CURRENT AFFAIRS QUIZ (5 QUESTIONS)

NEW TIGER RESERVE APPROVED IN TAMIL NADU

Srivilliputhur-Meghamalai Tiger Reserve

National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has approved the creation of the 5th Tiger Reserve of Tamil Nadu.

The approval has come after the demand of environmentalists seeking to make a contiguous corridor for the tigers to move.

The tiger reserve will spread to 1.48 lakh hectares of land comprising of:

1) Srivilliputhur Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary

2) Meghamalai Wildlife Sanctuary

3) Tirunelveli Wildlife Sanctuary

The establishment of the tiger reserve will also help in the rejuvenation of Vaigai River by protecting the origins of the river in the tiger reserve.

TIGER RESERVES OF TAMIL NADU

1⃣ Anamalai Tiger Reserve

2⃣ Kalakkad - Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve

3⃣ Mudumalai Tiger Reserve

4⃣ Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve

5⃣ Srivilliputhur-Meghamalai Tiger Reserve (recently approved)

In Pic : Grizzled Giant Squirrel

In Map : location of Srivilliputhur Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu

Srivilliputhur Wildlife Sanctuary also known as Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary, was established in 1988 to protect the Near threatened Grizzled Giant Squirrel.

Occupying an area of 480 sq km, it is one of the best preserved forests south of the Palghat Gap.

This sanctuary is contiguous to Periyar Tiger Reserve and the Megamalai Reserve Forest.

GRIZZLED GIANT SQUIRREL

The grizzled giant squirrel is a large tree squirrel found in the highlands and hill forests of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala states of southern India and Sri Lanka.

IUCN lists the species as Near Threatened due to habitat loss and hunting.

It is the smallest of the giant squirrels found in the Indian subcontinent, with a length of 50 to 90 cm.

Its presence is recorded in :

1) Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary, TN
2) Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala
3) Anaimalai Tiger reserve, TN
4) Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka

The fruit of the climber Combretum ovalifolium is an especially important food source.

Young squirrels, upon first emerging from the nest, have been observed to feed exclusively on this fruit.

Unlike its relatives, the giant squirrel balances using its two hind feet, instead of its tail.

It is an arboreal species, very rarely coming to the ground.

LITHIUM RESERVES FOUND IN MARLAGALLA-ALLAPATNA REGION OF KARNATAKA'S MANDYA DISTRICT

Alongside a move to tap into the global lithium value chain, India has initiated a concerted domestic exploration push for the alkali metal lithium, a vital ingredient of the lithium-ion rechargeable batteries that power electric vehicles (EVs), laptops and mobile phones.

Preliminary surveys by the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), an arm of the Department of Atomic Energy, have shown the presence of 1,600 tonnes of lithium resources in the igneous rocks of the Marlagalla-Allapatna region of Karnataka’s Mandya district.

It could boost local manufacturing of EV batteries.

But, India's lithium find is small compared to many major producers, in comparison with 8.6 million tonnes of Chile, 2.8 million tonnes of Australia, 1.7 million tonnes of Argentina or 60,000 tonnes of Portugal.

NOT ENOUGH EXPLORATION EFFORTS

India currently imports all its lithium needs.

The imports of lithium batteries tripled to $1.2 billion in fiscal year 2019 from $384 million in FY17.

Experts say while India requires lithium for its energy needs, there has been no comprehensive effort to map local reserves of lithium so far.

So far, in the absence of local mines for lithium, India has set up Khanij Bidesh India Ltd. to source and acquire mines in Argentina, Bolivia and Chile.

Niti Aayog has set an ambitious goal of building up to 10 large factories to produce lithium-ion batteries over the next 10 years.

THE WHITE GOLD RUSH - "LITHIUM TRIANGLE" overlying Chile, Bolivia and Argentina

Lithium is mined from Jujuy Province of Argentina.

LITHIUM - LARGEST RESERVES

BOLIVIA has massive lithium deposits, which account for 60% of the world’s reserves.

Estimates indicate that the world’s largest deposits of Lithium occur in the Salar de Uyuni salt flats of Bolivia.

Some studies indicate that Salar de Uyuni has 140 Million tonnes of Lithium.

Know More About Salar De Uyuni -

[VERY IMPORTANT]

WHERE DOES LITHIUM ACTUALLY COME FROM AND HOW IS IT OBTAINED ?

There are two main sources of lithium:

1) Brine Water

2) Traditional Mines

LITHIUM FROM BRINE WATER

Most of the world’s lithium (87%) comes from brine water.

Among brine water sources, briny lakes known as "salars" offer the highest concentration of lithium as much as 1,000 to 3,000 parts per million.

The salars with the highest lithium concentrations are located in Bolivia, Argentina and Chile.

Lithium obtained from salars is recovered in the form of lithium carbonate, the raw material used in lithium ion batteries.

The production process is fairly straightforward and requires only natural evaporation, which leaves behind lithium along with magnesium, calcium, sodium and potassium.

LITHIUM FROM MINES

The remaining 13% of the world’s lithium is found in traditional mines.

Lithium concentrations in pegmatites of hard-rocks are higher than those found in brine, but the mining process has a higher cost and a larger environmental footprint.

Still, hard-rock lithium mining can be competitive, at least in mines that are already in operation.

Over 145 minerals contain lithium, but only five (spodumene, lepidolite, petalite, amblygonite, and eucryptite) are utilized in lithium extraction.

Of those five, spodumene provides the largest proportion of all mineral-derived lithium.

RECYCLED LITHIUM

The smallest currently available source of lithium is that contained in recycled electronics.

While lithium recycling is not yet capable of yielding lithium pure enough for reuse in batteries.

But it can be used in glass and ceramics, the second-largest lithium-consuming industry after the lithium ion battery industry.

But lithium recycling remains a niche market and only one recycling facility for lithium ion batteries exists in the U.S.

COVID-19 PERFORMANCE INDEX

Covid-19 Performance Index has been compiled by the Sydney-based Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank, which sought to measure the response of countries to the pandemic.

