June 2020 PRAYAS4 IAS यास सनु हर े भ व य क
Current Affairs Special Issue MCQs
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June (Week 1)
Index
Prelims Mains
National GS I 1. Rajya Sabha elections 2. BHIM App 1. COVID-19 exposes fault lines in peri- 3. Cyclone Nisarga urban areas 4. PM SVANidhi 2. COVID-19 and our new normal 5. Essential Commodities Act 6. Inner Line permit 7. Kolkata Port GS II 8. SWADES 9. Amery Ice Shelf 1. Military bonding beyond borders 10. World Environment Day 2020 2. COVID-19: Exclusion, isolation of 11. TULIP differently abled 12. Nagar Van Scheme 13. Van Dhan Scheme
International
1. Travel Bubble 2. Antifa 3. Line of Actual Control 4. G-7 5. The National Guard 6. THAAD Defence System
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Prelims
NATIONAL
Rajya Sabha elections
(Source: The Hindu )
Context: The elections to 18 Rajya Sabha seats that were deferred owing to the lockdown will be held on June 19.
How elections are conducted in Rajya Sabha? The Rajya Sabha or the Upper House of Parliament is modeled after the House of Lords in the United Kingdom. The Rajya Sabha currently has 245 members, including 233 elected members and 12 nominated. As per the constitutional limit, the Upper House strength cannot exceed 250. Nominated members of the Rajya Sabha are picked by the President of India. These MPs are luminaries from the world of economics, sports, literature, art, social service etc. The Vice-President is the chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, which is the final stop before a bill is sent for presidential assent. While Lok Sabha members are elected directly by the voters, Rajya Sabha members are elected indirectly by the people, that is, by the MLAs. How many Rajya Sabha members a state can send depends on its population. Hence, the number of elected seats too changes as states are merged, bifurcated or new ones are created. Every Rajya Sabha MP has a tenure of six years and elections to one-third seats are held every two years. According to Section 154 of the Representation of the People Act 1951, a member chosen to fill a casual vacancy will serve for the remainder of his predecessor's term of office. Members of a state's Legislative Assembly vote in the Rajya Sabha elections in what is called proportional representation with the single transferable vote (STV) system. Each MLA‘s vote is counted only once. In this system, MLAs don‘t vote for each seat. If that were the case, then only ruling party representatives would make it through. Instead, the MLAs are given a paper with the names of all candidates. They have to give their order of preference for each candidate, marking 1,2,3… against their names. If 10 or more members choose a candidate as their first choice, he/she gets elected. The political party that has a majority in the state Assembly normally gets to send the maximum number of MPs to the Rajya Sabha. Let‘s take a hypothetical example of a states which has three Rajya Sabha vacancies. Let‘s say Party A with 100 seats and Party B with 40 seats populate the 140-seat Assembly. Both parties can field three candidates each for the three Rajya Sabha seats. Now, to make it through, a candidate should get a certain number of votes. In this case, the total number of MLAs (140) is multiplied by 100. This number is divided by the number of vacancies (3) plus 1. That brings us to 3,500. This total number is added to 1. Since each MLA has 100 votes, a candidate would, in this case, need 3,501 votes or the backing of 36 MLAs to win. The formula simply is [(Number of MLAs X 100) / (Vacancies + 1)] + 1. Simply put, every candidate in the race requires one-fourth of the total number of votes plus one to get elected. Each voter ranks his preferences and if the candidate who is the first choice has enough votes already or no chance of being elected, the vote is transferred to the second choice and so on. www.theprayasindia.com/e-pathshala [email protected] +91-7710013217 / 9892560176
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BHIM App
(Source: The Hindu )
Context: Following a report by security researchers alleging leak of personal data of millions of users of the BHIM payment application due to a website breach, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) recently denied the claim, asking ―everyone to not fall prey to such speculation‖.
Details: The report by vpnMentor alleged that 409-gigabyte of data, comprising 7.26 million records, were leaked, and the trove included personal identifiable information such as Aadhaar details, residence proof, bank records and complete profiles. The vpnMentor‘s website claims it is the world‘s largest VPN review website and its research lab is a pro bono service that strives to help the online community defend itself against cyberthreats while educating organisations on protecting their users‘ data. The report claims that a website, http://cscbhim.in/, developed by CSC e-Governance Services, in partnership with the Indian government, was being used in a campaign to sign up users and business merchants to the BHIM app. All related data was being stored on a ‗misconfigured‘ Amazon Web Services S3 bucket and was publicly accessible.
What is UPI? Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is essentially a single platform that merges different banking services and features under one umbrella. With a UPI-enabled bank account, you can simply create a UPI ID which can be used to send and transfer money. You can make real-time bank-to-bank payments, and even transact using Aadhaar number, mobile number or Virtual Payment Address (UPI ID).
Cyclone Nisarga
(Source: The Indian Express )
Context: Less than two weeks after a powerful cyclone passed through West Bengal on its way to Bangladesh, India is bracing to face another cyclone, this time on its western coast called Nisarga.
Cyclones in Arabian Sea The strength of the cyclones are measured by the wind speeds they generate. At its strongest, Nisarga would be associated with wind speeds in the range 95-105 km per hour. Amphan, on the other hand, was classified as a super-cyclone, of category 5, though it had weakened to category 4, ‗Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm‘, ahead of its landfall, at which time the wind speeds were in excess of 180 kph. www.theprayasindia.com/e-pathshala [email protected] +91-7710013217 / 9892560176
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Cyclones formed in the Bay of Bengal side of the north Indian Ocean are more frequent and stonger than those on the Arabian Sea side. Meteorologists suggest the relatively cold waters of the Arabian Sea discourage the kind of very strong cyclones that are formed on the Bay of Bengal side; Odisha and Andhra Pradesh face the brunt of these cyclones every year. Last year, however, was slightly unusual as the Arabian Sea saw the most frequent and intense cyclonic activity in more than 100 years, according to India Meteorological Department. Five cyclones originated in the area in 2019 — Vayu, Hikka, Kyarr, Maha and Pavan – when normally only one or two are formed.
PM SVANidhi
Context: The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched a Special Micro-Credit Facility Scheme – PM SVANidhi (PM ) – PM Street Vendor‘s AtmaNirbharNidhi, for providing affordable loans to street vendors.
Details: The scheme is expected to help street vendors resume work and earn livelihoods in the light of the difficulties endured during the COVID-19 crisis and the lockdown. Over 50 lakh people, including vendors, hawkers, thelewalas, rehriwala, theliphadwala, etc. in different areas/contexts are likely to benefit from this scheme. o The goods supplied by them range from vegetables, fruits, ready-to-eat street foods, tea, pakodas, breads, eggs, textiles, apparel, footwear, artisan products, books/stationaries, etc. o The services include barber shops, cobblers, paan shops, laundry services, etc. Urban Local Bodies will play a pivotal role in the implementation of the scheme. This is for the first time in India‘s history that street vendors from peri-urban/rural areas have become beneficiaries of an urban livelihood programme. Features of the scheme: o The vendors can avail a working capital loan of up to Rs. 10,000, which is repayable in monthly instalments in the tenure of one year. o On timely/early repayment of the loan, an interest subsidy @ 7% per annum will be credited to the bank accounts of beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer on six monthly basis. o There will be no penalty on early repayment of loan. It is for the first time that MFIs/NBFCs/SHG Banks have been allowed in a scheme for the urban poor due to their ground level presence and proximity to the urban poor including the street vendors. A digital platform with web portal/mobile app is being developed to administer the scheme with end-to- end solution. o The IT platform will also help in integrating the vendors into the formal financial system. o This platform will integrate the web portal/mobile app with UdyamiMitra portal of SIDBI for credit management and PAiSA portal of MoHUA to administer interest subsidy automatically.
Essential Commodities Act
(Source: The Indian Express )
Context: The Union Cabinet has approved an ordinance to amend The Essential Commodities Act, 1955, to deregulate commodities such as cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onion and potatoes.
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What is the amendment? The amended law provides a mechanism for the ―regulation‖ of agricultural foodstuffs, namely cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, potato, and supplies under extraordinary circumstances, which include extraordinary price rise, war, famine, and natural calamity of a severe nature. There is no specific definition of essential commodities in The EC Act. Section 2(A) of the act states that an ―essential commodity‖ means a commodity specified in the ―Schedule‖ of this Act. The Act gives powers to the central government to add or remove a commodity in the ―Schedule.‖ The Centre, if it is satisfied that it is necessary to do so in public interest, can notify an item as essential, in consultation with state governments. At present, the ―Schedule‖ contains 9 commodities — drugs; fertilisers, whether inorganic, organic or mixed; foodstuffs, including edible oils; hank yarn made wholly from cotton; petroleum and petroleum products; raw jute and jute textiles; seeds of food-crops and seeds of fruits and vegetables, seeds of cattle fodder, jute seed, cotton seed; face masks; and hand sanitisers. The latest items added to this schedule are face masks and hand sanitisers, which were declared essential commodities with effect from March 13, 2020 in the wake of Covid-19 outbreak. By declaring a commodity as essential, the government can control the production, supply, and distribution of that commodity, and impose a stock limit.
Under what circumstances can the government impose stock limits? Under the amended EC Act, agri-food stuffs can only be regulated under extraordinary circumstances such as war, famine, extraordinary price rise, and natural calamity. However, any action on imposing stock limits will be based on the price trigger. Thus, in case of horticultural produce, a 100 per cent increase in the retail price of the commodity over the immediately preceding 12 months or the average retail price of the last five years, whichever is lower, will be the trigger for invoking the stock limit for such commodities. For non-perishable agricultural foodstuffs, the price trigger will be a 50 per cent increase in the retail price of the commodity over the immediately preceding 12 months or the average retail price of the last five years, whichever is lower. However, exemptions from stock-holding limits will be provided to processors and value chain participants of any agricultural produce, and orders relating to the Public Distribution System, officials said.
Impact of the amendments The amendments will remove commodities such as cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onion and potatoes from the list of regulated essential commodities. The move is expected to attract private investment in the value chain of these commodities. While the purpose of the Act was originally to protect the interests of consumers by checking illegal trade practices such as hoarding, it has now become detrimental for investment in the agriculture sector in general, and in post-harvesting activities in particular. The private sector has so far hesitated investing in cold chains and storage facilities for perishable items as most of these commodities are under the ambit of the EC Act, and can attract sudden stock limits. But now the situation can change.
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Inner Line Permit
(Source: The Indian Express )
Context: The Supreme Court declined to stay the operation of a Presidential order which petitioners claimed deprived Assam of the powers to implement the Inner Line system in its districts and limit the applicability of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
What is Inner Line? A concept drawn by colonial rulers, the Inner Line separated the tribal-populated hill areas in the Northeast from the plains. To enter and stay for any period in these areas, Indian citizens from other areas need an Inner Line Permit (ILP). Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram are protected by the Inner Line, and lately Manipur was added. The concept originates from the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act (BEFR), 1873. The policy of exclusion first came about as a response to the reckless expansion of British entrepreneurs into new lands which threatened British political relations with the hill tribes. The BEFR prohibits an outsider‘s — ―British subject or foreign citizen‖ — entry into the are beyond the Inner Line without a pass and his purchase of land there. On the other hand, the Inner Line also protects the commercial interests of the British from the tribal communities. After Independence, the Indian government replaced ―British subjects‖ with ―Citizen of India‖. In 2013, the Home Ministry told Rajya Saha, ―The main aim of ILP system is to prevent settlement of other Indian nationals in the States where ILP regime is prevalent, in order to protect the indigenous/tribal population.‖
ILP and Citizenship Amendment Act The CAA, which relaxes eligibility criteria for certain categories of migrants from three countries seeking Indian citizenship, exempts certain categories of areas, including those protected by the Inner Line system. Amid protests against the Act, the Adaptation of Laws (Amendment) Order, 2019, issued by the President, amended the BEFR, 1873, extending it to Manipur and parts of Nagaland that were not earlier protected by ILP.
Kolkata Port
(Source: Press Information Bureau )
Context: Cabinet approves renaming of Kolkata Port Trust as Syama Prasad Mookerjee Trust.
About Kolkata Port: The Kolkata Port is the first Major Port as well as the only riverine port of the country. It came to be governed by a Trust on 17th October, 1870 on appointment of the Commissioners for Improvement of the Port of Calcutta as per Act V of 1870. It features at Serial Number 1 in The First Schedule, Part I—Major Ports of the Indian Ports Act, 1908 and is governed by the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963.
Naming of Ports: Generally, the Major Ports in India are named after the city or the town in which they are situated. Some ports, however, in special cases or in due consideration of contribution made by eminent leaders have been renamed after great national leaders in the past.
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Old Port Name New Port Name Name changed in the Year Nhava Sheva Port Trust Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust 1989 Tuticorin Port Trust V.O. Chidambaranar Port Trust 2011 Ennore Port Limited Kamarajar Port Limited 2014 Kandla Port Deendayal Port 2017
SWADES
(Source: Press Information Bureau )
Context: Government to conduct skill mapping of citizens returning from overseas.
Details: The GOI has launched SWADES (Skilled Workers Arrival Database for Employment Support) to conduct a skill mapping exercise of the returning citizens under the Vande Bharat Mission. This is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Ministry of External Affairs. It aims to create a database of qualified citizens based on their skillsets and experience to tap into and fulfil demand of Indian and foreign companies. The collected information will be shared with the companies for suitable placement opportunities in the country. The returning citizens are required to fill up an online SWADES Skills Card. The card will facilitate a strategic framework to provide the returning citizens with suitable employment opportunities through discussions with key stakeholders including State Governments, Industry Associations and Employers. MSDE‘s implementation arm, the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) is supporting the implementation of the project. The SWADES Skill Form (online) was made live on 30th May 2020 and has garnered around 7000 registrations. Amongst the data gathered so far, the top countries from where the citizens are returning are UAE, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. As per the skill mapping, these citizens had been primarily employed in sectors such as oil & gas, construction, tourism & hospitality, Automotive and Aviation. The data also suggests that the States which have shown highest returning labour are Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana.
Amery Ice Shelf (AIS)
(Source: Press Information Bureau )
Context: Major Impact on climate due to extension of Amery Ice Shelf (AIS), NCPOR study reveals.
Details: The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) predicts that there would be a 24% increase in the expansion of Ameri Ice Shelf (AIS) boundaries by 2021 and another 24% expansion by 2026 from its 2016 positions.
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The prediction made by NCPOR is based on a 16-year-long satellite-based observation that covered an area of 60,000 sq. km across the AIS. Scientists feel that this study would help understand the ongoing changes in the ocean and atmospheric forces better.
Ice shelves: The floating sheets of ice called the ice shelves play a multi-faceted role in maintaining the stability of a glacier. Ice shelves connect a glacier to the landmass. The ice sheet mass balance, sea stratification, and bottom water formation are important parameters for the balancing of a glacier. Latent and sensible heat processes do play important roles here. The insulation of ice shelves from atmospheric forcing is dependent on a temperature gradient that the ocean cavity beneath the ice shelves provides. It is the pressure exerted by the ice shelves upon the ocean cavity that determines this temperature gradient. There is always a stress on the sea ice and ice sheets itself plays an indirect role in reducing the amplitude of the ocean swell. This is assisted by the freezing atmospheric temperature, which is capable of promoting a change in the morphology of ice shelves.
Amery Ice Shelf: The AIS is one of the largest glacier drainage basins in the world, located on the east coast of Antarctica, at about 70ºS Latitude, 70ºE Longitude. The AIS dynamics and mass balance help in understanding the changes in the global climate scenario. It becomes clear from the study that the AIS is losing its stability owing to the impact of a downstream giant glacial drainage system over the past 19 years, thereby advancing the ice shelf boundaries due to higher freezing rates than basal melting. If this continues, it is entirely possible that in the next six years (2021 to 2026), the positions of the ice shelf would closely coincide with the actual boundary conditions.
World Environment Day 2020
(Source: Press Information Bureau )
Context: The Indian Navy observes the World Environment Day 2020.
About the World Environment Day: The World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated on 5th June every year. The theme for the WED is decided by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The theme for 2020 is ‗Biodiversity‘. In view of the prevalent situation due to COVID-19, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change will be holding virtual celebrations of World Environment Day on this year‘s theme with focus on Nagar Van (Urban Forests). Since 1974, WED has been celebrated every year on 5 June; engaging governments, businesses, celebrities and citizens to focus their efforts on a pressing environmental issue. Every World Environment Day is hosted by a different country, in which official celebrations take place. This year‘s host is Colombia in partnership with Germany. The WED has been a flagship campaign for raising awareness on issues ranging from emerging environmental issues to marine pollution, human overpopulation, and global warming, to sustainable consumption and wildlife crime. World Environment Day has grown to become a global platform for public outreach, with participation from over 143 countries annually. www.theprayasindia.com/e-pathshala [email protected] +91-7710013217 / 9892560176
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TULIP – Urban Learning Internship Program
(Source: Press Information Bureau )
Context: TULIP – Urban Learning Internship Program for providing opportunities to fresh Graduates in all ULBs & Smart Cities launched.
Details: TULIP is a program for providing fresh graduates experiential learning opportunities in the urban sector (Urban Local Bodies and Smart Cities). TULIP is an acronym for ‗The Urban Learning Internship Program‘. The launch of TULIP was announced in the Budget 2020 – 21 by the Finance Minister. An MoU has been signed between the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the AICTE in this regard.
Benefits of TULIP: Such a program will help reap the benefits of India‘s demographic dividend as it is poised to have the largest working-age population in the world in the coming years. India has a substantial pool of technical graduates for whom exposure to real world project implementation and planning is essential for professional development. General education may not reflect the depth of productive knowledge present in society. Instead of approaching education as ‗doing by learning,‘ societies need to reimagine education as ‗learning by doing.‘ TULIP would help enhance the value-to-market of India‘s graduates and help create a potential talent pool in diverse fields like urban planning, transport engineering, environment, municipal finance, etc. thus not only catalyzing creation of prospective city managers but also talented private/non-government sector professionals. TULIP would benefit ULBs and smart cities immensely. It will lead to infusion of fresh ideas and energy with engagement of youth in co-creation of solutions for solving India‘s urban challenges.
Nagar Van Scheme
(Source: Press Information Bureau )
Context: With biodiversity the theme of World Environment Day (WED), the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) has launched Nagar Van Scheme.
Details: The scheme emphasises on urban forestry. Under the scheme, around 200 urban forests are to be developed all over the country in the next five years. The launch of ‗Nagar Van‘ scheme will provide an opportunity to the states to manage urban ecosystems.
Warje Urban Forest: Warje Urban Forest in Pune has been showcased as it can become a role model for the country in implementation of the Nagar Van scheme. Warje, situated on the bank of the Mutha river has a catchment area in the western hills that brings along fertile soil and sufficient water. www.theprayasindia.com/e-pathshala [email protected] +91-7710013217 / 9892560176
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The Union Government took a significant and ambitious step to increase the green cover on barren lands. The project ‗Urban Forest‘ was then started by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Control (MoEFCC) with assistance from the Forest Department, Government of Maharashtra. It was totally barren and used as a dump yard by the residents in the vicinity. Stressing on the need for creating a balance between development and environment conservation, big corporates extended their support. Public Private Participation as seen in Warje is one of its best examples. A number of residents have planted and adopted trees in memory of their loved ones at Smriti Van in Warje. A total of 9500 trees were planted in the area under CSIR initiative between 2015 and 2017. The neglected land has now been transformed into an area of rich biodiversity of various species of plants, birds, butterflies, reptiles and mammals. The project also helps in absorbing approximately 129,000 Kg carbon-dioxide and producing about 5,62,000 Kg oxygen per year. Undoubtedly, Project Urban Forests is helping in maintaining the ecological balance, serving both environmental and social development goals.
Importance of Urban Forests: Urban forests play an important role in the ecology of human habitats in many ways. They offer many benefits like impacting climate and the economy while providing shelter to wildlife and recreational area for city dwellers. The World Economic Forum says that cities that have more trees are less noisy, with lower pollution levels. A fully-grown tree can annually absorb up to 150kg of carbon dioxide (CO2) – one of the main greenhouse gases contributing to global warming. Trees can moderate temperatures in heavily built cities, where heat radiated from concrete on buildings and roads, makes these areas hotter than the surrounding countryside, in a phenomenon known as ‗heat island‘ effect. Food and Agriculture Organization adds that trees in urban areas reduce ozone, sulphur dioxide and particulate matter; remove large quantities of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and release oxygen. In many countries, there is a growing understanding of the importance of urban forests. o Cities like Rio de Janeiro and Johannesburg have large forests within their urban areas. o In India, most cities have gardens and parks, but not forests.
Biodiversity in India India is endowed with rich biodiversity having several species of animals and plants and hosts 4 of the 35 global bio-diversity hotspots containing several endemic species. India has 8% of world biodiversity with only 2.5% of world land mass. Also, the freshwater availability in the second most populous country in the world is just 4%.
Van Dhan Scheme
(Source: Press Information Bureau )
Context: Van Dhan Kendras, established under the scheme initiated by TRIFED, Ministry of Tribal Affairs are leading the way in helping tribals generate their livelihood in the backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic.
Details The Van Dhan Scheme is an initiative of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED). www.theprayasindia.com/e-pathshala [email protected] +91-7710013217 / 9892560176
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It targets livelihood generation for tribal gatherers and transforms them into entrepreneurs. The idea behind the scheme is to set-up tribal community owned Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs) in predominantly forested tribal districts. A Kendra constitutes of 15 tribal SHGs, each comprising of up to 20 tribal Non-timber forest product (NTFP) gatherers or artisans i.e. about 300 beneficiaries per Van Dhan Kendra.
TRIFED: TRIFED, as the apex national organisation involved in the improvement of the livelihood and empowerment of tribal people. It is the nodal agency for the implementation of the Van Dhan scheme.
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INTERNATIONAL
The ‘travel bubble’ idea
(Source: The Indian Express )
Context: The Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania on Friday started what is being referred to as a ‗travel bubble‘ to help put their economies back on track post-Covid lockdowns.
What is a travel bubble? Creating a travel bubble involves reconnecting countries or states that have shown a good level of success in containing the novel coronavirus pandemic domestically. Such a bubble would allow the members of the group to rekindle trade ties with each other, and kickstart sectors such as travel and tourism. Potential travel bubbles among better-performing countries around the world would account for around 35 per cent of the global GDP. Such arrangements are especially being favoured by smaller countries, who are likely to benefit after being able to trade again with larger partners. In the Estonia-Latvia-Lithuania travel bubble, residents would be able to travel freely by rail, air, and sea without quarantine measures. All three are sparsely populated (Lithuania- 28 lakh, Latvia- 19.2 lakh, Estonia- 13.3 lakh people) and have been fairly successful at managing the outbreak. Those wanting to enter this corridor from countries outside would first have to go into isolation for 14 days. To be able to freely travel in the zone, one should not have travelled outside the three countries in the past 14 days, should not be infected with coronavirus, and should not have come in contact with anyone who has been coronavirus infected.
Antifa
(Source: The Indian Express )
Context: As massive protests following the death of George Floyd continued to rock the United States, President Donald Trump announced that the far-left group Antifa would be designated as a terrorist organisation by his government.
ANTIFA: The group Antifa has been around for several decades, though accounts vary on its exact beginnings. The Merriam-Webster dates the term as far back as Nazi Germany, describing the etymology of ‗antifa‘ as ―borrowed from German Antifa, short for antifaschistische ‗anti-fascist‘, in Antifaschistische Aktion (multiparty front initiated by the German Communist Party in 1932 to counter Nazism) and in other collocations‖. While the movement has had a presence in several European countries and has come into focus in the United States in recent years, Antifa does not have a formal organisational structure. The New York Times said it draws its members from other movements such as Black Lives Matter and the Occupy movement. The movement has been known to have a presence in the US in the 1980s. It shot into prominence following the election of President Trump in 2016, with violence marking some of its protests and demonstrations.
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Antifa members typically dress in black and often wear a mask at their demonstrations, and follow far- left ideologies such as anti-capitalism. They take up causes such as LGBTQ and indigenous rights. What makes them stand out is the violence. Criticising mainstream liberal politicians for not doing enough, Antifa members have often physically confronted their conservative opponents on the streets, although the group also participates in non- violent protests. Apart from public counter-protests, Antifa members run websites that track white extremist and ultra- right groups.
Line of Actual Control
(Source: The Indian Express )
Context: As tensions continue between India and China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), a look at what the line means on the ground and the disagreements over it.
What is the Line of Actual Control? The LAC is the demarcation that separates Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory. India considers the LAC to be 3,488 km long, while the Chinese consider it to be only around 2,000 km. It is divided into three sectors: the eastern sector which spans Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, the middle sector in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, and the western sector in Ladakh.
What is the disagreement? The alignment of the LAC in the eastern sector is along the 1914 McMahon Line, and there are minor disputes about the positions on the ground as per the principle of the high Himalayan watershed. This pertains to India‘s international boundary as well, but for certain areas such as Longju and Asaphila. The line in the middle sector is the least controversial but for the precise alignment to be followed in the Barahoti plains. The major disagreements are in the western sector where the LAC emerged from two letters written by Chinese Prime Minister Zhou Enlai to PM Jawaharlal Nehru in 1959, after he had first mentioned such a ‗line‘ in 1956. In his letter, Zhou said the LAC consisted of ―the so-called McMahon Line in the east and the line up to which each side exercises actual control in the west‖. Shivshankar Menon has explained in his book Choices: Inside the Making of India‘s Foreign Policy that the LAC was ―described only in general terms on maps not to scale‖ by the Chinese. After the 1962 War, the Chinese claimed they had withdrawn to 20 km behind the LAC of November 1959. Zhou clarified the LAC again after the war in another letter to Nehru: ―To put it concretely, in the eastern sector it coincides in the main with the so-called McMahon Line, and in the western and middle sectors it coincides in the main with the traditional customary line which has consistently been pointed out by China‖. During the Doklam crisis in 2017, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson urged India to abide by the ―1959 LAC‖.
India’s response to China’s designation of the LAC India rejected the concept of LAC in both 1959 and 1962. Even during the war, Nehru was unequivocal: ―There is no sense or meaning in the Chinese offer to withdraw twenty kilometres from what they call ‗line of actual control‘. India‘s objection was that the Chinese line ―was a disconnected series of points on a map that could be joined up in many ways; the line should omit gains from aggression in 1962 and therefore should be based on the actual position on September 8, 1962 before the Chinese attack; and the vagueness of the Chinese definition left it open for China to continue its creeping attempt to change facts on the ground by military force‖. www.theprayasindia.com/e-pathshala [email protected] +91-7710013217 / 9892560176
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When did India accept the LAC? The LAC was discussed during Chinese Premier Li Peng‘s 1991 visit to India, where PM P V Narasimha Rao and Li reached an understanding to maintain peace and tranquillity at the LAC. India formally accepted the concept of the LAC when Rao paid a return visit to Beijing in 1993 and the two sides signed the Agreement to Maintain Peace and Tranquillity at the LAC. The reference to the LAC was unqualified to make it clear that it was not referring to the LAC of 1959 or 1962 but to the LAC at the time when the agreement was signed. To reconcile the differences about some areas, the two countries agreed that the Joint Working Group on the border issue would take up the task of clarifying the alignment of the LAC.
Is the LAC also the claim line for both countries? Not for India. India‘s claim line is the line seen in the official boundary marked on the maps as released by the Survey of India, including both Aksai Chin and Gilgit-Baltistan. In China‘s case, it corresponds mostly to its claim line, but in the eastern sector, it claims entire Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet. However, the claim lines come into question when a discussion on the final international boundaries takes place, and not when the conversation is about a working border, say the LAC.
Why are these claim lines controversial in Ladakh? Independent India was transferred the treaties from the British, and while the Shimla Agreement on the McMahon Line was signed by British India, Aksai Chin in Ladakh province of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir was not part of British India, although it was a part of the British Empire. Thus, the eastern boundary was well defined in 1914 but in the west in Ladakh, it was not. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel‘s Ministry of States published two White Papers on Indian states. The first, in July 1948, had two maps: one had no boundary shown in the western sector, only a partial colour wash; the second one extended the colour wash in yellow to the entire state of J&K, but mentioned ―boundary undefined‖. The second White Paper was published in February 1950 after India became a Republic, where the map again had boundaries which were undefined. In July 1954, Nehru issued a directive that ―all our old maps dealing with this frontier should be carefully examined and, where necessary, withdrawn. New maps should be printed showing our Northern and North Eastern frontier without any reference to any ‗line‘. The new maps should also be sent to our embassies abroad and should be introduced to the public generally and be used in our schools, colleges, etc‖. This map, as is officially used till date, formed the basis of dealings with China, eventually leading to the 1962 War.
