BEBE NN BBYY IASIAS January 2021

Monthly Current Affairs Magazine

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CONTENT

GENERAL STUDIES-I 2. Governance………………………………...37 1. Art and Culture…………………………..….3 2.1 Institutions of Eminence get approval to open foreign campuses……………………………..…37 1.1 Academy Braces for Action...... 3 2.2 Justice Report 2020……………………..…38 1.2 World’s oldest known cave painting found in Indonesia………………………………………….4 Editorial…………………………………………39 2. History……………………………………….…5 2.3 Getting vaccine from factory to frontline…………39 2.1 Subhash Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary to be 3. Social Justice……………………………...46 celebrated as ‘Parakram Diwas’…………….…….5 3.1 Inclusion of 14 New Minor Forest produce…..…46 2.2 Centre gives green light to underwater study to 3.2 ‘High out-of-pocket expenses for health can lead to determine Ram Setu origins………………………6 poverty’………………………………………….47 3. Geography……………………………………..8 4. International Relations………………….48 3.1 Caribbean Volcanos Come Alive…………………8 4.1 MEA Launches Global Pravasi Rishta Portal and App To Connect With Global Indian 3.2 Indonesia's Merapi volcano spews hot clouds, 500 Diaspora…………………………………………48 evacuate…………………………………………...9 4.2 All member states of UN can now join 3.3 Indigenously built, first pair of weather radars International Solar Alliance: India……………....50 installed over Himalayas………………………...10 4.3 Russia to announce exit from Open Skies 3.4 Centre nod for Chenab hydel project despite Treaty……………………………………………50 Pakistan objections………………………………11 4.4 Boris Johnson invites PM Modi to G7 meet in 3.5 Harnessing Potash in …………………12 June…………………………………………...…51 GENERAL STUDIES-II 4.5 India begins vaccine diplomacy, first doses in 1. Polity and Constitution………………...14 Bhutan, Maldives………………………………..53 1.1 Supreme Court to hear plea to bar disqualified 4.6 India to expand research, tourism in Arctic……..54 lawmakers from by polls to same House……..…14 4.7 ‘A global challenge to deliver vaccine’…………55 1.2 Decide on Rajoana mercy plea by R-Day, SC tells Editorial………………………………………...56 govt. ……………………………………….……15 4.8 13TH All India Conference of China Studies-India 1.3 HC notice to Centre on PIL challenging contempt China relations…………………………………..56 Act……………………………………………….16 4.9 Pursuing national interests, at the UN high 1.4 all set for Makaravilakkuz festival….17 table…………………………………………...…58 1.5 ‘Media trial’ impacts probe; Press Council 4.10 Eye on permanent seat, India begins fresh stint at guidelines to apply to TV for now: Bombay UNSC…………………………………………....61 HC……………………………………………….18 4.11 Reclaiming SAARC from the ashes of 2020……63 1.6 Disclosure of interest in info under RTI necessary: GENERAL STUDIES-III Delhi HC……………………………………...…20 1.7 Bombay HC relief for inter-faith couple: ‘Woman 1. Economic Development…………………68 free to move as per wish’………………………..21 1.1 IFSCA becomes member of International 1.8 Supreme Court dismisses Aadhaar review Organization of Securities Commissions………..68 petitions………………………………………….22 1.2 KVIC Unveils E-Commerce Portal For Khadi, 1.9 When Parliament passed Bills but govt did not give Village Industry Products……………………….69 effect to those laws………………………...…….24 1.3 RBI launches Digital payments index to track 1.10 Election Commission to soon begin mock trials for transactions, measure growth…………………....70 remote voting: CEC……………………………..25 1.4 GST revenue collections hitting record prove economy is recovering: Fin Secy………………..71 1.11 ‘Gender Park’ to come up in …………….26 1.5 Manufacturing PMI: Inflation’s ugly comeback is 1.12 Time limit for Judicial appointments-Collegium an outcome of ultra-easing………………………72 System…………………………………………...28 1.6 India home to 21 unicorns valued at $73.2 Editorial……..………………………………….28 billion……………………………………………74 1.13 Separation of Power: Judiciary v. Executive…....28 1.7 PM Modi inaugurates 450 km Kochi-Mangaluru 1.14 Special Marriage Act and Anti Conversion natural gas pipeline…………………………...…75 laws……………………………………………...32 1.8 USTR slams India, Italy, Turkey on digital taxes 1.15 Death Penalty and Mercy petitions……………...35 but holds off on tariffs…………………………...76

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1.9 Nitin Gadkari to launch innovative, eco-friendly, 2. Environment and Bio-diversity…..…113 non-toxic wall paint tomorrow………………..…77 2.1 A Leopard Count With a Missing Benchmark 1.10 RBI Financial Stability Report…………………..79 Number…………………………………..…….113 1.11 Coal sector to be major contributor to $5-trillion 2.2 Dzukou Valley wildfire doused………………..114 economy goal, says Amit Shah……………….…80 2.3 Tirthan sanctuary, Great Himalayan National Park 1.12 India’s energy growth story will be driven by best performers among protected areas………...115 renewable energy: Amitabh Kant……………….81 2.4 Govt notifies modified scheme to produce 1G ethanol………………………………………….116 1.13 United States says India's digital services tax is discriminatory………………………………...…82 2.5 2020 among the three warmest years recorded on Earth: WMO…………………………………....118 1.14 Systemically Important Banks………………..…83 2.6 Campaign ‘SAKSHAM’ to spread awareness about 1.15 NITI Aayog's India Innovation Index ‘Green and Clean Energy’……………………..116 Report…...... 84 2.7 Great Rann of Kutch-60k lesser flamingo chicks 1.16 Global Innovation Index (GII)………………..…86 emerge from new nesting ground……………...120 1.17 RBI proposes 4-tier structure for tighter regulation 2.8 Exposure to PM 2.5 Raises Anaemia Risk In Kids of NBFCs………………………………………..87 Under 5: -Delhi Study……………………….121 2.9 Conservationist joins SC panel on elephant corridor 1.18 The Inequality Virus Report: Oxfam case……………………………………………..122 International……………………………………..89 3. Science & Technology…………..……..123 1.19 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) expenditure rules changed for Indian companies……………91 3.1 FSSAI slashes limit for trans fat levels in foods……………………………………………123 1.20 ‘IMF On Indian Economy’- Fiscal Policy………92 3.2 Centre issues bird flu alert after H5N1 virus found 1.21 Cabinet increases Minimum Support Price of copra in samples from Himachal……………………..125 to Rs 10,335…………………………………..…93 3.3 Advanced Biodigester Mk-II Technology……..126 1.22 Economic Survey predicts 11 percent growth next 3.4 What is 5G and how prepared is India to adapt to fiscal……………………………………………..94 this tech?...... …….127 Editorial……………………………………...94 Editorial……………………………………….129 1.23 Food and Agri Produce Wastage………………..95 3.5 Electronic waste-management in India………...129 1.24 Balance sheet of a bad bank……………………..98 3.6 New draft science policy-Emphasising self-reliance in science……………………………………….130 1.25 Farm bill advocates should not ask farmers to 3.7 Eye on China, India looks at lithium reserves in choose between MSP and market……………...100 Argentina, Chile and Bolivia…………………..132 1.26 Recognition of Domestic Work-CARE 4. Disaster management………………….135 ECONOMY-Women’s Economic Rights…..….102 4.1 India to get UN tag of international disaster 1.27 Shipping & Port sector: Role in Indian response force for NDRF………………………135 Economy…………………………………….…104 5. Security…………………………………….136 1.28 Why Dedicated Freight Corridor Is Significant- For 5.1 More than half of personnel seem to Railway, The Country……………………...…..106 be under severe stress: Study………………..…136 1.29 Cafe Economics: Fiscal Policy Must Play A Bigger 5.2 Maritime security, coastal defence exercise Role To Keep Our Economy Going…………....108 begins…………………………………………..138 1.30 NCLAT underlines IBC terms: can’t accept offer if 5.3 Curtain Raiser: Indo-French Exercise Desert it comes late……………………………………111 Knight-21………………………………………139

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General Studies-I 1 Art and Culture

1.1 Kalaripayattu Academy Braces For Action

Context:  Kerala govt to set up Kalaripayattu Academy to boost traditional martial art form.  To give a boost to the traditional martial art form of Kerala, the state government is setting up a Kalaripayattu Academy at Vellar Craft Village here, under the Department of Tourism.

News in details:  Kalaripayattu, also known as '', is known for its long- standing history within Indian culture and is believed to be the oldest surviving martial art in the world.  Classes by Kalari Asans ():According to the Department of Tourism, the 3,500 square feet gallery is expected to be completed in two months, where Kalari Asans (gurus) led by Padma Shri Meenakshiamma will conduct classes.  Syllabus of Kalaripayattu Academy: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is scheduled to release the syllabus of Kalaripayattu Academy on January 16, during the inauguration of the renovated Craft Village.  The Kalaripayattu Academy plans to admit 100 students initially. ABOUT KALARIPAYATTU:  Kalaripayattu is considered the oldest surviving martial art of the country, with a legacy of more than 3,000 years.  Origin: Kerala  : The word kalari first appears in Sangam literature to describe both a battlefield and arena.  Mentioned in: Kalaripayattu is mentioned in the Vadakkan Pattu ballads about the Chekavars from Malabar. It is acknowledged and respected across the world and is used by Kerala Tourism for increasing footfall. Founder: According to ancient folklore, Lord 's disciple Parasurama who was an avatar of Lord Vishnu is believed to be the founder of martial arts in India.  The four stages are: o Muppavaram: Body conditioning exercises o Kolthari: Use of wooden weapons o Angathari: Use of sharp metallic weapons o Yerumkai: Bare-handed defense and attack.  Zenith: Kalaripayattu reach its zenith during the hundred years of war between the Cholas, Pandyas and Cheras.

Traditional martial arts in india:

MARTIAL ARTS STATE

Kalaripayattu Kerala

Silambam Tamil Nadu

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Thang-ta and Sarit Sarak

Thoda

Gatka Punjab

Inbuan

Pari- 1.2 World’s oldest known cave painting found in Indonesia

Context: Archaeologists have discovered the world’s oldest known cave art — a life-sized picture of a wild pig that was painted at least 45,500 years ago in Indonesia.

News in details:  Previously oldest rock art: It was at least 43,900 years old, was a depiction of hybrid human-animal beings hunting Sulawesi warty pigs and dwarf bovids.  The cave painting uncovered in South Sulawesi consists of a figurative depiction of a warty pig, a wild boar that is endemic to this Indonesian island.  The Sulawesi warty pig painting was found in the limestone cave of Leang Tedongnge is now the earliest known representational work of art in the world, as far as we are aware.”  Bugis community: Isolated Bugis community living in this hidden valley claim it had never before been visited by Westerners. Features of the oldest wild pig painting:  Steep limestone cliffs: The cave is in a valley that is enclosed by steep limestone cliffs, and is only accessible by a narrow cave passage in the dry season, as the valley floor is completely flooded in the wet season.  Ice age rock art: These pigs were the most commonly portrayed animal in the ice age rock art of the island.  Painting Representation: It shows a pig with a short crest of upright hairs and a pair of horn-like facial warts in front of the eyes, a characteristic feature of adult male Sulawesi warty pigs.  Colours: Painted using red ochre pigment, the pig appears to be observing a fight or social interaction between two other warty pigs.  Uranium-series analysis: Rock art produced in limestone caves can sometimes be dated using Uranium-series analysis of calcium carbonate deposits (‘cave popcorn’). ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Bugis community:  The Buginese or Bugis people are one of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi (the others being Makassar and Toraja), third largest island of Indonesia. Sulawesi Island:  Part of Greater Sunda Islands.  It is governed by Indonesia.  The world's eleventh-largest island.  Bordering: it is situated YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 4 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

o East of Borneo, o West of the Maluku Islands, o South of Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago. o Larger Islands: o Larger in territory: Only Sumatra, Borneo and Papua o Larger populations: Only Java and Sumatra

General Studies-I 2 History

2.1 Subhash Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary to be celebrated as ‘Parakram Diwas’

Context: To honour S.C.Bose’s “selfless service” to the nation, India will celebrate Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary, falling on January 23, as “Parakram Diwas”, the Centre announced on Tuesday.

News in details:  “Starting from January 2021, every year the occasion will be celebrated to inspire people, especially youth of this country “to act with fortitude in the face of adversity as Netaji did, and to infuse in them a spirit of patriotic fervour.”  High-level committee: Earlier this month, Prime Minister Modi formed a high-level committee to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary celebrations of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.  Members of the Committee: Include actors Kajol and Mithun Chakrabarty, musician AR Rahman, cricketer Sourav Ganguly, and Medanta chairman Ravi Kasliwal. o The 85 member committee — including 10 central ministers and seven chief ministers — will decide on the activities for a year long tribute. Other steps taken by government:  In the recent past, the has taken several steps towards preserving and conserving the precious heritage of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.  Museum on Netaji at Red Fort: A museum has been set up on Netaji at Red Fort, New Delhi, which was inaugurated by the Prime Minister on 23.01.2019.  Exhibition and a Light and Sound show: A permanent exhibition and a Light and Sound show on 'Netaji' has been planned to be set up at Kolkata in the historic Victoria Memorial building. S.C. Bose and indian freedom struggle:  Joined INC in 1921: Bose joined the (Formed on December 28, 1885) in 1921.  Newspaper Swaraj: He also started a newspaper called ‘Swaraj’.  Book: Bose authored the book ‘The Indian Struggle’, which was banned by the British.  President of the Indian National Congress:

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1. 1938-Haripur 2. 1939-Tripuri  All India Forward Bloc- In 1939, he resigned from the Congress Presidentship in 1939 and organised the All India Forward Bloc a faction within the Congress in . 2.2 Centre gives green light to underwater study to determine Ram Setu origins

Context:  The Central government has approved an underwater research project to ascertain the origins of the Ram Setu — a 48-km-long chain of shoals between o India and o Sri Lanka

News in details:  Minister of State for Tourism and Culture: “The world should get to know about the Ram Setu through evidence based on scientific research.”  Central advisory board on archaeology: It has approved the proposal for this underwater exploration project. o It functions under the Archaeological Survey of India ().  Focus of Study: It will focus on the o Process behind Ram Setu’s formation o Any submerged habitations around the structure. o To ascertain the age of the structure o To explore the surrounding area o Ram Setu’s age will be ascertained through the study of fossils and sedimentation to see if it correlates with the period.  Study by: 1. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and 2. National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) —  Research vessel: The agency’s research vessel named Sindhu Sadhana will be deployed to collect samples of sediment from 35-40 metres below the water level. o Sindhu Sadhana is an indigenous exploration vessel which can stay underwater for up to 45 days.

SETHUSAMUDRAM SHIPPING CANAL PROJECT:  Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project: Ram Setu has been at the centre of debate since 2005 when the UPA government proposed the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project o To build a shipping canal to link  the Arabian Sea with  the Bay of Bengal.  Limestone shoals of Ram Setu was to be dredged in the Sethusamudram sea, between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.  Opposed by: By environmental groups as well as by the BJP.  At the time, AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa had demanded from the-then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that Setu be declared a national monument.

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RAM SETU OR ADAM’S BRIDGE OR NALA SETU:  Ram Setu, also known as Adam’s Bridge or Nala Setu, holds religious significance because of the Ramayana.  It is a chain of limestone shoals, between o Pamban Island/Rameswaram Island of Tamil Nadu and o Mannar Island of Sri Lanka.  Geological evidence suggests that this bridge is a former land connection between India and Sri Lanka.  The bridge is 48 km (30 mi) long and separates the o Gulf of Mannar (south-west) from the o Palk Strait (northeast).

ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA (ASI):  Premier organization: For the archaeological researches and protection of the cultural heritage of the country.  Objective: To maintain the archaeological sites, ancient monuments and remains of national importance.  Headquarters: New Delhi.  Established: 1861 by Alexander Cunningham  Regulation: It regulates all archaeological activities as per the provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.  Ministry: It functions under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Culture.  It also regulates Antiquities and Art Treasure Act, 1972.

COUNCIL FOR SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH (CSIR):  Largest research and development (R&D) organisation in India.  Established: In 1942  HQ: New Delhi  Ministry and Autonomy: o Funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology o Autonomous body through the Societies Registration Act, 1860.  Wide spectrum: from radio and space physics, oceanography, geophysics, chemicals, drugs, genomics, biotechnology and nanotechnology to mining, aeronautics, instrumentation, environmental engineering and information technology.  Organisation Structure: 1. President: (Ex-officio) 2. Vice President: Union Minister of Science and Technology (Ex-officio) 3. Governing Body: The Director-General is the head of the governing body

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF OCEANOGRAPHY (NIO) GOA  It is one of the 37 constituent laboratories of the CSIR.  HQ: At Dona Paula, Goa  Regional centres: At Kochi, Mumbai and Visakhapatnam.

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 History: NIO was established in 1966 following the International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE) in the 1960s.  Functions:  Research areas include the four traditional branches of oceanography – o Biological, o Chemical, o Geological/geophysical, and o physical – as well as o Ocean engineering o Marine instrumentation and o Marine archaeology.  Research vessels: It also operates two research vessels RV Sindhu Sankalp (56 m) and RV Sindhu Sadhana (80 m).  It has a School of Oceanography under the Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR).

General Studies-I 3 Geography

3.1 Caribbean Volcanos Come Alive

Context: Warning was issued for La Soufriere volcano in St Vincent and the Grenadines, a chain of islands home to more than 1,00,000 people. Officials reported tremors, strong gas emissions, formation of a new volcanic dome and changes to its crater lake.

Background:  Volcanoes that have been quiet for decades are rumbling to life in the eastern Caribbean.  The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency said that scientists observed an “effusive eruption within the crater, with visible gas and steam. Caribbean Volcanos:  La soufriere volcano: o Location: Near the northern tip of the main island of St Vincent, o Last eruption: 1979, and a previous eruption in 1902 killed some 1,600 people. That occurred shortly before Martinique’s Mt Pelee erupted and destroyed the town of Saint-Pierre, killing more than 30,000 people.  MT Pelee Volcano o Mt Pelee too is now active once again. In early December, officials in the French Caribbean territory issued a yellow alert due to seismic activity under the mountain. o It was the first alert since the volcano last erupted in 1932. o While the eastern Caribbean is one long chain of active and extinct volcanoes, volcanologist said the activity at Mt Pelee and La Soufriere are not related.

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Volcanoes:  Volcano, vent in the crust of Earth or another planet or satellite, from which issue eruptions of molten rock, hot rock fragments, and hot gases. A volcanic eruption is an awesome display of Earth’s power. Magma vs lava:

MAGMA LAVA

It denotes the molten rocks and related Once this magma came out to the earth materials seen inside earth. surface, called as the Lava.

Asthenosphere, usually is the source of Lava is nothing but the magma on earth magma. surface.

Causes of Volcanism  This temperature difference between the inner layers and the outer layers of the earth due to the differential amount of radioactivity, gives rise to convectional currents in the mantle.  It creates convergent and divergent boundaries (weak zones).  At the divergent boundary, at the first opportunity available, molten, semi-molten and often gaseous material occurs on earth.  The earthquakes here may expose fault zones through which magma may escape.  The subduction of the denser plate at the convergent boundary produces magma at high pressure that, in the form of violent eruptions, can escape to the surface. 3.2 Indonesia's Merapi volcano spews hot clouds, 500 evacuate

Context: Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano has spewed avalanches of hot clouds, and hundreds more residents have been evacuated from its slopes.

News in details:  Location: The 2,968-meter (9,737-foot) mountain is about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the Yogyakarta city center.  Authorities evacuated more than 500 people living on the mountain in Magelang district on Java Island.  Thousands of people already have had to leave their homes and farmland because of the dangers on Merapi, Indonesia’s most active volcano.  Light eruptions continued during the day — one sending a column of hot clouds rising 200 meters (yards) into the air.  Level of Alert: The geological authority had raised the alert level of Mount Merapi to the second-highest level in November after sensors picked up increasing activity. Tourism and mining activities were halted.  Last major eruption: Its last major eruption in 2010 killed 347 people and caused the evacuation of 20,000 villagers.  Pacific “Ring of Fire: Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 250 million people, sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

MOUNT MERAPI: It is an active stratovolcano. It is located on the border between Central Java and Yogyakarta provinces, Indonesia. It is the most active volcano in Indonesia and has erupted regularly since 1548.

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3.3 Indigenously built, first pair of weather radars installed over Himalayas

Context: Union Minister for Earth Sciences Dr Harsh Vardhan Friday commissioned two of the ten indigenously built Doppler weather radars which will closely monitor the weather changes over the Himalayas.

News in details:  New Forecast System: A joint venture with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the Union minister launched a Multi-Mission Meteorological Data Receiving and Processing System. o This new system will capture, process and make available for use satellite data within seven minutes as opposed to 20 minutes taken by earlier systems.  Located at: Services of X-band Doppler radars were virtually inaugurated on the 146th foundation day of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday at o Mukteshwar in Uttarakhand and o Kufri in Himachal Pradesh  Covering Regions: Covering the central and western Himalayas, these dual polarised radars will gather atmospheric variations and pick signals of extreme weather events.  Highly Prone Areas: Both Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh are highly prone to o Cloud bursts, o Landslides, o Heavy rain and o Snowfall.  Advance plans and initiate rescue measures: Timely weather forecasts and warnings would ensure the governments make advance plans and initiate rescue measures, state officials said.  Weather and climate play a significant role in both agriculture and tourism — the two main sectors contributing towards the state’s economy.”  Strengthen IMD’s forecast: From just 13 radars in 2013, the country now has 29 radars operational. This will strengthen IMD’s forecasts further.”  Future agenda: The IMD must now utilise the latest digital technology and work towards developing mobile- friendly weather applications, especially in regional languages.

India Meteorological Department (IMD)  Formed in 1875  It is the national meteorological service of the country.  HQ: New Delhi  It is the chief government agency dealing in everything related to o Meteorology, o Seismology, and o Associated subjects.  Ministry: Under the supervision of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Indian Government.

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3.4 Centre nod for Chenab hydel project despite Pakistan objections

Context:  The Centre decided to go ahead with the long-pending 850 megawatt Ratle hydroelectric power project on the river Chenab in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district o Despite objections raised by the Pakistan government over the same.

Chenab hydel project:  Approval for the Rs 5,822 crore project came at a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier in the day.  Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had laid the foundation stone for the project in 2013. o However, the Pakistan government had objected claiming that it was not in conformity with the Indus Water Treaty.  World Bank: In 2017, the World Bank allowed India to construct the dam.  An MoU was signed between the National Hydel Power Corporation (NHPC) and the Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation Limited (JKSPDCL) in the presence of Modi at Vijaypur in Samba district on February 3, 2019 and work on the project began in December 2019.  Opposition of Pakistan: Pakistan has approached the World Bank with fresh protests, but the Centre has now decided to go ahead with the construction. Significance of project: 1. It will be the first hydel power project in the country from which we will start getting power from the day it gets commissioned. 2. If calculated in terms of money, Jammu and Kashmir will get electricity worth Rs 5,289 crore free of cost,” he said, adding that the Union Territory will also get water usage charges worth Rs 9,581 crore over a period of 40 years. 3. The L-G said the project will generate direct and indirect jobs for 4,000 people in addition to the 2,000 jobs created directly and indirectly in the commissioning of the 540 MW Kwar hydroelectric power project on the Chenab, the MoU for which was signed recently.

INDUS WATER TREATY:  It is a Water-Distribution Treaty, signed in Karachi on 1960, between 1. India (Pm Jawaharlal Nehru) and 2. Pakistan (President Ayub Khan), 3. brokered by the World Bank.  India-Control over eastern rivers– Beas, Ravi and Sutlej.  Pakistan-Control over the western rivers– Indus, Chenab and Jhelum.  As per the treaty, the water commissioners of Pakistan and India are required to meet twice a year and arrange technical visits to projects’ sites and critical river head works.  Both the sides share details of the water flow and the quantum of water being used under the treaty.  The treaty sets out a mechanism for cooperation and information exchange between the two countries regarding their use of the rivers.

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RIVER CHENAB:  Origin: Near the Bara Lacha Pass in the Lahul-Spiti part of the Zaskar Range.  Tributaries: Chandra and Bhaga river  The united stream Chandrabhaga flows in the north-west direction through the Pangi valley, parallel to the Pir Panjal range.  Deep gorge: Near Kistwar, it cuts a deep gorge.  It enters the plain area near Akhnur in Jammu and Kashmir.  From here it through the plains of Pakistani Punjab to reach Panchnad where it joins the Satluj after receiving the waters of Jhelum and Ravi rivers.

3.5 Harnessing Potash in Rajasthan

Context:  For taking up feasibility studies of Solution Mining of Potash in the state of Rajasthan, A tripartite agreement was signed between o Mineral Exploration Corporation Limited (MECL), o Rajasthan State Mines & Minerals Limited (RSMML) and o Department of Mines & Geology (DMG), Govt. of Rajasthana

Harnessing Potash in Rajasthan:  MoU will pave the way to undertake feasibility studies for harnessing sub-surface salt deposits through solution mining, o Utilise Rajasthan’s rich mineral reserves, o Boost its economy and o Establish it as a hub of solution mining of potash, the 1st in the country”.  Rajasthan has huge Potash and Halite resources spread across 50,000 sq. kms in the Nagaur – Ganganagar basin in the northwest.  GSI and MECL have established 2476.58 million tonnes and 21199.38 million tonnes of Potash & Halite respectively.  Usage of Salt Formations: Bedded Salt formations are strategically useful for o Underground oil storage, o Repositories for hydrogen, o Ammonia and helium gas, o Storage of compresses gas and nuclear waste.  Potash & Sodium Chloride from the Bedded Salt are extensively used in the Fertiliser Industry and the Chemical Industry respectively.  Import substitution: Paving the way for the 1st Solution Mining project in the country, this project will generate employment as well as support the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan by way of generating import substitution by boosting the domestic mineral production of Potash and associated minerals. POTASH:  Potash is a potassium-rich salt that is mined from underground deposits formed from evaporated sea beds millions of years ago.  Potassium is an essential element for all plant, animal and human life.  The term "potash" refers to a group of potassium (K) bearing minerals and chemicals.

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 Primarily used as a fertilizer, most of the potash deposits are concentrated in Rajasthan in the country, estimated at 2,400 million tonnes, which is around five-times of the global reserves.  But almost all of the domestic consumption is met through imports.  “Rajasthan is the only place where potash deposits are available in the country that too in huge quantities.  Exploration of the commodity will not only o Save the country foreign exchanges and o Subsidies given to the farmers, but o Will result in new revenue streams for the state government and o Create jobs in the state.  Most of the potash deposits in Rajasthan are identified in Nagore-Ganganagar basin of Rajasthan covering parts of Sriganganagar, Hanumangarh and Bikaner districts.

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General Studies-II 1 Polity and Constitution:

1.1 Supreme Court to hear plea to bar disqualified lawmakers from by polls to same House

Context: The Supreme Court will examine if those disqualified under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution for defection be barred from re-contesting by-elections in the remaining term of the House to which they were elected.

Background:  The plea comes in the wake of many party MLAs in the state leaving the Congress and regional parties to join the BJP.  It says that defecting lawmakers seeking re-election under a new political flag has made the anti-defection law redundant.  The plea also said that a member of the House who voluntarily gives up the membership of a political party also comes under the preview of the 10th Schedule and is hence amenable to disqualification under Article 191(1) (e) of the . News in details:  On a plea by Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Jaya Thakur who has sought this relief, a bench headed by S A Bobde issued notice to o Election Commission and o Centre Ground of plea:  A member of the House who incurs disqualification under the Tenth Schedule “cannot be permitted to contest again during the term for which” they are elected.  Article 172 makes a membership of a House co terminus with the term of 5 years of the House except in circumstances mentioned therein.”  Tenth Schedule read with Article 191(1) (e): Once the 10th Schedule comes into play and a seat falls vacant due to disqualification then that particular disqualified member of the House has to incur disability under Article 191 (1)(e ) of the Constitution and be debarred from being chosen again during the term for which he/she was elected.  It has to be implemented so as to ensure that the object of the law against defection is not defeated.  Paragraph 2 of Tenth Schedule uses the words “disqualified for being a member of the House”. o The term of the House (Parliament or Assembly) is for five years and hence the disqualification would apply, it has said.  Dissent v. Defection: Separating line between dissent and defection requires to be made apparent, so that democratic values are upheld in balance with other constitutional considerations.  Power Greedy attitude: Giving example of Manipur, and Madhya Pradesh the plea said that MLAs from one party defected, resigned/disqualified to facilitate the formation of government by another party.  Mockery of Democracy: These undemocratic practices are making a mockery of our democracy and the Constitution. o People of the State are denied stability and the voters are denied their right to choose and elect representative having a common ideology YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 14 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

 Speakers Neutrality in Question: There is a growing trend of Speakers acting against the Constitutional duty of being neutral. Additionally, political parties are indulging in horse trading and corrupt practices, due to which citizens are denied a stable government.

Anti-Defection Law/ Tenth Schedule:  Tenth Schedule consist provisions relating to disqualification of the members of Parliament and State Legislatures on the ground of defection.  Tenth Schedule was inserted in the Constitution in 1985 by the 52nd Amendment Act.  It lays down the process by which: o Legislators may be disqualified o On grounds of defection o By presiding officer of a legislature o Based on a petition by any other member of the House.  Authority: Decision of Chairman or the Speaker of such House is final.  Applicable: To both Parliament and state assemblies.  Constitutional Provisions: Article 102 and 191 deals with ADL in parliament and state legislature respectively.  Disqualification: If a member of a house belonging to a political party: o Voluntarily gives up the membership of his political party, or o If an independent candidate joins a political party after the election. o If a nominated member joins a party after six months o Votes, or does not vote in the legislature, contrary to the directions of his political party. o However, if the member has taken prior permission, or is condoned by the party within 15 days from such voting or abstention, the member shall not be disqualified.  Exceptions under the law: o Allows a party to merge with at least two-thirds support  Decision of Presiding officer under Judicial Review: In Kihoto Hollohan case, 1993: Presiding officer, while deciding a question under the Tenth Schedule, function as a tribunal. Hence it is subject to judicial review.

1.2 Decide on Rajoana mercy plea by R-Day, SC tells govt.

Context:  The Supreme Court on Friday pushed the government to take a decision on a mercy petition filed by Balwant Singh Rajoana.  He is facing capital punishment for the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, before Republic Day.

News in details:  Appearing before a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, for Rajoana, said it should be possible for the government to spare time for the mercy petition. o It had been pending for the past eight years.  Additional Solicitor General K.M. Nataraj informed the court that the mercy plea file was being processed and had been submitted before the competent authority within the government.

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 The President is empowered to take the final decision on whether Rajoana should live or not.  Ground of the delay: Petition was filed in 2012. The death penalty should be commuted on the sole ground of the delay on the part of the government to decide on the clemency petition. o He has been in prison for 25 years. MERCY PETITION/PARDONING POWER:  (Articles 72) or the of the State (161) deals with mercy petition.  Article 72(1): The President shall have the power to grant pardons, reprieves, respites or remissions of punishment or to suspend, remit or commute the sentence of any person convicted of any offence where the sentence is a sentence of death.  Shatrughan Chauhan vs Union of India case: Delay in deciding mercy plea is a relevant ground for commuting the death sentence to life imprisonment.  Kehar Singh v Union of India, 1988: SC held that the grant of pardon by the President is o An act of grace and, therefore, o Cannot be claimed as a matter of right  Maru Ram v Union of India: All public power, including constitutional power, should not be exercised arbitrarily or mala fide.  Dhananjoy Chatterjee case 1994: Supreme Court has said that “The power under Articles 72 and 161 of the Constitution can be exercised by the Central and State Governments, not by the President or Governor on their own.”  Bachan Singh (1980): Death penalty should be awarded only in the rarest of rare cases.  Epuru Sudhakar case 2006: Supreme Court held that clemency is subject to judicial review and that it cannot be dispensed as a privilege or act of grace.

1.3 HC notice to Centre on PIL challenging contempt Act

Context: The Karnataka High Court ordered issue of notice to the Union government on a PIL petition filed by four eminent personalities challenging the constitutional validity of a provision of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971. PIL held that it makes “scandalising or tends to scandalising courts” as a ground for contempt.

News in details:  A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum passed the order on the petitions filed by  Petitions filed by: 1. Prasad, senior journalist and former Editor of Outlook magazine; 2. N. Ram, veteran journalist and former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu; 3. Arun Shourie, former Union Minister, and 4. Prashant Bhushan, senior advocate.  All the four petitioners have narrated the proceedings faced by them under the Contempt of Courts Act at different point of time before the High Courts and the apex court.  Earlier they had filed a similar petition before the Supreme Court, which in August last year had permitted them to withdraw the petition by giving them liberty to move a High Court.

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Issues in contempt of courts act, 1971:  Section 2(c)(i) of the Act: o It violates the right to free speech and expression guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) and o Does not amount to a reasonable restriction under Article 19(2).  The Section 2(c)(i) o Fails the test of overbreadth, o Abridges the right to free speech and expression in the absence of tangible and proximate harm, o Chilling effect on free speech and expression  Offence of “scandalising the court: It cannot be considered to be covered under the category of “contempt of court” under Article 19(2).  If Section 2(c)(i) were permissible under the ground of contempt in Article 19(2), it would be disproportionate and therefore unreasonable.  The offence of ‘scandalising the court’ is rooted in colonial assumptions and objects, which have no place in legal orders committed to democratic constitutionalism and the maintenance of an open robust public sphere.”

CONTEMPT OF COURTS: Constitutional provisions:  Article 129: Grants Supreme Court the power to punish for contempt of itself.  Article 142(2): Enables the Supreme Court to investigate and punish any person for its contempt.  Article 215: Grants every High Court the power to punish for contempt of itself.  Not Defined: In the Constitution. Contempt of courts act, 1971:  It divides contempt into 1. Civil contempt (Section 2(b)): Wilful disobedience to any judgment, decree, direction, order, writ 2. Criminal contempt (Section 2(c)): Publication of any matter which Scandalises court Court cases:  Duda P.N. v. Shivshankar: Contempt jurisdiction should not be used by Judges to uphold their own dignity.  Auto Shankar’s Case: SC invoked the famous “Sullivan doctrine” that public persons must be open to stringent comments and accusations as long as made with bonafide diligence, even if untrue.  Arundhati Roy Case: Fair criticism of the conduct of a Judge, the institution of the judiciary and its functioning may not amount to contempt if made in good faith and in public interest. 1.4 Sabarimala all set for Makaravilakku festival

Context: The temple dedicated to Lord Ayyappa shall reopen today for the Makaravilakku festival which will take place during next month.

Background:  Lord Ayyappa's Sabarimala Shrine, which closed after the Mandala on December 26, shall reopen today.  The darshan shall continue until the Makaravilakku festival, celebrated during Makara Sankranti annually.

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About the festivals:  Makaravilakku is one of the most famous festivals that attracts an ocean of devotees worldwide. However, owing to the pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus, not more than 5000 people will be allowed per day.  During the Makaravilakku festival, devotees gather to sight the and the Makaravilakku.  Thiruvabharanam rituals: The festival also includes the Thiruvabharanam, an age-old ritual of offering gold ornaments to Lord Ayyappa. o The jewellery, which is kept in the palace premises, is taken out annually for the festival. o A procession is carried out to celebrate the tradition of Thiruvabharanam, and once it concludes, the ornaments are taken back to the palace premises.  Makaravilakku: Devotees flock to see the Makaravilakku, a light that appears thrice from the Ponnambalamedu hill (located about 4 kilometres away from the Sabarimala shrine).

