 Welcome to the Hindu News Analysis by Shankar Ayesakarmi. The news articles along with the page numbers are displayed here for your reference. The PDF link of the handwritten notes on the timestamping of the news articles is given in the description box as well as in the comment section. Now let us start our today's news analysis. This article talks about the concerns expressed by the officials of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust regarding the delay in the construction of the western dedicated freight corridor and the possibility of connecting the corridor to the private Munra Port which will adversely affect the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust growth prospects. So in this context, today we will be seeing about the major ports in India, then about the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust and then western and eastern corridors and finally about the highlights of the news article. The syllabus relevant for the analysis of this news article is highlighted here for your reference. The Indian coastline is about 7500 kilometers and various natural and artificial seaports are located along the coastline. Ports in India are classified as major ports and minor ports based on the carrying capacity. See at present there are 13 major ports and more than 200 non-major or intermediate ports in our country. The major seaports are owned and managed by the central government and other ports are owned and managed by the state governments. You should know that the Enore Port which is also known as the Kamraj Port is resisted as a company under the Companies Act of 1956 and the rest of the ports are run as the trust. In this context, you should know that the major ports are listed in the union list of the Indian Constitution and the major ports are administered as per the pros and cons of the Indian ports Act of 1908 and major port trust Act of 1963. And if you see Mumbai seaport, then Marmugova seaport in the state of Goa, then Vishakhapatnam seaport in the state of Andhra Pradesh are some of the India's major natural seaports. Whereas the Kandala seaport in the state of Gujarat, then Jawaharlal Nehru seaport which is also known as Navasheva seaport in Mumbai, then Chennai seaport and Enore seaport in the state of Tamil Nadu are some of the India's major artificial seaports and these ports are administered by the respective port trust which are functioning as autonomous bodies. Now we will see Jawaharlal Nehru seaport which is managed by Jawaharlal Nehru port trust that is JNPT. See JNPT is the most modern seaport and also one of the biggest container handling seaports in our country. It has been developed in Navi, Mumbai to ease the traffic handling pressure on Mumbai seaport. Before we can call this JNPT as the satellite seaport of Mumbai seaport. Now we will see about dedicated freight corridors. These dedicated freight corridors are railway corridors which are under the construction by the Indian Railways to enable the smooth transport of cargo. As per the plan there are two corridors to be constructed in our country. One is known as the western freight corridor and the other is the eastern freight corridor. The western dedicated freight corridor will be from Jawaharlal Nehru port trust in Mumbai to Tughlaqabad and Dadri near Delhi. The length of this western dedicated freight corridor is about 1534 kilometers. This will pass through the states of Maharashtra, then Gujarat, then Rajasthan, then Haryana and then the national capital territory of Delhi. This corridor would cater largely to the container transport requirements between the existing and emerging ports in Maharashtra, Gujarat and the Northern Interland, whereas the eastern dedicated freight corridor will be from Ludhiana in the state of Punjab to Dhankuni near Kolkata. The length of eastern dedicated freight corridor will be about 1839 kilometers. The eastern dedicated freight corridor will pass through the states of Punjab, then Haryana, then Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. The eastern dedicated freight corridor would largely serve coal and steel traffic. See, the entire project is being implemented by the dedicated freight corridor Corporation of India Limited, which is a special purpose vehicle created in 2006 by the Ministry of Railways. Now, if you look at the western dedicated freight corridor, which will be connecting Jawaharlal Nehru port trust with Dadri, which is located on the outskirts of the national capital, also connects ports such as Karnala Port, Mundra Port in the state of Gujarat with the Interland. Now if you look at the news article, it says that the western dedicated freight corridor, which is supposed to be completed by now, is still under construction. Therefore, pointing to the delay, the state-run JNPT has asked the central government to expedite the entire project, and it also asked the central government to ensure that JNPT would get its priority in securing connectivity to the dedicated rail line rather than Pravedran Mundra Port. The JNPT officials said that the western corridor is originally meant from Dadri to JNPT. But while laying connectivity, if Gujarat's Mundra Port comes first before Maharashtra JNPT, then the cargo from the Interland would prefer to move to the Pravedra Port. Therefore, it would adversely affect the business of JNPT. So to conclude this news article, we have discussed about the various concerns expressed by the officials of the JNPT regarding the delay in the construction of the western dedicated freight corridor and the possibility of connecting the corridor to the Pravedran Mundra Port. Now let us