Current Affairs (CONSOLIDaTION)

December 2020 (Part – I)

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

Polity and Governance...... 1 z UP Ordinance on Unlawful Conversions...... 1 z Unnat Bharat Abhiyan Scheme ...... 2 z India’s Top 10 z Police Stations for 2020...... 3 z Tobacco Ban in Jharkhand...... 3 z World Malaria Report 2020: WHO...... 4 z Export Promotion Council for Technical Textiles...... 5 z Right to Vote for NRIs...... 6 z Centre’s Power for Land Acquisition for Highway: SC...... 7 z CCTV in Police Stations: SC...... 9 z Waqf Boards in Jammu and Kashmir...... 10 z Suggestions for Delimitation Exercise...... 11 z Gender Gap and Sensitisation in Judiciary...... 11 z Technical Education in Mother Tongue...... 13 z Tharu Tribals...... 14 z Medicine Supplies and Make in India...... 15 z Partners in Population and Development Initiative...... 16 z Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Expenditure...... 17 z National Family Health Survey-5...... 18 z Reducing Emissions from Coal-Based Power Sector...... 20 z Vision 2035: Public Health Surveillance in India...... 21 z Formulation of Policy for 3D Printing...... 23 z National Energy Conservation Day 2020...... 24 z Vehicle Insurance in India...... 25

Economic Scenario...... 27 z Minimum Support Price for Crops...... 27 z Monetary Policy: RBI...... 28 z Fall in Manufacturing PMI...... 30 z Demand for Interest Waiver...... 30 z Municipal Bonds...... 31 z Lottery, Gambling, Betting Taxable under GST Act: SC...... 33 z Database of Migrants...... 34

International Relations...... 36 z Criticism of Policies on Kashmir: OIC...... 36 z Countries of Particular Concern: US...... 37 z India Switzerland Relations...... 38 z SCO Online International Exhibition...... 39 z ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus...... 40 z United Nations Investment Promotion Award 2020...... 41 z SAARC Charter Day...... 42 z Morocco Normalises Relations with Israel...... 43 z India-Uzbekistan Virtual Summit...... 44 z Rohingyas at Isolated Bangladesh Island...... 45 z Negotiations on UK’s Brexit Deadline...... 47 z San Isidro Movement in Cuba ...... 47 z Israel-Bhutan Ties...... 48

Science and Technology...... 50 z China’s Artificial Sun...... 50 z Dust Samples from Hayabusa 2...... 51 z Jupiter Saturn Great Conjunction...... 52 z Beresheet 2: Israel...... 53 z Influenza and Bacterial Infection...... 53 z Rise in AI Adoption in India Amidst Pandemic...... 54 z Honey Adulteration...... 55 z The Cancer Genome Atlas 2020 Conference ...... 56 z P Ovale Malaria...... 57 z Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians 2020...... 58 z Cannabis Removed from Dangerous Substances: UN...... 59 z Robotic Surgery...... 60 z Havana Syndrome...... 61 z Mucormycosis Fungal Infection...... 63

Environment and Ecology...... 65 z Malayan Giant Squirrel...... 65 z Provisional Report on the State of the Global Climate 2020: WMO...... 66 z Deteriorating Great Barrier Reef...... 67 z Narmada Landscape Restoration Project...... 68 z Peacock Soft-shelled Turtle ...... 69 z Emissions Gap Report 2020: UNEP...... 69 z Extreme Climate Events: CEEW...... 71 z Elephant Corridors in Odisha...... 72 z Myristica Swamp Treefrog...... 73 z Climate Change Performance Index...... 74 z Lakshadweep Declared an Organic Union Territory...... 75 z Five Years of Paris Climate Accord...... 76

History...... 79 z 64th Mahaparinirvan Diwas...... 79 z Indus Valley Diet...... 80 z International Bharati Festival 2020...... 81

Art & Culture...... 83 z Hampi Stone Chariot...... 83

Geography...... 85 z Cyclone Burevi...... 85 z Recovery from Coal Mining in Meghalaya’s Moolamylliang...... 85 z New Height for Mount Everest...... 87 z El Niño & Drought...... 87

Social Issues...... 90 z World AIDS Day 2020...... 90 z Rise in NREGS Demand...... 90 z Assistance to Disabled Persons Camp...... 91 z Global Teacher Prize 2020...... 93 z Covid-19 and Extreme Poverty: UNDP...... 94 z Initiatives to Eliminate Manual Scavenging...... 95 z Virtual Aadi Mahotsav...... 96 z United Nations Population Award 2020...... 97 z Lancet Citizens’ Commission for Universal Health Coverage...... 97 z Surgery and Ayurveda...... 98 z Truths and Hate Speech: SC...... 100 z Emergency Use Approval: Covid-19 Vaccines...... 101 z Child Marriage and Pandemic...... 102 z Global Health Estimates 2019: WHO...... 104 z Human Rights Day...... 105

Security...... 107 z BSF Raising Day...... 107 z National Maritime Domain Awareness Centre...... 107 z Steps to Counter Maoist Threat...... 108 www.drishtiIAS.com CURRENT AFFAIRS DECEMBER 2020 1 Polity and Governance

Highlights z UP Ordinance on Unlawful Conversions z Technical Education in Mother Tongue z Unnat Bharat Abhiyan Scheme z Tharu Tribals z India’s Top 10 Police Stations for 2020 z Medicine Supplies and Make in India z Tobacco Ban in Jharkhand z Partners in Population and Development Initiative z World Malaria Report 2020: WHO z Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Expenditure z Export Promotion Council for Technical Textiles z National Family Health Survey-5 z Right to Vote for NRIs z Reducing Emissions from Coal-Based Power Sector z Centre’s Power for Land Acquisition for Highway: SC z Vision 2035: Public Health Surveillance in India z CCTV in Police Stations: SC z Formulation of Policy for 3D Printing z Waqf Boards in Jammu and Kashmir z National Energy Conservation Day 2020 z Suggestions for Delimitation Exercise z Vehicle Insurance in India z Gender Gap and Sensitisation in Judiciary

€ If a minor woman or a woman from the Scheduled UP Ordinance Caste (SC) or Scheduled Tribe (ST) converts, the on Unlawful Conversions jail term would be a minimum of three years and could be extended to 10 years with a fine of Rs. Why in News 25,000. € The ordinance also lays down strict action, including The Uttar Pradesh (UP) government has recently cancellation of registration of social organisations passed an ordinance to deal with unlawful religious conducting mass conversions , which would invite conversions, which are in opposition of various judgements a jail term of not less than three years and up to of the Supreme Court (SC). 10 years and a fine of Rs. 50,000. Key Points ¾ Supreme Court on Marriage and Conversion: ¾ UP Unlawful Religious Conversion Prohibition € The SC in its various judgments, has held that faith, Ordinance, 2020: the state and the courts have no jurisdiction over € It makes religious conversion for marriage a non- an adult’s absolute right to choose a life partner. bailable offence and the onus will be on the defendant € India is a “free and democratic country” and any to prove that conversion was not for marriage. interference by the State in an adult’s right to love € The notice period to the District Magistrate for and marry has a “chilling effect” on freedoms. the religious conversion is two months. € Intimacies of marriage lie within a core zone of € In case of conversion done by a woman for the privacy, which is inviolable and the choice of a sole purpose of marriage, the marriage would life partner, whether by marriage or outside it, is be declared null and void. part of an individual’s “personhood and identity”. € Violation of the provisions of the law would invite € The absolute right of an individual to choose a a jail term of not less than one year extendable life partner is not in the least affected by matters to five years with a fine of Rs. 15,000. of faith.

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¾ Related Previous Judgements: all the villages and few issues based on local € Hadiya Judgement 2017: conditions and work on these. z Matters of dress and of food, of ideas and € Efforts should be made to maximise the number of ideologies, of love and partnership are within Higher Educational Institutions under the scheme the central aspects of identity. Neither the State in order to benefit more villages. nor the law can dictate a choice of partners or € UBA should be used in sensitizing the school limit the free ability of every person to decide teachers regarding National Education Policy, 2020. on these matters. € Need for a portal was highlighted which will serve € K.S. Puttuswamy or ‘privacy’ Judgment 2017: as an interactive platform for different institutions z Autonomy of the individual was the ability to wherein they can share success stories and motivate make decisions in vital matters of concern to life. each other. € Lata Singh Case 1994: € Carry out a state-wise study and set targets regarding the parameters under UBA such as z The apex court held that India is going through improvement in literacy, healthcare etc. a “crucial transformational period” and the “Constitution will remain strong only if we ¾ Unnat Bharat Abhiyan: accept the plurality and diversity of our culture”. € It is a flagship program of the Ministry of Education. z Relatives disgruntled by the inter-religious It was launched in 2014. marriage of a loved one could opt to “cut off € It aims to link the Higher Education Institutions social relations” rather than resort to violence (HEIs) with a set of at least (5) villages, so that or harassment. these institutions can contribute to the economic and social betterment of these village communities € Soni Gerry case, 2018: using their knowledge base. z The SC warned judges from playing “super- guardians”, succumbing to “any kind of z It covers two major domains for holistic sentiment of the mother or the egotism of development of villages – human development the father”. and material (economic) development - in an integrated way. € Salamat Ansari-Priyanka Kharwar case of Allahabad High Court 2020: € The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT, Delhi) has been designated as the National Coordinating z The right to choose a partner or live with a person Institute (NCI) for the UBA scheme. of choice was part of a citizen’s fundamental right to life and liberty (Article 21). € Main Objectives: z To z It also held that earlier court rulings upholding engage the faculty and students of HEIs in the idea of religious conversion for marriage identifying development issues in rural areas as unacceptable are not good in law. and finding sustainable solutions for the same. z Identify & select existing innovative technologies, enable customisation of technologies, or Unnat Bharat Abhiyan Scheme devise implementation methods for innovative solutions, as required by the people. Why in News z To allow HEIs to contribute to devising systems for A review meeting regarding the progress of smooth implementation of various Government Unnat Bharat Abhiyan Scheme (UBA) was held via programmes. videoconferencing. € Unnat Bharat Abhiyan 2.0: z It is the upgraded version of UBA 1.0. It was Key Points launched in 2018. ¾ Highlights of the Meeting: The Union Education „ UBA 1.0 or UBA Phase-1 was the Invitation Minister emphasised on the following: Mode in which Participating Institutions € Identifythree to five core issues common amongst were invited to be a part of UBA.

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€ This indicates that while availability of resources is important, more important is the dedication and sincerity of police personnel to prevent and control crime and serve the nation. ¾ Top 3 Police Stations for 2020: € Nongpok Sekmai police station inThoubal district of Manipur has topped the list. € AWPS-Suramangalam police station in Salem City of Tamil Nadu ranks second. € Kharsang police station in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh. ¾ Benefits of Annual Ranking: € To recognize the hard work and encourage and instill a sense ofcompetitiveness in the police force. € It also provides a picture of the state of physical „ Whereas UBA 2.0 is the Challenge Mode of infrastructure, resources and deficiencies at the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan programme where all level of police stations. HEIs are required to willingly adopt at least 5 villages. Currently, UBA 2.0 Mode is going on. € The annual exercise of ranking police stations works as a constant guide for improvements.

India’s Top 10 Tobacco Ban in Jharkhand Police Stations for 2020 Why in News Why in News The Jharkhand Government, in a recent order, has The Ministry of Home Affairs has released a list of banned consumption of any form of tobacco products the top 10 police stations in India for the year 2020. for all State Government employees.

Key Points Key Points ¾ The State Government has made it mandatory for all ¾ The annual ranking is done since 2015 when the state government employees to submit an affidavit Prime Minister announced such an exercise, while stating that they will abstain from consuming any addressing the Directors General of Police’s Conference form of tobacco. in Kutch, Gujarat. ¾ Tobacco products include any cigarettes, bidi, khaini, ¾ Objective: gutkha, pan masala, zarda or supari as well as hukka, € To rank the top 10 Police Stations out of 16,671 e-hookah, e-cigarettes and tobacco products being Police Stations in the country through data analysis, used by any name - smoking and smokeless. direct observation and public feedback. ¾ The decision was taken at a meeting of the National ¾ Performance Parameter: Tobacco Control Programme’s state chapter, with an € Property offences, crimes against women and aim to implement the Cigarettes and other Tobacco weaker sections of the society etc. Products Act, 2003 (COTPA). € This year, the government introduced three new ¾ The decision will be implemented from 1st April, 2021. parameters. ¾ There has been no clarity over penal provision in z Missing persons, Unidentified found persons case of violation of the order. and Unidentified dead bodies. ¾ The government is also taking measures for bringing ¾ Performance of Police Stations located in rural and behavioural change by using panchayat level remote areas has been worth appraising. institutions.

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€ Zila Parishads, Panchayat Samitis and Gram € Prohibited the transmission of advertisements on Panchayats are asked to organise tobacco control tobacco and liquor in India. discussions in every gram sabha meeting. ¾ The Government of India has issued regulations under ¾ The Police have been ordered to increase vigil at the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 which lay checkposts to stop entry of banned tobacco products. down that tobacco or nicotine cannot be used as ¾ Previously in April 2020, Jharkhand had banned sale ingredients in food products. and consumption of tobacco products in public places, including online sales, in view of an increase World Malaria in chances of Covid-19 infection. Report 2020: WHO Tobacco Control in India ¾ International Convention: Why in News € India ratified the WHO Framework Convention Recently, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in 2004. released the World Malaria Report (WMR) 2020. ¾ Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), ¾ The report provides a comprehensive update on 2003: global and regional malaria data and trends including € Replaced the Cigarettes Act of 1975 (largely limited prevention, diagnosis, treatment, elimination and to statutory warnings- ‘Cigarette Smoking is Injurious surveillance. to Health’ to be displayed on cigarette packs and ¾ It indicates that India has made considerable progress advertisements. It did not include non-cigarettes). in reducing its malaria burden. € The 2003 Act also included cigars, bidis, cheroots, Key Points pipe tobacco, hookah, chewing tobacco, pan masala, and gutka. ¾ Global Analysis: ¾ National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP), 2008: € Malaria cases globally numbered about 229 million, an annual estimate that has remained virtually € Objective: To control tobacco consumption and minimize tobacco consumption related deaths. unchanged over the last four years. z In 2019, it claimed about 4,09,000 lives, compared € Implementation: NTCP is implemented through a to 4,11,000 in 2018. three-tier structure, i.e. (i) National Tobacco Control Cell (NTCC) at Central level (ii) State Tobacco Control € The report noted that the 11 highest-burden Cell (STCC) at State level & (iii) District Tobacco countries viz. Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Dem- Control Cell (DTCC) at District level. ocratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, India, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda and Tanzania, ¾ Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Packaging account for 70% of the global estimated case burden and Labelling) Amendment Rules, 2020:. and 71% of global estimated deaths from malaria. € These provide for new sets of specified health € Countries in South-East Asia made particularly warnings with enhanced pictorial images to be strong progress, with reductions in cases and printed on all tobacco products. deaths of 73% and 74%, respectively. ¾ mCessation Programme: ¾ Indian Analysis: € It is an initiative using mobile technology for € India is the only high endemic country which has . tobacco cessation reported a decline of 17.6% in 2019 as compared € India launched mCessation using text messages to 2018. in 2016 as part of the government’s Digital India € The Annual Parasite Incidence (API, the number initiative. of new infections per year per 1000 population) ¾ Prevention and Control of Pollution Act of 1981: reduced by 18.4% in 2019 as compared to 2018. € Recognized smoking as an air pollutant. z India has sustained API less than one since the ¾ Cable Television Networks Amendment Act of 2000: year 2012.

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€ India has also contributed to the largest drop in z In 2018, the WHO and the RBM Partnership cases region-wide, from approximately 20 million initiated the HBHI initiative 11in high malaria to about 6 million. burden countries, including India to end malaria. z The percentage drop in the malaria cases was z It has continued to make impressive gains in 71.8% and deaths were 73.9% between 2000 India, with 18% reductions in cases and 20% to 2019. reductions in death, over the last 2 years. € India achieved a reduction of 83.34% in malaria € Due to the efforts made by the Government of India morbidity and 92% in malaria mortality between in the provision of microscopes, rapid diagnostics the year 2000 and 2019, thereby achieving Goal 6 Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) to high burden of the Millennium Development Goals. areas has led to a reduction in endemicity in these z MDG 6 aimed to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria otherwise very high endemic states. and other diseases, which have a direct and z LLINs are nets treated in the factory with an indirect impact on rural development, agricultural insecticide incorporated into the net fabric which productivity and food and nutrition security. makes the insecticide last at least 20 washes z The Sustainable Development Goals have in standard laboratory testing andthree years replaced the MDGs. of recommended use under field conditions. € States of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, z Use of LLINs has been accepted by the community Meghalaya and Madhya Pradesh (high endemic at large and has been one of the main contributors states) disproportionately accounted for nearly to the drastic malaria decline in the country. 45.47% of malaria cases in 2019. z 63.64% of malaria deaths were also reported Export Promotion from these states. € The figures and trends between the last two Council for Technical Textiles decades clearly show the drastic decline in malaria, hence the malaria elimination target of 2030 Why in News looks achievable. Recently, the Ministry of Textiles has invited proposals ¾ Initiatives to Curb Malaria: for the constitution of a dedicated Export Promotion € In India, malaria elimination efforts were initiated Council (EPC) for Technical Textiles. in 2015 and were intensified after the launch of the National Framework for Malaria Elimination Key Points (NFME) in 2016 by the Ministry of Health and ¾ The constitution of an EPC is a part of the National Family Welfare. Technical Textiles Mission. z NFME is in line with WHO’s Global Technical € The Council shall abide by all directions of the Strategy for Malaria, 2016-2030, which guides Central Government in respect of promotion and the WHO Global Malaria Programme (GMP), development of international trade. responsible for coordinating WHO’s global efforts ¾ National Technical Textiles Mission: to control and eliminate malaria. € It was approved with a total outlay of Rs. 1480 € The National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination crore in February 2020. (2017-22) was launched in July 2017 which laid down strategies for the following five years. € Aims: z z It gives year wise elimination targets in various To position the country as a global leader parts of the country depending upon the in technical textiles and increase the use of endemicity of malaria. technical textiles in the domestic market. € Implementation of High Burden to High Impact z To take domestic market size to USD 40 billion (HBHI) initiativewas started in four states (West to USD 50 billion by 2024. Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya € It will be implemented for four years starting from Pradesh) in July 2019. 2020-2021 and has four components:

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z First Component: Focuses on research, € The penetration level of technical textiles in India development and innovation with an outlay varies between 5% and 10% against the level of of Rs. 1,000 crores. 30% to 70% in developed countries. „ The research will be at both fibre level and application-based in geo, agro, medical, Right to Vote for NRIs sports and mobile textiles and development of biodegradable technical textiles. Why in News „ Research activities will also focus on the development of indigenous machinery and Recently, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has process equipment. informed the Ministry of Law and Justice that it is “technically and administratively ready” to extend the z Second Component: For the promotion and (ETPBS) development of the market for technical textiles. Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System to Non Resident Indian (NRI) voters for elections next z Third Component: Focuses on export promotion year in Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and so that technical textile exports from the country Puducherry. reach from Rs.14,000 crores to Rs. 20,000 crores by 2021-2022 and will ensure 10% average Key Points growth every year till the Mission ends. ¾ Background: z Fourth Component: Focuses on education, training and skill development. € The ECI started to look for possible options after receiving several requests from MPs, industrialists, € A Mission Directorate is operational in theMinistry ministers and also writ petitions by NRIs in the of Textiles for implementation of the Mission. Supreme Court (SC) in 2013 and 2014. ¾ Data on the Indian Technical Textiles Segment: € After the2014 Lok Sabha elections, a 12-member € It is estimated at USD 16 billion which is committee was set up to study mainly three approximately 6% of the USD 250 billion global options of: technical textiles market. z Voting by post. Technical Textiles z Voting at an Indian mission abroad. ¾ Technical textiles are textiles materials and products z Online voting. manufactured primarily for technical performance € The committee ruled out online polling as it felt and functional properties rather than aesthetic this could compromise “secrecy of voting” and also characteristics. shot down the proposal to vote at Indian missions ¾ These are functional fabrics that have applications abroad as they do not have adequate resources. across various industries including automobiles, € In 2015, the panel finally recommended that NRIs civil engineering and construction, agriculture, should be given the “additional alternative options healthcare, industrial safety (fireproof jackets), of e-postal ballot and proxy voting”, apart from personal protection (bulletproof jackets, high altitude voting in person. combat gear), space applications, etc. z Under proxy voting, a registered elector can ¾ Based on usage, there are 12 technical textile delegate his voting power to a representative. segments: z At present, postal ballots are allowed for certain € Agrotech, Meditech, Buildtech, Mobiltech, categories of voters (Service Voters) living in Clothtech, Oekotech, Geotech, Packtech, India, which include: Hometech, Protech, Indutech and Sportech. „ Members of the Armed Forces. € For example, Mobiltech refers to products in „ Members of the Armed Police Force of a vehicles such as seat belts and airbags, aeroplane State, serving outside that State. seats. Geotech, which is incidentally the fastest- „ Persons employed under Government of growing segment, is used to etc. hold back soil, India on post outside India.

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€ In 2017, the Union Cabinet passed the proposal representative of Indiain the country where the on proxy voting rights for NRIs and brought a NRI is resident. Bill amending the Representation of the People € However, it is not clear right now, if the voter will Act 1950. return the ballot paper herself through ordinary € However, the bill lapsed in Rajya Sabha due to post or drop it off at the Indian Embassy, which dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha and the proposal may then segregate the envelopes constituency- has not been revived yet. wise and send them to the Chief Electoral Officer z The ECI pushed only for postal voting rights of the state concerned for forwarding to the RO. for NRIs instead of the proxy voting. ¾ Political Stand: z To extend the postal voting facility to overseas € The committee had consulted national political voters, the government only needs to amend parties and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) the Conduct of Election Rules 1961. It does on the options being considered for NRIs to cast not require Parliament’s nod. their vote abroad. ¾ Current Voting Process for NRIs: € Among parties, only the NCP has expressed € Voting rights for NRIs were introduced only in2011 , complete support and according to the BSP, BJP through an amendment to the Representation of and CPI, postal ballots were not a viable option due the People Act 1950. to time constraint. TheCongress was not in favour of sending the postal ballot paper electronically. € An NRI can vote in the constituency in his/her place of residence, as mentioned in the passport, € The MEA expressed strong reservations over is located. attesting the declaration as the process might be difficult in non-democratic countries. € He/She can only vote in person and will have to produce her passport in original at the polling Non Resident Indian . station for establishing identity ¾ According to India’s Foreign Exchange Management ¾ Current Strength of NRI Voters: Act 1999 (FEMA), NRI is an Indian citizen or Foreign € According to a United Nations report of 2015, National of Indian Origin residing outside India for India’s diaspora population is the largest in the purposes of employment, carrying on business world at 16 million people. or vocation in circumstances as would indicate an € However, registration of NRI voters has been very intention to stay outside India for an indefinite period. low with a little over one lakh overseas Indians ¾ Visiting NRIs whose total income (which is defined as registered as voters in India. taxable income) in India is up to Rs. 15 lakh during € In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, roughly 25,000 the financial year will continue to remain NRIs if of them flew to India to vote. the stay does not exceed 181 days. ¾ Process of Voting by Postal Ballots: € The Union Budget 2020 proposed to reduce this for all NRIs. € Any NRI interested in voting through the postal period to 120 days ballot will have to inform the Returning Officer (RO) not later than five days after the notification Centre’s Power for Land . of the election Acquisition for Highway: SC z The RO of a parliamentary or assembly constitu- ency is responsible for the conduct of elections in the parliamentary or assembly constituency. Why in News € On receiving such information, the RO will dispatch Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) has upheld the ballot paper electronically. notifications issued under the National Highways Act, € The NRI voters will download the ballot paper, 1956, for acquisition of land for construction of the mark their preference on the printout and send Chennai-Krishnagiri-Salem national highway. it back along with a declaration attested by an ¾ The verdict came on a batch of appeals filed by officer appointed by the diplomatic or consular the Centre and the National Highways Authority of

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India (NHAI) and few landowners and others. These ¾ Importance of National Highways: pleas were filed against the Madras High Court’s € National highways are the arteries of India’s judgement, holding as “illegal and bad in law” the economy. By its very nomenclature, a national notifications issued. highway is to link the entire country and provide access to all in every remote corner of the country Key Points for interaction and to promote commerce and ¾ Chennai-Krishnagiri-Salem National Highway: trade, employment and education, including health € It is a part of the first phase of the ‘Bharatmala related services. Pariyojna’ project. z This approach enhances and furthers the z Bharatmala Pariyojna Project stretches across federal structure. 24,800 km and has an estimated outlay of Rs. € The availability of a highway in any part of 5.35 lakh crore. It seeks to improve the efficiency the State paves way for sustainable development of freight and passenger movement across the and for overall enhancement of human well- country by bridging critical infrastructure gaps. being. € It is a 277.3-km-long eight-lane greenfield project ¾ Other Aspects Related to the Project: which aims to cut travel time between the two € The Madras High Court had been wrong to quash cities Chennai and Salem by half to about two the acquisition proceedings on the ground that no hours and 15 minutes. prior environmental clearance was taken. z A greenfield project is one which is not z The SC said that the notification is only an constrained by prior work. It is constructed on expression of interest to acquire the designated unused land where there is no need to remodel land, and no prior environmental clearance was or demolish an existing structure. needed before issuing it. € The Project has faced opposition from locals, z Prior environmental clearance under the including farmers, over fears of losing their land, Environment (Protection) Actand Rules of 1986 besides environmentalists, who are against felling is required to be taken before commencement of trees. It runs through reserve forest and water of the “actual construction or building work” bodies. of the national highway by the executing ¾ Supreme Court’s Judgement: agency (NHAI). € Centre’s Powers: € On complaints about “alterations” in the highway z There is nothing in the Constitution which route, the court said changes to the extent of constricts the power of Parliament to make a 15% was permissible in a project of such a macro law for declaring any stretch/section within the scale. State (not being a road or an existing highway) z Unforeseen concerns like land availability factors to be a national highway. related to congestion, reduction of distance, z Provisions in the Constitution unambiguously operational efficiency attract such alteration. indicate that the legislative as well as executive power regarding all matters concerning and National Highways connected with a highway to be designated as a ¾ The major roads in India are the national and national highway,vests in Parliament, and the state highways. National Highways (NH) are built, laws to be made by it in that regard. financed and maintained by theCentral government z The Central government is free to construct/ whereas State Highways (SH) are developed by build a new national highway keeping in mind the respective States’ public works department. the obligations it has to discharge under Part ¾ Constitutional Provisions: (Directive Principles of IV of the Constitution € Highways declared by or under law made by State Policy) for securing a social order and Parliament to be national highways - Union List promotion of welfare of the people in the under Seventh Schedule. concerned region.

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€ Article 257 (2):The executive power of the Union CCTV in Police Stations: SC shall also extend to the giving of directions to a State as to the construction and maintenance of means of communication declared in the Why in News direction to be of national or military importance. Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) has asked the States z Provided that nothing in this clause shall be and Union Territory (UT) governments to ensure that taken as restricting thepower of Parliament the Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras are installed to declare highways or waterways to be in each and every police station. national highways or national waterways or the power of the Union with respect to the Key Points highways or waterways so declared. ¾ Background: ¾ The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways € 2015: In the case of D K Basu versus State of is primarily responsible for development and West Bengal, the SC directed that CCTVs should maintenance of NHs. be installed in every police station and prison to € The Ministry has taken up detailed review of check human rights abuses. NHs network with a view to develop the road € 2018: The SC asked the Ministry of Home Affairs to connectivity to Border areas, development of set up a Central Oversight Body (COB) to implement Coastal roads including road connectivity for the plan of action with respect to videography in Non-Major ports, improvement in the efficiency the crime scene during the investigation. of National Corridors, development of Economic € Recently, the SC has found that the majority of the Corridors, Inter Corridors and Feeder Routes states and UTs lack the details of installing CCTVs along with integration with Sagarmala, etc., in police stations. under Bharatmala Pariyojana. ¾ Latest Directions: ¾ NHs in the country are notified under the National € States and UTs should ensure that CCTV cameras Highways Act, 1956. are installed at each and every police station, ¾ National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) was set at all entry and exit points, main gate, lock-ups, up by an act of the Parliament, NHAI Act, 1988, for corridors, lobby and reception as also areas outside the development, maintenance and management the lock-up rooms so that no part is left uncovered. of national highways and for matters connected € CCTV systems must be equipped with night vision therewith or incidental thereto. and have audio as well as video footage and it ¾ Land for development of National Highways and shall be mandatory for the Centre, states and UTs associated purposes is acquired under Section 3 of to purchase such systems which allow storage of the NHs Act, 1956 and compensation is determined data for the maximum period possible, at least in accordance with the First Schedule of the Right one year. to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land € The Centre should install CCTV cameras and Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement recording equipment at the offices of investigating (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013. agencies, including the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI), the Enforcement Directorate ¾ BhoomiRashi portal was launched in 2018, to fully (ED) and the National Investigation Agency(NIA), digitize and automate the entire process of land which conduct interrogations and have the power acquisition. of arrest. ¾ The aim of the Green Highways (Plantation, z Oversight Bodies should be extended to the Transplantation, Beautification & Maintenance) state and district level. Policy, 2015 is to promote greening of Highway ¾ The current directions by corridors with participation of the community, Constitutional Dimension: the SC are the furtherance of the fundamental right farmers, private sector, NGOs, and government enshrined in Article 21 (Protection of life and personal institutions. liberty) of the Indian Constitution.

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€ Article 21: It states that no person shall be deprived z It is one of the most important physical security of his life or personal liberty except according to controls to address terrorism and other security the procedure established by law. threats. € The expanded scope of Article 21 has been z CCTV has incomparable value as a forensic tool explained by the SC in the case of Unni Krishnan as well as in deterring all types of physical and versus State of Andhra Pradesh 1993 and the SC electronic threats. has itself provided the list of some of the rights covered under Article 21 on the basis of earlier Waqf Boards in pronouncements and some of them are listed below: z Right to go abroad, right to privacy, right to Jammu and Kashmir shelter, right to social justice and economic empowerment, right against solitary confinement, Why in News right against handcuffing, right against delayed The process of establishing Waqf Boards in Jammu execution, right against custodial death, right and Kashmir and Leh-Kargil has started recently. against public hanging, doctors’ assistance, protection of cultural heritage, right of every Key Points child to full development, right to pollution-free ¾ There are thousands of Waqf properties in Jammu- water and air. Kashmir and Leh-Kargil and the process has been ¾ Data Related to Violence in Custody: started to register these Waqf properties. € According to the National Crime Records Bureau € Digitisation, Geo-Tagging/GPS Mapping of these (NCRB) data, between 2001 and 2018, only 26 Waqf properties has also been initiated. policemen were convicted of custodial violence ¾ The Central Government will provide adequate despite 1,727 such deaths being recorded in India. financial assistance to construct infrastructure for z Only 4.3% of the 70 deaths in 2018 were socio-economic and educational activities on Waqf attributed to injuries during custody due to properties in Jammu-Kashmir and Leh-Kargil under physical assault by police. the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK). € Apart from custodial deaths, more than 2,000 € PMJVK seeks to provide better socio-economic human rights violation cases were also recorded infrastructure facilities to the minority communities against the police between 2000 and 2018. And particularly in the field of education, health and only 344 policemen were convicted in those cases. skill development which would further lead to a ¾ India is not a signatory of the United Nations lessening of the gap between the national average Convention Against Torture which requires states and the minority communities with regard to to take effective measures to prevent torture in any backwardness parameters. territory under their jurisdiction and forbids states z The erstwhile Multi-sectoral Development to transport people to any country where there is a Programme has been restructured and renamed reason to believe they will be tortured. as PMJVK for effective implementation since ¾ Closed-Circuit Television: 2018. € It is a Television system in which signals are not publicly distributed but are monitored, primarily Central Waqf Council for surveillance and security purposes. ¾ Central Waqf Council is a statutory body under the administrative control of theMinistry of Minority € Components: It consists of basic components that set up in as per the provision given in do not vary much from system-to-system. At a high Affairs 1964 the Waqf Act, 1954. level, these include a camera (with a lens), cabling, a digital video recorder (DVR) or network video ¾ It is an advisory body to the Central Government recorder (NVR), and a video monitor. on matters concerning the working of the Waqf Boards and the due administration of Auqaf. € Security Uses:

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€ Auqaf (also spelt awkaf,) is an Arabic word years has grown to 130 crore, causing a massive meaning assets. asymmetry in the political representationin the country. € The Council consists of Chairperson, who is the Union Minister-in-charge of Waqf, such other Delimitation Commission members, not exceeding 20 in number, as may ¾ The Delimitation Commission is appointed by the be appointed by the Government of India. President of India and works in collaboration with ¾ Each state has a Waqf Board headed by a chairperson, the Election Commission of India. one or two nominees from the state government, ¾ Composition: Muslim legislators and parliamentarians, Muslim € Retired Supreme Court judge members of the State Bar Council, recognised scholars of Islamic theology and mutawalis. € Chief Election Commissioner € Respective State Election Commissioners Suggestions for ¾ Functions: € To determine the number and boundaries of Delimitation Exercise constituencies to make the population of all constituencies nearly equal. Why in News € To identify seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, wherever their population Pranab Mukherjee Foundation (PMF), a non is relatively large. governmental institution, has made suggestions for the next delimitation exercise. ¾ Delimitation Commissions have been set up four times — 1952, 1963, 1973 and 2002 under the Acts ¾ Delimitation literally means the act or process of fixing of 1952, 1962, 1972 and 2002. limits or boundaries of territorial constituencies in a country to represent changes in population. ¾ The Delimitation Commission in India is a high power body whose orders have the force of law Key Points and cannot be called in question before any court. ¾ Suggestions: The next delimitation exercise should be a two ­step process: Gender Gap and € A Delimitation Commission should be set up to Sensitisation in Judiciary draw the boundaries as per the 2031 Census and recommend the reorganisation of States based on population. Why in News € A State Reorganisation Act should be brought Recently, the Attorney General (AG) K K Venugopal, to give effect to the Delimitation Commissions’ in his written submission to theSupreme Court (SC), has recommendations“by splitting States into smaller emphasised the need for greater gender sensitisation ones”. among members of the judiciary. ¾ Current Scenario: ¾ He also highlighted that the figure of female judges € The 84th Amendment to the Constitution in 2002 has been consistently low across the Higher Judiciary. had put a freeze on the delimitation of Lok Sabha and State Assembly constituencies till the first Key Points Census after 2026. ¾ Background: € The current boundaries were drawn on the basis € The SC had asked AG and others to recommend of the 2001 Census, the number of Lok Sabha ways to improve gender sensitivity towards seats and State Assembly seats remained frozen victims while laying down bail conditions for sex on the basis of the 1971 Census. crime offenders. € The population according to the last census € The Bench had sought view on a plea about courts preceding the freeze was 50 crore, which in 50 imposing bail conditions for sex crime offenders

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which end up further harassing, objectifying € The entry of women judges is a positive step in the their victims. direction of judiciaries being perceived as being z The Madhya Pradesh (MP) High Court (HC) more transparent, inclusive, and representative asked a man (accused in a case of attempting of the people whose lives they affect. to outrage the modesty of a woman) to visit € Women judges enhance the legitimacy of courts, the home of the alleged victim and request sending a powerful signal that they are open and her to tie a rakhi. accessible to those who seek recourse to justice. ¾ Data on Gender Gap in Judiciary: € Women judges bring those lived experiences € The SC only has 2 women judges, as against the 34 to their judicial actions, experiences that tend seats reserved for women judges and there has toward a more comprehensive and empathetic never been a female Chief Justice of India (CJI). perspective. € There are only 80 women judges out of the total € Adjudication is enhanced by the presence of sanctioned strength of 1,113 judges in the SC women who bring to the fore considerations that and the HCs. would not have been taken into account in their z Out of these 80 women judges, there are only absence and the scope of the discussion is hence two in the SC, and the other 78 are in various enlarged, possibly preventing ill-considered or HCs, comprising only 7.2% of the total number improper decisions. of judges. € By elucidating how laws and rulings can be based z Of the 26 courts whose data was accessed, on gender stereotypes, or how they might have including the SC, the Punjab and Haryana HCs a different impact on women and men, agender has the maximum strength of women judges perspective enhances the fairness of adjudication, (11 out of 85 judges) in the country, followed which ultimately benefits both men and women. by the Madras HC (9 out of 75 judges). Both ¾ Suggestions: Delhi and Bombay HCs have 8 women judges. € Courts should declare that such remarks (MP HC z The HCs of Manipur, Meghalaya, Patna, Tripura, issue) are unacceptable which can potentially Telangana, and Uttarakhand, do not have any cause harm to the victim and to society at large. women in the sitting judges. € Judicial orders should conform to certain judicial € Currently, no data is centrally maintained on the standards and necessary steps have to be taken number of women in tribunals or lower courts. to ensure that this does not happen in the future. € In the senior designation of lawyers, there are € The SC must direct the collection of data to only 17 women senior counsel designates in the determine the number of women judges in the SC as opposed to 403 men. lower judiciary and tribunals and also to determine z The Delhi HC has 8 women and 229 men the year-wise number of senior designates by designates. Similarly, in the Bombay HC, there all HCs. are 6 women and 157 men designates. € Greater representation of women should be ¾ Importance of Women in Judiciary: ensured at all levels of the judiciary, including the SC and this initiative must come from the SC € The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 5 itself, considering that the power of appointment and SDG 16 in particular), address the global rests almost exclusively with the SC Collegium. responsibility of having gender equality and z The judges of the SC are appointed by the women’s representation in public institutions President. The CJI is appointed by the President such as the judiciary. after consultation with such judges of the SC € Achieving equality for women judges is important and HCs as (s)he deems necessary. not only because it is a right for women, but also z The other judges are appointed by the President because it is right for the achievement of a more after consultation with the CJI and such other just rule of law. Women judges strengthen the judges of the SC and the HCs as (s)he deems judiciary and help to gain the public’s trust. necessary. The consultation with the CJI is

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obligatory in the case of appointment of a judge expression of the ideas by the students becomes other than CJI. fairly easy. € The goal must be to achieve at least 50% € Practiced by Many Countries: Across the globe, representation of women in all leadership positions classroom teaching is pursued in a variety of regional and there should be a mandatory training of all languages, be it France or Germany or Russia or a lawyers on gender sensitisation. country like China, which has over 300 languages z Judges, who might belong to the “old school” and and dialects with 8 of them being the major ones. are maybe “patriarchal” in outlook, should be € Creates Inclusion: It will help in social inclusiveness, sensitised to deal with cases of sexual violence improving literacy rates, reduction in poverty and so that they do not pass orders objectifying international cooperation.Language can become women in such cases. a catalyst for inclusive development. Removal of the existing linguistic barriers will help in realizing Technical Education the goal of inclusive governance. ¾ Challenges: Providing technical education in regional in Mother Tongue languages requires teachers proficient in undertaking classes in the vernacular medium along with English, Why in News textbooks and reference materials in regional languages, besides technological assistance such as Recently, the Union Education Minister has set up audio translation aids. a task force for preparing a roadmap on imparting ¾ Government Initiatives to Promote Regional of students. technical education in the mother tongue Languages: Key Points € The recently announced National Education Policy 2020 promotes education in regional languages. ¾ The Task force: € The Commission for Scientific and Technical € Chairmanship: It will be set-up under the Terminology (CSTT) is providing publication grants chairmanship of the secretary, higher education, towards the publications of University Level Books Amit Khare. in regional languages. € Objective:To achieve the Prime Minister’s vision z It was established in 1961 to evolve technical that students may pursue the professional courses terminology in all Indian Languages. such as medicine, engineering, law, etc in their € The National Translation Mission (NTM) is being mother tongue. implemented through the Central Institute of z This is part of the National Education Policy Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysore under which (NEP) 2020 which suggests teaching in regional the text books of various subjects prescribed in language till class 8 and enabling teaching the Universities and Colleges are being translated in curriculum in a language which a student is all languages of the Eighth Schedule. comfortable in. z CIIL was established in 1969 under the € Function: It will take into consideration the administrative control of the Ministry of suggestions made by various stakeholders and Education. will submit a report in a month. € The Government of India is running a scheme known ¾ Reasons for imparting technical education in regional as “Protection and Preservation of Endangered languages: Languages” for conservation of threatened languages. € Enhances formative learning: It has been € The University Grants Commission (UGC) also observed that the human mind is more receptive promotes regional languages in higher education to communication in the language in which it is courses in the country and supports nine Central accustomed to thinking from childhood. Universities under the scheme “Establishment z When explained in regional languages, especially of Centre for Endangered Languages in Central mother tongue, grabbing the concepts or Universities”.