LORD AYYAPPA/ SABARIMALA TEMPLE:  Located in the forests of the  It is dedicated to Lord Ayyappa and is managed by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB).  Lord Ayyappa, is a “Naisthik Brahmachari”.  Periyar Tiger Reserve: It is situated within the Periyar Tiger Reserve enclosures in district of Kerala. PERIYAR TIGER RESERVE:  It is a repository of rare, endemic and endangered flora and fauna.  Rivers: It forms the major watershed of two important rivers of Kerala, o The Periyar and o The Pamba  Located: It is located high in the and Pandalam Hills of the south Western Ghats along the border with Tamil Nadu.  Elephant Reserve: Also, its one of most significant Elephant Reserve in the country housing Asiatic Elephants.  Forests Type: It comprises a range of tropical evergreen and semi- evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests, grasslands and eucalyptus plantations.  Award: In 2015, It won the National Tiger Conservation Authority biennial award. 1.5 ‘Media trial’ impacts probe; Press Council guidelines to apply to TV for now: Bombay HC

Context:  The Bombay High Court said a media trial during an ongoing investigation of any case violates program code under the Cable TV Network Regulation Act and does impact the probe.  Till the time electronic media comes up with its own guidelines, the court ordered that the Press Council of India (PCI) guidelines will apply to 1. Electronic media along with 2. Print media

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Background: What is Media Trial?  Trial by Media generally refers to a practice where the media starts doing its own investigation and forms a public opinion against the accused even before a trial commences. News in details:  Public Interest Litigations: The court had reserved its judgment in November last year on Public Interest Litigations (PILs) filed by eight former police officers from , activists, lawyers and NGOs, seeking restraining orders against “media trials” in the Sushant Singh suicide case.  Guidelines on media coverage: A bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Girish S Kulkarni had asked o Centre and o Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB)  To frame guidelines on o Media coverage of sensitive criminal matters and o Ongoing investigations  Bench asked whether “excessive” reporting by the press amounted to interference in the administration of justice under the Contempt of Courts Act.  Right to Be Presumed Innocent: Right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, the plea stated it is important in the criminal justice system in India but is “grossly violated by media trial as it creates an atmosphere of prejudice.”

PRESS COUNCIL OF INDIA (PCI):  It is a statutory, quasi-judicial authority.  Established: Under the PCI Act,1978  Composition: A chairman and 28 other members  Appointment: Chairman-Selected by 1. Speaker of the , 2. Chairman of the and 3. A Member elected by the PCI.  Aim: To preserve the freedom of the press and maintain and improve the standards of newspapers and news agencies in India.  Functions: o Ensures that News Agencies and newspapers maintain their independence. o Code of conduct for journalists and news agencies. o “High standards of public taste” and foster responsibility among citizens. o Review developments which restrict flow of news.

CONTEMPT OF COURTS ACT, 1971:  It divides contempt into 1. Civil contempt (Section 2(b)): Wilful disobedience to any judgment, decree, direction, order, writ 2. Criminal contempt (Section 2(c)): Publication of any matter which Scandalises court Court Cases:

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 Duda P.N. v. Shivshankar: Contempt jurisdiction should not be used by Judges to uphold their own dignity.  Auto Shankar’s Case: SC invoked the famous “Sullivan doctrine” that public persons must be open to stringent comments and accusations as long as made with bonafide diligence, even if untrue.  Arundhati Roy Case: Fair criticism of the conduct of a Judge, the institution of the judiciary and its functioning may not amount to contempt if made in good faith and in public interest 1.6 Disclosure of interest in info under RTI necessary: Delhi HC

Context: The Delhi High Court has observed that the disclosure of interest regarding the information being sought by an applicant under the RTI law would be necessary to establish their bonafides.

News in details:  Disclosure of an interest: Justice Prathiba M Singh said in a judgment that whenever information is sought under the RTI Act, disclosure of an interest in the information sought would be necessary to establish bonafides of the applicant,”  Non-disclosure of interest as injustice: The single bench added that non-disclosure of interest could result in injustice to several other affected persons whose information is sought. Case details: Appointments Multi-tasking Staff of the Presidential Estate:  The court made the observation while dealing with a petition seeking information with regard to appointments made for Multi-tasking Staff of the Presidential Estate, Rashtrapati Bhavan.  While dismissing the petition, the court imposed a cost of Rs 25,000 on the petitioner for concealing the fact that his daughter had also applied for the post.  It said that the fact did not find mention in the petition, and further noted that perusal of the writ petition shows that the petitioner himself was earlier working in the Presidential Estate on an ad-hoc basis from 2012 to 2017.  “The present writ petition is cleverly quiet about the fact that the petitioner’s daughter had applied for being considered for appointment for the post of Multi-tasking Staff at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.  The seeking of above information, especially after the petitioner’s daughter did not obtain employment, clearly points to some ulterior motives,” the order read.  The applicant, Har Kishan, had sought information regarding appointments in 2018. While he was provided most of the information, o His particular query for information pertaining to residential address and father’s name of selected candidates was declined on the ground that it was personal information.  Section 6(2) of the RTI Act, 2005, states that “an applicant making request for information shall not be required to give any reason for requesting the information or any other personal details except those that may be necessary for contacting him.

The Right to Information:  It is a fundamental right under Article 19 (1).  Raj Narain Case-1976- Supreme Court ruled that Right to information will be treated as a fundamental right under article 19. In democracy, people have the right to know about the working of the government.  Mr. Kulwal v/s Jaipur Municipal Corporation case, 1986: Freedom of speech and expression provided under Article 19 of the Constitution clearly implies Right to Information.  Government enacted Right to Information act in 2005.

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Important provisions under the Right to Information Act, 2005  Section 2(h): Public authorities  Section 4 1(b): Government to maintain and proactively disclose information.  Section 6: Procedure for securing information.  Section 7: Time frame for providing information(s)  Section 8: Exemption from information disclosure.  Section 8 (1): Exemptions against furnishing information under the RTI Act.  Section 8 (2): Exemption under the Official Secrets Act, 1923 in larger public interest  Section 19: Two-tier mechanism for appeal.  Section 20: Penalties in case of failure to provide information on time, incorrect, incomplete or misleading or distorted information. 1.7 Bombay HC relief for inter-faith couple: ‘Woman free to move as per wish’ Context:  The Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed the police to escort a woman, who appeared before it, to the destination of her choice, observing that o She was a “major”, o “Free to move as per her own wish” and that o Her parents could not curtail her freedom.

News in details:  Habeas Corpus plea: The court said this while disposing a Habeas Corpus plea filed by an MBA student seeking that a 23- year-old woman, whom he wished to marry, be produced before the court, as she had been illegally detained by her parents because the two belonged to different faiths. What was the issue?  Man and the woman had been in a relationship for nearly five years and were planning to get married after he completed the MBA course.  The petitioner claimed that the woman’s parents were against their relationship and that she was in “illegal custody and detention” of her father.  In an earlier hearing, the HC had directed the police to produce the woman before it. She was produced before the bench on Tuesday.  The HC interacted with the woman, who confirmed that she has been in a relationship with the petitioner and that she was a graduate.  She added that they intended to get married and as she is 23 years old, she wants to live her life as per her wish.  Parents Reaction: The parents, who were present in the court, did not dispute their daughter’s age and were silent about her wish to live with the petitioner, who was also questioned by the court. Judgement:  Disposing the plea, the bench noted, “Be that as it may, we dispose of this petition in view of the fact that (the woman) has been produced before this court by the police.  Since the woman is admittedly a major aged about 23 years old, she is free to move as per her own wish.”  “Nevertheless, as per the request made by her, the police officer from Thane, who is present in the court, is directed to ensure that the woman is escorted from the court premises to the destination that she desires,” it added. YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 21 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

Right to Marriage: The right to marry is a part of the right to life under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. The right to marriage is also stated under Human Rights Charter within the meaning of the right to start a family. The right to marry is a universal right and it is available to everyone irrespective of their gender. A forced marriage is illegal in different personal laws on marriage in India, with the right to marry recognized under the Hindu laws as well as Muslim laws. Article 21: It states that No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to the procedure established by law.

1.8 Supreme Court dismisses Aadhaar review petitions

Context: The Supreme Court, in a majority view, dismissed a series of petitions seeking a review of its 2018 judgment upholding the Lok Sabha Speaker’s certification of Aadhaar law as a Money Bill and its subsequent passage in Parliament. However, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud dissented with the majority, saying the Aadhaar review petitions should be kept pending.

News in details:  Two questions for review: Two questions had come up for review regarding the five-judge Aadhaar Bench’s judgment in 2018. 1. Whether the Speaker’s decision to declare a proposed law as  “Whether the Aadhaar Act was a Money Bill was “final” and cannot be challenged in court. ‘Money Bill’ under Article 110 has been doubted by a Coordinate o The majority judgment in 2018 said the Speaker’s decision Bench in Rojer Mathew... could be challenged in court only under “certain  The larger Bench has not been circumstances”. constituted, and is yet to make a determination. 2. Whether the Aadhaar Act, 2016 was correctly certified as a  Dismissing the present batch of ‘Money Bill’ under Article 110(1) of the Constitution. review petitions at this stage would place a seal of finality on the issues o SC concluded that the Aadhaar Act was rightly called a in the present case, without the Money Bill. Justice Chandrachud, who was on the Bench, Court having the benefit of the had dissented on the second conclusion in 2018. larger Bench’s consideration of the Views of Justice Chandrachud very issues which arise before us,” Justice Chandrachud pointed out.  Rojer Mathew vs South Indian Bank Ltd: In November 2019, Bench had questioned the conclusions arrived at by the Aadhaar Bench and referred the issues to a seven-judge Bench for an authoritative take.  Justice Chandrachud wrote: “The larger Bench’s determination would have an undeniable impact on o Validity of the reasons expressed in Puttaswamy [Aadhaar case], and o Constitutional issues of the certification by the Speaker of the House of People.”  He said the Review Bench should hence wait for the seven-judge Bench, which has not yet been constituted, to take a call. The review petitions should be kept pending for the time being.

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Views of majority judges in the case:  Dismissing the review pleas, the majority of four judges on the Bench held that following cannot be regarded as a ground for review”. o Change in the law or o Subsequent decision/judgment of a coordinate or larger Bench by itself Concerns:  Fraud on the Constitution: Primarily by Rajya Sabha member Jairam Ramesh, had highlighted how the Aadhaar Act was passed as a Money Bill by superseding the Rajya Sabha. He had called it a “fraud on the Constitution”.  Not Under Article 110 (1): The review petition had argued that the Aadhaar Act clearly did not fall within the ambit of Article 110 (1) of the Constitution, which restricted Money Bills to certain specific fields only.  Judicial indiscipline: Dismissing the Aadhaar review even before the seven-judge Bench got a chance to apply its mind and arrive at a verdict would amount to “judicial indiscipline” and have “adverse consequences.”  Constitutional principles of consistency: The constitutional principles of consistency and the rule of law would require that a decision on the Review Petitions should await the reference to the Larger Bench.”

MONEY BILL:  Money bills: Article 110- It includes: o Imposition, abolition, remission, alteration or regulation of any tax. o Borrowing(obligation) of money by the union government o Custody of the consolidated or contingency fund of India. o Expenditure charged on the consolidated fund of India (CFI) o Receipt of money on account of consolidated fund of India or the public accounts of India. o Appropriation of money out of cfi  Not part of money bill: Fines &penalties, taxes of local government, service fees.  Article 117- Financial bill: o It is similar to money bill, except that it can’t be passed unless President has recommended.

REVIEW PETITION:  Under Article 137, the Supreme Court has the power to review any of its judgments or orders.  The court has the power to review its rulings to correct a “patent error” and not “minor mistakes of inconsequential import”.  Three grounds for seeking a review of a verdict: 1. The discovery of new and important matter or evidence 2. Mistake or error apparent on the face of the record. 3. Any other sufficient reason.  Who can file a review petition: Any person aggrieved by a ruling can seek a review.  Time- period: Within 30 days, In certain circumstances- Delay than 30 days also allowed  CURATIVE PETITION: If a review petition fails. o Roopa Hurra v Ashok Hurra (2002), the court itself evolved the concept of a curative petition, which can be heard after a review is dismissed to prevent abuse of its process.

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1.9 When Parliament passed Bills but govt did not give effect to those laws

Context:  Farmers and the Centre: In the ongoing stalemate between protesting farmers and the Centre, the government has repeated its offer of keeping the three contentious farm laws on hold for one to one-and-a- half years, while the farmers have rejected the offer and insisted that the laws be repealed.  Precedent: Over the years, Parliament has repealed several laws — and there have also been precedents of the government not bringing a law into force for several years after it has been passed.

Bringing/removing a law:  Parliament Power to make Law: Parliament has the power to make a law and to remove it from the statute books (a law can be struck down by the judiciary if it is unconstitutional).  Three Steps for Working of Passed Bills: But the passing of a Bill does not mean that it will start working from the next day. There are three more steps for it to become a functioning law. 1. The first step is the President giving his or her assent to the Bill. 2. Then the law comes into effect from a particular date. 3. And finally, the government frames the rules and regulations to make the law operational on the ground. o The completion of these steps determines when the law becomes functional. 1. President’s assent to bill:  FIRST STEP: The first step is the simplest. Article 111 of the Constitution specifies that the President can either sign off on the Bill or withhold his consent.  Withholding Power of President: The President rarely withholds their assent to a Bill.  Last Incident: In 2006 when President A P J Abdul Kalam refused to sign a Bill protecting MPs from disqualification for holding an office of profit.  When Bill sent again to President: If Parliament sends it back to the President, he or he has no choice but to approve it.  POCKET VETO: In 1986, President Zail Singh didi not to take any action on the Bill until the end of his term. o The Constitution does not specify a time limit for the President to approve a Bill. 2. Date on which the law comes into effect:  The next step is deciding the date on which the law comes into effect.  When power with Government: Parliament delegates to the government the power to determine this date.  The Bill states that the law “shall come into force on such date as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint and different dates may be appointed for different provisions of this Act”. Giving Effect to A Law  When Govt not bring Law into Force: There are also instances when the government does not bring a law into force for many years. 1. National Environment Tribunal Act 2. Delhi Rent Control Act  Parliament passed during Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao’s tenure. The government never brought these laws into force, which were passed in 1995 and cleared by the President.  The National Green Tribunal Act finally repealed the environmental tribunal law in 2010. And a Bill to repeal the Delhi Rent Control Act introduced in 2013 is still pending in Rajya Sabha. YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 24 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

 Law come into effect: There are also multiple instances where a law specifies when it will come into effect. o The 2013 land acquisition law put an outer limit of three months for the Centre to bring it into force after the President approved it. o A Bill can also specify the exact date on which it will come into effect. Bills replacing ordinances sometimes do that. 3. Rules & Regulations  Outline of a law: A Bill passed by Parliament is the outline of a law. For the law to start working on the ground, individuals need to be recruited or given the power, to administer it.  Government’s responsibility: The implementing ministry also needs to finalise forms to gather information and provide benefits or services. These day-to-day operational details are called rules and regulations. o And Parliament gives the government the responsibility of making them. o These regulations are critical for the functioning of law.  When not make rules: If the government does not make rules and regulations, a law or parts of it will not get implemented. o The Benami Transactions Act of 1988 is an example of a complete law remaining unimplemented in the absence of regulations. o The law gave the government power to confiscate benami properties. o For 25 years, such properties were immune from seizure in the absence of framing relevant government rules. o The law was finally repealed in 2016 and replaced with a new one.  The government not only has the power to make rules but can also suppress rules made by it earlier. In the case of farm laws, the government has made some rules in October 2020. 1.10 Election Commission to soon begin mock trials for remote voting: CEC

Context: In his message to mark the 11th National Voters’ Day, CEC Sunil Arora said a research project on remote voting using cutting-edge technology has already begun.

News in details:  Election Commission & IIT-Madras: The Election Commission has collaborated with IIT-Madras to work on a new technology, o Which will allow electors to vote from faraway cities o Without going to designated polling station of their constituencies.  Mock trails: For remote voting facility for electors would begin soon.  Postal ballot: Poll panel’s proposal to extend postal ballot facility for overseas Indian voters is under active consideration of the Law Ministry.  Use of ‘blockchain’ technology: Explaining the ‘blockchain’ technology involved in the project, the concept is a “two-way electronic voting system in a controlled environment on white-listed IP devices on dedicated Internet lines enabled with biometric devices and a web camera”.  Not from Home: Voters will have to reach a designated venue during a pre-decided period of time to be able to use this facility. o “It does not mean voting from home. After a voter’s identity is established by the system, a blockchain- enabled personalised e-ballot paper will be generated.  “Suppose there is a Lok Sabha election and a Chennai voter is in Delhi. Instead of returning to vote in his or her constituency or missing out on voting, the voter can reach a pre-designated spot set up by the EC, say in Connaught Place, in a particular time window and can cast his vote,”

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 Securely encrypted: “When the vote is cast, the ballot will be securely encrypted and a blockchain hashtag generated. o This hashtag notification will be sent to various stakeholders, in this case the candidates and political parties. o Post Validation: The encrypted remote votes so cast will once again be validated at the pre-counting stage to ensure that they have neither been decrypted nor tampered with or replaced.

ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA:  It is an autonomous constitutional body responsible for administering Union and State election processes in India.  Administers elections: to 1. Lok Sabha, 2. Rajya Sabha, 3. State Legislative Assemblies 4. offices of the President and 5. Vice President  Composition: Chief election commissioner and such number of other election commissioners, if any, as the President may from time to time fix. o Presently, it consists of the Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners.  Appointment: By the President  Tenure: Six years, or up to the age of 65 years

1.11 ‘Gender Park’ to come up in Kerala

Context: The Kerala government’s Rs 300 crore three tower “Gender Park,” claimed to be the first of its kind in the country and working towards gender equality in the state, will become functional from February.

News in details:  The launch will coincide with the second edition of the International Conference on Gender Equality (ICGE-II).  International Women’s Trade and Research Centre (IWTRC): On the opening day, CM P. Vijayan will also lay the foundation of the International Women’s Trade and Research Centre (IWTRC). o It envisages a secure and sustained ecosystem for women entrepreneurs and a space for them to market their products.  New infrastructure for Gender Equality: A Gender Museum, Gender Library, Convention Centre and an Amphitheatre will also be launched at the event. o It will form the first phase of the Gender Park that works towards gender equality in the state.  Economic potential of women and transgenders: ICGE-II will explore measures to boost the economic potential of women and transgenders to equip them as sustainable entrepreneurs.  Theme: ‘Gender in Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Social Business: The Mediating Role of Empowerment’  Organised by: In association with UN Women  Feature of Park: The Gender Museum will feature various social struggles that led to

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o Shifts in the status of women, o Their achievements and turning points, o Including those during the Renaissance movement.  The Gender Library: It envisages the creation of public awareness on gender and its role in development.  Paradox of Kerala Women: “Women in Kerala have high education, but no proportional representation in employment,” she noted. “That paradox adds to the relevance of the upcoming summit.”  UN Women: Last month, the UN Women signed an agreement with the 2013-conceived Gender Park to develop it into a South Asia hub for gender-related activities.  First edition of the ICGE: At Kovalam near Thiruvananthapuram in 2015, had Gender, Governance and Inclusion as its theme.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON GENDER EQUALITY (ICGE-II):  The Gender Park, in partnership with UN Women, is set to host the Second Edition of the International Conference on Gender Equality (ICGE-II) from 11-13th February 2021.  Location: To be held at the Calicut campus of Gender Park.  Theme: “Gender in Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Social Business: The Mediating Role of Empowerment.”  The International Conference on Gender Equality (ICGE) is conducted by The Gender Park.  Objective: To provide an international platform for discussing pressing issues related to gender equality and for raising awareness.  First Edition: The Gender Park hosted the first conferences (ICGE- I) in association with UN Women and supported by UNFPA in November 2015.

UN WOMEN:  It is the UN entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women.  Aim: To accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide.  Established in: In 2010 by the United Nations General Assembly  Merged below distinct parts of the UN system 1. Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW). 2. International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW). 3. Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI). 4. United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). Roles of UN Women: 1. To support inter-governmental bodies, such as the Commission on the Status of Women, in their formulation of policies, global standards and norms. 2. To help Member States to implement these standards, standing ready to provide suitable technical and financial support to those countries that request it, and to forge effective partnerships with civil society. 3. To hold the UN system accountable for its own commitments on gender equality.

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1.12 Time limit for Judicial appointments-Collegium System

Context: The Supreme Court on Wednesday urged the Centre to set a fixed timeline for clearing appointments of judges to the higher judiciary after receiving the recommendations of the collegium.

News in details: • Appointments pending: The court said there were 189 proposals regarding appointments pending with the government as on December 31. o It added certain proposals remain pending before the government for over six months. • New memorandum of procedure: The request came even as a new memorandum of procedure (MoP) on judicial appointments is pending for almost four years. o The court had said that a new MoP should be put in place in consultation with the government to guide all future appointments of judges. o A draft MoP was sent by the collegium to the Union law ministry in March 2017, but the government returned it, suggesting certain improvements. o Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told Lok Sabha in March 2020 that the government’s suggestions have remained pending with the top court. o The new MoP on eligibility criteria and a timeline for judicial appointments awaits finalisation. • Time-bound manner: A bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde said that all endeavours should be made to ensure appointments come through in a time-bound manner. o Of 1,079 posts of judges in the high courts, 411 are vacant. o The vacancies accounted for over a third of the total positions as of January 1. o Around a dozen names for appointments to high courts of Allahabad and Bombay have been pending since May and June last year. o The court said even a proposal to appoint some government lawyers as judges had not been cleared expeditiously. • National Judicial Appointments Commission Act: In 2015, the top court struck down the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act and the 99th Constitutional Amendment, which sought to give the executive a say in the appointment of judges. • Collegium System: This judgment held that judicial appointments will be carried on by the recommendations of the collegium, which comprises the CJI and four other most senior Supreme Court judges. • Matter of great concern: The Supreme Court on Wednesday called it a “matter of great concern” that the collegium had not heard from the government for months together after making some recommendations.

EDITORIAL

1.13 Separation of Power: Judiciary v. Executive

Context:  The courts are increasingly intervening in matters without providing sound legal reasoning.  Recently Supreme Court stayed the implementation of three controversial farm laws passed in September 2020 and  Ordered the constitution of a committee of experts to negotiate between the o Farmers’ bodies and o Government of India.  Issue: Rather than deliberating on the constitutionality of the three laws, the court appears to be trying for a political settlement which is domain of the government.

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Why judicial intervention is justified:  The issues are of: 1. Federalism 2. Agriculture as state subject 3. Manner in which the voice vote was passed in the rajya sabha, which was controversial.  Protests as Citizen’s F.R.: Judiciary viewed the protests as completely legal and part of the exercise of citizens’ rights under Article 19 of the Constitution.  Precedent of the reservation: The court gave the precedent of the Maratha reservation case in which it had issued a stay, but in that instance, the stay was given on constitutional grounds ( Sawhney Case- 505 Quota Ceiling).  Legislative competence of Parliament: The petition filed by the Bharatiya Kisan Party argues that under our constitutional scheme, agriculture and farm produce are matters reserved under entries 14, 18, 30, 46, 47 and 48 of List II () of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution. o The argument is that the Centre simply could not pass the farm bills as it did not have legislative competence.  Court’s competence to stay Laws: Courts are, of course, competent to issue stay orders on parliamentary laws, but they need to set out legal reasons. Court’s powers in regard to staying enacted law?  Judicial review: The supreme court and high courts have the power to declare any law unconstitutional, 1. Either because it is ultra vires (or, contrary to any provision of the constitution) or 2. It violates any of the fundamental rights, or 3. Invalid because it is repugnant to a central law on the same subject or has been enacted without legislative jurisdiction. Judicial encroachment and growing trend:  No body asked Court: What’s really striking here is that nobody asked the court to intervene in this particular manner, to break the deadlock.  Petitions to Court: One is challenging the constitutionality of the laws and the others are with regard to the protests. None of them ask the court to negotiate between the two parties.  Precedent of the Maratha reservation: The court gave the precedent of the Maratha reservation case in which it had issued a stay, but in that instance, the stay was given on constitutional grounds (Indra Sawhney Case- 505 Quota Ceiling). o Here it does not take up any such constitutional issues though these issues have been pleaded before the court by the farmers associations.  Legal grounds of challenge: The court does not even set out clearly what the legal grounds of challenge are.  To Assuage Hurt Feelings of Farmers: Court is also of the view that a stay of implementation of all the three farm laws for the present may assuage the hurt feelings of the farmers and encourage them to come to the negotiating table with confidence and good faith.” o Now, this is a strange reason and arguably not a sound legal reason.  Tractor Rally as ‘law and order’ issue: In a different but related case, the Supreme Court told the Delhi Police that the question of whether the tractor protests should be allowed or not is a ‘law and order’ question and that it is for the police to deal with.  The Supreme Court’s recent order staying the implementation of three farm laws, while appointing a four- member committee has been criticised in some quarters.

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How did the SC justify its order on farm laws?  Court’s Opinion: “This court cannot be said to be completely powerless to grant stay of any executive action under a statutory enactment.”  Court was making a distinction between o Staying a law and o Staying its implementation or any action under it.  Criticism: The effect remains the same, as the order operates as a stay on the government invoking its provisions.  Maratha reservation case: Court had withheld the admissions to educational institutions for 2020-21 under the relevant legislation.  Justification to stay Law: Bench had said that stay on legislation only if an enactment is ex facie unconstitutional or contrary to law laid down by the Supreme Court. It noted that the quota violated the 50% ceiling mentioned in the Indra Sawhney case (1992). Precedents of judicial interference at an interim stage:  Case law suggests that in some cases, High Courts indeed stayed the operation of some laws. However, the Supreme Court took a dim view. 1. Siliguri Municipality Case, 1984: In 1984, the top court set aside an interim stay granted against the operation of a municipal tax. 2. Health for Millions Trust vs Union of India, 2003: o SC removed the stay on some provisions of and regulations under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003. o SC laid guideline for Stay of Law: When the Court is fully convinced that the particular enactment or the rules are . Ex facie unconstitutional and the factors, like, . Balance of convenience, . Irreparable injury and . Public interest are in favour of passing an interim order”. 3. Bhavesh D. Parish Case-2000: o SC held that Courts must show judicial restraint in staying the applicability of the law specially pertaining to economic reforms.” Challenges and concerns:  Different Approach in CAA, NRC, A-370: There are issues central to Indian politics which are extremely politically controversial such as (a) Change to Article 370, (b) Citizenship (Amendment) Act, (c) Reservation quotas for economically weaker sections, (d) Electoral bonds, and, (e) ‘Love jihad’ laws What is striking is that the court has shown no urgency in hearing any of them and has refused to pass a stay order in all of these cases.  Intervention in sensitive issues: On the other hand, the court has very much intervened in matters that are extremely controversial, such as Ayodhya case, if it is determined to do so. YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 30 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

 Abdicating its constitutional responsibility: So, what we see is that the court is actually abdicating its constitutional responsibility of judicial review. At the same time, it’s acting in usurpation of executive and legislative powers, going beyond the standard areas of judicial behaviour.  Judicial overreach: It is a phenomenon that has been observed in multiple contexts in various countries. Historically speaking, the idea that judges can exercise review powers to overturn laws enacted by democratically elected governments and Parliaments is of fairly recent origin. o It is only in the post-World War II era that this idea has become dominant around the world.  Constitutional issues in Cold Storage: In all the recent cases, where legal and constitutional questions were raised, the court simply has not taken on those questions, and has put them in cold storage, often for years at a time.  Legitimacy of Court’s intervention: Rather than choosing legal and constitutional issues, court is intervening in less relevant cases, leading to questions about the legitimacy of its intervention.  SC from Conservative to Radical Phase: In the initial period it was a more conservative court and then it became more radical over time. o But even In conservative period and the big-ticket political issues that came its way such as land reforms, reservations, the use of Article 356, bank nationalisation, privy purses etc., It adjudicated pretty promptly. Way Forward:  Legal vacuum case in South Africa: In South Africa, there is an interesting provision in their Constitution that enables courts to enter into a dialogue with legislators to prevent a situation of a legal vacuum.  No parliamentary sovereignty In India: Framers of our Constitution gave courts the important power to down parliamentary laws. o Over time, courts have used this power to check the power of the executive, while also extending their own authority. o Example: Taking down the power of imposition of President’s rule under Article 356 (S.R. Bommai v. Union of India).  World’s most powerful court: So, these are some of the trends that led to the Indian Supreme Court being described routinely as the world’s most powerful court, from about the 1980s till about 2015. SEPARATION OF POWERS  Separation of powers: It is division of the legislative, executive, and judicial functions of government among separate and independent bodies.  This is also known as the system of checks and balances.  Such a separation, it has been argued, limits the possibility of arbitrary excesses by government, since the sanction of all three branches is required for the o Making, o Executing, and o Administering of laws.  Proponent: This doctrine has been given by French Political Scholar Montesquieu  USA: It follows strict separation of Power.  India: It does not follow strict separation of Power like USA.  Constitutional Provisions: o Article 50: To Separate Judiciary from Executive o Article 121 & 211: Separation of the legislature and the judiciary as conduct of judges can not be discussed in the Legislatures. o Article 122 & 212: Separation of the legislature and the judiciary as Courts not to inquire into proceedings of Legislatures o Article 361: Separation of judiciary and the executive as President or Governor not answerable to any court. YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 31 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

1.14 Special Marriage Act and Anti Conversion laws

Context:  Uttar Pradesh had passed the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020, in November. Since then, the police have arrested several Muslim men under the law.  The Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion Act, 2018, also prohibits the conversion of religion for marriage.  A bench comprising o Chief Justice of India SA Bobde and o Justices V Ramasubramanian and o AS Bopanna was hearing petitions filed by lawyer Vishal Thakre and a NGO named Citizens for Justice and Peace.

Concnerns/issues:  Targeting Innocents: people were being taken away from wedding venues and were being targeted by mobs.  Affecting society: Issue is affecting society and the Supreme Court can call records from courts where similar petitions are pending.  Spill over effects: States like Madhya Pradesh and Haryana are planning to bring similar laws. Madhya Pradesh has convened a special session to pass the law. o Apart from Uttar Pradesh, four other BJP-ruled states – Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana and Assam – have also decided to introduce laws aimed at preventing inter-faith marriage.  Reverse burden of proof: Laws impose a reverse burden of proof and intimation to police for marriage. Prima facie it’s an oppressive clause. It’s a non-bailable offence.  Interfaith couples and Honour Killing: in the country often bear the brunt of being ostracised from the community, so much so that families engage in the crime of “honour killing”.  Crimes against the autonomy of women: Anti-conversion laws are “essentially crimes against the autonomy of women, dictating terms on potential suitors from within the woman’s community, caging her constitutional freedoms”. Violative of constitution and statutes:  Against Special Marriage Act, 1954: The Act and Ordinance are “against the provisions of Special Marriage Act, 1954, and it will create fear in the society.  Violative of A-21: Such Act and Ordinance violate Article 21 of the Constitution as these empower the State to suppress an individual’s personal liberty.  Constitutionally repugnant and against a citizen’s right to freely exercise his/her freedom of choice” and impinges on the “right to life and liberty as well as right to freedom of religion”.  Assault on personal liberty: Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has also moved the top court, seeking permission to implead in the challenge to the laws, calling them a “grave assault on personal liberty”. o Scrutiny by the state of such a personal decision is a grave assault on personal liberty of an individual and is violative of Article 21”  Right to Religion: Government attempts to regulate a personal decision of each human being by encroaching upon an individual’s choice to convert to a religion of his/her choice.  Such laws o Curtails the Fundamental Rights of the citizen of India… o Disturbs the Basic Structure of the Constitution as laid down by the Law” and o “Is against the Public Policy and society at large”.

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 Right to privacy: When the individuals have to approach the District Magistrate to validate their conversion for purpose of marriage or otherwise, (it) violates this very right to privacy and disempowers” them.  Article 25: It provides every individual the ‘freedom of conscience’ and free profession, practice and propagation of religion.  Right to convert: The right to convert oneself to another religion is manifested in Article 25 of the Constitution,” but the “Ordinance and the Act impinge upon this right by imposing unreasonable and discriminatory restrictions. PROVISIONS IN CONTROVERSIAL LEGISLATIONS:  Criminal offence to convert by an Allurement: Makes it a criminal offence to convert a person by offering him/her an ‘allurement’. Allurement has been defined very broadly, to include even providing a gift to the person who is sought to be converted”.  Allow reconversion: Though the Impugned Ordinance seeks to address the mischief of forcible conversion, however it provides that ‘reconversion’ to a person’s previous religion is not illegal, even if it is vitiated by fraud, force, allurement, misrepresentation and so on.  It seemed to be premised on conspiracy theories and assume that all conversions are illegally forced upon individuals who may have attained the age of majority.  The new laws, it stated, view “all women including economically weak, marginalised, privileged women to be susceptible to illegal conversions”. SPECIAL MARRIAGE ACT (SMA), 1954:  The Special Marriage Act (SMA), 1954, is seen as a progressive law enacted to help inter-faith couples.  SMA come to the rescue of inter-faith couples, who, in addition to the old challenge of parental opposition also have to contend with the bogey of ‘love jihad’. WHY WAS THIS LEGISLATION NEEDED?  Historical Background: The original Special Marriage Act was enacted in 1872. It was moved by an eminent jurist and Legislative Council member named Henry Maine. o It was enacted following a campaign launched in 1860 by Brahmo Samaj, especially Keshab Chandra Sen, for simpler marriage ceremonies.  Renounce religions: But it had one problem: it required that two people of different faiths who wish to get married must renounce their respective religions. o By 19th century standards, the mere fact that this law paved the way for inter-faith marriages was a good first step.  Against modern ideas: Requirement of renouncing one’s religion was not compatible with modern ideas of o Liberalism, o Individualism and o Autonomy of the individual.  Amendment in 1954: So, the 1954 law replaced this 1872 Act, and the requirement to renounce one’s religion was removed.  Step towards a Uniform Civil Code: Basically, this law was the first step towards a Uniform Civil Code. The thinking was that if you wanted a liberal, modern, secular and progressive law, let us start the experiment on a voluntary basis. o So, those going for an inter-faith marriage, as well as others, could register under the SMA. o Effect: Once your marriage is registered under it, your religion’s personal laws won’t apply.