proceed to the next news article analysis. This editorial discussion is about the recent political happenings in South Sudan. The syllabus relevant for the analysis of this news article is highlighted here for your reference. In this contest, we are going to start with the geography of South Sudan, then the history of South Sudan, and then the present political happenings in this country. As you can see in this map, that South Sudan is a landlocked country, which is sharing border with Sudan, then Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, then Democratic Republic of Congo, and then Central African Republic. South Sudan has an equatorial climate with adequate humidity and rainfall, and the river Nile flows across South Sudan. Know that South Sudan has one of the world's largest spams, which is named as SUD. It is rich in mineral resources, especially petroleum reserves, and the major ethnic groups include Dinka, Neur, Luo, then Jande, etc. Then if you look at the history of South Sudan, which was under joint British-Egyptian rule from 1899 to 1955. After that, there were two civil wars that happened between 1962 to 1972, and then from 1983 to 2005. As a result of these two civil wars, a comprehensive peace agreement was signed between Sudan and Sudan Pupils Liberation Movement in 2005. And this has led to autonomy for South Sudan. Subsequently, a referendum on independence was conducted, and finally, South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in the month of July in 2011. The Republic of South Sudan is now a member of United Nations and also the member of African Union. You should know that the second civil war, which was happened in Sudan, mainly due to the rich petroleum reserves in South Sudan. Therefore, sharing of rich petroleum reserves in South Sudan is still a bone-off contention even after the independence of South Sudan. As a result of this, again, a civil war broke out in the year 2013. This time, the war was a result of conflict between the government and the opposition forces. In this context, the South Sudan president, Salwa Kir Maidit, accused the former vice-president of South Sudan, Reich Marker of attempting a coup. You should also know that the president of South Sudan belongs to the Dinkar tribe, whereas the former vice-president belongs to a new tribe. And these two tribes are rival ethnic groups in South Sudan. Therefore, the political fight quickly became an ethnic conflict, which further resulted in civil war. And many people were killed and were internally displaced or fled to neighboring countries. Therefore, owing to national and international pressure, a revitalized peace agreement was signed between the government and the opposition parties in the month of September 2018. Therefore, as a part of the deal, Maadshar will again become the vice-president of South Sudan. In this context, let us see this editorial now, that the author of this editorial tells that this 2018 implementation deal has been very slow. And one of the important agreements was formation of a unity government comprising of all political parties, but it was deferred twice over the differences regarding the demarcation of regional boundaries. Therefore, in order to preserve the South Sudanese government, to bring the civil war to the end, United States of America and United Nations declared embargo on arms sale to South Sudan. However, the vested interest in the region has blatantly violated the embargo. In addition to this, the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has reported that there were evidences on incidents of sexual violence against women and also the cases of abduction of children. It has reported that over a million people have been internally displaced. And this has also led Maadshar migration to the neighboring country of DR Congo from the equatorial region of South Sudan. So we can see that the humanitarian conditions are really worse in South Sudan and majority of the people are suffering from hunger and malnutrition. Therefore, in order to deal these issues effectively, it is important that free and fair democratic elections should be connected as early as possible. Then the stability of South Sudan is also important for its neighboring countries which are suffering from refugee crisis. So these are the important points that you need to know from this editorial. Now let us see India's bilateral relations with South Sudan. India was one of the first countries to recognize the independent South Sudan. India established its consular relations with South Sudan in 2007. India also invested in South Sudan's petroleum resource. However, India's trade with South Sudan is very negligible. And the main items of Indian imports from South Sudan are oil and timber. Apart from this, India is also involved in development assistance initiatives with South Sudan. In addition, India has provided defence personnel for the EN Peacekeeping Mission which is known as EN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan. To conclude this news article, we saw the geography of South Sudan, then about how South Sudan gained independence. Then we saw about the 2013 civil war and the issues surrounding the civil war which is mentioned in this editorial. And finally we saw the bilateral relations between India and South Sudan. Have a look at the practice question which will be discussed at the end of the session. Now let us move on to the next news article analysis. This news article is related to a sea base H in an NGO and its related offices in the state of Tamil Nadu for the alleged violation of foreign contribution Regulation Act of 2010. The syllabus relevant