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INDEX
1. National news
1.1 IMA tightens the screws on antibiotic prescriptions
1.2 Does privacy outlive death, asks SC
1.3 Special courts to try politicians
1.4 More time to link accounts to Aadhar
2. International News
2.1 ICAN receives noble peace prize
2.2 US, S. Korea, Japan start missile-tracking drill
2.3 Putin orders pullback from Syria
2.4 A 3-nation Indo-Pacific compact
2.5 Govt, ASEAN in talks to take IMT highway up to Vietnam
2.6 U.S. vetoes UN call on Jerusalem’s status
3. Polity and Governance
3.1 Free sanitary napkins for women belonging to BPL families in Haryana
3.2 Supreme Court to reexamine Adultery Law in India
3.3 Big push for Northeast roads
4. Bills and Acts
4.1 FRDI: Depositors will be protected
4.2 Parliament gives nod to IIM Bill
5. Economy
5.1 Lighthouse projects to spur digitization
5.2 Ministry may face fund crunch for UDAN
5.3 World Inequality Report 2018
6. Science and Tech
6.1 NASA’s Juno probes depths of Jupiter’s Red Spot
6.2 ISRO developing a compact launcher for smaller satellites
6.3 New Island offers clues in search for life on Mars: NASA
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7. Environment / Geography
7.1 SC eases pet coke ban for 2 sectors
7.2 Biodiversity under alien attack
8. Security
8.1 HAL to produce 100 of its own trainer aircraft
8.2 Kalvari inducted into the Navy
8.3 Govt. looking at JVs in ordnance sector
8.4 IAF’s Mi-8 chopper flies into history
9. India and World
9.1 WTO meet ends without consensus
9.2 India, Australia call for ‘open’ Asia-Pacific zone
9.3 Pakistan files counter in ICJ
9.4 Russia, India and China Triangle
9.5 US failed to walk the talk on Pak.: Karzai
9.6 China a threat, India an ally: US
9.7 Northeast policy to air trade with ASEAN
10. Short News
10.1 Hornbill festival attracted record tourists in Nagaland
10.2 UN needs to define terror: Vice-President
10.3 Govt. looking at JVs in ordnance sector
10.4 A rare visitor returns to Kolleru
10.5 Centre examining effects of e-cigarettes
10.6 US blames North Korea for WannaCry Cyberattack
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Current Affairs (11-Dec to 20-Dec, 2017)
1. National News
1.1 IMA tightens the screws on antibiotic prescriptions
Indian Medical Association (IMA) has advised doctors to follow strictly guidelines while
prescribing antibiotics.
The problem of growing antibiotic resistance has made it difficult to treat many
bacterial infections and is a serious concern for alarm for the association.
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has set up the National Anti-Microbial
Resistance Research and Surveillance Network (AMRRSN) to enable compilation of data
of such resistance at different levels of healthcare. Apart from this, it also publishes
treatment guidelines for anti-microbial use in common syndromes.
The doctors from now onwards will have to give clear instructions to the patient about
no refill of antibiotic prescription without the signature of the doctor.
1.2 Does privacy outlive death, asks SC
SC has thrown open the floor for debate on whether or not an individual’s fundamental
right to privacy subsists after death.
The topic arose over a plea against HC order to give Aadhaar data to verify
Jayalalithaa’s fingerprints.
The Supreme Court stayed the High Court order on a petition filed by leaders of the All
India Anna Dravida Munntra Kazhagam. It has decided to examine whether or not the
High Court’s order “amounts to intrusion into the fundamental right to privacy of a third
party”.
On August 24, 2017, the nine judges of the SC gave the landmark verdict which upheld
privacy as a fundamental right.
1.3 Special courts to try politicians
The Supreme Court gave the green signal for the Centre’s scheme to set up 12 fast track
courts to exclusively prosecute and dispose 1,581 criminal cases pending against
Members of Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies within a year.
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It further directed the Centre to allocate ₹7.8 crore to the States for setting up such
courts.
1.4 More time to link accounts to Aadhar
The government extended the December 31 deadline for linking bank accounts to
Aadhaar numbers by three months to March 31, 2018.
