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Daily Prelims Notes (April,2020 Compilation)
Santosh Sir All 6 Prelims qualified If I can do it, you can too [email protected], https://t.me/asksantoshsir
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Daily Prelims Notes (April, 2020 Compilation)
Table of Contents History ...... 3 Geography ...... 19 Indian Polity ...... 36 Economics ...... 64 General Science ...... 144 Current Affairs ...... 230 Government Schemes ...... 270 International Bodies...... 280 Mapping ...... 299
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History 1. Tabligi Jamaat
Context:
With at least 24 of its occupants testing positive for the novel coronavirus, an Islamiccentre in the national capital has turned out to be the latest hotspot of COVID19.
Concept: Tablighi Jamaat literally the Outreach Society, is an Islamic missionary movement that focuses on urging Muslims to return to practising their religion during the lifetime of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and particularly in matters of ritual, dress and personal behaviour. It has been called "one of the most influential religious movements in 20th century Islam". Its roots lie in the Deobandi version of the Hanafi school of jurisprudence. It was launched by Deoband cleric and prominet Islamic scholar Maulana Muhammad Ilyas Khandhalaw in 1927 in Mewat. Its emergence also coincided with Hindu proselytising movements. Its stated primary aim is spiritual reformation of Islam by reaching out to Muslims across social and economic spectra and working at the grassroots level, to bring them in line with the group's understanding of Islam.
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2. Chapekar Brother: Epidemic act
Context: On March 11, the central government had asked states and Union territories to invoke the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 to ensure that the advisories from the Union Health ministry can be enforced in places affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.
History of the 1897 Epidemic Diseases Act Back in 1896-97, the picture was different in many ways. The then Bombay Province of British India was one of the worst affected in the country by the Bubonic Plague and Pune or then Poona, saw thousands of deaths, mass exodus of people. In the early months of 1897, the epidemic had caused a havoc in Pune and the British government enacted the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 giving sweeping powers to government officials to search and inspect houses, detain people to be taken away and issue any orders to stop the spread of disease. A Special Plague Committees was established with ICS officer WC Rand as its head. While the law was a necessity, but the way British officers and soldiers implemented the Act was brutal and inhuman at times. In spite of voices raised at the time by people, including Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, the practice continued. The anger among people led to Chapekar brothers assassinating Rand. On the night of June 22, 1897, three Chapekar brothers — Damodar, Balkrushna and Vasudeo — shot at Rand after he was returning along with his military escort from the celebration of Diamond Jubilee of coronation of Queen Victoria.
Provisions of the 1897 Epidemic Diseases Act It empowers state governments/UTs to take special measures and formulate regulations for containing the outbreak. It also empowers state to prescribe such temporary regulations to be observed by the public or by any person or class of persons as it shall deem necessary to prevent the outbreak of such disease or the spread thereof.
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The state may determine in what manner and by whom any expenses incurred (including compensation if any) shall be defrayed. The State Government may take measures and prescribe regulations for the inspection of persons travelling by railway or otherwise, and the segregation, in hospital, temporary accommodation or otherwise, of persons suspected by the inspecting officer of being infected with any such disease. It also provides penalties for disobeying any regulation or order made under the Act. These are according to section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant). It also gives legal protection to the implementing officers acting under the Act.
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3. Nihangs
Context: The brutal attack on an assistant sub-inspector and some others at a sabzi mandi in Patiala district by a group of men in Nihang attire shook Punjab.
Concept: The Nihangs are armed Sikh warrior. Sixth Guru Hargobind constituted a special army comprising the Nihangs. Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh Guru gave them the special blue attire Originally led by Baba Phoola Singh with their centre in Amritsar, the Nihangs were made part of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s battalion for their fighting prowess. Described as “the one who is Nirbhau (fearless)” by Guru Arjan Dev, the Nihangs still live life the traditional way. They are known for reciting the holy Jaapji Sahib Paath while performing the Gatka dance, a martial art form of the Sikhs. Nihangs were the original Akalis or followers of “Akal”, the Sikh temporal seat. They used to run the Akal Takht before the Akali Dal took over after a resolution was passed in 1925. Hence, the Nihangs are considered original Sikh Jathedars. Nihangs have many thriving gurdwaras across Punjab and mostly live on vast jagirs of these gurdwaras, also known as ‘Bagchi’. In spirit, they are considered the purest of the pure, because they are associated with the Sikh Guru, so they follow the Guru’s orders only.
Singh Sabha Movement The Singh Sabha Movement was founded at Amritsar in 1873 with a two-fold objective (i) to make available modern western education to the Sikhs (ii) to counter the proselytising activities of Christian missionaries as well as the Brahmo Samajists, Arya Samajists and Muslim maulvis. For the first objective, a network of Khalsa schools was established by the Sabha throughout Punjab. In the second direction, everything that went against the Gurus’ teachings was rejected, and rites and customs considered to be consistent with Sikh doctrine were sought to be established. Akali and Gurudwara reform movement
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The Akali movement (also known as Gurudwara Reform Movement) was an offshoot of the Singh Sabha Movement. It aimed at liberating the Sikh gurudwaras from the control of corrupt Udasi mahants (the post having become hereditary). These mahants were a loyalist and reactionary lot, enjoying government patronage. The government tried its repressive policies against the non- violent non-cooperation satyagraha launched by the Akalis in 1921, but had to bow before popular demands It passed the Sikh Gurudwaras Act in 1922 (amended in 1925) which gave the control of gurudwaras to the Sikh masses to be administered through Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) as the apex body. The Akali Movement was a regional movement but not a communal one. The Akali leaders played a notable role in the national liberation struggle though some dissenting voices were heard occasionally. They supported Non Violence movement of Mahatma Gandhi.
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4. Pattachitras Context: Uncertain about their future, Pattachitra artists want virtual platform to sell paintings Concept: Pattachitra style of painting is one of the oldest and most popular art forms of Odisha. The name Pattachitra has evolved from the Sanskrit words patta, meaning canvas, and chitra, meaning picture. Pattachitra is thus a painting done on canvas, and is manifested by rich colorful application, creative motifs and designs, and portrayal of simple themes, mostly mythological in depiction. Some of the popular themes represented through this art form are Thia Badhia - depiction of the temple of Jagannath; Krishna Lila - enactment of Jagannath as Lord Krishna displaying his powers as a child; Dasabatara Patti - the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu; Panchamukhi - depiction of Lord Ganesh as a five-headed deity.
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5. Meru Jatra
Context: Odisha’s Ganjam district administration has banned the Meru Jatra festival and congregations related to it at temples on the occasion of Mahavishub Sankranti
Concept: Danda Nacha, a religious folk dance of the district, begins on the auspicious day of Mahabishuva Sankranti in Odia month of Chaitra and continue for 21 days. The festival is considered as the most ancient traditional form of worship. Participants of Danda Nacha are called as ‘Dandua’ and the chief is known as ‘Pata Dandua’. The Dandua troupes move from village to village to perform the dance which is dedicated to Lord Shiva and Goddess Kali.
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6. Civil Service day
Context: Every year, April 21, is observed as the "Civil Service Day" by all Civil Servants to rededicate and recommit themselves "to the cause of the people".
Concept: This date is chosen to commemorate the day when first Home Minister of Independent India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel addressed the probationers of Administrative Services Officers in 1947 at Metcalf House, Delhi, he referred to civil servants as the ‘steel frame of India’. As part of Civil Servant Day, Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration are presented to Districts/Implementing Units for implementation of Priority programme and innovation categories. The first such function was held in Vigyan Bhawan, New delhi 21 April 2006.
History of Civil services in India Civil Servants for the East India Company used to be nominated by the Directors of the Company and thereafter trained at Haileybury College in London and then sent to India. Following Lord Macaulay’s Report of the Select Committee of British Parliament, the concept of a merit based modern Civil Service in India was introduced in 1854. The Report recommended that patronage based system of East India Company should be replaced by a permanent Civil Service based on a merit based system with entry through competitive examinations. For this purpose, a Civil Service Commission was setup in 1854 in London and competitive examinations were started in 1855. Initially, the examinations for Indian Civil Service were conducted only in London. Maximum age was 23 years and minimum age was 18 years. The syllabus was designed such that European Classics had a predominant share of marks. All this made it difficult for Indian candidates. Nevertheless, in 1864, the first Indian, Shri Satyendranath Tagore brother of Shri Rabindaranath Tagore succeeded. Three years later 4 other Indians succeeded.
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Throughout the next 50 years, Indians petitioned for simultaneous examinations to be held in India without success because the British Government did not want many Indians to succeed and enter the ICS. It was only after the First World War and the Montagu Chelmsford reforms that this was agreed to. The Lee Commission, in their report in the year 1924, recommended that the statutory Public Service Commission contemplated by the Government of India Act, 1919 should be established without delay From 1922 onwards the Indian Civil Service Examination began to be held in India also, first in Allahabad and later in Delhi with the setting up of the Federal Public Service Commission. The Examination in London continued to be conducted by the Civil Service Commission. Regarding Central Civil Services, the Civil Services in British India were classified as covenanted and uncovenanted services on the basis of the nature of work, pay-scales and appointing authority. In 1887, the Aitchinson Commission recommended the reorganization of the services on a new pattern and divided the services into three groups-Imperial, Provincial and Subordinate.
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7. Lenin
Context: April 22, 2020, marks the 150th birth anniversary of V I Lenin. While it is appropriate that the working people of the world pay their tributes to the leader who changed the course of history by establishing a government of the working classes and laid the foundation for a new social order, there is a need to look at socialism in the context of the ongoing debate on the world post-Covid.
Concept: Lenin was one of the leading political figures and revolutionary thinkers of the 20th century, who masterminded the Bolshevik take-over of power in Russia in 1917, and was the architect and first head of the USSR. He was one of the greatest theoreticians of Left politics after Karl Marx. His works was Imperialism: The highest stage of capitalism The October Revolution was waged in the backdrop of the Great Depression and World War I. The USSR was projected as an alternative to the capitalist order that ensured equality and justice to all.
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8. Kamakhya temple
Context: With the lockdown, the annual festival Ambubachi Mela at the Kamakhya temple has been cancelled for the first time in its recorded history.
Concept: Temple atop the Nilachal Hills in Assam, whose northern face slopes down to the Brahmaputra river, was built by the demon king Narakasura. Records are available only from 1565 when Koch King Naranarayana had the temple rebuilt. Kamakhya is one of the 51 shaktipeeths, or holy sites, for the followers of the Shakti cult, each representing a body part of Sati, Lord Shiva’s companion. The temple’s sanctum sanctorum houses the yoni — female genitals — symbolised by a rock. The festival marks the menstruation of the goddess.
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9. Coins in Indian history
Context: Odisha coin collector to auction 2 lakh coins to donate money for Covid- 19 fight The numismatist’s collection is indeed a treasure- starting from coins from the period of emperors Ashoka and Chandragupta Maurya, the Gupta dynasty and the Maratha king Shivaji.
Concept: The first Indian coins – punch marked coins called Puranas, Karshapanas or Pana – were minted in the 6th century BC by the Mahajanapadas (republic kingdoms) of ancient India. Then came the Mauryas who punch marked their coins with a royal standard. Chanakya, prime minister to the first Mauryan emperor Chandragupta Maurya, mentions the minting of coins such as rupyarupa (silver), suvarnarupa (gold), tamararupa (copper) and sisarupa (lead) in his Arthashastra treatise. The Indo-Greek Kushan kings who came next introduced the Greek custom of engraving portrait heads on coins. Their example was followed for eight centuries. The extensive coinage of the Kushan empire also influenced a large number of tribes, dynasties, and kingdoms, which began issuing their own coins.
Kushan coins had the diademed, helmeted bust of the king on one side, and the king’s favourite deity on the reverse.
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The Gupta Empire produced large numbers of gold coins depicting the Gupta kings performing various rituals. This tradition of intricately engraved coins continued till the arrival of the Turkish Sultanate in North India.
The Gupta coins, with their many varieties and inscriptions in Sanskrit, are among the finest India has produced.
By the 12th century AD, the Turkish Sultans of Delhi had replaced the royal designs of Indian kings with Islamic calligraphy. The currency – made in gold, silver and copper – was now referred to as tanka, with the lower valued coins being called jittals. The Delhi Sultanate also attempted to standardise the monetary system by issuing coins of different values. The commencement of the Mughal Empire from 1526 AD brought forth a unified and consolidated monetary system for the entire empire. But the defining moment in the evolution of the rupee occurred when, after defeating Humayun, Sher Shah Suri set up a new civic and military administration. He issued a coin of silver, weighing 178 grains, which was termed the rupiya and was divided into 40 copper pieces or paisa. The silver coin remained in use during the remaining Mughal period. By the time the British East India Company set itself up in India in the 1600s, Sher Shah’s silver rupiya had already become the popular standard currency in the country. Despite many attempts to introduce
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the sterling pound in India, the rupaiya grew in popularity and was even exported as a currency to other British colonies. In 1717 AD, the English obtained permission from Mughal emperor Farrukh Siyar to coin Mughal money at the Bombay Mint. The British gold coins were termed carolina, the silver coins angelina, the copper coins cupperoon, and the tin coins tinny. Paper money was first issued in British India in the 18th century, with the Bank of Hindostan, General Bank in Bengal and the Bengal Bank becoming the first banks in India to issue paper currency.
After the 1857 revolt, the British made the rupee the official currency of colonial India, with the head of King George VI replacing native designs on banknotes and coins.
In 1862, the Victoria portrait series of bank notes and coins were issued in honour of Queen Victoria and later, many emperors followed suit The Reserve Bank of India was formally set up in 1935 and was empowered to issue Government of India notes. RBI also printed 10,000 rupee notes (the highest denomination RBI has ever printed in its history) that were later demonetised after independence. On August 15, 1950, the new ‘anna system’ was introduced – the first coinage of the Republic of India. The British King’s portrait was replaced with the engraving of Ashoka’s Lion Capital of Sarnath, and the tiger on the 1 rupee coin was replaced with a corn sheaf. One rupee now consisted of 16 annas.
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The 1955 Indian Coinage (Amendment) Act, which came into force on April 1, 1957, introduced a ‘decimal series’. The rupee was now divided into 100 paisa instead of 16 annas or 64 pice.The coins were initially called naye paise, meaning new paise, to distinguish them from the previous coins.
In 1969, the Mahatma Gandhi Birth Centenary Commemorative Issue was released. It was the only commemorative note issue ever by the Reserve Bank of India.
Later, in 1996, the ‘Mahatma Gandhi Series’ was introduced with prominent new features such as changed watermarks, windowed security threads, latent images, and intaglio features for the visually handicapped.
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10. Raja Ravi Varma
April 29 is the birth anniversary of the famed Indian painter Raja Ravi Varma (1848- 1906), remembered for giving Indians their western, classical representations of Hindu gods and goddesses. Through his printing press, Varma’s humanised depiction of Hindu pantheon travelled beyond the surfaces of costly canvases, and into the prayer and living rooms of working-class homes. Varma worked on both portrait and landscape paintings, and is considered among the first Indian artists to use oil paints. Apart from painting Hindu mythological figures, Varma also made portraits of many Indians as well as Europeans. He continues to be regarded as the most important representative of the Europeanised school of painting in India. His 1873 painting, Nair Lady Adorning Her Hair, won Varma prestigious awards including Governor’s Gold Medal when it was presented in the Madras Presidency, and Certificate of Merit at an exhibition in Vienna. In 1904, the British colonial government awarded Varma with the Kaiser-i-Hind Gold Medal. In 2013, a crater on the planet Mercury was named in his honour.
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Geography 1. Pink Super moon
Super moon is defined as a full moon that is at its closest point to earth which is called perigee’ as the orbit of the earth is elliptical. A super moon can be up to 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than the normal full moon. Unlike the Blood moons that have a tinge of red to it, the Pink moons do not have even a hint of pink in it. It gets its name from the pink wildflowers – Wild Ground Phlox – that bloom in the spring and are native to North America.
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2. South West Monsoon Context: India is likely to receive a “normal” South-West monsoon this year says IMD. Both El Nino and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) are neutral this year. IMD is an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India. It is the principal agency responsible for meteorological observations, weather forecasting and seismology. The monsoon seasonal rainfall is likely to be 100% of the Long Period Average (LPA) with a model error of 5%. The LPA of the season rainfall over the country as a whole for the period 1961-2010 is 88 cm.
Concept: South west Monsoon The period June to September is referred to as the 'Southwest Monsoon' period. Southwest Monsoon period is the principal rainy season for the Indian subcontinent. This is the summer monsoon period where the southwest monsoon holds away over the country. The whole country receives nearly 75% of its rainfall during this period. Southwest monsoon sets in over the extreme southwestern tip of the peninsula by the end of May. The onset of Monsoon is characterized by a sudden spurt of rainfall activity. It progresses inland in stages and covers the entire country by the middle of July. It starts retrieving from the extreme northwest by the beginning of September, progressively receding southwards. Tamil Nadu is considered as a rain shadow region as it lies on the eastern (leeward side) side of Western Ghats. The total annual rainfall is maximum over the southernmost part of the state.
Indian Ocean Dipole Sustained changes in the difference between sea surface temperatures of the tropical western and eastern Indian Ocean are known as the Indian Ocean Dipole or IOD. The IOD is one of the drivers of Indian Monsoon. The IOD has three phases: neutral, positive and negative
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Neutral IOD phase: Water from the Pacific flows over to East Indian Ocean ( between the islands of Indonesia). Air rises above this area and falls over the western half of the Indian Ocean basin, blowing westerly winds along the equator. Temperatures are close to normal across the tropical Indian Ocean, and hence the neutral IOD does not affect the Indian Southwest Monsoon. Positive IOD phase: Westerly winds weaken along the equator allowing warm water to shift towards Africa. Changes in the winds also allow cool water to rise up from the deep ocean in the east. This sets up a temperature difference across the tropical Indian Ocean with cooler than normal water in the east and warmer than normal water in the west. Generally this means there is more moisture than normal in the atmosphere over West Indian Ocean & Arabian Sea. This changes the path of weather systems coming towards India, often resulting in more rainfall during Southwest Monsoon.
Negative IOD phase: Westerly winds intensify along the equator, allowing warmer waters to concentrate near Equatorial East Indian Ocean. This sets up a temperature difference across the tropical Indian Ocean, with warmer than normal water in the east and cooler than normal water in the west. A negative IOD typically adversely affects the Indian Southwest Monsoon rainfall resulting in below-average rainfall over India.
ENSO: ENSO is one of the most important climate phenomena on Earth due to its ability to change the global atmospheric circulation, which in turn, influences temperature and precipitation across the globe.
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Though ENSO is a single climate phenomenon, it has three states, or phases, it can be in. The two opposite phases, “El Niño” and “La Niña,” require certain changes in both the ocean and the atmosphere because ENSO is a coupled climate phenomenon. El Niño: A warming of the ocean surface, or above-average sea surface temperatures (SST), in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Over Indonesia, rainfall tends to become reduced while rainfall increases over the tropical Pacific Ocean. The low-level surface winds, which normally blow from east to west along the equator (“easterly winds”), instead weaken or, in some cases, start blowing the other direction (from west to east or “westerly winds”). La Niña: A cooling of the ocean surface, or below-average sea surface temperatures (SST), in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Over Indonesia, rainfall tends to increase while rainfall decreases over the central tropical Pacific Ocean. The normal easterly winds along the equator become even stronger.
Neutral: Neither El Niño or La Niña. Often tropical Pacific SSTs are generally close to average. 3. Earthquake P a g e | 22 OPTIMIZE IAS Daily Prelims Notes Compilation https://optimizeias.com/
Context: Earthquake with magnitude 2.7 hits Delhi, second in 2 days Concept: An earthquake is shaking or trembling of the earth’s surface, caused by the seismic waves or earthquake waves that are generated due to a sudden movement (sudden release of energy) in the earth’s crust (shallow-focus earthquakes) or upper mantle (some shallow-focus and all intermediate and deep-focus earthquakes). The point where the energy is released is called the focus or the hypocentre of an earthquake. The point on the surface directly above the focus is called epicentre (first surface point to experience the earthquake waves). A line connecting all points on the surface where the intensity is the same is called an isoseismic line. Different fault lines and focus
Causes: Fault Zones Plate tectonics Volcanic activity Human Induced Earthquakes There are several different kinds of seismic waves, and they all move in different ways. The two main types of waves are body waves and surface waves. Body waves can travel through the earth's inner layers, but surface waves can only move along the surface of the planet like ripples on water
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The first kind of body wave is the P wave or primary wave. This is the fastest kind of seismic wave, and, consequently, the first to 'arrive' at a seismic station. The P wave can move through solid rock and fluids, like water or the liquid layers of the earth. It pushes and pulls the rock it moves through just like sound waves push and pull the air. The second type of body wave is the S wave or secondary wave, which is the second wave feltnin an earthquake. An S wave is slower than a P wave and can only move through solid rock, not through any liquid medium. It is this property of S waves that led seismologists to conclude that the Earth's outer core is a liquid. S waves move rock particles up and down, or side-to-side-- perpendicular to the direction that the wave is traveling in (the direction of wave propagation).
Distribution of Earthquakes
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Measuring earthquake: Mercalli vs Richter The Mercalli scale bases its measurement on the observed effects of the earthquake and describes its intensity. It is a linear measurement. On the other hand, the Richter scale measures the seismic waves, or the energy released, causing the earthquake and describes the quake's magnitude. It is a logarithmic
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4. Pre Monsson Shower: Context: Pre Monsson showers have begun to lash various parts of India. Pre-monsoon showers often called as mango showers are the rains that include light showers to heavy rains with thunders. These are due to the thunderstorm developed in the Bay of Bengal. These result in falling apart of mangoes from trees and hence called mango showers.
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5. Spratly and Paracel island chains Context: China defended its naming of 80 islands and other geographical features in the South China Sea in a move likely to anger neighbours as the country asserts its territorial claims. China established new administrative districts for the contested Spratly and Paracel island chains. The notice listed the Chinese names and coordinates of 80 islands, reefs, seamounts, shoals and ridges.
Concept:
Seamount: It is a mountain with pointed summits, rising from the seafloor that does not reach the surface of the ocean. Seamounts are volcanic in origin. These can be 3,000-4,500 m tall.
A shoal is a detached elevation with shallow depths. Since they project out of water with moderate heights, they are dangerous for navigation.
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A reef is a predominantly organic deposit made by living or dead organisms that forms a mound or rocky elevation like a ridge.
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6. South China sea
Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam all have competing, in some cases overlapping, claims.
Importance: This sea holds tremendous strategic importance for its location as it is the connecting link between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. (Strait of Malacca) According to the United Nations Conference on Trade And Development (UNCTAD) one-third of the global shipping passes through it, carrying trillions of trade which makes it a significant geopolitical water body. According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Philippines, this sea has one-third of the entire world’s marine biodiversity and contains lucrative fisheries providing food security to the Southeast Asian nations. South China Sea is believed to have huge oil and gas reserves beneath its seabed.
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7. Rohtang pass
Context: The Rohtang Pass opened Saturday three weeks before its usual timeline. It was due to request from the Himachal Pradesh government that wanted supply routes to Lahaul eased amid the Covid-19 lockdown.
Concept: Rohtang Pass is a high mountain pass on the eastern PirPanjal Range of the Himalayas. It connects the Kullu Valley with the Lahaul and Spiti Valleys of Himachal Pradesh. It will provide connectivity to remote border areas of Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh. It remained cut off from the rest of the country for about six months during winters.
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8. Chakmas and Hajongs
Context: Human rights body - Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) - has sought Prime Minister’s intervention alleging that the Chakmas and Hajongs in Arunachal Pradesh are facing hunger and starvation
Concept: They were originally inhabitants of the Chittagong Hill Tracts of erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) who were systematically forced out of that country. First they were displaced from their original homesteads because of the Kaptai hydroelectric dam on the Karnaphuli river in the early 1960s, and there was no rehabilitation and compensation. Later, they became victims of religious persecution in East Pakistan, and fled to India. While the Chakmas are Buddhists, the Hajongs are Hindus.
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9. Tropical cyclone naming in north Indian ocean
Context: For the first time since 2004, a tropical cyclone over the north Indian Ocean would have a Tamil name, Murasu, meaning an ancient musical instrument, a type of drum.
Concept: There is a strict procedure to determine a list of tropical cyclone names in an ocean basin(s) by the Tropical Cyclone Regional Body responsible for that basin(s) at its annual/biennial meeting. There are five tropical cyclone regional bodies, i.e. ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee, WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones, RA I Tropical Cyclone Committee, RA IV Hurricane Committee, and RA V Tropical Cyclone Committee. The WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones at its twenty-seventh Session held in 2000 in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman agreed in principal to assign names to the tropical cyclones in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea. After long deliberations among the member countries, the naming of the tropical cyclones over north Indian Ocean commenced from September 2004. Eight countries — India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Sri Lanka and Thailand participated in the panel and came up with a list of 64 names. The Panel member names are listed alphabetically country wise.The names will be used sequentially column wise. In the event of a tropical cyclone/storm, the Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre, New Delhi, selects a name from the list. A fresh list of names has been prepared by the WMO panel for identifying cyclones developing over the north Indian Ocean. The new list has names suggested by five new member countries — Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Yemen and the U.A.E. The list has 169 names, including 13 names each suggested by 13 member countries.
What are Tropical Cyclones? Tropical cyclones are violent storms that originate over oceans in tropical areas and move over to the coastal areas bringing about large scale destruction due to violent winds (squalls), very heavy rainfall (torrential rainfall) and storm
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They are known by different name in different regions of the world as: Cyclones in the Indian Ocean Hurricanes in the Atlantic Typhoons in the Western Pacific and the South China Sea Willy-willies in Western Australia
The conditions which favour the formation and intensification of tropical cyclone storms are: Large sea surface with a temperature higher than 27° C Presence of the Coriolis force Small differences in the vertical wind speed A pre-existing weak- low-pressure area or low-level-cyclonic circulation Upper divergence above the sea level system
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10. Petersburg Climate dialogue
Context: 11th session of Petersberg Climate Dialogue conducted via video conference
Concept: It has been hosted by Germany since 2010 to provide a forum for informal high-level political discussions, focusing both on international climate negotiations and the advancement of climate action. The virtual XI Petersberg Climate Dialogue was co-chaired by Germany and the United Kingdom (UK) and was attended by about 30 countries including India.
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Indian Polity 1. Centre defines J&K domicile rules
Context: The Union government has issued a notification defining “domiciles” in the new Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir for protecting jobs in the Group D category and entryl evel Non gazetted posts for the domiciles.
Concept:
Domicile: The term domicile is not defined in the constitution. It is complex term in areas of conflict of law. The basic idea of domicile is permanent home. Residence and intention to reside and make it permanent home are necessary condition for domicile.
Facts of the issue: The notification has been issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs in exercise of powers conferred by section 96 of the J&K Reorganization Act, 2019, under section 14 referred to as The J&K Civil Services (Decentralization and Recruitment Act). By this order following are considered as domicile for purpose of appointment to service in J&K. o A person who has resided for a period of 15 years in the UT of J&K o A person who has studied for a period of seven years and appeared in Class 10th /12th examination in an educational institution located in the UT of J&K o A person who is registered as a migrant by the Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner (Migrants) o The children of those central government officials, All India service officials, Officials of Public sector undertaking, autonomous body of central government, public sector banks, officials of statuary bodies officials of central universities and recognized research institutes of central government who have served in J&K for a period of ten years. Background:
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Until J&K was stripped of its special status granted under Article 370 and it was bifurcated into two union territories on 5 August last year, Article 35 A of the Constitution empowered the state assembly to define a J&K resident. Only J&K residents were eligible to apply for jobs or own immovable property in the erstwhile state.
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2. NIA act
Context: The NIA registered its first overseas case and will probe the terror strike on a gurdwara in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul last month that left 27 people including an Indian citizen dead. An amendment of the NIA Act which came into effect in August 2019 has vested the agency with the power to probe terrorist activities against Indians and Indian interests abroad.
Concept: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been constituted under the NIA Act, 2008. It was introduced in the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks and was passed in Parliament with very little opposition. The Act makes the National Investigation Agency the only truly federal agency in the country, along the lines of the FBI in the United States, more powerful than the CBI. It gives the NIA powers to take suo motu cognizance of terror activities in any part of India and register a case, to enter any state without permission from the state government, and to investigate and arrest people
Amendment in 2019: It expanded the type of offences that the investigative body could investigate and prosecute. The agency can now investigate offences related to human trafficking, counterfeit currency, manufacture or sale of prohibited arms, cyber-terrorism, and offences under the Explosive Substances Act, 1908. The amendment also enables the central government to designate sessions courts as special courts for NIA trials. The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment (UAPA), also passed in 2019, allows an NIA officer to conduct raids, and seize properties that are suspected to be linked to terrorist activities without taking prior permission of the Director General of Police of a state. The investigating officer only requires sanction from the Director General of NIA.
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The officers of the NIA will have the power to investigate scheduled offences committed outside India, subject to international treaties and domestic laws of other countries.
Objections by Chhattisgarh: In its petition in supreme court, the Chhattisgarh government said the Act “ultra vires the Constitution” and “beyond the legislative competence of the Parliament”. According to the state, the 2008 Act allows the Centre to create an agency for investigation, which is a function of the state police. ‘Police’ is an entry in the State List of the Constitution’s 7th Schedule. The Act takes away the state’s power of conducting an investigation through the police, while conferring “unfettered, discretionary and arbitrary powers” on the Centre.
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3. NCW
Context: The women’s body received 69 cases of domestic abuse in the first phase of the lockdown between March 24 and April 1, as the government took unprecedented steps to restrict the movement of citizens.
Concept: The National Commission for Women was set up as statutory body in January 1992 under the National Commission for Women Act, 1990 Functions: review the Constitutional and Legal safeguards for women; recommend remedial legislative measures; facilitate redressal of grievances and advise the Government on all policy matters affecting women It received a large number of complaints and acted suo-moto in several cases to provide speedy justice. It took up the issue of child marriage, sponsored legal awareness programmes,Parivarik Mahila Lok Adalats
Structure: The Commission shall consist of :- A Chairperson, committed to the cause of women, to be nominated by the Central Government. Five Members to be nominated by the Central Government from amongst persons of ability, integrity and standing who have had experience in law or legislation, trade unionism, management of an industry potential of women, women's voluntary organisations, administration, economic development, health, education or social welfare. Provided that at least one Member each shall be from amongst persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes respectively
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4. Article 32:
Context: Writ petition was filed in the public interest in Supreme court for redressal of grievances of migrant workers in different parts of the country
Concept:
Article 32 Writs are written order issued by the Supreme Court of India to provide constitutional remedies in order to protect the fundamental rights of citizens from a violation. Article 32 empowers Supreme court to issue writs Article 226 empowers all the high courts of India to issue the writs Writs of India are borrowed from English law where they are known as ‘Prerogative writs’ The types of writs are: o Habeas Corpus o Certiorari o Prohibition o Mandamus o Quo Warranto
Article 13 According to Article 13, all laws that are violative of fundamental rights shall be void. The SC and the High Courts can declare any law unconstitutional on the grounds that it is violative of the fundamental rights. Article 13 includes not only laws but also ordinances, orders, regulations, notifications, etc.
