News-Juice-Monthly-August-Edition-2018.Pdf

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Table of Contents

Polity & Governance ...... 1 1. NITI Aayog releases First Delta Ranking of Aspirational Districts (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 1 2. Analysis of Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 2 3. In Kashmir, after the ceasefire (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 3 4. Election Commission of India launches Mobile App cVIGIL to enable citizens to report on violation of election code of conduct (Relevant for GS Prelims; Polity & Governance) ...... 5 5. A good beginning: on the Cauvery Water Management Authority (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 6 6. Supreme Court verdict on Delhi CM vs L-G (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 7 7. Cabinet approves DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2018 (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 9 8. Allow gambling in sports but regulate it, says Law Commission of India (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 9 9. In Telangana, fighting fake news (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 10 10. NTA to conduct entrance examinations for higher educational Institutions (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 12 11. View of Political parties on simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 13 12. SC says it is ready to go live, Centre moots a TV channel (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 15 13. Choosing a partner is a persons fundamental right: SC on homosexuality (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 16 14. Poll position: on electoral reforms beyond simultaneous elections (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 18

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15. ISRO spy case: How a scientist cleared his name and continues to fight (Read only for understanding; Polity & Governance) ...... 19 16. Adultery must remain a punishable offence: Centre (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 21 17. On Punjab's drug menace (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 22 18. Competition Commission of India (CCI) issues order against All India Chess Federation (AICF) for the Anti-Competitive conduct (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 23 19. Section 377 of IPC and beyond (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 24 20. India-South Korea ties (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 25 21. Why track social media chatter (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 26 22. Who posts, transfers Delhi bureaucrats? (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 28 23. Overdue correction: on revisiting the Companies Act (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 30 24. Overdue correction: on revisiting the Companies Act (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 31 25. Make lynching a separate offence, SC tells Parliament (Relevant for GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 33 26. Explained: How the pay-and-publish business works (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 33 27. Regulating foreign universities in India (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 34 28. The story of no-confidence (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 35 29. Case against P. Chidambaram (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 37 30. SC collegium stands firm on Justice Joseph (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 38

31. Details of 2015 Naga agreement emerge (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 39 32. Heavy rains overshadowed Cauvery dispute (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 40 33. No-confidence motion: Failed miserably (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 41 34. Analysis of proposed amendments to the RTI Act (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 43 35. Salient features for proposed National Policy for Domestic Workers (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 44 36. SC pulls up Centre for its delay in appointing a Lokpal (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 45 37. Detention no cure: on RTE Act amendment (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 47 38. National Achievement Survey (NAS) has been conducted to increase focus on learning outcomes in quality of elementary education (Relevant for GS Prelims; GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 48 39. Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog & MyGov launches Innovate India Platform (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 49 40. West Bengal Assembly passes resolution to rename State as Bangla (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 50 41. Protect critical personal data of citizens: draft Bill (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 50 42. Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2018 passed by Parliament (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 52 43. Why Dam Safety Bill bothers Tamil Nadu (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 53

International Organizations and Relations ...... 55 1. FATF hands 10-point plan to Pak. (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR) ...... 55 2. India-Seychelles relations analysis (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR) ..... 56 3. Interpol issues Red Notice against Nirav Modi, brother, employee (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR) ...... 57

4. What German Chancellor Angela Merkels U-turn on migrants means (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR) ...... 58 5. Cabinet approves accession to WIPO Copyright Treaty, 1996 and WIPO Performance and Phonograms Treaty, 1996 (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR) ...... 60 6. Whats in a name: Why China insists on Chinese Taipei rather than Taiwan (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR) ...... 61 7. Who is Nawaz Sharif? Ex-Pakistan Prime Minister whos been jailed for ten years for corruption (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR) ...... 63 8. The low-down on India-Iran oil trade (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR) 64 9. Simply Put: How tariff war can hit all trade (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR) ...... 66 10. Trade among nations: China, US & the rest in export, import (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains paper II; IOBR) ...... 69 11. Why all eyes are on Donald Trump-Vladimir Putin summit (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR) ...... 69 12. Thai cave: Why the rescue operation was so difficult (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR) ...... 71 13. Influence of judiciary and military in the run-up to the elections: Pakistan (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR) ...... 73 14. The lowdown on Triumf system (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR) ...... 74 15. India becomes the Vice Chair of the Asia Pacific Region of World Customs Organization (WCO) for a period of two years, from July, 2018 to June, 2020 (Relevant for GS Prelims, IOBR) ...... 76 16. Dangerous law: on Israels nation state law (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR) ...... 76 17. Helsinki summit: what did Trump and Putin agree? (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR) ...... 78 18. Why the EU is upset with Google, what its $5 billion penalty really means (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; IOBR) ...... 80 19. How a 20-year African war ended in an embrace (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR) ...... 81 20. Pakistan elections: No contest, assured victory (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR) ...... 83 21. Pakistan election 2018: The Politics of Pak Army (Relevant for GS Mains Paper II; IOBR) 86 22. Sanctions relief: on waiver for India under CAATSA (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR) ...... 88 23. A Russian deal, a US nod (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR) ...... 89 24. Decoding the next Pakistan Prime Minister (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains paper II; IOBR) ...... 92 25. What India, US would have discussed in 2+2 dialogue (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR) ...... 94

Geography ...... 96 1. Rain check: June nearly normal (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper I; Geography) . 96 2. Centurys Longest Total Lunar Eclipse on July 27-28 (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper I; Geography) ...... 98 3. Meghalayan: How a North East cave rock formation now defines our Age (Relevant for GS prelims, GS Mains Paper I; Geography) ...... 99

Economics ...... 104 1. Suresh Prabhu launches Mobile App 'ReUnite' (Relevant for GS Prelims; Economics) ...... 104 2. Why are there protests over a highway? (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics) ...... 104 3. RERA vs IBC: two laws that now ring fence homebuyers (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics) ...... 106 4. How GST has performed? (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics) ...... 107 5. Modi govt raises MSP for paddy by Rs 200 a quintal (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics) ...... 107 6. Stopping the rupees free fall: Why this is happening and what the RBI is likely to do (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics) ...... 108 7. Boost to Higher Education : Revitalising Infrastructure and Systems in Higher Education (RISE) by 2022 and Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) scope expanded (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics) ...... 109 8. How the 1.5-times formula works out MSP (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics) ...... 110 9. Reforms in Public Sector Banks have taken back seat: Viral Acharya (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics) ...... 112 10. What are currency derivatives (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics) ...... 114 11. Proposal for construction of break water harbour in Konkan (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics) ...... 115 12. Why is there a row over Ayushman Bharat rates? (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics) ...... 115 13. Peak hour flights may get costlier (Relevant for GS Prelims, Relevant for GS Mains Paper III; Economics) ...... 117 14. Understanding inflation (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics) ...... 118 15. Explaining the Fugitive Economic Offenders Ordinance (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics) ...... 120 16. Shram Suvidha Portal (Relevant for GS Prelims, Economics) ...... 121 17. Samagra Shiksha Scheme (Relevant for GS Prelims; Economics) ...... 122

18. National Mission on Teachers Training (Relevant for GS Prelims; Economics) ...... 121 19. Why is the WTO facing challenges? (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics) ...... 123 20. What is the GDP deflator? (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics) ...... 124 21. Profit, losses, GNPAs of Public Sector Banks (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics) ...... 125 22. Report of Committee on Resolution of Stressed Assets suggests a Five-Pronged Approach for Stressed Assets Resolution by the Banking Industry (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics) ...... 127 23. Banks agree to resolve stressed assets quickly (Relevant for GS prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics) ...... 128 24. Recent performance of Stock markets (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics) ...... 130 25. Watchdogs and certifiers: why auditors are critical for listed companies (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics) ...... 131 26. Why dairy is in crisis (Relevant for GS prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics) ...... 133 27. National Skill Training Institute (NSTI) for Women in Mohali (Relevant for GS Prelims; Economics) ...... 136 28. The lowdown on GST rate cuts (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics) ...... 136

Environment ...... 139 1. Who is T. Vijay Kumar, and what is he doing to promote natural farming in Andhra Pradesh? (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Environment) ...... 139 2. On the formaldehyde contamination of fish (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Environment) ...... 140

Science & Technology ...... 142 1. What is the Yo-Yo test? (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology) ...... 142 2. How to use spider silk to generate energy and power a pacemaker (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology) ...... 143

3. NITI Aayog to organise Indias First Global Mobility Summit (Relevant for GS Prelims; Science & Technology) ...... 144 4. Nipah transmission route unclear (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology) ...... 145 5. ICAT releases First BS-VI engine certificate (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology) ...... 146 6. Successful flight testing of Crew Escape System - Technology Demonstrator (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology) ...... 147 7. Everything You Need to Know About Bioplastics (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology) ...... 148 8. When is an X-ray or MRI machine safe? How government proposes to find out (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology) ...... 150 9. Why WHO wants to treat gaming as a disorder, and why some disagree (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology) ...... 152 10. DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2018 (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Science & Technology) ...... 153 11. Bullet train to start in 2022: A look at its progress, hurdles (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)...... 155 12. On India's net neutrality regulations (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology) ...... 159 13. Upgraded Vikas engine will soon boost ISROs rockets (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology) ...... 161 14. Bru pact (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains paper II; Polity & Governance) ...... 162 15. TRAI chief R.S. Sharma views on Net Neutrality, Public Wi-Fi hotspots and Call drops (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains paper III; Science & Technology) ...... 163 16. Can EU ruling affect crop gene research? (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology) ...... 165 17. What TRAIs data privacy blueprint recommends — and where it is silent (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology) ...... 167 18. Observatory for Gravitational Waves study (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology) ...... 168 19. State of renewable energy capacity (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science and Technology) ...... 169 20. New Nuclear Power Plants (Relevant for GS Prelims; Science & Technology) ...... 169 21. CNG to hydrogen-CNG: Why switch, and how (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology) ...... 171 22. Why is the science behind formaldehyde so confusing? (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology) ...... 173 23. How safe is CRISPR? (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology) ...... 174 24. All about the FASTag (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology) ...... 176 25. A breakdown of the new terminology in the draft for IT Ministrys data protection Bill (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology) ...... 177

26. Govt. plans ISRO-like ocean mission (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology) ...... 179

Social Issues ...... 181 1. Why rumours love WhatsApp (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper I; Social Issues) 181 2. Why 32,000 Bru tribals from Mizoram were stuck in Tripura for 21 years (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper I; Social Issues) ...... 183 3. Comments Invited for Creation of National Health Stack (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper I; Social Issues) ...... 185 4. Why silence over vigilante violence is dangerous (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper I; Social Issues) ...... 185 5. Hima Das: on winning Gold in 400m of World U20 Championships (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper I; Social Issues)...... 187 6. Raising the quality of higher education across the board should be a priority (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Social Issues)...... 188 7. The lowdown on row over Section 377 (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper I; Social Issues)...... 189 8. Bihar, where state-run girl shelters are under the scanner (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Social Issues)...... 191 9. In interfaith marriages: question of privacy (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper I; Social Issues)...... 192

Internal Security ...... 194 1. The Islamic State and India (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Internal Security) ...... 194 2. In Manipur, incursions on the border (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Internal Security) ...... 196 3. Recommendations of Shekatkar Committee (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Internal Security) ...... 197 4. All you need to know about the Rafale deal controversy (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Internal Security) ...... 198

Miscellaneous ...... 200 1. India gets its 37th WORLD UNESCO World HERITAGE SITE (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Culture) ...... 200 2. A 216-foot-tall statue of Ramanuja (Relevant for GS Prelims; Culture) ...... 201 3. Golden Globe Race (Relevant for GS Prelims) ...... 203 4. "Behdienkhlam" festival at Jowai, Meghalaya (Relevant for GS Prelims; Culture) ...... 204

5. Consult UPSC for selecting police chiefs, SC tells States ...... 205 6. Cabinet approves hike in MSP for Kharif Crops for 2018-19 Season (Relevant for GS Prelims) ...... 206 7. Why have top teams exited the FIFA World Cup 2018? (Read only for understanding)... .209 8. PM Modi, Prez Moon Jae-In inaugurate worlds largest mobile phone factory, will produce 1 crore sets a month (Relevant for GS Prelims) ...... 210 9. On JEE and NEET twice a year (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper) ...... 211 10. India emerges as world's 6th largest economy, surpasses France: WB data (Relevant for GS Prelims) ...... 212 11. Start up yatra (Relevant for GS Prelims) ...... 212 12. Shwet Ashwa Drass Expedition (Relevant for GS Prelims) ...... 213 13. PM lays Foundation Stone for Poorvanchal Expressway in Azamgarh (Relevant for GS Prelims) ...... 213 14. Golden jackal faces threat in its habitat (Relevant for GS Prelims) ...... 214 15. All you need to know about 2018 FIFA World Cup (Relevant for GS prelims) ...... 215 16. National database for gun license holders (Relevant for GS Prelims) ...... 216 17. All you need to know about 2018 FIFA World Cup (Relevant for GS prelims) ...... 217 18. National database for gun license holders (Relevant for GS Prelims) ...... 218 19. How the Congress Working Committee is constituted, and how it has worked over the years (Read only for understanding) ...... 219 20. National mission for manuscripts (NMM) has digitized 283 lakh pages of 2.96 lakh manuscripts till date (Relevant for GS Prelims) ...... 221 21. Modi gifts 200 cows to villagers in Rwanda (Relevant for GS Prelims) ...... 222 22. Cosmetic repair: on inter-creditor agreement among banks (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics) ...... 223

Polity and Governance

1. NITI Aayog releases First Delta Ranking of Aspirational Districts (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

First Delta ranking for Aspirational districts The NITI Aayog today launched the first Delta ranking (incremental progress) for the Aspirational Districts, based on self-reported data of districts between March 31, 2018 to May 31, 2018, across five developmental areas of Health and Nutrition, Education, Agriculture and Water Resources, Financial Inclusion and Skill Development, and Basic Infrastructure.

Shri Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, highlighted the keen interest displayed by the districts to provide real-time data points by filling up the Champions of Change Dashboard.

What is the purpose of ranking? The purpose of this ranking is to spur a sense of competition among the dynamic teams in the districts. Since these districts face many challenges including legacy, unexploited or weak resource base, deficit of manpower at different levels due to difficult living conditions etc, the ranking is also a tool to identify sectors and indicator specific challenges so that Team India, which is driving this programme, can take immediate corrective measures , said Shri Amitabh Kant, releasing the first delta ranking of the Aspirational Districts. This Delta ranking takes a step further and looks into specific aspects of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and analyses how districts have performed in last two months across important sectors. This grouping and positioning would aid the District Magistrates/Collectors to focus more on these sectors and improve their ranking in future.

The knowledge partners of NITI Aayog Tata Trusts, and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (ID Insights) - are expected to provide data on 13 survey indicators and have validated values for 29 data-points. The next– ranking will take into account these inputs and will be released soon thereafter.

How is the ranking calculated? The Districts started entering data from 1st April, 2018 in the Champions of Change Dashboard and 108 districts out of total 112, participated in this ranking. Data entry by remaining four districts is also in progress, though they are not part of this ranking.

The delta ranking is computed in a transparent manner for combined improvements made during April and May 2018.

Some of the data points have been sourced from Central Ministries viz. Financial Inclusion, Skill Development and 3 indicators of Basic Infrastructure - Household Electricity Connections, Household Toilets and Rural Drinking Water. Most of the data points, however, have been self-reported by the various districts themselves.

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What is the performance? Asifabad district of Telangana, which was ranked 100 in Baseline ranking released in March this year, has made significant improvements in past two months and stood at 15 in Delta ranking. Dahod district of Gujarat improved 19.8 points to rank first in the Delta ranking (was Ranked 17 in Baseline ranking).

West Sikkim district in Sikkim stood second with 18.9 points, a huge improvement from being in the 30th position in Baseline ranking. Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh also made significant strides by improving 14.7 points and ranked 6th position in Delta ranking from 45th position in Baseline ranking

About Transformation of Aspirational Districts programme Launched by the Hon ble PM in January this year, the Transformation of Aspirational Districts programme aims to quickly and effectively transform some of the most underdeveloped districts of the country. The broad contours of the programme are Convergence (of Central & State Schemes), Collaboration (of Central, State level Prabhari Officers & District Collectors), and Competition among districts driven by a Mass Movement or a Jan Andolan. With States as the main drivers, this program will focus on the strength of each district, identify low- hanging fruits for immediate improvement, measure progress, and rank districts.

To enable optimum utilization of their potential, this program focuses closely on improving people s ability to participate fully in the burgeoning economy. Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & Skill Development, and Basic Infrastructure are this programme s core areas of focus.

After several rounds of consultations with various stakeholders, 49 key performance indicators have been chosen to measure progress of the districts. Districts are prodded and encouraged to first catch-up with the best district within their state, and subsequently aspire to become one of the best in the country, by competing with, and learning from others in the spirit of competitive & cooperative federalism.

(Adapted from PIB)

2. Analysis of Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

What is the context of Higher Education Commission of India? The provisions of the new Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill drafted by the Centre have far-reaching implications for the expansion and quality of human resource development, at a time when access to skill-building and educational opportunity are vitally important. There were 864 recognised universities and 40,026 colleges in the country in 2016-17, while the gross enrolment ratio of students was only about 26%. To put this in perspective, there were only 20 universities and 500 colleges at the time of Independence. Previous attempts at system reform involving expert committees and even

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3 legislation to create a new body for higher education and research had advocated changes, with an emphasis on promoting autonomy, access, inclusion and opportunity for all.

That challenging goal will fall to the HECI, the proposed successor body to the University Grants Commission. For this very reason, the Centre should give sufficient time to academia, the teaching community and society at large to submit considered opinions on the draft proposals.

What are the debatable issues in making HECI? 1. Among the key questions that need resolution is the future role of multiple regulatory bodies that currently exist for engineering, medicine and law; the Yash Pal Committee had recommended that they should be brought under the ambit of a single commission. There is a case to include other professional education streams as well, including architecture and nursing. The aim should be to set academic benchmarks for each stream, with sufficient autonomy to innovate on courses and encourage studies across disciplines.

2. Among the more contentious issues arising out of the draft Bill is the Centre s decision to shift grant-giving powers for higher education institutions to the Ministry of Human Resource Development or a separate body. The UGC has been doing this so far, covering a variety of functions, and whatever the flaws, it ensured a separation of funding decisions from political considerations. Maintaining a balance on allocation of funds and ensuring transparency will now depend on the proposed advisory council to the HECI.

It is welcome that the States are represented on the advisory council, giving it a federal character, although it is the Centre that will have the final say in all matters, not even the apex HECI. At a broader level, higher education is challenged today by fast-paced technological changes affecting the economy and the need to create a workforce that has the requisite skills. Reform should, therefore, lead to the creation of an agency that has the intellectual corpus to help universities and colleges adapt, and the vision to plan for public funding in the emerging spheres of activity. There is a positive attempt in the draft legislation to weed out degree mills and dubious training institutions, with a provision for prosecution and imprisonment of management officials who defy the HECI. Yet, this will take political will, given that over the past three decades laissez faire expansion of higher education has been pursued purely for commercial motives.

(Adapted from The Hindu)

3. In Kashmir, after the ceasefire (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

The first 10 days of Governor s rule in Jammu and Kashmir saw security forces stepping up combing and combat operations. There were 20 Army operations, in which four civilians died and around 60 were injured. Nine militants were killed too.

What happened?

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On June 19, the State was brought under Governor s rule the eighth time since 1977 after the BJP withdrew from the alliance with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). They had been in power since 2015. Till Ramzan this year, the allies— tried various things to deal— with the challenges, especially rising militancy after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in 2016, and the increasing civilian casualties in clashes between security forces and locals. Since the two parties entered office, divergent strategic approaches to containing alienation and street anger failed to work, and the situation almost spiralled out of control on the ground in the Valley.

What is the ground situation? Official figures show 114 people (53 militants, 34 civilians and 27 securitymen) have died in encounters and clashes between locals and men of the cordon and search operations teams. It was in May last year that the BJP prevailed over the PDP to give Operation All-Out a chance to deal with militancy. The National Investigation Agency pursued old cases against second-rung separatists to bring an end to stone-throwing in the Valley.

By the end of 2017, around 220 militants, mainly locals, were killed. But, by January 2018, despite the operations, the number of militants was still at more than 150. Now, more locals are picking up arms. There has been no let-up in clashes in and around encounter sites. Kashmir witnessed 410 law and order incidents in the first four months this year, against 900 in the whole of 2017. In May this year, the then Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, convinced Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to declare cessation of operations for the month of Ramzan. She argued that with the burial of every militant s body, at least two youngsters pledged to join militancy at the funeral itself.

But the ceasefire from May 16 did not get the response she hoped for from the separatist Hurriyat and militants. Pointing out that New Delhi s offer was ambiguous and unclear, the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik, said: Any meaningful talks should be based on a clear agenda, underlined by sincerity among all the three stakeholders India, Pakistan and the people of Kashmir. Why did ceasefire fail? — It was clear in the second week of Ramzan that the ceasefire was falling apart. Local militants increased grenade attacks, ambushes and rifle-snatching. At least, twelve grenades targeted forces in the first two weeks and left 56 people, including 39 civilians and 17 personnel, wounded.

As Ramzan drew to a close, 51 people, including 20 militants and 13 civilians, were killed in militancy-related incidents and ceasefire violations on the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB). The ceasefire ended with the killing of Rising Kashmir editor Shujaat Bukhari and his two security officers. It was the last nail in the coffin of the PDP s soft approach.

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What lies ahead? Director-General of Police S.P. Vaid said: Fresh operations will now see less interferences, hinting at the Centre s move to go the whole way against militants and their civilian supporters. Governor N.N. Vohra has his task cut out. First, he has to use good governance to win back the people s faith in the system and wean the youth off militancy. Two, he has to ensure no political games are played at the cost of democracy. With the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections approaching, the question is whether Governor s rule will be able to create a conducive atmosphere. (Adapted from The Hindu)

4. Election Commission of India launches Mobile App cVIGIL to enable citizens to report on violation of election code of conduct (Relevant for GS Prelims; Polity & Governance)

The Chief Election launched a mobile app, called Cvigil, on July 3, 2018, for citizens to report any violation of the model code of conduct during elections. About the app cVIGIL" is a user-friendly and easy to operate Android application. It will be operational only where elections are announced. However, the beta version of the app will be made available for the public and election staff to download so that they can acquaint themselves with its features and also try sending dummy data. Upon successful completion of the trial that is underway, the application will be made available for general use by all, right from the forthcoming Assembly elections in the States of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Rajasthan. The practical use of the app during the four-state Assembly polls will also serve as a pilot initiative before it is put to extensive use during the next Lok Sabha General Elections.

How will the app operate? cVIGIL will allow anyone in the election-bound state to report violations of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) that comes into effect from the date of announcement of elections and goes on till a day after the polls. By using this app, citizens can immediately report on incidents of misconduct within minutes of having witnessed them and without having to rush to the office of the returning officer to lodge a complaint.

The vigilant citizen has to click a picture or record a video of upto two minutes duration of the scene of violations of the model code. The photo or video is to be uploaded on the app. The automated location mapping will be done by the app using the Geographic Information System. After its successful submission through the app, the vigilant citizen gets a Unique ID to track and receive the follow up updates on her or his mobile. A citizen can report many incidents in this manner and will get a unique id for each report for follow up updates. The identity of the complainant will be kept confidential.

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Once the complaint is lodged, the information beeps in the District Control Room from where it is assigned to a Field Unit. A field unit consists of Flying Squads, Static Surveillance Teams, Reserve teams etc. Each Field Unit will have a GIS-based mobile application called cVIGIL Dispatcher , which allows the unit to directly reach the location through navigation technology and take action. After a Field Unit has taken action, it messages and uploads the relevant document as action taken report via the cVIGIL Dispatcher to the returning officer concerned for his decision and disposal. If the incident is found correct, the information is sent to the National Grievance Portal of the Election Commission of India for further action and the vigilant citizen is informed about the action taken within a hundred minutes. The app has inbuilt features to prevent its misuse. It will receive complaints only about Model Code of Conduct violations. The user will get 5 minutes to report an incident after having clicked a picture or a video. To prevent any misuse, the app will not allow uploading of the pre-recorded or old images and videos. The app will not facilitate saving of the photos or videos recorded using the cVIGIL' app into the phone gallery either. Further, the application will be active only in States where elections have been announced. The moment a citizen exits an election-bound State, the app will become inactive.

So far, the complaints about violations of Model Code of Conduct often could not be followed instantly, leading to the violators escaping detection from the action squads. Also, the lack of any documented evidence in the form of pictures or videos was seen as a hurdle in verifying a complaint. Further, the absence of a robust response system to quickly and accurately identify the scene of occurrence of violations with the help of geographical location details hampered election officers ability to apprehend the violators. The new app is expected to fill in all these gaps and create a fast-track complaint reception and redressal system.

(Adapted from PIB)

5. A good beginning: on the Cauvery Water Management Authority (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

Why CWMA has been formed? The CWMA has been formed by the Centre to implement the water-sharing award of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal as modified by the Supreme Court earlier this year. At its meeting on Monday, it asked Karnataka to release 31.24 tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) of water in July. The quantum is based on the monthly schedule drawn up by the Tribunal, and excludes the surplus realised on the Tamil Nadu side in June.

What is required for functioning of CWMA? For the Authority to successfully perform its role, it needs the cooperation of the States in gathering data on rainfall, inflows and outflows, cropping patterns and periodic withdrawals from reservoirs.

How will CWMA function during the monsoon?

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The CWMA is expected to meet once every 10 days during the monsoon months. The south- west monsoon has been active for nearly a month, and is forecast to be normal this year.

Therefore, the CWMA may not face any major problem in overseeing the release of water to Tamil Nadu.

What is the challenge? As long as the inflows into Karnataka s major reservoirs are substantial, it has had no problem releasing its surplus water into the lower riparian areas of the basin. It is only in a distress year that the CWMA will face a significant challenge, as determining the extent of distress, and dividing the shortfall among the States on a pro rata basis can be tricky exercises.

The question mark on future of Tribunal award? Karnataka is planning to challenge in the Supreme Court the Centre s notification constituting the Authority. It will be unfortunate if this dispute gets into another round of litigation. The provisions of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, make it clear that it is the Centre s duty to notify a scheme to implement the award of a Tribunal. Parliament has the power to modify the scheme, or leave it as it stands, but Karnataka s claim that the scheme requires parliamentary approval before it is implemented is questionable.

Further, the Supreme Court approved the draft scheme only after finding it to be in consonance with the dictum and directions in the Award as modified by this Court and also in conformity with Section 6A of the 1956 Act . Now that the CWMA has become functional, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry should approach the issue of sharing the waters of the inter-State river in a spirit of cooperation and help the Authority in implementing the verdict. The parties concerned should leave behind the era of litigation.

There is now a non-political mechanism available to make sound professional decisions on water availability and sharing of distress, if any, after discussing the issues threadbare. After having been locked in a contentious legal dispute for so long, all parties concerned must embark on a new era of mutually beneficial water-sharing.

(Adapted from the Hindu)

6. Supreme Court verdict on Delhi CM vs L-G (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

Question raised earlier on independence of SC After January 12, 2018, when the four most senior judges made public their letter to the Chief Justice of India, fresh concerns were expressed about the independence of judges. Some experts suggested that when a powerful government with a massive majority assumes power, judges do not assert themselves in the same way as they do when a coalition government is ruling.

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SC judgements against Central Govt. SC s judgment on the role of the Delhi Lieutenant-Governor has put to rest such doubts. Even before this, the CJI had decided the Arunachal Pradesh matter against the central government, and the judgment in the Hadiya case too had upheld her right to choose her spouse.

SC judgement on Delhi Govt The 535-page, unanimous judgment of the five-judge Constitution Bench comes at a time when the central government has been justifying all actions of the Lt Governor. In fact, no Governor or Lt Governor really acts on his own. Indian Governors have traditionally been loyal to those ruling from Delhi. In the Arunachal case too, the Supreme Court had criticised then Governor J P Rajkhowa.

L-G bound by the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers The authoritative finding is that the Lt Governor is just an administrator and administrative head in a limited sense, and that he is bound by the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers. He has no independent powers of his own; he has to either go by the advice of ministers, or comply with the orders of the President on matters referred to him.

He cannot interfere in every case, there is no need of his concurrence in each matter, and he can refer matters to the President only in exceptional situations and not in a routine or mechanical manner . This means the court has reversed the Delhi High Court judgment that had held that the Lt Governor is not bound by the aid and advice of ministers. The CJI held that any matter in Article 239AA(4) does not mean every matter ; the Lt Governor has to employ constitutional objectivity and exercise this power in the rarest of rare situations for valid reasons. The Lt Governor does not have the power to change every decision or differ with every decision of ministers. Certainly, just like Governors, he is to be apprised of every decision by the ministers, but his concurrence is not necessary. The CJI explicitly held that the Lt Governor s difference of opinion with ministers should never be based on a perception of a right to differ , but should be based on constitutional trust . At the same time, ministers must keep in mind that Delhi is not a state and the Lt Governor is not a titular head; rather, he enjoys the powers of an administrator.

Disputes should be referred to President: SC In case of difference of opinion, the L-G should straightaway refer the dispute to the President for a final decision without sitting over it or stultifying the governance in the National Capital, the Bench said. It concluded that the governance of Delhi cannot rest upon the whims of one functionary the Lieutenant-Governor.

Reversal of Delhi High Court— decision The judgment came on appeals filed by the NCT government against an August 4, 2016, verdict of the Delhi High Court, which had declared that the L-G has complete control of all matters regarding the National Capital Territory of Delhi, and nothing will happen without the concurrence of the L-G.

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(Adapted from The Indian Express and The Hindu)

7. Cabinet approves DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2018 (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

The Union Cabinet has approved The DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill 2018.

Details:

Application) Regulation Bill" is for expanding the application of DNA-based forensic technologies• The primary to support intended and purpose strengthen for the enactment justice delivery of "The system DNA of Technology the country. Use and

is well recognized across the world. • The utility of DNA based technologies for solving crimes, and to identify missing persons, DNA laboratories, the Bill seeks to ensure that with the proposed expanded use of this technology in the country, •there By providing is also the for assurancethe mandatory that accreditation the DNA test and results regulation are reliable of and the data remain protected from misuse or abuse in terms of the privacy rights of our citizens.

• Speedier justice delivery.

• Increased conviction rate. -matching between persons who have been reported missing on the one hand and unidentified dead bodies found in various parts of the country on• Bill's the other,provisions and also will forenable establishing the cross the identity of victims in mass disasters.

Background: Forensic DNA profiling is of proven value in solving cases involving offences that are categorized as affecting the human body (such as murder, rape, human trafficking, or grievous hurt), and those against property (including theft, burglary, and dacoity). The aggregate incidence of such crimes in the country, as per the statistics of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) for 2016, is in excess of 3 lakhs per year. Of these, only a very small proportion is being subjected to DNA testing at present. It is expected that the expanded use of this technology in these categories of cases would result not only in speedier justice delivery but also in increased conviction rates, which at present is only around 30% (NCRB Statistics for 2016).

(Adapted from PIB)

8. Allow gambling in sports but regulate it, says Law Commission of India (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

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Regulate gambling in sports The Law Commission of India submitted a report to the government, saying that since it is impossible to stop illegal gambling, the only viable option left is to regulate gambling in sports. Increase government revenue The commission, headed by former Supreme Court judge, Justice B.S. Chauhan, recommended cashless gambling in sports as a means to increase revenue and deal a blow to unlawful gambling. The money generated can be used for public welfare activities, it said. For that the revenue from gambling should be taxable under laws like the Income Tax Act and the Goods and Services Tax Act.

Transactions Linked to Aadhaar Transactions between gamblers and operators should be linked to their Aadhaar and PAN cards so that the government could keep an eye on them, the panel said. Cap on gambling transactions

The commission recommended a classification of proper gambling and small gambling. Proper gambling would be for the rich who play for high stakes, while small gambling would be for the low income groups, it said. The panel wanted the government to introduce a cap on the number of gambling transactions for each individual, that is, monthly, half-yearly and annual. Restrictions on amount should be prescribed while using electronic money facilities like credit cards, debit cards, and net banking. Gambling websites should not solicit pornography, it said.

Regulations needed to protect vulnerable groups, minors and those below poverty line, those who draw their sustenance from social welfare measures, government subsidies and Jan Dhan account holders from exploitation through gambling, the panel said. FDI in casions

According to the commission, Foreign Exchange Management and Foreign Direct Investment laws and policies should be amended to encourage investment in the casino/online gaming industry. This would propel tourism and employment, it said.

(Adapted from the Hindu)

9. In Telangana, fighting fake news (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

For four months now, Telangana has been using all hands, government machinery, village heads, folk musicians and so forth, to fight back against the spread of rumours and fake news that have taken lives.

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What happened? Three persons were killed in attacks triggered by rumours about gangs of cannibals, child- lifters and organ harvesters over the past few months. That the death toll is lower has a lot to do with how the government moved quickly to stop fake news being spread through videos and WhatsApp. Over the past couple of months, across the length and breadth of the country, mobs have beaten to death people they suspect almost always without basis of plotting to kidnap children to harvest their organs. Last Sunday, five persons were lynched in Dhule district of Maharashtra on suspicion of being— child-lifters. —

What steps did Telangana take? First off the block was Director-General of Police Mahender Reddy who tweeted on May 22, urging the people not to believe in social media rumours on kidnappers and burglars.

The news is totally false, he said, asking the people to call the police in an emergency. The tweet came after a few villagers attacked a 45-year-old man while he was with his friend. The man succumbed to his injuries in Hyderabad. The two men were from a different village and were passing through when they were encountered by angry villagers who did not let them speak and thrashed them. On May 26, a driver was lynched on the outskirts of the city. On the same night, a transgender was lynched. She had come to Hyderabad, along with two others, from a neighbouring village for alms that are liberally given during Ramzan.

Police officials have adopted both modern and age-old methods to fight rumourmongering. For example, Rema Rajeshwari, Superintendent of Police in Gadwal district, roped in village drummers to spread the word. In Hyderabad, officials have erected flex boards in regional languages at railway stations, bus stops and city junctions to stop the rumour mills. Police officials have even roped in religious leaders to alert them to fake news. But instead of limiting it to a one-off awareness campaign, the police are conducting regular meetings in villages which are more vulnerable. The citizen-engagement programme is in its fourth month in some places where police officials have been assigned areas for creating awareness.

Along with these proactive steps, more than a dozen young men have been picked up for spreading rumours on WhatsApp groups. A few social media journalists have also fallen into the police dragnet after they forwarded messages. Senior police officials have taken to social media to spread multi-lingual messages against fake news.

Why are migrants vulnerable? Some of the videos being shared are extremely gruesome. One of the videos that went viral is from Karachi in Pakistan, meant to show how easily children can be kidnapped. Other fake news forwards doing the rounds spoke about the gangs being unfamiliar with the local language. This has made many individuals in Telangana particularly vulnerable as a large number of workers and migrants have moved into the booming metropolis of Hyderabad and its surrounding areas.

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Will the rumours stop? A behaviour psychiatrist from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences says this is mob psychology at play rather than hysteria or mass or group hysteria.

Responsibility is diffused in a mob. This empowers the participants in a big way, leading them to behave irresponsibly. It takes very strong action to dissuade the mob, says Dr. M. Manjula of NIMHANS. Only a sustained awareness campaign over a long period of time can stop this rumourmongering as it involves children, and people are very sensitive and attached to children. So, in a sense, the Telangana administration and police are on the right path. (Adapted from the Hindu)

10. NTA to conduct entrance examinations for higher educational Institutions (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

National Testing Agency The Minister of Human Resource Development, Shri Prakash Javadekar has said that the National Testing Agency (NTA) has started its work and will be conducting various entrance examinations for higher educational Institutions from next academic sessions onwards.

How will NTA improve examination process? He said that the NTA will bring qualitative difference in the examination process by its focus on research and scientific test design using services of Experts, Researchers, Statisticians, Psychometricians, Test Item Writers and Education Specialists. The item writers would be trained to ensure that the quality of questions is as per the test design.

The experts, statisticians and item writers/subject matter experts are already identified for being inducted into NTA. The new system will be student friendly, fair, transparent and flexible, the Minister added.

JEE (Main) and NEET (UG) will be conducted twice in the year The Minister highlighted that for the first time in the history of competitive examinations, the JEE (Main) and NEET (UG) will be conducted twice before admissions in the next academic session. This gives a choice to the students especially if they fail to appear in a test due to unwarranted circumstances. He also informed that the syllabus and the pattern of question paper would remain the same and there will be No increase in the exam fees currently being charged.

Exams in computer based mode He also informed that the examinations for all candidates will be conducted in computer based mode only (Starting from next exam UGC-NET exam). He further informed that these examinations will use highly secured IT software and encryption to ensure delivery of tests just in time. This will ensure no leakages and other malpractices.

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National Testing Agency (NTA) was approved by the Union Cabinet in November 2017 as an Autonomous and self-sustained premier testing organization to conduct entrance examinations for higher educational Institutions.

Features of exams to be conducted by NTA: i. This will give more chances to students thereby giving adequate opportunity to bring out his/her best and reducing stress which develops due to single exam conducted on one single day in the year. However, sitting in both the tests will not be compulsory. The two tests (each for JEE (Main) & NEET (UG)) will be equated using psychometric methods, standardisation techniques and best of the equated scores will be used for the admissions. ii. All the tests ( UGC- NET ( December), JEE (Main) & NEET (UG)) will be conducted in multiple sittings and a candidate will have an option of dates to choose from. Scores of different candidates in multiple sittings will also be equated using standardisation techniques. iii. NTA will establish a network of test practice centres for students of rural areas so that everyone will have an opportunity to practice before the exam. Schools/engineering colleges with computer centres would be identified and kept open on Saturday/Sunday starting from 3rd week of August. Any student can use the facility free of charge. iv. All tests would be set in a scientific manner with the test items developed jointly by the subject matter experts and psychometricians. Before developing the question papers, the item writers for the exams will be given feedback on the functioning of the previous years items so that they are able to make test items which are more valid and reliable. All the above mentioned examinations will be held in existing number of languages.

(Adapted From PIB)

11. View of Political parties on simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

Four parties support move; BJP, Congress stay away from consultations Political parties were divided on the issue of holding simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections during consultations with the Law Commission of India.

As many as nine parties expressed their reservations while four parties supported the move.

The two major national parties the BJP and the Congress stayed away from the Law Commission s deliberations. The BJP has, however, written to the Law Commission Chairman, Justice B.S. Chauhan,— stating that Prime Minister— Narendra Modi has always argued in favour of simultaneous polls and sought time to submit their detailed response later.

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Justice Chauhan is learnt to have asked that all representations be submitted by July 31.

The Congress said it would firm up its stand on the issue only after talking to allies and other political parties.

Simultaneous elections of Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies A draft white paper released by the Law Commission of India recommends holding of simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and the Assemblies, possibly in 2019.

It suggests amending the Constitution to realise this objective.

In a public notice annexed to the draft, the commission, which is the government s highest law advisory body, said the white paper would be circulated to constitutional experts, academia, political parties, bureaucrats, students, etc. The commission, headed by former Supreme Court Judge Justice B.S. Chauhan, says opinions and suggestions should come in by May 8, 2018.

History The commission says simultaneous elections were held in the country during the first two decades after Independence up to 1967. Dissolution of certain Assemblies in 1968 and 1969 followed by the dissolution of the Lok Sabha led to the disruption of the conduct of simultaneous elections. The panel refers to a January 2017 working paper of the NITI Aayog on simultaneous elections. Solutions The white paper contains a series of possible recommendations of the commission.

1. The first among these is that simultaneous elections may be restored in the nation by amending the Constitution, Representation of the People Act of 1951 and the Rules of Procedure of the Lok Sabha and Assemblies.

2. It recommends that in 2019, the election could be held in phases. In the first phase, it says, elections to the legislatures which are scheduled to go for polls synchronous with the Lok Sabha in 2019 could be held together. The rest of the States could go to elections in proximity with the Lok Sabha elections of 2024.

3. Citing no-confidence motion and premature dissolution of House as major roadblocks to simultaneous elections, the commission says the parties which introduce the no-confidence motion should simultaneously give a suggestion for an alternative government.

4. It even suggests the relaxation of the rigours of the anti-defection law in the Tenth Schedule to prevent a stalemate in the Lok Sabha or Assemblies in case of a hung Parliament or Assembly.

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5. The panel says that in case of mid-term elections, the new Lok Sabha or Assembly would only serve the remainder of the term of the previous Lok Sabha/Assembly and not a fresh term of five years.

6. The commission says the Centre should get the Constitutional amendments, if agreed upon, to be ratified by all the States so as to avoid any challenge to them.

7. It also says that the Prime Minister/Chief Minister should be elected to lead by the full House like the Lok Sabha Speaker. (Adapted from The Hindu)

12. SC says it is ready to go live, Centre moots a TV channel (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

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Supreme court to go live The Supreme Court said that it is ready to go live on camera while the government mooted a separate TV channel for live-streaming court proceedings. A three-judge Bench of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud said a livestream is only an extension of the open court system, where the public can walk in and watch court proceedings. Attorney-General K.K. Venugopal proposed a dedicated channel like the Rajya Sabha TV and the Lok Sabha TV for the Supreme Court.

Benefits of live streaming 1. With court proceedings beamed live on air, litigants, law students and the public can watch them as they happen. 2. Spared from travel : Chief Justice Misra said a livestream would help litigants follow the proceedings in their case and also assess their lawyers performance. People from far-flung States such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala do not have to travel all the way to the national capital for a day s hearing.

3. A livestream would keep a check on lawyers conduct inside the courtrooms. With the entire country watching them, there would be fewer interruptions, raised voices and adjournments from the lawyers. Mr. Venugopal compared the scene inside the courtroom to the sober atmosphere in the British courts, where proceedings are live-streamed.

What are the concerns? 1. He, however, expressed reservations about live-streaming cases involving national security concerns, matrimonial disputes and rape cases. A public viewing of marital dispute and rape case proceedings would seriously affect justice and amount to a violation of the fundamental right to privacy.

2. Senior advocate Indira Jaising, who filed the petition in the court in person, cautioned that agreements with broadcasters should be on a non-commercial basis. No one should profit from the arrangement. She also submitted that there should be no unauthorised reproduction.

The Bench asked Mr. Venugopal to address it on the issue of framing guidelines for live- streaming proceedings. The next hearing is scheduled for July 23.

What should be live streamed? Ms. Jaising said citizens have the right to information and matters of constitutional and national importance can be live-streamed. If livestream of the top court s proceedings is not possible, alternatively the video recording should be allowed, she argued. (Adapted from the Hindu)

13. Choosing a partner is a persons fundamental right: SC on homosexuality (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

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He or she can be from the same sex, says SC judge at hearing on Section 377 case

Choice of a partner is a person s fundamental right, and it can be a same-sex partner, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud. The observation came on the first day of hearing by a Constitution Bench of petitions challenging the constitutionality of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, a colonial era provision that criminalises private consensual sex between adults.

Justice Chandrachud drew his observations from the March 2018 judgment in the Hadiya case, which held that neither the State nor one s parents could influence an adult s choice of partner. That would be a violation of the fundamental right to privacy. Hadiya, a Hindu girl from Kerala, converted to Islam and chose to marry a Muslim man. Differing views

Chief Justice Misra said the test was whether Section 377 stood in conformity with Articles 21 (right to life), 19 (right to liberty) and 14 (right to equality) of the Constitution.

At one point, the judges appeared to differ in their approach to the case. Justice Chandrachud said the court should not confine itself merely to a declaration whether Section 377 was constitutional or not. It could examine the wider concept of sexuality to include co-habitation etc., he said.

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But Chief Justice Misra observed that the Bench should first decide the constitutionality of Section 377. Let us get out of this maze. We cannot now give an advance ruling on questions like inheritance to live-in partners, whether they can marry, etc. Those are individual issues we cannot pre-judge, he said.

(Adapted from The Hindu)

14. Poll position: on electoral reforms beyond simultaneous elections (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

It is perhaps no surprise that political parties are deeply divided over the idea of holding simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and the State Assemblies.

Different view of political parties During consultations initiated by the Law Commission of India, nine parties opposed it, arguing that it went against the constitutional fabric and that it would be impractical. Four parties backed the concept. The BJP has sought time for a detailed response, though it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has been advocating the idea. The Congress has now spoken out against the proposal.

Why simultaneous polls are favourd? In principle, there are obvious advantages to the one nation, one election idea election expenditure will be drastically cut and ruling dispensations will be able to focus on legislation and governance rather than having to be in campaign mode forever. —

What are the loopholes? However, as many of the naysayers have pointed out, the idea is fraught with practical difficulties. Also, some parties fear that a simultaneous poll, particularly in this era where news is easily and widely disseminated, will privilege national issues over regional ones even if, arguably, the reverse may happen too. The issue is that synchronisation would involve curtailment or extension of the tenure of a House the legal propriety of which is questionable. — What is the proposal? The key proposal is that Assemblies be bunched into two categories based on whether their terms end close to the 2019 or the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Elections could be held for one group in 2019, and for another in 2024 so that subsequent elections could be synchronised. Or, polls could be held for one group along with the 2019 election, and for the rest 30 months later, so that there is a round of elections every two and a half years.

Need for constructive vote of no-confidence An attempt at solving the problem of regimes falling due to lack of majority is the proposal for a constructive vote of no-confidence . This means that when passing a motion expressing lack of trust in a regime, legislators must necessarily propose an alternative. If a mid-term election has to be held, the term of such a House would only be for the remainder of its tenure.

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What is the need of hour? These two recommendations may partially address the question raised by the DMK on whether all Assemblies would be dissolved too if the Lok Sabha has to be prematurely dissolved. However, it is unclear if it will be palatable for all parties to invest their time and resources in an election that would win them only a curtailed term. Allowing a one-time waiver of the anti-defection law to enable the House to elect a leader in the event of a hung House is another proposal. However, these reforms can be adopted even without simultaneous elections. Also, there are many pressing reforms needed in the electoral space including curbing the use of black money to fund elections and tackling the staggered manner in which elections are held in many States.

(Adapted from The Hindu)

15. ISRO spy case: How a scientist cleared his name and continues to fight (Read only for understanding; Polity & Governance)

ROCKET SCIENTIST Nambi Narayanan has been fighting legal battles since 1994, first to clear his name in an espionage case, then for compensation and now for action against the police officers who had implicated him. Having had his name cleared after the CBI closure report in 1996 declared the spy case false, and his compensation upheld by the Kerala High Court in 2012, the former ISRO scientist is waiting for the Supreme Court to rule on action he has demanded against the police officers. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court reserved its judgment on his plea.

How it began The ISRO spy case dates back to October 20, 1994, when Kerala police in Thiruvananthapuram registered a case against Mariam Rasheeda, a Maldivian national, under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act 1946 and Section 7 of the Foreigners Order, 1948.

The initial charges were of overstaying in India following the cancellation of her flight to Maldives. Following her interrogation, police made out a case that she had contacted ISRO space scientists who were suspected of having transferred cryogenic engine technology to Pakistan through her. The following month, police registered another case against ISRO scientists D Sasikumaran and Narayanan, Russian Space Agency Glavkosmos s India representative Chandrasekhar, Maldivian national Fauzia Hassan, and Bangalore-based labour contractor S K Sharma.

The case was initially probed by Inspector S Vijayan. A special team headed by DIG Siby Mathew arrested Narayanan and others. The police case was that Narayanan and Sasikumaran had passed on secret documents to other countries, especially Pakistan. They accused Chandrasekhar, Sharma, and inspector-general of Kerala police Raman Srivastava of passing on secrets of the Aeronautical Defence Establishment, Bangalore. They alleged that Chandrasekhar, Sasikumaran and the two Maldivian women had met secretly to exchange papers and money. The arrested scientists were grilled by Intelligence Bureau

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sleuths, including Gujarat-cadre IPS officer R B Sreekumar, who was then IB additional director in Kerala.

Srivastava s name created a political flutter as the IPS officer was known to be close to then Congress chief minister K Karunakaran. Under pressure from within the party led by rival A K Antony and Congress coalition partners Muslim League and Kerala Congress(M), Karunakaran was forced to step down in March 1995.

Probe & closure Within 20 days of the case being registered, the probe was handed over to the CBI. In 1996, it submitted its closure report in the chief judicial magistrate s court in Kochi, saying that the allegations of espionage were unproved and false. The court admitted the closure report, leading to the discharge of all those who had been implicated.

The CBI submitted that Mathew had indiscriminately ordered the arrest of the scientists and others without conducting a thorough interrogation or adequately verifying disclosures. The agency said it had not recovered any evidence from the ISRO or the money allegedly paid to the accused by their foreign contacts.

The CBI report also blamed the Intelligence Bureau for conducting the probe in an unprofessional manner. The IB did not verify the statements of the accused, which the CBI said could have saved the reputation of the scientists. The IB did not share with the Kerala police the basis of their allegations against Srivastava, the CBI said.

Continuing battle The CPM-led government, which assumed office in May 1996, ordered a reinvestigation.

Narayanan and others challenged this in Kerala High Court, which refused to stay the government order for reinvestigation. Narayanan then appealed in the Supreme Court, which quashed the state government order in 1998.

Subsequently, Narayanan moved the National Human Rights Commission seeking compensation of Rs 1 crore from the Kerala police officials who had implicated him. In 2001, the NHRC ordered interim relief of Rs 10 lakh. In 2006, the state government challenged it in in the high court, which in 2012 upheld Narayanan s contention and ordered the government to give him interim relief of Rs 10 lakh. In October 2013, the then Congress-led government decided to give the compensation.

The scientist In 2015, Narayanan approached the Supreme Court seeking criminal and disciplinary action against Kerala police officials led by Siby Mathew. A former DGP, Mathew had taken voluntary retirement in 2011 and gone on to become the state s chief information commissioner. This is the ruling Narayanan is waiting for. His career cut short on account of the case, Narayanan describes what he went through in his autobiography, Orbit of Memories. He suggests a motive for why he was framed, writing that he suspects the CIA

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was behind the false case. He suspects a conspiracy to sabotage India s progress in making a cryogenic rocket, and notes that the spy case put India behind by 15 years in cryogenic technology. The beneficiaries of the delay were the US and France, he writes, demanding a probe into the alleged conspiracy.

(Adapted from The Indian Express)

16. Adultery must remain a punishable offence: Centre (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

View of government: Dropping it from IPC will erode the sanctity of marriage

The government submitted that dropping of adultery as an offence from the Indian Penal Code (IPC) will erode the sanctity of marriage and be detrimental to the intrinsic Indian ethos. The Centre said the provision punishing adultery Section 497 of IPC supports, safeguards and protects the institution of marriage considering the unique structure and culture of Indian society. The government agreed— to the thought that —stability of a marriage is not an ideal to be scorned and striking down Section 497 would destroy the fabric of society itself. Website: www.prepmate.in Telegram Channel: @upscprepmate Prepmate Cengage Books Preview: https://prepmate.in/books/ Youtube channel: PrepMate Edutech For updates on WhatsApp, share your name & city on WhatsApp No. 75978-30000

Gender equality The Constitution Bench is scheduled to decide on whether the pre-Independence provision of adultery in the IPC treats a married woman as her husband s subordinate and violates the constitutional concepts of gender equality and sensitivity. The petition seeks to drop Section 497 as a criminal offence from the statute book.

View to be discussed by Constitution bench The Constitution Bench to be headed by Chief Justice Misra is likely to consider whether Section 497 treats the man as the adulterer and the married woman as a victim.

The larger Bench may also examine why the offence of adultery ceases the moment it is established that the husband connived with or consented to the adulterous act. So, is a married woman the property of her husband or a passive object without a mind of her own? Provisions of Section 497 on adultery Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code deals with Adultery. As per the Indian law, a woman cannot be punished for the offence of adultery. Only a man who has consensual sexual intercourse with the wife of another man without his consent can be punished under this offense in India. If someone lives in adultery , the partner can file for divorce. Text of Section 497 of IPC Adultery. Whoever has sexual intercourse with a person who is and whom he knows or has reason to believe to be the wife of another man, without the consent or connivance of that man, — such sexual intercourse not amounting to the offense of rape, is guilty of the offense of adultery, and shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years, or with fine, or with both. In such case the wife shall not be punishable as an abettor.

