June 23 - July 16 Flashcards
Pune NGO aims to revive spirit of ‘Lal-Bal-Pal’
Context:
In a bid to revive the Independence-era spirit of the ‘Lal-Bal-Pal’, named after nationalists Lala Lajpat Rai, ‘Lokmanya’ Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal, and to mark the death centenary of Tilak, Pune-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) ‘Sarhad’ will launch a series of literary and cultural programmes to strengthen connections between Maharashtra and West Bengal.
Rationale behind the event
Of Lal-bal-pal
Punjab, Bengal and Maharashtra have played significant roles during the struggle for Indian Independence.
The historical association and cultural bonds among the three States was solidified in the modern era by the trinity of ‘Lal-Bal-Pal’.
After Independence, while the socio-cultural bonds between Maharashtra and Punjab have grown stronger, Maharashtra’s ties with Bengal have somewhat weakened, despite a rich pedigree of literary and cultural affinity in the past.
Highlights
Of Lal-bal-pal
It will be a two-year-long event and is named ‘Maharashtra-Bengal friendship chapter’.
It is envisioned as a people’s cultural revivalist movement in these two States.
It will commence on Tilak’s death centenary (August 1, 1920-August 1, 2020) and will go on till August 15, 2022 to mark the 150th birth anniversary of the great philosopher, Sri Aurobindo Ghosh.
Brief overview of contributions made by Lal- Bal- Pal
The triumvirate had played a stellar role in the second phase of the Swadeshi movement which gathered momentum after the partition of Bengal by Lord Curzon in 1905, and which called for the boycott of all imported items and the use of Indian-made goods.
Lal-Bal-Pal mobilized Indians across the country against the Bengal partition, and the demonstrations, strikes and boycotts of British goods that began in Bengal soon spread to other regions in a broader protest against the Raj.
The nationalist movement gradually faded with the arrest of its main leader Bal Gangadhar Tilakand retirement of Bipin Chandra Pal and Aurobindo Ghosh from active politics.
Some facts
Of lal-bal-pal
In 1895, Lal started the Punjab National Bank—the first Indian bank to begin solely with Indian capital, and that continues to function till date.
In 1917, Lal founded the Indian Home Rule League of America there.
In 1884, Tilak founded the Deccan Education Society in Pune, and under the banner, opened the New English School for primary studies and Fergusson College for higher education.
Bipin Chandra Pal was of a strong opinion that a mass reliance on Swadeshi goods would help people get rid of their poverty.
Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report
Context:
2020 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report released by UNESCO.
In line with its mandate, the 2020 GEM Report assesses progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) on education and its ten targets, as well as other related education targets in the SDG agenda.
Key findings
Of Global education monitoring report
COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated inequalities in education systems across the world.
About 40% of low- and lower-middle-income countries have not supported learners at risk of exclusion during this crisis, such as the poor, linguistic minorities and learners with disabilities.
Efforts to maintain learning continuity during the pandemic may have actually worsened exclusion trends.
During the height of school closures in April 2020, almost 91% of students around the world were out of school.
Issues with alternatives: Education systems responded with distance learning solutions, all of which offered less or more imperfect substitutes for classroom instruction.
Many poorer countries opted for radio and television lessons, 55% of low-income, 73% of lower-middle-income and 93% of upper-middle-income countries adopted for online learning platforms for primary and secondary education.
Even as governments increasingly rely on technology, the digital divide lays bare the limitations of this approach.
Not all students and teachers have access to adequate internet connection, equipment, skills and working conditions to take advantage of available platforms.
School closures also interrupted support mechanisms from which many disadvantaged learners benefit.
Resources for blind and deaf students may not be available outside schools.
Children with learning disabilities or those who are on the autism spectrum may struggle with independent work in front of a computer or the disruption of daily school routines.
For poor students who depend on school for free meals or even free sanitary napkins, closures have been a major blow.
Cancellation of examinations in many countries, including India, may result in scoring dependent on teachers’ judgements of students instead.
This could be affected by stereotypes of certain types of students.
Kala Azar
Context
Context:
The only drug available against leishmaniasis, miltefosine, is rapidly losing its effectiveness because of emerging resistance to this drug due to a decrease in its accumulation inside the parasite, which is necessary for the drug to kill the parasite.
So, a team of researchers had been exploring ways to tackle miltefosine resistance.
This team has now shown allosteric modulation of transporter proteins of Leishmania using computationally-designed synthetic peptides.
These promising research outcomes indicate that this approach could prove useful in the long run to develop novel therapeutics against drug-resistant Leishmania parasites.
Kala-azar
What is it? Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar, black fever, and Dumdum fever, is the most severe form of leishmaniasis and, without proper diagnosis and treatment, is associated with high fatality.
Spread: Caused by protozoan parasites of the Leishmania genus, migrates to the internal organs such as the liver, spleen (hence “visceral”), and bone marrow.
Signs and symptoms include fever, weight loss, fatigue, anemia, and substantial swelling of the liver and spleen.
Additional facts
Kala Azar
Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease affecting almost 100 countries including India.
It is caused by a parasite called Leishmania, which is transmitted through the bite of sand flies.
There are three main forms of leishmaniasis – visceral, which affects multiple organs and is the most serious form of the disease, cutaneous, which causes skin sores and is the most common form); and mucocutaneous, which causes skin and mucosal lesion).
International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking 2020
Observed on 26 June.
Theme: “Better Knowledge for Better Care”.
Why June 26th?
The date June 26 is to commemorate Lin Zexu’s dismantling of the opium trade in Humen, Guangdong, ending in June 25 1839, just before the First Opium War in China.
On this occasion, UNODC World Drug Report 2020 was also released.
Highlights of
International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking 2020
Around 269 million people used drugs worldwide in 2018, which is 30 per cent more than in 2009.
Over 35 million people suffer from drug use disorders.
Rising unemployment and reduced opportunities caused by the pandemic are also likely to disproportionately affect the poorest, making them more vulnerable to drug use and also to drug trafficking and cultivation in order to earn money.
Most used substance in 2018: Cannabis. Cannabis also remains the main drug that brings people into contact with the criminal justice system.
Most harmful: Opioids.
Who use them? Adolescents and young adults account for the largest share of those using drugs, while young people are also the most vulnerable to the effects of drugs because they use the most and their brains are still developing.
Low-income countries still suffer a critical shortage of pharmaceutical opioids for pain management and palliative care.
Indian Government has taken several policy and other initiatives to deal with drug trafficking problem
International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking 2020
It constituted Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) in November, 2016 and revived the scheme of “Financial Assistance to States for Narcotics Control”.
In 2017, the government approved new Reward Guidelines with increased quantum of reward for interdiction or seizure of different illicit drugs.
Narcotics Control Bureau has been provided funds for developing a new software i.e. Seizure Information Management System (SIMS)which will create a complete online database of drug offences and offenders.
The government has constituted a fund called “National Fund for Control of Drug Abuse” to meet the expenditure incurred in connection with combating illicit traffic in Narcotic Drugs; rehabilitating addicts, and educating public against drug abuse, etc.
The government is also conducting National Drug Abuse Survey to measure trends of drug abuse in India through Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment with the help of National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre of AIIMS.
Urban, multi-State cooperative banks to come under RBI supervision
Context:
To ensure that depositors are protected, the Centre has decided to bring all urban and multi-State cooperative banks under the direct supervision of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The Union Cabinet has approved an ordinance to this effect.
How were these banks regulated so far?
Currently, these banks come under dual regulation of the RBI and the Registrar of Co-operative Societies.
The role of registrar of cooperative societies includes incorporation, registration, management, audit, supersession of board and liquidation.
RBI is responsible for regulatory functions such maintaining cash reserve and capital adequacy, among others.
Co-operative banks are registered under the States Cooperative Societies Act.
They come under the regulatory ambit of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) under two laws, namely, the Banking Regulations Act, 1949, and the Banking Laws (Co-operative Societies) Act, 1955.
What necessitated this?
Urban, multi-State cooperative banks to come under RBI supervision
This comes after several instances of fraud and serious financial irregularities, including the major scam at the Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank last year.
In September, the RBI was forced to supercede the PMC Bank’s board and impose strict restrictions.
Implications of the latest move
Urban, multi-State cooperative banks to come under RBI supervision
Empower the RBI to regulate all urban and multi-state co-operative banks on the lines of commercial banks.
It will also provide more security to depositors.
There are 1482 urban co-operatives banks and 58 multi-state co-operative banks.
These banks have a depositor base of 8.6 crores, who have saved a huge amount of Rs. 4.84 lakh crore with these banks.
Decarbonizing Transport Project
Context:
NITI Aayog and the International Transport Forum (ITF) of OECD jointly launched the ‘Decarbonizing Transport in Emerging Economies’ (DTEE) project in India on 24June.
About the project
Decarbonizing Transport Project
The ambitious five-year project will help India develop a pathway towards a low-carbon transport system through the development of modelling tools and policy scenarios.
The project will design a tailor-made transport emissions assessment framework for India.
The India project is carried out in the wider context of the International Transport Forum’s Decarbonizing Transport initiative.
Decarbonising Transport in Emerging Economies (DTEE)
It supports transport decarbonisation across different world regions.
Current participants: India, Argentina, Azerbaijan, and Morocco.
Implementation: The DTEE is collaboration between the International Transport Forum (ITF) and the Wuppertal Institute, supported by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.
How this will help India?
Decarbonizing Transport Project
The transport sector of India is the third most greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting sector, where the major contribution comes from the road transport sector.
Out of the total carbon dioxide emissions in India, 13% come from the transport sector. These emissions have more than tripled since 1990.
In India, CO2 emitted per inhabitant was just about a twentieth of that of an average OECD country, yet, India’s transport CO2 emissions are likely to increase by almost 6% annually to 2030.
This project will provide the government with a detailed understanding of current and future transport activity and the related CO2 emissions as a basis for their decision-making.
International Transport Forum (ITF)
It was created in 2006 by ministers from 43 countries.
It is an intergovernmental organisation within the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) with 60 member countries.
It acts as a think tank for transport policy and organises the Annual Summit of transport ministers.
ITF is the only global body that covers all transport modes.
The ITF is administratively integrated with the OECD, yet politically autonomous.
It is headquartered in Paris, France.
Ozone pollution spiked in several cities during lockdown
Context:
According to an analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), while particulate matter and nitrous oxide levels fell during the lockdown, ozone — also a harmful pollutant — increased in several cities.
Factors responsible for tropospheric ozone pollution
Ozone is primarily a sunny weather problem in India that otherwise remains highly variable during the year.
The surge is because of few characteristics of summer pollution.
These include: high winds, intermittent rains and thunderstorms, and high temperature and heat waves.
What is Ozone?
Ozone (O3) is a colourless, reactive oxidant gas that is a major constituent of atmospheric smog.
How Tropospheric, or ground level ozone is formed?
Ozone is not directly emitted by any source but is formed by photochemical reactions between oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and gases in the air under the influence of sunlight and heat.
This happens when pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, chemical plants, and other sources chemically react in the presence of sunlight.
Concerns of Ozone
Ozone at ground level is a harmful air pollutant, because of its effects on people and the environment, and it is the main ingredient in “smog.”
Elevated ground-level ozone exposures affect agricultural crops and trees, especially slow growing crops and long-lived trees.
Scheme for Promotion of academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC)
Context:
Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras are collaborating with their counterparts in Germany to develop new materials for green energy solutions.
This project has been taken up under the Scheme for Promotion of academic and Research Collaboration or SPARC.
It aims at developing alternative technologies to produce green hydrogen in anticipation of transition to hydrogen-based economy.
Need for and significance of the project
SPARC
Conventional methods of generating hydrogen result in a large quantity of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that imposed serious environmental concerns.
This project aims to develop novel low cost electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reactions.
What is SPARC?
It is an initiative of the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
The scheme aims at improving the research ecosystem of India’s higher educational institutions by facilitating academic and research collaborations between Indian Institutions and the best institutions in the world.
Under this Scheme, 600 joint research proposals will be awarded for 2 years to facilitate strong research collaboration between Indian research groups with the best in class faculty and renowned research groups in the leading universities of the world, in areas that are at the cutting edge of science or with direct social relevance to the mankind, specifically India.
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur is the National Coordinating Institute to implement the SPARC programme.
Styrene Gas leak case
Context:
Andhra Pradesh State government has extended the time for submission of report by the high-power committee that is probing the styrene monomer vapour leak incident at the LG Polymers unit till June 30.
Background
The committee was constituted to investigate into the May 7 incident that had killed 12 persons and hospitalised many others residing in the vicinity of the factory located at R.R. Venkatapuram village.
The government had earlier asked the committee to submit the report by June 22.
The committee, besides probing the cause of the incident, would also find possible solutions to address the concerns raised by the victims and recommend steps to be taken, and identify hazardous industries.
A quick look at Styrene Gas and its impacts
What is Styrene?
Styrene — an organic compound used in the production of polymers, plastics and resins — is manufactured in petrochemical refineries.
It is a poisonous, inflammable gas.
It is also known as PVC gas (polyvinyl chloride), as it is used in the production of PVC.
Styrene is the 20th most-used chemical in the world, according to the World Health Organization.
Where it can be found?
The chemical can be found in air, water and soil once released into the environment.
It is broken down in air in 1-2 days, while it evaporates from soil and shallow water surfaces.
It is broken down by micro-organisms if it reaches soil.
Styrene occurs naturally in small quantities in some plants and foods (cinnamon, coffee beans, balsam trees and peanuts) and is also found in coal tar.
How it affects living beings?
Styrene gas’s
When humans are exposed to styrene, it causes eye irritation and gastro-intestinal effects.
It also impacts the outer layer of tissues in the skin causing erosion and bleeding in the short term.
Long-term effects include central nervous system dysfunction, depression, hearing loss and peripheral neuropathy (a numb feeling in the hands and feet).
It also leads to an increase in the colour confusion index that may lead to colour blindness.
Styrene is a possible carcinogen and can cause cancer under long exposure.
Global report on the illegal wildlife trade
Context:
First global report on the illegal wildlife trade was recently released by FATF.
It is called the “Money Laundering and the Illegal Wildlife Trade” report.
Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has described illegal wildlife trade as a “global threat”, which also has links with other organised crimes like modern slavery, drug trafficking and arms trade.
Key findings
Global report on illegal wildlife trade
The illegal trade is estimated to generate revenues of up to $23 billion a year.
Criminals are frequently misusing the legitimate wildlife trade, as well as other import-export type businesses, as a front to move and hide illegal proceeds from wildlife crimes.
They also rely regularly on corruption, complex fraud and tax evasion.
There is a growing role of online marketplaces and mobile and social media-based payments to facilitate movement of proceeds warranting a coordinated response from government bodies, the private sector and the civil society.
According to the 2016 UN World Wildlife Crime report, criminals are illegally trading products derived from over 7,000 species of wild animals and plants across the world.
Challenges
Global report on the illegal wildlife trade
Jurisdictions often do not have the required knowledge, legislative basis and resources to assess and combat the threat posed by the funds generated through the illegal trade.
Criminal syndicates are misusing formal financial sector to launder the proceeds.
Funds are laundered through cash deposits, under the guise of loans or payments, e-banking platforms, licensed money value transfer systems, and third-party wire transfers via banks.
Accounts of innocent victims are also used and high-value payments avoided to evade detection.
Front companies, often linked to import-export industries, and shell firms are used for the movement of goods and trans-border money transfers.
What needs to be done?
Global report on the illegal wildlife trade
The report says financial probe is key to dismantling the syndicates involved, which can in turn significantly impact the associated criminal activities.
Jurisdictions should consider implementing the good practices.
They include providing all relevant agencies with the necessary mandate and tools; and cooperating with other jurisdictions, international bodies and the private sector.
Legislative changes are necessary to increase the applicability of anti-money laundering laws to the illegal wildlife trade-linked offences.
What is the Order of the Nine Angles?
O9A is considered to be a satanic, anarchist group founded in the UK in the 1970s that now operates around the world, including in the US.
The group describes itself as “a diverse, and world-wide, collective of diverse groups, tribes, and individuals, who share and who pursue similar sinister, subversive, interests, aims and life-styles, and who cooperate when necessary for their mutual benefit and in pursuit of their shared aims and objectives…”
Why in News?
A US Army private has confessed to plotting an attack on his own unit by sharing secret information with this obscure satanic neo-Nazi group.
Nation’s top wheat contributor
Madhya Pradesh (MP) this year surpassed Punjab to become the number one contributor of wheat.
Punjab, however, is still a way ahead from MP as far as per hectare productivity of wheat is concerned, which is around 52 per cent more (per hectare) than MP.
This year wheat was sown on 330.2 LH across the country against 296.98 LH last year.
Of the total wheat area in the country, MP’s share was 31 per cent, while Punjab cultivated wheat on 10.6 per cent of the total national area.
World’s first yoga university outside India has been launched in Los Angeles
It is named Vivekananda Yoga University (VaYU).