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€ Recently, an initiative Namath Basai by Kerala State duty of the Union to promote the spread of the Government has proved to be very beneficial in Hindi language. educatingchildren from tribal areas by adopting ¾ The Eighth Schedule recognises following vernacular languages as medium of instruction. 22 languages: Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, ¾ Global Efforts: Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, € The Yuelu Proclamation made by United Nations Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Bodo, Santhali, Maithili (UNESCO) at Changsha, China, in 2018 plays a and Dogri. central role in guiding the efforts of countries ¾ Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009 says that the and regions around the world to protect linguistic medium of instruction shall, as far as practicable, resources and diversity. be in a child’s mother tongue. € The United Nations General Assembly had proclaimed 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages (IYIL). Tharu Tribals z The IYIL 2019 aimed to preserve, support and promote indigenous languages at the national, Why in News regional and international levels. The Uttar Pradesh (UP) government is working to Constitutional and Legal connect Tharu villages in the districts of Balrampur, Provisions Safeguarding Regional Languages Bahraich, Lakhimpur and Pilibhit bordering Nepal, with the home stay scheme of the UP Forest Department. ¾ Article 29 (Protection of interests of minorities) gives all citizens right to conserve their language and ¾ The idea is to offer tourists an experience of living in prohibits discrimination on the basis of language. the natural Tharu habitat, in traditional huts made of grass collected mainly from the forests. ¾ Article 120 (Language to be used in Parliament) provides for use of Hindi or English for transactions ¾ This is expected to create jobs and bring economic of Parliament but gives the right to members of independence for the tribal population. Parliament to express themselves in their mother Key Points tongue. ¾ Part XVII of the Indian Constitution deals with the ¾ Meaning of ‘Tharu’: The word tharu is believed to be official languages in Articles 343 to 351. derived from sthavir, meaning followers of Theravada Buddhism. € Article 350A (Facilities for instruction in mother- tongue at primary stage) provides that it shall be ¾ Habitat: The Tharu community belongs to the Terai the endeavour of every State and of every local lowlands, amid the Shivaliks or lower Himalayas. authority within the State to provide adequate € Terai is a region of northern India and southern facilities for instruction in the mother-tongue Nepal running parallel to the lower ranges of the at the primary stage of education to children Himalayas. belonging to linguistic minority groups. € The Tharus live in both India and Nepal. In the € Article 350B (Special Officer for linguistic Indian terai, they live mostly in Uttarakhand, Uttar minorities): The President should appoint a special Pradesh, and Bihar. officer for linguistic minorities to investigate all ¾ Scheduled Tribe: Tharu is a scheduled tribe in the matters relating to the constitutional safeguards states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradeshand Bihar. for linguistic minorities and to report to him. The ¾ Occupation: Most of them are forest dwellers, and President should place all such reports before some practice agriculture. the Parliament and send to the state government ¾ Culture: concerned. € They speak various dialects of Tharu, a language € Article 351 (Directive for development of of the Indo-Aryan subgroup, and variants of Hindi, provides that it shall be the the Hindi language) Urdu, and Awadhi.

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€ Tharus worship Lord Shiva as Mahadev, and call ¾ The Constitution is silent about the criteria for their supreme being “Narayan”, who they believe specification of a community as a Scheduled Tribe. is the provider of sunshine, rain, and harvests. Primitiveness, geographical isolation, shyness and € Tharu women have stronger property rights than social, educational & economic backwardnessare the is allowed to women in mainstream North Indian traits that distinguish Scheduled Tribe communities Hindu custom. from other communities. € Standard items on the Tharu plate are bagiya or ¾ There are certain Scheduled Tribes, 75 in number dhikri – which is a steamed dish of rice flour that known as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups is eaten with chutney or curry – and ghonghi, (PVTGs), who are characterised by:- a) pre- an edible snail that is cooked in a curry made of agriculture level of technology; b) stagnant or coriander, chili, garlic, and onion. declining population; c) extremely low literacy; and d) subsistence level of economy. Theravada Buddhism ¾ Government Initiatives: The Scheduled Tribes and ¾ It is strongest in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Laos and Myanmar. It is sometimes called‘Southern Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA); The Provision of the Buddhism’. Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, ¾ The name means ‘the doctrine of the elders’ - the 1996; Minor Forest Produce Act 2005; SC And ST elders being the senior Buddhist monks. (Prevention Of Atrocities) Act; and the Tribal Sub- ¾ This school of Buddhism believes that it has remained Plan Strategy are focused on the socio-economic closest to the original teachings of the Buddha. empowerment of STs. However, it does not over-emphasise the status of these teachings in a fundamentalist way - they are seen as tools to help people understand the truth, Medicine Supplies and not as having merit of their own. and Make in India ¾ It emphasises attaining self-liberation through one’s own efforts. The follower is expected to “abstain Why in News from all kinds of evil, to accumulate all that is good and to purify their mind”. Recently, the Ministry of Railways has written to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade € The ideal of Theravada Buddhism is the arhat, (DPIIT) seeking or perfected saint, who attains enlightenment exemption for procuring certain medical manufactured outside India, particularly medicines as a result of his own efforts. items used in the treatment of Covid-19, cancer, etc. ¾ Meditation is one of the main tools by which a ¾ DPIIT is a under the Theravada Buddhist transforms themselves, and so central government department . a monk spends a great deal of time in meditation. Ministry of Commerce and Industry Scheduled Tribe Key Points ¾ Article 366 (25) of the Constitution refers to ¾ Background: Scheduled Tribes as those communities, who are € In August 2020, Northern Railway formally wrote scheduled in accordance with Article 342 of the to the Railway Board, expressing difficulty in Constitution. procuring drugs and surgical items in the light ¾ Article 342 says that only those communities who of the Make in India policy. have been declared as such by the President through z Indian Railways is one of the largest employers an initial public notification or through a subsequent in the country with over 12 lakh employees and amending Act of Parliament will be considered to has its own network of healthcare infrastructure, be Scheduled Tribes. including super speciality hospitals in all Zonal ¾ The list of Scheduled Tribes is State/UT specific Headquarters. and a community declared as a Scheduled Tribe in € It highlighted that certain drugs used in cancer a State need not be so in another State. treatment and the supplies of antiviral medicines

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and the vaccines for Covid-19 are manufactured Department of Expenditure in May 2020 order outside India but available in the Indian market to restrict global tender enquiry for contracts through agents or dealers, who may not fall worth more than Rs. 200 crore. under the Class-I or Class-II categories, which is z This was intended to enable floating of local required for purchases under the new Make in tenders by procuring entities of the government India guidelines. to benefit local entities. z The revised Public Procurement (Preference to € The purpose of seeking relaxation wasto achieve Make in India), Order 2017 introduced a concept indigenisation of the items that are presently of Class-I, II and non-local suppliers, based on not being manufactured in the country and the which they will get preference in government objective is defeated in case the subject relaxation purchases of goods and services. is granted. z In June 2020, the government modified public ¾ The DPIIT has forwarded the issue to the Department procurement norms to give maximum preference of Pharmaceuticals and Ministry of Health and to companies whose goods and services have Family Welfare, which are the nodal agencies for 50% or more local content, a move aimed at Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices and Equipment. promoting ‘Make in India’ and making the ¾ The Ministry of Railways was advised to exercise country self-reliant. the powers conferred under Para 14 of the Make ¾ Issue: in India policy guidelines with the approval of the € In the existing Make in India policy, there is no Minister-in-charge to seek relaxation in any particular window available to procure such items from the procurement, if required. suppliers who may not meet the Local Content € Para 14 empowers Ministries and various Criteria required for Class-I and Class-II Local Departments to grant an exemption and to reduce Supplier category. minimum local content. z Class-I is a local supplier or service provider whose goods, services or works offered for procurement have local content equal to or Partners in Population more than 50%. and Development Initiative z Class-II is a supplier or service provider whose goods, services or works offered for procurement Why in News have a local content of more than 20% but less than 50%. Recently, the Union Minister for Health and Family z Only these two categories of suppliers shall be Welfare has digitally addressed the Inter-Ministerial eligible to bid in the procurement of all goods, Conference by Partners in Population and Development services or works and with an estimated value (PPD). of purchases of less than Rs. 200 crores. Key Points € It is therefore proposed to seek an exemption to procure such medicines and medical items from ¾ Partners in Population and Development: Indian Market from ‘non-local suppliers’ (suppliers € Aim: It is an intergovernmental initiative created who supply local content of less than 20%). specifically for the purpose of expanding and € However, the DPIIT informed that procurement improving South-South Cooperation in the fields of of imported items through Indian agents/ reproductive health, population, and development. traders amounted to an indirect violation of the € Launch: PPD was launched at the 1994 International General Finance Rules, 2017 and hence, it was Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), not recommended and advised to get specific when ten developing countries from Asia, Africa relaxation for procurement of such medicines/ and Latin America formed an intergovernmental medical equipment. alliance to help implement the Cairo Program of z Rule 161 (iv) of GFR 2017 was amended by the Action (POA).

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z The POA, endorsed by 179 nations, stresses raising public health expenditure to 2.5% of the the need to establish mechanisms to promote Gross Domestic Product (GDP). development through the sharing of experiences € Continuous efforts to substantially reduce the in reproductive health (RH) and family planning unmet need for contraception by increasing the (FP) within and among countries. range of contraceptives and improving accessibility € Members: An alliance of 27 developing countries. and quality of family planning services. India is a member country. € Implementation ofSurakshit Matritva Aashwasan € Secretariat: Dhaka, Bangladesh (SUMAN) initiative for achieving the Sustainable ¾ Inter-Ministerial Conference by PPD: Development Goal (SDG) target for reducing Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) to less than 70 € It was jointly organised by PPD, National Health by 2030. Commission of China (NHC) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). € It is enacting stringent legislation to address gender-based violence and eliminate all forms € Objective: of atrocities against women and girls. z Advocate and ensure political support and € Dedicated to providing quality, timely and investment to address the effects of Covid-19 disaggregated data, investing in digital health pandemic in the achievement of the Three innovations, and improvement of data systems Zeros by 2030, finalised under the Nairobi by 2030 to achieve sustainable development. Summit 2019. z The National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) aims € India appreciated the efforts of PPDin promoting to develop the backbone necessary to support cooperation in key areas of reproductive health, the integrated digital health infrastructure of population and development. the country. Nairobi Summit € India’s Covid-19 response started even before it ¾ In November 2019, the Nairobi Summit, also was declared as a pandemic by the World Health known as ICPD+25, was held in Nairobi, Kenya, to Organisation (WHO). th celebrate the 25 anniversary of the ICPD (held in € Community-based interventions including family Cairo in 1994). planning are also a part of various services provided. ¾ The UNFPA and the Government of Kenya hosted € Promotion of alternate service delivery mechanisms the Nairobi Summit, which brought together gov- along with telemedicine services, digital platforms ernments, UN agencies, private sector organizations, for training, improving finances and streamlining women’s groups and youth networks to discuss supply chain systems. and agree on initiatives to further advance the implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action. ¾ Three Zeros by 2030: Pledges were announced to Scheme for Special Assistance achieve zero preventable maternal deaths, zero to States for Capital Expenditure unmet need for family planning, and zero gender- . based violence and harmful practices by 2030 Why in News ¾ Steps Taken by India: All the States except Tamil Nadu have availed benefits € Steadfast in its reaffirmation of the commitments of the scheme for “Special Assistance to States for Capital made at the Nairobi Summit. Expenditure”. € Committed to ensuringuniversal health coverage ¾ The scheme was announced by the Ministry of Finance through its flagship programmeAyushman Bharat. as a part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat package. € The Government has pledged USD 3 billion by 2020 for improving reproductive health services. Key Points € With aspirations of achieving universal health ¾ Background: As part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Package, care, India’s National Health Policy 2017 aims at the government had announced that the Centre will

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offer Rs. 12,000 crore special interest-free 50-year loan € Capital spending is associated with investment to states, exclusively for capital expenditure. or development spending, where expenditure ¾ Aim: To boost capital expenditure by the State has benefits extending years into the future. governments which are facing a difficult financial ¾ Significance: environment this year due to the shortfall in tax € Capital expenditure, which leads to the creation revenue arising from the Covid-19 pandemic. of assets are long-term in nature and allow the ¾ Three Parts: economy to generate revenue for many years € Part–I of the scheme covers the north-eastern by adding or improving production facilities and region (Rs. 200 crores). boosting operational efficiency. € Part-II is for all other States (Rs. 7500 crores). € It also increases labour participation, takes € Part-III of the scheme is aimed at pushing various stock of the economy and raises its capacity to citizen-centric reforms in the States. produce more in future. z Under this Part, an amount of Rs. 2000 crores ¾ Different from Revenue Expenditure: is earmarked. € Unlike capital expenditure, which creates assets z This amount will be available only to those for the future, revenue expenditure is one that States which carry out at least three out of neither creates assets nor reduces any liability the four reforms specified by the Ministry of the government. of Finance on the reform-linked additional € Salaries of employees, interest payment on past borrowing permissions. debt, subsidies, pension, etc, fall under the category z Four Reforms: One nation one ration card, of revenue expenditure. It is recurring in nature. ease of doing business, urban local body/ utility reform and power sector reforms. National ¾ Status: € The Ministry of Finance has approved Rs. 9,879.61 Family Health Survey-5 crore worth of capital expenditure proposals of 27 States. Why in News z Of this, Rs. 4,939.81 crore has been released Recently, the first-phase data of the National Family as the first instalment. Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) 2019-20 has been released by € The capital expenditure projects have been the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. approved in diverse sectors such as health, rural ¾ NFHS is a large-scale, multi-round survey conducted development, water supply, irrigation, power, in a representative sample of households throughout transport, education, urban development. India. ¾ Capital Expenditure All NFHSs have been conducted under the stewardship of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, ¾ Meaning: Government of India, with the International Institute € Capital expenditure is the money spent by the for Population Sciences (IIPS) Mumbai, serving as government on the development of machinery, the nodal agency. equipment, building, health facilities, education, € Established in 1956 under the joint sponsorship of etc. Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, the Government of India and € It also includes the expenditure incurred on the United Nations (UN), IIPS has established itself acquiring fixed assets like land and investment as the premier institute for training and research by the government that gives profits or dividend in population studies for developing countries in in future. the Asia and Pacific region. € Along with the creation of assets, repayment ¾ Phase 2 of the survey (covering remaining states) of loan is also capital expenditure, as it reduces was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and its liability. results are expected to be made available in May 2021.

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Key Points ¾ Child Wasting: ¾ About the Survey: € It reflects acute undernutrition and refers to children having low weight for their height. € The NFHS-5 captured data during 2014-19 and its content is similar to NFHS-4 (2015-16) to allow € India has always had a high level of child wasting. comparisons over time and alsomarks a shift from it. z Instead of reducing it, Telangana, Kerala, Bihar, € It provides an indicator for tracking 30 Sustainable Assam and Jammu-Kashmir witnessed an Development Goals (SDGs) that the country aims increase and Maharashtra and West Bengal to achieve by 2030. have been stagnant. ¾ € However, NFHS-5 includes some new topics, such Share of Children Underweight: as preschool education, disability, access to a toilet € In the proportion of underweight children, big facility, death registration, bathing practices during states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal, menstruation, and methods and reasons for abortion. Telangana, Assam and Kerala have seen an increase. € In 2019, for the first time, the NFHS-5 sought ¾ Child Mortality Rate: details on the percentage of women and men € Infant Mortality Rate (the number of deaths who have ever used the Internet. per 1000 live births for children under the age ¾ Data Analysis: of 1) and Under 5 Mortality Rate data is mostly € Several states across the country have reversed stagnant. course and recorded worsening levels of child € Between NFHS-3 (2005-05) and NFHS-4, there malnutrition despite improvements in sanitation was progress on mortality reduction but NFHS-5 and better access to fuel and drinking water. and NFHS-4 are about five years apart still there z The latest data captures the state of health in is very little progress in many states. the states before the pandemic. € In Maharashtra, the under-5 mortality rate is € Several states have either witnessed meagre basically the same in NFHS-4 and in Bihar, it improvements or sustained reversals on four key reduced by just 3% over five years. metrics of child (under 5 years of age) malnutrition € Over 60% of child mortality is explained by child parameters. malnutrition, which is the central problem and z These four key metrics are child stunting, child needs to be addressed. wasting, share of children underweight and ¾ Urban-rural Gender Gaps in Internet Use: child mortality rate. € There is an urban-rural gap as well as gender z The data from these metrics is also used in several divide with respect to the use of the Internet in global indices such as the Global Hunger Index. several states and union territories. ¾ Child Stunting: z On average, less than 3 out of 10 women in € The most surprising reversals have happened in rural India and 4 out of 10 women in urban child stunting, which reflectschronic undernutrition, India ever used the Internet. and refers to the percentage of children who have € General Data: An average 42.6% of women ever low height for their age. used the Internet as against an average of 62.16% € Stunting, more than any other factor, is likely to among the men. have long-lasting adverse effects on the cognitive € In Urban India: An average of 56.81% of women and physical development of a child. ever used the Internet compared to an average € Telangana, Gujarat, Kerala, Maharashtra, and of 73.76% among the men. West Bengal saw increased levels of child stunting. € In Rural India: A dismal 33.94% women in rural € The reversals in child stunting are “hugely troubling” India ever used the Internet as against 55.6% as normally, stunting levels do not increase because among men. all the things that affect child growth tend to z The percentage of women, who ever used improve as stable democracies and economies the Internet, significantly dropped in rural move ahead. India.

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z The government’s renovation and modernisation Reducing Emissions policies need to play a key role in maintaining from Coal-Based Power Sector the efficiency of this fleet. € Planning for the Old Capacity: z In 2015, over in India was more Why in News 34 GW capacity than 25 years old, and 60 % of it was highly Recently, in a webinar by think-tank Centre for inefficient. Science and Environment (CSE), experts discussed the z Increasing India’s renewable electricity measures to reduce carbon dioxide (CO ) footprints of 2 generation can help further the cause to India’s coal-based power sector. accelerate the retirement of old and inefficient ¾ Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) is a public plants. interest research and advocacy organisation based € Propagating Biomass Co-firing: in New Delhi. z Biomass co-firing stands for adding biomass ¾ CSE researches into, lobbies for and communicates as a partial substitute fuel in high efficiency the urgency of development that is both sustainable coal boilers. and equitable. „ Coal and biomass are combusted together Key Points in boilers that have been designed to burn coal. For this purpose, the existing coal ¾ Power Generation in India: power plant has to be partly reconstructed € India mainly uses three types of thermal power and retrofitted. plants- Coal, Gas and Liquid-fuel based. „ Co-firing is an option to convert biomass to € The electricity generated by these plants adds up to electricity, in an efficient and clean way, and 62.2% of the total power generation in the country. to reduce GHG emissions of the power plant ¾ Emissions from coal-based Power Sector: z Biomass co-firing is a globally accepted cost- € India’s coal-based thermal power sector is one of effective method for decarbonising a coal fleet.

the country’s biggest emitters of CO2. „ Decarbonising means reducing carbon € It emits 1.1 giga-tonne of CO2 every year; this is intensity, i.e. reducing the emissions per 2.5% of global GreenHouse Gas (GHG) emissions, unit of electricity generated (often given in one-third of India’s GHG emissions, and around grams of carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour).

50% of India’s fuel-related CO2 emissions. z India is a country where biomass is usually burnt on the field which reflects apathy towards resolving the problem of clean coal using a very simple solution that is readily available. € Investing inCarbon Capture and Storage (CCS): z Globally, carbon capture and storage has struggled to pick up and India’s prospects appear to be dim at least until 2030. z Businesses should invest in indigenous research and development to bring down the costs of CCS. € Coal Beneficiation: ¾ Policies Needed to Reduce Emissions: z Coal Beneficiation is a process by which the € Improving fleet technology and efficiency, quality of raw coal is improved by either reducing renovating and modernising: the extraneous matter that gets extracted along z India has one of the youngest coal-based thermal with the mined coal or reducing the associated plants in the world, with around 64% of the ash or both. capacity (132 GW) less than a decade old. ¾ Other Initiatives to Reduce Emissions:

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€ India shifted from Bharat Stage-IV (BS-IV) to Bharat ¾ About the White Paper: st Stage-VI (BS-VI) emission norms from 1 April € This paper is a joint effort of Health Vertical, NITI 2020 which was earlier to be adopted by 2024. Aayog, and Institute for Global Public Health, € It has distributed more than 360 million LED bulbs University of Manitoba, Canada with contributions under the UJALA scheme, which has led to energy from technical experts from the Government of saving of about 47 billion units of electricity per India, States, and International agencies.

year and reduction of 38 million tonnes of CO2 € It lays out India’s vision 2035 for PHS through per year. the integration of the three-tiered (primary, € International Solar Alliance: It is an Indian initiative secondary and tertiary)public health system into conceived as a coalition of solar-resource-rich Ayushman Bharat. countries (which lie either completely or partly € It contributes by suggesting mainstreaming of between the tropic of Cancer and the tropic of surveillance by making individual electronic health Capricorn) to address their special energy needs. records the basis for surveillance. € The National Action Plan on Climate Change ¾ Main Features: (NAPCC) was launched in 2008 which aims at € Strengthen non-communicable disease prevention, creating awareness among the representatives of detection, control and to reduce out of pocket the public, different agencies of the government, expenses of individuals and families. scientists, industry and the communities on the € It builds on initiatives such as the Integrated threat posed by climate change and the steps to Health Information Platform of the Integrated counter it. Disease Surveillance Program. € Aligns with the citizen-centricity highlighted in Vision 2035: Public the National Health Policy 2017 and the National Health Surveillance in India Digital Health Blueprint. z It encourages the use of mobile and digital platforms and point of care devices and diagnostics Why in News for amalgamation of data capture and analyses. Recently, the NITI Aayog has released a white paper, € It highlights the importance of capitalizing on “Vision 2035: Public Health Surveillance in India” which initiatives such as the Clinical Establishments is envisaged to serve as a vision document to propel (Registration and Regulation) Act 2010 to enhance Public Health Surveillance (PHS) in India and establish private sector involvement in surveillance. India as a global leader in the area. € It points out the importance of a cohesive and ¾ A white paper is an informational document, usually coordinated effort of apex institutions including issued by a company or not-for-profit organization, the National Centre for Disease Control, the Indian to promote or highlight the features of a solution, Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and others. product, or service. ¾ Vision: € To make India’s PHS system more responsive and Key Points predictive to enhance preparedness for action ¾ Background: at all levels. € NITI Aayog’s mandate is to provide strategic € To make it more citizen-friendly to ensure individual directions to the various sectors of the Indian privacy and confidentiality, enabled with a client economy. In line with this mandate, the Health feedback mechanism. Vertical released a set of four working-papers € To improve data-sharing mechanisms between compiled in a volume entitled Health‘ Systems for Centre and states for better disease detection, New India: Building Blocks-Potential Pathways to prevention, and control. Reforms’ during November 2019. € To provide regional and global leadership in € This white paper is a continuation of the work on managing events that constitute a public health strengthening the health systems. emergency of international concern.

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Public Health Surveillance exists in India and other factors like integration of surveillance for NCD risk factors, surveillance of ¾ PHS is an important public health function thatcuts injury and accidents, air pollution and its effects, across the three-tiered public health system and etc, are . care provided. Surveillance is ‘Information for Action’ yet to be included in surveillance and is an essential action for disease detection, € Lack of Occupational Health Surveillance: This type prevention, and control. of surveillance addresses issues like lead toxicity, ¾ Challenges: silicosis, etc. Whatever data has been generated hardly became part of India’s PHS system. € Data Collection and Sharing:Various verticals to collect data work differently and in separation € Emerging Challenges: Growing antimicrobial with no mechanism for data sharing. resistance (AMR), new infectious diseases or new strains of existing diseases and increased z There is no single system where surveillance rate of NCDs. data generated by target specific populations like the National AIDS Control Programme, ¾ Suggestions: National TB Elimination Programme, etc. could € Creation of a skilled and strong health workforce be understood in its entirety. dedicated to surveillance activities. € Poor Quality Data: The data generated is of low € Integrationof NCDs, reproductive and child health, quality and the research or use of data to answer occupational and environmental health and injury critical health policy questions of the country has into PHS. been very limited. € Merger of morbidity data from health information € Limited Synchronisation: There is the limited systems. ability of programme implementation structures € Amalgamationof plant, animal, and environmental to work in synchrony with research organisations surveillance in a One-Health approach that also and vice versa. includes surveillance for antimicrobial resistance € Missing Linkages: India invests significant resources and predictive capability for pandemics. in the registration of deaths. However, various € Strengthening of laboratory capacity with new reviews have not been able to link the causes diagnostic technologies including molecular of mortality with morbidities. There was still no diagnostics, genotyping, and phenotyping. proper linking to find common ground between € Establishment of a governance framework that is the causes of diseases and deaths. inclusive of political, policy, technical, and managerial € Lack of Human Resources: Human resources leadership at the national and state level. also form a formidable challenge. As many as € Enhancement of surveillance of NCDs, citizen- 42% vacancies existed at state and district level centric and community-based surveillance and use surveillance systems. of point of care devices and self-care diagnostics. z Most of the positions of the Central Surveillance € Prioritization of diseases that can be targeted for Unit at the Centre are filled either by deputation elimination as a public health problem, regularly. or on contract and the individuals are loaded with multiple other responsibilities. € Improvement of core support functions and system attributes for surveillance at all levels. € Lack of Epidemic Intelligence: India does not have an adequate number of public health professionals € Establishment of mechanisms to streamline data having expertise in the field. sharing, capture, analysis, and dissemination for z ‘Epidemic intelligence’ can be defined as all the action. activities related to early identification of potential z These could include the use of situation-aware health threats, their verification, assessment real-time signals from social media, mobile and investigation in order to recommend public sensor networks, and participatory surveillance health measures to control them. systems for event-based epidemic intelligence. € Under-developed Systems: A non-communicable € Encouragement of innovations at every step-in diseases (NCDs) surveillance system hardly surveillance activity.

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€ Key Areas of Focus and Application: Formulation of z Auto and ancillary auto and motor spare part Policy for 3D Printing business, such as engines, interior and exterior parts of luxury vehicles, or landing gear, complex brackets, and turbine blades. Why in News z There can be some application of it in consumer The Ministry of Electronics and Information electronics, printed circuit boards, clothing, toys Technology (MeitY) will soon come up with a policy aimed and jewellery as well. at promoting 3D printing on an industrial scale in view € Challenges: of its emerging market. z Lack of Standards: Since 3D printing is a very Key Points niche and new domain, there are no global qualifications and certification .norms ¾ 3D Printing: z Hesitation in Adoption:Another challenge is to € 3D printing or additive manufacturing uses convince the industry and ministries to push computer-aided designing to make prototypes for its adoption in their respective sectors as or working models of objects by laying down any new technology, which is not understood successive layers of materials such as plastic, resin, easily, faces a tough time. thermoplastic, metal, fibre or ceramic. z Risk of Job Losses: In the initial meetings € With the help of software, themodel to be printed on the subject, there was a lot of resistance is first developed by the computer, which then gives instructions to the 3D printer. on whether this technology would eat into the jobs of highly-skilled workers in the € 3D printing and a viable industry around it is mostly medical equipment or aerospace technology in the shape of additive manufacturing, wherein sectors. companies make specific products for projects z where there are very specific demands such as High Costing:Although actual printing is cheap, lightweight equipment, etc. parts to build a 3D printer are very expensive as the equipment and manufacturing costs z One of the key applications for such products are very high. In addition, there is a concern is in the medical and allied sector. about warranty hence, resource companies € The USA remains the global leader in 3D printing, are hesitant to put 3D-printed parts into their with more than 35% market share. machines if they are not covered for damage z In Asia, about 50% of its market is cornered in case the parts fail. by China, followed by Japan at 30%, and South z Sector Specific Challenges:Globally and even in at 10%. Korea India, the largest consumer of 3D printing is the ¾ Features of the Policy: automotive industry and right now it is going € Encourage market leaders to establish global through a lot of changes like the introduction bases for 3D manufacturing in India, while also of BS-VI and electric vehicles. New vehicle discouraging imports of printed material for design development has slowed and so has domestic requirements. the demand for 3D printing. € Objectives: € Potential Market: z Help develop a conducive ecosystem for design, z According to MeitY’s estimates, theglobal market development and deployment of 3D printing for additive manufacturingis expected to reach and additive manufacturing. USD 34.8 billion by 2024, which is growing at a z Help domestic companies to overcome technical compound annual growth rate of 23.2%. and economic barriers so that they can build z 3D printingmay not lead to an increase in net supportive and ancillary facilities for world leaders employment, but this technology is something in the technology, such as the USA and China. which can be pushed ahead.

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¾ National Energy Conservation Awards: National Energy € These Awards are given by eminent dignitaries of Conservation Day 2020 the Government of India to Industries, Buildings, Transport and Institutions sectors along with Energy Efficient Manufacturers to recognize Why in News innovation and achievements made by them in The National Energy Conservation Day is organized energy conservation. th on by the th 14 December every year Bureau of Energy € The awards were given for the first time on 14 Efficiency (BEE) with an aim to showcase India’s December, 1991, which is celebrated as “National achievements in energy efficiency and conservation. Energy Conservation Day” throughout the country. ¾ The National Energy Conservation Awards are given ¾ Schemes To Promote Energy Conservation and on the occasion. Energy Efficiency: Key Points € The Ministry of Power through the BEE is implementing various policies and schemes viz. ¾ Energy Conservation: PAT Scheme, Standard and Labelling, Energy € It is any behavior that results in the use of less Conservation Building Codes and Demand Side energy. Management. z Turning the lights off when leaving the room z PAT Scheme: and recycling aluminum cans are both ways of „ Perform Achieve and Trade Scheme (PAT) is conserving energy. a market based mechanism to enhance the € It is different from the term ‘energy efficiency’, cost effectiveness in improving the Energy which is using technology that requires less energy Efficiency in Energy Intensive industries to perform the same function. through certification of energy saving which z Using a Light-Emitting Diode (LED) light bulb can be traded. or a Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulb that „ It is a part of the National Mission for requires less energy than an incandescent light Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE), which is bulb to produce the same amount of light is an one of the eight missions under the National example of energy efficiency. Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). € The Energy Conservation (EC) Act was enacted in z Standards and Labeling: 2001 with the goal of reducing the energy intensity „ The scheme was launched in 2006 and is of Indian economy. currently invoked for equipments/appliances z The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) was Room Air Conditioner (Fixed/VariableSpeed), set up as the statutory body in 2002 at the Ceiling Fan, Colour Television, Computer, Direct central level to facilitate the implementation Cool Refrigerator, Distribution Transformer, of the EC Act. Domestic Gas Stove, General Purpose „ It functions under the Ministry of Power. Industrial Motor, LED Lamps, Agricultural € India’s energy demand is expected to double Pumpset, etc. between 2013 and 2030, to approximately 1500 „ It provides the consumer an informed choice million tons of oil equivalent. about the energy saving and thereby the cost ¾ Energy Conservation Act, 2001: The Act provides saving potential of the relevant marketed regulatory mandates for: product. € Standards & labeling of equipment and appliances; z Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC): € Energy conservation building codes for commercial „ It was developed for new commercial buildings; and buildings in 2007. € Energy consumption norms for energy intensive „ ECBC sets minimum energy standards for industries. new commercial buildings having a connected

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load of 100kW (kilowatt) or contract demand to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, of 120 KVA (kilovolt-ampere) and above. compared to pre-industrial levels. „ BEE has also developed a voluntary Star Rating z As a part of the Paris Agreement, India has Programme for buildings which is based on committed to reducing its energy intensity the actual performance of a building, in terms (units of energy use per unit of GDP) by 33-35% of energy usage in the building over its area by 2030 compared to the 2005 levels. expressed in kWh/sq. m/year. € Mission Innovation (MI): z Demand Side Management: z It is a global initiative of 24 countries and the „ DSM is the selection, planning, and European Commission (on behalf of the European implementation of measures intended to Union) to accelerate clean energy innovation. have an influence on the demand or customer- z India is one of the member countries side of the electric meter. € Furthermore, the development of Energy Conservation Guidelines and State Energy Vehicle Insurance in India Efficiency Preparedness Indexare complimented within different sectors of Industries and States for Why in News implementing the energy efficiency programmes Recently, the Insurance Information Bureau (IIB) of more effectively. India has released the Motor Annual Report 2018-19. € India’s first convergence project to generate green ¾ IIB was promoted by the Insurance Regulatory energy for rural and agriculture consumption is Development Authority of India (IRDAI) as a single set to come up in Goa. platform to meet the needs of the insurance industry, ¾ Global Efforts: in 2009. € International Energy Agency: Key Points z It works with countries around the world to shape energy policies for a secure and sustainable ¾ Uninsured Vehicles: future. € Nearly 57% of the total vehicles on the road z India is not a member country but an association were uninsured as of March 2019, up from 54% country. in March 2018. z The IEA and Energy Efficiency Services Ltd. (EESL € The bulk of uninsured vehicles are two-wheelers, - Ministry of Power) co-produced a case study with the numbers being as high as 66%. on the Indian Government’s domestic efficient z According to the Motor Vehicles Act 2019, it is lighting programme -UJALA - to showcase the mandatory for all vehicles to be insured with multiple benefits of energy efficient lighting. third-party vehicle insurance policy. € Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL): z Third-party insurance is essentially a form of z It is an international organization that works liability insurance purchased by an insured in partnership with the United Nations and (first-party)from an insurer (second party) for leaders in government, the private sector, protection against the claims of another (third financial institutions and civil society to drive party). The first party is responsible for their faster action towards the achievement of damages or losses, regardless of the cause of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) – those damages. access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and ¾ Reasons: modern energy for all by 2030 – in line with € Weak enforcement by traffic police in states, the Paris Agreement on climate. lack of follow-up by insurers and the rising cost € Paris Agreement: of third-party covers has resulted in a larger z It is a legally binding international treaty on number of vehicle owners not renewing their climate change. Its goal is to limit global warming motor insurance policy.

