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GS III: HEALTH MCI replaced by National Medical Commission: Centre releases gazette notification The National Medical Commission (NMC) has replaced the Medical Council of India (BoG-MCI), as per information released by the Health Ministry on Friday. Suresh Chandra Sharma, former head of ENT, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, has been appointed as its chairman for three years. The change was aimed at bringing in reforms in medical education. The government dissolved the MCI in 2018, replaced it with a BoG, which was chaired by Dr. VK Paul, member (health), NITI Aayog, said the Ministry. “Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 (102 of 1956) is hereby repealed with effect from September 25. The BoG appointed under section 3A of the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 (102 of 1956) in supersession of the MCI constituted under sub-section (1) of section 3 of the said Act shall stand dissolved,” stated the gazette notification issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW). 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

GS II: INTERNATIONAL Quad discusses Indo-Pacific infrastructure and 5G: Senior officials of Foreign Ministries meet virtually Senior officials from the Foreign Ministries of “the Quad” group of countries — India, the U.S., Australia and Japan — met virtually on Friday, during the United Nations high level week, as part of their periodic consultations on the Indo-Pacific region. Officials discussed “ongoing and proposed practical cooperation in the areas of connectivity and infrastructure development”, a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) statement said. The U.S. State Department spelt out the discussion on connectivity more. “Noting the importance of digital connectivity and secure networks, the officials discussed ways to promote the use of trusted vendors, particularly for fifth generation (5G) networks,” it said in a statement on the meeting. In an effort to stop Chinese G5 giant Huawei from setting up shop networks in other countries, U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo has been promoting “clean telcos” — a list of companies considered by the U.S. administration to be free from security risks and the risk of surveillance by the Chinese government. Other topics discussed by the Quad officials, as per the statements, included counter-terrorism, cyber and maritime security, and quality infrastructure in the region. ASEAN inclusiveness: Both countries’ statements say the officials committed support to the concept of ASEAN-centrality in the Indo-Pacific and ASEAN’s leadership in the architecture of the region. The U.S. statement says the officials “explored ways to work together in the Mekong sub-region, in the South China Sea, and across the Indo-Pacific to support international law, pluralism, regional stability, and post-pandemic recovery efforts”. The MEA statement says the officials reiterated their readiness to work with ASEAN and all other countries towards realising “a common and promising vision for the Indo-Pacific”. The U.S. statement describes collective efforts to advance “a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region”. The phrase normally used by Washington is “free and open Indo-Pacific”. India had, at least initially since the Quad was revived after a ten year hiatus in 2017, been hesitant for the Quad to be seen as a framework to exclude or contain China. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had articulated an inclusive vision for the Indo Pacific in 2018 at the Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore, when India-China relations were on a high relative to this year, when there have been tensions and clashes along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The MEA statement on the Thursday meeting, unlike the U.S. statement, does not use the word “Quad” in the text. The officials indicated that there would be a Ministerial-level meeting of the Quad later this year, as per the MEA statement. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

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[pib] JIMEX 20 The 4th edition of India - Japan Maritime bilateral exercise JIMEX will be held in the North Arabian Sea from 26 to 28 September 2020. Must read: [Prelims Spotlight] Defence Exercises JIMEX 20 It is conducted biennially between the Indian Navy and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) This series of exercises was commenced in January 2012 with a special focus on maritime security cooperation. The last edition of JIMEX was conducted in October 2018 off Visakhapatnam, India. JIMEX 20 will showcase a high degree of inter-operability and joint operational skills through the conduct of a multitude of advanced exercises, across the spectrum of maritime operations. Multi-faceted tactical exercises involving weapon firings cross deck helicopter operations and complex surface, anti-submarine and air warfare drills will consolidate coordination developed by the two navies. JIMEX 20 will further enhance the cooperation and mutual confidence between the two navies and fortify the long-standing bond of friendship between the two countries. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