SIX INDICATORS

▫️ Confirmed cases
▫️ Confirmed deaths
▫️ Cases per million people
▫️ Deaths per million people
▫️ Cases as a proportion of tests
▫️ Tests per thousand people

The index assessed 98 countries in the 36 weeks that followed their hundredth case.

China was not included in the rankings because all of its testing rates are not publicly available.

TOP COUNTRIES

New Zealand topped the rankings closely followed by Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand and Cyprus.

BOTTOM COUNTRIES

India ranked 83rd amongst 98 countries.

Brazil stood at the bottom of the index.

USA was the fifth-worst performing country, it stood at 94 out of 98 countries.

Kaliveli Wetlands - First Declaration for converting it into Bird Sanctuary

Recently, the Villupuram district administration in Tamil Nadu has issued the first declaration under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 to declare Kaliveli wetlands as a bird sanctuary.

The first declaration was issued under the Section 18 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Kaliveli Wetlands is the second-largest brackish water lake in South India, after Pulicat lake.

S-400 Triumf Missile

In October 2018, India signed a 5.43 Billion USD deal with Russia for the S-400 Triumf missile system despite objections from the US and the threat of sanctions under Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

The S-400 Triumf is a mobile, surface-to-air missile system designed by Russia.

It is the most dangerous operationally deployed modern long-range SAM (MLR SAM) in the world, considered much ahead of the US-developed Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD).

The system can engage all types of aerial targets including aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and ballistic and cruise missiles within the range of 400km, at an altitude of up to 30km.

The system can track 100 airborne targets and engage six of them simultaneously.

Significance for India

From India’s point of view, China is also buying the system. In 2015, China signed an agreement with Russia to purchase six battalions of the system.

Gucchi Mushrooms

Gucchi mushrooms grow only in Himalayan foothills in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh after the snowfall period.

They have spongy, honeycomb texture, unique flavour and earthy aroma.

A kilogram of Gucchi mushroom can ₹30,000.

Gucchi mushrooms usually grow in clusters on logs of decaying wood or decaying leaves and even in humus soil.

They may or may not grow in the same spot the next season.

These mushrooms are very fragile and a lot of effort is required to retain their pleated honeycomb texture. It can take months before enough is collected, dried and available for sale in the market.

Recently Jammu and Kashmir has sought GI tag for Gucchi Mushrooms.

The Great Reset Initiative

The Great Reset is a proposal by the World Economic Forum (WEF) to rebuild the economy sustainably following the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was unveiled in May 2020 by the United Kingdom's Prince Charles and WEF director Klaus Schwab.

It seeks to improve capitalism by making investments more geared toward mutual progress and focusing more on environmental initiatives.

It will be the main theme of the WEF's 2021 summit.

Bankapur Wolf Sanctuary, Karnataka

To conserve the dwindling population of wolves across the state, the Karnataka State Wildlife Board recently approved the formation of the country's first-ever 'Wolf Sanctuary' in Koppal district.

The 822.03 acres of forest area, located in the drylands of Bankapur village in Koppal district, is expected to be named as ‘Bankapur Wolf Sanctuary’.

The Indian grey wolves inhabit the dry grassland region in the Deccan Plateau and prey on blackbucks and other herbivore animals.

Besides wolves, the area will also provide conservation of striped hyena, Indian fox, golden jackal and other fauna.

Melkote region in Karnataka is said to be the first protected area for wolves in the country.

The Melkote Wolf Sanctuary was reportedly set up by the maharajas of Mysuru.

Recently, Chief Minister of Gujarat proposed to rename dragon fruit as ‘Kamalam’, because Dragonfruit has resemblance to the lotus flower.

What is dragonfruit?

It is a species of wild cactus which is indigenous to South and Central America, where it is called pitaya or pitahaya.

The total lifespan of a Dragonfruit plant is 15 to 20 years.

They grow in regions where summer temperatures rise upto 38-40°C.

It grows in all types of soil and does not require much water.

Vietnam is world’s largest producer and exporter of Dragonfruit, where the plant was brought by the French in the 19th century.

The Vietnamese call it thanh long, which translates to “dragon’s eyes”.

Karnataka is fast emerging as the country’s leader in dragonfruit cultivation, which is spread over 1000 acres in the State.

Dragon fruit, in demand in niche markets, is rich in vitamin C and comprises betalains, which are beneficial nutrients with anti-oxidant properties.

It is also rich in magnesium, iron, calcium and phosphorous and boosts the body’s immune system.

The Government of Pakistan has issued special permit to Saudi Crown Prince to hunt rare houbara bustards.

Houbara Bustard

Bustards are large, terrestrial birds that are amongst the largest flying birds.

IUCN recognises two distinct species found in:

1) North Africa (Chlamydotis undulata)

2) Asia (Chlamydotis macqueenii)

After breeding in the spring, the Asian bustards migrate south to spend the winter in Pakistan, Arabian Peninsula and nearby Southwest Asia.

Reasons for Decline: Poaching, unregulated hunting, along with degradation of its natural habitat.

IUCN Status: Vulnerable

10 out of 13 popular honey brands failed a key test of purity called Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) testing is used to ascertain the composition of a food product at the molecular level.

The NMR test is not required by Indian law for honey that is being marketed locally but is needed for export.

Current regulations specify around 18 parameters that honey must comply with for producers to label it ‘pure honey.

Among the tests employed as per Indian regulations is one to check whether the honey is adulterated with C4 sugar (cane sugar) or C3 sugar (rice sugar).

Honey adulteration destroys the livelihoods of bee-keepers who found it unprofitable to make pure honey, because sugar-syrup honey is often available at half the price.

Some Indian companies in the honey business were importing synthetic sugar syrups from China to adulterate honey.

As per a study recently published in the journal Nature, the harmful nature of atmospheric particulate matter is due to its oxidative potential.

Exposure to the fine particle matter with diameters generally below 10 micrometres pose the greatest health risk. It is because they can get deep into lungs and even into bloodstream.

