1. ECONOMY 1. Natural Gas Marketing Reforms 04 2. Government designates single SBI branch for all FCRA accounts 06 1.1. ECONOMY SNIPPETS

1. Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) 08 2. Phased Manufacturing Programme (PMP) 10 3. Precision Agriculture 11 4. Real Time Gross Settlement System (RTGS) 12

2. ENVIRONMENT 1. 6 states want 6k sq. km to be Taken Off Western Ghats Eco Zone 14 2. Inadequate Compensatory Afforestation 16 3. Eco Disaster Unfolding on Kamchatka Beach 18 4. Ratification of 7 Persistent Organic Pollutants 19 5. SC upholds Madras HC order on T.N. Elephant Corridor 21

2.1. ENVIRONMENT SNIPPETS

1. Methane Emissions 24 2. Sambhar Lake 25 3. Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) 26 4. Lepidoptera species 27 5. Mount Kilimanjaro 28

3. POLITY & GOVERNANCE 1. EC Announces New Rules for Postal Ballot 30 2. GST Council Fails to Reach Consensus on Compensating States 31 3. and 33 4. Centre to fix Jurisdiction of River Boards 35 5. Child Should learn his Mother Tongue, says SC 39 6. Public Places Cannot be occupied Indefinitely, says SC 41 7. TRP and its Manipulation 42 8. Blue Flag Tag for Kasarkod, Padubidri Beaches 43 9. Supreme Court questions NCPCR on children ‘repatriation’ 45

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3.1. POLITY & GOVERNANCE SNIPPETS 1. Saansad Aadarsh Gram Yojana 47 2. Crime in report 2019 48 3. Data Governance Quality Index (DGQI) 49 4. Section 29 of POCSO Act Applicable only after Trial Begins 50 5. Kasturi Cotton 52 6. Gyan Circle Ventures 53 7. Digital Education in Kerala 54 8. Regional Raw Drug Repositories 54 9. Disturbed Area Act 56

4. SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 1. Missile 57 2. Diffie-Hellman key exchange 58 3. Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) 60 4. Pusa Decomposer 62 5. Sanitizers, Soaps can do Damage, says Experts 64

4.1. SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY SNIPPETS 1. BrahMos surface-to-surface Supersonic 66 2. ICGS KanaklataBarua 68 3. Atal Tunnel 68 4. Nanofiber Yarns 70 5. Xoo Infection 71 6. Rudram-1 72 7. D Protein 73 8. MOSAiC Expedition 74 9. Opposition Effect- Mars 74

5. ART AND CULTURE & MISCELLANEOUS 1. World Mental Health Day 2020 76

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5.1. ART AND CULTURE & MISCELLANEOUS

1. Day 78 2. NCERT Books in Indian Sign Language 79 3. Nobel Prize in Literature 2020 81

6. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. China Seeks BRI Push to Bangladesh 82 2. India and Myanmar 84 3. India, Japan Finalise Text of Pact for AI, 5G 87 4. UN World Food Programme gets Nobel Peace Prize, 2020 89 5. South Asia Economic Focus Report 91

6.1. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS SNIPPETS

1. International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons 93 2. TRIPS Agreement 94 3. World Standards Day 95

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1. ECONOMY 1. Natural Gas Marketing Reforms Why in News? • The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister has approved ‘Natural Gas Marketing Reforms’- a significant step to move towards gas-based economy. Approved Reforms: • The objective of the policy is to prescribe standard procedure to discover market price of gas to be sold in the market by gas producers, through a transparent and competitive process. • It permits Affiliates to participate in bidding process for sale of gas and allow marketing freedom to certain Field Development Plans (FDPs) where Production Sharing Contracts already provide pricing freedom. • The policy aims to provide standard procedure for sale of natural gas in a transparent and competitive manner to discover market price by issuing guidelines for sale by contractor through e-bidding. This will bring uniformity in the bidding process across the various contractual regimes and policies to avoid ambiguity and contribute towards ease of doing business. • The policy has also permitted Affiliate companies to participate in the bidding process in view of the open, transparent and electronic bidding. This will facilitate and promote more competition in marketing of gas. • However, rebidding will have to be done in case only affiliates participate, and there are no other bidders. • The policy will also grant marketing freedom to the Field Development Plans (FDPs) of those Blocks in which Production Sharing Contracts already provide pricing freedom. • These reforms will build on a series of transformative reforms rolled out by the Government in last Several Years. Expected Benefits: • These reforms in gas sector will further deepen and spur the economic activities in the following areas: • The whole eco-system of policies relating to production, infrastructure and marketing of natural gas has been made more transparent with a focus on ease of doing business. • These reforms will prove very significant for Atmanirbhar Bharat by encouraging investments in the domestic production of natural gas and reducing import dependence.

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• These reforms will prove to be another milestone in moving towards a gas-based economy by encouraging investments. The increased gas production consumption will help in improvement of environment. These reforms will also help in creating employment opportunities in the gas consuming sectors including MSMEs. • The domestic production will further help in increasing investment in the downstream industries such as City Gas Distribution and related industries. Natural Gas: • Natural gas is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, but commonly including varying amounts of other higher alkanes, and sometimes a small percentage of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide, or helium. • It is formed when layers of decomposing plant and animal matter are exposed to intense heat and pressure under the surface of the Earth over millions of years. • The energy that the plants originally obtained from the sun is stored in the form of chemical bonds in the gas. Natural gas is a fossil fuel. • Natural gas is a non-renewable Hydrocarbon. • It is used as a source of energy for heating, cooking, and electricity generation. • It is also used as a fuel for vehicles and as a chemical feedstock in the manufacture of plastics and other Commercially Important organic Chemicals. India’s Natural Gas Reserves: • As on 31 March 2018, India had estimated natural gas reserves of 1339.57 billion cubic meters (BCM). Gas supply sources in India: Domestic Gas Sources: • The domestic gas in the country is being supplied from the oil & gas fields located at western and south-eastern areas viz. Hazira basin, Mumbai offshore & KG basin as well as North East Region (Assam & Tripura). It is being supplied and distributed in terms of the guidelines related to pricing and utilization policies issued by the Government from time to time. In FY 2018-19, total domestic gas production was about 90.05 MMSCMD. Import of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG): • In order to meet the gas demand, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is imported through Open General License (OGL) in the country and it is imported by the gas marketer under various Long Term, Medium Term and Spot contracts.

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• The price and utilization of imported LNG is mutually decided by buyers and sellers. • At present, country is having six (6) operational LNG regasification terminals operational with capacity of about 38.8 MMTPA. • Since 2017 more than 1.6 lakh sq.km area under 105 exploration blocks have been allocated. • No blocks were allocated between 2010 and 2017 which has impacted the long-term viability of the domestic production. • This will ensure sustainability of the domestic production in long run. • Government brought a series of reforms in Gas sector and as a result investment of more than Rs. 70,000 crores are being made in the East coast. Gas production from East coast will contribute to Atmanirbhar Bharat by meeting increasing energy needs of the country. • In February 2019, Government implemented major reforms in upstream sector and brought paradigm shift by focusing on production maximization. Acreages under OALP rounds are being allocated based on work programme only in Cat II and Cat III basins. • The domestic gas production has complete marketing and pricing freedom. • All discoveries and field development plans approved after 28 Feb, 2019 have complete market and Pricing Freedom.

2. Government designates single SBI branch for all FCRA accounts Why in News? • The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has asked all NGOs seeking foreign donations to open a designated FCRA account at the State Bank of India’s New Delhi branch by March 31, 2021. About the News: • The MHA order reiterated that NGOs registered under FCRA shall not receive any foreign donations in any other bank account from April 1, 2021. • In September, the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2020 was amended by Parliament and a new provision that makes it mandatory for all non-government organisations and associations to receive foreign funds in a designated bank account at SBI’s New Delhi branch was inserted. • An order specifying the process of opening the FCRA bank account was issued by the MHA recently. As of now there are 22,434 such NGOs and associations active under the FCRA.

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What does the Order Say? • The order said an NGO will have to report the amount and source of foreign remittance received to the authorities. • The order said the Centre has notified the New Delhi Main Branch (NDMB) of SBI, 11 Sansad Marg, New Delhi-110001 for the purposes of opening the “FCRA account” to receive foreign contribution. • MHA said to open the account, the applicant need not visit the NDMB in Delhi and they might approach the nearest SBI branch or their SBI branch of choice. • It said that all persons/associations/NGOs that are already registered under FCRA will get sufficient time to transition to the new system and can open accounts at NDMB till March 31, 2021. • However, all fresh applicants for certificate of registration or prior permission under the FCRA, 2010, shall have to first open the FCRA account in the NDMB to receive any foreign contribution. • It is further clarified that the applicant person/NGO/ association has complete liberty to retain its present FCRA account as the FCRA account in any branch of a scheduled bank of its choice. They can link this account with the designated FCRA account opened in NDMB, Delhi. MHA also said adding that NDMB will not levy any fee to transfer the foreign funds to the designated FCRA account. Other Amendments Made: • It seeks to prohibit ‘public servants’ from receiving any Foreign Funding. • It proposes to reduce the use of foreign funds to meet administrative costs by NGOs from the existing 50 per cent to 20 per cent. • It seeks to “prohibit any transfer of foreign contribution to any association/person”. • It proposes to make Aadhaar cards a mandatory identification document for all office- bearers, directors and other key functionaries of NGOs or Associations eligible to receive Foreign Donations. Controversial Provisions: • To allow for the central government to hold a summary inquiry to direct bodies with FCRA approval to “not utilise the unutilised foreign contribution or receive the remaining portion of foreign contribution”. • To limit the use of foreign funds for administrative purposes. This would impact research and advocacy organisations which use the funding to meet their administrative costs.

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Main Criticisms: • The Bill will enhance government power and restrict foreign-funded civil society work in India.It can be used as a means to “target those who speak against the government”. • It will curtail the ease of doing business for civil society organisations. Why these Amendments are Necessary? • The need to strengthen the Act has arisen due to several organisations “misutilising or misappropriating” the funds leading to the government cancelling 19,000 such registrations in the past Few Years. • The annual inflow of foreign contribution has almost doubled between the years 2010 and 2019, but many recipients of foreign contribution have not utilised the same for the purpose for which they were registered or granted prior permission under the said Act. • Criminal investigations also had to be initiated against dozens of such non-governmental organisations which indulged in outright misappropriation or mis-utilisation of foreign Contribution.

1.1. ECONOMY SNIPPETS 1. Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) Why in News? • India’s manufacturing sector activity has improved for the second straight month in September and has Touched a more than eight-and-a-half-year high Supported by Accelerated Increases in new Orders and Production. What does the PMI Index Mean? • Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) is a survey-based economic indicator designed to provide a timely insight into business conditions. • The PMI is widely used to anticipate changing economic trends in official data such as GDP, or sometimes as an alternative gauge of economic performance and business conditions to official data, as the latter sometimes suffer from delays in publication, poor availability or data Quality Issues. • The PMI is produced globally by IHS Markit although a small number of trade associations also produce local PMIs in certain markets, such as the ISM in the United States.

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What does the Purchasing Managers’ Index Measure? • The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) is a survey-based indicator of business conditions, which includes individual measures (‘sub-indices’) of business output, new orders, employment, costs, selling prices, exports, purchasing activity, supplier performance, backlogs of orders and inventories of both inputs and finished goods, where applicable. • The surveys ask respondents to report the change in each variable compared to the prior month, noting whether each has risen/improved, fallen/deteriorated or remained unchanged. • These objective questions are accompanied by one subjective ‘sentiment’ question asking companies whether they forecast their output to be higher, the same or lower in a year’s time. • Originally compiled for manufacturing, IHS Markit pioneered the extension of coverage to other sectors in the 1990s, including services, construction and retail. • The PMI and its sub-indices are widely used to anticipate changing economic trends in official data such as GDP, or sometimes as an alternative gauge of economic performance and business conditions to official data, as the latter sometimes suffer from delays in publication, poor availability or data Quality Issues. Month’s Index: • The headline seasonally adjusted IHS Markit India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) Increased from 52.0 in August to 56.8 in September which is the highest since January 2012. • The Indian manufacturing industry continued to move in the right direction, with PMI data for September highlighting many positives this has been possible due to loosened COVID-19 restrictions, factories going full steam ahead for production which is supported by a surge in new work. • The upturn in total sales was supported by a renewed expansion in new export orders which is the first since prior to the escalation of the COVID-19 outbreak. Issues: • Despite strong growth of order book volumes, Indian goods producers have signalled another reduction in payroll numbers. In many cases, this has been attributed to efforts to observe social distancing guidelines. Employment has now decreased for six consecutive months. • The input costs have also increased because of which the output prices have risen.

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2. Phased Manufacturing Programme (PMP) Why in News? • Mobile phone prices are expected to rise about 3% as the government has imposed 10% duty on the import of displays. The duty on display assembly and touch panel was proposed to be applied from October 1 under a Phased Manufacturing Programme (PMP) Announced in 2016 in Consensus with the Industry. Phased Manufacturing Programme (PMP): • In a bid to make India a mobile manufacturing hub of the world the Centre has introduced Phased Manufacturing Programme (PMP). • The scheme would promote domestic production of mobile phones by providing tax relief and other incentives on components and accessories used for the devices. • The Phased Manufacturing Programme has been notified with the objective of substantially increasing the domestic value addition for establishment of a robust Cellular mobile handsets manufacturing eco-system in India. • The Budget 2015-16 introduced a differential Excise Duty for domestic mobile manufacturers. Under this, the Countervailing Duty (CVT) on imports at 12.5% and Excise Duty at 1% without input tax credit (or 12.5% with input tax credit) were given to domestic cell phone manufacturers. • This was done because earlier it was cheaper to import mobile components or finished goods after India signed the World Trade Organisation’s ITA-1 pact (Information Technology Agreement). • This pact exempts duties from several IT products. • The differential duty approach has helped in increasing the local production of mobile handsets from 11 crore units valued at Rs 54,000 crore in 2015-16 to 17.5 crore units valued at Rs 90,000 crore in 2016-17, according to the official statement. It also says that the share of imported mobile handsets in total domestic demand is gradually coming down — from Rs 56,000 crore in 2015-16 to Rs 40,000 crore in 2016-17. • The PMP aims to take this growth story to a new level and it is estimated that the value of India’s domestic mobile handset manufacturing industry would grow exponentially over the next 5-10 years. Main Aim: • At present, India imports basic chipset for mobile handsets but there has been a spurt in the production of other mobile components.

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• Over the next 10-12 years, PMP aims to make India a manufacturing hub of mobile components. • With PMP, the share of locally-procured components in the manufacturing of feature phones will go up from about 15 to 37 per cent and for smart phones from about 10 to 26 per cent, leading to the setting up of a “robust indigenous mobile manufacturing ecosystem in India. • The PMP would be rolled out over a period of time in a phase-wise manner. In the financial year (2017-18), the PMP covers domestic production of components like Mechanics, Die Cut Parts, Microphone and Receiver, Key Pad and USB Cable. In 2018-19, it would cover printed circuit board assembly, camera module and connectores, while in 2019-20, the PMP would provide incentives for local production of display assembly, touch panel/cover glass assembly and vibrator motor or ringer.

3. Precision Agriculture Why in News? • The Session on “Sensors and Sensing for Precision Agriculture” was recently organized by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR- IARI). Highlights: • Recent advances in the field of sensors, remote sensing, deep learning, artificial intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT) for monitoring and quantification of soil, plant and environment to enhance farm productivity with increased input use efficiency and environmental sustainability. • The session is a part of the Vaishwik Bhartiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) Summit 2020. • VAIBHAV is a initiative to bring together the thought process, practices, research and development (R&D) culture of overseas and Indian Scientists/Academicians. About Precision Agriculture: • It is an approach where inputs are utilised in precise amounts to get increased average yields, compared to traditional cultivation techniques such as agroforestry, intercropping, crop rotation, etc. • It is this century’s most valuable innovation in farm management that is based on using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).

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• It is based on sustainable agriculture and healthy food production and it consists of profitability and increasing production, economic efficiency and the reduction of side effects on the environment. Advantages: • It increases agriculture productivity. • It prevents soil degradation. • It reduces chemical application in crop production. • It uses of water resources efficiently. • It disseminates modern farm practices to improve the quality, quantity and reduced cost of production. • It changes the socio-economic status of farmers.

4. Real Time Gross Settlement System (RTGS) Why in News? • Recently, the Real Time Gross Settlement System (RTGS) is used for large value transactions, will be made available round-the-clock from December 2020. Highlights: • It enables real-time transfer of funds to a beneficiary’s account and is primarily meant for large-value transactions. • Real time means the processing of instructions at the time they are received and gross settlement implies that settlement of funds transfer instructions occurs individually. • RTGS is available for customers from 7.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. on all working days of a week, except second and fourth Saturdays of every month. • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to make available the RTGS system round the clock on all days from December 2020 in order to facilitate swift and seamless payments in real-time for domestic businesses and institutions. • The National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) system was made available on a 24x7x365 basis. From July 2019, RBI stopped levying charges on transactions through NEFT and RTGS, with an aim to promote Digital Transactions in the Country. • This will facilitate innovations in the large value payments ecosystem and promote ease of doing business.

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• This will help in global integration of Indian financial markets and will facilitate India’s efforts to develop international financial centres. • With this, India will be one of the very few countries globally with a 24x7x365 large value real time Payment System. • It is meant for large-value instantaneous fund transfers while NEFT is generally used for fund transfers of up to Rs. 2 lakh. • The minimum amount to be remitted through RTGS is Rs. 2,00,000 with no upper or maximum ceiling. • There is no limit imposed by RBI for funds transfer through NEFT system. However, banks may place amount limits based on their own risk perception with the approval of its board. It is an electronic fund transfer system in which the transactions received up to a particular time are processed in batches. • In RTGS, the transactions are processed continuously on a transaction by transaction basis throughout the RTGS Business Hours.

