DAILY NEWS DIARY 16.07.2021
DAILY NEWS DIARY
Of
16.07.2021
FOR PRELIMS AND MAINS
1 www.sosinclasses.com +91 90000 36699 [email protected] Page
DAILY NEWS DIARY 16.07.2021
Warm Greetings.
DnD aims to provide every day news analysis in sync with the UPSC pattern. It is targeted at UPSC – Prelims & Mains. Daily articles are provided in the form of Question and Answers To have a bank of mains questions. And interesting to read.
Providing precise information that can be carried straight to the exam, rather than over dumping.
Enjoy reading.
THE HINDU - TH INDIAN EXPRESS - IE BUSINESS LINE - BL ECONOMIC TIMES - ET TIMES OF INDIA - TOI
2
www.sosinclasses.com +91 90000 36699 [email protected] Page DAILY NEWS DIARY 16.07.2021
INDEX
Essay Paper 1. Personal Data Protection Bill (PDP)...... 04
GS 2 Polity 1. Judicial Activism in righting the Sedition wrongs………………………………………………………………………05
GS 3 Science & Technology 1. Draft Drone Rules, 2021...... 06
Economic Development 2. Financial Inclusion frameworks harmonising regulatory…………………………………………………………..07
Personality 3. GIRA SARABHAI………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..08
3
www.sosinclasses.com +91 90000 36699 [email protected] Page DAILY NEWS DIARY 16.07.2021
ESSAY PAPER Editorial Q- Why it is urgent to have an omnibus data protection law, substantiate with evidence? INTRODUCTION = Almost three years after the deadline, RBI’s finally cracked the whip on data localisation. Mastercard Asia has been ordered to refrain from taking on new customers as it failed to fulfil its obligations under the local data storage rules. Mastercard is a leader in global payments.
This development foregrounds two issues – 1. Of narrower interest is the impact it will have on the payments market. 2. The bigger issue is how will this fit in with data localisation requirements under India’s Personal Data Protection Bill (PDP) that was introduced in the Parliament 19 months ago. India’s retail payments landscape has transitioned to contactless payments, and cards are slowly losing relevance. . In 2020-21, the value of retail payments was Rs 415.12 lakh crore, and NEFT (National Electronic Funds Transfer ) accounted for 61% of it. . However, it’s UPI that’s fast gaining market share at 10% and RBI is talking to other jurisdictions to enable its usage in cross-border transactions. . Cards have a 3% market share and Mastercard is estimated to account for around one-third of those transactions. Therefore, RBI’s move, especially since renewal of existing Mastercards are not affected, won’t be really market disruptive. Coming to the issue of data rules at hand - As for PDP, this is supposed to be the umbrella law guiding the use of personal data. This includes government when it acts as a data fiduciary, the entity that determines the purpose of processing data. . The bill was referred to a joint parliamentary committee headed by BJP’s Meenakshi Lekhi. It’s been busy – it had 66 sittings last year – but Lekhi and some other members have been made ministers in last week’s reshuffle. The committee’s report however is still under preparation. BJP needs to move fast and ensure a report is submitted in the coming Parliament session. The original bill covered localisation and stated that some critical data shall be processed only in India.
4
www.sosinclasses.com +91 90000 36699 [email protected] Page DAILY NEWS DIARY 16.07.2021
Way Forward PDP cannot exist in isolation. India has globally competitive firms in data processing and PDP’s contours will have a ripple effect on them. A benchmark could be the EU’s GDPR which allows transfer of data to non-EU-based firms provided they follow the same standards. What’s clear is that everyone, RBI included, has to be governed by PDP’s standards, which can look at the big picture.
GS 2 Polity Q- Comment on the role of Judicial Activism in righting the Sedition wrongs? BACKGROUND = Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana, in what may be an unprecedented judicial criticism of the way the sedition law is used by the government to crush liberties, asked – 1. Why a colonial law used against Mahatma Gandhi and Bal Gangadhar Tilak continued to survive in the law book 75 years after Independence. The CJI’s remarks have opened the floor for debate and introspection on the court’s own verdict in 1962, in the Kedar Nath case, which upheld Section 124A.
5
www.sosinclasses.com +91 90000 36699 [email protected] Page DAILY NEWS DIARY 16.07.2021
2. Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code, was prone to misuse by the government. “The use of sedition is like giving a saw to the carpenter to cut a piece of wood and he uses it to cut the entire forest itself.” 3. Here the Central and State law enforcement agencies are using the law to silence dissent, muzzle free expression and deny bail to jailed activists, journalists, students and civil society members. A number of petitions have been filed highlighting the “chilling effect” sedition has on the fundamental right of free speech. 4. If you look at the history of use of this Section 124A of IPC, you will find that the conviction rate is very low. There is misuse of power by executive agencies. 5. The CJI asked the government why it did not throw out the sedition law along with the hundreds of “stale laws” it had expunged from the statute books. 6. Look at how Section 66A of the Information Technology Act is continuing to be used with no accountability.
