News Gist:27th Oct

Navy opens its doors to women pilots(women empowerment and equal status):

• After the IAF,navy opened its doors to women pilots.”All the flying areas will be opened for women,except where it requires staying overnight on carriers and ships.”
• Women’s role and status in Indian military(will be covered separately).

Earthquake jolts Afghanistan,Pakistan; tremors felts across northern India:

• A powerful quake hit northeastern Afghanistan and was measured 7.5 on Richter scale owing to which strong tremors felt in northern India.
• One thing must be noted that death and destruction was less compared to Nepal quake(7.8).
• The reason is that yesterday quake lay 212 km under the earth’s surface compared to 10km in Nepal.Earthquake originating deep inside the earth spread much wider as they move towards the surface.As a result they are felt strong and even far away(That’s why Delhi felt strong tremors).

Ques: Explain how earthquake originate and discuss the probable seismic zone areas in India. Further evaluate India’s preparedness against this unpredictable disaster.

Alarming situation in  South Sudan:

• According to IPC(Integrated food security Phase Classification),world’s newest state is under threat of famine if urgent humanitarian access is not provide.
• Hunger has grown steadily worse since a 2013 political crisis led to intense fighting.Which even forced humanitarian groups to pull out.
• Moreover as per UNICEF ,children are also suffering by conflict,disease,fear and hunger creating the danger of “generation loss”.
• According to WHO the most affected populations are the Internally Displaced Persons and the host communities affected by the conflict.

Ques:'A structurally weakened institution will defeat its very objective to maintain peace and stability’.In the light of above statement examine the failure of international organisation’s failure to tackle the humanitarian crisis in middle east.

SC lends support to NGT:

Lending its support to NGT(National Green tribunal),the SC said that the tribunal is empowered to issue directives to Union for banning old vehicles.

NGT: 

• The National Green Tribunal has been established under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010 for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources.
•  Also empowered to enforce any legal right relating to environment and giving relief and compensation for damages to persons and property and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
•  It is a specialized body equipped with the necessary expertise to handle environmental disputes involving multi-disciplinary issues.

SC panel recommended for creation of “sterile zone”:

• A SC appointed commission to make an assessment of Indo-Bangladesh border in Assam has recommended creation of “sterile zone(i.e devoid of human habitaion)” along the border.
• Due to porous ,riverine border along Brahmaputra many illegal immigrants come from neighbouring countries creating tension in domestic area.
• So commission has suggested relocation of people along that border part and called for institution of high powered committee to probe against the alleged benefits provided to infiltrators by officials.

Ques: Discuss the various causes of insurgency in north-eastern states and suggest measures to contain them in the light of above recommendation.