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2. ENVIRONMENT 1. 6 states want 6k sq. km to be Taken Off Western Ghats Eco Zone Why in News? • The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has expressed concern after six states asked the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change to whittle down the size of eco- sensitive zone (ESZ) under the ecologically fragile Western Ghats by 6,386.65 sq km. • In 2014, the then MoEF issued a draft notification declaring 56,825 sq km in the Western Ghats as ESZ. Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZ): • Areas around protected areas to prevent ecological damage caused due to developmental activities around National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. • MoEFCC can designate any area as ESZ. • Environment Protection Act, 1986 does not mention the word Eco-sensitive Zones. • Act says that central government can prohibit or restrict the location of industries & carrying on certain operations on basis of considerations like: ✓ Biological Diversity of an Area, ✓ Maximum allowable limits of concentration of pollutants for an area, ✓ Environmentally compatible land use, and ✓ Proximity to Protected Areas. • This clause have been used by govt. to ESZ or Ecologically Fragile Areas (EFA) & No Development Zones. • MoEFCC has approved guidelines laying down criteria for declaring ESAs, include: ✓ Species Based (Endemism, Rarity etc), ✓ Ecosystem Based (Sacred Groves, Frontier Forests etc.,) and ✓ Geomorphologic Feature based (Uninhabited Islands, Origins of Rivers etc). Western Ghats: • The Western Ghats are also known as Sahyadri. • Western Ghats run around 1.6 lakh sq. km, from Kanyakumari to Gujarat and spread across six states. Western Ghats is a treasure trove of biodiversity and source of major rivers, including Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery. • The hills of this area run parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula and span Gujarat, Maharashtra, , Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

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• The area is an important biological landscape and hosts a variety of endemic species of Flora and Fauna. Alongside such biodiversity, the Ghats also support about 50 million people. The range runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain ‘Konkan’ along the Arabian Sea. • The range starts near the Songadh town of Gujarat and ends at MarunthuvazhMalai, near the Southern Tip of India. • The Western Ghats are older than the Himalayas. • It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world’s ten hottest biodiversity hotspots. At least 325 globally threatened species occur in the Western Ghats. • They influence Indian monsoon weather patterns by intercepting the rain-laden monsoon winds that sweep in from the south-west during late summer. Kasturirangan Committee: • The Kasturirangan committee was headed by Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan, former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation. • This committee’s report watered down the focus on preserving the environment and recommended that only 37% of the Western Ghats region be classified as an ESA. • The report essentially split the Ghats into two landscapes – cultural and ecological, with the percentage of ecological landscape standing at 37%. • The report removed the system of gradation recommended by the Gadgil commission. • Instead, the former banked on an existing system of ‘red’, ‘orange’ and ‘green’ categorization of activities according to their polluting effects. • Kasturirangan recommended that ‘red’ category industries (like mining and quarrying) be banned, ‘orange’ ones (like food processing, hotels and restaurants, automobile servicing) be regulated and ‘green’ (like processing of grains, apparel-making) be allowed to function as usual. With respect to activities like sand-mining and Quarrying, which fall in the ‘red’ category, the Kasturirangan report provided some relief: existing operations would be allowed to continue until their lease expired but that the lease would not be renewed. • However, conservationists had issues with the dilutions of the Gadgil report. Because only 37% of the Western Ghats were to be regarded as an ESA, the threat posed to the region by developmental activities like hydropower projects remained because they could be setup in the remaining 63%, and still fragment and degrade the landscape. • The Kasturirangan report was submitted to the environment ministry in 2013 and was quickly met with resistance from politicians as well as members of local communities.

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2. Inadequate Compensatory Afforestation Why in News? • Recently, a study on compensatory afforestation in lieu of forest diversion for development of projects in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district, only 10% of saplings said to be planted were actually found on the site and their survival rate was as low as 3.6%. Data Analysis: • It has been carried out by Himdhara Environment Research and Action Collective. It is based on government data and ground research and was conducted between 2012 and 2016. • The Total area demarcated for compensatory afforestation was 1,930 ha in lieu of 984 ha of forest land diverted for non-forest activities, including roads, hydro-projects, transmission lines, etc. • The Total diverted forest land in Kinnaur had 11,598 standing trees, belonging to 21 species. • The Majority of the trees felled were coniferous, dominated by cedar (3,612 felled) and near-threatened chilgoza pines (2,743). • Between 2002 and 2014, of the Rs.162.82 crore collected under Catchment Area Treatment (CAT) plan funds of Kinnaur’s projects, only 36% had been spent till 31st March 2014. • CAT plan funds are budgeted as mitigation measures for hydroelectric power projects. • More than 90% of the diversion of forest in Kinnaur takes place for the development of hydropower projects and transmission lines. • Himachal Pradesh has the highest installed capacity of hydropower projects of 10,000 MW in the country and located in Sutlej basin, Kinnaur is the state’s hydropower hub with 53 planned Hydropower Projects. About Compensatory Afforestation: • According to Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) rules, for every hectare of forest land diverted, double the area of ‘degraded’ lands are used as sites for ‘compensatory afforestation’. • Every time forest land is diverted for non-forest purposes such as mining or industry, the user agency pays for planting forests over an equal area of non-forest land, or when such land is not available, twice the area of degraded forest land.

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• As per the rules, 90% of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) money is to be given to the states while 10% is to be retained by the Centre. • The funds are used for CAT, assisted natural generation, forest management, wildlife protection and management, relocation of villages from protected areas, managing human-wildlife conflicts, training and awareness generation, supply of wood saving devices and allied activities. Challenges: • One of the reasons why the forest department is unable to fulfil the target is because there’s simply no land available for the compensatory afforestation. • A large part of Kinnaur is rocky and a cold desert where nothing grows. • Around 10% of the district is already forested and the rest is either used for agriculture or are grasslands. Many of the plots carved out for afforestation are actually grasslands which are used by the villagers for grazing cattle. • In many instances, the villagers uproot the saplings because they do not want the grassland converted to a forest. This lack of land for afforestation means that once a forest has been felled, it is often lost permanently. The authorities only look at identifying plots of land where afforestation can take place just because it is mandated which makes the concept faulty. Socio-economic needs are not considered and there is also no monitoring of the afforestation as well. About Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority. It works as a national advisory council under the chairmanship of the Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for monitoring, technical assistance and evaluation of compensatory Afforestation Activities. • Objectives of CAMPA: To promote afforestation and regeneration activities as a way of compensating for forest land diverted to non-forest uses. Way Ahead: • There is a need to understand the adverse effects of deforestation and address it in a timely manner with adequate resources and sufficient monitoring and guidance. • The state should encourage people’s participation allowing more connections between the people and the forests leading to better care and protection of the new Saplings and the Existing Trees. • Rapidly running out of space for compensatory afforestation, the Forest Department should carry out Plantations in other Districts in lieu of Forest Land Diverted in KINNAUR.

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3. Eco Disaster Unfolding on Kamchatka Beach Why in News? • According to a report, an ‘Ecological Disaster’ of sorts is unfolding on a black volcanic beach of the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East. What is the Matter? • Three weeks ago, surfers on the Khalaktyrsky beach outside Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the largest town in Kamchatka, had reported of burning eyes, throat ache, headache, fever and a fear of losing eyesight on emerging from the water. • Then, sea animals begin to die in large numbers, their bodies littering the beach. • These included octopuses, seals, sea urchins, stars, crabs and fish. • Examination of the sea water by the administration has shown that levels of phenols and oil compounds have spiked. • The river displayed a yellow colour. • There is a training camp of the Russian military upstream. Another theory being speculated is that ships carrying oil in the vicinity had leaked it into the sea water. • Kamchatka is a UNESCO world heritage site. Temperatures in Antarctic Peninsula Highest in 30 years: • Temperatures in 2020 on the Antarctic Peninsula, the northernmost tip of the Antarctic continent, have been the highest in nearly three decades, a study by researchers from the University of Santiago de Chile has found. • Temperatures reached between two and three degrees Celsius on the peninsula between January and August, according to a report on science and environment website. • That is “more than two degrees Celsius over typical values”, according to researchers. • This was an alarming development since it could indicate that the ocean in the area was once again warming, According to Scientists. • The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on NASA’s Terra satellite has photographed the enormous amount of Andes mountain sediment deposited by the Amazon river into the Atlantic Ocean. • Most of the sediment that the Amazon carried to the Atlantic came from three rivers flowing in the western part of the basin, namely the Maranon, the Ucayali and Mamoré. • Some 1.3 million tonnes of rock, soil and clay are deposited by the Amazon into the Atlantic every year.

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Kamchatka Peninsula: • Kamchatka is 900 miles long and it is closer to Alaska than it is to Moscow. • Kamchatka contains the highest concentration of active volcanoes in the world, as well as freezing winters that are braved by nomadic reindeer herders. • The volcanoes have been incorporated into an extensive UNESCO World Heritage Site that is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including brown bears, sea otters and sea eagles. • This peninsula has over 150 volcanoes and 29 out of them are active. • It has a group of 19 volcanoes known as Volcanoes of Kamchatka which is UNESCO World Heritage Site. • It has many volcanoes, geysers, hot springs and even a lake of acid. • The region’s extensive network of rivers and proximity to the Sea of Okhotsk and Pacific Ocean allows it to play host to the largest variety of salmonid species on earth, including the Sockeye Salmon.

4. Ratification of 7 Persistent Organic Pollutants Why in News? • The Union Cabinet has approved the ratification of seven chemicals listed under Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). About the News: • The Cabinet further delegated its powers to ratify chemicals under the Stockholm Convention to Union Ministries of External Affairs (MEA) and Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MEFCC) in respect of POPs for streamlining the procedure. • Considering its commitment towards providing a safe environment and addressing human health risks, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) had notified the 'Regulation of Persistent Organic Pollutants Rules, in 2018 under the provisions of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. • The regulation inter alia prohibits the manufacture, trade, use, import and export of seven Chemicals, Namely: ✓ Chlordecone, ✓ Hexabromobiphenyl, ✓ Hexabromodiphenyl ether and HeptaBromodiphenyl Ether (Commercial octa-BDE), ✓ Tetrabromodiphenyl ether and Pentabromodiphenyl ether (Commercial penta-BDE), ✓ Pentachlorobenzene,

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✓ Hexabromocyclododecane, and ✓ Hexachlorobutadiene. About Persistent Organic Pollutants: • POPs are identified chemical substances that are characterised by: ✓ Persistence in the environment. ✓ Bio-accumulation in the fatty acids in living organisms. ✓ Less soluble in water. ✓ Adverse effect on Human Health/ Environment. • Exposure to POPs can lead to cancer, damage to central & peripheral nervous systems, diseases of the immune system, reproductive disorders and interference with normal infant and Child Development. • The property of long-range environmental transport (LRET) makes them spread widely in the Atmosphere. About the Stockholm Convention: • It is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from POPs. • It was opened for signature in 2001 in Stockholm (Sweden) and became effective in 2004. • POPs are listed in various Annexes to the Stockholm Convention after thorough scientific research, deliberations and negotiations among member countries. • Objectives of the Convention are: ✓ Support the transition to safer alternatives. ✓ Target additional POPs for action. ✓ Clean-up old stockpiles and equipment containing POPs. ✓ Work together for a POPs-free future. • India ratified the Stockholm Convention in 2006 as per Article 25(4), which enabled it to keep itself in a default "opt-out" position such that amendments in various Annexes of the convention cannot be enforced on it unless an instrument of ratification/ acceptance/ approval or accession is explicitly deposited with UN depositary. • The convention calls to ban nine of the dirty dozen chemicals (key POPs), limit the use of DDT to malaria control, and curtail inadvertent production of dioxins and furans. The convention listed twelve distinct chemicals in three categories: ✓ Eight pesticides (aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, mirex and toxaphene) ✓ Two industrial chemicals (poly chlorinated biphenyls and hexachlorobenzene)

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✓ Two unintended by-products of many industrial processes involving chlorine such as waste incineration, chemical and pesticide manufacturing and pulp and paper bleaching (poly chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans, commonly referred to as dioxins and furans). Significance of Decision: • The Cabinet's approval for ratification of POPs demonstrates India's commitment to meet its international obligations with regard to protection of Environment and Human Health. • It also indicates the resolve of the Government to take action on POPs by implementing control measures, develop and implement action plans for unintentionally produced chemicals, develop inventories of the chemicals' stockpiles and review. • The ratification process would enable India to access the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Financial Resources. What is Global Environment Facility? • GEF was established with the Rio Earth Summit of 1992. • It is headquartered at Washington, D.C., USA. • The GEF is jointly managed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank, and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). • The financial mechanism was established to help tackle our planet’s most pressing Environmental Problems. • It provides funds to the developing countries and transition economies for projects related to climate change, biodiversity, the ozone layer, etc. • It is a Financial Mechanism for 5 Major International Environmental Conventions: ✓ The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), ✓ The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD), ✓ The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), ✓ The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and ✓ The Minamata Convention on Mercury.

5. SC upholds Madras HC order on T.N. Elephant Corridor Why in News? • The Supreme Court recently upheld the Tamil Nadu government’s authority to notify an ‘elephant corridor’ and protect the migratory path of the animals through the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.

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About the Issue: • The Supreme Court judgment came on 32 appeals filed by resorts/private land owners, against a Madras High Court decision of July 2011. • The High Court had confirmed a State government order of August 2010, notifying the Elephant Corridor. What are the Observations by SC? • The reserve is the largest protected forest area in India, spanning across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. It said that it is the State’s duty to protect a “keystone species” like elephants, which are immensely important to the environment. • Elephant corridors allow elephants to continue their nomadic mode of survival, despite shrinking forest cover, by facilitating travel between distinct forest habitats. • These corridors play a crucial role in sustaining wildlife by reducing the impact of habitat isolation. About Elephant Corridors: • As estimated, there are 101 elephant corridors, of which almost 70% are used regularly. • Nearly three-quarters of the corridors are evenly divided among southern, central and north-eastern forests. • The rest are found in northwest Bengal and the north-western region. • Some of these passages are precariously narrow, at only a Hundred Metres wide. • Nilgiris - There are an estimated 6,500 elephants in just the Brahmagiri-Nilgiris-Eastern Ghats ranges.Most of the resorts in the Nilgiris have come up right under the gaze of the Forest Department. • The majority continue to function without the requisite permissions. • This must be thoroughly investigated to check whether there was any wrongdoing. • The grey area of mushrooming home-stay structures, which are just hotels on forest fringes, also deserves scrutiny. About Nilgiris Elephant Corridor: • The corridor is situated in the ecologically fragile Sigur plateau, which connects the Western and the Eastern Ghats and sustains elephant populations and their genetic diversity. It has the Nilgiri hills on its south-western side and the Moyar river valley on its north-eastern side. The elephants cross the plateau in search of food and water depending on the Monsoon.

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Whyit is Needed? • Forests that have turned into farms and unchecked tourism are blocking animals' paths.Animals are thus forced to seek alternative routes resulting in increased elephant- human conflict. • Weak regulation of ecotourism is severely impacting important habitats.It particularly affects animals that have large home ranges, like Elephants. • The movement of elephants is essential to ensure that their populations are genetically viable. It also helps to regenerate forests on which other species, including tigers, depend. • Elephant corridors are also crucial to reduce animal fatalities due to accidents and other reasons.So fragmentation of forests makes it all the more important to preserve migratory corridors. Ending human interference in the pathways of elephants is more a conservation imperative. • The Supreme Court’s order is thus a necessary step to restore the ecology of these species. Way Forward: • Nearly 40% of elephant reserves are vulnerable, as they are not within protected parks and sanctuaries. Also, the migration corridors have no Specific Legal Protection. • Illegal structures in these pathways should be removed without delay. • Efforts should be to expand elephant corridors, using the Successful models within the country. • This includes acquisition of lands using private funds and their transfer to the Government.

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2.1. ENVIRONMENT SNIPPETS

1. Methane Emissions Why in News? • Methane is responsible for a quarter of global warming that occurred since the 1850s, according to Climate Scientists. Highlights: • Raising livestock, increase in coal mining, landfills, and oil and gas production were the specific activities linked to the greatest increases, according Global Carbon Project. • Wetlands contributed the most of the emissions, at 30 per cent, while oil, gas and coal activities accounted for 20 per cent of the emissions. Agriculture made up 24 per cent of the emissions, while landfills were responsible for 11 per cent. • Tropical regions in three continents Africa, Asia and South America were responsible for 64 per cent of the entire planet’s emissions, while temperate regions and the Arctic contributed to 32 per cent and four per cent respectively. • Water-logged soil once it begins to thaw creates conditions ideal for methane production. • Emissions increased nine per cent compared to the last decade. • While methane emissions briefly stabilized between 2000 and 2006, concentrations of the gas in the atmosphere now exceed 1,875 parts per billion or about 2.5 times that from the 1850s. Global Carbon Project: • The GCP is a Global Research Project of Future Earth and a research partner of the World Climate Research Programme. • Established in 2001, its projects include global budgets for three dominant greenhouse gases CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide and complementary efforts in urban, regional, cumulative, and Negative Emissions. • The main object of the group has been to fully understand the carbon cycle. • It collaborates with many groups to gather, analyze, and publish data on greenhouse gas emissions in an open and transparent fashion, making datasets available on its website and through its Publications. • It releases the Global Carbon Atlas (established in 2013) a tool for visualising data related to the Global Carbon Cycle.

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2. Sambhar Lake Why in News? • The Rajasthan government has recently decided to build temporary shelters for migratory birds near the Sambhar Lake near Jaipur before 2020’s Winter Season. Highlights: • More than 20,000 migratory birds died due to avian botulism in the lake, in 2019. Every year, a large number of birds from the cold northern regions of Central Asia come to Sambhar Lake. • The Court has constituted a seven-member expert committee to study the impact of salt- forming and identify any illegal salt mining in the lake. • It has suggested the state government seek the centre’s support for more funds for creating an infrastructure for the safety and security of birds. About Sambhar Lake: • It is India's largest inland saline water body located near Jaipur in Rajasthan. • It is surrounded on all sides by the Aravali hills. • It is the source of most of Rajasthan's salt production. • It has been designated as a Ramsar site (recognised wetland of international importance) because the wetland is a key wintering area for tens of thousands of flamingos and other Migratory Birds. About Avian Botulism • It is a neuro-muscular illness caused by Botulinum (natural toxin) that is produced by bacteria, Clostridium botulinum. • The bacteria are commonly found in the soil, rivers, and seawater. It affects both humans and animals. • The bacteria also need anaerobic (absence of oxygen) conditions and do not grow in acidic Conditions. • The illness affects the nervous system of birds, leading to paralysis in their legs and wings. • The outbreaks of avian botulism tend to occur when average temperatures are above 21 Degrees Celsius, and during droughts.