Rule of law The doctrine of rule of law has its origin in England and it is one of the fundamental characteristics of the British constitutional system. It lays down that the law is supreme and hence the government must act according to law and within the limits of the law.
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A V Dicey in his book The Law of the Constitution (1885) has given the following three implications of the doctrine of rule of law. 1. Absence of arbitrary power, that is, no man is punished except for a breach of law 2. Equality before the law,that is, equal subjection of all citizens (rich or poor, high or low, official or non official) to the ordinary law of the land administered by the ordinary law courts 3. The primacy of the rights of individual, that is, the constitution is the result of the rights of the individual as defined and enforced by courts of law, rather than constitution being the source of the individual rights. This is not applicable to India.
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5. Legal Metrology act Context Legal Metrology team raids shops, imposes fines in Delhi Concept: Legal Metrology is the application of legal requirements to measurements and measuring instruments. The objective of Legal Metrology is to ensure public guarantee from the point of view of security and accuracy of the weighments and measurements. Constitutional provisions related with Weights and Measures are: o Establishment of Standards of Weights and Measures – Under UNION LIST – Entry 50: To frame the Act and Rules, Specification of Standards and International Relations, Training in Legal Metrology etc. o Weights and Measures except establishment of Standards – under CONCURRENT LIST – Entry 33 A: Enforcement of Legal Metrology. The Legal Metrology Act, 2009 aims to establish and enforce standards of weights and measures, regulate trade and commerce in weights, measures and other goods which are sold or distributed by weight, measure or number and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. The Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India defines and specifies allocation of powers and functions between Union & States. It contains three lists; i.e. 1) Union List, 2) State List and 3) Concurrent List. 42nd Amendment to the constitution shifted 5 subjects from the state list to the concurrent list : Education, forest, weights and measures, administration of justice, protection of wild animals.
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6. MPLADS
Context: The Union Cabinet on Monday approved a 30% cut in the salaries of all Members of Parliament and a two year suspension of the MP Local Area Development (MPLAD) scheme so that the amount saved can go to the Consolidated Fund of India to fight COVID19.
Concept: The Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) is an ongoing Central Sector Scheme which was launched in 1993-94. The Scheme enables the Members of Parliament to recommend works for creation of durable community assets based on locally felt needs to be taken up in their constituencies in the area of national priorities namely drinking water, education, public health, sanitation, roads etc. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has been responsible for the policy formulation, release of funds and prescribing monitoring mechanism for implementation of the Scheme. The MPLADS is a Plan Scheme fully funded by Government of India. The annual MPLADS fund entitlement per MP constituency is Rs. 5 crore. Lok Sabha Members can recommend works within their Constituencies and Elected Members of Rajya Sabha can recommend works within the State of Election (with select exceptions). Nominated Members of both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha can recommend works anywhere in the country.
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7. Article 142
Context: The court invoked its extraordinary constitutional powers under Article 142 to step away from the convention of open court hearings. The open court system ensures transparency in administration of justice.
Concept: Article 142 provides discretionary power to the Supreme Court as it states that the court in the exercise of its jurisdiction may pass such decree or make such order as is necessary for doing complete justice in any cause or matter pending before it. Such decree shall be enforceable throughout the territory of India in such manner as may be prescribed by or under any law made by Parliament.
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8. Sovereignty
Context: Increasing closing of borders
Concept: Sovereignty is the full right and power of a governing body over itself, without any interference from outside sources or bodies. The Preamble to the Indian Constitution lays out the position, wherein the people of India have resolved to constitute the Indian Republic into a sovereign country. However, in practical terms, no country can exercise sovereignty by being isolated with other countries, it has to engage and collaborate with other nations under a defined set of international law.
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9. Budget Division and Demands of Grants
Context: In an office memorandum issued by the Budget Division in the Department of Economic Affairs, the ministry put the Demand for Grants of various departments or ministries, in one of the three categories A, B or C. Each category has been given specific restrictions on spending of their budget estimate.
Concept: Any withdrawal or disbursement from the Consolidated Fund of India can only be done by passing a bill in the Lok Sabha. Article 113 of the Constitution requires that any proposal or estimate seeking withdrawal of money from the Consolidated Fund of India should be presented to the Lok Sabha in the form of a demand for grants. Therefore, every ministry prepares a demand for grants for the expenditure to be incurred in the next financial year. These demands are collectively presented in the Lok Sabha as part of the Union Budget. The demand for grants include both charged and voted expenditure. Charged expenditures are considered liabilities of the government of India such as payment of interest and are not put to vote in the Lok Sabha.The other category of expenditure is voted expenditure that includes revenue and capital expenditure to be incurred on a government scheme in the next financial year Article 113 (iii) prescribes that no demand for grants can be presented in the Lok Sabha without the President of India’s prior approval.
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10. Ordinance Context: Odisha has promulgated an ordinance amending a section of The Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, with a provision of imprisonment for up to two years for those found violating the epidemic regulations.
Concept: Article 123 of the Constitution empowers the President to promulgate ordinances during the recess of Parliament. These ordinances have the same force and effect as an act of Parliament, but are in the nature of temporary laws. It has been vested in him to deal with unforeseen or urgent matters. But, the exercises of this power is subject to the following four limitations: o He can promulgate an ordinance only when both the Houses of Parliament are not in session or when either of the two Houses of Parliament is not in session. Thus, the power of the President to legislate by ordinance is not a parallel power of legislation. He can make an ordinance only when he is satisfied that the circumstances exist that render it necessary for him to take immediate action. o In Cooper case, (1970), the Supreme Court held that the President’s satisfaction can be questioned in a court on the ground of malafide o His ordinance-making power is coextensive as regards all matters except duration, with the law-making powers of the Parliament. This has two implications: 1. An ordinance can be issued only on those subjects on which the Parliament can make laws. 2. An ordinance is subject to the same constitutional limitation as an act of Parliament. Every ordinance issued by the President during the recess of Parliament must be laid before both the Houses of Parliament when it reassembles. If the ordinance is approved by both the Houses, it becomes an act. If Parliament takes no action at all, the ordinance ceases to operate on the expiry of six weeks from the reassembly of Parliament. Governor has similar power under Article 213.
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11. Article 51 Context: India is supporting other countries in controlling COVID 19 through its drug supply.
Concept: To promote international peace and security and maintain just and honorable relations between nations; to foster respect for international law and treaty obligations and to encourage settlement of international disputes by arbitration is one of the DPSP.
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12. NHRC Context: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) directed the Centre to ensure that persons suffering from mental ailments are provided with proper counselling and they do not become "easy carriers" of COVID-19, amid complaints that such people
Concept: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India was established on 12 October, 1993. The statute under which it is established is the Protection of Human Rights Act (PHRA), 1993 It is in conformity with the Paris Principles. The NHRC is an embodiment of India’s concern for the promotion and protection of human rights. Section 2(1)(d) of the PHRA defines Human Rights as the rights relating to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual guaranteed by the Constitution or embodied in the International Covenants and enforceable by courts in India. The Commission consists of a Chairperson, full-time Members and seven deemed Members. The statute lays down qualifications for the appointment of the Chairperson and Members of the Commission. Constitution of NHRC o Judge of the Supreme Court is eligible to be appointed as Chairperson of the Commission in addition to the person who has been the Chief Justice of India; o Term of the Chairperson and Members of the Commission is three years or 70 years whichever is earlier and shall be eligible for re- appointment. o The chairman and members are appointed by the president on the recommendations of a six-member committee consisting of the prime minister as its head, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, leaders of the Opposition in both the Houses of Parliament and the Central home minister. o The president can remove the chairman or any member from the office under the following circumstances: (a) If he is adjudged an insolvent; or (b) If he engages, during his term of office, in any paid employment outside the duties of his office; or
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(c) If he is unfit to continue in office by reason of infirmity of mind or body; or (d) If he is of unsound mind and stand so declared by a competent court; or (e) If he is convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for an offence. In addition to these, the president can also remove the chairman or any member on the ground of proved misbehaviour or incapacity. However, in these cases, the president has to refer the matter to the Supreme Court for an inquiry. If the Supreme Court, after the inquiry, upholds the cause of removal and advises so, then the president can remove the chairman or a member. The salaries, allowances and other conditions of service of the chairman or a member are determined by the Central government.
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13. State Election Commission Context: N. Ramesh Kumar, whose five-year tenure as the State Election Commissioner (SEC) was cut short by an ordinance brought by the government, challenged it in the Andhra Pradesh (A.P.) High Court.
Concept: The super-intendance, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of all elections to the panchayats shall be vested in the state election commission. It consists of a state election commissioner to be appointed by the governor. His conditions of service and tenure of office shall also be determined by the governor. He shall not be removed from the office except in the manner and on the grounds prescribed for the removal of a judge of the state high court. His conditions of service shall not be varied to his disadvantage after his appointment.
Removal of high court judges:
A judge of a high court can be removed from his office by an order of the President. The President can issue the removal order only after an address by the Parliament has been presented to him in the same session for such removal. The address must be supported by a special majority of each House of Parliament (i.e., a majority of the total membership of that House and majority of not less than two-thirds of the members of that House present and voting). The grounds of removal are two—proved misbehavior or incapacity.
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14. Floor test or trust vote Context: Supreme Court upholds MP Governor's decision asking Kamal Nath government to hold floor test
Concept: Supreme court has said that a Governor’s power to call for a floor test is not restricted only before the inception of a State government immediately after elections, but continues throughout its term. It is a motion initiated by the government in position seeking to know if it enjoys the confidence of legislature. It said that there is no impediment to a governor asking a chief minister to hold a floor test, if he is of prima facie view that the government has lost majority.
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15. Constitutional crisis
Context: Amid coronavirus crisis, a constitutional crisis looms for Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. Thackeray, who took oath on November 28, will have to get elected to either of the houses of the state legislature before May 24, as Article 164(4) of the Constitution stipulates. However, the Election Commission has already postponed Rajya Sabha polls, by elections and civic body elections in the wake of the pandemic.
Concept: Article 164 of the Constitution allows a non-legislator to occupy a post in the council of ministers, including the office of the chief minister for six months. The government requested Governor to nominate Uddhav Thackeray to the legislative council from his discretionary quota. The Maharashtra legislative council has two vacancies to be filled by governor's nominations. Article 171 of the Constitution says the governor can nominate eminent persons from the field for literature, science, art, cooperative movement and social service. Section 151A of Representation of the People Act 1951 puts a bar on the governor's discretionary power to nominate a person to the legislative council. It says election or nomination to vacant seats in the legislative council cannot be done "if the remainder of the term of a member in relation to a vacancy is less than one year If CM decides to resign and takes oath afresh, there could another obstacle. This relates to a case in Punjab, where Tej Parkash Singh of the Congress was appointed a minister in 1995 and was reappointed at the expiry of six months' period in 1996 without getting elected to state assembly. Litigation followed. And, in 2001, the Supreme Court declared the resign-and-reappoint bid as "improper, undemocratic, invalid and unconstitutional".
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16. Nomination of members to legislative council
Context: Growing constitutional crisis in Maharashtra with governor’s inaction over recommendation by council of minister to appoint CM Uddhav Thackeray as MLC, brings light over discretionary power of Governor and nomination procedures.
Concept: Under Article 171(5), the Governor can nominate “persons having special knowledge or practical experience in respect of. literature, science, art, co-operative movement and social service”. It is one sixth of council’s strength. It has been argued that Section 151A of The Representation of the People Act, 1951, prohibits the filling of a vacancy if “the remainder of the term of a member in relation to a vacancy is less than one year Article 163(1) of the Constitution makes it clear that the Governor must follow the recommendations of the Council of Ministers in all situations “except in so far as he is by or under this Constitution required to exercise his functions or any of them in his discretion”. Discretionary Power of Governor :Constitution specifically mentions the situations in which the Governor can act in his discretion, e.g., Article 239 (Administration of Union Territories), Article 371 (Special provision with respect to the States of Maharashtra and Gujarat), Article 371A (Nagaland), Article 371H (Arunachal Pradesh), and in the Sixth Schedule (Provisions as to the Administration of Tribal Areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram), etc. In addition to the above constitutional discretion (i.e., the express discretion mentioned in the Constitution), the governor, like the president, also has situational discretion (i.e., the hidden discretion derived from the exigencies of a prevailing political situation) in the following cases: o Appointment of chief minister when no party has a clear-cut majority in the state legislative assembly or when the chief minister in office dies suddenly and there is no obvious successor. o Dismissal of the council of ministers when it cannot prove the confidence of the state legislative assembly.
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o Dissolution of the state legislative assembly if the council of ministers has lost its majority 17. Panchayati Raj Day
Context: National Panchayati Raj Day is celebrated on April 24 every year in India.
Concept: The first National Panchayati Raj Day was celebrated in 2010. Since then, the National Panchayati Raj Day is celebrated on April 24 every year in India. In 1992 a major change in the Panchayat system of India came in the form of the passage of the Panchayati Raj Act (73rd Amendment). The act came into existence with effect from April 24, 1993. The enactment of the 73rd amendment is applauded as a defining moment in history as it permits states to take steps to organize village panchayats and provide them with necessary powers and authority necessary to help them to function as units of self government. Every year on this National Panchayati Raj Day Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj organises National Conference and awards best performing Gram Panchayats with 'The Panchayat Shashakatikaran Puraskar/Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Puraskar'.
73RD AMENDMENT ACT OF 1992 This act has added a new Part-IX to the Constitution of India. It is entitled as The Panchayat and consists of provisions from Articles 243 to 243 O. In addition, the act has also added a new Eleventh Schedule to the Constitution. This schedule contains 29 functional items of the panchayats. It deals with Article 243-G. The act has given a practical shape to Article 40 of the Constitution The act gives a constitutional status to the panchayati raj institutions. It has brought them under the purview of the justiciable part of the Constitution. In other words, the state governments are under constitutional obligation to adopt the new panchayati raj system in accordance with the provisions of the act. The provisions of the act can be grouped into two categories— compulsory and voluntary. The compulsory (mandatory or obligatory) provisions of the act have to be included in the state laws creating the
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new panchayati raj system. The voluntary provisions, on the other hand, may be included at the discretion of the states.
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18. Scheduled Areas
Context The Supreme Court’s five-judge Constitution bench held that providing 100 per cent reservation for Scheduled Tribes in scheduled areas of a State is not permissible.
Concept The scheduled areas are treated differently from the other areas in the country because they are inhabited by ‘aboriginals’ who are socially and economically rather backward, and special efforts need to be made to improve their condition. Therefore, the whole of the normal administrative machinery operating in a state is not extended to the scheduled areas and the Central government has somewhat greater responsibility for these area. The various features of administration contained in the Fifth Schedule are as follows: o Declaration of Scheduled Areas: The president is empowered to declare an area to be a scheduled area. He can also increase or decrease its area, alter its boundary lines, rescind such designation or make fresh orders for such redesignation on an area in consultation with the governor of the state concerned. o Executive Power of State and Centre: The executive power of a state extends to the scheduled areas therein. But the governor has a special responsibility regarding such areas. He has to submit a report to the president regarding the administration of such areas, annually or whenever so required by the president. The executive power of the Centre extends to giving directions to the states regarding the administration of such areas. o Tribes Advisory Council: Each state having scheduled areas has to establish a tribes advisory council to advise on welfare and advancement of the scheduled tribes. It is to consist of 20 members, three-fourths of whom are to be the representatives of the scheduled tribes in the state legislative assembly. o Law applicable to Scheduled Areas: The governor is empowered to direct that any particular act of Parliament or the state legislature does not apply to a scheduled area or apply with specified modifications and exceptions. He can also make
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regulations for the peace and good government of a scheduled area after consulting the tribes advisory council. Such regulations may prohibit or restrict the transfer of land by or among members of the scheduled tribes, regulate the allotment of land to members of the scheduled tribes and regulate the business of money-lending in relation to the scheduled tribes. Also, a regulation may repeal or amend any act of Parliament or the state legislature, which is applicable to a scheduled area. But, all such regulations require the assent of the president.
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19. Lt.Governor
Context: Pondicherry chief Minister said that he had raised with Union Home Minister the “obstructionist” approach of Lt. Governor in implementing free rice distribution to BPL families during the COVID19 crisis.
Concept: As per Article 239, every UT in India shall be administered by the President, through an administrator to be appointed by him. He is called Lieutenant Governor in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Puducherry and Delhi. Lt. Governor is an administrator and not a constitutional head. The council of ministers headed by the chief minister aid and advise the lt. governor in the exercise of his functions except in so far as he is required to act in his discretion. In the case of difference of opinion between the lt. governor and his ministers, the lt. governor is to refer the matter to the president for decision and act accordingly.
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20. 6th schedule
Context: The COVID-19 pandemic may earn Governor’s rule for the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) in Assam. The council’s current term expires on April 27.
Concept: The Sixth Schedule consists of provisions for the administration of tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram, according to Article 244 of the Indian Constitution. Passed by the Constituent Assembly in 1949, it seeks to safeguard the rights of tribal population through the formation of Autonomous District Councils (ADC). ADCs are bodies representing a district to which the Constitution has given varying degrees of autonomy within the state legislature. The governors of these states are empowered to reorganise boundaries of the tribal areas. Along with ADCs, the Sixth Schedule also provides for separate Regional Councils for each area constituted as an autonomous region. In all, there are 10 areas in the Northeast that are registered as autonomous districts – three in Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram and one in Tripura. These regions are named as district council of (name of district) and regional council of (name of region). Each autonomous district and regional council consists of not more than 30 members, of which four are nominated by the governor and the rest via elections. All of them remain in power for a term of five years. The Bodoland Territorial Council, however, is an exception as it can constitute up to 46 members out of which 40 are elected. Of these 40 seats, 35 are reserved for the Scheduled Tribes and non-tribal communities, five are unreserved and the rest six are nominated by the governor from unrepresented communities of the Bodoland Territorial Areas District (BTAD). The ADCs are empowered with civil and judicial powers, can constitute village courts within their jurisdiction to hear trial of cases involving the tribes. Governors of states that fall under the Sixth Schedule specifies the jurisdiction of high courts for each of these cases. The councils are also empowered to make legislative laws on matters like land, forests, fisheries, social security, entertainment, public
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health, etc. with due approval from the governor. The roles of the central and state governments are restricted from the territorial jurisdiction of these autonomous regions. Also, Acts passed by Parliament and state legislatures may or may not be levied in these regions unless the President and the governor gives her or his approval, with or without modifications in the laws for the autonomous regions.
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21. Minority institutions
Context: The Supreme Court ruled that NEET was applicable to all educational institutions, including those run by minorities, saying it didn’t violate their rights by prescribing a uniform test for admissions to professional medical and dental courses.
Concept: According to SC conditions are reasonable and cannot be said to be taking away any of the constitutional rights of minority institutions, (as) they are reasonable, fair and intended to bring transparency in the professional education imparted by institutions. The Bench held there was no violation of rights of unaided/aided minority educational bodies to administer their institutions under Articles 19(1)(g) and 30 with Articles 25, 26 and 29(1) of the Constitution. A minority educational institution is one that has been set up by either a linguistic or a religious minority group, to keep alive and foster what it considers its unique and special features. Article 30(1) recognizes the linguistic and also religious minorities but not those based on race, ethnicity. In fact, it recognizes all the rights of the religious and also the linguistic minorities to establish and also administer educational institutions, in the effect recognizing the role educational institutions play in preserving distinct culture. The special rights enjoyed by religious minority institutions are: Under the Art 30(1) (a), MEI enjoy the right to education as a Fundamental Right. But, in case the property is taken over by the state, due compensation to be provided to establish institutions elsewhere Under Article 15(5), MEIs are not considered for the reservation Under the Right to Education Act, the MEI not required to provide the admission to children in the age group of 6-14 years up to approx. 25% of enrolment reserved for the economically backward section of the society
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Economics 1. Core sector Context: India's eight infrastructure industries grew at an 11-month high in February, although the recovery is unlikely to be sustained because of the disruption caused by Covid-19. The Index of Eight Core Industries rose 5.5% in February, data released by the government Concept: Core industry can be defined as the main industry which has a multiplier effect on the economy. In most countries, there is particular industry that seems to be backbone of all other industries and it qualifies to be the core industry. The eight core industries of India represent about 40% of the weight of items that are included in the Index of Industrial production. Sector Weight Coal 10.3335 Crude Oil 8.9833 Natural Gas 6.8768 Refinery Products 28.0376 Fertilizers 2.6276 Steel 17.9166 Cement 5.3720 Electricity 19.8530
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2. Government hikes Ways and Means of RBI
Context: The government increased the ceiling on its temporary loan facility with the Reserve Bank of India — known as Ways and Means Advance (WMA) — by 60 per cent to tide over the cash flow mismatch in FY21 expected from higher spending to combat the spread of COVID-19. Announcing the government’s borrowing plan for April-September period, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) said the “WMA limit is proposed to be revised to Rs 1.20 lakh crore and would be reviewed on a need basis (from Rs 75,000 crore last year).”
Concept: The WMA facility enables the government to take a temporary short term loan from the central bank, mainly to address the mismatch between its inflow of revenues and outflow of expenditure. A higher limit provides the government flexibility to raise funds from RBI without borrowing them from the market. Under Section 17(5) of RBI Act, 1934, the RBI provides Ways and Means Advances (WMA) to the States banking with it to help them to tide over temporary mismatches in the cash flow of their receipts and payments. Such advances, are under the Act, '..repayable in each case not later than three months from the date of making that advance'. There are two types of WMA – normal and special. While normal WMA are clean advances, special WMA are secured advances provided against the pledge of Government of India dated securities.
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3. Ordinance to give effect to tax payments and reliefs
Context:
The government promulgated the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation of Certain Provisions) Ordinance, 2020 to bring into effect various tax compliance related measures — including extended deadline for filing income tax, customs and central excise returns — announced on March 24 in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.
Provisions: The donation made to the PM-CARES Fund shall be eligible for 100 per cent deduction under section 80G of the I-T Act. It done away with the limit on deduction of 10 per cent of gross income for donation made to PM-CARES Fund. The last date for filing I-T returns for FY19 as well as that for linking PAN with biometric ID Aadhaar has been extended by three months to June 30.
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4. PPF, senior citizens savings see deep cut in interest rates
Context: The interest rate for Senior Citizens Savings Scheme has been slashed to 7.4 per cent from 8.6 per cent, while that for National Savings Certificate has been cut to 6.8 per cent from 7.9 per cent. It is because banks have often cited the high small-savings rates as an impediment to effective rate cut transmission even after lowering the repo rate.
Concept:
The Senior Citizens Savings Scheme (SCSS) offers regular income, highest safety and tax saving, making it a popular product for those over 60 years of age. A senior citizen can invest in this scheme by opening either an individual or a joint (along with the spouse) account with a post office or a scheduled commercial bank. An individual, singly or jointly, can open an SCSS account by investing up to Rs 15 lakh (in multiples of Rs 1,000) only. The amount invested in the scheme also cannot exceed the money one receives on retirement. Therefore, one can invest either Rs 15 lakh or the amount received as a retirement benefit, whichever is lower. The interest payable on an investment is locked on the date of the investment and does not change even if the rate on the scheme as a whole is revised later. Only new investment under SCSS is affected by the change in interest rate. The tenure of the scheme is five years, which can be further extended for three more years. Premature withdrawals are allowed, but only after one year and with premature withdrawal charges. Investment in SCSS qualifies for deduction under Section 80C of the Income-tax (I-T) Act. However, this tax benefit is under the overall current ceiling of Rs. 1.5 lakh per annum fixed for all investments under Section 80C. There are several factors which influence banks to either decrease or increase fixed deposit rates such as the following: Deposit rates are linked to the rate of inflation. Banks should give positive returns to depositors. Investors should, therefore, monitor the
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rate of inflation, which affects the lending rates. In many cases, despite depositors getting negative returns owing to high inflation, banks do not raise deposit rates, since that would affect their bottom line. Prevailing liquidity scenario in the country. If there is adequate liquidity, banks do not have to focus on retail fixed deposits for their needs as opposed to times of tight liquidity when banks have to turn to their own deposits. Demand and supply conditions. If there is less demand for credit, banks, more often than not, decrease fixed deposit rates. On the contrary, if there is high demand for credit, banks increase fixed deposit rates. Banks typically cut rates in anticipation of a lending rate cut. Falling call rates also signal the amount of liquidity available in the market (banks borrow from the call market for their short-term needs.) If the call market is lending at a lower rate, it in turn, affects interest rates on retail deposits. Banks usually cut interest rates when their fund costs plummet. If the rate of fixed deposits is high, a revision of base rates (basis for retail loans) is less likely unless the high-cost deposit rates are cut. Banks decrease fixed deposit rates in the near-term during times of muted credit demand affecting loan yields, which in turn, mars their net interest margin (NIM).
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5. Counter cyclical capital buffer
Context: The RBI has also deferred the implementation of counter cyclical capital buffer (CCyB) for banks as a measure to deal with Corona outbreak
Concept: Counter Cyclical Capital buffer is the capital to be kept by a bank to meet business cycle related risks. It is aimed to protect the banking sector against losses from changes in economic conditions. The aim of the Countercyclical Capital Buffer (CCCB) regime is twofold. o Firstly, it requires banks to build up a buffer of capital in good times which may be used to maintain flow of credit to the real sector in difficult times. o Secondly, it achieves the broader macro-prudential goal of restricting the banking sector from indiscriminate lending in the periods of excess credit growth that have often been associated with the building up of system-wide risk. This is an important theme of the Basel III norms. The RBI had put in place the framework on counter-cyclical capital buffer (CCyB) on February 5, 2015, wherein it was advised that the CCyB would be activated as and when the circumstances warranted. This framework envisages the credit-to-GDP gap as the main indicator, which is used in conjunction with other supplementary indicators. Based on the analysis of CCyB indicators, the apex bank has decided that it is not necessary to activate CCyB for one year or earlier.
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6. FRBM escape clause
Context: With covid-19 a clear and present threat, vast sums of money will be needed for relief and stimulus measures. There is need for an ordinance to lift the FRBM cap on our fiscal deficit.
Concept: Escape clause refers to the situation under which the central governent can flexibly follow fiscal deficit target during special circumstances. In 2017, the FRBM Review Committee headed by NK Singh said that the exceptional circumstances cited in the FRBM Act, 2003 were defined opaquely and were liable to misuse. In 2018, the FRBM Act was amended to specify three conditions upon which the escape clause can be invoked. 1. First, over-riding considerations of national security, acts of war, and calamities of national proportion and collapse of agriculture severely affecting farm output and incomes. 2. Second, far-reaching structural reforms in the economy with unanticipated fiscal implications 3. Three, a sharp decline in real output growth of at least 3 percentage points below the average for the previous four quarters. The FRBM amendments also mentioned that the deviation from the stipulated fiscal deficit target must not exceed 0.5 percentage points in a year.
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7. Direct taxes Context: The government’s net direct tax collections have missed the downward revised target for 2019-20 by Rs 1.42 lakh crore at Rs 10.27 lakh crore, a decline of over 8 per cent from previous year’s receipts. The Centre’s direct tax receipts had last seen a year-on-year decline in 1998-99, when collections recorded a contraction of 3.5 per cent in that financial year. Concept: A direct tax is paid directly by an individual or organization to the imposing entity. Direct taxes are based on the ability-to-pay principle. This economic principle states that those who have more resources or earn a higher income should pay more taxes. The ability to charge taxes is a way to redistribute the wealth of a nation. Direct taxes cannot be passed onto a different person or entity; the individual or organization upon whom or which the tax is levied is responsible for the fulfillment of the full tax payment. It is example of progressive taxation system.
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8. Round tripping
Context: In a major relief for New Delhi Television Limited (NDTV), the Supreme Court quashed an income tax reassessment notice issued by revenue authorities against the premier news broadcasting company. Though the Income Tax department had accused NDTV of “roundtripping” finances, the Supreme Court stood firm to hold that the revenue authorities failed to show that the channel did not make a “full and true” disclosure of its income for the assessment year 2008-09.
Concept: Money leaves the country through various channels such as inflated invoices, payments to shell companies overseas, the hawala route and so on. After cooling its heels overseas for a while, this money returns in a freshly laundered form; thus completing a round-trip. How does the money return to India? It could be invested in offshore funds that in turn invest in Indian assets. The Global Depository Receipts (GDR) and Participatory Notes (P-Notes) are some of the other routes that have been used in the past.
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9. Forex Reserve
Context: After falling massively in the week ended March 20, the country's foreign exchange reserve surged by $5.65 billion to $475.56 billion in the week ended March 27, helped by an increase in foreign currency assets.
Concept: The reserve had touched a life-time high of $487.23 billion in the week to March 6, after it rose by $5.69 billion. During the week ended March 27, the foreign currency assets (FCA), a major component of the overall reserves, increased by $2.56 billion to $439.66 billion. The Forex Reserves (‘foreign exchange reserves’) of an economy is its ‘foreign currency assets’ added with its gold reserves, SDRs (Special Drawing Rights) and Reserve Tranche in the IMF. Reserve tranche is a portion of the required quota of currency each member country must provide to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that can be utilized for its own purposes. Special drawing rights, or SDR, are an artificial currency instrument created by the International Monetary Fund, which uses them for internal accounting purposes. The value of the SDR is calculated from a weighted basket of major currencies, including the U.S. dollar, the euro, Japanese yen, Chinese yuan, and British pound.
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10. Recession
Context: The world is almost certainly ensnared in a devastating recession delivered by the coronavirus pandemic.
Concept: Recession is a slowdown or contraction in economic activities for two consecutive quarters. Such a slowdown in economic activities may last for some quarters thereby completely hampering the growth of an economy. In such a situation, economic indicators such as GDP, corporate profits, employments, etc., fall. To tackle the menace, economies generally react by loosening their monetary policies by infusing more money into the system, i.e., by increasing the money supply. This is done by reducing the interest rates. Increased spending by the government and decreased taxation are also considered good answers for this problem. The recession which hit the globe in 2008 is the most recent example of a recession
Slowdown and Depression: A slowdown simply means that the pace of the GDP growth has decreased. During slowdown, the GDP growth is still positive but the rate of growth has decreased. A depression is an extended recession that has years, not quarters, of economic contraction. It's more severe than a recession. The Great Depression of 1929 is considered to be the most classic example of a depression in economic history.
