CIVIL SNIPPETS

Europe vows to save Iran n-deal- AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE #GS2 #IR
World powers vowed on Wednesday to uphold a landmark deal curbing Iran’s nuclear programme after
President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the agreement, raising fears of a fresh confrontation with
Tehran.

Mr. Trump’s decision to ditch the accord and reimpose sanctions on the Islamic republic risks overturning
years of painstaking diplomacy, worsening instability in West Asia, and threatens foreign companies’
business in Iran worth billions of dollars.

Iran reacted furiously to Mr. Trump's decision, with lawmakers burning a U.S. flag and chanting “Death to
America” in Parliament. But its regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Israel applauded the U.S. move.

Mr. Trump’s National Security Adviser John Bolton said earlier that European firms doing business in Iran
have a six-month deadline to wind up investments or risk U.S. sanctions. European governments are going
“to do everything to protect the interests” of their companies, said an official in the French presidency, who
asked not to be named.

China said it will maintain “normal economic and trade exchanges” with Iran. Beijing will “remain in
dialogue with all parties and continue to devote itself to safeguarding and implementing the deal
Britain, a signatory to the 2015 deal, said it remained committed, with Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson
urging Washington “to avoid taking action that would hinder other parties from continuing to make the
agreement work.”

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/europe-vows-to-save-iran-n-deal/article23830669.ece

Walmart to buy control of Flipkart- PEERZADA ABRAR #GS3 #Economy

Walmart on Wednesday said it had agreed to pay $16 billion for about 77% stake in Flipkart, a deal that
will pitch the world’s largest retailer in direct competition with its U.S. rival Amazon.com in a battle for
dominance of India’s online marketplace. It will be the biggest ever acquisition in India by a foreign firm
surpassing the about $13 billion Vodafone spent in 2007 for buying Hutchison’s Indian business.

Walmart’s investment in Flipkart would benefit India by providing “quality, affordable goods for customers
while creating new skilled jobs and fresh opportunities for small suppliers, farmers and women
entrepreneurs.

The U.S. company, which first entered India in a wholesale store joint venture with the Bharti Group in
2007, is set to make its biggest acquisition ever as it eyes a segment of India’s retail pie that it forecasts will
grow four times as fast as the overall retail industry.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/walmart-to-buy-control-of-flipkart/article23830667.ece

World’s second oldest rock is from Odisha- Shiv Sahay Singh #GS1
#Geography
A rock sample recovered nearly eight years ago from Champua in Odisha’s Kendujhar district has put India
at the forefront of geological research in the world. Scientists have found in the rock a grain of magmatic
zircon (a mineral that contains traces of radioactive isotopes) that is an estimated 4,240 million years
old — a discovery of great promise to study the earth’s early years.

Rajat Mazumder, geologist and one of the authors of the paper, said that the only instance of zircon older
than this discovery was the one found in Jack Hill, Western Australia, which was 4,400 million years
old and is the oldest known rock sample. But the zircon in this case was from metamorphosed
sedimentary rock, unlike the Singhbhum one, which was formed from magma.

The machine used is called Sensitive High Resolution Ion Microprobe (SHRIMP). It is not available in
India. Dr. Yusheng Wan, a Senior Researcher with the Beijing SHRIMP Center at the Chinese Academy
of Geological Sciences, Beijing, agreed to analyse only four samples on a collaboration basis

Their study will add valuable information about the presence of water in the first few hundred million years
of the Earth’s history. It will also give us clues to when plate tectonics began,

Key Points-

1. Zircon

2. SHRIMP

http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/worlds-second-oldest-rock-is-from-odisha/article23829527.ece

Amnesty-cum-rehabscheme for Maoists #GS3 #Security

The State Cabinet on Wednesday approved an amnesty-cum-rehabilitation scheme for Maoists in the
State aimed at bringing people who have been swayed by the Left extreme ideology back to the
mainstream society. The scheme has been designed in such a manner it will weed out those who
surrender merely for securing monetary benefits.

An official statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office said the activists would be categorised into three
groups for the purpose of fixing the benefits, depending on their activity and their positions in their
organisations.

Top leaders, who come under the first category, will be eligible for ₹5 lakh each and those coming
under categories two and three will be eligible for ₹3 lakh each when they surrender. The funds will
be given in instalments.