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¾ Concerns: ¾ Suggestions: € About 13.2 crore vehicles on Indian roads are € There is a need for complementary thrust to plying without the mandatory third-party insurance spread awareness and improve financial literacy, covers. Victims of accidents caused by these particularly the concept of insurance, and its vehicles will not get adequate compensation as importance. there would not be any insurance company on € Another area that necessitates regulatory scrutiny which the liability can be pinned. The owners, is that of application of technology in insurance. too, have limited means to provide compensation. € The regulator needs to exercise vigilance on three € In 2019, the Ministry of Road Transport and other aspects. Highways released the annual report on Road z It must ensure that insurance is not denied to Accidents in India. lower-income people who make up the bulk z Road Accidents Numerics: of the population and have the most need for „ It kills almost 1.5 lakh people annually in India. protection. „ The accidents, as well as accident-related z It should insist that insurers facilitate a simple deaths in the period 2010-2018, dropped online process for direct buying of insurance drastically compared with the previous products, bypassing intermediaries. decades, despite the very high rate of growth z It should ensure that players do not overcharge of automobiles. or add hidden costs. „ The road accident severity (the number of persons killed per 100 accidents) has increased Related Global initiatives by 0.6% in 2018 compared to 2017. ¾ Brasilia Declaration on Road Safety, 2015: z Major Cause: € It was signed at the second Global High- Level Conference on Road Safety held in „ Over-speeding is a major cause, accounting for 64.4% of the persons killed. Brazil. The first conference was held in Russia in 2009. „ Two-wheelers accounted for the highest € Through it, countries plan to achieve the share (35.2%) in total accidents in 2018. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.6 i.e. to € For insurance companies, the low level of half the number of global deaths and injuries compliance results in a higher claims ratio as, from road traffic accidents by 2030. on several occasions, the tribunals have held the ¾ insurers liable for compensation, asking them to The United Nations has also declared 2010-2020 recover from the insured. as the decade of action for Road Safety.

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Economic Scenario

Highlights z Minimum Support Price for Crops z Municipal Bonds z Monetary Policy: RBI z Lottery, Gambling, Betting Taxable under GST Act: SC z Fall in Manufacturing PMI z Database of Migrants z Demand for Interest Waiver

€ The mandated crops include 14 crops of the kharif Minimum season, 6 rabi crops and 2 other commercial crops. Support Price for Crops € In addition, the MSPs of toria and de-husked coconut are fixed on the basis of the MSPs of Why in News rapeseed/mustard and copra, respectively. € The list of crops are as follows: One of the major demands of protesting farmers has z : Paddy, wheat, barley, jowar, bajra, been that the government guarantee in writing the Cereals (7) maize and ragi, Minimum Support Price system, which assures them of a fixed price for their crops,1.5 times of the cost of production. z Pulses (5): Gram, arhar/tur, moong, urad and ¾ Farmer Unions are protesting against the newly enacted lentil, three farm laws and the Electricity Amendment Bill z Oilseeds (8): Groundnut, rapeseed/mustard, 2020. toria, soyabean, sunflower seed, sesamum, safflower seed and niger seed, Key Points z Raw cotton, Raw jute, Copra, De-husked ¾ Minimum Support Price: coconut, and € MSP is a “minimum price” for any crop that the z Sugarcane (Fair and remunerative price). government considers as remunerative for farmers € The CACP considered various factors while and hence deserving of “support”. recommending the MSP for a commodity, including € It is also the price that government agencies pay cost of cultivation. whenever they procure the particular crop. z It also took into account the supply and demand € The Union Budget for 2018-19 had announced situation for the commodity, market price that MSP would be kept at levels of 1.5 the cost trends (domestic and global) andparity vis-à-vis of production. other crops, and implications for consumers ¾ MSP is given for the following crops: (inflation), environment (soil and water use) € The Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices and terms of trade between agriculture and (CACP) recommends MSPs for 22 mandated crops non-agriculture sectors. and fair and remunerative price(FRP) for sugarcane. ¾ Changes made by the 2018-19 budget: z CACP is an attached office of the Ministry of € Budget for 2018-19 announced that MSPs would Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government henceforth be fixed at 1.5 times of the production of India. costs for crops as a “predetermined principle”. „ It came into existence in January 1965. € CACP’s job is now only to estimate production „ It is an advisory body whose recommendations costs for a season and recommend the MSPs by are not binding on the Government. applying the 1.5-times formula.

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¾ Mechanism of arriving at Production Cost: € The CACP does not do any field-based cost Monetary Policy: RBI estimates itself. € It makes projections using state-wise, crop- Why in News specific production cost estimates provided by Recently, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Directorate of Economics & Statistics in the the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has left the repo rate Agriculture Ministry. unchanged and maintained an accommodative policy z The latter are, however, generally available with stance as it prioritised support for the economy’s recovery a three-year lag. over inflation amid the Covid-19 pandemic. € The CACP projects three kinds of production cost for ¾ It has also announced various other liquidity every crop, both at state and all-India average levels. management measures and steps to improve z ‘A2’ regulatory oversight of the financial system. „ Covers all paid-out costs directly incurred ¾ The MPC is a statutory and institutionalized by the farmer in cash and kind on seeds, framework under the RBI Act 1934, for maintaining fertilisers, pesticides, hired labour, leased-in price stability, while keeping in mind the objective land, fuel, irrigation, etc. of growth. It determines the policy interest rate z ‘A2+FL’ (repo rate) required to achieve the inflation target (4%). „ Includes A2 plus an imputed value of unpaid family labour. Key Points z ‘C2’ ¾ Repo Rate: „ It is a more comprehensive cost that factors € The MPC has kept the RBI’s key lending rate, the in rentals and interest forgone on owned , and at land and fixed capital assets, on top of A2+FL. repo rate steady at 4% reverse repo rate 3.35%. € Issues with the Pricing: z The repo rate, also known as the policy rate, z In the 2018-19 Budget Speech, the government is the interest rate at which the RBI provides did not specify the cost on which the 1.5-times loans to banks. formula was to be computed. z The reverse repo is the rate at which commercial z The CACP’s ‘Price Policy for Kharif Crops: The banks park their money with the central bank. Marketing Season 2018-19’ reportstated that its MSP recommendation was based on 1.5 € It has left key policy ratesunchanged for the third times the A2+FL costs. time in a row in the wake of persistently high retail inflation, even as it pointed to the economy, which z Farm activists demand that the 1.5-times MSP contracted in the last two quarters, showing signs formula originally recommended by the National of early recovery. Commission for Farmers headed by agricultural scientist M S Swaminathan should be applied € The central bank has slashed the repo rate by 115 on the C2 costs. basis points (bps) since late March to cushion the economy from the fallout of the Covid-19 and the z Government’s Stand: resultant lockdowns. „ CACP considers all costs in a comprehensive manner which is based on the methodology z Generally, a low repo rate translates into low recommended by Expert Committees from cost loans for the general masses. time to time. ¾ GDP Projections: „ CACP considers both A2+FL and C2 costs € The real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for FY while recommending MSP. 2020-21 has been projected at -7.5%. „ CACP reckons only A2+FL cost for return. z Real GDP is an inflation-adjusted measure However, C2 costs are used by CACP primarily that reflects the value of all goods and services as benchmark reference costs. produced by an economy in a given year.

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€ However, with the country gradually opening up internal audit norms for large Urban Cooperative after the lockdown and the improvement in activity Banks (UCBs) and Non-Banking Financial Companies in the second quarter, GDP is expected to expand (NBFCs), as part of measures aimed at improving by 0.1% in the December quarter and 0.7% in the governance and assurance functions at supervised March quarter. entities. z GDP growth contracted by 23.9% in the Q1 € The RBI also moved to harmonise the guidelines of 2020 compared to the same period (April- on the appointment of statutory auditors for June) in 2019. commercial banks, UCBs and NBFCs in order to ¾ Inflation: improve the quality of financial reporting. € It had been decided € Inflation still remains a concern for policymakers as to put in place transparent the supply-side bottlenecks had fuelled inflation criteria for the declaration of dividends by different and large margins were being charged to the categories of NBFCs. consumer. € With a view to deepening financial markets, regional rural banks would be allowed to access the € Cost push pressure or cost push inflation continue (LAF) and to impinge on core inflation, which has not changed Liquidity Adjustment Facility Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) of the RBI, as also the call/ much and could firm up as economic activity notice money market. normalises and demand picks up. z LAF is a tool used in monetary policy by the RBI, z Cost-push Inflation:Spurt in production prices that allows banks to borrow money through of certain commodities also causes inflation as repurchase agreements (repos) or for banks the price of the final product increases. to make loans to the RBI through reverse repo z Core Inflation: It excludes volatile goods from agreements. the basket of commodities tracking Headline z MSF is a window for scheduled banks to borrow Inflation. These volatile commodities mainly overnight from the RBI in an emergency situation comprise (including food and beverages when interbank liquidity dries up completely. vegetables) and fuel and light (crude oil). Under interbank lending, banks lend funds to € RBI projected retail inflation to average 6.8% in one another for a specified term. Q3, before moderating to 5.8% in Q4 and 5.2% ¾ Digital Payment Security Controls Directions: to 4.6% in the first half of the fiscal year 2021-22, € To significantly improve the ecosystem of digital with risks broadly balanced. payment channels with robust security and € This constrains monetary policy at the current convenience for users, the RBI has proposed to juncture from using the space available to act in issue Digital Payment Security Controls directions support of growth. At the same time, the signs of for the regulated entities. recovery are far from being broad-based and are € These directions will contain requirements for dependent on sustained policy support. robust governance, implementation and monitoring € Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) at a six-year high of of certain minimum standards on common security 7.6% in October, which is well above its medium controls for channels like Internet and mobile target level of 4% within a band of plus/minus 2%. banking and card payments. ¾ Accommodative Stance: ¾ Targeted Long-Term Repo Operations: € The MPC had decided to continue with the € RBI has decided to bring the 26 stressed sectors accommodative stance as long as necessary, at identified by the Kamath Committee within the least during the current financial year and into the ambit of sectors eligible under on tap Targeted next financial year, torevive growth on a durable Long-Term Repo Operations (TLTRO), providing basis and mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on the more liquidity to the slowdown-hit economy. economy. z The RBI had announced the TLTRO on Tap scheme ¾ Risk-based Internal Audit Norms: in October 2020, which will be available up to € RBI has announced the introduction of risk-based 31st March 2021.

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z Accordingly, it was decided to conduct on tap € Indian manufacturers are refraining from hiring. TLTRO with tenors of up to three years for a Employment fell in November as companies total amount of up to Rs. 1 lakh crore at a observed social distancing guidelines. floating rate linked to the policy repo rate with ¾ Calculation of PMI: flexibility to enhance the amount and period € It is a survey-based measure that asks the after a review of the response to the scheme. respondents about changes in their perception € Under TLTRO, banks can invest in specific sectors about key business variables as compared with through debt instruments like corporate bonds, the previous month. and commercial papers non-convertible debentures € The purpose of the PMI is to provide information (NCDs) to push the credit flow in the economy. about current and future business conditions to € As part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Package 3.0, company decision-makers, analysts, and investors. the Centre launched the Emergency Credit Line € It is calculated separately for the manufacturing Guarantee Scheme 2.0 (ECLGS 2.0). and services sectors and then a composite index z Under it, the corpus of Rs. 3 lakh crore of existing is also constructed. ECLGS 1.0 was extended to provide 100% € The PMI is a number from 0 to 100. guaranteed collateral-free additional credit to z PMI above 50 represents an expansion when entities in 26 stressed sectors identified by the compared to the previous month; Kamath panel. z PMI under 50 represents a contraction, and € According to the RBI, banks are encouraged to synergise the two schemes by availing funds z A reading at 50 indicates no change. from RBI under on tap TLTRO and seek guarantee € If PMI of the previous month is higher than the PMI of under ECLGS 2.0 to provide credit support to the current month (as is the case mentioned above), stressed sectors. it represents that the economy is contracting. € It is usually released at the start of every month. It is, therefore, considered a good leading indicator Fall in Manufacturing PMI of economic activity. The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for India’s € PMI is compiled by IHS Markit for more than manufacturing shows that the sector’s expansion as well 40 economies worldwide. IHS Markit is a global as the pace of new orders slowed down while employment leader in information, analytics and solutions declined further as business optimism fadedduring the for the major industries and markets that drive month of November. economies worldwide. ¾ PMI is an indicator of business activity in the € As the official data on industrial output, manufacturing manufacturing and services sectors. and GDP growth comes much later, PMI helps to make informed decisions at an earlier stage. Key Points € It is different from theIndex of Industrial Production ¾ Data Analysis: (IIP), which also gauges the level of activity in the € India’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell to economy. a three-month low of 56.3 in November from an over 12-year high of 58.9 in October. Demand for Interest Waiver z In PMI parlance, a print above 50 means expan- sion, while a score below that denotes contraction. z Although India’s PMI is in the expansion zone, Why in News the ongoing rise in Covid cases in some states Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) has heard a batch and uncertainty about regional lockdowns is of petitions seeking interest waiver during the loan denting confidence. moratorium period. € There were slower increases in factory orders, ¾ The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) granted a six-month exports, buying levels and output. loan moratorium earlier this year, lettingborrowers

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defer payments on loans and EMIs. The move was under a contract upon occurrence of a force intended to provide borrowers relief during the majeure event. Covid-19 pandemic. € For Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Sector: Key Points z An emergency credit line (ECLGS) of up to ¾ Central Government’s Stand: Rs. 3 lakh crore, backed by 100% government € Huge Cost: It revealed that a blanket waiver of guarantee to enable the MSMEs to get back to interests on debts incurred by all borrowers for regular operations. the moratorium period will mean forgoing an € For Small Borrowers: estimated . over Rs. 6 lakh crore z The Centre has decided that the relief on waiver € Possible Impact on Banks: If the banks were to of compound interest during the six-month bear this burden, then it would necessarily wipe moratorium period shall be limited to the most out a substantial and a major part of their net vulnerable category of borrowers who availed worth, rendering most of the lenders unviable loan up to Rs. 2 crore. and raising a very serious question mark over „ The RBI has classified “big borrowers” their very survival. having the loan account of Rs. 1500 crores € Deposits vs. Loans: Continued payment of interest and above and rest as “not big borrowers”. to depositors is not only one of the most essential € For Big Borrowers: banking activities but is a huge responsibility that can never be compromised as most of the depositors z The Kamath Committee set up by the RBI has are bound to be small depositors, pensioners etc. recommended financial parameters for debt surviving on the interest from their deposits. restructuring of 26 sectors affected by Covid-19. € z In the Indian banking system, for every loan Other Measures: account, there are about 8.5 deposit accounts. z The Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code (IBC) € Use of Financial Resources: There is a need to was suspended for a period of six months in conserve and rationally use financial resources order to protect companies in distress due to to deal with the economic effects of pandemic the pandemic being dragged into bankruptcy over an uncertain and indeterminate time frame. tribunals. z It also pointed out the sector-specific relief z The Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) measures taken by the Centre for the small has issued circulars to relax the “recognition” and mid-sized business/MSMEs including from of defaults committed during moratorium. sectors such as restaurants and hotels. ¾ Relief Measures Taken by the Centre: Municipal Bonds € For Power Sector: z The government had sanctioned over Rs. Why in News 90,800 crore liquidity injection for the power distribution companies. This would enable Recently, Rs. 200-crore worth Lucknow Municipal them to pay their outstanding dues to power Corporation (LMC) bonds have been listed on the Bombay producers and transmission companies. Stock Exchange (BSE). ¾ € For Real Estate Sector: Lucknow becomes ninth city to raise municipal bonds, incentivised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban z An advisory was issued allowing the extension of registration and completion dates of projects Affairs (Mohua)under Mission Amrut. under Real Estate Regulatory Authorities by ¾ BSE is the oldest stock exchange in India as well as Asia. treatingCovid-19 as an event of force-majeure. Key Points „ From a contractual perspective, a force majeure clause provides temporary reprieve ¾ Municipal Bonds: to a party from performing its obligations € A municipal bond (muni) is a debt security issued

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by a state, municipality or county to finance its € In 2017, Pune Municipal Corporation had raised capital expenditures, including the construction Rs. 200 crore through muni bonds at an interest of highways, bridges or schools. of 7.59% to finance its 24x7 water supply project. z Through muni bonds, a municipal corporation z The plan was to raise Rs. 2,264 crore in five raises money from individuals or institutions years in what was then the biggest municipal and promises to pay a specified amount of bonds programme in the country. interest and returns the principal amount on ¾ Significance of Municipal Bonds Market: a specific maturity date. € Municipal Bonds can help the Urban Local Bodies € These are mostly exempt from federal taxes and (ULBs) to garner revenue to complete budgetary from most state and local taxes, making them projects as property tax is the only major source especially attractive to people in high income tax of municipal revenue. brackets. € Growth of the municipal bond market is critical Mission Amrut for India’s large cities and towns toupgrade their ¾ Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transfor- creaking infrastructure. mation(Amrut) was launched in 2015 to: € The ability of municipal bodies to be self-sustaining € Ensure that every household has access to a tap is also critical to the success of the Centre’s pet with the assured supply of water and a sewerage projects such as Smart Cities and Amrut. connection. ¾ Benefits of Municipal Bonds for Investors: z The Priority zone of the Mission is water € Transparency: supply followed by sewerage. z Municipal bonds that are issued to the public € Increase the amenity value of citiesby developing are rated by renowned agencies such as CRISIL, greenery and well maintained open spaces (e.g. which allows investors transparency regarding parks). the credibility of the investment option. € Reduce pollution by switching to public transport € Tax benefits: or constructing facilities for non-motorized z In India, municipal bonds are exempted from transport (e.g. walking and cycling). taxation if the investor conforms to certain ¾ It is a centrally sponsored scheme with 80% stipulated rules. In addition to such conformation, budgetary support from the Centre. interest rates generated on such investment tools are also exempt from taxation policy. ¾ History of Municipal Bonds Issuance in India: € Minimal risk: € Municipal bonds were first issued in India in 1997, z Municipal bonds are issued by municipal five years after the74 th Constitutional Amendment authorities, implying involvement of minimal decentralized urban local bodies and gave them risk with these securities. autonomy; made them accountable to citizens, and reformed their finances enabling them to „ Government bonds are usually viewed as low- access capital markets and financial institutions. risk investments, because the likelihood of a government defaulting on its loan payment € Between 1997 and 2010, the city corporations of Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Nashik experimented tends to be low. with bond issues but barely managed to raise Rs. ¾ Challenges: 1,400 crore. € Reduced investor trust and confidence: Weak € The poor investor response was due to the fact financial position and poor governance and that these bonds were not tradable and lacked management of city agencies have limited their regulatory clarity. ability to issue bonds, and reduced investor trust € Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)’s and confidence. detailed guidelines for the issue and listing of municipal € No authentic financial data available: Investors bonds in March 2015, clarified their regulatory status have doubt over local bodies as there is no authentic and rendered them safer for investors. financial data available.

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€ Other Issues: Low accountability and autonomy € The levy of GST on lotteries does not amount to of city agencies followed by lack of an enabling hostile discrimination. environment. z As per Schedule III of CGST Act 2017, actionable claims other than lottery, betting and gambling Suggestions are neither treated as supply of goods nor a ¾ With the plight of the Covid-19, revenue generation supply of services. and state finances have come to a virtual standstill, € The Parliament has an absolute power to go for an hampering the funding of ULBs. However, under the inclusive definitionof the term ‘goods’ to include Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan package, states are actionable claimslike lottery, gambling and betting. offered an increase in borrowing capacity, based on z Article 246A of the Constitution fully empowers potential reform of the urban property tax regimen. the Parliament to make laws with respect to ¾ Still, most urban local bodies do not have the goods and services tax and expansive definition institutional agency to raise funds, systemise of goods given in Section 2 (52) cannot be said accounting, and put up bankable projects. In order to to be not in accord with the constitutional address this, the reforms enlisted in the 15th Finance provisions. Commission (which makes it mandatory for urban local bodies to submit audited accounts by linking Actionable Claim them to grant disbursement) must be implemented. ¾ A claim to any debt other than a debt secured by mortgage of immovable property or hypothecation or pledge of movable property. Lottery, Gambling, Betting € Hypothecation occurs when an asset is pledged Taxable under GST Act: SC as collateral to secure a loan. ¾ Only activities relating to lottery, betting and Why in News gambling are subject to GST and except these three, no actionable claim is covered under GST Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) has held that by virtue of Schedule III. and are under the lottery, gambling betting taxable Goods ¾ Some examples of actionable claims: and Services Tax (GST) Act, 2017. € Insurance Policy which is not secured by way of Key Points mortgage or hypothecation or pledge. € Claim for arrear of rent is actionable claim since ¾ Background: it is not secured on anything. € The SC passed the order in a batch of pleas filed € Right to claim provident fund. by various lottery dealers who argued that the € Claim for unsecured debt. Central government had wrongfully classified lottery as goods. € Claim in profit by a partner in a firm. € Challenging Section 2 (52) of the 2017 Act and Central Laws Related notifications levying tax on lottery, petitioners to Lottery, Gambling and Betting contended that the law was violative of the fundamental rights and contrary to the SC judgment ¾ The Lotteries Regulation Act, 1998: (Sunrise Associates Vs. Government of NCT of € Lottery is considered aslegal in India. Lottery should Delhi 2006) that held that lotteries were merely be organized by the state government and the actionable claims and cannot be defined as ‘goods’. place of Draw should be in that particular state. ¾ Judgement: ¾ Indian Penal Code, 1860: € Lottery, betting and gambling are actionable claims € The code has provisions for punishing anyone who and come within the definition of goods under to the annoyance of others does any obscene act in Section 2 (52) of the Central Goods and Services a public place or sings, recites or utters any obscene Tax Act, 2017. song, ballad or words, in or near any public place.

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€ These provisions of the IPC may be attracted if € A comprehensive database for migrant and other any obscene matter is used for the purpose of unorganised sector workers is seen as necessary advertising betting and gambling activities. in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. ¾ Prize Competitions Act, 1955: ¾ Recent Government Initiatives to help returning € It defines Prize in Competitions. migrants find livelihood: ¾ Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999: € The Ministry of Skill Development and Entre- € Remittance of the income generated from lottery preneurship (MSDE) has launched ‘Atma Nirbhar winning, racing/riding is prohibited under this Act. Skilled Employee Employer Mapping (ASEEM)’ ¾ Information Technology Rules, 2011: portal to help skilled people find sustainable livelihood opportunities. € Under these rules, any internet service provider, network service provider or any search engine z Database of labour migrants in Indian states will not host any such content which directly or and overseas citizens, who returned to India indirectly support Gambling. under the Vande Bharat Mission and filled ¾ Income Tax Act, 1961: SWADES Skill Card, has been integrated with the ASEEM portal. € Under this Act, current taxation policy in India covers all types of Gambling industry directly and € The National Disaster Management Authority indirectly. Thus, it can be said that all regulated (NDMA) has developed an online dashboard called and legalized Gambling is supported in the Gross ‘National Migrant Information System (NMIS)’ Domestic Product (GDP) of India. z The online portal (NMIS) would maintain a central repository of migrant workers and help Database of Migrants in speedy inter-state communication to facilitate the smooth movement of migrant workers to The Government has decided to create a database their native places. of migrant workers, including workers in the informal € The Maharashtra Government has launched a economy. portal named ‘Mahajobs’ for job seekers and ¾ Migration is the movement of people away from employers, owing to the economic situation caused their usual place of residence, across either internal by Covid-19 pandemic. (within country) or international (across countries) € Atma Nirbhar Uttar Pradesh Rozgar Abhiyan: borders. The latest government data on migration comes from the 2011 Census. z The scheme seeks to promote local entrepre- neurship and create partnership with industrial ¾ As per the Census, India had 45.6 crore migrants in associations to provideemployment opportu- 2011 (38% of the population) compared to31.5 crore nities to 1.25 crore migrant workers who lost migrants in 2001 (31% of the population). their jobs during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Key Points state government has already mapped the skill ¾ Background: of the workers so that they can be provided employment as per their expertise. € The Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act, 1979, required all establishments who hired inter-state z The migrant commission announced by the Uttar migrants to be registered, as well as all contractors Pradesh government will map skills of workers who recruited these workers to be licensed. who have returned to the state, providing data to employment exchanges. € Proper implementation of this law would have ensured information on inter-state migrants to ¾ Causes for Migration: aid the state machinery in its relief efforts. € Migration is a global phenomenon caused not z However, no such detailed records were only by economic factors but many other factors maintained, and information on the number like social, political, cultural, environmental, of migrants was unavailable to both central health, education are included under the broader and state governments. classification of Push and Pull factors of migration:

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€ Push Factor: Push factors are those that compel a ¾ Issues: person, due to different reasons, to leave a place € No collection of data of intra-state migrants: of origin (out-migration) and migrate to some z The scope of the database needs to be expanded other place. to include both sets of migrants. € Pull Factor: Pull factors indicate the factors € Discrepancy in definition of employed: which attract migrants (in-migration) to an area z The extent of migration in the country depends (destination). on the definition of employed. For example, the definitions used by the National Sample Survey and the Census are different. z A comprehensive definition needs to be worked out for employment. € Technological Constraints: z Merging the existing databases at the state level may be problematic as thesoftwares and structures of data storage may be different. „ Aadhaar-linked databases may have security concerns. € Lack of clarity over registration of workers: z No procedure of registration yet mentioned, whether the process to register will be voluntary ¾ Patterns of Migration: or by a government agency. € Internal migrant flows can be classified on the z Track over migration flows etc has not been basis of origin and destination: discussed. z Rural-rural, rural-urban, urban-rural and € Portability Issue: urban-urban. z Governments will also have to examine the € Another way to classify migration is: issue of portability of benefits across states. z Intra-state, and inter-state. Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act, 1979 ¾ As of 2011, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were the largest ¾ The Act seeks to regulate the employment of inter- source of inter-state migrants while Maharashtra and State migrants and their conditions of service. Delhi were the largest receiver states. Around 83 lakh ¾ residents of Uttar Pradesh and 63 lakh residents of It is applicable to every establishment that employs Bihar had moved either temporarily or permanently five or more migrant workmen from other States; to other states. or if it had employed five or more such workmen on any day in the preceding 12 months. ¾ Plan for the Database: ¾ It is also applicable to contractors who employed € The plan aims to get data from existing databases a similar number of inter-State workmen. of government schemes such as MGNREGA, and ¾ the one nation-one ration card to create a unique It envisages a system of registration of such registrationof migrant workers. establishments. The principal employer is prohibited from employing inter-State workmen without a € Details of those working in unorganised sectors certificate of registration from the relevant authority. not covered by such schemes, are likely to be added separately. ¾ The law also lays down that every contractor who recruits workmen from one State for deployment € Aadhaar platform would be used to address the in another State should obtain a licence to do so. problem of duplicity and ghost cards.

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International Relations

Highlights z Criticism of Policies on Kashmir: OIC z Morocco Normalises Relations with Israel z Countries of Particular Concern: US z India-Uzbekistan Virtual Summit z India Switzerland Relations z Rohingyas at Isolated Bangladesh Island z SCO Online International Exhibition z Negotiations on UK’s Brexit Deadline z ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus z San Isidro Movement in Cuba z United Nations Investment Promotion Award 2020 z Israel-Bhutan Ties z SAARC Charter Day

€ It said that the decision of the Indian government Criticism of to repeal special status (in 2019) was aimed Policies on Kashmir: OIC towards changing the demographic and geographic compositionof the territory. € The continuous blockade and restrictions together Why in News have led to human rights abuses. India has ‘strongly’ rejected the criticism of its Kashmir € The statement acknowledged the support that policy by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Pakistan has been providing to keep the Kashmir ¾ The 47th session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, issue on the agenda of the organisation. held at Niamey (Niger), had made a reference to India ¾ India’s Stand: over its policies on Jammu and Kashmir. € India strongly hit out at the OIC, accusing it of making “factually incorrect and unwarranted” Organisation of Islamic Cooperation references to Jammu and Kashmir in resolutions ¾ OIC is the second largest intergovernmental adopted by the grouping at the session. organization after the United Nations with a € India asserted that the union territory is an integral membership of 57 states. and inalienable part of the country. € India is not a member of the OIC. € India advised the OIC to refrain from making such ¾ It is the collective voice of the Muslim world. It references in future and said it is regrettable that endeavors to safeguard and protect the interests the grouping continues to allow itself to be used of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting by a certain country “which has an abominable international peace and harmony among various record on religious tolerance, radicalism and people of the world. persecution of minorities” in a clear reference ¾ It was established upon a decision of the historical to Pakistan. summit which took place in Rabat, Kingdom of z After India revoked special status in Kashmir, Morocco, in 1969. Pakistan lobbied with the OIC for their ¾ Headquarters: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. condemnation of the move. z Over the last one year, Pakistan has tried to Key Points rouse sentiments among the Islamic countries, ¾ 47th Session of OIC: A report submitted at the 47th but only a handful of them, Turkey and Malaysia session referred to the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. publicly criticised India.

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„ Saudi Arabia and the UAE, both top leaders z It described the “direct shooting at demon- among the Muslim countries, were not as strators” as a “terrorist act”, and “called upon critical of India as Pakistan had hoped. the international community to play its role ¾ Significance of India’s latest statement: in order to reach a just and lasting solution to ”. € India believes to bust the double standard of OIC, the conflict in Kashmir where it supports the agenda of Pakistan in the € OIC has criticised the Government of India over name of human rights. the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, and the of the Supreme Court. € India now sees the duality of the OIC unjustifiable, Babri Masjid verdict since many of the member countries of the OIC € OIC has also criticised the Indian government for have good bilateral ties and convey to India to what it called “growing Islamophobia” in India. ignore OIC statements but sign off on the joint ¾ India’s Response: statements which are largely drafted by Pakistan. € India has always maintained that OIC has no locus € India also wants to challenge this issue because of standi in matters strictly internal to Indiaincluding the possibility of the Joe Biden administration in that of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir the US which may have a strong view on human which is an integral and inalienable part of India. rights in Kashmir and may issue statements that ¾ India’s relationship with OIC member countries: may complicate India’s image at the global stage. € Individually, India has good relations with almost € With India preparing to take over a non-permanent all member nations. , it wants member’s seat at the UN Security Council € Ties with the UAE and Saudi Arabia, especially, to use its diplomatic clout and goodwill to bury have improved significantly in recent years. this issue at the global body in the next two years z The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi (UAE) was a and bring up the Pakistan-sponsored cross-border special chief guest at the 68th Republic Day terrorism high on agenda. celebrations in 2017. India and OIC € The OIC includes two of India’s close neighbours, Bangladesh and Maldives. ¾ India’s relationship with OIC as an organisation: z Indian diplomats say both countries privately € At the 45th session of the Foreign Ministers’ Summit admit that they do not want to complicate their in 2018, Bangladesh, the host, suggested that India, bilateral ties with India on Kashmir. where more than 10% of the world’s Muslims live, should be given Observer status, but Pakistan opposed the proposal. Countries of € In 2019, India made its maiden appearance at Particular Concern: US the OIC Foreign Ministers’ meeting, as a “guest of honour”. Why in News z This first-time invitation was seen as a diplomatic victory for India, especially at a time Recently, the US State Department has designated of heightened tensions with Pakistan following Pakistan and China among eight other countries that are the Pulwama attack. of particular concern for violation of religious freedom. ¾ Criticism of India’s Policies by OIC: ¾ Earlier, the US State Department had released its € It has been generally supportive of Pakistan’s annual International Religious Freedom (IRF) Report stand on Kashmir, and has issued statements in 2019, which is a survey of the state of religious criticising the alleged Indian “atrocities” in the freedom across the world. state/Union Territory. Key Points z In 2018, the OIC General Secretariat had “expressed strong condemnation of the killing ¾ Country of Particular Concern (CPC): of innocent Kashmiris by Indian forces in Indian- € Designation of the CPC is the top tier recommendation occupied Kashmir”. by the US Commission on International Religious

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Freedom (USCIRF) when it comes to violation of Freedom of Religion in India international religious freedom. It is followed by ¾ Freedom of religion in India is a fundamental right Special Watch List Countries for severe violations. guaranteed by Article 25-28 of the Constitution z This is in line with the International Religious of India. Freedom Act of 1998 which was passed to € Article 25 (Freedom of conscience and promote religious freedom as a foreign policy free profession, practice and propagation of of the United States. religion). z The Act aims to promote greater religious € Article 26(Freedom to manage religious affairs). freedom in countries which engage in or tolerate € Article 27(Freedom as to payment of taxes for violations of religious freedom, and to advocate promotion of any particular religion). on the behalf of individuals persecuted for € (Freedom as to attendance at religious their religious beliefs and activities in foreign Article 28 instruction or religious worship in certain countries. educational institutions). € Nations on the CPC list for engaging in or tolerating ¾ Further, Article 29 and 30of the Constitution deal systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of with the protection of interest of minorities. religious freedom are Pakistan, China, Myanmar, Eritrea, Iran, Nigeria, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. India Switzerland Relations z Nigeria is the first secular democracy that has been named a CPC. Why in News € Notably, the State Department did not accept the A virtual meeting took place recently between an USCIRF recommendation that India, Russia, Syria Indian Minister and his Swiss Counterpart. and Vietnam be also designated as CPCs. z Earlier, the US Commission on International Key Points Religious Freedom (USCIRF report) had ¾ Trade: downgraded India’s religious freedom to the € Both the Ministers reiterated the desire to move lowest grade in the ‘Country of Particular forward on the India-EFTA Trade & Economic Concern (CPC) category. Partnership Agreement (TEPA) negotiations. z India’s Stand: z The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is „ The Indian government had rejected the the intergovernmental organisation of Iceland, report by asserting that there is no locus Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland standi for a foreign government to comment z These countries are not part of the European on the state of its citizens’ constitutionally Union (EU) with which India is negotiating a protected rights. separate trade agreement called the India-EU ¾ Special Watch List: Governments that have engaged in Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement. or tolerated “severe violations of religious freedom” € The proposed agreement covers trade in goods are included in this list. and services, investments, trade facilitation, € Comoros, Cuba, Nicaragua and Russia are on the list. customs cooperation, protection of intellectual property and public procurement. € Sudan and Uzbekistan have been removed from the list based on significant, concrete progress € India-Switzerland Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) undertaken by their respective governments over which is under negotiation was also discussed. the past year. z BITs are treaties between two countries aimed ¾ Entities of Particular Concern: This list includes al- at protecting investments made by investors of Qaida, Boko Haram (based in Nigeria), the Houthis both countries. (of Yemen), ISIS (Islamic State), ISIS-Greater Sahara, ¾ Multilateral Forums: ISIS-West Africa, and the Taliban, etc. € The Indian Minister sought support of Switzerland

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for the joint proposal of India and South Africa in signed under which an Indo-Swiss Joint Research World Trade Organization(WTO ) for TRIPS waiver. Programme (ISJRP) was launched in 2005. z South Africa and India have called for the ¾ Skill Training: (WTO) to suspend intellectual property (IP) € Several Institutes from both the countries have rights related to Covid-19 to ensure equitable collaborated to impart the highest standards of sharing of vaccines and new technology to skill training in India. E.g.: control the pandemic. z Bharatiya Skill Development Campus and „ A temporary ban would allow multiple University. actors to start production, instead of having z Indo-Swiss Centre of Excellence, Pune. manufacturing concentrated in the hands of z Vocational Training Center, Andhra Pradesh. a small number of patent holders. India Switzerland Relations SCO Online ¾ Background: International Exhibition € India and Switzerland have had cordial and friendly relations since India’s Independence, based on shared values of democracy and rule of law. A Why in News Treaty of Friendship between India and Switzerland Recently, the Vice President of India has launched was signed at New Delhi in 1948. the first everSCO Online Exhibition on Shared Buddhist Heritage. ¾ The launch happened during the 19th Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Heads of Government (SCO CHG), held in New Delhi. € India highlighted that the crossborder terrorism is the biggest challenge for the SCO countries.

