BrainyCA
A weekly current affairs magazine by BrainyIAS 05-11 March, 2017
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Table of Contents
1. ECONOMY ...... 3 1.1. Centre plumps for rural FMCG e-sales ...... 3 1.2. NIIF in talks with two sovereign funds ...... 3 2. POLITICS, POLICY AND POLITY ...... 4 2.1. ‘Mothers of Manipur’ vow to continue fight ...... 4 2.2. India sees options in U.S. energy policy ...... 5 2.3. Compassion International to wind up India operations ...... 6 2.4. NCPCR lashes out at Jalpaiguri officials ...... 7 2.5. Partial cover: More needs to be done on the mother and child front ...... 8 3. INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS AND GLOBAL ISSUES ...... 8 3.1. Dire straits ...... 8 3.2. Elusive reconciliation ...... 9 3.3. After Mosul: Iraq must begin process to erase sectarian wounds ...... 10 3.4. India needs to see the big picture ...... 10 3.5. Pakistan Parliament finally passes landmark Hindu Marriage Bill ...... 10 3.6. Indiscriminate discrimination ...... 11 3.7. The Tawang test ...... 11 3.8. By air or road, Tezu is now a vantage point ...... 12 3.9. Iran’s S-300 system becomes operational ...... 12 4. SCIENCE & TECH AND ENVIRONMENT ...... 13 4.1. Mattu Gulla ...... 13 4.2. Staying cool ...... 13 4.3. A mass coral bleaching again ...... 14 4.4. NASA to explore Jupiter’s icy moon ...... 14 4.5. India runs out of life-saving HIV drug for children ...... 14 4.6. Saving the Ghats ...... 15 4.7. Computer OS, short movie successfully stored in DNA ...... 16 4.8. ‘Polluted environment kills 1.7 million children a year’...... 17
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4.9. Kaziranga in storm over policing of poaching ...... 17 4.10. Is TB bacterium not on deadly superbug list? ...... 18 4.11. Battling Leptospira ...... 19 5. ART AND CULTURE ...... 20 5.1. Shigmo festival to begin from March 14 ...... 20 6. ETHICS AND INTEGRITY ...... 20 Case study ...... 21 Featured: Corporate governance: A tale of two titans ...... 21
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1. ECONOMY
1.1. Centre plumps for rural FMCG e-sales
This news deals with govt’s move aimed at enabling sales of goods from firms like Patanjali, P&G at common service centres. It can be quoted in GS paper II/ Rural development with private sector participation. CSCs are designed to be the hub Centre of activities in rural India. The government is focused on expansion of CSCs because of their inherent strength to transform rural India. With the sale of FMCG products, the door has been opened for popularising e–commerce through CSCs. There are more than 2.5 lakh CSCs across the country which enable people, particularly in rural areas, to access government services online. These services include ration card, birth certificate, train tickets and online form submission, among other things. The Centre has initiated talks with FMCG companies to sell their products online in rural areas through common service centres (CSCs) as it looks to increase the business for such centres. Going beyond delivery of public services through such centres, the Centre is now opening up to tie-ups with private companies for their products to be sold through CSCs to increase profits for Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs). The move will help VLEs who run CSCs to earn commission on the products sold while also enabling access for customers in rural areas to these products. According to estimates, a VLE is likely to earn a commission in the range of 12-20% on FMCG products, which is far higher than less than 10% on other services offered.
1.2. NIIF in talks with two sovereign funds
A sovereign wealth fund (SWF) consists of pools of money derived from a country’s reserves, set aside for investment purposes to benefits the country’s economy. The funding for SWF comes from central bank reserves that accumulate as a result of budget and trade surpluses. This news is important for paper III/ Economy section. The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) has begun talks with two sovereign wealth funds to become the first investors to come on board, following the signing of a government commitment to infuse ₹20,000 crore into the fund. The NIIF plans to leverage the Centre’s financing – equivalent to $3 billion – to invest a far higher amount in infrastructure firms and projects, in partnership with global, long-term investors eyeing infrastructure assets, and fund managers that could create dedicated infra sector funds. This would be sticky, long-term capital unlike volatile global portfolio flows. India is more attractive to foreign investors interested in infrastructure investments in emerging markets as it now has several privately executed projects that are operational or are close to completion. These include Public Private Partnerships also. There are estimates that about $600 billion equivalent of operating or mostly constructed assets are available
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2. POLITICS, POLICY AND POLITY
2.1. ‘Mothers of Manipur’ vow to continue fight This topic is important for GS Mains Paper I and II. It was on July 15, 2004 when the 12 elderly women staged the naked protest outside the historic Kangla Fort, then a camp of the Assam Rifles, holding placards that read “Come Indian Army Rape Us”, which had shaken the conscience of the entire nation.
What do they demand? The women, fondly called “Mothers of Manipur”, now say their protest 13 years ago had not borne fruit and so they would continue to fight till the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act is completely withdrawn.
About AFSPA
1. What is AFSPA?
AFSPA, which was enacted in 1958 amid the nascent Naga insurgency, gives powers to the army and state and central police forces to shoot to kill, search houses and destroy any property that is “likely” to be used by insurgents in areas declared as “disturbed” by the home ministry.
Security forces can “arrest without warrant” a person, who has committed or even “about to commit a cognizable offence” even on “reasonable suspicion”. It also protects them from legal processes for actions taken under the act.
2. Which states are under AFSPA?
It is in force in Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland, Manipur (except the Imphal municipal area). In Arunachal Pradesh, only the Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts plus a 20-km belt bordering Assam come under its purview. And in Meghalaya Afspa is confined to a 20-km area bordering Assam.
3. What are ‘disturbed’ areas?
The state or central government considers those areas as ‘disturbed’ “by reason of differences or disputes between members of different religious, racial, language or regional groups or castes or communities.”