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11. Economic emergency
Context: The coronavirus pandemic is likely to be the biggest economic crisis faced by India since independence according to former Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan.
Concept: Article 360 deals with financial emergency. President is empowered to proclaim financial emergency if he is satisfied that a situation has arisen whereby the financial stability or credit of India or of any part of the territory thereof is threatened. Article 360 empowers Union government to take control over state government on every financial matter deals by a state. The Financial Emergency has never been imposed in any part of country, neither has Article 360 been used till now. Every Proclamation to declare Financial Emergency shall be laid down before each house of Parliament and must get approval in two months from date of issue. Once the declaration of Financial Emergency is approved by both houses of Parliament, it remains in operation till it is revoked by the President and no maximum period is defined under the Constitution. When a Financial Emergency is in operation, the directions given by or powers assumed by Union or President are as follows:- A provision requiring the reduction of salaries and allowances of all or any class of persons serving in connection with the affairs of a State. A provision requiring all Money Bills or other Bills to which the provisions of article 207 apply to be reserved for the consideration of the President after they are passed by the Legislature of the State. It shall be competent for the President to issue directions for the reduction of salaries and allowances of all or any class of persons serving in connection with the affairs of the Union including the Judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts.
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12. IPO
Context: IPO fundraising up 60% in FY20. Despite the market plunge, seven of the 13 IPOs are trading above issue price
Concept: Initial public offering is the process by which a private company can go public by sale of its stocks to general public. It could be a new, young company or an old company which decides to be listed on an exchange and hence goes public. Companies can raise equity capital with the help of an IPO by issuing new shares to the public or the existing shareholders can sell their shares to the public without raising any fresh capital. The company which offers its shares, known as an 'issuer', does so with the help of investment banks. After IPO, the company's shares are traded in an open market. Those shares can be further sold by investors through secondary market trading.
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13. Gini coefficient and Atkinson index
The distribution of Income in an economy is represented by the Lorenz Curve and the degree of income inequality is measured through the Gini Coefficient.
The Gini Coefficient measures the degree of income equality in a population. The Gini Coefficient can vary from 0 (perfect equality) to 1 (perfect inequality). India’s Gini coefficient is around 0.71. A Gini of 0 means perfect equality and 100 means absolute inequality.
To put this in context, Gini varies from 25 to 40 for OECD countries. Gini for China is believed to be around 50. By these standards, India is among the most highly unequal countries in the world.
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A general rise in Gini Coefficient indicates that government polices are not inclusive and may be benefiting the rich as much as (or even more than) the poor. The Atkinson index (also known as the Atkinson measure or Atkinson inequality measure) is a measure of income inequality developed by British economist Anthony Barnes Atkinson. The measure is useful in determining which end of the distribution contributed most to the observed inequality.
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14. Counter Cyclical Capital Buffer:
Context: The RBI has also deferred the implementation of counter cyclical capital buffer (CCyB) for banks as a measure to deal with Corona outbreak.
Concept: Counter Cyclical Capital buffer is the capital to be kept by a bank to meet business cycle related risks. It is aimed to protect the banking sector against losses from changes in economic conditions. The aim of the Countercyclical Capital Buffer (CCCB) regime is two-fold. o Firstly, it requires banks to build up a buffer of capital in good times which may be used to maintain flow of credit to the real sector in difficult times. o Secondly, it achieves the broader macro-prudential goal of restricting the banking sector from indiscriminate lending in the periods of excess credit growth that have often been associated with the building up of system-wide risk. This is an important theme of the Basel III norms. The RBI had put in place the framework on counter-cyclical capital buffer (CCyB) on February 5, 2015, wherein it was advised that the CCyB would be activated as and when the circumstances warranted. This framework envisages the credit-to-GDP gap as the main indicator, which is used in conjunction with other supplementary indicators. Based on the analysis of CCyB indicators, the apex bank has decided that it is not necessary to activate CCyB for one year or earlier.
15. Social Capital Context: COVID -19 crisis: need for solidarity Concept: Social capital is defined by the OECD as “networks together with shared norms, values and understandings that facilitate co-operation within or among groups”.
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16. Hot Money and Rupee fall Context: Estimates from the Institute of International Finance, cited by the Financial Times, place the volume of capital withdrawn from emerging market financial assets since January 21 at $95 billion, which is four times as much as the capital flight experienced over a similar period after the onset of the 2008 crisis.
Net foreign portfolio investments in India’s equity and debt markets, which were positive in all but three months since January 2019, turned sharply negative in March. Net outflows of investments in that month alone amounted to $15.9 billion, which exceeded total net inflows of $12.9 billion over the preceding year
Rupee Fall: One of the many symptoms of the economic shock resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic is a sharp depreciation of the Indian rupee vis-à-vis the dollar. The value of the rupee fell from 71.3 to the dollar on February 12 to 76.2 to the dollar on March 24 — or by close to 7 per cent in 1.5 months, with much of the fall occurring over the month ending March 24 .
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There is little disagreement that this downward drift was the result of the exit of portfolio capital from India, since depressed domestic demand and falling international prices for commodities such as oil should have reduced demand for foreign currency and held up the rupee.
Rupee depreciation and its effect: While it reduces foreign exchange outflows on account of imports, it also adversely affects remittances that are a major source of support for India’s balance of payments. India, with around 18 million migrants estimated to be living abroad, is the world’s largest recipient of remittances, estimated at $78.6 billion in 2018. The Indian diaspora is located primarily in the UAE (3.4 million people), the US (2.7 million) and Saudi Arabia (2.4 million). Preliminary figures suggest that slowing global growth and falling oil prices had begun to adversely affect remittance inflows by the last quarter of 2019, with inflows falling from $16.4 billion to $15.2 billion between the third and fourth quarters. With oil prices having collapsed with the Covid-19 crisis and unemployment soaring in the US in the wake of the sudden stop in economic activity, remittance flows are likely to fall sharply. One route through which the damaging effects of rupee depreciation could work their way is a spike in the rupee value of interest and
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amortization payments on foreign borrowing by the Indian private sector. This makes the recent rupee depreciation especially damaging. Entities exposed to a large volume of foreign currency debt would see their debt service commitments valued in rupees spike sharply, at a time when the Covid-19 shock and the stringent lockdown are triggering a domestic economic crisis. That could lead to defaults and spell bankruptcy for many.
Related Concept: "Hot money" refers to funds that are controlled by investors who actively seek short-term returns. A major feature of hot money is that they are very short term. They are quickly moving from one market to the other according to changes in risk and opportunities The danger from hot money is that they are extremely volatile. This volatility creates instability in receiving countries like India. Inflows and outflows of hot money in large quantity produces exchange rate fluctuations and stock market boom and crashes. If hot money is into banks, the quick withdrawal may led the bank into a crisis.
Quantitative Easing: QE refers to an unconventional monetary policy in which a central bank purchases government securities or other securities from the market in order to lower interest rates and increase the money supply. Quantitative easing increases the money supply by flooding financial institutions with capital in an effort to promote increased lending and liquidity. Quantitative easing is considered when short-term interest rates are at or approaching zero, and does not involve the printing of new banknotes.
Reasons: QE is to stimulate the economy by encouraging banks to make more loans. Raises stock prices and lowers interest rates, which in turn boosts investment. Boost economic activity by raising confidence.
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17. Restricted item list
Context: In a notification on March 25, the government placed HCQ on a restricted items list, and then put a blanket ban on any export of the drug on April 4.
Concept: All goods can be exported barring a few, which are prohibited/restricted under the Foreign Trade Policy and listed under ITC(HS) Classification of Export and Import. The Directorate-General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) had prohibited the export of the drug on 25th March, 2020. But it left the option of export open to fulfil “export obligation” and on “humanitarian grounds”. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) organization is an attached office of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. This Directorate, with headquarters at New Delhi, is responsible for formulating and implementing the Foreign Trade Policy with the main objective of promoting India’s exports. DGFT may, through a Notification, impose restrictions on export and import, necessary for: - (a) Protection of public morals; (b) Protection of human, animal or plant life or health; (c) Protection of patents, trademarks and copyrights, and the prevention of deceptive practices; (d) Prevention of use of prison labour; (e) Protection of national treasures of artistic, historic or archaeological value; (f) Conservation of exhaustible natural resources; (g) Protection of trade of fissionable material or material from which they are derived; (h) Prevention of traffic in arms, ammunition and implements of war (i) Relating to the importation or exportation of gold or silver. Any goods /service, the export or import of which is ‘Restricted’ may be exported or imported only in accordance with an Authorisation / Permission or in accordance with the Procedures prescribed in a Notification / Public Notice issued in this regard.
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18. MCLR
Context: State Bank of India, the country’s largest lender, has reduced the marginal cost of fund based lending rate (MCLR) by 35 basis points (bps) across all loan tenures.
Concept: The marginal cost of funds-based lending rate (MCLR) is the minimum interest rate that a bank can lend at. MCLR is a tenor-linked internal benchmark, which means the rate is determined internally by the bank depending on the period left for the repayment of a loan. MCLR is closely linked to the actual deposit rates and is calculated based on four components: the marginal cost of funds, negative carry on account of cash reserve ratio, operating costs and tenor premium. The Reserve Bank of India has made it mandatory for all banks to link all new floating rate loans (i.e. personal/retail loans, loans to MSMEs) to an external benchmark with effect from 1st October 2019.
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19. GDP linked bonds
Context: In the backdrop of resource constraint faced by government due to corona pandemic, many experts have suggested GDP linked bonds
Concept: GDP-linked bond is a debt security or derivative security in which the authorized issuer (a country) promises to pay a return that varies with the behavior of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). GDP-linked bonds are a form of floating-rate bond with a coupon that is associated with the growth rate of a country, just as other floating-rate bonds are linked to interest rates, such as LIBOR or federal funds rate, or inflation rates, which is the case of inflation indexed bonds The issuer is liable to pay a lower coupon during years of slower growth and vice versa.
Why now? The time has come for national governments around the world to start issuing their debt in a new form, linked to their countries’ resources. Gross domestic product–linked bonds, with coupons and principal that rise and fall in proportion to the issuing country’s GDP, promise to solve many fundamental problems that governments face when their countries’ economies falter. And, once GDP-linked bonds are issued by a variety of countries, investors will be attracted by the prospect of high returns when some of these countries do very well.
Are there any example in the past? Costa Rica, Bulgaria and Bosnia Herzegovina issued the first pure GDP linked bonds in the 1990s. Argentina and Greece issued warrant like instruments similar to GDP linked bonds in 2005 and 2012 respectively. India could learn from their experience.
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20. Dollar swap line
Context: India is working with the United States to secure a dollar swap line that would help in providing an additional comfort in an event of any abrupt outflow of funds, according to a senior government official and banking industry executives.
Concept: A currency swap line is an agreement between two central banks to exchange currencies. They allow a central bank to obtain foreign currency liquidity from the central bank that issues it – usually because they need to provide this to domestic commercial banks. While swap lines were initially used by central banks to fund certain market interventions, in recent years they have become an important tool for preserving financial stability and preventing market tension from affecting the real economy.
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21. Labour Participation rate and unemployment (Types)
Context: In March 2020, the labour participation rate fell to an all-time low, the unemployment rate shot up sharply and the employment rate fell to its all-time low of 38.2 per cent.
Concept: Labour force participation rate is defined as the section of working population in the age group of 16-64 in the economy currently employed or seeking employment. The labour force participation rate is the measure to evaluate working- age population in an economy. People who are not interested in working or getting some sort of employment are not included in the participation rate Unemployment occurs when a person who is actively searching for employment is unable to find work. Unemployment is often used as a measure of the health of the economy.
Types of Unemployment in India
Disguised Unemployment: It is a phenomenon wherein more people are employed than actually needed. It is primarily traced in the agricultural and the unorganized sectors of India. In disguised unemployment marginal productivity is zero.
Seasonal Unemployment: It is an unemployment that occurs during certain seasons of the year. Agricultural labourers in India rarely have work throughout the year.
Structural Unemployment: It is a category of unemployment arising from the mismatch between the jobs available in the market and the skills of the available workers in the market.Many people in India do not get job due to lack of requisite skills and due to poor education level, it becomes difficult to train them.
Cyclical Unemployment:
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It is result of the business cycle, where unemployment rises during recessions and declines with economic growth.
Technological Unemployment: It is loss of jobs due to changes in technology.
Frictional Unemployment: The Frictional Unemployment refers to the time lag between the jobs when an individual is searching for a new job or is switching between the jobs. In other words, an employee requires time for searching a new job or shifting from the existing to a new job, this inevitable time delay causes the frictional unemployment.
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22. Inflation Context: Inflation may drop to 2.4% in FY21: RBI Concept: Inflation is defined as a situation where there is sustained, unchecked increase in the general price level and a fall in the purchasing power of money. Inflation is measured using CPI. A comprehensive measure used for estimation of price changes in a basket of goods and services representative of consumption expenditure in an economy is called consumer price index. The National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation is releasing CPI (Rural, Urban, Combined) on Base 2012=100 An inflation measure which excludes transitory or temporary price volatility as in the case of some commodities such as food items, energy products is called core inflation Wholesale Price Index (WPI) – It is estimated by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and measured on a monthly basis, but with a lag of 14 days.
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23. Index of Industrial production
Context: Industrial output grows 4.5% in Feb. However, the IIP is likely to plunge drastically again for March, due to the lockdown
Concept: The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) is an index which shows the growth rates in different industry groups of the economy in a stipulated period of time. It is published monthly by CSO , MoSPI IIP is a key economic indicator of the manufacturing sector of the economy. There is a lag of six weeks in the publication of the IIP index data after the reference month ends. IIP index is currently calculated using 2011-2012 as the base year IIP Index Components: Electricity, crude oil, coal, cement, steel, refinery products, natural gas, and fertilizers are the eight core industries that comprise about 40 percent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production. Mining, manufacturing, and electricity are the three broad sectors in which IIP constituents fall. Sector Composition Coal 10.3% Refinery products 28% Electricity 19.8% Natural Gas 6.88% Steel 17% Crude 8.9% Fertilizers 2.6% Cement 5.3%
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24. Sunrise sector Concept: Emerging industry that is gaining favor with investors and is expected to be an engine of future economic growth through steadily rising generation of employment and profits, and comparatively lower environmental costs. Example: Food processing
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25. Long term repo operations
Context: RBI announces 3rd targeted LTRO for Rs 25,000 cr to ensure adequate liquidity
Concept: The LTRO is a tool under which the central bank provides one-year to three-year money to banks at the prevailing repo rate, accepting government securities with matching or higher tenure as the collateral. While the RBI’s current windows of liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) and marginal standing facility (MSF) offer banks money for their immediate needs ranging from 1-28 days, the LTRO supplies them with liquidity for their 1- to 3-year needs. LTRO operations are intended to prevent short-term interest rates in the market from drifting a long way away from the repo rate.
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26. NBFC (NBFC vs Banks):
Context: Non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) may face a tough time following the Reserve Bank of India’s recent directive on providing a moratorium on repayment to NBFC customers but still NBFC have to continue repaying banks and other borrowers.
Concept: A non-banking financial company (NBFC) is a company registered under the Companies Act, 1956 and is engaged in the business of loans and advances, acquisition of shares/stock/bonds/debentures/securities issued by government or local authority or other securities of like marketable nature, leasing, hire-purchase, insurance business, chit business, but does not include any institution whose principal business is that of agriculture activity, industrial activity, sale/purchase/construction of immovable property. NBFCs are doing functions akin to that of banks, however there are a few differences: o An NBFC cannot accept demand deposits (which are payable on demand), like the savings and current accounts. o It is not a part of the payment and settlement system and as such cannot issue cheques to its customers. o Deposit insurance facility is not available for NBFC depositors unlike in case of banks Under the RBI Act, 1934, the NBFCs have to get registered with RBI. However, to obviate dual regulation, certain category of NBFCs which are regulated by other regulators are exempted from the requirement of registration with RBI such as: o venture capital fund, merchant banking companies, stock broking companies register with SEBI o insurance company holding a valid certificate of registration issued by IRDA o nidhi companies under the Companies Act, 1956; o chit companies under the Chit Funds Act, 1982 o housing finance companies regulated by National Housing Bank (of the RBI). 27. Bancassurance agreements
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Context: Insurance regulator IRDAI has allowed the four banks, emerging from the recent mega bank merger exercise, to continue for a year with existing bancassurance agreements of the lenders that amalgamated with them.
Concept: Bancassurance means selling insurance product through banks. Banks and insurance company come up in a partnership wherein the bank sells the tied insurance company's insurance products to its clients. Bancassurance arrangement benefits both the firms. On the one hand, the bank earns fee amount (non interest income) from the insurance company apart from the interest income whereas on the other hand, the insurance firm increases its market reach and customers. The bank acts as an intermediary, helping insurance firm reach its target customer in order to increase its market share. As per bancassurance regulations, a bank can only market three life, general and health insurance companies’ products.
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28. Enforcement directorate and FEMA Context: Investigating agency Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized two prime properties, worth over Rs 32 crore, in connection with a foreign exchange violation case against a Mumbai-based woman for allegedly holding undisclosed assets abroad.
Concept: About ED Directorate of Enforcement is a specialized financial investigation agency under the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance. The Directorate of Enforcement, with its Headquarters at New Delhi is headed by the Director of Enforcement. The main functions of the Directorate are as under 1. Investigate contraventions of the provisions of Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999(FEMA) 2. Investigate offences of money laundering under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002(PMLA) 3. Adjudicate Show Cause Notices issued under the repealed Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1973 (FERA) upto 2002 4. Processing cases of fugitive/s from India under Fugitive Economic Offenders Act,2018. 5. Sponsor cases of preventive detention under Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974(COFEPOSA) in regard to contraventions of FEMA. 6. Render cooperation to foreign countries in matters relating to money laundering and restitution of assets under the provisions of PMLA and to seek cooperation in such matters
About FEMA The Foreign Exchange Management Act (1999) or in short FEMA has been introduced as a replacement for earlier Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA). FEMA came into act on the 1st day of June, 2000. The main objective behind the Foreign Exchange Management Act (1999) is to consolidate and amend the law relating to foreign exchange with objective of facilitating external trade and payments and for promoting the orderly development and maintenance of foreign exchange market in India.
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FEMA is applicable to the all parts of India. The act is also applicable to all branches, offices and agencies outside India owned or controlled by a person who is resident of India.
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29. CSR Context: According to Corporate affairs ministry, contributions made to State Disaster Management Authority to combat COVID-19 would qualify as CSR expenditure. However, contribution towards 'Chief Minister’s Relief Fund' or 'State Relief Fund for COVID-19' would not be considered as spending towards CSR work.
Concept: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a self-regulating business model that helps a company be socially accountable—to itself, its stakeholders, and the public. 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 : At present, companies with a net profit of Rs 5 crore or a net worth of Rs 500 crore or a turnover of Rs 1,000 crore have to spend 2% of their average net profits of the last three years as CSR. (Schedule VII). These CSR funds can be used for a wide range of activities, including helping alleviate poverty and hunger, promoting skill development and education and disaster relief.
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30. IBC
Context: On March 24, 2020, the Union Finance Minister announced that the government is considering the suspension of Sections 7, 9 and 10 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016, to prevent mass insolvency proceedings if disruption of economic life due to Covid-19 continues beyond April 30.
Concept: Section 7 of IBC deals with initiation of corporate insolvency resolution process (CIRP) by financial creditor; section 9 and section 10 deal with the initiation of CIRP by operational creditors and corporate applicants, respectively. Increase in default threshold for IBC applicability from ₹1 lakh to ₹1 crore will act as a protection for MSMEs in the current crisis period.
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31. Buffer stock
Context: The central government has enough grains to feed over 81 crore beneficiaries of the public distribution system (PDS) for nine months, Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan
Concept: Food grain stocking norms refers to the level of stock in the Central Pool that is sufficient to meet the operational requirement of food grains and exigencies at any point of time. Earlier this concept was termed as Buffer Norms and Strategic Reserve. Presently stocking norms fixed by Government of India comprise: o Operational stocks: for meeting monthly distributional requirement under TPDS and OWS. o Food security stocks/reserves: for meeting shortfall in procurement. Stocking norms are for a quarter and consist of operational stock for the quarter and strategic reserve to take care of short fall in production or natural calamities.
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32. Renewable Purchase agreement
Context: Sales of renewable energy certificates rose over 79 per cent to 8.38 lakh units in March compared to 4.68 lakh in the same month a year ago owing to good supply.
Concept: Central Electricity Regulatory Commission introduced REC mechanism to ease the purchase of renewable energy by the state utilities and obligated entities, including the states which are not well endowed with RE sources. REC framework seeks to create a national level market for renewable generators to recover their cost. It is a market based mechanism which will help the states meet their regulatory requirements (such as Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPOs)) by overcoming the geographical constraints on existing renewable potential in different states. One REC is created when one megawatt hour of electricity is generated from an eligible renewable energy source. RECs help in incentivizing the production of renewable energy over and above the RPO state limit as tradable certificates are not constrained by the geographical limitations of commodity electricity.
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Under the REC mechanism, a generator can generate electricity through the renewable resources in any part of the country. For the electricity part, the generator receives the cost equivalent to that from any conventional source while the environment attribute is sold through the exchanges at the market determined price. The obligated entity from any part of the country can purchase these RECs to meet its RPO compliance.
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33. GST compensation
Context: Centre may raise loan to pay GST dues to States due to fall in GST collections amid COVID 19.
Concept: Compensation cess was introduced as relief for States for the loss of revenues arising from the implementation of GST. States, in lieu of giving up their powers to collect taxes on goods and services after local levies were subsumed under the GST, were guaranteed a 14 per cent tax revenue growth in the first five years after GST implementation by the Central government. States’ tax revenue as of FY16 is considered as the base year for the calculation of this 14 per cent growth. Any shortfall against it is supposed to be compensated by the Centre using the funds specifically collected as compensation cess. Compensation cess is levied on five products considered to be ‘sin’ or luxury goods like SUV, pan masala, cigrattes. The collected compensation cess flows into the Consolidated Fund of India, and then transferred to the Public Account of India, where a GST compensation cess account has been created. States are compensated bi-monthly from the accumulated funds in this account.
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34. MGNREGA Context: Employment under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has collapsed to just over 1% of the usual rate this month due to the COVID19 lockdown
Concept: MGNREGA, which is the largest work guarantee programme in the world, was enacted in 2005 with the primary objective of guaranteeing 100 days of wage employment per year to rural households whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. The act provides a legal right to employment for adult members of rural households. At least one third beneficiaries have to be women. Employment must be provided with 15 days of being demanded failing which an ‘unemployment allowance’ must be given.
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35. Priority Sector Lending
Priority Sector Lending is an important role given by the (RBI) to the banks for providing a specified portion of the bank lending to few specific sectors like agriculture and allied activities, micro and small enterprises, poor people for housing, students for education and other low income groups and weaker sections.. This is essentially meant for an all-round development of the economy as opposed to focusing only on the financial sector
Priority Sector includes the following categories: (i)Agriculture (ii)Micro,SmallandMediumEnterprises (iii)ExportCredit (iv)Education (v)Housing (vi)SocialInfrastructure (vii)RenewableEnergy (viii) Others
What is included under Weaker Sections under priority sector? Priority sector loans to the following borrowers are eligible to be considered under Weaker Sections category:- No. Category 1. Small and Marginal Farmers 2. Artisans, village and cottage industries where individual credit limits do not exceed ₹ 0.1 million 3. Beneficiaries under Government Sponsored Schemes such as National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) and Self-Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS) 4. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes 5. Beneficiaries of Differential Rate of Interest (DRI) scheme 6. Self Help Groups 7. Distressed farmers indebted to non-institutional lenders 8. Distressed persons other than farmers, with loan amount not exceeding ₹ 0.1 million per borrower to prepay their debt to non-institutional lenders 9. Individual women beneficiaries up to ₹ 0.1 million per borrower
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10. Persons with disabilities 11. Overdraft limit to PMJDY account holder upto ₹ 10,000/- with age limit of 18-65 years. 12. Minority communities as may be notified by Government of India from time to time
What are Priority Sector Lending Certificates (PSLCs)? Priority Sector Lending Certificates (PSLCs) are a mechanism to enable banks to achieve the priority sector lending target and sub-targets by purchase of these instruments in the event of shortfall. This also incentivizes surplus banks as it allows them to sell their excess achievement over targets thereby enhancing lending to the categories under priority sector. Under the PSLC mechanism, the seller sells fulfilment of priority sector obligation and the buyer buys the obligation with no transfer of risk or loan assets.
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36. FCRA
Context: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has asked all nonprofit organisations with foreign contribution licences to update the government on their efforts towards containing the COVID-19 outbreak every month.
Concept: FCRA, 2010 has been enacted by the Parliament to consolidate the law to regulate the acceptance and utilization of foreign contribution or foreign hospitality by certain individuals or associations or companies. It aims to prohibit funding for any activities detrimental to the national interest and for matters connected therewith. As per Section 1(2) of FCRA, 2010, the provisions of the act shall apply to: i. Whole of India ii. Citizens of India outside India iii. Associate Branches or subsidiaries, outside India, of companies or bodies corporate, registered or incorporated in India It is implemented by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. It defines the term ‘foreign contribution’ to include currency, article other than gift for personal use and securities received from foreign source. While foreign hospitality refers to any offer from a foreign source to provide foreign travel, boarding, lodging, transportation or medical treatment cost.
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37. Bear market rally
Context: India’s stock surge only a bear market rally, say global majors
Concept: Bear market rallies are periods during a bear market when assets quickly appreciate in value in the short term, over days and weeks, before heading back down to new lows. Bear market rallies are not a sign that the bear market is over or that asset prices have stabilized.
Bull vs Bear market A bull market refers to a market that is on the rise. It is typified by a sustained increase in price, for example in equity markets in the prices of companies' shares. In such times, investors often have faith that the uptrend will continue over the long term. Typically, in this scenario, the country's economy is strong and employment levels are high. A bear market is one that is in decline, typically having fallen 20% or more from recent highs. Share prices are continuously dropping, resulting in a downward trend that investors believe will continue, which, in turn, perpetuates the downward spiral. During a bear market, the economy will typically slow down and unemployment will rise as companies begin laying off workers.
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38. Food grain production
Context: India eyes record food production
Concept: Releasing the target at the annual kharif conference, agriculture commissioner SK Malhotra said the target of total food grains production for 2020-21 is set at a record 298.3 million tonne (MT), comprising 149.92 MT in kharif season and 148.4 MT during rabi. In 2019-20, production was 291.95 MT, against the target of 291.1 MT. The target for last year was modestly increased by less than a million tonne year-on-year.
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The financial creditor in simple terms is the institution that provided money to the corporate entity in the form of loans, bonds etc. Three important types of financial credit (a) Money borrowed against payment of interest (b) Any amount raised by acceptance under any acceptance credit facility, dematerialised form etc. (c) Any amount raised through the issue of bonds, notes, debentures, loan stock or any similar instrument. The Supreme Court in a remarkable verdict clarified that in the case of housing projects, the homebuyers should be treated as financial creditors. Business and other entities that have provided inputs and other materials and services and to whom the defaulted corporate owes a debt are called as operational creditors.
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40. RBI and COVID 19 Context: RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das announces slew of measures to tackle Covid-19 crisis
Concept: i)LTRO The LTRO is a tool under which the central bank provides one-year to three-year money to banks at the prevailing repo rate, accepting government securities with matching or higher tenure as the collateral. While the RBI’s current windows of liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) and marginal standing facility (MSF) offer banks money for their immediate needs ranging from 1-28 days, the LTRO supplies them with liquidity for their 1- to 3-year needs. LTRO operations are intended to prevent short-term interest rates in the market from drifting a long way away from the repo rate. ii)Reverse repo rate The RBI cut the reverse repo rate from 4 per cent to 3.75 per cent, so that banks are nudged to lend more, instead of deploying funds with the central bank. Reverse repo rate is the rate at which the central bank of a country (Reserve Bank of India in case of India) borrows money from commercial banks within the country iii)LCR Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) indicates the proportion of highly liquid assets held by banks to ensure their ability to meet short-term obligations. This ratio is essentially a generic stress test that aims to anticipate market-wide shocks and make sure that financial institutions possess suitable capital preservation, to ride out any short-term liquidity disruptions, that may plague the market. The LCR is calculated by dividing a bank's high-quality liquid assets by its total net cash flows, over a 30-day stress period. LCR was part of the 'Basel III: International framework for liquidity risk measurement, standards and monitoring' which is an international banking regulation issued in December 2010.
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RBI had made the LCR requirement binding on banks from January 1, 2015. Here, a transition time had been provided to banks where these entities reached 100 percent LCR by January 1, 2019. The banking regulator had said earlier that during a period of financial stress, banks can use their stock of High Quality Liquid Assets, leading to LCR thereby falling below 100 percent.
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41. NPA Context: RBI gives NPA classification reprieve to accounts under 3-month moratorium RBI has decided to provide an asset classification standstill for standard accounts that avail a moratorium between 1 March and 31 May.
Concept: Banks classify accounts as standard, substandard and doubtful, based on the number of days their payments are delayed. A non-performing asset (NPA) is a loan or advance for which the principal or interest payment remained overdue for a period of 90 days. Banks are required to classify NPAs further into Substandard, Doubtful and Loss assets. o Substandard assets: Assets which has remained NPA for a period less than or equal to 12 months. o Doubtful assets: An asset would be classified as doubtful if it has remained in the substandard category for a period of 12 months. o Loss assets: As per RBI, “Loss asset is considered uncollectible and of such little value that its continuance as a bankable asset is not warranted, although there may be some salvage or recovery value.”
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42. Lazy banking
Context: Reserve Bank of India sprang a surprise by slashing a key deposit rate in the banking system — the reverse repo — for the second time in three weeks.
Concept: Lazy banking is phenomenon of parking excess funds with the central bank rather than lend. This “lazy banking” phenomenon of circulating money within the banking system itself — stemming from an extreme aversion among banks to lend money to risk-prone, debt-laden commercial borrowers.