(Adapted from the Hindu)

17. On Punjab's drug menace (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

Little measure from administration It has taken Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh over a year and a half to launch his much-anticipated war on drugs. This he did on July 4 by ordering mandatory drug tests for all government employees, including the police. While this is welcome, even if belated, it is a very small and insubstantial measure towards curbing the pervasive drug menace. For someone who promised to wipe out drugs from the State within a month of being elected, the conduct of annual drug tests on some 3.25 lakh employees is a piece of tokenism.

Recommendation of death penalty to drug peddlers

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More steps are needed; less missteps, too. The decision of the Punjab Cabinet to recommend the death penalty to drug-peddlers is an example of the latter. Capital punishment is abhorrent. Given that there is evidence that suggests it is also no guarantee of deterring crime, this is more of an empty signal.

What should be done? What is required is a comprehensive war on drugs fought on several fronts, including interventions in the community to spread awareness and foster a culture against the use of drugs. The challenges faced by the State are huge. Estimates vary but by some accounts as many as two-thirds of all households in Punjab have a drug addict in their midst. Punjab s prisons are overcrowded with drug-users and peddlers, and its streets and farms witness the easy availability of narcotics and opiates.

Last year the government arrested 18,977 peddlers and treated some two lakh addicts. The sheer extent of the problem suggests it is more than just a few profiteers that have been responsible for causing this menace or helping to sustain it. Something of this scale required a wide network, a well-oiled and smoothly run machinery that has the secret support and collaboration of at least a few of those who work in government.

Vulnerability of Punjab Given the geography, the drugs, whether it is opium or heroin, make an easy and assisted entrance into Punjabfrom the Golden Crescent (Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan), and synthetic drugs are thought to come in via Himachal Pradesh. That means those guarding Punjab s 553-km border with Pakistan must take serious steps to plug the inflow. The Central security forces are obviously beyond the control of Amarinder Singh. Therefore, security- planners in New Delhi have to make sure that the border is properly barred to the flow of narcotic substances. This is a national problem as a substantial portion of the drugs that land in Punjab make their way to the rest of the country. Given the links between drugs and terror, this poses a national security threat. Then there are the politicians. The previous Akali Dal-BJP alliance had also promised to drain Punjab s vast drug swamp. The political class has a critical role to play in winning the war on drugs. It is not enough that politicians merely line up to have themselves tested for drugs to win political brownie points. They need to put the State and the nation above self-serving political ends and agree that this battle must be fought in concrete ways, going beyond photo-ops and sound-bites.

(Adapted from the Hindu)

18. Competition Commission of India (CCI) issues order against All India Chess Federation (AICF) for the Anti-Competitive conduct (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

What were the charges against Competition Commission of India? The Competition Commission of India (CCI) received an information from four chess players who were subjected to disciplinary action by All India Chess Federation (AICF) for participation in a chess event not authorised by it. The case concerned several stipulations

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of AICF on chess players, organisation of chess tournaments, discretionary nomination of players, etc.

What were the findings of CCI? After a detailed investigation by the Director General, CCI conducted further inquiry in the matter and found AICF to enjoy dominant position in the markets for organization of professional chess tournaments/ events in India and services of chess players in India. In its order under Section 27 of the Act, CCI observed that AICF s restriction on chess players to participate in unauthorised events and attendant punitive consequences restricted the movement of chess players and placed them and potential organisers of chess tournaments in a disproportional disadvantage. Hence, such stipulation was held as an unreasonable restriction on chess players and denial of market access to organisers of chess events/ tournaments, in contravention of the provisions of Section 4(1) read with 4(2)(b)(1) and Section 4(2)(c) of the Act. The restrictions on chess players was further held to be in the nature of exclusive distribution and refusal to deal, in contravention of Section 3(4)(c) and Section 3(4)(d) of the Act.

What are the directions from CCI? Accordingly, CCI directed that: a. AICF shall cease and desist from the conducts that is found anti-competitive; b. AICF shall lay down the process and parameters governing authorisation/ sanctioning of chess tournaments. In doing so, AICF will ensure that they are necessary to serve the interest of the sport changes and shall be applied in a fair, transparent and equitable manner. Besides, AICF shall take all possible measure(s) to ensure that competition is not impeded while preserving the objective of development of chess in the country; and c. AICF shall establish prejudice caused by a chess player before taking any disciplinary action against him. Needless to say, the disciplinary actions taken shall be proportional, fair and transparent. The disciplinary actions against the Informant and other similar players shall be reviewed by AICF on these lines; d. AICF shall file a report to the Commission on the compliance of the aforesaid directions from (a) to (c) within a period of 60 days from the receipt of this order.

A penalty of INR 6.92 lakhs was also imposed on AICF for indulging into the anti- competitive conduct.

(Adapted from PIB)

19. Section 377 of IPC and beyond (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

View of Supreme Court: change from earlier stand There is finally good reason to believe that consensual gay sex may once again be decriminalised. The ongoing hearing before a five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme

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Court indicates that there is now a better appreciation of the need for equal constitutional protection to all individuals without any discrimination than was the case in 2013, when a two-member Bench declined to read down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code as homosexuals constituted only a minuscule minority .

View of Centre The Centre s stand was believed to be critical when the current hearing began this month. The Union government is cautiously supporting the cause, but it has stopped short of taking a categorical position. By leaving it to the Supreme Court s wisdom to decide on the constitutionality of Section 377, the Centre has signalled it is not opposed to the decriminalization of same-sex relationships as long as these are limited to consensual acts between adults in private.

What other related areas can be touched by Supreme court? At the same time, the Constitution Bench, currently reconsidering the court s 2013 judgment upholding the validity of Section 377, may venture into other rights for the LGBTQs relating to marriage and inheritance. In the event of the court going into issues and rights that are not slated for reconsideration, it wants to file a detailed counter-affidavit spelling out its stand.

Observations by the judges of the Bench, including the Chief Justice of India, indicate that it is now focussing only on Section 377. However, at least one judge has observed that the question involved was not only one relating to sex, but the right to life and the right to privacy of those in such relationships.

What is the background of this judgement? The current hearing is taking place against the backdrop of a nine-member Bench s verdict last year in Justice K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India, which said the right to privacy and the protection of sexual orientation lie at the core of the fundamental rights guaranteed by Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution . In other words, a whole gamut of rights flowing from the decriminalisation of homosexual relationships must be examined, if not now, then at least as and when they arise. Obviously worried about the reaction of some religious and conservative sections if homosexuality is decriminalised, the Centre has sought to dissuade the court from going into other related rights. Its apprehension, perhaps, is that once homosexuality is no more an offence, it may lead to demands to legalise same-sex marriages and inheritance by survivorship among gay partners. While the current focus is on the urgent need to overturn the retrograde judgment of 2013 in Suresh Kumar Koushal, the extension of constitutional rights to citizens, irrespective of gender and sexual orientation, is long overdue.

(Adapted from The Hindu)

20. India-South Korea ties (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

Relations below potential

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That South Korean President Moon Jae-in undertook a four-day visit to India this week, when there is hectic diplomacy over the Korean peninsula, speaks of his commitment to improving bilateral ties. But despite the personal touch, and ambitions to align India s Act East policy with Korea s New Southern Policy, ties have drifted for lack of focus. Trade, at $20 billion, is a fraction of the potential, given that India and South Korea are Asia s third and fourth largest economies. This figure has been a cause for worry, as the two countries had hit the $20-billion mark in 2011 after the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

What are the challenges in economic relations? The large trade deficit in South Korea s favour has led India to be wary of further opening up. In turn, Korean companies cite problems in doing business in India, despite a special Korea Plus desk set up by the Prime Minister s Office in 2015. Tourism between the two countries has always been low, and strategically both New Delhi and Seoul are preoccupied with tensions in their immediate neighbourhoods and ties with the big world powers than with each other.

What are the recent changes to enhance economic relations? On Mr. Moon s watch, this may change. Both Mr. Modi and he exuded a sense of purpose and there is a clear road map on converging interests. 1. Agreement to invoke the early harvest clause in the 2010 CEPA will allow both to do away with tariffs in 11 areas, benefiting Indian seafood exporters and food processing units, as well as South Korean petrochemical companies.

2. The inauguration of Samsung s biggest mobile factory in Noida will bring investment and create jobs in India. More Korean companies should be persuaded to invest, by projecting a counter-narrative to the failed bid by the steel company Posco to set up its plant in Odisha. Much will depend on negotiations on the regional free trade agreement, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. On the strategic front, India has asserted its place as a stakeholder in the Korean peace process, while South Korea has for the first time shown an interest in talking about an Indo-Pacific policy. At a time when U.S. foreign policy is capricious and unpredictable, and China s is making purposeful moves towards global domination, it is important that the South Korea-India partnership grows and consolidates, to contribute to stability in the region.

(Adapted from The Hindu)

21. Why track social media chatter (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

A Supreme Court Bench has taken up a petition by Trinamool Congress legislator Mahua Moitra challenging a proposed move by the Centre to set up a Social Media Communications Hub. On Friday, the court sent notice to the government and observed that we will be moving to a surveillance state if every tweet and WhatsApp message is

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27 monitored. Ahead of the next hearing on August 3, a look at what the proposed hub is meant for, and why concerns are being expressed:

What is the proposed Social Media Communications Hub? It will be a platform that will allow the government to keep an eye on all social media platforms Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn etc and try to get a sense of the public— mood, with the capability to track any individual— s public posts across platforms. In tender advertisements issued twice, the Ministry for Information & Broadcasting has described the hub as one that will have the ability to collect digital media chatter from all core social media platforms as well as digital platforms like news, blogs and forums and provide real-time insights, metrics and other valuable data to the government. It will aim to gauge and analyse the public sentiment towards various government policies and announcements, and track influencers. The tender documents specify that the platform should be able to easily manage conversational logs with each individual through various social media channels and facilitate in creating a 360 degree view of the people who are creating buzz across various topics . The platform should be able to support English, Hindi, Urdu, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, Punjabi, Tamil and Chinese, German, French and Arabic, the documents say.

What is the status of the proposal? The first tender, advertised in January calling for private players to set up the government project, did not find enough bidders and was scrapped. It was announced for a second time in April, with August as the deadline to submit bids.

Is this the first time the government is doing this? In terms of setting up an independent unit to track conversation across social media platforms, it is a new idea. But the government has been using other methods to assess social media trends. For example, the New Media Wing of the I&B Ministry has been assisting various arms of the government in keeping an eye on activities on various social media platforms. In 2015, The Indian Express had reported how the Ministry of External Affairs and the Intelligence Bureau, starting mid-2014, had been taking help from the New Media Wing.

This year, The Indian Express reported how the I&B Ministry tested in real-time another tool to track public sentiment, first during the release of the Economic Survey and then during Finance Minister Arun Jaitley s Budget speech. Ministry sources had then said that the tool would help the government analyse and assess the impact of various policies ahead of the 2019 elections.

What are the concerns around the Social Media Hub? Apart from the concerns raised in the petition in the Supreme Court, leading to the observation about India moving to a surveillance state if every tweet and WhatsApp message is monitored, concerns have also been expressed about legality, privacy and freedom of speech. The Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), which works towards free and open Internet and issues of privacy, had sent a legal notice to the I&B Ministry on May 30

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28 describing the project to surveil social media as illegal and unconstitutional and being contrary to the right to privacy and freedom of speech and expression . The notice claimed that apart from having a chilling effect on free speech, the tool will also be used to profiling and databasing of social media users and lacks oversight and accountability. IFF said there is no underlying statutory basis for creation of such a tool and it would be an extralegal entity. It quoted from the 2017 SC judgment upholding privacy as a fundamental right, saying, If the posting on social media websites is meant for only a certain audience, which is possible as per tools available, then it cannot be said that all and sundry in public have a right to somehow access that information and make use of it.

Do critics think it can be misused by the government? The tender document mentions response management as part of the hub s scope of work.

This, the IFF states in its notice to the I&B Ministry, has the capacity for misinformation and propaganda . It states that given that there is an absence of any legislative backing, any legal definition of pu . Quoting another SC judgment, it said, One-sided information, disinformation, misinformation and non-informationrpose and broad all equallyobjectives… create there an is uninformed every possibility citizenry of abuse which makes democracy a farce .

What is the governments stand? The government contests the idea that the tool will be used for mass surveillance or snooping. Talking to The Indian Express in May, Minister of State (independent charge) for I&B Rajyavardhan Rathore said that a lot of companies use such tools to find out what is the public sentiment around a particular product. Snooping means knowing something

Socialwhich is media not public, is a public which domain is private… and They anything are not that extracting is put in anything public domain which is they private. are just assessing that. He said that on various occasions, the government wants to know what the public feels about it. And even before this tender was floated the government was analysing public sentiment. All these stories about snooping into the emails are absolutely wrong.

(Adapted from The Indian Express)

22. Who posts, transfers Delhi bureaucrats? (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

AAP Govt says Supreme Court ruling gives it control of services but L-G cites a central notification. What is this notification?

Amid a power tussle between Delhi s elected government and its Lieutenant-Governor, the office of the Delhi Lieutenant-Governor released a statement on July 6, making it clear that the L-G would continue to control services which essentially means transfers and

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29 postings of bureaucrats as long as a notification issued by the Home Ministry on May 21, 2015, remains in force. — This came after a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court had ruled that decisions of the elected government of Delhi do not require the concurrence of the L-G, who only needs to be informed, and that he is bound by the aid and advice of the elected government. After the judgment, however, the Home Ministry notification has now emerged as a flashpoint between the two sides.

Before 2015 Serving as well as former officers say that the 2015 notification brought about a departure from the way Delhi was being administered when it came to transfers and postings.

Over the last two decades, the rules have been watered down a little to grant more freedom to the elected government. But it was not put in writing so clearly. Governments prior to this were functioning on an understanding. The L-G would decide posting for officers of the rank of Principal Secretary and the CM was taken into confidence. For all other officers, the CM would be responsible, but the L-G would be in the know, said a former Chief Secretary. When the AAP came to power in February 2015, things started to change. Confrontation over transferring and posting officers came to the fore in the first two weeks of May, when the Home Ministry appointed Shakuntala Gamlin as acting Chief Secretary, which AAP protested against. While she was appointed, the officer who signed the order, Anindo Majumdar, was locked out of his room. It was in this backdrop that the Home Ministry issued the notification.

The Notification For the first time, it put in black and white that services would fall under the Home Ministry, through the L-G. It formally added services to the list of matters that the L-G has authority over, and left it to the L-G s discretion to obtain the views of the Chief Minister on matters relating to services. As such, it is clear that the National Capital Territory of Delhi does not have its own State Public Services. Thus, services will fall within this category, the Home Ministry notification said. The notification also said that the Anti Corruption Branch will not take cognisance of offences against employees of the central government.

IAS and IPS personnel for Delhi fall under the AGMUT cadre and are common to Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram, Delhi, Chandigarh, Puducherry, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, and Daman & Diu. Other officials, part of the DANICS and DANIPS cadre, are common to Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, and Daman & Diu administered by the Home Ministry.

Flashpoint Immediately after the July 5 Supreme Court judgment, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia issued a statement that authorised the Chief Minister, himself and other ministers to handle the services department, casting away the L-G s role.

It was in response to this that Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal s office released the statement stressing the L-G s control on services, while acknowledging that the elected government does not need his concurrence on matters under the legislative purview of the Delhi Assembly. Going by the judgment, the Assembly has no power to legislate on matters pertaining to the reserved subjects of police, public order and land.

Apart from stressing the validity of the Home Ministry notification, the L-G office s statement said the government had interpreted the judgment erroneously and clarity over the division of power will come after appeals pending before the court s Regular Bench are disposed of. Last Tuesday, AAP sought early disposal of all appeals filed by Delhi Government. The matter is expected to be heard this week. The L-G, meanwhile, has passed orders for transferring three officers, including the education director and posting another officer in her place.

(Adapted from The Indian Express)

23. Overdue correction: on revisiting the Companies Act (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

Review of harsh provisions The Centre has announced the constitution of a committee to revisit several provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 that impose stiff penalties and, in some cases, prison terms as well, for directors and key management personnel.

When was revision done? The 2013 law entailed the first massive overhaul of India s legal regime to govern businesses that had been in place since 1956 and was borne of a long-drawn consultative process.

What is the task of new committee?

1. Now, this 10-member committee appointed by the Corporate Affairs Ministry has been tasked with checking if certain offences can be de-criminalised . The panel, which includes top banker Uday Kotak, has been given 30 days to work out whether some of the violations that can attract imprisonment (such as a clerical failure by directors to make adequate disclosures about their interests) may instead be punished with monetary fines.

2. It will also examine if offences punishable with a fine or imprisonment may be re- categorised as acts that attract civil liabilities.

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3. Importantly, the committee has also been asked to suggest the broad contours for an adjudicatory mechanism that allows penalties to be levied for minor violations, perhaps in an automated manner, with minimal discretion available to officials. In fact, some of the provisions in the law are so tough that even a spelling mistake or typographical error could be construed as a fraud and lead to harsh strictures.

How were so harsh provisions earlier added? The government hopes such changes in the regulatory regime would allow trial courts to devote greater attention to serious offences rather than get overloaded with cases as zealous officials blindly pursue prosecutions for even minor violations. The decision to build in harsh penalties and prison terms for corporate misdemeanours in the 2013 law was, no doubt, influenced by the high-pitched anti-corruption discourse that prevailed in the country at that moment in time.

Apart from several cases of crony capitalism that had come to light during the second UPA government, massive corporate frauds reported at once-revered firms such as the erstwhile Satyam Computer Services had spooked investors and other stakeholders about the credibility of corporate India s books and governance standards.

What is the new thinking? When the NDA came to power in May 2014, a comprehensive review of the Companies Act was at the top of industry s wish list as a means to revive the economy. Industry captains had red-flagged the impact of such provisions on the ease of doing business, and investor sentiment in general. A trust deficit between industry and government owing to stray incidents of corporate malfeasance should not inhibit normal business operations, they had argued.

Four years down the line, the government is finally moving purposefully on this, a rethink perhaps triggered by the fact that private sector investment is yet to pick up steam and capital still seeks foreign shores to avoid regulatory risks. One hopes this is followed up on swiftly, before the ruling party slips into election mode.

(Adapted from the Hindu)

24. Overdue correction: on revisiting the Companies Act (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

When was revision done?

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The 2013 law entailed the first massive overhaul of India s legal regime to govern businesses that had been in place since 1956 and was borne of a long-drawn consultative process.

What is the task of new committee?

2. It will also examine if offences punishable with a fine or imprisonment may be re- categorised as acts that attract civil liabilities.

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(Adapted from the Hindu)

25. Make lynching a separate offence, SC tells Parliament (Relevant for GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

SC: lynchings are horrendous acts of mobocracy Supreme Court condemned the recent spate of lynchings as horrendous acts of mobocracy and told Parliament to make lynching a separate offence. What is gruesome about these crimes? The recent litany of spiralling mob violence, their horror, the grim and gruesome scenes of lynchings are made worse by the apathy of the bystanders, numbness of mute spectators, inertia of the police and, finally, the grandstanding of the incident by the perpetrators of the crimes on social media..

What is the responsibility of government? The SC bench said the primary obligation of the government is to protect all individuals irrespective of race, caste, class or religion. Crime knows no religion and neither the perpetrator nor the victim can be viewed through the lens of race, caste, class or religion, the court observed. (Adapted from the Hindu)

26. Explained: How the pay-and-publish business works (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

An investigation by The Indian Express has revealed India to be one of the biggest global hubs for the pay-and-publish business, a practice in which predatory journals that often exist only online, publish research without any rigorous checks or expert review, for a fee ranging from as little as a couple of thousand rupees to well over a lakh. Predatory journals The American librarian Jeffrey Beall first used the expression predatory open access publishing in 2010, and published a list of predatory publishers on his blog that year. He subsequently started updating the list frequently, but was forced shut down his blog in 2017 under threats of lawsuits. But a major global debate had been opened. The UGC website defines predatory journals or predatory publishers as unscrupulous open access journals or publishers who publish articles on payment but with little or no real peer review. (They) exploit the business model of open-access publishing that involves charging e editorial and publishing policies and services associated with legitimate journals . It is important to note that not all open access journals publication which anyone fees… can without read and following download th for free, with authors paying for the publication of their papers are predatory in nature; several reputed journals with strict peer review —policies, too, follow the model of accepting processing charges from authors. — Website: www.prepmate.in Telegram Channel: @upscprepmate Prepmate Cengage Books Preview: https://prepmate.in/books/ Youtube channel: PrepMate Edutech For updates on WhatsApp, share your name & city on WhatsApp No. 75978-30000

A market for research The UGC (Minimum Qualifications for Appointment of Teachers and Other Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Measures for the Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education) Regulations, 2010 award 15 marks for each article published in Refereed Journals , and 10 marks for those published in Non-refereed but recognised and reputable journals and periodicals, having ISBN/ISSN numbers . Each publication in Conference proceedings as full papers, etc. fetches 10 marks. Under the Regulations, the Academic Performance Index (API) score for a paper is augmented based on the impact factor a measure of the frequency with which the average article in a journal has been cited in a particular year of the refereed journal. The API provision was scrapped for college — teachers last month so they could focus on teaching without feeling pressured to undertake research, but continues— for universities.

The Indian Express found around 300 publishers from India publishing more than 6,000 journals and organising hundreds of conferences in the country and abroad. The pressure to publish, and to present papers at conferences in order to collect the marks needed for recruitments/promotions often incentivises pay-to-publish practices. It is important to note, however, that only a small share of the clientele of predatory publishers based in India are from India. Says Beall, who managed the Auraria Library in Denver, US, until March this year, predatory publishers are giving a bad name to India .

UGCs response UGC has a Standing Committee on Notification of Journals, currently headed by Prof V S Chauhan. Last year, the UGC published a list of over 32,000 approved journals on its website, which meant that articles published in these journals would be considered in promotions and recruitments. UGC had earlier asked universities to recommend journals for the list an exercise that allowed several poor-quality publications to slip through. As questions were raised, the UGC slashed 4,305 journals from the list, bringing the number of approved journals— down to 25,784. The concern over predatory publishing is, however, global: the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICJME) expressed concern in December 2017 over the growing number of entities that are advertising themselves as scholarly medical journals fake , predatory , or pseudo journals (that) misrepresent their peer- money . but are… review and publication processes… for the sole purpose of making (Adapted from The Indian Express)

27. Regulating foreign universities in India (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

An earlier Bill attempted to provide a framework Reports this year said the government has renewed its push for foreign universities in India. The development comes after the UPA government s detailed law on foreign varsities, their entry and regulation the Foreign Educational Institutions (Regulations of Entry and Operations) Bill of 2010 lapsed. This Bill was meant to introduce a — Website: www.prepmate.in — Telegram Channel: @upscprepmate Prepmate Cengage Books Preview: https://prepmate.in/books/ Youtube channel: PrepMate Edutech For updates on WhatsApp, share your name & city on WhatsApp No. 75978-30000

35 comprehensive regulatory mechanism to prevent students from falling for the attractions offered by these establishments.

Lack of regulatory regime or policy Due to a lack of regulatory regime or policy, it has been difficult to make a meaningful assessment of the operations of foreign educational institutions. The statement of objects and reasons of the 2010 Bill says that this has given chances to adopt various unfair practices and for commercialisation.

At present, only the All India Council for Technical Education has notified regulations for the entry and operation of foreign universities and institutions imparting technical education in India.

What were the provisions of the bill? The objective of the Bill was to maintain high standards of education. 1. The Bill provided that a foreign educational institution shall not impart education in India unless it is recognised and notified by the Central government as a foreign education provider under the proposed legislation.

2. The quality of education, curriculum, methods of imparting education, and the faculty should be the same as those employed by the institution in its main campus.

3. The institution should maintain a corpus fund of not less than Rs. 50 crore or such sum as may be notified by the Central government.

4. The Centre can refuse to recognise and notify a foreign educational institution as a foreign education provider if it is not in the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, etc.

5. The Centre can withdraw the recognition and rescind the notification of a foreign education provider on the grounds of violation of the provisions of the proposed legislation or the University Grants Commission Act, 1956, or any other law.

6. Any person who is associated with an unrecognised foreign educational institution and who offers or gives admission to any person as student, or collects fee or awards any degree, shall be liable to a penalty of Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 50 lakh in addition to a refund of the fee and confiscation of any gains made out of it.

7. Any disputes under the Bill would be heard under the National Educational Tribunal, also a forum proposed.

(Adapted from the Hindu)

28. The story of no-confidence (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

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After 15 years, Lok Sabha will debate a motion of no-confidence today. What is this Parliamentary test? Which earlier Prime Ministers have faced this motion, and how did they fare in those tests?

In a parliamentary democracy, a government can be in power only if it commands a majority in the directly elected House. Article 75(3) of our Constitution embodies this rule by specifying that the Council of Ministers are collectively responsible to Lok Sabha. The rules of Lok Sabha provide a mechanism for testing this collective responsibility. They allow any Lok Sabha MP who can garner the support of 50 colleagues, to introduce a motion of no-confidence against the Council of Ministers. Thereafter, a discussion on the motion takes place. MPs who support the motion highlight the government s shortcomings, and the Treasury Benches respond to the issues they raise. In the Nehru decades In 1952, the Rules of Lok Sabha provided that a no-confidence motion could be moved with the support of 30 MPs. Even then, not a single no-confidence motion was moved during the term of the first two Lok Sabhas. It was during the third Lok Sabha in 1963 that the first one was moved by Acharya J B Kripalani against the government headed by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The debate on the motion lasted for 21 hours over four days, with 40 MPs participating. In his reply, Nehru remarked, A no-confidence motion aims at or should aim at removing the party in government and taking its place. It is clear in the present instance that there was no such expectation or hope. And so the debate, although it was interesting in many ways and, I think profitable too, was a little unreal. Personally, I have welcomed this motion and this debate. I have felt that it would be a good thing if we were to have periodical tests of this kind.

Shastri and Indira years His words were prophetic. The next no-confidence motion was moved roughly a year later in 1964 by N C Chatterjee, an Independent MP, against Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri.

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While moving his motion he said, There is a crisis in every sphere. Honestly, there is a crisis in social, political, economic and other spheres and for all this I hold this government mainly responsible. From 1964-75, Lok Sabha debated 15 no-confidence motions. Three were against Shastri and 12 against Indira Gandhi. Indira went on to face three more no- confidence motions between 1981 and 1982. However, none of these was successful in dislodging a government.

Defeated motions The first no-confidence motion that led to the falling of a government was moved by Y B Chavan in 1979 against the government of Prime Minister Morarji Desai. After a nine-hour debate spread over two days, Desai resigned before the motion could be put to vote.

Since then, every Prime Minister has been able to defeat a no-confidence motion. Rajiv Gandhi faced one in 1987 which he defeated by a simple voice vote because of his overwhelming majority in Lok Sabha. However, P V Narasimha Rao had two close calls during his term in the 10th Lok Sabha. The first motion against him was moved by Jaswant Singh, which he defeated with a margin of 46 votes. Rao did not face any trouble in defeating the second one, moved by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The third no-confidence motion that Rao defeated with a margin of 14 votes was marred by controversy. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MPs were taken to court for having accepted bribes to cast their vote to defeat the motion.

Today, after 15 years It is now 15 years since a discussion on a motion of no-confidence took place in the Lok Sabha. The last one was in 2003 when Prime Minister Vajpayee defeated a no-confidence motion moved by Sonia Gandhi. The no-confidence motion to be discussed on Friday will be the 27th no-confidence motion in our Parliamentary history.

(Adapted from The Indian Express)

29. Case against P. Chidambaram (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

The arraignment of former Union Minister P. Chidambaram on corruption charges is a flashpoint in relations between the ruling BJP and the principal Opposition party, the Congress, in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha election. It also came on the eve of the debate in Parliament on a no-confidence motion against the four-year-old Narendra Modi government.

What is the charge sheet? The CBI has filed a charge sheet against Mr. Chidambaram, his son Karti Chidambaram and 16 others, on the ground that Foreign Investment Promotion Board approval was granted for investments made in Aircel by Global Communication Holdings Service, a Mauritius- based subsidiary of Maxis, a Malaysian conglomerate, in violation of norms.

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What are the charges against Mr. Chidambaram? Mr. Chidambaram is accused of cheating and bribery, and having exceeded his authority by clearing investments amounting to Rs.3,200 crore, whereas any investment above Rs.600 crore needed the clearance of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.

What was the fate of other case related to Aircel-Maxis investment? The two cases are vastly different, but given that the main case against former Union Communications Minister Dayanidhi Maran relating to the Aircel-Maxis investment was thrown out at the pre-trial stage by the Special Court, the CBI has a greater burden of proof to discharge.

What is the response of Mr. Chidambaram? Mr. Chidambaram has maintained there was nothing amiss about the FIPB approval, which was given only after being processed at various levels. It may not be enough for the agency to prove that the Aircel-Maxis investment supposedly worth Rs. 180 crore actually had a value of Rs. 3,200 crore if the premium attached to it was taken into account. It also has to establish a clear link between the FIPB approval and some payments received by companies said to be controlled by Mr. Karti.

Special Judge O.P. Saini, before whom the charge sheet has been filed, has a record of not accepting theories of quid pro quo behind government decisions without sufficient evidence. Both in the main 2G spectrum case, in which former Minister A. Raja and others were acquitted, and in the Aircel-Maxis case related to Mr. Maran, the judge had rejected prosecution claims seeking to link some transactions with the decisions of the ministers concerned.

The case against Mr. Chidambaram will be a test for the CBI not only on merits, but also in disproving the allegations of political vendetta.

(Adapted from the Hindu)

30. SC collegium stands firm on Justice Joseph (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

What is the recommendation of Collegium? The Supreme Court collegium has reiterated its recommendation to appoint Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice K.M. Joseph as a Supreme Court judge.

The collegium also separately recommended Madras High Court Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Orissa High Court Chief Justice Vineet Saran to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court will have a record three serving women judges with the appointment of Justice Banerjee. The court has nine vacancies.

What were the government objections against Justice Joseph?

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The collegium, led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, stood firm against objections raised by the government that Justice Joseph was too junior to be appointed a Supreme Court judge and his parent High Court of Kerala too small a one.

Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had specified these reasons in his two letters to the collegium on April 26 and April 30.

What is the Supreme Court reply to the objections? In a crisp two-paragraph reply, the collegium said it gave careful thought to the objections and found that the Centre did not, in fact, have a single adverse thing to say about Justice Joseph s suitability for appointment as a Supreme Court judge.

The Collegium, on due consideration of all the aspects mentioned in the letters, resolves to reiterateWe have carefully the recommendation, considered the especially observations since made nothing by the adverse Law Minister regarding in suitability his letters… of Justice K.M. Joseph has been pointed out in the letters.

(Adapted from the Hindu)

31. Details of 2015 Naga agreement emerge (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

What are the details of the agreement? The government has informed a Parliamentary panel that it signed a framework agreement with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) after it agreed on a settlement within the Indian federation with a special status.

R. N. Ravi, interlocutor for the Naga talks, told the committee that it was a departure from their earlier position of with India, not within India, and that the government called it a framework agreement and signed it. This is the first time that details of the agreement signed at the residence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 3, 2015, have emerged.

Where are details mentioned? The details are part of the 213th report on the security situation in the Northeastern states tabled by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. The committee was also informed that the contours had not been spelt out in the framework agreement that was just about the recognition of the uniqueness of the Naga history by the Government of India , and some special arrangements will have to be made for the Nagas. What could be possible outcomes? On being asked what the special arrangement will be, the Committee was told that with respect to Nagaland...Article 371A of the Constitution makes it clear that they are special and a special status has been accorded to them. A similar kind of status, with some local variation, and some change to the Nagas in the neighbouring States can be explored, the report said. According to the report, Mr. Ravi also informed the committee that the Nagas Website: www.prepmate.in Telegram Channel: @upscprepmate Prepmate Cengage Books Preview: https://prepmate.in/books/ Youtube channel: PrepMate Edutech For updates on WhatsApp, share your name & city on WhatsApp No. 75978-30000

40 had now reached a common understanding with the government that boundaries of the States will not be touched and some special arrangements would be made for the Nagas, wherever they are. What was the earlier demand of Nagas? The Interlocutor apprised the committee about the broad status of the negotiations that boundaries of any State will neither be changed nor altered. Initially, the Nagas had stuck to the idea of unification of Naga inhabited areas, resolutely maintaining their stand of no integration, no solution. However, they have now reached a common understanding with the Government that boundaries of States will not be touched, the report said. The NSCN- IM has been fighting for Greater Nagaland or Nagalim it wants to extend Nagaland's borders by including Naga-dominated areas in neighbouring Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, to unite 1.2 million Nagas. The Chief Ministers— of the three States have warned against any tinkering with its boundaries.

What is the past of negotiations? While briefing the committee, R. N. Ravi, interlocutor for Nagas, stated that the Government has been talking with the NSCN-IM for the last 20 years and their position from the very beginning has been that Nagas were exceptional, Nagas were not Indians, Nagas were sovereign and any settlement could be reached only on the basis of the fact that this is a settlement between two sovereigns During the course of the last several years, the Government started opening out and reaching out to civil society organisations, Naga tribal bodies and other stakeholders other than the NSCN-IM, the report said.

(Adapted from the Hindu)

32. Heavy rains overshadowed Cauvery dispute (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

After four years of deficit rains, it is a season of plenty in the Cauvery basin in Karnataka, which has brought much cheer to farmers and neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

How much rain has it got? — According to the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), the cumulative rainfall for Kodagu district, where the Cauvery originates, for the period from June 1 to July 19, is 1,722 mm, against the normal of 1,210 mm, an excess of 42%. The cumulative rainfall from June 1 to July 31 last year was 942 mm, against the normal of 1,547 mm, a deficit of 38%. Heavy rain in adjoining Hassan and Wayanad district of Kerala helped augment the flow to the Hemavathi and Kabini rivers. So the major dams across the Cauvery in Karnataka Krishnaraja Sagar (Mandya district), Kabini (Mysuru district), Hemavathi (Hassan district) and Harangi (Kodagu district) were full by the second week of July. The level in the— KRS, the biggest of the four, hovered over 124.10 feet against the full level of 124.80 feet on July 20, against 78.20 feet on the —same day last year.

What does it mean for farmers?

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Farmers in the region were denied water for paddy and sugarcane cultivation because of inadequate storage in the reservoirs last year. In Mandya, the paddy and sugarcane bowl of the region, the acreage under paddy shrunk from nearly 68,000 hectares to around 2,500 hectares last year because of the drought. This is set to change this year.

How much has been released? According to the KSNDMC, the cumulative discharge from the Kabini reservoir from June 1 to July 19 is 58 tmc ft, and it is 32.20 tmc ft from the KRS. The flow into the Mettur dam as on July 20 stood at 81.339 tmc ft. The discharge from the Mettur dam was 500 cusecs till June 30. It was 1,000 cusecs from July 1 to 18, and when the dam was opened on July 19, it was increased to 2,000 cusecs. The discharge was further increased to 20,000 cusecs as on July 20. This year, the realisation from the Cauvery has been bountiful for Tamil Nadu, though a section of farmers has questioned the decision to open the Mettur dam on July 19, believing it would affect the prospect of the crop.

Overall, the scenario is bright and the result of good rain is that Karnataka is confident of sharing water with the lower riparian State of Tamil Nadu. Karnataka has to ensure 177.25 tmc ft in a water year (June to May), the bulk of which has to be released between June and September. The available storage in all the four dams in Karnataka was 99.29 tmc ft as on July 19. This is in contrast to the combined storage of 23.38 tmc ft on the same day last year. On the political front, the current scenario eases the position of Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy to a large extent as water sharing in distress years has flared tempers between the two States. The successive governments have, in a year of distress, struggled to strike a balance in soothing farmers fears in the Cauvery heartland of Mandya, Mysuru, Ramanagaram and Hassan and meeting its obligation to Tamil Nadu. What lies ahead? This is the proverbial calm before another storm. Karnataka is opposed to the setting up of the Cauvery Water Management Authority and the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee, as mandated by the Supreme Court in its order dated February 16, 2018. It has decided to challenge it legally on the grounds that constituting a monitoring committee would go against the State s interests. On the environmental front, the forest cover in Kodagu is on the decline, as per the India State of Forests, 2017, report and environmentalists fear this will have a bearing on the quantum of rainfall and water yield. Besides, there are concerns that the proposed development projects, including a new rail line from Mysuru to Thalassery in Kerala through Kodagu, and highway projects cutting through the district can only exacerbate the situation. With booming population and towns in the Cauvery basin, the demand for water will only increase against the declining supply.

(Adapted from the Hindu)

33. No-confidence motion: Failed miserably (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

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The 12-hour debate on the no-confidence motion moved against the Narendra Modi government was fierce, but in the end the Treasury carried the day and the Opposition saw some depletion in its ranks when the votes were counted.

How much votes did BJP secure? The NDA ranks, which should have totalled up to 312, came down to 294 with the Shiv Sena s 18 members refusing to participate in the day s proceedings. However, the ruling coalition got a shot in the arm with the AIADMK voting with the government. With the southern support, the numbers for the government should have gone upto 331, with the AIADMK s 37 MPs. However, the tally on the electronic board at voting was 325 MPs with the government; that meant that four AIADMK MPs and two BJP MPs did not vote.

Eleven members of the Telangana Rashtriya Samiti (TRS) walked out before the vote, and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) abstained.

Strength of opposition The strength of those opposing the government should have stood at 144, but the electronic board showed only 126. In the Congress, two members were absent including Madhya Pradesh Pradesh Congress Committee President Kamal Nath and Arunachal Pradesh MP Ninong Ering. Both Mr Nath and Mr Ering had sought permission to be absent, Congress Chief Whip K.C. Venugopal said. About no-confidence motion No-Confidence motion: This motion is also allowed to be moved only in the Lok Sabha. Any opposition party can introduce the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha. No-confidence motion is against the entire Council of Ministers and not against any particular minister.

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Unlike the censure motion, the mover of the motion does not require to specify the charges against the Council of Ministers.

No conditions of admissibility have been laid down for acceptance of no-confidence motion.

Thus, Speaker has the power to decide whether a motion is in order or not. Once the speaker decides that motion is in order, after the Question Hour, the member takes the leave of the Speaker by reading out the motion and asks not less than 50 members to stand on their place in support of leave. Depending on the numbers, the Speaker guarantees the leave. Once a no-confidence motion is allowed by the Chair, the motion takes precedence over all the pending business of the house and is taken up first.

No-confidence motion is to be introduced within 10 days of the leave being granted. The mover may specify the charges. In that case, the PM or any other Minister usually reply to the charges. The mover has right to reply. After debate, speaker puts question to the house and ascertains the decision of the house by voice vote or by division of members. The Council of Ministers is bound to resign once the No-confidence Motion is passed by simple majority of the house.

(Adapted from the Hindu and Background from PrepMate-Cengage Polity book, Page 116)

34. Analysis of proposed amendments to the RTI Act (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

What are the proposed amendments? The move by the NDA government to amend aims at eroding the independence of the Information Commissions at the national level and in the States. The proposed amendments show that the Central government seeks control over the tenure, salary and allowances of the Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners at the Centre, and the State Chief Information Commissioners.

What will be the impact of these amendments? Such a change would eliminate the parity they currently have with the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners and, therefore, equivalence with a judge of the Supreme Court in matters of pay, allowances and conditions of service.

The Centre will also fix the terms for State Information Commissioners. This is an ill- advised move and should be junked without standing on prestige.

Rather, what should be done? If at all, the law needs to be amended only to bring about full compliance by government departments and agencies that receive substantial funding from the exchequer, and to extend its scope to more institutions that have an influence on official policy.

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The Supreme Court has held the right to information as being integral to the right to free expression under Article 19(1)(a); weakening the transparency law would negate that guarantee.

What is the rationale given by centre? In its rationale for the amendments, the Centre has maintained that unlike the EC, Information Commissions are not constitutional bodies but mere statutory creations under the law.

Analysis of Centres view This is a narrow view, betraying an anxiety to tighten the hold of the administration on the Commissions, which even now get little official support to fill vacancies and improve efficiency.

What is the state of information commissions? A recent public interest petition filed in the Supreme Court by the National Campaign for People s Right to Information pointed out that the Central Information Commission has over 23,500 pending appeals and complaints, and sought the filling up of vacancies in the body.

In many States, the Commissions are either moribund or working at low capacity owing to vacancies, resulting in a pile-up of appeals. The challenges to the working of the law are also increasing, with many State departments ignoring the requirement under Section 4 of the Act to publish information suo motu.

The law envisaged that voluntary disclosure would reduce the need to file an application.

Since fines are rarely imposed, officers give incomplete, vague or unconnected information to applicants with impunity. Proposals to make it easier to pay the application fee, and develop a reliable online system to apply for information, are missing. These are the serious lacunae. Attempts were made by the UPA government also to weaken the law, including to remove political parties from its purview. Any move to enfeeble the RTI Act will deal a blow to transparency.

(Adapted from the Hindu)

35. Salient features for proposed National Policy for Domestic Workers (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

Discussions are underway regarding a Policy for Domestic Workers, the salient features of which are as follows: i. Inclusion of Domestic Workers in the existing legislations ii. Registration of Domestic workers.

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iii. Right to form their own associations, trade unions iv. Right to have minimum wages, access to social security, protection from abuse, harassment, violence v. Right to enhance their professional skills vi. Protection of Domestic Workers from abuse and exploitation vii. Domestic Workers to have access to courts, tribunals, etc. viii. Establishment of a mechanism for regulation of placement agencies.

These salient features were also put up on the Ministry s Website for inviting the comments of the general public. Many of the State Government like Rajasthan, Kerala, Punjab, Tamilnadu and Tripura have included domestic workers in the schedule of the Minimum Wages Act and workers are, therefore, entitled to file cases before the concerned authorities in case of any grievance in this regard.

(Adapted from PIB)

36. SC pulls up Centre for its delay in appointing a Lokpal (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains paper II; Polity & Governance)

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Progress wholly unsatisfactory The Supreme Court said the government s stand on completing the appointment of the Lokpal, an ombudsman to protect the common man from corruption in public service and power centres, is wholly unsatisfactory .

Selection panel meets The eight-page affidavit said the Selection Committee, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, met on July 19 on the choice of a Search Committee for Lokpal. This Search Committee would prepare a panel of names for Lokpal.

On July 19, the Selection Committee discussed that the Search Committee would comprise seven persons, including the Chairperson. These persons have to be from expertise as diverse as anti-corruption policy, public administration, insurance, banking, law and management. Besides, 50% of them should be drawn from the SC/ST category, the OBCs, minorities and women. The Selection panel decided to discuss this further the next time they meet at a convenient time.

Call for court action During the hearing, advocate Prashant Bhushan, who filed a contempt petition against the government for not appointing a Lokpal despite an April 2017 judgment by the Supreme Court, said the court should now take over and appoint the Lokpal.

LOKPAL AND LOKAYUKTA It is an anti-corruption authority or ombudsman who represents the public interest. The concept of an ombudsman is borrowed from Sweden. The Lokpal is responsible for enquiring into and prosecuting for corruption charges against union officials. Lokayukta is a state-level anti-corruption ombudsman organization similar to lokpal at national level. Maharashtra was the first state to introduce the institution of Lokayukta through The Lokayukta and Upa-Lokayuktas Act in 1971.

Salient Features of Lokpal and Lokayukta Act, 2013 The Lokpal and Lokayukta Act, 2013, seeks to provide for the establishment of Lokpal for the Union and Lokayukta for States to inquire into allegations of corruption against certain public functionaries and for related matters. The act extends to whole of India, including Jammu and Kashmir and is applicable to public servants within and outside India. The Act mandates for creation of Lokpal for Union and Lokayukta for States. Composition of Lokpal Lokpal is a multimember body made up of one chairperson and maximum of 8 members.

Appointment of chairperson and members: The members are to be appointed by the President on the Inquiry Wing of Lokpal

Its function is to conduct the preliminary inquiry into any offence alleged to have been committed by a public servant punishable under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

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Prosecution Wing Based on the preliminary enquiry, the prosecution is undertaken against the concerned government official. This wing will be headed by the Director of Prosecution for the purpose of prosecution of public servants.

Jurisdiction of Lokpal

The following come under the jurisdiction of Lokpal: 1. Prime Minister of India under certain conditions 2. All ministers of the Union 3. Members of Parliament 4. Central Government employees

Judiciary is not under jurisdiction of Lokpal.

(Adapted from The Hindu and Background from Prepmate-Cengage Polity Book, Page 338)

37. Detention no cure: on RTE Act amendment (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

What is the proposed amendment? The legislation to amend the Right to Education Act to give States the power to detain students who fail an examination in Class 5 or 8 is a negative measure. The proposed change will allow State Boards to declare a student failed and detain her on the basis of an examination, although Section 30(1) of the RTE Act holds out the assurance that no child shall be required to face any Board examination till completion of elementary education.

What be amendment is not desirable? Although many States want such a change, the amendment passed by the Lok Sabha goes against the view of many educationists, who argue that it would weaken one of the progressive features of the RTE Act, which is to guarantee the continued presence of the child in school during the formative learning phase.

Why the amendment was sought? There are genuine concerns on learning outcomes produced by India s schooling system. But these are determined not only by a student s effort but also by the number and quality of teachers, processes for continuous assessment and, crucially, active engagement of parents and the community in encouraging excellence. It is the lack of attention to some of these determinants that has created what Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar calls a broken school education system. Detaining already disadvantaged children can only break it further, and render the RTE Act a dead letter. Evaluation of recommendations to bring back detention

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The case to replace the no-detention provision with one that reintroduces examinations in grades 3, 5 and 8 was made by a sub-committee of the Central Advisory Board of Education set up to review the provision, but its assumptions were faulty.

For one, it concluded that the crucial guarantee could be implemented only under ideal conditions, and these were not available, while the pioneering RTE Act wanted to extend it to all grades within its purview. Yet, the provision is central to the objects of the law, since it seeks to check dropouts and enable all children to attend school in order to derive benefits that go beyond rote-learning.

In fact, in 2016 the NITI Aayog found, based on a study in Punjab, that bringing back detention in elementary schooling would increase the dropout rate, impacting the poor and Dalits the most as they depended on government institutions. Besides, the proposed cure may make another problem worse: when parents are unable to ensure regular attendance of children due to social circumstances, it is inconceivable that detaining them for non- performance will act as an incentive to attend school regularly.

The move to introduce examinations as filters has not been fully thought through, and may be a hasty response to demands from State governments which want to be seen as acting firmly in favour of quality. Tinkering with the RTE Act without sufficient thought will erode a major constitutional achievement.

(Adapted from The Hindu)

38. National Achievement Survey (NAS) has been conducted to increase focus on learning outcomes in quality of elementary education (Relevant for GS Prelims; GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

In order to increase focus on quality of elementary education, the Central rules to The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE) Act, 2009 have been amended on 20th February, 2017 to include reference on class-wise, subject-wise Learning Outcomes.

The Learning Outcomes for each class in Languages (Hindi, English and Urdu), Mathematics, Environmental Studies, Science and Social Science up to the elementary stage (classes 1 to 8) have, accordingly, been finalized and shared with all States and UTs. Learning outcomes have been translated in different languages and serve as a benchmark for student s capabilities to be achieved in each subject & class.

How learning outcomes have been accessed? To assess the learning levels of the students in Classes 3, 5 and 8 National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) conducted the National Achievement Survey (NAS) on 13th February, 2017 in which approximately 22 lakh children across the country participated. NAS at the elementary level was based on the Learning Outcomes developed by the NCERT. The design and implementation of the survey included in its ambit the school leaders, teachers and the whole network of officials at the Cluster, Block, District

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Institute of Education and Training (DIET), State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and the Directorates of Education in the different States/ UTs.

NCERT similarly conducted NAS for class 10 on February 05, 2018. The survey tools used multiple test booklets in Mathematics, Modern Indian Language, English, Sciences and Social Sciences. The attainment of the learning levels of nearly 15 lakh students was assessed. District report cards (provisional) for NAS 2018 for class X have been released and are available on MHRD website.

Learning levels of children assessed under NAS 2017:

Sl. No. States /UTs Average in percentage (%)

Class 3 Class 5 Class 8

National 65.7 56.0 46.8

(Adapted from PIB)

39. Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog & MyGov launches Innovate India Platform (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

What is Innovate India Platform? Shri. R Ramanan, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission and Shri.Arvind Gupta CEO, MyGov today launched the #InnovateIndia Platform , a collaboration between the Atal Innovation Mission and MyGov, a citizen centric platform of the Government of India. The #InnovateIndia portal will serve as the common point for all the innovation happening across the nation.

Launching the platform, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission said that the #InnovateIndia MyGov-AIM portal creates the much-needed innovations platform for registering both grassroots and deep-tech innovators at a national level. Those searching for a critical innovation can leverage the portal advantageously for the benefit of the economy as well as national social needs.

Some of the features of this platform are: 1. The platform is open to all Indian citizens

2. The users can View, comment, share, and rate the innovations crowdsourced on the #InnovateIndia platform

3. View the leaderboard which is calculated based on the votes on each innovation.

4. Citizens can share their/organizations/someone else s innovation on the platform by login to the MyGov website Website: www.prepmate.in Telegram Channel: @upscprepmate Prepmate Cengage Books Preview: https://prepmate.in/books/ Youtube channel: PrepMate Edutech For updates on WhatsApp, share your name & city on WhatsApp No. 75978-30000

5. These innovations can also be shared on various social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter

Why the platform has been launched? India has been a very innovation-oriented society, but our challenge has been a structured approach to innovation, capturing them and building an ecosystem to take them global. The current government initiative to capture and support innovation from ground up, is aimed at creating a structured ecosystem to encourage, enhance and develop India s innovative character , said Shri Arvind Gupta, CEO MyGov. With the launch of the platform Indians will be able to upload and rate their/organizations innovation on the platform.The citizens can access the platform on https://innovate.mygov.in/innovateindia/.

(Adapted from PIB)

40. West Bengal Assembly passes resolution to rename State as Bangla (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

What is the resolution? The West Bengal Assembly passed a resolution to change the name of the State as Bangla in three languages Bengali, English and Hindi. Background — The proposal has been pending since August 2016, when the Assembly passed a resolution to change the name to Bengal in English, Bangla in Bengali and Bangal in Hindi. The Centre, however, turned it down in 2017, objecting to having three names in three languages.

What is the procedure after assembly resolution? When the fresh proposal comes to the Home Ministry, it will prepare a note for the Union Cabinet for an amendment to the Schedule 1 of the Constitution, officials said in Delhi. Thereafter, a Constitution Amendment Bill will be introduced in Parliament, which has to approve it with a simple majority, before the President gives his assent to it, they said.

(Adapted from The Hindu)

41. Protect critical personal data of citizens: draft Bill (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

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What are the provisions draft personal data protection Bill 2018? 1. The draft personal data protection Bill 2018, submitted by the Justice B.N. Srikrishna- headed expert panel, has proposed that critical personal data of Indian citizens be processed in centres located within the country.

The draft law, which comes after a year-long consultation process, however, has left it to the Central government to notify categories of personal data that will be considered as critical.

2. Other personal data may be transferred outside the territory of India with some riders. However, at least one copy of the data will need to be stored in India. The draft Bill, which India hopes will become a model framework for protection of personal data for the world, will apply to processing of personal data within India, including the State.

3. For data processors not present in India, the Act will apply to those carrying on business in India or other activities such as profiling which could cause privacy harms to data principals in India.

4. The draft also provides for penalties for data processor as well as compensation to data principal to be imposed for violations of the data protection law. It has suggested a penalty of Rs. 15 crore or 4% of the total worldwide turnover of any data collection/processing entity, for violating provisions. Failure to take prompt action on a data security breach can attract up to Rs. 5 crore or 2% of turnover as a penalty.

5. Personal data, the draft law states, may be processed on the basis of the consent of the data principal, given no later than at the commencement of the processing. It added that processing of sensitive personal data should be on the basis of explicit consent.

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The law, the committee in its recommendations said, will not have retrospective application and will come into force in a structured and phased manner. Processing that is ongoing after the coming into force of the law would be covered. (Adapted from The Hindu)

42. Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2018 passed by Parliament (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

The Lok Sabha passed the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2018 that seeks to punish bribe-givers and bribe-takers. The bill was cleared by Rajya Sabha earlier.

The Bill provides for jail terms of three to seven years, besides fine, to those convicted of taking or giving bribes to public officials.

The Bill also extends the ambit of public servants who will be protected by the provision of a prior government sanction for prosecution. There is also a provision now to get prior permission for starting an investigation and that has prompted many to say that the law has been diluted from its original draft.