A lump-sum amount will be given for pursuing education, marriage, and skill training. A sum of
₹15,000 will be given to those who want to pursue education, ₹25,000 for marriage, and ₹10,000 for
skill training up to three months.

Those who surrender weapons will be eligible for a special rate. Those surrendering AK 47 will get
₹25,000. The government will consider including those surrendering in one of its housing schemes if
they do not own a house.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/amnesty-cum-rehabscheme-for-
maoists/article23829643.ece

IMD in damage-control mode #GS3 #DM

Under attack for issuing an alert for a thunderstorm that triggered widespread panic among people,
especially in Delhi, the Met Department on Wednesday said the wind speed observed was well within the
range of what it had forecast.

In a statement, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said thunderstorm was observed at a few places
over Himachal Pradesh, isolated places over Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, west Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand,
Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Rajasthan. Hailstorm was also received at isolated places over Himachal
and Uttarakhand, it added.

On Monday, the IMD had issued an amber-coloured alert for J&K, Uttarakhand, Himachal, Haryana, Delhi
and west U.P. with a forecast.

There are four types colour codes signifying the level of caution: green (which means no action), yellow
(situation to be watched), amber (government agencies be prepared for severe weather) and red (action
needed by the agencies).

Several parts of these States could witness thunderstorm, squall with winds gusting up to 50-70 kmph, it
had said. Skymet CEO Jatin Singh said there have been two issues related to the IMD on thunderstorms.
“The IMD is not able to distinguish between severities of the May 2 incident and a moderate thunderstorm,”
he said.

Key Points-

1. IMD

2. Skymet

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/imd-in-damage-control-mode/article23830910.ece

Dirty socks, algae behind Taj discolouration, ASI tells SC #GS1 #History
Unwashed socks worn by visitors and rampant algae seem to turn the Taj Mahal from its natural white to
yellow, brown and green, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), charged with the maintenance of the
historic monument, told the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

But a Bench of Justices Madan B. Lokur and Deepak Gupta was not convinced, asking the ASI how algae
managed to reach the top parts of the mausoleum where patches of discolouration were seen.
The court said the problem was not with algae but the fact that the ASI was unwilling to accept that they
were not doing enough to conserve the monument. River Yamuna, which used to flow nearby, had dried
up. Encroachments and industries have cropped up in the neighbourhood of the white marble mausoleum.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/dirty-socks-algae-behind-taj-discolouration-asi-tells-
sc/article23830575.ece

Only 20% of Clean Ganga Mission funds spent till March- Jacob Koshy #GS2
#Governance #GS3 #Environment

Only about a fifth of the Rs. 20,000 crore allotted for the National Clean Ganga Mission (NCGM) has
been utilised till March 2018. That is roughly the same proportion of the sanctioned money utilised the
same time last year.

Amid complaints that the government’s marquee Ganga-cleaning exercise was dawdling, Union Water
Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari had promised, in October 2017, a “visible change” in the Ganga
water quality by 2019. At that time, only Rs. 2,901 crore — or 17% of the sanctioned Rs. 16,000 crore
— had been spent.

A financial account from the NCGM says that as of March 2018, Rs. 20,601 crore had been sanctioned for
193 projects. So far, only Rs. 4,254 crore had actually been spent on their implementation. Figures for April
are not immediately available.
Coursing 2,500 km, the Ganga is the longest river within India’s borders. Its basin constitutes 26% of the
country’s land mass (8,61,404 sq. km.) and supports 43% of its population. Even as the basin spreads
across 11 States, five are located along the river’s main stem: Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh,
Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal. Much of its pollution load — chemical effluents, sewage, dead
bodies, and excreta — comes from these States.

Though the industrial pollution, volume-wise, accounts for about 20%, its toxic and non-
biodegradable nature has a disproportionate impact. The industrial pollutants largely emanate from
tanneries in Kanpur and distilleries, paper mills and sugar mills in the Kosi, Ramganga and Kali
river catchments. The municipal sewage, at a billion litres a day, accounts for 80% of the pollution load.

Key Points-

1. NCGM

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/only-20-of-clean-ganga-mission-funds-spent-till-
march/article23830572.ece

India to face impact of U.S. decision on Iran- Suhasini Haidar #GS2 #IR
Despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
(JCPOA) on Iran, the deal itself will not be scrapped as long as Iran and the other signatories — the
U.K., France, Russia, China, Germany and the European Union — remain committed to it. Even so,
India will face the impact of the U.S. decision.