How is the LAC different from the Line of Control with Pakistan? The LoC emerged from the 1948 ceasefire line negotiated by the UN after the Kashmir War. It was designated as the LoC in 1972, following the Shimla Agreement between the two countries. It is delineated on a map signed by DGMOs of both armies and has the international sanctity of a legal agreement. The LAC, in contrast, is only a concept – it is not agreed upon by the two countries, neither delineated on a map or demarcated on the ground.
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G-7
(Source: The Indian Express )
Context: Calling the existing Group of Seven (G-7) club a ―very outdated group of countries‖, US President Donald Trump said that he wanted to include India, Russia, South Korea, and Australia in the group; although it was unclear whether he wanted the expansion to be permanent.
The Group of 7 The G-7 or ‗Group of Seven‘ are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It is an intergovernmental organisation that was formed in 1975 by the top economies of the time as an informal forum to discuss pressing world issues. Canada joined the group in 1976, and the European Union began attending in 1977. Initially formed as an effort by the US and its allies to discuss economic issues, the G-7 forum has deliberated about several challenges over the decades, such as the oil crashes of the 1970s, the economic changeover of ex-Soviet bloc nations, and many pressing issues such as financial crises, terrorism, arms control, and drug trafficking. The G-7 was known as the ‗G-8‘ for several years after the original seven were joined by Russia in 1997. The Group returned to being called G-7 after Russia was expelled as a member in 2014 following the latter‘s annexation of the Crimea region of Ukraine. Since his election in 2016, President Trump has suggested on several occasions that Russia be added again, given what he described as Moscow‘s global strategic importance. The G-7 does not have a formal constitution or a fixed headquarters. The decisions taken by leaders during annual summits are non-binding. The rise of India, China, and Brazil over the past few decades has reduced the G-7‘s relevance, whose share in global GDP has now fallen to around 40%. The G-7 nations meet at annual summits that are presided over by leaders of member countries on a rotational basis. The summit is an informal gathering that lasts two days, in which leaders of member countries discuss a wide range of global issues. The host country typically gets to invite dignitaries from outside the G-7 to attend the Summit. The groundwork for the summit, including matters to be discussed and follow-up meetings, is done by the ―sherpas‖, who are generally personal representatives or members of diplomatic staff such as ambassadors. The sherpa for Prime Minister Modi at last year‘s summit was former Union Minister Suresh Prabhu.
The National Guard
(Source: The Indian Express )
Context: Georgia‘s Governor declared a state of emergency to activate the state‘s National Guard to ―provide security and restore safety‖ amid violence in Atlanta, US.
What is the National Guard? Comprising the Army National Guard and Air National Guard, it is a reserve component of the US Army and provides trained units to states, territories and the District of Columbia to protect life and property. The force supports combat missions, domestic emergencies, humanitarian efforts and homeland security operations among others. The organisation of the National Guard dates back to 1636, when on December 13 the first militia regiments in North America were organised in Massachusetts.
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Largely, members of the forces are soldiers with civilian jobs who live at home, have a drill commitment one weekend per month and are required to attend one two-week training each year. To join the force without prior service, one must be a US citizen or permanent resident between the ages of 17 and 35 and have a high school diploma, among other requirements. The forces can be mobilised by the President whenever more units are needed to maintain national security. However, no change can be made in the branch, unit or allotment of a unit located within a state without the approval of its governor.
THAAD defence system
(Source: The Indian Express )
Context: China has issued a statement reiterating its long-standing objections to the presence of the US THAAD missile defence system in South Korea.
What is THAAD? THAAD is an acronym for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, a transportable, ground-based missile defense system. THAAD is coupled with space-based and ground-based surveillance stations, which transfer data about the incoming missile and informs the THAAD interceptor missile of the threat type classification. THAAD is alarmed about incoming missiles by space-based satellites with infrared sensors. This anti-ballistic missile defense system has been designed and manufactured by the US company Lockheed Martin. South Korea is not the only country with the THAAD missile defense system. It has been previously deployed in the UAE, Guam, Israel and Romania.
South Korea-China controversy over THAAD about In South Korea, the THAAD missile defense system is operated by the US army stationed in the country. The US had previously announced that the deployment of this missile defense system was a countermeasure against potential attacks by North Korea, particularly after the country had engaged in testing ballistic missiles. In 2017, matters escalated in the Korean Peninsula after North Korea test fired a few missiles in the direction of US bases in Japan. Following this incident, the US amended its plans and moved the systems to its army base in Osan, South Korea while the final deployment site was being prepared. These moves by the US and by extension, South Korea, particularly angered China. For a while the dispute has temporarily subsided, if not resolved. However, with the latest developments, it appears the controversy has resurfaced.
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Why is China opposing THAAD in South Korea? China‘s opposition has little to do with the missiles itself and is more about the system‘s inbuilt advanced radar systems that could track China‘s actions. The controversy also has much to do with the geo- politics and complex conflicts in East Asia, with the US having a presence in the region particularly through its many military bases in Japan and South Korea. According to some observers of East Asia, China believes the US exerts influence over South Korea and Japan and may interfere with Beijing‘s long-term military, diplomatic and economic interests in the region.
Following the deployment of replacement missiles China had issued a statement urging the US not to harm bilateral relations between Beijing and Seoul. The US and South Korea have consistently maintained that these missiles are only to counter potential threats by North Korea. South Korea also issued a statement saying the number of missiles had not increased, but had only been replaced with newer versions.
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Mains
GS I
COVID-19 exposes fault lines in peri-urban areas
(Source: Down to Earth )
Context: Lack of sanitation awareness prevails at a greater extent here; it is unclear how COVID-19- centric awareness campaigns will influence behavioral change.
The urban sprawl Urban transition started early in 19th century and by 2050 urban population will reach 70 per cent across the globe. While many developed countries already boast of being urbanised, the transition trajectory in India still shows steep upward and uneven growth. Nearly half the India‘s urban population is concentrated in states such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Punjab and West Bengal. Economic and industrial growth in these states attracted skilled and non-skilled populace from states such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Jharkhand. However, the infrastructure of the receiving states was never meant to sustain this unprecedented load. With existing load of intra-state rural-to- urban migration, this sprawling further created a concept of ‗peri-urban‘ areas which are often marginalised from the formal urban settlement and a spill-over of urban population. Peri-urban zones are primarily home to labourers and migrants, population.
Vaccine, nutrition or sanitation? Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the World Health Organization and Indian government mandated measures such as social distancing, frequent handwash and adoption of improved sanitation behavior for infection prevention and control. This appears to be an impossible feat in India where several slums like Dharavi struggle with population density of over 200,000 people per square kilometre and 63.1 per cent of slum population practices open defecation. Communicable and infectious diseases, including respiratory infections, tend to spread at a faster pace into slums with high population density. With a limited access to sanitation and hygiene facilities, poorly maintained drainage and sewerages further exposes the risk of infection spread through human faeces and shared water resources at community stand posts. Recent studies from Johns Hopkins University have not denied that SARS-CoV-2 is capable of becoming ‗aerosolised‘ through untreated wastewater and exposed sewerages. Lack of basic sanitation awareness prevails at a greater extent in these settlements and it is unclear that how COVID-19-centric awareness campaigns will influence behavioral change among them.
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The Union government is aware about loss of income during this abysmal crisis. When the inhabitants are struggling to get food and ration, it shouldn‘t be expected from them to buy sanitisation products. High prevalence of malnutrition among children and elderly has already been the biggest concern in urban slums, with more than 60 per cent of children under five years of age malnourished. Stressed financial situation and social isolation may severely impact their access to variety of food, thus increasing the chances of nutritional imbalance and expose them at risk of virus infection and as well as slowing down recovery. In the best-case scenario, however, if scientists develop a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 and it is made accessible to slum residents, the risk will still persist. A study of Delhi‘s urban slums has indicated that malnutrition and inadequate sanitary conditions will adversely impact effectiveness of a vaccine.
Can lockdown lock the virus? Yes, within the community. Though well-intentioned, unprecedented lockdown has upended the lives of slum dwellers in peri-urban communities with equanimity as most of them are solely dependent on the food and ration supplied by government and non-profits. This segment of population largely endures their livelihood with operating income and don‘t possess cash liquidity to sustain such crises. Isolating this population will majorly benefit other sections of the community by limiting the spread within a containment zone. However, the virus may keep multiplying within the community due to poor basic sanitary infrastructure, non-curated strategy of testing and monitoring, marginalised healthcare facilities and inadequate capacity building.
The reverse-migration predicament Carrying a feeling of deep end of affairs, stigmatisation and impecunious with source to earn, the pandemic attained its zenith when thousands of migrants ambivalently opted to walk towards their far- flung homes due to non-availability of transport. A few brave ones waited until they frantically rushed to Delhi-Ghaziabad border and Bandra railway station in Mumbai responding to various rumours — and a hope to reach their original habitat. In the last week of April, the Union and state governments announced back-to-home travel guidelines for of migrant workers; Bihar alone estimated reverse movement of 28 lakh migrants. With a majority of migrant home states having poor public healthcare infrastructure and limited income generation opportunities, this plethora of reverse-migration may not only create a huge pool of suspected contagion in reverse-destination states, but also have a conflagrated socio-economic asymmetry at both origin and destination. The COVID-19 pandemic not only opens research paradigms for scientists and healthcare professionals, but also an exigency for policymakers and government to reevaluate all primary and auxiliary policies, programmes which directly or indirectly impact life and livelihood of the population living in peri-urban areas.
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COVID-19 and our new normal
Context: The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has revealed our lack of preparedness for a global health emergency. The pandemic may not last forever, but our response to it will shape the future of our cities for the coming decades.
Urban planning reforms and public health: Any linkages? In history, the aspect of public health evolved in high-density urban areas over a period of time. The link between public health and urban planning is not complex as the intention is common: To provide safe and healthy environments in which citizens can live, work and play (characteristics of an ideal, happy city). This also includes the role of land use and built environment (public buildings, mixed land uses, pedestrian walkways open spaces and waterbodies) and its impacts on the health of population.
Timeline of iconic urban planning reforms
Timeline Public health crisis and related urban reforms The bubonic plague It inspired radical improvements of the Renaissance in which cities expanded their borders, 14th century opened larger open spaces over suffocated public spaces and hired specialised professionals like architects and surveyors. The Great Plague of Marseilles 17th Century This is an example of medieval and industrial cities implementing urban planning practices to (1720) aid disease control and how management of water waste helped remake cities post pandemic. Haussman model of zoning in urban planning 18th century It emphasised functionality and a hierarchical order of land use which separated residential areas from other land uses, especially industrial land use. Cholera and malaria outbreaks in New York city They led to the establishment of the Metropolitan Board of Health. It comprises of building 1860s and zoning codes to control overcrowding, mandated better sanitary conditions and propelled infrastructure investments that have influenced city services Yellow fever and cholera outbreaks 18th and These outbreaks globally identified the need for modern sewerage and sanitation systems like 19th century citywide sewer systems A few reports in the 19th and 20th centuries highlighted the importance of relationship between 19th and public health and urban planning. For instance, in 1999, the World Health Ogranization 20th century published a report titled Healthy cities and the city planning process which that emphasised ensuring healthy urban planning of the urban poor population of cities in the world. Tuberculosis, typhoid, Spanish flu and polio 20th century Originated urban planning reforms like waste management, slum clearance, single-use zoning etc.
Every pandemic in the past has taught us lessons over the importance of our responses and preparedness, the most important one being this will not be the last one.
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It is important to think about our responses at the end of the pandemic, while at the same time being ready for urgent issues like community disintegration, social disconnection and inequality, human waste and sanitation issues and water shortage. With future tensed and present faded, what idea of healthy and resilient cities comes to our mind? The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. A healthy city is one that continually creates and improves physical and social environments and expands community resources that enable people to mutually support each other in performing all the functions of life. In this concrete urban sprawl, while most of us have locked ourselves and found alternatives to work from home through digital media, we have missed out on the ‗play‘ aspect. Open spaces are never prioritised and often neglected in favour of other priorities. Open spaces include recreational spaces, organised green and other common open spaces (such as floodplains, forest cover etc) in plain areas, according to the 2014 Urban and Regional Development Plans Formulation and Implementation guidelines. Considering overall open spaces in an urban area, the guidelines suggest a norm of 10-12 square metres of open space per person. This means a 25-35 per cent allocation of a city‘s area to be earmarked as recreational and open spaces, in addition to environmentally sensitive areas. Most of our Indian cities do not meet the standards of required land cover for recreational spaces.
Consequences of not having adequate open spaces This pandemic made us realise the value of reachable open spaces that allow movement within dense urban areas. Physical isolation with absence of adequate open spaces is one of the major causes of discomfort and poor living conditions. While several stigmas are attached to the pandemic, the need for open spaces — crucial for physical and mental health — should not be one of them. Mental health is a critical issue that needs to be fought through this pandemic: Not being able to get fresh air and light, no physical movement or exercise, isolation significantly adds to people‘s stress.
It‘s no new concept that urban spaces have an important role to play and are effective in improving public health in urban cities. If we look at history, there are several examples of how open green spaces and natural features were key elements of urban planning and design used during and after pandemics. www.theprayasindia.com/e-pathshala [email protected] +91-7710013217 / 9892560176
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The pandemic should bring attention on the deficiencies in blue-green spaces and contact with nature at the local neighbourhood level, missing in our dense Indian cities.
Way Forward Once the COVID-19 pandemic is under control, more holistic approaches are needed. Cross-disciplinary collaboration of public policies, urban planning and design using open public spaces, parks, urban forests and integrated blue and green infrastructure are needed as tools to make cities healthy. Smart city and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) city missions are major steps for managing cities. Both missions emphasise on environment sustainability, governance, financial and service delivery reforms, self-reliant revenue mechanisms, etc. Schemes under the missions have been moderately successful in maintaining existing parks and green spaces. Circumstantial planning, however, demands decentralisation of essential services, designs of open spaces in context with distance, proximity, size, quality and connectivity as a practical response to pandemics. Promoting the use of blue-green spaces, physical activities on a neighbourhood or local and approachable level can help negate impacts of infectious diseases, chronic illnesses etc in ther future. Step by step access to spaces o The stigma attached to the pandemic will prolong a period of distancing, but the craving for connection will be even more. We should gradually go back to crowded public places like restaurants, theatres, etc. In some countries, the government has allowed people to leave their homes for exercise and physical activity once a day. We can similarly limit these activities and access to spaces through time regulations. o A guideline should be prepared on using green spaces. To reduce crowding, we could regulate people inflows with time limits and over time periods. Thus, even in limited spaces, physical distance can be maintained. o With people getting used to work from home, work places may be divided as certain days of a week from office and rest from home, to reduce load on public transport and work places. o In dense areas, access to parks and spaces can be limited by dividing them through house numbers. Access to areas of school playgrounds, private golf clubs etc with time limits can also be open for public use. Capacity building with citizens is important for all, as this is a voluntary act. o Pedestrianisation :Well-connected green spaces at local or neighbourhood level have become important more than ever. Some streets can be designated completely for walking and running while maintaining distance and reduce crowding on roads and streets. For example, several cities in the world have stopped cars and pedestrianised streets as a social-distancing measure. In Toronto, temporary pedestrianisation of downtown Yonge street — the city‘s most important north-south artery — has been proposed. It is essential to ensure the quantity, quality and accessibility of open spaces at a local level through urban planning and design. The mapping of underused and low-functioning sites and their reclamation can be another approach at local levels.
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GS II
Military bonding beyond borders
(Source: The Hindu )
Context: The Gurkhas had fought in the Gurkha-Sikh War, Anglo-Sikh wars, and the Afghan wars. During the 1971 Indo-Pak war, a Gurkha battalion pioneered amphibious operation in independent India. The blow-back from remarks by the Army chief, Manoj Naravane, implying that Nepal was raising imaginary border claims with India at China‘s behest could hit a vital pillar of India‘s national security — the seven prized Gurkha regiments comprising battle-hardened troops, with a proven record of loyalty and valour.
Details: Following the road inauguration, the India-Nepal dispute over the status of Lipulekh has flared. Indian maps have shown Lipulekh as an Indian territory, with the area to the east of the Pass, belonging to Nepal. Nepal, on the contrary, claims that the Lipulekh Pass is part of its territory, located in its Dharchula district of Sudurpashchim Pradesh. Nepal PM K.P. Sharma Oli stoked the fires of nationalism to a new high, by delivering a defiant speech in Parliament, slamming India not only over territorial claims, but also for spiralling COVID-19 infections in his country.
Growing bitterness Amid the growing bitterness, the Nepalese Army, which has historically enjoyed unique and privileged ties with India, has refrained from reacting to Gen. Naravane‘s statement. Spokesperson of the Nepal Army, Brig. General Bigyan Dev Pandey, refusing to respond to General Naravane's comments, spotlighted that the controversy fell in the ―political‖ and not the military domain. But, on the contrary, Nepal‘s Defence Minister Ishwor Pokhrel, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, has slammed the Indian Army chief‘s utterance. Gen. Naravane‘s comments, he said, had hurt the sentiments of Nepalese Gurkhas, who have a long tradition of sacrifice for India, he said on May 25. Amid the cross-fire between the Army Chief and the Nepalese political leadership lies the danger that the controversy may breed alienation among segments of at least 40 Gurkha battalions, mainly comprising Nepali soldiers who are the Indian Army‘s pride. That would be a major Indian concern as New Delhi cannot afford any dissonance in the strong and reliable relationship with Gurkha troops, which as been tested and forged in the line of fire, for more than two centuries.
Recruited by the British Ties between British-India and Nepali Gurkhas, who originate from the mountenous region of Gurkha, go deep, and can be traced to the famous Treaty of Sugauli, signed at the end of the Anglo-Nepalese war. That was in 1816, when troops of the British East India Company discovered that despite losing the war, the Nepali Gurkhas had fought with exceptional valour and grit, worthy of recruitment in the British- Indian forces. Consequently, the first battalion of the Gurkha Regiment was raised. The gamble of the Massachusetts-born General of the East India Company, David Ochterlony, the force behind the induction of the Gurkhas in the military, paid off, as the recruits from Nepal played a significant role in the consolidation of the British Empire in India. Gurkhas had engaged in combat during the Gurkha-Sikh War, Anglo-Sikh wars, and the Afghan wars. By the time the First World War began, 10 Gurkha regiments had already been raised in the British Indian Army.
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Unsurprisingly, they distinguished themselves in major combat theatres across the globe, ranging from Monte Cassino — a rocky hill about 130 km southeast of Rome — in the West, to tropical Rangoon in the East. The German Afrika Korps, the German expeditionary force in Africa during the Second World War led by Gen. Erwin Rommel, went on record to acknowledge the ferocity of these khukri-wielding fighters.
Ties with Indian Army After India gained Independence, six Gurkha regiments were transferred from the British to the Indian Army as part of a tripartite agreement between Nepal, India and Britain. A seventh regiment was raised after Independence. Currently, there roughly are 32,000 Gurkhas who make up the 40 battalions serving in the seven regiments in the Indian Army. There is not a single military campaign launched by independent India, where the battalions have not left their indelible mark. In recent decades, many retired Indian Army officers would recall the sheer tenacity, courage and combat skills of Gurkha troops at the dizzy heights of the Siachen Glacier in Ladakh. Resolutely defending Bilafond La, one of the ―gates‖ leading to the glacier, the third battalion of the fourth Gurkha Rifles regiment blunted repeated assaults by the Pakistani troops, all at a height of 20,000 feet. In the battle fought on September 20-24, 1987, 13 Gurkha troops were killed and 23 wounded. For their bravery, the unit earned 3 Maha Vir Chakras (MVC) and 5 Vir Chakras. During the 1971 Indo-Pak war, a Gurkha battalion pioneered amphibious operations. Amid the Indian Peace Keeping Force operations in Sri Lanka, two Gurkha battalions participated in combat with distinction, but Lt. Colonel Inder Bal Singh Bawa, one of the battalion commanders, was injured and later died, along with many of the unit‘s officers and troops. Col. Bawa was later decorated with an MVC.
COVID-19: Exclusion, isolation of the differently abled
(Source: Down to Earth )
Context: While the COVID-19 lockdown is a new experience for those who are not differently abled, for those who are, it only means an aggravation of existing issues.
Details: Residents of Arjun Nagar in Delhi‘s Green Park area face exclusion and isolation their entire lives. While the lockdown is a new experience for those who are not differently abled, for those who are, it only means an aggravation of existing issues. The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 recognises 21 conditions as disabling. The differently abled, however, are not a homogenous group. Both the issues and their solutions are diverse. The World Health Organization puts that the world‘s disabled population at around 15 per cent. The 2011 census in India estimated 2.21 per cent of the country‘s population to be differently abled. It is obvious there was undercounting, something that also brings faulty methodology into question. Physical distancing and hand washing are advocated as the key to keep the novel coronavirus (SARS- CoV-2) that causes the COVID-19 disease at bay. Practicing this, however, may be problematic for the differently abled. For those who require the assistance of a caregiver even for daily needs, maintaining physical distance becomes unfeasible.
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There are several dimensions to this issue. A news report emerged of a father killing his 45-year-old differently abled son in Kolkata in April 2020. The father was unable to convince his son to not leave the house without wearing a face mask. A shortfall in blood donations impacts several people. The National Blood Transfusion Council reported a shortfall of nearly half. People who have thalassemia and sickle cell disease need periodic blood transfusion. This scarcity of blood can, thus, be life threatening.
Discrimination in healthcare When the priority of the entire health system is attending to people affected by COVID-19, other health conditions face neglect. Most of those who are differently abled have some health-related issue. With hospitals not entertaining other cases, this is a great risk for them. The health system was never accessible in terms of physical access and attitudes. This situation has worsened for the differently abled. There is a fear of discrimination against the differently abled when there is a scarcity of beds, ventilators, etc. Their lives may be considered disposable. This has happened in the United States and Italy. Women with disabilities are the worst-affected. Most of them even otherwise suffer a ‗locked-down‘ situation with very little opportunity to go out. Apart from other issues, they are subject to increased violence at home. They will find it even more difficult to seek help during a lockdown. Another issue that usually goes unnoticed is the unavailability of information in accessible formats. This, despite numerous methods employed to provide information to people on COVID-19 related issues. For people with visual impairment, information needs to be in Braille or audio, while for people with hearing impairment, it needs to be in sign language, etc. This does not get recognised.
Economic compulsions While addressing the concerns of the disabled population, we need to bear in mind that 69.49 per cent of them are in rural areas. There are around 2 million families in the country that have more than one person with a disability in their house. In such a situation, an earning family member has to give up work to take over as a caregiver. This leads to a further squeeze in the family income, where the overwhelming majority come from poor economic backgrounds. Disability also entails extra spending towards aids and equipment, accessible transport, medicines, etc. Poverty contributes to disability, while disability accentuates poverty further. Considered non-productive, around 64 per cent of the differently abled population who are of working age are unemployed. Meagre opportunities in the government / public sector where reservations exist have seen a drastic fall in the last three decades because of policies of liberalisation and privatisation. There is negligible employment in the private sector. Many are engaged in hawking / vending on trains, bus stops or doing odd jobs in the informal sector. With promised aid and rations failing to reach large sections, they are left at the mercy of civil society organisations. It will not be long before starvation takes over. Even the reach of social protection in the form of pensions is far from wanting. The Indira Gandhi Disability Pension of a miserly Rs 300 is given to a mere 1,021,906 people, around 7.6 per cent of the differently abled population in the working age. The ex-gratia of Rs 1,000 announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will reach only one million-odd people. That this is a cruel joke, is underlined by the fact that that this remittance is spread over three months, averaging Rs 333.33 per month.
Bleak outlook When there is continuous lockdown, there is bound to be boredom, loneliness, fear and anxiety. The loss of employment, livelihood, loss of housing, etc, has an adverse impact on mental health.
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This may also lead to an increase in deaths by suicide. Unfortunately, our mental health systems are ill- equipped to handle this challenge. The treatment gap in India is as high as 83 per cent. The number of mental health professionals per 100,000 population is low as 0.05 in Madhya Pradesh to 1.2 in Kerala. Overall, this is a grim situation for the disabled, compounded by the total absence of any serious measure from the government to address these concerns. The unplanned manner with which the lockdown was imposed has increased suffering and misery. Many became beggars overnight, with their dignity and self-respect compromised. But this crisis situation also provides us an opportunity to holistically address issues faced by the differently abled, when society as a whole faces issues the differently abled encounter in their daily lives. The International Labour Organisation in its Persons with disabilities in the COVID-19 response put it aptly: ―All crises bring opportunities, and the opportunity of the moment is to make inclusion of all previously marginalized groups — including persons with disabilities — a central element of all responses.‖ Some changes were forced on society. Concepts like work from home, flexible working hours, use of video conferencing for judicial purposes, doorstep delivery of services, etc are the norm in the lockdown situation. We will have to build on these as we move out of the pandemic situation.
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Special Issue June (Week 1)
Sixth mass extinction
(Source: The Indian Express )
Context: The ongoing sixth mass extinction may be one of the most serious environmental threats to the persistence of civilization.
What is the mass extinction of species? Mass extinction refers to a substantial increase in the degree of extinction or when the Earth loses more than three-quarters of its species in a geologically short period of time. So far, during the entire history of the Earth, there have been five mass extinctions. The sixth, which is ongoing, is referred to as the Anthropocene extinction. The five mass extinctions that took place in the last 450 million years have led to the destruction of 70- 95 per cent of the species of plants, animals and microorganisms that existed earlier. These extinctions were caused by “catastrophic alterations” to the environment, such as massive volcanic eruptions, depletion of oceanic oxygen or collision with an asteroid. After each of these extinctions, it took millions of years to regain species comparable to those that existed before the event.
What is the sixth mass extinction then? Researchers have described it as the “most serious environmental problem” since the loss of species will be permanent. The study analysed 29,400 species of terrestrial vertebrates and determined which of these are on the brink of extinction because they have fewer than 1,000 individuals. Out of the studied species, they concluded that over 515 of them are near extinction, and that the current loss of species, which is based on the disappearance of their component populations, has been occurring since the 1800s. Most of these 515 species are from South America (30 per cent), followed by Oceania (21 per cent), Asia (21 percent) and Africa (16 percent) among others. Further, attributing this mass extinction to humans, they said that one of the reasons that humanity is an “unprecedented threat” to many living organisms is because of their growing numbers. The loss of species has been occurring since human ancestors developed agriculture over 11,000 years ago. Since then, the human population has increased from about 1 million to 7.7 billion. The study notes that more than 400 vertebrate species went extinct in the last century, extinctions that would have taken over 10,000 years in the normal course of evolution. In a sample of 177 species of large mammals, most lost more than 80 per cent of their geographic range in the last 100 years, and as per a 2017 study published in the same journal, 32 per cent of over 27,000 vertebrate species have declining populations. Significantly, the study calls for a complete ban on wildlife trade as many of the species currently endangered or on the brink of extinction are being decimated by legal and illegal wildlife trade. Researchers point out that the current COVID-19 pandemic, while not fully understood, is also linked to the wildlife trade. “There is no doubt, for example, that there will be more pandemics if we continue destroying habitats and trading wildlife for human consumption as food and traditional medicines.”
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What happens when species go extinct? According to the Center for Biological Diversity, when species go extinct, the impact can be tangible such as in the form of a loss in crop pollination and water purification. Further, if a species has a specific function in an ecosystem, the loss can lead to consequences for other species by impacting the food chain. For instance, an example referenced by Columbia University’s Earth Institute states that when the wolves in Yellowstone Park in California, US, were hunted to near extinction by the 1930s, the deer and elk they preyed upon thrived, as a result of which their grazing decimated the streamside willows and aspens, which provided habitat for songbirds. This also left the stream susceptible to erosion and a decline in the songbirds allowed mosquitoes and other insects that the birds would have eaten to multiply. Subsequently, the wolves were reintroduced into the park in 1995, after which they preyed on the elks and deer once again, the plant life returned and so did the songbirds. The study warns that the effects of extinction will worsen in the coming decades as the resulting genetic and cultural variability will change entire ecosystems. “When the number of individuals in a population or species drops too low, its contributions to ecosystem functions and services become unimportant, its genetic variability and resilience is reduced, and its contribution to human welfare may be lost.” the study says.
Near Earth Objects
Context: NASA announced that a giant asteroid is expected to pass Earth (at a safe distance) on June 6. The asteroid is estimated to be between 250-570 meters in diameter, according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). A Near-Earth Object (NEO), the asteroid is called 163348 (2002 NN4) and is classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA).