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43. WMA Vs FRBM Context: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced a 60% increase in the Ways and Means Advances (WMA) limit of state governments over and above the level as on March 31, with a view to enabling them to undertake COVID-19 containment and mitigation efforts
Concept: WMA It is a facility for both the Centre and states to borrow from the RBI interest charged at repo rate. These borrowings are meant purely to help them to tide over temporary mismatches in cash flows of their receipts and expenditures. The governments are, however, allowed to draw amounts in excess of their WMA limits. The interest on such overdraft is 2 percentage points above the repo rate These loans have a three-month tenure, and states are allowed an overdraft of 21 days.
Concerns: Many states feel that increase in WMA inadequate given the mounting expenses of states to counter the COVID-19 pandemic. RBI move would help, but was at best a temporary relief. States can’t do long-term expenditure with WMA because it has to be returned within three months. So many states want central government to raise their fiscal deficit limit currently capped at 3 per cent of the GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product) under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act to enable them to borrow more.
FRBM FRBM in states was enacted to provide for the responsibility of the state government to ensure inter-generational equity in fiscal management and long-term financial stability, by achieving sufficient revenue surplus, eliminating fiscal deficit and prudential debt management consistent with fiscal sustainability through limits on the state government borrowings, debt and deficits, greater transparency in fiscal operations of the state government.
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The States have enacted their own respective Financial Responsibility Legislation, which sets the same 3% of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) cap on their annual budget deficits.
Benefits: It helps states in accessing long term loans and make long term expenditures.
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44. Bad Bank A bad bank is one, set up to buy the bad loans and other illiquid holdings of another financial institution. The entity holding significant nonperforming assets will sell these holdings to the bad bank at market price. By transferring such assets to the bad bank, the original institution may clear its balance sheet—although it will still be forced to take write-downs.
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45. FDI rules
Context: The government has amended the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy to discourage opportunistic investment in Indian companies in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic. The primary reason is to protect national security. According to amendments to India’s consolidated FDI Policy, 2017, while non-resident entities can continue to invest in India, except in prohibited sectors or activities, only neighboring countries have to seek approval. This will be applicable to all countries that share a land border with India – such as China among others. Previously, only investments from Pakistan and Bangladesh faced such restrictions.
Concept: FDI in India is regulated under Schedule 1 of Foreign Exchange Management Regulations, 2000. Besides FEMA, 1999, FDI is also subject to other regulations as per Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and DPIIT. DPIIT is the nodal agency entrusted to formulate FDI Policy. It issues press notes to make amendments in the existing policy and also issues consolidated FDI Policy on an annual basis. Investments can be made by non-residents in the equity shares/fully, compulsorily and mandatorily convertible debentures/fully, compulsorily and mandatorily convertible preference shares of an Indian company, through the Automatic Route or the Government Route. Under the Automatic Route, the non-resident investor or the Indian company does not require any approval from Government of India for the investment. Under the Government Route, prior approval of the Government of India is required. Proposals for foreign investment under Government route, are considered by respective ministries. Following are the sectors where Foreign Direct Investment is prohibited in India: 1. Lottery including Government or private lotteries, online lotteries, etc.
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2. Gambling, betting including casinos etc. Foreign technology collaboration, including licensing for franchise, trademarks or brand name, is also prohibited for lottery, gambling and betting activities. 3. Chit funds 4. Nidhi company 5. Real estate business or construction of farm houses - This shall not include construction of townships, residential or commercial premises, roads, bridges and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) registered with SEBI. 6. Cigars, cheroots, cigarillos and cigarette manufacture 7. Sectors not open to private investment such as a. Atomic Energy b. Railway operations (other than permitted activities). 8. Trading in Transferable Development Rights (TDRs). TDRs means certificates issued in respect of category of land acquired for public purposes, either by the Central or State Government in consideration of surrender of land by the owner without monetary compensation, which are transferable in part or whole.
FDI FII Foreign capital in production set up Foreign capital in equity market Long term Short term Tough entry and exit Easy entry and exit Primary market Secondary market Motive is control Motive is profit Stable Unstable Drives eco growth Drive equity market Leads to tech transfer and job No such benefits creation
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46. Venture capital fund
Context: Most investors in companies such as Zomato, Swiggy, Bigbasket, Makemytrip, Oyo, Ola and Snapdeal are either venture capital funds registered in offshore tax havens or listed in stock exchanges in the U.S. or Hong Kong. So changes in FDI rules have no impact.
Concept: Venture capital is a form of private equity and a type of financing that investors provide to startup companies and small businesses that are believed to have long-term growth potential. Venture capital generally comes from well-off investors, investment banks and any other financial institutions. However, it does not always take a monetary form; it can also be provided in the form of technical or managerial expertise. Venture capital is typically allocated to small companies with exceptional growth potential, or to companies that have grown quickly and appear poised to continue to expand.
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47. Reverse repo rate
Context: Like most other central banks in the world, the Reserve Bank of India, too, has tried to cut interest rates to boost the economy. However, unlike in the past, when the RBI used its repo rate as the main instrument to tweak the interest rates, now, it is the reverse repo rate that is effectively setting the benchmark
Concept: The repo rate is the rate at which the RBI lends money to the banking system (or banks) for short durations. The reverse repo rate is the rate at which banks can park their money with the RBI. Under normal circumstances, that is when the economy is growing, the repo rate is the benchmark interest rate in the economy because it is the lowest rate of interest at which funds can be borrowed and, as such, it forms the floor rate for all other interest rates in the economy. Banking system is now flush with liquidity for two broad reasons: o RBI is cutting repo rates and other policy variables like the Cash Reserve Ratio to release additional and cheaper funds into the banking system so that banks could lend o Banks are not lending to businesses, partly because banks are too risk-averse to lend and partly because the overall demand from the businesses has also come down.
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The excess liquidity in the banking system has meant banks have been using only the reverse repo (to park funds with the RBI) instead of the repo (to borrow funds). As of April 15, RBI had close to Rs 7 lakh crore of banks’ money parked with it. In other words, the reverse repo rate has become the most influential rate in the economy. Recognising this, the central bank has cut the reverse repo rate more than the repo twice in the spate of the last three weeks. The idea is to make it less attractive for banks to do nothing with their funds.
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48. Greenfield and Brownfield Investments Greenfield and brownfield investments are two types of foreign direct investment. With Greenfield investing, a company will build its own, brand new facilities from the ground up. Brownfield investment happens when a company purchases or leases an existing facility.
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49. Nominal Effective Exchange Rate (NEER) and Real Effective Exchange Rate (REER)
Context: In NEER terms, the rupee has depreciated to its lowest level since November 2018. The rupee has been steadily losing value — showing the Indian economy’s reducing competitiveness— since July 2019. The dip in March was likely influenced by the net outflow of foreign portfolio investments from the Indian equity and debt markets.
Concept: NEER: NEER is a measure of the value of a currency against a weighted average of several foreign currencies. The Reserve Bank of India tabulates the rupee’s Nominal Effective Exchange Rate (NEER) in relation to the currencies of 36 trading partner countries. This is a weighted index — that is, countries with which India trades more are given a greater weight in the index. A decrease in this index denotes depreciation in rupee’s value; an increase reflects appreciation.
REER:
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Real Effective Exchange Rate (REER) is essentially an improvement over the NEER because it also takes into account the domestic inflation in the various economies. As the graph shows, the difference between trends of NEER and REER was due to India’s domestic retail inflation being lower relative to the other 36 countries. As domestic inflation started rising, the REER, too, started depreciating like the NEER.
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50. Why gold prices are rising? Context: Amid corona breakout, gold price is rising. Concept: In times of a crisis, investors globally view gold as a safe haven just the way they treat US government bonds and currencies such as the US dollar, Japanese yen and the swiss franc. Analysts say the precious metal acts as an effective portfolio diversifier and serves as a store of value, besides being a shield against inflation and a lender of last resort during economic uncertainties. A weak rupee often pushes up gold prices, as India meets bulk of its gold demand from through imports. According to the World Gold Council, many of the global dynamics seeded over the past few years will remain generally supportive for gold in 2020. In particular, financial and geopolitical uncertainty combined with low interest rates will likely bolster gold investment.
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51. Why oil prices fell below zero?
Context: Oil prices fall to historic lows as West Texas crude futures drop below $0
Concept: Western Texas Intermediate oil is traded as futures contracts in the NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange) where traders buy and sell monthly futures such as, for instance, May futures, June futures and so on. The sellers of such futures will have to deliver a barrel of crude oil at the contracted price in the contracted month just as buyers will have to take delivery at the contracted date. As with all trading in commodities, there’s a huge speculative participation in oil futures trading too. So speculators buy and sell contracts with no intention of taking delivery or offering delivery of the physical oil, on the contracted date. These speculators have to unwind their “positions” on the contract expiry date. If they fail to do so, they will have to take physical delivery of the crude oil on the contracted date. Speculators who did not want to take delivery in May proceeded to unwind their “positions,” leading to the massive fall in prices. It could be that these were financial speculators who never take physical delivery and hence closed their contracts. Or, these could also be delivery based traders backing out as the bottom has fallen off demand for oil. In reality, it would be a combination of both categories of traders.
Contango trade Contango kicks in when prices of a commodity in the futures market are considerably higher for deliveries many months later, compared to prices for immediate delivery. For instance, while May oil futures are negative and June is at $20.43 a barrel, November futures for the same grade of oil ended at a hefty $31.66 a barrel on Monday. Contango trades happen when traders anticipate a surge or rise in demand and value the commodity higher for the future
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52. Buy back Concept: A buyback, also known as a share repurchase, is when a company buys its own outstanding shares to reduce the number of shares available on the open market. Companies buy back shares for a number of reasons, such as to increase the value of remaining shares available by reducing the supply or to prevent other shareholders from taking a controlling stake.
53. Sugarcane price
Context: SC holds that both Centre and state can fix sugarcane price
Concept: SC observes that the price fixed by the central government is the ‘minimum price’ and the one fixed by state government is the ‘advised price’ which is always higher than the ‘minimum price’ fixed by the centre and therefore there is no conflict Fair and remunerative price (FRP) is the minimum price at which rate sugarcane is to be purchased by sugar mills from farmers. The FRP is fixed by Union government on the basis of recommendations of Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). The ‘FRP’ of sugarcane is determined under Sugarcane (Control) Order, 1966. Recommended FRP is arrived at by taking into account various factors such as cost of production, demand-supply situation, domestic & international prices, inter-crop price parity etc. This will be uniformly applicable all over the country. Besides FRP, some states such as Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, UP and TN announce a State Advised Price, which is generally higher than the FRP.
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54. Operation Twist
Context: RBI to restart Operation Twist to manage yields
Concept: The tool essentially aims at changing the shape of the yield curve (hence the name — twist) through simultaneous buying and selling of long- and short-term government bonds. In India, the RBI put through its version of Operation Twist by buying ₹10,000 crore worth of 10-year government bonds while selling four shorter-term government bonds adding up to the same value. The intent is to moderate high long-term interest rates in the market and bring them closer to the repo rate.
Why needed? The central bank has decided to purchase Rs 10,000 crore worth of one security – the 6.45% GS 2029. This is a long term 10-year bond. When the RBI purchases 6.45% bond, demand is expected to rise, leading to lower longterm yield. On the sell side, it has proposed to sell four short term securities which will mature in 2020 for a total of Rs 10,000 crore - 6.65% GS 2020, 7.80% GS 2020, 8.27% GS 2020 and 8.12% GS 2020. The sale of short-term securities will push up the short-term rate. Experts say the move is necessary because the present market conditions in India have made investors/customers hesitant in making long-term investments or availing long-term loans. It may be noted that high market yields on long-term government securities often send interest rates on long-term loans soaring. This can affect customers seeking long term loans for vehicles, real estate, and other long-term borrowings. As the central bank buys more long-term security and sells off short term bonds, the bond yield -- the return an investor gets on his holding - comes down significantly. Since longterm bond yield (10-year government securities) is a key market interest rate, lower rates can help people avail more long-term loans. It also helps in bringing down overall borrowing costs for the government. History of Operation Twist:
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In 1961, the John F Kennedy administration proposed a solution to revive the weak economy through lower longer-term interest rates while keeping short- term interest rates unchanged. This initiative is now known as ‘Operation Twist’ which was employed by the US Fed.
Yield Curve: A yield curve is a graph of interest rate on all government bonds ranging from the short-term debt (one month) to long-term debt (could be high as 30 years). Typically, the short term bond has lower interest rate compared with the long- term bond reflecting the higher perceived risk of the latter. Hence a graph of the interest rate of the short term bond and longer-term will be an increasing line chart. This in technical parlance is called an upward sloping curve.
What is an inverted yield curve? When the short-term interest rate is higher than the long term, the yield curve looks inverted. The US Federal Reserve’s preferred measure to gauge inverted yield curve is the difference between the three months and ten years bond yield and whether it remains in negative territory for the ten consecutive days. Historically, when this happens, there has been a recession in the next 140-487 days in the US.
Why inverted yield curve happens? The shorter-term bonds are highly sensitive to the central bank’s interest rate tweaks as compared longer term bonds, which are more linked to inflationary expectation of the economy. The inflation shrinks the purchasing power of the bond’s future performance. This means in times of higher inflation, investors ask the yield for longer tenure to compensate for inflation risk. However, when inflationary expectation appears to be stable in the long term, investors tend to move into long-term safe-haven bonds, even though they may offer modest yields.
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55. IBC
Context: Government is looking to suspend IBC rules for up to one year
Concept: Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 is considered as one of the biggest insolvency reforms in the economic history of India. The law aims to consolidate the laws relating to insolvency of companies and limited liability entities, unlimited liability partnerships and individuals, presently contained in a number of legislations, into a single legislation. Such consolidation will provide for a greater clarity in law and facilitate the application of consistent and coherent provisions to different stakeholders affected by business failure or inability to pay debt
Before IBC The recovery action by creditors, either through the Contract Act or through special laws such as the Recovery of Debts Due to Banks and Financial Institutions Act, 1993 and the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002, has not had desired outcomes. Similarly, action through the Sick Industrial Companies (Special Provisions) Act, 1985 and the winding up provisions of the Companies Act, 1956 have neither been able to aid recovery for lenders nor aid restructuring of firms. Laws dealing with individual insolvency, the Presidential Towns insolvency Act, 1909 and the Provincial Insolvency Act. 1920, are almost a century old.
Features: The Code creates time-bound processes for insolvency resolution of companies and individuals. These processes will be completed within 180 days. If insolvency cannot be resolved, the assets of the borrowers may be sold to repay creditors. The resolution processes will be conducted by licensed insolvency professionals (IPs). These IPs will are members of insolvency professional agencies (IPAs).
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Information utilities (IUs) are established to collect, collate and disseminate financial information to facilitate insolvency resolution. The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) adjudicate insolvency resolution for companies. The Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) adjudicate insolvency resolution for individuals. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India regulate functioning of IPs, IPAs and IUs.
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56. Monetization of deficit
Context: Though Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has been trying to boost the liquidity in the financial system through OMO, most banks are unwilling to extend new loans as they are risk-averse. Moreover, this process could take time. And also Government is going to face high fiscal deficit because of COVID relief packages, fall in tax revenues. In this scenario, there is need to look monetization of deficit as viable option.
Concept:
OMO vs Monetization of deficit In simple terms, monetising fiscal deficit means the RBI purchases government debt directly rather than the government borrowing from the markets by selling bonds. In turn, the central bank prints more currency to finance this debt. Government deals with the RBI directly bypassing the financial system and asks it to print new currency in return for new bonds that the government gives to the RBI. In lieu of printing this cash, which is a liability for the RBI , it gets government bonds, which are an asset for the RBI since such bonds carry the government’s promise to pay back the designated sum at a specified date. This is different from the “indirect” monetising that RBI does when it conducts the so-called Open Market Operations (OMOs) and/ or purchases bonds in the secondary market. Open market operations is the sale and purchase of government securities and treasury bills by RBI without printing new currency. The objective of OMO is to regulate the money supply in the economy
Issues: Government expenditure using this new money boosts incomes and raises private demand in the economy. Thus, it fuels inflation.
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A little increase in inflation is healthy as it encourages business activity. But if the government doesn’t stop in time, more and more money floods the market and creates high inflation.
Present Status: Until 1997, the RBI “automatically” monetised the government’s deficit. However, direct monetisation of government deficit has its downsides. In 1994, Manmohan Singh (former RBI Governor and then Finance Minister) and C Rangarajan, then RBI Governor, decided to end this facility by 1997.
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57. Cash driven economy
Context: The share of money held in the form of currency, both by the public and as cash with banks, has hit the highest level since 2007-08. The total currency in circulation (CIC) — the outstanding value of notes and coins issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) — stood at Rs 25.06 lakh crore as on April 17.
Concept: An economic system, or part of one, in which financial transactions are carried out in cash rather than via direct debit, standing order, bank transfer, or credit card is known as cash driven economy. The increase in cash usage is being attributed to weak credit-cum- deposit creation by banks in a slowing economy as well as the public’s greater desire to remain liquid amid the lockdown and the looming economic distress Cash in the system has been steadily rising even though the government and the RBI pushed for a “less cash society”, digitisation of payments and slapped restrictions on the use of cash on various transactions. In fact, over the last 12-months, the currency with public has risen by Rs 305694 crore.
Currency in circulation Currency with the public is arrived at after deducting cash with banks from total currency in circulation. Currency in circulation refers to cash or currency within a country that is physically used to conduct transactions between consumers and businesses.
Money Aggregates: Standard Measures of Money Supply Reserve Money (M0) = Currency in circulation + Bankers’ deposits with the RBI + ‘Other’ deposits with the RBI M1=Currency with the public + Deposit money of the public (Demand deposits with the banking system + ‘Other’ deposits with the RBI). It is called narrow money M2 =M1 + Savings deposits with Post office savings banks.
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M3 = M1+ Time deposits with the banking system. It is called broad money M4=M3 + All deposits with post office savings banks (excluding National Savings Certificates).
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58. Fiscal Options & Response to COVID-19 Epidemic and CBDT:
Context: Various suggestions has been given in a report titled ‘Fiscal Options & Response to COVID-19 Epidemic’ to recover COVID impacted economy. It was prepared by Indian Revenue Services (IRS) officials.
Concept: It defined “corona economy” as “largely a digital/online/e-commerce economy” It also proposed that equalization levy, or ‘Google tax’, should be raised by 1 per cent to 7 per cent for ad services and 3 per cent from 2 per cent for e-commerce to raise revenue from online services which have seen increased consumption during the pandemic. It called for progressive fiscal tool through hike in income tax rate to 40 per cent for those earning an annual income of over Rs 1 crore for a limited time period, the levy of a COVID-19 cess of 4 per cent on taxable income over Rs 10 lakh, a re-introduction of wealth tax for individuals with net wealth of Rs 5 crore. This has been termed as progressive fiscal policy. A progressive tax policy requires individuals with higher incomes and wealth to pay taxes at a rate that is higher than those with lower incomes
Equalization levy Equalization Levy was introduced in India in 2016-2017, with the intention of taxing the digital transactions i.e. the income accruing to foreign e-commerce companies from India. Equalization Levy is a direct tax, which is withheld at the time of payment by the service recipient. The two conditions to be met to be liable to equalization levy: o The payment should be made to a non-resident service provider; o The annual payment made to one service provider exceeds Rs. 1, 00,000 in one financial year. The following services covered: o Online advertisement o Any provision for digital advertising space or facilities/ service for the purpose of online advertisement;
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Currently the applicable rate of tax is 6% of the gross consideration to be paid.
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59. V shaped recovery vs U shaped Context: A prolonged lockdown may possibly push millions of Indians into the "margins of subsistence", former RBI Governor Duvvuri Subba Rao said on Sunday while expecting a V curved recovery once the COVID-19 crisis ends and the turnaround in India to be faster than some economies.
The global recession induced by COVID-19 might only be a couple of months old, but direct central bank intervention and some encouraging signs of recovery from China have sparked the debate of a “V-shaped” versus a “U- shaped” recovery in economies and markets.
Concept: A V-shaped recovery is characterized by a sharp economic decline followed by a quick and sustained recovery. This type of recession tends to be considered a best-case scenario. A U-Shaped Recovery represents the shape of the chart of certain economic measures, such as employment, GDP and industrial output. It is also charted when the economy experiences a gradual decline in these metrics followed by a gradual rise back to its previous peak.
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60. Corona and deflation Context: The coronavirus pandemic and economic shutdowns could have multiple second-order impacts such as deflation in some economies, a loss of output, permanently-shifted supply chains and a re-evaluation of regulation, warns IMF’s global Financial Stability Report.
Concept: Deflation is when the general price levels in a country are falling—as opposed to inflation when prices rise. Deflation can be caused by an increase in productivity, a decrease in overall demand, or a decrease in the volume of credit in the economy. Deflation is different from disinflation: Deflation is a decrease in general price levels throughout an economy, while disinflation is what happens when price inflation slows down temporarily.
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61. Shared Economy Concept: The sharing economy, also known as collaborative consumption or peer-topeer- based sharing, is a concept that highlights the ability of individuals to rent or borrow goods rather than buy and own them. The sector predominantly driven by shared mobility, co-working, co- living and furniture rentals, is pegged to be an about USD 2 billion industry in the organised-end and growing in double digits.In 2019, the segment was estimated to be about USD 1.5 billion in size in India. Shared economy includes segments like co-working (Awfis, WeWork India), co-living (Stanza Living, OYO Life, Oxford Caps), shared mobility (Uber, Ola, Shuttl) and furniture rental (Furlenco, Rentomojo.)
Reason for rise in shared economy: High mobile penetration, high millennial concentration, and an aspirational population, Asia has highest willingness to use shared assets. India mirrors Asia trends in these aspects and is thus, poised for high growth and adoption of shared services.
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62. Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2019
Context: India has become the third largest military spender in the world, after the US and China according to the SIPRO report on “Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2019”.
Concept: According to a Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report, this is the first time that India and China are among the top three military spenders. India’s “tensions” and “rivalry” with Pakistan and China are among the main reasons for its increased military expenditure. India’s military spending grew by 6.8 percent to $71.1 billion in 2019. This was the highest military spending in South Asia. The five largest spenders, including Russia and Saudi Arabia, in 2019 accounted for 62 per cent of the expenditure. India’s military expenditure has risen significantly over the past few decades. It grew by 259 per cent over the 30-year period 1990 and 2019 and by 37 per cent over the decade 2010–19. However, its military burden fell from 2.7 per cent of GDP in 2010 to 2.4 per cent in 2019.
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63. State development loan
Context: Tamil Nadu has raised ₹2,000 crore through the issue of bonds known as State Development Loans (SDLs) with a tenure of 30 years, at an interest rate of 7.15%, according to data from RBI.
Concept: State Development Loans (SDLs) are dated securities issued by states for meeting their market borrowings requirements. In effect, the SDL are similar to the dated securities issued by the central government. Purpose of issuing State Development Loans is to meet the budgetary needs of state governments. Each state can borrow upto a set limit through State Development Loans The SDL securities issued by states are credible collateral for meeting the SLR requirements of banks as well as a collateral for availing liquidity under the RBI’s LAF including the repo. The investors in SDL are basically commercial banks, mutual funds, insurance companies who are attracted by the slightly higher interest rate of SDL
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64. Credit rating agencies
Context: Microfinance industry association has written to the Reserve Bank as well as to SEBI, requesting that ratings agencies be directed to push back their assessment of microlenders by three months due to the impact on operations following the COVID19 outbreak.
Concept: A credit rating agency is an entity which assesses the ability and willingness of the issuer company for timely payment of interest and principal on a debt instrument. Credit rating is an assessment of the probability of default on payment of interest and principal on a debt instrument. Ratings are based on a comprehensive evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the company fundamentals including financials along with an in-depth study of the industry as well as macro-economic, regulatory and political l environment. Credit rating agencies are regulated by SEBI. The SEBI (Credit Rating Agencies) Regulations, 1999 govern the credit rating agencies and provide for eligibility criteria for registration of credit rating agencies, monitoring and review of ratings, requirements for a proper rating process, avoidance of conflict of interest and inspection of rating agencies by SEBI, amongst other things.
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General Science 1. Principal scientific advisor
Context: India’s highest science advisory body, the office of the Principal (PSA), and the Union Health Ministry appear out of sync on whether masks should be widely used by people. Concept: The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India (PSA’s Office) was set-up in November 1999 by the Cabinet Secretariat, primarily, to : Evolve polices, strategies and missions for the generation of innovations and support systems for multiple applications Generate science and technology tasks in critical infrastructure, economic and social sectors in partnership with Government departments, institutions and industry, and Function as the Secretariat to the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet, with the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India as its Chairman. The Office endeavors to bring in synergy among the various scientific departments and other ministries in creating an enabling S&T eco- system that encourages innovations across disciplines. The Prime Minister's Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM- STIAC) is an overarching Council that facilitates the PSA’s Office to assess the status in specific science and technology domains, comprehend challenges in hand, formulate specific interventions, develop a futuristic roadmap and advise the Prime Minister accordingly. It is chaired by Principal scientific advisor.
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2. How alcohol in sanitizer kills virus?
Hand sanitizers contain ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol or both to kill bacteria and viruses on hands. Alcohol is effective at killing different types of microbes, including both viruses and bacteria, because it unfolds and inactivates their proteins.
This process, which is called denaturation, will cripple and often kill the microbe because its proteins will unfold and stick together. Some viruses have an outer wrapping, which is called an envelope, while others are non-enveloped. Alcohol is effective at killing enveloped viruses, including the coronavirus, but is less effective at killing non- enveloped viruses.
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3. Reproduction number of contagious virus disease
Context:
One reason for the relatively slow increase in the number of novel coronavirus patients in India, as of now, could be the fact that every infected person has been passing on the virus only to another 1.7 people on an average. This is remarkably lower than what has been observed in the worst-affected countries
Concept: R-naught is a frequently used mathematical metric to estimate how contagious an infectious disease can be. It can help in making projections for the number of people likely to be affected by such a disease and is often used to decide on the kind of policy interventions required to halt the epidemic. A less than one value for R-naught would mean that disease would not take the form of an epidemic. Any value more than one indicates an exponential rise in the number of patients. R-naught is also a dynamic metric, and is sensitive to the kind of interventions made to contain the spread.
4. Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu gets a ‘disinfection tunnel’ to fight COVID19
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Context: Tiruppur Collector inaugurated a ‘disinfection tunnel’ as part of the precautionary measures against COVID19 at the entrance of the Uzhavar Santhai.
Concept: Two sets of three nozzles will spray 1% sodium hypochlorite solution as people walk past, for a duration of three to five seconds inside the tunnel. Upon contact [with surfaces], it is efficient enough to kill the virus Sodium hypochlorite: Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) is a compound that can be effectively used for water purification. It is used on a large scale for surface purification, bleaching, odor removal and water disinfection.
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5. Standard vs High definition video
Context:
Telecom operators said they had seen a flattening of demand on their networks due to various measures, including streaming services reducing the video quality to standard definition (SD).
Concept: Video resolution is the number of pixels that make up a frame in a video. Pixels are the smallest units that make up a picture in a video. Generally, the more pixels that make an image, the crisper that frame appears. HD images have more pixels per square inch than standard definition videos. SD or “standard definition” is 640 pixels wide and 480 pixels tall in the U.S. (Slightly larger in Asia and Europe, where the format is different). HD or “high definition” is at least 1280 pixels wide, and in a wider format than SD.
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6. Medical devices as drugs
Context: The central government notified all medical devices sold in the country will be treated as drugs under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act with effect from April 1, 2020. This means, all medical devices will be regulated by the government as drugs for quality control and price monitoring.
Concept: Currently, 24 medical devices are regulated under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. Following this order, all medical devices used to treat a patient - be it syringes, needles, cardiac stents, knee implant, digital thermometers, CT scan, MRIs, dialysis machines - will be regulated under the DCA. Implications: Apart from expanding the scope of regulation to ensure safety and efficacy, the move may pave the way for regulation of prices under the Drugs Price Control Order (DPCO). It will also make companies, in case of violations, liable to be penalized in a court of law. Companies will now have to seek approval from the drug controller to manufacture, import and sell any medical device in the country. Medical devices shall be registered with the Central Licensing Authority through an identified online portal established by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). Such registration is voluntary for a period of 18 months, after which it will be mandatory.
Price control and regulations: As per the notification, four medical devices, cardiac stents, drug eluting stents, condoms and intra uterine devices (Cu-T), are scheduled medical devices for which ceiling prices have been fixed. These four medical devices are under price control Meanwhile, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), a government regulatory agency, is monitoring Maximum Retail Prices (MRPs) of remaining non-scheduled medical devices, which have been regulated as drugs. It comes under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
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NPPA is currently monitoring Maximum Retail Prices (MRPs) under Para 20 of the DPCO, 2013 to ensure that no manufacturer/importers can increase the price more than ten per cent in preceding twelve months.
Drugs (Prices Control) Order (DPCO) The Drugs Prices Control Order, 1995 is an order issued by the Government of India under Sec. 3 of Essential Commodities Act, 1955 to regulate the prices of drugs. The Order inter alia provides the list of price controlled drugs, procedures for fixation of prices of drugs, method of implementation of prices fixed by Govt., penalties for contravention of provisions etc. For the purpose of implementing provisions of DPCO, powers of Government have been vested in NPPA.
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7. Ayurveda immunity boosting measures for self-care during COVID 19 crisis
Context: The Ministry of AYUSH has released a list of Ayurveda approved practices that can help people boost immunity especially during the current times.
Concept: Ayurveda: Ayurveda’s extensive knowledge base on preventive care derives from the concepts of “Dinacharya” - daily regimes and “Ritucharya” - seasonal regimes to maintain healthy life. It is a plant-based science.
Immunity: The immune system protects us from invading pathogenic microorganisms and cancer. Immunity – the state of protection from infectious disease – has both a less specific or INNATE and a more specific or ADAPTIVE component.
Innate Immunity: This provides the first line of defence against infection. It is a rapid response (minutes); it is not specific to a particular pathogen. It has no memory and does not confer long-lasting immunity to the host. It has 4 main components and is found in all classes of plant and animal life.
Adaptive Immunity: This provides a specific immune response directed at an invading pathogen. Following exposure to a foreign organism there is an initial EFFECTOR RESPONSE that eliminates or neutralizes a pathogen. Later re-exposure to the same foreign
P a g e | 151 OPTIMIZE IAS Daily Prelims Notes Compilation https://optimizeias.com/ organism induces a MEMORY RESPONSE with a more rapid immune reaction that eliminates the pathogen and prevents disease. This response is found only in vertebrates. It has been known from historical times that a person who has recovered from an infectious disease, e.g. smallpox, is most unlikely to suffer from it again – even when exposed maximally – although he would remain susceptible to other infections.
That is, during the recovery period he has acquired specific immunity to smallpox but not to other unrelated infections.