for the analysis of this news article is highlighted here for your reference. The Foreign Contribution Regulation Act of 2010 was enacted by the parliament to consolidate the laws to regulate the acceptance and utilization of foreign contribution or foreign hospitality by certain individuals or associations or companies. It also aims to prohibit acceptance and utilization of foreign contribution or hospitality for any activities that are detrimental to the national interest. We should know that this act also applies to citizens of India who reside outside India and also the subsidiaries of Indian companies outside India. Now let us understand what exactly a foreign contribution is. See a foreign contribution is a donation or transfer of any article or currency or foreign security by any foreign source or by any person who has received it from any foreign source. The interest accrued on the foreign contribution deposited in any bank or any such other income derived from the foreign contribution or interest on it is also considered as foreign contribution. Now we will see who can receive foreign contribution that is any person. The person means any individual or association or company. It means that any person can receive foreign contribution subject to some conditions or restrictions. These restrictions include the person must have a definite cultural or economic or educational or religious or social programs. Then the person must obtain the FCRA registration or prior permission from the central government. Then additionally the person must not be prohibited under section 3 of FCRA 2010. This section 3 of FCRA 2010 prohibits certain categories from getting foreign contribution and these categories are the candidates who are contesting for the elections or for the judges or for the government servants or members of any legislature or owners of a registered newspaper. So it is clear that any individual or company who wants to receive any foreign contribution must obtain the FCRA registration or prior permission from the central government otherwise they are ineligible to receive foreign contribution. You should know that using foreign contribution to fund organizations or NGOs that are not registered under FCRA is considered as the violation of the Act. Now in order to give prior permission the center can consider several conditions. For example the person making application shall not be a binomi or shall not be prosecuted or convicted for activities involving religious conversions and also the person shall not be prosecuted or convicted for creating communal disharmony or misutilization of funds. Kindly know that the central government can also reject permission if the foreign contribution to the person is likely to affect the sovereignty and integrity of India or security or strategic or scientific or economic interest of the state. Then the public interest or the fairness of election to any legislature. And another ground can be the impact on friendly relations with foreign countries or if it affects harmony between religious or racial or social or linguistic, regional groups or communities. So we can say that these are certain conditions or certain grounds where the central government can reject permission for receiving the foreign contribution. And today's news article is also based on the mentioned grounds. If you look at the news article it says that the ES-based NGO that is Compassion International has been funded few NGOs in the state of Tamil Nadu and part of this fund has been used for religious activities such as conversion of poor children into Christianity. The article also says that these NGOs diverted about 90% of the foreign contributions for undeclared purposes even the funds have been diverted to certain organizations that are not registered under FCRA. See we have already discussed that these activities comes under the violation of FCRA provisions such as affecting religious harmony or misutilization of the funds or funding organizations which are not registered under FCRA. Note that the central bureau of investigation or such other investigating agency of the state governments are the designated agencies for investigating and prosecuting a person for the violation of FCRA. This is why the news article says that CBA has conducted searches in the premises of these NGOs. To conclude this news article we have discussed the important provisions of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act of 2010. Now let us proceed to the next news article analysis. This news article is related to the issue of the recent transfer of a Delhi High Court judge. President of India has ordered the transfer of Delhi High Court judge Justice S. Merlitha recently. And this has happened at a time when the judge had criticized the Delhi police for inadequately handling the violence in Delhi. In this contest we will discuss the procedure involved in transferring a high court judge. The syllabus relevant for the analysis of this news article is highlighted here for your reference. We know that every high court consists of a chief justice and a number of judges. The judges of a high court are appointed by the president of India and the chief justice of high court is appointed by the president after consultation with the chief justice of India and the governor of the state council. And then for appointing other judges the chief justice of the council high court is also consulted. Then in case of a common high court for two or more states the governors of all the states concerned are also consulted. We know that the chief justice of India should consult a collision of two senior most judges