01-31 MAY 2021
EDUPHORE IAS
MONTHLY CURRENT AFFAIR
INDEX POLITY Article 311 4 National Task Force and Judicial Intervention 4 The Maratha Judgement 5 Reservation Judgements 5 A critical view of Maratha Judgements 6 National Human Rights Commission 7 Live reporting to court proceedings constitute ‘ Right to freedom of speech: Supreme Court 8 Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme(MPLADS) 8
Administrative Service (cadre) Rules, 1954 8 Widened Scope of Section 304B in dowry deaths by SC 9 Judgement to give ‘Protection to accused denied anticipatory bail’ 9 New social media code The Information Technology (Guidelines for Intermediaries and 10 Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 CBI Director appointment 10 Committee for Reforms in Criminal Laws to define hate speech 11 The Legislative Council of States 11 Extra road accident compensation to selfemployed: Supreme Court 12 Overseas Citizens of India 12 Increasing access to court proceedings 13 Electoral bonds 13 A Case for National Tribunal Commission (NTC) 13 ENVIRONMENT Wolf Protection in Slovakia 14 Sequencing of Pangolin scales 15 Deepak’s Wood snake ‘Xylophis deepaki’ 16 One Heath Approach 16 Global Methane Assessment: Benefits and Costs of Mitigating Methane Emissions” 17 Discovery of New cricket species 18 Lichens and Air quality 18 Iceberg A76 19 Invasive white flies 19 Over 100 Years of Snow Leopard Research 20 Asian gracile skink 20 Hard to stay fat for Female Elephant seal 21 Impact of Climate Change on Kenyan Tea 21 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Financial Action Task Force 22 IsraelPalestine Conflict 23 What’s happening in Jerusalem? 23 G7 24 First BRICS Employment Working Group (EWG) Meeting amongst BRICS Countries 25 Mount Meron disaster 25 Global Innovation Partnership 26 Waiver for Intellectual Property Right 26 1 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Arguments for and against waiver of IP rights during the Pandemic 27 Interpol 28 Rwanda massacre 29 BangladeshSri Lanka Currency Swap 30 World Health Assembly Meet 30 Dispute over South China Sea 31 Remains of children in Canada 31 Taiwan Strait 32 China complete Tibetan Highway 32 IndoIsrael Agriculture Cooperation 32 17+1 Cooperation Forum 32 Decoding India’s stance on IsraelPalestine issue 33 A historic period for West Asian diplomacy 33 India diplomacy towards IsraelPalestine 34 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, DEFENCE NASA Mission OSIRISREx 35 National Technology Day 36 Israel Iron Dome 36 MACS 1407 37 Long March 37 China’s ‘Zhurong’ Rover 37 5G Trial 38 Ct value 39 P81 aircraft 39 Variants of SARSCoV2 Virus 39 Bio fuel 40 Rafael 40 Space X ‘Starship’ 41 Application of Artificial Intelligence to Agriculture 42 New technology for High pressure compressors (HPC) 42 INS Rajput 43 Zebra Fish 43 The Incidence of Smoke 44 Super moon 44 Mucormycosis 45 Special Power to Armed forces 45 Towards Zero tolerance to poaching 46 PM Cares for Children 47 A Case for new public governance model 47 23rd district of Punjab 48 Why and how of creating a district 48 GEOGRAPHY World’s oldest water 49 Exclusive Economic Zones 49 State disaster Respond Fund 50 Climate Change changing Earth’s axis 50 Mount Sinabung 51 Cyclones in Bay of Bengal 52 Record rainfall in Delhi 52 Mount Nyiragongo Volcanic eruption 52 Hurricane in Antlantic 53 Naming of cyclones 53 Organic products export 54 Cyclone Tauktae 54 ECONOMY Debate over GST exemption during pandemic 55 Asian Development Outlook 2021 56 Unpaid work: Recognise, Reduce, Redistribute 56
2 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Comprehensive targeted policy response by RBI 57 Disinvestment of IDBI 58 State of Working India 2021:One Year of COVID 19 58 S&P Global Ratings 59 GST council Meet highlights 59 Subsidies 60 Diammonium phosphate (DAP) subsidy 61 Personal Guarantors liable for corporate debt: Supreme Court 61 US Central Bank’ digital currency plan 62 China decreasing population growth 62 Findings of WHO and ILD Report on Work Related disease 63 RBI GSAP 63 HISTORY, ART AND CULTURE UNESCO World Heritage sites 64 Maratha Military Architecture 65 Thomas Hickey’ painting of three women 66 The reclining Buddha Statue 67 SECURITY Fire safety Norms in India 68 Vaccine hesitancy 69 Child trafficking during COVID 19 69 Uranium Seizure 70 What’s App challenge to the New social media code 71 SOCIETY COVID among PVTGs 71
3 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
POLITY
Article 311 Suspended police officer Sachin Waze, arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the Mukesh Ambani terror scare case, was dismissed from service by Mumbai Police Commissioner under Article 311 (2) (b) without a departmental enquiry.
Article 311 While Article 311 is meant to act as a safeguard for civil servants that gives them a chance to respond to the charges in an enquiry so that he/she is not arbitrarily dismissed from service, the article also provides exceptions to these safeguards under subclause 2 provision b. It states “when an authority empowered to dismiss or remove a person or to reduce him in rank is satisfied that for some reason, to be recorded by that authority in writing, it is not reasonably practicable to hold such enquiry”.
Safeguards provided to civil servants Article 311 says that no government employee either of an all India service or a state government shall be dismissed or removed by an authority subordinate to the own that appointed him/her. Section 2 of the article says that no civil servant shall be dismissed or removed or reduced in rank except after an inquiry in which she/he has been informed of the charges and given a reasonable opportunity of being heard in respect of those charges.
What is the process of a departmental enquiry? In a departmental enquiry, after an enquiry officer is appointed, the civil servant is given a formal charge sheet of the charges. The civil servant can represent himself/herself or choose to have a lawyer. Witnesses can be called during the departmental enquiry following which the enquiry officer can prepare a report and submit it to the government for further action.
Exceptions where a person can be dismissed without departmental enquiry As per Article 311 (2), if a government employee is convicted in a criminal case, he can be dismissed without DE. Apart from this, under 311 (2) (c), a government employee can be dismissed when the President or the Governor, as the case may be, is satisfied that in the interest of the security of state it is not expedient to hold such an enquiry, the employee can be dismissed without DE.
Can the dismissal under section 311 (2) be challenged by the government employee? Yes, the government employee dismissed under these provisions can approach either tribunals like the state administrative tribunal or Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) or the courts.
National task force and Judicial Intervention Judicial intervention in response to the Union government’s response to the health crisis The top court had expressed its dissatisfaction at the Centre’s earlier “oxygen forbed” formula. Supreme Court formed a 12 member national task force for the effective and transparent allocation of medical oxygen to the States and Union Territories “on a scientific, rational and equitable basis”.
Concern Several High Courts and the Supreme Court are examining different aspects of the pandemic response, including availability of beds and oxygen. The trend did raise concerns about the judiciary encroaching on the executive domain. The allocation of resources based on a formula related to the present and projected requirements of each State is indeed an executive function.
Justification As the daily infection numbers and death toll have acquired frightening levels, the constitutional courts felt obliged to take it upon themselves to protect the right to life and good health of the population. Judiciary drew much flak last year for its initial failure to mitigate the crisis set off by the lack of succour to millions of migrant workers. Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, who heads the Bench hearing the suo motu proceedings, has clarified that the Court was not usurping the executive’s role, but only wanted to facilitate a dialogue among stakeholders. As long as this position is clear, the present intervention need not be seen as a dangerous overreach. 4 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
The Maratha judgement In the judgment that declared the Maratha reservation unconstitutional, a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court dealt with another issue. By a 3:2 majority, it ruled that after the passage of the 102nd Constitution Amendment Act in 2018, the States do not have any power to identify ‘socially and educationally backward’ (SEBC) classes
What does the 102nd Amendment say? Article 338B The Amendment established a National Commission for Backward Classes by adding Article 338B to the Constitution. The five member Commission was tasked with monitoring safeguards provided for socially and educationally backward classes, giving advice on their socioeconomic development, inquiring into complaints and making recommendations, among other functions. Significantly, it was laid down that the Centre and the States shall consult the Commission on all policy matters concerning the SEBCs. Article 342A The Amendment also added Article 342A, under which the President shall notify a list of SEBCs in relation to each State and Union Territory, in consultation with Governors of the respective States. Once this ‘Central List’ is notified, only Parliament could make inclusions or exclusions in the list by law. This provision is drafted in exactly the same word as the one concerning the lists of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Definition Further, a definition of ‘SEBCs’ was added to the Constitution — ‘SEBC’ means “such backward classes as are so deemed under Article 342A for the purposes of this Constitution”
Why did this Amendment come up for judicial interpretation? The reservation for the Maratha community was challenged in the Bombay High Court on various grounds. One of the grounds was that the Act creating the Maratha quota through a new category called ‘SEBC’ was unconstitutional because after the introduction of the 102nd Amendment, the State legislature had no power to identify any new backward class. Separately, a writ petition was also filed in the Supreme Court questioning the validity of the Amendment as it violated the federal structure and deprived the States of their powers. In this context, the court had to examine the validity of the Amendment.
Supreme Court reach these conclusions? The bench adopted a literal interpretation of the 102nd Amendment, It cited three main reasons: 1. Text was clear that the President alone could notify the list, and subsequent changes could be made only by Parliament by law. 2. The text was identical to the provisions governing the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and the procedure to identify SCs was exactly the same, which led to the conclusion that Parliament intended to “replicate” the same process for backward classes, too. 3. A definition clause was added to the effect that only a class found in the list notified by the President under Article 342A was an SEBC. Further, the definition was for “the purposes of the Constitution”, which meant that it was to apply to the Constitution as a whole, including Article 15(4) and Article 16(4), which enable special provisions for backward classes, including reservation in public services, and are also implemented by the States. 4. It also drew on deliberations before a Rajya Sabha Select Committee that showed that the Centre had rejected suggestions from members who demanded that a specific clause be added saying that States would continue to have the power to identify SEBCs. However, the minority judgement accepted the Union government’s position that it was never its intention to deprive the States of their powers. They held that the ‘Central List’ was only for use by the Centre in reservations for jobs and institutions under the Union government, and will not apply to States.
Reservation Judgements A five judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court unanimously declared a Maharashtra law, which provides reservation benefits to the Maratha community taking the quota limit in the State in excess of 50%, unconstitutional.
Maratha Judgement There was no “exceptional circumstances” or “extraordinary situation” in Maharashtra, which required the State go vernment to break the 50% ceiling limit to bestow quota benefits on the Maratha community. The Marathas are in mainstream of the national life. It is not even disputed that Marathas are a politically dominant caste,”
5 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
It struck down the findings of Justice M.G. Gaikwad Commission, which led to the enactment of Maratha quota law and set aside the Bombay High Court judgment which validated the Maharashtra State Reservation for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) Act of 2018. A separate reservation Maratha community violated Articles 14 (right to equality) and 21 (due process of law).
Indra Sawhney It declined to revisit 1992 Indra Sawhney judgment. The judgment of Indra Sawhney has stood the test of time. The ceiling of 50% with the ‘extraordinary circumstances’ exception, is the just balance — what is termed as the ‘Goldilocks solution’ — i.e. the solution containing the right balance that allows the State sufficient latitude to ensure meaningful affirmative action to those who deserve it and at the same time ensures that the essential content of equality,”
Past judgments on a ceiling for quotas M.R. Balaji vs State of Mysore (1962) The special provision for backward classes should not normally exceed 50%. The order earmarking 68% of seats in engineering, medical and other technical courses was a “fraud” on the Constitution. However, it added that it would not attempt to lay down in an inflexible manner what the proper percentage of reservation should be. The presumption behind the 50% rule was that equality of opportunity was the norm, and any special provision for socially and educationally backward classes or reservation for backward classes in public employment was an exception. Kerala vs. N.M. Thomas (1975) It disagreed with the proposition made in Balaji judgement. It said the special measures in favour of backward classes in Articles 15 and 16 were not exceptions to the rule. On the contrary, these were an emphatic way of ensuring equality of opportunity. The 50% norm in Balaji was only a rule of caution and does not exhaust all categories. Indra Sawhney (1992) Even though most judges agreed that reservation was not an exception to the equality norm, the court ultimately laid down the 50% limit. It cited Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s opinion in the Constituent Assembly that reservation should be “confined to a minority of seats” and fixed the maximum permissible quota at 50%. It said that the strict rule could be relaxed in extraordinary situations given the country’s great diversity.
A critical view of Maratha judgement The Supreme Court of India declared as unconstitutional a Maharashtra law which provided for reservation to the Maratha community in education and public employment in the State. 1. Maratha community did not constitute a socially and educationally backward class. 2. Law was in breach of a rule previously set by the Court disallowing reservations made in excess of 50% of the total available positions. 3. State governments had no independent power to declare a group as a backward class. 4. Constitution had now created a structure for determination of other backward classes identical to that in place for the preparation of the lists of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Understanding the Declaration of Other backward classes (OBCs) Until now, the central government and each of the State governments produced separate lists declaring communities as socially and educationally backward. Following the Supreme Court’s judgment in Indra Sawhney, the determination of backward classes was made by the National Commission for the Backward Classes, at the level of the Centre, and by regional commissions at the level of the State governments. As a result, backward communities that were kept out of the central list were entitled to reservation at least for those posts and seats under the control of the State government. This division in power gave States autonomy to classify groups as backward. It stood in contrast to the lists of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. In the case of those lists, the power to prepare them vested solely with the Union government. But the Supreme Court has now held that this distinction no longer holds good. The 102nd Amendment (2018) forms the basis for the Court’s ruling,
102nd Amendment of the Constitution It granted constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes. It introduced Article 342A, which stipulated that the President of India may, after consultation with the State go vernment, notify groups of persons within such a State who are deemed to be socially and educationally backward. Any such “Central List”, could only be altered by Parliament. 6 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Article 366(26C) was also added and “socially and educationally backward classes” was defined as “such backward classes as are so deemed under Article 342A for the purposes of this Constitution”
Critical view Reservations ought to be restricted to 50% does not stem from the Constitution. The text of Articles 16(4) and 15(4) which confer power on the government to make reservations contains no such limitation. Indra Sawhney judgement: It ruled, on the one hand, that N.M. Thomas judgement was correct in seeing reservations as embedded in a constitutional vision of substantive equality, and, on the other hand, that reservation made in excess of 50%, barring exceptional circumstances, was harmful to that very vision. This is an incompatible position. Federalism: Divesting states of a power this critical, to classify groups as backward, entitling many communities to protection under Articles 15(4) and 16(4), can be seen as against the “essence” of federalism. Interpretation of Constitution: It relied on the plain meaning of Articles 342A and 366(26C). But it overlooked two essential factors: first, the term “Central List” — used in Article 342A has always been understood in contradistinction to the term “state list”, in that it refers to the categorisation of groups as backward for the purposes of reservation to posts and seats under the Union government’s control. External aid: During Parliament debate, Union minster assured States that proposed changes did not take away their autonomy. The “right to include or remove in the States List...will remain as it is and it will not be violated in any man ner,”. External aids, such as parliamentary debates, are useful only when the plain meaning of a provision is unclear. The term “Central List” in Article 342A shows that, the Constitution recognises the power of State government to frame lists of their own. If one were to concede that two interpretations to the amendments were plausible, then the interpretation that allows for a more equitable division of power between the central and State governments, ought to be accepted.
Way forward Union government has already filed a petition to review the judgment in so far as it limits the power of State governments. Should the Court refuse the plea, it is imperative that Parliament amends the Constitution and grants to States an express power to determine backwardness.
National Human Rights Commission Justice Prafulla Chandra Pant, a former Supreme Court judge, has been appointed the Acting Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Justice Pant was appointed a member of the NHRC on April 22, 2019. The post of Chairperson has been vacant since the former Chief Justice of India H.L. Dattu completed his tenure on December 2.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India was established on 12 October, 1993. The statute under which it is established is the Protection of Human Rights Act (PHRA), 1993 as amended by the Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Act, 2006.
Composition It consists of a Chairperson and three members. Of the three members at least one will be a woman. The chairperson is a retired chief justice of India or a judge of the Supreme Court. They are appointed by the President on They hold office for a term of three years or until they attain the age of the recommendations of a sixmember 70 years, whichever is earlier. committee consisting of: Chairperson for National Commission for Minorities, National Commission for Scheduled Castes, National Commission for Scheduled Prime Minister (head) Tribes, National Commission for Women, National Commission for Speaker of the Lok Sabha Protection of Child Rights, National Commission for Backward Classes Deputy Chairman of the Rajya and Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities act as exofficio Sabha members. Leaders of the Opposition in both the Houses of Parliament What are Human Rights? Union Home Minister. As per the UN definition, Human rights are inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, gender, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. These rights are entitled to all humans without any discrimination. Section 2(1)(d) of the PHRA defines Human Rights as the rights relating to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual guaranteed by the Constitution or embodied in the International Covenants and enforceable by courts in India.
7 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Live reporting of court proceedings constitute Right to freedom of speech: Supreme Court
Context of judgement Madras HC remarks The court declined a plea made by the Election Commission of India to restrain the media from reporting oral remarks made by a Division Bench of the Madras High court. The HC judges had said that poll body officials charged with “murder” for allowing rallies and mass gatherings during the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. The judges had remarked that the EC was solely responsible for the COVID surge.
What does the judgement say? Real-time reportage of court proceedings, including the oral exchanges in courtrooms between judges and lawyers, is part of the right to freedom of speech. With the advent of technology, there is reporting proliferate through social media forums which provide realtime updates to a much wider Gujarat High Court had recently audience. This is an extension of the freedom of speech and expression introduced live streaming of its that the media possesses. This constitutes a virtual extension of the open proceedings in a bid to enhance public court. participation in the dispensation of Such live reporting of court proceedings is a cause of celebration justice. rather than apprehension. Except in cases of child sexual abuse and marital issues, the phenomenon of free press should extend to court proceedings. Citizens have a right to be informed about what transpires in the course of judicial proceedings. It would be retrograde for this court to promote the rule of law and access to justice on one hand, and shield the daily operations of the High Courts and this court from the media in all its forms, by gagging the reporting of proceeding
Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury wrote to Speaker Om Birla to restart the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS). He said it is critical to have access to the fund because of the second COVID19 wave and the devastation caused by cyclone Yaas. Government of India in the event of struggle against Covid-19 had suspended MPLADS funds for two years (2020 and 2021) and directed these funds to be transferred to the Consolidated Fund of India.
About MPLADS It was announced in December 1993 and initially came under the control of the Ministry of Rural Development. In October 1994, the scheme was transferred to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. It is a Central Sector Scheme.
Objective: To enable MPs to recommend works of developmental nature with emphasis on the creation of durable community assets based on the locally felt needs to be taken up in their Constituencies. Lok Sabha Members can recommend works within their constituencies and elected Members of Rajya Sabha can recommend works within the State they are elected from. Nominated Members of both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha can recommend works anywhere in the country. Create durable assets of national priorities primary education, public health, sanitation and roads etc. The annual MPLADS fund entitlement per MP constituency is Rs. 5 crore.
Administrative Service (cadre) Rules, 1954 The appointments committee of the Union Cabinet attached the West Bengal State’s Chief Secretary to the Centre. The committee is headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
What does the rule say? The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) invoked Rule 6(I) of the Indian Administrative Service (cadre) Rules, 1954 to place the services of West Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay with the Government of India. Rule 6(I) states that “provided that in case of any disagreement, the matter shall be decided by the Central Government and the State Government shall give effect to the decision of the Central Government The order asked the State government to relieve the officer with “immediate effect” and directed him to report to DoPT office.
8 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Widened Scope of Section 304-B in dowry deaths by SC The Supreme Court indicated in a judgment that a straitjacket and literal interpretation of a penal provision on dowry death may have blunted the battle against the “longstanding social evil”. In 2019 alone, 7,115 cases of dowry death were registered under Section 304B of the Indian Penal Code. Dowry deaths accounted for 40% to 50% homicides in the country for almost a decade from 1999 to 2018.
About the judgement The judgment pronounced called dowry harassment a “pestiferous” crime where women are subjected to cruelty by “covetous” husbands and in-laws. But the language used in Section 304B has always flummoxed courts. Courts have often opted for a strict and narrow reading of the provision, which was one of the many legal initiatives introduced against dowry. It said courts should instead interpret Section 304B liberally while keeping in mind the law’s intention to punish dowry and bride burning.
What does the judgement say about the interpretation? According to Section 304B, to make out a case dowry death, a woman should have died of burns or other bodily injuries or “otherwise than under normal circumstances” within seven years of her marriage. She should have suffered cruelty or harassment from her husband or inlaws “soon before her death” in connection with demand for dowry. The judgement said ‘Over the years, courts had interpreted the phrase 'soon before' in Section 304B as 'immediately before'. This interpretation would make it necessary for a woman to have been harassed moments before she died. Such “absurd” interpretations should be avoided. It said the prosecution needed to show only a “proximate and live link” between the harassment and her death. It is safe to deduce that when the legislature used the words ‘soon before’ they did not mean ‘immediately before’. Rather, they left its determination in the hands of the courts. The factum of cruelty or harassment differs from case to case. Even the spectrum of cruelty is quite varied, as it can range from physical, verbal or even emotional. The phrase “otherwise than under normal circumstances” in the Section also calls for a liberal interpretation. “Section 304B, IPC does not take a pigeonhole approach in categorising death as homicidal or suicidal or accidental. The reason for such noncategorisation is due to the fact that death occurring in ‘other than under normal circumstances’ can, in cases, be homicidal or suicidal or accidental,”.
Examining accused The judgment also raised concern about the casual way in which trial courts examined accused persons in dowry death cases under Section 313 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The examination of the accused about the incriminatory material against him should be done in a fair manner. The court must put incriminating circumstances before the accused and seek his response. He should be given sufficient opportunity to give his side of the story. The court should question the accused fairly, with care and caution.
Judgement to give ‘Protection to accused denied anticipatory bail’ Supreme Court judgment said an accused denied anticipatory bail can, in exceptional circumstances, still be given protection from immediate arrest if his sudden incarceration by the State will plunge his personal affairs and family into crisis. It underscored the “reality that no law or rule can possibly account for the complexities of life, and the infinite range of circumstances that may arise in the future”.
What does the judgement say? An accused, besides being an accused, may also be the primary caregiver or sole breadwinner of the family. His arrest may leave his loved ones in a state of starvation and neglect. In such “exceptional” cases, courts had the power to allow an accused, while dismissing his anticipatory bail plea, to retain his personal liberty for “some time” — the shortest duration reasonably required — in order to make arrangements for his family before surrendering in the trial court. Judges pay equal attention to the humane side of criminal law while hearing pleas for anticipatory bail. The grant or rejection of bail in such cases had a direct bearing on the fundamental right to life and liberty of an individual. Even when not inclined to grant anticipatory bail to an accused, there may be circumstances where the High Court is of the opinion that it is necessary to protect the person apprehending arrest for some time, due to exceptional circumstances, until they surrender before the trial court. However, courts should not use this discretion to grant “judicial largesse” to accused persons.
9 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Article 21 The concept of anticipatory bail germinated from Article 21 of the Constitution. At times, courts may need to look beyond the strict confines of the written text to secure complete justice. The High Courts and the Supreme Court had the powers to do so. Therefore, such an order [to grant protection from arrest despite denying anticipatory bail] must necessarily be narrowly tailored to protect the interests of the applicant [accused] while taking into consideration the concerns of the investigating authority. Such an order must be a reasoned one.”
New social media code- The Information Technology (Guidelines for Intermediaries and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 While the new stricter rules for social media intermediaries such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Google. Twitter and Telegram, come into effect on May 26 2021, a majority of platforms are yet to fully comply with ‘The Information Technology (Guidelines for Intermediaries and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021’. Under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, the intermediaries are not liable for user generated content, provided they adhere to the rules — “an intermediary shall not be liable for any third party information, data, or communication link made available or hosted by him,” it states. These rules have been tightened now.
Features of New Rules 1. The broad themes of the guidelines revolve around o Grievance redressal o Compliance with the law o Adherence to the media code 2. Social media platforms like Google or Facebook, or intermediaries, for instance, will now have to appoint a grievance officer to deal with users’ complaints. 3. Social media intermediary would have to “enable the identification of the first originator of the information on its computer resource” as may be required by a judicial order. 4. For digital publishers of news and current affairs as well as video streaming services, an identical three tier structure for grievance redressal has been mandated. 5. It includes the ‘Norms of Journalistic Conduct’ as prescribed by the Press Council of India, as also content that shall not be published — “content which is prohibited under any law for the time being in force shall not be published or transmitted”, and the Programme Code under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995. 6. The guidelines also require streaming services to classify content based on its nature and type. For instance, content “for persons aged 16 years and above, and can be viewed by a person under the age of 16 years with parental guidance shall be classified as U/A 16+”. 7. The three tier regulatory mechanism will seek to redress complaints with respect to the digital platforms’ adherence to a Code of Ethics, which among other things includes the ‘Norms of Journalistic Conduct’, compiled by the Press Council of India, the Programme Code of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, as also a negative list of content that shall not be published (essentially what one would encounter under law as reasonable restrictions to free speech) 8. The scope of regulation of the digital space has been expanded. The new guidelines not only replace the Information Technology (Intermediaries Guidelines) Rules, 2011, but go a step further. They also regulate digital news publishers and streaming services, which was not the case earlier. The 2011 rules were a narrower set of guidelines for intermediaries.
CBI Director appointment Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana’s opinion in the high level committee to avoid officers with less than six months left to retire for appointment as CBI Director is a simple “statement of law”. The committee’s selection of officers should be able to with stand the “scrutiny of law in the future”. For this, officers with a “few days left” in service should not be considered. In this context, 10 of the senior most officers of the 1984 batch, scheduled to retire soon, were not considered .