4. How is a region declared ‘disturbed’?
Section (3) of the Afspa empowers the governor of the state or Union territory to issue an official notification in The Gazette of India, following which the Centre has the authority to send in armed forces for civilian aid.
Once declared ‘disturbed’, the region has to maintain status quo for a minimum of three months, according to The Disturbed Areas (Special Courts) Act, 1976.
5. What is state government’s role?
The state governments can suggest whether the act is required to be enforced or not. But under Section (3) of the act, their opinion can be overruled by the governor or the Centre.
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6. Is the act uniform in nature?
Initially, it was meant only for Assam and Manipur, where there was an insurgency by Naga militants. After the reorganisation of the northeast in 1971, the creation of new states like Manipur, Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh paved the way for the Afspa to be amended, so that it could be applied to each of them.
The amendments contain different sections as applicable to the situation in each state.
7. What is the status of Jammu and Kashmir?
Jammu and Kashmir has its own Disturbed Areas Act (DAA) a separate legislation that came into existence in 1992. After the DAA for J-K lapsed in 1998, the government reasoned that the state can still be declared disturbed under Section(3) of Afspa.
8. What are the arguments for AFSPA?
The army is opposed to the withdrawal of Afspa. Many argue that removal of the act will lead to demoralising the armed forces and see militants motivating locals to file lawsuits against the army.
9. What do detractors say?
Critics say the undemocratic act has failed to contain terrorism and restore normalcy in disturbed areas, as the number of armed groups has gone up after the act was established. Many even hold it responsible for the spiralling violence in areas it is in force.
Manipur’s human rights activist Irom Sharmila is on an indefinite hunger strike for over 15 years, demanding the withdrawal of the act in her home state.
The justice Jeevan Reddy Committee was set up in 2005 to review Afspa and make recommendations. It recommended that AFSPA should be repealed and the Unlawful Activities Protection Act strengthened to fight militancy. However, no steps were taken to repeal or reform the act.
10. Which was the first state to completely do away with AFSPA?
It was applied in Punjab and Chandigarh in 1983 due to secessionist movements and lasted for 14 years until 1997.
While the Punjab government withdrew its DAA in 2008, it continued in Chandigarh until September 2012 when the Punjab and Haryana high court struck it down following a petition filed by a local member of the Janata Dal (United).
2.2. India sees options in U.S. energy policy
Context: The Trump administration’s focus is on making American oil and gas sector competitive in the world market and it does not want environmental concerns holding back the sector. By deregulating oil and gas, and rolling back incentives available to non–conventional energy industry, the Trump administration is hoping to create a boom in the U.S. oil and gas market. The Trump Administration intends to deregulate American oil, gas and Coal sectors.
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What does this mean for India? India sees an opportunity to enhance bilateral cooperation in the coming years, especially in clean coal technology, and in converting cola to synthetic gas. Thirty percent of all increase in world’s energy demand from now to 2040 will be from India, and energy cooperation will be an increasingly key component of bilateral relations. India will start importing Liquefied Natural Gas from the U.S. in 2018 under contracts signed during the previous Obama administration. Three Indian public sector companies, GAIL, Oil India and IOC and Reliance have invested in U.S. shale gas production.
2.3. Compassion International to wind up India operations
This news can be quoted in the GS mains paper II, as an example of how International NGOs run their operations and how religious conversions are forced upon the deprived sections of the society. The NGO has stated “ideological differences” as the reason for its closure in India. However, India had its own reasons to bring the NGO on the watch list. Compassion International (CI), an American NGO has decided to wind up its operations in India. There were allegations of converting poor and needy children to Christianity against the NGO. In March 2016, the Ministry of Home Affairs had put Compassion International on a “prior permission” watch list, effectively curtailing its ability to bring in funds for NGOs in India, some of which were accused of carrying out religious conversions. CI’s CEO has said in interviews that he felt “frustrated” as the restrictions placed on the organisation came despite several official interventions from the U.S. government and the Congress. Their case was taken up at the highest level by then U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in 2016. The Indian side had made it clear that CI, which had been accused of funding NGOs unregistered for religious activity, would get no exemption from the FCRA ruling for ‘prior permissions’. Among other regulatory issues, sources said, CI’s own mission statement on its website, which says its aim is for “children in poverty to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults” had raised a red flag with the government.
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2.4. NCPCR lashes out at Jalpaiguri officials
This news is important for Prelims and GS mains Paper I & II. You should know about NCPCR.
Days after a child trafficking racket was busted in Jalpaiguri, the district administration has come under fire from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) over alleged procedural lapses in the functioning of the district child protection committee. The area is a gateway to the Northeast and thus special care is required for the care and protection of the children.
About NCPCR
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) was set up in March 2007 under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005, an Act of Parliament (December 2005). NCPCR is a statutory body under the CPCR Act,2005 under the administrative control of the Ministry of Women & Child Development ,Government of India. The Commission's Mandate is to ensure that all Laws, Policies, Programmes, and Administrative Mechanisms are in consonance with the Child Rights perspective as enshrined in the Constitution of India and also the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Child is defined as a person in the 0 to 18 years age group.
Commission had asked to form special cells in schools to solve problems of children. The cell will examine the mental and physical torture against children. Complaints regarding sexual harassment
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84594-00000 BrainyIAS mental harassment, favouritism etc. should be informed to the Taluk/District Legal Services Authority within 48 hours.