If Aadhaar will not be linked to bank accounts as per the date notified by the
government, the account would be blocked till the submission of Aadhaar and PAN
numbers.
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2. International News
2.1 ICAN receives noble peace prize
The leader of International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), the group
that won this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, on Sunday urged nuclear nations to adopt a UN
treaty banning atomic weapons in order to prevent “the end of us”.
What is ICAN ? It is a global civil society coalition working to promote adherence to and
full implementation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
ICAN was launched in 2007 and counts 468 partner organizations.
2.2 US, S. Korea, Japan start missile-tracking drill
The two-day exercise named Vigilant ACE kicked off in waters near the Korean
peninsula and Japan.
The trilateral drill comes less than two weeks after Pyongyang test-fired a new
intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) named Hwasong-15.
North Korea declared it had achieved nuclear statehood, escalating global alarm over its
weapons push.
2.3 Putin orders pullback from Syria
Russia will withdraw its forces from Syria but will permanently retain airbase and naval
base in the country.
Russia has been fighting alongside Syria against the Islamic State (IS).
Earlier this year, IS was ousted from its last major stronghold Raqqa.
2.4 A 3-nation Indo-Pacific compact
India, Japan and Australia agreed to greater collaboration on maritime security.
The three sides stressed the need for greater collaboration on maritime security and
domain awareness and disaster response capabilities.
They also renewed their resolve to fight the scourge of terrorism in all its forms and
manifestations and stressed the need for enhanced cooperation on counter-terrorism.
2.5 Govt, ASEAN in talks to take IMT highway up to Vietnam
The government is in talks with ASEAN countries to extend the India-Myanmar-Thailand
(IMT) highway up to Vietnam.
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India and ASEAN countries are holding consultations on the extension of the 1,360 km
IMT highway — from Moreh in India to Mae-Sot in Thailand — to Laos, Cambodia and to
Vietnam.
Connectivity can generate annually, an estimated USD 70 billion in incremental GDP and
20 million in incremental aggregate employment by 2025
Connecting India with the Southeastern countries through a network of road will create
jobs, market for crops grown in hilly regions of the Northeast which will also help
growers in getting better price for their produce
2.6 U.S. vetoes UN call on Jerusalem’s status
The U.S has vetoed the resolution whereas all the other remaining 14 members voted in
favour of the Egyptian-drafted resolution. The resolution called for the declaration of
Jerusalem as capital by U.S. to be withdrawn.
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3. Polity and Governance
3.1 Free sanitary napkins for women belonging to BPL families in Haryana
The Haryana government would soon provide sanitary napkins free of cost to all women
belonging to Below Poverty Line (BPL) category in the state.
It is a noteworthy achievement given the poor health condition of women and social
stigma related to menstrual health.
With the efforts of state government and cooperation of the people, the monthly
average of gender ratio has touched 937 which was around 840 before the launch of the
‘Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao’ scheme.
Now the gender ratio in many districts is more than 900 girls over 1000 boys.
3.2 Supreme Court to reexamine Adultery Law in India
SC agreed to have another look at the constitutional validity of Section 497 of the Indian
Penal Code, under which men can be prosecuted for adultery.
It has re-opened a question that has been decided thrice in the past.
While agreeing to issue notice to the government, the Bench has observed that the
provision is archaic.
It has further noted that in a case of adultery, one person is liable for the offence but
the other is absolved, and that the concept of gender neutrality, on which criminal law
normally proceeds, is absent.
The court has also noted that once the consent of the husband is established, there is
no offence of adultery at all. It rightly describes this as subordination of a woman and
something that “creates a dent on the independent identity of a woman”.
3.3 Big push for Northeast roads
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated crucial connectivity and power projects in
Mizoram and Meghalaya.
The 60-MW Tuirial hydropower power project was inaugurated in Mizoram. Mizoram
has now become the third power-surplus State in the northeast after Sikkim and
Tripura.
A grant of Rs. 90,000 crore for improving roads and national highways in the northeast
over two or three years to improve connectivity was given to Meghalaya.