Key Points ¾ SCO Online International Exhibition: € Developed by: First ever of its kind the exhibition was developed and curated by the National Museum, New Delhi, in active collaboration with SCO member countries. € Participants: Museums from India, Kazakhstan, ¾ Economic Relation: China, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan € : Trade and Uzbekistan. z As per EXIM Bank, Switzerland was the 11th € Significance: largest trading partner for India in 2018-19. z Budhhist Connection: Buddhist philosophy and € : Investment art of Central Asia connects SCO countries to z Switzerland invested FDI equity worth each other and presents an excellent opportunity approximately USD 4.781 billion in India from for visitors to access, appreciate and compare April 2000 to September 2019 thus becoming the Buddhist art antiquities from SCOcountries on 12th largest investor and accounting for about a single platform. in India during this period 1.07% of total FDI z Knowledge about Different Schools ofBuddhism : ¾ Science and Technology: The visitors can explore the Indian Buddhist € During the visit of Swiss President to India in 2003, treasures from the Gandhara and Mathura an inter-Governmental framework Agreement Schools, Nalanda, Amaravati, Sarnath, etc. in on Technical and Scientific Cooperation was a 3D virtual format.

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z Artistic Wealth and Excellence:The international z Recently, India’s annual resolution on the issue exhibition gives a glimpse of the artistic wealth of counter-terrorism was adopted by consensus displayed in various museums across Asia and in the First Committee of the United Nations also represents the artistic excellence embedded General Assembly (UNGA). within an eclectic historical timeline. € India also criticised Pakistan for using terrorism as € Highlights: a instrument of state policy and called upon the z The Pakistan Hall depicts the life of Gautama members of SCO to fight it collectively. Buddha and buddhist art through a collection of impressive Gandhara art objects including ASEAN Defence fasting Siddhartha and footprint of Buddha from Sikri, meditating Buddha from Sahri Bahlol, Ministers’ Meeting Plus miracle of Sravasti from Gandhara, etc. z The State Oriental Art Museum, Moscow Why in News contributed objects which depict the Buddhist Recently, India’s defence minister attended the 14th Buriyat Art of Russia through icons, ritual ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) Plus organ- objects, monastery traditions etc. ized online at Hanoi, Vietnam. z The Dunhuang Academy of China contributed ¾ It marked the 10th anniversary of ADMM Plus. a rich digital collection on buddhist artwhich include ingenious architecture, resplendent ¾ The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) murals, decorative designs, costumes etc. is a regional organization which was established to ¾ India on Terrorism: promote political and social stability amid rising tensions among the Asia-Pacific’s post-colonial states. € India raised the issue of terrorism at the meeting and highlighted it as the enemy of humanity. It Key Points expressed its concerns on the state sponsored terrorism and in particular crossborder terrorism. ¾ About ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus: € nd z India supports the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Creation:The 2 ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Strategy. (ADMM) in 2007 at Singapore adopted a resolution to establish the ADMM-Plus. Shanghai Cooperation Organisation z The first ADMM-Plus was convened at Hanoi, ¾ It is a permanent intergovernmental international Vietnam in 2010. organisation and a Eurasian political, economic and € Objective: The ADMM-Plus is a platform for ASEAN aiming to maintain military organisation peace, (The Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and created in security and stability in the region 2001. it’s eight Dialogue Partners to strengthen security ¾ The SCO is widely regarded as the “Alliance of the and defence cooperation for peace, stability, and East”, due to its growing centrality in Asia-Pacific, and development in the region. has been the primary security pillar of the region. € Membership: The ADMM-Plus countries include ten ¾ It is the largest regional organisation in the world ASEAN Member States and eight Plus countries, in terms of geographical coverage and population, namely Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, covering three-fifths of the Eurasian continent and Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, and the nearly half of the human population. United States. ¾ Members: Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, € Chairman: The chairmanship of the ADMM-Plus Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan. follows the chairmanship of the ADMM. ¾ Observer states: Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and z This year it was chaired by Vietnam. Mongolia. € Aim: It aims to promote mutual trust and confidence ¾ Dialogue Partners: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, between defence establishments through greater Nepal, Turkey and Sri Lanka. dialogue and transparency.

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United Nations Investment Promotion Award 2020

Why in News Recently, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has declared ‘Invest India’ as the winner of the United Nations Investment Promotion Award 2020.

Key Points ¾ United Nations Investment Promotion Award: € It recognises and celebrates the outstanding achievements of the world’s Investment Promotion € Areas of cooperation: Maritime security, counter- Agencies (IPAs). Since 2002, UNCTAD has organised terrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster these awards annually. relief, peacekeeping operations and military € The awards also highlight the contributions of these medicine. organizations in raising private sector investment ¾ The current meet comes at the time when India and in sustainable development and in achieving the China remain engaged in a military standoff along Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, and tensions € The response of IPAs to the Covid-19 pandemic continue to mount in the South China Sea. became the basis for the evaluationof the 2020 ¾ India’s Stand at the Meet: award. € Future: The future of the South East Asian Countries € Germany, South Korea and Singapore have been will be defined by their ability to collectively some of the past winners of the award. respond to challenges in the region, based ¾ Invest India: on the fundamentals of freedom, inclusivity and € It is the National Investment Promotion and openness. Facilitation Agency of India and acts as the first € Covid-19: The response to the pandemic needs point of reference for investors in India. to be collective and collaborative. € It is a non-profit venture set up in 2009 under € Challenges: Threats to the rules-based order, the Department for Promotion of Industry and maritime security, cyber-related crimes and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, terrorism. Government of India. z Challenges are becoming increasingly trans- € UNCTAD highlighted good practices followed boundary in character which requires closer by Invest India, such as the Business Immunity military-to-military interactions and cooperation Platform, Exclusive Investment Forum webinar amongst the ADMM-Plus countries. series, its social media engagement and focus € Tools for Cooperation:The conduct of field training Covid response teams created as a response to exercises and table-top exercises amongst the the pandemic, in its publications. ADMM-Plus countries are important tools to ¾ Government Measures Related to Investment understand each other, cooperate to enhance Promotion: security and maintain peace in the region. € India’s attractiveness as Foreigna Direct Investment z Example: MAITREE which is an annual training (FDI) destination has surged in recent times. In event that is conducted in India and Thailand 2019, it was among the top 10 countries attracting alternatively, since 2006. foreign funds, receiving billions of dollars in a

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variety of sectors, including services, technology, IT and telecom, and construction. SAARC Charter Day € In 2020, factors such as a swift response in combating the Covid crisis, favourable demographics, Why in News impressive mobile and internet penetration, massive In a message to the South Asian Association for consumption and technology uptake, played an Regional Cooperation (SAARC) on its 36th Charter Day important role in attracting the investments. anniversary, the Prime Minister of India said that SAARC € Launch of Schemes attracting investments, such can only be fully effective in the absence of “terror and as, National technical Textile Mission, Production violence”. Linked Incentive Scheme, Pradhan Mantri Kisan ¾ SAARC Charter Day is observed annually on 8th SAMPADA Yojana, etc. December. This day marks the signing of the SAARC z The government has elaborated upon the Charter in 1985 by the leaders of SAARC Countries at initiatives under the Atmanirbhar Bharat to the First SAARC Summit held in Dhaka (Bangladesh). encourage investments in different sectors. Key Points € As a part of its Make in India initiative to promote domestic manufacturing, India deregulated FDI ¾ India’s Stand: rules for several sectors over the last few years. € The full potential of SAARC can only be realised in € The Government of India continues to improve an atmosphere free of terror and violence. Ease of Doing Business in the country by releasing z This indicates that India’s concerns over cross- notifications highlighting measures to improve the border terrorism from Pakistan remain a primary business environment in India. obstacle in India’s participation in the summit. z India ranked 63rd out of 190 countries (moved z In their messages, both Pakistan and Nepal up by 14 spots) in Doing Business 2020: World called for the SAARC summit to be held soon. Bank Report. € India also called for SAARC countries to “recommit to defeating the forces that support and nurture United Nations Conference terrorism.” on Trade and Development € India is also committed toan “integrated, connected, ¾ UNCTAD is a permanent intergovernmental body secure and prosperous South Asia”, and will support established by the United Nations General Assembly the economic, technological, cultural and social in 1964. Its headquarters are located in Geneva, development of the region. Switzerland. € Highlighting the importance of greater collaboration, ¾ It was established to promote the development- India referred to the example of the early friendly integration of developing countries into coordination between SAARC countries for dealing the world economy. with the Covid-19 pandemic. ¾ It is a central agency that monitors the performance z An emergency Covid-19 fund was created of Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) and with an initial contribution of USD 10 million identifies global best practices. from India. ¾ Some of the reports published by it are: ¾ Stalled SAARC Process: € Trade and Development Report € SAARC’s functioning and activities have virtually € World Investment Report stalled because of the strained relations between € Global Investment Trend Monitor Report India and Pakistan. € Least Developed Countries Report € Besides a virtual meeting in March on the Covid-19 € Information and Economy Report situation, SAARC has not had any significant engagements since India pulled out of the summit € Technology and Innovation Report that was to be held in Pakistan in 2016 in the € Commodities and Development Report aftermath of the Uri terror attack.

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South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation their liaison offices in Rabat (capital of Morocco) and Tel Aviv (a city in Israel) immediately with ¾ Member States: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the intention to open embassies and promote India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. economic cooperation between Israeli and ¾ Secretariat: Kathmandu (Nepal). Moroccan companies. ¾ Objective: To promote the welfare of the people of € Morocco intends to facilitate direct flights for South Asia and to improve their quality of life, and Israeli tourists to and from Morocco. to accelerate economic growth, among other things. € The USA has changed its longstanding policy and ¾ SAARC Summits: recognised Morocco’s sovereignty over Western € These are usually held biennially and hosted by Sahara. member states in alphabetical order. z Since 2007, the UN Security Council, of which € The last SAARC Summit in 2014 was held in the USA is a veto-capable permanent member, Kathmandu (Nepal), which was attended by India. has called on Morocco and the Polisario to engage in negotiations without preconditions to reach a “mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.” ¾ Significance: € The USA is putting in efforts to present a united front against Iran and minimise Tehran’s regional influence. Morocco Normalises € This step is considered as a sovereign move and will contribute to strengthening the common Relations with Israel quest for stability, prosperity and lasting peace in the region. Why in News € The deal would deepen Morocco’s engagement Recently, Morocco and Israel have agreed to with the West and will also boost Israel’s motive normalise relations in a deal brokered by the USA. which has made it a priority to forge ties with formerly hostile countries in Africa and the Arab ¾ It makes Morocco the fourth Arab country, afterthe world in the absence of any progress with the UAE, Bahrain (Abraham Accords) and Sudan, to set aside hostilities with Israel in the past four months. Palestinians. ¾ Reactions: € Palestinians have been critical of the normalisation deals, saying Arab countries have set back the cause of peace by abandoning a longstanding demand of Israel giving up land for a Palestinian state before it can receive recognition. € Egypt and the UAE have welcomed Morocco’s decision. z Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1979. € The Polisario Front “highly regrets” the change in USA’s policy, which it called “strange but Key Points not surprising.” It holds that the deal will not ¾ Highlights of the Deal: change an inch of the reality of the conflict and € Morocco will establish full diplomatic relations the right of the people of Western Sahara to self- and resume official contacts with Israel, reopen determination.

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Western Sahara Key Points ¾ Western Sahara is ¾ Trade, Economic and Investment Cooperation: a desert region, a € Making efforts to achieve themutually identified former Spanish colony target of USD 1 billion for bilateral trade. and was annexed by z The current bilateral trade level of about USD Morocco in 1975. 285 million (2018) is far below the potential. ¾ Since then, it has been € Fast-track the conclusion of the ongoing Joint the subject of a long- Feasibility Study that will pave the way for the running territorial dispute between Morocco and commencement of negotiations on Preferentiala its indigenous Saharawi people, led by the pro- Trade Agreement. independence Polisario Front. € Early conclusion of the Bilateral Investment Treaty ¾ Morocco says it has always been part of its which shall facilitate investment promotion and territory, while the African Union recognises it as protection for further improvement of trade and an independent state. economic cooperation. ¾ A 16-year-long insurgency ended with an UN-brokered z The sides noted the prospects for greater truce in 1991 and the promise of a referendum on opportunities in the free economic zones of the independence, which has yet to take place. two countries, including in the Uzbek-Indian € The USA supported the ceasefire between free pharmaceutical zone in the Andijan region Morocco and the Polisario Front. (eastern part of the Fergana Valley in far eastern Uzbekistan). ¾ In November 2020, after a border incident, the Polisario pulled out of that deal and announced a € Uzbekistan welcomed the opportunities in India return to armed struggle. for investing/manufacturing under the ‘Make in India’ programme. ¾ The USA’s backing of Morocco’s claim to sovereignty over Western Sahara is a big deal because it ¾ Development Cooperation: diminishes the hope of a people who have aspired € India confirmed theapproval of a USD 448 million for the independence of that territory for decades. Line of Credit for four developmental projects in Uzbekistan in the areas of road construction, sewerage treatment and information technology. India-Uzbekistan ¾ Defence and Security: Virtual Summit € Appreciated the enhanced pace of bilateral defence cooperation since the convening of the first meeting Why in News of Joint Working Group on Defence Cooperation in February 2019. In a recent virtual sum- € Welcomed the holding of the “ ”, mit, India and Uzbekistan Dustlik 2019 first- . have deliberated on ex- ever joint military exercises in November 2019 panding bilateral ties aim- € Agreed to further strengthen cooperation between ing to expand cooperation the law enforcement agencies and special services in a range of areas, includ- of the two countries, including under the framework ing new and renewable of the Uzbekistan-India Joint Working Group on energy, digital technologies, cybersecurity and sharing Counter-Terrorism. of information. ¾ Civil Nuclear Energy: ¾ The agreements also include cooperation on € Welcomed the conclusion of the bilateral agreement connectivity projects in Afghanistan and its peace between the Global Centre for Nuclear Energy process, trilateral dialogue with Iran, combatting Partnership (GCNEP) India and the Agency for terrorism, etc. Development of Nuclear Energy, Uzbekistan.

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z GCNEP is the sixth research and development € Uzbekistan reaffirmed its support to India’s (R&D) unit under the aegis of Department of candidature for permanent membership of the Atomic Energy (DAE) and helps in capacity UN Security Council and congratulated India on building, in association with the interested its election as a non-permanent member of the countries and the International Atomic Energy UN Security Council for the term 2021-22. Agency (IAEA). € India also congratulated the Uzbek side on its ¾ Connectivity: successful election to the UN Human Rights € Reiterated continued commitment forenhancing Council for the term 2021-23. connectivity between India and Uzbekistan and € Appreciated their close cooperation in the Shanghai in the larger Central Asian region to bolster trade Cooperation Organization (SCO). and investment. z In November 2020, India hosted the first- € India welcomed the proposal to hold trilateral ever meeting of the Council of the Heads of dialogue among India, Iran and Uzbekistan to Government of SCO since its joining the SCO. promote connectivity through the Chabahar port. € India appreciated Uzbekistan’s support in the € India also requested Uzbekistan to consider joining successful holding of the 2nd India-Central Asia the International North-South Transport Corridor Dialogue at the level of Foreign Ministers with (INSTC) which would add to the overall improvement the participation of Afghanistan. of connectivity in the larger Eurasian space. € Uzbekistan is a member of the Organisation of ¾ Culture, Education and People-to-People Contacts: Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which is the second € India invited Uzbekistan to avail of increased largest intergovernmental organization after the UN. scholarship opportunities provided by theIndian z India is not a member of the OIC. However, Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and training India was invited as a guest of honour at the and capacity building under the Indian Technical 46th Session of the Council of Foreign Minister and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme. in 2019. ¾ Terrorism: ¾ Covid-19 Pandemic: € Strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and € Emphasized the need for bilateral and global manifestations and reaffirmed the determination cooperation to continue the fight against the to combat this menace by destroying terrorist including development and distribution safe-havens, networks, infrastructure and funding pandemic channels. of effective vaccines and other medicines. € Uzbekistan thanked India for the assistance rendered € Also underlined the need for every country to ensure that its territory is not used to launch terrorist to Uzbekistan in its fight against the pandemic and attacks against other countries and called for early India reaffirmed its continued commitment. finalisation of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT). Rohingyas at ¾ Afghanistan: Isolated Bangladesh Island € Called for the settlement of the Afghan conflict on the principle of Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled peace process and expressed Why in News unanimity in support for a united, sovereign and Recently, authorities in Bangladesh sent the first democratic Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. group of more than 1,500 Rohingya refugees to an ¾ Reformed Multilateralism: isolated Bhasan Char island in the Bay of Bengal. € Reaffirmed that the United Nations (UN) must Key Points play a central role in maintaining global peace and security and also called for comprehensive reform ¾ Background: of the UN structures including the Security Council € The Rohingya people are stateless, Indo-Aryan with expansion in both categories of membership. ethnic group who reside in Rakhine State, Myanmar.

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„ The island, which was once regularly submerged by monsoon rains, now has flood protection embankments, houses, hospitals and mosques built at a cost of more than 112 million dollars by the Bangladesh navy. 1. It is underwater from June to September because of the monsoon. ¾ Concern: € As Bhashan Char falls in an ecologically fragile area prone to floods, erosion and cyclones, it is not considered safe for human settlements. € and various other human rights agencies are € There were an estimated 1 million Rohingya living in The UN Myanmar before the 2016–17 crisis. An estimated against this relocation as they believe that Rohingya 625,000 refugees from Rakhine, Myanmar, had refugees must be able to make a free and informed about relocating to the island based upon crossed the border into Bangladesh since August decision relevant, accurate and updated information. 2017. The majority are Muslim while a minority are Hindu. € Earlier this year, Amnesty International released a damning report on the conditions faced by € They are described by the United Nations (UN) as Rohingyas already living on the island. one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. z The report contained allegations of cramped € The Rohingya population is denied citizenship under and unhygienic living conditions, limited food the 1982 Myanmar nationality law. They have and healthcare facilities, a lack of phones, as denied the Rohingya the possibility of acquiring well as cases of sexual harassment by both the a nationality. Navy and local labourers engaging in extortion. z Although Rohingya history in the region can be ¾ India’s Stand: traced back to the 8th century, Myanmar law does not recognize the ethnic minority as one € India maintains that Rohingyas are a threat to its of the eight national indigenous races. national security and have links with international terror groups. € The flow of Rohingya from Myanmar intensified in € India has so far refused to exert any pressure on 2017 and the coast near the Bangladeshi city of Myanmar for taking the Rohingyas back and giving Cox’s Bazar was taken over by refugee settlements. them recognition as the citizens of Myanmar. € In June 2015, the Bangladesh government suggested ¾ International Provisions to Protect the Rights of resettling Rohingya refugees on the Bhasan Char Rohingyas: island under its Ashrayan Project. € International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ¾ Recent development: (ICCPR): Even though the refugees are foreigners € The Bangladesh government is moving these in the country of asylum, by virtue of Article 2 refugees to an isolated island known as Bhasan of the ICCPR, 1966, they could enjoy the same Char which is located 21 miles (34 kilometers) fundamental rights and freedoms as nationals. from the mainland. z The right to equality before the law, equal z Bhasan Char: protection of the law and non-discrimination „ Bhasan Char (Floating Island) also known which form a cornerstone of international as Char Piya or Thengar Char Island, is an human rights laws call for banning discrimination island in Hatiya, Bangladesh. It surfaced against refugees based on their status as such. only 20 years ago and was never inhabited. € The 1951 Refugee Convention : The core principle of „ It was formed with Himalayan silt from the the convention isnon-refoulement , which asserts that mouth of river Meghna in 2006 spanning a refugee should not be returned to a country where 40 square kilometres. they face serious threats to their life or freedom.

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in case of disputes and the negotiations must be Negotiations on conducted on behalf of all of the bloc’s 27 member UK’s Brexit Deadline states by the committee. ¾ Fisheries: € The key focus is over Why in News access to UK waters by the EU’s fishing fleets. Recently, the and the (EU) have UK European Union € According to reports, France is leading the charge agreed to continueBrexit trade deal talks and abandon in this area and demanding access rights for at st the 31 December deadline, end of the transition period least 10 years, a demand the UK is unwilling to for a post-Brexit trade agreement. give in to, claiming it fails to meet its take back ¾ Under the Withdrawal agreement between the UK control criteria for leaving the bloc. and the EU, a transition period of 11 months was ¾ Possibilities After Failed Negotiations: finalised until 31st December 2020. € If a deal is not reached before the December-end € During this period, the UK continues toparticipate deadline, the “most likely” outcome remains a no- in the EU’s Customs Union and in the Single Market. deal Brexit on World Trade Organization (WTO) € The transition period makes sure that there is terms on 1st January. not a sudden shock but a degree of continuity z In a no-deal situation, the UK would immediately that allows both parties to secure an orderly leave the EU with no agreement about the Brexit, minimising disruption for the citizens, divorce process (term used for the UK’s businesses, public administrations, as well as for separation from the EU),leave the single market the international partners. and customs union arrangements overnight. Key Points z The UK will have to immediately leave EU institutes and other bodies like the European Court ¾ In the negotiations on the post-Brexit trade agreement, of Justice and Europol, its law enforcement body significant differences remain on three critical issues: and will no longer contribute to the EU budget. level playing field, governance and fisheries. € Without a trade deal, cross-Channel trade will revert ¾ Level Playing Field: to WTO rules, with tariffs driving up prices and € What measures there should be to ensure a “level generating paperwork for importers and border playing field” for businesses between the UK and checks and taxes will be introduced for goods the EU and the role of the European Court of Justice. travelling between the UK and the EU. € Deadlock over the EU’s demands for a mechanism € It would have a far-reaching impact on the way that would make tariff-free trade with the both business and trade is conducted in Europe and could sides maintaining fair competition for business spoil the relations between the UK and the EU. through a regulatory “level playing field”. € The UK rejected “evolution mechanism” or “equivalence mechanism”. This mechanism intends San Isidro Movement in Cuba to deter the UK from undercutting the EU if the bloc decides to raise its standards in areas such as Why in News environmental rules or workers’ rights. Recently, the Movimiento San Isidro (MSI) has € The UK could not accept a deal that left it bound become a platform for Cuban dissidents both within and to EU rules in the future. outside the nation. ¾ Governance: € The UK wants to strike out a deal through bilateral Key Points talks with EU leaders. ¾ Background: € However, the EU had already proposed that the € MSI started two years ago in 2018 to protest mechanism should be administered by a joint against the state censorship of artistic work committee of EU-UK officials, with the arbitration through Decree 349.

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z Decree 349 is a law that would have given powers to Cuba’s Government to restrict cultural activityit did not approve of. € Artists, poets, journalists and activists gathered in San Isidro, a black-majority locality that is among Havana’s poorest yet most culturally active regions. ¾ Global-View: € Various national governments and international Key Points human rights organisations such as Amnesty ¾ Historical Background: International have raised concern for human rights € Israel has supported Bhutanese human resource in Cuba. development since 1982, especially in the area € Cuban diaspora of agriculture development that has benefited in many countries hundreds of Bhutanese youths. continues to hold € Both the countries maintained a cordial relation rallies in support of despite a lack of formal ties. the movement. € Israel briefly had a non-resident ambassador to ¾ Cuban Government’s Bhutan in 2010. Stand: € Israel’s Agency for International Development € Cuban government Cooperation MASHAV has trained hundreds of alleges that the movement is funded by the USA Bhutanese youth since 2013. and is being used to subvert the state. ¾ Recent Developments: India Cuba Relations € The two nations established a formal diplomatic relation and agreed to work closely together in ¾ India shares close, warm and historical relations with various sectors. Cuba and both countries are founding members of € The two sides will in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). not be setting up embassies Thimphu and Tel Aviv however, and will coordinate ¾ In 1959, the Cuban-Argentinean guerrilla commander through their missions in New Delhi, India. Ernesto Che Guevara paid a diplomatic visit to India ¾ and was welcomed by the then Prime Minister Pandit Significance: Jawaharlal Nehru. € The establishment of diplomatic relations would ¾ In 2019, India supported the resolutions in the UN create new avenues for cooperation between the General Assembly calling for a lifting of USA sanctions two countries in water management, technology, against Cuba. human resource development, agricultural sciences and other areas of mutual benefit. ¾ In 2019, India and Cuba also agreed to collaborate in the areas of Biotechnology, Homeopathy and the € As for tourism, Bhutan that limits the number of traditional system of medicine. outsiders who can enter will now likely be more open to Israelis. € The ties between the peoples through cultural Israel-Bhutan Ties exchanges and tourism would also be further enhanced. Why in News ¾ Bhutan’s Foreign Relations: Recently, Israel has established diplomatic ties with € India’s Role: Bhutan’s foreign relations till date are Bhutan, just two days after Israel and Morocco agreed mostly under the guidance of India, with which to normalise ties. Bhutan has official diplomatic relations since 1949. ¾ Bhutan has become the fifth country, after the UAE, z The basis for bilateral relations between India Bahrain (Abraham Accords), Sudan and Morocco to and Bhutan was formed by the Indo-Bhutan set aside hostilities with Israel in the past four months. Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1949.

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z However, Article 2 of the treaty critically gave India any of the five permanent members of the UN a role in guiding Bhutan’s foreign policy. Hence, security council. some alterations were made in the treaty in 2007. € Until 2007, it had formal relations with just 22 As per the new treaty, Bhutan can import arms countries in the world but after their2008 elections, as long as Indian interests are not harmed and the Bhutanese government rapidly increased its there is no re-export of the weapons, either by diplomatic relations, signing agreements with 31 the government or individuals. countries in five years. € Bhutan became a member of the United Nations € Bhutan has diplomatic relations with around 53 (UN) in 1971. countries and the European Union, with Germany z However, it does not have diplomatic ties with being its latest diplomatic partner.

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Science and Technology

Highlights z China’s Artificial Sun z The Cancer Genome Atlas 2020 Conference z Dust Samples from Hayabusa 2 z P Ovale Malaria z Jupiter Saturn Great Conjunction z Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians 2020 z Beresheet 2: Israel z Cannabis Removed from Dangerous Substances: UN z Influenza and Bacterial Infection z Robotic Surgery z Rise in AI Adoption in India Amidst Pandemic z Havana Syndrome z Honey Adulteration z Mucormycosis Fungal Infection

z Aim: To build the world’s largest tokamak to China’s Artificial Sun prove the feasibility of fusion as a large-scale and carbon-free source of energy. Why in News „ The tokamak is an experimental machine China successfully powered up its “artificial sun” designed to harness the energy of fusion. nuclear fusion reactor for the first time recently, marking Inside a tokamak, the energy produced a great advance in the country’s nuclear power research through the fusion of atoms is absorbed as capabilities. The nuclear reactor is expected to provide heat in the walls of the vessel. clean energy. „ Like a conventional power plant, a fusion power plant uses this heat to produce steam Key Points and then electricity by way of turbines and ¾ The HL-2M Tokamak reactor is China’s largest and generators. most advanced nuclear fusion experimental research Nuclear Reactions device, and scientists hope that the device can ¾ Description: potentially unlock a powerful clean energy source. € A nuclear reaction is the process in which two € HL-2M Tokamak device is used in it to replicate nuclei, or a nucleus and an external subatomic the nuclear fusion process that occurs naturally particle, collide to produce one or more new in the sun. nuclides. Thus, a nuclear reaction must cause ¾ It uses a powerful magnetic field to fuse hot plasma a transformation of at least one nuclide to and can reach temperatures of over 150 million another. degrees Celsius, approximately ten times hotter than ¾ the core of the sun. Types: ¾ Located in Sichuan province, the reactor is often called € Nuclear Fission: an “artificial sun” on account of the enormous heat z The nucleus of an atom splits into two and power it produces. daughter nuclei. ¾ Other Similar Experiment: z This decay can be natural spontaneous € International Thermonuclear Experimental splitting by radioactive decay, or can actually Reactor (ITER): be simulated in a lab by achieving necessary conditions(bombarding with neutrons, alpha z It is a collaboration of35 nations, launched in .). 1985. It is located in France. particles, etc

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z The resulting fragments tend to have a combined mass which is less than the original. The missing mass is usually converted into nuclear energy. z Currently all commercial nuclear reactors are based on nuclear fission. € Nuclear Fusion: z Nuclear Fusion is defined as the combining of two lighter nuclei into a heavier one. z Such nuclear fusion reactions are thesource of energy in the Sun and other stars. z It takes considerable energy to force the nuclei to fuse. The conditions needed for this process are extreme millions of degrees of temperature and millions of pascals of pressure. ¾ The space probe orbited above the asteroid for a z The hydrogen bomb is based on a thermonuclear few months to map its surface before landing. Then fusion reaction. However, a nuclear bomb it used small explosives to blast a crater, collected based on the fission of uranium or plutonium the resulting debris and headed back to Earth in is placed at the core of the hydrogen bomb November 2019. to provide initial energy. ¾ The craft’s missionseeks to answer some fundamental questions about the origins of the Solar system and Dust Samples where molecules like water came from. ¾ Significance: from Hayabusa 2 € Asteroids and comets are primitive bodies that can be considered to be the building blocks of the Why in News early Solar system and they hold a record of the birth and initial evolution. Recently, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency € Larger planets like Earth went through a more (JAXA) has received a capsule from the unmanned complex evolution over which the pristine Hayabusa 2, carrying the first extensive samples of dust materials were melted and altered significantly. from the asteroid Ryugu. Due to this change, the materials found on large Key Points planets do not hold information into their early stages of formation. ¾ Hayabusa 2 was launched from Japan’s Tanegashima € Asteroids and comets retain a record of when, and took space centre in 2014 four years to reach where and in what conditions they were formed. the asteroid Ryugu. Exploration of these primitive bodies isssential e € The mission builds on the original Hayabusa mission in gaining insight into the formation of the Solar that was launched in 2003 and successfully linked system. up with asteroid Itokawa in 2005. z Gases trapped in the rock samples could reveal z It returned samples to Earth in 2010 marking more about the chemical mixture from the the first time when sample materials from an planets formed. asteroid were brought back to Earth. € Significantly, among all the reasons that will € Hayabusa is the Japanese term used for the eventually cause the extinction of life on Earth, peregrine falcon, which is the fastest bird during an asteroid hit is widely acknowledged as one of its hunting dive (200 mile per hour). the likeliest.

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¾ Asteroids Great Conjunction: Astronomers use the term great conjunction todescribe meetings of the two biggest ¾ Asteroids are also known as minor planets and are worlds in the solar system, Jupiter and Saturn. made up of metals and rocks. € It happens about every 20 years. ¾ They orbit the Sun and have shorter and elliptical € The conjunction is the orbits. result of the orbital paths of Jupiter and Saturn coming into line, as viewed ¾ Most asteroids are irregularly shaped, though a from Earth. few are nearly spherical. z Jupiter orbits the sun about every 12 years, ¾ Many asteroids are known to have a small companion and Saturn about every 29 years. moon (some have two moons). € The conjunction will be on 21st December, 2020, ¾ There are also binary (double) asteroids, in which also the date of the December solstice. two rocky bodies of roughly equal size orbit each € It will be the closest alignment of Saturn and other, as well as triple asteroid systems. Jupiter since 1623, in terms of distance. The next ¾ Classification of Asteroids: time the planets will be this close is 2080. € Main Asteroid Belt: The majority of known € They will appear to be close together, however, asteroids orbit within the asteroid belt which is a they will be more than 400 million miles apart. torus-shaped region in the Solar system, located ¾ Jupiter: roughly between the orbits of the planets Mars € Fifth in line from the Sun, Jupiter is, by far, the and Jupiter. largest planet in the solar system – more than € Trojans: These asteroids share an orbit with a twice as massive as all the other planets combined. larger planet, but do not collide with it because z Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are called they gather around two special places in the Jovian or Gas Giant Planets. These have thick orbit (called the L4 and L5 Lagrangian points). atmosphere, mostly of helium and hydrogen. There, the gravitational pull from the sun and € Jupiter’s iconic Great Red Spot is a giant storm bigger the planet are balanced. than Earth that has raged for hundreds of years. z Lagrange Points: These are positions in space € Jupiter rotates once about every 10 hours (a Jovian where the gravitational forces of a two body day), but takes about 12 Earth years to complete system like the Sun and the Earth produce one orbit of the Sun (a Jovian year). enhanced regions of attraction and repulsion. € These can be used by spacecraft to reduce fuel Jupiter has more than 75 moons. consumption needed to remain in position. z The planet Jupiter’s four largest moons are called the Galilean satellites after Italian astronomer € Near-Earth Asteroids: These objects have orbits Galileo Galilei, who first observed them in 1610. that pass close by that of Earth. Asteroids that actually cross Earth’s orbital path are known as z These large moons, named Io, Europa, Earth-crossers. Ganymede, and Callisto, are each distinctive worlds. € In 1979, the Voyager mission discovered Jupiter’s Jupiter Saturn Great Conjunction faint ring system. € Nine spacecraft have visited Jupiter. Seven flew Why in News by and two have orbited the gas giant. Juno, the In a rare celestial event, Jupiter and Saturn will be most recent, arrived at Jupiter in 2016. seen very close to each other (conjunction) on st 21 ¾ Saturn: December 2020, appearing like one bright star. € Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the solar system. Key Points € Saturn takes about 10.7 hours to rotate on its ¾ Conjunction:If two celestial bodies visually appear axis once - a Saturn “day” - and 29 Earth years to close to each other from Earth, it is called a conjunction. orbit the sun.

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€ Saturn has 53 known moons with an additional 29 € India has planned a new moon mission named moons awaiting confirmation of their discovery - Chandrayaan-3. It is likely to be launched in early that is a total of 82 moons. It has the giant moon 2021. ‘Titan’. z It will be a mission repeat of Chandrayaan-2 and € Saturn has the most spectacular ring system, will include a Lander and Rover similar to that with seven rings and several gaps and divisions of Chandrayaan-2, but will not have an orbiter. between them. z Chandrayaan-2 failed which crushed India’s € Few missions have visited Saturn: Pioneer 11 dream to become the first nation to successfully and Voyagers 1 and 2 flew by; ButCassini orbited touch down on the lunar surface in its maiden Saturn 294 times from 2004 to 2017. attempt. € The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has decided to Beresheet 2: Israel send an unmanned spacecraft to the moon in 2024. € Artemis is a crewed spaceflight program of the Why in News National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) that has the goal of landing “the first woman Recently, Israel launched the Beresheet 2 project and the next man” on the Moon, specifically at aimed at landing an on the moon in unmanned craft the lunar south pole region by 2024. 2024. ¾ Earlier, Israel’s Beresheet probe Influenza and Bacterial Infection crash landed on the Moon. Why in News Key Points Recently, researches at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute have come out with findings onsuperinfections and have ¾ Background: also highlighted that influenza makes people more € The Beresheet probe was a private mission to the susceptible to bacterial infections. Moon by Israeli non-profit SpaceIL organisation. z Beresheet in hebrew (spoken in Israel) means Key Points Genesis. ¾ Superinfections:These are infection occurring after € It was successfully launched in February 2019, on or on top of an earlier infection, especially following board a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral (USA) treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics. It is an and arrived in lunar orbit in April 2019. overgrowth of an opportunistic pathogen from the € It suffered an engine failure as it prepared to land bacterial or yeast imbalance of systemic antibiotics. and crashed abruptly on the surface of the moon. € For example, influenza is caused by a virus, but ¾ Beresheet 2: the most common cause of death in influenza € Objective: Conductingexperiments and collecting patients is secondary pneumonia, which is caused data on behalf of school students. by bacteria. € Structure: It will involve launching two landing z However, the reason behind influenza infections craft and an orbiter that would circle the moon leading to an increased risk of bacterial for years. pneumonia is not known. € Cost: It will cost around 100 million dollars raised ¾ Case study of Spanish Flu: from international partnershipsand donors. € It was an influenza pandemic that swept across € Significance: Israel could become the fourth nation the world in the year 1918–1920. to land a spacecraft on the moon after the USA, € It disproportionately hit young healthy adults and the former Soviet Union and China. important reason for this was superinfections ¾ Other Missions to Moon: caused by bacteria, in particular pneumococci.

