November-25-December-01

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai

News @ a glance

Polity and Social issues 3 Paisa – Portal 15 ‘HAUSLA-2018’ 3 GST on textile sector 15 Constitution day 3 Interim Budget 16 Muslim women seek entry to mosques 3 Liquidity for NBFC 16 Single women in India 4 Rupee appreciation 16 Flaws in demonetisation report 4 City Gas Distribution Network 17 Plea against Article 370 4 Fiscal deficit 17 Stigma with Leprosy 5 Import cover 17 Minimum wages for domestic workers 5 GDP Growth slows 18 Right to resign 6 Logix India 18 PM Matru Vandana Yojana 6 ‘Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti’ 18 Anti-sikh riots 6 NPCC - a Miniratna 19 Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) 6 India to export fish meal & fish oil to China 19 Faulty hip implants 7 Protectionism affecting engineering exports 20 New federal bodies 7 PMAY-U 20 Death Sentences 7 International Relations 21 Women in combat role 8 Wuhan spirit 21 Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme Kartarpur 22 (IDSP) 8 RCEP 22 CBRN emergencies 8 Global growth suffering 23 Common Service Centres (CSC) 8 Silk roads 24 Heli-Clinics 9 Comprehensive Convention on International PCA Amendments 9 Terrorism (CCIT) 25 Global Wage Report 10 Science & Technology 26 Changes in Citizenship bill 10 Kumbh Mela alters bacterial load and diversity 26 Suicides in India 11 Premature births in India 27 Kimberley Process 11 Malaria in India 27 Mekedatu project 11 HIV & cognitive impairment 28 Economy 13 Embryo transfer technology 28 RBI Contingency Fund 13 Green Diwali 29 Autonomy of RBI 13 Marijuana 29 Open Market Operations 13 HysIS 29 Strategic disinvestment 13 Definition of kilogram 30 India-China DTAA 14 Fish hospitals in India 30 Stressed assets 14 Poli Oxime gel 30

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Officers IAS Academy, Chennai Improving traffic efficiency 31 Captive elephants 37 Genetically edited babies 31 Transport sector pollution 38 Combating Zika 32 Paris climate deal 38 Defence and security 34 Culture 39 Central Monitoring System 34 Ram statue 39 KONKAN-18 34 Begur fort 39 Environment 35 Iravatham Mahadevan 39 Stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) 35 South Asia Youth Peace Conference 40 Ganga rejuvenation 35 Indigenous film festival 40 Amur falcon 36 Miscellaneous 41 Islands of India 36 Self defense for women 41 Forest advisory committee (FAC) 37 Nariman Light House 41 Brazil loses forests 37 Ironman 70.3 41

News in-depth

General Studies-1 42 Ten years after the Mumbai attack Ten years after Minorities in India 42 the Mumbai attack 62 Metoo movement 43 Security scan:AVRO 63 The Sentinelese: not so lost in time 43 Wage drag: on ILO’s Global Wage Report 63 Aadi Mahotsav and tribal paintings 45 Trail of destruction 64 General Studies-2 46 KURUKSHETR- RURAL HEALTH (November 2018) 65 Allied and Healthcare Professions Bill, 2018 47 Introduction 65 Neighbourhood first? 48 Ayushman Bharat 65 Civil-military relationship: Preventing another scuffle 49 Building clean and healthy villages 66 The case for a progressive international 50 Poshan Abhiyan: towards holistic nutrition 67 Dire strait:on Russia-Ukraine sea clash 52 About Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) 68 Along the new silk roads 53 National health Profile 2018 68 Walking the tightrope 54 National Health Resource Repository (NHRR) 68 Together in an uncertain world 55 Tele-Medicine: A new healthcare opportunity 69 General Studies 3 57 Mobile Connectivity for rural health 70 In a spirit of accommodation 57 Financing rural health care 70 Breathing space 58 Health care for India’s remote tribes 70 Solving bad roads and plastic waste problems in one shot 60 Adolescent health 71

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Officers IAS Academy, Chennai News @ a glance Polity and Social issues ‘HAUSLA-2018’ . Initially B R Ambedkar was not a member What is Child Care Institution? of Constituent Assembly which was formed . A child care institution as defined under the on December 9, 1946. It was Jogendra Nath Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, means Children Mandal’s withdrawal who was from East Home, Open Shelter, Observation Home, Bengal, which paved the path for Special Home, Place of Safety, Specialised Ambedkar into Constituent Assembly. Adoption Agency and a Fit Facility . After 1947 partition, he lost his recognized under the Act for providing care membership of constituent assembly. He and protection to children, who are in need was then elected from Bombay Presidency. of such services. Apart from this he became Law minister in . Children in conflict with law are provided Nehru’s Cabinet. residential care and protection in . On August 30, 1947, the Drafting Observation Homes(not exceeding 4 Committee formally met and unanimously months), Special Homes(not exceeding 3 elected Ambedkar as the Chairman of the years) and Places of Safety (during the Drafting Committee. process of inquiry). . He strongly believed in secularism and Why in News? asked the upcoming governments to follow . “Hausla 2018” - National Festival for directive principles of constitution to Children of Child Care Institutions (CCIs) remove the problems and inequalities of was organised by Ministry of Women and India. Child Development (MWCD) with the Why in news? theme ‘child safety’. . Constitution day celebrations was . More than 600 Children drawn from CCIs organised by the Supreme Court, to mark from 18 states participated in this event. the anniversary of the adoption of our . The objective of the event is to instil Constitution. President of India Shri Ram. confidence in them to achieve greater Nath Kovind inaugurated the Constitution heights in life. Day celebrations. . The President said, that it is essential to build a fraternal and parallel relationship Constitution day among three institutions i.e., legislature, About: executive and judiciary and all three must . Indian constitution was adopted on take responsibility in the duty of November 26, 1949. After two years, 11 safeguarding and strengthening the months and 17 days to accomplish the Constitution. stupendous task of drafting the Indian . Chief Justice of India speaking on the Constitution, it was an important landmark occasion said that all people must adhere to in the country's journey as an independent, the ethics and morality of the Constitution; sovereign republic. otherwise, our moves will end into chaos. . The constitution came into force on January 26, 1950. November 26 earlier was commemorated as National Law Day, after Muslim women seek entry to a resolution by the Supreme Court Bar mosques Association, a lawyers' body, in 1979. Why in News? . From 2015, the nation pays tribute to all . After Sabarimala entry row, Supreme Court the people involved in this herculean task has another petition to solve. Kerala-based by celebrating 26 Nov as Constitution Day Muslim women’s right group, NISA, a of India. progressive women’s forum, is Role of B.R. Ambedkar approaching the higher court, demanding the entry of women in all mosques across Page | 3

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai the country. Their plea was rejected by . It has allocated nearly Rs 427 crore for Kerala HC recently. these programmes in this year’s budget. . They not only seek the entry but demand to There is a separate sum of 3,703 crore also designate women in the post of imams under the Social Security and Welfare (clerics), curb the practices of polygamy category, according to the budget and remove the practice of ‘nikah-halala’, document. . Nikah-halala is a community law that allows a Muslim woman to remarry her Flaws in demonetisation report former husband only after marrying Why in news? another person and consummating the . Agriculture ministry report which said that wedding with him. millions of farmers were unable to get . They demand the orthodox section to give enough cash to buy seeds and fertilizers for reasons for the discrimination. their winter crops. What is the present condition? Flaws in the earlier report: . Women are allowed to offer prayers at . Even bigger landlords were affected as they mosques under Jamaat-e-Islami and could not pay daily wages and buy inputs. Mujahid denominations (but women have About the fresh report: separate entrance doors and enclosures), . The Ministry claimed that a multi-pronged while they are not allowed in Sunni faction strategy was adopted to ensure availability mosques. of credit, seeds, fertilizers and marketing . Even in Mecca, the holy place of Islam, the avenues for the farmers. men and women are allowed to encircle . To support its claim, the Ministry Kaaba together. submitted a series of statistics saying that . There is no mention in Quran about not Rabi area sown in 2015-16 was 612.28 lakh allowing women into mosques. hectares which increased to 635.29 lakh hectares. Single women in India . The financial year 2016-17 only had four Why in news? months post-demonetization. . The National Forum for Single Women’s . In financial year 2017-18 there was a dip in Rights (NFSWR) has also demanded that area of lakh hectare sown from 635.29 lakh the Central government look at issues hectares to 628 lakh hectares. concerning single women not solely as . The report also said that food grain problems afflicting elderly widows but also production in Rabi 2016-17 increased from widows of all ages as well as unmarried, 1264.50 lakh tons in 2015-16 to 1367.78 divorced, separated and abandoned lakh tons and then to 1441.02 lakh tons in women. 2017-18. Guidelines: . 3,000 for all single women whose incomes Plea against Article 370 are below the taxation limit and who don’t What is Article 370? receive a pension from any other sources. . Article 370 of the Indian Constitution is a . The collective of women’s rights groups has ‘temporary provision’ which grants special nearly 1.3 lakh women as members from autonomous status to Jammu & Kashmir. across the country. According to this article, except for foreign . More than 125 members from 13 States are affairs, defence, finance and in Delhi for two days for an advisory communications, Parliament needs the committee meeting. state government’s concurrence for Schemes related to this: applying all other laws. . The Women and Child Development . Under Article 370, the Centre has no power Ministry has schemes such as Mahila to declare financial emergency under Shakti Kendra for empowerment of Article 360 in the state. rural women, Swadhar Greh or . Indian Parliament cannot increase or rehabilitation centers for women in reduce the borders of the J&K state. vulnerable circumstances, Support to Training and Employment Programme and Working Women Hostel Page | 4

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai . There is no State list for the State of Jammu . This routed out Govt to take away concern, and Kashmir. Even the residuary powers of attention and funds from leprosy patients. legislation lies with state government. Even international funding dried up. . The power to make laws related to Why in news? preventive detention in Jammu and . Today after the declaration the number of Kashmir belongs to the Legislature of J & K new cases has remained stagnant. India and not the Indian Parliament. Even the still has more than 60% of the world’s Part IV (Directive Principles of the State leprosy patients Policy) and Part IVA (Fundamental Duties) Remedies available of the Constitution under this article are . The multi-drug therapy is free in all not applicable to J&K. government hospitals, but there are not What is Article 35A? sufficient funds for ulcer care and  Article 35A of the Indian Constitution is an bandaging, and for public awareness and article that empowers the Jammu and society sensitisation. Kashmir state's legislature to define . Some patients are entitled to pension but “permanent residents” of the state and since the arrival of Aadhaar, bank officials provide special rights and privileges to demand fingerprint verification to those permanent residents. withdraw the pension amount. The Why in News? patients who have deformed hands, to  The Supreme Court on Monday recently which fingerprints can’t be given. The rejected a petition challenging Article 370. officials reject their pension amount. Arguments: Leprosy colonies  Article 370 was only a ‘temporary . The leprosy colonies have become an provision’ which can help to bring aspect of people’s identification. Though normalcy. The Constitution makers didn’t the actual patients have become less but intend to male Article 370 as a tool which their relatives are treated with stigma and bring permanent amendments, like Article prejudice at workplace and other places 35A, in the Constitution.  Article 35A is against the “very spirit of Minimum wages for domestic oneness of India” which violates fundamental rights by restricting citizens workers from other States from getting employment Domestic sector in India or buying property in J&K . . A domestic worker is a person who is involved in work like cleaning, washing, cooking, taking care of children, etc. They Stigma with Leprosy play an important role in the well-being of What is Leprosy? the family. . It is also known as Hansen’s disease. It is a . According to International Labour bacterial disease, no hereditary which Organisation (ILO), there are at least 4.2 affects the skin and nerves which can lead million domestic workers in India. Out of to physical deformity and disability if left this population, women constitute about untreated. two-thirds of the workforce in this . It is completely curable, and is only mildly unorganised sector. Indian homes have infectious – more than 85% of cases are witnessed a 120% increase in domestic non-infectious and over 95% of the workers in the decade post liberalisation. population has a natural immunity to the . There is absence of proper documentation, disease. which also increases their reliance on What is the problem? employers to access social security . Due to stigma and lack of knowledge benefits. Due to these, domestic workers leprosy patients were abandoned by family prone to violence and abuse at the hands of and discarded from society. Indian their employers and placement agencies. government had Leprosy colonies where Why in News? patients diagnosed with leprosy were kept . A PIL submitted to the Supreme Court and treated. asked to lay down guidelines to protect the . In 2005, WHO declared that leprosy is not a workers’ rights. It asks dignity to “India’s public-health concern in India. Page | 5

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai invisible workforce in the informal sector- due to lack of benefits tend to borrow from the domestic workers.” others to fulfil their nutritional . It sought the recognition of domestic work requirements. under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948. Their work hours should be reduced to eight a Anti-sikh riots day and they should be given a mandatory 1984 anti-Sikh riots: weekly off as a basic right under Article 21. . In 1984, after the assassination of Indira Way-forward Gandhi, riots broke in Delhi and other parts . India by far has only two laws for domestic of the country targeting the Sikh workers: The Unorganised Workers’ community. Social Security Act 2008 (UWSSA) and . Official Indian government reports the Sexual Harassment of Women at numbered about 2,800 killed across India, Workplace Act 2013. including 2,100 in Delhi. . But seeing the increasing number of issues . Sessions court in 1996 convicted 89 and challenges of domestic workers, these persons and sent them for 5 years. two laws are meagre. India should ratify What’s in News? the ILO’s 189th convention known as the . Recently Delhi High Court upheld ‘convention of domestic workers’. conviction of 70 accused and ordered them to surrender. Right to resign . Delhi high court suggested several reforms Why in news? as it believed that general criminal law is . The Supreme Court held that to resign is a not equipped to deal with communal riots. right of an employee and he cannot be . It said that evidences must be preserved by forced to serve. Human Rights Commissions in cases of SC observation communal riots situations. . An employee cannot compelled to serve . They said that cases like this should be and has his right to resignation except given to agencies other than normal state under the following two conditions agencies. . If there is some condition as part of . The media reports with photographic agreement in the rules or in terms of material or video footages in trials of appointment criminals arising out of communal riots. . When an employee seeks resignation to . There should be amendments to the avoid disciplinary proceedings pending Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952 and the against him Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 to entrust the responsibility of investigation PM Matru Vandana Yojana in communal riots through SITs specially constituted under their respective control. What are the problems with PMMVY? . Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana provides Rs.5000 for first child only. Next Emergency Response Support pregnancy is not covered. System (ERSS) . It violates National Food Security Act Why in news? (NFSA) 2013, which says every pregnancy . Himachal Pradesh is the first state to is entitled of maternity benefits costing launch pan-India single emergency number Rs.6000, unless she is covered under other ‘112’ under ERSS. It has also has setup 112 maternity benefits. India’ mobile app. . The application process is very . It is a Pan-India Single Emergency cumbersome which asks to file separate Response Number ‘112’ to address all kinds application for each of the instalments with of distress calls such as police, fire and Aadhar of both the couples & bank account ambulance etc. details which is Aadhar connected. . It has a SHOUT feature for women, which . It is seen that only 45% of pregnancies are has been introduced in ‘112 India’ mobile first pregnancies. The most hit are BPL app to seek immediate assistance from families in which women go for work as registered volunteers in the vicinity apart farm workers or household chores. They