Safeguards incorporated In a departure from the earlier anti-corruption law, the current law makes a distinction between collusive bribe givers and those who are coerced. In such cases, the Bill seeks to protect those who report the matter within seven days. Website: www.prepmate.in Telegram Channel: @upscprepmate Prepmate Cengage Books Preview: https://prepmate.in/books/ Youtube channel: PrepMate Edutech For updates on WhatsApp, share your name & city on WhatsApp No. 75978-30000

(Adapted from the Hindu)

43. Why Dam Safety Bill bothers Tamil Nadu (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance)

Last week, the Tamil Nadu Assembly unanimously adopted a special resolution demanding that the Centre keep the Dam Safety Bill 2018 in abeyance. A look at the Bill and why the state is opposing it:

Why the Bill The stated objective is to help all states and Union Territories adopt uniform dam safety procedures. Besides providing for safety measures including surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance, the Bill proposes a National Committee on Dam Safety to formulate policies and regulations, and State Committees on Dam Safety.

As per a central notification, the National Dam Safety Authority will liaise with the state organisations and dam owners for standardisation of dam safety-related data and practices, besides giving dam safety assistance, maintaining a national-level database of dams with records of failures, looking after design or construction of new dams and eliminating inter-state disputes.

The Bill is to address all issues concerning dam safety including regular inspection of dams, emergency action plan, comprehensive dam safety review, adequate repair and maintenance funds for dam safety, Instrumentation and Safety Manuals, according to the Centre. Most dams in India are constructed and maintained by the states, while some of the bigger ones are managed by autonomous bodies such as Damodar Valley Corporation or Bhakra Beas Management Board. The Centre has come up with the Bill when about 450 dams are being constructed. Due to lack of legal and institutional architecture for dam safety in India, dam safety is an issue of concern. Unsafe dams are a hazard and dam break may cause disasters, leading to huge loss of life and property, says a June 13 statement following Cabinet approval for the Bill. Tamil Nadu opposition The unanimous resolution passed in the Assembly said: That as the proposed draft Dam Safety Bill, 2018 contains clauses which violate the rights of Tamil Nadu especially with respect to the Dams constructed by the Government of Tamil Nadu in the neighbouring State, and would cause various problems in their maintenance and operation, this House urges the Central Government to take up the legislation on Dam Safety only after consulting the States and after arriving at a consensus and till then, keep in abeyance the process of legislating on Dam Safety .

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When the Centre had sought inputs from states in 2016, late chief minister J Jayalalithaa had raised some questions about a clause allowing the National Dam Safety Authority to inspect dams situated across intra-state rivers. Parties in Tamil Nadu the Opposition DMK joined the government in passing the resolution view the Bill as an attempt to encroach on the state s powers. — — Tamil Nadu & Kerala Tamil Nadu owns dams in Mullaperiyar, Parambikulam, Thunakadavu and Peruvaripallam in Kerala. The two states have engaged in dispute over the Mullaperiyar dam. When Tamil Nadu wanted to increase storage of the dam, Kerala opposed it citing safety threats. Eventually, a Supreme Court team inspected the dam and confirmed in November 2014 that the dam was safe.

In May 2014, the SC had struck down a Kerala Irrigation and Water Conservation (Amendment) Act 2006 limiting the full reservoir level to 136 feet. The dispute was over the Tamil Nadu government s demand to raise the water level to 142 feet and carry out repair. While that order went against Kerala, the latest move by the Centre has made Tamil Nadu cautious about its authority and assets.

Other states Water experts expect that more objections will follow from other states, because most dams in India are owned and operated by state governments. Maintenance, which includes inspections and assessing the safety and strength of the dam, is mostly done by state Public Works Departments except in bigger dams that are managed by autonomous bodies. Tamil Nadu has demanded consultation with states before finalising the Bill.

(Adapted from Indian Express)

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International Organization and Bilateral Relations

1. FATF hands 10-point plan to Pak. (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR)

Pakistan faces task force s action for inaction against terror funding Unanimously agreeing to put into effect its February decision to place Pakistan in the grey list for inaction against terror funding, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has laid out a 10-point action plan for compliance with its guidelines.

Pakistan s failure in implementing the elaborate action plan may result in it being included in the black list the next year. After 2012-15, this is the second time it has been grey-listed and is facing sanctions.

The country has been instructed to take measures demonstrating that UN-designated terrorists and banned terror outfits such as Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar, Taliban and

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Haqqani Network, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and their affiliates, are deprived of their resources and their sources of funding are choked.

Political commitment The FATF, in its Paris Plenary that concluded, observed that Pakistan had this time round made a high-level political commitment to work with the global watchdog and the Asia Pacific Group, of which it is a member, to strengthen its anti-money laundering and counter terror-financing regime.

Remedial measures Pakistan will have to take steps to ensure that terror funding risks are properly identified, assessed and that supervision is applied on a risk-sensitive basis. It will also be required to show that remedial measures are being taken to prevent financial institutions from indulging in money laundering and terror funding.

The country will have to take stringent action against illegal financial operations, identify cash couriers and enforce controls on illicit movement of currency. It has been told to improve coordination between the provincial and federal authorities on combating terror funding and enforce effective prosecution and conviction of the designated persons, entities and their affiliates.

The FATF has also sought actions demonstrating effective implementation of targeted financial sanctions (supported by a comprehensive legal obligation) against all designated terrorists and those acting for or on their behalf.

(Adapted from The Hindu)

2. India-Seychelles relations analysis (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR)

Appropriate welcome to visiting President New Delhi has clearly opted for a charm offensive in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The red carpet laid out for the visiting Seychelles President Danny Faure last week came against the backdrop of setbacks in the bilateral relationship owing to the Assumption Island agreement being put on hold.

Assumption island agreement The pact, to build a naval base on the island, was seen as a major strategic enhancement of India s IOR naval capacities and had been under discussion since 2003. It was finally signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi s visit to the Seychelles in 2015. The deal was to include 30-year access to the base as well as permission to station Indian military personnel on the ground, with facilities on the island funded by India, owned by Seychelles and jointly managed.

Why the agreement is not being implemented?

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After Opposition protests about loss of sovereignty, however, it had to be renegotiated and an amended version was signed in January 2018. Even that proved insufficient. Mr. Faure lacks the numbers in the legislature to ratify it, and with the Opposition sticking to its stand he announced in early June he would not be taking the agreement with India forward. Instead, Seychelles would build the naval facility on its own .

Outcomes of the recent visit Given the blow to India s plans, Mr. Faure may well have expected a cold reception in India.

However, both sides decided to walk around the minefields relating to Assumption Island, with Mr. Modi saying they would work on the project keeping in mind each other s interests . India also announced a credit line of $100 million for Seychelles to purchase defence equipment from India to build its maritime capacity, offered to finance civilian infrastructure including the official buildings, and handed over a Dornier aircraft for maritime surveillance purposes.

Analysis of Indias approach This is good strategy. It would have been pointless to push the Seychelles President for a more concrete assurance on the Assumption Island project, as he has little room for manoeuvre. India had earlier drawn a blank in attempting to negotiate directly with the Seychelles Opposition leader, Wavel Ramkalawan, who is of Indian origin. Until 2020-21, when Seychelles is due for presidential and parliamentary elections, it may not be possible to move the agreement further for ratification; rather than renegotiate or cancel it entirely, it is best to keep it in abeyance.

Need to realign relations with other nations on this approach This softer approach adopted by the government is in remarkable contrast to the strong- arm tactics it has used in the past with other countries in the IOR, such as the Maldives. India s very public statements against the Abdulla Yameen government have now led to a considerable setback to its strategic position there, with the Maldives insisting on sending back Indian naval and coast guard helicopters from its atolls. A less confrontational approach in the case of Seychelles, with quiet negotiations instead of public recrimination, indeed appears to have had a more salutary effect.

(Adapted from the Hindu)

3. Interpol issues Red Notice against Nirav Modi, brother, employee (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR)

Red Notice against Nirav Modi The Interpol issued a Red Notice against diamond merchant Nirav Modi, his brother Neeshal Modi, and their employee Shubash Parab on the request of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the CBI, which have invoked criminal and money laundering charges against them.

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What is the purpose of issuing of Red Notice The Red Notice not only restricts a fugitive's movement in 192 member-countries of the Interpol, but also empowers enforcement agencies in the respective foreign jurisdictions to detain the person for deportation or extradition to the requesting country.

What was the need to issue Notice against him? The ED has launched a probe against Modi, his uncle Mehul Choksi, and others on the basis of FIRs registered by the CBI to pursue those involved in the Rs. 13,578-crore Punjab National Bank fraud.

Both the agencies have filed initial charge sheets against Modi and had requested the Interpol to issue Red Notice seeking his location and detention. The current location of Modi, who flew out of the country along with his family in the first week of January, is not clear. After the CBI registered the cases against him, Modi has visited the U.K. at least thrice

In a bid to track him down, the CBI has also written several times to the U.K., the United States, United Arab Emirates, Beligum and Singapore. In response to a diffusion notice, the CBI said, the Interpol s Manchester office had informed it about his movements till March 31. INTERPOL Interpol stands for International Criminal Police Organization. It has the objective to ensure mutual assistance amongst criminal police authorities existing in the different countries.

Thus, it is an inter-governmental organization facilitating cooperation amongst police of various nations. It is the second largest political organization after the United Nations in terms of international representation. It has a representation of 192 countries (as on January, 2018). Its headquarters is located in Lyon, France.

Interpol Notice An Interpol notice is a communication about crimes, criminals, and possible threats to member states. Interpol issues notices either on its own initiative or on requests from its member states or authorized international entities such as the United Nations or International Criminal Court. There are eight types of notices issued by Interpol. Seven are colour-coded based on their purpose: Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Black, Orange, and Purple. The most popular is the Red Notice which can be understood as international arrest warrant. Eighth type of Notice is a special notice which is issued at the request of the United Nations Security Council.

(Adapted from the Hindu and Background from PrepMate-Cengage IOBR Book, Chapter 2)

4. What German Chancellor Angela Merkels U-turn on migrants means (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR)

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There are concerns that Merkel s compromise formula could have a cascading effect, with other European Union countries rethinking the bloc s control-free travel policy. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has reached a deal with a coalition partner in an effort to end a row over immigration that had threatened to break her four-month-old coalition government. A look at the deal and its implications:

What is this latest row about? It started with pressure mounted by Merkel s interior minister Horst Seehofer, the leader of the conservative Christian Social Union and a partner in the ruling coalition along with Merkel s Christian Democratic Union. Seehofer demanded that Merkel close Germany s border to secondary migrants those who enter the European Union, say into Italy or Greece, and then travel across the EU s open borders into Germany. Seehofer threatened to resign if Merkel failed to check these — migrants, a stand that had the potential to collapse the ruling coalition and end Merkel s 13-year reign.

Has Merkel averted the crisis? Yes, to an extent. On Monday, she announced a compromise deal as part of which she agreed to tighten controls along Germany s border with Austria. Under Germany s existing open-door policy, all asylum seekers are allowed to enter the country while they wait for their cases to be reviewed , but that could now change. Under the deal, Germany will set up camps along the Austrian border to house secondary migrants while their status is reviewed. Any migrant who has already applied for asylum in a different European Union country (Italy, Greece, Spain) will be deported to that country.

But the deal depends on whether the third member of Merkel s governing coalition, the centre-left Social Democratic Party, clears it. The party has previously criticised plans for mass-internment camps . If the SDP rejects the deal, Merkel may have to come up with an entirely different compromise option. If she fails to do so, it could even bring down the government.

Why is this significant? There are concerns that Merkel s compromise formula could have a cascading effect, with other European Union countries rethinking the bloc s control-free travel policy. Italy s new government is already considered at risk of leaving the EU altogether. Austria has said it would tighten its southern borders if Germany went ahead with the plan. That could trigger more border checks across the EU s Schengen zone.

Besides, there is tremendous significance attached to Merkel s decision. A strong advocate for open borders since the onset of the European migrant crisis in 2015, Merkel had staked her legacy on upholding the European Union. A core tenet of the bloc is to maintain open borders among EU states.

What is the extent of migration into Germany? New arrivals to Germany and Europe have, in fact, dropped off almost entirely. For instance, more than 850,000 asylum seekers had arrived in Greece in 2015, with most of

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60 them eventually making their way to northern European countries like Germany; so far this year, a little more than 13,000 have made the same journey.

Why, then, has this come up now? Many point to the October elections in Bavaria, a region sometimes described as the Texas of Germany because of its affluent areas and conservatism. Bavaria borders Austria.

According to vox.com, Alternative for Germany (AfD), a far-right, anti-immigration party, is gaining support in the region and Seehofer fears a loss of legitimacy if he lets AfD walk away with the anti-immigration pitch.

What s happening now has nothing to do with content, Nils Diederich, a political science professor at the Free University Berlin, told The Washington Post. It s solely aimed at the upcoming Bavarian state elections. Compiled from NYT and agency reports (Adapted from Indian Express) —

5. Cabinet approves accession to WIPO Copyright Treaty, 1996 and WIPO Performance and Phonograms Treaty, 1996 (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR)

The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal submitted by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry regarding accession to the WIPO Copyright Treaty and WIPO Performers and Phonograms Treaty which extends coverage of copyright to the internet and digital environment.

The approval is a step towards the objective laid in the National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy adopted by the Government on 12thMay 2016 which aims to get value for IPRs through commercialization by providing guidance and support to EPR owners about commercial opportunities of e-commerce through Internet and mobile platforms.

Benefits: Meeting the demand of the copyright industries, these treaties will help India:

-holders enjoy the fruit of their labour, through international copyright system that can be used to secure a return on the investment made in producing and• To distributing enable creative creative right works;

- playing field in other countries as India already extends protection to foreign works •through To facilitate the International international Copyrightprotection orderof domestic and these rights treaties holder by will providing enable Indianthem level right holders to get reciprocal protection abroad;

investment; and • To instil confidence and distribute creative works in digital environment with return on

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economy and cultural landscape. • To spur business growth and contribute to the development of a vibrant creative Background:

Copyright Act, 1957: After the administration of Copyright Act 1957 was transferred to DIPP in March 2016, a study was initiated to examine compatibility of Copyright Act 1957 with WCT and WPPT.

Also a joint study was undertaken with WIPO.

The Copyright Act, 1957 was amended in 2012 to bring it in conformity, with WCT and WPPT, includes amendment in definition of "Communication to the public" to make it applicable to digital environment (Section 2(ff)) as also introduced provisions related to

(Section 65B); Moral rights of performers (Section 38B); Exclusive rights of the performers (SectionTechnological 38A); safe • Protection harbour provisions Measures over Section electronic A medium & Rights (Section Management 52 (1) (b) Information and (c)),

WIPO Copyright Treaty came in force on March 6, 2002 and has been adopted by 96 contracting parties till date and is A Special agreement under Berne Convention (for protection of literary and artistic works). It has provisions to extend the protection of copyrights contained therein to the digital environment. Further it recognises the rights specific to digital environment, of making work available, to address "on-demand" and other interactive modes of access, WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty came in force on May 20, 2002 and has 96 contracting parties as its members. WPPT deals with rights of two kinds of beneficiaries, particularly in digital environment - (i) Performers (actors, singers, musicians etc.) (ii) Producers of Phonograms (Sound recordings).

The treaty empowers right owners in theit negotiations with new digital platforms and distributors. It recognizes moral rights of the performers for the first time & provides exclusive economic rights to them.

Both the treaties provide framework for creators and right owners to use technical tools to protect their works and safeguard information about their use i.e. Protection of Technological Protection Measures (TPMs) and Rights Management Information (RMI).

(Adapted from PIB)

6. Whats in a name: Why China insists on Chinese Taipei rather than Taiwan (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR)

When government-owned Air-India recognised Taiwan by the name Chinese Taipei, it was following pressure from the Civil Aviation Authority of China, which had also pushed other international airlines such as Delta Airlines, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Japan Airlines and Air Canada, to do the same.

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According to the One China policy, Beijing considers Taiwan a province of China, although Taiwan calls itself a democratic, self-ruled country. Although the two participate separately in international events, China has repeatedly insisted that Taiwan should be called Chinese Taipei , reflecting a deep anxiety to prevent international recognition of Taiwan as a country. Turf war After the surrender of Japan during World War II, the island of Taiwan was put under Chinese control. Towards the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, and before the post-war treaties were to be signed, members of the Kuomintang party (KMT) were driven out of the mainland by the Communists, who would later establish the People s Republic of China (PRC). The KMT retreated to Taiwan, becoming a government in exile. For some time, it was internationally recognised as the government of the Republic of China (RoC).

The turf war over the name began in the 1970s, with increased official recognition for the PRC in international event. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had informally been using a number of names in its events to differentiate the RoC from the PRC.

In 1979, China agreed to participate in IOC activities if the RoC was referred to as Chinese Taipei . In Nagoya, Japan, the IOC and later all other international sports federations adopted a resolution under which the National Olympic Committee of the RoC would be recognised as the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee, and its athletes would compete under the name Chinese Taipei.

Not allowed to use its flag and national anthem in the subsequent Summer and Winter Games, the RoC Olympic Committee boycotted the subsequent Summer and Winter Games in protest. In 1981, however, the government of the RoC formally accepted the name Chinese Taipei.

Naming & renaming With Chinese Taipei as the name for Taiwan designated in the Nagoya Resolution, the RoC and the PRC recognise each other at various events the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Asian Games, Asian Para Games, FIFA events, World Health Organization (as an invited member) programmes, as well as beauty pageants.— In 1998, China pressured the Miss World Organization to rename Miss Republic of China 1998 to Miss Chinese Taipei; since then, the latter has been competing under that name.

In recent decades, under Chinese pressure, both the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have been using the name Chinese Taipei. Taiwan does not appear on the member countries list of either organisation. Earlier this year, the hotel chain Marriott was forced to shut down the Chinese version of its website for a week while fast-fashion retailer Zara was ordered to complete a self- inspection and turn in a rectification report for listing certain areas as countries. China s Civil Aviation Administration demanded an apology from Delta Airlines for listing both Website: www.prepmate.in Telegram Channel: @upscprepmate Prepmate Cengage Books Preview: https://prepmate.in/books/ Youtube channel: PrepMate Edutech For updates on WhatsApp, share your name & city on WhatsApp No. 75978-30000

Taiwan and Tibet as countries on its website. The airline responded by saying it had made a grave mistake .

India & China Since 1949, India has accepted the One China policy that accepts Taiwan and Tibet as part of China. However, since 2010, when Beijing was issuing stapled visas to Indian nationals from Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh, India has not been explicitly mentioning One China policy in bilateral joint statements.

Delhi has often used the issue to make a diplomatic point. For example, before Chinese President Xi Jinping s visit to India in 2014, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had recalled her conversation with Chinese Foreign minister Wang Yi where she had said that if India believes in One China policy, China should also believe in a One India policy.

Now, the government has maintained that Air India s decision is consistent with international norms and India s position since 1949. Taiwan has lodged a protest, while Beijing has welcomed the Air-India decision. The renaming is possibly yet another reflection of India s effort to reset ties with China.

(Adapted from Indian Express)

7. Who is Nawaz Sharif? Ex-Pakistan Prime Minister whos been jailed for ten years for corruption (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR)

Who is Nawaz Sharif? Nawaz Sharif is a Pakistani businessman and ex-politician who served as Prime Minister for three non-consecutive terms.

He was born into a wealthy industrialist family in Lahore and is currently one of the richest men in the country with a net worth of around £1billion.

Sharif served his first term as PM between 1990 93 and again in 1997 until he was removed in 1999 by a military takeover. – He was elected yet again in 2013 but disqualified for life by the Supreme Court over offshore investments in 2017.

What was Nawaz Sharif jailed for? Sharif was sentenced to 10 years in prison for corruption linked to his family's purchase of upscale London flats.

The guilty verdict was delivered in absentia against Sharif, 68, who is currently in London. A political ally said Sharif, who would be arrested on arrival, will return to his home country to file an appeal.

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A prosecutor said: "Today's verdict shows that these Avenfield apartments were purchased using corruption money."

Sharif's daughter Maryam, widely seen as his chosen political heir, was sentenced to seven years in prison.

They were in London on Friday with his cancer-suffering wife Kulsoom, who has been in a coma since suffering a heart attack last month.

Both father and daughter deny wrongdoing and will appeal the decision, according to Sharif's ally Tariq Fazal Chaudhry.

The court ordered Sharif to pay a fine of £8 million and fined Maryam £2million, while ordering the confiscation of the London properties.

What does this mean for the Pakistan elections? Sharif's imprisonment is a major blow to his PML-N party ahead of general elections on July 25.

The group is currently in a close race with opposition figure Imran Khan's party. Khan was a driving force behind Sharif's downfall, seizing on the 2016 Panama Papers which revealed he bought the London apartments using offshore companies.

The Supreme Court agreed to investigate the Sharif family's finances after Khan threatened street demonstrations to protest graft.

Sharif also has a history of conflict with the military even though his political career was initially nurtured by military dictator Zia ul-Haq in the 1980s.

He fell out with powerful generals once he ascended to power a decade later.

(Adapted from www.thesun.co.uk)

8. The low-down on India-Iran oil trade (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR)

What is it ? Iran has always been one of India s main suppliers of oil, second only to Iraq and Saudi Arabia, with exports that totalled more than 27 million tonnes last year. The figures make India Iran s biggest buyer after China, and as a result, a target for the U.S. which has declared a campaign to isolate Iran after the Trump administration withdrew from the multilateral nuclear deal. For India, which has been told along with other buyers to take oil imports to zero by the cut-off date of November 4, its decisions on procuring Iran oil this point onwards is not so much about securing energy as it is about securing India s standing in the world. If it rejects U.S. pressure, it risks sanctions as well as incurring the displeasure of its all-powerful friend and defence partner. If it yields, it risks its relationship with

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65 traditional partner Iran, access to important trade routes through Chabahar and the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC), as well as its international reputation.

How did it come about? In 2012, when the Obama administration wanted to maximise pressure on Iran in order to secure the nuclear deal or the Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action, it had sent a similar tough message to New Delhi, albeit more discreetly than the Trump administration has.

The then Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, recounts in her book Hard Choices that when she visited New Delhi in May 2012, the more loudly we urged [India] to change course, the more likely they were to dig in their heels. India agreed to cut oil imports by 15% subsequently, but asserted its autonomy. Three months later, the then Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, even visited Tehran to attend the Non-Alignment Summit, despite U.S. objections. Eventually, New Delhi operationalised a rupee-rial mechanism, under which half of what it owed Tehran for oil imports would be held in a UCO Bank account and made available to Iranian companies to use for any imports from India, an arrangement the Narendra Modi government is seeking to re-energise.

Why does it matter? But 2018 is not 2012, and the stakes are higher for the government. Ties with the U.S. are under strain over several issues, including U.S. trade tariffs and India s defence procurement from Russia, and a major divergence on Iran will exacerbate the problem with India s biggest trading partner and fastest growing defence partnership. Moreover, in an increasingly globalised world, where Indian companies compete, any U.S. sanctions will make it hard for refiners, insurers and transport companies to facilitate oil trade, even if India wishes to continue it. On the other hand, India s investment in the Iranian relationship has increased, making a turnaround much more difficult. Just five months ago, New Delhi rolled out the red carpet for Iran s President Hassan Rouhani and committed itself to increasing its oil off-take by 25% this year, as part of easing negotiations for the Farzad-B gas fields India is keen to buy a stake in. India has also committed itself to investing $500 million to build berths at Chabahar s Shahid Beheshti Port, and $2 billion to build a rail line through the Zahedan province to Afghanistan, in an effort to circumvent trade restrictions by Pakistan. Iran s other oil importers, China and Turkey, have said they will not accept the U.S. s diktat. What lies ahead? In the next four months, one can expect complex negotiations between New Delhi and Tehran, and New Delhi and Washington. A U.S. team is expected in Delhi this month, and while a senior State Department official ruled out waivers or licences to any country, he did hold out the hope that some flexibility might be negotiable case-by-case for countries that agree to reduce oil intake from Iran. Mr. Rouhani, who is on a European tour discussing ways to retain the JCPOA, has warned of dire consequences if the U.S. succeeds in having Iran s oil exports cut, as this is a national security issue. While India s oil supplies are diversified, its options in this game of diplomatic brinkmanship are narrowing. Website: www.prepmate.in Telegram Channel: @upscprepmate Prepmate Cengage Books Preview: https://prepmate.in/books/ Youtube channel: PrepMate Edutech For updates on WhatsApp, share your name & city on WhatsApp No. 75978-30000

(Adapted from the Hindu)

9. Simply Put: How tariff war can hit all trade (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR)

Newly imposed American tariffs on Chinese goods have been followed by retaliatory action from China. Why are the two biggest economies engaged in a tariff war, and how far can it disrupt world trade?

After having threatened higher import tariffs on each other s goods for months, the US and China last week fired the opening salvos of what could turn into a full-fledged trade war between the world s two biggest economies. The moves, apart from the immediate bilateral impact, could disrupt world trade in the coming months as two-thirds of goods traded are linked to global value chains.

Punitive tariffs Tariffs, or customs duties, are border taxes charged on foreign imports by a country. On Friday, the US government slapped sweeping tariffs on imported Chinese goods worth $34 billion, including aircraft parts, flat-screen televisions, and medical devices. All these will now face a high 25% levy when imported into the US. China responded with retaliatory tariffs of 25% on US goods worth an equivalent $34 billion, including soybean, automobiles, and marine products such as lobsters.

Last year, China had imported $130 billion in US goods, while the US bought goods worth $506 billion from China, according to US government data. So, the goods trade is weighed in favour of China.

From the Donald Trump administration s point of view, the tariffs are aimed at penalising China for arm-twisting foreign businesses to hand over technology to Chinese firms in lieu of access to the Chinese market. On the other hand, besides slapping retaliatory tariffs on US goods, the Chinese could leverage an anti-American sentiment among consumers to boycott US goods. In 2012, Chinese nationalists boycotted Japanese cars and stores because of a territorial dispute, badly denting sales of Japanese goods.

Collateral impact The latest set of tariffs is just the beginning. The US is expected to impose border taxes on Chinese goods worth an additional $16 billion over the next fortnight and Trump has indicated that he is considering imposing levies on Chinese goods worth another $500 billion in the coming months. China is bound to react, leading to further collateral damage.

The US has indicated this action is specifically aimed at protectionist measures by China, especially its Made in China 2025 programme an initiative to transform China into an advanced manufacturing powerhouse. Trump has— also accused China of subsidising steel exports in a practice termed dumping selling a product at lower than the cost of

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67 production to gain market share on the rest of the world, which he argues has hit jobs in the US. China s retaliatory tariffs specifically targets crucial US agricultural exports that come from heartland states that had— voted for Trump in the last election. How long? Analysts feel the trade war may be shortlived, and impending negotiations will help defuse the tension. There are three possible reasons. First, the federal law that President Trump has used to issue a notice seeking public comments for the imposition of 25% customs duty requires his administration to seek consultations with China before imposing the levies.

Second, the Chinese government has indicated earlier that it would appeal to the World Trade Organization s Dispute Settlement Body. This requires consultations before China presents its case. If the appeal is admitted, trade analysts predict that China could have the upper hand, given the record of plaintiffs almost always ending up on the winning side. The US, however, has so far ignored the WTO.

Third, the retaliatory tariffs by China could potentially spark dissent and pressure from US domestic lobbies. China imports about 60% of the global soybean production, and about 40% of this import is from the US. Midwestern states such as Iowa, a leading producer of soybean, and other agrarian states had voted for Trump in the presidential election. Earlier this year, in response to the Trump administration announcing higher tariff on steel and aluminum imports, the EU had retaliated by targeting American products from key

Republican-run states, including the imposition of higher duties on Harley-Davidson motorcycles made in Speaker Paul Ryan s home state of Wisconsin, levies on bourbon made

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68 in Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell s state of Kentucky, and duties on orange juice that would impact Florida widely seen as a key swing state. Impact of tariff wars — Trade experts have traditionally questioned the effectiveness of tariff wars, which they say hamper the basic efficiency of the market and fail to accomplish the desired objectives. A case in point is a set of rules known as the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act enacted in the US, which is blamed in part for worsening the impact of the Great Depression in the late 1920s.

While the US managed to lower its import dependence immediately after the legislation, the retaliatory measures from other countries led to an over 60% dip in US exports by 1933. The Act was eventually repealed with the enactment of the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act of 1934.

After the latest series of tariff strikes by the US and China, Morgan Stanley released estimates that world trade could be seriously disrupted as two-thirds of goods traded are linked to global value chains. The Peterson Institute for International Economics projected that almost two-thirds of US imports from China came in from companies with foreign capital and, based on foreign investment flows, the capital is likely to have come mostly from the US, Japan and South Korea. Singapore-based DBS said the US economy could actually suffer more than China s, and that South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan and Singapore are the economies most at risk in Asia based on trade openness and exposure to supply chains involving China.

India impact In the long term, a full-fledged trade war is bad news. Senior trade officials of India and the US will meet this month in Washington to wrap up negotiations on a mutually-acceptable trade package . Last month, an American team held talks with Indian officials here on several contentious issues, including the extra US duty on Indian steel and aluminium, and the next meeting will be a follow-up. Since India, late last month, proposed additional tariff worth $235 million on 29 US goods including almonds and apples that were seen as retaliatory in nature, any rollback of the additional duty on Indian steel (25%) and aluminium (10%) by the US could lead— to a withdrawal of retaliatory— action imposed by New Delhi as well. Otherwise, India s proposed additional tariffs will take effect from August 4. India has time and again raised concerns over negative impact of tightening of visa norms by the US on the Indian IT sector. It has also asked America to continue extending duty-free access under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) to its products such as chemicals and engineering. India also wants exemption from the hike in import duty on certain steel and aluminium items.

Trump s pointed attack on duty flow imports from India into the US has specifically targeted the GSP programme. Exports from India to the US under GSP have been consistently on the rise, bucking the broader declining trend in overall exports. Out of the

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69 total GSP imports into the US under this programme, India has consistently accounted for a quarter of this (see graph). India s total exports have been faltering, down from $310.53 billion in FY15 to $262.29 billion in FY16, before recovering marginally to $276.55 billion in FY17.

(Adapted from The Indian Express)

10. Trade among nations: China, US & the rest in export, import (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains paper II; IOBR)

India was the world s 20th largest exporter ($298 bn) and 11th largest importer ($447bn) in 2017.

The charts above, based on World Trade Organization data, show the world s leading exporters and importers at a time when concerns are being raised over the impact of the tariff war between China and the United States on world trade. These two countries are the world s largest exporters and importers, with China heading one list and the US the other.

(Adapted from The Indian Express)

11. Why all eyes are on Donald Trump-Vladimir Putin summit (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR)

On July 16, US and Russian Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will hold their first summit together in Helsinki. While various news publications and agencies agree that they are likely to discuss the war in Syria and Russia s reported meddling in the US

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70 presidential elections, US National Security Advisor John R Bolton has identified an extension of the New Start nuclear treaty as the most important possible outcome. Among the issues that matter to both countries:

Arms race Both leaders have been flexing muscle. While Trump had told Reuters that if countries are going to have nukes, we re going to be at the top of the pack , Putin has unveiled an array of new nuclear weapons, and warned Western governments now they need to take account of a new reality . A Reuters report suggested an agreement to scale back the rhetoric, with progress towards extending the New Start treaty, which expires in 2021. Short for Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, it came into effect in February 2011, and allows Washington and Moscow to keep tabs on each other s nuclear programmes. Bolton wrote for Vox News:

Whether Trump and Putin will ultimately agree to extend the nuclear agreement is unclear. A spokesperson for the National Security Council told me We are open to discussions regarding the extension of New START but no decisions have yet been made on how to proceed .

Sanctions relief Washington has imposed sanctions on Moscow over the annexation of Ukraine s Crimea region, Russia s involvement in the Syrian civil war and allegations of its meddling in the US polls. While a 2017 law bars Trump from easing many sanctions without Congress approval, Reuters said that he could still send a signal that the US does not plan to expand the list of Russian firms and individuals subject to restrictions. That would unfreeze investment and lending from reluctant investors.

Syrian conflict As the conflict in Syria enters endgame, Israel is concerned about Iranian forces gathered around its borders. Will Trump ask Putin to use his influence to curb Iran s military presence? The Reuters report notes that this would be tough for Putin. Tit-for-tat The two countries have expelled each other s diplomats, first by Washington over alleged Russian meddling in the US election, and then by Moscow in response to the poisoning in England of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter. If Putin and Trump agree to restore the full complement of diplomatic staff, it would be the symbol of a new start, Reuters said.

Russia backyard Since Russia s annexation of Crimea in 2014, the NATO alliance has stepped up military exercises in eastern Europe. That has angered Russia. Reuters quoted two senior NATO diplomats as saying they are prepared for a worst-case scenario that Trump would announce a freeze on US military exercises or withdraw troops in a gesture to Putin. In an opinion piece, Newsweek said Putin will demand recognition of Moscow s annexation of the Crimea, and lifting of US sanctions. It is up to Trump to refuse, accept or bargain, the article said. Website: www.prepmate.in Telegram Channel: @upscprepmate Prepmate Cengage Books Preview: https://prepmate.in/books/ Youtube channel: PrepMate Edutech For updates on WhatsApp, share your name & city on WhatsApp No. 75978-30000

(Adapted from Indian Express)

12. Thai cave: Why the rescue operation was so difficult (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR)

Rescue operations reached a successful climax at the Tham Luang Cave complex in northern Thailand , where divers pulled the last trapped members of the Wild Boars soccer team to safety. Twelve young team members and their coach had been trapped in the flooded cave complex in Chiang Rai province since June 23rd.

Narrow passageways, near-zero visibility and the constant threat of a monsoon made the rescue operation incredibly difficult. Saman Gunan (38) a former member of the Thai navy Seals, died after he lost consciousness while placing spare air tanks along the route to the cavern where the boys were trapped.

How does one guide a dozen children through miles of subterranean passageways, including lengthy underwater channels, largely in the dark, when many of them can t swim? John Ismay, a New York Times reporter who served as a diving officer in the U Snavy from 2003 to 2010 and was qualified in deep-sea diving and salvage operations, explains how a rescue mission could be pulled off.

Just how hard was this rescue? Very tough. Every part of this operation presented its own difficulties. The rescuers were swimming through underwater passages, then surfacing and walking to the next flooded section and diving again. They had to repeat that process, and to do so with children, many of whom reportedly could not swim. Everything here was a trade-off between traditional safety considerations and operational necessity. The conditions unique to this problem would have dictated all of the decisions made at the site.

How is cave diving different from diving in an ocean or a lake? In a cave, you have no free access to the surface, meaning if you have an emergency underwater, you can t just dump your gear and bolt to the surface to get air. You have to get through the cave first. Your gear could get snagged or caught while you re in a narrow passageway, and you might be unable to fix that problem by yourself. The more gear you bring with you, the more opportunities there are for something to get hung up on an outcropping of rock. I imagine these divers will have stripped down their gear to the absolute essentials for exactly this reason.

Cave divers often wear their compressed air tanks on the side of their body instead of on their backs. It s easier to reach something under your armpit than it is to reach for something behind you. How the rescue of the boys from the Thailand cave is carried out

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Could the divers see underwater as they made their way out? I wouldn t count on it. Any dirt in the cave will have made the water murky, especially as divers passed through it. It doesn t take much agitation to stir that dirt up to the point where you won t be able to see your hand in front of your face, even with a flashlight. Professional divers are used to low visibility and lowlight conditions like that underwater. The children probably weren t.

Thai and foreign divers rigged a static rope line through the underwater portions to guide their way. The adults and the children could pull themselves along such a line, which made navigation easier and reduced the chances of anyone getting lost underwater. Much of the journey would be made by feel, pulling themselves along bit by bit.

Do US military divers train in caves like this? I ve never heard of any military unit doing a cave dive in training. The risks are enormous and the benefits probably do not justify it. The closest thing in the navy dive manual is what s called enclosed space diving, which includes diving in shipwrecks or inside the ballast tanks of submarines. For safety reasons, the navy doesn t allow divers to use scuba gear for those operations. Instead, it requires divers entering enclosed spaces to use one of two methods, both of which involve a compressor pumping air through an umbilical line to a diver wearing a full-

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73 face mask or a helmet that protect the entire head. Divers typically wear a compressed-air cylinder on their back as a backup source of air in case the umbilical line fails.

It might be possible to connect enough umbilical line to go the entire distance, from the cave entrance to where the children were, but pushing air through miles of hose would require strong compressors. Using scuba gear, as the Thai divers apparently did, is riskier but was most likely the only choice available given the circumstances. There could be openings that are too small for a dive helmet, or it could be impossible to rig enough umbilical line from the outside of the cave to where the children were.

How could children who had never dived before dive now? The answer is that you make it as simple as possible for them. A full-face mask, as the children reportedly used, does that. Typical scuba divers will wear a mask (like big swim goggles) that covers their eyes and will breathe through a separate regulator that s connected to their air tanks through a rubber hose. A full-face mask combines those two into one, and adds the possibility of having through- water communications. That would make a lot of sense because the adult divers could talk the children through the dive as they go, checking in and making sure they were okay.

Do they have to worry about getting the bends? The bends, or decompression sickness, is a medical condition brought about by nitrogen bubbles in a person s bloodstream. It s a function of how much time you spend at a given depth, and whether you ascend slowly enough for the nitrogen in your blood to be naturally expelled through your lungs.

The water in the caves doesn t seem to be deep enough for decompression sickness to be much of a worry here. New York Times (Adapted from The Irish– Times)

13. Influence of judiciary and military in the run-up to the elections: Pakistan (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR)

Democracy has always been fragile in Pakistan. It was only in 2013 that a transfer of power from one democratically elected government to another was realised for the first time. As the country heads for the second such transfer, with a general election scheduled for July 25, the celebration is muted, overshadowed by a series of dramatic developments.

Influence of Judiciary Last week, former Prime Minister and Pakistan Muslim League leader Nawaz Sharif was sentenced to 10 years in prison in a corruption case involving undeclared property in London. The case, first outed in the Panama Papers, has seen Mr. Sharif disqualified from

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74 office and then barred from holding a party position in the ruling PML(N) after being held guilty by the Supreme Court. The charges are serious, even for a country plagued by corruption in high places.

Possible targeting of Sharif But many Pakistanis, including Mr. Sharif s critics, believe the anti-corruption court was overzealous, and even motivated by those in the deep state unhappy with his recent run as Prime Minister. In an unusual move, military and intelligence officers had been despatched to cities around the world to gather as much evidence as possible against him.

Mr. Sharif, who has been sentenced along with his daughter and son-in-law, accuses the Opposition parties led by Imran Khan s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf of having received support from the establishment to hold massive rallies calling for his ouster. This was a role Mr. Sharif himself played in the 1990s, when he was the politician favoured by Pakistan s all-powerful establishment.

While the attempt to neutralise Mr. Sharif s political role in Pakistan s future is the biggest story in this campaign, it is by no means the only destabilising trend. Targeting of secular politicians In the past few weeks, the media have battled harassment, with copies of the Dawn banned from cantonments. Journalists have faced death threats. This week, Awami National Party leader Haroon Bilour became the second member of his family to be assassinated, pointing to a systematic targeting of politicians who don t adhere to an Islamist line or kowtow to the military. What is the overall position? The atmosphere is by no means conducive to the conduct of a free and fair election and has been further vitiated by terrorist groups being mainstreamed in the polity. The most notable such group is the Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek. Sectarian groups and radical Islamist ideology are being tolerated by the military, despite harsh strictures on terror funding from the Financial Action Task Force, and an international grey-listing that threatens to cripple the economy. The elections will serve as one marker for the democratic process; the larger struggle in Pakistan for the deepening of democracy will continue.

(Adapted from the Hindu)

14. The lowdown on Triumf system (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR)

What is it? S-400 Triumf is one of the world s most advanced air defence systems that can simultaneously track numerous incoming objects all kinds of aircraft, missiles and UAVs in a radius of a few hundred kilometres and launch appropriate missiles to neutralise — — Website: www.prepmate.in Telegram Channel: @upscprepmate Prepmate Cengage Books Preview: https://prepmate.in/books/ Youtube channel: PrepMate Edutech For updates on WhatsApp, share your name & city on WhatsApp No. 75978-30000

75 them. It is now bang in the middle of the ongoing stand-off between Russia and Western nations. Among the countries under pressure from the U.S. not to buy this weapon is India.

The system is a large complex of radars, control systems and different types of missiles. The highly automated S-400 has radars that can pick up an incoming object up to a 1,000 kilometres away. Russian forces have deployed at least half-a-dozen S-400 regiments, at least two of them are for the protection of Moscow. Russia has also deployed at least two S- 400 systems in Syria, much to the concern of observers who fear the system could contribute to a global conflict breaking out in Syria. A single unit, consisting of eight launchers, 112 missiles and command and support vehicles, costs at least $400 million (Rs. 2,500 crore).

How did it come about? S-400 traces its origins to the desperation of the Cold War period to find a credible counter to the threat from missiles and incoming enemy aircraft. S-400 is a dramatic improvement from its predecessor S-300, which was the mainstay of Soviet Union s air defence during the Cold War, when nuclear missile threat was at its peak. S-300 was initially developed against incoming cruise missiles and aircraft, but the latter versions could also intercept ballistic missiles. They were deployed in the 1970s across Soviet Union for protecting key industrial complexes, cities, and other strategic assets.

Why does it matter? Today, the S-400 uses four different types of missiles and can track and shoot down incoming objects as far away as 400 kilometres, while it also has shorter-range missiles to track and shoot down objects that are closer.

What next? The acquisition of S-400 by countries such as India and Turkey has taken centre stage in the American diplomacy regarding Russia. Upfront, the recent sanctions against Russian entities, especially its military manufacturers and suppliers, mean any country buying the system may run into trouble. Besides, the U.S. has singled out the acquisition of S-400, telling potential customers such as India and Turkey that it is opposed to the move. It believes that S-400 could access sensitive U.S. military technologies in service with the potential buyers. Congressman Mac Thornberry, Chairman of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, during a recent visit to New Delhi, said: There is lot of concern in the U.S. over the S-400 system. There is concern that any country, and not just India, that chooses to acquire the system will make it harder to have the level of interoperability we want to have.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said the negotiations for the S-400 were in a conclusive stage. There are conflicting reports about Turkey s plan. American diplomats have accused Russia of flipping Turkey with the S-400 offer, while Turkey claims it is a defensive system. At the NATO summit in Brussels early this week, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the first batch of the S-400 system would be in Turkey by late 2019.

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(Adapted from The Hindu)

15. India becomes the Vice Chair of the Asia Pacific Region of World Customs Organisation (WCO) for a period of two years, from July, 2018 to June, 2020 (Relevant for GS Prelims, IOBR)

India has become the Vice-Chair (Regional Head) of the Asia Pacific Region of World Customs Organisation (WCO) for a period of two years, from July, 2018 to June, 2020. The WCO has divided its Membership into six Regions. Each of the six Regions is represented by a regionally elected Vice-Chairperson to the WCO Council.

Being the Vice Chair of AP Region of WCO will enable India to take on leadership role. India is a wealth of experience inpromoting security and facilitation of cross border trade.To mark the assumption of Vice Chair, an event is being organised on Monday, 16th July, 2018 in New Delhi by Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) in partnership with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The event will be attended by the Customs delegations of 33 countries of the Asia-Pacific Region, Customs officers from different Ports in India, Partner Government Agencies and representatives from the trade among others.

The Secretary General of WCO, Mr Kuniyo Mikuriya will deliver the Key Note Address, while Heads of Customs from Japan and Fiji, and senior officials from Korea, Singapore, China among others, shall participate in the Ceremony. The underlying Theme of the Inaugural Ceremony is Customs Fostering Trade Facilitation

The Ceremony shall be followed by– a Seminar on Cross Border Trade through e-commerce and the role of Customs administration. The Seminar would focus on the framework of standards spearheaded by WCO to cope with the exponential growth in e-commerce shipments and the tsunami of parcels that cross borders every day. Recognizing that e- commerce has become a Game Changer in the International Trade Arena, bringing in efficiency of clearance and delivery of low value and high volume shipments has become a matter of critical interest for every Customs administration.

About World Customs Organisation (WCO) WCO represents 182 Customs administrations across the globe that collectively process approximately 98% of world trade. As the global centre of Customs expertise, the WCO is the only international organization with competence in Customs matters and can rightly call itself the voice of the international Customs community.

(Adapted from PIB)

16. Dangerous law: on Israels nation state law (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR)

What is the Israel nation state law? Website: www.prepmate.in Telegram Channel: @upscprepmate Prepmate Cengage Books Preview: https://prepmate.in/books/ Youtube channel: PrepMate Edutech For updates on WhatsApp, share your name & city on WhatsApp No. 75978-30000

1. The legislation, which will become one of Israel s powerful Basic Laws that have constitutional status, lays down that Israel is the historic homeland of the Jewish people and they have an exclusive right to national self-determination in it . 2. The law strips Arabic, the first language of 1.8 million citizens, of its national language status; states that Jerusalem, whole and united , is its capital; and vows to promote and encourage the establishment and consolidation of Jewish settlements, which it sees as a national value. What could be possible implications of law? 1. Supporters of the Bill say it is aimed to boost Israel s Jewish identity and will not discriminate against minorities. But the reality looks more complicated in Israel and the occupied territories. As it is, the Arab community, which makes up a fifth of Israel s population, faces discrimination when it comes to opportunities and rights. 2. The Israeli right s anti-minority politics is no secret. By providing exclusive right to national self-determination only to the Jewish people and by downgrading Arabic s status, the law sends a clear message. For decades, the Israeli far-right sought Jewishness as the ethnic religious character of the state.

3. The new Basic Law sets the stage for that transition, challenging the basic concepts of equality, which even Israel s declaration of independence promised to all its inhabitants.

Arab MPs have called the legislation racist and a form of apartheid aimed at creating two systems within one country.

4. The emphasis on Jerusalem and the promise to promote settlements pose a direct threat to any peace process with the Palestinians. Jerusalem remains a disputed territory, with Palestinians seeing its eastern part as the capital of their future state. Israel s claim over the city remains a key point of dispute between the two sides. 5. Besides, if Israel sees Jewish settlements as a national value and continues to promote them in the Palestinian territories, it cannot command confidence when it says it is still committed to the two-state solution.

6. The law further erodes the credibility of Israel s professed support of an independent Palestinian state. Israel has just passed two other pieces of legislation one places limits on Palestinians under occupation in accessing Israel s High Court, and the other bans individuals and groups seeking political action against the country or— the prosecution of Israeli soldiers abroad, from entering Israeli school premises.

Conclusion Together, these laws allow the Israeli state to institutionalise discrimination against the minorities at home, deepen occupation in the Palestinian territories and stifle even the limited rights of the Palestinians living under occupation.

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(Adapted from the Hindu)

17. Helsinki summit: what did Trump and Putin agree? (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR)

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin shake hands in Helsinki. Photograph: Xinhua/Rex/Shutterstock

No communique was issued following the Trump-Putin summit in Helsinki, underlining the off-the-cuff informal diplomacy in which Donald Trump specialises. The absence of an agreed statement leaves secret the status and extent of any practical agreements reached either between the US president and his Russian counterpart or in the later wider meeting between officials.

But in the two leaders joint press conference, subsequent interviews and briefings, the outlines of some agreements emerged, with little sign that Russia has given ground in return for Vladimir Putin being brought in from the cold.

Economic relations Putin argued Russia was too large a country to be sanctioned and isolated, but Trump was not asked in the press conference about the future status of sanctions. Putin appears to be banking on a working party consisting of captains of industry to open a dialogue on future economic relations, pointing out US trade into the Russian market is minuscule in comparison with European trade. Putin is hopeful that business voices will call for sanctions to be lifted.

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Crimea The single greatest barrier to sanctions being lifted remains the Russian annexation of Crimea. Putin in his Interview said he and Trump had disagreed about the status of Crimea and in effect, the two men agreed to differ.

The Putin position is that Crimeans voted in a referendum to return to Russia, and this vote should be accepted, just as the Falkland Islanders voted in a referendum to remain part of the UK. There had been speculation that Trump would cede Crimea s departure from Ukraine as a fait accompli so removing one reason to retain sanctions. On the wider issue of Ukraine, Putin said he had urged Trump to put pressure on Ukraine to do more to comply with the Minsk accords. He also laid down a marker that Ukraine must never join Nato.

Syria Rhe assumption in both leaders remarks was that the civil war in Syria was coming to a close, but Putin defended the need to crush terrorists in south-west Syria while keeping the forces of Syria and Israel separated, referring specifically to the treaty of 1974 that ended the Yom Kippur war and designated the lines of separation between Israel and Syria. He made no reference to the future status of Iranian-backed troops inside Syria, but Trump said the United States will not allow Iran to benefit from our successful campaign against Isis . Neither Putin nor Syria is prepared to expel Iran from Syria. At issue is whether an agreement can be reached that keeps Iranian-backed militiax at a fixed distance from the Israeli border. Creating safety for Israel is something both Putin and I would like to see very much, Trump said. Reconstruction of Syria Trump appears to have gone further than the EU in saying he is willing to help with the reconstruction of Syria, something the EU has insisted must be conditional on a wider peace agreement. Trump set no condition, saying: If we can do something to help the people of Syria get back into some form of shelter and on a humanitarian basis ... I think that both of us would be very interested in doing that and we are. We will do that.

Putin did suggest he might be willing to merge the Astana talks Iran, Russia, and Syria with the so-called small group France, Britain, Germany, Jordan, the US and Saudi Arabia something that the French president, Emmanuel Macron, has sought– for more than a year.– – Nuclear– talks Putin said the two agreed to hold talks on the extension of the Start treaty that expires in 2021, but he said he wanted experts to examine whether the US was compliant with the terms of the treaty. He raised the perceived dangers represented by the US anti-missile defence system, but said he wanted to negotiate on the Intermediate Nuclear Treaty, the 1987 treaty that banned all US and Russian ground-launched missiles of intermediate range between 500 and 5,000km .

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Energy Trump seemed to be more accepting than previously that a gas pipeline from Russia via the Baltic sea into Germany will be built. Putin promised he would continue to transmit gas through Ukraine once the current contract expires and after Nordstream 2 is built, so providing Ukraine with badly needed funds. But he said this was conditional on the dispute between Russia s Gazprom and Ukraine s Naftogaz being settled in the Stockholm arbitration court. The court earlier this year ordered Gazprom to pay Naftogaz a net $2.56bn saying the Russian gas giant did not fully utilise Ukraine s gas pipeline to Europe as contracted. Gazprom has appealed against the decision and blocked an attempt to seize its European assets.

(Adapted from The Guardian)

18. Why the EU is upset with Google, what its $5 billion penalty really means (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; IOBR)

The European Commission -billion (around $5 billion) penalty on Google last week may not financially hurt the technology company that is sitting on over $100 billion in cash reserves, but it could bring sabout €. changes in the way the Androidecosystem functions, and create a precedent for other antitrust cases against Google.

Three-pronged problem EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said Google has imposed three types of restrictions on Android device manufacturers and network operators to ensure that traffic on Android devices goes to the Google search engine.

One, asking device manufacturers to preload the Google Search app and Chrome browser as a condition for licensing Google s Play Store. As a result, Google Search and Chrome were installed on practically all Android devices sold. Pre-installation can create a status quo is) evidence that the Google Search app is consistently used more on Android devices, where it is pre-installed, than on Windows Mobile devices, where users must downloadbias… There it. This also shows that users do not download competing apps in numbers that can offset the significant commercial advantage derived through pre-installation, the Commission said. Two, the Commission has said that Google granted significant financial incentives to some of the largest device manufacturers as well as mobile network operators on condition that they exclusively pre-installed Google Search across their entire portfolio of Android devices . This significantly reduced their incentives to pre-install rival search apps. However, it said that by 2014, Google had stopped the practice. Three, the antitrust body said, Google had not allowed forked versions of Android to pre- install Google s proprietary apps, including Google Search and Play Store. Android being an open-source operating system, it has its code published by Google online whenever a new version is released. Based on this source code, developers create their own versions, many of which do not get approval from Google. Google s conduct prevented a number of large

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81 manufacturers from developing and selling devices based on Amazon s Android fork called Fire OS , the antitrust body said. Not the first time search platform, thus giving itself an advantage over third-party service providers. CloserIn June home, , the the Competition EU fined Google Commission €. billionof India for in prioritisingFebruary fined its ownGoogle services Rs 136 on crore the for unfair business practices in the Indian online search market. The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal stayed the ruling on Google s appeal, but asked it to pay 10% of the penalty. The matter will now be heard by the tribunal on July 27. EU announced its first antitrust probe against Google in November 2010 for misuse of its dominant position in the online search market. A probe into Google s dominance in the operating system market began in 2013. In 2014, the EU Parliament even voted, in a non- binding manner, for Google to be broken up.