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IMPACT OF SMA:  Used for going abroad: It is often used when people are going abroad. For two married under the Hindu Marriage Act, the certificate used to be called a ‘Memorandum of Marriage’, which was not recognised by certain countries while issuing a visa. o So, people would then register their marriage under the SMA.  Used for Getting Divorce: Earlier, under the Indian Divorce Act, applicable to Christians, mutual consent was not available. o Only registering one’s marriage under the SMA gave them the right to divorce by mutual consent, so they would be advised to register their marriage under the SMA.  For inter-religious marriages: The SMA was also used for inter-religious marriages, but not so often. I think the process and procedure are seen as tedious.  Unprepared for uniform laws: The SMA did not achieve the kind of success it was intended to achieve. But that is a comment on how unprepared we are, as a society, when it comes to uniform laws.  Public institutions in private relationships: The fact that very few marriages get registered under the SMA demonstrates that society is not yet ready to involve public institutions in what are purely private relationships. ISSUES & CHALLENGES:  Notice requirement: When the SMA was enacted, the notice requirement was meant to ensure that the man did not already have a spouse and does not marry a minor. But now it has become an invitation to moral policing by right-wing groups.  Love Jihad laws: If it’s an inter-religious marriage, and I want to convert, then I have to fill a declaration form, go before a magistrate, and the magistrate will conduct an inquiry. So, the spirit of what the SMA was meant to be is not only being diluted, these ‘love jihad’ laws are completely contrary to it.  State institution in marriage: The acceptance of the involvement of a state institution in marriage is still very low in our society. People think marriage is a personal matter.  Anti-Conversion Laws: Strangely, more than half a dozen States in India have these anti-conversion laws, and they all have titled these ‘freedom of religion laws’ even though they curtail religious freedom. Moreover, hardly any convictions been reported under these laws.  “Sanctity of marriage”: Also, it is problematic to have this notion of “sanctity of marriage” incorporated into law. It’s there even in the SMA. o There is a provision under Section 29 of the SMA, which says that you cannot file a petition for divorce within one year of your marriage except when there is extreme hardship. Conflict b/w central law (SMA) and anti-conversion law at the state level:  Whoever chooses to register their marriage under the SMA may continue to do so. The anti-conversion laws occupy a different space: they talk about conversion, which the SMA does not concern itself with. So, there is no conflict. Way forward:  Petition to Quash Notice requirement: The Supreme Court has finally admitted a petition where the constitutionality of this provision will be examined. If the right to privacy judgment is taken into consideration, there is no way this notice requirement can be sustained as constitutional.  Saving” a marriage: Under the influence of the ‘sacramental’ nature of Hindu marriage, our courts have been over-emphasising this element of “saving” a marriage — this should not be the sole objective.  Individuals happiness: Goal of the courts, or of the law should be to ensure that two individuals happily live together, and if they cannot happily live together, let them gracefully walk out of a painful marriage. o Sustaining a marriage should not be the concern of the public authorities, the courts, or of the law.

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 Solicitor General Tushar Mehta pointed out that the Allahabad High Court was already looking into it.  Such cases are already pending before the High Courts. Why don’t you go there? We are not saying you have a bad case. But you must approach the High Court first instead of coming to the SC directly,” the CJI told the petitioners.  Centre on Love Jihad: Centre itself told the Lok Sabha in February that no “case of ‘love jihad’ had been reported by any of the central agencies”.  Investigations by the National Investigation Agency: and the Karnataka Criminal Investigation Department have turned up no evidence for this alleged conspiracy either.  NCW: The National Commission for Women maintains no data about “love jihad” too. 1.15 Death Penalty and Mercy petitions Balwant singh rajoana case:  Balwant Singh Rajoana, former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh’s assassin, was sentenced to death in 2007 by a special CBI court.  His mercy petition was filed by the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabhandhak Committee in 2014.  Humanitarian gesture by MOHA: In 2019, the Ministry of Home Affairs sent a letter to the Punjab government to commute Rajoana’s death sentence. It said it had taken an “in principle” decision to commute the death sentence as a “humanitarian gesture” ahead of the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Nanak Dev.  But its decision could not be implemented because the Cabinet did not send the file to the President.  Rajoana has been incarcerated for over 25 years. The Supreme Court pulled up the government for its laxity and fixed the next hearing for sometime in January 2021. Capital punishment in world:  India in World: India figures among the 56 nations in the world that have retained the death penalty. o While 142 have abolished it either by practice or by law.  Amnesty International: According to Amnesty International, o China- 1000+ o Iran- 253 o Saudi Arabia- 149 o Total In World: 2018-993, 2019-690, decreasing trend world wise Mercy petition/pardoning power:  President of India (Articles 72) or the Governor of the State (161) deals with mercy petition.  Article 72(1): The President shall have the power to grant pardons, reprieves, respites or remissions of punishment or to suspend, remit or commute the sentence of any person convicted of any offence where the sentence is a sentence of death. Judgements Related To Death Penalty/ Mercy Petitions 1. Shatrughan Chauhan vs Union of India case: Delay in deciding mercy plea is a relevant ground for commuting the death sentence to life imprisonment. 2. Kehar Singh v Union of India, 1988: SC held that the grant of pardon by the President is o An act of grace and, therefore, o Cannot be claimed as a matter of right 3. Bachan Singh (1980): Death penalty should be awarded only in the rarest of rare cases. 4. Maru Ram v Union of India: All public power, including constitutional power, should not be exercised arbitrarily or mala fide.

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5. Dhananjoy Chatterjee case 1994: Supreme Court has said that “The power under Articles 72 and 161 of the Constitution can be exercised by the Central and State Governments, not by the President or Governor on their own.” 6. Epuru Sudhakar case 2006: Supreme Court held that clemency is subject to judicial review and that it cannot be dispensed as a privilege or act of grace. Concerns/ issues in death penalty and delay in mercy petitions: 1. Against the canons of justice: The prolonged detention of death row convicts in prison is not just inhuman but also against the canons of justice. o Delay coupled with long years prison confinement leads to psychological trauma. 2. Delay by System: Delays in investigations, court hearings and administrative steps to be taken after the final verdict need to be inquired into, and responsibility fixed. 3. No. in India: In India, 102 convicts were awarded the death sentence in 2019, raising the total number of death row prisoners to 378. o Death row convicts have suffered imprisonment up to 25 years. 4. Revival of Death Penalty: In 2019, the Sri Lankan government put an end to its four-decades-long moratorium on capital punishment. o President Maithripala Sirisena ordered the execution of four drug offenders. He claimed that the move would end the addiction problem in the country. 5. Debate in Rajya Sabha: A few years ago, the issue of abolishing capital punishment was raised in the Rajya Sabha but was rejected by a voice vote. 6. Government’s Stand: Then Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, stated that the government was not contemplating abolition of the death penalty. Way forward: 1. Humanitarian gesture by MOHA: In 2019, the Ministry of Home Affairs sent a letter to the Punjab government to commute Rajoana’s death sentence. It said it had taken an “in principle” decision to commute the death sentence as a “humanitarian gesture” ahead of the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev. We need to continue such gesture. 2. India need to review its stand: The delay in carrying out the death penalty is one of the reasons to review India’s position on capital punishment. The debate on the efficacy of the death penalty in reducing crime has been going on for several decades. 3. President Pranab Mukherjee’s swift action: He dealt with the petitions swiftly. It goes to the credit of former President Pranab Mukherjee that during his term, he o Disposed of 34 mercy petitions, o While 30 were rejected, o Four were given reprieves. 4. Time frame needs: A time frame needs to be fixed for the President to dispose of mercy petitions. 5. Lack of accountability: The lack of accountability of government and the courts have adversely affected our criminal justice system. 6. Law Commission, 2015: Through its report in 2015, the Law Commission of India proposed abolishing the death penalty. o Just 14 States responded by 2018. Of these, 12 States rejected the proposal. 7. UNGA-2007-Resolution: -Adopted Resolution for abolition of capital punishment- It endorsed worldwide moratorium on death penalty. 8. Justice Verma Committee: Recommended No death Penalty for Rapists. YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 36 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

General Studies-II 2 Governance

2.1 Institutions of Eminence get approval to open foreign campuses

Context: In a big boost to the recognised Institutes of Eminence (IoEs), the government has issued the guidelines under which the institutions can establish foreign centres and full-edged campuses.

News in details:  The government has cleared the way for each of the 20 IoEs to open as many as three offshore centres in the next five years. o However, not more than one of such centres should be opened in one academic year.  UGC Regulation: The UGC released its new regulation for IoEs called Institutions of Eminence Deemed to be Universities Amendments Regulations 2021 on Thursday, January 7, 2021.  Approval from Ministries: Institutes of Eminence shall be allowed to start new off campuses with the prior approval of the education ministry after receiving no objection certificate from the ministry of external affairs and ministry of home affairs.  Offshore operations: As per the guidelines issued, IoEs can now start offshore operations with 500 students and five post-graduate programmes, as well as research activity.  Full-fledged multi-disciplinary: These will however have to ensure that these operations eventually grow into a full-fledged multi-disciplinary teaching and research campus with at least 3,000 students, and 300 faculty members within 10 years.  Teacher-student ratio: At the proposed off-shore campuses, a teacher-student ratio of 1:20 initially should be achieved, and 1:10 ratio by the end of five years.  It also adds that at least 60 per cent of the appointed faculty members should be on a permanent basis.  The institute should also have at least five PG programmes, while the number of research programmes is not specified in the circular.

INSTITUTES OF EMINENCE (IOES):  Total 20 Institutes: As per the Central Government's record, 20 institutes across the country — 10 private and 10 public.  Ministry: Union human resource development (HRD) ministry.  Committee: Empowered Expert Committee (EEC) appointed by Government under the Chairmanship of Shri N Gopalaswami.  Autonomy: Complete academic and administrative autonomy.  Selection: by the Empowered Expert Committee constituted for the purpose.  Eligibility: Only higher education institutions currently placed in the o Top 500 of global rankings or o Top 50 of the national Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF)  Private Institutions of Eminence: No funds will be given to Private Institutions of Eminence.  Government Institutions of Eminence: To get additional funding upto 1000 Crore.

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2.2 India Justice Report 2020

Context:  At 25.3 %, Bihar leads the list of 25 states for employing most women in its police force, according to the second annual survey on police, prisons, judiciary and legal aid, India Justice Report, released on Thursday.  The state finished ahead of Himachal Pradesh (19.2%) and Tamil Nadu (18.5%).

India Justice Report 2020  Initiative of: Tata Trusts, along with the Centre for Social Justice, Common Cause, CHRI, DAKSH and TISS-Prayas and Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.  Analysis: Across 18 large and mid-sized states with a population of over 1 crore and 8 smaller states, the report analysed o Expenditure, o Vacancies, o Representation of women and o Representation of members of SC, ST and other backward classes, Key analysis of report:  Women in officer category: o Highest: Tamil Nadu has the highest percentage of women police officers (24.8%), followed by Mizoram (20.1%). o Although Bihar is the only state to have more than 20 per cent women in the police force, women account for only 6.1 per cent in the officer category.  Diversity in Police forces: On diversity, Karnataka is the only state to meet its quotas for SC, ST and OBC in both officer cadre and constabulary. o Chhattisgarh being the only other state that meets the diversity requirements for constabulary.  Women in Judiciary: The lack of representation of women as judges in high courts is telling. o Sikkim tops the list with 33.3 % women – Sikkim High Court has just three judges, Justice Meenakshi Madan Rai being its lone woman judge. o Overall, only 29 % judges in HCs across the country are women. o But no state except Sikkim has over 20 per cent women judges. o Of the rest, Andhra Pradesh tops the list with 19 per cent, followed by Punjab and Haryana, where the common HC for the two states has 18.2 per cent women judges. Four states — Bihar, Uttarakhand, Tripura and Meghalaya — have no woman judge in its high courts.  Increased representation of Women: Despite the low figures, women’s representation has marginally increased in police, prisons and the judiciary.

Women Representation 2020 2017

Police personnel 10 % 7 %

Prison staff 13% 10 %

Women as Judges 29.3 % 26.5 %  Delivery of justice: Overall, Maharashtra retained the top-spot on delivery of justice to people among 18 large and mid-sized states, followed by Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Punjab and Kerala.  Undertrials: The report also noted that an overwhelming two-thirds of all prisoners are undertrials awaiting a conviction. YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 38 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

EDITORIAL

2.3 Getting vaccine from factory to frontline

Context: The fight against Covid-19 will only be a success if the government has a comprehensive plan for vaccine distribution and administration. There is a famous quote by Benjamin Franklin: “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” With vaccines, the battle against COVID-19 has come to a turning point.

Background:  Preparation for distribution will determine its impact on 135 crore Indians. In the coming months, the distribution model, in order to be effective, must be able to deliver vaccines immediately to all possible administration endpoints.  It should remain flexible enough to accommodate a o Variety of factors, o Including varying demands, o Manufacturing timelines and volumes. ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT INDIA’S COVID-19 VACCINATION DRIVE Authority to approve vaccine:  Clinical trials: o Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) is responsible for approval of Drugs, Conduct of Clinical Trials. o Clinical trials in India are governed by the following acts: 1. Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, 2. Medical Council of India Act, 1956 and 3. Central Council for Indian Medicine Act, 1970.  Prerequisites of clinical trial: o Permission from the Drugs Controller General, India (DCGI). o Approval from the respective Ethics Committee where the study is planned. o Mandatory registration on the The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) maintained website. Procurement of vaccines: Globally:  The United Nations Children’s Fund is working with manufacturers and partners on logistics and procurement of vaccines on behalf Covid-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX Facility) led by Gavi, the vaccine alliance. Centre -State:  In India, the expert committee responsible for planning the roadmap has decided that the potential COVID-19 vaccine would be procured by the Centre only. o No separate procurement for states will take place. States don’t need to make separate procurement. o States mustn’t procure Covid vaccine on their own as told by Centre.  While public health and law & order find mention in List II (the State List) of the Indian Constitution, List III (the ) thereof allows the central government to prevail so as to ensure prevention of extension of infectious/contagious diseases (such as Covid-19) from one state to another. o In Vaccine delivery: Strong Centre-state partnership is key YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 39 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

 Centre to procure directly from companies: The Centre is planning to procure COVID-19 vaccines directly from the drugmakers and distribute them among priority group under a special coronavirus immunisation programme.  Delivering Vaccines to regional level: Centre has taken charge of delivering vaccines to regional depots; and it is the states that need to pick up that point onwards for on-time, last-mile delivery of vaccination services  Centre Supply to States: So far, the understanding is that Centre is supplying the states with three things — syringes, vaccines and the existing cold chain setup. On the long-term funding pattern of vaccines, there has not been any discussion yet.”  Funding Pattern: Under the Universal Immunisation Programme, the cost of vaccines is borne by the Centre and states in a 60:40 ratio respectively. Officials do not rule out such an arrangement Storage of vaccines:  Central Hub: Pune will be the central hub from where the vaccine distribution will take place.  Mini Hubs: o : The national capital and Karnal will be made mini hubs for delivery of coronavirus vaccines in northern India. o : Chennai and Hyderabad will be the designated points for Southern India. o and North East: For the eastern region, Kolkata will be the hub and will also be a nodal point for the northeast.  Four primary stores: There are four primary stores called the Government Medical Store Depot (GMSD) located in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Haryana’s Karnal.  Vaccine stores: Apart from these, there are 37 vaccine stores in India. These facilities can store vaccines in bulk and distribute further  Guarded by police: The storage centres, vaccine vans and the inoculation centres will all be heavily guarded by police. Transportation of vaccines:  The transportation of coronavirus vaccines might begin today or tomorrow.  Air Route: Central Government has allowed passenger aircraft to transport the Covid-19 vaccines. o Both Air India and private airlines are coordinating the logistics with the vaccine producers.  Road route: The vaccines will be transported by air and road, but not by rail -- at least for now.  No Railway: “There is no plan to use refrigerated vans of Indian Railways as of now.  41 destinations centre: As many as 41 destinations across India have been finalised for the delivery of Covid-19 vaccines.  Responsibility: o Logistics and cold chains: While the logistics and cold chains will be monitored primarily by the government, it will be SII’s responsibility to deliver the vaccines at the designated consignee points. o SII has the obligation to deliver it safely at the specific places and hand it over to the state or central officials. Once the handover is done, the responsibility of further distribution lies entirely with the government

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 Temperature trackers: Temperature trackers fitted in each MSD, state vaccine store and district vaccine store will upload information about the temperature inside the facility unto a central server. o These trackers will allow authorities to take corrective measures if there is a dip or rise in temperature controls within the centres. o Both vaccines (Covidshield and CoVaxin) require storage at 2-8 degrees Celsius, and the shots have to be carefully stored in the range.  Vaccine to sub centres: The vaccine will be taken from cold chain points to sub-centre in passive equipment or vaccine carriers. o A sub-centre (district hospital, private hospital, health centre, community centre) is the last mile point of the vaccination drive.  Transportation of vaccines from states and regional stores to divisions and districts would be done in cold boxes using insulated vaccine vans.  Vaccines carriers with ice packs are used to transport vaccines from PHCs to the outreach sessions in the village Dry run of vaccines:  What is Dry Run: A dry run is a mock drill that will be conducted to assess the mechanism for roll out of a COVID- 19 vaccine across the country.  Mock drill: Through a mock drill, the Health Ministry aims to simulate the actual vaccine administration event and find out glitches in the final execution.  No. of Districts: The dry run will be held across 736 districts in 33 states and Union Territories tomorrow.  all set to conduct the second dry run tomorrow (9 January), days after conducting the first dry run of coronavirus vaccinations on 2 January.  Dry run includes:  The exercise will include o Data entry on Co-WIN o An online platform for monitoring of vaccine delivery o Testing receipt and allocation o Deployment of team members o Mock drill of session sites with test beneficiaries  It will also include o testing of cold storage o transportation arrangements for the COVID-19 vaccine o management of crowd at session sites with o proper physical distancing  Insights into any gaps: It will provide insights into any gaps or bottlenecks so that those could be addressed before the commencement of the actual drive," Bhaskar said on the eve of the programme.  Dummy Drive: The dummy drive will be conducted in all districts in the country, except for Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. Cold chain infrastructure: Challenge:  Can not transport vaccines at ultra-low temperatures: o Pfizer's and Moderna's mRNA vaccines need extreme cold temperatures for stability. o India does not have any facilities at all for transporting vaccines at ultra-low temperatures like -80 degrees Celsius required for the Pfizer vaccine.

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 Limited Capacity: So far as our existing cold chain infrastructure is concerned, India’s current immunisation programme handles around 600 million doses and the private sector has a capacity of about 250-300 million doses. o With this infrastructure, India can administer 550-600 million doses annually.  India has some 27,000 “cold chains”, which may not be adequate.  Fragmented: The cold chain market with 37 million tonne capacity is very fragmented in India, and the country does not have a single cold chain operator with a capacity of over 5,000 tonne  Urban Biased: Most of the cold storage units are in urban areas and transportation to the hinterland is another major challenge.  Rural Population: With more than 65 per cent of the population living in rural areas, much of the success of the vaccination programme depends on rural penetration Steps:  At present, there are a total of 29,000 cold chain points across India.  Centre points contain active equipment that run either on electricity or on solar power such as o Walk-in coolers, o Ice-line refrigerators, etc  There are 29,000 cold chain points, 250 walk in cooler, 70 walk in freezers, 45,000 ice lined refrigerator, 41,000 deep freezers and 300 solar refrigerators to be used for cold chain management.  All equipments have reached state government. States to identify at least one AEFI management centre in each block  Refrigerated vans will bring these vaccines to the last point in the cold chain, typically located in Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Community Health Centres.  Plenty of private cold chain companies in India have said they can step into the breach and increase their capacity for the pandemic. Polio v. covid-19 vaccine immunisation:  Polio: It can be noted that India runs the widely successful polio immunization programme, where the vaccine is transported in temperatures ranging from 2-8 degrees Celsius and there is a dedicated cold chain, which is likely to be repurposed for the Covid-19 vaccine.  However, the quantum of work is 16 times more than the 600 million doses under the UIP.  Timescale for delivering: The timescale for delivering the universal vaccine programme and Covid-19 vaccines is also very different. o Vaccines for children and pregnant women are staggered over an entire year o Whereas the coronavirus vaccination programme is expected to begin soon and the government wants approximately 300 million people (600 million doses) vaccinated by the end of August.  India already has the distinction of already having the world’s largest vaccination scheme – the universal immunisation programme.  India plans to use the expansive network of its 42-year-old universal immunisation programme to manage the logistics of administering Covid vaccines.  Every year, it immunises about 30 million pregnant women and it administers vaccines to around 26 million infants for o Diphtheria, o Polio, o Measles and o Other childhood diseases  Existing infrastructure and human resources will be sufficient to vaccinate the first 30 million Indians, primarily health care workers and first responders YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 42 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

Covid-19 vaccine immunisation:  Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) had approved the Serum Institute of India’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin for emergency use authorization.  Some priority groups have been decided for the Covid vaccination as advised by the experts' group formed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  India’s vaccination blue print states that 300 million people will be inoculated in the first stage of deployment, starting with health workers, followed by police personnel and soldiers, and then those with co-morbidities and people over the age of 50.  First Covid-19 shots were likely on January 13.  Price: o $3-4 per shot (₹219-292) to the Indian government o Double that rate in private market Medical workforce:  Around 1.7 lakh vaccinators and 3 lakh vaccination team members have been trained on the process to be followed at the vaccination sites which include o Beneficiary verification, o Vaccination, o Cold chain and logistics management, o Bio-medical waste management  There is also the question of who will administer the vaccine. Millions of people will be needed. The All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists has told the government it can train half of its 800,000 members to help administerdoses. Use of technology: co-win software:  India has developed the Co-WIN software for o Real-time information of vaccine stocks, o Their storage temperature, and o Individualised tracking of beneficiaries for the COVID-19 vaccine.  This software will assist the programme managers across all levels  This software will assist the programme managers across all levels through o Through automated session allocation o For pre-registered beneficiaries, o Their verification, and o A digital certificate will be generated o Upon successful completion of the vaccine schedule  Salient features of the CoWIN Delivery Management Plan. o Automated session allocation o SMS to be sent in 12 languages o 24x7 helpline o Chatbox with pattern recognition to help navigate the portal, o digital locker for integrated data retrieval and storing of the vaccines, o QR code certificate are some of the YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 43 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

Registration of vaccination beneficiaries:  Beneficiary registration: It will be done at the session site in Co-Win App.  First Phase: In the first phase, healthcare workers, frontline workers and essential workers (Army, police, ASHA workers) need not register on the Co-Win App since their data has already been pre-populated.  Registration will begin once the government reaches population priority groups (27 crore elderly above the age of 50 years).  Vaccination session: Each vaccination session will be allocated digitally.  Authority: A District Magistrate will allocate the date and time (session for 100 or 200 people) for the vaccine session digitally.  Vaccine priority list: o Healthcare workers: 1 crore o Frontline workers: 2 crore o Prioritise age groups: 27 crore  After One gets Vaccination: o The beneficiary will be acknowledged with a unique health ID that will be generated for everyone who is vaccinated. o A QR code certificate or a digital certificate will be generated and can be stored on mobile or digital locker, whichever is convenient. o Tracking AEFI (adverse events): Since everything will be added onto the app, the Union health ministry says there will be real-time reporting and tracking of adverse events after vaccination. SUCCESSFUL VACCINATION: Factors for success of a vaccination programme:  Vaccine acceptability: One of the strongest correlates for the success of a vaccination programme is its acceptability. Vaccine acceptability may differ according to several demographic characteristics.  Vaccine acceptance resiliency is an essential condition to achieve the intended objectives. o Needed: Close collaboration between the government and stakeholders to  Create high levels of trust, and  Reducing suspicions about the vaccine o Example:  US President-elect Joe Biden received the COVID-19 vaccine on live television.  Three former US presidents — Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton – also volunteered to get their COVID-19 vaccinations on camera.  Microsoft chief Bill Gates and celebrity Tom Hanks have also offered to take the vaccine publicly.  Strategy to inform and educate: With the vaccine myths, intended to create an atmosphere of fear, spreading all around, particularly on social media, the government should have a counter-strategy to inform and educate people. o The polio drive: It could be successful in India because people were convinced about the vaccine and the lack of trust had to be overcome. o Similar massive awareness campaign, including in local languages, should be run by the government to counter false narratives. o Community leaders who can persuade people to drop their inhibitions could be involved.  Accelerate the production, distribution and administration of Vaccines: More than 23 lakh people across the world have already received vaccines.

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o Countries like the US, UK, China and Russia have rolled out detailed action plans for vaccination. o Where as a concrete COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan is yet to take shape in India.  Cold chain infrastructure: According to Credit Suisse analysts, India would need about 1.7 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to vaccinate a majority of its adult population. o This massive immunisation programme will require a robust cold-store mechanism. o The cold chain infrastructure is sufficient to ensure last-mile delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine in a temperature-controlled environment across the country.  Election Commission infrastructure: The government is exploring using the Election Commission infrastructure for mapping and modifying railway coaches to transport the vaccine.  Affordable Vaccine and healthcare: The administration must ensure that vaccine cost does not deter the less fortunate. o The Supreme Court has upheld “affordable healthcare” as a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. o World Economic Forum Report: Some 220 million Indians sustain themselves on an expenditure level of less than Rs 32/day. o NSSO data: 22 per cent of India’s population is poor.  Focus on total vaccination rather than Vaccine Diplomacy: India has more than 26 crore people who are in 50- plus age group, 73 million diabetics and one in eight Indians suffers from hypertension. o Therefore, with more than 10 million infections, nearly 1.5 lakh deaths, demographic structure, comorbidity factors and the imminent threat of COVID 2.0. o India should focus on total vaccination before reaching out to other countries.  Vaccine distribution mechanism: A vaccine distribution mechanism needs to be developed that can effectively manage the o Mapping, From the point at which they are purchased to the o Transportation, point they are administered o Tracking and o Safekeeping of vaccines Hurdles in success of vaccination programme: Cold chain infrastructure:  Can not transport vaccines at ultra-low temperatures: o Pfizer's and Moderna's mRNA vaccines need extreme cold temperatures for stability. o India does not have any facilities at all for transporting vaccines at ultra-low temperatures like -80 degrees Celsius required for the Pfizer vaccine.  Limited Capacity: So far as our existing cold chain infrastructure is concerned, India’s current immunisation programme handles around 600 million doses and the private sector has a capacity of about 250-300 million doses.  With this infrastructure, India can administer 550-600 million doses annually.  India has some 27,000 “cold chains”, which may not be adequate.  Fragmented: The cold chain market with 37 million tonne capacity is very fragmented in India, and the country does not have a single cold chain operator with a capacity of over 5,000 tonne  Urban Biased: Most of the cold storage units are in urban areas and transportation to the hinterland is another major challenge.  Rural Population: With more than 65 per cent of the population living in rural areas, much of the success of the vaccination programme depends on rural penetration YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 45 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

 Shadow on vaccine administration: Horrifying stories of beds being not available, healthcare workers not being paid and budgetary provisions not available should not cast a shadow on vaccine administration.  Political sloganeering: Before the Bihar Assembly elections, the BJP, for political mileage, had promised free vaccines for all the people of Bihar. o The focus should be on vaccinating the last woman/man vaccination rather than on ribbon-cutting.  Cannot afford another mistake: We were witness to the consequences of faulty implementation of Notebandi, GST and the lockdowns, but humanity cannot afford another mistake this time and thus, attention to every detail is a must. Way forward:  Utilise universal immunisation programme infrastructure: To ramp up the capacity to administer vaccines, the government should utilise the existing universal immunisation programme infrastructure and manpower with adequate augmentation.  Vaccine Affordability: The “donations” received in the mysteriously-guarded PM Cares Fund must be used by the government to distribute and administer the COVID-19 vaccine to the poor and weaker sections. o This will ensure inclusiveness and parity in vaccine administration.  Vaccine diplomacy can wait: Till all the Indians are vaccinated. o Neighbourhood First Policy: India has assured countries like , Myanmar and Nepal of vaccine coverage as part of its global outreach programme. o As per industry insights, most of India’s vaccine exports will be to Africa, Latin America and Asian destinations. o A dozen nations have also requested vaccines from India. o But India should focus on total vaccination before reaching out to other countries. o India to follow ‘HCQ model’, will send Covid vaccines to neighbours after local demand is met.

General Studies-II 3 Social Justice

3.1 Inclusion of 14 New Minor Forest produce

Context:  Over the past year, due to the unprecedented crisis caused by the ongoing pandemic, the lives and livelihoods of people across all segments, and in particular, the disadvantaged tribals, across the country have been severely disrupted.

News in details:  At such a time, following has come as a beacon of change. o ‘Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through Minimum Support Price (MSP) o Development of Value Chain for MFP  Conceptualised and implemented by: TRIFED in association with State Government Agencies across 21 states of the country,  The scheme has emerged as a source of great relief for tribal gatherers injecting more than Rs 3000 crores directly in the tribal economy since April 2020.

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 Centre-State coordination: This has been possible mainly due to the Government push and active participation from the States and has provided much needed liquidity in the tribal ecosystem, much needed in the adverse times.  Remunerative and fair prices: Continuing with its earlier efforts to provide remunerative and fair prices to tribal gatherers of forest produces, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has revised the MSP for MFP list and has included 14 additional MFPs in the list.  This recommendation of additional items is over and above the previous notification issued on May 26, 2020 (in which the list had been revised to include 23 MFPs) and May 1, 2020 in which the MSP revisions for the MFPs were announced.

Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce through Minimum Support price and development of Value Chain of MFP” Scheme:  The Central government had introduced a minimum support price (MSP) for a select list of MFP through this Scheme in 2011.  Aim: To provide a social safety net to these underprivileged forest dwellers, and to aid in their empowerment.  TRIFED: Nodal agency for the implementation of the scheme  The Van Dhan tribal start-ups: It is also a component of the same scheme, further complements MSP beautifully.  TRIFED has initiated Phase II of the MSP and MFP scheme and the Van Dhan tribal Start-ups.

VAN DHAN SCHEME/ VIKAS KENDRAS INITIATIVE:  Aim: to promote MFPs-centric livelihood development of tribal gatherers and artisans.  It mainstreams the tribal community by promoting primary level value addition to MFP at grassroots level.  Significance: Share of tribals in the value chain of Non-Timber Forest Produce is expected to rise from the present 20% to around 60%.  Implementation: o Ministry of Tribal Affairs as Nodal Department at the Central Level and o TRIFED as Nodal Agency at the National Level.

3.2 ‘High out-of-pocket expenses for health can lead to poverty’

Context: Out-Of-Pocket Expenditures: India has one-of-the highest level of Out-Of-Pocket Expenditures (OOPE) contributing directly to the high incidence of catastrophic expenditures and poverty, notes the Economic Survey.

Economic survey on health:  GDP Spend on Health: It suggested an increase in public spending from 1% to 2.5-3% of GDP — as envisaged in the National Health Policy 2017. o It can decrease the OOPE from 65% to 30% of overall healthcare spend.  Death due non-communicable diseases: to The Survey states about 65% of deaths in India are now caused by non-communicable diseases (NCDs) with

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o Ischemic heart diseases, o Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and o Stroke being the leading causes.  Equitable, affordable and accountable healthcare: The Survey observes that the health of a nation depends critically on its citizens having access to an equitable, affordable and accountable healthcare system. o The OOPE, as a share of total health expenditure, drops precipitously when public health expenditure increases.  The Survey also underlines that OOPE for health increases the risk of vulnerable groups slipping into poverty because of catastrophic health expenditures. o The life expectancy in a country correlates positively with per capita public health expenditure, it notes. Private healthcare:  Privatisation of healthcare: The Economic Survey observed that bulk of the is provided by the private sector. o “Private hospitals charge much higher than government hospitals for treatment of same ailment and higher charges do not assure better quality.’’  Better health infrastructure: The Survey added that for enabling India to respond to pandemics, the health infrastructure must incorporate flexibility as events requiring healthcare attention may not repeat in identical fashion in future. Out-of-Pocket expenditures:  The expenses that the patient or the family pays directly to the health care provider, without a third-party (insurer, or State) is known as ‘Out of Pocket Expenditure’ (OOP).  These expenses could be medical as well as non-medical expenditure.  Out-of-pocket expenditure (OOP) on healthcare forms a major barrier to health seeking behaviour.  The poor sections do not have any form of financial protection and are forced to make OOP payments when they fall sick.  Often, these households have to resort to borrowings or sell assets to meet this expenditure.  According to National Health Account estimates, 67% of total health expenditure comes from household’s pockets. Such catastrophic health expense pushes 7% of the population below poverty threshold every year.  Ayushman Bharat aims at creating 1.5 lakhs health & wellness centres (primary health care) across the country.

General Studies-II 4 International Relations

4.1 Mea Launches Global Pravasi Rishta Portal and App To Connect With Global Indian Diaspora

Context: The External Affairs Ministry on Wednesday launched the Global Pravasi Rishta portal and app to connect with the nearly 3.12-crore strong Indian diaspora across the world.

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About global pravasi rishta portal:  Need: As of now, there is no effective communication channel available with the ministry to connect with the Indian diaspora worldwide.  It aims to create a three-way communication between the ministry, Indian missions and the diaspora.  Three-way communication: This is to have a three-way communication between the 1. Ministry 2. Our missions and 3. Diaspora  Mobile app will be used by the diaspora and the Indian nationals.  Portal web interface will be used by the missions.  Portal is created to enable the registration of Indian diaspora members i.e. NRIs, PIOs and the OCIs.  The rishta portal will enable communication with the diaspora on a realtime basis and will have the ability to issue emergency alerts and advisories. Significance of the portal:  Importance of India diaspora: The government recognises the importance of India diaspora and has been engaging with them in various ways.  Crisis management: This portal and app will also assist during any crisis management and lend a helping hand to the NRIs and PIOs.  Connect with diaspora: Hence effective connect with our diaspora has been a challenge not only during normal circumstances but also during emergencies.  Through it, Government of India aims to connect with the overseas Indian community, not just ceremonially but at every step."  It will help facilitate NRIs, OCIs and PIOs community by connecting them to various new and existing government schemes benefiting them in various areas of interest.  It will also enable the diaspora to reach the consular officers and services in time of emergencies.  Presently there are nearly 3.12 crore overseas Indians globally of which nearly 1.34 crore are PIOs and 1.78 crore are NRIs.  It will contain useful information for the diaspora such as o Information on visa, o Passport, and o Other consular services About OCI, PIO and NRI:  OCI: Overseas Citizenship of India is a form of permanent residency available to people of Indian origin and their spouses which allows them to live and work in India indefinitely. Despite the name, OCI status is not citizenship and does not grant the right to vote in Indian elections or hold public office.  PIO: A Person of Indian Origin (PIO) means a foreign citizen (except a national of Pakistan, Afghanistan Bangladesh, China, Iran, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Nepal) who at any time held an Indian passport Or who or either of their parents/ grand parents/ great grand parents was born and permanently resident in India Or Who is a spouse of a citizen of India or a PIO.  NRI: An Indian Citizen who stays abroad for employment/carrying on business or vocation outside India or stays abroad under circumstances indicating an intention for an uncertain duration of stay abroad is a non-resident. (Persons posted in U.N. Organisations and Officials deputed abroad by Central/State Governments and Public Sector undertakings on temporary assignments are also treated as non-residents).

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4.2 All member states of UN can now join International Solar Alliance: India

Context: India on Friday said all member states of the United Nations, including those lying beyond the tropics, can now join the International Solar Alliance (ISA) with an amendment to its framework agreement coming into effect recently.

News in details:  Universalisation of the membership: In pursuance of the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for achieving the universalisation of the membership of the International Solar Alliance beyond the tropics. o The first general assembly of the ISA, held on October 3, 2018. o It adopted the amendment to its framework agreement to expand the scope of membership to all member states of the United Nations.  Ratifications/approvals/acceptances: After the necessary ratifications/approvals/acceptances were obtained from the requisite number of ISA member countries as mandated by the framework agreement. o The amendment has entered into force on January 8, 2021, the Ministry of External Affairs.  ISA framework agreement: It allows all the member states of the United Nations to join the grouping, including those lying beyond the tropics.

