Daily CURRENT AFFAIRS

Daily Current Affair - UPSC/KAS Exams - 20th August 2021

What is in news : Vietnam will open its first Indian consul office in Bengaluru

Details :

• Industrialist N S Srinivasa Murthy has been named the honorary consul of Vietnam for Karnataka
• Consul will help improve investment ties between the two countries. Pharmaceuticals, automobile spare parts manufacturing and IT are potential sectors for collaboration
• Recently 76th National Day reception of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the city

VIETNAM

• Southeast Asian country
• Known for its beaches, rivers, Buddhist pagodas and bustling cities
• Capital - Hanoi
• Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) has French colonial landmarks, plus Vietnamese War history museums and the Củ Chi tunnels, used by Viet Cong soldiers
• National animal - Water Buffalo
• National flower - Lotus

INDIA - VIETNAM

Significance of the Relationship:

• India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was one of the first visitors to Vietnam after its victory against the French at Dien Bien Phu in 1954.
• Vietnam is a strategic pillar of India’s Act East Policy, and key interlocutor in ASEAN.
• Over the years, political contacts have strengthened as reflected in several high-level visits by leaders from both sides.
• India’s thrust under the ‘Act East’ policy combined with Vietnam’s growing engagement within the region and with India has paid rich dividends.
• India and Vietnam closely cooperate in various regional forums such as ASEAN, East Asia Summit, Mekong Ganga Cooperation, Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) besides UN and WTO.
• Both India and Vietnam possess the capacity to find compatibility in areas promoting defence cooperation and infrastructure simultaneously.
• Vietnam, which is under maritime pressure from China’s activities in the South China Sea (SCS), wants India to deepen its military engagement further.
• India and Vietnam closely cooperate in various regional forums such as ASEAN, East Asia Summit, Mekong Ganga Cooperation, Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) besides UN and WTO.
• The India-Vietnam Joint Statement of March 2018 reiterates the focus given to sub-regionalism.
• Vietnam opposed the “Quad” or quadrilateral coalition among India, the US, Japan and Australia.

Bilateral Relations:

• Cultural and economic links between India and Vietnam date back to 2nd century.
• India and Vietnam have robust trade and economic relations with bilateral trade of USD 12.8 billion in 2017-18.
• Trade and economic linkages continue to grow.
• Defence Cooperation has emerged as a significant pillar of India’s strategic partnership with Vietnam.
• Military exchanges between India and Vietnam are quite robust. The two sides conducted their first-ever bilateral land warfare and naval exercises in early 2018.
• Indian ships regularly make friendly port calls to Vietnam.
• For the first time, a Vietnamese ship participated in the International Fleet Review at Vishakhapatnam, in February 2016.
• The Indian Business Chamber (INCHAM) is an organisation of Indians living in Vietnam, primarily to promote trade and business interactions.
• The Indian Cultural Centre was opened in Hanoi in September 2016, with the objective of strengthening India’s cultural presence in Vietnam.

What is in news : The State Cabinet has approved the Karnataka State Mental Healthcare Rules, 2021, to implement the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, of the Centre, to provide healthcare and services for persons with mental illness and to protect, promote, and fulfil the rights of such persons.

MENTAL HEALTHCARE ACT, 2017

Features :

• Right to make an Advance Directive
• Patient can state on how to be treated or not to be treated for the illness during a mental health situation.
• FOLLOWING RIGHTS ARE GIVEN TO PATIENTS
  • Right to appoint a Nominated Representative: A person shall have the right to appoint a nominated representative to take on his/her behalf, all health related decisions
  • Right to access mental health care
  • Right to free & quality services
  • Right to get free medicines
  • Right to community living
  • Right to protection from cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment
  • Right to live in an environment, safe and hygienic, having basic amenities
  • Right to legal aid
  • No Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) without anesthesia
• Attempt to commit suicide not an offence
• This act brought changes in Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code (which criminalized attempted suicide).
• Now, a person who attempts to commit suicide will be presumed to be “suffering from severe stress’’ and shall not be subjected to any investigation or prosecution.
• The act envisages the establishment of Central Mental Health Authority and State Mental Health Authority.