The US had already seen a major antitrust case involving pre-installed software on devices back in 1998 when the Department of Justice filed a case of misuse of dominant position against Microsoft on account of the company bundling its browser Internet Explorer for free with its Windows operating system loaded on computer devices. This hit several competitors including Netscape, and established a monopoly for Microsoft. The ruling of the Justice Department went against Microsoft, and over time paved the way for other companies, including Google, to establish themselves in the browser market.

What the case means The commission is shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted, said Geoff Blaber, analyst at California-based research firm CCS Insight. Also, there is no clear alternative to Android. Had the Commission s determination been made even five years ago, it would he said. Also, insisting that Google allow forked versions of Android, Blaber said, could lead to a deteriorated consumer experience. have opened a door of opportunity for others…, By maintaining a combination of strict standards over the way the operating systems are designed and providing its own bouquet of basic apps, Google has been able to control the experience of Android users.

(Adapted from Indian express)

19. How a 20-year African war ended in an embrace (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR)

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia, the second largest country in Africa by population, embraced President Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea in that country s capital Asmara, announcing to the world, finally, the end of a 20-year war that has killed at least 80,000 in two of the continent s poorest countries. The two leaders announced the resumption of trade, diplomatic, and travel ties, and a new era of peace and friendship between their countries. Website: www.prepmate.in Telegram Channel: @upscprepmate Prepmate Cengage Books Preview: https://prepmate.in/books/ Youtube channel: PrepMate Edutech For updates on WhatsApp, share your name & city on WhatsApp No. 75978-30000

The Horn of conflict Eritrea broke from its federation with Ethiopia in April 1993, becoming an independent country located strategically at the mouth of the Red Sea on the Horn of Africa, next to one of the world s most crucial shipping lanes. Just over five years later, war broke out between the two countries over the control of Badme, a border town of no apparent significance, but which both Addis Ababa and Asmara coveted. Massive displacements of population followed, families were torn asunder, and the local trading economy was utterly destroyed.

In June 2000, the two countries signed an Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities, followed, in December that year, by a Peace Agreement in Algiers, Algeria, which formally ended the war and established a Boundary Commission to settle the dispute. When the Commission gave its final and binding ruling in April 2002 awarding Badme to Eritrea, however, Ethiopia refused to accept the decision without additional conditions, and a stalemate ensued. Badme remained under Ethiopian control, and the border kept erupting in clashes.

While Ethiopia s ruling Ethiopian People s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) had indicated a year ago that it was looking to change its relationship with Eritrea, things moved rapidly after the 41-year-old Ahmed, a former Army officer who had fought in the war, became Prime Minister in April. In June, he announced Addis Ababa would abide by the full terms of the 2000 agreement. On July 8, a day before he travelled to meet President

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Afwerki, Prime Minister Ahmed declared there was no longer a border between Eritrea and Ethiopia because a bridge of love has destroyed it . The context of peace Ethiopia is landlocked, and through the years of the war with Eritrea, has been dependent heavily on Djibouti, which sits on the Bab al-Mandab strait, for access to the Gulf of Aden and onward to the Arabian Sea. (See map)It will now seek to use Eritrean ports, most prominently Assab, located at the tip of the country s tail , to balance its reliance on Djibouti. Peace is in Eritrea s interest, even though President Afwerki has used the war to keep himself in power since the country s independence in 1993. Over the past two decades, even as Eritrea has sunk steadily into economic stagnation and social and diplomatic isolation, he has built and maintained a large conscription army, kept the constitution under suspension, and muzzled the press, all in the name of fighting the continuous occupation of Eritrean territories by Ethiopia . While the UN Human Rights Commission has repeatedly accused Eritrea of serious violations, the international pressure on its government increased greatly after Eritreans fleeing the war and compulsory military service flooded European shores at the height of the refugee crisis in 2015-16.

(Adapted from Indian express)

20. Pakistan elections: No contest, assured victory (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR)

In 2013, after Nawaz Sharif won a decisive mandate, it was believed that relations between India and Pakistan were set to improve. A promising start was made after Narendra Modi s victory, but ties have since been in a downward spiral. Jaish-e-Muhammad s Pathankot attack was just one of many events that undid Nawaz s intentions to normalise relations with India. His preoccupation with Imran Khan and his battles with the Pakistan Army over the treason trial of General Pervez Musharraf, and generally the perception that he was pro- India , tied Nawaz down. His efforts to retrieve lost political ground saw him praise Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. It led to his PML (N) winning elections in PoK, but did not help matters with India.

In 2017, in events flowing from the Panama papers leak, Nawaz s tenure got cut short. India has watched with dismay and alarm the mainstreaming, during this election, of the Jamat-ud-Dawa/Lashkar-e-Taiba through a party called Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek. Its leader Hafiz Saeed, a UN-designated global terrorist, is not contesting, but is leading the campaign with vitriolic anti-India speeches. The party has put up candidates for 80 National Assembly (NA) seats, and is also contesting for the provincial assemblies.

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An array of other religious extremists are in the fray, including the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamat (through a front called Pakistan Rah-e-Haq party) and the extremist Barelvi group, Tehreek-e Labbaik-e-Rasool Allah, through its electoral front, Barelvi Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan. Imran has courted the Labbaik in some places, fearing it could cut into his party s votes. In the campaign of the main political parties, relations with India have not figured except in an indirect way in Nawaz s questioning of the role of the Army and the Establishment in his ouster, and in his allegations that they were trying to ensure his party s defeat.In— their manifestos, the PML (N), Imran s PTI, and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have all called for dialogue with India. All three manifestos reference the UN Security Council resolutions as a framework for the resolution of the Kashmir issue.

China is the main focus of the foreign policy section in the manifestos: the PTI and PML (N) have separate sections on China-Pakistan economic co-operation.

Pakistan election big picture The main themes revolve around Nawaz s conviction on corruption charges, and the Army s perceived role in his removal. Despite being knocked out of the race and in prison, Nawaz dominates the election, which in Punjab is virtually a referendum on him: vote PML (N) if you believe that he and his daughter Maryam were done in by a judicial coup masterminded by the Establishment; vote PTI if you believe Nawaz deserved to be removed for the wealth that he could not explain. Nawaz s return with Maryam to face imprisonment, leaving behind his terminally ill wife in a London hospital, has breathed some life into the PML (N) campaign, which is now led by Nawaz s brother Shahbaz.

For all Imran s confidence that the Prime Minister s office is now virtually his, outright victory for the PTI remains uncertain. Rows of empty chairs at a couple of rallies have frazzled him, and he has told party cadres to work harder to bring out voters.

While the election remains a close fight between the PTI and PML (N) in Punjab, other parties or groups could well end up calling the shots when the results are out. The PPP, which was a force to reckon with during Benazir Bhutto s lifetime but which is now struggling to just hold on to its home turf, is already positioning itself. The Independents will also play an important role.

Pakistan election: Parties and provinces Wednesday s vote will see 272 seats being filled. An additional 10 seats are reserved for minorities and 60 for women, which are filled based on proportional representation of the 272 general seats, taking the strength of the Assembly to 342. The 272 general seats are split between the four provinces Punjab (141), Sindh (61), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (39), Balochistan (16) and two territories: FATA (12) and Islamabad Capital Territory (3). — Clearly then, the —road to Islamabad passes through Punjab. This is where the PML (N) is strongest in 2013, Nawaz picked up 118 of his 126 elected seats in Punjab. The PTI won 8; this time, it has made far deeper inroads, with some of those who exited the PML (N) — Website: www.prepmate.in Telegram Channel: @upscprepmate Prepmate Cengage Books Preview: https://prepmate.in/books/ Youtube channel: PrepMate Edutech For updates on WhatsApp, share your name & city on WhatsApp No. 75978-30000

85 after Nawaz s disqualification having joined Imran. The PML (N) has never carried enough influence in Sindh, Balochistan or KPK, where the national parties have traditionally competed with regional parties.

In KPK, the terrorism-hit leadership of the secular-leftist Awami National Party has been too weak since 2013 to counter the PTI and the two big religious formations Jamat-e- Islami and Fazlur Rehman s Jamat-e-Ulema Islam which are now back together in the revived Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal. In 2013, the PTI won 17 of its 29 seats in KPK,— and came to power in the provincial assembly. —

The PPP, now led by Benazir s son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, will likely keep its base in rural Sindh, where it won 30 of its 31 seats in the last election. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement s hold over Karachi, Hyderabad and other cities of Sindh it won 18 seats in 2013 has loosened with the party s break-up and a crackdown by the Army. — In Balochistan,— the Balochistan National Party, PPP and ANP no longer hold influence, and the vote is fragmented. The newly formed, Army-backed Balochistan Awami Party is also in the race this time.

Ousted Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif sits on a plane after landing at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, Pakistan, July 13, 2018. REUTERS/ Drazen Jorgic Pakistan elections: Leaders and India

As a leader who repeatedly challenged the Army, Nawaz was India s best bet. Today, it is doubtful whether the PML (N), even if voted back to power, would take on the Army on any issue. Should the PML (N) form the government, with or without allies, Shahbaz is the likeliest candidate for PM. Like his brother, he is a votary of normalising relations with India, but he is also known to be more accommodative of the Army than Nawaz. If there is behind the scenes understanding for the release of Nawaz and Maryam, the Army will extract its pound of flesh.

Imran as PM is also hardly likely to challenge the Army, at least not in the immediate term. His personal views on India have veered from why should we not want friendly ties with India? to cut trade ties with India . While the impression is that the Army is working to put him in power, it may find him useful but does not trust him entirely because of his unpredictability.

If the verdict is unclear, one hopeful for the top job is Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan. He was Nawaz s Interior Minister and had wanted to succeed him, but Nawaz, who distrusts him, chose Shahid Khaqan Abbasi instead. Nisar is contesting as an Independent and is likely to win. He is perhaps the leader in this election that the Army trusts most. He is a hardliner on India and will be steered by the Army in all aspects of governance.

Bottom line: irrespective of who wins or loses, the Pakistan Army will remain the ultimate arbiter on regional policy. And even if Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek does not win a single seat, and especially if it does, Hafiz Saeed will remain the finger in India s eye.

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(Adapted from Indian Express)

21. Pakistan election 2018: The Politics of Pak Army (Relevant for GS Mains Paper II; IOBR)

Why is there an impression that Pakistans election is a set-piece by the Army, and that it will score no matter who wins? Unlike in the elections of 2008 and 2013, there is a strong perception this time that the Pakistan Army is pulling strings behind the scenes to ensure that the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) does not return to power. Nawaz Sharif had seemed doomed from the time of the Dawn leak in October 2016 the daily reported the details of a meeting among select members of the civilian government and the military brass, during which Nawaz s — brother, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, purportedly challenged the Army s ties to jihadists. The report came when India-Pakistan ties were at their lowest after the Uri attack and India s retaliatory surgical strike.

After the Supreme Court disqualified Nawaz in the Panama Papers case, he alleged that the military had got rid of him through a judicial coup . He blamed the spate of exits of electable PML (N) leaders in South Punjab on the khalai makhlook , or extraterrestrials, and farishtey , or angels, thinly veiled references to the intelligence agencies. Many of those who left joined Imran Khan s PTI. Across the country, 143 Independents are contesting many are former PML (N) members, and all have the same election symbol the jeep. Among the jeepwallahs is Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan, Nawaz s Interior Minister who is close— to the Army. — What do the elections foretell for India-Pak relations? New parties with clear or apparent ties to the military have appeared suddenly. In Balochistan, the Army is alleged to be helping the Balochistan Awami Party, which was born this March. The funeral of a BAP candidate killed in the Mastung bomb blast was attended by the Army Chief. In Karachi, the two-year-old Pakistan Sarzameen Party is seeking to replace the MQM, which has earned the wrath of the military. In Sindh province, a new formation called Grand Democratic Alliance, with many prominent former PPP members, is seeking to cut into PPP votes. The PPP, too, has a bad history with the Army.

The Laskhar-e-Taiba/Jamat-ud-Dawa, nurtured by the Pak Army for operations in India, has fielded candidates including the UN-designated terrorist son-in-law of Hafiz Saeed, Hafiz Khalid Waleed. Their political front, Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek, was cleared by the Election Commission to— contest, even though an earlier front had been denied permission.

Another designated terrorist, Aurangzeb Farooqi of the anti-Shia group AWSJ, is contesting, as his boss, Mohammed Ahmed Ludhianvi, who was mysteriously taken off a Pakistan government anti-terrorist watchlist.

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Hameed Haroon, CEO of the Dawn group, has alleged in an extraordinary interview to the BBC that the Army had built pressure on media groups, and not allowed his newspaper to be distributed in cantonments. Anti-military social media bloggers and activists have been disappearing mysteriously. Most recently, an Islamabad High Court judge alleged that the ISI had asked the Chief Justice of the court to keep Nawaz and his daughter Maryam in prison until the elections.

Has the Army reacted to the allegations? Director-General, Inter Services Public Relations Major General Asif Ghafoor, has denied the judge s allegations, and asked the Supreme Court to investigate them. He said the military was only carrying out law and order duties mandated by the Election Commission, and had no direct role in the elections. Earlier this month, he had asked the media to consider the country larger interest , and displayed a chart featuring anti-Pakistan tweets by some media personalities a statement that was read as a threat against those who did not subscribe to the Army s line. — But what does the Army gain by stopping Nawazs party? The Army s preeminence is dependent on Pakistan remaining a security state. India is a key element in the Pakistan Army s self-projection. Any politician who challenges the Army threatens its vast interests, including its ties with foreign militaries and governments, and its business interests.

Nawaz the politician was a child of the Zia establishment, but he has been at daggers drawn with the Army since 1997, when in his second term as Prime Minister, he asserted himself to choose General Pervez Musharraf as his Chief. The Army was not happy with his overtures to India and the Lahore Declaration, and he claims to have been kept out of the loop on Kargil.

Within months of becoming Prime Minister for a third time in 2013, Nawaz rattled the Army by putting Musharraf on trial for treason, and chose to brave the Army s disapproval to attend the June 2014 inauguration of Narendra Modi. Subsequently, Sharif was himself rattled by the growing personality cult of his handpicked successor to Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Gen Raheel Sharif. Gen Sharif used Imran s street protests in 2014 demanding Nawaz s resignation to play the mediator, called for a political solution to the crisis, and also sending the message that the elected government should not mess with the Army. The December 2014 attack on the Peshawar Army School that killed over 100 children tightened the General s grip, and the decision to go after militants in Waziristan turned him into a hero. By 2016, serious differences had developed between the Prime Minister and the General.

The Army would hate to see the PML (N) win this election, or even be a strong opposition.

Nawaz has now taken on the role that Benazir Bhutto and the PPP had once claimed that of the anti-Establishment leader and party. — In what ways has the Army tried to control earlier civilian governments in Pakistan?

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The Army, which describes its mission as safeguarding Pakistan s ideological frontiers, has ruled directly for 30 years, and indirectly for the rest of the country s history. It has always controlled national security and foreign policy. In 2008, under Gen Kayani, the Army declared it was shedding the image it had come to acquire under Musharraf. It withdrew military officers from civilian postings, but reinvented itself to stay relevant as the saviour of the nation with an anti-Taliban operation in Swat. The Mumbai attacks were a turning point the military managed to project an imminent military threat from India, and portrayed Pakistan as a victim of Indian aggression. It also beat back an early attempt by the PPP —government to make the ISI answerable to civilian authority. Immediately after US Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad in 2011, the military recovered from some of the humiliation through the Memogate episode, in which Pakistan s then ambassador to Washington, Husain Haqqani, stood accused of colluding with the US against the Army. The Army s role in the dismissal of elected governments through the 1990s is well documented. A 1996 case, now known as Meherangate, is still being heard by the Supreme Court in which the ISI paid millions of rupees to help the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad, a front led by Nawaz s party, to win the election in 1990 against the PPP.

So why doesn t the Army just run the country directly like it has done thrice in the past? The Pakistan Army craves popularity in the same way that elected politicians do, but it has learnt from experience that running the government and being accountable for bijli, paani, sadak and for other failures is the shortest route to earning the wrath of the people.

Musharraf— discovered that in— five years. Power without responsibility is much more convenient.

(Adapted from The Indian Express)

22. Sanctions relief: on waiver for India under CAATSA (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR)

What has happened recently? The U.S. Congress s report allowing the introduction of a presidential waiver of its controversial Countering America s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) will be greeted with a sense of relief in both New Delhi and Washington. The two governments have been working hard to avert a stand-off over the issue. The matter was particularly heated with India making it clear it would go ahead with the S-400 Triumf missile system deal with Russia regardless of the U.S. law and the threat of sanctions.

What is CAASTA? CAATSA, signed reluctantly by President Donald Trump last August would have forced his administration to impose sanctions on any country carrying out significant defence and

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89 energy trade with sanctioned entities in Russia, Iran and North Korea. Mr. Trump had objected, arguing that the law took away his powers to decide on such matters.

What are the arguments in Indias favour? Indian delegations led by the Foreign Secretary had made a three-fold case for the waiver: 1. that no weapons India bought would be used against the U.S.;

2. that the U.S., which wants to partner with India in the Indo-Pacific, would hamper India s military abilities by applying the sanctions or denying the country crucial technology; and 3. that India has significantly reduced its dependence on Russian military hardware while increasing defence purchases from the U.S., and it would be unfair if the U.S. rewarded the effort with punitive measures.

What is the recent change in the law? After months of testimony, including a final push for waiver for countries like India, Indonesia and Vietnam the US Congress has acepted. The modified waiver authority , or amendment to Section 231 of CAATSA proposed by Congress, allows the President to waive sanctions in certain circumstances, for six months at a time, as long as he certifies that it is in the U.S. s national security interests and does not endanger ongoing operations.

What next? While the resolution of CAATSA-related sanctions is welcome, it isn t the only irritant in the U.S.-India relationship that needs the attention of the External Affairs and Defence Ministers at the 2+2 dialogue with their American counterparts scheduled for September.

The sanctions proposed by the Trump administration for energy trade with Iran still loom, as do possible punitive measures at the World Trade Organisation over tariffs and counter- tariffs the two countries have imposed on each other. New Delhi will also be aware that the waivers are contingent on Mr. Trump s continued support to Indian defence requirements. Given the capricious and unpredictable policy swings Mr. Trump has shown, it will be prudent for New Delhi not to presume that the problems over CAATSA have fully blown over.

(Adapted from The Hindu)

23. A Russian deal, a US nod (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR)

US is set to exempt an Indian defence acquisition from Russia from a law it uses to impose sanctions on Moscow. What is India s S-400 deal with Russia? What is the US law? Why is the exemption significant? What is the S-400 air defence missile system? How and when was the deal for its acquisition struck? The Russian-built S-400 Triumf NATO calls it SA-21 Growler is the most dangerous operationally deployed modern long-range surface-to-air missile (MLR SAM) system in the — — Website: www.prepmate.in Telegram Channel: @upscprepmate Prepmate Cengage Books Preview: https://prepmate.in/books/ Youtube channel: PrepMate Edutech For updates on WhatsApp, share your name & city on WhatsApp No. 75978-30000

90 world, considered to be much ahead of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system (THAAD) developed by the United States. The mobile S-400 system can engage all types of aerial targets including aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and ballistic and cruise missiles within a range of 400 km, at an altitude up to 30 km. It can track 100 airborne targets, including super fighters such as the American built F-35, and engage six of them simultaneously.

The S-400 system, which can be deployed within five minutes, integrates a multifunction radar, autonomous detection and targeting systems, anti-aircraft missile systems, launchers, and a command & control centre, and is capable of firing three types of missiles to create a layered defence. It is responsible for defending Moscow, and was deployed in Syria in 2015 to guard Russian and Syrian naval and air assets. Units have also been stationed in the Crimean Peninsula.

The S-400 is the fourth generation of long-range Russian SAMs, successor to the S-200 and S-300, and is twice as effective as the pervious version of the air defence system. The first systems were made operational in 2007, and could be integrated with existing and future air defence units of the Russian military.

China signed a deal in 2015 for six battalions of the S-400, and delivery began this January. While the Chinese acquisition has been seen as a gamechanger in the region, the concern for India on this count is limited because of the system s range. However, acquiring the S- 400 for itself can be crucial for India in case of a two-front war. In October 2015, the Defence Acquisition Council considered buying 12 units, but it was subsequently determined that five units would be adequate for India s needs. Negotiations on the $5 billion agreement are at an advanced stage , and the deal is expected to be inked before a summit meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin scheduled in October.

Turkey and Saudi Arabia, too, are negotiating deals with Russia, and Iraq and Qatar have expressed interest.

What is the US sanctions law, and how does it impact Indias deal with Russia? The Countering America s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), passed by Congress and reluctantly signed into law by President Donald Trump in August last year, aims at taking punitive measures against Russia, Iran, and North Korea. Title II of the Act primarily deals with sanctions on the Russian oil and gas industry, defence and security sector, and financial institutions, in the backdrop of its military intervention in Ukraine and its alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential elections.

Section 231 of the Act empowers the US President to impose at least five of 12 listed sanctions enumerated in Section 235 on persons engaged in a significant transaction with the Russian defence and intelligence sectors. The State Department has notified 39— Russian entities including almost— all major Russian defence manufacturing and export companies/entities like Rosoboronexport, Almaz-Antey, Sukhoi Aviation, —

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Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG, and United Shipbuilding Corp significant transactions with which could make third parties liable to sanctions. — Almaz-Antey Air and Space Defence Corporation JSC, the manufacturers of the S-400 system, are in the list of 39. If implemented stringently, CAATSA would impact Indian defence procurement from Russia not just S-400s, but also Project 1135.6 frigates and Ka-226T helicopters as well as joint ventures like Indo Russian Aviation Ltd, Multi-Role Transport Aircraft Ltd and Brahmos— Aerospace. It would also affect purchase of spares, components, raw materials— and other assistance. The bulk of India s military equipment is of Soviet/Russian origin including the nuclear submarine INS Chakra, the Kilo-class conventional submarine, the supersonic Brahmos cruise missile, the MiG and Sukhoi fighters, the Il transport — aircraft, the T-72 and T-90 tanks, the Mi helicopters, and the Vikramaditya aircraft carrier.

How did the exemption come about? Whats in it for Washington? CAATSA impacts Indo-US ties, and dents the image of the US as a reliable partner at a time when it is projecting India as a key player in its Indo-Pacific strategy. Admiral Harry Harris, Commander of the US Pacific Command, has referred to a letter written by Secretary of Defence James Mattis to members of a Senate Committee, seeking some relief from CAATSA for countries like India. Admiral Harris has himself favoured relief, citing the strategic opportunity that India presents, and also the opportunity to trade in arms with India . Indeed, the US defence industry sees India as a major market. Over the last decade, deals with India have grown from near zero to $15 billion. Since 2008, the US has bagged more than $15 billion in arms deals including for the C-17 Globemaster and C-130J transport planes, P-8 (I) maritime reconnaissance aircraft, M777 light-weight howitzer, Harpoon missiles, and Apache and Chinook helicopters, Laxman K Behera, Research Fellow at Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), wrote in an April 2018 paper titled Implications of CAATSA for India s Defence Relations with Russia and America.

Between 2013-14 and 2015-16, the US has won 13 contracts worth Rs 28,895 crore ($4.4 billion). Both in term of the number and value of contracts, the US is way ahead of other major suppliers. In percentage terms, the US share of Indian arms imports total 23% in terms of the number of contracts and 54% by value, Behera wrote.

This value is set to increase with the US likely accepting an Indian request for Sea Guardian drones. In addition, US manufacturers including Lockheed Martin and Boeing are strong contenders for a number of high-profile arms deals, including the recently floated tender notices for 110 fighters for the IAF, 57 Multi-Role Carrier Borne Fighters for the Navy, and 234 naval utility and multi-role helicopters.

The CAATSA exemption also underlines the growing defence and security cooperation that has seen India sign a logistics pact with the US, the US designating India as a Major Defence Partner, and both countries coming together on Indo-Pacific strategy, the newly resurrected Quad.

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It also marks an acceptance by the US of the point of principle that as a sovereign country, India cannot be dictated on its strategic interests by a third country.

(Adapted from The Indian Express)

24. Decoding the next Pakistan Prime Minister (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains paper II; IOBR)

Poised to take over as the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan had to wait 22 years, most of them on the margins of his country s political arena, to reach the highest office. From losing both seats in his first election in 1997 despite his cricketer-hero status, to the Pakistan-Tehreek-e-Insaf emerging the single largest party in 2018, Imran has a come a long way, with his politics too undergoing several makeovers over these two decades. His critics say he is confused, his supporters that it only shows he is open-minded.

But despite all the contradictions, from the beginning, one impression about the 65-year- old Imran has stayed: that he is a progeny of Pakistan s powerful establishment, created to cut the two big players, Benazir Bhutto and her Pakistan People s Party, and Nawaz Sharif and his Pakistan Muslim League (N). This election, probably Pakistan s most polarising in recent history, has entrenched that reputation the military s open animosity towards Sharif, and some of its moves in the last five years signalled its preference for Imran. — Mixed politics, mixed following Imran s politics is a mix of middle-class aspiration for a clean, transparent and accountable government , Islamic egalitarianism, justice for all, liberal economics, and religious and social conservatism. He supports the blasphemy law, is against repealing Pakistan s Second Amendment that declares Ahmadiyya to be non-Muslim; he flirts with the Taliban, and in this election, canvassed support from the extremist Tehreek e-Labbaik Pakistan, and the virulently anti-Shia offshoot of the Sipah-e-Sahaba, Ahle Wal Suunah Jamat.

With his politics offering something for everyone, his following is a mix of the cosmopolitan middle-class in urban Pakistan, who fear the progress of religious conservatism in their lives, and the religious conservatives who believe Pakistan is getting too westernised.

Pakistan s population of about 200 million is overwhelmingly young and aspirational. There were 46 million voters between the ages of 18 and 35. Almost 17 million of them came of age after the end of Pervez Musharraf s tenure and have no experience of military rule. They have known only civilian governments of the PPP and PML(N), both perceived as corrupt. In this time, the Army recovered fully from the erosion of public faith in it that had set in midway during Musharraf s rule, and presented itself as the only institution Pakistanis could count on.

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Accountability, thus, has been Imran s main theme. In addition, the PTI s promise of naya Pakistan is achche din plus AAP jhadoo: it includes a Medina-like welfare state in which education and health will get maximum priority, 10 million jobs, five million low-cost homes, and the return of black money that wealthy Pakistanis have stashed abroad.

Some of the promises, such as healthcare and education reform, are based on the PTI s five- year experience of governance in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Its healthcare initiatives in that province have won non-partisan praise. Affordable health has been Imran s passion since he set up the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Research Hospital, named after his mother.

Expectations of him are high but a fair amount of political uncertainty may make it difficult for him to keep these promises.

India & neighbourhood Foreign policy and national security are areas in which Pakistani Prime Ministers have found themselves bogged down, not least because of the military s claim over them. But Imran has given enough indication that he is on the same page as the Army on foreign policy, including for the neighbourhood.

While he has declared himself a votary of peace with neighbours, he says he will not bow to India s thaanedaari . He believes only the Pakistan Army can stand up to India. He called Sharif a coward for not responding militarily to the 2016 surgical strikes . He has said Prime Minister Narendra Modi killed Muslims in Gujarat. His real test with India will come with how he deals with the groups the Pakistan establishment protects: Lashkar-e- Taiba/Jamat-ud-Dawa and Jaish-e-Mohammed, responsible for a proxy war in Kashmir and terrorist acts in other parts of India.

As for the Taliban, he opposed US presence in Afghanistan, and was vocal against US- Pakistan military operations in the region after 9/11. That was around the time that he parted ways with Musharraf after praising his military coup at the beginning. This year, he described US President Donald Trump as ignorant and ungrateful for accusing Pakistan of giving nothing but lies and deceit in return for financial aid. Imran was a staunch opponent of Pakistan military operations against the Pakistani Taliban. His praise for the Taliban earned him the nickname of Taliban Khan . That underwent a change after the Taliban attack on a school in Peshawar, in which over 100 children were killed; he backed the Army s anti-Taliban operations.

His criticism of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, questioning the lack of transparency, rang alarm bells in Beijing and Rawalpindi. He clarified he was not opposed to the projects, but only to the way they were being handled by the Sharif government. He reiterated his support for CPEC in a meeting with the Chinese Ambassador in Pakistan but asked that it should also pass through Khyber-Pakthunkhwa, not just Punjab.

Marriage & controversy

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Imran s followers clearly decided to overlook his controversial personal life. Reham Khan, his second ex-wife s tell-all book named after her, with graphic details about their brief marriage, alleging that he was hooked on cocaine, sex and anti-Islamic beliefs such as black magic and voodoo, plus that he had boasted of having children out of marriage in India, created barely a ripple among his followers. His recent third marriage to Bushra Maneka briefly outraged his followers. She was already married and is the mother of five children. Also known as Pinki Imran was spotted in a pink T-shirt recently she is rarely seen in public, and in photographs appears in the all-covering burqa. He has said she is his spiritual guide.But the one who— appears to retain significant influence on him— is his ex-wife and British socialite Jemima Goldsmith, mother of his two sons. Supportive of some of his campaigns, Jemima is also his conscience-keeper of sorts. She would hardly agree with his statement that feminism was a western import that degraded motherhood. On Thursday, she tweeted, tagging him: The challenge now is to remember why he entered politics in the 1st place. (Adapted from The Indian Express)

25. What India, US would have discussed in 2+2 dialogue (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; IOBR)

Last week, the United States postponed what was meant to have been its first 2+2 dialogue with India this month. As reported by The Indian Express, it has been learnt that the US offered to host Indian Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Washington in line with the original plan which had included other programmes too but India has turned down the offer. — — What was the 2+2 dialogue supposed to discuss? The 2+2 dialogue is a meeting between the India Ministers for External Affairs and Defence, and the US Secretaries of State and Defense. The two countries agreed upon holding such a dialogue during Prime Minister Narendra Modi s visit to Washington in June last year, and it was announced after Modi s telephonic call with President Donald Trump in August. This 2+2 dialogue was meant to replace the Strategic and Commercial Dialogue between the foreign and commerce ministers of the two countries that was held during the previous Obama administration. It is to focus on strengthening strategic, security and defence cooperation between the two countries. Does India have a similar 2+2 with any other country? At the ministerial level, this is the first time that India will be holding a 2+2 dialogue with any country. At secretarial level, however, India has had similar 2+2 dialogue with other countries. How have the plans for the 2+2 dialogue with the US played out so far? This was meant to be the inaugural dialogue, before it was postponed once again. Although not officially announced, it was initially meant to be held in January this year. It was later

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95 rescheduled for April, when it had to be postponed after President Trump sacked his then Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson. It was then announced that the 2+2 dialogue would be held on July 6. Then Wednesday, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo called up External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to express his regret and deep disappointment at the US having to postpone the 2+2 Dialogue for unavoidable reasons . What are those reasons? Neither side has specified any official reason for the postponement but it is believed that Pompeo is required to travel to North Korea around those dates as part of President Trump s engagement with the communist country. US officials have been at pains to clarify that the postponement has nothing to do with bilateral issues or policy issues pertaining to Iran or Russia.

What is the latest offer that India has turned down? According to the original plan, Sitharaman was slated to follow up the 2+2 meeting on July 6 with a visit to the Pentagon and bilateral talks with US Defense Secretary James Mattis.

After Pompeo became unavailable, the Department of Defense suggested that Sitharaman continue with her scheduled visit. But India was keen to preserve the format and declined the offer, sources said. India felt that accepting the offer would have defeated the purpose of 2+2 .

So, when will the 2+2 dialogue eventually be held? According to the External Affairs Ministry spokesperson, Swaraj and Pompeo agreed to identify new mutually convenient dates to hold the Dialogue at the earliest, in India or the US . No announcement of the next date for the 2+2 dialogue has been made yet, but it is expected that the dialogue would now be held in New Delhi instead of Washington DC. (Adapted from Indian Express)

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Geography

1. Rain check: June nearly normal (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper I; Geography)

Good rainfall in most parts of the country in the last week of June ensured that the first month of the monsoon season ended with near-normal rains. But not before an extended dry phase of almost two weeks that saw a complete halt in the progress of the monsoon.

Until June 27, the country had a more-than-10% deficiency in rainfall, and the monsoon had barely reached central India. Thanks to the formation of a low-pressure area over the

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97 north Bay of Bengal in the last few days of June, there were widespread rains. The monsoon quickly progressed its northward journey, and covered the entire country in a matter of two days, at least 15 days ahead of schedule.

Depressions absent Scientists say the defining characteristic of monsoon behaviour in June was the lack of development of adequate depressions or low-pressure areas over the Bay of Bengal region. Only one such depression was formed in the entire month when at least two to three, sometimes four, are expected. Low-pressure areas over the Bay of Bengal, near the Bengal and Odisha coasts, help in pulling the monsoon winds through to most of north and northwest India. The first seasonal rains in Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, most parts of Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Punjab and upwards happen due to this activity, when the rain-bearing winds coming the Bay of Bengal are driven inside due to prevailing low pressure.

Especially, during the northward advance of the monsoon, the formation of low-pressure areas is very important. In June, we saw only one such event taking place. Till that happened, around June 27, most of eastern, central and northern India was starved of rains.

Lack of depressions was the most standout feature of the monsoon in June, said Govindasamy Bala of the Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.

Mruytunjay Mohapatra of India Meteorological Department agreed. We had just one low- pressure event. This is less than what is expected in June and was chiefly responsible for the break that the monsoon went into, he said. After good rains for a few days, the monsoon seems to have gone into another break. Bala said current forecasts show that another depression was not developing till July 6 or 7. So, the next spell of good rainfalls, especially in northern plains, in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand or Uttar Pradesh, will not happen before that time, he said.

These breaks, or dry phases, are not uncommon. The monsoon oscillates every few weeks between wet and dry phases, sometimes referred to as active and inactive phases. As J Srinivasan of the Divecha Centre for Climate Change at the Indian Institute of Science said, in a good monsoon year there are more wet phases than dry phases, while in a drought year it is the dry phases that dominate.

Madden Julian Oscillation The dry phase seen in June is also being attributed to what is known as Madden Julian Oscillation, or MJO, an air-ocean interaction that happens along the equator. MJO is an eastward-moving disturbance of clouds, wind and pressure, that travels around the globe at a speed of 4 to 8 metres per second, for between 30 and 60 days on an average.

Sometimes, one revolution around the planet can even take 90 days. As it moves, strong MJO activity often splits the planet into two parts, one in which the MJO is in the active phase and results in enhanced rainfall, and the other in which it suppresses rainfall.

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In 2015, the MJO activity in June was favourable for the Indian landmass and resulted in an unusually high rainfall. This year, the opposite happened. This year the lower rainfall in India during June 15 to June 22 was associated with an MJO, Srinivasan said. The accurate forecast of the Indian monsoon rainfall beyond a few days depends critically upon the ability of the (climate) model to correctly simulate the phase of the MJO. The models have improved a lot during the past decade and we can expect more improvements in the future. Mohapatra of IMD said even the absence of low-pressure areas over Bay of Bengal could be attributed to MJO activity. Formation of depressions is related to MJO activity. About 60% of the depressions formed in the northern Bay of Bengal during this time are influenced by the MJO, he said.

Mohapatra said the June rainfall had been very good for sowing of crops, though. Sowing requires optimum amount of rainfall. Excess rains can spoil the sowing season. The rainfall we got in June was good for agriculture, he said.

Water in stock By June 28, the 91 large reservoirs of the country had stored 29.668 billion cubic metres, or 18% of capacity. This, however, remains slightly less than what is expected during this time of the year about 94% of the average of the last 10 years. Good rains over the last few days would have led to a further increase in storage levels. — (Adapted from The Indian Express)

2. Centurys Longest Total Lunar Eclipse on July 27-28 (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper I; Geography)

What will be duration of lunar eclipse? A total lunar eclipse will occur on July 27-28, 2018 with a totality duration of 1 hour 43 minutes. The duration makes it the longest total lunar eclipse of this century (2001 AD to 2100 AD).

The partial eclipse of the Moon will begin at 23h 54m IST on July 27. The Moon will be gradually covered by the Earth s shadow and the totality phase will begin at 1h 00m IST on July 28. The total eclipse will last upto 2h 43m IST on 28 July. Then the Moon will start to gradually come out of Earth s shadow and partial eclipse will end at 3h 49m IST on July 28. Such long duration of total lunar eclipses had earlier occurred on July 16, 2000 for totality duration of 1 hour 46 minutes and another one on June 15, 2011 for totality duration of 1 hour 40 minutes.

How does the eclipse occur?

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Lunar eclipse: It occurs when the Earth is between the Sun and the Moon. As a result, sunlight is blocked by the Earth from reaching the Moon. A lunar eclipse takes place during the Full Moon phase.

Position of Planet Mars On July 27, the red planet Mars, will also be at opposition, meaning that the Sun and Mars will lie opposite to each other, keeping the Earth in the middle. This will result in Mars coming close to the Earth, causing it to appear brighter than normal and it will be seen from evening to dawn towards the end of July. The planet Mars comes at opposition at an average interval of 2 years and 2 months when the planet comes close to the Earth and becomes brighter. Mars opposition that had occurred in August 2003 brought the two planets closest distance in approximately 60,000 years. The closest approach of Mars on July 31, 2018 will bring the two planets closest and the planet Mars to be seen brightest since 2003.

(Adapted from PIB)

3. Meghalayan: How a North East cave rock formation now defines our Age (Relevant for GS prelims, GS Mains Paper I; Geography)

From late June, the world has officially been in the Meghalayan Stage (or Age) of the Holocene Epoch the present interglacial period that we live in. The Holocene started around 11,700 years ago. — The Meghalayan Age, which is the most recent subdivision of the Holocene Epoch, began about 4,200 years ago, at a time when agricultural societies around the world experienced a very abrupt, critical and significant drought and cooling. Last month, this Age was officially ratified as the most recent unit of the Geologic Time Scale.

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Why Meghalayan? The three subdivisions of the Holocene Epoch the Greenlandian, Northgrippian and Meghalayan Ages are marked out by sediments accumulated on sea floors, lake bottoms, glacial ice and in calcite layers in stalactites and stalagmites— across the world. Clues to the Greenlandian and —Northgrippian Stages were available at specific levels in Greenland s ice cores snow turns into ice, and preserves a record of the climate each year. But this method did not work as well for the younger (newer) part of the Holocene as it did for the older (early)— part.

This is where India and Meghalaya came into the picture. The Meghalayan Stage has been defined at a specific level in a stalagmite in the Mawmluh caves India s longest and deepest in Cherrapunji,— Meghalaya. —Professor Ashish Sinha of the Department of Earth Sciences at California State University took a sample of the stalagmite— back to his lab, and through — uranium-thorium dating, ascertained the record of the climate over the last few thousand years. Both the ice cores and the stalagmite are now defined as international geostandards , and have been placed in protected archives that are accessible for further study.

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Why must geological time be divided? Division provides a means of communication about time periods, Philip Gibbard, professor at the Scott Polar Research Institute at the University of Cambridge told The Indian Express.

We are living in an interglacial, warm period within the ice ages; there have been many of these within the last two million years. The last interglacial period was 120,000 years ago. Website: www.prepmate.in Telegram Channel: @upscprepmate Prepmate Cengage Books Preview: https://prepmate.in/books/ Youtube channel: PrepMate Edutech For updates on WhatsApp, share your name & city on WhatsApp No. 75978-30000

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It is difficult to divide this present interglacial period using fossils, so we have to use some other means of dividing time. The best way we found is by looking at the way climate has changed throughout this period, said Prof Gibbard, who is also secretary-general of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), the largest and oldest constituent scientific body in the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS).

This is exactly what Prof Sinha had done, Prof Gibbard said. He identified that around 4,200-4,300 years ago, there was a significant weakening of the monsoon which then had a significant effect on the amount of precipitation and on human settlements and their food security. Further geological research marked this as a significant event.

What is special about the Mawmluh caves stalagmite? The event under examination was represented in the mid and low latitudes, and the record had to be complete, and also had to have what geologists describe as a higher resolution .

The group which looked into this looked all around the world for potential sites, (and the) Indian site was the best record, Prof Gibbard said. Geological sequences is like a tape recorder, (in) some instances we have a cassette recording, and in some instances we have a studio recording. This is what is high resolution. We needed the best quality recording we could get to really pinpoint where the change occurred, and to identify that particular change point, he said.

The Meghalayan Age is unique among the many intervals of the Geologic Time Scale in that its beginning coincides with a cultural event produced by a global climatic event, Dr Stanley Finney, professor of geological sciences at California State University, Long Beach, and secretary general of the IUGS, said in a statement. IUGS is an international scientific union in which geologists of 121 countries cooperate in the field of geology.

The first scholarly paper on the Meghalayan Age came about six years ago, Prof Gibbard said. The proposal was discussed and critiqued, and it then went through voting at the Subcommission on Quarternary Stratigraphy (SQS) and the ICS, before being finally accepted by the IUGS, the body that formally ratifies and selects the boundaries. IUGS tweeted the latest International Chronostratigraphic Chart/Geologic Time Scale with the new Holocene subdivisions, including Meghalayan, on July 13.

READING THE CHART The columns in the chart represent, from left, Eon, Era, System/Period, Series/Epoch, and Stage/Age. Eons are divided into Eras, Eras into Periods, Periods into Epochs, and Epochs into Ages. We are currently in the Holocene Epoch, Meghalayan Age. On the far right is the measure of numerical age of each subdivision of geologic time, in mega-annum, or million years (Ma). The Meghalayan Age extends up to .0042 Ma (or 4,200 years) ago, and comes ahead of the Northgrippian and Greenlandian Ages. Thereafter, Holocene ends and Pleistocene begins. The Cenozoic Era, of which the Neogene and Quarternary Periods are part, has not been shown in full, nor has the Phanerozoic Eon, which is subdivided into the Cenozoic and Mesozoic Eras. The full International Chronostratigraphic Chart extends all

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the way to the beginning of the Pre-Cambrian Eon, approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The colouring of the chart follows the Commission for the Geological Map of the World (CGMW)

(Adapted from The Indian Express)

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Economics

1. Suresh Prabhu launches Mobile App 'ReUnite' (Relevant for GS Prelims; Economics)

App to track missing and abandoned children Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu launched a mobile application called ReUnite which helps to track and trace missing and abandoned children in India.

Speaking on this occasion the Minister appreciated the work being done by the NGO, Bachpan Bachao Andolan & Capgemini for developing this app.

What is the functionality of the app? The app is multiuser where parents and citizens can upload pictures of children, and provide detailed description like name, birth mark, address, report to the police station, search and identify missing kids. The photographs will not be saved in the mobile phone s physical memory. Amazon Rekognition, web facial recognition service, is being used to identify missing kids. The app is available for both Android and iOS.

What is Bachpan Bachao Andolan? Bachpan Bachao Andolan, (BBA) is India s largest movement for the protection of children and works along with law enforcement agencies and policymakers. BBA has played a very important role in formulation of several laws for protection of child s rights. It began from the Nithari case in 2006 which finally culminated with the Supreme Court passing the landmark judgement in 2013 ordering that FIR has to be lodged in all cases of missing children.

Nobel Laureate and founder of Bachpan Bachao Andolan, Kailash Satyarthi, was alsopresent on this occasion.

(Adapted from PIB)

2. Why are there protests over a highway? (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics)

What is the tussle about? With the BJP-led Central government taking up the Bharatmala (road and highways) project as the top priority, the Chennai-Salem Greenfield Highway has picked up pace rather rapidly, for a project of its size and scope. Land acquisition for the construction of the fully access-controlled highway for 277 km has begun amid widespread protests along the corridor. The opposition to the Green Corridor comes at a time when people in Tamil

Nadu have found power in protests, and massive demonstrations have come to define the State in the last two years.

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Why the anger? Immediately after the death of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, often referred to as the Iron Lady by her partymen as she had complete control over the party and the government, the State saw massive protests for Jallikattu. Vehement protests, including opposition to the Neutrino Observatory, the violent protests against the Sterlite smelter that led to police firing in Thoothukudi in May, the continuing protests over hydrocarbon mining in the Cauvery delta region, and the Cauvery water sharing dispute, among others, have made the headlines. In all these cases, activists have been alleging that the governments, at the Centre and in the State, have not followed rules conducting public hearings or revealing pollution data. The list of charges is long and the activists continue their fight. — How big is the project? Protests erupted over the Chennai-Salem Greenfield Highway nearly a month ago. It gathered steam as officials went out to the fields and farms with their measuring tapes to survey the lands to be acquired. The project, sanctioned by the Union Ministry for Rs. 10,000 crore, will span 277.3 km across eight lanes. The corridor will cut travel time between Chennai and Salem by half, bringing it down to three hours.

It will begin at Ariyanur in Salem and end at Vandalur, near Chennai, passing through the districts of Salem (36.3 km), Dharmapuri (56 km), Krishnagiri (2 km), Tiruvannamalai (123.9 km) and Kancheepuram (59.1 km). The land required will be 1,900 hectares, of which farmland comprises 16% and dryland 66%. The government owns only 18% of the land.

Will there be losses? People will lose land, homes and farms in six districts, and will be compensated. In the case of the greenfield highway, the opposition is essentially to the acquisition of land that for many farmers is their only source of livelihood. The highway will be cutting through some of the districts that have not really seen development in decades, and people are sceptical of the government s argument that it will usher in growth in the long term. As the protests intensified, the police made several preventive arrests. The initial reports indicated that the government was using force to quell the protests and get the farmers, who were threatening to self-immolate, to accept compensation. But the government has forsaken the stick and taken to the carrot policy for now. The Collectors are unveiling compensation packages that the State is calling fantastic in courts. There is apprehension among people in Salem and Tiruvannamalai that the road could lead to extensive mining in the hills of Eastern Ghats. A decade ago, a massive protest stopped mining in Tiruvannamalai. This could become a source of unrest in future as spur roads connect the two hills chosen for bauxite mining in the past, officials say. There are 10 reserve forests along the route and clearances are mandatory. The fragility of the Eastern Ghats has to be taken into account.

What next?

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The protesters show no signs of giving up. Environment Impact Assessment reports, including a social impact assessment, will have to be done; and officials said public hearing would be conducted. Clearance for forestland is also required. It is a two-tier process, and requires stringent norms to be fulfilled. The State has a tough task ahead, primarily to instil faith in the protesters that it is pro-people.

(Adapted from The Hindu)

3. RERA vs IBC: two laws that now ring fence homebuyers (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics)

The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act,2016 (RERA) and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) offer protection to homebuyers from errant builders.

How does RERA protect homebuyers? RERA offers protection to homebuyers by imposing duties on promoters and consists of preventive and penal provisions. Every promoter shall register his project with RERA and 75% of the amount realised shall be deposited in a separate account; withdrawal from the account shall be in proportion to the degree of project completion, among others. Failure to comply entails penalty. On failure to give possession of the apartment, the homebuyer is given the choice to withdraw from the project and the promoter shall be liable to repay the amount received. In case of non-withdrawal, promoter shall pay interest for every month of delay till the date of handing over the possession.

Protection that IBC offers Post the recent ordinance promulgated in June 2018, homebuyers are included in the category of financial creditors under the IBC, thereby climbing up the ladder of precedence in recovery proceedings. Money given to real estate companies by homebuyers gets the commercial effect of a borrowing. Homebuyers can now form part of the committee of creditors that has the power to appoint the interim resolution professional and approve resolution plans, ensuring that their interests are not backtracked by other creditors. Being financial creditors, their voting share will be in proportion to the financial debts owed to them. An insolvency professional can be appointed to represent the interests of homebuyers when they exceed a certain number in the CoC. However, the threshold for such appointment is still unclear.

Which is the best forum to approach: RERA or IBC? RERA, which caters to the real estate sector, contains stringent norms and penalties against errant builders. The IBC recognised homebuyers as financial creditors to protect their rights even when a creditor, other than a homebuyer, invokes insolvency proceedings against the builder. It may be in the interests of homebuyers to approach the National Company Law Tribunal only when the promoter fails to remedy default under RERA or where RERA is not active.

(Adapted from the Hindu)

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4. How GST has performed? (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics)

Initial glitches normalized Since its midnight launch on July 1 last year, India s Goods and Services Tax regime has evolved significantly. There have been serious implementation issues, but also the administrative will and flexibility to address most of these, with the Centre and States working together in the GST Council. After its initial days were marred by stuttering IT systems, the deadline for filing returns was pushed forward till most taxpayers got a hang of the system and the GST Network could augment its capacity. Industry had anxieties about the multiple tax rates, ranging from zero to 28%, with a cess on demerit goods. But gradually, the number of goods under the 28% bracket has been brought down to 50 from around 200. A unique component envisaged in India s GST regime, matching of invoices for granting tax credits, has been kept on hold for fear of adding to taxpayers transition pains. Contribution of GST Despite its glitches and snarls, the new tax has taken firm root and is altering the economic landscape positively.

1. The strongest sign of this is the entry of over 4.5 million entities in the country s tax net, many of which would have so far been part of the cash-driven, informal economy. This expansion of the tax net will also help increase direct tax collections.

2. There is a clear buoyancy in revenue after a wobbly initial trend. The government was eyeing a little over Rs. 90,000 crore a month to make up for the revenues earned under the earlier regime and to compensate States for any losses due to the GST. Finance Minister Piyush Goyal is confident that the average monthly collections this year could touch Rs. 110,000 crore.

What is the way forward? This surge must allay the fiscal concerns of the Centre and the States, and nudge policymakers towards further rationalising the GST structure. If not a single rate, there is certainly room for collapsing at least two of the current rates. It is also imperative that rates not be tinkered with too often and pricing disputes not be a default option under anti- profiteering norms for industry. If cement, as a critical infrastructure input, must be taxed lower than 28%, then decide a rate and stick to it. In its second year, the GST Council must pursue a time-bound approach to execute plans already announced to ease taxpayers woes, such as an e-wallet for exporters and a simpler return form. Besides, there must be a road map to bring excluded products petroleum, real estate, electricity, alcohol into the GST net. This reform still has miles to go, and the government must stare down the temptation to take populist steps ahead— of general elections. —

(Adapted from the Hindu)

5. Modi govt raises MSP for paddy by Rs 200 a quintal (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics)

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What is it? The increase in minimum support prices (MSPs) for paddy (per quintal), the crop most planted by farmers, in the 2018-19 rain-fed kharif season, from Rs 1,550 in the previous season.

Why is it important? The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved a hike in MSP the price at which the government buys from farmers of all kharif crops for the 2018-19 season. This comes at a time when farmers have been demanding better prices for their produce,— after a sharp fall in prices affected their income— last year. The announcement comes ahead of state elections in agrarian states such as Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, besides the general elections that is less than a year away.

What could be possible negative repercursions? The impact of the MSP hike, according to some analysts, could result in an increase in inflation rates, add to fiscal deficit and likely to bring on steeper hikes of interest rates than anticipated.

(Adapted from Livemint)

6. Stopping the rupees free fall: Why this is happening and what the RBI is likely to do (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics)

Whats happening to the rupee? The rupee last week fell to an all-time low of 69.09 against the U.S dollar. The currency has fallen about 7.5% since the beginning of the year, making it the worst-performing currency in Asia. The fall has raised fears of a repeat of the currency crisis of 2013 when the rupee suffered a drastic loss of about 20% in just a few months. Many other emerging market currencies have also witnessed a steep fall in their value against the dollar this year.

Why is it falling? The tightening of monetary policy by the U.S. Federal Reserve has caused the price of American debt to fall and yields to rise (bond prices and yields move in opposite directions). This, in turn, has pushed investors to pull money out of India and other emerging market economies in order to invest in the U.S., where they can get higher returns. Foreign portfolio investors pulled out 29,714 crore from India in May, the highest outflow since November 2016. Outflows in the first half of 2018 stood at 47,836 crore, the highest in a decade. The dollar has benefited immensely₹ as a result. The dollar index, which measures the value of the U.S. dollar against a whole host of other major₹ currencies, has risen by about 6.5% since February.