INTERNATIONAL SOLAR ALLIANCE:  It was launched jointly by the Indian prime minister and the French president.  COP 21: During the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP21, in Paris.  The Paris Declaration establishes ISA  HQ: Gurugram  Aims: It aims to contribute to the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement through rapid and massive deployment of solar energy.  Objectives: Global deployment of over 1,000GW of solar generation capacity and mobilisation of investment of over US$ 1000 billion into solar energy by 2030.  Collective response: It aims to bring together countries to provide a collective response to the main common obstacles to the massive deployment of solar energy in terms of o Technology, o Finance and o Capacity. 4.3 Russia to announce exit from Open Skies Treaty

Context: Russia will announce its exit from the Open Skies treaty in the coming days, a pact that allows unarmed surveillance flights over member countries, the unnamed official sources as saying on Friday. The report about Russia's possible departure from the treaty comes ahead of U.S. president-elect Joe Biden's Jan. 20 inauguration.

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Background:  The United States left the arms control and verification treaty in November, accusing Russia of violating it. News in details:  Exit takes 6 months: Russia will exit the treaty six months after notifying other members of its departure, unless it changes its mind in the interim.  Russia has raised concerns that, despite the U.S. exit, Washington could potentially retain access to overflight intelligence gathered by allies who remain members in the treaty.  Moscow had tried to get guarantees from other countries that they would not share such intelligence with Washington, but had not been given any assurances.  New START, the last remaining major nuclear arms control treaty between Moscow and Washington, is set to expire next month. Biden has said he's keen to renew it, but it remains unclear for how long.

OPEN SKIES TREATY:  Function: To monitor arm development by conducting surveillance flights (unarmed) over each other’s territories.  Members: It is an agreement that allows its 34 signatories countries  Existence: It was signed in 1992 and came into effect in 2002.  Therefore, the treaty established an aerial surveillance system for its participants.  Both US and Russia are signatories of the treaty. US left the treaty last year.  India is not a member of this treaty.

4.4 Boris Johnson invites PM Modi to G7 meet in June

Context:  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson Sunday invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be part of the G7 meeting, which will be chaired by the UK from June 13-15.  The UK has invited three countries as guest countries to this year's G7 1. Australia, 2. India and 3. South Korea

News in details:  Location and date of the Summit: The G7 Summit will be held in Carbis Bay, Cornwall in UK on 11-13 June 2021.  UK and India: o Johnson, who was invited as a Chief Guest at the Republic Day Celebrations in India this year, had expressed “regret” due to fresh national lockdown in his country, because of new strain of the novel coronavirus. o Modi “conveyed his understanding of the exceptional situation and hoped that the UK would overcome Covid challenges successfully”.

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G-7-2020- In Trump Era:  Not Representative: Last year, Donald Trump had deferred the 46th G-7, saying, “I’m postponing it because I don’t feel that as a G7 it properly represents what’s going on in the world.” o The summit was scheduled to be held through June 10-12 at Camp David in the US. G-7-2019:  In 2019, the G-7 summit was held on August 24-26 at Biarritz in southwestern France, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was invited to attend as a special guest of French President Emmanuel Macron. Significance of G-7:  Unite leading democracies: Prime Minister Boris Johnson will use the UK’s G7 Presidency o To unite leading democracies o To help the world fight, and o Then build back better from coronavirus and o Create a greener, more prosperous future  Catalyst for decisive international action: As the most prominent grouping of democratic countries, the G7 has long been the catalyst for decisive international action to tackle the greatest challenges we face.  Shared values and diplomatic might: The world has looked to the G7 to apply our shared values and diplomatic might to create a more open and prosperous planet . It led to o Cancelling developing world debt to o Universal condemnation of Russia’s annexation of Crimea

G-7 or ‘Group of Seven’  The G-7 or ‘Group of Seven’ are 1. Canada, 2. France, 3. Germany, 4. Italy, 5. Japan, 6. United Kingdom, and 7. United States.  It is an intergovernmental organisation that was formed in 1975 by the top economies of the time as an informal forum to discuss pressing world issues. Canada joined the group in 1976, and the European Union began attending in 1977.  Deliberated about several challenges: Initially formed as an effort by the US and its allies to discuss economic issues, the G-7 forum has deliberated about several challenges over the decades, such as the o Oil crashes of the 1970s, o The economic changeover of ex-Soviet bloc nations, and o Many pressing issues such as o Financial crises,

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o Terrorism, o Arms control, and o Drug trafficking.  It does not have a formal constitution or a fixed headquarters. The decisions taken by leaders during annual summits are non-binding.  Russia was expelled as a member in 2014 following the latter’s annexation of the Crimea region of Ukraine. 4.5 India begins vaccine diplomacy, first doses in Bhutan, Maldives

Context:  India will officially begin its vaccine diplomacy on Wednesday by supplying Made-in-India Covid-19 vaccines to o Its neighbouring and o Key partner countries  India fulfils commitment to give vaccines to humanity. Supplies to our neighbours will start on 20th January. The Pharmacy of the World will deliver to overcome the COVID challenge.”

News in details:  Who will get Vaccines first: o Bhutan and Maldives will be the first to get the vaccines from Wednesday o Followed by Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Seychelles. o Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Mauritius will also get doses once they give necessary regulatory approvals. Significance of the move: 1. First recipient of the Indian government’s gift: A consignment containing 1 lakh doses of Covishield vaccines will reach Male on January 20. With this, Maldives, along with Bhutan, will become the first recipient of the Indian government’s gift, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII). 2. Neighbourhood First + “Vaccine Maitri”: New Delhi wants to portray this exercise as yet another testament to its Neighbourhood First policy — the government is going to brand it “Vaccine Maitri”. 3. Isolated Pakistan: Pakistan has not been named as a neighbouring country which will get the vaccine though Islamabad is exploring options to get it through a global alliance or bilateral arrangements. o Pakistan has neither requested nor is India discussing supplies to it at present. 4. Long-trusted partner in Health care for Global Community: Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, “India is deeply honoured to be a long-trusted partner in meeting the healthcare needs of the global community. 5. Vaccines to humanity by The Pharmacy of the World: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said, “India fulfils commitment to give vaccines to humanity. Supplies to our neighbours will start on 20th January. The Pharmacy of the World will deliver to overcome the COVID challenge.” o Government has received several requests from neighbouring and key partner countries. 6. Domestic requirements: Keeping in view the domestic requirements of the phased rollout, India will continue to supply vaccines to partner countries in a phased manner. YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 53 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

o It will ensure that domestic manufacturers will have adequate stocks to meet domestic requirements while supplying abroad. 7. International demand and obligations: In the ongoing effort, India will continue to supply countries all over the world with vaccines. o “This will be calibrated against domestic requirements and international demand and obligations, including under GAVI’s Covax facility to developing countries,” 8. COVID Diplomacy: India had earlier supplied Hydroxychloroquine, Remdesivir and Paracetamol tablets, as well as diagnostic kits, ventilators, masks, gloves and other medical supplies to a large number of countries during the pandemic. 9. India Ahead of China in South Asia: It will make India the first country to reach COVID-19 vaccines in South Asia, ahead of China, which has promised but not so far delivered 10. Partnerships for Accelerating Clinical Trials (PACT) programme: India has also provided training to several neighbouring countries to enhance and strengthen their clinical capabilities, under the Partnerships for Accelerating Clinical Trials (PACT) programme. 4.6 India to expand research, tourism in Arctic

Context:  India has unveiled a new draft ‘Arctic’ policy that, among other things, commits to expanding o Scientific research, o Sustainable tourism and o Mineral oil and gas exploration in the Arctic region.

New draft ‘arctic’ policy:  Open to public comments: The draft policy is open to public comments until January 26 and has been prepared after deliberations among several ministries.  National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research: India expects the Goa-based National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research to lead scientific research and act as a nodal body to coordinate among various scientific bodies to promote domestic scientific research capacities by expanding in Indian Universities o Earth sciences, o Biological sciences, o Geosciences, o Climate change and o Space related programmes, o Dove-tailed with arctic imperatives.  Other objectives of the policy: It includes programmes for mineral/oil and gas exploration in petroleum research institutes and encouraging tourism and hospitality sectors in building specialised capacities and awareness to engage with Arctic enterprises.”  Impact of Arctic on Climate and Seasons: However, climate change has meant that seasons in the Arctic influence tropical weather. o The Arctic influences  Atmospheric,  Oceanographic and  Biogeochemical cycles of the earth’s ecosystem.

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 Spill over effect of Global Warming/Arctic Melting: The loss of sea ice, ice caps, and warming of the ocean and atmosphere would o Lower salinity in the ocean, o Increase the temperature differential between land and oceans in the tropical regions, dry subtropical areas and o Increase precipitation at higher latitudes.  Use of Arctic Study for India: It will help in study melting rates of the third pole — the Himalayan glaciers, which are endowed with the one of largest freshwater reserves in the world.

INDIA’S SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION TO THE ARCTIC:  It began in 2007 and set up a research station ‘Himadri’ in the international Arctic research base at Svalbard, Norway. o Himadri is manned for about 180 days a year.  Two other observatories: in Kongsforden and Gruvebadet.  Since its establishment, over 300 Indian researchers have worked in the station. India has sent 13 expeditions to the Arctic since 2007 and runs 23 active projects.

THE ARCTIC:  Five Arctic littoral states — Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Norway, Russia and the USA (Alaska) —  Arctic Council: o 8 Members: Five Arctic littoral states and three other Arctic nations — Finland, Sweden and Iceland — form the Arctic Council. o 1996 – Ottawa declaration o It is an Intergovernmental forum. o It is Not a treaty-based international organization but rather an international forum that operates on the basis of consensus. o Its mandate explicitly excludes military security. The Arctic is home to almost four million inhabitants, of which approximately one-tenth are considered as indigenous people.

4.7 ‘A global challenge to deliver vaccine’

Context:  Year 2020 v. 2021: o If 2020 was the year of discovery of COVID-19 vaccines, o 2021 will be the year India faces the challenge of getting them to people across the world who most need it.

News in details:  Executive Board of the World Health Organization. o Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan is the Chairman of the Executive Board of the World Health Organization. o He chaired the 148th session of the Board on Tuesday.  U.S. a member of WHO: The release said Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to the U.S. President announced that the U.S. would remain a member of WHO and fulfil its financial obligations. YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 55 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

 Role of the WHO: Dr. Fauci acknowledged the role of the WHO in leading the global public health response to the outbreak, o Convening scientists and researchers o To help accelerate the development of vaccine therapeutics and diagnostics and o Tracking the latest developments o For keeping the member-states informed.  Immunisation Agenda 2030: The Board welcomed the Immunisation Agenda 2030 and was unanimous in recognising the central role of immunisation programmes in safeguarding public health globally. o The member-states also called for early and equitable availability of COVID-19 vaccines, including through the COVAX facility.

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION:  It is a specialized agency of the United Nations that looks into matters of public health.  Founded: In 1948.  HQ: Geneva, Switzerland.  Members: 194 Member States  India: became a party to the WHO on 12 January 1948.  Regional office: for South East Asia is located in New Delhi.  World Health Assembly: o It is composed of delegates representing Members. o It is the decision-making body of WHO. o Functions: To determine the policies of the Organization, appoint the Director-General, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the proposed programme budget. o The Health Assembly is held annually in Geneva, Switzerland.

EDITORIAL

4.8 13TH ALL INDIA CONFERENCE OF CHINA STUDIES-India China relations

CONTEXT:  Speaking at the 13th All India Conference of China Studies, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar admitted that the events in eastern last year o Have brought the relationship between India and China at “crossroads” and o The choices made will have “profound repercussions not just for two nations but for the world”.  To mend strained ties between India and China, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday outlined o Eight broad principles and o Three “Mutuals”

JAISHANKAR IN 13TH ALL INDIA CONFERENCE OF CHINA STUDIES: Concerns in india- chiina relations: 1. Willingness to breach peace: Jaishankar said, “Events in Ladakh not only signalled o Disregard for commitments on minimising troops but also o Showed willingness to breach peace.”

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2. No explanation from China: “We are yet to receive credible explanation for change in China’s and massing of troops in border areas.” 3. Fresh clash in Naku La in Sikkim: The minister’s remark comes days after Indian and Chinese troops were involved in a fresh clash in Naku La in Sikkim on January 20. o Minor Injuries: Troops sustained minor injuries during the brawl. The incident happened as Indian troops stopped a Chinese patrolling party in the region. 4. “Exceptional stress” in relation: Jaishankar stressed that the events of 2020 have put the ties under “exceptional stress”. o “Issue before us is what Chinese posture signals, how it evolves, what implications it may have for future of ties.” 5. 50,000 troops deployed: The latest effort came two-and-a-half months after the last round of discussions between the two sides on November 6, with around 50,000 troops deployed in the region, along with additional artillery, tanks, and air defence assets.

COOPERATION, COMPETITION, CONFLICT BETWEEN ASIAN TIGERS: Some “events” before 2020 reflect “duality” of cooperation and competition. EAM S. Jaishankar referred: CONFLICT:  China at the UN in the listing of Pakistani terrorists involved in attacks on India,  Beijing's opposition to New Delhi's membership of the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group and  Beijing's opposition to India’s permanent seat in UN Security Council.  China’s issuing of stapled visas to Indian citizens from Jammu and Kashmir in 2010,  China Pakistan Economic Corridor, a flagship project under China’s Belt and Road Initiative, violating India’s sovereignty in J&K. COOPERATION:  Common cause on development and economic issues  common membership of plurilateral groups was a meeting point like SCO, BRICS, RIC etc

To take bilateral ties forward: 1. THREE MS/MUTUAL of Indo-China relation: “Development of ties can only be based on mutuality such as 1. Mutual respect, 2. Mutual sensitivity, 3. Mutual interest o He noted that as rising powers, each country will have its own set of aspirations, and their pursuit cannot be ignored. 2. THE EIGHT PRINCIPLES: To take bilateral ties forward include o Strict adherence to all agreements on border management, o Fully respecting the line of actual control (lac), o Making peace and tranquility along the frontier the basis for overall ties, o Recognising that a multipolar asia is an essential constituent of a multipolar world, and o Managing differences effectively.

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3. Realist view: He said, adding that it is not realistic to expect to carry on with the normal life when the situation at the border is tense. o “Peace in border areas basis for overall development of ties with China. o If it is disturbed, so inevitably is rest of relationship,” Jaishankar said. 4. Line of Actual Control (LAC) as border: Jaishankar reiterated India’s stand that the Line of Actual Control (LAC) must be strictly observed and respected. o “Any attempt to unilaterally change status quo is completely unacceptable,” he said. 5. MULTI-POLAR WORLD V. MULTI-POLAR ASIA: While both nations are committed to a multi-polar world, Jaishankar said, there should be a recognition that a multi-polar Asia is one of its essential consequences. 6. Letter and Spirit of Ag/t: “Agreements already reached must be adhered to in their entirety, both in letter and spirit.” 7. Ninth round of talks: On January 24, military commanders from India and China met for the ninth round of talks to discuss a possible solution to the nearly nine-month border standoff in eastern Ladakh. All India Conference of China Studies (AICCS): The AICCS is the flagship event of the ICS, convened annually every December. Principal objective: Of spreading interest in and strengthening research on China and East Asian Studies in India. The 13th AICCS was held in collaboration with IIT - Madras China Studies Centre. Theme: “China at the Crossroads: New Directions in Politics, Environment and Economy”. Mira Sinha-Bhattacharjea Award: Another notable feature of the AICCS is the Mira Sinha-Bhattacharjea Award – instituted in the memory of one of the finest China scholars of India, a founding member of the ICS and its former Director - for the best original paper at the AICCS.

4.9 Pursuing national interests, at the UN high table

Context:  India’s quest of its goals at the UNSC must have a clear agenda and also reflect its material and geopolitical limitations.  India deserves a permanent seat at the high table of the United Nations, the UN Security Council (UNSC), but is almost sure not to have it anytime soon.

India and UNSC:  Once-in-a-decade opportunity- two-year Term: Two-year non-permanent stint at the UNSC should be viewed as a once-in-a-decade opportunity o To clearly identify and pursue its national interests . Regionally and . Globally, o Rather than chase chimerical goals such as a permanent membership  UNSC: P-5 v Rising Powers: The UNSC, unfortunately, is where the leading powers of the international system dictate terms, show less powerful countries their ‘rightful’ place. YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 58 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

 No moral and ethical considerations: This is not where the lofty ideals of the human race come to fruition; nor are the members of the elite body persuaded by moral and ethical considerations.  India a Victim of its own past rhetoric: Seated at the table for the eighth time, New Delhi knows the game now. And yet, sometimes it becomes a victim of its own past rhetoric and forgets to play the game to its advantage. Timing of membership:  New world order: New Delhi’s entry into the UNSC coincides with the emergence of a new world order marked by o Systemic uncertainty, o Little care for Global Commons, o Absence of Global Leadership, o The steady division of the World Into Rival Blocs, and o Narrow National Interests o Putting even the rhetoric about a value-based global order on the backburner.  USA Biden’s role in Global order: Especially to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement and, possibly, the Iran nuclear deal, may go on to ameliorate some of the harsh impact of this dog-eat-dog global (dis)order.  Doubtful Relevance of UNSC: The UNSC has also reached a point wherein its very relevance is in serious doubt. o let alone serious expectations of it to live up to its primary objective: “international peace and security”.  India as Realist Global Player: India is no longer an ardent believer in the fantastical claims about a perfect world at harmony with itself, o nor is it a timid bystander in global geopolitics.  Contemporary India and World Order: It is more self-confident, resolute and wants to be a shaper of geopolitics. o At least its mindset has changed, from being satisfied on the margins to desiring to be at the centre stage.  Material and geopolitical limitations: New Delhi’s pursuit of its interests at the UNSC should, therefore, reflect its material and geopolitical limitations, and its energies should be focused on a clearly identified agenda. The china factor:  India-China Rivalry and impact in UN/World Order: New Delhi’s tenure at the UNSC comes in the wake of its growing military rivalry with Beijing. o Impact felt when China’s opposition to having India chair the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) in 2022 was a precursor to the things to come on the high table.  USA-Indian Alliance in UNSC: If the Biden administration were to continue with Donald Trump’s policy of pushing back Chinese aggression including at the UNSC, New Delhi might find itself some useful allies in checking Chinese aggression in the region.  India-West v Russia: Greater Indian alignment with the West at the UNSC, an unavoidable outcome, could, however, widen the growing gulf between Moscow and New Delhi given Russia’s increasing dependence on Beijing in more ways than one.  Advantage to India due to Indo-China conflict: India’s seat at the UNSC is also significant vis-à-vis China because o Next two years will be key to ensure checking further Chinese incursions along the Line of Actual Control and building up enough infrastructure and mobilising sufficient forces in the forward areas.

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Focus on terror  Terror a major focus: S. Jaishankar at the UNSC Ministerial Meeting on the 20th Anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1373 and the establishment of the Counter Terrorism Committee said: o “Terrorists are terrorists; there are no good and bad ones. Those who propagate this distinction have an agenda. And those who cover up for them are just as culpable”.  Chair of Taliban sanctions committee: It assumes significance given the fast-moving developments in Afghanistan and India’s new-found desire to engage with the Taliban.  Terrorism in national security: The issue of terrorism has been a major theme in the country’s national security and foreign policy discourse for decades now, more so of this government.  Coalitions of like-minded states: New Delhi should use this opportunity to use the forum to build coalitions among like-minded states and set out its priorities for the next decade — o From climate change to o Non-proliferation.  Shape global narrative for Indo-Pacific Policy: New Delhi’s UNSC strategy should involve shaping the narrative and global policy engagement vis-à-vis perhaps one of the biggest grand strategic concepts of our time — the Indo-Pacific.  India’s centrality: Given India’s centrality in the Indo-Pacific region and the growing global interest in the concept, New Delhi will try to shape the narrative around it.  Assuage Moscow’s concern: In doing so, it should, through the UNSC and other means, court Moscow once again and assuage its concerns about the Indo-Pacific. Think beyond reforms:  Difficult expansion of UNSC: New Delhi’s pursuit of its national interest at and through the UNSC must also be tempered by the sobering fact that the UNSC is unlikely to admit new members any time soon, if ever at all.  India’s past global engagements and efforts have often been contingent on the hope that it would one day be admitted to the UNSC given its irrefutable claim.  But a cursory glance at the recent debates on UNSC reforms and the state of the international system today should tell us that bending over backwards to please the big five to gain entry into the UNSC will not make a difference.  So New Delhi must focus its energies on what it can achieve during the short period that it would be in the UNSC rather than what it wishes happened.

UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL:  The Security Council is one of the UN’s six main organs, and is aimed at maintaining international peace and security.  The UNSC has 15 member and five of them — US, UK, Russia, China and France — are permanent members, who have veto rights.  Non-permanent members: The ten elected or non- permanent members have a tenure of two years. o At present, the non-permanent members are Estonia, India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, Niger, Norway, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia and Vietnam. o They do not have veto rights. o Critics call them a toothless grouping because they cannot assert their will on any matter of international concern, merely persuade or dissuade other member states from acting in a certain way.

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4.10 Eye on permanent seat, India begins fresh stint at UNSC

Context:  India Friday officially began its two-year term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council along with 1. Norway 2. Mexico 3. Ireland and 4. Kenya.  India started its eighth term for the 2021-22 term as one of the 10 non-permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC), the global high table, on Friday, hoping to boost its credentials for a permanent seat with its global role in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Background:  On 17 June, India was elected to the UN Security Council with 184 of the total 192 votes. A member country needs a two-third majority of votes in the General Assembly to become a non-permanent member. This is the eighth time India has been elected as a non-permanent member. News in details:  Earlier 7 times: India had last assumed the role of a non-permanent member at the UNSC in 2011-12. Prior to that, it was a non-permanent member for 1950-51, 1967-68, 1972-73, 1977-78, 1984-85 and 1991-92.  Presidentship of the UNSC: In August, India will serve as the president of the council, a position held by each of the members in turn for one month, according to the alphabetical order of the member states’ names.  Presidency entails o Presiding over council meetings o Coordinating actions o Deciding the content of UNSC debates and more. India’s Main Priority  External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had said that India’s main priority during its membership will be counter-terrorism.  India will strive to achieve a “concrete and result- oriented action at the security council for an effective response to international terrorism.  India is also expected to call for more transparency in listing and delisting of entities and individuals by the UN sanction committees.  Getting permanent membership in an expanded council is also high up on the agenda.  India will promote fundamental values like human rights and development and reinforce multilateralism while underlining the need for greater cooperation in the UN Security Council.  India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti told that as the largest democracy we will be promoting very fundamental values like o Democracy, o Human rights and o Development,”  India will also underscore the importance of respect for rule of law and international law.  Multipolarity: The current multilateralism is not factoring in multipolarity. When you have a structure, which is able to accommodate the multipolarity in a multilateral framework, then automatically (there is) a more responsive, more rule-bound and more inclusive process.  Especially in the context of peace building, as India’s priorities for the UNSC tenure will be YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 61 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

o Counter-terrorism, o Peacekeeping, o Maritime security, o Reformed multilateralism, o Technology for the people, o Women and youth and o Developmental issues.  India’s presence in the Security Council is needed at this juncture when there are deep fissures between P-5 themselves and also between other countries. UN is losing coherence.  In the Security Council, India will be a strong voice for the developing world. o If Afghanistan wants a peace process, let Afghanistan have a say in it. We will be a country which will stand up for developing countries. o Africa should have a say in decisions pertaining to it and not have other countries alone decide. Responsibilities of un security council:  Brokers peace: The UNSC brokers peace by helping parties reach an agreement through o Mediation, o Appointing special envoys, o Dispatching a un mission or o Requesting the UN Secretary-General to settle the dispute.  It can also vote to extend, amend or end mission mandates.  Periodic Reports: The Security Council oversees the work of UN peace operations through periodic reports from the Secretary-General and council sessions.  Decisions enforceable: It alone can make decisions regarding these operations, which Member States are obligated to enforce.  UNSC responds to crises around the world on a case-by-case basis and takes action based on options that do not involve armed force. For instance, o Economic and trade sanctions, o Arms embargoes, o Travel bans and o Financial or commodity restrictions.  However, Chapter VII of the UN charter allows the council to authorise the use of force “to maintain or restore international peace and security”. Peace operation:  A peace operation by the council is first adopted with a resolution. Each member of the Security Council has one vote.  On issues of procedure (pertaining to the workings of the council), a resolution requires the assent of at least nine members.  On substantive matters (that have major political consequences), a resolution requires the assent of nine members, including the concurring votes of the permanent members.  However, any member must abstain from voting if they are involved in the dispute. YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 62 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

Criticism of un security council:  The council has been criticised for losing relevance and credibility.  External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar accused the UNSC of “narrow” leadership. He said it required better representation and needed to push the “refresh button”.  Lack of multilateralism: The council’s lack of multilateralism has also been criticised in the wake of the Syrian war crisis and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Way forward:  PM Modi had also asserted that reform in the responses, processes and in the very character of the United Nations was the “need of the hour as he questioned that for how long will India, the world’s largest democracy and home to 1.3 billion people, be kept out of the decision-making structures of the UN.

UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL:  The Security Council is one of the UN’s six main organs, and is aimed at maintaining international peace and security.  The UNSC has 15 member and five of them — US, UK, Russia, China and France — are permanent members, who have veto rights.  Non-permanent members: The ten elected or non-permanent members have a tenure of two years. o At present, the non-permanent members are Estonia, India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, Niger, Norway, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia and Vietnam. o They do not have veto rights. o Critics call them a toothless grouping because they cannot assert their will on any matter of international concern, merely persuade or dissuade other member states from acting in a certain way. 4.11 Reclaiming SAARC from the ashes of 2020

CONTEXT: Evidence of SAARC’s perilous position came on the SAARC charter day on December 8, where PM Modi made it clear that India’s position on cross-border terrorism is still in place. In 2016, it had led New Delhi to refuse to attend the SAARC summit in Islamabad. SAARC meeting cannot be convened unless all leaders agree to meet, is unlikely to do so in the near future. Background:  Thirty-six years after it first began, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), appears to be all but dead in the water.  The year 2020 marked the sixth year since the leaders of the eight nations that make up SAARC were able to meet. The shadows over the meets:  Fragmented than a collective South Asia: o Over the past year, India-Pakistan issues have impacted other meetings of SAARC as well. o It makes easier for member countries, as well as international agencies to deal with South Asia as a fragmented group rather than a collective. o They work with each country in separate silos or in smaller configurations.  Corana and Chinese impact: However, following two events of 2020, shone a new spotlight on this mechanism, and should make the Modi government review its position and reverse that trend. o Novel coronavirus pandemic and o China’s aggressions at the Line of Actual Control (LAC)

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 Pakistan’s ‘veto’ over entire SAARC process: India’s problems with Pakistan on 1. Terrorism, 2. Territorial claims and 3. Role in blocking SAARC initiatives on connectivity and trade are well known. o Even so, India’s refusal to allow Pakistan to host the SAARC summit because of those problems is akin to giving Pakistan a ‘veto’ over the entire SAARC process. SAARC (PAKISTAN) V. SCO (CHINA) PUZZLE: 1. Indo-Pak in SCO: The insistence is particularly puzzling given that Modi Govt. continued to attend SCO meetings along with their Pakistani counterparts o Including the SCO Heads of Government meeting in November where New Delhi even invited Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan (he deputed another official). 2. Indo-China in group meet: While China’s incursions in Ladakh and the Galwan killings constituted the larger concern in the year, India did not decline to attend meetings with the Chinese leadership at o SCO, o RUSSIA-INDIA-CHINA (RIC) TRILATERAL o G-20 AND OTHERS. 3. Indo-Nepal: No concern stopped the Modi government from engaging with Nepal either, despite o Territorial claims by Nepal o Oli’s decision to change Nepal’s map and Constitution to include Indian territories SAARC is crucial for south asian common challenges:  Handling Pandemic: Reviving SAARC is crucial to countering the common challenges brought about by the pandemic. o South Asia’s experience of the pandemic has been unique from other regions of the world. o Such an approach is also necessary for the distribution and further trials needed for vaccines, as well as developing cold storage chains for the vast market that South Asia represents.  Impact on South Asian economies: The pandemic’s impact on South Asian economies is another area that calls for coordination. o GDP slowdown, o Global Job Cuts- Estimated 22% fall in revenue for migrant labour and expatriates from South Asian countries o Tourism sector: Expected loss of about 10.77 million jobs and US$52.32 billion in GDP  SAFTA as India’s Only RTAs: As the world is divided between regional trade arrangements such as USMCA (North America), o Southern Common Market, or MERCOSUR for its Spanish initials (South America), o European Union (Europe), o African Continental Free Trade Area, or AfcFTA (Africa), o Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC (Gulf) and o Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership  India’s only regional trading agreement at present is the South Asian Free Trade Area, or SAFTA (with SAARC countries). YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 64 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

A time for regional initiatives:  “All-of” South Asia approach: In the longer term, there will be a shift in priorities towards an “all-of” South Asia approach that will also benefit from o Health security o Food security, and o Job security The impact of COVID-19:  A growing distaste for ‘globalisation’ of o Trade, o Travel and o Migration  A growing preference for o Nativism, o Self-dependence and o Localising supply chains.  Regional initiatives as “Goldilocks option”: While it will be impossible for countries to cut themselves off from the global market entirely,  Regional initiatives will become the “Goldilocks option” (not too hot and not too cold), or the happy medium between globalisation and hyper-nationalism. China challenge in SAARC:  In dealing with the challenge from China too, both at India’s borders and in its neighbourhood, a unified South Asian platform remains India’s most potent countermeasure.  Significantly, from 2005-14, China actually wanted to join SAARC.  Member status from observer status: Officials recall that every SAARC summit during that decade period saw a discussion on whether China could be upgraded to member status (from observer status).  China is not South Asian: On each occasion, it was fought back by India and most other countries in the grouping, with the logic that despite sharing boundaries with three South Asian countries, China is not South Asian.  China push to South Asia: Despite the rebuff, China has continued to push its way into South Asia, as several statistical indicators for o Investment, o Trade, o Tourism and o South asian student preferences for universities  “Health Silk Road” initiative: China used the opportunities presented by the pandemic to push ahead with this quest. o Apart from sending medicines, personal protective equipment kits, and promising vaccines to most SAARC countries as part of its “Health Silk Road” initiative.  New Block of SAARC countries (minus India and Bhutan): Experts suggest that it is only a matter of time before Beijing holds a meeting of all SAARC countries (minus India and Bhutan), for they are all part of the BRI, and even that they will be invited to join RCEP, which India declined.

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Way forward:  Health and Economic Diplomacy: In contrast, India stepped up its health and economic diplomacy in the region, but apart from one SAARC meeting convened by Mr. Modi in March, these have been bilateral initiatives, not a combined effort for South Asia.  Multilateral summits to go online in Corona Pandemic: Corona Pandemic has forced most multilateral summits to go online, it is inexplicable that India cannot attend a virtual SAARC summit hosted by Pakistan, which would allow the South Asian process to move forward.  World Bank reports: It estimated the losses have all suggested that South Asian countries work as a collective to set standards for labour from the region, and also to promoting a more intra-regional, transnational approach towards tourism, citing successful examples including the ‘East Africa Single Joint Visa’ system, or similar joint tourism initiatives like in the Mekong region or the Caribbean islands. Conclusion:  History and political grievances Vs geography is reality: Despite the despondency, the rationale for its existence remains intact: while history and political grievances may be perceived differently, geography is reality.  Beijing’s prism: Seen through Beijing’s prism, India’s SAARC neighbourhood may be a means to contain India, with the People’s Liberation Army strategies against India over the LAC at present, or in conjunction with Pakistan or Nepal at other disputed fronts in the future.  New Delhi’s own Prism: New Delhi must find its own prism with which to view its South Asian neighbourhood as it should be: o A unit that has a common future, and as a force-multiplier for India’s ambitions on the global stage.

SOUTH ASIAN ASSOCIATION FOR REGIONAL COOPERATION (SAARC):  Establishment: with the signing of the SAARC Charter in Dhaka on 8 December 1985.  Idea: First raised in November 1980.  HQ: Kathmandu, Nepal.  Newest member: Afghanistan at the 13th annual summit in 2005.  Members: 1. Afghanistan 2. Bangladesh 3. Bhutan 4. India 5. Maldives 6. Nepal 7. Pakistan 8. Sri Lanka  Principles: Principles of o Sovereign equality, o Territorial integrity, o Political independence, o Non-interference

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General Studies-III 1 Economic Development

1.1 IFSCA becomes member of International Organization of Securities Commissions

Context: International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has become an associate member of the International Organization of Securities Commissions.

Backround:  The first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) in the country has been set up at the International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) in Gandhinagar.  To regulate such institutions, the government established IFSCA on April 27 last year with its head office in Gandhinagar.  In December 2019, Parliament passed a bill to set up a unified authority for regulating all financial activities at IFSCs in the country. News in detail:  The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), in setting up the standards for strengthening the securities markets works closely with the o G20 and o Financial Stability Board  The IOSCO Objectives and Principles of Securities Regulation have been endorsed by Financial Stability Board as one of the key standards for sound financial systems. Significance:  The membership of IOSCO would provide IFSCA the platform to exchange information at the global level and regional level on areas of common interests.  IOSCO platform would enable IFSCA to learn from the experiences and best practices of the regulators of other well established financial centres.

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF SECURITIES COMMISSIONS:  It is a global cooperative of securities regulatory agencies.  Aim: To establish and maintain worldwide standards for efficient, orderly and fair markets.  Members: More than 218 members as of February 2018.  Membership is divided into three categories. These include: 1. Ordinary members 2. Associate members 3. Affiliate members  Goal: 1. Promote high standards of regulation for the sake of orderly and efficient markets 2. Share information with exchanges and assist them with technical and operational issues 3. Establish standards toward monitoring global investment transactions across borders and markets

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FINANCIAL STABILITY BOARD:  The Financial Stability Board (FSB) is an international body that monitors and makes recommendations about the global financial system.  It was established after the G20 London summit in April 2009 as a successor to the Financial Stability Forum (FSF).  Members: The Board includes 1. All G20 major economies, 2. FSF members, and 3. European Commission.  Hosted and funded: by the Bank for International Settlements,  HQ: Basel, Switzerland.

INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES CENTRES AUTHORITY (IFSCA):  It will provide unified authority to regulate all financial services in International Financial Services Centres (IFSCs) in the country.  HQ: Gandhinagar in Gujarat.  Composition: Comprise a chairperson, and one member each nominated by the regulators (like RBI, SEBI etc). + Two members of the central government and full-time or part-time members.  Function: To regulate  Financial products such as o Securities, o Deposits or o Contracts of insurance, o Financial services, and  Financial institutions which have been previously approved by any appropriate regulator in an IFSC.

1.2 KVIC Unveils E-Commerce Portal For Khadi, Village Industry Products

Context: The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has unveiled an e-commerce portal — eKhadiIndia.com. The portal is the first-of-its-kind government online shopping platform to boost rural economy.