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3. Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Why in News? • A Supreme Court-appointed pollution monitoring body has directed Delhi and neighbouring States to implement air pollution control measures under “very poor” and “severe” category air quality of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) from October 15, including a ban on the use of Diesel Generators, Except for Emergency Activities. GRAP: • GRAP is a plan that institutionalised measures to be taken when air quality deteriorates. • It was approved by the Supreme Court in 2016, the plan was formulated after several meetings that the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) held with state government representatives and experts. • GRAP works only as an emergency measure. If air quality reaches the severe+ stage, GRAP talks about shutting down schools and implementing the odd-even road-space rationing scheme. • GRAP was notified in 2017 by the Centre and draws its authority from this notification. Before the imposition of any measures, EPCA holds a meeting with representatives from all NCR states, and a call is taken on which actions has to be made applicable in which Town. Implementation under different Air Quality Index (AQI): • Severe+ or Emergency (PM 2.5 over 300 µg/cubic metre or PM10 over 500 µg/cu. m. for 48+ hours) ✓ Stop entry of trucks into Delhi (except essential commodities) ✓ Stop construction work ✓ Introduce odd/even scheme for private vehicles and minimise exemptions ✓ Task Force to decide any additional steps including shutting of schools • Severe (PM 2.5 over 250 µg/cu. m. or PM10 over 430 µg/cu. m.) ✓ Close brick kilns, hot mix plants, stone crushers ✓ Maximise power generation from natural gas to reduce generation from coal ✓ Encourage public transport, with differential rates ✓ More frequent mechanised cleaning of road and sprinkling of water • Very Poor (PM2.5 121-250 µg/cu. m. or PM10 351-430 µg/cu. m.) ✓ Stop use of diesel generator sets ✓ Enhance parking fee by 3-4 times

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✓ Increase bus and Metro services ✓ Apartment owners to discourage burning fires in winter by providing electric heaters during winter ✓ Advisories to people with respiratory and cardiac conditions to restrict outdoor movement • Moderate to poor (PM2.5 61-120 µg/cu. m. or PM10 101-350 µg/cu. m.) ✓ Heavy fines for Garbage Burning ✓ Close/enforce pollution control regulations in brick kilns and industries ✓ Mechanised sweeping on roads with heavy traffic and water sprinkling ✓ Strictly enforce ban on Firecrackers

4. Lepidoptera species Why in News? • According to a recent study, rising average temperatures in the Himalayan region have driven several dozen species of butterfly and moth to habitats higher up the mountains. • The Himalayas are home to more than 35% of Lepidoptera species (butterflies and moths) found in India. Highlights: • Lepidoptera is the order of insects that includes butterflies, moths and skippers. • The name is derived from the Greek, meaning “scaly winged,” and refers to the characteristic covering of microscopic dustlike scales on the wings. • Due to their day-flying habits and bright colours, the butterflies are more familiar than the chiefly night-flying and dull-coloured moths, but the latter is far more varied and abundant. • The skippers are a worldwide group intermediate between butterflies and moths. • They are ecologically important because they transform large amounts of plant matter into the animal matter and in turn serve as food for many other groups of animals. • The adults of many species are important for their role in pollination, which occurs as they visit flowers for nectar. • The Study is carried out by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and was funded by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

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• The four-year study tracked 1,274 species of moth and 484 species of butterfly in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, North Bengal, and Arunachal Pradesh. • It also identified 80 new species of Butterfly and Moth. • At least 49 species of moth and 17 species of butterfly have shown “considerable new upward altitude records”, with a difference of more than 1,000 metres between their current and previously recorded mean habitat altitudes. • Few species of moths like the mulberry silkworm moth and tiger moth have started to inhabit altitudes more than 2,000 m higher than the previous mean. • Butterflies like the Common Map, Tailless Bushblue and the Indian Red Admiral butterfly have seen the difference ranging from 900-1500 m in their habitats. • The extension of the range of Lepidoptera due to climate change has been observed all over the world and Indian data from this evidence-based study confirms this trend and shows which species are moving, and how. • Butterflies are sensitive species that are extremely susceptible to changes in climate. They are, therefore, good indicators of long-term change in Climatic Conditions. • The ZSI predicts a decline of as much as 91% for example, in the suitable area for the Notodontidae family of moths in J&K, Himachal, and Uttarakhand by 2050. The findings will be used as a baseline indicator to track the impact of climate change on animal species over the coming decade.The identified two species richness hotspots are One is in West Bengal’s Darjeeling hills, where more than 400 species records were documented and another one is in Kumaon, Uttarakhand, where more than 600 species records were found. • The study also revealed an increase in the richness of Lepidoptera biodiversity from the Western to the Eastern Himalayas.

5. Mount Kilimanjaro Why in News? • A Fire that has recently broken out on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa. Its causes is not clear but strong winds and dry weather have caused it to spread fast. Highlights: • It is located in Tanzania; Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa’s tallest mountain at about 5,895 Meters. It is also the largest free-standing mountain rise in the world, meaning it is not

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part of a mountain range.It is a stratovolcano or composite volcano a term for a very large volcano made of layers of ash, lava, and rock, and is made up of three cones Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. • Kibo is the summit of the mountain and the tallest of the three volcanic formations. While Mawenzi and Shira are extinct, Kibo is dormant and could possibly erupt again. Scientists estimate that the last time it erupted was 3,60,000 years ago. • It is also known for its snow-capped peak which might disappear within the next 20 years or so as per the warnings by the scientists.The mountain and its six surrounding forest corridors were named Kilimanjaro National Park in order to protect its unique environment. The park was named a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage site in 1987.It is a popular tourist destination and tens of thousands of people Climb it Every Year.

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3. POLITY & GOVERNANCE 1. EC Announces New Rules for Postal Ballot Why in News? • Seeking to make the procedure to opt for postal ballot more convenient for those above 80 years of age and people with disabilities, the Election Commission has come out with a set of New Instructions. About the News: • The form required to opt for the postal ballot would be delivered at the residence of all those above 80 years of age and people with disabilities by the booth level officer under his polling station.It would be up to these two category of voters to opt for postal ballot. • "If he/she opts for postal ballot, then the BLO will collect the filled-in form 12-D from the house of the elector within five days of the notification and deposit it with the returning officer forthwith".The Fresh Instructions would be applicable to all elections and by- elections, including the by Polls Announced last week to 56 assembly and one Lok Sabha seat.The Returning officer would deploy polling teams, who will deliver and collect the postal ballot on pre-informed dates and thereafter deposit it with the RO. • This postal Ballot Facility is different from the one extended to service voters. Here, those willing to use the facility have to fill up a form. Officials then carry the ballot to the residence of such voters and Videograph the voting to ensure transparency. What is Postal Voting? • A Restricted set of Voters can Exercise Postal Voting. • Through this facility, a voter can cast her vote remotely by recording her preference on the Ballot Paper and sending it back to the Election Officer before counting. Who can Avail of this Facility? • Members of the armed forces like the Army, Navy and Air Force, members of the armed police force of a state (serving outside the state), government employees posted outside India and their spouses are entitled to vote only by post. • In other words, they can’t vote in person. Voters under preventive detention can also vote only by post. • Special voters such as the , Vice President, Governors, Union Cabinet ministers, Speaker of the House and government officers on poll duty have the option to vote by post.

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• But they have to apply through a prescribed form to Avail this Facility. What about Absentee Voters? • Recently, the Law Ministry, at the Election Commission’s behest, introduced a new category of ‘absentee voters’, who can now also opt for postal voting. • These are voters employed in essential services and unable to cast their vote due to their service conditions.Currently, officials of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, Northern Railway (Passenger and Freight) Services and media persons are notified as absentee voters.Senior citizens above the age of 65 and voters who test positive for COVID19 or are suspected to be COVID-affected were allowed to cast their vote by post. How are Votes Recorded by Post? • The Returning Officer is supposed to print ballot papers within 24 hours of the last date of nomination withdrawal and dispatch them within a day. • This is done so that the ballot papers reach the concerned voter well before the polling date and she has enough time to send it back before the counting day. • Postal ballot papers for members of the Armed Forces are sent through their record offices. • For members of the armed police force of a state (serving outside the state), government employees posted outside India and their spouses, the ballot paper can be sent through post or electronically. • For remaining categories ballot papers can be delivered personally or through the post. Issues with the Recent Move: • Allowing those aged 80 and above to vote by postal ballot violates secrecy in voting as a large Segment of the Population is uneducated and they might seek assistance from others. • This will end up Disclosing their Preferred Candidate. • This also exposes them to “administrative influence or influence by the Government or the ruling party”.

2. GST Council Fails to Reach Consensus on Compensating States Why in News? • The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council has recently failed to iron out differences between Opposition-ruled States and the Centre over the plan to get States to borrow from the market to meet an estimated Rs. 2.35 lakh crore shortfall in compensation cess collections this year.

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About GST Council: • It is a constitutional body (Article 279A) for making recommendations to the Union and State Government on issues related to Goods and Services Tax. • The GST Council is chaired by the Union Finance Minister and other members are the Union State Minister of Revenue or Finance and Ministers in-charge of Finance or Taxation of all the States.It is considered as a federal body where both the centre and the states get due representation. Shortfall in GST and Cess Collection: • The economic slowdown had reduced both GST and cess collections in FY 2019-20, resulting in a 40% gap (shortfall) between the compensation paid and cess collected. • The central government paid over Rs.1.65 lakh crore in 2019-20 as GST compensation by utilising the excess cess amount collected during 2017-18 and 2018-19. • The Centre decided to release Rs. 45,000 crore of GST dues in addition to the States by next week to help them meet immediate spending needs amid the pandemic which includes Rs. 20,000 crore of GST compensation cess collected so far in 2020-21. • The balance Rs. 25,000 crore pertains to Integrated GST dues from 2017-18 that had to be reconciled between States that got more than they ought to have and those that got less than their dues at the time. The state’s GST revenue gap in 2020-21 is expected to be about Rs. 3 lakh crore, while cess collections are only projected to reach Rs. 65,000 crore, leaving a shortfall of Rs. 2.35 lakh crore. Distinction in Shortfall: • Only Rs. 97,000 crore out of Rs. 2.35 lakh crore of the shortfalls is due to GST implementation itself, while the rest is due to the impact of COVID-19.This calculation was revised with the Centre submitting that Rs. 1.10 lakh crore of the shortfalls is due to GST implementation and the balance due to COVID-19. • The Centre distinguished the GST shortfall into two types: ✓ Due to GST implementation itself. ✓ Caused by the impact of COVID-19. • The Finance Minister termed the fall of GST revenue due to COVID-19 as an act of God. However, the GST Compensation Act, 2017 did not foresee an act of God. • The GST Compensation Act, 2017 guaranteed states that they would be compensated for any loss of revenue in the first five years of GST implementation, until 2022, using a cess levied on sin and luxury goods.

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✓ Sin goods are goods which are considered harmful to society and individuals. Example of sin goods: Alcohol and Tobacco, Candies, Drugs, Soft drinks, Fast foods, etc. Offers Made by the Centre: • It offered two options for borrowing by states to meet the shortfall: ✓ A special window could be provided, in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), so that the states can get Rs. 97,000 crore at a reasonable rate of interest, the amount can be repaid after five years (of GST implementation) ending 2022 from cess collection. ✓ Another option is that this entire gap of Rs. 2.35 lakh crore can be met by the borrowing by the states in consultation with RBI. • Initially States choosing the first option were given 0.5% relaxation in states’ borrowing limits under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003. Now, under the first option offered to States, they can now borrow Rs. 1.1 lakh crore without impacting their borrowing limits or having to repay the loan or interest on it. Under the second option, States can borrow the entire Rs. 2.35 lakh crore shortfalls. • The Borrowing plan is valid for FY 2020-21 only and the GST Council would review the Revenue Position next fiscal to decide on payments for 2021-22. Way Forward: • The GST council can consider increasing the cess or including more products under the cess or compensation levy can be extended beyond five years, to meet this GST shortfall.

3. Lokpal and Lokayukta Why in News? • The Justice Prafulla Kumar Misra has recently retired from the post of Goa Lokayukta and has highlighted the issues related to the state office and the proceedings. About Lokpal and Lokayukta: • Lokpal and Lokayukta Act, 2013: It provides the establishment of Lokpal for the Union and Lokayukta for States. • The "India Against Corruption Movement" led by put pressure on the then government at the Centre and resulted in the passing of the Lokpal and Bill, 2013, in both the Houses of Parliament. • It received assent from the President on 1st January 2014 and came into force on 16th January 2014. The term Lokpal and Lokayukta were coined by Dr L. M. Singhvi.

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• These institutions are statutory bodies without any constitutional status. They perform the function of an "” and inquire into allegations of corruption against certain public functionaries and for related matters. About Goa Lokayukta Act: • Before the enactment of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 itself, many states had already set up the institution of Lokayuktas. • It was sent to the Central government in 2003 and passed in the Assembly only in October 2011, after it was reintroduced. • It is modelled upon Karnataka and Kerala’s Lokayukta Acts but with less strict provisions. • It is intended to remove grievances of individual(s) against maladministration of government officials. A complaint under this Act can be filed either on the basis of an allegation or on the basis of the Grievance. During his tenure, the office of the Lokayukta received 191 cases, 133 of which were disposed of. Among the 58 pending cases are 21 in which he sent reports to the government, but the state government has not acted and Action Taken Reports are still awaited. • His recommendations included initiation of disciplinary action, transfer, probe into mishandled funds, misuse of powers of ministers and bureaucrats, detailed investigation by the Anti-Corruption Bureau or a declaration that an elected functionary is unfit to hold office. Highlights: • Officials stalled preliminary enquiry by avoiding registering an FIR and hence many cases went to Lokayukta because of that. • He referred to the Supreme Court’s Lalita Kumari versus Government of Uttar Pradesh judgment (2013) where the court has clearly said that whenever anyone comes to the police station and makes a complaint of a cognisable offence the police officer is bound to register an FIR, under the Section 154 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). • His reports were indicative of the lack of governance, irrespective of any party of power of the day and highlighted bureaucratic apathy and apathy of politicians. • The state act does not have the powers of the prosecution that the Karnataka and Kerala Acts have, nor does it have a provision for contempt of the Lokayukta’s orders. • Lokayukta has an investigation wing in which police officers are supposed to be deputed however, it lacked an adequate number of qualified personnel.

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Suggestions: • Power of Prosecution:Under Section 17 of the Goa Lokayukta Act, the power to prosecute should be given to the Lokayukta. • It is there in Karnataka and Kerala acts but not present in Goa Act, where it is under ‘initiation of Prosecution’ and says that if the Lokayukta notices that an offence has been committed, then (s)he may pass an order and the appropriate authority “shall” initiate prosecution against the public functionary. • The initiation of prosecution should not be left to the discretion and the “shall” here means that the opinion of the Lokayukta is mandatory to be followed. • About Power to Punish on Contempt: While making the rules, the Act should have been included with the power to punish on contempt of the orders of Lokayukta, which is still not available under the rules of the Act. • Increased Commitment: The Act requires a retired Chief Justice or a retired Supreme Court judge to be appointed as the Lokayukta. It means, whoever comes and joins would have taken the oath twice and joining the Lokayukta office will be the third oath, tripling the commitment. • He must be true to the oath and continue to be committed to discharging the duty without fear or favour, affection or ill will.

4. Centre to fix Jurisdiction of River Boards Why in News? • Union Water Resources Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has recently said that the Centre will determine the jurisdictions of the Krishna and Godavari river management boards (KRMB and GRMB). Constitutional Provisions regarding Inter-State River Disputes: • Entry 17 of State List deals with water i.e. water supply, irrigation, canal, drainage, embankments, water storage and water power. • Entry 56 of Union List empowers the Union Government for the regulation and development of inter-state rivers and river valleys to the extent declared by Parliament to be expedient in the public interest. • According to Article 262, in case of disputes relating to waters:

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✓ Parliament may by law provide for the adjudication of any dispute or complaint with respect to the use, distribution or control of the waters of, or in, any inter-State river or river valley. ✓ Parliament may, by law provide that neither the Supreme Court nor any other court shall exercise jurisdiction in respect of any such dispute or complaint as mentioned above. Mechanism for Inter-State River Water Disputes Resolution: • The resolution of water dispute is governed by the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956. • According to its provisions, if a State Government makes a request regarding any water dispute and the Central Government is of opinion that the water dispute cannot be settled by negotiations, then a Water Disputes Tribunal is constituted for the adjudication of the water dispute. • The act was amended in 2002, to include the major recommendations of the Sarkaria Commission. • The amendments mandated a one year time frame to setup the water disputes tribunal and also a 3 year time frame to give a decision. Water Dispute between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh: • Telangana and Andhra Pradesh share stretches of the Krishna and the Godavari and own their tributaries. • Both states have proposed several new projects without getting clearance from the river boards, the Central Water Commission and the Apex Council, as mandated by the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. • The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 mandates for constitution of an Apex Council by Central Government for the supervision of the functioning of the Godavari River Management Board and Krishna River Management Board. • The Apex Council comprises the Union Water Resources Minister and the Chief Ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. • The Andhra Pradesh government’s proposal to increase the utilisation of the Krishna water from a section of the river above the Srisailam Reservoir led to the Telangana government filing a complaint against Andhra Pradesh. • The Srisailam reservoir is constructed across the Krishna River in Andhra Pradesh. It is located in the Nallamala hills.

