IASTODAY DAILY CAPSULES -General Studies-02

Seventh Trade Policy Review of India at the WTO

Source: PIB INDIA

News:

The second and final Session of India’s seventh Trade Policy Review (TPR) concluded on 8thJanuary 2021, at the World Trade Organization in Geneva.

Beyond News:

  • The TPR is an important mechanism under the WTO’s monitoring function in which member countries’ trade and related policies are examined by the WTO with an aim to contribute towards improved adherence to WTO rules, while providing constructive feedback to the Member under review.
  • WTO Members applaud India’s efforts to improve trade and economic environment since 2015
  • The Commerce Secretary highlighted that reform is a continuous and ongoing process, and the Government of India is deeply committed to pursuing this path to make India an attractive trade and investment partner for the world. He also informed that that India is striving toforge greater economic and trade linkages with the world, by utilizing all avenues available.
  • The Discussant specifically observed India’s proactive efforts in the implementation of WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement and the role played by it in furthering “Ease of Doing Business” in the country, while observing the highly improved ranking of India in the “Trading across Borders” indicator under the Doing Business Report. Also noted that the WTO Membership has been appreciative of the steps taken by India for liberalizing its FDI regime and India’s National Intellectual Property Rights Policy, 2016.

The meeting ended with the closing remarks of the Chair of the WTO’s TPR Body, Ambassador Harald Aspelund, wherein he congratulated India for its strong economic growth during the period under review, and commended India’s support during the TPR exercise.

US tweaks H1B visa rules again, higher wage is key factor now

News

  • About a fortnight before its term ends, US President Donald Trump’s administration has once again amended its H-1B visa regime to give priority to higher wages and skills instead of the prevailing lottery system for selection of candidates looking to work in the country.

Amended H-1B visa regime

  • The new rules will be effective 60 days after publication in the federal register, making it likely that they will cover H-1B applicants for the new fiscal year starting April 1.
  • According to the amended rules released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will first select registrations where the “proffered wage equals or exceeds” the prevailing level in that area of employment.
  • Every year, the US administration issues 85,000 H-1B work permits. Of these, 65,000 are for people with specialty occupations, while the rest are reserved for foreign workers who have earned a Master’s or a higher university degree in the US.
  • Until now, the selection of H-1B work visas was done by a randomised lottery system, which did not take into account factors such as wage, experience or any other requirements and demands.
  • Since the number of applications from Indian companies as well as individuals is much higher than any other nationality, a lion’s share of these work visas is cornered by Indians.
  • The latest rules mark the fourth policy change of the US administration over the last year. In April, the Trump administration had suspended approvals for immigrant and non-immigrant work visa, including H-1B, for 60 days.

H-1B visas are generally approved for three years, after which holders often change employers and continue working for other companies based in the US.

Jaishankar discusses role of provincial councils with Tamil leaders in Sri Lanka

News:

  • External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met the Tamil leadership in Sri Lanka and discussed issues pertaining to the development and devolution and the role of provincial councils as part of national reconciliation.

Beyond News:

  • The meeting assumed significance in the backdrop of moves by the ruling Sri Lanka People’s Party (SLPP) allies to mount a public campaign for abolition of the country’s provincial council system. The SLPP’s Sinhala majority hardliners have been advocating a total abolition of the provincial council system established in 1987. There are nine provincial councils in Lanka.
  • Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is the main Tamil party in the island nation.
  • Addressing a joint media interaction with Gunawardena, he underlined India’s backing for Lanka’s reconciliation process and an ?inclusive political outlook? that encourages ethnic harmony.

13th amendment

  • The 13th Amendment provides for devolution of power to the Tamil community. India has been pressing Sri Lanka to implement the 13th amendment which was brought in after the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement of 1987.

Centre merges J&K cadre officers with AGMUT

News:

  • The Centre merged Jammu and Kashmir cadre IAS, IPS and IFS officers with that of Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT), also called the Union Territory cadre, through an ordinance.

Beyond News:

  • The move will allow officers posted in these states and UTs to work in J&K and vice versa.
  • In a gazette notification, the government said the President has promulgated an ordinance to amend J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019.
  • The Act had made provision for retention of J&K cadre for existing officers and stated that new officers posted in the state would henceforth come from UT cadre. The ordinance has now merged the existing J&K cadre as well with UT cadre.