Petitions against the Sedition Law – 1. The Bench issued notice to the Centre on a petition filed by retired Army General S.G. Vombatkere, represented by advocates P.B. Suresh and Prasanna S., to quash Section 124A. 2. In its order, the court has also issued notice to the government on a writ petition filed jointly by the Editors Guild of India and cartoonist Aseem Trivedi. 3. The Bench noted that two other petitions filed by Kishore Chandra Wangkemcha and M/s Aamoda Broadcasting Company Private Limited, the latter against the Andhra Pradesh government, was pending before the apex court. Both cases concerned sedition charges. 4. Meanwhile, senior journalist Arun Shourie and NGO Common Cause, both represented by advocate Prashant Bhushan, has moved the Supreme Court to quash Section 124A. Their petition contended that a “presumption of constitutionality does not apply to pre-constitutional laws as those laws have been made by foreign legislature or body”. Abuse of the law - 1. The sweeping powers of Section 124A gives even a village police officer carte blanche to trample on the right to liberty and free speech of ordinary citizens. 2. The situation on the ground is grave... If one party does not like what the other is saying, Section 124A is used... It is a serious threat to the functioning of individuals and parties Mr. Venugopal submitted that the court need not strike down Section 124A. “It is enough to see if there
were any excesses in its use and limit the Section to its real purpose… That would be enough”.
6
www.sosinclasses.com +91 90000 36699 [email protected] Page DAILY NEWS DIARY 16.07.2021
GS 3 Science & Technology Q- Describing the significance of Drones, write a note on the legal provisions exisiting in the country for their use? BACKGROUND = Simplified drone rules, which abolish the need for a large number of approvals and give impetus to research and development, are in the offing in the country. . The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Thursday released the Draft Drone Rules, 2021, for public consultation until August 5. . The rules will replace the Unmanned Aircraft System Rules, 2021, notified on March 12, 2021.
Importance of Drones – “Drones are bringing the next big tech revolution around the globe with reduced costs, resources and time taken for operations. It is upon us to ride on the new wave and facilitate its uptake, especially among our start-ups”. 1. The intent is to make the rules user-friendly and to encourage drone research and development. This is another important step towards realising the vision of India as a drone hub. 2. The number of forms to be filled to seek authorisation before operating a drone has been reduced from 25 to six.
7
www.sosinclasses.com +91 90000 36699 [email protected] Page DAILY NEWS DIARY 16.07.2021
3. While most drones will need a unique identification number, a certificate of airworthiness, a remote pilot licence for the person controlling the drone and prior permission, no such approvals will be required for drones used for research and development by entities and educational institutions recognised by the Union government, State governments or Union Territory Administrations, start-ups recognised by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade and drone manufacturers having a Goods and Service Tax Identification Number. 4. Unlike the previous rules, which required drone operators to have a principal place of business within India, there are no such restrictions for foreign-owned companies registered in India in the new proposed rules. 5. Drones will also not need security clearance before registration or licence issuance. 6. The Quality Council of India and certification entities authorised by it will issue airworthiness certificates for drones, instead of the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation. 7. In order to encourage indigenous manufacturing, import of drones and drone components will be regulated by the Directorate-General of Foreign Trade. 8. Moreover, the Union government may specify certain standards for obtaining a certificate of airworthiness for drones, which will promote the “use of made-in-India technologies, designs, components and drones; and India’s regional navigation satellite system named Navigation with Indian Constellation [NavIC].