Meanwhile, Indian importers have rushed to purchase oil which is in short supply. This has caused the value of the rupee, which is used to purchase the dollars required to buy oil in the international market, to fall.

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Moreover, investors have also been worried about the government s rising fiscal deficit. A burgeoning fiscal deficit raises the risk of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) printing rupees to fund the expenses of the government, thus weakening the rupee.

What lies ahead? The RBI, which raised interest rates for the first time in more than four years last month, is likely to tighten the supply of money. This may help contain dollar outflows from investors seeking higher yields in the U.S., thus shoring up the value of the rupee. The RBI might also look to intervene directly in the foreign exchange market to prop up the value of the rupee. As of June 22, the RBI had foreign exchange reserves of $407.81 billion, which it can sell in the open market. The Fed, however, is expected to further tighten monetary policy in the coming months, potentially forcing emerging markets like India to raise interest rates further.

(Adapted from the Hindu)

7. Boost to Higher Education : Revitalising Infrastructure and Systems in Higher Education (RISE) by 2022 and Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) scope expanded (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics)

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal for expanding the scope of Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) by enhancing its capital base to Rs. 10,000 crore and tasking it to mobilise Rs. 1,00,000 crore for Revitalizing Infrastructure and Systems in Education (RISE) by 2022.

Details: In order to expand this facility to all institutions, especially to the institutions set up after 2014, Central Universities which have very little internal resources, and the school education/health education infrastructure like AllMSs, Kendriya Vidyalayas, the CCEA has approved the following five windows for financing under HEFA and the modalities of repaying the Principal portion of the fund (interest continues to be serviced through Government grants in all these cases):

1. Technical Institutions more than 10 years old: Repay the whole Principal Portion from the internally generated budgetary resources. 2. Technical Institutions started between 2008 and 2014: Repay 25% of the principal portion from internal resources, and receive grant for the balance of the Principal portion.

• Central Universities started 1. prior to 2014: Repay 10% of the principal portion from internal resources, and receive grant for the balance of the Principal portion.

2. Newly established Institutions (started after 2014): for funding construction of permanent campuses: Grant would be provided for complete servicing of loan including the Principal and interest.

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3. Other educational institutions and grant-in-aid institutions of Ministry of Health: All the newly set up AIIMSs and other health institutions, the Kendriya Vidyalayas / Navodaya Vidyalayas would be funded and the Department/Ministry concerned will give a commitment for complete servicing of the principal and interest by ensuring adequate grants to the institution.

The Cabinet has also permitted the HEFA to mobilise Rs 1,00,000 crore over the next 4 years till 2022 to meet the infrastructure needs of these institutions. The CCEA has also approved increasing the authorized share capital of HEFA to Rs. 10,000 crore, and approved infusing additional Government equity of Rs. 5,000 crore (in addition to Rs. 1,000 crore already provided) in HEFA.

The CCEA has also approved that the modalities for raising money from the market through Government guaranteed bonds and commercial borrowings would be decided in consultation with the Department of Economic Affairs so that the funds are mobilized at the least cost.

This would enable addressing the needs of all educational institutions with differing financial capacity in an inclusive manner.

This would enable HEFA to leverage additional resources from the market to supplement equity, to be deployed to fund the requirements of institutions. Government guarantee would eliminate the risk factor in Bonds issue and attract investment in to this important national activity.

Background: HEFA has been set up on 31st May 2017 by the Central Government as a Non ¬Profit, Non Banking Financing Company (NBFC) for mobilising extra-budgetary resources for building crucial infrastructure in the higher educational institutions under Central Govt. In the existing arrangement, the entire principle portion is repaid by the institution over ten years, and the interest portion is serviced by the Government by providing additional grants to the institution. So far, funding proposals worth Rs. 2,016 crore have been approved by the HEFA.

(Adapted from PIB)

8. How the 1.5-times formula works out MSP (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics)

The Budget for 2018-19 announced that MSPs would henceforth be fixed at 1½ times of the production costs for crops as a pre-determined principle .

The Centre has announced steep hikes in the minimum support prices (MSPs) for most crops planted in the current kharif season. This was based on a new formula, which pays farmers 1.5 times their estimated production costs.

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How does the government fix MSPs of crops before every planting season? The Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP) in the Ministry of Agriculture recommends MSPs for 23 crops. These include 14 grown during the kharif/post-monsoon season (see table) and six in rabi/winter (wheat, barley, chana, masur, mustard and safflower), apart from sugarcane, jute and copra. The CACP is supposed to consider various factors while recommending the MSP for a commodity, including cost of cultivation.

It also takes into account the supply and demand situation for the commodity; market price trends (domestic and global) and parity vis-à-vis other crops; and implications for consumers (inflation), environment (soil and water use) and terms of trade between agriculture and non-agriculture sectors.

So, what has changed now? The Budget for 2018-19 announced that MSPs would henceforth be fixed at 1½ times of the production costs for crops as a pre-determined principle . Simply put, the CACP s job will be only to estimate production costs for a season and recommend the MSPs by applying the 1.5-times formula. Thus, the all-India average production cost for paddy in 2018-19 has been projected at Rs 1,166 per quintal, 1.5 times of which is Rs 1,749 rounded off to an MSP of Rs 1,750 per quintal. —

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How is this production cost arrived at? The CACP does not do any field-based cost estimates itself. It merely makes projections using state-wise, crop-specific production cost estimates provided by the Directorate of Economics & Statistics in the Agriculture Ministry. The latter are, however, generally available with a three-year lag. For the 2018-19 season, the CACP has used the directorate s state-wise cost estimates for the latest three years, from 2013-14 to 2015-16. These have been projected for 2018-19 by assessing likely changes in input costs based on the latest price data from other sources such as the Labour Bureau (for wages) and Office of the Economic Adviser (which compiles wholesale prices).

The CACP further projects three kinds of production cost for every crop, both at state and all-India average levels. A2 covers all paid-out costs directly incurred by the farmer in cash and kind on seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, hired labour, leased-in land, fuel, irrigation, etc. A2+FL includes A2 plus an imputed value of unpaid family labour. C2— is a more comprehensive— cost that factors in rentals and interest forgone on owned land and fixed capital assets, on top of A2+FL.

Which production costs have been taken in fixing the MSPs for this kharif season? Finance Minister Arun Jaitley s Budget speech did not specify the cost on which the 1.5- times formula was to be computed. But the CACP s Price Policy for Kharif Crops: The Marketing Season 2018-19 report states that its MSP recommendation is based on 1.5 times the A2+FL costs. From the accompanying table, it can be seen the MSPs for 2018-19 derived from this formula are substantially higher than last year s. The increases work out to more than 10% for 11 out of the 14 kharif crops. Farm activists, however, say that the 1.5-times MSP formula originally recommended by the National Commission for Farmers headed by agricultural scientist M S Swaminathan and promised in the BJP s 2014 Lok Sabha election manifesto— should have been applied on the C2 costs. Had that been done, the MSP for common paddy alone (on a C2 cost of Rs 1,560) would have been Rs 2,340 per quintal, and not Rs 1,750 —as announced.

(Adapted from Indian Express)

9. Reforms in Public Sector Banks have taken back seat: Viral Acharya (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics)

The Reserve Bank of India s Deputy Governor in charge of monetary policy, Viral Acharya, recently surprised many with his candid remarks that reforms of public sector banks have taken a back seat. In the RBI s biannual Financial Stability Report, released at the end of June, he said: -raising appear to have again taken the back seat at the PSBs [public sector banks]... …governance reforms and market capital Why should we take note? In August 2015, the BJP government launched Indradhanush, an ambitious plan to reform PSBs. The first step was to separate the chairman and managing director s (CMD) post; the Banks Board Bureau was formed to select board-level appointments. However, though the Website: www.prepmate.in Telegram Channel: @upscprepmate Prepmate Cengage Books Preview: https://prepmate.in/books/ Youtube channel: PrepMate Edutech For updates on WhatsApp, share your name & city on WhatsApp No. 75978-30000

113 idea was to distance the government from such appointments, as suggested by the P.J. Nayak Committee, it continues to hold sway. Several PSBs have not had a chairman for months.

The IDBI Bank, for example, did not have a chairman for the last three years, since the post was split. In this backdrop, some plain speak from Mr. Acharya was not unexpected. He has been speaking his mind at closed-door meetings as well. At the April monetary policy committee meeting the minutes were made public later as is the convention he said he would vote for withdrawal of neutral stance. This gave the market the signal for a rate hike in the next policy— review of June, though the RBI officially maintained a neutral— stance. What is his core expertise? Mr. Acharya was a C.V. Starr Professor of Economics in the Department of Finance at New York University s Stern School of Business, having completed his doctorate on banks and financial institutions from the same institute. An alumni of the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, he has co-authored several research papers with former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan.

While he has been entrusted with monetary policy at the RBI, it has not stopped him from lending his expertise in other issues. In fact, his initial contribution to the RBI was to push the resolution of stressed loans which culminated in the banking regulator nudging banks to file bankruptcy proceedings against large defaulters. This was possible after the government amended the law to give more powers to the central bank for resolving banking sector stress. The resolution process is under way and will hopefully clean up banks balance sheets a prerequisite to fund credit demand when economic activity starts picking up. While restoring the health of the public sector banks reeling under huge non-performing assets is— critical, reforms in their governance are equally important.

Without such reforms, the problem of reckless lending could come back to haunt them again.

What is in store? At 44, Mr. Acharya is one of the youngest Deputy Governors. He took charge on January 20, 2017, for a three-year term. Mr. Acharya, who sings Kishore Kumar songs, is also known as the poor man s Rajan . Once on a flight, a co-passenger seeing his notes containing words like crisis and banks called him Raghu Rajan. That was the day I realised if I have Raghu [Raghuram Rajan] as my role model and even I hit 5% or 10% of that, I can easily pass off as a poor man s Raghu Rajan, he said once in a lighter vein. Mr. Acharya s push for reforms in the PSBs would certainly please Mr. Rajan s successor and his current boss, RBI Governor Urjit Patel. Soon after the massive fraud at the Punjab National Bank unravelled earlier this year, Mr. Patel had spoken out about the central bank s limited powers in checking malfeasance at government banks. The RBI cannot remove their directors or management, can do little to hold their boards accountable, and cannot force mergers or liquidation of these banks. Mr. Acharya s comments lend more urgency to the central bank honcho s call for legal reforms to ensure that the public sector banks face the same scrutiny as their private peers. Website: www.prepmate.in Telegram Channel: @upscprepmate Prepmate Cengage Books Preview: https://prepmate.in/books/ Youtube channel: PrepMate Edutech For updates on WhatsApp, share your name & city on WhatsApp No. 75978-30000

114

(Adapted from the Hindu)

10. What are currency derivatives (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics)

Currency derivatives are considered to be one of the best options to manage any risk against foreign currency exchange rate volatility. Here is a low-down on this hedging instrument:

What are currency derivatives? Currency derivatives are exchange-based futures and options contracts that allow one to hedge against currency movements. Simply put, one can use a currency future contract to exchange one currency for an another at a future date at a price decided on the day of the purchase of the contract. In India, one can use such derivative contracts to hedge against currencies like dollar, euro, U.K. pound and yen. Corporates, especially those with a significant exposure to imports or exports, use these contracts to hedge against their exposure to a certain currency.

While all such currency contracts are cash-settled in rupees, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), early this year, gave a go-ahead to start cross currency contracts as well on euro-dollar, pound-dollar and dollar-yen.

How can one trade in currency derivatives? The two national-level stock exchanges, BSE and the National Stock Exchange (NSE), have currency derivatives segments. The Metropolitan Stock Exchange of India (MSEI) also has such a segment but the volumes are a fraction of that witnessed on the BSE or the NSE. One can trade in currency derivatives through brokers. Incidentally, all the leading stock brokers offer currency trading services too.

It is just like trading in equity or equity derivatives segment and can be done through the trading app of the broker. While a dollar-rupee contract size is $1,000, one can trade by just providing the 2-3% margin.

Why were such derivatives introduced on exchange platforms? Prior to the introduction of currency derivatives on exchanges, there was only the OTC over the counter market to hedge currency risks and where forward contracts were negotiated and entered into. It was kind of an opaque and closed market where mostly– banks and financial– institutions traded. Exchange-based currency derivatives segment is a regulated and transparent market that can be used by small businesses and even individuals to hedge their currency risks.

Are the derivatives popular? The currency segment was unveiled in 2008 and since then, the volumes had registered a steady rise. In June, BSE reported an average daily turnover of Rs. 33,961 crore on its currency derivatives platform while NSE clocked Rs. 29,161 crore. MSEI reported a daily

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115 average turnover of only Rs. 239 crore in June. The growth in the segment can further be ascertained from the steady rise in the turnover over the years. For instance, the average daily turnover of the currency segment of NSE was Rs. 12,705 crore in 2014-15, which rose to Rs. 18,603 crore in 2015-16 and thereafter to Rs. 20,779 crore in 2017-18. In the current financial year till date, the average daily turnover is pegged at Rs. 29,008 crore.

(Adapted from The Hindu)

11. Proposal for construction of break water harbour in Konkan (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics)

The Nivati-Medha break water harbour in the Konkan region of Maharashtra is being considered under 12 Champion Sectors initiative of the Ministry of Commerce.

In the absence of such a harbour the financial condition of fishermen in the area is deteriorating as they are totally dependent on the vagaries of the sea. Building of the breakwater harbour will help the fishermen to haul a better catch even in adverse conditions and also give a boost to the tourism industry by allowing cruise ships to dock at the harbour. Other tourism activities will also get a fillip. This will raise the living standards of local people in the area noted the Minister.

What are breakwater harbor? Breakwaters are structures constructed on coasts as part of coastal management or to protect an anchorage from the effects of both weather and longshore drift.

Breakwaters reduce the intensity of wave action in inshore waters and thereby reduce coastal erosion or provide safe harbourage. Breakwaters may also be small structures designed to protect a gently sloping beach and placed one to three hundred feet offshore in relatively shallow water.

An anchorage is only safe if ships anchored there are protected from the force of high winds and powerful waves by some large underwater barrier which they can shelter behind. atural harbours are formed by such barriers as headlands or reefs. Artificial harbours can be created with the help of breakwaters.

(Adapted from PIB)

12. Why is there a row over Ayushman Bharat rates? (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics)

Why are hospitals displeased? Ayushman Bharat, the world s largest health insurance scheme aimed at covering 50 crore Indians, is facing teething troubles. In May, the government published the rates that insurance companies would pay hospitals for the 1,350 procedures covered under the scheme. These rates have become a sticking point for hospitals, which have criticised them as arbitrary and low. For example, the price of Caesarean section, at 9,000 for five days of

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116 hospital stay, food and consultation, is laughable, says Girdhar Gyani, director-general of the Association for Healthcare Providers India (AHPI). Even government hospitals incur 7,000 a day just to maintain a bed, he adds. Doctors have also criticised the clustering of medical conditions in the rate list. For example, treatment for tuberculosis and HIV with complications₹ will be reimbursed at the same rate of 2,000 a day. Anupam Singh, assistant professor, medicine, at Ghaziabad s Santhosh Medical College, says this is irrational. HIV complications can be pretty serious. Cryptococcal meningitis₹ requires costly anti-fungals, he points out. This means both illnesses must be compensated differently, he says. The fundamental problem, according to doctors and hospitals, is that the reimbursement rates were not calculated in a scientific manner.

Ayushman Bharat did rely on a study of over 100 hospitals in 60 cities, according to Dinesh Arora, director of the scheme. But these were mostly hospitals with under 50 beds in tier-2 and tier-3 cities. The cost structure of these hospitals is substantially different from tertiary-care hospitals in tier-1 cities for multiple reasons. Tertiary-care hospitals have super-specialists, a greater nurse/bed ratio, and hi-tech facilities such as catheterization labs, all of which cost more. Mr. Gyani says almost all neurosurgical procedures, and several cardio procedures, have to be carried out in such facilities, because few smaller hospitals can do so. But the Ayushman Bharat rates don t account for these differences.

What is the government stand? For now, the government is committed to the launch date of August 15. But officials have acknowledged that the rates will be revised. Ayushman Bharat has asked the AHPI to submit a list of 100 key procedures, for which a detailed cost study will be done. The results may come out around January 2019, says Mr. Arora. Until then, Ayushman Bharat has asked hospitals to cooperate, and the AHPI has agreed. We have more or less agreed to support the scheme until then, says Mr. Gyani. Aren t there costing studies? In 2016, the Karnataka Knowledge Commission, a body under the State government, did a small study comparing the costs of 20 frequent medical procedures with reimbursement rates under the Vajpayee Arogyashree, Yeshaswini and CGHS insurance schemes. The study found rates to be lower than costs for almost all procedures under all schemes. For example, if a surgery to repair an atrial septal defect (a hole in the wall between heart chambers) cost hospitals Rs.1,59,438, they received between 29% and 34% of this amount under the CGHS. The problem was that this study covered only four private hospitals in Bengaluru, and was not representative of Indian variations. But it showed that hospitals could be subsidising medical procedures greatly.

One reason reimbursement rates are low under the CGHS is that they are decided through a tender system, which picks the lower quotes from hospitals. Further, even these rates are not paid on time. A 2010 paper from the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations calculated that the average delay in paying hospitals under the CGHS was four months. Furthermore, the AHPI claims the CGHS still owes hospitals Rs. 400 crore in back payments.

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How will payment delays be avoided? Mr. Arora says the problems plaguing the CGHS will not affect Ayushman Bharat. We are committed to this. If you see our guidelines, we say the payments will be made within 15 days. A memorandum of understanding to this effect will be signed with the States.

(Adapted from The Hindu)

13. Peak hour flights may get costlier (Relevant for GS Prelims, Relevant for GS Mains Paper III; Economics)

Govt. considering congestion surcharge The government is mulling over a proposal to impose a surcharge on airlines for operating flights during peak hours to enhance airport capacity and to avoid flight delays, according to Airports Authority of India (AAI) chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra.

What is the present position? Currently, landing fees paid by airlines are determined by the weight of an aircraft and do not vary according to the time of the day.

Airlines are awarded slots for summer and winter schedules on a first-come-first-served basis as well as on the historicity of slots. An airline is said to maintain historicity of a particular slot if it is able to operate flights during a given slot punctually 80% of the time for a period of six months or the length of an entire season.

What is the rationale behind proposal of congestion charge? Government is persuading airlines to consider large window of non-peak hours.

A government official cited the example of Heathrow Airport to make a case for peak-hour pricing. Heathrow introduced the formula in 1972 to check air traffic congestion, when it was already witnessing 72 movements during peak hours. It also levies a steep penalty on airlines that fail to be punctual.

What will be impact? An aviation industry insider with experience at a major airport said the move would help spread demand through the day and, if passengers can pay extra for more comfort and leg room, they would be willing to pay more to fly during popular timings, while leisure travellers looking for cheap fares will still have the option of flying at non-peak hours. Chances of resistance by airlines

An airline executive said on the condition of anonymity that the move will not be welcomed by airlines as it will impose an additional charge on those already holding such slots without addressing the problem of air traffic congestion.

A senior official from a domestic carrier said on the condition of anonymity, We don t welcome such a proposal. The move, if put into effect, is unlikely to change airline Website: www.prepmate.in Telegram Channel: @upscprepmate Prepmate Cengage Books Preview: https://prepmate.in/books/ Youtube channel: PrepMate Edutech For updates on WhatsApp, share your name & city on WhatsApp No. 75978-30000

118 behaviour as peak-hour slots are almost impossible to get in large metros such as Mumbai and Delhi. It will become an additional charge on airlines holding peak-hour slots. A high- cost environment where airlines pay high fees for airport infrastructure as well as fuel is counter-productive to the growth of a burgeoning market like India.

An airport typically sees four peaks in a day. These are approximately between 6 a.m.-8.30 a.m., 10.30 a.m.-noon, 4 p.m.-6 p.m. and 7 p.m.-9.30 p.m. Most congested airports Mumbai s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Terminal and Delhi s Indira Gandhi International airport are two of the most congested airports in the country and see up to 52 and 73 movements per hour (landings and take-offs), respectively, during peak timings.

(Adapted from The Hindu)

14. Understanding inflation (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics)

In June, WPI inflation rose to its highest level in 54 months. Does rising WPI inflation really matter? How does WPI inflation differ from CPI inflation? And how does inflation impact a country s economic growth?

India s headline inflation measured by the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) rose 5.77% on a year-on-year basis to a 54-month high in June 2018. The trigger was a perceptible hardening of price levels of manufactured products as well as an unfavourable base effect, along with factors such as delayed transmission of higher crude oil prices, and an increase in electricity tariffs.

The impact The increase in the WPI headline print might not appear extremely relevant from a policy perspective, given that the RBI now focuses almost entirely on the other inflation metric the Consumer Price Index or CPI to decide on changing key policy rates. The rise in WPI inflation, however, highlights the pressure on prices in the economy, and indicates — a further rise in retail inflation. —

There are two key concerns here: one, that there has been a sustained increase in WPI inflation since the start of the current fiscal, and two, that data released by the government last week showed that retail inflation, too, had risen to a five-month high of 5% in June.

Given these trends, the sharper-than-expected uptick in the WPI inflation in June 2018 reinforces expectations of analysts that a repo rate hike is likely at the next meeting of the RBI s Monetary Policy Committee in August. The worry for policymakers in the surge in WPI numbers, even after discounting for the base effect (a low reading of 0.90% in June 2017, the base for calculating the year-on-year inflation for June 2018), is the cascading effect that it could have on CPI.

CPI vs WPI

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While both baskets measure inflationary trends (the movement of price signals) within the broader economy, the two indices differ sharply in the manner in which weightages are assigned to food, fuel and manufactured items, as well as at the broken-down level of these segments.

So, wholesale inflation, measured by WPI, tracks year-on-year inflation at the producer or factory gate level, and is a marker for price movements in the purchase of bulk inputs by traders. CPI, on the other hand, captures changes in prices levels at the shop end, and is, thereby, reflective of the inflation experienced at the level of consumers. The weightage of food in CPI is far higher (46%) than in WPI (24%). Also, WPI does not capture changes in the prices of services, which CPI does.

As in any imperfect market, changes in prices at the producer level get transmitted to consumers, mostly with a lag and, in some cases, not to the full extent of the impact at the producer level. So, while a higher WPI reading can be an aberration at times, a steady upward surge in WPI reading is most certainly an indicator of inflationary pressure entrenching itself within the broader economy and getting eventually reflected in the CPI numbers. In April 2014, the RBI had adopted the CPI as its key measure of inflation. Prior to this, the central bank had given more weightage to the WPI as the key measure of inflation for all policy purposes.

Warning signs In its last policy review in June, the RBI had indicated that there could be significant upside inflationary risks, thus leading to an increase in prices of commodities, especially food. The central bank hiked rates unexpectedly in the June review (a hike was expected only in August), and said it wanted to counter rising inflation at an early stage.

The worry is that the revised inflation projection of 4.8%-4.9% issued by the RBI in its June review could be breached in the first half of FY 19 due to rising crude oil prices, according to projections by India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) earlier this month. On Monday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in an update to its World Economic Outlook, said the Indian economy will grow slower than what it had estimated three months ago, because of higher crude prices and faster interest rate hikes. In the fresh update, the IMF trimmed India s growth projection for 2018-19 by 10 basis points to 7.3%. For 2019-20, IMF cut its projection by a sharper 30 basis points to 7.5%. Reflecting this view, Morgan Stanley, in its latest India Equity Strategy Almanac, noted that the likely rise in crude oil prices that could put pressure on growth, an election cycle that brings its own set of uncertainties, and an upward pressure on inflation from food price hikes that sees the RBI hike rates further, are among the top risks to Indian equities.

Inflation and growth What toll does inflation take on growth? Based on studies of a wide range of countries over the years, economists have broadly concluded that the threshold values of inflation in developing countries are higher than in developed countries. Studies such as those by Khan and Senhadji (2001) and Lopez-Villavicencio and Mignon (2011), pegged the threshold for

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120 inflation in developing countries at 7-11 per cent compared to 1-3 per cent in the developed countries. Most of these papers find the inflation-growth relationship as being significantly negative if inflation is above the threshold value, and insignificant or significantly positive if it is below the threshold value. In the Indian context, a significant paper was Inflation Threshold in India: An Empirical Investigation by Deepak Mohanty, A B Chakraborty, Abhiman Das and Joice John (2011), which examined threshold effects in the relationship between inflation rate and real GDP growth using a combination of approaches. The empirical analysis, using data for the period Q1:1996-97 to Q3:2010-11, concluded that inflation threshold (in the sense of structural break point) existed for India, and this implied a non-linear relationship between inflation and growth. The empirical results of this study suggested that there exists a statistically significant structural break in the relation between output growth and inflation in the 4% to 5.5% inflation range, above which inflation retards growth rate of GDP, and below the threshold level, there is a statistically significant positive relationship between inflation rate and growth. The paper concluded that substantial gains can be achieved if inflation is kept below the threshold.

This paper came in the immediate aftermath of the stimulus-fuelled growth strategy resorted to by most countries, including India, in the aftermath of the global financial meltdown in 2008. Also, importantly, this paper used WPI inflation in its empirical analysis. After it shifted to the CPI as its main benchmark for mapping policy rates, the RBI has a target to keep consumer-level inflation at 4% (+/- 2%). Any rise in CPI inflation beyond this comfort zone puts pressure on the central bank to hike rates.

(Adapted from The Indian Express)

15. Explaining the Fugitive Economic Offenders Ordinance (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics)

Who is a fugitive economic offender? Under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Ordinance, promulgated by the President in April, a fugitive economic offender is any individual against whom a warrant for arrest in relation to a scheduled offence has been issued by any court in India and who has either left India to avoid criminal prosecution, or who, being abroad, refuses to return to India to face criminal prosecution.

The list of offences that can qualify an individual to be designated an economic offender, enumerated in the schedule to the Ordinance, includes offences under several Acts such as the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881; the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934; the Central Excise Act, 1944; the Customs Act, 1962; the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act, 1988; the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002; and the Indian Penal Code.

What is the latest development with Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi? A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court on June 30 took cognisance of an application by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Ordinance and issued summons

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121 to Vijay Mallya and others before it on August 27, 2018. The ED on July 11 also moved a special court in Mumbai seeking fugitive economic offender status for Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi. What happens if a person is designated a fugitive economic offender? If the special court is satisfied that an individual is a fugitive economic offender, it can direct the Central government to confiscate the proceeds of the crime in India or abroad, whether or not such property is owned by the fugitive economic offender, and any other property or benami property in India or abroad that is owned by the fugitive economic offender. While the confiscation of property within India should not be a problem for the Centre, confiscating properties abroad will require the cooperation of the respective country. The fugitive economic offender will also be disqualified from accessing the Indian judicial system for any civil cases.

On whom does the burden of proof lie? In keeping with the principle of innocent until proven guilty , the burden of proof for establishing that an individual is a fugitive economic offender or that certain property is part of the proceeds of a crime is on the Director appointed to file an application seeking fugitive economic offender status.

(Adapted from the Hindu)

16. Shram Suvidha Portal (Relevant for GS Prelims, Economics)

Shram Suvidha Portal, launched by the Government on 16.10.2014, caters to four major Organisations under the Ministry of Labour & Employment, namely Office of Chief Labour Commissioner (Central), Directorate General of Mines Safety, Employees Provident Fund Organization and Employees State Insurance Corporation. The main features of the Portal are as follow:- Allotment of Unique Identity i.e. Labour Identification Number (LIN) for effective, efficient and real-time governance in Labour Administration • To bring transparency and accountability in enforcement of labour laws through Online Inspection System and Filing of Online Inspection Report • Common Online Registration and Filing of Self-Certified and Simplified Single Online Annual Return for multiple labour laws to ease the complexity of compliance • Unified ECR under EPFO/ESIC to encourage compliance by reducing transaction costs and promoting ease of business. • With these initiatives, the procedures have been simplified; returns and registration forms have been unified to provide an ease of doing business environment through Shram Suvidha Portal. Further, the portal provides a platform for sharing of information among the labour enforcement agencies. In this way, the Portal has not reduced but eased the

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122 compliance burden on establishments by simplifying the way of doing business and also facilitated effective enforcement of labour laws enhancing wage, job and social security for workers.

(Adapted from PIB)

17. Samagra Shiksha Scheme (Relevant for GS Prelims; Economics)

What is the scheme? The Department of School Education and Literacy has formulated the Samagra Shiksha - an Integrated Scheme for School Education as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme and it is being implemented throughout the country with effect from the year 2018-19. This programme subsumes the three erstwhile Centrally Sponsored Schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE). It is an overarching programme for the school education sector extending from pre-school to class XII and aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels of school education. It envisages the school as a continuum from pre-school, primary, upper primary, secondary to senior secondary levels. What does it involve? The major interventions, across all levels of school education, under the scheme are: (i) Universal Access including Infrastructure Development and Retention; (ii) Gender and Equity; (iii) Inclusive Education; (iv) Quality; (v) Financial support for Teacher Salary; (vi) Digital initiatives; (vii) Entitlements under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 including uniforms, textbooks etc.;(viii) Pre-school Education; (ix) Vocational Education; (x) Sports and Physical Education; (xi) Strengthening of Teacher Education and Training; (xii) Monitoring and (xiii) Programme Management. The main emphasis of the Scheme is on improving quality of school education and the strategy for all interventions would be to enhance the Learning Outcomes at all levels of schooling.

What is the financial allocation under the scheme? An allocation of Rs 75,000 crore over the period 1st April, 2018 to 31st March, 2020 has been approved which is a 20% increase over the current allocations.

(Adapted from the PIB)

18. National Mission on Teachers Training (Relevant for GS Prelims; Economics)

The Central Sector Scheme of Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on Teachers & Teaching having All India coverage, was launched by the Prime Minister of India on 25th December, 2014 with an outlay of Rs. 900 crore and the scheme has been approved for continuation till March 2020. The Mission addresses current and urgent issues of supply of qualified teachers, attracting talent into teaching profession and raising the quality of teaching in schools and colleges. The Mission also pursues the long term goals of building a strong professional cadre of teachers by setting performance standards and creating top

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123 class institutional facilities for innovative teaching and professional development of teachers.

(Adapted from the PIB)

19. Why is the WTO facing challenges? (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics)

What is the problem? Union Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu last week stated that India does not subsidise its exports to the rest of the world. The Minister's statement comes in the wake of increasing criticism that financial incentives offered by the Indian government to domestic exporters are distorting international trade. Mr. Prabhu also warned that the very existence of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) is currently under threat amid the rise in trade tensions between the U.S. and its major trading partners such as China, the European Union, Canada and others since the beginning of the year. U.S. President Donald Trump is trying to narrow his country's trade deficit with the rest of the world, particularly China. The trade deficit is the amount by which the value of imports into a country exceeds the value of its exports to other countries. The U.S. believes that sops offered to Indian exporters work against the interests of American companies that are unable to match the price of subsidised Indian goods. This further worsens America's trade deficit.

Is WTO under threat? The WTO was formed in 1995 with the goal of regulating trade between countries through appropriate ground rules. Among other things, members of the WTO were supposed to adopt non-discriminatory trade practices that offered a level playing field for all businesses. This has, however, been easier said than done as countries have tried to favour their domestic companies. Domestic companies are generally able to lobby their governments to adopt trade practices favourable to them. In March this year, the U.S. dragged India to the WTO for failing to curb export subsidies that it argues give an unfair advantage to Indian exporters.

The WTO had earlier allowed India and a number of other low-income countries with an income per capita of under $1,000 to offer export subsidies. India, however, broke past this threshold in 2013. The Indian government encourages exports through special economic zones and schemes like the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS), which offer tax breaks to exporters.

What if tensions increase? The increase in trade tensions between countries has raised questions about the WTO s purpose and relevance. The international trade body has been used by politicians as a forum to voice and defend the needs of various special interest groups. India s politicians, for instance, have been keen on protecting the interests of their farmers through the minimum support price. Countries in the West have also tried to protect their farmers and industries through the heavy use of subsidies. Without these subsidies, the production and distribution of goods across the world would be determined purely based on market forces.

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Many critics have argued that a bureaucratic organisation like the WTO cannot fulfil the ideal of unfettered free trade between countries that can vastly improve global living standards. Instead, they argue that such a bureaucracy is likely to be captured by special interest groups whose demands will harm the free market.

What is in store? The future of the WTO hangs in the balance as the world slowly slips into a trade war. The biggest casualty is likely to be economic growth as tit-for-tat tariffs increase the tax burden on the global economy. The WTO s track record in achieving free trade is also likely to come under scrutiny. Critics argue that the WTO, by discouraging competition between governments, may be preventing the tearing down of global trade barriers. In fact, they view certain export subsidies like tax breaks, which are prohibited under the rules of the WTO but employed by governments to attract businesses, as lowering the overall tax burden on the global economy. Further, according to the World Bank, the tariff rates applied between 1996 and 2008 under unilateral and preferential trade agreements have actually been lower than under the WTO s multilateral framework.

(Adapted from the Hindu)

20. What is the GDP deflator? (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics)

The GDP deflator, also called implicit price deflator, is a measure of inflation. It is the ratio of the value of goods and services an economy produces in a particular year at current prices to that of prices that prevailed during the base year.

This ratio helps show the extent to which the increase in gross domestic product has happened on account of higher prices rather than increase in output.

Since the deflator covers the entire range of goods and services produced in the economy as against the limited commodity baskets for the wholesale or consumer price indices it is seen as a more comprehensive measure of inflation. — — Real vs nominal GDP GDP price deflator measures the difference between real GDP and nominal GDP.

Nominal GDP differs from real GDP as the former doesn t include inflation, while the latter does. As a result, nominal GDP will most often be higher than real GDP in an expanding economy.

The formula to find the GDP price deflator: GDP price deflator = (nominal GDP ÷ real GDP) x 100

WPI, CPI

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A consumer price index (CPI) measures changes over time in the general level of prices of goods and services that households acquire for the purpose of consumption.

However, since CPI is based only a basket of select goods and is calculated on prices included in it, it does not capture inflation across the economy as a whole.

The wholesale price index basket has no representation of the services sector and all the constituents are only goods whose prices are captured at the wholesale/producer level.

Changes in consumption patterns or introduction of goods and services are automatically reflected in the GDP deflator. This allows the GDP deflator to absorb changes to an economy s consumption or investment patterns. Often, the trends of the GDP deflator will be similar to that of the CPI. Specifically, for the GDP deflator, the basket in each year is the set of all goods that were produced domestically, weighted by the market value of the total consumption of each good.

Therefore, new expenditure patterns are allowed to show up in the deflator as people respond to changing prices. The theory behind this approach is that the GDP deflator reflects up-to-date expenditure patterns.

GDP deflator is available only on a quarterly basis along with GDP estimates, whereas CPI and WPI data are released every month.

(Adapted from The Hindu)

21. Profit, losses, GNPAs of Public Sector Banks (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics)

Asset Quality Review (AQR) carried-out in 2015 for clean and fully provisioned bank balance-sheets revealed high incidence of NPAs. Expected losses on stressed loans, not provided for earlier under flexibility given to restructured loans, were reclassified as NPAs and provided for. PSBs initiated cleaning-up by recognising NPAs and provided for expected losses. The gross NPA ratio for Public Sector Banks (PSBs) as a category is 14.6% in the financial year (FY) 2017-18, as per Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data. In the last 25 financial years, the gross NPA ratio for PSBs was highest in FY 1993-94 at 24.8% and was also higher in six other financial years.

Bank-wise details of gross NPAs as of March 2018, and operating profit, provision done and net profit/loss in FY 2017-18, are given below.

Amounts in crore Rs.

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S. Bank As on FY 2017-18 ** No. 31.3.2018 *

Gross Operating Provisioning Net profit NPA profit done (amounts with ratio (%) a minus sign are losses) ***

1 Allahabad Bank 16.0 3,438 8,113 -4,674

2 Andhra Bank 17.1 5,361 8,774 -3,413

3 Bank of Baroda 12.3 12,006 14,437 -2,432

4 Bank of India 16.6 7,139 13,183 -6,044

5 Bank of 19.5 2,191 3,337 -1,146 Maharashtra

6 Canara Bank 11.8 9,548 13,770 -4,222

7 Central Bank of 21.5 2,733 7,838 -5,105 India

8 Corporation Bank 17.4 3,950 8,004 -4,054

9 Dena Bank 22.0 1,171 3,094 -1,923

10 IDBI Bank Limited 28.0 7,905 16,142 -8,238

11 Indian Bank 7.4 5,001 3,742 1,259

12 Indian Overseas 25.3 3,629 9,929 -6,299 Bank

13 Oriental Bank of 17.6 3,703 9,575 -5,872 Commerce

14 Punjab & Sind Bank 11.2 1,145 1,889 -744

15 Punjab National 18.4 10,294 22,577 -12,283 Bank

16 State Bank of India 10.9 59,511 66,058 -6,547

17 Syndicate Bank 11.5 3,864 7,087 -3,223

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18 UCO Bank 24.6 1,334 5,771 -4,436 So 19 Union Bank of India 15.7 7,540 12,787 -5,247 urc es: 20 United Bank of 24.1 1,025 2,479 -1,454 * India RBI (gl 21 Vijaya Bank 6.3 3,098 2,371 727 ob al operations, provisional data for Mar-2018)

(Adapted from PIB)

22. Report of Committee on Resolution of Stressed Assets suggests a Five-Pronged Approach for Stressed Assets Resolution by the Banking Industry (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics)

Suggestions by committee As per bank inputs, banks had set-up a Committee on Resolution of Stressed Assets, which has given its Report suggesting a five-pronged approach for stressed assets resolution by the banking industry in the areas of SME resolution (for which banks may put in place a Robust Monitoring Process), Bank-Led Resolution, AMC/AIF-led resolution, resolution through the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, and an asset trading platform. Banks have initiated steps for taking forward the suggestions with due approvals.

Steps taken A number of measures have been taken to streamline recovery and introduce innovative methods for recovery of NPAs. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC) has been enacted to create a unified framework for resolving insolvency and bankruptcy matters.

Under this, by adopting a creditor-in-saddle approach, with the interim resolution professional taking over management of affairs of corporate debtor at the outset, the incentive to resort to abuse of the legal system has been taken away. This, coupled with debarment of wilful defaulters and persons associated with NPA accounts from the resolution process, has effected a fundamental change in the creditor-debtor relationship.

The Banking Regulation Act, 1949 has been amended, to provide for authorisation to RBI to issue directions to banks to initiate the insolvency resolution process under IBC. As per RBI s directions, cases have been filed under IBC before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in respect of 39 large defaulters, amounting to about Rs. 2.69 lakh crore funded exposure (as of December 2017).

The Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002 has been amended for faster recovery, with provision for three months imprisonment in case the borrower does not provide asset details and for the lender to get

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128 possession of mortgaged property within 30 days. Also, six new Debts Recovery Tribunal have been established to expedite recovery.

In addition, under the PSB Reforms Agenda announced by the Government, PSBs have committed to clean and commercially prudent business through Stressed Asset Management Verticals for focussed recovery, rigorous due diligence and appraisal for sanction by scrutinising group balance sheets, at least 10% share in consortium lending, ring-fencing of cash flows, initiating use of technology and analytics for comprehensive due diligence across data sources, building capacity for techno-economic valuation, clean and effective post-sanction follow-up on large-value accounts by tying up with Agencies for Specialised Monitoring, and strict segregation of pre and post-sanction roles for enhanced accountability.

(Adapted from PIB)

23. Banks agree to resolve stressed assets quickly (Relevant for GS prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics)

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24 lenders sign an agreement, more are expected to follow Leading lenders of the country signed an agreement among themselves to grant power to the lead lender of the consortium to draw up a resolution plan for stressed assets. The plan would be implemented in a time-bound manner before bankruptcy proceedings kick in, as was the mandate of the Reserve Bank.

The move comes after the banking regulator, in its circular, dismantled all the existing resolution mechanisms, such as the joint lenders forum, and asked lenders to start resolution for the asset even if the default was by one day. It had also mandated that if the resolution plan was not finalised within 180 days, the account had to be referred for bankruptcy proceedings.

SBI, BoI on board The agreement, known as Inter-Creditor Agreement (ICA) was framed under the aegis of the Indian Banks Association and follows the recommendations of the Sunil Mehta

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Committee on stressed asset resolution. Lenders including State Bank of India, Bank of India, and Corporation Bank have already signed the pact.

To whom ICA is applicable? The ICA is applicable to all corporate borrowers who have availed loans for an amount of Rs. 50 crore or more under consortium lending / multiple banking arrangements, IBA said in a statement. The lender with the highest exposure to a stressed borrower will be authorised to formulate the resolution plan which will be presented to all lenders for their approval.

The decision making shall be by way of approval of majority lenders (i.e. the lenders with 66% share in the aggregate exposure). Once a resolution plan is approved by the majority..., it shall be binding on all the lenders that are a party to the ICA, the statement said.

Dissenting lenders can either sell their exposure to another lender at a 15% discount or buy the entire exposure of all the banks involved, at a 25% premium.

To aid resuscitation One of the major issues that we identified was a [lack of] consensus among the lending banks on what should have been a common resolution plan which would have benefited the banks, so that there is a resolution in getting the asset back into the resuscitation mode rather than allowing it to impair over a period of time, said Sunil Mehta, chairman, Punjab National Bank, and the head of the panel that had recommended the ICA. This is primarily focussed on the Rs. 50 crore-Rs.500 crore and the Rs. 500 crore-Rs.2,000 crore categories. If there are any specific assets of more than Rs. 2,000 crore, we will deal with that separately, Mr. Mehta said.

The Mehta committee had estimated Rs. 2.1 lakh crore of stressed assets in the Rs. 50 crore to Rs. 500 crore category. The total stress in public sector banks is estimated at Rs. 10.6 lakh crore, as on March 31, 2018.

(Adapted from the Hindu)

24. Recent performance of Stock markets (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics)

What is the recent levels of Sensex and Nifty? India s benchmark stock indices are roaring again, with the Nifty and the Sensex scaling all- time highs, crossing the 11,200 and 37,300 levels, respectively. What is the reason of rise? A result largely of increased buying by foreign institutional investors and expectations of strong first-quarter earnings results, it took the Sensex just 13 trading sessions to move from 36,000 to 37,000 points. Coming after both indices witnessed extremely sharp

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131 corrections a few months ago, the rally has occurred when other emerging market indices have failed to recover their losses since the fall in February.

The sharp recovery limited to few stocks The swift recovery, however, is not reflective of a secular rise. While the sharp market correction in February hit stocks across the board, this rally has been limited to a few pockets of the market. Heavyweight blue-chip stocks such as HDFC, Reliance Industries, ITC, Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys have contributed the most while many others have lagged behind. Almost half the companies in the Nifty still trade below their 200-day moving average, a sign of insufficient price strength.

Divergence in performance of stocks The divergence in the performance of various stocks becomes clearer when large caps are compared to smaller companies. The mid-cap and the small-cap indices, which fell more sharply than the benchmark indices earlier this year, are still trading well below their historic highs in January. While the Sensex has gained almost 10% since the beginning of the year, the mid- and small-cap indices are significantly down. Not surprisingly, overall market capitalisation is still below its historic high reached in January.

The present stock market rally clearly does not yet mark a return to the good old days when investors could expect multi-bagger returns by betting on stocks across the wider market. Several stocks in the mid- and small-cap category have fallen to levels reminiscent of a bear market. Investors are now probably seeking safety in a few large-cap stocks that offer better quality of earnings compared to untested and riskier smaller companies.

The return of foreign institutional buying also suggests that investors may be betting on India over other emerging markets that have suffered more severely. It, however, remains to be seen if mid-caps and small caps will follow the large caps and resume their journey upward. Else, the lack of sufficient breadth in the wider market will presage an eventual correction in the large caps too.

(Adapted from The Hindu)

25. Watchdogs and certifiers: why auditors are critical for listed companies (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics)

The Satyam and PNB scandals underlined the dangers of lax auditing. What does recent wave of auditor resignations portend?

Auditors in as many as 204 listed companies have resigned between January 1 and July 17 this year, an unusual average of a resignation a day, data from the Registrar of Companies show. Why is this significant?

Holders of trust An auditor has an especially important role in a listed entity, which has numerous stakeholders, including minority shareholders, whose interests have to be protected,

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132 experts say. No one other than the auditor has the permission to go through the accounts of the company. Their role is fundamental and unparalleled, Prithvi Haldea, chairman of Prime Database, said. It is said that the trust of around 3.2 crore active demat account holders in capital markets is primarily on account of auditors the only outsiders in a company who can verify and certify the books. Among shareholders in most of India s top 10 companies by market capitalisation, over 60 lakh hold up— to 500 shares; all these retail investors, as well as institutional investors, rely heavily on auditor s certification, experts say.

What the judiciary is for politics, the auditor is for the corporate world and capital markets, the head of a leading mutual fund company said. In the absence of an auditor, capital markets would collapse. They are the watchdogs who keep an eye on the management and certify the balance sheet. Without the auditor s certification, the balance sheet would mean nothing. Said another fund manager, Since it (auditing) is a highly specialised job that not every one can do, investors rely on the auditor s report and certification before investing in a company. Auditors are the most visible and reliable gatekeepers of accounts. Some auditors who have resigned recently have complained that company managements did not share crucial data with them. Given that several auditors in the past have failed to perform their duty and have, in some cases, been seen to play along with the management, the industry is aware that they are under scrutiny and auditors are, therefore, keen to play safe.

Section 132 of the Companies Act, 2013, talks about the constitution of a National Financial Reporting Authority (NAFRA) to look into accounting and auditing standards, and the government has in the past expressed its intention to strengthen the system. The proposed NAFRA will have the powers to investigate misconduct by any member or firm of chartered accountants, and some recent activity suggesting imminent action on the proposal may have contributed to auditors seeking to appear extra diligent, experts said.

Watershed moment The 2009 Satyam Computer Services episode, which resulted in big losses for shareholders, marked a turning point in corporate governance practices in India. While Satyam s promoter admitted to reporting inflated, and sometimes non-existent, cash and bank balances for several years, responsibility was also fixed on the auditor, PricewaterhouseCoopers, for having failed to perform its gatekeeping duty and detect or report the accounting fraud. In January this year, markets regulator Sebi passed an order barring PwC from auditing any Indian listed company for two years, and slapped a penalty of Rs 13 crore, along with interest at 12% every year since January 2009, on two partners of the auditing firm.

More recently, the Rs 13,000 crore PNB fraud has spotlighted the role of auditors. The chartered accountants body ICAI issued showcause notices to the auditors of both the

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133 bank and Nirav Modi s Gitanjali Gems, and set up a high-power group to study the case and suggest remedial measures. Prescription in law Among the changes in audit rules that the new Companies Act, 2013, introduced is that beginning April 1, 2014, listed companies can t appoint or re-appoint an individual as auditor for more than one term of five consecutive years , and an audit firm as auditor for more than two terms of five consecutive years . The Act gives the auditor the right to access all records of the company, and enjoins upon the auditor to report any reservations about the maintenance of accounts, and state whether the company has adequate internal financial controls in place.

The Act puts the onus of reporting fraud on the auditor, and removes the distinction between material and immaterial fraud. The auditor must report the matter to the central government within 60 days of becoming aware of the fraud; wilful non-compliance will attract a fine of between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 25 lakh.

The auditor is required to forward his report to the Board or the Audit Committee immediately after the knowledge of the fraud, and seek their reply within 45 days. On receipt of the reply, the auditor has to forward his report with his comments on the reply to the central government within 15 days.

(Adapted from The Indian Express)

26. Why dairy is in crisis (Relevant for GS prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics)

Farmers are getting less for milk, but retail prices are unchanged. Global skimmed milk powder prices are down, as are India s exports. A way to absorb surplus could be to include milk in mid-day meals scheme. How have milk prices paid by dairies to farmers, and by consumers buying retail, changed in the last one year? Over the last year, average procurement price for cow milk containing 3.5% fat and 8.5% solids-not-fat (SNF), has fallen from Rs 24-25 to Rs 17-20 per litre in states like Maharashtra. Buffalo milk (6.5% fat, 9% SNF) has fallen from Rs 41-42 to Rs 34-36. But retail price of toned milk in pouches (only 3% fat, 8.5% SNF) has remained at Rs 42 per litre, and full-cream milk (6% fat, 9% SNF) at Rs 52.

If consumers are paying the same, why have dairies slashed purchase prices? Dairies broadly do two kinds of businesses. One, branded pouch liquid milk; two, commodities, which is mainly skimmed milk powder (SMP), white butter, or ghee. The present crisis has to do with the latter.

From 100 litres (or 103 kg) of cow milk, a commodity-focussed dairy can make 8.75 kg SMP (8.5% SNF) and 3.6 kg ghee (3.5% fat). At current per-kg realisations of Rs 130-140 for SMP and Rs 320-325 for ghee, the gross revenue would be Rs 2,300-2,400. Net of Rs

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200 post-procurement expenses (for chilling and transport to the dairy) and Rs 300 processing cost, the most that the dairy can pay to farmers is Rs 1,800-1,900 or Rs 18- 19/litre. — Contrast this to a year ago, when SMP rates were Rs 200-210/kg and the corresponding gross revenues (ghee prices have been more or less stable) worked out to Rs 29-30 from every litre of milk processed.

Does the same logic apply to liquid milk? Not really. Branded pouch milk, unlike SMP and other processed commodities, is not prone to price fluctuations. The processing and packaging cost in liquid milk is hardly Rs 2.5 per litre. Adding post-procurement expenses of Rs 2, and transport, distribution and marketing charges of Rs 5, dairies can pay farmers even Rs 30-31 per litre for cow milk and sell it as toned milk (with slightly less fat content) for Rs 42. While liquid milk marketing is viewed as a low-margin business traditionally monopolised by cooperatives, it is the only profitable segment within the dairy industry today. Value-added products cheese, paneer, yogurts, milk-based sweets, baby food or flavoured and organic milk may give more margins, but volumes aren t big. — — Even then, why should procurement prices fall so much? Branded liquid milk sales in India are roughly 450 lakh litres per day (LLPD). Annual SMP production is estimated at 5.5-6 lakh tonnes (lt). About 11 litres of milk are required to produce 1 kg of SMP, which translates into another 165-180 LLPD.

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SMP manufacture was a thriving business until about five years ago, when global prices were high and India was exporting up to 1.3 lt annually. Average SMP rates at GlobalDairyTrade the fortnightly online auction platform of New Zealand s Fonterra Cooperative, the world s biggest exporter hit a record $5,142 per tonne on April 2, 2013. Those prices have — since collapsed to well below $2,000, resulting in India s exports, too, plunging to 11,500 tonnes in 2017-18 (see— charts). Website: www.prepmate.in Telegram Channel: @upscprepmate Prepmate Cengage Books Preview: https://prepmate.in/books/ Youtube channel: PrepMate Edutech For updates on WhatsApp, share your name & city on WhatsApp No. 75978-30000

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Reduced exports have meant there is an annual SMP surplus of over 1 lt now, which the domestic market is unable to absorb. Dairies have had to, therefore, either cut procurement 1 lt SMP is equivalent to 30 LLPD of milk or reduce prices corresponding to their lower realisations from powder. — — Will the Rs 5-per-litre subsidy announced by Maharashtra for dairies to convert surplus milk into powder help? Maharashtra s move will only increase SMP production and add to the surplus. Dairies previously produced powder from the surplus milk during the flush October-March season when animals produce more due to better fodder and water availability, and lower temperatures and humidity which they used for reconstitution during the lean April-September— months. But with overall rising milk production leading to narrowing deficits, both across time and regions,— the requirement for reconstitution has come down. The bulk of domestic SMPs sales are only to confectionary, biscuit or icecream makers.

The only feasible solution to the dairy industry s crisis is to find a replacement market for the 1 lt-plus surplus SMP. This could be either through a programme of commodity aid to deficit countries in South Asia and Africa, or boosting domestic consumption by including milk in mid-day meal schemes. Giving 5 crore schoolchildren a 200-ml glass of milk each twice a week, would require 95,000 tonnes of SMP.

(Adapted from The Indian Express)

27. National Skill Training Institute (NSTI) for Women in Mohali (Relevant for GS Prelims; Economics)

About National Skill Training Institute The Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development &Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan laid the foundation stone for permanent campus of National Skill Training Institute (NSTI) for Women at Mohali, Punjab. This is the first NSTI Institute for Punjab and only one of its kind in India which is exclusively for women.

The land for the project has been given by the farmers of village Saneta near Mohali and the cost of the project is Rs.17 crores. Later on in the day, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development &Entrepreneurship launched India s first in-phone guide and mobile application Go whats That .