2.5. Partial cover: More needs to be done on the mother and child front
This article is relevant as a critique of the governmental policies towards women. It can be asked in GS mains paper I and II. Longer maternity leave is welcome, but must be extended to the 8unorganized sector. The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 has recently been amended by the government to enhance the paid maternity leave for women in the organised sector to 26 weeks from 12. Giving some benefits to adoptive mothers and women who get children using embryo transfers as well signals India is in step with social changes. Mandating creche facilities to help women workers under the changed law is a forward-looking move, but it will work well only with a good oversight mechanism. But the government should consider the difficulties faced by unorganised workers who fall beyond the scope of any worthwhile labour welfare measures. Only 1.8 million women, a small subset of women in the workforce will be covered. For many poor millions in the unorganised sector, the only support available is a small conditional cash benefit of ₹6,000 during pregnancy and lactation offered under the Maternity Benefit Programme. The reported move to restrict even this meagre benefit to the first child for budgetary reasons is retrograde and must be given up. What can be done? Providing benefits for women and children is a societal responsibility which can be funded in a large country through a combination of general taxation and contributory payments from those who have the means. Health care should be treated as a right and deliveries handled without cost to women; the income guarantees during the 26- week period can be ensured through a universal social insurance system. Such a policy would harmonise the varying maternity benefit provisions found in different laws that govern labour at present. There would also be no discrimination against women in recruitment by employers who currently have to factor in benefit payments. Conversely, women would not suffer loss of income simply because they cannot remain in employment after childbirth. Women’s empowerment can be achieved through universal initiatives, not by imposing conditionalities to avail benefits. Access to welfare support has become even more critical as workers migrate frequently due to economic changes. The twin imperatives are, therefore, to create more jobs for women in a diversified economy, and to provide social opportunity through maternal and child welfare measures.
3. INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS AND GLOBAL ISSUES
3.1. Dire straits
This article deals with the strained relationship between India and Sri-Lanka, and why the new government of Sri-Lanka has not been able to resolve the fishermen’s issue despite its previous commitments. GS paper II. Sustainable use of marine resources is at the heart of the India-Sri Lanka fishing problem
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Recently, a Tamil Nadu fisherman was killed somewhere between the Indian and Sri Lankan coast and the reasons behind the killing are uncertain. There exists a long-standing dispute between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lankan Tamil fishermen over fishing rights in the Palk Bay. Last year, the two countries agreed on establishing a Joint Working Group (JWG) on fisheries to help resolve the dispute. A hotline between the Coast Guards of India and Sri Lanka, convening of the JWG once in three months, and meetings of the fisheries ministers every half-year were the components of the mechanism to be put in place. But, the shooting exposes no progress on these lines. The long term solution is to arrive at a settlement on sustainable exploitation of the marine resources that would end the use of bottom trawlers from Tamil Nadu, India and Sri Lanka will not be able to ensure incident-free fishing in the strait. Unlike during the period of Sri Lanka’s war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), when its Navy indiscriminately shot at boats and trawlers fearing smuggling of contraband by the Tamil rebels, the last few years have seen few instances of firing at fishermen. But to view this killing as an aberration is to underestimate the political and economic contours of the problem. After he returned to power in 2015, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said Indian fishermen who crossed the maritime boundary to fish in another country’s territorial waters would be fired upon. Indian fishermen, who invoke traditional rights to justify their incursions, want a three-year phase-out period before they end trawling. But unless they take to deep-sea fishing, and inland alternatives, India’s fishermen will be locked in a conflict with their Sri Lankan counterparts as well as with a hostile Sri Lankan Navy.
3.2. Elusive reconciliation
This article deals with reasons of delay on the part of SriLanka to address the concerns of the Tamil minority on its land. GS paper II A United Nations report released on the progress of reconciliation efforts by the Sri Lankan government should be a wake-up call for President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Raising serious concerns about the delay in addressing allegations of war crimes and in meeting other promises Colombo made when it co-sponsored a resolution at the UN Human Rights Council in 2015, the report warns the government that the lack of accountability threatens the momentum towards lasting peace. It also alleges that cases of excessive use of force, torture and arbitrary arrests still continue in Sri Lanka, almost eight years after the country’s brutal civil war ended. Mr. Sirisena came to power on a promise that he would restore the rule of law, end the country's international isolation and take steps towards reconciliation with the Tamil ethnic minority. In 2015, when Sri Lanka agreed to a host of measures at the UNHRC, including a judicial process to look into the war crimes, hopes were high. Compared to the previous regime of Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Sirisena administration has reached out to Tamils and initiated constitutional and legal reforms. It has also passed enabling legislation to establish an Office of Missing Persons to help find some of the 65,000 people reported missing during the war. But on key issues such as establishing a hybrid judicial mechanism with domestic and foreign judges and returning the military-occupied lands to Tamil civilians in the north and east, there has been no tangible progress.
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3.3. After Mosul: Iraq must begin process to erase sectarian wounds
This article deals with the choices that Iraq should make after its successful raids on Islamic State, which had declared its caliphate in Iraq’s territory. As the IS suffers serious reverses, Baghdad must wage a political fight as well. GS paper II The loss of Mosul is perhaps the biggest military setback for the Islamic State. Iraq’s second largest city, Mosul was the jewel of the IS’s military gains. It is place where Caliphate was declared by the IS leader Abu Bakr in the year 2014. In less than three years, the IS’s territory has shrunk. It once controlled huge swathes in central and eastern Syria and north-western Iraq, but its influence is now limited to some pockets, through sustained military operations in which several actors such as Kurdish Peshmerga and Shia militias, Iraqi and Syrian armies and the U.S. and Russian air forces were involved. They first liberated eastern Mosul, the left bank of the Tigris that divides the city into two, and then moved to the west, the IS’s power centre. Iraqi troops have already captured the Mosul airport and major administrative buildings, and liberated population centres. What remains is isolated resistance by small groups of jihadists. The defeat in Mosul does not mean that the threat from the IS is over. The group still has presence in some pockets in Iraq and in at least two major cities in Syria, Raqqa and suburbs of Deir ez-Zor. The IS couldn’t claim to be a ‘Caliphate’ without a territory. The IS’s eventual defeat depends on how the government addresses Shia-Sunni tensions. Prime Minister al-Abadi appears to be clear on his preferences. Unlike his predecessor whose Shia sectarian policies drove the Sunni population to revolt against Baghdad, a resentment which the IS exploited for popular support, Mr. al-Abadi tried to reach out to the Sunnis and promised to heal the sectarian wounds. After the military victory in Mosul, Iraq has to make sure that the Sunnis are treated as equal citizens and share power equitably.