Ministry’s General tips to boost immunity: i) General measures: Drinking warm water throughout the day Daily practise of yoga. This can include Yogasna, Pranayama and meditation for at least 30 minutes daily. Incorporate spices like Turmeric (Haldi), Cumin (Jeera) and Coriander (Dhaniya) in your daily cooking. These spices are known to help boost immunity through the study of Ayurveda. ii) Immunity promoting measures Drink herbal tea (kadha). Including Tulsi, Dalchini (Cinnamon), black pepper, dry ginger (Shunthi) and raisins. Adding Jaggery (Gur) and fresh lemon juice according to your taste. Drink this concoction at least twice a day. Add half teaspoon of Turmeric (Haldi) in a glass of warm milk and drink it once or twice a day.
P a g e | 152 OPTIMIZE IAS Daily Prelims Notes Compilation https://optimizeias.com/ iii) Daily Ayurveda practice Application of sesame oil or coconut oil or Ghee in nostrils in the morning and evening. Following oil pulling therapy. iv) During dry cough / sore throat Steam inhalation with fresh Pudina (Mint) leaves or Ajwain (Caraway seeds) can be practiced once in a day. Lavang (Clove) powder mixed with natural sugar / honey can be taken 2- 3 times a day in case of cough or throat irritation. These measures generally treat normal dry cough and sore throat. However, it is best to consult doctors if these symptoms persist.
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8. Spanish Flu The 1918 influenza pandemic was the most severe pandemic in recent history. It was caused by an H1N1 virus with genes of avian origin. Although there is not universal consensus regarding where the virus originated, it spread worldwide during 1918-1919. It killed more people than the Great War, known today as World War I (WWI) around 50 million Mortality was high in people younger than 5 years old, 20-40 years old, and 65 years and older. The high mortality in healthy people, including those in the 20-40 year age group, was a unique feature of this pandemic With no vaccine to protect against influenza infection and no antibiotics to treat secondary bacterial infections that can be associated with influenza infections, control efforts worldwide were limited to non- pharmaceutical interventions such as isolation, quarantine, good personal hygiene, use of disinfectants, and limitations of public gatherings, which were applied unevenly.
Flus in the last one century Flu Year Spanish Flu 1918 Asian Flu 1957 Hong Kong Flu 1968 H1N1 2009
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9. Geo fencing
Context: The government has tested an application that triggers emails and SMS alerts to an authorized government agency if a person has jumped quarantine or escaped from isolation, based on the person’s mobile phone’s cell tower location. Department of Telecommunications (DoT) shared a standard operating procedure (SOP) with all telecom service providers regarding the application called COVID19 Quarantine Alert System (CQAS).
Concept: Geo fencing is a location-based service in which an app or other software uses GPS, RFID, Wi-Fi or cellular data to trigger a pre- programmed action when a mobile device or RFID tag enters or exits a virtual boundary set up around a geographical location, known as a geo fence. Depending on how a geo fence is configured it can prompt mobile push notifications, trigger text messages or alerts, send targeted advertisements on social media, allow tracking on vehicle fleets, disable certain technology or deliver location-based marketing data. Some geo fences are set up to monitor activity in secure areas, allowing management to see alerts when anyone enters or leaves a specific area.
Indian Telegraph Act, 1885
The States have been asked to seek the approval of their Home Secretaries under the provisions of Section 5(2) of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, for the specified mobile phone numbers to request the DoT to provide information by email or SMS in case of violation of “geo fencing” The particular provision under the Act, amended multiple times since 1885, authorizes the State or the Centre to access information of a user’s phone data in case of occurrence of any public emergency or in the interest of the public safety.
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10. Biosuit
Context: Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a special sealant as an alternative to seam sealing tape which is critical in personal protective equipment (PPE). A bio suit was also developed to keep medical and other personnel engaged in combating COVID19 safe from the deadly virus The suit has been prepared with the help of the industry and subjected to rigorous testing for textile parameters as well as protection against synthetic blood
Benefits: The production of such suits in the country by DRDO industry partners and others are being hampered due to non-availability of seam sealing tapes and to address this the DRDO has prepared a special sealant as an alternative.
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11. Antibody test vs PCR tests
Context:
Amid growing coronavirus disease, Indian states have started to look at “rapid tests” serological or blood tests — as an alternative to the longer, swab-based tests routinely being used. Kerala has already started to do blood test.
Concept: Antibody test: In this person’s plasma is tested for presence of antibodies against the antigen like COVID 19 Virus Blood has two components, a matrix called plasma and the blood cells. The plasma minus the components of whole blood that cause it to clot is known as serum. It takes less than 30 minutes.
PCR test: The standard test for COVID-19 so far has been the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). It is done after taking nasal or throat swabs of the patient, from which RNA is extracted and converted to DNA, which is then amplified before being checked for confirmation of the virus. The PCR test takes up to nine hours.
Benefits: PCR test is capable of identifying infection at an earlier stage. Only after the antibodies have developed, which takes several days, can the serological test come in. And even for serological tests, the positives will have to go through the PCR filter.
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12. N95 mask
Context: N95 mask is in great demand amid rising cases of COVID 19
Concept: An N95 respirator is a respiratory protective device designed to achieve a very close facial fit and very efficient filtration of airborne particles N95 mask named because it is able to block at least 95% of particles in the air that are of the size 0.3 microns or bigger (1 micron is a millionth of a metre). A single SARS-CoV2 virus is typically up to 0.2 microns in size, so it can possibly penetrate the N95 mask. Virus is enclosed in air droplets that are much bigger in size. Since droplets are getting spread which are a few microns in size, it is very unlikely that there are droplets that are less than 0.3 microns in size. So that way the N95 is a very good barrier to virus entry N: This is a Respirator Rating Letter Class. It stands for “Non-Oil” meaning that if no oil-based particulates are present, then it can be used in the work environment. Other masks ratings are R (resistant to oil for 8 hours) and P (oil proof).
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13. Artificial intelligence
Context: Scientists from TCS Innovation Labs in Hyderabad are harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to identify new molecules which might have the potential to target specific parts of novel coronavirus.
Concept: AI is a constellation of technologies that enable machines to act with higher levels of intelligence and emulate the human capabilities of sense, comprehend and act.
AI gets categorised in different ways: o Weak AI vs. Strong AI: Weak AI describes "simulated" thinking. That is, a system which appears to behave intelligently, but doesn't have any kind of consciousness about what it's doing. For example, a chatbot might appear to hold a natural conversation, but it has no sense of who it is or why it's talking to you. Strong AI describes "actual" thinking. That is, behaving intelligently, thinking as human does, with a conscious, subjective mind. For example, when two humans converse, they most likely know exactly who they are, what they're doing, and why.
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o Narrow AI vs. General AI: Narrow AI describes an AI that is limited to a single task or a set number of tasks. For example, the capabilities of IBM's Deep Blue, the chess playing computer that beat world champion Gary Kasparov in 1997, were limited to playing chess. It wouldn't have been able to win a game of tic-tac-toe - or even know how to play. General AI describes an AI which can be used to complete a wide range of tasks in a wide range of environments. As such, it's much closer to human intelligence. o Super intelligence: The term "super intelligence" is often used to refer to general and strong AI at the point at which it surpasses human intelligence, if it ever does. NITI Aayog has decided to focus on five sectors that are envisioned to benefit the most from AI in solving societal needs: Healthcare, Agriculture, Education, Smart Cities and Infrastructure, and Smart Mobility and Transportation.
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14. Biosafety level
A biosafety level (BSL) is a set of biocontainment precautions required to isolate dangerous biological agents in an enclosed laboratory facility. The levels of containment range from the lowest biosafety level 1 (BSL- 1) to the highest at level 4 (BSL-4). At the lowest level of biosafety, precautions may consist of regular hand-washing and minimal protective equipment.At higher biosafety levels, precautions may include airflow systems, multiple containment rooms, sealed containers, positive pressure personnel suits, established protocols for all procedures, extensive personnel training, and high levels of security to control access to the facility. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has established first Bio- Safety Level-4 (BSL-4) laboratory in the premise of Microbial Containment Complex (MCC), National Institute of Virology, Pune in 2013. Biosafety level 1 (BSL-1) is suitable for work with well-characterized agents which do not cause disease in healthy humans. Biosafety level 2 is suitable for work involving agents of moderate potential hazard to personnel and the environment This includes various microbes that cause mild disease to humans, or are difficult to contract via aerosol in a lab setting Examples include Hepatitis A, B, and C viruses, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus, Salmonella, Plasmodium falciparum, and Toxoplasma gondii Biosafety level 3 is appropriate for work involving microbes which can cause serious and potentially lethal disease via the inhalation routeBiosafety level 3 is commonly used for research and diagnostic work involving various microbes which can be transmitted by aerosols and/or cause severe disease. These include Francisella tularensis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Chlamydia psittaci, Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, Eastern equine encephalitis virus, SARS coronavirus, SARS-Cov-2, MERS coronavirus, Coxiella burnetii, Rift Valley fever virus, Rickettsia rickettsii, several species of Brucella, chikungunya, yellow fever virus, West Nile virus, Yersinia pestis.
Uses: This would be tremendously useful in investigation outbreak of highly infectious diseases like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Avian and pandemic Swine Influenza, Nipah virus, Crimean Congo
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hemorrhagic fever virus and Kyasanur forest disease virus which created fear and affected at large our country. This laboratory would be useful in developing diagnostic reagents for highly infectious diseases agents for providing to other network laboratory so that early diagnosis of such agents can be achieved, which help in controlling the emerging diseases. This facility will also serve as a National Virus Repository, for risk group- 4 viral agents, where viruses will be archived for further research. As most of the viral agents listed as tools of bioterrorism are of BSL-4 category, hence this facility will also give the country the capacity to deal with agents of bioterrorism.
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15. Plant based meat and cultivated meat
Context: Plant based and cultivated meat represents an enormous opportunity to solve the problems of rampant malnutrition, low farmer incomes, antibiotic dependency, and inhumane factory farming of animals
Concept: Plant based meats are made from plants and are cholesterol and antibiotic free, but taste and feel like meat.
Cultivated meat is produced by taking a small sample of animal cells and replicating them outside of the animal; the resulting product is real meat, but without the antibiotics. Rather than raising livestock and slaughtering them for meat, cell-based meat is produced through ‘cellular agriculture’, with animal cells being cultivated into meat. Benefits: As the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization notes, animals raised for food make up 14.5 percent of total carbon emissions across the globe. According to one study, replacing livestock with lab-grown meats will cut down on the land needed by 99 percent, and the water needed by 90 percent .
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16. Digital divide
Context: Online learning out of reach for many people. Lockdown exacerbates consequences of digital divide for poor students and those in rural areas
Concept: Digital divide is defined as growing gap between the underprivileged members of society, especially the poor, rural, elderly, and handicapped portion of the population who do not have access to computers or the internet; and the wealthy, middle-class, and young living in urban and suburban areas who have access to internet. The vision of the National Broadband Mission is to fast track growth of digital communications infrastructure, bridge the digital divide, facilitate digital empowerment and inclusion and provide affordable and universal access of broadband for all.
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17. GISAID
Context: India has shared nine whole genome sequences of the novel coronavirus (SARSCoV2) with the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID)
Concept: The GISAID Initiative promotes the international sharing of all influenza virus sequences, related clinical and epidemiological data associated with human viruses, and geographical as well as species-specific data associated with avian and other animal viruses, to help researchers understand how the viruses evolve, spread and potentially become pandemics. The Initiative ensures that open access to data in GISAID is provided free-of-charge and to everyone, provided individuals identify themselves and agree to uphold the GISAID sharing mechanism governed through its Database Access Agreement.
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18. Immunoglobulins
Context: Rapid antibody test kits will be able to tell if a person was affected acutely or if he has recovered. If the infection is acute or active, a person will have IgM antibodies; if they have recovered, they will have IgG antibodies.
Concept:
Antibodies are proteins made by the immune system to fight antigens, such as bacteria, viruses, and toxins.The body makes different immunoglobulin to combat different antigens. The five subclasses of antibodies are: Immunoglobulin A (IgA), which is found in high concentrations in the mucous membranes, particularly those lining the respiratory passages and gastrointestinal tract, as well as in saliva and tears. Immunoglobulin G (IgG), are involved in the secondary immune response (IgM is the main antibody involved in primary response). IgG can bind pathogens, like for example viruses, bacteria, and fungi, and thereby protects the body against infection and toxins. Comprising up to 80% of the antibodies found in the human body, IgG is the smallest, yet most abundant human antibody, and that of other mammals. IgG can be found in all bodily fluids, and is the only antibody that can protect a foetus by passing through the mother's placenta. Immunoglobulin M (IgM), is the largest antibody, and it is the first antibody to appear in the response to initial exposure to an antigen. B- cells create IgM antibodies as a first line of defense. Their large size gives them excellent binding avidity, and can pick up trace amounts of infection to mark for recognition by phagocytes. IgM is primarily found in serum and due to its size, it cannot diffuse well, and is found in the interstitium only in very low quantities. Immunoglobulin E (IgE), which is associated mainly with allergic reactions (when the immune system overreacts to environmental antigens such as pollen or pet dander). It is found in the lungs, skin, and mucous membranes. Immunoglobulin D (IgD), which exists in small amounts in the blood, is the least understood antibody. 19. Schedule H1 drug
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Context: The government has notified anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine under Schedule-H1.
Concept: The Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 under The Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, has provisions for classification of drugs into different schedules and also guidelines for storage, sale, display and prescription of drugs under each schedule.
Schedule H1 Example: 3rd and 4th generation antibiotics, certain habit forming drugs and anti-TB drugs. These drugs are required to be sold in the country with the following conditions: The supply of a drug specified in Schedule H1 shall be recorded in a separate register at the time of the supply giving the name and address of the prescriber, the name of the patient, the name of the drug and the quantity supplied and such records shall be maintained for three years and be open for inspection. The drug specified in Schedule H1 shall be labelled with the symbol Rx which shall be in red and shall also be labelled with the following words in a box with a red border: It is dangerous to take this preparation except in accordance with the medical advice. Not to be sold by retail without the prescription of a Registered Medical Practitioner.
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20. R-Naught
Context: A study by ICMR indicated that 1 COVID-19 patient can infect 406 people in 30 days if he/she doesn't follow lockdown. In medical terms- this phenomenon is known as R-naught- or R0
Concept: R-naught- or R0 is a virus’s basic reproductive number — an epidemiologic metric used to describe the contagiousness of infectious agents. If the R0 is above one, each case is expected to infect at least one other person on average, and the virus is likely to keep spreading. If it’s less than one, a group of infected people are less likely to spread the infection.
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21. IPR and WIPO
Context: China was the biggest source of applications for international patents in the world last year, pushing the United States out of the top spot it has held since the global system was set up more than 40 years ago, the U.N. patent agency said
Concept: Intellectual property rights are like any other property right. They allow creators, or owners, of patents, trademarks or copyrighted works to benefit from their own work or investment in a creation The importance of intellectual property was first recognized in the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property (1883) and the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (1886). Both treaties are administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Established in 1970, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is an international organization dedicated to helping ensure that the rights of creators and owners of intellectual property are protected worldwide, and that inventors and authors are therefore recognized and rewarded for their ingenuity As part of the United Nations system of specialized agencies, WIPO serves as a forum for its Member States to establish and harmonize rules and practices for the protection of intellectual property rights. WIPO also services global registration systems for trademarks, industrial designs and appellations of origin, and a global filing system for patents.
Patent Trade Mark Protects functional feature Logo Time Period : 20 years Exclusive rights to use Exclusive authority to Time Period:10 years monetize the patent Copy Right Trade Secret Protects Authorship Eg Books Protects secret information Time 70 period 60-years Generally lifelong
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Exclusive rights to distribute the copies. 22. Vitamin D
Context: There is a reason to welcome the Indian summer. It is that time when we get an opportunity of being exposed to sunlight to obtain our requisite dose of Vitamin D.
Concept: Vitamins are organic compounds that are essential in very small amounts for supporting normal physiologic function. Vitamin D is a fat- soluble vitamin. Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the body's fatty tissue. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium. Calcium and phosphate are two minerals that must be there to have normal bone formation. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteoporosis in adults or rickets in children. It has the potential to modulate the cytokine storm seen in serious COVID19 patients, and it can improve innate immunity by increasing the production of cathelicidins and defensins in our body. Defensins are small cysteine-rich cationic proteins across cellular life, including vertebrate and invertebrate animals, plants, and fungi. They are host defense peptides, with members displaying either direct antimicrobial activity, immune signaling activities, or both.
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23. Armyworm Context: Armyworm attack adds to Assam farmers’ woes amid COVID 19 Concept: The armyworm caterpillar, the larval stage of several species of moths, has a voracious appetite. Entomologists say it feeds on more than 80 species of plants i.e polyphagous (ability to feed on different kinds of food) nature of the caterpillar and the ability of the adult moth to fly more than 100 km per night. Given its ability to feed on multiple crops — nearly 80 different crops ranging from maize to sugarcane — FAW can attack multiple crops. Similarly, it can spread across large tracts of land as it can fly over large distances. This explains the quick spread of the pest across India. Fall armyworm is native to tropical and sub-tropical regions of the Americas and since 2016 has spread to Africa, the Indian subcontinent, China and South-East Asia. It was reported in India for the first-time in 2018 when it affected crops in Karnataka. Within a span of only six months, almost 50 per cent of the country.
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24. Virus curve Context: The growth of numbers in India has begun to prominently resemble what is so characteristic of the spread of an infectious disease — an exponential curve.
Concept:
While Maharashtra, Telangana, Delhi, Tamil Nadu and UP have been seeing an exponential rate of growth, many other states are adding numbers in linear fashion.
Flattening the peak has been the main goal of administrations across the world, to reduce pressure on their healthcare systems but it is likely infections will rise rapidly, peak, and then decline.
An "epidemic curve" shows the frequency of new cases over time based on the date of onset of disease.
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25. Plasma Therapy
Context: Kerala received approval for its protocol on experimental treatment using convalescent plasma therapy from the Indian Council for Medical Research
Concept: Convalescent plasma therapy involves transfusing certain components of blood of people who have had the Covid-19 virus and recovered to people who are sick or those at high risk of getting the virus. As people fight the Covid-19 virus, they produce antibodies that attack the virus. These antibodies are secreted by immune cells known as B lymphocytes, which is found in plasma or liquid part of blood that supports immunity. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already approved use of such therapy in clinical trials and for critically ill patients Convalescent plasma was used in outbreaks of the H1N1 influenza virus pandemic in 2009, SARS-CoV-1 epidemic in 2003 and the MERS-CoV epidemic in 2012. It was also used to help stop outbreaks of measles and mumps before vaccines were available.
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26. Chemoprophylaxis Context: COVID containment plan includes implementation of social-distancing measures with strict perimeter control, providing chemoprophylaxis with hydroxy-chloroquine to asymptomatic healthcare workers and asymptomatic household contacts of laboratory confirmed cases and the further intensification of risk communication through audio, social and visual media. Concept: Prophylaxis is also called preventive healthcare. It is the series of measures taken to prevent the affliction of a disease Chemoprophylaxis is the use of drugs and other medications to prevent the onset of a disease or an infection. It is also called chemoprevention. It is used on people who have compromised immune systems, people who are prone to recurrent infections and even on healthy individuals who are at risk due to an epidemic.
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27. Preconception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994
Context: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had suspended Rules 8,9 (8) and 18A of the PCPNDT Act and said that it was done due to the “unprecedented situation created by COVID-19” and will remain valid till June 30. But All India Democratic Women’s Association has released a statement demanding the withdrawal of the suspension of rules under PCPNDT Act
Concept: The PC-PNDT Act was enacted on 20 September 1994 with the intent to prohibit prenatal diagnostic techniques for determination of the sex of the fetus leading to female feticide. The few basic requirements of the Act are: 1. Registration under Section (18) of the PC-PNDT Act. 2. Written consent of the pregnant woman and prohibition of communicating the sex of fetus under Section 5 of the Act. 3. Maintenance of records as provided under Section 29 of the Act. 4. Creating awareness among the public at large by placing the board of prohibition on sex determination.
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28. Pooled testing
Context: India is all set to start “pool testing” to speed up results, contact tracing and reduce workload on laboratories
Concept: The pooled testing method involves putting multiple swab samples together, and testing them using a single RTPCR test. If that test is negative, it means that all the people tested are negative. However, if the test is positive, everyone whose samples were part of the test have to be tested separately, to identify positive individuals. Pool testing has been used during large outbreaks and invisible community transmission. Researchers from Israel have demonstrated that testing combined samples from up 64 people for Covid-19 significantly sped up results and brought down cost.
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29. Technology Development board
Context: The Indian industry and the start-up eco system have responded enthusiastically to the invitation by the Technology Development Board (TDB) for proposals from Indian companies and enterprises for supporting technologically innovative solutions towards fighting COVID-19.
Concept: The Government of India constituted the Technology Development Board (TDB) in September 1996, under the Technology Development Board Act, 1995, as a statutory body, to promote development and commercialization of indigenous technology and adaptation of imported technology for wider application. The board consists of 11 Board members. It is under DST The TDB is the first organization of its kind within the government framework with the sole objective of commercializing the fruit of indigenous research. The Board plays a pro-active role by encouraging enterprises to take up technology oriented products. Provides equity capital or loans to industrial concerns and financial assistance to research and development institutions. The loan carries a simple interest rate of 5% per annum. With its pro-active stance the Board: o Facilitates interaction between industry, scientists, technocrats and specialists o Fosters and innovation culture through contract and cooperative research between industry and institutions o Provides an interface with financial institutions and commercial banks for leveraging funds o Facilitates the creation of new generation of entrepreneurs o Assists partnerships with other, similar technology financing bodies o Provides vistas for venturing into hi-tech areas o Creates new job opportunities.
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30. Virus Dead or alive? Virus to be a living thing should satisfy following conditions: o Living things must maintain homeostasis o Living things have different levels of organization. o Living things reproduce. o Living things grow o Living things use energy o Living things respond to stimuli. o Living things adapt to their environment A single virus particle is known as a virion, and is made up of a set of genes bundled within a protective protein shell called a capsid. Certain virus strains will have an extra membrane (lipid bilayer) surrounding it called an envelope. Viruses do not have nuclei, organelles, or cytoplasm like cells do, and so they have no way to monitor or create change in their internal environment. Viruses definitely multiply. Since viruses don’t have organelles, nuclei, or even ribosomes, they don’t have the tools they need to copy their genes, much less create whole new virions. Instead, viruses enter living cells and then hijack the host’s cellular equipment to copy viral genetic information, build new capsids, and assemble everything together. We use the term replicate, instead of reproduce, to indicate viruses need a host cell to multiply. Viruses manipulate host cells into building new viruses which means each virion is created in its fully-formed state, and will neither increase in size nor in complexity throughout its existence. Viruses do not grow. While viruses will definitely benefit from the use of energy, they are latching onto the host’s metabolism to get to it
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31. SATYAM and COVID 19
Context: The Department of Science and Technology has invited proposals to study appropriate intervention of yoga and meditation in fighting COVID-19 and similar kinds of viruses. The proposals have been invited under the Science and Technology of Yoga and Meditation (SATYAM) programme of the DST.
Concept: The project may address any one of the following themes: A. Improving immunity B. Improving respiratory system and interventions to overcome respiratory disorders like COPD etc. C. Stress, anxiety and depression related issues due to isolation, uncertainty, disruptions in normal life, etc.
SATYAM A new programme called SATYAM-“Science and Technology of Yoga and Meditation” has been launched to strengthen research in the areas of yoga and meditation. An objective of SATYAM is to harness knowledge obtained in academic institutions and other related agencies for finding Science & Technology -led solutions that would enable us to cope with stress and strain associated with fast changing social, economic, environmental and professional circumstances. Cutting-edge research under SATYAM will seek to identify various issues and challenges related to human well-being and address them. The programme will encourage research in two major thematic areas: (1) investigations on the effect of Yoga and meditation on physical and mental health, and (2) investigations on the effect of Yoga & meditation on the body, brain and mind in terms of basic processes occurring therein.
Yoga: The Yoga school of Hinduism has been included as one of the six orthodox schools in medieval era Indian texts. The other schools are Samkhya, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa and Vedanta.
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32. ACE 2 and Solidarity trials
Context: In the search for a treatment for COVID-19 disease, researchers have been targeting specific behaviours of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV2) that causes the disease.
Concept: ACE2 On the surface of human cells is an enzyme called ACE2, which acts as the receptor that enables SARS-CoV2 to launch its attack. The virus’s spike protein binds to the receptor, then fuses with the cell surface, and releases its genetic material (RNA in the case of SARS-CoV2) into the cell. Solidarity trail "Solidarity” is an international clinical trial to help find an effective treatment for COVID-19, launched by the World Health Organization and partners. The Solidarity trial will compare four treatment options against standard of care, to assess their relative effectiveness against COVID-19. By enrolling patients in multiple countries, the Solidarity trial aims to rapidly discover whether any of the drugs slow disease progression or improve survival. As April 8 2020, over 90 countries including India are working together to find effective therapeutics as soon as possible, via the trial. Four treatment options: i) The chloroquine-hydroxychloroquine combination to prevent entry of virus using ACE 2 receptor ii) Lopinavir-ritonavir to prevent replication of virus by inhibiting enzymes used for replication iii) By understanding structure iv) By understanding virus behavior
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33. Infodemic
The 2019-nCoV outbreak and response has been accompanied by a massive ‘infodemic’ - an over-abundance of information – some accurate and some not – that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it. Due to the high demand for timely and trustworthy information about 2019-nCoV, WHO technical risk communication and social media teams have been working closely to track and respond to myths and rumours.
34. Harmful effect of disinfectant tunnel
Context: Disinfection tunnels are mushrooming countrywide as an anti-COVID-19 procedure
Concept: Special chambers being erected that spray a mist of disinfectant such as sodium hypochlorite solution and hydrogen peroxideon on people passing through them. The use of these chemicals on the face is more harmful with chances of ingress into eyes, nostrils and mouth. Spraying alcohol or chlorine all over your body will not kill viruses that have already entered your body. Such substances can be harmful to mucous membranes of eyes and mouth
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35. Herd Immunity
Context: One of India’s most highly regarded epidemiologists says “herd immunity is the only lasting solution to coronavirus”
Concept: Herd immunity happens when so many people in a community become immune to an infectious disease that it stops the disease from spreading. This can happen in two ways: Many people contract the disease and in time build up an immune response to it (natural immunity). Many people are vaccinated against the disease to achieve immunity. When a large percentage of the population becomes immune to a disease, the spread of that disease slows down or stops. Many viral and bacterial infections spread from person to person. This chain is broken when most people don’t get or transmit the infection. This helps protect people who aren’t vaccinated or who have low functioning immune systems and may develop an infection more easily.
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36. Deep fake and Deep nude
Context: A new AI-powered software tool makes it easy for anyone to generate realistic nude images simply by feeding the program a picture of the intended target wearing clothes.
Concept: Deep fakes refer to manipulated videos, or other digital representations produced by sophisticated artificial intelligence, that yield fabricated images and sounds that appear to be real. The word deep fake combines the terms “deep learning” and “fake,” and is a form of artificial intelligence. In simplistic terms, deep fakes are falsified videos made by means of deep learning. Deep learning is “a subset of AI,” and refers to arrangements of algorithms that can learn and make intelligent decisions on their own.
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37. Pulse oximeter:
Context: Persistent hypoxia (reduced oxygen in the cells) was the main trigger for the deaths of persons who had tested positive for COVID19
Concept: Pulse oximeters measure how much of the hemoglobin in blood is carrying oxygen (oxygen saturation).
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38. NMCG, COD, BOD, Ganga basin states
Context: Centre to monitor lockdown impact on Ganga, Yamuna pollution
Concept: The biological oxygen demand indicates the content of oxygen needed to decompose organic compounds in waste water by bacteria. The Chemical oxygen demand value has been developed analogically to the BOD measurement. Since there are many organics which are rather hard or not possible to decompose biologically, a parameter has been defined indicating the amount of oxygen which would be needed when all organic ingredients would be oxidised completely. As, according to the name, the oxidation takes place chemically, the chemical oxygen demand can only be defined indirectly. Ganga basin is the largest river basin in India in terms of catchment area, constituting 26% of the country's land mass and supporting about 43% of its population. About 79% area of Ganga basin is in India. The basin covers 11 states viz., Uttarakhand, U.P., M.P., Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Delhi.
NMCG National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) was registered as a society on 12th August 2011 under the Societies Registration Act 1860.It acted as implementation arm of National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) which was constituted under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act (EPA), 1986. NGRBA has since been dissolved with effect from the 7th October 2016, consequent to constitution of National Council for Rejuvenation, Protection and Management of River Ganga (referred as National Ganga Council). The Act envisages five tier structure at national, state and district level to take measures for prevention, control and abatement of environmental pollution in river Ganga and to ensure continuous adequate flow of water so as to rejuvenate the river Ganga as below; 1. National Ganga Council under chairmanship of Hon’ble Prime Minister of India.
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2. Empowered Task Force (ETF) on river Ganga under chairmanship of Hon’ble Union Minister of Jal Shakti (Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation). 3. National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG). 4. State Ganga Committees and 5. District Ganga Committees in every specified district abutting river Ganga and its tributaries in the states. NMCG has a two tier management structure and comprises of Governing Council and Executive Committee.
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39. CERT –IN
Context: In guidelines for law-enforcement agencies on March 26, Interpol warned about the emerging trend of false or misleading advertisements about medical products, setting up of fraudulent ecommerce platforms, phishing etc during the pandemic.
Concept: CERT-In (the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) is a government-mandated information technology (IT) security organization created in 2004. The purpose of CERT-In is to respond to computer security incidents, report on vulnerabilities and promote effective IT security practices throughout the country. According to the provisions of the Information Technology Amendment Act 2008, CERT-In is responsible for overseeing administration of the Act. CERT-In has been designated to serve as the national agency to perform the following functions in the area of cyber security: o Collection, analysis and dissemination of information on cyber incidents. o Forecast and alerts of cyber security incidents o Emergency measures for handling cyber security incidents • Coordination of cyber incident response activities. o Issue guidelines, advisories, vulnerability notes and whitepapers relating to information security practices, procedures, prevention, response and reporting of cyber incidents. o Such other functions relating to cyber security as may be prescribed. VPN A virtual private network (VPN) is a network that is constructed using public wires — usually the internet — to connect remote users or regional offices to a company's private, internal network. The VPN secures the private network, using encryption and other security mechanisms to ensure that only authorized users can access the network and that the data cannot be intercepted.