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z are the most common Pneumococcal infections € Paracetamol may help cure the symptoms cause of community acquired pneumonia and but Non Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs a leading global cause of death. (NSAIDs) should be avoided. An annual z A prior influenzavirus infection is often followed vaccine can help prevent the flu and limit its by a pneumococcal infection. complications. ¾ Findings of the Research: ¾ Young children, older adults, pregnant women € When an individual is infected by influenza different and people with chronic disease or weak immune nutrients and antioxidants, such as vitamin ,C systems are at high risk. leak from the blood. Pneumonia € The absence of nutrients and antioxidantscreates a ¾ It is an infection that inflames the air sacs in one or favourable environment for bacteria in the lungs. both lungs. The air sacs may fill with fluid or pus. € The bacteria adapt to the inflammatory environment ¾ Cause: Variety of organisms, including bacteria, by increasing the production of an enzyme called viruses and fungi. High temperature requirement A (HtrA). ¾ Symptoms: Cough with phlegm or pus, fever, chills € The presence of HtrA weakens the immune system and difficulty breathing. and promotes bacterial growth in the influenza- ¾ Treatment: Antibiotics can treat many forms of infected airways. pneumonia. Some forms of pneumonia can be € The ability of pneumococcus to grow seems prevented by vaccines. to depend on the nutrient-rich environment ¾ The infection can be life-threatening to anyone, but with its higher levels of antioxidants that particularly toinfants, children and people over 65. occurs during a viral infection, as well as on the bacteria’s ability to adapt to the environment and protect itself from being eradicated by the Rise in AI Adoption in immune system. ¾ Significance: India Amidst Pandemic € The results could be used to find new therapies for double infections between the influenza virus Why in News and pneumococcal bacteria. As per a report by PwC (a global network of firms), z A possible strategy can therefore be use of India reported a 45% increase in the use of Artificial protease inhibitors to prevent pneumococcal Intelligence, the highest among all countries, following growth in the lungs. the outbreak of the virus. € The information can contribute to the research on Covid-19. Key Points z However, it is still not known ifCovid-19 patients ¾ Findings: are also sensitive to such secondary bacterial € The rise of AI adoption (45%) recorded in the infections. country is the highest, when compared to major economies like the USA, Japan and the UK. Influenza z The USA recorded a 35% rise, the UK 23% and ¾ It is a viral infection that attacks the respiratory Japan 28% following the outbreak of the virus. system i.e. nose, throat and lungs and is commonly called the flu. € The report attributesthe growing AI adoption to the shift in buying behaviour and new business ¾ Symptoms: Fever, chills, muscle aches, cough, challenges (owing to Covid-19 pandemic). congestion, runny nose, headaches and fatigue. z For instance, AI-enabled use cases like contactless ¾ Common Treatment: sales and delivery have gained traction. AI € Flu is primarily treated with rest and fluid intake solutions are also being used to make the to allow the body to fight the infection on its own. workplace safer and enforce best practices.

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€ The sectors with highest Covid-19 led disruption z It delivers food and medicines in bulk and also adopted AI solutions in a more definitive manner. allows doctors and other healthcare practitioners In the travel and hospitality sector, 89% firms to use video interactive technologies to interact have implemented AI in some form. with patients. ¾ Artificial Intelligence: € In Maharashtra: FebriEye is an AI based thermal € It describes the action of machines accomplishing screening system for real-time and automated, tasks that have historically required human non-intrusive monitoring to ensure that a person intelligence. entering does not have a high fever. € It includes technologies like machine learning, z It has been installed in Chhatrapati Shivaji pattern recognition, big data, neural networks, Maharaj Terminus and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus self algorithms etc. in Mumbai. € AI involves complex things such as feeding a ¾ In Other Sectors: particular data into the machine and making it € AI-based solutions on water management, crop react as per the different situations. It is basically insurance and pest control are also being developed. about creating self-learning patterns where the z ICRISAT has developed an AI-power sowing machine can give answers to the never answered app, which utilises weather models and data on questions like a human would ever do. local crop yield and rainfall to more accurately € AI technology helps in analyzing data and thus can predict and advise local farmers on when they improve the efficiency of the systems like power should plant their seeds. management in cars, mobile devices, weather € An AI-based flood forecasting model that has been predictions, video and image analysis. implemented in Bihar is now being expanded to € Example (Use): Self driving cars. cover the whole of India to ensure that around 200 ¾ Recent Government Initiatives: million people get alerts and warnings 48 hours € India has launched National AI Strategy and earlier about impending floods. National AI Portal and has also started leveraging € The Central Board of Secondary Education has AI across various sectors such as education, integrated AI in the school curriculum to ensure agriculture, healthcare, e-commerce, finance, that students passing out have the basic knowledge telecommunications, etc. and skills of data science, machine learning and € Recently, India joined the ‘Global Partnership on artificial intelligence. Artificial Intelligence (GPAI)’ as a founding member € The Ministry of Electronics and Information to support the responsible and human-centric Technology (MeitY) had launched a “Responsible development and use of AI. AI for Youth” programme this year in April, wherein more than 11,000 students from government Use of AI in India schools completed the basic course in AI. ¾ To Tackle the Pandemic: € At the National Level: Honey Adulteration z For the Covid-19 response, an AI-enabled was used by for ensuring Chatbot MyGov Why in News communications. z Similarly, the Indian Council of Medical Research According to a recent investigation by the Centre for (ICMR) deployed the Watson Assistant on Science and Environment (CSE), honey sold by several its portal to respond to specific queries of major brands in India is adulterated with sugar syrup. frontline staff and data entry operators from ¾ CSE is not-for-profit public interest research and various testing and diagnostic facilities across advocacy organisation. the country on Covid-19. Key Points € In Kerala: Use of Srishti Robotics’ ‘Nightingale-19 Robot’ is a good example. ¾ Findings:

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€ Samples of 10 out of 13 brands, which were examined, failed to clear the Nuclear Magnetic The Cancer Genome Resonance (NMR) test. Atlas 2020 Conference z Honey samples from brands such as Dabur, Patanjali, Baidyanath, Zandu, Hitkari and Apis Why in News Himalaya, all failed the internationally accepted NMR test. Recently, the Minister of Science and Technology has virtually inaugurated € Indian companies in the business are importing second The Cancer Genome synthetic sugar syrups from Chinafor adulteration. Atlas (TCGA) 2020 Conference in New Delhi. ¾ The Conference brings together scientists and clinicians z CSE tracked down Chinese trade portals which were advertising fructose syrupthat can bypass from across the globe to build Indian Cancer Genome tests to check adulteration. Atlas (ICGA). „ Chinese companies informed CSE that even Key Points if 50-80% of the honey is adulterated with ¾ syrup, they would pass all stipulated tests Indian Cancer Genome Atlas: as per Indian standards. € It aims to create an indigenous, open-source and comprehensive of z Tests employed as per Indian regulations check database of molecular profiles whether the honey is adulterated with C4 sugar all cancers prevalent in Indian population. (cane sugar) or C3 sugar (rice sugar). € Diverse molecular mechanisms including genetic posing € Adulteration also destroyed the livelihoods of and lifestyle factors contribute to cancer, bee-keepers who found it unprofitable to make significant challenges to treatment. Therefore, it pure honey because sugar-syrup honey was often is necessary to better understand the underlying available at half the price. factors patient by patient. ¾ ¾ Impact: The Cancer Genome Atlas: € € Households consume more honey because It is a landmark cancer genomics program that of its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory molecularly characterized over 20,000 primary properties. cancer and matched normal samples spanning 33 cancer types. € As per this investigation, most of the honey sold in the market is adulterated with sugar syrup. z Genomics aims to sequence, assemble, and Therefore, instead of honey, people are eating analyse the structure and function of genomes. more sugar, which will add to the risk of Covid-19 z Genome is all genetic material of an organism. and increase the risk of obesity. It consists of DNA or RNA. € TCGA is a joint effort of theNational Cancer Institute Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Test (NCI) and the National Human Genome Research ¾ It is a test that can ascertain the composition of a Institute (NHGRI), which are both parts of the product at the molecular level. National Institutes of Health, US Department of ¾ It is an analytical chemistry technique used in Health and Human Services. It was started in 2006. quality control and research for determining € TCGA generated a huge amount of genomic, the content and purity of a sample as well as its epigenomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic data. molecular structure. z Transcriptomics technologies are the techniques ¾ The NMR test is not required by Indian law for used to study an organism’s transcriptome, the honey that is being marketed locally but is needed sum of all of its RNA transcripts. for export. z A Proteome is a set of proteins produced in ¾ Recent NMR tests, while being able to detect an organism. additives , were not able to detect the quantity of € This data has led to improvements in the ability adulteration. to diagnose, treat, and prevent cancer.

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€ On similar lines, the establishment of ICGA has been initiated by a consortium of key P Ovale Malaria stakeholders in India led by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Government of Why in News India in which several government agencies, cancer hospitals, academic institutions and private sector Recently a not very common type of malaria, are partners. Plasmodium ovale, has been identified in a jawan in Kerala. ¾ Other Similar Missions: ¾ The soldier is believed to have contracted it in Sudan, where Plasmodium ovale is endemic. € Genome India: z Its aim is to ultimately build a grid of the Indian Key Points “reference genome”, to fully understand the ¾ type and nature of diseases and traits that About: comprise the diverse Indian population. € Plasmodium ovale is one among the five kinds of malarial parasites — Plasmodium falciparum, z The mega project hopes to form a grid after collecting 10,000 samples in the first phase Plasmodium vivax (the commonest ones), from across India, to arrive at a representative Plasmodium Malariae, Plasmodium Ovale and Indian genome. Plasmodium Knowlesi. € € IndiGen Genome Project: It is termed ovale as about 20% of the parasitised cells are oval in shape. z The initiative was implemented by the CSIR- Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology € The parasite can remain in the spleen or liver of (IGIB), Delhi and CSIR-Centre for Cellular and the body for a long time, even years, after the Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad. mosquito bite, and the person could become symptomatic later. z The IndiGen programme aims to undertake the whole genome sequencing of thousands ¾ Symptoms: of individuals representing diverse ethnic € Symptoms include fever for 48 hours, headache groups from India. and nausea, and it rarely causes severe illness. ¾ Similar to P vivax: Cancer € P ovale is very similar to P vivax and the treatment ¾ It is a large group of diseases that can start in almost modality is the same as it is for a person infected any organ or tissue of the body when abnormal with P vivax. cells grow uncontrollably, go beyond their usual boundaries to invade adjoining parts of the body € Distinguishing between P vivax and P ovale may and/or spread to other organs. The latter process is be tricky and can be differentiated only through called metastasizing and is a major cause of death careful detection. from cancer. ¾ Prevalence: € A neoplasm and malignant tumour are other € P ovale malaria is endemic to tropical Western common names for cancer. Africa. It is relatively unusual outside of Africa ¾ Lung, prostate, colorectal, stomach and liver cancer and, where found, comprises less than 1% of the are the most common types of cancer in men, while isolates. breast, colorectal, lung, cervical and thyroid cancer € It has also been detected in the Philippines, are the most common among women. Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, but is still ¾ Government Initiative: National Programme relatively rare in these areas. for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, ¾ Transmission in India: Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) € According to the National Institute of Malaria is being implemented under the National Research (NIMR), the Kerala case could be an Health Mission (NHM) for up-to-the district-level isolated one and there are no recorded cases of activities. local transmission so far.

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€ Previously, too, isolated cases were reported in Gujarat, Kolkata, Odisha and Delhi. However, no Ramanujan Prize for local transmission has been recorded — which Young Mathematicians 2020 means these cases have been acquired. € In India, out of 1.57 lakh malaria cases in the high- burden states of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Why in News Meghalaya and Madhya Pradesh in 2019, 1.1 lakh The Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians 2020 cases (70%) were cases of falciparum malaria. has been awarded to Dr. Carolina Araujo, Mathematician € According to the recent World Malaria Report from the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics 2020, cases in India dropped from about 20 million (IMPA), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. in 2000 to about 5.6 million in 2019. ¾ She received the Prize for her outstanding work in algebraic geometry. Her work area focuses on birational Malaria geometry, which aims to classify and describe the ¾ Malaria is caused by Plasmodium (a protozoan). structure of algebraic varieties. ¾ Malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum is the most serious one and can even be fatal. Key Points ¾ Life Cycle of Plasmodium: ¾ The Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians from € Plasmodium enters the human body as sporozoites developing countries has been awarded annually (infectious form) through the bite of infected since 2005. female Anopheles mosquito. ¾ It was originally instituted by the International Centre € The parasites initially multiply within the liver for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), the Niels Henrik Abel cells and then attack the Red Blood Cells (RBCs) Memorial Fund, and the International Mathematical resulting in their rupture. Union (IMU). z The rupture of RBCs is associated with release € The participation of the Abel Fund ended in 2012. of a toxic substance, haemozoin, which is € ICTP: Founded in 1964 by the late Nobel Laureate responsible for the chill and high fever recurring Abdus Salam, it seeks to accomplish its mandate every three to four days. by providing scientists from developing countries € When a female Anopheles mosquito bites an infected with the continuing education and skills that they person, these parasites enter the mosquito’s body need to enjoy long and productive careers. and undergo further development. € IMU: It is an international non-governmental € The parasites multiply within them to form and non-profit scientific organization, with the sporozoites that are stored in their salivary purpose of promoting international cooperation glands. When these mosquitoes bite a human, in mathematics. the sporozoites are introduced into his/ her body, thereby initiating the events mentioned above. z It is a member of the International Science Council (ISC). Note: „ The ISC was created in 2018 and is an ¾ It is interesting to note that the malarial parasite international non-governmental organization requires two hosts – human and mosquitoes – to bringing together the natural and social complete its life cycle. sciences and the largest global science ¾ The female Anopheles mosquito is the vector organization of its type. (transmitting agent) too. „ It has its office in Paris, France. ¾ th World Malaria Day is observed on 25 April. z India is a member country. € It can be noted that the World Health Organisation z IMU Secretariat is located in Berlin, Germany. (WHO) officially endorses disease-specific global ¾ The Department of Science and Technology of the awareness days for only four diseases viz. HIV- Government of India (DST) has agreed to fund the AIDS, TB, Malaria, and Hepatitis. Prize, starting with the 2014 Prize.

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€ It has been supported by DST in the memory of € Current Status: Now, both cannabis and cannabis Srinivasa Ramanujan, a genius in pure mathematics resin will remain on Schedule I, which includes the who was essentially self-taught and made least dangerous category of substances. spectacular contributions to elliptic functions, € Countries in Favour: 27 of the CND’s 53 Member continued fractions, infinite series, and analytical States, including India, the USA and most European theory of numbers. nations, voted in favour of the motion. € nd In India, 22 December is celebrated as National € Countries not in Favour: 25 countries, including Mathematics Day in the memory of Srinivasa China, Pakistan, and Russia, were not in favour Ramanujan. and there was one abstention, Ukraine. ¾ It is awarded to a researcher from a developing country ¾ Significance: who is less than 45 years of age on 31st December € Since the Convention was enforced in 1961, of the year of the award, and who has conducted cannabis had been subject to the strictest control outstanding research in a developing country. schedules, which even discouraged its use for € Researchers of the working in any branch medical purposes. mathematical sciences are eligible. € The reclassification of cannabis, although significant, € The Prize carries a USD 15,000 cash award. would not immediately change its status worldwide as long as individual countries continue with Cannabis Removed from existing regulations. Dangerous Substances: UN € However, it will impact this process, as many nations follow the lead of international protocols while Why in News legislating in their respective nations. € With this historic vote, the CND has opened the Recently, the United Nations (UN) Commission on door to recognizing the medicinal and therapeutic Narcotic Drugs (CND), at its 63rd session, has taken a potentialof cannabis. number of decisions, leading to changes in the way cannabis (Marijuana or Hemp) is internationally regulated, ¾ India’s Stand and Regulations: including its reclassification out of the most dangerous € India has voted with the majority to remove category of drugs. cannabis and cannabis resin from the list of most dangerous substances in the Convention. Key Points € Under India’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic ¾ Background: Substances (NDPS) Act 1985, the production, € In January 2019, the World Health Organisation manufacture, possession, sale, purchase, transport, (WHO) made six recommendations related to the and use of cannabis is a punishable offence. scheduling of cannabis in UN treaties, including z The Act was enacted in 1985 which succeeded the deletion of cannabis and cannabis resin from the Dangerous Drugs Act 1930. Schedule IV of the Single Convention on Narcotic € The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is vested with Drugs, 1961. the power to charge individuals in cases related z Schedule IV is the category of drugs that are to the illegal use and supply of narcotics. considered to have “particularly dangerous properties” in comparison to other drugs. Cannabis € The proposals were to be placed before the CND’s ¾ According to the WHO, session in March 2019, but members voted to cannabis is a generic term postpone the vote, requesting more time. used to denote the several ¾ Global Decision: psychoactive preparations € Older Status: The CND decision will remove cannabis of the plant Cannabis sativa. from Schedule IV, where it was listed alongside € According to the WHO, deadly, addictive opioids, including heroin. cannabis is by far the

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most widely cultivated, trafficked and abused € Similarly, CBD oil, an acronym for cannabidiol illicit drug in the world. derived from the leaves of the cannabis plant, ¾ The major psychoactive constituent in cannabis is would not come under the NDPS Act. Delta9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). z The NDPS Act does not permit the recreational ¾ The unpollinated female plants are called hashish. use of cannabis in India. Cannabis oil (hashish oil) is a concentrate of z While CBD oil manufactured with a licence cannabinoids (compounds which are structurally under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 can similar to THC) obtained by solvent extraction of the be legally used, it is not very common. crude plant material or of the resin. ¾ According to the NDPS Act “cannabis plant” means Robotic Surgery any plant of the genus cannabis. € ‘Charas’ is the separated resin extracted from the Why in News cannabis plant. The NDPS Act covers separated Recently, Insurance Regulatory and Development raisin, in whatever form, whether crude or purified, Authority of India (IRDAI) has standardised health policies obtained from the cannabis plant and also includes across all health insurers to even cover robotic and concentrated preparation and resin known as bariatric surgeries. hashish oil or liquid hashish. ¾ Bariatric surgery is an operation that helps lose € The Act defines ‘ganja’ as the flowering or fruiting weight by making changes to the digestive system. tops of the cannabis plant but it clearly excludes ¾ Recently, India became the first country to perform the seeds and leaves. a telerobotic coronary surgery on humans. € The Act illegalises any mixture with or without any neutral material, of any of the two forms of Key Points cannabis, charas and ganja, or any drink prepared ¾ Robotics: It is the intersection ofscience, engineering from it. and technology that produces machines, called robots, € The legislature left seeds and leaves of the cannabis to substitute for (or replicate) human actions. plant out of the ambit of the Act, because the € Application of Robotics: serrated leaves of the plant have negligible THC z Industrial Sector: Industrial robots are content. electronically controlled, both programmable € ‘Bhang’, which is commonly consumed during and reprogrammable to carry out certain tasks festivals like Holi, is a paste made out of the leaves with high precision and accuracy. of the cannabis plant, and is hence not outlawed. z Aerospace: Another application of robots is in Commission on Narcotic Drugs aerospace for outer space exploration. Aerospace robots or unmanned robotic spacecraft play a ¾ It is the UN agency mandated to decide on the key role in outer space probes. scope of control of substances by placing them in the schedules of global drug control conventions. z Outer Space: Robotic arms that are under the control of a human being are employed to ¾ It was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in unload the docking cove of outer-space shuttles Vienna. to launch satellites or to build a space station. ¾ Global attitudes towards cannabis have changed z Exploration: Robots can enter the environments dramatically since the commencement of the 1961 that are injurious to human beings. An illustration Convention, with many jurisdictions permitting is observing the atmosphere within a volcano cannabis use for recreation, medication or both. or investigating our deep marine life. ¾ Currently, over 50 countries allow medicinal z Healthcare Delivery: A highly possible cannabis programmes, and its recreational use has advancement in healthcare is using robots been legalised in Canada, Uruguay and 15 states in Robotic Surgery. Due to technological of the USA. advancement, this is possible even if the patient

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is located in remote areas. This possibility defies € Advancements in technology. distance. € Rising incidence of chronic diseases. ¾ Robotic Surgery: € High incidence of medical errors. € Robotic or Robot-assisted surgery integrates € Demand for faster recovery and reduction in pain. advanced computer technology with the experience € Increase in awareness about the benefits of robot- of the skilled surgeons. This technology provides assisted surgery. the surgeon with a 10x magnified, high-definition, ¾ Reasons for Slow Growth of the Sector: 3D-image of the body’s intricate anatomy. € High cost of installation: Instruments are not only expensive but also incur a large recurring cost due to the disposable nature of instruments and ancillaries. € Monopoly: There exist only a few companies that manufacture the equipment for robotics surgery.the monopoly of few companies makes it difficult to expand robotics surgery in the Indian healthcare system. € Untrained Resource: Another challenge is the unavailability of trained surgeons for conducting robotic surgeries. € The surgeon uses controls in the console to ¾ Robotic Surgery in India: manipulate special surgical instruments that are € Quality: India is the most preferred destination smaller, as well as more flexible and manoeuvrable for getting high-quality treatment across the than the human hand. The robot replicates the globe, and is dotted with variousmulti-speciality surgeon’s hand movements, while minimizing hospitals and patient-care centres. hand tremors. € Infrastructure: The hospitals are well equipped ¾ Benefits of Robotic Surgery: with advanced, highly sophisticated and world- € Easy Procedures: Makes the performance of class infrastructure facilities using state-of-the-art complicated procedures much easier. technologies for the treatment of various critical € Increases Flexibility, Precision and Control: It allows illnesses. doctors to perform different types of complex € Cost: India is very affordable unlike in the U.S., procedures with more precision, flexibility, and U.K., and Canada. Overall, the cost of such control than possible with conventional techniques. procedures in India is pocket-friendly, that too, € Reduces Trauma: It reduces the trauma caused to without compromising on the quality of services the patient by allowing surgery to be performed and infrastructure. through small ports or ‘keyholes’ rather than via large incisions. Havana Syndrome € Simplifies Surgeries: The instruments can access hard-to-reach areas of a patient’s body more easily through smaller incisions compared with Why in News traditional open and laparoscopic surgeries. Recently, a report by the National Academies of € Reduces Recovery Time: It helps in shorter Sciences (NAS), USA has found directed microwave radiation recovery times, with fewer complications and a to be the plausible cause of the Havana syndrome. shorter hospital stay. € Other Advantages: Less pain and blood loss, and Key Points smaller, less noticeable scars. ¾ Havana Syndrome: ¾ Reasons for High Demand of Robotic Surgery: Factors € In late 2016, USA diplomats and other employees which are pushing the demand of robotic surgery are: stationed in Havana (capital of Cuba) reported

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feeling ill after hearing strange sounds and € It also does not mention the source and if the experiencing odd physical sensations. energy was delivered intentionally, even though € The symptoms included nausea, severe headaches, it conducted significant research on microwave fatigue, dizziness, sleep problems, and hearing weapons. loss, which have since come to be known as the ¾ USA’s Reaction: Havana Syndrome. € The USA has praised the NAS for undertaking € The more chronic problems suffered by Havana the effort but also highlighted thateach possible personnel included mainly vestibular processing cause remains speculative. It also flagged the and cognitive problems as well as insomnia and committee’s lack of access to some information headache. because of potential security concerns that limit € While the symptoms have resolved for some of the the scope of the report. affected employees, for others, the effects have € The government also included a provision in the lingered and posed a significant obstacle to their new defence authorisation bill to provide long- work and affected the normal functioning of lives. term emergency care benefits to the government ¾ About the Report: employees affected by the syndrome. € The NAS report examined four possibilities to € The USA had accused Cuba of carrying out “attacks”, explain the symptoms viz. infection, chemicals, but Cuba denied any knowledge of the illnesses. psychological factors and microwave energy. Microwave Weapons € So far, only this report provides the clearest and ¾ These are supposed to be a type of direct energy detailed estimationof what may have transpired. weapons, which aim highly focused energy in the z by various other government In earlier attempts form of sonic, laser, or microwaves, at a target. agencies, scientists talked aboutpsychological ¾ The high-frequency electromagnetic radiations illness due to the stressful environment of heat the water in the human body and cause foreign missions or brain abnormalities in the It diplomats who had fallen ill. discomfort and pain. works the same way as the kitchen appliance. ¾ Findings of the Report: € In a microwave oven, an electron tube called a € Directed pulsed microwave radiation energy magnetron produces electromagnetic waves appears to be the most plausible mechanism in (microwaves) that bounce around the metal explaining the cases of Havana syndrome among interior of the appliance, and are absorbed by those that the committee considered. the food. z By calling it “directed” and “pulsed” energy, € The microwaves agitate the water molecules in the report leaves no room for confusion that the food, and their vibration produces heat that the victims’ exposure was targeted and not cooks the food. Foods with a high water content due to common sources of microwave energy. cook faster in a microwave often than drier foods. € The immediate symptoms that patients reported, ¾ Countries with Microwave Weapons: including sensations of pain and buzzing sound, apparently emanated from a particular direction, € A number of countries are thought to have or occurred in a specific spot in a room. developed these weapons to target both humans and electronic systems. € It warns about the possibility of future episodes and recommends establishing a response mechanism € China had first put on display its microwave for similar incidents, adding that future incidents weapon, called Poly WB-1, at an air show in 2014. might be more dispersed in time and place, and € The USA has also developed a prototype even more difficult to recognise quickly. microwave-style weapon, which it calls the € However, the committee cannot rule out other “Active Denial System”, which is the first non- possible mechanisms and considers it likely that lethal, directed-energy, counter-personnel system a multiplicity of factors explains some cases and with an extended range greater than currently the differences between others. fielded non-lethal weapons.

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¾ Concerns: € Cutaneous (Skin) Mucormycosis: It occurs after the fungi enter the body through a break in the skin € American diplomats and members of their (for example, after surgery, a burn, or other types families in Cuba and China were suspected to of skin trauma). It is most common among people have been targeted using ‘microwave weapons’ who do not have weakened immune systems. (Havana Syndrome). € Disseminated Mucormycosis: It occurs when the z People exposed to high-intensity microwave infection spreads through the bloodstream to pulses have reported a clicking or buzzing affect another part of the body. The infection most sound, as if seeming to be coming from commonly affects the brain, but also can affect within the head. other organs such as the spleen, heart, and skin. € Concerns have been raised on whether they can ¾ damage the eyes, or have a carcinogenic impact Transmission: in the long term. € It occurs through inhalation, inoculation, or ingestion of spores from the environment. € It is not clear yet whether these can kill or cause lasting damage in human targets. z For example, the lung or sinus forms of the infection can occur after someone inhales the € The USA holds that studies have shown that natural blink reflex, aversion response and head spores from the air. turn all protect the eyes from the weapon. € Mucormycosis does not spread between people or between people and animals. € It usually occurs in people who have health Mucormycosis Fungal Infection problems or take medicines that lower the body’s ability to fight germs and sickness. Why in News ¾ Symptoms: Recently, doctors have witnessed increased cases of € General symptoms are one-sided facial swelling and Covid-19 triggered Mucormycosis. numbness, headache, nasal or sinus congestion, ¾ The reduced immunity of Covid-19 patients makes black lesions on nasal bridge or upper inside of them more susceptible to this fungal infection. the mouth, fever, abdominal pain, nausea and Key Points gastrointestinal bleeding. € Disseminated mucormycosis typically occurs in ¾ Mucormycosis is also called Black Fungus or people who are already sick from other medical Zygomycosis and is a serious but rare fungal infection conditions, so it can be difficult to know which caused by a . group of molds called mucormycetes symptoms are related to mucormycosis. Patients ¾ Types of Mucormycosis: with disseminated infection in the brain can develop € Rhinocerebral (Sinus and Brain) Mucormycosis: mental status changes or coma. It is an infection in the sinuses that can spread to ¾ Diagnosis and Testing: the brain. It is the most common in people with € Healthcare providers consider medical history, uncontrolled diabetes and in people who have symptoms, physical examinations, and laboratory had a kidney transplant. tests when diagnosing mucormycosis. € Pulmonary (Lung) Mucormycosis: It is the most € If suspected of the infection, healthcare providers common type of mucormycosis in people with collect a sample of fluid from the respiratory cancer and in people who have had an organ system or may perform a tissue biopsy. transplant or a stem cell transplant. z In tissue biopsy, a small sample of affected € Gastrointestinal Mucormycosis: It is more common tissue is analysed in a laboratory for evidence among young children than adults, especially of mucormycosis under a microscope or in a premature and low birth weight infants less than fungal culture. 1 month of age, who have had antibiotics, surgery, or medications that lower the body’s ability to ¾ Treatment: fight germs and sickness. € It needs to be treated with prescription antifungal

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medicine to prevent mucormycosis and other Mucormycetes mold infections. ¾ Mucormycetes, the group € Often, mucormycosisrequires surgery to cut away of fungi that cause mu- the infected tissue. cormycosis, are present ¾ Prevention and Cure: throughout the environ- € There is no vaccine to prevent mucormycosis and ment, particularly in soil it is difficult to avoid breathing in fungal spores and in association with decaying organic matter, because the fungi are common in the environment. such as leaves, compost piles, and animal dung. € For people who have weakened immune systems, € Several different types of fungi can cause there may be some ways to lower the chances of mucormycosis and belong to the scientific order developing mucormycosis. Mucorales. € z These include avoiding areas with a lot of dust The most common types that cause mucormycosis like construction or excavation sites, avoiding are Rhizopus species and Mucor species. direct contact with water-damaged buildings ¾ They are more common in soil than in air, and in and flood water after hurricanes and natural summer and fall than in winter or spring. disasters and avoiding activities that involve ¾ These fungi are not harmful to most people but close contact to soil. for people who have weakened immune systems, € Early detection can prevent loss of eyesight, nose breathing in micromycetes spores can cause an or jaw through clinical intervention. infection.

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Environment and Ecology

Highlights z Malayan Giant Squirrel z Extreme Climate Events: CEEW z Provisional Report on the State of the Global Climate 2020: WMO z Elephant Corridors in Odisha z Deteriorating Great Barrier Reef z Myristica Swamp Treefrog z Narmada Landscape Restoration Project z Climate Change Performance Index z Peacock Soft-shelled Turtle z Lakshadweep Declared an Organic Union Territory z Emissions Gap Report 2020: UNEP z Five Years of Paris Climate Accord

and the other two are Indian Giant Squirrel Malayan Giant Squirrel and Grizzled Giant Squirrel which are found in peninsular India. Why in News ¾ Habitat: Recently, the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), in a € It is found mostly in evergreen and semi-evergreen first-of-its-kind study, has projected that numbers of the forests, from plains to hills at elevations of 50 m Malayan Giant Squirrel could decline by 90% in India by to 1,500 m above sea level. 2050, and it could be extinct by then if urgent steps are € Globally it is distributed through Southern China, not taken. Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Burma, the Malayan ¾ Headquartered at Kolkata, ZSI is a subordinate Peninsula, Sumatra, and Java. organisation of theMinistry of Environment, Forest € In India, is found in the forests of Northeast and Climate Change, established in 1916. and is currently found in parts of West Bengal, ¾ It is a national centre for faunistic survey and Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, exploration of the resourcesleading to the advancement and Nagaland. of knowledge on the exceptionally richfaunal diversity z Of the roughly 1.84 lakh sq km of the squirrel’s of the country. range in Asia, about 8.5% is in India. Key Points ¾ Significance: ¾ Scientific Name: Ratufa bicolor. € It is considered to be a forest health indicator . ¾ Features: species z An € It is one of the world’s indicator species provides information on largest squirrel species the overall condition of the ecosystem and of that has a dark upper other species in that ecosystem. They reflect the body, pale under parts, quality and changes in environmental conditions and a long, bushy tail. as well as aspects of community composition. € Unlike the nocturnal ¾ Threats: flying squirrels, giant € According to the study, the squirrel and its habitat squirrels are diurnal (active during the day), but are under threat from deforestation, fragmentation arboreal (tree-dwelling) and herbivorous like the of forests, crop cultivation and over-harvesting flying squirrels. of food, illegal trade in wildlife, and hunting for z India is home to three giant squirrel species consumption.

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z Slash-and-burn jhum cultivation in many areas € 2020 will be one of the three hottest, just behind of the Northeast contribute to destruction of 2016 and 2019. its habitat. z The record heat in 2020 has been despite near- € Destruction of its habitatcould restrict the squirrel La Niña conditions prevailing in the equatorial to only southern Sikkim and North Bengal by 2050. Pacific Ocean since August and moderate La z Only 43.38% of the squirrel’s original habitat in Niña conditions prevailing since October. India is now favourable to it and by 2050, the z The La Niña phase of the El Niño Southern favourable zone could shrink to 2.94% of the Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon generally has area the species was meant to inhabit. a cooling effect on many parts of the world. z The population of the squirrel in Indiadeclined ¾ High Temperature over Ocean Surfaces: by 30% over the last two decades. € 80% of ocean areas have experienced at least one ¾ Conservation Status: marine heatwave (MHW) so far in 2020. € IUCN Red List: Near Threatened. z A heatwave is a period of prolonged abnormally € CITES: Appendix II. high surface temperatures relative to those € Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I. normally expected. z At the time of MHW, theaverage temperature Provisional Report of the ocean surface (up to a depth of 300 feet or more) rises by 5-7°C above normal. on the State of the z MHWs can be caused by locally formed heat Global Climate 2020: WMO fluxes between the atmosphere and the ocean or due to large-scale drivers of the Earth’s Why in News climate like the ENSO. z There were also much more strong MHWs According to the latest State of the Global Climate (43%) over the oceans in 2020 than moderate provisional report by the World Meteorological ones (28%). Organization (WMO), the year 2020 is set to be among the three warmest on record. Also, the decade 2011- € Global sea-level rise was also similar to 2019 2020 would be the warmest ever. value. This was mainly due to the increased melting of the ice sheets in Greenland and ¾ The final report will be published in March 2021. Antarctica. The report is published annually to keep a track of global warming. ¾ Reasons: Scientific evidence indicates increasing temperatures are a direct result of human-led ¾ WMO is one of the specialized agencies of the United which is an impact of the Nations (UN). global warming emission of greenhouse gases (GHG). Key Points € After record GHG levels of 2019, there has been a ¾ Rise in Global Temperature: slight dip this year due to measures taken by many countries to fight the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. € The global mean surface temperature for January- October 2020 was 1.2°C higher than the pre- € However, data from specific locations, including industrial baseline (1850-1900). Mauna Loa (Hawaii) and Cape Grim (Tasmania) indicate that levels of Carbon dioxide (CO ), z There is at least a one in five chance of it 2 Methane (CH ) and Nitrogen dioxide (N O) temporarily exceeding 1.5°C by 2024. 4 2 continued to increase in 2020. z The Paris Agreement central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate ¾ Consequences of Global Warming in 2020: change by keeping a global temperature rise this € Extreme weather events such as tropical cyclones, century well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels floods, heavy rainfall and droughtsimpacted many and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature parts of the world and cases of wildfire have also increase even further to 1.5°C. increased this year.