What are Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) NEOs occasionally approach close to the Earth as they orbit the Sun, NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Study (CNEOS) determines the times and distances of these objects as and when their approach to the Earth is close. NASA defines NEOs as comets and asteroids nudged by the gravitational attraction of nearby planets into orbits which allows them to enter the Earth’s neighbourhood. These objects are composed mostly of water ice with embedded dust particles. The scientific interest in comets and asteroids is largely due to their status as relatively unchanged remnant debris from the solar system formation process over 4.6 billion years ago. Therefore, these NEOs offer scientists clues about the chemical mixture from the planets formed. Significantly, among all the causes that will eventually cause the extinction of life on Earth, an asteroid hit is widely acknowledged as one of the likeliest. Over the years, scientists have suggested different ways to ward off such a hit, such as blowing up the asteroid before it reaches Earth, or deflecting it off its Earth-bound course by hitting it with a spacecraft. NASA’s Near-Earth Object Observations Program finds, tracks and characterises over 90 per cent of the predicted number of NEOs that are 140 metre or larger in size (larger than a small football stadium). NASA maintains that objects of this size and larger pose a risk to Earth of “the greatest concern” due to the level of devastation that the impact is capable of causing. Further, no asteroid larger than 140 metre has a “significant” chance of hitting the Earth for the next 100 years, less than half of the estimated 25,000 NEOs that are 140 metres or larger in size have been found to date.
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What is 163348 (2002 NN4)? This asteroid is classified as a PHA, which means the asteroid has the potential to make threatening close approaches to the Earth. Asteroids with a minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) of about 0.05 (AU is the distance between the Earth and the Sun and is roughly 150 million km), which is about 7,480,000 km or less and an absolute magnitude (H) of 22 (smaller than about 150 m or 500 feet in diameter) or less are considered PHAs. Even so, it is not necessary that asteroids classified as PHAs will impact the Earth. It only means there is a possibility for such a threat. By monitoring these PHAs and updating their orbits as new observations become available, we can better predict the close-approach statistics and thus their Earth-impact threat.
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June (Week 2)
Index
Prelims Mains
National GS II
1. Centrally protected monuments 1. AMR and COVID-19 2. Second capital of Uttarakhand 2. A transfusion for public health care is 3. India’s rising forex reserves amid Covid-19 needed 4. Companies and rights issue amidst Covid-19 5. ARPIT GS III 6. Bharat Stage VI Norms 7. New guidelines for import of exotic species 1. Gross Value Added numbers and the 8. Asiatic Lion economy 9. IFLOWS-Mumbai
International
1. Environment Performance Index 2. Permafrost
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Prelims
NATIONAL
Centrally protected monuments
(Source: Press Information Bureau )
Context: 820 centrally protected monuments under the ASI which have places of worship will open.
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI): The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), under the Ministry of Culture, is the premier organization for the archaeological researches and protection of the cultural heritage of the nation. Maintenance of ancient monuments and archaeological sites and remains of national importance is the prime concern of the ASI. Besides, it regulates all archaeological activities in the country as per the provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958. It also regulates the Antiquities and Art Treasure Act, 1972. For the maintenance of ancient monuments and archaeological sites and remains of national importance, the entire country is divided into 24 Circles. The ASI has a large workforce of trained archaeologists, conservators, epigraphist, architects and scientists for conducting archaeological research projects through its Circles, Museums, Excavation Branches, Prehistory Branch, Epigraphy Branches, Science Branch, Horticulture Branch, Building Survey Project, Temple Survey Projects and Underwater Archaeology Wing. Activities of ASI: o Conducting archaeological explorations and excavations. o Maintenance, conservation and preservation of protected monuments and archaeological sites and remains of national importance. o Chemical preservation of monuments and antiquarian remains. o Architectural survey of monuments. o Epigraphical and numismatic studies. o Setting up and re-organization of Site Museums. o Training in Archaeology. o Bringing out archaeological publications. o Archaeological expeditions outside India. o Horticulture operation in and around ancient monuments and sites. o Implementation and regulation of – The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972, etc. Under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, the ASI has declared more than 3500 monuments to be of ‗national importance‘ in India. The ASI was set up in 1861. Protected monuments and sites have many restrictions in place for their protection and conservation. For example, no construction activity is permitted within a certain distance of the area, and no damage or injury is to be caused to these monuments and areas, etc.
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Second capital of Uttarakhand
(Source: The Indian Express )
Context: With Governor Baby Rani Maurya giving her assent for declaration of Bhararisen (Gairsain) in Chamoli district as the summer capital of Uttarakhand, a two-decade-long wait of the hill region came to an end.
Details: Gairsain, a tehsil in Chamoli district, is located nearly 270-km from existing temporary capital of Dehradun. Even when Uttarakhand was carved out as a separate state from Uttar Pradesh on November 9, 2000, statehood activists had contended that Gairsain was best suited to be the capital of the mountainous state since it was between both Kumaon and Garhwal regions. But it was Dehradun in the plains that was named the temporary capital. Developed in an area of 47-acres, the Vidhan Sabha complex in Bhararisen stands at a height of 2380- metre from the sea level, making it a cold location for the entire year. Now, with the announcement of Gairsain as the summer capital, there is a lack of clarity on the status of Dehradun. In fact, the recently published directory of the state Information department still mentions this colonial town as the temporary capital.
India’s rising forex reserves amid Covid-19 economic crisis
(Source: The Indian Express )
Context: The level of foreign exchange reserves has steadily increased by 8,400 per cent from .8 billion as of March 1991 to the current level
Details: Unlike in 1991, when India had to pledge its gold reserves to stave off a major financial crisis, the country can now depend on its soaring foreign exchange reserves to tackle any crisis on the economic front. While the situation is gloomy on the economic front with the GDP growth in the contraction mode for the first time in 40 years and manufacturing activity and trade at standstill, there‘s still some reason to cheer about amidst the raging Covid-19 pandemic: India‘s foreign exchange reserves are rising and are slated to hit the $500 billion mark soon. In the month of May, forex reserves jumped by $12.4 billion to an all-time high of $493.48 billion (around Rs 37.30 lakh crore) for the week ended May 29. The level of foreign exchange reserves has steadily increased by 8,400 per cent from $5.8 billion as of March 1991 to the current level.
What are forex reserves? Forex reserves are external assets in the form gold, SDRs (special drawing rights of the IMF) and foreign currency assets (capital inflows to the capital markets, FDI and external commercial borrowings) accumulated by India and controlled by the Reserve Bank of India. The International Monetary Fund says official foreign exchange reserves are held in support of a range of objectives like supporting and maintaining confidence in the policies for monetary and exchange rate management including the capacity to intervene in support of the national or union currency.
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It will also limit external vulnerability by maintaining foreign currency liquidity to absorb shocks during times of crisis or when access to borrowing is curtailed.
Why are forex reserves rising despite the slowdown in the economy? The major reason for the rise in forex reserves is the rise in investment in foreign portfolio investors in Indian stocks and foreign direct investments (FDIs). Foreign investors had acquired stakes in several Indian companies in the last two months. After pulling out Rs 60,000 crore each from debt and equity segments in March, Foreign Portfolio Investments (FPIs), who expect a turnaround in the economy later this financial year, have now returned to the Indian markets and bought stocks worth over $2.75 billion in the first week of June. Forex inflows are set to rise further and cross the $500 billion as Reliance Industries subsidiary, Jio Platforms, has witnessed a series of foreign investments totaling Rs 97,000 crore. On the other hand, the fall in crude oil prices has brought down the oil import bill, saving the precious foreign exchange. Similarly, overseas remittances and foreign travels have fallen steeply – down 61 per cent in April from $12.87 billion. The months of May and June are expected to show further decline in dollar outflows.
Significance of rising forex reserves The rising forex reserves give a lot of comfort to the government and the Reserve Bank of India in managing India‘s external and internal financial issues at a time when the economic growth is set to contract by 1.5 per cent in 2020-21. It‘s a big cushion in the event of any crisis on the economic front and enough to cover the import bill of the country for a year. The rising reserves have also helped the rupee to strengthen against the dollar. The foreign exchange reserves to GDP ratio is around 15 per cent. Reserves will provide a level of confidence to markets that a country can meet its external obligations, demonstrate the backing of domestic currency by external assets, assist the government in meeting its foreign exchange needs and external debt obligations and maintain a reserve for national disasters or emergencies.
What does the RBI do with the forex reserves? The Reserve Bank functions as the custodian and manager of forex reserves, and operates within the overall policy framework agreed upon with the government. The RBI allocates the dollars for specific purposes. For example, under the Liberalised Remittances Scheme, individuals are allowed to remit up to $250,000 every year. The RBI uses its forex kitty for the orderly movement of the rupee. It sells the dollar when the rupee weakens and buys the dollar when the rupee strengthens. Of late, the RBI has been buying dollars from the market to shore up the forex reserves. When the RBI mops up dollars, it releases an equal amount in the rupees. This excess liquidity is sterilized through issue of bonds and securities and LAF operations.
Where are India’s forex reserves kept? The RBI Act, 1934 provides the overarching legal framework for deployment of reserves in different foreign currency assets and gold within the broad parameters of currencies, instruments, issuers and counterparties. As much as 64 per cent of the foreign currency reserves is held in the securities like Treasury bills of foreign countries, mainly the US, 28 per cent is deposited in foreign central banks and 7.4 per cent is also deposited in commercial banks abroad, according to the RBI data. India also held 653.01 tonnes of gold as of March 2020, with 360.71 tonnes being held overseas in safe custody with the Bank of England and the Bank for International Settlements, while the remaining gold is held domestically. www.theprayasindia.com/e-pathshala [email protected] +91-7710013217 / 9892560176
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In value terms (USD), the share of gold in the total foreign exchange reserves increased from about 6.14 per cent as at end-September 2019 to about 6.40 per cent as at end-March 2020.
Is there a cost involved in maintaining forex reserves? The return on India‘s forex reserves kept in foreign central banks and commercial banks is negligible. While the RBI has not divulged the return on forex investment, analysts say it could be around one per cent, or even less than that, considering the fall in interest rates in the US and Euro zone. There was a demand from some quarters that forex reserves should be used for infrastructure developent in the country. However, the RBI had opposed the plan. Several analysts argue for giving greater weightage to return on forex assets than on liquidity thus reducing net costs if any, of holding reserves. Another issue is the high ratio of volatile flows (portfolio flows and short-term debt) to reserves which is around 80 per cent. This money can exit at a fast pace. There are some differences among academics on the direct as well as indirect costs and benefits of the level of forex reserves, from the point of view of macro-economic policy, financial stability and fiscal or quasi-fiscal impact, former RBI Governor YV Reddy said in one of his speeches.
Companies and rights issue amidst Covid-19 pandemic
(Source: The Indian Express )
Context: Reliance Industries Limited recently concluded its rights issue, raising a total of Rs 53,124 crore and witnessing an oversubscription of 1.59 times or received applications worth over Rs 84,000 crore. Moreover, reports suggest that several companies, including Mahindra finance, Tata Power, Shriram Transport Finance among others plan to raise funds (aggregating to over Rs 10,000 crore) through rights issue amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
What is rights issue? A rights issues is a mechanism by which companies can raise additional capital from existing shareholders. While existing shareholders may not necessarily be able to participate in other fund-raising mechanisms like QIPs, preferential allotment etc, rights issue is a more democratic approach to raising funds as it allows the existing shareholders the right to invest first in the company.
Why are companies going for rights issue in current times? For a rights issue, there is no requirement of shareholders‘ meeting and an approval from the board of directors is sufficient and adequate. Therefore, the turnaround time for raising this capital is short and is much suited for the current situation unlike other forms that require shareholders‘ approval and may take some time to fructify. Thus the rights issue are a more efficient mechanism of raising capital. Over the last one year, SEBI has undertaken significant steps to reform the rights issue process. While SEBI made some permanent reforms in the process, it also provided some temporary relaxations in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic.
Reforms undertaken by SEBI for rights issue In November 2019, SEBI streamlined the rights issue process and the timelines for completion was significantly reduced from T+55 days to T+31 days — a 40 per cent cut in the time. It has also reduced the advance notice for the record date from seven working days to three working days. www.theprayasindia.com/e-pathshala [email protected] +91-7710013217 / 9892560176
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In a major move that makes it possible for eligible investors to subscribe and trade their rights entitlement (RE) and also makes it possible for interested investors to subscribe to more shares than they are eligible for, Sebi on January 22, 2020, laid down the detailed procedure of the improved rights issue process and the dematerialised REs framework. While the previous process of trading rights entitlement entailing physical settlement was marred with low liquidity, the decision to dematerialise the REs and permitting their trading through stock exchange framework ensures higher liquidity and determination of a fair market price for REs. Shareholders with small holdings, who were earlier not able to renounce REs for lack of an accessible platform, can renounce and trade their REs easily now. This reform enables all shareholders to renounce-cum-trade their entitlements and obtain a fair market price for the same. For shareholders who want to invest more, this also provides them with the opportunity to buy more shares from those who are willing to trade their REs in the market.
ARPIT
(Source: Press Information Bureau )
Context: Indian Air Force inducts indigenous Airborne Rescue Pod for Isolated Transportation (ARPIT).
Background: Requirement of an air evacuation system with facility to prevent spread of infectious aerosol from a COVID-19 patient during air travel was felt by IAF when COVID-19 was declared as a pandemic. The first prototype was developed at 3 BRD AF and has undergone various modifications.
About ARPIT: The Indian Air Force has designed, developed and inducted an Airborne Rescue Pod for Isolated Transportation (ARPIT). This pod will be utilised for the evacuation of critical patients with infectious diseases including COVID-19 from high altitude areas, isolated and remote places. Only indigenous materials have been used to fabricate this pod. This indigenously designed system has been developed at a cost of Rs Sixty Thousand only, which is very less as compared to the imported systems costing up to Rs Sixty Lakh. The system has been developed as a lightweight isolation system made from aviation certified material. o It has a transparent and durable cast Perspex for enhanced patient visibility which is larger, higher and wider than the existing models. o The isolation system caters for suitable number of air exchanges, integration of medical monitoring instruments, and ventilation to an intubated patient. o In addition, it generates high constant negative pressure in the isolation chamber for prevention of infection risk to aircrew, ground crew and health care workers involved in air transportation. o The ARPIT utilises High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) H-13 class filters and supports invasive ventilation using Transport Ventilator. o The design integrates life support and monitoring instruments (defibrillator with multipara monitor, pulse oximeter, infusion pumps, etc.), long arm gloves for use by health care professionals and power pack with high endurance.
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Bharat Stage VI Norms
(Source: Press Information Bureau )
Context:Distinct colour band for number plate sticker for BS-6 four-wheel vehicles.
Details: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has mandated a strip of green colour of 1 cm width on top of the existing sticker carrying details of registration for BS-VI vehicles of any fuel type i.e., for petrol or CNG which have a light blue colour sticker and a diesel vehicle which is of orange colour. These stickers will now have a green strip of 1 cm on top for BS VI, as mandated. The BS-VI emission standards, which have been mandated w.e.f. 1st April, 2020, provide for stricter and cleaner emission norms and are at par with the emission standards being followed across the world. Such distinct identification of vehicles for such emissions standard is also being followed in other
BS Norms Bharat stage (BS) emission standards are laid down by the government to regulate the output of air pollutants from internal combustion engine and spark-ignition engine equipment, including motor vehicles. The central government has mandated that vehicle makers must manufacture, sell and register only BS- VI (BS6) vehicles from April 1, 2020. The first emission norms were introduced in India in 1991 for petrol and in 1992 for diesel vehicles. Followed these, the catalytic converter became mandatory for petrol vehicles and unleaded petrol was introduced in the market.
Difference Between BS4 and BS6 Both BS-IV and BS-VI are unit emission norms that set the maximum permissible levels for pollutants that an automotive or a two-wheeler exhaust can emit. Compared to the BS4, BS6 emission standards are stricter. Whereas makers use this variation to update their vehicles with new options and safety standards, the biggest modification comes in the permissible emission norms.
What are BSI, BSII, BSIII, BSIV, and BSVI emission norms? The abbreviation BS, as mentioned above, refers to ‗Bharat Stage‘. It is prefixed to the iteration of the actual emission norms. The primary rules with the soubriquet Asian nation 2000 were introduced in the year 2000, with the second and third iterations being introduced in 2001 and 2005 with the soubriquet BSII (BS2) and BSIII (BS3), respectively. The fourth iteration, BSIV, was introduced in 2017 and therefore the delay between the introduction of BS3 and BS4 resulted in fast-tracking the BSVI or BS6 emission norms rather than BSV (BS5) norms. On 29 April 1999, the Supreme Court of India ruled that all vehicles in the country had to meet Euro I or India 2000 norms by June 1, 1999, and Euro II would be mandatory in the National Capital Region (NCR) from April 2000. Carmakers were not prepared for this transition and in a subsequent judgment, the implementation of Euro II was deferred. In 2002, the government accepted the report submitted by the Mashelkar committee, which proposed a road map for the rollout of Euro-based emission norms in India. It also recommended a phased implementation of future norms, with regulations being implemented in major cities first and extended to the rest of the country after a few years. Based on the recommendations of the committee, the National Auto Fuel policy was announced officially in 2003.
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The road map for the implementation of the BS norms was laid out until 2010. The policy also created guidelines for auto fuels, reduction of pollution from older vehicles and R&D for air quality data creation and health administration. The standards and the timeline for implementation are set by the Central Pollution Control Board under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Since October 2010, Bharat Stage (BS) III norms were enforced across the country. BS-IV emission norms were put in place in 13 major cities from April 2010, and the entire country from April 2017. In 2016, the government announced that the country would skip the BS-V norms altogether and adopt BS-VI norms by 2020. In a recent judgment, the Supreme Court banned the sale and registration of motor vehicles conforming to Bharat Stage IV emission standard in the entire country from 1 April 2020. On 15 November 2017, the Union petroleum ministry, in consultation with public oil marketing companies, decided to bring forward the date of BS-VI grade auto fuels in NCT of Delhi with effect from 1 April 2018, instead of 1 April 2020. In fact, the ministry asked OMCs to examine if introducing BS VI auto fuels in the whole of the NCR area from 1 April 2019 was possible. The step was taken due to the problem of air pollution faced by Delhi, which became worse around 2019. The decision was met with disarray by the automobile companies, as they had planned their production according to a 2020 road map. The phasing out of the 2-stroke engine for two-wheelers, the cessation of production of the Maruti 800, and the introduction of electronic controls have been due to the regulations related to vehicular emissions.
New guidelines for import of exotic species
(Source: The Hindu )
Context: The Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC) has issued an advisory saying people importing “exotic live species” will have to make a voluntary disclosure.
Details: The move comes as the outbreak of COVID-19 has raised global concern about illegal wildlife trade and zoonotic diseases. The advisory issued earlier this month defines ―exotic live species‖ as animal or plant species moved from their original range (location) to a new one. Several exotic species of birds, reptiles, small mammals, fishes and even some plants are imported. The Ministry has said ―exotic live species‖ shall be construed to mean only ―the animals named under the Appendices I, II and III of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Fauna and Flora‖. Species covered by the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 cannot be traded. Experts have welcomed the move and said it will create a process where all imports will be screened. As of now, the imports are being made through the Director General of Foreign Trade and State Forest departments are not kept in the loop. For new ―exotic live species‖, the importer should obtain a no-objection certificate from the Chief Wildlife Warden ( CWLW) of the State. For existing species, stocks ―shall be declared by the owner/ holder (stock, as on 1 January 2020) to the Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW) of the concerned State or UT‖.
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Asiatic Lion
(Source: Press Information Bureau )
Context: The population of the Asiatic Lion is increasing in the Gir Forest in Gujarat.
Details: The population of the Asiatic Lion has increased by almost 29% in 5 years. Geographically, the distribution area is up by 36% (22,000 sq km in 2015 to 30,000 sq km in 2020). The population has climbed from 523 in 2015 to 674 in 2020. Currently, Asiatic lions are found in the protected areas and agro-pastoral landscape of Saurashtra, covering nine districts in Gujarat. About Asiatic Lion: Scientific name: Panthera Leo Leo Its current range is restricted to the Gir National Park and environs in Gujarat. Historically, it inhabited much of Western Asia and the Middle East up to northern India. IUCN status: Endangered
IFLOWS-Mumbai
(Source: Indian Express )
Context: Maharashtra government launched an Integrated Flood Warning System called „IFLOWS- Mumbai‟.
What is ‘IFLOWS-Mumbai’? IFLOWS is a monitoring and flood warning system that will be able to relay alerts of possible flood- prone areas anywhere between six to 72 hours in advance. The system can provide all information regarding possible flood-prone areas, likely height the floodwater could attain, location-wise problem areas across all 24 wards and calculate the vulnerability and risk of elements exposed to flood.
How will it work? The primary source for the system is the amount of rainfall, but with Mumbai being a coastal city, the system also factors in tidal waves and storm tides for its flood assessments. In the last two years, researchers have been conducting studies to provide real-time weather information by measuring the city‘s rainfall, how much water drained out, topography, land use, infrastructure development, population, lakes, creeks and data on river bathymetry of all rivers namely Mithi, Dahisar, Oshiwara, Poisar and Ulhas. The system has provisions to capture the urban drainage within the city and predict the areas of flooding. The system comprises seven modules- Data Assimilation, Flood, Inundation, Vulnerability, Risk, Dissemination Module and Decision Support System. The system incorporates weather models from the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), India Meteorological Department (IMD), field data from the rain gauge network of 165 stations set up by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), BMC and IMD.
Why was this system needed in Mumbai? Mumbai, the financial capital of India, has been experiencing floods with increased periodicity.
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The recent flood on 29 August 2017 had brought the city to a standstill. Last year, post-monsoon and unseasonal rainfall as late as October, two tropical cyclones in the Arabian Sea had caught authorities off guard and left a trail of destruction. The flood during 26th July 2005, when the city received a rainfall of 94 cm, a 100 year high in a span of 24 hours had paralyzed the city completely. Urban flooding is common in the city from June to September, resulting in the crippling of traffic, railways and airlines. As a preparedness for floods before they occur, the system will help in warning the citizens so that they can be prepared in advance for flooding conditions.
How will it be beneficial for Mumbai? Based on the amount of rain recorded, time, location, topography and forecast, the system is designed to generate flood warnings for specific geographical areas of the city. All this information will then be routed to authorities. The early warning forecast would include alerts on rainfall information, tide levels, storm surge for low-lying areas anticipated to be affected, thereby minimizing the damage from cyclones and heavy rain events in Mumbai by evacuating people to safe areas. The system, initially only to be accessed by the civic body will enable them to issue alerts for citizens who can then avoid such zones.
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INTERNATIONAL
Environment performance index
(Source: Down to Earth )
Context: India secured 168 rank in the 12th edition of the biennial Environment Performance Index (EPI Index 2020) — that measured the environmental performance of 180 countries — and was released by the Yale University.
Poor performance South Asian region The global index considered 32 indicators of environmental performance, giving a snapshot of the 10- year trends in environmental performance at the national and global levels. India needs to re-double national sustainability efforts on all fronts, according to the index. The country needs to focus on a wide spectrum of sustainability issues, with a high-priority to critical issues such as air and water quality, biodiversity and climate change. The 11 countries lagging behind India were — Burundi, Haiti, Chad, Soloman Islands, Madagascar, Guinea, Côte d‘Ivoir, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Myanmar and Liberia. All South Asian countries, except Afghanistan, were ahead of India in the ranking. Country Global Score in the EPI Index Ranking in South Asia Global ranking Bhutan 39.3 1 107 Sri Lanka 39.0 2 109 Maldives 35.6 3 127 Pakistan 33.1 4 142 Nepal 32.7 5 145 Bangladesh 29.0 6 162 India 27.6 7 169 Afghanistan 25.5 8 178
Environmental health should be top agenda India scored below the regional average score on all five key parameters on environmental health, including air quality, sanitation and drinking water, heavy metals and waste management. These findings resonated with the concerns raised by the State of India‟s Environment 2020: In figures, the annual report of released by Down to Earth magazine of the Centre for Science and Environment. It has also scored below the regional average on parameters related to biodiversity and ecosystem services too. Among South Asian countries, India was at second position (rank 106) after Pakistan on ‗climate change‘. Pakistan‘s score (50.6) was the highest under the category. A ten-year comparison progress report in the index showed that India slipped on climate-related parameters. The performance on climate change was assessed based on eight indicators — adjusted emission growth rates; composed of growth rates of four greenhouse gases and one pollutant; growth rate in carbon dioxide emissions from land cover; greenhouse gas intensity growth rate; and greenhouse gas emissions per capita. The report indicated that black carbon, carbon dioxide emissions and green house emissions per capita increased in 10 years. Its overall score under climate change has dipped 2.9 points.
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Permafrost
(Source: The Indian Express )
Context: The principal reason that led to the recent 20,000-tonne oil leak at an Arctic region power plant in Russia that is now being recognised is the sinking of ground surface due to permafrost thaw.
What is permafrost? Permafrost is ground that remains completely frozen at 0 degrees Celsius or below for at least two years. It is defined solely based on temperature and duration. The permanently frozen ground, consisting of soil, sand, and rock held together by ice, is believed to have formed during glacial periods dating several millennia. These grounds are known to be below 22 per cent of the land surface on Earth, mostly in polar zones and regions with high mountains. They are spread across 55 per cent of the landmass in Russia and Canada, 85 per cent in the US state of Alaska, and possibly the entirety of Antarctica. In northern Siberia, it forms a layer that is 1,500 m thick; 740 m in northern Alaska. At lower latitudes, permafrost is found at high altitude locations such as the Alps and the Tibetian plateau. While permafrost itself is always frozen, the surface layer that covers it (called the ―active layer‖) need not be. In Canada and Russia, for example, colourful tundra vegetation carpet over permafrost for thousands of kilometres. Its thickness reduces progressively towards the south, and is affected by a number of other factors, including the Earth‘s interior heat, snow and vegetation cover, presence of water bodies, and topography.
How climate change is eating away at these grounds The Earth‘s polar and high altitude regions — its principal permafrost reservoirs — are the most threatened by climate change. According to the USA‘s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Arctic regions are warming twice as fast compared to the rest of the planet, its current rate of temperature change being the highest in 2,000 years. In 2016, Arctic permafrost temperatures were 3.5 degrees Celsius higher than at the beginning of the 20th century. A study has shown that every 1 degree Celsius rise in temperature can degrade up to 39 lakh square kilometre due to thawing. This degradation is expected to further aggravate as the climate gets warmer, putting at risk 40 per cent of the world‘s permafrost towards the end of the century– causing disastrous effects.
The threat to infrastructure Thawing permafrost is also ominous for man-made structures overhead. In May, when the Russian oil leak occurred, the Copernicus Climate Change Service recorded temperatures in Siberia at more than 10 degrees Celsius above average, and called them ―highly anomalous‖ for the region where the power plant is located. As temperatures rise, the binding ice in permafrost melts, making the ground unstable and leading to massive potholes, landslides, and floods. The sinking effect causes damage to key infrastructure such as roads, railway lines, buildings, power lines and pipelines that serve more than 3.5 crore people that live in permafrost regions. These changes also threaten the survival of indigenous people, as well as Arctic animals. Soil subsidence is a major cause for concern in Siberia, where ground levels have collapsed by more than 85 metres in some parts. In Canada and Alaska, the costs of repairing public infrastructure are escalating. www.theprayasindia.com/e-pathshala [email protected] +91-7710013217 / 9892560176
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As per an Arctic Council report from 2017, melting ice would make infrastructure foundations unable to withstand loads that they were able to during the 1980s — a finding that has been corroborated by the owners of Russia‘s oil leak site, who said after the incident that the fuel tank‘s supporting pillars had held it in its place ―for 30 years without difficulty‖.
Can be a potential contributor to Climate change Beneath its surface, permafrost contains large quantities of organic leftover from thousands of years prior — dead remains of plants, animals, and microorganisms that got frozen before they could rot. It also holds a massive trove of pathogens. When permafrost thaws, microbes start decomposing this carbon matter, releasing greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide. Researchers have estimated that for every 1 degree Celsius rise in average temperature, permafrost grounds could release greenhouse gases to the tune of 4-6 years‘ of emissions from coal, oil, and natural gas — becoming a major factor of climate change in themselves.
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Mains
GS II
AMR and COVID-19
(Source: Down to Earth )
Context: As more and more antimicrobials are used to control the virus and the co-infections, this indiscriminate use will further increase AMR.