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Officers IAS Academy, Chennai from the immediate assistance from . Finance Minister Arun Jaitley at Emergency Response Centre. Confederation of Indian Industry’s Health . MHA provides financial assistance to all Summit said India must have federal bodies States & Union Territories in the form of in Agriculture and Healthcare sectors. computer hardware, C-DAC Contact Centre . Both being state list subjects, Centre has Solution stack which includes CAD only sponsored schemes in these sectors. (Computer Aided Dispatch), CRM (Case . The minister has said that the concept of Record Management), ACD (Automatic Call GST Council has been a successful Distribution), CTI (Computer Telephony experiment of practical federalism and Integration) along with limited number of sectors can be brought into coordinated Emergency Response (ER) Vehicles fitted works wherein State can be implementing with GPS/MDTs for effective last mile body and centre can do coordination. emergency service delivery in selected . For example, Ayushman Bharat scheme is cities. being implemented by centre and there is similar kind of schemes implemented by Faulty hip implants states. These can be merged and can give Why in news? quality service to the citizens. . The Ministry of Health has approved the formula for determination of compensation Death Sentences for patients who had received faulty Why in news? articular surface replacement hip implants. . A triple murder convict, Anand Ram Sahu, Background approached to Supreme Court against . Johnson & Johnson globally recalled hip Sessions court’s death sentence, the three implants in 2010, including from India, judge bench upheld the death sentence by after a British study found the models to 2:1 majority. Justice Kurian differed from have higher failure rates the majority said that death sentences are . In 2012, the company of asked to stop being laid without any analysis. imports of the faulty hip implants. . He said that death sentences must be used . A Health Ministry expert committee set up only in the “rarest of rare category” of cases in 2017 to look into this issue said the as it was upheld by constitution bench in design of the implants led to high wear and the Bachan Singh case in 1980. tear and, in several cases, increase in the . The Law Commission Report 2015 said body’s chromium and cobalt levels. that the constitutional regulation of capital . In 2018, the government set up a punishment attempted in the above case mechanism to compensate Indian patients has failed to prevent death sentences from affected by the implants. being “arbitrarily and freakishly imposed”. Relief package . He said that a proper . The compensation payable is determined psychological/psychiatric evaluation by the extent of disability and the age of should be conducted before a convict is patient. found to be beyond reform and then . Rs 20 lakh is the base amount, which is then sentenced to death. multiplied by the age and disability factors. . He also emphasised that good conduct in Rs 10 lakh is added to the product to reach prison should be considered to commute the final sum. Disability factors are the death sentence. between 1 and 2.5 depending on whether Statistics the disability is 20% or 50% and more. . The number of death sentences by . It works to a minimum of Rs. 30 lakh for session’s courts in 2017 was 109 across all those above 65 years with a 20% disability states. and maximum compensation of Rs. 1.22 . While giving death sentences there are crore for those aged between 20 and 35 concerns over judge-centric variations. years and with disability over 60%. . The following are some offences under the IPC are given punishment: criminal New federal bodies conspiracy (s. 120B), murder (s. 302), What’s in news? waging or attempting to wage war against the Government of India (s. 121), abetment Page | 7

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai of mutiny (s.132), dacoity with murder (s. diseases in the states and Union Territories 396) and others. as well as some neighbouring countries. . Apart from this there are provisions for What is IDSP? death penalty in various legislations like . It is a segment of IHIP, which will provide the NDPS Act, anti – terrorism laws etc. near-real-time data to policy makers for detecting outbreaks, reducing the Women in combat role morbidity (the rate of disease in a What is the status of women in Army? population), and mortality (death due to . In 2016, the number of women officers in disease) and lessening disease burden in the Indian army is 1,561, followed by 1,594 the populations and better health systems. in the Indian Air Force, and 644 in the . It is initially launched in seven states i.e. Indian Navy. Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, . There is no combat role given to women in Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, Telangana and Indian army till now. Uttar Pradesh. Why in news? . For its effective implementation, 32,000 . Army chief Gen. Bipin Rawat has said that people at the block level, 13,000 at the Indian Army is still not ready to job women district level and 900 at the state level have in combat roles. Facilities for that need to been trained. be created from within and the women need to be prepared to face up to that kind CBRN emergencies of hardships. What is CBRN emergency? . He said that it is easy to compare our . Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear military to other countries which are (CBRN) agents might be released due to culturally open, but Indian army some accident or subversive activity by recruitment doesn’t always come from some miscreant, this is termed as CBRN open cities. Large number of personnel are emergency. from village where intermingling of gender . The best way to tackle them is prevent is not first handily accepted. these incidents to occur. . He said that army is thinking of roles to be . Airports are the most vulnerable to these given to women and majorly as emergencies in modern India. Hence there interpreters which helps in military are mock drills and workshops at airports diplomacy. to tackle these. What is NDMA? Integrated Disease Surveillance . A statutory body under Disaster Management Act, 2005 directed headed by Programme (IDSP) prime minister. It comes under Ministry of What is Integrated Health Information Home Affairs. Platform (IHIP)? . Its vision is to build a safer and disaster . It is setup by Ministry of Health and Family resilient India by a holistic, proactive, Welfare with a primary objective to create technology driven and sustainable Electronic Health Records (EHRs) on pan- development strategy that involves all India basis. This will be further integrated stakeholders and fosters a culture of and synthesised to comprehensive Health prevention, preparedness and Information Exchange (HIE). mitigation. . IHIP uses the latest technologies and digital Why in News? health initiatives. This type of system . The five-day training programme (from facilitates improvement in the reforms of 26th Nov) regarding CBRN emergencies treatment and care of public health at was conducted by the National Disaster National-Level. Management Authority (NDMA) at the . The National Centre for Disease Control Trivandrum International Airport (NCDC) under the Union health ministry utilises these data and after investigating, recommends control measures for the Common Service Centres (CSC) outbreak of various communicable . CSC Scheme, a cornerstone Digital India programme, which through CSCs provide

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Officers IAS Academy, Chennai multiple-services-single-point model for private players to take part in providing facilities for multiple supplementing the government efforts. transactions at a single geographical location. PCA Amendments . It is maintained by CSC e-Governance Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill Services India Limited, a Special Purpose 2018 Vehicle ( a company established to finish . The Parliament has passed Prevention of temporary task), has been set up by the Corruption (Amendment) Bill 2018 to Ministry of Electronics & IT under the enhance transparency and accountability Companies Act, 1956 to oversee of the government. implementation of the CSC scheme. . The Bill amends various provisions of . Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) are Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA), 1988. the key stakeholders who set up CSCs at Key amendments gram Sabha levels to deliver the services. . The Bill introduces offence of ‘giving a There are around 1.63 lakh VLEs in the bribe’ as direct offence. country. . The bill redefines provisions related to . CSCs provide different essential criminal misconduct to only cover two government and public utility services, types of offences such as accumulate illegal range of social welfare schemes, financial assets and fraudulent misappropriation of services, education and skill development property. courses, healthcare, agriculture services . It makes mandatory for taking prior and digital literacy. approval of relevant Government to . CSC SPV has signed agreement with 26 conduct any investigation into offence Banks (Public Sector Banks, Regional Rural alleged to have been committed by a public and Private Sector Banks) to enable CSCs to servant. become Banking Correspondent Agents . Such approval will be not necessary in (entities as agents of banks to provide basic cases that involve arrest of person on spot banking services in remote areas where on charge of taking a bribe. they can't practically start a branch). . It also introduces powers and procedures . CSC SPV has been granted license by for attachment of property of public Insurance Regulatory and Development servants accused of corruption. Authority (IRDA) to market specific Public Interest Litigation insurance products and services through . Public Interest Litigation means litigation Rural Authorised Persons (VLEs). for the protection of the public interest. Why in News? . It is litigation introduced in a court of law, . On 27th November, Union Minister of not by the aggrieved party but by the court Electronics & IT and Law & Justice, Sh. Ravi itself or by any other private party. Shankar Prasad honoured VLEs who have . Hussainara Khatoon v. State of Bihar topped in transacting. was the first PIL case filed by advocate Kapila Hingorani and focused on the Heli-Clinics inhuman conditions of the prisons. The What’s in news? case led to release of more than 40, 000 . Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, speaking under trial prisoners. at "India Health Summit 2018", organized Why in news? by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) . A new Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has proposed businessmen to put up helicopter been filed in Supreme Court opposing two clinics in the nation, especially in hilly amendments of the Prevention of regions. Corruption Act (PCA). . He said that the urban areas are full of . The amendments which are opposed are:- private doctors and professionals have lot 1. The bill redefines provisions related to of scope in rural areas to provide criminal misconduct to only cover two healthcare services. types of offences such as accumulate illegal . He said Heli-clinics will help in quicker and assets and fraudulent misappropriation of qualitative healthcare response. He called property. The earlier act had the public

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Officers IAS Academy, Chennai servant using his position for advantage of . The Citizenship Act, 1955 regulates who third party. may acquire Indian citizenship and on what 2. It makes mandatory for taking prior grounds. approval of relevant Government to . It prohibits illegal migrants from acquiring conduct any investigation into offence Indian citizenship. alleged to have been committed by a public . The 1955 Act defines an illegal migrant as a servant. As it may lead to further lobbying foreigner who enters India without a valid to destroy the evidences against the public passport or travel documents or stays servants. beyond the permitted time. . The Supreme Court has asked the Union . The bill amends the Citizenship Act, 1955 government to file the response regarding to make illegal migrants who are Hindus, this issue in the court. Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh Global Wage Report and Pakistan, eligible for citizenship. What is ILO? . The period that applicant must reside to get . The ILO is United Nations agency dealing citizenship is reduced from 11 years to 6 with labour issues, particularly years. international labour standards, social . The Bill provides that the registration of protection, and work opportunities for all. Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders . It was established in 1919 as an agency of may be cancelled if they violate any law. the League of Nations and at present, it has Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) 187 members. . Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) is . It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. introduced by the Citizenship . India is a founder member of the ILO. (Amendment) Act, 2005 in August 2005. Findings of 2018 report . It was launched during the Pravasi . Global Wage Report 2018-19 published by Bharatiya Divas convention at Hyderabad International Labour Organization (ILO). in 2006. . Real wages show the value of wages . OCI is essentially a lifetime visa status adjusted for inflation. They are a guide to offered by India to an Indian person who how living standards have changed. has given up his citizenship. OCI cards give . Real wage growth was calculated using lifetime multiple entry visa to India. gross monthly wages rather than hourly . If one remains an OCI for 5 years, he/she wage rates. can attain Indian citizenship and then live . Global real wage growth declined to 1.8% in India for a period of one year including in 2017, from 2.4% in 2016. short breaks. . In G20 countries, the real wage growth . OCI holders can open bank accounts and declined from 1.7 in 2015 to 0.4 in 2017. also buy non-farm property. . India had the fastest wage growth in South . They get same economic, financial and Asia in 2017. educational benefits like NRIs and can also . Globally, the rate of growth in wages in adopt children. 2017 fell to its lowest level since 2008, but What is the issue? workers in India had the highest average . The Bill makes illegal migrants eligible for real wage growth in Southern Asia of 5.5% citizenship on the basis of religion. This over the period 2008-17. may violate Article 14 of the Constitution . This year the report was mainly based on which guarantees right to equality. wage gap among men and women. . The Bill allows cancellation of OCI . On average, women are paid 34% less than registration for violation of any law. This is men in India, while globally it is about 20%. a wide ground that may cover a range of . This gap in wages, known as gender wage violations, including minor offences (eg. gap is the highest among 73 countries parking in a no parking zone). studied in the report. Recent Developments . The bill has been forwarded to joint Changes in Citizenship bill parliamentary committee, in which the The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 following amendments had been proposed:- Page | 10

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai 1. No specific religion or country muse be finance wars against governments) from present in the bill. The provision such as the global supply chain. any person who leaves his country due to . KP contains 81 countries (European Union religious, linguistic and ethnic as one nation) of the world. The Civil discrimination should be eligible for Indian Society Coalition stands as observer. citizenship. . The visible evidence of this commitment is 2. The legal actions against the illegal The Kimberley Process Certification foreigners (only to above mentioned Scheme (KPCS) that both safeguard the minorities) must be dropped. shipment of ‘rough diamonds’ and certifies them as conflict free. Suicides in India . KP members are responsible for About: stemming 99.8% of the global production . Suicide is killing yourself on purpose, dying of conflict diamonds. at your own hand. Suicide is a personal India and KPCS tragedy that prematurely takes the life of . India is one of the founding members of the an individual and has a continuing ripple Kimberley Process Certification Scheme effect, dramatically affecting the lives of and has been actively participating in its families, friends and communities. deliberations right from its inception. . According to National Crime Record . The Scheme is administered in India by the Bureau, 133,623 suicides occurred in 2015 Department of Commerce, Ministry of alone. Commerce & Industry, Government of . Majority of suicides were reported in India. Maharashtra (16,970) followed by 15,777 Why in News? suicides in Tamil Nadu and 14,602 suicides . India was handed the Chairmanship of the in West Bengal. Kimberley Process Certification Scheme . ‘Family Problems’ and ‘Illness’ were the (KPCS) by the European Union during the major causes of suicides which accounted KPCS Plenary 2018, which was held in for for 27.6% and 15.8% of total suicides Brussels, Belgium, from November 12-16, respectively. 2018. India will take over the role from Why in News? January 1, 2019. . Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu while addressing 9th Annual Conference of Mekedatu project Indian Association of Private Psychiatry About: (IAPP) in Hyderabad asked to develop . Being set up by the Karnataka government, National Suicide Prevention Strategy to the project is near Mekedatu, in curb the growing suicide rates in India. Ramanagaram district, across the river . He said that our 65% of population is below Cauvery from Tamil Nadu. the age of 35 years, mental depression and . Its primary objective is to supply drinking psychiatric problems should be dealt water to Bengaluru and recharge the properly to abstain the country from groundwater table in the region. suicide loss.

Kimberley Process What is KP? . The Kimberley Process is an international certification scheme that regulates trade in rough diamonds. It aims to prevent the flow of conflict diamonds, while helping to Central Water Commission: protect legitimate trade in rough . It apex technical organisation in the field of diamonds. water resources development under the . The Kimberley Process (KP) is a binding Ministry of Water Resources, River agreement between countries to remove Development and Ganga Rejuvenation. conflict diamonds (rough diamonds to . It has general responsibilities of initiating, coordinating and furthering in consultation

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Officers IAS Academy, Chennai of the State Governments concerned, . Tamil Nadu has moved the Supreme Court. schemes for control, conservation and Its main argument is that the project utilization of water resources throughout violates the final award of the Cauvery the country, for purpose of Flood Control, River Water Tribunal, and that the Irrigation, Navigation, Drinking Water construction of the two reservoirs would Supply and Water Power Development. result in impounding of the flows in the . Central Water Commission CWC is headed intermediate catchment below the by a Chairman, with the status of Ex-Officio Krishnaraja Sagar and Kabini reservoirs, Secretary to the Government of India. and Billigundulu in the common border of Why in News? Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. . CWC approved Mekedatu Project and . Karnataka is sure that the project will not asked Karnataka to prepare detailed come in the way of releasing the stipulated project report (DPR). quantum of water to Tamil Nadu, nor will it be used for irrigation purposes.