VaYU will offer online graduate programmes based on scientific principles and modern research approaches to yoga.
Eminent Indian yoga guru Dr. H R Nagendra, Chancellor of Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (SVYASA) is the first Chairman of VaYU.
Navigating the New Normal
It is a campaign launched by NITI Aayog, in partnership with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Centre for Social and Behavioural Change (CSBC), Ashoka University, and the Ministries of Health and WCD.
It focusses on COVID-safe behaviours, especially wearing masks, during the ‘Unlock’ phase of the ongoing pandemic.
The pandemic imposes a steep learning curve
Context:
Across the world, education has been drastically affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most instruction has moved online.
Higher education has gone digital where possible.
Efforts by Indian government
The pandemic imposes a steep learning curve
Online higher education using MOOCs, or massive open online classrooms, has been encouraged by the Ministry of Human Resource Development for some time now via the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) and SWAYAM platforms.
But in India’s case, educationists and policy makers advise caution on Online education. Why?
The pandemic imposes a steep learning curve
Because of contrast in rural versus urban infrastructure, the variable quality of staff, and the diverse types of subjects that are taught.
Courses that traditionally need a laboratory or practical component are an obvious example where online classes cannot offer an alternative.
The adoption or integration of technology in education also depends on the specific institution and its location: there is a huge digital divide in the country in terms of bandwidth and reliable connectivity, as well as very unequal access to funding.
There can been a serious impact on academic research in all disciplines.
There is need for close personal interaction and discussion in research supervision.
Not all students have equal access to the Internet, and more than half in any class in any institution are simply not able to attend lectures in real time for want of the required combination of hardware and electrical connectivity in their homes.
Many online classes are poorly executed video versions of regular classroom lectures.
Across the board, teachers recognise this as unsatisfactory.
How can it be improved?
The pandemic imposes a steep learning curve
This is a chance to re-imagine higher education in India.
For long this has been elitist and exclusionary; education has been less about learning and more about acquiring degrees.
The pandemic can change that if we let it. Some ways include:
Gandhiji’s “Nai Talim” put a high premium on self study and experiential learning, for instance.
Digital tools such as artificial intelligence (AI) can be adapted to deliver personalised instruction based on the learning needs for each student.
Pedagogic material must be made available in our other national languages; this will extend access, and can help overcome staff shortages that plague remote institutions.
The state will have to bear much of the responsibility, both to improve digital infrastructure and to ensure that every needy student has access to a laptop or smartphone.
U.N.-75 declaration delayed
What’s the issue?
Commemorative declaration marking the 75th anniversary of the signing of the U.N. Charter has been delayed.
Why?
Member states could not reach an agreement on phraseology. They have objected to the use of a phrase “shared vision of a common future”.
Because, the phrase, “community with a shared future for mankind” is closely associated with the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) and especially Chinese President Xi Jinping as an articulation of the country’s vision for the world.
Who is opposing?
U.N.-75 declaration delayed
The Five Eyes — the U.S., the U.K., Australia, New Zealand and Canada — along with India, have objected.
The current impasse comes at a time when China’s relationships with a number of democracies, including India, Australia and the U.S., are strained.
Silence process
U.N.-75 declaration delayed
With this objection, the ‘silence’ process (a procedure by which a resolution passes if no formal objections are raised within a stipulated time) has been broken.
However, China, on behalf of itself and Russia, Syria and Pakistan raised objections to the silence being broken.
What the countries demand?
U.N.-75 declaration delayed
The objecting countries wanted the resolution to read, “We will work together with partners to strengthen coordination and global governance for the common good of present and future generations and to realize our shared vision for a better future as envisaged in the preamble of the UN Charter.”
75th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter
U.N.-75 declaration delayed
The Charter was signed in San Francisco on June 26, 1945 and came into force on October 24, 1945.
It is the foundational treaty of the United Nations.
Objectives: Conceived above all as a means to save future generations from the scourge of war, the Charter calls for the organization to maintain international peace and security; promote social progress and better standards of life; strengthen international law; and promote human rights.
As a charter, it is a constituent treaty, and all members are bound by its articles.
Article 103 of the Charter states that obligations to the United Nations prevail over all other treaty obligations.
What is Five Eyes?
U.N.-75 declaration delayed
It is an intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
These countries are parties to the multilateral UKUSA Agreement, a treaty for joint cooperation in signals intelligence.
Origins: It began in 1946 when the United States and the United Kingdom agreed to an open exchange of intelligence on the communications of foreign nations.
It was expanded when Canada joined the alliance in 1948, followed by Australia and New Zealand in 1956.
ASEAN states warn of U.S. China Sea tensions
What’s the issue?
China has been pushing its presence in the Exclusive Economic Zones of other countries while claimants are preoccupied tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting the United States to call on China to stop its “bullying behaviour” there.
In April, Beijing unilaterally declared the creation of new administrative districts on islands in the troubled waterways to which Vietnam and the Philippines also have competing claims.
In early April, Vietnam said one of its fishing boats was sunk by a Chinese maritime surveillance vessel.
In January, Chinese boat trespassed into Indonesia’s exclusive economic zoneoff the coast of the northern islands of Natuna.
Because of these incidents, Vietnam and the Philippines have warned of growing insecurity in Southeast Asia.
Besides, the oft mentioned Nine-Dash line that China uses as a basis for its claims in the waters is once again at odds with Indonesia’s claim that the line lacks an international legal basis.
Main Concern now
ASEAN states warn of U.S. China Sea tensions
One of the fundamental principles of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been to resolve regional disputes by peaceful means.
But over the years, the position of ASEAN on the South China Sea disputes has weakened its image internationally and failing to resolve this issue would lead to questions being raised about its credibility as an effective regional organization.
About the dispute
ASEAN states warn of U.S. China Sea tensions
It is a dispute over territory and sovereignty over ocean areas, and the Paracels and the Spratlys – two island chains claimed in whole or in part by a number of countries.
Alongside the fully fledged islands, there are dozens of rocky outcrops, atolls, sandbanks and reefs, such as the Scarborough Shoal.
Who Claims What?
ASEAN states warn of U.S. China Sea tensions
China:
claims by far the largest portion of territory – an area defined by the “nine-dash line” which stretches hundreds of miles south and east from its most southerly province of Hainan.
Vietnam:
hotly disputes China’s historical account, saying China had never claimed sovereignty over the islands before the 1940s.
Vietnam says it has actively ruled over both the Paracels and the Spratlys since the 17th Century – and has the documents to prove it.
Philippines:
both the Philippines and China lay claim to the Scarborough Shoal (known as Huangyan Island in China) – a little more than 100 miles (160km) from the Philippines and 500 miles from China.
Malaysia and Brunei:
They lay claim to territory in the South China Sea that they say falls within their economic exclusion zones, as defined by UNCLOS – the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Brunei does not claim any of the disputed islands, but Malaysia claims a small number of islands in the Spratlys
Draft EIA notification
Why in News?
Student unions from several universities and colleges from across India have petitioned Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar to put the draft of the proposed Environment Impact Assessment Notification 2020 on hold.
Background:
Environment Impact Assessment in India is statutorily backed by the Environment Protection Act, 1986 which contains various provisions on EIA methodology and process.
The draft notification is issued under the powers vested in the central government under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to take all such measures for “protecting and improving the quality of the environment.
The key points of dispute with the proposed draft are that
Draft EIA Notification
It shortens the period of public consultation hearings to a maximum of 40 days.
It reduces from 30 to 20 days the time provided for the public to submit their responses during a public hearing for any application seeking environmental clearance.
It also allows the declaration of some areas as “economically sensitive areas” without a public hearing or environmental clearance, and several “red” and “orange”-classified toxic industries could now operate as close as 0-5 km from a Protected Area in “callous disregard” for forests.
The increased validity of the environment clearances for mining projects (50 years versus 30 years currently) and river valley projects (15 years versus 10 years currently) raises the risk of irreversible environmental, social and health consequences on account of the project remaining unnoticed for long.
What is EIA?
EIA is an important process for evaluating the likely environmental impact of a proposed project.
It is a process whereby people’s views are taken into consideration for granting final approval to any developmental project or activity.
It is basically, a decision-making tool to decide whether the project should be approved or not.
The EIA process involves
Screening: this stage decides which projects need a full or partial assessment study.
Scoping: this stage decides which impacts are necessary to be assessed.
This is done based on legal requirements, international conventions, expert knowledge and public engagement.
This stage also finds out alternate solutions.
Assessment & evaluation of impacts and development of alternatives: this stage predicts and identifies the environmental impacts of the proposed project and also elaborates on the alternatives.
EIA Report: in this reporting stage, an environmental management plan (EMP) and also a non-technical summary of the project’s impact is prepared for the general public.
This report is also called the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
Decision making: the decision on whether the project is to be given approval or not and if it is to be given, under what conditions.
Monitoring, compliance, enforcement and environmental auditing: monitoring whether the predicted impacts and the mitigation efforts happen as per the EMP.
Getting out of the ‘guns, germs and steel’ crisis
Context:
India is said to be going through the ‘guns, germs and steel’ crisis.
(The name is borrowed from the title of Jared Diamond’s classic book on the evolution of societies and nations, Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies).
What it represents?
Getting out of the ‘guns, germs and steel’ crisis
Chinese “guns” on the borders.
Coronavirus “germs” in our bodies.
“Steel” makers and other businesses on the verge of bankruptcy.
Why this is worrisome for India?
Getting out of the ‘guns, germs and steel’ crisis
This is the gravest confluence of military, health and economic crises threatening our nation in more than a generation.
Each of these would qualify as an independent, large crisis by itself, warranting a specific resolution.
The Chinese military threat calls for immediate and strategic action by our defence and foreign affairs establishments.
The COVID-19 health epidemic is here to stay and needs constant monitoring by the Health Ministry and local administration.
The economic collapse is an enormous challenge that needs to be overcome with prudent policy.
Need of the hour
Getting out of the ‘guns, germs and steel’ crisis
The common thread across these is that its resolution requires significant financial resources.
Standing up to a military threat by a superpower neighbour will pose an inevitable drain on the finances of the government (Kargil war has proven this).
To face the COVID-19 epidemic, the central government will need additional funds of the equivalent of at least one percentage point of GDP to continue the fight against COVID-19.
The lockdown has affected all the four major drivers of our economy- people’s spending on consumption, government spending, investment and external trade.
What needs to be done now?
Getting out of the ‘guns, germs and steel’ crisis
The government needs to spend an additional eight percentage points of GDP while revenues will be lower by two percentage points of GDP, a combined gap of 10% of GDP.
Potential new sources of revenue such as a wealth tax or a large capital gains tax are ideas worth exploring for the medium term but will not be of much immediate help.
This will pose a new challenge- junk crisis
Getting out of the ‘guns, germs and steel’ crisis
To fulfil its obligation, the government needs is to borrow copiously.
This will lead to a fourth dimension to the “guns, germs and steel crisis”; a “junk” crisis.
With rising debt levels, international ratings agencies will likely downgrade India’s investment rating to “junk”, which will then trigger panic among foreign investors.
Conclusion
Getting out of the ‘guns, germs and steel’ crisis
India thus faces a tough “Dasharatha” dilemma — save the country’s borders, citizens and economy or prevent a “junk” rating.
The government’s choices are either to be bold and embark on a rescue mission, or do nothing and hope the situation resolves itself.
On balance, it seems that the best course of action is to borrow unabashedly to pull India out of the “guns, germs and steel” crisis and deal with the consequences of a potential “junk” nation label.
What are Placebos?
Placebos are substances that are made to resemble drugs but do not contain an active drug.
A placebo is made to look exactly like a real drug but is made of an inactive substance, such as a starch or sugar.
WMO findings on lightning strikes
Highlights:
Brazil recorded a lightning strike that travelled a distance of 709 kilometres in 2018.
The previous record for the longest detected distance for a single lightning flash was for 321 km on June 20, 2007, across the US state of Oklahoma.
Brazil has the highest incidence of lightning in the world — an average of 77.8 million strikes per year.
Argentina recorded a strike that lasted for 16.73 seconds in 2019.
The previous record was a single lightning flash that lasted continuously for 7.74 seconds on August 30, 2012 over Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France.
The lightning flashes that have now entered the record books are known as ‘Megaflashes’ in scientific parlance.
Lightning strikes in India
Bihar is second after Uttar Pradesh with the maximum number of deaths due to lightning.
At least 170 people died in Bihar due to lightning in 2019 between April 1 and July 31.
The number of lightning days across India have been increasing significantly every month.
Lightning strikes kill morepeople in India than any other extreme weather event.
What is lightning?
It is a very rapid — and massive — discharge of electricity in the atmosphere, some of which is directed towards the Earth’s surface.
These discharges are generated in giant moisture-bearing clouds that are 10-12 km tall.
How does it strike?
Lightning strike
The base of these clouds typically lies within 1-2 km of the Earth’s surface, while their top is 12-13 km away.
Temperatures towards the top of these clouds are in the range of minus 35 to minus 45 degrees Celsius.
As water vapour moves upward in the cloud, the falling temperature causes it to condense.
Heat is generated in the process, which pushes the molecules of water further up.
As they move to temperatures below zero degrees celsius, the water droplets change into small ice crystals.
They continue to move up, gathering mass — until they are so heavy that they start to fall to Earth.
This leads to a system in which, simultaneously, smaller ice crystals are moving up and bigger crystals are coming down.
Collisions follow, and trigger the release of electrons — a process that is very similar to the generation of sparks of electricity.
As the moving free electrons cause more collisions and more electrons, a chain reaction ensues.
This process results in a situation in which the top layer of the cloud gets positively charged, while the middle layer is negatively charged.
The electrical potential difference between the two layers is huge — of the order of a billion to 10 billion volts. In very little time, a massive current, of the order of 100,000 to a million amperes, starts to flow between the layers.
An enormous amount of heat is produced, and this leads to the heating of the air column between the two layers of the cloud.
This heat gives the air column a reddish appearance during lightning.
As the heated air column expands, it produces shock waves that result in thunder.
How does this current reach the Earth from the cloud?
While the Earth is a good conductor of electricity,it is electrically neutral.
However, in comparison to the middle layer of the cloud, it becomes positively charged.
As a result, about 15%-20% of the current gets directed towards the Earth as well.
It is this flow of current that results in damage to life and property on Earth.
There is a greater probability of lightning striking tall objectssuch as trees, towers or buildings.
Once it is about 80-100 m from the surface, lightning tends to change course towards these taller objects.
This happens because air is a poor conductor of electricity, and electrons that are travelling through air seek both a better conductor and the shortest route to the relatively positively charged Earth’s surface.
What is a Review Petition?
Context:
The Supreme Court has refused to review its 2018 judgment which decriminalised adultery.
What had the Court ruled then?
The original judgment was by a Constitution Bench led by then chief justice Dipak Misra who found that Section 497 (adultery) of the Indian Penal Code cannot “command” married couples to remain loyal to each other for the fear of penal punishment.
Two individuals may part if one cheats, but to attach criminality to infidelity is going too far.
The court had reasoned that there was no data whatsoever to support claims that abolition of adultery as a crime would result in “chaos in sexual morality” or an increase of divorce.
Why Court struck down Section 497?
Section 497 perpetuates subordinate status of women, denies dignity, sexual autonomy, and is based on gender stereotypes.
Section 497 based on women as chattel, seeks to control sexuality of woman, hits the autonomy and dignity of woman.
It also violates rights guaranteed under Articles 14 and 21.
Past Supreme Court judgements on adultery
The adultery law had come up in court thrice in the past — in 1954, in 1985, and in 1988.
In 1954, the SC rejected that Section 497 violated the right to equality.
In 1985, it said that women didn’t need to be included in the law as a party which can make complaints.
In 1988, the Supreme Court said that the adultery law was a “shield rather than a sword”.
What is a review petition and when can it be filed?
Under Article 137, the Supreme Court has the power to review any of its judgments or orders.
Scope for review:
When a review takes place, the law is that it is allowed not to take fresh stock of the case but to correct grave errors that have resulted in the miscarriage of justice.
The court has the power to review its rulings to correct a “patent error” and not “minor mistakes of inconsequential import”.
In a 1975 ruling, Justice Krishna Iyer said a review can be accepted “only where a glaring omission or patent mistake or like grave error has crept in earlier by judicial fallibility”.
In a 2013 ruling, the Supreme Court has laid down three grounds for seeking a review of a verdict it has delivered
The discovery of new and important matter or evidence which, after the exercise of due diligence, was not within the knowledge of the petitioner or could not be produced by him.
Mistake or error apparent on the face of the record.
Any other sufficient reason. It means a reason that is analogous to the other two grounds.
In 2013 Union of India v. Sandur Manganese & Iron Ores Ltd) case, the court laid down nine principles on when a review is maintainable.
Who can file a review petition?
As per the Civil Procedure Code and the Supreme Court Rules, any person aggrieved by a ruling can seek a review.
However, the court exercises its discretion to allow a review petition only when it shows the grounds for seeking the review.
