Current Affairs (CONSOLIDaTION)

December 2020 (Part – II)

Drishti, 641, First Floor, Dr. Mukherjee Nagar, Delhi-110009 Phone: 87501 87501, WhatsApp: 92058 85200, IVR: 8010-440-440 Email: [email protected] Contents

Polity and Governance...... 5 z Scheme for Approval of Hygiene Rating Audit Agencies...... 5 z North Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project...... 6 z National Security Directive...... 7 z No Replies to SC or HCs: Maharashtra...... 8 z Human Development Index: UNDP...... 9 z Recommendations on Reservation...... 11 z SC Stays Andhra HC Order to Examine Constitutional Breakdown...... 12 z 12th GRIHA Summit...... 13 z Threats to Freedom of Press...... 14 z Mid-term Review of National Hydrology Project...... 15 z Strengthen Safeguards for Whistleblowers...... 16 z Early Health Warning System...... 17 z Social Entrepreneurship...... 18 z District Mineral Foundation Trust Funds...... 19 z Recognition of Prior Learning Programme...... 20 z Parliamentary Committee on Management of Covid-19...... 22 z Parliament Sessions...... 23 z Green National Highways Corridor Project...... 24 z Key Features of Green Highways Policy 2015...... 25 z Electoral Bonds and Right to Information...... 25 z Changes in PMS-SC...... 27 z Next Instalment of PM-KISAN...... 28 z Good Governance Day...... 28 z Main Bhi Digital Drive for Street Vendors...... 30 z PM WANI: India’s New Public Wi-Fi Project...... 31 z e-Sewa Kendra...... 33 z Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020...... 34 z Investment for Creating Gas Infrastructure...... 35 z Catch the Rain: National Water Mission...... 36 z Governor’s Role in Calling an Assembly Session...... 37 z Inner-Line Permit in Manipur...... 39 z Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY SEHAT: J&K...... 40 z ‘Adopt a Heritage: Apni Dharohar, Apni Pehchaan’ Project...... 41 z Assam’s Bill on Madrasa Conversion...... 42 z National Summit on Good, Replicable Practices & Innovations...... 42 z Digital India Awards 2020...... 44 z India’s First Fully Automated Metro...... 45 Economic Scenario...... 47 z US Puts India on Currency Watchlist...... 47 z RBI Working Paper on Asset Quality and Credit Channel...... 48 z Loan Pact with NDB...... 49 z Bitcoins...... 50 z Fraud Cases in Public Sector Banks...... 51 z India to Become Fifth Largest Economy in 2025...... 52 z PCA Ruling on Retrospective Taxation...... 53 z Digital Lending...... 54 z GST Revenue Gap: NIPFP...... 55 z National Institute for Public Finance and Policy...... 56 z New Rule in GST...... 56 z 100% FDI in DTH Services...... 57 z Special Zero Coupon Recapitalisation Bonds...... 58 z 100th Kisan Rail...... 60 z Dedicated Freight Corridor...... 60 International Relations...... 62 z CAATSA Sanctions on Turkey...... 62 z India-Bangladesh Virtual Summit...... 63 z India-Vietnam Virtual Summit...... 65 z Indian Diaspora in the United Kingdom...... 67 z Post-Brexit Trade Deal...... 69 z Mission Sagar-III...... 70 z India-Qatar...... 70 z India-Sri Lanka Joint Working Group on Fisheries...... 72 Social Issues...... 74 z India’s Stabilising Population: NFHS-5...... 74 z Data Related to Women: NFSH-5...... 75 z World Minorities Rights Day...... 76 z Data on Police Organisations: BPRD...... 77 Science and Technology...... 79 z Covid in Antarctica...... 79 z Aquifer Mapping and Management...... 80 z Digital Ocean...... 81 z BBX11 Gene: Greening of Plants...... 82 z ISRO’s Satellite Launch: CMS-01...... 83 z Mock Egg...... 84 z Data from Chandrayaan-2 Released: ISRO...... 85 z Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy...... 85 z Mutated Novel Coronavirus...... 86 z Mystery Illness of Eluru...... 87 z Nanotechnology and Health...... 88 z Intentional Genomic Alteration...... 89 z Indigenous Vaccine Pneumosil...... 90 z TiHAN-IIT: Testbed for Autonomous Navigation Systems...... 91 Environment and Ecology...... 94 z India Water Impact Summit 2020...... 94 z Problems of Punjab’s Monoculture...... 95 z NGT Panel for Protection of Mahanadi Floodplain...... 96 z Himalayan Serow...... 96 z Young Champions of the Earth: UN...... 98 z Takachar: Harvesting Value from Agricultural Waste...... 98 z E20 Fuel...... 99 z Monkey Rehabilitation Centre...... 100 z Biodiversity Management Committees...... 101 z Rise in Leopard Population...... 101 z Firefly for Great Indian Bustard...... 102 z Satkosia Tiger Reserve...... 103 z Kolar Leaf-nosed Bat...... 104 z Yamuna’s High Ammonia Level...... 105 z Ladakh’s Tso Kar Wetland Complex: Ramsar Site...... 106 z Protests Against Eco-sensitive Zones in Narmada District...... 107 History...... 110 z Madan Mohan Malaviya Jayanti...... 110 Geography...... 112 z Chillai Kalan...... 112 z Winter Solstice...... 112 z Iceberg A68a...... 113 Art & Culture...... 115 z Indegenous Games & Khelo India...... 115 z UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity...... 116 z Eminent Dance Scholar Sunil Kothari Passes Away...... 117 Security...... 119 z India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol...... 119 z Systems Handed Over to Defence Services...... 119 z Army Variant of MRSAM...... 120 z Coastal Radar Chain Network...... 121 z Kamov-226T: Utility Helicopters...... 122 Miscellaneous...... 124 z Vijay Diwas: 50 Years of Indo-Pak War...... 124 z Goa Liberation Day...... 124 z Digital India Awards 2020...... 125 z Legion of Merit: USA...... 126 z Srinivasa Ramanujan...... 127 www.drishtiIAS.com CURRENT AFFAIRS DECEMBER 2020 5 Polity and Governance

Highlights z Scheme for Approval of Hygiene Rating Audit Agencies z Electoral Bonds and Right to Information z North Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project z Changes in PMS-SC z National Security Directive z Next Instalment of PM-KISAN z No Replies to SC or HCs: Maharashtra z Good Governance Day z Human Development Index: UNDP z Main Bhi Digital Drive for Street Vendors z Recommendations on Reservation z PM WANI: India’s New Public Wi-Fi Project z SC Stays Andhra HC Order to Examine Constitutional Breakdown z e-Sewa Kendra z 12th GRIHA Summit z Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020 z Threats to Freedom of Press z Investment for Creating Gas Infrastructure z Mid-term Review of National Hydrology Project z Catch the Rain: National Water Mission z Strengthen Safeguards for Whistleblowers z Governor’s Role in Calling an Assembly Session z Early Health Warning System z Inner-Line Permit in Manipur z Social Entrepreneurship z z District Mineral Foundation Trust Funds Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY SEHAT: J&K z Recognition of Prior Learning Programme z ‘Adopt a Heritage: Apni Dharohar, Apni Pehchaan’ Project z Parliamentary Committee on Management of Covid-19 z Assam’s Bill on Madrasa Conversion z Parliament Sessions z National Summit on Good, Replicable Practices & Innovations z Green National Highways Corridor Project z Digital India Awards 2020 z Key Features of Green Highways Policy 2015 z India’s First Fully Automated Metro

¾ Scheme for Approval of Food Hygiene Rating Scheme: € Initiated by the FSSAI, it is a certification system Hygiene Rating Audit for food businesses supplying food directly to Agencies consumers, either on or off-premise. € It aims to allow consumers to make informed Why in News choices/decisions pertaining to the food outlets Recently, the Quality Council of India (QCI) has come where they eat by encouraging food businesses out with a scheme for approval of Hygiene Rating Audit to improve their hygiene and safety standards. Agencies (HRAA). This move is a part of the Food Safety € It is applicable for foodservice establishments and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) Food Hygiene (such as hotels, restaurants, cafeteria, dhabhas, Rating Scheme. etc), sweet shops, bakeries, meat retail stores, etc. Key Points Quality Council of India ¾ Scheme for Approval of Hygiene Rating Audit ¾ Set up in 1997, QCI is a pioneering experiment of Agencies: the Government of India in setting up organizations € It will scale up the hygiene rating by increasing in partnership with the Indian industry. the number of recognised HRAA in the country. € Indian industry is represented in QCI by three € The recognised HRAA will be responsible for premier industry associations namelyAssociated verifying the compliance with food hygiene and Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India safety procedures laid by FSSAI and get hygiene (ASSOCHAM), Confederation of Indian Industry rating. (CII) and FICCI.

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¾ Its mandate is to establish and operate the National z POWERGRID is a ‘Maharatna’ Company Accreditation Structure (NAS) for conformity operating under Ministry of Power, it is assessment bodies and providing accreditation in engaged in power transmission business with the field of health, education and quality promotion. the responsibility for planning, implementation, operation and maintenance of Inter-State ¾ It also promotes the adoption of quality standards Transmission System (ISTS). relating to Quality Management Systems, Food Safety Management Systems and Product Certification € Maintenance: and Inspection Bodies through the accreditation z After commissioning, the project will be owned services provided by National Accreditation Board and maintained by the respective North for Certification Bodies (NABCB). Eastern State Utilities. € Objective: z Government’s commitment for the total North Eastern Region Power economic development of the North Eastern System Improvement Project Region and to strengthen the Intra-State Transmission & Distribution Infrastructure in Why in News the North East Region. € Significance: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has z Implementation of this scheme will approved the Revised Cost Estimate (RCE) of` 6,700 crore create a reliable power grid and improve NER States’ for the North Eastern Region Power System Improvement connectivity to the upcoming load centers, Project (NERPSIP). and thus extend the benefits of the grid ¾ This is a major step towards economic development connected power to all categories of consumers of the North Eastern Region through strengthening of beneficiaries in the NER. of Intra - State Transmission and Distribution systems. z The scheme shall also increase the per capita power consumption of these States, and shall Key Points contribute to the total economic development ¾ North Eastern Region Power System Improvement of the NER. Project: z Hiring local manpower is generating a lot of € Background: employment for skilled and unskilled z The Scheme was initially approved in December manpower of NER. 2014 as a Central Sector Scheme of the ¾ Other Initiatives for North Eastern States: Ministry of Power. € North-East Industrial Development Scheme € Funded By: (NEIDS): z The assistance of the World Bank fund and by z In order to promote employment in the North the Government of India through the Budget East States, the Government is incentivizing support of the Ministry of Power on 50:50 basis primarily the MSME Sector through this scheme. except for the capacity building component € International Tourism Mart (ITM): for `89 crore, which will be entirely funded z It is organized annually with the objective of by the Government of India . showcasing the largely untapped tourism in the € Implemented By: potential of the North East region domestic and international markets. z The scheme is being implemented through z 10% of the plan allocation of the Ministry of Power Grid Corporation of India Limited Tourism is marked for the NorthEast region. (POWERGRID) in association with six beneficiary North Eastern States namely, z There are also plans to hold an NER Tourism Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Mart where tour operators from all over the Nagaland, and Tripura and is targeted to be country can meet and the regional tourism can commissioned by December 2021. be showcased.

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€ National Bamboo Mission: z The government barred BSNL and MTNL from z The Mission envisages promoting holistic using Chinese equipment for the roll-out of its growth of the bamboo sector by adopting the 4G network. area-based, regionally differentiated strategy. z The Department of Telecommunications It aims to increase the area under bamboo hinted that it would announce guidelines cultivation and marketing. asking even private telcos to refrain from using Chinese equipment, however, no such National Security Directive guidelines have been issued till now. ¾ National Security Directive: Why in News € It aims to classify telecom products and their Recently, the Cabinet Committee on Security has sources under the ‘trusted’ and ‘non-trusted’ approved the setting up of a new National Security categories. Directive on the telecommunicationsector. € It will make its decision based on approval of the ¾ Also, the Union Cabinet has approved the auction National Security Committee on Telecom. of 2,251.25 megahertz of spectrum with a reserve z It will be headed by the deputy National price of `3.92 lakh crore. Security Advisor (NSA) and have members from other departments and ministries, and Key Points independent experts as well as two members ¾ Background: from the industry. € The Centre asked all telecom operators to € The National Cyber Security Coordinator is the undertake an ‘information security audit’ of their designated authority and will devise the networks. methodology to designate trusted products. € The objective was to specifically check for any € From among the sources declared as trusted ‘backdoor’ or ‘trapdoor’ vulnerabilities in the sources by the designated authority, those which telecom networks, which can be exploited to meet the criteria of the Department of Telecom’s extract information and pass on illegally to preferential market access policy will be certified agencies around the world. as India trusted sources. z A backdoor or a trap door is a bug installed in z The policy provides opportunities to local the telecom hardware that allows companies manufacturers of equipment and handsets in to listen in or collect data being shared on the the “sensitive” telecom sector to counter network. dumping of products by other countries. € Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE have been under € Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) are required to global scrutiny for allegedly installing backdoor connect new devices which are designated and for the Chinese vulnerabilities spying trusted products. government and have been banned by several € However, the directive will not ask TSPs to countries. mandatorily replace the old and existing z Almost 30% of Bharti Airtel’s network equipment and does not impact the ongoing comprises Chinese telecom equipment and it annual maintenance contracts or upgrades to old is 40% for Vodafone Idea’s network. State-run equipment either. telcos Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited ¾ Significance: (MTNL) too have equipment from Chinese € Apart from the directive, the government will vendors, including Huawei and ZTE, in their 3G release at regular intervals new guidelines for and older networks. effective monitoring and effective control of the € All vendors including Huawei and ZTE were allowed network security of the TSPs. to participate in 5G trials but their participation € The move could potentially make it more difficult became difficult owing to developments like the for Chinese telecom equipment vendors to supply Galwan Valley Standoff in Ladakh. equipment to Indian telecom players.

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€ Mobile applications that either have Chinese using “derogatory language” and “making origins or have central servers in China may also baseless remarks” against the Chief Minister of find re-entry in the market extremely difficult. the State and “frequently insulting” Ministers and z Since June 2020, the Centre has banned over MPs during TV debates. 200 Chinese apps, citing national security € The anchor filed a petition challenging the Breach concerns. of Privilege Motion in the SC. € The Telecom Spectrum Auction assistant secretary of the Assembly questioned this move as well as producing ¾ Spectrum in the frequency bands of 700MHz, “confidential” communications from the Speaker 800MHz, 900MHz, 1,800MHz, 2,100MHz, 2,300MHz and the House Privileges Committee. and 2,500MHz would be offered for 20 years. € The SC then issued a contempt notice to the ¾ The auction would helpboost spectrum availability assistant secretary of the Assembly and also held with telecom operators enabling improvements in that it might be “necessary in all probability to 4G services. serve the Speaker” to know his version in matter. ¾ By winning the right to use spectrum through the auction, incumbent telecom service providers will be Privilege Motion able to augment their network capacity, whereas ¾ It is concerned with the breach of parliamentary new players will be able to start services. privileges by a minister. € Spectrum holding per operator in a service area ¾ Breach of Privileges: in India is well below the international average € Parliamentary Privileges are certain rights and so any further auctioning of spectrum is needed. immunities enjoyed by members of Parliament, ¾ Spectrum Auction: individually and collectively, so that they can € It is a transparent process of spectrum assignment “effectively discharge their functions”. to successful bidders. € When any of these rights and immunities are z Sufficient spectrum availability increases the disregarded, the offence is called a breach of quality of telecom services for the consumers. privilege and is punishable under law of € It is relevant that the telecom sector today is a key Parliament. infrastructure provider with strong linkages with € A notice is moved in the form of a motion by economic growth, direct and indirect employment any member of either House against those being generation and expansion of Digital India. held guilty of breach of privilege. ¾ Role of the Speaker/Chair: No Replies to SC € The Speaker/Chair is the first level of scrutiny or HCs: Maharashtra of a privilege motion. € The Speaker/Chair can decide on the privilege motion himself or herself or refer it to the Why in News privileges committee of Parliament. If the Speaker/ Recently, both Houses of the Maharashtra State Chair gives consent under relevant rules, the Legislature have passed proposals stating that theywill member concerned is given an opportunity to not take cognizance of or reply to any notice sent by make a short statement. the High Court (HC) or the Supreme Court (SC) in the ¾ Rules Governing Privilege: Breach of Privilege Motion against a TV editor and anchor. € Rule 222 in Chapter 20 of the Lok Sabha Rule Book and correspondingly Rule 187 in Chapter Key Points 16 of the Rajya Sabha Rule Book governs privilege. ¾ Background: € Rules say that a member may, with the consent of the Speaker or the Chairperson, raise a question € A Breach of Privilege Motion was moved in the State Assembly against the TV anchor, accused of involving a breach of privilege either of a member or of the House or a committee thereof.

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¾ Current Scenario and State Assembly’s Stand: ¾ The other indices that form the part of the Report € The House Speaker initiated the motion of the are: Treasury benches and cited Article 194 of the € Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index Constitution, which lays down the powers and (IHDI), privileges of the Houses of Legislatures, and € Gender Development Index (GDI), Article 212, which pertains to courts not inquiring € Gender Inequality Index (GII) and into proceedings of the legislature. € Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI). € The proposals held that replying to such notices Key Points could mean accepting that the judiciary can keep ¾ Human Development Index: a check on the legislature and would be inconsistent with the Basic Structure of the € About: HDI emphasizes that people and their Constitution. capabilities should be the ultimate criteria for assessing the development of a country, not € The proposals were , which passed unanimously economic growth alone. stated that the Speaker and Deputy Speaker would € Based on three Basic Dimensions of Human not respond to any notice or summons issued by Development: the SC. z A long and healthy life, € The Legislative Council also passed the proposal z Access to knowledge, and unanimously and stated that no cognizance will be taken of any notice or summons issued by the z A decent standard of living. HC or SC. € Top Performers for 2019: ¾ Reactions: z Norway topped the index, followed by Ireland and Switzerland. Hong Kong and Iceland € Politicians have noted that the notice was in complete the top five. exception to the language used in the letter and has not encroached in any way on the rights of € Performance of the Asian Region: the legislature to legislate. If the legislature passes z Singapore was ranked 11, Saudi Arabia 40, and such a motion, it will set a wrong precedent. Malaysia was at 62 in the global index, representing thetop bracket among the Asian € Parliamentary Affairs Minister has held that the countries with “very high human development”. proposal was limited to upholding the esteem of the Speaker’s chair and ensuring that the z Sri Lanka (72), Thailand (79), China (85) and Indonesia and Philippines (both 107), and presiding authority is safeguarded from judicial Vietnam (117), among others, were “high scrutiny in matters of legislation. human development” countries. z India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Human Development Cambodia, Kenya and Pakistan were ranked among countries with “medium human Index: UNDP development” with ranks between 120 and 156. € India’s Performance: Why in News z Overall Performance: HDI value for 2019 is India ranked 131 among 189 countries on the Human 0.645, which puts the country in the medium Development Index (HDI) for 2019, slipping two places human development category, positioning it from the previous year, according to the Human at 131 out of 189 countries and territories. Development Report (HDR) 2020 released by the United z Between 1990 and 2019, India’s HDI value Nations Development Program (UNDP). increased from 0.429 to 0.645, an increase ¾ The 2020 Report has introduced planetary pressures- of 50.3%. adjusted Human Development Index, which adjusts z Long and Healthy Life: Life expectancy for the standard Human Development Index (HDI) by a Indian’s at birth was 69.7 years in 2019, slightly country’s per capita carbon dioxide emissions and lower than the south Asian average of 69.9 material footprint. years.

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z Between 1990 and 2019, India’s life z In 2019, India ranked fifth for installed expectancy at birth increased by 11.8 solar capacity. years. z The National Solar Mission aims to promote z Access to Knowledge: The expected years of solar energy for power generation and schooling in India was 12.2 years, compared other uses to make solar energy competitive with 11.2 years in Bangladesh and 8.3 years in with fossil fuel-based options. Pakistan. Other Indices z Between 1990 and 2019, mean years of schooling increased by 3.5 years, and ¾ Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index: expected years of schooling increased by € The IHDI indicates percentage loss in HDI due to 4.5 years. inequality. z A Decent Standard of Living: In terms of Gross € For India, IHDI value for 2019 is 0.537 (16.8% National Income (GNI) per capita, India at USD overall loss). 6,681 fared better than some others in 2019, ¾ Gender Development Index: despite a fall over the previous year. € GDI measures disparities on the HDI by gender. z India’s GNI per capita increased by about € For India, GDI value for 2019 is 0.820 (World: 273.9% between 1990 and 2019. 0.943). ¾ Planetary pressures-adjusted Human Development ¾ Gender Inequality Index: Index (PHDI): € GII presents a composite measure of gender € About: The PHDI adjusts the standard HDI by a inequality using three dimensions: country’s level of carbon dioxide emissions and z Reproductive health, material footprint, each on a per capita basis. z Empowerment and € Performance of the Countries: z The labour market. z Norway, which tops the HDI, falls 15 places if € In GII, India is at 123rd rank. Last year, it was ranked this metric is used, leaving Ireland at the top 122nd out of 162 countries. of the table. ¾ Multidimensional Poverty Index: z The United States (HDI Rank -17) and Canada € MPI captures the multiple deprivations that (HDI Rank -16) would fall 45 and 40 places people in developing countries face in their respectively,reflecting their disproportionate health, education and standard of living. impact on natural resources. € The most recent survey data publicly available for z The oil and gas-rich Gulf States also fell India’s MPI estimation refer to 2015-2016. In India, steeply. China would drop 16 places from its 27.9% of the population (3,77,492 thousand current ranking of 85. people) are multidimensionally poor, while an additional 19.3% are classified undervulnerable € India’s Performance: to multidimensional poverty(2,60,596 thousand z India would move up eight places in the people). ranking. z Under the Paris Agreement, India pledged to Other Findings reduce the emission intensity of its GDP from ¾ Major Challenges: the 2005 level by 33-35% by 2030 and to obtain € While the devastating effects of Covid-19 have 40% of electric power capacity from non-fossil taken the world’s attention, other layered crises, fuel sources by 2030. from climate change to rising inequalities, z Solar capacity in India increased from 2.6 continue to take their toll. The challenges of gigawatts in March 2014 to 30 gigawatts in planetary and societal imbalance are intertwined: July 2019, achieving its target of 20 they interact in a vicious circle, each making the gigawatts four years ahead of schedule. other worse.

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¾ Challenges Related to Children: ¾ Recommendations: € Indigenous children in Cambodia, India and € Being established and recognised as institutions Thailand show more malnutrition-related issues of national importance, IITs should be added to such as stunting and wasting. the list of “Institutions of Excellence” mentioned € In India, different responses in parent behaviour in the Schedule to the Central Educational as well as some disinvestment in girls’ health and Institutions (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Act, education have led tohigher malnutrition among 2019 (CEI Act). girls than among boys as a consequence of shocks z Section 4 of the Act exempts “institutions of likely linked to climate change. excellence, research institutions, institutions ¾ Displacements in 2020: of national and strategic importance” € Disasters continued to trigger most new mentioned in the Schedule and “minority displacements in 2020. Cyclone Amphan hit institutions” from providing reservation. Bangladesh and India, driving the largest single z Currently, many research institutes like theTata displacement event in the first half of the year, , triggering 3.3 million pre-emptive evacuations. Institute of Fundamental Research National Brain Research Centre, Space Physics ¾ Solutions: Laboratory, etc. are included under Section 4 € - more education Expanding human development of the act, but not the IITs. of women and girls, more economic empowerment of women, more bargaining power of young girls Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in in households, reduced poverty, etc. Teachers’ Cadre) Act, 2019 € Evidence from Colombia to India indicates that ¾ It provides for the reservation of posts in appointments financial security and ownership of land improve by direct recruitment of persons belonging to the women’s security and reduce the risk of gender- Scheduled Castes (SCs), the Scheduled Tribes (STs), based violence, clearly indicating that owning the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes land can empower women. (SEBCs) and the Economically Weaker Sections (EWSs), to teachers’ cadre in certain Central Educational Institutionsestablished, maintained or aided by the Recommendations Central Government, and for matters connected on Reservation therewith or incidental thereto. ¾ The Act not to apply in certain cases: Why in News € The institutions of excellence, research institutions, Recently, an eight-member committee, appointed institutions of national and strategic importance by the government for suggesting measures for effective specified in the Schedule to this Act. implementation of reservation in students admissions € A Minority Educational Institution. and faculty recruitment in the Indian Institutes of ¾ However the Central Government may, by Technology (IITs), has come out with its recommendations. notification in the Official Gazette, amend the Schedule from time to time. Key Points € If granting full exemption from reservations was ¾ About the Committee: not possible, the committee recommended that € It was chaired by IIT Delhi’s Director and had the implementation of reservation policies for all representatives of secretaries of the departments categories including Economically Weaker of , Social Justice and Empowerment Tribal Sections (EWS) be restricted just to Assistant Affairs, Department of Personnel and Training, Professor Grade I and Grade II and not for levels Persons with Disabilities, among others. above. € Its report was submitted to the Ministry of € Vacancies not filled in a particular year due to Education in June 2020 and has been made available under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, non-availability, be de-reserved in the subsequent 2005. year.

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€ Conduct of special recruitment drives to attract z This writ is a bulwark of individual liberty candidates from reserved categories. against arbitrary detention and can be issued € To address diversity issues, the report argued that against both public authorities as well as a “system emphasising targeted goals over a private individuals. period of time” and not “specific quotas” be President’s Rule followed so that IITs can “compete with other top ¾ It implies the suspension of a state government institutions in the world in terms of excellence, and the imposition of direct rule of the Centre. It is output, research and teaching.” also known as ‘State Emergency’ or ‘Constitutional € The panel proposes a two-year Research Emergency’. Assistantship for students from reserved ¾ categories aspiring to join PhD programmes. The SC in Bommai case 1994 enlisted the situations where the exercise of power under Article 356 z It highlighted that the enrollment of reserved could be used. category students in the PhD programme is low and needs to be addressed, which is € One such situation is that of Hung‘ Assembly’, severely limiting the number of reserved i.e. where after general elections to the category candidates available to be hired as assembly, no party secures a majority. faculty in the IIT system. ¾ The President’s rule is imposed through the invocation of Article 356 of the Constitution by SC Stays Andhra HC Order the President on the advice of the Union Council (executive). to Examine Constitutional of Ministers € If the President, upon receipt of the report Breakdown from the Governor of the State or otherwise, is satisfied that a situation has arisen in which Why in News the government of the State cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) has stayed in Constitution. Andhra Pradesh High Court (HC) order intending to embark on a judicial enquiry into whether there is a ¾ Parliamentary Approval and Duration: constitutional breakdown in the State machinery, € A proclamation imposing President’s Rulemust requiring a declaration ofPresident’s rule (Article 356). be approved by both the Houses of Parliament ¾ A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India within two months from the date of its issue. S A Bobde found the order disturbing and will take € The approval takes place through simple up the matter later on after vacations. majority in either House, that is, a majority of the members of the House present and voting. Key Points € Initially valid for six months, the President’s ¾ Andhra Pradesh High Court’s Move: Rule can be extended for a maximum period of € While hearing a clutch of habeas corpus petitions three years with the approval of the Parliament, in October 2020, it suo motu summoned the State every six months. counsel to assist it in deciding “whether in ¾ State Government’s Appeal: circumstances prevailing in the State, the court can record a finding that there is constitutional € The HC framed the question in an unprecedented breakdown or not”. manner and without any basis or pleadings by z Habeas Corpus is a Latin term which literally any of the parties to that effect. means ‘to have the body of’. Under this the € It highlighted that Article 356, which deals with court issues an order to a person who has failure of Constitutional machinery in a State, is detained another person, to produce the body a power exclusively vested in the executive and of the latter before it. not the judiciary.

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€ Under the Constitutional framework, it isnot for z GRIHA is recognised as India’s own green the Courts to decide as to whether there is a building rating system in India’s Intended Constitutional breakdown in a State as they do Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) not have any judicially discoverable and submitted to the United Nations Framework manageable standards to determine so. Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) € The said fact is essentially an executive function € Created By: It was conceived by The Energy and and is necessarily required to be based on a Resources Institute (TERI) and developed jointly detailed factual analysis. with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. € The HC order is a serious encroachment on the The Energy and Resources Institute powers of the executive as enumerated under ¾ The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)is a non- the Constitution and is violative of the doctrine profit research institute which conducts research work of separation of powers and thus, violative of the in the fields of energy, environment and sustainable basic structure of the Constitution. development for India and the global south. z Separation of powers is the division of the ¾ It was established in 1974 as Tata Energy Research legislative, executive, and judicial functions of Institute and renamed to The Energy Resources government. Institute in 2003. z Since the sanction of all three branches is required for the making, executing, and € Objective: To help design green buildings and, in turn,help evaluate the of the buildings. administering of laws, it minimises the ‘greenness’ possibility of arbitrary excesses by the € Mechanism: government. z The system has been developed to help ‘design z The constitutional demarcationprecludes the and evaluate’ new buildings (buildings that are concentration of excessive power by any still at the inception stages). A building is branch of the government. assessed based on its predicted performance over its entire life cycle. 12th GRIHA Summit z Parameters used: z Site selection and planning Why in News z Conservation and efficient utilization of resources Recently, the inaugural session of the 12th Green z Building operation and maintenance Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) Summit was organised virtually. z Innovation points € Benefits: Key Points z This system, along with the activities and ¾ 12th GRIHA Summit: processes that lead up to it, benefits the € Theme: Rejuvenating Resilient Habitats. community with the improvement in the environment by reducing GHG (greenhouse € Purpose: To serve as a platform to deliberate on gas) emissions, reducing energy consumption innovative technologies and solutions which shall and the stress on natural resources. help in creating robust mechanisms for developing sustainable and resilient solutions for the benefit ¾ Other Related Initiatives: of the entire community. € Global Housing Technology Challenge (GHTC) € Launch Event: The Vice President of India z Organised by: The Ministry of Housing and launched the SHASHWAT magazine and the book Urban Affairs. ‘30 Stories Beyond Buildings’ during the event. z Launched: January 2019 ¾ Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment z Aim: To identify and mainstream best available (GRIHA): and proven construction technologies that are € It is the national rating system of India for any sustainable, green and disaster-resilient to completed building construction. enable a paradigm shift in housing construction.

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€ Affordable Sustainable Housing Accelerators political life, making informed decisions and (ASHA) strengthening society as a result — especially in z Under this initiative five Incubation Centers a large democracy such as India. have been set up for identifying innovative € A free exchange of ideas, free exchange of materials, processes and technology for information and knowledge, debating and resource-efficient, resilient and sustainable expression of different viewpoints is important construction. for smooth functioning of democracy. € Smart Cities Mission: z As the free media by virtue of being the voice z It is an innovative initiative under the Ministry of masses, empowers them with the right to of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of express opinions.Thus, free media is critical in India to drive economic growth and improve a democracy. the quality of life of people by enabling local € With Free Media, people will be able to exercise development and harnessing technology as a their rights as questioning decisions of means to create smart outcomes for citizens. government. Such an environment can be created z It is working towards integrated and only when freedom of press is achieved. comprehensive development of cities € Hence, Media can be rightly considered as the fourth pillar of democracy, the other three being Threats to Freedom of Press legislature, executive and judiciary. ¾ Threats to Freedom of Press: Why in News € The hostility towards the media which is openly According to a report by the Committee to Protect encouraged by political leaders poses a great Journalists (CPJ), a record number of journalists were threat to democracy. imprisoned during 2020. € Government’s pressure in the name of regulations, ¾ The Committee to Protect Journalists is an bombardment of fake news and over influence independent, nonprofitorganization thatpromotes of social media is dangerous for the occupation. press freedom worldwide. Corruption-paid news, advertorials and fake ¾ It defends the right of journalists to report the news news are threats to free and unbiased media. safely and without fear of reprisal. € Security of journalists is the biggest issue, killings Key Points and assaults on the Journalists covering sensitive issues are very common. ¾ Highlights of the Report: € Hate speech targeting journalists shared and € The overall number of jailed journalists in 2020 is amplified on social networks are targeted against at record high of 272. journalists using social media. € Turkey remains the world’s worst offender against € Corporate and political power has overwhelmed press freedom with at least 68 journalists large sections of the media, both print and visual, imprisoned for anti-state charges. At least 25 which lead to vested interests and destroy freedom. journalists are in prison in Egypt. ¾ Press Freedom in India: € There are dozens of reporters missing or kidnapped in the Middle East and North Africa, € In 1950, the Supreme Court in Romesh Thappar including several held by Houthi rebels in Yemen. v. State of Madras observed that freedom of the € Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, authoritarian press lay at the foundation of all democratic leaders tried to control reporting by arresting organisations. journalists. € The Constitution, the supreme law of the land, ¾ Importance of Free Media: guarantees freedom of speech and expression € Free Media promotes open discussion of ideas under Article 19, which deals with ‘Protection of that allows individuals to fully participate in certain rights regarding freedom of speech, etc.

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€ Freedom of press is not expressly protected by € It is an initiative of the Ministry of Jal Shaktiand Indian legal system but it is impliedly protected is supported by the World Bank. under article 19(1) (a) of the constitution, which € It has a budget outlay of `3680 crore to be spent states - “All citizens shall have the right to freedom over a period of 8 years. of speech and expression”. € Aim: € However, Freedom of press is also not absolute. z To improve the extent, reliability and A law could impose only those restrictions on the accessibility of water resources information. exercise of this right, it faces certain restrictions z To strengthen the capacity of targeted water under article 19(2), which is as follows- resource management institutions in India. z Matters related to interests of the sovereignty z To facilitate acquisition of reliable information and integrity of India, the security of the State, efficiently which would pave the way for an friendly relations with foreign States, public effective water resource development and order, decency or morality or in relation to management. contempt of court, defamation or incitement € Project Beneficiaries: to an offence. z Central and state implementing agencies € Press Council of India (PCI): responsible for surface and/or groundwater z It is a regulatory body established under the planning and management, including river Press Council of India Act of 1978. basin organizations. z It aims to preserve the freedom of the press z Users of the Water Resources Information and maintain and improve the standards of System (WRIS) across various sectors and newspapers and news agencies in India. around the World. ¾ International Initiative for Freedom of Press: ¾ Project Components: € The Paris based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) € Water Resource Monitoring System: WRMS publishes annually a World Press Freedom Index focuses on improving the extent, timeliness and (WPFI) purporting to evaluate the level of reliability of water resources data. freedom available to the media in 180 countries, z Establishment of Hydromet Observation which makes the governments and authorities Networks. aware of their policies and regulations against and z Establishment of Supervisory Control And Data for freedom of press. Acquisition (SCADA) Systems for Water z India has dropped to two places on the World Infrastructure. Press Freedom Index, 2020 to be ranked 142nd z Establishment of Hydro-Informatics Centers. out of 180 countries. € Water Resources Information System: WRIS supports strengthening of national and sub- Mid-term Review of national water information centers with web- enabled WRIS through standardization of National Hydrology Project databases and products from various data sources/departments. Why in News z Strengthening of WRIS. z Establishing state WRIS. Recently, the Union Minister of Jal Shakti has reviewed the progress made under the National € Water Resources Operation and Planning System: Hydrology Project (NHP) in its mid-term. WROPS supports the development of interactive analytical tools and decision support platforms Key Points that would integrate database, models and scenario manager for hydrological flood ¾ National Hydrology Project: forecasting, integrated reservoir operations and € It was started in 2016 as a Central Sector Scheme water resources accounting for improved with 100% grant to implementing agencies on operation, planning and management of both pan India basis. surface and groundwater.

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z Development of Analytical Tools and Decision z Simultaneously, there is a need to further Support Systems. improve the water resources dissemination z Purpose Driven Studies. platform India-WRIS to take care of the requirements and aspirations of various z Piloting Innovative Knowledge Products. stakeholders like Central Water Commission € Water Resources Institutions Capacity (CWC), Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), Enhancement: WRICE aims to build capacity for National Water Development Agency (NWDA), knowledge-based water resources management. National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), etc. z Water Resource Knowledge Centres. z Professional Development. Strengthen Safeguards z Project Management. for Whistleblowers z Operational Support. ¾ Mid-term Review: Why in News € The NHP has been termed as a project of National Recently, experts have highlighted the need to importance since it establishes a nationwide strengthen safeguards for corporate whistleblowers ‘Nodal’ ‘one point’ platform for all states to and extend the requirement of a vigil mechanism to collaborate and share data pertaining to water large private companies in India. resources. € Significant progress has been made in the fields Key Points of WRMS, WRIS, WROPS and WRICE. ¾ Background: € Under the NHP, a nationwide repository of water € The Delhi High Court (HC) is currently hearing a resources data, National Water Informatics writ petition, which has challenged the Centre (NWIC) has been established. constitutional validity of the existing provisions of the Companies Act 2013. € NHP is focusing on establishment of Real Time Data Acquisition System (RTDAS) on pan India € Current provisions only require listed companies to address whistleblower basis, which would complement the manual data to have a vigil mechanism complaints. acquisition stations and would lay a strong foundation for informed decision making for z These companies are those which accept public better water resources management. deposits and companies that have loans from banks or public financial institutions of over € Through the NHP, the management of water `50 crore. resources shall witness a sea change since it will ¾ Concerns Highlighted: adopt an integrated approach and make use of cutting edge technology. € Absence of any specific guidelines on the functioning of a vigil mechanism has led to € Concerns: companies not ensuring that whistleblower z Collecting data from scattered agencies posed complaints are addressed in a timely manner. a major bottleneck in effective water resource € Companies were able to retaliate against management and also a stumbling block in employees raising whistleblower complaints and important policy level decision making. even terminated their employment as any civil z The lackadaisical approach and lack of interest suit for such actions could be too expensive and shown by previous Governments has resulted time-consuming. in unavailability of reliable historic data. z Parties filing civil suits are required tofirst pay € Suggestions: court fees, typically amounting to around 1% z Authorities should be directed to share the of damages claimed. valuable works carried out under NHP in public ¾ Suggestions: domain and encourage academia, universities/ € Private sector companies above a certain research institutes globally to contribute threshold of turnover or employees should set towards this initiative. up a vigil mechanism.