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Officers IAS Academy, Chennai Economy

RBI Contingency Fund results after deducting provision for About RBI Contingency Fund: unpaid debts from gross NPA. . Contingency Fund is meant for unforeseen . RBI remarked that Indian economy is circumstances it is basically a buffer currently facing several risk: increasing against valuation losses on bond holdings oil prices, uncertainty over MSP hike, lower or foreign exchange assets in the event of a than expected GST collection, global rise in interest rates or appreciation of the situation like trade war, geopolitical rupee. tension. . The Fund would also be helpful in a “black . These risks may pose a threat to the swan” event such as the collapse of Lehman government attaining the FRBM Brothers or of local banks that may targets. Under the Fiscal Responsibility threaten financial stability. and Budget Management Act (FRBMA) . RBI maintains this fund as a part of the 2003, both the Centre and States were reserves that the bank maintains out of its supposed to wipe out revenue deficit and business and profit. cut fiscal deficit to 3% of GDP by 2008-09, Why in news? thus bringing much needed fiscal . A recent report said that RBI has “more discipline. than adequate” reserves and it can transfer . On the effect of demonetisation on the up to 1 trillion of the contingency fund to economy: RBI remarked that the effects are the government. sector specific and transient. It also noted that the number of digital transaction has got a big boost due to demonetisation. The Autonomy of RBI number of digital transactions has gone up Why in news? from 900 million in 2016 to 1750 million in  RBI governor batted for autonomy of the 2018. institutions in strong terms before the Parliamentary panel. What RBI Governor said? Open Market Operations . Over the recent power strife between RBI What is Open Market Operation (OMO)? and Central bank. A parliamentary . Open market operations (OMO) refer to the committee under M.Veerappa Moily called buying and selling of government upon RBI governor. securities in the open market in order to . Before the Parliamentary committee the expand or contract the amount of money in RBI governor stressed on the following the banking system. things: . Securities purchase injects money into the 1. Autonomy of the institution is non- banking system and stimulate growth, negotiable. while sales of securities do the opposite 2. Monetary policy should be exclusive and contract the economy. domain of RBI. . OMO is used as a tool to control the money 3. Maintaining RBI reserve is critical to keep flow and inflation by the central bank. the good rating. Why in news? 4. Obligation to follow Basel III as promised . RBI based on the liquidity needs has said by the government in G20. that it will inject 40,000 crore by . The RBI governor also remarked that the purchasing government securities through gross NPA and net NPA has gone down, open market operations. however the profitability of the banks has not gone up, which is likely to improve Strategic disinvestment sooner. What is strategic disinvestment? . Gross non-performing assets refer to the . Disinvestment is defined as the action of an sum of all the loans that have been organisation (or government) selling or defaulted by the borrowers within the liquidating an asset or subsidiary. provided period of ninety days while net non-performing assets are the amount that Page | 13

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai . In Strategic disinvestment, significant . Besides minimum standards, the Protocol proportion of a Public Sector Unit’s (PSU) brings in changes as per BEPS Action share and the management control goes to reports as agreed upon by the two sides. a private sector which is considered as What is DTAA? strategic partner. . It stands for Double Taxation Avoidance . It is different from the ordinary Agreement. A DTAA is a tax treaty signed disinvestment in which management of between two or more countries. PSU is retained with Government. . Its key objective is that tax-payers in these Department of Investment and public Asset countries can avoid being taxed twice for Management (DIPAM): the same income. . DIPAM is the nodal agency of Union . A DTAA applies in cases where a tax-payer Finance Ministry mandated to advise the resides in one country and earns income in Union Government in the matters of another. financial restructuring of PSUs and also for What is BEPS? attracting investment through capital . Base erosion and profit shifting or BEPS markets. refers to corporate tax planning strategies . It will also deal with all matters relating to used by multinationals to "shift" profits sale of Union Government’s equity in PSUs from higher–tax jurisdictions to lower–tax through private placement or offer for sale. jurisdictions, thus "eroding" the "tax–base" Revised mechanism for strategic of the higher–tax jurisdictions. disinvestment: Why in news? . Setting up an Alternative Mechanism (AM): . India and China recently amended the It will decide on the matters relating to Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement terms and conditions of the sale from the (DTAA) for the avoidance of double stage of inviting of Express of Interests taxation and for the prevention of fiscal (Eols) till inviting of financial bid. evasion with respect to taxes on income, by . It will consist of the Finance Minister, signing a Protocol on 26th November 2018. Minister of Road Transport and Minister of Administrative Department. Stressed assets . Empowering the Core Group of Secretaries What is a stressed asset? (CGD): It will enable CGD to take policy . Stressed assets are the ones where the decisions with regard to procedural issues interest and principal are not paid for more and consider deviations as necessary from than 30 days. time to time for effective implementation of . It is classified as NPA-Non Performing decisions of CCEA. Asset if the duration exceeds 90 days. Why in news? What is Insolvency and Bankruptcy code (IBC)? . A ministerial panel cleared a proposal for . The creditors (financial/operational) are strategic disinvestment of Air India(AI) required to submit a plea for insolvency to subsidiary company called AIATSL(Air the adjudicating authority (National India Air Transport Services Limited). Company Law Tribunal in case of corporate). India-China DTAA . The plea has to be accepted/rejected About the amendment: within 14 days from the filing of the plea. In . Besides other changes, the Protocol case of acceptance of the plea, an updates the existing provisions for Insolvency Resolution Professional (IRP) is exchange of information to the latest appointed. international standards. . The IRP has to draft an insolvency . Further, the Protocol incorporates changes resolution plan within 180 days (can be required to implement treaty related extended by 90 days in exceptional cases) minimum standards under the Action while the board of directors of the company reports of Base Erosion & Profit shifting remains suspended and the promoters do (BEPS) Project, in which India had not have a say in the management. participated on an equal footing. . However, the IRP is allowed to seek help from the board of directors in carrying on the day to day activities of the business. Page | 14

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai . If the resolution plan is accepted by 75% of . “Paisa – Portal for Affordable Credit & the creditors, it will be put into action. In Interest Subvention Access” has been case of rejection of the insolvency launched under the Deendayal Antyodaya resolution plan, the company will be Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods liquidated. Mission (Day-NULM) Why in news? . Due to the implementation of Insolvency GST on textile sector and Bankruptcy code (IBC) almost 3 lakh . After a year since implementation of GST, crore stressed assets has said to have been the taxing regime is on track to achieve 'one resolved. nation one tax'. It reduced the administrative costs for manufacturers and Paisa – Portal distributors and reduced the compliance What is Paisa? burden. It has also brought in . “PAiSA – Portal for Affordable Credit and developments and changed the way Interest Subvention Access” is a centralized business is conducted. electronic platform for processing interest Textile sector subvention on bank loans to beneficiaries . The textile sector is one of the oldest and under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – largest in the country and a major National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY- contributor to the development of the NULM) economy. . The web platform has been designed and . The industry employs around 45 million developed by Allahabad Bank which is the people including both skilled and unskilled Nodal bank. manpower . The portal would directly connect the . It contributes over 10% of the total annual government and the beneficiaries so that exports of the country, which is likely to transparency and efficiency in delivery of increase under the GST regime. services can be ensured. Effects of GST on textile sector . The Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of . The overall tax burden has come down subvention on monthly basis will give from 20% to 18% and has also brought in necessary financial support to small transparency entrepreneurs in a timely manner. . Earlier, if registered taxpayer procures the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (Day- input from taxpayers under the NULM) composition scheme or the unorganised . NULM was introduced in 2013 and is sector, input tax credit will not be provided implemented by the Ministry of Housing for him. But under GST, the organised and Urban Affairs sector is able to avail input tax credit. . It aims to reduce poverty and vulnerability . The cost of manufacturers has reduced in of the urban poor households by enabling textile sector with the subsuming of them to access gainful self-employment different taxes like entry tax, luxury tax and and skilled wage employment octroy. opportunities . The import cost of the latest technology to . The mission would aim at providing manufacture textile goods is expensive shelters equipped with essential services to because the excise duty paid for the same the urban homeless was not allowed in input tax credit. . The mission would also address livelihood However, under GST, input tax credit can concerns of the urban street vendors by be availed for all tax paid on capital goods. facilitating access to suitable spaces, . The competitiveness of textile sector in institutional credit, social security and exports has increased as a result of skills to the urban street vendors for simplifying the process of claiming input accessing emerging market opportunities. tax credit. . It also helps in setting up of individual and Concerns group micro-enterprises, formation of Self- . The GST for yarn is 5% whereas for Help Groups, innovative support to rag machinery to manufacture yarn is 18%. pickers, differently abled etc. This has resulted in yarn manufacturers Why in news? Page | 15

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai being left with huge input tax credit which for a sum sufficient to incur expenditure on they cannot utilise. various items for a part of the year. This . There is no provision under GST to get such enables the government to fund its accumulated credit as refund for capital expenses for a short period of time or until goods which leads to dead investments. a full Budget is passed. (Investments which don't yield returns for Why in news? the investor) . Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will present . A foreign manufacturing company is now the interim Budget for the financial year permitted to set up a unit without any 2019-20 on February 1, 2019. investment from the domestic market . It would be the last budget of the NDA which creates unfavourable environment government before the Lok Sabha election for domestic companies to compete. on May 2019. Way forward: . The government should safeguard the Liquidity for NBFC domestic industries by creating a level About the RBI moves on NBFC: playing field through the Make in India . NBFC’s are facing liquidity crisis post the scheme IL&FS default of loans, which resulted in . Incentives should be given to the textile Government dismantling of the existing sector to become competitive in the export board of IL&FS and installed a new one. market . A holding period is the amount of time the . There is a need for simplified process in e- investment is held by an investor or the way bill legislation to ease transportation period between the purchase and sale of a of goods by minimizing documentation, security. In a long position, the holding physical verification etc. period refers to the time between an asset's purchase and its sale. Interim Budget . The minimum holding period of NBFC was What is an interim budget? 1 year earlier by which NBFC after an year . The interim budget includes a report card can use the security as a collateral for it to on the income and expenses made last year obtain loans. and the proposed expenses likely to be . Recently the government has reduced it to made in the next few months until the new 6 months which will increase the liquidity government takes over. option for the NBFC. . There is no proposal on the income part of Why in news? the budget through collection of taxes. . In a move to make more liquidity available . An interim budget is presented by outgoing to non-banking finance firms, the Reserve govt. Bank of India has relaxed the securitisation Different types: norms by relaxing the minimum holding . An annual budget has two parts-(1)part period requirement. one is the summary of income and . The move follows a demand from the expenses made by the government in the government for a special window for previous year.(2) Announcement of NBFCs, to provide them liquidity support. proposed ways to raise money from taxes and spending them on welfare measures Rupee appreciation across the country in the various segments. What is Rupee appreciation? . An Interim budget- The interim budget . The appreciation of a country’s currency includes a report card on the income and refers to an increase in the value of that expenses made last year and the proposed country’s currency with respect to a foreign expenses likely to be made in the next few currency. months until the new government takes . If the Indian rupee appreciates relative to over. There is no proposal on the income the dollar, the exchange rate falls: it takes part of the budget through collection of fewer Indian rupees to purchase 1 dollar. taxes. An interim budget is presented by Effects of appreciation: outgoing govt. . ‘Vote on Account' by which the government obtains the vote of Parliament Page | 16

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai . When the Indian rupee appreciates relative price LPG and price of PNG almost matches to the dollar, the Indian exports become with that of subsidised LPG costlier and imports becomes cheaper. . Large number of industries also consumes . The appreciation of rupee has helped India polluting fuels like pet coke and furnace oil to contain the rising current account deficit which emit polluting CO2 and were banned and inflation. (CAD-when the value of recently by courts in some states. imports of goods incomes is greater than the Other initiatives value of exports). . Clean Energy initiatives taken by the Union Why in news? Government include Ethanol Blending, . Rupee has hit 3 month high relative to the Compressed Bio-Gas plants, increased LPG dollars. After depreciating about 15% in coverage and introduction of BS-6 fuels for 2018, the currency has appreciated to automobiles. almost to 5% this month. . The appreciation is mainly attributed to the Fiscal deficit fall in crude oil prices which has reduced Missing the target: the demand for dollars. . A fiscal deficit occurs when a government's total expenditures exceed the revenue that City Gas Distribution Network it generates, excluding money from Why in news? borrowings. . The Prime Minister has laid the foundation . This year fiscal deficit target is likely to be stone to mark the commencement of work missed because while the expenditure for City Gas Distribution (CGD) under 9th continued to rise the total receipts in Oct round bidding. 2018 shrank from Oct 2017. . Share of Natural Gas in India’s energy . The net tax receipts collected was less than basket is 6.2% as against 23.4% globally expected and the non-tax receipts slowed and the aim is to reach 15%. down due to slow growth in the 8 core Objective sectors. . Development of CGD networks has been . Eight Core Industries are Electricity , steel, focused to increase the availability of refinery products, crude oil, coal, cement, cleaner cooking fuel (i.e. PNG) and natural gas and fertilizers. These industries transportation fuel (i.e. CNG) grew only by 4.8% as against expectation of . The expansion of CGD network will also 5% growth. benefit to industrial and commercial units Why in news? by ensuring the uninterrupted supply of . An Indian Rating agency has remarked that natural gas. India may miss its fiscal deficit target of Coverage 3.3%(as set in budget) and may end up in . After the 9th round bidding about 50% of 3.5%. country’s population spreading over 35% . This is a cause of worry because the data of India's area is covered was estimated from April-Oct 2018, so the . 10th CGD bidding round aims to cover 53% FD target has been missed in 7 months of the country’s area and 70% of country’s itself, 1 yr value may far exceed the population expectation. Why Natural Gas? . Natural gas is a superior fuel as compared Import cover with coal and other liquid fuels being an Import cover: environment friendly, safer and cheaper . An important indicator of the stability of a fuel. currency is import cover. . As per WHO database released in May . It measures the number of months of 2018, India has 14 out of 15 world’s most imports that can be covered with foreign polluted cities in terms of PM 2.5 exchange reserves available with the concentration. central bank of the country. . Natural Gas (as CNG) is cheaper by 60% as . Eight to ten months of import cover is compared with petrol and 45 % w.r.t. essential for the stability of a currency. Diesel. Similarly, Natural Gas (as PNG) is cheaper by 40 % as compared with market Page | 17

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai . The forex reserve which was around $424 cost in India is very high compared to billion (March 2018) fell to $392 billion developed countries. (November 2018). . High logistics cost reduces the . The fall in the forex reserve is mainly due competitiveness of Indian goods both in to depreciation (fall in the value of rupee domestic as well as export market. when compared to a foreign currency). Logix India: Why in news? . Logix India is a mega logistics event that is . The adequacy of foreign exchange reserve scheduled to take place from 31 Jan 2019- as measured by import cover declined to 2nd Feb 2019. 10.1 months as on June 2018 compared to . The mega logistics event is being organized 10.9 months reserve last year. by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) as a major initiative GDP Growth slows to improve logistics cost effectiveness and operational efficiencies for India’s global Reasons for slower growth: trade. . GDP which grew around 8.1% in the first . Over 20 countries are sending delegations quarter grew only around 7.1% in the to explore logistics partnerships with India second half. and FIEO is focusing on logistical solutions . Economists said that while a slowdown for difficult to reach markets. was expected due to rise in oil prices and . Over 100 international delegates are fall in value of rupee, the actual numbers expected to attend Logix India 2019. are worrying. . FIEO will also focus on investment . The sectors which witnessed growth above opportunities in infrastructure 7% are manufacturing, electricity, development, warehouse consolidation, construction and Public Administration. technology integration and IT enablement . Mining and quarrying growth contracted and skilling of manpower at the three-day by 2.4% and agriculture grew only by 3.8% meet. due to delay in monsoon. Why in news? . Analysts have predicted that with fall in . Union Minister of Commerce & Industry crude oil price and rupee appreciating, the and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu launched growth is expected to pick up. the logo and brochure of Logix India 2019 Why in news? in New Delhi on Nov 27, 2018. . Various ratings agencies had predicted

such a slowdown in the second quarter due to the impact of rising oil prices on input ‘Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti’ costs, and also due to the effect of the rupee Background of Innovation of India’s defence depreciation. sector: . India is one of the largest arms importers in Logix India the world as the indigenous production is where India continues to be in backstage. Logistics sector in India: . Huge dependence on foreign arms and . Logistics is the management of the flow of technology affects India in certain things between the point of origin and the sovereign decision making and a huge point of consumption in order to meet import bill. requirements of customers or . India needs to migrate from the culture of corporations. seeking Transfer of Technology (ToT) from . India ranked 44 in the World Bank foreign sources to generating Intellectual Logistics Performance Index 2018. Property in India, to achieve the goal of self- . This sector provides employment to more reliance in Defence sector. than 22 million people and is expected to About Mission Raksha Gyan Shakthi: grow at the rate of 10.5 per cent over the . ‘Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti’ which aims to next 5 years. provide a boost to the IPR culture in . The need for integrated Logistics sector indigenous defence industry. development has been felt for quite some . It is an event which tried to showcase the time in view of the fact that the logistics invention and innovation by DRDO and Defence Public Sector Undertakings Page | 18