Iran is India’s third biggest supplier (after Iraq and Saudi Arabia) of crude oil, and any increase in
prices will hit both inflation levels and the rupee, which slumped to $67.48 after the decision was
announced.

Crude prices crossed $76 a barrel on Wednesday, touching a four-year high. After Iranian President Hassan
Rouhani’s visit to New Delhi in February, India committed itself to increasing its oil imports from Iran,
which were expected to double to about 3,96,000 bpd (barrels per day) in 2018-19 from about 2,05,000 bpd
in 2017-18.

Non-oil trade with Iran, which stood at about $2.69 billion of the total trade figures of $12.89 billion in
2016-17, may not be affected as much, as New Delhi and Tehran have instituted several measures in the
past few months.

India’s moves over the past few years to develop berths at the Shahid Beheshti Port in Chabahar was a
key part of its plans to circumvent Pakistan’s blocks on trade with Afghanistan, and the new U.S. sanctions
could slow or even bring those plans to a halt. India has already committed about $85 million with plans
for a total of $500 million on the port.
India is a founder member of the 18-year-old International North South Transport Corridor
(INSTC) that starts from Iran and aims to cut right across Central Asia to Russia over a 7,200-km
multi-mode network.

Plans for INSTC gathered momentum after the JCPOA was signed in 2015 and sanctions on Iran
were lifted. New U.S. sanctions will add to possible sanctions from the U.S.’s new CAATSA law of
January 2018, that threatens strictures on countries doing military trade with the U.S.’s
“adversaries”: Russia, North Korea and Iran.

India joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation last year, and will be formally admitted in June.

This year, Chinese officials say they will consider inducting Iran into the eight-member Eurasian security
organisation. If the proposal is accepted, India will become a member of a bloc that will be seen as anti-
American.

India has long been a proponent of a “rules-based order” that depends on multilateral consensus and an
adherence to commitments made by countries on the international stage, that the Trump administration has
breached by walking out of the JCPOA, as well as earlier from the Climate Change agreement.

Key Points-

1. JCPOA

2. INSTC

3. CAATSA

4. SCO

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/india-to-face-impact-of-us-decision-on-
iran/article23830598.ece

MP panel reports are public papers: SC- Krishnadas Rajagopal #GS2

#Governance
A five-judge Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra on Wednesday unanimously
held that admission of published parliamentary standing committee reports as evidence in court did
not amount to breach of parliamentary privilege.

Parliamentary committee systems have emerged as a creative way of parliaments to perform their basic
functions. They serve as the focal point for legislation and oversight. It [parliamentary committee report]
can be taken aid of to understand and appreciate a statutory provision if it is unclear, ambiguous or
incongruous. It can also be taken aid of to appreciate what mischief the legislative enactment intended to
avoid
They held the “delicate balance”, prescribed under the Doctrine of Separation of Powers, between the
legislature and the judiciary would not be upset if the court took on record a published parliamentary report
and examined its contents to better understand and resolve a social evil.

The experimentation of the vaccine was done as immunisation by Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh (before
bifurcation) with the help of PATH International.

Ms. Mehta, represented by senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, highlighted the untimely deaths and grant of
compensation following the experiment of the vaccine on young girls who had not reached the age of
majority without the consent of their parents/guardians.

Key Points-

1. Doctrine of SOP

2. Parliamentary Standing Committee

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/mp-panel-reports-are-public-papers-
sc/article23830587.ece

SC has power to review laws’ #GS2 #Governance

The judiciary has no power of the “sword or the purse,” but it has the power to ensure that both the
government and Parliament function within their limits, the Supreme Court reinforced its authority to
judicially review government policies and parliamentary laws.

The government had countered that a judicial review of parliamentary panel reports would be a breach of
parliamentary privilege and a violation of the doctrine of separation of powers, which fundamentally
mandates that the three arms of governance — the legislature, the executive and the judiciary — do
not encroach into each other’s turfs.

The Chief Justice wrote that ‘separation of powers’ does not mean mere division of labour among the
three branches. “There can really be no strait-jacket approach in the sphere of separation of powers when
issues involve democracy, the essential morality that flows from the Constitution, interest of the citizens in
certain spheres like environment, sustenance of social interest, etc. and empowering the populace with the
right to information or right to know in matters relating to candidates contesting election.”