Details: The world is struggling hard to control the COVID-19 pandemic. This is difficult as the disease is new and we do not have specific drugs and vaccines to treat it or create immunity against it. What we have in our arsenal are the existing broad-spectrum antimicrobials. Anti-malarial drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are in great demand. It is yet not clear whether they work on COVID-19 or not. But it is well established that chloroquine is now ineffective against the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, against which it was primarily used. A combination of two HIV drugs, lopinavir and ritonavir are being experimented with too. Another top contender against coronavirus is the antiviral remdesivir which is an experimental drug developed to treat Ebola virus. This failed to treat Ebola but has been found effective against coronavirus — at least it protects more than a placebo. According to a recent study, it shortened the time needed by hospitalised adults to recover by four days and also reduced the incidence of lower respiratory tract infection. Viral infections can damage cells and make them more susceptible to bacterial infections. Such co-infections are a primary problem in COVID-19 patients. Most of these are caused by bacterial pathogens against which, antibiotics are now more or less ineffective. This leads to high mortality. Hospital acquired infections, also notorious for being resistant, can add to the death toll for COVID-19 patients. A study of patients in China, published in The Lancet in March, showed that nearly half of the patients who died in hospitals suffered from co-infections. They died despite being treated with antibiotics. One school of thought is that they suffered from resistant infections while the other believes that the patients were to too weak to deal with the infection. There is already a rampant misuse of antibiotics around the world and India is a leader in this. As more and more antimicrobials are used to control the virus and the co-infections, this indiscriminate use will further increase AMR — mutating rapidly to become resistant to a drug is in the inherent nature of a microbe. Ironically, though doctors and researchers have been raising the issue of antimicrobial resistance for decades now, the industry — healthcare, pharma, food animal, agriculture — has not taken any action against the global pandemic of AMR. Together with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is set to make life difficult. Governments around the world need to make fighting AMR a top priority. It is not a difficult task — all one needs to do is to use the antimicrobials judiciously.
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A transfusion for public health care is needed
(Source: The Hindu )
Context: A news channel in India alleged recently that several private hospitals in the country were “exposed” by a “sting operation” to be levying fees in excess when COVID-19 patients went to them for care. It is not clear why a “sting operation” was necessary; the high cost of medical care in the top hospitals of the country is well known. Anyone who has had major surgery or received intensive care in any of the hospitals can testify to that. The debate now is whether such exorbitant rates are justified during a pandemic such as the one we are in the midst of , or indeed, ever.
Details: Before we address this question, however, an equally important question arises: why do we have so many private hospitals in a poor country such as India. We have more hospital beds in the private sector than in the public sector. It is estimated that there are 19 lakh hospital beds, 95,000 ICU beds and 48,000 ventilators in India. Most of these are concentrated in seven States, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana and West Bengal. Except for Tamil Nadu, Delhi and West Bengal, there are far more beds and ventilators in the private sector than in the public, according to the Center For Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy.
A mirror to public care The reason for this abundance of private health care is obviously the lack of adequate public health care. This situation has developed due to two main reasons. Since Independence, India has, quite rightly, focused attention on the larger picture. The priority in a developing country would be the provision of primary care at the peripheral level, preventive measures, immunisation, maternity and paediatric care as well as dealing with common infections such as tuberculosis. We have done this well, resulting in impressive improvements in many health-care indices in the last few decades. However, not enough hospital beds and specialised facilities were provided by the public sector during this time. At the same time, the burgeoning middle class and increasing wealth produced an explosion in the demand for good quality health care. Private medicine was quick to capitalise on this demand. The second reason for the dominance of private medicine in India is the lack of adequate investment in public health. The Indian government spends an abysmally low 1.3% of GDP on public health care, which is woefully inadequate. Allocation has to be at least double this to address some of our pressing needs. Greater transparency and tighter administration are necessary to ensure that our resources are utilised appropriately. Specialists should be adequately compensated to obviate their need for private practice. Private medicine in India is by no means uniform. It is estimated that there are more than one million unqualified medical practitioners, mostly in the rural areas. Most of them provide basic health care, charging a modest fee. Some may have claims of expertise (often unproven) in alternative systems of medicine such as ayurveda and homoeopathy. It is not unheard of them to sometimes venture into minor surgery. At the other end of the spectrum are state-of-the-art corporate hospitals, that are well equipped and well- staffed and which provide excellent service at high cost. These are often set up in metro cities at huge cost and have successfully engineered a reverse brain drain of many specialists from pursuing lucrative jobs abroad and staying back in or returning to India.
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Between the two extremes are a large number of private practitioners and institutions providing a wide range of services of varying quality. Some are run by trusts, charitable organisations and religious missions, often providing excellent quality at modest costs. The wide range of quality in medical services in India reflects the wide range of income and wealth in India. It is estimated that the wealth of the top 1% in India is four times the combined wealth of the bottom 70%. The wealthy demand, pay for, and often get, world-class health care. The middle class, seeing what is possible, is beginning to demand similar care at affordable cost. The poorer 70% are left to the vagaries and mercy of an unpredictable public health-care system and low cost charlatans.
What needs to be done The public health-care system desperately needs higher government spending. Health care cannot be left to private medicine in a developing country, or indeed, in any country. The United States, despite spending more than 15% of its enormous GDP on health care in the form of largely insurance-based private medicine, has poorer health-care indices than Europe, where government-funded universal health care (e.g. The National Health Service of the United Kingdom) is available, though the per capita health-care expenditure in Europe is substantially less than in the U.S. Health-care spending by the government must be appropriate, based on evidence, and transparent and accountable. Training of doctors and health-care workers also need to be the responsibility of the government mainly. Recent reforms in the selection of medical students need to be scrutinised to see if they are having the desired result. Private hospitals and institutions will need to be regulated. Costing and auditing of care and procedures need to be done by independent bodies. This will not only ensure appropriate care at the right cost but also prevent unreasonable demands of suspicious patients and family.
The crisis now No hospital, business, institution or individual should profiteer from a national calamity such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospitals, like any other institution, have a social responsibility to provide care in times of need. But one should be also aware of the actual costs involved which have to be met. The cost of medical care often follows the law of diminishing returns; as the treatment gets more sophisticated, further and further increments, although small, cost enormously more. Some of the drugs used in the care of severely-ill COVID-19 patients may cost more than ₹50,000 a shot, for example, and may provide only a marginally better outcome. ―Capping‖ costs may necessitate sacrificing some of these expensive options. Private hospitals should, and will, be prepared to forego profits and even suffer losses during a national disaster. But if losses become unsustainable, they may be forced to lay off employees, close beds or even entire hospitals, like any other business. That will hardly benefit anyone.
GS III
Gross Value Added numbers and the economy
(Source: The Hindu )
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Context: The National Statistical Office (NSO), on May 29, released its provisional estimates of national income for the financial year 2019-20.
Details: As per the NSO, real GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in the full fiscal year was estimated to have expanded by 4.2% from a year earlier, the slowest pace of growth in 11 years. And GDP growth for the January-March quarter was pegged at 3.1%. The release also detailed the estimates of the Gross Value Added, or GVA, at basic prices for the four quarters of 2019 as well as the comparable quarterly data for the two preceding years. Interestingly, the GVA numbers for the first three quarters revealed significant revisions from what the NSO had shared back in February, when it had announced estimates for the third quarter. While initial estimates are routinely revised based on the updated availability of information, the extent of these revisions has come into focus since they point to a sharper and more widespread slowdown in economic activity over the course of the last financial year than had been previously revealed.
What is Gross Value Added (GVA)? In 2015, in the wake of a comprehensive review of its approach to GDP measurement, India opted to make major changes to its compilation of national accounts and bring the whole process into conformity with the United Nations System of National Accounts (SNA) of 2008. As per the SNA, gross value added, is defined as the value of output minus the value of intermediate consumption and is a measure of the contribution to GDP made by an individual producer, industry or sector. At its simplest it gives the rupee value of goods and services produced in the economy after deducting the cost of inputs and raw materials used. GVA can be described as the main entry on the income side of the nation‘s accounting balance sheet, and from an economics perspective represents the supply side. While India had been measuring GVA earlier, it had done so using ‗factor cost‘ and GDP at ‗factor cost‘ was the main parameter for measuring the country‘s overall economic output till the new methodology was adopted. In the new series, in which the base year was shifted to 2011-12 from the earlier 2004-05, GVA at basic prices became the primary measure of output across the economy‘s various sectors and when added to net taxes on products amounts to the GDP. As part of the data on GVA, the NSO provides both quarterly and annual estimates of output — measured by the gross value added — by economic activity. The sectoral classification provides data on eight broad categories that span the gamut of goods produced and services provided in the economy. These are: 1) Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing; 2) Mining and Quarrying; 3) Manufacturing; 4) Electricity, Gas, Water Supply and other Utility Services; 5) Construction; 6) Trade, Hotels, Transport, Communication and Services related to Broadcasting; 7) Financial, Real Estate and Professional Services; 8) Public Administration, Defence and other Services.
Why are the latest GVA numbers attracting attention? In February, the NSO announced estimates of national income and expenditure for the fiscal third quarter along with its second advance estimates of GDP for 2019-20. Those estimates had pegged year- on-year GVA growth rates in the first three quarters at 5.4%, 4.8% and 4.5%, respectively. The February estimates also suggested that manufacturing, construction, electricity and utility services and the trade, hotels and transport (another services category) sectors apart, the other four sectors were faring at about the same level or better than the comparable year earlier periods. However, last month‘s estimates saw significant downward revisions in the GVA data pertaining to the first three quarters for five of the eight sectors, dragging down the Q1, Q2 and Q3 GVA growth rates to 4.8%, 4.3% and 3.5%. www.theprayasindia.com/e-pathshala [email protected] +91-7710013217 / 9892560176
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The revisions, combined with a lacklustre performance in the fourth quarter, including a sharp weakening in momentum at two of the largest services sectors ultimately lowered the overall annual GVA growth estimate for 2019-20 by as much as 1 percentage point to 3.9%, from the 4.9% forecast in February. A closer look at some of the sectoral revisions point to a deeper weakness in the service sectors than had been previously factored in. Take Trade, Hotels, Transport, Communications and Services related to Broadcasting. As a sector it contributes almost 20% to GVA and is the largest GVA component after the other major services category, Financial, Real Estate and Professional Services. While in February Q1, Q2 and Q3 growth for the sector was estimated at 5.7%, 5.8% and 5.9%, respectively, in the latest estimates they have been cut to 3.5%, 4.1% and 4.3%, respectively. Similarly, the growth estimates for the largest services sector, which contributes almost one-fourth of the overall GVA, too have been reduced sharply. Q1, Q2 and Q3 growth has been cut from 6.9%, 7.1% and 7.3%, respectively to 6%, 6% and 3.3%, respectively. The revisions, however, show two other key sectors in a more positive light. Agriculture‘s growth for the first three quarters has been marginally increased while Public Administration too as a category has had its numbers boosted for the second and third quarters. The latter sector‘s Q1, Q2 and Q3 growth have been revised from 8.7%, 10.1% and 9.7%, respectively, to 7.7%, 10.9% and 10.9%.
How relevant is the GVA data given that headline growth always refers to GDP? The GVA data is crucial to understand how the various sectors of the real economy are performing. The output or domestic product is essentially a measure of GVA combined with net taxes. While GDP can be and is also computed as the sum total of the various expenditures incurred in the economy including private consumption spending, government consumption spending and gross fixed capital formation or investment spending, these reflect essentially on the demand conditions in the economy. From a policymaker‘s perspective it is therefore vital to have the GVA data to be able to make policy interventions, where needed. Also, from a global data standards and uniformity perspective, GVA is an integral and necessary parameter in measuring a nation‘s economic performance, and any country which seeks to attract capital and investment from overseas does need to conform to the global best practices in national income accounting.
What are the drawbacks in using GVA to measure economic growth? As with all economic statistics, the accuracy of GVA as a measure of overall national output is heavily dependent on the sourcing of data and the fidelity of the various data sources in capturing the vast labyrinth of activities that constitute a nation‘s economic life. To that extent, GVA is as susceptible to vulnerabilities from the use of inappropriate or flawed methodologies as any other measure. Specifically, he argued that the value based approach instead of the earlier volume based tack in GVA estimation had affected the measurement of the formal manufacturing sector and thus distorted the outcome. The paper triggered much debate and prompted the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation to assert in a response that the Ministry‘s GDP estimates were based on ―accepted procedures, methodologies and available data and objectively measure the contribution of various sectors in the economy‖.
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Special Issue June (Week 2)
All about the recent India-China stand-off
(Source: The Indian Express)
Context: The recent meeting between top Indian and Chinese military commanders in Ladakh, the Ministry of External Affairs said that “the two sides will continue the military and diplomatic engagements to resolve the situation and to ensure peace and tranquility in the border areas”. The unresolved situation on the disputed Sino-Indian border in Ladakh has been ongoing for more than a month, and tensions have not subsided. Let us have a look at the progressions.
When did we first hear of tensions between India and China on the LAC? The first official acknowledgment of tensions on the border came on May 10, when the Army issued a statement about clashes between Indian and Chinese patrols at two places. In Naku La in Sikkim, on May 9, a Chinese patrol on the Indian side of the LAC was confronted by an Indian patrol which led to a clash. The Army also acknowledged a more serious incident that took place on the night of May 5-6 in the Pangong Tso lake area, during which soldiers from both sides were injured. Here is what we know about the broad contours of the crisis. o On May 14, Army Chief General M M Naravane said that ―both these incidents are neither co- related nor do they have any connection with other global or local activities‖. o These statements were followed by a couple of answers in the briefings of the spokesperson of the MEA acknowledging the situation in Ladakh, but without providing any details. Similar statements were made by the spokesperson of the Chinese foreign ministry in his briefing.
Offer of Donald Trump On May 29, President Trump announced that he had spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who he claimed was ―not in a good mood about what’s going on with China,‖ with regard to the ―raging border dispute‖. Trump also offered to mediate. Within hours, Indian government sources clarified that the two leaders had not spoken since April 4. Both India and China also rebuffed Trump’s offer to mediate, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh informing his American counterpart that the matter would be resolved bilaterally. President Trump and PM Modi did, however, speak on June 2. The Indian readout mentioned that the two leaders had discussed ―the situation on the India-China border‖.
How do we judge the seriousness of the situation? In an interview to Network18 on June 2, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that ―Whatever is happening at present… It is true that people of China are on the border. They claim that it is their territory. Our claim is that it is our area. There has been a disagreement over it. A sizeable number of Chinese people have also come (Aur achhi khasi sankhya mein Cheen ke log bhi aa gaye hain). India has done what it needs to do‖. He did not say whether Chinese soldiers were on Indian territory.
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What exactly is the situation on the border in Ladakh? There is a mobilisation of a significant number of Chinese soldiers and military equipment in some areas on the LAC in Ladakh. The most serious issue is in the area of Pangong Tso and its northern banks, where Chinese soldiers have moved up to the line they perceive to be the LAC. Satellite images show they have also undertaken some construction activities in the areas that are claimed by India. In the area of Hot Spring, Chinese soldiers have moved into three areas of PP14, PP15, and Gogra, backed by a large number of troops and heavy equipment on their side. There are similar reports of a massive Chinese deployment on their side in the Galwan river valley area.
Are all these areas on the LAC disputed? In certain areas on the border, India and China have different ―perceptions‖ of the LAC. These disputed areas are where both the armies try and patrol up to their LAC, often resulting in face- offs between soldiers. Based on various inputs, India has identified 23 areas on the border which are disputed by both sides. India also records transgressions by the Chinese side, which are often in these disputed areas. Data for transgressions during the past five years, as reported by this paper, broadly conforms with the areas identified by the government. As per both these data points, only Pangong Tso is an area where the two sides have different ―perceptions‖ of the LAC. In Galwan and Hot Spring, China and India have in the past never disagreed on the location of the LAC.
Was India taken by surprise by the Chinese action? Yes, for two reasons. o First, because the Chinese soldiers have mobilised into areas where there has historically been no dispute. o Second, the Covid-19 pandemic led India to cancel its annual training exercise in Ladakh, which brings a brigade to the area to react quickly. o The Chinese too, conduct a training exercise in the area every summer, and they diverted their troops for this mobilisation while the Indians had to scramble troops from elsewhere to respond. o However, India has now mobilised enough troops and equipment vis-à-vis the Chinese in these areas. In fact, no shot has been fired on the Sino-Indian border since 1967. However, there have been reports of physical clashes and injuries to soldiers of both sides, which is in violation of various agreements and SOPs. Unauthenticated videos and pictures released on Twitter and Weibo have shown images of captive and injured soldiers, further raising tensions. Are the two sides talking? There have been multiple rounds of talks at the level of local military commanders (Colonel- and Brigadier-level), and three rounds of talks at the level of the division commanders (Major General).
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After these talks were inconclusive, Corps Commander-level talks were held on Saturday. Simultaneously, talks have taken place at the diplomatic level in Beijing and New Delhi. Even in earlier instances of standoffs – Depsang in 2013, Chumar in 2014, and Doklam in 2017 – multiple rounds of talks took place at diplomatic and military levels before the deadlock could be broken. This standoff also seems headed that way – but it could be a long haul.
COVID-19 terminology (Source: The Hindu )
Context: Everywhere you go, it has become impossible to avoid conversations about COVID-19, and most conversations are peppered with scientific terms that have now become commonplace. Here is a short glossary of terms that you might hear/use regularly, but may not understand entirely.
The terminologies COVID-19 — A term coined by the World Health Organization (WHO) to denote the disease that has led to a pandemic. On February 11, 2020, WHO announced a name for the mysterious disease originating in China, caused by a new coronavirus. It called it coronavirus disease 2019, abbreviated as COVID-19, where CO stands for corona, VI for virus, and D for disease, while the numerals – 19 refer to the year in which the first case was detected. WHO claimed it had consciously avoided naming the disease after the place of origin, to avoid stigmatising that country/area. The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) announced ―severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS- CoV-2)‖ as the name of the new virus, also on February 11, 2020. This name was chosen because the virus is genetically related to the coronavirus responsible for the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak of 2003. While related, the two viruses are different. WHO and the ICTV were in communication about the naming of both the virus and the disease. Epidemic — When the incidence of a disease rises above the expected level in a particular community or geographic area, it is called an epidemic. The outbreak started in Wuhan city in Hubei province in China, with what seemed then as a cluster of pneumonia-like cases. Pandemic — A global epidemic. When the epidemic spreads over several countries or continents, it is termed a pandemic. On January 30, WHO announced that COVID-19 was a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. On March 11, WHO decided to announce COVID-19 as a pandemic. R0 — R-Naught is the basic reproduction number. This is the number of new infections caused by one infected individual in an entirely susceptible population. It helps determine whether an epidemic can occur, the rate of growth of the epidemic, the size of the epidemic and the level of effort needed to control the infection. If R0 is 2, then one individual will infect two others. As of end May, India’s R0 value was in the range of 1.22. Co-morbidities — Several health conditions including uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension, cancer, morbid obesity, lung diseases, compromised immune systems put patients at greater risk for contracting the infection, and also have poor clinical outcomes. Special attention to prevent the disease and prevent mortality in these groups is the concern of health managers. Transmission — The method by which the disease spreads. In COVID-19 it is through respiratory droplets, expelled while talking, laughing, coughing and sneezing. This makes mask wearing and physical distancing the main tools for protection against the virus. Washing hands with soap and water is an effective way to kill the virus. Community transmission — When you can no longer tell how someone contracted the disease, or who the source of infection was. As numbers climb, this tracing becomes next to impossible. Contact tracing — Identifying and monitoring people who may have come into contact with an infectious person. In the case of COVID-19, monitoring usually involves self-quarantine as an effort to control the spread of disease. www.theprayasindia.com/e-pathshala [email protected] +91-7710013217 / 9892560176
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Super spreader — Some individuals seem to have the capacity to cause more infections in a disproportionately large number of people, than others. The current pandemic has recorded some super spreaders who have had a huge role in the transmission. Positivity rate — The percentage of people who test positive among all those who are tested. If positivity rate is high, it is possible that only high risk groups are being tested. A low positivity rate can also indicate that not enough testing is being done. Infection fatality rate — It is the number of deaths occurring in all infected people in a particular population. This includes those who might have the COVID-19 infection, but have not been tested for it. Given that the number of tests is not high, experts have clarified that this is not a useful metric to have in this pandemic. Case fatality rate — This is the number of deaths occurring among confirmed cases of COVID-19. Since these two figures are available with a certain amount of reliability, it is actually CFR that is being referred to when there is a loose reference to fatality rate. Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) — A respiratory disease also caused by a coronavirus, and spread through the same transmission method, i.e. respiratory droplets. The symptoms (fever, cough, body ache, difficulty in breathing) are also similar. The government has begun surveillance of SARI patients as also patients with Influenza-like Illness (ILI) admitted in hospitals too. Cytokine storm — An immune reaction triggered by the body to fight an infection is known as a cytokine storm when it turns severe. The body releases too many cytokines, proteins that are involved in immunomodulation, into the blood too quickly. While normally they regulate immune responses, in this case they cause harm and can even cause death. Experts have noticed a violent cytokine storm in several individuals who are critical with COVID infection. These cytokines dilate blood vessels, increase the temperature and heartbeat, besides throwing bloodclots in the system, and suppressing oxygen utilisation. If the cytokine flow is high and continues without cessation, the body’s own immune response will lead to hypoxia, insufficient oxygen to the body, multi-organ failure and death. Experts say it is not the virus that kills; rather, the cytokine storm. RT- PCR (Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction) — It is the primary test to detect COVID- 19 infection across the globe. It is a sensitive test that uses swab samples drawn from the nasal/oral cavity to test for the presence of viral RNA (ribonucleic acid). It has got better sensitivity (ability to correctly identify those with the disease) and specificity (ability to correctly identify those without the disease) rates in current diagnostic tests for COVID. Antibody tests — These tests check your blood by looking for antibodies, and that just means you have had a past infection of SARS-CoV-2. Antibodies are proteins that help fight off infections, and are specific to every disease, granting immunity against getting that particular disease again. An antibody test, with poor specificity, is not believed to be effective in detecting new infections. States have been asked to commence testing seroprevalence in the community, using antibody tests, that are blood tests. Convalescent plasma therapy — Researchers are examining the efficacy of using convalescent plasma, that is, using neutralising antibodies from the blood of people who have recovered from the COVID-19 infection to treat patients with COVID-19. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) — An antimalarial oral drug that is being repurposed for treatment in COVID-19. It has also been used successfully in the treatment of some auto immune conditions. Its value in COVID-19 has not been resolved entirely. Flattening the curve — Reducing the number of new COVID-19 cases, day on day. The idea of flattening the curve is to ensure that the health infrastructure is not overwhelmed by a large number of cases. Herd immunity — This is also known as community immunity, and constitutes the reduction in risk of infection within a population, often because of previous exposure to the virus or vaccination. PPE — Personal protective equipment, or PPE, is specialised clothing and equipment used as a safeguard against health hazards including exposure to the disease.
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All about Community Transmission you should know
Context: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain informed the source of Covid-19 infection in 50 per cent of the cases in the national capital was unknown, adding that it was up to the Centre to declare whether the city had entered the community transmission phase.
What is community transmission? According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), community transmission ―is evidenced by the inability to relate confirmed cases through chains of transmission for a large number of cases, or by increasing positive tests through sentinel samples (routine systematic testing of respiratory samples from established laboratories)‖. In other words, community transmission or spread is said to be taking place when the source of the contagion is not known, i.e. when one is unable to trace an infection back to a carrier who has travelled in an affected area, or through contact with a person who has the disease. A state of community spread implies that the virus is now circulating in the community, and can infect people with no history — either of travel to or contact with affected people and areas. At this stage, it is theoretically possible for everyone to catch the infection.
Has community transmission stage arrived in India? The government has so far maintained that there is no community transmission in the country. Some experts, however, have disagreed with this assertion for months, and said that community transmission of coronavirus is already taking place, and is not getting detected because India is not testing enough people. In the last week of May, a joint statement by Indian Public Health Association, Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine and Indian Association of Epidemiologists read, ―It is unrealistic to expect that COVID-19 pandemic can be eliminated at this stage given that community transmission is already well-established across large sections or sub-populations in the country.‖
What are the stages of a pandemic? In the first stage of a disease that eventually takes the form of a pandemic sweeping the globe, cases are imported into a country in which the infection did not originate. An infection whose spread is contained within the boundaries of one or some countries is obviously not a pandemic. The first case of Covid-19 outside China was reported in Thailand. The second stage is when the virus starts being transmitted locally. Local transmission means that the source of the infection is from within a particular area and the trajectory the virus has taken from one person to the next is clearly established. The third stage is that of community transmission. There is also a fourth stage in every pandemic. It is when the disease, Covid-19 in this case, becomes endemic in some countries. The Indian government’s containment plan takes this possibility into account.
GM seeds
(Source: The Indian Express )
Context: Shetkari Sanghatana — the farmers’ union founded by the late leader Sharad Joshi — announced fresh plans in its agitation for use of genetically modified seeds. In the current kharif season, farmers would
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undertake mass sowing of GM seeds for maize, soyabean, mustard brinjal and herbicide tolerant (Ht) cotton, although these are not approved. Farmers had carried out a similar movement last year, too.
What are genetically modified seeds? Conventional plant breeding involves crossing species of the same genus to provide the offspring with the desired traits of both parents. Genetic engineering aims to transcend the genus barrier by introducing an alien gene in the seeds to get the desired effects. The alien gene could be from a plant, an animal or even a soil bacterium. Bt cotton, the only GM crop that is allowed in India, has two alien genes from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that allows the crop to develop a protein toxic to the common pest pink bollworm. Ht Bt, on the other, cotton is derived with the insertion of an additional gene, from another soil bacterium, which allows the plant to resist the common herbicide glyphosate. In Bt brinjal, a gene allows the plant to resist attacks of fruit and shoot borer. In DMH-11 mustard, developed by Deepak Pental and colleague in the South Campus of University of Delhi, genetic modification allows cross-pollination in a crop that self-pollinates in nature. Across the world, GM variants of maize, canola and soyabean, too, are available.
What is the legal position of genetically modified crops in India? In India, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) is the apex body that allows for commercial release of GM crops. In 2002, the GEAC had allowed the commercial release of Bt cotton. More than 95 per cent of the country’s cotton area has since then come under Bt cotton. Use of the unapproved GM variant can attract a jail term of 5 years and fine of Rs 1 lakh under the Environmental Protection Act ,1989.
Why are farmers rooting for GM crops? In the case of cotton, farmers cite the high cost of weeding, which goes down considerably if they grow Ht Bt cotton and use glyphosate against weeds. Brinjal growers in Haryana have rooted for Bt brinjal as it reduces the cost of production by cutting down on the use of pesticides. Unauthorised crops are widely used. Industry estimates say that of the 4-4.5 crore packets (each weighing 400 gm) of cotton sold in the country, 50 lakh are of the unapproved Ht Bt cotton. Haryana has reported farmers growing Bt brinjal in pockets which had caused a major agitation there. In June last year, in a movement led by Shetkari Sanghatana in Akola district of Maharashtra, more than 1,000 farmers defied the government and sowed Ht Bt cotton. The Akola district authorities subsequently booked the organisers. Environmentalists argue that the long-lasting effect of GM crops is yet to be studied and thus they should not be released commercially. Genetic modification, they say, brings about changes that can be harmful to humans in the long run.
What is the movement about? The Sanghatana has announced that this year they are going to undertake large-scale sowing of unapproved GM crops like maize, Ht Bt cotton, soyabean and brinjal across Maharashtra. Farmers who plant such variants will put up boards on their fields proclaiming the GM nature of their crop.
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June (Week 3)
Index
Prelims Mains
National GS II
1. India Rankings 2020 1. MB Lal Committee 2. Sahakar Mitra 2. Vulnerable children worse off due to 3. World Day against Child Labour COVID-19 4. Aarogyapath 3. Rural India, the new viral flash point 5. STIP 2020 4. Vaccine Nationalism 6. EAT-Lancet Report 7. Chikungunya 8. Raja Prabha 9. Amoebiasis 10. India’s first gas exchange GS III 11. I-Lab 1. Landlocked countries suffering due to COVID-19 lockdown International
1. Juneteenth Day 2. NASA’s Gateway lunar orbiting outpost 3. International Criminal Court 4. UNSC
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Prelims
NATIONAL
India Rankings 2020
(Source: Press Information Bureau )
Context: Union HRD Minister virtually releases ―India Rankings 2020‖ for Higher Educational Institutions.
Details: The rankings are released annually based on the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). This framework outlines a methodology to rank institutions across the country. The methodology draws from the overall recommendations and broad understanding arrived at by a Core Committee set up by MHRD, to identify the broad parameters for ranking various universities and institutions. The parameters broadly cover ―Teaching, Learning and Resources,‖ ―Research and Professional Practices,‖ ―Graduation Outcomes,‖ ―Outreach and Inclusivity,‖ and ―Perception‖. Ranks are assigned based on total sum of marks assigned for each of these five broad groups of parameters. Besides sourcing data on various parameters from applicant institutions, third party sources of data have also been used, wherever possible. In 2020, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras has been ranked the number 1 institute in the ‗overall‘ category. The top ranked university is the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.
Sahakar Mitra
(Source: Press Information Bureau )
Context: Sahakar Mitra scheme is expected to assist cooperative institutions access new and innovative ideas of young professionals while the interns gain experience of working in the field giving the confidence to be self-reliant.