News in details:  Over 50,000 products, ranging from apparel to home decor, will be available on its newly launched platform.  The portal is the first-of-its-kind government online shopping platform to boost rural economy and become self- sustainable. Significance:  Vocal for local and Aatmanirbhar Bharat: It is a firm step towards Prime Minister’s ‘vocal for local’ call. The portal is a step towards building an ecosystem that enables MSMEs to help achieve the Prime Minister’s goal of “Aatmanirbhar Bharat”.  Demand rising: There has been a steady rise in demands for khadi and village industries products over the past few years, with 2018-19 alone witnessing the surge of 25 per cent.

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 Khadi to Doorsteps: The portal will fulfil the customer needs and supply the products at their doorsteps."  Easy access to Khadi Products: The move is mainly intended to make natural Khadi India products easily accessible to the new-generation consumers.  Global markets: In addition to domestic market, the portal will help Indian local products & producers reach the global markets. o Through exports, we want to make khadi an international brand. Currently, we are not exporting directly. But through this cell we will start that. o Demand for khadi items are huge in the US and UK markets  Huge platform: A huge platform for all the stake holders in integration with KVIC/KVIB/PMEGP/ SFURTI/ MSME/ Entrepreneurs and support to new MSMEs/PMEGP Units under the umbrella of KVIC. Here Institutions/ Units can directly sell/ship products to the customers.  Diverse Products: The authentic khadi trade mark products will be available only through this portal.  The products range from: o Apparel o Grocery o Cosmetics o Home décor o Health and wellness products o Essentials and gifts.

The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC):  The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is a statutory body created by an Act of Parliament ‘Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956’.  In April 1957, KVIC took over the work of erstwhile All India Khadi and Village Industries Board.  Ministry: Ministry of MSMEs  HQ: Mumbai, with its six zonal offices in Delhi, Bhopal, Bangalore, Kolkata, Mumbai and Guwahati.  Objectives: Three main objectives: 1. The Social Objective – Providing employment in rural areas 2. The Economic Objective – Providing saleable articles 3. The Wider Objective – Creating self-reliance amongst people and building up a strong rural community spirit. 1.3 RBI launches Digital payments index to track transactions, measure growth

Context:  RBI launches Digital Payments Index to measure growth.  Digital payments continued its upward trajectory in December with transactions on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) breaching the ₹4-lakh crore mark in terms of value.

News in details:  Digitisation of payments: RBI has constructed a composite Digital Payments Index (DPI) to capture the extent of digitisation of payments across the country. o This is a significant development given the sharp pick-up in digital transactions seen in the recent past.  Five Broad Parameters: The RBI-DPI comprises five broad parameters that enable the measurement of deepening and penetration of digital payments in the country over different time periods.

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 These parameters are: 1. Payment Enablers 2. Payment Infrastructure – Demand-side factors, 3. Payment Infrastructure – Supply-side factors, 4. Payment Performance and 5. Consumer Centricity  Sub-parameters: Each of these parameters has sub-parameters which, in turn, consist of various measurable indicators.  Base year: The RBI-DPI has been constructed with March 2018 as the base period. o DPI score for March 2018 is set at 100. o The DPI for March 2019 and March 2020 work out to 153.47 and 207.84 respectively, indicating appreciable growth.  Semi-annual publishment: Going forward, RBI-DPI will be published on the RBI’s website on a semi-annual basis from March 2021 onwards with a lag of four months. Significane:  Transparency and efficiency: The RBI and government have been pushing for digital transactions over the years to bring in more transparency and efficiency in the financial system. In that sense, the launch of DPI is a significant step.  To capture the extent of digitization of monetary payments in the country.  To analyze the kind of digital payments that are gaining acceptance, the index will have a classification of o Urban, o Semi-urban and o Rural geographies  It will also help the regulator and government to understand the adoption of digital payments in the country. Digital transactions pick up:  Digital transactions exhibited a sustained recovery and momentum picked up in November 2020, supported by both wholesale and retail transactions.  NEFT transactions: In the retail segment, national electronic funds transfer (NEFT) transactions volume grew 24.6 % y-o-y in November 2020.  UPI transactions: To the tune of Rs 3.9 lakh crore happened while IMPS transactions worth Rs 2.76 lakh crore happened. Also, RTGS transactions worth Rs 79.8 lakh crore and NEFT worth Rs 22.18 lakh crore were reported.  RTGS transactions: In the wholesale segment, real-time gross settlement (RTGS) transactions recorded acceleration in volume terms. o Recently, the RBI had made RTGS available round the clock on all days from 12.30 AM December 14. 1.4 GST revenue collections hitting record prove economy is recovering: Fin Secy

Context: As gross GST revenue collection in the month of December marked an all-time high, Finance Secretary AB Pandey said, this is because our economy is on the path of recovery.

Background:  Government launched a massive crackdown on GST evaders, initiating action against 7,000 entities including the arrest of 187. YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 71 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

News in details:  All-time high: On Jan 1, the finance ministry reported that the gross GST revenue collected in December 2020 rose to ₹1,15,174 crore, an all-time monthly high since the implementation of the new tax regime.  Trend of recovery: The December 2020 figures, are 12% higher the GST revenues in the same month Dec 2019 last year, are in line with the recent trend of recovery in the GST revenues, the Finance Ministry added.  GST > ₹1 lakh crore: This is the third month in a row in the current financial year that the GST revenues have been more than ₹1 lakh crore. o December 2020 revenues are significantly higher than last month’s revenues of ₹1,04.963 crore.  Better compliance: Ministry has brought many changes at the system level for better compliance. We're taking targeted action against those who have discrepancies in their record. o In the last 1.5 to 2 months, we have arrested over 180 people including managing directors of companies and chartered accountants for tax evasion. o They have not been able to get bails because of the seriousness of their tax frauds. o Because of the data available, it is very very difficult to escape because sooner or later they will get caught. GOODS AND SERVICES TAX (GST):  It was launched on 1st July 2017.  It is a o Multi-stage, That is levied on every value o Comprehensive, addition. o Destination-based tax  Four slabs: of 5, 12, 18, and 28 percent.  Exempted Products: Levied on every product except o Petroleum, o Alcohol, o Tobacco, and o Stamp duty on real estate  It has been established by the 101st Constitutional Amendment Act. 1.5 Manufacturing PMI: Inflation’s ugly comeback is an outcome of ultra- easing

Context:  Business activity in India’s manufacturing sector continued to recover in December aided by domestic demand.  Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) rose from 56.3 in November to 56.4 in December.  A reading of above 50 indicates an improvement and below this threshold indicates contraction.

News in detail:  Input cost inflation: The recovery in the headline data comes in the backdrop of sharp rise in input cost inflation. The PMI sub-index tracking this metric has hit a 26-month high in December. o Those surveyed have noted increased prices for chemicals, metals, plastics and textiles.  Higher input prices: A worrying development remains higher input prices, which may add to output prices in coming months, especially as demand conditions normalise.  Marginal rate of inflation: According to the PMI survey report, output charges were lifted in response to rising cost burdens, but here the rate of inflation was only marginal.  Massive liquidity injection: Market experts say this is among the fall-outs of massive liquidity injection by global central banks. YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 72 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

 Accommodative monetary policies: It have been central banks' medicine of choice to support an economy struck by the Covid-19 pandemic.  The only problem: the side effects start showing. o A rise in inflation, o Higher interest rates and o Spike in corporate defaults are key risks which may spur directly from excessively easy monetary policy."  Degree of optimism: Meanwhile, Indian manufacturers maintained an upbeat view that output will increase in the coming year. o However, the degree of optimism weakened to a four-month low as some firms were concerned about the lasting effect of the cov-19 pandemic on the global economy

Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI)  Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) is an indicator of business activity — both in the 1. Manufacturing and 2. Services sectors.  It is a survey-based measures that asks the respondents about changes in their perception of some key business variables from the month before.  Notably, as PMI is a market sentiment tracker that compares the current month with the previous, it is season sensitive.  It is calculated separately for the o manufacturing and o services sectors and then a composite index is constructed.  A standard questionnaire is administered to 500 private companies (PSUs are excluded) and the comprehensive score is arrived at.  5 parameters in PMI: 1. New orders (30% weightage) 2. Output (25%) 3. Employment (20%) 4. Supplier’s delivery (15%) and 5. Stock of purchases (10%).  The headline PMI is a number from 0 to 100. o > 50: A PMI above 50 represents an expansion when compared to the previous month. o < 50: A PMI reading under 50 represents a contraction, and o = 50: A reading at 50 indicates no change.  Published by: o PMI data is compiled by Markit Economics and o Published by the Japanese firm Nikkei.

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1.6 India home to 21 unicorns valued at $73.2 billion Context:  India is currently the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world and is home to 21 unicorns valued at USD 73.2 billion, India’s top envoy in the US has said.  He expressed hope that more than 50 startups might join the unicorn club as early as 2022.

Background:  Entrepreneurial activity has picked up in India. In 2020 India was among the top 50 innovative economies," India’s Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu said. News in details:  UNICORN: A unicorn is a term to indicate a privately held startup company valued at over USD 1 billion.  SOONICORNS: Soonicorns are startup companies that are good candidates for late-stage investment and have a good possibility of becoming 'unicorns'.  Add on in 2020: According to a recent report, Indian startups raised USD 9.3 billion until mid-December this year. o A little below 2019 but definitely encouraging, considering the current pandemic. o It is because people like you were not averse to taking risks and were not deterred by challenges.  Growth of India’s startup ecosystem: Following have contributed to the growth of India’s startup ecosystem- 1. Rise of indian it companies, 2. Large talent pool, 3. Increased expendable income of indian middle class and 4. Availability of capital 5. Increased usage of smartphones, 6. Access to the internet, 7. Reforms to push digital finance have given further impetus. 8. Startup india and 9. Digital india 10. Stand up india  Indian to Global: Indian startups are steadily evolving into global entities creating business products, and solutions for the global market.  World’s topmost innovation hub: The Bay Area- Silicon Valley is the world’s topmost innovation hub accounting for more than a fifth of global venture capital investment. o Its success has been hard to replicate elsewhere even with sizeable investments.  Bengaluru, Mumbai and NCR Delhi: Three cities- Bengaluru, Mumbai and NCR Delhi- have changed the face of modern India and find a place among the famous Global Startup hubs.  Emerging startup hubs: Cities like Pune, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Kolkata are counted amongst the emerging startup hubs.  Silicon Valley as bridge and partnership: India and Silicon Valley have a close relationship spanning over many decades. o Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Silicon Valley in 2016 signified the importance of this entrepreneurial bridge and partnership.  Indian Skill to USA: Indian programmers, engineers and entrepreneurs are providing their skills and that too in sizeable numbers to US companies. YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 74 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

 India as a leading R&D hub: India is also a leading R&D hub for many of these companies. Many US-based venture firms have been investing in Indian talent and are amongst the largest players in the field.

Start-Up India Scheme:  Initiative of the Indian government  Objective: Promotion of startups, generation of employment, and wealth creation.  Year: 2016  Definition of Start-up: A start-up defined as an entity that is 1. Headquartered in India 2. Opened less than 10 years ago, and 3. Annual turnover less than ₹100 crore (US$14 million).

1.7 PM Modi inaugurates 450 km Kochi-Mangaluru natural gas pipeline

Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday inaugurated the 450-km Kochi-Mangaluru natural gas pipeline built at a cost of Rs 3,000 crore via video conferencing.

News in details:  The pipeline will carry natural gas from Kochi in Kerala through Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargod districts to Mangaluru in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka.  The 450 km long pipeline has been built by GAIL (India) Ltd.  Transportation capacity: 12 Million Metric Standard Cubic Metres per day.  PM said: o Natural gas pipeline network will be doubled in 5-6 years and o CNG stations will be raised to 10,000 from current 1,500.”  While on the one hand, natural gas pipeline network is being doubled to about 32,000 km in 5-6 years, on the other, work on the world’s biggest hybrid renewable plant combining wind and solar power has started in Gujarat.  Modi termed it as an important milestone for both the people of Kerala and Karnataka as the two states are being connected by a natural gas pipeline.  Asserting that India under his government is seeing unprecedented work on o Highways, o Railway, o Metro, o Air, o Water, o Digital and o Gas connectivity Which will aid economic development.

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Benefits of a National Grid:  India cannot develop slowly now. In recent years, the country has increased its speed, scale, and scope of development.”  The government has an “integrated approach to energy planning. Our energy agenda is all-inclusive.  The share of natural gas in the energy basket is being targeted to be raised to 15 per cent from the current 6.2 per cent.  The pipeline grid will help improve clean energy access as well as also aid in the development of city gas projects.  25 lakh households had piped natural gas connections for using the fuel for cooking purposes till 2014 which has risen to 72 lakh now. We are working to provide clean, affordable and sustainable energy.

Natural Gas Pipeline  Operational: 16,788 Km natural gas pipeline  Being Developed: 14,239 Km gas pipelines are being developed to increase the availability of natural gas across the country.  Authority: By Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB)  Objectives of the National Gas Grid: o To remove regional imbalance to access for natural gas o To provide clean and green fuel throughout the country. o To connect gas sources to major demand centres o To ensure availability of gas to consumers in various sectors. o Development of City Gas Distribution Networks in various cities for the supply of CNG and PNG. 1.8 USTR slams India, Italy, Turkey on digital taxes but holds off on tariffs

Context: Digital services taxes adopted by India, Italy and Turkey discriminate against U.S. companies and are inconsistent with international tax principles, the U.S. Trade Representative's office (USTO) said on Wednesday, paving the way for potential retaliatory tariffs.

News in details:  However, USTR was not taking specific actions as part of its "Section 301" investigations into those taxes at this time, but "will continue to evaluate all available options."  Retaliatory Tariffs: It could lead to tariffs before U.S. President Donald Trump leaves office or early in the administration of President-elect Joe Biden.  25% tariffs on French cosmetics: USTR had set a Jan. 6 deadline for implementing 25% tariffs on French cosmetics, handbags and other imports valued at around $1.3 billion annually in retaliation against the French digital taxes. o France has not backed down from its plan to tax online giants, including  Google,  Amazon,  Facebook and  Apple.  MNCs save revenues: France and other European countries imposed the levies after intense public pressure to make U.S. multinationals pay a larger share of their revenues in taxes in the countries where they operate. YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 76 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

India’s Stand:  India was the first country to introduce digital tax called 'Equalisation Levy' in 2016.  According to the Commerce and Industry Ministry, the 2 per cent equalisation levy is not discriminatory.  Instead seeks to ensure a level-playing field with respect to e-commerce activities undertaken by entities resident in India as well as those not residents in India or without permanent establishment in India.  The purpose of the equalisation levy is to o Ensure fair competition, o Reasonableness and o Exercise the ability to tax businesses that have a close nexus with the Indian market through their digital operations. DIGITAL SERVICES TAXES:  The Equalisation Levy was introduced for the first time in 2016 as 6 per cent tax on revenues earned by non- residents from online advertising and related services.  The burden of this tax eventually fell on local firms advertising on these platforms.  Later, the government expanded the scope of this levy to include the sale of goods and services in the country by overseas e-commerce operators.  The transactions will be taxed at 2 percent if businesses earned more than Rs 2 crore.  Globally, the rate of digital tax varies from 1.5 per cent (in Poland and Kenya) to 15 per cent (Paraguay).  In Europe, the tax rate varies from 3 per cent (France, UK, Spain) to 7.5 per cent (Hungary) 1.9 Nitin Gadkari to launch innovative, eco-friendly, non-toxic wall paint tomorrow Context: Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways & MSME Sh. Nitin Gadkari will be launching an innovative new paint developed by Khadi and Village Industries Commission on 12th January.

About News In Details:  Khadi Prakritik Paint: The eco-friendly, non-toxic paint, called “Khadi Prakritik Paint” is a first-of-its-kind product.  Ingredient: Based on cow dung as its main ingredient.  Characteristics: The paint is o Anti-fungal o Anti-bacterial properties o Cost-effective o Odourless o Certified by Bureau of Indian Standards  Available in two forms: Khadi Prakritik Paint is available in two forms – o Distemper paint and o Plastic emulsion paint.  Increasing farmers’ income: Production of Khadi Prakritik Paint is aligned with Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of increasing farmers’ income.  Developed by: o Conceptualized by Chairman KVIC in March 2020 o Developed by Kumarappa National Handmade Paper Institute, Jaipur (a KVIC unit).

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Advantage of using this paint:  Free from heavy metals: The paint is free from heavy metals like lead, mercury, chromium, arsenic, cadmium and others.  Vocal for Local: It will be a boost to local manufacturing and will create sustainable local employment through technology transfer.  Consumption of cow dung: This technology will increase consumption of cow dung as a raw material for eco- friendly products and will generate additional revenue to farmers and gaushalas.  Additional income: This is estimated to generate additional income of Rs 30,000 (approx) per annum per animal to farmers/ gaushalas.  Environment Friendly: Utilization of cow dung will also clean the environment and prevent clogging of drains.

THE KHADI AND VILLAGE INDUSTRIES COMMISSION (KVIC):  The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is a statutory body created by an Act of Parliament ‘Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956’.  In April 1957, KVIC took over the work of erstwhile All India Khadi and Village Industries Board.  Ministry: Ministry of MSMEs  HQ: Mumbai, with its six zonal offices in Delhi, Bhopal, Bangalore, Kolkata, Mumbai and Guwahati.  Objectives: Three main objectives: 4. The Social Objective – Providing employment in rural areas 5. The Economic Objective – Providing saleable articles 6. The Wider Objective – Creating self-reliance amongst people and building up a strong rural community spirit.

BUREAU OF INDIAN STANDARDS:  BIS is the National Standard Body of India for the harmonious development of the activities of o Standardization, o Marking and o Quality certification of goods.  Ministry: Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India.  HQ: Delhi  Statutory body: It was established by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986  President: Minister in charge of the Ministry or Department having administrative control of the BIS is the ex-officio President of the BIS.  Bureau of Indian standards (BIS) Act 2016 establishes the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) as the National Standards Body of India.  It also works as WTO-TBT enquiry point for India.  BIS has been providing traceability and tangibility benefits to the national economy in a number of ways by: o Providing safe reliable quality goods. o Minimizing health hazards to consumers. o Promoting exports and imports substitute.

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1.10 RBI Financial Stability Report:

Context:  RBI released Financial Stability Report says that Gross NPA of banks may rise to 13.5 pc by September 2021 from 7.5 pc a year ago.  RBI FSR report cautions growing disconnect between financial markets and real sector.

Highlights of the report:  Indian banks' total gross non-performing assets (GNPAs) may rise to 14.8 percent under a severe stress scenario by September 2021.  This highlights the need for proactive building up of adequate capital to withstand possible asset quality deterioration.”  Capital to risk-weighted assets ratio: According to the report, the capital to risk-weighted assets ratio (CRAR) of scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) improved to 15.8 percent in September 2020 from 14.7 percent in March 2020, o While their GNPA ratio declined to 7.5 percent from 8.4 percent.  Provision coverage ratio (PCR): Similarly, the provision coverage ratio (PCR) improved to 72.4 percent from 66.2 percent over this period.  Performance parameters of banks: Performance parameters of banks had improved significantly, aided by regulatory dispensations extended in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Bank credit growth: Bank credit growth remained subdued, with the moderation being broad-based across bank groups.  Policy measures: By the regulators and the government have ensured the o Smooth functioning of domestic markets and financial institutions; o Managing market volatility amidst rising spill overs  Vaccine development optimism: Also, positive news on the vaccine development underpinned optimism on the outlook, though it was marred by the second wave of the virus including more virulent strains. FINANCIAL STABILITY REPORT BY RBI:  It is a biannual report published since 2010.  Objective: To assess the financial stability scenario in the country, which is now one of the three important objectives of monetary policy: 1. Financial stability 2. Price stability and 3. Credit support  It reflects the collective assessment of the Sub-Committee of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) on risks to financial stability.  It gives a picture of the resilience of the financial system.

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1.11 Coal sector to be major contributor to $5-trillion economy goal, says Amit Shah Context: Launching the single window clearance portal for starting coal mines in the country, Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said the coal sector would be a major contributor towards the goal of a $5-trillion economy.

News in details:  The operationalisation of the coal blocks allocated to the 19 bidders would bring states o Annual revenues of Rs 6,500 crore and o Create more than 70,000 jobs.  The pandemic may slow down our speed in realising the dream of becoming a $5-trillion economy but we will certainly achieve it.  Clearances via Portal: Clearances are set to be granted via the portal which is already capable of providing approval for mining plans on launch, according to a government release. o Environment and forest clearances, o Wild life clearance, o Clearances related to safety, and o Rehabilitation of project-affected families Why needed:  In the absence of unified platform: In the absence of unified platform for grant of clearances, companies were required o To approach different departments, o Leading to delay in operationalisation of the coal mines. Advantage of single window clearance:  Transparency and ease of doing business: Reforms under the Narendra Modi government had brought transparency and ease of doing business to the coal sector. o It was earlier thought to be contributing less that one-third of its total potential to the country’s economy.  Commercial mining: The launch also included the signing of agreements with 19 successful bidders during the first ever auction of coal blocks for commercial mining, which had concluded in November. SINGLE WINDOW CLEARANCE PORTAL FOR STARTING COAL MINES:  A single window clearance portal is aimed at allowing successful bidders for coal blocks to be able to obtain all required clearances, including environmental and forest clearances, from a single portal with progress monitoring, instead of having to go to multiple authorities.  The portal should allow successful bidders to operationalise coal mines more quickly. Advantage:  Coal sector has long sought a single window clearance system to help with quicker operationalisation.  Earlier obtaining the requisite clearances was taking over 2-3 years for successful bidders in many cases.  The expert added that some coal blocks auctioned as far back as 2015 has still not been operationalised due to delays in obtaining required clearances.  The expert noted that the Parivesh mechanism for forest and environment related clearances would likely be merged into the single window clearance mechanism.

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PARIVESH MECHANISM:  It stands for Pro-Active and Responsive facilitation by Interactive, Virtuous and Environmental Single-window H.  It is an environmental single window hub was launched for o Environment, o Forest, o Wildlife and o CRZ clearances  It is developed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, with technical support from National Informatics Centre, (NIC). 1.12 India’s energy growth story will be driven by renewable energy: Amitabh Kant

Context:  Emphasising on zero carbon emissions to get rid of pollution in cities, Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Ayog, on Monday said India’s energy growth story will be driven by renewable energy in the coming future.  Kant said this during the virtual launch of the Tata Motors and Pune-based Repos Energy Startup Summit 2021 on Monday.

News in details:  Largest energy consumer: After the industry and residential sector, the transportation sector is the third- largest energy consumer. 1. Industry sector 2. Residential sector 3. Transportation sector  Energy by oil fuels: In India, 17% of which is largely dominated by oil fuels. India’s energy growth story will be driven by renewable energy in the coming future.  Focus on the Paris Pact: With the focus on the Paris Pact in getting rid of air pollution in our cities, it is inevitable that we shift to o Zero carbon emissions, o Mobility powered by renewable sources of energy.  Combination of solar and zero-emission mobility: It will greatly reduce the well-to-wheel emissions of transportation and help reap maximum benefits of zero-emission mobility.  Energy transition: There is an energy transition taking place from coal to oil or gas and then the second part is moving from all types of fossil fuels towards renewable energy. o So we have to look at sources like biofuel in a very big way. India and renewable energy:  The Government of India has set a target of installing 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by the year 2022, which includes o 100 GW from solar, o 60 GW from wind, o 10 GW from bio-power and o 5 GW from small hydro-power.

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 India is one of the countries with large production of energy from renewable sources. As of 27 November 2020, 38% of India's installed electricity generation capacity is from renewable sources (136 GW out of 373 GW).  Paris Agreement: In the Paris Agreement India has committed to an Intended Nationally Determined Contributions target of achieving 40% of its total electricity generation from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030. Schemes by government:  Pradhan Mantri- Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM- KUSUM)- It aims to provide financial and water security to farmers through harnessing solar energy capacities of 25.75 gigawatt (GW) by 2022.  Akshay Urja Portal: To develop ways to use akshay urja or renewable energy more efficiently.  India Renewable Idea Exchange (IRIX) Portal: For exchange of ideas among energy conscious Indians and the Global community.  International Solar Alliance: It is an alliance of more than 122 countries initiated by India, most of them being sunshine countries. o It is an initiative that was launched by the Prime Minister of India and the President of France on November 30, 2015 in Paris on the side-lines of the COP-21. 1.13 United States says India's digital services tax is discriminatory

Context:  India had adopted the operative form of its Digital Services Tax or DST on March 27, 2020.  The US has determined that India's Digital Services Tax is o Discriminatory and has an o Adverse impact on American commerce And is actionable under the trade act.  Outgoing Trump administration has left the onus of taking any action against India under Section 301 of the US Trade Act to the incoming Biden administration.

US Opinion/Criticism of India’s Digital Service Tax:  Burdens to double taxation: USTR describes DST as an outlier which burdens US companies by subjecting them to double taxation.  Against US digital companies: DST, by its structure and operation, discriminates against US digital companies, including due to the o Selection of covered services and o Its applicability only to non-resident companies.  Inconsistent with principles of international taxation: DST is unreasonable because it is inconsistent with principles of international taxation including due to its application to revenue rather than o Income, o Extraterritorial application, and o Failure to provide tax certainty.  Discrimination b/w USA & Indian Companies: US non-resident providers of digital services are taxed, while Indian providers of the same digital services to the same customers are not.  Sections 301(b) and 304(a)(1)(B) of the Trade Act: It provide that if the US Trade Representative determines that an act, policy, or practice of a foreign country is unreasonable or discriminatory and burdens or restricts United States commerce, the US Trade Representative shall determine what action, if any, to take under Section 301(b). YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 82 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

India’s Response/Features of India’s Digital Service Tax:  Equally to all non-resident e-commerce: It said the 2 % equalisation levy does not discriminate against US companies as it applies equally to all non-resident e-commerce operators irrespective of their country of residence.  No retrospective element: Ministry of Commerce on 7th Jan 2020 said, there is no retrospective element as the levy was enacted before the 1st day of April, 2020, which is the effective date of the levy.  No extra-territorial application: It also does not have extra-territorial application as it applies only on the revenue generated from India.  Level-playing field: India seeks to ensure a level-playing field with respect to e-commerce activities undertaken by entities resident in India as well as those not residents in India or without permanent establishment in India.  Objective of DST: The purpose of the equalisation levy is to o Ensure fair competition, o Reasonableness and o Exercise the ability to tax businesses that have a close nexus with the Indian market through their digital operations.

DIGITAL SERVICES TAX OR DST:  These are taxes on revenues that certain companies generate from providing certain digital services to, or aimed at, users in those jurisdictions. o E.g. Digital multinationals like Google, Amazon and Apple etc.  India had adopted the operative form of its Digital Services Tax or DST on March 27, 2020.  The DST imposes 2% tax on revenue generated from a broad range of digital services offered in India, including o Digital platform services, o Digital content sales, o Digital sales of a company's own goods, o Data-related services, o Software-as-a-service, and o Several other categories of digital services.  India's DST applies only to non-resident companies. The tax applies as of April 1, 2020.

EQUALIZATION LEVY:  It was introduced in India in 2016, with the intention of taxing the digital transactions i.e. the income accruing to foreign e-commerce companies from India.  It is aimed at taxing business to business transactions.

1.14 Systemically Important Banks

Context:  The (RBI) has retained following 3 banks as domestic systemically important banks (D-SIBs) or banks that are considered as “too big to fail” 1. State Bank of India, 2. ICICI Bank and 3. HDFC Bank

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About Domestic Systemically Important Banks (D-SIBs):  The Reserve Bank had issued the framework for dealing with domestic systemically important banks on July 22, 2014. This list is published every year.  The D-SIB framework: It requires the Reserve Bank to disclose the names of banks designated as D-SIBs starting from 2015 and place these banks in appropriate buckets depending upon their systemic importance scores (SISs).  “Based on the bucket in which a D-SIB is placed, an additional common equity requirement has to be applied to it.”  Too big to fail: According to analysts, too big to fail is a phrase used to describe a bank or company that’s so entwined in the economy that its failure would be catastrophic.  Global systemically important bank (G-SIB): In case a foreign bank having branch presence in India is a global systemically important bank (G-SIB). o It has to maintain additional CET1 capital surcharge in India as applicable to it as a G-SIB, proportionate to its risk weighted assets (RWAs). There are two types of SIBs:  Global SIBs: Identified by BCBS (BASEL Committee on Banking Supervision)  Domestic SIBs: By central Bank of the country 1.15 NITI Aayog's India Innovation Index Report

Context:  Karnataka has been ranked the most innovative among major states by the NITI Aayog while Delhi topped the category among Union Territories. o Delhi also stood out as the top performer among both states and UTs.

India Innovation Index:  These rankings were part of NITI Aayog’s India Innovation Index Report 2020, released by Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar.  Prepared by: The Index is prepared by the NITI Aayog in collaboration with the Institute for Competitiveness.  Similar to Global Innovation Index: The exercise was initiated in 2019 and is on the lines of the Global Innovation Index (GII), which ranks countries annually. o In 2015, India ranked 81 among 141 countries in the GII. By 2020 it ranked 48 among 131 countries.  Globally considered parameters: The framework of the index includes globally considered parameters for measuring innovation, such as the percentage of GDP spent on research and development, while keeping them specific to the Indian economy.

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 Three categories: The Innovation Index is divided in to three categories— 1. Major states, 2. Union territories, and 3. Hill and north east states.  Indicators: The indicators that the survey uses includes the 1. Level and quality of education especially in research, 2. Number of PHD students, 3. Enrolment in engineering and technology, 4. Number of highly skilled professionals, 5. Investment in R&D, 6. FDI inflows, 7. Internet subscribers, 8. Knowledge-intensive employment, 9. Number of patents and trademark applications filed, 10. Business environment, and 11. Safety and legal environment Outcome of the report:  South as innovation hub: According to the Innovation Index report, southern India has consolidated its position as the innovation hub, as four states feature in the list of the top five innovative states.  Top Performer in Country: Delhi has scored the highest on the index in the country with a score of 46.6.  Delhi recorded the o Highest number of trademark and patent applications o Establishment of new start-ups and companies in the last financial year.  Lowest rank: Lakshadweep has the lowest score at 11.7.  Major states: Amongst the major states, Karnataka topped with a score of 42.5 for the second year running. o The state’s success has been attributed to a  High number of venture capital deals,  Registered GIS and ICT exports, and  High FDI inflow.  Second Place: Maharashtra follows with a score of 38, while Bihar finishes last at 14.5.  Four southern states – Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Kerala —occupy the top positions on the index, apart from Maharashtra.  North East and hill states: Himachal Pradesh has the highest score of 25. Concerns:  Need to Improve: India needed to improve to meet global competitiveness in innovation, including increased expenditure in R&D by the private sector.  Low Private Investment: “The Indian government is a major spender in R&D, while the investment of the private sector is very low.  Low % of GDP on R&D: India also spends only 0.7 per cent of its GDP on R&D, much lower than the top spenders such as Israel (4.95 per cent). o like Israel (4.3%), South Korea (4.2%), the US (2.8%) and China (2.1%),

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 North-South divide: There is a North-South divide with the southern states having fared much better.  “We have also found a link that as states become more innovative, they have higher per capita GDP,’  Regional disparity in innovation: Himachal Pradesh scored only 25. This also brings to the fore the huge regional disparity in innovation.  SAMSUNG overweigh India: Huawei, Mitsubishi Electric, Samsung and Qualcomm filed more international patent applications each than the whole of India in 2019, according to World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). 1.16 Global Innovation Index (GII)

Context: India’s excellence in science has now been combined with the recognition of its brilliance as an innovative economy. India now features among the top 50 innovative economies globally as per the Global Innovation Index (GII), placing it ahead of many developed and developing countries.

News in details:  Third position in terms of publications: Country has already attained the third position in terms of publications.  Scientific excellence and innovation: The combination of scientific excellence and innovation has been possible through encouraging o Investments in scientific activities, o Infrastructure as well as o Manpower development along with o Boosting of the entire innovation chain o In an environment charged with o The start-up India movement.  5th National Science Technology and Innovation Policy: It will help us in creating knowledge and the innovation ecosystem. Steps taken so far:  NIDHI: At the same time, initiatives of DST like NIDHI have played a crucial role to reach this position. The implementation of NIDHI has o Nurtured 3681 startups under incubation o Through the network of around 150 incubators created by dst, o Generated 1992 intellectual property.  Start-up India mission: At the same time, the start-up India mission has given a boost to convert these patentable innovative ideas into start-ups levitating India into the country among those with the highest number of start-ups. o It brought a paradigm shift in science and technology  India in R&D: India’s national investment in R&D has increased from o Rs. 1,13,825.03 crore in 2017-18 to o Rs. 1,23,847.71 crore in 2018-19.  Patents filed by Indians: Among the 13,045 patents sealed in the year 2017-18, 1,937 patents were by Indians. o However, some states held the lion’s share of patents filed. o 65% were filed from the States of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Delhi.  Publications: The number of publications has increased exponentially over the last 10 years. YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 86 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

o National Science Foundation (NSF) of USA: India is currently in third place, only behind China and the United States, with 135,788 scientific articles in the year 2018. o Growth rate of scientific publication was 12.9 percent, as against the world average of 4.9 percent. o India recorded the fastest average annual growth rate of publications between 2008 and 2018 with 10.73 percent.  The country’s Per capita R&D expenditure increased to PPP $ 47.2 in 2017-18 from PPP $ 29.2 in 2007-08, as has the R&D manpower to 3.42 lakh in 2018 from 2.83 lakh in 2015. T Advantage of innovation ecosystem:  Lab to market: The movement to convert ideas to usable technologies and then to scale them up has now spread through the country.  Employment and economic wealth: Further, in the last five years, jobs generated in the form of direct employment were 65,864 and Rs 27,262 crores of economic wealth.

GLOBAL INNOVATION INDEX (GII):  Indicator of: The index is a leading reference for measuring an economy’s innovation performance.  13th edition of Global Innovation Index released.  Top 5: Switzerland, Sweden, the US, the UK and the Netherlands  Published by: 1. Cornell University, 2. INSEAD, and the 3. World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a specialized agency of the United Nations. India’s Ranking:  At 48th position in World.  Top position among the nations in central and southern Asia.  Third most innovative lower middle-income economy in the world.  India ranks in the top 15 in indicators such as ICT (Information and Communication Technology) services exports, government online services, graduates in science and engineering, and R&D-intensive global companies. 1.17 RBI proposes 4-tier structure for tighter regulation of NBFCs

Context: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed a tighter regulatory framework for non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) by creating a four-tier structure with a progressive increase in intensity of regulation.

News in details:  Four-layered structure: RBI has said the regulatory and supervisory framework of NBFCs should be based on a four-layered structure: 1. Base Layer, 2. Middle Layer, 3. Upper Layer and 4. Top Layer.  Classification of NPAs: Of base layer NBFCs o From 180 days o To 90 days overdue.