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• The Andhra Pradesh government retaliated with its own complaints saying that Palamuru- Rangareddy, Dindi Lift Irrigation Schemes on the Krishna River and Kaleshwaram, Tupakulagudem schemes and a few barrages proposed across the Godavari are all new projects. Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal: • Two tribunals have been constituted to resolve the disputes of the Krishna water. • Andhra Pradesh has countered the second Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal (KWDT) order issued by Justice Brijesh Kumar in 2010. • The Brijesh Kumar Tribunal has allocated 81 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) of surplus water to Maharashtra, 177 tmcft to Karnataka and only 196 tmcft to Andhra Pradesh. • After the creation of Telangana as a separate state in 2014, Andhra Pradesh is asking to include Telangana as a separate party at the KWDT and that the allocation of Krishna waters is reworked among four states, instead of three. • It has challenged the order of the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal in the Supreme Court. Godavari Water Dispute Tribunal: • The Godavari Water Dispute Tribunal headed by Justice Bachawat was constituted by the Government in April, 1969. • The tribunal was tasked to look after the dispute over Godavari River between Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Karnataka over the sharing of the Godavari river water. • The Bachawat Tribunal gave its final award in 1980. • Accordingly, each State was free to utilise the flow in Godavari and its tributaries up to a certain level. • Thus, Andhra Pradesh decided to divert 80 tmcft of Godavari water from Polavaram to Krishna River, upstream of Vijayawada, so that it could be shared with Karnataka and Maharashtra. • Once Telangana came into existence in 2014, the Godavari water and, more specifically, the Polavaram project became the bone of contention between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. • While the project will take care of the irrigation needs of the Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana fears it would submerge many villages in its Khammam district. • Odisha too has expressed its reservations over the Polavaram dam's design.

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About Godavari River: • Source: Godavari River rises from Trimbakeshwar near Nasik in Maharashtra and flows for a length of about 1465 km before out falling into the Bay of Bengal. • Drainage Basin: The Godavari basin extends over states of Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha in addition to smaller parts in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Union territory of Puducherry. • Tributaries:Pravara, Purna, Manjra, Penganga, Wardha, Wainganga, Pranhita (combined flow of Wainganga, Penganga, Wardha), Indravati, Maner and the Sabri.

About Krishna River: • Source: It originates near Mahabaleshwar (Satara) in Maharashtra. It is the second biggest river in peninsular India after the Godavari River. • Drainage: It runs from four states Maharashtra (303 km), North Karnataka (480 km) and the rest of its 1300 km journey in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh before it empties into the Bay of Bengal. • Tributaries: Tungabhadra, Mallaprabha, Koyna, Bhima, Ghataprabha, Yerla, Warna, Dindi, Musi and Dudhganga.

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5. Child Should learn his Mother Tongue, says SC Why in News? • A child has to learn his mother tongue to gain a foundation, the Supreme Court accosted Jagan Mohan Reddy-led Andhra government’s logic that children, without learning English, get ‘isolated’. About the Issue: • In November 2019, the Government of Andhra Pradesh introduced ‘English’ as the medium in schools from Classes I-VI, while students are expected to pick one of the two local languages, Telugu or Urdu, as compulsory subjects. • Action shall be taken for reviving the English Language Teaching Centres and District English Centres (DECs) and re-locate them in District Institutes for Education and Training (DIETs). • According to the state government, 82% of upper caste students study in English medium schools. While this figure is only 2% for ST students and 49% for SCs students. • By introducing English as a medium of education, the government aims to fulfil a ‘welfare agenda’ to bring all students at par, and make children ‘industry ready’. • State government has signed MoUs with language universities and institutes to train teachers on a wide scale, and has also recruited new teachers for this purpose. • The government later wants to extend this programme from classes VII-X. • The government wishes to transform the education sector in the state and help it emerge as ‘VIDHYANDHRA PRADESH’. Reasons cited for English-medium Education in Government Schools: • English is the latest cure for the jobs crisis. English language has become a symbol of progress in current times. • Children of affluent people study in English medium, but when it comes to protecting Telugu language and culture, is it only the responsibility of the downtrodden and rural youth. This according to advocates of the decision is making students ready for employment by 2041. • Implications made in government reasoning: ✓ Affluence and English are Natural Allies, ✓ English has power to pull the backward out of their backwardness, ✓ English is embedded with an Egalitarian Intent.

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• A way to revive government teaching jobs:When parents start sending children to private English medium schools, then government teachers are left with dwindling students, which will eventually sink the feasibility of running government schools. • English - an aspirational appeal: With the job loss fears engulfing governments and the aspirational element in the masses, adopting English appears to be a pragmatic policy. • Democratising Education: Introduction of English-medium in government schools is a democratising step as it helps the disadvantaged access to English education. • Better job opportunities: In today’s world it is almost impossible to disagree with the fact that proficiency in English is quintessential to grab better employment opportunities. • Bias in the IT industry: A perceptive study concluded that the IT industry is not inclusive. That its workforce comes primarily from middle class, urban and upper caste backgrounds because they possess social capital (of the right kind of English) that firms desire. • English vs. Hindi debate in South India: While there is resistance to imposition of Hindi in South India, English is accepted as it is less threatening with regard to racial and ethnic dominance, and more Promising of an Economic Future. Observations by SC: • For foundation, it is very important that a child learns his mother tongue. • Language of instruction should be their mother tongue or it would amount to depriving them of an effective education guaranteed to them under Article 21A (fundamental right to education) of the Constitution. • The National Education Policy 2020 urges for high-quality textbooks in mother tongue and for teachers to adopt a bilingual approach. • The National Curriculum Framework of 2005 and Section 29 of the Right to Education Act of 2009 required the medium of instruction hall, as far as practicable, to be in child’s Mother Tongue. Way Ahead: • While the move to introduce English medium in Andhra government schools has attracted criticism, if implemented well, it could bring transformational changes in the education sector. • Given that this move will have not only economic effects, but also cultural and social, government must do thorough research involving researchers and academicians and go ahead with the plan only with sufficient preparation.

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• A pilot study can be conducted to identify the challenges before implementing such schemes on a Wider Scale.

6. Public Places Cannot be occupied Indefinitely, says SC Why in News? • The Supreme Court recently found the indefinite “occupation” of a public road by the Shaheen Bagh Protestors Unacceptable. Observations Made by Court: • The court said the protest, considered an iconic dissent mounted by mothers, children and senior citizens of Shaheen Bagh against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), became inconvenient to commuters. • The judgment upheld the right to peaceful protest against a law but made it unequivocally clear that public ways and public spaces cannot be occupied, and that too indefinitely. • “Democracy and dissent go hand in hand, but then the demonstrations expressing dissent have to be in designated places alone. • The present case was not even one of protests taking place in an undesignated area, but was a blockage of a public way which caused grave inconvenience to commuters. Why Right to Dissent is essential? • The Right to Dissent is an important addition of expressing one’s view, and on many of its most important constituent elements. • It will enable practitioners and citizens to claim their rights and participate more effectively in the project of democracy. • Disagreeing with each other is a fundamental human trait. There is not a single individual who does not disagree with something or the other all the Time. • But gagging people through sedition cases strikes the people’s right to dissent and freedom of expression. Dissent in Democratic Society: • The course of Democracy anywhere in the world is defined by events that test the resilience of Democracy and also add to it. • Indeed, dissent is the quintessential part of democracy and allows people to have their opinions and to voice those without fear of intimidation.

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• ‘Freedom of expression, freedom of association and the right to peaceful assembly are often compartmentalized and discussed individually, with little regard to their Interdependence. • This unique guide of Protests provides activists, human rights defenders, jurists, NGOs, corporate actors, and Government Authorities with the tools and knowledge necessary to ensure rights, protect the lives and liberty of dissenters, enable meaningful participation in public life, and promote the rule of law.The philosophy of dissent and democracy has also inspired our freedom movement and defines India’s constitutional democracy, which is predicated on the people’s right to call state power to account, albeit within the constitutional framework.Thus, when we hear the voices of dissent from the oppressed and the marginalised, it is ethically incumbent upon those who are better off than them to give them greater space and greater freedom to dissent.

7. TRP and its Manipulation Why in News? • Mumbai police have alleged that three television channels are involved in manipulating TRPs. What is Target Rating Point (TRP)? • Target Rating Pointalso known as the Television Rating Points is the metric used by the marketing and advertising agencies to evaluate viewership.TRPs represent how many people, from which socio-economic categories, watched which channels for how much time during a Particular Period. How is it Recorded? • In India, the TRP is recorded by the Broadcast Audience Research Council using Bar-O- Meters that are installed on televisions in selected households. • As on date, the BARC has installed these meters in 44,000 households across the country. • Besides, Audio watermarks are embedded in video content prior to broadcast. • These watermarks are not audible to the human ear, but can easily be detected and decoded using dedicated hardware and software. As viewing details are recorded by the Bar-O-Meters, so are the watermarks. Why these Ratings are Important? • On the basis of audience measurement data, ratings are assigned to various programmes on television.Television ratings in turn influence programmes produced for the viewers.

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• Better ratings would promote a programme while poor ratings will discourage a programme.Incorrect ratings will lead to production of programmes which may not be really popular while Good Programmes may be left out.Besides, TRPs are the main currency for advertisers to decide which channel to advertise on by calculating the cost- per-rating-point (CPRP). How can TRP Data be Rigged? • If broadcasters can find the households where devices are installed, they can either bribe them to watch their channels, or ask cable operators or multi-system operators to ensure their channel is available as the “landing page” when the TV is switched on. What is BARC? • Created in 2010 BARC is an industry body jointly owned by advertisers, ad agencies, and broadcasting companies, represented by The Indian Society of Advertisers, the Indian Broadcasting Foundation and the Advertising Agencies Association of India. • I&B Ministry notified the Policy Guidelines for Television Rating Agencies in India on January 10, 2014 and registered BARC in July 2015 under these guidelines, to carry out television ratings in India.

8. Blue Flag Tag for Kasarkod, Padubidri Beaches Why in News? • Two beaches, Kasarkod beach near Honnavar in Uttara Kannada and Padubidri beach near Udupi in the State are among the eight in the country that have bagged the coveted eco-label ‘Blue Flag’ from the international agency Foundation for Environment Education, Denmark. About Blue Flag Programme: • The Blue Flag Programme for beaches and marinas is run by the international, non- governmental, non-profit organisation FEE (the Foundation for Environmental Education). • It started in France in 1985 and has been implemented in Europe since 1987 and in areas outside Europe since 2001, when South Africa joined. • Previously, Japan and South Korea were the only countries in South and south-eastern Asia to have Blue Flag beaches.

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• Spain tops the list with 566 such beaches; Greece and France follow with 515 and 395, respectively. • There are nearly 33 criteria that must be met to qualify for a Blue Flag certification, such as the water meeting certain quality standards, having waste disposal facilities, being disabled- friendly, have first aid equipment, and no access to pets in the main areas of the beach. Some criteria are Voluntary and Some Compulsory. Why they were given Blue Flag Tag? • Kasarkod and Padubidri beaches have grey water treatment plants, solid waste management plants, disabled-friendly equipment to enable them to enter seawater, seating arrangements, clean drinking water, washroom, changing room, bathing facility, disabled-friendly and general toilets, parking facilities, solar power plant, solar lighting, and the like. • The six other beaches are Shivrajpur in Gujarat, Ghoghla in Daman and Diu, Kappad in Kerala, Rushikonda in Andhra Pradesh, Golden beach in Odisha and Radhanagar beach in Andaman and Nicobar islands. Does CRZ Rules allow for these Activities in the Beaches? • India’s CRZ laws do not allow the construction of infrastructure on beaches and islands. • However, the Blue Flag certification requires beaches to create infrastructures like portable toilet blocks, Greywater Treatment plants, a solar power plant, seating facilities, CCTV surveillance, etc. • The government notified that construction activities and facilities shall be permitted in the CRZs, including Islands, for the purpose of Blue Flag Certification in beaches. • However, these activities are subject to maintaining a minimum distance of 10 meters from the High Tide Line (HTL). ✓ High Tide Line: HTL means the line on the land up to which the highest water line reaches during the spring tide. ✓ Low Tide Line: Similarly, it means the line on the land up to which the lowest water line reaches during the spring tide. ✓ Spring tides: The position of both the sun and the moon in relation to the earth has direct bearing on tide height. When the sun, the moon and the earth are in a straight line, the height of the tide will be higher. These are called spring tides and they occur twice a month, one on full moon period and another during New Moon Period.

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9. Supreme Court questions NCPCR on children ‘repatriation’ Why in News? • The Supreme Court sought a response from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), to its request to eight States to “produce” children living in care homes before the local child welfare committees for their “immediate repatriation” with their families. NCPCR wrote to Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Mizoram, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and Meghalaya in this regard. • These States combined, have 1.84 lakh children in care homes accounting for over 70% of the children in care Homes. Background: • The NCPCR, in a letter on September 24, explained need for a child to grow up in a familial environment.In an April 6 order, the court had directed juvenile authorities to “proactively consider whether a child or children should be kept in the child care institutions considering the best Interest, Health and safety Concerns”. Child Care Homes: • Child care homes are form of group care for children who are looked after, where care is provided by teams of paid staff. • The children being taken in child care homes, are not only those who are orphans/abandoned children, but also children hailing from downtrodden/financially unstable families.Therefore, if there is any child who is either being brought up by a single parent or comes from a family which is not able to bring up the child properly, then that child can avail all the facilities at a care home. • All the children in these care homes are required to study in nearby Government Schools. National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR): • National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is a statutory body under the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005. • It was set up in March 2007 under the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005. • It comes under the administrative control of the Ministry of Women & Child Development. • It aims to ensure that all Laws, Policies, Programmes, and Administrative Mechanisms are in consonance with the Child Rights perspective as enshrined in the and also the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

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• It emphasizes the principle of universality and inviolability of child rights and recognizes the tone of urgency in all the child related Policies of the Country. Composition: • Chairperson and Six members, out of which at least two are woman appointed by the Central Government from amongst person of eminence, ability, integrity, standing and experience.The Child is defined as a person in the 0 to 18 Years Age Group. Functions and Powers of the NCPCR: • Examine and review the safeguards provided by or under any law. • Present the reports upon working of the safeguards. • Inquire into violation of child rights and recommend initiation of proceedings in such cases.Examine all factors that inhibit the Enjoyment of Rights of children affected by terrorism, communal violence, riots, natural disaster, domestic violence, HIV/AIDS, trafficking, maltreatment, torture and exploitation, pornography and prostitution and recommend appropriate remedial measures. • Inquire into complaints and take suo motu notice of matter relating to: ✓ Deprivation and violation of child rights ✓ Non-implementation of laws providing for protection and development of children ✓ Noncompliance of policy decisions, guidelines or instructions aimed at mitigating hardships to and ensuring welfare of the children and provide relief to such children ✓ Take up the issues arising out of such matters with Appropriate Authorities ✓ Make recommendations for their effective implementation in the best interest of children. ✓ Undertake and promote research in the field of child rights. ✓ Spread child rights literacy among various section of society and promote awareness of the safeguards for protection of these rights. ✓ Produce and disseminate information about child rights. ✓ Compile and analyse data on children. ✓ Promote the incorporation of child rights into the school curriculum, training of teachers or personnel dealing with children.

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3.1. POLITY & GOVERNANCE SNIPPETS 1. Saansad Aadarsh Gram Yojana Why in News? • As the number of gram panchayats identified by Members of Parliament under the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) remains “far below” the target, the Centre has directed State Governments to ensure “diligent” Implementation of the scheme. SaansadAadarsh Gram Yojana: • Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) is a village development project launched by Government of India in October 2014, under which each Member of Parliament will take the responsibility of developing physical and institutional infrastructure in three villages by 2019. The goal is to develop three Adarsh Grams by March 2019, of which one would be achieved by 2016. Thereafter, five such Adarsh Grams (one per year) will be selected and developed by 2024. Identification of Gram Panchayat: • A Gram Panchayat would be the basic unit. It will have a population of 3000-5000 in plain areas and 1000-3000 in hilly, tribal and difficult areas. In districts where this unit size is not available, Gram Panchayats approximating the desirable population size may be chosen. The MP would be free to identify a suitable Gram Panchayat for being developed as Adarsh Gram, other than his/her own village or that of his/her spouse. • The MP will identify one Gram Panchayat to be taken up immediately, and two others to be taken up a little later. Lok Sabha MP has to choose a Gram Panchayat from within his/her constituency and Rajya Sabha MP a Gram Panchayat from the rural area of a district of his/her choice in the State from which he/she is elected. • Nominated MPs may choose a Gram Panchayat from the rural area of any district in the country. In the case of urban constituencies, (where there are no Gram Panchayats), the MP will identify a Gram Panchayat from a nearby rural constituency. • The Gram Panchayats once selected by members of Parliament (whose tenures have ended on account of resignation or otherwise) would be continued as such under SAGY irrespective of whether activities have already been initiated in the GP under SAGY or not. • The Newly Elected MPs will have the option to select the GP of their choice and two more subsequently by 2019. Primarily, the goal is to develop three Adarsh Grams by March 2019, of which one would be achieved by 2016. Thereafter, five such Adarsh Grams (one per year) will be selected and developed by 2024.

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Performance of the Scheme: • A study Commissioned by the Rural Development Ministry and conducted as part of the 5th common review mission observed that the SAGY has not made “any perceptible impact” and the villages selected under it cannot be called “model (adarsh) villages”. • Major reasons found by the commission were – : ✓ Low selection of Panchayats ✓ Lack of Funds ✓ Limited Impact ✓ Poor Quality of Roads and Infrastructure

2. Crime in India report 2019 Why in News? • According to the annual Crime in India 2019 report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the crimes in SC, ST category saw an increase of 25.7% as compared to 2018.

Highlights of the Report: • Crime against Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) saw an increase of over 7% and 26% respectively in year 2019 compared to 2018. • Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of crimes against SCs in 2019, followed Rajasthan and Bihar.

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Rape Cases: • In the number of cases of rape of women belonging to SCs, Rajasthan topped the list with 554 cases, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest number of cases against STs as it recorded followed by Rajasthan and Odisha. Cognizable Crimes: • A total of cognizable crimes comprising Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Special and Local Laws (SLL) crimes showed an increase of 1.6% in registration of cases over 2018. • An increase of 7.3% cases of crime against women were registered in 2019 compared to 2018. Cybercrimes Increased by 63.5% in 2019. • In 2019, 60.4% of cybercrime cases registered were for the motive of fraud, followed by Sexual Exploitation and causing disrepute with 4.2%. CHRI Statement: • The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), a police reforms advocacy group, said few cases were being registered for specific discriminatory action against SCs and STs. Crimes against SCs and STs Include categories: • Atrocities committed by non-SC/ST members under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities Act), 1989 • Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955

3. Data Governance Quality Index (DGQI) Why in News? • Department of Fertilizers ranked 2nd amongst the 16 Economic Ministries/Departments and ranked 3rd amongst the 65 Ministries/Departments in the Survey Report on Data Governance Quality Index. DGQI: • The DGQI exercise was undertaken by the Development Monitoring & Evaluation Office (DMEO), NITI Aayog.The exercise is a ‘Self-assessment-based review of data preparedness levels’ to produce a DGQI scorecard. • The survey was initiated with an objective to assess the data preparedness of Ministries or Departments on a standardized framework.