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This type of network is designed to provide a secure, encrypted tunnel in which to transmit the data between the remote user and the private, corporate network. HTTPS Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, or HTTPS, is a connection protocol that web browsers use to communicate with websites. “Secure” is the most important part – HTTPS employs encryption protocol to secure data shared between users and websites. It also performs authentication to ensure that both parties are who they say they are and verifies that the data being sent hasn’t been tampered with.
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40. Vertical transmission Context: After several months of the world believing that a pregnant woman cannot transmit novel coronavirus infection to her unborn baby, evidence has been emerging to suggest that this can indeed happen.
Concept: Vertical transmission refers to the transmission of an infection from a pregnant woman to her child. It can be antenatal (before birth), perinatal (weeks immediately prior to or after birth) or postnatal (after birth). This is of grave concern not just because it can potentially cause a newborn to be very sick, but also because the mechanism of how and when this happens is not always very clear Among infections of which vertical transmission has been known to happen are HIV, Zika, rubella and the herpes virus. In fact, one of the biggest worries about the Zika outbreak a couple of years ago was the possibility of babies being born with birth defects.
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41. Dakin solution Sodium hypochlorite is a component of commercial bleaches and cleaning solutions and used as a disinfectant in drinking and waste water purification systems and swimming pools. In 0.5% w/v solution, it is called Dakin's solution and used as an antiseptic to clean infected topical wounds.
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42. UV sanitizer
Context: Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in its continuous quest to contribute towards fight against COVID-19 developed UV based sanitizer
Concept: Ultraviolet C Light based sanitisation box and hand held UV-C (ultraviolet light with wavelength 254 nanometres) device are developed
How it works? The UV-C consists of a shorter, more energetic wavelength of light. It is particularly good at destroying genetic material in COVID-19. The radiation warps the structure RNA which prevents the viral particles from making more copies of themselves. The UV-C kills microbes quickly. Sanitisation of the items by employing UV-C light avoids the harmful effects of the chemicals used for the disinfection. This is environment friendly and is a contact free effective sanitisation method. Uses: The UV-C box is designed for disinfecting personal belongings like mobile phone, tablets, purse, currency, cover of office files, etc The hand held device having eight watt UV-C lamp disinfects office and house hold objects like chairs, files, postal delivered items and food packets with an exposure This measure can reduce the transmission of Coronavirus in office and public environment which is required to work in all conditions.
UV: UV light (ultraviolet light) is a part of an electromagnetic spectrum and has wavelength between 10 to 400nm that are shorter than the visible light but longer than the X-rays. The most common form of UV radiation is sunlight, which produces three main types of UV rays: UVA, UVB and UVC
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UVA rays have the longest wavelengths, followed by UVB, and UVC rays which have the shortest wavelengths. While UVA and UVB rays are transmitted through the atmosphere, all UVC and some UVB rays are absorbed by the Earth’s ozone layer.
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43. Virus vs bacteria Concept: Living or Not Viruses are not living organisms, bacteria are. Viruses only grow and reproduce inside of the host cells they infect. When found outside of these living cells, viruses are dormant. Their “life” therefore requires the hijacking of the biochemical activities of a living cell. Bacteria, on the other hand, are living organisms that consist of single cell that can generate energy, make its own food, move, and reproduce (typically by binary fission). This allows bacteria to live in many places— soil, water, plants, and the human body—and serve many purposes. They serve many vital roles in nature by decomposing organic matter (maybe not that vital to anyone who's forgotten leftovers in the back of the fridge) and by converting nitrogen, through nitrogen fixation, to chemicals usable by plants. Size Bacteria are giants when compared to viruses. The smallest bacteria are about 0.4 micron (one millionth of a meter) in diameter while viruses range in size from 0.02 to 0.25 micron. This makes most viruses submicroscopic, unable to seen in an ordinary light microscope. They are typically studied with an electron microscope.
Mode of Infection Viruses infect a host cell and then multiply by the thousands, leaving the host cell and infecting other cells of the body. A viral infection will therefore be systemic, spreading throughout the body. Systemic diseases caused by viral infection include influenza, measles, polio, AIDS, and COVID-19. Pathogenic bacteria have a more varied operation and will often infect when the right opportunity arises, so called opportunistic infection. The infection caused by pathogenic bacteria is usually confined to a part of the body, described as a localized infection. These infections may be caused by the bacteria themselves or by toxins (endotoxins)they produce. Examples of bacterial disease include pneumonia, tuberculosis, tetanus,and food poisoning. How Viruses Interact with Bacteria Viruses can infect bacteria. Bacteria are not immune to viral hijackers which are known as bacteriophages—viruses that infect bacteria.
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44. Prafulla Chandra Ray and Bengal Chemicals
Context: Following the rise in global demand for hydroxychloroquine, which is now being touted as a game-changer in the fight against the coronavirus, Bengal Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Ltd is back in the spotlight for its production of a similar drug named chloroquine, which is also used for treating malaria.
Concept: Bengal Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Works Ltd. was established on April 12, 1901, by eminent scientist & entrepreneur Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray which is the first Chemical & Pharmaceutical Company in India. From humble beginning with one factory at Maniktala (Kolkata) in 1905, three more factories were established. The Company performed very well till early 50s but started making losses from mid 1950’s. On December 15, 1977, the Management of Bengal Chemical was taken over by the Government of India and the Union Government nationalized the Organization on December 15, 1980. A new Government Company, Bengal Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (BCPL) was launched on March 27, 1981.
Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray He was an Indian chemist, industrialist, historian, educationist and philanthropist born in 1861. He is considered as the Father of Chemical Sciences in India. He was the first person outside Europe to be honoured with a Chemical Landmark Plaque by the Royal Society of Chemistry. He worked in the field of nitrite chemistry and discovered mercurous nitrate- a toxic compound used in preparation of other mercury compounds. He also formulated a synthetic route for ammonium nitrite. He established the first modern chemical research school in India. He was closely associated with Sadharan Brahmo Samaj and occupied various administrative posts during his lifetime and finally elected as the President and Trustee of Sadharan Brahmo Samaj. He was elected solely on the basis of his potential, and not because of his father's influence in the Bramho Samaj. Swadeshi Movement:
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It had its genesis in the anti-partition movement which was started to oppose the British decision to partition Bengal. Two important aspects of the movement was boycott of foreign goods and selfreliance. Self-reliance meant setting up swadeshi enterprises .The period saw mushrooming of swadeshi textile mills, soaps ,etc. Acharya P C Ray set up swadeshi chemicals factory.
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45. Remdesivir
Context: The drug created to fight Ebola is being studied as a COVID-19 treatment.
Concept: It is a drug with antiviral properties that was manufactured by US-based biotechnology company in 2014, to treat Ebola cases. It was also tried in patients of MERS and SARS, both caused by members of the coronavirus family, but experts said it did now show promising results back then. Globally, it is one of the four possible lines of treatment being investigated in the Solidarity trials under the aegis of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Working mechanism: Coronaviruses have a single-strand RNA as their genetic material. When the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV2 enters a human cell, an enzyme called RdRP helps the virus replicate. Remdesivir works by inhibiting the activity of RdRP.
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46. Mw vaccine
Context: The Council Of Science and Industrial Research is scheduled to begin its trials on the antileprosy vaccine called Mw (Mycobacterium w) to see if it can be used as a Covid-19 vaccine.
Concept: Mw is a cousin of BCG and it has been used as a vaccine for leprosy The immune-boosting drug which was developed in 1966 by Indians as an anti-leprosy drug has found some success in the cure for TB, cancer, and warts.
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47. National biopharma mission
Context: Department of Biotechnology and Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council had invited applications on COVID-19 Research Consortium. Proposals sought on development of diagnostics, vaccines, therapeutics and other interventions. On this line, common shared facility to manufacture diagnostic kits and ventilators will be established at Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ) under National Biopharma Mission of DBT to provide scale up production capacity to different manufacturers.
Concept: The National Biopharma Mission (NBM) is an industry-Academia Collaborative Mission for accelerating biopharmaceutical development in the country. Under this Mission the Government has launched Innovate in India (i3) programme to create an enabling ecosystem to promote entrepreneurship and indigenous manufacturing in the sector. The mission will be implemented by Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC). The mission was approved in 2017 at a total cost of Rs 1500 crore and is 50% co-funded by World Bank loan. The program is promoting entrepreneurship by supporting small and medium enterprises for indigenous product development (Novel Cell lines, indigenously developed Biologics, devices and Raw materials for Biologics manufacturing) and through establishment of shared facilities and Technology Transfer Offices.
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48. Lithium
Context: IIA scientists connect Lithium abundance in interstellar space to new Lithium rich red giants
Concept: Lithium (Li), is one of the three primordial elements, apart from Hydrogen and Helium (He), produced in the big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) whose models predict primordial Li abundance (A (Li) ~2.7~dex). Big Bang nucleosynthesis is the production of nuclei other than those of the lightest isotope of hydrogen (hydrogen-1, 1H, having a single proton as a nucleus) during the early phases of the Universe.
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49. What are coronaviruses?
About: Coronaviruses are a large family of single-stranded RNA viruses that cause diseases in animals and humans. In humans, the viruses usually cause mild to moderate upper- respiratory tract illnesses such as the common cold. In the last two decades, more aggressive coronaviruses have emerged that are capable of causing serious illness and even death in humans. These include SARS-CoV, MERS and now SARS-CoV-2.
Findings and Naming
In 1965, scientists DJ Tyrrell and ML Bynoe were the first ones to identify a human coronavirus, which they isolated from the nasal washing of a male child who had symptoms of common cold. They termed the strain B814 and later in 1968 the term “coronavirus” was accepted. These viruses are named so because of spikes found on their surface that give them the appearance of a crown when looked through an electron microscope. In animals, coronaviruses can cause diarrhea in cows and pigs and upper respiratory tract disease in chickens.
Classification While there are hundreds of coronaviruses, there are seven that we know can infect humans. Out of the seven, two are alpha coronaviruses (229E and NL63) and four are beta coronaviruses (OC43, HKU1, MERS and SARS-CoV). The classification of the viruses is based on their phylogeny, which is to say it reflects how these virus strains evolved from their common ancestors.
Recent outbreaks: SARS-CoV was identified after the 2003 outbreaks in China. It is thought to have come from an as yet unknown animal source, probably bats. Symptoms of SARS include cough, shortness of breath, diarrhea. In severe cases, the symptoms can progress to respiratory distress, which may require intensive care.
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MERS is another viral respiratory disease caused by a human coronavirus, which was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012. Typical symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Further, while SARS-CoV-2 is considered to be milder than SARS-CoV and MERS, it is especially difficult to control its outbreak, given its high infectiousness.
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50. Sepsivac and gram negative bacteria
Context: Drug for sepsis to be tested for COVID19
Concept: Sepsivac was originally developed for treating sepsis by a class of pathogens called gram negative bacteria,that are known to cause life threatening infections. Most bacteria are classified into two broad categories: Gram positive and Gram negative. These categories are based on their cell wall composition and reaction to the Gram stain test. The Gram staining method, developed by Hans Christian Gram, identifies bacteria based upon the reaction of their cell walls to certain dyes and chemicals Gram positive bacteria have cell walls composed mostly of a substance unique to bacteria known as peptidoglycan, or murein. These bacteria stain purple after Gram staining. Gram negative bacteria have cell walls with only a thin layer of peptidoglycan and an outer membrane with a lipopolysaccharide component not found in Gram positive bacteria. Gram negative bacteria stain red or pink after Gram staining.
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51. Reverse vaccinology Context: In three weeks of research, the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University has developed a vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2 through ‘reverse vaccinology’. In the first phase, the university has developed a synthetic polypeptide that could bind the viral genome, and is all set to move to the next phase of research.
Concept: The use of genomic information with aid of computer for the preparation of vaccines without culturing microorganism is known as reverse vaccinology. Vaccination is one of the most successful and cost-effective ways of improving public health and has been used to save lives for at least two centuries. Traditional vaccine development was largely based on Pasteur's principles, which are to ‘isolate, inactivate, and inject’ the disease- causing agent, hence producing vaccines composed of inactivated, live attenuated or purified subunits of a microorganism The continuing advances in genome sequencing technologies and bioinformatics now enable researchers to explore a microorganism's ‘book of life', its genome, for antigen discovery. Microbial genomes contain the complete repertoire of possible antigens and are used as the starting point to capture information for vaccine development. The use of reverse vaccinology over the last decade has changed the way vaccine development is approached and this new era of vaccine research has been referred to as a renaissance of vaccinology
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52. Indian Initiative on Earth Bio Genome Sequencing, Earth Bio Genome Project
Context: The Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute ( JNTBGRI) has been selected as one of the Biological Knowledge and Resource Centres of the Indian Initiative on Earth BioGenome Sequencing (IIEBS).
Concept: The Earth BioGenome Project (EBP), a moonshot for biology, aims to sequence, catalog and characterize the genomes of all of Earth’s eukaryotic biodiversity over a period of ten years. The digital repository of genome sequences is expected to provide the critical infrastructure for better understanding of ecosystems and conservation of biodiversity as well as the development of new treatments for infectious and inherited diseases, agricultural products and biological fuels. The whole genome sequencing of 1,000 species of plants and animals will be taken up in the initial phase of IIEBS to be completed over a period of five years at an estimated cost of ₹440 crore. The National Institute of Plant Genome Research, New Delhi is the coordinating centre for the nationwide project involving a total of 24 institutes. India’s participation in the EBP would provide a boost for the field of genomics and bioinformatics within the country. The project will enable collection and preservation of endangered and economically important species. The decoded genetic information will also be a useful tool to prevent biopiracy.
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53. Gaganyaan
Context: ISRO invites technology proposals for human space flight mission
Concept: The Gaganyaan programme, an indigenous mission that would take Indian astronauts to space, was announced by the prime minister during his Independence day speech in 2019. Gaganyaan is an Indian crewed orbital spacecraft that is intended to send 3 astronauts to space for a minimum of seven days by 2022, as part of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme. The spacecraft, which is being developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation, consists of a service module and a crew module, collectively known as the Orbital Module. It will be for the first time that India will launch its manned mission to space, making the country fourth in line to have sent a human to space. ISRO has completed the development of launch vehicle GSLV Mk-lll which has the necessary payload capability to launch a 3-member crew module in low earth orbit. ISRO has also tested the crew escape system which is an essential technology for human space flight. The aerodynamic characterization of crew module has been completed as part of GSLV Mk-lll X mission flight. Elements of life support system and Space suit also have been realized and tested. In addition, the orbital & re-entry mission and recovery operations have been flight demonstrated in Space Capsule Re-entry experiment (SRE) mission. ISRO has developed and demonstrated most of the baseline technologies essential for undertaking human spaceflight mission.
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54. Zoonosis and one health
Context: The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced into our vocabulary a word that is increasingly being understood by the general public: zoonosis
Concept: Zoonosis is a phenomenon where infections caused by bacteria, viruses or other parasites, are passed on from animals to humans. Most often, the animals are not affected by the pathogen and are merely acting as a host.
Because of the close connection between people and animals, it’s important to be aware of the common ways people can get infected with germs that can cause zoonotic diseases. These can include: Direct contact: Coming into contact with the saliva, blood, urine, mucous, feces, or other body fluids of an infected animal. Indirect contact: Coming into contact with areas where animals live and roam, or objects or surfaces that have been contaminated with germs.
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Examples include aquarium tank water, pet habitats, chicken coops, barns, plants, and soil, as well as pet food and water dishes. Vector-borne: Being bitten by a tick, or an insect like a mosquito or a flea. Foodborne: Eating or drinking something unsafe, such as unpasteurized (raw) milk, undercooked meat or eggs, or raw fruits and vegetables that are contaminated with feces from an infected animal. Contaminated food can cause illness in people and animals, including pets. Waterborne: Drinking or coming in contact with water that has been contaminated with feces from an infected animal.
One Health 'One Health' is an approach to designing and implementing programmes, policies, legislation and research in which multiple sectors communicate and work together to achieve better public health outcomes recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment The areas of work in which a One Health approach is particularly relevant include food safety, the control of zoonoses and combatting antibiotic resistance.
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55. Vitamin C
Context: Vitamin C is the nutrient connected with immune system. It is often prescribed in short courses to promote wound healing and for faster recovery from infections, including cold. So it has been the interest of researchers in COVID- 19 also.
Concept: Vitamin C or Ascorbic acid is a water-soluble essential nutrient. Being water soluble, it is not stored in the body and requires daily intake. It is a powerful antioxidant with an important role in controlling infections and promoting healing of wounds. It has numerous functions such as synthesis of collagen (important component of bones, cartilage, nervous system, immune system etc) chemical messengers in brain and hormones. Deficiency of Vitamin C is rare and but when it occurs, it is called scurvy. It manifested with bleeding gums, delayed wound healing, skin spots, hair loss and anaemia. The source of Vitamin C is fruits, especially citrus fruits, and vegetables.
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56. Gene Sequencing:
Context: According to scientists, gene sequencing of ‘Indian’ COVID-19 strain has showed in no way it is different from virus circulating in other parts of the world.
Concept: Genome sequencing involves revealing the order of bases present in the entire genome of an organism Genome: It is an organism’s complete set of DNA, including all of its genes. Each genome contains all of the information needed to build and maintain that organism Indian scientists have started genome sequencing strains of the novel coronavirus isolated from patients in different parts of the country as they work against time to track its spread and look for signs of emerging mutations. Generating at least 400 such sequences could help researchers extract valuable information on the behaviour of the deadly coronavirus in India This would help guide the strategies for designing potential treatments for local populations, vaccines and drugs that might have to undergo changes if the virus evolves over time.
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57. Sex hormones and COVID
Context: From trends so far, men have appeared likelier than women to die of COVID-19. Now, two teams in the US are testing the theory that hormones help women fight COVID-19 better. Concept: Estrogen and progesterone are the two main sex hormones that characterise a woman. Estrogen helps women develop female physical features and also maintains her reproductive system. Progesterone is secreted by a temporary endocrine gland that the body produces during the second half of the menstrual cycle, and helps prepare the body for possible pregnancy after ovulation. The male body too has estrogen and produces progesterone, both in smaller amounts.
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Environment 1. Section 51 to 59 of Disaster Management Act 2005
Context: Cops to book cases under Disaster Management Act, 2005.
Concept: Among the provision enshrined in the DMA, to expedite the ‘effective management of disasters, Articles 51-60 of the Act defines Offences and Penalties both against officers and the public; These include Sections:
51. Punishment for obstruction 52. Punishment for false claim. 53. Punishment for misappropriation of money or materials, etc.
Violating Sections 51, 52 and 53, can result in imprisonment of two-years, fine or both.
54. Punishment for false warning. Whoever makes or circulates a false alarm or warning as to a disaster or its severity or magnitude, leading to panic, shall on conviction, be punishable with imprisonment which may extend to one year or with fine 55. Offences by Departments of the Government. 56. Failure of officer on duty or his connivance at the contravention of the provisions of this Act. 57. Penalty for contravention of any order regarding requisitioning. 58. Offence by companies. 59. Previous sanction for prosecution. 60. Cognizance of offences
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2. NTCA, Pench tiger reserve, Rhinotracheitis
Context: Pench tiger death raises COVID-19 fears. NTCA mulls test after a big cat tested positive for the virus in a U.S. zoo
Concept:
NTCA The National Tiger Conservation Authority is a statutory body constituted under enabling provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended in 2006, for strengthening tiger conservation. The National Tiger Conservation Authority has been fulfilling its mandate within the ambit of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 for strengthening tiger conservation in the country by retaining an oversight through advisories/normative guidelines, based on appraisal of tiger status, ongoing conservation initiatives and recommendations of specially constituted Committees. ‘Project Tiger’ is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme providing funding support to tiger range States, for in-situ conservation of tigers in designated tiger reserves, and has put the endangered tiger on an assured path of recovery by saving it from extinction. Powers and functions of the National Tiger Conservation Authority are: approve tiger conservation plans, provide measures for man-animal conflicts, provide information on protection measures including future conservation plan, estimation of population of tiger and its natural prey species, status of habitats, disease surveillance, mortality survey, patrolling, reports on untoward happenings ,ensure that the tiger reserves and areas linking one protected area or tiger reserve with another protected area or tiger reserve are not diverted for ecologically unsustainable uses, except in public interest and with the approval of the National Board for Wild Life and on the advice of the Tiger Conservation Authority;
Pench tiger reserve
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Pench Tiger Reserve, Seoni (Madhya Pradesh) is one of the major Protected Areas of Satpura-Maikal ranges of the Central Highlands, which is among the most important tiger habitats of the world. Pench Tiger is among the sites notified as IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS of India. This is one of the highest herbivores densities in India. Pench Tiger Reserve comprises the Indira Priyadarshini Pench National Park, the Pench Mowgli Sanctuary and a buffer. The Tiger Reserve nestles in the Southern Slopes of the Satpura ranges of Central India. The river Pench, which splits the National Park into two, forms the lifeline of the Park. To the south of the tiger reserve lies the Pench Tiger Reserve of Maharashtra, the first inter-state project tiger area of the country. The area is dominated by fairly open canopy mixed forests with considerable shrub cover and open grassy patches. This high habitat heterogeneity favors high population of Chital, Sambar, Wild boar & Blue bull. So that pench tiger reserve has of the highest density of herbivores (90.3 animals per square kilometer) and the second highest prey base biomass in India after Nagarhole.
Rhinotracheitis Rhinotracheitis is a respiratory disease caused by herpesvirus-1. “Rhinotracheitis” means inflammation of the nose and windpipe, or trachea.
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3. Air quality index
Context: The lockdown has pushed pollution levels in Delhi to a 5year low and, across India, the number of cities that recorded ‘good’ on the air quality index jumped from 6 on March 16 to 30 on March 29, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.
Concept: Air Quality Index (AQI) is a tool for effective dissemination of air quality information to people. It is ‘One Number- One Colour-One Description’ for the common man to judge the air quality within his vicinity. There are six AQI categories, namely Good, Satisfactory, Moderately polluted, Poor, Very Poor, and Severe.
The proposed AQI will consider eight pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, CO, O3, NH3, and Pb) for which short-term (up to 24-hourly averaging period). National Ambient Air Quality Standards are prescribed. Associated likely health impacts for different AQI categories and pollutants have been also been suggested, with primary inputs from the medical expert members of the group.
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The AQI has been developed by the Central Pollution Control Board in consultation with IIT-Kanpur and an expert group comprising medical, air quality professionals and other stakeholders. 4. Minor forest produce, TRIFED, Van Dhan Vikash Kendra scheme
Context: Lockdown halts harvesting season in forests. Lakhs of tribal dependent on sale of non-timber products, stare at uncertain days
Concept:
i) Minor forest produce An important source of livelihoods for tribal people are non-wood forest products, generally termed 'Minor Forest Produce (MFP)' means all non timber forest produce of plant origin and will include bamboo, canes, fodder, leaves, gums, waxes, dyes, resins and many forms of food including nuts, wild fruits, Honey, Lac, Tusser etc. Govt. of India has decided to introduce the scheme of “Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through Minimum Support Price (MSP) and development of value chain”. Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Govt of India. shall be the Nodal Ministry for implementation and monitoring of the scheme. Ministry of Tribal Affairs shall announce Minimum Support Price (MSP) for the selected MFPs with the technical support from TRIFED. TRIFED shall be Central Nodal Agency for implementation of the scheme through State level implementing agencies. ii) TRIFED The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) came into existence in 1987. It is a national-level apex organization functioning under the administrative control of Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Govt. of India. The ultimate objective of TRIFED is socio-economic development of tribal people in the country by way of marketing development of the tribal products on which the lives of tribals depends heavily as they spend most of their time and derive major portion of their income.
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It empowers tribal people with knowledge, tools and pool of information so that they can undertake their operations in a more systematic and scientific manner. It involves capacity building of the tribal people through sensitization, formation of Self Help Groups (SHGs) and imparting training to them for undertaking a particular activity, exploring marketing possibilities in national as well as international markets, creating opportunities for marketing tribal products on a sustainable basis, creating a brand and providing other services. iii) Van Dhan Vikas Karyakram The programme launched in 2018 aims to tap into the traditional knowledge and skill sets of tribal people by adding technology and Information Technology for upgradation of output at each stage and to convert the tribal wisdom into a remunerative economic activity. Van Dhan Vikas Karyakram seeks to promote and leverage the collective strength of tribal people to achieve a viable scale The proposition is to set-up tribal community owned MFP-centric multipurpose Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (the Kendra) in predominantly tribal districts. About 3000 Van DhanKendrasare proposed to be set up in span of 2 years i.e. 1500 Kendras to be set-up in each year. Each Kendra would act as common facility centres for procurement cum value addition to locally available MFPs and skill based handicraft. A typical Van Dhan Vikas Kendra shall constitute of 10 tribal Van Dhan Vikas Self Help Groups (SHG), each comprising of upto 30 MFP gatherers or tribal handicraft artisans.
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5. State Disaster Response Fund
Context: Amid demands by states to release higher grants and relaxation in their borrowing limits, centre approved the release of Rs 11,092 crores under the State Disaster Risk Management Fund (SDRMF), to all States to enhance their financial resources during the COVID-19 crisis.
Concept: The State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), constituted under Section 48 (1) (a) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, is the primary fund available with State Governments for responses to notified disasters. The Central Government contributes 75% of SDRF allocation for general category States/UTs and 90% for special category States/UTs (NE States, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir). The annual Central contribution is released in two equal installments as per the recommendation of the Finance Commission. SDRF shall be used only for meeting the expenditure for providing immediate relief to the victims. Disaster (s) covered under SDRF: Cyclone, drought, earthquake, fire, flood, tsunami, hailstorm, landslide, avalanche, cloudburst, pest attack, frost and cold waves. Local Disaster: A State Government may use up to 10 percent of the funds available under the SDRF for providing immediate relief to the victims of natural disasters that they consider to be ‘disasters’ within the local context in the State and which are not included in the notified list of disasters of the Ministry of Home Affairs . On March 14, COVID 19 has been declared as notified disaster by Ministry of Home Affairs.
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6. Great adjutant Stork Greater adjutant stork is the world’s most endangered stork. Earlier it was distributed throughout northern and eastern India and many countries of south and south-east Asia, it is currently only in Assam and Bihar and a few other locations in Cambodia. It is listed as “Endangered” in IUCN Red list of threatened species. It is locally called ‘Hargila’ in the Brahmaputra Valley in Assam, which harbours more than 80% of the global population of the species. Purnima Devi Barman, a wildlife biologist and conservationist from Assam, has been honoured for her enormous efforts for wildlife conservation who formed hargila army along with people to conserve stork.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species. It uses a set of quantitative criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of thousands of species. These criteria are relevant to most species and all regions of the world. With its strong scientific base, The IUCN Red List is recognized as the most authoritative guide to the status of biological diversity. IUCN is a membership Union composed of both government and civil society organizations working in the field of natural conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.
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7. Special Rhino Protect Force, KNP
Context: Amid lockdown, poachers eye rhino horns
Concept: SRPF was raised for better protection of rhinos. Government of Assam has decided to raise Special Rhino Protection Force from the local youth hailing from the fringe areas of the UNESCO’s world heritage site of Kaziranga National Park. The force would be exclusively used for Kaziranga National Park, Orang National Park and Manas National Park. The Special Rhino Protection Force is the result of an initiative taken by National Tiger Conservation Authority, which led to a collaboration between central and state governments.
Kaziranga national park Formed in 1908 on the recommendation of Mary Curzon, the park is located in the edge of the Eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspots – Golaghat and Nagaon district of Assam. In the year 1985, the park was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Along with the iconic Greater one-horned rhinoceros, the park is the breeding ground of elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer. Over the time, the tiger population has also increased in Kaziranga, and that’s the reason why Kaziranga was declared as Tiger Reserve in 2006. Also, the park is recognized as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International for the conservation of avifaunal species. Birds like lesser white-fronted goose, ferruginous duck, Baer’s pochard duck and lesser adjutant, greater adjutant, black-necked stork, and Asian Openbill stork specially migrate from the Central Asia during the winter season. Due to the difference in altitude between the eastern and western areas of the park, here one can see mainly four types of vegetation’ like alluvial inundated grasslands, alluvial savanna woodlands, tropical moist mixed deciduous forests, and tropical semi-evergreen forests.
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8. Trimeresurus Salazar Context: The pit viper was discovered by the team of researchers in the thick evergreen forests of Pakke tiger reserve in July 2019 and has been named Trimeresurus Salazar.
Concept: The new species of snake has been named after J.K. Rowling’s fictional character Salazar Slytherin, co-founder of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Pakke Tiger Reserve Pakke Tiger Reserve is located in in the East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. Contiguous with the Nameri Tiger Reserve of Assam, it is also an important habitat for the big cats big cats, one of the most endangered species in the world. It falls within the Eastern Himalaya Biodiversity Hotspot. Pakke is also the only Hornbill sanctuary in India. The Pakke River lies to the east and the Bhareli River to the west and the north. The vegetation is predominantly of Assam valley tropical semi- evergreen forest.
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9. Disaster Management The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is the apex statutory body for disaster management in India. The NDMA was formally constituted on 27th September 2006, in accordance with the Disaster Management Act, 2005 with Prime Minister as its Chairperson and nine other members, and one such member to be designated as Vice-Chairperson. Mandate: Its primary purpose is to coordinate response to natural or man-made disasters and for capacity-building in disaster resiliency and crisis response. It is also the apex body to lay down policies, plans and guidelines for Disaster Management to ensure timely and effective response to disasters. Vision: To build a safer and disaster resilient India by a holistic, proactive, technology driven and sustainable development strategy that involves all stakeholders and fosters a culture of prevention, preparedness and mitigation.
National disaster management plan The NDMP has been aligned broadly with the goals and priorities set out in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. The Vision of the Plan is to “Make India disaster resilient, achieve substantial disaster risk reduction, and significantly decrease the losses. The National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) provides a framework and direction to the government agencies for all phases of disaster management cycle For each hazard, the approach used in this national plan incorporates the four priorities enunciated in the Sendai Framework into the planning framework for Disaster Risk Reduction under the five Thematic Areas for Actions: o Understanding Risk o Inter-Agency Coordination o Investing in DRR – Structural Measures o Investing in DRR – Non-Structural Measures o Capacity Development
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National Executive Committee (NEC) A National Executive Committee is constituted under Section 8 of DM Act, 2005 to assist the National Authority in the performance of its functions. Union Home secretary is its ex-officio chairperson. o NEC powers and functions: o act as the coordinating and monitoring body for disaster management; o prepare the National Plan to be approved by the National Authority; o coordinate and monitor the implementation of the National Policy; o lay down guidelines for preparing disaster management plans by different Ministries or Departments of the Government of India and the State Authorities; o provide necessary technical assistance to the State Governments and the State Authorities for preparing their disaster management plans in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the National Authority;
State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA)
Every state to constitute SDMA headed by Chief Minister of the respective state, SDMA lays down the policies and plans for disaster management in the state.It is responsible to coordinate the implementation of the state Plan, recommend provision of funds for mitigation and preparedness measures and review the developmental plans of the different departments of the state to ensure integration of prevention, preparedness and mitigation measures. State Executive Committee (SEC)- Headed by the Chief Secretary of the state, has the responsibility for coordinating and monitoring the implementation of the National Policy, the National Plan and the State Plan as provided under the DM Act.