Time- period within which a review petition should be filed?
As per 1996 rules framed by the Supreme Court:
A review petition must be filed within 30 days of the date of judgment or order.
While a judgment is the final decision in a case, an order is an interim ruling that is subject to its final verdict.
In certain circumstances, the court can condone a delay in filing the review petition if the petitioner can establish strong reasons that justify the delay.
The procedure to be followed
For review petition
The rules state that review petitions would ordinarily be entertained without oral arguments by lawyers.
It is heard “through circulation” by the judges in their chambers.
Review petitions are also heard, as far as practicable, by the same combination of judges who delivered the order or judgment that is sought to be reviewed.
If a judge has retired or is unavailable, a replacement is made keeping in mind the seniority of judges.
In exceptional cases, the court allows an oral hearing. In a 2014 case, the Supreme Court held that review petitions in all death penalty cases will be heard in open court by a Bench of three judges.
Nasha Mukt Bharat: Annual Action Plan (2020-21)
Launched for on the occasion of “International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking”.
Launched by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
The Action Plan has the following components:
Awareness generation programmes.
Focus on Higher Educational institutions, University Campuses and Schools.
Community outreach and identification of dependent population.
Focus on Treatment facilities in Hospital settings.
Capacity Building Programmes for Service Provider.
Implementation
Nasha Mukt Bharat : Annual action plan(2020-21)
It would focus on 272 most affected districts and launch a three-pronged attack combining efforts of Narcotics Bureau, Outreach/Awareness by Social Justice and Treatment through the Health Dept.
De-addiction Facilities would be set up.
Drop-in-centres for addicts will be set up and also on peer-led community based outreach programmes for high risk populations – particularly the youth- will be launched.
Integrated Rehabilitation Centre for Addicts (IRCAs) would reach out to communities to help those affected by drug addiction.
Key facts
Nasha Mukt Bharat: Annual Action Plan (2020-21)
The Narcotics Control Bureau has identified the “most affected” 272 districts which mostly belong to Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and the North-East lead the states.
These districts have been identified by the Centre as those hugely affected by drug abuse.
The ‘Nasha mukt Bharat’ campaign was originally launched in 2015 by Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab.
According to the national list of districts most affected by substance abuse, 18 of the 22 districts in Punjab are among those identified by the NCB along with 10 out of Haryana’s 22 districts.
Need for
Nasha Mukt Bharat: Annual Action Plan (2020-21)
About 8,50,000 Indians inject drugs, about 4,60,000 children and 1.8 million adults need help for inhalant dependence and 7.7 million Indians require help for opioid dependence.
In border claims, reimagining South Asia’s boundaries
State-centrism has given the state structure the propriety to be the sole arbiter of disputes, if any, among communities and regions falling within the territorial limits of nation states.
As per this principle, it is the state that articulates, defines, and represents “national” interests in negotiations with other states.
Now, What’s the issue?
Border disputes, such as Kalapani dispute, are “handled” rather than “addressed” within the given dispensation of South Asian statecraft.
The main problem here is that the decisions flow from within a state-centric paradigm.
People living in the disputed regions and their emotions are not taken into account.
Often, territorial boundaries are valued more than lives, livelihoods and the well-being of the people located at the edges of nation states.
What we forget is countries here not only share cultural and civilisational backgrounds but also an “officially” recognised porous border.
Need of the hour
South Asian boundaries
South Asia is perhaps the most natural regional grouping of states around the world.
And, at the same time, it is also the most difficult and contested grouping.
South Asia needs to be rethought, not as a region of states, but as a region of regions.
It is a land where contact zones should exist beyond the limits of territorial boundaries shared by the member-states.
There is a need to go beyond the popular debates revolving around such “troubling” questions such as: how much area has been “encroached” upon by which state and on what basis.
It is because such questions seem to be troubling to those who are to maintain their lifeworld at those zones.
In a certain sense, the people living at the edges of nation states within South Asia do not actually belong to any of the two nation states.
Or in other words, they belong to both the states at the same time.
Plurality, differences and inclusivity bring coherence to borderland ontology; they defy the logic of singular, unifying, exclusive identities that the nation states privilege.
Way ahead
South Asian boundaries
Both India and Nepal, and for that matter, other South Asian countries need to rethink South Asia as a region of regions before they submit to the enticements of a new language of “regional cooperation” — one that is ontologically empty but materially more rewarding.
Region and regional identity are not just issues of “realpolitik” in South Asia; rather, the need is to “officially” accommodate this rather naturally drafted way of doing politics, if we are genuinely concerned about South Asian geopolitics.
Consolidated notification on MSME classification and registration
The Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Ministry has issued consolidated notification for classification and registration of MSMEs to be effected from July 1.
This notification would supercede all earlier notifications with regard to classification or registration of MSMEs.
As per the latest notification
Consolidated notification on MSME classification and registration
An MSME would hereafter been referred to as Udyam and the registration process as Udyam Registration.
The Registration can be filed online based on self-declaration. Uploading of documents, papers or certificate as proof would not be necessary henceforth.
The basic criteria for MSME classification would be on investment in plant, machinery and equipment and turnover.
Export of goods or services or both would be excluded while calculating the turnover of any enterprise and investment calculation linked to the IT return of the previous year.
Champions Control Room across the country have been made legally responsible for facilitating entrepreneurs in registration and thereafter.
As per the latest classification
Consolidated notification on MSME classification and registration
Micro enterprises would be those with investments not exceeding Rs one crore and turnover of Rs 5 crore.
Small enterprises would be those with investment up to Rs 10 crore and turnover of up to Rs 50 crore.
Medium enterprises – as those with investments not exceeding Rs 50 crore and turnover of Rs 250 crore.
Significance and implications of these measures
Consolidated notification on MSME classification and registration
The measures would completely change the way MSMEs work, ensure they compete globally besides resulting in newer enterprises entering the fray.
With the stimulus, these enterprises will be in a position to lead to a fast V-shaped recovery the moment the pandemic is brought under control.
Significance of MSMEs
Consolidated notification on MSME classification and registration
With around 63.4 million units throughout the geographical expanse of the country, MSMEs contribute around 6.11% of the manufacturing GDP and 24.63% of the GDP from service activities as well as 33.4% of India’s manufacturing output.
They have been able to provide employment to around 120 million persons and contribute around 45% of the overall exports from India.
About 20% of the MSMEs are based out of rural areas, which indicates the deployment of significant rural workforce in the MSME sector.
Additional fact
Consolidated notification on MSME classification and registration
International MSME Day was observed on 27 June under the theme “COVID-19: The Great Lockdown and its impact on Small Business.”
Statistics day
Celebrated on 29th June every year.
Observed in recognition of the notable contributions made by Late Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis in the fields of statistics, statistical system and economic planning.
Theme:
This year’s Theme is “SDG- 3 (Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages) & SDG- 5 (Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls)”.
Contribution of PC Mahalanonobis to Statistics (1893 –1972)
He is referred to as the chief architect of Indian statistical system as well as father of statistical science in India.
He established the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in 1931 in Kolkata.
The institute founded the journal Sankhya, along the lines of Karl Pearson’s Biometrika.
In 1959 it was made an autonomous body of Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation.
He also helped in the establishment of Central Statistical Organisation (CSO), the National Sample Survey (NSS) and the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI).
He introduced three key concepts to the theory and practice of sample surveys which are: Pilot surveys, Optimum survey design and Inter Penetrating Network of sub-samples technique (IPNS).
He also served as the Chairman of the United Nations Sub-Commission on Statistical Sampling.
In 1936 he introduced a statistical measure named the Mahalanobis distance.It is widely used in cluster analysis and classification techniques.
The Mahalanobis model, was employed in the Second Five Year Plan, which worked towards the rapid industrialisation of India.
What is Anthropause?
Also called as the “Great Pause”, it is a term coined by the researchers in the UK.
It refers to the coronavirus-induced lockdown period and its impact on other species.
How curbs imposed during this period led to unusual animal behaviour?
There were pumas sighted in Chile’s Santiago, jackals in the parks of Tel Aviv in Israel, dolphins in the waters of Italy and even a monkey fight on the streets of Thailand.
Why study this period?
Anthropause
As a result of the lockdown, nature appears to have changed, especially in urban environments, since not only are there now more animals, but also some “unexpected visitors.”
On the other hand, there are some animals for whom the lockdown may have made things more challenging.
For instance, for various urban-dwelling animals, such as rats, gulls and monkeys who depend on food provided or discarded by humans, the lockdown would have made life more difficult.
The researchers believe studying this period will provide valuable insights into the relationship between human-wildlife interactions in the 21st century.
It might also be useful in preserving global biodiversity, maintaining the integrity of ecosystems and predicting global zoonoses and environmental changes.
Maareech
It is an advanced anti-torpedo decoy system that is capable of being fired from all frontline ships.
It was recently inducted by the Indian Navy.
Designed and developed indigenously by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO).
It is capable of detecting, locating and neutralizing incoming torpedo.
Sankalp Parva
Ministry of Culture is celebrating the “Sankalp Parva” from 28th June to 12 July 2020.
This initiative has been launched following the call of Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi to plant at least five trees either in Office campus or wherever it is possible in order to ensure clean and healthy environment of the country.
Ministry of Culture has recommended planting 5 tress: Bargad, Awla, Pepal, Ashok and Bel. These 5 trees represent the herbal heritage of the country.
Fishing cats
Why in News?
The Odisha Government has started a two-year conservation project for Fishing Cats in Bhitarkanika National Park.
Key facts:
The fishing cat is nocturnal (active at night).
State animal of West Bengal.
Habitats: In India, fishing cats are mainly found in the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, on the foothills of the Himalayas along the Ganga and Brahmaputra river valleys and in the Western Ghats.
Protection:
Vulnerable— IUCN Red List.
CITES: Appendix II
Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I.
Fishing Cat Project, launched in 2010 started raising awareness about the Cat in West Bengal.
Gynandromorphs
They are chimeric individuals having both male and female tissues, and are viewed by the scientific community as a genetic aberration.
It is common in some arthropod taxa such as Crustacea and Arachnida.
Why in News?
Researchers have Gynandromorphism in the Libellulid Dragonfly Crocothemis Servilia from India.
Zealandia
Researchers from GNS Science in New Zealand have announced that they mapped the shape and size of the Zealandia continent in unprecedented detail.
Background:
Scientists confirmed the existence of an eighth continent, called Zealandia, under New Zealand and the surrounding ocean in 2017.
Because 94% of Zealandia’s 2 million square miles are underwater, mapping the continent is challenging.
Latest findings
Zealandia
Zealandia‘s area is nearly 2 million square miles (5 million square kilometers) — about half the size of Australia.
But only 6% of the continent is above sea level. That part underpins New Zealand’s north and south islands and the island of New Caledonia.
Latest map depicts coastlines, territorial limits, and the names of major undersea features. The map is part of a global initiative to map the planet’s entire ocean floor by 2030.
This map also reveals where Zealandia sits across various tectonic plates, which of those plates are being pushed under the other in a process known as subduction, and how quickly that movement is happening.
How Zealandia evolved?
Gondwana formed when Earth’s ancient supercontinent, Pangea, split into two fragments.
Laurasia in the north became Europe, Asia, and North America.
Gondwana in the south dispersed to form modern-day Africa, Antarctica, South America, and Australia.
Further, Geologic forces continued to rearrange these land masses, and Zealandia was forced under the waves about 30 million to 50 million years after it broke off Gondwana as the largest tectonic plate — the Pacific Plate — slowly subducted beneath it
World Bank’s STARS project
What is it?
STARS stands for Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States Program (STARS).
It is a project to improve the quality and governance of school education in six Indian states.
Six states are- Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Rajasthan.
Some 250 million students (between the age of 6 and 17) in 1.5 million schools, and over 10 million teachers will benefit from the program.
Reform initiatives under the project include
WB’s STARS Project
Focusing more directly on the delivery of education services at the state, district and sub district levelsby providing customized local-level solutions towards school improvement.
Addressing demands from stakeholders, especially parents, for greater accountability and inclusionby producing better data to assess the quality of learning; giving special attention to students from vulnerable section.
Equipping teachers to manage this transformationby recognizing that teachers are central to achieving better learning outcomes.
Investing more in developing India’s human capital needsby strengthening foundational learning for children in classes 1 to 3 and preparing them with the cognitive, socio-behavioural and language skills to meet future labour market needs.
Atmanirbhar and education
Atmanirbhar Bharat calls for an India that is able to produce and deliver local goods and services to its citizens.
This applies equally to education for all children.
Delivering a service, like education, requires a capable state, especially given the scale and complexity of its large and diverse population.
Building state capability involves a process of learning to do things on one’s own.
This is precisely the idea behind an Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Fundamentally, therefore, it cannot be outsourced.
In other words, state capability is about getting things done in the government, and by the government, by ensuring effective implementation that is responsive to local needs, but also about being able to design and conduct reforms.
Why is the STARS approach to build state capacity flawed?
It fails to address the basic capacity issues: major vacancies across the education system from District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs), district and block education offices, to teachers in schools, remain unaddressed.
World Bank ignores that decentralising decision-making requires the devolution of funds and real decision-making power.
It requires not just investment in the capacity of the front-line bureaucracy but also in increasing their discretionary powers while fostering social accountability.
Trust is entirely ignored in the World Bank project. Instead, the Bank displays yet again an over-reliance on Information and Communications Technology (ICT) as a panacea that lacks any backing in evidence (Trust here implies listening and collaborating across different levels within the administration).
Outsourcing basic governance functions by “expanding private initiatives” and “reducing government tasks” will not make education “more relevant to local needs” or “democratically promote people’s participation by empowering local authorities” as stated in the project document.
What needs to be done?
STARS Approach
Administration must be equipped with adequate physical, financial and human resources.
An overburdened bureaucracy with vacancies and without basic equipment cannot be expected to be effective.
Administrative or governance reforms must give greater discretion to the front-line bureaucracy to address local issues and innovate if required.
There needs to be trust within the administration among peers and across different levels within the administration.
In 24 hours, Palestine faces an existential threat
Context:
On June 24, the UN Secretary General António Guterres told a virtual meeting of the United Nations Security Council that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is at a “watershed moment”.
The Israeli plans to annex parts of the West Bank have alarmed the Palestinians, many Israelis and the international community.
Such annexation would be “a most serious violation of international law”.
What needs to be done now?
He called upon the Israeli government to abandon its annexation plans and asked the Middle East Quartet (the United States, Russia, the European Union and the UN) to resume its mandated mediatory role.
What’s the issue?
The UN Secretary General’s alarm has been sounded in the context of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reported plan to annex on July 1 around 30% of the Occupied West Bank.
This will include annexation of all the existing (post-1967) settlements in addition to areas surrounding them and access roads.
What is Annexation in the international law? Why Israel’s move is illegal?
Under international law, annexation is forcible acquisition of territory by one state at the expense of another state.
Such an act even if sanctified by Israeli law is illegal under international law and would violate the universally acknowledged principle of the “inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force”.
This is the accepted position of all international legal bodies including the International Court of Justice.
Even, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN Human Rights) has described the annexation of occupied territory as a serious violation of the Charter of the United Nations and the Geneva Conventions.
It is also contrary to the fundamental rule affirmed many times by the UN Security Council and the General Assembly that acquisition of territory war or by force is inadmissible.
Where is West Bank?
It is a landlocked territory near the Mediterranean coast of Western Asia, bordered by Jordan to the east and by the Green Line separating it and Israel on the south, west and north.
The West Bank also contains a significant section of the western Dead Sea shore.
What are the disputed settlements here? Who lives there?
Israel region
The West Bank was captured by Jordan after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
Israel snatched it back during the Six Day War of 1967, and has occupied it ever since.
It has built some 130 formal settlements in the West Bank, and a similar number of smaller, informal settlements have mushroomed over the last 20-25 years.
Over 4 lakh Israeli settlers — many of them religious Zionists who claim a Biblical birthright over this land — now live here, along with some 26 lakh Palestinians.
Scheme for formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (FME)
Context:
The government has launched the scheme- Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Enterprises (PM FME).
The scheme will be implemented for five years until 2024-25.
About the scheme
Scheme for formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (FME)
The Union Cabinet, last month, had given its approval to this scheme.
It is for the Unorganized Sector on All India basis.
Objectives:
Increase in access to finance by micro food processing units.
Increase in revenues of target enterprises.
Enhanced compliance with food quality and safety standards.
Strengthening capacities of support systems.
Transition from the unorganized sector to the formal sector.
Special focus on women entrepreneurs and Aspirational districts.
Encourage Waste to Wealth activities.
Focus on minor forest produce in Tribal
Districts.
Salient features
Scheme for formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (FME)
Centrally Sponsored Expenditure to be shared by Government of India and States at 60:40.
2,00,000 micro-enterprises are to be assisted with credit linked subsidy. Micro enterprises will get credit linked subsidy at 35 per cent of the eligible project cost with ceiling of Rs. 10 lakh.