3.4. India needs to see the big picture
This news relates to the Indo-China bilateral relations. Important for GS Paper II. China, through a spokesperson, has recently said that India should see the larger picture of the bilateral relation with China and consider the economic side of the BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) of which, the CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor) is a part. India has reservations for the programme as the CPEC passes through PoK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir). The bilateral trade of the two countries has grown from a paltry $2 Billion in 1990s to more than $70 Billion last year. India has apprehensions that China has geopolitical motives behind this project as it passes through PoK.
3.5. Pakistan Parliament finally passes landmark Hindu Marriage Bill
It will help Hindu women to get documentary proof of their marriage. Although this news is not very important, yet you should know about it. Pakistan’s Parliament has finally passed the much awaited landmark Bill to regulate marriages of minority Hindus.
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The final text approved by both Houses includes the Shadi Parath — a document similar to ‘Nikahnama’ in Muslims. The Shadi Parath will be required to be signed by a pundit and registered with the relevant government department.
3.6. Indiscriminate discrimination
Context: An Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla in Kansas was recently killed in what may be dubbed as hate crime. U.S. President Donald Trump, in his address to Congress, may have denounced the killing, but it is hard to ignore that his own polarising presidential campaign has directly led to the current intolerant climate in the U.S. In this article, the author has tried to explain the reasons for racial discrimination in the US. The first Indian migrants to reach the U.S. understood this lesson well. Arriving in the beginning of the 20th century, they faced severe persecution and bigotry. For decades before their arrival, American society had been perfecting the mechanisms of oppression against various communities: the Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, African-Americans and Native Americans. Now these tools could be turned against the Indians. The hostility that early Indian migrants to the U.S. faced was not due to their actions or the history of their country of origin. It was a mechanism already in place, actively oppressing other communities for decades. Given the circumstances, it was almost natural that the hostility would turn on Indians when they reached American soil. It is ironic that discrimination, when choosing its victims, can be highly indiscriminate. In early 20th century U.S., the same forces of oppression that targeted Indians were also persecuting other communities. It is this history that’s in a way, tragically, illuminating today.
3.7. The Tawang test
Delhi and Beijing must manage tensions and focus on the big bilateral issues. Presently, Beijing is concerned about Indian govt’s decision to allow the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang Monastery.
A large disputed territory between India and China, formerly referred to as the North East Frontier Agency, and is now called Arunachal Pradesh. It lies south of the McMahon Line The McMahon Line was part of the 1914 Simla Convention between British India and Tibet, an agreement rejected by China. The 1962 Sino-Indian War was fought in both of these areas. An agreement to resolve the dispute was concluded in 1996, including "confidence-building measures" and a mutually agreed Line of Actual Control. In 2006, the Chinese ambassador to India claimed that all of Arunachal Pradesh is Chinese territory amidst a military buildup. At the time, both countries claimed incursions as much as a kilometre at the northern tip of Sikkim. In 2009, India announced it would deploy additional military forces along the border. In 2014, India proposed China should acknowledge "One India" policy to resolve the border dispute. China’s statement that it is “gravely concerned” over the government’s decision to allow the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang monastery in early April, and that it would “seriously damage” bilateral ties, is unwarranted. Beijing’s objections over access for the Dalai Lama as a spiritual leader to a religious shrine obviously cannot be allowed to intimidate India into restricting his free movement.
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The controversy over the Tawang area goes back to the Shimla meet of 1914, when the Chinese representatives just initialled, and didn’t sign, a trilateral agreement with British India and Tibet. Later, in 1959, when the current Dalai Lama fled Tibet, he came into India through Tawang. He has not visited Arunachal Pradesh since 2009. At the same time, New Delhi must calibrate its moves to avoid misperceptions that it is indulging in political power-play. Recent developments, such as visits to Tawang by American diplomats including the U.S. Ambassador, and an official dinner at the U.S. Embassy attended by a Minister and leader of the “Tibetan government in exile” based in Dharamshala, could be interpreted as messages aimed at China, even if they did not signify any policy change. The major issues between the two countries should be at the forefront: The bid for Nuclear Suppliers Group membership and having Masood Azhar placed on the UN terrorists’ list have occupied much of the bilateral canvas, while the larger issue of the boundary resolution hasn’t been addressed adequately. Statements last week from a former Chinese special envoy, who suggested that flexibility from India over the “eastern boundary” in Arunachal Pradesh could yield flexibility from China over “other areas”, that is, the western boundary in J&K, are significant.
3.8. By air or road, Tezu is now a vantage point
This news is important for GS mains paper III (Infrastructure section). In major infrastructure push, Centre builds a civilian airport and two major bridges across Lohit River in Arunachal Pradesh. Firming up India’s strategic space, the mountainous regions of Arunachal Pradesh are set to acquire all-weather connectivity. Officials here said the new bridges across the Lohit river ( at Dhola-Sadiya ghat and Digaru ghat) and the new commercial airport in Tezu will smoothen transport to several high-altitude districts near the India-China border. The improvements in connectivity is significant in view of the statements by Beijing’s officials asserting China’s territorial claims over Arunachal Pradesh. Tezu is the nearest town to Walong, where a legendary battle between Indian and Chinese soldiers took place between 16 October to 16 November 1962. Strategic preparedness: The new bridges will also provide the necessary support for the strategic preparedness for the forces in the mountains, which will be critical for India where the new Mountain Strike Corps is likely to focus. The planned high altitude airfields in the Himalayan range would also be helped by the enhanced connectivity of Tezu.
