Daily Prelims Notes July, 2020 Santosh

Daily Prelims Notes July, 2020 Santosh Sir All 6 Prelims qualified If I can do it, you can too [email protected], https://t.me/asksantoshsir WWW.OPTIMIZEIAS.COM

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Table of Contents History...... 3 Geography ...... 17 Indian Polity ...... 31 Economics ...... 92 General Science ...... 143 Environment ...... 207 Current Affairs ...... 236 Government Scheme ...... 257 International Relations ...... 279

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History 1. Bon Bibi Palagaan

Context: The centuries-old folk theatre form and the worship of a forest goddess has helped the islanders of sunderbans to understand the power of nature and the limits the human need.

Concept:  Bonbibi Palagaan is a dramatic performance tradition connected with the worship of the cult goddess Bonbibi.  The followers of Bon Bibi are fishermen, crab-collectors and honey- gatherers many of them impoverished who go into the wild mangroves, teeming with wild animals such as tigers and crocodiles, to earn a livelihood. They believe that only Bon Bibi protects them when they enter the forest.  Traditionally, Bonbibi-r Palagaan was simply recited or sung as a eulogy to the deity to invoke her blessings.  In contrast to the Bengali literary canon, this popular performance-ritual, which is exclusively practised in the Sundarbans in lower delta region West Bengal and Bangladesh, has survived orally or through handwritten manuscripts in the periphery without receiving much recognition.  The word ‘pala’ means a ‘long narrative verse’ and ‘gaan’ means ‘song’ in Bengali.  Bonbibi Palagaan is considered to be the representative performance-ritual of the Sundarbans and also an emblem of the syncretist nature of the region.

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2. Sindhu Darshan Festival

Context: Prime Minister has performed Sindhu Darshan puja at Nimu in Ladakh

Concept:  It is celebrated annually from 1997 with an objective to signify role of river Sindhu in shaping culture of this region  It is celebrated for three days on the eve of ‘Guru Purnima’ or the full moon day in June month.  It is also called as Singhe Kabaab Festival and draws focus to the Sindhu river and promotes the waterbody as a symbol of the country’s communal unity and harmony.

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3. Zardozi

Context: Zardozi workers have been left with joblessness due to lockdown

Concept:  Zardozi is form of embroidery that came to India from Persia.  Its literal translation, “zar” meaning gold and “dozi” meaning embroidery, refers to the process of using metallic-bound threads to sew embellishment on to various fabrics.  This heavy and intricate style of design is said to have been brought to India with the Mughal conquerors.  After flourishing seamlessly in the initial Mughal period, the craft declined during the rule of Emperor Aurangzeb when the royal patronage that had been extended to craftsmen was stopped. The onset of industrialization in the 18th and 19th centuries was yet another setback.  It has been given GI tag in 2013.

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4. Mongolian Kanjur Manuscripts

Context: The first set of five volumes of Mongolian Kanjur published under the National Mission for Manuscripts was presented to the President of India on the occasion of Guru Purnima, also known as Dharma Chakra Day, on 4 July 2020

Concept:  Mongolian Kanjur, the Buddhist canonical text in 108 volumes is considered to be the most important religious text in Mongolia.  In the Mongolian language ‘Kanjur’ means ‘Concise Orders’– the words of Lord Buddha in particular. It is held in high esteem by the Mongolian Buddhists and they worship the Kanjur at temples and recite the lines of Kanjur in daily life as a sacred ritual.  The Kanjur are kept almost in every monastery in Mongolia. Mongolian Kanjur has been translated from Tibetan. The language of the Kanjur is Classical Mongolian. The Mongolian Kanjur is a source of providing a cultural identity to Mongolia.

National Mission for Manuscripts  The National Mission for Manuscripts was launched in February 2003 by the Government of India, under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, with the mandate of documenting, conserving and disseminating the knowledge preserved in the manuscripts.  A unique project in its programme and mandate, the Mission seeks to unearth and preserve the vast manuscript wealth of India. India possesses an estimate of ten million manuscripts, probably the largest collection in the world.  These cover a variety of themes, textures and aesthetics, scripts, languages, calligraphies, illuminations and illustrations.  The Mission has the mandate of identifying, documenting, conserving and making accessible the manuscript heritage of India.  National Mission for Manuscripts is a National level comprehensive initiative which caters to the need of conserving manuscripts and disseminating knowledge contained therein. NMM is working towards fulfilling its motto, ‘conserving the past for the future’.

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5. Guruka Langar

Context: In Delhi, since the start of the COVID-19 lockdown, one lakh meals have been served to poor and migrant laborers through community kitchen of Sikhs.

Concept:  It was founded by Guru Nanak in the 15th century.  The practice of a free community kitchen serving food to everyone without any discrimination has become well-known all over the globe.  The word ‘langar’ has its origin in Persian, and means a public eating place where people, especially the needy, are given food.  This practice derives its meaning from the touchstone of Nanak’s three pillars of philosophy – “kiratkaro” (earn with labour), “naamjapo” (contemplate the various names of God), and “vandchako” (share with others).  The sharing of meals by people sitting together on the floor irrespective of their social background was a one-of-its-kind taboo-breaking practice.  The second Sikh guru Angad Dev and his wife Mata Khivi played a crucial role in strengthening the tradition of langar.  The third Sikh Guru, Amar Das, too devoutly followed ‘sangataurpangat’ and anyone who used to come to meet him, was first served langar.  It is said that even when Emperor Akbar came to meet him, Guru suggested he should first have langar sitting with everyone on the floor, which Akbar accepted.

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6. Tablighi Jamaat

Context: A Delhi court granted bail to 200 Indonesians who were charge sheeted for attending Tablighi Jamaat congregation allegedly in violation of visa norms and violating government guidelines issued in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak.

Concept:  Tablighi Jamaat literally the Outreach Society, is an Islamic missionary movement that focuses on urging Muslims to return to practising their religion during the lifetime of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and particularly in matters of ritual, dress and personal behaviour.  It has been called “one of the most influential religious movements in 20th century Islam”.  Its roots lie in the Deobandi version of the Hanafi school of jurisprudence.  It was launched by Deoband cleric and prominet Islamic scholar Maulana Muhammad IlyasKhandhalaw in 1927 in Mewat. Its emergence also coincided with Hindu proselytising movements.  Its stated primary aim is spiritual reformation of Islam by reaching out to Muslims across social and economic spectra and working at the grassroots level, to bring them in line with the group’s understanding of Islam.  The Tablighi Jamaat members have declared they are not political. They have also decried violence in the name of religion. They say the Prophet Mohammed has commanded all Muslims to convey the message of Allah, and the Tablighis take this as their duty. They divide themselves into small Jamaats (societies) and travel frequently across the world to spread the message of Islam to Muslim houses.

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7. Guruka Langar

Context: In Delhi, since the start of the COVID-19 lockdown, one lakh meals have been served to poor and migrant laborers through community kitchen of Sikhs.

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8. Bharatanatyam and musical instruments

Context: The Madras High Court directed Tamil Nadu government to safeguard the interests of traditional musicians such as those who play Thavil and lamented that the art and artistes were on the verge of extinction.

Concept:  Bharatnatyam Dance is considered to be over 2000 years old.  Several texts beginning with Bharata Muni’s NatyaShastra (200 B.C.E. to 200 C.E.) provide information on this dance form.  The AbhinayaDarpana by Nandikesvara is one of the main sources of textual material, for the study of the technique and grammar of body movement in Bharatnatyam Dance.  Bharatnatyam dance is known to be ekaharya, where one dancer takes on many roles in a single performance.  In the early 19th century, the famous Tanjore Quartette, under the patronage of Raja Serfoji are said to have been responsible for the repertoire of Bharatnatyam dance as we see it today.  The accompanying orchestra consists of a vocalist, amridangam player, violinist or veena player, a flautist and a cymbal player. The person who conducts the dance recitation is the Nattuvanar.

Musical instruments  In the NatyaShastra, compiled by Bharat Muni dated 200 B.C.-200 A.D., musical instruments have been divided into four main categories on the basis of how sound is produced. (i) The Tata Vadya or Chordophones- Stringed instruments (ii) The SushiraVadya or Aerophones- Wind instruments (iii) The AvanaddhaVadya or Membranophones- Percussion instruments (iv) The Ghana Vadya or Idiophones- Solid instruments which do not require tuning.

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9. Tangams

Context: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister released a book titled “Tangams: An Ethnolinguistic Study Of The Critically Endangered Group of Arunachal Pradesh”.

Concept:  The Tangams are a little-known community within the larger Adi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh and reside in the hamlet of Kugging in Upper Siang district.  As per the UNESCO World Atlas of Endangered Languages(2009), Tangam an oral language under the greater Tibeto-Burman language family is marked ‘critically endangered’.

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10. Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Chandra Shekhar Azad

Context: July 23 is birth anniversaries of great freedom fighters Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Chandra Shekhar Azad

Concept:

Bal Gangadhar Tilak  Born on July 23, 1856, Tilak was a mathematician, philosopher, scholar and social reformer.  To impart quality education to the country’s youth, he founded the Deccan Education Society in 1884.  He also started two weeklies, Kesari (in Marathi) and Mahratta (in English), through which he criticised British policies of that time.  Tilak joined the Congress in 1890, but due to ideological differences, he and his supporters were known as extremist leaders within the party.  British arrested him on the charges of sedition in 1906 and a court sentenced him to six years of imprisonment in Mandalay (Burma)  He was popularly known as Lokmanya. The famous slogan, “ Swaraj is my birth right and I shall have it”, was coined by him.  Tilak with Annie Besant, Joseph Baptista, and Muhammad Ali Jinnah founded the All India Home Rule League in 1916.  In the same year, he concluded the Lucknow Pact with Jinnah, which provided for Hindu-Muslim unity in the nationalist struggle.  When BalGangadharTilak was imprisoned during the freedom struggle, he wrote a book titled ‘Gita-Rahasya’.  The events like the Ganapati festival and ShivajJayanti were used by Tilak to build a national spirit beyond the circle of the educated elite in opposition to colonial rule.

Chandra Shekhar Azad  Chandra Shekhar Azad was one of the most notable Indian revolutionaries who took part in India’s freedom struggle at a very young age.  Azad was deeply moved by the JallianwalaBagh incident which took place on April 13, 1919.

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 He joined the revolution for Indian independence and soon became a part of the Non-Cooperation Movement led by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920. He even got arrested at the young age of 15 for being a part of the movement.  After Gandhi suspended the non-cooperation movement in 1922, Chandra Shekhar Azad joined the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA), a revolutionary organisation formed by Ram Prasad Bismil, Sachindra Nath Sanyal and others.  As a freedom fighter, he was involved in the Kakori Train Robbery of 1925, in the attempt to blow up the Viceroy of India’s train in 1926, and in the shooting of British police officer JP Saunders at Lahore in 1928.  Chandra Shekhar Azad took charge of HRA after Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, RajendraLahiri and ThankurRoshan Singh were sentenced to death in the Kakori train robbery case.  After the capture of the main leaders of the HRA, Chandra Shekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh secretly reorganised the HRA as the HSRA (Hindustan Socialist Republic Army) in September 1928.

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11. Operation Vijay and Vijay Divas

Context: Every year July 26 is celebrated as Kargil Vijay Diwas to mark the successful completion of “Operation Vijay”

Concept:  India and Pakistan fought the Kargil War between May and July of 1999 in Kargil district under the temperature of minus 10 degree Celsius.  The conflict began after Indian forces detected infiltrations by Pakistani troops and terrorists into Indian territory.  The Pakistani side had a strategic advantage during the start of the conflict as they positioned themselves in key locations and could fire at advancing Indian troops.  The Indian Army was able to ascertain the points of incursion based on information from local shepherds and launched Operation Vijay.  Safed Sagar, the Indian Air Force’s operation, was a major part of the Kargil war. It used air power at the height of 32,000 feet for the first time.  From identifying the Pakistani troops and Mujahideens to interdiction, all the actions were performed well by the pilots and engineers.  As the fight came to an end on July 26, 1999, when Indian troops established victory by recapturing all the Indian posts that had been occupied by Pakistani infiltrators.

After Kargil war  After the Kargil War, India increased its defence spending in the budget.  The complete overhaul of India’s intelligence set-up and the creation of a younger and fitter army are among the most significant changes made by the government on the basis of recommendations of the Kargil Review Committee (KRC).  The creation of the post of a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) was also among them.  The creation of the Defence Intelligence Agency in 2002 and the technical intelligence gathering agency, National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) in 2004, were some of the report’s key outcomes.

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12. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

Context: Senior IPS officer has made an allegation that Indian history had been distorted under education ministers including MaulanaAbulKalam Azad

Concept:  He born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia in 1888, his family relocated to Calcutta (now Kolkata) two years after his birth.  He studied a variety of languages such as Persian, Urdu and Arabic, and subjects such as history, philosophy and geometry.

Contribution to freedom struggle  In 1912, Azad started publishing a weekly called Al-Hilal which he used as a weapon to attack and question British policies. The publication gained immense popularity among the masses, so much so that the British finally banned it in 1914.  Azad soon started another weekly, Al-Balagh, which ran until he was externed under Defence of India Regulations in 1916. The governments of Bombay, Punjab, Delhi, and United Provinces had banned his entry and he was deported to Bihar until 1920.  After his release, Azad, already inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of non-cooperation to fight the British, started leading the Khilafat Movement, launched by Indian Muslims to demand that the British preserve the authority of the ‘Ottoman Sultan as Caliph of Islam after World War I’.  He became the youngest party leader in 1923.  In 1942, he along with the rest of the leadership was arrested and put in jail for four years for participating in the Quit India movement.

Free India  Azad was a strong believer in the co-existence of all religious communities. He was deeply affected by the violence witnessed during India’s Partition. Azad travelled through the violence-affected regions of Bengal, Assam and Punjab and contributed in establishing the refugee camps and ensured supply of food and other basic resources.

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 The 7th schedule of the Constitution lists subjects on which the central and state governments can enact legislation. Under British India, education had been listed as a subject, for which only provinces could enact legislation. Maulana Azad was strongly against leaving education to the states.  As first education minister of the country from 1947 to 1958, he advocated for free and compulsory primary education for all children up to the age of 14 as he believed it was the right of all citizens.  Later, he went on to establish the Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi and contributed to the setting up of the IITs.  He was also one of the the brains behind the University Grants Commission, India’s higher education regulator, and played a key role in the establishment of other educational institutions.  His birthday, 11 November, is celebrated as National Education Day.

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Geography 1. Satellite cities

Context: Five municipal corporations of Mumbai’s satellite cities Thane, Mira Bhayander, Kalyan Dombivali, Navi Mumbai and Panvel have announced a 10-day lockdown following a spike in Covid-19 in their areas.

Concept:  The satellite city is one of the popular concepts in the urban planning. It is the small metropolitan area is located near to the large metropolitan area.  The satellite town has the traditional downtown that surrounded by the neighborhoods of inner city.  The satellite city or satellite town manages the urban sprawl. The satellite town provides best solution to the urbanization problems.

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2. What are Seismic Zones of India

Context: Since April, 20 earthquakes have been recorded in and around Delhi. Of the 20, two were above magnitude 4.

Concept:  Earthquake - prone areas of the country have been identified on the basis of scientific inputs relating to seismicity, earthquakes occurred in the past and tectonic setup of the region.  Based on these inputs, Bureau of Indian Standards [IS 1893 (Part I):2002], has grouped the country into four seismic zones, viz. Zone II, III, IV and V.  Of these, Zone V is seismically the most active region, while zone II is the least.  Broadly, Zone - V comprises entire northeastern India, parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, part of North Bihar and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.  Zone - IV covers remaining parts of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, Sikkim, Northern Parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, parts of Gujarat and small portions of Maharashtra near the west coast and Rajasthan.  Zone – III comprises Kerala, Goa, Lakshadweep islands, remaining parts of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and West Bengal, Parts of Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil nadu and Karnataka.  Zone - II covers remaining parts of country.

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3. Faults and earthquake

Context: Geologists have discovered a series of faults at the foot of the Himalayas.

Concept:  An earthquake is shaking or trembling of the earth’s surface, caused by the seismic waves or earthquake waves that are generated due to a sudden movement (sudden release of energy) in the earth’s crust (shallow-focus earthquakes) or upper mantle (some shallow-focus and all intermediate and deepfocus earthquakes).  The point where the energy is released is called the focus or the hypocentre of an earthquake.  The point on the surface directly above the focus is called epicentre (first surface point to experience the earthquake waves).  A line connecting all points on the surface where the intensity is the same is called an isoseismic line.

Causes: Fault Zones Plate tectonics Volcanic activity Human Induced Earthquakes

Waves:  There are several different kinds of seismic waves, and they all move in different ways. The two main types of waves are body waves and surface waves.  Body waves can travel through the earth’s inner layers, but surface waves can only move along the surface of the planet like ripples on water  The first kind of body wave is the P waveor primary wave. This is the fastest kind of seismic wave, and, consequently, the first to ‘arrive’ at a seismic station.  The P wave can move through solid rock and fluids, like water or the liquid layers of the earth. It pushes and pulls the rock it moves through just like sound waves push and pull the air.

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 The second type of body wave is the S waveor secondary wave, which is the second wave felt in an earthquake. An S wave is slower than a P wave and can only move through solid rock, not through any liquid medium. It is this property of S waves that led seismologists to conclude that the Earth’s outer core is a liquid.  S waves move rock particles up and down, or side-to-side–perpendicular to the direction that the wave is traveling in (the direction of wave propagation)

Distribution of Earthquakes

Measuring earthquake: Mercallivs Richter  The Mercalli scale bases its measurement on the observed effects of the earthquake and describes its intensity. It is a linear measurement.  On the other hand, the Richter scale measures the seismic waves, or the energy released, causing the earthquake and describes the quake’s magnitude. It is a logarithmic

Faults:  A fault is a fracture or zone of fractures between two blocks of rock. Faults allow the blocks to move relative to each other.  This movement may occur rapidly, in the form of an earthquake – or may occur slowly, in the form of creep.  Faults may range in length from a few millimeters to thousands of kilometers.  Most faults produce repeated displacements over geologic time. During an earthquake, the rock on one side of the fault suddenly slips with respect to the other.  The fault surface can be horizontal or vertical or some arbitrary angle in between.  Earth scientists use the angle of the fault with respect to the surface (known as the dip) and the direction of slip along the fault to classify faults.  Faults which move along the direction of the dip plane are dip-slip faults and described as either normal or reverse (thrust), depending on their motion.  Faults which move horizontally are known as strike-slip faults and are classified as either right-lateral or left-lateral.

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 Faults which show both dip-slip and strike-slip motion are known as oblique-slip faults.

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4. IMD alerts

Context: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a ‘Red’ alert for Mumbai for the next 24 hours owing to active weather systems leading to continuous downpour across the city and suburbs.

Concept:  Alerts by the IMD are colour-coded from Green to Red.  Green stands for No warning: no action needs to be taken by the authorities, and the forecast is of light to moderate rain.  A Yellow alert signifies “Watch”, and authorities are advised to “Be updated” on the situation.  An Orange warning stands for “Alert”, and authorities are expected to “Be prepared”. The forecast during an Orange warning is of heavy to very heavy rainfall.  A Red alert stands for “Warning”, and asks authorities to “Take action”. The forecast is for extremely heavy rainfall.

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5. Asteroid 2020 ND

Context: NASA has issued a warning that a huge “Asteroid 2020 ND” will move past Earth on July 24.

Concept:  This asteroid is about 170 metres-long and will be as close as 0.034 astronomical units (5,086,328 kilometres) to our planet, and is travelling at a speed of 48,000 kilometres per hour.  Its distance from Earth has placed it in the potentially dangerous category.  Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) are currently defined based on parameters that measure the asteroid’s potential to make threatening close approaches to the Earth. Specifically, all asteroids with a minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) of 0.05 au or less are considered PHA.

Threats:  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 which according to the space agency are of “the greatest concern” due to the level of devastation that their impact is capable of causing.  No asteroid larger than 140 metre has a “significant” chance of hitting the Earth for the next 100 years.

Measures:  Over the years, scientists have suggested different ways to ward off such threats, such as blowing up the asteroid before it reaches Earth, or deflecting it off its Earth-bound course by hitting it with a spacecraft.  Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment (AIDA), which includes NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission and the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Hera. The mission’s target is Didymos, a binary near- Earth asteroid, one of whose bodies is of the size that could pose the most likely significant threat to Earth.

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6. Impact of climate change

Context: The first ‘Assessment of Climate Change over Indian Region” report by Ministry of Earth Sciences warned about India’s climatic vulnerabilities and stressed for need of mitigations.

Findings:

Temperature  Surface air temperature over India has risen by 0.6°C per year during 1901- 2018.  Regions of North India have undergone warming more than the South, where warming has been mainly during winters.  In coming decades, the average duration of heatwaves during April-June is projected to double, and their frequency to rise by 3 to 4 times compared to 1976-2005. Monsoon  During 1951-2015, annual rainfall over India showed a declining trend.  The reduction ranged between 1-5 mm over central India, Kerala and the far Northeast regions.  Contrarily, precipitation increased over J&K and Northwest India.  The coming decades are projected to witness a considerable rise in the mean, extreme and inter-annual variability of rainfall associated with monsoon.

Droughts and floods  Since the 1950s, the frequency and intensity of both heavy rainfall events and dry days have gone up.  Flood risks are higher over the east coast, West Bengal, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Konkan and cities like Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.  The Himalayan flood basins are projected to greater floods, due to the faster glacial and snow melting. Major flooding events are projected over the Brahmaputra, Ganga and Indus.

Sea level

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During 1993-2015, the sea level over the North Indian Ocean (Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal) rose by 3.3 mm per year, which is in tune with the Global Mean Sea Level (GMSL) rise.

Tropical cyclones  Storms in the Arabian Sea are gaining more strength and the trend is projected to continue. The number of extremely severe cyclonic storms formed in the Arabian Sea has increased in the last 20 years. Himalaya snow cover  During the last seven decades, the Hindukush Himalayas have warmed at an average 0.2°C per decade, leading to a decline in snow cover and glaciers in the last four to five decades. The Karakoram Himalayas have reported an increase in snowfall during winter.

Cause & effect  The main contributor to climate change is anthropogenic activities pushing up concentrations of greenhouse gases. This has led to rise in temperature and atmospheric moisture content.  A higher concentration of water vapour, in turn, leads to intense rainfall during monsoon.  Heating leads to vaporisation, which is directly linked to decreasing soil moisture, resulting in droughts. This can lead to reduction in food production and in availability of potable water, the report says.  Rising sea levels would make India’s big cities vulnerable to erosion and damage to coastal projects.

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7. Assam floods

Context: In Assam, over 24.68 lakh people affected and death toll rises to 102

Concept:  Apart from incessant rainfall during the monsoon, there are many contributory factors to yealy floods in Assam  Major cause is the very nature of the river Brahmaputra —dynamic and unstable.  The Brahmaputra features among the world’s top five rivers in terms of discharge as well as the sediment it brings.  At 19,830 cubic meters per second (cumec), it ranks fourth in discharge at the mouth, behind only the Amazon (99,150 cumec), the Congo (39,660 cumec) and the Yangtze (21,800 cumec).  In terms of sediment yield, two spots along the Brahmaputa’s course were at second and third places in 2008. Brahmaputra’s annual sediment yield was 1,128 tonnes per sq km at Bahadurabad of Bangladesh, and 804 tonnes per sq km at Pandu of Guwahati.

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 The vast amount of sediment comes from Tibet, where the region is cold, arid and lacks plantation. Glaciers melt, soil erodes and all of it results in a highly sedimented river.  As the river comes from a high slope to a flat plain, its velocity decreases suddenly and this results in the river unloading the sediment. The river’s channels prove inadequate amid this siltation, leading to floods.  Again, because of the earthquake-prone nature of the region, the river has not been able to acquire a stable character.  Besides these natural factors are the man-made ones habitation, deforestation, population growth in catchment areas which lead to higher sedimentation. For example, the sediment deposition itself creates temporary sandbars or river islands.

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8. Tuting-Tidding Suture Zone

Context: Seismicity study of Arunachal Himalaya reveals low to moderate earthquakes at two crustal depths

Concept:  The Tuting-Tidding Suture Zone (TTSZ) is a major part of the Eastern Himalaya, where the Himalaya takes a sharp southward bend and connects with the Indo-Burma Range.  This part of the Arunachal Himalaya has gained significant importance in recent times due to the growing need of constructing roads and hydropower projects, making the need for understanding the pattern of seismicity in this region critical.

Findings:  Low magnitude earthquakes are concentrated at 1-15 km depth, and slightly higher greater than 4.0 magnitude earthquakes are mostly generated from 25-35 km depth.  The intermediate-depth is devoid of seismicity and coincides with the zone of fluid/partial melts.  The crustal thickness in this area varies from 46.7 km beneath the Brahmaputra Valley to about 55 km in the higher elevations of Arunachal, with a marginal uplift of the contact that defines the boundary between crust and the mantle technically called the Moho discontinuity.  This, in turn, reveals the under thrusting mechanism of Indian plate in the Tuting-Tidding Suture Zone.  Extremely high Poisson’s ratio was also obtained in the higher parts of the Lohit Valley, indicating the presence of fluid or partial melt at crustal depths.

Need for study:  The exhumation and growth of the Himalaya is a continuous process that results predominantly from reverse faults in which the rocks on the lower surface of a fault plane move under relatively static rocks on the upper surface, a process called under thrusting of the Indian plate beneath its Eurasian counterpart.

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 This process keeps modifying the drainage patterns and land forms and is the pivotal reason for causing an immense seismic hazard in the Himalayan mountain belt and adjoining regions, necessitating assessment and characterization of earthquakes in terms of cause, depth and intensity before construction activities are initiated.

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Indian Polity 1. Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA)

Context: Government has declared nine individuals linked to separatist Khalistani organisations as designated terrorists under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

Concept:  UAPA was passed in 1967. It aims at effective prevention of unlawful activities associations in India.  Unlawful activity refers to any action taken by an individual or association intended to disrupt the territorial integrity and sovereignty of India.  The Act assigns absolute power to the central government, by way of which if the Centre deems an activity as unlawful then it may, by way of an Official Gazette, declare it so.  It has death penalty and life imprisonment as highest punishments.  Central government had amended the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, in August 2019 to include the provision of designating an individual as a terrorist.  Prior to this amendment, only organisations could be designated as terrorist organisations.

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2. National statistics Commission

Context: The Draft National Statistics Commission Bill has been put out on public domain for comments. Concept:

Features:  Draft bill aimed at empowering the National Statistical Commission (NSC) to become the nodal body for all core statistics in the country.  It proposed to give sweeping power to the commission on its authority over nongovernment agencies by making compliance of non-government agencies to mandatory audit.  The draft bill proposes to restructure the composition of NSC.

NSC  Dr.C.Rangarajan Commission set up in 2000 has recommended to establish a permanent National Commission on Statistics to serve as a nodal and empowered body for all core statistical activities of the country, evolve, monitor and enforce statistical priorities and standards and to ensure statistical co-ordination among the different agencies involved.  In line with the recommendations in 2005, the Government of India has set up a National Statistical Commission (NSC) through a resolution.  The Commission has a part-time Chairperson, four part-time Members and an exofficio Member. The Chief Statistician of India is the Secretary of the Commission. He is also the Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

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3. Torture

Context: Five policemen have been arrested and charged with murder in relation to the custodial deaths of a father and son in Tamil Nadu which created debate over torture.

Concept:

UN Convention against Torture  The United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT or the Convention) is an international human rights treaty which mandates a global prohibition on torture and other acts of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment and creates an instrument to monitor governments and hold them to account.  The UNCAT was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1984 and came into force on 26 June 1987.  The absolute prohibition on torture and other acts of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment is also accepted as a principle of customary international law.  There are 16 substantive articles of the UNCAT which describe the obligations to respect, protect and fulfill the absolute prohibition against torture and other forms of illtreatment, and various additional procedural provisions.  On ratification, all the obligations in the UNCAT become binding legal commitments.  Although India signed the UNCAT in 1997, it is yet to ratify it.  In 2010, Prevention of Torture Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha, and the Rajya Sabha later sent it to a select Committee for review. But the Bill was lapsed.

Article 21 and Right against Torture  In Francis Coralie Mullin v. Union Territory of Delhi (1981) and Sheela Barse v. State of Maharashtra (1987), Supreme Court condemned cruelty and torture as violative of Article 21. This interpretation of Article 21 is consistent with the principles contained in the UNCAT.

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4. Postal ballot

Context: Union government has introduced a new category of ‘absentee voters’, who can now also opt for postal voting.

Concept:  In October last year, Law Ministry amended the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, to extend the facility of postal ballots to people who are unable to cast their vote because of service conditions.  On June 19, the ministry notified a fresh change in the rules, allowing those aged 65 years and above and COVID 19 suspect or affected persons to opt for postal ballot.  These people can choose to vote through postal ballot by filling up Form 12D and submitting it to the nodal officer within five days of notification of an election.

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5. What is India Patent Act?

Context: There is a growing clamour in India for boycotting trade with China amidst recent political tensions between the two countries. It became major cause of concern for India’s pharmaceutical industry as it depends on china for APIs.

Concept:  India is the third largest producer of finished drugs in the world, it relies significantly on China for supplies of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), the key components in making medicines.  An estimated 70 per cent of API requirements of India’s pharmaceutical industry are sourced from China.  The 1970 Indian Patent Act is widely lauded for facilitating the growth of India’s pharmaceutical industry.

Indian patent act 1970  The Patents Act, 1970 is the legislation that till date governs patents in India. It first came into force in 1972.  The Patents Act has been repeatedly amended: 1999, 2002, 2005, 2006. These amendments were required to make the Patents Act TRIPS- compliant  The major amendment was in 2005, when product patent was extended to all fields of technology like food, drugs, chemicals and micro organisms.  The Indian Patent Act, 1970 strikes a balance between the rights of the applicant and his obligation to the society granting the rights.  Some salient features of the Act include, product and process patent, term of patent as 20 years, patent examination conducted on request, fast track mechanism for quick disposal of appeals, pre-grant and post-grant opposition allowed, protection of biodiversity and traditional knowledge, and, publication of applications after 18 months of date of filing of patent application.  One of the most important aspects of Indian Patents Act, 1970, is compulsory licensing of the patent subject to the fulfillment of certain conditions.  Section 3(d) stipulates that the mere discovery of a new form of a known substance which does not result in the enhancement of the known efficacy

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of that substance or the mere discovery of any new property or new use for a known substance or of the mere use of a known process, machine or apparatus unless such known process results in a new product or employs at least one new reactant, is not patentable

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6. Right of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016

Context: Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities move to decriminalize minor offences under Right of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 has attracted protest from people.

Concept:  The Act replaces the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995. It fulfills the obligations to the United National Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), to which India is a signatory. The Act came into force during December 2016.  The types of disabilities have been increased from existing 7 to 21 and the Central Government will have the power to add more types of disabilities.  Persons with "benchmark disabilities" are defined as those certified to have at least 40 per cent of the disabilities specified above.

Rights and entitlements under act  Responsibility has been cast upon the appropriate governments to take effective measures to ensure that the persons with disabilities enjoy their rights equally with others.  Additional benefits such as reservation in higher education (not less than 5%), government jobs (not less than 4 %), reservation in allocation of land, poverty alleviation schemes (5% allotment) etc. have been provided for persons with benchmark disabilities and those with high support needs.  Every child with benchmark disability between the age group of 6 and 18 years shall have the right to free education.  Government funded educational institutions as well as the government recognized institutions will have to provide inclusive education to the children with disabilities.  For strengthening the Prime Minister's Accessible India Campaign, stress has been given to ensure accessibility in public buildings (both Government and private) in a prescribed time-frame.

UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD)

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 The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol was adopted on 13 December 2006 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.  There were 82 signatories to the Convention. The Convention entered into force on 3 May 2008.  It is the first comprehensive human rights treaty of the 21st century.  The Convention follows decades of work by the United Nations to change attitudes and approaches to persons with disabilities.  It takes to a new height the movement from viewing persons with disabilities as “objects” of charity, medical treatment and social protection towards viewing persons with disabilities as “subjects” with rights, who are capable of claiming those rights and making decisions for their lives based on their free and informed consent as well as being active members of society.  The Convention is intended as a human rights instrument with an explicit, social development dimension.  It adopts a broad categorization of persons with disabilities and reaffirms that all persons with all types of disabilities must enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms.

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7. Anti-Defection

Context: Supreme Court has issued notice to Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker on a plea against him for allegedly delaying a decision on the anti-defection proceedings against 11 AIADMK MLAs who voted against the government’s confidence motion in 2017.

Concept:  The Tenth Schedule was inserted in the Constitution in 1985 by 52nd amendment. It lays down the process by which legislators may be disqualified on grounds of defection by the Presiding Officer of a legislature based on a petition by any other member of the House.  Disqualification:  If a member of a house belonging to a political party voluntarily gives up the membership of his political party, or Votes, or does not vote in the legislature, contrary to the directions of his political party. However, if the member has taken prior permission, or is condoned by the party within 15 days from such voting or abstention, the member shall not be disqualified.  If an independent candidate joins a political party after the election.  If a nominated member joins a party six months after he becomes a member of the legislature.

91 amendment act of 2003  The total number of ministers including the Prime minister in the central council of ministers shall not exceed 15% of the total strength of the Loksabha/State legislative assembly. (Article 75,164). However in states number of ministers shall not be less than 12.  A member disqualified under defection is also disqualified for being a minister in house.  The member disqualified on the grounds of defection shall also be disqualified for any remunerative political post, office wholly or partially under the government.  The provision regarding one third was also deleted by this amendment.  Exceptions under the law: Legislators may change their party without the risk of disqualification in certain circumstances. The law allows a party to merge with or into another party provided that at least two-thirds of its

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legislators are in favour of the merger. In such a scenario, neither the members who decide to merge, nor the ones who stay with the original party will face disqualification.  The law initially stated that the decision of the Presiding Officer is not subject to judicial review. This condition was struck down by the Supreme Court in Kihoto Hollohan case in 1992, thereby allowing appeals against the Presiding Officer’s decision in the High Court and Supreme Court.

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8. Quorum

Context: Rajya Sabha secretariat has clarified that quorum was essential only when the committees are taking decisions or adopting reports and not during routine deliberations.

Concept: Quorum is the minimum number of member required to be present in the House before it can transact any business. It is One tenth of total members in each House including the presiding officer.

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9. State Reorganisation Act, 1956

Context: States have firmed up their boundaries, to prevent and regulate movement of people and goods across nationally

Concept:  By the States Reorganisation Act (1956) and the 7th Constitutional Amendment Act (1956), the distinction between Part-A and Part-B states was done away with and Part-C states were abolished.  Some of them were merged with adjacent states and some other were designated as union territories. As a result, 14 states and 6 union territories were created on November 1, 1956.  Even after the large-scale reorganisation of the states in 1956, the political map of India underwent continuous change due to the pressure of popular agitations and political conditions. The demand for the creation of some more states on the basis of language or cultural homogeneity resulted in the bifurcation of existing states.

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10. Sessions of Parliament

Context: The fate of the Monsoon session of Parliament is still uncertain which usually happen in third week of July.

Concept:  The president from time to time summons each House of Parliament to meet. But, the maximum gap between two sessions of Parliament cannot be more than six months. In other words, the Parliament should meet at least twice a year.  There are usually three sessions in a year, viz, the Budget Session (February to May) the Monsoon Session (July to September) the Winter Session (November to December)  A session of Parliament is the period spanning between the first sitting of a House and its prorogation (or dissolution in the case of the Lok Sabha).  During a session, the House meets every day to transact business. The period spanning between the prorogation of a House and its reassembly in a new session is called recess.

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11. Article 78

Context: Prime minister called on President Ram at Rashtrapati Bhavan and briefed him on issues of national and international importance.

Concept:  It is provision with respect to duties of Prime Minister in furnishing of information to the President  It shall be the duty of the Prime Minister o to communicate to the President all decisions of the council of Ministers relating to the administration of the affairs of the union and proposals for legislation; o to furnish such information relating to the administration of the affairs of the Union and proposals for legislation as the President may call for; and o if the President so requires, to submit for the consideration of the Council of Ministers any matter on which a decision has been taken by a Minister but which has not been considered by the Council of ministers.

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12. Parliament Committees

Context: Members of departmental Standing Committees of Parliament are gearing up for some tough questioning of the Central Ministries on the Covid-19 lockdown, the migrant crisis and the locusts attack.

Concept:

Department related Standing Committees  The main objective of the standing committees is to secure more accountability of the Executive (i.e.,the Council of Ministers) to the Parliament, particularly financial accountability. They also assist the Parliament in debating the budget more effectively.  The 24 standing committees cover under their jurisdiction all the ministries / departments of the Central Government.  Each standing committee consists of 31 members (21 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha). The members of the Lok Sabha are nominated by the Speaker from amongst its own members, just as the members of the Rajya Sabha are nominated by the Chairman from amongst its members.  A minister is not eligible to be nominated as a member of any of the standing committees.  The term of office of each standing committee is one year from the date of its constitution.  Out of the 24 standing committees, 8 work under the Rajya Sabha and 16 under the Lok Sabha.

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13. NHRC and SHRC

Context: Recent Custodial deaths in Tamil Nadu and encounter in Uttar Pradesh has brought into focus the role of human rights watchdogs.

Concept:

NHRC  The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India was established on 12 October, 1993. The statute under which it is established is the Protection of Human Rights Act (PHRA), 1993  It is in conformity with the Paris Principles.  The NHRC is an embodiment of India’s concern for the promotion and protection of human rights.  The Commission consists of a Chairperson, full-time Members and seven deemed Members. The statute lays down qualifications for the appointment of the Chairperson and Members of the Commission. Constitution of NHRC  Judge of the Supreme Court is eligible to be appointed as Chairperson of the Commission in addition to the person who has been the Chief Justice of India;  Term of the Chairperson and Members of the Commission is three years or 70 years whichever is earlier and shall be eligible for re-appointment.  The chairman and members are appointed by the president on the recommendations of a six-member committee consisting of the prime minister as its head, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, leaders of the Opposition in both the Houses of Parliament and the Central home minister.  The president can remove the chairman or any member from the office under the following circumstances: (a) If he is adjudged an insolvent; or (b) If he engages, during his term of office, in any paid employment outside the duties of his office; or (c) If he is unfit to continue in office by reason of infirmity of mind or body; or (d) If he is of unsound mind and stand so declared by a competent court; or

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(e) If he is convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for an offence.  In addition to these, the president can also remove the chairman or any member on the ground of proved misbehaviour or incapacity. However, in these cases, the president has to refer the matter to the Supreme Court for an inquiry. If the Supreme Court, after the inquiry, upholds the cause of removal and advises so, then the president can remove the chairman or a member.  The salaries, allowances and other conditions of service of the chairman or a member are determined by the Central government.

SHRC  SHRC derives its mandate from Protection of Human Rights Act (PHRA), 1993  The Commission consists of a Chairperson and two Members. The statute lays down qualifications for the appointment of the Chairperson and Members of the Commission. Constitution of NHRC Person who has been Chief Justice or Judge of a High Court will be chairperson of a SHRC.  Term of the Chairperson and Members of the Commission is three years or 70 years whichever is earlier and shall be eligible for re-appointment.  The chairperson and members are appointed by the Governor on the recommendations of a committee consisting of the chief minister as its head, the speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the state home minister and the leader of the opposition in the Legislative Assembly.  Although the chairperson and members of a State Human Rights Commission are appointed by the governor, they can be removed only by the President (and not by the governor). The President can remove them on the same grounds and in the same manner as he can remove the chairperson or a member of the National Human Rights Commission.

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14. Socially backward

Context: The Supreme Court, in a significant decision, confirmed that persons suffering from disabilities are also socially backward and entitled to the same benefits of relaxation as Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe candidates in public employment and education.

Concept:  Article 15 (4) of Indian states that nothing in article 15 or in article 29(2) shall prevent the state from making any provisions for the advancement of any socially and economically backward classes of citizens or for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.  This clause started the era of reservations in India.  Caste is not the only criterion for backwardness and other criteria must also be considered.

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15. 26th constitutional amendment

Context: The Supreme Court has ruled that the Travancore royal family has rights to maintain and manage the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala.

Concept:

Rulings:  A two-judge bench held that the royal family’s Shebaitship — the right to maintain and manage the temple and the deitydoes not come to an end with the death of the ruler, who signed the instrument of accession with the Indian government in 1949 by which the erstwhile princely state of Travancore merged with the Indian union.  And also Shebait rights of the royal family will continue and abolition of the rights and privileges of the royal family by the 26th amendment of the Constitution will not impact it.

26 amendment of 1971  It abolished the privy purses and privileges of the former rulers of princely states in India in order to establish egalitarian society.  In return for surrendering their powers, Articles 291 and 362 guaranteed royal families a tax-free privy purse which was approximately one-fourth of what they had earlier earned.  Most Congressmen were opposed to payment of privy purses. But Sardar Patel made a stirring speech in the Constituent Assembly on October 12, 1949. He asked members to realise that this was a small price to pay for the integration of India.

Shree Padmanabhaswamy Temple  Dedicated to Lord Padmanabhaya, an avatar of Lord Vishnu, the famous Shree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram is one of the most popular shrines in India.  It has been described in several Hindu scriptures like the Brahma Purana, MatsyaPurana, VarahaPurana, SkandaPurana, Padma Purana, Vayu Purana and Bhagavata Purana.

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 The Shree Padmanabhaswamy Temple dates back to 8th century CE, say historians.  The temple, built in the Chera style of architecture, is unique to Kerala and the neighbouring states, as the construction was done keeping the local weather and wind direction in mind.  Temples made in the Chera style are usually square, rectangular, octagonal or star-shaped.  Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is one of 108 Divya Desams (holy abodes of Vishnu) – principal centres of worship of the deity in Vaishnavism.  The main deity in the Shree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is of Lord Vishnu in the ‘AnanthaShayana’ posture (reclined posture of eternal yoga) on AdiShesha or king of all serpents.

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16. Election Commission

Context: Election Commissioner Mr. Ashok Lavasa has been appointed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as vice-president

Concept:  The Election Commission is a permanent and an independent body established by the Constitution of India directly to ensure free and fair elections in the country.  Article 324 of the Constitution provides that the power of superintendence, direction and control of elections to parliament, state legislatures, the office of president of India and the office of vice-president of India shall be vested in the election commission.  Since its inception in 1950 and till 15 October 1989, the election commission functioned as a single member body consisting of the Chief Election Commissioner.  On 16 October 1989, the president appointed two more election commissioners to cope with the increased work of the election commission on account of lowering of the voting age from 21 to 18 years.Thereafter, the Election Commission functioned as a multi member body consisting of three election commissioners.  However,the two posts of election commissioners were abolished in January 1990 and the Election Commission was reverted to the earlier position.  Again in October 1993, the president appointed two more election commissioners.  Since then and till today, the Election Commission has been functioning as a multi-member body consisting of three election commissioners.

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 The appointment of the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners shall be made by the president.  The conditions of service and tenure of office of the election commissioners and the regional commissioners shall be determined by the president.  The chief election commissioner and the two other election commissioners have equal powers and receive equal salary, allowances and other perquisites, which are similar to those of a judge of the Supreme Court.  In case of difference of opinion amongst the Chief Election Commissioner and/or two other election commissioners, the matter is decided by the Commission by majority.  They hold office for a term of six years or until they attain the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.  They can resign at any time or can also be removed before the expiry of their term.

INDEPENDENCE  Article 324 of the Constitution has made the following provisions to safeguard and ensure the independent and impartial functioning of the Election Commission:  The chief election commissioner is provided with the security of tenure. He cannot be removed from his office except in same manner and on the same grounds as a judge of the Supreme Court.  The service conditions of the chief election commissioner cannot be varied to his disadvantage after his appointment.  Any other election commissioner or a regional commissioner cannot be removed from office except on the recommendation of the chief election commissioner.  Though the constitution has sought to safeguard and ensure the independence and impartiality of the Election Commission, some flaws can be noted, viz.,  The Constitution has not prescribed the qualifications (legal, educational, administrative or judicial) of the members of the Election Commission.  The Constitution has not specified the term of the members of the Election Commission.  The Constitution has not debarred the retiring election commissioners from any further appointment by the government

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17. Prakash Singh case 2006

Context: Rising allegations against police system in India brings to light judgments of Prakash singh case.

Concept:  In 1996, a petition was filed before the Supreme which stated that the police abuse and misuse their powers. It alleged non-enforcement and discriminatory application of laws in favour of persons with clout, and also raised instances of unauthorised detentions, torture, harassment, etc. against ordinary citizens. The petition asked the court to issue directions for implementation of recommendations of expert committees.  Directions: In September 2006, the court issued various directions to the centre and states including:  Constitute a State Security Commission in every state that will lay down policy for police functioning, evaluate police performance, and ensure that state governments do not exercise unwarranted influence on the police.  Constitute a Police Establishment Board in every state that will decide postings, transfers and promotions for officers below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police, and make recommendations to the state government for officers of higher ranks.  Constitute Police Complaints Authorities at the state and district levels to inquire into allegations of serious misconduct and abuse of power by police personnel.  Provide a minimum tenure of at least two years for the DGP and other key police officers (e.g., officers in charge of a police station and district) within the state forces, and the Chiefs of the central forces to protect them against arbitrary transfers and postings.  Ensure that the DGP of state police is appointed from amongst three senior-most officers who have been empanelled for the promotion by the Union Public Service Commission on the basis of length of service, good record and experience.  Separate the investigating police from the law and order police to ensure speedier investigation, better expertise and improved rapport with the people.

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 Constitute a National Security Commission to shortlist the candidates for appointment as Chiefs of the central armed police forces.

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18. Disqualification under Anti Defection

Context: The notice has been served under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution to 19 MLAs in Rajasthan assembly. The Congress in its complaint to the Speaker has accused the rebel MLAs of attempting to jump parties.

Concept:  The Tenth Schedule contains the following provisions with respect to the disqualification of members of Parliament and the state legislatures on the ground of defection:  Members of Political Parties: A member of a House belonging to any political party becomes disqualified for being a member of the House, (a) if he voluntarily gives up his membership of such political party; or (b) if he votes or abstains from voting in such House contrary to any direction issued by his political party without obtaining prior permission of such party and such act has not been condoned by the party within 15 days.  Independent Members: An independent member of a House (elected without being set up as a candidate by any political party) becomes disqualified to remain a member of the House if he joins any political party after such election.  Nominated Members: A nominated member of a House becomes disqualified for being a member of the House if he joins any political party after the expiry of six months from the date on which he takes his seat in the House.

Speaker Power  Any question regarding disqualification arising out of defection is to be decided by the presiding officer of the House.  Originally, the act provided that the decision of the presiding officer is final and cannot be questioned in any court. However, in KihotoHollohan case (1993), the Supreme Court declared this provision as unconstitutional on the ground that it seeks to take away the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and the high courts.  It held that the presiding officer, while deciding a question under the Tenth Schedule, function as a tribunal. Hence, his decision like that of any other

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tribunal, is subject to judicial review on the grounds of mala fides, perversity, etc.  The presiding officer of a House is empowered to make rules to give effect to the provisions of the Tenth Schedule. All such rules must be placed before the House for 30 days. The House may approve or modify or disapprove them.  According to the rules made so, the presiding officer can take up a defection case only when he receives a complaint from a member of the House. Before taking the final decision, he must give the member (against whom the complaint has been made) a chance to submit his explanation. He may also refer the matter to the committee of privileges for inquiry. Hence, defection has no immediate and automatic effect. Whip  A whip is a directive from the party that binds party members of a House to obey the line of the party.  Though the office of whip is not officially recognised in the standing orders, there has been a long tradition to give them a place in the Parliamentary form of government.  The whip plays a crucial role in ensuring the smooth and efficient conduct of business on the floor of the House.  The whip is an MP drawn from the party that is in power and also from the party that sits on the opposition bench. They are vital in maintaining the links between the internal organisation of party inside the Parliament.  It is also the duty of the chief whip to maintain discipline of the party on the floor of the House. Besides, he is responsible for keeping MPs, especially Ministers, informed of opinion in the party on the moods of individual members.  If an MP violates his party’s whip, he faces expulsion from the House under the Anti-Defection Act.

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19. Judicial appointment

Context: SC Collegium decided to make additional Judges of 3 High Courts permanent

Concept:  The method of appointment of the Chief Justice of India, SC and HC judges was laid down in the Constitution.  The Constitution stated that the President shall make these appointments after consulting with the Chief Justice of India and other SC and HC judges as he considers necessary.  Between the years 1982-1999, the issue of method of appointment of judges was examined and reinterpreted by the Supreme Court.  Since then, a collegium, consisting of the Chief Justice of India and 4 other senior most SC judges, made recommendations for persons to be appointed as SC and HC judges, to the President.

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20. Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights), 2020 Rules

Context: Central government has published an updated draft of ‘Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules, 2020’

Concept:  It envisages that every establishment shall implement all measuresto ensure non-discrimination against any transgender person in any matter relating to employment including, but not limited to, infrastructure adjustments, recruitment, promotion and other related issues. The government has sought comments from stakeholders within the next 30 days.  The draft rules mandate every establishment to publish an equal opportunity policy for transgender persons which will be displayed on its website or at visible places within its premises.  The policy will contain details of infrastructural facilities (such as unisex toilets), measures put in for safety and security (transportation and guards) and amenities (such as hygiene products) to be provided to the transgender persons to enable them to effectively discharge their duties.  It also talks about adequate steps to be taken by the government to prohibit discrimination against transgender in any government or private organisation or establishment, including in the areas of education, employment, healthcare, public transportation, participation in public life, sports, leisure and recreation and opportunity to hold public or private office.

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21. Pragyata Guideline

Context: Human resource and Development Minister has released guidelines for online education ‘Pragyata’

Concept:  The guidelines have been issued to ensure the safety and academic welfare of the students. The guidelines issued by MHRD entail suggestions for administrators, school heads, teachers, parents and students on the following areas:  Need assessment  Concerns while planning online and digital education like duration, screen time, inclusiveness, balanced online and offline activities, etc. level-wise Modalities of intervention including resource curation, level-wise delivery, etc.  Physical, mental health and well-being during digital education  Cyber safety and ethical practices including precautions and measures for maintaining cyber safety  Collaboration and convergence with various initiatives  These guidelines, prepared by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), are only advisory in nature, and State governments have been asked to build on them and formulate their own rules, based on local needs.  The ministry has recommended a cap on the screen time for students. As per the guidelines, online classes for pre-primary students should not be for more than 30 minutes. It further mentions that two online sessions of up to 30-45 minutes each should be conducted for classes 1 to 8 and four sessions for classes 9 to 12.

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22. NHRC and SHRC

Context: Recent Custodial deaths in Tamil Nadu and encounter in Uttar Pradesh has brought into focus the role of human rights watchdogs.

Concept: NHRC  The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India was established on 12 October, 1993. The statute under which it is established is the Protection of Human Rights Act (PHRA), 1993  It is in conformity with the Paris Principles.  The NHRC is an embodiment of India’s concern for the promotion and protection of human rights.  The Commission consists of a Chairperson, full-time Members and seven deemed Members. The statute lays down qualifications for the appointment of the Chairperson and Members of the Commission. Constitution of NHRC  Judge of the Supreme Court is eligible to be appointed as Chairperson of the Commission in addition to the person who has been the Chief Justice of India;  Term of the Chairperson and Members of the Commission is three years or 70 years whichever is earlier and shall be eligible for re-appointment.  The chairman and members are appointed by the president on the recommendations of a six-member committee consisting of the prime minister as its head, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, leaders of the Opposition in both the Houses of Parliament and the Central home minister.  The president can remove the chairman or any member from the office under the following circumstances: (a) If he is adjudged an insolvent; or (b) If he engages, during his term of office, in any paid employment outside the duties of his office; or (c) If he is unfit to continue in office by reason of infirmity of mind or body; or (d) If he is of unsound mind and stand so declared by a competent court; or (e) If he is convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for an offence.

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 In addition to these, the president can also remove the chairman or any member on the ground of proved misbehaviour or incapacity. However, in these cases, the president has to refer the matter to the Supreme Court for an inquiry. If the Supreme Court, after the inquiry, upholds the cause of removal and advises so, then the president can remove the chairman or a member.  The salaries, allowances and other conditions of service of the chairman or a member are determined by the Central government.

SHRC  SHRC derives its mandate from Protection of Human Rights Act (PHRA), 1993  The Commission consists of a Chairperson and two Members. The statute lays down qualifications for the appointment of the Chairperson and Members of the Commission. Constitution of NHRC  Person who has been Chief Justice or Judge of a High Court will be chairperson of a SHRC.  Term of the Chairperson and Members of the Commission is three years or 70 years whichever is earlier and shall be eligible for re-appointment.  The chairperson and members are appointed by the Governor on the recommendations of a committee consisting of the chief minister as its head, the speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the state home minister and the leader of the opposition in the Legislative Assembly.  Although the chairperson and members of a State Human Rights Commission are appointed by the governor, they can be removed only by the President (and not by the governor). The President can remove them on the same grounds and in the same manner as he can remove the chairperson or a member of the National Human Rights Commission.

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23. Socially backward

Concept:  Article 15 (4) of Indian states that nothing in article 15 or in article 29(2) shall prevent the state from making any provisions for the advancement of any socially and economically backward classes of citizens or for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.  This clause started the era of reservations in India. Talks  Caste is not the only criterion for backwardness and other criteria must also be considered.

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24. 26th constitutional amendment

Context: The Supreme Court has ruled that the Travancore royal family has rights to maintain and manage the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala.

Concept: Rulings:  A two-judge bench held that the royal family’s Shebaitship — the right to maintain and manage the temple and the deitydoes not come to an end with the death of the ruler, who signed the instrument of accession with the Indian government in 1949 by which the erstwhile princely state of Travancore merged with the Indian union.  And also Shebait rights of the royal family will continue and abolition of the rights and privileges of the royal family by the 26th amendment of the Constitution will not impact it. 26 amendment of 1971  It abolished the privy purses and privileges of the former rulers of princely states in India in order to establish egalitarian society.  In return for surrendering their powers, Articles 291 and 362 guaranteed royal families a tax-free privy purse which was approximately one-fourth of what they had earlier earned.  Most Congressmen were opposed to payment of privy purses. But Sardar Patel made a stirring speech in the Constituent Assembly on October 12, 1949. He asked members to realise that this was a small price to pay for the integration of India.

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 The temple, built in the Chera style of architecture, is unique to Kerala and the neighbouring states, as the construction was done keeping the local weather and wind direction in mind.  Temples made in the Chera style are usually square, rectangular, octagonal or star-shaped.  Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is one of 108 DivyaDesams (holy abodes of Vishnu) – principal centres of worship of the deity in Vaishnavism.  The main deity in the Shree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is of Lord Vishnu in the ‘AnanthaShayana’ posture (reclined posture of eternal yoga) on AdiShesha or king of all serpents.

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25. Prakash Singh case 2006

Context: Rising allegations against police system in India brings to light judgments of Prakash singh case.

Concept:  In 1996, a petition was filed before the Supreme which stated that the police abuse and misuse their powers. It alleged non-enforcement and discriminatory application of laws in favour of persons with clout, and also raised instances of unauthorised detentions, torture, harassment, etc. against ordinary citizens. The petition asked the court to issue directions for implementation of recommendations of expert committees.  Directions: In September 2006, the court issued various directions to the centre and states including:  Constitute a State Security Commission in every state that will lay down policy for police functioning, evaluate police performance, and ensure that state governments do not exercise unwarranted influence on the police.  Constitute a Police Establishment Board in every state that will decide postings, transfers and promotions for officers below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police, and make recommendations to the state Government for officers of higher ranks.  Constitute Police Complaints Authorities at the state and district levels to inquire into allegations of serious misconduct and abuse of power by police personnel.  Provide a minimum tenure of at least two years for the DGP and other key police officers (e.g., officers in charge of a police station and district) within the state forces, and the Chiefs of the central forces to protect them against arbitrary transfers and postings.  Ensure that the DGP of state police is appointed from amongst three senior-most officers who have been empanelled for the promotion by the Union Public Service Commission on the basis of length of service, good record and experience.  Separate the investigating police from the law and order police to ensure speedier investigation, better expertise and improved rapport with the people.

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 Constitute a National Security Commission to shortlist the candidates for appointment as Chiefs of the central armed police forces.

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26. Delimitation

Context:  A former legal advisor to the Election Commission (EC) has red-flagged the Centre’s order to set up a Delimitation Commission for Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Assam and Nagaland and called it “unconstitutional” and “illegal”.

Reasons  In the last delimitation exercise, completed in 2008, Arunachal, Manipur, Assam, Nagaland were kept out due to apprehensions over use of the 2001 Census.  The tribal communities in the four states feared that the delimitation exercise would change the composition of seats reserved for them, hurting their electoral interests. As violence erupted, the Delimitation Act of 2002 was amended to empower the President to postpone the exercise in these states.  Subsequently, Parliament had decided that instead of creating another Delimitation Commission for the limited purpose of redrawing seat boundaries in the four northeastern states, the exercise there would be carried out by the EC.  Section 8A of the RP Act 1950, introduced by Parliament in 2008, states that delimitation in the four northeastern states, when held, would fall within the EC’s remit. Hence, any delimitation exercise in Arunachal, Manipur, Assam and Nagaland by the new Delimitation Commission would be declared void by the courts.

Concept:  Under Article 82 of the Constitution, the Parliament by law enacts a Delimitation Act after every census.  The Delimitation Commission is appointed by the President of India and works in collaboration with the Election Commission of India

Composition: Retired Supreme Court judge Chief Election Commissioner Respective State Election Commissioners

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Functions:  To determine the number and boundaries of constituencies to make population of all constituencies nearly equal.  To identify seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, wherever their population is relatively large.  In case of difference of opinion among members of the Commission, the opinion of the majority prevails.  The Delimitation Commission in India is a high power body whose orders have the force of law and cannot be called in question before any court.  Delimitation Commissions have been set up four times — 1952, 1963, 1973 and 2002under the Acts of 1952, 1962, 1972 and 2002.  The present delimitation of constituencies has been done on the basis of 2001 census figures under the provisions of Delimitation Act, 2002.  Notwithstanding the above, the Constitution of India was specifically amended in 2002 not to have delimitation of constituencies till the first census after 2026.

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27. KihotoHollohan VS Zachillhu And Others (1992)

Context: Recent defection trial in Rajasthan has brought to light importance of anti- defection law.

Concept:  A constitutional challenge to the Tenth Schedule was settled by the apex court in KihotoHollohan case.  The principal question before the Supreme Court in the case was whether the powerful role given to the Speaker violated the doctrine of Basic Structure laid down in the landmark judgment in KesavanandaBharati vs State Of Kerala (1973).  The tenth Schedule describes the Speaker’s sweeping discretionary powers that if any question arises as to whether a member of a House has become subject to disqualification under this Schedule, the question shall be referred for the decision of the Chairman or, as the case may be, the Speaker of such House and his decision shall be final.  The petitioners in Hollohan argued whether it was fair that the Speaker should have such broad powers, given that there is always a reasonable likelihood of bias.  The majority judgment authored by Justices M N Venkatachaliah and K Jayachandra Reddy answered that the Speakers/Chairmen hold a pivotal position in the scheme of Parliamentary democracy and are guardians of the rights and privileges of the House. They are expected to and do take far reaching decisions in the Parliamentary democracy. Vestiture of power to adjudicate questions under the Tenth Schedule in them should not be considered exceptionable.So it brought speaker’s decision under judicial review.  Further court envisaged independent adjudicatory machinery for resolving disputes relating to the competence of Members of the House.  Constitutional courts cannot judicially review disqualification proceedings under the Tenth Schedule (anti-defection law) of the Constitution until the Speaker or Chairman makes a final decision on merits.  The only exception for any interlocutory interference being cases of interlocutory disqualifications or suspensions which may have grave, immediate and irreversible repercussions and consequence.

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28. Prevention to cruelty act

Context: Supreme Court is looking for validity of a Kerala law that prohibits animal sacrifice for appeasement of deity in temples.

Concept:  The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 prohibits any person from inflicting, causing, or if it is the owner, permitting, unnecessary pain or suffering to be inflicted on any animal.  The Act makes it a crime to beat, kick, torture, mutilate, administer an injurious substance, or cruelly kill an animal.  It is also illegal to over-ride, over-drive, over-load, or work an unfit animal.  It is an offense to cruelly transport, confine, chain or tether an animal.  It is a violation to engage in animal fighting or shooting competitions in which animals are released from captivity to be shot. An owner commits an offense if he or she fails to provide sufficient food, drink or shelter, unreasonably abandons any animal, or permits any diseased or disabled animal to roam or die in any street.  According to Section 4 of this Act, an animal welfare board shall be established by the Central Government purporting to provide for animal welfare and extending protection against animals from unnecessary pain or suffering.  According to Section 14 of this Act; nothing in this Act shall affect the experimentation (including operations) on animals for the purpose of:  Advancement through the new discovery of physiological knowledge; or Knowledge which will be useful for decreasing the mortality rate; or Suffering alleviation; or for combating any disease.

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29. NDRF

Context:  The government has come out with the modalities for contributions to the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).

Concept:  As per Section 46(1)(b) of the Disaster Management (DM) Act, 2005, receipt of contributions and grants from any person or institution for the purpose of disaster management in the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) can be made.  The National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), constituted under Section 46 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, supplements SDRF of a State, in case of a disaster of severe nature, provided adequate funds are not available in SDRF.  It is a fund managed by the Central Government for meeting the expenses for emergency response, relief and rehabilitation due to any threatening disaster situation or disaster.  NDRF amount can be spent only towards meeting the expenses for emergency response, relief and rehabilitation.  It is financed through the levy of a cess on certain items, chargeable to excise and customs duty, and approved annually through the Finance Bill.  The requirement for funds beyond what is available under the NDRF is met through general budgetary resources.  A provision also exists in the DM Act to encourage any person or institution to make a contribution to the NDRF.  It is kept under “Public Accounts” of Government of India.  Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) audits the accounts of NDRF.  Department of Agriculture and Cooperation under Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) monitors relief activities for calamities associated with drought, hailstorms, pest attacks and cold wave /frost while rest of the natural calamities are monitored by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

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30. Rule of law

Context: The Supreme Court has said that government has the responsibility to uphold the law while hearing a plea connection with the death of gangster Vikas Dubey.

Concept:  The concept of equality before law is an element of the concept of Rule of Law, propounded by A.V. Dicey, the British jurist. His concept has the following three elements or aspects:  Absence of arbitrary power, that is, no man can be punished except for a breach of law.  Equality before the law, that is, equal subjection of all citizens (rich or poor, high or low, official or non-official) to the ordinary law of the land administered by the ordinary law courts.  The primacy of the rights of the individual, that is, the constitution is the result of the rights of the individual as defined and enforced by the courts of law rather than the constitution being the source of the individual rights.  The first and the second elements are applicable to the Indian System and not the third one. In the Indian System, the constitution is the source of the individual rights.  The Supreme Court held that the Rule of Law as embodied in Article 14 is a basic feature of the constitution. Hence, it cannot be destroyed even by an amendment.