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€ Large private sector companies, including subsidiaries of large multinational corporations, Early Health Warning System should be regulated differently from small private sector companies and should be required to have Why in News vigil mechanisms. The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) is developing € The law should require a permanent internal an unique Early Health Warning System which is committee and specify directions on the expected to forecast the possibility of disease outbreaks functioning of the committee. in the country. z For that, the government should consider ¾ The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is also issuing guiding principles on such as internal involved in the development studies and the process. reporting to and review by the audit committee, timelines for addressing grievances and Key Points consideration by the board on nature and ¾ About: number of open matters and outcomes of € resolved matters, etc. The model being developed is based on the relationship between weather changes and z However, regulating the functioning of vigil incidence. mechanisms pose a risk of over-regulation and € There are certain diseases where weather micro-management. patterns play a crucial role. € The mechanism should provide for “adequate z Such as malaria, for which particular safeguards against victimisation of persons who temperatures and rainfall patterns can use such mechanisms and make provision for approximately predict whether an area is likely direct access to the chairperson of the audit to have an outbreak with fairly reasonable committee in appropriate or exceptional cases. accuracy € There was a need for a deterrent against frivolous complaints. Early Health Warning System ¾ According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Whistleblowing early warning systems are timely surveillance ¾ According to the Companies Act, whistleblowing systems that collect information on epidemic-prone is an action aimed at drawing the attention of diseases in order to trigger prompt public health stakeholders to instances of unethical practices interventions. in an organization. ¾ However, these systems rarely apply statistical ¾ A whistleblower can be anyone who chooses to methods to detect changes in trends, or sentinel expose wrong practices and has evidence to support events that would require intervention. the allegations. ¾ In most cases they rely on an in-depth review done ¾ They can be either from within or outside the by epidemiologists of the data coming in, which is organization, such as current and former employees, rarely done in a systematic way. shareholders, external auditors, and lawyers. € Epidemiology is the study of the distribution ¾ In India, whistleblowers are protected by the and determinants of health-related states and Whistleblowers Protection Act, 2014. events in specified populations. € It provides for the protection of their identity ¾ Significance: and also has strict norms to prevent their € It is expected to predict outbreaks of vector- victimization. borne diseases, particularly malaria and . Subsequently, it is likely to ¾ In January 2020, the Securities and Exchange Board diarrhoea monitor non-communicable diseases (NCDs) as well. of India (SEBI) came out with a new mechanism to reward whistleblowers and other informants for z Vectors are organisms that transmit pathogens sharing information about insider trading cases. and parasites from one infected person (or animal) to another, causing serious diseases in

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human populations. For example,Chikungunya , ¾ The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) works to Malaria, Dengue, Yellow fever, Lymphatic create and sustain an environment conducive to the filariasis, Chagas disease, etc. development of India, partnering industry, z Vector-borne diseases have direct links to Government and civil society, through advisory and weather patterns. consultative processes. It is anon-government, not- for-profit, industry-led and industry-managed z NCDs are affected by weather conditions. For organization. example, cardiovascular problems and respiratory diseases are associated with rising Key Points heat waves and environmental pollution. ¾ Social Entrepreneurship (Meaning): z Such a system, when deployed, would give local authorities ample time to prepare. € It is a construct that blends the idea of a ¾ Analysis and Studies: commercial enterprise with the tenets of a charitable nonprofit organization. € To verify the robustness of the advance warning € It is about revolving system, a detailed analysis was carried out of creating business models around low-cost products and services to malaria and diarrhoea cases in two districts of resolve Maharashtra, Pune and Nagpur. social inequities. € It helps to succeed in economic initiatives, and all z While both districts have incidences of both the investment focuses on the social and diseases, Nagpur reports a higher number of environmental mission. malaria cases while diarrhoea cases are higher in Pune. € Social entrepreneurs are also called social innovators. They are the agents of change and € Temporal and spatial variability in weather create significant change using innovative ideas. parameters, for example, a short-term increase They identify the problems and build the in temperature and rainfall as an effect ofEl-Niño difference by their plan. can lead to malaria epidemics. € Social entrepreneurship is a growing trend € A study by the Intergovernmental Panel on alongside socially responsible (SRI) and ESG Climate Change (IPCC) noted that climate change (Environmental, Social and Governance) may increase the risk of diarrhoeal diseases, which investing. is of major concern in developing countries, with increasing incidents of floods as well as drought. € Examples of social entrepreneurship include educational programs, providing banking services € On Covid-19: in underserved areas and helping children z Although there have been studies and analysis orphaned by epidemic disease. on weather patterns affecting the spread of ¾ Need in India: viral diseases, researchers are unable to establish a certain link between Covid-19 € India needs numerous social entrepreneurs with pandemic and the weather as it is a far more innovative solutions to thesociety’s most pressing complex disease. social problems in the areas of sanitation, education, water conservation, gender bias, primary health, female foeticide, carbon Social Entrepreneurship emissions and other environmental problems. These problems are persistent in nature and need Why in News urgent resolutions. Recently, the Confederation of Indian Industry ¾ Examples in India: (Southern Region) has announced a competition on € Pravah and ComMutiny: The two organizations social entrepreneurship. that train the youth for leadership roles, Pravah ¾ The competition is for existing early stage social and ComMutiny, havewon the Social Entrepreneur enterprises and students with entrepreneurial ideas of the Year (SEOY) 2020 award instituted by the that are socially focused and with significant social Schwab Foundation and Jubilant Bhartia impact. Foundation.

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z Established in 1993, Pravah has been facilitating school but it’s harder to determine the efficacy the development of a generation of of a sports program instituted to build empathetic, sensitive youth change-makers confidence amongst students. in India through psycho-social interventions, ¾ Related Initiatives: helping them build more inclusive identities € The Securities and Exchange Board of India’s and societies. initiative to create a Social Stock Exchange (SSE) z ComMutiny which was formed in 2008, works will boost social and & environmental impact on the idea of making collectives out of investing in India by creating a new platform to organizations like Pravah. fund social-sector organizations, and establish a € Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy’s Aravind Eye standardized framework for measuring and Hospitals: Its business model is highly social, yet reporting social impact for both donors and sustainable. It runs on its own revenue. The investors. founder’s mission was to eradicate blindness € Gramin Vikas Trust (GVT) is a National Level amongst the poor in India, especially in rural India Organization established in 1999 by Krishak living with a minimum daily wage and who can’t Bharati Cooperative Limited (KRIBHCO) for afford medical treatment. bringing about a sustainable improvement in ¾ Challenges: livelihood of the poor and marginalized € Business Plan: The rigor of building and following communities, especially, the tribal population a plan that is based on market realities and including women. customer insight is critical; social entrepreneurs z GVT sees social entrepreneurship as the need support of lawyers, chartered accountants, process of bringing about social change on a senior entrepreneurs to help them develop a good business plan. major scale. € Limited to Specific Geographies: Due to lack of funds or the founders’ limited bandwidth. District Mineral ¾ Suggestions: Foundation Trust Funds € The 2013 Companies Act in India which mandates companies to donate 2% of their average net profits to CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Why in News has catalyzed investment in social ventures but to Dhanbad (Jharkhand) Deputy Commissioner has truly achieve benefits of scale, itneeds to be done ordered an audit and an impact assessment of utilisation in a much more coordinated manner. of funds from the District Mineral Foundation Trust z A big service that a venture philanthropy firm (DMFT) for the financial years 2017-2020. or an ecosystem player can provide social entrepreneurs is organizing the world of Key Points investors – by the size of the cheque they write, ¾ Statutory Provision: As per the Mine and Minerals by the areas they focus on, their specific Development Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2015, preferences and then most importantly by in every district affected by mining-related facilitating introductions to them. operations, the state government shall, by € An organization that has to scale effectively needs notification, establish a trust as a non-profit body to have a deep bench of talent at all levels. to be called the District Mineral Foundation. € Further, there is a need for ‘impact-measurement’. ¾ DMFT Funds: Mining companies contribute 10-30% z All investors want to see outcomes but how on the royalty amount that they pay to the does one measure them when cycle times of government to DMF Trust in the district they are one’s intervention is much longer. operating in. z It can be objectively measured how many ¾ Objective: The idea behind the contribution is that mid-day meals are provided to children in their local mining-affected communities,mostly tribal and

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among the poorest in the country, also have the right Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) programme for to benefit from natural resources extracted from workers, with the Department of Panchayati Raj(DoPR). where they live. ¾ The programme, implemented under Skill Acquisition ¾ Status: DMFs have been set-up in 572 districts of and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion the country, with a cumulative accrual ofmore than (SANKALP) Programme of MSDE, has been rolled out `40,000 crore so far as per Ministry of Mines (MoM) in Varanasi and Chandauli, Uttar Pradesh (UP). data. ¾ Linked with PMKKKY: The functioning of the DMF Key Points trusts and the fund use governed by states’ DMF ¾ RPL Programme: Rules incorporate the mandates of a central € It aims to promote decentralization and local guideline, Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan governance for better planning and Yojana (PMKKKY) that specifies high priority areas implementation of skill development programmes. of investments. € It is being implemented by the National Skill Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana Development Corporation (NSDC). ¾ Nodal Ministry: PMKKKY is a scheme by the Ministry € It recognizes the value of learning acquired of Mines for the welfare of people & affected areas outside a formal setting and provides governmenta by using the funds accrued under District Mineral certificate for an individual’s skills. Foundation (DMF). € Candidates receive exposure to concepts of ¾ Objectives: digital and financial literacy and accidental € To implement various developmental and welfare insurance coverage for three years at free of cost. projects/programs in mining affected areas € No fee is charged from a candidate for participating that complement the existing ongoing schemes/ in the RPL programme and every successfully projects of State and Central Government. certified candidate receives `500. € To minimize/mitigate the adverse impacts, € This initiative is part of a larger programme on during and after mining, on the environment, ‘Skill Development Planning at the level of Gram health and socio-economics of people in mining Panchayat’ that focuses on introducing RPL in a districts. structured manner in various gram panchayats € To ensure long-term sustainable livelihoods for across the country. the affected people in mining areas. ¾ Significance: ¾ Implementation: € The inclusion of gram panchayats is crucial for the € At least 60% the fund will be utilized for “High success of District Skill Development Plans Priority Areas” like Drinking water supply, (DSDPs) and will provide a huge fillip to the Skill Environment preservation & pollution control India Mission. measure, Health care, Education, etc. € RPL will align the competencies of the pre- € Rest of the fund will be utilized for “Other existing workforce of the country to the Priority Areas”, such as Physical infrastructure, standardized framework and will provide Irrigation, Energy & watershed development and confidence, respect and recognition to the Measures for enhancing environmental quality. candidates. € Supporting formalization of the informal learning Recognition of Prior of youth will supplement their efforts in finding sustainable livelihood opportunities and reduce Learning Programme inequalities based on privileging certain forms of knowledge over others. Why in News € It will also link them with work opportunities The Ministry of Skill Development and emanating from the Gram panchayat’s Entrepreneurship (MSDE) is conducting a Special development work.

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€ Down-streaming the skill development planning € HLB is a primary unit of collection of data. to the gram panchayat level would contribute to € Use of Charge Register: . decentralization z It is an important census document that will Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for help enumerators to collect details during the Livelihood Promotion first phase of census house listing and housing ¾ It is an outcome-oriented programme of MSDE census and National Population Register with a special focus on decentralised planning and (NPR). quality improvement. ¾ Implication: ¾ It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme which is € The census exercise was suspended indefinitely collaborated with the World Bank. owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. The ¾ It aims to implement the mandate of the National communication from RGI may be an indication that Skill Development Mission (NSDM). the census exercise may take off in the near future. ¾ It contributes to the development of rational and realistic state skill development plans, leading to a Registrar General of India well-grounded national plan for skill development. ¾ The Census Organisation was set up on an ad-hoc ¾ Objectives: basis for each Census till the 1951 Census. € Convergence: Creating convergence among ¾ The Government of India, in 1949 established all skill training activities, both State-led and an organisation in the Ministry of Home Affairs Government of India funded, at the state level. under Registrar General and ex-Officio Census € Quality: Improving the quality of skill development Commissioner, India to develop systematic collection programs through building a pool of quality of statistics on the size of population, its growth, etc. trainers, developing model curriculum and content, ¾ Later, this office was also entrusted with the and standardizing assessment and certification. responsibility of implementation ofRegistration of € Evaluation System: Establishing a robust Births and Deaths Act, 1969 in the country. monitoring and evaluation system for skill ¾ It arranges, conducts and analyses the results of training programs. the demographic surveys of India including Census € Inclusiveness and Opportunity: Providing access of India and Linguistic Survey of India. to skill training opportunities to the disadvantaged € Census of India: It provides information on size, sections. Creating industry-led and demand- distribution and socio-economic, demographic and driven skill training capacity. other characteristics of the country’s population. Why in News z The decennial Census of India has been conducted 15 times, as of 2011. Recently, the Registrar General of India (RGI) has z While it has been undertaken every 10 years, written to all State coordinators to update the census beginning in 1872 under British Viceroy Lord register. Mayo, the first complete census was taken ¾ A is the procedure of census systematically in 1881. enumerating, and acquiring and recording z Post-1949, it has been conducted by the informationabout the members of a given population. Registrar General and Census Commissioner Key Points of India under the Ministry of Home Affairs. ¾ The Order: RGI has written to all State coordinators € Linguistic Survey of India:The primary objective to update names of an area, locality, colony or a is to present an updated linguistic scenario. building in the “charge register”. z It is conducted along with the decennial ¾ Charge register: The charge register shows the Census exercise. distribution of work among enumerators and marks z It also provides necessary inputs to the social/ the House Listing Blocks (HLB)to be visited by each educational planners in respective States for official. their planning to attain the envisaged goals.

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z A shall be formed in the NDMA z First linguistic survey of India was published separate wing by George Abraham Grierson in 1928. that will specialise in handling pandemics like Covid-19 and take a leading role in building a ¾ The position of Registrar is usually held by a civil partnership of government with the public servant holding the rank of Joint Secretary. sector, corporates, NGOs and other National Population Register stakeholders. ¾ NPR is a register of the usual residents of the z An effective functional institutional mechanism country. It is prepared at the local (village and sub- is needed for coordination between the Centre, town), sub-district, district, state and national levels states, and Union Territories for quick response under provisions of the Citizenship Act, 1955 and to such a crisis in future. the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue ¾ Augmentation Health Infrastructure: of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003. € Issue: ¾ It is mandatory for every “usual resident of India” z Disproportionate availability of ICU beds in to register in the NPR. private and public sector hospitals. ¾ The data for the NPR was first collected in 2010 z Private hospitals are either inaccessible or not along with the house listing phase of Census 2011. affordable for everyone. ¾ In 2015, this data was further updated by conducting z Overcharging by hospitals, denial of the a door-to-door survey. cashless facility, variation in levying charges towards consumables such as PPE Parliamentary Committee kits, gloves, and masks, etc., or on other non-medical expenditure. on Management of Covid-19 € Solution: z Why in News Comprehensive Public health Act at the national level:

Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs z To support the Government in keeping on the management of the Covid-19 pandemic in the checks and controls over the private country, has recently submitted its report. hospitals. Key Points z Keep a check on the black marketing of medicines and ensure product ¾ The Committee has made a detailed assessment of standardization. four aspects: z Regulatory oversight on all hospitals € Preparedness, working in the country to prevent refusal € Augmentation of Health Infrastructure, to accept insurance claims. € Social Impact, and z The target should be to make Covid-19 € Economic Impact. treatment cashless for all people that are ¾ Preparedness: having insurance coverage. € Issues: ¾ Social Impact: z Migrant labourers, factory workers, daily wage € Issues: earners were the worst affected due tolack of z Ineffective implementation of the Inter-State timely dissemination of the informationin the Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment district areas about the arrangements being and Conditions of Services) Act, 1979. made for food, shelter and other facilities z The task of identifying the location and leading to their exodus. disbursing relief measures to the migrant € Solutions: workers became very difficult as the Central z Draw up a national plan and guidelines under Government did not have any data of the National Disaster Management Act2005 and migrant workers and had to seek it from the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897. States.

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€ Solutions: € Solutions: z A national database on migrant workers be z More interventions and schemes required to launched at the earliest helping in identification support the recovery and to sustain this as well as delivering rations and other benefits. economic revival especially for the MSME z The database may also include “records of (Micro,Small and Medium Enterprises). returning migrant labourers including details about their source and destination, earlier employment details and the nature of their Parliament Sessions skills. z This would “help in skill development and Why in News planning for the transit of migrant workers” Recently, the government has decided to cancel the in a similar emergency in the future. Winter session of Parliament, citing fears over a surge z It recommended that until the One Nation, in cases due to Covid-19 pandemic. One Ration Card is implemented in all states/ UTs, inter-state operability of ration cards Key Points should be allowed. ¾ Sessions of Parliament: z Continuation ofMid-Day Meal Scheme. € The summoning of Parliament is specified in z Ensure that the local administrations are Article 85 of the Constitution. delivering the rations/ allowances in time € The power to convene a session of Parliament and this should be continued until the rests with the Government. The decision is taken schools reopen. by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Parliamentary Committees Affairs which is formalised by the President, in ¾ Broadly, parliamentary committees are of two kinds: whose name MPs are summoned to meet for a Standing Committees and Ad Hoc Committees. session. € Standing Committees: Permanent (constituted € India does not have a fixed parliamentary every year or periodically) and work on a calendar. By convention (i.e. not provided by the continuous basis. They can be categorized into Constitution), Parliament meets for three following broad groups: sessions in a year. z Financial Committees z The longest, Budget Session (1st session), starts z Departmental Standing Committees (24) towards the end of January, and concludes by z Committees to Inquire the end of April or first week of May. The z Committees to Scrutinise and Control session has a recess so that Parliamentary Committees can discuss the budgetary z Committees Relating to the Day-to-Day Business of the House proposals. z z House-Keeping Committees or Service The second session is the three-week Monsoon Committees Session, which usually begins in July and finishes in August. € Ad Hoc Committees: Ad hoc committees are temporary and cease to exist on completion of z Winter Session (3rd session), is held from the task assigned to them. November to December. ¾ Economic Impact: ¾ Summoning of Parliament: € Issues: € It is the process of calling all members of the z Poor Implementation of Government Schemes. Parliament to meet. The President summons each z Delay in Loan Disbursal. House of the Parliament from time to time. The gap between two sessions of the Parliament z Consumption had been severely curtailed due to huge job losses and fall in income due to the cannot exceed 6 months, which means the lockdown. Parliament meets at least two times in one year.

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¾ Adjournment: selected States and enhance the institutional € It terminates the sitting of the Housewhich meets capacity of the MoRTH in mainstreaming safety again at the time appointed for the next sitting. and green technologies. The postponement may be for a specified time ¾ Three Components of the Project: such as hours, days or weeks. If the meeting is € Green Highway Corridor Improvement and terminated without any definite time/date fixed Maintenance: for the next meeting, it is called Adjournment z This includes upgradation and maintenance for sine die. five years of about 783 km of selected existing ¾ Prorogation: National Highways in the states of Rajasthan, € It is the end of a session. The time between the Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra prorogation and reassembly is called Recess. Pradesh. Prorogation is the end of the session andnot the € Institutional Capacity Enhancement: dissolution of the house (in case of Lok Sabha, as z It will support the capacity enhancement of Rajya Sabha does not dissolve). MoRTH in its pursuit to conserve natural ¾ Quorum: resources and improve climate vulnerability of the National Highways network andreduce € It refers to the minimum number of the members required to be present for conducting a meeting Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. of the house. The Constitution has fixed one-tenth € Road Safety: strength as a quorum for both Lok Sabha and z It will provide support to improve road safety Rajya Sabha. Thus, to conduct a sitting of Lok data analytics and highway safety monitoring Sabha, there should be at least 55 members and implementation. present while to conduct a sitting of Rajya Sabha, ¾ About the Pact between the Government and the there should be at least 25 members present. World Bank: € The USD 500 million loan from the International Green National Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), an arm of the World Bank, has a maturity Highways Corridor Project of 18.5 years including a five-year grace period. ¾ Significance of the Project: Why in News € The National Highways of India carry about 40% of road traffic. However, several sections of these The government and the World Bank has signed a highways have inadequate capacity, weak $500 million project for implementation of the Green drainage structures and black spots prone to National Highways Corridor Project. accidents. Key Points € The ultimate objective of transport infrastructure is to provide seamless connectivity and reduce ¾ Green National Highways Corridor Project: logistics costs. € The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways € Historically, the transport sector in India has (MoRTH) had launched a National Green offered limited employment opportunities for Highways Mission (NGHM) following the women. The project will support the ministry promulgation of ‘Green Highways Policy’ in with an in-depth analysis of gender-related September 2015. issues in the transport sector along with help in € The Green National Highways Corridor Projects creating jobs for women by training women-led (GNHCP) supports the implementation of the micro enterprises and women collectives to NGHM and the provision of green and safe implement green technologies in the highway transport. corridors. € The objective of the Project is to demonstrate € It will also support the Bharatmala Pariyojana safe and green National Highway corridors in Program (BPP).

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¾ It has also developed the Logistics Performance Key Features of Green Index. Highways Policy 2015 ¾ Reports Published by World Bank: ¾ Promote greening and development of eco-friendly € Human Capital Index Report National Highway corridors across the country with € Global Economic Prospects participation of farmers, private sector and € Ease of Doing Business government institutions including the Forest € South Asia Economic Focus Report Department. € Poverty and Shared Prosperity Report ¾ It addresses the issues that lie in the road of € World Development Report development and shows the way towards sustainable ¾ Projects Supported by the World Bank: development. € National Hydrology Project € Planting of trees in any particular area will depend on the soil suitability and climatic conditions. € Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results ¾ Its objective is toreduce the impact of air pollution for States (STARS) Project and dust by planting trees and shrubs along the € National Nutrition Mission National Highways. They will act as natural sinks for € National Mission for Clean Ganga air pollutants and arrest soil erosion at the € National Biopharma Mission embankment slopes. € Atal Bhujal Yojana World Bank ¾ History: Founded at the Bretton Woods conference Electoral Bonds in 1944, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development—soon called the World Bank— and Right to Information has expanded to a closely associated group of five development institutions. Why in News ¾ Five Development Institutions: The Central Information Commission (CIC), the lead € International Bank for Reconstruction and body for implementing the Right to Information Act Development (IBRD) provides loans, credits, 2005, has ruled that the disclosure of identity ofelectoral and grants. bond scheme donors will not serve any larger public € International Development Association (IDA) interest and will violate provisions of the Act itself. provides low- or no-interest loans to low-income ¾ The electoral bond scheme allows citizens and countries. corporates to buy monetary instruments from the € The International Finance Corporation (IFC) State Bank of India (SBI) and donate them to political provides investment, advice, and asset management parties, who can redeem them for money. services to companies and governments. ¾ According to the Association for Democratic € The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency Reforms, political parties have received a total of (MIGA) insures lenders and investors against 12,452 electoral bonds worth `6210.39 crore till political risk such as war. January 2020. € The International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) settles investment- Key Points disputes between investors and countries. ¾ The Commission observed that the disclosure of z India is not a member of ICSID. names of donors and the donees may be in ¾ Recently, the World Bank has released new Purchasing contravention ofprovisions contained in section 8(1) Power Parities (PPPs) for reference year 2017, (e)(j) of the RTI Act. under International Comparison Program (ICP) that € The said section exempts a public authority to adjusts for differences in the cost of living across give a citizen information available to a person economies of the world. in his fiduciary relationship, unless the competent

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authority is satisfied that the larger public interest z This asymmetry of information threatens to warrants the disclosure of such information. colour the process in favour of whichever z A fiduciary is a person who holds a legal or political party is ruling at the time. ethical relationship of trustwith one or more Central Information Commission other parties (person or group of persons). ¾ Formation: z The information related to electoral bonds € It was established by the Central Government issued to political parties is held by SBI in a in 2005, under the provisions of the Right to fiduciary capacity. Information Act (2005). It isnot a constitutional ¾ Earlier in January 2020, CIC had directed the Centre body. to reveal the names of electoral bond scheme ¾ Composition: donors who wanted their identities to remain confidential. € It shall consist of the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and such number of Central ¾ Concerns: Information Commissioners not exceeding 10 € Anonymity: as may be deemed necessary. z Neither the donor nor the political party is ¾ Appointment: obligated to reveal whom the donation comes from. € They are appointed by the President on the recommendation of a committee consisting of z In 2019, the Supreme Court held that all the Prime Minister as Chairperson, the Leader of political parties who had received donations Oppositionin the Lok Sabha and a Union Cabinet through electoral bonds must submit Minister nominated by the Prime Minister. details to the Election Commission of India. ¾ Tenure: z This undercuts a fundamental constitutional principle, the freedom of political information, € The Chief Information Commissioner and an which is an integral element of Article 19(1) (a) Information Commissioner shall hold office of the Constitution. for such a term as prescribed by the Central Government or until they attain the age of 65 € Black Money: years, whichever is earlier. z Elimination of a cap of 7.5% on corporate donations, elimination of requirement to € They are not eligible for reappointment. reveal political contributions in profit and loss ¾ Power and Functions of CIC: statements and also the elimination of the € It is the duty of the Commission to receive provision that a corporation must be three and inquire into a complaint from any person years in existence, undercuts the intent of the regarding information request under RTI, 2005. scheme. € The Commission can order an inquiry into any z Any troubled, dying company can donate matter if there are reasonable grounds (suo- an unlimited amount anonymously to a moto power). political party giving them a convenient € While inquiring, the Commission has the powers channel for business to round-trip their of a civil court in respect of summoning, requiring cash parked in tax havens for a favour or documents etc. advantage granted in return for something. € Defeating Transparency: Electoral Bond z It defeats the fundamental principle of ¾ Electoral Bond is a financial instrument for making transparency in political finance because it donations to political parties. conceals from public scrutiny the identity of ¾ The bonds are issued in multiples of` 1,000, `10,000, the corporates and moneybags. `1 lakh, `10 lakh and `1 crore without any maximum € Asymmetric Opacity: limit. z The government is always in a position to ¾ State Bank of India is authorised to issue and encash know who the donor is because the bonds are these bonds, which are valid for fifteen days from purchased through the SBI. the date of issuance.

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¾ These bonds are redeemable in the designated € The focus of the scheme is on enrolling the account of a registered political party. poorest students, timely payments, comprehensive ¾ The bonds are available for purchase by any person accountability, continuous monitoring and total (who is a citizen of India or incorporated or transparency. established in India) for a period of ten days each in € Income Ceiling: Scholarships are paid to the the months of January, April, July and October as may students whose parents/guardians’ income from be specified by the Central Government. all sources does not exceed `2,50,000 per annum. € A person being an individual can buy bonds, either ¾ New Changes: singly or jointly with other individuals. € Enrolment Campaign: € Donor’s name is not mentioned on the bond. z Launching a campaign to enrol the students from the poorest households passing the 10th Changes in PMS-SC standard, in the higher education courses of their choice. Why in News z It is estimated that1.36 crore poorest students Recently, the Cabinet Committee on Economic are currently not continuing their education th Affairs (CCEA) has approved changes in the Post Matric beyond 10 standard, who would be brought Scholarship to students belonging to Scheduled Castes into the higher education system in the next 5 (PMS-SC). years. ¾ Government is committed to give a big push and € Secure Online Platform: further impetus to this effort so that the Gross z An online platform with robust cybersecurity Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education of SCs measures that would assure transparency, would reach up to the national standardswithin the accountability, efficiency, and timely delivery 5 year period. of the assistance without any delays. € GER is the number of students enrolled in a given z States will undertake fool-proof verification of level of education, regardless of age, expressed the eligibility, caste status, Aadhar identification as a percentage of the official school-age and bank account details on the online portal. population corresponding to the same level of € Direct Benefit Transfer: education. z Unlike earlier, when funding was passed € The current GER in higher education is 26.3%. through state governments, financial assistance ¾ The Central Assistance which was around `1100 crore will be transferred by the Direct Benefit annually during 2017-18 to 2019-20 would be Transfer (DBT) mode and preferably using the increased more than 5 times to be around `6000 Aadhaar Enabled Payment System. crore annually during 2020-21 to 2025-26. z Students will receive the Centre’s share as soon Key Points as the state transfers its share as per fixed time schedule. ¾ Post Matric Scholarship for Scheduled Castes: € New Funding Pattern: € It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme and implemented through State Government and UT z The Cabinet has approved a total investment administration. of `59,048 crore with a new funding pattern € It provides financial assistance to the SC students of 60-40 for the Centre and States. studying at post matriculation or post-secondary z Starting from 2021-22, the Central share would stage to enable them to complete their education. be released after ensuring that the concerned € These scholarships are available for studies in State Government has released their share. India only and are awarded by the government z This replaces the existing committed liability of the State/Union Territory to which the applicant system and brings greater involvement of the actually belongs i.e. permanently settled. Central government in this crucial scheme.

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z Committed liabilities are payments z Supplement the financial needs of the Small anticipated during a financial year for and Marginal Farmers (SMFs). contracts concluded in previous years. ¾ Farmer Centric Improvements: € Strong Monitoring Mechanisms: € Fixed one and a half times the production cost z The scheme will be further strengthened as Minimum Support Price (MSP) for the farmers through the conduct of social audits, annual as per the recommendations of the long-standing third party evaluation, and half-yearly self- Swaminathan Committee report and has also audited reports from each institution. increased the number of crops for which MSP is available. € Added more than a thousand online agricultural Next Instalment of PM-KISAN mandis. € Worked towards forming groups of small farmers Why in News so that they can work as a collective force in their Recently, the Prime Minister has virtually released region. the next instalment of financial benefit under Pradhan z A campaign is underway to form more than Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN). 10,000 Farmers Producer Organizations (FPOs) which are being given financial help. Key Points € Free treatment up to `5 lakh under Ayushman ¾ `18000 crores have been deposited in the bank Bharat scheme has reduced the major concern of account of more than 9 crore farmers through Direct the lives of farmers. Benefit Transfer (DBT). € Better options are provided to farmers through € More than 1 lakh 10 thousand crore rupees have the agricultural reforms. reached the account of farmers, since this scheme € Soil Health Card Scheme. started in February 2019. € Neem Coating of Urea. ¾ Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi: € Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan € Launched in February 2019, it is a Central Sector (KUSUM) scheme to harness solar energy. Scheme, which is being implemented by the € Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. z On its first anniversary, the PM-KISAN Mobile Good Governance Day App developed and designed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) in collaboration with Why in News the Ministry of Electronics and Information th Technology was launched. Good governance day is celebrated annually on 25 December to mark the birth anniversary of the former € Under the scheme, the Centre transfers an Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. amount of `6,000 per year, in three equal ¾ The aim is to create awareness of accountability in instalments, directly into the bank accounts of government among the citizens of India. the all landholding farmers irrespective of the size of their landholdings. Key Points € The entire responsibility of identification of ¾ Governance: beneficiary farmer families rests with the State/ € It is the process of decision-making and the UT Governments. process by which decisions are implemented (or € It aims to: not implemented). z of the farmers. Reduce the input cost € Governance can be used in several contexts such z Ensure a fair price for the crop. as corporate governance, international z Open new markets for the farmers to sell their governance, national governance and local crop. governance.

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¾ Eight Characteristics of Good Governance (as € Accountability: identified by theUnited Nations): z Decision-makers in government, the private € Participation: sector and civil society organisations are z People should have a voice in decision-making, accountable to the public, as well as to either directly or through legitimate institutional stakeholders. intermediate institutions that represent their ¾ Challenges to Good Governance in India: interests. € Women Empowerment: € Rule of law: z Women are not adequately represented in z Legal frameworks should be fair and enforced government institutions, and other allied impartially, particularly the laws on human sectors. rights. € Corruption: € Transparency: z The high level of corruption in India has been widely perceived as a major obstacle in z Transparency is built on the free flow of information. Processes, institutions and improving the quality of governance. information are directly accessible to those € Delay in Justice: concerned with them, and enough information z A citizen has the right to avail timely justice, is provided to understand and monitor them. but there are several factors, because of which € Responsiveness: a common man doesn’t get timely justice. One such factor is lack of personnel and logistics z Institutions and processes try to serve all under disposal of court. stakeholders within a reasonable timeframe. € Centralisation of Administrative System: € Consensus orientation: z Governments at lower levels can only function z Good governance requires mediation of the efficiently if they are empowered to do so. This different interests in society to reach a broad is particularly relevant for the Panchayati Raj in society on what is in the best consensus Institutions (PRIs), which currently suffer from interest of the whole community and how this inadequate devolution of funds as well as can be achieved. functionaries to carry out the functions € Equity: constitutionally assigned to them. z All groups, particularly the most vulnerable, € Criminalisation of Politics: have opportunities to improve or maintain z The criminalisation of the political process and their well being. the unholy nexus between politicians, civil servants, and business houses are having a baneful influence on public policy formulation and governance. € Environmental security, sustainable development. € Challenges of globalization, liberalisation and market economy. ¾ Initiatives Taken: € Good Governance Index: z GGI has been launched by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions to € Effectiveness and efficiency: determine the status of governance in the z Processes and institutions produce results that country. meet needs while making the best use of z It assesses the impact of various interventions resources. taken up by the State Government and UTs.

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€ National e-Governance Plan: z It has the vision to “make all government Main Bhi Digital services accessible to the common man in his Drive for Street Vendors locality, through common service delivery outlets and ensure efficiency, transparency & reliability of such services at affordable costs Why in News to realize the basic needs of the common man.” The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) € Right to Information Act, 2005: is going to launch ‘Main Bhi Digital (me too digital)’ drive z It plays an effective role in ensuring transparency for the street vendors to enable them to accept and make in governance. payments digitally. ¾ € Other Initiatives:Setting up of NITI Aayog, Make The drive has been encouraged by the success of the in India programme, Lokpal, etc. Prime Minister Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PMSVANidhi) scheme, launched in the wake of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Covid-19 lockdown, to provide vendors microcredit. ¾ Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born on 25th December, 1924 in the erstwhile princely state of Gwalior (now Key Points a part of Madhya Pradesh). ¾ Main Bhi Digital Drive: € As part of the new drive, between 4th January to 22nd January 2021, over 10 lakh street vendors across the country who have availed of the `10,000 loan will be trained in using digital payments. € The vendors would be able to not just receive payments digitally but also pay for material they procure from sellers using unique QR codes. € The mobile phones of the vendors will be equipped with the software needed for the transactions, and training provided to them on ¾ He entered in national politics during the Quit safe and secure payments. India Movement of 1942 which hastened the end ¾ PMSVANidhi Scheme: of British colonial rule. € It is a scheme of the MoHUA launched in June ¾ In 1947, Vajpayee started working as a journalist 2020 which entitles the street vendors to `10,000 for newspapers of Deendayal Upadhyaya — interest-free loan as working capital to restart Rashtradharma (a Hindi monthly), Panchjanya (a their businesses. Hindi weekly) and the dailies Swadesh and Veer € Data shows that only 20% of the beneficiaries are Arjun. Later, influenced by Syama Prasad Mookerjee, digitally enabled. Vajpayee joined the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1951. ¾ Street Vendors in India: ¾ He was the former Prime Minister of India and was € Anyone who doesn’t have a permanent shop is elected to the position twice in 1996 and 1999. considered a street vendor. ¾ As a parliamentarian, Vajpayee was awarded with z According to government estimates, street- the Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant Award for Best vending accounts for 14% of the total (non- Parliamentarian in 1994, which defines him as “a agricultural) urban informal employment in role model par excellence for all legislators.” the country. ¾ He was conferred with the country’s highest civilian € There are an estimated 50-60 lakh street vendors honour, the Bharat Ratna in 2015 and second-highest in India, with the largest concentrations in the civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan in 1994. cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad.

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€ Issues: z Licence caps are unrealistic in most cities, for PM WANI: India’s example, Mumbai has a ceiling of around New Public Wi-Fi Project 15,000 licences as against an estimated 2.5 lakh vendors. Why in News z This means most vendors hawk their goods The Union Cabinet recently cleared a proposal by the illegally, which makes them vulnerable to Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to set up exploitation and extortion by local police network interfaces. and municipal authorities. public Wi-Fi access ¾ The public Wi-Fi Access Network Interface, which z Often, local bodies conduct eviction drives to clear the pavements of encroachers, and will be called ‘PM-WANI’, was first recommended confiscate their goods. Fines for recovery are by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) heavy. in 2017. € Organizations for Street Vendors: Key Points z National Association of Street Vendors of India ¾ PM-WANI: This will involve multiple players, (NASVI): It is a membership based organization of 1,024 street vendors organizations including PDOs, PDOAs, app providers, and a central representing 10,00,000 street vendors from registry. PM-WANI infrastructure can be structured almost all parts of India. in the form of a pyramid. z National Hawker Federation (NHF): It is an association of street vendors across 28 States in the country, with 1,188 Unions, including 11 Central Trade Unions and over 20 International Trade Unions abroad. ¾ Other Initiatives for the Street Vendors: € The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014 It: was enacted to regulate street vendors in public areas and protect their rights. z The Act defines a “street vendor” as a person engaged in vending of articles of everyday use ¾ Need for a Public Wi-Fi Network in India: or offering services to the general public, in € To increase the proliferation of internet services any public place or private area, from a in the country. temporary built up structure or by moving z With PDOs - which will basically be small retail from place to place. outlets across the length and breadth of the € The government has also launched its first-ever country - last mile connectivity is being official socio-economic survey of vendors, to aimed at. bring street vendors under schemes such as : € To offer a cost-effective option for the common z Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana. man. z Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana. z Even in urban areas with sufficient mobile data z Jan-Dhan Yojana. coverage, the mobile internet tariffs are bound z Building and Other Construction Workers Act to increase. 1996. € To achieve the ‘Digital India’ vision. z Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan Yojana. z From 2015 to June of 2020, India grew from z Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana. 302 million internet subscribers to 750 million.

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That is a Compound Annual Growth Rate aren’t secure. This could potentially lead to (CAGR) of 20%, making India one of the fastest hacking or unapproved access to personal growing internet markets in the world. information on the device. z However, this statisticovershadows the quality Wi-Fi of access. Only 23 million are wired internet ¾ It is a networking technology that uses radio subscribers. waves to allow high-speed data transfer over z If Digital India vision is to be achieved, there is short distances. a need to deliver a resilient and reliable ¾ Wi-Fi allows Local Area Networks (LANs) to operate connection to every Indian, so that they can without cables and wiring, making it a popular have reliable access everywhere, at affordable choice for home and business networks. price points. ¾ Wi-Fi can also be used to provide wireless broadband z According to Digital Quality of Life Index 2020, for many modern devices, such th Internet access India was placed at 9 position in Internet as laptops, smartphones, tablet computers, and , outperforming even countries Affordability electronic gaming consoles. like the UK, the USA and China. While, for ¾ Wi-Fi-enabled devices are able to connect to the Internet Quality and E-infrastructure, India was almost at the bottom of the pillar placed Internet when they are near areas that have Wi-Fi at 78th and 79th (out of 85) positions respectively. access, called “hot spots”. ¾ ¾ Potential Benefits: According to Cisco Annual Internet Report (2018- 2023), there will be nearly 623 million public Wi-Fi € It has the potential to generate over 2 crore jobs hotspots across the world by 2023, up from 169 and entrepreneurship opportunities, besides million hotspots as of 2018. offering a cost-effective means of mass connectivity. € Within this, the highest share of hotspots by 2023 will be in the Asia Pacific region at 46%. As z Given the National Digital Communications per the calculations of the Telecom Regulatory Policy goals of creating 1 crore public Wi-Fi Authority of India (TRAI), based on Cisco’s hotspots by 2022, and with the present number being merely at 3.5 lakh, PM-WANI is expected estimates,India should have 100 million Wi-Fi to result in the creation of demand and scope hotspots by 2023. for developing the components for this pan- Centre for Development of Telematics India activity Atmanirbhar( Bharat). ¾ C-DOT was established in 1984 as an autonomous € PDOs can become local distribution centres for Telecom R&D centre of DoT, Government of India. content. ¾ It is a registered society under the Societies z Students in rural areas can access offline Registration Act, 1860. content without using bandwidth. ¾ It is a registered ‘public funded research institution’ € Combining this with the liberalisation of the with the Department of Scientific and Industrial Other Service Providers (OSPs) regulations, one Research (DSIR), Ministry of Science & Technology. can see that India is paving the way for digital z However, the Indian public Wi-Fi hotspot SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) to network envisages that the access to the go online without the burden of onerous Internet through these points will be permitted compliances. only through electronic KYC (Know Your € It will further Ease of Doing Business and Ease of Customer) and a mix of OTP (One-Time Living, as it will enable small shopkeepers to Password) and MAC ID-based authentication provide Wi-Fi service. system, thereby minimising the risk of network ¾ Challenges: security being compromised. € Network Security: z The MAC authentication method grants z Most Wi-Fi hotspots don’t encrypt information access to a secure network by authenticating that is sent over the Internet and therefore devices for access to the network.