Prakash Singh case The 6 month minimum residual tenure rule was introduced by the Supreme Court on March 13, 2019 in Prakash Singh case. Though the order in the Prakash Singh case pertained to the appointment of DGPs, it was extended to CBI Director too. It clarified that the “recommendation for appointment to the post of Director General of Police by the Union Public Service Commission and preparation of panel should be purely on the basis of merit from officers who have a minimum residual tenure of six months, that is, officers who have at least six months of service prior to retirement”. The apex court had indicated the possibility that officers with only a few days of service may be in an insecure state of mind. 10 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
In the Prakash Singh case, the Supreme Court had stressed the point that appointment of DGPs “should be purely on the basis of merit and to insulate the office from all kinds of influences and pressures”.
Union of India versus C. Dinakar The CJI had also studied a Supreme Court judgment, Union of India versus C. Dinakar, reported in 2004, in the context of the appointment process. In this, the apex court had held that “ordinarily IPS officers of the senior most four batches in service on the date of retirement of CBI Director, irrespective of their empanelment, shall be eligible for consideration for appointment to the post of CBI Director”. As on date, the CBI has jurisdiction to investigate of fences perta
CBI Director He/she is selected by a high powered selection committee headed by Prime Minister of India. Leader of Opposition and Chief Justice of India are the other two members of the committee. The Director is to hold the post for not less than two years as held by the Vineet Narain judgment of 1998. He/she may not be transferred except with the previous consent of the high level committee. CBI has jurisdiction to investigate offences pertaining to 69 Central laws, 18 State Acts and 231 offences in the IPC.
Committee for Reforms in Criminal Laws to define hate speech A panel constituted by the Union Home Ministry to suggest reforms to the British era Indian Penal Code (IPC) is likely to propose a separate Section on “offences relating to speech and expression.” As there is no clear definition of what constitutes a “hate speech” in the IPC, the Committee for Reforms in Criminal Laws is attempting for the first time to define such speech. The suggestions received by the Committee for Reforms in Criminal Laws will be examined by the Ministry before the changes are adopted. The committee is examining a gamut of subjects pertaining to reforms in the IPC.
Who will decide what constitutes a hate speech? Legally speaking, for criminal Sections to be invoked, any such speech has to lead to violence or disturbance of law and order. Merely criticising someone is not hate speech. Bureau’s definition: The Bureau of Police Research and Development recently published a manual for investigating agencies on cyber harassment cases that defined hate speech as a “language that denigrates, insults, threatens or targets an individual based on their identity and other traits (such as sexual orientation or disability or religion etc.).”
Viswanath Committee In 2018, the Home Ministry had written to the Law Commission to prepare a distinct law for online “hate speech” acting on a Viswanath committee which recommended stricter laws. The committee was formed in the wake of Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, that provided punishment for sending offensive messages through communication services being scrapped by the Supreme Court in 2015. In 2019, however, the Ministry decided to overhaul the IPC, framed in 1860 and the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) after seeking suggestions from States, the Supreme Court, High Courts, the Bar Council of India, Bar Councils of States, universities and law institutes on comprehensive amendments to criminal laws.
The Legislative Council of States Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal approved the setting up of a Legislative Council in the state. West Bengal’s Legislative Council was abolished 50 years ago by a coalition government of Left parties. Currently, six states — Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka — have a Legislative Council. The setting up of a second chamber is not exclusively in the hands of the state government. The central government also has to pilot a Bill in Parliament.
How councils came to be? Legislatures with two Houses (bicameral) have a long history in India. The Montagu-Chelmsford reforms led to the formation of the Council of State at the national level in 1919. Government of India Act of 1935 set up bicameral legislatures in Indian provinces. It was under this law that a Legislative Council first started functioning in Bengal in 1937. During the framing of the Constitution, there was disagreement in the Constituent Assembly on having a second chamber in states. The arguments in support of Rajya Sabha — that a second chamber acts as a check on hasty legislation and brings diverse voices into legislatures — did not cut ice with many Constituent Assembly members when it came to the states. 11 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Prof K T Shah said a second chamber in states “involve considerable outlay from the public exchequer on account of the salaries and allowances of Members and incidental charges. They only aid party bosses to distribute more patronage, and only help in obstructing or delaying the necessary legislation which the people have given their votes for”. The framers of the Constitution provided that in the beginning, the states of Bihar, Bombay, Madras, Punjab, the United Provinces and West Bengal would have a Legislative Council. Then they gave states the option of abolishing an existing second chamber or setting up a new one by passing a resolution in their Legislative Assembly. The Constitution also gave the Legislative Assembly the power to overrule the Council if there was a disagreement between them on a law. The Constitution also capped the membership of the council to onethird of the popularly elected Legislative Assembly.
West Bengal’s Council The West Bengal Legislative Council remained in existence till 1969. But events in the second chamber two years prior that led to its abolition. Article 169 of the Constitution empowers the Legislative Assembly to create or abolish a Legislative Council by passing a resolution. The resolution has to be passed by twothirds of the Assembly members. Then a Bill to this effect has to be passed by Parliament. The West Bengal Assembly passed this resolution in March 1969, and four months later, both Houses of Parliament approved a law to this effect. Punjab followed suit, abolishing its Legislative Council later that year. However, passing a resolution in the Legislative Assembly is not enough to abolish or establish a Legislative Council. A Bill for such creation or dissolution has to be passed by Parliament. The Assam Assembly in 2010 and the Rajasthan Assembly in 2012 passed resolutions for setting up a Legislative Council in their respective states. Both Bills are pending in Rajya Sabha. And the Bill for abolishing the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council has not yet been introduced in Parliament.
Extra road accident compensation to self-employed: Supreme Court The Supreme Court has held that an extra 40% should be added to the income of deceased road accident victims who are aged below 40 years and are selfemployed, while calculating compensation. A three judge Bench said the additional amount should be included in the income of the dead person as “future prospects”. The recent judgment came in a petition filed by the children of a 37 years old selfemployed woman who died in a car accident near Phagwara in Punjab 11 years ago.
Significance of judgment It recognises self-employment as gainful employment and calls for an increase in the compensation amount In National Insurance vs Pranay Sethi, had “clearly held that in case the de ceased is selfemployed and below the age of 40, 40% addition would be made to their income as future prospects”. The High Court had earlier held the victim ineligible for future prospects because she was selfemployed.
Overseas Citizens of India The Home Ministry’s March 4 order that required professional Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs), such as journalists, engineers and researchers, to notify the Ministry about their activities in India has left them in the lurch. A portal that was to come up for the purpose is not operational yet. OCIs could intimate the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) through email till the portal is activated. OCIs believed the notification was discriminatory.
NRI quota seats On March 4, the Ministry issued a gazette notification that OCI cardholders could claim “only NRI quota seats” in educational institutions. It specified that OCIs could only pursue the following professions — doctors, dentists, nurses and pharmacists, ad- vocates, architects and chartered accountants, and the rest would require “special permission”. The notification said that OCIs shall be required to obtain a “special permission or a special permit” from the competent authority or the FRRO or the Indian mission “to undertake research, missionary or Tabligh or mountaineering or journalistic activities or internship in any foreign diplomatic missions”. OCIs believe place It placed undue burden on scientific, pharmaceutical, medical, biotechnology and other research fields,”
OCIs OCIs are of Indian origin but hold foreign passports. India does not allow dual citizenship but provides certain benefits under Section 7B(I) of the Citizenship Act, 1955 to the OCIs. 12 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
So far, 37.72 lakh OCI Cards are said to have been issued.
Increasing access to court proceedings Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana said he was “actively considering” the proposal to telecast live the proceedings of the Supreme Court.
Significance of media access to court proceedings CJI launched a mobile app which would allow media persons to view the Supreme Court’s virtual proceedings live on their mobile phones. Transparency is a time honoured principle when it comes to the judicial process in our country. Hearing of cases has always taken place in public courtrooms, with access being allowed not only to lawyers and litigants in a particular case, but also to the general public. The CJI said public access to court hearings was important as the rulings of courts, more particularly the Supreme Court, had an impact on the The CJI said the initiative to launch the lives of people across the country. mobile app for journalists came after he heard that the Press was depending on The role of the media assumes importance in the process of disseminating lawyers for video links of virtual in formation. hearings. Access to media to court proceedings would increase transparency.
Indicative Notes The CJI also launched a new feature in the Supreme Court’s official website called ‘Indicative Notes’. It aimed at providing concise summaries of landmark judgments in an easy to understand format. It will serve as a useful resource for media persons and the general public who wish to be better informed about the rulings of the court.
Electoral bonds The State Bank of India (SBI) sold electoral bonds worth ₹695.34 crore from April 1 to 10, when the Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, West Bengal, Assam and Kerala polls were in full swing, according to a RTI reply by the bank. The amount sold was the highest ever for any Assembly elections since the scheme started in 2018. All but ₹2,000 of the bonds sold in the 16th phase of the scheme were en cashed.
About the scheme The scheme allows any Indian citizen or company to purchase the bonds sold by the SBI in denominations of ₹1,000, ₹10,000, ₹1 lakh, ₹10 lakh and ₹1 crore and give them to political parties anonymously. Electoral Bond is a financial instrument for making donations to political parties. There is no maximum limit to bond amount. SBI is the only bank authorised to sell electoral bonds by the government. These bonds are redeemable in the designated account of a registered political party. The bonds are available for purchase by any person (who is a citizen of India or incorporated or established in India) for a period of ten days each in the months of January, April, July and October as may be specified by the Central Government. A person being an individual can buy bonds, either singly or jointly with other individuals. Donor’s name is not mentioned on the bond.
A Case for National Tribunal Commission (NTC) The establishment of tribunals as adjudicatory bodies in specific fields is based on the idea that specialisation and expertise are required to decide complex cases of a technical nature. Example: National Green Tribunal The ‘tribunalisation’ of justice is driven by the recognition that it would be cost effective, accessible and give scope for utilising expertise in the respective fields. Central to this scheme is the principle that the ‘experts’ appointed to these tribunals should bring in special knowledge and experience.
Tribunals Reforms (Rationalisation and Conditions of Service) Ordinance 2021. The Centre has abolished several appellate tribunals and authorities and transferred their jurisdiction to other existing judicial bodies through the Tribunals Reforms (Rationalisation and Conditions of Service) Ordinance 2021. Ordinance has incorporated the suggestions made in Madras Bar Association v. Union of India (2020) on the composition of a searchcumselection committee and its role in disciplinary proceedings
13 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
National Tribunals Commission National Tribunals Commission (NTC) would be an independent umbrella body to supervise the functioning of tribunals, appointment of and disciplinary proceedings against members, and to take care of administrative and infrastructural needs of the tribunals. The idea of an NTC was first mooted in L. Chandra Kumar v. Union of India (1997)
Need for NTC Need for an authority to support uniform administration across all tribunals. Separation of the administrative and judicial functions carried out by various tribunals. Executive interference in functioning, often in matters of appointment and removal of tribunal members, as well as in provision of finances, infrastructure, personnel and other resources. Legal framework that protects its independence and impartiality. It could function as an independent recruitment body to develop and operationalise the procedure for disciplinary pro ceedings and appointment of tribunal members. It could set performance standards for the efficiency of tribunals and their own administrative processes. Importantly, Giving the NTC the authority to set members’ salaries, allowances, and other service conditions, subject to regulations, would help maintain tribunals’ independence. Administrative roles of the NTC include providing support services to tribunal members, litigants, and their lawyers.
Way forward NTC must be established vide a constitutional amendment or be backed by a statute that guarantees it functional, operational and financial independence. A ‘corporatised’ structure of NTC with a Board, a CEO and a Secretariat will allow it to scale up its services and provide requisite administrative support to all tribunals across the country.
ENVIRONMENT
Wolf Protection in Slovakia The wolf (Canis lupus) will become a fully protected species in the eastern European country of Slovakia from June 1, 2021. Slovakia’s agriculture ministry The decision followed a massive campaign by 31 nonprofits for usually grants quotas to hunt wolves. according full protection to wolves, including WWFSlovakia. A joint For the 20202021 season (November 1 petition to stop wolf hunting received more than 51,000 signatures. January 15), the ministry had approved The 31 nonprofits, including WWFSlovakia, argued that partial the hunting of 50 wolves. The quota for territorial protection during the hunting season cannot prevent the killing the previous year was 35 individuals. of wolves whose territories cross the borders of protected areas.
Significance of wolves Wolves have the potential to contribute to reducing damage in forestry and agriculture. Damage caused by deer and other ungulates to agriculture and forestry in Slovakia has been estimated at tens of millions of Euros in recent years. Wolves, as top predators, play a vital role in keeping nature in balance. A healthy wolf population also has a positive impact on the landscape. It reduces the population of deer, prevents damage of young trees and supports restoration of natural forests. There is no reason for wolf hunting.
Habitat Directive The European Commission had launched an infringement process against Slovakia in 2013 for breaching the obligations of the Habitats Directive on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora. The Habitats Directive is a directive adopted by the European Community in 1992 as a response to the Berne Convention. It ensures the conservation of a wide range of rare, threatened or endemic animal and plant species. The infringement process resulted in a wolf hunting ban in Natura 2000 sites. Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. However, hunters in Slovakia have legally killed almost 1,800 wolves since 2000. In addition to legal hunting, wolves are also endangered by illegal hunting. They are also threatened by increasing fragmentation and shrinkage of their habitats brought about by the construction of roads and other infrastructure.
14 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Slovakia Slovakia is part of the Danube-Carpathian Region that is also known as the ‘Green Heart of Europe’. The region is home to some twothirds of Europe’s populations of large carnivores, including brown bears, wolves and lynx. There are approximately 12,000 wolves in Europe (excluding Russia), of which 1,0001,800 are found in Slovakia.
Sequencing of Pangolin scales Researchers have sequenced 624 Pangolin scales, categorising the two pangolin species. To enforce the appropriate national and international laws and to track the decline of the Pangolin species, researchers of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Kolkata, have now developed tools to tell apart the scales of Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) and Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla). It would help the cause of pangolins.
Pangolins trafficking Pangolins, despite being listed in Schedule I of Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 continue to be the world’s most trafficked mammal. The primary demand for its scales in the making of traditional East Asian medicines has led to an estimated illegal trade worth $2.5 billion every year.
About the research Researchers characterised the morphological features and investigated genetic variations between the two species by sequencing 624 scales of pangolins and comparing the sequences with all eight pangolin species. Based on the size, shape, weight and ridge counts on the scales, the team was able to categorise the two species.
Significance of research It will be of immense utility for the law enforcement agencies for taking spot decision during larger seizures. When scales are confiscated, the wildlife officers just weigh and estimate how many Between 2000 and 2019, an estimate of about 8, 95,000 pangolins pangolins might have been killed. This needs was trafficked globally, which mainly involved Asian and African revision as the dry weight of the scales from pangolins. This has led to a drastic decline of the species. one single mature Chinese pangolin is Important to develop protocols that can readily identify species and roughly about 500 to 700 grams. However, the number of individuals poached in seizures,” in the case of Indian pangolin it goes
upto1.5kg to1.8 kg. About Pangolins
International Union for Conservation of Nature status: Indian pangolins are endangered and the Chinese pangolins are critically endangered. Though the Chinese pangolin is distributed mostly in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, the northeastern part of India. The population is already limited as it has a limited geographical range, low fecundity with just one offspring a year. It is also facing pressure due to habitat degradation and is prone to local extinction.
15 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Deepak’s Wood snake - ‘Xylophis Deepak’ A tiny snake of just 20 cm length with iridescent scales has been discovered in Western Ghats. The species is named in honour of Indian herpetologist Deepak Veerappan for his contribution in erecting a new subfamily Xylophiinae to accommodate wood snakes. The new find increases the total number of currently recognised wood snakes to five species.
About the snake It is an endemic species of Tamil Nadu and has been sighted in a few locations in the southern part of the Western Ghats. This new species is found in the drier regions and in lower altitudes around Agas thyamalai hills. The other Xylophis were reported from cold higher altitudes, of 1,700 m and above, in the Nilgiris and the Anaimalai. The species had a broader off white collar and more ventral scales. It is a close relative to X captaini. Its close relative, Captain’s wood snake, is known from the western slopes of the Western Ghats in the Kerala.
About Wood snakes Wood snakes are harmless, subfossorial and often found while digging soil in farms and under the logs in the Western Ghat forests. They feed on earthworms and possibly other inverte brates. Interestingly, their close relatives are found in northeast India and South East Asia and are known to be arboreal.
One Heath Approach The interconnectedness of animals, humans, and the environment, an approach referred to as “One Health”. Rudolf Virchow, father of modern pathology, emphasised in 1856 that there are essentially no dividing lines between animal and human medicine.
Need Studies indicate More than twothirds of existing and emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic, or can be transferred between animals and humans, and vice versa. Scientists observed There are more than 1.7 million viruses circulating in wildlife, and many of them are likely to be zoonotic. Risk of more pandemics to come. Tran boundary impact of viral outbreaks in recent years such as the Nipah virus, Ebola, SARS, MERS and Bird flu.
Challenges Veterinary manpower shortages. Lack of information sharing between human and animal health institutions. Inadequate coordination on food safety at slaughter, distribution, and retail facilities. 16 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Initiatives by government India’s ‘One Health’ vision derives its blueprint from agreement between the tripartite plus alliance comprising FAO, World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), WHO and UNEP — a global initiative supported by UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and World Bank under goal of contributing to ‘One World, One Health’. India established a National Standing Committee on Zoonosesin 1980s. 2021: Funds sanctioned to set up ’Centre for One Health’ at Nagpur. Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) has launched several schemes to mitigate prevalence of animal diseases since 2015, with a funding pattern 60:40 (Centre: State); 90:10 Northeastern States, and 100% funding UTs. Under National Animal Disease Control Pgm, ₹13,343 crore have been sanctioned for Foot and Mouth disease and Brucellosis control. DAHD will soon establish a ‘One Health’ unit within the Ministry. Government is working to revamp programmes that focus on capacity building for veterinarians and upgrading the animal health diagnostic system such as Assistance to States for Control of Animal Diseases (AS CAD). Increased focus on vaccination against livestock diseases and backyard poultry. To this end, assistance will be extended to State biological production units and disease diagnostic laboratories. DAHD partnership with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in National Action Plan for Eliminating Dog Mediated Rabies. It is geared towards sustained mass dog vaccinations and public education to render the country free of rabies.
Way forward Developing best practice guidelines for informal market and slaughter house operation (e.g., inspections, disease prevalence assessments). Creating mechanisms to operationalise ‘One Health’ at every stage down to the village level. Awareness generation. Increased investments toward meeting ‘One Health’ targets.
Global Methane Assessment: Benefits and Costs of Mitigating Methane Emissions” The report Global Methane Assessment: Benefits and Costs of Mitigating Methane Emissions was released by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition and the United Nations Environment Programme May 6, 2021.
What does the report say? Humancaused methane emissions must be cut by 45% to avoid the worst effects of climate change. Such a cut would prevent a rise in global warming by up to 0.3 degrees Celsius by 2045. It would also prevent 260,000 premature deaths, 775,000 asthmarelated hospital visits annually, as well as 25 million tonnes of crop losses. Human-caused methane emissions are increasing faster currently than at any other time since record keeping began in the 1980s. Carbon dioxide levels have dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, methane in the atmosphere reached record levels last year. This was a cause of concern as methane was an extremely powerful greenhouse gas. It was responsible for about 30% of warming since preindustrial times. Cutting methane emissions can rapidly reduce the rate of warming in the nearterm as the gas broke down quickly. Governments worldwide were aspiring to reduce methane. For instance, the European Commission had adopted the European Union Methane Strategy in October 2020. It outlined measures to cut methane emissions in Europe and internationally.
Sectors Most humancaused methane emissions came from three sectors: Fossil fuels, waste and agriculture. Oil and gas extraction, processing and distribution accounted for 23% of methane emissions in the fossil fuel sector. Coal mining accounted for 12% of emissions. Landfills and wastewater made up about 20% of emissions in the waste sector. In the agricultural sector, livestock emissions from manure and enteric fermentation constituted for roughly 32% and rice cultivation 8% of emissions.
Mitigation potential Region wise The mitigation potential varied between countries and regions. Europe had the greatest potential to curb methane emissions from farming, fossil fuel operations and waste management. India had the greatest potential to reduce methane emissions in the waste sector. China’s mitigation potential was best in coal production and livestock, while Africa’s was in livestock, followed by oil and gas. 17 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Industry wise Fossil fuel industry had the greatest potential for lowcost methane cuts. Up to 80% of measures in the oil and gas industry could be implemented at negative or low cost. The waste sector could cut its methane emissions by improving the disposal of sewage around the world. Way forward Three behavioural changes — reducing food waste and loss, improving livestock management and adopting healthy diets (vegetarian or with a lower meat and dairy content) — could reduce methane emissions by 65–80 million tonnes per year over the next few decades.
Discovery of New cricket species Jayanti has become the twelfth species of cricket identified under the genus Arachnomimus Saussure, 1897. Found in the Kurra caves of Chhattisgarh in April 2021 by a team of zoologists headed by Dr Ranjana Jaiswara of the Zoology Department of Panjab University, Chandigarh, the new subgenus was named Jayanti after Professor Jayant Biswas, one of the leading cave explorers in the country, who assisted the team. The new find has been published in the reputed journal Zootaxa this month.
What is Arachnomimus Saussure, 1897? Arachnomimus is the genus name given by Swiss Entomologist Henri Louis Frederic de Saussure in 1878 to crickets that resembled spiders. The word Arachnomimus is derived from two Ancient Greek words — ἀράχνη (arákhnē, means “spider”) and μῖμος (mîmos, means “imitator, actor”). This is apt because crickets of this group are commonly called spider crickets because of their smaller body size and long legs.
How is the newly discovered subgenus different? The newly discovered subgenus, Indimimus, is different from the two subgenera, Arachnomimus and Euarachnomimus, because of the male genitalia structure. Insects have a lockandkey model genitalia structure which is unique to each subgenus. Genus and subgenus are taxonomic levels created by taxonomists to classify organisms. A genus is represented by a set of diagnostic characters. Certain variations in characters compel taxonomists to divide the genus into subgenus and document the variation.
Why is the discovery significant? Crickets are noticeable for their loud calls, especially at night. Male crickets produce this sound by rubbing their wings against each other to attract females. The females listen to these calls using ears located on their legs and approach the males for mating and reproduction. Interestingly, males of the new Jayanti subgenus cannot produce sound and their females don’t have ears. The crickets were found on the walls of the Kurra caves which don’t have light inside. They may be communicating by beating their abdomen or any other body part on the cave walls. Vibrational communication is one of the softest but fastest modes of signal transmission. Further studies on their skills of vibrational communication may help in designing hearing aids for human which can capture quietest signals and amplify to an audible hearing range.
Could there be more subgenus waiting to be discovered? With the discovery of Jayanti from India, the genus Arachnomimus is now known from 12 species. Distribution of these species is very wide, ranging from Brazil to Malaysia. In India, the diversity of spider crickets is still unexplored. Given India is home to four biodiversity hotspots, and all the hotspots have unexplored caves, there is significant scope for many more discoveries.
Lichens and Air quality Lichens may look like small plants, but they’re actually composites of a fungus and an algae. The algae in lichens photosynthesize and both the algae and fungus absorb water, minerals, and pollutants from the air, through rain and dust.
Impact of Pollution Some sensitive lichen species develop structural changes in response to air pollution including reduced photosynthesis and bleaching. Pollution can also cause the death of the lichen algae, discoloration and reduced growth of the lichen fungus, or kill a lichen completely. 18 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Over time, sensitive species may be replaced by pollution-tolerant species. Hence the species of lichens present in a location and the concentration of pollutants measured in those lichens can tell us a lot about air quality.
Study A baseline inventory of barkdwelling lichens was conducted from 2004 to 2006 and in 2009. Species were recorded and samples of the pollutiontolerant lichen Flavoparmelia caperatawere taken at each site. Samples of F. caperata were analyzed for the following pollutants: mercury (HG), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr) and sulphur (S). Exactly 102 permanent lichen study plots were established in Catoctin Mountain Park, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, George Washington Memorial Parkway, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Manassas National Battlefield Park, National Mall and Memorial Parks, National Capital Parks East, Rock Creek Park, and Prince William Forest Park.
Ice-berg A76 A huge ice block has broken off from western Antarctica into the Weddell Sea, becoming the largest iceberg in the world and earning the name A76. It is the latest in a series of large ice blocks to dislodge in a region acutely vulnerable to climate change; although scientists said in this case it appeared to be part of a natural polar cycle. Icebergs form when hunks of ice break off from ice shelves or glaciers and begin to float in open water.
About A76 A76 is slightly larger than the Spanish island of Majorca. It had been monitored by scientists since May 13 when it began to separate from the Ronne Ice Shelf. It measures around 170 km long and 25 km wide, with an area of 4,320 sq km. The iceberg is now floating in the Weddell Sea. It joins previous world’s largest title holder A23A which has remained in the same area since 1986. Calving is the term used when an A76 was originally spotted by the British Antarctic Survey and the iceberg breaks off. calving was confirmed using images from the Copernicus satellite.
Invasive white flies The first invasive whitefly reported was from Kerala in 1995. It has now spread across the country. A study has now detailed the damage caused by the pest. It extracted genomic DNA from individual adult whiteflies and explained in detail about eight invasive species found in India.
Distribution Most of these whitefly species are native to the Caribbean is lands or Central America [or both]. It is difficult to pin point how they entered our country. Most probably a nymph or baby insect may have come along with imported plants. Nowadays with globalisation, it is also possible that tourists may have brought the insect along with plants. The first reported invasive spiralling whitefly Aleurodicus dispersus is now distributed throughout India except Jammu & Kashmir. The rugose spiralling whitefly which was reported in Pollachi, Tamil Nadu in 2016 has now spread throughout the country including the islands of Andaman Nicobar and Lakshadweep. Approximately 1.35 lakh hectares of coconut and oil palm in India are affected by the rugose spiralling whitefly.