Rule of Law Index  The World Justice Project Rule of Law Indexis the world’s leading source for original, independent data on the rule of law.  The Rule of law Index measures “how the rule of law is experienced and perceived by the general public.”  In 2019, on this Index, India was ranked 68 out of 126 countries, down 3 places from last year.  This Index measures performance across various socio-legal and political focus areas including “Open Government, Fundamental Rights, Regulatory Enforcement, Civil Justice, and Criminal Justice.”  India has never been rated among top 50 in the index.

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 Recently a petition was filed in SC to direct the government to take measure to improve its ranking on the index

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31. Consumer protection act

Context: New consumer protection act comes into force today.

Concept:  The newly enacted Consumer Protection Act replacing more than three decades old Consumer Protection Act, 1986.  The new Consumer Protection Act 2019 seeks to revamp the process of administration and settlement of consumer disputes, with strict penalties, including jail term for adulteration and misleading ads by firms.  It defined 6 rights of the consumers which include:  Right to be protected against the marketing of goods, products or services which can be hazardous to life and property  Right to be informed about the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard and price of goods, products and services  Right to be assured of access to goods, products and services at competitive prices.  Right to be heard at appropriate forums  Right to seek redressal against unfair trade practices that are involved in exploitation of customers  Right to consumer awareness  It proposes to set up Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers. The CCPA would make interventions to prevent consumer detriment arising from unfair trade practices. The agency can also initiate class action, including enforcing recall, refund and return of products.  It also simplified dispute resolution process, has provision for Mediation and e-filing of cases. The Consumer will be able to file cases in the nearest commission under the jurisdiction of which he resides.  Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions (CDRCs) would be setup at various levels. The CDRCs would be set up at multiple levels – district, state and national. Consumers can file complaints with the CDRCs regarding any of the following.  Defective goods or services  Overcharging or deceptive charging on goods and services  Any unfair or restrictive trade practices

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 Offering services or sale of goods which can be hazardous to life or not safe As per the new act, all the laws that apply for direct selling would also be applicable for E-Commerce.  Consumers can file complaints from anywhere and they do not need to hire lawyer to represent their cases. For mediation, there will be strict timeline fixed in the rules.  On misleading advertisements there is provision for jail term and fine for manufacturers.  For the first time there will be an exclusive law dealing with Product Liability. A manufacturer or product service provider or product seller will now be responsible to compensate for injury or damage caused by defective product or deficiency in services.

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32. Postal ballots

Context: Election Commission of India (ECI) has ruled out the feasibility of extending postal ballots to 70 lakh electors above 65 years of age in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.

Concept:  By postal ballot, a voter can cast her vote remotely by recording her preference on the ballot paper and sending it back to the election officer before counting.  Members of the armed forces like the Army, Navy and Air Force, members of the armed police force of a state (serving outside the state), government employees posted outside India and their spouses are entitled to vote only by post.  Voters under preventive detention can also vote only by post.  The Returning Officer is supposed to print ballot papers within 24 hours of the last date of nomination withdrawal and dispatch them within a day.  After receiving it, the voter can mark her preference with a tick mark or cross mark against the candidate’s name. They also have to fill up a duly attested declaration to the effect that they have marked the ballot paper. The ballot paper and the declaration are then placed in a sealed cover and sent back to the Returning Officer before the time fixed for the commencement of counting of votes.

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33. Article 159

Context: Tussle between Governor and Chief Minister in West Bengal shed light on constitutional provisions of State government

Concept:  It provides that every person appointed a Governor or required to discharge the functions of a Governor, before taking charge of the office, shall take an oath or make an affirmation of office.  The article also contains the form of the oath according to which the Governor undertakes to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and the law”.  Provisions of the Constitution inter alia require the Governor to discharge his functions with the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers except in matters specifically mentioned for being handled in his discretion.

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34. Fundamental Rights of Police

Context: While issuing a first-of-its-kind ‘gag order’ or ‘code of conduct’ for personnel of Gujarat Police regarding their usage of social media, Gujarat Director General of Police (DGP) said that police do not enjoy the same rights as citizens.

Concept:  Article 33 empowers the Parliament to restrict or abrogate the fundamental rights of the members of armed forces, para-military forces, police forces, intelligence agencies and analogous forces.  The objective of this provision is to ensure the proper discharge of their duties and the maintenance of discipline among them.  The power to make laws under Article 33 is conferred only on Parliament and not on state legislatures.  Any such law made by Parliament cannot be challenged in any court on the ground of contravention of any of the fundamental rights.  Accordingly, the Parliament has enacted the Army Act (1950), the Navy Act (1950), the Air Force Act (1950), the Police Forces (Restriction of Rights) Act, 1966, the Border Security Force Act and so on.  These impose restrictions on their freedom of speech, right to form associations, right to be members of trade unions or political associations, right to communicate with the press, right to attend public meetings or demonstrations, etc.  The expression members of the armed forces also cover non-combatants in armed forces.

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35. Contempt of Court

Context: The contempt case has been initiated against advocate Prashant Bhushan.

Concept:  According to the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, contempt of court can either be civil contempt or criminal contempt.  Civil contempt means willful disobedience to any judgment, decree, direction, order, writ or other process of a court or willful breach of an undertaking given to a court.  On the other hand, criminal contempt means the publication of any matter or the doing of any other act whatsoever which scandalizes or lowers the authority of, any court; or prejudices or interferes with the due course of any judicial proceeding; or Interferes or obstruct the administration of justice in any other manner.  A contempt of court may be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to two thousand rupees, or with both, provided that the accused may be discharged or the punishment awarded may be remitted on apology being made to the satisfaction of the court.

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36. Article 212

Context: An appeal filed by the Rajasthan Speaker’s office challenging the State High Court’s order to defer anti-defection proceedings against 19 MLAs

Concept:

 Article 212 provides that courts cannot inquire into proceedings of the legislature.  The validity of any proceedings in the Legislature of a State shall not be called in question on the ground of any alleged irregularity of procedure.  No officer or member of the Legislature of a State in whom powers are vested by or under this Constitution for regulating procedure or the conduct of business, or for maintaining order, in the Legislature shall be subject to the jurisdiction of any court in respect of the exercise by him of those powers.

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37. Cabinet decision binding on Governor and Governor’s discretion

Context: Growing crisis in Rajasthan brings into discussion powers of Governor

Concept:  Article 163 states that there shall be a council of Ministers with the chief Minister at the head to aid and advise the Governor in the exercise of his functions, except in so far as he is by or under this constitution required to exercise his functions or any of them in his discretion  If any question arises whether any matter is or is not a matter as respects which the Governor is by or under this Constitution required to act in his discretion, the decision of the Governor in his discretion shall be final  The advice tendered by Ministers to the Governor shall not be inquired into in any court

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38. Floor Test

Context: Rajasthan cabinet wants to have assembly session to prove majority.

Concept:  A floor test is a motion initiated by the government seeking to know if it enjoys the confidence of the legislature.  As part of this procedure, the chief minister appointed by the governor will be asked to prove majority on the Legislative Assembly.  When a floor test is called for in the assembly of a state, the chief minister will move a vote of confidence and prove that he has the majority support.  If the floor test fails, fails, the government will have to resign.

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39. Online audit

Context: Ministry of Panchayati Raj has decided to conduct an online audit of 20 per cent of the estimated 2.5 lakh gram panchayats (GPs) across the country for the current financial year.

Concept:  Article 243J provides for audit of accounts of Panchayats.  The Legislature of a State may, by law, make provisions with respect to the maintenance of accounts by the Panchayats and the auditing of such accounts

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40. Governor calling House

Context: Rajasthan CM has demanded governor to convene assembly

Concept:

 Under Article 174, the Governor shall from time to time summon the House or each House of the Legislature of the State to meet at such time and place as he thinks fit, but six months shall not intervene between its last sitting in one session and the date appointed for its first sitting in the next session  The Governor may from time to time prorogue the House or either House or dissolve the Legislative Assembly.

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41. Election timing and Election Commission

Context: The Election Commission of India has made reply asserting that all decisions on the conduct and timing of elections are its sole remit, in respone to Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor’s speech over elections.

Concept:  The EC, before coming out with the election dates, takes relevant factors into consideration.  These include the topography, weather, sensitivities arising out of regional and local festivities in the area(s) where the election is to take place.

ECI  The Election Commission is a permanent and an independent body established by the Constitution of India directly to ensure free and fair elections in the country.  Article 324 of the Constitution provides that the power of superintendence, direction and control of elections to parliament, state legislatures, the office of president of India and the office of vice-president of India shall be vested in the election commission.  Since its inception in 1950 and till 15 October 1989, the election commission functioned as a single member body consisting of the Chief Election Commissioner.  On 16 October 1989, the president appointed two more election commissioners to cope with the increased work of the election commission on account of lowering of the voting age from 21 to 18 years. Thereafter, the Election Commission functioned as a multimember body consisting of three election commissioners.  However, the two posts of election commissioners were abolished in January 1990 and the Election Commission was reverted to the earlier position.  Again in October 1993, the president appointed two more election commissioners.  Since then and till today, the Election Commission has been functioning as a multi-member body consisting of three election commissioners.

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COMPOSITION  Article 324 of the Constitution has made the following provisions with regard to the composition of election commission:  The Election Commission shall consist of the chief election commissioner and such number of other election commissioners, if any, as the president may from time to time fix.  The appointment of the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners shall be made by the president.  The conditions of service and tenure of office of the election commissioners and the regional commissioners shall be determined by the president.  The chief election commissioner and the two other election commissioners have equal powers and receive equal salary, allowances and other perquisites, which are similar to those of a judge of the Supreme Court.  In case of difference of opinion amongst the Chief Election Commissioner and/or two other election commissioners, the matter is decided by the Commission by majority.  They hold office for a term of six years or until they attain the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.  They can resign at any time or can also be removed before the expiry of their term.

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 The Constitution has not prescribed the qualifications (legal, educational, administrative or judicial) of the members of the Election Commission.  The Constitution has not specified the term of the members of the Election Commission.  The Constitution has not debarred the retiring election commissioners from any further appointment by the government.

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42. Delimitation Exercise

Context: Delimitation committee is appointed for Jammu and Kashmir

Concept:  Delimitation literally means the act or process of fixing limits or boundaries of territorial constituencies in a country or a province having a legislative body.  Under Article 82 of the Constitution, the Parliament by law enacts a Delimitation Act after every census.  The Delimitation Commission is appointed by the President of India and works in collaboration with the Election Commission of India

Composition:  Retired Supreme Court judge  Chief Election Commissioner  Respective State Election Commissioners

Functions:  To determine the number and boundaries of constituencies to make population of all constituencies nearly equal.  To identify seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, wherever their population is relatively large.  In case of difference of opinion among members of the Commission, the opinion of the majority prevails.  The Delimitation Commission in India is a high power body whose orders have the force of law and cannot be called in question before any court.  Delimitation Commissions have been set up four times — 1952, 1963, 1973 and 2002 under the Acts of 1952, 1962, 1972 and 2002.  The present delimitation of constituencies has been done on the basis of 2001 census figures under the provisions of Delimitation Act, 2002.  Notwithstanding the above, the Constitution of India was specifically amended in 2002 not to have delimitation of constituencies till the first census after 2026.

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43. Business Advisory Committee

Context: Rajasthan state government in its fresh recommendation to governor has refused to mention whether it is seeking a trust vote. The government has said that the agenda of the House has to be decided by the Business Advisory Committee (BAC).

Concept:  The Business Advisory Committee of LokSabha consists of 15 members including the Speaker who is the ex-officio Chairperson.  The members are nominated by the Speaker.  In practice, a new Committee after being nominated by the Speaker is constituted and assumes office in the first week of June every year.  Casual vacancies are filled by nomination of new members for the unexpired term of the Committee.  The Committee generally meets at the beginning of each Session and thereafter as and when necessary.  Almost all sections of the House are represented on the Committee.  The function of the Committee is to recommend the time that should be allotted for the discussion of such government legislative and other business as the Speaker, in consultation with the Leader of the House, may direct to be referred to the Committee.  The Committee, on its own initiative, may also recommend to the Government to bring forward particular subjects for discussion in the House and recommend allocation of time for such discussions.  The decisions reached by the Committee are always unanimous in character and representative of the collective view of the House.

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Economics 1. Fiscal deficit and Controller General of Account

Context: Central government has reported that its fiscal deficit exceeded more than half its Budget Estimate (BE) in the first two months of the current fiscal (FY 20-21)

Concept:  This was primarily because of a crunch in tax and non-tax revenues and capital receipts. It was 52 per cent for the corresponding period last year.  According to the Controller General of Accounts, net tax revenue for April- May was 2.1 per cent of the full-year target, compared with 7 per cent a year ago. Non-tax revenue was 2.8 per cent, compared with 9.1 per cent last year, and non-debt capital receipt was 0.4 per cent, as against 2.6 per cent a year ago.

Fiscal deficit  Fiscal Deficit is the difference between the total income of the government (total taxes and non-debt capital receipts) and its total expenditure.  It is an indication of the total borrowings needed by the government.  A fiscal deficit situation occurs when the government’s expenditure exceeds its income Controller General of Account  Controller General of Accounts (CGA), in the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, is the Principal Accounting Adviser to Government of India and is responsible for establishing and maintaining a technically sound Management Accounting System.  The Office of CGA prepares monthly and annual analysis of expenditure, revenues, borrowings and various fiscal indicators for the Union Government.  The Annual Appropriation Accounts (Civil) and Union Finance Accounts are submitted to Parliament under Article 150 of the Constitution.

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2. Index of eight Core industries

Context: The output of eight core infrastructure industries shrank by 23.4 per cent in May due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown, according to the official data.

Concept:  The index was released by the Office of Economic Affairs under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.  Out of the total items in the Index of Industrial Production, the Eight Core Industries comprises of 40.27 percent weight of the total.  The Eight Core Industries are: (i) Coal (ii) Crude Oil (iii) Natural Gas (iv) Refinery Products (v)Fertilizers (vi) Steel (vii)Cement (viii) Electricity Already covered in-depth in previous DPN

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3. GST

Context: The Goods and Service Tax (GST) regime completes three years since it was first introduced on July 1, 2017

Concept:  The GST aims to streamline the taxation structure in the country and replace a gamut of indirect taxes with a singular GST to simplify the taxation procedure.  It has been established by the 101st Constitutional Amendment Act.  It is an indirect tax for the whole country on the lines of “One Nation One Tax” to make India a unified market.  Taxes like excise duty, VAT, service tax, luxury tax will go with GST’s implementation.  GST is essentially a consumption tax and is levied at the final consumption point. The principle used in GST taxation is Destination Principle.  It is levied on the value addition and provides set offs. As a result, it avoids the cascading effect or tax on tax which increases the tax burden on the end consumer.  There is a provision of GST Council to decide upon any matter related to GST whose chairman in the finance minister of India. It will approve all decision related to taxation in the country. It consists of Centre, states and UTs with legislature. Centre has 1/3rd voting rights and states have 2/3rd voting rights. Decisions are taken after a majority in the council.  GSTN is registered as a not-for-profit company under the companies Act. It has been formed to set up and operate the information technology backbone of the GST. While the Central (24.5%) and the state (24.5%) governments hold a combined stake of 49%, the remaining 51% stake is divided among five financial institutions

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4. Udyam registration portal for MSME

Context: Udyam Registration Portal developed by Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises has become operational.

Concept:

Features:  MSME registration process is fully online, paperless and based on self- declaration. No documents or proof are required to be uploaded for registering an MSME  A Registration number will be given after registration  After completion of the process of registration, an Udyam Registration Certificate will be issued This certificate will have a dynamic QR Code from which the web page on our Portal and details about the enterprise can be accessed.  PAN & GST linked details on investment and turnover of enterprises will be taken automatically from the respective Government data bases.

Benefits:  This process will be extremely simple, seamless entrepreneur friendly.  It will set an example in Ease of Doing Business, not only in India but internationally.  It will reduce transaction time and costs. Entrepreneurs and Enterprises can focus on their real work and become globally competitive.

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5. Soyabean

Context: Farmers from various parts of Maharashtra have complained of germination failure of soyabean seeds.

Concept:  Seed companies start their work for seed preparation, which involves procurement of seeds either from the farmers or growing them on their own plots, well before the season.  Treatment of the seed with bio-fertilsers, insecticides etc is followed by the certification process.  During this process, germination tests are carried out, and seeds which fail to produce 70 per cent yield and more germination, are rejected.

Reasons  Unseasonal rain in October and November last year had affected the quality of the seed, which had put a question mark over seed availability and quality for the current season.  The lockdown from March had also put brakes on the seed production and certification process, both in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh Soyabean  Soyabean is one of the fastest growing crops in India. Soyabean is grown as a Kharif

Crop in India.  Soyabean is an oilseed produced for extracting edible oils.  Soyabean is mostly grown in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. These two states together produce about 90 per cent of total output of soyabean in the country

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6. Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) scheme

Context: As per Finance Ministry data, banks have sanctioned 36.7 per cent of the targeted Rs 3 lakh crore under the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) scheme for stressed micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Concept:  Finance Minister on May 13 announced collateral-free loans up to Rs 3 lakh crore backed by government guarantee.  The 100% collateral-free MSME loan is being called the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS), which is being provided by the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC) to banks, NBFCs and Financial Institutions (FIs).  The Scheme is valid for existing customers of a bank, NBFC or FI. This means this scheme is not for new borrowers. Also, the loan account should be less than or equal to 60 days past due as on 29th February, 2020 and the borrower has not been classified as SMA 2 or NPA by any of the lender as on 29th February, 2020. A borrower must also be registered under GST, unless the business is not required or exempted from having a GST registration.

Impact  In view of the critical role of the MSME sector in the economy and in providing employment, the proposed Scheme is expected to provide much needed relief to the sector by incentivizing MLIs to provide additional credit of up to Rs.3 lakh crore to the sector at low cost, thereby enabling MSMEs to meet their operational liabilities and restart their businesses.  By supporting MSMEs to continue functioning during the current unprecedented situation, the Scheme is also expected to have a positive impact on the economy and support its revival.

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7. Compulsory License

Context: Political party CPI(M) has asked the government to invoke Clause 92 of the Patents Act and issue compulsory license to manufacturers to produce the generic version of Remdesivir used for treating coronavirus patients

Concept:  Compulsory licensing is when a government allows someone else to produce a patented product or process without the consent of the patent owner or plans to use the patent-protected invention itself.  It is one of the flexibilities in the field of patent protection included in the WTO’s agreement on intellectual property TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) Agreement and also in Indian patent Act, 1972  Under Indian Patent Act, 1970, the provision with regard to compulsory licensing is specifically given under Chapter XVI. The conditions which need to be fulfilled in order for a compulsory licence to be granted are laid down under Sections 84 and 92 of the Act.  As per Section 84, any person who is interested or already the holder of the licence under the patent can make a request to the Controller for grant of Compulsory Licence on patent after three years from the date of grant of that patent.  While granting the compulsory licence, the Patent office will take into account few measures such as the nature of the invention, any measures already taken by the patentees or any licencee to make full use of the invention, ability of the applicant to work the invention to the public advantage and time elapsed since the grant of the patent i.e. worked or not worked.  Under clause 92, India has the right to issue a compulsory license to manufacture the drug in India.  Under Clause 92A of the Patents Act, compulsory license can even be issued for export to countries that may require the drug and not have the capability to manufacture

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8. BOT, EPC, HAM

EPC  Under the EPC model, government pays private players to lay roads. The private player has no role in the road’s ownership, toll collection or maintenance (it is taken care of by the government).

BOT  Under the BOT model though, private players have an active role — they build, operate and maintain the road for a specified number of years before transferring the asset back to the government. Under BOT, the private player arranged all the finances for the project, while collecting toll revenue or annuity fee from the Government.  The BOT model ran into roadblocks with private players not quite forthcoming to invest. The private player had to fully arrange for its finances be it through equity contribution or debt. NPA-riddled banks were becoming wary of lending to these projects. Also, if the compensation structure didn’t involve a fixed compensation (such as annuity), developers had to take on the entire risk of low passenger traffic.

HAM  HAM’s a hybrid - a mix of the EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) and BOT (build, operate, transfer) models. HAM combines EPC (40 per cent) and BOTAnnuity (60 per cent).  On behalf of the government, NHAI releases 40 per cent of the total project cost. The balance 60 per cent is arranged by the developer.  HAM arose out of a need to have a better financial mechanism for road development.  HAM is a good trade-off, spreading the risk between developers and the Government.

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9. Trade surplus

Context: The RBI has released India’s balance of payments data for the fourth quarter of financial year 2020.

Findings  India has attained a small current account surplus which is around 0.1 per cent of the GDP.  This is largely driven by a lower trade deficit.  This is a rare occurrence because since 1976-77, there has not been a single year when India did not incur a substantial merchandise trade deficit.  Improvement in trade balance has been driven mainly by a sharper decline in imports. This is a warning sign for the economy as the decline in imports, especially in merchandise goods, points towards a contraction of demand in the real economy.

Reasons:  A surplus on account of invisibles, emanating mainly out of services exports and remittances, India’s substantial trade deficit turns into a moderate current account deficit  Reason for long term trade deficit: Lack of export dynamism in comparison with our East Asian neighbours is reason for trade deficit and also large imports of oil, gold, and electronics have chronically inflated our import bills.

Trade deficit  Trade balance of a country shows the difference between what it earns from its exports and what it pays for its imports.  If it is in negative that is, the total value of goods imported by a country is more than the total value of goods exported by that country, then it is referred to as a “trade deficit”.

Current Account deficit  A current account deficit is a trade measurement that says a country imported more goods, services, and capital than it exported.

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 It encompasses the trade deficit plus capital like net income and transfer payments.  Current Account = Trade gap + Net current transfers + Net income abroad

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10. Rising Forex Reserves

Context: India’s forex reserve has crossed $500-billion mark recently

Concept:  RBI was able to increase its reserves by $79 billion over the past year and by $29 billion since the beginning of this fiscal year.  While the dollar-rupee swap auctions conducted in March and April this year have helped increase reserves to some extent.  Other unplanned developments behind the increasing reserves are raising external commercial borrowings and an unexpected trade surplus.  With global central banks pumping in enormous amount of money into the global economy and moving interest rates lower, Indian companies have found it easier to raise funds overseas at cheaper cost. Concerns:  Increased overseas borrowing has downsides — corporates can struggle to roll over the loans if the rupee continues depreciating or if the interest rate cycle overseas turns adverse.  The favourable trade balance is also not something to cheer about as it has been caused mainly by declining demand. Merchandise imports were sharply lower in April and May this year, in line with contraction in global trade.  Once domestic demand revives with the economy unlocking, demand for petroleum and other products are likely to revive, causing pressure on the trade balance once again

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11. Agriculture Infrastructure fund

Context: Cabinet has approved for setting up an agri-infra fund with a corpus of Rs 1 lakh crore

Concept:  The scheme shall provide a medium – long term debt financing facility for investment in viable projects for post-harvest management Infrastructure and community farming assets through interest subvention and financial support.  This new agri-infra fund has duration of 10 years till 2029.  Under the scheme, Rs. One Lakh Crore will be provided by banks and financial institutions as loans to Primary Agricultural Credit Societies, Marketing Cooperative Societies, Farmer Producers Organizations, Self Help Group, Farmers, Joint Liability Groups, Multipurpose Cooperative Societies, Agri-entrepreneurs, Startups, Aggregation Infrastructure Providers and Central/State agency or Local Body sponsored Public Private Partnership Project  All loans under this financing facility will have interest subvention of 3% per annum up to a limit of Rs. 2 crore. This subvention will be available for a maximum period of seven years.  Further, credit guarantee coverage will be available for eligible borrowers from this financing facility under Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) scheme for a loan up to Rs. 2 crore.  Agri Infra fund will be managed and monitored through an online Management Information System (MIS) platform. It will enable all the qualified entities to apply for loan under the fund.  The National, State and District level Monitoring Committees will be set up to ensure real-time monitoring and effective feed-back.

Benefits: The Project by way of facilitating formal credit to farm and farm processing- based activities is expected to create numerous job opportunities in rural areas.

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12. State Development Loans and Ways & Means Advance

Context: According to data from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Tamil Nadu government has so far raised ₹30,500 crore in fiscal 2020-21 and has topped market borrowings among all the States. Tamil Nadu accounted for 17% of the borrowings done through state development loans

Concept:  The State has issued more long-tenure bonds when compared to other States, and has not tapped short-terms funding avenues like Ways and Means Advances. State development loans  State Development Loans (SDLs) are dated securities issued by states for meeting their market borrowings requirements.  In effect, the SDL are similar to the dated securities issued by the central government.  Purpose of issuing State Development Loans is to meet the budgetary needs of state governments. Each state can borrow upto a set limit through State Development Loans.  The SDL securities issued by states are credible collateral for meeting the SLR requirements of banks as well as collateral for availing liquidity under the RBI’s LAF including the repo.

Ways & means advance  The WMA facility enables the government to take a temporary short term loan from the central bank, mainly to address the mismatch between its inflow of revenues and outflow of expenditure.  Under Section 17(5) of RBI Act, 1934, the RBI provides Ways and Means Advances (WMA) to the States banking with it to help them to tide over temporary mismatches in the cash flow of their receipts and payments. Such advances are repayable in each case not later than three months from the date of making that advance.  There are two types of WMA – normal and special.  While normal WMA are clean advances, special WMA are secured advances provided against the pledge of Government of India dated securities.

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13. ASEEM portal

Context: Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has launched Aatamanirbhar Skilled Employee Employer Mapping (ASEEM) portal

Concept:  It will help skilled people find sustainable livelihood opportunities.  Apart from recruiting a skilled workforce that spurs business competitiveness and economic growth, the Artificial Intelligence-based platform has been envisioned to strengthen their career pathways by handholding them through their journeys to attain industry-relevant skills and explore emerging job opportunities especially in the post COVID era.  Besides identifying major skills gap in the sectors and providing review of global best practices, ASEEM will provide employers a platform to assess the availability of skilled workforce and formulate their hiring plans.  Atamanirbhar Skilled Employee Employer Mapping (ASEEM) refers to all the data, trends and analytics which describe the workforce market and map demand of skilled workforce to supply. It will provide real-time granular information by identifying relevant skilling requirements and employment prospects.

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14. Fish Cryobank

Context: National Fish Farmers Day is celebrated on 10th July every year which aims to draw attention to changing the way the country manages fisheries resources to ensure sustainable stocks and healthy ecosystems.

Concept:  On the occasion of ‘National Fish Farmers Day’ that NFDB in collaboration with the NBFGR will take up the work to establish “Fish Cryobanks” in different parts of the country.  It will facilitate all time availability of ‘fish sperms’ of desired species to fish farmers.  This would be the first time in the world when “Fish Cryobank” will be established, which can bring a revolutionary change in the fisheries sector in the country for enhancing fish production and productivity and thereby increasing prosperity among the fish farmers.

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15. Bharatmala Pariyojna

Context: The Expert Appraisal Committee of the Environment Ministry has recommended the grant of Environmental Clearance for the development of an economic corridor between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka under Bharatmala Pariyojna

Concept:  It is a new umbrella program for the highways sector that focuses on optimizing efficiency of freight and passenger movement across the country by bridging critical infrastructure gaps through effective interventions like development of Economic Corridors, Inter Corridors and Feeder Routes, National Corridor Efficiency Improvement, Border and International connectivity roads, Coastal and Port connectivity roads and Green-field expressways.

Highlights:  Improvement in efficiency of existing corridors through development of Multimodal Logistics Parks and elimination of choke point  Enhance focus on improving connectivity in North East and leveraging synergies with Inland Waterways  Emphasis on use of technology & scientific planning for Project Preparation and Asset Monitoring  Delegation of powers to expedite project delivery – Phase I to complete by 2022 Improving connectivity in the North East

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16. Import Substitution

Context: Indian government has identified 12 priority sectors with potential for import substitution and boosting exports.

Concept:

Identified sectors: Food processing, organic farming, iron & steel, aluminium& copper, agrochemicals, electronics, industrial machinery, furniture, leather & footwear, auto parts, textiles and marine products.

Import substitution  The policy of encouraging domestic production by raising barriers against the import of goods from foreign economies.  It is usually recommended by some economists as a way to encourage self sufficiency, and also to aid the development of local industries.  It was most popular in Latin America in the 20th century, and India too adopted it prior to the liberalisation of its economy in 1991.  Critics have argued that protectionist measures like import substitution make consumers poorer in the long run, by preventing them from enjoying the benefits of free trade.  Also, given the restrictions imposed on foreign trade, it can lead to bureaucratic corruption.

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17. Bharat Net

Context: The consumption of mobile and broadband data in rural India under the Bharat Net scheme more than doubled in last three months compared to the preceding three months from January to March 2020.

Concept:  Bharat Net is planned to connect all the 2,50,000 Gram Panchayats in the country for providing broadband connectivity in the Gram Panchayats.  The project has been approved by Union Cabinet on 2011. The project is being executed by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) namely Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL), which has been incorporated on 25.02.2012 under Indian Companies Act 1956.  In 2016, Telecom Commission approved to implement the project in phases:  PhaseI: The target of completing 1,00,000 GPs under phase-I of BharatNet was achieved in December 2017.  Phase ll: BharatNet Phase-II is planned to connect the remaining 1,50,000GPs,using an optimal mix of media, by 31 Mar, 2019. Phase II is being implemented through three models – state-led model, CPSU model, and private sector model.  Further, provision has been made for Last Mile Connectivity in all 2,50,000 GPs through viability gap funding.  Every GP shall have on an average five WiFi Access Points (APs), including 3 Aps (on average) for public institutions such as educational centres, health centres, post offices, police stations, etc. A tender for provisioning of WiFi services has been floated by BBNL, after consultation with TSPs and ISPs, for wider participation.  A lump sum amount is allocated and disbursed from Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) to BBNL for implementation of BharatNet.  USOF’s task is to make sure that people in rural areas have access to telecom connectivity at an affordable and reasonable rate. It was established in 2002.

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18. World and Indian population trends and implications

Context: A new analysis published in The Lancet has projected about world population and its trends.

Concept:

Findings  World population will peak much earlier than previously estimated. It projects the peak at 9.73 billion in 2064, which is 36 years earlier than the 11 billion peak projected for 2100 by last year’s UN report World Population Prospects.  For India, the report projects a peak population of 1.6 billion in 2048, up from 1.38 billion in 2017. By 2100, the population is projected to decline by 32% to 1.09 billion.  The paper suggests that continued trends in female educational attainment and access to contraception will hasten declines in fertility and slow population growth.  For a generation to exactly replace itself, the replacement-level total fertility rate (TFR) is taken to be 2.1, representing the average number of children a woman would need to have. I In the study, the global TFR is predicted to steadily decline from 2.37 in 2017 to 1.66 in 2100.

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19. Trade surplus

Context: For the first time since 2002, India’s merchandise trade balance turned surplus of $790 million in June

Reasons:

 This is a rare occurrence because since 1976-77, there has not been a single year when India did not incur a substantial merchandise trade deficit.  Improvement in trade balance has been driven mainly by a sharper decline in imports. This is a warning sign for the economy as the decline in imports, especially in merchandise goods, points towards a contraction of demand in the real economy.