Details: It is an initiative by National Cooperative Development Corporation. Sahakar Mitra scheme will help cooperative institutions access new and innovative ideas of young professionals It will provide the young professionals with an opportunity for practical exposure and learning from the working of NCDC and cooperatives as a paid intern. Sahakar Mitra would also provide an opportunity to professionals from academic institutions to develop leadership and entrepreneurial roles through cooperatives as Farmers Producers Organizations (FPO). o Under the scheme, professional graduates in disciplines such as Agriculture and allied areas, IT etc. will be eligible for an internship.
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o Professionals who are pursuing or have completed their MBA degrees in Agri-business, Cooperation, Finance, International Trade, Forestry, Rural Development, Project Management etc. will also be eligible.
National Development Council: It was established by an Act of Parliament in 1963 as a statutory Corporation under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. The objectives of NCDC are planning and promoting programmes for production, processing, marketing, storage, export and import of agricultural produce, foodstuffs, industrial goods, livestock and certain other notified commodities and services on cooperative principles Its headquarters is in New Delhi.
World Day against Child Labour
(Source: Press Information Bureau )
Context: June 12 was World Day against child labour.
Details: The World Day against Child Labour, held every year on June 12, is intended to foster the worldwide movement against child labour in any of its forms. It was first launched in 2002 to raise awareness and prevent child labour. The ILO, the United Nations body that works on global labour-related issues, launched the World Day against Child Labour to bring attention and join efforts to fight against child labour. This day brings together governments, local authorities, civil society and international, workers and employers organizations to point out the child labour problem and define the guidelines to help child labourers. The theme of World Day against Child Labour 2020 is ‗Covid-19: Protect Children from Child Labour, now more than ever!‘
Aarogyapath
(Source: Press Information Bureau )
Context: Arogyapath a web-based solution for the healthcare supply chain that provides real-time availability of critical healthcare supplies, has been launched recently.
Details: This integrated public platform that provides single-point availability of key healthcare goods can be helpful to customers in tackling a number of routinely experienced issues. o These issues include dependence on limited suppliers, time-consuming processes to identify good quality products, limited access to suppliers who can supply standardized products at reasonable prices within desired timelines, lack of awareness about the latest product launches, etc. It also helps manufacturers and suppliers to reach a wide network of customers efficiently, overcoming gaps in connectivity between them and potential demand centres like nearby pathological laboratories, medical stores, hospitals, etc. o It will also create opportunities for business expansion due to an expanded slate of buyers and visibility of new requirements for products. www.theprayasindia.com/e-pathshala [email protected] +91-7710013217 / 9892560176
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o Over time, analytics from this platform is expected to generate early signals to manufacturers on overcapacity as well as on looming shortages. o This would help to reduce wastage of resources due to inefficient forecasting and excess manufacturing, generate awareness about the demand for new technologies.
Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP) 2020
(Source: Press Information Bureau )
Context: The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India (Office of PSA) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) have started a consultative process for the formulation of a new National Science Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP 2020) reaching out to a wide range of stakeholders.
Details: The STIP 2020 formulation process is organised into 4 highly interlinked tracks, which will reach out to a large number of stakeholders for consultation in the policy formulation. Track I involves an extensive public and expert consultation process through Science Policy Forum – a dedicated platform for soliciting inputs from larger public and expert pool during and after the policy drafting process. Track II comprises experts-driven thematic consultations to feed evidence-informed recommendations into the policy drafting process. o Twenty-one (21) focused thematic groups have been constituted for this purpose. Track III involves consultations with Ministries and States. o For track III, nodal officers are being nominated in states and in ministries, departments and agencies of the Government of India for extensive intra-state and intra-department consultation. Track IV constitutes apex level multi-stakeholder consultation. o For track IV, consultation with industry bodies, global partners and inter-ministerial and inter- state consultations represented at the highest levels are being carried out.
EAT-Lancet report
(Source: Down to Earth )
Context: Indian diets — across states, income groups and rural and urban sectors — are unhealthy, according to the 2019 EAT-Lancet Commission report. The report compared food consumption patterns in India with a reference diet from EAT-Laancet.
This study used data for analysis from the Consumption Expenditure Survey conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) in 2011–12. The survey carried a nationally representative sample of 0.102 million households from 7,469 villages and 5,268 urban blocks across the country.
Daily calorie consumption in India is low The average daily calorie consumption in India is below the recommended 2,503 kcal / capita / day across all groups, except the richest 5 per cent of the population. The calorie share of fruits, vegetables, legumes, meat, fish and eggs in Indian diets was significantly lower, while whole grains accounted for more than EAT-Lancet recommendations. www.theprayasindia.com/e-pathshala [email protected] +91-7710013217 / 9892560176
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Calories from protein sources account for only six to eight per cent of Indian diets, while the EAT- Lancet diet recommends the share be 29 per cent. An average Indian household consumes more calories from processed foods than fruits. EAT-Lancet recommends about one-third (811 kcals) of the total daily calorie intake should come from whole grains. The average Indian household receives nearly half (47 per cent) of their total calories from whole grains. The calorie share of cereals is as high as 70 per cent for the poorest rural households.
Effects of unhealthy diet Unhealthy diets are linked to malnutrition and several diseases. Unhealthy diets and inadequate physical activity are risk factors for non-communicable diseases, according to the World Health Organization. Indian policymakers need to increase efforts to make sustainable and healthy diets more accessible and affordable. There is a significant difference between the EAT-Lancet reference diet and existing dietary allowances. One such allowance by the Indian Council of Medical Research takes into account only human nutritional requirements, while the EAT-Lancet diet also figures environmental footprints of several food items. Calorie consumption of each food group — by kilocalorie per capita per day — was calculated using the quantity of consumption, from nutritional values of food items that were provided by the NSSO. Diets for households — rural and urban, poor and rich — across different areas were compared with the EAT-Lancet reference diet. The EAT-Lancet diet comprises eight food groups: Whole grains, tubers and starchy vegetables, fruits, other vegetables, dairy foods, protein sources, added fats and added sugars. The commission promotes a global diet healthy for both the people and the planet, by targeting sustainable food production that can feed 10 billion people by 2050. A sustainable global food system by 2050 means sufficiently healthy food for all with no additional land use conversion for food, protection of biodiversity, reduced water use, decreased nitrogen and phosphorus loss to waterways, net zero carbon dioxide emissions and significantly lower levels of methane and nitrous oxide emissions.
Chikungunya
(Source: The Hindu )
Context: Studying the geographic distribution and evolution of the chikungunya virus over the period from 2005-2018, a team from ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune, has noted India as an endemic reservoir for the virus with persistent global transmissions from the country.
Details: The paper published recently in Infection, Genetics and Evolution adds that ―dispersal of the strains from India was noted to neighbouring and distant countries‖ such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and China. The team studied newly sequenced chikungunya viruses isolated during outbreaks that happened between 2014 and 2018. During these years, the virus showed activity in India. Karnataka, Maharashtra and New Delhi accounted for a majority of the cases.
Indian Ocean lineage The whole-genome sequencing study revealed that the isolates belonged to the Indian subcontinent sub- lineage of the Indian Ocean lineage.
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The Indian Ocean lineage is a subgroup within the East Central South African genotype. It was responsible for the resurgence in the epidemic on La Reunion island and other neighbouring islands in the Indian Ocean and in the Indian sub-continent during 2004-2005. This study helped understand the overall evolution and epidemiology of the Indian Ocean lineage. Analyses of about 207 whole genomes, including the eleven whole genomes of this study and 39 additional whole genomes from India, showed two separate clusters of Indian Ocean islands sub-lineage and Indian subcontinent sub-lineage. It is already known that Kenya was the most likely ancestral location for both the sub-lineages, and the study further confirmed this.
Spread from clusters Observations from the phylogeography study based on the genome sequences over the period from 2005 to 2018, showed persistent global transmissions from India. The strains from these clusters were noted to have spread to China, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Southeast Asian countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Papua New Guinea beyond mid-2006. Transmissions to Yemen, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Australia, Bangladesh and Italy were also noted later on. Further studies of the chikungunya sequences revealed indigenous evolution in India at least at three time points over the period 2005-2018, with specific mutations that conferred viral fitness in the Aedes vector species. The authors add that there is a possibility of further diversification as this is an RNA virus and continues to acquire mutations. They add and that surveillance is a continuous process and that their laboratory continues to monitor the changes in the viral strains. The authors write in the summary of the paper that sustainable efforts towards vector control might help in reducing the transmission of the chikungunya virus.
Raja Parba
Context: PM greets people of Odisha on Raja Parba.
About Raja Parba: Raja Parba is a festival celebrated in Odisha. The second day signifies beginning of the solar month of ―Mithuna‖ marking the beginning of rains. The festival falls in mid-June. The first day is called Pahili Raja, second day is called Mithuna Sankranti, and the third day is Bhu daaha or Basi Raja. It is believed that the mother Goddess Earth or the divine wife of Lord Vishnu undergoes menstruation during the first three days. The fourth and final day is called Vasumati snana (bathing of Mother Earth). Women worship a stone that symbolises the Mother Earth. They give her a bath with turmeric paste, offer her flowers and smear her with Sindoor. The term Raja has come from Rajaswala (meaning a menstruating woman) and during medieval period the festival became more popular as an agricultural holiday remarking the worship of Bhudevi, who is the wife of lord Jagannath. During the first three days, women are given a break from household work and time to play indoor games. Girls adorn traditional saree and apply alatha on foot. All people abstain from walking barefoot on earth.
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During the Parba, Odia people do not undertake any construction works or tilling that requires the earth to be dug. And by not doing such activities, they pay ode to the Mother Earth who needs a break from routine work.
Amoebiasis
(Source: Press Information Bureau )
Context: A team of researchers from the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has developed new drug molecules against the protozoa that causes amoebiasis. . Details: This protozoan is anaerobic or micro-aerophilic in nature such that it cannot survive high concentrations of oxygen. However, during infection, it faces a high surge of oxygen inside the human body. The organism synthesizes large amounts of cysteine to counter oxidative stress. This pathogen deploys cysteine as one of the essential molecules in its defence mechanism against high oxygen levels. Entamoeba expresses two crucial enzymes for synthesizing cysteine. Researchers from JNU has characterized and determined the molecular structures of both these crucial enzymes. The researchers have also successfully screened for potent inhibitors for one of the enzymes, O-acetyl L- serine sulfhydrylase (OASS). Some of these inhibitors can check the growth of this organism with high efficacy.
About Amoebiasis: Amoebiasis is a common infection of the gastro-intestinal tract. Amoebiasis is caused by the protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica. Only about 10% to 20% of people who are infected with E. histolytica become sick from the infection. Acute amoebiasis can present as diarrhoea or dysentery with frequent, small and often bloody stools. Chronic amoebiasis can lead to gastrointestinal symptoms plus fatigue, weight loss and occasional fever. The disease occurs worldwide but is more common in areas or countries with poor sanitation, particularly in the tropics. There is no vaccine available for this disease according to the WHO.
India’s first gas exchange
(Source: The Indian Express )
Context: India’s first gas exchange — the Indian Gas Exchange (IGX) — was launched recently. The exchange is expected to facilitate transparent price discovery in natural gas, and facilitate the growth of the share of natural gas in India’s energy basket.
How will this exchange work? The IGX is a digital trading platform that will allow buyers and sellers of natural gas to trade both in the spot market and in the forward market for imported natural gas across three hubs —Dahej and Hazira in Gujarat, and Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh. Imported Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) will be regassified and sold to buyers through the exchange, removing the requirement for buyers and sellers to find each other. This will mean that buyers do not have to contact multiple dealers to ensure they find a fair price.
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The exchange also allows much shorter contracts – for delivery on the next day, and up to a month – while ordinarily contracts for natural gas supply are as long as six months to a year. This, experts say, will allow buyers and sellers greater flexibility.
Will domestically produced natural gas also be bought and sold on the exchange? No. The price of domestically produced natural gas is decided by the government. It will not be sold on the gas exchange. However, following appeals by domestic producers that the prices set by the government are not viable given the cost of exploration and production in India, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has indicated that a new gas policy will include reforms in domestic gas pricing, and will move towards more market-oriented pricing. IGX officials said that a highly liquid gas exchange, which prices gas fairly may lead to the government stepping away from pricing domestically produced gas. Domestic production of gas has been falling over the past two fiscals as current sources of natural gas have become less productive. Domestically produced natural gas currently accounts for less than half the country‘s natural gas consumption; imported LNG accounts for the other half. LNG imports are set to become a larger proportion of domestic gas consumption as India moves to increase the proportion of natural gas in the energy basket from 6.2% in 2018 to 15% by 2030.
What regulatory change is required? Currently, the pipeline infrastructure necessary for the transportation of natural gas is controlled by the companies that own the network. State-owned GAIL owns and operates India‘s largest gas pipeline network, spanning over 12,000 km. Mediratta of IGX said an independent system operator for natural gas pipelines would help ensure transparent allocation of pipeline usage, and build confidence in the minds of buyers and sellers about neutrality in the allocation of pipeline capacity. Experts have also called for natural gas to be included in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime to avoid buyers having to deal with different levies such as VAT across states, when purchasing natural gas from the exchange.
About the Indian Gas Exchange (IGX): The IGX is the first nationwide online delivery-based gas trading platform. Incorporated as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the IEX – India‘s energy market platform, IGX will enable market participants to trade in standardised gas contracts. The IGX is a digital trading platform that will allow buyers and sellers of natural gas to trade both in the spot market and in the forward market for imported natural gas across three hubs – Dahej and Hazira in Gujarat, and Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh. Imported Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) will be regassified and sold to buyers through the exchange, removing the requirement for buyers and sellers to find each other. This means that buyers will not have to contact multiple dealers to ensure they find a fair price. The exchange also allows much shorter contracts – for delivery on the next day, and up to a month – while ordinarily contracts for natural gas supply are as long as six months to a year. This, experts say, will allow buyers and sellers greater flexibility. The platform is fully automated with web-based interface to provide seamless trading experience to the customers. As there will be a market driven pricing mechanism, the IGX is expected to play a bigger role towards realizing a free market for gas. The price of domestically produced natural gas is decided by the government. It will not be sold on the gas exchange.
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I-Lab
(Source: Press Information Bureau )
Context: The Union Health Minister launched I-Lab, the DBT – AMTZ Mobile Diagnostic Unit for COVID Testing.
About I-Lab: This is India‘s first I-Lab (infectious disease diagnostic laboratory) for COVID testing in rural and inaccessible areas of India. This mobile testing facility will be deployed through the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) testing hubs to remote regions of the country for COVID testing. Who developed it? o The I-Lab has been created in a record time of 8 days by the Andhra Pradesh Med-tech Zone (AMTZ) team with the support of DBT under the National Biopharma Mission being implemented by the Public Sector BIRAC. o The I-Lab has been built under the DBT-AMTZ COMManD [COVID Medtech Manufacturing Development] Consortia. o The consortia was formed by the DBT and the AMTZ to address the shortage of critical healthcare technologies in India and move progressively towards a stage of self-sufficiency. Specifications: The I-Lab is a BSL-2 facility with on-site ELISA, RT-PCR, Bio chemistry analysers. It can run 50 RT-PCR reactions and about 200 ELISA in a day. Double set of machines can help increase the capacity to about 500 per day in 8 hours shifts. It can be deployed in remote areas and can be lifted from Automotive Chassis, and can be put on goods train for sending to any location in the country. The BSL-2 Lab is as per NABL specifications and is being attached to DBT‘s certified testing centres.
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INTERNATIONAL
Juneteenth Day
(Source: The Indian Express )
Context: Amid the ongoing nation-wide anti-racism protests sparked after the custodial killing of African American George Floyd on May 25, Trump’s decision to hold election rally on the same day as Juneteenth was widely criticised as disrespecting the African American community.
What is Juneteenth? Juneteenth is the portmanteau of June and nineteenth and while it is not a federal holiday, it is recognised as a state holiday in over 45 US states. The day is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the US and is observed on June 19. It is also known as Emancipation Day or Juneteenth Independence Day. On January 1, 1863, then-president Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that ―all persons held as slaves‖ within the states in rebellion ―are, and henceforward shall be free.‖ Even so, over 2.5 years after Lincoln‘s proclamation, many slave owners continued to hold their slaves captive by hiding this information from them and holding them slaves for one more harvest season, as per the Congressional Research Service (CRS).
NASA’s Gateway lunar orbiting outpost
(Source: The Indian Express )
Context: NASA recently finalised the contract for the initial crew module of the agency’s Gateway lunar orbiting outpost.
Details: The contract, which is worth $187 million has been awarded to Orbital Science Corporation of Dulles, Virginia, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Northrop Grumman Space. NASA has described the Gateway as key to the new era of lunar explorations both in the orbit and on the surface of the Moon. One of the most unique features of the Gateway is that it can be moved to other orbits around the Moon to conduct more research. The Gateway is being built by both international and commercial partners and will support exploration on and near the Moon and later to Mars as well. NASA has issued this contract to design the habitation and logistics (HALO) support for the Gateway, which is a part of NASA‘s Artemis program that aims to send the first woman and the next man to the Moon by 2024. The HALO refers to the pressurised living quarters where astronauts will spend their time while visiting the Gateway. As per a NASA press release, these quarters will be about the size of a small apartment and will provide augmented life support in tandem with NASA‘s Orion spacecraft.
What is the Gateway Lunar Orbit outpost? Essentially, the Gateway is a small spaceship that will orbit the Moon, meant for astronaut missions to the Moon and later, for expeditions to Mars. www.theprayasindia.com/e-pathshala [email protected] +91-7710013217 / 9892560176
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It will act as a temporary office and living quarters for astronauts, distanced at about 250,000 miles from Earth. The spaceship will have living quarters, laboratories for science and research and docking ports for visiting spacecraft. Further, astronauts will use the Gateway at least once per year and not stay around the year like they do on the International Space Station (ISS). Compared to the ISS, the Gateway is much smaller (the size of a studio apartment), while the ISS is about the size of a six-bedroom house. Once docked to the Gateway, astronauts will be able to stay there for three months at a time, conduct science experiments and take trips to the surface of the Moon. As per information on NASA‘s website, the Gateway will act as an airport, where spacecraft bound for the lunar surface of Mars can refuel or replace parts and resupply things like food and oxygen, allowing astronauts to take multiple trips to the Lunar surface and exploration of new locations across the Moon. Significantly, ‗The agency wants to use the Gateway as a science platform to look back at the Earth, observe the Sun, and get unobstructed views of the vast universe. By studying the geology of the Earth, the Moon, and Mars – the three planetary bodies we know the most about – and the ways in which they are similar and different from each other, we can learn important things about how planets and planetary systems form,‖ NASA says on its website.
International Criminal Court
(Source: The Indian Express )
Context: The turbulent relationship between the US and the International Criminal Court (ICC) further exacerbated, after President Donald Trump authorised sanctions against ICC officials involved in investigations into possible war crimes by US troops or those of its allies.
Details: The Trump administration, which has long considered the international law forum a threat to US sovereignty, announced the strict punitive measures that Washington generally reserves for use against terror groups and those accused of abusing human rights. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the country‘s top diplomat, called the 123 nations-strong tribunal a ―kangaroo court‖. Without providing evidence, Attorney-General William Barr said that the US Justice Department had ―received substantial credible information that raises serious concerns about a long history of financial corruption and malfeasance at the highest levels in the office of the prosecutor.‖ US officials have also blamed Russia for manipulating the ICC in its favour.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) The ICC, a permanent judicial body based at The Hague in the Netherlands, was created by the 1998 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (its founding and governing document), and began functioning on 1 July 2002 when the Statute came into force. The forum was established as a court of last resort to prosecute offences that would otherwise go unpunished, and has jurisdiction over four main crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. 123 nations are States Parties to the Rome Statute and recognise the ICC‘s authority; the notable exceptions being the US, China, Russia, and India. Unlike the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the ICC is not part of the United Nations system, with the UN-ICC relationship being governed by a separate agreement.
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The ICJ, which is among the UN‘s 6 principal organs, mainly hears disputes between nations. The ICC, on the other hand, prosecutes individuals– its authority extending to offences committed in a member state or by a national of such a state The ICC has been criticised for not pursuing investigations in Western countries (all 4 of its guilty verdicts pronounced so far are in trials from Africa), as well as for working inefficiently. Last year, the court ordered an independent expert review of its own functioning to address these concerns.
UNSC
(Source: The Hindu )
Context: India elected to the non-permanent seat of the Security Council for the term 2021-22 with overwhelming support. India gets 184 out of the 192 valid votes polled.
What are ‘non-permanent seats’ at the UNSC? The UNSC is composed of 15 members: five permanent members — China, France, Russian Federation, the United States, and the United Kingdom — and 10 non-permanent members who are elected by the General Assembly. The non-permanent members are elected for two-year terms — so every year, the General Assembly elects five non-permanent members out of the total 10. These 10 seats are distributed among the regions of the world: five seats for African and Asian countries; one for Eastern European countries; two for Latin American and Caribbean countries; and two for Western European and Other Countries. Of the five seats for Africa and Asia, three are for Africa and two for Asia. Also, there is an informal understanding between the two groups to reserve one seat for an Arab country. The Africa and Asia Pacific group takes turns every two years to put up an Arab candidate. Elections for terms beginning in even-numbered years select two African members, and one each within Eastern Europe, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Terms beginning in odd- numbered years consist of two Western European and Other members, and one each from Asia Pacific, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean. The current non-permanent members of the Security Council are Belgium, Dominican Republic, Germany, Indonesia, and South Africa, all of whose terms end this year; and Estonia, Niger, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia, and Vietnam, whose terms end in 2021. India begins its term in the beginning of 2021, and will hold the position until the end of 2022.
Has India been in the UNSC earlier? India has earlier been a non-permanent member of the Security Council in 1950-51, 1967-68, 1972-73, 1977-78, 1984-85, 1991-92 and 2011-12. For the 2011-12 term, India won 187 of 190 votes after Kazakhstan stood down from its candidacy.
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Mains
GS II
MB Lal Committee
(Source: Down to Earth )
Context: Emergency Response Centres (ERCs) to handle major oil fires in the fastest way possible are yet to be set up in India, more than a decade after they were recommended by the MB Lal Committee.
Details: This is according to the last report of the Parliamentary panel on Petroleum and Natural Gas that was tabled in the Lok Sabha in January 2019. The ERCs were supposed to be completed in 2014. But six years later, even after approval of the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the recommendation is still pending. An ERC would take 3-4 years to be set up and any incident during the intervening period might cause huge losses, it had further noted. Till ERCs are set up, oil marketing companies (OMCs) including Indian Oil Corp Ltd (IOCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd and Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) should appoint an experienced agency on a temporary basis. The agency should be able to provide 24X7 emergency fire-fighting services, with advanced equipment. The MB Lal committee was constituted following a fire incident in October 2009 at the IOCL terminal at Jaipur. It had nearly 118 recommendations with regard to safety guidelines to be followed by oil companies at their installations. All recommendations of the committee approved by the petroleum ministry were supposed to be implemented immediately. According to the ministry, at least 94 per cent of the recommendations made by the MB Lal committee have been implemented. Despite such recommendations in place, fire incidents such as blasts at the GAIL pipeline at Nagaram in Andhra Pradesh‘s East Godavari on June 27, 2014, the BPCL tank farm at Butcher Island near Mumbai on October 6, 2017 and the fire incident at Uran had occurred at oil installations at regular intervals. The natural gas well at Baghjan belonging to Oil India Ltd (OIL) in Upper Assam‘s Tinsukia district that had been leaking gas since May 27, caught fire on June 9, 2020. According to OIL, the fire will now take at least four more weeks to control. According to the Oil Industry Safety Directorate, eight accidents in oil and gas installations took place between April and June 1, 2020. Such accidents are a grave reminder of the inadequate safety measures and the lackadaisical implementation of safety standards at oil and gas installations in the country
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Vulnerable children worse off due to COVID-19
(Source: Down to Earth )
Context: For millions of children in Odisha who are forced to work for a living, the World Day Against Child Labour — observed on June 12 every year — holds no meaning. In 2020, child labourers are worse off: The nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has left them with no source of income and no means of protection against the disease. Details: The children do not get any assistance from the government either. They grow up without education and no knowledge of their rights. Most of them do not own land. Several of them are homeless. Street children and child labourers also face several other challenges. An insecure life, physical and sexual abuse by adults in their immediate communities, harassment by law enforcing agencies, inadequate or no access to education and healthcare facilities are some of them. Street children constitute one of the most vulnerable and marginal groups in Odisha. For them, the streets, unoccupied dwellings, wastelands etc, have become homes and sources of livelihood. They are inadequately protected or supervised by responsible adults. The lockdown has proved to be catastrophic for millions of migrant labourers and child labourers. Several child labourers also lost their jobs after roadside hotels, dhabas, garages and shops were forced to shut. The lockdown has forced millions of migrant workers — facing long-term unemployment — to return to their villages without any jobs. Children of returnee migrants have been forced to become child labourers in Odisha. There are around 1.7 million child labourers working in different sectors in Odisha, according to the state government. Some experts said the real number of child labourers in the state is much more, at 3.6 million. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) was adopted by the UN General Assembly on November 20, 1989. The scope of this convention — that India ratified in 1990 — extends to individuals up to the age of 18. The parties (of the convention) recognise the right of the child to be protected from economic exploitation and performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child‘s education, stated Article 32 of the CRC. The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic shock are enough to push several vulnerable children — often the first to suffer — into child labour. There are an estimated 152 million children in child labour, 72 million of whom undertake hazardous work to earn a living. These children are now at a greater risk of facing circumstances that force them to work longer hours and are much more difficult to get out of. The World Day Against Child Labour in 2020 will be conducted as a virtual campaign and is being jointly organised jointly with international non-profit Global March Against Child Labour and the International Partnership for Cooperation on Child Labour in Agriculture. The issue of child labour is still a major one in India, despite the presence of several laws, including the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986. While almost everyone agrees child labour cannot be overlooked, the issue is complex. The cycle of poverty and its implications must be addressed properly, so families can find other means to survive, said trade union leader Jagajiban Das.
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Rural India, the new viral flash point
(Source: The Hindu )
Context: The initial misplaced optimism that India is somehow protected from the COVID-19 pandemic has proved to be illusory, with rapidly escalating numbers of cases and deaths in urban India. The urban blight is so intense as to occupy the entire attention of the health-care workforce, planners and policy makers. The medical services in these urban areas — Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai to cite the three major epicentres of the epidemic — have been overwhelmed, judging from the reports available every day in the public domain.
Clearly unprepared We are now facing only the fury of the urban wave of this epidemic in India. Remember, 65% of the country‘s population is rural. They have been relatively underexposed, with very few cases and deaths. Thus, the large, vulnerable majority in rural India is yet to feel the heat of this epidemic. There is a pervasive and false confidence among the general public that, somehow, rural India will escape with minimal casualty. The recent (limited) restoration of public transport and a relaxation of restrictions on the movement of people are developments that have set the stage for the inevitable and even more dangerous wave of this epidemic. Just as importations from other countries through air traffic set the stage for the urban blight, importations from urban to rural India will set the stage for the rural wave. We need to remind ourselves that rural India is clearly unprepared to face this epidemic.
Contrasts in health care There has always been an urban-rural divide in India in health care and education, two vital indices of human development. This deficiency has been very costly not only in terms of rural lives and livelihoods but also overall national wealth creation. If the first urban wave of the COVID-19 tsunami is overwhelming our relatively better urban health-care resources, one can imagine the predicament of rural India with its already deficient health-care resources when it faces the rural epidemic tidal wave. The lockdown of the entire country led to a paralysis of urban and rural life synchronously while the urban and rural waves of this epidemic are clearly asynchronous. The rural wave is just beginning while the urban wave is about to peak. When rural areas were hardly affected we had the lockdown but now that the rural wave is just beginning, paradoxically, we find that rural people are going about without masks or physical distancing, congregating in marketplaces and places of worship. This portends an imminent catastrophe, yet unrecognised and therefore inadequately anticipated for risk- mitigation.
Administer the social vaccine Now is the right time to implement the social vaccine, a prophylaxis before the rural spread of the epidemic. A decentralised approach with participation of all stakeholders in each village, taluk and district is the need and potential of the day. The most important step would be to educate rural people with all the tools at our disposal — print, radio, the electronic media, and messages through mobile phones. We need to give them accurate information in simple language to make them clearly understand that their self-protection and the protection of their families are entirely in their hands. Two behaviourial changes are critical — every man, woman and child must wear a cotton cloth mask when out of the home, and observe strict hand hygiene.
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All elders and any person with a co-morbidity should be cocooned (by reverse quarantine) — all wearing masks when interacting with others even inside homes. It is mortality that we must prevent in this unfair disease for the vulnerable.