19 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Reason behind spread The host range of all of the invasive whiteflies was increasing due to their polyphagous nature (ability to feed on va- rious kinds of food) and prolific breeding. Aleurodicus dispersus and Aleurodicus rugioperculatus have been reported on over 320 and 40 plant species, respectively. Other invasive whiteflies were also found to expand their host range on valuable plants species, especially coconut, banana, mango, sapota, guava, cashew, oil palm, and ornamental plants such as bottle palm, false bird of paradise, butterfly palm and important medicinal plants.
Control Whiteflies are difficult to control by using synthetic insecticides, and hence currently naturally occurring insect predators, parasitoids and entomopathogenic fungi (fungi that can kill insets) are being used. They are not just environmentally friendly but also economically feasible. Entomopathogenic fungi specific to whitefish are isolated, purified, grown in the lab or massproduced and applied into the whitefly infested field in combination with the release of labreared potential predators and parasitoids, Continuous monitoring of the occurrence of invasive species, their host plants and geo graphical expansion is needed, and if required, import of potential natural enemies for biocontrol programmes can also be carried out.
Over 100 Years of Snow Leopard Research Report titled ‘Over 100 Years of Snow Leopard Research’ has been recently released by World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF). It is a spatially explicit review of the state of knowledge in the snow leopard range. The report is based on an analysis of peer-reviewed published papers on the species and its habitat.
What does the Report say More than 70% habitat of the snow leopard, over 12 Asian countries, remains unresearched. This may have bearings on conservation of the species. Snow leopard research intensified in the 1970s and studies on snow leopards have continued to increase exponentially since then. However, just four hotspots of snow leopard research (sites with continued multiyear research) have emerged, with less than 23% of the snow leopard range being researched. Nepal, India and China had conducted the most snow leopard research, followed by Mongolia and Pakistan. Despite a major research focus on snow leopard population assessments, less than 3% of the big cat’s range had robust data on abundance. Although conservationists were addressing several threats, a robust analysis of how effective the interventions were in achieving their objectives remained deficient. Globally, there could be as few as 4,000 snow leopards left in Asia’s high mountains and this remaining population faces continued and emerging threats. Increased habitat loss and degradation, poaching and conflict with communities have contributed to a decline in their numbers and left the species hanging by a thread in many places.
Cause for under-research The snow leopard lives in rugged terrain — some of the harshest landscapes on the planet — so research pose significant logistical challenges. Serious efforts to learn more about the species began in the 1970s but the snow leopard’s remote and vast range and elusive nature, means that most of the habitat is still unexplored .
Asian gracile skink In September 2019, a group of herpetologists gathered at Anaikatti hills in Coimbatore for the South Asian Reptile Red List Assessment organised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Herpetologists have discovered new species: an Asian gracile skink. This species is only the third skink species discovered from mainland India in the last millennium. The new species was found in a dry deciduous area, showing that even the dry zones of our country are home to unrealised skink diversity.
About skinks Skinks are no venomous. They resemble snakes because of the often inconspicuous limbs and the way they move on land. Such resemblance has led to confusion often resulting in humans killing this harmless creature. Other skinks are known to feed on insects such as termites, crickets and small spiders.
20 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Significance of the new finding Highlights the need to change the notion that high biodiversity can be found only in the wet and evergreen forests. Highlights the need to study the little-known animal groups inside our forests. They are fundamental components of our biodiversity.
Hard to stay fat for Female Elephant seal Elephant seals are one of the most distinctive of the 33 species that comprise the world’s seal family. Scientists have conducted the most thorough study to date of the unique feeding behaviour of northern elephant seals. The study focused on the females of the species during arduous twomonth postbreeding migrations in the northeastern Pacific Ocean.
Methodology The researchers tracked 48 female elephant seals from Año Nuevo State Park in California, site of an important breeding colony. They based their findings on data obtained from 2011 and 2018 using three small removable devices: one attached under the jaw that counted the number of times they fed and measured their depth; a satellite tracker attached atop the head that provided location information; and a “smart” video camera with an infra red LED light flash, motion tracker and another depth sensor, also atop the head.
Findings The seals were found to spend upwards of 20 hours every day – and sometimes a full 24 hours – in continuous deep diving to feed on multitudes of small fish, rather than the larger prey favoured by other deepdiving marine mammals, to gain the body fat essential for successful reproduction and insulation in the frigid depths. o They fed 1,000 to 2,000 times daily. Male northern elephant seals may reach 4 metres length and weigh up to 2,000 kg. Females are substantially smaller, getting up to about 3 metres in length and 590 kg. o The males feed only in coastal waters.
How do female elephant seal feed? The sleeping hours in at sea The female elephant seals are also large but not on the scale of a sperm whale. animals is not fully understood. They eat huge amounts of small fish. But it is laborious to catch enough small fish to meet the energy needs of such a large animal. They continuously dive, for long periods of time – 20 minutes on average and deep, 500 metres on average – with only a few minutes breathing at the surface. During the twomonth migration, they never come back to the land.
Impact of Climate Change on Kenyan Tea Kenya is the largest producer of black tea in the world while China produces the maximum green tea. The globally famous black tea of Kenya is under threat from climate change, according to a recent report. The report, prepared by charity, Christian Aid, cited a peerreviewed study to put forward the claim. The study has predicted that optimal conditions for growing tea in Kenya will be reduced by a quarter (26.2 per cent) by 2050.
21 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Report Findings Kenya’s most optimal tea-growing areas such as Mt Elgon and Mbeere are totally absent from the climate projections for 2050. Tea production in Kenya’s average teagrowing areas will fall by 39% by 2050. Kenya’s temperature will rise by 2.5 degrees Celsius between 2000 and 2050. The country will be extreme rainfall events. The Rift Valley region Kenya’s yearly and monthly rainfall and will especially be affected. mean air temperatures are expected to The changes in climate will impact the very taste of tea. Increasing increase moderately by 2025, according rain will change the “subtle flavours of the tea leaf and potentially to a report by the Food and Agriculture reduce its health benefits”. Organization. This will continue till Other major tea-producing countries including India, Sri Lanka and 2075. China are also facing rising temperatures and extreme weather that could affect their tea production.
The report recommends three steps to tackle climate change that is impacting tea cultivation in Kenya: Emissions will have to be cut Climate finance will have to be boosted to help farmers adapt to the changing climate Debt will have to be cancelled to help poorer countries better respond to the impacts of climate change
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Financial Action Task Force Pakistan, keen to exit from the grey list of the FATF, is set to introduce new rules relating to antimony laundering cases and change the prosecution process to meet its remaining tough conditions. Pakistan was put on the grey list by the FATF in June 2018. Based on measures, the FATF would conclude if Pakistan has complied with three outstanding benchmarks, out of 27, that blocked its exit from the grey list in February this year.
About FATF The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog. The inter governmental body sets international standards that aim to prevent these illegal activities and the harm they cause to society. As a policymaking body, the FATF works to generate the necessary political will to bring about national legislative and regulatory reforms in these areas. Its Secretariat is located at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) headquarters in Paris. FATF Plenary is the decision making body of the FATF. It meets three times per year.
History of the FATF In response to mounting concern over money laundering, the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF) was established by the G-7 Summit that was held in Paris in 1989. Recognising the threat posed to the banking system and to financial institutions, the G7 Heads of State or Government and President of the European Commission convened the Task Force from the G7 member States, the European Commission and eight other countries.
22 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
FATF has two lists: Grey List: Countries considered safe haven for supporting terror funding and money laundering. It serves as a warning to the country that it may enter the blacklist. Black List: Countries known as Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories (NCCTs) are put in the blacklist. These countries support terror funding and money laundering activities. The FATF revises the blacklist regularly, adding or deleting entries.
Israel-Palestine Conflict
Jerusalem Day On Monday, the tensions came to a head again, hours before the annual May 10 Jerusalem Day processions by Jewish groups through the Old City of East Jerusalem. The March is to mark the day the territory was captured by Israeli forces during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Israel annexed the territory later and incorporated it into West Jerusalem, captured earlier, in the 1947 war. Due to the spike in tensions, the police changed the route of the processions at the last minute.
The mosque & the Mount The Al-Aqsa is located on a plaza at Temple Mount, which is known in Islam as HarameSharif. The compound is Is lam’s third holiest site and considered Judaism’s holiest. The most imposing structure on the compound is the Dome of the Rock, with its golden dome. The Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall sacred to Jews, is one side of the retaining wall of the Al-Aqsa compound. Al-Aqsa is central to the rival claims over Jerusalem. Both Israel and Palestine have declared it their capital. In July 1980, the Israeli Parliament passed the Jerusalem Law declaring it the country’s capital. Palestinians declared Jerusalem the capital of the putative state of Palestine by a law passed by the Palestinian Authority in 2000. The 1988 Palestinian Declaration of Independence also declared Jerusalem as the capital. For the present, the Palestinian Authority has its headquarters in Ramallah.
1967 War Soon after the 1967 Six-Day War ended, Israel gave back to Jordan the administration and management of the Al- Aqsa compound. While nonMuslims have not been allowed to worship at AlAqsa, Jewish individuals and groups have made repeated attempts to gain entry to the Mount Temple plaza. Since the late 1990s, around the time of the first intifada, such attempts began occurring with a regularity as Jewish settlers began claiming land in East Jerusalem and surrounding areas. It has led to repeated clashes and tensions at Al Aqsa. Frequently, the Israeli police have backed such attempts.
What’s happening in Jerusalem? On Monday, Israeli armed forces stormed AlAqsa Mosque in the Haramesh Sharif in Jerusalem, ahead of a march by Zionist nationalists commemorating Israel’s capture of the eastern half of the city in 1967. More than 300 Palestinians were injured in the raid. In retaliation, Hamas, the Islamist militant group that runs Gaza, fired dozens of rockets that killed two Israelis. Israel launched an airstrike on Gaza in response, killing 26 Palestinians, including militants and nine children. Earlier this year, the Central Court Sheikh Jarrah dispute in East Jerusalem upheld a Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced out of their homes when the decision to evict four Palestinian State of Israel was created in historic Palestine in 1948 (the Palestinians call the families from their homes in events ‘Nakba’, or catastrophe). Sheikh Jarrah in favour of Jewish 28 of those Palestinian families moved to Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem to settle settlers. The Israeli Supreme there. In 1956, when East Jerusalem was ruled by Jordan, the Jordanian Ministry of Court was scheduled to hear the Construction and Development and the UN Relief and Works Agency facilitated case on May 10. But the hearing the construction of houses for these families in Sheikh Jarrah. was postponed on advice from the But Israel would capture East Jerusalem from Jordan in 1967. By the early 1970s, government amid the ongoing Jewish agencies started demanding the families leave the land. violence in Jerusalem. The issue Jewish committees claimed that the houses sat on land they purchased in 1885 remains unresolved. (when Jews, facing persecution in Europe, were migrating to historic Palestine that was part of the Ottoman Empire).
23 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Why Jerusalem? Jerusalem has been at the centre of the Israeli Palestinian conflict. According to the original 1947 UN Partition Plan, Jerusalem was proposed to be an international city. But in the first Arab Israel war of 1948, the Israelis captured the western half of the city, and Jordan took the eastern part, including the Old City that houses Haram eshSharif. Israel captured East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Six Day War and annexed it later. Since its annexation, Israel has expanded settlements in East Jerusalem, which is now home for some 220,000 Jews. Jews born in East Jerusalem are Israeli citizens, while Palestinians in the city are given conditional residency permits. Palestinians in East Jerusalem, unlike other parts of the occupied West Bank, can, however, apply for Israeli citizenship. Very few Palestinians have done so. Israel sees the whole city as its “unified, eternal capital”, a claim endorsed by Donald Trump when he was U.S. President but not recognised by most other countries. Palestinian leaders across the political spectrum have maintained that they would not accept any compromise formula for a future Palestinian state unless East Jerusalem is its capital.
AlAqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site, and the Dome of the Rock are situated within Haram eshSharif (Noble Sanctuary). One side of the compound, called Temple Mount by the Jews is the Wailing Wall (Western Wall), which is believed to be the remains of the Second Jewish Temple, the holiest site in Judaism.
G7 Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not attend the G7 summit in the United Kingdom next month. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson had invited PM Modi to attend the G7 Summit as a Special Invitee. However, given the prevailing COVID situation, the Prime Minister will not attend the summit in person. It is an intergovernmental organisation that was formed in 1975 by the top economies of the time as an informal forum to discuss pressing world issues. The G7 or ‘Group of Seven’ are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Canada joined the group in 1976, and the European Union began attending in 1977. The G7 does not have a formal constitution or a fixed headquarters. The decisions taken by leaders during annual summits are nonbinding.
Significance Initially formed as an effort by the US and its allies to discuss economic The G7 was known as the ‘G-8’ for issues, the G7 forum has deliberated about several challenges over the several years after the original decades, such as the oil crashes of the 1970s, the economic changeover of ex seven were joined by Russia in Soviet bloc nations, and many pressing issues such as financial crises, 1997. The Group returned to being terrorism, arms control, and drug trafficking. called G-7 after Russia was expelled as a member in 2014 following the latter’s annexation of the Crimea 24 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877 region of Ukraine.
The rise of India, China, and Brazil over the past few decades has reduced the G-7’s relevance, whose share in global GDP has now fallen to around 40%.
G7 and G20 The G20 is a larger group of countries, which also includes G7 members. Apart from the G7 countries, the G20 comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, and Turkey. The G20 was formed in 1999, in response to a felt need to bring more countries on board to address global economic concerns. As opposed to the G7, which discusses a broad range of issues, deliberations at the G20 are confined to those concerning the global economy and financial markets.
First BRICS Employment Working Group (EWG) Meeting amongst BRICS Countries First BRICS Employment Working Group (EWG) Meeting amongst BRICS Countries was chaired by Labour Secretary, India. India has assumed BRICS Presidency this year. The prime agenda for the discussions were Promoting Social Security Agreements amongst BRICS Nations, Formalization of labour markets, Participation of women in labour force and Gig and platform workers – Role in labour market.
Discussion On the issue of formalization of labour market, Member Nations discussed various initiatives taken by them towards formalization of jobs and how Covid19 has enhanced informalization risk. On participation of women in the labour force, the member countries resolved to promote participation of women in remunerative, productive and decent work and to extend social security cover to the women workers engaged in informal sector. Impact of COVID19 on participation of women in labour force was also discussed. On the issue of Gig and Platform workers and their role in labour market, the member nations discussed how the proliferation of Digital Labour Platforms is transforming the labour processes in the world of work. Challenges faced by them and various measures being taken by member nations including extension of social protection system were also discussed.
Strait of Hormuz Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard on Tuesday rejected the U.S. Navy's claim that fast approaching Iranian speedboats in the Strait of Hormuz sparked a tense encounter in the already sensitive region. The Revolutionary Guard said Americans were guilty of using “unprofessional behaviour” and should more strictly “abide by international regulations.” A day earlier, the U.S. said that 13 armed speedboats came too close to U.S. Navy vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Mount Meron disaster A massive stampede at a densely packed Jewish pilgrimage site killed at least 45 people in Israel. The nighttime carnage struck after pilgrims thronged to Meron at the site of the reputed tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, where mainly ultraorthodox Jews, or haredim, mark the Lag BaOmer holiday.
25 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
What is the Lag B’Omer festival? Lag B’Omer is an annual Jewish festival observed during the Hebrew month of Iyar. It is celebrated on the 33rd day of the Omer, the 49day period between Passover and Shavuot. Lag B’Omer is the only day during the 49day period when celebration is permitted. Hence, it is common for Jews to schedule weddings on this day every year. Young boys, who have reached the age of three, are also traditionally brought here for their first hair cut. To mark the occasion, tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jewish pilgrims make their way to the base of Mount Meron every year, to pay their respects to Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, a second century sage and mystic, who is believed to have died on this day. The Rabbi’s tomb is a much revered holy site in Israel.
Rabbi Shimon Rabbi Shimon was said to have been a gifted Talmudic scholar and a disciple of Rabbi Akiva, one of the greatest Jewish sages of all time. According to some accounts, Rabbi Shimon authored the ‘Zohar’, which is the main work of Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism. Jews believe that on the day of his death, Rabbi Shimon told his disciples the many secrets of the Kabbalah, which some believe is how Lag B’Omer became a day of celebration. Bonfires are often lit on the day to represent the knowledge and wisdom he shared with his followers. Others believe that a deadly plague that killed 244,000 of Rabbi Akiva’s followers ended on this day. Rabbi Shimon was said to have been among the few people who survived.
Global Innovation Partnership Union Cabinet gave expost facto approval to the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of External Affairs of India and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of United Kingdom on Global Innovation Partnership (GIP).
Objectives Through this MoU, India and UK agree to launch the Global Innovation Partnership. GIP will support Indian innovators to scale up their innovations in third countries thereby helping them explore new markets and become self sustainable. It will also foster the innovative ecosystem in India. GIP innovations will focus on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) related sectors thereby assisting recipient countries achieve their SDGs. Through seed funding, grants, investments and technical assistance, the Partnership will support Indian entrepreneurs and innovators to test, scale up and take their innovative development solutions to select developing countries. The innovations selected under GIP would accelerate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals and benefit the base of the pyramid populations thus promoting equity and inclusivity in recipient countries. GIP will also develop an open and inclusive emarket place (EBAAZAR) for cross border innovation transfer and will focus on results based impact assessment thereby promoting transparency and accountability.
Waiver for Intellectual Property Right USA has announced support for waiving intellectual property protection for COVID19 vaccines. US will pursue “text based negotiations” on the waiver at the World Trade Organization (WTO). All 164 WTO members must agree on the draft, and any one member can veto it. The European Union, which had earlier opposed the waiver, has now stated its intent to discuss the USbacked proposal. The US support for an IP waiver stems from a proposal by India and South Africa in the WTO last year. That proposal had, however, called for a waiver on all COVID interventions, including testing diagnostics and novel therapeutics.
What does the intellectual property waiver for COVID-19 vaccines mean? The IP waiver might open up space for production of COVID vaccines with emergency use authorisations (EUA) — such as those developed by Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Novavax, Johnson & Johnson and Bharat Biotech — on a larger scale in middleincome countries. Most production is currently concentrated in highincome countries; production by middleincome countries has been happening through licensing or technology transfer agreements.
Against then waiver Pharma companies including Pfizer and AstraZeneca had opposed the proposed waiver — saying eliminating IP protections would “undermine the global response to the pandemic”, including the ongoing efforts to tackle new variants. It could also create confusion that could potentially undermine public confidence in vaccine safety and create a barrier to information sharing. 26 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Bill Gates justification for not sharing vaccine tech with developing countries is “that it would not be feasible for a company to move vaccines to a developing nation”. These countries do not have the capacity to speedily produce vaccines.
For the waiver A number of companies from different countries have said they are ready to produce, and quality can always be assessed. Between 1972 and 2005, India had adopted process patenting rather than product patenting, and built up a huge generic industry. If western companies are interested in contracting Indian companies for manufacturing their vaccines in India, then how can they say you do not have the quality to produce on your own
What was the earlier proposal from India and South Africa? In October 2020, India and South Africa had asked the WTO to waive certain conditions of the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement that could impede timely access to affordable medical products to combat COVID19. These sections — 1, 4, 5, and 7 — pertain to copyright and related rights, industrial designs, patents, and the protection of undisclosed India moved from product patenting to information. process patenting in the 1970s, which enabled India to become a significant What are patents and IP rights? producer of generic drugs at global A patent represents a powerful intellectual property right, and is an scale, and allowed companies like Cipla exclusive monopoly granted by a government to an inventor for a to provide Africa with antiHIV drugs in limited, prespecified time. the 1990s. But due to obligations arising A product patent ensures that the rights to the final product is out of the TRIPS Agreement, India had protected, and anyone other than the patent holder can be restrained to amend the Patents Act in 2005, and from manufacturing it during a specified period, even if they were to use switch to a product patents regime a different process. across the pharma, chemicals, and biotech sectors. A process patent enables any person other than the patent holder to manufacture the patented product by modifying certain processes in the manufacturing exercise.
Arguments for and against waiver of IP rights during the Pandemic The decision of US President to support IndiaSouth Africa proposal, seeking a waiver of patent protection for technologies needed to combat and contain COVID19, comes as a shot in the arm for global health WTO operates on consensus rather than by voting, the proposal did not advance despite drawing support of over 60 countries. Pharmaceutical industry fiercely opposed it and some countries like Germany also voiced opposition.
Arguments against the move and counter arguments 1. Quality apprehension: Capacity for producing vaccines of assured quality and safety was limited to some laboratories and it would be hazardous to permit manufacturers in low and middle income countries to play with technologies they can not handle. Counter Pharmaceutical manufacturers had no reservations about contracting industries in those countries to manufacture their patent protected vaccines for the global market. Multinational firms have subcontracted manufacture of patented products to industries with low production costs in developing countries. This has been true for pharmaceutical products, branded consumer products or luxury goods.
2. Offer license: Counter to patent waiver is an offer to license manufacturers in developing countries, while retaining patent rights. Counter This restricts the opportunity for production to a chosen few. The terms of those agreements are opaque and offer no assurance of equity in access to the products at affordable prices, either to the country of manufacture or to other developing countries.
3. COVAX: It is stated that developing countries could be supplied vaccines through the COVAX facility, set up by several international agencies and donors. While well intended, COVAX has fallen far short of promised delivery. Some U.S. States have received more vaccines than the entire Africa has from COVAX.
27 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
4. Limited Capacity: There is no evidence that extra capacity exists for producing vaccines outside of firms undertaking them now. Counter Manufacturers from many countries expressed their readiness and avidly sought opportunities to produce the approved vaccines. They included industries in Canada and South Korea. High income countries and other donors should rather support the growth of more capacity to meet the current and likely future pandemics. Example of India: India built up capacity and gained a reputation as a respected global pharmacy by moving from product patenting to process patenting between 1970 and 2005.
5. Not combat present crisis: Time taken for waiver utilisation by new firms will be too long to help combat the present pandemic. Counter No end date seems for this pandemic when many countries have low vaccination rates and variants are gleefully emerging from unprotected populations. The speed with which previously little known companies produced vaccines in record time in 2020. Support others to develop that capacity through technology transfer. Efficacy and safety of their products can be assessed by credible regulatory agencies and the WHO. Patent waivers will also benefit by increasing immediate access essential drugs and diagnostics.
6. China: A waiver allows China to steal their technologies, now and in the future. The original genomic sequence was openly shared by China, which gave these firms a head start in developing vaccines.
7. Incentive: Innovation and investment by industry need to be financially rewarded to incentivise them to develop new products. Counter Even if compulsory licences are issued bypassing patent restrictions, royalties are paid to the original innovators and patent holders. They will continue to gain revenue, though not super profits. Much of the foundational science that built the path for vaccine production came from public funded universities and research institutes. Further, what use is it to hold on to patents when global health and the global economy are devastated
Way forward WTO resolves debates by consensus and not by voting. The process may drag on, despite U.S. intervention. Developing countries must start issuing compulsory licences. The Doha declaration on TRIPS flexibilities permits their use in a public health emergency. National governments must be trusted to promote credible companies and not permit fly by night operators. High income countries and multilateral agencies should provide financial and technical support to enable expansion of global production capacity.
Interpol Mehul 0. Choksi, alleged mastermind of the ₹13,578crore Punjab National Bank fraud case, is said to have gone missing in Antigua where he has been facing extradition proceedings. He already has an Interpol Red Notice pending against him. Therefore, he can be detained in any of the Interpol member countries and deported to India.
About Interpol International Criminal Police Organization is an intergovernmental organization. It has 194 member countries. It is headquartered in Lyon, France. It was formed in 1923 as the International Criminal Police Commission and started calling itself Interpol in 1956. India joined the organisation in 1949.
Interpol Notices INTERPOL Notices are international requests for cooperation or alerts allowing police in member countries to share critical crimerelated information. Notices can also be used by the United Nations, International Criminal Tribunals and the International Criminal Court to seek persons wanted for committing crimes within their jurisdiction, notably genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
28 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Rwanda massacre French President Emmanuel Macron asked for forgiveness for his country’s role in the 1994 Rwandan massacre in which about 8,00,000 people, mostly ethnic Tutsis, were killed. He said France chose “silence over examination of the truth” for too long, but stopped short of issuing an apology.
History of Hutu-Tutsi relations The majority Hutus and minority Tutsis have had a troubled relationship in Rwanda that goes back to the German and Belgian colonial period. Colonialists ruled Rwanda through the Tutsi monarchy. Tutsis were appointed as local administrative chiefs and the ethnic minority enjoyed relatively better educational and employment opportunities, which led to widespread resentment among the majority Hutus. In 1959, Rwanda saw violent riots led by Hutus in which some 20,000 Tutsis were killed and many more were displaced. Amid growing violence, the Belgian authorities handed over power to the Hutu elite. King Kigeli V fled the country. In the 1960 elections, organised by the Belgians, Hutu parties gained control of nearly all local communes. In 1961, Hutu leader Grégoire Kayibanda declared Rwanda an autonomous republic and the next year, the country became independent. Kayibanda became Rwanda’s first elected President, while the Tutsis who fled the country formed armed insurgencies. Since then, Rwanda had been con trolled by Hutus, until their genocidal regime was top pled by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) in 1994.
What led to the killings? The crisis escalated in the 1990s when the RPF, led by Paul Kagame, the current President, grew in strength and posed a serious challenge to the regime of President Habyarimana, who was backed by France and had defence ties with Israel. In1993, Habyarimana, who rose to power in 1973, was forced to sign a peace agreement (Arusha Accords) with the RPF. This led to resentment among Hutu militias, backed by the government, towards local Tutsi population, who were accused of collaborators of the RPF. On 6 April 1994, a jet carrying Habyarimana was shot down near Kigali International Airport. The Hutu led government blamed the RPF for the attack on the presidential jet. The military and Hutu militias, mainly Interahamwe, unleashed violence against Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Mr. Kagame has denied any involvement in shooting down the plane. The RPF says Hutu extremists ordered the attack to use it as an excuse for the genocide (which they were preparing for long before the plane downing) as well as to capture power.