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20. BEPS and Equalization levy

Context: India recently decided to impose digital services taxes on non-resident e- commerce companies.

Concept: BEPS  Base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) refers to t ax planning strategies used by multinational enterprises that exploit gaps and mismatches in tax rules to avoid paying tax. Developing countries’ higher reliance on corporate income tax means they suffer from BEPS disproportionately.

Equalization levy  Equalization Levy was introduced in India in 2016-2017, with the intention of taxing the digital transactions i.e. the income accruing to foreign e- commerce companies from India.  Equalization Levy is a direct tax, which is withheld at the time of payment by the service recipient.  The two conditions to be met to be liable to equalization levy:  The payment should be made to a non-resident service provider;  The annual payment made to one service provider exceeds Rs. 1, 00,000 in one financial year.  The following services covered:  Online advertisement  Any provision for digital advertising space or facilities/ service for the purpose of online advertisement;  Currently the applicable rate of tax is 6% of the gross consideration to be paid.

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21. Country of origin

Context: Amazon India has made it mandatory for sellers on its platform to disclose the ‘country of origin’ of new and existing product listings by August 10.

Concept:

 The development comes at a time when the government is negotiating with ecommerce companies to ensure that all products listed on their apps and websites carry the country of origin tag.  The move is being viewed as part of India’s strategy to curb foreign imports.  Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) had asked ecommerce companies to display the country of origin of all new listings on their platform by August 1 and for all legacy listings by October 1.

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22. Bharatmala Pariyojna

Highlights:  Improvement in efficiency of existing corridors through development of Multimodal Logistics Parks and elimination of choke point Enhance focus on improving connectivity in North East and leveraging synergies with Inland Waterways  Emphasis on use of technology & scientific planning for Project Preparation and Asset Monitoring  Delegation of powers to expedite project delivery – Phase I to complete by 2022  Improving connectivity in the North East.

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23. Import Substitution

Context: Indian government has identified 12 priority sectors with potential for import substitution and boosting exports.

Concept:

Import substitution  The policy of encouraging domestic production by raising barriers against the import of goods from foreign economies.  It is usually recommended by some economists as a way to encourage self- sufficiency, and also to aid the development of local industries.  It was most popular in Latin America in the 20th century, and India too adopted it prior to the liberalisation of its economy in 1991.  Critics have argued that protectionist measures like import substitution make consumers poorer in the long run, by preventing them from enjoying the benefits of free trade.  Also, given the restrictions imposed on foreign trade, it can lead to bureaucratic corruption.

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24. BIS and Basel norm

Context: During BIS’ annual general meeting last month, it discussed actions taken by central banks in various countries in response to pandemic.

Concept:  The Basel Committee – initially named the Committee on Banking Regulations and Supervisory Practices was established by the central bank Governors of the Group of Ten countries at the end of 1974 in the aftermath of serious disturbances in international currency and banking markets  The BCBS is the primary global standard setter for the prudential regulation of banks and provides a forum for cooperation on banking supervisory matters.  Its mandate is to strengthen the regulation, supervision and practices of banks worldwide with the purpose of enhancing financial stability.  The BCBS does not possess any formal supranational authority.  Its decisions do not have legal force. Rather, the BCBS relies on its members’ commitments  BCBS members include organisations with direct banking supervisory authority and central banks.

Basel Accords  The Basel Accords are three series of banking regulations (Basel I, II, and III) set by the Basel Committee on Bank Supervision (BCBS).  The committee provides recommendations on banking regulations, specifically, concerning capital risk, market risk, and operational risk. The accords ensure that financial institutions have enough capital on account to absorb unexpected losses.  In 2010, Basel III guidelines were concluded. These guidelines were introduced in response to the financial crisis of 2008. The guidelines aim to promote a more resilient banking system by focusing on four vital banking parameters viz. capital, leverage, funding and liquidity.

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25. MMR

Context: The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in India has declined to 113 in 2016-18 from 122 in 2015-17 and 130 in 2014-2016, according to the special bulletin on Maternal Mortality in India 2016-18, released by the Office of the Registrar General’s Sample Registration System (SRS).

Concept:  The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is defined as the number of maternal deaths during a given time period per 100,000 live births during the same time period.  The maternal mortality ratio represents the risk associated with each pregnancy, i.e. the obstetric risk.

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26. Multidimensional Poverty Index Context: A report “Charting pathways out of multidimensional poverty: Achieving the SDGs“ is released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI).

Findings:  The Multidimensional poverty Index was observed in 75 countries from the East, Central and South Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Sub- Saharan Africa as well as the Pacific.  The report was meant to provide a comprehensive picture of global trends in multidimensional poverty covering five billion people.  The study has found that four countries India Armenia, Nicaragua and North Macedonia have reduced their MPI by half or more in 5.5 to 10.5 years.  More than 270 million people in India were lifted out of poverty from 2005 to 2016-the largest by any country in that period  According to the study, 55.1 per cent of the population in India lived under multidimensional poverty in 2005-06. In 2015-16, it came down to 27.9 per cent.  As of 2015-16, the intensity of deprivation was 43.9 per cent, while the population under severe multidimensional poverty was 8.8 per cent.  According to the study, 37.7 crore people in India lived under multidimensional poverty as of 2018.

Concept:  Multidimensional poverty encompasses the various deprivations experienced by poor people in their daily lives such as poor health, lack of education, inadequate living standards, poor quality of work, the threat of violence, and living in areas that are environmentally hazardous, among others.  Poverty can be defined as a condition in which an individual or household lacks the financial resources to afford a basic minimum standard of living.

Poverty Measurement  Economists and policymakers estimate “absolute” poverty as the shortfall in consumption expenditure from a threshold called the “poverty line”.

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 The official poverty line is the expenditure incurred to obtain the goods in a “poverty line basket” (PLB).  Poverty can be measured in terms of the number of people living below this line (with the incidence of poverty expressed as the head count ratio).  Six official committees have so far estimated the number of people living in poverty in India :  The working group of 1962  V N Dandekar and N Rath in 1971  Y K Alagh in 1979; D T Lakdawala in 1993  Suresh Tendulkar in 2009  C Rangarajan in 2014 The government did not take a call on the report of the Rangarajan Committee; therefore, poverty is measured using the Tendulkar poverty line. As per this, 21.9% of people in India live below the poverty line.

Tendulkar committee  The committee was constituted by the Planning Commission to address the following shortcomings of the previous methods:  Changes in the consumption patterns of the poor since that time, which were not reflected in the poverty estimates.  There were issues with the adjustment of prices for inflation, both spatially (across regions) and temporally (across time).  It recommended four major changes:  A shift away from calorie consumption-based poverty estimation to Nutritional outcomes  A uniform poverty line baskets (PLB) across rural and urban India;  A change in the price adjustment procedure to correct spatial and temporal issues with price adjustment; and  Incorporation of private expenditure on health and education while estimating poverty.  It based its calculations on the consumption of the following items: cereal, pulses, milk, edible oil, non-vegetarian items, vegetables, fresh fruits, dry fruits, sugar, salt & spices, other food, intoxicants, fuel, clothing, footwear, education, medical (non-institutional and institutional), entertainment, personal & toilet goods, other goods, other services and durables.  The Committee computed new poverty lines for rural and urban areas of each state.

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27. Strategic Petroleum Reserves

Context: India and USA signed MoU to begin cooperation on operation and maintenance of strategic petroleum reserves, including exchange of information and best practices, and also discussed the possibility of India storing oil in the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve to increase India’s strategic oil stockpile.

Concept:  Government of India decided to set up 5 million metric tons (MMT) of strategic crude oil storages at three locations namely, Visakhapatnam, Mangalore and Padur (near Udupi).  These strategic storages would be in addition to the existing storages of crude oil and petroleum products with the oil companies and would serve as a cushion during any supply disruptions.  Government established additional 6.5 Million Metric Tonne (MMT) Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) facilities at two locations, i.e. Chandikhol in Odisha and Padur in Karnataka  Responsibility:The construction of the Strategic Crude Oil Storage facilities is being managed by Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL), a Special Purpose Vehicle, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Oil Industry Development Board (OIDB) under the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas.  Uses: Total 5.33 MMT capacity under Phase-I of the SPR programme is currently estimated to supply approximately 10 days of India’s crude requirement according to the consumption data for FY2016-17. Cabinet’s approval for establishing additional 6.5 MMT Strategic Petroleum Reserve facilities will provide an additional supply of about 12 days and is expected to augment India’s energy security.

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28. IPOs

Context: There are only 2 Initial public offerings in last 6 months in both NSE and BSE.

Concept:  Initial public offering is the process by which a private company can go public by sale of its stocks to general public. It could be a new, young company or an old company which decides to be listed on an exchange and hence goes public.  Companies can raise equity capital with the help of an IPO by issuing new shares to the public or the existing shareholders can sell their shares to the public without raising any fresh capital.  After IPO, the company’s shares are traded in an open market. Those shares can be further sold by investors through secondary market trading.

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29. Network Products

Context: Network products have potential to generate jobs in post COVID economy of India

Concept:  The Economic Survey 2019-20 promoted this by suggesting “assembly in India for the world”, especially in “networked products”, in a bid to create four crore well-paid jobs by 2025 and eight crore jobs by 2030.  Network product is one where production processes are globally fragmented and controlled by leading Multi-National Enterprises (MNEs) within their “producer driven” global production networks.  Examples of network products include computers, electronic and electrical equipment, telecommunication equipment, road vehicles etc.  The Survey notes that China’s remarkable export performance vis-à-vis India is driven primarily by deliberate specialization at large scale in labour– intensive activities, especially “network product” where production occurs across Global Value Chains (GVCs) operated by multinational corporations.

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30. High real interest rate

Context: High real interest rates are holding back investments in Indian economy

Concept:  Real interest rate is essentially derived after subtracting the inflation rate from the nominal interest rate.  RBI targets retail inflation, which is calculated by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), it is easy to believe that the real interest rates are coming down.  Real Interest (R) = Nominal Interest Rate (N) — Inflation Rate (I)  If N is falling sharply and I is increasing the latest retail inflation was over 6% then, R or the real interest rate must be falling.

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31. Direct monetization

Context: A report by the State Bank of India has recommended direct monetisation as a possible way of funding the Centre’s deficit at lower rates, without increasing inflation and affecting debt sustainability.

Concept:  Monetising fiscal deficit means the RBI purchases government debt directly rather than the government borrowing from the markets by selling bonds.  In turn, the central bank prints more currency to finance this debt.  Government deals with the RBI directly bypassing the financial system and asks it to print new currency in return for new bonds that the government gives to the RBI.  In lieu of printing this cash, which is a liability for the RBI , it gets government bonds, which are an asset for the RBI since such bonds carry the government’s promise to pay back the designated sum at a specified date.  Until 1997, the government used to sell securities — ad hoc Treasury- Bills — directly to the RBI, and not to financial market participants.  This allowed the government to technically print equivalent amounts of currency to meet its budget deficit. This practice was stopped over its inflationary impact and in favour of fiscal prudence.

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32. Garib kalyan Rojgar yojana

Context: Stimulus package in pandemic hit economy

Concept:  The livelihood opportunities will come up in 116 districts spread over six states namely Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Odisha who have received substantial numbers of migrants through the Common Service Centres and Krishi VigyanKendras  This campaign of 125 days, which will work in mission mode, will involve intensified and focused implementation of 25 different types of works to provide employment to the migrant workers on one hand and create infrastructure in the rural regions of the country on the other hand, with a resource envelope of Rs. 50,000 crore.  The Abhiyaan will be a coordinated effort between 12 different Ministries/Departments, namely, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Road Transport & Highways, Mines, Drinking Water & Sanitation, Environment, Railways, Petroleum & Natural Gas, New & Renewable Energy, Border Roads, Telecom and Agriculture.

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33. IT Form 26AS

Context: Income Tax Department has launched a revised Form 26AS or Annual Information Statement from this assessment year, which will reflect details of all high-value transactions.

Concept:  Form 26AS is a consolidated annual tax statement that includes information on tax deducted/collected at source, advance tax, self- assessment that is available on the Income Tax website against a taxpayer’s Permanent Account Number (PAN).  It will enhance the flow of information between taxpayers and tax authorities  Earlier tax department receives information from financial institutions and then acting upon it, there would now be a greater onus on taxpayers to comply in a voluntary manner.

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34. Zero MDR

Context: Government’s waiver of Merchant discount rate (MDR) on certain payments will hamper payment innovations and growth says RBI constituted the Committee under the Chairmanship of D.B. Phatak.

Concept:  MDR is a fee charged from a merchant by a bank for accepting payments from customers through credit and debit cards in their establishments.  MDR compensates the card issuing bank, the lender which puts the Point of Sale terminal and payment gateways such as Mastercard or Visa for their services.  MDR charges are usually shared in pre-agreed proportion between the bank and a merchant and are expressed in percentage of transaction amount.

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35. GST compensation Fund

Context: Reduced GST revenues due to pandemic has translated into delayed and pending compensation payments to states by the centre.

Concept:  Compensation cess was introduced as relief for States for the loss of revenues arising from the implementation of GST.  States, in lieu of giving up their powers to collect taxes on goods and services after local levies were subsumed under the GST, were guaranteed a 14 per cent tax revenue growth in the first five years after GST implementation by the Central government.  States’ tax revenue as of FY16 is considered as the base year for the calculation of this 14 per cent growth.  Any shortfall against it is supposed to be compensated by the Centre using the funds specifically collected as compensation cess.  Compensation cess is levied on five products considered to be ‘sin’ or luxury goods like SUV, pan masala, cigrattes.  The collected compensation cessflows into the Consolidated Fund of India, and then transferred to the Public Account of India, where a GST compensation cess account has been created.  States are compensated bi-monthly from the accumulated funds in this account.

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36. General Financial rules

Context: Government has amended the General Financial Rules, 2017 to impose curbs on public procurement from bidders of countries that share a land border with India.

Concept:  General Financial Rules (GFRs) are a compilation of rules and orders of Government of India to be followed by all while dealing with matters involving public finances.  These rules and orders are treated as executive instructions to be observed by all Departments and Organisations under the Government and specified Bodies General Financial Rules were issued for the first time in 1947 bringing together in one place all existing orders and instructions pertaining to financial matters.  These have subsequently been modified and issued as GFRs 1963 and GFRs 2005.

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37. Monetary Policy Committee

Context: Monetary policy committee is soon to be reconstituted as the terms of three independent people on the panel expire at the end of next month and one internal member retired in June.

Concept:  Monetary policy refers to the use of monetary instruments under the control of the central bank to regulate magnitudes such as interest rates, money supply and availability of credit with a view to achieving the ultimate objective of economic policy

What is Monetary Policy Committee?  The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) constituted by the Central Government under Section 45ZB of RBI Act determines the policy interest rate required to achieve the inflation target.  Accordingly, the Central Government in September 2016 constituted the MPC as under Governor of the Reserve Bank of India – Chairperson, ex officio;  The primary objective of monetary policy is to maintain price stability while keeping in mind the objective of growth. Price stability is a necessary precondition to sustainable growth.  In May 2016, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act, 1934 was amended to provide a statutory basis for the implementation of the flexible inflation targeting framework.  The amended RBI Act also provides for the inflation target to be set by the Government of India, in consultation with the Reserve Bank, once in every five years.  Accordingly, the Central Government has notified in the Official Gazette 4 per cent Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation as the target for the period from August 5, 2016 to March 31, 2021 with the upper tolerance limit of 6 per cent and the lower tolerance limit of 2 per cent.  The MPC is required to meet at least four times in a year.  The composition of the MPC is as follows; Governor of the Reserve Bank of India – Chairperson, ex officio;

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Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, in charge of Monetary Policy – (Member, ex officio) One officer of the Reserve Bank of India to be nominated by the Central Board – Member, ex officio; Except ex-officio members, three independent members will hold the office for a period of 4 years or until further orders, whichever is earlier. The quorum for the meeting of the MPC is four members. Each member of the MPC has one vote, and in the event of an equality of votes, the Governor has a second or casting vote.

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38. Remittances to fall

Context: According to a global banking group, remittances to India are estimated to decline sharply by about 25 per cent in FY2021 amid the economic crisis induced by the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdown.

Concept:  India is the largest recipient of remittances (in value terms) in the worId and received nearly $76 billion of flows (2.7 per cent of GDP) in FY20.  These flows help boost household income, support private consumption and add stability to current account balance (CAB).  Many Indians working in the Gulf region had recently lost jobs and more layoffs are in the offing as lockdown and the decline in global trade are set to hit the global economic growth.  Kerala, which is one of the largest recipients of remittances in India is expected to witness a decline in remittances.  The projected fall, which would be the sharpest decline in recent history, is largely due to a fall in the wages and employment of migrant workers, who tend to be more vulnerable to loss of employment and wages during an economic crisis in a host country.

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39. Financial Stability Report

Context: Reserve Bank of India (RBI)has released its Financial Stability Report which reflects the collective assessment of the Sub-Committee of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) on risks to financial stability, and the resilience of the financial system in the context of contemporaneous issues relating to development and regulation of the financial sector.

Findings:  Gross nonperforming assets (GNPA) ratio of all scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) may increase from 8.5 per cent in March 2020 to 12.5 per cent by March 2021.  In the case of public sector banks, the GNPA ratio of 11.3 per cent as of March 2020 might elevate to 15.2 per cent by March 2021  The capital to risk-weighted assets ratio (CRAR) of banks edged down to 14.8 per cent in March 2020 from 15 per cent in September 2019.  At the same time, the provision coverage ratio (PCR) improved to 65.4 per cent from 61.6 per cent over this period.

Concept: Scheduled commercial banks  By definition, any bank which is listed in the 2nd schedule of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 is considered a scheduled bank.  The list includes the State Bank of India and its subsidiaries, all nationalised banks, regional rural banks (RRBs), foreign banks and some co-operative banks.  These also include private sector banks, both classified as old and new.  To qualify as a scheduled bank, the paid up capital and collected funds of the bank must not be less than Rs 5 lakh.  Scheduled banks are eligible for loans from the Reserve Bank of India at bank rate, and are given membership to clearing houses.

Capital to risk-weighted assets ratio  Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) is the ratio of a bank’s capital in relation to its risk weighted assets and current liabilities.

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 It is decided by central banks and bank regulators to prevent commercial banks from taking excess leverage and becoming insolvent in the process.  Capital Adequacy Ratio = (Tier I + Tier II + Tier III (Capital funds)) /Risk weighted assets  The risk weighted assets take into account credit risk, market risk and operational risk.  The Basel III norms stipulated a capital to risk weighted assets of 8%.  However, as per RBI norms, Indian scheduled commercial banks are required to maintain a CAR of 9% while Indian public sector banks are emphasized to maintain a CAR of 12%.

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40. Currency swap facility

Context: The Reserve Bank of India has agreed to a $400 million currency swap facility for Sri Lanka till November 2022.

Concept:  A currency swap between two countries is an agreement or contract to exchange currencies (of the two countries or any hard currency) with predetermined terms and conditions.  Often the popular form of currency swap is between two central banks.  The main purpose of currency swaps is to avoid turbulence and other risks in the foreign exchange market and exchange rate.  Central banks and governments engage in currency swaps with foreign counterparts to ensure adequate foreign currency during the time of foreign currency scarcity.

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41. Down Trading

Context: Amid pay cuts and job losses due to the outbreak of the pandemic and lockdown, the trend of down trading is on rise.

Concept:  Down trading refers to the practice of switching from expensive products/brands to cheaper alternatives in a bid to conserve cash.  Products which meet the basic requirements are preferred over those that are perceived to be value-adding.  This trend is seen not only in small-ticket consumption items but also in vehicle or durable goods purchases.

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42. Public good

Concept:  A public good has two key characteristics: it is nonexcludable and nonrivalrous.  Non-excludable means that it is costly or impossible for one user to exclude others from using a good.  Non-rivalrous means that when one person uses a good, it does not prevent others from using it.  Examples of public goods are education, infrastructure, flood control systems, knowledge, fresh air, national security, official statistics, etc.

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43. Australian bush fire

Context: Nearly three billion animals were killed or displaced during Australia’s devastating bushfires of the past year.

Concept:  Bushfires are a routine occurrence in the country, but this bushfire season is believed to be the worst and has started even before the beginning of the Southern Hemisphere summer.  Australia, where the summer starts around October, is known to be the most fire-prone of all continents.  This is mainly because Australia is also the driest inhabited continent. Almost 70% of its area comprises arid or semi-arid land, with average annual rainfall less than 350 mm.

Reasons  Prolonged Drought: The three years between 2017 and 2019 were the driest 36-month period ever in the New South Wales (a state of Australia).  2019 happened to be the warmest and driest year for the country since 1900.  Positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD): In 2019, the problem has been compounded by the presence of one of the strongest-ever positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) events. Positive IOD events are often associated with a more severe fire season for South-east Australia.  Rare stratospheric warming over Antarctica: Temperatures were 30°C to 40°C higher than normal in the region 10 to 50 km from Earth’s surface — another extraordinary weather event that could have contributed to the unusual heat and dryness in Australia.  Link with climate change: Experts say climate change has worsened the scope and impact of natural disasters such as fires and floods. Weather conditions are growing more extreme, and for years, the fires have been starting earlier in the season and spreading with greater intensity.

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44. UDAN

Context:  Pawan Hans Limited launched the helicopter service on the new routeDehradun-New Tehri-Srinagar-Gauchar under the Central government’s regional connectivity scheme UDAN (UdeDeshkaAamNaagrik)

Concept:  UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) is the Government’s initiative to make air travel to India’s tier II and tier III cities affordable to Common man.  The idea is to put smaller cities and remote regions on the aviation map, by getting domestic airlines to ply more regional routes.  Under the scheme, the Government offers incentives to airlines to flag off new flights to neglected smaller cities and towns by providing Viability Gap Funding to make these operations profitable.  Airlines are required to bid for exclusive rights to fly on the regional routes opened up under the scheme.

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45. GST compensation fund

Context: States have raised concerns about the delayed compensation payments under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime by the Centre for this fiscal, citing the need for expenditure in their respective states. Concept:  Compensation cess was introduced as relief for States for the loss of revenues arising from the implementation of GST.  States, in lieu of giving up their powers to collect taxes on goods and services after local levies were subsumed under the GST, were guaranteed a 14 per cent tax revenue growth in the first five years after GST implementation by the Central government.  States’ tax revenue as of FY16 is considered as the base year for the calculation of this 14 per cent growth.  Any shortfall against it is supposed to be compensated by the Centre using the funds specifically collected as compensation cess.  Compensation cess is levied on five products considered to be ‘sin’ or luxury goods like SUV, pan masala, cigrattes.  The collected compensation cess flows into the Consolidated Fund of India, and then transferred to the Public Account of India, where a GST compensation cess account has been created.  States are compensated bi-monthly from the accumulated funds in this account.

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46. Loan restructuring

Context: With banks pushing for a one-time restructuring of loans, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) may provide this opportunity for select stressed sectors. Concept:  Restructuring is a practice that allows banks to modify the terms of the loan when the borrower is facing financial stress.  Banks do that to avoid the borrower being declared a defaulter and the loan having to be classified as a non-performing asset.  It could be through a change in the repayment period / repayable amount / number of installments / rate of interest/ additional loans.

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General Science 1. G4 Flu virus

Context: Researchers in China have discovered a new strain of the influenza virus which they claim has the potential to turn into a pandemic.

Concept:  The scientists identified the virus through surveillance of influenza viruses in pigs that they carried out from 2011 to 2018 in ten provinces of China.  They found that the G4 strain has the capability of binding to human-type receptors (like, the SARS-CoV-2 virus binds to ACE2 receptors in humans), was able to copy itself in human airway epithelial cells  While researchers have found that the virus can spread from animal to human, there is still no evidence about the passing to the G4 virus from human to human.

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2. Lightening phenomenon

Context: In UP, five people were killed and one injured after being struck by lightning in the state.

Concept:  Lightning is an electrostatic discharge that releases tremendous amount of energy, with the rapid movement of electrons converting air to superheated plasma.  There are three categories of lightning o intracloud (IC), which is flashes within a cloud o cloud to cloud (CC), where lightning jumps from one cloud to another o cloud to ground (CG), where lightning strikes from the ground.

Mechanism  A fast, upward movement of air during a thunderstorm, called an updraft, carries with it warm humid air.  As it moves upward in the cloud, the falling temperature causes it to condense. Heat is generated in the process, which pushes the molecules of water further up.  As they move to temperatures below zero degrees celsius, the water droplets change into small ice crystals. They continue to move up, gathering mass — until they are so heavy that they start to fall to Earth.  This leads to a system in which, simultaneously, smaller ice crystals are moving up and bigger crystals are coming down.  Collisions follow, and trigger the release of electrons , a process that is very similar to the generation of sparks of electricity. As the moving free electrons cause more collisions and more electrons, a chain reaction ensues.  This process results in a situation in which the top layer of the cloud gets positively charged, while the middle layer is negatively charged.  The electrical potential difference between the two layers is huge of the order of a billion to 10 billion volts. In very little time, a massive current, of the order of 100,000 to a million amperes, starts to flow between the layers.

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 An enormous amount of heat is produced, and this leads to the heating of the air column between the two layers of the cloud. This heat gives the air column a reddish appearance during lightning. As the heated air column expands, it produces shock waves that result in thunder.  While the Earth is a good conductor of electricity, it is electrically neutral.  However, in comparison to the middle layer of the cloud, it becomes positively charged. As a result, about 15%-20% of the current gets directed towards the Earth as well. It is this flow of current that results in damage to life and property on Earth.  There is a greater probability of lightning striking tall objects such as trees, towers or buildings. Once it is about 80-100 m from the surface, lightning tends to change course towards these taller objects.  This happens because air is a poor conductor of electricity, and electrons that are travelling through air seek both a better conductor and the shortest route to the relatively positively charged Earth’s surface.

The world’s most electric place  The most lightning activity on Earth is seen on the shore of Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela  At the place where the Catatumbo river falls into Lake Maracaibo, an average 260 storm days occur every year, and October sees 28 lightning

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flashes every minute — a phenomenon referred to as the Beacon of Maracaibo or the Everlasting Storm.

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3. ITER

Context:

India has completed its 50% contribution to ITER in France

Concept:  ITER is one of the most ambitious energy projects in the world today.  In southern France, 35 nations are collaborating to build the world's largest tokamak, a magnetic fusion device that has been designed to prove the feasibility of fusion as a large-scale and carbon-free source of energy based on the same principle that powers our Sun and stars.  The ITER Members China, the European Union, India, Japan, Korea, Russia and the United States have combined resources to conquer one of the greatest frontiers in science. As signatories to the ITER Agreement, concluded in 2006, the seven Members will share of the cost of project construction, operation and decommissioning. They also share the experimental results and any intellectual property generated by the fabrication, construction and operation phases.

ITER-India  ITER-India is a special project under Institute for Plasma Research.  It is governed by the Empowered Board, which is chaired by the Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).  India became a full seventh partner of ITER in December 2005.  ITER-India, Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), located in Gandhinagar, western India, is the Indian Domestic Agency to design, build and deliver the Indian in-kind contribution to ITER

India's is responsible for delivery of the following ITER packages:  Cryostat  In-wall Shielding  Cooling Water System  Cryogenic System  Ion-Cyclotron RF Heating System  Electron Cyclotron RF Heating System  Diagnostic Neutral Beam System

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 Power Supplies  Diagnostics

What is fusion?  Fusion is the energy source of the Sun and stars.  In the tremendous heat and gravity at the core of these stellar bodies, hydrogen nuclei collide, fuse into heavier helium atoms and release tremendous amounts of energy in the process.  Twentieth-century fusion science identified the most efficient fusion reaction in the laboratory setting to be the reaction between two hydrogen isotopes, deuterium (D) and tritium (T). The DT fusion reaction produces the highest energy gain at the "lowest" temperatures.

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4. Covaxin

Context: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has envisaged launch of a Covid vaccine “Covaxin” for public health use latest by August 15. It sparked debate that whether it is possible to check efficacy and safety of vaccine in short time.

Concept:  Covaxin has been developed by the company Bharat Biotech India (BBIL) in collaboration with ICMR’s National Institute of Virology (NIV).  It is an inactivated vaccine that is made by using particles of the Covid-19 virus that were killed, making them unable to infect or replicate.  Injecting particular doses of these particles serves to build immunity by helping the body create antibodies against the dead virus.

Vaccine development  The general stages of the development cycle of a vaccine are: o Exploratory stage o Pre-clinical stage o Clinical development o Regulatory review and approval o Manufacturing o Quality control  Clinical development is a three-phase process.  During Phase I, small groups of people receive the trial vaccine.  In Phase II, the clinical study is expanded and vaccine is given to people who have characteristics (such as age and physical health) similar to those for whom the new vaccine is intended.  In Phase III, the vaccine is given to thousands of people and tested for efficacy and safety.  In India, Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation gives approvals for clinical trials.

Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation  CDSCO under Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare is the National Regulatory Authority (NRA) of India.

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 The Drugs & Cosmetics Act,1940 and rules 1945 have entrusted various responsibilities to central & state regulators for regulation of drugs & cosmetics.  CDSCO is constantly thriving upon to bring out transparency, accountability and uniformity in its services in order to ensure safety, efficacy and quality of the medical product manufactured, imported and distributed in the country.  Under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, CDSCO is responsible for approval of Drugs, Conduct of Clinical Trials, laying down the standards for Drugs, control over the quality of imported Drugs in the country and coordination of the activities of State Drug Control Organizations by providing expert advice.  Drug Controller General of India within CDSCO is responsible for approval of licenses of specified categories of Drugs such as blood and blood products, I. V. Fluids, Vaccine and Sera

Immunogenicity  Immunogenicity is the ability of a foreign substance to enter a person's body and cause an immune response.  A great example of immunogenicity is a vaccination.  When a person gets vaccinated, they are injected with a very tiny amount of a specific disease. Once a person receives the injection, their immune system will begin to create antibodies, which are special proteins created by the body that help protect us against infectious viruses and bacteria.

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5. Mars Orbiter Mission

Context: The Mars Colour Camera (MCC) onboard ISRO’s Mars Orbiter Mission has captured the image of Phobos, the closest and biggest moon of Mars.

Concept:  Mars Orbiter Mission is India's first interplanetary mission to planet Mars with an orbiter craft designed to orbit Mars in an elliptical orbit.  It has been configured to carry out observation of physical features of mars and carry out limited study of Martian atmosphere with following five payloads: o Mars Colour Camera (MCC) o Thermal Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (TIS) o Methane Sensor for Mars (MSM) o Mars Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyser (MENCA) o Lyman Alpha Photometer (LAP)  ISRO had launched the spacecraft on PSLV C25 rocket from Sriharikota on November 5, 2013.

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6. Raman Spectroscopy

Context: Mumbai-based Tata Memorial Centre has used Raman Spectroscopy to detect RNA viruses present in saliva samples.

Concept:  Raman Spectroscopy is a non-destructive chemical analysis technique which provides detailed information about chemical structure, phase and polymorphy, crystallinity and molecular interactions.  It is based upon the interaction of light with the chemical bonds within a material.  Raman is a light scattering technique, whereby a molecule scatters incident light from a high intensity laser light source. Most of the scattered light is at the same wavelength (or color) as the laser source and does not provide useful information – this is called

Rayleigh Scatter.  However a small amount of light (typically 0.0000001%) is scattered at different wavelengths (or colors), which depend on the chemical structure of the analyte and this is called Raman Scatter.