3.9. Iran’s S-300 system becomes operational
This news relates with the advancement of defence capacities by Iran after the new government of USA took charge. Iran’s advanced S-300 air defence system, delivered by Russia following a July 2015 nuclear deal after years of delay, is now operational, state television reported on Saturday. Iran had been trying to acquire the system for years to ward off repeated threats by Israel to bomb its nuclear facilities, but Russia had held off delivery in line with UN sanctions imposed over the nuclear programme. A domestically manufactured air defence system dubbed Bavar 373 which was “more advanced than the S-300” would be tested very soon.
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Iran’s activation of the defence system comes amid mounting tensions with the new U.S. administration led by Donald Trump, which imposed sanctions after Iran tested a medium- range ballistic missile in January this year.
4. SCIENCE & TECH AND ENVIRONMENT
This section is important for Prelims as well as Mains exam.
4.1. Mattu Gulla
A rare variety of Brinjal, having Geographical Indication (GI) tag and having a distinct taste, is produced by the farmers of Udupi and Dakshin Kannada districts for handsome returns.
A GI is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin. In order to function as a GI, a sign must identify a product as originating in a given place.
4.2. Staying cool
It’s time for energy-efficient temperature limits for air-conditioning units in public facilities India has launched the second phase of the programme to eliminate the use of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) as part of its commitment under the Montreal Protocol, which requires the complete removal of chemicals that result in ozone depletion and aid global warming. These are used mainly in the air-conditioning, refrigeration, polyurethane foam manufacturing and cold chain sectors, and must be replaced with better alternatives. All these sectors are in high growth mode as emerging economies witness greater urbanisation and higher agricultural productivity. The data for refrigerant consumption during 2015 compiled by the European Union show that in the developing world, split air-conditioning units, car ACs and commercial refrigeration record the highest use of these chemicals. It is imperative the Central government ensures that its efforts to upgrade industries using the $44.1 million in funding available under the Protocol are scaled up to meet the need fully. Modernising the technology used by 400 industrial units, many of them small and medium enterprises, by 2023 has to be complemented by policy changes that encourage adoption by consumers. Systemic change requires the active participation of State governments, which can enact and enforce new building codes. It is important to make consumers aware of green options among products in terms of the underlying technologies, and incentivise adoption through tax structures. The Environment Ministry’s proposal to prescribe energy-efficient temperature limits for air-conditioning units in public facilities is promising. The Centre should conduct audit of public buildings to determine whether they are suitably designed, as climate control relies as much on passive influences such as insulation, green roofing and the nature of materials used in construction.
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It is possible, for instance, to adopt the Paris idea and ask all major buildings to incorporate solar panel roofing or suitable green cover. The continued success of the Montreal Protocol in its goal to eliminate HCFCs by 2030 will depend on reducing the acquisition costs of cleaner technologies. The greater affordability of solar photovoltaic power and its rapid adoption at various scales is a clear pointer. More people will have access to air-conditioning and refrigeration in coming years, and the focus of government policy must be to make them energy-efficient and eco-friendly.
4.3. A mass coral bleaching again
This news is relevant for Geography and Science and Tech Section. GS paper III. You should know about the details of Coral bleaching. Great Barrier Reef threatened by heatwave for second consecutive year Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is experiencing an unprecedented second straight year of mass coral bleaching, scientists said Friday, warning many species would struggle to fully recover. The back-to-back occurrence of widespread bleaching also meant there was insufficient time for corals to fully recover, and a decrease in stress tolerance of the corals. Algae expelled: Bleaching occurs when abnormal environmental conditions, such as warmer sea temperatures, cause corals to expel tiny photosynthetic algae, draining them of their colour. Corals can recover if the water temperature drops and the algae are able to recolonise them.
4.4. NASA to explore Jupiter’s icy moon
Europa (Jupiter’s moon) is of special interest as it hosts a liquid water ocean beneath its crust NASA’s ‘Europa Clipper’ set to launch in the 2020s will probe the habitability of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa. The mission plan includes 40 to 45 flybys, during which the spacecraft would image the moon’s icy surface at high resolution and investigate its composition and the structure of its interior and icy shell. Europa has long been a high priority for exploration because it holds a salty liquid water ocean beneath its icy crust. The ultimate aim of Europa Clipper is to determine if Europa is habitable, possessing all three of the ingredients necessary for life: liquid water, chemical ingredients, and energy sources sufficient to enable biology.
4.5. India runs out of life-saving HIV drug for children
The government has not been able to clear the dues of the pharmaceutical company Cipla, which is the sole manufacturer of Lopinavir syrup, an HIV drug. This has resulted in a halt in the manufacture of the drug by the company. Desperate over withdrawal of a life saving drug, an NGO- children living with HIV (CLHIV) have written to Prime Minister for help.
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4.6. Saving the Ghats
There is a need to urgently determine how much of the Western Ghats is ecologically sensitive. Questions, specific to Western Ghats can be asked in GS paper I and III. You should know about Kasturirangan committee report and its recommendations on the importance of preservation of Western Ghats.
The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), also known as the Gadgil Commission after its chairman Madhav Gadgil, was an environmental research commission appointed by the Ministry of Environment and Forests of India. The commission submitted the report to the Government of India on 31 August 2011.
The Kasturirangan committee report has sought to balance the two concerns of development and environment protection, by watering down the environmental regulation regime proposed by the Western Ghats Ecology Experts Panel’s Gadgil report in 2012. The Kasturirangan report seeks to bring just 37% of the Western Ghats under the Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) zones — down from the 64% suggested by the Gadgil report. The committee has recommended about providing better incentives to move them towards greener and more sustainable practices and not removing the livelihood options to the people of the area. Roughly 37 per cent of the total area defined as the boundary of the Western Ghats is ecologically sensitive. Over this area of some 60,000 km2, spread over the States of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the working group has recommended a prohibitory regime on those activities with maximum interventionist and destructive impact on the environment.