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• The survey was also meant to drive healthy competition among them and promote cooperative peer learning from best practices. • For the survey, an online questionnaire was prepared under six major themes of DGQI: ✓ Data Generation ✓ Data Quality ✓ Use of Technology ✓ Data Analysis, Use and Dissemination ✓ Data Security ✓ HR Capacity and Case Studies ✓ The Ministries and Departments were classified into Six Categories namely, Administrative, Economic, Strategic, Infrastructure, Social and Scientific. Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO): • DMEO was constituted in 2015 by merging the erstwhile Program Evaluation Office (PEO) and the Independent Evaluation Office (IEO). • It is an attached office under NITI Aayog, aimed at fulfilling the organization’s monitoring and evaluation (M&E) mandate and building the M&E ecosystem in India. • DMEO has been mandated to actively monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Government of India programmes and initiatives so as to strengthen their implementation and scope of delivery on an ongoing basis.Additionally, DMEO undertakes evaluation of selected programmes/schemes, suo-moto or on the request of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) or programme implementing Ministries/Departments of the Government of India.

4. Section 29 of POCSO Act Applicable only after Trial Begins Why in News? • The Delhi High Court has ruled that the presumption of guilt engrafted in Section 29 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act gets triggered and applies only once trial begins, that is after Charges are Framed against the Accused. Section 29 of POCSO Act: • Section 29 of the POCSO Act says that when a person is prosecuted for committing an offence of sexual assault against a minor, the special court trying the case shall presume the Accused to be Guilty. What is the Ruling? • The reverse burden on the accused to prove his innocence was incorporated in the POCSO Act keeping in view the low conviction rate of sexual offences against children.

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• The question of whether the presumption of guilt applies only at the stage of trial and also apply when a bail plea is being considered. • It was ruled that if a bail plea is being considered before charges have been framed, Section 29 has no Application. Trial commences when charges are framed against an accused and not before that. Only at the stage when charges are framed does the court apply its judicial mind to whether there is enough evidence on record to frame a precise allegation, which the Accused must Answer. Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act), 2012: • In order to effectively address the heinous crimes of sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children through less ambiguous and more stringent legal provisions, the Ministry of Women and Child Development championed the introduction of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. • The act was enacted by the Government of India to protect children from offences of sexual assault, sexual harassment and pornography, while safeguarding the interest of the child at every stage of the judicial process. • The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is mandated to monitor the implementation of POCSO Act, 2012. Salient Features: • The Act defines a child as any person below 18 years of age, and regards the best interests and well-being of the child as being of paramount importance at every stage, to ensure the healthy physical, emotional, intellectual and social development of the child. • The act defines different forms of sexual abuse, including penetrative and non-penetrative assault, as well as sexual harassment and pornography. • It deems a sexual assault to be “aggravated” under certain circumstances, such as when the abused child is mentally ill or when the abuse is committed by a person in a position of trust or authority. • People who traffic children for sexual purposes are also punishable under the provisions relating to abetment in the Act. • The Act prescribes stringent punishment graded as per the gravity of the offence, with a Maximum term of Rigorous Imprisonment for life, and Fine. Provisions Related to conduct of trial of Reported Offences: • Establishment of Special Courts for trial of offences under the Act, keeping the best interest of the child as of paramount importance at every stage of the judicial process.

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• The Act incorporates child friendly procedures for reporting, recording of evidence, investigation and trial of offences. • The Intent to commit an offence, even when unsuccessful for whatever reason, needs to be penalized. • To prevent misuse of the law, punishment has been provided for making false complaint or proving false information with malicious intent. • The POCSO Act is only applicable to child survivors and adult offenders. • In case two children have sexual relations with each other, or in case a child perpetrates a sexual offence on an adult, the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000, will apply.

5. Kasturi Cotton Why in News? • Union Minister for Textiles unveiled a brand and a logo for Indian cotton recently on the occasion of 2nd World Cotton Day on 7th October 2020. Highlights: • The Theme for World Cotton Day, 2020: Cotton: The Fibre that Moves Me • It is launched by World Trade Organisation in 2019 on the initiative of Cotton-4 (Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali). • In Collaboration with United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC). About National Food Security Mission-Commercial Crops (NFSM-CC): • In the 12th Five Year Plan, under the NFSM, a cropping system approach is being adopted by including commercial crops like cotton, jute and sugarcane. • Cotton Development Programme (CDP), launched in 2014-15 is being implemented under NFSM-CC for enhancing production and productivity. • Ministry of Textiles in collaboration with Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has prescribed a certification system for organic Cotton • Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) has developed a mobile application called “Cott-Ally” to provide the latest news on weather conditions, the crop situation and best farm practices.

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• CCI has also opened 430 procurement centres in all cotton-growing states and payments are being made digitally to farmers’ accounts within 72 hours. About Cotton Corporation of India: • It is established in 1970 under the administrative control of the Ministry of Textiles as a Public Sector Undertaking under the Companies Act 1956. • Headquarters: CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra) • Role: To undertake price support operations, whenever the market prices of cotton fall below the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) announced by Govt. of India, without any Quantitative Limit. • The Central Institute for Cotton Research has campuses in Nagpur in Maharashtra state and Sirsa in Haryana state. • It is a central research institute established by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) . • The ICAR-Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology is situated in Mumbai.

6. Gyan Circle Ventures Why in News? • Union Education Minister virtually Inaugurates Gyan Circle Ventures. Gyan Circle Ventures: • It is a Technology Business Incubator (TBI) of the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Sri City (Chittoor), Andhra Pradesh, funded by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). • Gyan Circle Ventures would function as a Technology Incubation and Development of Entrepreneurs (TIDE 2.0) incubation centre as approved by the MeitY. • The incubator would leverage the institution’s entrepreneurial spirit by utilizing its intellectual capital and engage in using emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Block-chain, Cyber Physical Systems (CPS), Cyber Security, Internet of Things (IoT), Robotics, etc.The venture will serve as a hub for innovation and start-ups by providing support, in various phases, via investments, infrastructure and mentoring. • Notably, the TBI would have an Advisory Committee comprising leading industrialists, entrepreneurs and technical experts. • It would enable incubates to leverage these expert mentors and networks from both the Academia and the Industry.

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7. Digital Education in Kerala Why in News? • Recently, Kerala has become the first state in the country to have high-tech classrooms or high-tech labs in all government-run and aided schools. Highlights: • It is a part of this flagship project of the government, high-tech labs have been set up in primary and upper primary schools and 40,000 classrooms in high school and higher secondary schools have been converted into smart classrooms. • The High-speed broadband internet has been ensured in 12,678 schools. The high-tech classroom project was implemented by Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE), the nodal agency for ICT education in schools. • The government has also started digital classrooms known as ‘First bell’ to impart education to 41 lakh students in the state after schools shut due to the lockdown • It is also carrying out a unique programme called “Namath Basai”of teaching tribal children in their mother tongue. • The programme is being implemented by the Samagra Shiksha Kerala (SSK). • The Central government has proposed long-term measures to address social inequities in online education, as highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic. • The digital education in India still faces many challenges like lack of internet penetration, economic inequality, lack of trained teachers etc.

8. Regional Raw Drug Repositories Why in News? • Regional Raw Drug Repository for AYUSH Systems launched at Chennai. Regional Raw Drug Repositories (RRDRs): • RRDRs are important components of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme, National AYUSH Mission.The repositories play an important role in medicinal plants cultivation. • As a step in this direction, the Ministry of AYUSH, through the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), initiated the establishment of the National Raw Drug Repository and Regional Raw Drug Repositories.

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• The collaborating institutes as identified by the NMPB are the National Institute of Siddha, with the Regional Research Institute of Unani Medicine, and the Siddha Central Research Institute, all three located in Chennai. • The RRDR in Chennai would play a major role in the collection, documentation, and authentication of raw drugs collected from the agro-climatic region, that is, the Southern Plateau Region. • This RRDR will not only act as collection centres of raw drugs available and used in the southern region but also as an accredited reference library for authentication of raw drugs and establish standard protocols and keys for authentication of raw drug used in the Herbal Industries. Background & Significance: • Medicinal plants form the major resource base of India’s indigenous health care traditions. • Their relevance has grown substantially in the current pandemic scenario, thanks to their disease preventive effects. • The outreach and acceptability of AYUSH systems, both nationally as well as globally, are dependent on the uninterrupted availability of quality medicinal plants based raw material.Though most of the raw drugs are commonly available, there is a lack of scientific documentation that makes research on these medicines very difficult. This also reduces the chances of commercial exploitation of these Medicines. • Easy availability of authentic scientific data of the raw drugs will promote research on the medicines belonging to the AYUSH system which will lead to further propagation of these systems. • Currently, India has more than 9000 manufacturing units for Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homeopathy medicine. • However, the quality of medicines produced by these units critically depends upon the manufacturing process followed as well as the quality of raw material. • The Government has made it mandatory for all manufacturing units to adhere to the Good Manufacturing Practices as notified under Schedule T of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940.

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9. Disturbed Area Act Context: • Recently, the President has given his assent to a Bill passed by the Gujarat Assembly in 2019, which made some amendments to the ‘Gujarat Prohibition of Transfer of Immovable Property and Provisions of Tenants from Eviction from Premises in Disturbed Areas Act, 1991’ - popularly known as the ‘Disturbed Areas (DA) Act’. Highlights: • The Act was first introduced in Ahmedabad in 1986. At that time, due to large scale and continuous riots in Ahmedabad city, a number of areas started witnessing distress sale of properties mainly by people of a particular community. • Under the DA Act, a District Collector can notify a particular area of a city or town as a “disturbed area”. This notification is generally done based on the history of communal riots in the area. • The transfer of immovable property in the disturbed area can take place only after the Collector expressly signs off on an application made by the buyer and the seller of the property. • The seller has to attach an affidavit stating that she/he has sold the property of her/his free volition, and that she/he has got a fair market price. • The Violation of the Act’s provisions, that is, if property in a notified disturbed area is transferred without the Collector’s permission, invites imprisonment and a fine. • The state government claims it is aiming to check communal polarisation of various parts of the state through the Act. • It is applicable in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Himmatnagar, Godhra, Kapadvanj and Bharuch.

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4. SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

1. Shaurya Missile Why in News? • A successful trial of the nuclear-capable Shaurya missile was recently conducted by India. Also, Brahmos land attack cruise missile was Tested a Few Days Before this testing. About Shaurya Missile: • It is a land variant of short-range Submarine Launched (SLBM) K-15 , which has a range of at least 750 kilometers. • It is capable of carrying payloads of 200 kg to 1000 kg. It is a surface-to-surface tactical missile. • These ballistic missiles belong to the K missile family - codenamed after late Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam - which are launched from Arihant class of nuclear submarines. • Shaurya, like many of the modern missiles, is a canister-based system, which means that it is stored and operated from specially designed compartments. • The missile is less vulnerable to anti-ballistic missile defence systems due to its high maneuverability. The K Family of Missiles: • The K family of missiles is primarily Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBMs). • These have been indigenously developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). • The development of these missiles began in the late 1990s as a step towards completing India’s . • Nuclear triad is the capability of launching nuclear weapons from land, sea and air-based assets.Because these missiles are to be launched from submarines, they are lighter, smaller and stealthier than their land-based counterparts - the series of missiles which are medium and intercontinental range nuclear Capable Ballistic Missiles. • India has also developed and successfully tested multiple times the K-4 missiles from the family which has a range of 3500 km. • The early development trials of K-15 and K-4 missiles had begun in the early 2010s. • K-5 and K-6 with ranges of 5000 and 6000 km are also under development. • Strategic Importance of SLBMs:

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• Nuclear Deterrence: The capability of SLMBs has great strategic importance in the context of achieving a nuclear triad, especially in the light of the ‘no first use’ policy of India which acts as a deterrent. • These submarines can not only survive a first strike by the adversary but also can launch a strike in retaliation thus achieving Credible Nuclear Deterrence. • The development of these capabilities is important in light of India’s relations with the two neighbours China and Pakistan. • Ballistic Missile is a rocket-propelled self-guided strategic-weapons system that follows a parabolic trajectory to deliver a payload from its launch site to a predetermined fixed target. • Ballistic missiles can carry conventional high explosives as well as chemical, biological, or Nuclear Munitions. About Ballistic Missile Defence System: • It is a missile defence system that acts as a shield against ballistic missile attacks. • India’s BMD development began in 1999, after the Kargil war. The primary aim was to augment India’s defence against possible nuclear attack from Pakistan. • India seeks to deploy a functional ‘iron dome’ ballistic missile defence (BMD), incorporating both low-altitude and high-altitude interceptor missiles. • India’s BMD is primarily developed by DRDO with help of many public and private firms like BEL, Microwave, L&T, etc. • Ballistic missiles of India: Agni, K-4 (SLBM), , , and .

2. Diffie-Hellman key exchange Why in News? • In recent weeks, television news channels have shared leaked WhatsApp chats of film actors in their coverage of actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s passing away. This has led to questions about whether communication over platforms such as WhatsApp is secure or not. • It prompted Facebook-owned WhatsApp to come out with a statement on its use of end-to- end encryption to secure User Messages. Does WhatsApp have Access to Chats? • WhatsApp has installed an end-to-end encryption system, which ensures only you and the person you’re communicating with can read what’s sent, and nobody in between, not even

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WhatsAppGovernments across the world see end-to-end encryption as a huge issue when it comes to law enforcement. • While WhatsApp says it responds to requests from law enforcement agencies “based on applicable law and policy,” it is not clear what kind of data it would have to share. • News reports have mentioned that these could be in the nature of metadata such as mobile number, IP address, location, and so on. How is WhatsApp Designed to Ensure such Secure Communication? • WhatsApp uses the encryption protocol developed by Open Whisper Systems, a project known best for its Signal app, which also uses the same open-source framework to ensure privacy. What is the Technology behind this? • The technology that forms the basis for this is called the ‘Diffie-Hellman key exchange’. • In a 1976 paper titled, New Directions in Cryptography, Whitfield Diffie and Martin E. Hellman saw the futility of the old ways of sharing a key securely (say, by “sending the key in advance over some secure channel such as private courier or registered mail”) in the emerging digital world. • They proposed a way for secure communication via a method of a shared secret key, and that too when the communication is over a not-so-secure channel. • One way to understand the broad concept, used by many experts, is by way of colours. In the world of imagination, a shared secret colour is the shared secret key between two communicators, who we will call A and B. (There are many versions of this example on the Internet.) • A and B need to communicate without anyone eavesdropping. They first agree on a public colour (say, yellow). The two communicators then choose their own private colour, which is not to be shared with anyone. • Say A chooses red and B, blue. They then individually mix their private colour with the public colour and send the mixture to each other. Note that the eavesdroppers can figure out the public colour and the mixtures. But there is one more step. B’s mixture (some sort of green) at A’s end is added with A’s private colour (red), and A’s mixture (some sort of orange) at B’s end is added with B’s private colour (blue). They both arrive at the same secret colour after the final step. There is now a shared secret colour key. • The message that also needs to be understood is that while it is easy to add colours, it is difficult to figure out the original colours that contributed to a mixture. In the math world,

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that is called a one-way function. Imagine the difficulty in figuring out a key from complex mathematical computations. The Diffie-Hellman paper said: “A third party eavesdropping on this exchange must find it computationally infeasible to compute the key from the information overheard.” Can’t those who have Access to the Server read Messages? • End-to-end encryption removes this vulnerability. WhatsApp also says it does not store Messages on its Servers once they are Delivered. • An earlier generation of encryption did not secure the entire channel, but secured the communication between a user and the server (of a messaging service). • Once the server received a message intended for another user, it would decrypt and again encrypt it before sending it securely to the receiver. But this meant that there was a chance of security being Compromised at the Level of the Server. Can Leaks Still Happen? • End-to-end encryption cannot prevent leaks from happening if a third party has access to a device which contains these Messages. Encryption also does not help in cases wherein the sender or the receiver of a message shares it with others, a member of a group shares it with others, or messages are stored in a different format on a different application or platform open to others. Are there Other Vulnerabilities? • Bugs that lead others to control a user’s phone are an example of such vulnerabilities. For instance, last year, WhatsApp revealed that surveillance technology developed by Israel’s NSO Group had been used to spy on about 1,400 people across the world, including civil rights Activists and Journalists in India.

3. Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) Why in News? • The Emmanuelle Charpentier of France and Jennifer A Doudna of the USA have recently been awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing CRISPR/Cas9 genetic Scissors, one of Gene Technology’s Sharpest Tools. Highlights: • It is for the first time a Nobel science prize has gone to a women-only team. • The Nobel Prize for Medicine/Physiology, 2020 is give to Harvey J Alter and Charles M Rice from the USA and Michael Houghton from the UK for the discovery of the Hepatitis C Virus.