Beneficiary contribution will be minimum 10 per cent and balance from loan. Seed capital will be given to SHGs (Rs. four lakh per SHG) for loan to members for working capital and small tools.
Cluster approach.
Focus on perishables.
Administrative and Implementation Mechanisms
Scheme for formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (FME)
The Scheme would be monitored at Centre by an Inter-Ministerial Empowered Committee (IMEC) under the Chairmanship of Minister, FPI.
A State/ UT Level Committee (SLC) chaired by the Chief Secretary will monitor and sanction/ recommend proposals for expansion of micro units and setting up of new units by the SHGs/ FPOs/ Cooperatives.
The States/ UTs will prepare Annual Action Plans covering various activities for implementation of the scheme, which will be approved by Government of India.
A third party evaluation and mid-term review mechanism would be built in the programme.
National level portal would be set-up wherein the applicants/ individual enterprise could apply to participate in the Scheme.
All the scheme activities would be undertaken on the National portal.
Benefits of the scheme
Scheme for formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (FME)
Nearly eight lakh micro- enterprises will benefit through access to information, better exposure and formalization.
It will enable them to formalize, grow and become competitive.
The project is likely to generate nine lakh skilled and semi-skilled jobs.
Scheme envisages increased access to credit by existing micro food processing entrepreneurs, women entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs in the Aspirational Districts.
Better integration with organized markets.
Increased access to common services like sorting, grading, processing, packaging, storage etc.
Why we need this scheme?
Scheme for formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (FME)
There are about 25 lakh unregistered food processing enterprises which constitute 98% of the sector and are unorganized and informal.
Nearly 66 % of these units are located in rural areas and about 80% of them are family-based enterprises.
This sector faces a number of challenges including the inability to access credit, high cost of institutional credit, lack of access to modern technology, inability to integrate with the food supply chain and compliance with the health &safety standards.
Strengthening this segment will lead to reduction in wastage, creation of off-farm job opportunities and aid in achieving the overarching Government objective of doubling farmers’ income.
59 Chinese Apps Banned
Indian government has put a ban on 59 apps including TikTok and WeChat.
This marks the largest sweep against the Chinese technology companies.
Why the Govt decided to ban 59 Chinese apps?
These measures have been undertaken since there is credible information that these apps are engaged in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order.
The government had received complaints from various sources including several reports about misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data in an unauthorised manner to servers which have locations outside India.
Therefore, the decision has been taken in a bid to safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile users.
Background
The ban comes days after Indian intelligence agencies red flagged these Chinese apps over safety and privacy issues of users.
The recommendations of the intelligence agencies have backing of the National Security Council Secretariat which determined that certain China-linked applications could be detrimental to the country’s security.
How it Will Affect Indian Users?
Jobs at stake:
Most of these platforms have Indian creators, for many of whom this is the only source of income.
Some apps on the banned list are widely popular among Indians.
TikTok (one of the banned apps) has more than 100 million active users in India.
TikTok was the only source of income for many users.
Besides, many of these apps such as UC News and others have offices and employees in India, hence following the ban, scores of jobs could be at stake.
What next?
chinese Apps ban
Meity has issued instructions to Google and Apple to remove the banned applications from their respective application stores.
Additionally, telecom operators and Internet service providers will be asked to block access and use of these applications on their networks.
For this, the Ministry has invoked its power under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act read with the relevant provisions of the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking of Access of Information by Public) Rules, 2009.
Legitimate concern: on law and order in Nagaland
Context:
With the legitimacy of the Constitutionally-elected state government’s being “challenged on a day-to-day basis by the armed gangs who question the sovereignty and integrity of the nation”, Nagaland Governor has told the chief minister that he “could no longer abstain from constitutional obligations in the state under Article 371A (1) (b) of the Constitution”.
What is Article 371A(1)(b) all about?
It applies exclusively to Nagaland and bestows upon the governor “special responsibility with respect to law and order”.
According to the provision, the governor, for all practical purposes, has the final say on all matters related to the state’s law and order and on what constitutes law and order.
What’s the issue?
Legitimate concern: on law and order in Nagaland
The governor has voiced concerns of sections of civil society over the slide in law and order; illegal collections by armed groups have been an issue for several years.
What next?
Legitimate concern: on law and order in Nagaland
Despite the Centre’s heady statements heralding a Naga peace accord since 2015, it is nowhere close to finalising it with the groups.
In some ways, this is due to the NSCN-IM’s obstinacy such as its insistence on retaining a separate flag and a Constitution for the State of Nagaland and its unwillingness to dismantle its parallel administrative and paramilitary structure.
The distrust it invokes among other Naga organisations besides other north-eastern governments because of its core ideology of a “greater Nagalim”, and the inherent difficulties in getting other insurgent actors on board have made this a conflict that persists despite the ceasefire and a problem that does not lend itself to a quick solution.
How old is the Naga political issue?
Legitimate concern: on law and order in Nagaland
Pre- independence:
The British annexed Assam in 1826, and in 1881, the Naga Hills too became part of British India.
The first sign of Naga resistance was seen in the formation of the Naga Club in 1918, which told the Simon Commission in 1929 “to leave us alone to determine for ourselves as in ancient times”.
In 1946 came the Naga National Council (NNC), which declared Nagaland an independent state on August 14, 1947.
The NNC resolved to establish a “sovereign Naga state” and conducted a “referendum” in 1951, in which “99 per cent” supported an “independent” Nagaland.
Post- independence:
On March 22, 1952, underground Naga Federal Government (NFG) and the Naga Federal Army (NFA) were formed.
The Government of India sent in the Army to crush the insurgency and, in 1958, enacted the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.
When did the NSCN come into being?
Legitimate concern: on law and order in Nagaland
A group of about 140 members led by Thuingaleng Muivah, who were at that time in China, refused to accept the Shillong Accord, and formed the National Socialist Council of Nagaland in 1980.
As per the accord, NNC and NFG agreed to give up arms.
In 1988, the NSCN split into NSCN (IM) and NSCN (K) after a violent clash.
Covaxin
It is India’s first COVID vaccine candidate approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).
Covaxin is an inactivated vaccine created from a strain of the infectious SARS COV-2 virus.
It is the first vaccine that has got approval of the drug controller for phase 1 and II human clinical trials.
The vaccine has been developed by Hyderabad Major Bharat Biotech in collaboration with ICMR and the National Institute of Virology (NIV).
The company is also involved in the development of CoroFlu, a nasal vaccine for COVID-19, as part of an international collaboration of virologists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and vaccine firm FluGen.
Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Anna Yojana
Context:
In his sixth address to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended the Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Anna Yojana till November-end and said the Central government will spend Rs 90,000 crore more on providing free food to the poor.
What is Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana?
Considered as world’s largest food security scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana aims at ensuring sufficient food for the poor and needy during the coronavirus crisis.
It was announced as part of the first relief package during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Part of the scheme, the food needs to be provided to all the beneficiaries under public distribution system (TPDS) for Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and priority household (PHH) ration cardholders.
As per updates, the eligible beneficiaries will receive 5kg of foodgrains and 1 kg Gram per month.
PCR testing is a double-edged sword
How RT-PCR is used for detecting Covid-19?
The causative agent for Covid19 is the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
It is an RNA virus, that means it infiltrates a healthy cell to multiply and survive.
Thus, the RT-PCR test is for the identification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA.
In this, the RNA is converted to DNA through a process called ‘reverse transcription’ for detecting viruses.
How it is carried out?
RT-PCR Test
The SARS-CoV-2 RNA is generally detectable in respiratory specimens during the acute phase of infection.
For that upper and lower respiratory specimens (such as nasal, nasopharyngeal) are collected.
This sample is treated with several chemical solutions that remove substances, such as proteins and fats, and extracts only the RNA present in the sample.
Real-time RT-PCR setup usually goes through 35 cycles, which means that by the end of the process, around 35 billion new copies of the sections of viral DNA are created from each strand of the virus present in the sample.
As new copies of the viral DNA sections are built, the marker labels attach to the DNA strands and then release a fluorescent dye, which is measured by the machine’s computer and presented in real-time on the screen.
The computer tracks the amount of fluorescence in the sample after each cycle. When the amount goes over a certain level of fluorescence, this confirms that the virus is present.
Why it is compared to a double- edged sword?
PCR testing is a double-edged sword
The boon and bane of PCR testing are in its capacity to amplify even one viral gene segment in the sample to generate a detectable signal — a positive test.
It is a boon because it accurately detects the presence of virus.
It is a bane because it is prone to false negative and false positive results.
How it generates false reports?
PCR testing is a double-edged sword
During sample preparation for testing, if even one gene segment falls into the tube from the laboratory environment, it will be amplified and the test will be positive — but, false positive.
A false negative PCR means that a person with infection was missed by the test, but that is in the very nature of PCR.
The viral load is lower in the throat than in the nasopharynx.
Hence throat swabs are falsely negative in 60% of tests and nasopharyngeal swabs in 30%, according to published studies.
An incorrectly taken nasal swab may miss the virus altogether and lead to a false negative test.
Concerns
PCR testing is a double-edged sword
The relatively high frequency of false negative results leads to gross underestimation of the epidemic’s magnitude.
Moreover, traced contacts with false negative tests will not be quarantined but allowed to spread the virus, augmenting the epidemic.
Need of the hour
PCR testing is a double-edged sword
When a laboratory handles several samples, cross-contamination must be avoided.
For reliability, only laboratories under quality assurance should do testing.
In January there was one laboratory (National Institute of Virology, Pune) but today there are 1,000.
When a false positive result is suspected, the doctor should alert the authorities, who in turn should get the subject re-tested in an accredited laboratory.
In case of discrepancy, the laboratory concerned must be closed and checked for compliance with protocols and record-keeping.
In order to avoid blind reliance on the PCR test result, clinical diagnosis by specific criteria, which is the only way to diagnose COVID, (D for disease), should be popularised among doctors.
Reviving SAARC to deal with China
Context:
Amid India- China border tensions, as part of its global expansionism, China is chipping away at India’s interests in South Asia.
China’s proximity to Pakistan is well known.
Nepal is moving closer to China for ideational and material reasons.
China is wooing Bangladesh by offering tariff exemption to 97% of Bangladeshi products.
It has also intensified its ties with Sri Lanka through massive investments.
So, most South Asian nations are now largely dependent on China for imports despite geographical proximity to India.
This should be a major cause for concern for New Delhi.
Why SAARC is relevant now?
Several foreign policy experts argue that India’s strategic dealing with China has to begin with South Asia.
In this regard, it is important to reinvigorate SAARC, which has been in the doldrums since 2014.
In the last few years, due to increasing animosity with Pakistan, India’s political interest in SAARC dipped significantly.
India started investing in other regional instruments, such as BIMSTEC, as an alternative to SAARC.
However, BIMSTEC cannot replace SAARC for reasons such as lack of a common identity and history among all BIMSTEC members.
Moreover, BIMSTEC’s focus is on the Bay of Bengal region, thus making it an inappropriate forum to engage all South Asian nations.
What needs to be done now?
SAARC
To revive the process of South Asian economic integration.
South Asia is one of the least integrated regions in the world with intra-regional trade teetering at barely 5% of total South Asian trade, compared to 25% of intra-regional trade in the ASEAN region.
While South Asian countries have signed trade treaties, the lack of political will and trust deficit has prevented any meaningful movement.
According to the World Bank, trade in South Asia stands at $23 billion of an estimated value of $67 billion.
India should take the lead and work with its neighbours to slash the tariff and non-tariff barriers.
There’s a need to resuscitate the negotiations on a SAARC investment treaty, pending since 2007.
Challenges ahead
SAARC
There has been anti-Pakistan rhetoric and Islamophobia on the Indian soil.
There’s also a recurrent use of the ‘Bangladeshi migrant’ rhetoric.
Such majoritarian politics influences foreign policy in undesirable ways.
It dents India’s soft power of being a liberal and secular democracy, which gives moral legitimacy to India’s leadership in the region.
Next, economic vision of the government remains convoluted. It’s unclear what the slogans of atma nirbharta (self-reliance) and ‘vocal for local’ mean.
Many are stating that India needs to cut down its dependence on imports, thus signalling a return to the obsolete economic philosophy of import substitution.
If this marks sliding back to protectionism, one is unsure if India will be interested in deepening South Asian economic integration.
Conclusion
SAARC
Deeper regional economic integration will create greater interdependence with India acquiring the central role, which, in turn, would serve India’s strategic interests too.
SATAT Initiative
Context:
Indian Oil, NTPC and SDMC have signed an MoU to develop a waste-to-energy facility at Delhi’s Okhla landfill site using gasification technology.
This plant will process 17,500 tons per annum of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) produced from combustible components of municipal waste to generate syngas which shall in turn be used to generate electricity.
The venture would succeed as there is an existing model of providing offtake guarantee, under the SATAT scheme for compressed biogas production plants.
About SATAT initiative
The initiative is aimed at providing a Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) as a developmental effort that would benefit both vehicle-users as well as farmers and entrepreneurs.
Compressed Bio-Gas plants are proposed to be set up mainly through independent entrepreneurs.
How it works?
SATAT Initiative
CBG produced at these plants will be transported through cascades of cylinders to the fuel station networks of OMCs for marketing as a green transport fuel alternative.
The entrepreneurs would be able to separately market the other by-products from these plants, including bio-manure, carbon-dioxide, etc., to enhance returns on investment.
This initiative is expected to generate direct employment for 75,000 people and produce 50 million tonnes of bio-manure for crops.
There are multiple benefits from converting municipal solid waste into CBG on a commercial scale
Responsible waste management, reduction in carbon emissions and pollution.
Additional revenue source for farmers.
Boost to entrepreneurship, rural economy and employment.
Support to national commitments in achieving climate change goals.
Reduction in import of natural gas and crude oil.
Buffer against crude oil/gas price fluctuations.
What is Bio- Gas?
Bio-gas is produced naturally through a process of anaerobic decomposition from waste / bio-mass sources like agriculture residue, cattle dung, sugarcane press mud, municipal solid waste, sewage treatment plant waste, etc.
After purification, it is compressed and called CBG, which has pure methane content of over 95%.
What is CBG?
Compressed Bio-Gas is exactly similar to the commercially available natural gas in its composition and energy potential.
With calorific value (~52,000 KJ/kg) and other properties similar to CNG, Compressed Bio-Gas can be used as an alternative, renewable automotive fuel.
Way ahead
SATAT initiative
The potential for Compressed Bio-Gas production from various sources in India is estimated at about 62 million tonnes per annum.
Going forward, Compressed Bio-Gas networks can be integrated with city gas distribution (CGD) networks to boost supplies to domestic and retail users in existing and upcoming markets.
Besides retailing from OMC fuel stations, Compressed Bio-Gas can at a later date be injected into CGD pipelines too for efficient distribution and optimised access of a cleaner and more affordable fuel.
Clean Energy Can Support India’s Economic Recovery post-Covid-19
Context:
NITI Aayog and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) have released Towards a Clean Energy Economy: Post-Covid-19 Opportunities for India’s Energy and Mobility Sectors report.
What is the report all about?
The report advocates for stimulus and recovery efforts that work towards building a clean, resilient, and least-cost energy future for India.
These efforts include electric vehicle, energy storage, and renewable energy programs.
Challenges posed by COVID- 19
Covid-19 has presented significant demand- and supply-side challenges for India’s transport and power sectors, from liquidity constraints and supply shortages to shifts in consumer demand and preferences.
The report lays out four principles as a framework for policymakers and other key decision-makers considering programmes to support India’s clean energy future:
1) Invest in least-cost-energy solutions.
2) Support resilient and secure energy systems.
3) Prioritize efficiency and competitiveness.
4) Promote social and environmental equity.
What needs to be done now?
Clean Energy Can Support India’s Economic Recovery post-Covid-19
India needs to identify strategic opportunities for economic recovery in the short, medium, and long terms that can translate challenges posed by the pandemic into clean energy transition opportunities.
Opportunities in the transport sector include making public transport safe, enhancing and expanding non-motorized transport infrastructure, reducing vehicle kilometres travelled through work-from-home where possible, supporting national strategies to adopt electric vehicles in the freight and passenger segments, and making India an automotive export hub.
In the power sector, opportunities include improving the electricity distribution business and its operations, enabling renewables and distributed energy resources, and promoting energy resilience and local manufacturing of renewable energy and energy storage technologies.
Potential
Clean Energy Can Support India’s Economic Recovery post-Covid-19
The report states that India’s transport sector can save 1.7 gigatonnes of cumulative carbon dioxide emissions.
It can also avoid about 600 million tonnes of oil equivalent in fuel demand by 2030.
Control, not delete: On China apps ban
Context:
Citing concerns to both data security and national sovereignty, the Indian government on June 29 announced it would block 59 widely used apps, most linked to Chinese companies.
How government defends its move?
Control, not delete: On China apps ban
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology cited “the emergent nature of threats” posed by the apps and “information available” that they are engaged in activities “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order”.