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€ Viability of the Project: € It enables litigants to obtain information with z The viability of public Wi-Fi networks in India respect to case status and to obtain copies of has also been called into question with several judgments and orders. tech-giants already having tried and failed. € These centres also extend assistance in e-filing of z In 2017, social media company Facebook had cases. launched Express Wi-Fi. The project made little € These Kendras represent a significant step for the impact. common man and his right to access to justice. ¾ z Google’s Station project, to provide free wi-fi Other Technological Initiatives to Provide Legal in more than 400 railway stations across India Services : and “thousands” of other public places, which € Tele-Law: was launched in 2015, was shut down earlier z About: Tele-Law programme was launched by this year. the Ministry of Law and Justice in collaboration z Google cited cheaper and more accessible with the Ministry of Electronics and mobile data, government initiatives to Information Technology (MeitY) in 2017 to provide access to the Internet for everyone address cases at the pre-litigation stage. and the challenge of varying technical z Connect Lawyers to Litigants: It is a service requirements and infrastructure. that uses video conferencing facilities and telephone services to connect lawyers to Suggestions litigants who need legal advice. This service aims to reach out to the needy especially the ¾ The citizen expectsrobust service, protection of data marginalized and disadvantaged. integrity, transparency on commercial use of data, and security against cyberattacks. z Common Service Centres: Under this programme, smart technology of video ¾ The government must also ensure true unbundling conferencing, telephone/instant calling of hardware, software, apps and payment gateways facilities available at the vast network of in the WANI system, as advocated by TRAI, to prevent Common Service Centres at the Panchayat monopolies. Existing public wi-fi options run on a level is used to connect the indigent, down- limited scale by some entities compel consumers to trodden, vulnerable, unreached groups and pay through a single gateway app, underscoring the communities with the Panel Lawyers for need for reform. seeking timely and valuable legal advice. € e-Courts Project: e-Sewa Kendra z The e-Courts project was conceptualized on the basis of the National Policy and Action Plan Why in News for Implementation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the Indian Recently, an e-Sewa Kendra has been inaugurated Judiciary – 2005. It is a pan-India Project, by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) at the High Court of monitored and funded by the Department of Tripura. Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice. z Objectives of the Project: Key Points z To provide efficient & time-bound citizen- ¾ e-Seva Kendra: centric services delivery as detailed in € e-Seva Kendras have been created in the High e-Court Project Litigant’s Charter. Courts and in one District Court in each State on z To develop, install & implement decision a pilot basis. support systems in courts. € They are dedicated to serving as a one-stop centre z To automate the processes to provide for all legal aid and assistance for common transparency and accessibility of litigants and advocates. information to its stakeholders.

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z To enhance judicial productivity, both € Right of consumers to have minimum standards qualitatively and quantitatively, to make of service for the supply of electricity from the the justice delivery system affordable, distribution licensee. accessible, cost-effective, predictable, ¾ Release of New Connection and Modification in reliable and transparent. Existing Ones € Transparent, simple and time-bound processes. Electricity (Rights € An applicant has an option for online application. of Consumers) Rules, 2020 € The maximum time period of 7 days in metro cities and 15 days in other municipal areas and 30 days Why in News in rural areas identified to provide new connections and modify an existing connection. Recently, the government has notified theElectricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020, which would allow € Disconnection and Reconnection Provisions consumers in India to access a continuous supply of ¾ Metering Arrangement reliable electricity. € No connection shall be given without a meter. ¾ Electricity is a Concurrent List or List-III (Seventh € Meter shall be the smart prepayment meter or a Schedule) subject and the central government has prepayment meter. the authority and the power to make laws on it. € Provision of Testing of meters. Key Points € Provisions for replacement of defective or burnt or stolen meters specified. ¾ Coverage: ¾ Billing and Payment € The rules cover various aspects of power supply to consumers in the country, including obligations € Transparency in applicable consumer tariff and of distribution licensees, metering arrangements, bills. the release of new connections, modifications of € A consumer shall have the option to pay bills existing connections, grievance redressal and online or offline. compensation mechanisms. € Provision for advance payment of bills. ¾ Significance: ¾ Reliability of Supply € This will make the distribution companies more € The distribution licensee shall supply 24x7 power accountable to consumers, thus reducing their to all consumers. However, lower hours of supply monopolies and giving consumers more for some categories of consumers like agriculture alternatives. could be specified. € To ensure compliance, the government will apply € The distribution licensee shall put in place a penalties that will be credited to the consumer’s mechanism, preferably with automated tools to account. the extent possible, for monitoring and restoring € These rules are also an important step towards outages. furthering the ease of doing business across the ¾ Consumer as Prosumer country. € While the prosumers will maintain consumer € Implementation of these Rules shall ensure that new electricity connections, refunds and other status and have the same rights as the general services are given in a time-bound manner. consumer, they will also have the right to set up Renewable Energy (RE) generation units including Areas Covered in the Rules rooftopsolar photovoltaic (PV) systems. ¾ Rights and Obligations z A prosumer is an individual who both consumes € Duty of every distribution licensee to supply and produces. electricity on request made by an owner or ¾ Standards of Performance of License occupier of any premises in line with the € Standards of performance for the distribution provisions of Act. licensees will be notified.

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€ Compensation amount to be paid to the consumers € At present, the country has 6 operational LNG by the distribution licensees for violation of regasification terminals. standards of performance. z The government has further planned to have ¾ Compensation Mechanism 1,000 LNG fuel stations across the country. € Automatic compensation shall be paid to € Coverage of CGD projects is being expanded to consumers for which parameters on standards of 232 geographical areas spread over 400 districts, performance can be monitored remotely. with potential to cover about 53% of the country’s geography and 70% of the population. ¾ Call Centre for Consumer Services ¾ National Gas Grid: € Distribution licensee shall establish a centralised 24x7 toll-free call centre. € Since a National Gas Grid (NGG) was conceptualized in 2000, India has built more than € Licensees shall endeavour to provide all services 16,000 km of the gas network. through a common Customer Relation Manager € Recent initiatives include: (CRM) System to get a unified view. z Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga Project: It seeks ¾ Grievance Redressal Mechanism to cater to the energy requirements of Uttar € Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum (CGRF) to Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West include consumer and prosumer representatives. Bengal. € It has been made easy by making it multi-layered z North East Region Gas Grid: It will pass through and the number of consumer’s representatives Assam, Sikkim, Mizoram, Manipur, Arunachal have been increased from one to four. Pradesh, Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya in € The licensee shall specify the time within which a phased manner. various types of grievances by the different levels ¾ City Gas Distribution Network: of the forums are to be resolved. Maximum € Under the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory timeline of 45 days specified for grievance Board (PNGRB) Act 2006, PNGRB grants the redressal. authorization to the entities for developing a CGD network in a specified Geographical Area (GA) of Investment for the country. € The CGD sector has four distinct segments, Creating Gas Infrastructure Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) predominantly used as auto-fuel, and Piped Natural Gas (PNG) Why in News used in domestic, commercial and industrial segments. The government will invest around USD 60 billion in ¾ Related Government Initiatives: creating gas infrastructure in the country till 2024 and increasing gas’s share in the energy mix up to 15% by € Natural Gas Marketing Reforms: Recently, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) 2030. has approved the Policy framework on reforms ¾ Currently, gas accounts for 6% in the country’s total in the exploration and licensing sector for energy mix. enhancing domestic exploration and production of oil and gas. Key Points € Indian Gas Exchange: India’s first automated ¾ Proposed Infrastructure Plan: national-level gas trading platformwas unveiled € It includes pipelines, LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) in June 2020, to promote and sustain an efficient terminals and CGD (City Gas Distribution) and robust gas market and foster gas trading in networks. the country € It has been envisaged to develop additional about € Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana: It aimed to 14,300 km pipelines to complete the National provide free cooking gas connections to poor Gas Grid and is at various stages of development. families.

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€ Gas4India Campaign: It is a multimedia, multi- € Diverse applications: event campaign to communicate to people, the z Natural gas can be used as domestic kitchen national, social, economic and ecological benefits fuel, fuel for the transport sector as well as a of using natural gas as the fuel. fuel for fertilizer industries and commercial € Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy units. (HELP): It is a contractual and fiscal model for the € Pacing up the progress line: award of hydrocarbon acreages towards z On the global front, switching to natural gas is exploration and production (E&P). It provides a bringing commendable results. The latest single, or uniform, license for the exploration and report released by the International Energy production of all conventional and unconventional Agency shows that the electricity produced by hydrocarbons from an entire contract area. natural gas worldwide was more than that of € Promotion to Compressed Natural Gas based coal for the first time ever. Public Transport. ¾ Transnational Gas Pipelines: Catch the Rain: € Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline. National Water Mission € The Middle East to India Deepwater Pipeline. Why in News Natural Gas Recently, the National Water Mission (NWM), ¾ It is mainly extracted from the petroleum deposits Ministry of Jal Shakti in collaboration with Nehru Yuva deep beneath the earth. It occurs just above the Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), Ministry of Youth Affairs and layer of crude oil, as gases are lighter than oil. Sports have launched the ‘Catch the Rain’ Awareness € High temperatures and pressure lead to the Generation Campaign. conversion of the remains of plants and animals buried under the earth into naturally occurring Key Points gas along with petroleum and coal. ¾ Tag line: Catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls. ¾ In India, Jaisalmer, Krishna Godavari delta, Tripura ¾ Aims: and some areas offshore in have natural gas Mumbai € To nudge all stake-holders to create Rain Water resources. Harvesting Structures (RWHS) suitable for the ¾ The Gas Authority of India Limited was set up in 1984 climatic conditions and subsoil strata to store as a public sector undertaking (PSU) to transport and rainwater. market natural gas. € To engage people at the grassroots through ¾ Need for Gas-based Economy: effective campaigning and Information, Education € Energy-efficient: and Communication (IEC) activities for z Natural gas produces more energy than any of implementation of the campaign. the fossil fuels in terms of calorific value. ¾ Activities: € Cleaner fuel: € Drives to make water harvesting pits, rooftop z Natural gas is a superior fuel as compared with RWHS and check dams. coal and other liquid fuels; being an € Removal of encroachments and desilting of tanks environment-friendly, safer and cheaper fuel. to increase their storage capacity. € Emission commitments: € Removal of obstructions in the channels which z India made a commitment to COP-21 Paris bring water from the catchment areas. Convention in December 2015 that by 2030, it € Repairs to traditional WHS like step-wells and would reduce carbon emission by 33%-35% of using defunct bore-wells and old wells to put the 2005 levels. water back to aquifers.

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Steps Taken for Water Conservation z IEC activities will include conducting education and motivational programs, mass awareness ¾ Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment campaigns, environment building including Guarantee Act: wall writing, etc. € Aims to improve groundwater harvesting, build water conservation and storage mechanisms € States have been requested to open Rain Centers and has enabled the government to introduce in each district, which will act as a technical water conservation as a project under the Act. guidance centre to all in the district. ¾ Jal Kranti Abhiyan: ¾ Significance: € Active efforts to revolutionise villages and cities € Emphasized focus on water conservation and through block-level water conservation schemes. rainwater harvesting will make youngsters € For example, the Jal Gram Scheme under it aimed understand the importance of water. at developing two model villages in water-starved € Highest priority to the issue of water conservation areas for water conservation and preservation. will lead to the adoption of an integrated approach ¾ National Water Mission: towards water management. € Aims to conserve water, minimise wastage and € The idea of “No or only limited will water to flow ensure more equitable distribution both across out of the compound” will help in improving soil and within states through integrated water moisture and rising groundwater table. resources development and management. € In urban areas it will reduce water gushing onto ¾ NITI Aayog’s Composite Water Management Index: roads, damaging them and will prevent urban € Aims to achieve effective utilization of water. flooding. ¾ Jal Shakti Ministry and Jal Jeevan Mission: € Jal Shakti Ministry was formed to tackle water Governor’s Role in issues holistically. € Jal Jeevan mission aims to provide piped water Calling an Assembly Session to all rural households by 2024. ¾ Atal Bhujal Yojana: Why in News € Central sector scheme for sustainable management Recently, the Kerala Governor has turned down a of groundwater with community participation request of the state Cabinet to summon a special sitting through the formation ofWater User Associations, of the Assembly to debate the new three central farm water budgeting, preparation and implementation of Gram-panchayat-wise water security plans, etc. laws. ¾ Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Key Points € Launched in July 2019 as a campaign for water ¾ Constitutional Provisions Related to Governor’s Role conservation and water security in the country. in Calling an Assembly Session: ¾ National Water Awards: € Article 174: Says that the Governor shall from € Organised by the Department of Water Resources, time to time summon the House or each House River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti. of the Legislature of the State to meet at such time and place as he thinks fit. € Focus on the good work and efforts made by individuals and organisations across the country, z The provision also puts on the Governor the and the government’s vision for the path to Jal responsibility of ensuring that the House is Samridh Bharat. summoned at least once every six months. € As a preparatory phase of Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) € Article 163: Although it is the Governor’s II, NYKS will undertake an awareness campaign prerogative to summon the House, according to through various IEC activities, to cover 623 Article 163, the Governor is required to act on the districts from December 2020 to March 2021. “aid and advice” of the Cabinet.

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z So when the Governor summons the House ceased to enjoy the confidence of the Assembly, under Article 174, this is not of his or her own that the question arises whether the Governor will but on the aid and advice of the Cabinet. may act in the exercise of his discretion. € Exception: ¾ Consequences in Kerala Case: z When the Chief Minister appears to have lost € If the Kerala government insists on holding the the majority and the legislative members of special session, there can be no legal ground to the House propose a no-confidence motion deny a request for summoning the session as: against the Chief Minister, then the Governor z The Governor’s powers are limited with regard can decide on his or her own on summoning to summoning the House. the House. z If the Governor refuses, the Governor’s refusal z The actions of the Governor, when using can also be challenged in court. his discretionary powers can be challenged in court. Governor ¾ ¾ Supreme Court’s (SC) Ruling Related to Governor’s The Governor’s appointment, his powers and Role: everything related to the office of Governor have been discussed under Article 153 to Article 162 of € In 2016, the SC looked into the constitutional crisis the Indian Constitution. in Arunachal Pradesh after the Governor had imposed President’s Rule in the state. The SC € One person can be appointed as Governor for ruled two or more States. z In ordinary circumstances during the period ¾ The role of the Governor is quite similar to that of when the Chief Minister and his council of the President of India. ministers enjoy the confidence of the majority € The Governor performs the same duties as the of the House, the power vested with the President, but for the State. Governor under Article 174 to summon, € The Governor stands as executive head of a State prorogue and dissolve the house(s) must be and the working remains the same as that of exercised in consonance with the aid and the office of President of India. advice of the chief minister and his council of ¾ It is stated that the Governor has a dual role. ministers. € He is the constitutional head of the state, bound z Summon: Summoning is the process of by the advice of its council of ministers. calling all members of the Parliament/ Assembly to meet. € He functions as a vital link between the Union z Prorogue: Prorogation means the Government and the State Government. termination of a session of the House . ¾ Eligibility: z Dissolve: A dissolution ends the very life € Article 157 and Article 158 of the Constitution of the existing House, and a new House is of India specify eligibility requirements for the constituted after general elections are held. post of governor. They are as follows: z The court read the power to summon the z A governor must: House as a “function”of the Governor and not z Be a citizen of India. a “power” he enjoys. z Be at least 35 years of age. ¾ Sarkaria Commission (1983) on Governor’s Role: z Not be a member of the either house € So long as the Council of Ministers enjoys the of the Parliament or house of the state confidence of the Assembly, its advice in these legislature. matters, unless patently unconstitutional, must z Not hold any office of profit. be deemed as binding on the Governor. ¾ Appointment: € It is only where such advice, if acted upon, would lead to an infringement of a constitutional € He is appointed by the President by warrant provision, or where the Council of Ministers has under his hand and seal.

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¾ Term: Manipur, while inaugurating several development projects in Manipur. € The term of governor’s office is normally 5 years but it can be terminated earlier by: ¾ The projects include Thoubal Multipurpose Project (Thoubal Dam), Integrated Command and Control z Dismissal by the President on the advice of the council of ministers headed by the Prime Center at Imphal, etc. Minister of the country. € Thoubal multipurpose project was first considered z Dismissal of governors without a valid by the Planning Commission in 1980 and the reason is not permitted. original cost of the project was `47.25 crores. z However, it is the duty of the President € A scheme for it was launched in 2004 but nothing to dismiss a governor whose acts are happened till 2014 and the project remained on upheld by courts as unconstitutional paper. and malafide. € It is located on river Thoubal, a tributary of z Resignationby the governor. Manipur river and will irrigate 35,104 hectares. ¾ Discretionary Powers: Key Points € Appointment of the Chief Minister: Generally, the leader of the party with majority is appointed ¾ ILP was a long-standing demand of the people of as the Chief Minister. But in a situation where no Manipur and denying it would have been an injustice party gets an absolute majority, the Governor to the indigenous people. exercises his discretionary powers in appointing ¾ Hence, Manipur, along with Dimapur district of the Chief Minister. Nagaland, was brought under the purview of the ILP € Dismissal of a Ministry: A minister holds offices System in December 2019. during the pleasure of the Governor. When the € Dimapur was the only place in Nagaland which ministry loses support of the house, the governor was not under the ILP system because the district will dismiss the ministry. But he cannot dismiss is a commercial hub and has a mixed population it until it loses majority support. (often referred to as ‘Mini India’). € Advising the President for proclamation of ¾ Pressure groups in the northeast view this permit as Emergency: The Governor advises the President a shield against the entry of illegal immigrants. to proclaim emergency when he is satisfied that ¾ the Government cannot carry on in accordance Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Mizoram with the provisions of the constitution, under were exempted from the provisions of the Citizenship Article 356. Amendment Act (CAA) 2019 due to the ILP. € € Reservation of a bill for the consideration of the The provisions on citizenship for illegal migrants President: However, situations are mentioned in would not apply to tribal areas of Assam, Article 200, when he will reserve the bill, yet he Meghalaya, Mizoram or Tripura as included in can use discretion regarding this matter. the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution and the € Dissolution of Legislative Assembly: The Governor area covered under the ILP system. summons, prorogues and dissolves the Legislative € In December 2019, the Meghalaya Assembly Assembly, according to Article 174. When the adopted a resolution for implementing the ILP ministry loses the majority and the Governor is regime in the state and urged the centre to satisfied, he may dissolve the House. include it in the ILP system.

Inner Line Permit System Inner-Line Permit in Manipur ¾ Implemented under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) 1873, the ILP is an official travel Why in News document which allows inward travel of an Indian Recently, the Union Home Minister has highlighted citizen into aprotected/restricted area for a limited the importance of Inner-Line Permit (ILP) system in period.

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€ This Act was enacted during the British era to ¾ Foreigners need a Protected Area Permit (PAP) to protect the Crown’s own commercial interests visit tourist places which are different from ILPs by preventing British‘ subjects’ (Indians) from needed by domestic tourists. trading within these regions. € Under the Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order z In 1950, the Indian government replaced 1958, all areas falling between the ‘Inner Line’, as ‘British subjects’ with ‘Citizen of India’. defined in the said order, and the International Border of the State have been declared as a € An imaginary line known as the inner-line was Protected Area. created to divide between the two communities so that neither party could go beyond the line € A foreign national is normally not allowed to visit a Protected/Restricted Area unless it is established without a permit from the appropriate authorities. to the satisfaction of the Government that there € Under Section 2 of the Regulation of 1873, the are extraordinary reasons to justify such a visit. ILP was only applicable to the three North- Eastern States viz. Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh Merger of Manipur with India . and Nagaland ¾ Before 15th August 1947, by peaceful negotiations, € On 11th December 2020, the President signed the the rulers of most of the states signed the ‘Instrument order extending ILP to Manipur, which became of Accession’ which meant that their state agreed to the fourth state where the ILP regime is applicable. become a part of the Union of India. ¾ It is a special permit obligatorily required by ¾ The Maharaja of Manipur, Bodhachandra Singh, “outsiders” from other regions of the country to signed the Instrument of Accession with the Indian enter the notified states. government on the assurance that the internal autonomy of Manipur would be maintained. ¾ Under the pressure of public opinion, the Maharaja held elections in Manipur in June 1948 and the state became a constitutional monarchy. € Thus, Manipur was the first part of India to hold an election based on universal adult franchise. ¾ The Government of India succeeded in pressuring the Maharaja into signing a Merger Agreement in September 1949, without consulting the popularly elected Legislative Assembly of Manipur. ¾ On 21st January 1972, Manipur along with Meghalaya and Tripura became full-fledged states under the North Eastern Region (Reorganisation) Act, 1971. € The political map of Northeast India underwent a major change and the two Union Territories of Manipur and Tripura and the Sub-State of Meghalaya got statehood.

Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY SEHAT: J&K

Why in News Recently the Prime Minister has launched the ¾ It is issued by the concerned State Government and Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana can be issued for travel purposes solely. (AB-PMJAY) Social Endeavour for Health and

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Telemedicine (SEHAT) scheme via video-conferencing to government, provides a cover of `5,00,000 per extend health insurance coverage to all residents of family per year for secondary and tertiary care Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). hospitalisation across public and private empanelled hospitals in India. Key Points € Pre-hospitalisation and post-hospitalisation ¾ AB-PMJAY SEHAT Scheme: expenses such as diagnostics and medicines are € The Scheme provides free of cost insurance cover. also included in the scheme. It provides financial cover upto `5 lakh per family on a floater basis to all residents of J&K. ‘Adopt a Heritage: Apni z Floater basis, means that it can be used by one or all members of the family. The whole family Dharohar, Apni Pehchaan’ is insured under one plan. Project € The scheme would work in convergence with Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY). Why in News ¾ Benefits: Recently, a review meeting of the Adopt“ a Heritage: € Full coverage to residents of J&K: Apni Dharohar, Apni Pehchaan” project has been held. z At present, about 6 lakh families of J&K are Key Points getting the benefit of the Ayushman Bharat th Scheme. After the health plan, all 21 lakh ¾ Launch: 27 September, 2017 (World Tourism Day). families will get the same benefit. ¾ Ministries/Agencies Involved: Ministry of Tourism, € Portability of Treatment: Ministry of Culture and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), State/UTs Governments. z Treatment will not be limited to government and private hospitals in J&K only. Rather, ¾ Aim: To develop tourism amenities at heritage/ various hospitals are connected under this natural/tourist sites spread across India for making scheme in the country. them tourist friendly, in a planned and phased manner. z The hospitals empanelled under PM-AY scheme ¾ shall provide services under this scheme as well. Implementation: € The sites/monuments are selected on the basis € Universal Health Coverage: of tourist footfall and visibility and can be z The scheme will ensure Universal Health adopted by private and public sector companies Coverage (UHC) and focus on providing and individuals, known as Monument Mitras, for financial risk protection and ensuring quality an initial period of five years. and affordable essential health services to all € The Monument Mitras are selected by the individuals and communities. ‘oversight and vision committee,’ co-chaired by z UHC includes the full spectrum of essential, the Tourism Secretary and the Culture Secretary, quality health services, from health on the basis of the bidder’s ‘vision’ for promotion to prevention, treatment, development of all amenities at the heritage site. rehabilitation, and palliative care. z There is no financial bid involved. z UHC enables everyone to access the € The corporate sector is expected to use Corporate services, protecting people from the Social Responsibility (CSR) funds for the upkeep financial consequences of paying for of the site. health services out of their own pockets ¾ Amenities: and reducing the risk that people will be € : Clean drinking water facility, pushed to poverty. Basic Facilities illumination, ease of access, aesthetics and ¾ Ayushman Bharat PMJAY Yojana: cleanliness of site, installation of digi kiosk and € The PMJAY, world’s largest health insurance/ ticketing kiosk, signage-descriptive and directional assurance scheme fully financed by the and Wi-Fi.

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€ Advanced Amenities: Visitor Facility Centre, € In English, the term madrasah or “madrasa” Sound and Light Show, Snack Counter and usually refers more narrowly to Islamic institutions Souvenir Shop, Augmented Reality Experience and of learning. Virtual Reality (360-degree experience). € Historians and other scholars also employ the ¾ Benefits to Monument Mitras: term to refer to historical madrasah institutions € They will get limited visibility on the site premises throughout the Muslim world, which is to say a and on the Incredible India website. college/school where Islamic law was taught along ¾ Status: with other secondary subjects. € Under the project, 27 Memorandum of ¾ The Madrasas run by the Board of Secondary Understandings (MoUs) have been awarded to 12 Education, Assam (SEBA) will have ‘madrasa’ dropped Monument Mitras for 25 sites and 2 technological from their names and function as regular schools. interventions across India. € The staff of the madrasas, especially those ¾ Other Schemes for Promoting Tourism: teachers teaching religious subjects, will be € DekhoApnaDesh retained. They will be either trained to teach other subjects or in some other capacity. € Iconic Tourist Sites ¾ It is said to be a move to empower the Muslim € Swadesh Darshan community. € Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage ¾ The bill is being said to follow the ideals of Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) B R Ambedkar. He had said that religious instruction should have no place in curriculum. Assam’s Bill on € The Quran should not be taught on government Madrasa Conversion expenditure because the Bible or the Bhagavad Gita or texts of other religions are not taught on Why in News it. The Assam Assembly has recently passed a Bill to € The government spends `260 crore on madrasas convert state-run madrasas into regular schools - and the Sanskrit “tols” (sanskrit learning centres) removing them from the status of centres for religious annually. education. ¾ Further, secularism is one of the ‘basic features’ of ¾ The Cabinet has also decided that the existing the Constitution. provincialised Sanskrit tols will be converted to “study ¾ The government aspires that in the future a law is centres, research centres and institutions to study the made to make private madrasas teach science, maths Certificate/ Diploma/ Degree courses” to be started and other subjects along with religious subjects. by Kumar Bhaskar Varma Sanskrit and Ancient Studies University, Nalbari with effect from 1st April 2022. National Summit on Good, Key Points Replicable Practices & ¾ The Assam Repealing Bill, 2020 was brought to repeal Innovations two existing Acts: € The Assam Madrassa Education (Provincialisation) Act, 1995. Why in News € The Assam Madrassa Education (Provincialisation The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare of Services of Employees and Re-Organisation of digitally inaugurated the 7th National Summit on Good, Madrassa Educational Institutions) Act, 2018. Replicable Practices & Innovations through a video ¾ The new legislation also covers private-run madrasas conference. that are run under the state boards although private- ¾ The New Health Management Information System run madrasas which are not under any state board (HMIS) along with the Operational Guidelines for will remain outside its purview. Tuberculosis services at Ayushman Bharat-Health

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and Wellness Centres and the Operational Guidelines € Department of Health and Family Welfare has 2020 on Active Case Detection and Regular won the Digital India award 2020 under the Open Surveillance for Leprosy was launched at the Summit. Data Champion category for the e-Sanjeevani digital platform. Key Points z The National Informatics Centre (NIC), under ¾ About the Summit: Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), has been € The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare holds conducting the biennial Digital India Awards the National Summit on Good, Replicable to promote innovation in eGovernance and Practices and Innovations in Public Healthcare digital transformation of government service Systems in India. delivery mechanism. € € The first such summit was held in 2013 at Digital transformation has enabled the country to Srinagar to recognize, showcase and document develop a national digital health ecosystem that various best practices and innovations in the supports Universal Health Coverage in an public healthcare system. efficient, accessible, inclusive, affordable, timely and safe manner. € The practices and innovation presented in these € There is a need to the summits span across programmatic areas ranging involve and integrate grassroots healthcare workers for brainstorming from RMNCH+A (Reproductive, Maternal, on the innovations in the healthcare ecosystem, Neonatal, Child Health and Adolescent Health) and benefit from the collective wisdom which to communicable diseases (including Tuberculosis, emanates from years of experience and expertise Malaria and other vector borne diseases and of working with people’s health delivery systems. Leprosy) to new areas of Non-Communicable ¾ Disease control programmes. Recent Examples of Health Digitisation: € National Digital Health Mission (NDHM): € They also include innovations that apply systems thinking to health problems such as the use of z The NDHM is a complete digital health information technology to strengthen continuum ecosystem. The digital platform will be of care, and to address human resource shortages launched with four key features: health ID, and challenges in capacity building. personal health records, Digi Doctor and health facility registry. ¾ Highlights of the 7th National Summit: € Aarogya Setu App: € In the year 2020, 210 new initiatives were z uploaded by the States and UTs in the National It has an objective of enabling bluetooth based contact tracing and mapping of likely hotspots Healthcare Innovation Portal. and dissemination of relevant information z National Health Innovation Portal was launched about Covid-19. to serve as a platform in the public domain to facilitate collection and dissemination of good Health Management Information System practices and innovationsthat are found to be ¾ It is a Government to Government (G2G) web-based replicable. Monitoring Information System to monitor the € The Covid-19 pandemic has made the country National Health Mission and other Health self-reliant in the area of manufacturing of PPE programmes and provide key inputs for policy kit, Ventilator, mask, vaccine etc. formulation and appropriate programme € More than 1 million tele-consultations have been interventions. done on the e-Sanjeevani digital platform of the ¾ HMIS was launched in October 2008. Currently, Health Ministry. around 2 lakh health facilities (across all States/UTs) z e-Sanjeevani is a doctor to doctor telemedicine upload facility wise service delivery data on monthly system, being implemented under the basis, training data on quarterly basis and Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centre infrastructure related data on annual basis on HMIS (AB-HWCs) programme. web portal.

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¾ HMIS has been utilised inGrading of Health Facilities, z Digital-Governance: It is a framework for identifications of aspirational districts, review of establishing accountability, roles, and decision- State Programme Implementation Plan(PIPs), etc. making authority for an organization’s digital ¾ The analytical reports generated through HMIS also presence. provide gap analysis and evidence based course € These are conducted by the National Informatics correction. Centre (NIC) under the Ministry of Electronics & ¾ HMIS captures facility-wise information as follows: Information Technology (MeitY). € Service Delivery (Reproductive, Maternal and € The Awards have been held for 5 seasons earlier, Child Health related, Immunisation, family in 2009, 2012, 2014, 2016 & 2018. The Awards planning, Vector borne disease, Tuberculosis, were initially known as Web Ratna Awards until Morbidity and Mortality, OPD, IPD Services, 2014 and were re-named Digital India Awards Surgeries etc.) data on a monthly basis. from the 2016 season. € Training Data (Trainings imparted to Medicals and ¾ Awards 2020: Paramedics staff at District and State level data) € 22 digital governance initiatives/ products by on quarterly basis. Government entities under seven categories € Infrastructure (Manpower, Equipment, Cleanliness, received Digital India Awards 2020 for designing Building, Availability of Medical Services such as and implementing innovative citizen-centric Surgery etc., Super Specialties services such as digital solutions and improving the ease of living Cardiology etc., Diagnostics, Para Medical and for all citizens. Clinical Services etc.) data on annual basis. z ‘Innovation in Pandemic award’was introduced ¾ The HMIS Portal facilitates the flow of physical this year. performance from the Facility level to the Sub- € The award district, District, State and National levelusing a web also acknowledges States and Union based Health Management Information System Territories that display exemplary initiative in (HMIS) interface. establishing a comprehensive digital presence in sectors like health, labour, finance, social justice ¾ The new HMIS provides a seamless online platform and environment, leading to the accomplishment through the provision of a wide range of data, of . information and infrastructure services, duly Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) leveraging open, interoperable, standards-based ¾ Notable Winners: digital systems. € E-committee of Supreme court of India: z E-Courts project visioned and implemented by Digital India Awards 2020 the e-Committee along with Department of Justice and NIC is a Mission Mode Project of Why in News Government of India. z Citizens can access case status, causelist court Recently, the President of India has conferred Digital orders anywhere, any time through e-courts India Awards 2020. services website, mobile app, sms email Key Points services from the 3,293 court complexes. ¾ About the Awards: € Arogya Setu: € Digital India Awards have been institutionalized z It is a mobile application developed by the under the ambit of National Portal of India to Government of India to connect essential honor exemplary initiatives/practices in Digital- health services with the people of India in a Governance. fight against Covid-19. z National Portal of India:It is a Flagship Project z The App is aimed at augmenting the initiatives to facilitate single window access to of the Government of India, particularly the Government Information and Services in Department of Health, in proactively reaching cyberspace. out to and informing the users of the app

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regarding risks, best practices and relevant Key Points advisories pertaining to the containment of ¾ Driverless Metro: Covid-19. € With this achievement, DMRC has entered the € eOffice: elite league of 7% of the world’s Metro networks z It is a Mission Mode Project under the where such a facility is available. National E-Governance Plan, developed and z In 2014, only five cities had Metro rail and implemented by NIC. currently, it is present in 18 cities and the z It is a digital workplace solution.The vision of number of Metro users has also increased eOffice is to achieve a simplified, responsive, manifold. effective and transparent working of all € The driverless trains will be fully automated, government offices. eliminating the possibility of human error. € eSanjeevani: € The technology has different levels or Grades of z It is a digital platform of the Ministry of Health Automation (GoA): & Family Welfare. z In GoA 1, trains are run by one driver. z It has enabled two types of telemedicine z In GoA 2 and GoA 3, the role of the driver is services viz. Doctor-to-Doctor (eSanjeevani) reduced to operating doors and for taking over and Patient-to-Doctor (eSanjeevani OPD) Tele- in case of emergencies and the starting and consultations. halting of trains is automated. € Bihar Sahayata Mobile App: z In GoA 4, trains are set on a completely z It was an innovative initiative to transfer unattended operations mode. money directly to the bank accounts of 21 lakh ¾ Significance: stranded migrant workers outside the state. € It uses a braking system in which 50% of the € Madhya Pradesh Labour Department’s Pravasi energy goes back into the grid when the brakes Shramik and Rojgar Setu Portals: are applied, which will save a considerable z These gateways have been recognised for amount of energy making it an energy-efficient facilitating identification, registration, skilling system. plus employment of migrants and other € In a boost to Make in India, various big companies workers during the novel coronavirus are involved in the manufacturing of Metro pandemic. coaches and dozens in the manufacture of Metro € States: components. z Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West € 130 MW of solar power is currently being used Bengal won the Award under ‘Excellence in in the operations of Metro rail, which the Digital Governance - State / UT’ category. government intends to increase to 600 MW. € The Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) and India’s First Metro Lite models will reduce the distance between major cities and within them. Fully Automated Metro ¾ National Common Mobility Card: € It will give access to all modes of transportation Why in News and will do away with commuters having to wait Recently, the Prime Minister has inaugurated the in long queues for tokens. country’s first fully automated Metro, (Driverless Metro) € It allows users to pay for travel, toll charges and on Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line. retail shopping, and permits them to withdraw ¾ He also extended the fully operational National money at the same time. Common Mobility Card (NCMC) to the Airport € It will enable anyone carrying a RuPay-Debit Card Express Line of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation issued in any part of the country to travel on the (DMRC). route.

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€ This will not only help provide a common platform € Provision of better living conditions to slum for people but will also allow better research data. dwellers through regularization of hundreds of Researchers will be able to better assess the colonies. travelling patterns of people and accordingly € Opening up of new tourist destinations and suggest the best plan for development generation of employment. ¾ Other Developmental Works in Delhi: € Work for the new Parliament building under € Incentivizing electric vehicles (EVs) by giving tax the Central Vista Redevelopment Project will rebates. The old infrastructure of the capital is not only give employment to thousands of being transformed into environment-friendly people from Delhi but will also change the face infrastructure based on modern technology. of the city. nnn

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Economic Scenario

Highlights z US Puts India on Currency Watchlist z GST Revenue Gap: NIPFP z RBI Working Paper on Asset Quality and Credit Channel z National Institute for Public Finance and Policy z Loan Pact with NDB z New Rule in GST z Bitcoins z 100% FDI in DTH Services z Fraud Cases in Public Sector Banks z Special Zero Coupon Recapitalisation Bonds z India to Become Fifth Largest Economy in 2025 z 100th Kisan Rail z PCA Ruling on Retrospective Taxation z Dedicated Freight Corridor z Digital Lending Enforcement Act of 2015 is placed on the Watch US Puts India List. This includes: on Currency Watchlist z A “significant” bilateral trade surplus with the US — one that is at least USD 20 billion over a 12-month period. Why in News z A material current account surplus equivalent Recently, the US treasury has placed India on its to at least 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) currency manipulator watch list. Vietnam and over a 12-month period. Switzerland have been labelled as currency manipulators. z “Persistent”, one-sided intervention — when ¾ In 2019, the US Treasury Department had removed net purchases of foreign currency totalling at India from its currency manipulator watch list of least 2% of the country’s GDP over a 12 month major trading partners. period are conducted repeatedly, in at least six out of 12 months. Key Points € Consequence: Inclusion in the list does not subject ¾ Currency Manipulators: to any kind of penalty and sanctions but it of the € This is a label given by the US government to deteriorates the global financial image country in the financial markets in terms of foreign countries it feels are engaging in “unfair currency exchange policies including undervaluation of practices” by deliberately devaluing their currencies to gain export advantages. currency against the dollar. ¾ India’s Status: € The practice would mean that the country in question is artificially lowering the value of its € India, Taiwan and Thailand have been added to seven others already in the watch list. currency to gain an unfair advantage over others. This is because the devaluation would reduce the z Others on the list include China, Japan, Korea, cost of exports from that country and artificially Germany, Italy, Singapore and Malaysia. show a reduction in trade deficits as a result. € As per the report by the US Treasury, India and had intervened in the foreign exchange ¾ Currency Manipulator Watch List: Singapore market in a “sustained, asymmetric manner” but € The US Department of Treasury releases the semi- did not meet other requirements to warrant annual report where it has to track developments designation as manipulators. in international economies and inspect foreign € India, which has for several years maintained a exchange rates. “significant” bilateral goods trade surplus with the € Criteria: An economy meeting two of the three US, crossed the USD 20 billion mark, according to criteria in the Trade Facilitation and Trade the latest report.