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7. Biopesticide

Context: Researchers have found fungi Ophicordyceps nutans for the first time in central India and show how it infects a stink bug and trying to explore the potential of using this fungus as biopesticide and medicine.

Concept:  Animals or plants used wilfully to destroy pests are called Biopesticides.  These are pest management tools that are based on beneficial microorganisms (bacteria,viruses, fungi and protozoa), beneficial nematodes or other safe, biologically based active ingredients.  Mechanism : Infecting the insect/pests when alive and killing them.

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8. Serological test

Context: Various serological tests to detect antibodies against novel coronavirus (SARS- CoV-2) could improve diagnosis of COVID-19 and be useful tools for epidemiological surveillance.

Concept: ELISA  ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) is a plate-based assay technique designed for detecting and quantifying peptides, proteins, antibodies and hormones.  In an ELISA, an antigen must be immobilized to a solid surface and then complexed with an antibody that is linked to an enzyme.  Detection is accomplished by assessing the conjugated enzyme activity via incubation with a substrate to produce a measureable product. The most crucial element of the detection strategy is a highly specific antibodyantigen interaction.

Types:  ELISAs can be performed with a number of modifications to the basic procedure: direct, indirect, sandwich or competitive.  The key step, immobilization of the antigen of interest, can be accomplished by direct adsorption to the assay plate or indirectly via a capture antibody that has been attached to the plate. The antigen is then detected either directly (enzyme-labeled primary antibody) or indirectly (enzyme-labeled secondary antibody). The detection antibodies are usually labeled with alkaline phosphatase (AP) or horseradish peroxidase (HRP).  A large selection of substrates is available for performing the ELISA with an HRP or AP conjugate. The choice of substrate depends upon the required assay sensitivity and the instrumentation available for signal-detection (spectrophotometer, fluorometer or luminometer).

Lateral flow immunoassays (LFIAs)  Lateral flow immunoassays (LFIAs) are a staple in the field of rapid diagnostics.

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 These small handheld devices require no specialized training or equipment to operate, and generate a result within minutes of sample application.

 They are an ideal format for many types of home test kits, for emergency responders and for food manufacturers and producers looking for a quick evaluation of a given sample.  The most commonly known type of lateral flow rapid test strip is the pregnancy test

Chemiluminescent immunoassays (CLIA)  Chemiluminescent immunoassay is a variation of the standard enzyme immunoassay (EIA), which is a biochemical technique used in immunology.  During EIA the process uses enzyme labeled antibodies and antigens to detect the small biological molecules required. The technique makes use of the basic immunology concept that an antigen binds a specific antibody. Such antigen molecules, which can be identified in a fluid sample, include molecules such as peptides, hormones and proteins.  The enzymes used in chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay convert a substrate to a reaction product, which emits a photon of light instead of developing a particular colour.

Immunoglobulin class Antibodies are proteins made by the immune system to fight antigens, such as bacteria, viruses, and toxins.The body makes different immunoglobulin to combat different antigens. The five subclasses of antibodies are:  Immunoglobulin A (IgA), which is found in high concentrations in the mucous membranes, particularly those lining the respiratory passages and gastrointestinal tract, as well as in saliva and tears.

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 Immunoglobulin G (IgG), are involved in the secondary immune response (IgM is the main antibody involved in primary response). IgG can bind pathogens, like for example viruses, bacteria, and fungi, and thereby protects the body against infection and toxins.

Comprising up to 80% of the antibodies found in the human body, IgG is the smallest, yet most abundant human antibody, and that of other mammals. IgG can be found in all bodily fluids, and is the only antibody that can protect a foetus by passing through the mother's placenta.  Immunoglobulin M (IgM), is the largest antibody, and it is the first antibody to appear in the response to initial exposure to an antigen. B-cells create IgM antibodies as a first line of defense. Their large size gives them excellent binding avidity, and can pick up trace amounts of infection to mark for recognition by phagocytes. IgM is primarily found in serum and due to its size, it cannot diffuse well, and is found in the interstitium only in very low quantities.  Immunoglobulin E (IgE), which is associated mainly with allergic reactions (when the immune system overreacts to environmental antigens such as pollen or pet dander). It is found in the lungs, skin, and mucous membranes.  Immunoglobulin D (IgD), which exists in small amounts in the blood, is the least understood antibody.

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9. Winter grade diesel

Context: Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOC) launched a special winter-grade diesel in Ladakh.

Concept:  Motorists in high-altitude sectors like Ladakh, Kargil, Kaza and Keylong face the problem of freezing of diesel in their vehicles when winter temperatures drop to as low as -30◦Celsius.  Indian Oil has come up with an innovative solution to this problem by introducing a special winter-grade diesel with a low pour-point of -33◦ Celsius, which does not lose its fluidity function even in extreme winter conditions  Regular diesel fuel contains paraffin wax which is added for improving viscosity and lubrication. At low temperatures, the paraffin wax thickens or “gels” and hinders the flow of the fuel in the car engine.  Special types of diesel are thus used at low temperatures that contain additives enabling the fuel to remain fluid in such conditions.

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10. Air borne diseases

Context: Scientists warned that Coronavirus has a great risk for airborne spread and wants WHO to revise guidelines.

Concept:  Airborne diseases are illnesses spread by tiny pathogens in the air. These can be bacteria, fungi, or viruses, but they are all transmitted through airborne contact.  In most cases, an airborne disease is contracted when someone breathes in infected air.  And a person also spreads the disease through their breath, particularly by sneezing and coughing, and through phlegm.  Particles that cause airborne diseases are small enough to cling to the air. They hang on dust particles, moisture droplets, or on the breath until they are picked up. They are also acquired by contact with bodily fluids, such as mucus or phlegm.  Common airborne diseases include: Influenza, common cold , Mumps, Measles, Whooping cough

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11. Anti-body test private labs

Context: Some private labs in Delhi have started antibody testing for Covid-19, used to assess if a person has contracted the infection or not. The blood test is available in most top private labs and hospitals, and does not require a medical prescription.

Concept:  Antibody test is to determine sero-prevalence in a population.  This is not a diagnostic test, it mainly helps to check if a person has developed immunity (antibodies) to the disease.  It will also give an indication of the infection load and recovery rate in a community.  During the test, a blood sample is collected to determine if a person is infected with the novel coronavirus.  Antibody tests may not be useful as ‘immunity passports’ because there is lack of clarity on the long-term immune responses of the body to the virus SARS-CoV-2.  Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) or Chemiluminescence Immunoassay (CLIA) test measure Covid-19-specific antibodies — Immunoglobulin G and Immunoglobulin M — which indicate that the person undergoing the test may have been infected but has since recovered.  If a person tests positive for IgM, it indicates he/she has an active infection. In such cases, they go for a diagnostic test.  If a person tests positive for IgG, it means they have developed immunity. If a good number of people test positive for the antibody test, it means the city is on the correct path

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12. Super spreader events and Clusters

Context: COVID-19 is spreading fast across urban Kerala which results in multiple clusters and super spreader events. It had begun to show signs of disease transmission going out of control in the next few days.

Concept:  Super-spreaders are the infectious disease carriers who could transmit the pathogen to a large number of people.  They could be vegetable vendors, grocery and milk shop owners, petrol pump attendants or garbage collectors, who by the nature of their job carry the risk of getting infected and infecting other  Cluster refers to an aggregation of cases of a disease. A coronavirus cluster occurs when there is a concentration of infections in the same area at the same time.  In general, the World Health Organization (WHO) uses the following categories to describe transmission patterns: sporadic cases, clusters of cases and community transmission.  Sporadic cases refers to a small number of cases (one or more) that are either imported or detected locally; clusters of cases refers to cases that are clustered in time, geographic location and or by common exposures; community transmission refers to larger outbreaks of local transmission that can be defined through different approaches, including big numbers of cases not linkable to transmission chains and multiple unrelated clusters in several areas.

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13. Communicable Disease

Context: UP government has announced restrictions for weekend to control the spread of Covid-19 and communicable diseases.

Concept: A communicable disease is one that is spread from one person to another through a variety of ways that include: contact with blood and bodily fluids; breathing in an airborne virus; or by being bitten by an insect. Some examples of the communicable diseases include Hepatitis A, B & C, influenza, measles, and malaria

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14. NEWOISE

Context: Comet C/2020 F3 Neowise which is one of the brightest comets in decades is passing Earth this month.

Concept:  Comets are mostly made of dust, rocks and ice, the remnants from time the solar system was formed over 4.6 billion years ago.  Comets can range in their width from a few miles to tens of miles wide. As they orbit closer to the sun, like in the case of C/2020 F3, they heat up and release debris of dust and gases that forms into a “glowing head” that can often be larger than a planet.  Astronomers study comets because they hold important clues about the formation of the solar system and it is possible that comets brought water and other organic compounds, which are the building blocks of life to Earth.  Further, NASA tracks all Near Earth Objects (NEOs) that includes comets and asteroids using telescopes placed all around the Earth, as part of its NEO Observation Program.

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15. White Dwarfs

Context: The study published in the journal Nature Astronomy, suggests that white dwarf stars are the main source of carbon atoms in the Milky Way, a chemical element known to be crucial to all life.

Concept:  When stars like our own Sun, a yellow dwarf star, run out of fuel, they turn into a white dwarf. In fact, 90 percent of all stars in the universe end up as white dwarf stars.  White dwarfs are hot, dense stellar remains with temperatures that reach 100,000 Kelvin. Over time, billions of years, these stars cool and eventually dim as they shed their outer material. However, right before they collapse, their remains are transported through space by winds that originate from their bodies.  These stellar ashes contain chemical elements such as carbon.  Carbon is the fourth most abundant chemical in the universe and is a key element in the formation of life as it is the basic building block to most cells.  All of the carbon in the universe originated from stars. However, astronomers could not agree on which type of star is responsible for spreading the most amount of carbon across the cosmos.  The new study suggests that carbon was essentially trapped in the raw material that formed the Solar System 4.6 billion years ago.

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16. Type of diseases

Context: Apart from discovered symptoms of respiratory troubles, Coronavirus has now known to cause blood clots, kidney damage etc.

Concept:

Pulmonary disease  It is type of disease that affects the lungs and other parts of the respiratory system.  Pulmonary diseases may be caused by infection, by smoking tobacco, or by breathing in secondhand tobacco smoke, radon, asbestos, or other forms of air pollution.  Pulmonary diseases include asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary fibrosis, pneumonia, and lung cancer. Also called lung disorder and respiratory disease.

Vascular disease  Vascular disease is any abnormal condition of the blood vessels (arteries and veins).  The body uses blood vessels to circulate blood through itself. Problems along this vast network can cause severe disability and death.  Vascular diseases outside the heart can “present” themselves anywhere.  The most common vascular diseases are stroke, peripheral artery disease (PAD), pulmonary embolism (blood clots), deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

Systemic disease  A systemic disease is one that affects a number of organs and tissues, or affects the body as a whole  Examples: Rheumatoid arthritis, Sickle cell disease

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17. Itolizumab

Context: Biocon has gotten approval of DGCI nod to market Itolizumab for Covid treatment

Concept:  It is a drug used to cure skin ailment psoriasis  It is approved for restricted emergency use for the treatment of cytokine’ release syndrome in moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome patients due to Covid-19

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18. How immunity is developed?

Context: Recent research found that immunity developed by the formation of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 lasts only a few months, and recovered Covid-19 patients are likely to remain susceptible and could get re-infected.

Findings:  The analysis found “a potent” level of antibodies produced in 60% of participants during the peak of their infection; and that only 16.7% retained that level of potency 65 days later.  While the level of antibodies was at a higher level in patients with severe symptoms, the researchers said it is not clear why antibody response correlates with disease severity.

Concept:  The immune system was separated into two branches: humoral immunity, for which the protective function of immunization could be found in the humor (cell-free bodily fluid or serum) and cellular immunity, for which the protective function of immunization was associated with cells.

Antibody:  Antibodies are proteins made by the immune system to fight antigens, such as bacteria, viruses, and toxins. The body makes different immunoglobulin to combat different antigens. Antibodies are like fingerprints that give us evidence that a pathogen (the coronavirus in this case) has caused an infection and that the immune system has responded.  The antibodies usually remain in the blood for a period of time and quickly activate the immune system when the body is exposed to the pathogen again.  Some antibodies not only recognise when the pathogen returns, but also protect the body for a lifetime from re-infection, as in the case of measles. However, in the case of seasonal flu, the antibodies give protection for a very small period.  The five subclasses of antibodies are:

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 Immunoglobulin A (IgA), which is found in high concentrations in the mucous membranes, particularly those lining the respiratory passages and gastrointestinal tract, as well as in saliva and tears.  Immunoglobulin G (IgG), are involved in the secondary immune response (IgM is the main antibody involved in primary response). IgG can bind pathogens, like for example viruses, bacteria, and fungi, and thereby protects the body against infection and toxins. Comprising up to 80% of the antibodies found in the human body, IgG is the smallest, yet most abundant human antibody, and that of other mammals. IgG can be found in all bodily fluids, and is the only antibody that can protect a foetus by passing through the mother’s placenta.  Immunoglobulin M (IgM), is the largest antibody, and it is the first antibody to appear in the response to initial exposure to an antigen. B-cells create IgM antibodies as a first line of defense. Their large size gives them excellent binding avidity, and can pick up trace amounts of infection to mark for recognition by phagocytes. IgM is primarily found in serum and due to its size, it cannot diffuse well, and is found in the interstitium only in very low quantities.  Immunoglobulin E (IgE), which is associated mainly with allergic reactions (when the immune system overreacts to environmental antigens such as pollen or pet dander). It is found in the lungs, skin, and mucous membranes.  Immunoglobulin D (IgD), which exists in small amounts in the blood, is the least understood antibody.

Cellular immunity  Cell-mediated immunity is an immune response that does not involve antibodies.  Cellular immunity is a protective immune process that i nvolves the activation of phagocytes, antigen-sensitized cytotoxic T cells and the release of cytokines and chemokines in response to antigen.  Cellular immunity is most effective against cells infected with viruses, intracellular bacteria, fungi and protozoans, and cancerous cells.

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19. Cytokine storm

Context: Itolizumab and Tocilizumab which are not yet been proven effective beyond doubt in reducing Covid-19 deathsare being considered for averting a cytokine storm in Covid patients.

Concept:  A cytokine storm is the hyper-reaction of the immune system, which then starts attacking the patient’s own organs and can prove fatal.  Cytokines are signaling proteins that are released by cells at local high concentrations.  It is characterised by the overproduction of immune cells and the cytokines themselves because of a dysregulation in the process.

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20. Vaccine

Context: COVID vaccines mRNA-1273 ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 are currently in human trials.

Concept:  Vaccines contain the same germs that cause disease. (For example, measles vaccine contains measles virus)  But they have been either killed or weakened to the point that they don’t make people sick. Some vaccines contain only a part of the disease germ.  A vaccine stimulates immune system to produce antibodies, exactly like it would if an individual exposed to the disease.  After getting vaccinated, people develop immunity to that disease, without having to get the disease first.  This is what makes vaccines such powerful medicine. Unlike most medicines, which treat or cure diseases, vaccines prevent them.

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21. Type of diseases

Context: Apart from discovered symptoms of respiratory troubles, Coronavirus has now known to cause blood clots, kidney damage etc. Concept:

Systemic disease  A systemic disease is one that affects a number of organs and tissues, or affects the body as a whole  Examples: Rheumatoid arthritis, Sickle cell disease

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22. Itolizumab

Context: Biocon has gotten approval of DGCI nod to market Itolizumab for Covid treatment

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23. Radio Access Network

Context: Reliance plans to build home-grown 5G network solution based on an open source telecom platform called Open RAN.

Concept:  A radio access network (RAN) is the part of a telecommunications system that connects individual devices to other parts of a network through radio connections.  A RAN resides between user equipment, such as a mobile phone, a computer or any remotely controlled machine, and provides the connection with its core network.  The RAN is a major component of wireless telecommunications and has evolved through the generations of mobile networking leading up to 5G. Need  This network platform, similar to how open source software became a game changer in the 1990s, attempts to build telecom radio and base stations using non-proprietary technology.  It will help bring down costs drastically compared to buying proprietary gear.

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24. Pest Challenge

Context: Farmers all over India are severely affected by pests.

Concept:  The continuous onslaught of desert locusts swarms has ravaged his early- stage bajra crop. The pesky invaders from Iran and Pakistan have also seriously damaged moong and guar fields.  As if the locust’s menace, which is the worst since 1993, is not bad enough, an infestation of fall army worm (FAW) is now wrecking the kharif crop in Rajasthan.  While the locusts pose a threat to crops such as moong bean, pearl millet and cotton during their early stages, FAW is being mainly seen on maize.  FAW, which first surfaced in kharif 2018 in Karnataka, is a threat in other maize-growing States like Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh as well.  Although the government machinery has swung into action with drones and helicopters to combat the locust attack, agriculture experts want to declare it a disaster.  The government should declare the locust attack as a natural disaster so that farmers get some compensation under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)

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25. Biomarkers

Context: Researchers at the Cancer Institute, Chennai (WIA) have identified a panel of five protein markers in the blood that can help with an early diagnosis of a common and lethal form of ovarian cancer. Concept:  Biomarker is a characteristic that is objectively measured and evaluated as an indicator of normal biological processes, pathogenic processes or pharmacological responses to a therapeutic intervention.  Biomarkers are the measures used to perform a clinical assessment such as blood pressure or cholesterol level and are used to monitor and predict health states in individuals or across populations so that appropriate therapeutic intervention can be planned.  A wide range of biomarkers are used today. Every biological system (for example the cardiovascular system, metabolic system or the immune system) has its own specific biomarkers.  Characteristics of an ideal biomarker  Safe and easy to measure  Cost efficient to follow up  Modifiable with treatment  Consistent across gender and ethnic group

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26. Herd immunity

Context: Recent study found that herd immunity threshold (HIT) required to prevent a resurgence of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) is in excess of 50 per cent for any epidemiological setting.

Concept:  Herd immunity happens when so many people in a community become immune to an infectious disease that it stops the disease from spreading.  This can happen in two ways:  Many people contract the disease and in time build up an immune response to it (natural immunity).  Many people are vaccinated against the disease to achieve immunity.  When a large percentage of the population becomes immune to a disease, the spread of that disease slows down or stops. Many viral and bacterial infections spread from person to person. This chain is broken when most people don’t get or transmit the infection. This helps protect people who aren’t vaccinated or who have low functioning immune systems and may develop an infection more easily

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27. Psoriasis

Context: Itolizumab, a monoclonal antibody used to treat acute psoriasis has got regulatory approval to treat cytokine release syndrome (CRS) in moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome patients due to COVID-19.

Concept:  Psoriasis is a skin disease that causes red, itchy scaly patches, most commonly on the knees, elbows, trunk and scalp.  Psoriasis is a common, long-term (chronic) disease with no cure.  Psoriasis is thought to be an immune system problem that causes the skin to regenerate at faster than normal rates. In the most common type of psoriasis, known as plaque psoriasis, this rapid turnover of cells results in scales and red patches.

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28. Vertical transmission vs Horizontal transmission

Context: A study has found evidence that confirms vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 virus from the mother to the foetus.

Concept:  In horizontal transmission, viruses are transmitted among individuals of the same generation, while vertical transmission occurs from mothers to their offspring.  Vertical transmission refers to the transmission of an infection from a pregnant woman to her child.  It can be antenatal (before birth), perinatal (weeks immediately prior to or after birth) or postnatal (after birth).  This is of grave concern not just because it can potentially cause a newborn to be very sick, but also because the mechanism of how and when this happens is not always very clear  Among infections of which vertical transmission has been known to happen are HIV, Zika, rubella and the herpes virus.  In fact, one of the biggest worries about the Zika outbreak a couple of years ago was the possibility of babies being born with birth defects.

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29. Vitamin D

Context: There have been considerable discussions in scientific circles on the importance of vitamin D in these days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Concept:  Vitamins are organic compounds that are essential in very small amounts for supporting normal physiologic function. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin.  Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the body’s fatty tissue.  Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium. Calcium and phosphate are two minerals that must be there to have normal bone formation.  Vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteoporosis in adults or rickets in children.  It has the potential to modulate the cytokine storm seen in serious COVID19 patients, and it can improve innate immunity by increasing the production of cathelicidins and defensins in our body.  Defensins are small cysteine-rich cationic proteins across cellular life, including vertebrate and invertebrate animals, plants, and fungi. They are host defense peptides, with members displaying either direct antimicrobial activity, immune signalling activities, or both.

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30. Plasmid DNA Vaccine

Context: ZyCOV-D is an indigenously developed plasmid DNA vaccine candidate for COVID 19 which has received approval for human trial. Concept:  DNA vaccines are considered as third-generation vaccines.  The recombinant DNA technology plays an important role in the production of DNA vaccines.  It involves the direct introduction into appropriate tissues of a plasmid containing the DNA sequence encoding the antigen(s) against which an immune response is sought, and relies on the in situ production of the target antigen.  This approach offers a number of potential advantages over traditional approaches, including the stimulation of both B- and T-cell responses, improved vaccine stability, the absence of any infectious agent and the relative ease of large-scale manufacture.

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31. Community Transmission

Context: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is going to make COVID test on patients without any travel history or contact with novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) for signs of community transmission

Concept:  Community transmission is a stage in disease transmission where those have not been exposed to an infected person or anyone who has a travel history to affected countries, still test positive.  In other words, people are unable to identify where they might have picked up the virus from.

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32. ChAdOx1

Context: According to Lancet journal, avaccine AZD1222 developed at the University of Oxford has shown encouraging results in early human testing and appears to be “safe well-tolerated, and immunogenic”.

Concept:  The AZD1222 vaccine is based on a chimpanzee adenovirus called ChAdOx1 which elicited antibody and T-cell immune responses in human body.  It is made from a genetically engineered virus that causes the common cold in chimpanzees. However, the virus has been modified so that it doesn’t cause infection in people and also to mimic the coronavirus.  The vaccine is already undergoing combined Phase II/III trials in the UK, Brazil and South Africa.

Working Mechanism  The vaccine belongs to a category called non-replicating viral vector vaccines which tries to build the body’s immunity against spike proteins (allow the virus to penetrate cells and, thereafter, multiply).  The idea is to create antibodies to fight this spiked surface so that the virus does not even have the chance to penetrate the cells.  The adenovirus, genetically modified so that it cannot replicate in humans, will enter the cell and release the code to make only the spike protein. The body’s immune system is expected to recognise the spike protein as a potentially harmful foreign substance, and starts building antibodies against it.  Once immunity is built, the antibodies will attack the real virus if it tries to infect the body.

Vaccine types:  Inactivated: It is made using particles of the Covid-19 virus that were killed, making them unable to infect or replicate. Injecting particular doses of these particles serves to build immunity by helping the body create antibodies against the dead virus.

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 Non-replicating viral vector: It uses a weakened, genetically modified version of a different virus to carry the Covid-19 spike protein.  Protein subunit: This vaccine uses a part of the virus to build an immune response in a targeted fashion. In this case, the part of the virus being targeted would be the spike protein.  RNA: Such vaccines use the messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules that tell cells what proteins to build. The mRNA, in this case, is coded to tell the cells to recreate the spike protein. Once it is injected, the cells will use the mRNA’s instructions, creating copies of the spike protein, which in turn is expected to prompt the immune cells to create antibodies to fight it.  DNA: These vaccines use genetically engineered DNA molecules that, again, are coded with the antigen against which the immune response is to be built.

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33. Case Fatality Rate

Context: Union Health Ministry said India’s COVID-19 case fatality rate is “progressively falling” and is currently at 2.49 per cent, which is one of the lowest in the world.

Concept:  The death rate, also referred to as the case fatality ratio, is the ratio of number of people who have died against those who have tested positive.  This is an indicator of how well the country is doing in averting deaths.

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34. Cyberattacks

Context: Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has written to all web portals and websites within its ambit to conduct a security audit and submit a compliance certificate.

Concept:  Most of these attacks are in the nature of DDOS (distributed denial of service), phishing, data exfiltration, remote access tool malware and keylogging.

Phishing  It is the practice of sending fraudulent communications that appear to come from a reputable source, usually through email.  The goal is to steal sensitive data like credit card and login information or to install malware on the victim’s machine. DDOS (distributed denial of service)  A denial-of-service attack floods systems, servers, or networks with traffic to exhaust resources and bandwidth.  As a result, the system is unable to fulfill legitimate requests.  Attackers can also use multiple compromised devices to launch this attack.

Data exfiltration  Data exfiltration is the unauthorized transfer of data from a computer.  The transfer of data can be manual by someone with physical access to the computer or automated, carried out through malware over a network.

Key logging  Keyloggers are a type of monitoring software designed to record keystrokes made by a user.  One of the oldest forms of cyber threat, these keystroke loggers record the information type into a website or application and send to back to a third party.

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35. N 95 respirator

Context: The Union Health Ministry cautioned against the use of N-95 valved respirator/masks as it does not offer the desired protection against the spread of COVID-19.

Concept:  The evidence which suggests that with a valved mask the person wearing it is safe but if they are COVID-19 positive or asymptomatic, then propensity of that person infecting others is there.  An N95 respirator is a respiratory protective device designed to achieve a very close facial fit and very efficient filtration of airborne particles N95 mask named because it is able to block at least 95% of particles in the air that are of the size 0.3 microns or bigger (1 micron is a millionth of a metre).  A single SARS-CoV2 virus is typically up to 0.2 microns in size, so it can possibly penetrate the N95 mask.  N:This is a Respirator Rating Letter Class. It stands for “Non-Oil” meaning that if no oil-based particulates are present, then it can be used in the work environment.  Other masks ratings are R (resistant to oil for 8 hours) and P (oil proof).

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36. Recombinant DNA

Context: Recombinant DNA technology may see enormous growth in post covid-19 as it plays important role in vaccine development

Concept:  Recombinant DNA involves cutting a piece of original DNA and inserting in its place a different segment of DNA having desired characters. The recombined or recomposed DNA is then copied multifold inside bacterial cells and stored in a gene library for use when required.  Recombinant DNA technology resulted from the two discoveries made while experimenting with bacteria : 1. presence of plasmids or extra chromosomal DNA fragments in the bacterial cell which replicate along with bacterial DNA and can be used as a vector for carrying foreign DNA. 2. presence of specific restriction enzymes which attack and cut DNA at specific sites.  Recombinant DNA technology is widely used in Agriculture to produce genetically-modified organisms  It is used for the production of medicines like insulin

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37. Winter and covid

Context: A collaborative study conducted by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bhubaneswar and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar found that fall in temperature with seasonal progression towards winter will environmentally favour COVID-19 transmission in India.

Findings:  Low temperature and high humidity appear to favour the spread of the disease.  An increase in temperature by one degree leads to a 0.99% decrease in the number of COVID-19 cases  In terms of doubling time, a one-degree rise in temperature leads to slowing by 1.13 days. Similarly, an increase in 10% relative humidity leads to an increase in doubling time by 1.18 days  The progression of the season towards monsoon, post-monsoon, and after that winter with a continuous reduction in temperature will prove a significant challenge for health workers and policymakers attempting to enforce mitigation and control measures

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38. Serological surveys

Context: One in every five individuals has shown the presence of antibodies that indicate exposure to the novel coronavirus that causes Covid-19 in a serological survey conducted in Delhi

Concept:  A serological survey seeks to assess the prevalence of disease in a population by detecting the presence of specific antibodies against the virus.  A serological test is performed to diagnose infections and autoimmune illnesses.  It can also be conducted to check if a person has developed immunity to certain diseases.  It includes IgG Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) test which estimates the proportion of the population exposed to SARS-CoV-2 infection.  The IgG test is not useful for detecting acute infections, but it indicates episodes of infections that may have occurred in the past.

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39. Repurposed medicines and Compulsory licensing

Context: Repurposed drugs are used in COVID treatment.

Concept:  Drug repurposing, also known as drug repositioning, is a drug development strategy predicated on the reuse of existing licensed drugs for new medical indications Compulsory licensing and section 92  Compulsory licensing is when a government allows someone else to produce a patented product or process without the consent of the patent owner or plans to use the patent-protected invention itself.  It is one of the flexibilities in the field of patent protection included in the WTO’s agreement on intellectual property — the TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) Agreement.  Indian law permits the government to issue a compulsory licence in certain circumstances of a public health crisis under Section 92 of the Indian Patents Act. This would allow third parties to manufacture a patented drug without permission of the patent holder.

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40. One health

Context: There is increasing evidences of disease spread from plants and animals to humans.

Concept:  ‘One Health’ is an approach to designing and implementing programmes, policies, legislation and research in which multiple sectors communicate and work together to achieve better public health outcomes recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment  The areas of work in which a One Health approach is particularly relevant include food safety, the control of zoonoses and combatting antibiotic resistance.

Need:  Human populations are growing and expanding into new geographic areas. As a result, more people live in close contact with wild and domestic animals, both livestock and pets. Animals play an important role in our lives, whether for food, fiber, livelihoods, travel, sport, education, or companionship.  Close contact with animals and their environments provides more opportunities for diseases to pass between animals and people.  The earth has experienced changes in climate and land use, such as deforestation and intensive farming practices. Disruptions in environmental conditions and habitats can provide new opportunities for diseases to pass to animals.  The movement of people, animals, and animal products has increased from international travel and trade. As a result, diseases can spread quickly across borders and around the globe.

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41. Nuclear Power plant

Context: The third unit of the Kakrapar Atomic Power Project (KAPP-3) in Gujarat has achieved its first criticality.

Concept:

Nuclear fission  In nuclear fission, an unstable atom splits into two or more smaller pieces that are more stable, and releases energy in the process.  The fission process also releases extra neutrons, which can then split additional atoms, resulting in a chain reaction that releases a lot of energy.  There are also ways to modulate the chain reaction by soaking up the neutrons.

Nuclear reactor:  The energy released from nuclear fission can be harnessed to make electricity with a nuclear reactor.  A nuclear reactor is a piece of equipment where nuclear chain reactions can be controlled and sustained.  When a large, fissile atomic nucleus such as uranium-235 or plutonium-239 absorbs a neutron, it may undergo nuclear fission.  The nucleus splits into two or more lighter nuclei, releasing kinetic energy, gamma radiation, and free neutrons.  A portion of these neutrons may later be absorbed by other fissile atoms and trigger further fission events, which release more neutrons, and so on. This is known as a nuclear chain reaction.

Criticality  When a reactor’s neutron population remains steady from one generation to the next by creating as many new neutrons as are lost, the fission chain reaction is self-sustaining and the reactor’s condition is referred to as ” critical.”

Significance:

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 KAPP-3 is the country’s first 700 MWe (megawatt electric) unit, and the biggest indigenously developed variant of the Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR).

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42. Spike protein

Context: Researchers have found that the spike protein in coronavirus changes its form after it attaches itself to a human cell.

Findings:  Spike protein changes its form after it attaches itself to a human cell, folding in on itself and assuming a rigid hairpin shape

Concept:  Spike protein protrudes from the surface of a coronavirus, like the spikes of a crown or corona — hence the name ‘coronavirus’.  In the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, it is the spike protein that initiates the process of infection in a human cell.  It attaches itself to a human enzyme, called the ACE2 receptor, before going on to enter the cell and make multiple copies of itself.

Uses:  The researchers believe the findings have implications for vaccine development.  Many vaccines that are currently in development use the spike protein to stimulate the immune system.  But these may have varying mixes of the prefusion and postfusion forms and that may limit their protective efficacy.  There is need for stabilising the spike protein in its prefusion structure in order to block the conformational changes that lead to the postfusion state. If the protein is not stable, antibodies may be induced but they will be less effective in terms of blocking the virus.