(Adapted from PIB)

28. The lowdown on GST rate cuts (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics)

What is it? The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, at its 28th meeting, reduced the tax rates on more than 50 items, including commonly used products like sanitary pads, and white goods

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137 like washing machines, refrigerators and kitchen appliances. Sanitary pads have been exempt from the GST it had a 12% tax rate earlier. White goods have seen their tax rates reduced to 18% from the earlier 28%. — Also of interest to the common man, the Council decided to tax footwear of value up to Rs. 1,000 at 5%, where earlier this slab was reserved for footwear up to a value of Rs. 500.

The Council also decided to provide relief to the hotel industry by saying that the rate of tax on the accommodation service would be calculated on the basis of the transaction value and not the declared tariff.

The Council took a key decision on the returns filing process. Assessees with an annual income of less than Rs. 5 crore can now file their returns on a quarterly basis. This affects more than 90% of GST filers, and so has been seen as a welcome move for small businesses. In addition, the Council finalised two simplified forms Sahaj and Sugam for the large filers. — — How did it come about? The rate reductions are in keeping with the Council s ongoing efforts to rationalise the tax rates and keep as few items in the 28% bracket as possible. The simplification of the return filing procedures is also the next in a series of steps taken by the Council such as widening the eligibility criterion of the Composition Scheme, putting on hold the more complicated aspects of filing GST returns, and simplifying the forms in a staged manner.

The decision to exempt sanitary pads from the GST has been seen as a women-friendly and progressive move that will greatly reduce their price. This is an incorrect assessment, given how the GST is structured. Products exempt from the GST are also ineligible for input tax credits. So, while the output tax has been slashed, the input tax burden on companies making these pads has increased.

With the two main manufacturers of pads in India likely wanting to maintain their profit margins at the same levels as before the rate cut was announced, the decrease in price for the consumers is likely to only be a few rupees.

Why does it matter? Further, the government deflected questions on the revenue impact of its rate reductions on white goods by saying that the increased demand due to the price reduction would mean that the overall tax revenue from these products would remain largely unaffected.

First, the tax relief will result in only a 7-8% price reduction of these white goods, many of which cost several thousand rupees. Second, the demand for these white goods is relatively inelastic in the sense that people will not buy more of them simply because they are cheaper. You will buy only as many washing machines as you need.

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That aside, what the rate cuts have done is to narrow the 28% rate slab to only luxury items and sin goods such as tobacco and cigarettes. This is a welcome move, and a big step towards possibly removing the slab altogether, thereby further simplifying the GST.

What next? The GST Council takes up new rate-related issues at each of its meetings. Looming over the agenda is the issue of petroleum products and when they will be included in the GST.

Reports say the Council will take this up in a staged manner, first considering natural gas, then aviation turbine fuel, and then possibly petrol and diesel.

The return filing process is also in for some more gradual changes as the Council finalises the manner in which the invoice-matching system can be incorporated into the system. Without invoice matching, the GST is still incomplete.

(Adapted from The Hindu)

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Environment

1. Who is T. Vijay Kumar, and what is he doing to promote natural farming in Andhra Pradesh? (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Environment)

Like many other States, Andhra Pradesh is known for indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to the extent that residues found their way into mothers milk in a few villages in Guntur. As Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) takes root in Andhra Pradesh, promising to move away from synthetic fertilizers and pesticides and rejuvenate the degraded soil, a retired civil servant, T. Vijay Kumar, is leading the project.

What is the mission? Mr. Kumar is being seen as the prime mover of the ZBNF as Andhra Pradesh inches towards becoming India s first natural farming State, covering 60 lakh farmers and 12,294 gram panchayats by 2024, and 80 lakh hectares or 90% of the cultivable area by 2026. For Mr. Kumar, a 1983-batch IAS officer, heralding a natural farming era is a dream and comes at the end of a long career, 28 years of which were spent on the Tribal, Rural and Agriculture Development Departments. After retiring in September 2016, he became adviser to the government on agriculture and vice-chairman of the Rythu Sadhikara Samstha, a not-for-profit company set up by the government to usher in natural farming.

According to Mr. Kumar, 'for both farmers and consumers, natural farming is a win-win situation. Simply put, the ZBNF is a practice that believes in natural growth of crops without fertilizer and pesticide or any other foreign elements. The inputs used for seed treatments and other inoculations are cow dung and cow urine. Vidarbha farmer and Padma Shri awardee Subhash Palekar, the biggest champion of the ZBNF, pioneered a cow dung- and cow urine-based concept for seed treatment, inoculation, mulching and soil aeration.

How did he spread the word? Mr. Kumar realised that to promote the ZBNF, he would have to speak to the farmer in a language he understands. He prompted the Agriculture Department to identify community resource persons or champion farmers from the villages who would motivate other farmers to achieve the ultimate goal of biovillages (the entire village taking to natural farming) in phases. The initial committed group of 800, trained in natural farming, were used as CRPs to spread the concept. After preparatory work, this massive task began with Mr. Palekar s eight-day training for 5,000 farmers in the ZBNF in January 2016. By the end of 2017, 40,000 farmers in 704 villages were covered, 2017-18 saw 1,63,000 being roped in at 972 villages, and during the current year the target is 5,00,000 farmers in 3,015 villages.

What were the challenges? For Mr. Kumar, one of the biggest challenges was that of mindset. Farmers had been brought up to believe that chemical-based farming, with external inputs, was necessary to

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140 increase yields. But when fellow farmers who had taken to natural farming briefed the others of the benefits, especially of cost, they took to it like fish to water.

Having worked for rural welfare for years, Mr. Kumar found it easy to reach out to the community. In service, he had initiated the novel concept of Community Coordinators.

Under it, young professionals from reputed institutes, like the IITs, would spend three years in a tribal village. Then as CEO of the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty of the undivided Andhra Pradesh government from 2000 to 2010, he implemented a poverty eradication programme on an outlay of over Rs. 2,600 crore. The programme, covering all villages, was successful in organising 1.15 crore rural poor women in thrift and credit- based self-help groups. The key impact is that these groups mobilised bank credit to the tune of 65,000 crore in the undivided State as on March 2014.

What lies₹ in store? Mr. Kumar is looking forward to the day, most likely by 2024, when Andhra Pradesh will be called a natural farming State.

(Adapted from The Hindu)

2. On the formaldehyde contamination of fish (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Environment)

What are the findings? In June, the Kerala government found formaldehyde-laced fish being transported into the State. Soon after, the Tamil Nadu Fisheries University study revealed around 5-20 ppm of the chemical in freshwater and marine fish in two of the city s markets. Next, Goa reported similar findings. But its Food and Drugs Administration later said the levels in Goan samples were on a par with naturally occurring formaldehyde in marine fish.

What is the legal status of formaldehyde? The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has banned formaldehyde in fresh fish, while the International Agency for Research on Cancer labelled the chemical a carcinogen in 2004. The evidence the IARC relied on mainly consists of studies on workers in industries such as printing, textiles and embalming. Such workers inhale formaldehyde fumes, and the studies show high rates of nasopharyngeal and other cancers among them.

But there is little evidence that formaldehyde causes cancer when ingested orally. A 1990 study by U.S. researchers estimated that humans consume 11 mg of the chemical through dietary sources every day.

Why is formaldehyde in fish a problem? For one thing, fresh fish should not have preservatives, and the presence of formaldehyde points to unscrupulous vendors trying to pass off stale catch as recent.

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Two, the lack of evidence linking ingested formaldehyde with cancer doesn t necessarily make the chemical safe. At high doses, it causes gastric irritation. Plus, the lack of data could merely mean that not enough people are consuming formaldehyde regularly enough for its carcinogenic effects to show the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

How can naturally occurring formaldehyde— be distinguished from free? When certain marine fish are improperly frozen during transit, formaldehyde forms in them naturally. But this formaldehyde binds to the tissue, unlike added formaldehyde, which remains free. And so, measuring free formaldehyde versus bound formaldehyde can be one way of distinguishing a contaminant from a naturally occurring chemical.

Way ahead In this context, the Goan government must clarify its claim. Did the Goan FDA measure free formaldehyde or bound formaldehyde? If it measured the sum of both, on what basis did it conclude that the chemical came from natural sources? Some formaldehyde consumption may be unavoidable for fish- lovers, and it may not be a health risk either. But the line between safe and unsafe consumption should be drawn by experts, in a transparent manner. The Goan claim doesn t meet this criterion. This is why, instead of allaying the fears of consumers, it is stoking them. (Adapted from The Hindu)

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Science and Technology

1. What is the Yo-Yo test? (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)

Yo-Yo is a variation of the Beep test, a running aerobic fitness routine that Indian cricketers had to undergo in the past. But passing Beep was not mandatory for selection as is the case with Yo-Yo. Ambati Rayudu was left out of the one-day squad for the England tour in July after failing the test. Yo-Yo probes a sportsperson s endurance and ability to pace himself; towards the end of the maximal running aerobic fitness drill, an element of speed comes into play.

The gruelling routine has two sets of cones that are 20 metres apart. Once the beep is sounded, an athlete has to reach the marker on the other side by the time the next beep sounds, turn and get back to where he started before the third beep.

The frequency of the beeps gradually increases for the subsequent trips; a trip is a successful completion of a run to the cones at the other end and back. There is a gap of about seven seconds between each trip.

What starts off as a fast jog at the start becomes distinctly quicker as the test progresses with the duration between the beeps decreasing. The point at which an athlete misses two beeps (twice unable to finish trips before the third beep goes off) is his score. Rayudu had failed to meet the benchmark of 16.1

How did it come about? The Yo-Yo test was invented by Dr. Jens Bangsbo, a Danish scientist and football coach, in the 1990s. He tested it on footballers to improve their overall fitness levels, with a routine that was not just about running long distances. Gradually, other sport started adopting Yo- Yo. For elite footballers, the benchmark score was set high at 21. Yo-Yo was introduced to Indian cricket by the national team s strength and conditioning coach Shankar Basu. Ahead of India s tour of Sri Lanka in 2017, the cricketers underwent these tests. Why does it matter? Given the sheer volume of matches for Indian players and the pace and intensity of contemporary cricket with its different formats, there is a belief that optimal fitness must be achieved. Irrespective of a cricketer s ability, the present Indian team management feels a minimum fitness level is non-negotiable. As it turns out, the benchmark Yo-Yo score for Indian cricketers has been set, rather low, at 16.1. For New Zealand and England, it is 19 and above, while Sri Lanka and Pakistan have fixed it at 17.4. Irrespective of their performance on the field, cricketers have to clear the Yo-Yo test for selection to the India A and the national teams. Earlier, prominent cricketers such as Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh had failed to surmount the hurdle. Now, Rayudu s missing out on the England ODI series after grabbing headlines in the physically and mentally demanding IPL led to an uproar in certain quarters. The trainer, some experts say, cannot become a selector in a

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143 skill-based sport. Those who argue against Yo-Yo point out that it measures only one aspect of fitness and does not take into account factors such as agility, flexibility and mental toughness, and the specific demands needed by different breeds of cricketers such as batsmen, spinners and fast bowlers. Too much hinges on a cricketer s familiarity with the test, critics point out. What lies ahead? India captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri firmly back the test. Ahead of the England tour, Shastri said, Anyone who thinks Yo-Yo is a one-off is mistaken.

However, there have been rumblings within the Board of Control for Cricket in India over the issue. The chief of the Committee of Administrators, Vinod Rai, has voiced his concerns.

Cricket Australia has replaced Yo-Yo, which it found unreliable, with a two-km time-trial.

In Indian cricket though, Yo-Yo seems to be heading for a longer run.

(Adapted from The Hindu)

2. How to use spider silk to generate energy and power a pacemaker (Relevant for GS Prelims and GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)

Nano generator made of spider silk A pacemaker runs only as long as its battery, after which the battery needs to be replaced.

New research has come up with an alternative that can power the pacemaker continuously a Nano generator that harvests electricity out of spider silk. Scientists at IIT Kharagpur, along with a team of researchers from South Korea, have devised a self-powered, piezoelectric— Nano generator that can harvest green energy from various mechanical and biomechanical motions.

What is Piezoelectricity? Piezoelectricity is the generation of electric charges in certain solid materials in response to applied mechanical stress such as the body s motion, wind and water flow, or sound vibration. A piezoelectric Nano generator can harvest external kinetic or mechanical/biomechanical energy into electrical— energy via action by means of a Nano-structured piezoelectric material.

Piezoelectricity using spider-silk fibre The research, published in Nano Energy, describes how piezoelectricity can be generated by applying pressure on fibre in this case spider-silk fibre. IIT Kharagpur scientists say this technology can be used in healthcare monitoring, such as in pacemakers and other medical equipment. —

Are there other materials which can be used?

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There are many materials in nature which have piezoelectric properties. When pressure is applied, it leads to changes in the molecular structure of the material, making it capable of harvesting mechanical/biomechanical energy into green electricity. When capacitors are attached to the external circuit, the electrical energy can be stored and this becomes an alternative energy source to thermal energy or hydroelectric energy or solar energy, said Professor B B Khatua of IIT Kharagpur s Material Science Centre, who led the research. There are various ceramic or metal-oxide-based piezoelectric materials. But due to their brittleness and toxic nature, these materials have limitations for application inside the human body. Spider silk, however, is both biocompatible and biodegradable and is therefore perfect for being used inside the body.

How does the pacemaker works? While the pacemaker will keep the heart ticking, the heartbeat will in turn keep the pacemaker going. In battery-operated pacemakers, once the life of the battery is over, you need to replace it. Assembling a spider-silk-based Nano generator as a self-chargeable power source, the energy required to make the pacemaker work can be created by the heartbeat. Every time the heart beats, it will create external pressure on the spider silk, making it generate energy.

The Nano generator was prepared by spraying water on spider silk and wrapping it around the device. The power generated from a single unit lights up 25 green LEDs instantly. Prof Khatua said it can be used not only in pacemakers but in many other devices, and also for harvesting green energy and even for large-scale industrial applications.

The self-powered, spider-silk-based flexible nano generator is extremely sensitive to even minute pressure generated from body motions, even the very small pressure arising from arterial pulse (signals arising out of small strains), throat movement during coughing, speaking, and drinking. This shows its potentiality in healthcare-monitoring applications.

Its sensitiveness could also be used to monitor robotic applications. It is the first time that a natural product like spider silk has been effectively used as a piezoelectric Nano generator without any chemical treatment.

(Adapted from The Indian Express)

3. NITI Aayog to organise Indias First Global Mobility Summit (Relevant for GS Prelims; Science & Technology)

MOVE Summit Steeply falling technology costs and business model innovation are driving the world s transition to renewable energy and electric vehicles. Against this background, NITI Aayog, in collaboration with various ministries and industry– partners, is organising MOVE: Global Mobility Summit in New Delhi on 7th and 8th September, 2018. This Summit will help drive Government s goals for vehicle electrification, renewable energy integration and job growth and also speed up India s transition to a clean energy economy. Website: www.prepmate.in Telegram Channel: @upscprepmate Prepmate Cengage Books Preview: https://prepmate.in/books/ Youtube channel: PrepMate Edutech For updates on WhatsApp, share your name & city on WhatsApp No. 75978-30000

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What will the Summit include? MOVE Summit aims to bring together and engage with key stakeholders within the rapidly transforming global mobility landscape and to evolve a public interest framework for a shared, connected, zero emission and inclusive mobility agenda for the future. The Summit will constitute three designated components The Conclave, the Expo and the Featured Events. – The Summit has been organised along key tracks to anchor debate and deliberations on towards preparing a collective mobility agenda. The six tracks or themes for the Summit will focus on:

(i) Asset Utilization and Services; (ii) Comprehensive Electrification ; (iii) Alternative Energy; (iv) Reinventing Public Transit; (v) Logistics and Goods Transport; (vi) Data Analytics and Mobility.

MOVEMENTUM Expo MOVEMENTUM , the Expo will feature exciting future technologies and cutting edge innovations which will shape the mobility paradigm, showcasing India s push towards transformative mobility solutions. The Global Mobility Summit, 2018 also includes Featured Events such as Breakout sessions, Fireside chats, Innovation spotlights, Hackathons, Mobility Pitch Competitions and Networking Sessions. These are planned in collaboration with industry sponsors and partners offering informal insights into what constitutes transformative mobility.

National Strategy for Transforming Mobility NITI Aayog has also been working towards evolving a National Strategy for Transforming Mobility, in the spirit of cooperative and competitive federalism, urging all States and Union territories to formulate state-specific comprehensive strategies by constituting respective State Task Forces. Inputs received from the various States will be integrated with global best practices to come up with a National Strategy, which will also be launched.

(Adapted from PIB)

4. Nipah transmission route unclear (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)

Nipah virus in fruit bats Another piece of the puzzle in Kerala s Nipah virus outbreak has fallen into place, with Pune s National Institute of Virology (NIV) confirming that the virus was found in fruit bats captured in Kozhikode. Out of the 51 Pteropus giganteus bats sampled by the NIV team

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146 from the Kozhikode epicentre of the outbreak, 11 had genetic material from the Nipah virus.

Transmission route is not yet established The researchers still don t know how the bats transmitted the infection to humans. This information is needed to prevent future outbreaks. In Bangladesh, which has seen multiple Nipah epidemics, patients tend to acquire the infection from drinking raw date-palm sap.

But date-palm sap is not consumed in Kerala.

What needs to be done? The new finding also highlights the urgent need to step up surveillance of animal reservoirs of disease in India, such as bats and pigs.

For the study, the researchers sampled 107 bats from Cooch Behar and Jaipaiguri districts in West Bengal and Dhubri in Assam, all of which are close to Bangladesh, raising the probability that the virus is circulating there. They found nine out of the 107 samples to be positive for the virus. This indicates that there are several States in India with the virus.

Low chances of transmission from bats The researchers cautioned against bat culling in light of the NIV s findings. In NIV s investigations, the number of virus particles in the bats, or viral load, was very low. This means the possibility of a spillover to humans is extremely small.

Even when viral load is high, direct bat-to-human transmission is very rare, unless you have a scenario like Bangladesh, where people drink palm-sap. In Bangladesh, on the other hand, transmission from bats to humans occurred several times, in addition to person-to- person transmission.

Bats role in pollination Further, bats pollinate 50% of the forests in Africa, Asia and Europe, and without them, fruits such as durians and mangoes wouldn t exist.

(Adapted from The Hindu)

5. ICAT releases First BS-VI engine certificate (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)

First BS-VI engine certificate ICAT has completed the first BS-VI certification for a heavy duty engine model for M/s Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicle Limited. The engine has been developed and manufactured indigenously by Volvo Eicher in India. The successful completion of the compliance test of the engine, much ahead of the implementation date of 1 April, 2020, gives sufficient time for product stabilization in terms of making it more robust and cost competitive for the end consumers.

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Requirement of BS-VI emission norms The pro-active approach from the Government of India has made the country leapfrog from the conventional BS-IV to directly adopt BS-VI emission norms as the next level for regulatory framework in India. The BS-VI emission standards are much more elaborate in their scope and integrate substantial changes to existing emission standards ensuring cleaner products to the consumer. Besides the more stringent limits on the gaseous emission components, the particulate matter (PM) limits have also been significantly reduced along with the introduction of particle number (PN) limits.

About International Centre for Automotive Technology The International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) is a division of NATRiP implementation society (NATIS), under the administrative control of Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Government of India. ICAT is the first of new world class centers established under the National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project (NATRiP) with the main objective of carrying out Research & Development besides extending homologation facilities in the field of Automotive Engineering.

ICAT is one of the prime testing agencies recognized by the Government of India as one of the accredited 'Type Approval and Homologation' agencies in India under Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR) and has also been recognized as Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (SIRO) by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), since Feb 2010, by BIS for Tyre Testing, Safety Glasses and by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for emission and noise testing of generator sets. ICAT has emerged as a comprehensive technical partner of the automotive industry.

(Adapted from PIB)

6. Successful flight testing of Crew Escape System - Technology Demonstrator (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)

Crew Escape System ISRO carried out a major technology demonstration today, the first in a series of tests to qualify a Crew Escape System, which is a critical technology relevant for human spaceflight. The Crew Escape System is an emergency escape measure designed to quickly pull the crew module along with the astronauts to a safe distance from the launch vehicle in the event of a launch abort. The first test (Pad Abort Test) demonstrated the safe recovery of the crew module in case of any exigency at the launch pad.

About the test After a smooth countdown of 5 hours, the Crew Escape System along with the simulated crew module with a mass of 12.6 tonnes, lifted off at 07.00 AM (IST) at the opening of the launch window from its pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota today. The test was over in 259 seconds, during which the Crew Escape System along with crew module soared

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148 skyward, then arced out over the Bay of Bengal and floated back to Earth under its parachutes about 2.9 km from Sriharikota.

The crew module reached an altitude of nearly 2.7 km under the power of its seven specifically designed quick acting solid motors to take away the crew module to a safe distance without exceeding the safe g-levels. Nearly 300 sensors recorded various mission performance parameters during the test flight. Three recovery boats are being exercised to retrieve the module as part of the recovery protocol.

(Adapted from PIB)

7. Everything You Need to Know About Bioplastics (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)

What are bioplastics? The term bioplastic represents a plastic substance that is based (wholly or in part) on organic biomass rather than petroleum. Many bioplastics are biodegradable, which is - in theory - one of their greatest advantages (more on this later). However, it is easy to confuse some of the common terms in use; although they sound similar, many terms regarding bioplastics are not interchangeable. Here are three distinct descriptors:

• What does bio-based plastic mean? This is a very broad term that basically means a substance was derived from plant-based material, whether wholly or in part. Starch and cellulose are two of the most common renewable feedstocks used to create bioplastics; these typically come from corn and sugarcane. Bio-based plastics are distinguished from much more common petroleum-based polymers. Although many would assume that anything bio-based is biodegradable, this is not the case. • What does biodegradable plastic mean? Whether a plastic is biomass- or petroleum-based is a different question than whether it will biodegrade (a process by which microbes break down material if conditions are suitable). Technically, all materials are biodegradable, but for practical purposes, only those that degrade within a relatively short period of time (weeks to months, usually) are considered biodegradable. As mentioned in the previous bullet, not all bio-based plastics are biodegradable; bioplastics that don t degrade within a few months or years are sometimes called durable. Conversely, there are petroleum-based plastics that will degrade faster under optimal conditions than will their organic biomass counterparts. • What does compostable plastic mean? According to the American Society for Testing and Materials, compostable plastics are those which are "capable of undergoing biological decomposition in a compost site as part of an available program, such that the plastic is not visually distinguishable and breaks down to carbon dioxide, water, inorganic compounds, and biomass, at a rate consistent with known compostable materials (e.g. cellulose), and leaves no toxic residue." The requirement for no toxic residue is one of the distinguishing characteristics between

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149 compostable and biodegradable. Also of note, some plastics can be composted in home gardens, whereas others require commercial composting (where temperatures get much higher and the composting process happens faster).

Corn and sugarcane are two of the most popular feedstocks currently used to create bioplastics, but there are many options to choose from. For instance, Turkish inventor Elif Bilgin won a 2013 Science in Action award for creating a bioplastic from banana peels when she was sixteen years old. Other renewable resources that have been used include mango skins and waste from potato cutting, such as that used in developing new packaging for Snickers candy bars in Europe.

What applications make use of bioplastics? Did you know that bioplastics have been around for at least 100 years? Corn oil and soybean oil were both used to manufacture auto parts. In more recent years, bioplastics have been used in a variety of consumer products, such as food containers, grocery bags, biodegradable utensils, and food packaging. These are called commodity plastics. Bioplastics can also be used for engineering grade applications, such as electrical and electronic housings and enclosures.

In short, bioplastics have made their way into nearly every industry: automotive, electronics, food and beverage packaging, agricultural, textiles, health care.

What are the benefits of bioplastics? Generally speaking, the greatest advantages of a burgeoning bioplastic industry are a smaller energy footprint and a less polluted ecosystem. The problem of overflowing landfills and floating islands of trash - in theory - will be addressed through increased use of bioplastics. As mentioned above, however, not all bioplastics actually degrade in a meaningful time span; it is entirely realistic that some bio-based plastics will remain intact for decades, especially if they are not discarded properly.

Bioplastics are also gaining popularity because they don t contain bisphenol A (BPA)...you may recall seeing plenty of marketing for BPA-free products, especially in the food storage and baby feeding/accessory industries. For instance, the European Union has banned the use of BPA in baby bottles, although it is not clear yet what the potential impacts are of BPA in consumer goods. For the time being, most of the concern seems to be centered on BPA s alleged ability to disrupt hormonal activity. Bioplastics provide a potential alternative to this issue (although there is no guarantee that BPA won t be added to bioplastics in the future). Depending on the particular material, the manufacturing process for some bioplastics results in lower greenhouse gases than petroleum-based plastics. For example, polylactic acid (PLA) is one bioplastic that can be produced from manufacturing equipment that already exists, thus making it more cost efficient to create. However, this does not necessarily account for the entire lifecycle of a plastic; in many cases, the methods used to grow renewable feedstock have a large footprint, and what happens after a bioplastic product is used can vary wildly.

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What are the disadvantages of bioplastics? It can be very difficult for consumers to discern which bioplastics they re using are biodegradable or compostable, and which conventional plastics they re using are biodegradable, compostable, or otherwise recyclable. For this reason, many bioplastics do not get discarded properly...and some municipalities don t even have the facilities to sort, compost, or recycle bioplastics, so everything ends up in a landfill anyway. For example, a cup made from polylactic acid (PLA) looks and feels like regular plastic, so a consumer may throw it into the recycle bin, when really it could be composted.

Aside from impacting the potential reusability of conventional plastics, many bioplastics must be discarded properly in order to actually biodegrade or compost. For instance, if a biodegradable fork is packed into an airtight landfill, it may not degrade at all. Conversely, anaerobic degradation (decomposition in the absence of oxygen) could happen when moisture is present, meaning biodegradable bioplastics create an air pollution problem by creating methane.

An interesting disadvantage of using bioplastics for food storage was revealed to us during a trip to Costa Rica earlier this year. A chocolatier looking to decrease her environmental impact began using bioplastic bags to store her bars of base chocolate. Unfortunately, insects in the jungle were attracted to the bags, and began to eat through them, making them an unviable option for food storage in that particular application.

Polylactic acid (PLA): One of the most common bioplastics Polylactic Acid is biodegradable and has characteristics similar to polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), or polystyrene (PS). It can be produced from already existing manufacturing equipment (those designed and originally used for petrochemical industry plastics). This makes it relatively cost efficient to produce. Accordingly, PLA has the second largest production volume of any bioplastic (the most common typically cited as thermoplastic starch, which is commonly used in food storage bags and food utensils).

There are a vast array of applications for polylactic acid. Some of the most common uses include plastic films, bottles, and biodegradable medical devices (e.g. screws, pins, rods, and plates that are expected to biodegrade within 6-12 months). PLA constricts under heat and is thereby suitable for use as a shrink wrap material. Additionally, the ease with which polylactic acid melts allows for some interesting applications in 3D printing. On the other hand, its low glass transition temperature makes many types of PLA (for example, plastic cups) unsuitable to hold hot liquid.

(Adapted from the Hindu)

8. When is an X-ray or MRI machine safe? How government proposes to find out (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)

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As the Central Drugs and Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) seeks feedback from stakeholders, a look at how such devices are governed and how that could now be set for change.

Under a proposal by the Drug Controller General of India (DGCI), manufacturers of medical equipment such as X-ray, MRI and PET machines will have to submit documents on safety and performance. If they do not, the machines will have to undergo trials. As the Central Drugs and Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) seeks feedback from stakeholders, a look at how such devices are governed and how that could now be set for change.

Regulation now & proposed Regulation is currently under the Medical Device Rules 2017, under which devices are categorised into Classes A to D, from low risk to high risk. The first two are under the purview of state regulators and the higher-risk categories under CDSCO s. Devices have to conform to standards laid down under section 3 of the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1985, or as notified by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Now, the DGCI proposes to include implantable medical devices and other high-end equipment under the purview of Section 3(b)(iv) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. The section lays down that the definition of drug would also includes such devices intended for internal or external use in the diagnosis, treatment, mitigation or prevention of disease or disorder in human beings or animals, as may be specified from time to time by the Central , a reference to the Drugs Technical Advisory Board. Government… after consultation with the Board What that means The inclusion would mean that these devices any implantable medical device, CT scan equipment, MRI equipment, defibrillators, dialysis machine, PET equipment, X-ray machine and bone marrow cell separator would not —only have to abide by the standards set, but also require submission of safety and efficacy data. — Safety data includes information about all material components of a device, their source and purity. It also includes clinical data about whether the machine is safe for use by patients and technicians without exposing them to undue risks. Efficacy data would cover results from tests done by the machine.

Risk factors Apart from the fact that some devices are to be inserted into the body, safety is a concern for handlers too because of the effect of the radiation or strong magnetic fields used to generate diagnostic data. In Mumbai last year, a man was killed when he was swept off his feet and flung against an MRI machine, even though it was switched off. How much radiation an X-ray machine should use without exposing the body to carcinogenic effects, too, is a crucial question. As for efficacy, even the simple blood pressure machine needs standardisation every few years for readings to be accurate.

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What devices need Clearance would be subject to data. That is why companies that do not have the data available would need to conduct clinical trials on their machines to establish their safety and efficacy before they can be allowed to sell. The revised rules would come into effect 12 months after their notification.

As for machines already in use in hospitals, it is difficult for regulation with retrospective effect, or for recall of any given the volumes. However, once a company has failed to give the data and this has been made public, institutions where those machines are in use would, the government hopes, contact the manufacturer seeking redress.

(Adapted from The Indian Express)

9. Why WHO wants to treat gaming as a disorder, and why some disagree (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced a plan to include gaming disorder as a mental health condition. The reclassification is part of the WHO s 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases, due for adoption this month. The move has led to debate. While addiction to gaming is widely recognised recently reported incidents include a man being found dead in a cafe after three days of continuous gaming, and a couple neglecting their child due to gaming critics have opposed— the idea of formalising it as a disorder. — The disorder was included in a draft of the ICD-11 released in June. While the classification is intended to act as a set of guidelines, ICD-11 influences many countries in determining healthcare policies, diagnoses and treatment options.

India has a fast-growing gaming population. A 2017 Google-KPMG study estimated that the Indian online gaming industry was worth $290 million, and projected it to hit $1 billion by 2021. The study pegged the current number of online gamers at 120 million but estimated that with swift Internet penetration and cheap smartphone options, the number could well reach 310 million by 2021.

Disorder, as defined In the ICD-11 draft, gaming disorder is defined as ( digital-gaming or video-gaming ) characterized by impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities… toa pattern the extent of gaming that gaming behaviour takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences . The draft adds that the behaviour in question must be severe enough to significantly impair areas of functioning for a period of at least 12 months. Many clinics around the world offer specialised treatment for gaming addiction.

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The opposition Among the worries experts flag is the detrimental effect this premature classification could have on treatment and policymaking. In a paper titled A weak scientific basis for gaming disorder: Let us err on the side of caution , published in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions, experts from 34 institutions said a stronger base of evidence is required to classify something as a formal disorder. The paper agrees that addiction to gaming as a phenomenon merits further study, but argues that premature classification as a disorder could result in abuse of diagnosis. The authors also questioned the clinical utility of such a classification. They pointed out that there is still no exact list of symptoms that can be attributed to gaming as a disorder. What, then, would clinicians use in trying to determine the point at which addiction becomes a disorder? There is also concern that addiction to gaming could be a symptom of a deeper issue such as depression. The new classification, the researchers said, could result in a trend where clinicians treat the symptom instead of the underlying issue.

In a 2016 open letter to the WHO, researchers had questioned why the reasoning behind including gaming disorder cannot be used for other forms of addiction. Why can there not be a technology disorder, a smartphone disorder, or a gambling disorder? The WHO, they said, has not been able to satisfactorily elaborate on this.

In an article titled World Health Organization s Junk Diagnosis For Gaming Disorder Trivializes Mental Illness , Christopher J Ferguson, a professor of psychology at Stetson University, suggested political pressure could have influenced the WHO s decision. He listed potential examples such as China, which has been known to conduct Internet de- addiction camps, and South Korea, which bans those under 16 from gaming after midnight. More research needed

Both the WHO and critics of the idea agree on one thing that addiction to gaming, to the point where it becomes a hindrance to a normal routine, needs more research. The WHO believes that formalising the disorder will help experts across— the world to conduct more research, while critics believe that research should precede any attempt at formalisation.

(Adapted from Indian Express)

10. DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2018 (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper II; Science & Technology)

This follows attempts to frame a Bill in 2007, 2015 and 2017, each under a different name.

With DNA technology being relied upon worldwide in crime investigations, identification of unclaimed bodies, or determining parentage, India has been attempting for several years to pass legislation on use of DNA technology to support and strengthen the justice delivery system . Last week, the Union Cabinet approved the DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2018. This follows attempts to frame a Bill in 2007, 2015 and 2017, each under a different name.

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Broad features According to the final draft prepared in December 2017, the Bill seeks to provide for the regulation of use and application of DNA technology for the purposes of establishing identity of certain categories of persons including the victims, offenders, suspects, undertrials, missing persons and unknown deceased persons and for matters connected Its major features include:

DNAtherewith… REGULATORY BOARD: The board, which will have regional offices as required, will certify labs authorised to carry out DNA testing, approve establishment of DNA databanks and supervise their functioning, and lay down procedures and guidelines for collection, storing, sharing and deletion of DNA information.

DNA DATABANK: A National DNA Databank and certain regional DNA Databanks will store DNA profiles received from DNA labs in a specified format. As I see from earlier drafts of the Bill, the DNA Databank will have various categories of indices such as crime scene index, suspect index or undertrials index, offenders index, missing persons index. said Madhusudhan Reddy, lab-in-charge of DNA Fingerprinting Services at the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics in Hyderabad. This, he said, will help solve and prevent crimes and can also be used for civil matters. According to the NCRB, there are almost 40,000 unidentified bodies within the country. And if in a nearby area an FIR has been registered reporting a missing person, the family member s DNA can be compared with the unidentified person to see if it matches. Limited purpose The Bill states that the DNA data, including DNA profiles, samples and records, contained in any DNA labs and Databank shall be used only for the purpose of facilitating identification of the person and not for any other purpose . It will only be made available to facilitate the identification of persons in criminal cases in accordance with the rules of admissibility of evidence, to facilitate prosecution or defence, and in investigations relating to civil matters.

Other than in suspects and offenders index, the identity of a person is not to be stored in other indices. Only case reference numbers are to be stored in such cases, the Bill states. If a person is not an offender, suspect or undertrial, his/her DNA information cannot be matched with the offenders or suspect index. DNA profiles of suspects or undertrials can be removed from the index as per court orders. The Bill states that DNA information cannot be taken from an arrested person without consent. The exception is only for specified offences, though the Bill does not elaborate on this. Samples can also be obtained from persons who are witness to a crime, or want to locate their missing relatives, or in similar instances in which they can volunteer, in writing, to offer their DNA samples for a specific purpose. But volunteer samples would not be stored in any index. In case, the Bill states, a suspect or criminal refuses to give consent for DNA collection, and his/her DNA information is considered vital for investigation of a crime, the DNA information can be collected from him/her only with the approval of a magistrate.

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Safeguard against misuse The Bill states that disclosure of DNA information to unauthorised persons, or for unauthorised purposes, shall lead to penalties: up to three years in jail and up to Rs 1 lakh as fine. Principal Scientific Adviser K VijayRaghavan, a former secretary of the DBT, said that the new version looks at the DNA sequence in a manner where all major genes are anonymous. They look at those elements which identifies the person, but don t identify any of your genes. Genetic background is protected, but the person is still identified, he said. This is just like how your fingerprints will identify the person but not tell you whether he has diabetes or not. So this law cannot use DNA identification in criminal cases, loss of lives, paternity, in a manner which reveals anything about the person s health.

Previous attempts The draft Bill was first named DNA Profiling Bill in 2007 and then Human DNA Profiling Bill in 2015. In July 2017, the Law Commission s report proposed a new amended draft called DNA based Technology (Use and Regulation) Bill , 2017, addressing some concerns on privacy and possible misuse. This current Bill is modelled largely on the Law Commission proposal, except for some nominal changes.

The Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology has been made the ex-officio chairman of the proposed DNA Regulatory Board. In previous versions, including the draft of the Law Commission, this job was open for other eminent persons as well, provided they had expertise and knowledge of biological sciences for at least 25 years. The head office of the board, earlier proposed in Hyderabad, is now to be in the National Capital Region.

Reddy said that India is 15 years behind the rest of the world in putting in place such a legislation. We started off on par with western countries, and DNA profiling was used in the Rajiv Gandhi case and later DNA fingerprinting in the tandoor murder case. But slowly from 2007 onwards, we have been lagging behind, largely because people had some questions and issues regarding privacy. I do think this version is a best version of the Bill, incorporating suggestions that came in from stakeholders, he said.

Reddy points to laws in countries like the US, to protect genetic privacy. Basically, there are enough safeguards here. But it would be strengthened if there was an overarching set of provisions and safeguards to protect our genetic information, he said.

Despite the government s pitch that such a DNA bank will be useful in solving crimes, activists and lawyers have argued that India does not have a data protection law and that information like ancestry or susceptibility to a disease, or other genetic traits, is liable to be misused. It has also been argued that DNA tests have not led to an improvement in conviction rates in countries where legislation is already being followed.

(Adapted from Indian Express)

11. Bullet train to start in 2022: A look at its progress, hurdles (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)

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The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) says that so far it has not missed milestones set in its timeline for the Rs 1.08-lakh-crore project, being built with an 80% loan from Japan.

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project is racing against time to meet the August 2022 deadline (advanced from 2023) for starting operations. Since work on the ground started in December 2017, the project has faced protests over land acquisition from farmers backed by local political groups in Gujarat and Maharashtra. The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) says that so far it has not missed milestones set in its timeline for the Rs 1.08-lakh-crore project, being built with an 80% loan from Japan. A look at the progress and the hurdles:

How much land is to be acquired for bullet train project? The total land is over 1,400 hectares, with 353 hectares in Maharashtra and the rest in Gujarat. This is divided into 7,000 plots, in 195 villages in Gujarat and in 104 villages in Maharashtra. The project covers three districts in Maharashtra and eight in Guajarat, besides a small area in Dadra & Nagar Haveli.

How much of this is complete? Land acquisition starts with LIDAR, a laser-based aerial survey, followed by a physical survey to verify and update LIDAR results, then a joint measurement survey by a team representing all stakeholders. Thereafter details of the land owners are processed for the compensation mechanism.

For the bullet train, the LIDAR was completed early last year. The physical survey, started in December, has covered 184 villages in Gujarat and 50 in Maharashtra. Engineers visited sites and issued notices to land-owners, but the notice did not mention that the project requires only a linear tract 17.5m wide (not the whole land) and that this was a survey, not a notice for acquisition. Some senior NHSRCL officials now believe that because of this omission, local politicians convinced farmers that they would lose their entire land.

The joint measurement survey is complete in 50 villages in Maharashtra and 30 in Gujarat, covering 102 km of the 508 km line. This survey is followed by installing a small pillar for physical identification for acquisition. Handing out of compensation will take around three months following all due processes, NHSRCL officials said. The company s own deadline is to complete land acquisition by December 2018. So far only 0.9 hectares in Bandra-Kurla Complex has been physically handed over.

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What compensation is being offered? The two states have different compensation laws.

MAHARASHTRA: The company is paying four times the circle rate of the land, plus a 25% bonus, as well as a one-time payment of Rs 5 lakh. If one loses a house, he or she can choose either a new one built nearby (500 sq feet) or money to buy a new house elsewhere at twice the construction cost. For livelihood loss, the offer is Rs 3,600 per month for one year. There is a provision for a one-time, Rs 5 lakh rehabilitation payment to landless agriculture workers, and a one-time. Rs 25,000 to employees of shops on land to be acquired. Even for forest land, the project is paying 50% of land cost to the displaced and the remaining 50% to the state government. For fruit-bearing trees axed, farmers are being offered the amount

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158 expected to be earned for the remainder of the tree s lifetime. Besides, the company pays a 12% interest on the compensation amount to be calculated from the date of notice. GUJARAT: The compensation under state laws works out to over four times the prevailing price. The Gujarat government plans to offer either 4.75 times the existing jantri prices (the state yardstick) or the average rate within a 1.5-km radius, whichever is higher. The company is offering a 25% bonus, and the same livelihood-loss-related sops as offered in Maharashtra.

Who are involved in the protests against bullet train project? Apart from land-owners and activists of various organisations, leaders of the Congress, NCP, MNS and even Shiv Sena have joined protesters. Congress Rajya Sabha MP Amee Yagnik, NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik and Shiv Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe have addressed or attended gatherings, while MNS activists disrupted a public consultation in Palghar.

What else are the protesters doing? Five petitions have been filed in the Gujarat High Court either challenging a 2013 Gujarat amendment to the Land Acquisition Act, demanding the preliminary notification be quashed, or refusing to part with fertile land. In Bombay High— Court, the Godrej group has objected to acquisition of 3.5 hectares in Vikhroli and offered another piece of its land, 250 m away. NHSRCL is assessing the technical feasibility of the offer; the next hearing is on July 31.

Are the protests about only compensation? Protesters have also expressed anger at officials inability to provide clear answers on the impact of the project on resources, restrictions on activities, vibrations from the train etc. Being a linear project, the elevated corridor is splitting land at several places. Activist Krishnakant of Surat-Based Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti, who attended consultations held by the company in Nadiad, Bharuch, Vadodara and Surat, said in June: Farmers are given vague or varying answers when they ask if there will be access from one part to the other. If there is a borewell in one part, will they be able to use that water to irrigate the section on the other side? Will they be permitted to pass under the bridge? Some farmers are demanding alternative land because they believe the division will leave their farmland useless.

Why must land be split? The high-speed alignment needs to be as free of curves as possible. Any speed upwards of 300 kph requires a straight alignment. While farmers are demanding right of way, company officials say provisions of the central Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land

Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, would allow the linear project to acquire land even without consent of certain parties, if need be, and pay required compensation. However, the company is not looking to invoke such provisions, officials say.

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Are there other issues? Ulka Mahajan, a land rights activist who has attended consultations in both states, said last month in Maharashtra: The reports on the NHSRCL website are not in a language affected people can understand. The final detailed project report is not even ready how can there be meaningful consultations? — Also in June, activists in Gujarat wrote to Japanese funding agency JICA that consultations are being held without giving stakeholders time to prepare. Farmers in Bhatia village of Surat forced officials to abandon attempts at measuring land. And the Gujarat Khedut Samaj backed by the Congress held a Sampark Abhiyan during June 22-25.

How is the company addressing all these concerns? In May, NHSRCL MD Achal Khare said in Gandhinagar, We will provide each land loser an entitlement card which will have his bank account number and all the items against which he is going to get compensation. This will be monitored by the company, till the time he gets his last compensation.

For land being split, the company is paying a special compensation based on the extent a 50-50 split has a different compensation from, say, 75-25. The land that remains on either side continues to belong to the owner, who can use it as he or she wishes. Only for digging— and building a highrise will he need to inform the NHSRCL, company officials said.

The company says it has taken note of various demands for amenities such as healthcare, education, drinking, sanitation, and livelihood. In Palghar and parts of Gujarat it has deployed doctors, while the district administration is providing support staff like nurses.

The company says private tuition has started for village students, toilets are being built, mobile primary healthcare vans are being arranged.

The NHSRCL has appointed a three-member committee empowered to take spot decisions for agreeing to any demand by villagers that can be carried out with up to a certain amount of money.

(Adapted from The Indian Express)

12. On India's net neutrality regulations (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)

Net neutrality regulations in India In a vital decision that will help secure the rights of Internet users in the country, the Telecom Commission has approved the recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on net neutrality. By endorsing steps that call for amendments to access services licences for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Telecom Operators, the Commission has made it clear that any violation of net neutrality will be treated as a violation of the licence conditions.

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It has said that some specialised and emerging services such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) may be exempt from the non-discriminatory principles, but these cannot be at the cost of the overall quality of Internet access.

What will be impact of Telecom Commission decision? Combining this approval with the fact that TRAI had barred telecom service providers from charging differential rates for data services (zero rating, for example), India will now have among the strongest net neutrality regulations.

What is Net neutrality? Net neutrality is the basic principle of an open Internet that does not allow for content discrimination by ISPs. The user is free to access any web location at the same paid-for speed without any discrimination by the ISP.

What is the need of Net neutrality? This proviso has helped democratise the Internet and undergird its growth from a networked system of computers that enabled e-commerce, social interaction, knowledge flow and entertainment, among other functions.

What is the view of internet founders? Internet pioneers including World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee and Transmission Control Protocol/IP Protocol co-inventor Vint Cerf have consistently maintained that the — principle of net neutrality is built into the structure of the Internet itself. The layers and protocols for connectivity via the network have been— erected in such a way that access is seamless irrespective of the nature of the physical infrastructure of the network.

Different position in USA It is to the credit of the Telecom Commission and TRAI that this principle has been upheld in India in contrast, in the U.S., on President Donald Trump s watch, the Federal Communications Commission repealed net neutrality regulations that had been put in place by the— Barack Obama administration.

1. The repeal was ostensibly to allow ISPs and broadband providers to invest in new technology although evidence shows that such investment was not affected by the regulations.

2. The other argument for the repeal has been a functional one, suggesting that the Internet is very different today, controlled by a handful of big companies, unlike the much more egalitarian environment earlier; and that therefore, the principle is redundant now.

This is misleading. In India, for instance, the steep growth in Internet access and use has allowed for newer services to thrive. The government should now ensure that net neutrality is followed in practice.

About TRAI

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The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is a statutory body set up by the Government of India under section 3 of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997. It is the regulator of the telecommunications sector in India. It consists of a Chairperson and not more than two full-time members and not more than two part-time members.

About Telecom Commission It is a government body which is responsible for policy formulation, licensing, wireless spectrum management, administrative monitoring of PSUs, research and development and standardization/validation of equipment etc.

(Adapted from the Hindu)

13. Upgraded Vikas engine will soon boost ISROs rockets (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)

Upgraded Vikas engine All three satellite launch vehicles of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) are set to add muscle to their spacecraft lifting power in upcoming missions this year. The space agency has improved the thrust of the Vikas engine that powers all of them. The agency said the high-thrust engine qualified on Sunday after a ground test lasting 195 seconds (over three minutes).

Main beneficiary The main beneficiary of the high-thrust Vikas engine is said to be the heavy-lifting GSLV- Mark III launcher, which ISRO expects will now put 4,000-kg satellites to space. This would be the third Mk-III and the first working one to be designated MkIII Mission-1 or M1.

The first MkIII of June 2017 started with a 3,200-kg satellite and the second one is being readied for lifting a 3,500-kg spacecraft.

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About Vikas engine The Vikas engine will improve the payload capability of PSLV, GSLV and GSLVMk-III launch vehicles, ISRO said. The Vikas engine is used in the second stage of the light lifting PSLV; the second stage and the four add-on stages of the medium-lift GSLV; and the twin-engine core liquid stage of Mk-III.

Mr. Somanath said that, eventually, ISRO will phase out Vikas by replacing it first in Mk-III with a cleaner and safer semi-cryogenic engine. The semi-cryo engine is ready for trial; its stage has just been approved.

(Adapted from the Hindu)

14. Bru pact (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains paper II; Polity & Governance)

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View of Union Ministry The Union Home Ministry is committed to implementing the agreement signed to repatriate nearly 33,000 Bru refugees, currently living in camps in Tripura, to Mizoram notwithstanding the community leaders' decision to walk out of the pact.

The Central government will implement the agreement and all the benefits, including cash assistance, would be given to the refugees who abide by it, the official said. Some Bru refugees have refused to abide by the agreement.

What is the agreement? As per the agreement, signed by the Central government and the governments of Tripura and Mizoram besides the MBDPF leadership, each of the 5,407 families will get Rs. 5,000 per month along with free ration for two years, besides house-building assistance of Rs. 1.5 lakh.

A one-time financial assistance of Rs. 4 lakh will also be given to each family but the amount will be kept as fixed deposit in the name of the family head.

There are 32,876 people belonging to the Bru community who are in relief camps in Tripura. The Brus had fled Mizoram in 1997 following an unrest and multiple efforts have been made since then to repatriate them.

Around 8,000 Bru refugees have gone back to Mizoram since 1997 in six batches and they have been living peacefully in the State.

(Adapted from the Hindu)

15. TRAI chief R.S. Sharma views on Net Neutrality, Public Wi-Fi hotspots and Call drops (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains paper III; Science & Technology)

In his first interview since the government approved TRAI s net neutrality recommendations, the outgoing Chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, R.S. Sharma, talks about its importance for India. He also counters allegations of bias against himself as well as objections raised against TRAI s recommendations for public Wi- Fi hotspots. The Telecom Commission has approved TRAI s recommendations on net neutrality. What now in terms of implementation and policy? At an institutional level, TRAI is very happy that our recommendations have been accepted in toto by the government. The Internet is an extremely important platform and all the innovations are happening around it.

The point is that western countries have had technology development but in our country we are going from being completely offline to completely online. So, we are leapfrogging

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164 technology and not following the development process as was in other countries.

Therefore, it is particularly important from a developing country s perspective that the Internet remains non-discriminatory and innovative. Do you think India now takes a leadership position on net neutrality, especially as the U.S. has repealed its net neutrality rules?

I don t want to be very boastful about this because that is not what the recommendations are for. We made these keeping Indian conditions and requirements in mind. But it is true that our recommendations are being studied worldwide. I have been to a number of forums around the world and have found that there is a lot of interest in what India has done.

Operators have criticised TRAI s proposal for public Wi-Fi, citing security issues.

The criticism is completely unfounded. Nothing that has been proposed is against the law.

We have proposed an architecture to create a truly interoperable grid of Wi-Fi hot-spots.

To respond to the criticism that people should not be allowed to offer such services without licence, let me ask a counter question: currently, luxury hotels offer Wi-Fi facilities to their guests. Do they have a licence to do so?

Likewise, many restaurants and institutions, including airports provide these services. They also do not have any licence, not even a registration.

What we have proposed is that all the players in this ecosystem should be registered with the DoT. In our view, this will truly empower people and will fulfil one of the important promises of Digital India viz. ubiquitous and affordable connectivity.

Again, the security-related criticism is absolutely bogus. I challenge anybody to demonstrate how it will compromise security.

I would say that, at their worst, these criticisms are motivated and at best, there is a lack of understanding and appreciation of what has been proposed.

Have you seen positive impact of the new benchmarks introduced to measure call drops? We taken a lot of steps to improve quality of service. First, we proposed to the government a change to the laws so that we can levy penalties for non-compliance of licensing conditions. We then increased the frequency of the road test so as to make it more transparent.

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We also created an application called MySpeed to test data speeds. We [also] created a new framework for quality of service. The benchmark of less than 2% call drops was hiding many things such as underserved areas or situations where a particular tower was not repaired or rectified for a long time.

We devised a metric which captured both these situations. I think this is a huge improvement over the earlier mechanism. Two quarters have passed since October, when the new norms was implemented. We have levied financial disincentives on those who have not passed the benchmark... My sense is that they are working well. Of course, to have a long-term impact, we will have to see the performance over a couple of quarters.

We also realise that because of VoLTE, there was a new way of delivering voice. There were two problems call mute and call setup time. We had consultations and we will bring out recommendations soon on whether these two additional parameters should be included in the call drop norms— or not.

(Adapted from the Hindu)

16. Can EU ruling affect crop gene research? (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)

Along with the genetically modified organisms (GMOs), gene-edited crops are considered to play an important role in increasing productivity. However, question marks remain over the efficiency of gene editing and its potential to disrupt the natural order.

Last week, the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg ruled in favour of tying plants bred using gene editing technology (also called mutagenesis) to the same stringent guidelines as conventionally genetically modified organisms (GMO).

Along with GMOs, gene-edited crops are considered to play an important role in increasing productivity. However, question marks remain over the efficiency of gene editing and its potential to disrupt the natural order.

Modification & editing Simply put, genetic modification involves the introduction of foreign DNA into an organism, while gene editing involves editing of the organism s native genome.

The gene editing technology CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) was in the news last year after it was successfully used in human embryos. This is done by introducing a protein (Cas9) containing the code of a defective gene.

The protein then seeks out parts of the defective DNA that match this code, attaches itself to it, cuts it out, and then the DNA is allowed to repair itself by getting rid of the defect.