Justice Chandrachud interpreted that the “doctrine of separation of powers also seeks to incorporate mutual
supervision, interdependence and coordination because the ultimate aim of the different branches of the
government, through their distinct functions, is to ensure good governance

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/sc-has-power-to-review-laws/article23830590.ece
Don’t deprive States of resources, says Mamata- Sobhana K. Nair #GS2
#Governance
States should not be deprived of the “rightful resources” that they deserve from the Centre, West Bengal
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, objecting to the
use of the 2011 census figures for devolution of funds by the 15th Finance Commission instead of the
1971 census as used by all the previous commissions.

Ms. Banerjee joins the chorus against the terms of reference of the 15th Finance Commission which
many have called an assault on the federal structure of the country. The southern states have been
protesting saying the terms are inherently biased against the progressive States that have controlled
population.

The overall approach to use the 1971 population census of all the earlier Finance Commissions was based
on a very sound and rational footing.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/dont-deprive-states-of-resources-says-
mamata/article23830596.ece

No consent taken for biometrics #GS2 #Governance

The Supreme Court was on Wednesday informed by senior advocate Shyam Divan, who is representing a
bunch of petitions challenging the constitutionality of the Aadhaar Act, that no counselling or written
consent was taken before taking biometrics during Aadhaar enrolment.

The senior advocate, who concluded his arguments, said the absence of “express written authority in the
notification dated January 28, 2009 to collect and store biometrics [fingerprints and iris scan] renders
all collections prior to the Act illegal and incurable”.

The effect of being compelled to part with personal biometrics and demographic information and storing it
in a central repository through which the State logs every authentication amounts to overreach of the
coercive power of the State,

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/no-consent-taken-for-biometrics/article23830592.ece

Assam Cong. seeks referendum on citizenship Bill- Rahul Karmakar #GS2

#Governance
A divided Congress in Assam has sought a referendum on the “controversial” Citizenship
(Amendment) Bill as the Joint Parliamentary Committee ended its three-day hearing in the State on
Wednesday.
Organisations batting for rights of the indigenous people are opposed to the Bill that the BJP government
had introduced on July 19, 2016 to grant citizenship to non-Muslim minority communities in
Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan fleeing religious persecution.

The BJP came to power in Assam on the promise of protecting jaati-maati-bheti [indigenous communities-
land-foundation]. While the Congress in largely Assamese-speaking Brahmaputra Valley opposed the Bill,
the party’s unit in the Bengali-speaking Barak Valley in southern Assam supported it.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/assam-cong-seeks-referendum-on-citizenship-
bill/article23830602.ece

China stands by n-deal #GS2 #IR

In the wake of the U.S. pulling out of the nuclear deal with Iran, China said it will “remain in dialogue with
all parties and continue to devote itself to safeguarding and implementing the deal.

Britain, a signatory to the 2015 deal, said it remained committed, with Foreign Secretary Boris
Johnson urging Washington “to avoid taking action that would hinder other parties from continuing
to make the agreement work”.

Asking Europe to clarify its position soon, Mr. Rouhani told Mr. Macron that Iran’s rights under the deal
related to the selling of oil, banking, investment and insurance must be “guaranteed” in a transparent and
clear way

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-international/china-stands-by-n-deal/article23830651.ece

RBI steps in to soften rupee fall #GS3 #Economy

The rupee hit a fresh 15-month low against the U.S. dollar as importers rushed to purchase dollars after the
U.S. pulled out of a nuclear deal with Iran that sent crude prices climbing.

After a weak opening, the rupee hit the day’s low of 67.48 to a dollar, as compared with Tuesday’s close
of 67.08, prompting state-run banks to sell dollars on behalf of the Reserve Bank, currency dealers said.
The RBI has always maintained that it intervened in the foreign exchange market to cut volatility and not
to target a particular level for the rupee.

According to a UBS Securities report, since India is a net oil importer with inelastic demand, global crude
oil price movement tends to have an important bearing on macro stability risks and economic growth
prospects.

The report said, quoting Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell, that a $10/bbl oil price rise raises India's
current account deficit by $15 billion (0.6% of GDP) and the fiscal deficit by 0.1% of GDP, if domestic
fuel prices are unchanged.
Currency experts said a depreciating rupee could prompt the central bank to advance interest rate hikes.

However, oil strengthening and sustaining around $75-85/bbl could undermine macro fundamentals.
[Then], we see a risk of INR 3-6% depreciation against the USD from the current level and at least 50 bp
policy rate tightening in FY19.”