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• The Nobel Prize in Physics 2020 is given to three astrophysicists Roger Penrose from the UK, Reinhard Genzel from Germany, and Andrea Ghez from the USA for discoveries related to blackholes. • Recent Discoveries in Cas9: • Charpentier, while studying the Streptococcus pyogenes, a harmful bacterium, discovered a previously unknown molecule, tracrRNA. • TracrRNA is part of bacteria’s ancient immune system, CRISPR/Cas, that disarmed viruses by cleaving (cutting) their DNA. It is programmed to locate the particular problematic sequence on the DNA strand, and a special protein called Cas9 (also known as genetic scissor) is used to break and remove the problematic sequence. • Both scientists collaborated and succeeded in recreating the bacteria’s genetic scissors in a test tube and simplifying the scissors’ molecular components making it easier to use. • In their natural form, the scissors recognise DNA from viruses but the duo reprogrammed them so that they could be controlled and can cut any DNA molecule at a predetermined site. About CRISPR Technology: • It is a technology for gene-editing was first developed in 2012. • It makes gene sequencing very easy, simple and extremely efficient providing nearly endless possibilities. • The Editing, or modifying, gene sequences is not new and has been happening for several decades now, particularly in the field of agriculture, where several crops have been genetically modified to provide particular traits. • The technology replicates a natural defence mechanism in Streptococcus pyogenes that use a similar method to protect it from virus attacks. • The DNA strand, when broken, has a natural tendency to repair itself but the auto-repair mechanism can lead to the re-growth of a problematic sequence. • The Scientists intervene during this auto-repair process by supplying the desired sequence of genetic codes, which replaces the original sequence. • It can be used to change the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of animals, plants and microorganisms with extremely high precision. • It has already contributed to significant gains in crop resilience, altering their genetic code to better withstand drought and pests.

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• This technology has had a revolutionary impact on the life sciences and contributes to new cancer therapies. It has the potential of Curing Inherited Diseases. Suggestions: • Ethical Concerns such as Ease of altering DNA will allow more people to choose the characteristics of their progeny and this will hamper the natural process. • A Chinese researcher claimed to have altered the genes of a human embryo that eventually resulted in the birth of twin baby girls. It was the first documented case of a ‘designer babies’ being produced using gene-editing tools like CRISPR. • It was probably done without any regulatory permission or oversight which makes it even worse.Few scientists have pointed out that CRISPR technology is not 100% accurate, and it is possible that some other genes could also get altered by mistake. • Doudna has been campaigning for the development of international rules and guidelines for the use of CRISPR technology and has also advocated a general pause on these kinds of applications till such time.

4. Pusa Decomposer Why in News? • Paddy stubble-burning season is here, and satellite remote sensing data from the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) show a five-fold increase in the number of farm fires in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh during the first six days of October compared to the corresponding dates in 2019. • While this initial spike might flatten in the coming days, the SAFAR-India short-range forecast on Thursday (October 8) said the overall AQI in Delhi was in the “higher end moderate category”, and was forecast “at the higher end of moderate to the poor category” for October 9. Stubble Burning: • The burning of Paddy Stubble left in the fields after harvest has been a cause of concern for the past several years as it contributes to air pollution in the northern Gangetic plains and its already polluted cities like Delhi. • It is a common practice in October and November across North West India, but primarily in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh to quickly clear crop residue from their fields before planting the rabi wheat crop.

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• Several solutions have been proposed over the years to tackle the issue. The most recent one, which has been billed as a game-changer if found successful, is the ‘Pusa Decomposer’ capsule developed by IARI. What is the ‘Pusa Decomposer’? • It is essentially a fungi-based liquid solution that can soften hard stubble to the extent that it can be easily mixed with soil in the field to act as compost. • This would then rule out the need to burn the stubble, and also help in retaining the essential microbes and nutrients in soil that are otherwise damaged when the residue is Burned. Impact on Delhi's air: • Farmers in Punjab and Haryana burn paddy stubble around this time before they prepare the soil for the rabi crop. Smoke from burning crop stubble contributes to air pollution over the national capital and large parts of the Indo-Gangetic plain Every Winter. How long does it take for the Decomposer to work? • The window of time required for the solution to work, which is currently the main concern of farmers, is around 20 to 25 days, as per the IARI. • Farmers argue that this window is too long for them, as they ideally wait about a week or 10 days after harvesting the non-basmati variety of rice — which leaves hard stubble — to sow the wheat crop.IARI scientists, however, say that farmers do not necessarily have to plant the next crop in a rush — and that 20-25 days is enough Waiting Time. How is the Decomposer to be used by Farmers? • There are seven strains of fungi that IARI has identified after research which help in rapid breakdown of Hard Stubble. • These seven strains of fungi are packed into four capsules, which cost about Rs 20 per pack of four. But there is a process for developing the liquid solution from these capsules which can take about four to Five Days. • It starts with boiling 25 litres of water mixed with 150 grams of jaggery, which scientists say has properties that help in multiplication of fungi. • After this mix has cooled, 50 grams of besan (or gram flour) is added to it along with four ‘Pusa Decomposer’ Capsules. • This solution is then covered with a thin piece of cloth and left in a dark room for four days. On the fourth day, a thick growth of fungi will be seen on top of the solution. This has to be mixed well, and thereafter the solution is ready for use.

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What is the ‘Dose’ of Decomposer that has to be Used? • IARI scientists explained that the decomposer will work even in fields where stubble has not been finely chopped with a Super Straw Management System (Super SMS) machine. • The Super SMS is attached with a combine harvester machine to cut paddy stubble into small pieces and spread it uniformly in the field. • This in itself is a stubble management process, as chopped stubble can be removed from the field or wheat can be sowed in the field even without removing the chopped stubble, however, not all farmers currently have this machine, which is offered on 50% subsidy to individual farmers. • About the decomposer, IARI scientists have also said that farmers do not necessarily have to wait for the entire 20-25 day window before getting to work on the field. They can start ploughing and preparing the land 10-15 days after spraying the decomposer. How is this Technology being Used? • Decomposer will be used on a trial basis this year in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.Ministry officials said the technology would be used over 100 hectares of land in Punjab and Haryana, 800 hectares in Delhi and 10,000 hectares in Uttar Pradesh, which they said has been experimenting with a similar technology for the last three years. • IARI has been conducting experiments for a year-and-a-half on the decomposer. The technology was licensed for commercial use to four companies in 2019, and to two other companies in 2020.Delhi has started preparing the solution with help from IARI and would begin spraying it over fields October 11 onwards. • The technology is inexpensive, as the whole process — from development, transport and spraying of decomposer — is costing the government only Rs 20 lakh. • The results from trials this year would give an answer to the effectiveness of the technology and decide whether its use would be scaled up in the future.

5. Sanitizers, Soaps can do Damage, says Experts Why in News? • Health experts of the AIIMS recently warned thatincreased usage of antibiotics during COVID-19 can lead to more antimicrobial resistance, adding that the widespread use of hand-sanitisers and antimicrobial soaps can further worsen the Situation. How does Washing with Soap help get rid of the Corona Virus? • Using soap is more effective in removing Microbes on our hands.

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✓ Viruses such as corona virus, influenza-causing viruses, Ebola, Zika have their genetic material encased in a layer of fat called the lipid envelop. ✓ Soap molecules are pin-shaped with a head that is water-loving (hydrophilic) and a tail that is oil-loving (oleophilic). Being oleophilic, the tail portion of the molecule tends to have an affinity for and ‘competes’ with the lipids in the virus envelope. ✓ Since the chemical bonds holding the virus together are not very strong, the long oleophilic tail gets inserted into the envelope and tends to have a ‘crowbar’ effect that breaks the lipid envelope of the virus. ✓ The tail also competes with the bond that binds the RNA and the lipid envelop thus dissolving the virus into its components which are then removed by water. How do Alcohol-based hand sanitiser’s help get rid of Corona virus? • Like soap, the alcohol present in hand sanitisers dissolve the lipid envelop, thus inactivating the virus. • In addition, the alcohol also tends to change the shape or denature the mushroom-shaped protein structures that stick out of the lipid envelop. • The mushroom-shaped protein structures help the virus to bind to special structures found on human cells and enter the cells. To be effective, the sanitisers should contain at least 60% alcohol. • Unlike water, alcohol run does not remove the dead viruses from the hand. While a sanitiser can quickly reduce the number of microbes, it does not get rid of all types of Germs, and is “not as effective when hands are visibly dirty or greasy”. What are the Concerns? • Antimicrobial resistance is the ability of a pathogenic microbe to develop a resistance to the effects of an antimicrobial medication. It has been estimated that by 2050, about 10 million human lives could be at risk every year if drug resistance is not managed. • The COVID-19 pandemic has jolted the entire world and significantly impacted the focus of health facilities towards antimicrobial resistance. • It has been estimated that as we reach the year 2050, about 10 million human lives could be at risk every year if we do not manage the increasing drug resistance. • The widespread use of hand sanitisers and antimicrobial soaps which has especially increased multifold during the Covid-19 pandemic can worsen the situation.

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• Antibiotic-resistant organisms have become rigidly established in our environment with many infections failing to respond to currently available antimicrobials. The antimicrobial resistance has outpaced the development of newer Antimicrobials. Way Forward: • Antimicrobial resistance is one of the biggest challenges of modern medicine. It mounts problems beyond the Geographical as well as species barriers and can transmit from Animals to humans. • There is an urgent need to explore the alternative therapies. The importance of these non- conventional and alternative therapeutic approaches like bacteriophages, endolysins, Nanoparticles, Probiotics and Antimicrobial peptides are needed.

4.1. SCIENCE &TECHNOLOGY SNIPPETS 1. BrahMos surface-to-surface supersonic cruise missile Why in News? • India test-fired an extended-range BrahMos surface-to-surface supersonic cruise missile that can hit targets 400km away. BrahMos Test: • The range has been increased from the existing 290km. • The extended-range variant was tested from the Integrated Test Range at Balasore in Odisha. • The test has cleared the decks for India to induct a second class of supersonic, long-range tactical cruise missiles, propelled by a liquid-fuelled booster capable of Hitting targets over 500km away.The missile featured an indigenous booster and air-frame section along with many other ‘Made in India’ sub-systems. • The missile was tested for the second time. • The missile cruised at a top speed of Mach 2.8 (nearly three times the speed of sound). • The configuration of the existing missile – the world’s fastest supersonic cruise missile — has been tweaked to enhance its range. • Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated scientists for the successful launch, saying the country has achieved “yet another milestone”. • According to experts, the next class of Indian cruise missiles will be based on solid-fuelled ducted ramjet (SFDR) technology, which can be used for air-to-air missiles as well as long-

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range supersonic cruise missiles. The technology has been tested by the DRDO twice — on May 30,2018, and February 8, 2019. Significance of the Test: • The significance of the BrahMos test from a mobile launcher was that the cruise missile reached 75% indigenisation with India now having the capability to design the airframe as well as an indigenous liquid-fuelled booster. • BrahMos missiles are already deployed in the Ladakh theatre along with a limited number of 1,000km range subsonic cruise missiles to counter the missiles and rockets deployed by the Chinese army in Tibet and Xinjiang. • The two armies are locked in a tense standoff in the Ladakh sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). • The successful launch has paved the way for the serial production of the indigenous booster and other indigenous components of the Powerful Weapon System. BrahMos Missile: • The missile is an Indo-Russian joint venture. • The first supersonic cruise missile system known to be in service. • The BrahMos is a multi-stage missile having a solid propellant in the first stage and the ramjet liquid propellant in the second stage. • It has land, air and naval variants. • The missile is capable of carrying a conventional as well as nuclear warhead of 300 kilograms. • It operates on ‘Fire and Forget Principle’ by adopting varieties of flights on its way to the target. • It approaches the enemy target with a top speed of Mach 2.8, which is about three times faster than the US subsonic Tomahawk Cruise Missile System. • The missile derives its name from the names of two rivers, namely the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia. • India is also working on a hypersonic missile, BrahMos-II (K), capable of taking out hardened targets such as underground bunkers and weapon storage facilities at seven times the speed of sound (Mach 7) or 8,575 kmph.

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2. ICGS KanaklataBarua Why in News? • A Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) named ICGS KanaklataBarua was commissioned by the Indian Coast Guard Recently. Highlights: • The vessel was constructed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd. • These FPVs are medium-range surface vessels and can reach a speed of 34 knots. • It is the fifth and last in a series of FPVs. Other FPVs are ICGS Priyadarshini (named after Indira Gandhi), ICGS Annie Besant, ICGS Kamala Devi (after Kamala Devi Chattopadhyay), and ICGS Amrit Kaur. • FPVs are useful for Patrolling, Maritime Surveillance, Anti-smuggling, Anti-poaching Operations, Search and Rescue Missions. KanaklataBarua: • KanaklataBarua was a teenage freedom fighter from Assam. • She led the Mukti Bahini, a procession of freedom fighters to unfurl the Tricolour at Gohpur police station during the Quit India Movement in 1942, • An altercation with police led to firing and killing of KanaklataBarua.

3. Atal Tunnel Why in News? • Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi shall inaugurate Atal Tunnel, Rohtang on 3rd October 2020. Atal Tunnel: • Atal Tunnel is the longest highway tunnel in the World. • The 9.02 Km long tunnel connects Manali to Lahaul-Spiti valley throughout the year. Earlier the valley was cut off for about 6 months each year owing to Heavy Snowfall.

• The Tunnel is built with ultra-modern specifications in the PirPanjal range of Himalayas at an altitude of 3000 Mtrs (10,000 Feet) from the Mean Sea Level (MSL). • The tunnel reduces the road distance by 46 Kms between Manali and Leh and the time by about 4 to 5 hours.

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• The South Portal (SP) of Atal Tunnel is located at a distance of 25 Km from Manali at an altitude of 3060 Mtrs, while the North Portal (NP) of the tunnel is located near village Teling, Sissu, in Lahaul Valley at an altitude of 3071 Mtrs. • It is horse shoe shaped, single tube double lane tunnel with a roadway of 8 Mtrs. It has an overhead clearance of 5.525 Mtrs. • It is 10.5-metre wide and has a 3.6 x 2.25 Mtrs fire proof emergency egress tunnel built into the main tunnel itself. • Atal Tunnel has been designed for traffic density of 3000 cars per day and 1500 trucks per day with max speed of 80 km/hr. • It has the state-of-the-art electromechanical system including semi transverse ventilation system, SCADA controlled firefighting, illumination and monitoring system. Background: • The historic decision to construct a strategic tunnel below the Rohtang Pass was taken on June 03, 2000 when late Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister. • The foundation stone for the Access Road to the South Portal of the tunnel was laid on May 26, 2002. • The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) worked relentlessly to overcome major geological, terrain and weather challenges that included the most difficult stretch of the 587-metre Seri Nalah Fault Zone. The breakthrough from both ends was achieved on October 15, 2017. • The Union Cabinet met under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 24th December 2019 and decided to name the Rohtang Tunnel as Atal Tunnel to honour the contribution made by the former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Key Safety Features of the Tunnel: ✓ Tunnel entry barriers at both portals. ✓ Telephone connections at every 150 Mtrs for emergency communication. ✓ Fire hydrant mechanisms at every 60 Mtrs. ✓ Auto incident detection system with CCTV cameras at every 250 Mtrs. ✓ Air quality monitoring at every 1 Km. ✓ Evacuation Lighting / Exit signs at every 25 Mtrs. ✓ Broadcasting System throughout the tunnel. ✓ Fire rated Dampers at every 50 Mtrs. ✓ Cameras at every 60 Mtrs.

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4. Nanofiber Yarns Why in News? • A Team of Researchers at IIT Madras is ready with a prototype of suture thread made of Nanofiber Yarns. Sutures with Nanofiber Yarns: • It is bio-absorbable. • It can deliver a higher load of antibiotics and/or therapeutics at the site itself. • The suture material uses nanofibers woven as yarn using certain specific techniques, and the strength can be varied depending on the target tissue (skin, muscle, cartilage). • Each strand has a good tensile strength, besides degrading rapidly and mimics the collagen fibrils of body tissues. • Several innovations globally in suture material have advanced infection control and achieved in some cases, better recovery among patients, even as other options such as staples, glues and strips have become available. • Arti Sunil Richard, Research Scholar, Department of Biotechnology, IIT Madras, also worked on the project that won the ‘SITARE-Gandhian Young Technological Innovation (GYTI) Award 2020’ • The way the nanofibers mimicked the collagen fibril sparked the idea in a lab that primarily works on scaffold-based tissue engineering to create thread like structures by twisting nanofibers together using custom-made machinery. • Several experiments were done to prove its compatibility, mechanical strength, stem cell interaction, immune responses, and antibacterial property, and they were compatible with prescribed norms in surgical procedure. • The team also loaded the fibers to deliver drugs at site and it might be more suitable for internal sutures and on soft tissues. • The bio absorbability aspect makes sure that the Sutures do not have to be Removed. • Initial funding has been received for the project, and the team is looking for further Funding to Deliver surgery-ready Nanofiber yarn at Reasonable Costs. Nanofiber Yarns: • Nanofiber yarns are thread-like structures formed by twisting together hundreds of nanofibers.

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• Nano-size fiber production by electrospinning has been a common application method recently. • Generally, in this system, fibers are produced directly as a non-woven surface of fiber-web and this limits potential end-uses of these high Performance Fibers.

5. Xoo Infection Why in News? • Moving towards a vaccine to reduce yield loss due to Diseases in rice. Xoo: • Xoo is a bacterium that causes a serious bacterial leaf blight disease in rice plant. • Xanthomonas oryzaepv. oryzae, or commonly known as Xoo infection, causes huge yield losses to rice cultivation throughout the world. • Appropriate methods for inoculation of Xoo and disease scoring are necessary to investigate the nature of the disease and the mechanism of plant resistance to the pathogen. • As the most widely grown crop in the worldwide, rice yield plays an important role in food security. Uncovering mechanisms of plant-pathogen interaction of rice and Xoo will help develop rice plants that are more resistant to disease caused by Xoo. New Study: • A recipient of the DST-Inspire Faculty Fellowship, along with her research team, has uncovered the mechanism by which Xoo interacts with rice plant and causes disease. • The team is developing new disease control strategies that they can use as vaccines that activate the rice immune system and provide resistance to rice plants from subsequent infections by pathogens. • The research group has zeroed in on a few molecules derived from the Xoo bacterium and from infected rice cell walls which they hope to develop into vaccines. • The Group is working on a cellulase protein secreted by Xoo. • This cellulase protein has the features of a typical vaccine as it is a potent elicitor of rice Immune Responses. • Pre-treatment of rice plants with this protein provides resistance to rice against Subsequent Xoo Infection.