District Disaster management Authority (DDMA) Every district to constitute District Disaster Management Authority headed by district collector.
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10. Cropping season Context: While the government’s focus is now on harvesting and marketing of the rabi crop, there is a noless- immediate challenge of ensuring adequate seed availability in the ensuing kharif planting season.
Concept: India has three cropping seasons — rabi, kharif and zaid.
RABI Rabi crops are sown in winter from October to December and harvested in summer from April to June. Some of the important rabi crops are wheat, barley, peas, gram and mustard. Though, these crops are grown in large parts of India, states from the north and northwestern parts such as Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh are important for the production of wheat and other rabi crops. Availability of precipitation during winter months due to the western temperate cyclones helps in the success of these crops.
KHARIF Kharif crops are grown with the onset of monsoon in different parts of the country and these are harvested in September-October. Important crops grown during this season are paddy, maize, jowar, bajra, tur (arhar), moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut and soyabean
ZAID In between the rabi and the kharif seasons, there is a short season during the summer months known as the Zaid season. Some of the crops produced during ‘zaid’ are watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber, vegetables and fodder crops
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11. Open pollinated variety seeds: Open-pollination is when those cute little insects, birds, wind, or other natural instrument creates pollination. Because open-pollination is uncontrolled and unrestricted on the movement or flow of pollens between individuals and plants, open- pollinated plants are usually more genetically diverse. This causes an amazing variation within plant populations, which ultimately allows them to adapt to local growing conditions and climates every year. Seeds coming from open-pollinated variety of plants can be replanted and the same exact plant grow out of it Heirloom seeds on the other hand is how and what open-pollinated varieties are but is usually saved and handed down through multiple generations of families.
Hybrid seeds Hybrid Seeds is a product of hybridization. Hybridization is a process in which the pollen of two different species or varieties are crossed by human intervention. The objective of which is to get the best traits of two different varieties and combine them to come up with a better variety. Hybrid seeds can come and occur naturally through random crosses, but big companies usually come up with hybridized seeds, often labeled as F1 varieties. They are deliberately crated to breed a desired trait, or characteristic. The first plant coming from a hybridized seed also tends to grow better and produce better yields than the parent varieties. However, any seed produced by the first plant coming from a hybrid seed is genetically unstable, hence, it’s not advised to be saved and planted for use in the following years.
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12. Minor Forest Produce
Context In another set of relaxations in the guidelines to the rural sector amid the Covid-19 crisis, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday allowed collection, harvesting, and processing of minor forest produce
Concept Forest Produce Section 2(4) of the Indian Forest Act 1927 defines only "forest-produce" and this term connotes to those products whether found in, or brought from a forest such as a. timber, charcoal, caoutchouc, catechu, wood-oil, resin, natural varnish, bark, lac, mahua flowers, mahua seeds, kuth and myrabolams, b. trees and leaves, flowers and fruits, and all other parts or produce of trees, c. plants not being trees (including grass, creepers, reeds and moss), and all parts or produce of such plants, d. wild animals and skins, tusks, horns, bones, silk, cocoons, honey and wax, and all other parts or produce of animals, and e. peat, surface soil, rock and minerals (including lime-stone, laterite, mineral oils), and all products of mines or quarries; In short, the essential condition to be qualified as a forest produce is that the products should be either found in or be brought from forest. Minor Forest Produce: Minor Forest Produce (MFP) is a subset of forest produce and got a definition only in 2007 when the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, was enacted. Section 2(i) of the said Act defines a Minor Forest Produce (MFP) as all non-timber forest produce of plant origin and includes bamboo, brushwood, stumps, canes, Tusser, cocoon, honey, waxes, Lac, tendu/kendu leaves, medicinal plants and herbs, roots, tuber and the like. Thus, the definition of “minor forest produce” includes bamboo and cane, thereby changing the categorization of bamboo and cane as “trees” under the Indian Forest Act 1927.
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13. NBWL
Context: Amid the countrywide lockdown, the National Board for Wild Life (NBWL) has recommended coal mining in a part of an elephant reserve in Assam. There is a proposal for use of 98.59 hectares of land from the Saleki proposed reserve forest land for a coal mining project by North-Easter Coal Field (NECF), a unit of Coal India Limited Saleki is a part of the Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve that includes the Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary covering 111.19 sq km of rainforest and several reserve forests
Concept: It is a “Statutory body” constituted under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Its roles is “advisory” in nature and advises the Central Government on framing policies and measures for conservation of wildlife in the country. It has power to review all wildlife-related matters and approve projects in and around national parks and sanctuaries. No alternation of boundaries in national parks and wildlife sanctuaries can be done without approval of the NBWL. Composition: The NBWL is chaired by the Prime Minister. It has 47 members including the Prime Minister. Among these, 19 members are ex-officio members. Other members include three Members of Parliament (two from Lok Sabha and one from Rajya Sabha), five NGOs and 10 eminent ecologists, conservationists and environmentalists.
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14. Chinakara
Context: Four arrested for poaching chinkara in Jaisalmer
Concept: Common name: Chinkara; Indian gazelle. Distribution: It is native to Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Around 60% of the global population of Indian gazelles is presently found in western Rajasthan. Habitat: Chinkara live in arid plains and hills, deserts, dry scrub and light forests. They can go without water for long periods and can get sufficient fluids from plants and dew. IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern.
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Current Affairs 1. Andaman and Nicobar tribes Context: Delhi’s Nizamuddin area, fast emerging as a covid-19 hotspot, could have an unsuspecting victim in one of the world’s most ancient tribes living in faraway Andaman and Nicobar Islands, with potentially devastating consequences. The Andaman Islands, home to the Jarawa, Onge and Shompen indigenous people, whose low natural immunity makes them particularly vulnerable to diseases. Concept: The tribe-wise population of Scheduled Tribes in Andaman and Nicobar Islands as per Census 2011 is given below: - Tribes Population Andamanese – Strait island 44 Jarawas – Middle and south Andaman 380 Nicobarese – Great Nicobar 27168 Onges – Little Nicobar 101 Sentinelese – Sentinel island 15 Shom Pens – Great Nicobar 229
There are 6 aboriginal tribes in Andaman & Nicobar islands. On the basis of features, they can be divided into Negrito and Mongoloid. Great Andamanes, Onge, Jarawa and Sentinelese are negrito while Nicobarese and Shompen are mongoloid. Most of the areas in the island are placed under Protected/Restricted area . Restricted area permit under Foreigners (Restricted Areas) Order, 1963 is required by foreigner to visit this protected areas.
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2. Compulsory licensing Context: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared COVID19 an orphan disease, or a rare disease. This to provide incentives to pharmaceutical companies under the Orphan Drug Act, 1983 to develop therapies and the Act allows seven years of market exclusivity and financial incentives to innovators of these drugs. Concept: Compulsory licensing is when a government allows someone else to produce a patented product or process without the consent of the patent owner or plans to use the patent-protected invention itself. It is one of the flexibilities in the field of patent protection included in the WTO’s agreement on intellectual property — the TRIPS (Trade- Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) Agreement. Indian law permits the government to issue a compulsory licence in certain circumstances of a public health crisis under Section 92 of the Patents Act. This would allow third parties to manufacture a patented drug without permission of the patent holder. Cases for providing compulsory licensing i) national emergency ii) circumstances of extreme urgency iii) public non-commercial use
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3. International health regulation 2005 Context: A resolution has been moved in the US Senate calling on the international community to inquire into the origins of the virus in China’s Wuhan province. The case for China’s culpability is based on the principles of state responsibility and Beijing’s alleged failure to respect the obligation, under the 2005 International Health Regulations, to notify the world on the outbreak of the epidemic. Concept: The International Health Regulations, or IHR (2005), represent an agreement between 196 countries including all WHO Member States to work together for global health security. Their aim is to help the international community prevent and respond to acute public health risks that have the potential to cross borders and threaten people worldwide. IHR also includes specific measures at ports, airports and ground crossings to limit the spread of health risks to neighboring countries, and to prevent unwarranted travel and trade restrictions so that traffic and trade disruption is kept to a minimum. Through IHR, countries have agreed to build their capacities to detect, assess and report public health events. WHO plays the coordinating role in IHR and, together with its partners, helps countries to build capacities.
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4. Operation Sanjeevani An Indian Air Force (IAF) C130J transport aircraft on Thursday delivered 6.2 tonne of essential medicines and hospital consumables to Maldives under Operation Sanjeevani.
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5. BCG vaccine
Context: Doctors and scientists in India have expressed caution on a study which argues that countries that have deployed the BCG t vaccine in their immunization programmes have seen fewer deaths from COVID19.
Concept: BCG, or bacille Calmette-Guerin, is a vaccine for tuberculosis (TB) disease. It is one of the vaccines under Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) in India It is given between six months after birth of a child. BCG vaccine consists of the strains of bacterium that cause lung tuberculosis in humans. The strain is named Mycobacterium Bovis.
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6. Gurmeet Sangeet: Ginai Nirmal Singh Khalsa
Context: Nirmal Singh Khalsa, a noted singer of Sikh 'Gurbani' hymns, died of the novel coronavirus in Amritsar.
About Ginai Nirmal Singh Khalsa Nirmal Singh Khalsa was the former Hazoori Ragi (priest/singer) at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Khalsa was credited with having knowledge of all 31 'raags' in the Gurbani of the Guru Granth Sahib. Nirmal Singh Khalsa received the Padma Shri in 2009 for his contribution to Gurbani music.
Concept: Gurmat Sangeet (popularly known as Kirtan) is described as the singing and performing of devotional music in accordance with the teachings of the Gurus. In Gurmat Sangeet, raag plays an extremely important role. It's a channel through which the emotions and feelings contained within the hymns can be effectively conveyed. In addition to raags from classical traditions (Hindustani and Karnatak), hymns in the Guru Granth Sahib have also been rendered in raags derived from rural folk traditions such as Ghoreean, Suhag and Alohnian. In all Guru Nanak composed 974 hymns in nineteen raags. Gurmat Sangeet continued to be steadily developed and promoted by Guru Angad, Guru Amar Das and Guru Ram Das. Guru Arjan's greatest contribution to the Sikh religion was his compilation of the Scriptures into the Aad Granth. It contains the hymns not only of the Gurus but also of saints and minstrels belonging to different religions and castes Guru Hargobind was a great patron of musicians. He established a new class of singers called dhadhis and introduced the new instruments like Dhadh and Sarangi. Guru Gobind Singh was a great patron of poets and musicians. Guru Gobind Singh himself created and played the Taus, and introduced another stringed instrument, the Dilruba, to Gurmat Sangeet. 7. NITI Aayog Health Index
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Context: The evidence worldwide so far has indicated that people over the age of 60 years, and with conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, cancer , are likely to be more vulnerable to COVID 19 While Kerala’s excellent healthcare system earned it the rating of a top performing state in NITI Aayog’s recent annual health index (based on indicators such as mortality rate, fertility rate and sex ratio), experts believe the state’s age profile and morbidity will challenge the system.
Concept: NITI Aayog released the Second Edition of “Healthy States, Progressive India” in June 2019. The report ranks states and Union territories innovatively on their year- on year incremental change in health outcomes, as well as, their overall performance. The Health Index is a weighted composite Index based on 23 indicators grouped into the domains of Health Outcomes, Governance and Information, and Key Inputs/Processes.
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8. Brent crude and U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude
Context: Brent crude oil futures rise in anticipation of new deal to cut supply
Concept: There are about 160 crude oils that are traded internationally. They vary in terms of their characteristics & quality. Two crude oils which are either traded themselves or whose prices are reflected in other types of crude oil include West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Brent. Usually, differences in the prices of these various crude oils are related to quality differences, but some other factors can also influence the price relationships. West Texas Intermediate (WTI): This crude oil is a high quality crude and is excellent for refining for maximizing of Petrol (Motor Spirit). WTI is a light crude with API gravity of 39.6 degrees. Also it contains about 0.24 percent of sulphur, marking it as “sweet” crude. This set of characteristics, combined with its production location (US), makes it an ideal crude oil to be refined in the United States. Brent is actually a combination of crude oil from 15 different oil fields in the Brent and North Sea areas. It is a reasonably “light” and sweet crude oil with API gravity of 38.3 degrees and about 0.37 percent of sulphur. Brent blend is ideal for making Motor Spirit (Petrol) and middle distillates. It remains the major benchmark for other crude oils. The American Petroleum Institute gravity, or API gravity, is a measure of how heavy or light a petroleum liquid is compared to water: if its API gravity is greater than 10, it is lighter and floats on water; if less than 10, it is heavier and sinks.
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9. IITRoorkee develops ventilator “Prana Vayu” Context: Amid the growing demand for hospital ventilators due to the COVID19 pandemic, IITRoorkee has developed a low cost portable ventilatormin association with AIIMS Rishikesh, which can be manufactured for just ₹25,000.
Concept: A ventilator is a machine that helps people who cannot breathe properly on their own by pumping air in and out of their lungs through a tube inserted into their windpipe.
10. Wet market Context: Australian Prime minister has called out WHO and UN to take action against China's "wet markets" where the deadly coronavirus is believed to be originated from in 2019.
Concept: A wet market sells live and dead animals —including fish, birds, badgers, bats, pangolins (scaly anteaters), and turtles — for human consumption. Wet markets are named after the melting ice used to preserve the food, as well as the constant washing of the market floors when they are covered in blood from the animals.
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11. Immunity passport
Context: The UK is planning to roll out 'immunity passports' to Britons who have already contracted and recovered from the Covid-19 disease to allow them to return to 'normal life',
Concept: An immunity passport is a certificate declaring that someone is no longer at risk of contracting coronavirus because they have already had it. It would exempt holders from restrictions on activity imposed to contain the spread of the virus. Given that the virus can be asymptomatic, a test is required to show whether coronavirus antibodies are present in the blood of the individual. A positive test would indicate that they have already had the virus and therefore would be likely to have some degree of immunity.
Benefits: Healthcare workers would be able to return to work from isolation more quickly. They would also allow clinicians who have tested positive to be allocated to highest risk areas and enable personal protective equipment, which has been in short supply, to be distributed to those who need it the most. Other key workers, such as teachers, could also be prioritised, allowing schools to be reopened.
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12. Epidemic curve Context: Flattening the peak has been the main goal of administrations across the world, to reduce pressure on their healthcare systems but it is likely infections will rise rapidly, peak, and then decline. Concept: An "epidemic curve" shows the frequency of new cases over time based on the date of onset of disease.
What does the epidemic curve tells? It can give outbreak investigators an idea as to whether an outbreak is likely to be from a point source (such as from a food handler), a continuous common source (with ongoing contamination), or a propagated source (that is transmitted primarily between people).
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13. Alang Port Ship recycling activities at Alang-Sosiya in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district – home to the world’s largest stretch of ship breaking beaches - have ground to a complete halt after India announced a three-week lockdown beginning March 24 to slow the spread of Corona Virus.
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14. Interpol
Context: The International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) has warned member countries that cybercriminals were attempting to target major hospitals and other institutions on the front lines of the fight against COVID19 with ransomware.
Concept
It is an intergovernmental organization that helps coordinate the police force of 194 member countries. The General Secretariat provides a range of expertise and services to the member countries. It is headquartered in Lyon, France The General Assembly is our governing body and it brings all countries together once a year to take decisions. In each country, an INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) provides the central point of contact for the General Secretariat and other NCBs. An NCB is run by national police officials and usually sits in the government ministry responsible for policing. In India CBI is designated authority
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15. ICCR
Context: April 9 will mark the 70th anniversary of the ICCR’s foundation.
Concept: ICCR is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India, tasked with strengthening India’s external cultural relations through exchanges with other countries and their people. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) was founded in 1950 by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, independent India’s first Education Minister. Objectives: o To actively participate in the formulation and implementation of policies and programmes pertaining to India’s external cultural relations o To foster and strengthen cultural relations and mutual understanding between India and other countries o To promote cultural exchanges with other countries and people, and to develop relations with nations.
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16. India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System preparedness package
Context: Government of India (GoI) has announced significant investments to the tune of Rs.15000 crores for 'India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package'.
Salient Features: The funds sanctioned will be utilized for immediate COVID-19 Emergency Response (amount of Rs.7774 crores) and rest for medium- term support (1-4 years) to be provided under mission mode approach. The key objectives of the package include o Mounting emergency response to slow and limit COVID-19 in India through the development of diagnostics and COVID-19 dedicated treatment facilities o Centralized procurement of essential medical equipment and drugs required for treatment of infected patients o Strengthen and build resilient National and State health systems to support prevention and preparedness for future disease outbreaks o Setting up of laboratories and bolster surveillance activities, bio- security preparedness, pandemic research and proactively engage communities and conduct risk communication activities. o These interventions and initiatives would be implemented under the overall umbrella of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. M/o Health & Family Welfare is authorized to re-appropriate resources among components of the package and among the various implementation agencies (National Health Mission, Central Procurement, Railways, Department of Health Research/ICMR, National Centre for Disease Control) as per the evolving emergent situation.
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17. Gamosa
Context: The COVID19 pandemic has made the ubiquitous gamosa, a decorative cotton towel, evolve from memento to mask. They have been designing the masks with motifs of the endangered hargila (greater adjutant stork), rhino and elephant to add a dash of wildlife conservation to the protection of human faces.
Concept: Gamosa A white rectangular piece of cloth with a distinctive red border and motifs, the gamusa is one of the prominent cultural identifiers of the Assamese community. It is made up of two words – ‘ga‘ which means body and ‘musa’ which means to wipe. It has given GI tag in 2019
What is a Geographical Indication? GI tag is the abbreviation of Geographical Indications tags in India. It is an indication that a particular good originates from a definite geographical territory. GI tag is protected by Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999. This Act seeks to provide for the registration and better protection of geographical indications relating to goods in India. The Act is administered by the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Markswho is the Registrar of Geographical Indications The Act has come into force with effect from 15th September 2003. GI tag is the abbreviation of Geographical Indications tags in India.
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18. GIS Mapping
Context: Uttarakhand government has started GIS mapping of areas affected by the outbreak for a better management strategy.
Concept: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) store, analyze and visualize data for geographic positions on Earth’s surface. GIS is a computer-based tool that examines spatial relationships, patterns and trends. By connecting geography with data, GIS better understands data using a geographic context.
GIS Uses and Applications ENVIRONMENT: By far, the heaviest users are for the environment. For example, conservationists use GIS for climate change, groundwater studies and impact assessments. MILITARY AND DEFENSE: Military are heavy users for GIS. They use it for location intelligence, logistics management and spy satellites. AGRICULTURE: Farmers use it for precision farming, soil mapping and crop productivity. FORESTRY: Foresters manage timber, track deforestation and inventory forest stands with GIS. BUSINESS: More on the business side of things, GIS is for site selection, consumer profiling and customer prospecting. REAL ESTATE: Examples in real estate include market analysis, home valuations and zoning. PUBLIC SAFETY: GIS shows the spread of disease, disaster response and public health.
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19. Red zone orange Zone green zone
Context: The Centre is likely to categorise the country into red, orange and green zones depending on the number of COVID-19 cases during the proposed extended period of lockdown and might allow limited services to function in the safe zones.
Concept: There will be no activity in the red zones -- the districts where sizeable number of cases were detected or areas which were declared hotspots. In the orange zones -- where only a few cases were found in the past with no increase in the number of positive cases -- minimum activities like opening of limited public transport, harvesting of farm products will be allowed. Green zones will be in the districts where there is no COVID-19 case. Some MSME industries falling under the green zone -- in the districts where there is no COVID-19 case -- will be allowed to function with in- house lodging facilities for employees with proper maintenance of social distance. Agricultural activities are also set to be allowed in green and orange zones with strict maintenance of social distance.
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20. Martial arts Context: Kerala Tourism has geared up for the post-COVID-19 era by coming up with six theme-based microsites in the official website to promote destination and tourism products . Yoga, Kalaripayattu, an ancient martial art indigenous to the State, Temples of Kerala, Judaism in Kerala and Discovering Malabar are the new microsites that have been featured.
Concept: i)Kalaripayattu Often known as the ‘Mother Of All Martial Arts’, this 3000-year old art form originating from Kerala, draws inspiration from the raw power, swift movements and sinuous strength of majestic animals – the lion, tiger, elephant, wild boar, snake and crocodile. The term ‘kalari’ refers to the place where this combat style is taught while ‘payattu’ means to practise.
ii) Thang Ta (Huyen Langlon) Thang-Ta, which literally means ‘sword and spear’, is one aspect of Huyen Langlon (art of war or method of safe guarding), a traditional martial art from Manipur. Its other aspect is Sarit Sarak that involves unarmed combat. This martial art form integrates various external weapons – the sword, spear and dagger- with the internal practice of physical control through soft movements coordinated with breathing rhythms. iii)Silambam P a g e | 248 OPTIMIZE IAS Daily Prelims Notes Compilation https://optimizeias.com/
Closely linked to Kerala’s Kalaripayattu, Silambam is an ancient stick-martial art of Tamil Nadu. According to Sangam-era literature, there were a number of exercise centres called silambak-koodams all over the Dravida Nadu region, and the age-old art—patronized by the Chera, Chola and Pandya rulers—is recorded as one of the 64 art forms of ancient India. iv) Gatka (Shastar Vidya) Originating from the state of Punjab, Gatka is believed to be a battle technique created by Sikh warriors during the martial period of great Sikh Gurus. A style of stick fighting between two or more practitioners, Gatka is a toned-down version of the deadlier Shastar Vidya, the fighting style of the fearsome Akali Nihangs, the blue-turbaned sect of Sikh fighters banned by the British after the Anglo-Sikh wars. The sharp swords of Shastar Vidya have been replaced by wooden sticks (soti) and shields (farri) in Gatka.
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21. Shadow Pandemic
Context: With 90 countries in lockdown, four billion people are now sheltering at home from the global contagion of COVID-19. It’s a protective measure, but it brings another deadly danger.
Concept: The UN Women has urged member-States to include prevention of violence against women in their action plans on COVID-19 and consider shelters and helplines essential services, calling the rise in gender-based violence a “shadow pandemic”.
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22. Socio-Eco Census and PMJAY: Free Testing
Context: The ministry of health and family welfare has put testing and treatment of covid-19 pandemic under Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). The testing and treatment of covid-19 is already available for free in the public facilities. Now, more than 50 crore citizens, eligible under the government of India’s health assurance scheme will be able to avail free testing through private labs and treatment for COVID-19 in empaneled hospitals
Concept: PMJAY The second component under Ayushman Bharat is the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY is the largest health assurance scheme in the world which aims at providing a health cover of Rs. 5 lakhs per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to over 10.74 crores poor and vulnerable families. The households included are based on the deprivation criteria of Socio- Economic Caste Census 2011 (SECC 2011) for rural areas and occupational criteria of SECC in urban areas. PM-JAY was earlier known as the National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS) before being rechristened. It subsumed the then existing Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) which had been launched in 2008. PM-JAY is fully funded by the Government and cost of implementation is shared between the Central and State Governments. It covers up to 3 days of pre-hospitalization and 15 days post- hospitalization expenses such as diagnostics and medicines. There is no restriction on the family size, age or gender. Benefits of the scheme are portable across the country i.e. a beneficiary can visit any empanelled public or private hospital in India to avail cashless treatment. Public hospitals are reimbursed for the healthcare services at par with the private hospitals.
Socio economic caste census
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SECC-2011 is the study of socio economic status of rural and urban households. The Ministry of Rural Development Government of India, commenced the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011, in June 2011 through a comprehensive door to door enumeration across the country. SECC 2011 has three census components which were conducted by three separate authorities but under the overall coordination of Department of Rural Development in the Government of India. o Census in Rural Area has been conducted by the Department of Rural Development (DoRD). o Census in Urban areas is under the administrative jurisdiction of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (MoHUPA). o Caste Census is under the administrative control of Ministry of Home Affairs: o Registrar General of India (RGI) and Census Commissioner of India. The SECC, 2011 has the following three objective: (a) To enable households to be ranked based on their socioeconomic status. State Governments can then prepare a list of families living below the poverty line. (b) To make available authentic information that will enable caste- wise population enumeration of the country. (c) To make available authentic information regarding the socioeconomic condition, and education status of various castes and sections of the population.
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23. UAPA
Context: In an open letter before his surrender on Tuesday, activist Gautam Navlakha assailed the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) under which he was charged by Pune Police for their alleged Maoist links and other charges following the violence at Bhima Koregaon village near Pune on January 1, 2018.
Concept: The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 enables more effective prevention of certain unlawful activities of individuals and associations and for dealing with terrorist activities, and other related matters. Definition of the Unlawful Activity in India: any action taken by individual or association whether by committing an act or by words, either spoken or written, or by signs to questions, disclaims, disrupts or is intended to disrupt the territorial integrity and sovereignty of India. This act also prohibits the cession of a part of the territory of India or the secession of a part of the territory of India from the Union, or which provoke any individual or group of individuals to bring about such cession or secession.
Amendment in UAPA in 2019 Under the Act, the central government may designate an organisation and individual as terrorist The amendments give powers to the Director General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to attach properties acquired from proceeds of terrorism. Earlier, the law required that the NIA take prior permission from the respective state police chief to attach the proceeds of terrorism.
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24. Survey of India
Context: Survey of India in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has created a map to help officials working in Covid-19 war rooms.
Concept: Survey of India, the National Survey and Mapping Organization of the country under the Department of Science & Technology, is the oldest scientific department of the govt. of India. It was set up in 1767 and has evolved rich traditions over the years. In its assigned role as the nation's Principal Mapping Agency, Survey of India bears a special responsibility to ensure that the country's domain is explored and mapped suitably, provide base maps for expeditious and integrated development and ensure that all resources contribute with their full measure to the progress, prosperity and security of our country.
History Forerunners of army of the East India Company and Surveyors had an onerous task of exploring the unknown. Bit by bit the tapestry of Indian terrain was completed by the painstaking efforts of a distinguished line of Surveyors such as Mr. Lambton and Sir George Everest. It is a tribute to the foresight of such Surveyors that at the time of independence the country inherited a survey network built on scientific principles. The great Trigonometric series spanning the country from North to South East to West are some of the best geodetic control series available in the world.
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25. National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC)
Context: The National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC) has asked local bodies to ensure that all sanitation workers are provided personal protective equipment (PPE) to remain safe during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Concept: National Safai Karamcharis Finance & Development Corporation(NSKFDC), A wholly owned Govt. of India Undertaking under the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment was set up on 1997 as a Company “Not for Profit” under Section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956. NSKFDC as an Apex Corporation for the all round socio-economic upliftment of the Safai Karamcharis, Scavengers and their dependants throughout India,through various loan and non-loan based schemes. Apart from operating various loan and non-loan based schemes for the upliftment of the target group, NSKFDC is playing a vital role in elimination of manual scavenging - the worst surviving symbol of untouchability. NSKFDC has been designated as the Nodal Agency for implementation of the Central Sector Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS) under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.
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26. Geo tag
Context: Geo tagging of houses with persons affected COVID 19 has been carried out in many states.
Concept: It is the process of adding geographical identification like latitude and longitude to various media such as a photo or video. Geo tagging can help users find a wide variety of location-specific information from a device. It provides users the location of the content of a given picture.
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27. CTBT Context: China may have secretly set off low level underground nuclear test explosions despite claiming to observe an international pact banning such blasts, the U.S. State Department said in a report
Concept:
Zero yield Zero yield refers to a nuclear test in which there is no explosive chain reaction of the type ignited by the detonation of a nuclear warhead.
CTBT The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is the Treaty banning all nuclear explosions - everywhere, by everyone. The Treaty was negotiated at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. It opened for signature on 24 September 1996. 182 countries have signed the Treaty and 154 countries have ratified the Treaty When the Treaty enters into force it provides a legally binding norm against nuclear testing. The Treaty’s entry into force depends on 44 specific States that must have signed and ratified the Treaty. These States had nuclear facilities at the time the Treaty was negotiated and adopted. As of August 2011, 35 of these States have ratified the Treaty. Nine States still need to do so: China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Pakistan and the United States. India, North Korea and Pakistan have not yet signed the Treaty.
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28. Telemedicine
Context: The Centre’s recent guidelines allowing for widespread use of telemedicine services came as a shot in the arm for telehealth crusaders in the country, among them the Telemedicine Society of India that has long been battling to use the technology in its complete arc to reach remote areas in India.
Concept: The delivery of health care services, where distance is a critical factor, by all health care professionals using information and communication technologies for the exchange of valid information for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease and injuries, research and evaluation, and for the continuing education of health care providers, all in the interests of advancing the health of individuals and their communities. Four elements are germane to telemedicine: (a) Its purpose is to provide clinical support. (b) It is intended to overcome geographical barriers, connecting users who are not in the same physical location. (c) It involves the use of various types of ICT. (d) Its goal is to improve health outcomes.
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29. GCC:
Context: Most COVID-19 positive Indians abroad are in the Gulf Concept: The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, originally known as the Gulf Cooperation Council, is a regional intergovernmental political and economic union consisting of all Arab states of the Persian Gulf except Iraq, namely: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
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30. The National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children and CyberTipline
Context: In a global compilation of reports of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) found online, India stands right on top of the list, with 11.7% of the total reports or at 19.87 lakh reports.
Concept: The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is a private, non- profit 501(c)(3) corporation whose mission is to help find missing children, reduce child sexual exploitation, and prevent child victimization. NCMEC works with families, victims, private industry, law enforcement, and the public to assist with preventing child abductions, recovering missing children, and providing services to deter and combat child sexual exploitation. NCMEC’s CyberTipline is the nation’s centralized reporting system for the online exploitation of children. The public and electronic service providers can make reports of suspected online enticement of children for sexual acts, extra-familial child sexual molestation, child pornography, child sex tourism, child sex trafficking, unsolicited obscene materials sent to a child, misleading domain names, and misleading words or digital images on the internet.