Proceeding step by step At the State and district levels, we need a systematic approach; it must entail blocking urban-rural importations, quarantining those who move from red zone to green, diagnosing and managing clinical COVID-19 syndrome with or without positive PCR test results, and providing field hospitals exclusively for isolating and managing COVID-19 cases (manned by younger, and therefore less vulnerable, medical and nursing teams). Simple clinical diagnostic criteria are available with the writers of this article. At the same time, we need to protect and sustain existing hospitals and primary health centres not to be frequented by COVID-19 patients, but for providing care for all other medical, surgical and obstetric emergencies. Mildly and moderately symptomatic COVID-19 patients should be managed by home isolation, delivering essential and medical supplies at home, and home monitoring of oxygen saturation by readily available portable finger pulse oximeters. Each such patient should be followed up daily by a designated medical professional, who should call over the phone and identify those who need hospitalisation for life-threatening pneumonia. Non-communicable diseases and other common diseases should be handled on a tele-medicine platform manned by experienced and older (age more than 55 years) medical personnel; there should be a follow- up over the mobile phone. This approach will minimise the loss of medical manpower due to COVID-19 at the time when we need them the most. If we are caught napping at this crucial hour, it will be a monumental error for which we can never forgive ourselves. State health administrators and the medical fraternity have the knowledge and skills to tackle the rural wave with courage and wisdom.
Vaccine nationalism
Context: Hundreds of COVID-19 vaccine candidates are currently being developed. The way emerging vaccines will be distributed to those who need them is not yet clear. The United States has now twice indicated that it would like to secure priority access to doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Other countries, including India and Russia, have taken similar stances. This prioritisation of domestic markets has become known as vaccine nationalism.
Vaccine nationalism during COVID-19 Vaccine nationalism occurs when a country manages to secure doses of vaccine for its own citizens or residents before they are made available in other countries. This is done through pre-purchase agreements between a government and a vaccine manufacturer. In March, the White House met with representatives from CureVac, a German biotech company developing a COVID-19 vaccine. The US government is reported to have inquired about the possibility of securing exclusive rights over the vaccine. This prompted the German government to comment that ―Germany is not for sale.‖ Angela Merkel‘s chief of staff promptly stated that a vaccine developed in Germany had to be made available in ―Germany and the world.‖ On June 15, the German government announced it would be investing 300 million euros (nearly $340 million) in CureVac for a 23 per cent stake in the company.
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In April, the CEO of Sanofi, a French company whose COVID-19 vaccine work has received partial funding from the US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, announced that the US had the ―right to the largest pre-order‖ of vaccine. Following public outcry and pressure from the French government, Sanofi altered its stance and said that it would not negotiate priority rights with any country. In India, the privately held Serum Institute is developing one of the leading COVID-19 vaccine candidates. The Serum Institute signaled that, if development of the vaccine succeeds, most of the initial batches of vaccine will be distributed within India. At the same time, India, alongside the US and Russia, chose not to join the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, which was launched by the World Health Organization to promote collaboration among countries in the development and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.
Vaccine nationalism is not new Vaccine nationalism is not new. During the early stages of the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic, some of the wealthiest countries entered into pre-purchase agreements with several pharmaceutical companies working on H1N1 vaccines. At that time, it was estimated that, in the best-case scenario, the maximum number of vaccine doses that could be produced globally was two billion. The US alone negotiated and obtained the right to buy 600,000 doses. All the countries that negotiated pre-purchase orders were developed economies. Only when the 2009 pandemic began to unwind and demand for a vaccine dropped did developed countries offer to donate vaccine doses to poorer economies.
The problems posed by nationalism The most immediate effect of vaccine nationalism is that it further disadvantages countries with fewer resources and bargaining power. It deprives populations in the Global South from timely access to vital public health goods. Taken to its extreme, it allocates vaccines to moderately at-risk populations in wealthy countries over populations at higher risk in developing economies. Vaccine nationalism also runs against the fundamental principles of vaccine development and global public health. Most vaccine development projects involve several parties from multiple countries. With modern vaccines, there are very few instances in which a single country can claim to be the sole developer of a vaccine. And even if that were possible, global public health is borderless. As COVID-19 is illustrating, pathogens can travel the globe. Public health responses to outbreaks, which include the deployment of vaccines, have to acknowledge that reality.
What needs to be done Nationalism is at odds with global public health principles. Yet, there are no provisions in international laws that prevent pre-purchase agreements like the ones described above. There is nothing inherently wrong with pre-purchase agreements of pharmaceutical products. Vaccines typically do not generate as much in sales as other medical products. If used correctly, pre- purchase agreements can even be an incentive for companies to manufacture vaccines that otherwise would not be commercialised. Institutions like Gavi, an international nonprofit based in Geneva, use similar mechanisms to guarantee vaccines for developing countries. Contracts should not trump equitable access to global public health goods. Developed countries should pledge to refrain from reserving vaccines for their populations during public health crises. The WHO‘s Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator is a starting point for countries to test collaborative approaches during the current pandemic. But more needs to be done. International institutions — including the WHO — should coordinate negotiations ahead of the next pandemic to produce a framework for equitable access to vaccines during public health crises.
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Equity entails both, affordability of vaccines and access opportunities for populations across the world, irrespective of geography and geopolitics.
GS III
Landlocked countries suffering due to COVID-19 lockdown: UN
(Source: Down to earth )
Context: Economic and social conditions in many landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) — often the poorest in their regions — are worsening rapidly due to COVID-19 lockdown measures and international restrictions on the movement of goods and people, the United Nations (UN) warned in a statement recently.
Details: On an average, these 32 vulnerable countries lag behind the world average by 20 per cent in the UN‘s human development index. One-third of their 440 million inhabitants live in extreme poverty, 51 per cent face food insecurity daily and 40 per cent lack access to electricity.\ Even in normal times, lack of territorial access to the sea, remoteness and isolation from world markets and high transit costs impose serious constraints on their overall socio-economic development as their sea-borne trade depends on transit through other countries. Post the global lockdown, these vulnerable countries are facing even more constraints to growth and development, including isolation from global markets, dependence on transit neighbours, lack of productive capacities, structural challenges and vulnerability to external shocks. LLDCs include Afghanistan, Botswana, Ethiopia, Mongolia, Nepal, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. The impacts of pandemic, global lockdown, and a global recession will likely halt or potentially even reverse LLDCs‘ progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and the aspirations included in the Vienna Programme of Action for the LLDCs for 2014- 2024, the statement said. The Vienna programme of action was adopted by the international community in recognition of the complex challenges www.theprayasindia.com/e-pathshala [email protected] +91-7710013217 / 9892560176
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facing LLDCs and their special development needs. When borders around the globe close, every country suffers, but those without territorial access to the sea are affected in unique ways. The statement was signed by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the UN Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, and the UN‘s regional economic and social commissions for Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean. Efficient transport networks and procedures are crucial to connect these vulnerable nations to world markets, as their exports and imports must transit through at least one neighbouring state and often have to change the transport mode — making trade much more complex and costly. The agencies called for governments to refrain from any unjustified restraints on traffic and goods in transit to make sure that goods, medical equipment and basic goods and commodities can depart from and reach the LLDCs when needed, without delay or hindrance. It also urged LLDCs and neighbouring countries to make use of trade facilitation standards and digital technologies that limit physical checks in transit, physical contact at borders and protect the health of workers. These include electronic exchange of information, electronic tracking, automation of customs procedures and other paperless solutions.
FAO Report
(Source: Down to Earth )
Context: Almost 45 million people were pushed into acute food insecurity since February 2020 because of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, according to a recent report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Details: Almost 33 million of those who will be pushed into food insecurity reside in South and Southeast Asia, with the remainder in Sub-Saharan Africa, the report, titled Policy Brief: The Impact of COVID-19 on Food Security and Nutrition, said. The pandemic and measures to curb it may result in $8.5 trillion being shaved off the global economy in the next two years, according to estimates cited by the report released in June. Over 49 million may fall into extreme poverty as well, with the most-affected region being, again, Sub- Saharan Africa. Measures to curb the disease, including lockdowns in several parts of the world, have disrupted entire food supply chains. Deteriorating employment conditions due to COVID-19 have led to this situation, according to the report, that cited a few examples. Slowing harvests in some parts of the world left millions of seasonal workers without livelihoods, while constraining transport of food to markets. Meat processing plants and food markets were hit too, with several forced to close as COVID-19 disease outbreaks spread among workers. Farmers have been forced to dump milk and bury perishable produce because of supply chain disruptions and falling consumer demand. Several people in urban centres, thus, struggle to get access to fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat and fish. Such disruption has affected financial statuses, livelihoods and food security, the report pointed out. ―The combined impacts could be a shrinkage of global — and especially local — food supply in many countries in the second half of 2020, with resulting price rises and food access issues,‖ said the report.
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Even before the pandemic, more than 820 million were already identified as chronically food insecure in 2019.
Integrating systems approach to nutrition in COVID-19 socio-economic response
How to act on this The report included several suggestions given by the FAO to curb supply constraints and sustain food systems across the world. New and adaptable models of food and nutrition distribution that minimise physical contact were necessary because of the nature of the disease. Cash-based assistance and distribution of life- and livelihood-saving food in the most fragile areas was needed, along with maintaining liquidity and financial inclusion in rural areas. Food production, distribution and marketing essential services everywhere must be declared essential services to keep trade corridors and critical aspects of food systems open in all countries, the report pointed out. Exclusive investments were needed as well to address disruptions in food systems. Gaps that existed in food systems for a number of years were revealed because of the pandemic. Food systems contributed up to 29 per cent of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while livestock contributed 14.5 per cent of all anthropogenic GHG emissions, of which 44 percent is in the form of methane, the report pointed out. Such systems have undermined biodiversity and contributed to the mass extinction of species, ecocide, soil loss, land degradation, drinking water pollution, overdrawn aquifers and the spread of zoonotic diseases. The pandemic has, thus, given people a chance to reconsider the ways of producing, processing, marketing and consuming food, the report said. ―A transition to more sustainable food systems that are in better balance with nature, supporting healthy diets and better health prospects for all is needed,‖ the report said.
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Special Issue June (Week 3)
Parotta
(Source: The Indian Express )
Context: The Karnataka bench of the Authority for Advance Rulings (AAR) has said that packaged “parotas” would attract a GST of 18 per cent because, unlike plain rotis and khakhras (5 per cent GST), they need to be heated before consumption.
Where did the parotta come from? The word parotta is generally used for the Malabar or Kerala parotta, the flaky, layered bread made of refined wheat flour or maida. It is a popular street and restaurant food across the state, and is usually served with beef fry (egg curry and chicken curry are other popular accompaniments). In fact, the parotta-beef fry combination carries political meaning in Kerala, and is frequently used as the symbol of a state that prizes the cosmopolitan origins of its modern culinary culture. How parotta came to exist and become so popular in a state where rice is the ubiquitous staple is unclear. Did it travel to the South from the North, or did it arrive on the Malabar coast independently?
Ladakh-India-China
(Source: The Indian Express )
Context: Recently as fighting broke out along the disputed border between the Indian and Chinese militaries, at least 20 Indian soldiers including a commanding officer lost their lives.
History: In July 1958, an official monthly magazine in China named China pictorial published a map of the country that would in the next few months become a bone of contention between India and its East Asian neighbour. The map in question showed large parts of the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) and the Himalayan territory of Ladakh as part of China. The publication had been preceded with the Chinese building a road linking parts of Ladakh with Xinjiang, an autonomous region in China, and Tibet, which was by then under Chinese control. Soon after „China pictorial‟ came out with the new Chinese map, the leaders of both countries began writing to each other frequently regarding Ladakh. The exchange of letters between Jawaharlal Nehru and his Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai was followed by the Sino-Indian war of 1962. The war also led to the formation of the loosely demarcated Line of Actual Control (LAC) running through Ladakh. What is it about this cold, dry, high altitude territory with its extremely scarce vegetation that makes it a point of disagreement between India and China? In his statement in the Lok Sabha in August 1959, Nehru had said: “There is a large area in eastern and north-eastern Ladakh which is practically uninhabited.” “Where not even a blade of grass grows,” he had said famously.
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The importance of Ladakh to both India and China is rooted in complicated historical processes that led to the territory becoming part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, and China‟s interest in it post the occupation of Tibet in 1950.
The integration of Ladakh into Jammu and Kashmir Up until the Dogra invasion of 1834, Ladakh was an independent Himalayan state, much the same way as Bhutan and Sikkim. Historically and culturally, however, the state was intrinsically linked to neighbouring Tibet. Language and religion linked Ladakh and Tibet; politically too, they shared a common history. Ladakh was part of the Tibetan empire which broke up after the assassination of King Langdarma in 742 CE. Thereafter it became an independent kingdom, though its borders fluctuated at different periods of its history and, at times included much of what is now western Tibet. Economically, the importance of the region stemmed from the fact that it was an entrepôt between central Asia and Kashmir. Tibetan pashm shawl wool was carried through Ladakh to Kashmir. At the same time, there was a flourishing trade route across the Karakorum pass to Yarkand and Kashgar to Chinese Turkestan. As the Sikhs acquired Kashmir in 1819, Emperor Ranjit Singh turned his ambition towards Ladakh. But it was Gulab Singh, the Dogra feudatory of the Sikhs in Jammu, who went ahead with the task of integrating Ladakh into Jammu and Kashmir. The British East India Company, which was by now steadily establishing itself in India, had lacked interest in Ladakh initially. However, it did show enthusiasm for the Dogra invasion of the area, with the hope that as a consequence, a large portion of Tibetan trade would be diverted to its holdings. In 1834, Gulab Singh sent his ablest general, Zarowar Singh Kahluria, with 4,000 infantrymen to conquer the territory. There was no opposition at first, as the Ladakhis were taken by surprise, but on August 16, 1834, the Dogras defeated an army of some 5,000 men under the Bhotia leader, Mangal, at Sanku. Thereafter, Ladakh came under Dogra rule. In May 1841, Tibet under the Qing dynasty of China invaded Ladakh with the hope of adding it to the imperial Chinese dominions, leading to the Sino-Sikh war. However, the Sino-Tibetan army was defeated, and the Treaty of Chushul was signed that agreed on no further transgressions or interference in the other country‟s frontiers. After the first Anglo-Sikh war of 1845-46, the state of Jammu and Kashmir, including Ladakh, was taken out of the Sikh empire and brought under British suzerainty. The state of Jammu and Kashmir was essentially a British creation, formed as a buffer zone where they could meet the Russians. Consequently, there was an attempt to delimiting what exactly was Ladakh and the extent of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, but it became convoluted since that area came under Tibetan and Central Asian influence. It is important to remember though, at that time people did not have a very good sense of which country they belonged to. So one can argue that when the mapping happened defining the state of Jammu and Kashmir, the British may have overstepped. The British legacy of the map of the territory though continued to remain the ground upon which India laid its claim on the area. In his book India after Gandhi, historian Ramachandra Guha wrote that “the Indians insisted that the border was, for most part, recognised and assured by treaty and tradition; the Chinese argued it had never really been delimited. The claims of both governments rested in part on the legacy of imperialism; British imperialism (for India), and Chinese imperialism (over Tibet) for China.”
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Chinese interest in Ladakh after the occupation of Tibet in 1950 The annexation of Tibet by the People‟s Republic of China in 1950 sparked newfound interest in Ladakh, and particularly so after the 1959 Tibetan uprising that erupted in Lhasa when the Dalai Lama fled into exile and was granted political asylum in India. In attempting to crush the Tibetan revolt while at the same time denying its existence, the Chinese have used methods which have brought China and India into sharp conflict. To begin with, the road that the Chinese built across Ladakh in 1956-57 was important for the maintenance of their control over Tibet. Without such a supply route, the at the time unacknowledged Khampa revolt in eastern Tibet might have reached dangerous proportions. Indeed, in the event of any serious weakening of the Peking government, this area might well prove to be the key to Chinese hold over Tibet. The building of the road through Ladakh upset Nehru‟s government. Nehru had hoped that Tibet would have a degree of autonomy even though it came under Chinese occupation. A relatively independent Tibet would serve as a buffer between the Chinese and India. Once the road construction started, he knew that the original Chinese territory which is Xinjiang will have a direct connection with Tibet. This meant that the Chinese could keep on exercising their control. The diplomatic negotiations failed, and the war of 1962 followed. First, up to 2013 India‟s infrastructural development in that area was minimal. From 2013, India started pushing for infrastructure projects there and by 2015, it became a major defence priority. The second layer is the August 5, 2019 decision (to remove the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and downgrade the state into two Union Territories). From the Chinese point of view, they would have assumed that if India makes Ladakh a Union Territory, they would be reasserting its control over the entire state. Moreover, it is also important to note that over time, Xinjiang which is part of Aksai Chin, has become very important to China for their internal reasons,” he added.
Axone
Context: Now the name and subject of a much-talked about feature film, axone — or fermented soya bean — is cooked, eaten and loved in Nagaland, and many tribal communities in different parts of Northeast India and beyond. An introduction to the ingredient — its popularity, its distinctive smell, and its role in tribal identity and culture.
What is axone? Axone — also spelled akhuni — is a fermented soya bean of Nagaland, known for its distinctive flavour and smell. As much an ingredient as it is a condiment, axone used to make pickles and chutneys, or curries of pork, fish, chicken, beef etc. It imparts a lot of flavour to anything you cook — even vegetables. While it is called „axone‟ in parts of Nagaland, fermented soya bean is cooked with, eaten and known by different names in different parts of Northeast India, including Meghalaya and Mizoram, Sikkim, Manipur as well in other South, Southeast and East Asian countries of Nepal, Bhutan, Japan, Korea, China, Myanmar, Vietnam and Indonesia. It [fermented soya bean] is the one food that connects the Eastern Himalayas.
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June (Week 4)
Index
Prelims Mains
National GS II
1. Solar Eclipse 1. The Galwan Valley Issue 2. Section 309 IPC 2. COVID-19 exposed dependence of 3. Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code world on China for API 4. Bilateral Air Bubbles 3. Russia-India-China 5. Country of Origin 4. How to battle Depression 6. Decarbonising Transport in India 5. Ban on Chinese Imports 7. Ashadhi Bij 8. Government e-Marketplace 9. Turant Customs 10. Annual TB Report 2020 11. Credit Guarantee Scheme for Sub-ordinate Debt 12. IN-SPACe 13. Kala-azar 14. Skills Build Reignite
International
1. World Sickle Cell Day 2. NASA’s Mars Rover 3. US pause on H1-B visas 4. Victory Day 5. Blazars 6. Education gap widened: UNESCO
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Prelims
NATIONAL
Solar Eclipse
(Source: Indian Express )
Context: Out of the two solar eclipses that will be observed this year, one took place on June 21 and was visible in India until 3:04 pm. It was also visible in parts of Asia, Africa, the Pacific, the Indian Ocean, parts of Europe and Australia.
Details: The point of ―maximum eclipse‖, characterised by a perfect solar halo around the moon, was witnessed over Uttarakhand and the exact formation lasted for about 38 seconds. The solar eclipse is a rare annular eclipse that occurs once in every one or two years, and coincides with the northern hemisphere‘s longest day of the year, called the summer solstice. Like the solar eclipse, a second solstice happens each year in December.
What is the Summer Solstice? June 20 or the day of the summer solstice is characterised by a greater amount of energy received from the Sun. According to NASA, the amount of incoming energy the Earth received from the Sun on this day is 30 per cent higher at the North Pole than at the Equator. What this means is that on the day of the solstice, the northern hemisphere received the longest stretch of daylight in a given year. During the solstice, the Earth‘s axis – around which the planet spins, completing one turn each day – is tilted in a way that the North Pole is tipped towards the Sun and the South Pole is away from it. Typically, this imaginary axis passes right through the middle of the Earth from top to bottom and is always tilted at 23.5 degrees with respect to the Sun. Therefore, the solstice, as NASA puts it, is that instant in time when the North Pole points more directly toward the Sun that at any other time during the year. Solstice means ―sun stands still‖ in Latin.
What is an Annular Solar Eclipse? A solar eclipse is witnessed when the moon is aligned between the Sun and Earth, blocking the light received by the Earth from the Sun. An annular solar eclipse, on the other hand, happens when the Moon is the farthest from the Earth, because of which, it looks smaller and does not block the entire view of the Sun creating a ―ring of fire‖ effect.
Sec 309 IPC
(Source: Indian Express )
Context: Soon after the suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, the conversation moved around the sensitivity with which issues surrounding mental health should be handled. However, one of the most archaic laws that punishes attempts to commit suicide – Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)— contrary to popular perception that it has been repealed, continues to exist in the statute book and, as reports suggest, is often misused. www.theprayasindia.com/e-pathshala [email protected] +91-7710013217 / 9892560176
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Who can be booked under Section 309 IPC? What punishment does it carry? Why is it there to begin with? Anyone who survives an attempted suicide can be booked under Section 309 IPC, which deals with ―Attempt to commit suicide‖. The section reads: ―Whoever attempts to commit suicide and does any act towards the commission of such offence, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year (or with fine, or with both)‖. The law, brought in by the British in the 19th century, reflected the thinking of the time, when killing or attempting to kill oneself was considered a crime against the state, as well as against religion. The section continues to remain in the IPC. What has happened though, is that The Mental Healthcare Act (MHCA), 2017, which came into force in July 2018, has significantly reduced the scope for the use of Section 309 IPC — and made the attempt to commit suicide punishable only as an exception. Section 115(1) of The MHCA says: ―Notwithstanding anything contained in section 309 of the Indian Penal Code any person who attempts to commit suicide shall be presumed, unless proved otherwise, to have severe stress and shall not be tried and punished under the said Code.‖ Section 115(2) says that ―The appropriate Government shall have a duty to provide care, treatment and rehabilitation to a person, having severe stress and who attempted to commit suicide, to reduce the risk of recurrence of attempt to commit suicide.‖ The restrictions put on the use of this section under the provisions of the MHCA — as opposed to it being removed from the statute all together — do not seem to be enough simply because of continued reports of its use by police forces across the country. In one recent example, on June 8, a runaway couple allegedly attempted suicide at Ashoknagar police station in Bengaluru by consuming hair dye. Local media reported that they were booked under Section 309. Again, on May 20, an inmate at Gurgaon‘s Bhondsi jail who had allegedly tried to kill himself with a pair of scissors, was reported to have been booked under Section 309 IPC. Several senior police officers said that on many occasions, there is lack of awareness among officers at the level of the police station about the relatively new MHCA, and they simply go by the IPC. However, the charge under Section 309 is often dropped subsequently, following consultations with senior officers, said Harssh Poddar, Superintendent of Police, Beed.
What problems can arise out of the use of this Section? The use of this Section can potentially deprive a victim of treatment in the golden hour, as hospitals wait for a go-ahead from police in what would be seen as a ―medico-legal case‖. It is possible that unscrupulous hospital authorities may misuse this situation and charge extra to ―hush up‖ the case by not informing the police; similar extortion is possible on the part of corrupt police personnel as well. All of this is in addition to the trauma and harassment that an already severely distressed individual and people around him/her would likely be going through. Only 24 countries around the world have a section such as this in their laws, experts said. It is possible that there might be one — and this is where the argument in favour of Section 309 IPC co- existing with the provisions of the MHCA, 2017, comes in. A veteran police officer said there were occasions when people showed up at government offices and threatened to kill themselves if their demands were not met. It is in these cases, where we suspect that the person does not intend to commit suicide but is using the threat as a way to unfairly pressure or blackmail the system, that this section is used. A senior IPS officer said, ―If 309 is repealed, there will be no provision to take action against those who intend to create trouble of this sort.‖ SP Poddar said: ―Section 309 IPC can be redefined in such a manner where it can still be leveraged in law and order situations, and not be used against those who are suffering from genuine mental health issues.‖
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What attempts have been made to repeal Section 309 in the past? In 1971, the Law Commission in its 42nd Report recommended the repeal of Section 309 IPC. The IPC (Amendment) Bill, 1978, was even passed by Rajya Sabha, but before it could be passed by Lok Sabha, Parliament was dissolved, and the Bill lapsed. In ‗Gian Kaur vs State of Punjab‘, 1996, a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of Section 309. However, in 2008, the Law Commission in its 210th Report, said that an attempt to suicide needed medical and psychiatric care, and not punishment. In March 2011, the Supreme Court too recommended to Parliament that it should consider the feasibility of deleting the section. In 2014, repling to a question in Rajya Sabha, then Minister of State for Home Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary said the government had decided to drop Section 309 from the IPC after 18 states and 4 Union Territories had backed the recommendation of the Law Commission. The matter did not, however, reach its logical conclusion.
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code
(Source: The Hindu Businessline )
Context: Even as the Centre has temporarily suspended the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) due to the current economic crisis following the Covid-19 pandemic, academicians have highlighted the threat of a possible surge in riskier behaviour of firms under extended immunity from the IBC.
Details: Earlier this month, the Centre had issued an ordinance to suspend initiation of fresh insolvency proceedings against defaults arising on or after March 25 for a period of one year. The decision came after the Finance Ministry expressed its intent to provide economic relief amid the Covid-induced economic crisis. A new study by Prof. Balagopal Gopalakrishnan from IIM-Kozhikode and Professor Sanket Mohapatra from IIM-Ahmedabad reveals that although the IBC is suspended currently, ―the insolvency reforms in India will have important implications for the corporate sector in a post-Covid scenario. While the suspension of IBC may be warranted in the current economic climate, a possible downside of suspending it for an extended period is that it could encourage riskier behaviour among firms.‖ Notably, India had improved its world ranking in insolvency and bankruptcy after implementation of the IBC in 2016. India‘s position in the World Bank‘s ‗Resolving Insolvency‘ ranking has increased sharply in recent years, from 132 in 2016, the year in which IBC was introduced, to 52 in 2020.
Moderation of adverse effects Based on the data analysis of about 1,300 firms from 60 countries, the study reveals that countries that have stronger insolvency regimes are able to moderate the adverse effects of policy uncertainty and an economic crisis. In a stronger insolvency framework, where the promoters have a greater risk of losing control of the firm, the study finds that corporate managers are likely to be more conservative in their investment and financing decisions and, consequently, can reduce the risk of a debt default. One of the arguments often advanced for implementing a stronger insolvency and bankruptcy framework is that it enhances credit discipline among firms. Using a large cross-country firm-level data set, the study empirically tests and confirms that a stronger insolvency regime moderates the adverse effects of economic shocks on firms‘ default risk. The effects are more pronounced for firms in the top half of the size distribution. The study also explores channels through which improved creditor rights influence firms‘ default risk, including dependence on external finance, corporate leverage, and managerial ethics.
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What is IBC? Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 is considered as one of the biggest insolvency reforms in the economic history of India. This was enacted for reorganization and insolvency resolution of corporate persons, partnership firms and individuals in a time bound manner for maximization of the value of assets of such persons.
Background The era before IBC had various scattered laws relating to insolvency and bankruptcy which caused inadequate and ineffective results with undue delays. For example, Securitization and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act SARFAESI –for security enforcement. The Recovery of Debts Due to Banks and Financial Institutions Act, 1993 (RDDBFI) for debt recovery by banks and financial institutions. Companies Act for liquidation and winding up of the company. Ineffective implementation, conflict in one of these laws and the time-consuming procedure in the aforementioned laws, made the Bankruptcy Law Reform Committee draft and introduce Insolvency and Bankruptcy Law bill.
Objectives of IBC Consolidate and amend all existing insolvency laws in India. To simplify and expedite the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Proceedings in India. To protect the interest of creditors including stakeholders in a company. To revive the company in a time-bound manner. To promote entrepreneurship. To get the necessary relief to the creditors and consequently increase the credit supply in the economy. To work out a new and timely recovery procedure to be adopted by the banks, financial institutions or individuals. To set up an Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India. Maximization of the value of assets of corporate persons.
The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code ecosystem National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) – The adjudicating authority (AA), has jurisdiction over companies, other limited liability entities. Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) has jurisdiction over individuals and partnership firms other than Limited Liability Partnerships. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) – apex body for promoting transparency & governance in the administration of the IBC; will be involved in setting up the infrastructure and accrediting IPs (Insolvency Professionals (IPs) & IUs (Information Utilities). It has 10 members from Ministry of Finance, Law, and RBI. Information Utilities (IUs) - a centralized repository of financial and credit information of borrowers; would accept, store, authenticate and provide access to financial data provided by creditors. IPs- persons enrolled with IPA (Insolvency professional agency (IPA) and regulated by Board and IPA will conduct resolution process; it will act as Liquidator/ bankruptcy trustee; they are appointed by creditors and override the powers of the board of directors. IPs have the power to furnish performance bonds equal to assets of the company under insolvency resolutions Adjudicating authority (AA) - would be the NCLT for corporate insolvency; to entertain or dispose of any insolvency application, approve/ reject resolution plans, decide in respect of claims or matters of law/ facts thereof.
