"It has been my philosophy of life that difficulties vanish when faced boldly." - Isaac Asimov

"It has been my philosophy of life that difficulties vanish when faced boldly." - Isaac Asimov

*Unmaking existing laws is an arduous task. *1800 laws: repealed in last 3 years. *Latest round: 235 outdated Acts and 9 pre-independence Ordinances have been repealed. *Burden: in the absence of a periodic review *Not in tune with: Social, Political, Economical changes. *Moreover, not in sync with progress of democracy

*Law Commission: 96th and 148th Reports recommended a good number of laws that should be repealed. *P.C. Jain Commission (1998): withdrawal of a large body of legislation *The problem with not removing archaic laws is that they could be invoked suddenly against unsuspecting and otherwise law-abiding citizens. *It is a welcome sign for good governance that the present government is updating and trimming the statute book. *Given that legislation is quite a prolific activity, especially in the State Assemblies, it would be advisable to have a permanent commission to review the existing body of law and identify those that require repeal as often as possible.

*Trump s: National Security Strategy (NSS) *India has welcomed it *International section of NSS: India s emergence as a leading global power *Some priorities of NSS: 1. encourage Indian economic assistance in the region 2. leadership role in Indian Ocean security and throughout the broader region *China s assault on the sovereignty of South Asian nations and of Pakistan s continued support to terror groups are closely aligned with India s concerns in the neighbourhood.

*Advisable for India: wait and watch. *For example, while the U.S. has talked of countering China s influence in South Asia, it has not backed this with actual financial assistance for infrastructure critical to the region. *Equally, while Mr. Trump s words on Pakistan and terrorism are sharp, the U.S. has yet to show its hand, either in terms of military action or withholding of coalition support funds. *USA is withdrawing from many places and groups. *A watch-and-wait stance is still India s best option to preserve the autonomous and pluralistic nature of its engagement

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*Uttarakhand High Court: Ganga and Yamuna rivers are living entities *It is worth noting that wetlands, the other major water-based ecosystem apart from rivers, are at a moment of policy transition in the country. *This year, a new legal framework for wetlands was passed, the Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, replacing the earlier Rules of 2010. *Also this year, the Supreme Court passed an order directing States to identify wetlands in the country within a stipulated timeframe.

*2017 Wetland Rules: criticised for doing away with strong wetland monitoring systems and omitting important wetland types. *The 2010 and 2017 Rules for wetlands both emphasise that the ecological character of wetlands ought to be maintained for their conservation. Ecological character refers to processes and components which make the wetland a particular, and sometimes unique, ecosystem. *For example, as lagoons like Chilika (Odisha) and Pulicat (Tamil Nadu/Andhra Pradesh) are characterised by a mix of saline and fresh water, the flows of each type need to be maintained; river flood plains contain wetlands that require conservation so they can re-fuel the river with fish and other aquatic life during flooding.

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*In the 2010 Rules, some related criteria were made explicit, such as natural beauty, ecological sensitivity, genetic diversity, historical value, etc. *These have been omitted in the 2017 Rules. E.g. Salt Pans 1. Identify and map multiple uses 2. Identify ecological criteria so that the wetlands character can be maintained The key to wetland conservation is not just understanding regimes of multiple use but conserving or managing the integrity of the wetland ecosystem. *The case of Deepor Beel *Ramsar site and a part of it is also wildlife sanctuary in Guwahati, Assam.

* Ramsar Sites are designated because they meet the criteria for identifying wetlands of international importance. *Large, meat-eating storks (Greater adjutant storks) are ironically found eating from the mountains of garbage at the site. Potential impacts of contamination or poisoning from the garbage are still unknown. *This January, 26 storks died. i. Understanding the historic spread and ecological character will be an important bulwark for the way forward. ii. Setting clear governance systems would be the next. iii.without either, we are looking at a complete dilution of wetlands in the country.

*So long as consumers have unrestricted access to deposits, their faith in the banking system is maintained. *The Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill is exactly that an attempt to make the system more credible, less chaotic, and systematic in times when credibility is at risk, by treating banks differently from regular corporations. *Resolution Corporation: critical & bail-in *Bill is designed to take away power from the failed financial institution at the stage of failure.

*It makes it abundantly clear that the Resolution Corporation will specify the liabilities to be bailed in. *These will be specified in regulations that will be put up in the public domain before finalisation. *The Bill gives aggrieved persons a right to be compensated by the Resolution Corporation if any of the safeguards have not been followed during a bail-in or in the conduct of any other resolution action. *The Bill simply adds another tool of resolution without taking away from the government s implicit guarantee to depositors.

*In October, earlier this year, the 118-year-old American Physical Society (APS), one of the world s largest organisations of physicists, announced the winners of its 2018 Andrei Sakharov Prize that recognises outstanding leadership and/or achievements of scientists in upholding human rights. *The award was constituted in 2006 in memory of the 1975 Nobel Peace Prize winning Russian nuclear physicist who faced state persecution for his advocacy of civil liberties and reforms in the Soviet Union.