GS II: INTERNATIONAL China cautious on G4 push for UNSC reforms: Foreign Ministers of 4 nations express their frustration at bid to derail reforms China said there were “enormous divisions” and a lack of consensus on taking forward the stalled reforms of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), a day after the G4 countries — India, Brazil, Japan and Germany — called for an early push for text-based negotiations. The Foreign Ministers of the four countries that are seeking UNSC reforms and permanent membership of the body met virtually, expressing their frustration at the repeated attempts to stall and derail the reforms process. Text-based negotiations: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said the meeting had “called for a decisive push” and was unanimous in backing “text-based negotiations in a fixed time frame”. India begins a two-year term as one of the 10 non-permanent UNSC members in January, and has said it will continue pushing for reforms that have failed to materialise over many years. The G4 group “expressed disappointment at attempts to derail this process and committed to addressing the issue in a meaningful way and with increased urgency at this 75th anniversary of the UN,” a statement said, adding that “without substantive text based negotiations actually taking place in an intergovernmental setting” this process could not go forward. Chinese analysts have long been dismissive of the G4, and have in the past indicated that China would not favour the inclusion of at least three of its members for differing reasons — India and Japan considering their historically difficult relations with China, and Germany because it is not a developing country. ‘Enormous divisions’: China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin suggested that China’s long-held stance that the reforms process cannot go ahead quickly is unlikely to change. “We believe the reforms should increase the representation and voice of developing countries and allow more small and medium size countries to enter the Security Council and participate in the decision making,” Mr. Wang said in response to a question on the G4 statement. “We believe the reform of the Security Council is an important issue which concerns the long term development and all the immediate interests of its members. There have been enormous divisions on this issue and there lacks a widespread consensus on the arrangement for reform,” he said. “China is willing to work with other UN members to seek a package solution that can accommodate all parties’ interests and concerns, through dialogue and negotiation.” 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

GS II: BILATERAL: INDIA-PAKISTAN Gilgit-Baltistan polls have no legal basis, says India: Entire J&K is integral to India: MEA India said Pakistan’s proposed election in Gilgit-Baltistan had no legal ground. The official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Anurag Srivastava, said India considered the entire region of Jammu and Kashmir to be its integral part. “Any action by Pakistan to alter the status of the militarily occupied so-called ‘Gilgit-Baltistan’ has no legal basis whatsoever and is totally void ab initio. Our position has always been clear and consistent,” Mr. Srivastava stated. “The entire territories of the Union Territories [UTs] of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have been and are an integral part of India and would remain so,” the spokesperson added. India considers Gilgit and Baltistan as part of the undivided Jammu and Kashmir. Its new political map published in November 2019 depicts the UTs of J&K and Ladakh consist of Gilgit-Baltistan. Pakistan in recent weeks has moved to give full provincial status to the Gilgit-Baltistan region through an election slated for November. The region earlier was known as the “Northern Areas” and Pakistan dealt with it through a special administrative arrangement. Srivastava said, “Pakistan has no locus standi to comment on India’s internal matters”. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

On the situation in the Depsang plains, where Chinese troops continue to block Indian patrols to the Patrolling Points 10-13, the official said there were one or two Chinese vehicles near the Y-junction, which kept going back and forth. Beyond the Y-junction, Indian patrols had to go on foot, which were being blocked by Chinese vehicles, the official stated, adding that patrol parties followed protocols and returned. “We have not given up our claims. It has only been temporarily halted due to the circumstances,” the official said. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