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43. H-CNG

Context: Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has notified draft notification for amendment to Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1979 for inclusion of Hydrogen enriched CNG as an automotive fuel.

Concept:  H-CNG is a blend of hydrogen and CNG, the ideal hydrogen concentration being 18%. Compared to conventional CNG, use of H-CNG can reduce emission of carbon monoxide up to 70%, besides enabling up to 5% savings in fuel.  While recommending the use of H-CNG as an alternative fuel, the NITI Aayog-CII Action Plan for Clean Fuel notes that physical blending of CNG and hydrogen involves a series of energy-intensive steps that would make H-CNG more expensive than CNG

CNG  CNG is compressed natural gas. With natural gas mainly composed of methane, CNG emits less air pollutants — carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter — than petrol or diesel.  Environmental Benefits: No impurities, No Sulphur (S), No lead (Pb) and Very low levels of polluting gaseous emissions without smell and dust. Molecular structure compactness prevents the reactive processes which lead to the formation of Ozone (O3) in the troposphere

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44. Latent Viral Infection

Context: Some individuals who had tested negative twice for the coronavirus, had, after a few weeks or months, has been tested positive, the second time around albeit with milder symptoms.

Concept:  A latent infection is when the virus in the body is dormant and does not replicate within the host.  It however possesses the capacity to be reactivated at some point, causing a flare-up of the disease much later.  As opposed to active infections, where a virus is actively replicating and potentially causing symptoms, latent infections are essentially static which last the life of the host and occur when the primary infection is not cleared by the adaptive immune response.  Herpes simplex viruses type 1 and 2, varicella-zoster virus, HIV, Epstein-Barr virus (human herpesvirus 4), and cytomegalovirus are known to cause typical latent infections in humans.

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45. Why animals are used for human disease study

Context: Researchers have always relied on using animals to understand various human diseases.

Concept:  Major reason to use animals is that they have been the genetic similarity with humans (mice share 98% of DNA with us), and humans have developed tools to edit genes in various animals.  An animal model for a particular disease should fulfill two criteria.  It should be able to “catch” that infection (in case of infectious diseases) and show the clinical outcomes and altered physiology that accompanies the disease.  Then only scientists can try to find the elusive vaccine/drug by attempting to cure experimentally infected lab mice, rats, hamsters and rhesus monkeys

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46. Organoids

Context: Apart from animal studies, organoids are now used by scientists to develop vaccines.

Concept:  Organoids are tiny, self-organized three-dimensional tissue cultures that are derived from stem cells.  Such cultures can be crafted to replicate much of the complexity of an organ, or to express selected aspects of it like producing only certain types of cells.  It aims to replicate a human organ . They have similar three-dimensional structure and cellular composition as human organs, and thus, are better reflective of human biology compared to animal models.

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47. Tsirkon (Zircon) hypersonic cruise missile

Context: Russia is going to deploy Tsirkon (Zircon) hypersonic cruise missile on surface ships

Concept:  Cruise missiles differ from ballistic missiles in that they fly towards their target at lower altitudes, remaining within the Earth’s atmosphere throughout their trajectory.  Cruise missiles are defined as “an unmanned self-propelled guided vehicle that sustains flight through aerodynamic lift for most of its flight path and whose primary mission is to place an ordnance or special payload on a target.”  The hallmark of a cruise missile is its incredible accuracy. Cruise missiles are also very effective at evading detection by the enemy because they fly very low to the ground (out of the view of most radar systems).  Cruise missiles can use multiple guidance methods in order to accurately place their ordinance on the desired target and avoid missile defense systems Cruise missiles can be categorized by size, speed (subsonic or supersonic), and range, and whether launched from land, air, surface ship, or submarine.

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48. Neutralising antibodies

Context:  A recent serological survey in Delhi found the presence of coronavirus- specific antibodies in about 23% of the samples tested.

Concept:  The mere presence of antibodies does not mean that the person is protected against the disease.  The important thing is the amount of antibodies present and whether it is neutralizing antibodies.  A neutralizing antibody (NAb) is a type of antibody that is capable of keeping an infectious agent from infecting a cell by neutralizing or inhibiting its biological effect.  It is produced naturally as part of immune system responses to inhibit the effects of receptors on the foreign invaders.  Neutralizing antibodies are different with binding antibodies.  A binding antibody can bind to a specific antigen and flagging it. The antibodyantigen complex can trigger white blood cells destroying the flagged antigen.  While a neutralizing antibody can directly stop the function of the agents without the need for white blood cells by binding its target and negates its downstream cellular effects, such as cell proliferation or chemotaxis.

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49. Testing facilities

Context: Prime minister has virtually launched COVID-19 testing facilities in Noida, Mumbai and Kolkata.

Concept:  These facilities will ramp up testing capacity in the country and help in strengthening early detection and treatment, thus assisting in controlling the spread of the pandemic.  These labs will also reduce turn-around-time and exposure of lab personnel to infectious clinical materials.  The labs are enabled to test diseases other than COVID as well, and post the pandemic, will be able to test for Hepatitis B and C, HIV, My cobacterium tuberculosis, Cytomegalovirus, Chlamydia, Neisseria, Dengue, etc.

Cytomegalovirus  Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common virus for people of all ages; however, a healthy person’s immune system usually keeps the virus from causing illness.  Once CMV is in a person’s body, it stays there for life and can reactivate.  A person can also be re-infected with a different strain (variety) of the virus.  Most people with CMV infection have no symptoms and aren’t aware that they have been infected.  People with weakened immune systems who get CMV can have more serious symptoms affecting the eyes, lungs, liver, esophagus, stomach, and intestines.  Babies born with CMV can have brain, liver, spleen, lung, and growth problems.  The most common long-term health problem in babies born with congenital CMV infection is hearing loss, which may be detected soon after birth or may develop later in childhood.

Chlamydia

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 Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by bacteria. People who have chlamydia often don’t have outward symptoms in the early stages.  In fact, about 90 percent of women and 70 percent of men with the STI have no symptoms. But chlamydia can still cause health problems later.  Untreated chlamydia can cause serious complications.

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50. Rafale

Context: India has inducted five French Rafale aircraft which will be a game changer in many ways in Indian Air force.

Concept:  The delivery is part of the India-France deal for 36 fighter jets that was signed in September 2016 for around Rs 58,000 crore  The aircraft are capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. European missile maker MBDA’s Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile , SCALP cruise missiles and MICA weapons system will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets.  Meteor is the next generation of BVR air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) designed to revolutionise air-to-air combat. The Meteor missile can target enemy aircraft from 150 km away. It can destroy enemy aircraft before they actually even get close to the Indian aircraft.  The Indian Air Force is also procuring new generation medium-range modular air-to-ground weapon system Hammer to integrate with the Rafale jets.

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51. National clinical Registry

Context: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is working on to bring out a new database of COVID-19 patients who are admitted across the county.

Concept:  The database is known as a national clinical registry for COVID-19 patients which will allow the health officials in the country to conduct clinical trials and study the effectiveness of new therapies that are being introduced for treating the deadly infection.  Around 15 institutions are expected to help create this network and get hospitals and medical colleges on board as part of the exercise, which is awaiting clearances from a common ethics committee of the ICMR.  ICMR, along with the Ministry of Health, currently possess the data of COVID-19 testing but they would also like to have patient data as well that will inform the health bodies regarding the patient case and progress.  The purpose of the database is to help understand the disease and the factors that cause adverse outcomes. It is also to understand how the same determinants may affect people based on other factors.

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52. Upper Tier Bond

Context: Interest amounting to ₹6.15 crore on Basel II Upper Tier II bonds was not paid by the Yes bank as the capital adequacy ratio of the bank was lower than the minimum required.

Concept:  Under Basel III, a bank’s tier 1 and tier 2 assets must be at least 10.5% of its risk weighted assets.  Tier 1 capital is the primary funding source of the bank and consists of shareholders’ equity and retained earnings.  Tier 2 capital includes revaluation reserves, hybrid capital instruments and subordinated term debt, general loan-loss reserves, and undisclosed reserves.  Tier 2 capital is considered less reliable than Tier 1 capital because it is more difficult to accurately calculate and more difficult to liquidate.

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53. Perseverance Mission

Context: NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover is going to be launched

Concept:  Perseverance will carry a unique instrument, MOXIE or Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment: which for the first time will manufacture molecular oxygen on Mars using carbon dioxide from the carbon-dioxide-rich atmosphere.  It will carry Ingenuity, the first ever helicopter to fly on Mars. This is the first time NASA will fly a helicopter on another planet or satellite. Like a drone on Earth, a Mars helicopter can help in rover drive planning and in fetching samples from locations that the rover cannot safely driveto.  It is the planned first step to bring back rock samples from Mars for analysis in sophisticated laboratories on Earth with the goal of looking for bio signatures: or signatures of present or past life. The analysis of Martian rocks on Earth will likely provide a reliable indication of whether life on Mars is feasible in the past or at present.

54. PLpro and type 1 interferons

Context: In a research new protein has been identified as potential cure for coronavirus

Concept:  PLpro, a protein is produced by the human cell itself after the virus hijacks the cell mechanism.  PLpro is essential for replication of the virus.  A new study in Nature has found that pharmacological inhibition of PLpro blocks virus replication and also strengthens our immune response.  When SARS-CoV-2 infects human, the infected body cells release messenger substances known as type 1 interferons.  These attract our killer cells, which kill the infected cells.

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 However SARS-CoV-2 fights back by letting the human cell produce PLpro. This protein suppresses the development of type 1 interferons, which would have attracted our killer cells. Interferons  They are a group of signaling proteins made and released by host cells in response to the presence of several viruses.  In a typical scenario, a virus-infected cell will release interferons causing nearby cells to heighten their anti-viral defenses.  IFNs belong to the large class of proteins known as cytokines, molecules used for communication between cells to trigger the protective defenses of the immune system that help eradicate pathogens.  They are typically divided among three classes: Type I IFN, Type II IFN, and Type III IFN.  IFNs belonging to all three classes are important for fighting viral infections and for the regulation of the immune system.

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Environment 1. Extreme Climatic events

Context: The major cause of worst locust attack after gap of 26 years is extreme weather events linked to climate change.

Concept:

 Extreme weather events include unexpected, unusual, severe, or unseasonal weather; weather at the extremes of the historical distribution, the range that has been seen in the past.  As the world has warmed, that warming has triggered many other changes to the Earth’s climate.  Changes in extreme weather and climate events, such as heat waves and droughts, are the primary way that most people experience climate change.  Human-induced climate change has already increased the number and strength of some of these extreme events.

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2. Globba Andersonii Plant

Context: Researchers have “rediscovered” a rare plant species called Globba andersonii from the Sikkim Himalayas near the Teesta river valley region after a gap of nearly 136 years.

Concept:

 It is “critically endangered” and “narrowly endemic”, the species is restricted mainly to Teesta River Valley region which includes the Sikkim Himalays and Darjeeling hill ranges.  Plant usually grows in a dense colony as a lithophyte (plant growing on a bare rock or stone) on rocky slopes in the outskirts of evergreen forests.  It is especially prevalent near small waterfalls along the roadside leading to these hill forests, which are 400-800 m. above sea level.

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3. Namami Ganga

Context: The World Bank has approved a five year loan to the Namami Gange project worth ₹3,000 crore ($400 million) to develop and improve infrastructure projects to abate pollution in the river basin.

Concept:  Namami Gange Programme is an Integrated Conservation Mission, approved as ‘Flagship Programme’ by the Union Government in June 2014 with budget outlay of Rs.20,000 Crore to accomplish the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution, conservation and rejuvenation of National River Ganga.  Main pillars of the Namami Gange Programme are: o Sewerage Treatment Infrastructure o River-Surface Cleaning o Afforestation o Industrial Effluent Monitoring o River-Front Development o Bio-Diversity o Public Awareness o Ganga Gram  National Mission for Clean Ganga(NMCG) was registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act 1860.It acted as implementation arm of National Ganga River Basin Authority(NGRBA) which was constituted under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act (EPA),1986.  The Act envisages five tier structure at national, state and district level to take measures for prevention, control and abatement of environmental pollution in river Ganga and to ensure continuous adequate flow of water so as to rejuvenate the river Ganga as below; o National Ganga Council under chairmanship of Hon’ble Prime Minister of India. o Empowered Task Force (ETF) on river Ganga under chairmanship of Hon’ble Union Minister of Jal Shakti o National Mission for Clean Ganga(NMCG). o State Ganga Committees

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o District Ganga Committees in every specified district abutting river Ganga and its tributaries in the states.

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4. Urban Forest

Context: Urban Forest inaugurated at the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India in New Delhi.

Concept:  Urban forests are the lungs of the cities and act as an oxygen bank and Carbon Sink.  Miyawaki method of forest creation is employed which could help in reducing the temperature by as much as 14 degree & increase the moisture by more than 40%.  The Urban forest has an ecosystem which has the capacity to restore habitat for birds, bees, butterflies and micro fauna. These are essential for pollination of crops and fruits and to help maintain a balanced ecosystem.  On the occasion of World Environment Day this year, the government announced implementation of the Nagar van scheme to develop 200 Urban Forests across the country in next five years with a renewed focus on people’s participation and collaboration between Forest Department, Municipal bodies, NGOs, Corporates and local citizens.

Miyawaki method Miyawaki method is a method of urban afforestation by turning backyards into mini-forests.

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5. Namdapha National Park.

Context: Lepidopterists have discovered two new butterflies Striped Hairstreak and Elusive Prince in Arunachal Pradesh

Concept:  The Striped Hairstreak (Yamamotozephyrus kwangtugenesis) was located in Vijaynagar bordering Myanmar while the Elusive Prince was found in Miao on the periphery of the Namdapha National Park.

Namdapha national park  Namdapha National Park is the largest protected area in the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot and is located in Arunachal Pradesh.  It is India’s easternmost tiger reserve. It is located in the Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh near the international border with Myanmar.  Among the last great remote wilderness areas of Asia, Namdapha and its adjoining areas, is flanked by the Patkai hills to the south and south-east and by the Himalaya in the north.

The area lies close to the Indo-Myanmar-China trijunction.  The entire area is mountainous and comprises the catchment of the Noa- Dihing River, a tributary of the great Brahmaputra river which flows westwards through the middle of Namdapha  It is only park in the World to have the four Feline species of big cat namely the Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard and Clouded Leopard and numbers of Lesser cats.  A number of primate species are seen in the park, such as Assamese macaque, pig-tailed macaque, stump-tailed macaque and number of the distinctive Hoolock Gibbons, highly endangered and only ‘ape’ species found in India dwells in this impenetrable virgin forest.  Of the many other important animals are the elephants, black bear, Indian Bison, several species of deers, reptiles and a variety of arboreal animals.  Among the bird species, most notable are the White winged Wood Ducks, a rare and endangered species, the great Indian hornbills, jungle fowls and pheasants flop their noisy way through the jungle, and which harbours other colourful bird and animal species.

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6. Where is Nagarahole Park situated and why its important?

Context: The Forest Department is going to have traffic monitoring mechanism along the roads adjacent to Nagarahole National Park to ensure better compliance of forest laws by motorists and to minimise road kills. Concept:  Nagarahole is named after Nagarahole (Cobra river in the local language, Kannada), a winding river which runs eastwards through its centre. Situated in the two districts of Mysore and Kodagu in the state of Karnataka.  It was originally constituted into a sanctuary in the year 1955 and given the status of a National Park in 1983.  It is located to the north-west of Bandipur National Park and the Kabini reservoir separates the two parks.  Nagarahole National Park forms a part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and together with Bandipur National Park (875 sq. kms) and Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary (325 sq. kms) to its South East and Wayanad (350 sq. kms) to the South-West  It is one of the last remaining and best protected habitats for endangered species like the Elephant and the Tiger.  The vegetation in this park predominantly comprises of moist, tropical and mixed deciduous forest, with some portions being the dry deciduous type. Rosewood, Sandalwood, Teakwood and Silver Oak are some of the more commercially important and easily available trees in this area.

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7. e-Waste

Context: United Nations University (UNU) released report on e-waste.

Concept:

Findings:  E-waste will increase by 38 per cent in the decade between 2020 and 2030.  There was 53.6 million tonnes (MT) e-waste in 2019, according to the report. That is a nearly 21 per cent increase in just five years.  Asia generated the greatest volume of e-waste in 2019 about 24.9 MT, followed by the Americas (13.1 MT) and Europe (12 MT). Africa and Oceania generated 2.9 MT and 0.7 MT respectively.  Less than 18 per cent of the e-waste generated in 2019 was collected and recycled.  The number of countries that have adopted a national e-waste policy, legislation or regulation has increased from 61 to 78 and includes India.

Concept:  E-waste is a health and environmental hazard, containing toxic additives or hazardous substances such as mercury, which damages the human brain and / or coordination system. According to the report.  There are 312 authorized recyclers of e-waste in India, with the capacity for treating approximately 800 kilo tonnes annually.  However, formal recycling capacity remains under-utilized, as the large majority of the waste is still handled by the informal sector. About 90 per cent of the country’s e-waste is recycled in the informal sector, according to the report.

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8. Bharat Stage Emission norms

Context: The Supreme Court recalled its March 27 order which allowed automobile dealers 10 days’ time, immediately after lockdown is lifted, to sell 10 per cent of their stock of BS-IV emission norm-compliant vehicles.

Concept:  The Bharat Stage emission standards are standards instituted by the government to regulate the output of air pollutants from motor vehicles from internal combustion engine equipment, including motor vehicles.  India has been following European (Euro) emission norms, although with a time lag of five years.  The BS IV norms had been enforced across the country since April 2017.  In 2016, the Centre had announced that the country would skip the BS-V norms altogether and adopt BS-VI norms by 2020.  Implementation of the intermediate BS-V standard was originally scheduled for 2019.  The main difference in standards between the existing BS-IV and the new BS-VI auto fuel norms is the presence of sulphur.  The BS-VI fuel is estimated to bring around an 80 per cent reduction of sulphur, from 50 parts per million to 10 ppm. According to analysts, the emission of NOx (nitrogen oxides) from diesel cars is also expected to come down by nearly 70 per cent and 25 per cent from cars with petrol engines.

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9. Rewa Solar Power Project

Context: Prime Minister has inaugurated Asia’s largest solar energy plant in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh.

Concept:  India is among the top 5 nations of the world in renewable energy utilization process and this scheme will help farmers become partners in the nation’s energy sufficiency project.  The 750-megawatt ultra-mega solar power plant touted to reduce the country’s emission drastically, by an amount equivalent to 15 lakh tonne of carbon dioxide annually.  Rewa Solar Project reaffirms India’s commitment towards achieving the target of 175 Gigawatt (GW) installed renewable energy capacity by 2022.

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10. All India Tiger Estimation 2018

Context: The fourth cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation 2018, results of which were declared to the nation on Global Tiger Day last year has entered the Guinness World Record for being the world’s largest camera trap wildlife survey.

Concept:  The All India Tiger Estimation done quadrennially is steered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority with technical backstopping from the Wildlife Institute of India and implemented by State Forest Departments and partners.  The latest results of 2018 had shown that India now has an estimated 2967 tigers out of which 2461 individual tigers have been photo captured, a whopping 83 % of the tiger population, highlighting the comprehensive nature of the survey.  There is hardly any parallel of such a focused species oriented program like Project Tiger across the world, which started with 9 Tiger Reserves, with 50 tiger reserves currently.  India has now firmly established a leadership role in tiger conservation, with its bench marking practices being looked at as a gold standard across the world.

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11. Aerosol

Context: WHO has formally acknowledged the possibility that the novel coronavirus can remain in the air in crowded indoor spaces, where short-range aerosol transmission cannot be ruled out.

Concept:  Aerosols are defined as a combination of liquid or solid particles suspended in a gaseous or liquid environment.  “Primary” aerosols, like dust, soot, or sea salt, come directly from the planet’s surface. They get lifted into the atmosphere by gusty winds, shot high into the air by exploding volcanoes, or they waft away from smokestacks or flames.  “Secondary” aerosols form when different things floating in the atmosphere like organic compounds released by plants, liquid acid droplets, or other materials—crash together, culminating in a chemical or physical reaction.  Aerosols come from both natural and human sources.  Natural sources of aerosols include sea salt generated from breaking waves, mineral dust blown from the surface by wind, and volcanoes.  Anthropogenic aerosols include sulfate, nitrate, and carbonaceous aerosols, and are mainly from fossil fuel combustion sources.

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12. The Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update

Context: According to a recent World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report, average global temperature can rise by 1.5°C in next 5 years.

Findings  This is significant as the countries under 2015 Paris Agreement had agreed to try and limit the average global temperature rise to below 2°C by the end of the century.  If the annual average temperature increase shoots past the 1.5°C-mark more frequently, achieving the Paris targets would be challenging. The last five years have already been the warmest ever recorded, according to WMO.

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13. Forest Rights Act (FRA)

Context: Fourteen states rejected over 5 lakhs claims under the Scheduled Tribes and Other traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, in suo motu review.

Concept: History of forest laws  In the colonial era, the British diverted abundant forest wealth of the nation to meet their economic needs. While procedure for settlement of rights was provided under statutes such as the Indian Forest Act, 1927, these were hardly followed. As a result, tribal and forest-dwelling communities, who had been living within the forests in harmony with the environment and the ecosystem, continued to live inside the forests in tenurial insecurity, a situation which continued even after independence as they were marginalized.  The symbiotic relationship between forests and forest-dwelling communities found recognition in the National Forest Policy, 1988.  The policy called for the need to associate tribal people in the protection, regeneration and development of forests.  The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, was enacted to protect the marginalised socioeconomic class of citizens and balance the right to environment with their right to life and livelihood.  Preamble: The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA) was enacted to recognize and vest the forest rights and occupation in forest land in forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers who have been residing in such forests for generations but whose rights could not be recorded. Provisions:  The act recognize and vest the forest rights and occupation in Forest land in forest Dwelling Scheduled Tribes (FDST) and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFD)who have been residing in such forests for generations.

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 The act also establishes the responsibilities and authority for sustainable use, conservation of biodiversity and maintenance of ecological balance of FDST and OTFD.  It strengthens the conservation regime of the forests while ensuring livelihood and food security of the FDST and OTFD.  The act identify four types of rights:  Title rights: It gives FDST and OTFD the right to ownership to land farmed by tribals or forest dwellers subject to a maximum of 4 hectares. Ownership is only for land that is actually being cultivated by the concerned family and no new lands will be granted.  Use rights: The rights of the dwellers extend to extracting Minor Forest Produce, grazing areas, to pastoralist routes, etc.  Relief and development rights: To rehabilitation in case of illegal eviction or forced displacement and to basic amenities, subject to restrictions for forest protection  Forest management rights: It includes the right to protect, regenerate or conserve or manage any community forest resource which they have been traditionally protecting and conserving for sustainable use.

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14. Cestrumnocturnum

Context: Eco-Development Committees in Nilgiris biosphere reserve are restoring native Shola habitats in places overrun with invasive species.

Concept:  Cestrum nocturnum plants have encroached on native Shola habitats and do not allow any native flora to thrive.  The Cestrum plants, unless completely removed with their roots, will keep sprouting and keep taking over Shola and native grasslands.  The Toda tribes are also growing their own saplings and have set up a nursery which will have more than 7,000 saplings of native Shola trees ready to be planted in the landscape in the coming years.

Shola forest  The Shola forests of South India derive their name from the Tamil word solai, which means a ‘tropical rain forest’.  Classified as ‘Southern Montane Wet Temperate Forest’ by experts Harry George Champion and SK Seth, the Sholas are found in the upper reaches of the Nilgiris, Anamalais, Palni hills, Kalakadu, Mundanthurai and Kanyakumari in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.  These forests are found sheltered in valleys with sufficient moisture and proper drainage, at an altitude of more than 1,500 metres. The upper reaches are covered with grasslands, known as Shola grasslands.  The vegetation that grows in Shola forests is evergreen. The trees are stunted and have many branches. Their rounded and dense canopies appear in different colours.  Generally, the leaves are small in size and leathery.  Red-coloured young leaves turning into different colours on maturity is a prominent characteristic of the Shola forests.  Epiphytes like lichens, ferns and bryophytes usually grow on the trees.  Sholas play a major role in conserving water supply of the Nilgiris’ streams. Sholas thus act as ‘overhead water tanks’.

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15. Swarm, upsurge and plague

Context: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned India to remain on high alert against locust attack for the next four weeks.

Concept:  The FAO has three categories of Desert Locust situations:  Outbreak: It is common occurrence Upsurge: current locust attack (2019- 2020) has been categorised as an upsurge. Plague  Upsurges and plagues do not occur overnight; instead, they take many months to develop.  The last major plague was in 1987-89 and the last major upsurge was in 2003-05. Locust attacks and developments:  Before the outbreak stage, the FAO first issues ‘Desert Locust threats’ that are determined from an analysis of national survey and control data combined with remote sensing imagery and historical records. Such threats have been issued in 2012, 2013, and 2015. Not all threats develop into an outbreak.  When there are good rains and green vegetation develops, desert Locusts which are always present somewhere in the deserts between Mauritania and India can rapidly increase in number and within a month or two, start to concentrate.

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16. Extended Producer responsibility

Context: With increasing biomedical waste like PPE ,Centre needs to stitch together a national protocol that combines The Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016, with the recently released Environment Ministry guidelines on ‘extended producer responsibility’ (EPR) for producers of plastic.

Concept:  Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a policy approach under which producers are given a significant responsibility financial and/or physical for the treatment or disposal of post-consumer products.  Assigning such responsibility could in principle provide incentives to prevent wastes at the source, promote product design for the environment and support the achievement of public recycling and materials management goals.

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17. Record Temperature Verkhoyansk

Context: Temperatures exceeded 38C in the Russian town of Verkhoyansk on 20 June, the highest temperature ever recorded north of the Arctic circle.

Concept:  This new record breaks the Arctic town’s 32-year record it set on 25 July 1988, which was a sweltering 37.3 degrees Celsius set on 25 July 1988.  The town of about 1,300 is located farther north than Fairbanks, Alaska, and is known for having an unusually wide temperature range.  During the winter, Verkhoyansk is one of the coldest spots in the world, with temperatures frequently dipping well below minus-50 degrees.  It has accelerated the melting of snow and ice; contributed to permafrost melt, and have gotten the Siberian wildfire season off to an unusually early and severe start.  An international team of climate scientists found the record average temperatures were likely to happen less than once every 80,000 years without human-induced climate change.  That makes such an event “almost impossible” had the world not been warmed by greenhouse gas emissions, they conclude in the study.  The scientists described the finding as “ unequivocal evidence of the impact of climate change on the planet”.

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18. Global Forest Resources Assessment

Context: According to the latest Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) report, India has ranked third among the top 10 countries that have gained in forest areas in the last decade.

Concept:  Food and Agriculture Organization has brought out this comprehensive assessment every five years since 1990.  This report assesses the state of forests, their conditions and management for all member countries.  The top 10 countries that have recorded the maximum average annual net gains in forest area during 2010-2020 are China, Australia, India, Chile, Vietnam, Turkey, the United States, France, Italy and Romania.  India reported 38 per cent annual gain in forest, or 266,000 ha of forest increase every year at an average.  The FRA 2020 has credited the government’s Joint Forest Management programme for the significant increase in community-managed forest areas  India accounts for two per cent of total global forest area.  India reported the maximum employment in the forestry sector in the world.  Globally, 12.5 million people were employed in the forestry sector. Out of this, India accounted for 6.23 million, or nearly 50 per cent.

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19. Urban mining

Context: With increasing e waste around the cities, urban mining gains importance.

Concept:  Urban mining is the practice of extracting valuable metals and materials from electronic waste  This makes it possible to obtain high quality steel from old washing machines.  Precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum or palladium can be extracted from old mobile phones and computers.  Urban mining has many advantages over primary mining: the materials are already in the city where they are likely to be needed again, so there is no need for long transport routes. And the environmental impact, particularly in land use, is clearly lower than mining for natural resources.

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20. Environment impact assessment

Context: Huge criticism is rising against the draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) 2020 notification issued to amend rules.

Concept:  Environment Impact Assessment or EIA can be defined as the study to predict the effect of a proposed activity/project on the environment. A decision making tool, EIA compares various alternatives for a project and seeks to identify the one which represents the best combination of economic and environmental costs and benefits.  Till 1994, environmental clearance from the Central Government was an administrative decision and lacked legislative support.  On 27 January 1994, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MEF), Government of India, under the Environmental (Protection) Act 1986, promulgated an EIA notification making Environmental Clearance (EC) mandatory for expansion or modernisation of any activity or for setting up new projects listed in Schedule 1 of the notification.  The MoEF recently notified new EIA legislation in September 2006. The notification makes it mandatory for various projects such as mining, thermal power plants, river valley, infrastructure (road, highway, ports, harbours and airports) and industries including very small electroplating or foundry units to get environment clearance.  Environment Impact Assessment Notification of 2006 has decentralized the environmental clearance projects by categorizing the developmental projects in two categories, i.e., Category A (national level appraisal) and Category B (state level appraisal).  Category A projects are appraised at national level by Impact Assessment Agency (IAA) and the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) and Category B projects are apprised at state level.  State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) and State Level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) are constituted to provide clearance to Category B process.

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21. Acclimatization

Context: “Periglacial Flora of Western Himalayas Diversity And Climate Change Vulnerability” study by Botanical survey of India found high altitudes plants are facing the “climb higher or die” situation due to climate change.

Concept:  Acclimatization is the process in which an individual organism adjusts to a change in its environment (such as a change in altitude, temperature, humidity, photo period, or pH), allowing it to maintain performance across a range of environmental conditions.  Acclimatization occurs in a short period of time (hours to weeks), and within the organism’s lifetime (compared to adaptation, which is a development that takes place over many generations).  This may be a discrete occurrence (for example, when mountaineers acclimate to high altitude over hours or days) or may instead represent part of a periodic cycle, such as a mammal shedding heavy winter fur in favor of a lighter summer coat.  Organisms can adjust their morphological, behavioral, physical, and/or biochemical traits in response to changes in their environment.

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22. NGT

Context: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered Oil India Limited (OIL) to deposit ₹25 crore with the administration of eastern Assam’s Tinsukia district for environmental damage due to the fire in Baghjan well.

Concept:  The well is close to the Maguri-Motapung wetland, which is within the eco- sensitive zone of the fragile Dibru-Saikhowa National Park.

NGT  It is a specialized body set up under the National Green Tribunal Act (2010) for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources.  With the establishment of the NGT, India became the third country in the world to set up a specialised environmental tribunal, only after Australia and New Zealand, and the first developing country to do so.  NGT is mandated to make disposal of applications or appeals finally within 6 months of filing of the same.

Structure of NGT  The Tribunal comprises of the Chairperson, the Judicial Members and Expert Members. They shall hold office for term of five years and are not eligible for reappointment. The Chairperson is appointed by the Central Government in consultation with Chief Justice of India (CJI)

Powers & Jurisdiction  The Tribunal has jurisdiction over all civil cases involving substantial question relating to environment. The Tribunal is not bound by the procedure laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure 1908, but shall be guided by principles of ‘natural justice’.  The NGT deals with civil cases under the seven laws related to the environment, these include: The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977, The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980,

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The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, The Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991 and The Biological Diversity Act, 2002.  Two important acts – Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 have been kept out of NGT’s jurisdiction.

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23. Status of Tiger

Context: Union Ministry for Environment, Forests and Climate Change has released the detailed Status of Tigers Report 2018on occasion of International Tiger Day celebrated on July 29.