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z Atlantic Hurricane Season: The season witnessed system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs 30 named storms from June to November which and 900 islands. is the highest number ever recorded. € The reef is located in the Coral Sea (North-East z Heavy Rains: There were heavy rainfall and Coast), off the coast of Queensland, Australia. flooding in many parts of Asia and Africa. € It can be seen from outer space and is the world’s z Droughts: South America experienced severe biggest single structure made by living organisms. droughts with northern Argentina, Paraguay € This reef structure is composed of and built by and western areas of Brazil being some of the billions of tiny organisms, known ascoral polyps. worst affected. z They are made up of genetically identical € Sea-level rise: Melting of ice resulted in sea level organisms called polyps, which are tiny, soft- rise which is an existential concern for the small bodied organisms. At their base is a hard, island nations. protective limestone skeleton called a calicle, z A significant sea-level rise by the end of the which forms the structure of coral reefs. century will mean that these countries will drown z These polyps have microscopic algae called in the oceans and their respective populations zooxanthellae living within their tissues. The will be homeless. corals and algae have a mutualistic (symbiotic) € Loss to Humanity: relationship. € z Population Movements:The climate and weather It was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981. events have triggered significant population ¾ Concern: movements and have severely affected vulnerable € Coral along large swathes of the 2,300-kilometre people on the move, including in the Pacific reef have been killed by rising sea temperatures region and Central America. linked to climate change, leaving behind skeletal z Agricultural Losses: Brazil alone recorded remains in a process known as coral bleaching. agricultural losses of 3 billion American dollars. z When corals face stress by changes in conditions z Loss of Human lives, Property and Livelihoods: such as temperature, light, or nutrients, they The most affected were the Sahel and Greater expel the symbiotic algae zooxanthellae living Horn regions of Africa and China, India, Korea in their tissues, causing them toturn completely and Japan regions of Asia. white. This phenomenon is called coral bleaching. z Corals can recover if the stress-caused bleaching is not severe. Deteriorating Great Barrier Reef z Coral bleaching has occurred in the Caribbean, Indian, and Pacific oceans on a regular basis. Why in News ¾ In August 2019, Australia downgraded its long-term Recently, the International Union for Conservation outlook to “Very Poor” for the first time and there of Nature (IUCN) has highlighted that Australia’s Great are high chances that it will be considered for the List Barrier Reef is in a critical of World Heritage in Danger. state and deteriorating International Union for Conservation of Nature as climate change warms ¾ It is a membership union uniquely composed of up the waters in which both government and civil society organisations. it lies. ¾ Created in 1948, it is the global authority on the Key Points status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it. ¾ Great Barrier Reef: ¾ It is headquartered in Switzerland. € It is the world’s ¾ most extensive The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, is the and spectacular world’s most comprehensive inventory of the global coral reef eco- conservation statusof plant and animal species.

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€ The List is designed to inform the international generosity, and promotes a path to recipient community of conditions which threaten the very self-reliance and resilience. characteristics for which a property was inscribed ¾ Implementation: on the World Heritage List. € The 4-year project will be implemented in Khargone € It also encourages corrective action. District of Madhya Pradesh, in the catchments of selected tributaries of the River Narmada between Narmada Landscape Omkareshwar and Maheshwar dams. z Omkareshwar Dam: Restoration Project „ It is one of the major downstream dams of Indira Sagar Project, lies along the bank for Why in News the Narmada and Kaveri. National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has „ Indira Sagar is a multipurpose project signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with consisting of various dams on Narmada river. Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal, „ Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga, one of the 12 to implement the Narmada Landscape Restoration Jyotirlinga is situated on the confluence of Project (NLRP). river Narmada and Kaveri. ¾ NTPC Ltd. is a central Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) z Maheshwar Dam: under the Ministry of Power. It became a Maharatna „ Maheshwar is one of the planned large dams company in May 2010. on the Narmada Valley to provide 400 MW electricity. Key Points ¾ Implementing Agencies: ¾ About NLRP: € IIFM, Bhopal, an Autonomous Institute under € It is a collaborative and participatory approach the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate that will demonstrate the interdependence of the Change (MoEF&CC) will be jointly implementing upstream sustainably managed forest and farm this project with Global Green Growth Institute practices on downstream water resources. (GGGI). € It aims to establish an incentivisation mechanism ¾ Benefits of the Project: to maintain sustainable landscape practices in € Will demonstrate nature-based solutions for the Narmada basin. enhancing ecosystem services. z Landscape management means action, from € It will promote a clean and sustainable environment a perspective of sustainable development, concerning land, water and air. to ensure the regular upkeep of a landscape, € Improvement in water quality and quantity. so as to guide and harmonise changes which are brought about by social, economic and environmental processes. ¾ Funding Mechanism: € The program is in partnership with a grant in aid from NTPC Ltd (under its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative) andUnited States Agency for International Development (USAID) in equal proportions. z USAID is the world’s premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development results. z USAID’s work advances U.S. national security and Narmada River economic prosperity, demonstrates American ¾ Narmada is the largest west flowing river of the

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peninsular region flowing through a rift valley between ¾ Features: the Vindhya Range on the north and the Satpura € They have a large Range on the south. head, downturned snout with low and Global Green Growth Institute oval carapace of ¾ GGGI was established as an international dark olive green to intergovernmental organization in 2012 at the nearly black, sometimes with a yellow rim. Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable € The head and limbs are olive green; the forehead Development. has dark reticulations and large yellow or orange ¾ Its vision is a low-carbon, resilient world of strong, patches or spots, especially behind the eyes and inclusive, and sustainable growth and its mission across the snout. to support Members in the transformation of their economies into a green growth economic model. € Males possess relatively longer and thicker tails than females. ¾ India is not a member country but a partner country. ¾ Habitat: ¾ Headquarters: Seoul, South Korea. € This species is confined to India, Bangladesh and ¾ It rises from Maikala range near Amarkantak in Pakistan. Madhya Pradesh. € In india, it is widespread in the northern and central ¾ It drains a large area in Madhya Pradesh besides parts of the Indian subcontinent. some areas in the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. € These are found in rivers, streams, lakes and ¾ The river near Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh) forms the ponds with mud or sand bottoms. DhuanDhar Falls. ¾ Major Threats: ¾ There are several islands in the estuary of the Narmada € The species is heavily exploited for its meat and of which Aliabet is the largest. calipee (the outer cartilaginous rim of the shell). ¾ Major Tributaries: Hiran, Orsang, the Barna and the € Threats in the River Ganga to the species are Kolar. those generic for all large river turtles, including ¾ The major Hydro Power Projects in the basin are reduction of fish stock, as a result of overfishing, Indira Sagar, Sardar Sarovar etc. pollution, increase in river traffic, and sand-mining, ¾ Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA): among others. € It is an Indian social movement spearheaded by ¾ Conservation Status: native tribes (adivasis), farmers, environmentalists € Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I and human rights activists against a number of € IUCN Red List: Vulnerable large dam projects across the Narmada River. € CITES: Appendix I € Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat is one of the biggest dams on the river and was one of the first focal points of the movement. Emissions Gap Report 2020: UNEP Peacock Soft-shelled Turtle Why in News Why in News United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)’s Recently, Peacock soft-shelled turtle (a turtle of a Emissions Gap Report 2020 has been published recently. vulnerable species) has been rescued from a fish market ¾ The annual report from UNEP measures the gap in Assam’s Silchar. between anticipated emissions and levels consistent with the Paris Agreement goals of limiting global Key Points warming this century to well below 2°C and pursuing ¾ Scientific Name: Nilssonia hurum. 1.5°C.

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Key Points „ Both emission types have declined at similar rates. ¾ Analysis for the year 2019: ¾ Impact of the Pandemic: € Record high GreenHouse Gas (GHG) emissions: € Emissions Level: CO emissions could decrease by z Global GHG emissions continued to grow for 2 about 7% in 2020 compared with 2019 emission the third consecutive year in 2019, reaching a levels, with a smaller drop expected in GHG record high of 52.4 Gigatonne carbon equivalent emissions as non-CO is likely to be less affected. (GtCO e) without including land use changes 2 2 z The resulting atmospheric concentrations of (LUC). GHGs such as methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide z There is some indication that the growth in (N2O) continued to increase in both 2019 and global GHG emissions is slowing. 2020. „ However, GHG emissions are declining in € Sector reporting the lowest dip in emission due Organisation of Economic Cooperation to pandemic: and Development (OECD) economies and z The biggest changes have occurred in transport, increasing in non-OECD economies. as restrictions were targeted to limit mobility, € Record carbon emission: though reductions have also occurred in other z Fossil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (from sectors. fossil fuels and carbonates) dominate total ¾ Issues and Possible Solutions: GHG emissions. € The world is still heading for a temperature rise z Fossil CO2 emissions reached a record 38.0 in excess of 3°C this century.

GtCO2 in 2019. z The levels of ambition in the Paris Agreement € Forest fires increasing GHG emissions: still must be roughlytripled for the 2°C pathway z Since 2010, global GHG emissions have grown and increased at least fivefold for the 1.5°C 1.4% per year on average, with a more rapid Pathway. increase of 2.6% in 2019 due to a large increase € Rise of 3°C in global temperatures could cause in vegetation forest fires. catastrophic weather-related events around the world. € G20 countries account for bulk of emissions: z UN Experts believe the way to avoid it is z Over the last decade, the top four emitters encourage green recovery for countries facing (China, the United States of America, EU27+UK Covid-induced economic slumps. and India) have contributed to 55% of the total GHG emissions without LUC. z A green recovery involves investment in zero emissions tech and infrastructure, reducing fossil z The top seven emitters (including the Russian fuel subsidies, stopping new coal plants, and Federation, Japan and international transport) promoting nature-based solutions, according have contributed to 65%, with G20 members to the UN. accounting for 78%. z Such actions could cut 25% of predicted emissions „ The ranking of countries changes when by 2030, and gives the planet a 66% chance of considering per capita emissions. keeping warming below the 2°mark that the € On consumption-based emissions: Paris pact had set as a long term goal. z There is a general tendency that rich countries United Nations Environment Programme have higher consumption-based emissions (emissions allocated to the country where ¾ The UNEP is a leading global environmental authority th goods are purchased and consumed, rather established on 5 June 1972. than where they are produced) than territorial- ¾ Functions: It sets the global environmental agenda, based emissions, as they typically have cleaner promotes the sustainable development within the production, relatively more services and more United Nations system, and serves as an authoritative imports of primary and secondary products. advocate for global environment protection.

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¾ Major Reports: Emission Gap Report, Global in terms of purchasing power parity or PPP) Environment Outlook, Frontiers, Invest into Healthy during this period. Planet. € The current trend of catastrophic climate events ¾ Major Campaigns: Beat Pollution, UN75, World results from a mere 0.6 degrees Celsius temperature Environment Day, Wild for Life. rise in the last 100 years. z India is already the 5th most vulnerable country ¾ Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya. globally in terms of extreme climate events, and it is all set to become the world’s flood capital. Extreme Climate Events: CEEW ¾ Cyclones: € After 2005, the yearly average number of districts Why in News affected by cyclones tripled and the cyclone frequency-doubled. According to a recent study on the report “Preparing India for Extreme Climate Events” released by the Council € In the past decade, 258 districts were affected on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), over 75% by cyclones with hotspot districts all along the of districts in India are hotspots of extreme climate eastern coastline. events such as cyclones, floods, droughts, heat waves € The east coast’s warming regional microclimate, and cold waves. land-use change, and degrading forests are ¾ This is the first time that extreme weather event triggering the region’s cyclonic activity. hotspots in the country have been mapped. ¾ Flood Events: € CEEW is an independent, non-partisan, one of Asia’s € The decade 2000-2009 showed a spike in extreme leading not-for-profit policy research institutions, flood events and in associated flood events, which devoted to research on all matters affecting the affected almost 473 districts. use, reuse, and misuse of resources. z Events associated with floods such aslandslides , ¾ The report comes just after the United Nations heavy rainfall, hailstorms, thunderstorms, and Environment Programme (UNEP) Emissions Gap Report cloudbursts increased by over 20 times. 2020 which warned that the world is heading for a € The compounding effects of land subsidence, temperature rise of over 3 degrees Celsius this century. the urban heat island phenomenon, and sea- level rise due to glacial melts are leading to the Key Points intensification of cyclonic disturbances, thus increasing the number of flood events experienced ¾ Major Findings: during the decade and making it an outlier. € The frequency, intensity, and unpredictability € While the number of rainy days during monsoon of extreme events have risen in recent decades. has decreased, single-day extreme rainfall events z While India witnessed 250 extreme climate are increasing, leading to flooding. events in 35 years between 1970 and 2005, it € Six of India’s eight most flood-prone districts in the recorded 310 such weather events in only 15 last decade, Barpeta, Darrang, Dhemaji, Goalpara, years since then. Golaghat and Sivasagar, are located in Assam. z With an unusual spike in extreme events since ¾ Droughts: 2005, these districts are bearing the effects of € The yearly average of drought-affected districts with changing microclimate loss of property, increased 13 times after 2005. livelihoods and lives. z Until 2005, the number of districts affected € The pattern reflects the global changes: by drought was six, but after 2005 this figure z Extreme weather events resulting from climate rose to 79. change led to 4,95,000 human deaths across € While the intensity of damage in terms of loss of the world in 1999-2018. life has reduced significantly, droughts increase z More than 12,000 extreme weather events led uncertainties related to agriculture and rural to losses worth USD 3.54 trillion (measured livelihoods.

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€ Drought-affected district hotspots of India in Microclimatic zones shifting the last decade were Ahmednagar, Aurangabad ¾ Microclimatic zones, or areas where the weather (both Maharashtra), Anantapur, Chittoor (both is different from surrounding areas, are shifting Andhra Pradesh), Bagalkot, Bijapur, Chikkaballapur, across various districts of India. Gulbarga, and Hassan (all Karnataka). ¾ A shift in microclimate zones may lead to severe ¾ Weakening of Monsoon: disruptions across sectors. € The empirical evidence generated from the analysis € Every 2 degrees Celsius rise in annual mean coincides with the weakening of monsoons due temperature will reduce agricultural productivity to rising micro-temperatures. by 15-20%. z This further can be validated by the fact that states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Uttar ¾ Some reasons identified behind this shift in Pradesh saw severe water scarcity during 2015 microclimatic zones ischange in land-use patterns, due to record-breaking temperatures during deforestation, encroachments upon mangroves, summer and weakening monsoons. disappearing wetlands and natural ecosystems by encroachment, and urban heat islands that trap ¾ Swapping of Nature of Extreme Events: heat locally. € The study also found a shift in the pattern of extreme climate events, such as flood-prone areas becoming drought-prone and vice-versa, Elephant in over 40% of Indian districts. Corridors in Odisha € This swapping has happened in two ways. z In some cases, districts which were flood-prone Why in News have now become drought-prone and vice versa. Recently, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has z While many districts are facing floods and droughts simultaneously. This trend is both directed the Odisha government to prepare an action unusual and alarming, and requires further plan for 14 identified elephant corridors. investigation. Key Points € Coastal southern Indian states are increasingly witnessing more droughts. ¾ Background: € Further, floods and droughts coincide during the € The NGT issued a prohibition order in 2017 directing same season in several districts of Bihar, Uttar that all such activities which are not permissible Pradesh, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu. to be carried out in a highly Eco-Sensitive Zone ¾ Suggestions: (ESZ), should not be undertaken. z The also € Develop a Climate Risk Atlas to map critical NGT directed authorities to expedite vulnerabilities such as coasts, urban heat stress, demarcation of the corridorswithin a specific water stress, and biodiversity collapse. time frame. € Develop an Integrated Emergency Surveillance € The Odisha government proposed 14 corridors System to facilitate a systematic and sustained stretching over a total area of 870.61 sq. km. response to emergencies. having a length of 420.8 km. Even after several years, no tangible progress has been made on € Mainstream risk assessment at all levels, including localised, regional, sectoral, cross-sectoral, macro the government’s proposal. and micro-climatic level. ¾ Elephant Corridors: € Enhance adaptive and resilience capacity to € They are narrow strips of land that connect two climate-proof lives, livelihoods and investments. large habitats of elephants. € Increase the participatory engagement of all € They are crucial to reducing animal fatalities due stakeholders in the risk assessment process. to accidents and other reasons. € Integrate risk assessment into local, sub-national, € Fragmentation of forests makes it all the more and national level plans. important to preserve migratory corridors.

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z The all-round development like human € Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) settlements, roads, railway line, electric lines, Programme: It is mandated by the Conference Of canal and mining are the main cause of corridor Parties (COP) resolution of CITES. It was started fragmentation. in South Asia in 2003 with the following purpose: € This movement of Elephants helps in enhancing z To measure levels and trends in illegal hunting the species survival and birth rate. of elephants. € 88 elephant corridors have been identified by z To determine changes in these trends over time. the Wildlife Trust of India under the National z To determine the factors causing or associated Elephant Corridor project. with these changes and to try and assess in € Reasons for Protecting the Corridors: particular to what extent observed trends are a result of any decisions taken by the Conference z To ensure that their populations are genetically viable. It also helps to regenerate forests on of the Parties to CITES. which other species, including tigers, depend. z Nearly 40% of elephant reserves are vulnerable, Myristica Swamp Treefrog as they are not within protected parks and sanctuaries. Also, migration corridors have no Why in News specific legal protection. Recently, Myristica swamp treefrog has been z Forests that have turned into farms and recorded for the first time in Kerala’s Thrissur district. unchecked tourism are blocking animal paths. Animals are thus forced to seek alternative Key Points routes resulting in increasedelephant-human ¾ Scientific Name:Mercurana conflict. myristicapalustris z Weak regulation of ecotourism is severely ¾ About: impacting important habitats. It particularly € These are to the affects animals that have large home ranges, endemic Western Ghats. like elephants. € Rare arboreal species (Pertaining to moving about, Elephants living in or among trees). ¾ Elephants are a keystone species. € Active only for a few weeks during their breeding season. ¾ There are three subspecies of Asian elephant viz. the Indian, Sumatran, and Sri Lankan. ¾ Unique Breeding Behaviour: ¾ The Indian elephant has the widest range and accounts € The breeding season, unlike for other frogs, starts for the majority of the remaining elephants on the in the pre monsoon season (May) and ends before continent. the monsoon becomes fully active in June. ¾ Conservation Status: € Before the end of the breeding season, the female frogs along with their male counterparts descend € Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I on the forest floor. € IUCN Red List: Endangered € The female digs the mud and lays eggs in shallow € CITES: Appendix I burrows in mud. After breeding and egg laying, ¾ India’s Initiatives for Conservation of Elephants: they retreat back to the high canopies of the tree € Gaj Yatra: A nationwide campaign to protect and remain elusive till the next breeding season. elephants, was launched on the occasion of World Elephant Day in 2017. Myristica Swamps € Project Elephant: It is a centrally sponsored scheme ¾ About: which was launched in 1992. € The Myristica swamps are tropical freshwater ¾ International Initiatives: swamp forests with an abundance of Myristica trees.

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z Myristica trees are the most primitive of the flowering plants on earth. Climate Change z The evergreen, water-tolerant trees have dense Performance Index stilt roots helping them stay erect in the thick, black, wet alluvial soil. Why in News z The trees form a fairly dense forest with a India ranked 10th in Climate Change Performance closed canopy. Index (CCPI) 2021. € The swamps are typically found in valleys, making ¾ India, for the second time in a row, continued to them prone to inundation during monsoon rains. remain in the top 10. ¾ Significance: ¾ Last year, India had been ranked at the ninth position. € Research & Study: These swamps are considered as living museums of ancient life and could promote better understanding of the influence of climate change on the evolution of plants. € Check Vagaries of Extreme Events: These swamps have high watershed value. When they are drained, filled or otherwise disturbed, their water holding capacity is lost, resulting in floods and erosion during the rainy season and dry streambeds the rest of the year. € Habitat: Provide habitat for a rich diversity of invertebrate and vertebrate species, including amphibians, reptiles and mammals. z It is estimated that the wetlands contain 23% of butterflies, more than 50% of amphibians, more than 20% of reptiles and birds in the whole of Kerala. Key Points € Carbon Sequestration:These have higher potential ¾ About Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI): to store carbon than nearby non-swamp forests. € Published by: Germanwatch, the New Climate They function as carbon sinks and can store Institute and the Climate Action Network annually carbon produced by upland agriculture, forestry since 2005. and other land uses. € Scope: It is an independent monitoring tool for ¾ Present Status: tracking the climate protection performance of € Studies have shown that the swamps, which would 57 countries and the European Union. have occupied large swathes of the thickly- wooded z These countries together generate 90%+ of Western Ghats in the past, are now restricted to global greenhouse gas emissions. less than 200 hectares in the country. € Aim: It aims to enhance transparency in international € Further, the Myristica swamps of the Western climate politics and enables comparison of climate Ghats are fragmented, with Kerala holding a major protection efforts and progress made by individual share of this habitat. countries. € Leaving aside a few more patches in Karnataka € Criteria: The CCPI looks at four categories, with 14 and Goa, this exceptional wetland has almost indicators: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (40% of the disappeared from the Indian subcontinent due overall score), Renewable Energy (20%), Energy to the climatic alteration over the last 18,000 to Use (20%), and Climate Policy (20%). 50,000 years (Late Pleistocene period). ¾ CCPI 2021:

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€ Top three ranks were empty as no country had met (NMEEE), but has also executed successful the criteria to get placed high enough on the index. demand side management programmes for € Only two G20 nations, the United Kingdom and consumers and municipal corporations to India are among the high rankers in CCPI 2021, achieve overall energy savings while gradually which covers the year 2020. mitigating the impact of climate change. € Six other G20 nations including the USA, Canada, „ NMEEE is a part of NAPCC. South Korea, Russia, Australia and Saudi Arabia ¾ Suggestion for India: are ranked at the bottom of the index. € India’s climate change mitigation strategy should z This is the second time in a row that the USA include post-Covid-19 recovery plans, according (ranked last), which is the largest historical to the report. These include reducing fossil fuel polluter, is ranked at the bottom. subsidies, phasing out coal, better coordination between the central and state governments and € China, which is the biggest current emitter of raising self-sufficiencyby domestic manufacturing greenhouse gases, is ranked at the 33rd position in the renewable sector. on the CCPI 2021 report. ¾ India’s Performance: Lakshadweep Declared € Overall Performance: India ranked 10th and scored 63.98 points out of 100. an Organic Union Territory € Renewable Energy: India has been ranked at 27th out of 57 countries under the category this time. Why in News th Last year, the country was ranked at 26 . Recently, the entire Lakshadweep archipelago (a z In September 2019, at the United Nations Climate group of islands) has been declared as an organic Action Summit, India announcedincreasing the agricultural area under the Participatory Guarantee renewable energy target to 450 GW by 2030 System (PGS) of India. from 175 GW by 2022. Participatory Guarantee System z In its Intended Nationally Determined ¾ PGS is a process of certifying organic products, Contribution (INDC), India has pledged to which ensures that their production takes place increase the share of non-fossil fuels-based in accordance with laid-down quality standards. electricity to 40% by 2030. € The certification is in the form ofdocumented a € Emissions: Per capita emissions stayed at a logo or a statement. comparatively low level. India was ranked 12th. ¾ It is implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture z BS-VI Emission Norms: India moved to BS-VI and Farmers’ Welfare. Emission Norms to control the emissions from ¾ the automobiles. It is only for farmers or communities that can organise and perform as a group within a village € Climate Policy: India’s performance was rated as or a cluster of contiguous villages, and is applicable medium (13th). only to farm activities such as crop production, z The National Action Plan on Climate Change processing, and livestock rearing, and off-farm (NAPCC) was launched in 2008 which aims at processing by PGS farmers of their direct products. creating awareness among the representatives of the public, different agencies of the government, Key Points scientists, and the industry on the threat posed ¾ About: by climate change and the steps to counter it. € Lakshadweep is the first Union Territory (UT) to th € Energy Use: India was ranked High (10 ) under become 100% organic as all farming is carried this category. out without the use of synthetic fertilisers and z The country has not only established a pesticides, providing access to safer food choices comprehensive policy for energy efficiency – and making agriculture a more environmentally- National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency friendly activity.

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z Earlier in 2016, Sikkim became India’s first100% € Mission Organic Value Chain Development for organic state. North Eastern Region: € The entire 32 square kilometres geographical z The scheme promotes 3rd party certified organic land area of the UT was declared as organic after farming of niche crops of the northeast region receiving required certifications and declarations through Farmers Producer Organizations (FPOs) under Centre’s Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana. with a focus on exports. ¾ Background: € Capital Investment Subsidy Scheme: € Earlier, the UT administration had imposed a z It comes under the Soil Health Management formal uniform ban on the sale, use and entry Scheme. of synthetic chemicals for agriculture purposes z 100% assistance is provided to State Government/ from October 2017 onwards to make the islands Government agencies for setting up of a chemical-free zone. mechanized fruit/vegetable market waste/ ¾ Benefits: agro waste compost production unit. € Better marketing of organic products such as € National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm: desiccated coconut and coconut milk. z Financial assistance at 50% subsidy to the tune € The organic tag will allow farmers to realise a of Rs. 300/ha is being provided for different premium for the farm produce. components including bio-fertilizers. € The island’s coconut farmers are also expected to € National Food Security Mission: benefit from the Union government’s ‘One District z Financial assistance is provided for promotion One Product’ programme of food processing. of Bio-Fertilizers. z Under it, the entire island is being considered Lakshadweep as a single district and coconut oil has been ¾ India’s smallest UT, Lakshadweep is an archipelago identified as the product. consisting of36 islands with an area of 32 sq km. ¾ Cropping Pattern: € The capital is € Coconut is the only major crop on the islands and Kavarattiand it is the coconut processing industry works only for also the principal about six months. The period between May and town of the UT. December sees the industry come to a standstill. ¾ There are three main z The island administration plans to introduce groups of islands: dryers and other machinery to utilise the nuts € Amindivi Islands even during this standstill period. € Laccadive Islands Organic Farming € Minicoy Island ¾ According to the Food Safety and Standards Authority z Amindivi of India (FSSAI), organic farming is a system of farm Islands are the northernmost while the design and management to create an ecosystem of Minicoy island is the southernmost. agriculture production without the use of synthetic ¾ All are tinyatolls (ring-shaped coral reef island) and external inputs such as chemical fertilisers, pesticides are surrounded by fringing reefs. and synthetic hormones or genetically modified organisms. Five Years of ¾ Government Initiatives to Promote Organic Farming: Paris Climate Accord € Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana: z The scheme promotes cluster-based organic farming with certification and training, Why in News certification and marketing are supported Recently, India has reiterated its commitment to the under the scheme. Paris Climate Accord, prior to the Climate Ambition

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Summit, which will start from 12th December 2020 at € Five years after the Paris agreement, all states Glasgow, Scotland. have submitted their national contributions to ¾ The 2020 Summit will mark the fifth anniversary of mitigate and adapt to climate change. the Paris Agreement, and will provide a platform € However, the contributions are radically insufficient for government and non-governmental leaders to to reach the temperature limit identified in the demonstrate their commitment to the Paris Agreement Paris Agreement. and the multilateral process. € Besides India, only Bhutan, the Philippines, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Morocco and Gambia were complying with the accord. € China has the highest GHG emissions (30%) while the USA contributes 13.5% and the EU 8.7%. ¾ India’s Current Emissions: € A 2020 UN report stated that India’s per capita emissions are actually 60% lower than the global average. € The emissions in the country grew 1.4% in 2019, much lower than its average of 3.3% per year over the last decade. € Emissions Control Measures by India: Key Points z Bharat Stage (BS) VI Norms: These are emission ¾ Climate Ambition Summit 2020: control standards put in place by the government € Objective: To set out new and ambitious to keep a check on air pollution. commitments under the three pillars of the Paris z National Solar Mission: It is a major initiative of Agreement that are mitigation, adaptation and the Government of India and State Governments finance commitments. to promote ecologically sustainable growth while € Scope: Provide a meaningful platform for addressing India’s energy security challenge. businesses, cities and other non-state actors who z National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy 2018: It aims are rallying together and collaborating to support to provide a framework for the promotion of governments and accelerate the systemic change large grid-connected wind-solar photovoltaic required to reduce emissions and build resilience. (PV) hybrid systems for optimal and efficient € Hosted By: The United Nations, the United Kingdom utilization of wind and solar resources, (UK) and France in partnership with Chile and Italy. transmission infrastructure and land. ¾ History of Emissions: z All these and many other initiatives helped

€ As the most abundant Greenhouse Gas (GHG) in India in cutting CO2 emissions by 164 million kg. ¾ the atmosphere, carbon dioxide (CO2) has become Issues in Achieving the Pledged Targets: a direct proxy for measuring climate change. Its € Most of the nations have been slow to update their levels have varied widely over the course of the national contributions for reducing emissions for Earth’s 4.54 billion year history. 2025-2030, however, several have announced net € Historically it’s the developed countries that have zero emission targets in the recent past. been major contributors to carbon emissions. z Net zero-emission means that all man-made z The USA has the highest emissions at 25%, GHG emissions must be removed from the followed by the European Union (EU) at 22% atmosphere through reduction measures, thus and China at 13%. reducing the Earth’s net climate balance. z India has a low carbon emission contribution € The net-zero targets are subject to credibility, of only 3%. accountability and fairness checks. ¾ Current Status of Global Emissions: z Credibility: The plans and policies of nations

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are not credible enough to meet the long term limited to ensuring compliance with a shortlist net-zero targets because: of binding procedural obligations. „ The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate z Fairness: Issues of fairness and justice, Change’s 1.5 degrees Celsius Report indicated both between and within generations, are that to stay within a reasonable chance, unavoidable because: global CO2 emissions have to fall by 45% „ There is no mechanism to check whether from the 2010 levels by 2030 but current the net-zero targets, and pathways to net- national contributions are not on track for zero are fair or how much are states doing . such a fall in comparison to others and relative to how z Accountability: There is limited or no much they should. accountability for the long-term net-zero goals and short-term national contributions because: Paris Climate Accord „ Many net-zero goals have not yet been ¾ Legal Status: It is a legally binding international embedded in national contributions and long- treaty on climate change. term strategies under the Paris Agreement. ¾ Adoption: It was adopted by 196 countries at „ In any case, accountability under the Paris the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) in Paris in Agreement is limited. States are not obliged December 2015. to achieve their self-selected targets. There ¾ Goal: To limit global warming to well below 2° is no mechanism to review the adequacy Celsius, and preferably limit it to 1.5° Celsius, of individual contributions. States are only compared to pre-industrial levels. asked to provide justifications for the fairness and ambition of their targets. ¾ Objective: To achieve the long-term temperature goal, countries aim to reach global peaking of GHG „ The transparency framework does not emissions as soon as possible to achieve a climate- contain a robust review function, and the compliance committee is facilitative and neutral world by mid-century.

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Highlights z 64th Mahaparinirvan Diwas z International Bharati Festival 2020 z Indus Valley Diet

€ He founded Bahishkrit Hitkarini Sabha (1923), th 64 Mahaparinirvan Diwas devoted to spreading education and culture amongst the downtrodden. Why in News € He was appointed by the Bombay Presidency Mahaparinirvan Diwas is observed every year on 6th Committee to work in the Simon Commission December to commemorate the death anniversary of in 1925. Dr. B R Ambedkar. € He led the Mahad Satyagraha in March 1927 to ¾ Parinirvana, regarded as one of the major principles challenge the regressive customs of the Hindus. as well as goals of Buddhism, is a Sanskrit term which € The Kalaram Temple Movement of 1930 formed means release or freedom after death. As per the a pivotal role in the Dalit movement in India in Buddhist text Mahaparinibbana Sutta, the death of which Ambedkar led a protest outside the Kalaram Lord Buddha at the age of 80 is considered as the temple which did not allow Dalits to enter the original Mahaparinirvana. temple premises. ¾ Owing to Ambedkar’s status as a Buddhist leader, his € He participated in all three round-table conferences. death anniversary is referred to as Mahaparinirvana € In 1932, he signed the Poona pact with Mahatma Diwas. Gandhi, which abandoned the idea of separate for the (Communal Key Points electorates depressed classes Award). ¾ Birth: 14th April 1891 in Mhow, Central Province (now z However, the seats reserved for the depressed Madhya Pradesh). classes were increased from 71 to 147 in ¾ Brief Profile: provincial legislatures and to 18% of the total € Dr. Ambedkar was a social in the Central Legislature. reformer, jurist, economist, € In 1936, he was elected to the Bombay Legislative author, polyglot orator and Assembly as a legislator (MLA). a scholar of comparative € On 29th August, 1947, he was appointed Chairman religions. of the Drafting Committee for the new Constitution. z In 1916, he received a € He accepted Prime Minister Nehru’s invitation to doctorate degree from Columbia University, becoming the first Indian become Minister of Law in the first Cabinet of to do so. independent India. € € He is known as the Father of the Indian Constitution He resigned from the Cabinet in 1951, over and was an independent India’s first law minister. differences on the Hindu Code Bill (aimed at reforming Hindu society). ¾ Related Information: € In 1956, he converted to Buddhism. € He established a fortnightly newspaper “Mooknayak” th in 1920 which laid the foundations of anassertive € He passed away on 6 December 1956. and organised Dalit politics. € He was conferred Bharat Ratna in 1990.

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€ Chaitya Bhoomi is a memorial to B.R. Ambedkar across Indus populations, supplemented by which is located in Dadar, Mumbai. consumption of mutton/lamb. ¾ Important Works: Newspaper Mooknayak (1920); € At Harappa, 90% of the cattle were kept alive The Annihilation of Caste (1936); The Untouchables until they were three or three-and-a-half years, (1948); Buddha Or Karl Marx (1956), The Buddha and suggesting that females were used for dairy His Dhamma (1956), etc. production, whereas males were used for traction. ¾ Quotes: € Previously there have been many studies on the € ‘Democracy is not merely a form of government. It food habit in Indus Valley civilisation, primarily is primarily a mode of associated living, of conjoint focusing on crops. communicated experience. It is essentially an attitude of respect and reverence towards fellow men’. Indus Valley Civilization ¾ € “I measure the progress of a community by the Time Period: degree of progress which women have achieved”. € The Indus Valley Civilization was established € ‘Humans are mortal. So are ideas. An idea needs around 3300 BC. It flourished between 2600 BC propagation as much as a plant needs watering. and 1900 BC. It started declining around 1900 BC Otherwise, both will wither and die’. and disappeared around 1400 BC. ¾ This is also called Harappan Civilization after the first Indus Valley Diet city to be excavated, Harappa (Punjab, Pakistan). ¾ Geographical Extent: € Geographically, this civilization covered Punjab, Why in News Sindh, Balochistan, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Western As per a study published in the Journal of Archaeological Uttar Pradesh. Science, the diet of the people of Indus Valley civilization z It extended from Sutkagengor (in Balochistan) had a dominance of meat, including extensive eating of in the West to Alamgirpur (Western UP) in the beef. East; and from Mandu (Jammu) in the North to Daimabad (Ahmednagar, Maharashtra) in the Key Points South. Some Indus Valley sites have also been ¾ The study, “Lipid residues in pottery from Indus found in as far away as Afghanistan. Civilisation in northwest India’’, looks at the food ¾ Important Sites: habits of the people on the basis of lipid residue € Kalibangan (Rajasthan), Lothal, Dholavira, Rangpur, analysis found in potteryfrom sites such as: Surkotda (Gujarat), Banawali (Haryana), Ropar € Uttar Pradesh: Alamgirpur (Meerut) (Punjab). € Haryana: z Masudpur, LohariRagho, Rakhigarhi city (Hisar) z Khanak (Bhiwani), Farmana town (Rohtak) ¾ Findings: € The study finds the dominance of animal products such as meat of pigs, cattle, buffalo, sheep and goat, as well as dairy products, from rural and urban settlements of Indus Valley civilization. € Out of domestic animals, cattle/buffalo are the most abundant, averaging between 50-60% of the animal bones found, with sheep/goat accounting for 10% animal remains. z The high proportions of cattle bones may suggest a cultural preference for beef consumption

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€ In Pakistan: Harappa (on river Ravi), Mohenjodaro z A figure of abearded Priest-King has also been (on Indus River in Sindh), Chanhudaro (in Sindh). found from Mohenjodaro. ¾ Some Important Features: € Lothal was a dockyard. € The Indus Valley cities show a level of sophistication € Disposal of the dead was by burial in wooden and advancement not seen in other contemporary coffins. civilizations. € The Indus Valley script has not yet been deciphered. € Urban Features: z Most cities had similar patterns. There were two International parts: a citadel and the lower town showing presence of hierarchy in society. Bharati Festival 2020 z Most cities had a Great Bath. z There were also granaries, 2-storied houses made Why in News of burnt bricks, closed drainage lines, excellent Recently, the Prime Minister has addressed the virtual stormwater, and wastewater management International Bharati Festival, 2020 organised by the system, weights for measurements, toys, pots, etc. Vanavil Cultural Centre, Tamil Nadu. z A large number of seals have been discovered. ¾ The event celebrates the 138th birth anniversary (11th € Agriculture: December 2020) of Tamil poet and writer Mahakavi z The first civilization to cultivate cotton. Subramanya Bharati. z Animals were domesticated like sheep, goats, ¾ Scholar Seeni Viswanathan has received the Bharathi and pigs. Award for 2020. z Crops were wheat, barley, cotton, ragi, dates, € Bharathi Award was instituted in 1994 by Vanavil and peas. Cultural Centre. € Trade was conducted with the Sumerians € Every year, it is being conferred on eminent persons (Mesopotamia). who have done laudable service in any field of social relevance and thus worked towards the € Metal Products : fulfilment of Bharati’s dreams. z These were produced including those with copper, bronze, tin, and lead. Gold and silver Key Points were also known. ¾ Subramanya Bharati: z Iron was not known to them. € Birth: 11th December 1882, € Religious Beliefs: in Ettayapuram, Madras z No structures like temples or palaces have Presidency. been found. € Brief Profile: z The people worshipped male and female deities. z An outstanding Indian z A seal which was named ‘Pashupati Seal’ has writer of the nationalist been excavated and it shows an image of a period (1885-1920) who three-eyed figure. is regarded as the “Father € Pottery: of Modern Tamil Style”. z Excellent pieces of red pottery designed in z He is also known as ‘Mahakavi Bharathiyar’. black have been excavated. z His strong sense of social justice drove him to z Faience was used to make beads, bangles, fight for self-determination. earrings, and vessels. € Involvement During Nationalist Period: € Art Forms: z After 1904, he joined the Tamil daily newspaper z A statuette named Dancing‘ Girl’ has been Swadesamitran, which led to his involvement found from Mohenjodaro and is believed to in the extremist wing of the Indian National be 4000 years old. Congress (INC) party.