HISTORY-ART-CULTURE

What is in news : New Study Suggests Indus Valley People Spoke Ancestral Dravidian Language.

FINDINGS OF THE PAPER

• The paper
  • Suggested that speakers of ancestral Dravidian languages had a greater historic presence in northern India including the Indus Valley region from where they migrated
  • Took into account the thriving trade relations between the Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC) and the Persian Gulf as well as Mesopotamia
• The word for elephant in Bronze Age Mesopotamia had its roots in a Proto-Dravidian language that was spoken by the IVC people
• SIGNIFICANCE: The possible implication of this finding is that there was a population movement from north-western India to south India

What is in news : SpiceJet to start trials of IATA’s travel pass

What is IATA’s travel pass:

• A mobile app
• Help passengers manage their travel in line with government requirements for Covid-19 tests or vaccines
• Will also enable authorised labs and test centres to securely send test results or vaccination certificates to passengers.

What is the need for such a service:

• As international travel restarts in the aftermath of Covid-19, several jurisdictions are insisting on vaccination certificates, Covid19 RT-PCR tests and other health documents
• Digital passports like the IATA travel pass have been developed to provide governments with the means to verify the authenticity of tests or vaccinations, airlines with the ability to provide accurate information to their passengers on test requirements and verify that a passenger meets the requirements for travel and travellers with accurate information on test requirements, where they can get tested, and the means to securely convey their travel health credentials to airlines and border authorities.

What is in news : Recently, it was announced that the second United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress (UNWGIC) will be held in Hyderabad, India, in 2022.

Details :

• By - United Nation Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM)
• First UNWGIC was organized by China in October 2018
• Objective: To enhance international collaboration among the Member States and relevant stakeholders in Geospatial information management and capacities
• Theme of Second UNWGIC: Geo-enabling the Global Village.

About UN-GGIM:

• Setting the agenda for the development of global geospatial information and to promote its use to address key global challenges.
• Works towards implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to keep the promise to leave no one behind.
• In 2010, the United Nations Secretariat was requested to initiate discussion and prepare a report for the approval of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on global coordination of geospatial information management, including the consideration of the possible creation of a United Nations Forum on GGIM.
• In 2011, the ECOSOC forum concluded with the acceptance of the Seoul Declaration on Global Geospatial Information Management (GGIM).

What is in news : Recently, during BRICS  meet, India proposed that New Development Bank's scope be expanded to strengthen Social Infrastructure besides promoting industry.

Details :

• Social Infrastructure includes the construction and maintenance of facilities that support social services such as healthcare, education, and housing.
• India is the chair of the BRICS grouping for 2021.

About New Development bank

• It is a multilateral development bank operated by the BRICS states (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).
• The New Development Bank was agreed to by BRICS leaders at the 5th BRICS summit held in Durban, South Africa in 2013.
• It was established in 2014, at the 6th BRICS Summit at Fortaleza, Brazil.
• The bank is set up to foster greater financial and development cooperation among the five emerging markets.
• In the Fortaleza Declaration, the leaders stressed that the NDB will strengthen cooperation among BRICS and will supplement the efforts of multilateral and regional financial institutions for global development.
• The bank will be headquartered in Shanghai, China.
• Unlike the World Bank, which assigns votes based on capital share, in the New Development Bank each participant country will be assigned one vote, and none of the countries will have veto power.
• Roles and functions:
  • Mobilise resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other emerging economies and developing countries
  • Supplement existing efforts of multilateral and regional financial institutions for global growth and development.