The capability of these tiny airborne particulate matter (PM) to react with oxygen to form highly reactive chemical molecules known as reactive oxygen species (ROS) is known as its oxidative potential (OP).

A reactive oxygen species build-up in cells may cause damage to DNA, RNA, proteins, and may cause cell death.

4 critically endangered species of turtles in India -

1) Hawksbill Turtle

2) Leatherback Turtle

3) Four-toed River Terrapin or River Terrapin

4) Red-crowned Roofed Turtle or the Bengal Roof Turtle

Indian peacock softshell turtle is not critically endangered. It is a species of turtle found in South Asia, and is listed on the IUCN Red List as a vulnerable species.

XP100

Indian Oil Corporation launched a new premium grade petrol – Octane 100.

Branded as XP100, the premium grade petrol was launched across ten cities by Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas at ₹160 per litre.

The technology for India’s first octane petrol has been indigenously created by Indian Oil Research and Development.

The availability of XP100 puts India in an elite group of countries, having access to such high-quality oil.

The petrol will provide high quality and power to the engine of high-end cars and bikes.

‘Blue tide’ witnessed at Maharashtra beaches

Recently beaches in Maharashtra have witnessed the spectacle of a fluorescent bluish glow when the waves hit the shoreline.

Bioluminescent or light-emitting tide made an appearance on Juhu beach in Mumbai and Devgad, Velas and Murud along Maharashtra's coastline.

Why did the waves appear blue?

The phenomenon is called ‘blue tide'. It occurs when phytoplanktons (microscopic marine plants) known as dinoflagellates, produce light through chemical reactions in proteins. Waves disturb these microorganisms and make them release blue light.

According to marine experts, the phenomenon is an indicator of climate change.

Though it is a beautiful spectacle but in reality, it is an ecological indicator of degraded water quality.

The phytoplankton shows up where seawater has low dissolved oxygen and high presence of Nitrogen.

The bioluminescent waves on Maharashtra beaches could have been caused by heavy rain, fertilizers run off, discharge of sewage into the ocean.

Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (eVIN)

eVIN is a project of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) under National Health Mission.

It is an indigenously developed technology system in India that digitizes vaccine stocks and monitors the temperature of the cold chain through a smartphone application.

eVIN is presently being implemented across 32 states and UTs in India.

eVIN aims to support the Government of India’s Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) by providing real-time information on vaccine stocks and flows and storage temperatures across all cold chain points in these states.

This innovative technological intervention is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Blue Tides on beaches of Maharashtra - caused by Bioluminescence of microscopic marine planktons called "dinoflagellates"

Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS)

Recently 8 Track and Field Athletes were included in the core group of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme at the 50th MOC meeting.

Target Olympic Podium Scheme is a flagship program of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to provide assistance to India’s top athletes to add a premium to the preparations of these athletes so that they can win Olympic medals in 2020 and 2024 Olympics.

Under the Scheme, the Department of Sports has to identify athletes who are potential medal winners in 2020 / 2024 Olympics.

India's innovative technological intervention - Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (eVIN) for vaccine logistics management

Transboundary Manas Conservation Area (TraMCA)

It was established in 2011.

Vision - To jointly develop and manage a transboundary conservation area between Bhutan and India, for the benefit of people and wildlife.

TraMCA landscape forms a vital mosaic of conservation spaces across the Eastern Himalayas.

It covers the entire Manas Tiger Reserve in India, four protected areas in Bhutan and also two biological corridors.

Manas Tiger Reserve in India and Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan form the core of this trans-boundary region region.

It is home to tigers, elephants, rhinos and more than 1,500 species of mammals, birds and vascular plants.

Clouded leopard, pygmy hog, hispid hare, great hornbill are some of flagship species of TraMCA.

Manas River also flows through the region.

The number of Tigers in Indian Manas increased from 9 in 2010 to 25 in 2018.

In Bhutan Manas, the number more than doubled from 12 in 2008 to 26 in 2018.

Conservation Excellence Award 2020

Transboundary Manas Conservation Area (TraMCA) has recently received the Conservation Excellence Award, 2020.

Conservation Excellence Award recognises one site that has achieved excellence in two or more of these five themes:

(1) Tiger and prey population monitoring and research

(2) Effective site management

(3) Enhanced law enforcement & protection & ranger welfare improvement

(4) Community based conservation, benefits and human-wildlife conflict mitigation

(5) Habitat and prey management.

In India, the organic certification to horticultural and agro-produce is issued by testing centres accredited by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APE DA), under National Program for Organic Production (NPOP).

In the spirit of ‘One Nation, One Food law’, FSSAI created a unified regulation on “Organic Foods".

This umbrella regulation covers under its ambit 2 existing systems of Organic certification - NPOP of APEDA, Dept of Commerce & PGS-India of Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.

Clarion Clipperton Zone - A modern EL Dorado

Lying between Hawaii and Mexico, and spanning some 1.7 million square miles – that’s bigger than India’s total land area – the seabed in this area of the Pacific Ocean is believed to contain billions of dollars worth of nickel, cobalt and rare earth metals.

Question 249.

One of the main aims of India's Deep Ocean Mission is to explore and extract Polymetallic Nodules.

These are small potato-like rounded accretions composed of minerals such as manganese, nickel, cobalt, copper and iron hydroxide.

They lie scattered on the Indian Ocean floor at depths of about 6000m and their size can vary from a few mm to cm.

These metals can be extracted and used in electronic devices, components of smartphones, batteries and solar panels.

Pilibhit Tiger Reserve has won the global TX2 Award in recognition of its consistent conservation efforts and more than doubling the tiger population from 25 in 2014 to 65 in 2018.

Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Satellite is a radar altimeter satellite which was developed by European Space Agency (ESA) in the context of the European Copernicus Programme.

Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite has been named after Dr. Michael Freilich, who was the Director of NASA’s Earth Science Division from 2006-2019 and passed away in August this year.