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai (DPSUs) and Ordnance Factories (OFs) 4. The CPSE should be listed on Indian Stock which have resulted in successful filing of exchange with minimum prescribed public Intellectual Property Right (IPR) shareholding under SEBI regulations. applications. 5. The CPSE should have average annual net . The event felicitated some of the scientists, worth of more than Rs. 15,000 crore, who invented and innovated useful during the last 3 years. products for the nation. 6. The CPSE should have significant presence . A panel discussion was held with globally. participation of Chairman and Managing What is Navratna status? Directors of all DPSUs to formulate a . A CPSE which falls under the Miniratna strategy for the future in this regard. (Category – I and Schedule ‘A’ CPSEs), has Why in news? obtained rating of ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’ . The minister of defence launched ‘Mission in 3 of the last 5 years. Raksha Gyan Shakti’ which aims to provide . A CPSE which has composite score of 60 or a boost to the IPR culture in indigenous above in the 6 selected performance defence industry. parameters, namely. What is Miniratna status? NPCC - a Miniratna . The CPSEs which have following criteria About NPCC: fulfilled are given Miniratna status: . National Projects Company Corporation 1. The CPSEs which have made profits in the incorporated on 9th January 1957 under last 3 years continuously erstwhile Ministry of Irrigation (Currently 2. The CPSEs which have positive net worth. Ministry of Water Resources) to undertake Benefits of getting Miniratna status: Irrigation and Hydel Projects. . Accordingly these categories of CPSEs have . Giant infrastructure projects which neither been given some financial autonomy i.e. the private sector nor the State they can invest some money without the Government Construction Departments explicit government approval. are ready to take is taken up by NPCC. . These benefits are given to them so that What are the types of status given to CPSE? they can compete in the global market and . The Department of Public Enterprises, support them to become global giants. Ministry of Heavy industry and Public . The empowerment of Miniratna Status to Enterprise is the nodal department for all NPCC will help the company in taking the Central Public Sector Enterprises speedy decisions by enhancing the (CPSEs). delegation of powers to the Board. . DPE makes policies and guidelines for the . It will be a big boost to the infrastructure performance evaluation and improvement industry in India. of the PSUs/ CPSEs. Why in news? . The Central Government has set eligibility . National Projects Construction criteria for granting Maharatna, Navaratna Corporation Limited (NPCC) has been and Miniratna status to Central Public conferred with the status of Miniratna by Sector Enterprises (CPSEs). the Government of India. What is Maharatna status? . The CPSEs fulfilling the following criteria India to export fish meal & fish oil to are eligible to be considered for grant of China Maharatna status: Background: 1. The CPSE should already be a Navratna . India has a huge trade deficit of almost $51 company. billion in China’s favour. 2. The CPSE should have average annual . Both sides are trying to reduce the trade turnover of more than Rs. 25,000 crore, deficit by allowing agriculture and during the last 3 years. pharmaceuticals products from India. 3. The CPSE's average annual net profit after . China was often accused of using non-tariff tax should be more than Rs. 5,000 crore, barriers to restrict trade from other during the last 3 years. countries.( A nontariff barrier is a way to restrict trade using trade barriers in a

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Officers IAS Academy, Chennai form other than a tariff. Nontariff imports) to products originating in barriers include quotas, embargoes, developing countries. sanctions, levies and other restrictions). . Engineering exports account for about 25% . Phytosanitary measure was used as a of India’s total merchandise exports with reason by China to prevent agricultural the SME sector contributing about 35% of import from India. the shipments. The U.S. remained the top Protocol to export fish meal and oil to China: destination followed by UAE and the U.K. . A protocol on Hygiene and Inspection . US also recently imposed additional import requirements for the export of Fish Meal duty on the engineering goods, earlier it and Fish Oil from India to China was signed was 6% it has been raised to 30%, which today. will have an huge impact on India. . The signing of Protocol formalises the Why in news? consensus reached by both sides on  The Engineering Export Promotion Council hygiene and inspection requirements of (now EEPC India), the apex body of fish meal and fish oil to be exported from engineering exporters said that the India to China, and will enable India to Engineering exports may slip by about $5 commence export of fish meal and fish oil billion from the $90 billion target set for to China. this fiscal due to increased protectionism in . China imports fish oil to the tune of USD the U.S. and Europe. 143.29 million, and fish meal to the tune of USD 263.43 million, and signing of the PMAY-U protocol between the two countries paves About PMAY (U): the way for export of Indian fish oil and fish . Ministry/Department: Ministry of Housing & meal to China. Urban Affairs. . Both the Indian and Chinese sides . It is the vehicle to achieve objective of “Housing appreciated each other’s concerns and for All” Mission in Urban areas. agreed to resolve the market access issues . The aim of this scheme is to construct more expeditiously to achieve the vision of the than two crore houses across the length and leaders of both the countries by promoting breadth of the nation. a more balanced trade. . The target beneficiaries of the scheme would be Why in news? poor and people living under EWS and LIG categories in urban establishments of the . India and China commerce secretaries led country. delegation signed a protocol on 28 Nov . It also targets people living under MIG (middle 2018 on fish meal and oil export to China. income Group). . Government will provide subsidy ranging Protectionism affecting engineering between 1 lakh to 2.30 lakh to people from above categories in order to make them secure. exports . The government would provide an interest What is Protectionism in US and Europe? subsidy of 6.5% on housing loans availed by the . Protectionism is the theory or practice of beneficiaries for a period of 15 years from the shielding a country's domestic industries start of loan. from foreign competition by taxing . The houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana imports. would be allotted to preferably the female . US pull out from various trade deal and member of the family. increasing tariff, trade war; Brexit situation Success of PMAY (U): in Europe are evidences of protectionism in . Cumulative No of Houses sanctioned under these countries. PMAY (U) now more than 65 Lakhs. Protectionist attitude of US: . The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs . US recently revoked GSP status of 50 has approved the construction of another products out of 90 GSP allowed products. 205,442 more affordable houses for the . GSP is one of the oldest trade preference benefit of urban poor. programmes in the world, under which Why in news? developed countries offer preferential . The 40th meeting of housing sanction and treatment (such as zero or low duties on allotment of houses under PMAY (U) was held on New Delhi on Nov 28, 2018 during which success of PMAY was discussed. Page | 20

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai International Relations

Wuhan spirit . Both the countries discussed a joint project Why in news? in Afghanistan. This proposed joint . India and China on Saturday reaffirmed economic project in Afghanistan could be that the Wuhan dialogue was the template instrumental in mitigating the trust deficit for advancing New Delhi-Beijing ties, and between the two sides. agreed to impart fresh urgency to resolving . They attempted to reduce the heat over their border row. unresolved issues and so-called “irritants” . National Security Adviser Ajit Doval’s visit in the relationship, such as China’s block on to China for the 21st edition of Special India’s NSG membership bid or the UN’s Representatives talks presents an terror designation for Pakistan-based opportunity to take stock of the dos and groups, and India’s opposition to the Belt don’ts related to the resolution of the and Road Initiative or its use of the Tibet boundary dispute. issue by strengthening the existing Background mechanisms of dialogue. . A two day informal summit between Prime Positive changes after the summit Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese . A statement was made by the Chinese vice President Xi Jinping held in the central foreign minister that China will not push Chinese city of Wuhan in April 2018. India to join its Belt and Road Initiative . Since the Doklam Standoff, there have (BRI) to connect countries Asia, Europe and been no high level meetings between Africa amid India’s persistent reservations India and China. on Xi’s mega project on the grounds of . An informal summit was thus called to China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) improve bilateral ties and to prevent and financing patterns. another standoff at the border. . Chinese business and industrial houses . The summit had no fixed agenda so that a could now choose India as destination for wide range of issues could be covered. Greenfield projects and not just mergers and acquisitions. Rules for resolution boundary disputes: . First, China has resolved all its continental land borders, except with India and Bhutan. In those instances, the U.S. was neither an ally nor a key defence partner of that counterpart country. New Delhi’s About the summit: blossoming maritime ties with the U.S. . The summit has shown that despite implies that the India-China frontier will bilateral and geopolitical differences, India remain an expedient pressure point in and China can resolve differences Beijing’s playbook to signal disaffection. peacefully and through prolonged Full resolution will have to await when dialogue. New Delhi is willing to elevate its ties with . Both the countries have decided to “issue Beijing at par with Washington. Vigilance strategic guidance to their militaries to and patience are counselled in the interim. strengthen communication” in order to . Second, the lack of a medium-term build trust and mutual understanding and resolution does not prevent the two enhance predictability and effectiveness in countries narrowing their boundary- the management of border affairs, related differences. essentially to avoid another Doklam-like . Third, none of China’s 12 territorial confrontation. settlements has been concluded under . They have addressed measures to balance duress or reflects an obsession with the ballooning trade deficit of about $52 cartographic detail. Rather, an opportunity billion (of about $84 billion bilateral trade), cost-based calculus tied to good mostly by encouraging agricultural and neighbourliness has prevailed. pharmaceutical exports to China. Page | 21

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai . Fourth, while India has been admirably which could provide a balm for many flexible in accommodating a variety of communities. dispute settlement modes, including third- . Kashmiri Pandits have long asked for party arbitration, a solitary principles- access to visit the Sharda Peeth in the based package approach has characterised Neelum Valley in Pakistan-occupied China’s territorial settlements. Mr.Doval’s Kashmir. preference for a bottom-up approach that . Sufis in Pakistan wish to visit the dargah of clarifies specific points of contention along Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer, the Line of Actual Control is unlikely to find Rajasthan. purchase with State Councillor Wang Yi. . Sikhs in India and Pakistan want to visit important shrines on both sides of the Kartarpur border. Why in news? . The proposed corridor holds great . As Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu and potential for a wider thaw in India-Pakistan Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh relations, which have languished in sub- together unveil a foundation stone on zero temperatures for a full decade now Monday for a six-km route leading from since the Mumbai 26/11 terror attacks. Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab to Kartarpur in . This is probably the first instance of the Pakistan’s Punjab on Monday, it will not two sides setting aside mutual hostility to just be the reopening of a route closed by bend to the will of the people. Partition, but would mark the beginning of . A large part of the failure of the two an unprecedented form of diplomacy, say countries to come out of the holes into diplomats. which they have dug themselves owes to . Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan will the vacuum created in citizen interaction. be joined by two Indian Ministers to lay the What made it complex? foundation stone at the Pakistani side, . The “corridor” would bring Pak where pilgrims from India will be able to infrastructure right up to the Indian visit their revered Kartarpur Sahib border. Over the past year, gurdwaras in Gurdwara (Sikh Temple) by November Pakistan have been used for a pro- 2019, to mark the 550th anniversary of Khalistan campaign. Guru Nanak. No Indian Minister has . Earlier this year, a gurdwara displayed visited Pakistan since Home Minister posters and distributed pamphlets for the Rajnath Singh’s SAARC visit in 2016, which so-called “Sikh Referendum 2020”, and were followed by the Uri attacks. Pakistan denied permission to the Indian About the shrine: envoy and diplomats to visit it. Pakistan’s . The gurdwara in Kartarpur stands on the intent also remains suspect, and Indian bank of the Ravi, about 120 km northeast officials are wary of the corridor being of Lahore. It was here that Guru Nanak misused by both state and non-state actors assembled a Sikh community and lived for in that country. 18 years until his death in 1539. . The shrine is visible from the Indian side, as RCEP Pakistani authorities generally trim the Why in news? elephant grass that would otherwise . With just about 40% of the agenda items obstruct the view. having been resolved, there is still a long . Indian Sikhs gather in large numbers for way to go before the Regional darshan from the Indian side, and Comprehensive Economic Partnership binoculars are installed at Gurdwara (RCEP) talks are concluded. It was agreed Dera Baba Nanak. during the recently-concluded Singapore It’s a positive development: Ministerial meeting that the deadline for an . Given its easy logistics, the 4-km-long agreement be shifted to 2019. Kartarpur corridor is a low-hanging fruit as Singapore Ministerial meeting: a meaningful confidence-building measure. . Seventh RCEP Inter-Sessional Ministerial . The initiative can also become a template Meeting Concludes in Singapore. for cross-border exchanges based on faith, . India had scored big diplomatic points at the Singapore meeting by getting the Page | 22

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai countries gathered to omit the phrase ‘significant conclusions’ from the leaders’ statements. . Some major economies such as China and Japan felt that the phrasing should be that “substantial conclusions” had been achieved. India strongly opposed this. . The core of the talks is about market access for goods, services and investment, and Concern for India: those talks are still ongoing. . Greater access to Chinese goods may have . A key issue was the terminology used to impact on the Indian manufacturing sector. define the progress made. Some major India has got massive trade deficit with economies such as China and Japan felt that China. Under these circumstances, India the phrasing should be that “substantial proposed differential market access conclusions” had been achieved. strategy for China. . “India discovered that in some . There are demands by other RCEP countries’ trade parlance, ‘substantial countries for lowering customs duties conclusions’ is a legal terminology,” the on a number of products and greater official explained. access to the market than India has been . Adopting the term would have implied that willing to provide. discussions on market access were over, . If India is out of the RCEP, it would make and that those countries would have to its exports price uncompetitive with other disclose the discussions to their RCEP members’ exports in each RCEP Parliaments, and to their public. market, and the ensuing export-losses . This has serious implications because only contributing to foreign exchange five out of 16 chapters had been concluded, shortages and the subsequent extent of and after the meeting in Singapore only depreciation of the rupee can only be left seven had been concluded. None of the 7 to imagination. chapters settled had to do with market access, discussions on which would have been seriously jeopardised. Global growth suffering . After India pointed this out, several other Why in news? countries such as Philippines, Indonesia, . Washington accuses Beijing of not playing Malaysia, Vietnam, and Australia also took fairly on trade while China says the U.S. is up the issue and supported India’s position being protectionist. on the matter. . The United States and China have in the . One impact of this was that Japan also coming week what may be their last chance realised the importance of what we were to broker a ceasefire in an increasingly saying and that India was not just making a dangerous trade war when their Presidents technical point and that it was serious meet in Buenos Aires. about the issue and so they also started . With global growth increasingly suffering supporting us. from frictions between the two biggest Regional Comprehensive Economic economies, tensions will come to a head Partnership (RCEP) when Donald Trump and Xi Jinping meet on . RCEP negotiations were formally launched the sidelines of a G20 summit in in November 2012 at the ASEAN Summit in Argentina. Cambodia. . Washington set to raise tariffs on $200 . RCEP aims to boost goods trade by billion worth of Chinese imports to 25% eliminating most tariff and non-tariff from 10% in January, if there is no barriers & a move that is expected to agreement. provide the region’s consumers greater . The Organisation for Economic Co- choice of quality products at affordable operation and Development (OECD) rates. It also seeks to liberalise investment warned this week that a full-blown trade norms and do away with services trade war between China and the United States restrictions. Page | 23