“The Western Ghats is a biological treasure trove that is endangered, and it needs to be protected and regenerated, indeed celebrated for its enormous wealth of endemic species and natural beauty”, the report says.
A central message that emerges is that the entire ghat region meets the criteria for declaration as an ecologically sensitive area. Within this broad framework, the report makes the point that there are Ecologically Sensitive Zones of three levels of significance, which can be demarcated at the taluk or block level. The MoEF, which is empowered under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to declare any region as deserving of special protection, should consider this seriously. Such protection is essential to.
Why the Ghats should be preserved/ Importance of the Ghats? 1. If there is one single reason to protect the whole of the Western Ghats, it is the phenomenon of endemism. According to reliable estimates, they have more than 1,500 endemic species of flowering plants, and at least 500 such species of fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. 2. They play an irreplaceable role in mediating the monsoon over the country. 3. The forests harbour a rich biodiversity that has not even been fully studied. 4. The scientist Norman Myers wrote nearly two decades ago, only 6.8% of primary vegetation out of the original 182,500 sq km remains in the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka taken together.
The ecologically sensitive nature of the forests stretching 1,600 km along the western coast as a global biodiversity hotspot was emphasised by the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel headed by Madhav Gadgil, while for conservation purposes, the Kasturirangan Committee identified only a
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84594-00000 BrainyIAS third of the total area. Both expert groups have encountered resistance from State governments and industries, although they mutually differ in their recommendations.
Western Ghats (also known as Sahyadri in Maharashtra and Karnataka meaning- The Benevolent Mountains) is a mountain range that runs parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula, located entirely in India. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the eight "hottest hot-spots" of biological diversity in the world. It is sometimes called the Great Escarpment of India. The range runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain, called Konkan, along the Arabian Sea.
What can be done in order to strike a balance between conservation and development? 1. Several options to spare sensitive areas can be made, such as community-led ecological tourism and agro-ecological farming. 2. Involvement of the native people in preservation and protection of the Ghats. 3. Rejection of environmental clearance for two controversial dam projects — Athirapilly in Kerala and Gundia in Karnataka. The locations of both come under the most sensitive ecological zone category. A second issue relates to mining in Goa. 4. Rule out environmental incompatible activities such as mining, constructing large dams, and setting up polluting industries.
4.7. Computer OS, short movie successfully stored in DNA
Know this news for preliminary exam. Scientists have successfully stored a computer operating system, a short movie along with other data in DNA, an advance that may usher the next generation of ultra-compact, biological storage devices which will last hundreds of thousands of years. In a new study, researchers from Columbia University and the New York Genome Centre (NYGC) in the U.S. showed that an algorithm designed for streaming video on a cellphone can unlock DNA’s nearly full storage potential by squeezing more information into its four base nucleotides.
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DNA is an ideal storage medium because it is ultra-compact and can last hundreds of thousands of years if kept in a cool, dry place, as demonstrated by the recent recovery of DNA from the bones of a 4,30,000-year-old human ancestor found in a cave in Spain. Using an erasure-correcting algorithm called fountain codes, they randomly packaged the strings into so-called droplets, and mapped the ones and zeros in each droplet to the four nucleotide bases in DNA: A, G, C and T. The algorithm deleted letter combinations known to create errors and added a barcode to each droplet to help reassemble the files later. The researchers showed that their coding strategy packs 215 petabytes of data on a single gram of DNA, which was the highest-density data-storage device ever created.
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a molecule that carries the genetic instructions used in the growth, development, functioning and reproduction of all known living organisms and many viruses. DNA and RNA are nucleic acids; alongside proteins, lipids and complex carbohydrates (polysaccharides), they are one of the four major types of macromolecules that are essential for all known forms of life. Most DNA molecules consist of two biopolymer strands coiled around each other to form a double helix. The two DNA strands are termed polynucleotides since they are composed of simpler monomer units called nucleotides. Each nucleotide is composed of one of four nitrogen-containing nucleobases—either cytosine (C), guanine (G), adenine (A), or thymine (T)—and a sugar called deoxyribose and a phosphate group. The nucleotides are joined to one another in a chain by covalent bonds between the sugar of one nucleotide and the phosphate of the next, resulting in an alternating sugar-phosphate backbone.
4.8. ‘Polluted environment kills 1.7 million children a year’
This news is important for GS paper I, III and essay. Geography optional students can use this data in their answers. As per a World Health Organization (WHO) report, a quarter of all global deaths of children under five are due to unhealthy or polluted environments, including dirty water and air, second-hand smoke and a lack or adequate hygiene, the World Health Organization (WHO). Such unsanitary and polluted environments can lead to fatal cases of diarrhoea, malaria and pneumonia, and kill 1.7 million children a year. Saving the wombs: In the report — “Inheriting a sustainable world: Atlas on children's health and the environment” – the WHO said harmful exposure can start in the womb, and then continue if infants and toddlers are exposed to indoor and outdoor air pollution and second-hand smoke. This increase the risk of Pneumonia and chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma.
4.9. Kaziranga in storm over policing of poaching
This news item is important from preliminary point of view. You should know about the status of the endangered/ vulnerable species and also about Red list of IUCN. A question/ case study in Ethics paper can also be asked regarding human vs nature debate.
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Located about 200 km to the north-east of Guwahati, in the heart of Assam, lies the Kaziranga National Park, a world heritage site that’s spread over 430 sq km and is home to two-thirds of the entire Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) population. The Indian rhinoceros, or greater one-horned rhino, is categorised as ‘vulnerable’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in its 2008 red list. This is an improvement from its status in 1986, when it was considered ‘endangered.’ The park has been one of the biggest success stories of conservation in India. From barely 75 in 1905, the population of the Indian rhino now stands at 2,400. Conservation efforts are more than a century old, since the park was declared a ‘reserve forest’ in 1905. Even before the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, was notified with its provisions for setting up national parks, the Kaziranga National Park was conceived by the Assam National Park Act of 1968. It was set up on February 11, 1974, and UNESCO declared it a world heritage site in 1985. It became a Tiger Reserve in 2007.