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6. Rudram-1 Why in News? • Recently, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully flight tested indigenously developed Anti-Radiation Missile (Rudram-1). About Anti-Radiation Missiles: • These are designed to detect, track and neutralise the adversary’s radar, communication assets and other radio frequency sources, which are generally part of their air defence systems. • These can locate and target any radiation emitting source. These can play a key role in neutralising any jamming platforms of the enemy or take out radar stations thereby clearing a path for own fighters to carry out an offensive and also prevent own systems from being jammed. • A computerised mechanism that uses changes in the object’s own position — coupled with GPS, which is satellite-based. • 'Passive homing head' for Guidance: A system that can detect, classify and engage targets (radio frequency sources in this case) over a wide band of frequencies as programmed. About Rudram-1: • It is an air-to-surface missile, designed and developed by the DRDO. The DRDO conducted a successful test of the New Generation Anti-Radiation Missile (NGRAM) also called the Rudram-1 at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Balasore (Odisha). • It is the first indigenous anti-radiation missile of the country. Once the missile locks on the target, it is capable of striking accurately even if the radiation source switches off in between.It is integrated with SU-30 MkI aircraft, has a capability of varying ranges based on the launch conditions. • It can be adapted for launch from other fighter jets too. It can be launched from altitudes of 500 m to 15 km and speeds of 0.6 to 2 mach. • It has been developed for the Indian Air Force - IAF’s requirement to enhance its Suppression of Enemy Air Defence (SEAD) capability. • In modern-day warfare is more and more network-centric, which means it comprises elaborate detection, surveillance and communication systems that are integrated with the weapons systems.

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• This is yet another test of indigenously developed weapons systems in addition to the recent tests of Shaurya missile or Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV), which is an unmanned scramjet vehicle, or the test of flight test of a Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of (SMART) system.

7. D Protein Why in News? • Recently, a new study by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers suggests that blocking a human protein factor D may curtail the potentially deadly inflammatory reactions that many patients have to the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Highlights: • The study used normal human blood serum and three subunits of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to discover exactly how the virus hijacks the immune system and endangers normal cells. • They focused on two proteins, factor H and factor D, which are known as “complement” proteins, because they help the immune system clear pathogens from the body. • The researchers discovered that Covid-19’s spike protein causes factor D to overstimulate the immune response, which in turn prevents factor H from mediating that response. • The Spike proteins on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 are the means by which it attaches to cells targeted for infection. The spikes first grab hold of a molecule called heparan sulfate. • The Heparan sulfate is a large, complex sugar molecule found on the surface of cells in the lungs, blood vessels and smooth muscle making up most organs. • The facilitated by its initial binding with heparan sulfate, SARS-CoV-2 then uses another cell-surface component, the protein known as angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), as its doorway into the attacked cell. ACE2 is a protein on the surface of many cell types. • It is an enzyme that generates small proteins – by cutting up the larger protein angiotensinogen – that then go on to regulate functions in the cell. • When SARS-CoV-2 attacks the ACE2 receptors to proliferate and infect more cells in the human body, it also prevents Factor H from using the sugar molecule to bind with cells. Factor H’s main function is to regulate the chemical signals that trigger inflammation and keep the immune system from harming healthy cells. • The team found that by blocking factor D, they were able to stop the destructive chain of events triggered by SARS-CoV-2.It has provided a definite direction for research to tackle

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Covid-19.There may already be drugs in development for other diseases that can block this protein, a positive sign for the study.

8. MOSAiC Expedition Why in News? • Recently, the Year-long MOSMultidisciplinary Drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) Expedition began from Norway and concluded at the port of Bremerhaven, Germany. It was a project organized by the Alfred Wegener Institute, Germany. Highlights: • It is an International Research expedition to study the physical, chemical, and biological processes that coupled the Arctic Atmosphere, Sea ice, Ocean, and Ecosystem. • It is the first year-round expedition into the central Arctic exploring the Arctic climate system. • During the year-round operation of research, the distributed regional network of observational sites were set up on the sea ice surrounding the ship icebreaker RV Polarstern. • The icebreaker RV Polarstern is a German Research Vessel which is mainly used for research in the Arctic and Antarctica. • The results of MOSAiC will contribute to enhance understanding of the regional and global consequences of Arctic climate change and sea-ice loss and improve weather and climate predictions. • The region’s sea ice has been steadily shrinking in recent decades, and summer ice coverage this year was the second lowest since satellite measurements began in 1979. • The Warming has also caused sharp declines in older and thicker ice. • The information is collected about the ocean, ice, clouds, storms and ecosystems of the Arctic would prove invaluable in helping scientists understand the region, which is warming faster than any other part of the planet.

9. Opposition Effect- Mars Why in News? • Because of the ‘opposition’ effect, Mars will look much brighter and bigger than usual in October 2020.

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Highlights: • In astronomy the opposition is defined as the circumstance in which two celestial bodies appear in opposite directions in the sky. • The Moon, when full, is said to be in opposition to the Sun; the Earth is then approximately between them. • A superior planet is the one with an orbit farther from the Sun than Earth’s is in opposition when Earth passes between it and the Sun. • The opposition of a planet is a good time to observe it, because the planet is then typically at its nearest point to the Earth for a given year and because it is close, the planet appears brighter in the sky. The planets Venus and Mercury, whose orbits are smaller than Earth’s, can never be in opposition to the Sun. • Mars and the Sun are on directly opposite sides of Earth. • About every 26 months, the Earth passes between the Sun and Mars, this is when the three are arranged in a straight line. • In 2020, while Mars’ closest approach to Earth was on 6th October, the opposition happened on 13th October. • Mars’s next close approach will happen on 8th December, 2022, when the planet will be 62.07 km away from the Earth. • Mars made its closest approach to Earth in 2003 in nearly 60,000 years and it won’t be that close to the planet until 2287. • This is because the orbits of Earth and Mars are not perfectly circular and their shapes can change slightly because of gravitational tugging (pulling) by other planets. For instance, Jupiter influences the orbit of Mars. • Mars will outshine Jupiter, becoming the third brightest object (moon and Venus are first and second, respectively) in the night sky during the month of October. • During Opposition, Mars appears as a bright star to the unaided eye and when viewed from a telescope, it grows dramatically in size. Using a telescope shows more of the planet’s details such as dark and light regions, the solar ice caps and Mars’ surface.

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5. ART AND CULTURE & MISCELLANEOUS 1. World Mental Health Day 2020 Why in News? • Recently, World Mental Health Day was observed on 10th October every year, with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilising efforts in Support of Mental Health. Highlights: • Its 2020 theme is ‘Mental Health for All, Greater Investment – Greater Access’. • The Big Event for Mental Health is the first ever global online advocacy event on mental health, hosted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the day. • The Surveys have indicated that the pandemic is increasing mental health problems. • Half the respondents from seven countries in a survey by non-profit International Society for the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement reported negative effects on mental health. • More than two-thirds of the queries were from those aged 21-40. Anxiety, stress and panic attacks were the most commonly discussed topics. • More than 90% of respondents to a survey of Harvard Medical School reported increased worry, frustration, boredom or anxiety, In the United States. • The global economic cost of mental illness is expected to be more than USD 16 trillion over the next 20 years, which is more than the cost of any other non-communicable disease. • People in younger age, Female Gender and those with comorbidities reported more Psychological Impact. CausesRelated to Pandemic: • It has increased isolation and loss of income which are well known Triggers of mental health conditions. • The disease itself has been reported to lead to neurological and mental Complications such as delirium, agitation and stroke. • The Covid-19 has disrupted or halted mental health services in 93% of the Countries. • Lack of funding for huge challenges posed by pandemic and Mental Health Issues. • The World Health Organisation (WHO) pointed out that countries are spending less than 2% of their health budget on Mental Health. • Only around 1% of the international aid available for health is earmarked for mental Health.

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Indian Scenario: • A report published in The Lancet Psychiatry in February 2020 indicates that in 2017, there were 197.3 million people with mental disorders in India. • The top mental illnesses were depressive disorder (45.7 million) and anxiety disorder (44.9 million). • The contribution of mental disorders to the total DALYs in India increased from 2.5% in 1990 to 4.7% in 2017. • Depressive disorder and anxiety disorder contributed the most to the total mental disorders DALYs. • Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) is the burden of disability associated with a disease or disorder can be measured in units called disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). • It represent the total number of years lost to illness, disability, or premature death within a given population. • Budgetary Spending of the year 2020 began with a reduction of budget allocation for mental health in India. • India’s healthcare budget in 2018 was Rs. 52,800 crore, of which Rs. 50 crore was for mental health and that was reduced to Rs 40 crore the following year. • India is barely spending 0.5% of the health budget on this sector. • Initiatives: The Mental Health Care Act (MHCA) 2017 came into force in 2018 to meet the requirements of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which India ratified in 2007. • KIRAN: The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has launched a 24/7 toll-free helpline to provide support to people facing anxiety, stress, depression, suicidal thoughts and other mental health concerns. • Manodarpan Initiative is an initiative of the Ministry of Education under Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. • It is aimed to provide psychosocial support to students, family members and teachers for their mental health and well-being during the times of Covid-19. About Mental Health Care Act, 2017 • Right to make an Advance Directive, wherein patients can state on how to be treated or not to be treated for the illness during a mental health situation. • Right to appoint a Nominated Representative: A person shall have the right to appoint a nominated representative to take on his/her behalf, all health related decisions like:

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• Right to access Mental Health Care, • Right to Free & Quality Services, • Right to get Free Medicines, • Right to Community Living, • Right to protection from cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, • Right to live in an environment, safe and hygienic, having basic amenities, • Right to Legal Aid, and • No Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) without anesthesia. • The act brought changes in Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code (which criminalized attempted suicide). The attempt to commit suicide is punishable only as an exception. Way Ahead: • Increasing the number of psychologists and psychiatrists alone won’t help. Stigma and awareness are two separate issues although interlinked. They need to be addressed in parallel in order to tackle the burden of Mental Illness. • Community Partnership, by forming self-help groups of carers families along with NGO’s which brings Community Participation and helps reduce the social stigma associated with Mental Illness. • Increasing mental healthcare facilities and related infrastructure through more resource allocation in the budget. • Adequate Mental healthcare professional availability. Empathetic Service delivery: Delivery of services should be sensitive, compassionate and free from stigma and Discrimination in Public Healthcare Institutions.

5.1. ART AND CULTURE & MISCELLANEOUS SNIPPETS 1. Indian Air Force Day Why in News? • Recently, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is celebrating 88th Air Force Day on 8th October. Highlights: • 8th October: On this day, the Air Force in India was officially raised in 1932 as the supporting force of the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom.

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• India Air Force is the fourth largest in the world after the USA, China and Russia. • Its Headquarters is located at New Delhi. • Motto of the IAF is ‘Touch the Sky with Glory’ and it was taken from the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. The President of India holds the rank of Supreme Commander of the air force. • The Chief of Air Staff, an air chief marshal is responsible for the operational command of the air force. • After independence, IAF took part in wars with Pakistan and the People's Republic of China. • Operation Meghdootwas on 13th April in 1984 when the along with the Indian Air Force and paramilitary forces launched the 'Operation Meghdoot' to secure the control of the heights predominating the Siachen glacier. • IAF took part in relief operations during natural calamities such as Gujarat cyclone in 1998, the tsunami in 2004, etc. • IAF works with the United Nations’ peacekeeping missions. The day is being marked by the main event comprising a parade and flypast at Hindon Air Force Base (Ghaziabad) along with events at IAF establishments across the country. • This year, the Tejas LCA, Mig-29 and 21 and Sukhoi-30 along with newly inducted Rafale jets will be on show. It will also have helicopters like Chinook, Apache, etc

2. NCERT Books in Indian Sign Language Why in News? • The Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC) and the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to make NCERT textbooks accessible to hearing-impaired students in Sign Language. Highlights: • NCERT textbooks, teachers’ handbooks and other materials for Class I-XII of all subjects in Hindi and English medium would be converted into Indian Sign Language (ISL) in Digital Format. Significance: • It is a step towards fulfilling needs of Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act, 2016 and New Education Policy, 2020.

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• Signing of this MoU is based on the United Nations Children's Fund - UNICEF’s initiative “Accessible Digital Textbooks for All”. • So far, hearing impaired children used to study only through verbal or written medium now they can study through Indian Sign Language which is the same all over the country. • In the childhood days, cognitive skills of children are developed and it is very necessary to provide them educational material as per their learning needs. • It will not only enhance their vocabulary but also enhance their capabilities to understand concepts. Indian Sign Language (ISL): • Broadly, it’s a set of hand and facial gestures used to communicate, most often by the hearing and speech impaired. • It has its own grammar, syntax and regional “dialects", essentially different gestures for the same word or sentiment. • The main difference from spoken languages lies in form: Sign languages are visual, spoken ones are auditory. • Sign language is recognized as an official language in many countries across the world like the USA. • Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre • ISLRTC is an autonomous national institute of Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. • It was established in 2015. • It is dedicated to the task of developing man-power for popularizing the use of Indian Sign Language, teaching and conducting research in Indian Sign Language. NCERT: • It is an Autonomous Organization under the Ministry of Education (MoE) which is responsible for: • Ensuring Qualitative improvement in school education by undertaking and promoting research in areas related to school education. • Prepare and publish model textbooks, supplementary material. • Develop and disseminate innovative educational techniques and practices. • Act as a nodal Agency for achieving the Goals of Universalization of Elementary Education.

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3. Nobel Prize in Literature 2020 Why in News? • Recently, the Nobel Prize in Literature 2020 has been awarded to the USA poet Louise Glück "for her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual Existence Universal." Highlights: • It is established by Alfred Nobel in 1895, the Nobel Prize in Literature is one of six awards that also span physics, chemistry, medicine or physiology, peace and economic sciences. • For 2020, Nobel Prizes for Chemistry, Physics and Medicine have already been announced. • The Nobel Prize comes with a medal and a prize sum of 10 million Swedish kronor. • Gluck, born 1943 in New York, lives in Massachusetts and is also professor of English at Yale University. • Her poetry focuses on the painful reality of being human, dealing with themes such as death, childhood, and family life. • She is the fourth woman to win the prize for literature since 2010, and only the 16th since the Nobel prizes were first awarded in 1901. • The last American to win was Bob Dylan in 2016. • Gluck won the Pulitzer Prize in 1993 for her collection The Wild Iris and the National Book Award in 2014.

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6. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1. China Seeks BRI Push to Bangladesh Why in News? • Chinese President Xi Jinping said he stands ready with Bangladesh leaders to better align the two countries’ strategies and jointly promote the construction of his multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). What is BRI? • The Belt and Road Initiative, also known as the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) project was launched by the Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013. • The project intends to link Asia with Europe and Africa through an overland “belt” and a maritime silk “road”. • But it is more than that as it Involves: ✓ The export of Chinese capital, labour, technology, ✓ The use of the Yuan and ✓ The development of new ports, industrial hubs, special economic zones and military facilities, under Beijing’s auspices.

Why has China launched it? • Bridging the Infrastructure Gap in Asia: According to China, the Belt and Road Initiative will bridge the ‘infrastructure gap’ and thus accelerate economic growth across the Asia Pacific area and Central and Eastern Europe.

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• Economic Motives of China: OBOR is aimed at boosting domestic growth in China which has slipped in recent years. In 2016 china grew by 6.7%which is the lowest since 1990. OBOR also provides china a market to sells its product especially Steel. • Global Leadership: But some feel that BRI is more out of political motivation rather than real demand for infrastructure. It is a masterstroke by China to establish itself as a world-leading economy and to spread its power, particularly in the South Asian region at the expense of the US. Why India has not Joined BRI? • The primary objection is that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (part of BRI) passes through Gilgit-Baltistan region and thus ignores India’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity”. • BRI would lead to Chinese neo-colonialism causing unsustainable debt burden for communities and an adverse impact on the environment in the partner countries. • Then, there is a lack of transparency in China’s agenda. Some experts believe that BRI is not just an economic project but one that China is promoting for political control. • Besides Pakistan, where China initiated over $60 billion as part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), China has stepped up its huge infrastructure investments in Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives rising concerns of its growing influence in India’s Immediate Neighbourhood.

Geo-Political Challenges Posed by BRI to India: • China in Kashmir: China is gradually emerging the real third force in Kashmir. Since 1950s, China is in occupation of Aksai chin; In 1963, Pakistan ceded Trans-Karakoram

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Tract to china; China’s first trans-border infrastructure project in Kashmir — the Karakoram Highway — dates back to the late 1960s and now it’s presence is increasing further with CPEC. • China in South Asia: BRI will massively strengthen China’s commercial, economic, Political and Security influence in South Asia which could Marginalize India’s regional Primacy. Way Ahead for India: • Improve Infrastructure in Frontier Regions: Whether it is in Kashmir, Arunachal, the Andamans or the neighbourhood, India’s neglect of its frontier regions has weakened its regional position. Thus we should improve infrastructure in frontier regions. • Improve Internal Connectivity: India should remember that China’s BRI did not start out as an external initiative. It was built on the existing internal “Go West” strategy launched two decades ago, that has focused on unifying China’s domestic market and connecting its developed east coast with the interior provinces. • Improve Connectivity with Neighbours: India should modernize connectivity across its land and maritime frontiers with its neighbours in the Subcontinent, South East Asia and the Gulf by completing our projects in these regions. • India can work with nations like Japan in developing regional connectivity. Japan has already outlined a Belt and Road initiative of its own, called the Partnership for Quality Infrastructure under which Japan has put up nearly $150 billion to support infrastructure projects all across the Indo-Pacific and Eurasia. • India should also improve our access to Europe by expediting projects like INSTC and others. • On Participation in BRI: India must focus on debating the specific terms of individual projects rather than having to say “Yes” or “No” to the BRI as a whole.

2. India and Myanmar Why in News? • Recently, a two-day visit by the Foreign Secretary of India and the Army Chief to Myanmar completed with Greater Engagement between India and Myanmar. Highlights: • As a part of India’s Medical or Drug Diplomacy a package of 3,000 vials of the antiviral Remdesivir given to assist Myanmar in its fight against the pandemic.