The mission, called the Jason Continuity of Service (Jason-CS) mission, is designed to measure the depth of the ocean, which is a key component in understanding climate change. The spacecraft consists of two satellites, Sentinel-6 being one of them, and the other called Sentinel-6B, to be launched in 2025.

Sentinel-6 satellite will provide accurate measurements of global sea-level rise.

National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC)

At the national level, Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) and National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) are the key committees involved in the top-level decision-making w.r.t. Disaster Management (DM).

National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) deals with major crisis which have serious or national ramifications.

Its Key functions are:

1) Oversee the Command, Control and Coordination of the disaster response.

2) Give direction to the Crisis Management Group (CMG) as deemed necessary.

Composition:

Cabinet Secretary (Chairperson)
Secretaries of Ministries/Departments and agencies with specific Disaster management responsibilities.

Indian Jezebel, Krishna Peacock and Orange Oakleaf are Indian butterflies. These three butterflies are frontrunners in nationwide citizen poll to select the National Butterfly of India.

One amongst them will be selected by the Centre Government to join the ranks of the Bengal Tiger, Indian Peacock, Indian Lotus, Banyan Tree and Mango as national symbol.

The nationwide poll was organised by the National Butterfly Campaign Consortium.

Indian Jezebel (Delias eucharis)

Unique features - A vibrantly patterned flying jewel, whose colour scheme is similar to haldi kumukum, which has considerable significance in Indian culture.

This bold pattern has evolved to show off its toxic nature, which protects it against many predators.

Widely distributed, the species can be spotted in gardens and other lightly wooded areas.

Krishna Peacock (Papilio krishna)

Unique features - One of the most beautiful, large and exceedingly charismatic swallowtail butterflies in the world.

Generally found in large numbers in the Himalayas.

The species represents the Himalaya, its stronghold, acting as a flagship species for biodiversity and conservation in the face of climate change in this most critical biodiversity hotspot of India.

The play of light on the special nanostructures on its hindwings produce the brilliant blue colour patch.

Its name invokes among Indian people a deep cultural connection.

Orange Oakleaf, when it folds its wings, looks like a "dead leaf", so its also called dead leaf butterfly.

Orange Oakleaf (Kallima inachus)

The Orange Oakleaf is a large, colorful butterfly with a beautiful deep blue sheen and a striking orange band on the upper side of its wings, making it immediately recognizable.

Unique features - ability to camouflage as a dry Autumn leaf while striking a stationary pose with its wings closed.

The masquerade enables it to prevent it from being devoured by birds.

They are generally found in the moist forests of northern Western ghats, central, northern and northeastern parts of India.

SWAMITVA SCHEME

Swamitva Scheme has been launched on National Panchayati Raj Day on pilot basis in 6 states.

Mapping of rural inhabited land through drones and Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS).

Title deeds to be issued on the basis of mapping.

"Swamitva" to people through identification of property rights.

Swamitva Scheme will enable around 1 lakh property holders to download their property cards through SMS link.

The move will pave the way for -

1) Using property as a financial asset by villagers for taking loans & other financial benefits.

2) Settling property disputes in rural India.

3) Streamlining planning and revenue collection.

Prime Minister on August 15, 2020, announced that the centre will launch Project Lion and Project Dolphin using modern technology to replicate the success of Project Tiger (1973) and Project Elephant (1992).

PROJECT DOLPHIN

The Prime Minister announced the government’s plan to launch a Project Dolphin in his recent Independence Day Speech (15th August 2020).

The proposed project is aimed at saving both river and marine dolphins.

PROJECT LION

Project Lion will entail habitat development, engage modern technologies in lion management and address the issues of disease in lion and its associated species through advanced world class research and veterinary care.

CRISPR/Cas9

Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) are pieces of DNA that bacteria snip off from viruses that once attacked them.

CRISPR are a part of bacteria's immunological systems that help them in recognising threatening viruses (like we have memory T-cells) and destroy them.

🕊 Dovish stance of monetary policy

(Expansionary monetary policy)

Objective - to stimulate the economy
1) Currency depreciates
2) Interest rates are hiked
3) prevents excessive deflation

If an economist suggests that inflation has few negative effects or calls for quantitative easing, then he/she is labeled as dovish.

Doves are perceived as being more interested in spurring job growth through low-interest rates than they are in controlling inflation.

Critics argue that a dovish monetary policy left unchecked could overheat an economy and result in runaway inflation.

🦅 Hawkish stance of monetary policy

(Contractionary monetary policy)

Objective - to reduce/contain inflation + higher growth

1) Currency appreciates
2) Interest rates are cut
3) prevents excessive inflation

A monetary hawk is an economic policy advisor who advocates keeping inflation low as the top priority in monetary policy.

What is Television Rating Point (TRP)?

1. Anyone watching television for more than a minute is considered a viewer.

2. TRP is the metric used by the marketing and advertising agencies to evaluate the viewership and popularity of television channels.

Who records TRP in India?

• The TRP is recorded by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) using Bar-O-Meters that are installed in televisions in selected households.

• The BARC has installed these meters in 44,000 households across the country till date.

• The location of these homes are kept undisclosed.

How is TRP calculated?

• Audio watermarks are embedded in video content prior to broadcast.

• These watermarks are not audible to the human ear, but can easily be detected and decoded using dedicated hardware and software.

• Viewing details and the watermarks are recorded by the Bar-O-Meters.

How are households selected?

1) A large-scale face-to-face survey of a sample of approx 3 lakh households from the target population is done annually.

2) Out of these, the households that will have Bar-O-Meters are selected by a random process called the Recruitment Sample.

3) Viewing behaviour of panel homes is reported to BARC India daily, which verifies it physically or telephonically.

4) The panel homes selected are rotated annually as per the guidelines of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Where are the loopholes?

• The selected panel homes are intruded to manipulate the viewership and TRP.

• As the process is self regulating, there is no government control over it.

Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration

Context- Recently, the G4 countries backed the common African position for UNSC expansion as stipulated under Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte declaration.

The Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration containing the common African position on reform of the UNSC, were developed by a committee on UN reform established by the African Union Summit in 2005.

It emphasises the need to redress the “historical injustice against Africa” and to “ensure better African representation in a reformed Security Council in line with the Common African Position”.

The consensus is named after Ezulwini, a valley in central Swaziland where the agreement took place in 2005.

Red Sanders

• It is a non-fragrant variety of sandalwood

• Grows on lateritic soil, cannot tolerate water logging.

• It is an extremely slow growing tree, takes at least 20-25 years for the red sander’s beautiful, deep red wood to be of use.

Distribution

• Red Sanders has a highly restrictive distribution. This rare red sandalwood is endemic to the Southern region of Eastern Ghats.

• It is found naturally in the Palakonda and Seshachalam Hills, only in 4 districts of Andhra Pradesh.

• Sporadic wild populations occur in the adjoining districts of the neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu & Karnataka.

What is Red Sanders used for?

• Red Sanders is known for its medicinal and therapeutic value. It is used in several Ayurvedic formulations.

• It is said that red sanders powder can absorb nuclear radiation.

• Its deep red-coloured wood is sturdy and does not lose shape even in harsh temperatures and humidity.

• It is used in making musical instruments, sculpture and furniture.

A tonne of red sandalwood wood fetches between ₹ 70 lakh to ₹ 1 crore in the international market.

Major markets - China, Japan, Middle East, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Nepal

As per the estimates of Andhra Pradesh forest department, 3000 tonnes of Red Sanders is illegally removed from its forests every year.

Since Feb 2019, the restrictions on export of Red Sanders have been lifted.

It is listed in the Appendix II of CITES which says “trade must be controlled in order to avoid utilisation incompatible with their survival”.

IUCN has reclassified Red Sanders as ‘near threatened’ from the earlier ‘endangered’ category in 2018.

• The mysterious death of 300 elephants in the Okavango delta region of Botswana between May and June baffled conservationists.

• Latest tests have detected cyanobacterial neurotoxins to be the cause of deaths.

• 70% of elephants died near water holes containing algal blooms, which can produce toxic microscopic organisms called cyanobacteria.

• Not all cyanobacteria produce toxins but scientists say toxic ones are occurring more now, as climate change drives up global temperatures.

• Toxins were initially ruled out because no other animals died by drinking water from those waterholes, but scientists now think elephants could be particularly susceptible because they spend a lot of time bathing and drinking large quantities of water.

The Okavango Delta in Botswana is a swampy inland delta formed where the Okavango River reaches a tectonic trough in the central part of the endorheic basin of the Kalahari.

All the water reaching the delta is ultimately evaporated and transpired and does not flow into any sea or ocean.

The Moremi Game Reserve, a National Park, is on the eastern side of the Delta.

Okavango was named as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa.

On 22 June 2014, the Okavango Delta became the 1000th site to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Place in News - Nagorno-Karabakh

Sept 28- heavy fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan, dozens killed in border zone, world leaders urged ceasefire

• Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Republic of Artsakh, is a landlocked territory disputed between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the South Caucasus.

• It is Internationally recognised as Azerbaijani territory.

• But held by Armenian military since 1994 ceasefire.

• It is a defacto independent state, with an Armenian ethnic majority.

Implications of Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

The Caspian region has rich oil and gas reserves which the regional countries want to export to Europe. However, there are only two export routes -

1) northwest through Russia
2) southwest across the Caucasus

Two pipelines carry oil and gas from Azerbaijan through the Caucasus for exporting oil and gas to Europe and both pipelines pass near the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave.

In the case of a sustained conflict, Azerbaijan would likely shut down the pipelines for safety reasons to avoid oil spills and gas leaks if they were damaged.

Escalation of conflict could endanger both pipelines and Europe's hopes of tapping the Caspian region to reduce its dependence upon Russian energy sources.

The conflict could widen to draw in neighboring powers also, due to Armenia's military pact with Russia and Azerbaijan's pact with Turkey.

Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA)

Context- Special Ministerial conference of CICA was held recently. India also participated in the event.

India underscored its commitment towards a pluratistic cooperative security order in Asia through CICA and also reaffirmed its support for Afghan peace process.

CICA is a pan-Asia inter-governmental forum for enhancing cooperation towards promoting peace, security and stability in Asia.

Genesis:

The idea of convening the CICA was first proposed by Kazakhstan in October 1992, at the 47th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

CICA was officially established in 1999.

Its secretariat is in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.

Membership:

For becoming member of CICA, a country/state must have at least part of its territory in Asia.

CICA has 27 member states; 8 observer states; 5 observer organizations including the UN.

India has been member since its inception.

Amongst the neighbouring countries of India - Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar are neither CICA members nor observers.

All decisions within CICA framework are taken by consensus.

CICA Summit is held after every four years.

Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs is required to be held every two years.

Lantana camara

Around 269 Protected Areas (PAs) in 18 states of India are in the grip of lantana, an invasive weed that has degraded biodiversity of forests and associated ecosystem services.

Through one of the most extensive sampling efforts, a team of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) scientists found that over 300,000 sq km, that is, 44% of total Indian forests were affected by lantana.

Lantana is native to US and Mexico.

Lantana forms extensive, dense and impenetrable thickets in forestry plantations, orchards, pasture lands and waste lands. The rapid spread of Lantana is associated with human induced disturbance.

Lantana is poisonous to livestock and children have been known to die after eating its unripe berries.

The FCRA 2010 list of entities not eligible for receiving foreign funding included election candidates, editor or publisher of a newspaper, judges, government servants, members of any legislature and political parties, among others.

The 2020 Amendment to the FRCA added "Public Servants" to the list of entities barred from receiving foreign funding. Public servant has been defined as per Section 21 of the IPC.

Lantana is one of the world's ten worst invasive species and a species of high concern for India.

It competes with native plants for space and resources and also alters the nutrient cycle in the soil.