of the Supreme Court. Now let us discuss the qualifications of a high court judge that is he should be a citizen of India then he should have held a judicial office in the territory of India for at least 10 years or he should have been an advocate of a high court or high courts in succession for at least 10 years. So we can say that these are certain qualifications that are required for judge of a high court. Now let us discuss the tenure of high court judges that he holds office until he attends the age of 62 years and he can resign by writing to the president of India. Know that he can also be removed from his office by the president on the recommendations of the parliament. Now we will see the removal of a high court judge that the judge of a high court can be removed from his office by an order of the president which requires an address by the parliament for such removal and the grounds of removal are proved misbehavior or incapacity. So we can say that proved misbehavior or incapacity can be the grounds for the removal of a high court judge. Now let us discuss in detail about the removal procedure. First and foremost is a removal motion has to be signed at least 100 members from Lok Sabha or 50 members from Raj Sabha and then this motion can be submitted to the speaker or chairman. Then he may admit or refuse the motion and if the motion is admitted then the speaker or chairman is to constitute a three member committee to investigate into the charges and this committee should consist of the Chief Justice of India or a judge of the Supreme Court and then a Chief Justice of a high court and a distinguished jurist. Then if the committee finds that the judge to be guilty then the house can take up the consideration of the motion. Then the motion shall be passed by each house or parliament by special majority. That means the majority of the total membership of that house and majority of not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting. Then after an address is presented to the president for removal of the judge. Then finally the president passes an order removing the judge. This is the procedure of removal of a high court judge. Now let us discuss the transfer of high court judges. That the president can transfer a high court judge after consulting the Chief Justice of India. See in 1977 the Supreme Court ruled that the transfer of high court judges could be exceptional measure only on the grounds of public interest but not by way of punishment. And in 1994 the Supreme Court held that judicial review is necessary to check arbitrariness in transfer of judges. But only the judge who is transferred can challenge the transfer order. And finally the Supreme Court in 1998 said that the Chief Justice of India should consult the Collegium of Four Senior Most Judges of the Supreme Court and also the Chief Justices of the Two High Courts. Now if you look at the news article it mentions that the Supreme Court Collegium had recommended the transfer of three judges including Justice S. Murlider on 12th February 2020. But the opposition parties alleged that the government rushed to issue the notification. Here whatever happened is as per the Constitution Provence and also as per the Supreme Court judgements. However, the notification which was issued by the President of India is questioned by some sections of the society because the same judge was hearing a case against the government. So to conclude this news article we have discussed in brief about the appointment of judges of the High Court, then the removal procedure and also the procedure involved in transferring the judges of a High Court. Now let us proceed to the next two news article analysis. This editorial talks about the recent research data which points to the biodiversity degradation of Eastern Guards. It says that due to the rise in seasonal temperature and diminished rainfall the diversity of plant species is reduced whereas the number of herbal species or increasing in the Eastern Guards. In this context we will be seeing how the climate change affects the biodiversity in the Eastern Guards and then the possible solutions to sustain the biodiversity of Eastern Guards. The syllabus relevant for the analysis of this news article is highlighted here for your reference. See we have already covered about the geographical spread of Eastern Guards and then various hill ranges in Eastern Guards and various ecological regions of Eastern Guards and then endemic tribes and species in this Eastern Guards region and also the threats and damages that are associated with Eastern Guards in our 26th February Hindu News Analysis video. So you can refer this video for your better understanding of this topic. In today's editorial we shall see how the climate change affects the biodiversity in the Eastern Guards. See the Eastern Guards mainly spread across five states of India that is the state of Odisha then Telangana then the state of Andhra Pradesh then Karnataka and also the state of Tamil Nadu. Eastern Guards are home to unique ecosystems and plays a major role in fostering biodiversity and also modulating climate in this region. The Eastern Guards also stores energy in trees and provide improved air quality, food and fuel including livelihood to millions of people who are inhabiting in this region. If you look at the types of forests of Eastern Guards you can see various types of forests like semi-evergreen then moist deciduous and also dry deciduous forest. Know that Eastern Guards are home to around 3000 flowering plant species and then around 400 bird species and many animal species including tigers and elephants. Though it has huge