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 Classification of NBFCs: 1. NBFC-BL: NBFCs in lower layer will be known as NBFC-Base Layer (NBFC-BL). 2. NBFC-ML: NBFCs in middle layer will be known as NBFC-Middle Layer (NBFC-ML). 3. NBFC-UL: An NBFC in the Upper Layer will be known as NBFC-Upper Layer (NBFC-UL) and will invite a new regulatory superstructure. 4. There is also a Top Layer, ideally supposed to be empty.  NBFC in the Upper Layer: Once an NBFC is identified as NBFC-UL, it will be subject to enhanced regulatory requirement at least for four years from its last appearance in the category. o Even where it does not meet the parametric criteria in the subsequent year. o “Hence, if an identified NBFC-UL does not meet the criteria for classification for four consecutive years, it will move out of the enhanced regulatory framework,” it said.  BASE LAYER: It will consist of NBFCs, currently classified as non- systemically important NBFCs (NBFC-ND), NBFCP2P lending platforms, NBFCAA, NOFHC and Type I NBFCs.  MIDDLE LAYER: As one moves up, the next layer can consist of NBFCs currently classified as systemically important NBFCs (NBFC-ND-SI), deposit taking NBFCs (NBFC-D), housing finance companies, IFCs, IDFs, SPDs and core investment companies. o The regulatory regime for this layer will be stricter compared to the base layer. o Adverse regulatory arbitrage vis-à-vis banks can be addressed for NBFCs falling in this layer in order to reduce systemic risk spill-overs.  UPPER LAYER: NBFCs which are identified as systemically significant among. This layer will be populated by NBFCs which have large potential of systemic spill-over of risks and have the ability to impact financial stability. o There is no parallel for this layer at present, as this will be a new layer for regulation. o The regulatory framework for NBFCs falling in this layer will be bank-like.  TOP LAYER: It is possible that considered supervisory judgment might push some NBFCs from out of the upper layer of the systemically significant NBFCs for higher regulation/supervision. o It will occupy the top of the upper layer as a distinct set. o It will remain empty unless supervisors take a view on specific NBFCs. o If a Upper layer NBFCs pose extreme risks, they can be put into it. NBFC sector:  The NBFC sector has seen tremendous growth in recent years. In last five years alone, size of balance sheet of NBFCs (including HFCs) has more than doubled from o Rs 20.72 lakh crore (2015) o Rs 49.22 lakh crore (2020) YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 88 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

Non-banking Financial Companies (NBFCs):  A company registered under the Companies Act, 1956.  They cannot accept demand deposits like commercial banks as they are not a part of clearance and settlement system.  They can be engaged in the business of loans and advances, acquisition of shares/stock/bonds/debentures/ securities issued by government or local authority.  NBFCs- two types- Deposit taking and Non deposit taking.  It is mandatory for a NBFC to get itself registered with the RBI as a deposit taking company.  Regulator- RBI.  No activities in- Agri+ Industry+ Gold+ Construction of properties.  NBFCs not regulated by RBI- Nidhi comp, Chit Fund, Housing financial comp, insurance comp, VCF, Merchant banks etc.  Deposits are not insured in NBFCs.  CAR-15% need to maintain.

1.18 The Inequality Virus Report: Oxfam International

Context: India's 100 top billionaires have seen their fortunes increase by ₹12,97,822 crore since March last year when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country and this amount is enough to give 13.8 crore poorest Indians a cheque for ₹94,045 each.

Oxfam report 'the inequality virus':  The report has been released on the opening day of the World Economic Forum's 'Davos Dialogues'.  It would take an unskilled worker 10,000 years to make what businessman Mukesh Ambani made in an hour during the pandemic and three years to make what he made in a second.  World's worst public health crisis: In a hundred years, the report said it triggered an economic crisis comparable in scale only with the Great Depression of the 1930s.  India’s Lockdown: India introduced one of the earliest and most stringent lockdowns in the face of the pandemic and its enforcement o Economy to a standstill, o Triggering unemployment, o Hunger, o Distress migration and o Untold hardship in its wake.  Rich v White collar v blue collar: o The rich were able to escape the pandemic's worst impact; o While the white-collar workers isolated themselves and worked from home o Majority of the not-so-fortunate Indians lost their livelihood."  Sectors and billionaires on Boom: Billionaires like Gautam Adani, Shiv Nadar, Cyrus Poonawalla, Uday Kotak, Azim Premji, Sunil Mittal, Radhakrishan Damani, Kumar Manglam Birla and Laxmi Mittal increased their wealth exponentially since March 2020, working in sectors like

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o Coal, o Oil, o Telecom, o Medicines, o Pharmaceutical, o Education and o Retail  "Data shows what Ambani earned during the pandemic would keep the 40 crore informal workers above the poverty line for at least 5 months," the report said.  Wealth of Indian billionaires: to USD 422.9 billion, Increased o by 35 % during the lockdown and o by 90 % since 2009,  India’s ranking: India ranks sixth in the world after the US, China, Germany, Russia and France, it said.  Increase in wealth of the top 11 billionaires of India during the pandemic could sustain o Rural job scheme MGNREGA for 10 years or o Health Ministry for 10 years. Impact of covid:  Worst hit the informal sector: Out of a total 12.2 crore people who lost their jobs, 75 %, which accounts for 9.2 crore jobs, were lost in the informal sector.  Loss of Job: On the other hand, data has shown that 170,000 people lost their jobs every hour in the month of April 2020, the report said.  Impact on Education: o It noted that the long disruption of schooling risked doubling the rate of out of school, especially among the poor. o "Only 4 % of rural households had a computer and less than 15 % rural households had an internet connection," it said.  Impact on health: o Only 6 % of the poorest 20 % has access to non-shared sources of improved sanitation, compared to 93.4 % of top 20 %. o It added that 59.6 per cent of India's population lives in a room or less. Concern for an egalitarian society:  Health Budget: "India has the world's fourth lowest health budget in terms of its share of government expenditure." o "If India's top 11 billionaires are taxed at just 1 % on the increase in their wealth during the pandemic, it will be enough to increase the allocation of Jan Aushadi Scheme by 140 times.”  Economists Opinion: The new global survey of 295 economists from 79 countries including Jeffrey Sachs, Jayati Ghosh and Gabriel Zucman, expect an "increase" or a "major increase" in income inequality in their country as a result of the pandemic.

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1.19 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) expenditure rules changed for Indian companies

Context:  The Corporate Affairs Ministry has amended the rules for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) expenditure by India Inc to allow companies to undertake multi-year projects.  Also, require that all CSR implementing agencies be registered with the government.

How do the new rules enable corporations to undertake multi-year csr projects?  Eligible Companies for CSR: All companies with a 1. Net worth of Rs 500 crore or more, 2. Turnover of Rs 1,000 crore or more, or 3. Net profit of Rs 5 crore or more,  Amount to spend: o 2 % of their average profits o Of the previous three years on CSR activities o Every year.  Amended CSR rules: It allow companies to set off CSR expenditure above the required 2 % -expenditure in any fiscal year o Against required expenditure for up to three financial years. What are the changes required for implementing agencies?  Implementing agencies: A large number of companies conduct CSR expenditure through implementing agencies, o But the new amendment restricts companies from authorising either a Section 8 company or a registered public charitable trust to conduct CSR projects on their behalf.  Section 8 company: is a company registered with the purpose of promoting charitable causes, applies profits to promoting its objectives and is prohibited from distributing dividends to shareholders. o Further, all such entities will have to be registered with the government by April 1.  Impact on CSR: Experts note that the change would impact CSR programmes of a number of large Indian companies that conduct projects through private trusts. o Such private trusts would either have to be converted to registered public trusts, or stop acting as CSR implementing agencies.  An expert who did not wish to be quoted said private trusts such as the Reliance Foundation, Bharti Foundation and DLF Foundation, which handle a majority of CSR expenditure for affiliated companies, would be impacted by this change. What are other key changes?  Independent agency to conduct impact assessment: Any corporation with a CSR obligation of Rs 10 crore or more for the three preceding financial years would be required to hire an independent agency to conduct impact assessment of all of their project with outlays of Rs 1 crore or more. o Companies will be allowed to count 5 per cent of the CSR expenditure for the year up to Rs 50 lakh on impact assessment towards CSR expenditure.

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CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR):  India is one of the first countries in the world to make CSR mandatory for companies following an amendment to the Companies Act, 2013 (Companies Act) in 2014.  Section 135(1) of the Act prescribes thresholds to identify companies which are required to constitute a CSR Committee – those, in the immediately preceding financial year of which: 1. Net worth is Rs 500 Crore or more; or. 2. Turnover is Rs 1000 Crore or more; or. 3. Net profit amounts to Rs 5 Crore or more.  As per the Companies (Amendment) Act, 2019, CSR is applicable to companies before completion of 3 financial years.

1.20 ‘IMF On Indian Economy’- Fiscal Policy

Context:  While delivering a lecture at the National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER), IMF’s Gopinath warns tightening policy support in the middle of a pandemic risks economic damage

Concerns for indian economy:  Sharp rise in inequality: Stressing that there is a risk of a sharp rise in inequality, with millions entering extreme poverty. o Ms. Gopinath said India must continue to provide support to the weaker sections and increase outlays for the national employment guarantee scheme this year as well. o The policies of in-kind and in-cash support and employment guarantee scheme (MGNREGS) should be expanded again this year to prevent this rise in inequality.”  High government debt: Ms. Gopinath said any tightening of fiscal policies in the middle of the pandemic while people are still being asked to stay home, would be ‘damaging’. o “Every time you communicate your fiscal plans from now, you provide confidence that you have a medium- term fiscal framework that will bring the deficit under control once we are out of the pandemic and in a durable growth phase. To recover the economy: Confidence to the markets: “For instance, In India, more effectiveness in GST collections, more credible disinvestment plans, there’s always been the intention but it hasn’t happened as intended. So credibility on all these fronts will give confidence to the markets and keep borrowing costs low during the transition.”  IMF’s forecast for India’s economy: To grow by 11.5% in 2021-22, Ms. Gopinath said most of the expansion would be ‘mechanical’ as “you are coming off an 8% estimated collapse in the previous year”.  Wasteful spending: “A perennial problem is that there is a lot of wasteful spending that gets done in Budgets, so this is a great time to think of how you can get rid of those,” the IMF chief economist concluded.  Steps for recovery: International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief economist Gita Gopinath suggested following for recovery of Indian Economy. India should propose YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 92 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

o Credible privatisation plan for public sector firms, o Plug gaps in GST collections and o Cut wasteful expenditure from the budget o Contain borrowing costs o Enhancing fiscal support for the economy 1.21 Cabinet increases Minimum Support Price of copra to Rs 10,335

Context: The Union Cabinet on increased the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of copra for the 2021 season by Rs 375 to Rs 10,335 per quintal.

Minimum support price of copra:  MSP for Fair Average Quality (FAQ) of milling copra has been increased from Rs 9,960 per quintal last year, marking a jump of around 3.8 per cent.  The MSP for ball copra has been increased by Rs 300 to Rs 10,600 per quintal from Rs 10300 per quintal in 2020, around a 3 per cent increase.  “The declared MSP ensures a return of 51.87 percent for milling copra and 55.76 percent for ball copra over the all-India weighted average cost of production.”  Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP): “Approval is based on recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP)… (and is) o In line with the principle of fixing the MSP o At a level of at least 1.5 times the all-India weighted average cost of production which was announced by the Government in the Budget 2018-19.”  Procurement: In 2020, the “government o Procured 5053.34 tonnes of ball copra and o 35.58 tonnes of milling copra o Benefiting 4896 copra farmers”.  Kerala’s economy: Copra is an important contributor to Kerala’s economy, and the state is likely to hold its Assembly elections in May.

Minimum Support Price  The MSP is the rate at which the government buys grains from farmers.  Reason behind the idea of MSP is to counter price volatility of agricultural commodities due to the factors like variation in their supply, lack of market integration and information asymmetry. Fixation of MSP  The MSP is fixed on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).  Factors taken into consideration for fixing MSP include: 1. Demand and supply; 2. Cost of production (A2 + FL method) 3. Price trends in the market, both  Domestic and  International;

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4. Inter-crop price parity; 5. Terms of trade between agriculture and non-agriculture; 6. A minimum of 50% as the margin over cost of production; and 7. Likely implications of MSP on consumers of that product.  The mandated crops include 14 crops of the kharif season, 6 rabi crops and 2 other commercial crops.  In addition, the MSPs of toria and de-husked coconut are fixed on the basis of the MSPs of rapeseed/mustard and copra, respectively.  The list of crops: o Cereals (7): Paddy, wheat, barley, jowar, bajra, maize and ragi, o Pulses (5): Gram, arhar/tur, moong, urad and lentil, o Oilseeds (8): Groundnut, rapeseed/mustard, toria, soyabean, sunflower seed, sesamum, safflower seed and niger seed, o Raw cotton, Raw jute, Copra, De-husked coconut, and o Sugarcane (Fair and remunerative price). 1.22 Economic Survey predicts 11 percent growth next fiscal

CONTEXT:  CEA says it is time to switch fiscal gears from cautious stance to ‘counter-cyclical’.  Lessons for democracies to avoid myopic policy are: o Push Rapid vaccine roll-out o Can boost ailing services sectors, o Spur consumption and investment o India’s response to ‘once-in-a-century’ crisis  The Budget Division of the Department of Economic Affairs in the Finance Ministry is the nodal body responsible for preparing the Budget.

Key points of economic survey 2020-21:  V-shaped recovery: India’s economy is firmly in the middle of a V-shaped recovery and will bounce back to record 11% growth in 2021-22 after an estimated 7.7% contraction this year, as per a “conservative” estimate in the Economic Survey (ES) for 2020-21.  Lockdown dividend: ES termed this a “lockdown dividend” from the country’s stringent response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  “Counter-cyclical fiscal push”: Making a strong pitch for the government to loosen its purse strings to spur the economy with a “counter- cyclical fiscal push” till the country returns to its pre-COVID-19 growth path.  Conservative fiscal stimulus: ES defended the conservative fiscal stimulus during the initial phase of the pandemic, stating that pushing down on the accelerator while the brakes are clamped “only wastes fuel”.  Economy to cricketing fortunes: Comparing the Indian economy’s resurgence from the collapse in the first two quarters of the year to the country’s recent cricketing fortunes, which recovered swiftly from the lows of being bowled out for 36 in the Adelaide Test to register a series win against Australia o Chief Economic Adviser Krishnamurthy Subramanian indicated that it was time to switch fiscal gears to a more aggressive approach. YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 94 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

‘Timing matters’  Pujara v. Pant playing: “Like in cricket, even in the economy, timing matters. When the ball is swinging around a lot, there’s a lot of uncertainty, you need to play carefully and focus on survival and the essential items… you play like (Cheteshwar) Pujara. o Once the swing is gone, you bat like (Rishabh) Pant, which is what the Indian economy and policy makers are now focused on,” he said.  Expansionist Budget 2021-22: “Wait for one day, I am sure you will see both Pujara and Pant in action,” he said at a conference after the Survey was tabled, indicating that the Union Budget for 2021-22 could be cautiously expansionary.  Indian economic recovery a sui-generis: “The V-shaped economic recovery while avoiding a second wave of infections make India a sui generis case in this unique, synchronised global recession,” the Survey said.  Rapid vaccination: It added that a rapid vaccination roll-out this year could boost recovery in the services sectors as well as stir up private consumption and investment.  While absolute growth numbers may be remarkable in 2021-22 due to the low base effect, returning to pre- pandemic growth and output levels would take longer.

Budget (annual financial statement):  Article 112: Union Budget of a year is referred to as the Annual Financial Statement (AFS).  It is a statement of the estimated receipts and expenditure of the Government in a financial year (which begins on 01 April of the current year and ends on 31 March of the following year).  Six Stages: In Parliament, the Budget goes through six stages: 1. Presentation of Budget. 2. General discussion. 3. Scrutiny by Departmental Committees. 4. Voting on Demands for Grants. 5. Passing of Appropriation Bill. 6. Passing of Finance Bill.

EDITORIAL

1.23 Food and Agri Produce Wastage

Context:  The agitation by India’s farmers on Delhi’s borders has completed one month and the sixth round of talks two days ago may have provided a window of reconciliation.  However, the more contentious issue of stills remains on the table like o Repeal of the three farm laws and o Legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP)

Background:  A significant quantity of the wheat and rice procured by the Indian government under minimum support price (MSP) operations is wasted, either due to rotting or being eaten by mice and other vermin.  The broader issue – just how much of India’s agricultural production is lost to waste due to a lack of appropriate infrastructure?

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Food and agri produce wastage:  This question involves two aspects. 1. The first relates to losses in the food supply chain and 2. The second relates to losses in government warehouses storing wheat and rice.  Food Loss and Food Wastage: Generally speaking, ‘food loss’ takes place from the farm up to the retail-level, while the term ‘food wastage’ is used for loss of food at the retail, food service, and household level. Agri-losses:  Parliamentary standing committee of the ministry of agriculture in 2005 had recommended ICAR to conduct two detailed studies of agri-losses.  It was based on production data of 43 crops and livestock produce in 2012-13 and wholesale prices of 2014. The study was conducted in 120 districts in 14 agro-climatic zones and the report was published in 2015.  The losses in the storage channel included o Storage at farm level o Godown/cold storage, o Wholesaler, o Retailer and o Processing unit.  Contrary to the popular perception: Of loss of about one-third of agricultural and horticultural production, the CIPHET study of 2012- 13 found that the overall losses were much lower. o In the case of cereals, losses ranged between 4.65% (maize) and 5.99% (sorghum). o In the case of wheat and paddy, the losses were 4.93% and 5.53% respectively. o Farm operations-4.67% in the case of paddy and 4.07% in the case of wheat. o Storage- Only 0.86% for both wheat and paddy. o Perishable crops suffered much higher losses. o Mango-9.16% o Guava-15% o Vegetables-7-9% o Fish-5%, Polutry-6% o Milk- Only 0.9 % due to success of Operation Flood  Monetary Loss: The study estimated the total volume of losses for all commodities to be about Rs 92,651 crore.

Estimates of Value of Output (Central Statistical Organisation, 2016): Total Loss = Rs 92,651 crore.

Value of production of horticulture in 2012-13 Rs 2,84,000 crore

Estimate of losses Rs 31,500 crore (11%)

Value of production of livestock Rs 5.08 lakh crore

Estimate of losses Rs 19,000 crore (3.7%)

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Decentralised model of procurement (DCP):  In states that participate in the Decentralized Model of Procurement (DCP), it is the agencies of the state government which set up procurement centers and the wheat or paddy is procured there.  States with Strong AMPCs: Some DCP states like Madhya Pradesh have well developed APMCs where the farmers bring their produce and the same is procured by the state agencies through cooperatives.  States with No Strong AMPCs: The procurement is largely through cooperatives at centres set up by them in rural areas. o , Chhattisgarh and Bihar follow this mode. In these states, the farmers bring their produce to centres set up by cooperatives.  2.4 Storage: In both the cases, food grains are stored in warehouses which are either owned by state or are hired from private owners.  2.5 PDS distribution: In DCP states, PDS are distributed out of the stock procured from within the state. If there is any surplus, it is handed over to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) which moves it to other deficit states. o If there is any shortfall in a DCP state (for example Bihar), the FCI brings food grains from other surplus states.  Not too much in non-DCP states: Due to high surpluses in Punjab and Haryana, there is always a pressure to move out the stock so as to create storage space for more procurement. o The FCI stores this wheat and rice in consuming states in warehouses which are again either owned by the FCI or hired by it from CWC or SWC or private owners.  Damaged Grains: During the period of storage, some stock deteriorates in quality due to various reasons. If it does not meet the FSSAI standards, it is classified as non-issuable for PDS. In common parlance these are also called damaged grains. o In 2013-14, 523.16 lakh tonne of wheat and rice was issued to state governments from FCI warehouses and the percentage of damaged grains was 0.047%. o In 2018-19, the percentage of damaged food grains as a percentage of offtake of wheat and rice was 0.02%.  Storage losses: During the process of storage, FCI also incurs storage losses for various reasons. The most common reason is moisture loss due to prolonged storage of rice. o The total value of 0.03% storage loss was Rs 457.13 crore in 2013-14. Need for raising awareness of farmers/answer to reducing losses:  Cold Chains and Storage Facilities: It is clear that the answer to reducing losses in agriculture and horticulture sub-sectors lies not only in setting up cold chains and storage facilities but also in improving the farm-level operations.  Farm-level operations: Reduction of losses during o Harvesting and o Threshing as well as o Sorting and o Grading of produce is as important as setting up modern storage/cold chain facilities at various levels of marketing after the produce has been sold by the farmers.  Steps to reduce the losses in the supply chain: o Education of farmers for better harvesting practices, o Improved aggregation through FPOs and o Reduction of the time lag between harvesting and sale of produce YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 97 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

 The CIPHET study of 2012-13 also found that average losses for food grains, oilseeds, fruits and vegetables had declined by about 2% as compared to the previous study of 2005-07.  Large private investment: In the last few years, the supply chains of apples, banana, peas and eggs have attracted large private investment. This would have reduced the losses. Way forward:  Corporates Involvement: It is unlikely that in the short-term, corporates will invest large sums in improving the supply chains of perishable produce incurring losses like horticulture and meat o Unless they see an opportunity to sell the produce through organised retail, preferably through their own outlets.  Poultry and milk Sector: have attracted private investment as the marketing is better organised and the corporates (including Amul) dominate the organised market. This has resulted in lower losses despite their high perishability.  Delisting from APMC Acts: Since 2014, several states have delisted fruits and vegetables from the purview of their APMC Acts. It means that trading was possible outside the APMC, without paying any market fee and other charges.  Startups and e-commerce: Several startups and e-commerce players have entered this space but informal interactions with them show that they have not found it viable to source their produce from farmers directly. o They still use the APMCs in large cities for purchasing fresh produce.  Centre and State: For perishable commodities, it seems that the state and the Centre will have to find more resources for investment in supply chains so as to reduce losses in o Farm operations as well as o Storage channels.  Modern silos of steel: In order to reduce the losses during storage and movement, the government has been trying to set up modern silos of steel in which wheat is kept in bulk and not in bags. o The movement of wheat from one silo to another can also be done in bulk in specialised wagons. o This results in almost complete elimination of losses in storage and movement. o FCI had a silo storage capacity of just 1.10 lakh tonne out of the total owned warehouse capacity of 127.77 lakh tonne. Global Model:  The United Kingdom: It has taken a lead in the direction of reducing food loss and food waste. Compared to the 2007 baseline, it has reduced the loss and waste by 27%. 1.24 Balance sheet of a bad bank

Context: With commercial banks set to witness a spike in NPAs, or bad loans, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das recently agreed to look at the proposal for the creation of a bad bank.

Bad bank and its working:  Simple Definition: A bad bank conveys the impression that it will function as a bank but has bad assets to start with.  Technical Definition: Technically, a bad bank is an asset reconstruction company (ARC) or an asset management company that o Takes over the bad loans of commercial banks, o Manages them and o Finally recovers the money over a period of time. o Helps commercial banks clean up their balance sheets and resolve bad loans. YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 98 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

 Not Involved in: The bad bank is not involved in lending and taking deposits.  The takeover of bad loans is normally below the book value of the loan and the bad bank tries to recover as much as possible subsequently. History of bad banks:  US-based Mellon Bank created the first bad bank in 1988, after which the concept has been implemented in other countries including o Sweden, o Finland, o France and o Germany. Need of bad banks:  Gained currency during Rajan’s tenure: The idea gained currency during Rajan’s tenure as RBI Governor. The RBI had then initiated an asset quality review (AQR) of banks and found that several banks had suppressed or hidden bad loans to show a healthy balance sheet. However, the idea remained on paper amid lack of consensus.  Spike in bad loans: Now, with the pandemic hitting the banking sector, the RBI fears a spike in bad loans in the wake of a six-month moratorium it has announced to tackle the economic slowdown. Stand of the RBI And Government:  RBI: o Earlier: It did not show much enthusiasm about a bad bank all these years, there are signs that it can look at the idea now. o Now: Last week, Governor S. Das indicated that the RBI can consider the idea of a bad bank to tackle bad loans.  Government: o In recent months, the Finance Ministry too has been receptive to the idea. Role of bad bank in solving npas:  The problem of NPAs continues in the banking sector, especially among the weaker banks, despite a series of measures by the RBI o For better recognition and provisioning against NPAs, o Massive doses of capitalisation of public sector banks by the government  Professionally-run bad bank: Funded by the private lenders and supported the government, can be an effective mechanism to deal with NPAs.  Bad Bank v. ARC: The bad bank concept is in some ways similar to an ARC o But Bad Bank is funded by the government initially, with banks and other investors co-investing in due course. NPA issue in the wake of the pandemic:  Bad loans in the system are expected to balloon in the wake of contraction in the economy and the problems being faced by many sectors.  Financial Stability Report: The RBI noted in its recent Financial Stability Report that the gross NPAs of the banking sector are expected to shoot up to 13.5% from 7.5%.  The K V Kamath Committee: o Post Pandemic: Corporate sector debt worth Rs 15.52 lakh crore has come under stress after Covid-19 hit India. YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 99 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

o Pre-Pandemic: Another Rs 22.20 lakh crore was already under stress before the pandemic. o Total: Rs 37.72 lakh crore (72% of the banking sector debt to industry) remains under stress.  Stress Sectors: o Post Covid: Retail trade, wholesale trade, roads and textiles are facing stress. o Pre-Covid: NBFCs, power, steel, real estate and construction.  Recommends: Setting up a bad bank is seen as crucial against this backdrop. Criticism/challenges:  Loans from one government pocket to Other: Raghuram Rajan wrote in his book I Do What I Do had opposed the idea of setting up a bad bank in which banks hold a majority stake. “I just saw this (bad bank idea) as shifting loans from one government pocket (the public sector banks) to another (the bad bank) and did not see how it would improve matters.  Reckless Lenders: However, resolution agencies or ARCs set up as banks, which originate or guarantee lending, have ended up turning into reckless lenders in some countries. Different model of bad banks:  Global: o USA-Troubled Asset Relief Programme (TARP) in the US to deal with a problem of stress in the financial system. Domestic:  Viral suggested two models to solve the problem of stressed assets. 1. Private asset management company (PAMC)- For stressed sectors where the assets are likely to have an economic value in the short run, with moderate levels of debt forgiveness. 2. National Asset Management Company (NAMC)-For sectors where the problem is not just one of excess capacity but possibly also of economically unviable assets in the short to medium terms.  Sashakt India Asset Management: o A bad bank to resolve the NPA problem, with equity contribution from the government and banks. o Proposed by Indian Banks’ Association under Sunil Mehta, PNB Chairman  The K V Kamath Committee: Setting up a bad bank is seen as crucial against this backdrop (Rs 37.72 lakh crore).  Economic Survey 2017: It suggested Public Sector Asset Rehabilitation Agency or PARA, to buy out the NPAs of high value from Indian banks. 1.25 Farm bill advocates should not ask farmers to choose between MSP and market

Context The recently passed farm bills sparked conversation about the desirability of the MSP scheme. It is an unusual outcome. A Policy to reduce minimum support rates is not facilitated by the bills. All it does is allow free entry to agents who wish to set up markets — whether they be private individuals, producer collectives or cooperatives.

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Policy to do away with Minimum Support Prices (MSPs)  Free entry to agents Three Farm Bills that are bone of o The bills do not facilitate a policy to do away with Minimum Support contention: Prices (MSPs). All it does is allow free entry to agents who wish to set 1. The Farmers' Produce Trade up markets — whether they be private individuals, producer and Commerce (Promotion collectives or cooperatives. and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, 2. The Farmers (Empowerment  Traditional mandis & New Market: and Protection) Agreement of o This means that in the conventional mandis or in a new market Price Assurance and Farm established under this law — or in their own backyard, the Food Services Bill, 2020, Corporation of India (FCI) and other related agencies are able to 3. Essential Commodities procure (Amendment) Bill, 2020.  Questioning the MSP regime

o Therefore, the claim that if the mandis ceases to exist, the procurement would also cease is, in fact, faulty. But the staunch defenders of the bills, instead of making this point and stopping at that, are questioning the MSP regime in the same breath. Impact of MSP-based procurement:  RBI’s annual report of 2017-18: It analyses the effect on food prices of MSP-based procurement. It conclusively shows that MSP is a leading factor influencing the output prices of the farm produce in the entire country.  “Inefficient” and “costly” MSP system: Policy makers are offering an either-or choice to the farmers. They should either embrace the “inefficient” and “costly” MSP system or opt for open markets. This is problematic.  The issue of MSP is all the more important for rain-fed agriculturists. Being deprived of irrigation, they don’t derive benefit from subsidies on electricity and fertiliser as their use is limited. o So, at the moment, the only state supports these farmers (primarily cotton and pulse producers) have is that of MSPs. This, though far from adequate, is crucial. Why should the farmers believe?  During UPA II, the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) — headed incidentally by Ashok Gulati — recommended a steep increase in MSPs. o In fact, the commission was criticised by some for its inflation-inducing policy.  Why should the farmers believe? o What has changed so much between then and now to make the MSPs insignificant to farmers' welfare? o Why should the farmers believe that the enactment of the farm bills will offer them remunerative prices, making MSPs redundant? o After all, the process of emergence of a new market has just begun. Who gains from Farm Bills:  Relevance of MSP: Shanta Kumar committee’s figures argue that MSPs are anyway irrelevant for most of the farmers in the country. It is true that the acquisition was limited to just a few crops.  Procurement of Food grains: It is true that the acquisition specifically benefits just a small fraction. But one cannot ignore the indirect benefit of this to all food grain producers in the country. The procurement of wheat and rice comes from a fraction of the producers of grain, but accounts for about 35 per cent of the country's total output of grain. YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 101 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

 Benefit to Grain producers: This creates greater demand in the food grain industry, driving up prices, as the procurement greatly exceeds the PDS requirement. This has been a great help to all of the country's grain producers, especially when international prices have been low for a long time.  Rapid reduction in rural poverty: The period from 2004 to 2012 was the period of high commodity prices, high government procurement and rapid reduction in rural poverty. Can we deny the probable causal link between the high prices and decrease in poverty? Minimum Support Price (MSP)

Minimum Support Price (MSP):  The minimum price fixed by the government at which farmers can expect to sell their seasonal products is MSP.  The Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs announces MSP for various crops at the beginning of each sowing season based on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).  Factors taken into consideration for fixing MSP include: o Demand and supply; o Cost of production (A2 + FL method) o Price trends in the market, both domestic and international; o Inter-crop price parity; o Terms of trade between agriculture and non-agriculture; o A minimum of 50% as the margin over cost of production; and o Likely implications of MSP on consumers of that product.

Conclusion: Above all, the debate on whom and how the state should support is an issue that should be addressed independent of the farm acts. It will not convince farmers to consider thesse legislation as an alternative to MSPs. And they cannot be blamed for that. 1.26 Recognition of Domestic Work-CARE ECONOMY-Women’s Economic Rights

Context: Veteran actor Kamal Haasan recently promised salaries for housewives as a part of the party’s election manifesto, has revived the debate on the recognition of domestic work as work.

 A report entitled ‘Women’s Economic Contribution through their Unpaid Work’ in 2009 had estimated the economic value of services by women to be to the tune of a whopping $612.8 billion annually.  The work women perform for the family should be valued equally with men’s work during the continuance of marriage.  “The wife owes service and labor to her husband as much and as absolutely as the slave does to his master.” This grates harshly upon the ears of Christendom; but it is made palpably and practically true all through our statute books said Antoinette Brown Blackwell, the first woman protestant minister of the United States. o Indians go a step ahead and glorify our women as goddesses but deny them equal rights. The Burden On Women/Significance Of Women’s Household Work  As in the 2011 Census, while 159.85 million women stated household work as their main occupation, a mere 5.79 million men referred to it as their main occupation.  Justice N.V. Ramana in Kirti v. Oriental Insurance Company case has referred to the ‘Time Use in India-2019 Report’ of the National Statistical Office, Government of India. YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 102 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

o Unpaid domestic services for household members . Indian women spend 299 minutes a day, . Men spend just 97 minutes.  A French government’s Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress in 2009 that studied the situation in Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, France, Finland and the U.S. drew similar conclusions.  A report entitled ‘Women’s Economic Contribution through their Unpaid Work: A Case Study of India’ (2009) had estimated the economic value of services by women to be to the tune of a whopping $612.8 billion annually.  British economist Arthur Cecil Pigou who had lamented that the household work by wives is not taken into consideration in calculating national income. Other judicial observations: 1. Arun Kumar Agrawal v. National Insurance Company (2010): o Supreme Court not only acknowledged the contribution of the housewives as invaluable but also observed that it cannot be computed in terms of money. o Her gratuitous services rendered with true love and affection cannot be equated with services rendered by others. 2. Arun Kumar Agrawal (2010) o Justice A.K. Ganguly referred to Census 2001: Women with household duties — i.e. about 36 crore — as non- workers. A hierarchical structure:  English common law in 18th Centruy: For centuries, the English common law of marital status was starkly hierarchical. Women had no right even in respect of her work outside home. o If a housewife worked for pay in or out of the home, it was her husband’s prerogative to collect her wages.  Seventh century Islamic law: Strangely it clearly mandates husbands to pay wives if they decide to suckle their children and entitle them to spend certain portions of husband’s money without his consent.  19th century: American States started reforming the common law of marital status by enacting the “Married Women’s Property Acts”. o By 1850, the era of “earning statutes” started which granted wives property rights in earnings from their “separate” or “personal” labour.  After American Civil War: But the economy Census aftermath of the American Civil War characterised household work as “unproductive”. Separate spheres:  Home and market: These two for centuries were considered as two distinct spheres.  Male-Market: The market was a male sphere of selfish competitiveness.  Female-Home: but the home was celebrated as a female sphere, a site of spiritual uplift that offered relief from the vicissitudes of market struggle.  American feminist economist Nancy Folbre rightly remarked, “the moral elevation of the home was accompanied by the economic devaluation of the work performed there”. YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 103 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

 Worcester Convention: In 1851, at the Worcester Convention, it was resolved: “that since the economy of the household is generally as much the source of family wealth as the labor and enterprise of man, therefore the wife should, during life, have the same control over the joint earnings as per husband, and the right to dispose at her death of the same proportion of it as he”.  They finally achieved success when the equal rights of wives in the matrimonial property were recognised.  The Third National Women’s Liberation conference, in England in 1972, for the first time, explicitly demanded payment of wages for the household work.  In India, Veena Verma did introduce a private member Bill in 1994 entitled The Married Women (Protection of Rights) Bill, 1994.  A married woman shall be entitled to have an equal share in the property of her husband from the date of her marriage and shall also be entitled to dispose of her share in the property.  National Housewives Association: But in 2010, even registration of the National Housewives Association as a trade union was denied. o As domestic work was treated as neither trade nor industry. A Step and Suggestion 1. The United Progressive Alliance government: In 2012, had proposed to make it mandatory for husbands to pay a monthly ‘salary’ to their wives. o However it is indeed problematic as it indicates an employer-employee relationship. Wives do not deserve a master-servant relationship. 2. The United Nations’ Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women: In 1991, had recommended o Measurement and quantification of unremunerated domestic activities of women and o Their recognition in GDP o So that the de facto economic contribution of women is highlighted. 3. Matrimonial property laws: It do give women their share but only when the marital tie comes to an end. The time has come to insist that the work women perform for the family should be valued equally with men’s work during the continuance of marriage. 4. Prenuptial marriage agreements: If women become a little assertive, prenuptial marriage agreements can easily solve this problem with the insertion of the clause on wives’ right in husband’s earnings and properties being included in such agreements. 1.27 Shipping & Port sector: Role in Indian Economy

Context:  Shipping as a contributor to economy: The major economies of the world have always realised the potential of shipping as a contributor to economic growth.  Control of the seas: It is a key component of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). o China is trying to take control of . Bay of Bengal and . Indian Ocean Region

Lessons from china and colonial powers:  Geographically, China is not as blessed as India. It has a great variety of climates and it has a coast only in the east.  Yet, a/c to World Shipping Council, 7/10 container ports in the world are in China.  Till 16th century: Both India and China were equal competitors on GDP. Historical records prove that India had maritime supremacy in the world.