He dedicated to the nation a 271-km two-lane national highway connecting Tura in
western Meghalaya to Shillong.
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India’s Act East Policy would soon make Mizoram the gateway to the Southeast Asian
countries, which include Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam.
Apart from this, the Kaladan Multi Modal Transit Transport Project, connecting Aizawl
with the deep-water Sittwe Port in Myanmar, would provide great benefits to the
people of the north-eastern States.
With the allocation of Rs. 10,000 crore for the power sector, a state-of-the-art
transmission system would be in place soon in the Northeast.
The development of the Rih-Tiddim road and the establishment of numerous rural
markets along the Mizoram-Myanmar border would increase trade volume.
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4. Bills and Acts
4.1 FRDI: Depositors will be protected
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has categorically asserted that depositors would be “fully
protected” in the event of a bank failure.
The FRDI Bill, first introduced in Lok Sabha in August this year, is currently undergoing
scrutiny by a joint parliamentary committee.
Refer to current affair analysis from 1st to 10th Dec for more details about FRDI bill.
4.2 Parliament gives nod to IIM Bill
Parliament on Tuesday (19th Dec.) unanimously passed a Bill to grant the Indian
Institutes of Management the power to grant degrees instead of post-graduate
diplomas.
The Bill also allows students to acquire doctoral degrees from the IIMs.
It is hoped that the passage of this Bill will pave the way for more research at these
prestigious institutions.
The Bill also confers on the 20 IIMs the status of institutions of national importance,
granting them greater functional autonomy by restricting the role of the government in
them.
Till now, the Centre had a role in the appointment of the chairpersons and directors to
their Boards and also fixing the pay of the directors.
As per the IIM Bill, 2017, a Board of Governors will appoint the Director of each IIM.
A search-cum-selection-committee will recommend the names. And the director will be
eligible for variable pay as determined by the Board.
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5. Economy
5.1 Lighthouse projects to spur digitization
The government and the industry have decided to carry out a number of ‘lighthouse
projects’ to spur digitization.
How does it work? For example, Google will work with publishers and advertisers to
bring more regional language content online, while Bharti Airtel will be working towards
bringing high speed Internet to rural India as well as building data centres in the
country.
5.2 Ministry may face fund crunch for UDAN
With more routes set to be operational under UDAN, the Civil Aviation ministry is likely
to face paucity of funds in providing viability gap funding (VGF) to participating airlines.
UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) is a regional airport development and "Regional
Connectivity Scheme" (RCS) of Government of India, with the objective of "Let the
common citizen of the country fly”.
It is aimed at making air travel affordable and widespread, to boost inclusive national
economic development, job growth and air transport infrastructure development of
all regions and states of India.
The ministry contributes 80 per cent of the VGF amount, while the remaining comes
from the state governments concerned and in the case of north-eastern states and
union territories, the sharing ratio is 90:10.
5.3 World Inequality Report 2018
The World Inequality Report 2018 released by the World Inequality Lab last week says
that income inequality in India has increased since economic liberalisation.
As expected, the finding has been used by many to argue that the rich should be taxed
more to help the poor. The logic is that the rich get richer at the expense of the poor, so
taxes that redistribute wealth are only a rational response to inequality.
It is true that the rich and the middle class control a major share of the world’s
resources, which consequently is not available to the poor. They enjoy higher incomes
from better jobs and investments, which allows them to outbid the poor to purchase
various goods.
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What is not true, however, is that the poor will get to enjoy many luxuries if only the
rich were taxed more and the money was used to write welfare cheques to the poor,
thus boosting their purchasing power.
Instead, when taxes are high, people who help produce the goods that the rich and the
middle class enjoy today will have less of an incentive to do their jobs as before.
Workers, for instance, may no longer be attracted towards high-skill jobs when their
income from such jobs is taxed at high rates. Investors too will have lesser reason to put
in their money in crucial projects when their profits are taxed at high rates.
In fact, India before economic liberalisation faced this problem when it tried to tax its
way to prosperity.
Income inequality will always exist in a market economy where people are allowed to
engage in free exchange and earn incomes according to their personal capabilities.
