Current Affairs from The Hindu DATE:11-04-15
S.NO. / NEWS ITEM / SYLLUBUS / ESSENCE OF THE ARTICLE1. / India to buy 36 Rafale jets in ready condition (Pages 1 and 10) / a) I.R / a) Marking a development in the prolonged talks for striking the French Rafale jet deal, PM Modi announced that India would buy 36 of the fighter planes in flyaway condition, citing critical operational requirements of the Indian Air Force.
2. / India seethes as Lakhvi is freed (Pages 1 and 10) / a) I.R / a) Pak officials said the Lahore High Court has freed Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi (the alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks) on bail striking down the detention orders against him.
3. / Stabilising border is priority for India, China (Page 10) / a) I.R / a) India and China held their annual defence dialogue, expected to earmark four additional points of emergency interaction between border personnel in the Ladakh sector and establish new nodes for confidence-building.
4. / US, Cuba to take stock of negotiations (Page 12) / a) International / a) Presidents Obama and Raul Castro are expected to hold talks, raising the prospect of the first substantive meeting between an American and Cuban leader in more than five decades.
5. / The struggle for Syria (Page 9) / a) International / a) Hope for peace in Syria might no longer vest in exhausted population. The possibility of a discussion between Iran and Saudi Arabia could lessen the geopolitical conflict in the country.
6. / SC to hear farmers plea on Monday (Page 11) / a) National
b) Polity / a) The Supreme Court will hear a petition filed by farmers bodies challenging the promulgation of the controversial Land Acquisition Ordinance on April 13.
7. / Peace again at stake in Nagaland (Page 9) / a) National / a) With the NSCN (K) withdrawing from the ceasefire, trouble could make once more in Nagaland, putting the govts ambitious plans for an ASEAN trade gateway at risk.
8. / Rekindling the fight against leprosy (Page 8) / a) National
b) Health / a) The diagnosis and treatment of leprosy is now considered easier and more effective than ever before.
S.NO. / NEWS ITEM / SYLLUBUS / BACKGROUND / IMPORTANT POINTS
1. / India to buy 36 Rafale jets in ready condition (Pages 1 and 10) / a) I.R / a) India – France relations
b) Rafale deal
c) Jaitapur nuclear power plant
d) Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA)
e) Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL)
f) Make in India / a) Marking a development in the prolonged talks for striking the French Rafale jet deal, PM Modi announced that India would buy 36 of the fighter planes in flyaway condition, citing critical operational requirements of IAF.
b) An agreement on proceeding forward on blocking nuclear project in Jaitapur in Maharashtra was among the 17 pacts signed after the talks between Modi and Hollande. The Jaitapur project has been stuck for long because of differences over the cost of the power generated.
c) The original deal was for 126 fighter aircraft under the MMRCA contest, which began in 2007. Dassault Rafale was shortlisted in 2012 after strict evaluation but negotiations have been stuck over pricing and delivery guarantees for the aircraft manufactured by HAL in India.
d) A direct purchase will drive down the costs as there is no technology transfer involved and the delivery of aircraft will be faster. The major reasons for the direct purchase of 36 Rafale jets from France are the fast-depleting fighter strength of the IAF, unending delays in theMMRCA negotiations and the steep price rise.
e) France also informed India of its decision to implement a scheme for expedited 48 hours visa issuance for Indian tourists.
f) Noting that Hollande had supported the Make in India initiative (especially in the defence sector), Modi said that in the area of nuclear power, France had been a major partner with India.
g) He said France would partner India in urban development of infrastructure such as railways and defence and nuclear sector.
2. / India seethes as Lakhvi is freed (Pages 1 and 10) / a) I.R / a) India – Pakistan relations
b) Terrorism
c) 2008 Mumbai attacks / a) Pak officials said the Lahore High Court has freed Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi (the alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks) on bail striking down the detention orders against him.
b) Reacting sharply to the grant of bail, India sent its High Commissioner in Islamabad to the Pakistani Foreign Ministry to register a protest.
c) External Affairs Ministry said that this has reinforced the perception that Pakistan has a dual policy on dealing with terrorists and those who have carried out attacks or are posing a threat to India are being dealt with differently and highlighted that this is a most negative development in so far as bilateral ties are concerned.
3. / Stabilising border is priority for India, China (Page 10) / a) I.R / a) India – China relations
b) Border disputes
c) Arunachal Pradesh issue / a) India and China held their annual defence dialogue, expected to earmark four additional points of emergency interaction between border personnel in the Ladakh sector and establish new nodes for confidence-building, including joint forays to tackle humanitarian disasters at sea.
b) The day-long interaction was meant to strengthen institutional mechanisms to prevent a flare-up of border tensions, which would obstruct the growing economic and regional partnership between India and China.
c) Both sides have showed their intent to stabilise the border first, rather than seek a quick resolution of the boundary issue.