Lantana invasion has resulted in the scarcity of native forage plants for wild herbivores.

One of world's worst invasive species, it is slowly taking over tiger habitats in India.

GST subsumed several central & state levies under it.

It subsumed various cesses like - Water Cess, Clean Energy Cess, Swachh Bharat Cess, Krishi Kalyan Cess etc.

At present only 7 cesses remain -

1⃣ Cess on Exports

2⃣ Cess on Crude Oil

3⃣ Health and Education Cess

4⃣ Road and Infrastructure Cess

5⃣ Building and other construction workers welfare cess

6⃣ National calamity contingent duty on tobacco and tobacco products

7⃣ GST Compensation Cess

What is a cess?

A cess is a earmarked tax that is collected for a specific purpose and ought to be spent only for that.

For e.g.,the proceeds from the education cess cannot be used for cleaning the environment and vice versa.

A cess is preferred over a tax to meet specific socio-economic goals, because it is relatively easier to introduce, modify and abolish.

Every cess is collected after Parliament authorises its creation through an enabling legislation, that specifies the purpose for which the funds are being raised.

Article 270 of the constitution allows a cess to be excluded from the purview of divisible pool of taxes.

What is the ‘Feluda’ test for Covid-19 recently approved by DGCI for commercial launch?

Feluda is the acronym for FNCAS9 Editor Linked Uniform Detection Assay.

It is a low-cost paper-based test strip to detect Covid-19 in less than one hour.

‘Feluda’ is also the world’s first diagnostic test to deploy a specially adapted Cas9 protein to successfully detect coronavirus. Other CRISPR tests use Cas12 and Cas13 proteins to detect SARS-CoV2.

It has been developed by collaboration between the CSIR and Tata Group.

How it works?

It uses indigenously developed CRISPR gene-editing technology to identify and target the genetic material of SARS-CoV2.

Advantages:

1) Feluda test matches accuracy levels of RT-PCR tests.

2) Either blood or saliva samples can be used.

3) It has a quicker turnaround time and requires less expensive equipment.

Diamer Bhasha Dam in Gilgit-Baltistan

Recently, Pakistan signed a contract with a joint venture of a China Power (Chinese state-run firm) and the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO-a commercial arm of Pakistan’s military) for the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha dam.

Gilgit Baltistan is strategically important for many reasons as it is a source of vast glaciers feeding the Indus River system that meets Pakistan’s water needs.

It is a gateway for China to the Indian Ocean through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

It also shares borders with several countries – Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa of Pakistan in the west, Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan in the north-west and Xinjiang province of China to the north.

Diamer-Bhasha Dam will be located on Indus River between Kohistan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Diamer district in Gilgit-Baltistan.

The 8 Million Acre Feet reservoir with 272 m height will be the tallest roller compact concrete (RCC) dam in the world.

India considers construction of Diamer-Bhasha Dam in Gilgit-Baltistan region as violation of its territorial integrity and sovereignty.

India has consistently objected to all such projects in Indian territories under Pakistan’s illegal occupation.

Points to note from today’s News Articles in THE HINDU (22-SEP-2020):

🔎 Why worsening India-China relations or expanding China-Russia relations will not have impact on India-Russia strategic partnership ?

🔎 Why universal masking is specifically important in the context of airborne transmission of novel coronavirus?

Universal masking can avert infections and if infected can reduce the viral load one is exposed to, thus leading to only asymptomatic infections or mild disease.

🔎 What are the implications of Abraham Accord for India?

🔎 What are the major changes in the 3 labour bills introduced by the Govt?

1) the 2020 bills raise threshold limits of how many workers can be employed in factories.

2) they provide the govt with the power to exempt establishments from any or all of their provisions.

3) changes related to contract labour - the 2020 bill prohibits employment of contract workers in any core activity.

4) occupational safety bill, 2020 removes the power of govt to prohibit employment of women in operations dangerous to their health and safety, instead it requires the employers to provide adequate safeguards.

🔎 Reforms suggested by former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan to ensure growth of banking activity in India -

1) govt shud privatise select public sector banks

2) set up a bad bank to deal with NPAs

3) wind down Department of Financial Services

Djibouti Code of Conduct/Jeddah Amendment (DCOC/JA) is a maritime grouping comprising 18 member states adjoining the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, East coast of Africa and Island countries of the Indian Ocean Rim (IOR).

Points to note from today’s News Articles in THE HINDU (18-SEP-2020):

🔎 Pakistan is planning to make Gilgit-Baltistan of POK a full fledged Pakistani province.

India's objections- Gilgit-Baltistan is an integral part of India. Pakistan has no locus standi on territories illegally and forcibly occupied by it.

🔎 India and Pakistan both will attend SAARC meet this year, scheduled to be held via videoconferencing on Sept 24. It will be chaired by Nepal.

🔎 US wants the last foundational agreement, Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement on Geo-Spatial Cooperation (BECA) to be signed with India at the next 2+2 ministerial dialogue in October.

India holds 2+2 dialogue with which countries ?

Background - India has already signed 3 foundational agreements with US- LEMOA, COMCASA, GSOMIA .An extension to GSOMIA, the Industrial Security Annex (ISA) was signed at the last 2+2 dialogue.

BECA will be the last of the foundational agreements.

🔎 Structural reforms are needed in the UN to reflect the current altered geopolitical realities, esp in strategic and economic areas.

🔎 Sputnik V has been granted a pre-approval by Russian regulators even before completion of phase 3 trials.

There is immense political pressure globally on regulatory agencies to get a vaccine out at the earliest.

But all vaccines must go through long gestation to ensure their safety and efficacy before hitting the market in India.

🔎 ICMR Study has concluded that Convalescent plasma therapy has no proven efficacy in -
1) reducing mortality
2) preventing moderate covid patients from getting severe

🔎 IRDAI panel has recommended setting up of Indian Pandemic Risk Pool with public-private-govt partnership to cover losses from covid and similar pandemics in future.