The apps, according to the Ministry, had been reported for “stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India”, which “impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India”.
Data localisation
The government said the move protects the digital data of Indian users from the Chinese government and addresses data localisation concerns.
What does Data Localization mean?
Data localization is the act of storing data on any device that is physically present within the borders of a specific country where the data was generated.
Why data localization is necessary for India?
For securing citizen’s data, data privacy, data sovereignty, national security, and economic development of the country.
Recommendations by the RBI, the committee of experts led by Justice BN Srikrishna, the draft ecommerce policy and the draft report of the cloud policy panelshow signs of data localisation.
The extensive data collection by technology companies, has allowed them to process and monetize Indian users’ data outside the country.
Therefore, to curtail the perils of unregulated and arbitrary use of personal data, data localization is necessary.
Digital technologies like machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) can generate tremendous value out of various data.
It can turn disastrous if not contained within certain boundaries.
With the advent of cloud computing, Indian users’ data is outside the country’s boundaries,leading to a conflict of jurisdiction in case of any dispute.
Data localization is an opportunity for Indian technology companies to evolve an outlook from services to products.
Recommendations
On data localisation
The Srikrishna Committee wants to localise data for law enforcement to have easy access to data, to prevent foreign surveillance, to build an artificial intelligence ecosystem in India, and because undersea cables through which data transfers take place are vulnerable to attacks.
Reserve Bank of India has also imposed a hard data localisation mandate on payment systems providers to store payment systems data only in India.
The government has also been working on a draft data protection policy since 2018, which is currently under discussion in a joint parliamentary committee.
CogX
CogX is one of the world’s largest events on AI, held annually in London with over 15,000 participants in attendance from the highest levels of business, government, industry, and research.
The Cogx Awards are given out to the best-of-the-best in AI and emerging technologies across the world.
Why in News?
AI enabled MyGov Corona Helpdesk bagged two awards under categories (1) “Best Innovation for Covid-19 – Society” and (2) “People’s Choice Covid-19 Overall Winner”,at the recently held CogX 2020.
Globba andersonii
It is a rare and critically endangered plant species.
It is commonly as ‘dancing ladies’ or ‘swan flowers’.
They are characterised by white flowers, non-appendaged anthers (the part of a stamen that contains the pollen) and a “yellowish lip”.
The species is restricted mainly to Teesta River Valley region which includes the Sikkim Himalays and Darjeeling hill ranges.
The plant usually grows in a dense colony as a lithophyte (plant growing on a bare rock or stone).
Why in News?
Researchers have “rediscovered” this plant species from the Sikkim Himalayas near the Teesta river valley region after a gap of nearly 136 years.
It was thought to have been extinct until its “re-collection”, for the first time since 1875.
International Asteroid Day
Celebrated on 30th June.
It is observed each year to mark the anniversary of the Tunguska impact over Siberia, Russian Federation, on 30 June 1908, and to raise public awareness about the asteroid impact hazard.
The Tunguska asteroid event in Siberia, Russian Federation, on 30 June 1908, was the Earth’s largest asteroid impact in recorded history.
Police reform and the crucial judicial actor
Context:
The death of a father and son due to alleged custodial torture in Sathankulam town near Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu has brought into focus the topic “Police reforms and the role of Judiciary “.
Such recurring incidents also raise one significant question:
How many more times must powerless citizens suffer the blows of a lathi or a baton, the kicks of patent leather boots, be violated by the “wooden rollers” around their private areas, not to mention spending hours inside a police lockup, all as a part of an “investigation” by police searching for “truth”?
Role of judiciary
Police reform and the crucial judicial actor
As always, when the conversation veers in this direction it becomes natural to look towards the judiciary as the source of hope and action.
In this case, the Madurai High Court has taken notice on its own and is “closely” monitoring the situation.
How has the Supreme Court handled this topic in the past?
Police reform and the crucial judicial actor
Supreme Court has intervened multiple times in the 1990s through cases such as Joginder Kumar v. State of UP [AIR 1994 SC 1349] and D.K. Basu v. State of West Bengal [(1997) 1 SCC 416], where guidelines were passed to try and secure two rights in the context of any state action:
A right to life.
A right to know.
Through the guidelines, the Court sought to curb the power of arrest, as well as ensure that an accused person is made aware of all critical information regarding her arrest and also convey this to friends and family immediately in the event of being taken in custody.
The Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Act, 2008 gave statutory backing to these judicial guidelines; it remains part of the law today.
Finally, in Prakash Singh v. Union of India (2006) case, the Court pushed through new legislation for governing police forces to be passed by States across India.
A key component of the new legislation was a robust setup for accountability that contemplated a grievance redress mechanism.
What else has been advised by the judiciary to reduce police violence?
Police reform and the crucial judicial actor
Support for “scientific” investigations.
Fascination for techniques such as narcoanalysis, ensuring video recording of investigations.
Passing orders for installing closed-circuit television cameras inside police stations.
Why judicial interventions have failed to curb the violence?
Police reform and the crucial judicial actor
Judiciary’s approach of simply passing directions and guidelines, has proven to be a failure.
For it is the ordinary magistrate, and not the constitutional court, who is the judicial actor wielding real power to realise substantial change in police practices.
Gap between the highest court and the lowly police officer in India has been demonstrated through studies which show how despite criminal laws being struck down as unconstitutional, they continue to be enforced in various parts of the country by local police.
What needs to be done?
Police reform and the crucial judicial actor
Rather than expend energies in only passing more guidelines, constitutional courts must seriously contend with the concrete cases that come their way and expose how hard it is for a common man to get justice against police violence, either through compensation claims or prosecutions.
They must shed the institutional baggage which often leads to them protecting the supposedly vulnerable morale of police.
It is time to consider sanctions at a larger scale and impose monetary penalties at the district level, to drive home the message that the erring actions of one officer must be seen as a failure of the force itself.
They could strike an inspired move by reorienting their guidelines to try and change the practices of magistrates, over whom they exercise powers of superintendence, as opposed to other non-judicial actors.
Same Language Subtitling (SLS) project
Context:
The Same Language Subtitling (SLS) project at IIM-Ahmedabad has researched and implemented SLS pilots on TV in eight major Indian languages.
The project has completed a 23 years journey. And yet, the most critical policy step remains unaccomplished — quality implementation of the policy on TV channels.
About SLS project
Same Language Subtitling (SLS) project
In 1996 the Same Language Subtitling (SLS) programme was launched as a research project.
Its aim was to examine whether the subtitling of mainstream TV content could help people, especially those who were hard to reach through traditional literacy programmes, to improve their reading and writing skills.
In 1999, SLS was officially put into practice as a literacy intervention programme by the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) and not-for-profit organization PlanetRead.
SLS has the proven power to transform much of TV and OTT content consumption into routine reading practice that is inescapable, subconscious, sustainable, scalable, and extremely cost-effective.
The ‘Accessibility Standards’ of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), framed in September 2019 under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, require 50% of all entertainment content on TV to carry captions in the same language, or SLS, by 2025.
The main approach of SLS is quite simple
Same Language Subtitling (SLS) project
The main approach of SLS is quite simple: to subtitle audiovisual content in the language of the audio track so the on-screen text and audio match perfectly.
While watching TV, viewers can match the words on screen to the sounds they are hearing simultaneously.
Significance and potential of the project
Same Language Subtitling (SLS) project
India is globally the first country where the mainstreaming of SLS on TV and streaming content is being advanced for mass reading literacy.
When SLS is implemented on TV in all Indian languages, as broadcast policy now stipulates, it will automatically give daily reading practice to an estimated 600 million weak readers who currently cannot read and understand simple text, like a newspaper.
Within three to five years of regular exposure to SLS on entertainment content already watched, many of them will become functional and some even fluent readers.
Background
Same Language Subtitling (SLS) project
Close to a billion viewers in India watch on average 3 hours and 46 minutes of TV every day (FICCI-EY, 2019).
No other activity, nationally, comes close to commanding four billion person-hours every day.
COVID 19 pandemic situation
Same Language Subtitling (SLS) project
COVID-19 has further highlighted the potential of the SLS solution for upping the nation’s mass reading skills.
Globally, 1.4 billion children, and in India 300 million, have been locked out of schools.
Intermittent school openings and closures are to be expected going forward.
Way ahead
Same Language Subtitling (SLS) project
A national implementation of SLS on existing general entertainment content (GEC) on TV and streaming platforms, also known as Over-The-Top (OTT), would revolutionise reading literacy in India.
This is in addition to having massive national impact in two other domains, that of media access among Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) people and of language learning.
G4 Virus
Context:
Researchers in China have discovered a new form of swine flu that can infect humans, and they believe it has the potential to cause a future pandemic.
This swine flu has been dubbed the G4 virus and it’s related to the H1N1 flu that caused widespread illness in 2009.
What is the G4 virus, exactly?
The G4 virus is a newly discovered strain of the H1N1 flu virus.
It’s basically a virus that’s found in pigs but has combined the swine flu virus with the H1N1 virus that circulates in humans.
G4 viruses bind to receptor molecules in human cells, and can replicate in the outer layer of the respiratory system.
Transmission and symptoms
G4 virus
The newly identified virus can efficiently infect ferrets via aerosol transmission, causing severe clinical symptoms in them like sneezing, wheezing, coughing, and a mean maximum weight loss ranging from 7.3 to 9.8 per cent of the mammals’ body mass.
Concern
G4 virus
It has the potential to become a human virus.
Of concern is that swine workers show elevated seroprevalence for G4 virus.
Moreover, low antigenic cross-reactivity of human influenza vaccine strains with G4 reassortant EA H1N1 virus indicates that preexisting population immunity does not provide protection against G4 viruses.
What is H1N1 influenza?
G4 virus
Swine flu (H1N1) is a highly contagious respiratory infection caused by a type of Influenza A viruses in humans.
It has been named so as people who worked near pigs (or in close contact with them) were seen getting infected by this disease.
It was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation in the year 2009 as it was spreading aggressively back then.
Special Liquidity Scheme for NBFCs and HFCs
Context:
RBI announces special liquidity scheme for NBFCs and HFCs through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to avoid any potential systemic risks to the financial sector.
Background:
Finance Minister had announced on 13th March 2020, launch of a Special Liquidity Scheme of Rs. 30,000 crore.
Key features of the scheme
Special Liquidity Scheme for NBFCs and HFCs
RBI will provide funds for the Scheme by subscribing to government guaranteed special securities issued by the Trust.
The total amount of such securities issued outstanding shall not exceed Rs. 30,000 crores at any point of time.
Government of India will provide an unconditional and irrevocable guarantee to the special securities issued by the Trust.
Who is eligible?
Special Liquidity Scheme for NBFCs and HFCs
NBFCs, including Microfinance Institutions that are registered with the RBI, under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, excluding those registered as Core Investment Companies.
Housing Finance Companies that are registered under the National Housing Bank Act, 1987.
Other eligibility criteria
Special Liquidity Scheme for NBFCs and HFCs
CRAR/CAR of NBFCs/HFCs should not be below the regulatory minimum, i.e., 15% and 12% respectively as on March 31, 2019.
The net non-performing assets should not be more than 6% as on March 31, 2019.
They should have made net profit in at least one of the last two preceding financial years (i.e. 2017-18 and 2018-19)
They should be rated investment grade by a SEBI registered rating agency.
Implementation
Special Liquidity Scheme for NBFCs and HFCs
SBICAP which is a subsidiary of the State Bank of India has set up a SPV (SLS Trust) to manage this operation.
The SPV will purchase the short-term papers from eligible NBFCs/HFCs, who shall utilise the proceeds under this scheme solely for the purpose of extinguishing existing liabilities.
The instruments will be CPs and NCDs with a residual maturity of not more than three months and rated as investment grade.
Way ahead
Special Liquidity Scheme for NBFCs and HFCs
The Scheme will remain open for 3 months for making subscriptions by the Trust.
The period of lending (CPs/NCDs of NBFCs/HFCs for short duration of upto 90 days) by the Trust shall be for a period of upto 90 days.
The financing would be used by the NFBCs/HFCs only to repay existing liabilities and not to expand assets.
Lax on safety: On Nevveli and Vizag disasters
Context:
Second Fatal Boiler Blast In Two Months At Plant In Tamil Nadu.
The blast took place at a power plant of the central government-owned NLC India Limited (formerly known as Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited) in Cuddalore, about 180 km from state capital Chennai.
This once again underscore the value of safety protocols, particularly the Indian Boilers Act.
About the Indian Boilers Act, 1923
Enacted with the objective to provide mainly for the safety of life and Property of persons from the danger of explosions of steam boilers and for achieving uniformity in registration and inspection during operation and maintenance of boilers in India.
Definitions of boiler and accident in indian boilers act 1923
Boiler: Under Section2(b) of the Act, Boiler is any closed vessel exceeding 22.75 liters in capacity which is used expressly for generating steam under pressure and includes any mounting or other fitting attached to such vessel, which is wholly or partly under pressure when is shut off.
Accident means an explosion of a boiler or steam- pipe or any damage to a boiler or steam- pipe which is calculated to weaken the strength thereof so as to render it liable to explode.
Conclusion
About Industrialised disasters
Such accidents are mostly preventable, and occur rarely in the industrialised world, because of impeccable attention to safety.
India’s aspirations to industrialise should be founded on safety.
New butterfly species from Arunachal
Lepidopterists have discovered two species of butterflies in Arunachal Pradesh. They are:
The Striped Hairstreak (Yamamotozephyrus kwangtugenesis)was located in Vijaynagar bordering Myanmar.
It was first recorded by Japanese entomologists in Hainan province of China.
The Elusive Prince (Rohana tonkiniana)was found in Miao on the periphery of the Namdapha National Park.
It has a Vietnamese connection and was thought to be the more familiar Black Prince found in the Eastern Himalayas.
World’s first ever online B.Sc. degree in Programming and Data Science
The programme has been prepared and offered by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras).
The program will have videos from the faculty, weekly assignments and in-person invigilated exams just like any other regular course.
Eligibility:
This programme is open to anyone who has passed Class 12th, with English and Maths at the Class 10th level, and enrolled in any on-campus UG course.
The current batch of students who are completing their Class 12th in 2020 are eligible to apply.
Graduates and working professionals can also take up this programme.
Hul Divas
Hul Divas is observed annually on June 30 in memory of tribals — Sidho and Kanhu Murmu — who led the Santhal hul (rebellion) on June 30, 1855, at Bhognadih in Sahebganj district.
This was believed to be the first people’s action against the British.
National Doctor’s Day 2020
Celebrated on July 1 every year to honour eminent physician Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy.
Doctor’s Day was established by the Government of India in 1991.
It is traditionally organised in the country by the Indian Medical Association (IMA).
The theme this year is “lessen the mortality of COVID-19”.
Globally, the first Doctor’s Day was observed on March 28, 1933, in Winder, Georgia.
About Dr Roy:
He was the second chief minister of West Bengal.
He was also Mahatma Gandhi’s friend and doctor.
He was honoured with Bharat Ratna on February 4,1961.
Accelerate Vigyan’ Scheme
Launched by Scientific and Engineering Research Board (SERB).
It seeks to provide a single platform for capacity building programs, research internships, and workshops across the country.
The primary objective of this scheme is to give more thrust on encouraging high-end scientific research and preparing scientific manpower, which can lead to research careers and knowledge-based economy.
Components:
ABHYAAS: To boost research and development in the country by enabling and grooming potential PG/PhD students by means of developing their research skills in selected areas across different disciplines or fields.
It has two components: High-End Workshops (‘KARYASHALA’) and Research Internships (‘VRITIKA’).
Mission SAMOOHAN: Marks the beginning of Accelerate Vigyan.
It aims to encourage, aggregate and consolidate all scientific interactions in the country under one common roof.
It has been sub-divided into:
SAYONJIKA is an open-ended program to catalogue the capacity building activities in science and technology supported by all government funding agencies in the country.
SANGOSHTI is a pre-existing program of SERB.
Drug Discovery Hackathon 2020 (DDH2020) launched
What is it?
It is first of its kind National initiative for supporting drug discovery process.
It will see participation from professionals, faculty, researchers and students from varied fields like Computer Science, Chemistry, Pharmacy, Medical Sciences, Basic Sciences and Biotechnology.
It is a joint initiative and the participants are:
MHRD’s Innovation Cell (MIC).
All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC).
MyGov as well as private players.
Details
Drug Discovery Hackathon 2020 (DDH2020) launched
The Hackathon consists of challenges that are posted as problem statements and, are based on specific drug discovery topics which, are open to the participants to solve.
It will have three Tracks.
Track 1 will primarily deal with drug design for anti-COVID-19 hit/lead generation.
Track 2 will deal with designing/optimizing new tools and algorithms which will have an immense impact on expediting the process of in silico drug discovery.
Track 3 is called “Moon shot” which allows for working on problems which are ‘out of the box’ nature.
What is in silico drug design?
In silico drug design is a term that means ‘computer-aided molecular design’.
