Current Affairs 23rd October 2018

Current Affairs 23rd October 2018 - Important Points

• US to pull out of Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces treaty signed with - Russia
• Union HRD Ministry releases revised CBSE affiliation bye-laws for - Smooth functioning
• Green fund approves $1 billion to assist poor countries to tackle - Climate change
• US-based Dalit writer Sujatha Gidla wins - 2018 Shakti Bhatt Prize
• 27th Fusion Energy Conference held in - Gandhinagar, Gujarat
• PM inaugurates National Police Memorial in - New Delhi
• PM announces national award in Netaji’s name for - Disaster relief workers

Current Affairs 23rd October 2018 - Details

US to pull out of Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces treaty signed with - Russia

United States President Donald Trump has declared that United States will individually pull out of 3 decades old Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces- INF treaty inked with Russia during Cold War.

Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty

It was vital Cold War-era treaty prohibition development, testing and possession of short as well as medium range ground-launched nuclear missiles with range of 500 to 5,000 kilometres. The treaty was inked in December 1987 between then United States President Ronald Reagan and his USSR complement Mikhail Gorbachev.

The treaty prohibited all nuclear and conventional missiles, including their launchers, with ranges of 500 to 1,000 kilometres and 1,000 to 5,500 kilometres intermediate-range. This treaty was essential to ending arms race between both superpowers during cold war and safeguarded America’s NATO allies in Europe from Soviet missile attacks. It was planned to issue measure of some strategic stability on continent of Europe.

Reasons behind this withdrawal

United States President Trump has suspected that Russia has dishonoured treaty and has been violating it for many years. This desecration comes after Russia’s suspected development and deployment of Novator 9M729 missile, that could attack Europe at short notice.

Allegations of Russia violating this pact pre-dates Trump presidency and go back to 2008 during President Obama management. Under earlier President Barack Obama highlighted issue of Russia testing ground-fired cruise missile with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014. But Russia had rejected allegations and lime-lighted counter-allegations of the United States installing missile defence systems in Europe. While both nations failed to discovery resolution using dispute resolution mechanism in treaty, United States remained to remain-party to pact under pressure from its European allies.

Union HRD Ministry releases revised CBSE affiliation bye-laws for - Smooth functioning

The Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Prakash Javadekar on October 18th, 2018 published the reviewed Central Board of Secondary Education Affiliation Bye Laws to make sure fast, transparency, hassle-free measures and ease of doing business with the CBSE.

The reviewed affiliation byelaws specify a major shift from the highly complex actions to a simplified system based on avoiding duplication of processes.

Previously this year, the Human Resource Development Ministry had instructed the Board to entirely revisit its affiliation bye laws to make the system more vigorous and quality driven.

Important highlights

• The Board shall not revisit any of the features assessed by the state during inspection; and the suspension due to scrutiny and non-compliance of deficiencies in these documents shall be extremely curtailed. 
• Checking of schools will now be outcome-based and extra academic and quality oriented, rather than concentrating only on school infrastructure. 
• The checking will aim on academic excellence and development of students over time, innovations and excellence of pedagogy, capacity of teachers and teacher training, inclusive practises in school, quality of co-scholastic activities, whether curricular load is according to guidelines. 
• It will not only aid the Board and the school to track students’ improvement over time, but will also classify areas that would require further efforts. 
• Concerning fee, the provisions include complete fee disclosure to be done and no hidden charges to be charged by schools in the garb of fees. 
• Also, for the 1st time, the byelaws inspire schools to encourage environmental conservation via harnessing solar energy, rain water harvesting, campus greening, recycling and segregation of waste, Swachhata on campus, and many more.

Green fund approves $1 billion to assist poor countries to tackle - Climate change

Green Climate Fund, backed by United Nations has sanctioned above $1 billion for 19 new projects to benefit developing nations for tackling climate change. The decision was granted during a 4-day meeting in Manama, Bahrain that finished late on October 20th, 2018.

The delegates overseeing the Climate Fund also settled to initiate seeking fresh money subsequent year as its initial capital of about $6.6 billion will soon be used-up.

Important Highlights

• The funding was sanctioned for projects connected to geothermal energy in Indonesia, greener cities in Europe and the Middle East and shielding for coastal communities in India. 
• Besides this, host country Bahrain put forward an appeal to sanction funding for a project focused at safeguarding its freshwater resources.
• The appeal led to a debate among the officials present, in which the environmentalists pointed out that the Gulf country could pay for the project itself using the money it has made off its huge reserves of oil and gas.
• The questioned project was eventually sanctioned, but with only $2.1 million of the $9.8 million demanded by Bahrain.
• In other decisions, the decision on a funding proposal by China was put on hold after concerns from Japan and the US about the likelihood that the money could be utilised to subsidise research into new technology.