🔎 SC has directed Chief Justices of High Courts to head special benches for immediate hearing of 4400 pending cases against sitting and former legislators.

🔎 Department of telecom has directed all telecom service providers to carry out special audit of their networks for security concerns w.r.t. chinese network equipment they use.

🔎 Rajasthan has 6 wetlands, to notify 52 more for time-bound development.

‘2+2’ Dialogue

It is a format of dialogue where the defense + foreign ministers/secretaries meet with their counterparts from another country.

2+2 Ministerial is the highest-level institutional mechanism between two countries.

India holds such talks with Australia at the foreign secretary and defense secretary level, but with Japan and US at the ministerial level.

It was formed in 2009 for repression of piracy and armed robbery against ships in western Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden.

Recently, India has joined Japan, Norway, UK and US as observer to the DCOC/JA.

Swaminathan Committee (2004) - to come up with a sustainable farming system, make farm commodities cost-competitive and more profitable. It recommended that MSPs must be at least 50% more than the cost of production.

Shanta Kumar Committee (2014) - gave recommendations for FCI restructuring which would lead to dismantling of MSP regime in agriculture sector. It is in news in context of the recent farmers' agitation against the agri reform bills.

Ashok Dalwai Committee (2016) - for doubling farmers' income by 2022.

High powered Committee of CMs for transforming Indian Agriculture was constituted in 2019 for suggesting modalities for adoption and time bound implementation of reforms to attract private investments in agricultural marketing and infrastructure.

SC has sought response from DGCA on why Engineered Material Arresting System (EMAS) have not yet been installed in high-risk airports.

EMAS is a fail-safe system to stop aircraft from overshooting runways in tabletop airports such as Mangaluru and Kozhikode.

Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2020
gives statutory powers to three aviation regulators -

1) Directorate General of Civil Aviation
2) Bureau of Civil Aviation Security
3) Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau

Regulatory bodies such as the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau were set up through various government notifications, but didn't have a defined role under the parent Act.

To improve aircraft safety, the Bill enhances fines for violations from ₹10 lakh to ₹ 1 crore by empowering DGCA to levy penalties of upto ₹1 crore on airlines, airports and other aviation entities.

Afghanistan is not a member state, it is an observer state of SCO.

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is an intergovernmental organization founded in Shanghai on 15 June 2001.

The SCO currently comprises eight Member States (China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan), four Observer States interested in acceding to full membership (Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia) and six Dialogue Partners (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey).

Since its inception in 2001, the SCO has mainly focused on regional security issues, its fight against regional terrorism, ethnic separatism and religious extremism. SCO’s priorities also include regional development now.

Rajiv Mehrishi Committee has been tasked to measure the impact of interest waiver on loans under covid-related moratorium and to give suggestions for mitigating financial constraints of various sections of the society in this respect.

Recently, Mines Ministry requested Environment Ministry for exemption from Net Present Value (NPV)

Net Present Value (NPV), is a Supreme Court mandated fees which has to be paid by prospectors for digging boreholes in forest land for mines and minerals exploration.

NPV has to be paid by those who use forest land for non-forestry purposes.

The Election Commission of India has been exploring the idea of using blockchain technology for remote elections.

In Russia, after the recent Constitutional Amendment, the citizens were able to cast their vote online.

However, Russian media reported that it was possible to access and decrypt the votes stored on the blockchain due to a flaw in cryptographic implementation and also unmask the voters.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has published its Living Planet Report 2020.

Highlights of the Report:

• There has been a reduction of 68% in the global wildlife population between 1970 and 2016.

• 75% of the Earth's ice-free land surface has already been significantly altered.

• Most of the oceans are polluted and more than 85% of the area of wetlands has been lost during this period.

• The largest wildlife population loss has been in Latin America at an alarming 94%.

Recently, India and Japan signed a logistics agreement that will allow armed forces of both sides to coordinate closely in services and supplies. The agreement is known as Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA).

Following the agreement with Japan early this week, India now has military logistics agreements with all Quad countries (US, Australia, Japan)

India signed Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Understanding (LEMOA) with US in 2016 and Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MSLA) with Australia in June, 2020

India will soon be signing logistics agreements with Russia, U.K. and Vietnam.

Logistics agreement with Russia will give India access to Russian facilities in the resourch-rich Arctic Region in Russian Far East.

Tal-Ya water harvesting technique of Israel

The ancient Israelites used stones to collect dew from the air, but the modern ones have taken the idea further.

Tal-Ya technique recovers dew from the air for watering crops where water resources are precious or scarce.

When a change of 12°C occurs, dew forms on both surfaces of the Tal Ya tray, which funnels the dew and condensation straight to the plant and its roots.

Mulgaonkar Principles were recently invoked in advocate Prashant Bhushan’s contempt of court case by his counsel urging the SC for showing restraint in exercising contempt jurisdiction.

S Mulgaonkar v Unknown (1978) is a case that led to a landmark ruling on the subject of contempt of court.

In the verdict, which had a 2:1 majority, the court held Mulgaonkar (the editor of The Indian Express), not guilty of contempt although the same Bench had initiated the proceedings.

The 19th Amendment brought by the previous Sri Lankan government had put a two-term limit on Presidency. It curtailed the executive powers of President and transferred it to the parliament and independent commissions.

The Rajapaksa family had alleged that the amendment was brought specifically to target the family and prevent its leaders from returning to power.

Mahinda Rajapaksa could not contest the last Presidential elections because of this term limit and his younger brother Gotabaya became the candidate.

Hence, in his first address to the newly elected Parliament, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has declared his intention to repeal the 19th Amendment and thereafter to work towards a new Constitution.

The first hour of a sitting of Lok Sabha (11 am to 12 noon) is devoted to Questions and that hour is called the QUESTION HOUR.

During the Question Hour, Members of Parliament can ask questions on every aspect of administration and Governmental activity.

Prior notice period is minimum 10 days and maximum 21 days.

ZERO HOUR denotes the time immediately following the Question Hour in both the Houses of Parliament. This is about 12 noon which is why it is called Zero Hour.