In other words, it is the rational design or discovery of drugs using a wide variety of computational methods.
It is thus the identification of the drug target molecule by employing bioinformatics tools.
Italian Marines case
Context:
In a setback to India, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at The Hague has ruled that India does not have jurisdiction to try the marines, who were held in Kerala fishermen shootout case.
What’s the issue?
Italian marine
In 2012, two Italian marines fired shots while on-board an Italian vessel, Enrica Lexie killing two Indian fishermen aboard an Indian vessel, St. Anthony.
But, the fishing vessel was within the country’s Contiguous Zone and it was quite clear that the offence warranted arrest and prosecution under domestic law.
Eventually, the marines were arrested. But, further the marines were released from India and sent to Italy.
At that time, India had set up a specially designated court, as ordered by Indian Supreme Court, to determine the applicability of jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency invoked the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Maritime Navigation and Fixed Platforms on Continental Shelf Act, 2002.
The dispute between the two countries as regards which country will try the two marines was before the PCA.
What has the PCA said?
The marines were entitled to immunity as they were acting on behalf of a state.
Italy would have jurisdiction to decide on the question of immunity for the marines.
Thus, India is precluded from exercising its jurisdiction.
While India’s conduct has not been in breach of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Italy breached provisions of the Convention by intercepting the navigation of India’s vessel.
Italy is, as a result, liable to pay compensation to India.
PCA also rejected a key argument by Italy that India, by leading the Italian vessel into its territory and arresting the marines, violated its obligation to cooperate with measures to suppress piracy under Article 100 of UNCLOS.
What next?
Italian marines
Both the nations are required to hold consultations in order to arrive at the amount of compensation to be paid to India.
Conclusion
About Italian marines case
The PCA’s award, which is final and has been accepted by India, is a huge setback for the expectation that the two marines would face a criminal trial in India.
In the end, Italy succeeded in taking the matter out of India’s hands.
It should now make good on its commitment to have the marines tried under its domestic laws.
The takeaway for India should be the lessons, in the legal and diplomatic domains, that can be drawn from the experience.
About PCA
Established in 1899.
Headquartered at the Hague in Netherlands.
It has Financial Assistance Fund which aims at helping developing countries meet part of the costs involved in international arbitration or other means of dispute settlement offered by the PCA.
All decisions, called “awards” are binding on all the parties in the dispute and have to be carried out without delay.
Functions and jurisdiction
PCA
It provides services of arbitral tribunal to resolve disputes that arise out of international agreements between member states, international organizations or private parties.
The cases span a range of legal issues involving territorial and maritime boundaries, sovereignty, human rights, international investment, and international and regional trade.
The organization is not a United Nations agency, but the PCA is an official United Nations Observer.
Constitutional amendments in Russia
Context:
As per preliminary reports, Russia’s new constitutional amendments have been passed with 77.92 percent of votes in favour and 22.27 percent against.
The national referendum Had asked voters to decide whether to approve 206 constitutional amendments.
Both turnout and popular support for the amendments was higher than when Russians voted to adopt the current Constitution itself in 1993 (when support was 58.4 percent with 54.8 percent turnout).
What will change with the constitutional reforms?
Constitutional amendments in Russia
The amendments would allow Putin to run for two more six-year terms, in 2024 and 2030.
The Russian Constitution bars more than two consecutive presidential terms.
The new Constitution doesn’t change the two-term limit in theory, but in practice, it resets Mr Putin’s terms so that it will be the first election under the new Constitution for him, to be held in 2024.
Other amendments strengthen presidential and parliamentary powers, enshrine traditional values including an effective ban on gay marriage and guarantee better minimum wages and pensions.
The other changes to the constitution include measures to respect the country’s heritage and the orthodox church as well as strengthen the Kremlinover local and municipal authorities.
The amendments also place strict limitations on Russians who hold foreign citizenship or residency from serving public office.
Most notably, these constitutional restrictions block any individual who has ever held foreign residency or citizenship from ever running for President.
Finally, the amendments also declare the importance of a belief in God, that Russia will defend the historical “truth” about WWII, and that Russia is the successor state to the Soviet Union.
Challenges ahead for Russia
Constitutional amendments in Russia
According to the IMF, the economy hasn’t expanded in dollar terms for a decade.
The Fund estimates the GDP to shrink by 6.6% this year.
With the pandemic affecting local businesses and the oil price fall eating into exports revenue, the Kremlin finds it difficult to fix the economy in the near term.
In foreign policy, Russia’s relationship with the West remains troublesome.
The sanctions imposed on Russia after the annexation of Crimea in 2014 are still in place.
Russia also faces allegations of interference in the elections of other countries.
Domestically, Opposition politician Alexei Navalny and his supporters continue to protest against the Kremlin despite state crackdowns.
Privatisation of Railways
Context:
Ministry of Railways has kick-started the process to allow private players to operate certain trains on its network by inviting Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the operation of passenger train services on over 100 routes with 150 modern trains.
The project will bring private sector investment of about Rs. 30,000 crore.
How it works?
Train sets have to be brought by private operators and maintained by them.
Fares in private trains will be competitive and prices on other modes of transport like airlines, buses have to be kept in mind while fixing the fares
Private participation in passenger train operations will only be 5% of the total operations of Railways.
95% of trains will still be run by Indian Railways.
Objectives of the initiative
To introduce modern technology rolling stock with reduced maintenance.
Reduce transit time.
Boost job creation.
Provide enhanced safety.
Provide world-class travel experience to passengers.
Reduce demand supply deficit in the passenger transportation sector.
Recommendations by Bibek Debroy Committee
The Bibek Debroy Committee, which was set up to suggest ways to mobilise resources for the Indian Railways and restructure the Railway Board, had favoured privatisation of rolling stock: wagons and coaches.
Rail Privatisation
Pros
Improved Infrastructure – It will lead to better infrastructure which in turn would lead to improved amenities for travellers.
Balancing Quality of Service with High Fares – The move would foster competition and hence lead to overall betterment in the quality of services.
Lesser Accidents – Because private ownership is synonymous with better maintenance, supporters of privatisation feel that it will reduce the number of accidents, thus resulting in safe travel and higher monetary savings in the long run.
Rail Privatisation
Cons
Coverage Limited to Lucrative Sectors – An advantage of Indian Railways being government- owned is that it provides nation-wide connectivity irrespective of profit.
This would not be possible with privatisation since routes which are less popular will be eliminated, thus having a negative impact on connectivity.
It will also render some parts of the country virtually inaccessible and omit them from the process of development.
Fares – Given that a private enterprise runs on profit, it is but natural to assume that the easiest way of accruing profits in Indian Railways would be to hike fares, thus rendering the service out of reach for lower income groups.
This will defeat the entire purpose of the system which is meant to serve the entire population of the country irrespective of the level of income.
Accountability – Private companies are unpredictable in their dealings and do not share their governance secrets with the world at large.
In such a scenario it would be difficult to pin the accountability on a particular entity, should there be a discrepancy.
Biofuels
Context:
Researchers of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad have started using computational methods to understand the factors and impediments in incorporating biofuels into the fuel sector in India.
A unique feature of this work is that the framework considers revenue generation not only as an outcome of sales of the biofuel but also in terms of carbon credits via greenhouse gas emission savings throughout the project lifecycle.
Outcomes
Biofuels
The model has shown that if bioethanol is integrated with mainstream fuel, the costs associated with it are follows: production cost 43 per cent, import 25 per cent, transport 17 per cent, infrastructure 15 per cent, and inventory 0.43 per cent.
The model has also shown that the feed availability to the tune of at least 40 per cent of the capacity is needed to meet the projected demands.
Significance of Biofuels
Globally, biofuels have caught the attention in last decade and it is imperative to keep up with the pace of developments in the field of biofuels.
Biofuels in India are of strategic importance as it augers well with the ongoing initiatives of the Government such as Make in India, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Skill Development and offers great opportunity to integrate with the ambitious targets of doubling of Farmers Income, Import Reduction, Employment Generation, Waste to Wealth Creation.
What are Biofuels?
Any hydrocarbon fuel that is produced from an organic matter (living or once living material) in a short period of time (days, weeks, or even months) is considered a biofuel.
Biofuels may be solid, liquid or gaseous in nature.
Solid: Wood, dried plant material, and manure
Liquid: Bioethanol and Biodiesel
Gaseous: Biogas
Classification of Biofuels
1st generation biofuels are also called conventional biofuels.
They are made from things like sugar, starch, or vegetable oil.
Note that these are all food products.
Any biofuel made from a feedstock that can also be consumed as a human food is considered a first-generation biofuel.
2nd generation biofuels are produced from sustainable feedstock.
The sustainability of a feedstock is defined by its availability, its impact on greenhouse gas emissions, its impact on land use, and by its potential to threaten the food supply.
No second generation biofuel is also a food crop, though certain food products can become second generation fuels when they are no longer useful for consumption.
Second generation biofuels are often called “advanced biofuels.”
3rd generation biofuels are biofuel derived from algae.
These biofuels are given their own separate class because of their unique production mechanism and their potential to mitigate most of the drawbacks of 1st and 2nd generation biofuels.
4th generation biofuels: In the production of these fuels, crops that are genetically engineered to take in high amounts of carbon are grown and harvested as biomass.
The crops are then converted into fuel using second generation techniques.
Government of India initiatives to promote the use of Biofuels
Since 2014, the Government of India has taken a number of initiatives to increase blending of biofuels.
The major interventions include administrative price mechanism for ethanol, simplifying the procurement procedures of OMCs, amending the provisions of Industries (Development & Regulation) Act, 1951 and enabling lignocellulosic route for ethanol procurement.
The Government approved the National Policy on Biofuels-2018 in June 2018.
The policy has the objective of reaching 20% ethanol-blending and 5% biodiesel-blending by the year 2030.
Among other things, the policy expands the scope of feedstock for ethanol production and has provided for incentives for production of advanced biofuels.
The Government has also increased the price of C-heavy molasses-based ethanol.
Places in News- Botswana
Why in News?
Hundreds of elephants have died mysteriously in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. The cause is yet to be established.
Key facts:
Botswana is a landlocked country in Southern Africa.
Botswana is topographically flat, with up to 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahari Desert.
Neighbours: It is bordered by South Africa to the south and southeast, Namibia to the west and north, Zimbabwe to the northeast and Zambia to the north.
Botswana is currently home to more elephants than any other African country, and southern Africa remains a stronghold for 293,000, or 70%, of the estimated remaining African elephants.
The Okavango Delta is a vast inland river delta in northern Botswana. It was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2014.
Central Zoo Authority (CZA)
The Environment Ministry has reconstituted the Central Zoo Authority (CZA).
The CZA would now include an expert from the School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi, and a molecular biologist.
About CZA:
CZA is a statutory body chaired by the Environment Minister.
It is tasked with regulating zoos across the country.
Every zoo in the country must obtain recognition from CZA for its operation.
The authority lays down guidelines and prescribes rules under which animals may be transferred among zoos nationally and internationally.
Composition:
Apart from the chairman, it consists of 10 members and a member-secretary.
Almost all of them are officials in the Environment Ministry and non-government experts are those who are wildlife conservationists or retired forest officers.
Dhamma Chakra Day
Context:
The Ministry of Culture in partnership with International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) will celebrate the Asadha Poornima on 4th July, 2020 as Dharma Chakra Day.
Significance of the day:
It marks Buddha’s first teaching after attaining Enlightenment to the first five ascetic disciples (pañcavargika) on the full-moon day of Asadha at ‘Deer Park’, Rishipatana in modern-day Sarnath, near Varanasi.
This teaching of Dhamma Cakka Pavattana Sutta (Pali) or Dharma Chakra Pravartana Sutra (Sanskrit) is also known as the First Turning of Wheels of Dharma and comprised the Four Noble Truths and Noble Eightfold Path.
The day is also known as Esala Poya in Sri Lanka and Asanha Bucha in Thailand.
It is the second most sacred day for Buddhists after the Buddha Poornima or Vesak.
The day is also observed as Guru Poornima by both Buddhists and Hindus as a day to mark reverence to their Gurus.
Prerak Dauur Samman
It is a new category of awards announced as part of Swachh Survekshan 2021.
It has a total of five additional subcategories – Divya (Platinum), Anupam (Gold), Ujjwal (Silver), Udit (Bronze), Aarohi (Aspiring) – with top three cities being recognized in each.
Implications:
In a departure from the present criteria of evaluating cities on ‘population category’, this new category will categorize cities on the basis of six select indicator-wise performance criteria which are as follows:
Segregation of waste into Wet, Dry and Hazard categories
Processing capacity against wet waste generated
Processing and recycling of wet and dry waste
Construction & Demolition (C&D) waste processing
Percentage of waste going to landfills
Sanitation status of cities
Nimu/Nimoo
Why in News.
Recently Prime Minister travelled to Nimu in Ladakh to interact with Indian troops.
Nimu is the reserve brigade headquarter of the Indian Army.
Its significance can also be ascertained from the fact that the Border Road Organisation (BRO) is constructing a road from Padum in the Zanskar Valley to Nimu.
Key facts:
Nimu is a village located in the south-eastern part of Ladakh region.
It is surrounded by the Zanskar range.
It is famous for offering view of the confluence of the Indus and Zanskar rivers.
Magnet Hill is a gravity defying road 7.5 km southeast of Nimoo.
Due to the surrounding geographical features, it has an optical illusion where vehicles seem to roll uphill in defiance of gravity when they are, in fact, rolling downhill.
Strength of M.P. Ministry exceeds Constitutional limit
Context:
Congress is planning to move the court as the strength of the Council of Ministers in Madhya Pradesh reportedly exceeds the prescribed limit.
Background:
Recently, 20 Cabinet Ministers and eight Ministers of State were included in the Council of Ministers, expanding it to 34.
This is more than 15% of the effective strength of the legislators at 206. The strength of the Council of Ministers shouldn’t have exceeded 30.
The Assembly strength of 228 dropped in March when 22 rebel Congress MLAs resigned and later switched over to the BJP.
Two seats fell vacant earlier owing to deaths.
What the Constitution says?
Strength of M.P. Ministry exceeds Constitutional limit
Article 164 (1A) of the Constitution prescribed that the total number of Ministers, including the Chief Minister, in the Council of Ministers in a State shall not exceed 15% of the total number of members of the Legislative Assembly of that State.
This provision was introduced through the 91st Constitution (Amendment) Act, 2003.
Exceptions: Provided that the number of Ministers, including the Chief Minister in a State shall not be less than twelve.
Article 163: Council of Ministers to aid and advise Governor:
There shall be a Council of Ministers with the Chief Minister at the head to aid and advise the Governor in the exercise of his functions, except in so far as he is by or under this Constitution required to exercise his functions or any of them in his discretion.
If any question arises whether any matter is or is not a matter as respects which the Governor is by or under this Constitution required to act in his discretion, the decision of the Governor in his discretion shall be final, and the validity of anything done by the Governor shall not be called in question on the ground that he ought or ought not to have acted in his discretion.
The question whether any, and if so what, advice was tendered by Ministers to the Governor shall not be inquired into in any court.
Article 164 (2) provides that the Council of Ministers shall be collectively responsible to the State Legislative Assembly.
Article 164 (4) provides that a person can remain as Minister without being a member of the state legislature for a period of six consecutive months.
One Nation One Voter ID
Context:
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has made it possible for senior citizens above the age of 65 to vote by postal ballot, given that they are at greater risk from exposure to the novel coronavirus.
Hitherto, this option was available only to disabled citizens and those above 80 years.
Now, there is an opinion that the same empowering approach be extended to another group which faces enormous difficulties in exercising its franchise: migrant workers.
Why migrant workers?
One Nation One Voter ID
Internal migrant workers constitute about 13.9 crore as in the Economic Survey of 2017, that is nearly a third of India’s labour force.
They are often unable to exercise their voting rights.
Therefore, Migrant workers become quasi-disenfranchised, forgotten voters because they cannot afford to return home on election day to choose their representatives.
Internal migrant workers do not enrol as voters in their place of employment since they find proof of residence hard to provide.
This group also does not constitute a vote bank worthy of attention.
Many are seasonal migrants who would rather vote in their villages if they could afford to return home.
What needs to be done now?
One Nation One Voter ID
Ensuring that every Indian who is eligible to vote can do so must be a central mission for the ECI.
ECI has said that it is testing an Aadhaar-linked voter-ID based solution to enable electors to cast their votes digitally from anywhere in the country.
To facilitate voting by migrant workers, the ECI could undertake substantial outreach measures using the network of District Collectorates.
Migrants should be able to physically vote in their city of work based on the address on their existing voter IDs and duration of their temporary stay.
Conclusion
One Nation One Voter ID
A ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ is being ushered in to enable migrant workers and their family members to access Public Distribution System benefits from any fair price shop in the country.
Similarly, voting must be viewed not just as a civic duty but as a civic right. We must demonstrate the political will to usher in ‘One Nation One Voter ID,’ to ensure native ballot portability and empower the forgotten migrant voter.