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 But over the past 70 years, India has lost its global eminence in shipping due to o Poor legislation and o Politics.  Shore-based infrastructure of Colonial traders: They had strong merchant marine, but they also developed optimum shore-based infrastructure with road and rail connectivity to facilitate their trade. o There was balanced infrastructure onshore and at sea to cater to the carrying capacity. Challengs in shipping/port sectors: 1. Visionless administration to help foreign shipping: From new ports in India to the establishment of the Chabahar Port in Iran, all of India’s actions on the shipping front have been counter-effective. o This is due to a visionless administration. o Only helps foreign shipping liners. o India has concentrated only on short-term solutions. 2. Not Optimised carrying capacity: Foreign ship owners and container shipping carry our inbound and outbound cargo. o Foreign carriers continue to ransack EXIM trade with enormous hidden charges in the logistics cycle. o Much of foreign currency is drained as transhipment and handling cost every year. 3. Historical mistake of not being Ship Owners: Given this state of affairs, members of our maritime business community have also preferred to be agents for foreign ship owners rather than becoming ship owners themselves. o This is a historical mistake and a major economic failure of the country. o As a result, there is a wide gap between carrying capacity and multi-folded cargo growth in the country. 4. Relaxing “Cabotage” regulation: Now, Ministry is happily relaxing “Cabotage” regulation in the name of coastal shipping. This benefits only the foreign container-carrying companies and not Indian shipowners. 5. Govt Blessing on Foreign v Indian Shippers: Official actions allow foreign carriers to enjoy favourable situation here and push the Indian tonnage owners to vanish from the scene. o Starting from the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company of V.O. Chidambaram Pillai to the Scindia Steam Navigation Company of our times, Indian owners have not got the blessings of successive governments. 6. Foreign ships with Indian Staffs: It is sad that most of the global shipping companies which depend on Indian cargo for their business have Indians as either commercial heads or Indian crew onboard their ships. Way forward: 1. Regional cargo-specific ports: Instead of creating regional cargo-specific ports in peninsular India, the bureaucracy has repeatedly allowed similar infrastructural developments in multiple cargo-handling ports. o As a result, Indian ports compete for the same cargo. 2. Transhipment hubs: Our major ports will automatically become transhipment hubs If we o Make our major ports cargo-specific, o Develop infrastructure on a par with global standards, and o Connect them with the . Hinterlands as well as . International sea routes 3. Competent and cost-effective international supply chain: It is our long-cherished dream to be competent and cost-effective in international supply chain logistics. o We need quality products to be available in global markets at a competitive price. o This will happen only if we develop balanced infrastructure onshore as well as at sea. YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 105 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

4. Indian Ship construction companies: As of now, shipbuilding, repair and ownership are not preferred businesses in peninsular India. o The small ship-owning community in India also prefers foreign registry for their ships. o A change in the mindset of the authorities and the maritime business community is needed. 5. Marine entrepreneur: The ship-owning spirit of the Indian merchant marine entrepreneur has to be restored. o Shipbuilding and owning should be encouraged by the Ministry. 6. SAGARMALA and coastal communities: should include coastal communities and should harness the o Century-old ship-owning spirit and o Sailing skills of peninsular India. 7. Coastal communities as ship owners: This will initiate carriage of cargo by shallow drafted small ships through coast and inland waterways. 8. Minor ports as transhipment hubs: As contributing ports to the existing major ports and become transhipment hubs on their own. o Old sailing vessel owners should be encouraged to become small ship owners. A ray of hope: 1. SAGARMALA: To enhance the performance of the country’s logistics sector, provides hope. o Its aims are  Port-led industrialisation,  Development of world-class logistics institutions,  Coastal community development. 2. It initiates infrastructural development on the shorefront, this will also get reflected in domestic carrying capacity. 3. : With ‘Make in India’ and simultaneous multi-folded cargo growth, we need ships to cater to domestic and international trade. o Short sea and river voyages should be encouraged. 1.28 Why Dedicated Freight Corridor Is Significant- For Railway, The Country

CONTEXT: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a 351-km section between Khurja and Bhaupur in Uttar Pradesh for commercial operations of the Dedicated Freight Corridor. He also dedicated to the nation a state-of-the-art Operation Control Centre in Prayagraj.

Background:  The total 2,843-km project — billed as the largest rail infrastructure being built in independent India — has been in the making since 2006 with little movement on the ground. It is finally ready to take off, albeit in phases.  The other freight corridor project, which is also under construction, is the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor. Dedicated freight corridor (DFC):  The Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) is a railway route which is dedicated exclusively to the movement of freight (goods and commodities).

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 The dedicated freight-only lines are being built along o Golden Quadrilateral connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Howrah and o Two diagonals (Delhi – Chennai and Mumbai – Howrah).  Two Dedicated Freight Corridor: 1. Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, 1,468 km from Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Mumbai. 2. Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor, (Ludhiana, 1,760 km from Punjab to Dankuni in West Bengal  There is also a section under construction between Dadri and Khurja to connect the Eastern and Western arms. Need of DFC:  TRAFFIC CONGESTION FOR PASSENGER TRAINS: Around 70% of the freight trains currently running on the Indian Railway network. Once they will shift to the freight corridors, leaving the paths open for more passenger trains.  HEAVIER LOADS: Tracks on DFC are designed to carry heavier loads than most of Indian Railways. DFC will get track access charge from the parent Indian Railways, and also generate its own freight business.  DEMAND AND GHG: Considering increased transport demands, overtly congested routes and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with road transport, the government had proposed this initiative.  FUNDING: Built at a cost of Rs 5,750 crore through a loan from World Bank (which is funding a majority of the EDFC; the WDFC is being funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.  INDEPENDENT RAILWAY NETWORK: This is like building an entire railway network from scratch, independent of Indian Railways. o All the installations are new. o Including the stations, and that’s why the names of a majority of its stations are prefixed with ‘New’, such as New Bhaupur, New Khurja etc. Significance of DFC:  Decongest: It will help decongest the main line of Indian Railways. It means more passenger trains can be pumped in and those trains can, in turn, achieve better punctuality.  Foodgrain and Fertilisers: Food grain and fertilisers from the northern region are transported to the eastern and Northeast regions. o From East and Northeast, coal, iron ore, jute and petroleum products are transported North and West.  Environment Friendly: In addition to all the above advantages, these routes will also divert lot of traffic from road to rail, thereby providing enormous savings in fuel costs to the economy and reducing pollution.  Revenue Generation: They will open new avenues for investment, as this will lead to the construction of industrial corridors and logistic parks along these routes.  Maximize Speeds: These lines are also being built to maximize speeds to 100 km an hour, up from the current average freight speed of 20 km an hour.  Pan-India Market: DFC will link the areas which are agriculture hubs producing potato, paddy and maize. “The agricultural produce will get a pan-India market because of cheaper and faster DFC connectivity.” o It will open a common user terminal aimed at local farmers in sending their produce to the larger markets.

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Issues:  Suboptimal Usage of Track Capacity: Indian Railways (IR) runs passenger and freight trains on the same track, this leads to suboptimal usage of track capacity.  Wastage of Capacity: As passenger and freight trains run at vastly different speeds, freight trains are stopped for allowing faster passenger trains to pass. o While a freight train waits for passenger train(s) to pass, the track remains unutilized, leading to wastage of capacity. Way forward:  Dedicated Passenger Corridors: Instead of new DFCs, the case for Dedicated Passenger Corridors (DPCs) could be considered. o It would create a separate carriageway for passenger traffic where high-speed trains could run, leaving the existing IR network free to run the freight and passenger services.  Strengthening of Tracks: Running of heavier trains on both DFCs, as planned, would also require strengthening of tracks from the DFC to the consumers’ locations.  Rationalization of Passenger Trains: Unless passenger tariff is rationalized, adding more DFCs and running more passenger services would only lead to the losses going up further. 1.29 Cafe Economics: Fiscal Policy Must Play A Bigger Role To Keep Our Economy Going

Context:  Though India is embarking on a gradual economic recovery following the destruction of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is far from resolving the country's problems. The troubling rise in bad debts is one major challenge facing the world.  The is slowly recovering after being hard hit by the global slowdown due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Individuals around the nation have rejuvenated the signs of recovery that occur in the middle of the festival season and fall in COVID-19 instances.

Signs of recoveries: Goods and Services Tax (GST):  For the first time since the pandemic hit, goods and services tax (GST) collections in October reached the ~1 trillion mark.  It was more than thrice the low point of April.  The strong rise in integrated GST component—levied on interstate trade—suggests that national supply chains are recovering.  The sharp increase in the integrated component of the GST—imposed on inter-state trade—suggests that domestic supply chains are picking up. The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI):  The Purchasing Managers ' Index (PMI) came in at its highest level in 13 years in October.  This market survey is an example of what lies ahead. The intermediate goods component grew particularly strongly.  The monthly market inflation expectations survey conducted by economists at the Ahmedabad Indian Institute of Management shows a decline in inflation expectations and higher confidence in the normalisation of production.  For the month of October, the Manufacturing Purchasing Managers ' Index ( PMI) hit 58.9, the highest reading since May 2010.

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Labour Market  There are signs that India’s overall labour market is improving.  PMI data indicates that employment is still below February levels in large companies.  More than a fifth of the Indian labour force was unemployed in April and May.  A job market recovery is more likely to be led by informal than formal firms.  PMI data shows that employment in large enterprises is perhaps still below February levels.  Anecdotal evidence indicates that some areas of the urban economy also have labour shortages. A gradual decline in the growth of rural wages could spur individuals back to the cities. UPI (Unified Payments Interface) Transactions  In October, the number of UPI (Unified Payments Interface) transactions surpassed the mark of two billion, India's National Payments Corporation said.  The overall amount of UPI transactions rose from less than Rs 3.3 lakh crore in September to more than Rs 3.86 lakh crore in October.  The month 's revenue is 10 percent higher than the Rs 95,379 crore collected last year in the same month. Automobile industry:  After months of less than impressive results, the automotive industry is making a comeback as sales are showing impressive growth.  In October sales, Bajaj Auto registered an 11 percent leap, while Maruti Suzuki sales increased by 19 percent. Micro Data  All this positive data is backed by more micro data such as electricity production, mobility and car sales.  There are many qualifiers as well— o A low base, inventory restocking, o Pent-up demand, o Higher demand for goods rather than services, o A shift in buying from the informal to the formal sector.  There is reason to believe, despite these qualifiers, that the initial recovery is better than anyone had previously thought.  It is noteworthy that, without a significant push in fiscal spending, economic activity has recovered to around 85% of its pre-covid peaks. India and the world:  India is also one of the rare economies where, since the pandemic started, price pressures have risen.  Real interest rates continue to be negative.  The yield on the 10-year benchmark government bond was 1.4 percentage points below inflation in India in September.  This is similar to the situation in several major advanced economies, such as the US, UK , Japan, France and Spain.  On the other hand, China , Russia, South Korea, Indonesia , Mexico, Taiwan, Thailand and the Philippines have positive real interest rates in most major emerging markets. Fiscal policy and monetary policy:  The most recent fiscal estimates indicate that, amid persistently high inflation, monetary policy tends to do much of the heavy lifting.  So far, fiscal policy has largely focused on preserving the supply side of the economy, with credit guarantees, delivery of food and funding for basic income. YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 109 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

 A difficult question is the balance between fiscal policy and monetary policy, as well as the coordination between the two.  Much of today's practise of monetary policy was developed around the task of curbing aggregate demand in the 1970s to keep inflation under control. Strategy to recover the economy: Relaxing financial conditions:  There is an opportunity to turn from the low credit and money growth that characterised India's post-2011 growth slowdown to a credit-led recovery that also reduces financial sector stress as supply recovers while commodity prices remain constrained.  Financial conditions can be relaxed, particularly as adequate and over-tightening generated stress are important structural improvements.  A calibrated plan with multiple fiscal incentives, especially in the SMSE segment, may help restore greater trust in companies and investors. Reversal of the macro-financial tightening:  Actually, a calibrated reversal of the last decade's macro-financial tightening could also reduce financial risks and boost stability.  Help from the government and regulators will add balm to current as well as old wounds in a big external shock such as Covid-19, restore trust and help society come together once again. Seamless credit flows considering NPAs  As needed by all banks, the RBI should accept the Single One Time Window for restructuring business loans.  There is a high likelihood that, once the prevailing moratorium is lifted by the RBI, non-performing assets are likely to increase.  In order to facilitate credit flows, the government and RBI also urgently need to convince banks that their business decisions will not be challenged. Temporary, targeted measures  Transfers, credit insurance funds, interest rate incentives, liquidity and refinance facilities, extension and forbearance of loans, tax relief, deferrals and regulatory easing are policies implemented in many countries around the world. Covid-19 government bond:  The RBI can announce an OMO calendar and finance special Covid-19 government bonds if appropriate. These will eliminate pressure from the bond markets to ease interest rates, as it is apparent that they are for a well- defined reason only for a limited period.  Since widespread money growth has been low for some time, there is space to expand reserve cash, and a monetary expansion that finances a growth recovery will not be inflationary. Suggestions of Former PM Manmohan Singh: ‘Three steps’ to stem India’s economic crisis 1. First, the government should ensure people’s livelihoods are protected and they have spending power through a significant direct cash assistance. 2. Second, it should make adequate capital available for businesses through government-backed credit guarantee programmes. 3. Third, it should fix the financial sector through institutional autonomy and processes Conclusion:  Whether the same tools are as successful in pushing up aggregate demand is an open question, especially when there are major shocks, such as the one faced this year by the world economy.  That is why, in the event of the ongoing economic recovery running out of steam, fiscal policy would have to play a more significant role. YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 110 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

1.30 NCLAT underlines IBC terms: can’t accept offer if it comes late

Context: The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has ruled that the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) cannot accept a revised offer from a bidder who enters the fray late even if the offer is higher than that of other bidders that have adhered to the bidding timeline.

Background:  The issue of revised offers after the deadline for submission of bids has crossed has seen many prolonged legal battles, including o Case of Dewan Housing and Finance Limited (DHFL) and o Case of Binani Cement News in details:  Power to adjudicate: The judgment, delivered on January 11 has held that the only power the NCLT has is: o To adjudicate whether the bids that were placed in time and approved by the Committee of Creditors (CoC) of the corporate debtors stand the test of the rules of plan approval under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).  Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP): NCLAT said that When the application for approval of resolution plan is pending before the adjudicating authority, o At that time the adjudicating authority cannot entertain an application of a person who has not participated in CIRP (Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process) o Even when such person is ready to pay more amount in comparison to the successful resolution applicant.” Limiting role of the tribunal:  Maximisation of value of assets by IBC: While IBC provides for the idea of maximisation of value of assets of a corporate debtor, it says all bids must be in by deadline.  Limited role as Tester only: The NCLAT has limited the role of the tribunal to testing whether bids submitted within time stand the test of approval under the IBC. Different insolvency cases: 1. DHFL insolvency case:  Bidders such as the Adani Group, initially submitted a smaller bid with an intent to buy only the few units of the NBFC, later revised its stance, offering a total of Rs 30,000 crore, plus Rs 3000 crore in interest, for entire DHFL loan book.  Rival bidders such as the Piramal Group alleged that the Adani Group was late in submitting the bids.  The Adani Group said that its only intent was to o Provide an unconditional offer and o Potential value maximisation for all the stakeholders”. 2. Case of Binani Cement  NCLT had asked UltraTech Cements to revise its bid and extended the deadline for three days.  This, too, had not gone down well with other bidders such as the Dalmia Group, which had submitted their bids in time. 3. Case of Bindals Sponnge Industries insolvency:  During the insolvency process of Bindals Sponnge Industries, the NCLAT flayed the idea of bidders coming late under the pretext of maximisation of value of assets of a corporate debtor.

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NCLAT judgement:

NCLAT said that if this process was allowed, the NCLT would always have to direct the CoC to consider the plan which is the highest, even if it was not within the stipulated timeline.

“Once the resolution plan has been opened and fundamentals and financials of the plan and offer made therein were disclosed to all the participants including RP…

Then anyone can enhance its offer before the adjudicating authority in the guise of maximization of realisation.

Therefore, no further fresh bid or offer could have been accepted,” the NCLAT said in its judgment.

Difference Between NCLT and NCLAT  Though NCLT and NCLAT were established by the virtue of same Companies Act but there is some difference between them which is explained in the following table: NCLT NCLAT Established as per Section 408 of Companies Act, Established as per Section 410 of Companies Act, 2013. 2013. Original Jurisdiction. Appellate Jurisdiction Cases can come to NCLT directly. No case can come to NCLAT directly NCLAT has replaced the Competition Appellate Tribunal.

(“COMPAT”) NCLAT has two benches throughout India one at New NCLT has 16 benches throughout India. Delhi and another at Chennai. NATIONAL COMPANY LAW APPELLATE TRIBUNAL (NCLAT)  It is a Statutory and Quasi-Judicial body.  It was constituted under Section 410 of the Companies Act, 2013.  Appellate body: It hears appeals against

1. Orders of National Company Law Tribunal Under Section 61 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC).

2. Orders passed by Insolvency and Bankruptcy Under Section 202 and Section 211 of IBC, 2016. Board of India

3. Order passed by the Competition Commission of Under Section 410 of Companies Act, 2013 India (CCI).

 Appeal to SC: Any person aggrieved by any order of the NCLAT may file an appeal to the Supreme Court.  Composition: The President of the Tribunal and the chairperson and Judicial Members of the Appellate Tribunal shall be appointed after consultation with the Chief Justice of India.  Selection Committee: The Members of the Tribunal and the Technical Members of the Appellate Tribunal shall be appointed on the recommendation of a Selection Committee (5 Members) consisting of: 1. Chief Justice of India or his nominee—Chairperson. 2. A senior Judge of the Supreme Court or a Chief Justice of High Court— Member. 3. Secretary in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs—Member. 4. Secretary in the Ministry of Law and Justice—Member. 5. Secretary in the Department of Financial Services in the Ministry of Finance— Member.  Term: Term of office of chairperson and members is 5 years and  Reappointment: they can be reappointed for additional 5 years. YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 112 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

General Studies-III 2 Environment and Bio-diversity

2.1 A Leopard Count With a Missing Benchmark Number

Context: “India’s leopard population increases by 60% in 4 years” [since 2014] is what most newspapers highlighted in recent days. The highest concentration of the leopard in India is estimated to be in  Madhya Pradesh (3,421) followed by  Karnataka (1,783) and  Maharashtra (1,690).

Background:  Unlike the fanfare and debates that would have rolled out with tiger numbers, there was hardly any discourse about this species.  However, to get a population estimate of an elusive carnivore at the geographical scale of 21 States in India is tricky and requires colossal effort.  Assessing numbers of cats in select sites and monitoring areas they occupy over swathes will ensure a better overview. What is needed?  Goal of species conservation: is to protect and increase the population of the species of interest.  Scientific monitoring: of their current numbers, and an increase or a decrease in numbers over the years will determine whether the conservation efforts undertaken to preserve the species are bearing fruit. o To achieve this, a solid, authentic benchmark is very essential and critical.  Actual Status: Report ‘Status of leopards in India, 2018 distinctly mentions that the figure 12,852 leopards is the ‘minimum number’. This may be an underestimate by at least 40%. India may have over 20,000 leopards.  By-product of tiger estimate: This study focused mostly on forested habitats where tigers are found, as it was a by-product of the all-India tiger estimate. o Hence other leopard habitats such as rocky outcrops, smaller dry forests, higher elevation habitats in the Himalayas, agricultural landscapes (coffee, tea, arecanut, sugarcane plantations) where leopards are known to be found in good numbers were not a part of this exercise. o Much of was excluded from the study. o Hence it does not represent a true pan-India leopard population.  Resources and time: It requires enormous resources and time to carry out a study on the scale of a large nation such as ours. Misleading picture:  The claim that “leopard numbers increased by 60%” also needs to be closely looked into.  2014: The study estimated a minimum leopard population of 7,910 individuals from 18 different States covering a study area of 92,164 square kilometres.  2018: The study was expanded to 21 States with a study area of 121,337 square kilometres (increase by 25%). Even the number of camera trap locations has increased by nearly threefold (9,735 to 26,838 camera trapping locations).  So, comparing results from 2014 with 2018, and hailing it as a 60% increase is quite misleading. o It simply means that we covered more area and put in more camera traps to count leopards, which resulted in higher leopard numbers.

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The main threats to leopards:  In general, habitat loss due to: o Mining and quarrying, o Poaching for body parts, o Mortality due to vehicular collisions, o Retaliatory killing due to human-leopard conflict and o Accidental deaths due to snares set for catching wild prey all seem to be impacting the conservation of this rosette-patterned cat.

INDIAN LEOPARD:  The Indian leopard is one of the big cats occurring on the , apart from the o Asiatic lion, o Bengal tiger, o Snow leopard and o Clouded leopard.  Scientific Name: Panthera pardus.  Status: o Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA), 1972. o Appendix I of CITES. o IUCN Status: Vulnerable  Habitat: In India, the leopard is found in all forest types, from tropical rainforests to temperate deciduous and alpine coniferous forests. It is also found in dry scrubs and grasslands.  Exception: Desert and the mangroves of .

2.2 Dzukou Valley wildfire doused

Context: The two-week long forest fire in Dzukou valley on -Manipur border has been doused and no fresh fire or smoke was visible on Monday, the Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA) said.

Dzukou Valley Wildfire:  The wildfire broke out in the Dzukou Valley under Kohima district in southern Nagaland on December 29 and crossed over to the northern Manipur side, forcing both the state governments to request the NDRF and the army to help contain the wildfire.  According to the officials, the inferno has destroyed much of the forest areas, seasonal flowers, flora and fauna and harmed the rich biodiversity of the valley, which is also a famous trekking site.  NSDMA said it will assess the damage caused to the forest, environment and other flora and fauna in Dzukou valley.  The Manipur government will also conduct similar exercise at their end of the Dzukou range.  Forces involved: The , the NDRF and other central forces who were involved in the operations to douse the fire.

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ABOUT DZUKOU VALLEY:  Dzukou valley is also a sanctuary for the endangered Blyth's tragopan - Nagaland's state bird - and other species of birds and animals.  Rare Dzükou Lily is found only in this valley.  This valley is ‘Valley of flowers’ of the Nagaland State.  The Asian Highway 1 and also the NH-2 passes through its foothills.  Often caught in a boundary dispute between Manipur and Nagaland, it has been prone to wildfires.

2.3 Tirthan sanctuary, Great Himalayan National Park best performers among protected areas

Context:  India has a network of 903 Protected Areas covering about 5 per cent of its total geographic area of the country.  According to the survey, Tirthan Wildlife Sanctuary and Great Himalayan National Park in Himachal Pradesh have performed the best among the surveyed protected areas.

News in details:  Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar on Monday released Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of 146 national parks and wildlife sanctuaries in the country.  Minister Prakash Javadekar also announced that this year onwards, 1. 10 best National Parks, 2. Five coastal and marine parks and 3. Top five zoos In the country will be ranked and awarded every year.  Worst performer: The Turtle Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh was the worst performer in the survey.  Best Performers: Tirthan sanctuary, Great Himalayan National Park best performers among protected areas  India’s thriving biodiversity: In India is a certificate of India’s thriving biodiversity as these o 70% of the global tiger population big cats sit at the top of food chain and their growing numbers o 70% of Asiatic lions shows the well-being of the whole ecosystem.

o 60% of leopard population  Four categories of Protected Areas: India has systematically designated its Protected Areas in four legal categories under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. 1. National Parks, 2. Wildlife Sanctuaries, 3. Conservation Reserves and 4. Community Reserves  903 formally designated Protected Areas: Under this Act, India has 903 formally designated Protected Areas with a total coverage 1,65,012.6 square km. Among these are YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 115 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

o 101 National Parks, o 553 Wildlife Sanctuaries, o 86 Conservation Reserves and o 163 Community Reserves.  For the survey, 146 National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries across 29 states and Union territories were evaluated. Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE):  It has emerged as a key tool that is increasingly being used by governments and international bodies to understand strengths and weaknesses of the protected area management systems.  It is the assessment of how well protected areas such as national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, conservation reserves, community reserves and tiger reserves are being managed and their effectiveness in conserving target flora and fauna.  The results of present assessment are encouraging with overall mean MEE score of 62.01% which is higher than the global mean of 56%.  With this round of evaluation, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) successfully completed one full cycle of evaluating all terrestrial National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries of the country from 2006 to 2019.

TIRTHAN WILDLIFE SANCTUARY:

 Tirthan wildlife sanctuary is one of the most magnificent sanctuaries in Himachal Pradesh. o The Great Himalayan National Park adjoins the Tirthan wildlife sanctuary on the southern side. o It has one of the largest remaining populations of Himalayan Tahr. o Fauna: Jungle Cat, Brown Bear, Himalayan Brown Bear, Barking Deer, Snow Leopard, Himalayan Rhesus, Weasel etc. o Flora: Moist Deodar, Ban Oak, Alpine, mixed Conifer tress etc.

GREAT HIMALAYAN NATIONAL PARK:  The Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) is located in the Kullu District of Himachal Pradesh.

 GHNP was formally declared a National Park in 1999, scattering area of 754.4 sq kms.  hey are protected under the strict guidelines of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972; hence any sort of hunting is not permitted.  2014- UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

 Fauna: blue sheep, snow leopard, Himalayan brown bear, Himalayan tahr, and musk deer.

 Flora:

 Rivers: Tirthan, Sainj, Jiwa Nal, and . (all get water from glaciers)

 Sanctuaries near the park: Sainj, Tirthan

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2.4 Govt notifies modified scheme to produce 1G ethanol

Context:  The government on Thursday notified the modified scheme for extending financial assistance for producing “1st generation” (1G) ethanol from feed stocks such as o Cereals (rice, wheat, barley, corn and sorghum), o Sugarcane and o Sugar beet

News in details:  Interest Subvention: Under the scheme, the Centre will provide interest subvention to encourage the funding in this sector.  Investment: According to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, the scheme will attract an investment of about Rs 40,000 crore.  20% blending Target by 2025: To achieve 20% blending by 2025 as well as to meet out the requirement of ethanol production capacity in the country, the Department of Food & Public Distribution has modified earlier scheme.  Financial Assistance: It Extends financial assistance to project proponents for o Enhancement of their ethanol distillation capacity or o To set up distilleries for producing 1g ethanol from feed stocks or o Converting molasses-based distilleries to dual feedstock.  Ethanol from Maize and Rice: To increase production of fuel grade ethanol, Govt. is also encouraging distilleries to produce ethanol from maize; & rice available with Food Corporation of India.  Applicability: Sugar mills/ distilleries/entrepreneurs required to submit an application within 30 days from the date of notification of the scheme to Food Department Advantage of ethanol production:  Diversion of excess sugar to ethanol  Encourage farmers to diversify their crops to cultivate particularly maize/corn which needs lesser water compared to sugarcane and rice.  Enhance production of ethanol from various feed stocks  Facilitate in achieving blending targets of ethanol with petrol and  Reduce import dependency on crude oil, thereby,  Realizing the goal of Atmanirbhar Bharat.  Enhance income of farmers as setting up of new distilleries would not only increase demand of their crops but would assure farmers of getting better price for their crops.  Problem of excess sugar: To produce 700 crore liters of ethanol by sugar industry, about 60 Lakh Metric Tonne (LMT) of surplus sugar would be diverted to ethanol which would solve the YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 117 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

o Problem of excess sugar, o Relieve sugar industry from the problem of storage of surplus sugar, & o Improve the revenue realization of sugar mills which will facilitate them in o Making timely payment of cane dues of sugarcane farmers Government target:  The Government approved the National Policy on Biofuels-2018 in June 2018. The policy has the objective of reaching 20% ethanol-blending and 5% biodiesel-blending by the year 2030.  Earlier Target: o 10 % blending of fuel grade ethanol with petrol by 2022 & o 20 % blending by 2030.  Latest Target: o Prepone the 20% blending of ethanol with petrol by 2025.  Biofuels may be solid, liquid or gaseous in nature. o Solid: Wood, dried plant material, and manure o Liquid: Bioethanol and Biodiesel o Gaseous: Biogas  Requirement of chemical & other sectors: According to the ministry, to achieve 20 per cent blending by 2025 and to meet the requirement of chemical & other sectors, about 1,200 crore liters of alcohol / ethanol would be required.  Out of a total requirement of 1,200 crore litres: o 700 crore litres is required to be supplied by sugar industry & o 500 crore liters need to be supplied by grain based distilleries 2.5 2020 among the three warmest years recorded on Earth: WMO

CONTEXT:  According to a statement released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), 2020 is among the three warmest years ever recorded on Earth.  In December, the global organisation had declared 2011-2020 as the warmest ever decade, with the warming trend noticed with each passing decade since the 1980s.

News in details:  Average global temperature: Last year, the average global temperature recorded was 14.9 degrees Celsius, which was 1.2 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial level (1850-1900).  Warmest ever year: The warmest ever years recorded are 2016, 2019 and 2020, the WMO stated.  Warmest Year in India: In India, too, 2020 remained the eighth warmest year recorded since 1901, when the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had started maintaining temperature records. o The annual mean land surface air temperature over India last year was 0.29 degree Celsius.  Prevalence of the La Nina: This is a unique development, meteorologists said, as the year reported the prevalence of the La Nina weather pattern. o La Nina: This is an oceanic phenomenon when cooler than normal sea surface temperatures are recorded along the central and equatorial regions of the Pacific Ocean, which in turn affects global average temperatures. o The current cycle of La Nina is expected to continue till mid-2021. o The exceptional heat of 2020 is despite a La Nina event, which is a temporary cooling effect.

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Paris Climate Agreement:  Global average temperatures need to be controlled well below two degrees Celsius of the pre-industrial era.  However, with the growing evidence, the latest incidence being in 2020, the task before all the countries remains an exceptionally humongous one.  The presence of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is one of the major reasons for global warming.  According to the WMO’s Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update, there is a one-in-five chance that by 2024, this temperature will exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius. 2.6 Campaign ‘SAKSHAM’ to spread awareness about ‘Green and Clean Energy’

Context: With a view to create awareness among the consumers of fossil fuels, Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA), Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gastoday launched a month long campaign,highlighting the adverse health and environmental impacts of increasing carbon footprints.

SAKSHAM’s idea is to convince consumers to  Switch to cleaner fuels and  Bring in behavioral change to use fossil fuel intelligently. News in details:  The campaign will spread awareness among masses about the advantages of using clean fuels through various pan-India activities such as o Cyclothon, o Farmer workshops, o Seminars, o Painting competition, o CNG vehicle driving contest, etc  This year’s campaign not only focuses on conserving fossil fuels but also on promoting green energy.  All the energy companies are now part of the transition to fuels which are clean and leave very less carbon footprint.  Last year's edition of SAKSHAM saw over 1.48 crore school children participating in PCRA's flagship National Competitions.  PCRA has been at the forefront of promoting energy efficiency and conservation in various sectors and have been working towards sensitizing citizens about the need to adopt cleaner and greener forms of energy.  The campaign will also spread awareness about 7 key drivers that Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently mentioned, saying that collectively these would help India move towards cleaner energy.  7 key drivers: The key drivers include 1. moving towards a gas-based economy, 2. cleaner use of fossil fuels, 3. greater reliance on domestic sources to drive bio-fuels, 4. achieving renewable targets with the set deadlines, 5. increased use of electric vehicles to decarbonize mobility, 6. increased use of cleaner fuels like Hydrogen, and 7. digital innovation across all energy systems

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 Benefits of Such initiatives: Saksham like initiatives help in reducing fuel consumption and adoption of energy efficiency measures which lead to better lives of the people, healthy environment, sustainability and development of the country.

Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA): Established: In 1978 Ministry: It is a registered society set up under the aegis of Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Government of India. As a non-profit organization, It is engaged in promoting energy efficiency in various sectors of economy. PCRA aims at making oil conservation a national movement. Think Tank: It functions as a Think Tank to the Govt. of India for proposing policies and strategies on petroleum conservation and environment protection aimed at reducing excessive dependence on oil. Sponsors R&D: It sponsors R&D activities for the development of fuel-efficient equipment.

2.7 Great Rann of Kutch-60k lesser flamingo chicks emerge from new nesting ground

Context: After the Little Rann of Kutch (LRK), lesser flamingos have found a new exclusive nesting ground in Kuda stretch of the Great Rann of Kutch (GRK) from where around 60,000 chicks have emerged this season.

News in details:  New Breeding Ground: Between August and September 2020, around 1,00,000 nests were found by forest officials and experts during their visits to the Kuda area in GRK in eastern Kutch. o The breeding attempt by the birds in this new area has been successful for the second consecutive year.  Lesser flamingos and greater flamingos: It is a known nesting site of lesser flamingos o While Anda Bet, also known as the Flamingo City in GRK, has been an exclusive nesting site of greater flamingos.  Mixed nesting: GRK also has some grounds where mixed nesting of greater flamingos as well as lesser flamingos takes place.  This year as out of the estimated 1,00,000 nests, only around 2,000 to 3,000 were of greater flamingos. The rest were of lesser flamingos. This is a marked difference from the previous years. o More number of lesser flamingos preferring new site for nesting and the number of nests of greater flamingos going down.  Anda Bet: It has been there for decades as an established nesting site of greater flamingos. But recently, we have been observing lots of lesser flamingos nesting in Kuda.  Largest nesting grounds of flamingos in Asia: The GRK and LRK are believed to be the largest nesting grounds of flamingos in Asia.  Breeding Conditions: Flamingos breed only when ideal conditions such as water levels in the rann, availability of food etc prevail in and around their nesting colonies.  Sensitive Flamingo: Flamingos are very sensitive and abandon their eggs if their nest is disturbed. o Some eggs also get washed away due to flooding in the desert.  Time for Hatching Eggs: It takes around four weeks for the eggs to hatch. Once a hatchling emerges from the egg, one parent leaves for foraging while the other stays behind, caring for the young one. Chicks of an entire colony go forag.

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GREATER FLAMINGO:  It is the largest species of flamingo.  Distribution: It is distributed from Africa and southern Europe through West Asia to South Asia.  Migration: During the colder times of the year, many of the Great Flamingos in Asia migrate to warmer climates.  Protection: o IUCN: ‘Least Concern’ o CMS Appendix II o CITES Appendix II Habitat: Saline lagoons, saltpans and large saline or alkaline lakes

GREAT RANN OF KUTCH:  It is a salt marsh in the in the Kutch District of Gujarat.  Ramsar Wetland: It was designated as Ramsar Wetland in 2002.  The Rann of Kachchh comprises a unique example of Holocene sedimentation.  Divided into two parts namely the Great Rann and Little Rann.  The Wild Ass Wildlife Sanctuary: It is situated in the Indian state of Gujarat, is the largest wildlife sanctuary in the country.

2.8 Exposure to PM 2.5 Raises Anaemia Risk In Kids Under 5: Iit-Delhi Study

Context: A study conducted by IIT-Delhi has found that extended periods of exposure to PM 2.5 can lead to anaemia among children under the age of 5 years.