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That is because we know exactly which gene would be edited and can be sure that that will happen. In GMO, it is more of trial and error, said Dr N K Singh, project director, National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi. What EU court ruled The Court of Justice takes the view, first of all, that organisms obtained by mutagenesis are GMOs within the meaning of the GMO Directive, in so far as the techniques and methods of mutagenesis alter the genetic material of an organism in a way that does not occur naturally, the EU court said in a press statement. It follows that those organisms come, in principle, within the scope of the GMO Directive and are subject to the obligations laid down by that directive.

It, however, leaves out other mutagenesis techniques like irradiation. It observed these have a proven track record and need not be considered under the same bracket.

Research worries Scientists had hoped that gene editing technologies would find wider acceptance than GM which has faced opposition considering that gene editing does not involve introducing a foreign element into the plant s genetic code. Scientists quoted by various —media organisations say that the new— ruling will affect research, with over 14,000 papers on gene editing having been published in 2017 alone, up from fewer than 100 papers in 2011, according to The Conversation.

With gene editing, under appropriate regulations and policy, product development would be faster. You can tackle specific traits by creating mutations, which has been an age-old practice and works in crops which are otherwise too small to work on given the GMO regulatory burden, said Usha Zehr, chief technology officer, Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Co (Mahyco). Also, she added, it is cheaper if it is not treated as a GMO . India & abroad Regulation has traditionally been stricter in Europe than in the US and Canada. In India, as in the EU, GM crops have faced resistance from farmers and environmental groups that have called for proper study and labelling.

Today India does not have any regulations on CRISPR as it does on GMO crops but I understand that the Department of Biotechnology and Indian Council of Agricultural Research are in talks in this regard, said Dr Singh. Our experience with gene editing technology is mainly confined to research and not the field. Indian scientists acknowledge the need for regulation for bio-safety. All breeding work must be registered with data on how the scientist arrived at that variety of crop. There must be a regulatory framework that does not take long processes, like four years, for approval, said Dr Deepak Pental, retired professor of genetics at Delhi University, whose team had developed a GM mustard hybrid and continues to await approval, since 2015, for commercial cultivation.

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I hope India does not follow the EU model of regulation and instead takes up models followed in the US, Australia and Canada, Dr Pental said. (Adapted from The Indian Express)

17. What TRAIs data privacy blueprint recommends — and where it is silent (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)

Although not binding, the recommendations can be seen as inputs to the draft data protection Bill that is likely to be released soon by a Ministry of Electronics and Technology committee led by retired Supreme Court Justice B N Srikrishna.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Monday released a set of recommendations regarding privacy, security, and ownership of data in the telecom sector the first data privacy blueprint by a statutory body. Although not binding, the recommendations can be seen as inputs to the draft data protection Bill that is likely to be released— soon by a Ministry of Electronics and Technology committee led by retired Supreme Court Justice B N Srikrishna.

Four key takeaways The report lays the foundation for individual ownership of data, making data collectors and data processors mere custodians of data who are subject to regulations. TRAI favours keeping the existing definition of personal data under the Sensitive Personal Data and Information (SPDI) Rules, 2011, as information that identifies an individual, whether directly, indirectly, or in combination with other information available to the entity. Data collectors often give personal data to data processors, which glean further information from them. The report says both collectors and processors should be accountable for unintended harm caused to the user.

Two, the data protection framework should apply equally to the government and to private entities, says the report.

Three, it suggests that existing privacy laws that apply to telecom service providers (TSPs) should also apply to all entities in the digital ecosystem . TSPs are the infrastructural pipes through which information travels. The other digital entities, TRAI states, include devices (mobiles and computers), browsers, software operating systems, applications, and over- the-top (OTT) service providers (that distribute media streamed over the Internet).

Four, an overarching theme is that inadequate data protection allows digital ecosystem entities an advantage in the use of the data, as compared to the user. According to law firm TRA, 62% of respondents to TRAI argued that current data protection norms should berevisited. All civil society organisations were in this category, while industry associations and TSPs were split.

Individuals rights

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TRAI has pushed for the individual s right to know what data will be collected, how it will be used, who it will be given to, and whether or not a breach has occurred. The individual should have the right to choose whether or not to agree to these terms via her consent to end user agreements that are easy to understand, multilingual, and short. She should have the option to choose the specific terms she consents to; she should be allowed to delete pre-installed applications; have the right of data portability; and the right to be forgotten, so that her information is removed from search engine results.

On controllers, processors They should not use meta-data (higher-level information about data) to identify users, and should not use pre-ticked consent boxes. They should build products with privacy in mind, also known as privacy by design . TRAI has suggested that entities collect the bare minimum data needed to provide the service, which is known as data minimisation . What TRAI didnt say The report addressed three areas where privacy exceptions could potentially be legitimate law enforcement, research, and quality of services but did not make any specific exception recommendations. — — Two, the report included advantages and disadvantages to data localisation a much- debated topic regarding storage of data within national borders or a less-restrictive cross- border data flow. Most of the respondents to the TRAI consultation paper did— not take a clear stand on this issue.

Three, the report suggested a hybrid human and technology approach to audit compliance with the data protection law, as seen in the EU s GDPR, but did not make further specific audit recommendations. Finally, the report said data sandboxes testing environments that anonymises data to experiment for new products could be dangerous because of re-identification, but did not make concrete recommendations. — — (Adapted from The Indian Express)

18. Observatory for Gravitational Waves study (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)

LIGO in India in 2024 The Government of India has given In-Principle approval for Construction and Operation of Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Laboratory India (LIGO) in India in collaboration with LIGO Laboratory, United States of America. This is the third observatory identical to the two LIGO observatories in USA. LIGO-India Observatory– is scheduled to be operational in 2024.

Hingoli District, Maharashtra

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Of the various sites surveyed for this project, the site in Hingoli District of Maharashtra has been selected as the primary site and the process of acquiring land for the project is in advanced stage.

(Adapted from PIB)

19. State of renewable energy capacity (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science and Technology)

Additions in last two years In the year 2016-17, aggregate capacity of around 11,322 MW of renewable energy was installed in the country, and in year 2017-18, aggregate capacity of around 11,887 MW was installed. Thus, renewable energy installations in the country are progressively increasing and do not appear to be facing any major challenges at present.

Overall renewable energy installed capacity A total of around 69,784 MW of renewable energy capacity has been installed in the country as on 31.03.2018 from all renewable energy sources which includes around 34,145 MW from Wind, around 21,651 MW from solar, around 4,486 MW from Small Hydro Power and around 9,502 MW from Bio-power.

What is the target? The Government has set a target of installing 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by the year 2022 which includes 100 GW from solar, 60 GW from wind, 10 GW from biomass and 5 GW from small hydro capacity. So far, 71.33 GW of renewable energy capacity has been installed in the country up to June 2018.

What is the level of solar tarrifs? Solar tariffs in India saw the lowest ever level of Rs.2.44 per unit in reverse auctions carried out by Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) in May 2017, for 200 MW and again in July, 2018, for 600 MW.

(Adapted from PIB)

20. New Nuclear Power Plants (Relevant for GS Prelims; Science & Technology)

At present, there are nine (9) nuclear power reactors at various stages of construction. Twelve (12) more nuclear power reactors have been accorded administrative approval and financial sanction by the Government in June 2017. Currently, pre-project activities are in progress on these projects. In addition, the Government has also accorded in principle approval of sites for setting up nuclear power reactors in future. The details are as follows: Nuclear Power Reactors under Construction:

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State Location Project Capacity (MW)

Gujarat Kakrapar KAPP 3&4 2 x 700

Rajasthan Rawatbhata RAPP 7&8 2 X 700

Tamil Nadu Kudankulam KKNPP 3&4 2 X 1000

Kalpakkam PFBR& 500&

Haryana Gorakhpur GHAVP 1&2$ 2 x 700

& Project being implemented by BHAVINI $ Excavation commenced Nuclear Power Reactors accorded administrative approval and financial sanction: State Location Project Capacity (MW)

Haryana Gorakhpur GHAVP 3&4 2 x 700

Rajasthan Mahi-Banswara Mahi Banswara 1&2 2 X 700

Mahi Banswara 3&4 2 X 700

Karnataka Kaiga Kaiga 5&6 2 X 700

Madhya Pradesh Chutka Chutka 1&2 2 X 700

Tamil Nadu Kudankulam KKNPP 5&6 2 X 1000

Sites accorded ‘in principle’ approval for setting up more reactors in future: State Site Capacity (MW) In Cooperation with

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Maharashtra Jaitapur 6 X 1650 France

Andhra Pradesh Kovvada 6 X 1208 United States of America Gujarat Chhaya Mithi Virdi 6 X 1000*

West Bengal Haripur 6 X 1000* Russian Federation

Madhya Pradesh Bhimpur 4 X 700 Indigenous PHWR *Nominal Capacity

The names of the countries with whom negotiations have been held for the supply of fuel for the Atomic Power Plants are Russia, Kazakhstan, Canada, Uzbekistan, France and Australia.

When are the reactors expected to be ready? The reactors under construction and accorded administrative approval and financial sanction are expected to be completed progressively by 2031. In respect of reactors to be set up in future at sites accorded in principle approval, the completion would depend on their respective start dates. (Adapted from PIB)

21. CNG to hydrogen-CNG: Why switch, and how (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)

Nearly 16 years after Delhi s entire bus fleet started to run on CNG to reduce air pollution, authorities are now pitching for an even cleaner alternative, hydrogen-CNG (H-CNG). The Environment Pollution Prevention and Control Authority (EPCA) recently recommended to the Supreme Court that Delhi s buses switch to H-CNG within the next two or three years. Days earlier, the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas had issued a draft notification, following a NITI Aayog proposal, for H-CNG as an automotive fuel.

CNG & H-CNG CNG is compressed natural gas. With natural gas mainly composed of methane, CNG emits less air pollutants carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter than petrol or diesel. — H-CNG — is a blend of hydrogen and CNG, the ideal hydrogen concentration being 18%. Compared to conventional CNG, use of H-CNG can reduce emission of carbon monoxide up

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172 to 70%, besides enabling up to 5% savings in fuel, tests by the Automotive Research Association of India and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) have found.

H-CNG has not yet gained worldwide currency. Trials have been held in countries such as the US, Canada, Brazil and South Korea.

Inexpensive switch In its report to the Supreme Court, the EPCA has estimated that to fuel Delhi s 5,500 buses, about 400 tonnes H-CNG would be needed per day. Setting up four fuel-dispensing facilities would cost Rs 330 crore, which can be funded from the Environment Compensation Charge (ECC) fund made up of cess on commercial vehicles entering Delhi, it said. For consumers who pay Rs 42 per kg for CNG, the cost of H-CNG would not be more than Rs 43 per kg. Clearly, the costs are not prohibitive and if further work can be done to reduce NOx (oxides of nitrogen) then this approach can be scaled up and implemented across the full bus fleet in the city within 2-3 years, the report says.

Easy for buses The EPCA report says Delhi is well placed for a transition to H-CNG for its buses as its public transport system already runs on CNG. The most promising aspect of this technology is that it will allow for the utilisation of the existing infrastructure of CNG buses as well as the piping network and dispensing station. — The engines of CNG-fuelled buses will be able to process hythane or H-CNG considering the ratio at which hydrogen is being mixed , said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research & advocacy), Centre for Science and Environment. However, the gas storage system may be impacted if the hydrogen concentration goes up. She added some minor engine optimisation is needed to make existing buses H-CNG-ready as it will involve high temperature combustion . Existing buses need not be replaced. Not yet for autos Delhi s public transport includes autos, which too run on CNG, but researchers believe that these are not yet ready for a switch. The tests so far have been conducted in heavy-duty engines. Anumita Roychowdhury said cars and autos would not be able to use H-CNG with the prevailing technology, mainly because hydrogen is highly volatile and the possibility of a rise in combustion temperature. Manufacture While recommending the use of H-CNG as an alternative fuel, the NITI Aayog-CII Action Plan for Clean Fuel notes that physical blending of CNG and hydrogen involves a series of energy-intensive steps that would make H-CNG more expensive than CNG.

IOCL s research & development wing has developed a technology that does away with the need for physical blending. Its Compact Reforming Process directly produces a hydrogen- CNG mixture from natural gas, using a single step. The cost of production is significantly lower than physical blending, the EPCA report says.

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(Adapted from The Indian Express)

22. Why is the science behind formaldehyde so confusing? (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)

Why is formaldehyde in the news? It began with the Kerala government finding formaldehyde in fish being transported into the State. The use of this chemical is banned in fresh foods, like fish, by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. But unscrupulous vendors sometimes use it to preserve fish for longer. After Kerala s findings, other States began investigating. Eventually, Goan officials also found the chemical in fish, as did an investigation by The Hindu in Chennai, in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Fisheries University (TNJFU). But the TNJFU findings need to be confirmed with further tests. The Kerala government has followed up the detection with fish seizures. But Goa s Chief Minister has said formaldehyde occurs naturally in fish and wasn t the result of contamination. Does it occur naturally in fish? Yes, it occurs naturally not only in fish, but other foods like mushrooms as well. However, levels vary widely. A 2005 Italian study of 12 fish species found between 1.45 mg/kg (1 mg/kg is 1 part per million or 1 ppm) in haddock fish, and 293 mg/kg in hake fish. Another study by Chinese researchers on the Bombay Duck found formaldehyde of up to 45 ppm. In general, marine fish are more likely to have the chemical than freshwater fish. This natural phenomenon makes detecting contamination tough, says Satyen Kumar Panda from India s Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT). This is why, the CIFT developed a screening kit, which the Kerala government used in its recent findings. This kit exploits the fact that most naturally occurring formaldehyde is bound to fish tissue, while added formaldehyde is free. So, the kit detects only free formaldehyde. Still, the CIFT kit can only tell if the fish has the chemical, and not its levels. And the Kerala, Goa and Tamil Nadu governments have not revealed the levels after further testing, although this data are crucial.

Should you panic? Not yet, because people ingest low levels of formaldehyde regularly; a 1990 study estimated that humans ingest 11 mg a day. While formaldehyde is classified as a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), this refers to the chemical s cancer-causing potential when it is inhaled, and not when it is ingested. The people at the greatest risk are workers in textile, automotive and other industries, where formaldehyde fumes are often released. Also, when we wash and cook fish, formaldehyde levels drop. Yet, non-carcinogenic effects do pose a danger. But these effects, too, occur at concentrations that are impossible due to natural reasons. There are no estimates for humans, but one rat study showed that when they consumed formaldehyde at 82 mg per kg of body weight every day for two years, they lost weight and their stomach lining changed.

What level of ingestion is safe? The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has calculated that eating up to 0.2 mg per kg of body weight is safe. Calculating how much formaldehyde one is eating

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174 requires knowing one s fish consumption. In a 2012 Taiwanese study of squid, researchers found up to 45 ppm of free formaldehyde. Food consumption data show that Taiwanese eat 9-15 gm of seafood per day. The researchers calculated that if all the seafood eaten by Taiwanese was squid (an unlikely scenario), they would still not consume more than 0.011 mg/kg of body weight per day. This is lower than the EPA limit. Further, even if all daily protein consumption was squid, the maximum exposure to formaldehyde would still be 0.074 mg/kg/day.

So, is all hunky dory? No, because the State governments have not revealed fish-formaldehyde levels. Sudershan Rao Vemula, a retired food-safety expert from Hyderabad s National Institute of Nutrition, points out that even if low-level ingestion is safe, unscrupulous vendors do not calculate safe limits before dousing fish. So, contamination can reach dangerous levels; one Taiwanese squid study found 4250 ppm. It is imperative for the States to monitor fish regularly.

(Adapted from The Hindu)

23. How safe is CRISPR? (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)

There is growing fear that the promising gene-editing system is being prematurely rushed for clinical use- The clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats, or CRISPR/CRISPR- associated protein 9 (Cas9) (CRISPR-Cas9) system has revolutionised genetic manipulations and made gene editing simpler, faster and easily accessible to most laboratories. The technique has gained considerable traction recently to repair defective genes for potential therapeutic applications. Based on this promise, multiple clinical trials have been initiated in the U.S. and China (using the CRISPR-Cas9 system) to produce gene- edited cells for cancer and HIV-1 therapy.

However, is CRISPR ready for prime time and safe for clinical use? What studies show Last year, a study by Stanford University, U.S., found that the CRISPR-Cas9 system introduces unexpected off-target (outside of the intended editing sites) effects in mice.

Although the manuscript describing the study results has since been retracted (due to the lack of proper controls ascribing a causal role of the CRISPR-Cas9 system in introducing off- target effects), the fear that the CRISPR system is being prematurely rushed for clinical use lingers. Three recent reports have exacerbated this fear even further.

Two studies, one from the Karolinska Institute, Sweden, and the other from the biopharmaceutical company Novartis, have highlighted that CRISPR-Cas9-edited cells might trigger cancer. The results from both studies were published last month in the scientific journal, Nature Medicine.

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In the Karolinska study, the authors showed that the CRISPR-Cas9 system induced activation of a protein called P53. This P53 protein acts like a gatekeeper or guardian in the cells to keep them healthy and prevents them (the cells) from turning cancerous. In many cancers, cells lose their ability to repair deleterious genetic changes due to an impaired P53 function. Researchers in the study claim that a functional P53 protein swings into action in the target cell and repairs the edited site rendering the Cas9-mediated editing process ineffective. In cells where editing is adequate, the cell s P53 protein may be dysfunctional. Therefore, a functional pP53 protein is good for the cells to be healthy but makes the Cas9- mediated editing process less effective. On the contrary, a defective P53 protein is ideal for Cas9-mediated editing but makes the cells cancer-prone by introducing genetic changes elsewhere in the genome (outside of the editing sites).

Like in the earlier study, the Novartis study found that a high efficiency of the CRISPR-Cas9 system in human pluripotent stem cells (cells that can self-renew indefinitely in cell culture) is linked to the presence of a dysfunctional P53 protein. Pluripotent stem cells usually have very low editing efficiency due to high Cas9 toxicity in those cells. A possible workaround to decrease Cas9 toxicity and, therefore, enhance the editing efficiency by inhibiting P53 function may increase the risk of mutations elsewhere in the genome in those cells.

A third study, published this month in the scientific journal,Nature Biotechnology, and from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, U.K., provided further evidence for the unintended consequences of the CRISPR-Cas9 system.

The study found that both the mouse and the human gene edited cells suffered from large DNA deletions far from the intended editing sites. The scientists have argued that the commonly used techniques to screen for off-target effects may not be sufficient to identify the adverse-effects sites and comprehensive genomic analyses of the edited cells, using long-read DNA sequencing technology, may be required to pinpoint those.

The studies, which have showed the dark side of the CRISPR-Cas9 editing system, have, however, not deterred those who think that the system is ready for the clinic.

The proponents argue that mice with genome-edited cells developing cancer have not been reported and the cells with adverse studies are not the ones currently in clinical trials. The cautious ones, however, say that it s only a matter of time that a comprehensive whole- genome sequencing of the edited cells will show the adverse consequences of the CRISPR- Cas9 system. No matter which side wins, it will take years before the CRISPR system is ready for prime time and clinical use. It is no surprise, therefore, that George Church of Harvard University, a CRISPR pioneer himself, chose an older gene editing system TALEN over the CRISPR system to create virus-resistant human cells as the TALENs, although with less cleavage efficiency, have more editing precision.

View from India What are the implications of such findings in India? Although there are no clinical trials or studies to use CRISPR-Cas9 edited cells in the clinic currently undergoing in India, blood-

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176 related disorders such as haemophilia, sickle cell anaemia, and Beta-Thalassemia, and other disorders such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy are promising candidates for gene editing. In fact, for many of these diseases, results from the proof-of-concept studies have been published from elsewhere. There are many Indian researchers actively working in this area, and for them, the recent studies provide a cautionary tale to conduct a comprehensive genomic analysis before moving to use the CRISPR-Cas9 edited cells in the clinic.

(Adapted from The Hindu)

24. All about the FASTag (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)

What is a FASTag? A FASTag is a reloadable tag that automatically deducts toll charges and allows a vehicle to pass through a toll gate without stopping for the payment. It uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to make cashless payments through a prepaid account linked to it.

The tag is fixed to the windscreen of a vehicle and an RFID antenna in the canopy of the toll gate scans the QR code and the tag identification number, following which the boom barrier lifts to allow a vehicle to pass through.

The tag, which is valid for five years, comes in seven different colours violet, orange, yellow, green, pink, blue, black. Each colour is assigned to a particular category of vehicles. — How to get a FASTag? It is mandatory for cars and trucks sold after December 1, 2017 to be fitted with a FASTag. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has tied up with 20 banks to allow people to recharge their cards as well as for owners of old vehicles to purchase a FASTag.

The tags can also be procured from kiosks set up at toll plazas. The cost of the device varies from one bank to another but on an average a buyer pays Rs. 600 for the device out of which Rs.200 can be used for transactions at toll booth while the balance goes towards the cost of the device and the bank s fee.

Government sources said that discussions were underway with banks to regularise and reduce the fee charged by them.

The NHAI also has a mobile application for FASTag that allows users to buy and recharge these tags as well as seek information on toll rates on different routes. It also allows them to give their feedback.

What are the benefits for the users?

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Users are refunded 5% of the total toll paid by them in a given month. Apart from enjoying a cashless transaction, users can also pass through the plaza without having to stop their vehicle to make the payment.

However, the RFID antennae deployed have a range of six metres, which means a vehicle needs to slow down for it to scan the tag.

Sources said that with the advancement of technology, vehicles would be able to zip through the toll booths at higher speeds similar to some foreign countries. Commercial vehicles such as taxis and trucks are the largest beneficiaries of the technology and not so much private care owners who have most of their movement restricted within city limits and may used the tags only when going on long drives.

Cab operators and transporters say that the technology also allows them to track the movement of their vehicles as they receive SMS alerts.

(Adapted from The Hindu)

25. A breakdown of the new terminology in the draft for IT Ministrys data protection Bill (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)

A committee in the Ministry of Information and Electronics Technology submitted the draft of a Bill on protection of personal and sensitive data, along with a report of analysis. Both introduce some key terms to the data protection debate:

DATA PRINCIPAL: It is the person, company, or entity whose information is being collected. Data means information that is represented in a form that is more appropriate for processing. Processing refers to the operations done to the data, often forms of organisation, searching, combining, and more to glean further information. DATA FIDUCIARY: This can be a person, state, company, or any entity that decides why data should be processed and how it should be processed. Unlike the Ministry committee, others sometimes refer to this as the data controller .

SIGNIFICANT DATA FIDUCIARIES: This classification is based on the volume and sensitivity of the data as well as the fiduciary s revenue, risk of harm (see below) to the principal, and type of technology use. Some regulations of the draft apply only to these significant fiduciaries, such as assessments, audits, record keeping, and hiring a data protection officer.

DATA PROCESSOR: While the fiduciary controls how and why data is processed, the processing itself may be conducted by a third-party, the data processor . This distinction is important to delineate responsibility as data moves from group to group. For example, in the United States, Facebook (the data controller) was hit by controversy over the actions of a third-party data processor, Cambridge Analytica.

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HARM: The draft aims to protect against harm to the individual caused by data processing. It relates harm to mental injury, identity theft, finances, reputation, employment, discrimination, and service denial. Harm also includes any restrictions to individual action because of the fear of surveillance and any surveillance that is not reasonably expected by the individual.

AUTOMATED MEANS: Data processors work with data either manually or by automated means. While this definitional distinction may blur, in today s technological landscape automated means colloquially connotes processes such as machine-learning algorithms. In these procedures, algorithms sift through vast amounts of data, find patterns, and apply those patterns on new information to get results.

PERSONAL, SENSITIVE DATA: Personal data can identify the person associated with the data while sensitive personal data covers a list of categories such as passwords, finances, health, biometrics, caste, and more. Personal data can be processed if there is consent, if it is for the functions of the state, if it is in compliance with the law, for prompt action such as medical and safety emergencies, for employment, or for reasonable purposes.

LIMITATIONS: Two key pillars of the Bill are purpose limitation and collection limitation . The draft limits the collection of data to what is needed for clear, specific, and lawful purposes or for reasons that the data principal would reasonably expect. DATA PROTECTION AUTHORITY: The draft calls for the creation of an independent regulatory body, called the data protection authority (DPA). It has four groups of tasks. In adjudication, the DPA receives grievances and handles enforcement. In monitoring, it oversees internal assessments and external audits of the fiduciaries, as well as tracks data security breaches. In policy, the DPA defines sensitive personal data, reasonable purposes (see below) for processing, forms of consent, and the lawful transfer of data outside of India. Finally, the DPA conducts research and awareness building about data protection.

REASONABLE PURPOSES: The DPA can determine these by taking into account the interests of the fiduciary, public interest, individual rights, and the reasonable expectations of the individual.

DATA TRUST SCORE: The DPA can assign, register, and manage data auditors, who then may give fiduciaries a data trust score after a data audit .

ADJUDICATING OFFICERS: A wing in the DPA, they will have the power to call people forward for inquiry into fiduciaries, assess compliance, and determine penalties on the fiduciary or compensation to the principal. Adjudication decisions can be appealed against in the appellate tribunal.

RIGHT TO BE FORGOTTEN: Among the tasks of an adjudicating officer is to decide on cases of the right to be forgotten , a concept born out of the Internet s so-called extended memory. With historical roots in European Union law, this right allows an individual to remove consent for data collection and disclosure. While in the EU the task for assessing

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179 requests for removal falls on the fiduciary, India s draft asks the adjudicating officer to decide by balancing individual rights with the right to free speech and the right to information.

DATA PROTECTION OFFICER: The DPO will be appointed in significant fiduciaries , and the DPA will liaise with the officer to facilitate data protection and compliance. The officer is tasked with internal data protection impact assessments , grievance redress, record maintenance, and more. For foreign fiduciaries, the DPO must be based in India to represent the fiduciary.

DATA LOCALISATION: One of the highly debated topics in the draft, this relates to regulation about the transfer of data outside national borders. The draft Bill suggests mandating every fiduciary to store at least one copy of personal data in India, with exceptions determined by the central government. If the data is critical personal data (determined by the central government), then that data can only be stored and processed in India.

Personal data can be transferred out of the country in the case of contracts, with central government and DPA approval, based on adequate level of protection in destination country, or individual consent. Sensitive personal data can be transferred abroad in cases of health emergency and central government approval.

DE-IDENTIFICATION: Often the markers of data that make an individual identifiable can be removed, or masked, in a process of de-identification. The committee report admits a definitional grey area, weighing terms such as anonymisation and pseudonymisation . The draft deems re-identification the reverse of the former an offence. PRIVACY BY DESIGN: This is a concept — in which the de-identification— process plays a role. The report conveys this to mean organisational practices that avoid harm to individuals and that process data in a transparent manner, including the assurance that business interests are achieved without harming privacy rights.

DATA PORTABILITY: The draft grants individuals this right, or the ability to access and transfer one s own data. It specifies that the data should be received in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format . The committee report tempers this right with the issue of trade secrets and technical feasibility. Fiduciaries may charge fees for this process.

(Adapted from The Indian Express)

26. Govt. plans ISRO-like ocean mission (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Science & Technology)

Looking to emulate the success of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in designing and launching satellites, the Centre has drawn up a five-year, Rs. 8,000 crore plan to explore the deep recesses of the ocean.

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Deep Ocean Mission The Union Earth Sciences Ministry tasked with coordinating the exercise unveiled a blueprint of the Deep Ocean Mission (DOM) . — — Among the key deliverables to achieve these goals are an offshore desalination plant that will work with tidal energy, and developing a submersible vehicle that can go to a depth of at least 6,000 metres with three people on board.

Indias share India has been allotted a site of 75,000 square kilometres in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB) by the UN International Sea Bed Authority for exploitation of polymetallic nodules (PMN). These are rocks scattered on the seabed containing iron, manganese, nickel and cobalt. It is envisaged that 10% of recovery of that large reserve can meet the energy requirement of India for the next 100 years. It has been estimated that 380 million metric tonnes of polymetallic nodules are available at the bottom of the seas in the Central Indian Ocean, the report adds. India s Exclusive Economic Zone spreads over 2.2 million square kilometres and in the deep sea, lies unexplored and unutilised.

The focus will be on technologies for deep-sea mining, underwater vehicles, underwater robotics and ocean climate change advisory services, among other aspects.

(Adapted from The Hindu)

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Social Issues

1. Why rumours love WhatsApp (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper I; Social Issues)

Although word of mouth played a key role in spreading the rumours that set off mob violence which led to the lynching of five persons in Dhule of Maharashtra, it was social media that spread most of the rumours leading to a recent spate of lynchings in various parts of the country, including in districts next door. Of all social media platforms, WhatsApp is proving the most challenging for investigators trying to track the source of such rumours and formulate a response. What makes WhatsApp different?

What are the various platforms on which rumours spread? All social media platforms struggle with rumours and misinformation. These are spread through posts as well as direct messages.

Which ones leave the most difficult trail to follow? Messaging services by nature do not leave a trail for specific messages. From SMS to Facebook Instant Messenger, it is very difficult to track where a message originated if has been forwarded many times. However, with most of these services, the information is with the parent server and police can request the company for access to information, such as IP address, for investigation.

With WhatsApp, it is more complex. Everything on the platform is encrypted end-to-end at the device level all data is stored on the device and not on servers. So, WhatsApp does not know what is being discussed. The privacy notice on WhatsApp s website says, Once — stored on your own device. If a message cannot be delivered immediately (for example, if youyour are messages… o are delivered, they are deleted from our servers. Your messages are undelivered after 30 days, we delete it. To improve performance and deliver media ffline, we may keep it on our servers for up to days… If a message is still of time. messages more efficiently… we may retain that content on our servers for a longer period So, is it impossible to track the source of a message in WhatsApp? Police officers in Maharashtra said that in the few cases in which they have tracked down the source, the posts had only been shared a couple of times. They cited one case in Mumbai, where they followed a short chain of sender-receiver. In other words, no technology to identify the source came into play. In an example that showed the futility of trying to track the source of a message, Mumbai police failed to locate Aditya Rafukiya, 14, missing since December 2015, even after his family spotted him in the background of a WhatsApp video gone viral.

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For things that are widely shared on WhatsApp, it is next to impossible to identify the source. This is especially so since they started stripping of metadata, said Inspector General (cyber crime), Maharashtra Police, Brijesh Singh. What is metadata, and how is it stripped? Metadata is defined as data about other data, and includes information such as user name, device info and log-in time. Each file has a certain amount of metadata, which is embedded when the file is created. WhatsApp removes this, too, when it compresses a video or photo. This is called stripping.

Has WhatsApp sought to address misuse of its platform? A WhatsApp spokesperson said that the company is trying to learn more about the way misinformation spreads by looking into the metadata that the company has access to. The spokesperson mentioned ongoing research on reports of spam to see when misinformation is being sent intentionally or unintentionally. The company is formulating ways to tackle those who use the platform maliciously. The spokesperson said the solution will require collaboration beyond WhatsApp, including the Indian government, as the issue is a public health problem . Will WhatsApp look afresh at the way it runs its services? WhatsApp has reiterated that the nature of its messaging platform, which is encrypted messaging, will continue. The spokesperson stressed that the company is not aiming to prevent content from being published on the platform realtime because of the high value the company places on privacy in conversations.

Does that mean there will be no technology fix? At the moment, WhatsApp is working on a mix of in-platform fixes and off-platform intervention. Within the platform it is offering more control for group administrators, flagging forwarded content and offering resources like fact-checking websites for verifying content. Off-platform, it is expected to initiate measures to educate people about the perils of misinformation and ways to identify them. The app s forward label (which marks forwarded messages) is in beta testing, while a new app update allows administrators to choose a setting that only gives the administrators permission to publish in a specific group.

How have police dealt with such stumbling blocks? We can book administrators of WhatsApp groups where they are found endorsing/spreading misinformation, said Maharashtra SP (cyber cell) Balsingh Rajput. The admin has no control over what other people in the group will post in the group and hence cannot be liable for action. He should, however, inform any member posting misinformation about the consequences and restrain them. The admin should inform police if any one is spreading fake news.

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In Telangana, SP Rema Rajeshwari took her own initiative against rumours of child lifting, travelling from village to village with musicians to tell people not to believe in such rumours, according to a report in Bloomberg.

How have other countries responded to the spread of misinformation? Some have banned it from time to time. Freedom House, a US-based government-funded NGO, has reported WhatsApp was disrupted in 12 of 65 countries Turkey, Zimbabwe, Azerbaijan, Qatar, UAE, Bangladesh, China, Morroco, Egypt, China, Saudi Arabia in 2016 and 2017. Uganda has introduced a social media tax to check online— gossip, among other objectives, and on Sunday it made social media inaccessible to those who have not— paid the tax, Quartz reported. In Mexico, private groups collaborated to set up Verificado 2018, a fact-checking initiative, that tries to intervene in the spread of fake news on WhatsApp, particularly during the recent elections, according to Harvard University s journalism initiative Nieman Foundation. (Adapted from Indian Express)

2. Why 32,000 Bru tribals from Mizoram were stuck in Tripura for 21 years (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper I; Social Issues)

In 1995, following a clash between Mizos and Brus, the Young Mizo Association and Mizo Students Association demanded that Brus be removed from the state s electoral rolls, contending that the tribe was not indigenous to Mizoram. Recently, when the Home Ministry announced that a historic agreement had been signed among the governments of Mizoram and Tripura and the Mizoram Bru Displaced People s Forum, it brought to an end a 21-year wait for over 32,000 Bru tribals, who had been displaced from Mizoram and were living in Tripura. Although the Brus have been seeking relief on the lines of that given to Kashmiri Pandits and Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, their story is not as well known:

The tribe Bru (or Reang) tribals inhabit parts of some Northeastern states. In Mizoram, they are largely restricted to Mamit and Kolasib districts.

Conflict, displacement In 1995, following a clash between Mizos and Brus, the Young Mizo Association and Mizo Students Association demanded that Brus be removed from the state s electoral rolls, contending that the tribe was not indigenous to Mizoram. This led to an armed movement led by the militant outfit Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF), and a political one by the Bru National Union (BNU).

On October 21, 1997, BNLF militants killed a forest official in Mizoram, leading to retaliatory ethnic violence. The BNU, which was demanding an autonomous tribal district, claimed that 1,391 Bru houses in 41 villages were burnt down and several people were

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184 raped and killed. Mizoram police put the number of homes torched at 325 in 16 villages, and did not confirm rape or murder.

A large number of Bru families fled to North Tripura. Thousands of families, with some 30,000 members, were given shelter in six relief camps in Kanchanpur and Panisagar subdivisions.

Resettlement The first phase of repatriation started in November 2010, when 1,622 Bru families with 8,573 members were resettled in Mizoram. The process was stalled in 2011, 2012 and 2015 amid protests by Mizo NGOs. Brus settled in Tripura also expressed fears for their security in Mizoram. Since 1997, the Centre has given financial assistance of Rs 348.97 crore to Tripura for relief and rehabilitation, and Rs 68.90 crore to Mizoram for the resettlement of 8,573 persons.

The latest peace deal was brokered over three years, starting in 2015. It involved a joint monitoring committee with members of civil society groups including Young Mizo Association and Mizo Students Association, and representatives of the state governments and the Home Ministry. The package A financial package of Rs 435 crore was agreed on. It covers 5,407 Bru families (32,876 members). Each family will be given a one-time assistance of Rs 4 lakh to be kept in fixed deposit within one month of repatriation and cash assistance of Rs 5,000 per month through direct benefits transfer, as well as free rations for two years.— Rs 1.5 lakh will be provided as house building assistance, in three— instalments.

For security, the Centre has asked the Mizoram government to create police posts and border outposts. The Home Ministry will sanction funds for setting up the checkposts. The Tripura government will ensure that Aadhaar cards are issued, bank accounts opened and ration cards updated for each Bru migrant before September 30, 2018.

The package includes a special development project, Eklavya residential schools, access to jhum cultivation land, permanent residential certificates and ST certificates, and free transportation from Tripura to Mizoram.

The displaced families had demanded land at one location, which Mizoram rejected. An agreement was reached that they will be relocated to the villages from where they had been displaced.

They will vote The development comes ahead of elections in Mizoram, the only non-BJP-ruled state in the Northeast. It also means Mizoram s electoral rolls will have to updated. The verification of Bru migrants by the government of Mizoram was done on the basis of electoral rolls of 1996, last updated in 2014. In the past, 8,573 Bru migrants were identified and repatriated in six batches, Home Ministry joint secretary (Northeast) Satyendra Garg said.

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(Adapted from Indian Express)

3. Comments Invited for Creation of National Health Stack (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper I; Social Issues)

India today is witnessing significant trends in health: increasing prevalence of non- communicable diseases for instance, as well as marked demographic shifts. Climbing out- of-pocket costs is becoming difficult for most households.

What will be National Health Stack? The National Health Stack (NHS) envisages a centralized health record for all citizens of the country in order to streamline the health information and facilitate effective management of the same. The proposed NHS is an approach to address the challenge and seeks to employ latest technology including Big Data Analytics and Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence, a state of the art Policy Mark-up Language and create a unified health identity of citizens - as they navigate across services across levels of care, i.e. Primary, Secondary and Tertiary and also across Public and Private.

What is the need of National Health Stack? To address the health needs of citizens, the Government of India had announced comprehensive policy response the Ayushman Bharat Yojana. This flagship health programme is designed with a powerful yet simple objective in mind: to develop a wellness focused strategy, ensuring cost effective– healthcare for all.

Achieving such scale requires a rethink the core technology backbone of our system and leverage cutting edge digital solutions to tackle the challenge.

The innovativeness of the proposed National Health Stack design lies in its ability to leverage a shared public good a strong digital spine built with a deep understanding of the incentive structures of the system. Once implemented, the National Health Stack will significantly bring down the costs– of health protection, converge disparate systems to ensure a cashless and seamlessly integrated experience for the poorest beneficiaries, and promote wellness across the population.

(Adapted from PIB)

4. Why silence over vigilante violence is dangerous (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper I; Social Issues)

The vigilante breaks a law in order to impose another law, and in the process sets into motion a relentless unravelling of all of law and order Lynching is in the news: the victims range from poor Muslims suspected of eating beef to educated middle class men mistaken for being child lifters.

Failure of the state

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Some commentators have attributed such lynching to lack of faith in the process of justice.

But they are far more due to the failure of the state to make it clear that violence is only the law s prerogative. As I noted in one of my columns, the law steps in to stop the endless cycle of violence that is inevitable in any society if individuals and groups administer justice or seek vengeance. For this, the law has to be largely functional and effective, but the state also has to signal, first and last, that it will not tolerate violence, either as justice or— as vengeance, outside its procedural purview.

The Indian state has failed significantly in this regard in recent years. By looking the other way or dragging its feet when faced with certain kinds of vigilante or ideologically motivated violence, the state has opened the floodgates for other kinds of privately administered justice .

There are many in power who do not see the dangers of this slippage, who do not realise that even if a person commits murder in broad daylight in front of a thousand people, the state still has to assure safety to such an obvious criminal until he is put on trial and sentenced according to the law. Anything else hollows out the law and takes us a step back into a state of barbarism, which means a lack of civility perpetuated by the — unlegislated violence of all against all. Hence, to blame lynching on the slowness or failure of justice is to speak a dangerous half-truth for the full truth is that the state has failed to support the law, under all circumstances, against politically motivated group and individual violence. —

Some friends tell me that lynchings have always taken place in India, and the current spate is just a passing phase. I am not convinced, and even if I were, it would be a bad argument: just because something wrong has happened earlier, it does not mean that we should condone it when it happens again.

When I try to recall reading about lynching in the past, I do not recall such a profusion. I do recall reports of Dalits being beaten or lynched. These took place when a poor Dalit broke an oppressive caste taboo . Obviously, such persecution of Dalits still takes place in India and some civil rights activists even claim that it has been rising in recent years. Its existence in the past too explains and excuses nothing.Let s be honest: the current spate of lynchings presents a greater problem than simply breaking the law would. Breaking the law finally strengthens it at least in any powerful state, and India is a powerful state. The criminal who breaks the law sets himself apart from others, and is unless the state fails brought to book. The law— acts, and hence reinforces itself. — But— these recent lynchings are being done by vigilante groups that claim to protect the law the law against beef, the law against child molestation, the law against kidnapping, etc. This— makes them much worse, but the Indian state, or at least many politicians currently defining it, do not seem to realise this.

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Criminal versus vigilante The criminal who breaks the law in any functional state is basically a man running into a stone wall. It is not the wall that will give. The criminal can do nothing to the law and the state behind the law. The more he breaks the law, the more vulnerable and isolated he becomes. The law stays what it was. —

But the vigilante who breaks one law in order to impose another law is far more dangerous: he hollows out the status of law and order from within. The state, if it has any understanding of the matter, needs to come down much more strongly against such an infarction. The state has to set a clear example of such a vigilante. Failure to do so will see the authority of the state slipping out of state bodies and into the hands of private groups.

In short, if group one lynches a person for perhaps eating beef, group two will lynch another person for perhaps being a child lifter, and group three will lynch a person for perhaps being a thief, and so on and so forth. It leads to a gradual unravelling of the authority of the state and the law something a mere criminal can never achieve. The criminal breaks a law, and escapes or is apprehended. The process stops there. But the — vigilante breaks a law in order to impose another law, and in the process sets into motion a relentless unravelling of all of law and order.

This is why any kind of vigilante justice has to be strongly opposed by the state. To maintain silence over some kinds of vigilante violence is worse than maintaining silence over a heinous multiple murder. But do enough Indian politicians and voters realise this today?

(Adapted from the Hindu)

5. Hima Das: on winning Gold in 400m of World U20 Championships (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper I; Social Issues)

Hima Das Gold at world level Athlete Hima Das has won Gold in 400m of World U20 Championships. For someone who took to the 400 m just this year and who ran her first individual race as recently as in March, the 18-year-old from Assam has produced one stunning performance after another.

So much so that her World Under-20 championships gold at Tampere in Finland did not exactly come as a surprise. It is a remarkable tale because Indians have never done well in sprints on the global stage, even if athletes such as P.T. Usha dominated the 400 m at the Asian level. In fact, Hima s under-20 title was the country s first-ever gold in a track event at any IAAF World event. About Hima Das performances A farmer s daughter from Assam s Nagaon district, Das was a 100 m and 200 m sprinter earlier. Seen in that light, her performance graph in the 400 m this year is breathtaking. From 53.21 seconds (in her debut race in March), she has brought down her personal best

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188 to 51.13 s in just four months. With that sort of progress, I will not be surprised if she breaks the national record Manjit Kaur s 51.05 s and runs something like 50.65 s in next month s Asian Games at Jakarta and even goes below 50 s in a couple of years, said Usha, who came close to an —Olympic bronze in the 400— m hurdles during the 1984 event. Marvelous ending to 400 m race Still, there is a feeling that all this is too good to be true, as it usually takes years of training to produce the kind of timing that Das is clocking now. While other runners appear fatigued with about 50 m left for the finish, she seems to find an extra gear and frequently powers past her wilting competitors. Her stunning progress has forced many to adopt a wait-and- watch strategy before assessing her fully.

Is she a wonder girl? Only time will tell, but India needs to grab this golden opportunity to take the sport forward. The Japanese, backed by a strong junior programme, are reaping rich rewards at Tampere, and an Indonesian has emerged as the fastest man at the junior Worlds. But in Indian athletics, improvement is a big struggle and our athletes choice of locations for foreign training trips have often raised questions. It is to be hoped that Das s achievement will stand the test of time and serve as a beacon of hope. (Adapted from The Hindu)

6. Raising the quality of higher education across the board should be a priority (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Social Issues)

Three needs of higher education In its report on higher education for the Twelfth Plan, the working group of the erstwhile Planning Commission identified expansion, inclusion and excellence as the three pillars for growth.

Focus on quality The NDA government had the theme of excellence in its 2016 annual budget, with a proposal to make 10 institutions each in the public and private sectors globally competitive. The challenge of excellence is to develop liberal institutions founded on academic rigour, high scholarship and equitable access for all classes of students.

What is the step taken to raise quality? Quite ambitiously, the Ministry of Human Resource Development has taken the decision to give Institution of Eminence (IoE) status to six institutes, three each from the public and private sectors. Potentially, this will help the select few rise above the many State, Central and private universities, national-level institutes of technology, science, management and humanities, and attract talent. While it is a creditable achievement, the recognition raises the bar for the chosen few: the IITs at Mumbai and Delhi and the IISc in the public category, and BITS Pilani and the Manipal Academy of Higher Education, which are private. Giving the tag to Jio Institute, which is yet to come up, generated understandable controversy. It should be ensured that this conditional recognition is fulfilled transparently, and that it

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189 meets the requirements on governance structure, infrastructure and faculty within three years.

What is the vision? The idea of developing centres of higher learning advances the Nehruvian vision of building temples of modern India . The IoEs can become models of autonomy, academic innovation and equity of access, and lead to a transformation of higher education. That there is need for urgent reform became clear during the selection process: the empowered committee found that State universities had a low output because some of them had several faculty members recruited on contract basis, with no incentive to do research.

What should be done? Such ad hocism must end, and public universities should be insulated from political pressures. Vice-chancellors should be appointed on merit, free of ideological biases. With good governance structures and significant new financial grants, the selected public institutions will be able to innovate on courses and encourage research. The growth of these and other national institutions will also depend on policies to raise the expenditure on R&D as a percentage of GDP. Among countries with a comparable research output, India with 0.8% R&D spending trails Russia, Brazil, South Korea and even Singapore, according to Unesco data. Islands of eminence can inspire, but the long-term goal should be to raise the quality of higher education in all institutions through academic reform. The quality is uneven, and at the bottom levels, abysmal. At the same time, initiatives by charitable trusts which have declined due to political support for commercialisation and aid cuts must be welcomed, as this would help open more affordable colleges and universities. — — (Adapted from The Hindu)

7. The lowdown on row over Section 377 (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper I; Social Issues)

What is it? Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code criminalises consensual private sexual acts between adults. It came into force in 1862. Lawyers have argued that the notorious Criminal Tribes Act, 1871, which branded a number of marginalised population groups like transgenders as innately criminal before it was repealed, drew inspiration from Section 377. Though the 172nd report of the Law Commission of India recommended the deletion of Section 377, no action was taken. The penal provision says whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to 10 years, and shall also be liable to fine.

How did it come about? In 2009, the Delhi High Court read down Section 377 to apply only to non-consensual, penile, non-vaginal sex, and sexual acts by adults with minors. In December 2013, a two-judge Bench of the Supreme Court, on appeals filed by private parties, set aside the High Court s judgment. It upheld the criminalisation of gay sex while virtually denying the LGBTQ community the right to sexuality, sexual orientation and Website: www.prepmate.in Telegram Channel: @upscprepmate Prepmate Cengage Books Preview: https://prepmate.in/books/ Youtube channel: PrepMate Edutech For updates on WhatsApp, share your name & city on WhatsApp No. 75978-30000

190 choice of partner. In July 2018, a Constitution Bench, led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, re- opened the entire issue, saying a section of people could not live in fear of the law which atrophied their rights to choice, privacy and dignity.

Why does it matter? Arguing for 20 IITians against Section 377, advocate Menaka Guruswamy told the Supreme Court that the penal provision reduced the LGBTQ community to the status of unconvicted felons. Hopes of the community to lead a normal life got dashed when the Supreme Court overturned the Delhi High Court s verdict in December 2013. But their decades-long struggle for dignity took a significant turn for the better with the progressive NALSA judgment delivered by a Supreme Court Bench, led by Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan. This verdict recognised transgender people as third gender, possessing rights, including marriage, adoption, divorce, succession and inheritance. More importantly, it condemned discrimination on the grounds of sex as a violation of the fundamental right to equality under the Constitution. In August 2017, the fight against Section 377 got a second major boost when a nine-judge Bench of the court, led by the then Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar, upheld the right to privacy as a fundamental right intrinsic to life and liberty. This Bench ripped apart the December, 2013 judgment. The nine-judge Bench, in its main opinion authored by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, underlined the impact of Section 377, saying it poses a grave danger to the unhindered fulfilment of one s sexual orientation, as an element of privacy and dignity. The two judgments signalled that the court was ready to change its opinion on Section 377. They became the pillars on which the petitioners based their case before the Constitution Bench.

What next? Section 377 criminalises a section of people for being a sexual minority. A cross-section of the people has approached the Supreme Court against the penal provision. They are not just seeking protection as sexual minorities, but recognition of characteristics inherent in all human beings. They argue that the right to sexuality, sexual autonomy and freedom to choose a sexual partner form the cornerstone of human dignity. Section 377 has a chilling effect on the right of equality, liberty, life, dignity and non-discrimination on the ground of sex. The pertinent question before the court is, what is the order of nature meant by Section 377 in its text. Once the Constitution Bench decides that homosexuality is also an order of nature and upholds the fundamental right to sexuality, sexual orientation and choice of same-sex partners, the doors are opened for individuals to approach the court in future on the larger issues of legalising same-sex marriages, inheritance, adoption, and reservation in employment.

(Adapted from the Hindu)

8. Bihar, where state-run girl shelters are under the scanner (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Social Issues)

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What happened? A social audit report prepared by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) found that at a State-run shelter home, Balika Grih, in Muzaffarpur, a north Bihar district, 34 of the 44 girls had been sexually exploited. Following the report of physical and sexual violence against girls at the home, the Opposition parties sought a High Court-monitored CBI probe. On Thursday, the State government recommended a CBI inquiry.

How did it come about? In June 2017, the Social Welfare Department, which looks after shelter and short-stay homes in the State, asked the TISS to prepare a report on their condition. The report, submitted to the Department on April 26 this year, made startling revelations about physical and sexual violations of girls, especially at the Muzaffarpur home. On May 31, the Department filed an FIR at the women s police station in Muzaffarpur, seeking suitable action on the plight of girls as mentioned on page 52 of the TISS report under the caption Grave Concern. On June 2, the Muzaffarpur police arrested Brajesh Thakur, the man who was managing the NGO, Sewa Sankalp Evam Vikas Samiti, to which the Department had given a contract to run the home. Subsequently, nine other persons, seven of them women employees at the home, were arrested and sent to jail. A chargesheet was filed on July 26. One accused, Dilip Verma, is absconding.

Why does it matter? The Muzaffarpur case has come as a huge embarrassment to the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government as Opposition leaders not only raised the issue strongly in and outside the State legislature but also accused the government of protecting Thakur. A local politician, Thakur is believed to have close relations with several BJP and JD(U) leaders. He had contested the Assembly election in 1995 and 2000 from Kudhani in Muzaffarpur as a candidate of the Bihar People s Party, then an NDA ally, but lost. He also runs a vernacular newspaper Pratah Kamal from the same building in which the shelter home is located and was in the State press accreditation committee too. His newspaper, despite having a very low circulation, was empanelled by the government s Public Relations Department and has been the beneficiary of government advertisements worth crores of rupees. How many such homes are there? Social Welfare Minister Manju Verma, whose husband too was accused of visiting the Muzaffarpur shelter home frequently, says there are 110 such shelter and short-stay homes in the State for girls and women, but we ve reports of irregularities at only five of them, while the rest are doing well. However, the 100-page TISS report said officials had pointed out several discrepancies at over a dozen shelter and short-stay homes, including at Motihari, Chhapra, Sasaram, Bhabhua, Vaishali and other places.

Will they be probed as well? Department Principal Secretary Atul Prasad said that in view of the TISS report, investigations were going on at all shelter and short-stay homes and suitable action would be taken, if discrepancies were found. If need be, girls and women would be shifted from there and the NGOs given the contract to run the homes would be blacklisted, he said. The

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Muzaffarpur home has already been sealed and girls have been shifted to shelter homes at Patna, Mokama and Madhubani. The NGO had also been blacklisted, he said.

What happens next? The government has recommended a CBI inquiry into the Muzaffarpur case and the names of several bigwigs are expected to surface in the investigation. Mr. Prasad admitted that the TISS social audit report was an eye-opener and said the Department would consider a number of measures to prevent such incidents occurring again. Among some of the suggestions are installation of CCTV cameras and deputing transgenders as security guards at such shelter and short-stay homes.

(Adapted from The Hindu)

9. In interfaith marriages: question of privacy (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper I; Social Issues)

The Haryana government s Court Marriage Check List (CMCL) for registration of a marriage under the Special Marriage Act is violative of the right to privacy, and an act of excessive executive action, Punjab and Haryana High Court has ruled. In an order passed on July 20 (released July 25), Justice Rajiv Narain Raina said that the procedure for marriage must reflect the mind-set of the changed times in a secular nation promoting inter-religion marriages instead of the officialdom raising eyebrows and laying snares and land mines beneath the sacrosanct feet of the Special Marriage Act, 1954 .