GS II: BILATERAL: INDIA-CHINA ‘If PLA comes close, our troops can fire’: Clear message given to Chinese that pushing back Indian soldiers won’t work: official Shots have been fired in the air on multiple occasions on the north and south banks of Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh recently, and the Chinese have been given a clear message that pushing back Indian soldiers physically will not work any more, a senior government official said. Stating that once a melee happens, like the Galwan clash on June 15, opening fire was not possible, the official pointed out, “Now, we said, if you come close we will fire. Distance is dependent on the conditions like day or night, location and so on... If they are about to be overrun or in self-defence, troops are authorised to fire.” ‘Wait and watch’: At the sixth round of Corps Commander talks early this week, India and China had agreed not to send any more troops to the frontline. “It is a good start. We have to wait and watch till there is concrete action on the ground, we will not lower our guard on the ground. Our stand is you moved first, so you move back first. That will be a good confidence-building measure (CBM),” the official said. The sixth round of senior-level military-level talks also saw a joint statement being issued as well as the participation of an External Affairs Ministry official who deals with China, the official stated. Earlier, the Chinese side had tried to project that India did not have a “unified” stance on the continuing boundary stand-offs. At the talks since the developments on the south bank since August 29, the Chinese want to resolve the latest incidents first, but India favoured a package resolution of the entire eastern Ladakh situation. “When we say status quo, what we mean is status quo before May,” the official stated. Chinese deaths: The official revealed that the Chinese had conveyed through diplomatic channels that they had suffered five deaths, including their commanding officer, in the June 15 Galwan Valley clash, which left 20 Indian Army soldiers dead. Asked why the Chinese had acted in the way they did, the official felt there was “no one overarching reason” but many reasons, including turning Jammu and Kashmir into a Union Territory in August 2019 and also to divert attention from China’s COVID-19 crisis. Pointing out that the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in other sectors remains stable, the official said that local commanders on both sides were in contact and even they (the Chinese) had said: “Let not what’s happening in eastern Ladakh happen here”. Interestingly, in the eastern sector, Indian and Chinese troops patrol contentious areas by weekly rotation, a formula that could be brought into play in eastern Ladakh as well. The official asserted that there was no intelligence failure in detecting the Chinese movements in early May as they made ingress into the Indian side of the LAC. “Whoever moves first has the initiative and the first mover advantage,” the official, said stating they had been monitoring the Chinese all along. Currently, troops are facing each other at Depsang, the north and south banks of Pangong Tso, and Patrolling Points 17A, Rezang La and Rechin La. On possible collusion between China and Pakistan against India in the ongoing stand-off, the official said there was no major troop movement on the Line of Control (LoC), and only regular battalion movement was taking place. ‘Terror activities’: Nothing unusual on that front. We don’t see any build on the other side. But terror activities continue. We are quite strong on the ground, so we eliminate the threat on the LoC,” the official said. On the global support to India in the ongoing stand-off and the transgressions by China and engagement with Quad countries, the official said: “At the end of the day, you have to fight your own battles”.

Jaishankar listed a number of measures taken by India in the past few months including the SAARC Leaders video-conference convened by Mr. Modi, a ‘COVID-19 Information Exchange Platform (COINEX), a SAARC Food Bank mechanism, as well as the SAARC COVID-19 Emergency Fund, to which India has contributed $10 million, making essential drugs. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