Findings:  Tigers were observed to be increasing at a rate of 6 per cent per annum in India from 2006 to 2018.  There were nine tiger reserves when Project Tiger started in 1973. Now, India has 50 tiger reserves. Seventy per cent of the world’s tigers are in India and the conservation effort has been a huge success.  While tiger populations remain stable in the country, the report warns that with the populations being confined to small Protected Areas, some of which have habitat corridors that permit tiger movement between them, “most of the corridor habitats in India are not protected areas, and are degrading due to unsustainable human use and developmental projects”.  Tiger occupancy has increased in Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. The former also registered a substantial increase in tiger population, and along with Karnataka, ranks highest in tiger numbers.  The Northeast has, meanwhile, suffered losses in population.  The population in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha too have seen a decline in the number of tigers  The largest contiguous tiger population in the world of about 724 tigers was found in the Western Ghats (Nagarhole-Bandipur-Wayanad- Mudumalai- Satyamangalam-BRT block).

International Tiger Day  International Tiger Day was established in 2010 at Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia to raise awareness about the decline of wild tiger numbers, leaving them in the brink of extinction and to encourage the work of Tiger conservation.

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24. Ammonia pollution

Context: High levels of ammonia were detected in the Yamuna river.

Concept:  The level of ammonia in raw water of Yamuna river was 1.8 parts per million (ppm) but the acceptable maximum limit of ammonia in drinking water, as per the Bureau of Indian Standards, is 0.5 ppm.  Ammonia is a colourless gas and is used as an industrial chemical in the production of fertilisers, plastics, synthetic fibres, dyes and other products.  Ammonia occurs naturally in the environment from the breakdown of organic waste matter, and may also find its way to ground and surface water sources through industrial effluents or through contamination by sewage.  If the concentration of ammonia in water is above 1 ppm it is toxic to fishes.  In humans, long term ingestion of water having ammonia levels of 1 ppm or above may cause damage to internal organs.  The most likely source to Yamuna river is effluents from dye units, distilleries and other factories in Panipat and Sonepat districts in Haryana, and also sewage from some unsewered colonies in this stretch of the river.

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Current Affairs 1. State of the World Population Report 2020

Context: The State of World Population 2020 report released by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

Concept: Findings  Theme: Against my will - Defying the practices that harm women and girls and undermine equality  Every year, millions of girls are subjected to practices that harm them physically and emotionally, with the full knowledge and consent of their families, friends and communities  At least 19 harmful practices, ranging from breast ironing to virginity testing, are considered human rights violations, according to the UNFPA report, which focuses on the three most prevalent ones: female genital mutilation, child marriage, and extreme bias against daughters in favour of sons.  There is extreme preference for sons over daughters in some countries have fuelled gender-biased sex selection or extreme neglect that leads to their death as children, resulting in 140 million “missing females.”

About India:  India accounts for 45.8 million of the world's 142.6 million "missing females" over the past 50 years. “Missing females” are women missing from the population at given dates due to the cumulative effect of postnatal and prenatal sex selection in the past.  Preference for a male child manifested in sex selection has led to dramatic, long-term shifts in the proportions of women and men in the populations of country.  This demographic imbalance will have an inevitable impact on marriage systems. In countries where marriage is nearly universal, many men may need to delay or forego marriage because they will be unable to find a spouse, the report said. This so-called "marriage squeeze”.

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 It could result in more child marriages. Some studies suggest that the marriage squeeze will peak in India in 2055.

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)  UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency.  Its mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.

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2. Central Zoon Authority

Context: The Environment Ministry has recently reconstituted the Central Zoo Authority.

Concept:  The CZA is a statutory body constituted under Wildlife protection act amended in 1992.  It is chaired by the Environment Minister  Apart from the chairman, it consists of 10 members and a member- secretary.  Almost all of them are officials in the Environment Ministry and nongovernment experts are those who are wildlife conservationists or retired forest officers.  Functions: 1) to specify the minimum standards 2) to evaluate and assess the functioning of the zoos 3) to recognise or derecognise zoos; 4) to identify endangered species 5) to coordinate the acquisition exchange 6) Identify priorities, themes and approval of Master Plan 7) Provide technical assistance to Zoos 8) to release financial assistance to Zoos 9) to ensure maintenance of studbooks 10) to coordinate training of zoo personnel 11) to coordinate research and education.

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3. World Investment Report

Context: UNCTAD has released world investment report last month.

Concept: Findings:  In the "developing Asia" region, India was among the top five host economies for FDI.  The report said that global FDI flows are forecast to decrease by up to 40 per cent in 2020, from their 2019 value of USD 1.54 trillion.  Foreign direct investment (FDI) into India may decline sharply in 2020 because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the consequent lockdown measures, supply chain disruptions and economic slowdown  India jumped from 12th position in 2018 to 9th position in 2019 among the world’s largest FDI recipient.  India's most sought-after industries, which include professional services and the digital economy, could see a faster rebound as global venture capital firms and technology companies continue to show interest in India's market through acquisitions

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4. Defence Acquisition Council

Context: Deals worth ₹38,900 crore for 3 new fighter jets has been approved.

Concept:  It was formed, after the Group of Ministers recommendations on 'Reforming the National Security System', in 2001, post Kargil War (1999).  The Defence Acquisition Council is the highest decision-making body in the Defence Ministry for deciding on new policies and capital acquisitions for the three services (Army, Navy and Air Force) and the Indian Coast Guard.  The Minister of Defence is the Chairman of the Council.  The objective of the Defence Acquisition Council is to ensure expeditious procurement of the approved requirements of the Armed Forces in terms of capabilities sought, and time frame prescribed, by optimally utilizing the allocated budgetary resources.

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5. Assessment of Climate Change over the Indian Region

Context: Ministry of Earth Sciences has released the report First Assessment of Climate Change over the Indian Region.

Concept:

Findings:  West Bengal is one of the most climatically vulnerable states of India with a history of a high number of severe cyclones in the Bay of Bengal coast, severe thunderstorms, a high sea-level rise and projected flood risk.  The flood risk has increased over the east coast; West Bengal, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Konkan region, as well as a majority of urban areas such as Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.  As against the global average warming of 0.7 degrees Celsius, sea surface temperature of the tropical Indian Ocean rose by on an average of 1°C between 1951 and 2015. Such an increase in ocean temperature has a direct bearing on the intensity of thunderstorms and cyclones in the zone.  In a worst-case scenario, average surface air temperatures over India could rise by up to 4.4°C by the end of the century as compared to the period between 1976 and 2005.  The sea level has been rising at a rate of five centimetres per decade off the Bengal coast, the highest in the country. The rise is about three centimetres per decade close to Mumbai.  By 2100, the frequency of warm days and warm nights might also increase by 55% and 70% respectively, as compared to the period 1976-2005 under the RCP 8.5 scenario.  The incidences of heat waves over the country could also increase by three to four times. Their duration of occurrence might also increase which was already witnessed by the country in 2019.

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6. Strategic Forces Command (SFC)

Context: Standoff between China and India last month has brought focus on India’s nuclear capability.

Concept:  Strategic Forced Command (SFC), also sometimes known as Strategic Nuclear Command, forms part of India’s nuclear National Command Authority (NCA which is responsible for command and control decisions regarding India’s nuclear weapons program).  It was created on January 4, 2003 by an executive order of Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).  It is responsible for the management and administration of the country’s tactical and strategic nuclear weapons stockpile.  It is the responsibility of the Strategic Forces Command to operationalize the orders of the NCA under the leadership of a Commander-in-Chief who is a Senior Officer.  It has the sole responsibility of initiating the process of delivering nuclear weapons and warheads, after acquiring clear approval from the NCA.

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7. UGC

Context: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has said that states are not permissible to cancel university exams and commission does have the power to take action if states do so.

Concept:  As per the UGC Act, State governments cannot take this decision.  Unlike school education, which is on the State list, higher education is on the concurrent list. UGC and AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education) directives have to be implemented by states. UGC  The University Grants Commission (UGC) came into existence on 28th December, 1953 and became a statutory organization of the Government of India by an Act of Parliament in 1956.  The UGC has the unique distinction of being the only grant-giving agency in the country which has been vested with two responsibilities: that of providing funds and that of coordination, determination and maintenance of standards in institutions of higher education.  The UGC`s mandate includes:  Promoting and coordinating university education.  Determining and maintaining standards of teaching, examination and research in universities.  Framing regulations on minimum standards of education.  Monitoring developments in the field of collegiate and university education;  disbursing grants to the universities and colleges.  Serving as a vital link between the Union and state governments and institutions of higher learning.  Advising the Central and State governments on the measures necessary for improvement of university education.

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8. NATGRID Context: National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) has signed a MOU with the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) to access the centralized online database on FIRs and stolen vehicles.

Concept:  National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) is an attached office of Ministry of Home Affairs  It has been created as an IT platform to assist the intelligence and law enforcement agencies in ensuring national and internal security, with the ultimate aim to counter terror.  NATGRID, an integrated intelligence grid which will connect databases of core security agencies, gathered pace in 2016  NATGRID will have data related to all immigration entry and exit, banking and financial transactions, credit card purchases, telecom, individual taxpayers, air flyers, train travellers besides others to generate intelligence inputs.  The 10 agencies which will be able to access the NATGRID data on real time basis are: Intelligence Bureau (IB), Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), Directorate General of Central Excise and Intelligence (DGCEI) and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).  Initially, no state agencies will be given direct access to the NATGRID data. However, whenever any relevant information is required, they can approach the NATGRID through any of the 10 user agencies.

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9. Employees’Provident Fund Organization

Context: Several board members have flagged concerns about the inadequate sharing of information about the Fund’s investments and delays in approval for the interest rate for 2019-20.

Concept:  EPFO is one of the World’s largest Social Security Organisations in terms of clientele and the volume of financial transactions undertaken.  The Employees’ Provident Fund came into existence with the promulgation of the Employees’ Provident Funds Ordinance on the 15th November, 1951. It was replaced by the Employees’ Provident Funds Act, 1952.  The Act and Schemes framed there under are administered by a tri-partite Board known as the Central Board of Trustees, Employees’ Provident Fund, consisting of representatives of Government (Both Central and State), Employers, and Employees.  The Central Board of Trusteesadministers a contributory provident fund, pension scheme and an insurance scheme for the workforce engaged in the organized sector in India.  The EPFO is under the administrative control of Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India  The Board operates three schemes – EPF Scheme 1952, Pension Scheme 1995 (EPS) and Insurance Scheme 1976 (EDLI).  Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation has a vision to reposition itself as a world class Social Security Organisation providing futuristic services meeting the growing requirements of all categories of its stakeholders. EPFO Vision 2030 envisages:  Universal Social Security Coverage on mandatory basis by way of Provident Fund, Pension and Life Insurance for all workers of the country Online Services for all EPFO benefits with State-of-the-Art Technology Implementation of policies for a benefit structure with adequate support level of social security

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10. NATGRID

Context: National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) has signed a MOU with the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) to access the centralized online database on FIRs and stolen vehicles.

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11. Digital India

Context: Google announces $10billion investment in ‘digital India’ Concept:  Digital India is a flagship programme of the Government of India with a vision to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.  The Digital India programme is centred on three key vision areas:  Digital Infrastructure as a Core Utility to Every Citizen: Availability of high speed internet as a core utility for delivery of services to citizens, Cradle to grave digital identity that is unique, lifelong, online and authenticable to every citizen, Mobile phone & bank account enabling citizen participation in digital & financial space, Easy access to a Common Service Centre, Shareable private space on a public cloud, Safe and secure cyber-space  Governance & Services on Demand: Seamlessly integrated services across departments or jurisdictions, Availability of services in real time from online & mobile platforms, All citizen entitlements to be portable and available on the cloud, Digitally transformed services for improving ease of doing business, Making financial transactions electronic & cashless and Leveraging Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) for decision support systems & development  Digital Empowerment of Citizens: Universal digital literacy, Universally accessible digital resources, Availability of digital resources / services in Indian languages, Collaborative digital platforms for participative governance and Citizens not required to physically submit Govt. documents / certificates.

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12. Non-Personal Data

Context: A government committee headed by Kris Gopalakrishnan has suggested that non-personal data generated in the country be allowed to be harnessed by various domestic companies and entities.

Concept:  Non-personal data is any set of data which does not contain personally identifiable information. This in essence means that no individual or living person can be identified by looking at such data.  The government committee, which submitted its report has classified non personal data into three main categories.  All the data collected by government and its agencies or any information collected during execution of all publicly funded works has been kept under the umbrella of public non-personal data.  Any data identifiers about a set of people who have either the same geographic location, religion, job, or other common social interests will form the community non-personal data.  Private non-personal data can be defined as those which are produced by individuals which can be derived from application of proprietary software or knowledge.

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13. National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)

Context: Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has decided to cut down its 2020-21 syllabuses by 30% for students from Classes 9-12 in view of difficulty to have classes.

Concept:  The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is an autonomous organisation set up in 1961 by the Government of India to assist and advise the Central and State Governments on policies and programmes for qualitative improvement in school education.  The major objectives of NCERT and its constituent units are to:  undertake, promote and coordinate research in areas related to school education prepare and publish model textbooks, supplementary material, newsletters, journals and develops educational kits, multimedia digital materials, etc.  organise pre-service and in-service training of teachers develop and disseminate innovative educational techniques and practices collaborate and network with state educational departments, universities, NGOs and other educational institutions act as a clearing house for ideas and information in matters related to school education; and act as a nodal agency for achieving the goals of

Universalization of Elementary Education.  In addition, NCERT is an implementation agency for bilateral cultural exchange programmes with other countries in the field of school education. National Curriculum Framework  NCF provides the framework for creation of the school syllabi and the writing of textbooks, while giving guidelines on teaching practices in India.  It addresses four issues: o Educational purpose o Educational experience o Organization of experience o Assessing learner

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14. National Financial Reporting Authority Context:

Concept:  The National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) was constituted in 2018 under Companies Act, 2013.  The Companies Act requires the NFRA to have a chairperson who will be appointed by the Central Government and a maximum of 15 members  The duties of the NFRA are to: 1. Recommend accounting and auditing policies and standards to be adopted by companies for approval by the Central Government; 2. Monitor and enforce compliance with accounting standards and auditing standards; 3. Oversee the quality of service of the professions associated with ensuring compliance with such standards and suggest measures for improvement in the quality of service; 4. Perform such other functions and duties as may be necessary or incidental to the aforesaid functions and duties. Prior to the constitution of this authority, the Central Government would prescribe accounting standards on the recommendation of ICAI. The Authority shall have power to monitor and enforce compliance with accounting standards, oversee the quality of service or undertake investigation of the auditors of the following class of companies and bodies corporate, namely:- Companies whose securities are listed on any stock exchange in India or outside India;  Unlisted public companies having paid-up capital of not less than rupees five hundred crores or having annual turnover of not less than rupees one thousand crores or having, in aggregate, outstanding loans, debentures and deposits of not less than rupees five hundred crores as on the 31st March of immediately preceding financial year;  Insurance companies, banking companies, companies engaged in the generation or supply of electricity  Anybody corporate or company or person, or any class of bodies corporate or companies or persons, on a reference made to the Authority by the Central Government in public interest;

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15. CDSCO

Context: CDSCO is likely to take up Serum Institute of India’s (SII) request to start human trials for AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate in India this month.

Concept:  CDSCO under Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare is the National Regulatory Authority (NRA) of India.  The Drugs & Cosmetics Act,1940 and rules 1945 have entrusted various responsibilities to central & state regulators for regulation of drugs & cosmetics.  CDSCO is constantly thriving upon to bring out transparency, accountability and uniformity in its services in order to ensure safety, efficacy and quality of the medical product manufactured, imported and distributed in the country.  Under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, CDSCO is responsible for approval of Drugs, Conduct of Clinical Trials, laying down the standards for Drugs, control over the quality of imported Drugs in the country and coordination of the activities of State Drug Control Organizations by providing expert advice.  Drug Controller General of India within CDSCO is responsible for approval of licenses of specified categories of Drugs such as blood and blood products, I. V. Fluids, Vaccine and Sera

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16. NATGRID

Context: Income Tax Department is going to sign an MoU with National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) to facilitate automatic exchange of information linked to bank accounts, PAN, tax returns and any other “mutually agreed” information with 10 agencies.

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17. National Education Policy 2020

Context: The Union Cabinet has approved the New Education Policy

Concept:  The new policy aims to pave way for transformational reforms in school and higher education systems in the country.  This policy will replace the 34 your old National Policy on Education (NPE),1986.

Highlights:  New Policy aims for universalization of education from pre-school to secondary level with 100 % Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) in school education by 2030.  NEP 2020 will bring 2 crore out of school children back into the main stream through open schooling system.  The current 10+2 system to be replaced by a new 5+3+3+4 curricular structurecorresponding to ages 3-8, 8-11, 11-14, and 14-18 years respectively.  Emphasis on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, no rigid separation between academic streams, extracurricular, vocational streams in schools; Vocational Education to start from Class 6 with Internships  Teaching up to at least Grade 5 to be in mother tongue/ regional language. No language will be imposed on any student.  Assessment reforms with 360 degree Holistic Progress Card, tracking Student Progress for achieving Learning Outcomes  A new and comprehensive National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education, NCFTE 2021, will be formulated by the NCTE in consultation with NCERT. By 2030, the minimum degree qualification for teaching will be a 4- year integrated B.Ed. degree.

Higher Education  Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education to be raised to 50 % by 2035 ; 3.5 crore seats to be added in higher education.  The policy envisages broad based, multi-disciplinary, holistic Under Graduate education with flexible curricula, creative combinations of

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subjects, integration of vocational education and multiple entry and exit points with appropriate certification. UG education can be of 3 or 4 years with multiple exit options and appropriate certification within this period.  Academic Bank of Credits to be established to facilitate Transfer of Credits  Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities (MERUs), at par with IITs, IIMs, to be set up as models of best multidisciplinary education of global standards in the country.  The National Research Foundation will be created as an apex body for fostering a strong research culture and building research capacity across higher education.  Higher Education Commission of India(HECI) will be set up as a single overarching umbrella body the for entire higher education, excluding medical and legal education.  HECI to have four independent verticals – National Higher Education Regulatory Council (NHERC) for regulation, General Education Council (GEC ) for standard setting, Higher Education Grants Council (HEGC) for funding, and National Accreditation Council( NAC) for accreditation.  Public and private higher education institutions will be governed by the same set of norms for regulation, accreditation and academic standards.  Affiliation of colleges is to be phased out in 15 years and a stage-wise mechanism is to be established for granting graded autonomy to colleges. Over a period of time, it is envisaged that every college would develop into either an Autonomous degree-granting College, or a constituent college of a university.

Others  An autonomous body, the National Educational Technology Forum (NETF),will be created to provide a platform for the free exchange of ideas on the use of technology to enhance learning, assessment, planning, administration.  NEP 2020 emphasizes setting up of Gender Inclusion Fund, Special Education Zones for disadvantaged regions and groups New Policy promotes Multilingualism in both schools and higher education. National Institute for Pali, Persian and Prakrit, Indian Institute of Translation and Interpretation to be set up  The Centre and the States will work together to increase the public investment in Education sector to reach 6% of GDP at the earliest.

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Evolution of education policy  University Education Commissioin (1948-49)  Secondary Education Commission (1952-53)  Education Commissiion (1964-66) under Dr. D. S. Kothari  National Policy on Education, 1968  42nd Constitutional Amendment, 1976- Education in Concurrent list  National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986  NPE 1986 Modified in 1992 (Programme of Action, 1992)  S.R. Subramaniam Committee Report (May 27, 2016)  K. Kasturirangan Committee Report (May 31, 2019)

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18. Central Consumer Protection Authority established

Context: The government has established the Central Consumer Protection Authority to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers.

Concept:  The authority is being constituted under Section 10(1) of The Consumer Protection Act, 2019.  The CCPA aims to protect the rights of the consumer by cracking down on unfair trade practices, and false and misleading advertisements that are detrimental to the interests of the public and consumers.  It will have a Chief Commissioner as head, and only two other commissioners as members— one of whom will deal with matters relating to goods while the other will look into cases relating to services.The CCPA will have an Investigation Wing that will be headed by a Director General.

Powers and Functions:  Inquire or investigate into matters relating to violations of consumer rights or unfair trade practices suomotu, or on a complaint received, or on a direction from the central government.  Recall goods or withdrawal of services that are “dangerous, hazardous or unsafe.  Pass an order for refund the prices of goods or services so recalled to purchasers of such goods or services; discontinuation of practices which are unfair and prejudicial to consumer’s interest”.  Impose a penalty up to Rs 10 lakh, with imprisonment up to two years, on the manufacturer or endorser of false and misleading advertisements. The penalty may go up to Rs 50 lakh, with imprisonment up to five years, for every subsequent offence committed by the same manufacturer or endorser.  Ban the endorser of a false or misleading advertisement from making endorsement of any products or services in the future, for a period that may extend to one year. The ban may extend up to three years in every subsequent violation of the Act.

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Government Scheme 1. Accelerate Vigyaan

Context: Union government has initiated “Accelerate Vigyan” scheme to push scientific research

Concept:  Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) has launched this new scheme to provide a single platform for research internships, capacity building programs, and workshops across the country.  The primary objective of this inter-ministerial scheme is to give more thrust on encouraging high-end scientific research and preparing scientific manpower, which can lead to research careers and knowledge-based economy.  The AV will work on mission mode, particularly with respect to its component dealing with consolidation / aggregation of all major scientific events in the country.  Thus, an Inter-Ministerial Overseeing Committee (IMOC) involving all the scientific ministries/departments and a few others has been constituted for the purpose of supporting SERB in implementing the AV scheme in a successful manner.

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2. Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY)

Context: Prime minister has announced extension of PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) till the end of November which will cost over Rs 90 thousand crore for centre.

Concept:  Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana aims at ensuring sufficient food the poor and needy during the coronavirus crisis.  Scheme covers 80 crore individuals, i.e, roughly two-thirds of India’s population.  The existing National Food Security Act provides 5kg of foodgrain per person monthly at a subsidised rate of Rs 2-3 per kg to the country’s poor.  Each one of them would be provided double of their current entitlement over next three months. This additionality would be free of cost.  To ensure adequate availability of protein to all, 1 kg per family, would be provided pulses according to regional preferences. These pulses would be provided free of cost by the Government of India.

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3. Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In)

Context: The reason behind ban of 59 apps is that several citizens had reportedly raised concerns to CERT-In regarding security of data and loss of privacy in using these apps. In addition, the Ministry received recommendations from Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre.

Concept:  CERT-In (the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) is a government- mandated information technology (IT) security organization created in 2004.  The purpose of CERT-In is to respond to computer security incidents, report on vulnerabilities and promote effective IT security practices throughout the country.  According to the provisions of the Information Technology Amendment Act 2008, CERT-In is responsible for overseeing administration of the Act.  CERT-In has been designated to serve as the national agency to perform the following functions in the area of cyber security: o Collection, analysis and dissemination of information on cyber incidents. o Forecast and alerts of cyber security incidents o Emergency measures for handling cyber security incidents • Coordination of cyber incident response activities. o Issue guidelines, advisories, vulnerability notes and whitepapers relating to information security practices, procedures, prevention, response and reporting of cyber incidents. o Such other functions relating to cyber security as may be prescribed.

Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre  The scheme to set up Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) was approved in October 2018, to deal with all types of cybercrimes in a comprehensive and coordinated manner.  It act as a nodal point in the fight against cybercrime  It identifies the research problems/needs of LEAs and take up R&D activities in developing new technologies and forensic tools in collaboration with academia / research institutes within India and abroad

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 It prevents misuse of cyber space for furthering the cause of extremist and terrorist groups  It suggests amendments, if required, in cyber laws to keep pace with fast changing technologies and International cooperation and coordinate all activities related to implementation of Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLAT) with other countries related to cybercrimes in consultation with the concerned nodal authority in MHA  Components Of The I4C Scheme o National Cybercrime Threat Analytics Unit (TAU) o National Cybercrime Reporting o Platform for Joint Cybercrime Investigation Team o National Cybercrime Forensic Laboratory (NCFL) Ecosystem o National Cybercrime Training Centre (NCTC) o Cybercrime Ecosystem Management Unit o National Cyber Crime Research and Innovation Centre

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4. NFSA

Context: States and Union Territories have drawn more than double the quantity of rice for distribution during April to June this year, compared to the corresponding period last year.

Concept:

Reason  As relief package, the Central government had announced that Priority Household (PHH) and Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) cardholders in the country would receive free additional entitlement of 5 kg per person per month up to November. This was in addition to their entitlement under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).  The Centre also came up with a scheme for providing wheat and rice to ration cardholders not covered under the NFSA or non-priority household (NPHH) cardholders at the rate of ₹21 per kg and ₹22 per kg respectively.

Priority and Non-priority household and Antyodaya Anna Yojna  National Food Security Act, 2013 covers upto 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population under under Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and priority households.  While AAY households, which constitute poorest of the poor are entitled to 35 kg of foodgrains per family per month, priority households are entitled to 5 kg per person per month.  State-wise coverage under NFSA has been determined by the NITI Aayog by using the NSSO's Household Consumption Survey data for 2011-12.  Within the coverage under TPDS determined for each State, the work of identification of eligible households is to be done by States/UTs. It is the responsibility of the State Governments/UTs, to evolve criteria for identification of priority households and their actual identification.  The house holds remaining after selecting priority list will be moved to Non-Priority category. Non Priority House Holds (NPHH) are ineligible to get subsidized food grains under NFSA system. According to NFSA, 25% of the rural population and 50% of urban population will be out from receiving subsidized food grains under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).

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They will get ration cards but no subsidized food grains as priority ration cards (PHH) get.

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5. MGNREGA

Context: Almost 1.4 lakh poor rural households have completed their quota of 100 days of work under MGNREGA in the first three months of the year, and will not be eligible for further benefits under the rural employment guarantee scheme for the rest of the year.

Concept:

Reason: With COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown resulting in thousands of unemployed migrant workers returning to their villages and now dependent on MGNREGA wages

Features:  MGNREGA, which is the largest work guarantee programme in the world, was enacted in 2005 with the primary objective of guaranteeing 100 days of wage employment per year to rural households whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.  The act provides a legal right to employment for adult members of rural households. At least one third beneficiaries have to be women.  Employment must be provided with 15 days of being demanded failing which an ‘unemployment allowance’ must be given.  The Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) is monitoring the entire implementation of this scheme in association with state governments.  Gram sabhas must recommend the works that are to be undertaken and at least 50% of the works must be executed by them. PRIs are primarily responsible for planning, implementation and monitoring of the works that are undertaken.  All work sites should have facilities such as crèches, drinking water and first aid.  There are provisions for proactive disclosure through wall writings, citizen information boards, Management Information Systems and social audits. Social audits are conducted by gram sabhas to enable the community to monitor the implementation of the scheme.

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 Funding is shared between the centre and the states. There are three major items of expenditure – wages (for unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled labour), material and administrative costs. The central government bears 100% of the cost of unskilled labour, 75% of the cost of semi-skilled and skilled labour, 75% of the cost of materials and 6% of the administrative costs.  The MGNREGA scheme contains a provision for districts affected by drought or other natural disaster to request an expansion of the scheme to allow for 150 days of work.

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6. GOAL initiative

Context: Ministry of Tribal Affairs hosted a Webinar along with Facebook India for sensitization of Members of Parliament (MPs) from Scheduled Tribe (ST) Constituencies of India on “Going Online As Leaders (GOAL) Project”

Concept:  GOAL (Going Online as Leaders) is an initiative launched by Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) in partnership with Facebook India to digitally skill and empower 5000 youth from tribal communities to become leaders of tomorrow by leveraging the power of digital technology.  GOAL Project is aimed at identifying and mobilizing 2500 renowned people from industry (policy makers and influencers), teachers, artists, entrepreneurs, social workers known for their achievements in their domain areas, to personally mentor tribal youths across India.  Experts in the field of business, education, health, politics, arts and entrepreneurship among others and can inspire, guide and encourage the tribal youth to become village-level digital young leaders for their communities.  Ministry of Tribal Affairs has partnered with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology for leveraging strong network of its Common Service Centres (CSCs).

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7. Digital India

Context: Google announces $10billion investment in ‘digital India’

Concept:  Digital India is a flagship programme of the Government of India with a vision to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.  The Digital India programme is centred on three key vision areas:  Digital Infrastructure as a Core Utility to Every Citizen: Availability of high speed internet as a core utility for delivery of services to citizens, Cradle to grave digital identity that is unique, lifelong, online and authenticable to every citizen, Mobile phone & bank account enabling citizen participation in digital & financial space, Easy access to a Common Service Centre, Shareable private space on a public cloud, Safe and secure cyber-space  Governance & Services on Demand: Seamlessly integrated services across departments or jurisdictions, Availability of services in real time from online & mobile platforms, All citizen entitlements to be portable and available on the cloud, Digitally transformed services for improving ease of doing business, Making financial transactions electronic & cashless and Leveraging Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) for decision support systems & development  Digital Empowerment of Citizens: Universal digital literacy, Universally accessible digital resources, Availability of digital resources / services in Indian languages, Collaborative digital platforms for participative governance and Citizens not required to physically submit Govt. documents / certificates.

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8. Global Distance Learning Fund

Context: After Facebook, Google partners with CBSE to promote online education in India. It will provide a $1 million grant to the Kaivalya Education Foundation through the Global Distance Learning Fund

Concept:  It is part of Google.org, aimed at helping teachers deliver virtual education to students in the country.  The initiative empowers 700,000 teachers over the next year to deliver virtual education and learning from home.  It will partner public broadcasting agency, Prasar Bharti, for an edutainment series meant for small and medium-sized businesses in the country.

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9. Global Distance Learning Fund

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10. PM Matsya SampadaYojana

Concept: Status:  Fisheries and aquaculture are an important source of food, nutrition, employment and income in India.  The sector provides livelihood to more than 20 million fishers and fish farmers at the primary level and twice the number along the value chain.  The Gross Value Added (GVA) of fisheries sector in the national economy is 1.24% of the total National GVA and 7.28% share of Agricultural GVA.  Fisheries sector in India has shown impressive growth with an average annual growth rate of 10.88% during the year from 2014-15 to 2018-19.  The fish production in India has registered an average annual growth of 7.53% during last 5 years and stood at an all-time high of 137.58 lakh metric tons during 2018-19.

Features:  The PMMSY will be implemented as an umbrella scheme with two separate Components namely Central Sector Scheme (CS) and Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS).  Under the Central Sector Scheme Component an amount of Rs. 1720 crores has been earmarked. Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) Component, an investment of Rs. 18330 crores has been envisaged, which in turn is segregated into Non-beneficiary oriented and Beneficiary orientated subcomponents/ activities under the following three broad heads: 1. Enhancement of Production and Productivity 2. Infrastructure and Post-harvest Management 3. Fisheries Management and Regulatory Framework  Cluster or area-based approach would be followed with requisite forward and backward linkages and end to end solutions.  Thrust will be given for infusing new and emerging technologies like Recirculatory Aquaculture Systems, Biofloc, Aquaponics, Cage Cultivation to enhance production and productivity, quality, productive utilization of waste lands and water for Aquaculture.  Special focus on Coldwater fisheries development and expansion of Aquaculture in Brackish Water and Saline Areas.