Mass Killings The killings were a pre-planned extermination campaign. The militias, with support from the government, launched a premeditated violent campaign on April 7, aimed at eliminating the entire Tutsi communities. Interahamwe militants went to cities and villages across the country, hunting down Tutsis, and asking Hutus to join the campaign, killing at a pace of 8,000 people a day. The Hutus who opposed the killings were also targeted. Bodies were dumped in the Nyabarongo River. France, which had backed the Hutu government, did nothing to stop the massacre. Thousands were slaughtered in churches where they sought refuge. The Catholic Church had deep ties with the ruling Hutu elites. Many priests were involved in the killings. In a visit to Rwanda in 2017, Pope Francis asked for forgiveness for the Church’s role in the killings. The violence continued for three months.
How did it end? The killings came to an end after the RPF captured Kigali and toppled the Hutu regime. While the RPF put an end to the Hutu campaign to exterminate Tutsis, the rebels were also accused of carrying out revenge killings during the civil war. 29 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
When it was evident that the RPF was winning, an estimated 2 million Hutus fled Rwanda, mainly to the neighbouring Zaire (the Democratic Republic of Congo), where Hutu militias are still operating from. The RPF initially went about establishing a multi ethnic government. In 2000, Mr. Kagame assumed the Presidency and continues to be in power till today.
Bangladesh-Sri Lanka Currency Swap Bangladesh Bank, Bangladesh’s central bank, has in principle approved a $200 million currency swap agreement with Sri Lanka. It will help Colombo tide over its foreign exchange crisis. Sri Lanka, staring at an external debt repayment schedule of $4.05 million this year, is in urgent need of foreign exchange. Its own foreign exchange reserves in March year stood at $4 million. The two sides have to formalise an agreement to operationalise the facility approved by Bangladesh Bank.
What is a currency swap? In this context, a currency swap is effectively a loan that Bangladesh will give to Sri Lanka in dollars, with an agreement that the debt will be repaid with interest in Sri Lankan rupees. For Sri Lanka, this is cheaper than borrowing from the market, and a lifeline as is it struggles to maintain adequate forex reserves even as repayment of its external debts looms. The period of the currency swap will be specified in the agreement.
Isn’t it unusual for Bangladesh to do this? Bangladesh has not been viewed so far as a provider of financial assistance to other countries. It has been among the most impoverished countries of the world, and still receives billions of dollars in financial aid. But over the last two decades, its economy has pulled itself up and in 2020, was the fastest growing in South Asia. Bangladesh’s economy grew by 5.2% in 2020, and is expected to grow by 6.8% in 2021. The country has managed to pull millions out of poverty. Its per capita income just overtook India’s. This may be the first time that Bangladesh is extending a helping hand to another country. Bangladesh’s forex reserves in May were a healthy $45 billion. In 2020, despite fears that the pandemic would hit remittances, Bangladeshis living abroad sent over $21 billion. It is also the first time that Sri Lanka is borrowing from a SAARC country other than India.
What about last year’s credit swap facility that India gave Sri Lanka? Last July, the Reserve Bank of India did extend a $400 million credit swap facility to Sri Lanka, which Central Bank of Sri Lanka settled in February. The arrangement was not extended. RBI has a framework under which it can offer credit swap facilities to SAARC countries within an overall corpus of $2 billion. The SAARC currency swap facility came into operation in November 2012 with the aim of providing to smaller countries in the region “a backstop line of funding for shortterm foreign exchange liquidity requirements or balance of payment crisis till longer term arrangements are made”. The presumption was that only India, as the regional group’s largest economy, could do this. The BangladeshSri Lanka arrangement shows that is no longer valid.
World Health Assembly Meet The decision making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Health Assembly, reviewed the findings of its special team on possible origin of novel corona virus. India pushed for further studies on the origins of the novel corona virus at the meet. Several countries at the Assembly’s ongoing annual meeting from May 24 to June 1 have raised the need for further studies.
Path-ways The report submitted by the WHO on March 31 had listed various hypotheses as possible origins, including the “lab leak” theory that it said was “extremely unlikely”. The report concluded that there was need for further research.
Possible options On April 1, the MEA issued a statement on the report, which had listed “four path ways” or possible options that led to the pandemic: a direct zoonotic transmission; the introduction of the virus through another intermediate host or animal; the introduction through the cold chain or food chain; and a laboratory incident. The inquiry conducted over four weeks by a joint WHO China study team had concluded that the first two theories were “likely to very likely”, the food chain theory “possible” and the lab incident theory “extremely unlikely”.
30 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
In its statement, India also called for “a comprehensive and expert led mechanism” to investigate the origin of COVID19 in cooperation with all stakeholders, and supported the possibility of an additional WHO mission to the Chinese sites to further study the issue.
USA Stand U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary has called on the WHO to conduct a second and more transparent inves tigation into the origins of COVID19. U.S. President Joseph Biden has also tasked his National Security Advisor and intelligence agencies to redouble efforts to reach a conclusion on the origins of the virus.
Dispute over South China Sea The Philippines has protested China’s continuing “illegal presence and Tensions between Manila and Beijing activities” near an island in the South China Sea held by the South East have escalated over the month’s long Asian nation. presence of hundreds of Chinese It demanded China to withdraw the vessels present in vicinity of Thitu boats in the Philippines’ exclusive island. economic zone. The Philippines says “The Pagasa Islands is an integral part of the Philippines over which it has it believes the vessels were manned sovereignty and jurisdiction —Philippines. by militia, while Beijing has said they Thitu, known as Pagasa in the Philippines, is 451 km from the were fishing boats sheltering from bad mainland and is the biggest of the eight reefs, shoals and islands it weather. occupies in archipelago China has built a mini city with runways, hangars and surface to airmissiles in the Subi Reef about 25 km from Thitu. An international tribunal in 2016 had invalidated China’s expansive claim in the South China Sea, where about $3 trillion worth of ship borne trade passes annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have competing claims to various islands.
Remains of children in Canada The remains of 215 children, some as young as 3 years old, have been found buried on the site of what was once Canada’s largest indigenous residential school — one of the institutions that held children taken from families across the nation.
History From the 19th century until the 1970s, more than 1,50,000 First Nations children were required to attend state funded Christian schools as part of a programme to assimilate them into Canadian society. They were forced to convert to Christianity and not allowed to speak their native languages. Many were beaten and verbally abused, and up to 6,000 are said to have died. The Canadian government apologised in Parliament in 2008 and admitted that physical and sexual abuse in the schools was rampant. Many students recall being beaten for speaking their native languages; they also lost touch with their parents and customs. Indigenous leaders have cited that legacy of abuse and isolation as the root cause of epidemic rates of alcoholism and drug addiction on reservations.
31 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Taiwan Strait China protested the latest passage by a U.S. Navy ship through the Taiwan Strait, calling it a provocation that under mined peace and stability in the region. The U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet said that the guided missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit in accordance with international law. The passage “demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo pacific.”
About TS It connects South China Sea and East China Sea. It also separates Taiwan from the China’s mainland. While the strait is in international waters, China claims selfgoverning Taiwan as its own territory and regards the U.S. Navy’s presence in the area as a show of support for the island’s democratic government.
China complete Tibetan Highway China has completed the construction of a highway through the world’s deepest canyon in Tibet along the Brahmaputra River. It is a strategically significant highway as it will enable greater access to remote areas along the disputed border with Arunachal Pradesh in India. The highway took seven years to complete and passes through the Grand Canyon of the Yarlung Zangbo River, as the Brahmaputra is called in Tibet. This is the “second significant passageway” to Medog County that borders Arunachal, directly connecting the Pad Township in Nyingchi to Baibung in Medog County. The highway will reduce the distance between Nyingchi city and Medog and will cut the travel time by 8 hours.
China’s infrastructure push The project is part of a wider infrastructure push in border areas in Tibet. China began work on a strategically important railway line — its second major rail link to Tibet after the Qinghai Tibet railway that opened in 2006 — that will link Sichuan province with Nyingchi. Another part of the border infrastructure push is the construction of new civilian settlements, along with the expansion of existing smaller hamlets, along border areas, some of which lie in disputed territories claimed by India and Bhutan, to strengthen China’s control over the land.
Indo-Israel Agriculture Cooperation Israel and India signed a threeyear work program agreement for development in Agriculture cooperation, while affirming the evergrowing bilateral partnership and recognizing the centrality of agriculture and water sectors in the bilateral relationship. India and Israel are implementing the “INDO-ISRAEL Agricultural Project Centres of Excellence” and “INDO- ISRAEL Villages of Excellence”. MIDH, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare, Government of India, and MASHAV Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation are leading Israel’s largest G2G cooperation, with 29 operational Centres of Excellence (COEs) across India in 12 States, implementing AdvancedIntensive agriculture farms with Israeli Agro Technology tailored to local conditions. The Centres of Excellence generate knowledge, demonstrate best practices and train farmers. Every year, these COEs produce more than 25 million quality vegetable seedlings, more than 387 thousand quality fruit plants and train more than 1.2 lakh farmers about latest technology in the field of horticulture. The work program will aim to grow existing Centres of Excellence, establish new centers, increase CoE’s value chain, bring the Centres of Excellence into the selfsufficient mode, and encourage private sector companies and collaboration.
“INDO-ISRAEL Villages of Excellence” It is a new concept aimed at creating a model ecosystem in agriculture across eight states, alongside 13 Centers of Excellence within 75 villages. The program will promote the increase of net income and better the livelihood of the individual farmer, transforming traditional farms into modernintensive farms based on IIAP standards. Largescale and complete value chain approach with economic sustainability, embedded with Israeli novel technologies and methodologies will be tailored to local conditions. The IIVOE program will focus on: (1) Modern Agriculture infrastructure, (2) Capacity Building, (3) Market linkage
17+1 Cooperation Forum Lithuania said it was quitting China’s 17+1 cooperation forum with central and eastern European (CEE) states that includes other EU members, calling it “divisive”. It also urged fellow EU members to pursue “a much more effective 27+1 approach and communication with China.”
32 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
About 17+1 The 17+1 initiative is a Chinaled format founded in 2012 in Budapest. It aims to expand cooperation between Beijing and the Central and Eastern European (CEE) member countries, with investments and trade for the development of the CEE region. The framework also focuses on infrastructure projects such as bridges, motorways, railway lines and modernisation of ports in the member states. The initiative includes twelve EU member states and five Balkan states — Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. The platform is largely seen as an extension of China’s flagship Belt and Road initiative (BRI).
Decoding India’s stance on Israel-Palestine issue
Stance at UNSC India reaffirmed its support for Palestine, but stopped short of making any direct reference to the status of Jerusalem or the future IsraelPalestine borders, at the United Nations Security Council. T.S. Tirumurti, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, said: “In conclusion, India reiterates its strong support for the just Palestinian cause and its unwavering commitment to the twostate solution.” India has expressed “our deep concern over the violence in Jerusalem, especially on Haram esh-Sharif/Temple Mount during the holy month of Ramzan and about the possible eviction process in Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighbourhood in East Jerusalem. India has also urged both sides to “refrain from at tempts to unilaterally change the existing status quo, including in East Jerusalem and its neighbourhood.” Here, it is Israel which is trying to unilaterally change the status quo by moving to evict the Palestinian families, and deploying troops to the AlAqsa compound. India called for “the historic status quo at the holy places of Jerusalem, including Haram esh-Sharif/Temple Mount must be respected”. So, without mentioning any country, India has, in effect, called for the eviction process to be stopped and status quo ante to be restored at the Al-Aqsa compound.
Evolving position of India India’s comments point to its evolving position on the larger IsraelPalestine issue. The statement called for the status quo relating to East Jerusalem. But the crucial point that’s missing is that East Jerusalem should be the capital [of a future Palestinian state]. Earlier, this used to be the mantra from India regarding the twostate solution. This portion is now taken out. Talmiz Ahmad, a former diplomat who was India’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. Until 2017, India’s position was that it supported “the Palestinian cause and called for a negotiated solution resulting in a sovereign, independent, viable and united State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, living within secure and recognised borders, side by side at peace with Israel”. Then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh stated this position in November 2013. So did then President Pranab Mukherjee, in October 2015. India dropped the references to East Jerusalem and the borders in 2017 when Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas visited Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said back then, “We hope to see the realisation of a sovereign, independent, united and viable Palestine, coexisting peace fully with Israel. I have reaffirmed our position on this to President Abbas during our conversation today.” In 2018, when Mr. Modi visited Ramallah, he reaffirmed the same position, with no direct reference to the borders or Jerusalem. “It [the statement] is vague enough Ambassador Tirumurti stated this line while calling for a “just” while at the same time firmly putting the solution, without giving specifics on what that solution should be, is twostate solution on the table. That’s sensible way of saying what is acceptable to both parties”. what the point is — whether there is a The references to Haram esh Sharif come twice. And it says, Haram esh reference to Jerusalem, whether it is Sharif/Temple Mount. This is a very subtle way of saying that this is [the] 1967 [border], these are all minor not a Palestinian narrative. The Palestinian narrative is that it is issues. The real issue is this: a two state Haram eshSherif— that means exclusive Islamic control and solution, coexisting side by side. What ownership. By saying Temple Mount together with Sharam esh- are the contours of the boundaries will Sherif, it says... the real issue is it is Jewish as well as Islamic. be discussed, settled and recognised by Openly condemned the rockets, but no references to Israeli reaction. the parties Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad, a former diplomat also noted the different approaches India took to the rocket firing and Israeli strike.
A historic period for West Asian diplomacy Major West Asian nations have recently embarked on new diplomatic engagements with erstwhile rivals that could in time overturn existing regional alignments and possibly end ongoing conflicts that have wreaked havoc in several states. 33 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Interactions Interactions have been between senior Saudi and Iranian officials Doha has made efforts to mend ties with both Saudi Arabia and Egypt, in tandem with similar initiatives of its doctrinal and political ally, Turkey. Turkey-Egypt: TurkeyEgypt: Turkey is also exhibiting diplomatic dexterity. Turkey now sees Egypt as a valuable partner to promote peace in Libya and pursue their interests jointly in the East Mediterranean. The major states are displaying an unprecedented self confidence in pursuing initiatives without the heavy hand of western powers that have dominated regional affairs for at least a couple of centuries, and in pursuit of their own interests, have nurtured deep animosities between many of them. This has left a pervasive sense of insecurity across West Asia and made the countries dependent on western alliances to ensure their interests.
Cause for interactions A fresh U.S. approach to West Asian affairs. It has taken a tough line on Saudi Arabia, indicating a closer scrutiny of its human rights record and strong opposition to the war in Yemen. U.S. is now likely to be less engaged with the region’s quarrels. It stated ‘Regional states should be responsible for regional security’. Ongoing region al conflicts, in Syria, Yemen and Libya, despite the massive death and destruction, have yielded no military outcome and now demand fresh diplomatic approaches.
Issues SaudiIran: Yemen conflict, political impasse in Lebanon and the security of the waters of the Gulf and the Red Sea where a “shadow war” on oil and merchant vessels could escalate into a larger conflict. TurkeyEgypt: Differences with Egypt over Libya, the East Mediterranean waters and Turkey’s affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt remains uneasy about Turkey’s ties with the Brotherhood and its regional ambitions. Saudi Arabia has similar concerns about Turkey’s doctrinal affiliations and its relations with Iran. Qatar’s outreach to Egypt has been well received, since it appears to have moderated its ties with the Brotherhood, toned down anti Egypt broadcasts on Al Jazeera television, and is a major potential investor in Egypt’s flagging economy.
Role for India Provisions for participating states to uphold regional peace and promote mutually beneficial cooperation in energy, economic and logistical connectivity areas. Given its close ties with all the regional states, India is well placed to build an association of likeminded states — Japan, Russia, South Korea — to shape and pursue such an initiative for West Asian peace.
India diplomacy towards Israel-Palestine India’s policy on the longest running conflict in the world has gone from being unequivocally pro-Palestine for the first four decades, to a tense balancing act with its three-decade-old friendly ties with Israel. In recent years, India’s position has also been perceived as pro-Israel. India’s permanent representative to the United Nations, T S Tirumurti, made a carefully crafted statement at the UN Security Council “open debate” on the escalating IsraelPalestine violence, striving to maintain balance between India’s historic ties with Palestine and its blossoming relations with Israel. The statement, the first India has made on the issue, appears to implicitly hold Israel responsible for triggering the current cycle of violence by locating its beginnings in East Jerusalem rather than from Gaza. The request that both sides refrain from “attempts to unilaterally change the existing status quo including in East Jerusalem and its neighbourhoods” seems to be a message to Israel about its settler policy.
From Nehru to Rao PM Nehru India recognised Israel in 1950. PM Jawaharlal Nehru’s reasoning for the decision to recognise Israel was that it was “an established fact”, and that not doing so would create rancour between two UN members. But for long, all there was to show for the bilateral relationship was a consulate in Mumbai, established in 1953, mainly for issuing visas to the Indian Jewish community, and to Christian pilgrims. This too shut down in 1982, when India expelled the Consul General for criticising India’s foreign policy in a newspaper interview. It was permitted to reopen only six years later. In 1948, India was the only non-Arab-state among 13 countries that voted against the UN partition plan of Palestine in the General Assembly that led to the creation of Israel. Scholars ascribe various reasons for this India’s own Partition along religious lines; as a new nation that had just thrown off its colonial yoke; solidarity with the Palestinian people who would be dispossessed; and to ward off Pakistan’s plan to
34 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
isolate India over Kashmir. Later, India’s energy dependence on the Arab countries also became a factor, as did the sentiments of India’s own Muslim citizens. 1992 The balancing began with India’s decision to normalise ties with Israel in 1992, which came against the backdrop of the breakup of the Soviet Union, and massive shifts in the geopolitics of West Asia on account of the first Gulf War in 1990. That year, the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) lost much of its clout in the Arab world by siding with Iraq and Saddam Hussein in the occupation of Kuwait. The opening of an Indian embassy in Tel Aviv in January 1992 marked an end to four decades of giving Israel the cold shoulder, as India’s recognition of Israel in 1950 had been minus full diplomatic ties. Changes after 2014 For twoandahalf decades from 1992, the IndiaIsrael relationship continued to grow, mostly through defence deals, and in sectors such as science and technology and agriculture. But India never acknowledged the relationship fully. There were few highprofile visits, and they all took place when the BJPled NDA1 under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was in office. Israel is Hindutva’s ideal of a “strong state” that deals “firmly” with “terrorists”. In 2000, L K Advani became the first Indian minister to visit Israel, and in the same year Jaswant Singh visited as Foreign Minister. That year, the two countries set up a joint antiterror commission. And in 2003, Ariel Sharon became the first Israeli Prime Minister to visit India. During the UPA’s 10 years in office, the balancing act intensified, and Mahmoud Abbas, head of the Palestinian Authority that administers the West Bank, visited in 2005, 2008, 2010 and 2012. It was during NDA2 that the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to take full ownership of the relationship with Israel. The first indication of the new phase came with an abstention by India at the UN Human Rights Council on a resolution welcoming a report by the HRC High Commissioner. The report said it had evidence of alleged war crimes committed by Israeli forces and Hamas during the 2014 airstrikes against Gaza that killed over 2000. The abstention was conspicuous because in 2014, India had voted for the resolution through which the UNHRC inquiry was set up. In 2016, India abstained again at on a UNHRC resolution against Israel. But the big change was the status of the historic city that both Israel and Palestine claim.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
NASA Mission- OSIRIS-REx On May 11, NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS REx) spacecraft will depart asteroid Bennu, and start its twoyear long journey back to Earth. OSIRIS-REx is NASA’s first mission to visit a near-Earth asteroid, survey its surface and collect a sample from it.
What is asteroid Bennu? Asteroids are rocky objects that orbit the Sun, much smaller than planets. They are According to NASA, also called minor planets. 994,383 is the count for known asteroids, the Bennu is considered to be an ancient asteroid that has not gone through a lot of remnants from the composition-altering change through billions of years, which means that formation of the solar below its surface lie chemicals and rocks from the birth of the solar system. system over 4.6 billion It is located about 200 million miles away from the Earth. Scientists study years ago. asteroids to look for information about the formation and history of planets and the sun since asteroids were formed at the same time as other objects in the solar system. Another reason for tracking them is to look for potentially hazardous asteroids. NEOs are comets and asteroids Bennu is a Btype asteroid, implying that it contains significant nudged by the gravitational attraction amounts of carbon and various other minerals. Because of its high of nearby planets into orbits which carbon content, the asteroid reflects about four per cent of the light allow them to enter the Earth’s that hits it, which is very low when compared with a planet like neighbourhood. Venus, which reflects about 65 per cent of the light that hits it. Earth reflects about 30 per cent. There is a slight possibility that Bennu, which is classified as a Near Earth Object (NEO), might strike the Earth in the next century, between the years 2175 and 2199.
What is the OSIRIS-REx mission? This is NASA’s first mission meant to return a sample from the ancient asteroid. The mission is essentially a sevenyear long voyage and will conclude when at least 60 grams of samples are delivered back to the Earth. As per NASA, the mission promises to bring the largest amount of extraterrestrial material back to our planet since the Apollo era.
35 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
The mission was launched in 2016, it reached its target in 2018 and since then, the spacecraft has been trying to match the velocity of the asteroid using small rocket thrusters. It also utilised this time to survey the surface and identify potential sites to take samples.
National Technology Day India observes National Technology Day on May 11 to mark the anniversary of the Pokhran nuclear tests of 1998. Pokhran nuclear tests were a series of five explosions conducted by India at the Indian Army's Pokhran Test Range. Former president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, lovingly known as India's 'Missile Man' spearheaded the Pokhran tests. The prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared India a nuclear state, making it the sixth country to join the elite 'nuclear club'. The five nuclear tests were codenamed Operation Shakti and the whole operation is also known as Pokhran II
Awards and Technology Development Board (TDB) Awards are given to several innovators and entrepreneurs on this day every year. Every year, for furtherance of its mandate, TDB seeks applications for National awards for commercialization of technologies under three categories National Awards, MSME awards, and Startup awards. For the year 2021, TDB invited application for National Awards under three categories and total 15 winners were selected. TDB is a statutory body of Government of India functioning under Department of Science of Technology. It provides financial assistance to Indian industrial concerns and other agencies, for commercialization of indigenized technologies or adaptation of imported technologies for wider domestic applications. Since its inception in 1996, TDB has funded more than 300 companies for commercialization of technologies.
Israel Iron Dome In the conflict between Israel and Palestine, both sides have taken to air strikes and rocket attacks. Videos on social media showed rockets fired from Gaza being intercepted by the Israeli Iron Dome air defence system. It appeared that the rockets were hitting an invisible shield.
What is the Iron Dome? It is a short-range, ground-to-air, air defence system. It includes a radar and Tamir interceptor missiles that track and neutralise any rockets or missiles aimed at Israeli targets. It is used for countering rockets, artillery & mortars (CRAM) as well as aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles. The Iron Dome was deployed in 2011.
How does it work? The Iron Dome has three main systems that work together to provide a shield over the area where it is deployed. It has detection and tracking radar to spot any incoming threats, a battle management and weapon control system (BMC), and a missile firing unit. The BMC basically liaises between the radar and the interceptor missile. It is capable of being used in all weather conditions, including during the day and night.
What kind of systems does India have? Israel, along with the US and Russia, is the leader. As India is in the process of buying S400 air defence systems from Russia, Iron Dome was one of the systems that was being spoken of. While India is continentsized, Israel is smaller and has to deal with threats that are relatively close around it. S-400 also caters to the three threats (rockets, missiles and cruise missiles). But they have much longer range. S400 has to cater to shooting down missiles, aircraft in some 300 to 400 km range. India and Israel have significant cooperation in missiles, including the Baraak8.
36 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
MACS 1407 Scientists in India have developed a high-yielding & pest-resistant variety of soybean ‘MACS 1407’. This new variety is suitable for cultivation in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Assam and Northeastern states. The seeds of MACS 1407 will be made available to the farmers for sowing during 2022 Kharif season.
Yield With the use of conventional crossbreeding technique scientists have developed MACS 1407 that gives 39 quintals/ hectare making it a high yielding and pestresistant variety. Its thick stem, higher pod insertion from ground & resistance to pod shattering make it suitable for mechanical harvesting too. It is suitable for rainfed areas of northeast India.
Long March Debris from the last stage of China’s Long March rocket that had last month Tianhe fell into the waters of the Indian Ocean west of the Maldives on Sunday. The reentry of rocket has been criticised by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the U.S. for “failing to meet responsible standards” China had rejected those concerns, saying most of the debris had been burned during reentry and that a fall into international waters was most likely.
Tianhe (Heavenly Harmony) The Long March 5B Y2 rocket launched on April 29 launch from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on the island province of Hainan. The Long March 5B Y2 rocket was carrying the Tianhe module. Tianhe is first of three key components for the construction of China’s space station, which will be completed by the end of next year. Tianhe will act “the management and control hub of the space station” which is called Tiangong or Heavenly Palace. The space station is only the second after the International Space Station (ISS). It has been designed with a lifespan of 10 years but could last 15 years, or until 2037. The life of the ISS could be extended until 2030, by when one of its members, Russia, has said it would launch its own space station.
China’s ‘Zhurong’ Rover China’s uncrewed ‘Tianwen-1’ spacecraft landed safely on the surface of Mars. This made making China only the second in the world to send a rover to explore Red Planet. Onboard the lander was the ‘Zhurong’ rover, which will soon be deployed to study the Martian atmosphere and geology. The Chinese spacecraft landed on a large plain located in the northern hemisphere of Mars, known as Utopia Planitia.
Tianwen-1 Mission Launched by the China National Space Administration from southern China in July 2020, the Tianwent1 mission consists of an orbiter, a lander and a golf cartsized rover called ‘Zhurong’. Zhurong has been named after an ancient fire god from Chinese folk tales. The spacecraft arrived in Mars’ orbit in February this year. The mission aims to make full use of the window that emerges once every two years, when Earth and Mars are closest together during their journey around the sun. Chinese scientists are hoping to explore Mars and study its geology for at least 90 days via the rover.