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai could knock global growth 0.8% lower by . Drawing comparisons between 1914 and 2021, and even more for the two countries. today’s situations in terms of inequalities, Brexit worries they warned against the temptation of a . Though the fallout from the China-U.S. divisive globalization which could only standoff is hitting other regions as well, in benefit the wealthiest. Europe, Brexit will also occupy minds as . China’s discourse on a new “connected” British Prime Minister Theresa May multilateralism, through the Belt and struggles to win backing for Britain’s EU Road Initiative (BRI), is building upon withdrawal treaty. the same inclusive project now led by a . Securing the backing of the 27 other non-Western and non-democratic European Union governments in Brussels superpower. on Sunday is only a first hurdle, as a bigger . There is indeed an ambition to influence obstacle looms in early December when the world,if not directly control it by May will seek the U.K. Parliament’s backing. making the rules on which it functions. This . As geopolitical factors such as trade normative determination to achieve a far frictions and Brexit cloud the economic greater objective has hardly been outlook, central bankers speeches this addressed when analyzing China’s BRI and week will be scrutinised for any hint of a its impact. rethink about their monetary policy paths. Belt and road initiative (BRI) G20: . The Belt and Road Initiative is a Chinese . It came in the aftermath of Asian financial foreign policy initiative promoted by crisis of 1999 and is a forum of president Xi Jinping in 2013. governments and central bank governors . Initially the idea of Silk Road Economic from 20 major economies. Belt (SREB) and Maritime Silk Road . Its purpose is to study, review, and (MSR) was put forward. promote high-level discussion of policy . Subsequently, the two projects together issues pertaining to the promotion of came to be known as ‘One Belt One Road’ international financial stability. (OBOR) Initiative. Later, it came to be . Summit level meeting was initiated after known as Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). financial crisis of 2008. Therefore, since . Aim of BRI: Build a trade, investment, and then 3 separate meetings are held head of infrastructure network connecting Asia state (Summit level), finance ministers with Europe and Africa along the ancient meet, central bank governors meet. trade routes. . G20 does not have a Secretariat, does Impact of BRI: not have any staff working for it, and it . There is more to the BRI than the six is basically a leader led forum. Its economic corridors spanning Asia, Europe recommendations are only advisory in and Africa, of which the $50 billion China- nature. Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is . 19 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, perhaps the most controversial. Canada, China, France, Germany, India, . The BRI is included in the Constitution of an Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, officially socialist China. Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, . The BRI “shared interest” and “shared Turkey, United Kingdom, United States. growth” hence coexist with Marxism- . And European Union which is represented Leninism and “capitalism with Chinese by European Commission and the characteristics” in a country now said to be European Central Bank. more trade-friendly than its protectionist American rival, the U.S. Beijing has never Silk roads been afraid of contradictions in terms and Why in news? this capacity to ‘Sinicise’ concepts is a . At the recent Paris peace forum signature trait. commemorating the end of World War I, . The BRI is a political project and a Chinese the heads of the International Monetary one no matter the number of other Fund and the World Bank made the case for partners joining the effort and a more inclusive multilateralism. participating to its funding.

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Officers IAS Academy, Chennai . The BRI indeed develops without any financiers and supporters access to funds, dedicated law, nor is it a comprehensive arms and safe havens. trade or economic partnership. It is . India first proposed formation of CCIT at different from conventional trade the UN back in 1996. agreements that seek to eliminate market . Over the years, negotiations are stalled due access barriers, harmonise regulations and to differences over the definition of impose preconditions for entry. terrorism. There is different understanding . The institutional setting of the BRI is of definition of terrorism mainly due to also rather light. distinction made between “Terrorist . Joint committees are put in place and the organizations “and a “liberation existing institutions mobilized from the movement”. Shanghai Cooperation Organization to the . “Good terrorists” and “bad terrorists”. Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank . A series of terror attacks since the (AIIB), which is contributing to the BRI beginning of the year in India as well as in despite the rather distant position of some Bangladesh have revived the Indian of its members and India in particular, diplomatic establishment’s interest in which the largest recipient of AIIB is voting and early adoption of the anti-terror funding. convention. . In this context, China is not challenging the Objectives: existing institutional set-up or proposing . To have a universal definition of terrorism something different than what exists in the that all 193-members of the UNGA will Bretton Woods Institutions. adopt into their own criminal law. . The BRI as it stands is not conceived as a . To ban all terror groups and shut down tool for economic integration. terror camps. . The RCEP negotiations between the . To prosecute all terrorists under special Association of Southeast Asian Nations and laws. six countries is better equipped to deal . To make cross-border terrorism an with market access and integration goals extraditable offence worldwide. within the Asia-Pacific region. Arguments against universal definition of . However, with the world trading system terrorism: passing through a turmoil, the . Despite India’s efforts to push a global possibility of regional trade agreements intergovernmental convention to tackle or amorphous legal devices such as the terrorism, the conclusion and ratification of BRI embracing greater trade the CCIT remains deadlocked, mainly due liberalisation goals cannot be entirely to opposition from three main blocs – The ruled out. US, the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC), and the Latin American countries. Comprehensive Convention on . All these three blocs have objections over the “definition of terrorism” and seek International Terrorism (CCIT) exclusions to safeguard their strategic Why in news? interests. . 71st session of United Nations General . For instance, the OIC wants exclusion of Assembly (UNGA), foreign minister national liberation movements, Sushma Swaraj appealed the global especially in the context of Israel- community for early adoption of the Palestinian conflict. Comprehensive Convention on . The US wants the draft to exclude acts International Terrorism (CCIT). committed by military forces of states About CCIT: during peacetime. . It is a proposed intergovernmental . Latin American countries have convention which will provide legal teeth reservations about international to prosecute terrorist acts as it intends to humanitarian laws and human rights criminalize all forms of international being ignored. terrorism and deny terrorists, their

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Officers IAS Academy, Chennai Science & Technology

Kumbh Mela alters bacterial load and . DO content of water is important for the diversity survival of aquatic organisms. A number of factors like surface turbulence, Why in news? photosynthetic activity, O2 consumption . Bacterial populations in the river undergo by organisms and decomposition of huge loss in diversity but a steep increase organic matter are the factors which in bacterial load when millions of people determine the amount of DO present in bathe at designated bathing sites during water. Kumbh Mela, a team of researchers has . The higher amounts of waste increases the found. The loss in microbial diversity was rates of decomposition and O2 nearly 37.5% while the increase in consumption, thereby decreases the DO bacterial load was about 130-fold during content of water. the event. Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) . The team led by Dr. Avinash Sharma from . The demand for O2 is directly related to the National Centre for Cell Science, Pune, increasing input of organic wastes and is found that bacteria belonging to certain expressed as biological oxygen demand phyla reduced significantly while the (BOD) of water. prevalence of bacteria belonging to phylum . Water pollution by organic wastes is Firmicutes (known to be also associated measured in terms of Biochemical with human skin, stools and many Oxygen Demand (BOD). infectious pathogens) was nearly 95%. . BOD is the amount of dissolved oxygen About the study: needed by bacteria in decomposing the . The study was carried out in 2015 at five organic wastes present in water. It is bathing sites in the Godavari River in expressed in milligrams of oxygen per liter Nashik and the results were published in of water. the journal Microbial Ecology. Samples . The higher value of BOD indicates low were collected prior to and during the Mela DO content of water. Since BOD is limited allowing the scientists to compare the to biodegradable materials. Therefore, it is spatiotemporal changes to water quality not a reliable method of measuring and bacterial communities. pollution load in water. . The biological and chemical oxygen Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) demand increased due to higher release . Chemical oxygen demand (COD) is a of organic particles during the Mela slightly better mode used to measure compared with before the Mela. pollution load in water. . As a result, there was “substantial . COD measures the amount of oxygen in reduction” in the concentration of parts per million required to oxidize dissolved oxygen. organic (biodegradable and non- . During the same study, the researchers biodegradable) and oxidisable inorganic discovered a new bacterium, which they compounds in the water sample. named Corynebacterium godavarianum Awareness needed: that showed resistance to antibiotics like . We need to create awareness among amoxycillin, augmentin, cefpodoxime and pilgrims to avoid open defecation and clindamycin. maintain personal hygiene to reduce the Dissolved Oxygen (DO) amount of microbes that get introduced . Presence of organic and inorganic wastes into the river. in water decreases the dissolved Oxygen . A closed system for bathing prior to taking (DO) content of the water. a dip in the river should be put in place to . Water having DO content below 8.0 mg/L reduce contamination of human-associated may be considered as contaminated. Water skin bacteria having DO content below. 4.0 mg/L is . Besides taking a dip in the river, pilgrims considered to be highly polluted. also drink the holy water. “Drinking this water containing infectious disease genes Page | 26

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai and antimicrobial-resistant genes could deaths globally by at least 40% by 2020 and pose serious health issues. It might be to end the epidemic by 2030. preferable to drink the holy water much . The declining trend of the scourge shows upstream where fewer people bathe”. that sustained public health action can achieve good results. Premature births in India Highlights of the report: Why in news? . The WHO report highlights a sharp drop in . A recent study that analyzed nearly 8,000 the number of cases in the State. The women in India who gave birth between reduction in cases by half in 2017 2004 and 2005 and 2011 and 2012 (India compared to the same study period in 2016 Human Development Survey) has pointed appears to reinforce research findings. out that there is a strong association . The malaria cases in Odisha have been between adverse birth outcomes and coming down steadily since 2003, with a sanitation access, gender-based marked reduction since 2008, attributed to harassment and physical labour. greater political and administrative . Poor sanitation, harassment reasons for commitment. birth problems in India. . A lot of that optimism has to do with the About the study: progress made by Odisha, one of the most . About 14.9% and 15.5% of the study group endemic States. experienced preterm birth and low infant . This positive trend should encourage birth weight respectively. authorities not just in Odisha, but in the . The researchers found that spending more northeastern States and elsewhere too to than two hours per day fetching water was cut the transmission of the disease further. associated with low birth weight while . Importantly, the reduction in the number open defecation or sharing latrine within of cases should not produce complacency the building was associated with greater and lead to a reduction in the deployment chances of low birth weight or preterm of health workers and funding cuts to birth. programme components. . Another shocking find of the study was that . One issue that requires monitoring in India harassment of women and girls in the is resistance to combination therapy using community was also associated with both artemisinin. preterm birth and low infant birth weight. . Recent reports indicate that some patients . Though there were limitations due to self- in West Bengal became resistant to the reported behaviors and small sample size, treatment protocol used for the falciparum the study was able contribute to the limited parasite, which causes debilitating cerebral evidence related to sanitation malaria and leads to a high number of infrastructure and other social factors that deaths. play a role in preterm birth and low infant . Eliminating malaria requires an integrated birth weight. approach, and this should involve Indian Human Development Survey (IHDS) Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal, . IHDS has been jointly organized by which have a higher burden of the disease. researchers from University of Maryland . Odisha’s experience with using public and National Council for Applied health education as a tool and reaching out Economic Research (NCAER), New Delhi. to remote populations with advice needs to . Largest household survey after NSSO. be replicated. . NCAER is the only independent body that . Given that emerging resistance to conducts such large sample panel surveys. treatment has been reported in Myanmar, among other countries in this belt, there is Malaria in India a need for a coordinated approach to rid southern Asia of malaria. Why in news? Facts about Malaria: . The World Malaria Report 2018 of the . Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious World Health Organisation notes that disease caused by various species of the India’s record offers great promise in the parasitic protozoan microorganisms quest to cut the number of new cases and called Plasmodium. Page | 27

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai . Malaria was so prevalent during the Roman Bovines as a tool to optimize the genetic times that the disease is also called ‘Roman improvement in cattle. Fever’.

HIV & cognitive impairment Why in news? . A new study reveals Children infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) have to endure a significant adverse impact on their neurodevelopment and cognitive functioning. Benefits of ETT: Important facts about the study: . A farmer can get a 5-6 fold increase in . Report highlighted significant fluctuations number of offsprings. in regions of the brain that are associated . The calves so born will be of high genetic with auditory, language; sensory and merit. motor functional networks of HIV infected . The offsprings born will be free from children. Similar characteristics were diseases. earlier detected in adults. Why in news? . Infected children were also found to have . Union Agriculture & Farmers Welfare significantly decreased Amplitude of Low Minister Shri Radha Mohan Singh has said Frequency Fluctuations (ALFF) and that agriculture and dairy business Functional connectivity (FC) in multiple complement each other for the social and brain regions that are related to cognition. economic upliftment of cattle farmers. . To achieve this objective, it is essential to have good quality livestock breed in order to increase production. Speaking on the occasion of “National Milk Day”(26th Nov). . Under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM), 10 semen centres have been identified for the production of Sex Sorted Semen for the production of more female animals. . Proposals for two centres, in Uttarakhand

. The findings will facilitate early detection and Maharashtra, have been approved. of structural and functional brain changes, Government initiatives: allowing appropriate treatment and . Rashtriya Gokul Mission has been therapies to improve functional activities launched December 2014 for the in children with immunity disorders. development and conservation of indigenous bovine breeds thereby enhancing milk production and Embryo transfer technology productivity. Embryo Transfer Technology . The framework of the scheme is to enhance . Embryo transfer is a technique by which milk production & productivity through embryos are collected from a donor female induction of high genetic merit bulls for and are transferred to recipient females, semen production; field performance which serve as surrogate mothers for the recording; strengthening of bulls mother remainder of pregnancy. farms; setting up of Gokul Grams etc. . Embryo transfer techniques have been . National Mission on Bovine applied to nearly every species of domestic Productivity: It has been launched in animal and to many species of wildlife and November 2016 with the aim of enhancing exotic animals, including humans and non- milk production and productivity and human primates. thereby making dairying more . Embryo transfer technology has remunerative to the farmers. The scheme is revolutionized the breeding strategies in being implemented with following components. Page | 28

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai a) Pashu Sanjivni-It includes identification of Marijuana animals in milk using UID, issuing health Why in news? cards to all animals in milk and uploading . Indian doctors are hoping to take data on INAPH data base. advantage of the more favourable way the b) Creation of E Pashuhaat Portal-The e- west is looking at medical cannabis. pashuhaat portal has been launched in . India is likely to kick off its own studies on November 2016 for linking farmers and medical marijuana. Led by the Council of breeders of indigenous breeds. Scientific & Industrial Research-Indian c) Establishment of National Bovine Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR- Genomic Centre for Indigenous Breeds IIIM) and the Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), (NBGC-IB):The NBGC-IB is being Mumbai. established for enhancing milk production . The studies into the therapeutic potential and productivity through genomic of marijuana are part of larger selection among indigenous breeds. governmental thrust to making new drugs d) INDUSCHIP: INDUSCHIP has been derived from herbs and plants that find developed for genomic selection of mention in Ayurveda and other traditional indigenous breeds and 6000 dairy animals medicine knowledge system. have been genetically evaluated using Marijuana: INDUSCHIP. . Marijuana is greenish grey mixture of dried shredded leaves, stems, seeds and flowers Green Diwali of the cannabis hemp plant. Why in news? . Most people smoke marijuana, though it . The Supreme Court direction about the use can also be used in other forms such as of only ‘green’ crackers, and that too, only edibles, powders and oils. during two hours at night (which, too, was . It used for controlling pain for medical not honored). issues, like cancer, nervous system What is green cracker? diseases, glaucoma, migraines, etc. and also . It is one that should not contain elements used to treat nausea and improve appetites such as lithium, antimony, lead, mercury for people with HIV or other chronic and some others, which cause illnesses. environmental and personal health issues. . Cannabis is banned in most countries but . It also should not have high power number countries have started explosives such as perchlorate, periodate decriminalizing its use in recent years. and barium. This direction was given by the Historic significance: court, based on the recommendations of . Cannabis has been used since ancient times the Petroleum and Explosives Safety in India, dating back to 2000 BCE. Organization (PESO) of India. . The cannabis plant has been mentioned as About firecracker: one of five sacred plants in the Vedas. They . Strontium nitrate is used for producing red are Asvattha, Darbha/Kusha, Soma , color, aluminum for sparkles and Cannabis and Rice. aluminum with Sulphur for the cracker noise. Barium is used for the green color. HysIS . Perchlorate, which has been used as an Why in news? excellent explosive agent, is unfortunately . HysIS,the country’s first hyperspectral very unsafe. It is known to affect thyroid imaging satellite for advanced Earth gland function and might also be observation, is slated for launch on carcinogenic. Thursday from Sriharikota. . Indian manufacturers still use barium. This . About 30 small satellites of foreign too is not ‘green’ but toxic. Barium intake customers will be its co-passengers on the may affect the kidneys leading to PSLV launcher, numbered C-43, the neuropathy has been shown in rats and Indian Space Research Organisation has mice. announced. About the satellite:

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Officers IAS Academy, Chennai . A hyperspectral imaging camera in space . But the master kilogram and its copies can provide well-defined images that can were seen to change ever so slightly as they help to identify objects on Earth far more deteriorated. clearly than regular optical or remote . In a world where accurate measurement is sensing cameras, ISRO Chairman K. Sivan now critical in many areas, such as in drug said earlier. development, nanotechnology and . The technology will be an added advantage precision engineering those responsible for in watching over India from space across maintaining the international system had sectors including defence, agriculture, land no option but to move beyond Le Grand K use and mineral exploration. to a more robust definition. . Sources said the new ‘eye in the sky’ can be . The fluctuation is about 50 parts in a used to even mark out a suspect object or billion, less than the weight of a single person on the ground and separate it from eyelash. But although it is tiny, the the background with applications in trans- change can have important border infiltration etc. consequences. . The primary goal of HysIS is to study the How a new system works? Earth’s surface in visible, near-infrared and . Electromagnets generate a force. Scrap- shortwave infrared regions of the yards use them on cranes to lift and move electromagnetic spectrum. large metal objects, such as old cars. The . HysIS will be ISRO's first full-scale working pull of the electromagnet, the force it satellite with this capability. While the exerts, is directly related to the amount of technology has been around, not many electrical current going through its coils. space agencies have working satellites with There is, therefore, a direct relationship hyperspectral imaging cameras as yet. between electricity and weight. . Third longest mission. . So, in principle, scientists can define a kilogram, or any other weight, in terms of Definition of kilogram the amount of electricity needed to Why in news? counteract the weight (gravitational force . Scientists have changed the way the acting on a mass). kilogram is defined. The decision was made at the General Conference on Weights Fish hospitals in India and Measures. The new definitions will Why in news? come into force on 20 May 2019. . Kashmir is only the second in the country . For more than a century, the kilogram had to have a fisheries hospital, and has even been defined as the mass of a cylinder of launched a 'fish health app' for farmers. platinum-iridium alloy kept in a high- . Established by the Faculty of Fisheries at security vault in France. the Sher-e-Kashmir University of . That artefact, nicknamed ‘Le Grand K’, had Agricultural Sciences and Technology been the world’s sole true kilogram since (SKUAST), the fish hospital at Rangil in 1889. Ganderbal district will cater to about 300 . But now, the kilogram will be defined in fish farmers from the state. terms of a tiny but unchanging value called . The country’s first hospital to treat the ‘Planck constant’. abnormalities and diseases in fish . The ‘Planck constant’, which derives from established in kolkata 2015.which was quantum physics, can be used along with funded by the Indian Council of a Kibble balance, an exquisitely accurate Agricultural Research, under the Union weighing machine, to calculate the mass Ministry of Agriculture, has a budget of Rs of an object using a precisely measured five crore. electromagnetic force. Why the kill of kilogram? Poli Oxime gel . Le Grand K has been at the forefront of the Why in news? international system of measuring weights . Scientists from inStem, Bangalore, have since 1889. Several close replicas were developed a gel to protect farmers who are made and distributed around the globe. exposed to harmful effects of pesticides.

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Officers IAS Academy, Chennai About the gel: enough that the headway reaches a . Indian farmers are exposed to high levels of saturation value, in his paper in pesticide as a result of not wearing any Communication Systems and Networks, protective gear while spraying chemicals in conference proceedings published by IEEE. fields. . The second strategy proposed in the paper . A gel known as poly-Oxime is developed by is to have bottleneck metering along the scientists from Institute for Stem Cell lines of traffic control on expressways, near Biology and Regenerative Medicine, entry points and exits. Like highways, (inStem) which protects the farmers expressways have points where traffic exposed to pesticides. leaves or enters through lanes, such as . The protective called poly-Oxime when in T-junctions. applied on skin protects the farmers by . The third strategy is based on the hydrolyzing the harmful observation that two-wheelers have organophosphates present in common significantly lower headways compared pesticides. with others, they also have negligible start- . According to WHO classification of up delay. Also, in congestion, two-wheelers Pesticides by Hazard, organophosphate filter through the gaps and increase overall pesticides belong to class 1, which throughput. means the pesticide is extremely/highly . Two-wheeler throughput can be increased hazardous. significantly by providing them space . The organophosphates are commonly upfront at a signalized intersection without found in various commercial pesticides, affecting other vehicles significantly. insecticides, and fungicides. . The complex interactions [between . The organophosphates present in the different types of vehicles] are broken pesticides enters the human body through down by physically separating two- skin,lungs when inhaled 10-15%,enters the wheelers from three-wheelers, cars, and bloodstream when ingested. heavy vehicles and this may be a reason . The organophosphates pesticides cause for smoother flow resulting in reduction harm by primarily inhibiting a critical in overall delays. enzyme in the nervous system called . Real-world trials are required to acetylcholinesterase (AChE). validate this hypothesis since Drawback: simulation models are only an . While the gel prevents organophosphates abstraction of reality. from entering the body through skin, they can still enter the body through inhalation Genetically edited babies and ingestion. Why in news? . Thus the gel is not an effective barrier to . A Chinese scientist at the centre of an pesticide vapour. ethical storm over what he claims are the world's first genetically edited babies Improving traffic efficiency and he is proud of his work and revealed Why in news? that another volunteer is pregnant as part . A group at IIT Madras has studied Indian of the research. traffic conditions and come up with . He Jiankui said that he used a gene-editing three counter-intuitive strategies to technology known as CRISPR-Cas9 to improve efficiency of oversaturated traffic alter the embryonic genes of twin girls born flow through road intersections. this month and gene editing would help Three strategies: protect the girls from infection with HIV, . The distance between two successive the virus that causes AIDS. vehicles (headway) increases with Gene editing technology: duration of the green signal. This implies . Gene Editing is type of genetic that longer the duration of green signal, engineering in which DNA is there would be fewer throughputs, thereby inserted,deleted,modified or replaced reducing the efficiency of the signal. in the genome of living organism. . Dr Ramadurai arrived at the first strategy: . Unlike early genetic engineering keeping the duration of green signals short techniques that randomly insert genetic Page | 31

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai material into a host genome, genome Antibodies editing targets the insertions to site specific locations. . Antibodies are proteins. . Variable sites have the antigen binding domain. . There are five basic kinds of antibodies. (Immunoglobulins M, G, E, D and A) . The variable region of the antibody that specially binds to an epitope is called paratope. . Protects the body by immobilization or lysis of CRISPR-Cas9: antigenic material. . CRISPR technology is basically a gene- editing technology, that can be used for the purpose of altering genetic expression or changing the genome of an organism. Antigen . The technology can be used for targeting specific stretches of an entire genetic . Generally proteins but can be code or editing the DNA at particular lipids, carbohydrates or nucleic locations. acids. . CRISPR technology is a simple yet powerful . Triggers the formation of tool for editing genomes. It allows antibodies. researchers to easily alter DNA sequences . There are three basic kinds of and modify gene function. antigens. (Exogenous, . Its many potential applications include Endogenous and Autoantigens correcting genetic defects, treating and . The region of the antigen that preventing the spread of diseases and interacts with the antibodies is improving crops. However, its promise called epitopes. also raises ethical concerns. . Cause disease or allergic reactions. Combating Zika . The antibodies "may have the dual utility Why in news? as diagnostics capable of recognising . In Washington, researchers including one Zika virus subtypes and may be further of Indian origin, have developed six Zika developed to treat Zika virus virus antibodies which may help diagnose infection,” said Ravi Durvasula from as well as treat the mosquito-borne disease Loyola University in the US. that has infected over 1.5 million people . Zika is spread mainly by mosquitos. worldwide. Most infected people experience no Antibodies: symptoms or mild symptoms such as a . Antibodies, also called rash, mild fever and red eyes. immunoglobulins, Y-shaped molecules . However, infection during pregnancy can are proteins manufactured by the body cause miscarriages, stillbirths and severe that help fight against foreign birth defects such as microcephaly, said substances called antigens. Adinarayana Kunamneni, a research . Antigens are any substance that stimulates assistant professor at Loyola University. the immune system to produce antibodies. . There is no effective vaccine or drug to Antigens can be bacteria, viruses, or treat the disease, said Kunamneni, senior fungi that cause infection and disease. author of the study published in the journal PLOS ONE. . Using a technology called ribosome display; researchers generated six synthetic antibodies that bind to the Zika virus. Page | 32

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai . The antibodies, which are inexpensive to . Since the Zika virus is evolving, it's produce, could be used in a simple filter useful to have six different antibodies. paper test to detect the Zika virus in the In the event the virus mutates, it's likely field. If the filter paper turns colour, the at least one of the antibodies still would Zika virus is present. match the virus and thus could still be used in diagnosis and treatment.

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Officers IAS Academy, Chennai Defence and security

Central Monitoring System helped agencies get full data without any Why in news? hindrances from TSPs. . Ten years after the 26\11 terror strikes, Maharashtra is better placed to benefit KONKAN-18 from real-time, actionable intelligence, Why in news? processed through its Central Monitoring . KONKAN-2018 will be conducted from 28 System (CMS) and the Lawful Interception Nov to 06 Dec 18 off Goa with units System (LIS). participating from both navies. CMS: About KONKAN-2018: . The Central Monitoring System, . Naval cooperation between India and the abbreviated to CMS, is a centralized United Kingdom is based on the long term telephone interception provisioning strategic relationship between both system installed by the Centre for countries. Development of Telematics (C-DOT), an . Both Navies have, over the years, Indian Government owned undertaken bilateral activities such as telecommunications technology training exchanges and technical development centre, and operated by cooperation. Telecom Enforcement Resource and . The exercise is aimed at deriving mutual Monitoring (TERM). benefit from each other’s experiences and . Government has set up the Centralized is indicative of the continuing cooperation Monitoring System (CMS) to automate the between the two countries process of Lawful Interception & . The inter-operability achieved over the Monitoring of telecommunications. CMS years as a result of such exercises has has got the approval from government. proved to be operationally beneficial to About the news: both navies. . The successful implementation of the CMS . The naval cooperation is a tangible symbol with inclusion of the GCI, LAI and location of the commitment of both nations in in the Call Data Record (CDR) has enhanced ensuring a positive climate at sea for the intelligence collection abilities of the enhancing strategic stability and State in the past few years. promoting economic prosperity. . Senior officials of the State Intelligence said implementation of the CMS and LIM have

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Officers IAS Academy, Chennai Environment

Stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) sunlight are modified to increase their What is stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI)? reflectivity. . Stratospheric aerosol injection which . Space sunshade: Obstructing sunrays with involves spraying into the stratosphere space-based mirrors fine, light-coloured particles designed to . Using pale-coloured roofing material or reflect back part of the solar radiation growing high albedo crops, cirrus clouds (global dimming). are removed or thinned . Sulphur Dioxide gas is used for the process. Why in news? . Researchers believe that geo-engineering . Scientists at Harvard University have technique known as stratospheric aerosol conducted study on how to reduce global injection (SAI) could limit rising warming by using stratospheric aerosol temperatures that are causing climate injection (SAI) change. What is geoengineering? Ganga rejuvenation . Geoengineering (also known as Climate About the notification engineering or climate intervention) . The notification divides the Ganga into two schemes are projects designed to tackle the stretches and different seasons such as dry effects of climate change directly, usually season: November –March; lean season: by removing CO2 from the air or limiting October, April and May; monsoon season: the amount of sunlight reaching the June – September planet's surface. . Upper stretches which includes from the Stratospheric aerosol injection - how it works? origin in glaciers to Haridwar should . Large quantities of sulphate particles need maintain 20% of monthly average flow to be sprayed in the upper atmosphere during dry season, 25% during lean season using hoses, cannons or special aircrafts to and 30% during monsoon months act as a reflective barrier against sunlight. . The notification specifies minimum flow at . The method is not yet proven and various barrages along the course between hypothetical Haridwar in Uttarakhand and Unnao in . The cost to launch a SAI effort 15 years Uttar Pradesh such as Bhimgoda: 36 from now would cost $3.5 billion and the cumecs between October and may and 57 average operating costs would be about cumecs during monsoon. Barrages at $2.25 billion a year over 15 years. Bijnor, Narora and Kanpur must maintain . The research assumes that a special aircraft 24 cumecs in non-monsoon months and 48 can be designed to fly at an altitude of about cumecs during monsoon months. 20 km and carry a load of 25 tonnes. Critics Advantages . The actual flow at barrages downstream of . Possibly cut the temperature by half Haridwar is already above the minimum . Inexpensive process flow set by the notification which is Risks supported by data from Central Water . It could cause droughts or extreme weather Commission in other parts of the world. . If the government is serious about reducing . Affect crop yields pollution, it should install sewage . It could also lead to potential public health treatment plants instead of ensuring and governance issues. natural flow isn’t blocked. Similar methods . All under-construction dams in the upper . Cirrus cloud manipulation: Here the cirrus reaches should be stopped and the design clouds are removed or thinned so that their of existing dams should be modified in long-wave trapping capacity is reduced and order to ensure that flow in lower reaches thus cools the surface. is atleast 50% of monthly average flow. . Marine cloud brightening: The low warm Why in news? clouds which are highly reflective to

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Officers IAS Academy, Chennai . A notification was passed by the Long-tailed Nicobar macaque and government regarding the maintenance of Andaman day gecko etc flow along the River Ganga . There are ten species of marine fauna found on the islands. The dugong/sea cow, Amur falcon and the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, is About Amur Falcons classified as Vulnerable under the IUCN . They are the longest travelling raptors in Red List of Threatened Species. the world. It breeds in south-eastern . Andaman shrew (Crocidura Siberia and Northern China before andamanensis), Jenkin’s shrew (C. migrating in large flocks across India and jenkinsi) and Nicobar shrew (C. nicobarica) over the Arabian Sea to winter in Southern are the three species out of the 46 Africa. terrestrial mammalian species which have . Every year Amur falcons take a long been categorised as Critically Endangered. journey covering many countries including Five species are listed as Endangered, nine China, Mongolia, Russia and India to reach species as Vulnerable, and one species as Somalia. Near Threatened, according to the IUCN. . Amur falcons come to roost at Doyang Lake . Endemism is quite high among birds which in Wokha district of Nagaland every year, are evident from the fact that 36 among during their flight from Mongolia to Africa. 344 species of birds are found only on the . A few thousands halt in Tamenglong islands. district of Manipur and some parts of . Eight species of amphibians and 23 species Nagaland where they feed on termites and of reptiles are endemic to the islands, and other insects for about three weeks. thus are at high risk of being threatened. Risks in Manipur . Another unique feature of the islands’ . Amur Falcons are hunted in hundreds ecosystem is its marine faunal diversity, every day in Tamengong district and sold which includes coral reefs and its for meat. associated fauna. In all, 555 species of . Poachers also kill the birds in the Loktak scleractinian corals (hard or stony corals) Lake are found in the island ecosystem, all which Infrastructure bottlenecks are placed under Schedule I of the WPA. . Wildlife officials posted in the district are . Similarly, all species of gorgonian (sea fans) not issued firearms because of the and calcerous sponge are listed under insurgency flourishing in this region. different schedules of the WPA . There is no high-speed boat to chase the Threats poachers . The island's biodiversity faces threats from Why in news? tourism, illegal construction, mining and . A female Amur falcon named ‘Tamenglong’ volatile climatic factors. fitted with GPS transmitter by forest . Some of the species in A&N Islands are officials in Manipur reached Somalia restricted to a very small area and thus covering 5700km in 5 days. more vulnerable to any anthropogenic threat . In a recent development, the Government Islands of India of India relaxed the Restricted Area Permit Highlights from the report (RAP) norms for some foreign nationalities . The ZSI has for the first time come up with notified under the Foreigners (Restricted a database of all faunal species found on the Areas) Order, 1963, to visit 29 of its Andaman and Nicobar Islands. inhabited islands . The island group comprising 0.25% of . The development model that is being India's geographical area is home to 11,009 pursued at the macro level, such as tourism, faunal species which is more than 10% of construction and development of military, country's fauna species. are not taking into account three factors — . There are 1067 endemic faunal species 1. ecological fragility of the area (the found only in Andaman and Nicobar endemism) Islands like the Narcondam hornbill, 2. geological volatility (earthquakes and Nicobar megapode, Nicobar treeshrew, tsunamis), Page | 36