Why in news? Often in the news for poaching or annual floods in the Brahmaputra which creates havoc in the park, the reserve has been caught in a controversy over a documentary made by the BBC. Titled Killing for Conservation , the documentary by its South Asia correspondent Justin Rowlatt talks about the “dark secrets” of conservation at the park and points out that the forest guards have been given powers “to shoot and kill” poachers. The authorities of the park have denied this allegation. Forest officials, however, say conservation of the rhino poses a major challenge, with poachers looking for every opportunity to kill the animal for its horn, which commands a high price in China and West Asia. The government has banned BBC from making any documentaries in India in the future.
4.10. Is TB bacterium not on deadly superbug list?
This news is important for Preliminary exam. You should know about the disease “TB”, “MDR-TB”, clinical trial (and their phases), the drugs used to treat TB and why WHO has excluded it TB pathogen from its “threat list”. Despite the gravity of the situation and a near-empty drug chest to fight TB in India, a WHO list, released on February 27, of drug-resistant bacteria that pose the “greatest threat to human health” and for which new drugs are desperately needed, has no mention of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes TB. This is the first time that the WHO has released such a list and the prime objective of listing the “priority pathogens,” in its own words, is to “guide and promote research and development
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of new antibiotics… and to address the growing global resistance to antimicrobial medicines.” The list is divided into three categories — critical, high and medium — based on the urgency of need for new drugs. While the WHO reasons that malaria and HIV have not been included in the list as they are not bacterial infections, it cites a different reason for not including TB bacteria. According to the WHO, TB bacterium was not included in the list as it is already targeted by other “dedicated programmes.”
Not a priority pathogen? The contrary view says that “TB’s exclusion sends the false and counterproductive message that drug-resistant TB is not an urgent public health threat. It also sends a strong message to policy-makers to “de-prioritise” TB research. India has reacted strongly against the decision because the TB bacterium meets each of the 10 criteria used for inclusion in the list — how deadly the infections are, the number of infected people in a community, prevalence of resistance, how easily the bacterium spreads from one person to another, options to prevent the infection in hospital and community, treatment options and whether new drugs are already in the R&D pipeline. The WHO states that new antibiotics most urgently needed will never be developed in time if it is left to market forces alone. This is best demonstrated in the case of TB. It took nearly 50 years for new TB drugs to be approved for MDR-TB and not a single antibiotic has been developed for drug-sensitive TB in half-a-century. Since the WHO has stated that the list has been developed to allow periodic revisions and inclusions of other pathogens, including viruses and parasites, The Union wants the TB bacterium to be included in the list before the WHO publishes the full protocol and results by the end of May 2017. Of the estimated 10.4 million new tuberculosis cases globally in 2015, nearly 0.5 million were multi-drug-resistant (MDR). Another one million were resistant to rifampicin drug alone. India accounted for 2.84 million new cases in 2015, of which 79,000 had MDR TB. There were 1.4 million TB deaths worldwide in 2015. New drugs developed: For the first time in nearly 50 years, two new drugs, bedaquiline and delamanid, were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for MDR-TB cases. The accelerated approval of bedaquiline was based on interim Phase IIa data.
4.11. Battling Leptospira
This is important for prelims exam. You should know about the disease Leptospira and “One- Health” approach. In the summer and rainy seasons of 2015, leptospirosis, a dangerous, neglected tropical disease, struck in multiple cities of India. In Mumbai, the toll was high — at least 18 people reportedly succumbed to the zoonotic disease, also known colloquially as “rat fever” for its association with the urine of rodents among several host species. Pathogen responsible- Leptospira interrogans. Given its position as one of the most congested hubs of urban activity along India’s 8,129-km- long coastline, Mumbai was always particularly vulnerable to the outbreaks of such a disease. Typically, Leptospira interrogans spreads under conditions of stagnant water, flood water, humidity, and proximity between man and beast. There is a need for the goshalas, or cattle shelters, to comply with the health department’s guidelines to avoid discharging cow dung or cattle urine into a common drainage outlet, and to
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give the cattle two oxytetracycline injections in a span of 10 days to protect against four Leptospira strains. Oxytetracycline is a broad spectrum tetracycline that works by interfering with the ability of bacteria to produce essential proteins. There is a need for the government to scale up its waste water and flood water management capacities, especially in urban areas.
The ‘One Health’ approach At the heart of these efforts is the focus on a “One Health” approach, which integrates efforts to predict and control a disease at the human-animal-ecosystem interface, and this collaborative approach appears to be the key to defeating re-emerging zoonotic diseases such as leptospirosis. The one-health approach is a collaborative effort, and it recognizes that the health of people is connected to the health of animals and the environment. Research at Yale also highlights the fact that across Primary Health Centres in India, rapid diagnostic tests often replace serological tests due to lack of adequate trained personnel. These rapid tests may not reach the optimal sensitivity until at least a week after onset of fever, and as the sensitivity of the tests is low during the acute visit, these rapid diagnostic tests should be used with caution to rule out leptospirosis. Otherwise, the frequently observed underreporting and the misdiagnosis of leptospirosis may lead to an inaccurate determination of the real impact of the disease in the Indian subcontinent.