‘Zhurong’ rover The ‘Zhurong’ rover will not immediately be offloaded from the lander. The probe will first survey the Utopia plane and take several highresolution images to locate the safest spot to put the rover down. The aim is to find a stretch of land devoid of craters or large boulders. After a few days, the rover will roll off the lander and join the US’ Perseverance and Curiosity rovers to explore the surface of the Red Planet. Weighing about 240 kilograms, the ‘Zhurong’ rover is slightly heavier than NASA’s Spirit and Opportunity rovers, but only onefourth the weight of Perseverance and Curiosity.
37 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
The Chinese rover is powered by retractable solar panels and fitted with seven primary instruments — cameras, ground penetrating radar, a magnetic field detector and a weather station. The purpose of the radar is to look for signs of ancient life as well as subsurface water.
How did the rover land on Mars? After orbiting around the Red Planet for about three months preparing for a safe landing attempt, the lander carrying the rover separated from the orbiter and descended towards the surface of Mars. The target was to land on Utopia Planitia — which is also where NASA’s Viking-2 touched down in 1976. The vast plain, measuring over 3,000 km across, was formed by an impact very early in the history of Mars. Satellite findings have indicated that a significant amount of ice is stored deep beneath Utopia’s surface. There was “nine minutes of terror” as the landing module entered the Martian atmosphere, decelerating and gradually descending to the surface. During the descent, the rover was covered with an aeroshell for the initial phase. The speed of the capsule was lowered after it started pushing up against Martian air. At a predetermined point, a parachute was released to reduce the capsule’s velocity even further. Soon after, it landed.
Other attempts by China This is not the first time China has attempted to send a spacecraft to Mars. Nearly 10 years ago, the country launched the Yinghuo-1 mission, which ultimately failed after the spacecraft burnt while still in the Earth’s atmosphere after the Russian rocket that was carrying it failed in flight. If ‘Zhurong’ is deployed without a hitch, China will become the first country to successfully orbit, land and offload a rover during its maiden Mars mission.
Which other countries have managed to send rovers to Mars? Apart from China, only the United States has been able to deploy rovers to study the surface of the Red Planet. The first successful landing was made by NASA in July 1976, when the Viking 1 rover touched down on Mars. After that, Viking 2 arrived on the Red Planet. In the decades that followed, the US successfully sent the Opportunity and Spirit rovers to explore Mars. In 1971, the former Soviet Union managed to launch a Mars probe; however, communication was lost within seconds of it landing. Most recently, in February this year, NASA’s Perseverance rover landed at the Jezero Crater on the Red Planet, after which it resumed work to look for signs of past life.
5G Trial The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) gave permission to Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) to conduct trials for the use and application of 5G technology. This formally leaves out Chinese companies like Huawei and ZTE from the 5G race in India. The applicant TSPs includes Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio Infocomm, Vodafone Idea and MTNL. These TSPs have tied up with original equipment manufacturers and technology providers, which are Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung and C DOT.
Duration of trial The duration of the trials is for 6 months, which includes a time period of 2 months for the procurement and setting up of the equipment. Each TSP will have to conduct trials in rural and semiurban settings also, in addition to urban settings. It is to ensure that the benefit of 5G technology proliferates across the country and is not con fined to the urban areas.
What is 5G? 5G is the 5th generation mobile network. It is a new global wireless standard after 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G networks. 5G enables a new kind of network that is designed to connect virtually everyone and everything together including machines, objects, and devices. 5G wireless technology is meant to deliver higher multi-Gbps peak data speeds, ultra low latency, more reliability, massive network capacity, increased availability, and a more uniform user experience to more users.
First generation - 1G 1980s: 1G delivered analog voice.
Second generation - 2G Early 1990s: 2G introduced digital voice (e.g. CDMA Code Division Multiple Access).
38 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Third generation - 3G Early 2000s: 3G brought mobile data (e.g. CDMA2000).
Fourth generation - 4G LTE 2010s: 4G LTE ushered in the era of mobile broadband. 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G all led to 5G, which is designed to provide more connectivity than was ever available before.
Ct value Maharashtra government sought clarity from Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) whether it was advisable to treat a person as COVIDnegative if the Ct value is more than 24 and the person is asymptomatic. ICMR responded: All patients with a Ct value less than 35 may be considered as positive while those with a Ct value above 35 may be considered as negative,
What is Ct value Cycle threshold (Ct) is a value that emerges during RT In an RTPCR test, RNA is extracted PCR tests, the standard for detection of the SARSCoV2 from the swab collected from the corona virus. patient. It is then converted into DNA, Ct value of an RTPCR reaction is the number of cycles at which is then amplified. which fluorescence of the PCR product is detectable over Amplification refers to the process of and above the background signal. creating multiple copies of the genetic It refers to the number of cycles after which the virus material — in this case, DNA. This can be detected. improves the ability of the test to detect If a higher number of cycles are required, it implies that the the presence of virus. Amplification virus went undetected when the number of cycles was takes place through a series of cycles — lower. The lower the Ct value, the higher the viral load — one copy becomes two, two becomes because the virus has been spotted after fewer cycles. four, and so on — and it is after multiple cycles that a detectable amount of virus Is there any correlation between a Ct value and severity of is produced. disease? No. Although Ct value is inversely correlated with viral load, it does not have any bearing on the severity of the disease. A patient can have a low Ct value, which means her viral load is high enough to be detected rapidly, but she may still be asymptomatic.
P-8I aircraft The U.S. State Department has approved the proposed sale of six P8I patrol aircraft and related equipment to India. The deal is estimated to cost $2.42 billion. In November 2019, the Defence Acquisition Council, chaired by The possible sale through the Foreign Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, approved the procurement of the Military Sale route and requires that the long range maritime surveillance aircraft manufactured by Boeing. U.S. Congress be notified, a process that was completed on Friday. Lawmakers P-8I in Indian Navy have a statutory 30 days to raise any The P8I is designed to conduct long-range anti-submarine objections. warfare, anti-surface warfare, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The P8s also has a bomb bay that can drop sonobuoys and torpedoes, as well as hard points on its wings for antiship missiles. The P8I is based on the Boeing 737 commercial aircraft and India was its first international customer. The Indian Navy bought eight P8I aircraft in 2009 and contracted for four more aircraft in 2016. The aircraft are part of the 312A Naval Air Squadron based at Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu. With India having signed the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) foundational agreement with the U.S., the six aircraft will come fitted with encrypted systems.
Variants of SARS-CoV-2 Virus The Two variants from the B.1.617 lineage or the socalled Indian variant of the SARSCoV2 virus have been identified and are being monitored as Variants under Investigation (VUI) by UK. Earlier, India’s Health Ministry said that a new “double mutant variant” of the corona virus had been detected in addition to many other strains or variants of concern (VOCs) found in the country.
What is a variant? Variants of a virus have one or more mutations that differentiate it from the other variants that are in circulation. While most mutations are deleterious for the virus, some make it easier for the virus to survive. 39 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
The SARSCoV2 virus is evolving fast because of the scale at which it has infected people around the world. High levels of circulation mean it is easier for the virus to change as it is able to replicate faster.
Delta variant The B.1.617 variant of the virus has two mutations, referred to as E484Q and L452R. Both are separately found in many other corona virus variants, but they have been reported together for the first time in India. This variant is classified as a VOI by the WHO as well. The WHO has said that laboratory studies suggest that samples from individuals who had natural infection may have reduced neutralisation against variants which have the E484Q mutation.
How variants of the corona virus being classified are and what does it mean? If the variants of SARSCoV2 are considered to have concerning epidemiological, immunological or pathogenic properties, they are raised for formal investigation Variants Under Investigation (VUI). The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on the other hand classifies variants into three categories– variant of interest (VOI), variant of concern (VOC) and variant of high consequence.
VOI A variant with specific genetic markers that have been associated with changes to receptor binding, reduced neutralization by antibodies generated against previous infection or vaccination, reduced efficacy of treatments, potential diagnostic impact, or predicted increase in transmissibility or disease severity.
VOC A variant for which there is evidence of an increase in transmissibility, more severe disease (e.g., increased hospitalizations or deaths), significant reduction in neutralization by antibodies generated during previous infection or vaccination, reduced effectiveness of treatments or vaccines, or diagnostic detection failures.
Biofuel Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel flagged off the first supply of UCO (Used Cooking Oil) based Biodiesel blended Diesel under the EOI Scheme from Indian Oil’s Tikrikalan Terminal, Delhi.
About the initiative Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel, along with Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, had initiated Expressions of Interest for “Procurement of Biodiesel produced from Used Cooking Oil” on the occasion of World Biofuel Day on 10th August 2019. Such “Expressions of Interest “are being periodically released by Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs). Under this initiative, OMCs offer periodically incremental price guarantees for five years and extend offtake guarantees for ten years to prospective entrepreneurs.
Significance of initiative It aims to create an ecosystem for collection and conversion of UCO into Biodiesel and developing entrepreneurship opportunities. This initiative will garner substantial economic benefits for the nation by shoring up indigenous Biodiesel supply, reducing import dependence, and generating rural employment. Feedstock availability in Biodiesel is a challenge, and leveraging UCO can be a major breakthrough. It has tendency to enable us to reach the target of 5% Biodiesel blending. It will also help divert the unhealthy used oil from the food chain to a more productive purpose.
What is a biodiesel? Biodiesel is an alternative fuel, similar to conventional or ‘fossil’ diesel. It can be produced from vegetable oils, animal fats, tallow and waste cooking oil. A significant advantage of Biodiesel is its carbonneutrality, i.e. the oilseed absorbs the same amount of CO2 as is released when the fuel is combusted in a vehicle. Biodiesel is rapidly biodegradable and completely nontoxic.
Rafael The sixth batch of three Rafale fighee jets arrived in India. With this, the IAF has received 20 of the 36 jets contracted from France. 36 Rafale Jets have been contracted from France under a €7.87 billion Intergovernmental Agreement signed in Sep tember 2016.
40 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Last September, the IAF inducted the batch of five Rafales. The first batch of five jets, were formally inducted into the No. 17 ‘Golden Arrows’ squadron of the IAF at the Ambala Air Force station. With the inductions this month set to complete the first squadron, which currently has 14 jets, the IAF is all set to operationalise the second Rafale squadron at Hasimara in West Bengal later this month.
Features of Rafale jet The stateoftheart 4.5 Generation Rafale jet can reach almost double the speed of sound, with a top speed of 1.8 Mach. Multirole capabilities, including electronic warfare, air defence, ground support and indepth strikes. Each aircraft has 14 storage stations for weapons. The jets come with one of the most advanced Meteor air-to-air Comparison with China’s J20 missiles. The 190kg missile has a Beyond Visual Range (BVR) of over 100 km, traveling at a top speed of Mach 4. The F16 jets, used by While China’s J20 Chengdu jets Pakistan, carry the AMRAAM missile, which has a BVR of 75 km. are called fifth generation Rafale can also outperform F16 in dogfights. combat jets, compared to 4.5 The Rafale jets also come with SCALP, the air-to-ground cruise generation Rafale, the J20 have missile with a range over 300 km. It is a long-range deep strike no actual combat experience. missile. Whereas the Rafale is combat The MICA air-to-air missile on Rafale is for both, close-quarter proven, having been used by the dogfights, and for BVR. French Air Force for its missions At the lastminute, India has also asked for HAMMER (Highly Agile in Afghanistan, Libya and Mali. It and Maneuverable Munition Extended Range), which is an air-to- has also been used for missions in ground precision guided missile produced by French conglomerate Central African Republic, Iraq Safran, and can be used against bunkertype hardened targets within the and Syria. range of 70 km. Rafale can also carry more fuel and weapons than the J20. Basic Rafale Specifications: Wing span: 10.90 m Length: 15.30 m Height: 5.30 m Overall empty weight: 10 tonnes External load: 9.5 tonnes Max. takeoff weight: 24.5 tonnes Fuel (internal): 4.7 tonnes Fuel (external): up to 6.7 tonnes Ferry Range: 3,700 km Top Speed: 1.8 Mach at high altitude Landing ground run: 450 m (1,500 ft) Service ceiling: 50,000 ft
Space X ‘Starship’ Serial number 15 (SN15), a prototype of the futuristic Starship rocket developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company, was able to launch and successfully land. The spacecraft has been described as a gamechanger for space travel, being a fully reusable transportation system for crew and cargo to the Earth’s orbit, Moon and Mars.
What is the Starship? Designed by SpaceX, Starship is a spacecraft and super-heavy booster rocket meant to act as a reusable transportation system for crew and cargo to the Earth’s orbit, Moon and Mars. Starship has been under development since 2012. It is a part of SpaceX’s central mission to make interplanetary travel accessible and affordable and to become the first private company to do so. Therefore, the company is working on building a fleet of reusable launch vehicles, capable of carrying humans to Mars and other destinations in the solar system.
NASA’s Artemis mission Last month, NASA chose SpaceX to build a lander for its Artemis programme, which plans to send humans to the Moon in this decade. SpaceX won the $2.89 billion contract in a bidding war against traditional space giants, Amazon and Dynetics. The vehicle, which is based on Starship, will carry the next man and the first woman to land on the Moon. 41 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
With the Artemis programme, NASA aims to demonstrate new technologies, capabilities and business approaches that will ultimately be needed for the future exploration of Mars.
Application of Artificial Intelligence to Agriculture Artificial intelligence is based on the principle that human intelligence can be defined in a way that a machine can easily mimic it and execute tasks, from the simplest to those that are even more complex. Example include visionrecognition systems on self driving cars,
Challenges faced by farmers by using traditional methods of farming In farming climatic factors such as rainfall, temperature and humidity play an important role in the agriculture lifecycle. Increasing deforestation and pollution result in climatic changes, so it’s difficult for farmers to take decisions to prepare the soil, sow seeds, and harvest. Every crop requires specific nutrition in the soil. There are 3 main nutrients nitrogen(N), phosphorous(P) and potassium(K) required in soil. The deficiency of nutrients can lead to poor quality of crops. Weed protection plays an important role. If not controlled it can lead to an increase in production cost and also it absorbs nutrients from the soil which can cause nutrition deficiency in the soil.
AI in agriculture Use of weather forecasting: With help of AI farmers can analyze weather conditions by using weather forecasting which helps they plan the type of crop can be grown and when should seeds be sown. Soil and crop health monitoring system: A Germanbased tech startup PEAT has developed an AIbased application called Plantix that can identify the nutrient deficiencies in soil including plant pests and diseases by which farmers can also get an idea to use fertilizer which helps to improve harvest quality. This app uses image recognitionbased technology. Trace Genomics is another machine learningbased company that helps farmers to do a soil analysis to farmers. Such type of app helps farmers to monitor soil and crop’s health conditions and produce healthy crops with a higher level of productivity. Analyzing crop health by drones: Drone captures data from fields and then data is transferred via a USB drive from the drone to a computer and analyzed by experts. Experts can provide a detailed report containing the current health of the farm. It helps the farmer to identify pests and bacteria helping farmers to timely use of pest control and other methods to take required action. Precision Farming and Predictive Analytics: AI applications in agriculture have developed applications and tools which help farmers inaccurate and controlled farming by providing them proper guidance to farmers about water management, crop rotation, timely harvesting, type of crop to be grown, optimum planting, pest attacks, nutrition management. Agricultural Robotics: Robot are being trained to control weeds and harvest crops at a faster pace with higher volumes compared to humans. They are trained to check the quality of crops and detect weed with picking and packing of crops at the same time. These robots are also capable to fight with challenges faced by agricultural force labor. AI-enabled system to detect pests: AI systems use satellite images and compare them with historical data using AI algorithms and detect that if any insect has landed and which type of insect has landed like the locust, grasshopper, etc. And send alerts to farmers to their smartphones so that farmers can take required precautions and use required pest control thus AI helps farmers to fight against pests. Conclusion Artificial Intelligence in agriculture not only helping farmers to automate their farming but also shifts to precise cultivation for higher crop yield and better quality while using fewer resources.
New technology for High Pressure Compressors (HPC) Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has established the near isothermal forging technology to produce all the five stages of highpressure compressors (HPC) discs out of difficulttodeform titanium alloy using its unique 2000 MT isothermal forge press. DMRL developed this forging technology by integrating various science and knowledgebased tools. The methodology adopted by DMRL is generic in nature and can be tuned to develop other similar Aero Engine components.
Significance The technology has been developed by Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL), a premier metallurgical laboratory of DRDO at Hyderabad. This is a crucial technology for establishing self-reliance in aero engine technology.
42 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
With this development, India has joined the league of limited global engine developers to have the manufacturing capabilities of such critical aero engine components.
What about last year’s credit swap facility that India gave Sri Lanka? Last July, the Reserve Bank of India did extend a $400 million credit swap facility to Sri Lanka, which Central Bank of Sri Lanka settled in February. The arrangement was not extended. RBI has a framework under which it can offer credit swap facilities to SAARC countries within an overall corpus of $2 billion. According to RBI, the SAARC currency swap facility came into operation in November 2012 with the aim of providing to smaller countries in the region “a backstop line of funding for shortterm foreign exchange liquidity requirements or balance of payment crisis till longer term arrangements are made”. The presumption was that only India, as the regional group’s largest economy, could do this. The BangladeshSri Lanka arrangement shows that is no longer valid.
INS Rajput Destroyer INS Rajput was decommissioned on May 21 at Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam. The ship was decommissioned in a solemn and low key event due to the ongoing COVID pandemic when the national flag, Naval ensign, and the decommissioning pennant were lowered at sunset time. It was built by the erstwhile USSR. It serves Indian Navy for 41 years. It has taken part in several important operations including Operation Aman off Sri Lanka to assist the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF)
Zebra Fish A new study reveals the tropical fish’s hibernating habits may teach us a thing or two on how to land our foot on Mars. The Zebra fish could help humans reach Mars by understanding how a form of hibernation, known as induced torpor (a state of reduced metabolic activity) may provide radio-protective effects.
Hibernation Hibernation is a physiological condition found in many species. It protects them against harsh conditions, such as food scarcity and low environmental temperatures. Replicating hibernation may therefore protect astronauts against the harsh conditions of space flight, which include challenges such as radiation exposure, bone and muscle wastage, advanced ageing and vascular problems. If astronauts hibernate on their journey, those difficulties may be solved. Recent technological advancements might have made space travel more accessible. However, longterm space travel was incredibly detrimental to human health. Humans hibernating on spaceflights would lead to reduced brain function which would cut down on psychological stress. The change to their metabolism would stop them requiring food, oxygen or water. There was also a possibility it would protect their muscles from wasting due to the effects caused by radiation and microgravity.
Findings of study To conduct their study, the researchers exposed zebra fish to radiation like what would be experienced on a sixmonth journey to Mars. This radiation caused signatures of oxidative stress, stress hormone signaling and halting of the cell cycle within the zebra fish. Torpor lowered the metabolic rate within the zebra fish and created a radio protective effect, protecting against the harmful effects of radiation. While in induced torpor, the zebra fish showed that a reduction in metabolism and oxygen concentration in cells promotes less oxidative stress and greater resistance to radiation.
About zebra fish The zebra fish is a freshwater fish belonging to the minnow family (Cyprinidae) of the order Cypriniformes. It is native to south Asia. It is kept in aquariums by fish collectors drawn by its shiny blue stripes.
43 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
The Incidence of Smoke Ahead of World No Tobacco Day (May 31), the Global Burden of Disease collaboration has published three new studies in The Lancet and The Lancet Public Health journals. They use data from 3,625 nationally representative surveys in 204 countries. India had the second highest number of tobacco smokers aged 1524 in 2019 (nearly 2 crore), and witnessed the highest increase of male smokers in this age group since 1990. Globally, the number of smokers increased to 1.1 billion in 2019, with tobacco smoking causing 7.7 million deaths — including 1 in 5 deaths in males worldwide. Among new smokers, 89% become addicted by age 25.
Prevalence The 10 countries with the largest number of tobacco smokers in 2019, together comprising nearly twothirds of the global tobacco smoking population, are China, India, Indonesia, the USA, Russia, Bangladesh, Japan, Turkey, Vietnam, and the Philippines. In the 15-24 age group, China (26.5 million), India (19.8 million), and Indonesia (9.91 million) had the largest numbers of tobacco smokers in 2019. Globally, there were 155 million smokers in this age group. India (4.67 million), Egypt (1.24 million) and Indonesia (1.22 million) had the largest absolute increases in the number of male smokers aged 15-24. The largest increases in female smokers aged 1524 were in Turkey (4.6 lakh) Jordan (1.1 lakh) and Zambia (1.1 lakh).
Tacking the prevalence of smoking Reducing prevalence in any country requires twopronged strategy. Step up cessation services to help current users quit. Focus on preventing initiation among adolescents and youth. India has had excellent evidence on effectiveness of school health interventions in reducing tobacco use among adolescents, through well conducted and published interventions like Project MYTRI (Mobilising Youth for Tobacco Related Initiatives in India). India has already enforced policies in favour of protecting youth from new emerging tobacco and nicotine products by banning gutkha/smokeless tobacco in some states and ecigarettes. India can consider adopting a vision for Tobacco End game and Tobacco Free Future Generations to protect the youth of the country from this growing tobacco epidemic.
Deaths In 2019, smoking was associated with 1.7 million deaths from ischemic heart disease, 1.6 million deaths from COPD, 1.3 million deaths from tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer, and nearly 1 million deaths from stroke. Previous studies have shown that smokers have an average life expectancy ten years lower than neversmokers. Approximately 87% of deaths attributable to smoking occurred among current smokers. Only 6% of deaths attributable to smoking tobacco use occurred among individuals who had quit smoking at least 15 years previously, highlighting the health benefits of cessation.
Super moon Moon had nearest approach to Earth on May 26, and therefore appeared to be the closest and largest Full Moon or “super moon” of 2021. Today’s celestial event coincides with this year’s only total lunar eclipse, the first since January 2019. Significantly, a super moon and a total lunar eclipse have not occurred together in nearly six years.
What is a super moon? Super moon occurs when the Moon’s orbit is closest to the Earth at the same time that the Moon is full. The term super moon was coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979. As the Moon orbits the Earth, there is a point of time when the distance between the two is the least (called the perigee when the average distance is about 360,000 km from the Earth) and a point of time when the distance is the most (called the apogee when the distance is about 405,000 km from the Earth). Now, when a full Moon appears at the point when the distance between the Earth and the Moon is the least, not only does it appear to be brighter but it is also larger than a regular full moon. In a typical year, there may be two to four full super moons and two to four new super moons in a row. About a month ago on April 26, there was another full moon, but the super moon that witnessed on May 26 was closer to the Earth by a margin of 0.04%.
What happened on May 26? On May 26, two celestial events will take place at the same time.
44 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
One is the super moon and the other is a total lunar eclipse, which is when the Moon and Sun are on opposite sides of the Earth. Because of the total lunar eclipse, the moon appears to be red. This is because the Earth block some of the light from the Sun from reaching the moon and as the Earth’s atmosphere filters the light, it softens “the edge of our planet’s shadow” “giving the Moon a deep, rosy glow.”
Mucormycosis It is a serious, but rare, fungal infection caused by a group of fungi known as mucormycetes.
Factors Mucormycosis usually affects people who have poor immunity and those with uncontrolled diabetes highest risk of developing it. Other risk factors include steroid treatment, those who have malignancies, HIV/AIDS and those who have been treated with medicines such as deferoxamine for iron overload conditions
Use of Steroids When the COVID19 infection takes a more serious turn, heavy doses of steroids are given to the patient as a lifesaving measure. This can precipitate new onset diabetes in those who do not have diabetes, or substantially raise blood glucose levels in those persons who already have diabetes. This sets the scene for the development of mucormycosis. Steroids do not have any role in the prophylaxis or the prevention of COVID19. Indeed, steroids reduce one’s immunity and may actually increase the risk of developing COVID19. Also, in the initial phase of viremia (medical term for viruses present in the bloodstream), the use of steroids can actually disseminate the virus widely, thereby worsening the COVID19 infection. It is only when the cytokine storm is suspected, (which usually occurs in the second week of the COVID19 infection) that steroids should be used, and that too with discretion.
Control Those with diabetes to keep their sugar levels under very good control. Judicious use of steroids. Meticulous hygiene and care of the equipment inside the ICU including oxygen tubes and ventilators should be done in order to reduce the risk of fungal and other infections.
Blood glucose Many patients who were put on steroids for COVID19, their blood glucose levels are not adequately monitored, leading to extremely and often dangerously, high blood glucose levels. This can also precipitate diabetic ketoacidosis — a classic situation where the more dangerous forms of mucormycosis occur. Treatment must give equal importance to the control of diabetes.
Diabetic Healthy diet which has a lot of vegetables and less cereals (rice or chapati) and include more protein in the form of Bengal gram, green gram, black gram, or mushroom. Active and regular exercise programme. It is very important for them to have their medicines regularly and if the sugars are not under control, to switch over to insulin if needed, at least for a short period. Frequent monitoring of sugar levels should be done by using a handheld, blood glucose meter. It is possible to wear a small sensor patch on the upper arm which can continuously monitor a person’s blood glucose levels and thus keep it under good control throughout the day. It is also very important to get oneself fully vaccinated.
GOVERNANCE
Special powers to Armed forces Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has invoked special provisions and granted emergency financial powers to the armed forces. Vice Chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force, including Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to The Chairman Chiefs Of Staff Committee (CISC) and General Officer CommandinginChiefs and equivalents of all three services have been given full powers. The Corps Commanders and Area Commanders of the forces have been delegated powers upto Rs 50 lakh per case. The powers have been given for a threemonth period.
45 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Purpose of Powers The purpose is to empower armed forces and speed up their efforts to tide over current COVID19 situation. The powers will help the formation commanders to establish and operate quarantine facilities/hospitals. Undertake procurement/repair of equipment/items/material/stores, besides provisioning of various services and works required to support the ongoing effort against the pandemic
Other powers Defence Minister had also approved delegating seminal emergency powers to the Director General Medical Services (Army/Navy/Air Force), and the heads of the medical branches. The directors general were given powers till Rs 5 crore, while Major Generalrank officers and Brigadier and equivalent ranks officers got powers till Rs 3 and Rs 2 crore respectively. Similar emergency powers had been given to the forces last year too, during the first wave of the pandemic.