Doctors, for instance, earn many more times than plumbers and carpenters because
they offer rare services. At the same time, however, the higher incomes of the rich and
the middle class do not last forever in a marketplace that is free of legal entry barriers.
More people will be attracted towards professions and businesses that offer higher
returns, which in turn will drive up the incomes of the new entrants while driving down
the returns of incumbents.
This is why we must look at income mobility, which reflects the number of people
moving up and down the economic ladder, and ways to foster it rather than inequality.
In fact, income inequality might even widen during times when there is a lot of
economic mobility.
To enable mobility, however, the government needs to look beyond taxes and
handouts, and ensure social goods — education and healthcare — for all in order to
level the playing field.
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6. Science and Tech
6.1 NASA’s Juno probes depths of Jupiter’s Red Spot
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, the solar system’s most famous storm, is almost one-and-a-
half Earths wide and penetrates about 300 km into the planet’s atmosphere
The data was data collected by NASA’s Juno spacecraft. Juno is a NASA space
probe orbiting the planet Jupiter.
The spacecraft was launched in 2011 as part of New Frontiers program.
Juno's mission is to measure Jupiter's composition, gravity field, magnetic field,
and polar magnetosphere.
6.2 ISRO developing a compact launcher for smaller satellites
Indian Space Research Organisation is all set to manufacture a low-cost small satellite
launcher.
The launcher should be able to put satellites of up to 500-600 kg in orbits close to the
Earth.
It could tremendously cut the launch fee that customers would have to pay.
Today, it takes 300-plus engineers and about 40 days to assemble a PSLV.
A small launcher that can be got up perhaps in three days by a small team would make a
big difference in the market as well as to the launch provider.
6.3 New Island offers clues in search for life on Mars: NASA
According to NASA, the world’s newest island — formed during a volcanic eruption in
the remote Pacific three years ago — may offer clues to how life potentially developed
on Mars.
The island of Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai rose from the seabed about 65 km northwest
of the Tongan capital Nuku’alofa in late 2014 or early 2015.
Mars had many similar volcanic islands that appeared to have been surrounded by
water when they were created. Such spots may be prime locations to look for evidence
of past life because they combined a wet environment with heat from volcanic
processes.
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Examining how life gained a foothold on the Tongan island could help scientists pinpoint
where to look for evidence of life on Mars.
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7. Environment / Geography
7.1 SC eases pet coke ban for 2 sectors
The Supreme Court relaxed its ban on the use of petroleum coke (petcoke) and allowed
cement and limestone industries to use it.
The SC bench asked Environment ministry to frame a scheme within four weeks to
contain the illegal diversion of petcoke from cement industries to other fields.
The decision to modify its ban was largely due to the government’s submissions that
petcoke is used as an ingredient and not as fuel in the cement industry. The Sulphur is
mostly absorbed in the process of cement-making.
7.2 Biodiversity under alien attack
The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has for the first time compiled a list of alien invasive
animal species.
Just as alien plant species such as Parthenium hysterophorus (cotton grass) and Lantana
camara (Lantana) are known to harm agriculture and biodiversity, invasive animal
species pose a threat to biodiversity and human well-being.
Alien species become ‘invasive’ when they are introduced deliberately or accidentally
outside their natural areas, where they out-compete the native species and upset the
ecological balance.
Paracoccus marginatus (Papaya Mealy Bug), which belongs to Mexico and Central
America but is believed to have destroyed huge crops of papaya in Assam, West Bengal
and Tamil Nadu.
Phenacoccus solenopsis (Cotton Mealybug) is a native of North America but has
severely affected cotton crops in the Deccan.
Among the invasive fish species, Pterygoplichthys pardalis (Amazon sailfin catfish) has
been destroying fish populations in the wetlands of Kolkata.
Achatina fulica (African apple snail) is said to be most invasive among all alien fauna. It
is a mollusc and was first reported in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. But today it is
found all across the country and is threatening the habitats of several native species.
Tubastrea coccinea (Orange Cup-Coral), which originated in Indo-East Pacific but has
now been reported in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Gulf of Kutch, Kerala and
Lakshadweep.