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z Bilateral goods trade surplus totalled USD 22 ¾ Credit Deceleration: billion in the first four quarters through June € Credit growth deceleration in India since 2013 is 2020. explained by asset quality stress in the banking € Further, India’s net purchases of foreign exchange system, slowdown in economic activity and accelerated notably in the second half of 2019. moderation in bank deposits. Following sales during the initial onset of the € The growth rate in credit offtake has steeply pandemic, India sustained net purchases for much declined to 5.8% in November 2020, as against of the first half of 2020, which pushed net 14.2% in 2013. purchases of foreign exchange to USD 64 billion– or 2.4% of GDP–over the four quarters through € A wide divergence has also been observed in June 2020. credit growth of public and private sector banks. ¾ € According to some experts, the tag could lead to Potential Determinants of Credit Growth: the rupee appreciating as the Reserve Bank of € Asset Quality Stress: India (RBI) might step back from its dollar z Since the early 2010s, asset quality of banks in purchases. India has worsened gradually, impacting their z Currency appreciation is an increase in the value profitability. of one currency in relation to another currency. z Asset quality of Scheduled Commercial Banks A currency is strong if it is becoming more (SCBs) is measured as a ratio of gross non- valuable relative to another country’s currency. performing assets (GNPAs) to gross advances. € Nominal GDP Growth: z Higher growth in nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increases the demand for credit. z The decline in credit growth post 2013 was mainly due to a surge in bad loans, accentuated by a slowdown in GDP. z Nominal GDP is an assessment of economic RBI Working Paper on Asset production in an economy that includes current prices in its calculation. Quality and Credit Channel z Nominal differs from real GDP in that it includes changes in prices due to inflation, Why in News which reflects the rate of price increases in Recently, a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) working an economy. paper on ‘Asset quality and credit channel of monetary € Deposit Growth: policy transmission in India’ has been released. z Deposit growth has remained highly volatile, ¾ RBI introduced the RBI Working Papers series in especially from the second half of 2015. March 2011. z It needs to be noted that a financial institution Key Points with a greater availability of funds will be in a better position to provide more credit to ¾ Credit Channel: borrowers. € The credit channel of monetary policy transmission € Investment Growth: is robust in India and operates through changes in lending. z The surge in investment growth has also added to the z There are two ways the credit channel can slowdown in credit growth. work: by affecting overall bank lending (the z To the extent banks invest in securities, lower bank lending channel) and by affecting the resources would be available for extending as allocation of loans (thebalance sheet channel). credit.

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z In India, investments by banks include both Key Points investment in government securities as ¾ The government and the New Development Bank prescribed under the statutory obligations (NDB) signed a loan agreement worth 1 billion USD (statutory liquidity ratio or SLR) and voluntary to help India’s by investments held in government securities and economic recovery from Covid-19 bonds/debentures/shares of corporate bodies. supporting: € on rural infrastructure related to natural € Interest Rates: Spending resource management (NRM) and z Higher the interest rates, higher will be the cost of borrowing and hence, lower would be € Rural employment generation under MGNREGS the demand for credit. (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment € Other Bank-specific Characteristics: Guarantee Scheme). z Such as the size of the bank and capitalisation New Development Bank (an estimation of the value of a business). ¾ It is a multilateral development bankjointly founded ¾ Measures Taken: by the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China th € The accommodative stance of monetary policy and South Africa) at the 6 BRICS Summit in Fortaleza, and reduction in the policy repo rate (starting Brazil in 2014. from 2019) helped cushion the credit deceleration. ¾ It was formed to support infrastructure and z An accommodative stance means a central sustainable development efforts in BRICS and bank will cut rates to inject money into the other underserved, emerging economies for faster financial system whenever needed. development through innovation and cutting-edge z Repo Rate, or repurchase rate, is the key technology. monetary policy rate of interest at which the ¾ It’s ownership structure is unique, as the BRICS central bank or the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) countries have an equal share and no country has lends short term money to banks. any veto power. z Everything from interest rates on loans to ¾ It is headquartered at Shanghai, China. returns on deposits is influenced by this ¾ In 2018, the NDB received observer status in the crucial rate set by the RBI. United Nations General Assembly, establishing a z The central bank has slashed policy repo firm basis for active and fruitful cooperation with rate by 350 basis points to 4% now from the United Nations. 7.50% in March 2013. ¾ All members of the United Nations could be members ¾ After the Asset Quality Review (AQR), since 2015, of the Bank, however the share of the BRICS nations many hidden bad loans had surfaced, forcing the can never be less than 55% of voting power. government to enact the Insolvency and Bankruptcy ¾ Code (IBC) for resolution of bad loans. The loan has a tenor of 30 years, including a 5-year grace period. ¾ Despite the lockdown, layoffs and closure of many units in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, gross ¾ The funding comes under NDB’s Policy on fast-track NPAs of 31 banks witnessed a decline of 5.25% in emergency response to Covid-19. absolute terms as the RBI allowed relaxation in the ¾ The loan would specially help migrant workers who computation of bad loans and announced a loan have returned from urban areas and have lost their restructuring scheme. livelihoods due to the pandemic. ¾ Economic activity slowed down post lockdowns to Loan Pact with NDB contain the spread of virus, resulting in loss of employment and income of workers especially those Why in News employed in the informal sector, including rural areas. Government has recently announced a 1 billion USD ¾ The World Bank has also approved four projects loan pact with New Development Bank (NDB) to boost worth over 800 million USD for strengthening India’s rural employment and infrastructure. social protection architecture, promoting nutrition-

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supportive agriculture for tribal households in ¾ Record of Bitcoins (Blockchain): Chhattisgarh, enhancing quality education in € All the transactions ever made are contained in a Nagaland and improving safety and performance of publicly available, open ledger, although in an existing dams across states. anonymous and an encrypted form called a blockchain. Bitcoins z Transactions can be denominated in sub-units of a Bitcoin. z Satoshi is the smallest fraction of a Bitcoin. Why in News € Blockchain is a shared, immutable ledger that Recently, Bitcoin, the cryptocurrency, has crossed facilitates the process of recording transactions 20,000 US dollars in value. and tracking assets in a business network. ¾ Bitcoin’s price has always been volatile, and there is z An asset can be tangible (a house, car, cash, no clear explanation for its current rise. land) or intangible (intellectual property, ¾ Cryptocurrency is a specific type of virtual currency, patents, copyrights, branding). which is decentralised and protected by cryptographic € Virtually anything of value can be tracked and encryption techniques. traded on a blockchain network, reducing risk and cutting costs for all involved. € Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple are a few notable examples of cryptocurrencies. z A simple analogy for understanding blockchain technology is a Google Doc. Key Points z When one creates a document and shares it ¾ Introduction: with a group of people, the document is distributed instead of copied or transferred. € Bitcoin is a type of digital currency that enables z This creates a instant payments to anyone. Bitcoin was decentralized distribution chain that gives everyone access to the document introduced in 2009. Bitcoin is based on an open- at the same time. source protocol and is not issued by any central € It needs to be noted that authority. other usage and applications of Blockchain technology have ¾ History: emerged in the last few years. € The origin of Bitcoin is unclear, as is who founded z The government of Andhra Pradesh and it. A person, or a group of people, who went by Telangana have put the land records on the the identity ofSatoshi Nakamoto are said to have blockchain technology owing to its easy conceptualised an accounting system in the traceability feature. aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. z Election Commission (EC) officials are exploring ¾ Use: the potential of using blockchain technology € Originally, Bitcoin was intended to provide an to enable remote voting. alternative tofiat money and become a universally ¾ Acquiring Bitcoins: accepted medium of exchange directly between € One can either mine a new Bitcoin if they have two involved parties. the computing capacity, purchase them via z Fiat money is a government-issued currency exchanges, or acquire them in over-the-counter, that is not backed by a commodity such as person-to-person transactions. gold. € Miners are the people who validate a Bitcoin z It gives central banks greater control over transaction and secure the network with their the economy because they can control how hardware. much money is printed. z The Bitcoin protocol is designed in such a way z Most modern paper currencies, such as the that new Bitcoins are created at a fixed rate. US dollar and Indian Rupee are fiat z No developer has the power to manipulate the currencies. system to increase their profits.

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z One unique aspect of Bitcoin is that only 21 million units will ever be created. € A Bitcoin exchange functions like a bank where a person buys and sells Bitcoins with traditional currency. Depending on the demand and supply, the price of a Bitcoin keeps fluctuating. ¾ Bitcoin Regulation: € The supply of bitcoins is regulated by software and the agreement of users of the system and cannot be manipulated by any government, bank, organisation or individual. € Bitcoin was intended to come across as a global decentralised currency, any central authority regulating it would effectively defeat that purpose. € It needs to be noted that multiple governments across the world are investing in developing Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), which are digital versions of national currencies. ¾ Legitimacy of Bitcoins (or cryptocurrencies) in India: € In the 2018-19 budget speech, the Finance Minister announced that the government does not consider cryptocurrencies as legal tender and will take all measures to eliminate their use in Fraud Cases in financing illegitimate activities or as a part of the payment system. Public Sector Banks € In April 2018, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) notified that entities regulated by it should not deal in Why in News virtual currencies or provide services for facilitating Public Sector Banks (PSBs) have been reviewing loan any person or entity in dealing with or settling accounts and are expected to report more fraud cases virtual currencies. in accounts which have earlier been put under their Early z However, the Supreme Court struck down the Warning Signals (EWS) system. ban on trading of virtual currencies (VC) in ¾ The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) developed the EWS India, which was imposed by the RBI. framework as it noticed a delay in the detection and € The Supreme Court has held that cryptocurrencies reporting of banking frauds. are in the nature of commodities and hence they ¾ The objective of the EWS framework is to prevent can not be banned. and detect these offences, to provide timely reporting ¾ Possible Reasons for the Rise in the Value of the to regulators and to initiate staff accountability Bitcoin: proceedings thereby ensuring that the operations € Increased acceptance during the pandemic. and risk-taking ability of the banks is not impacted. € Global legitimacy from large players like payments firm PayPal, and Indian lenders like State Bank of Key Points India, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Yes Bank. ¾ Data Analysis: € Some pension funds and insurance funds are € The total cases of frauds (involving `1 lakh and investing in Bitcoins. above) reported by banks and financial institutions

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shot up by 28% by volume and 159% by value € Non-cooperation of borrowers during forensic during 2019-20 despite the Reserve Bank of India audits. (RBI) tightening the supervision and vigilance. z Forensic audit is an examination and evaluation € While there were 6,799 frauds involving `71,543 of a firm’s or individual’s financial records to crore as of March 2019, the number of frauds derive evidence that can be used in a court of jumped to 8,707 involving Rs.1,85,644 crore, says law or legal proceeding. the RBI’s Annual Report 2020. € Inconclusive audit reports. € PSBs topped the fraud table with 4,413 cases € Lack of decision making in Joint Lenders’ meetings involving `1,48,400 crore. account. € Private banks reported 3,066 frauds involving ¾ Overcoming Measures: `34,211 crore. € The EWS mechanism is getting revamped ¾ Current Scenario: alongside the strengthening of the concurrent € Banks are going through their accounts which audit function, with timely and conclusive were put on alert earlier. They will report fraud forensic audits of borrower accounts under wherever such instances are found in case of large scrutiny. accounts, and make 100% provision against them. € RBI is engaged in interlinking various databases z These are being reviewed thoroughly to ensure and information systems to improve fraud that banks have adequately provisioned monitoring and detection. balance sheets. € Online reporting of frauds by the Non-Banking € The RBI also indicated that the frauds registered Financial Companies (NBFC) and the Central Fraud during 2019-20 actually occurred in the loans Registry (CFR) portal of Scheduled Commercial . sanctioned during 2010-2014 Banks (SCBs) augmented with new features, are z The average lag between the date of likely to be operational by January 2021. occurrence of frauds and their detection by z RBI has put in place CFR, which is a searchable banks and financial institutions was 24 months database to help banks detect instances of during 2019-20. fraud by borrowers early on. z In large frauds, of `100 crore and above, the average lag was 63 months. € After forensic audit and investigation into these India to Become Fifth accounts, diversions and other issues were found. Largest Economy in 2025 z RBI defines diversion of funds as utilisation of short-term working capital funds for long-term Why in News purposes not in conformity with the terms of sanction; deploying borrowed funds for A recent report published by the Centre for purposes/activities other than those for which Economics and Business Research (CBER) has predicted the loan was sanctioned; and transferring that India will again overtake the UK to become the fifth borrowed funds to subsidiaries/group companies largest economy in 2025 and race to the third spot by or other corporates by whatever modalities. 2030. ¾ Reasons: ¾ CBER is a UK based company that gives independent € Weak implementation of EWS by banks. economic forecasts for public and private firms. € Non-detection of EWS during internal audits. Key Points z Internal audits evaluate a company’s internal controls, including its corporate governance ¾ Findings: and accounting processes. € The Indian economy will expand by 9% in 2021 z They ensure compliance with laws and and by 7% in 2022. regulations, help maintain accurate and timely € This growth trajectory will see India become the financial reporting and data collection. world’s third largest economy by 2030,

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overtaking the UK in 2025, Germany in 2027 € In the medium to long term, reforms such as the and Japan in 2030. 2016 demonetisation and more recently the € China in 2028 will overtake the USA to become controversial efforts to liberalise the agricultural the world’s biggest economy, five years earlier sector can deliver economic benefits. than previously estimated due to the contrasting z However, with the majority of the Indian recoveries of the two countries from the Covid-19 workforce employed in the agricultural sector, pandemic. the reform process requires a delicate and € Japan would remain the world’s third-biggest gradual approach that balances the need for economy, until the early 2030swhen it would be longer-term efficiency gains with the need to overtaken by India, pushing Germany down from support incomes in the short-term. fourth to fifth. € The infrastructure bottlenecks that exist in India ¾ Current Scenario: mean that investment in this area has the € Previously, India had overtaken the UK in 2019 potential to unlock significant productivity gains. to become the fifth largest economyin the world z Therefore, the outlook for the economy going but has been relegated to 6th spot in 2020. forwards will be closely related to the z The five economies ahead are the United government’s approach to infrastructure States, China, Japan, Germany and the United spending. Kingdom respectively. € India’s economy had been losing momentum even PCA Ruling on ahead of the shock delivered by the Covid-19 crisis. Retrospective Taxation z The rate of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth sank to a more than ten-year low of Why in News 4.2% in 2019. Recently, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) € Slowing growth has been a consequence of a has ruled that the Indian government was wrong in confluence of factors including fragility in the applying a retrospective tax on energy giant Cairn Plc. banking system, adjustment to reforms ¾ The verdict comes barely three months after India (Demonetisation, GST) and a deceleration of lost arbitration to Vodafone Plc over the retrospective global trade. tax legislation amendment. € GDP in Q2 (April-June) 2020 was 23.9% below its 2019 level, indicating that nearly a quarter of the Key Points country’s economic activity was wiped out by the ¾ drying up of global demand and the collapse of Background: domestic demand that accompanied the series € In 2006-07, Cairn UK transferred shares of Cairn of strict national lockdowns. India Holdings to Cairn India on which Income Tax ` ¾ Suggestions: authorities slapped a tax demand of 24,500 crore as it contended that Cairn UK had made € The pace of the economic recovery will be capital gains. indistinguishably linked to the development of the Covid-19 pandemic, both domestically and z Owing to different interpretations of capital internationally. gains, the company refused to pay the tax, which prompted cases being filed at the z As the manufacturer of the majority of the (ITAT) and the world’s vaccines and with a 42-year-old Income Tax Appellate Tribunal .- vaccination programme (Universal Delhi High Court Immunisation Programme) that targets 55 € In 2012, Indian government’s budget million people each year, India is better placed retrospectively amended the tax code, giving than many other developing countries to roll itself the power to go after mergers and out the vaccines successfully and efficiently acquisitions (M&A) deals all the way back to 1962 next year. if the underlying asset was in India.

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€ In 2015, Cairn Energy Plc commenced international € The Centre had failed to uphold its obligations arbitration proceedings against the Indian under the UK-India Bilateral Investment Treaty government. and international laws in seeking tax payments Retrospective Taxation from the company for its business reorganisation in the country. ¾ It allows a country to pass a rule on taxing certain products, items or services and deals and charge ¾ India’s Stand: companies from a time behind the date on which € The government will study the award and all its the law is passed. aspects carefully in consultation with its counsel. ¾ Countries use this route to correct any anomalies in € After such consultations, the government will their taxation policies that have, in the past, allowed consider all options and make a decision on the companies to take advantage of such loopholes. further course of action, including legal remedies ¾ Retrospective Taxation hurts companies that had before appropriate fora. knowingly or unknowingly interpreted the tax Suggestions rules differently. ¾ Apart from India, many countries including the USA, ¾ An investment-friendly business environment would the UK, the Netherlands, Canada, Belgium, Australia increase economic activity and help raise more and Italy have retrospectively taxed companies. revenue over time for the government. It is to be hoped that tax officials’ desire to deny their defeat Permanent Court of Arbitration and to try and hang on to legally untenable revenue ¾ It was established in 1899 and is headquartered finds an unsympathetic hearing from politicians in in The Hague, Netherlands. the finance ministry. ¾ Purpose: It is an intergovernmental organization ¾ India needs to craft meaningful and clear dispute dedicated to serve the international community resolution mechanisms in cross-border transactions in the field of dispute resolution and to facilitate to prevent the disputes from going to international arbitration and other forms of dispute resolution courts, and save the cost and time expenditure. between States. Improving the arbitration ecosystem will have a ¾ It has a three-part organizational structure positive impact on the ease of doing business. consisting of: € Administrative Council- to oversee its policies Digital Lending and budgets, € Members of the Court- a panel of independent Why in News potential arbitrators, and Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cautioned € International Bureau- its Secretariat, headed individuals and small businesses against falling prey to by the Secretary-General. the growing number of unauthorised digital lending ¾ Funds: It has a Financial Assistance Fund which aims platforms and mobile applications on promises of getting at helping developing countries meet part of the loans in quick and hassle-free manner. costs involved in international arbitration or other means of dispute settlement offered by the PCA. Key Points ¾ PCA Ruling: ¾ Digital Lending: € The Indian government must pay roughly `8,000 € It consists of lending through web platforms or crore in damages to Cairn. mobile apps, by taking advantage of technology € Cairn Tax Issue was not just a tax-related issue for authentication and credit assessment. but an investment-related dispute, and therefore € India’s digital lending market has seen a the issue comes under its jurisdiction. significant rise over the years. The digital lending € The Indian government’s retrospective demand value increased from USD 33 billion in FY15 to was in breach of the guarantee of fair and USD 150 billion in FY20 and is expected to hit the equitable treatment. USD 350-billion mark by FY23.

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€ Banks have launched their own independent ¾ India’s Digital Ecosystem: digital lending platforms to tap in the digital € Banks have partnered with Fintechs to serve their lending market by leveraging existing capabilities customers better. in traditional lending. € Government of India has taken many initiatives ¾ Significance of Digital Lending: such as Unified Payments Interface, Jan dhan € Financial Inclusion: It helps in meeting the huge yojana , Aadhaar enabled Payment System, etc. unmet credit need, particularly in the to promote digital environment in the country microenterprise and low-income consumer especially after demonetization. segment in India. Suggestions € Reduce Borrowing from informal channels :It helps in reducing informal borrowings as it ¾ India is on the verge of a digital lending revolution simplifies the process of borrowing. and making sure that this lending is done responsibly z Indians continue to borrow from family and can ensure the fruits of this revolution are realized. friends, and moneylenders, sometimes at ¾ As several players have access to sensitive consumer unreasonably high interest rates, primarily data, there must be clear guidelines around, for because these loans are more flexible and example, the type of data that can be held, the convenient. length of time data can be held for, and restrictions € Time Saving: It decreases time spent on working on the use of data. loan applications in-branch. Digital lending ¾ Digital lenders should proactively develop and platforms have also been known to cut overhead commit to a code of conduct that outlines the costs by 30-50%. principles of integrity, transparency and consumer ¾ Issues with Digital Lending Platforms: protection, with clear standards of disclosure and grievance redressal. € Growing number of unauthorised digital lending ¾ platforms and mobile applications as: An agency can be created that tracks all digital loans and consumer/lender credit history. z They charge excessive rates of interest and ¾ additional hidden charges. Apart from establishing technological safeguards, educating and training customers to spread z They adopt unacceptable and high-handed awareness about digital lending is also important. recovery methods. z They misuse agreements to access data on mobile phones of borrowers. GST Revenue Gap: NIPFP ¾ Steps Taken by RBI: € Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and Why in News banks need to state the names of online According to the National Institute for Public platforms they are working with. Finance and Policy (NIPFP), the revenue shortfall for the € RBI has also mandated that digital lending Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation payable to platforms which are used on behalf of Banks and States in 2020-21 could be about `1.95 lakh crore in the NBFCs should disclose the name of the Bank(s) best-case scenario. or NBFC(s) upfront to the customers. ¾ The amount is significantly lower than `2.35 lakh € The central bank had also asked lending apps to crore estimated by theGST Council. issue a sanction letter to the borrower on the letter head of the bank/ NBFC concerned before Key Points the execution of the loan agreement. ¾ GST Compensation: € Legitimate public lending activities can be € According to the Goods and Services Tax undertaken by banks, NBFCs registered with the (Compensation to States) Act 2017, states will RBI and other entities who are regulated by state receive GST compensation during the transition governments under statutory provisions. period of GST (first five years of GST introduction),

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if State GST (SGST collection including receipts of ¾ Functions: Integrated GST settlement on account of SGST) € It undertakes research, policy advocacy and revenue falls short of the projected revenue capacity building in areas related to public collection. economics. z The projection of state revenue in GST isbased € One of the major mandates of the institute is to on the revenue that is subsumed in GST (also assist the Central, State and Local governments known as revenue under protection in GST)in in formulating and reforming public policies by the base year 2015-16 and 14% annual growth providing an analytical base. (year-on-year) in the revenue under rate ¾ Funding: It receives an annual grant from the protection during the GST transition period. Ministry of Finance and various State governments. € GST compensation is paid using funds specifically However, it maintains an independent non- collected as compensation cess. government character. z Compensation cess is levied on products ¾ Governing Body: considered to be sin or luxury goods. € It includes the Revenue Secretary, Economic ¾ Findings of NIPFP: Affairs Secretary and the Chief Economic Advisor € The revenue gap in state GST collection is from the Ministry of Finance and representatives expected to vary between 2.85 lakh crore to from NITI Aayog, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and `3.27 lakh crore. GST compensation cess three state governments. collection in 2020-21 is expected tovary between € It also includes three distinguished economists, `82,242 crore to `90,386 crore. members of sponsoring agencies and other z Therefore, revenue to the tune of `1.95 lakh invitees. ` to 2.45 lakh crore may require in providing € It is involved in appointing the Chairman and the full GST compensation to states in 2020-21. Director. € Maximum revenue gaps are expected for Goa, z The usual tenure of a chairman is four years, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Kerala and Chhattisgarh. which can be extended. ¾ Step Taken by the Government: z At present, Dr Urjit Patel, former Governor of € Recently, the Ministry of Finance has released the the RBI, is the Chairman. ` eighth weekly instalment of 6,000 crore to the ¾ Location: New Delhi. states to meet the GST compensation shortfall, taking the total amount released so far under this window to `48,000 crore. New Rule in GST € The Central government borrows the funds under a special window and passes it on to states in a Why in News back-to-back loan arrangement. Recently, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and z The interest rate for the latest loan instalment Customs (CBIC) has made it mandatory for businesses was 4.19%, while the average rate for the entire with a monthly turnover of more than `50 lakh to pay borrowing so far is at 4.7%. at least 1% of their Goods and Services Tax (GST) liability in cash. National Institute for ¾ It will be effective from 1st January 2021. Public Finance and Policy Key Points ¾ Formation: NIPFP is an autonomous body set up ¾ The new rule restricts use of Input Tax Credit (ITC) jointly by the Ministry of Finance, the erstwhile for discharging GST liability to 99%. Planning Commission, and several state governments. € The CBIC has booked about 12,000 cases of ITC It was founded in 1976. It is registered under the fraud and arrested 365 persons in such cases so Societies Registration Act, 1860. far.

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€ The move will curb tax evasion by way of fake € Government has arrived at this rule after detailed invoicing. deliberations in the GST Council’s Law Committee € ITC is provided to set off tax paid on the purchase to identify and control only fraudsters involved in of raw materials, consumables, goods or services fake invoices and input tax credits. that were used in the manufacturing of goods or services. This helps in avoiding double taxation 100% FDI in DTH Services and the cascading effect of taxes. Why in News ¾ However, this restriction will not apply in cases: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting(I&B) € Where the managing director or any partner has has recently approved revised guidelines for paid more than `1 lakh as income tax, or Direct-to- Home (DTH) broadcasting services, allowing 100% € The registered person has received a refund Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) as well as increasing the amount of more than `1 lakh in the preceding licence period to 20 years. financial year on account of unutilised input tax ¾ DTH Broadcasting Service refers to the distribution credit. of multi channel TV programmes in Ku Band by using ¾ This comes to only 0.37% of the total businesses a satellite system by providing TV signals direct to registered in the GST system. subscribers’ premises. € Of the total GST taxpayer base of 1.2 crore, only € Ku-band is a portion of the electromagnetic about 4 lakh have monthly supply value greater spectrum. It is best known for its use in satellite than `50 lakh. broadcast communications. Ku-band falls in the € Of these, only about 1.5 lakh pay less than 1% of middle in terms of frequency, utilizing the their GST liability in cash and when exclusions in approximate range of 12-18 GHz of radiofrequency. the rule are applied, around 1.05 lakh taxpayers Key Points get further excluded. ¾ License Duration: € Thus, the rule would apply only to 40,000 to € The licenses will be issued for a period of 20 years, 45,000 taxpayers. compared to 10 years at present and will be ¾ Criticism: renewed for a 10-year period. € It is feared that the mandatory cash payment will ¾ License Fee: adversely affect small businesses, increase their € The license fee has been revised from 10% of working capital requirement and make GST a Gross Revenue (GR) to 8% of Adjusted Gross more complex indirect tax system. Revenue (AGR), which will be calculated by deduction of GST from GR. Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs z AGR is the usage and licensing fee that telecom ¾ It is a part of the Department of Revenue under operators are charged by the Department of the Ministry of Finance. Telecommunications (DoT). ¾ The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) z It is divided into spectrum usage charges and was renamed as the CBIC in 2018 after the roll out licensing fees. of the GST. € Further, broadcasting firms will have to pay the ¾ It deals with the tasks of formulation of policy license fee on a quarterly basis, rather than the concerning levy and collection of customs, central annual basis as of now. excise duties, Central GST (CGST) and Integrated ¾ Infrastructure Sharing: The government has also GST (IGST). allowed DTH operators to share infrastructure. ¾ Government’s Stand: € Distributors of TV channels will be permitted to € The Department of Revenue has held that these share the common hardware for their Subscriber fears are misplaced and “only risky or suspicious Management System (SMS) etc. dealers and fly-by-night operators” will be z SMS is a server important for cable TV digital affected by the move. systems.

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¾ Benefits: has seen a sharp decline of 25% coming down to € The revised guidelines may also enable DTH service 54.26 million in April to June quarter in comparison providers to invest for more coverage leading to to 72.44 million in January to March of 2020. increased operations and higher growth and € A recent survey suggests that almost 55% Indians thereby enhanced and regular payment. prefer OTT over DTH services and almost 87% of € Sharing of infrastructure by the DTH operators, Indians use mobile to watch videos these days. may bring in more efficient use of scarce satellite ¾ Convenience of OTT: resources and reduce the costs borne by the € The convenience and ease with which OTT consumers. platforms can be watched makes it more attractive. ¾ Background: Mobile phones can be carried anywhere and the € The Ministry of Commerce and Industry had user can watch anything of the choice anywhere, previously spoken of 100% FDI in the DTH sector, anytime given the data availability. but because of the guidelines issued by the I&B € OTT platforms seem a better option in comparison Ministry, the FDI was limited to 49%. to high tariffs and the tedious process of choosing € Recently, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of the channel combinations in the DTH. India (TRAI) has also recommended that all Set Top Boxes (STBs) in the country must be made ¾ Economical Data Services: interoperable in order to promote overall sector € The cost of data services have gone down growth. drastically in the last few years which has raised € The reduction in the licence fee was recommended the number of average users including the rural by TRAI in 2014. areas as well. € The DTH operators have been arguing that, since € Because of the availability of internet and ease TRAI issued the New Tariff Order (NTO) for of carrying smartphones, tablets or laptops, there television in 2019, they have become mere is consumption irrespective of relatively higher carriers of channels and bouquets, with no pricing charges for OTT platforms like Netflix and Amazon powers for these. Prime which shows people’s demand and interest € The rise of Over The Top (OTT) services also seems in them. to have impacted the DTH subscription numbers. With high competition in the segment, OTT service providers give consumers a combination of both attractive content and subscription packages. Foreign Direct Investment ¾ It is an investment from a party in one country into a business or corporation in another countrywith the intention of establishing a lasting interest. ¾ Lasting interest differentiates FDI from foreign Special Zero Coupon portfolio investments, where investors passively Recapitalisation Bonds hold securities from a foreign country. ¾ Foreign direct investment can be made by expanding one’s business into a foreign country or by becoming Why in News the owner of a company in another country. Recently, the government has used financial innovation to recapitalise Punjab and Sind Bank by DTH v/s OTT issuing the bank `5,500 crore worth Special Zero Coupon ¾ Decline in DTH Services: Recapitalisation Bonds. € According to a recent report by the TRAI, the ¾ Punjab and Sind Bank is a Government of India average active subscriber base of DTH services undertaking.

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Key Points z Coupon is the interest which the Investor gets ¾ Bank Recapitalisation: on a bond. € € It means infusing more capital in state-run banks It is held at the Held-To-Maturity (HTM) category so that they meet the capital adequacy norms. of the bank as per the RBI guidelines. z Indian public sector banks are emphasized to z HTM securities are purchased to be owned maintain a Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) of until maturity. 12%. € These are instruments which are a variation of z CAR is the ratio of a bank’s capital in relation the recapitalisation bonds but effectively meet to its risk weighted assets and current the same purpose, and these are issued in liabilities. conformity with the RBI guidelines. € The government, using different instruments, € Financial Innovation: As the issuance of these infuses capital into banks facing shortage of special bonds will not affect the fiscal deficit while capital. As the government is the biggest at the same time provide much needed equity shareholder in public sector banks, the capital to the bank. responsibility of bolstering banks’ capital reserves lies with the government. ¾ Difference Between Normal Zero Coupon Bonds and Special Zero Coupon Bonds: € The government infuses capital in banks by either buying new shares or by issuing bonds. € Zero Coupon Bonds: ¾ Reason for Recapitalisation: z Zero-Coupon Bond, also known as the pure € In compliance with Reserve Bank of India (RBI) discount bond or deep discount bond, is guidelines which are based on Basel norms purchased at a discounted price and does not requiring banks to maintain certain amounts of pay any coupons or periodic interests to the capital reserves. fundholders. ¾ Recapitalisation Bonds: z The differencebetween the purchase price of € The government issues bonds which are a zero coupon bond and the par value at the subscribed by banks. The money collected by the time of maturity, indicates the investor’s government goes to banks in the form of equity return. capital as the government increases its share of z The Zero Coupon bonds generally come with equity holding, thereby shoring up banks’ capital a time horizon of 10 to 15 years. reserves. ¾ Difference: Special Zero Coupon Bonds are being € The money invested by banks in recapitalisation issued at par, there is no interest however Normal bonds is classified as an investment which earns Zero Coupon Bonds are issued at discount therefore them an interest. This helps the government in they technically are interest bearing. maintaining its fiscal deficit target as no money directly goes out from its coffers. Bond ¾ Special Zero Coupon Recapitalisation Bonds: ¾ It is a fixed income instrument that represents a € These are special types of bonds issued by the loan made by an investor to a borrower. In simpler Central government specifically to a particular words, a bond acts as a contract between the institution. investor and the borrower. € Only those banks, whosoever is specified, can ¾ Mostly companies and governments issue bonds invest in them, nobody else. and investors buy those bonds as a savings and € It is not tradable, it is not transferable. It is limited security option. only to a specific bank, and it is for a specified ¾ These bonds have a maturity date and when once period. that is attained, the issuing company needs to pay € There is no coupon, it is zero coupon, it is issued back the amount to the investor along with a part at par and will be paid at the end of the specified of the profit. period.

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€ Indian farmers can now transport their produce th 100 Kisan Rail to far-flung places within the country as well as gain access to international markets. Why in News € According to the government, the Kisan Rail service along with the amended farm laws would Recently, the Prime Minister has flagged off the100 th help protect farmers against the fluctuations in “Kisan Rail” service from Sangola in Solapur district of demand and supply. Maharashtra to Shalimar in West Bengal via video-conferencing. Dedicated Freight Corridor Key Points Why in News ¾ In August 2020, the first ‘Kisan Rail’ dedicated to agriculture and farmers was begun to connect Recently, the Prime Minister of India has inaugurated farmers and markets across the country. a 351-km section of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) and an Operation Control Centre (OCC) ¾ The government has invested crores of rupees in between Khurja and Bhaupur in Uttar Pradesh. modernising the country’s supply chain, of which ¾ is a project billed as the the Kisan Rail service is a new experiment. EDFC 1,839-km largest rail infrastructure being built in independent India and € Announcements regarding modernising has been in the making since 2006. agriculture were made in the Budget 2020-21 which had envisaged the Kisan Rail service and Key Points the Krishi Udaan scheme. ¾ Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC): z was launched by the Krishi Udaan Ministry of € It is a high speed and high capacity railway Civil Aviation on international and national corridor that is exclusively meant for the routes to assist farmers in transporting transportation of freight, or in other words, goods agricultural products so that it improves their and commodities. value realisation. € DFC involves the seamless integration of better z Under the scheme, financial incentives in terms infrastructure and state of the art technology. of concessions from the Centre, state ¾ DFC consists of two arms: governments and airport operators are € Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC): extended to selected airlines to encourage z It starts at Sahnewal (Ludhiana) in Punjab and operations from unserved and underserved ends at Dankuni in West Bengal. airports, and keep airfares affordable. z The EDFC route has coal mines, thermal power ¾ Despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 plants and industrial cities. Feeder routes are pandemic, the ‘Kisan Rail’ network has expanded in also being made for these. the past four months. z The EDFC route covers Punjab, Haryana, Uttar ¾ Earlier, the Kisan Rail was being run only once a week Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal but now, due to increased demand, it is being run z The World Bank is funding a majority of the thrice a week currently. EDFC. ¾ Significance: z The 351-km-long ‘New Bhaupur-New Khurja € This experiment will prove especially beneficent section’ will decongest the existing Kanpur- for the country’s 80% small and marginal Delhi main line and double the speed of freight farmers. trains from 25 kmph to 75 kmph. € The service would transform the economics of € Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC): Indian agriculture while strengthening the z The other arm is the around 1,500-km WDFC country’s cold supply chain. from Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to Jawaharlal z The lack of cold storage facilities had often Nehru Port Trust in Mumbai, touching all resulted in losses for farmers. major ports along the way.

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z The WDFC covers Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, to run freely on DFC without any restrictions Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. imposed by movement of passenger trains. z It is being funded by the Japan International € Decongestion: Cooperation Agency. z Around 70% of the freight trains currently € Connecting Link for Eastern and Western Arm:It running on the Indian Railway network are is under construction between Dadri and Khurja. slated to shift to the freight corridors, leaving the paths open for more passenger trains. € The industrial corridor of Delhi-Mumbai and € Business Generation: Amritsar-Kolkata are also being developed around both these DFCs. z Tracks on DFC are designed to carry heavier loads than most of Indian Railways. DFC will get track access charge from the parent Indian Railways, and also generate its own freight business. € Punctuality : z The new section means on the Indian Railway main line, more passenger trains can be pumped in and those trains can, in turn, achieve better punctuality. ¾ Benefits: € Logistics costs will be reduced. € Higher energy efficiency. € Faster movement of goods. € It is environmentally friendly. € It will provide ease of doing business. € Helps in generating more employment.

Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd. ¾ DFCCIL under the Ministry of Railways is a special purpose vehicle tasked with planning and completion of 3,306 kms of DFCs. ¾ Significance: ¾ It is headquartered in New Delhi and is a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU). € Increased Capacity: ¾ It engages in the planning and development, z The DFC shall reform the transportation sector deployment of monetary resources, building, and will create more capacity on trunk routes of the DFCs. of Indian Railways as goods trains shall be able upkeep, and the operation nnn

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International Relations

Highlights z CAATSA Sanctions on Turkey z Post-Brexit Trade Deal z India-Bangladesh Virtual Summit z Mission Sagar-III z India-Vietnam Virtual Summit z India-Qatar z Indian Diaspora in the United Kingdom z India-Sri Lanka Joint Working Group on Fisheries

€ In 2019, the USA had removed Turkey from its CAATSA F-35 jet program over concerns that sensitive Sanctions on Turkey information could be accessed by Russia if Turkey used Russian systems along with the USA jets. Why in News ¾ S-400 Missile System: € The S-400 Triumf air defence system integrates a Recently, the USA administration has imposed multifunction radar, autonomous detection and sanctions on Turkey for its purchase of the S-400 missile targeting systems, anti-aircraft missile systems, system from Russia. launchers, and command and control centre. It is ¾ The issue of sanctions under Section 231 of the capable of firingthree types of missiles to create Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions a layered defence. Act (CAATSA) for purchase of Russian arms is of particular interest to India, which is also in the process € It is a mobile, surface-to-air missile system (SAM). of buying the S-400 from Russia. It is the most dangerous operationally deployed modern long-range (MLR) SAM in the world, Key Points considered much ahead of the USA-developed ¾ Background: Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, which is an anti-ballistic missile defence € Previously, the USA had made it clear to Turkey that system. its purchase of the S-400 system would endanger the security of the USA. ¾ Sanctions on Turkey: z The procurement will provide substantial funds € Imposed on Turkey’s main defence procurement to Russia’s defence sector, as well as Russian agency, the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB). access to the Turkish armed forces and defence € These comprise a ban on granting specific USA industry. export licenses and authorisations for any goods € Turkey moved ahead with the procurement and or technology. testing of the S-400, despite the availability of € Also, a ban on loans or credits by USA financial alternatives such asNATO-interoperable systems institutions totalling more thanUSD 10 million in (such as USA’s Patriot missile defence system), to any 12-month period. meet its defence requirements. € A ban on USA Export-Import Bank assistance for z Turkey is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization exports and mandated USA opposition to loans by (NATO) ally of the USA. international financial organisations to SSB.