4. / US, Cuba to take stock of negotiations (Page 12) / a) International / a) US – Cuba relations / a) Presidents Obama and Raul Castro are expected to hold talks, raising the prospect of the first substantive meeting between an American and Cuban leader in more than five decades.
b) An actual discussion would be the first substantive talks between US and Cuban leaders since 1956, when President Dwight Eisenhower met dictator Fulgencio Batista, who was overthrowed by Fidel Castro three years later.
5. / The struggle for Syria (Page 9) / a) International / a) Syria conflict
b) Iran and P5+1 nuclear deal
c) Yemen conflict
d) Islamic State (IS)
e) Al-Qaeda
f) Al-Nusra / a) Syrias ongoing conflict has claimed the lives of more than 2,00,000 people and sent 16 million Syrians out of their homes. Conditions within areas held by the Bashar al-Assad government remain dangerous.
b) With weak support for the humanitarian relief operations and with a drained Damascus exchequer, extremism appears attractive. No doubt then that it is the extremist fighters of the al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra and IS that remain motivated on the battlefields of Syria.
c) The Syrian Arab Army, the governments force had been found to be wanting early in the conflict; it had been trained for a different kind of war.It is not clear if Hezbollah and other militias will once more lead the struggle against the recent rapid gains made by al-Nusra and IS.
d) Al-Nusra alongside the various outfits of the anti-Damascus bloc seized the provincial capital of Idlib near Turkeys border. Now two capitals of Syrias 14 governorates are outside the control of the Assad govt. The first to fall was Raqqa, now the capital of IS.
e) Despite US and Gulf Arab attacks, IS remains in control of its redoubt. Idlib did not fall to IS, but to the al-Nusra (which was set up by IS in Jan 2012). Despite indications that a collection of fighters participated in the defeat of the govt forces, it is clear now that al-Nusra is in charge of Idlib.
f) Idlibs capture appears to be far from symbolic. Over the past few months, al-Nusra has fought off any attempt by Western-backed rebels to carve out a place for themselves.
g) The most dramatic turn of events came when IS engaged its sleeper cells and its combatants from the Ghouta plains to sweep into Damascus largely Palestinian neighbourhood of Yarmouk.
h) Officials argued that al-Nusra is more pragmatic than ideological. Nusras pragmatism and ongoing evolutionmean it could become an ally in the fight. It says a great deal about the broken horizons over Syria that the West would find its allies amongst al-Qaeda, even if the actual fighters are motivated less by ideology and more by the ferocity of the organisation.
i) The history of such groups in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Chechnya and elsewhere shows that the hierarchies of these fronts make the actual motivations of the fighters less important than the orientation of the leadership. Al-Nusras moderation is only in that it would not declare an emirate before it has seized Damascus. This is what separates it from the impatience of the IS.
j) Hope for peace in Syria might no longer vest in the exhausted population. The new deal between the P5+1 and Iran offers the potential for a new road to open up.
k) Dangerous conflicts in Syria as well as in Yemen, where Saudi airplanes continue their attack, delivers advantage to al-Qaeda. Lessening the disorder is imperative.
6. / SC to hear farmers plea on Monday (Page 11) / a) National
b) Polity / a) Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Re-settlement (Amendment) Ordinance 2015
b) Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency
c) Article 123
d) Parliament
e) Lok Sabha
f) Rajya Sabha / a) The Supreme Court will hear a petition filed by farmers bodies challenging the promulgation of controversial Land Acquisition Ordinance on April 13.
b) The petition alleges that promulgation of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in LARR (Amendment) Ordinance 2015 on April 3 by first proroguing the Rajya Sabha on March 28 was a clever device and planadopted by the government which destroys the legislative process of the Rajya Sabha.
c) The Petition said that lack of political will or consensus or fear of the Executive of getting defeated on the floor of House, is not a ground for exercise of power under Article 123.