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8. Security
8.1 HAL to produce 100 of its own trainer aircraft
Military aircraft manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. plans to make 100 of its own
product, the basic trainer aircraft HTT-40, over the coming years once the aircraft clears
the ongoing critical ‘spin’ tests.
8.2 Kalvari inducted into the Navy
Kalvari submarine is the Navy’s first modern conventional submarine in almost two
decades since the INS Sindhushastra was procured from Russia in July 2000.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally commissioned the first of six Scorpene diesel-
electric submarines into the Navy.
The Scorpene submarines can undertake different missions including anti-surface
warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying and area
surveillance.
8.3 Govt. looking at JVs in ordnance sector
The union government is examining the ordnance factories to explore ways to boost
their productivity, including through possible joint ventures (JV) through possible
Transfer of Technology.
The Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) has about 41 factories under its ambit and there
have been several demands to undertake reforms to improve their productivity and
efficiency.
8.4 IAF’s Mi-8 chopper flies into history
The Indian Air Force's 45-year-old, reliable, medium lift Mi-8
attack and utility helicopter, flew last time on Sunday (Dec. 17).
The Russian-made Mi-8 entered India in 1971.
The IAF has replaced the Mi-8 with new inductions in the same
category such as the Mi-17, Mi-1v and more recently the Mi-v5.
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The Mi-8 helicopters were part of Operation Meghdoot of 1989 in the Siachen Glacier
and Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka.
The craft operated extensively in humanitarian, rescue and disaster relief operations
across the country including during the devastating 2015 Chennai floods of 2015, apart
from ferrying many VIPs and VVIPs.
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9. India and World
9.1 WTO meet ends without consensus
WTO ministerial meet is the highest decision making body of WTO and meets annually.
The 2017 meet was held in Bueno Aires, Argentina.
WTO’s 164 members failed to reach a consensus on substantive issues such as the food
security right of developing countries and the centrality of development in multilateral
trade negotiations.
The Ministerial Conference managed to salvage a commitment from member nations to
secure a deal by 2019 on banning certain forms of fisheries’ subsidies.
9.2 India, Australia call for ‘open’ Asia-Pacific zone
Continuing with the strategic bilateral discussion, Australia and India discussed the need
to maintain the Asia-Pacific region as a “free” and “open” zone under the “2+2”
dialogue model which includes the foreign and defence secretaries of both sides.
The discussion was the first meeting of this level since the two sides participated in the
quadrilateral discussion for a new strategic partnership targeting the Asia-Pacific region.
9.3 Pakistan files counter in ICJ
Pakistan filed a counter-memorial before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against
India’s plea to prevent execution of alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, who has
been sentenced to death by a military court in April.
India had won a stay from the ICJ on Jadhav’s execution on May 18 following Pakistan’s
refusal to allow consular access to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad despite
repeated requests.
Pakistan has allowed the family of Jadhav to meet him on December 25. The Pakistani
authorities also allowed the presence of an Indian High Commission official at the
meeting as requested by New Delhi during the meeting.
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9.4 Russia, India and China Triangle
The Russia-India-China trilateral held its 15th meeting in what can be construed as New
Delhi’s attempt to get a semblance of balance in its ties with Moscow and Beijing.
Scope of talks- The broader discussions took place in the backdrop of the political
scenario in West Asia and North Africa, numerous challenges in putting the world
economy back on the growth track, concerns relating to terrorism, transnational
organised crime, illicit drug trafficking, food security, and climate change.
Formation of triangle- The proposal for a Moscow-Beijing-Delhi ‘strategic triangle’ had
originally come from former Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov during his visit to
India in 1998, when he argued that such an arrangement would represent a force for
greater regional and international stability.
Expectations of Russia- Russia’s role was key as its loss of power and influence on the
world scene was a major cause of concern for its leadership. It is against this backdrop
that Russia tried to establish itself as the hub of two bilateral security partnerships that
could be used to counteract U.S. power and influence in areas of mutual concern.