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Concerns for India z It will effectively bar India from buying any major defence equipment from the USA, ¾ India, inked `39,000 crore deal to buy the S-400 putting a stop to any defence and strategic Triumf long-range surface-to-air missile systems partnership between India and the USA. The from Almaz-Antey Corporation of Russia in October Major Defence Partner (MDP) designation 2018 and the delivery is expected to start in 2021. would lose its relevance in that context. ¾ Apart from the S-400 air defence system, Project 1135.6 frigates and Ka226T helicopters will also be Countering America’s Adversaries Through affected. Also, it will impact joint ventures, like Indo- Sanctions Act Russian Aviation Ltd, Multi-Role Transport Aircraft ¾ Enacted in 2017, it is a USA federal law that imposed Ltd and Brahmos Aerospace. It will also affect India’s sanctions on Iran, North Korea and Russia. purchase of spare parts, components, raw materials ¾ Includes sanctions against countries that engage and other assistance. in significant transactions with Russia’s defence € As per the Stockholm International Peace Research and intelligence sectors. Institute (SIPRI) Arms Transfer Database, during ¾ The Act empowers the President of the USA to the period 2010-17, Russia was the top arms impose at least five of the 12 listed sanctions on supplier to India. persons engaged in a significant transaction with ¾ Russian Origin Indian Weapon: Russian defence and intelligence sectors. € Nuclear submarine INS Chakra, the Kilo-class ¾ Its ultimate goal is to preventrevenue from flowing conventional submarine, the supersonicBrahmos to the Russian Government. cruise missile, the MiG 21/27/29 and Su-30 MKI fighters, IL-76/78 transport planes,T-72 and T-90 India-Bangladesh tanks, Mi-series of helicopters, and Vikramaditya aircraft carrier. Virtual Summit ¾ The CAATSA contains 12 types of sanctions. Of these, 10 will have very little or no impacton India’s current Why in News relations with either Russia or the USA. There are only Recently, India and Bangladesh have held a virtual that may impact either two sanctions India-Russia summit covering comprehensive discussions on all aspects relations or India-USA relations. of bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional € The firstof these, which is likely to have an impact and international issues. on India-Russia relations, is the “Prohibition of ¾ Bangladesh also invited India for the celebration of Banking transactions”. 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s Independence in z This would mean difficulties for India in making 1971 and 50 years of India-Bangladesh diplomatic payments in USD to Russia for the purchase of relations, to be held in March 2021. the S-400 systems. € The second sanction will have greater consequences for India-USA relations. z This is the “export sanction” which has the potential to completely derail the India-USA Strategic and Defence partnership. z It will deny the license for, and export of, any items controlled by the USA to the sanctioned person such as all dual-use high technology goods and technology, defence related items, nuclear-related items and all other items from the USA requiring prior review and approval of the Government.

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Key Points € Bangladesh reiterated the request for 1.3 km Innocent Passage through river route along River ¾ Signing of Bilateral Documents and Inauguration Padma (main channel of Ganga in Bangladesh) of Projects: near Rajshahi district (Bangladesh). India assured € Sealed to expand cooperation seven agreements to consider the request. in diverse areas viz. hydrocarbons, elephant € Stressed on the full implementation of the ongoing conservation, sanitation, and agriculture, and Coordinated Border Management Plan. restored a cross-border rail link which was in operation till 1965. € Expressed satisfaction onefforts against smuggling of arms, narcotics and fake currency and to prevent € Inaugurated a digital exhibition on Mahatma trafficking, particularly of women and children. Gandhi and Bangladesh’s founder, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman. € Directed officials to expeditiously conclude the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the ¾ Cooperation in Health Sector: area of disaster management cooperation as both € Reiterating the highest priority India attaches to countries are prone to frequent natural disasters. Bangladesh under India’s Neighbourhood First € Bangladesh requested for early implementation policy, India assured that vaccines for Covid-19 of India’s commitment to remove remaining would be made available to Bangladesh as and restrictions on entry/exit from land ports in India when produced in India. for Bangladeshis travelling on valid documents in € India also offered collaboration in therapeutics a phased manner. and partnership in vaccine production. ¾ Trade Partnership for Growth: € Bangladesh appreciated India’s conducting capacity € Bangladesh has appreciated the Duty-Free and building courses for medical professionals in Quota Free access given to Bangladeshi exports to Bangla language. India under South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) ¾ Cultural Cooperation: since 2011. € Jointly unveiled a commemorative postal stamp € Emphasized on addressing issues of non-tariff issued by the Government of India on the occasion barriers and trade facilitation including port of birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur restrictions, procedural bottlenecks and quarantine Rahman. restrictions so that both countries can take full € India thanked Bangladesh for issuing a stamp in advantage of SAFTA flexibility. honour of Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of € Directed the officials to expeditiously conclude the th his 150 birth anniversary celebrations. ongoing joint study on the prospects of entering into € Bangladesh requested India to consider Bangladesh’s a bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership proposal to name the historic road from Mujib Nagar Agreement (CEPA). to Nodia on Bangladesh-India border as “Shadhinota € Welcomed the first meeting of the India-Bangladesh Shorok” commemorating the historic significance Textile Industry Forum and directed the officials of the road during Bangladesh’s Liberation War. to conclude the ongoing negotiations on various ¾ Border Management and Security Cooperation: MoUs on increased linkages and collaboration in € Agreed to hold an early meeting of the Joint the textile sector. Boundary Conference to prepare a new set of ¾ Connectivity for Prosperity: strip maps with a view to finalizing the delineation € Jointly inaugurated the newly restored railway of the boundaries. link between Haldibari (India) and Chilahati € It was agreed to carry out necessary work to convert (Bangladesh) and noted that this rail link will the International Boundary alongKuhsiyara river further strengthen trade and people to people into a fixed boundary. ties between the two sides. z Kuhsiyara river (known as Barak river in India) € Welcomed the signing of the second addendum is one of the transboundary rivers between to the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade India-Bangladesh. (PIWTT).

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€ Agreed to an early operationalization of the ¾ Partners in the Region and the World: Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) initiative € India thanked Bangladesh for supporting India in Motor Vehicles Agreement through the expeditious its election to theUnited Nations Security Council. signing of the Enabling MoU for Bangladesh, India € Both countries agreed to continue working together and Nepal to commence the movement of goods towards achieving early reforms of the UN Security and passengers, with provision for Bhutan to join Council, combatingclimate change, attainment of at a later date. the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and € Bangladesh expressed keen interest in the ongoing protection of the rights of migrants. India Myanmar Thailand trilateral highway project € Highlighted that regional organisations such as the and sought the support of India for enabling South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Bangladesh to connect with this project. (SAARC) and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi- € Satisfaction on commencement of a temporaryAir Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation Travel Bubble to facilitate the urgent requirements (BIMSTEC) have an important role to play. of travellers on both sides. € Bangladesh thanked India for convening the SAARC ¾ Cooperation in Water Resources, Power and Energy: leaders Video Conference in March 2020 and for € Bangladesh highlighted the need for early signing creation of theSAARC Emergency Response Fund of an interim agreement for sharing of the Teesta to counter effects of the global pandemic in the waters, as agreed upon by both the governments South Asian region. in 2011. € Bangladesh will assume chairmanship of the € Underscored the need for early conclusion of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) in 2021 and Framework of Interim Agreement on sharing of requested the support of India for working towards waters of six joint rivers, namely, Manu, Muhuri, greater maritime safety and security. Khowai, Gumti, Dharla and Dudhkumar. € Bangladesh appreciated the work of the New € Recalled the positive contribution of the Joint Development Bank and thanked India for inviting Rivers Commission (JRC) and looked forward to Bangladesh to join the institution. the next round of Secretarial level JRC meeting at the earliest. € Agreed to expedite implementation of projects India-Vietnam including India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline, Virtual Summit Maitree Super Thermal Power Project as well as other projects. Why in News € Welcomed the signing of the Framework of Understanding on Cooperation in the Hydrocarbon Recently, India and Vietnam have signed seven pacts Sector which would further augment energy linkages during their virtual summit, in areas such as defence, by streamlining investments, technology transfer, petrochemicals, and nuclear energy, and have agreed to joint studies, training and promotinghydrocarbon intensify their development partnership that will enable connectivity. achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), € Agreed to enhance cooperation in energy efficiency and develop capabilities to address climate change. and clean energy, including in biofuels. Key Points ¾ Forcibly Displaced Persons from the Rakhine State of Myanmar (Rohingya): ¾ Memorandums of Understanding (MoU)/Agreements: € India appreciated the generosity of Bangladesh in € Agreements covered diverse areas such as IT, UN sheltering and providing humanitarian assistance peacekeeping and cancer research. to the 1.1 million forcibly displaced persons from € USD 5 million Indian Grant Assistance for Army the Rakhine State of Myanmar, in the Rohingya Software Park at National Telecommunications Crisis. University, Nha Trang, Vietnam.

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€ Committed to promoting bilateral cooperation the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance between the “regulatory bodies in the fields of with international law, particularly the 1982 radiation protection and nuclear safety.” United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). € Called for the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in its entirety. ¾ Cooperation at Various Forums: € Strengthen multilateral and regional cooperation, including in the United Nations, ASEAN-led mechanisms and Mekong sub-regional cooperation. € Foster practical cooperation betweenASEAN and India in the key areas and in line with the objectives and principles as stated in the ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific(AOIP) and India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans ¾ Defence and Security: Initiative (IPOI). € € It is an important factor of stability in the Indo- Actively promote reformed multilateralism to Pacific region. make international organizations, including the UN Security Council, more representative, € Step up military-to-military exchanges, training contemporary and capable of dealing with current and capacity building programmes across the three challenges. services and coast guards and intensify defence industry collaborationbuilding on India’s defence ¾ Management of Covid-19 Pandemic: credit lines extended to Vietnam. € Encourage experience-sharing and cooperation in z VINBAX is the military exercise between the the management of Covid-19 pandemic, support armies of India and Vietnam. on-line training of health professionals, forge € More close engagement through institutionalized institutional cooperation in vaccine development, dialogue mechanisms in dealing with traditional promote open supply chains, facilitate essential and non-traditional security threats in cyber and cross-border movement of people, and maintain maritime domains, terrorism, natural disasters, close contact and coordination in multilateral health security, water security, transnational bodies like the World Health Organization (WHO). crimes etc, including through enhanced legal and € Cooperation in the Post Pandemic Era: judicial cooperation. z Acknowledging the new challenges as well z One such example is the successful as opportunities brought upon by Covid-19 implementation of the High-Speed Guard pandemic, the two sides will work towards Boat (HSGB) Manufacturing Project for Vietnam reliable, efficient and resilient supply chains, Border Guard Command under the US dollar and will promote human-centric globalization. 100 million Defence Line of Credit extended ¾ Economic Cooperation: by the Government of India to Vietnam. € New horizons for partnership created by India’s ¾ Terrorism: goal to become a USD 5 trillion economy by € Step up joint efforts in building a strong consensus 2024 and Vietnam’s ambition to become a high- for early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention income economy by 2045 will be fully explored on International Terrorism (CCIT). for all segments of the economy, including blue ¾ South China Sea: economy, MSMEs and farming communities of € Reaffirmed the importance of maintainingpeace, the two countries. stability, security and freedom of navigation and € India and Vietnam share a comprehensive strategic overflight in the South China Sea, while pursuing partnership. One great example of economic

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cooperation is the completion of the Development € Facilitate cooperation between respective agencies Projects with Indian ‘Grant-in-Aid’ Assistance of USD on the two sides to promote contents related to 1.5 million for the benefit of the local community India-Vietnam relations andtheir historical links in Vietnam’s Ninh Thuan province. in each other’s school textbooks. ¾ Cooperation on Climate Change: € Partner in new and renewable energy resources, Indian Diaspora energy conservation and other climate-resilient technologies. in the United Kingdom € India advocated that Vietnam’s possible future participation in the International Solar Alliance Why in News would bring new opportunities for cooperation in Recently, British Foreign Secretary has stated that large scale deployment of solar energy. “India’s politics” is, in some sense, “Britain’s politics” € India looks forward to Vietnam’s joining the because of the Indian diaspora in the United Kingdom Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure in (UK). the near future. ¾ The statement came as he discussed the situation € They agreed to expand the Mekong-Ganga Quick arising out of the farmers’ protests with the External Impact Projects. Affairs Minister of India. ¾ Cultural Cooperation and Links: ¾ British Prime Minister would be the chief guest at € Actively cooperate to publish anEncyclopedia of Republic Day celebrations in January 2021. India-Vietnam Cultural and Civilizational Relations ¾ Indian Prime Minister has been invited for G7 summit to mark the 50th anniversary of India-Vietnam in 2021. diplomatic relations in 2022. Key Points € Promote understanding and research of shared cultural and civilizational heritage, including ¾ Indian Diaspora: Buddhist and Cham cultures, traditions and € Indian Diaspora is a generic term used for addressing ancient scriptures. people who have migrated from the territories z The traditional systems of medicine like Ayurveda that are currently within the borders of India. and Vietnam-Traditional Medicine share many € The term “diaspora” is derived from the Greek word common threads of rich knowledge of health. diaspeirein, which means “dispersion”. Over time, z Yoga has emerged as a symbol of peace and the term evolved, and now loosely refers to any harmony and shared pursuit of spiritual wellbeing person/s belonging to a particular country with and happiness. a common origin or culture, but residing outside their homeland for various reasons. € New Development Partnership projects in heritage conservation in Vietnam (F-block of Temple at My ¾ Indian Diaspora in the UK: Son; Dong Duong Buddhist Monastery in Quang € Historical Background: Nam and Nhan Cham Tower in Phu Yen) will be z The incorporation of the British Empire in India materialised. can be linked to the existence of modern Indian ¾ People-to-People Exchange: Diaspora all over the world. € By increasing direct flights, providing ease of z Dating back to the nineteenth century, Indian travelling through simplified visa procedures and indentured labor was taken over to the British facilitating tourism. colonies in different parts of the world. ¾ Education and Institutional Cooperation: € Population: € Strengthen and institutionalize linkages such z The Indian Diaspora in the UK is one of the largest as Parliamentary exchanges; relations between ethnic minority communities in the country, the Indian States and Vietnamese Provinces; with the 2011 census recording approximately exchanges between social organisations and youth 1.5 million people of Indian origin in the UK organizations; etc. equating to almost 1.8% of Britain’s population.

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€ Economy: Indians contribute 6% of the UK’s GDP. € By weaving a web of cross-national networks, z Indian diaspora-owned companies with a the migrant workers facilitated the flow of tacit combined revenue of 36.84 billion pounds information, commercial and business ideas, and employ over 1,74,000 people and pay over 1 technologies into India. billion pounds in Corporation Tax. ¾ Political Front: € Culture: € Many people of Indian origin hold top political in the USA itself, z There has been a gradual mainstreaming positions in many countries, of Indian culture and absorption of Indian they are now a significant part of Republicans and Democrats, as well as the government. cuisine, cinema, languages, religion, philosophy, performing arts, etc. z India’s diaspora played an important role in the India-U.S. nuclear deal. z The Nehru Centre is the cultural wing of the High Commission of India in the UK which was € Indian diaspora is not just a part of India’s soft , but a fully transferable established in 1992. power political vote bank as well. z 2017 was celebrated as the India-UK year of Culture to mark the 70th anniversary of Indian Related Government Initiatives independence. ¾ Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD): € Politics: € It is celebrated once in every two years to strengthen the engagement of the overseas z In 2019, the British House of Commons had Indian community with the Government of India 15 members of parliament of Indian origin. and reconnect them with their roots. Significance of Indian Diaspora ¾ UMANG International App: € It would help all Indian international students, ¾ Huge Number: NRIs, and Indian tourists abroad to avail € According to Global Migration Report 2020, India themselves of the services of the government continues to be the largest country of origin of India anytime they want. with a - of international migrants 17.5 million € The app would be helpful in creating awareness strong diaspora across the world, and it received about India in the world through ‘Indian Culture’ the highest remittance of USD 78.6 billion (this services available on it. amounts to a whopping 3.4% of India’s GDP) from ¾ VAJRA Faculty Scheme: Indians living abroad. € The Scheme enables NRIs and the overseas € It contributes by way of remittances, investment, scientific community to participate and contribute lobbying for India, promoting Indian culture to research and development in India. abroad and for building a good image of India ¾ Know India Programme: by their intelligence and industry. € It is a three-week orientation programme ¾ Economic Front: for diaspora youth conducted with a view to € Indian diaspora is one of the richest minorities in promote awareness on different facets of life many developed countries, this helps them to lobby in India and the progress made by the country for favourable terms regarding India’s interests. in various fields. € The migration of less-skilled labour (especially Shaheen-IX to West Asia) has also helped in bringing down disguised unemployment in India. Why in News € In general, migrants’ remittances have positive China has recently asked India to “objectively” view systemic effects on the balance of payments. the on-going month-long military exercises taking place z Remittances of USD 70-80 billion help to bridge between the Chinese and Pakistani air forces, amid a wider trade deficit. increasing tensions with India.

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Key Points € Fishing Rights: The agreement gives free access to EU fleets to fish in UK waters, including up to six ¾ “Shaheen-IX” or Eagle-IX exercise, is an exercise miles off the shoreline between the Pakistan Air Force and the People’s for a five-year transition . At the end of the transition, everything Liberation Army Air Force. period will return to normal arrangements and the UK ¾ Shaheen-IX is the ninth in the series which is conducted will have full control over its waters. each year in both countries on alternate basis. z However, the UK’s fishing industry has expressed ¾ The first such drill was held in Pakistan in 2011. disappointment on the agreement on fishing ¾ Other exercises between Pakistan and china: rights. € : Bilateral Naval exercise Sea Guardians ¾ Despite the deal, there are stillunanswered questions ¾ India China exercises: about huge areas, including security cooperationand € Hand In Hand: Bilateral Army exercise access to the EU market for Britain’s huge financial services sector. Post-Brexit Trade Deal ¾ The European Commission (EC) has proposed the agreement be applied on a provisional basis until 28th February 2021. Why in News € EC is the executive branch of the EU, which brings Recently, the UK and the European Union (EU) have together the executives of all 27 member states. published the full text of the post-Brexit trade agreement ¾ The European Parliament will be asked for its consent aimed at governing their relationship when the UK to the deal in 2021 and for the process to be concluded, definitively leaves the bloc’s single marketst on31 the EC must adopt the decision. December 2020. Opportunites for India Key Points ¾ India should aggressively pursue free trade agreements ¾ The document lays out detail on trade, law (FTAs) separately with both the EU and the UK. enforcement, and dispute settlement among other arrangements. Despite the complexity of the ¾ Although it is premature to assess the gains for India document, which includes explanatory notes and from the agreement, India can explore opportunities side agreements on nuclear cooperation and the in service sectors like IT, architecture, research and exchange of classified information, both sides have development and engineering in both the markets indicated they will rush through the adoption. as the EU-UK pact does not cover the services sector. ¾ The deal ensures the two sides can continue to trade € Indian competitors likeVietnam have greater duty in goods without tariffs or quotas but despite the advantage in sectors like apparel and marine goods. breakthrough, key aspects of the future relationship ¾ India had a lot of contentious issues whilenegotiating between the 27-nation bloc and its former member FTA with the EU. However, after Brexit, the UK could remain uncertain. have a different stand on those issues and so India ¾ The two sides held extensive negotiations on three should continue pursuing FTA talks. key issues: ¾ The Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) held € Level Playing Field: It essentially means that in order that India-UK FTA would help in removing the customs to trade with the EU’s single market, the UK will duty disadvantages faced by domestic players in Britain. have to follow the same rules and regulations to € However, Federation of Indian Export Organisations ensure that it does not have an unfair advantage (FIEO) highlighted that there are no specific over other EU businesses. customs duty benefits for domestic goods from € Rules of Governance: These will dictate how any this agreement. deal is enforced as well as the penaltiesthat will ¾ The bilateral trade between India and the UK dipped be imposed if one party violates the terms of a to USD 15.5 billion in 2019-20 from USD 16.9 billion mutually-approved agreement. in 2018-19.

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€ Launched in May 2020, ‘Mission Sagar’ was India’s Mission Sagar-III initiative to deliver Covid-19 related assistance to the countries in the Indian Ocean Littoral states. Why in News The countries included were Maldives, Mauritius, Recently, the Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kiltan has Madagascar, Comoros and Seychelles. arrived at Sihanoukville Port, Cambodia as part of ongoing ¾ This Mission is being undertaken in accordance with Mission Sagar-III. the Security And Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) vision and reiterates India’s position as a dependable Key Points partner, and the Indian Navy as the Preferred Security ¾ The ship will deliver 15 tons of Humanitarian Assistance Partner and First Responder. and Disaster Relief (HADR) stores for the flood- ¾ The Mission also highlights the importance accorded affected people of Cambodia, which will be handed to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) over to Cambodia’s National Disaster Management countries and further strengthens the existing bonds. Committee (NDMC). € Cambodia and Vietnam are member nations of € Earlier, the ship delivered 15 Tons of HADR stores the ASEAN. for the flood-affected people of CentralVietnam. INS Kiltan India-Qatar ¾ It is a Kamorta-class anti-submarine warfare corvette. ¾ It is part of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Naval Why in News Command, based at Visakhapatnam. Recently, India’s External Affairs Minister met the ¾ INS Kiltan, along with the INS Sahyadri, is the latest, and discussed indigenously designed and built multi-role ships top leaders of Qatar strengthening the of the Indian Navy. economic and security cooperation between the two countries. € The two ships are equipped with a versatile array of weapons and sensors and can carry multi-role ¾ The visit is part of India’s ongoing outreach to West helicopters representing the ‘coming of age’ of Asia, which the country sees as part of its extended India’s warship building capabilities. neighbourhood. ¾ Qatar is a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Security and Growth for All in the Region ¾ Launched in 2015, it is India’s strategic vision for the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). ¾ Through SAGAR, India seeks to deepen economic and security cooperationwith its maritime neighbours and assist in building its maritime security capabilities. ¾ Further, India seeks to safeguard its national interests and ensure the IOR to become inclusive, collaborative and respect international law. ¾ The key relevance of SAGAR emerges when seen in conjunction with India’s other policies impacting the maritime domain like Act East Policy, Project Sagarmala, Project Mausam, focus on Blue Economy etc. Key Points ¾ Mission Sagar-III is part of India’s HADR assistance ¾ India and Qatar agreed to maintain regular consultations to friendly foreign countries during the ongoing and coordination on all issues of mutual interest at Covid-19 pandemic. multilateral fora. € In November 2020, as part of Mission Sagar-II, € Issues of mutual interest include energy, power, INS Airavat delivered food aid to Sudan, South petrochemicals, investments, infrastructure, Sudan, Djibouti and Eritrea. development, project exports and education.

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¾ Discussed ways to strengthen the multifaceted plastic products, construction material, textiles bilateral relationship in areas such asenergy , trade, & garments, etc. investment, food processing, healthcare, education, ¾ Cooperation in the Field of Energy: culture, defence and security. € Qatar is the largest supplier of liquefied natural € Bilateral trade was worth USD 10.95 billion in gas (LNG) to India. 2019-20. € India imports around 70% of its needs for the ¾ India thanked Qatar for taking care of people from natural gas from Qatar. the Indian community during the Covid-19 pandemic. ¾ Defence: € India and Qatar have maintained close high-level € India’s defence cooperation with Qatar has so contacts during the pandemic. far been limited to training, participation in each ¾ India appreciated Qatari Businessmen Association’s other’s conferences/events and visits by ships of commitment for business partnerships with India and Indian Navy and Coast Guard. briefed them about new opportunities flowing from € Za’ir-Al-Bahr (Roar of the Sea) is the naval exercise Atmanirbhar Bharat. between Indian and Qatar Navy. ¾ Qatar’s leader appreciated the contribution of the ¾ Cultural Relations: Indian community in Qatar and recalled his visits to India. € Cultural exchange: ¾ Recent Developments: z There is a regular flow of Indian artists performing in Qatar at events organised by community € Both the countries have decided to set up a special organizations affiliated to the Indian Cultural task force to facilitate investments by the Qatar . Investment Authority, part of India’s ongoing Centre (ICC) outreach to key West Asian states to overcome z ICC is an apex body of associations of the Indian the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. community functioning under the aegis of Embassy of India, Doha, and private sponsors. € The two sides have agreed on institutionalising measures to promote and protect the rights € Yoga: of workers, including settling labour issues and z India appreciated Qatar’s support, as a co- facilitating the movement of people between the sponsor, to its Resolution at theUnited Nations two countries in a safe and secure manner. General Assembly, adopted unanimously with a record 177 co-sponsors, declaring 21 June as India-Qatar Relation the International Day of Yoga (IDY). ¾ Economic Relations: € Education: € Trade volume: z There are 14 Indian schools in Qatar, offering z The last few years witnessed a palpable decline CBSE curricula to over 30,000 students, most in the trade volume between the two countries of whom are the children of Indian nationals due to the decline in the rates of gas and oil in working in Qatar. the international market. ¾ Indian Community: z India is considered to be the fourth largest € Indian community is the largest expatriate group export destination for the State of Qatar. in Qatar which is estimated to be around 700 z Both India and Qatar also have a good relation million people. in the banking sector. € They are making their contribution in different € Exports: sectors. Indians are highly respected in Qatar for z Qatar’s key exports to India include LNG, LPG, their sincerity, hard work, technical expertise and chemicals and petrochemicals, plastics, and law-abiding nature. aluminium articles. € Indians are employed in almost every local z India’s key exports to Qatar include cereals, establishment, governmental or private, in copper articles, iron and steel articles, vegetables, various capacities.

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€ Remittances: India and governments of Tamil Nadu and z The remittances which the Indian expatriate Puducherry to diversify and reduce fishing community in Qatar send to India are estimated pressure in the Palk Bay. to be around 750 million dollar per annum. z India also informed of initiatives taken for diversification into deep-sea fishing especially by fishermen of the Palk Bay area,infrastructure India-Sri Lanka Joint created to facilitate deep-sea fishing, promotion Working Group on Fisheries of alternative livelihood through seaweed cultivation, mariculture and varieties of Why in News aquaculture activities. z Mariculture is the farming of marine Recently, the Fourth Meeting of the India-Sri Lanka organisms for food and other products was held through Joint Working Group (JWG) on Fisheries such as pharmaceuticals, food additives, virtual mode. jewelry etc. ¾ Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar are major fishing ¾ Joint Working Group: grounds for both the countries. € India and Sri Lanka agreed to set up a Joint Working Group (JWG) on Fisheries in 2016 between the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare of India and Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development of Sri Lanka as the mechanism to help find a permanent solution to the fishermen issue. € The JWG also includes representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, the Coast Guards and Navies of both countries. € Terms of reference of the JWG: z Expediting the transition towards ending the practice of bottom trawling at the earliest. Key Points z Bottom trawling is an industrial fishing method ¾ The Fourth Meeting: where a large net with heavy weights is dragged € The two sides exchanged views on the status across the seafloor. of cooperation between Navy & Coast Guard z When the weighted nets and trawl doors are of both countries in patrolling, existing hotline dragged along the seafloor, everything in between the Coast Guards and related operational their path is disturbed or destroyed, including matters, cooperation in preservation of marine seagrasses, coral reefs or rock gardens where environment as well as the schedule for the fifth fish hide from predators. meeting of the JWG. z Framing procedures for returning fishermen z Sri Lanka also sought a safe passage for Sri arrested by both sides. Lankan fishermen to enter the Arabian Sea. z Possibility of joint patrolling. € India’s Stand: z India reiterated the need for releasing all fishing Fisherman Issue boats in Sri Lankan custody in line with the ¾ Given the proximity of the territorial waters of both commitment given by the Sri Lankan President countries, especially in the Palk Strait and the Gulf during his state visit to India in November 2019. of Mannar, incidents of straying of fishermen are z India highlighted the initiatives being taken common. under the new Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada ¾ Indian boats have been fishing in the troubled Yojana and other schemes of Government of waters for centuries and had a free run of the Bay of

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Bengal, Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar until 1974 z Fishermen often risk their lives and cross the and 1976 when treaties were signed between the IMBL rather than return empty-handed, but the two countries to demarcate International Maritime Sri Lankan Navy is on alert, and have either Boundary Line (IMBL). arrested or destroyed fishing nets and vessels € However, the treaties failed to factor in the hardship of those who have crossed the line. of thousands of traditional fishermen who were ¾ Steps Taken: forced to restrict themselves to a meagre area in € The IMBL is imaginary, but it was geo-tagged and is their fishing forays. visible to the fishermen, due toGlobal Positioning € The small islet of Katchatheevu, hitherto used by System (GPS) sets. the Indian fishermen for sorting their catch and € Deep Sea Fishing Scheme: drying their nets, fell on the other side of the IMBL. z Promoted as an alternative to bottom trawling by Tamil Nadu’s fishermen off the Palk Bay, the scheme envisages the provision of 2,000 deep sea fishing boats in place of trawlers by 2019-20, which will be the third and final year of implementation of the scheme. z It aims to put an end to disputes arising between the two countries. z It has been taken up under the ‘Blue Revolution’ scheme. nnn

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Social Issues

Highlights z India’s Stabilising Population: NFHS-5 z World Minorities Rights Day z Data Related to Women: NFSH-5 z Data on Police Organisations: BPRD

z In 19 of the 22 surveyed states, TFRs were found India’s Stabilising to be ‘below-replacement level’. Population: NFHS-5 z Replacement level fertility is the total fertility rate that is the average number of children born per woman at which a population Why in News exactly replaces itself from one generation Recent data from National Family Health Survey-5 to the next, without migration. (NFHS-5) shows that India’s population is stabilising as z This rate is roughly 2.1 children per woman the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is on decline. for most countries, although it may modestly vary with mortality rates. Key Points € Contraception: ¾ Background: z Overall Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) € During NFHS-3 and 4, conducted between 2005 has increased substantiallyin most States/UTs and 2016, there was a decline in the use of modern and it is the highest in Himachal Pradesh and methods of contraception (oral pills, condoms, West Bengal (74%). intrauterine devices) across 12 of 22 States and UTs. z Female sterilization continues to dominate as z While, in NFHS-5, 11 of 12 States where there the modern method of contraception in states was a slump earlier, saw an increase in their use. like Andhra Pradesh (98%), Telangana (93%), ¾ NFHS- 5 Data: Kerala (88%), Karnataka (84%), Bihar (78%) and € Total Fertility Rate (TFR):The total fertility rate in Maharashtra (77%). a specific year is defined as the total number of ¾ Implications: children that would be born to each woman if € The data implies that most States have attained she were to live to the end of her child-bearing replacement level fertility. years and give birth to children in alignment with € NFHS-5 provides evidence of an increase in the the prevailing age-specific fertility rates. use of modern contraceptives in rural and urban z TFR indicates the average number of children areas, an improvement in these demands being expected to be born to a woman during her met, and a decline in the average number of reproductive span of 15-49 years. children borne by a woman. z The TFR across most Indian states declined in ¾ Measures for Population Control: the past half-a-decade, more so among urban € Prime Minister’s Appeal: During his Independence women. This implies that India’s population Day Speech in 2019, the Prime Minister appealed is stabilizing. to the country that population control was a form z Sikkim recorded the lowest TFR, with one woman of patriotism. bearing 1.1 children on average. Bihar recorded € Mission Parivar Vikas- The Government has the highest TFR of 3 children per woman. launched Mission Parivar Vikas in 2017 for

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substantially increasing access to contraceptives ¾ The government and authorities should make required and family planning services in146 high fertility changes to the current policies and programs in districts with TFR of 3 and above in seven high accordance with the data given by NFHS-5. focus states. € National Family Planning Indemnity Scheme Data Related (NFPIS) : This scheme was launched in the year 2005 under this scheme clients are insured in the to Women: NFSH-5 eventualities of death, complication and failure following sterilization. Why in News € Compensation scheme for sterilization acceptors Recently, the first-phase data of the National Family - Under the scheme Ministry of Health and Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) 2019-20 has been released by Welfare provides compensation for loss of wages the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, which to the beneficiary and also to the service provider provided data on various issues related to women in India. (& team) for conducting sterilizations from the year 2014. Key Points ¾ Contradiction : ¾ Anaemia among Women: € As the data from NFHS-5 prove that the country’s € More than half of the children and women are population is stabilising, the government’s anaemic in . appeal for population reduction and fears over a 13 of the 22 States/UTs “population explosion” and calls for a “two child € It has also been observed that anaemia among policy” appears to be misguided. pregnant women has increased in half of the States/UTs compared to NFHS-4. National Family Health Survey € In all the states, anaemia is much higher among ¾ conducted NFHS is a large-scale, multi-round survey women compared to men. in a representative sample of households throughout ¾ Child Marriages: India. € There has been an increase in child marriages in € The Phase-I provides data for 22 states/UTs and Tripura, Manipur and Assam. the fieldwork in the remaining 14 (Phase-II) States/UTs is under progress. € States like West Bengal (41.6%) and Bihar (40.8%) still have a high prevalence of child marriages. ¾ All NFHSs have been conducted under the stewardship of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, € States such as Tripura, Manipur, Andhra Pradesh, Government of India, with the International Institute Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland have also shown for Population Sciences (IIPS) Mumbai, serving as an increase in teenage pregnancies. the nodal agency. ¾ Domestic/Spousal Violence: € It has generally declined in most of the states Suggestions and UTs. ¾ India’s population has already crossed 125 crores € However, it has witnessed an increase in five states, and India is expected to surpass the world’s most namely Sikkim, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, populous nation-China in the next couple of decades. Assam and Karnataka. ¾ However, restricted child policy will create a shortage z Karnataka witnessed the largest increase in of educated young people needed to carry on India’s spousal violence, from 20.6% in NFHS-4 to technological revolution. 44.4% in NFHS-5. € The problems like gender imbalance, undocumented € Sexual violence has increased in five states children, etc. faced by China (as a result of the one- (Assam, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Meghalaya and child policy) might be experienced by India as well. West Bengal). ¾ The data in NFHS-5 gives requisite input for ¾ Institutional Births: strengthening existing programmes and evolving € Institutional delivery is over 90% in 14 out of the new strategies for policy intervention. total 22 States and UTs.

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€ Increased substantially with over four-fifth of the women delivering in institutions in 19 States World Minorities Rights Day and UTs. Why in News ¾ Caesarean Section Deliveries: The National Commission for Minorities celebrated € There has been an increase in the number of World Minorities Rights Day on 18th December 2020. Caesarean section (C-section) deliveries in a th majority of states. ¾ The United Nations, on 18 December 1992, adopted the Statement on the individual’s Rights belonging to € The international healthcare community has religious or Linguistic National or Ethnic Minorities. considered the ideal rate for caesarean sections to be between 10% and 15%. Key Points € States such as Telangana, West Bengal, Himachal ¾ The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) Pradesh, and some in the northeast, have shown Act, 1992 in its Section 2(c) defines a minority as “a a jump in C-section deliveries, especially at private community notified as such by the Central government”. healthcare facilities, in the last five years. € In India, this applies to Muslim, Christians, Sikhs, z In some states like Telangana and West Bengal, Buddhist, Parsis (Zoroastrian) and Jain religions. the C-section deliveries, at private healthcare ¾ As per TMA Pai Foundation versus State of Karnataka facilities rose up to 81% and 82%. case 2002 in the Supreme Court (SC), a minority, ¾ Sex Ratio at Birth: either linguistic or religious, is determinable only by € SRB has remained unchanged or has increased reference to the demography of the State and not in most States/UTs. by taking into consideration the population of the country as a whole. € Majority of the states has a normal sex ratio of ¾ 952 or above. Constitutional Provisions Related to Minorities: € The term “Minority” is not definedin the Indian € SRB is below 900 in Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Constitution. However, the Constitution recognises Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. religious and linguistic minorities. ¾ Child Nutrition: € Article 29: It provides that any section of the € Child nutrition indicators show a mixed pattern citizens residing in any part of India having a distinct across states. While the situation improved in many language, script or culture of its own, shall have States/UTs, there has been a minor deterioration the right to conserve the same. in others. z However, the SC held that the scope of this € Drastic changes in stunting and wasting are unlikely article is not necessarily restricted to minorities in a short period. only, as use of the word ‘section of citizens’ in ¾ Financial Inclusion: the Article includes minorities as well as the majority. € Considerable progress has been recorded between NFHS-4 and NFHS-5 in regard to women operating € Article 30: All minorities shall have the right to bank accounts. establish and administer educational institutions of their choice. ¾ Sanitation and Clean Air: z The protection under Article 30 is confined € The percentage of households with improved only to minorities (religious or linguistic) and sanitation facilities and clean fuel for cooking has does not extend to any section of citizens (as increased in almost all the 22 States/UTs. under Article 29). € The Government of India has made concerted € Article 350-B:Originally, the Constitution of India efforts to provide toilet facilities to maximum did not make any provision with respect to the households through the Swachh Bharat Mission, Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities. However, and improved household environment through the the 7th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1956 Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana in the country. inserted Article 350-B in the Constitution.

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z It provides for a Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities appointed by the President of India. Data on Police National Commission for Minorities Organisations: BPRD ¾ Genesis: Why in News € In 1992, with the enactment of the NCM Act, 1992, NCM was formed. Recently, the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) has released data on police € In 1993, the first Statutory National Commission organisations. was set up and five religious communities viz ¾ It shows in the country the Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and different aspects of policing like woman police, police expenditure, constabulary Zoroastrians (Parsis) were notified as minority ratio, transport facilities, communication facilities, communities. representation of various castes and police training € In 2014, Jains were also notified as a minority centres. community. ¾ Composition: Key Points ¾ € NCM consists of a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson General Data: and five members and all of them shall be from € The government has spent `1,566.85 crore in amongst the minority communities. 2019-20 for expenditure and police training. € It highlights that € Total of 7 persons to be nominated by the Central Backward Classes, Dalits and Tribals constitute almost 67%of India’s population, Government should be from amongst persons of but their representation in police forces in the eminence, ability and integrity. country is only at 51%. € Tenure: Each Member holds office for perioda of z The goal of proportionate representation three years from the date of assumption of office. has remained unfulfilled despite all state ¾ Functions: governments providing reservation to these € Evaluation of the progressof the development of categories. minorities under the Union and States. ¾ Vacant Posts: € Monitoring of the working of the safeguards for € Over 5.31 lakh posts in police forces of different minorities provided in the Constitution and in laws states and 1.27 lakh posts in Central Armed Police (CAPF) are lying vacant. enacted by Parliament and the state legislatures. Forces z The figures include civil police, district armed z For example, the National Commission for police, special armed police and India Reserve Minority Education Institution (NCMEI) Battalions. Act, 2004, which gives the minority status ¾ Scheduled Tribes: to the educational institutions on the basis € They form 8.6% of the population and have 12% of six religious communities notified by the representation in the police forces, placing them government. at a comparatively better position. € It ensures that the Prime Minister’s 15-point € Only STs have better representation in police forces programme is implemented and the programmes in comparison to their share in population while for minority communities are actually functioning. all other backward classes fare poorly. € Looking into specific complaints regarding ¾ Dalits: deprivation of rights and safeguards of minorities € 14% of all positions in police forces across the and taking up such matters with the appropriate country were represented by Dalits at the end authorities. of 2019. € It investigatesmatters of communal conflict and € According to Census 2011, Dalits make up 16.6% riots. of India’s population.