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31. Essential and non essential goods
Context: The home ministry on Sunday revoked permission given to e-commerce players to sell nonessential commodities from 20 April. These companies can only sell essential items till the end of the national lockdown on 3 May.
Concept: Department of Consumer Affairs administers ‘The Essential Commodities Act, 1955’ and ‘Prevention of Blackmarketing and Maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities Act, 1980’. The Essential Commodities Act, 1955 was enacted to ensure the easy availability of essential commodities to consumers and to protect them from exploitation by unscrupulous traders. At present, there are seven commodities scheduled under the EC Act, 1955 as essential. o Drugs o Fertilizer, whether inorganic, organic or mixed o Foodstuffs, including edible oilseeds and oils o Hank yarn made wholly from cotton o Petroleum and petroleum products o Raw jute and jute textile o seeds of food-crops and seeds of fruits and vegetables, seeds of cattle fodder, jute seeds and cotton seed Exercising powers under the Act, various Ministries/Departments of the Central Government and under the delegated powers the State Governments/UT Administrations have issued Control Orders for regulating production, distribution, pricing and other aspects of trading in respect of the commodities declared as essential. The enforcement/implementation of the provisions of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 lies with the State Governments and UT Administrations.
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32. SAGAR and Indian Ocean Commission
Context: Putting the SAGAR vision to the test as observer, India could learn from as well as support the Indian Ocean Commission.
Concept:
SAGAR India’s policy on maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is based on the approach of SAGAR – Security and Growth for All in the Region. SAGAR is a term coined by PM Modi in 2015 during his Mauritius visit with a focus on blue economy. Elements of SAGAR. o The first element is to do everything to safeguard India’s mainland and islands and defend interests. Equally will work to ensure a safe, secure and stable Indian Ocean o The second element is to deepen economic and security cooperation with friends in the region, especially our maritime neighbors and island states. o The third element dwells on the approach that collective action and cooperation will advance peace and security in maritime region through deepening mutual understanding on maritime challenges; and, strengthening collective ability to address them. o The fourth element is to enhance the prospects for sustainable development for all. It looks to promote greater collaboration in trade, tourism and investment; infrastructure development; marine science and technology; sustainable fisheries; protection of marine environment; and, overall development of Ocean or Blue Economy o The fifth element emanates from the recognition that there are other nations around the world, with strong interests and stakes in the region. The goal is to seek a climate of trust and transparency; respect for international maritime rules and norms by all countries; sensitivity to each other’s interests; peaceful resolution of maritime issues; and increase in maritime cooperation.
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IOC The Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) is an intergovernmental body created in 1984 to protect the interests of the Western Indian Ocean islands. It consists of Madagascar, Comoros, La Réunion (French overseas territory), Mauritius and Seychelles. The Commission has five observers — India, China, European Union (EU), Malta and International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF).
COI’s principal mission is to strengthen the ties of friendship between the countries and to be a platform of solidarity for the entire population of the African Indian Ocean region. The Commission has a Secretariat which is located in Mauritius and headed by a Secretary General.
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33. UGC: Report on new session
Context: Two expert committees set up by University Grants Commission have submitted their recommendations on impact of COVID-19 on academic calendar and learning processes of higher education.
Report: According to reports, one of the committees setup by the Universities Regulator was headed by Haryana University Vice-Chancellor RC Kuhad, which was looking into “ways of conducting exams in universities amid the lockdown and work on an alternate academic calendar”. The second committee was chaired by Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) V-C Nageshwar Rao, which was tasked with suggesting ways to improve online education and evolve better delivery mechanism for the same. One of the key recommendations of UGC expert panel has been on shifting of start of the new academic session for higher education institutions to September instead of July 2020. As part of the recommendations, the committees have also suggested that colleges and universities which have infrastructure to hold online exams for semester and final year students can be allowed to do so during the lockdown period.
Concept:
The University Grants Commission of India is a statutory body set up by the Government of India in accordance to the UGC Act 1956 under Ministry of Human Resource Development, and is charged with coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of higher education.
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34. NAFED: Pulses
Context: NAFED to distribute about 6 lakh metric tonne pulses to nearly 20 cr households for 3 months under PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana It is nodal agency for supplying of 1 kg of pulses under PM Garib Kalyan Yojna, has commenced dispatching pulses to the States.
Concept: National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd.(NAFED) was established on 2nd October 1958. NAFED is registered under the Multi State Co-operative Societies Act. NAFED was setup with the object to promote Co-operative marketing of agricultural produce to benefit the farmers. NAFED was founded with the objective to promote the trade of agricultural produce and forest resources across the nation. Agricultural farmers are the main members of Nafed, who have a say in the working of Nafed in the form of members of the General Body. NAFED has three tier-structure with Nafed at the top of the tier, primary cooperative marketing / processing societies at the bottom and state level marketing/tribal/commodity federations at the middle. Some national /apex level marketing / consumer cooperative federations are also members of NAFED. Nafed procures stocks directly from the farmers in regulated mandies in open auction through the cooperative infrastructure thereby providing them a ready market, fair price and preventing their exploitation at the hands of private traders. Also, whenever there is a glut in market due to bumper production when prices tend to crash, Nafed undertakes procurement at the Minimum Support Price under the Price Support Scheme in case of 16 notified commodities (pulses, oilseeds, copra, dehusked coconut, cotton) thereby providing remunerative prices to farmers for their produce.
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35. State Specific Disasters State government can list state specific natural disasters with clear and transparent norms after approval of State Executive Authority (SEC). A State Government may use up to 10 percent of the funds available under the SDRF for providing immediate relief to the victims of natural disasters that they consider to be ‘disasters’ within the local context Ex: snakebite was declared as a State specific disaster in Odisha, Lightning in Maharashtra.
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36. Global Terrorism Index
Context: Niti Aayog questions Australian institute’s terror ranking of India
Concept: Report prepared by Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) Global terrorism index 2019 report released by IEP, ranks 163 countries according to the impact of terrorism on factors such as the number of attacks, injuries, damage to property suffered by the country. This year’s report shows that the number of global deaths from terrorism has reduced by 15.2 % in 2018, but the number of countries affected by extremists has increased as compared to previous years. India has moved to the seventh position from the previous year’s eighth in the annual Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2019. The countries ahead of India are Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Syria, Pakistan and Somalia.
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37. USTR’s priority watch list
Context: US places India on 'Priority Watch List' for Intellectual Property protection
Concept: Special 301 Report on the adequacy and effectiveness of trading partners' protection of IP rights by USTR " The US placed 10 countries, including some of its major trading partners like India and China, on the list, alleging that enforcement of the intellectual properties have deteriorated or remained at inadequate levels and the Americans who rely on their protection have difficulty with fair and equitable market access. For countries that fail to address US’ concerns, the USTR will take appropriate actions, such as enforcement actions under Section 301 of the Trade Act or pursuant to World Trade Organisation or other trade agreement dispute settlement procedures, necessary to combat unfair trade practices and to ensure that trading partners follow through with their international commitments.
Concerns on India In its report, the USTR said that India had been placed on the 'Priority Watch List' for lack of sufficient measurable improvements to its IP framework on the "longstanding" and "new challenges" that have negatively affected US right holders over the past year. Long-standing IP challenges facing US businesses in India include those which make it difficult for innovators to receive, maintain, and enforce patents in India, particularly for pharmaceuticals; ineffectual enforcement activities, copyright policies that fail to incentivise the creation and commercialisation of content, and an outdated and insufficient trade secrets legal framework, it said. India also further restricted the transparency of information provided on state-issued pharmaceutical manufacturing licenses, continues to apply restrictive patentability criteria to reject pharmaceutical patents.
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38. CARES
Context: The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $1.5 billion loan that will support the government’s response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Concept: ADB’s COVID-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support (CARES) Program will contribute directly to the improvement of access to health facilities and care, as well as social protection for more than 800 million people, including families below the poverty line, farmers, health care workers, women, senior citizens, people with disabilities, low wage earners, and construction workers. The CARES Program is funded through the COVID-19 pandemic response option (CPRO) under ADB’s Countercyclical Support Facility. CPRO was established as part of ADB’s $20 billion expanded assistance for developing member countries’ COVID-19 response. The CARES Program will be provided with a $2 million technical assistance grant to support the government to strengthen its operational framework and efficient targeting, delivery, and monitoring and evaluation of its pro-poor economic package, as well as its health sector and social protection interventions. In the medium term, ADB will support government efforts and coordinate with other development partners to stimulate the economy, build capacity for monitoring and evaluation of government programs, and improve economic resilience against future shocks.
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Government Schemes 1. Aarogya Setu app
The Government of India today launched a mobile app ArogyaSetu developed in public-private partnership to bring the people of India together in a resolute fight against COVID-19. It joins Digital India for the health and well-being of every Indian. It will enable people to assess themselves the risk of their catching the Corona Virus infection. It will calculate this based on their interaction with others, using cutting edge Bluetooth technology, algorithms and artificial intelligence. The app alerts the person whenever he comes in contact within six feet of COVID-19 infected person. The personal data collected by the App is encrypted using state-of-the- art technology and stays secure on the phone till it is needed for facilitating medical intervention. Available in 11 languages.
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2. Open market Sale Scheme
Context: Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and charitable organizations providing cooked meals to the poor and needy during the period of nationwide lockdown have been permitted to buy foodgrains from Food Corporation of India (FCI) godowns at Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) rates without going through the e-auction Concept: Food Corporation of India sells surplus stocks of wheat and rice at pre- determined prices through e-auction in the open market from time to time to enhance the supply of food grains, especially wheat during the lean season and thereby moderate the open market prices especially in the deficit regions.
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3. One Stop Centre and UN Women
Context: The National Commission of Women has recorded a more than two-fold rise in domestic violence and sexual assaults and a three-fold increase in cases of police apathy in the first week of lockdown since March 24.
Concept: One Stop Centre or Sakhi Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) has formulated a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for setting up One Stop Centre, a subscheme of Umbrella Scheme for National Mission for Empowerment of women. One Stop Centres (OSCs) are intended to support women affected by violence, in private and public spaces, within the family, community and at the workplace. Women facing physical, sexual, emotional, psychological and economic abuse, irrespective of age, class, caste, education status, marital status, race and culture will be facilitated with support and redressal. The Scheme will be funded through Nirbhaya Fund. The Central Government will provide 100% financial assistance to the State Government /UT Administrations under the Scheme. The Centres will be integrated with a Women Helpline to facilitate access to following services: o Emergency response and rescue services. o Medical assistance. o Assistance to women in lodging the FIR. o Psycho- social support and counselling. o Legal aid and counselling. o Shelter o Video conferencing facility. UN Women UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. Established in 2010 through UNGA resolution Working for the empowerment and rights of women and girls globally, UN Women’s main roles are:
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o To support inter-governmental bodies, such as the Commission on the Status of Women, in their formulation of policies, global standards and norms. o To help Member States 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. o To lead and coordinate the UN system’s work on gender equality, as well as promote accountability, including through regular monitoring of system-wide progress.
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4. Pradhan Mantri JanDhan Yojana (PMJDY)
Context: Government to deposit ₹1,000 in women PMJDY accounts in two installments
Concept: Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)" under the National Mission for Financial Inclusion was launched initially for a period of 4 years (in two phases) on 28th August 2014. It envisages universal access to banking facilities with at least one basic banking account for every household, financial literacy, access to credit, insurance and pension. PMJDY has provided a platform for the three social security schemes viz. Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), Atal Pension Yojana (APY) and Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY). The Government has decided to extend the comprehensive PMJDY program 2018 with the change in focus on opening accounts from “every household” to “every adult”. Special Benefits under PMJDY Scheme o Interest on deposit. o Accidental insurance cover of Rs. 2 lakhs o No minimum balance required. o The scheme provide life cover of Rs. 30,000/- payable on death of the beneficiary, subject to fulfillment of the eligibility condition. o Easy Transfer of money across India o Beneficiaries of Government Schemes will get Direct Benefit Transfer in these accounts. o After satisfactory operation of the account for 6 months, an overdraft facility will be permitted o Access to Pension, insurance products. o Overdraft facility upto Rs. 10,000/- is available in only one account per household, preferably lady of the household.
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5. Kisan rath
Context: The Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare launched a farmer friendly mobile application, Kisan Rath
Concept: Developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) to facilitate farmers & traders in searching transport vehicles for Primary and Secondary transportation for movement of Agriculture & Horticulture produce. Primary transportation would include movement from Farm to Mandis, FPO Collection Centre and Warehouses etc. Secondary Transportation would include movement from Mandis to Intra-state & Interstate mandis, Processing units, Railway station, Warehouses and Wholesalers etc. Under the extraordinary situation prevailing in the country currently due to lockdown, “Kisan Rath” will ensure smooth and seamless supply linkages between farmers, warehouses, FPOs, APMC mandis and intra- State & inter-State buyers and help in reduction of food wastage by providing timely services.
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6. SVAMITVA scheme
Context: Prime Minister has announced a scheme that has the potential to change the dynamics of rural areas. The SVAMITVA scheme aims to provide an integrated property validation solution for rural India.
Concept: According to the Panchayati raj ministry, SVAMITVA, or Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas, is a scheme for surveying the land parcels in rural inhabited area using drone technology and Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS). The survey will be done across the country in a phase-wise manner over a period of four years - from 2020 to 2024. The projected outlay of the project is Rs 79.65 crore for the pilot phase (2020-21). The scheme will bring financial stability to people living in rural areas by enabling them to use their property as financial asset for taking loans and other financial benefits. It will also lead to creation of accurate land records for rural planning and determination property tax. Through the SVAMITVA scheme, the government hopes that property disputes and legal cases will be reduced. The outcome from the scheme would include updating the record of rights in the revenue/property registers and issuance of property cards to the property owners. This would facilitate monetization of rural residential assets for credit and other financial services. Further, this would also pave the way for clear determination of property tax. The SVAMITA scheme will also enable updation of property and asset register to strengthen tax collection and demand assessment process of gram panchayats. Other gram panchayat and community assets like village roads, ponds, canals, open spaces, school, anganwadi, health sub-Centres etc will also be surveyed and GIS maps will be created. These maps can be used to prepare better quality gram panchayat development plan. About 6.62 lakh villages in the country will be eventually covered in the SVAMITVA scheme. The pilot phase will extend to six states - Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand covering approximately one lakh villages.
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7. Jal Jeevan Mission
Context: Jal Shakti minister has said that implementation of Jal Jeevan mission is not affected by COVID lock down.
Concept: Vision of the mission is to make every rural household has drinking water supply in adequate quantity of prescribed quality through functional Tap Connection (FHTC) by 2024 on regular and long-term basis at affordable service delivery charges leading to improvement in living standards of rural communities. Jal Jeevan Mission is to assist, empower and facilitate states/ UTs in planning of participatory rural water supply strategy for ensuring potable drinking water security on long-term basis to every rural household and public institution, viz. GP building, School, Anganwadi centre, Health centre, wellness centres, etc.
Components Under JJM Development of in-village piped water supply infrastructure to provide tap water connection to every rural household Development of reliable drinking water sources and/ or augmentation of existing sources to provide long-term sustainability of water supply system Wherever necessary, bulk water transfer, treatment plants and distribution network to cater to every rural household Technological interventions for removal of contaminants where water quality is an issue Retrofitting of completed and ongoing schemes to provide FHTCs at minimum service level of 55 LPCD. Greywater management Support activities, i.e. IEC, HRD, training, development of utilities, water quality laboratories, water quality testing & surveillance, R&D, knowledge centre, capacity building of communities, etc.
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International Bodies 1. UNCTAD and Its report UNCTAD is a permanent intergovernmental body established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1964. Its headquarters are located in Geneva, Switzerland. It is part of the UN Secretariat. It supports developing countries to access the benefits of a globalized economy more fairly and effectively.
Reports: Trade and Development Report World Investment Report Technology and Innovation Report
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2. SWIFT
Context: Initially, Indian ambassadors were directed to mobilize donations from abroad, with SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) code details made available in order to accept such contributions. But it has been taken back now.
Concept: The SWIFT is a global member-owned cooperative that is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. It was founded in 1973 by a group of 239 banks from 15 countries which formed a co-operative utility to develop a secure electronic messaging service and common standards to facilitate cross-border payments. SWIFT does not facilitate funds transfer: rather, it sends payment orders, which must be settled by correspondent accounts that the institutions have with each other. The SWIFT is a secure financial message carrier — in other words, it transports messages from one bank to its intended bank recipient.
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3. OPEC+
Context: OPEC+ meeting delayed as Saudi Arabia and Russia row over oil price collapse
Concept: OPEC+, an informal alliance of OPEC and Russia to cut production sharply to arrest crashing prices of crude oil. OPEC plus countries include Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Russia, South Sudan and Sudan. The OPEC and non-OPEC producers first formed the alliance at a historic meeting in Algiers in 2016. OPEC: The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was founded in Baghdad, Iraq, with the signing of an agreement in September 1960 by five countries namely Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. They were to become the Founder Members of the Organization. As of 2020, OPEC has a total of 13 Member Countries viz. Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Libya, Nigeria, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Congo, Angola and Venezuela are members of OPEC. OPEC’s objective is to co-ordinate and unify petroleum policies among Member Countries, in order to secure fair and stable prices for petroleum producers; an efficient, economic and regular supply of petroleum to consuming nations; and a fair return on capital to those investing in the industry. It is head quartered in Vienna, Austria. OPEC membership is open to any country that is a substantial exporter of oil and which shares the ideals of the organization.
4. The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)
Context: Still there is no consensus over origin of coronavirus. Many experts are of the opinion that in all probability, it has occurred owing to the natural reasons. However, since the World War eras, there have been few occasions when the world had witnessed an act of germ-warfare too.
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Concept: Biological weapons are complex systems that disseminate disease- causing organisms or toxins to harm or kill humans, animals or plants. They generally consist of two parts – a weaponized agent and a delivery mechanism. In addition to strategic or tactical military applications, biological weapons can be used for political assassinations, the infection of livestock or agricultural produce to cause food shortages and economic loss, the creation of environmental catastrophes, and the introduction of widespread illness, fear and mistrust among the public. Historical biological weapons programs have included efforts to produce: aflatoxin; anthrax; botulinum toxin; foot-and-mouth disease; glanders; plague; Q fever; rice blast; ricin; Rocky Mountain spotted fever; smallpox; and tularaemia, among others. Almost any disease-causing organism (such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, prions or rickettsiae) or toxin (poisons derived from animals, plants or microorganisms, or similar substances produced synthetically) can be used in biological weapons
About BWC: Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction, better known as the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) was opened for signature on 10 April 1972. The BWC, the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning an entire category of weapons, entered into force on 26 March 1975. Since then, many States have joined the Convention, which currently has 183 States Parties and four Signatory States. There are 10 States which have neither signed nor ratified the Convention. India is one of the parties to the convention. The BWC effectively prohibits the development, production, acquisition, transfer, stockpiling and use of biological and toxin weapons and is a key element in the international community’s efforts to address the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Throughout the intervening years, States Parties have met at five yearly intervals to review the operation of the BWC.
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5. WHO Funding Context: Trump threatens to hold WHO funding
Concept WHO depends on two types of funding — assessed contributions from member nations and voluntary contributions The share of assessed contributions in WHO’s annual budget has declined over the years, to the extent that they now constitute just 24%. The rest is through voluntary contributions not just from member nations but also from private organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, universities and even other UN bodies like UNICEF and UNDP The US is the largest contributor to the WHO, with a share of 22% (India’s share is 0.8341%). However, the US share is part of the assessed contributions, which is more like a membership fee, calculated on the basis of a country’s wealth and population, payable on January 1 each year. As of January 31, the US still hasn’t paid the dues for 2019 for 2020, amounting to almost $200 million. Penalty: If Trump does decide to block the US’ contribution, the WHO can suspend the country’s voting rights and deny access to its services, as per Article 7 of its Constitution.
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6. World Bank Group
Context: The World Bank on Thursday approved $1 billion emergency financing for India to combat the coronavirus outbreak.
Concept: With 189 member countries, the World Bank Group is a unique global partnership: five institutions working for sustainable solutions that reduce poverty and build shared prosperity in developing countries. The Bank Group works with country governments, the private sector, civil society organizations, regional development banks, think tanks, and other international institutions on issues ranging from climate change, conflict, and food security to education, agriculture, finance, and trade. Founded in 1944, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development— soon called the World Bank—has expanded to a closely associated group of five development institutions. Originally, its loans helped rebuild countries devastated by World War II. In time, the focus shifted from reconstruction to development, with a heavy emphasis on infrastructure such as dams, electrical grids, irrigation systems, and roads. With the founding of the International Finance Corporation in 1956, the institution became able to lend to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries. And the founding of the International Development Association in 1960 put greater emphasis on the poorest countries, part of a steady shift toward the eradication of poverty becoming the Bank Group’s primary goal. The subsequent launch of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes which insures lenders and investors against political risk such as war. The International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) settles investment-disputes between investors and countries.
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7. OPCW
Context: The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons' Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) has concluded the Syrian government forces were responsible for a series of chemical attacks on a Syrian town in late March 2017.
Concept: The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, which entered into force on 29 April 1997. The OPCW, with its 193 Member States, oversees the global endeavor to permanently and verifiably eliminate chemical weapons. OPCW Member States share the collective goal of preventing chemistry from ever again being used for warfare, thereby strengthening international security. To this end, the Convention contains four key provisions: o Destroying all existing chemical weapons under international verification by the OPCW. o Monitoring chemical industry to prevent chemical weapons from re-emerging. o Providing assistance and protection to States Parties against chemical threats. o Fostering international cooperation to strengthen implementation of the Convention and promote the peaceful use of chemistry. As provided for in the Convention, the OPCW comprises three main bodies: the Conference of the States Parties, the Executive Council and the Technical Secretariat. Over 97% of all chemical weapon stockpiles declared by possessor States have been destroyed under OPCW verification. For its extensive efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the OPCW received the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.
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8. Developing country status
Context: If China a developing country, make US too one. Trump said China has taken advantage of the US through WTO and using rules that are unfair to the States.
Concept: There are no WTO definitions of “developed” and “developing” countries. Members announce for themselves whether they are “developed” or “developing” countries. However, other members can challenge the decision of a member to make use of provisions available to developing countries. The special provisions include: 1. Longer time periods for implementing Agreements and commitments 2. Measures to increase trading opportunities for developing countries 3. Provisions requiring all WTO members to safeguard the trade interests of developing countries 4. Support to help developing countries build the capacity to carry out WTO work, handle disputes, and implement technical standards.
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9. World Economic Outlook (WEO)
Context: World economy to contract by 3%. India’s growth projected to rebound to 7.4% in 2021 from 1.9% in 2020
Concept: A Survey by the IMF staff usually published twice a year. It presents IMF staff economists' analyses of global economic developments during the near and medium term. Other report by IMF: Global Financial Stability Report.
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10. IEA
Context:
Concept: Established in 1974 as per framework of the OECD, IEA is an autonomous intergovernmental organization The IEA family is made up of 30 member countries, 8 association countries, and 2 accession countries A candidate country must be a member country of the OECD. But all OECD members are not IEA members. To become member a candidate country must demonstrate that it has: Crude oil and/or product reserves equivalent to 90 days of the previous year’s net imports, to which the government has immediate access (even if it does not own them directly) and could be used to address disruptions to global oil supply. A demand restraint programme to reduce national oil consumption by up to 10%. Legislation and organisation to operate the Co-ordinated Emergency Response Measures (CERM) on a national basis. Legislation and measures to ensure that all oil companies under its jurisdiction report information upon request. Measures in place to ensure the capability of contributing its share of an IEA collective action. P a g e | 291 OPTIMIZE IAS Daily Prelims Notes Compilation https://optimizeias.com/
Areas of work Promoting energy efficiency: Help governments improve standards, advising them on developing, implementing, and measuring the impact of efficiency policies. Ensuring energy security: Work on energy security ensures that markets remained well supplied, providing information to governments, and helping improve system resilience. International collaborations: Work with a broad range of international organizations and forums to ensure secure, affordable and sustainable energy systems Data and statistics: Data collection has been at the heart of the IEA’s work since our creation, with official energy statistics from more than 100 countries collected on a monthly or annual basis Technology collaboration: With about 40 research collaborations and about 6,000 experts, technology programme provides the basis for international public and private research partnerships Industry engagement: Meeting with various industry groups on a regular basis, gain precious insights on how policies shape real-world investments and actions
Reports by IEA Global Energy & CO2 Status Report. World Energy Outlook. World Energy Statistics. World Energy Balances. Energy Technology Perspectives
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11. OIC
Context: Islamophobia is rising in India, says Organization of Islamic Cooperation
Concept: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is the second largest intergovernmental organization after the United Nations with a membership of 57 states spread over four continents. The Organization is the collective voice of the Muslim world. It endeavors to safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony among various people of the world. The Organization was established upon a decision of the historical summit which took place in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco on 25 September 1969 The first OIC Charter was adopted by the 3rd ICFM Session held in 1972. The Charter laid down the objectives and principles of the organization and fundamental purposes to strengthen the solidarity and cooperation among the Member States
Contemporary Developments: In 2019 for the first time, India was invited to an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting as guest of honour.
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12. WTO principle of non-discrimination:
Context: China has termed India's new foreign direct investment (FDI) as discriminatory as it violates WTO's principle of free trade and go against the general trend of liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment. India revised its FDI policy making it difficult for companies from countries sharing land border with India to invest in the country.
Concept: Non-discrimination is a key concept in WTO law and policy. There are two main principles of non-discrimination in WTO law: the most- favoured-nation (MFN) treatment obligation and the national treatment obligation. In simple terms, the MFN treatment obligation prohibits a country from discriminating between other countries. The national treatment obligation prohibits a country from discriminating against other countries.
Trade Related Investment Measures (TRIMs) The Agreement on TRIMs of the WTO is based on the belief that there is strong connection between trade and investment. Restrictive measures on investment are trade distorting. Several restrictive measures on investment are prohibiting trade and hence are not allowable. According to the TRIMs provision, countries should not adopt the investment measures which restrict and distort trade. TRIMs instruct that WTO members may not apply any measure that discriminates against foreign investment that violates basic WTO principles. WTO gives a list of prohibited investment measures or TRIMs like local content requirement, export obligation, technology transfer requirement etc. that violates trade. Few exemptions to developing countries are also provided under TRIMs.
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13. World Food Programme (WFP)
Context: The number of people facing acute food insecurity could nearly double this year to 265 million due to the economic fallout of COVID19, the United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) said
Concept: World Food Programme (WFP) established in 1961 is the leading humanitarian organization saving lives and changing lives, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. WFP’s efforts focus on emergency assistance, relief and rehabilitation, development aid and special operations. Two-thirds of our work is in conflict-affected countries where people are three times more likely to be undernourished than those living in countries without conflict. The World Food Programme (WFP) is governed by the WFP Executive Board, which consists of 36 Member States and provides intergovernmental support, direction and supervision of WFP’s activities. The organization is headed by an Executive Director, who is appointed jointly by the UN Secretary-General and the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The WFP operations are funded by voluntary donations from world governments, corporations and private donors.
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14. GAVI:
Gavi is an international organisation created in 2000 to improve access to new and underused vaccines for children living in the world's poorest countries. GAVI brings together developing country and donor governments, the World Health Organization,UNICEF, the World Bank the vaccine industry in both industrialised and developing countries, research and technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private philanthropists GAVI supports the following vaccine programs.
Vaccine Disease(s) Human Human Papillomavirus Papillomavirus vaccine
Polio vaccine Polio Japanese Japanese encephalitis Encephalitis vaccine
Meningococcal Neisseria meningitidis (Meningitis A vaccine vaccine)
Measles and rubella Measles / Measles vaccine, Rubella / vaccine Rubella vaccine
Pneumococcal Streptococcus pneumoniae vaccine
Typhoid vaccine Typhoid Cholera vaccine Cholera
Rotavirus vaccine Rotavirus
Yellow fever vaccine Yellow fever
Pentavalent vaccine Diphteria, tetanus, pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae / haemophilus P a g e | 296 OPTIMIZE IAS Daily Prelims Notes Compilation https://optimizeias.com/
influenza vaccine (haemophilus influenza Type B), Hepatitis B
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15. UNSC
Context: India is due for election to the temporary membership of the UN Security Council later this year, for the 2021-22 period.
Concept: The United Nations Charter established six main organs of the United Nations, including the Security Council. It gives primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security to the Security Council, which may meet whenever peace is threatened. Its powers include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization of military action through Security Council resolutions; it is the only UN body with the authority to issue binding resolutions to member states. Members: The Security Council consists of fifteen members. Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, and the United States—serve as the body’s five permanent members. These permanent members can veto any substantive Security Council resolution, including those on the admission of new member states or candidates for Secretary-General. The Security Council also has 10 non-permanent members, elected on a regional basis to serve two-year terms. The body’s presidency rotates monthly among its members
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Mapping Qom Batticaloa and Kandakadu Natuna island 1. Central African Republic Context: Foreigners targeted in Central African Republic as coronavirus fears grow. Peacekeeping and aid operations face disruption as outsiders are scapegoated in here. The Central African Republic (CAR) has been unstable since its independence from France in 1960. It is rich in diamonds, gold, oil and uranium but has one of the world's poorest populations. It was plunged into turmoil in 2013 when Muslim rebels from the Seleka umbrella group seized power in the majority Christian country. A band of mostly Christian militias, called the anti-balaka, rose up to counter the Seleka. Seleka handed power to a transitional government in 2014 under international pressure but months of violence followed and the country was effectively partitioned, in spite of the presence of a UN peacekeeping force and a French mission. The country is undergoing an internationally supervised transition involving a constitutional referendum as well as presidential and parliamentary elections.
2. Baddi Bodtiwala-Nalagarh (BBN)
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Context: More than three weeks into the lockdown, Himachal Pradesh’s Baddi, the country’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturing hub, is opening for business.
Concept: Close to 3,000 units located in this the zone, which was formed in 1984- 85 along NH 21A. The BBN area is home to a long list of industries, which speaks for the success of the state government’s industrial package — cement factories, textile units, stone crushers, aluminum smelters, lead-acid battery manufacturers, boiler producers, brick kilns, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics companies. According to the Himachal Drug Manufacturers’ Association (HDMA), there are around 750 pharmaceutical units in the state — nearly half of them are concentrated in the BBN belt — with an annual turnover of Rs 25,000-30,000 crore. But around 70 per cent of units in the area are MSMEs, according to the HDMA, and are mostly running at a production capacity of 15-25 per cent. Many of them — around 50-60 units — are currently manufacturing sanitizers, officials said.
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