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 Activities like Mariculture, Seaweed cultivation and Ornamental Fisheries having potential to generate huge employment will be promoted.  Focused attention would be given for fisheries development in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Islands, Northeast, and Aspirational Districts through area specific development plans.  PMMSY envisages promotion of high value species, establishing a national network of Brood Banks for all commercially important species, Genetic improvement and establishing Nucleus Breeding Center for self-reliance in Shrimp Brood stock, organic aquaculture promotion and certification, good aquaculture practices, end to end traceability from ‘catch to consumer’, use of Block Chain Technology, Global Standards and Certification, Accreditation of Brood banks, Hatcheries, Farms, residues issues and aquatic health management supported by a modern laboratory network.  Collectivization of fishers and fish farmers through Fish Farmer Producer Organizations (FFPOs) to increase bargaining power of fishers and fish farmers is a key feature of PMMSY.  Aquaparks as hub of fisheries and aquaculture activities with assured, affordable, quality inputs under one roof, post-harvest infrastructure facilities, business enterprise zones, logistic support, business incubation centers, marketing facilities etc.  Youth would be engaged in fisheries extension by creation of 3347 SagarMitras in coastal fisher villages.  Major investments in construction and modernization of Fishing Harbours and Landing centers for hygienic handling of fish, urban marketing infrastructure to deliver quality and affordable fish, development of state of the art whole sale fish markets, retail markets, E-marketing and E- trading of Fish etc.

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11. Common Service Centre

Context: The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has directed Common Service Centres (CSC) to complete the work of providing fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) and WiFi connections from the panchayat level to individual homes.

Concept:  Common Services Centre (CSC) programme is an initiative of the Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY), Government of India.  The CSC is a strategic cornerstone of the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP), approved by the Government in May 2006  The CSCs would provide high quality and cost-effective video, voice and data content and services, in the areas of e-governance, education, health, telemedicine, entertainment as well as other private services.  A highlight of the CSCs is that it will offer web-enabled e-governance services in rural areas, including application forms, certificates, and utility payments such as electricity, telephone and water bills  In addition to the universe of G2C services, the CSC Guidelines envisage a wide variety of content and services that could be offered as listed below: Agriculture Services (Agriculture, Horticulture, Sericulture, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, Veterinary) Education & Training Services (School, College, Vocational Education, Employment, etc.) Health Services (Telemedicine, Health Check-ups, Medicines) Rural Banking & Insurance Services (Micro-credit, Loans, Insurance) Entertainment Services (Movies, Television) Utility Services (Bill Payments, Online bookings) Commercial Services (DTP, Printing, Internet Browsing, Village level BPO).  The Scheme creates a conducive environment for the private sector and NGOs to play an active role in implementation of the CSC Scheme, thereby becoming a partner of the government in development of rural India.  The PPP model of the CSC scheme envisages a 3-tier structure consisting of the CSC operator (called Village Level Entrepreneur or VLE); the Service Centre Agency (SCA), that will be responsible for a division of 500-1000 CSCs; and a State Designated Agency (SDA) identified by the State

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Government responsible for managing the implementation in the entire State.

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12. Unnat Bharat Abhiyan

Context:  TRIFED has entered into a partnership with IIT Delhi for the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) by which forest dwellers will get an exposure to newer processing technologies, product innovation, mentorship, transformational digital systems and handholding.

Concept:  Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) is a flagship national programme of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) envisioning the transformational change in rural development processes  The knowledge base and resources of the Premier Institutions of the country are to be leveraged to bring in transformational change in rural developmental process.  It also aims to create a vibrant relationship between the society and the higher educational institutes, with the latter providing the knowledge and technology support to improve the livelihoods in rural areas and to upgrade the capabilities of both the public and private organisations in the society.

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13. NDRF Vs PM-CARES

Context: The Supreme Court reserved its order on a plea that seeks money collected under the PM CARES Fund for the COVID-19 pandemic should be transferred to the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).

Concept:

NDRF  The National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), constituted under Section 46 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, supplements SDRF of a State, in case of a disaster of severe nature, provided adequate funds are not available in SDRF.  It is a fund managed by the Central Government for meeting the expenses for emergency response, relief and rehabilitation due to any threatening disaster situation or disaster.  NDRF amount can be spent only towards meeting the expenses for emergency response, relief and rehabilitation.  It is financed through the levy of a cess on certain items, chargeable to excise and customs duty, and approved annually through the Finance Bill.  The requirement for funds beyond what is available under the NDRF is met through general budgetary resources.  A provision also exists in the DM Act to encourage any person or institution to make a contribution to the NDRF.  It is kept under “ Public Accounts” of Government of India.  Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) audits the accounts of NDRF.  Department of Agriculture and Cooperation under Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) monitors relief activities for calamities associated with drought, hailstorms, pest attacks and cold wave /frost while rest of the natural calamities are monitored by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

PM-CARES  Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund, or the PM CARES Fund, was set up to tackle distress situations such as that posed by the COVID19 pandemic.

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 The fund receives voluntary contributions from individuals and organisations and does not get any budgetary support. Donations have been made tax exempt, and can be counted against a company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR)  It is also exempt from the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, and accepts foreign contributions, although the Centre has previously refused foreign aid to deal with disasters such as the Kerala floods.  The Prime Minister chairs the fund in his official capacity, and can nominate three eminent persons in relevant fields to the Board of Trustees. The Ministers of Defense, Home Affairs and Finance are ex officio Trustees of the Fund.

Concerns  It is not clear whether the fund comes under the ambit of the RTI Act or oversight by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, although independent auditors will audit the fund  The PM CARES web page is opaque regarding the amount of money collected, names of donors, expenditure of the fund so far, or names of beneficiaries. The PMNRF provides annual donation and expenditure information without any detailed breakup.  The PM CARES Fund’s trust deed is not available for public scrutiny.  The decision to allow uncapped corporate donations to the fund to count as CSR expenditure, a facility not provided to PMNRF or the CM’s Relief Funds goes against previous guidelines stating that CSR should not be used to fund government schemes.  A government panel had previously advised against allowing CSR contributions to the PMNRF on the grounds that the double benefit of tax exemption would be a “regressive incentive”

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14. Green-Ag Project

Context: Indian government has launched a project named Green – Ag in Mizoram

Concept:  The project will be implemented in Dampa Tiger Reserve and Thorangtlang Wildlife Sanctuary in the state covering more than 30 villages  Mizoram is among the five states where the Green-Ag project funded by Global Environment Facility (GEF) is being implemented.  The other states are Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.  The project aims to catalyse transformative change of India’s agricultural sector to support achievement of national and global environmental benefits and conservation of critical biodiversity and forest landscapes.  The institutionalization of inter-sectoral mechanisms (agricultural and allied sectors, forestry and natural resources management, and economic development) at the national and five States will facilitate continued mainstreaming of environmental concerns and priorities related to resilience into the agriculture sector.

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15. AIM-iCREST

Context: NITI Aayog’sAtal Innovation Mission (AIM) has launched AIM iCREST – an Incubator Capabilities enhancement program.

Concept:  AIM has joined hands with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Wadhwani Foundation – organizations that can lend credible support and expertise in the entrepreneurship and innovation space.  AIM iCREST has been designed to enable the incubation ecosystem and act as a growth hack for AIM’s Atal and Established incubators across the country.  Under the initiative, the AIM’s incubators are set to be upscaled and provided requisite support to foster the incubation enterprise economy, that will help them to significantly enhance their performance. This will be complemented by providing training to entrepreneurs, through technology driven processes and platforms.  The program aims at going beyond incubator capacity building. Given the current pandemic crisis, the effort will focus on supporting start-up entrepreneurs in knowledge creation and dissemination as well as in developing robust and active networks.

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16. Production linked incentive (PLI) scheme

Context: Global electronics equipment manufacturers had approached the MeitY to avail benefits under the government’s Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme.

Concept:  The scheme proposes production linked incentive to boost domestic manufacturing and attract large investments in mobile phone manufacturing and specified electronic components including Assembly, Testing, Marking and Packaging (ATMP) units.  The Scheme shall extend an incentive of 4% to 6% on incremental sales (over base year) of goods manufactured in India and covered under target segments, to eligible companies, for a period of five years subsequent to the base year as defined.  The proposed scheme is likely to benefit 5-6 major global players and few domestic champions, in the field of mobile manufacturing and Specified Electronics Components and bring in large scale electronics manufacturing in India.  The scheme has a direct employment generation potential of over 2,00,000 jobs over 5 years.

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International Relations 1. Nationality and Immigration Act of 1965 in USA

Context: Last month US government decided to temporarily stop issuing H-1B and H-4 visas along with a slew of restrictions on legal immigration

Concept:  In recent years, about 70 per cent of H1-1B visas have gone to Indian nationals.  The burden of the suspension will fall mainly on US high-tech firms, and on Indian IT services firms that rely on temporary skilled migration for a part of their US operations.

Origin of Indians’ migration to USA  Indians began to migrate to US in significant numbers only in the late 1960s after the passage of the Nationality and Immigration Act of 1965 by USA.  The new law replaced the national origin quotas with distribution of visas with preferences based on family relationships and skills subject to caps for individual countries.  Prior to that, there were restrictions on the immigration of Indians and of most other Asians. There were national origin quotas in immigration laws that favored countries of Northwestern Europe.

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2. UNCLOS and PCA

Context: Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that India is entitled to get compensation in the Italian marines case but can't prosecute them.

Concept:  The two Italian marines are accused of shooting down two Indian fishermen in Kerala in 2012.  The tribunal ruled that the Italian marines enjoyed diplomatic immunity as Italian state officials under the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea.  Italy had approached the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, an arbitral tribunal under the International Court of Justice in 2015, and the matter was heard by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in July 2019.

UNCLOS  The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is an international treaty which was adopted and signed in 1982.  It replaced the four Geneva Conventions of April, 1958, which respectively concerned the territorial sea and the contiguous zone, the continental shelf, the high seas, fishing and conservation of living resources on the high seas.  The Convention has created three new institutions on the international scene : o the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea o the International Seabed Authority o the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf  UNCLOS as the currently prevailing law of the sea is binding completely.  There are 17 parts, 320 articles and nine annexes to UNCLOS  The law of the sea provides for full rights to nations for a 200-mile zone from their shoreline. The sea and oceanic bed extending this area is regarded to be Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and any country can use these waters for their economic utilization. PCA

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 The PCA was the first permanent intergovernmental organization to provide a forum for the resolution of international disputes through arbitration and other peaceful means.  The PCA was established by the Convention for the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes, concluded at The Hague in 1899 during the first Hague Peace Conference.  The PCA has 122 Contracting Parties.

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3. G4 virus and Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN)

Context: Researchers in China have discovered a new strain of the influenza virus which they claim has the potential to turn into a pandemic.

Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN)  The Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network also referred to as GOARN is a global technical partnership , established by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a key mechanism to engage the resources of technical agencies beyond the United Nations for rapid identification, confirmation and response to public health emergencies of international importance.  The main objective of the network is to provide technical support to WHO Member States experiencing a human health emergency due to various threats including disease outbreaks, food safety, chemical toxins, zoonosis, natural and manmade disasters etc.  GOARN currently comprises over 250 technical institutions and networks (and their members) across the globe. These Partners include medical and surveillance initiatives, regional technical networks, networks of laboratories, United Nations organizations (e.g. UNICEF, UNHCR), the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (ICRC, IFRC), international humanitarian non-governmental organisations and national public health institutions. All have the ability to pool their resources rapidly to assist affected countries seeking support.

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4. Global Environment Facility

Context: Beijing made new territorial claim on eastern Bhutan while objecting to a request to develop the Sakteng wildlife sanctuary in eastern Bhutan’s Trashigang district at an online meeting of the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

Concept:  The Global Environment Facility (GEF) was established on the eve of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit to help tackle our planet’s most pressing environmental problems.  GEF is an international partnership of 183 countries, international institutions, civil society organizations and the private sector that addresses global environmental issues.  It is independently operated as a financial organization that provides grants for projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), mercury, sustainable forest management, food security, sustainable cities.  The GEF provides funding to assist developing countries in meeting the objectives of international environmental conventions.  The GEF serves as a "financial mechanism" to five conventions: Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and Minamata Convention on Mercury.

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5. Emergency Response Programme

Context: The World Bank and the Government of India has signed the $750 million agreement for the MSME Emergency Response Programme.

Concept:  The World Bank’s MSME Emergency Response Programme will address the immediate liquidity and credit needs of some 1.5 million viable MSMEs to help them withstand the impact of the current shock and protect millions of jobs.  The World Bank Group, including its private sector arm – the International Finance Corporation (IFC), will support the government’s initiatives to protect the MSME sector by: 1. Unlocking liquidity: This program will support government’s efforts to channel that liquidity to the MSME sector by de-risking lending from banks and Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) to MSMEs through a range of instruments, including credit guarantees. 2. Strengthening NBFCs and SFBs: Improving the funding capacity of key market-oriented channels of credit, such as the NBFCs and Small Finance Bank (SFBs), will help them respond to the urgent and varied needs of the MSMEs. This will include supporting government’s refinance facility for NBFCs. In parallel, the IFC is also providing direct support to SFBs through loans and equity. 3. Enabling financial innovations: The program will incentivize and mainstream the use of fintech and digital financial services in MSME lending and payments. Digital platforms will play an important role by enabling lenders, suppliers, and buyers to reach firms faster and at a lower cost, especially small enterprises who currently may not have access to the formal channels.

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6. F1 and M1 visa

Context: US State Department has announced that it would not issue visas to students enrolled in schools that are fully online in the upcoming semester.

Concept:  F1 visas are issued to students attending an academic program in the United States and M1 visas are for students enrolled in vocational studies.  All students with active F1 and M1 non-immigrant visas will not be allowed in the US and those already present in the country may be asked to depart if they are not receiving a minimum amount of in person instruction.  The move is likely to impact 2 lakh Indian students in the United States.

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7. Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA)

Context: As India planned to finalise jet fighter deal with Russia, U.S announced that sanctions for the purchase of Russian arms has not changed under CAATSA

Concept:  The Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) aims at taking punitive measures against Russia, Iran, and North Korea.  Title II of the Act primarily deals with sanctions on the Russian oil and gas industry, defence and security sector, and financial institutions, in the backdrop of its military intervention in Ukraine and its alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential elections.  Section 231 empowers the US President to impose at least five of 12 listed sanctions on persons engaged in a “significant transaction” with the Russian defence and intelligence sectors.  The US State Department has notified 39 Russian entities, “significant transactions” with which could make third parties liable to sanctions.  Almost all major Russian defence manufacturing and export companies/entities including Almaz-Antey Air and Space Defence Corporation JSC, the manufacturers of the S-400 system, are on the list.

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8. Population Day

Context: The United Nations marks World Population Day every year on 11 July, with the aim of spreading awareness on overpopulation, under population, family planning and birth control.

Concept:  This day was first observed in 1989, after the United Nations Development Program found that the global population had already crossed the five billion mark.  The UNDP anticipated that overpopulation would become a matter of major concern in the future and with the world’s population currently touching 7.8 billion and expected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030, concerns regarding overpopulation aren’t unfounded.  In light of the alarming data about women in the pandemic, the United Nations decided that this year, World Population Day will platform awareness of the sexual and reproductive needs and rights of women, particularly during the Covid-19 crisis.  These rights are inextricably linked to education, awareness, physical safety and financial independence for women.  A recent study conducted by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in April 2020 revealed that if the lockdown continues for another six months, 47 million women in low and middle-income countries run the risk of not being able to access modern contraceptives, which could result in seven million unintended pregnancies. Moreover, 31 million cases of gender-based violence can be expected in the coming months.

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9. Hagia Sophia

Context: Turkey’s highest court allowed for the conversion of the nearly 1,500 year-old Hagia Sophia from a museum into a mosque.

Concept:  The centuries-old structure is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  It was originally a cathedral in the Byzantine Empire before it was turned into a mosque in 1453, when Constantinople fell to Sultan Mehmet II’s Ottoman forces.  In the 1930s, however, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, shut down the mosque and turned it into a museum in an attempt to make the country more secular.  Council of State had unanimously cancelled a 1934 cabinet decision concerning the status of the monument and stated that the Hagia Sophia had been registered as a mosque in its property deeds.

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10. Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)

Context: Kuwait is planning to reduce the share of foreigners in the country’s population thereby benefitting locals in employment.

Concept:  Around 8 million Indians work in the GCC countries.  Of them, around 2.1 million of them are from Kerala.  Other major contributors to the Indian expatriate communities in GCC countries are Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, West Bengal, Punjab and Rajasthan. GCC  The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a political and economic alliance of six countries in the Arabian Peninsula: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.  Established in 1981, the GCC promotes economic, security, cultural and social cooperation between the six states and holds a summit every year to discuss cooperation and regional affairs.

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11. Atoll Nation and Air bubble

Context: Maldives has asked Indian government to establish an air bubble or air travel bridge with India as it goes to reopen tourism sector from July 15.

Concept:  Maldives is located to the southwest of India in the Indian Ocean  The economy of the Maldives is almost entirely driven by tourism, which makes up 70 per cent of its GDP.  The air bubble would be a special gesture to a country with which India has had traditionally warm ties, but where in recent years, it has had to contend with growing Chinese influence.

Air bubble  Air bubbles” or “air bridges” are joining jurisdictions that have largely eliminated the cornovirus, and trust in each other’s testing and case numbers.  Australia and New Zealand have leaded the way with a proposed “Covid safe travel zone”, or the trans-Tasman bubble.

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12. Malabar exercise

Context: India plans to invite Australia to join the annual Malabar naval exercise that has so far included Japan and the U.S.

Concept:  The Malabar exercise started in 1992 as a bi-lateral one between the Indian Navy and the US Navy in the Indian Ocean.  However, this joint naval exercise was suspended from 1998 to 2001 as the US imposed military and economic sanctions on India amid tensions after India conducted nuclear weapon tests in Pokhran in 1998.  It was revived by the two countries in 2002, and Japan became a permanent member of the Malabar exercise in 2015.  This maritime exercise has grown in scope and complexity and aims at increasing the level of mutual understanding, interoperability and sharing of the best practices among the three navies.

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13. World Youth Skills Day

Context: 15 July is celebrated as World Youth Skills Day.

Concept:  The United Nations invented day aims at spreading awareness of the importance that technical and vocational education, training, and the development of new skills holds in our lives and is relevant to both local and global economies.  The day highlights the opportunities and challenges that young people face in employment, and this year’s theme is ‘Skills for a Resilient Youth’.  The Skill India Mission was launched 5 years ago on this day. Therefore, the day marks the 5th anniversary of the launch of Skill India Mission.

Demographic dividend  A demographic dividend is the accelerated economic growth that can result from improved reproductive health, a rapid decline in fertility, and the subsequent shift in population age structure.  Since 2018, India’s working-age population (people between 15 and 64 years of age) has grown larger than the dependant population — children aged 14 or below as well as people above 65 years of age. This bulge in the working-age population is going to last till 2055, or 37 years from its beginning.

National Youth Policy  The National Youth Policy, 2014 (NYP-2014) seeks to define the Vision of the Government of India for the Youth of the Country and identify the key areas in which action is required, where not enough is being done, to enable youth development and to provide a framework for action for all stakeholders.  It is intended to serve as a guiding document, and should be reviewed in 5 years, so that GoI may re-focus its priorities for youth development, as may be necessary.  NYP-2014 provides a holistic Vision for the youth of India which is “to empower the youth of the country to achieve their full potential, and

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through them enable India to find its rightful place in the community of nations”.  In order to achieve this Vision, all stakeholders must work towards meeting 5 key objectives. This requires specific action in one or more of 11 priority areas, identified as important for youth development.

National Skill development mission  The National Skill Development Mission was approved by the Union Cabinet on 2015, and officially launched on 15.07.2015 on the occasion of World Youth Skills Day.  The Mission has been developed to create convergence across sectors and States in terms of skill training activities.  Further, to achieve the vision of ‘Skilled India’, the National Skill Development Mission would not only consolidate and coordinate skilling efforts, but also expedite decision making across sectors to achieve skilling at scale with speed and standards.  It will be implemented through a streamlined institutional mechanism driven by Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).  Key institutional mechanisms for achieving the objectives of the Mission have been divided into three tiers, which will consist of a Governing Council for policy guidance at apex level, a Steering Committee and a Mission Directorate (along with an Executive Committee) as the executive arm of the Mission.  Mission Directorate will be supported by three other institutions: National Skill Development Agency (NSDA), National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), and Directorate General of Training (DGT) – all of which will have horizontal linkages with Mission Directorate to facilitate smooth functioning of the national institutional mechanism. Seven sub- missions have been proposed initially to act as building blocks for achieving overall objectives of the Mission. They are: (i)Institutional Training, (ii) Infrastructure, (iii) Convergence, (iv) Trainers, (v) Overseas Employment, (vi) Sustainable Livelihoods, (vii) Leveraging Public Infrastructure.

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14. Strategic Importance of Chabahar

Context: Iran has dropped India from Chabahar port project.

Concept:  Chabahar is located strategically offMakran coast in the Gulf of Oman at the southern end of Persian Gulf and Iran’s closest and best access point to the Indian Ocean.  It is far away from Iran’s other major port of Bandar Abbas that currently handles the bulk of its transshipments but is constrained due to capacity and inability to berth large ships.  In contrast, Chabahar is an oceanic port and capable of handling much larger vessels. Developing it and utilising its true potential is in Iranian interest as that will reduce the distance. When linked with the Iranian railway network, it will connect the port with the rest of Iran.  The development of Chabahar-Zahedan railway line and its development has provided an opportunity to Iran to initiate developmental projects in the region since it enjoys exemptions from the new round of the US. sanctions that were obtained due to Indian pressure and leverage with the USA, due it being the preferred port of transit for goods destined for Afghanistan for providing relief and humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.  The impetus to the development of the port came in May 2016 when India, Iran and Afghanistan signed a key trilateral deal, known as the Chabahar Agreement, to establish a strategic India-Iran-Afghanistan Trilateral Agreement on Transport and Transit Corridors to facilitate trade with Afghanistan, Central Asia, Russia and Europe for utilizing Chabahar port as a hub, giving a boost to Indian access to Afghanistan and creating the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).

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15. Atoll Nation and Air bubble

Context: Maldives has asked Indian government to establish an air bubble or air travel bridge with India as it goes to reopen tourism sector from July 15

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16. Malabar exercise

Context: India plans to invite Australia to join the annual Malabar naval exercise that has so far included Japan and the U.S. Concept:  The Malabar exercise started in 1992 as a bi-lateral one between the Indian Navy and the US Navy in the Indian Ocean.  However, this joint naval exercise was suspended from 1998 to 2001 as the US imposed military and economic sanctions on India amid tensions after India conducted nuclear weapon tests in Pokhran in 1998.  It was revived by the two countries in 2002, and Japan became a permanent member of the Malabar exercise in 2015.  This maritime exercise has grown in scope and complexity and aims at increasing the level of mutual understanding, interoperability and sharing of the best practices among the three navies.

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17. QUAD

Context: QUAD grouping is gaining attention in view of growing assertiveness of China in south China sea. Concept:  The grouping consists of Japan, India, United States and Australia.  All four nations find a common ground of being the democratic nations and common interests of unhindered maritime trade and security.  The idea was first mooted by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007.  However, the idea couldn’t move ahead with Australia pulling out of it.

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18. UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Context: In high-Level Segment of the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) session, Indian Prime Minister has stressed the importance of multilateralism and called for reforms in United Nations

Concept:  The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is one of the 6 principal organs of the United Nations System established by the UN Charter in 1945.  It consists of 54 Members of the United Nations elected by the General Assembly.  ECOSOC coordinates economic, social, and related work of the fourteen United Nations specialized agencies, functional commissions and five regional commissions.  It serves as the central forum for discussing international economic and social issues, and for formulating policy recommendations addressed to Member States and the United Nations system. It is responsible for:  Promoting higher standards of living, full employment, and economic and social progress  Identifying solutions to international economic, social and health problems Facilitating international cultural and educational cooperation  Encouraging universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

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19. UN resolution 1267

Context:

 The United Nations designated Pakistan based terror organisation Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan’s leader, Mufti Noor WaliMehsud, as a global terrorist.

Concept:  Article 41 of the United Nations Charter gives the Security Council the authority to use a variety of measures to enforce its decisions. The Council regularly creates subsidiary organs to support or implement these measures.  Among the most common are those measures that are known as “sanctions”, which are generally supported by a Committee, as well as Panels/Groups of Experts or other mechanisms to monitor implementation of the sanctions.  By resolution 1267 (1999) of 15 October 1999, the Security Council established a Committee to oversee the implementation of targeted sanctions measures against designated individuals, entities and aircraft that were owned, controlled, leased or operated by the Taliban.  The measures were subsequently modified, particularly by resolutions 1333 (2000) and 1390 (2002), to include an assets freeze, travel ban and an arms embargo affecting designated individuals and entities associated with Usama bin Laden, and the Taliban wherever they are located.  By resolution 2253 (2015) of 17 December 2015, the Security Council decided to expand the listing criteria to include individuals and entities supporting the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

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20. China’s National Sword Policy

Context: China’s plastic ban

Concept:  China’s “National Sword” policy, enacted in January 2018, banned the import of most plastics and other materials headed for that nation’s recycling processors, which had handled nearly half of the world’s recyclable waste for the past quarter century.  The move was an effort to halt a deluge of soiled and contaminated materials that was overwhelming Chinese processing facilities and leaving the country with yet another environmental problem.  In the year since, China’s plastics imports have plummeted by 99 percent, leading to a major global shift in where and how materials tossed in the recycling bin are being processed.  Globally more plastics are now ending up in landfills, incinerators, or likely littering the environment as rising costs to haul away recyclable materials increasingly render the practice unprofitable  Plastic-exporting countries scrambled for alternatives, and in some cases, diverted their shipments to nearby countries in Southeast Asia.

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21. PASSEX

Context:

USS Nimitz, US Navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier exercised with the Indian Navy near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Concept:  Usually, PASSEX drills happen whenever there is an opportunity. This means that such exercises happen spontaneously and there is nothing pre- planned.  Very recently, the Indian Navy had similar drills with the Japanese Navy as well as the French Navy.  It is opportunity to improve interoperability on the high seas and promote free and open Indo- Pacific, and an international rules-based order wherein each country can reach its potential without sacrificing national sovereignty.

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22. Consular access

Context: Indian consular officers were obstructed from taking written consent from Kulbhushan Jadhav for legal representation on July 16 said Ministry of External Affairs.

Concept:  Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963 is an international treaty that defines consular relations between independent states.  A consul, who is not a diplomat, is a representative of a foreign state in a country and works for the interests of his countrymen in the host country.  Article 36 of the Vienna Convention states that foreign nationals who are arrested or detained be given notice without delay of their right to have their embassy or consulate notified of that arrest.  If the detained foreign national so requests, the police must fax that notice to the embassy or consulate, which can then check up on the person.  The notice to the consulate can be as simple as a fax, giving the person’s name, the place of arrest, and, if possible, something about the reason for the arrest or detention.

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23. Covid-19 Law Lab

Context: World Health Organisation (WHO) has launched its Covid-19 Law Lab.

Concept:  It gathers and shares legal documents from over 190 countries across the world to help states establish and implement strong legal frameworks to manage the pandemic.  The goal is to ensure that laws protect the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities and they adhere to international human rights standards.  It is a joint project of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), WHO, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University.

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24. Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation

Context: India and European Union have renewed its Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation for the next five years (2020-2025) at the 15th India- EU Summit, a virtual one.

Concept:  The Agreement was initially signed in on 23 November 2001 and renewed two times in past in 2007 and 2015.  This will expand the cooperation in scientific and technological research; strengthen the conduct of cooperative activities in areas of common interest and application of the results of such cooperation to their economic and social benefit.  India and European Union have strong research and innovation cooperation under the framework of said “Agreement,” and it has grown steadily over the years.  In the last 5 years, the level of co-investment on India-EU Research Technology Development Projects for addressing societal challenges such as affordable healthcare, water, energy, food & nutrition has been stepped up resulted in several technologies, patents development, their gainful utilization, joint research publications, sharing of research facility and, exchange of scientists and students from both sides.  The cooperation has been focused on water, green transport, e-mobility, clean energy, circular economy, bio-economy, health, and ICT.  Additional areas, such as climate change, sustainable urban development, manufacturing, advanced materials, nanotechnologies and biotechnology, food processing, and ocean research may also be considered in future endeavours.  The EU and India are at the forefront of human development and innovation.  For India, addressing the basic needs of its people, including through frugal innovation, and excelling in high-tech markets are twin objectives.  Both areas offer mutually beneficial opportunities for EU-India cooperation. Increased exchanges between students, researchers, and professionals would benefit both sides. India and the EU share a mutual interest in reciprocal mobility of talent.

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25. State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020 (SOFI 2020)

Context: State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020 warns difficulty in achieving SDG goal of Zero hunger.

Concept:

 The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World is the most authoritative global study tracking progress towards ending hunger and malnutrition.  It is produced jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO).  Its first edition was brought out in 2017

Findings:  Hunger continues to be on the rise since 2014 and the global prevalence of undernourishment, or overall percentage of hungry people, is 8.9%.  Asia remains home to the greatest number of undernourished (38 crore). Africa is second (25 crore), followed by Latin America and the Caribbean (4.8 crore).  According to current estimates, in 2019, 21.3% (14.4.crore) of children under 5 years were stunted, 6.9% (4.7 crore) wasted and 5.6% (3.8 million) overweight.  Healthy diet costs more than ₹143 (or $1.90/ day), which is the international poverty threshold. The number of people globally who can’t afford a healthy diet is at 300 crore people, or more than the combined population of the two most populous countries in the world, i.e. China and India.  The previous editions of the report cited that conflict, climate variability, and economic slowdowns acted as hindrances on the path to achieve the global target. COVID-19 pandemic is expected to only aggravate this problem.

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 Desert Locust outbreaks in Eastern Africa, Arabian Peninsula, and parts of South Asia, especially amidst the pandemic, has only exacerbated the situation.

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26. Operation breathing space

Context: An Israeli team led by a research and development (R&D) defence official arrived with a multi-pronged mission codenamed “Operation Breathing Space” to work with Indian authorities.

Concept:  In this mission scientists from both countries work on COVID response.  Four different kinds of rapid tests, which will be jointly developed after trials on Indian COVID-19 patients, as well as high-tech equipment to minimise exposure of medical staff to the virus, advanced respirators and special sanitisers developed in Israel were brought.  The cooperation between Indian and Israeli scientists will also include sharing the most effective treatment protocols for COVID-19 patients.

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27. TRIPS flexibilities

Context: As many COVID drugs reach final stage of clinical trial, there is rising concern over equitable access of drugs.

Concept: Flexibilities in TRIPS are agreed upon in the 2001 Doha Declaration of the

WTO  In which it is mentioned that patents do not run against the interests of public health and access in times of a pandemic.  Compulsory licensing is when a government allows someone else to produce the patented product or process without the consent of the patent owner. this is usually associated with pharmaceuticals, but it could also apply to patents in any field.  The agreement allows compulsory licensing as part of the agreement’s overall attempt to strike a balance between promoting access to existing drugs and promoting research and development into new drugs.  But the term “compulsory licensing” does not appear in the TRIPS Agreement.  Instead, the phrase “other use without authorization of the right holder” appears in the title of Article 31. Compulsory licensing is only part of this since “other use” includes use by governments for their own purposes.  Compulsory licensing and government use of a patent without the authorization of its owner can only be done under a number of conditions aimed at protecting the legitimate interests of the patent holder.  For example: “national emergencies”, “other circumstances of extreme urgency” or “public non-commercial use” (or “government use”) or anticompetitive practices.  Compulsory licensing must meet certain additional requirements. In particular, it cannot be given exclusively to licensees (e.g. the patent-holder can continue to produce), and usually it must be granted mainly to supply the domestic market.

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