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¾ Other Backward Classes: € Sanctioned Police Area Ratio (PAR) per 100 sq € OBCs fare the worst on the representation front km is 79.80. as, despite their 41% share in the population, they constitute only 25% of the police forces. ¾ Women: € Women are highly under-represented with 10% share in the actual strength of the police in the country, even though their share in population is 48%. z However, their situation has improved considerably over the past years as the actual strength of women in police forces has almost doubled since 2014. € Women population per woman police ratio stands at 3,026 nationally which is very low. z Poor representation of women in the police is posing serious challenges in dealing with crimes against women and women criminals. ¾ Other Ratios: € Sanctioned Population Per Police Person (PPP) is 511.81. € Sanctioned Police Population Ratio(PPR) is 195.39. z It is the number of police personnel per one lakh of the population which has declined from 198 in 2018. z The UN-mandated police-population ratio is over 220. Bureau of Police Research and Development ¾ The Government of India established it under the Ministry of Home Affairs in 1970. ¾ It replaced the Police Research and Advisory Council (1966), with the primary objective of modernization of the police force. ¾ In 1995, the Government decided to entrust issues relating to Correctional Administration Workto the BPR&D. € Thereby BPRD has to ensure the implementation of prison reforms as well. ¾ The Government of India decided to create a National Police Mission under the administrative control of BPR&D to transform the police forces in the country. ¾ In August 2020, it observed its 50th foundation day. ¾ It has been publishing the data on police organisations since 1986. nnn

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Science and Technology

Highlights z Covid in Antarctica z Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy z Aquifer Mapping and Management z Mutated Novel Coronavirus z Digital Ocean z Mystery Illness of Eluru z BBX11 Gene: Greening of Plants z Nanotechnology and Health z ISRO’s Satellite Launch: CMS-01 z Intentional Genomic Alteration z Mock Egg z Indigenous Vaccine Pneumosil z Data from Chandrayaan-2 Released: ISRO z TiHAN-IIT: Testbed for Autonomous Navigation Systems

€ Maitri: Covid in Antarctica z Maitri is India’s second permanent research station in Antarctica. It was built and finished Why in News in 1989. 36 people at a Chilean research station in Antarctica z Maitri is situated on the rocky mountainous have been found infected with the novel coronavirus. region called Schirmacher Oasis. India has also This is the first instance of the virusin Antarctica. built a freshwater lake around Maitri known as Lake Priyadarshini. Key Points € Bharti: ¾ Antarctica is uninhabited except for those manning z Bharti, India’s latest research station operational the nearly 60 permanent stations established by since 2012. It has been constructed to help several countries, including India, for carrying out researchers work in safety despite the harsh scientific research. weather. z It is India’s first committed research facility and ¾ Antarctica is Earth’s southernmost continent. It is located about 3000 km east of Maitri. contains the geographic South Pole and is situated € Other Research Facilities: in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere. z Sagar Nidhi: € At 14,000,000 square kilometres, it is the fifth- z In 2008, India commissioned the Sagar Nidhi, largest continent. for research. ¾ The Indian Antarctic Programme is a multi-disciplinary, z As an ice-class vessel, it can cut through multi-institutional programme under the control of the the thin ice of 40 cm depth and is the first National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, Indian vessel to navigate Antarctic waters. Ministry of Earth Sciences. Antarctic Treaty System ¾ India officially acceded to the Antarctic Treaty System ¾ Antarctic Treaty and related agreements are in August 1983. collectively known as the Antarctic Treaty System. ¾ Research Stations in the Antarctic: ¾ It regulates international relations with respect € Dakshin Gangotri: to Antarctica. z Dakshin Gangotri was the first Indian scientific ¾ Antarctica is defined as all of the land and ice shelves research base stationestablished in Antarctica, south of 60°S latitude. as a part of the Indian Antarctic Program. ¾ Antarctic Treaty Secretariat Headquarters is in z It has weakened and become just a supply base. Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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¾ ¾ Antarctic Treaty: Geophysical data is used to provide information on the physical properties of the Earth’s surface and € Entered into force in 1961. subsurface. As a result, geophysical data can help € Currently has 53 parties. locate hydrocarbons, minerals, aggregate, and other € Sets aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve. natural resources. € Provisions: € For example groundwater mapping, mineral z Antarctica shall be used for peaceful purposes mapping. only. z Freedom of scientific investigation in Antarctica Key Points and cooperation toward that end shall continue. ¾ Objectives of the study: z Scientific observations and results from € High resolution aquifer mapping usingheliborne Antarctica shall be exchanged and made geophysical studies, including identification of freely available. sites for artificial recharge. National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research z The main advantages of the Heliborne geophysical ¾ National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research survey is that it is fast, highly data dense, precise (NCPOR) was established as an autonomous research and economical. and development institution of the Ministry of € Create 3D Geophysical model, geophysical thematic Earth Sciences in 1998. maps at horizontal and vertical plains. ¾ It is located in Goa. € Aquifer Geometry of principal aquifer with ¾ It is the nodal agency for planning, promotion, demarcation of de-saturated and saturated aquifers. coordination and execution of the entire gamut z The rocks in which groundwater is stored are of polar and southern ocean scientific researchin called aquifers. They are typically made up of the country as well as for the associated logistics gravel, sand, sandstone or limestone. activities. € Spatial and depth wise distribution ofpaleochannel ¾ Its major responsibilitiesinclude: network if any and its linkage with the aquifer € Management and upkeep of the Indian Antarctic system. Research Bases “Maitri” and “Bharati”, and the z A palaeochannel, or paleochannel, is a remnant Indian Arctic base “Himadri”. of an inactive river or stream channelthat has z Himadri: India launched its first scientific been filled or buried by younger sediment expedition to the Arctic Ocean in 2007 and € Selecting suitable sites for groundwater withdrawal opened a research base named “Himadri” at and water conservation through artificial or managed the in July 2008 for carrying Svalbard, Norway aquifer recharge. out studies in disciplines like Glaciology, Atmospheric sciences & Biological sciences. € The study is likely to generate groundwater data in a very short time period helping in groundwater management by preparing site specific plans for Aquifer Mapping improving ground water levels in water stressed and Management areas. India and Groundwater Why in News ¾ India is the largest user of groundwater in the world, A Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) has been extracting groundwater to the tune of 253 billion recently signed between Central Ground Water Board cubic meter (bcm) per year. (CGWB), Ministry of Jal Shakti and Council Of Scientific € It is about 25% of the global groundwater extraction. And Industrial Research–National Geophysical Research Institute, for use of advanced heliborne geophysical € Out of the total of 6584 assessment units, 1034 survey (through helicopter) and other scientific studies have been categorized as ‘Over-exploited’, 253 as under the Aquifer Mapping Programme. ‘Critical’, 681 as ‘Semi-Critical’and 4520 as ‘Safe’.

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€ The remaining 96 assessment units have been z The CWMI report also states that by 2030, the classified as ‘Saline’ due to non-availability of country’s water demand is projected to be twice fresh groundwater due to salinity problems. the available supply, implying severe water ¾ Availability of Water: scarcity for hundreds of millions of people and an eventual 6% loss in the country’s GDP. € India has about 1123 billion m3 of water resources available, out of which 690 bcm is surface water € Maharashtra and nearly half the country is facing and rest 433 bcm is groundwater. an acute water shortage. Besides Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan, parts of Gujarat, € Out of total groundwater available, 90% of it is Punjab and Haryana are facing a water shortage used for irrigation purposes which is mainly for of unprecedented levels. agricultural purposes. € The remaining 10% accounts for domestic and industrial purposes combined. Digital Ocean

National Aquifer Mapping and Management Why in News Programme ¾ It is being implemented by the Central Ground Recently, the Ministry of Earth Sciences has Water Board (CGWB). inaugurated the web-based application Digital Ocean developed by ¾ NAQUIM envisages mapping of aquifers (water Indian National Centre for Ocean bearing formations), their characterization and Information Services (INCOIS) in a Virtual Meeting held development of Aquifer Management Plans to in New Delhi. facilitate sustainable management of groundwater Key Points resources. ¾ ¾ NAQUIM was initiated as a part of theGround Water About Digital Ocean: Management and Regulation Scheme ot delineate € It is a new state of the art data platformfor Ocean and characterize the aquifers to develop plans for Data Management. ground water management. € It is the first such platform to provide ocean data related services at one place. Central Ground Water Board € It includes a set of applications developed to ¾ It is a subordinate office of the Ministry of Jal organize and present heterogeneous oceanographic Shakti, and is the National Apex Agency entrusted data by adopting rapid advancements in geospatial with the responsibilities of providing scientific technology. inputs for management, exploration, monitoring, assessment, augmentation and regulation of € It facilitates an online interactive web-based groundwater resources of the country. environment for data integration, 3D and 4D (3D in space with time animation) data visualization, data CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute analysis to assess the evolution of oceanographic ¾ The National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) features, etc. is a geoscientific research organization established ¾ Significance: in 1961 under the Council of Scientific and Industrial € Digital Ocean is a big step towards the vision of Research (CSIR). Digital India and Atmanirbhar Bharat. ¾ HQ: Hyderabad € It will serve as a one-stop-solution for all the data ¾ Water Crisis in India: related needs of a wide range of users including € According to the Composite Water Management research institutions, operational agencies, Index (CWMI) report released by the NITI Aayog in strategic users, the academic community, maritime 2018, 21 major cities (Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, industry, policymakers and the public. Hyderabad and others) are racing to reach zero € It will play a central role in the sustainable groundwater levels by 2020, affecting access for management of the oceans and expanding the 100 million people. government’s Blue Economy initiatives.

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€ It will be promoted as a platform for capacity building on Ocean Data Management for all Indian BBX11 Gene: Ocean Rim countries. Greening of Plants Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services Why in News ¾ It is an autonomous organization under the Ministry Recently, the Indian Institute of Science Education of Earth Sciences (MoES). and Research (IISER) has recognized the BBX11 gene ¾ It is located in Hyderabad and was established in that facilitates the greening of crops. 1999. ¾ It is a unit of the Earth System Science Organization Key Points (ESSO), New Delhi. ¾ About BBX11 Gene: € The ESSO operates as an executive arm of the € The researchers discovered a mechanism where MoES for its policies and programmes. two proteins oppositely regulate the BBX11 gene € ESSO’s aim is to develop and improve the to maintain optimum ranges of BBX11. capability to forecast weather, climate and € BBX11 plays a vital role in regulation of the amount hazard related phenomena for social, economic of protochlorophyllide synthesized by the plant. and environmental benefits including addressing z Protochlorophyllide is an intermediate in the aspects relating toclimate change science, and synthesis of chlorophyll. climate services. z If it is less, plants are unable to efficiently ¾ It is mandated to provide the best possible ocean green in order to harvest sunlight and if the information and advisory services to society, amount of protochlorophyllide is more, then industry, government agencies and the scientific community through sustained ocean observations photobleaching occurs. and constant improvement through systematic and z Photobleaching is loss of colour by a pigment. focused research. z The quantity ofprotochlorophyllide synthesised ¾ It has adopted and developed various state-of-the- needs to be proportional to the variety of art technologies and tools that includes Potential enzymes available to transform them to Fishing Zone (PFZ) advisories, Ocean State Forecast chlorophyll. (OSF), High Wave Alerts, Tsunami early warnings, z It is very important to regulate the amount of Storm Surge and Oil-Spill advisories, etc. protochlorophyllide synthesized by the plant. ¾ It has been serving as the National Argo Data Centre ¾ Synthesis of Chlorophyll: and Regional Argo Data Centre of the International € Chlorophyll is the green pigment in plants, algae, Argo Programme. and cyanobacteria that absorbs sunlight and ¾ Other Related Initiative: uses its energy to synthesise carbohydrates from € Deep Ocean Mission: Carbon-di-Oxide (CO2) and water. z Launched in 2018, it proposes to explore the z The synthesis of chlorophyll in plants is a lengthy, deep ocean. multi-step process. z Focus: Deep-sea mining, ocean climate change € When a seedling emerges from under the soil advisory services, underwater vehicles and it must quickly synthesise chlorophyll to start underwater robotics-related technologies. supporting its own growth. z Two key projects planned in the Mission are: z In order to facilitate quick synthesis of chlorophyll, z A desalination plant powered by tidal energy. plants make a precursor of chlorophyll called z A submersible vehicle that can explore ‘protochlorophyllide’ in the dark, which glows depths of at least 6,000 metres. red in blue light. z Significance: It will enable India to develop € As soon as the plant comes out into the light from capabilities to exploit resources in theCentral under the soil, light-dependent enzymes convert Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB). protochlorophyllide to chlorophyll.

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¾ Photosynthesis Implications: € This discovery has many implications within the agriculture sector in tropical nations like India and can assist present results in optimising plant progress in frequently changing weather conditions. z Due to the quickly altering weather conditions, farmers in a number of states in India, particularly in Maharashtra, are struggling with large losses in crop yields. z This often leads to severe distress among the farming community as indicated by the high number of farmer suicides in Maharashtra for ¾ Photosynthesis is the process by which green the past several years. plants and certain other organisms transform light z Major Reasons for Crop Failure: Severe drought, energy into chemical energy. high temperature and high light. ¾ During photosynthesis in green plants, light energy € Young seedlings emerging out of the soil are is captured and used to convert water, carbon extremely sensitive to high irradiance of light. This dioxide, and minerals into oxygen and energy-rich study can provide leads to optimise plant growth . organic compounds under these stressful conditions.

¾ Factors Affecting Photosynthesis: Photosynthesis is under the influence of several factors, both ISRO’s Satellite internal (plant) and external. Launch: CMS-01 € Internal: Number, size, age and orientation of leaves, mesophyll cells and chloroplasts, internal Why in News CO2 concentration and the amount of chlorophyll. Recently, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched CMS-01 onboard the Polar Satellite € External: Availability of sunlight, temperature, Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C50 launched from the Satish CO concentration and water. 2 Dhawan Space Centre, Andhra Pradesh. z For example, despite the presence of a green ¾ In November 2020, ISRO launched India’s Earth leaf and optimal light and CO conditions, the 2 Observation Satellite, EOS-01, and nine other plant may not photosynthesise if the customer satellites. temperature is very low. ¾ Importance: Key Points € It would be impossible to overestimate the ¾ CMS-01 is a communications satellite envisaged for importance of photosynthesis in the providing services in extended C Band frequency maintenance of life on Earth. spectrum. € If photosynthesis ceased, there would soon be € The C band is a designation for a portion of the little food or other organic matter on Earth. electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave € Most organisms would disappear, and in time range of frequencies ranging from 4.0 to 8.0 Earth’s atmosphere would become nearly gigahertz (GHz). devoid of gaseous oxygen. ¾ Its coverage will include the Indian mainland, and € Energy produced by photosynthesis carried out the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep by plants millions of years ago is responsible for Islands. the fossil fuels (i.e., coal, oil, and gas) that ¾ The satellite is expected to have a life of more than power industrial society. seven years.

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Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle it will be placed into its specified slot in the Geo- Synchronous Orbit after a series of manoeuvres. ¾ India’s PSLV is the third generation launch vehicle and the first launch vehicle which is equipped ¾ CMS-01 will replace and enhance the services of with liquid stages. GSAT-12. ¾ PSLV’s first successful launch was in October 1994. € GSAT-12, a communication satellite built by ISRO, PSLV was used for two of the most important provides facilities for various communication missions. These are Chandrayaan-1 in 2008 and services like Tele-education, Tele-medicine and Mars Orbiter Spacecraft in 2013. for Village Resource Centres (VRC). ¾ Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) z To provide the space-based services directly Mark II and GSLV MkIII are the other two launch to the rural areas, ISRO has launched the vehicles. Village Resource Centres (VRCs) programme € GSLV Mk II is the largest launch vehicle developed in association with NGOs/Trusts and state/ by India, which is currently in operation. This central agencies. fourth-generation launch vehicle is a three- ¾ Next Launch of ISRO: stage vehicle with four liquid strap-ons. The € PSLV-C51, will be the next special mission for ISRO, indigenously developed cryogenic Upper Stage as it will be carrying the country’s first satellite (CUS), which is flight-proven, forms the third under the space reforms programme. stage of GSLV Mk II. z The government had announced the opening up € GSLV MkIII, chosen to launch Chandrayaan-2 of the space sector to private players with the spacecraft, is a three-stage heavy-lift launch inception of Indian National Space Promotion vehicle developed by ISRO. The vehicle has and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe). two solid strap-ons, a core liquid booster and a z The IN-SPACe is expected to hand-hold, promote cryogenic upper stage. and guide the private industries in space z GSLV Mk III is designed to carry a 4 ton class activities through encouraging policies and a of satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer friendly regulatory environment. Orbit (GTO) or about 10 tons to Low Earth € Satellites to be onboard PSLV-C51: Orbit (LEO), which is about twice the capability of the GSLV Mk II. z Pixxel India named ‘Anand’, ‘Satish Sat’ from Space Kidz India, ‘Unity Sat’ from a consortium Geosynchronous Orbit of universities. ¾ A geosynchronous orbit is a high Earth orbit that allows satellites to match Earth’s rotation. Located at 22,236 miles above Earth’s equator, this Mock Egg position is avaluable spot for monitoring weather, communications and surveillance. Why in News Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit Recently, a team of scientists from IIT Delhi has won ¾ To attain geosynchronous (and also geostationary) an innovation contest (Innovate 4 SDG) organised by Earth orbits, a spacecraft is first launched into an the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) elliptical orbit. This is called a Geosynchronous Accelerator Lab India for their innovation of a “plant- Transfer Orbit (GTO). based mock egg”. ¾ A GTO is highly elliptic. Its perigee (closest point to ¾ UNDP Accelerator Lab India seeks to address some Earth) is typically as high as low Earth orbit (LEO), of the most pressing issues facing India, such as air while its apogee (furthest point from Earth) is as high pollution, sustainable water management and client- as geostationary(or equally, a geosynchronous) orbit. resilient livelihoods through innovation. ¾ The satellite was injected precisely into its predefined ¾ The team secured the first prize and won USD 5,000 sub-Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). Eventually, for their innovation.

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Key Points ¾ Current Data: ¾ Mock Egg has been developed from very simple € The ISRO Science Data Archive (ISDA) currently farm-based crop proteins, which not only looks and holds data sets acquired by Chandrayaan-2 payloads tastes like an egg but is also very close in nutritional from September-2019 to February-2020 from profile to poultry eggs. seven instruments. ¾ The development of the mock egg meets the protein z ISDA is the long-term archive for ISRO planetary needs of the diet-specific, health-conscious, vegan missions. and vegetarian people. ¾ Data Implies: ¾ The team has also developed meat analogues for € All experiments have been performing well and chicken and fish from plant sources using fruits and the data received suggests excellent capability to vegetables. deliver on the pre-launch promises. ¾ The plant-based textured foods which resemble egg, Chandrayaan-2 fish and chicken have been developed with an aim ¾ It is an integrated 3-in-1 spacecraft of around 3,877 to address the longstanding battle formalnutrition kg consisting of an Orbiter of the Moon, Vikram and clean protein food for people. (after Vikram Sarabhai) - the lander and Pragyan (wisdom) - the rover, all equipped with scientific Data from Chandrayaan-2 instruments to study the moon. € The Chandrayaan-2 was India’s first attempt to Released: ISRO land on the lunar surface. € ISRO had planned the landing on the South Why in News Pole of the lunar surface. However, the lander Recently, the Indian Space Research Organisation Vikram hard-landed in September last year. (ISRO) has released the first set of data from the country’s Its orbiter, which is still in the lunar orbit, has a second mission to the Moon, the Chandrayaan-2, for the mission life of seven years. general public. ¾ Objective: ¾ India launched Chandrayaan-2, its second lunar € Try and build on the evidence of water molecules exploration mission afterChandrayaan-1, from Satish shown by Chandrayaan-1 and study the extent Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota on 22nd July 2019. and distribution of water on the Moon. ¾ ISRO is planning mission Chandrayaan-3 in late 2021 € Study topography, seismography, composition or early 2022. of lunar surface and the lunar atmosphere. z The study of ancient rocks and craters can Key Points offer indications of origin and evolution of ¾ Standard Requirement for Public Release of Data: the Moon. € The Chandrayaan-2 data is required to be in the z The South Pole region of the Moon also contains Planetary Data System-4 (PDS4) standard, and is clues to the fossil records of early solar systems. required to be peer reviewed scientifically and Thus, it can improve our understanding of technically before acceptance as PDS archives and the early solar system as well. declared ready for sharing with the global scientific € Map the lunar surface and prepare 3D maps of it. community and the general public. € This activity has been completed and hence the Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy first set of data from the Chandrayaan-2 mission is now being released for the wider public use through the PRADAN portal hosted by Indian Why in News Space Science Data Centre (ISSDC). Recently, various online surveys have been conducted z ISSDC is the nodal centre of planetary data to check vaccine acceptance among the general archive for the planetary missions of ISRO. population.

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Key Points ¾ Public Awareness as Solution: ¾ Vaccine Hesitancy: € Give confidence to the public by discussing the robustness of various processes involved in € It refers to delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines drug/vaccine development, despite the availability of vaccine services. It is clinical trial designs, monitoring, analysis and the regulatory reviews complex and context-specific varying across time, that happen before it is approved. place and vaccine. It Is influenced by factors such as complacency, convenience and confidence. € Use Social Media Platforms to counter any misinformation regarding vaccines and spread ¾ Reasons for Vaccine Hesitancy: awareness. € The main issue with vaccine hesitancy is misinformation. € Religious propaganda that the vaccine may contain Mutated Novel Coronavirus microbes, chemicals and animal-derived products which are forbidden by religious laws. Why in News € Social media is used in stirring fear in people by A mutated variant of the novel Coronavirus has been falsely blaming vaccines for unrelated diseases. associated with recent infections in England. This is the bedrock of the vaccine hesitancy all ¾ The virus has undergone several mutations since it across the globe. first infected humans. z For example, some sections in India have refrained from the polio vaccine. This is due to Key Points the misconception that the polio vaccine causes ¾ The New Mutant Coronavirus: illness, infertility and is ineffective. € The mutant virus has been identified as N501Y € Vaccine-derived diseases: Oral Polio Vaccines (OPV) and is likely to be a mutation in the spike protein. contains weakened but live poliovirus. This virus z It is the coronavirus spike protein that binds from the vaccine is excreted by immunized children to a human protein to initiate the process of which can move from one person to another. infection. z This allows the virus to stick around and mutate z Changes here could possibly affect how the to a more virulent form, raising the threat of virus behaves in terms of its ability to infect, or vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV). cause severe disease, or escape the immune € Inconvenience in accessing vaccines is also the response made by vaccines. leading cause of vaccine hesitancy. € There has been a single nucleotide change in one ¾ Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy: portion of the spike protein, so there would be no € In an online study conducted by infectious diseases bearing on the disease biology or even diagnostics. consultants at Apollo Hospital, Chennai, among 1424 ¾ Effect on Infection and Vaccination: health professionals, only 45% said they will take € Several coronavirus vaccines are designed to create the Covid vaccine as soon as it becomes available. antibodies targeting the spike protein. z 55% will either defer the vaccination or are € The vaccines target multiple regions on the spike, yet to decide what to do. while a mutation refers to a change in a single € Another recent online survey by the agency Local point. If there is one mutation, it does not mean Circles, where 59% of the public surveyed said vaccines would not work. they prefer to defer vaccination. € All SARS-CoV-2 strains are genetically similar to ¾ Associated Issues: one another, and scientists do not expect these € Can have a negative consequence on the efforts mutations to have a significant impact on their to control the pandemic. ability to cause more severe disease than what € May lead to a massive spread of the disease. has been observed so far.

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€ Many mutations mean nothing at all, or at least are more successful for reasons not known. Mystery Illness of Eluru z For instance a different strain may be more transmissible, but cause less disease. Why in News € Researchers need to monitor the mutations as Recently, the Andhra Pradesh government has there is no evidence that the new strain in the UK requested the All India Institute of Medical Sciences is more transmissible or more severe/resistant (AIIMS), New Delhi and the Indian Institute of Chemical to treatment or vaccination. Technology (IICT), Hyderabad to conduct a long-term study to determine the causes of the mystery illness in ¾ Mutant Variant in India: Researchers have not seen Eluru in West Godavari district. this variant in India. ¾ Earlier Mutation: Key Points € D614G Mutation:This particular mutation aided ¾ Over 70% of Eluru town, in Andhra Pradesh’s West the virus in attaching more efficiently with the Godavari district, has been affected by a mysterious ACE2 receptor in the human host, thereby making illness. it more successful in entering a human body than ¾ Symptoms of the Mystery Illness: its predecessors. € Convulsions, seizures, dizziness and nausea. z D614G showed increased infectivity but it also z Convulsion is a medical condition where displayed greater ability at attaching itself to body muscles contract and relax rapidly and the cell walls inside an individual’s nose and repeatedly, resulting in uncontrolled actions throat, increasing the viral load. of the body. Mutation z A seizure is a sudden, uncontrolled electrical ¾ A mutation means a change in the genetic sequence disturbance in the brain. It can cause changes of the virus. in behaviour, movements or feelings, and in ¾ In the case of SARS-CoV-2, which is an Ribonucleic levels of consciousness. acid ( RNA) virus, a mutation means a change in z Dizziness is a term used to describe a range the sequence in which its molecules are arranged. of sensations, such as feeling faint, weak or unsteady. € SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes Covid-19. z Nausea is stomach discomfort and the sensation € RNA is an important biological macromolecule of wanting to vomit. that is present in all biological cells. € The seizures last for 3 to 5 minutes followed usually z Principally involved in the synthesis of by vomiting or loss of consciousness. proteins, carrying the messenger instructions ¾ from Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA), which itself Possible Causes: contains the genetic instructions required for € The primary suspicion is on water contamination the development and maintenance of life. by heavy metals. z € DNA is an organic chemical that contains Excessive use of bleaching powder and chlorine genetic information and instructions for protein in sanitationprogrammes as part of Covid-19 prevention measures might have caused water synthesis. It is found in most cells of every contamination. organism. z AIIMS-New Delhi found traces of lead and ¾ A mutation in an RNA virus often happens when nickel in blood samples of 25 victims out of the virus makes a mistake while it is making copies the 45 samples sent by the state government. of itself. € Scientists suspect that pesticides or insecticides € Only if the mutation results in a significant have seeped into drinking water sources. change in the protein structure can the course z Eluru receives water through canals from both of a disease be altered. Godavari and Krishna rivers. The canals pass

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through agricultural fields where runoff laced ¾ Importance of Targeted Delivery: with pesticides mixes with water in the canals. € The goal for cancer therapy is destroying the cancer ¾ Victims: cells without harming healthy cells of the body. € People of all age groups, men, women and even € Chemotherapeutics approved for treatment of small children are among the victims. cancer are highly toxic with various side effects. ¾ Recovery: € Thus the need arises for effective targeted drug € Most victims being treated are getting fine within delivery. one or two hours and are discharged. ¾ Other Uses of Nanotechnology in Health Care: € Nanotech detectors for heart attack. Nanotechnology and Health € Nanochips to check plaque in arteries. € Nanocarriers for eye surgery, chemotherapy etc. Why in News: € Diabetic pads for regulating blood sugar levels. A team of scientists has created a nanomicelle that € Nanoparticles for drug delivery to the brain for can be used for effective drug delivery to treat various therapeutic treatment of neurological disorders. cancers including breast, colon and lung cancer. € Nanosponges are polymer nanoparticles coated ¾ Nanotechnology or nanotech is the technology that with a red blood cell membrane, and can be used involves the manipulation of matter on atomic, for absorbing toxins and removing them from molecular, and supramolecular scales. This includes particles of a scale of 1 to 100 nanometers. the bloodstream. € NanoFlares are used for detection ofcancer cells Key Points in the bloodstream. ¾ Nanomicelles: € Nanopores are used in making DNA sequencing € Formation: more efficient. z Nanomicelles are formed when amphiphilic ¾ Recent Use of Nanotechnology: molecules assemble themselves to create a € Antiviral nano coating on face masks and Personal globular structure that is only around 5 to Protection Equipment (PPE) kits. in diameter. 100nm ¾ Risks of Nanotechnology: z Different agents are used to create nanomicelles, € Since this field is still at its nascent stage, the likely however, they are usually made through risks are contentious. surfactant molecules that may be non-ionic, ionic, and cationic detergents. Some nanomicelles € The regulatory authorities like the US Environmental may also be developed from a mixture of lipids Protection Agency and the Health and Consumer and detergents. Protection Directorate of the European Commission have started assessing the potential risks posed € Use in Drug Delivery: by the nanoparticles. z They are amphiphilic, i.e. have a hydrophilic outer shell and a hydrophobic interior. This € Nanotoxicology is the study of potential health dual property makes them a perfect carrier for risks of nanomaterials. delivering drug molecules. z The human body can easily take up the z The hydrophilic shell makes the micelle nanomaterials as they are small in size. However, water soluble that allows for intravenous there is a need for detailed research on how it delivery while the hydrophobic core carries would behave inside an organism. The behaviour a payload of drug for therapy. of nanoparticles based on their size, shape and z Once injected intravenously, these nanomicelles surface reactivity must be thoroughly analysed can easily escape the circulation and enter the before launching them into the market. tumours where the blood vessels are found to € Nanopollutionis the generic term that is used to be leaky. These leaky blood vessels are absent describe the waste generated by the nanodevices in the healthy organs. or nanomaterials during the manufacturing process.

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Governmental Initiatives to Promote mechanisms in bacteria to fight virus attacks, Nanotechnology using a special protein called Cas9. ¾ Nano Science and Technology Mission (NSTM): z Emmanuelle Charpentier of France and Jennifer A Doudna of the USA have been € NSTM, launched in 2007, is an umbrella awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry programme that aims to promote research for developing CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors. and development in nanotechnology. The objectives include the promotion of research, z A Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) is an infrastructure development to support the animal, plant, or microbe whose DNA has been research, development of nanotechnology, human altered using genetic engineering techniques. resources, and international collaborations. € An IGA is inserted into an animal to change or ¾ Nano Science and Technology Initiative (NSTI): alter its structure and function. € The difference between an animal with an IGA € It was set up by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) in 2001 to focus on and one that does not have an IGA is that the IGA issues related to infrastructure development, gives them a new trait or characteristic, such as research and application programmes related faster growth or resistance to certain diseases. to nanomaterials including drugs, drug delivery, ¾ Use of IGA: gene targeting and DNA chips. € Changes in the DNA sequence of an animal may be carried out for research purposes, to produce healthier meat for human consumption and to Intentional Genomic Alteration study disease resistance in animals, among other reasons. Why in News z One example is of using IGAs to make an animal Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) more susceptible to certain diseases such as has approved a first-of-its-kind Intentional Genomic cancer, which helps researchers get a better Alteration (IGA) in a line of domestic pigs referred to as understanding of the disease and develop GalSafe pigs. new therapies to treat it. ¾ This will be the first time that the regulator has ¾ FDA’s Approval: approved an animal biotechnology product for both € The FDA allowed IGA in GalSafe pigs to eliminate a food and biomedical purposes. type of sugar found in mammals called alpha-gal. € GalSafe pigs may potentially be used to produce Key Points human medical products, IGA will help eventually ¾ Intentional Genomic Alteration: free these products from detectable alpha-gal € IGA in animals means making specific changes sugar, thereby protecting their human consumers to the genome of the organism using modern from potential allergies. molecular technologies that are popularly referred z Sugar is present on the surface of GalSafe pigs’ to as “genome editing” or “genetic engineering”. cells and when they are used for products such z Genome editingis a group of technologies that as medicines or food (the sugar is found in red give scientists the ability to change an organism’s meats such as beef, pork and lamb), the sugar Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA), which is the makes some people with Alpha-gal Syndrome chemical name for the molecule that carries (AGS) more susceptible to developing mild to genetic instructions in all living things. severe allergic reactions. z These technologies allow genetic material to be added, removed, or altered at particular Legislation in India Related to GMO locations in the genome. ¾ In India, GMOs and the products thereof are regulated z One such technology is Clustered Regularly under the Rules for the manufacture, use, import, Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats export and storage of hazardous microorganisms, (CRISPR), which replicates natural defence genetically engineered organisms or cells, 1989

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(referred to as Rules, 1989) notified under the ¾ India is also a signatory of Cartagena Protocol on Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Biosafety which seeks to protect biological diversity ¾ The Rules 1989 are supported by a series of guidelines from the potential risks posed by Living Modified on contained research, biologics, confined field Organisms resulting from modern biotechnology. trials, food safety assessment, environmental risk assessment etc. Indigenous ¾ These rules are very broad in scope essentiallycovering the entire spectrum of activities involving GMOs and Vaccine Pneumosil products thereof. € They also apply to any substances, products, and Why in News foodstuffs, etc. Recently, India’s first fully indigenously developed € New gene technologies apart from genetic pneumococcal conjugate vaccine “Pneumosil” has been engineering have also been included. launched. ¾ Rules 1989 are implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) Key Points jointly with the Department of Biotechnology ¾ , through (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology and state Developed by: Serum Institute of India (SII) governments. a collaboration with PATH and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. ¾ Six Competent Authorities and their composition have been notified under these Rules that include: € Serum Institute of India is a Pune based world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by number of doses € rDNA Advisory Committee (RDAC) produced and sold globally. € Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBSC) € PATH is an international, nonprofit global health € Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM) organization based in Seattle USA)( . € Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) € The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) is an € State Biotechnology Coordination Committee (SBCC) American private foundation, founded by Bill and € District Level Committee (DLC) Melinda Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, the z While the RDAC is advisory in function, the IBSC, primary goals of the foundation are to enhance RCGM, and GEAC are responsible for regulating healthcare and reduce extreme poverty across the function. SBCC and DLC are for monitoring globe, and to expand educational opportunities purposes. and access to information technology in the USA. ¾ Indian Initiatives Related to GMOs: ¾ Information about the Vaccine: € Indian GMO Research Information System:It is a € The vaccine targets the pneumococcal bacterium, database on activities involving the use of GMOs which causes pneumonia and other serious and products thereof in India. life-threatening diseases such as meningitis and z The primary purpose of this website is to sepsis, and is estimated to cause nearly four lakh make available objective and realistic scientific deaths in children under five years of age each information relating to GMOs and products year worldwide. thereof under research and commercial use to € It will be all stakeholders including scientists, regulators, available in the market at an affordable industry and the public in general. It is also price in single dose and multidose presentations. expected to promote collaborations and avoid z While pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) duplication of work. have helped reduce pneumococcal deaths, they € Bt cotton is the only Genetically Modified (GM) are difficult for many countries to afford. crop that is allowed in India. It has alien genes € The unique feature of the vaccine is its composition, from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) which is specially tailored to the prevailing serotype that allows the crop to develop a protein toxic to prevalence of S Pneumoniae in India and other the common pest pink bollworm. regions of the world.

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z A serotype or serovar is a distinct variation z According to the World Health Organisation( within a species of bacteria or virus or among WHO), pneumonia accounts for 15% of all immune cells of different individuals. deaths of children under 5 years. € It was licensed by the Drugs Controller General € Prevention: (India) in July 2020. z Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) prevents ¾ Significance: pneumococcal disease. € It is an example of India’s capability in Research z The vaccine is a mix of several bacteria of & Development & manufacturing high end the pneumococci family, which are known sophisticated Vaccines. to cause pneumonia, hence ‘conjugate’ is z Till now, India was fully dependent on included in the name of the vaccine. Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine(PCV) z Conjugate vaccines are made using a manufactured by Foreign Manufacturers which combination of two different components. are available at very high prices. z The Indian government has been ensuring PCV € The vaccine also makes SII the first developing under Universal Immunisation Programme country vaccine manufacturer to access the global (UIP) to fight pneumococcal disease. PCV market. z SII is also the maker of Covishield, the Indian TiHAN-IIT: Testbed for version of the AstraZeneca-Oxford coronavirus vaccine. Autonomous Navigation Systems Pneumococcal Disease ¾ About the Disease: Why in News z Pneumococcal disease is a name for any infection The foundation stone ofTiHAN-IIT ‘ Hyderabad’, caused by bacteria called Streptococcus India’s first Testbed for Autonomous Navigation Systems pneumoniae or pneumococcus. (Terrestrial and Aerial) has been laid recently. z The bacteria is the most common cause of bloodstream infections,pneumonia , meningitis, Key Points a nd middle ear infections in young children. ¾ Background: z Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs. Many € The Department of Science and Technology (DST) different bacteria, viruses, and even fungi can had sanctioned `135 crores to IIT Hyderabad (IIT-H) cause pneumonia. Pneumococcus is one of the under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary most common causes of severe pneumonia. Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) to set up a ¾ Doctors consider some of these infections “invasive”. Technology Innovation Hub on Autonomous € Invasive disease means that germs invade parts Navigation and Data Acquisition Systems (UAVs, of the body that are normally free from germs. RoVs, etc.) € For example, pneumococcal bacteria can invade € The Technology Innovation Hub for Unmanned the bloodstream, causing bacteremia, and the Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Remotely Operated tissues and fluids covering the brain and spinal cord, Vehicles (RoVs) at IIT Hyderabad, known as ‘TiHAN causing meningitis. When this happens, disease Foundation’ was incorporated as a Section-8 is usually very severe, requiring treatment in a company by the institute in June 2020. hospital and even causing death in some cases. z It is a multi-departmental initiative including € Disease Burden: researchers from electrical, computer science, z Annually India witnesses an estimated 71% mechanical and aerospace, civil, mathematics, of pneumonia deaths and 57% of severe and design at IIT-H with collaboration and pneumonia cases. support from reputed institutions and industry.

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z It is a great step towards ‘Atmanibhar Bharat’, z Start-ups and Incubation in the Technology ‘Skill India’ and ‘Digital India’. Vertical, Attracting Private Funding ¾ TiHAN-IIT: (Corporate Social Responsibility, Voluntary Contributions and equity based), Technology € It will facilitate research grounds to investigate the Commercialization. functioning of unmanned and connected vehicles in a controlled environment by replicating different z International Collaborations : scenarios, ranging from frequently occurring to z Academia & Industry, Faculty/Student extreme cases that may ensue in real-life traffic Exchange Programs. operations. ¾ Features of TiHAN-IIT: € At present, there is no such testbed facility in € Total Area: India to evaluate the autonomous navigation of z 2 Acres of land has already been allocated in vehicles. Therefore, it is envisioned to address this the IIT Hyderabad campus and the facilities are gap by developing a fully functional and exemplary planned in phases. testbed facility dedicated to connected autonomous € Facilities: vehicles (CAVs). z Test Tracks, Emulation of Real-World Scenarios, z Connected vehicles use technology to either State of the Art Simulation Technologies, Road communicate with each other, connect with Infrastructure, Drone Runways and Landing Area, traffic signals, signs, and other road items, Mechanical Integration Facility, Centralized Control or obtain data from a cloud. This information Room/Ground Control Station, Smart Poles etc. exchange helps with safety and improves € Promotion to research: traffic flow. z The developed test bed will be available for € This hub focuses on addressing various challenges use by all the industries, R&D labs, academia hindering the real-time adoption of unmanned conducting research and development in the autonomous vehicles for both terrestrial and broad areas of autonomous navigation. aerial applications. € Primary focus includes: z Research & Technology development in the area of Autonomous Navigation and Data Acquisition Systems (UAVs, RoVs). z Industry Collaborations : z Joint R&D Initiatives, Consultancy, Technology Outreach Schemes, Training of Industry Personnel, Continuing Education. z Human resource & Skill development. z Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Start-up Ecosystem:

National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems ¾ The NM-ICPS is a comprehensive Mission aimed at complete convergence with all stakeholders by establishing strong linkages between academia, industry, Government and International Organizations. The Mission will work with all the concerned Ministries/Departments to identify their technology needs, develop solutions and technical support in CPS implementation. ¾ It will secure India’s future by creation of a Cyber-Physical System ecosystem. € Cyber-Physical System (CPS) combines digital/ cyber elements with physical objects (e.g. machines, autonomous vehicles) and data with capabilities of communication, data collection & processing, computing, decision making and action.