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Key aspects of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code IBC proposes a paradigm shift from the existing 'Debtor in possession' to a 'Creditor in control' regime. IBC aims at consolidating all existing insolvency related laws as well as amending multiple legislation including the Companies Act. The code aims to resolve insolvencies in a strict time-bound manner - the evaluation and viability determination must be completed within 180 days. Moratorium period of 180 days (extendable up to 270 days) for the Company. For startups and small companies the resolution time period is 90 days which can be extended by 45 days. Introduce a qualified insolvency professional (IP) as intermediaries to oversee the Process Establishment of Insolvency and Bankruptcy board as an independent body for the administration and governance of Insolvency & bankruptcy Law; and Information Utilities as a depository of financial information.
The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2020 Requires of a minimum of 10 per cent of allottees or 100 individual allottees in a real estate project to initiate insolvency proceedings for real estate projects. As homebuyers are recognised as financial creditors under the IBC, individual homebuyers could initiate insolvency against a real estate company for delays in possession The latest changes pertain to various sections of the IBC as well as introduction of a new section. The IBC, which came into force in 2016, has already been amended three times. The Bill intends o To give the highest priority in repayment to last mile funding to corporate debtors to prevent insolvency, in case the company goes into corporate insolvency resolution process or liquidation o To prevent potential abuse of the Code by certain classes of financial creditors, o To provide immunity against prosecution of the corporate debtor and action against the property of the corporate debtor and the successful resolution applicant subject to fulfilment of certain conditions o To fill the critical gaps in the corporate insolvency framework
Bilateral Air Bubbles
(Source: The Indian Express )
Context: India has proposed establishing air travel ―bubbles‖ with several countries including the United States, Germany, and France on the lines of ―air bridges‖ or ―Covid-safe travel zones‖ that have been conceptualised by countries that have managed to fully or partially contain the outbreak. The Ministry of Civil Aviation is negotiating the setting up of travel bubbles to restart scheduled international passenger flights — however, a number of factors could end up pricking the bubble even before it is formed.
What are travel bubbles? While quarantining and testing of passengers have universal appeal, some jurisdictions are talking of ―bubbles‖ or ―air bridges‖ joining states that have largely eliminated the virus, and who trust in each other‘s testing and case numbers. According to The Economist, Australia and New Zealand could lead the way with a proposed ―Covid- safe travel zone‖, or the trans-Tasman bubble. Small countries in the Pacific including Fiji and the Cook Islands, which have kept the virus at bay, could join in, with the zone being expanded to other jurisdictions such as Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan. The Baltic countries of Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia too have created a bubble allowing free travel among themselves, while restricting outsiders.
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The concept of a travel bubble, or an air bridge, is reciprocal in nature, which means that both sides — the departure point and the arrival point — have to be on board. It also means that travel restrictions such as quarantining or testing of passengers have to be discarded among the countries in the bubble.
What could be the hurdles for this proposal? The finalising of travel bubbles could be a huge step in the direction of resuming scheduled international air travel, which has been suspended for three months now. But a lot depends on the destination country‘s perception of India in terms of being a Covid threat. India is now fourth on the dashboard, with only the United States, Brazil, and Russia having reported a larger number of cases. Also, the Indian government‘s move to allow outbound commercial travel on flights meant to repatriate Indian citizens without allowing reciprocal benefits to some countries like the US and France could have resulted in sentiments turning sour in these countries. With the order restricting Air India‘s repatriation flights on Monday, threatening to suspend the third and fourth freedoms of flying, the US has already tightened the policy on flying from India. France and the UAE too, have forced Air India to fly to Paris without any passengers. And then, there are the risks of rushing in too fast. New Zealand, which had successfully controlled the spread of coronavirus with zero fresh cases for weeks, relaxed the restrictions on travel into the country, only to almost immediately start recording new cases. Following this, the country tightened border restrictions again. Similarly, several European Union countries that wanted to reopen travel to revive their economies are considering blocking American citizens from entering their borders because they deem the US to be risky.
Country of Origin
(Source: Indian Express )
Contexxt: The government on Tuesday (June 23) made it mandatory for sellers on the Government e- Marketplace (GeM) portal to clarify the country of origin of their goods when registering new products.
What does this mean for goods sold on the GeM Portal? Sellers on the GeM portal, which is the Commerce Ministry‘s online marketplace for procurement of goods and services by various Ministries and government bodies, will now have to disclose the origins of their products. The portal also has a ‗Make in India‘ filter, and government offices will be able to ascertain which products have a higher content of indigenously produced raw materials. This would help them choose products that meet the ‗minimum 50 per cent local content‘ criterion when selecting bidders for their tenders — procurement norms amended by the government earlier this month categorise suppliers based on the level of local content in their goods.
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The GeM portal now allows buyers to reserve a bid for Class I local suppliers, or suppliers of those goods with more than 50 per cent local content. For bids below Rs 200 crore, only Class I and Class II (those with more than 20 per cent local content) are eligible.
Why is all of this happening? The decision comes in the backdrop of the Narendra Modi government‘s push for an ―Aatmanirbhar Bharat‖, which intends to promote self-reliance by boosting the use of locally produced goods. It also follows the deadly clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in Galwan Valley on June 15, which have prompted several government departments to launch an offensive against imports from China. At $ 70.32 billion in 2018-19 and $ 62.38 billion between April 2019 and February 2020, China accounts for the highest proportion of goods imported into India (around 14 per cent in 2019-2020 so far). In the case of private e-commerce firms, the demand for a country of origin tag is being pushed by a traders body known as Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT). According to CAIT, most e- commerce companies have been selling Chinese goods ―in large percentages‖.
How will ordinary consumers in India be impacted? The requirement to announce the country of origin of products sold on the GeM portal, coupled with the government‘s Make in India campaign and Aatmanirbhar push, may over time filter out imported goods from use in government offices and facilities. Products sold on the GeM portal range from stationery used by government officials to medical products that are used on patients — and this might provide an opportunity to Indian manufacturers across industries to push their products in government facilities. A more direct impact may be seen if the proposal to mandate the country of origin for products on private platforms is implemented. Such a decision is expected to lend more clarity to consumers on where their products are made, allowing them to make a better decision on whether they want to purchase this specific brand of the product or opt for a different one.
Decarbonising Transport in India
(Source: Press Information Bureau )
Context: NITI Aayog in collaboration with International Transport Forum (ITF) will launch the ―Decarbonising Transport in India‖ project, with the intention to develop a pathway towards a low-carbon transport system for India.
About the project: The ―Decarbonising Transport in India‖ project will design a tailor-made transport emissions assessment framework for India. It will provide the government with a detailed understanding of current and future transport activity and the related CO2 emissions as a basis for its decision-making. The India project is carried out in the wider context of the ITF‘s ―Decarbonising Transport‖ initiative. It is part of the ―Decarbonising Transport in Emerging Economies‖ (DTEE) family of projects, which supports transport decarbonisation across different world regions. India, Argentina, Azerbaijan and Morocco are the current participants.
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The DTEE is a collaboration between the ITF and the Wuppertal Institute, supported by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.
Ashadhi Bij
(Source: Press Information Bureau )
Context: PM greets people on Ashadhi Bij, the Kutchi New Year.
About Ashadhi Bij: Ashadhi Bij/Beej is the 2nd day of Shukla paksha of Ashadha month of the Hindu calendar (June – July). The Kutchi people of Gujarat celebrate their Kutchi New Year on this day. This day is associated with the beginning of rains in Kutch, Gujarat. On this festival, the people check the moisture in the atmosphere to help predict which crop would do best in the coming monsoon. Moisture in the air makes the seed and soil gain weight. If the pre-monsoon air has a lot of moisture in it, that is a fairly good indication that the season will be well. Kutch is largely a desert area, therefore people living there value rain very much. Ashadhi Beej is celebrated mainly at two places in India – Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, UP and Mulesh Mahadev in Umreth, Gujarat.
Government e-Marketplace (GeM)
(Source: Press Information Bureau )
Context: Information about Country of Origin by the sellers made mandatory on GeM to promote ‗Make in India‘ and ‗Atmanirbhar Bharat‘.
Details: Government e-Marketplace (GeM), a Special Purpose Vehicle under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has made it mandatory for sellers to enter the Country of Origin while registering all new products on GeM. Further, sellers, who had already uploaded their products before the introduction of this new feature on GeM, are being reminded regularly to update the Country of Origin, with a warning that their products shall be removed from GeM if they fail to update the same. GeM has taken this significant step to promote ‗Make in India‘ and ‗Atmanirbhar Bharat‘. GeM has also enabled a provision for indication of the percentage of local content in products. More importantly, the ‗Make in India‘ filter has now been enabled on the portal. Buyers can choose to buy only those products that meet the minimum 50% local content criteria. In case of bids, buyers can now reserve any bid for Class I Local suppliers (Local Content > 50%). For those bids below INR 200 crore, only Class I and Class II Local Suppliers (Local content > 50% and > 20% respectively) are eligible to bid, with Class I suppliers getting purchase preference.
What is Government e-Marketplace? The Government e-Marketplace is a dedicated online platform where goods and services can be procured by various organizations and departments under the Government of India, and by the PSUs also. GeM is aimed at enhancing the efficiency, speed and transparency in public procurement of goods and services. It also serves the objective of eliminating corruption. www.theprayasindia.com/e-pathshala [email protected] +91-7710013217 / 9892560176
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It is administered by the Ministry of Commerce and Industries under the Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (DGS&D) It functions under the Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (DGS&D), Ministry of Commerce and Industries. It is a completely paperless, cashless and system-driven e-marketplace that enables procurement of common use goods and services with a minimal human interface. It is an online marketplace for government officers and others for procurement.
Turant Customs
(Source: Press Information Bureau )
Context: CBIC enables end-to-end paperless exports under Turant Customs.
Turant Customs: Turant Customs, launched by CBIC, is a mega reform for the ease of doing business. The programme has been launched at Bengaluru and Chennai to take a leap forward to take advantage of the technology for faster customs clearance of imported goods. With the initiation of the programme at Bengaluru and Chennai, it marks the first phase of the All India roll out which would get completed by 31st December 2020. Under the programme, importers will avail benefits with the elimination of routine interface with the customs officers, which will provide uniformity in assessment across the country. The customs officers located outside the port of import will clear the goods from customs after doing faceless assessment remotely. Under this programme, the goods imported at Chennai may be assessed by the customs officers located at Bengaluru and vice versa, as assigned by the customs‘ automated system.
Annual TB Report 2020
(Source: Press Information Bureau )
Context: Union Health Minister releases the Annual TB Report 2020.
Details: The Minister also released a Joint Monitoring Mission (JMM) report, a manual on Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to TB patients under NIKSHAY system. The Annual TB Report is prepared and published by the Central TB Division, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, GOI.
Highlights of the Report: There were 20.04 lakh notified TB patients in 2019 in India, which is a 14% increase from 2018. The country is achieving near-complete on-line notification of TB patients through the NIKSHAY system. There has been a reduction in the number of missing cases to 2.9 lakh cases as against more than 10 lakhs in 2017. Private sector notifications increased by 35% with 6.78 lakh TB patients notified. Due to easy availability of molecular diagnostics, the proportion of children diagnosed with TB increased to 8% in 2019 compared to 6% in 2018. www.theprayasindia.com/e-pathshala [email protected] +91-7710013217 / 9892560176
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Provision of HIV testing for all notified TB patients increased from 67% in 2018 to 81% in 2019. Expansion of treatment services has resulted in a 12% improvement in the treatment success rate of notified patients. For 2019, it is 81% compared to 69% in 2018. More than 4.5 lakh DOT Centres provide treatment covering almost every village across the country. NIKSHAY also expanded the provision of four Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT) schemes of the programme: o Nikshay Poshan Yojana (NPY) to TB patients o The incentive to Treatment Supporters o Incentive to Private Providers and o Transport incentive to TB patients in the notified tribal areas The GOI is committed to achieving the SDG goal of eliminating TB in the country by 2025, five years ahead of the global target. To align with the ambitious goal, the programme has been renamed from Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP) to National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP).
About the National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP): It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme being implemented under the aegis of the National Health Mission with resource sharing between the State Governments and the Central Government. The goal of the program is to achieve a TB-free India with zero deaths, disease and poverty due to tuberculosis.
About the Nikshay system: It is an information management system that acts like a one-stop solution for managing patients‘ information and monitor program activity and performance all over the country. It is developed and maintained by the Central TB Division (CTD), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre (NIC), and the World Health Organization Country office for India. Nikshay is used by health functionaries at various levels across the country both in the public and private sector, to register cases under their care, order various types of tests from labs across the country, record treatment details, monitor treatment adherence and to transfer cases between care providers. It also functions as the National TB Surveillance System and enables reporting of various surveillance data to the Government of India.
Credit Guarantee Scheme for Sub-ordinate Debt (CGSSD)
(Source: Press Information Bureau )
Context: MSME Minister launched a new scheme for the distressed MSME sector called the Credit Guarantee Scheme for Sub-ordinate Debt (CGSSD).
About Credit Guarantee Scheme for Sub-ordinate Debt (CGSSD): It is also called the ‗Distressed Assets Fund–Sub-ordinate Debt for MSMEs‘. As per the Scheme, guarantee cover worth Rs. 20,000 crores will be provided to the promoters who can take debt from the banks to further invest in their stressed MSMEs as equity. The scheme was announced by the Finance Minister as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. The scheme seeks to extend support to the promoter(s) of the operational MSMEs which are stressed and have become NPAs as on 30th April, 2020. Promoter(s) of the MSMEs will be given credit equal to 15% of their stake (equity plus debt) or Rs. 75 lakh whichever is lower.
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Promoter(s) in turn will infuse this amount in the MSME unit as equity and thereby enhance the liquidity and maintain the debt-equity ratio. 90% guarantee coverage for this sub-debt will be given under the Scheme and 10% would come from the concerned promoters. There will be a moratorium of 7 years on payment of principal whereas the maximum tenor for repayment will be 10 years. It is expected that this scheme would provide much-required support to around 2 lakh MSMEs and will help in reviving the economic activity in and through this sector. It will also help in protecting the livelihoods and jobs of millions of people who depend on them.
Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe)
(Source: The Hindu )
Context: The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre has been created to provide private players to use Indian space infrastructure.
About IN-SPACe: IN-SPACe will help private players through encouraging policies, through a regulatory environment that is friendly as well as guiding private players in space activities. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will remain the basic body that decides what missions are to be undertaken but this new body will help fill the gaps. Private companies will be provided level playing field in satellites, launches and space-based services. Future projects for planetary exploration, outer space travel will be open for the private sector.
Kala-azar
(Source: Press Information Bureau )
Context: Team of scientists unveils new biomolecules to fight drug resistance in Kala-azar.
About Kala-azar: Kala-azar, also called, visceral leishmaniasis, is the most severe form of leishmaniasis and, without proper diagnosis and treatment, is associated with high fatality. Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania. It is transmitted through the bite of sand bites. Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease affecting almost 100 countries including India. There are three main forms of leishmaniasis: o Visceral, which affects multiple organs and is the most serious form of the disease o Cutaneous, which causes skin sores and is the most common form o Mucocutaneous, which causes skin and mucosal lesion The only drug available against leishmaniasis, miltefosine, is rapidly losing its effectiveness because of emerging resistance to this drug due to a decrease in its accumulation inside the parasite, which is necessary for the drug to kill the parasite. Specific types of protein molecules, called transporter proteins, play a major role in carrying miltefosine into and out of the parasite‘s body, which comprises a single cell. A protein called ‗P4ATPase-CDC50‘ is responsible for intake of the drug by the parasite, and another protein, called ‗P-glycoprotein‘ is responsible for throwing this drug out from within the parasite‘s body.
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A decrease in the activity of the former protein, and an increase in the activity of the latter results in less amounts of miltefosine being accumulated inside the parasite‘s body, thus causing it to become resistant to the drug.
Skills Build Reignite
(Source: Press Information Bureau )
Context: MSDE-IBM partnership unveils Free Digital Learning Platform ―Skills Build Reignite‖ to reach more job seekers & provide new resources to business owners in India.
Details: The free digital learning platform ‗Skills Build Reignite‘ provides job seekers and entrepreneurs, with access to free online coursework and mentoring support designed to help them reinvent their careers and businesses. Job seekers, individual business owners, entrepreneurs and any individual with learning aspirations can access content on topics including Artificial intelligence, Cloud, Data analytics and security to reskill and upskill themselves, at no cost. There is also personalized coaching for entrepreneurs, seeking advice to help establish or restart their small businesses as they begin to focus on recovery to emerge out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Courses for small business owners include, for example, financial management, business strategy, digital strategy, legal support and more.
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INTERNATIONAL
World Sickle Cell Day
(Source: Press Information Bureau )
Context: Union Minister for Tribal Affairs addresses webinar ‗National Sickle Cell Conclave‘ to mark the World Sickle Cell Day, organized by FICCI, jointly with Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Apollo Hospitals and Novartis.
About World Sickle Cell Day: World Sickle Cell Day is a United Nation‘s recognised day to raise awareness of sickle cell at a national and international level. In 2008, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution that recognises sickle cell disease as a public health problem and ―one of the world‘s foremost genetic diseases.‖ The resolution calls for members to raise awareness of sickle cell on June 19th of each year at national and international level.
About Sickle Cell Disease: Sickle cell disease is a group of disorders that affects haemoglobin, the molecule in red blood cells that delivers oxygen to cells throughout the body. People with this disorder have atypical haemoglobin molecules called haemoglobin S, which can distort red blood cells into a sickle, or crescent shape. The signs and symptoms of sickle cell disease are caused by the sickling of red blood cells. When red blood cells sickle, they break down prematurely, which can lead to anaemia. o Anaemia can cause shortness of breath, fatigue, and delayed growth and development in children. The rapid breakdown of red blood cells may also cause yellowing of the eyes and skin, which are signs of jaundice. Painful episodes can occur when sickled red blood cells, which are stiff and inflexible, get stuck in small blood vessels. People with sickle cell are also at risk of complications like stroke, acute chest syndrome, blindness, bone damage and priapism. Mutations in the HBB gene cause sickle cell disease. Sickle cell is a genetic disease. Treatment of sickle cell mostly focuses on preventing and treating complications.
NASA’s Mars rover
(Source: The Hindu Bussinessline )
Context: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) revealed that its next Mars rover would honour medical workers on the frontline battling coronavirus.
Details: The space agency showed the commemorative plate attached to the rover, aptly named Perseverance. The rover team called it the Covid-19 Perseverance plate, designed in the last couple of months. The black and white aluminium plate — 8-by-13 centimetres — shows planet Earth atop a staff entwined with a serpent, a symbol of the medical community. The path of the spacecraft also is depicted, with its origin from Cape Canaveral.
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According to NASA officials, the word perseverance has become more pronounced in the last few months as the battle against coronavirus took momentum all across the world. It‘s hard enough preparing a spacecraft for Mars, but doing this midst a pandemic made it even harder, Wallace said. Additional work shifts were added to reduce the number of people working on the rover at any one time and ensure social distancing. Others had to work from home. NASA is prepping up for its July 20 launch, even as the number of Covid-19 cases continue to rise in Florida. The mission of the rover is to collect rock and soil samples for eventual return to Earth. This is considered essential by the space agency, if the rover isn‘t launched by mid-August. NASA officials told the media that it would need to wait until 2022 when Earth and Mars are back in proper alignment. A two-year delay could add another $500 million to the nearly $3 billion mission. Unlike SpaceX's first astronaut launch late last month, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine isn‘t urging the public to stay home and watch online to avoid crowds. Perseverance is one of three upcoming missions to Mars. The United Arab Emirates and China also are preparing spacecraft for launch to the red planet by mid-August.
US pause on H1-B visas
(Source: Indian Express )
Context: The US administration was extending the 60-day ban on immigration and non-immigrant worker visas till the end of 2020. Popular work visas including the much-coveted H-1B and H-2B, and certain categories of H-4, J, and L visas shall also remain suspended until December 31, the White House said in a press note.
What are H-1B, H-2B, L and other work visas? In order to fill a vacuum of highly-skilled low-cost employees in IT and other related domains, the US administration issues a certain number of visas each year which allows companies from outside the US to send employees to work on client sites. Of these work visas, the H-1B remains the most popular among Indian IT companies. The US government has a cap of 85,000 total H-1B visas for each year. Of this, 65,000 H-1B visas are issued to highly skilled foreign workers, while the rest 20,000 can be additionally allotted to highly skilled foreign workers who have a higher education or masters degree from an American university.
Who is H-1B for? H-1B: Person is Specialty Occupation: To work in a specialty occupation. Requires a higher education degree of its equivalent. Includes fashion models of distinguished merit and ability and government-to- government research and development, or co-production projects administered by the Department of Defence. Apart from the H-1B visas, the US government also issues L1 visas which allows companies to transfer highly skilled workers to US for a period of up to seven years. H-2B visas allow food and agricultural workers to seek employment in the US.
Why did the US suspend non-immigrant worker visas? Since it was started in 1952, the H-1 visa scheme has undergone many changes and revisions to allow or disallow certain categories of skilled workers in the US, depending on the economic situation of the country. The technology boom coupled with the arrival of the internet and low-cost computers in developing nations such as India and China saw a large number of graduates willing to work at relatively low costs www.theprayasindia.com/e-pathshala [email protected] +91-7710013217 / 9892560176
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in the US, a win-win situation for both the employer and the employee. However, it has since often been criticised for sending low cost workers to the US at the expense of domestic workers.
In January 2017, after taking over as the president of the US, Trump had hinted that the low-cost workers were hampering the economy and undercutting jobs of citizens. The US had then hinted at reforming the ―broken‖ H-1B visa system. Trump seized the opportunity provided by the economic contraction due to Covid-19 by first banning the entry of non-immigrant workers till June 23, and then extending it till December 31. In his executive order extending the ban, Trump said that while under normal circumstances, ―properly administered temporary worker programs can provide benefits to the economy,‖, the extraordinary economic contraction created due to Covid-19 posed a threat to the US workers.
Who all does it impact? Since the ban is effective immediately, the processing of all new H-1B, H-2B, J, and L visa categories stand suspended. This means those who do not have a valid non-immigrant visa as of June 23, and are outside of the US, will not be allowed to enter the country until December 31. Workers in essential services in the food sector have been given some reprieve, and their entry shall be decided by the consular officer of immigration services. H-1B, H-2B, J and L visa holders, and their spouse or children already present in the US shall not be impacted by the new worker visa ban.
How does it impact Indian IT companies? Indian IT companies are amongst the biggest beneficiaries of the US H-1B visa regime, and have since 1990s cornered a lion‘s share of the total number of visas issued each year. As of April 1, 2020, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had received about 2.5 lakh H-1B work visa applications, according to official data. Indians had applied for as many as 1.84 lakh or 67 per cent of the total H-1B work visas for the current financial year ending March 2021. Apart from the suspension of these work visas, the executive order signed by Trump has also made sweeping changes to the H-1B work visa norms, which will no longer be decided by the currently prevalent lottery system. The new norms will now favour highly-skilled workers who are paid the highest wages by their respective companies. This could result in a significant impact on margins and worker wages of Indian IT companies which send thousands of low-cost employees to work on client sites in the US. Though the large Indian IT companies have cut down their dependency on H-1B and other worker visas by hiring as much as 50 per cent of staff locally, they still rely on these visas to keep costs in check.
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Indian IT companies also offer subcontracts to Indian nationals already present in the US with valid H- 1B visas. Bangalore-based Wipro spends as much as 20 per cent of its revenue to subcontract Indian workers with valid H-1B visas.
Victory Day
(Source: The Indian Express )
Context: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was on a three-day trip to Russia to attend the 75th Victory Day. India has sent a tri-services contingent to participate in the Victory Day Parade on Wednesday. China‘s Defence Minister and troops will also be present.
What is Victory Day? Victory Day marks the end of World War II and the victory of the Allied Forces in 1945. Adolf Hitler had shot himself on April 30. On May 7, German troops surrendered, which was formally accepted the next day, and came into effect on May 9. In most European countries, it is celebrated on May 8, and is called the Victory in Europe Day.
Why does Russia not celebrate Victory Day on the same date? The erstwhile Soviet Union had not wanted the surrender to take place in the west, and wanted that such a significant event should reflect the contribution of the Red Army and the Soviet population. According to military historian Antony Beevor‘s definitive book on World War II, Joseph Stalin, premier of the Soviet Union, wanted Germany to also sign a surrender in Berlin. The Act of Military Surrender was signed by Chief of the Operations Staff of the Armed Forces High Command Generallutenant Alfred Jodl and General Admiral Hans-George von Friedeburg in the early hours of May 7 in France at Rheims, which was the headquarters of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF). The surrender was to come into effect a minute past midnight on May 9. Stalin could not let the final ceremony take place in the west, so he insisted that the Germans sign another surrender in Berlin, at one minute past midnight on 9 May, the moment the capitulation agreed at Rheims came into effect. Though the document was signed, that British Prime Minister Winston Churchill ―cabled Stalin to explain that, since crowds were already gathering in London to celebrate, Victory in Europe Day celebration in Britain would take place on 8 May, as they did in the United States‖. This did not convince Stalin, who argued that ―Soviet troops were still fighting‖ the German forces in many areas. German soldiers did not surrender in East Prussia, Courland Peninsula, Czechoslovakia till later. Victory celebration, Stalin wrote, could therefore not begin in the Soviet Union till 9 May. Since then May 9 has been celebrated at Victory Day in Russia.
If May 9 is Victory Day, why is it being celebrated on June 24? This year, the celebrations this year were pushed to June because of the Covid-19 pandemic. In November 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin had invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Victory Day celebration which were due to be held on May 9. Modi could not travel to Moscow, but he wished Putin on May 9 through a tweet: ―India stands with Russia in solemn remembrance today, on the 75th Anniversary of Victory Day. Tens of thousands of Indian soldiers also made the supreme sacrifice in the Second World War. My warm greetings to President Putin and the Russian people on this occasion.‖
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Blazars
(Source: Press Information Bureau )
Context: Study of optical properties of super-massive black-holes can provide clues to emission mechanism from its close vicinity.
About the Study: Scientists from nine countries in Asia and Europe observed changes in a very high energy gamma-ray emitting blazar ‗1ES 0806+524‘. The study was conducted by taking 2263 image frames and observing the changes through 153 nights. The images were taken by seven optical telescopes in Europe and Asia.
What is a Blazar? A blazar is a feeding super-massive black-hole (SMBH) in the heart of a distant galaxy that produces a high-energy jet viewed face-on from Earth. Blazars are one of the most luminous and energetic objects in the known universe with a jet composed of ionized matter traveling at nearly the speed of light directed very nearly towards an observer. Relativistic beaming of electromagnetic radiation from the jet makes blazars appear much brighter than they would be if the jet were pointed in a direction away from Earth. Blazars are powerful sources of emission across the electromagnetic spectrum and are observed to be sources of high-energy gamma ray photons. Blazars are important topics of research in astronomy and high-energy astrophysics. o They are among one of the most favourite astronomical transient objects because they emit radiation in the complete EM spectrum, and their flux and polarization are highly variable. To explain it in simple words, blazars are the same as quasars, but pointed at a different angle. What are quasars? o At the centre of most galaxies, there‘s a gargantuan black hole that can have the mass of millions or even billions of Suns. o In some galaxies, this supermassive black hole may collect a swirling disk of gas, dust and stellar debris around it to eat from. o As material in the disk falls towards the black hole, its gravitational energy can be converted to light, making the centres of these galaxies very bright and giving them the name active galactic nuclei (AGN). o Some of these active galactic nuclei also shoot out colossal jets of material that travel close to the speed of light, called quasars. o When the galaxy happens to be oriented so that the jet points towards the earth, it‘s called a blazar.
Education gap widened: UNESCO
(Source: The Hindu )
Context: The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated inequalities in education systems across the world. According to a UNESCO report released recently, about 40% of low- and lower-middle-income countries have not supported learners at risk of exclusion during this crisis, such as the poor, linguistic minorities and learners with disabilities.
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Details: The 2020 Global Education Monitoring Report noted that efforts to maintain learning continuity during the pandemic may have actually worsened exclusion trends. During the height of school closures in April 2020, almost 91% of students around the world were out of school. ―Education systems responded with distance learning solutions, all of which offered less or more imperfect substitutes for classroom instruction,‖ said the report, noting that while many poorer countries opted for radio and television lessons, 55% of low-income, 73% of lower-middle-income and 93% of upper-middle-income countries adopted for online learning platforms for primary and secondary education. India has used a mix of all three systems for educational continuity. ―Even as governments increasingly rely on technology, the digital divide lays bare the limitations of this approach. Not all students and teachers have access to adequate internet connection, equipment, skills and working conditions to take advantage of available platforms,‖ said the report. School closures also interrupted support mechanisms from which many disadvantaged learners benefit. Resources for blind and deaf students may not be available outside schools, while children with learning disabilities or those who are on the autism spectrum may struggle with independent work in front of a computer or the disruption of daily school routines, said the report. For poor students who depend on school for free meals or even free sanitary napkins, closures have been a major blow. Cancellation of examinations in many countries, including India, may result in scoring dependent on teachers‘ judgements of students instead, which could be affected by stereotypes of certain types of students, said the report. Higher drop-out rates are also a concern; during an earlier Ebola epidemic in Africa, many older girls never returned to school once the crisis was over. In order to combat the situation, 17% of low and middle-income countries are planning to recruit more teachers, 22% to increase class time and 68% to introduce remedial classes when schools reopen, said the report. ―How such classes are planned and targeted will be critical to whether disadvantaged students can catch up,‖ it added.
