or write about the government, by way of criticism or comment, as long as it does not “incite people to violence” against the government established by law or with the intention of creating public disorder.
Why sedition law should be repealed :
Sedition leads to a sort of unauthorised self-censorship, for it produces a chilling effect on free speech. It suppresses what every citizen ought to do in a democracy — raise questions, debate, disagree and challenge the government’s decisions. Sedition systematically destroys the soul of Gandhi’s philosophy that is, right to dissent.
Sources : the Hindu
Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Conference 2020
Context :
The 11th National Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Conference was held in New Delhi.
Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) :
- KVK is an integral part of the National Agricultural Research System (NARS). The first KVK was established in 1974 at Puducherry.
- The mandate of KVK is technology assessment and demonstration for its application and capacity development.
- It aims at assessment of location specific technology modules in agriculture and allied enterprises, through technology assessment, refinement and demonstrations.
- KVKs also produce quality technological products (seed, planting material, bio-agents, livestock) and make it available to farmers.
- The KVK scheme is 100% financed by the Government of India and the KVKs are sanctioned to Agricultural Universities, ICAR institutes, related Government Departments and Non Government Organizations (NGOs) working in Agriculture.
- KVKs act as a bridge between the laboratories and farmland. According to the Government, these are crucial to fulfilling the target of doubling farmers’ income by 2022.
Developments in Agriculture
- R&D has been done in the Agriculture sector.
- Superior crop varieties have been released. (Eg;-Wheat: HD 4728 (Pusa Malvi))
- 171 mobile apps developed for farmers. (Eg:-Kisan Suvidha)
- More than three lakh Common Service Centres (CSCs) opened.
- eNAM portal has been created so that the farmer gets a better price for his produce.
Source : pib
Renewable Energy Management Centers (REMCs)
Context :
Recently, the Northern Region Renewable Energy Management Centre (NR-REMC) was inaugurated at a function in New Delhi.
Key Points :
- Renewable Energy Management Centers (REMCs)
- They are equipped with Artificial Intelligence based Renewable Energy (RE) forecasting and scheduling tools.
- They provide greater visualization and enhanced situational awareness to the grid operators.
- Renewal energy supply can be seasonal (wind) or limited to some hours in the day (solar). It disturbs the power grid, used to seamless supply of thermal power.
- Need: The Government of India’s target of 175 GW Renewable Energy (RE) capacity by 2022 driving accelerated RE penetration poses challenges to the grid management due to intermittent and variable nature of RE generation.
- The Government of India had approved the implementation of the REMCs as a Central Scheme and had mandated POWERGRID, a Maharatna Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under the Ministry of Power as an Implementing Agency.
- Presently, 55 GW of Renewable (Solar and Wind) is being monitored through the eleven REMCs, located in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan.
Source : pib