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€ CPS is an integrated system involving Sensors, Communication, Actuators, Control, interconnected computing networks and data analytics. € Few Potential applications: Driverless cars that communicate securely with each other on smart roads, Sensors in the home to detect changing health conditions, etc. ¾ The Mission has four major activities: € Technology Development, € Human Resource & Skill Development, € Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Start-Up Ecosystem and € International Collaborations. nnn

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Environment and Ecology

Highlights z India Water Impact Summit 2020 z Biodiversity Management Committees z Problems of Punjab’s Monoculture z Rise in Leopard Population z NGT Panel for Protection of Mahanadi Floodplain z Firefly for Great Indian Bustard z Himalayan Serow z Satkosia Tiger Reserve z Young Champions of the Earth: UN z Kolar Leaf-nosed Bat z Takachar: Harvesting Value from Agricultural Waste z Yamuna’s High Ammonia Level z E20 Fuel z Ladakh’s Tso Kar Wetland Complex: Ramsar Site z Monkey Rehabilitation Centre z Protests Against Eco-sensitive Zones in Narmada District

€ It has a two-tier management structure and India Water comprises the Governing Council and Executive Impact Summit 2020 Committee. € The aims and objectives of NMCG are: Why in News z To ensure effective control of pollution and rejuvenation of the river Ganga by adopting a th Recently, the 5 India Water Impact Summit (IWIS), river basin approach to promote inter-sectoral organised by the National Mission for Clean Ganga coordination for comprehensive planning and (NMCG) and Center for Ganga River Basin Management management. and Studies (cGanga) has held virtually. z To maintain minimum ecological flows in the Key Points river Ganga with the aim of ensuring water quality and environmentally sustainable development. ¾ About the Summit: € In 2014, ‘Namami Gange Programme’ was € India Water Impact 2020 is a five-day long summit, launched as an Integrated Conservation Mission, hosting experts and academicians from all over to accomplish the twin objectives of effective the world to discuss and debate issues related abatement of pollution, conservation, and to water conservation, water security and river rejuvenation of National River Ganga. rejuvenation. z The program is being implemented by the € Theme: Comprehensive analysis and holistic NMCG, and its state counterpart organization viz., management of local rivers and water bodies State Program Management Groups (SPMGs). with focus on Arth Ganga - river conservation z It has a budget outlay of `20,000 crore. The synchronised development. main pillars of the programme are: € At the event, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy z Sewerage Treatment Infrastructure & Research signed an MoU with cGanga for Industrial Effluent Monitoring, development of a sludge management framework z River-Front Development & River-Surface in India. Cleaning, ¾ National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG): z Bio-Diversity & Afforestation, and € It is the implementation wing of the National Council z Public Awareness. for Rejuvenation, Protection, and Management of River Ganga also known as National Ganga ¾ Centre for Ganga River Basin Management and Council (set in 2016; which replaced the NRGBA). Studies (cGanga): € € NMCG was established in the year 2011 as a It was established at the Indian Institute of registered society. Technology, Kanpur (IITK) in 2016.

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€ The Centre is a Centre of Excellence for data direct seeding of paddy further address the issue collection, the creation and dissemination of of monoculture and depleting groundwater. knowledge and information for the sustainable ¾ Wheat versus Paddy: development of Ganga River Basin. € Wheat: € The centre acts in the capacity of a comprehensive z It is naturally adapted to Punjab’s soil and think-tank to the National Mission for Clean Ganga agro-climatic conditions. (NMCG), in its stated goals and objectives vis-à-vis the Ganga River Basin. z It is a cool-season crop that can be grown only in regions particularly north of the Vindhyas where day temperatures are within Problems of the early-thirty degrees Celsius range right Punjab’s Monoculture through March. z Its cultivation is desirable for national food Why in News security. z The state’s wheat yields at 5 tonnes-plus Amidst the ongoing farmer’s protests, questions are per hectare, as against the national average being raised on the sustainability of paddy-wheat cultivation, especially in Punjab. of 3.4-3.5 tonnes. € Paddy: Key Points z It requires a huge amount of water. ¾ Monoculture in Punjab: z Farmers usually irrigate wheat five times. € Monoculture is the agricultural practise of growing In paddy, 30 irrigations or more are given. a single crop, plant, or livestock species, variety, z Punjab’s groundwater table has been or breed in a field or farming system at a time. declining by 0.5 meters per annum on an € Wheat and paddy constitute about 84.6% of the average due to paddy and the state’s policy total area planted to all crops compromising on of supplying free power for irrigation. It has pulses, maize, bajra and oilseeds cotton. encouraged farmers to grow long-duration ¾ Problem of Monoculture: water-guzzling varieties likePusa-44 . € Growing the same crops year after year on thesame z Pusa-44 has high yield but a long duration land increases vulnerability to pest and disease growth period. attacks. The more the crop and genetic diversity, z Long duration means transplanting by mid- the more difficult it is for insects and pathogens May (Peak Summer), to enable harvesting to devise a way to pierce through plant resistance. from October and timely planting of the € Wheat and paddy cannot fix nitrogen from the next wheat crop. However, being peak atmosphere unlike pulses and legumes. Their summertime, it also translated into very continuous cultivation without any crop rotation high water requirements. leads to depletion of soil nutrients and growing z Paddy, being a warm-season crop is not very dependence on chemical fertilisers and pesticides. sensitive to high-temperature stress thus can be ¾ Suggestions: grown in much of eastern, central and southern € Reducing acreage area for wheat and promoting the India, where water is sufficiently available. cultivation of alternate crops like coarse grains will ¾ Punjab Preservation of Subsoil Water Act, 2009: lead to crop diversification in the region bringing in better soil resilience and added nutritional € It barred any nursery-sowing and transplantingof benefits to the locals. paddy before 15th May and 15thJune, respectively and was passed for the € Shifting paddy cultivation to eastern and southern conservation of the states, planting ofonly shorter-duration varieties groundwater. of paddy crop which mature early without any z If transplanting of paddy is permitted only after effect on production,metering of electricity and the monsoon rains arrived in mid-June, it also

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pushed harvesting to October-end, leaving a Floodplains narrow time window for sowing wheat before ¾ Floodplain is an area of low-lying ground adjacent th the 15 November deadline. to a river, formed mainly by flooding of rivers and z Then, farmers have no option other thanburning deposition of sand sediments on the riverbanks. the paddy stubble left behind. Simply put, ¾ These sandy floodplains are exceptional aquifers groundwater conservation in Punjab ends up where any withdrawal is compensated by gravity causing air pollution in Delhi. flow from a large surrounding area. ¾ Some floodplains such as those of Himalayan Rivers NGT Panel for Protection contain up to 20 times more water than the virgin of Mahanadi Floodplain flow in rivers in a year. ¾ Since recharge is by rainfall and during late floods, the water quality is good. Why in News Recently, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has constituted a high-level committee to identifyfloodplain zones of the Mahanadi, which is Odisha’s largest river. Key Points ¾ Background: Mahanadi River € In January 2020, Chief Minister of Odisha announced ¾ It is the third-largest of peninsular India after that the 424 acres reclaimed from the river Godavari and Krishna, and the largest river of Mahanadi would be utilised to add ecological, Odisha state. recreational, sporting, cultural and technological value in the lives of the people of Cuttack. ¾ It rises from a place near Sihawa in Bastar hills in the state of Chhattisgarh to the south of Amarkantak. € A local citizen approached theNGT against the state government’s plan alleging that illegal construction ¾ Major Tributaries: Seonath, Hasdeo, Mand, Ib, activities will adversely affect the river ecology and Jonking and Tel Rivers disturb the flow of the Mahanadi river. ¾ Mahanadi Basin: ¾ NGT’s Order: € It is bounded by the Central India hills on the € The NGT has formed a panel of experts from north, by the Eastern Ghats on the south and the Central Water Commission (CWC), National east and by the Maikala range on the west. Institute of Hydrology and state and central € The Catchment area of the river extends pollution control boardfor laying down norms to to Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, ensure that the riverfront development takes place Jharkhand and Maharashtra. without damage to the floodplains of the river. ¾ Legislation to Regulate the Flood Plains: Himalayan Serow € There is no central legislation to regulate the flood plains, except a 2016 notification issued by the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development, Why in News and Ganga Rejuvenation, with respect to Ganga A Himalayan serow has been sighted for the first river, under the Environment (Protection) Act, time in the Himalayan cold desert region(Spiti, Himachal 1986, prohibiting any construction in the active Pradesh). floodplain area of river Ganga or its tributaries. € However, some states have laws to regulate the Key Points flood plains : ¾ Description: z Manipur Flood Zoning Act, 1978 Himalayan serow resembles a cross between a goat, a z Uttarakhand Flood Plain Zoning Act, 2012 donkey, a cow, and a pig.

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z The Sanctuary is locally well known for its extensive alpine pastures as well as the numerous treks, trails and passes that connect it with the neighboring Great Himalayan National Park and Pin Valley National Park. ¾ Conservation Status: € IUCN Red List: Vulnerable € CITES: Appendix I € The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I

¾ Physical Features: Salient Features of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 € It’s a medium-sized mammal with a large head, ¾ The Act provides for the protection of a listed thick neck, short limbs, long, mule-like ears, and species of animals, birds, and plants, and also for a coat of dark hair. the establishment of a network of ecologically- ¾ Species Type: important protected areas in the country. € There are several species of serows, and all of ¾ The Act provides for the formation of wildlife them are found in Asia. advisory boards, wildlife wardens, specifies their € The Himalayan serow, or Capricornis sumatraensis powers and duties, etc. thar, is restricted to the Himalayan region. ¾ The Act prohibited the hunting of endangered € Taxonomically, it is a subspecies of the mainland species. serow (Capricornis sumatraensis). ¾ The Act provides for licenses for the sale, transfer, ¾ Diet: and possession of some wildlife species. € Himalayan serows are herbivores. ¾ Its provisions paved the way for the formation of ¾ Geographical Location: the Central Zoo Authority. This is the central body € They are typically found at altitudes between 2,000 responsible for the oversight of zoos in India. metres and 4,000 metres. They are known to be € It was established in 1992. found in eastern, central, and western Himalayas, ¾ The Act created six schedules which gave varying but not in the Trans Himalayan region. degrees of protection to classes of flora and fauna. z The Trans-Himalayas Mountain Region or Tibet € Schedule I and Schedule II (Part II) get absolute Himalayan Region is located to the north of the protection, and offences under these schedules Great Himalayas which consists of Karakoram, attract the maximum penalties. Ladakh, Zaskar and Kailash mountain ranges. € The schedules also include species that may ¾ Latest Sighting: be hunted. € The animal was spotted near Hurling village in ¾ The National Board for Wildlife was constituted Spiti, Himachal Pradesh. as a statutory organization under the provisions z Spiti lies in thecold mountain desert region of of this Act. the western Himalaya, and its valley floor has € It is chaired by the Prime Minister. an average elevation of 4,270 metres above sea level, making the sighting special as Serows are € This is an advisory board that offers advice to generally not found at this altitude. the central government on issues of wildlife conservation in India. € This is the first recorded human sighting of the serow in Himachal Pradesh. The animal has been € It is also the apex body to review and approve spotted a few times earlier in the state, but that all matters related to wildlife, projects of national has always been through camera traps. parks, sanctuaries, etc. € The animal has also been spotted in the Rupi Bhaba € The chief function of the Board is to promote Wildlife Sanctuary, and in the higher reaches of the conservation and development of wildlife Chamba. and forests.

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journey of the Sacramento chinook salmon along Young Champions California’s largest watershed, raising awareness of the Earth: UN of this invaluable ecosystem, the species and people it supports. € Nzambi Matee, Kenya: (Building a Greener Kenya). Why in News Produces sustainable low-cost construction materials A 29-year-old Indian entrepreneur is among the seven made of recycled plastic waste and sand. winners of the prestigious “Young Champions of the € Xiaoyuan Ren, China: ( MyH2O). A data platform Earth” 2020 prize given by the United Nations Environment for clean water that tests and records the quality Programme (UNEP) to global change-makers using of groundwater across a thousand villages in rural innovative ideas and ambitious action to help solve some China into an app so residents know where to find of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. clean water. Key Points € Vidyut Mohan, India: (Takachar). Harvesting value from agricultural waste. ¾ About: € Introduced in 2017, Young Champions of the Earth Takachar: Harvesting Value aims to celebrate and support individuals aged between 18 and 30 who have outstanding potential from Agricultural Waste to create a positive environmental impact. ¾ About: € In 2020, seven Young Champions of the Earth will € Takachar is a social enterprise founded by Vidyut be selected from each global region: Africa, Europe, Mohan in 2018. Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, € It enables farmers to prevent open burning of West Asia and two from Asia and the Pacific. their waste farm residues and earn extra income € Each winner will receive: by converting them intovalue-added chemicals. z USD 10,000 in seed funding, € It is a meaningful and immediate solution to z Attendance at a high-level UN meeting, the triple planetary crises of climate change, z An introduction to dignitaries at theChampions biodiversity loss and pollution. of the Earth award ceremony, ¾ Procedure: z Publicity and recognition through interviews € Takachar buys rice husks, straw and coconut shells and online and global media. from farmers and turns them into charcoal, saving ¾ 7 Winners of 2020: the debris from the fires, which are also a driver € Fatemah Alzelzela, Kuwait: (Eco Star - Trees of climate change. for waste). A non-profit recycling initiative that ¾ Benefits: exchanges trees and plants for waste from homes, € Open burning of agricultural residues is a big source schools and businesses. of air pollution in many parts of the world and this € Lefteris Arapakis, Greece: (Mediterranean innovative technology can help farmers turn what CleanUp). Trains, empowers and incentivises the is currently thought of as waste into a valuable local fishing community to collect plastic from the resource while helping clean up our environment. sea, allowing both fish stocks and the ecosystem € Enables rural farmers to earn 40% more by to recover. converting their crop residues into fuels, fertilisers € Max Hidalgo Quinto, Peru: (YAWA). Sustainable and value-added chemicals like activated carbon technology for access to water building portable (AC) on-site. wind turbines that harvest up to 300 litres of water ¾ Potential: per day from atmospheric humidity and mist. € By 2030, Takachar will impact 300 million farmers € Niria Alicia Garcia, United States of America: affected by this problem, create USD 4 billion/year (Run4Salmon). An indigenous-lead conservation equivalent in additional rural income and jobs,

uses virtual reality to bring to life the historical and mitigate one gigaton/year of CO2 equivalent.

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United Nation Environment Program Green Fuel ¾ United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), ¾ Green fuel, also known as biofuel, is a type of fuel was established in 1972 to guide and coordinate distilled from plants and animal materials, believed environmental activities within the United Nations by some to be more environmentally friendly than the (UN) system. widely-used fossil fuels that power most of the world. ¾ UNEP promotes international cooperation on ¾ Types: environmental issues, provides guidance to UN € Bioethanol organizations. z It is derived from corn and sugarcane using ¾ Through its scientific advisory groups, UNEP the fermentation process. encourages the international scientific community z A litre of ethanol contains approximately two to participate in formulating policy for many of the thirds of the energy provided by a litre of petrol. UN’s environmental projects. z When mixed with petrol, it improves the ¾ UNEP is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. combustion performance and lowers the ¾ The organization also encouragesparticipation by emissions of carbon monoxide and sulphur the private sector to promote the sustainable use oxide. of the world’s natural resources. € Biodiesel ¾ Major Reports: Emission Gap Report, Global z It is derived from vegetable oils like soybean Environment Outlook, Frontiers, Invest into Healthy oil or palm oil, vegetable waste oils, and Planet. animal fats by a biochemical process called ¾ Major Campaigns: Beat Pollution, UN75, World “Transesterification.” Environment Day, Wild for Life. z It produces very less or no amount of harmful gases as compared to diesel. E20 Fuel € Biogas z It is produced by anaerobic decomposition Why in News of organic matter like sewage from animals Recently, the Indian government has invited public and humans. comments for introducing adoption of E20 fuel to promote z Major proportion of biogas is methane and green fuel like ethanol. carbon dioxide, though it also has small Key Points proportions of hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen, carbon monoxide and siloxanes. Compositon: E20 fuel is a blend of 20% of ethanol ¾ z It is commonly used for heating, electricity and with gasoline. for automobiles. € The current permissible level of blending is 10% € Biobutanol of ethanol, though India reached only 5.6% of blending in 2019. z It is produced in the same way as bioethanol i.e. through the fermentation of starch. ¾ Significance: z The energy content in butanol is the highest € It will help in reducing emissions of carbon dioxide, among the other gasoline alternatives. It can hydrocarbons, etc. be added to diesel to reduce emissions. € It will help reduce the oil import bill, thereby saving foreign exchange and boosting energy security. z It serves as a solvent in the textile industryand is also used as a base in perfumes. ¾ Compatibility of Vehicles: As per the government, the compatibility of the vehicle to the percentage € Biohydrogen of ethanol in the blend of ethanol and gasoline shall z Biohydrogen, like biogas, can be produced be defined by the vehicle manufacturer and the same using a number of processes such as pyrolysis, shall be displayed on the vehicle by putting a clearly gasification or biological fermentation. visible sticker. z It can be the perfect alternative for fossil fuel.

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¾ Initiatives to Promote Biofuels: € Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme: To extract Monkey the fuel from surplus quantities of food grains such Rehabilitation Centre as maize, jawar, bajra fruit and vegetable waste. € Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN Yojana, 2019: The objective of the scheme is to create an ecosystem for setting Why in News up commercial projects and to boost research and A rescue and rehabilitation centre for monkeys development in the 2G Ethanol sector. (Primate) was opened recently in Telangana. € GOBAR (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources) DHAN scheme, 2018: It focuses on managing and Key Points converting cattle dung and solid waste in farms to ¾ A primate is any mammal of the group that includes useful compost,biogas and bio-CNG, thus keeping lemurs, lorises, tarsiers, monkeys, apes, and humans. villages clean and increasing the income of rural households. ¾ It is the second such facility for the primates in the z It was launched under Swachh Bharat Mission country. The other such facility in the country is in (Gramin). Himachal Pradesh. € Repurpose Used Cooking Oil (RUCO): It was ¾ Previously the Ministry of Environment, Forest and launched by the Food Safety and Standards Climate Change had declared Monkeys (Rhesus Authority of India (FSSAI) and aims for an ecosystem Macaque) as ‘vermin’ in Himachal Pradesh. that will enable the collection and conversion of used cooking oil to biodiesel. € It allowed local authorities to cull this animal in certain identified non-forest areas in Shimla for € National Policy on Biofuels, 2018: one year. z The Policy categorises biofuels as “Basic Biofuels” to enable extension of appropriate financial € The state government reported harm to life and fiscal incentives under three categories: and property including large-scale destruction z First Generation (1G) ethanol & biodiesel of agriculture due to the overpopulation of this and “Advanced Biofuels”. species outside forests. z Second Generation (2G) ethanol, Municipal € Rhesus Macaque monkeys are protected species Solid Waste (MSW) to drop-in fuels. under Schedule II of the Wildlife (Protection) z Third Generation (3G) biofuels, bio-CNG etc. Act, 1972. The law allows for it to be hunted by z It expands the scope of raw material for ethanol declaring it ‘vermin’ for a specific period if it poses production by allowing use of sugarcane juice, a danger to human life or property. sugar containing materials like sugar beet, ¾ sweet sorghum, starch containing materials Vermin Animal: like corn, cassava, damaged food grains like € As per Section 62 of the Wildlife Protection Act, wheat, broken rice, rotten potatoes, unfit for 1972, states can send a list of wild animals to the human consumption, for ethanol production. Centre requesting it to declare them vermin for z The Policy allows use of surplus food grains selective slaughter. for production of ethanol for blending with € Wildlife laws divide species into ‘schedules’ ranked petrol with the approval of National Biofuel from I to V. Schedule I members are the best Coordination Committee. protected, in theory, with severe punishments z With a thrust on Advanced Biofuels, the Policy meted out to those who hunt them. indicates a viability gap funding scheme for 2G ethanol Bio refineries of` 5000 crore in 6 year € Wild boars, nilgai and rhesus monkeys are Schedule in addition to additional tax incentives, higher II and III members, they are also protected, but purchase price as compared to 1G biofuels. can be hunted under specific conditions.

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Biodiversity Biodiversity Governance in India ¾ India’s Biological Diversity Act 2002 (BD Act), is in Management Committees close synergy with the Nagoya Protocol and aims to implement provisions of the Convention on Why in News Biological Diversity (CBD), The National Green Tribunal has extended the time € The Nagoya Protocol sought to ensure commercial limit for the constitution of Biodiversity Management and research utilisation of genetic resources led Committees (BMCs) and preparation of People’s to sharing its benefits with the government and Biodiversity Registers (PBRs) on account of the Covid-19 the community that conserved such resources. pandemic. ¾ The BD Act was hailed as an important step towards preserving India’s vast biodiversity, as it recognised Key Points the sovereign right of countries over its natural ¾ Biodiversity Management Committees (BMC) resources. € As per the Biological Diversity Act 2002, BMCs are ¾ The BD Act seeks to address issues of managing created for “promoting conservation, sustainable bio-resources in the most decentralised manner use and documentation of biological diversity” possible. by local bodies across the country. ¾ The BD Act envisages three layered structures: € Composition: € The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) at z It shall consist of a chair person and not more the national level. than six persons nominated by the local body, € The State Biodiversity Boards (SSBs) at the of whom not less than one third should be state level women and not less than 18% should belong € Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) to the Scheduled Castes/ Scheduled Tribes. at the local level. z The main function of the BMC is to prepare ¾ People’s Biodiversity Register in consultation The act also strengthens the country’s stand with with the local people. respect to anyone claiming an intellectual property right over biodiversity-related knowledge. ¾ People’s Biodiversity Registers(PBR): € The Registers entail a complete documentation Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) of biodiversity in the area plants, food sources, ¾ A legally binding treaty to conserve biodiversity has wildlife, medicinal sources, etc. been in force since 1993. It has 3 main objectives: € Advantages of PBR: € The conservation of biological diversity. z A good PBR will aid in tracing how habitats € The sustainable use of the components of are changing, and to understand and estimate biological diversity. parts of our forests. € The fair and equitable sharing of the benefits z Prevent Biopiracy: arising out of the utilization of genetic resources. z The indigenous and local community are a repository of traditional knowledge and their knowledge and practices help in Rise in Leopard Population conservation and sustainable development of biodiversity. Why in News z Being a bottom-up exercise, it is also a means As per a recent report ‘Status of leopards in India, of understanding the overlap of cultural and 2018’ released by the Ministry of Environment, Forest natural biodiversity. and Climate Change there has been a “60 % increase in z It envisages a decentralised way through an the population count of leopards in India from 2014 inclusive approach. estimates’’.

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Key Points € Wildlife Protection Act 1972: Schedule 1 ¾ The 2014 estimates placed the population of leopards z Schedule I and part II of Schedule II provide at nearly 8,000 which has increased to 12,852. absolute protection to threatened species. Offences under these are prescribed the highest ¾ The largest number of leopards have been estimated penalties. in Madhya Pradesh (3,421) followed by Karnataka (1,783) and Maharashtra (1,690). Wildlife Institute of India ¾ Region wise distribution: ¾ Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Environment, € Central India and Eastern Ghats have the highest Forest and Climate Change. number of leopards at 8,071. ¾ It was established in 1982. € Western Ghats: 3,387 leopards ¾ It is based in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. € Shivalik and Gangetic Plains: 1,253 leopards ¾ It offers training programs, academic courses, and € Northeast hills: 141 leopards advisory in wildlife research and management. ¾ While the estimated number of leopards has increased, National Tiger Conservation Authority the report alerts that the leopard habitat area has ¾ National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is a been shrinking alarmingly over the past 100-125 years. statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, ¾ Techniques Used: Forests and Climate Change. € Camera Traps ¾ It was established in 2005 following the € Satellite Imaging recommendations of the Tiger Task Force. € Field work by the Wildlife Institute of India and ¾ It was constituted under enabling provisions of the National Tiger Conservation Authority(NTCA). Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended in ¾ Limited Coverage: 2006, for strengthening tiger conservation, as per powers and functions assigned to it. € While the presence of the leopard is fairly ubiquitous, the study has been conducted only in tiger- populated forests areas under Project Tiger. Firefly for € Leopard populations in other agricultural, non- Great Indian Bustard forested areas like tea and coffee plantations, and in have most parts of the North East not Why in News been conducted. The Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate ¾ Threats to Leopard: Change (MoEFCC) along with the Wildlife Conservation € Fragmentation of forests as well as the decline in Society (WCS) India has come up with a unique initiative quality of forests leading to habitat loss. a “firefly bird diverter” for overhead power lines in areas € Human-Leopard conflict where Great Indian Bustard (GIB) populations are found € Poaching in the wild. € Depletion of natural prey base ¾ The Wildlife Conservation Society is a non- ¾ Conservation Status: governmental organization headquartered in New York, that aims to conserve the world’s largest wild € International Union for Conservation of places in 14 priority regions. Nature(IUCN): Vulnerable € Convention on International Trade in Endangered Key Points (CITES): Appendix I Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ¾ About: z Appendix I: € Firefly bird diverters areflaps installed on power z It lists species that are the most endangered lines. They work as reflectors for bird species like among CITES-listed animals and plants. the GIB. Birds can spot them from a distance of

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about 50 meters and change their path of flight € Convention on International Trade in Endangered to avoid collision with power lines. Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES): Appendix1 z Smaller birds can change their direction but € Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule 1 for larger bird species, it is difficult because of € It is one of the species for the recovery programme their body weight and other factors. under the Integrated Development of Wildlife z Since great Indian bustards are heavy birds Habitats of the Ministry of Environment, Forests with limited frontal vision, they find it difficult and Climate change. to change their course of flight swiftly even if € The Great Indian Bustard, Asian Elephant and they spot a live wire. Bengal Florican have been included in Appendix € The diverters are called fireflies because they look I of the UN Convention on Migratory Species like fireflies from a distance, shining on power at the 13th Conference of the Parties (COP) to lines in the night. the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) in Gandhinagar (Gujarat). ¾ Threats: € Collision/electrocution with power transmission lines. € Hunting (still prevalent in Pakistan). € Irrigation and farming technology. € Mining. € Wind turbines and Solar farms (photovoltaic power stations). € Plantation of exotic shrub/tree species in deserts ¾ Background: and grasslands in the name of afforestation. € According to a report by the MoEFCC, power lines (especially high-voltage transmission lines) with multiple overhead wires, are the most important Satkosia Tiger Reserve current threat for GIBs in the Thar region, and are causing unsustainably high mortality. Why in News € The Supreme Court of India, in a recent hearing, Recently, the National Tiger Conservation Authority directed that power lines in GIB landscapes should has asked Odisha to submit a status report on the adverse be placed underground. impact of tourism on Satkosia Tiger Reserve.

Great Indian Bustard Key Points ¾ About: ¾ Satkosia Tiger Reserve, Bhubaneswar comprises two € It is one of the heaviest flying birds in the world. adjoining sanctuaries of central Odisha named as € Scientific Name:Ardeotis nigriceps Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary and Baisipalli Sanctuary. ¾ Habitat: € These two sanctuaries together covering an area € Bustards generally favour flat open landscapes of 963.87 sq km were notified as Tiger Reserve with minimal visual obstruction and disturbance, in December 2007. therefore adapt well in grasslands. ¾ Lying in a transitional zone extending between the € Its population is confined mostly toRajasthan and Chhota Nagpur Plateau and the Deccan Plateau, the Gujarat. Small populations occur inMaharashtra, tiger reserve exhibits endemic life forms of both Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. biotic provinces. ¾ Protection Status: ¾ Flora and Fauna: € International Union for Conservation of Nature € The area supports moist deciduous forest, dry status: Critically Endangered deciduous forest and moist peninsular Sal forest.

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€ This area is the home for Tiger, Leopard, Elephant, Major Protected Areas in Odisha Gaur, Chousingha, Sloth bear, Wild dog, varieties of ¾ National Parks: resident and migratory birds, reptilian species, etc. € Bhitarkanika National Park ¾ Crocodile Conservation: € Simlipal National Park € In March 1974, the Forest Department of the ¾ Wildlife Sanctuaries: with technical support from Government of Orissa € Badrama WLS the United Nations Development Programme € Chilika (Nalaban) WLS (UNDP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization € Hadgarh WLS (FAO) started a breeding programme of crocodiles. € Kotagarh WLS € In March 1975, the Gharial Research and € Nandankanan WLS Conservation Unit(GRACU) was started, which has € Lakhari Valley WLS done pioneering work in crocodile conservation in India. € Gahirmatha (Marine) WLS z The activities include conservation breeding, releasing of reared crocodiles into the wild and Kolar Leaf-nosed Bat its rehabilitation. Why in News ¾ Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary: ¾ € It owes its name to the narrow stretch of River The Karnataka Forest Department, along with the Bat (BCIT), is getting prepared Mahanadi i.e. “Sat-Kosh’’ or seven miles long near Conservation India Trust to save the Kolar leaf-nosed bat from extinction. Tikarpada, 60 km south of Angul. € BCIT is a non-profit organization which was € The area was made a sanctuary in 1976 and spreads conceived for the protection of bat species in India out in four districts of Odisha namely Angul, Budh, by protecting their habitat. It isheadquartered in Cuttack and Nayagarh. Bengaluru, Karnataka. € The Satkosia Gorge is a unique feature in geomorphology of India because here Mahanadi Key Points cuts right across the Eastern Ghats and has formed ¾ Scientific Name: Hipposideros hypophyllus a magnificent gorge. € Fauna: It is known for Gharials, Mugger crocodile and rare freshwater turtles like Chitra indica and Indian softshell turtle. ¾ Baisipalli Sanctuary: € It gets its name from the 22 settlements existing within its span. € It was given the status of sanctuary in May 1981. ¾ Geographic Range: It is endemic to India. It is presently € It is located where the Mahanadi River passes known only from one cave in Hanumanahalli village through a gorge in the Eastern Ghats mountains in Kolar district, Karnataka. in Nayagarh District. ¾ Threats: € The whole area is a part of the Deccan Peninsula € Habitat loss from land-use change, hunting, and Biogeographic Zone, Eastern Plateau province stone quarrying in the region. and . Eastern Ghat sub-division € Till several years ago, the Kolar Leaf-Nosed Bat € Flora and Fauna: It is a sal dominated forest was found in only two caves in the village of with a significant number of tigers, leopards, Hanumanahalli. For reasons that are still unknown, elephants, herbivores like Chousingha and water the bat became locally extinct in one of the two birds, reptilians, etc. caves.

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¾ Protection Status: Key Points € IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered ¾ Recently, ammonia levels shot up to 7.3 parts per € Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: It has not been million (ppm) at some places. accorded legal protection under the Act. € When the concentration rises beyond the Delhi ¾ Conservation Efforts: Jal Board’s (DJB’s) treatment capacity of 0.9 ppm, € The government had notified the 30 acres around water production has to be stopped or reduced the caves as a protected area. in water treatment plants. z Any development work here, including the € As per the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the construction of new infrastructure, willneed the acceptable maximum limit of ammonia in drinking permission of the National Board for Wildlife. water is 0.5 ppm. € The Bat Conservation Indian Trust has been awarded a grant to conduct further research on ¾ Causes of Pollution in Yamuna: this species of bats. € Industrial Pollution: z It is running an intensive awareness campaign z The Yamuna flows into Delhi from Haryana in the nearby communities and they have come and the state has industrial units in Sonipat to understand the threat to the species and have (on the banks of Yamuna). Ammonia is used started guarding this area against encroachers. as an industrial chemical in the production of ¾ Concerns: fertilisers,plastics and dyes. € Bats are one of the least studied mammals in the € Mixing of drains: country, though there are 130 species in India. z Mixing of two drains carrying drinking water and z Bats are vital for the ecology as they are sewage or industrial waste, or both, in Sonipat. pollinators, their main diet being nectar. The two drains often mix due to overflow or z Bats also help in insect control and therefore, damage to the wall that separates them. help in the protection of crops. ¾ Effects of Rising Ammonia: € They are very adaptable creatures and therefore can often be found near human habitation or € Ammonia reduces the amount of oxygen in water even in urban settlements, which makes them as it is transformed to oxidised forms of nitrogen. vulnerable. Hence, it also increases Biochemical oxygen € They also have a bad image in the public eye, as demand (BOD). carriers of diseases. z Water pollution by organic wastes is measured ¾ Suggestions: in terms of BOD. € There is an urgent need to curb illegal granite € If the concentration of ammonia in water is above mining and quarrying within five to ten-kilometre 1 ppm, it is toxic to fishes. radius of the roost (resting-place) to ensure the € In humans, long term ingestion of water having quality of other subterranean caves in the area. ammonia levels of 1 ppm or above may cause € Meanwhile, widespread cave explorations and damage to internal organs. acoustic samplingare recommended to understand ¾ Solution: the distribution of the species. € Ozone-based units to treat ammonia levels up to 4 Yamuna’s High ppm should be installed at Water Treatment Plants. € The laying of a conduit pipeline to separate drain Ammonia Level carrying potable water and sewage water. z The National Green Tribunal-appointed Why in News Yamuna Monitoring Committee has also said High levels of ammonia in Yamuna is resulting in that fast-track approvals should be given to frequent disruptionto Delhi’s water supply. build a conduit.

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z The Committee had also recommended to the Ministry of Jal Shakti earlier this year to Ladakh’s Tso Kar Wetland rework the 1994 water sharing pact between Complex: Ramsar Site Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi and UP to revive the river by releasing Why in News more fresh water into it. Recently, India has added Tso Kar Wetland Complex Ammonia in Ladakh as its 42nd Ramsar site, a conservation status ¾ Its chemical formula is NH . 3 conferred by International Ramsar Convention on ¾ It is a colourless gas and is used as an industrial Wetlands. chemical in the production of fertilisers, plastics, ¾ Previously, the Lonar lake in Maharashtra and Sur synthetic fibres, dyes and other products. Sarovar (also known as Keetham lake) in Agra were ¾ It occurs naturally in the environment from the added to the list of Ramsar sites. breakdown of organic waste matter, and may also find its way to ground and surface water sources through Key Points industrial effluents, contamination by sewage or ¾ About Tso Kar Wetland Complex: through agricultural runoff. Yamuna ¾ The river Yamuna, a major tributary of river Ganges, originates from the Yamunotri glacier near Bandarpoonch peaks in the Mussoorie range of the lower Himalayas in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. ¾ It meets the Ganges at the Sangam in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh after flowing through Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi. ¾ Length: 1376 km ¾ Important Dam: Lakhwar-Vyasi Dam (Uttarakhand), Tajewala Barrage Dam (Haryana) etc. € The Tso Kar Basin is a high-altitude wetland ¾ Important Tributaries: Chambal, Sindh, Betwa, complex, consisting of two principal waterbodies: Ken, Tons, Hindon z Startsapuk Tso, a freshwater lake of about 438 hectares to the south, z Tso Kar itself, a hypersaline lake of 1800 hectares to the north, situated in the Changthang region of Ladakh. € It is called Tso Kar, meaning white lake, because of the white salt efflorescencefound on the margins due to the evaporation of highly saline water. € It is an A1 Category Important Bird Area (IBA) as per Bird Life International and a key staging site in the Central Asian Flyway. z Important Bird Area (IBA): z The IBA programme of the Bird Life International aims to identify, monitor

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and protect a global network of IBAs for Ramsar Site conservation of the world’s birds and ¾ Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an associated biodiversity. intergovernmental treaty adopted in 1971 in the z Bird Life International is a global partnership Iranian city of Ramsar, on the southern shore of of non-governmental organizations that the Caspian Sea. strives to conserve birds and their habitats. ¾ It came into force for India on 1st February, 1982. z Central Asian Flyway (CAF): ¾ Those wetlands which are of international z It covers a large continental area of Eurasia importance are declared as Ramsar sites. between the Arctic and Indian Oceans and ¾ The Convention’s mission is the conservation the associated island chains. and wise use of all wetlands through local and z The Flyway comprises several important national actions and international cooperation, migration routes of waterbirds, most of as a contribution towards achieving sustainable which extend from the northernmost development throughout the world. breeding grounds in the Russian Federation ¾ The Montreux Record is a register of wetland (Siberia) to the southernmost non-breeding sites on the List of Wetlands of International (wintering) grounds in West and South Asia, Importance where changes in ecological character the Maldives and the British Indian Ocean have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur Territory. as a result of technological developments, pollution z It covers at least 279 populations of 182 or other human interference. migratory waterbird species, including 29 € It is globally threatened species. maintained as part of the Ramsar List. ¾ At present, two wetlands of India are in Montreux € The site is also one of the most important breeding Record: areas of the near threatened Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis) in India. € Keoladeo National Park (Rajasthan) and € (Manipur). € It is the major breeding area for Great Crested Grebe Loktak Lake (Podiceps Cristatus), Bar-headed Geese (Anser € Chilika Lake (Odisha) was placed in the record Indicus), Ruddy Shelduck (Tadornaferruginea), but later removed from it. Brown-headed Gull (Larus Bunocephalus), Lesser Sand-Plover (Charadrius Mongolus) and many Protests Against Eco-sensitive other species. ¾ Importance of Wetlands: Zones in Narmada District € Wetlands are defined as “lands transitional between terrestrial and aquatic eco-systems where the water Why in News table is usually at or near the surface or the land Recently, tribal communities in Gujarat have been is covered by shallow water”. protesting against the Ministry of Environment, Forest € Wetlands provide a wide range of important and Climate Change (MoEFCC) order classifying 121 resources and ecosystem services such as villages around the Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary food, water, fibre, groundwater recharge, water in Narmada district as eco-sensitive zones. purification, flood moderation, erosion control ¾ They have appealed to the centre to withdraw the and climate regulation. notification to mitigate the protests. € They are, in fact, a major source of water and the ¾ Tribes like Tadvi and Vasava have been concerned main supply of freshwater comes from an array of ever since Kevadia village of Narmada district was wetlands which help soak rainfall and recharge developed into a tourism circuit around the Statue groundwater. of Unity (SoU).