Expectations of China- China which emerged as a rising superpower, recognised the
importance of cooperating with Russia to check U.S. expansionism in the world, even if
only for the short term.
India’s stance- India saw in the trilateral a mechanism to bring greater balance in the
global order as it believed that a unipolar U.S.-dominated world was not in the best
interests of weaker states like itself, even as strategic convergence deepened between
Washington and Delhi.
9.5 US failed to walk the talk on Pak.: Karzai
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai said that India should rethink its support to U.S.
President Donald Trump’s Afghanistan policy.
India had welcomed the new U.S policy on Afhanistan, which entailed a larger role in
development work for India as well as more pressure on Pakistan to act against terrorist
safe havens within its borders.
The criticism came against the backdrop of defense authorisation bill that Mr. Trump
signed into law , which provides for up to $700 million to be
transferred to Pakistan for coalition support.
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9.6 China a threat, India an ally: US
President Donald Trump’s new national security strategy, announced on Monday,
promised support for India’s emergence as a “leading global power,” while identifying
China, Russia and Islamism as main threats.
US also seeks to increase quadrilateral cooperation with Japan, Australia, and India.
It will expand defense and security cooperation with India, and support India’s growing
relationships throughout the region.
The document also said that Russia and China are determined to make economies less
free and less fair, to grow their militaries and to control information and data to repress
their societies and expand their influence.
The document also underscores the warning to Pakistan.
9.7 Northeast policy to air trade with ASEAN
The new Industrial Policy being framed for the development of industries in the
northeast would prove catalytic to the trade with Southeast Asian nations.
It would be done through... Business Leaders’ Forums, CEOs’ forums and Invest India
and by further intensifying present efforts in this direction.
Of the $56 billion of FDI that came in in 2000-2017 from ASEAN countries, $54 billion
was from Singapore.
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10. Short News
10.1 Hornbill festival attracted record tourists in Nagaland
The Hornbill Festival of Nagaland attracted a record 2,43,214 visitors this year, a sharp
climb compared to the previous years.
The 10-day festival, which is the annual showpiece tourism event of the State, was
inaugurated on December 1 — coinciding with the 54th Statehood Day celebrations by
Predident Ram Nath Kovind.
10.2 UN needs to define terror: Vice-President
It is time that the United Nations concluded with the process of defining terror and
acted against it by taking stringent action.
Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said that giving value to human rights is
part of the DNA of India, which has no history of aggression against any country in the
world.
10.3 Govt. looking at JVs in ordnance sector
The Defence Ministry is conducting a detailed performance audit of ordnance factories
functioning under the Department of Defence Production.
There are 41 factories under the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and there have been
several demands to undertake reforms to improve their productivity and efficiency.
In an effort to given greater role for the private sector, the Defence Research and
Development Organisation has also asked to “identify patentable products that can be
commercialised.”
To begin with, Chennai-Bengaluru and Mumbai-Pune-Aurangabad are being looked at as
they have a large pool of start-ups that can help in defence manufacturing.
10.4 A rare visitor returns to Kolleru
The great white pelican returned to Kolleru Lake in Andhra Pradesh.
IUCN status-Least Concern
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10.5 Centre examining effects of e-cigarettes
The government is examining the legal implications and health effects of e-cigarettes,
Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday (19 Dec).
The Health Ministry had constituted three groups to study the various aspects of e-
cigarettes.
One was to study the legal implications of this e-nicotine drug induce system, another
was to go into the health effects and the other was to study advocacy.
E-smoking- It refers to the practice of inhaling capsules of nicotine in a vaporised form
after they were heated.
This is actually an electronic nicotine delivery system. It has a nicotine capsule, which
has no tobacco but nicotine that gives excitement as it hits the brain.
Some countries have regulated e-smoking, while others have banned it.
10.6 US blames North Korea for WannaCry cyberattack
US administration publicly blamed North Korea for a ransomware (WannaCry) attack
that infected hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide in May and crippled parts
of Britain’s National Health Service.
What is a Ransomware? Ransomware is a type of malicious
software from cryptovirology that threatens to publish the victim's data or perpetually
block access to it unless a ransom is paid.
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