US-based Dalit writer Sujatha Gidla wins - 2018 Shakti Bhatt Prize

United States based Dalit writer Sujatha Gidla secured 2018 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize for her debut book “Ants Among Elephants: An Untouchable Family and the Making of Modern India”. Her book was nominated by award panel from of other 60 participants. It takes readers through 4 generations of her family at centre and mainly her uncle K.G.Satyamurthy, a Maoist leader who founded Left-wing guerrilla movement called People’s War Group to takeover Indian state. It also demonstrated undramatised lives of poverty, patriarchy, and rebellion, and meeting with subaltern Communism.

Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize

The Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize is sponsored by the Shakti Bhatt Foundation. It was formed in 2008 in memory of young writer and editor Shakti Bhatti. It bestows 1st-time writers from Indian sub-continent for their tremendous work of fiction or non-fiction. It carries cash prize of Rupees Two lakhs. Sri Lankan author Anuk Arudpragasam had secured this prize in 2017 for his debut novel “The Story of a Brief Marriage” set in the backdrop of the civil war.

27th Fusion Energy Conference held in - Gandhinagar, Gujarat

The 27th Fusion Energy Conference- FEC 2018 was organised in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The 6 days programme is organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency and held by Department of Atomic Energy and Gandhinagar-based Institute of Plasma Research.

FEC 2018

The objective of Fusion Energy Conference-2018 was to deliver forum for discussion of crucial physics and technology issues and innovative perceptions of direct relevance to the usage of nuclear fusion as a source of energy. During this conference, worldwide specialists deliberated innovative concepts on consuming nuclear fusion as source of energy. They also talked about new challenges being faced by fusion community in the light of a number of next-step fusion strategies being executed presently. Among contestants included international bodies like ITER Organisation and European Atomic Energy Community. The research institutes consisted in developing smaller plasma devices also took part.

PM inaugurates National Police Memorial in - New Delhi

PM Narendra Modi initiated and dedicated National Police Memorial- NPM to nation in New Delhi on the occasion of National Police Commemoration Day celebrated on October 21st. The memorial has been formed to recognise supreme sacrifices made by police personnel since independence.

National Police Memorial

The memorial has been constructed on 6.12 acres land in central Delhi’s Chanakyapuri area. It was constructed a few years ago, has now been renovated and central structure has been improved by replacing old rock structure.  This memorial represents all State, UT Police Forces and Central Police Organisations of the nation.

The central sculpture of National Police Memorial is 30-feet monolith build of single piece of granite obtained from Khammam, Telangana which weighs about 238 tonnes. Its outline was conceptualised by Advaita Gadanayak of National Gallery of Modern Art.

Its weight and colour represent gravitas and solemnity of the supreme sacrifice of police forces. Moreover, the Wall of Valour inscribed on it has names of all 34,844 martyrs engraved on granite.

The memorial also has nation’s 1st national police museum which captures history, artefacts, uniform and gear of central and state police forces. The museum is underground facility in the locations of the NPM. The museum project was steered by Intelligence Bureau in synchronization with central armed police forces that operates under Union Home Ministry.

PM announces national award in Netaji’s name for - Disaster relief workers

PM Narendra Modi broadcasted launch of national award in name of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose to facilitate those involved in disaster response operations. It was declared on the eve of 75th anniversary of Bose’s declaration of formation of Azad Hind Government, India’s 1st independent government on October 21st, 1943.

He was great Indian freedom fighter who was born on 23rd January 1897 in Cuttack, British India which presently is in Odisha. Primarily, he had joined Congress and was the president of the Congress during 1938-39. Later, because of differences in Congress, he resigned from Congress and formed Forward Bloc. He tried to liberate the nation via Azad Hind Fauj.

Azad Hind Fauj was originated in Singapore on October 21st, 1943. It was founded by exiled Indians.

Important Facts

• The national award named after Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose will be given annually to police personnel who do excellent work in rescue and relief operations during any kind of disaster. It will be declared every year on January 23rd on Netaji’s birthday.
• The award will assist to identify exemplary services rendered by NDRF and SDRF workers in rescue and relief works during the time of any disaster. National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force are established with officers from Central paramilitary forces and State police organisations respectively. These forces are directed under Disaster Management Act, 2005 for effective management of disasters and for issues connected therewith or incidental thereto.