During this hour members can raise certain matters of urgent public importance without which cannot wait for 10 days notice.

There is no mention of any Zero Hour in the rules of the Parliament. It began as an informal practice in 1962. Zero hour is an Indian innovation in the field of parliamentary proceedings.

The fresh categories eligible for finance under priority sector include-
1) start up sector
2) loans to farmers for installation of solar power plants for solarisation of grid-connected agriculture pumps
3) loans for setting up Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) plants.

According to the RBI, the revised guidelines will correct the regional disparities in the flow of priority sector credit.

This has been done by giving higher weightage to fresh loans in identified districts where priority sector credit flow is comparatively low.

Medium enterprises, social infrastructure and renewable energy were included when priority sector norms were revised in 2015.

Around 40% of all bank loans are to mandatorily be made in the priority sector. Banks which fail to do so are penalised by RBI by being forced to invest in low-yielding government investments.

The science behind most promising covid vaccines: Covid vaccines use something called adenovirus. What is that and why is it used?

Adenoviruses are viruses that can cause the common cold.

We as humans have them, monkeys have them, so do other animals.

For covid-19 vaccine, researchers swap a gene of adenovirus with a gene from coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

When the vaccine is given to someone, the modified cold virus makes SARS-CoV2 spike protein, which stimulates the immune response.

Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI)

It was first proposed by Japan, SCRI is a trilateral approach to trade in partnership with India and Australia.

To diversify trade relations across a clutch of supplying nations instead of being dependent on just one or a few.

To insulate their supply chain from adverse impacts of ongoing US-China trade wars.

Mission Karmayogi is aimed at building a future-ready civil service with the right attitude, skills and knowledge, aligned to the vision of New India.

It is meant to be a comprehensive post-recruitment reform of Centre’s human resource development, in much the same way as the National Recruitment Agency approved last week is pre-recruitment reform.

Recently, Qatar has brought about a change in its labour laws, scrapping the exploitative "kafala system" and setting the monthly minimum wage at about $274, an increase of over 25%.

These reforms are now applicable to workers of all nationalities and in all sectors, including domestic workers who were previously excluded.

Kafala System is an unjustified requirement for a “no objection certificate” that migrant workers needed to get from their employers before changing jobs.

Kris Gopalakrishnan Committee has recently submitted its recommendations on data protection of non-personal data.

Non-personal data is any set of data which does not contain personally identifiable information.

No individual or living person can be identified by looking at such data.

For example, while order details collected by a food delivery service will have the name, age, gender, and other contact information of an individual, it will become non-personal data if the identifiers such as name and contact information are taken out.

While a Blue Corner Notice (BCN) is issued by INTERPOL seeking whereabouts of a person, a Red Corner Notice (RCN) is issued to seek the arrest or provisional arrest of wanted criminals with the intention of extradition.

An RCN is a request to arrest an individual who is convicted in a criminal case.

INTERPOL cannot pressurise any member country to arrest an individual who is served a RCN.

In recent years, INTERPOL has issued an RCN against absconding billionaire Mehul Choksi.

BCN has been issued against controversial godman Nithyananda. But, CBI has approached INTERPOL to get a RCN issued against him.

APT29 (also known as ‘the Dukes’ or ‘Cozy Bear’) is a cyber espionage group, almost certainly part of the Russian intelligence services.

They have targeted covid vaccine research facilities in US, UK, and Canada trying to steal information and intellectual property relating to development and testing of covid vaccines.

Triffin dilemma is the conflict of economic interests that arises between short-term domestic and long-term international objectives for countries whose currencies serve as global reserve currencies.

The US Dollar cannot survive as the world's reserve currency without requiring the United States to run ever-growing deficits.

Prime Minister in recent Mann ki Baat address referred to the Barna festival celebrated by Tharu tribals to protect nature.

In West Champaran, Bihar people of Tharu tribal society for centuries have observed 60-hour lockdown or, in their words, the '60-hour Barna'.

Tharu tribe's Barna festival is celebrated during the month of Shravan every year. The festival shows their love for nature and their commitment towards conservation of forests.

African Swine Fever (ASF) has been in news because it has severely spread in amongst domesticated swine population in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh.

Meghalaya is the third northeastern State to report disease.

It is the first outbreak of ASF in India, but very catastrophic.

African Swine Fever (ASF) does not affect humans but can be lethal for pigs.

ASF is a severe viral disease resulting in acute haemorrhagic fever. The disease has a case fatality rate of almost 100%.

Routes of transmission include direct contact with an infected domestic or wild pig, indirect contact through ingestion of contaminated material or through biological vectors such as ticks.

Mouse deer is a rare and unique deer species. They are the most primitive and smallest descendants of deer species. Scientists see them as evolutionary links or "living fossils" because they haven't changed or evolved much during their time on Earth.

The researchers at LaCONES collaborated with the conservation experts in Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad for captive breeding and reintroduction of Indian Mouse Deer in the wild.

The captive mouse deer population by the end of October 2019 increased to 173 animals.

The release of the mouse deer was done in Amrabad tiger reserve, Telangana.

Indian Statutory Commission, popularly known as Simon Commission was appointed by the British Government in 1927 under the chairmanship of John Simon to review the working of dyarchy introduced by GoI Act 1919 and suggest future measures. It consisted of 7 British Members of Parliament, but no Indian member.

Response of the Indians

An all-white commission with the exclusion of Indians was seen a violation of the principle of self-determination and as a deliberate insult to the self-respect of Indians.

The commission was met with black flags and calls of ‘Simon Go Back’ wherever it went.

The police came down heavily on protestors. In one such incidence of lathi-charge, Lala Lajpat Rai was severely injured and succumbed to his injuries.

Indian National Congress in its Madras session (1927) decided to boycott commission at every stage and every form.

Indian leaders accepted of the challenge of the Secretary of State Birkenhead to frame a constitution on their own, the outcome of which was Nehru report of 1928.