Towards Zero tolerance to poaching The Assam government has approved a proposal to in crease the fire power of the guards of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve and provide commando training to them. The government has also sought the notification of all animal corridors, accelerated construction of elevated road corridors through the park, and exploration of helicopter services to and from the one horned rhino habitat. The number of Ghatak (Indian made Kalashnikov series) rifles would be increased for the 1,300 sq. km. Tiger Reserve’s guards and members of the Assam Forest Protect Force (AFPF). All AFPF personnel and frontline staff using modern weapons would be trained at the Assam Police Commando Training Centre near Guwahati on a regular basis.
About Kaziranga National Park Kaziranga National park’s 430 square km area is sprinkled with elephantgrass meadows, swampy lagoons, and dense forests. It is home to more than 2200 Indian one-horned rhinoceros, approximately 2/3rd of their total world population. Formed in 1908 on the recommendation of Mary Curzon, the park is located in the edge of the Eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspots – Golaghat and Nagaon district. In the year 1985, the park was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO Kaziranga was declared as Tiger Reserve in 2006. It is recognized as an Important Bird Area by Bird Life International for the conservation of avifaunal species. Birds like lesser whitefronted goose, ferruginous duck, Baer’s pochard duck and lesser adjutant, greater adjutant, black necked stork, and Asian Open bill stork specially migrate from the Central Asia during the winter season. It has vast expanse of tall elephant grass, marshland, and dense tropical moist broadleaf forests undoubtedly. It’s the presence of Brahmaputra river makes the park look beautiful.
Flora Due to the difference in altitude between the eastern and western areas of the park, here one can see mainly four types of vegetation’ like alluvial inundated grasslands, alluvial savanna woodlands, tropical moist mixed deciduous forests, and tropical semi-evergreen forests. Kumbhi, Indian gooseberry, the cotton tree, and elephant Apple are amongst the famous trees that can be seen in the park. A good variety of aquatic flora can be seen in lakes, ponds, and along the river shores.
Fauna The forest region of Kaziranga Park is home to world’s largest population of Indian Rhinoceros. Other animals that can be seen are Hoolock Gibbon, Tiger, Leopard, Indian Elephant, Sloth Bear, Wild water buffalo, swamp deer, etc. With increase in tiger population every year, the government authorities declared Kaziranga as a Tiger Reserve in the year 2006. Also here one can find good number of migratory bird species from Central Asia.
46 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
PM CARES for Children The Union government announced a special “PMCARES for Children” scheme for all those orphaned due to COVID19. It will include a corpus of ₹10 lakh for each child till he or she reaches the age of 18. The Women and Child Development Ministry has said that there are a total 577 CO VID19 orphans identified across the country.
Features Children who have lost both parents or the lone surviving parent or their legal guardian or adoptive parent due to COVID-19 will be supported under the scheme. When a child turns 18, he or she will draw a monthly stipend from the corpus of ₹10 lakh in order to meet expenses for personal needs and higher education. On reaching the age of 23, the child will get the entire ₹10 lakh. The government will also assist such children with school education. They will be given admission in the nearest Kendriya Vidyalaya or in a private school as a day scholar. If the child is admitted in a private school, the fees will be paid from the PM CARES Fund as per norms under the Right To Education Act, 2009. PM CARES will also meet the expenses on uniform, textbooks and notebooks.
Residential schools Children in the age group of 1118 will have the option to study in a residential school under the Central government such as Sainik School and Navodaya Vidyalaya. These children will also be supported in their higher education through either scholarship equivalent to the tuition fees or educational loans where the interest will be paid by the PM CARES Fund. All children will be enrolled as a beneficiary under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme with a health insurance cover of ₹5 lakh, where the premium amount will be paid by PM CARES till a child turns 18.
Help for kin The government has also announced measures to help the families who have lost the sole earning member due to COVID19. The pension scheme of the Employees State Insurance Corporation is being extended. The scheme is applicable from March 24, 2020 to March 24, 2022. Insurance benefits under the Employees’ Deposit Linked Insurance Scheme (EDLI) under the Employees Provident Fund Organisation will be available.
A case for new public governance model Present model problem: Weberian 1. Generalist Weberian bureaucracy still prefers a generalist over a specialist. A generalist officer (IAS and State civil service officials) is deemed an expert and as a result, superior, Specialists in every government department have to remain subordinate to the generalist officers. During the COVID19 pandemic, healthcare professionals who are specialists have been made to work under generalist officers and the policy options have been left to the generalists. The justification is that the generalist provides a broader perspective.
2. Leadership of position This smell provides for leadership of position over leadership of function. Leadership of function is when a person has expert knowledge of a particular responsibility in a particular situation. The role of the leader is to explain the situation instead of issuing orders. Weberian bureaucracy prefers leadership based on position.
3. Rigid Rigid adherence to rules has resulted in the rejection of innovation. Example: COVID19 aid got stuck in cumbersome clearance processes even during the pandemic.
Reform suggested: New public management It promotes privatisation and managerial techniques of the private sector as an effective tool to seek improvements in public service delivery and governance. It isn’t a viable solution, not the least in India where there is social inequality and regional variations in development. It renders the state a bystander among the multiple market players with accountability being constantly shifted, especially during a crisis. Further, COVID19 has shown that the private sector has also failed in public service delivery. 47 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Way forward: New public governance model The most appropriate administrative reform is the model of new public governance. It is based on collaborative governance in which the public sector, private players and civil society, especially public service organisations (NGOs), work together for effective public service delivery. There is no domination of public bureaucracy as the sole agency in policy formulation and implementation. As part of new public governance, a network of social actors and private players would take responsibility in various aspects of governance with public bureaucracy steering the ship rather than rowing it. During the pandemic, we see civil society playing a major role in saving lives. As part of new public governance, this role has to be institutionalised. It needs a change in the behaviour of bureaucracy. It needs flexibility in hierarchy, a relook at the generalist versus specialist debate, and an openness to reforms such as lateral entry and collaboration with a net work of social actors. All major revolutions with huge implications on public service delivery have come through the collaboration of public bureaucracy with socalled outsiders. These include the Green Revolution (M.S. Swaminathan), the White Revolution (Verghese Kurien), Aadhaar enabled services (Nandan Nilekani) and the IT revolution (Sam Pitroda).
23rd district of Punjab Malerkotla has been declared as the 23rd district of the state on the occasion of EidulFitr. Initially the subdivisions of Malerkotla and Ahmedgarh, as well as the subtehsil of Amargarh, would be included in the newly created district. The process of bringing villages under the jurisdiction of Malerkotla district would begin later, after the conclusion of the census operations, he added. It was a long pending demand of the Muslim community and the residents of the town. The town has a predominant Muslim population. State Government states that the step would ease the hardships of such people and enable them to resolve their administrative problems more seamlessly.
History It was established in 1454 by Sheikh SadruddiniJahan from Afghanistan, and subsequently the state of Malerkotla was established in 1657 by Bayazid Khan. Malerkotla was later merged with other nearby princely states to create the Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU). During the reorganization of states in 1956, the territory of the erstwhile state of Malerkotla became part of the state of Punjab. Sher Mohammed Khan, former Nawab of Malerkotla, who raised his voice of protest against the inhuman act of torture and bricking alive of the younger Sahibzadas Baba Zorawar Singh Ji (9 years) and Baba Fateh Singh Ji (7 years) by the Governor of Sirhind Wazir Khan. Guru Gobind Singh had blessed Nawab Sher Mohammed Khan and people of Malerkotla. The city is also blessed by the Sufi saint Baba Haider Sheikh, whose dargah also exists here. Mubarak Manzil Palace, occupied by Begum Sahiba Munawwarul Nisa, the wife of Nawab Iftikhar Ali Khan, the last ruler of Malerkotla, is in Malerkotla.
Why and how of creating a district On May 14, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh declared Malerkotla the 23rd district of the State.
How are new districts carved? The power to create new districts or alter or abolish existing districts rests with the State governments. This can either be done through an executive order or by passing a law in the State Assembly. Many States prefer the executive route by simply issuing a notification in the official gazette.
How does it help? States argue that smaller districts lead to better administration and governance. For example, in 2016, the Assam government issued a notification to upgrade the Majuli subdivision to Majuli district for “administrative expediency”.
Are there any exceptions? The State government has been vested with unfettered powers under Section 5 of the Punjab Land Revenue Act, 1887 to create new districts. This power is generally held temporarily in abeyance only during active census operations or during the delimitation exercise of Lok Sabha/Vidhan Sabha constituencies.
48 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Does the Central government have a role to play here? The Centre has no role to play in the alteration of districts or creation of new ones. States are free to decide. The Home Ministry comes into the picture when a State wants to change the name of a district or a railway station. The State government’s request is sent to other departments and agencies such as the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Intelligence Bureau, Department of Posts, Geographical Survey of India Sciences and the Railway Ministry seeking clearance. A no objection certificate may be issued after examining their replies.
What has been the trend? According to the 2011 Census, there were 593 districts in the country. The Census results showed that between 2001 2011, as many as 46 districts were created by States. Though the 2021 Census is yet to happen, Know India, a website run by the Government of India, says currently there are 718 districts in the country. The surge in number is also due to bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh into A.P. and Telangana in 2014. Telangana at present has 33 districts and A.P. has 13 districts.
GEOGRAPHY
World’s oldest water World’s oldest water was located in 2009 on the 2.7 billion-year-old Canadian Shield. It is one of the world’s largest continental shields – meaning the oldest and least tectonically active parts of the Earth’s crust. Water was discovered at 2.4 km below the Earth’s surface. The water was highly saline– ten times saltier than sea water.
What scientists found in the water Investigations into the highly saline water led to a path breaking discovery. Scientists found that chemolithotrophic microbes– bacteria that can thrive in the most extreme surroundings had been able to survive in the subterranean liquid. The microbes had been feeding on nitrogen and sulphate, and that the chemistry that supported them bore resemblance to ocean beds that are known to support similar such extreme life forms. The Canadian Shield, on which the Kidd mine is located, in the past used to form an ocean floor. Over millions of years of flux, however, its horizontal seabed became vertical, now preserved in the mine’s rock walls from which the water sample was extracted.
Why this matters in the search for life on Mars Being a continental shield, which suffers the least from plate tectonic activity, the Canadian Shield is the closest analogue on Earth to the subsurface of Mars, researchers believe. Scientists argue that if lifesupporting water can be found 2.4 km below the Earth, it may be possible that the same could be true in the case of the Red Planet. This hypothesis provides an impetus for missions like Perseverance, which are looking for signs of present or past life on Mars.
Exclusive Economic Zones Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has apprehended four Myanmarese poachers fishing illegally in Indian Exclusive Economic Zone. The poachers carried out forced ditching of their boat on the rocky shores of Barren and tried to flee into the Island.
Marine Zones UNCLOS 1984 divides marine areas into five main zones Internal Waters, Territorial Waters, Contiguous Zone, Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the High Seas.
Baseline It is the lowwater line along the coast as officially recognized by the coastal state.
Internal Waters Waters on the landward side of the baseline from which the breadth of the Innocent passage refers to the passing territorial sea is measured. through the waters which are not Each coastal state has full sovereignty over its internal waters as like its prejudicial to peace and security. land territory. However, the nations have the right to Examples of internal waters include bays, ports, inlets, rivers and even suspend the same. lakes that are connected to the sea. 49 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
There is no right of innocent passage through internal waters.
Territorial Water It extends seaward up to 12 nautical miles from its baselines. The coastal states have sovereignty and jurisdiction over the territorial sea. These rights extend to seabed, subsoil, and even airspace. Coastal states’ rights are limited by innocent passage through the territorial sea.
Contiguous Zone It extends seaward up to 24 nm from its baselines. It is an intermediary zone between the territorial sea and the high seas. The coastal state has the right to both prevent and punish infringement of fiscal, immigration, sanitary, and customs laws within its territory and territorial sea. Contiguous zone only gives jurisdiction to a state on the ocean’s surface and floor. It does not provide air and space rights.
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Each coastal State may claim an EEZ beyond and adjacent to its territorial sea that extends seaward up to 200 nm from its baselines. Coastal state has: 1. Sovereign rights for the purpose of exploring, exploiting, conserving and managing natural resources, whether living or nonliving, of the seabed and subsoil. 2. Rights to carry out activities like the production of energy from the water, currents and wind. 3. It does not give a coastal state the right to prohibit or limit freedom of navigation or over flight, subject to very limited exceptions. High Seas The ocean surface and the water column beyond the EEZ are referred to as the high seas. It is considered as “the common heritage of all mankind” and is beyond any national jurisdiction.
State Disaster Response Fund The Centre has released the first installment of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to the States. It is in the wake of the second wave of COVID19 that has claimed thousands of lives since April. Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, at the recommendation of the Ministry of Home Affairs, has released in advance of the normal schedule the first installment of the Central share of SDRF for 202122 to all the States. Normally, the first installment is released in June as per the recommendations of the Finance Commission.
About SDRF The SDRF is the primary fund available with the State governments as part of their response to notified disasters to meet expenditure on immediate relief to victims. The Centre contributes 75% of the allocation for general category States and Union Territories and 90% for spe- cial category States (north eastern, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and J&K).
Climate Change changing Earth’s axis A study published in Geophysical Research Letters of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) says that due to the significant melting of glaciers because of global temperature rise, our planet’s axis of rotation has been moving more than usual since the 1990s. While this change is not expected to affect daily life, it can change the length of the day by a few milliseconds.
50 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
How the Earth’s axis shifts The Earth’s axis of rotation is the line along which it spins around itself as it revolves around the Sun. The points on which the axis intersects the planet’s surface are the geographical north and south poles. The location of the poles is not fixed, however, as the axis moves due to changes in how the Earth’s mass is distributed around the planet. Thus, the poles move when the axis moves, and the movement is called “polar motion”.
Polar motion According to NASA, data from the 20th century shows that the spin axis drifted about 10 centimeters per year. It means over a century, polar motion exceeds 10 metres. Generally, polar motion is caused by changes in the hydrosphere, atmosphere, oceans, or solid Earth. But now, climate change is adding to the degree with which the poles wander.
Findings of study Since the 1990s, climate change has caused billions of tonnes of glacial ice to melt into oceans. This has caused the Earth’s poles to move in new directions. North pole has shifted in a new eastward direction since the 1990s, because of changes in the hydrosphere (meaning the way in which water is stored on Earth). From 1995 to 2020, the average speed of drift was 17 times faster than from 1981 to 1995. Also, in the last four decades, the poles moved by about 4 metres in distance.
Causes for increased polar motion The faster ice melting under global warming was the most likely cause of the directional change of the polar drift in the 1990s. The other possible causes are (terrestrial water storage) change in nonglacial regions due to climate change and unsustainable consumption of groundwater for irrigation and other anthropogenic activities. Groundwater depletion also adds to the phenomenon. As millions of tonnes of water from below the land is pumped out every year for drinking, industries or agriculture, most of it eventually joins the sea, thus redistributing the planet’s mass.
Mount Sinabung Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung, located in the North Sumatra province has recently erupted, belching a massive column of volcanic ash and smoke 3 km into the sky. The volcano had erupted in March as well, a cloud of hot ash into the sky. The volcano has been active since 2010 when it erupted after nearly 400 years of inactivity.
Location of Indonesia Indonesia is home to many active volcanoes owing to its location in the “Ring of Fire” or the Circum-Pacific Belt. The ring of fire is an area along the Pacific Ocean characterised by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. It is home to about 75% of the world’s volcanoes and about 90% of earthquakes also occur here.
Why does a volcano erupt? There are three types of volcanoes — active, dormant or extinct. An eruption takes place when magma (a thick flowing substance), that is formed when the earth’s mantle melts, rises to the surface. As magma is lighter than rock, it is able to rise through vents and fissures on the surface of the earth. Following eruption, the magma is called lava. Explosivity depends on the composition of the magma. When the magma is runny and thin, gases can easily escape it. However, if the magma is thick and dense and gases cannot escape it, it builds up pressure inside resulting in a violent explosion.
51 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Cyclones in Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal, where Cyclone ‘Yaas’ has formed, is at least two degrees warmer than what is normal for this time of the year. The North Bay of Bengal is exceptionally warm with temperatures up to 32 degrees Celsius. Distance to landfall is short, preventing it from drawing that energy and intensifying into an extremely severe cyclone. Generally, cyclones in the Bay of Bengal are ferocious and cause significant devastation. Amphan was a super cyclone that ravaged West Bengal in March 2020. It was the strongest storm that hit India’s eastern coast since the super cyclone of 1999 that struck Paradip, Odisha. Before Amphan, Fani in 2019 also hit Odisha, causing immense damage that lasted weeks. Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal are not unexpected in May and result from increased ocean surface temperatures. The formation of storms in this period is favourable for drawing in the monsoon into the Andamans and subsequently to the Kerala coast. Trends suggest a relative decrease in the number of cyclones in the Bay of Bengal and a rise in the Arabian Sea. About 60% of the cyclones that form in these seas make landfall in India causing damage and devastation.
Yaas The maximum wind speeds from Yaas are expected to touch 125 kmph. The name has been furnished by Oman’s meteorological agency.
Record rainfall in Delhi A rare event, the convergence of a cyclone and a Western Disturbance caused recordbreaking heavy rainfall in Delhi. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded 119.3mm of rain in the capital on Wednesday, which is the highestever 24hour mark for the month of May. It happened when Cyclone Tauktae, one of the strongest cyclones to have been recorded in the Arabian Sea, weakened and its remnants moved in the northnortheast direction from the Gujarat coast towards Delhi. At the same time, a Western Disturbance, which is a weather pattern associated with nonmonsoon showers, was moving towards Delhi from the Western Himalayan Region. The convergence of these two phenomena caused widespread rain in the capital, which caused waterlogging in some parts of the city and led to a road cavein near Najafgarh in southwest Delhi.
What makes this particular event unusual? The fact that it happened in May, which is generally a dry month and has not recorded more than 27mm of rain in total since at least 2011 except in 2014 when it touched 100.2mm. The average amount of rainfall expected in May in the capital is 31.5mm It is also rare for a cyclone to make its impact felt in Delhi, and more so at the same time when a Western Disturbance is active.
Mount Nyiragongo Volcanic eruption The active volcano in Congo, Mount Nyiragongo has erupted again. Mount Nyiragongo which overlooks Goma town, erupted spewing lava, gases and sediments. Most of the lava, however, has flowed to wards Rwanda and only a small stream is trickling towards Goma. The Indian Army contingent under the United Nations peace keeping mission (MONUSCO) assisted in protecting civilians and U.N. officials as well as as sets during the evacuation.
About Mount Nyiragongo Mount Nyiragongo is an active volcano in the Virunga Mountains of east-central Africa.
52 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
It lies in the volcano region of Virunga National Park, Congo (Kinshasa), near the border with Rwanda, 19 km north of Goma. Some older craters on the mountain are noted for their plant life. Nyiragongo is known for its devastating eruptions.
Hurricane in Atlantic According to United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) There was a 60% chance of an above normal storm season in the North Atlantic Ocean. There was a 30% chance of a near normal storm season and a 10% chance of a below normal storm season. The North Atlantic Ocean was likely to experience 1320 named storms. In an average hurricane season there are 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes. Another highlight from the NOAA release is the probable return of the La Nina conditions at a later time in the season which begins in June and lasts till November.
La Nina La Nina is the cooling phase of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. It decreases the vertical wind shear over the North Atlantic Ocean, which is mostly responsible for an above average storm season.
2020 Hyperactivity The 2020 hurricane season had witnessed 30 named storms, 13 hurricanes and six major hurricanes, making it the stormiest season on record in the North Atlantic Ocean. The biggest contributor to the hyperactive 2020 Atlantic hurricane season was by far the muchwarmerthan normal ocean temperatures. Another factor was the cooling La Nina phase of the ENSO phenomenon.
Naming of cyclones Whenever a cyclone hits a country, the first thing that strikes the minds of most are what these names mean. Tauktae cyclone was named by Myanmar, means “gecko” — a highly vocal lizard — in Burmese dialect. Yaas has been named by Oman. Yaas refers to a tree that has a good fragrance and in English, the word is similar to Jasmine.
How are the cyclones named? In 2000, a group of nations called WMO/ESCAP (World Meteorological Organisation/United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific), which comprised Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand, decided to start naming cyclones in the region. After each country sent in suggestions, the WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC) finalised the list. The WMO/ESCAP expanded to include five more countries in 2018 — Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. The list of 169 cyclone names released by IMD in April 2020 were provided by these countries — 13 suggestions from each of the 13 countries.
Why is it important to name cyclones? Adopting names for cyclones makes it easier for people to remember, as opposed to numbers and technical terms. It also helps the scientific community, the media, disaster managers etc. With a name, it is easy to identify individual cyclones, create awareness of its development, rapidly disseminate warnings to increased community preparedness and remove confusion where there are multiple cyclonic systems over a region.
What are the guidelines to adopt names of cyclones? While picking names for cyclones, here are some of the rules that countries need to follow. If these guidelines are following, the name is accepted by the panel on tropical cyclones (PTC) that finalises the selection: o The proposed name should be neutral to (a) politics and political figures (b) religious believes, (c) cultures and (d) gender o Name should be chosen in such a way that it does not hurt the sentiments of any group of population over the globe o It should not be very rude and cruel in nature o It should be short, easy to pronounce and should not be offensive to any member o The maximum length of the name will be eight letters o The proposed name should be provided with its pronunciation and voice over
53 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
o The names of tropical cyclones over the north Indian Ocean will not be repeated. Once used, it will cease to be used again. Thus, the name should be new.
What cyclone names has India suggested? The 13 names in the recent list that have been suggested by India include: Gati, Tej, Murasu, Aag, Vyom, Jhar (pronounced Jhor), Probaho, Neer, Prabhanjan, Ghurni, Ambud, Jaladhi and Vega. Some of the names picked by India were suggested by the general public. An IMD committee is formed to finalise the names before sending it to the PTC.
Here is the complete list of 169 names. The first cyclone name which will be chosen will be the one in the first row of the first column — Nisarga by Bangladesh. Next, India’s choice, Gati, will be chosen, and so on.
Organic products export In a boost to exports of organic products, a consignment of value added products of organically certified gluten free jackfruit powder & retort packed jackfruit cubes were exported to Germany from Bengaluru. This has been processed in the APE jack fruit DA assisted pack house owned by Phalada Agro Research Foundations (PARF), Bengaluru. APEDA registered PARF represents a group of 1500 farmers with a wide coverage of around 12,000 acres farms. These farmers grow Medicinal and aromatic herbs, coconut, jackfruit, mango puree products, spices and Coffee. PARF facilitates the certification process as per National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP), European Union, National Organic Programme (the United States) standards to their small farmers groups. Processing unit of PARF has been certified by APEDA under its accredited Organic Certification.
National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) Under the NPOP, organic products are grown under a system of agriculture without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides with an environmentally and socially responsible approach. This method of farming works at grass root level preserving the reproductive and regenerative capacity of the soil, good plant nutrition, and sound soil management, produces nutritious food rich in vitality which has resistance to diseases. APEDA is currently implementing the NPOP, which involves the accreditation of certification bodies, standards for organic production, promotion of organic farming and marketing etc. In 202021, India produced around 3.49 million tones of certified organic products which includes all varieties of food products namely oil seeds, sugarcane, cereals, millets, cotton, pulses, aromatic & medicinal plants, tea, coffee, fruits, spices, dry fruits, vegetables, processed foods etc. Madhya Pradesh has covered largest area under organic certification followed by Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Odisha, Sikkim and Uttar Pradesh. In 202021, the total volume of organic products export was 8.88 lakh metric tonne and the export realization was around Rs 7,078 crores (1040 million USD).
Cyclone Tauktae Cyclone Tauktae (pronounced TauTe), classified as a very severe cyclonic storm (VSCS) and developed in the Arabian Sea hit southern Gujarat. In recent years, strong cyclones have been developing in the Arabian Sea more frequently than earlier.
54 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Why is Cyclone Tauktae unique? Tauktae is the fourth cyclone in consecutive years to have developed in the Arabian Sea, that too in the premonsoon period (April to June). All these cyclones since 2018 have been categorised either ‘Severe Cyclone’ or above. Once Tauktae makes its landfall, three of these will have hit either the Gujarat or Maharashtra coast. After Cyclone Mekanu in 2018, which struck Oman, Cyclone Vayu in 2019 struck Gujarat, followed by Cyclone Nisarga in 2020 that struck Maharashtra. Tauktae has been intensifying very rapidly. Compared to Tauktae’s 2 days, Cyclone Vayu had taken 36 hours to become a VSCS, while Cyclone Mekanu (4 days) and Cyclone Nisarga (5 days) had developed slower. Also, the first cyclones to form in 2020 and 2021 were in the Arabian Sea during the premonsoon period, both in the VSCS category.
What is aiding such rapid intensification? Any tropical cyclone requires energy to stay alive. This energy is typically obtained from warm water and humid air over the tropical ocean. Currently, sea water up to depths of 50 metres has been very warm, supplying ample energy to enable the intensification of Cyclone Tauktae. The more the heat released through condensation of water vapour, the steeper the drop in pressure. A low- pressure system undergoes multiple stages of intensification to form cyclones. Typically, tropical cyclones in the North Indian Ocean region (Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea) develop during the pre monsoon and postmonsoon (October to December) periods. May-June and October-November are known to produce cyclones of severe intensity that affect the Indian coasts.
Is the Arabian Sea becoming cyclone-friendly? Annually, five cyclones on average form in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea combined. Of these, four develop in the Bay of Bengal, which is warmer than the Arabian Sea. In the Arabian Sea, cyclones typically develop over Lakshadweep area and largely traverse westwards, or away from India’s west coast. However, in recent years, meteorologists have observed that the Arabian Sea, too, has been warming. This is a phenomenon associated with global warming.