Report details: India Carries Largest Burden of  The study, titled ‘The Association Between Ambient PM 2.5 Anaemia Exposure and Anaemia Outcomes Among Children Under Five  Anaemia, measured via low-blood Years of Age in India’, published in the journal Environmental haemoglobin concentration, is Epidemiology, has found that characterised by a decreased o For every 10 micrograms per meter cube increase in PM2.5 oxygen-carrying capacity of the levels exposure, there is a decrease of 0.07 grams per dL in blood. average haemoglobin levels.  Globally, India carries the largest burden of anaemia, especially o It means increase in PM 2.5 exposure leads to decrease in among women and children. haemoglobin.  There are numerous types of  First study in India: This is the first study where an association anaemia -- the most common kinds between exposure to PM 2.5 and anaemia in children under the are dietary iron deficiency, followed age of 5 years in India has been examined and established. by chronic systemic inflammation.  Importance of Study: So far anaemia has been looked at through Exposure to air pollution, especially the prism of nutrition deficiency, specifically that of iron. PM 2.5, has been shown to induce systemic inflammation. Concerns: But even if government programmes like Poshan Abhiyan were strengthened, till air pollution is curtailed or exposure of children to PM 2.5 is brought down, anaemia is likely to continue to persist.”

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 India National Family and Health Survey 2015–2016 (NFHS-4): o 53.1 % women in India with 15–49 years of age and o 58.5 % of children under five were anaemic.  Fewer Studies: Studies linking anaemia to PM2.5 have been few and those that have been carried out have been mostly in the US, Europe and China. Effect of government schemes:  National Iron Plus Initiative: The introduction in 2011 sought to expand the beneficiaries of the National Nutritional Anaemia Prophylaxis Program to children with 6–59 months of age and although anaemia decreased by about 11 per cent between 2006 and 2016, it remains a major issue.  “We are waiting for the full results to see if there is a correlation between a decrease in pollution and anaemia as well and what effects national nutrition programmes and the National Clean Air programme has had on anaemia and the health of children.” 2.9 Conservationist joins SC panel on elephant corridor case

CONTEXT:  The Supreme Court appointed conservationist Nandita Hazarika as Member of a Technical Committee constituted.  To hear complaints by land owners against “arbitrary variance in acreage of the elephant corridor” in the elephant corridor.

News in details:  Death of Committee member: The order came after a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde was informed of the death of one of the committee members, Ajay Desai.  Notification of ‘elephant corridor’: On October 14, the top court upheld the Tamil Nadu government’s authority o To notify an ‘elephant corridor’ and o Protect the migratory path of the animals o Through the Nilgiri biosphere reserve.  To protect a “keystone species:” CJI Bobde had said it was the State’s duty to protect a “keystone species” such as elephants, immensely important to the environment.  Appeal by: The Supreme Court judgment was based on 32 appeals filed by resorts/private land owners, including actor Mithun Chakraborty, against a Madras High Court decision of July 2011. o The High Court had confirmed a State government order of August 2010, notifying the corridor.  Three-member Technical Committee: Of National Elephant 2 Action Plan also includes former Madras High Court judge, Justice K. Venkatraman; and Praveen Bhargava, trustee of Wildlife First.

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NILGIRI BIOSPHERE RESERVE:  It is the largest protected forest area in India, spanning across 1. Tamil Nadu (2537.6 sq. km) 2. Karnataka (1455.4 sq. km) 3. Kerala (1527.4 sq. km)  Established: In the year 1986  It includes 2 of the 10 biogeographical provinces of India.  Sigur plateau: The corridor is situated in the ecologically fragile Sigur plateau, which connects o Western Ghats and o Eastern Ghats  It has the Nilgiri Hills on its southwestern side and the Moyar River Valley on its north-eastern side. The elephants cross the plateau in search of food and water.  The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve falls under the biogeographic region of the Malabar rain forest.  Other reserve area under Nilgiri Biosphere reserve: 1. The Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, 2. Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary 3. Bandipur National Park, 4. Nagarhole National Park, 5. Mukurthi National Park, and 6. Silent Valley National Park  Tribal groups: Todas, Kotas, Irulas, Kurumbas, Paniyas, Adiyans, Edanadan Chettis, Cholanaickens, Allar, Malayan

General Studies-III 3 Science & Technology

3.1 FSSAI slashes limit for trans fat levels in foods

Context:  The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has capped the amount of trans fatty acids (TFA) in oils and fats to o 3% for 2021 and o 2% by 2022  From the current permissible limit of 5% through an amendment to the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulations.

Background:  It was in 2011 that India first passed a regulation that set a TFA limit of 10% in oils and fats, which was further reduced to 5% in 2015.  ”While the regulation comes into effect immediately, industry players were made to take a pledge back in 2018 that they would comply with WHO’s call for action to reduce TFA by 3% by 2021 allowing them three years to comply with the latest regulation.

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News in detail:  The revised regulation applies to o Edible refined oils, o Vanaspati (partially hydrogenated oils), o Margarine, o Bakery shortenings, and o Other mediums of cooking such as o Vegetable fat spreads and o Mixed fat spreads.  Global elimination: The WHO has also called for global elimination of trans fats by 2023. Why to limit % of Trans fat:  Global Death: As per the World Health Organisation, approximately 5.4 lakh deaths take place each year globally because of intake of trans fatty acids.  Heart Attacks: Trans fats are associated with increased risk of heart attacks and death from coronary heart disease.  Non-communicable diseases: The FSSAI rule comes at the time of a pandemic where the burden of non- communicable diseases has risen. o Cardiovascular diseases along with diabetes are proving fatal for COVID-19 patients. Way Forward:  Regulation must not be restricted to oils and fats, but must apply to all foods.  “Hopefully, FSSAI will address this as well before January 2022 to eliminate chemical trans fatty acids from the Indian platter.

WHAT ARE TRANS FATS?  Trans fats are a form of unsaturated fat associated with a number of negative health effects.  Artificial trans fat is created during hydrogenation, which converts liquid vegetable oils into semi-solid partially hydrogenated oil.  Trans fat can also be found naturally in meat and dairy.  These fats are largely produced artificially but a small amount also occurs naturally.  Thus in our diet, these may be present as Artificial TFAs and/ or Natural TFAs.  Artificial TFAs are formed when hydrogen is made to react with the oil to produce fats resembling pure ghee/butter.

FOOD SAFETY AND STANDARDS AUTHORITY OF INDIA (FSSAI)  It is an autonomous statutory body established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (FSS Act).  Administrative Ministry: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, GOI  HQ: Delhi  Establishment Year: 2011 Composition:  Chairman – Appointed by the Central Government  22 other members, of which one-third must be women Functions of FSSAI: YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 124 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

 Setting Rules and Guidelines  Granting License  Test the Standard of Food  Regular Audits  Spreading Food Safety Awareness  Maintain Records and Data

3.2 Centre issues bird flu alert after H5N1 virus found in samples from Himachal

Context:  With thousands of birds dying in five states across the country and confirmation of the H5N1 avian influenza virus in samples from migratory birds found dead in the Pong Dam Lake in Himachal Pradesh.  Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change issued a high alert, and asked all Chief Secretaries to take “urgent measures” considering o The seriousness of the situation and o The “possibility of spread of the disease to humans and other domesticated animals/birds”.

Background: The migratory waterfowl, mostly Bar-Headed Geese, found dead in the lake area rose to 2,700 on Tuesday. News in details:  ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal detected avian flu in samples from a large number of migratory birds found dead in the Pong Dam Lake in Himachal Pradesh.  Meanwhile, culling of chickens and ducks began on Tuesday in parts of Kerala to contain the H5N8 strain of bird flu.  Jammu and Kashmir sounded an alert and started collecting samples from migratory species after Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh reported cases of the avian influenza.  The avian influenza spreads rapidly, there could be a likelihood of humans getting affected.

BIRD FLU:  Disease type: Bird flu is a highly infectious and severe respiratory disease in birds.  Virus: It is caused by the virus  Human infection: It can occasionally infect humans as well, although human-to-human transmission is unusual, according to the World Health Organisation.  No transmission through cooking: Through food prepared and cooked properly as the virus is sensitive to heat, and dies in cooking temperatures.  Types: Influenza viruses are grouped into three types; A, B, and C. Only type A is known to infect animals and is zoonotic. meaning it can infect animals and also humans. Type B and C mostly infect humans and typically

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cause mild disease.  Sub type: Include A(H5N1), A(H7N9), and A(H9N2).  Classification: Into subtypes based on two surface proteins, o Hemagglutinin (HA) and o Neuraminidase (NA)  In 2019, India was declared free from Avian Influenza (H5N1), which had also been notified to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

BAR-HEADED GEESE:  Found in: In central China and Mongolia  Migration: To the Indian sub-continent during the winter  Scientific Name: Anser Indicus  Characteristics: o Fly even at very high altitude by crossing the Himalayan ranges. o Ability to sustain the high oxygen demands of flight o Transport and consume oxygen at high rates in hypoxia distinguishes this species from similar lowland waterfowl o Hypoxia: It is a condition of the body in which the tissues are starved of oxygen. o IUCN status: Least Concern.

3.3 Advanced Biodigester Mk-II Technology

Context:  DRDO inks MoU with MAHA-METRO for implementation of Advanced Biodigester Mk-II Technology in Metro Rail Network.  DRDO will render technical support for the implementation of its advanced biodigester Mk-II technology for the treatment of human waste (night soil) in the metro rail network.

News in details:  DRDO will install its eco-friendly bio-digester units across the facilities operated by Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation (MAHA–METRO).  Experts see this project will prove to be helpful in conserving water and protecting the environment.  Biodigesters in Indian Railways: Notably, Indian Railways has already installed about 2.40 lakh biodigesters in its fleet of passenger coaches. o Now for MAHA-METRO, the technology has been revamped and further improved in a bid to save the water and space.  MK-II Biodigester for houseboats in Dal Lake: A customized version of this MK-II Biodigester, suitable for treating human waste generated from houseboats in Dal Lake was successfully demonstrated by the DRDO to J&K Administration. o J& has initiated the process to procure 100 units of Mk-II Biodigesters for civil habitats around the Dal Lake so as to minimize water pollution.  This technology was primarily developed for the armed forces in high altitude Himalayan regions, including Leh- Ladakh and Siachen glacier.

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Upgraded Technology:  This technology is upgraded through improvements in o Bio-degradation efficiency, o Design modification and o Addition of secondary treatment module.  The new reactor is designed to provide more path length with increased biological reaction time, thereby enhancing the biodegradation efficiency of the system.

BIO-DIGESTER:  Bio-digester is an indigenous, green, cost-effective and non-sewered sanitation technology. o The biodigester technology degrades and converts human waste into usable water and gases. o The generated gas is used for cooking and water for irrigation purposes. This is done in an eco-friendly manner. o The biodigester technology involves bacteria that feed upon fecal matter. o The bacteria through anaerobic process will degrade the fecal matter. During the process water and methane gas are released. o It has already been installed in 2.40 lakh passenger coaches of Indian Railways. o It has been revamped now, and further improved for MAHA-METRO, to save the water and space. 3.4 What is 5G and how prepared is India to adapt to this tech?

Context: The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has sought inputs from Telcos and other industry experts on the sale and use of radio frequency spectrum over the next 10 years, including the 5G bands.

5G technology:  5G or fifth generation is the latest upgrade in the long-term evolution (LTE) mobile broadband networks.  5G mainly works in 3 bands all of which have their own uses as well as limitations: 1. Low band, 2. Mid band and 3. High frequency spectrum —

Low band spectrum  Great promise in terms of coverage and speed of internet and data exchange  Limitation: Maximum speed is limited to 100 Mbps (Megabits per second).  Hence useful for Mass use/Commercial use  Not optimal for: Specialised needs of the industry if needed very high speed Mid band spectrum  Offers higher speeds compared than Low band  Limitations: In terms of coverage area and penetration of signals.  Optimal for: Specialised needs of the industry if needed very high speed, for building captive networks High frequency  Offers the highest speed of all the three bands spectrum  Limitations: Extremely limited coverage and signal penetration strength  Tested: Speed as high as 20 Gbps while in 4G: Maximum speed is 1Gbps

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India in 5G technology race:  2018: India had, in 2018, On par with the global players, planned to start 5G services as soon as possible, with an aim to capitalise on better network speeds and strength that the technology promised.  Demand of Clear Policy by Telecos: All the three private telecom players, Reliance Jio Infocomm, Bharti Airtel and Vi, have been urging the DoT to lay out a clear road map of spectrum allocation and 5G frequency bands.  Big hurdle: One big hurdle, however, is the lack of flow of cash and adequate capital with at least two of the three players, namely Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea.  Indigenously Built 5g Network: Reliance Jio plans to launch an indigenously built 5G network for the country as early as the second half of this year. o The company is said to have a complete end-to-end 5G solution prepared by the company itself that is ready for deployment once the networks are in place.

Evolution from First Generation to Fifth Generation:

1G-1980s: Analog radio signals + Only voice calls.

2G-1990s Digital radio signals + voice calls + Data transmission of 64 Kbps.

3G-2000s Telephone signal including digitised + Voice call + video calls + and conferencing + Data transmission with speed of 1 Mbps to 2 Mbps

4G-2009 All 3G Features + Speed: 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps + Enables 3D virtual reality Global progress on 5G:  Global telecom companies: More than governments, global telecom companies have started building 5G networks and rolling it out to their customers on a trial basis.  USA: Companies such as AT&T, T-mobile, and Verizon o Trials from 2018 o 5G ultra-wide broadband services to as many as 60 cities by the end of 2020.  China: o China Unicom had started 5G trials as early as 2018, o Rolled out the commercial services for users.  South Korea: Samsung, started researching on 5G technology way back in 2011, o Lead in building the hardware for 5G networks for several companies. 5G 4G 5G uses utilises much higher radio frequencies of 28 4G uses lower reading frequencies of 700 mhz to 2500 ghz. mhz. 5G transfer more data over the air at faster speeds. 4G speed is lesser with less data transfer. 5G has lower latency i.e the delay before a transfer 4G has higher latency as compared to 5G. Latency for 4G is of data begins following an instruction. Latency for around 20-30 milliseconds. 5G is predicted to be below 10 milliseconds, and in best cases around 1 millisecond. 5G uses millimetre wave spectrum which enables 4G support lesser number of devices of about 4,000 more devices to be used within the same geographic devices per square kilometre. area supporting around one million per square kilometre. 5G uses a new digital technology that improve 4G has led to more congestion and lesser coverage as coverage, speed and capacity. compared to 5G.

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EDITORIAL

3.5 Electronic waste-management in India

Context:  India is the fifth biggest producer of e-waste in the world; discarding 1.7 million tonnes (Mt) of electronic and electrical equipment in 2014, a UN report have warned that the volume of global e-waste is likely to rise by 21 per cent in next three years  The NGT bench while hearing applications on unscientific disposal of e-waste on January 15 said in a recent order that HUGE GAPS in compliance of electronic waste-management rules show authorities’ lack of concern for health of the citizens.

Concerns In Electronic Waste-Management 1. Environmental crimes as assaults: Environmental crimes are as serious, if not more, as cases of assaults but there is no adequate action. o Unfortunately, it appears that violation of environmental law is not the priority for the Government. o Such neglect can prove very costly. 2. Clear governance deficit: Stating there was a clear governance deficit on the subject, the principal bench of the NGT headed by chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel ordered that scientific disposal of e-waste should be ensured as per rules. o The direction was issued to central and all state pollution control boards. 3. Poor labour class for petty benefit: “For petty benefit of retrieving metals etc, the poor labour class is engaged in burning electronic wires or other waste to the detriment of their own and others health. E-waste management in India: 1. 95 % of e-waste in India is recycled by the informal sector and scrap dealers unscientifically dispose it by burning or dissolving it in acids. 2. E-waste generation: Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)- India generated more than 10 lakh tonnes of e-waste in 2019-20, an increase from 7 lakh tonnes in 2017-18. 3. E-waste dismantling capacity: Against this, the e-waste dismantling capacity has not been increased from 7.82 lakh tonnes since 2017-18. Way forward: 1. Constant vigilance is required. Liability of manufacturers is not being enforced.” 2. Scientific enforcement of EWMR: “NGT directed that further steps be now taken for scientific enforcement of E-Waste Management Rules, 2016 (EWMR) in the light of the reports of the CPCB. 3. Gaps in collection targets:

Gaps in E-waste collection targets:

Year Target Collected

2017-18 35,000 tonnes 25,000 tonnes

2018-19 1.54 lakh tonnes 78,000 tonnes 4. Allocation of proper space: States must ensure allocation of proper space to existing and upcoming industrial units for e-waste dismantling and recycling.

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5. Identify the hotspot: “Illegal recycling and processing of e-waste is concentrated in a few hotspots in the state. o Seelampur in New Delhi is a hub. o Loni, Baghpat and Moradabad in UP are the hotspots. o Step up enforcement of e-waste management rules in these hotspots.

E-Waste Management Rules, 2016 (EWMR):  The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change notified the E-Waste Management Rules, 2016 on 23 March 2016 in supersession of the e-waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 2011.  Includes: Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) and other mercury containing lamps  Extended Producer Responsibility: For the first time, the rules brought the producers under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), along with targets.  Deposit Refund Scheme: Deposit Refund Scheme has been introduced as an additional economic instrument wherein the producer charges an additional amount as a deposit at the time of sale of the electrical and electronic equipment and returns it to the consumer along with interest when the end - of - life electrical and electronic equipment is returned.  The role of State Governments has been also introduced to ensure safety, health and skill development of the workers involved in dismantling and recycling operations.  A provision of penalty for violation of rules has also been introduced.  Urban Local Bodies (Municipal Committee/Council/Corporation) has been assigned the duty to collect and channelize the orphan products to authorized dismantler or recycler. 3.6 New draft science policy-Emphasising self-reliance in science First science policy:  In 1958, under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru, for the first time in the history of independent India, Parliament passed a resolution on science policy.  The resolution stated: “Science... has provided new tools of thought and has extended man’s mental horizon. It has thus influenced even the basic values of life, and given to civilization a new vitality and a new dynamism.”  Aim: o Encourage individual initiative for the acquisition and o Dissemination of knowledge, and o For the discovery of new knowledge, o In an atmosphere of academic freedom.”  This resolution proved to be a springboard for the development of the country’s scientific infrastructure. Features of the 2020 draft policy:  5th Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy: India’s Department of Science and Technology recently released a draft of the fifth Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy. o It presents the objectives and goals of our new science policy. o The public is expected to provide feedback on this document before it gets finalised.  Technological self-reliance & scientific superpowers: The new policy envisages technological self-reliance and aims to position India among the top three scientific superpowers. o Though the names of the other two nations are not mentioned, it must be understood that they are the U.S. and China.

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 “People-centric” S-T-I ecosystem: To become science superpowers, the draft policy says, we need to attract our best minds to remain in India by developing a “people-centric” science, technology, and innovation “ecosystem”.  Private sector’s contribution: to the Gross Domestic Expenditure on Research and Development should be doubled every five years. o The 2013 policy had similar aims. o The 2020 draft policy blames low R&D investment on “inadequate private sector investment” and adds that “a robust cohesive financial landscape remains at the core of creating an STI-driven Atmanirbhar Bharat.”  Dehradun Declaration: It proposed Self-financing revenue model proposed in the Dehradun Declaration for the CSIR labs back in 2015 and critically evaluated its success rate.  Decentralized institutional mechanism: The draft policy visualises “a decentralized institutional mechanism balancing top-down and bottom-up approaches, focusing on o Administrative and financial management o Research governance o Data and regulatory frameworks and o System interconnectedness, o for a robust STI governance  Alternative mechanisms of governance: For the financial landscape; that they realise o Administrative burdens of researchers o Problem of journal paywalls o Promise to explore international best practices of grant management.  To tackle discriminations: For inclusive culture in academia, it promises to tackle discriminations “based on gender, caste, religion, geography, language, disability and other exclusions and inequalities”.  Better Representation: It mentions more representation of women and the LGBTQ community, but is silent on proportionate representation. Science and society:  ‘Science Communication and Public Engagement’: It has mentioned the disconnect between science and society are valid. o But the fact is that hyper-nationalism is not conducive to the propagation of evidence-based science and a rational outlook.  Spirit of scientific temper & humanism: It is also heartening to see that the document talks to our constitutional obligation to “develop a scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform.”  Modern scientific vision: It contains nuggets of modern scientific vision and information. But its digressive style impacts the reader’s attention. Concerns/challenges:  Full of jargons: Problem with the document is that it is rambling and full of jargon and clichés, making the task of separating the grain from the chaff a major exercise in itself.  Shift the responsibility: Government is trying to shift the responsibility of financing R&D to different agencies such as the o States, o Private enterprises, and o Foreign multinational companies. But it is doubtful if the various funding models are workable or practical, especially during a pandemic. YouTube: https://bit.ly/2CX1KHP www.beandbyias.com 131 Telegram: https://t.me/beandbyias Facebook: https://bit.ly/3fvVNQg

o Uninterested Private Sector: Common sense informs us that the private sector cannot be expected to pay for basic research. o This is because the return on investment in basic research takes too long from a private sector perspective. o Lack of Adequate Funding: Only the government can have long-term interest to support such research. o US Model: Participation of the private sector in basic science has not happened even in the U.S. o The fact is that basic science research in India is suffering from the lack of adequate funding despite grand proclamations. o Several new authorities: Several new authorities, observatories and centres have been proposed, which may end up feeding up the already fattened bureaucracy in science administration. o Decentralisation of administrative architecture is essential, but we need to explore the practical option of providing more autonomy. o Depressed class drop out from IITs: It was reported in 2019 that more than 2,400 students dropped out from the 23 IITs in just two years, with over half of them belonging to the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Classes. Conclusion:  Moral obligation of Government: The ruling dispensation has a moral obligation to facilitate an environment that encourages a mindset that constantly challenges conventional wisdom as well as open-minded inquiry among the students. o Only a dissenting mind can think out of the box.  Global competitiveness: With the advent of new disruptive technologies, global competitiveness will be increasingly determined by the quality of science and technology. o Which in turn will depend on raising the standard of Indian research/education centres and on the volume of R&D spending. India has no time to waste. 3.7 Eye on China, India looks at lithium reserves in Argentina, Chile and Bolivia

Context: Just as it was stepping up its economic offensive against China, India, through a newly-floated state-owned company, inked a pact with an Argentine firm mid-last year to jointly prospect lithium in the South American country that has the third largest reserves of the silver-white alkali metal.

News in details:  Lithium is a crucial building block of the lithium-ion rechargeable batteries that power o Electric vehicles (EVs) o Laptops and o Mobile phones.  Currently, India is heavily dependent on import of these cells and the move to ink sourcing pacts for lithium is seen as another salvo in the front against China, a key source of both the raw material and cells.  Eye on China, India looks at lithium reserves in Argentina, Chile and Bolivia.  New company, Khanij Bidesh India Ltd: It was incorporated in August, 2019 by three state-owned companies, NALCO, Hindustan Copper and Mineral Exploration Ltd.

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 Mandate to acquire strategic mineral: Khanij Bidesh India Ltd was given specific mandate to acquire strategic mineral assets such as lithium and cobalt abroad — is also learnt to be exploring options in Chile and Bolivia, two other top lithium-producing countries.  Dependent On Import: Currently, India is heavily dependent on import of these cells and the move to ink sourcing pacts for lithium is seen as another salvo in the front against China, a key source of both the raw material and cells.  India as a late mover: India is seen as a late mover as it attempts to enter the lithium value chain, coming at a time when o EVs are predicted to be a sector ripe for disruption. o And 2021 is likely to be an inflection point for battery technology, with several potential improvements to the Li-ion technology, and o Alternatives to this tried-and-tested formulation, under advanced stages of commercialisation.  Solid-State Batteries: The most promising are solid-state batteries, a quantum leap in battery tech, that use alternatives to aqueous electrolyte solutions. o It could lower the risk of fires, o Sharply increase energy density and o Potentially take only 10 minutes to charge an EVs, o Cutting the recharging time by two-thirds. The new options:  Barriers in Li-ion battery: Despite the improvements in lithium-ion batteries over the last decade o Long charging times and o Weak energy density o Not a viable alternative to internal combustion engines. Alternatives:

New Alternatives to LI-Ion Features

Toyota’s solid state battery:  The Japanese automaker is attempting to wrest back the lead from the Chinese, who are current Li-ion battery pack leaders.  Toyota plans to be the first company to sell an EV equipped with a solid- state battery and will unveil a prototype this year.

Apple battery tech:  it’s moving forward with self-driving car technology and is targeting 2024 to produce a passenger vehicle.  Central to Apple’s strategy is a new battery design that could “radically” reduce the cost of batteries and increase the vehicle’s range

QuantumScape’s solid-state  One of the leading developers of solid-state lithium metal batteries for use battery: in EVs.  Earlier efforts to create a solid-state separator (electrolyte) capable of working with lithium metal had to compromise on o Cycle life, o Operating temperature, o Cathode loading, and o Excess lithium deposits on the anode.  QuantumScape seems to have circumvented this

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Tesla’s new tabless battery:  New “tabless” battery that could improve an electric car’s range and power.  A tab is the part of the battery that forms a connection between the cell and what it is powering.  Advantage: o Dramatically reduce costs o Sell EVs for the same price as petrol-powered ones. o Five times more energy capacity o six times more powerful o 16 per cent range increase for Tesla’s vehicles.

Lithium ion battery:  A lithium-ion battery is a family of rechargeable battery types.  In Li ion battery, lithium ions move from the negative electrode to the positive electrode during discharge and back when charging.  Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2019 was given for Lithium-ion battery to 1. Stanley Whittingham, 2. John B Goodenough and 3. Akira Yoshino.  Components: o Li-ion batteries use an intercalated lithium compound as one electrode material, compared to the metallic lithium used in a non-rechargeable lithium battery. o The electrolyte, which allows for ionic movement, and the two electrodes are the constituent components of a lithium-ion battery cell.  Advantages: o High energy density - potential for yet higher capacities. o Does not need prolonged priming when new. One regular charge is all that's needed. o Relatively low self-discharge - self-discharge is less than half that of nickel-based batteries. o Low Maintenance - no periodic discharge is needed; there is no memory. Cells can provide very high current to applications such as power tools.  Limitations: o Requires protection circuit to maintain voltage and current within safe limits. o Subject to aging, even if not in use - storage in a cool place at 40% charge reduces the aging effect. o Transportation restrictions - shipment of larger quantities may be subject to regulatory control. This restriction does not apply to personal carry-on batteries. o Expensive to manufacture - about 40 percent higher in cost than nickel-cadmium. o Not fully mature - metals and chemicals are changing on a continuing basis.

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Lithium Triangle: Chile, Bolivia And Argentina  Lithium Triangle is an intersection of Chile, Bolivia and Argentina, known for high quality salt flats.  It contains over 45%of known global lithium reserves.  Beneath Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, the world’s largest salt flat lies the world’s greatest lithium deposits.  Lithium dissolved in underground saline aquifers called “brine”, pumped to surface by wells and then allowed to evaporate in vast -deep ponds.  Last year, President Ram Nath Kovind had visited two out of the three ‘Lithium Triangle’ nations. o The focus of talks was also on joint manufacturing and facilitating the process of acquiring the rare metal.  India has visited the `Lithium Triangle’ nations (Argentina, Bolivia & Chile), to meet its target of having Electric Vehicles by 2030.

General Studies-III 4 Disaster management

4.1 India to get UN tag of international disaster response force for NDRF

Context: India could soon be a part of the United Nations (UN) mandated international disaster rescue operations as the country’s federal contingency force, NDRF, is expected to obtain a globally recognised standardisation later this year.

Background:  Just like we have the Bureau of Indian Standards in the country, the UN agency INSARAG standardises disaster response teams across the world. It is an international gold standard.  The authorisation of NDRF will be done by the Switzerland- headquartered INSARAG (or the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group). Purpose of this Categorisation/Authorisation:  It is possessed by some of India’s neighbours like China and Pakistan.  If there is a call from the UN to respond to some disaster you will be called upon…you will be an international response force.  Bilateral v. UN Mandated: It is not that we have not been doing that (going for international rescue operations) but when NDRF went to Japan and Nepal in the past it was a bilateral decision between two countries but with this standardisation it will be a UN mandated task.  Great prestige: It will be a matter of great prestige for India that its force is known as an international response force.  Cascading effect to SDRF: This could lead to a cascading effect where NDRF can become a national accreditation agency for state disaster response forces and that also could be UN supported.” o In Chile and China, the UN has certified their provincial teams so that state teams can also travel across the world for disaster response operations  Tag of great disaster response oriented country: it can add to the profile of India being a great disaster response oriented country where the protocols and standard operating procedures are of world standard.

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INSARAG (INTERNATIONAL SEARCH AND RESCUE ADVISORY GROUP):  INSARAG was established in 1991 following initiatives of international USAR teams that responded to the 1988 Armenia earthquake and the 1985 Mexico City earthquake.  United Nations was chosen as the INSARAG secretariat to facilitate international participation and coordination.  INSARAG activities are guided by United Nations General Assembly resolution 57/150 of 16 December 2002  It is a network of more than 90 countries and organisations under the UN umbrella to deal with urban search and rescue related issues.

NATIONAL DISASTER RESPONSE FORCE:  It is the apex statutory body for disaster management in India.  It was constituted under Disaster Management Act, 2005.  Chairperson: Prime Minister  Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Home Affairs  The National Disaster Response Force was raised in 2006 to undertake specific tasks of relief and rescue during natural and manmade disasters or life threatening situations.  It has 12 operational battalions comprising more than 15,000 personnel based across the country at present while four more battalions are taking shape.

General Studies-III 5 Security

5.1 More than half of Indian Army personnel seem to be under severe stress: Study

Context:  The Indian Army has been losing more personnel every year in o Suicides, o Fratricides and o Untoward incidents o than in any enemy action  Over half of its soldiers seem to be under severe stress presently, said a study by think tank United Service Institution of India (USI).

News in details:  100 soldiers every year: The have been losing over 100 soldiers every year due to suicides and fratricides leading to the "grim reality" of one soldier dying every third day, the study noted.  Greater than the operational casualties: This loss is substantially greater than the operational casualties suffered by the Armed forces.  Affected by multiple ailments: In addition, a number of soldiers and leaders have been affected by hypertension, heart diseases, psychosis, neurosis and other related ailments

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 Significant increase in stress levels: There has been a significant increase in stress levels amongst Indian Army personnel during approximately the last two decades due to operational and non-operational stressors,  Furthermore, presently more than half of Indian Army personnel seem to be under severe stress.  Stress management measures: Various stress management measures implemented by the Indian Army and the Defence ministry during the last 15 years have not been able to achieve the desired results, the study stated.  Units and sub-units under stress are likely to witness an increased number of o Incidents of indiscipline, o Unsatisfactory state of training, o Inadequate maintenance of equipment and o Low morale  That adversely affects their combat preparedness and operational performance, it noted. Reasons for stress: Prolonged exposure of Indian Army personnel to CI (counter- insurgency)/CT (counter-terrorism) environment has been one of the contributory factors for increased stress levels."  The major organisational causes of stress amongst Army officers include o Inadequacies in the quality of leadership, o Overburdened commitments, o Inadequate resources, o Frequent dislocations, o Lack of fairness and transparency in postings and promotions, o Insufficient accommodation and o Non-grant of leave.  The main organisational stressors as perceived by junior commissioned officers (JCOs)/other ranks (ORs) include o Delay and denial of leave, o Excessive engagements, o Domestic problems, o Humiliation by seniors, o Lack of dignity, o Unreasonable restrictions on the use of mobiles, o Lack of recreational facilities and o Conflict with seniors as well as subordinates.

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UNITED SERVICE INSTITUTION OF INDIA (USI).  The United Service Institution of India was founded in 1870 by a soldier scholar, Colonel (later Major General) Sir Charles MacGregor.  The foundation stone for the new premises was laid on 26 April 1993 by the then Chief of the Army Staff and Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee.  Vice Patrons: The USI's website says that the three service chiefs - General M M Naravane, Admiral Karambir Singh and Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria - are its Vice Patrons.  President: Its president is Vice Adm R Hari Kumar, who is Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chief of Staffs Committee (CISC).

5.2 Maritime security, coastal defence exercise begins

Context:  The Navy will coordinate the second edition of the coastal defence exercise on January 12 and 13. It will be undertaken along the o Entire coastline and o Exclusive Economic Zone of India

News in details:  Sea Vigil 2021: o It is a biennial exercise o began in January 2019  It will be undertaken along the entire 7516 km coastline and Exclusive Economic Zone of India.  It will involve all the 13 coastal States and Union Territories along with o Other maritime stakeholders, including the o Fishing and o Coastal communities  It is a build up towards the major Theatre-level exercise TROPEX (Theatre-level Readiness Operational Exercise)” conducted by the Navy every two years.  Sea Vigil and TROPEX together will cover the entire spectrum of maritime security challenges, including transition from peace to conflict.  Official Participants: o , o Coast , o Customs and o other maritime agencies  Facilitated by: It is being facilitated by the o Ministries of Defence, o Home Affairs, o Shipping, o Petroleum and Natural Gas,

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o Fisheries, o Customs, o State Governments and o other agencies of Centre/ State”.  Sea Vigil 21 “will provide a realistic assessment of our strengths and weaknesses and thus will help in further strengthening maritime and national security”.  Entire coastal security set up was reorganised after the 26/11 Terror attack at Mumbai which was launched via the sea route”. 5.3 Curtain Raiser: Indo-French Exercise Desert Knight-21

Context: Indian Air Force and French Air and Space Force will conduct a bilateral Air exercise, Ex Desert Knight-21 at Air Force Station Jodhpur from 20 to 24 Jan 21.

News in details:  French side: They will participate with o Rafale, o Airbus A-330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT), o A-400M Tactical Transport aircraft and o Approximately 175 personnel.  Indian Side: The Indian Air Force aircraft participating in the exercise will include o Mirage 2000, o Su-30 MKI, o Rafale, o IL-78 Flight Refuelling Aircraft, o AWACS and o AEW&C aircraft.  Important milestone in engagements: The exercise marks an important milestone in the series of engagements between the two Air forces.  'Garuda' Air Exercises: As part of Indo-French defence cooperation, Indian Air Force and French Air and Space Force have held six editions of Air Exercises named 'Garuda', the latest being in 2019 at Air Force Base Mont- de-Marsan, France.  'Hop-exercises': As measures to further the existing cooperation, the two forces have been gainfully utilising available opportunities to conduct 'hop-exercises'.  Ex Pitchblack in Australia: The French Air and Space Force deployment while ferrying to Australia for Ex Pitchblack in 2018 was hosted by IAF at Air Force Stations and Gwalior for exercise with fighters and MRTT aircraft.  'Skyros Deployment' in Asia: Presently, the French detachment for Ex Desert Knight-21 is deployed in Asia as part of their 'Skyros Deployment' and will ferry in forces to Air Force Station Jodhpur.

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Other military exercises: Exercise Name Participant Nations Sampriti India & Bangladesh Mitra India & Sri Lanka Maitree Exercise India & Thailand Prahar India & US Yudh Abhyas India & US Nomadic Elephant India & Mongolia Garuda Shakti India & Indonesia Shakti Exercise India & France Dharma Guardian India & Japan Surya Kiran India & Nepal Hand in Hand Exercise India & China Exercise Name Participant Nations

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