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z In order to proclaim its revolutionary passion, € Important Works: Bharathi had the weekly newspaper named z Kaṇṇan pāṭṭu (1917; Songs to Krishna), Panchali ‘India’ printed in red paper. sapatham (1912; Panchali’s Vow), Kuyil „ It was the first paper in Tamil Nadu to publish pāṭṭu (1912; Kuyil’s Song), Pudiya Russia and political cartoons. Gnanaratham (Chariot of Wisdom). z He also published and edited a few other z Many of his English works were collected journals like “Vijaya”. in Agni and Other Poems and Translations z He attended the annual sessions of INC and and Essays and Other Prose Fragments discussed national issues with extremist leaders (1937). like , and . th Bipin Chandra Pal B.G. Tilak V.V.S. Iyer € Death: 11 September 1921. „ His participation and activities in Benaras ¾ Significance in Present Times: Session (1905) and Surat Session (1907) of the INC impressed many national leaders € The poet’s definition of progress had a central for his patriotic enthusiasm. role for women. z z He published the sensational “Sudesa He wrote women should walk with their head Geethangal” in 1908. held high, looking people in the eye. z He was forced to flee to Puducherry (earlier z The government is inspired by this vision known as Pondicherry), a French colony, where and is working to ensure women-led empo- he lived in exile from 1910 to 1919. werment. z Bharati’s reaction to theRussian Revolutions of € He believed in a healthy mix between the ancient 1917, in a poem entitled“ Pudiya Russia” (known and the modern, indicating a need to develop a as the New Russia in English), offers a fascinating scientific temper, a spirit of inquiry and march example of the poet’s political philosophy. towards progress.

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Highlights z Hampi Stone Chariot

City of Vijayanagara Empire. It is located in the Hampi Stone Chariot Tungabhadra basin in central Karnataka. € It was founded by Harihara and Bukka in 1336. Why in News € Classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has taken (1986), it is also the “World’s Largest Open-air steps to protect the stone chariot inside Vittala Temple Museum”. complex at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hampi. € Famous places include Krishna temple complex, ¾ ASI, under the Ministry of Culture, is the premier Narasimha, Ganesa, Hemakuta group of temples, organization for the archaeological research and Achyutaraya temple complex, Vitthala temple protection of the cultural heritage of the nation. complex, Pattabhirama temple complex, Lotus Mahal complex, etc. Key Points € The Battle of Talikota (1565 CE) led to a massive ¾ Hampi Chariot: destruction of its physical fabric. € It is among three fa- z Battle of Talikota, confrontation in the Deccan mous stone chariots region of southern India between the forces of in India, the other the Hindu King of Vijayanagar and the four allied two being in Konark Muslim sultans of Bijapur, Bidar, Ahmadnagar, (Odisha) and Mahab- and Golconda. alipuram (Tamil Nadu). th Vijayanagara Empire € It was built in the 16 century by the orders of King Krishnadevaraya, a Vijayanagara ruler. ¾ Vijayanagara or “city of victory” was the name of z Vijayanagara rulers reigned from 14th to 17th both a city and an empire. century CE. ¾ The empire was founded in the fourteenth century € It is a shrine dedicated to Garuda, the official (1336 AD) by Harihara and Bukka of the Sangama vehicle of Lord Vishnu. dynasty. ¾ Vittala Temple: ¾ It stretched from the river Krishna in the north to the € It was built in the 15th century during the rule of extreme south of the peninsula. Devaraya II, one of the rulers of the Vijayanagara ¾ Vijayanagar Empire was ruled by four important Empire. dynasties and they are: € It is dedicated to Vittala and is also called Vijaya € Sangama Vittala Temple. € Saluva z Vittala is said to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. € Tuluva € Dravidian style adorns the built of the complex, € Aravidu which is further enhanced with elaborate carvings. ¾ Krishnadevaraya (ruled 1509-29) of the Tuluva dynasty ¾ Hampi: was the most famous ruler of Vijayanagar. His rule € It comprises mainly the remnants of the Capital was characterised by expansion and consolidation.

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€ He is credited with building some fine temples and € The shape of the main temple tower known as adding impressive gopurams to many important vimana in Tamil Nadu is like a stepped pyramid south Indian temples. He also founded a suburban that rises up geometrically rather than the curving township near Vijayanagar called Nagalapuram shikhara of North India. after his mother. z In the South Indian temple, the word ‘shikhara’ € He composed a work on statecraft in Telugu known is used only for the crowning element at the as the Amuktamalyada. top of the temple which is usually shaped like a small stupika or an octagonal cupola - this is ¾ Dravidian architecture survives in the rest of equivalent to the amlak and kalasha of North Southern India spread through the patronage of the Indian temples. Vijayanagara rulers. € Whereas at the entrance to the North Indian ¾ Vijayanagara architecture is also known for its adoption temple’s garbhagriha, it would be usual to find of elements of Indo Islamic Architecture in secular images such as mithunas and the river goddesses, buildings like the Queen’s Bath and the Elephant Ganga and Yamuna, in the south one will generally Stables, representing a highly evolved multi-religious find sculptures of fierce dvarapalas or the door- and multi-ethnic society. keepers guarding the temple. It is common to find a large water reservoir, or a temple tank, enclosed Dravidian Architecture within the complex. ¾ Two broad orders of temples in the country are known ¾ Examples: - Nagara in the north and Dravida in the south. At € Nagara Style: Kandariya Mahadeva Temple times, theVesara style of temples as an independent (Khajuraho), Madhya Pradesh style created through the selective mixing of the Nagara € Dravidian Style: Brihadeshwara Temple and and Dravida orders is mentioned by some scholars. Mahabalipuram Temple, Tamil Nadu. ¾ Features of Nagara and Dravida Orders of Temples: € Unlike the nagara temple, the dravida temple is enclosed within a compound wall. The front wall has an entrance gateway in its centre, which is known as a gopuram.

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Highlights z Cyclone Burevi z New Height for Mount Everest z Recovery from Coal Mining in Meghalaya’s Moolamylliang z El Niño & Drought

Atlantic and eastern Pacific and typhoons in SouthEast Cyclone Burevi Asia and China. They are called tropical cyclones in the southwest Pacific and Indian Ocean region and Why in News Willy-willies in north-western Australia. ¾ Storms rotate Recently cyclone Burevi has made a landfall on Sri counterclockwise in the northern Lanka’s Northern and Eastern provinces, before heading hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere. towards south India. ¾ The conditions favourable for the formation and intensification of tropical storms are: ¾ This comes days afterCyclone Nivar hit the Puducherry coast. € Large sea surface with temperature higher than 27° C. Key Points € Presence of the Coriolis force. ¾ Named by: € Small variations in the vertical wind speed. € Maldives € A pre-existing weak low- pressure area or low- ¾ Burevi vs Nivar: level-cyclonic circulation. € Cyclone Burevi would not strengthen beyond the € Upper divergence above the sea level system. intensity of a cyclonic storm because of upwelling caused by Nivar. Recovery from Coal Mining in € Upwelling is the process in which cooler waters from lower ocean surfaces are pushed towards Meghalaya’s Moolamylliang upper ocean surfaces. € In the absence of warm sea surface conditions, any Why in News cyclone, in this case Burevi, will not get enough Moolamylliang, a village in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia fuel to intensify further while at sea. Hills district, is making progress in becoming a greener € Further, interaction with land mass has slowed its place amid abandoned pits from the rat-hole mining. movement and intensity. Key Points Tropical Cyclone ¾ Background: ¾ A tropical cyclone is an intense circular storm € The Jaintia Coal Miners and Dealers’ Association that originates over warm tropical oceans and is claims there are around 60,000 coal mines across characterized by low atmospheric pressure, high 360 villages in East Jaintia Hills district. winds, and heavy rain. € Moolamylliang used to be one such village until the ¾ A characteristic feature of tropical cyclones is theeye , National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned hazardous a central region of clear skies, warm temperatures, rat-hole coal mining in Meghalaya in April 2014 and and low atmospheric pressure. set a time limit for transporting the coal already ¾ Storms of this type are called hurricanes in the North mined till that time.

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€ Though the NGT ban did not stop illegal mining € Health Issues: The prevalence of mining in an area in the district, it helped Moolamylliang reform. causes various diseases like fibrosis, pneumoconiosis ¾ Coal Mining in Northeast: and silicosis in workers as well as locals. € In the northeast, coal mining is part of a larger € Child Labour and Trafficking: Majority of the workers trend which is the decimation of natural resources. involved in ‘rat-hole’ mining are children. They are suited for this job because of their small anatomy z For example, there is large-scale deforestation that fits small mine tunnels. Rat-hole mining has going on in the Garo and Khasi Hills of encouraged child trafficking apart from engaging Meghalaya, besides limestone mining in the with immigrants from many states. Jaintia Hills. € Corruption: Police officials often collaborate with z Assam, which has lost most of its once extensive mine owners in states where the open cast mining forest cover, sees poaching in the Dima Hasao and rat hole mining are the norms. region, coal mining in Upper Assam, and sand/ ¾ stone mining from river beds. Measures: € The administration tried to make coke factories and € There are three notable peculiarities of coal mining in the Jaintia Hills (and elsewhere in Meghalaya). cement plants in the vicinity contribute to earth rejuvenation programmes in the area under their z Being a tribal state where the 6th Schedule Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). applies, all land is privately owned, and hence coal mining is done by private parties. The € Among the projects being pursued is low-cost rainwater harvesting for recharging the area that schedule does not explicitly refer to mining. has become dry because of coal mining. z The sizable coal deposits in the state, mostly in € Making Moolamylliang a base camp for tourists to the Jaintia Hills,occur in horizontal seams only explore caves, canyons and waterfalls in parts of a few feet high that run through the hills which East Jaintia Hills that have escaped the impact of is why rat-hole mining is practised instead of mining, will boost tourism and bring in revenue. open cast mining. € Since the 6th Schedule does not explicitly refer to z Most of the labour (including children) comes mining, environmental activists are calling for from Nepal, the poorer areas of Assam, and the coal trade to come under central mining and Bangladesh. In Meghalaya, the non-tribal is a environmental laws. second-class citizen, as is the poor tribal, which explains the general lack of concern even within Government Initiatives Related to Mining the State about the trapped miners. ¾ In April 2018, the Ministry of Coal launched the € Rat-hole Mining: Unlocking Transparency by Third Party Assessment z It is a term used for a hazardous and arduous of Mined Coal (UTTAM) Application for coal quality mining technique where miners crawl into monitoring. winding underground tunnels that are just 4-5 ¾ Na­tional Min­eral Pol­icy (NMP) was approved­ in 2019, feet in diameter to extract coal from the deep which empha­ ­sises­ on themes such as sus­tain­able seams with a pickaxe. min­ing, boost­ing ex­plo­ration, en­cour­ag­ing the use of € Open Cast Mining: state-of-the-art technol­ ­ogy and skill de­vel­op­ment. z It is a surface mining technique of extracting ¾ In Septem­ber 2019, 100% FDI under­ the au­to­matic rock or minerals from the earth by their removal approval­ route was allowed for the sale of coal and from an open-air pit, sometimes known as a coal min­ing ac­tiv­i­ties in­clud­ing as­so­ci­ated pro­cess­ borrow. ing in­fra­struc­ture. ¾ Concerns: ¾ In January 2020, the Parliament passed the Mineral Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020. € Ecological Issues: Unsustainable mining in hilly areas contaminates the farmlands and turns the € It amends the Mines and Minerals (Development streams acidic, leading to the loss of biodiversity and Regulation) Act, 1957 and the Coal Mines and local heritage. (Special Provisions) Act, 2015.

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€ z The 1957 Act regulates the mining sector First Survey of Everest: in India and specifies the requirement for z The first effort was carried out in 1847 by a obtaining and granting mining leases for team led by Andrew Waugh, Surveyor General mining operations. of India. z The 2015 Act provides for allocation of coal „ The survey was based on trigonometric mines and vesting of the right, title and interest calculations and is known as the Great in and over the land and mine infrastructure Trigonometric Survey of India. together with mining leases to successful z The team discovered that ‘Peak 15’ (as Mount bidders with a view to ensure continuity in Everest was referred to then) was the highest coal mining operations and production of coal. mountain, contrary to the then-prevailing belief rd € The Bill per­mits com­mer­cial coal min­ing for that Mount Kanchenjunga (8,582 m and the 3 lo­cal and global firms with­out im­pos­ing any highest peak in the world now) was the highest end-user re­strictions,­ also it ex­tend­s the va­lid­ity peak in the world. of clear­ances for mining­ leases expir­ ­ing in 2020. „ Mount K2, at 8,611 metres above sea level, is the second highest mountain in the world. New Height for Mount Everest El Niño & Drought Why in News Nepal and China have announced the revised height Why in News of Mount Everest as 8,848.86 metres. The new height In a recent study by Indian Institute of Science’s (IISc) is 86 cm more than the previous measurement. Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (CAOS), it has been found that El Niño was not the only cause Key Points for droughts during the Summer Monsoon in the Indian ¾ The new height of 8,848.86 meters replaced the subcontinent. long-associated 8,848 metre-height, which was, as ¾ El Niño is a recurring climate event during which per a measurement carried out by the Survey of abnormally warm equatorial Pacific waters pull India in 1954. moisture-laden clouds away from the Indian ¾ The common declaration meant that thetwo countries subcontinent. have shed their long-standing difference in opinion ¾ It is the usual suspect for failing Indian summer about the mountain’s height — 8,844 m claimed by monsoons between June and September. China and 8,847 m by Nepal. € Resolving the three-metre difference, attributed Key Points to China calculating the“rock height” underneath ¾ Findings of the Study: the snow and Nepal using the “snow height” € 43% of the droughts that occurred during the Indian was the aim of a which included the snowcap, summer monsoon season in the past century may joint project. have been driven by atmospheric disturbances ¾ Everest is also known as Sagarmatha in Nepal and from the North Atlantic region. Mount Qomolangma in China. € These droughts occurred during years when El ¾ The mountain lies on the border between Nepal and Niño was absent. and the summit can be accessed from both sides. Tibet ¾ Cause of Drought: ¾ Related Information: € A sudden and steep drop in rainfall in late August € It gets its English name from Sir George Everest, that was linked to an atmospheric disturbance in a colonial-era geographer who served as the the mid-latitude region over the North Atlantic th Surveyor General of India in the mid-19 century. Ocean, creating a pattern of atmospheric currents € It was first scaled in 1953 by the Indian-Nepalese that move over the Indian subcontinent andderail Tenzing Norgay and New Zealander Edmund Hillary. the monsoon.

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Atmospheric Circulations that Impact Monsoon ¾ Indian Ocean Dipole: € IOD is defined by the difference in sea surface temperature between two areas (or poles, hence a dipole), a western pole in the Arabian Sea (western Indian Ocean) and an eastern pole in the eastern Indian Ocean south of Indonesia. € IOD develops in the equatorial region of Indian Ocean from April to May peaking in October. € With positive IOD, winds over the Indian Ocean blow from east to west (from Bay of Bengal towards the Arabian Sea). This results in the Arabian Sea (the western Indian Ocean near the African Coast) becoming much warmer and eastern Indian Ocean around Indonesia becoming colder and dry. € In the negative IOD, the reverse happens making, Indonesia much warmer and rainier. € Indian Ocean Dipole Effect: z It was demonstrated that a positive IOD indexoften negated the effect of El Nino, resulting in increased Monsoon rains in several El Nino years like 1983, 1994 and 1997. z Two poles of the IOD were independently and cumulatively affecting the number of rains for the Monsoon in the Indian subcontinent. € Impact of IOD on Cyclogenesis: z Positive IOD results in more cyclones than usual in the Arabian Sea. z Negative IOD results in stronger than usual Tropical Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal. Cyclonic activity in the Arabian Sea is suppressed. ¾ Madden-Julian Oscillation: € MJO is an eastward-moving band of rain clouds that travels around the globe-spanning 12,000–20,000 km across the tropical oceans returning to its initial starting point in 30 to 60 days. € In its journey, it interacts with surface waters of the Indo-Pacific ocean, the largest pool of warm water in the globe. € The MJO consists of two parts, or phases: z One is the enhanced rainfall (or convective) phase and the other is the suppressed rainfall phase. € Strong MJO activity often dissects the planet into halves: z One half within the enhanced convective phaseand the other half in the suppressed convective phase. These two phases produce opposite changes in clouds and rainfall and this entire dipole propagates eastward. ¾ Effects of MJO on Global Weather Phenomenon: € It can modulate the timing and strength of monsoons. € It influences tropical cyclone numbers and strength in nearly all ocean basins. € It can result in jet stream changes that can lead to cold air outbreaks, extreme heat events, and flooding rains over North America.

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¾ Change in Drought Pattern: in north and south) was the cause for it. € El Niño Year Drought: „ The disturbance emerges from winds in z The rainfall deficit begins mid-June and spreads the upper atmosphere interacting with a throughout the country. cyclonic circulation above abnormally cold € Normal Year Drought: North Atlantic waters. z There is normal rainfall during the monsoon „ The resulting wave of air currents, called a season but a sudden and steep decline was Rossby wave, moves from the North Atlantic observed in August. towards the Tibetan plateau and hits the Indian „ An unusual atmospheric disturbance in the subcontinentaround mid-August, suppressing mid-latitudes(between 23° and 66° latitudes rainfall and causing drought-like conditions.

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Social Issues

Highlights z World AIDS Day 2020 z Lancet Citizens’ Commission for Universal Health Coverage z Rise in NREGS Demand z Surgery and Ayurveda z Assistance to Disabled Persons Camp z Truths and Hate Speech: SC z Global Teacher Prize 2020 z Emergency Use Approval: Covid-19 Vaccines z Covid-19 and Extreme Poverty: UNDP z Child Marriage and Pandemic z Initiatives to Eliminate Manual Scavenging z Global Health Estimates 2019: WHO z Virtual Aadi Mahotsav z Human Rights Day z United Nations Population Award 2020

aware of their status, 90% of people diagnosed World AIDS Day 2020 with HIV are receiving treatment, and 90% of all people receiving treatment have achieved Why in News viral suppression. World AIDS Day is observed on 1st December every z Any slowing down in provision of these services year all over the world. will leave many vulnerable populations at greater risk of HIV infection and AIDS-related deaths and Key Points missing these intermediate targets will make ¾ It was founded in 1988 by the World Health it difficult toachieve the target of elimination Organization (WHO) and was the first ever global of AIDS by 2030. health day with a motto of raising public awareness € In 2020, the International Year of the Nurse and about Acquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). the Midwife, it is a call for more protection and € AIDS is a pandemic disease caused by the infection support to these health workers who have long of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which been on the frontline of HIV service delivery. damages the human immune system. ¾ Significance: € In 2019, 6,90,000 people died from HIV-related € It reminds the public and government that HIV has causes and 1.7 million people were newly infected, not gone away and there is still a vital need to with nearly 62% of these new infections occurring raise money, increase awareness, fight prejudice among key populations and their partners. and improve education. ¾ Theme for 2020: “Global solidarity, resilient HIV services.” € It is an opportunity to show solidarity with the € On World AIDS Day 2020, WHO is calling on global millions of people living with HIV worldwide. leaders and citizens to rally for “global solidarity” to overcome the challenges posed by Covid-19 on the HIV response. Rise in NREGS Demand z HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care services are all being disrupted particularly in Why in News countries with fragile health systems. A recent analysis of data available up to November z Slowing progress means the world will be missing on the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme the “90-90-90” targets for 2020, which were to (NREGS) portal shows that demand for work has been at ensure that: 90% of people living with HIV are all time high.

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National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme ¾ The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 was notified by the Government of India in September, 2005 and was made effective in February 2006. Under it, the NREGS was introduced. ¾ The Act aims at enhancing the livelihood security of people in rural areas by guaranteeing hundred days of wage employment in a financial year to a rural household whose adult members (at least 18 years of age) volunteer to do unskilled work. Key Points ¾ The central government bears the full cost of ¾ The NREGS is a demand-based scheme and has unskilled labour, and 75% of the cost of material emerged as a safety net during the pandemic for (the rest is borne by the states). jobless migrant workers returning to their villages ¾ It is a demand-driven, social security and labour ¾ Despite a progressive relaxation in Covid-19 curbs law that aims to enforce the ‘right to work’. to revive the economy, 96% gram panchayats have ¾ The Ministry of Rural Development in association logged work under the scheme in the financial year with state governments, monitors the implementation (2020-21) as compared to previous seven years. of the scheme. ¾ The number of gram panchayats generating nil person Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan days of work (panchayats with zero person days work) ¾ It was launched in June 2020 to empower and during the current financial yearare at an eight-year provide livelihood opportunities to the returnee low of only 3.42% of the 2.68 lakh gram panchayats migrant workers and rural citizens who had returned across the country. to their home states due to the lockdowns. € In 2019, the number of gram panchayats generating ¾ It worked in mission mode for 125 days with an nil person days during the entire periodwas 3.91% outlay of Rs. 50,000 crore. of the total 2.64 lakh gram panchayats. ¾ A total of 116 districts across six states, namely ¾ Over 96% of gram panchayats across the country Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, have registered demand for work under NREGS from Jharkhand and Odisha were chosen for the campaign. April till November-end. € These districts covered the maximum number ¾ Over 6.5 crore households, covering 9.42 crore (about 2/3) of such migrant workers who had individuals, have availed NREGS till November 2020, returned. which is an all-time high. € The chosen districts include 27 Aspirational € Over 265.81 crore person days have been generated, Districts, districts which are affected by poor which is higher than 265.44 crore generated in 2019. socio-economic indicators. These are aspirational € 1.98 crore households availed the scheme in in the context, that improvement in these October 2020, which is 82% higher than 2019. districts can lead to the overall improvement in € Highest number of demand for work came from human development in India. It is a NITI Aayog’s Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Programme. Madhya Pradesh. ¾ The wage expenditure has also reached an all-time Assistance to high of Rs. 53,522 crore during this period. ¾ Tamil Nadu has reported the highest figure of Disabled Persons Camp households that availed the NREGS across the country, since July and has been followed by West Bengal. Why in News € These two states were not covered under the Recently, the Minister of Social Justice and Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan. Empowerment has virtually inaugurated an Assistance

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to Disabled Persons (ADIP) Camp for free distribution of multiple disabilities, the limit will apply to of assistive aids and devices toDivyangjan or Divyang. individual items separately in case more than ¾ These are Hindi words meaning the ‘one with a divine one aid/appliance is required. body’. The Prime Minister decided that persons with z Full cost of aid/appliance is provided if the disabilities should no longer be referred to as disabled income is up to Rs. 15,000 per month and 50% persons or viklang (someone with non-functional of the cost of aid/appliance is provided if the body parts). income is between Rs. 15,001 to Rs. 20,000 per month. Key Points ¾ Other Related Government Initiatives: ¾ The camp was organized by the Artificial Limbs € Right of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016: Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO), Kanpur. z “Person with disability” means a person with long € ALIMCO is a not-for-profit Central Public Sector term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory Undertaking (PSU) established in 1972 and it impairments which, in interaction with barriers, works under the aegis of the Department of hinders his full and effective participation in Empowerment of Person with Disability (DEPwD). society equally with others. ¾ Assistance to Disabled Persons Scheme: € Accessible India Campaign: Creation of Accessible € It has been in operation since 1981. Environment for PwDs: € Definition: z A nation-wide flagship campaign for achieving z The scheme follows the definitions of various universal accessibility that will enable PwDs types of disabilities as given in the Persons with to gain access for equal opportunity and live Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of independently and participate fully in all aspects Rights and Full Participation) (PWD) Act 1995. of life in an inclusive society. € z The PWD Act was replaced by the Right of DeenDayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme: Persons with Disabilities Act 2016. z Under the scheme, financial assistance is provided to NGOs for providing various services € Objective: to PwDs, like special schools, vocational training z To assist the needy disabled persons in procuring centres, community-based rehabilitation, pre- durable, sophisticated and scientifically school and early intervention etc. manufactured, modern, standard aids and € appliances that can promote their physical, National Fellowship for Students with Disabilities: social and psychological rehabilitation by z It aims to increase opportunities for students reducing the effects of disabilities and enhance with disabilities for pursuing higher education their economic potential. and grants 200 fellowships per year to students with disability. € Grants: € Unique Disability Identification Project: z Grants-in-aid are released to various implementing agencies (Artificial Limbs z It aims to create a national database for PwDs Manufacturing Corporation of India, National and issuing Unique Disability Identity (UDID) Institutes, Composite Regional Centres, Card along with disability certificate. District Disability Rehabilitation Centres, State z Once the project covers all persons with Handicapped Development Corporations, NGOs, disabilities, UDID Cards will be made mandatory etc.) for purchase and distribution of aids and for availing various government benefits. assistive devices. € Assistance to Disabled Persons for Purchase/ € Assistance: fitting of Aids and Appliances: z Aids/appliances which do not cost more than z It aims at helping the disabled persons by bringing Rs. 10,000 are covered under the Scheme for suitable, durable, scientifically-manufactured, single disability. However, in some cases the modern, standard aids and appliances within limit would be raised to Rs.12,000. In the case their reach.

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€ International Day of Persons with Disabilities: health issues faced by the world today. z It is celebrated worldwide on 3rd December Education has the power to reduce poverty, and was proclaimed in 1992 by United Nations prejudice and conflict. General Assembly resolution 47/3. ¾ Ranjitsinh Disale’s Contribution: z It aims to promote the rights and well-being of € He changed a dilapidated school to a school which persons with disabilities in all spheres of society went on to become the first in Maharashtra to and development and to increase awareness introduce Quick Response (QR) Codes. of the situation of persons with disabilities in z A QR code is a type of barcode that contains every aspect of political, social, economic and a matrix of dots. It can be scanned using a QR cultural life. scanner or a smartphone with a built-in camera. € Initiatives for Mental Health: € He not only translated the class textbooks into z National Mental Health Programme, which his pupils’ mother tongue, but also embedded was launched in 1982 to improve the status of them with unique QR codes to give students mental health in India. access to audio poems, video lectures, stories z KIRAN: Mental Health Rehabilitation Helpline and assignments. for addressing mental health issues, coordinated € He is also passionate about building peace between by the National Institute for the Empowerment young people across conflict zones. His ‘Let’s Cross of Persons with Multiple Disabilities (NIEPMD), the Borders’ project connects young people from Tamil Nadu and National Institute of Mental India and Pakistan, Palestine and Israel, Iraq and Health Rehabilitation (NIMHR), Madhya Pradesh. Iran and the USA and North Korea. ¾ Impact of Disale’s Efforts: Global Teacher Prize 2020 € There are now no reported teenage marriages in the village and 100% attendance of girls at the school. Why in News € The state government announced in 2017 that Ranjitsinh Disale, a primary teacher from Maharashtra’s they would introduce QR coded textbooks across Solapur, has won the Global Teacher Prize 2020. the state for all grades. z In 2018, it was announced that all NCERT Key Points textbooks would have embedded QR Codes. ¾ Global Teacher Prize: Some Indian initiatives to Improve Education Sector € It is a 1 million dollar award presented annually to an exceptional teacher who has made an ¾ National Education Policy 2020: outstanding contribution to their profession. € The teacher must be at the centre of the € Founder: Varkey Foundation, which is a global fundamental reforms in the education system. charitable foundation focused on improving the € The new education policy must help recruit the standards of education. The award is organised very best and brightest to enter the teaching in partnership with UNESCO. profession at all levels, by ensuring livelihood, € Objective: respect, dignity, and autonomy, while also instilling in the system basic methods of quality control z It serves to underline the importance of and accountability. educators and the fact that, throughout the world, their efforts deserve to be recognised ¾ Revitalising Infrastructure and Systems in Education and celebrated. (RISE) by 2022: € z It seeks to acknowledge the impacts of the Focuses on qualitatively upgrading the research very best teachers not only on their students and academic infrastructure in India to global but on the communities around them. best standards by 2022. ¾ „ An inadequate education is a major factor UGC’s Learning Outcome-based Curriculum behind the social, political, economic and Framework (LOCF)

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¾ The study assesses the impact of € LOCF guidelines, issued by UGC in 2018, aim to different Covid19 specify what graduates are expected to know, recovery scenarios on the Sustainable Development understand and be able to do at the end of their Goals (SDGs), evaluating the multidimensional effects programme of study. This is to make students of the pandemic over the next decade. an active learner and teacher a good facilitator. Key Points ¾ Global Initiative for Academics Network (GIAN): ¾ Findings: € The programme seeks to invite distinguished academicians, entrepreneurs, scientists, experts € Under a ‘Covid Baseline’ scenario (based on from premier institutions from across the world, current mortality rates and the most recent to teach in the higher educational institutions growth projections by the International Monetary in India. Fund - IMF), 44 million people could be pushed into extreme poverty by 2030 as a result of the ¾ All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE): pandemic. € The main objectives of the survey are to identify z The World Bank defines “extreme poverty” as & capture all the institutions of higher learning living on less than 1.90 USD per person per day. in the country; and collect the data from all the higher education institutions on various aspects € Under a ‘High Damage’ scenario, where the of higher education. recovery is protracted, Covid-19 is likely to push an additional 207 million people into extreme ¾ e-Pathshala: poverty by 2030. € It was launched in 2015 with an aim to promote z It could increase the female poverty headcount self-learning among the school students. by an additional 102 million. € The portal hosts various school teachers, z The ‘High Damage’ scenario anticipates that researchers, experts, parents, and most 80% of the Covid-19 induced economic crisis importantly students who can access the facility would persist in 10 years’ time due to loss in of resolving their queries. productivity, preventing a full recovery to the Global Initiative growth trajectory seen before the pandemic. ¾ Global Education Monitoring Report :It is released ¾ Suggestions: by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and € A focused set of Sustainable Development Goals Cultural Organization (UNESCO) which aims to (SDGs) investments over the next decade in social monitor progress towards the education targets protection/welfare programmes, governance, in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG-4). digitalisation, and a green economy could not only prevent the rise of extreme poverty but actually Covid-19 and exceed the development trajectory the world was on before the pandemic. Extreme Poverty: UNDP z This ambitious, SDGs Push scenario would lift an additional 146 million people out of extreme Why in News poverty, narrow the gender poverty gap, and A new study from the United Nations Development reduce the female poverty headcount by 74 Programme (UNDP) has found that an additional 207 million. million people could be pushed into extreme poverty € The concerted SDG interventions combine by 2030 due to the severe long-term impact of the behavioural changes through both governments coronavirus pandemic, bringing the total number of the and citizens, which are as follows: world’s extremely poor to more than a billion. z Improvement in effectiveness and efficiency ¾ The study is part of a long-standing partnership between in governance. the UNDP and the Pardee Center for International z Changes in consumption patterns of food, Futures at the University of Denver (USA). energy and water.

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z Global collaboration for climate action. ¾ Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge: z Additional investments in Covid-19 recovery. € Launch: The challenge was launched among 243 th z Need for improved broadband access and major cities on World Toilet Day (19 November). technology innovation. € It aims to prevent hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks and promote their mechanized Initiatives to Eliminate cleaning. z The Government launched this challenge for all Manual Scavenging states to make sewer-cleaning mechanised by April 2021, if any human needs to enter a sewer Why in News line in case of unavoidable emergency, proper gear and oxygen tanks, etc. are to be provided. Recently, the government has announced two major € The state capitals, urban local bodies initiatives for ending the hazardouspractise ofmanual Eligibility: and smart cities will be eligible to participate. cleaning of septic tanks and sewer lines and making the mechanised cleaning must. € Prize: Cities will be awarded in three sub-categories, with a population of more than 10 lakhs, 3-10 ¾ The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowermentwill lakhs and up to 3 lakhs, with total prize money of amend the law for making machine cleaning mandatory, Rs. 52 crores to be given to winning cities across whereas the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched the Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge. all categories.

Key Points Manual Scavenging ¾ ¾ Amending the Law: Introduction of the Prohibition Definition: Manual scavenging is defined as “the of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their manual removal of human excrement from public Rehabilitation (Amendment) Bill, 2020 as a part streets and dry latrines, cleaning septic tanks, gutters of the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry’s and sewers”. National Action Plan. ¾ Reasons for the Prevalence: € The plan aims to modernise existing sewage € Indifferent Attitude: A number of independent system and coverage of non-sewered areas; setting surveys have talked about the continued reluctance up of faecal sludge and septage management on the part of state governments to admit that system for mechanised cleaning of septic tanks, the practice prevails under their watch. transportation and treatment of faecal sludge; € Issue due to Outsourcing: Many times local equipping the municipalities, and setting up of bodies outsource sewer cleaning tasks to private Sanitation Response Units (SRUs) withhelplines . contractors. However, many of them fly-by- ¾ Changes Brought by the Bill: night operators, do not maintain proper rolls of € Mechanised Cleaning: Completely mechanise sanitation workers. sewer cleaning and provide better protection at z In case after case of workers being asphyxiated work and compensation in case of accidents. to death, these contractors have denied any € Penalty: Make the law banning manual scavenging association with the deceased. more stringent by increasing the imprisonment € Social Issue: The practice isdriven by caste, class term and the fine amount. and income divides. z Currently, engaging any person for hazardous z It is linked to India’s caste system where so-called cleaning of sewers and septic tanks by any person lower castes are expected to perform this job. or agency is punishable with imprisonment of up z The law has ended manual scavenging as a to five years or a fine of up to Rs. 5 lakh or both. form of employment, however, the stigma and € Funds: They will be provided directly to the discrimination associated with it still linger on, sanitation workers and not to the municipalities which makes it difficult for liberated manual or contractors to purchase the machinery. scavengers to secure alternative livelihoods.