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai 3. Impact they will have on local communities in the capital city of Amaravati. Andaman and Nicobar Islands . The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Brazil loses forests comprises of 572 islands, islets and rocky Findings outcrops covering a total area of 8,249 sq. . An area of 7900 sq km of forest was cleared km located in the Bay of Bengal. between august 2017 and july 2018. . The population of the islands is not more Deforestation has increased by 14%. than 4 lakh. . Deforestation was slowed down between . It includes six particularly vulnerable tribal 2004 and 2012 due to efforts of groups (PVTGs) — Great Andamanese, government and private sector. Onge, Jarawa, Sentinelese, Nicobarese and Amazon rainforest Shompens . The Amazon region holds the largest . The number of tourists visiting the island tropical rainforest in the world and is home annually is 4.87 lakhs. to plant and animal species that are still Restricted Area Permit being discovered by scientists. . As per the Foreigners (Restricted Areas) . The Amazon is a vast region that spans Order 1968, a Restricted Area Permit across eight rapidly developing countries: (RAP) is required for non-Indians to visit Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, certain areas in India. Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French . Every foreigner who wants to visit a Guiana restricted area has to obtain a special . It is a moist broadleaf forest in the Amazon permit from the competent authority. biome that covers most of the Amazon . Citizens of Afghanistan, China and Pakistan basin of South America. and foreign nationals of Pakistani origin . It represents more than half of Earth's are exception and are not allowed to enter remaining rainforests and covers an area of such areas. 5.5 million sq km. . Under the Foreigners (Restricted) Areas . It is sometimes referred to as the lungs of Order, 1963, the following areas have been the Earth declared as `Restricted’ Areas :- Concerns 1. Andaman & Nicobar Islands - Entire Union . There are threats from illegal logging as Territory well as farming (especially soybean 2. Sikkim - Part of the State plantations) and pasture land for cattle Why in news? . It could get worse if the President elect . The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has relaxes environmental rules. He has said to released a document titled "Faunal clear more forest area for agriculture and Diversity of Biogeographic Zones: Islands pasture land. He also said that he would of India" end protected areas, indigenous reserves, reduce power to inspect and punish Forest advisory committee (FAC) environmental crimes etc. What is Forest advisory committee (FAC)? Why in news? . Forest advisory committee is a statutory . Greenpeace has said that in a year Brazil body of the Ministry of Environment gas lost forests equal to the size of one Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) million football pitches formed under the Forest Conservation Act of 1980. Captive elephants . It is a 6-member committee. About the census . FAC advises the ministry on any activity . It was the first-ever captive elephant that requires the diversion of forestland for census undertaken in the state. non-forest use. . 521 elephants were recorded in the census Why in news? conducted by the Forests and Wildlife . The Forest advisory committee (FAC) has department. rejected proposals from the Andhra . Information regarding measurements, Pradesh Government regarding conversion permanent shelters and information of of forest lands into infrastructure projects

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Officers IAS Academy, Chennai owners and mahouts were collected during threat of climate change by keeping a global the census. temperature rise this century well below 2 National elephant census degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels . Nationwide elephant population and to pursue efforts to limit the estimation exercise is conducted every 5 temperature increase even further to 1.5 years by forest departments of elephant degrees Celsius. range states. . Additionally, the agreement aims to . In 2017, the national elephant population strengthen the ability of countries to deal was estimated at around 27312. with the impacts of climate change. . The 2017 census was the first ever . The Paris Agreement requires all Parties to synchronized all India elephant population put forward their best efforts through estimation. “nationally determined contributions” . Karnataka has the highest number of (NDCs) and to strengthen these efforts in elephants (6,049), followed by Assam the years ahead. (5,719) and Kerala (3,054). . This includes requirements that all Parties . Techniques like direct count, indirect report regularly on their emissions and on count, waterhole methods and elephant their implementation efforts. distribution mapping were used for the . There will also be a global stock take every estimation. 5 years to assess the collective progress . The population had decreased by 3000 towards achieving the purpose of the compared to the 2012 census. agreement and to inform further individual Why in news? actions by Parties. . The first ever captive elephant census was Status of ratification conducted in Kerala. . The Paris Agreement entered into force on 4 November 2016, thirty days after the date Transport sector pollution on which at least 55 Parties to the How? Convention accounting in total for at least . The axle load of trucks has been increased an estimated 55 % of the total global by 20-25% which will lead to reduction in greenhouse gas emissions have deposited pollution. their instruments of ratification, . Mandatory fixing of fastags in all new acceptance, approval or accession with the vehicles and transport vehicles has Depositary. reduced waiting time at tolls and in turn India's INDC targets reduce pollution. . Reduce emission intensity by 33 to 35 per Why in news? cent by 2030 compared to 2005 levels . Minister of State for Road Transport . Produce 40 per cent of electricity from non- mentioned the reforms taken in transport fossil fuel based energy resources by 2030, sector that can reduce pollution. if international community helps with technology transfer and low cost finance. . Create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 Paris climate deal billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent What is Paris climate deal? by 2030 through additional forest and tree . At COP 21 in Paris, on 12 December 2015, cover. Parties to the UNFCCC reached a landmark . Develop robust adaptation strategies for agreement to combat climate change and to agriculture, water and health sectors accelerate and intensify the actions and Why in news? investments needed for a sustainable low . India has said that it will resist attempts by carbon future. countries to renegotiate the Paris . The Paris Agreement central aim is to Agreement strengthen the global response to the

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Officers IAS Academy, Chennai Culture

Ram statue restricted but this site of Begur is Why in news? surrounded by urban settlements. . The state of Uttar Pradesh has cleared Why in News? plans to build 221m Ram statue on the . The Department of Archaeology, Museums banks of River Saryu and Heritage under Archaeological Survey About the statue of India(ASI) has asked for the transfer of . The height of the Ram statue would be 151 land titles of the circular 700 to 800-year- metres, its overhead umbrella would be 20 old mud fort at Begur from the Revenue metres and the pedestal would be 50 Department for better protection of metres structure. . The statue will be made of bronze . Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural . The pedestal will have a modern museum Heritage (INTACH) has been pushing for showcasing history of Ayodhya, legendary protection, recognition and conservation of Ishvaku dynasty and Raja Manu, and the heritage properties across the city. Ram Janmabhooomi. . Begur Fort’s protection has been . The government did not reveal the details recommended along with the of cost, funding, or exact location Panchalingeswara temple located nearby. River Saryu . The Saryu is a river that flows through the Iravatham Mahadevan Indian states of Uttarakhand and Uttar Why in news Pradesh. . Iravatham Mahadevan who was a leading . This river is of ancient significance, finding scholar on the Indus Valley and Tamil mentions in the Vedas and the Ramayana. Brahmi scripts, passed away. . Ayodhya is situated on the banks of river Saryu Other planned Ram statutes . The government has also planned another statue of Lord Ram at Shringverpur, a site near Allahabad revered by Nishads. . A statue of Nishadraj, the caste icon and boatman who, as per Hindu beliefs, helped Lord Ram along with his wife and brother cross the Ganga during exile will also be built next to Lord Ram statue.

Begur fort

About Begur His works and achievements . Begur is a town in the Indian state of . He was the former member of the Indian Karnataka. Administrative Service (IAS) and a Padma . It is said to have been a prominent place Shri-awardee and retired voluntarily in when the Western Ganga Dynasty and the 1980. Chola Kingdom ruled. . He was awarded the Jawaharlal Nehru . Panchalingeshwara temple was built by Fellowship in 1970 for his research on the Akthiyar under chola kingdom and has a Indus script and the National Fellowship of 1100 years old inscription, which has an the Indian Council of Historical Research in existing reference to'Bengaluru' as early as 1992 for his work on the Tamil Brahmi 819 AD. inscriptions. . The Begur fort was owned by Chola empire . He was the Editor of the Tamil daily, by Thanjai, Tamilnadu. Dinamani. Challenges . His ‘The Indus Script - Texts, Concordance . Protected sites have a 300 m buffer where and Tables,’ was published by the construction activity is prohibited or Page | 39

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai Archaeological survey of India in 1977 . The Conference is being organised by which forms a resource for Indus Valley Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, UNESCO scholarship. MGIEP and STEP (Standing Together to . His ‘Early Tamil Epigraphy’, first published Enable Peace). jointly by Harvard University, Cre-A About the conference (Online Tamil language Repository) in . The representing countries include: 2003 and Central Institute of Classical Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Tamil is regarded as the most authoritative Nepal and Sri Lanka discussed different work on early South Indian epigraphy. dimensions of ‘peace’. . He also established the Indus Research . Representative of the UNESCO MGIEP Centre at the Roja Muthiah Research talked about UNESCO’s ‘International Library and founded the Vidyasagar Youth Campaign on Kindness for Educational Trust,to support under- Sustainable Development Goals’ to privileged students. mobilize the world youth to achieve 17 SDG What is epigraphy? through acts of kindness. . Epigraphy is the study of inscriptions or . The conference had conversations on epigraphs that includes the writing, Gender, Food Security, Interfaith Harmony, clarifying meanings and classifying their Digital media, Art Democracy and other uses according to dates and cultural Dialogues. contexts and drawing conclusions on the Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti writing and the writers. . Located at Rajghat (Delhi), Gandhi Smriti Indus valley script and Darshan Samiti was formed in . In the Indus Valley Civilization, the style of September 1984 by the merger of Gandhi script is Boustrophedon i.e. Written from Darshan at Rajghat and Gandhi Smriti. right to left in first line and from left to right . Gandhi Smriti is one of the biggest in second line. museums of Gandhi and has a library . The first common feature is Indus script on where around 60,000 books are kept, 6000 seals. This script has not been deciphered original photos of Gandhi preserved and yet. has bookshops selling books of Gandhi. Tamil Brahmi Script . The room Mahatma lived in and the prayer . Tamil-Brahmi, or Tamili, is a variant of the ground where he fell a martyr attract a Brahmi script used to write the Tamil large number of visitors daily. language. . These are the earliest documents of a Indigenous film festival Dravidian language. Importance of the indigenous film festival . The script was well established in the . It aims to showcase the issues and enemies Chera and Pandyan states, (Presently Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Sri the indigenous communities face in the Lanka) form of predatory Indian corporates who . The language is Archaic Tamil, and led to devastate the forests for minerals and classical Sangam literature. plantations. . Tamil Brahmi differs in several ways from . The developments at the cost of this Ashokan Brahmi. It adds diacritics (a sign indigenous identity have been destructing used along with the letter which adds to a the rainforests and oil plantations thereby difference in pronunciation) to several letters for sounds not found in Prakrit of affecting a range of habitations ranging Ashokan Brahmi. from Niyamgiri tribes of Odisha to West Papua tribes, their traditions and South Asia Youth Peace Conference environment. Why in News Why in News? . A three-day South Asia Youth Peace . India’s first international indigenous film Conference as part of Celebrating 150th festival will take place in February next birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, was year is an initiative of activist film, Video inaugurated in the capital. Organising Committee Republic. Page | 40

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai Miscellaneous

Self defense for women of the building will be designed with the Why in news? theme- ‘from darkness to light’. . Kangazha village in Kottayam will earn the distinction of having all its women aged 10- Ironman 70.3 60 trained in self-defence. 7,800 women of Ironman 70.3: this village get self-defence instruction.  An Ironman 70.3, also known as a Half More about training: Ironman, is one of a series of long-distance . The training was imparted initially through triathlon races organized by the World a core team of five master trainers from the Triathlon Corporation (WTC). Kerala police, who then reached out to the  The "70.3" refers to the total distance in Kudumbashree units. miles (113.0 km) covered in the race, . Classes were held on weekends and soon consisting of a 1.2-mile (1.9 km) swim, a the attendance outgrew the space. 56-mile (90 km) bike ride, and a 13.1-mile . Instead of complex martial arts techniques, (21.1 km) run. women are taught easy-to-remember  Each distance of the swim, bike, and run defence tactics that incapacitate the segments is half the distance of that attacker. segment in an Ironman Triathlon. . The training comprised modules on the  The Ironman 70.3 series culminates each various types of assaults women face, such year with a World Championship as molestation on public transport and competition, for which competitors qualify domestic violence. during the 70.3 series in the 12 months prior to the championship race. Nariman Light House  In addition to the World Championship Why in news: race, Ironman 70.3 championship . A waterfall monument inscribed with competitions are also held for the names of all the victims of 26/11 terror European, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America attack including the policemen and regions. National Security Guards and plaques of Significance of the event: the sites where the terrorists attacked,  With changes in lifestyle in nutrition and surrounded with lush green plants forms food, events such as this help people to be the rooftop memorial at the Nariman active participants. House, the Jewish center in Colaba.  The previous title winners of the event are More about the news: expected to tour the country on creating . The memorial will be formally inaugurated awareness on training, nutrition and on the tenth anniversary of the ghastly hydration. attacks on the city.  Creates employment for many coaches and . This is the only memorial that honours all active participation of women. the victims of the attack, even as the attack  Promotes tourism and infrastructure on took place at many locations. location where the event is held. . The terrace memorial is the first phase of Why in news? the museum. It will be opened for the  On October 20, 2019, the world’s 127th public soon and those interested can Ironman 70.3 race, and India’s first, will be register online. held in Goa. . In the second phase that will be ready by end of next year, the fourth and fifth floors

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Officers IAS Academy, Chennai News in-depth General Studies-1