ECONOMY
Debate over GST exemption during Pandemic Several states have called for removing taxation on COVIDrelated medicines and supplies, including a GST exemption on vaccines. In response, Finance Minister has said that exemptions on domestic supplies and commercial imports “would make these items costlier” for consumers. Some experts feel categorising domestic supplies as zerorated might be a better option than granting a full exemption, since it will pave the way for availing input tax credit.
What is the Finance Minister’s argument? On Twitter, Sitharaman said: “If full exemption from GST is given, vaccine manufacturers would not be able to offset their input taxes and would pass them on to the end consumer/ citizen by increasing the price. A 5% GST rate ensures that the manufacturer is able to utilise ITC (input tax credit) and in case of overflow of ITC, claim refund. Hence exemption to vaccine from GST would be counterproductive without benefiting the consumer.”
What is the tax on these items now? A 5% GST is levied on domestic supplies and commercial imports of vaccines. 12% on COVID drugs and oxygen concentrators. For a wholesale (B2B) transaction, the seller can claim input tax credit (ITC) by setting off the tax liability against the tax already paid. For example, a vaccine manufacturer would have inputs such as vials, bioreactors, etc., which would be taxed at different rates (5%, 12% or 18%). Services such as warehousing for storage also get counted as input services (taxed at 18%). These taxes can be claimed as ITC at the time of final supply — and if the tax on output is higher than that on inputs, the final seller can claim an ITC refund.
How much comes in from the levies? If Rs 100 IGST is collected on an item, the states and Centre get Rs 50 each as SGST and CGST respectively. Also, 41% of CGST revenue is transferred to states as devolution. So out of a collection of Rs 100, as much as Rs 70.50 is the share of the states.
55 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
On GST revenues collected from sale of vaccines, half is earned by the Centre and half by the states. And 41% of the Centre’s collections devolve to the states. These items are already exempt from Customs duty and health cess, she said. Also, IGST exemption is provided for all Covid relief material imported by the Indian Red Cross for free distribution, along with goods that are imported free of cost for free distribution in the country by any entity.
What are zero-rated supplies? Under Section 2(47) of the CGST Act, 2017, a supply is exempt when it attracts a nil rate or is specifically exempted, but that is not equivalent to being zerorated. Inputs and input services that would have gone into the making of the good or provision of service would have already faced a tax levy, and only the final product is exempted. GSTrelated laws do not allow availing of credit on inputs and input services used for supply of the exempted output. This becomes a cost for the supplier, and is usually passed on to the consumer. Zero-rating makes the entire value chain of the supply exempt from tax. Not only is the output exempt from tax, there is no bar on availing credit of taxes paid on the input side for providing the output supply. As per GSTrelated laws, zero-rating is applicable for exports and exports and supplies to Special Economic Zones (SEZs). Addition of any other category would require a legal amendment.
Asian Development Outlook 2021 Asian Development Outlook Report for the year 2021 has been released by Asian Development Bank (ADB). It is a forecast of growth in different economies. India was one of the 45 economies across Asia and the Pacific that were assessed by the report.
What does the Report say Excluding the second wave, The ongoing ‘second wave’ the novel corona virus disease (COVID19) India’s economy, was pandemic could put India’s economic recovery at risk. expected to grow 11% in This year, South Asia’s gross domestic product growth was expected to fiscal year 2021 amid a rebound to 9.5%. strong vaccine drive. The 45 economies that excluded Japan, Australia and New Zealand, were to India’s gross domestic grow 7.3% this year, supported by a healthy global recovery and early product (GDP) was progress on COVID19 vaccines. expected to expand 7% in The region’s growth is forecast to moderate to 5.3% in 2022. Excluding high 2022. income newly industrialised economies, a growth of 7.7% is forecast for this year and 5.6% for next year,” the report said.
Tendency of Growth While growth was forecast to be the strongest in east and south Asia, central and southeast Asia as well as the Pacific were to see more moderate growth. Rising exports were boosting some economies in Asia, amid strengthening global economic activity, including a rebound in manufacturing. Average inflation in the region was forecast to fall to 2.3% in 2021, from 2.8% in 2020. The report said that the pandemic was the biggest threat to Asia and the Pacific (including India). This was mainly due to delay in vaccine rollouts or major new outbreaks.
Unpaid work: Recognise, Reduce, Redistribute Various proposals for ‘women empowerment’ have been put forward by various parties to reach out to women voters during the state assembly election campaign . The promises have sparked a debate on the issue of care work and possible solutions to address the disparities therein
Housework and the economy Unpaid care work, according to the OECD, refers to all unpaid services provided within a household for its members, including care of persons, housework and voluntary community work. These activities are considered work because theoretically one could pay a third person to perform them. Standard measures of economic activity do not take into account a large portion of this work, much of which is done by women and girls. McKinsey estimating that women do 75% of the world’s total unpaid care work.
56 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
India In India, women spend 299 minutes a day on unpaid domestic services while men spend 97 minutes, according to the 2019 NSS report on time use. This inequality has a direct correlation with participation in the formal economy. India has slipped 28 places to rank 140th among 156 countries in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2021. A decrease in women’s labour force participation rate, which fell from 24.8% to 22.3%, is Among the drivers for slippage Gender Gap report also estimated that earned income of women in India is only onefifth of men’s, which puts the country among the bottom 10 globally on this indicator. The economic contribution of women is 17% of India’s GDP — less than half the global average.
Impact of COVID-19 The COVID19 pandemic has exacerbated the situation. By November 2020, while most men got their jobs back, women had a much tougher time. About 49% of total job losses by that time were of women, CMIE has estimated.
Significance if unpaid work Women spend a disproportionate amount of time (compared to men) on unpaid domestic work. It is ironically the ‘hidden engine’ that keeps economies, businesses and societies running and contributes significantly to individual wellbeing. While this work is foundational for societies, it is mostly invisible, undervalued and unaccounted worldwide. The ILO estimates that if such services were to be valued on the basis of an hourly minimum wage, they would amount to 9% of global GDP (US$11 trillion). According to an ILO report on ‘Care work and care jobs for the future of decent work’, unpaid care work is the main barrier preventing women from getting into, remaining and progressing in the labour force. Therefore, policies should address the rising need for care and tackle the huge disparity between women’s and men’s care responsibilities. This is especially true for India, given that a major challenge on the economic front is getting more women into the formal workforce.
Measuring and monetising care work The classic economic indicators like GDP and unemployment rates do not take into account the allocation of labour and time resources by households and their impact on livelihoods and wellbeing. The value of unpaid work can be estimated by calculating the amount of time spent on it – through time use surveys – and then putting a price on it by calculating the opportunity cost or replacement cost, or by measuring the labour inputs that go into the activity.
Challenges According to an Oxfam survey, care work is often not considered ‘work’ and done ‘automatically’, hence respondents are less likely to report time spent on care. It is also difficult to capture the whole spectrum of care work as multitasking is common. For example, women might look after children while cooking or engaging in farm work. Variation and seasonality of work is also difficult to capture. Issue of accounting for unpaid work in national accounts, and its international harmonisation. The System of National Accounts (SNA) puts unpaid labour in the category of ‘own-account services’, and excludes it from the activities in the production account.
Way forward Recognise: The first step in addressing the inequalities in unpaid care work is to recognise its value. This requires data, especially on timeuse. More data will make more unpaid care work visible and help frame targeted policies. The ‘NSS Report Time Use in India 2019’ was the first such countrywide survey to be conducted in India. Reduce: The next step would be reducing unpaid care work by investment in physical infrastructure like clean water and sanitation, energy and public transport, and in social infrastructure such as care and health services and education. Redistribute: Redistribution of care work between men and women, and between families and the state. Investments in and expansion of care services for children and childhood education, for example, have the potential to generate jobs, many of which could be taken up by women. More equitable childcare and maternity policies could help reduce the ‘motherhood penalty’.
Comprehensive targeted policy response by RBI RBI has announced measures to protect small and medium businesses and individual borrowers from the adverse impact of second wave of COVID19.
57 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Measures are also aimed at alleviating any financing constraints for healthcare infrastructure and services, as well as small borrowers who may be facing distress due to a sudden spike in health expenditure.
Measures taken by RBI 1. Healthcare: A Term Liquidity Facility of ₹50,000 crore with tenor of up to 3 years, at the repo rate, to ease access to credit for providers of emergency health services. Under the scheme, banks will provide fresh lending support to a wide range of entities, including vaccine manufacturers, importers/ suppliers of vaccines and priority medical devices, hospitals/dispensaries, pathology labs, manufacturers and suppliers of oxygen and ventilators, and logistics firms. These loans will continue to be classified under priority sector till repayment or maturity, whichever is earlier
2. Individual and MSME Resolution Framework 2.0 for COVID related stressed as sets of individuals, small businesses and MSMEs. These categories of borrowers whose aggregate exposure of up to ₹25 crore, who had not availed restructuring under any of the earlier restructuring frameworks (including under last year’s resolution frame work), and whose loans were classified as ‘standard’ as on March 31, 2021, were eligible for restructuring Individual borrowers and small businesses who availed restructuring under Resolution Framework 1.0, lenders have been permitted to use this window to modify such plans to the extent of increasing the period of moratorium and/or extending the residual tenor up to a total of two years. RBI decided to conduct special 3 year long term repo operations of ₹10,000 crore at the repo rate for Small Finance Banks. The SFBs would be able to deploy these funds for fresh lending of up to ₹10 lakh per borrower. This facility would be available till October 31,2021.
Disinvestment of IDBI Cabinet gave in principle approval for strategic disinvestment along with transfer of management control in IDBI Bank. It is in line with the Budget announcement.
Share in IDBI The central government and LIC together own more than 94% equity of IDBI Bank. LIC is currently the promoter of IDBI Bank with management control and has a 49.2% stake.
Decision on disinvestment The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the strategic sale of IDBI Bank, The extent of respective shareholding to be divested shall be decided at the time of structuring of transaction in consultation with the RBI. The Budget 202122 had announced the privatisation of Public Sector Banks (PSBs) as part of a disinvestment drive to garner ₹1.75 lakh crore. The Centre expects the strategic buyer will infuse funds and new technology for development of the bank’s business potential.
State of Working India 2021: One Year of COVID-19 State of Working India 2021: One Year of COVID19’, a report brought out annually by Azim Premji University’s Centre for Sustain able Employment, Bengaluru, has been released. This year’s report covers the period March 2020 to December 2020. It dwells on the impact of one year of COVID19 on employment, incomes, inequality and poverty.
Report Findings 1. The COVID19 pandemic has substantially increased informality in employment, leading to a decline in earnings for the majority of workers, and consequent increase in poverty in the country. 2. Employment: 100 million jobs were lost nationwide during the AprilMay 2020 lockdown. Though most of these workers had found employment by June 2020, about 15 million remained out of work 3. Income: For an average household of four members, the monthly per capita income in Oct 2020 (₹4,979) was still below its level in Jan 2020 (₹5,989). 4. Post lockdown, nearly half of salaried workers had moved into informal The fall back option varied by caste and work, either as self employed (30%), casual wage (10%) or informal sala religion. General category workers and ried (9%). Hindus were more likely to move into self employment while marginalised caste workers and Muslims moved into 58 daily wage work. www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
5. Sectors: Education, health and professional services saw the highest exodus of workers into other sectors, with agriculture, construction and petty trade emerging as the top fallback options. 6. Labour share in GDP: It fell by 5%, from 32.5% in the second quarter of 201920 to 27% in second quarter of 202021. 7. Even though most workers were able to go back to work, they had to settle for lower earnings. The study has found a clear correlation between job losses and the COVID19 case load. 8. Inequality: While the poorest 20% of households lost their entire incomes in AprilMay 2020. The richer households suffered losses of less than a quarter of their prepandemic incomes 9. Gender wise: Women and younger workers were more affected. During the lockdown and in the post lockdown months, 61% of working men remained employed while 7% lost their job and did not return to work. But in the case of women, only 19% remained employed while 47% suffered a permanent job loss, “not returning to work even by the end of 2020”. 10. Poverty: With 230 million falling below the national minimum wage threshold of ₹375 per day during the pandemic, poverty rate has increased by 15% in rural and nearly 20% in urban areas,”.
Recommendations These findings are a serious cause for concern in the absence of an Households coped with the loss of in inclusive social welfare architecture. come by decreasing their food intake, Extending free rations under the Public Distribution System till the end of selling assets and borrowing informally. 2021. Expansion of MGNREGA entitlement to 150 days. “COVID hardship allowance” for the 2.5 million Anganwadi and ASHA workers.
S&P Global Ratings As per S&P Global Ratings, India’s sovereign rating will remain unchanged at the current level of BBB for the next two years despite the potential adverse impact of the surging pandemic on its economy.
What is sovereign credit rating? A credit rating can be assigned to any entity that seeks to borrow money—an individual, corporation, state or provincial authority, or sovereign government. A sovereign credit rating is an independent assessment of the creditworthiness of a country or sovereign entity The Big Three Credit Rating Agencies: Fitch Ratings, Moody’s Investors Service and Standard & Poor’s (S&P) are the big three international credit rating agencies controlling approximately 95% of global ratings business.
What does the various Investment Grades by S&P indicate? AAA: Extremely strong capacity to meet financial commitments (Investment Grade) AA: Very strong capacity to meet financial commitments (Investment Grade) A: Strong capacity to meet financial commitments, but somewhat susceptible to economic conditions and changes in circumstances (Investment Grade) BBB: Adequate capacity to meet financial commitments, but more subject to adverse economic conditions (Investment Grade) BB: Less vulnerable in the nearterm but faces major ongoing uncertainties to adverse business, financial and economic conditions (Speculative Grade) B: More vulnerable to adverse business, financial and economic conditions but currently has the capacity to meet financial commitments (Speculative Grade) CCC: Currently vulnerable and dependent on favorable business, financial and economic conditions to meet financial commitments (Speculative Grade) CC: Highly vulnerable; default has not yet occurred, but is expected to be a virtual certainty (Speculative Grade) C: Currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and ultimate recovery is expected to be lower than that of higher rated obligations (Speculative Grade) D: Payment default on a financial commitment or breach of an imputed promise; also used when a bankruptcy petition has been filed (Speculative Grade)
GST Council Meet highlights A special session of the Council will be held to discuss with the States how long the Compensation Cess levied under the GST regime needs to be extended beyond its current sunset date of July 2022. For this year’s estimated shortfall in compensation Cess collections to meet States’ dues, the Centre will raise ₹1.58 lakh crore to recompense States via back to back loans, like it was done last year. The same formula adapted last year will be used this year. The council did not agree to the demand from some States for a waiver on GST for COVID vaccines and other supplies to tackle the pandemic.
59 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Council agreed to extend the GST exemption granted on relief material received free from abroad for donations to State approved entities, to those who want to make such donations by purchasing the material from over seas. The period for availing this exemption has also been extended to August 31. With the rising cases of Black Fungus, a particular medicine required for it — amphotericinB — has also been included in the exemption list (for tax free imports).
About Delhi High Court decision On the Delhi High Court setting aside the 12% GST levy on imports of oxygen concentrators for personal use, It was clarified that the order has led to a situation where GST levies will be zero if the item is received as a ‘gift’, but 28% if purchased from abroad.
Subsidies The Central government has enhanced the subsidy on diammonium phosphate or DAP fertilizers. This is to retain the selling price for farmers at the current level of ₹1,200 per bag. Raising the subsidy from ₹500 per bag to ₹1,200 per bag of DAP, In April, India’s largest fertilizer will raise India’s annual fertilizer subsidy bill of about ₹80,000 crore producer, IFFCO, had announced a by ₹14,775 crore as subsidy in the Kharif season. 58.33% hike in DAP prices, but later While international prices of phosphoric acid and ammonia used for said farmers would continue to get old producing DAP have gone up by 6070%, the actual price of a DAP stocks at existing prices and the hiked bag is now 2,400. prices were “only tentative”.
Types of Subsidies by government The introduction of the High Yielding Varieties (HYV) seeds programme in the 1960s demanded a high priority to supplying irrigation water and fertilisers to the farmers. The government tried to ensure that they were accessible and affordable. Subsidy on fertilisers is provided by the Central government whereas subsidy on water is provided by the State governments. Government gives different types of subsidies to farmers like, fertilizer, irrigation, equipment, credit subsidy, seed subsidy, export subsidy etc.
Fertilizer Subsidy Disbursement of cheap chemical or nonchemical fertilisers among the farmers. It amounts to the difference between price paid to manufacturer of fertilizer (domestic or foreign) and price, received from farmers, rest Fertiliser subsidy ensures: of the burden is bear by the government. In some cases this kind of subsidies are granted through lifting the tariff Cheap inputs to farmers on the import of fertilisers, which otherwise would have been imposed. Reasonable returns to manufacturer Power Subsidy Stability in fertilizer prices Government charges low rates for the electricity supplied to the farmers. It is the difference between the cost of generating and distributing electricity to farmers and price received from farmers. The State Electricity Boards (SEBs) either generate the power themselves or purchase it from other producers such as NTPC and NHPC. Power subsidy “acts as an incentive to farmers to invest in pumping sets, borewells, tube wells etc.
Irrigations subsidy Government provides irrigation facilities at the cheaper rates as compare to the markets rates. It is the difference between operating and maintenance cost of irrigation infrastructure in the state and irrigation charges recovered from farmers. It includes provisions of public goods such as canals, dams, tube wells etc. which the government constructs and charges low prices or no prices at all for their use from the farmers. It may also be through cheap private irrigation equipment such as pumping sets.
Seed Subsidy High yielding seeds can be provided by the government at low prices, and at the future payment options. The research and development activities are also undertaken by the government, the expenditure on these is a sort of subsidy granted to the farmers.
Export Subsidy When a farmer or exporter sells This subsidy is given to the farmers to face the international competition. agricultural products in foreign market, Subsides provided to encourage exports are referred export subsidies. he earns money for himself, as well as foreign exchange for the country. Therefore, agricultural exports are 60 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877 generally encouraged as long as these do not harm the domestic economy.
Credit Subsidy It is the difference between interest charged from farmers, and actual cost of providing credit, plus other costs such as write-offs bad loans.
Agriculture Infrastructure subsidy Good roads, storage facilities, power, information about the market, transportation to the ports, etc. are vital for production and sale operations. Government takes the responsibility of providing these and given the condition of Indian farmers a lower price can be charged from the poorer farmers.
Di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) subsidy Central government has announced a 140% increase in the subsidy on Diammonium phosphate (DAP), from Rs 511 to Rs 1,200 per 50kg bag. It will cost the exchequer an additional Rs 14,775 crore in the coming kharif season alone.
What is DAP and why is it important for farmers? DAP is the second most commonly used fertiliser in India after urea. Farmers normally apply this fertiliser just before or at the beginning of sowing, as it is high in phosphorus that stimulates root development. Without welldeveloped roots, plants will not grow to their normal size, or will take too long to mature. While there are other phosphatic fertilisers as well — for instance, single super phosphate that contains 16% P and 11% sulphur (S) — DAP is the preferred source of P for farmers. This is similar to urea, which is their preferred nitrogenous fertiliser containing 46% N.
What the subsidy scheme is in DAP, and how is it different from other fertilisers? The maximum retail price (MRP) of urea is currently fixed at Rs 5,378 per tonne or Rs 242 for a 45kg bag. Since companies are required to sell at this rate, the subsidy (the difference between the cost of manufacturing or import and the fixed MRP) is variable. The MRPs of all other fertilisers are decontrolled. Technically, companies can sell these at the rates that they and government does not decide. The government only gives a fixed pertonne subsidy. In other words, the subsidy is fixed, but MRP is variable.
Do all non-urea fertilisers attract the same subsidy? No, they are governed by nutrientbased subsidy or NBS. For 202021, the Centre fixed the NBS rates at Rs 18.789/kg for N, Rs 14.888/kg for P, Rs 10.116/kg for potassium (K) and Rs 2.374/kg for S. Therefore, depending on the nutrient content for different fertilisers, the per-tonne subsidy also varies. Since one tonne of DAP contains 460 kg (46%) of P and 180 kg (18%) of N, the subsidy comes to Rs 6,848.48 plus 3,382.02, or Rs 10,231. Likewise, the subsidy on muriate of potash (60% K) is Rs 6,070 per tonne, while it is Rs 2,643/tonne for SSP and Rs 8,380/tonne for the popular ‘10:26:26’ NPK fertiliser.
Personal guarantors liable for corporate debt: Supreme Court The Supreme Court upheld a government move to allow lenders to initiate insolvency proceedings against personal gua rantors, who are usually promoters of big business houses, along with the stressed corporate entities for whom they gave guarantee. A November 15, 2019, government notification allowed creditors, usually financial institutions and banks, to move against personal guarantors under the Indian Bankruptcy and Insolvency Code (IBC). The November 15, 2019, notification was challenged before several High Courts initially. The Supreme Court had transferred the petitions from the High Courts to it self on a request from the government. The notification has now been held to be “legal and valid”. The adjudicating authority for personal guarantors will be the NCLT if a parallel resolution process is pending in respect of a corporate debtor for whom the guarantee is given.
How did the court reach the conclusion? Court said there was an “intrinsic connection” between personal guarantors and their corporate debtor. This “intimate” connection made the government recognise personal guarantors as a “separate species” under the IBC. It was again this intimacy that made the government decide that corporate debtors and their personal guarantors should be dealt with by a common forum — National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) — through the same adjudicatory process.
61 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
It observed how the November 2019 notification had not strayed from the original intent of the IBC. In fact, Section 60(2) of the Code had required the bankruptcy proceedings of corporate debtors and their personal guarantors to be held before a common forum — the NCLT.
US Central bank’s digital currency plan The US has taken a decisive step towards issuing its own central bank digital currency. The US Federal Reserve is going to issue a paper shortly that will focus on the benefits and risks of a CBDC, seeking public comment on whether it should go ahead with the plan and flagging the risks etc.
How are other jurisdictions looking at cryptocurrencies and digital currencies? Just last week, China barred financial institutions and payment companies from providing any services related to cryptocurrency transactions. This means that banks and online payments channels, must not offer clients any service involving cryptocurrency, such as registration, trading, clearing and settlement. China had issued such a ban in 2017 as well, but compared with the previous ban, the new rules have expanded the scope of prohibited services, and surmise that “virtual currencies are not supported by any real value”. The announcement of a crackdown by Chinese authorities led to major cryptocurrencies seeing a crash in their prices by as much as 40% in a 24 hour period.
What about India? In India, the government has floated The Crypto currency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill, 2021, which will prohibit all private cryptocurrencies and lay down the regulatory framework for the launch of an “official digital currency”. It was to be introduced in Parliament’s Budget session earlier this year, but was held up as the government continues discussions with stakeholders.
China decreasing population growth In the decade up to 2020, China’s population grew at its slowest rate since the 1950s, mirroring trends seen in neighbouring South Korea and Japan. It now stands at 141.2 crore people, with the rate of growth falling for the fourth consecutive year. The country’s fertility rate has dropped to 1.3, far below the replacement level of 2.1 required for a generation to have enough children to replace it. The United Nations expects China’s population to begin declining after 2030, but some experts say this could happen as early as in the next one or two years. By 2025, the country is set to lose its ‘most populous’ tag to India, which in 2020 had an estimated 138 crore people, 1.5 per cent behind China.
Challenge Policymakers will now have to find ways of sustaining China’s high growth despite fewer young people joining the workforce and the existing population rapidly ageing.
China’s latest census data As per the 2020 national census, China’s seventh since 1953, the country’s population has grown from 134 crore in 2010 by 5.34% over the past decade. The rate of population growth has been steadily falling. The country’s working population is 63.35% of the total, down by 6.79% Onechild policy was put into force in from 2010. the late 1970s. The number of people above age 60 has also gone up to 18.7% of the population, up 5.44% from the last census. A ray of hope, though, is the greater proportion of children 14 years or younger, who are 17.95% of the population, up by 1.35% from 2010. This rise has been credited to China relaxing its strict onechild policy in 2016 and allowing two children per family.
By when is the population expected to fall? China’s population is expected to begin to fall soon. The Asian country’s population last declined during two years in 19601961, when the Great Chinese Famine — a manmade disaster resulting from the policies of thendictator Mao Zedong — caused the number of people to fall by 1 crore people in 1960 and another 3.4 crore in 1961, as per official figures. The Chinese government expects the population to peak in 2027, and that the annual gap between the number of newborns and number of deaths will shrink to around 10 lakh over the next five years. The UN estimates the population will begin falling after 2030.
62 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Concerns related to a shrinking population for China China’s slowing population growth is part of a trend seen in many countries in Asia and the West. Last year, South Korea saw its population decline for the first time in history. In the United States too, the birth rate has dropped to 1.6, the lowest on record. When the young population in a country declines, it creates labour shortages, which have a major detrimental impact on the economy. More older people also means that demands for healthcare and pensions can soar, burdening the country’s social spending system further when fewer people are working and contributing to it. A problem unique to China is that unlike the other developed countries part of this trend, it is still a middle- income society, despite being the world’s second-largest economy Prosperous countries like Japan and Germany, which face similar demographic challenges, can depend on investments in factories, technology and foreign assets. China, however, still depends on labourintensive manufacturing and farming. A drop in demographic dividend could thus hurt China and other developing nations like India more than those in the rich world.
Response The Chinese government announced this year that it would increase the retirement age by a few months every year. The government is also expected to increase incentives for couples to have more children, although such sops have failed in the past in the face of higher costofliving challenges and career choices. Authorities have also been urged to completely drop restrictions on the number of children allowed per family.
Findings of WHO and ILO Report on Work-Related disease World Health Organisation (WHO) and International Labour Organisation (ILO) released a report on workrelated deaths worldwide. It is a first global analysis of the loss of life and health associated with working long hours. While the figures are for 2016, the analysis comes as the COVID19 pandemic shines a spotlight on managing working hours. The pandemic is accelerating developments that could feed the trend towards increased working time. The number of people working long hours is increasing and this trend puts even more people at risk of workrelated disability and early death. The study covered global, regional and national levels, and was based on data from more than 2,300 surveys collected in 154 countries from 19702018.