5. ART AND CULTURE
5.1. Shigmo festival to begin from March 14
This is important for prelims point of view. You should know about Shigmo, Ghode Modni, Goff, Fugdi and other festivals of GOA. Goa’s biggest Hindu folk festival, Shigmo, will begin on March 14 and will continue in various rural areas over a fortnight. The word Shigmo has its roots in Prakrit word Sugimaho (meaning post-harvest celebration). It coincides with Holi celebrations. The festival also depicts the Goan life in traditional folk dances like Ghode Modni, Goff, and Fugdi, performed in troupes along the procession, passing through the streets that are lit up with colourful décor. It was traditionally celebrated as the homecoming of the warriors who had left their homes and families at the end of Dusshera to fight invaders.
6. ETHICS AND INTEGRITY
We are introducing this new section in BainyCA weekly. You will get case studies for the preparation of GS paper IV from latest news. Important articles on ethics and integrity, which appear in the newspaper, will also be shared herein.
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Case study
You are the district magistrate in a rural area. There exists a communal tension between various religious groups in some villages of your district. One day, you come across the news of tearing off of pages of a religious book in a temple of a village by unknown miscreants. Earlier, such incidences had occurred and had led to violence and destruction by the outraged community. What actions will you take to prevent violence and aggression by communal forces? What should be done in order to prevent such incidences in future?
(Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code: Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings or any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs.— Whoever, with deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings of any class of citizens of India, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs or by visible representations or otherwise, insults or attempts to insult the religion or the religious beliefs of that class, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both. This case has relevance for emotional intelligence of an officer, understanding Indian society, knowing about defusing techniques & use of technology)
Featured: Corporate governance: A tale of two titans
This article should be read as such. It will enrich your perspective on corporate governance, which is useful for GS mains paper IV. Two iconic organisations went through a time of turmoil. It is now clear that the trust of dominant shareholders cannot be wished away
The two are iconic names. They command enormous brand equity. They had been in the news for all the wrong reasons. The happenings at Tata Sons and Infosys have brought the focus firmly on corporate governance. Some may call them board-room tussles. Others may view them as owners- versus-the-board fight. The question is: Have these episodes hurt governance in these organisations?
In both instances, owners or the founders (Ratan Tata in Tata Sons and N.R. Narayana Murthy in Infosys) were in the eye of a storm. While the Tata board was run by a mix of promoters-cum- professionals, Infosys founders had left it to professionals to run the show. At Bombay House, it all started with the ouster of Cyrus Mistry as the chairman, resulting in Mr. Tata taking over as the interim chairman of Tata Sons. The development led to a slew of allegations and counter- allegations. Questions were raised on the way business had been run and certain strategic decisions made. The Mistry-Tata battle also reached courtrooms. In the case of Infosys, Mr. Murthy flagged issues involving higher compensation to executives, acquisition strategy and appointment of independent directors. He publicly expressed unhappiness over the current management. In the case of Tatas, they chose to remove Mr. Mistry.
At Tata Sons, the controlling shareholder (Tata Trusts, which own 68% stake) had lost faith in its chairman to lead the group and subsequently replaced him. In Infosys, the founders own only 13% stake. Still, they expressed dissent.
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After an ugly fracas, N. Chandrasekaran has taken over as Tata Sons chairman. His elevation has been smooth. There are signs of the group looking to resolve many a contentious issue that dominated the headlines in the wake of the Mistry-Tata fight. The group’s cash cow TCS has announced a ₹16,000-crore share buy-back programme. Tata Sons has indicated that it would also participate. The funds thus obtained would help pare its debts. Tata Sons also has worked out a settlement with DoCoMo, which was one of the key friction points between Mr. Tata and Mr. Mistry. All the subsequent events have been very smooth with almost the entire shareholding community supporting the promoter’s initiatives. It is also a happy ending to one of the major controversies with DoCoMo. The way the settlement is being done indicates clearly Mr. Tata’s ways of doing business.
At Infosys, the board was quick to clarify issues raised by the promoters.
Targets differ
There is a crucial difference between these two episodes, however. In the case of Tata Sons, the target was the chairman, Mr. Mistry. At Infosys, the whole board and, by inference, the senior management, were the targets for the founders. The Tata issue turned legal because there was definite action by the controlling shareholder. In Infosys, it was about the founders expressing their dissent on certain decisions taken by the board. Do the owners or founders have the right or obligation to an organisation that they have assiduously built over many summers? More precisely, can the board or management just brush aside the view of a ‘quality shareholder’ (Mr. Tata and Mr. Murthy in these instances)? It is never in doubt that Mr. Tata is a globally revered name. It is also well known than Mr. Murthy is the password for India in gaining global recognition. Events at the Tata empire have subsequently proved that shareholder supremacy prevails in the end. The succession at Tata Sons has turned out to be a smooth affair, and the operating companies did not see any performance dislocation in those troubled times.
Analysts also point to a core difference between these two cases. In the case of Tata Sons, the owner and quality shareholder (read Mr. Tata) was pitched against a chairman (read Mr. Mistry). In Infosys, Narayana Murthy-led founders were largely responsible for professionalising the organisation right from the time of inception. The current professional management headed by R. Seshasayee, not surprisingly, felt no constraint in admitting to their mis-judgement, if any, and papering over their differences with the founders who are professionals in their own right.
According to S. Santhanakrishnan, an expert on corporate law and governance and also a director on the board of Tata Global Beverages, corporate governance has succeeded in both instances. “While the issues were handled differently, what is to be appreciated is how quickly the problems were resolved. Infosys board was quick to address issues raised by the founders. At Tatas, the leader had to be replaced because of lack of confidence.
“It is also further strengthened by the fact that shareholders have full faith in Tata’s name and brand and all stakeholders including stock markets have veered positively, at the end, towards the Tata group,” he said. Shriram Subramanian, Managing Director of InGovern, a firm tracking corporate governance issues, said that the differing methodologies pursued in these instances should be understood in the context of targets of founders and owners.
There is a lesson to be learnt from these episodes. The trust of the shareholders — more so that of quality shareholders — can never be wished away, Mr. Santhanakrishnan said.
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