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Mains
GS II
The Galwan Valley Issue
(Source: The Hindu )
Context: On June 15, the worst violence on the India-China border since 1967 claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldiers. The clash occurred in the Galwan Valley, which hasn‘t been a site of conflict since 1962. On June 19, the Chinese Foreign Ministry in a statement claimed that the entire valley is located ―on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC)‖, which followed a statement from the People‘s Liberation Army stating that ―China always owns sovereignty over the Galwan Valley region‖. India has described the claims as ―exaggerated and untenable‖.
Where is Galwan Valley? The valley refers to the land that sits between steep mountains that buffet the Galwan River. The river has its source in Aksai Chin, on China‘s side of the LAC, and it flows east to Ladakh, where it meets the Shyok river on India‘s side of the LAC. The valley is strategically located between Ladakh in the west and Aksai Chin in the east, which is currently controlled by China as part of its Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. At its western end are the Shyok river and the Darbuk-Shyok-Daulet Beg Oldie (DSDBO) road. Its eastern mouth lies not far from China‘s vital Xinjiang Tibet road, now called the G219 highway.
Where does the Line of Actual Control lie? The LAC lies east of the confluence of the Galwan and Shyok rivers in the valley, up to which both India and China have been patrolling in recent years. After the June 15 clash, however, China has claimed the entire valley lies on its side of the LAC. Since early May, China has been objecting to India‘s road construction activities at the western end of the valley, in the area between the Galwan-Shyok confluence and the LAC. Beijing is now saying the entire valley is on its side of the LAC, which pegs the line further west near the Shyok river. India has rejected the claim as ―exaggerated and untenable‖.
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Most Chinese maps show most of Galwan river on China‘s side of the line, but short of the confluence. This broadly corresponds with the LAC as India sees it – and in India‘s view, as China saw it, until recently.
What do maps tell us? Maps paint a complicated picture. In 1959, then Premier Zhou Enlai said a 1956 map portrayed the correct alignment. This showed the entire Galwan Valley as a part of India. However, in June 1960 China put out a map claiming sovereignty over the valley. A Chinese map from November 1962 also claims the entire valley, but subsequent maps have not shown the western tip of the river as a part of China.
By citing its territorial claims, can China alter the Line of Actual Control? Territorial claims and LAC claims are not the same. Regardless of whether or not China claims territorial rights to the valley, the LAC that both countries abided by until recently ran through the valley. The distinction between territorial claims and LAC claims is sometimes blurred. The LAC refers to territory under the effective control of each side, not to their entire territorial claim. For instance, India‘s territorial claims extend 38,000 sq km on the other side of the LAC across all of Aksai Chin, but the LAC India observes runs through the valley. It is true that the LAC has never been demarcated and there are differences in perception of where it lies in more than a dozen spots, but there have not been previous incidents in the valley. By now staking a claim to the entire Galwan Valley and up to the confluence of the rivers, China is, in India‘s view, unilaterally altering the LAC here. According to the 1993 Border Peace and Tranquility Agreement (BPTA), India and China agreed to ―strictly respect and observe the LAC between the two sides‖. This referred to the LAC at the time, rendering irrelevant the line of actual control in 1959 or 1962. It also says that ―when necessary, the two sides shall jointly check and determine the segments of the line of actual control where they have different views as to its alignment.‖ Clarifying the LAC has also been explicitly codified in the 1996 agreement on confidence-building measures and subsequent agreements. China, however, has refused to exchange maps in the western sector to take this process forward. The BPTA also said ―the two sides agree that references to the line of actual control in this agreement do not prejudice their respective positions on the boundary question.‖
COVID-19 exposed dependence of world on China for API
(Source: Down to Earth )
Context: Chinese dominance in the pharmaceutical sector has been questioned across the world. In an April-6 note, the United States Congressional Research Service observed that COVID-19 ―is drawing attention to the ways in which the US economy depends on manufacturing and supply chains based in China‖. White House trade adviser Peter Navarro is working towards relocation of medical supply chains to the US. Japan and Australia have similar plans.
Details: In September 2019, the European Fine Chemical Group, a non-profit association of European fine chemical manufacturers, published a briefing paper asking countries to reduce their dependence on China and India.
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Massive offshoring of API production and Registered Starting Materials leaves the European Union dependent on China and India for close to 80 per cent of its medicinal products. COVID-19 has underlined these dark spots of global supply chain. Only 28 per cent of the manufacturing facilities making active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) for the US markets were based in that country. China and India enjoy advantage of low labour costs which reduces the API manufacturing costs. API manufacturing in India can reduce costs for US and European companies by 30 to 40 per cent. Manufacturing in China gets benefit of lower electricity, coal and water costs. Chinese firms are also embedded in a network of raw materials and intermediary suppliers and, therefore, have lower shipping and transaction costs. They face fewer environmental regulations regarding buying, handling and disposing toxic chemicals, leading to lower direct costs for these firms, Woodcock said.
Towards self-sufficiency India, too, has been worried about its increasing dependence on China. In 2014, Rajya Sabha member Motilal Vora raised the issue of inappropriateness of importing API from a single country in the House. The same year, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval called the rising dependence on Chinese drug makers a ―national threat‖. In 2013, a high-level committee on promoting domestic manufacture of APIs had already been set up under VM Katoch, the then director general of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). In July 2018, a parliamentary standing committee report presented to the Rajya Sabha pointed out there was an urgent need to revive the country‘s capability to produce APIs. The committee noted that China had increased the prices 1,200 per cent in the last two years. This slashed the profit margin for India‘s industry. To increase self-sufficiency, the Katoch committee‘s report, submitted to the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers in February 2015, recommended the creation of three to six mega parks. These parks should provide free or shared water, electricity, effluent treatment plants and testing facilities to the pharmaceutical industry. The government would have to invest Rs 750-1,000 crore for each of these. The committee recommended that the private manufacturers should be provided benefits like 15-year tax-free status, access to loans and foreign investment. It also pushed for reviving the public sector Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited with an infusion of Rs 500 crore. While this committee‘s report was awaiting implementation, the government formed another task force in 2018, chaired by Mansukh Mandaviya, the Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers. This, too, reiterated the recommendations of Katoch committee. India has already started work to revive the industry. Department of pharmaceuticals has approved development of mega parks in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh and is providing assistance up to Rs 100 crore for creation of Common Facility Centre (CFC) in these under the scheme Assistance to Bulk Drug Industry for CFC. India‘s record in creating such parks has, however, not been good (see ‗India has poor track record‘).
Affordability in the key Manufacturers say it is not easy to cut the umblical cord with China for supply of basic drugs. The government needs to regulate drug prices to ensure that people have access to cheaper medicines. This, in turn, makes the pharmaceutical sector look for ways to cut prices, thus increasing their dependence on the lowcost Chinese model. Beside availability, the affordability of medicines is a major challenge for India. Media reports already demonstrate that API prices in India have shot up after the pandemic. China provides 75 per cent of APIS used in the formulations of drugs in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) and there could be an increase in prices of medicines in the list. Increased self-sufficiency in manufacturing of critical bulk drugs would ensure the availability of essential drugs listed under NLEM at affordable prices.
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The government has to mandatorily ensure that prices are low as these drugs are part of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, which regulates the prices of essential supplies like grains, foodstuffs and medicines. The list of drugs under price control has steadily expanded from 74 in 1995 to nearly 860 in 2019. According to brokerage firm Centrum Broking, going by the wholesale price index of 2019 and 2020, the increase in prices of drugs under NLEM would not be steep. However, prices of non-NLEM drugs would continue to increase at 10 per cent. With China resuming supplies of raw materials, potential disruption in manufacturing is now no longer a concern. There has been inflation in select raw material supplies but the same should only have a minor impact on gross margins during the quarter. Private manufacturers have not been keen to provide medicines that are under price cap. They say it does not help as the poor are still not able to afford them. The problem is that India spends too little on healthcare. Instead of price control, he suggested options like trade margin rationalisation, centralised procurement, social health insurance schemes, cross subsidisation and state financing of essential drugs should be used. India has to keep the drug costs low. Its public spending on health is very low. It is unlikely that the country would be able to procure much if it buys at the private sector prices. Public sector pharmaceutical companies, therefore, become relevant as they can provide drugs at the cost price even after including the cost of pollution control.
MEGA PHARMA PARKS
India has a poor track record
India‘s experience with dedicated vaccine ―parks‖ has been disheartening. In 2008, the Union government decided that an Integrated Vaccine Complex would be set up at Chengalpattu near Chennai by HLL Biotech Ltd (HBL), a subsidiary of HLL Lifecare Ltd, which is a government of India corporation. Production was to start in 2012 with an estimated cost of Rs 594 crore. But in 2018-2019, additional funds of around Rs 300 crore were asked for. This demand was rejected. Though the infrastructural facilities have been set up in the park, production has not yet started. Recruitments began in HBL in 2013, but the employees who were supposed to set the research and production facilities at the park, have not been paid since July 2019. In June 2019, the workers were given the option to go on unpaid leave for up to five years and pursue other career options. In November 2017, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced the intention to sell 100 per cent government equity in HBL. The workers claim the decision was taken on the recommendations of the NITI Aayog to dismantle public sector organisations and promote private players which were already supplying vaccines at high costs. In January, Bharat Biotech International, a private vaccine manufacturer based in Hyderabad, wrote to health minister Harsh Vardhan and showed interest in partnering with the government to revive the unit and invest in it. Bharat Biotech was willing to work with HLL Lifecare Ltd to manufacture and market several of their vaccines. But nothing has happened since then.
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Russia-India-China
(Source: Indian Express )
Context: Russia has emerged, all of a sudden, as a key diplomatic player amid the tension between India and China.
Why it matters While India and China have been talking at each other — and not to each other — the outreach to Moscow is noteworthy. It is widely known that Russia and China have grown their relationship in the past few years. The Moscow-Beijing axis is crucial, especially since Washington has been at loggerheads with China in recent months and Russia much more calibrated, even in its response on the Covid-19 outbreak. New Delhi believes that the approach of Western countries, especially that of the US towards both Moscow and Beijing, has brought them even closer.
Initial friction Russia and China have had a rocky start to their relationship, after Mao Zedong founded the People‘s Republic of China. When Mao made his first visit to Moscow after winning control of China, in 1949, he was made to wait for weeks for a meeting with the Soviet leader. During the Cold War, China and the USSR were rivals after the Sino-Soviet split in 1961, competing for control of the worldwide Communist movement. There was a serious possibility of a major war in the early 1960s and a brief border war took place in 1969. This enmity began to reduce following Mao‘s death in 1976, but relations were not very good until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Mending fences In the post-Cold War era, economic relations have formed the ―new strategic basis‖ for Sino-Russian relations. China is Russia‘s biggest trading partner and the largest Asian investor in Russia. China sees Russia as a powerhouse of raw material and a growing market for its consumer goods. The West‘s approach towards Russia after the annexation of Crimea through harsh sanctions in 2014 brought Moscow much closer to China. And India, for its part, has always felt that it was the West which has pushed Russia towards a tighter embrace of Beijing. A Sino-Russian quasi-alliance has formed in recent years, and this has been possible due to the anti- Chinese rhetoric from Washington, collapse of oil prices and growing dependence of Russia on Chinese consumption. Western analysts see this as a ―friendship of convenience‖ between two countries led by strongmen — Russia by President Vladimir Putin and China by President Xi Jinping. Russia has been extremely calibrated in its statements on issues on which Beijing is most sensitive to: Huawei‘s 5G rollout, Hong Kong and the Covid-19 pandemic (see box).
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Beijing and Moscow, however, do not always see eye to eye with each other. China does not recognise Crimea as part of Russia, and Moscow, formally speaking, takes a neutral stance on Beijing‘s claims in the South China Sea.
India and Russia India has a historical relationship with Russia, spanning over seven decades. While the relationship has grown in some areas and atrophied in some others, the strongest pillar of the strategic partnership is of the defence basket. Although New Delhi has consciously diversified its new purchases from other countries, the bulk of its defence equipment is from Russia. Estimates say 60 to 70 per cent of India‘s supplies are from Russia, and New Delhi needs a regular and reliable supply of spare parts from the Russian defence industry. In fact, Prime Minister Modi has held informal summits with only two leaders — Xi and Putin. India has made this decision to reach out to Russia not just out of choice, but also out of necessity, since it believes Moscow has leverage and influence to shape and change Beijing‘s hard stance on border issue. At this time when there is tension at the border, Defence Minister Singh will discuss supply and purchase of new defence systems — like the S-400 missile defence system — with the Russian top brass in the military and government.
Russia position, then & now During the Doklam crisis in 2017, Russian diplomats in Beijing were among the few briefed by the Chinese government. At that time, it was kept under the wraps. While Russia‘s position during the 1962 war was not particularly supportive of India, New Delhi takes comfort in Moscow‘s support during the 1971 war. On the events in Galwan, Moscow responded in a very calibrated manner last week. On June 17, Russian Ambassador Kudashev tweeted, ―We welcome all steps aimed at de-escalation at the LAC, including the conversation between the two FMs, and remain optimistic.‖ He had said: ―The existence of the RIC is an undisputable reality, firmly fixed on the world map. As for the current stage of the trilateral cooperation, there are no indications that it might be frozen.‖ According to Russian news agency TASS, Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin is concerned over a clash between the military on the border between China and India but believes that the two countries could resolve this conflict themselves.
How to battle depression
(Source: The Hindu )
Context: Life is sometimes filled with anxiety, internal conflict, disharmony, uncertainty and fear of the unknown. These thoughts give way to myriad feelings. One tends to feel like a stranger to one‘s self. COVID-19 has acted as a catalyst inducing angst in the life of individuals who are already stressed because of various factors and modern lifestyles.
Stress in modern life There are many factors that cause stress in modern life. They include more engagement with technology and less with people; more focus on ―success‖ (the ends) rather than the process of learning (the means); never-ending aspirations; relationship issues; impatience while doing tasks, for this is a generation looking for instant gratification; and too many choices and the limitations of the human mind to choose wisely.
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With the bridging of gender inequalities, increase in employment of women, growth and development of urban and peri-urban areas, interference of the media and social media in every aspect of life, and disruption in the traditional joint family system, there is an underlying strain on the socio-cultural fabric. Some of this stress, if not handled well, can push human beings into depression. Some interesting cases and studies throw light on the coping mechanisms for anxiety and depression. Viktor Frankl, who was detained in Nazi concentration camps, studied the source of depression and found that it is the lack of meaning in life. Individuals who are able to discover meaning tend to achieve the will and strength to endure life. That brings us to the next question: how do we find meaning in life? Meaning can be found in love and work. Love for fellow beings is what motivates a person to work or take action. If we can base our actions and work on a shared love for family members and society at large, we can find effective meaning in life. ‗The Art of Living‘ involves managing the self for others. Prescriptions for depression and anxiety can be found in the writings of Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore believed that being socially connected was an antidote to the mental estrangement that plague-affected people were undergoing in 1918. Tagore was aware that such a wildly contagious disease was likely to cause panic among the students. He organised many events in the Ashram which ensured that social connections existed despite physical distance. In an essay, he suggested that we generate bonhomie between the affected and those who were not, because the ill were not the enemy; the illness was. For immunity from psychological suffering, what was required was a design of togetherness, which Tagore insisted was ingrained in the famous Rig Vedic dicta, Yatra Visvam Bhavati Ekanidam (where the whole world meets in a single nest) and Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family).
Connecting with others Besides finding meaning in life, social connect is very important. Positive and continuous communication is the key to end the misery of anxiety, depression and stress to achieve higher levels of well-being. It is an earnest request to all the students and teachers who are under any form of stress, or tend to feel depressed, to reach out and talk to people, whether friends or relatives. A depressed person may not want to connect initially. Therefore, it‘s an appeal to family, relatives and friends to watch out for signs in their near and dear ones of persistent sadness, aloofness, loss of interest in activities and appetite, negative thoughts including about self-harm, and provide immediate support and connect. We must not stigmatise the condition of mental health issues; it can happen to anyone. Instead, let us support our family and friends to tide over the difficult times with love and care. In doing so, we will find meaning in our own lives. Every Indian citizen is unique as he/she undertakes life‘s journey in this diverse and vibrant democracy. The onus lies on society and the immediate family to identify the unique talents in each member of society/ child and nurture them, so that people don‘t feel neglected/isolated. Individuals should work for society and for themselves so that they are part of communities. This spirit of harmony between individual and society glued by communication is the best way we can overcome stress, anxiety and depression.
Ban on Chinese Imports
Context: Following the recent clashes with Chinese troops in Ladakh in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed, there has been a growing clamour in the country to boycott goods from the neighbouring country. However, the development has caused an alarm among various industry bodies that are concerned about the www.theprayasindia.com/e-pathshala [email protected] +91-7710013217 / 9892560176
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adverse impact in the event of a blanket ban on exports in several sectors. Industry associations, from pharmaceuticals to telecommunications and automobiles, are of the view that a ―knee-jerk‖ offensive against China till alternative vendors are finalised or domestic capacities are built will hurt the economy, including the country‘s exports.
How dependent is India on Chinese imports? China accounts for a sizable portion of India‘s top imports, especially where intermediate products or components and raw materials are concerned. It has also been the top exporter of products like electrical machinery, equipment and their parts, nuclear reactors, organic and inorganic chemicals, fertilisers as well as vehicles, their parts and accessories. In several cases, China’s contribution is much higher than the second-largest exporter countries of these products to India. The neighbouring country also accounts for 45 per cent of India‘s total electronics imports. A third of machinery and almost two-fifths of organic chemicals that India purchases from the world comes from China, according to the Confederation of Indian Industry. Automotive parts and fertilisers are other items where China‘s share in India‘s import is more than 25 per cent. Several of these products are used by Indian manufacturers in the production of finished goods, thus thoroughly integrating China in India‘s manufacturing supply chain. For instance India sources close to 90 per cent of certain mobile phone parts from China. Even as an export market, China is a major partner for India. At $15.5 billion, it is the third largest destination for Indian shipments. At the same time, India only accounts for a little over two per cent of China‘s total exports, according to the Federation of Indian Export Organisation (FIEO).
How could a blanket ban on Chinese imports hit India’s exports? Across sectors from pharmaceuticals to telecommunications and automobiles, industry associations have been speaking up against a complete boycott of Chinese imports. A ―blanket ban‖ may not be feasible because of India‘s dependence on the country for crucial raw materials. Banning the imports of raw materials from China without which products over here cannot be manufactured will make things difficult. If they take retaliatory measures, it would impact us more negatively. The India Cellular and Electronics Association and the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association are among other trade and industry associations that are on the edge. For instance, of the nearly $3.6 billion worth of ingredients that Indian drug-makers import to manufacture several essential medicines, China catered to around 68 per cent. India is considered one of the largest pharma industries in the world, and accounts for a considerable portion of imports of finished formulations by other large economies like the US. While pharma consignments from China have unofficially been stopped at ports in India, and are expected to be cleared after thorough checks, a ban could create shortages of medicines both for India‘s domestic and export markets. Most large pharmaceutical firms in India currently have sufficient stock of ingredients to last them until September. We will start seeing a major impact by December if the issue is not resolved by then. Several countries and regions depend on India for formulations like paracetamol.
What are the alternatives in this situation? The decision to boycott non-essential products made in China can be left to the individual, while trade- related measures like raising duties on cheaper raw materials imported from China would be better than an outright embargo. This would still allow access to crucial ingredients in the short-term while India looks to build self- reliance or maybe switch to alternate trade partners. It would be better to maybe raise duties on cheaper raw materials instead of going in for a blanket ban.
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An analysis by CII shows that countries like the US, Vietnam, Japan, Mexico and certain European countries could be tapped as alternate import sources for some critical electronic, vehicular and pharmaceutical components as well. It is likely that the costs of the raw materials from these alternate sources will be higher and may get passed on to consumers if the manufacturers cannot absorb them. India will need to look into the totality of its trade with China and Hong Kong and implement certain short- to long-term plans to reduce its dependence on them, according to FIEO. The government‘s ―Atmanirbhar‖ focus is expected to help ministries handhold industries where self- reliance needs to be built. Some measures, like the decision to push bulk drug parks in India, have to be executed. India has been able to reduce its import dependence in the mobile sector through a long-term focus on building self-reliance in manufacturing some of the crucial components required to make them. According to FIEO, this approach can be replicated in other sectors like electronic and telecommunication where there is a need to encourage Indian investments as well as Foreign Direct Investments through fiscal incentives. While an increase in tariff can be one way to achieve it (import substitution), the more effective strategy would be to provide an ecosystem that addresses the cost disability of Indian manufacturing leading to such imports. Import substitution manufacturing should attract interest subvention on credit, offsetting inland freight disadvantage besides equalization of import tariff from free trade areas. Exporters will also have to minimise their impact through strategies that involve a focus on other advanced and emerging markets and by also exploring countries that are currently experiencing a high anti-China sentiment, according to FIEO.
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Special Issue June (Week 4)
Order of Nine Angles
Context: O9A is considered to be a satanic, anarchist group founded in the UK in the 1970s that now operates around the world, including in the US. A US Army private has confessed to plotting an attack on his own unit by sharing secret information with an obscure satanic neo-Nazi group called the Order of the Nine Angles (O9A). The private, identified as 22-year-old Ethan Melzer, was arrested by the FBI on June 10
What has the US soldier been charged with? Private Ethan Melzer has been charged for sending sensitive US military information to members of O9A in an attempt to facilitate a “mass casualty” attack on Melzer‟s unit. Melzer is charged with conspiring and attempting to murder US nationals, conspiring and attempting to murder military service members, providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists, and conspiring to murder and maim in a foreign country. According to the criminal complaint and the indictment that charges Melzer, he joined the US Army in 2018 and joined the O9A in 2019. Melzer was deployed with the Army abroad in October 2019. Prior to planning the attack against his unit, he consumed propaganda from extremist groups, including O9A and the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham. One ISIS-issued document seized by the FBI from Melzer‟s iCloud described attacks and murders of US personnel around April 2020. In April 2020, the Army informed Melzer about further foreign deployment after which he sought to facilitate a “deadly attack” on members of his unit. After he was notified about the assignment, Melzer used an encrypted application to send messages to members of O9A and a related group known as “RapeWaffen Division”, which included communication regarding Melzer‟s commitment to O9A and sharing sensitive details related to the unit‟s anticipated deployment such as locations, movements and security. Further, around May 17, Melzer exchanged electronic communication regarding passing the information about the deployment to a purported member of al-Qaeda. Significantly, during a voluntary interview with military investigators and the FBI, Melzer admitted his role in plotting the attack and that he intended the attack to result in the deaths of as many of his fellow service members as possible.
What is the Order of the Nine Angles? O9A is considered to be a satanic, anarchist group founded in the UK in the 1970s that now operates around the world, including in the US. The group describes itself as “a diverse, and world-wide, collective of diverse groups, tribes, and individuals, who share and who pursue similar sinister, subversive, interests, aims and life-styles, and who cooperate when necessary for their mutual benefit and in pursuit of their shared aims and objectives…” The criteria for belonging to the ONA is this pursuit of similar, sinister, subversive interests, aims, and life-styles, together with the desire to co-operate when it is beneficial to them and the pursuit of their shared aims. There is thus no formal ONA membership, and no Old-Aeon, hierarchy or even any rules. David Myatt is considered to be the main ideologist for the group and, according to the book, “The Devil‟s Party: Satanism in Modernity”, Myatt has actively participated in violent neo-Nazi and Islamist terrorist groups, hoping to bring down the “old order”.
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A copy of Myatt‟s manual on Aryan revolution inspired nail-bomber David Copeland who executed the 1999 London nail bombings, and a text by Myatt defending suicide attacks was featured on Hamas‟ website, according to the book. The document detailing the complaint against Melzer mentions that in one of their texts, the O9A claim that Adolf Hitler was sent by Gods to guide them towards “greatness” and that they believe in the inequality of races and in the right of the Aryan to live according to the law of the folk. “We acknowledge that the story of the Jewish “[H]olocaust” is a lie to keep our race in chains and express our desire to see the truth revealed,” it says. The group has also expressed support for former al-Qaeda emir Osama bin Laden and has praised Nazi Germany as being a “practical expression of the satanic spirit”. They also believe that since the time of Nazi Germany, western civilisation has become perverted by Judeo-Christian values, among other things and therefore, they seek to overthrow this civilisation by violent means.
Patanjali’s claims of COVID-19 drugs
(Source: Down to Earth )
Context: The Union Ministry of Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH) barred Patanjali Ayurved from advertising and publicising two drugs it claimed could cure novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on June 23, 2020, just hours after the company made the claim. This means Patanjali would not be able to sell the drugs.
Details: Though the sale has been put on hold, there are several chinks in Patanjali‟s armour if one is to go by the company‟s claims. The statement issued by Patanjalli had said that two of its drugs, „Coronil‟, and „Swashir Vati‟, had treated 69 per cent COVID-19 positive patients at the end of three days of administration of the drug and 100 per cent after seven days of administration. The statement had added that „clinical case study‟ was done in several cities and it named Delhi, Meerut and Ahmedabad out of them. Only the Jaipur arm of the trial has been completed. At other centres, the trial is yet to be undertaken. Ramdev, who owns Patanjali, had announced the launch of the drugs in a press conference. He had said the results of the trials had been sent for publications in peer-reviewed journals. First the results are to be shared with Clinical Trials Registry of India (CTRI). That has not been done yet.. Only after that, will the results be sent for peer-review to any journal. For any clinical trial to be conducted, it has to be registered under CTRI that is maintained by the Indian Council of Medical Research. It grants approval for the trial. The Patanjali trial is registered with CTRI. While the Patanjali statement claimed about 100 per cent results at the end of seven days, Sharma gave some clarity about the results. As many as 45 patients were given the inactive form of the drug and 45, the active form. The recovery rate at the end of three days was 69 per cent in active form and 50 per cent in inactive. At the end of seven days of administration of the drug, Patanjali found 100 per cent recovery rate in those who were given active form and 65 per cent in inactive form. The statement also claimed that symptomatic COVID-19 patients became asymptomatic after drug administration.
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Violations of ministry orders? The Ayush ministry statement, meanwhile, indicates that Patanjali decided to go ahead with the publicity of the drug without keeping it in the loop, that was a violation of its order dated April 21, 2020 regarding research on COVID drugs. The order said it was mandatory for organisations to appraise the ministry before going ahead with the publicity. The statement also gave a reference to another order dated April 1, 2020, that specifically barred the publicity of what it terms „false claims‟ of any COVID-19-related treatment in TV, print and electronic media. Doing so would lead to penal actions under National Disaster Management Authority guidelines. The ministry has now asked Patanjali to immediately furnish the details including results of trial besides the drug composition, testing protocol and sample size.
What about institute which conducted trial? According to Patanjali‟s statement, the „randomised control trial‟ (RCT) was conducted in the NIMR, Jaipur. This is a private institute, incidentally, established in 2009. What prior experience does this institute have in conducting drug trials? Its website does not claim anything. A look at CTRI suggests this institute has so far registered only twice, including this occasion, for drug trials. The other trial registered with this institute‟s name is for a drug to treat depression. That trial was also registered in June 2020. This was, however, not an RCT, which involves rigorous research. The experts, nonetheless, also say that this raises several questions avout how somebody could make stark claims such as finding a cure for COVID-19, publicise it for hours and add to already existing confusion about the disease.
Drug controller under scanner It is for the drug controller general of India (DCGI) office to explain on what basis its Uttarakhand arm granted the approval for manufacture. In fact, the statement issued by Patanjali Ayurved quoted Ramdev to say, “Within seven days, the drugs will be available in Patanjali stores in every district and block headquarters of the country.” A permission is needed from the state drug controller for mass manufacturing and selling a drug. Jesani is not the only one questioning DCGI. In fact, the statement put out by the Ayush ministry also does so. It has sought details from the licensing authority of Uttarkhand on the basis of which product approval was granted. It is bizarre. If Patanjali Ayurved presented results to the state drug controller, let it make those results public. Why should it be brushed under the carpet?
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