*2018 award: * Narges Mohammadi (Iran) * Ravi Kuchimanchi, a physicist who as PhD student in physics at the University of Maryland, U.S., helped found the Association for India s Development more than two and half decades ago. *It is a remarkable organisation that mobilises nearly a thousand volunteers and raises $2 million annually to support human rights and social justice issues in India. *The situation throws up some interesting questions on the nature of science, on the identity of a scientist, on the science-society-development interface and its larger socio-cultural-political underpinnings. *The Bilgaon project that was hailed as an outstanding example of grassroots and sustainable development was washed away in 2006 due to the backwater effect of the Sardar Sarovar Dam.

Ryan student to be tried as an adult *The 16-year-old student of the Ryan International School, apprehended in connection with the murder of his schoolmate Pradhyuman Thakur, will be tried as an adult, the Juvenile Justice Board said here on Wednesday. *Pronouncing its judgment around noon, the court said the juvenile in conflict with the law would be produced before the sessions court on December 22. *He said the verdict meant that the juvenile, if convicted, could be sentenced to even 14 years in jail. He, however, said that as per Section 21 of the JJ Act, the juvenile cannot be sentenced to death or life imprisonment.

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Muslim bodies not consulted on talaq Bill *Muslim organisations were not consulted before the government framed a draft Bill to criminalise the practice of instant triple talaq, the Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday. *Law Minister Ravi Shankar said the government believed that the proposed Bill would help ensure gender justice, equality and dignity of women. *The government felt that since the practice of triple talaq continued despite the Supreme Court striking it down, there was a need to bring a law.

Finding used copters for Kabul *In a bid to bolster Afghanistan's air capabilities, India is considering buying several second-hand Russian-made Mi35s for the Afghan National Defence Security Forces (ANDSF) from other countries, a move that signals closer cooperation between New Delhi and Moscow on Afghanistan, Indian and Afghan officials confirmed to The Hindu. *An Indian Defence Ministry team is also expected to travel to an East European country, possibly Serbia or Ukraine, that still operate Sovietera aircraft, and an Afghan defence team is expected in Delhi "shortly" to follow up on the discussions, a diplomat said.

India, Myanmar seal deal *Highlighting the need to repatriate displaced Rohingya refugees, India on Wednesday signed an MoU with Myanmar. *Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar, during his ongoing visit to Myanmar, signed the MoU that will help create conditions for the return of the displaced Rohingya and held discussions with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior officials at Nay Pyi Taw. *The MoU will include building of pre-fabricated homes for the displaced population.

Rising crude oil prices, fiscal slippage a concern, says Patel *Reserve Bank of India Governor Urjit Patel voiced concern over rising crude oil prices and fiscal slippage, during the meeting of the fifth bimonthly monetary policy review held earlier this month. * RBI maintained status quo for the second straight meeting, which was voted by five out of six members. *Only R.H. Dholakia had voted for a 25 bps rate cut. The key policy rate or the repo rate is currently at 6%. *Deputy Governor Viral Acharya, said There seems little scope for accommodation or for change of stance at the present juncture.

Raise social security budget, Jaitley told *Sixty of India s leading development economists wrote to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday asking for a big increase in the budget allocation for social security pensions and maternity entitlements. * The Central Government s contribution to old-age pensions under the National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS) scheme has remained at a measly D200 per month since 2006, the letter said. This is extraordinarily stingy. It is also a missed opportunity: NOAPS is a good scheme (with low leakages and administrative costs) that reaches some of the poorest members of society.

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47 IPS officers face criminal proceedings *As many as 75 IPS officers face disciplinary proceedings and 47 face criminal investigation, Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. *Mr. Rijiju said FIRs had been registered against 47 IPS officers and chargesheets or challans filed in 20 cases. * As per the information available, 75 IPS officers are facing disciplinary proceedings and 47 IPS officers are facing criminal investigation or proceedings, the Minister said, replying to a written question. *Mr. Rijiju said five IPS officers had been retired in public interest by invoking various provisions of the All India Services rules.

1. Consider the following statements 1. The Queen of England was proclaimed Empress of India in 1858. 2. King George V and Queen Mary held a Delhi Durbar in 1911. Which of the statement/s given above is/are correct? A. Only 1 B. Only 2 C. Both D. Neither 2. Annie Besant was 1. Responsible for starting the Home Rule Movement 2. Founder of the Theosophical Society 3. Once the President of the Indian National Congress A. Only 1 B. 2 and 3 C. 1 and 3 D. All of these 3. Identify: Bharat Ratna Madan Mohan Malviya

1. Which Mauryan Province had a foreign governor (Greek-Yavana)? A. Southern B. Eastern C. Western D. Saurashtra 2. Which musical instruments was not composite or Indo-Islamic in origin? A. Sitar B. Tabla C. Sarangi D. Shehnai 3. Which one of the following was not an extremist? A. Bal Gangadhar Tilak B. Madan Lal Dhingni C. Udham Singh D. Gopal Krishna Gokhale