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Key Points € The Bill sets aside `10 crore from the consolidated ¾ Reasons Behind Protests: fund of the state for the discharge of functions and duties by SoUTA. € Land falling in the eco-sensitive zone, including land used for agricultural use and plots reserved for € While activists and legal experts feel the Act will parks, cannot be transferred for non-agricultural use overpower the provisions of PESA, officials say for commercial, industrial or residential purposes. rules of SoUTA are yet to be clarified. ¾ z Any land that needs to be transferred can be done Functions: so only after approval from the state government. € It will largely work as a local body that will prepare € A process has been initiated to include the state and execute a development plan or a town planning government as the co-owner of the land in the scheme, remove encroachments and provide civic 121 villages. amenities like water supply, transportation, power z Tribals are apprehensive of the order as they supply, drainage, hospitals, medical services, were not taken into confidence. schools, public parks, markets, shopping places, and disposal of waste, among others. € The notification, combined with the formation of the SoU Tourism Authority (SoUTA or also known as the ¾ Powers: SoU Area Development and Tourism Governance € Acquiring immovable property under the Right Authority), has increased administrative needs to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land owing to the booming tourism and has left tribals Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement in a state of mistrust and fear. Act, 2013. z They feel the simultaneous implementation € Taking punitive action against those violating/ of the two government decisions could dilute encroaching it. the “power” vested with villagers under the € Defining the limits of the tourism development area. Panchayat (Extension of Scheduled Areas) Act € Persons authorised can enter any land or building (PESA Act), 1996, implemented in areas notified between sunrise and sunset by giving its occupant under Schedule V of the Constitution. a notice of at least 24 hours. z Fifth and Sixth Schedules provide for alternate € Shields the authority and its members from any or special governance mechanisms for certain legal proceeding or prosecution for anything schedule areas. which is in good faith done or intended to be done ¾ Panchayat (Extension of Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996: in pursuance of the provisions of this Act or any € Gujarat notified the State PESA Rules in January rules or regulations made thereunder. 2017, applicable in 4,503 gram sabhas in eight ¾ Assistance: districts of the state. € Police can assist the authority in prohibiting € The Act promised a separate security force for the any nuisance being caused or prevent any such gram sabhas that would have complete power to activity, process, the operation being carried out, decide their issues. if it opines that it will damage or deteriorate the € The provisions of the law deem the gram sabhas “tourism potentiality” of the area. as “most competent” to deal with matters related to their territories for safeguarding their customs, € Expenses and costs incurred, if any, in removing traditions as well as the natural resources in the or abating such nuisance, shall be recovered as tribal areas. an arrear of land revenue from the person who has caused such nuisance. € However, the Act has not been enforced in letter and spirit, according to legal experts. ¾ Punishments: € Persons who fail to comply with directions Statue of Unity Tourism Authority given by the authority shall be punishable with ¾ The government passed the SoU Area Development imprisonment for up to a month or with a fine and Tourism Governance Authority or the SoU Tourism up to `50,000, or both. The offence will also be Authority (SoUTA) Bill in 2019. treated as “cognisable and non-bailable”.

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Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary ¾ It was first declared a protected area in 1982. ¾ An area of 150.87 sq. km was called the ‘Dumkhal Sanctuary’, specifically created for theprotection ofsloth bears. ¾ In the years 1987 and 1989, more land was attributed to conservation and the area of the sanctuary enlarged to 607.70 sq km. It was then renamed ‘Shoolpaneshwar Sanctuary’. ¾ Flora: It is made up of a mixed forest of teak, riverine forest and deciduous dry jungles. ¾ Fauna: Sloth bear, Leopard, Rhesus macaque, Four Horned antelope, Barking deer, Pangolin, Herpetofauna, birds including Alexandrine parakeet. nnn

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Highlights z Madan Mohan Malaviya Jayanti

¾ Role in Congress: Madan Mohan € He was elected as the President of the Congress Malaviya Jayanti committee (four times) in 1909, 1918, 1932 and 1933. Why in News ¾ Contributions: The Prime Minister of India paid tribute to Pt. Madan € He is remembered for his role in ending the Indian Mohan Malaviya on his 159th birth anniversary (25th indenture system, especially in the Caribbean. December, 2020). z Indentured labour was a system of bonded labour that was instituted following the abolition of Key Points slavery in 1833. ¾ th Birth: 25 December 1861, in z Indentured labour were recruited to work Allahabad (now Prayagraj) in on sugar, cotton and tea plantations, and rail Uttar Pradesh. construction projects in British colonies in West ¾ Brief Profile: Indies, Africa and SouthEast Asia. € He was a great educationist, € Apprehensive of the possibility of the British an eloquent rhetorician, a completely damming the flow of Ganga at Bhimgoda national leader. in Haridwar, he set up the Ganga Mahasabha in € He took part in numerous 1905. activities like the freedom € He was a social reformer and a successful legislator, struggle movements, serving as a member of the Imperial Legislative promotion of industries, Council for 11 years (1909–20). the economic and social development of the country, education, religion, € He popularized the term ‘Satyamev Jayate’. social service, development of Hindi language However, the phrase originally belonged to the and many other issues of national importance Mundaka Upanishad. The term now is the national throughout his life. motto of India. € He was given the title of ‘Mahamana’ by Mahatma € Devnagri was introduced in the British-Indian Gandhi and the second President of India, Dr. S. courts because of Malviya’s efforts with the British Radhakrishnan gave him the status of a ‘Karmayogi’. government. ¾ Role in Freedom Struggle: € He worked immensely for Hindu-Muslim unity. € In the freedom struggle, he was midway between He is known to have given famous speeches on the Liberals and the Nationalists, the Moderates communal harmony. and the Extremists, as the followers of Gokhale z He was expelled from the Brahmin community and Tilak were respectively called. for expressing his views on caste discrimination € In 1930, when Mahatma Gandhi launched the Salt and Brahmanical patriarchy. Satyagraha and the Civil Disobedience Movement, € He helped establish the Hindu Mahasabha (Great he participated in it and courted arrest. Society of Hindus) in 1915.

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€ He founded the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) € He was also the Chairman of the Board of Directors in 1916. of the Hindustan Times for many years. ¾ Journalist: ¾ Death: 12th November, 1946. € As a journalist, he started a Hindi weekly, Abhyudaya ¾ Awards and Honours: in 1907 and made it a daily in 1915 and also a € In 2014, he was posthumously conferred with Hindi monthly, Maryada in 1910. Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award. € He started an English daily, Leader in 1909. € In 2016, the Indian Railways started the Varanasi- € Malaviya was the editor of Hindi weekly, the New Delhi Mahamana Express in the leader’s Hindustan and Indian Union. honour. nnn

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Highlights z Chillai Kalan z Iceberg A68a z Winter Solstice

¾ Winter Solstice: Chillai Kalan

Why in News The 40-day intense winter period “chillai kalan” started in Kashmir valley on 21st December with sub-zero night temperatures across the region. ¾ It will continue till 31st January.

Key Points ¾ Chillai Kalan is followed by Chillai-Khurd and Chillai- Bachha. € It is the shortest day and longest night of the year € Chillai Khurd (small cold) is a 20-day long period in the Northern Hemisphere and is also known as st th which occurs between 31 January and 19 February. the ‘first day of winter’ in the Northern Hemisphere € Chillai-Bachha (baby cold), a 10-day long period as well as ‘Hiemal solstice or Hibernal solstice’. which occurs between 20th February and 2nd March. € During this, countries in the Northern Hemisphere ¾ Considered to be the core of winter, Chillai Kalan are farthest from the Sun and the Sun shines usually brings snowfall, sub-zero temperatures causing overhead on the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5° south). freezing of water bodies including the Dal lake, closure z At latitudes of 23.5° are the Tropics of of highways, etc. Cancer and Capricorn, north and south of the Equator. Winter Solstice z At 66.5° are the Arctic and Antarctic Circles, to the north and south. Why in News z Latitudes are a measure of a location’s 21st December or the Winter Solstice marks the distance from the Equator. shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. € This situation will be reversed on21 st June, when The same day marks the Summer Solstice, the year’s the Northern Hemisphere will see the Summer longest day, in the Southern Hemisphere. Solstice, the year’s longest day and the Southern Hemisphere will see the year’s shortest day. Key Points € In Vedic tradition, the northern movement of ¾ Solstice: the Earth on the celestial sphere is implicitly € It is a Latin word that means ‘stalled sun’. It is a acknowledged in the Surya Siddhanta, which natural phenomenon that occurs twice every year, outlines the Uttarayana (the period between once in the summer and again during winter, in Makar Sankranti and Karka Sankranti). Hence, each hemisphere of the earth. Winter Solstice is the first day ofUttarayana .

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€ Special Winter Solstice 2020: z Icebergs are named according to the Antarctic z In 2020, the day is special as it coincides with a quadrant in which they are spotted. celestial event, the ‘Great Conjunction’ of Jupiter ¾ A68a: and Saturn, happening after nearly 400 years. € Shaped like a closed hand with a pointing finger, z The two planets come in conjunction when the iceberg known as A68a split off in 2017 from they have the same right ascension or Larsen Ice Shelf on the West Antarctic Peninsula, celestial longitude and that is known as ‘Great which has warmed faster than any other part of Conjunction’. Earth’s southernmost continent. ¾ Geography Behind: € On its journey, smaller icebergs have calved from € The reason behind the changing lengths of the the iceberg and the biggest section of the iceberg days is the Earth’s tilt. is called A68a and spans an area of roughly 2,600 sq. km. € The Earth’s axis of rotation is tilted at an angle of 23.5° to its orbital plane. This tilt, combined z Recently, the two icebergs that calved from with factors such as Earth’s spin and orbit, leads A68a, have been named by the USNIC. They to variations in the duration of sunlight, due to are called A68e and A68f. which any location on the planet receives different € All the berg fragments are entrained in a fast- lengths of days. moving stream of water known as the Southern z The Northern Hemisphere spends half the year Antarctic Circumpolar Current Front. tilted in the direction of the Sun, getting direct z The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) is the sunlight during long summer days. During the most important current in the Southern Ocean, other half of the year, it tilts away from the Sun, and the only current that flows completely and the days are shorter. around the globe. € The tilt is also responsible for the different z The ACC, as it encircles the Antarctic continent, seasons on Earth. This phenomenon causes the flows eastward through the southern portions movement of the Sun from the northern to the of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. southern hemisphere and vice versa bringing in € It has been drifting towards the remote island seasonal changes in the year. of South Georgia, which is a British Overseas Territory (BOT). Iceberg A68a z The fear is that if the iceberg grounds itself near the island, it could cause disruption to the local wildlife that forages in the ocean. Why in News Penguins and seals will have to travel farther Iceberg A68a, which calved from Antarctica in 2017, in search of food. has been floating off the coast of South Georgia island. z On the other hand, there are some positives ¾ This has prompted fears about the impact the iceberg of an iceberg being stuck in the open ocean, could have on the island’s abundant wildlife. since icebergs carry dust which fertilises ocean plankton, which draws up carbon dioxide from Key Points the atmosphere. ¾ Iceberg: € The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) will launch a € An iceberg is ice that breaks off from glaciers or research mission to study A68a’s impact on the shelf ice and is floating in open water. ecosystem. € Icebergs travel with ocean currents and either get z BAS is a component of the Natural Environment caught up in shallow waters or ground themselves. Research Council (NERC), which is part of UK € The US National Ice Center (USNIC) is the only Research and Innovation. organisation that names and tracks Antarctic z It delivers and enables world-leading Icebergs. interdisciplinary research in the Polar Regions.

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Calving of Glaciers ¾ Global warming has increased the frequency of this process. ¾ Meaning: ¾ Recent Cases of Calving: € Calving is the glaciological term for the mechanical € Up to the end of the th , the loss (or simply, breaking off)of ice from a glacier 20 century Larsen Ice Shelf had been stable for more than 10,000 years. margin. € In 1995, however, a huge chunk broke off,followed € Calving is most common when a glacier flows into by another in 2002. This was followed by the water (i.e. lakes or the ocean) but can also occur breakup of the nearby Wilkins Ice Shelf in 2008 on dry land, where it is known as dry calving. and 2009, and A68a in 2017. ¾ Process: € Hydrofracturing, when water seeps into cracks € Before calving occurs, smaller cracks and fractures at the surface, splitting the ice farther down, was in glacier ice grow into larger crevasses. almost certainly the main culprit in each case. € The growth of crevasses effectivelydivides the ice z Hydrofracturing is a water well development into blocks that subsequently fall from the snout process that involves injecting high pressure into an adjacent lake (where they are known as water via the well into the bedrock formation icebergs). immediately surrounding it. z Glacier Snout: It is the lowest end of a glacier, z It was originally developed for the oil and gas also called glacier terminus or toe. industry to increase oil and gas well production. ¾ Impact on Glacier Mass Balance: z On a global scale, drilling or hydrofracturing results in significant greenhouse gas (GHG) € In lake-terminating (or freshwater) glaciers, calving emissions, leading to global warming. is often a very efficient process of ablation and is therefore an important control on glacier mass balance. z Ablation: It implies combined processes (such as sublimation, fusion or melting, evaporation) which remove snow or ice from the surface of a glacier or from a snow-field. z Glacier mass balance: It is simply the gain and loss of ice from the glacier system. nnn

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Art & Culture

Highlights z Indegenous Games & Khelo India z Eminent Dance Scholar Sunil Kothari Passes Away z UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

€ Under the Scheme, talented players identified in Indegenous priority sports disciplines at various levels are Games & Khelo India provided annual financial assistance of `5 lakh per annum for 8 years. Why in News ¾ Gatka: € Gatka originates from the State of Punjab and The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has recently this traditional fighting style of the Nihang Sikh included Gatka, Kalaripayattu, Thang-Ta and Mallakhamba is used both as as well as in Khelo India Youth Games 2021. Warriors self-defense a sport. Key Points € Gatka is believed to have originated when the 6th ¾ Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) 2021, are scheduled Sikh Guru Hargobind adopted ‘Kirpan’ for self- to take place in Haryana. defence during the Mughal era. € The 2020 edition of KIYG was held in Guwahati € It was earlier confined to gurudwaras, nagar kirtans (Assam). and akharas, but now it finds presence in the sports category after the formation of theGatka Federation of India (GFI) in 2008.

¾ KIYG is a part of the revamped national programme for development of sports ‘Khelo India’ which was ¾ Kalaripayattu: approved by the Union Cabinet in 2017. € Kalaripayattu, also known simply as Kalari, is an € The Khelo India Scheme aims to encourage sports Indian martial artthat originated in modern-day all over the country, thus allowing the population Kerala. to harness the power of sports through its cross- cutting influence, namelyholistic development of € Kalaripayattu is held in high regard by martial children & youth, community development, social artists due to its long-standing history within Indian integration, gender equality, healthy lifestyle, martial arts. It is believed to be the oldest surviving national pride and economic opportunities related martial art in India. It is also considered to be to sports development. among the oldest martial arts still in existence,

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with its origin in the martial arts timeline dating € Huyen langlon consists of two main components: rd back to at least the 3 century BCE. z Thang-ta (armed combat) € The place where this martial art is practised is called z sarit sarak (unarmed fighting). a ‘Kalari’. It is a Malayalam word that signifies a € The primary weapons of huyen langlon are the kind of gymnasium. thang (sword) and ta (spear). Other weapons z Kalari literally means ‘threshing floor’ or include the shield and the axe. ‘battlefield’. The word Kalari first appears in the Tamil Sangam literature to describe both a battlefield and combat arena. UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Why in News Recently, the Hawker Culture in Singapore has been inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at the 15th session of the Intergovernmental Committee(IGC) that was held online. ¾ Mallakhamb: € Mallakhamb is a traditional sport, originating Key Points from the Indian subcontinent, in which a gymnast ¾ Hawker Culture in Singapore: performs aerial yoga or gymnastic postures and wrestling grips with a vertical stationary or hanging € It is a living heritage shared by those who prepare wooden pole, cane, or rope hawker food and those who dine and mingle over € The name Mallakhamb derives from the terms hawker food in community dining spaces called malla, meaning wrestler, and khamb, which hawker centres. means a pole. Literally meaning “wrestling pole”, € It reflects Singapore’s multicultural identity as a the term refers to a traditional training implement people and nation, and resonates strongly with used by wrestlers. Singaporeans across all races and social strata. € Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have been the ¾ UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage: hotspots of this sport. € This coveted list is made up of those intangible heritage elements that help demonstrate the diversity of cultural heritage and raise awareness about its importance. € The list was established in 2008 when the Convention for Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage came into effect. ¾ Intangible Cultural Heritage of India:

¾ Thang Ta: € Huyen langlon is an Indian martial art from Manipur. € In the Meitei language, huyen means war while langlon or langlong can mean net, knowledge or art.

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¾ The Ministry of Culture has also launched the draft National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Eminent Dance Scholar of India. Sunil Kothari Passes Away € The National ICH List is an attempt to recognize the diversity of Indian culture embedded in its intangible heritage. Why in News € This initiative is also a part of the Vision 2024 of Recently, eminent dance scholar and critic Sunil the Ministry of Culture. Kothari passed away at the age of 87.

Other Initiatives of UNESCO Key Points ¾ Man and Biosphere Programme: ¾ He was conferred with the fourth highest civilian € Biosphere Reserves focus on the harmonised award, Padma Shri, in 2001. management of biological and cultural diversity. ¾ He authored 20 books on Indian classical dances € Out of 18 notified biosphere reserves, India has and wrote extensively on Bharatanatyam, Kathak 12 biosphere reserves under the World Network and Manipuri dance forms. of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR), the latest one € His scholarly work, “Sattriya: Classical Dance of included is Panna Biosphere Reserve. Assam”, helped in creating a better understanding ¾ World Heritage Programme: of the dance form in the national and global circuit. € World Heritage Sites promote the conservation of € His other notable contributions include New of outstanding universal natural and cultural sites Directions in Indian Dance and Kuchipudi Indian value. Classical Dance Art. € India has 38 world heritage sites, including 30 ¾ He was elected as a Fellow of Sangeet Natak Akademi. cultural properties, 7 natural properties and 1 mixed site. The latest one included is Jaipur city, Indian Classical Dances Rajasthan. ¾ The Indian classical dances have ¾ UNESCO Global Geopark Network: two basic aspects: € (movement and rhythm) and (grace, € UNESCO Global Geoparks give international Tandava Lasya recognitionfor sites that promote the importance bhava and rasa). and significance of protecting the Earth’s ¾ The three main components of them are: geodiversity through actively engaging with the € Natya: the dramatic element of the dance i.e. the local communities. imitation of characters. € India does not have any UNESCO Global geopark. € Nritta: the dance movements in their basic form. ¾ UNESCO’s Network of Creative Cities: € Nritya: expressional component i.e. mudras or € The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) was gestures. created in 2004 to promote cooperation with and ¾ The nine rasas are: Love, Heroism, Pathos, Humour, among cities that have identified creativity as a Anger, Fear, Disgust, Wonder and Peace. strategic factor for sustainable urban development. ¾ The Natya Shastra written by Bharat Muni is the € The Network covers seven creative fields: Crafts and most prominent source for the Indian aestheticians Folk Arts, Media Arts, Film, Design, Gastronomy, Literature and Music. for establishing the characteristics of the dances. ¾ € There are five Indian citiesin UCCN as follows: There are 8 classical dances in India: z Hyderabad-Gastronomy (2019). € Bharatnatyam (Tamil Nadu) z Mumbai-Film (2019). € Kathak (North India) z Chennai-Creative city of Music (2017). € Kathakali (Kerala) z Jaipur-Crafts and Folk Arts (2015). € Mohiniyattam (Kerala) z Varanasi-Creative city of Music (2015). € Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh)

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€ Odissi (Odisha) ¾ Contemporary classical dance forms have evolved € Sattriya (Assam) out of the musical play or sangeet-nataka performed from the 12th century to the 19th century. € Manipuri (Manipur)

Sangeet Natak Akademi ¾ It is India’s national academy for music, dance and drama. ¾ It was created by a resolution of the Ministry of Education (formerly the Ministry of Human Resource Development), Government of India, in 1952 with Dr P V Rajamannar as its first Chairman. ¾ It is presently an autonomous body of the Ministry of Culture and is fully funded by the Government for implementation of its schemes and programmes. ¾ The Akademi establishes and looks after institutions and projects of national importance in the field of the performing arts. Few important ones are: € National School of Drama, New Delhi (set up in 1959). € Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy, Imphal (set up in 1954). € Kathak Kendra (National Institute of Kathak Dance), New Delhi (set up in 1964). € National Projects of Support to Kutiyattam (Sanskrit theatre of Kerala), Chhau dances of eastern India, Sattriya traditions of Assam, etc. nnn

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Security

Highlights z India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol z Coastal Radar Chain Network z Systems Handed Over to Defence Services z Kamov-226T: Utility Helicopters z Army Variant of MRSAM

€ Aim: India-Indonesia z Ensuring safety and security of shipping and Coordinated Patrol international trade in the region. z CORPATs build up understanding and Why in News interoperability between navies and facilitate Recently, the 35th edition of India-Indonesia institution of measures to prevent and suppress Coordinated Patrol (IND-INDO CORPAT) between the Illegal Unreported Unregulated (IUU) fishing, Indian Navy and the Indonesian Navy has been conducted. drug trafficking, maritime terrorism, armed robbery and piracy. € Participants in 35th Edition: z Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kulish - an indigenously built missile corvette and P8I Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) undertook coordinated patrol along with Indonesian ships. € Significance: The 35th IND-INDO CORPAT will contribute towards the Indian Navy’s efforts to consolidate interoperability and forge strong bonds of friendship across the Indo-Pacific. ¾ Other Military Exercises with Indonesia: € Samudra Shakti: A bilateral maritime exercise. € Garuda Shakti: A joint military exercise. Key Points ¾ Background: Systems Handed € As part of Government of India’s vision of SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region), the Over to Defence Services Indian Navy has been proactively engaging with countries in the Indian Ocean Region for coordinated Why in News patrols, cooperation in Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) surveillance, passage exercises and bilateral/ Recently, the Defence Minister has handed over the multilateral exercises. Indian Maritime Situational Awareness System (IMSAS), z The main objectiveis towards enhancing regional ASTRA Mk-I and Border Surveillance System (BOSS) to maritime security. the Navy, Air Force and Army respectively. ¾ IND-INDO CORPAT: ¾ The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratories have € To reinforce maritime links, the two navies have indigenously developed been carrying out CORPAT along their International these three systems which will lead to higher self- Maritime Boundary Line since 2002. reliance in defence technologies.

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¾ The Defence Minister has also given away awards ¾ Awards for Outstanding Contributions: to DRDO scientists for outstanding contributionsin € DRDO Lifetime Achievement Award, 2018: various categories. z Awarded to N V Kadam for his contributions for developing control and guidance schemes Key Points for missiles. ¾ Indian Maritime Situational Awareness System z Excellence awards were given to academia and (IMSAS): industry for technology absorption. € It is a state-of-the-art and high performance z Besides, individual awards, team awards, intelligent software system that provides Global technology spin-off awards, techno managerial Maritime Situational Picture, marine planning awards and awards in other categories were tools and analytical capabilities to Indian Navy. also given. € It also provides Maritime Operational Picture from naval headquarters to each individual ship in sea Army Variant of MRSAM to enable naval command and control. € Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Why in News (CAIR), Bengaluru and Indian Navy has jointly Recently, the maiden test of the conceptualised and developed the product and Medium Range has Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bengaluru has Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM) for the Indian Army been conducted. implemented it. ¾ ASTRA Mk-I: Key Points € It is the indigenously developed first Beyond Visual ¾ Army Variant of MRSAM: (BVR) , which can be launched from Range Missile € It is a surface to air missile developed jointly by Sukhoi-30, Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Mig-29 Defence Research and Development Organisation and Mig-29K. (DRDO), India and Israel Aerospace Industries z Globally, very few countries have expertise and (IAI), Israel for use by the Indian Army. capabilities to design and produce this class of € It consists of a command and control post, multi- weapon system. function radar and mobile launcher system. € The missile is designed to engage and destroy ¾ MRSAM: highly manoeuvring supersonic aircraft. The € It is a high response, quick reaction, vertically missile has all weather day and night capability. launched supersonic missile, designed to neutralize € Successful development of ASTRA weapon system enemy aerial threats – missiles, aircraft, guided by Defence Research and Development Laboratory bombs, helicopters. (DRDL) Hyderabad and production by Bharat z Supersonic missiles exceed the speed of sound Dynamics Limited (BDL), Hyderabad is a major (Mach 1) but they are not faster than Mach-3. contribution towards Atmanirbhar Bharat. € It is used by the Army, Navy and Air Force as ¾ Border Surveillance System (BOSS): different variants. € It is an all-weather electronic surveillance system z In May 2019, Indian Navy, DRDO and IAI successfully designed and developed by Instruments conducted the maiden co-operative engagement Research and Development Establishment (IRDE), firing of the naval version of the MRSAM. Dehradun. € It is a land-based variant of the Barak Air and € The system has been deployed at Ladakh border Missile Defence System (AMD). area for day and night surveillance and facilitates ¾ India-Israel Defence Cooperation: monitoring and surveillance by automatically € Israel has been among the top four arms suppliers detecting the intrusions in harsh high-altitude to India for almost two decades now, notching sub-zero temperature areas with remote operation military sales worth around USD 1 billion every capability. year.

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€ Indian armed forces are inducting the next- Key Points generation Barak-8 surface-to-air missile systems ¾ Coastal Radar Chain Network: under three joint DRDO-IAI projects worth over `30,000 crore. € The aim is to create a network of information in the € The Indian armed forces have inducted a wide array and maritime domain awareness strategic of Israeli weapon systems over the years, which Indian Ocean Region. range from Phalcon AWACS (airborne warning and € This will also help in expanding India’s assistance control systems) and Heron, Searcher-II and Harop for capacity building to Indian Ocean littoral states. drones to Barak anti-missile defence systemsand z The assistance to these countries comes under Spyder quick-reaction anti-aircraft missile systems. India’s programme called SAGAR - Security and € The acquisitions also include a host of Israeli Growth for All in the Region. missiles and precision-guided munitions, from € Under Phase-I of the coastal radar chain network, Python and Derby air-to-air missiles to Crystal 46 coastal radar stations have been set up across Maze and Spice-2000 bombs. the country’s coastline. € Under Phase-II of the project, which is currently underway, 38 static radar stations and four mobile radar stationsare being set up by the Coast Guard and is in an advanced stage of completion. z The Indian Coast Guard is a multi-mission organization, conducting round-the-year real- life operations at sea. It operates under the Ministry of Defence. € The primary aim of surveillance radar design is to detect and track small fishing vesselsfor Coastal surveillance application. z However, the radar can also be directly used for VTS (Vessel Traffic management Services) application, harbor surveillance and navigational purposes. z It will also help in monitoring any illegal activities in the sea. € Ultimately, the data collected would feed into the Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR). Coastal Radar Chain Network ¾ Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region: Why in News € The IFC has been established at Gurugram and is collocated with the Information Management and India’s efforts are in advanced stages to set upcoastal Analysis Centre which is jointly administered by radar stations in Maldives, Myanmar and Bangladesh. the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard. ¾ The radar chain—which will link up with similar systems z The Indian Navy’s Information Management in India, Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Seychelles—will and Analysis Centre (IMAC), set up after the provide a comprehensive live feed of ship movements 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, is the in the Indian Ocean Region that can be used by nodal friendly navies. agency for maritime data fusion.

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z It will soon become a National Maritime Domain Awareness (NDMA) centre. Kamov-226T: € IFC-IOR has established itself as the hub of maritime Utility Helicopters security information in the IOR through white shipping information exchange agreements with Why in News 21 countries and 20 maritime security centres. The Indian Army is going to approach the Defence z White shipping information refers to exchange Ministry for a waiver to take the Kamov-226T (Ka-226T) of relevant advance information on the identity utility helicopters with Russia. and movement of commercial non-military ¾ In 2015, India and Russia concluded an Inter- merchant vehicles. Governmental Agreement (IGA) for 200 Ka-226T ¾ Strategic Indian Ocean Region: helicopters estimated to cost over USD 1 billion. € The Indian Ocean Region, in view of its strategic ¾ The Kamov-226T is meant to replace the ageing and location as also being home to a vast majority of obsolete Cheetah and Chetak fleets of the Indian the world’s population, can be considered as the Army and the Air Force. economic highway that drives global commerce. Key Points € With over 75% of the world’s maritime trade and 50% of daily global oil consumptionpassing ¾ Kamov-226T Helicopter: through the region; IOR is vital to world trade and the economic prosperity of many nations. € At any given time, there areclose to 12,000 ships in the Indian Ocean Region and 300 fishing vessels that need to be always monitored. € The IOR is also a fragile environment, with threats such as maritime terrorism, piracy, human and contraband trafficking, illegal and unregulated fishing, arms running and poaching being prevalent. € Further, there has been a steady rise in the deployment of Chinese research vessels in the € Design: The Ka-226T is a design of Russia’s famed Indian Ocean Region . Kamov design bureau. z Increasing presence of China in the Indian Ocean € Assembling: A joint venture India Russia Helicopters Region has been a strategic concern for India. Limited (IRHL) has been set up between Hindustan ¾ Recent Related Initiatives: Aeronautics Limited(HAL) and Russian Helicopters € The council of ministers of IORA (Indian Ocean Rim (RH) which will assemble the helicopters in India. Association) countries met virtually in December € Payload Capacity: 2020. IORA is an inter-governmental organisation, z It is a light helicopter, with a maximum take- established in 1997. India is a member country. off weight of over 3.5 tonnes and can carry a € The four-nationMalabar Exercise involving India, payload of up to 1 tonne. Australia, the USA and Japan was concluded and € Special Features: hosted in two phases by the Indian Navy in the z The Ka-226T uses coaxial rotors, that is, it has Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea. two sets of rotors mounted one on top of the € Earlier this year in March, India joined the Indian other and typically no tail rotor. Ocean Commission (IOC) as Observer. The z Coaxial rotors give a helicopter improvements Commission is an important regional institution in lift and payload capacity over conventional in Western/African Indian Ocean. choppers.

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z This is especially advantageous in high- ¾ Issues with the Old Fleet of Helicopters: altitude environments where an aircraft’s € About 75% of the Army’s fleet of Cheetah and performance at take-off tends to diminish Chetak helicopters is over 30 years old. Some of due to the lower air density. them are about 50 years old and they need urgent z The Ka-226T also has a unique, detachable replacements. ‘mission’ compartment instead of a conventional z Operational capability has been impacted due to cabin. deficiencies and non-availability of replacement. z This allows the helicopter to be adapted ¾ Requirement of Helicopters in Indian Army: There for different roles such assurveillance and is a requirement of around 400 such helicopters in cargo delivery. the army. nnn

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Highlights z Vijay Diwas: 50 Years of Indo-Pak War z Legion of Merit: USA z Goa Liberation Day z Srinivasa Ramanujan z Digital India Awards 2020

Vijay Diwas: Goa Liberation Day

50 Years of Indo-Pak War Why in News Why in News The Prime Minister of India greeted the people of Goa on Goa Liberation Day, which falls on 19th December India will celebrate 50 Years of Indo-Pak War, also every year. called Swarnim Vijay Varsh on 16th December 2020. ¾ Inaugural event of the celebration will be held at the Key Points National War Memorial (NWM) in New Delhi which ¾ The day marks the occasion when the Indian armed will be attended by the Prime Minister. forces freed Goa in 1961 from 450 years of Portuguese € The National War Memorial is a tribute to the rule. soldiers who laid down their lives defending the € The Portuguese colonised several parts of India in nation, post-independence it also commemorates 1510 but by the end of the 19th-century Portuguese the soldiers who participated and made the supreme colonies in India were sacrifice in Peacekeeping Missions, and Counter limited to Goa, Daman, Insurgency Operations. Diu, Dadra, Nagar Haveli and Anjediva Island (a part of Goa). Key Points € As India gained independence on 15th August, ¾ Vijay Diwas is observed on 16th December every year 1947, it requested the Portuguese to cede their to mark India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war. territories but they refused. ¾ The Government of India decided on 3rd December ¾ The Goa liberation movement started off with small 1971, that India would go for war with Pakistan to scale revolts, but reached its peak between 1940 save Bengali Muslims and Hindus. to 1960. ¾ This war was fought between India and Pakistan for ¾ In 1961, after the failure of diplomatic efforts with 13 days. Portuguese, the Indian Government launched Operation ¾ On 16th December 1971, the chief of the Pakistani forces Vijay and annexed Daman and Diu and Goa with the th with 93,000 soldiers had surrendered unconditionally Indian mainland on 19 December. to the allied forces consisting of Indian Army and € On 30th May 1987, the territory was split and Goa Mukti Bahini in Dhaka. was formed. Daman and Diu remained a Union € Mukti Bahini refers to the armed organizations Territory. that fought against the Pakistan Army during € Hence, 30th May is celebrated as the Statehood the Bangladesh Liberation War. It was a guerrilla Day of Goa. resistance movement. ¾ Bangladesh was born on this day. Hence, Bangladesh Goa celebrates its independence day(Bijoy Dibos) on16th ¾ It is located on the southwestern coast of India December every year. within the region known as the Konkan, and

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geographically separated from the Deccan highlands € Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary by the Western Ghats. € Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary € Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary € Mollem National Park

Digital India Awards 2020

Why in News Recently, the President of India has conferred Digital India Awards 2020.

Key Points ¾ About the Awards: € Digital India Awards have been institutionalized under the ambit of National Portal of India to honor exemplary initiatives/practices in Digital- Governance. z National Portal of India:It is a Flagship Project to facilitate single window access to Government Information and Services in cyberspace. z Digital-Governance: It is a framework for establishing accountability, roles, and decision- making authority for an organization’s digital presence. € These are conducted by the National Informatics ¾ Capital: Panji. Centre (NIC) under the Ministry of Electronics & ¾ Official Language: Konkani. Information Technology (MeitY). € Konkani is one of the 22 languages from the Eight € The Awards have been held for 5 seasons earlier, . Schedule in 2009, 2012, 2014, 2016 & 2018. The Awards € It was added in the list along with Manipuri and were initially known as Web Ratna Awards until st Nepali by the 71 Amendment Act of 1992. 2014 and were re-named Digital India Awards ¾ Borders: It is surrounded by Maharashtra to the from the 2016 season. north and Karnataka to the east and south, with the ¾ Awards 2020: Arabian Sea forming its western coast. € 22 digital governance initiatives/ products by ¾ Geography: Government entities under seven categories € The highest point of Goa is Sonsogor. received Digital India Awards 2020 for designing € Goa’s major rivers are the Zuari, Mandovi (also and implementing innovative citizen-centric digital called Mhadei), Terekhol, Chapora, Galgibag, solutions and improving the ease of living for all Kumbarjua canal, Talpona and the Sal. citizens. € Most of Goa’s soil cover is made up of laterites. z ‘Innovation in Pandemic award’was introduced ¾ Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks: this year. € Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary € The award also acknowledges States and Union € Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary Territories that display exemplary initiative in

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establishing a comprehensive digital presence in z These gateways have been recognised for sectors like health, labour, finance, social justice facilitating identification, registration, skilling and environment, leading to the accomplishment plus employment of migrants and other workers of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). during the novel coronavirus pandemic. ¾ Notable Winners: € States: € E-committee of Supreme court of India: z Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West z E-Courts project visioned and implemented Bengal won the Award under ‘Excellence in by the e-Committee along with Department Digital Governance - State / UT’ category. of Justice and NIC is a Mission Mode Project of Government of India. Legion of Merit: USA z Citizens can access case status, causelist court orders anywhere, any time through e-courts Why in News services website, mobile app, sms email services from the 3,293 court complexes. Recently, the USA has awarded the ‘Legion of Merit’ to the Prime Ministers of . € Arogya Setu: India, Japan and Australia ¾ All these four countries were z It is a mobile application developed by the key to reviving the Government of India to connect essential Quadrilateral grouping since 2017, which is part of health services with the people of India in a the Indo-Pacific strategy and is aimed at countering fight against Covid-19. the growing dominance of China in the region. z The App is aimed at augmenting the initiatives Key Points of the Government of India, particularly the Department of Health, in proactively reaching out ¾ About the Award: to and informing the users of the app regarding € One of the USA’s highest military decorations, the risks, best practices and relevant advisories award was instituted in1942 by former President pertaining to the containment of Covid-19. Franklin D. Roosevelt. € eOffice: € It is awarded to members of the USA armed z It is a Mission Mode Project under the National forces and also members of foreign (i.e. non-USA) E-Governance Plan, developed and implemented armed forces and sometimes heads of state or by NIC. government. z It is a digital workplace solution.The vision of € The award is presented to foreign recipients in eOffice is to achieve a simplified, responsive, four categories: Chief Commander, Commander, effective and transparent working of all Officer and Legionnaire. government offices. € There have been two Indian recipients of the € eSanjeevani: honour in the past: Field Marshal K M Cariappa z It is a digital platform of the Ministry of Health in 1950, and Gen S M Srinagesh in 1955. & Family Welfare. ¾ Current Receivers: z It has enabled two types of telemedicine € Indian PM has been given this award for his role services viz. Doctor-to-Doctor (eSanjeevani) in “advancing the India-USA relationship”. and Patient-to-Doctor (eSanjeevani OPD) Tele- z The award recognises the efforts of the people consultations. of India and the USA to improve bilateral € Bihar Sahayata Mobile App: ties, reflected in the bipartisan consensus in z It was an innovative initiativeto transfer money both countries about the Indo-USA Strategic directly to the bank accounts of 21 lakh stranded Partnership. migrant workers outside the state. € Australian PM was presented the award for € Madhya Pradesh Labour Department’s Pravasi “addressing global challenges and promoting Shramik and Rojgar Setu Portals: collective security”.

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€ Japanese PM for his “leadership and vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific”.

Srinivasa Ramanujan

Why in News Every year, Srinivasa Ramanujan’s birth anniversary ¾ Contributions to Mathematics: on December 22 is commemorated as National € Formulas and Equations: Mathematics Day. z Ramanujan compiled around 3,900 results consisting of equations and identities. One of Key Points his most treasured findings was his infinite ¾ About Srinivasa Ramanujan: series for Pi. € Born on 22nd December, 1887 in Erode,Tamil Nadu z He gave several formulas to calculate the digits and died on 26th April 1920 in Kumbakonam,Tamil of Pi in many unconventional ways. Nadu, India. € Game Theory: € In 1903 he secured a scholarship to the University of Madras but lost it the following year because z He discovered a long list of new ideas to solve he neglected all other subjects in pursuit of many challenging mathematical problems, which mathematics. gave a significant impetus to the development € In 1911 Ramanujan published the first of his papers of game theory. in the Journal of the Indian Mathematical Society. z His contribution to game theory is purely based € In 1913 he began a correspondence with the British on intuition and natural talent and remains mathematician Godfrey H. Hardy which led to a unrivalled to this day. special scholarship from the University of Madras € Ramanujan’s Book: and a grant from Trinity College, Cambridge. z One of Ramanujan’s notebooks was discovered by € In 1918 he was elected to the Royal Society of London. George Andrews in 1976 in the library at Trinity College. Later the contents of this notebook € Ramanujan was one of the youngest members of Britain’s Royal Society and the first Indian to be were published as a book. elected a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge € Ramanujan number: University. z 1729 is known as the Ramanujan number.

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z It is the smallest number which can be and 1, cube of 12 is 1728 and cube of 1 is 1 expressed as the sum of two different cubes adding the two results in 1729. in two different ways. € Other Contributions:Ramanujan’s other notable z 1729 is the sum of the cubes of 10 and contributions include hypergeometric series, 9 - cube of 10 is 1000 and cube of 9 is 729 the Riemann series, the elliptic integrals, mock adding the two numbers results in 1729. theta function, the theory of divergent series, z 1729 is also the sum of the cubes of 12 and the functional equations of the zeta function. nnn

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Summary Key Points Details

Summary