About BRICS

• BRICS is an acronym for the grouping of the world’s leading emerging economies, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
• In 2001, Goldman Sachs’ Jim O’Neill authored a paper called “Building Better Global Economic BRICs”, pointing out that future GDP growth in the world would come from China, India, Russia and Brazil.
• The BRICS Leaders’ Summit is convened annually.
• BRICS does not exist in the form of organization, but it is an annual summit.
• The Chairmanship of the forum is rotated annually among the members, in accordance with the acronym B-R-I-C-S.
• Together, BRICS accounts for about 40% of the world’s population and about 30% of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product), making it a critical economic engine.
• It’s an emerging investment market and global power bloc

What is in news: India, in collaboration with the United Nations (UN), has launched a technology platform to ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers who are operating across the world.

Details :

• The launch of the UNITE AWARE platform came as India assumed the Presidency of the 15-nation UN Security Council for the month of August.
• UNITE Aware is a situational awareness software programme that will utilise modern surveillance technology for real time threat assessments to peacekeepers and help them enhance their security.
• This will access live video and satellite imagery, and in very volatile circumstances can also deliver early warnings to peacekeepers. It can also record data on critical incidents and events and follow daily operational activities.
• This project aims to demonstrate the impact of modern surveillance technology on the detection of asymmetric threats. The project aims to improve camp security for UN peacekeepers, the overall security situation, and the quality of situational awareness

What is in news : Recent visit by the Indian Air Force chief, Air Chief Marshal R.K. Bhadauria, to Israel

Significance : Offers a window to study how New Delhi is taking advantage of the Abraham Accords deal signed between Israel and a consortium of Arab States led by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2020 in the west Asian region

What is Abraham Accord : The Abraham Accord between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain is mediated by the USA. It is the first Arab-Israeli peace deal in 26 years.

Previous Agreements:

• Egypt was the first Arab State to sign a peace deal with Israel in 1979.
• Jordan signed a peace pact in 1994.

The Agreement:

• As per the agreements, the UAE and Bahrain will establish:
  • Embassies and exchange ambassadors.
  • Working together with Israel across a range of sectors, including tourism, trade, healthcare and security.

The Abraham Accords also open the door for Muslims around the world to visit the historic sites in Israel and to peacefully pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the third holiest site in Islam.

• In the Islamic tradition, the Kaaba in Mecca is considered the holiest site, followed by the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, and Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
• Reason: Bringing Israel, the UAE and Bahrain together reflects their shared concern about Iran’s rising influence in the region and development of ballistic missiles. Iran has been critical of both deals.

What are the developments since the signing of accord :

• India also conducted the ‘Zayed Talwar’ naval exercises with the UAE off the coast of Abu Dhabi, further deepening the fast-developing strategic cooperation between the two countries.
• In December 2020, Indian Army chief, General M.M. Naravane, visited the UAE and Saudi Arabia, becoming the first chief of the Indian Army to do so. The foundation for these visits was set by the (now former) chief of the Indian Navy, Admiral Sunil Lanba, in 2017, who visited the UAE and Oman, the latter being home to Duqm Port where New Delhi signed a deal with Muscat for access to the facility, including dry dock use by the Indian Navy.

SIGNIFICANCE

• The signing of the Accords has removed a significant strategic obstacle for New Delhi — that of a trapeze wire delicate balancing act India has had to play out between the Arab Gulf and Israel over the decades.
• Status quo is now witnessing a change, with Israel inaugurating its first diplomatic mission in Abu Dhabi and direct flights, business and tourism picking up between the two countries over the past few months.
• New Delhi had welcomed the Accords, highlighting its support for mechanisms that offer peace and stability in the region.

SNIPPETS

• India launched the 5th edition of the Defence India Start-up Challenge (DISC) under Innovations for Defence Excellence - Defence Innovation Organisation (iDEX-DIO) meant to achieve self-reliance and foster innovation and technology development in the defence and aerospace sectors.
• BWSSB recently held Jalaspandana phone-in programme. The programme is being organised to receive and solve the issues relating to water and sewerage.

VOCABULARY

• Geospatial Technologies: Geospatial technologies is a term used to describe the range of modern tools contributing to the geographic mapping and analysis of the Earth and human societies.