Economic Development Q- ‘With Financial Inclusion a policy priority of RBI’, mention the steps taken in that line to bolster the post-pandemic economy? BACKGROUND = To make the post-pandemic recovery more inclusive and sustainable, financial inclusion would continue to be a policy priority for the RBI and considering the role played by microfinance in bridging gaps in the last mile, a consultative document for harmonising regulatory frameworks for various regulated lenders in microfinance had been issued recently. Need for the framework being - 1. To address the concerns relating to over-indebtedness of microfinance borrowers 2. Enable market mechanism to rationalise the interest rates 3. And empower the borrowers to make an informed decision by enhancing transparency of loan pricing Stating that financial inclusion promoted inclusive growth by making financial services, including credit and other safety nets, available to the bottom of the pyramid, he said lessons from the past and experiences gained during the COVID-19 pandemic clearly indicated that financial inclusion and inclusive growth reinforce financial stability. Results of the framework - 1. Greater financial literacy would enable banks, NBFCs, and MFIs to enhance their customer base and products and diversify their balance sheets. Payment systems were seen as the lifeline of an economy. They were increasingly being recognised as a means of achieving financial inclusion and ensuring that economic benefits reach the bottom of the pyramid. 2. Highlighting the rapid adoption of digital payments in the country, he said the number of Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPI) had increased at a compounded annual growth rate of 53% from 41 crore in May 2017, to 226 crore in May 2021. 3. The trends indicate that such instruments have become immensely popular for making small-value payments. 4. The extent of digital penetration, he said, could be gauged from the fact that, each day on an average during June 2021, payment systems in India had processed more than 15 crore transactions amounting to almost ₹4.5 lakh crore per day.
8
www.sosinclasses.com +91 90000 36699 [email protected] Page DAILY NEWS DIARY 16.07.2021
5. The UPI platform facilitating payment transactions through smartphones had revolutionised the payments landscape in India. “UPI has witnessed over 280 crore transactions in June 2021. Globally, there has been a lot of interest in UPI.
Personality GIRA SARABHAI
. Gira Sarabhai, co-founder of the renowned National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad and a pioneer of design education in India, passed away. She played a crucial role in setting up several other institutions and contributed immensely in the field of art and architecture. . With her brother Gautam Sarabhai, she founded the NID and prepared its academic curricula, which laid the foundation for design education in the country. . Another notable institution both Gira and Gautam were involved in setting up was the Calico Museum, one of India’s most famous private museums. The Calico was one of the textiles mills run by their father, Ambalal Sarabhai, along with a range of other businesses in Gujarat. Since Ahmedabad was known as the ‘Manchester of the East’. It was set up in 1949 and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurated it. . Gira’s other brother, Vikram Sarabhai, and their family’s contributions in setting up other institutions in Ahmedabad — the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad; the B.M. Institute of Mental Health; and several institutes of the Gujarat University — are well known. . The eighth child of Ambalal and Saraladevi Sarabhai, Gira had no formal education as she was homeschooled before she moved to the U.S., where she was trained at the famous Taliesin West Studio in Arizona with noted architect and designer Frank Lloyd Wright.
9
www.sosinclasses.com +91 90000 36699 [email protected] Page DAILY NEWS DIARY 16.07.2021
Consider the following statements: 1. Information Fusion Centre (IFC) has been established by the Indian Navy only for the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). 2. All countries that have signed white shipping information exchange agreements with India are India’s IFC partners. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? a. 1 only b. 2 only c. Both 1 & 2 d. None of the above
Recently which of the following nation’s first 2+2 Ministerial meeting with India is in news? a. Brazil b. Germany c. Russi d. South Korea Answer – C NOTE: Including both trade and economic as well defence intergovernmental commissions, the first 2+2 Ministerial meeting and, of course, the summit – undoubtedly, will be a new huge cornerstone of the special and privileged strategic partnership of India and Russia, which is really unique. The “epidemiological situation” would be a very important factor. “At the same time, our leaders are planning to jointly participate in BRICS under the Indian presidency, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summits in September and the G20 summit in October
10
www.sosinclasses.com +91 90000 36699 [email protected] Page DAILY NEWS DIARY 16.07.2021
UPSC - CSE
COMPREHENSIVE & FOUNDATION COURSE
OFFLINE From: 22.03.2021 ONLINE From: 29.03.2021
COURSE INCLUDES: UPSC - CSE • NCERT • Prelims & Mains • GS Foundation CSAT • Daily Tests & Writing Practice
• Optionals (ANTHROPOLOGY / SOCIOLOGY/TELUGU LIT.) • Nine Months Course • Mentoring with Individual Focus
• SAVVY Sessions • IAO Certification of Quality
OPTIONALS NEW OFFLINE COURSES ANTHROPOLOGY by Mrs. SOSIN REVELLA From: 23/06/2021
OPTIONALS NEW ONLINE COURSES ANTHROPOLOGY by Mrs. SOSIN REVELLA From: 24/03/2021
OPTIONALS NEW OFFLINE COURSES SOCIOLOGY by DR. HARSHAVARDHAN
From: 22/02/2021
OPTIONALS NEW OFFLINE COURSES TELUGU LITERATURE by DR. GARIKIPATI SUBRAMANYAM From: 27/01/2021
11
www.sosinclasses.com +91 90000 36699 [email protected] Page