7. / Peace again at stake in Nagaland (Page 9) / a) National / a) Nagaland issue
b) National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K)
c) NSCN (Isak-Muivah)
d) NSCN-Khole-Kitovi)
e) United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA)
f) National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) / a) When the BJP-led govt took power at the Centre, it fast-tracked a solution to the long-standing Nagaland issue and set a deadline of 18 months in Nov 2014. The renewed focus raised the stakes for the Naga people to achieve a deal. b) A further momentum came via the plan to transform Nagaland and Manipur into Indias trade gateway to the ASEAN countries. This made peace even more urgent.
c) Unfortunately, on March 27, the NSCN-K unilaterally decided to retract from the 14-year ceasefire agreement with the Indian government, due for annual renewal on April 28.
d) The NSCN-Ks move might lead to renewed factional violence, which could stop the plans of connectivity via Myanmar that Modi announced in his visit to the North-East last year.
e) Trouble has been infusing in NSCN (K) for a while now. In April 2012 (when it signed a ceasefire with Yangon), it was opposed fiercely by two other Naga armed groups NSCN (Isak-Muivah)and NSCN-Khole-Kitovi), who said that the NSCN (K) could not function like a trans-border group and be allowed to sign ceasefires with two sovereign governments.
f) NSCN (K) defended its action, saying that any solution to the Naga issue without the sovereignty clause was a false. It also accused India of using the ceasefire as a psychological action to undermine and demoralise the patriotic spirit and intensity of the Nagas.
g) The Indian govt also has a growing list of concerns about the NSCN (K). The latter had agreed not to assist any North-Eastern insurgent groups to set up base camps in Myanmar, but on-ground research reveals that in NSCN (K)-dominated areas of Myanmar such as Lahe, Leshi and Nanyun in Sagaing administrative region, the ULFA-Paresh Barua faction and the NDFB (Songbijit faction) set up camps to carry out attacks in Assam.
h) North-Eastern insurgent groups also have access to training and regrouping camps in Myanmars Naga Self-Administered Zone, where NSCN (K) has been granted autonomy by the Myanmar govt. NSCN (K) cadres are allowed to remain fully armed in the three townships in the Zone, which is geographically contiguous to Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
i) Although India has unilaterally declared that it will continue its part of the ceasefire with the NSCN (K), the major security concern in Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland now arises from another aspect. The possibility of violence looms high in the aftermath of the split, if what happened four years ago is any indication.
j) The fact that NSCN (K) has a Myanmar-based leadership seems to haveplayed into and limited its role as a major stakeholder in the Naga issue. On the larger front, there have been concerted efforts by Naga civil society to expand the representation of the Nagas in the peace process so that a lasting and widely acceptable resolution to the Naga issue might be found.
k) If the govt is serious about bringing lasting peace in the North-East, the first step is to hold ceasefire signatory groups accountable to ceasefire ground rules. Therefore, it is critical at this juncture that the Centre (along with the Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland State govts) map out the areas with an NSCN (K) presence and shore up security there to limit the possible breakout of inter-factional violence.
8. / Rekindling the fight against leprosy (Page 8) / a) National
b) Health / a) Leprosy (Hansens Disease)
b) Multidrug therapy (MDT)
c) Law Commission of Indias 256th Report
d) UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2007
e) Hindu Marriage Act 1955
f) Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act 1939
g) Persons with Disabilities Act 1995 / a) The diagnosis and treatment of leprosy is now considered easier and more effective than ever before. Since 1983, the disease is curable with multidrug therapy.
b) MDT was successfully assimilated into Indias health programmes, leading to a reduction in the overall rate of leprosy incidence in the country. But since 2005 the rate of decline has slowed. As of 2014, India still accounts for 58 percent of all new leprosy cases in the world.
c) It is in this context that one hopes the Law Commission of Indias 256th Report (Eliminating Discrimination against Persons Affected by Leprosy) will initiate a new chapter in Indias fight against leprosy. The report is critical of the failures of our health programme (especially since 2005) in dealing with leprosy eradication.
d) Its recommendations clearly draw from the constitutional values of dignity, equality and freedoms. The Law Commission recognises Indias international obligations arising out of the UNGAResolution on Elimination of Discrimination against Persons affected by Leprosy 2010, as well as its obligations under the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2007.
e) The focus of the report is on how several of the laws are themselves discriminatory, needing amendment or repeal. For instance, the Life Insurance Corporation Act 1956 contains discriminatory provisions wherein higher premium rates are charged from persons affected by leprosy due to a supposedly higher risk to their lives.
f) There are several personal laws such as the Hindu Marriage Act 1955 and the Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act 1939 that are also discriminatory, mistaking leprosy as an incurable and virulent disease. Even the Persons with Disabilities Act 1995 does not include all categories of persons affected by leprosy within its purview, denying them special privileges under the law.
g) The report recommends non-discriminatory laws and affirmative action, for their greater integration into employment and educational institutions. India will be a complex task involving an engagement that goes beyond acknowledging ownership rights. But overall, the Commissions recommendations are forward-looking and progressive. They must be implemented soonest.
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