Findings Long working hours led to 7.45 lakh deaths from stroke and ischemic heart disease in 2016, a 29% increase since 2000. In 2016, 3.98 lakh people died from stroke and 3.47 lakh from heart disease as a result of having worked at least 55 hours a week. Between 2000 and 2016, the number of deaths from heart disease due to working long hours increased by 42% and from stroke by 19%. This work-related disease burden is particularly significant in men (72% of deaths occurred among males), people living in the Western Pacific and South-East Asia regions, and middle-aged or older workers. Most of the deaths recorded were among people dying aged 60-79 years, who had worked for 55 hours or more per week between the ages of 45 and 74 years.
Conclusion of study Working 55 or more hours per week is associated with an estimated 35% higher risk of a stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from ischemic heart disease, compared to working 3540 hours a week. Working 55 hours or more per week is a serious health hazard. COVID19 has significantly changed the way many people work. Teleworking has become the norm in many industries, often blurring the boundaries between home and work. Many businesses have scaled back or shut down operations to save money, and people who are still on the payroll end up working longer hours.
RBI G-SAP Reserve Bank of India’s announced its decision to step up purchase of government securities under the Government Securities Acquisition Programme (GSAP). It led to the yield on the benchmark 10year bond falling below 6%.
63 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
How have bond yields moved recently? The yield on the 10year benchmark 5.85%, 2030 bond fell by 0.62% and closed at 5.978% on Wednesday, from 6.01% the previous day. It closed under 6% for the first time since February 12. In April, the RBI launched G-SAP under which it said it would buy Rs 1 lakh crore worth of bonds in the April- June quarter. It has so far bought Rs 25,000 crore worth of government securities (Gsecs). The 10year bond has declined 15 basis points from 6.15% in the last one month.
Movements in Yields Movements in yields depend on trends in interest rates. It can result in capital gains or losses for investors. If an individual holds a bond carrying a yield of 6%, a rise in bond yields in the market will bring the price of the bond down. On the other hand, a drop in bond yield below 6% would benefit the investor as the price of the bond will rise, generating capital gains.
Why are bond yields softening? The fall in bond yields in India could also be due to a sharp decline in US Treasury yields or the economic uncertainty caused by COVID-19. The announcement of a bondbuying programme – GSAP — at the start of the month played a crucial role in turning the market sentiment.
HISTORY, ART AND CULTURE
UNESCO World Heritage sites Six Indian sites, including the temples have been added to the With the addition of these six sites, tentative list of UNESCO’s world heritage sites. UNESCO has 48 proposals in the The submissions were made by Archaeological Survey of India, which tentative list of India. “As per is responsible for the conservation and preservation of Indian Operational Guidelines, 2019, it is monuments. mandatory to put any monument/site The six sites are namely Satpura Tiger Reserve, Ganga Ghats of on the Tentative List (TL) before it is Varanasi, Megalithic site of Hire Benkal, Maratha Military considered for the final nomination Architecture in Maharashtra, Bhedaghat-Lametaghat in Narmada dossier. India has 48 sites in the TL as Valley- Jabalpur, and temples of Kanchipuram. of now. As per rules, any country can submit the nomination dossier after one year of it being on the TL. Satpura National Park Located in Madhya Pradesh, the Satpura National Park is home to 26 species of the Himalayan region including reptiles, and 42 species of Nilgiri areas. It is the largest tigeroccupied forest and also has the largest tiger population. The website also states the place has more than 50 rock shelters with paintings that are 1500 to 10,000 years old. One of the criteria on which the national park made it to the tentative list includes “its beautiful silence where one can even hear the snoring of the beers and roaring of the tigers clearly with such stunning exceptional visual delights”.
Ghats of Varanasi Varanasi’s river front mainly falls into the second category of cultural properties, i.e.: groups of buildings, groups of separate or connected buildings which, because of their architecture, their homogeneity or their place in the landscape are of outstanding universal value from the point of view of history, art or science.” The Ganga river with its riverfront ghats also fulfills the criteria of Cultural Landscapes.
Megalithic site of Hire Benkal The 2,800yearsold megalithic site of Hire Benkal is in Karnataka. It is one of the largest prehistoric megalithic settlements where some funerary monuments are still intact. According to scholars, the granite structures are burial monuments that may also have served many ritual purposes. Due to the extremely valuable collection of Neolithic monuments, the site was proposed for recognition.
Maratha Military Architecture in Maharashtra There are 12 forts in Maharashtra dating back to the era of the 17th-century Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji. They are namely Shivneri (the birthplace of Shivaji); Raigad (the capital fort rebuilt for the coronation of the Maratha king), Torna (the first fort of the Maratha empire), Rajgad, Salher-Mulher, Panhala, Pratapgad, Lohagad, Sindhudurg, Padmadurga (Kasa), Vijaydurg and Kolaba.
64 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Bhedaghat-Lametaghat in Narmada Valley- Jabalpur Another iconic site from Madhya Pradesh, Bhedaghat, often referred to as the Grand Canyon of India, is a town in the Jabalpur district, around 25 kms from Jabalpur. It is known for its marble rocks and their various morphological forms on either side of the Narmada river. Marble mountains assume different colours and even shapes of animals and other living forms as one moves through them. Several dinosaur fossils have been found in the Narmada valley, particularly in Bhedaghat-Lametghat area of Jabalpur. In 1828, the first Dinosaur fossil was collected from Lameta Bed by William Sleeman. River Narmada narrows down on its way through marble rocks and plunges in a waterfall giving out the appearance of a smoke cascade, the website mentions.
Temples of Kanchipuram The temple town of Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu is dotted with ancient temples that are architectural marvels and a visual treat. Kanchipuram is situated on the banks of River Vegavathi. The city once had 1,000 temples, of which only 126 (108 Shaiva and 18 Vaishnava) now remain. Its rich legacy has been the endowment of the Pallava dynasty, which made the region its capital between the 6th and 7th centuries and lavished upon its architectural gems that are a fine example of Dravidian styles.
Maratha Military Architecture The Maharashtra government has submitted a tentative “serial” nomination seeking the World Heritage Site tag for 14 forts from the era of 17th century Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on the theme of Maratha Military Architecture in Maharashtra. The serial nomination was forwarded by the Archaeological Survey of India to UNESCO through the Ministry of Culture. UNESCO has accepted the nomination in Tentative Lists of its World Heritage Site. According to the World Heritage Convention’s operational guidelines, a tentative list is an “inventory” of properties a country believes deserves to be a World Heritage Site. After UNESCO includes a property in the Tentative List, that country has to be prepare a nomination document that will be considered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.
WHS World Heritage Site is a location with an “outstanding universal value”. This signifies “cultural and/or natural significance which is so exceptional as to transcend national boundaries and to be of common importance for present and future generations of all humanity”.
The 14 Forts in Maharashtra’s proposal
Raigad Fort Originally called Rairi, it is built on a large wedge of a hill in the Sahyadris, separated from the main range by a ravine. The capital fort of the Maratha Empire, it was rebuilt for the coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Rajgad Fort Hill fort in Pune district, capital of the Maratha Empire under Chhatrapati Shivaji for almost 26 years, before the capital moved to the Raigad Fort.
Shivneri Fort Near Junnar in Pune district. Shivaji’s birthplace, it consists of 7 gates. It is an example of Bahamani/ Nizamshahi architecture providing a backdrop to narrative of guerrilla warfare.
Torna Fort Fort in Pune district, captured by Shivaji in 1646, when he was 16, and marked the beginning of the Maratha empire.
Lohagad Close to Lonavala, it overlooks one of the most picturesque valleys and is believed to have been built in the 14th century. It is an example of Maratha hill fort architecture until Peshwa period.
Salher Fort One of the highest forts in the Sahyadris, located in Dolhari range of Nashik. The fort witnessed a key battle in 1672 between Marathas and Mughals.
Mulher Fort In Nashik; one of three forts situated on a hill, flanked by Mora to the east and Hatgad to the west. The surrender of Mulher ended the third Maratha War.
Rangana Fort In Kolhapur, bordering Sindhudurg. Aurangzeb tried to conquer it along with Bhudargad and Samangad 65 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
in his Deccan campaign, did not succeed.
Ankai Tankai Forts In Nashil district, Ankai and Tankai are separate forts on adjacent hills, with a common fortification wall.
Kasa Fort Popularly known as Padmadurg, built on a rocky island off coast of Murud, and provided a base for naval military operations.
Sindhudurg Fort Built by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 1668, This sea fort is considered a masterpiece in military defence.
Alibag Fort Popularly known as Kulaba Fort, it was chosen as one of the forts to be modelled as a naval base by Chhatrapati Shivaji.
Suvarnadurg Built on an island, it was repaired and strengthened by Shivaji Maharaj in 1660.
Khanderi Fort Khanderi, officially named as Kanhoji Angre Island in 1998, is 20 km south of Mumbai. Built in 1679, Khanderi Fort was the site of many battles between Shivaji Maharaj’s forces and the navy of the Siddhis.
Thomas Hickey’s painting of three women A 19th century portrait of three women from Mysore has been going viral as “one of the most important scientific pictures in the history of medicine in India”. With women from the Wadiyar dynasty as its protagonists, the canvas was commissioned to promote participation in the smallpox vaccination programme.
Who are the three women? Believed to be painted in 1805 by Irishborn artist Thomas Hickey, the oil on canvas was initially thought to be portraits of “dancing girls or courtesans”. In the 1990s it was pointed out that the painting was of historic significance and depicted one of the first vaccine drives in India, with bejewelled women from the Wadiyar dynasty posing for Hickey. The youngest woman, on the right, has been identified as Devajammani, the younger queen of King Krishnaraja Wadiyar III. She has her hand on her left arm, suggesting she has been vaccinated against smallpox, which had led to numerous deaths in India over the years. On the left, meanwhile, is the older queen, who has pigmentation around her mouth, which could possibly be a sign of surviving smallpox, probably through variolation, which would often lead to a mild infection that resulted in lasting immunity. According to a catalogue note that accompanied the canvas’s 2007 sale at Sotheby’s, the woman in the middle is one of the king’s sisters.
How and when did the smallpox vaccine reach India? The smallpox vaccine, discovered by Edward Jenner in 1796, was the first successful vaccine to be developed. On June 14, 1802, Anna Dust hall, an AngloIndian toddler, was the first person in India to be successfully vaccinated against the virus that relied on the cowpox virus, “a mild cousin of smallpox” to trigger immunity.
66 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
The Reclining Buddha Statue On May 26 — Buddha Jayanti, Buddha Purnima, or Vesak — India’s largest statue of the Reclining Buddha was to have been installed at the Buddha International Welfare Mission temple in Bodh Gaya. The ceremony has been put off due to COVID19 restrictions, but the giant 100foot fibre glass statue, built over three months by a team of 22 artisans in Kolkata, remains a fascinating work of art, as much for its size as for the way The Buddha has been depicted.
The Reclining Buddha A reclining Buddha statue or image represents The Buddha during his last illness, about to enter Parinirvana, the stage of great salvation after death that can only be attained by enlightened souls. The Buddha’s death came when he was 80 years old, in a state of meditation, in Kushinagar in eastern Uttar Pradesh. The Reclining Buddha comes from this very wellrecorded final moment of the Buddha’s life, which is why it could be recreated visually with such distinct details in statues and paintings. This also signifies the Buddha’s last deeksha — even while on his deathbed, he took a follower into the fold. Mahaparinirvana of the Buddha is supposed to be a very important event that happened in Kushinagar; it is not simply a demise, it is the great demise, after which there is no rebirth for him. So, it is his final going away.
Iconographic representation Statues and images of the Reclining Buddha show him lying on his right side, his head resting on a cushion or on his right elbow. It is meant to show that all beings have the potential to be awakened and be released from the cycle of death and rebirth. The Reclining Buddha was first depicted in Gandhara art, which began in the period between 50 BC and 75 AD, and peaked during the Kushana period from the first to the fifth centuries AD. Since the Buddha was against idol worship, in the centuries immediately following his parinirvana (483 BC), his representation was through symbols. As the devotional aspect subsequently entered Buddhist practice, however, iconographic representations of The Buddha began.
Reclining Buddha outside India In Sri Lanka and India, the Buddha is mostly shown in sitting postures, while the reclining postures are more prevalent in Thailand and other parts of South East Asia. The largest Reclining Buddha in the world is the 600-foot Winsein Tawya Buddha built in 1992 in Mawlamyine, Myanmar. In the late 15th century, a 70metre statue of the Reclining Buddha was built at the Hindu temple site of Baphuon in Cambodia’s Angkor. The Bhamala Buddha Parinirvana in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which dates back to the 2nd century AD, is considered the oldest statue of its kind in the world. There are several statues of the Reclining Buddha in China, Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
Reclining Buddha in India Cave No. 26 of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ajanta contains a 24-foot-long and nine-foot-tall sculpture of the Reclining Buddha, believed to have been carved in the 5th century AD. Kushinagar, where the Buddha actually attained parinirvana, has a 6metrelong red sandstone monolith statue of the Reclining Buddha inside the Parinirvana Stupa.
Other depictions of the Buddha Elsewhere in India, there are a lot of Buddhas in sitting postures, mostly pertaining to his Enlightenment rather than to his demise. At the Mahabodhi temple, the Buddha is sitting in the bhoomi-sparsha mudra, where his hand is pointing towards the ground. It symbolises earth as being witness to his enlightenment. At Sarnath, where the Buddha gave his first sermon, the stone statue has a hand gesture called the dharmachakra mudra, which signifies preaching. This is also the most popular depiction in India, along with the Bodhi tree depiction. Buddha is depicted in over a hundred poses around the world. While the Sitting Buddha — most common depiction — is believed to be teaching or meditating, the Standing Buddha signifies rising to teach after reaching nirvana. The Walking Buddha is either beginning his journey toward enlightenment or returning after giving a sermon. This is the least common of the Buddha postures, and is seen mostly in Thailand.
67 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Buddha statues found in South East Asia are an amalgamation of all his various postures and life events, including mahaparinirvana, but not limited to it.
(Reclining Buddha statue in Thailand) SECURITY
Fire safety Norms in India Over the past year, there have been deadly fires in hospital buildings, including those treating COVID19 patients. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) says 330 people died in commercial building fires in 2019, while fatalities for residential or dwelling buildings were at 6,329. Electrical faults are cited as the leading cause of fires. State governments are widely criticised for being lax with building safety laws and for failing to equip public buildings with modern technology. Hospital ICUs (intensive care units) are a great fire risk because they are oxygen suffused, and need to meet high standards. Part 4 of the National Building Code National Building Code (NBC) deals with Fire and Life NBC recommends the location of buildings by type of use in specific Safety. zones to ensure that industrial and hazardous structures do not coexist NBC provides specifications and with residential, institutional, office and business buildings. guidelines for design and materials It specifies, among other things, the technical requirements for special that reduce the threat of destructive buildings, high rises, educational and institutional buildings higher than fires. 9 metres, and those with an area of over 300 square metres. Under the Code, all existing and It drills down into the specifics of fire resistance based on the materials new buildings are classified by used. nature of use, such as residential, Technologies to sound alerts in case of a fire and also to fight it are educational, institutional, assembly expected to be incorporated into buildings. (like cinemas and auditoria), However, in case of practical difficulty or to avoid unnecessary business, mercantile, industrial, hardship, without sacrificing reasonable safety, local head, fire storage and hazardous. services may consider exemptions from the Code Hospitals come under the institutional category. Do State governments follow the Code?
Maharashtra Maharashtra has a Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act since 2008. Section 3 of the Act makes the provisions of the NBC mandatory National Disaster Management and Schedule I of the State’s law is borrowed from the Code. Authority (NDMA) However, reports in the wake of recent fire accidents indicate that the The NDMA has also stipulated authorities have been unable to keep up with inspection requirements for requirements for fire safety in thousands of building. public buildings, including hospitals, which incorporate Kerala elements of the NBC, besides Obtaining an NOC no objection certificate from the fire department, given design guidelines on in form H3 for hospitals that are between 15 metres and 24 metres high, maintaining minimum open requires furnishing exhaustive information on design and infrastructure. The rules prescribe fire fighting equipment and installations that meet “Indian Standards”, but do not contain a direct reference to the NBC. 68 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu’s form for a fire licence, required under the Fire Service Act read with municipal law, is even broader, and no reference is found for compliance with the Code.
Way forward In December 2020, Supreme Court directed all States to carry out fire safety audits of dedicated COVID19 hospitals. It has become evident that State forces lack the manpower to inspect and ensure compliance with safety codes, including the NBC, where it is mandatory. One option is to make heavy fire liability insurance compulsory for all public buildings, which would offer protection to occupants and visitors and bring about external inspection of safety
Vaccine hesitancy Despite the second wave of the COVID19 pandemic raging through the country with the number of cases rising every day, vaccine hesitancy continues, preventing many from ensuring their safety.
What is vaccine hesitancy? According to the WHO, vaccine hesitancy is defined as a reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccine services. E.g. Hesitancy for the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine was sufficiently high in the Malappuram district of Kerala to render community immunisation a challenging goal.
The debates around hesitancy for COVID19 vaccines include concerns over safety, efficacy, and side effects due to the record breaking timelines of the vaccines, competition among several companies, misinformation, and religious taboos. In times of uncertainty, people are susceptible to misinformation due to combination of cognitive, social and algorithmic biases i.e., information overload and limited attention spans. Social media rising number of self proclaimed experts decoding ingredients and efficacy of the vaccines through unsubstantiated claims. Vaccine hesitancy is due to poor understanding of the benefits and risks of vaccination, perhaps with an exaggerated perception of the vaccine’s side effects due to media reports
Solution 1. Adopt the idea of libertarian paternalism, a concept of behavioural science, which says it is possible and legitimate to steer people’s behaviour towards vaccination while still respecting their freedom of choice. 2. Instead of antivaxxers, the target swing population i.e., people who are sceptical but can be persuaded through scientific facts and proper communication. 3. Inculcate the habit of inquisitive temper to fact check any news related to COVID19 vaccines. 4. Celeb effect: Celebrities can serve as agents of positive social change, erasing scepticism associated with vaccine adoption and prompting information seeking and preventative behaviours. 5. Clear and correct scientific information on vaccine efficacy and the potential side effects. 6. Decentralised process of information, education, and communication by the public health authorities at the level of each district, town and panchayat. 7. All media, print and electronic present accurate facts and health departments in each State should publish the side effects of the vaccines in detail to dispel mistrust. 8. Transparency and prompt data sharing.
Child trafficking during Covid-19 According to UNICEF, India has over 30 million orphan and abandoned children. Unfortunate parental deaths during COVID19 have added unknown numbers of orphans to the list. Many children escaped monitoring by the official ma chinery due to the breakdown of systems. Today, some people are offering infants for instant adoption by selling sob stories of how the children have lost their parents to the dreaded virus. These unscrupulous people target gullible persons who fall into the trap, little realising that such adoptions are illegal. The lack of inputs for proper procedures for legal adoption and hasty sentimental considerations are exploited for exorbitant sums of money. This business of criminal trading of children must be checked with an iron hand.
Protection granted by the law The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) law was enacted in 2015.
69 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
The Juvenile Justice Rules of 2016 and the Adoption Regulations of 2017 followed to create the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) as a statutory body for the regulation, monitoring and control of all intracountry and inter country adoptions. Furthermore, CARA became pivotal in granting a ‘no objection’ certificate for all intercountry adoptions, pursuant to India becoming a signatory to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of in tercountry Adoptions. India is also a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Thus, protections afforded to children became a legal mandate of all authorities and courts. Laws were enacted. Machineries and mechanisms created were put in place.
About Juvenile a justice Act The Juvenile Justice Act is a secular law. All persons are free to adopt children under this law. However, persons professing the Hindu religion are free to adopt under the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act of 1956. Rehabilitation of all orphaned, abandoned and surrendered children is regulated by the strict mandatory procedures of the Adoption Regulations. Children of relatives can also be adopted under the Juvenile Justice Act. Only such children declared legally free for adoption under the Juvenile Justice Act by prescribed procedures can be adopted. Any person or organisation offering or receiving such children for adoption in violation of the Juvenile Justice Act and the Adoption Regulations invites punishment up to three years and a fine of ₹1 lakh or both.
Adoption Procedure within India The eligibility of prospective adoptive parents living in India, duly registered on the Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System (CARINGS), irrespective of marital status and religion, is adjudged by specialised adoption agencies preparing home study reports. Upon approval, as per seniority in the adoption list, prospective children are offered and preadoption foster care follows. The specialised adoption agency then secures court orders approving the adoption.
Procedure for NRIs All nonresident persons approach authorised adoption agencies in their foreign country of residence for registration under CARINGS. Their eligibility is adjudged by authorised foreign adoption agencies through home study reports. As per seniority, they are offered profiles of children and child study reports are finalised. CARA then issues a predation ‘no objection’ certificate for foster care, followed by a court adoption order. A final ‘no objection’ certificate from CARA or a conformity certificate under the adoption convention is mandatory for a passport and visa to leave India.
Way forward CARA must conduct an outreach programme on social media, newspapers and TV, warning everyone not to entertain any illegal adoption offers under any circumstances whatsoever. The legal process of adoption must be adequately publicised. The National and State Commissions for Protection of Child Rights must step up their roles as vigilantes, as they are empowered by law to take effective action against those engaging in illegal activities. Social activists, NGOs and enlightened individuals must report all the incidents that come to their notice. Respective State Legal Services Authorities have the infrastructure and machinery to stamp out such unlawful practices brought to their attention. Media must publicise and shame all those involved in this disreputable occupation. Innocent children deprived of the love and care of their natural parents due to tragedies cannot fall prey to traders of human smuggling. Police authorities need to be extra vigilant in apprehending criminals. A joint private public venture must come into mo tion. Every citizen of the nation has a role to play in eradicating this unhealthy practice
Uranium Seizure The Maharashtra AntiTerrorism Squad (ATS) on Thursday arrested two persons with 7 kg natural uranium estimated to be worth around Rs 21 crore.
Uranium and its uses Uranium occurs naturally in low concentrations in soil, rock and water and is commercially extracted from uranium bearing minerals. It has a silvery grey metallic appearance. Uranium is mainly used in nuclear power plants due to its unique nuclear properties. 70 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
Depleted uranium is also used as shield against radiation in medical processes using radiation therapy and also while transporting radioactive materials. Though itself radioactive, uranium’s high density makes it effective in halting radiation. Its high density also makes it useful as counterweights in aircraft and industrial machinery.
WhatsApp challenged the New social media code WhatsApp is taking the Indian government to court over the traceability clause in the new IT Rules 2021. WhatsApp’s lawsuit has been filed in the Delhi High Court. The new IT rules include a traceability clause that requires social media platforms to locate “the first originator of the information” if required by authorities. This rule will impact most messaging apps such as Signal, Telegram, Snapchat, Wire and others. Signal and Telegram have recently gained popularity in the market. Signal is completely endtoend encrypted (E2E) and, in fact, WhatsApp relies on the Signal protocol for its own encryption.
What does WhatsApp’s lawsuit state? WhatsApp is invoking the 2017 Justice K S Puttaswamy vs Union Of India case to argue that the traceability provision is unconstitutional and against people’s fundamental right to privacy as underlined by the Supreme Court decision. The plea states that the court should declare the traceability clause as “unconstitutional” and should not allow it to come into force. It is also challenging the clause which puts “criminal liability” on its employees for non compliance, it is learnt.
What has WhatsApp said about ‘traceability’? WhatsApp said that the requirement to ‘trace’ chats would be the “equivalent of asking us to keep a fingerprint of every single message sent on WhatsApp.” This would mean that the platform will have to break end-to-end encryption, which is turned on by default for all messages. Traceability would mean reengineering the app just for the Indian market, which is unlikely to happen. End-to-end encryption ensures that no third-party, not even the messaging app itself can track or read messages.
Why is WhatsApp against finding the originator of a message? End-to-end encryption ensures that no one can read the message, except for the sender and the receiver. This includes WhatsApp itself. Nor does the app keep a log of who is sending what message and to whom. And given it cannot read the contents of a message, finding the originator is even harder. Further many of the messages are just copied or forwarded by users. WhatsApp says that if it had to trace an originator, then it would have to “store information”. The argument is tracing even one message means tracing every single message on the platform. In order to trace messages, WhatsApp will have to add some sort of “permanent identity stamp” or effectively ‘fingerprint’ each message, which it says, will be like a mass surveillance program. WhatsApp’s argument is that traceability, even if enforced, is not foolproof and could lead to human rights violations.
SOCIETY
COVID among PVTGs 23 persons belonging to the Dongria Kondh community, a PVTG in the Niyamgiri Hill range of Rayagada district in Odisha, have tested positive for COVID19. In Malkangiri district, Bonda Hill, home to the Bonda community, another PVTG, has been declared a containment zone. Difficulties in convincing members of the Dongria Kondh community to come for tests.
Steps taken To keep tribal communities safer during the pandemic, the State government had earlier stopped weekly markets where tribals come in contact with outside world. Help of community leaders to convey messages on COVID19 appropriate behaviour in their own dialects. Rapid response teams, community elders and social activists would be roped in to convince the members to come to camps for testing.
About PVTGs PVTGs are more vulnerable among the tribal groups.
71 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877
They have declining or stagnant population, low level of literacy, preagricultural level of technology and are economically backward.
Identification In 1973, the Dhebar Commission created Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs) as a separate category, which are less developed among the tribal groups. In 1975, the Government of India initiated to identify the most vulnerable tribal groups as a separate category called PVTGs and declared 52 such groups, 23 groups were added in 1993. The total of 75 PVTGs are spread over 18 states and one Union Territory (A&N Islands) in the country (2011 census). Odisha (13) has the highest numbers of PVTGs, followed by Andhra Pradesh (12). In 2006, the PTGs were renamed as PVTGs.
72 www.eduphore.com|+91 8699682877