biodiversity the Eastern Guards remains one of the most exploited and degraded ecosystems of our country. If you look at the diversity of Eastern Guards that endemic species are found to be distributed in the core areas of the forest and the rare endangered and threatened species are distributed not only in the core areas but also in the periphery of the forest. Therefore the adequate rainfall and suitable temperature play a crucial role for the survival of varied plant and animal species and any disruption in this balance can put species at greater risk. See a recent study mentioned that the regional or local climate change has led to frequent prolonged non-rainy days. Also there is an increased number of days with maximum and minimum temperatures. Therefore the variations in temperature and rainfall led to the loss of soil moisture and also soil degradation. Therefore this change in temperature affects the biodiversity of this region and this seasonal dryness and less rainfall favours growth of herbal species. It also found that in the Eastern Guards the herbal species are dominating the tree species which indicates that how the climate change are changing the course of plant species diversity. In addition to this changing climate accelerates the spread of invasive species even into the core areas of the Eastern Guards. Now if you look at India's commitment as per the Paris Agreement, India aims to create an additional carbon sink or additional carbon stock of about 2.5 to 3 billion tons through enhanced forest and tree cover. But if you look at the ongoing implementation of protection policies of forest, it clearly indicates that it will be very difficult for India to achieve the committed targets as per the Paris Agreement on climate change. Now if you look at the Eastern Guards as per the some estimates that the Guards have already shrunk by about 16% over the last 100 years. Therefore to sustain the forest cover or the ecosystem of Eastern Guards, the forest protection policies must be properly implemented and the extraction of scarce mineral resources must be properly regulated. And the traditional practices of agriculture like shifting cultivation should be immediately prohibited in order to protect the natural forests of the Eastern Guards. Therefore these are the certain policies and regulations that are required for the effective conservation of the Eastern Guards ecosystem. With this we have come to the end of analysis of this news article. Now let's proceed to the next news article analysis. Now let's take up this question which is framed on the important key word that is MH60 or Elkofters which is mentioned in this news article. Therefore it should give importance to MH60 or Elkofters mainly for your plumes examination. See India and the United States of America signed a deal consisting of 2.2 years billion dollars for procuring MH60 or Elkofters. And these Elkofters can perform various roles like transporting, then heavy lifting and also can attack. Therefore these Elkofters are going to replace the Sea King Elkofters which were already decommissioned in the 1990s. Therefore these MH60 or Elkofters are supposed to operate from front line ships and also aircraft carriers. See these Elkofters are going to be procured under the bi-global category of Defense Procurement Procedure of 2016 policy of the Ministry of Defense. Under this category that is bi-global category these Elkofters are going to be delivered in ready made condition and there will be no participation from any domestic company. Now with this knowledge let's take up this question which is framed on MH60 or Elkofters. They have given 4 options and you have to choose correct option. They are saying that these Elkofters are multi-role Elkofters under the process of procurement for Indian Armed Forces. Then option B says these are manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited with a license from Lockhead Martin of United States of America. Then option C says these Elkofters are being procured under the bi- and make category of Defense Procurement Procedure of 2016 of the Ministry of Defense. Then option D says these will replace the HAL made through Elkofters which are recently decommissioned. So to answer this question we have already discussed that these Elkofters are multi-role Elkofters under the process of procurement for Indian Armed Forces from United States of America. Therefore for this question option A is the correct answer. So in this contest you should know about Defense Procurement Procedure of 2016. As per this Procedure there are 6 different categories and these categories include buy Indian ID, DM category, then buy Indian category, then buy and make Indian category, then buy and make category, then buy global category and finally make category. So the news article mentions that these Elkofters are going to be procured through bi-global option of Defense Procurement Procedure of 2016. This category refers to outright purchase of equipment from foreign vendors and government-to-government route may be adapted for equipment meeting strategic or long term requirements of Indian Armed Forces. This is all about from this news article. Now let us proceed to the next news article. Now let's take up this question and we have given this question mainly based on the important terms mentioned in this news article. See the news article mentions keywords such as Central Pollution Control Board, Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, Dissolve Oxygen, Biological Oxygen Demand. So you should focus on these key terms mainly for your priline examination. The news article says CPCB and UPPCB