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¾ Concerns: prohibits construction or maintenance of insanitary € As per the National Commission for Safai latrines, and employment of any person for manual Karamcharis (NCSK), a total of 631 people have scavenging or hazardous cleaning of sewers and died in the country while cleaning sewers and septic tanks. septic tanks in the last 10 years. z It also provides measures for rehabilitation € Despite the introduction of several mechanised of persons identified as manual scavengers by systems for sewage cleaning, human intervention a Municipality. in the process still continues. € In 2014, a Supreme Court order made it mandatory ¾ Suggestions: for the government to identify all those who died in sewage work since 1993 and provide Rs. 10 lakh € Proper Identification: States need to accurately enumerate the workers engaged in cleaning toxic each as compensation to their families. sludge. € Empowering Local Administration: With Swachh Virtual Aadi Mahotsav Bharat Mission identified as a top priority area by th the 15 Finance Commission, and funds available Why in News for smart cities and urban development providing for a strong case to address the problem of manual The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has launched the virtual scavenging. edition of Aadi Mahotsav - Madhya Pradesh. ¾ The would be Gujarat, followed by € Social Sentisitation:To address the social sanction next focus state behind manual scavenging, it is required first to West Bengal. acknowledge and then understand how and why Key Points manual scavenging continues to be embedded in the caste system. ¾ Aadi Mahotsav: € Need For a Stringent Law: If a law creates a statutory € It is a national tribal festivaland a joint initiative obligation to provide sanitation services on the of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and the Tribal part of state agencies, it will create a situation in Cooperative Marketing Development Federation which the rights of these workers will not hang of India (TRIFED). It commenced in 2017 and is in the air. held annually. ¾ Related Initiatives: € It is an attempt to familiarise the people with € Article 21 of the Constitution guarantees ‘Right the rich and diverse craft, culture of the tribal to Life’ and that also with dignity. communities across the country, in one place. € € In 1989, the Prevention of Atrocities Act became In 2019, the festival was held in New Delhi and an integrated guard for sanitation workers; more featured an exhibition-cum-sale of tribal handicrafts, than 90% of people employed as manual scavengers art, paintings, fabric, jewellery, etc. belonged to the Scheduled Caste. This became an ¾ Virtual Edition of Aadi Mahotsav: important landmark to free manual scavengers € This year, TRIFED has moved the event online and from designated traditional occupations. will be hosted on the Tribes India E-Marketplace. € In 1993, the Government of India enacted € It will bring the spotlight on all the major tribes the Employment of Manual Scavengers and one-by one. Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act which prohibited the employment of manual Tribal Cooperative Marketing scavengers for manually cleaning dry latrines and Development Federation of India also the construction of dry toilets (that do not ¾ Formation: It was established in 1987 under operate with a flush). the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 1984 by the Government of India as a National level € The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 Cooperative body.

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¾ ¾ Organisation: It is a national-level apex organization Bhutan’s Queen Mother Gyalyum Sangay Choden functioning under theadministrative control of the Wangchuck has been awarded the United Nations Ministry of Tribal Affairs. Population Award in the individual category for 2020 for her work on sexual health and ending gender € It has its head office in New Delhi. violence. ¾ Objectives: Socio-economic development of tribal people, empowerment of tribal people Key Points with knowledge, tools and information and their capacity building. ¾ United Nations Population Award: ¾ Initiatives and Involvement: € Each year, the Committee for the United Nations Population Award honours an individual and/ € TRIFED, under the brand name Tribes India, in recognition of outstanding markets the handcrafted products directly or institution procured from the tribals in India through its contributions to population and reproductive 73 brick and mortar outlets all over India. Tribes health issues and solutions. India has its own e-commerce platform. € The Award was established by the General Assembly € TRIFOOD Scheme is a joint initiative of the in 1981, and was first presented in 1983. It consists Ministry of Food Processing Industry, Ministry of a gold medal, a diploma and a monetary prize. of Tribal Affairs and TRIFED and it promotes € The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) value addition to Minor Forest Produce (MFP). serves as its secretariat. € It has organised the Van Dhan Internship ¾ HelpAge India: Programme, to enhance the output of the Van € It is a leading charity in India working with and Dhan Yojana. for disadvantaged elderly for nearly 4 decades. € TRIFED helps in implementation of the scheme It was set up in 1978 and is registered under the ‘Mechanism for Marketing of MFP through Societies’ Registration Act of 1860. Minimum Support Price (MSP) and Development € For the first time in the history of the UN Population of Value Chain for MFP’ to ensure fair returns to Award, the honour is being conferred on an Indian forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes (STs) and other institution. traditional forest dwellers. z Only two Indians have been awarded in the past z MSP for MFP and Van Dhan program is in four decades since the award was established in line with the “The Scheduled Tribes and 1981: former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in Other Traditional Forest Dwellers ( Forest 1983 and industrialist-philanthropist J.R.D.Tata Rights Act, 2006 )”, a key forest legislation in 1992. passed for securing protection & livelihood of poor tribals and concerns with the rights of forest-dwelling communities to land and Lancet Citizens’ Commission for other natural resources. Universal Health Coverage € It has also launched a transformational Tech For Tribals program in partnership with Institutes of National Importance (INIs) to develop tribal Why in News entrepreneurship. Recently, the Lancet Citizens’ Commission on Reimagining India’s Health System has been launched United Nations online which is a step towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in India. Population Award 2020 Key Points Why in News ¾ Lancet Citizens’ Commission on Reimagining India’s Recently, HelpAge India has been presented the UN Health System: Population Award for 2020 in the institutional category. € Participants: It is a first-of-its-kind participatory,

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countrywide initiative, in collaboration with services is good enough to improve the health world’s leading health journal The Lancet and the of the people who receive them. Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, z Protects people from the financial consequences Harvard University. of paying for health services out of their own € Objective: To enable participatory public pockets and reduces the risk of people getting engagement to develop a citizens’ blueprint for pushed into poverty because unexpected illness the implementation of UHC. requires them to use up their life savings, sell € Mission: assets, or borrow – destroying their futures and z To lay out the path to achieving UHC in India in often those of their children. the coming decade, working with all stakeholders. ¾ Other Related Initiatives: z To formulate a roadmap for realising a resilient € Ayushman Bharat: health system that offers comprehensive, z It is a flagship initiative that attempts to move accountable, accessible, inclusive, and affordable away from the sectoral and segmented approach quality health care to all citizens in India. of service delivery to a comprehensive need- z To gather insights from across India through based health care service. grassroots surveys, public consultations and z It has been launched by the government with an online discussions. aim to move towards a provision of universal z To build partnerships and work closely with healthcare in the country. academic institutions, civil society and other € POSHAN Abhiyaan: It aims to ensure service stakeholders to catalyse dialogue and knowledge delivery and interventions by use of technology, sharing across fields. behavioural change through convergence and € Focus: Will be on the architecture of India’s health lays-down specific targets to be achieved across system. different monitoring parameters. € Principles: The Commission will be guided by four principles which are: z UHC covers all health concerns. Surgery and Ayurveda z Prevention and long-term care are key. Why in News z The concern is financial protection for all health costs. Recently, a government notification listed outspecific z Aspiring for a health system that can be accessed surgical procedures that a postgraduate medical student by all who enjoy the same quality. of Ayurveda must be practically trained to acquaint with, ¾ Universal Health Coverage: as well as to independently perform. ¾ € UHC means that all individuals and communities The notification has been criticised by the Indian receive the health services they need without Medical Association (IMA). suffering financial hardship. It includes the full ¾ IMA is a national voluntary organisation of Doctors range of essential, quality health services from of Modern Scientific System of Medicine, which looks health promotion to prevention, treatment, after the interest of doctors as well as the well being rehabilitation and palliative care. of the community at large. € Goal of UHC: As stated in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3) is one Key Points of the most significant commitments to equitable ¾ History of Surgery in Ayurveda: quality healthcare for all. € The Rigveda is the earliest account of ancient € Benefits of UHC: Indian civilization which mentions that Ashwini z Enables everyone to access the services that Kumaras known as Dev Vaidya were the chief address the most significant causes of disease surgeons of Vedic periods, who had performed and death, and ensures that the quality of those rare legendary surgical operations.

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€ There are many Granthas and Samhitas dealing there is significant divergence in post-operative care. with Ayurveda; among them, Charak Samhita, € National Institute of Ayurveda in Jaipur, claims Sushrutaa Samhita, and Ashtanga Sangraha are that at least 1,000 major surgeries are performed the three main pillars of Ayurveda. every year at the hospital. z Charak Samhita and Ashtanga Samhita mainly € As per the Ayurveda practitioners, the latest deal with medicine knowledge while Sushrutaa notification just brings clarity to the skills that Samhita deals mainly with surgical knowledge. an Ayurveda practitioner possesses. z Sushruta is the father of surgery, his works are z A patient is usually not clear whether an compiled as Sushrutaa Samhita. He described Ayurvedic practitioner has the necessary skill 60 types of upakarma for treatment of wounds, to perform one of these operations, after the 120 surgical instruments and 300 surgical notification, they know exactly what an Ayurveda procedures. doctor is capable of. z Sushruta considered surgery the first and ¾ Objections: foremost branch of medicine and stated that € doctors claim that the new notification gives surgery has the superior advantage of producing IMA instantaneous effects by means of surgical the impression that the skills or training of the instruments and appliances and hence is the Ayurveda doctor in performing modern surgeries highest in value of all the medical tantras. are the same as those practising modern medicine which is misleading and an encroachment into the ¾ The Current Debate: It revolves around allowing jurisdiction and competencies of modern medicine. postgraduate students in Ayurveda undergoing ‘Shalya’ (general surgery) and ‘Shalakya’ (dealing with eye, € Just because Ayurveda institutions prescribe ear, nose, throat, head and neck, oro-dentistry) to textbooks from modern medicine, or that they perform 58 specified surgical procedures. carry out surgeries with the help of practitioners of modern medicine, is not reason enough to allow ¾ Arguments in Favour: this encroachment. € There are two branches of surgery in Ayurveda, Shalya Tantra and Shalakya Tantra. All postgraduate € IMA doctors have asked the Central Council of students of Ayurveda have to study these courses, Indian Medicine (CCIM- functions under the and some go on to specialise in these, and become Ministry of Ayush) to explain, with proof, how Ayurveda surgeons. each of the procedures mentioned in Ayurveda literature is equivalent to the modern surgical € Postgraduate education in Ayurveda is guided by procedures. the Indian Medical Central Council (Post Graduate Education) Regulations. € Surgery involves technical expertise developed through many workshops to standardise training z The 2016 regulations allow postgraduate students to specialise in Shalya Tantra, Shalakya and impart it. The infrastructure of training, research Tantra, and Prasuti evam Stree Roga (Obstetrics and exchange of knowledge in modern medicine and Gynecology). is much better evolved than in Ayurveda. z z Students of these three disciplines are granted Government-funded Ayurvedic colleges are not MS (Master in Surgery in Ayurveda) degrees. equipped with the necessary infrastructure, skilled manpower and supporting staff to € The process of education, internship and learning impart quality training. for Ayurveda students is similar to that of Modern Medicine students. ¾ Gaps in Healthcare Infrastructure: z Medico-legal issues, surgical ethics and informed € According to research earlier this year by Brookings consent is also part of the course apart from Institute, a US-based policy organization, the country teaching Sushruta’s surgical principles and has only 0.55 beds per 1,000 people. practices. € According to a government statement in Parliament € For several surgeries, Ayurvedic procedures almost in 2019, there is only one modern medicine doctor exactly match those of modern medicine, however for every 1,445 Indians.

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z The World Health Organisation’s norm is one Key Points doctor per 1,000 people. ¾ On ‘True Facts’: z The shortage of allopathic doctors, including € Elaborating on the point abouttruth or true facts surgeons is compounded by the concentration being a defence in cases of free speech, the SC , as well of medical colleges in Southern States cited its ruling in K A Abbas versus Union of India as the unwillingness of doctors to serve in rural case 1970, which was about censorship. areas despite measures such as compulsory z The order said that there is rural internships. no bar in showing carnage or bloodshed which have historical ¾ Government initiative to resolve the problem: value, and depiction of such scenes may be € AYUSH Health and Wellness Centres (AYUSH permissible, if handled delicately as a part of HWCs) is a component of the Ayushman Bharat. an artistic portrayalof confrontation. Suggestions € The likelihood must be judged from a healthy and reasonable standard, thereby accepting the ¾ The government has to take steps to improve position that historical truth may be a relevant healthcare service however it should make sure that and important factor. safety standards should not be compromised while z However, historical truth must be depicted inducting Ayurveda practitioners to perform surgery. without in any way disclosing or encouraging ¾ Government should rethink and introduce bridge hatred or enmity between different classes or courses as mentioned in the National Medical communities. Commission (NMC) Bill 2017 which should be aimed € The court also referred to the ruling in Ebrahim to serve an important part of a broader effort to Suleiman Sait versus M C Mohammed and Another empower and better utilise the capabilities Ayushof case 1980. practitioners for healthcare delivery. z The order held that speaking truth was not an ¾ Government needs to explore creative ways of answer to the charge of corrupt practice under addressing this gap by evidence-based approaches, Section 123 (3A) of theRepresentation of the such as task-sharing, supported by efficient and People Act 1950. quality referral mechanisms. z What was relevant was whether the speech had ¾ India should achieve Medical pluralism which is already promoted or had sought to promote feelings a reality in several countries like China, Japan, etc. of enmity or hatred. ¾ The need of the hour is an adequate investment, for ¾ Free Speech and the Marginalised: creating a health system that can withstand any kind of public health emergencies, deliver universal health € There may be a possibility of divergence between coverage and meet the targets of the Sustainable truth and popular belief, and the bench held that in Development Goals. many ways, free speech has empowered those who were marginalised and discriminated, and thus it would be wholly incorrect and a mistake to assume Truths and Hate Speech: SC that free speech is an elite concept and indulgence. ¾ Hate Speech: Why in News € The hate speech should have no redeeming In the context of discussing the limits of free speech purpose, which means that ‘the speech primarily and what may tantamount to hate speech, the Supreme carries no meaning other than hatred towards a Court (SC) has recently held that “Historical truths must particular group’. be depicted without in any way disclosing or encouraging z This is necessarily subjective and requires hatred or enmity between different classes or communities.” examination of good faith and good motives ¾ The FIRs were filed against a TV anchor for alleged on the part of the speaker. remarks on the sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti € Speaking on dignity in the context of hate speech, in a news show. the court held that one must condemn and check any

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attempt at dissemination of discrimination on the (CDSCO), seeking emergency use approval for their can- basis of race, religion, caste, creed or regional basis. didate Covid-19 vaccines. € The court pointed out that the object of criminalising ¾ The vaccine for which the developers are seeking hate speech is to protect the dignity and to ensure approval are still under trial. political and social equality between different identities and groups regardless of caste, creed, Key Points religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, ¾ Candidates for Covid-19 vaccines: linguistic preference, etc. € COVISHIELD: By a Pune-based Serum Institute z Hate speech has not been defined in any law of India. . However, legal provisions in certain in India z Phase-III trials going on. legislations prohibit select forms of speech as € COVAXIN: By Bharat Biotech, a Hyderabad-based an exception to freedom of speech. company. ¾ Self-Regulation: z Phase-III trials going on. € Everyone must act with the objective for promoting € BNT162b2: By US pharmaceutical major Pfizer in social harmony and tolerance by proscribing collaboration with BioNTech. hateful and inappropriate behaviour, which can be achieved by self-restraint, institutional check and z No trials in India so far. correction, as well as self-regulation or through the ¾ Regulatory Provisions for Approval of Vaccines in India: mechanism of statutory regulations, if applicable. € Clinical trials of new drugs and vaccines, and their ¾ Political Speech: approvals, are governed by the Drugs and Clinical € The political speech relating to government policies Trials Rules, 2019. requires greater protection for preservation and ¾ Emergency Provisions: promotion of democracy. € There is nothing such as emergency use approval z The bench held that dissent and criticism of the in Indian rules, however the 2019 rules provide elected government’s policy, when puissant, for “Accelerated Approval Process” in several deceptive or even false would be ethically situations that would include the one like the wrong, would not invite penal action. current pandemic. z Government should be left out from adjudicating € In such situations, there is aprovision for granting what is true or false, good or bad, valid or approval to a drug that is still in clinical trials invalid as these aspects should be left for open provided the product is of meaningful therapeutic discussion in the public domain. benefit. ¾ Intent and Purpose: € Accelerated approval may also be granted to a € The court clarified that after these observations, new drug if it is intended for the treatment of a persons of influence or even common people serious, or life-threatening condition, or disease should not fear the threat of reprisal and of special relevance to the country, and addresses prosecution, if they discuss and speak about unmet medical needs. controversial and sensitive topics relating to religion, € A new drug, or a vaccine, can be considered for caste, creed, etc as the question is primarily one approval if remarkable effectiveness is reported of intent and purpose. even from phase-II trials. € In such cases, additional post licensure studies Emergency Use may be required. € The approval granted to drugs or vaccines that Approval: Covid-19 Vaccines are still in clinical trials is temporary, and valid only for one year. Why in News Recently, three vaccine developers have made appli- Clinical Trial cations to the Central Drug Standard Control Organisation ¾ A clinical trial is a systematic study to generate

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data for discovering or verifying the clinical and Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) pharmacological profile (including pharmacodynamic ¾ CDSCO is under Directorate General of Health and pharmacokinetic) or adverse effects of a new Services, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, drug on humans. Government of India is the National Regulatory ¾ Phases of Clinical Trials: Authority (NRA) of India. € Clinical trials are carried out in four phases. ¾ The Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules 1945 € Phase I or clinical pharmacology trials or “first have entrusted various responsibilities to central & in man” study: This is the first time where the state regulators for regulation of drugs & cosmetics. new drug is administered to a small number, ¾ Under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, CDSCO is respon- a minimum of 2 healthy, informed volunteers sible for approval of Drugs, Conduct of Clinical Trials. for each dose under the close supervision of a ¾ Further CDSCO along with state regulators, is doctor. jointly responsible for grant of licenses of certain z The purpose is to determine whether the new specialized categories of critical Drugs such as compound is tolerated by the patient’s body blood and blood products, I. V. Fluids, Vaccine etc. and behaves in the predicted way. € Phase II or exploratory trials: During this phase, Child Marriage and Pandemic the medicine is administered to a group of approximately 10-12 informed patients in 3 to 4 Why in News centers to determine its effect and also to check for any unacceptable side effects. According to a report published by ChildLine India the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown have proved to € Phase III or confirmatory trials: Purpose is to be new drivers of child marriages in rural Madhya Pradesh. obtain sufficient evidence about the efficacy and safety of the drug in a larger number of patients, Key Points generally in comparison with a standard drug and/ ¾ or a placebo as appropriate. In this phase, the Important Findings by ChildLine India: group is between 1000-3000 subjects. € Madhya Pradesh recorded 46 child marriages between November 2019 and March 2020, a € Phase IV trials or post-marketing phase: Phase of figure that jumped to 117 in just three months of surveillance after the medicine is made available the lockdown from April to June 2020. to doctors, who start prescribing it. The effects are monitored on thousands of patients to help € Across India 5,214 child marriages were reported identify any unforeseen side effects. in the first four months of lockdown between March to June. € Regulatory Mechanism in India: ¾ Causes: z Clinical trials in India are governed by the € Age Factor: following acts: Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, Medical Council of India Act, 1956 and Central z Some parents consider the age period of 15-18 Council for Indian Medicine Act, 1970. as unproductive, especially for girls, so they start finding a match for their child during this z Prerequisites of conducting a clinical trial in age period. India are: z Underaged girls are more prone to child „ Permission from the Drugs Controller General, marriage than boys. India (DCGI). „ The Right To Education Actmakes education „ Approval from the respective Ethics Committee free and compulsory up to the age of 14 where the study is planned. only. Research shows that after a girl is „ Mandatory registration on the The Indian taken out of school at the age of 15, there Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is a strong possibility of her getting married maintained website. at an early age.

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€ Insecurity: that if the women of a house are educated, z Law and Order are still not able to provide a she, in turn, educates her family. But if she is secure environment for the girls in adolescent uneducated, she loses on to the opportunity age, so some parents get their girl child married to educate her own children. at a young age. € Disempowerment: € Lack of Education: z Since child brides are not able to complete z Girls are often seen with limited economic roles. their education, they remain dependent and Women’s work is confined to the household underpowered which acts as a big hurdle and is not valued. towards achieving gender equality. z In addition, there is the problem of dowry. € Health Issues: Despite the fact that dowry has been prohibited z Devastating repercussions on the health of for five decades Dowry( Prohibition Act, 1961), Child Brides, who are neither physically nor it is still common for parents of girls in India to emotionally ready to become wives and mothers. give gifts to the groom and /or his family either z According to research, the risk of maternal in cash or kind. mortality is highest for adolescent girls in the € Causes for Increase during Pandemic: 15 years of age. z Economic pressures due to the pandemic have z Also, they have 23% greater risk of disease onset pushed poor parents to marry off girls early. including heart attack, diabetes, cancer, and stroke. They also face a high risk of psychiatric z With no schools, safety of children, particularly disorders. girls, was a major reason for increase in violence against children and child marriages. ¾ Government Initiatives to Prevent Child Marriages: ¾ Impact: € The Child Marriage Restraint Act of 1929 restricts the practice of child marriage. € Child Marriage is associated with higher rates of Sexually Transmitted Infections including HIV. € The Special Marriage Act, 1954 and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 prescribe 18 and 21 € Delays Demographic Dividend: years as the minimum age of consent for marriage z Child Marriage contributes to larger families for women and men respectively. and in turn, population growth. This delays € The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006was demographic dividend that would have come enacted to address and fix the shortcomings of from reduced fertility and investment in the Child Marriage Restraint Act. education. € Union Ministry for Women and Child Development € Children married at a young age do not understand set up a committee to examine matters pertaining the responsibilities of marriage. This results in a to age of motherhood, imperatives of lowering lack of understanding among family members. Maternal Mortality Ratio and the improvement of Hence, disturbs the institution of the family. nutritional levels among women.The Committee ¾ Impact on Child Bride: is headed by Jaya Jaitely. € Violation of rights: Childline India foundation z Married at a young age, girls get deprived of ¾ It is a non-government organisation(NGO) in India their basic rights. Some of the basic rights as that operates a telephone helpline called Childline, mentioned in the Convention on the Rights of for children in distress. Child include Right to Education, Right to Rest and Leisure, Right to Protection from Mental ¾ It was India’s first 24-hour, toll free, phone outreach or Physical Abuse including Rape and Sexual service for children Exploitation. ¾ CHILDLINE works for the protection of rights of all € Poor Socialization: children aged 0 to 18. Their special focus is on all children in need of care and protection, especially z Child Brides often have to give up their education the more vulnerable sections. due to household responsibilities. It is said

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z The Committee was proposed in the Union ¾ Communicable Diseases: 6 of the top 10 causes of Budget 2020-21. death in low-income countries are still communicable ¾ Prevention of Child Marriage is a part of SDG 5 which diseases, including Malaria (6th), Tuberculosis (8th) and deals with gender equality and empowerment of all Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) (9th). women and girls. € Pneumonia and Other Lower Respiratory Infections: These were the deadliest group of communicable Global Health diseases and together ranked as the 4th leading cause of death. Estimates 2019: WHO z However, lower respiratory infections were claiming fewer lives than in the past, with the Why in News global number of deaths decreasing by nearly half a million. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has released the Global Health Estimates 2019. z The reduction is in line with a general global decline in the percentage of deaths caused by ¾ These estimates provide a comprehensive and communicable diseases. comparable assessment of mortality and loss of health due to diseases and injuries for all regions € Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome: It dropped th th of the world. from the 8 leading cause of death to the 19 , reflecting the success of efforts to prevent infection, ¾ The new data of the estimates cover the period from 2000 to 2019. test for the virus and treat the disease over the last two decades. ¾ These are in consonance with the report Ten Threats th to Global Health in 2019 of WHO. z It remains the 4 leading cause of death in Africa, the number of deaths has dropped by Key Points more than half, falling from over 1 million to 435 000 in Africa. ¾ Top Ten Causes of Death: Ischaemic heart disease, Stroke, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Lower € Tuberculosis: It is no longer in the global top 10, th th respiratory infections, Neonatal conditions, Trachea, falling from 7 place to 13 , with a 30% reduction Bronchus and lung cancers, Alzheimer disease and in global deaths. other dementias, Diarrhoeal diseases, Diabetes z However, it remains among the top 10 causes mellitus, Kidney diseases. of deaths in the African and South-East Asian th th ¾ Non-communicable Diseases: Makeup 7 of the world’s regions, where it is the 8 and 5 leading cause top 10 causes of death, an increase from 4 of the 10 respectively. leading causes in 2000. ¾ More non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are now € Heart Disease: It now represents 16% of total causing deaths worldwide, there has been a global deaths from all causes and the number of deaths decline in deaths from communicable diseases, which from heart disease increased by more than two however still remain a major challenge in low- and million to nearly 9 million. middle-income countries. ¾ € Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Forms of Dementia: Longevity: The estimates confirm the growing trend Ranked 3rd in both the Americas and Europe. for longevity as in 2019, people were living more than 6 years longer than in 2000. z Globally, women are disproportionately affected as 65% of deaths from Alzheimer’s and other € The global average of longevity was 73 years in forms of dementia are of women. 2019 compared to nearly 67 in 2000. € Diabetes: Deaths from diabetes increased by 70% € The new projections state that people are living globally with an 80% rise in death among males. longer but with more disability, which is on a rise. z In the Eastern Mediterranean, deaths from ¾ Suggestions: diabetes have more than doubled and represent € Need for an intensified global focus on preventing the greatest percentage increase of all WHO and treating cardiovascular diseases, cancer, regions. diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases, as well

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as tackling injuries, in all regions of the world, as set € These are rights inherent to all human beings, out in the agenda for the Sustainable Development regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, Goals (SDGs). language, religion, or any other status. € Rapidly step up prevention, diagnosis and treatment € These include the right to life and liberty, freedom of non-communicable diseases. from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and € Urgency to improve primary health care equitably expression, the right to work and education, and and holistically. many more. z Strong primary health care is clearly the € Nelson Mandela has stated, “To deny people their foundation on which everything rests, from human rights is to challenge their very humanity”. combating NCDs to managing a global pandemic. ¾ International Conventions and Bodies Related to € Urgent investment in data and health information Human Rights: systems to support timely and effective decision- € Universal Declaration of Human Rights: making. z The 30 rights and freedoms include civil and political rights, like the right to life, liberty, free Indian Initiatives to Improve Health Sector speech and privacy and economic, social and ¾ It is a flagship initiative that Ayushman Bharat: cultural rights, like the right to social security, attempts to move away from the sectoral and health and education, etc. segmented approach of service delivery to a „ took an active comprehensive need-based health care service. India part in the drafting of the UDHR. ¾ POSHAN Abhiyaan: It aims to ensure service delivery z The declaration is , so it does not and interventions by use of technology, behavioural not a treaty change through convergence and lays-down specific directly create legal obligations for countries. targets to be achieved across different monitoring z The UDHR, together with the International parameters. Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) ¾ National Digital Health Mission: It is a complete and its two Optional Protocols (on the complaints digital health ecosystem. The digital platform will procedure and on the death penalty) and the be launched with four key features viz. health ID, International Covenant on Economic, Social and personal health records, Digi Doctor and health Cultural Rights and its Optional Protocol, form facility registry. the so-called International Bill of Human Rights. € Other Conventions: z These include the Convention on the Prevention Human Rights Day and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948), the International Convention on the Why in News Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10th (1965), the Convention on the Elimination of December. All Forms of Discrimination against Women ¾ It marks the day when the United Nations General (1979), the Convention on the Rights of the Assembly (UNGA) adopted the Universal Declaration Child (1989) and the Convention on the Rights of of Human Rights (UDHR), in 1948. Persons with Disabilities(2006), among others. „ India is a party to all these conventions. € The UDHR established a set of common basic values both with regard to the view of human € Human Rights Council: beings and to the relationship between the state z It is an inter-governmental body within the and the individual. UN system, responsible for strengthening the ¾ 2020 Theme: Recover Better-Stand Up for Human Rights. promotion and protection of human rights. z It is made up of 47 UN Member States which Key Points are elected by the UNGA. ¾ Human Rights: z Its most innovative feature, is the Universal

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Periodic Review, which involves a review of the level, which steers State Human Rights Commission human rights records of all 192 UN member (SHRCs) in States and Human Rights Courts (HRC) states once every four years. for better protection of human rights and for z The Office of the High Commissioner for Human matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. Rights (OHCHR) serves as its secretariat. ¾ Related Recent Events: € Amnesty International: € The human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir z An international organisation of volunteers following the dilution ofArticle 370 and the passage who campaign for human rights. It brings out of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019 independent reports on the violation of human have brought renewed international focus on rights all over the world. India’s human rights practice. € Since 2014, the government has cancelled the Human Rights in India registration of more than 14,000 NGOs under ¾ Enunciated in the Constitution: the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), € Since its inception, the Indian Constitution 2010. It has also mainly targeted its own critics. incorporated most of the rights enumerated in the € Scores of hate crimes against Muslims and other Universal Declaration in two parts, theFundamental religious groups, ethnic groups, including Dalits Rights and the Directive Principles of State Policy. and Adivasi (indigenous tribal people), as well as z Fundamental Rights: Articles 12 to 35 of the caste and gender-based crimes, took place across Constitution, include the Rights to equality, the country in 2019. freedom, against exploitation, freedom of € The Freedom in the World 2020 report ranked religion, cultural and education, constitutional India at the 83rd position, along with Timor-Leste remedies, etc. and Senegal. India’s score fell by four points to 71, z Directive Principles of State Policy: Article 36 the worst decline among the world’s 25 largest to 51 of the Constitution include Rights to social democracies. security, work, free choice of employment, ¾ Measures Taken During Pandemic: protection against unemployment, equal pay € During the Covid-19 pandemic, the government for equal work, existence worthy of human ensured the right to food of every person through dignity, free and compulsory education, equal the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, so that justice and free legal aid and the principles of no one would stay hungry. policy to be followed by the State. € Wages have been increased under MGNREGA ¾ Statutory Provisions: for the empowerment of workers in rural areas. € Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 (amended in The government directly transferred money to 2019) provided for the constitution of Nationala the accounts of migrant labourers to ensure the Human Rights Commission (NHRC) at the Union protection of their rights.

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Highlights z BSF Raising Day z Steps to Counter Maoist Threat z National Maritime Domain Awareness Centre

¾ It has been termed as the First Line of Defence of BSF Raising Day Indian Territories.

Why in News National Maritime 56th ‘Raising Day’ event of the Border Security Force (BSF) was held on 1st December 2020 in New Delhi. Domain Awareness Centre

Key Points. Why in News ¾ The BSF was raised in 1965 after the India-Pakistan war. The Navy’s Information Management and Analysis ¾ It is one of the five Central Armed Police Forces of Centre (IMAC), the nodal agency for maritime data fusion Union of India under the administrative control of set up after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, will soon the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). become a National Maritime Domain Awareness (NDMA) € Other Central Armed Police Forces are: Assam Rifles Centre. (AR), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Central Reserve Key Points Police Force (CRPF), National Security Guards ¾ Background: One of the areas for enhancing coastal (NSG) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). security is Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), which ¾ The 2.65-lakh force is deployed along the Pakistan is extremely challenging since India is located in one and Bangladesh borders. of the busiest maritime traffic regions of the world. € It is deployed on Indo-Pakistan International € The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is the commercial Border, Indo-Bangladesh International Border, highway for large traffic and critical for the prosperity Line of Control (LoC) along with Indian Army and of many nations. Hence,threats such as maritime in Anti-Naxal Operations. terrorism, piracy, trafficking, illegal fishing etc. are ¾ It has an air wing, marine wing, an artillery regiment, required to be kept subdued at all times. and commando units. ¾ Maritime Domain Awareness: € BSF has been defending Sir Creak in Arabian Sea € It is defined by the International Maritime and Sundarban delta in the Bay of Bengal with Organization (IMO) as the effective understanding its state of art fleet of Water Crafts. of anything associated with the maritime domain € BSF has an instrumental role in helping state that could impact the security, safety, economy, administration in maintaining Law and Order and or environment. conduct of peaceful election. z The maritime domain is defined as all areas € BSF has been crusading against natural calamity to and things of, on, under, relating to, adjacent save precious human lives as and when warranted. to, or bordering on a sea, ocean, or other ¾ It contributes dedicated services to the UN peacekeeping navigable waterway, including all maritime- Mission by sending a large contingent of its trained related activities, infrastructure, people, cargo, manpower every year. and vessels and other conveyances.

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€ Earlier this year in March, India joined the Indian „ After the 26/11 terror attack, all fishing vessels Ocean Commission (IOC) as Observer. The more than 20m long were mandated to have Commission is an important regional institution AIS transponders installed, while efforts in Western/African Indian Ocean. are on to have such a system on under 20m € Previously in 2018, the Information Fusion Centre fishing vessels as well. – Indian Ocean region (IFC-IOR) was set up within € Recent Initiatives by IMAC: the premises of the IMAC to coordinate with z In 2019, it conducted a coastal security workshop regional countries on maritime security and act for BIMSTEC countries. as a regional repository of maritime data. z During the MT New Diamond (vessel) fire ¾ Proposed NDMA Centre: incident off the coast of Sri Lanka, IFC-IOR € It will be a multi-agency centre and provide played a key role in the early mobilization of information to various stakeholders, from the resources that resulted in a quick reaction. fisheries department to local policing authorities National Command Control on development or movements across the Communications and Intelligence Network coast. This will make sure that any risk, especially ¾ The Indian Navy has established the NC3IN linking transnational can be prevented. 51 stations, including 20 of the Navy and 31 of the ¾ Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC): Coast Guard, with a nodal Information Management € It is the main centre of the Indian Navy for and Analysis Centre (IMAC). coastal surveillance and monitoring. It is located ¾ The NC3I generates a seamless real-time picture in Gurugram (Haryana) and became operational of the nearly 7,500-km long coastline. in 2014. € It is a joint initiative of Indian Navy, Coast Guard and Bharat Electronics Ltd. and functions under Steps to Counter Maoist Threat the National Security Adviser (NSA). Why in News € It is the nodal center of the National Command Control Communications and Intelligence Network To speed up the implementation of the Road (NC3I Network). Requirement Plan for extremism-affected areas, Chhattisgarh has suggested the Center to divide the € Functions: It tracks vessels on the high seas and remaining contracts into small packets so that local gets data from the coastal radars, white shipping contractors can take up the jobs. agreements, Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) transponders fitted on merchant ships, air and Key Points traffic management systems and global shipping ¾ Road Requirement Plan for Left Wing Extremism databases. Its functions in line with the principles (LWE) Affected Areas: listed under ‘Security and Growth of All in the € This Scheme is being implemented by the Ministry ’. Region (SAGAR) of Road Transport and Highways for improving z White Shipping Agreement: road connectivity in 34 LWE affected districts of „ The white shipping information refers to an 8 States. exchange of relevant advance information on € 8 States are Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, the identity and movement of commercial Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha non-military merchant vessels. and Uttar Pradesh. „ Ships are classified intowhite (commercial € This scheme envisaged construction of 5,422 km ships), grey (military vessels), and black roads lengths in LWE affected States. (illegal vessels). ¾ Present Issue: z Automatic Identification System: It is an € 90% of the 5422 km Road Requirement Plan stands automated tracking system installed on all completed, but progress remains a problem in commercial vessels of specific tonnage. Chhattisgarh.

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z Of the 419 km of roads remaining across four € SAMADHAN: states, Chhattisgarh accounts for 360 km. z It stands for € Proposed Solution: „ S - Smart Leadership, z Chhattisgarhproposed to the Centre to break „ A - Aggressive Strategy, up the contracts into small portions so that „ M - Motivation and Training, local contractors can take up the jobs. „ A - Actionable Intelligence, z When local people take up the contracts, they are in a better position to get the work done. „ D - Dashboard Based KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and KRAs (Key Result Areas), ¾ Left Wing Extremism (LWE): „ H - Harnessing Technology, € LWE organizations are the groups that try to bring change through violent revolution. They are „ A - Action plan for each Theatre, and against democratic institutions and use violence to „ N- No access to Financing. subvert the democratic processes at ground level. z This doctrine is the one-stop solution for € These groups prevent the developmental processes the LWE problem. It encompasses the entire in the least developed regions of the country strategy of government from short-term and try to misguide the people by keeping them policy to long-term policy formulated at ignorant of current happenings. different levels. € Left Wing Extremists are popularly known asMaoists worldwide and as Naxalites in India. Suggestions ¾ Other Government Initiatives to fight LWE: ¾ Though the number of incidents of LWE violence € Greyhounds: It was raised in 1989 as an elite has come down in the recent past, continued anti-naxal force. efforts and focus are needed in eliminating such groups. € Operation Green Hunt: It was started in 2009-10 and massive deployment of security forces was ¾ Government needs to ensure two things; security done in the naxal-affected areas. of the peace-loving people and the development € LWE Mobile Tower Project: To improve mobile of the naxalism-affected regions. connectivity in the LWE areas, the Government ¾ Centre and states should continue with their in 2014, approved installation of mobile towers coordinated efforts in development and security in LWE affected States. both where Centre should play a supportive role with € Aspirational Districts Programme: Launched in state police forces taking the lead. 2018, it aims to rapidly transform the districts ¾ Government needs to undertake technological that have shown relatively lesser progress in key solutions such as the use of drones to minimize loss social areas. of lives of security personnel.

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