Bhutan demarches China on its claim to Sakteng Sanctuary
Context:
Bhutan’s foreign ministry has issued a demarche to the Chinese embassy in New Delhi for the claims made by Beijing over Sakteng Wildlife sanctuary, situated in eastern Bhutan.
What’s the issue?
Bhutan demarches China on its claim to Sakteng Sanctuary
Bhutan’s western and middle sector have been in dispute with China (Jakarlung, Pasamlung and Chumbi Valley).
However, the eastern sector has not been part of the boundary talks and China had not claimed rights over Sakteng wildlife sanctuary earlier.
The recent claim was made at the 58th meeting of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council where China tried to “oppose” funding to a project for the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary situated in Bhutan saying that it was “disputed” territory.
While Thimphu and Beijing do not have formal diplomatic relations, the two sides have been in talks to resolve the border issues between the two countries and demarcate the boundary.
Where is Sakteng wildlife sanctuary?
Sakteng is based in Eastern Bhutan, or Trashigang Dzongkhag (district) that borders Arunachal Pradesh.
It protects several endemic speciesincluding the eastern blue pine and the black-rumped magpie.
It was created in part to protect the migoi, a yeti-like cryptid whose existence has not been scientifically confirmed, but in which the local population strongly believes.
About GEF
Established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit to help tackle our planet’s most pressing environmental problems.
It is an international partnership of countries, international institutions, civil society organizations and the private sector that addresses global environmental issues.
GEF funds are available to developing countries and countries with economies in transition to meet the objectives of the international environmental conventions and agreements.
The World Bank serves as the GEF Trustee, administering the GEF Trust Fund.
India’s first plasma bank
Established at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), Delhi.
Aim: To ease access to plasma that is being used as a trial to treat Covid-19 patients.
How it functions?
The plasma bank functions like a blood bank, and has been created specifically for those who are suffering from Covid-19, and have been advised the therapy by doctors.
The bank will coordinate with patients who have recovered from Covid-19, and are eligible to donate plasma.
Who can donate plasma?
Those who had the disease, but have recovered at least 14 days before the donation can be considered.
People between the ages of 18 and 60, and weighing not less than 50 kg are eligible.
Women who have given birth are not eligible, as the antibodies they produce during pregnancy (after being exposed to the blood of the foetus) can interfere with lung function.
How is plasma donation different from blood donation?
In plasma donation, as opposed to blood donation, only plasma is extracted and the other components of blood are returned to the body.
Blood contains several components, including red blood cells, platelets, white blood cells, and plasma.
500 ml of plasma can be donated every two weeks, while blood can be donated once in three months.
How plasma therapy works?
Blood is drawn from a person who has recovered from COVID-19 sickness.
The serum is separated and screened for virus neutralizing antibodies.
Convalescent serum,that is the blood serum obtained from one who has recovered from an infectious disease and especially rich in antibodies for that pathogen, is then administered to a COVID-19 patient.
The sick acquires passive immunisation.
How long the antibodies will remain in the recipient?
After the antibody serum is given, it will stay on the recipient for at least three to four days.
During this period, the sick person will recover. Various studies have confirmed this.
NASA research says the Moon is more metallic than thought before
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft has found evidence that the Moon’s subsurface might have greater quantities of metals such as iron and titanium than thought before.
The metallic distribution was observed by the Miniature Radio Frequency (Mini-RF) instrument aboard the LRO.
The Mini-RF findings were backed by metal oxide maps from the LRO Wide-Angle Camera, Japan’s Kaguya mission and NASA’s Lunar Prospector spacecraft, which showed that larger craters with their increased dielectric material were also richer in metals.
How was it discovered?
NASA research says the Moon is more metallic than thought before
LRO’s Mini-RF instrument was measuring an electrical property within lunar soil in crater floors in the Moon’s northern hemisphere.
The property, known as the dielectric constant, is the ratio of the electric permeability of a material to the electric permeability of a vacuum.
Dielectric properties are directly linked to the concentration of these metal minerals.
Level of this property increased as they surveyed larger craters, and kept rising in crater sizes up to 5 km in diameter.
Beyond that size, the value of the dielectric constant leveled off.
The findings raise the possibility that the dielectric constant increased in larger craters because the meteors that created them dug up dust containing iron and titanium oxides from beneath the Moon’s surface.
How was moon created?
NASA research says the Moon is more metallic than thought before
The most popular theory about the Moon’s creation is that a Mars-sized protoplanet collided with newly formed Earth around 4.5 billion years ago, breaking off a piece of our planet that went on to become its satellite.
The hypothesis is also backed by substantial evidence, such as the close resemblance between the Moon’s bulk chemical composition with that of Earth.
Implications of latest findings
NASA research says the Moon is more metallic than thought before
It is known that Earth’s crust has lesser amounts of iron oxide than the Moon– a finding that scientists have been trying to explain.
Now, the new discovery of even greater quantities of metal on the Moon makes their job even more difficult.
It really raises the question of what this means for our previous formation hypotheses.
A possible reason could be that the Moon was created from a material much deeper beneath Earth’s surface than was believed before, or that the newly found metal presence could be the result of molten lunar surface cooling down gradually.
About Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)
It is a NASA mission to the moon within the Lunar Precursor and Robotic Program (LPRP) in preparation for future manned missions to the moon and beyond (Mars).
LRO is the first mission of NASA’s `New Vision for Space Exploration’.
The objectives of LRO are to
NASA research says the Moon is more metallic than thought before
Identify potential lunar resources.
Gather detailed maps of the lunar surface.
Collect data on the moon’s radiation levels.
Study the moons polar regions for resources that could be used in future manned missions or robotic sample return missions.
ICAR and NICRA
Indian Council of agricultural research (ICAR) is an autonomous body Responsible for coordinating agricultural education and research in India.
It reports to the Department of agricultural research and education, Ministry of agriculture.
The union minister of agriculture serves as its president.
It is the largest network of agricultural research and education institutes in the world.
National innovations of climate resilient agriculture (NICRA) has been launched by ICAR in 2011.
Krishi Vigyan Kendra
The name means “farm science Centre”.
The Centre serves as the ultimate link between the Indian Council of agricultural research and farmers.
The Centre is usually associated with a local agricultural University.
It aims to apply agricultural research and practical localised setting.
As of January 2020, there were approximately 716 KVKs throughout India.
Karan- 4
It is a sugar cane variety that has enhanced sugar recovery and has replaced traditional grown varieties in Uttar Pradesh.
Kisanrath
It is an app launched by the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare.
Developed by the National Informatics Centre.
It will facilitate farmers and traders to identify suitable transport facilities for the movement of farm produce during coronavirus lock down.
The App will allow transportation of farm produce from farm gate to mandi and from one to another mandi.
It will ensure seamless supply linkages between farmers, FPOs, APMC mandis and intra-state and inter-state buyers.
Atmanirbhar Bharat app innovation challenge
This initiative is created by MeitY in partnership with Atal Innovation Mission – Niti Aayog.
The challenge is for techies around India and the start-up community for creating world class ‘Made in India’ apps.
The challenge will run in two tracks:
Promotion of existing apps.
Development of new apps.
The outcome of this challenge will be to give better visibility and clarity to existing apps to achieve their goals, and to create tech products to find solutions to tech conundrums with the help of mentorship, tech support and guidance during the entire life-cycle.
To recognise good apps, there will be “various cash awards and incentives”.
The prize money for apps is between Rs 20 lakh and Rs 2 lakh depending on the category.
The app will be evaluated on the basis of: ease of use, robustness, security features and scalability.
Stevioside
It is a natural plant-based glycoside found in leaves of Honey yerba.
It is widely used as the non-caloric natural sweeteners.
Why in News?
Researchers recently found that Stevioside when coated on nanoparticles can increase the efficiency of Magnetic hyperthermia-mediated cancer therapy (MHCT).
Winter grade diesel for Ladakh
Winter diesel is a specialised fuel that was introduced by IOCL last year specifically for high altitude regions and low-temperature regions such as Ladakh, where ordinary diesel can become unusable.
It contains additives to maintain lower viscosity. It has higher cetane rating — an indicator is the combustion speed of diesel and compression needed for ignition— and lower sulphur content, which would lead to lower deposits in engines and better performance.
Significance: The new fuel has a pour point of – 33oC and does not lose its fluidity function even in the extreme winter weather of the region unlike the normal grade of diesel which becomes exceedingly difficult to utilise.
Need: Using the normal grade of diesel fuel becomes an arduous task for the people in the winter months where temperatures fall to sub zero temperatures of nearly –30 degree Celsius.
Elyments
It is being hailed as the country’s first indigenously developed ‘social media super app’.
The app has been developed by over 1,000 IT professionals who volunteer at Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living foundation.
It will compete with the likes of Facebook and Instagram, comes with hosts of features that enable users to connect with friends and family in a creative way.
The app also has messaging and group chatting capabilities.
It is available in eight Indian languages.
It comes with features such as end-to-end encryption, which ensures that users’ data ‘remains safe from prying eyes’.
Dhanvantri Rath
It is a mobile van providing non-COVID essential healthcare services to the doorsteps of the people in the city of Ahmedabad.
These vans have an Ayush Doctor, paramedic and nursing staff along with local Medical Officer from Urban Health Centre.
Kanpur Encounter case and policing issues
All the staff of a police station in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh — where 8 policemen were shot down by Vikas Dubey and his gang on Friday — are suspected of leaking information to the notorious criminal.
This incident bears the violent signature of a dysfunctional society and an alarming emaciation of governance in India’s most populous State.
What this incident exposes?
Kanpur Encounter case and policing issues
Gangster Vikas Dubey is the symbol of the nexus between politics, crime and policing in many parts of the country.
The circumstances that went into the making of this incident and the response of the administration all point to the same morbid affliction that can be fatal to any democratic society — the collapse of the rule of law.
Criminal gangs shielded by politics and police forces that bend to caste, communal and political vested interests form a malevolent circuit that perpetuates itself and rewards its patrons.
Reasons for the present crisis in policing
Kanpur Encounter case and policing issues
The police force is the coercive arm of the state often in direct contact with ordinary citizens. The quality of policing therefore has an outsized impact on the overall quality of governance.
But, Poor training, an alienating and dehumanising work environment, corruption and a lack of resources add to the crisis in policing.
Politicians in power often use the police the same way politicians out of power use gangsters.
Not surprisingly, there are times when the police mirror in character the criminal gangs they chase down.
Questionable coercive measures such as collective punishment and criminalisation of political protest and suppression of freedom of expression have also been mainstreamed as regular policing tools.
Need of the hour- Smart policing
Kanpur Encounter case and policing issues
‘SMART’ police force is Strict and Sensitive, Modern and Mobile, Alert and Accountable, Reliable and Responsive; Techno-savvy and Trained.
There is an urgent need to strengthen our Criminal Justice System and our grassroots level policing institutions;
to prepare our police to deal with the present and emerging challenges and
Strengthen its investigative capabilities and emergency response infrastructure.
Considering the multiple causes and their complex interdependencies associated with today’s policing issues, there is a realization that these challenges require broader, more collaborative and innovative approaches and would involve a range of coordinated and interrelated responses.
Directions of the Supreme Court in Prakash Singh vs Union of India
Kanpur Encounter case and policing issues
Constitute a State Security Commissionin every state that will lay down policy for police functioning, evaluate police performance, and ensure that state governments do not exercise unwarranted influence on the police.
Constitute a Police Establishment Boardin every state that will decide postings, transfers and promotions for officers below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police, and make recommendations to the state government for officers of higher ranks.
Constitute Police Complaints Authorities at the state and district levels to inquire into allegations of serious misconduct and abuse of power by police personnel.
Provide a minimum tenure of at least two years for the DGP and other key police officers within the state forces
Ensure that the DGP of state police is appointed from amongst three senior-most officers who have been empanelled for the promotion by the Union Public Service Commission on the basis of length of service, good record and experience.
Separate the investigating police from the law and order police to ensure speedier investigation, better expertise and improved rapport with the people.
Constitute a National Security Commission to shortlist the candidates for appointment as Chiefs of the central armed police forces.
Besides, Various expert bodies have examined issues with police organisation and functioning over the last few decades. Its chronology as follows
Kanpur Encounter case and policing issues
National Police commission 1977-81
Rubeiro Committee 1998
Padmanabhaiah committee 2000
Malimath committee 2002-03
Police Act drafting committee 2005
Second ARC 2007
Police Act drafting committee-II 2015
FAO locust warning
India should remain on high alert against locust attack for the next four weeks, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned amid the country facing the worst locust attack in 26 years.
Spring-bred locust swarms, which migrated to the Indo-Pakistan border and travelled east to northern states, are expected to return back to Rajasthan with the start of the monsoon in coming days.
The current locust attack (2019-2020) has been categorised as an upsurge.
Difference between a locust plague, upsurge and outbreak
Outbreak: If good rains fall and green vegetation develop, Desert Locust can rapidly increase in number and within a month or two, start to concentrate, gregarize which, unless checked, can lead to the formation of small groups or bands of wingless hoppers and small groups or swarms winged adults.
This is called an OUTBREAK and usually occurs with an area of about 5,000 sq. km (100 km by 50 km) in one part of a country.
Upsurge: If an outbreak or contemporaneous outbreaks are not controlled and if widespread or unusually heavy rains fall in adjacent areas, several successive seasons of breeding can occur that causes further hopper band and adult swarm formation.
This is called an UPSURGE and generally affects an entire region.
Plague: If an upsurge is not controlled and ecological conditions remain favourable for breeding, locust populations continue to increase in number and size, and the majority of the infestations occur as bands and swarms, then a PLAGUE can develop.
A major plague exists when two or more regions are affected simultaneously.
Outbreaks are common, but only a few result in upsurges. Similarly, few upsurges lead to plagues.
The last major plague was in 1987-89 and the last major upsurge was in 2003-05.
Upsurges and plagues do not occur overnight; instead, they take many months to develop.
What are ‘desert locusts’?
Desert locusts (Schistocerca gregaria), which belong to the family of grasshoppers, normally live and breed in semi-arid or desert regions.
For laying eggs, they require bare ground, which is rarely found in areas with dense vegetation.
How they form swarms?
As individuals, or in small isolated groups, locusts are not very dangerous.
But when they grow into large populations their behaviour changes, they transform from ‘solitary phase’ into ‘gregarious phase’, and start forming ‘swarms’.
A single swarm can contain 40 to 80 million adults in one square km, and these can travel up to 150 km a day.
Lesson from Doklam: No de-escalation until full return of status quo
First signs have emerged that India and China are disengaging — even if partially — on the ground in Ladakh. Both sides have pulled back their troops from the site of the June 15 clash in Galwan Valley.
However, Pointing out to the outcome of the Doklam stand-off in 2017 as a marker, Experts have said;
The government must not agree to de-escalate the situation at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakhwithout an agreement on returning to “status quo ante” or the situation before the stand-off began.
Why so?
Lesson from Doklam: No de-escalation until full return of status quo
It is because the lesson for us in Doklam is that disengagement is not enough in order to declare an end to tensions at the LAC.
It is necessary that we define end points up to where the troops must withdraw to and no understanding should be reached without the restoration of status quo ante.
How the Doklam issue ended?
It has been more than two years since the Doklam standoff took place.
According to experts, however, while the disengagement brought an end to hostilities between India and China over China’s attempt to build a road near the India-China-Bhutan tri-junction area, transgressing into Bhutanese territory, it did not stop the PLA’s construction work right across the Doklam plateau.
Thus, the conclusion is that if the military only agrees on disengagement and de-escalation, it may end up at a disadvantage.
What happened at Doklam?
In Doklam, the faceoff had taken place over territory belonging to Bhutan, which has a border security agreement with India.
The Chinese wanted to take control of the territory, called Doklam, to come closer to what is known as the chicken’s neck or the Silliguri Corridor of India that connects the Northeast with the rest of the country.
It was practically an eyeball-to-eyeball standoff which endedin the view of China hosting BRICS and India refusing to back down, and a possible boycott of the summit.
The standoff ended with diplomatic interference.
What is Compulsory Licensing?
A compulsory licence is a licence or authorisation issued by the government to an applicant for making, using and selling a patented product or employing a patented process without the consent of the patentee.
Chapter XVI of the Indian Patents Act 1970 and the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights discuss compulsory licensing.
The application for compulsory license can be made any time after 3 years from date of sealing of a patent.
The following conditions should be fulfilled by the applicant
Compulsory Licensing
Reasonable requirements of the public with respect to the patented invention have not been satisfied;
Patented invention is not available to the public at a reasonably affordable price.
Patented invention is not used in India.
Additionally, according to Section 92 of the Act, compulsory licenses can also be issued suo motu by the Controller of Patents pursuant to a notification issued by the Central Government if there is either a “national emergency” or “extreme urgency” or in cases of “public non-commercial use”.
When was the first license issued?