Lawyers say that the CMCL a list of conditions that need to be fulfilled prior to registration of an interfaith marriage in Haryana has kept couples away from Marriage Officers because the rules end— up exposing them to hostile members of their families or communities, who may try to separate them. —

Interfaith marriage law Parliament passed The Special Marriage Act, 1954, to provide a way to register the marriage of two individuals of different faiths. The persons intending to marry have to give 30 days notice in writing to the Marriage Officer of the district in which either of them has lived for at least 30 days before the date of giving notice. The Marriage Officer must keep the notice in a Marriage Notice Book, a public document anyone can inspect, and affix a copy (at) some conspicuous place in his office . The idea is to invite objections; to ensure that neither party has a spouse living , or is , and that the male has complete the age of twenty-one years and the female the age of eighteen yearsincapable, etc. ofThe giving marriage a valid is allowedconsent… or in rejected consequence after adjudication of unsoundness by the of Marriagemind Officer on the objections, if any, at the end of 30 days. Haryanas conditions In addition to the conditions laid down in the Act, Haryana has a 16-point checklist for interfaith couples seeking to marry under the Act. Among them is a provision that allows

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193 officials to send the notice for objections to the home address or permanent address of the applicants, and one that requires the tehsildar to physically verify applicants addresses and prepare a verification report for the District Marriage Officer. Also, the couple must get the notice published in a national newspaper. Another condition, which was raised in the case before Punjab and Haryana High Court, is that the couple should not be staying at one place under one roof at the time of applying.

The case in the HC One among the Hindu-Muslim couple is from Faridabad and the other from Gurgaon; both are pursuing careers as cost accountants. Since the Hindu woman was facing opposition from her family, they approached the High Court seeking directions that the Gurgaon Marriage Officer should desist from sending notices of their intended marriage to their parents, and that no information on their intentions should be published in a newspaper. The couple had earlier faced problems in registering their marriage in Faridabad, too.

Advocate Tanu Bedi, who represented the couple, argued that the CMCL conditions were highly offensive, insensitive, arbitrary, primitive and out of sync with rapidly changing social order , and that the condition that the couple should not live at a single place amounted to moral policing despite the courts having recognised live-in relationships. She told the court that in earlier instances of interfaith marriages, tehsildars had been found to be passing judgment, in their reports, on the character of the couple after speaking with their neighbours. The courts order Justice Raina directed the Gurgaon Marriage Officer to consider the temporary address of the couple instead of their permanent address for the purpose of jurisdiction, to not send any advance notice to the parents, and to dispense with the physical verification condition. It is suggested to the State of Haryana to suitably modify and simplify the CMCL to bring it in line with the Act by minimal executive interference. It may restrict the list to conditions which account for fundamental procedure avoiding unwarranted overload of obstructions and superfluity, the court said.

Elsewhere in India In April 2009, Delhi High Court directed the Marriage Officer in Delhi to not send notices to the residences of a couple, because the procedure was without any authority of law and amounted to breach of the right to privacy . In February 2018, Rajasthan High Court, on the basis of this ruling, directed Marriage Officers in the state to not send notices to the residences of applicants.

Punjab has a procedure similar to Haryana s. In addition to the provisions of the 1954 Act, officials in Punjab also seek the response of parents, police verification, and a newspaper notice. Police verification of interfaith couples is a precondition for registration of marriages in Chandigarh as well.

(Adapted from The Indian Express)

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Internal Security

1. The Islamic State and India (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Internal Security)

Alleged IS operative arrested for terror plot in Delhi. What kind of presence does the outfit have?

On Wednesday, The Indian Express reported that in September 2017, Indian intelligence agents had arrested an Islamic State operative, who is an Afghan national, ahead of a planned plot to bomb New Delhi. The arrest throws the spotlight on the IS s presence in India, seen by investigation agencies as a limited one. How many alleged IS operatives are under investigation in India? The National Investigation Agency (NIA) and state police have so far arrested 75 individuals with alleged IS links. The highest number is from Kerala (21), followed by Telangana (16), Karnataka (9), Maharashtra (8), MP (6), Uttarakhand (4), Tamil Nadu (4),

UP (3), Rajasthan (2), Jammu & Kashmir (1) and West Bengal (1). As many as 53 were arrested in 2016.

One of the first hints of Indian individuals being influenced by the IS came in 2014, when Maharashtra youths Areeb Majeed, Fahad Shaikh, Saheem Tankhi and Amaan Tandeel travelled to Syria, reportedly to join up. Majeed was deported to India and is facing trial; the other three are reported to have been killed.

How did the IS attract these recruits? Investigators say IS recruiters and trainers use the Internet, the phone and one-on-one meetings for indoctrinating Indian youth and getting them to travel to Syria, Libya or Iraq.

A number of Indian recruits have travelled from home, or places where they are staying abroad. IS propaganda and recruitment depends largely on social media apps such as WhatsApp and Nimbus. Of late, recruiters have been using the dark web , a class of Internet content that is not visible to general browsing and is not indexed by search engines.

Has the IS carried out any terrorist activities within India? So far, it has not directly claimed responsibility for any attack in India. However, the 2014 blast on Church Street, Bengaluru, where one person was killed, was allegedly triggered by an individual linked to the IS. Alam Zeb Afridi, alias Mohd Rafiq, hails from Ahmedabad and was earlier with SIMI and then Indian Mujahideen. In its chargesheet, the NIA said Afridi acted on directions from handlers in Syria associated with the IS, and that their target was Israeli tourists in Bengaluru.

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Investigating agencies claim to have busted another IS-linked module, allegedly behind low-intensity blasts on a Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train in 2017. Eight members of this alleged module were arrested while a ninth, Saifulla, was killed in an encounter in Lucknow.

How are these individuals linked to the formal structure of the IS in Syria and Iraq and the Caliphate of al-Baghdadi?

Bhatkal resident Shafi Armar alias Anajan Bhai, designated a global militant by the United States, is said to be highest-ranking IS operative in India. During his chats with recruits, he has reportedly claimed to have been tasked by IS chief al-Baghdadi to set up a Caliphate in India. However, intelligence agencies doubt if he has a direct association with al-Baghdadi.

Many officials suspect that Armar, who was earlier with the Indian Mujahideen, uses the name of ISIS on directions of Pakistan. According to Areeb, the Maharashtra youth who was deported in 2016, the IS prefers Arab fighters for jihad and engages Indians mostly in administrative work; Areeb claimed he was part of a team assigned to build Raqqa as a WiFi city.

The latest arrest is an Afghan national allegedly planning a suicide bombing in India. How significant is Afghanistan to IS s India story?

With its territory shrinking in Iraq and Syria, the IS is looking for new bases and Afghanistan is one of the targeted countries. It is said to be eyeing Afghanistan s Khorasan province, where scores have migrated from Kerala. In 2016, 22 residents of Kerala, including six women and three children, reached an IS bastion in Afghanistan. Intelligence reports claimed that four of them, including a child, were killed in bombings by the United States. Intelligence agencies have long suspected that militant groups backed by Pakistan might try to use Afghanistan nationals to carry out attacks in India in the name of the IS. In 2015, such groups had allegedly tried to make use of medical visas granted to Afghan nationals, before their alleged terror plot was thwarted on an alert from Afghan intelligence.

Is the IS, like Pakistani terror groups, active in Jammu & Kashmir? State DGP S P Vaid said recently that four militants killed in South Kashmir belonged to Islamic State of Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK). This outfit, however, is believed to have no organisational chord with ISIS. ISJK recruits are mostly former operatives of other groups such as Hizb-ul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba. The security establishment believes that the IS does not have any defined organisational structure in the Valley or a chain of command transcending borders. In reply to a Parliament question on March 15, 2017, MoS (Home) Hansraj Ahir said, misguided youth were noticed on different occasions in Jammu & Kashmir in the recent past. … A few incidents of unfurling of flags of ISIS by some

Are the IS and affiliates banned in India?

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In 2015, the Home Ministry notified Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as a banned terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, stating that it is involved in radicalisation and recruitment of vulnerable youths. Recently, the government included ISIS-K, also known as Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) or ISIS Wilayat Khorasan.

(Adapted from Indian Express)

2. In Manipur, incursions on the border (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Internal Security)

Border disputes in the northeast are usually associated with China s claim on Arunachal Pradesh and alleged intrusion by Chinese soldiers. The 1,643-km border with Myanmar along Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram often has more to do with smuggling of drugs, gold and wildlife body parts, as well as raids by the northeastern extremist groups from their hideouts beyond the boundary. The spotlight is on this frontier for alleged incursions by Myanmar soldiers.

Where is the incursion? Villagers along Manipur s border say incursions are nothing new. For instance, Myanmar nationals have been occupying Govajang village near the trade town of Moreh in Tengnoupal district, the predominantly Thadou people of the area say. But the aggression has increased over the past six months. The action has been in the newly created Tengnoupal district, though the other three border districts Chandel, Kamjong and Ukhrul have issues too. According to the United Naga Council (UNC) of Manipur, an umbrella socio-economic and cultural group of the Naga tribes, Myanmar— soldiers on April 29 vandalised— a saw mill in Tengnoupal s H. Lhangcham, a Maring Naga-inhabited village between border pillars 75 and 76. Two days later, Myanmar soldiers raided N. Satsang and Choktong, also in Tengnoupal, and made 62 tribal families flee. They dismantled the Indian boundary pillar number 82 and planted their own. These villages are within 10 km north of Moreh. The latest incident was reported from Kwatha Khunou further north, near where border pillar 81 used to stand. Notably, only a 10-km stretch (Moreh area) of the India- Myanmar border is fenced.

What does Delhi say? The External Affairs Ministry has said India has not shifted pillars demarcating the border with Myanmar and the boundary is settled and there is no confusion over its alignment. Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh has said his government has formed a high-power committee to investigate the incursions; it will seek a fresh survey if any discrepancy is found. But UNC leader Gaidon Kamei said Myanmar soldiers and civilians have illegally occupied a large chunk of land on the Manipur side of the boundary from pillar number 81 to 88. A Congress team that visited Kwatha Khunou a fortnight ago found a subsidiary Myanmar pillar 100 metres in India from pillar 81. The team also found Burmese graffiti and a symbol of Myanmar flag on the base of a tree that the Meitei people worship as a deity and claimed that Myanmar took over half of Molfei village inhabited by the Kuki. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, who was in Manipur at that time, insisted that there was no

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197 border dispute. The Congress and some NGOs took it as admission that India gifted land to please Myanmar, whose rulers are getting closer to China. Why then do Assam Rifles soldiers stop people from inspecting the border and why don t Indian surveyors visit the area, they ask. Is history responsible? The BJP had earlier blamed Manipur s boundary problem with Myanmar on Jawaharlal Nehru for not claiming the Kabaw Valley (in Myanmar) during demarcation in 1947. In the medieval ages, Manipur and Burmese kings often wrested the valley from each other until the British defeated the Burmese and signed the Treaty of Yandaboo in 1826. But the valley was returned to Burma in the second treaty of 1834 and a boundary line between British India and Burma was drawn by Captain R.B. Pemberton. The Pemberton Line had left out certain restive Kuki areas that were included in a rectified boundary in 1881 called Johnstone Line. The boundary was redrawn again in 1896 to have 38 pillars and be known as Maxwell or Pemberton-Johnstone-Maxwell Line. But Burma never participated in these exercises until India and Burma became independent. After negotiations started in 1953, both ratified the 1896 line via the Rangoon Agreement on March 10, 1967. Border residents in Manipur hope New Delhi makes it clear to Myanmar that history needs to be respected.

(Adapted from The Hindu)

3. Recommendations of Shekatkar Committee (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Internal Security)

The Shekatkar Committee to enhance combat capability and rebalance defence expenditure submitted its report in December 2016. The Report was taken up by the Ministry of Defence to frame key action points and roadmap for implementation. Measures as recommended by the Committee and taken up for implementation include:

Optimization of Signals Establishments to include Radio Monitoring Companies, Corps Air Support Signal Regiments, Air Formation Signal Regiments, Composite Signal Regiments and• merger of Corps Operating and Engineering Signal Regiments.

Restructuring of repair echelons in the Army to include Base Workshops, Advance Base Workshops and Static / Station Workshops in the field Army. • Redeployment of Ordnance echelons to include Vehicle Depots, Ordnance Depots and Central Ordnance Depots apart from streamlining inventory control mechanisms. • Better utilization of Supply and Transportation echelons and Animal Transport Units.

• Closure of Military Farms and Army Postal Establishments in peace locations.

• Enhancement in standards for recruitment of clerical staff and drivers in the Army.

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Improving the efficiency of the National Cadet Corps.

Full• details of the Report and its recommendations are not being placed in the public domain as operational aspects of the armed forces have also been covered, disclosure of which is not in the interest of national security. Improving operational capabilities is a continuous process and requisite measures as required are taken from time to time.

(Adapted from PIB)

4. All you need to know about the Rafale deal controversy (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Internal Security)

All about the 2008 France-India security agreement

What is the Rafale deal? In September 2016, India (IGA) for 36 Rafale multi-role fighter jets in fly-away condition. Among other things, the deal also has a 50% offsetand clause France to be signed executed a €. by billionDassault Intergovernmental Aviation and its partnersAgreement in partnership with Indian companies. The basic cost of the aircraft is about `680 crore (and a little over `1,600 crore per aircraft for the whole deal). There are also India-specific aircraft modifications.

What is the political controversy? The Congress claims that this deal is very expensive and without any technology transfer. The party implied that it would benefit the Anil Ambani group that was selected by Dassault to execute part of the offset contract. The Defence Minister has asserted that no procedure has been violated. It is a government-to-government deal approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security, she said. The offset deal, she said, was one between two companies and the government had no role in it. In turn, the Congress has asked the government for the cost break-up in comparison with the earlier deal. The Minister has refused to share classified information , citing the 2008 France-India security agreement.

What is this agreement? In 2008, under the UPA government, India and France signed a general security agreement concerning the protection of classified information and material in the field of defence. Such an agreement seeks to safeguard the details of the platforms and technology shared, and prevent those details from falling into the hands of a third party. This agreement was further extended this March. While the agreement does not specifically refer to the details of cost, Article 4 of the agreement on security principles says: The receiving party shall not disclose classified information and material to a third party, state, individual or legal entity with a third State It also states that access to classified information and material would be based on need-to-know principle. So, to share pricing details of the deal in public, Indias nationality… would have to get in-principle approval from France. Following the controversy, France said that provisions of the security agreement apply to the IGA. In an interview, the French President said that if India wishes to share some of the critical

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199 information, France would not object to it. However, he also said, In France, as in India, when an agreement is very sensitive, we cannot reveal all the details. (Adapted from The Hindu)

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Miscellaneous

1. India gets its 37th WORLD UNESCO World HERITAGE SITE (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Culture)

Which site has been recognized? In yet another landmark achievement, India s nomination of the "Victorian and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai " has been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list. The decision was taken at the 42nd session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO at Manama in Bahrain today. As recommended by the World Heritage Committee, India accepted the renaming of the ensemble as Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai .

What is the criteria of recognition? The inscription has been done under Criteria (ii) and (iv) as defined in the UNESCO's Operational Guidelines. Criterion (ii) refers to the important interchange of human values, over a span of time on development of architecture, monumental arts, town planning and landscape while Criterion (iv) refers to being an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates a significant stage (s) in human history. This achievement is especially remarkable in the view of the successive inscription of another Indian city after Ahmedabad last year.

What is the overall performance of India? In the past 5 years alone, India has managed to get inscribed seven of its properties/sites on the World Heritage List of UNESCO. India now has overall 37 World Heritage Inscriptions with 29 Cultural, 07 Natural and 01 Mixed sites. While India stands second largest in number after China in terms of number of World Heritage properties in ASPAC (Asia and Pacific) region, it is overall sixth in the world.

About the site The Ensemble comprises of two architectural styles, the 19th century collection of Victorian structures and the 20th century Art Deco buildings along the sea, conjoined by means of the historical open space of the Oval Maidan. Together, this architectural ensemble represents the most remarkable collection of Victorian and Art Deco buildings in the world which forms the unique character of this urban setting, unparalleled in the world.

The Ensemble consists of 94 buildings primarily of 19th century Victorian Gothic revival and early 20thcentury Art Deco style of architecture with the Oval Maidan in the centre.

The 19th century Victorian buildings form part of the larger Fort precinct situated to the east of the Oval Maidan. These public buildings include the Old Secretariat (1857-74),

University Library and Convention Hall (1874-78), the Bombay High Court (1878), the Public Works Department Office (1872), Watson s Hotel (1869), David Sasoon Library (1870), the Elphinstone College(1888), etc. The Art Deco styled buildings to the west of the Website: www.prepmate.in Telegram Channel: @upscprepmate Prepmate Cengage Books Preview: https://prepmate.in/books/ Youtube channel: PrepMate Edutech For updates on WhatsApp, share your name & city on WhatsApp No. 75978-30000

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Oval Maidan were raised in early 20th century on the newly reclaimed lands at Marine Drive and symbolised the shift in expression to represent contemporary aspirations.

What is in pipeline from India? In addition, 42 sites from the country figures in the Tentative List of World Heritage and the Ministry of Culture would be recommending one property every year for nomination to UNESCO.

(Adapted from PIB)

2. A 216-foot-tall statue of Ramanuja (Relevant for GS Prelims; Culture)

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Statue of Equality The Statue of Equality is an upcoming project dedicated to the 11th century Vaishnavaite Saint Bhagavad Ramanuja, commemorating 1000 years since his birth. Ramanuja was an icon treating every one as equal before God and was the first to allow the downtrodden to enter temples. Taking his inspiration this project was named "Statue of Equality".

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The project is constructed on an estimated 34 acres. It consists of a 216 foot tall statue of Ramanuja and is surrounded by 108 Divyadesams (model temples). This project was planned by religious guru Chinna Jeeyar swamy and his religious trust. This project budget is 1000 crore rupees. After completion Statue of Equality would be the world's second tallest sitting statue after Great Buddha of Thailand, Thailand which is of 302 feet height.

Ramanuja Acharya (1017–1137)

He was disciple of Yamuna Muni and Yadava Prakash.

• He founded the philosophy of Vishisht advaita or qualified monism. He considered that Brahman possessed certain attributes. Atma or soul can merge with Brahman subject to conditions.• Such conditions include loving the faith and practicing devotion. Thus, loving the faith and practicing devotion is the path to attain salvation.

He considered Vishnu to be the supreme person and founded Vaishnava sect. Hoysala king Vittigadev Vishnuvardhan was originally a Jain. He became follower of Vishnu under influence• of Ramanuja Acharya. He also advocated prapatti marga or path of self-surrender to God.

• He was banished from his birthplace, Sriperumbudur by king Kulottanga Chola. He was a staunch follower of Shaivism. • He wrote Sri Bhashya. Sri Bhashya is a commentary on Sri Badarayana s Vedanta Sutra.

• He headed Srirangam Vaishnava Math in Tamil Nadu.

(Adapted• from the Hindu & Background from PrepMate-Cengage Ancient & Medieval History and Culture book)

3. Golden Globe Race (Relevant for GS Prelims)

Who Conducts Golden Globe Race ? The GGR is being conducted by U.K.-based sailing pioneer Sir Robin Knox Johnston to commemorate 50 years since the world s first solo non-stop circumnavigation by him on- board the Indian-built boat Suhaili, in 1968. Who is participating from India? Commander Abhilash Tomy of the Indian Navy, a well-known sailor, is participating in the historic Golden Globe Race (GGR), which commenced from the Les Sables d Olonne harbour in western France. He is the only invitee from Asia to the prestigious GGR. There are 18 participants, including one woman sailor, in the race.

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Commander Tomy is the only Indian to complete solo, non-stop circumnavigation of the globe in 2012-13, on-board the Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Mhadei, and has covered 53,000 nautical miles under sail.

He is representing India in the indigenously built sailing vessel Thuriya, a replica of Suhaili. The race is expected to end at Les Sables d Olonne in April 2019.

What is special about the race? The participants are required to sail around the world, single-handed and non-stop. The uniqueness of the race is that boat designs and technology newer than 1968 is not permitted, so the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS), satellite communication or modern navigational aids is forbidden. Participants will rely on traditional means of navigation, such as physical maps and observing stars, as they sail through the high seas in a 30,000-mile journey. The sailors are provided with a satellite phone for medical emergencies.

(Adapted from the Hindu)

4. "Behdienkhlam" festival at Jowai, Meghalaya (Relevant for GS Prelims; Culture)

"Behdienkhlam" is Meghalaya Annual Cultural Festival, held every year at the small peripheral town of Jowai, Meghalaya.

Jaintia Tribe festival Most popular festival of the Jaintia tribe, Behdienkhlam is celebrated in the month of July for good health, property and bumper harvest. Although Behdienkhlam is celebrated all over the Jaintia hills, the main spectacle happens in the town of Jowai, about 64 km away from Shillong.

The non-Christian Pnar people who believe either in the traditional faith of Niamtre or Hinduism observe this festival. According to folktales, Jowai town was once covered by thick forest, without any human habitation. It was home of five deities, four stones and a river nymph. The four huge stones can still be seen at the four corners of Jowai town. The five deities wished that god would send humans to settle in this region, and thus a wandering Mongolian tribe arrived in this forest. To celebrate the presence of humans, U- Mokhai the eldest of the deities began a ceremonial dance. Upon seeing the thunder and noise from the dance, the tribes got scared and began to flee.

U-Mokhai then stopped and addressed them that they are safe and are meant to inhabit this forest. The festival begins with sacrificing pig to Knia Pyrthat (Thunder) followed by the Wasan (Priest) ringing the brass bell along the main road of the town to the point where the forest begins. Rounded, polished and tall trunks of tree are felled in the sacred forest and are left in the woods for couple of days. The trunks are then brought to the town with great fanfare, dancing and singing. On the fourth day, the youth of the town led by the

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205 priest visit each and every home, climb to the roof and beat it with a bamboo stick to chase away any evil spirits. The people also display their artistic skills by erecting rots (tall bamboo structures decorated with colour paper and tinsel). The rots are then carried to the Aitnar site , where women and men gather. The rots arrive and the polished, rounded logs are thrown into the river. The dancing men rush and try to balance themselves on the rolling and slippery logs. At the end, Dad-Lawakor , a type of football is played with a wooden ball. (Adapted from Times of India and PIB)

5. Consult UPSC for selecting police chiefs, SC tells States

Send list of probables to service commission for shortlisting three names The Supreme Court on Tuesday restrained the State governments from appointing Directors-General of Police without first consulting the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

The State government concerned has to send to the service commission the names of the probables three months before the incumbent DGP is to retire. The UPSC will prepare a list of three officers fit to be DGP and send it back. It shall, as far as practicable, choose the people who have got a clear two years of service and must give due weightage to merit and seniority. The State, in turn, shall immediately appoint one of the persons shortlisted by the commission.

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A Bench, led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, passed the directions on an application by the Centre for modification of a September 22, 2006 judgment on a petition filed by former DGPs Prakash Singh and N.K. Singh for reforms in the police forces.

In 2006, the court passed seven directives, primarily to ensure that State governments do not exercise unwarranted influence or pressure on the police. (Adapted from the Hindu)

6. Cabinet approves hike in MSP for Kharif Crops for 2018-19 Season (Relevant for GS Prelims)

Giving a major boost for the farmers income, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the increase in the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for all kharif crops for 2018-19 Season.

The Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for all kharif crops of 2018-19 season have been increased as follows:

Commodity Variety MSPfor 2017- MSP approvedfor 2018- 18Season 19Season

Paddy Common 1550 1750

Grade A 1590 1770 Grade A

Jowar Hybrid 1700 2430

Maldandi 1725 2450 Maldandi

Bajra - 1425 1950

Ragi - 1900 2897

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Maize - 1425 1700

Arhar(Tur) - 5450 5675

Moong - 5575 6975

Urad - 5400 5600

Groundnut - 4450 4890

Sunflower Seed - 4100 5388

Soyabean - 3050 3399

Sesamum - 5300 6249

Nigerseed - 4050 5877

Cotton Medium 4020 5150 Staple

Long Staple 4320 5450

* Includes all paid out costs such as those incurred on account of hired human labour, bullock labour/machine labour, rent paid for leased in land, expenses incurred on use of material inputs like seeds, fertilizers, manures, irrigation charges, Depreciation on implements and farm miscellaneous expenses, and imputed value of family labour.

Farmer friendly initiatives by the Government: Besides increase in Minimum Support Prices (MSP) of kharif crops, Government has also taken several farmer friendly initiatives. Theseare as follows:

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- 2 % of sum insured for all kharif crops, 1.5% for all rabi crops and 5 % for commercial and horticulture crops under smart •technology The premium through rates phones to be paid & remote by farmers sensing are for very quick low estimation and early settlement of claims. The Government has also launched a Mobile App "Crop Insurance" which will help farmers to find out complete details about insurance cover available in their area and to calculate the insurance premium for notified crops.

platform under 'National Agriculture Market' (NAM) aiming to integrate 585 regulated markets• The Government with the common has also e-market launched platform a scheme in toorder develop to facilitate a pan India better electronic price discovery trading and ensure remunerative prices to farmers. Each State is being encouraged to undertake three major reforms - allow electronic trading, have a single license valid throughout the State and a single entry point market fee. It will also enable farmers to discover better prices for their produce. As on 23rd March, 2018, 585 markets in 16 States and 2 Union Territories have already been brought on the e-NAM platform.

Marketing (Promotion & Facilitation) Act, 2017 to provide farmers market options beyond the• Government existing APMC has regulated also formulated market yards. a new model Agricultural Produce and Livestock

every two years. The card provides information on fertility status of soil and a soil test based• Soil Healthadvisory Cards on useare ofbeing fertilizers. issued toAs farmerson 25th across June, 2018,the country. 15.14 croreThese Soil will Health be renewed Cards have been distributed.

farming and development of potential market for organic products. • Under ParamparagatKrishiVikasYojana PKVY, the Government is promoting organic na is being implemented with the vision of extending the coverage of irrigation 'HarKhetkoPani' and improving water use efficiency 'Per• The Drop Pradhan More Crop MantriKrishiSinchaiYoja ' in a focused manner with end to end solution on source creation, distribution, management, field application and extension activities.

wheat, coarse grains and pulses under the National Food Security Mission. • Government is focusing on improving production and productivity of crops such as rice, -KrishiSamvad provides direct and effective solutions to problems faced by farmers. • A dedicated online interface e

2018-19 has extended a favourable taxation treatment to Farmer Producers Organisations • Government is encouraging formation of Farmer Producer Organisations. The Budget for (FPQs) for helping farmers aggregate their needs of inputs, farm services, processing and sale operations.

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also being done under Price Stabilization Fund (PSF) mainly with a view to protect consumers.• Government The has Budget set up for a 2018-19 buffer stock indicated of pulses that increasingand domestic MSP. procurement is not adequate of pulses and it is more important that farmers should get full benefit of the announced MSP. For this, it is essential that if price of the agriculture produce market is less than MSP, then Government should purchase either at MSP or work in a manner to provide MSP for the farmers through some other mechanism. NITI Aayog, in consultation with Central and State Governments, will put in place a fool-proof mechanism so that farmers will get adequate price for their produce.

provisions and package of assistance which women farmers can claim under various on¬ going• A handbook Missions/ for Submissions/ women farmers Schemes 'Farm Women of Department Friendly ofHand Agriculture, Book' containing Cooperation special & Farmers Welfare has been brought out.

Income by 2022. • With the above measures taken, the Government has set a target to double the farmers' (Adapted from PIB)

7. Why have top teams exited the FIFA World Cup 2018? (Read only for understanding)

Whats happening in Russia? They re calling Kazan the graveyard of the greats. It is where Germany lost to South Korea to crash out in the first round of a World Cup for the first time since 1938. Days later, Argentina fell to France in the round-of-16 at the same venue. On Friday it was Brazil s turn, leaving us with a semi-final line-up few would have predicted at the start of the tournament. This is the first time in the history of the World Cup that neither Germany, Brazil or Argentina has made the last four. Consider Spain s defeat to Russia in the round- of-16, and this has truly been a tournament of shocks. What led to their ouster? There is no common answer, no overarching theme. Each side had its own problems. Germany simply played badly, dull and ponderous in possession and lacking a focal point in attack. Some of the senior players that manager Joachim Low perhaps wrongly put his faith in were off colour. Midfielder Sami Khedira, defender Jerome Boateng and forward Thomas Muller disappointed. Low, it seemed, simply did not know— what his best XI— was. Spain was the better side over 120 minutes against Russia, but went out on penalties. The attack lacked penetration Isco the only stand-out performer and the defence wobbled, but the dismissal of manager Julen Lopetegui two days before the opening game did not help. — —

Argentina s exit hardly came as a surprise; a poor team that had just about managed to qualify for the World Cup was no match for a hugely talented French unit. Lionel Messi s individual brilliance has for long masked the team s failures; this was a step too far. Website: www.prepmate.in Telegram Channel: @upscprepmate Prepmate Cengage Books Preview: https://prepmate.in/books/ Youtube channel: PrepMate Edutech For updates on WhatsApp, share your name & city on WhatsApp No. 75978-30000

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Brazil s defeat to Belgium in the quarter-final was perhaps a surprise, but it was not in the least an upset; Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku are among the world s best in their positions. Brazil s defensive display, after having conceded only one goal before the game, was unexpected, though. Are the coaches to blame? Low seemed out of ideas when Plan A did not work. Germany had failed to win five straight friendly matches before it laboured past Saudi Arabia days ahead of the World Cup, but he presumed wrongly, carelessly that everything would be all right in Russia. Fernando Hierro took charge of Spain in a crisis and was executing someone else s plans. — — He cannot be faulted. A clueless Jorge Sampaoli had, according to reports in the Argentine media, been nudged aside by senior players who took matters into their own hands after the loss to Croatia. Tite had improved Brazil a great deal, especially at the back, but he will now face pressure to step down.

What about administrators? The Spanish federation (RFEF) might have handled the Lopetegui episode better. That Real Madrid chose to name him as its next boss days before the World Cup was not ideal, but in the end, Spain was robbed of the services of a man who had revived the side. The Argentine FA, long seen as corrupt, is guilty of mismanagement. In the fortnight before the World Cup, Argentina had friendlies against Nicaragua and Israel cancelled; that they were scheduled in the first place is a bit of a scandal. The team eventually played only one international friendly in the two months leading up to the World Cup against Haiti, ranked a lowly 104. There are concerns in Argentina over what is perceived to be a steady evaporation of the talent pool. —

The current squad is old and still reliant on players who were part of the nation s U-20 World Cup triumphs over a decade ago. What next? The DFB has confirmed that Low will stay on as Germany s head coach. There is no need to panic, for Germany s depth in talent is immense. Spain will bounce back, as will Brazil. Argentina, though, might take a while. (Adapted from the Hindu)

8. PM Modi, Prez Moon Jae-In inaugurate worlds largest mobile phone factory, will produce 1 crore sets a month (Relevant for GS Prelims)

Worlds largest mobile phone factory in Noida Samsung announced that it will double the capacity of its mobile phone factory in Noida making it the largest phone manufacturing unit in the world. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean President Moon Jae-In together inaugurated the plant which will

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211 produce up to 120 million smartphones every year. That is one crore phones every month out of the 35-acre facility. The new plant will provide 1,000 more jobs directly.

(Adapted from Indian express)

9. On JEE and NEET twice a year (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper)

In an ideal system, admission to higher education courses would be based on assessment of aptitude and suitability, and a testing process that is transparent, accessible and fair.

The criticism of admission tests India s policymakers have struggled to create a credible national admissions apparatus for professional degree programmes that accommodates the diversity and plurality of the country. The two-level Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) for admission to technological institutes such as the IITs, NITs and IIITs, and the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for undergraduate medical courses are steps in this direction although much work remains to be done to make them accessible, especially for rural students who suffer from various handicaps, not the least of which is a shaky school education— system.

Appreciation for establishing National Testing Agency Viewed against this background, the decision of the Centre to form a National Testing Agency to conduct these and some other examinations is a progressive move. A professional agency would look at nothing other than the suitability of the candidate to pursue a particular programme. Of course, there will be those that contend that the better- run States could have their own agencies perform the same task, but the expertise of a national agency is preferable. The objective of aptitude testing in a populous country should be to enable mobility, and access to courses offered in any State. Peer-reviewed standards and curbs on commercialisation can help expand higher education. In the case of medical courses, a common test such as NEET should make it possible to attend any of about 350 medical colleges, of which 175 are run by private entities.

Two test opportunities in a year The idea of multiple opportunities to take a test in a single year, which the Centre has now adopted for JEE (Main) and NEET, is not really new, and is familiar to students entering universities abroad, particularly those in the United States. In fact, the Ashok Misra committee set up by the Human Resource Development Ministry to review the JEE three years ago recommended that an online aptitude test be offered two or more times a year.

The move to make both JEE (Main) and NEET available twice a year is consistent with that advice.

Concerns about computer-based testing However, a computer-based test should not turn into a barrier for students from rural backgrounds, and impose additional expenditure on candidates for preparation, travel to a testing centre and so on. The reservations about online testing on such grounds should be overcome with good planning and allocation of sufficient funds. Equally important is the

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212 issue of regulation of coaching institutes a sector worth about Rs. 24,000 crore a year, according to the Ashok Misra panel in order to ensure that the changes do not result in further exploitation of students. Ultimately,— any process of reform at the level of entrance examinations can be meaningful only— if the school education system is revamped, and learning outcomes are improved.

(Adapted from the Hindu)

10. India emerges as world's 6th largest economy, surpasses France: WB data (Relevant for GS Prelims)

India: sixth largest economy India emerged as the world's sixth largest economy in 2017 surpassing France and likely to go past the United Kingdom, which is at the fifth position, according to an analysis of data compiled by the World Bank.

In 2017, India became the sixth largest economy with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of USD 2.59 trillion, relegating France to the seventh position.

As per the data, the GDP of France stood at USD 2.58 trillion.

The United Kingdom, which is facing Brexit blues, had a GDP of USD 2.62 trillion, which is about USD 25 billion more than that of India, the data showed.

The US is the world's largest economy with a size of USD 19.39 trillion, followed by China (USD 12.23 trillion) at the second place.

Japan (USD 4.87 trillion) and Germany (USD 3.67 trillion) are at the third and fourth places, respectively.

Based on GDP size, other three countries in the top ten are Brazil (8th), Italy (9th) and Canada (10th).

As per the IMF' World Economic Outlook released in April this year, the size of the Indian economy was pegged at USD 2.61 trillion, ahead of France with a GDP of USD 2.58 trillion.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) pegged the size of the UK's economy at USD 2.62 trillion, slightly bigger than INDIA.

(Adapted from Business Standard)

11. Start up yatra (Relevant for GS Prelims)

About Startup India Yatra To promote job creation in tier 2 and tier 3 towns and cities, Startup India organizes the Startup India Yatra in one state every month. The Yatra conducts boot camps where

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213 students are taught lessons in business planning followed by a pitch fest where ideas are invited. Shortlisted business ideas get incubated in State run incubators. A total of 19,000 students across 40 districts have benefitted from the Yatra through the boot camps, with over 90 received grants or incubation offers from the State governments.

About Startup India initiative The Startup India initiative of the Government of India envisages to build a robust startup ecosystem in the country for nurturing innovation and providing opportunities to budding entrepreneurs. In tandem with this mission, the program has been able to gather registration of 10,999 startups, generating employment to 1,09,869 people.

About States Startup Ranking Framework This large-scale generation of employment is a result of consistent efforts to promote the spirit of entrepreneurship. The States Startup Ranking Framework was launched by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) in February 2018, with the aim to foster competitiveness and to propel the states and union territories to work proactively towards promotion of their startup eco-systems. This was also targeted at facilitating states and UTs to identify, learn and replicate good practices from each other and for bringing to the fore, their own progress.

Startup India works with various Ministries of the Government of India and corporates to promote incubation and accelerator programs which lead to creation of more startups.

(Adapted from PIB)

12. Shwet Ashwa Drass Expedition (Relevant for GS Prelims)

What is Shwet Ashwa Drass Expedition? Shwet Ashwa, the elite motorcycle display team of the Corps of Military Police, commenced a motor cycle expedition from Bengaluru to Drass on 2nd July 2018 as a tribute to the soldiers who laid down their lives during the Kargil war. The expedition reached New Delhi on 13th Jul 2018 from where it will be flagged off for Drass on 16th July 2018 by the Adjutant General Lt Gen Ashwani Kumar, AVSM, VSM.

The expedition is being undertaken by five highly experienced riders of the Army s Shwet Ashwa Motor Cycle Display team and will travel a distance of more than 3250 km across eight states before they reach Drass on 24th July 2018. At Drass, they will participate in the Vijay Diwas celebrations to commemorate India s Victory in the Kargil war and pay homage to the 527 brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives during this operation. (Adapted from PIB)

13. PM lays Foundation Stone for Poorvanchal Expressway in Azamgarh (Relevant for GS Prelims)

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The Prime Minister laid the Foundation Stone of the Poorvanchal Expressway in Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh.

Poorvanchal Expressway The Prime Minister said that the 340 kilometer long Poorvanchal Expressway would transform the towns and cities that it passes through. The Lucknow-Azamgarh-Ballia Expressway is an under construction 6-lane, divided and access-controlled highway, in India's Uttar Pradesh state. The expressway will connect the historic town of Ghazipur with the state capital, Lucknow. It is to be developed by the Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development and Authority.

(Adapted from PIB)

14. Golden jackal faces threat in its habitat (Relevant for GS Prelims)

Destruction of mangrove cover in Bandar Reserve Forest may trigger man-animal conflict Destruction of mangrove cover in the Bandar Reserve Forest is forcing the golden jackal (Canis aureus) out of its habitat, triggering a conflict with the local communities.

About Bandar Reserve Forest The reserve forest is in Andhra Pradesh.

About Golden jackal The conservation status of the animal is the least concern and it preys on wild crab and fish. Website: www.prepmate.in Telegram Channel: @upscprepmate Prepmate Cengage Books Preview: https://prepmate.in/books/ Youtube channel: PrepMate Edutech For updates on WhatsApp, share your name & city on WhatsApp No. 75978-30000

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(Adapted from the Hindu)

15. All you need to know about 2018 FIFA World Cup (Relevant for GS prelims)

The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, an international football tournament contested by the men's national teams of the member associations of FIFA once every four years. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018.

What was special about this world cup? This was the first World Cup to be held in Eastern Europe, and the 11th time that it had been held in Europe. At an estimated cost of over $14.2 billion, it is the most expensive World Cup ever. It was also the first World Cup to use the video assistant referee (VAR) system.

Participation of nations The finals involved 32 teams, of which 31 came through qualifying competitions, while the host nation qualified automatically. Of the 32 teams, 20 had also appeared in the last tournament in 2014, while both Iceland and Panama made their first appearances at a FIFA World Cup. A total of 64 matches were played in 12 venues across 11 cities.

Details about final The final took place on 15 July at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, with France and Croatia competing for the World Cup. France won the match 4 2 to claim their second World Cup title, marking the fourth consecutive title won by a European team, after Italy in 2006, Spain in 2010 and Germany in 2014. –

About FIFA The FIFA Congress, the most-critical gathering of international football's governing body, gather every year. The introduction of annual meetings allows football s parliament to influence decisions concerning an ever-growing number of issues. The Congress makes decisions relating to FIFA's governing statutes and the method by which they are implemented and applied. It also approves the annual report, decides on the acceptance of new national associations and holds elections, most notably for the FIFA presidency.

The FIFA Congress - football's parliament According to the statutes, the FIFA Congress is the organisation's supreme body. As the legislative body of world football - football's parliament in other words - the Congress bears a particular responsibility for developing the game, the nature of which has been subject to increasingly rapid change over the past few years. Each member has one vote at the Congress.

What decisions may the Congress take? The Congress...

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decides whether to admit, suspend or expel a member

• the location of FIFA headquarters (in Zurich since 1932)

• may award the title of honorary president, honorary vice-president or honorary member

• is responsible for amending the Statutes, the Regulations Governing the Application of the Statutes and the Standing Orders of the Congress • may remove a FIFA Executive Committee member from office

• approves the balance sheet and income statement

• approves the Activity Report

• elects the president every four years

The• FIFA President has an important function during the Congress: he presides over it and ensures that the debates are properly conducted. After the Congress, he is then responsible for ensuring that the decisions passed are implemented.

(Adapted from the Hindu)

16. National database for gun license holders (Relevant for GS Prelims)

What are the provisions?

1. Come April 2019, names of all arms license holders new or old will be included in a national database and they will be issued a unique identification number (UIN), according to the Home Ministry. – –

2. The move is aimed at keeping a tab on authorised private gun holders, many of whom are often found involved in crimes and celebratory firing leading to loss of lives.

3. Every licensing and renewing authority will have to enter the data in the National Database of Arms Licenses system, which will generate a UIN, and with effect from April 1, 2019, any arms licence without UIN shall be considered invalid, the ministry said in a notification.

4. The decision has been taken by exercising powers under Section 44 of the Arms Act, 1959 (54 of 1959) by amending the Arms Rules, 2016. These rules will be called the Arms (Second Amendment) Rules, 2018.

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5. Additionally, any existing licensee holding multiple licenses under Form III shall on or before April 1 make an application for grant of a single license in respect of all firearms held by him or her under his or her UIN to the concerned licensing– authority. –

Where the applicant applying for a license for restricted category of arms or ammunition is also a holder of a license for permissible category, or where the applicant applying for permissible category of arms or ammunition is also a holder of a license for restricted category, the licensing authority concerned shall issue a new license for restricted or permissible category of arms or ammunition under the existing UIN of the licensee, the notification said.

6. Separate licence books will be generated in case of each license, separately for restricted and permissible categories of arms and ammunition with an overall ceiling of three firearms under a single UIN, it said.

Home Ministry officials said the amendments will eliminate the possibilities of issuing arms license to persons whose antecedents are not bona fide.

Under Section 3 of the Arms Act, it is essential to obtain an arms possession license issued by a competent licensing authority, by any person for acquisition, possession or carrying any firearms or ammunition.

(Adapted from State Times)

17. All you need to know about 2018 FIFA World Cup (Relevant for GS prelims)

Details about final The final took place on 15 July at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, with France and Croatia competing for the World Cup. France won the match 4 2 to claim their second World Cup

218 title, marking the fourth consecutive title won by a European team, after Italy in 2006, Spain in 2010 and Germany in 2014.

What decisions may the Congress take? The Congress...

decides whether to admit, suspend or expel a member

• the location of FIFA headquarters (in Zurich since 1932)

• may award the title of honorary president, honorary vice-president or honorary member

• approves the balance sheet and income statement

• approves the Activity Report

• elects the president every four years

(Adapted from the Hindu)

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219

18. National database for gun license holders (Relevant for GS Prelims)

What are the provisions?

2. The move is aimed at keeping a tab on authorised private gun holders, many of whom are often found involved in crimes and celebratory firing leading to loss of lives.

Home Ministry officials said the amendments will eliminate the possibilities of issuing arms license to persons whose antecedents are not bona fide.

(Adapted from State Times)

19. How the Congress Working Committee is constituted, and how it has worked over the years (Read only for understanding)

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In the last 50 years or so, Congress leaders recall, genuine CWC elections have been held only twice. On both occasions, a person outside the Nehru-Gandhi family was at the helm.

What is the Congress Working Committee (CWC), and why was it reconstituted Tuesday? The Working Committee is the highest executive authority of the Congress, and has the final say in interpreting and applying the provisions of its constitution. According to the Congress constitution, the CWC shall consist of the president of the party, its leader in Parliament, and 23 other members, of whom 12 will be elected by the All India Congress Committee (AICC, the party s central decision-making assembly), and the rest shall be appointed by the party president. The CWC technically has the power to remove or appoint the party president.

The CWC is generally recast after the election or re-election of the Congress president. The CWC can be reconstituted during the AICC s plenary session that follows the election or re- election, or after the president is authorised by the session to reorganise it. The AICC session held in March, three months after Rahul Gandhi took over as Congress president, authorised him to reorganise the CWC.

But Tuesdays reconstitution was not based on elections. When was the last election to the CWC held? In the last 50 years or so, Congress leaders recall, genuine elections have been held only twice. On both occasions, a person outside the Nehru-Gandhi family was at the helm.

In 1992, at the AICC s plenary session in Tirupati, then Congress president P V Narasimha Rao held elections to the CWC, expecting that his handpicked men would win. After his detractors most importantly Arjun Singh, but also Sharad Pawar and Rajesh Pilot were elected, however, Rao got the entire CWC to resign saying no SC, ST, or woman had been elected.— He then reconstituted the CWC, and inducted Singh and Pawar in the— nominated category.

Elections to the CWC were held again in 1997 under Sitaram Kesri at the Calcutta plenary.

The counting, party leaders recall, went on until the next day. Among the winners the fierce contest produced were Ahmed Patel, Jitendra Prasada, Madhav Rao Scindia, Tariq Anwar, Pranab Mukherjee, R K Dhawan, Arjun Singh, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Sharad Pawar and Kotla Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy.

Earlier, at the 1969 Bombay plenary, after the debilitating split in the Congress, an election was averted at the last minute after Chandra Shekhar, the original Young Turk, was included among the 10 unanimously elected candidates. Sonia Gandhi, who became Congress president in April 1998, always nominated the members of the CWC, promoting a culture of patronage.

And when was the last time the CWC was reorganised?

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The last reorganisation was in March 2011, after Sonia Gandhi s September 2010 re- election as Congress president. She did not make any dramatic changes, but dropped Arjun Singh and Mohsina Kidwai from the main CWC and accommodated them as permanent invitees. The CWC had Manmohan Singh, A K Antony, Rahul Gandhi, Motilal Vora, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Digvijaya Singh, Janardan Dwivedi, Oscar Fernandes, Mukul Wasnik, B K Hariprasad, Birendra Singh, Dhani Ram Shandil, Ahmed Patel, Ambika Soni, Hemo Prova Saikia and Sushila Tiria, besides Mukherjee and Azad. There were five vacancies.

All Congress presidents have tried to get their own CWCs; in fact, no president can afford to have a CWC packed with critics. The party s constitution itself stipulates that only 12 of the 25 members will be elected, so that the president always has the upper hand. What factors go into the choice of members for the CWC? It is often a mix of loyalty to the party president and deference to regional, caste and organisational balance. The gender balance has, however, been frequently overlooked.

Leaders who are seen as counterweights to particular regional satraps often find a place as part of the balancing act. But mass appeal or financial strength have rarely been criteria.

Many popular and charismatic leaders (such as Y S Rajasekhar Reddy in recent times) have never been in the CWC.

Rahul took a good four months after the AICC session to decide on his CWC. He has replaced one set of the old guard with another, while keeping his faith in the third set of veterans. At the same time, he has been steadily bringing in young faces into the party secretariat. So, the likes of Gaurav Gogoi, R P N Singh, Jitendra Singh and Rajeev Satav have been put in charge of key states like West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha and Gujarat. A host of former young Congress leaders have been drafted into the party as secretaries to assist the general secretaries or the in-charges. He has more or less lived up to his promise that the old guard and the young Turks would find equal place in his team.

What is the body in the BJP that corresponds to the CWC in the Congress? How do they differ? The top decision-making body in the BJP is the Parliamentary Board. It has 11 members handpicked by the BJP president. Unlike the CWC, the BJP Parliamentary Board meets whenever the party has to decide on a Chief Minister after state elections. It was the Parliamentary Board that decided to project Narendra Modi as the Prime Ministerial candidate in 2013. Although like the CWC, it too, is a policymaking body, policies have rarely been discussed in the Parliamentary Board in the last four years.

(Adapted from The Indian Express)

20. National mission for manuscripts (NMM) has digitized 283 lakh pages of 2.96 lakh manuscripts till date (Relevant for GS Prelims)

About National mission for manuscripts

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In 2003, National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM), a Mission mode Project, was launched by the Ministry of Culture for documentation, conservation, preservation and digitization of manuscripts.

The manuscripts documented and digitized by the NMM will be made available to researcher and scholars through a Trusted Digital Repository. The ultimate object of the Mission is to establish a Digital Manuscripts Repository at IGNCA in which researchers and scholars can view and consult the manuscripts to understand our past in its totality.

What are the achievements under the mission? Till date NMM has documented 43.16 lakh manuscripts, conserved 434.56 lakh folios of manuscripts, digitized 283 lakh pages of 2.96 lakh manuscripts and published 44 rare and unpublished manuscripts.From its inception in 2003 to 31st March, 2018, an amount of 9666 lakh was released by the Ministry of Culture and an amount of9544 lakh was spent on it.

(Adapted from PIB)

21. Modi gifts 200 cows to villagers in Rwanda (Relevant for GS Prelims) In an unusual gift, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented 200 cows to poor villagers in Rwanda to support President Paul Kagame s ambitious initiative for poverty reduction and tackling childhood malnutrition. What is Girinka Programme? The Girinka Programme was initiated by Mr. Kagame in 2006 to provide one cow per poor family for their nutritional and financial security.

View of PM Mr. Modi, who is here on a two-day state visit, gifted these cows to poor families during a function at Rweru Model Village. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Modi appreciated the Rwandan government s Girinka Programme . He said people in India too would be pleasantly surprised to see the cow being given such importance as a means of economic empowerment in villages, in faraway Rwanda. He said that the Girinka Programme will help transform villages in Rwanda.

What does Girnika mean? The word Girinka can be translated as may you have a cow and describes a centuries-old cultural practice in Rwanda whereby a cow was given by one person to another, as a sign of respect and gratitude, the Prime Minister s Office said in a statement. The programme is based on the premise that providing a dairy cow to the poor transforms livelihoods, reconciles communities improving agricultural productivity through the use of manure as fertilizers which would lead to improving soil quality and reducing erosion through the planting of grasses and trees, it said.

Since its introduction, hundreds of thousands have received cows through the Girinka Programme. The programme has contributed to an increase in agricultural production in

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Rwanda especially milk production and products, reduced malnutrition and increased incomes. — (Adapted from The Hindu)

22. Cosmetic repair: on inter-creditor agreement among banks (Relevant for GS Prelims, GS Mains Paper III; Economics)

What is an Inter creditor agreement (ICA)? Indian banks trying to sell their troubled assets now have one less hurdle to cross. A group of banks, including public sector, private sector and foreign banks, signed an inter-creditor agreement to push for the speedy resolution of non-performing loans on their balance sheets.

According to the agreement, a majority representing two-thirds of the loans within a consortium of lenders should now be sufficient to override any objection to the resolution process coming from dissenting lenders. Minority lenders who suspect they are being short-changed by other lenders can now either sell their assets at a discount to a willing buyer or buy out loans from other lenders at a premium.

What is the need of the agreement? The inter-creditor agreement is aimed at the resolution of loan accounts with a size of Rs.50 crore and above that are under the control of a group of lenders. It is part of the Sashakt plan approved by the government to address the problem of resolving bad loans.

Over the last few years, Indian banks have been forced by the Reserve Bank of India to recognise troubled assets on their books, but their resolution has remained a challenge.

According to banker Sunil Mehta, who headed a panel that recommended the plan, disagreement between joint lenders is the biggest problem in resolving stressed assets. The government hopes that the holdout problem, where the objections of a few lenders prevent a settlement between the majority lenders, will be solved through the inter-creditor agreement.

Such an agreement may persuade banks to embark more quickly on a resolution plan for stressed assets. This is an improvement on the earlier model, which relied solely on the joint lenders forum to arrive at a consensus among creditors. It is, in fact, logical for joint lenders who want to avoid a deadlock to agree on the ground rules of debt resolution prior to lending to any borrower.

What are the shortcomings? But the obligation on the lead lender to come up with a time-bound resolution plan can have unintended consequences. Banks may be compelled to engage in a quick-fire sale of stressed assets due to arbitrary deadlines on the resolution process.

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This will work against the interests of lenders looking to get the best price for their stressed assets. Also, it is often in the interest of the majority of creditors to take the time to extract the most out of their assets. Meanwhile, the biggest obstacle to bad loan resolution is the absence of buyers who can purchase stressed assets from banks, and the unwillingness of banks to sell their loans at a deep discount to their face value. Unless the government can solve this problem, the bad loan problem is likely to remain unresolved for some time to come.

(Adapted from The Hindu)

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