are jointly monitoring about 24 drains in Unnau and Kanpur areas under the Namami Ganga program. These drains bring effluents of industries, slaughterhouses and also from civilian bodies into Ganga river. The article says that these drains with high color from chemical effluents or with high BOD and low dissolved oxygen are to be properly cleaned. In this context you should know that both CPCB and UPPCB are statutory bodies. The article also mentions that CPCB identified higher amount of chrome content in the waste water of the drains. This indicates that discharge of untreated chrome bearing waste from tanning units in Kanpur. Therefore CPCB ordered Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board to expedite over tanning units in this region. Now we will see about dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand and also about chemical oxygen demand. See dissolved oxygen is the amount of oxygen which is present in the water. And DO of water is important for the survival of aquatic organisms. And the presence of organic and inorganic waste in water decreases the amount of dissolved oxygen because a high amount of waste increases amount of oxygen that is required for the decomposition of these waste materials. And normally the water pollution by organic waste is measured in terms of BOD levels. So BOD is the amount of dissolved oxygen which is needed for bacteria in decomposing the organic matter. Now if you look at chemical oxygen demand which is considered as slightly better mode to measure pollution levels of water because COD is the amount of dissolved oxygen that is needed for oxidation of total organic matter and also of total waste which can be from natural as well as from anthropogenic sources. Now with this information let's take up this question that is they have given four statements in the context of pollution of aquatic ecosystems. Statement one says dissolved oxygen is the amount of oxygen present in the water. Then second statement says BOD is the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by the bacteria in decomposing the organic waste. Then third statement says high biological oxygen demand indicates the presence of more dissolved oxygen which indicates water bodies clean and healthy. And the fourth statement says COD that is the chemical oxygen demand is the amount of dissolved oxygen needed for oxidation of total matter. So for this question you have to choose correct answer using the course given here and out of the given four statements third statement is incorrect because biological oxygen demand is the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by the bacteria in decomposing the organic waste. The requirement of high levels of BOD indicates that the water body is more polluted. So for this question option B, 1, 2, 4 only is the correct answer. Let's start our practice prelims question session. Today we are giving four practice prelims questions to test your understanding of the topics that we have discussed in our today's Hindu news analysis. The first question is based on ethnic groups sometimes seen in the news. Here they have given four page like Dinka, Tutsi, Rohingya, Kuts matching with the countries. So for this question you have to choose correctly matched page. Now let's take up this question. This question is with reference to foreign contribution regulation act of 2010 and they have given three statements and you have to choose correct statements. First statement says it is applicable to associate branches or subsidiaries outside India of Indian companies registered or incorporated in India. Then second statement says the act prohibits the columnist, cartoonist or editor of a registered newspaper from receiving foreign contribution. Then the third statement says the direct rate of revenue intelligence is the designated agency for investigating violations of the act. For this question you have to choose correct statements using the quotes given. Now let's take up the third question for your practice. Here three statements are given and you have to choose incorrect statement. First statement says a distinguished jurist in the opinion of president of India can be appointed as the judge of high court. Then second statement says if 100 members of the Lok Sabha introduces a removal motion then the speaker is bound to admit the motion. Then the third statement says a member of parliament can file a review petition in the Supreme Court to challenge the arbitrariness in transfer of the high court judge. So for this question you have to choose incorrect statements using the quotes given. Now let's take up the fourth and final practice problems question with reference to ports in India. Here three statements are given and you have to choose correct answer using the quotes given. Statement one says there are 13 major ports in India. Then the second statement says Jawaharlal Nehru seaport is the modern natural seaport situated in Mumbai. Then the third statement says major ports are under the union list of the Indian Constitution. So for this question you have to choose correct answer using the quotes given here. You can post your answers for these practice problems questions in the comment section of the video and you can self-evaluate the subject clarity by checking with the correct answers that will be available in the description and comment section of the video by tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. With this we have come to the end of analysis of today's India News analysis. If you like the video please do like, comment, share and subscribe Shankar Ayesh Akademi YouTube channel for more updates. Thank you.