GS II: BILATERAL – INDIA-PAKISTAN India, Pak. trade charges at SAARC, CICA meets: Both sides stayed on at online meetings despite clash India and Pakistan crossed swords over terrorism and Jammu and Kashmir at the Foreign Minister’s meetings of the 8-nation South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the 27-nation Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA). However, unlike similar occasions in the past, neither side walked out during the events held via video-conference on Thursday. Speaking at the South Asian meeting, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar called on all SAARC members to “collectively resolve to defeat the scourge of terrorism, including the forces that nurture, support and encourage an environment of terror and conflict, which impede the objective of SAARC to realise its full potential for collective collaboration and prosperity across South Asia”, without a direct reference to Pakistan. Veiled reference to J&K: Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who also attended the meet along with the Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, used the SAARC platform to make a detailed statement on the resolution of “long-standing disputes”, a veiled reference to Jammu and Kashmir and New Delhi’s 2019 move to withdraw Article 370. ‘Unilateral moves’: “The Foreign Minister said we must condemn, oppose any unilateral and illegal measures to change the status of disputed territories in violation of UN Security Council Resolutions,” the official Pakistan news agencies reported. The reports said Mr. Qureshi also referred to “systematic human rights violations of the people suffering from long-running disputes”. A similar statement was made at the CICA Special Ministerial conference, that brings together Asian nations ranging from Russia and Central Asia to the Gulf and South-East Asia. India rebutted Mr. Qureshi in its right to reply, said the MEA. “We advise Pakistan to cease its sponsorship and overt and covert support to terrorism against India,” India said. MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said Pakistan’s statements at both events were “inconsistent” with the mandates of SAARC and CICA, where bilateral contentious issues are not raised. “What else can be expected of a country that indulges in cross-border terrorism as a part of its state policy,” Mr. Srivastava added. Last week, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval had walked off from a virtual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) after his Pakistani counterpart appeared with a Pakistani version of its map that included Indian territories. Last year, at the SAARC Foreign Minister’s meeting held on the side-lines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Mr. Jaishankar and Mr. Qureshi had boycotted each other’s speeches. PM Modi had also refused to attend the 19th edition of the SAARC summit, due to be held in Islamabad in 2016, over the issue of Pakistan’s continued support to terror groups. Speaking at the SAARC FM meet, however, Nepal’s Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali and Nepal’s Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi both said it is “imperative” to hold the SAARC summit. “The delay in convening the 19th SAARC Summit and the absence of formal meetings of the SAARC Charter bodies since 2016, has greatly impacted the functioning of our organisation,” said Mr. Gyawali, adding that this “has raised a serious question about the relevancy” of SAARC. However, sources said “most countries” agreed it is not the “opportune time” to convene the summit as proposed by Pakistan, given the COVID-19 situation, and the proposal “fell through”. Battling the pandemic: All SAARC nations including India and Pakistan, however, built a common stand on the need to cooperate in battling the coronavirus pandemic.

GS II: BILATERAL – INDIA-USA Harley shuts India factory, sales: U.S. motorcycle major announces exit as part of ‘The Rewire’ plan; to cut 70 jobs Harley-Davidson Inc. has announced that it will discontinue its sales and manufacturing operations in India and shed about 70 jobs in the country as part of a global strategic restructuring plan ‘The Rewire’. “Harley-Davidson plans to close its manufacturing facility in Bawal and significantly reduce the size of its sales office in Gurgaon,” the U.S. motorcycle major said in a statement. “The company is communicating with its customers in India and will keep them updated on future support. The Harley-Davidson dealer network will continue to serve customers through the contract term,” it said. Harley’s decision to exit one of the world’s largest markets for two-wheelers — domestic motorcycle and scooter sales in the 12 months ended March 2020 exceeded 17 million units — follows a struggle to find takers for its bikes, including the Street, which saw it register sale of less than 2,500 units in the last financial year. The U.S. company’s decision to exit manufacturing also undermines the government’s efforts to attract and retain global manufacturers as it aims to woo investment from firms looking to exit China. Observing that it was changing its business model in India and evaluating options to continue to serve its customers, the company said, “These actions are aligned with ‘The Rewire’... leading to ‘The Hardwire’, a new strategic plan for 2021-2025 aimed at building desirability for the Harley-Davidson brand and products.” In a filing with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, Harley said, “the Company expects to incur restructuring expenses of approximately $75 million in 2020, of which approximately 80% are expected to be cash expenditures, including one-time termination benefits of approximately $3 million”. The company expects to complete restructuring within the next 12 months. Harley has been scrambling for years to grow sales beyond baby boomers in the U.S. and has not posted retail sales growth there in the past 14 quarters, Reuters reported. Chief Executive Officer Jochen Zeitz, who took the reins at the company in February, had unveiled a major shift in strategy to boost profits by reducing Harley’s product portfolio by 30% and investing in 50 markets with growth potential in North America, Europe and parts of Asia Pacific. India, still far cheaper and poorer than many of the developing economies with which it competes for investment, has proven an inhospitable market for other auto industry players. Last year, Ford Motor Co pared back its interests and ceased independent operations in India by entering into a joint venture with Mahindra & Mahindra. General Motors, which stopped domestic sales in 2017, also plans to stop manufacturing and exports from India by the end of this year. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

E-GOVERNANCE : SSB lecturette Topic https://youtu.be/xxGuT3PivIg