It says officers “so borne or allocated” on AGMUT cadre shall function in accordance with rules framed by the Centre.

IASTODAY DAILY CAPSULES -General Studies-03

Pakistan court sentences Mumbai attack mastermind and LeT commander Lakhvi to 5 years for terrorism financing

News:

  • A Pakistan court on Friday sentenced Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi, a senior official of militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, to five years in jail for terrorism financing.

Beyond News:

  • Lakhvi and the group are accused by India and the United States of being behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks –– though the charges or sentence are not related to any specific incident.
  • He was sentenced to five years concurrently on three counts, with a fine of 100,000 rupees on each count, an order from the court seen by Reuters said.

The United States welcomed his arrest but called for him to be tried for the Mumbai attacks, too.

Which country has the most powerful passport in the world?

Around the world, people miss the thrill of waltzing in and out of airports, their passport in hand — discovering new countries and having new experiences. The pandemic year of 2020 made it immensely difficult to travel around freely, and even though things have started to look up in 2021 — what with the vaccine ready — there are still many restrictions in place vis-a-vis international travel.

And yet, there are some countries which are doing better than others, as a result of which, their passports have emerged as more powerful. The Henley Passport Index, which periodically measures the world’s most travel-friendly passports, has revealed in its latest report that Japanese passports are the most powerful in the world.

  • A person in possession of a Japanese passport can access 191 countries visa-free — the highest in the world. India ranks 85 on the list and shares its spot with Tajikistan. The passport holders of these countries can access 58 countries in the world without a prior visa.

The Henley Passport Index is the original ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. The ranking is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which maintains the world’s largest and most accurate database of travel information, the website mentions.

Uttarakhand High Court stays denotification of Shivalik Elephant Reserve

News

  • The Uttarakhand High Court has put a stay on the denotification of the Shivalik Elephant Reserve, the state’s only jumbo reserve.

Jumbo reserve

  • Another division bench of the court had issued notices to the Centre, the state government and the state wildlife board over the decision to denotify the elephant reserve. They were given four weeks’ time to reply.
  • Previously, around 80 people had written to acting Chief Justice, pleading to stop the denotification of the Shivalik Elephant Reserve by the government.
  • The state wildlife board had in November 2020 decided to denotify the reserve, arguing that the move will pave the way for development work in an area spanning over 4,500 sq km, including expansion of Dehradun’s Jolly Grant Airport.

The Shivalik Elephant reserve was notified in 2002 under ‘Project Elephant’, which was launched by the government of India in 1992.

Chinese soldier apprehended on the Indian side of Line of Actual Control in Ladakh

News

  • A Chinese soldier, who had crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) near the south of Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh, was apprehended by the Indian Army in the early hours.
  • The Army said that the Chinese soldier is being dealt with laid down protocols.

Military standoff

  • South Pangong Tso, which is part of the Chushul sub-sector, is one of the areas where troops from both sides are just a few hundred meters apart.
  • Indian forces in August-end had outwitted Chinese troops to occupy certain, previously unoccupied heights, which has allowed India to dominate the region.
  • Indian troops are positioned on peaks such as Mukhpari and Gurung Hill, both of which overlook the Spanggur Gap, a strategically significant 2 km-wide valley, that can be used to launch an offensive, as China had done in 1962.
  • Some of the other heights that Indian troops have occupied since the end of August include Rezang La and Rechin La.
  • This is the second time that a Chinese soldier was apprehended for crossing the LAC in eastern Ladakh in the last few months.

India and China are involved in a military standoff in eastern Ladakh for more than eight months. Both sides have around 50,000 troops each in the area, along with additional air defence assets, artillery and tanks.

Both sides have had eight rounds of senior commander-level discussions.

Manipur: Dzuko Valley wildfire brought under control

News

  • In a major relief, the wildfire at Dzuko valley range at Manipur-Nagaland border for nearly two weeks has been finally brought under control.

Wildfire

  • The Dzuko valley wildfire reportedly has engulfed a large area of the valley both in Nagaland and Manipur.
  • In Manipur, the fire had completely destroyed the vegetations of Mt Iso, the highest peak in the state.
  • To contain the fire, Manipur Government pressed into action as many as 200 firefighters, NDRF, SDRF, state police, villagers of Mao and four IAF helicopters equipped with bambi bucket. Two base camps had been opened to accommodate firefighters.