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• India has shown willingness to prioritise Myanmar in sharing Covid -19 vaccines, when available. • Operationalisation of the crucial Sittwe port in Myanmar’s Rakhine state by March 2021 is committed. The two sides also discussed progress in the ongoing Indian-assisted infrastructure projects such as the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway and the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project. • The project will link Kolkata to Sittwe in Myanmar and then from Myanmar’s Kaladan river to India’s north-east. • Security: India has been concerned over some militant groups like the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) and National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) from the North-East region taking shelter in Myanmar. • Myanmar handed over 22 cadres of Indian insurgent groups in May 2020. • The maintenance of security and stability in their border areas and mutual commitment not to allow their respective territories to be used for activities inimical to each other were re-stressed. Transition to Democracy: • Myanmar successfully conducted the 4th meeting of the 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference in Nay Pyi Taw. • The Union Peace Conference: 21st Century Panglong is a continuing peace conference started in 2016. • It aims to have a stable political environment in Myanmar with peaceful transition into democracy. • Outcome of 4th Meeting: The Government of Myanmar and ten armed ethnic groups signed a framework agreement for the National Ceasefire Agreement (NCA). • Indian Support: India assured continued support in sharing experiences in constitutionalism and federalism to assist Myanmar in its democratic transition. Rohingya Issues: • India came forward for support for ensuring safe, sustainable and speedy return of Rohingya refugees from Refugees Camps of Bangladesh. • Building on the progress made under the Rakhine State Development Programme (RSDP), India proposed to finalise projects under phase-III of the programme, including setting up of a skills training centre and upgrading of agricultural mechanisation.

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• Liaison Office: With the formal inauguration of liaison office in Nay Pyi Taw, India has taken one more significant step towards establishing its embassy in Nay Pyi Taw. • India has its embassy in Yangon, the former capital. Highlights: • A bust of Bal Gangadhar Tilak in Mandalay Jail is a symbolic gesture for a closer relationship and understanding mutual existence. • Between 1908 and 1914, he spent 6 years in Mandalay Prison for defending the actions of revolutionaries Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki. • Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki had tried to assassinate the District Judge, Mr. Kingsford by throwing bombs at the carriage in which he was supposed to travel. • With investments of over USD 1.2 billion, Myanmar has the highest Indian investment in any country in South Asia. • India's development cooperation in Myanmar is estimated at USD 1.4 billion. The two countries are also expanding partnership in the area of energy cooperation. • Recently, India approved an investment of over USD 120 million in the Shwe Oil and Gas project. About India-Myanmar: • India and Myanmar have shared cultural roots and historical relations, apart from the strategic, Economic, Social and political ties. • Myanmar is a member of both Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which is an organization of East Asian nations as well as the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi- Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) which bridges South and South-East Asia. • Connectivity projects through Myanmar help India overcome its Chicken-neck dilemma (Siliguri Corridor). Myanmar is also necessary for the development of North-Eastern India. • Myanmar stands at the confluence of India’s Neighbourhood First and Act East Policy and India-Myanmar partnership is at the heart of India’s vision to create a connected and cooperative neighbourhood. • Recently, India and Myanmar had signed 10 agreements with a focus on socio-economic development of Myanmar, during Myanmar President U Win Myint’s visit to India. • Myanmar's growing closeness with China and the recent proposal of China Myanmar Economic Corridor is a cause of concern for India amidst growing India-China tension.

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3. India, Japan Finalise Text of Pact for AI, 5G Why in News? • India and Japan recently welcomed the finalisation of the text of a cybersecurity agreement that will promote cooperation in key areas such as 5G network and Artificial Intelligence. About the News: • The announcement on the agreement followed the 13th India-Japan Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his Japanese counterpart MotegiToshimitsu in Tokyo. • The agreement promotes cooperation in capacity building, research and development, security and resilience in the areas of Critical Information Infrastructure, 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), among others. It, however, did not clarify what role each country would play under this agreement. • The announcement is expected to draw the attention of the stakeholders in the Indian 5G sector as it gets ready to open up for international operators and especially since there is lack of clarity on possible participation of Chinese technology majors in the 5G arena. • Mr. Jaishankar also met his Australian counterpart Marise Payne. This was the second meeting between him and his Japanese and Australian counterparts a day after they participated in the “Quad” ministerial dialogue along with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. What is Quad Grouping? • The quadrilateral security dialogue includes Japan, India, United States and Australia. • All four nations find a common ground of being the democratic nations and common interests of unhindered maritime trade and security. • The idea was first mooted by Japanese Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007. However, the idea couldn’t move ahead with Australia pulling out of it. Significance of the Grouping: • Quad is an opportunity for like-minded countries to share notes and collaborate on projects of mutual interest. • Members share a vision of an open and free Indo-Pacific. Each is involved in development and economic projects as well as in promoting maritime domain awareness and maritime security.It is one of the many avenues for interaction among India, Australia, Japan and the US and should not be seen in an Exclusive Context.

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What are China’s views on the Quad? • There is a general understanding that the Quad would not take on a military dimension against any country. The strategic community in China, nevertheless, had branded it an emerging “Asian NATO”. • Notably, Japanese Former PM Shinzo Abe’s “Confluence of Two Seas” address to the Indian Parliament gave a fresh impetus to the Quad concept. This recognised the Economic rise of India. Issues Related to Quad: • Undefined Vision: Despite the potential for cooperation, the Quad remains a mechanism without a defined Strategic Mission. • Maritime Dominated: The entire focus on the Indo-Pacific makes the Quad a maritime, rather than a land-based grouping, raising questions whether the cooperation extends to the Asia-Pacific and Eurasian Regions. • India’s Aversion of Alliance System: The fact that India is the only member that is averse to a treaty alliance system has slowed down the progress of building a stronger Quadrilateral Engagement. Way Forward: • Need for Clear Vision: The Quad nations need to better explain the Indo-Pacific Vision in an overarching framework with the objective of advancing everyone’s economic and security interests. • This will reassure the littoral States that the Quad will be a factor for regional benefit, and a far cry from Chinese allegations that it is some sort of a military alliance. • The forthcoming Ministerial meetings can be an opportunity to define the idea and chart a Future Path. • Expanding Quad: India has many other partners in the Indo-Pacific; therefore India should pitch for countries like Indonesia, Singapore to be invited to join in the future. • Need for a Maritime Doctrine: India should develop a comprehensive vision on the Indo-Pacific which would ideate on the current and future maritime challenges, consolidate its military and non-military tools, and engage its strategic partners.

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4. UN World Food Programme gets Nobel Peace Prize, 2020 Why in News? • The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP), which won the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize, delivers Food Assistance in Emergencies, from wars to civil conflicts, natural disasters and famines. About WFP: • The World Food Programme (WFP) is the food assistance branch of the United Nations and the world’s largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger and promoting food security.The WFP strives to eradicate hunger and malnutrition, with the ultimate goal in mind of eliminating the need for food aid itself. • It is a member of the United Nations Development Group and part of its Executive Committee. • Born in 1961, WFP pursues a vision of the world in which every man, woman and child has access at all times to the food needed for an active and healthy life. The WFP is governed by an Executive Board which consists of representatives from member states. • The WFP operations are funded by voluntary donations from world governments, corporations and private donors. WFP food aid is also directed to fight micronutrient deficiencies, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, and combat disease, including HIV and AIDS. Historical Background: • Created in 1962 on the request of US President Dwight Eisenhower as an experiment to provide food aid through the UN system, WFP had only existed a few months when an earthquake struck northern Iran. • Over 12,000 people died. WFP sent survivors 1,500 metric tons of wheat, 270 tonnes of sugar and 27 tonnes of tea. • Others soon needed its help: a typhoon made landfall in Thailand; war refugees needed feeding in Algeria. • In 1963 WFP’s first school meals project was born. In 1965, the agency became a fully- fledged UN programme. • By 2019, it would come to assist 97 million people in 88 countries. WFP says that on any given day it has 5,600 trucks, 30 ships and nearly 100 planes on the move. It distributes over 15 billion rations of food yearly.

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Mission of WFP: • WFP focuses on emergency assistance as well as rehabilitation and development aid. Two- thirds of its work is in conflict-affected countries, where people are three times more likely to be undernourished than elsewhere. • It works closely with the other two Rome-based UN agencies: the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which helps countries, draw up policy and change legislation to support sustainable agriculture, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), which finances projects in poor rural areas. • WFP is funded entirely by voluntary donations, most of which comes from governments. It raised $8 billion in 2019, which it says was used to provide 4.2 million metric tons of food and $2.1 billion of cash and vouchers. • It has more than 17,000 staff, with 90 percent based in the countries where the agency Provides Assistance. Notable Achievements by WFP: • In western Sahel in the 1970s, ravaged by drought, it used “everything in its power — from car to camel, from road to river — to assist those in need”. • It delivered 2 million tonnes of food during Ethiopia’s 1984 famine. It was present in Sudan, Rwanda, and in Kosovo, then later in Asia after the 2004 tsunami, and Haiti’s 2010 earthquake.In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which is suffering the second largest hunger crisis in the world, it assisted 6.9 million people in 2019, as well as helping fight a deadly Ebola virus outbreak. • It helps 4.5 million people in war-torn Syria and 300,000 acutely malnourished children in conflict-struck Nigeria. • But WFP’s largest emergency response has been in Yemen, where it tries to feed 13 million people each month. Hunger Today and Corona Virus: • Over 821 million people in the world are chronically hungry, while another 135 million are facing severe hunger or starvation, and an additional 130 million could join them by the end of 2020 due to corona virus, the agency warns. • The number of severely food insecure people in the world had already risen nearly 70 percent over the past four years, and the economic fallout from the virus pandemic is expected to spark “a hunger pandemic”, WFP said.

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• “We urgently need more support from donors, who of course are already hard-pressed by the impact of the pandemic in their own countries”. • WFP’s logistics services used a network of hubs, passenger and cargo air links, and medical evacuation services to enable a steady flow of cargo and workers to the frontlines of the pandemic.The corona virus fallout is being felt hardest in Latin America, which has seen an almost three-fold rise in the numbers of people requiring food assistance, as well as West, Central and Southern Africa.

5. South Asia Economic Focus Report Why in News? • The World Bank has recently released its biennial South Asia Economic Focus report. The fall 2020 edition is titled “Beaten or Broken? Informality and COVID-19”. About the Report: • The report includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. • The report predicts that the extended closure of schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic could dent India’s future earnings by anywhere between 420 billion USD and 600 billion USD, as depleted learning levels of students will translate into poorer productivity going Forward. Impact on Education: • Around 5.5 million students could drop out of schools across South Asia. • 391 million students have been kept out of school in primary and secondary education due to lockdown. • Dropouts, combined with substantial learning losses for those who remain enrolled in schools, would cost South Asia as much as 622 billion USD in future earnings and gross domestic product. • The regional loss is largely driven by India, all countries will lose substantial shares of their GDP. • The projected learning loss for the region is 0.5 years of learning-adjusted years of schooling (LAYS) at present. ✓ LAYS combines quantity and quality of schooling into a single easy-to-understand metric of Progress. • Due to the closure of schools, not only the learning process has been obstructed but the children may have forgotten their previous learnings.

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• The average child in South Asia may lose 4,400 USD in lifetime earnings once having entered the labour market, equivalent to 5% of total earnings. • Engaging children through remote learning programmes had been difficult, despite most governments’ best efforts to mitigate the impact of School Closures. Impacts on Economy: • Impact on Informal Sector: The report has flagged damage to businesses, consumption patterns and imposed social hardship on poor and vulnerable households, especially urban migrants and informal workers in the South Asia region. It has also warned against far-reaching consequences apart from these immediate impacts. • GDP: The regional GDP of the South Asia region is estimated to contract by 7.7% in 2020. ✓ India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) can contract by 9.6% in 2020-21. • Labour Productivity: It will also take a greater hit from COVID-19 than most previous Natural Disasters. Reasons for the decrease in labour productivity are as follows: ✓ Globalization: The increased integration of the global economy will amplify the adverse impact of COVID-19. Effect on supply chains, export-import and international migration of labour will affect labour productivity. ✓ Capacity underutilization: Contagion prevention and physical distancing may render some activities, for example, the hospitality sector, unviable unless they are radically transformed, which will take time. ✓ Even in less directly affected sectors such as manufacturing, banking and business, severe capacity underutilisation lowers total factor productivity. • Disruptions to Training, Schooling and Other Education: These may occur due to severe income losses as well as lack of access to training and education facilities. Even once restrictions are lifted, the impediment of training will also lower human capital and labour productivity over the long term. Other Related Reports: • Recently, the UN Report on the Impact of COVID-19 on Children estimated that almost 24 million children could drop out or not have access to school next year due to the economic impact of Covid-19.Earlier this year, the Global Education Monitoring Report, 2020 was released by UNESCO which highlighted that the COVID-19 had worsened the inequalities in education systems worldwide.

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Way Forward: • To avoid the outcome of the pandemic, progress on three fronts is required: Information, Solidarity and Action. • It is critical that education is at the heart of international solidarity efforts, from debt management and stimulus packages to global humanitarian appeals and official development Assistance.It is the time to step up international solidarity for children and humanity— and to lay the foundations for a deeper transformation of the way we nurture and invest in our world’s Youngest Generation. • India as a lower-middle-income country needs to use education as an equalizer for its widespread socioeconomic inequalities. Focus on increasing the education budget in the New Education Policy and decreasing the digital divide are welcome steps to achieve this Goal.

6.1INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS SNIPPETS 1. International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons Why in News: • Recently, High-level Meeting to commemorate and promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons 26th September 2020, India reiterated that nuclear weapons should be abolished in a step-by-step non-discriminatory process. About International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons: • The UN General Assembly (UNGA) declared 26th September 2013 to be the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons (Nuclear Abolition Day). • Its objective is to total elimination of nuclear weapons through enhancing public awareness and education about the threat posed to humanity by nuclear weapons and the necessity for their Total Elimination. • Achieving global nuclear disarmament is one of the oldest goals of the United Nations. • It also calls for progress on a nuclear weapons convention, a global treaty involving the nuclear-armed states in the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons under strict and effective international control. Highlights: • India remains committed to the policy of No First Use (NFU) against nuclear weapon states and non-use against non-nuclear-weapon states. The recent stand indicates that India has not revised its key principles regarding the NFU principle.

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• The Defense Minister hinted at a possibility of changing the principle by declaring that ‘circumstances’ will determine the “No First Use” stance, in 2019. • India is a key partner in global efforts towards disarmament and strengthening the non- proliferation order. • India believes that nuclear disarmament can be achieved through a step-by-step process underwritten by a universal commitment and an agreed multilateral framework after meaningful dialogues among all States possessing nuclear weapons, for building trust and confidence. • The Conference on Disarmament (CD) remains the “world’s single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum” and India supports holding of negotiations on a Comprehensive Nuclear Weapons Convention at the CD. • India also remains committed to negotiations regarding a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) in the CD. • FMCT is a proposed international agreement that prohibits the production of two main components of nuclear weapons: highly-enriched Uranium and Plutonium. • The consultations under the treaty laid down the most appropriate arrangement to negotiate a treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. • The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the New START Treaty (between the USA and the Russian Federation) are few of the most important global efforts towards nuclear disarmament. • India has not signed NPT and CTBT.

2. TRIPS Agreement Why in News? • India and South Africa, in a formal submission to the World Trade Organization (WTO), have sought a waiver on Sections 1, 4, 5, and 7 of Part II of the TRIPS Agreement that regulate intellectual property rights to speed up efforts to prevent, treat and contain the COVID-19 Pandemic. Issues Raised by India and South Africa through submission: • There were several reports about intellectual property rights hindering or potentially hindering timely provisioning of affordable medical products to COVID-19 patients and

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that a particular concern for countries with insufficient or no manufacturing capacity were the requirements of cumbersome and lengthy process of the import and export of pharmaceutical products. • Many countries, especially the developing ones, may face institutional and legal difficulties when using flexibilities available in the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement). • Beyond patents, other intellectual property rights may also pose a barrier, with limited options to overcome those barriers, noted the Submission. • The Medical Products Companies Especially medicine and vaccine manufacturers want to profit from pandemic by keeping the monopoly rights through intellectual protection. Importance of the Submission: • In the Present Context of global emergency, it is important for WTO to ensure that intellectual property rights do not create barriers to timely access to affordable medical products, or to Scaling up research, development, manufacturing and supply of medical products essential to combat COVID-19. • The waiver of TRIPS Obligation is a major initiative to ensure availability and affordability of medical products. Sections 1, 4, 5, and 7 of Part II of the TRIPS Agreement: • PART II of the TRIPS Agreement relates to Standards Concerning the Availability, Scope and Use of Intellectual Property Rights 1. Sections 1: Copyright and Related Rights 2. Sections 4: Industrial Designs 3. Sections 5: Patents 4. Sections 7: Protection of Undisclosed Information

3. World Standards Day Why in News? • Every year on October 14, the world celebrates International Standards Day, also known as World Standards Day. Worlds Standard Day (WSD): • The aim is to promote awareness about the essentiality of ‘standardisation to global economy’ for enhancing peace and prosperity without harming our planet Earth.

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• World Standards Day also pays tribute to the thousands of volunteers around the world who participate in standardization activities. • World Standards Day 2020 is themed – ‘Protecting the planet with standards’ – aims to seize the opportunity to combat climate change with the power of international standards. • Since 1970, World Standards Day has been celebrated in various ways throughout the world. Conferences, exhibitions, seminars, TV and radio interviews, and even “World Standards Week” events take place annually on or around 14 October. • The World Standards Day was chosen by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Bureau of Indian Standards: • The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the national Standards Body of India working under the aegis of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution. • It is established by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 which came into effect on 23 December 1986. • The Minister in charge of the Ministry or Department having administrative control of the BIS is the ex-officio President of the BIS. • The organisation was formerly the Indian Standards Institution (ISI), set up under the Resolution of the Department of Industries and Supplies. • As a corporate body, it has 25 members drawn from Central or State Governments, industry, scientific and research institutions, and consumer organisations. • Its headquarters are in New Delhi, with regional offices in Eastern Region at Kolkata, southern Region at Chennai, Western Region at Mumbai, Northern Region at Chandigarh and Central Region at Delhi and 20 branch offices. It also works as WTO-TBT enquiry point for India. • A new Bureau of Indian standards (BIS) Act 2016 which was notified on 22 March 2016, has been brought into force with effect from 12 October 2017. The Act establishes the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) as the National Standards Body of India.

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