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-business/rbi-steps-in-to-soften-rupee-fall/article23830533.ece

A ‘taxing’ issue in a big deal #GS3 #Economy

The Walmart-Flipkart deal has brought tax implications into focus. If non-resident investors offload their
shares in Flipkart’s Singapore parent company to Walmart, such transfers could be regarded as indirect sale
of shares of Flipkart India.

This would trigger capital gains tax in India for such non-resident investors, subject to tax treaty benefits,
if any, available to such investors.

He cited the indirect transfer tax provisions which were introduced following the Vodafone tax row. In his
view, the tax rate could be 20-40% depending on whether the gain was long-term or short-term. “For
resident shareholders, the deal would trigger capital gains tax in India which would be taxed at 20-30%
depending on whether the gain is long-term or short-term.”

What if the Singapore parent of Flipkart India sells shares of Flipkart India to Walmart, i.e. direct sale of
shares of Flipkart India? The Singapore parent could take benefit of non-taxability of capital gains in India
as per the India-Singapore tax treaty, he said.

This was, however, subject to meeting limitation of benefits clause requirements under the treaty and
passing the General Anti-Avoidance Rules test, especially for any investments made by the Singapore
parent post April 1, 2017.

Indian withholding tax rules also kick in, in such transactions. “Walmart will need to withhold appropriate
Indian taxes while purchasing stakes of non-resident investors,”However, overseas shareholders are liable
to pay tax in India if the resultant capital gain was taxable in India as per tax treaties.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-business/a-taxing-issue-in-a-big-deal/article23830540.ece

Indian Museum offers feast to fans of natural history #GS3 #Environment

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday inaugurated
four galleries at the Indian Museum — three with zoological specimens and one with botanical specimens.

The three zoological galleries showcase invertebrate, mammal species with one gallery dedicated to
explaining major ecosystems in the country. The mammal gallery will have 314 exhibits, belonging to 138
species of mammals, of which 62 are from neighbouring countries.
Rare skeletons of elephants and whales, along with major mammal skeletons, are on display. The earliest
botanical and zoological research in the country started in Kolkata in the late 19th century and many
priceless specimens, some hundreds of years old, are housed in these galleries.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-life/indian-museum-offers-feast-to-fans-of-natural-
history/article23830514.ece

Senior Citizen draft Bill: Govt proposes six-month jail for abandoning, abusing
elderly parents #GS2 #Governance
The Centre has proposed to enhance the jail term for those found abandoning or abusing their
parents, 60 years or older, to six months from the existing three months. The Ministry of Social Justice
and Empowerment has drafted the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizen Draft Bill,
2018, that will amend the 2007 version of the legislation to expand its scope and provide for more stringent
penalties.

The Bill also expands the definition of children, which currently refers to only biological children and
grandchildren, to include daughter-in-law and son-in-law and also adopted/step-children.

It also extends the definition of maintenance beyond provision of food, clothing, housing, health care
to include “safety and security” of the parent. Senior citizens can also approach a Maintenance
Tribunal in case their children neglect or refuse to maintain them.

In such cases, the draft Bill states that the Tribunal can order the children or, in case the person is
childless, the relative to pay a monthly maintenance to the senior citizen. The amount would be
decided by taking into account the standard of living of the senior citizen and the financial situation
of both the parties

The Act currently provides an upper limit of Rs 10,000 per month as maintenance amount. Official
sources said the Bill proposes to make this amount variable as people who earn more, can afford to
shell out a higher amount for the upkeep of their parents.

The Bill also introduces a punitive measure of up to one month imprisonment in case the monthly
allowance remains unpaid. The official added that the Bill, if passed, will require the government to
establish and run at least one Senior Citizen Care Home in every district in the country.

Currently, various government and private schemes for insurance/health, housing and travel, have varied
cut-off age for offering benefits meant for senior citizens. The Bill mandates the uniform age across
schemes should be 60 years.

Moreover, it states that if parents transfer property to their children on the condition that they take care of
them, and this clause is breached, the transfer of property will be deemed to be “made by fraud or coercion
or under undue influence” and a tribunal can order it to be transferred back to the parent.
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/senior-citizen-draft-bill-govt-proposes-six-month-jail-for-
abandoning-abusing-elderly-parents-5170643/