Compulsory Licensing
India’s first ever compulsory license was granted by the Patent Office on March 9, 2012, to Hyderabad-based Natco Pharma for the production of generic version of Bayer’s Nexavar, an anti-cancer agent used in the treatment of liver and kidney cancer.
Global Perspective on Compulsory Licensing
Compulsory Licensing
This phenomenon of compulsory licensing is a hugely debated issue.
Many developing countries are giving importance to the compulsory licensing because of the unavailability and unaffordability of the medicines, and they are continuously granting more and more compulsory licenses.
The developed countries of Europe, USA are opposing this view as it would make innovation difficult for the pharmaceutical companies.
Why compulsory licensing is in News?
Compulsory Licensing
Issue compulsory licences for manufacture of an affordable generic version of Remdesivir, CPI(M) tells govt.
It said the government should invoke Clause 92 of the Patent Act that allows it to issue compulsory licences so that Indian manufacturers can produce a more affordable generic version.
Need for
Compulsory Licensing
Gilead Sciences’ anti-viral drug Remdesivir has shown efficacy in treating COVID-19 patients.
Media reports indicate that the U.S., which is hoarding all drugs found to be useful in combating the pandemic, has bought the entire stock of Remdesivir from Gilead for the next three months.
It will therefore not be available for the rest of the world.
Besides, while the cost of manufacturing Remdesivir for a full course — as worked out by experts — is less than $10 or ₹750 in the U.S. And about ₹100 in India.
Gilead, by virtue of its patent monopoly, is holding the world to ransom by asking a price that is hundreds of times its cost.
Present scenario
Compulsory Licensing
Given the uncertainty over access to treatments for COVID-19, several countries have been laying the legislative groundwork to issue compulsory licenses for products that patent holders refuse to make accessible.
What is Raman Spectroscopy?
Raman Spectroscopy is a non-destructive chemical analysis technique which provides detailed information about chemical structure, phase and polymorphy, crystallinity and molecular interactions.
It is based upon the interaction of light with the chemical bonds within a material.
Raman Scatter
It is a light scattering technique, whereby a molecule scatters incident light from a high intensity laser light source.
Most of the scattered light is at the same wavelength (or color) as the laser source and does not provide useful information – this is called Rayleigh Scatter.
However a small amount of light (typically 0.0000001%) is scattered at different wavelengths (or colors), which depend on the chemical structure of the analyte – this is called Raman Scatter.
Why in News?
What is Raman Spectroscopy?
Researchers have turned to Raman Spectroscopy to detect RNA viruses present in saliva samples.
It has been reported that novel coronavirus is found in sufficient numbers in human saliva.
How was it carried out?\ What is Raman Spectroscopy?
For the study, the researchers spiked saliva samples with non-infectious RNA viruses and analysed it with Raman Spectroscopy.
They analysed the raw Raman Spectroscopy data and compared the signals with both viral positive and negative samples.
Statistical analysis of all the 1,400 spectra obtained for each sample, showed a set of 65 Raman spectral features was adequate to identify the viral positive signal.
Significance
What is Raman Spectroscopy?
This conceptual framework to detect RNA viruses in saliva could form the basis for field application of Raman Spectroscopy in managing viral outbreaks, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
However, in case of COVID 19 pandemic, it can be used only for screening.
Because, the RNA virus detected could be a common cold virus as well or any other RNA virus such as HIV.
It doesn’t look for COVID-19 viral-specific signature.
But, the main benefit here is that this whole process of data acquisition and analysis can be performed within a minute.
Since no additional reagent is needed there is no recurring cost.
A portable (benchtop or handheld) Raman spectrophotometer installed at the port of entry such as airports or any point of care (in the field) can quickly screen passengers within minutes.
NHAI to Rank Roads for Quality Service
NHAI has decided to undertake performance assessment and ranking of the highways in the country.
They are aimed to take corrective recourse, wherever needed, to improve the quality and provide a higher level of service to highway commuters.
How will it be undertaken?
NHAI to Rank Roads for Quality Service
The criteria for the assessment have been broadly categorised in three main heads:
Highway efficiency (45%)
Highway safety (35%)
User services (20%)
Other parameters
NHAI to Rank Roads for Quality Service
Additionally, important parameters like operating speed, access control, time taken at toll plaza, road signages, road markings, accident rate, incident response time, crash barriers, illumination, availability of Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS), functionality of structures, provision for grade-separated intersections, cleanliness, plantation, wayside amenities and customer satisfaction will also be considered while conducting the assessment.
Significance
NHAI to Rank Roads for Quality Service
The score obtained by each Corridor in each of the parameters will provide feedback and corrective recourse for higher standards of operation, better safety and user experience to improve existing highways.
This will also help in identifying and filling gaps of design, standards, practices, guidelines and contract agreements for other NHAI projects.
Separate ranking for BOT, HAM and EPC projects will also be done
NHAI to Rank Roads for Quality Service
Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) Annuity model:
Under this, a developer builds a highway, operates it for a specified duration and transfers it back to the government.
The government starts payment to the developer after the launch of commercial operation of the project.
Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) Model:
Under this model, the cost is completely borne by the government.
Government invites bids for engineering knowledge from the private players.
Procurement of raw materials and construction costs are met by the government.
The Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM):
In India, the new HAM is a mix of BOT Annuity and EPC models.
As per the design, the government will contribute to 40% of the project cost in the first five years through annual payments (annuity).
The remaining payment will be made on the basis of the assets created and the performance of the developer.
Here, the developer has to raise the remaining 60% in the form of equity or loans.
There is no toll right for the developer.
Revenue collection would be the responsibility of NHAI.
Vaartavali
On 4th July 2020, DD News has completed the 5 years of the continuous broadcast of Sanskrit News Magazine ‘Vaartavali’.
Sanskrit Saptahiki
All India Radio (AIR) FM news channel has started its first-ever news programme in Sanksrit language for 20 minutes duration.
It has named the news programme ‘Sanskrit Saptahiki’.
Haryana Drafts Ordinance To Reserve 75% Private Sector Jobs For Locals
As per the ordinance, 75 percent of the jobs with a salary of less than Rs 50,000 per month will be reserved for the locals of Haryana in the state.
Under the upcoming law, employment providers with more than 10 employees in its premises would be covered.
These rules would apply to recruitment after the date of notification of this ordinance.
Domicile certificate would be mandatory for a candidate to get the benefits under this scheme.
If private companies inform the state government that they are not being able to find suitable candidates, they will be issued permits to hire from other states.
Fourth highest opium seizure in 2018 reported from India: World Drug Report
Findings of the latest World Drug Report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC):
The fourth highest seizure of opium in 2018 was reported from India, after Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The maximum of 644 tonnes of opium was seized in Iran, followed by 27 tonnes in Afghanistan and 19 tonnes in Pakistan.
In terms of heroin seizure (1.3 tonnes), India was at the 12th position in the world.
Global area under opium poppy cultivation declined for the second year in a row in 2019.
It went down by 17% in 2018 and by 30% in 2019.
The main opiate trafficking flows originate from three key production areas: Afghanistan, Myanmar-Laos and Mexico-Colombia-Guatemala.
Zardozi art
Zari work or Zardozi, an art which is considered quite popular amongst embroiders and designers, survives in the narrow alleys of the Old Town of Bhopal.
Zardozi prospered in India during the 17th century during the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar. It came to India from Persia.
Its literal translation, ‘Zar’ means gold and ‘dozi’ meaning embroidery. Thus, Zardozi come from the Persian term meaning ’embroidering with gold threads.’
In this embroidery, gold coils and beads are tucked onto fabric using a needle and thread.
Metals like gold and silver are transformed into a zari (thin thread) that is used to adorn motifs onto rich fabrics like silk, velvet, organza, chiffon, etc.
In 2013 the Geographical Indication Registry (GIR) accorded the Geographical Indication (GI) registration to the Lucknow Zardozi.
Places in News- Natanz
Recently, a fire broke out at Natanz, an Underground Nuclear Facility of Iran used for enriching uranium.
Located in Iran’s central Isfahan province in Tehran, Natanz hosts the country’s main uranium enrichment facility. It is known as the first Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant of Iran.
It is among the sites monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) after Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal.
National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation (NATMO)
Context: NATMO publishes 4th updated version of its COVID-19 Dashboard.
About NATMO:
Established in 1956 as the National Atlas Organisation.
Professor S.P. Chatterjee, the doyen of Indian Geography was the Founder-Director of this institute.
It was renamed in 1978 to give it a broad-based responsibility in the field of thematic cartography and geographical research.
It is under the administrative control of the Department of Science &Technology of the Government of India.
It is headquartered in Kolkata.
Important functions:
Compilation of the National Atlas of India.
Preparation of the National Atlas maps in regional languages.
Preparation of thematic maps based on research studies on environmental and associated aspects and their impact on social and economic development.
Permanent commission to all women officers in Army
The Supreme Court has allowed a one-month extension to the government to implement its February 17 judgment to grant permanent commission/command posts to eligible women officers in the armed forces.
What’s the issue?
Permanent commission to all women officers in Army
A petition was filed in the Supreme Court which said the government was creating hurdles in the implementation of the judgment.
However, the government has clarified that it is in the process of implementation of the judgment was at an “advanced state” and a circular would be issued soon.
SC’s February order and its implications
Permanent commission to all women officers in Army
Women officers are be eligible to tenant all the command appointments, at par with male officers, which would open avenues for further promotions to higher ranks for them.
The court dismissed the government’s stand that only women officers with less than 14 years of service ought to be considered for permanent commission, and those with over 20 years service should be pensioned immediately.
The court has done away with all discrimination on the basis of years of service for grant of PC in 10 streams of combat support arms and services, bringing them on a par with male officers.
Observations made by the Court in its judgment
Permanent commission to all women officers in Army
It rejected arguments against greater role for women officers, saying these violated equality under law (Article 14).
The biological argument was also rejected as disturbing.
The court had rejected government’s arguments, saying they are based on sex stereotypes premised on assumptions about socially ascribed roles of gender which discriminate against women (Article 16).
It had also said that it only shows the need “to emphasise the need for change in mindsets to bring about true equality in the Army”.
What were the arguments put forth by the government in its defence?
Permanent commission to all women officers in Army
Motherhood, childcare, psychological limitations have a bearing on the employment of women officers in the Army.
Family separation, career prospects of spouses, education of children, prolonged absence due to pregnancy, motherhood were a greater challenge for women to meet the exigencies of service.
Physical limitations: Soldiers will be asked to work in difficult terrains, isolated posts and adverse climate conditions. Officers have to lead from the front.
They should be in prime physical condition to undertake combat tasks. The Govt. said women were not fit to serve in ground combat roles.
Behavioural and Psychological Challenges: Army units were a “unique all-male environment”.
The presence of women officers would require “moderated behaviour”.
The male troop predominantly comes from a rural background and may not be in a position to accept commands from a female leader.
Bubonic Plague
Bayannur, a city in northern China, is on high alert after a suspected case of Bubonic plague was reported Recently.
Authorities in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region announced a level III warning of plague prevention and control.
Local authorities announced that the warning period will continue until the end of 2020 since the plague ran the risk of spreading.
What is the plague?
Bubonic Plague
The plague is a disease caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, which is found in animals, particularly rodents.
It can be transmitted to humans through infected animals and fleas.
In the Middle Ages (5th-15th century), plague was also known as the ‘Black Death’ as it was responsible for the deaths of millions of people in Europe.
There are three types of plague
Bubonic Plague
Bubonic plague: This infects a person’s lymphatic system (which is a part of their immune system), causing inflammation in the lymph nodes.
If left untreated, the bubonic plague can also convert into either pneumonic of septicemic plague. Its symptoms include fever, chills, weakness and headaches.
Pneumonic plague: According to WHO, pneumonic plague is the ‘most virulent form of plague’ and can be fatal within 24 to 72 hours.
It occurs when the bacteria infects the lungs. It is the only type of plague that can be transmitted from human to human.
Symptoms are chest pain, fever and cough. It is highly contagious and transmissible merely by coughing.
Septicemic plague: This is when the bacteria enters the blood stream and multiplies there.
If left untreated, pneumonic and bubonic plague can lead to septicemic plague. A person infected by septicemic plague may also notice their skin turning black.
How to treat and control plague?
Bubonic Plague
The plague is a life-threatening disease but if caught early, can be treated with antibiotics.
However, without prompt treatment, the disease can lead to serious illnesses and even death.
At times, antibiotics alone are not enough —additionally intravenous fluids and extra oxygen are required to treat a person.
Since it is highly contagious, those who are infected with pneumonic plague are kept in isolation.
And people in close contact with the person infected are given a dose of antibiotics as a preventive measure.
Other preventive measures to curb a plague outbreak are to keep the rodent population in control with pest control measures, ensuring that surrounding areas are clear of stacks of wood that rodents feed on among others.
India chapter
Bubonic Plague
The Bubonic plague severely impacted India too.
The first official case was reportedon 23 September 1896 in what was then Bombay.
It was a part of the third plague pandemic, which originated in China in 1855.
The disease was spread in India through trading ships, hitting the port cities of Calcutta, Karachi, Punjab and United Provinces among others.
Over 12 million Indians were estimated to have succumbed to this disease.
The situation went so out of hand that it led to the Epidemic Disease Act of 1897 being ‘hastily’ drafted.
The law has the “power to take special measures and prescribe regulations as to dangerous epidemic disease”.
Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA)
The US has urged all its allies and partners to forgo transactions with Russia that risk triggering sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
This indicates that despite a change in the ground realities following the deadly clash between India and China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) last month, the U.S’s message to countries, including India, on sanctions for the purchase of Russian arms has not changed.
What is CAATSA?
Enacted in 2017, it is a US federal law that imposed sanctions on Iran, North Korea and Russia.
Includes sanctions against countries that engage in significant transactions with Russia’s defence and intelligence sectors.
The Act empowers the US President to impose at least five of the 12 listed sanctions on persons engaged in a “significant transaction” with Russian defence and intelligence sectors.
What sanctions will be imposed?\ Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA)
prohibition on loans to the sanctioned person.
prohibition of Export-Import bank assistance for exports to sanctioned persons.
prohibition on procurement by United States Government to procure goods or services from the sanctioned person.
denial of visas to persons closely associated with the sanctioned person.
Implications on India\ Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA)
Although the sanctions are not directly imposed on India, it affects India nevertheless.
The major reason for this is the nature of relationship India has with Iran and Russia.
India happens to have strong trade ties with both these nation states.
No, as per the provisions of the bill, US imposes sanctions on all its adversaries, as well as all countries and firms dealing with this adversaries.
So, if India does not remove ties with Russia and Iran, the US may invoke sanctions against India.
India cannot afford to lose the growing diplomatic relations with the US, but neither can it afford to forego supplies of defence and oil from Russia and Iran.
New US visa rule puts students in a corner
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued a new directive barring international students from continuing their higher education in the country unless they meet specific quotas of in-person classes.
Who will be affected?
Students participating in university programmes that rely entirely on online courses now risk deportation if they do not leave the country, or transfer to schools with “in-person instruction.”
The order directly relates to those students on F-1 and M-1 visas.
F-1 visa holders are those pursuing undergraduate, post-graduate or doctoral studies at tertiary education institutions.
M-1 holders are those engaged in vocational courses.
Overall impact\ New US visa rule puts students in a corner
Nonimmigrant F-1 and M-1 students attending schools operating entirely online may not take a full online course load and remain in the United States.
Those whose colleges and universities were moving to an online only model would therefore have to leave the country or find another way to stay in status.
Other measures include such as transferring to a school with in-person instruction to remain in lawful status.
How will this order affect the Indian students?
New US visa rule puts students in a corner
International students, reportedly, make up 5.5 per cent of the US’ higher education population, numbering just short of 1.1 million.
The Indian student cohort is second only to the Chinese, representing 18 per cent of all foreign students in the US, according to 2017-2018 ICE data.
The announcement comes weeks after U.S.
President Donald Trump suspended H1-B highly skilled worker visas through the end of the year.
Most of these visas go to Indian citizens each year.
Namami Gange
The World Bank and the Government of India have signed a loan agreement to enhance support for the Namami Gange programme that seeks to rejuvenate the Ganga river.
World Bank provides $400 million to enhance support for rejuvenating the Ganga.
About Namami Gange Programme
It is an umbrella programme which integrates previous and currently ongoing initiatives by enhancing efficiency, extracting synergies and supplementing them with more comprehensive & better coordinated interventions.
Implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), and its state counterparts—State Programme Management Groups.
National Ganga Council (NGC)
Created in October 2016 under the River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and Management) Authorities Order, 2016, dissolving the National Ganga River Basin Authority.
Headed by the Prime Minister.
It replaced the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA).
NGC would have on board the chief ministers of five Ganga basin states—Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh (UP), Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal—besides several Union ministers and it was supposed to meet once every year.
Main Pillars of the Namami Gange Programme are
Sewerage Treatment Infrastructure
River-Surface Cleaning
Afforestation
Industrial Effluent Monitoring
River-Front Development
Bio-Diversity
Public Awareness
Ganga Gram