Minorities in India Education and employment opportunities Introduction among Muslims . Officially, there are 6 minorities in India viz. . The NSSO’s 68th round (2011-12) provides Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, estimates of education levels and job Parsis and Jains. market indicators across major religious . The Union Government set up the National communities in India. According to it: Commission for Minorities (NCM) under 1. Around half the Muslim population over 15 the National Commission for Minorities years is either illiterate or has only primary Act, 1992. Its mandate is to evaluate or middle school education. The number of progress of development of Minorities. illiterate people is highest among Muslims Constitutional provisions (190 per 1,000. . The term "Minority" has not been properly 2. The current attendance rate among defined anywhere in the Indian Muslims is least across all age groups. Constitution. But minority status has been 3. In urban areas, the number of male Muslim conferred on many groups. postgraduates is as low as 15 per 1,000. . According to the Article 29 and 30 of the This number is about four times lower than Constitution, any group living within the that of other communities, including jurisdiction of India is entitled to preserve Hindus, Christians and Sikhs. and promote its own language, script or 4. The average per capita consumption literature, and culture and administer expenditure (used as an indicator of educational institution. income) among Muslims is just ₹32.66 per Issues affecting the conditions of minorities in day, which is the least among all religious India groups. . Because of the differences in socio-cultural . The high level of illiteracy among Muslims practices, history and backgrounds, and the low levels of general education minorities have to grapple with the issue of ensure that they are trapped in a vicious identity with majority section. circle of poverty. The lack of higher . Different identity and their small number education is adversely affecting their job relative to the rest of the society develop indicators. feeling of insecurity about their life, assets Government initiatives and well-being. . PM 15 points programme for welfare of the . The minority community in a society may minorities, which is an overarching remain deprived of the benefit of programme covering various opportunities of development as a result of schemes/initiatives of different ministries. discrimination. . USTAAD aims at upgrading Skills and . Communal tensions and riots have been Training in preservation of traditional increasing since independence hence Ancestral Arts/Crafts of minorities. minority interests get threatened. . Hamari Dharohar aims to preserve rich . Lack of Representation in Civil Service and heritage of minority communities in Politics The total Muslim representation in context of Indian culture. Parliament is 4%, the lowest since 1957 . Khwaja Garib Nawaz Senior Secondary against 13% of total population. School Will be established at Ajmer by . Muslim community is performing very Maulana Azad Education Foundation poor in economic and educational (MAEF) to give a fillip to minority indicators among various minorities and education. Muslims are facing a vicious circle of . Nai Manzil provide a bridge course to poverty. bridge the academic and skill development Page | 42

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai gaps of the deeni Madrasa pass outs with . Difficult for women working in the their mainstream counterparts. corporate world where organisation is . Nai Roshni scheme is envisaged to reach mostly hierarchical in nature. out to women through nongovernmental . Most critical aspect of the movement “what organizations who will be provided with should constitute sexual harassment?” is financial support and to conduct leadership yet to comprehensively defined. development trainings so that women are . Questions regarding when and how the empowered and emboldened to move out state and other institutional mechanisms of the confines of home and community. come into play if an allegation is made. Way ahead . Difficult to prove it legally, also it damages . There is urgent need to provide enough a person’s reputation and even if they are opportunities and platform to the proved innocent later. minorities so that they can become a part of . Social media and Media house make a mainstream society. person a convict even if the person even . Initiatives on the education front would before a person is given a chance to speak. largely benefit in the long run. Self They can be politically motivated. empowerment and inclusive development Steps taken to curb sexual harassment in the should be agenda of the government. working places . To realise Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas holistic . Supreme Court gave Vishaka guidelines to model of development is the key. eliminate all forms of discrimination and to ensure safety and security to women. Metoo movement . Parliament passed Sexual Harassment of Introduction Women at Workplace (Prevention, . The ‘MeToo’ movement was founded in Prohibition and Redressal). 2006 by Tarana Burke. It was to help . There should be an internal grievances survivors of sexual violence, by creating a complaints committee if it is a work place community of survivors who move forward of more than 10 employees. together. . Establishment of SHe-box recently to . The #MeToo spread virally as a hashtag register online complaints of harassment. used on social media in an attempt to . Coordinating with international initiatives demonstrate the widespread prevalence of like CEDAW of UN and HeForShe sexual harassment in the workplace. campaigns. . Over the last few weeks women from Way forward entertainment and journalism using social . Need for policymakers to closely examine media platform to name and shame alleged the how the existing working system are men who sexually harassed them in the not supportive to women’s issues. past. . Attitudinal change and gender sensitive Significance of the movement training should take importance in all . Huge support of public from both male and working institutions. female has been gathered which is a move . Even for making false allegations and for gender equality and cooperation. charges women should be punished. . Women are no longer ashamed to name the accuser. Campaign has built courage among The Sentinelese: not so lost in time the victims to publicly name the perpetrator. . Voluntary participation of lawyers and fund for legal activity raised for justice to sexual victims. . Perhaps, it can act as a deterrent. Concerns about the movement . Not a inclusive- women working in unorganised sector unable to take part in the movement.

Why in News?

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Officers IAS Academy, Chennai . The tragic death of a young American . According to the records of the ANSI adventurer John Allen Chau by the publication, The Sentinelese have the Sentinelese tribe has triggered global reputation of hostility towards outsiders, if media interest and debate in the region they felt people were going to occupy their once again. land,but have been contacted by In detail of the news anthropologists through 26 expeditions . The incident took place in the protected since the 1970s. It is stated that seven were “tribal reserve” of North Sentinel Island in met with overt hostility. the Andaman and Nicobar Islands . Having lived in isolation they have no archipelago. immunity to even the commonest of . The Restricted Area Permit (RAP), that infections. allows people from visiting certain . A protocol of circumnavigation of the locations with permission, may be re - island and the buffer maintained around imposed in the Island following the the island is enforced under various laws. incident. About the other tribes of the region . A delegation of the National Commission . There are four ancient Negrito tribal for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) will visit communities in the Andaman Islands (the Andamans and Nicobar Island, to assess the Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa and situation. Sentinelese) and two Mongoloid tribal About NCST communities in the Nicobar Islands (the . NCST is constitutional body set up under Shompen and Nicobarese). Article 338A added through Constitution What is the debate? (89th Amendment) Act, 2003 . Some see it as signs of a pathological . It comprises Chairperson, Vice- “primitivity” while some see it as the result Chairperson & Three full-time Members of “complete isolation” from “civilisation” (including one woman). due to the colonial brutality. Functions . But the photographic evidence with the . Investigate and monitor all matters Government of India’s own official relating to the safeguards provided for the “contact” 1970s onwards questions the STs under the Constitution. “complete isolation” thesis. . Inquire into specific complaints with . While there are Images of angry respect to the deprivation of rights. Sentinelese pointing at or shooting arrows . Participate, advise and evaluate in planning at a passing helicopter is in the media at the process of socio-economic development of same time there are other images of them the STs under the Centre and any State. receiving coconuts, bananas and other gifts . Present an annual report before President, from government contact parties. upon the working of those safeguards. . The question is from where are these glass . To recommend measures to be taken by beads in their necklaces, trinkets, large Governments for effective implementation tarpaulin sheets and ready supplies of iron of those safeguards to make adze blades and arrowheads come About the Sentinelese Tribe from? . The Sentinelese are an indigenous people . Some have called for the Sentinelese to be who inhabit North Sentinel Island in the convicted and punished and others have Bay of Bengal in India who live in almost urged that they be integrated into modern isolation in one part of the country with a society. size estimate of 40 to 500 individuals. From the history . The Sentinelese is considered as one of the . The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have Andamanese peoples as the North Sentinel historically been treated as terra nullius, or Island is part of the Andaman Islands. empty space, wherein mainland . The sea surrounding the 59.67 sq. km. governments could inscribe their authority island allows them to fish with bows, and initiate projects of control. arrows and spears. . The British initiated projects treating the . This tribe is the most isolated among the islands as a strategic outpost and then a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups penal colony. (PVTG) in Andaman and Nicobar islands. Page | 44

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai . Angered at this, the tribes attacked the . The death of the 27-year-old on November British in 1859. The battle of Aberdeen 17 demands efforts to protect one of the was fought between two groups and many world’s last “uncontacted” tribes, whose tribes were wiped out. language and customs remain a mystery to . The Indian government made it a free outsiders. society but used it as a space to settle its . There is hope that the Prime Minister’s “excess” population like the refugee forthcoming visit to the Andaman and rehabilitation schemes in the post- Nicobar Islands for the new projects must Partition years. be context-sensitive “island view” of India’s policy towards these tribals development and recognize PVTGs as equal . Jawaharlal Nehru’s Tribal Panchsheel was stakeholders in a common sustainable the guiding principles after Independence future. to formulate policies for the indigenous communities of the Andaman and Nicobar Aadi Mahotsav and tribal paintings Islands. Aadi Mahotsav event . Based on them, the Andaman and Nicobar . The event is a vision of Late Shri Atal Bihari Islands (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Regulation (ANPATR), 1956 was Vajpaye for tribal empowerment which is promulgated by the President. participated by the tribal artisans from . This Regulation protected the tribals from across the states. outside interference and said no land in a . The highlights of the festival include reserved area shall be allotted for demonstration for 4 different school of agricultural purposes or sold or mortgaged painting i.e. Warli, Pithora, Gond and Saura to outsiders and those violating the land showcasing tribal textiles and tribal rights were to be imprisoned for one year, fined ₹1,000, or both. accessories. . A policy of non-intervention was sought to . Steps towards digitization have been taken bring the Jarawas into the mainstream. in partnership with online retailers to . In 2005, nearly 50 years after it was enable selection and purchase of tribal promulgated, the ANPATR was amended. products through the shopping sites. . But the Andaman Trunk Road led to What is TRIFED? increased interaction with the tribals . TRIFED stands for The Tribal Cooperative mainly the Jarawas, leading to the spread of diseases, sexual exploitation, and begging. Marketing Development Federation of . Following this, the government amended India Limited. the ANPATR yet again in 2012, creating a . The cooperative is engaged in marketing buffer zone that prohibited tourist and support of tribal products through a operators. network of retail outlets. International conventions . It was established in August 1987 by Multi- . While the Indigenous and Tribal Populations Convention, 1957, of the State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002. International Labor Organization (ILO) . It is a national-level apex organization insisted on an integrationist approach under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs with its towards tribal communities, the 1989 Head Office in New Delhi. convention insisted on a policy of non- . Its objective also includes institutionalizing intervention. trade of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) and . India ratified the 1957 convention but not Surplus Agriculture Produce (SAP) the 1989 convention and tried to tread the path of non-interference. collected or cultivated by tribals. . India needs to sign the 1989 convention of . It also works as an agency to the FCI for the ILO. procurement of wheat and rice. . The administration enforces “an ‘eyes-on School of painting explained and hands-off’ policy to ensure that no Warli School of painting: poachers enter the island”. Way forward Page | 45

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai . Warli painting is a style of tribal art created by quite common in Andhra Pradesh, the tribal people from the North Sahyadri Maharashtra, Chhatisgarh and Odisha. Range in India. . The bardic priests perform rituals in the form of . It originated in Maharashtra. figurative and narrative visual art depicting the . The ritual paintings are usually created on the natural and mythological worlds, traditional inside walls of village huts which are made up songs and oral histories. of earth and red brick that make a red ochre . Jangarh Singh Shyam was the first Gond artist background for the paintings. to use paper and canvas for his art. . The Warli only paint with a white pigment . Gond paintings bear a remarkable likeness made from a mixture of rice paste and water, aboriginal art from Australia with gum as a binder and a bamboo stick as a Saura School of painting: paintbrush. . Saura tribal painting is a style of wall mural . Walls are painted only to mark special paintings associated with the Sauda tribals of occasions such as weddings or harvests. the state of Odisha in India. Pithora School of painting: . These paintings, also called ikons (or ekons) are . It is a highly ritualistic painting practised by visually similar to Warli paintings and hold tribes like Rathwas, Bhilalas of Central Gujarath religious significance for the Sauras. on the walls of the houses to plead the gods for . People, horses, elephants, the sun and the moon a boon. and the tree of life are recurring motifs in these . The walls are treated with a double layer of cow ikons. dung and a layer of chalk powder before . The paintings' is prepared from red or yellow painting. ochre earth which is painted by brushes made . The Bhadwa or the head priest of the tribe up of tender bamboo shoots. listens to the problem of people which can vary . The dyes are derived from ground white stone, from dying cattle, to unwell children in the hued earth, vermilion and mixtures of tamarind family. seed ,flower and leaf extracts. . The concerned person is given a solution and is . Saura paintings have a striking visual asked, by the Bhadwa, to perform the ritual and semblance to Warli art and both use clear the painting. geometric frames for their construction but the . Pithora paintings are characterized by the difference is seven horses representing the seven hills that 1. Saura paintings have a fish-net approach - of surround the area where the Rathwas reside. painting from the border inwards which is not This is enclosed within a rectangular fence the case with Warli paintings. 2. Warli paintings have male and female icons that which extends up to the Arabian Sea in the west, are clearly distinguishable whereas in Saura art Bharuch in south and Indore in north and east. there is no such physical differentiation. The wavy line depicting the river Narmada cuts Why in News? through the painting. . The 4th edition of annual “Aadi Mahotsav” Gond school of painting: which is a National Tribal Festival was . Gond art is practised by “Gondi” tribe of Central celebrated in Dilli Haat, New Delhi. India. . It is organized by Ministry of Tribal Affairs . The art form celebrates life i.e, hills, streams, animals, birds etc. painted on the mud walls of in association with TRIFED and Ministry of their house. Culture to celebrate and cherish the spirit . Gond comes from the Dravidian expression, of tribal culture, craft, cuisine and Kond which means ‘the green mountain’. commerce. . While Gond paintings are considered to be from predominantly from Madhya Pradesh, it is also

General Studies-2

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Officers IAS Academy, Chennai Allied and Healthcare Professions . The State Council will undertake Bill, 2018 recognition of allied and healthcare institutions. Need for the bill . Offences and Penalties clause have been . In the current state of healthcare system, included in the Bill to check malpractices. there exist many allied and healthcare . The Bill also empowers the Central and professionals, who remain unidentified, State Governments to make rules. unregulated and underutilised. Allied and . Central Govt. also has the power to issue Healthcare Professionals can be utilised to directions to the Council, to make improve and increase the access to quality regulations and to add or amend the driven services in the rural and hard to schedule. reach areas. . The centre will play the role of policy . Skilled and efficient Allied and Healthcare formulation and co-ordinator and the Professionals (A&HPs) can reduce the cost states will deal with implementation. of care and dramatically improve the Impact accessibility to quality driven healthcare . Bring all existing allied and healthcare services. professionals together . Globally, Allied and Healthcare . Opportunity to create qualified, highly Professionals typically attend skilled and competent jobs in healthcare by undergraduate degree programme and enabling professionalism may attain up to PhD level qualification. . High quality, multi-disciplinary care in line However, most of Indian institutions with the vision of Ayushman Bharat, offering such courses lack standardisation. moving away from a 'doctor led' model to a . There exists a lack of comprehensive 'care accessible and team based’ model regulatory framework and absence of . Opportunity to cater to the global demand standards for education and training of (shortage) of healthcare workforce which A&HPs. is projected to be about 15 million by the . The Bill thus seeks to establish a robust year 2030, as per the WHO Global regulatory framework which will play the Workforce, 2030 report role of a standard-setter and regulator for . The efficiency of doctors will improve as Allied and Healthcare professions. allied healthcare professionals can play a . There is a necessity for adequately trained greater role. The doctors can visit more allied healthcare professionals who can patients. work independently without the guidance . It will give rise to increased wages for of doctors. healthcare workers and provide Features of the bill employment. . Establishment of a Central and Challenges in implementation corresponding State Allied and Healthcare . Diverse stakeholders need to be brought Councils together which involves a long, tedious, . The Bill provides for Structure, deliberate and detailed effort. Constitution, Composition and Functions of . The states need to be brought into the the Central Council and State Councils scheme and state councils need to be . e.g. Framing policies and standards, created. Regulation of professional conduct, Effect on Ayushman Bharat scheme Creation and maintenance of live Registers, . 70% of primary care can be handled by provisions for common entry and exit allied healthcare professionals. Therefore examinations, etc. properly trained allied healthcare . The Central Council will comprise 47 professionals can take care of primary and members and the State Councils will be preventive care in health and wellness made of 28 members. centres. . Professional Advisory Bodies under . The allied healthcare workers can play a Central and State Councils will examine greater role under doctor’s supervision in issues independently and provide tertiary care. It will also improve the recommendations relating to specific productivity of doctors. recognised categories.

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Officers IAS Academy, Chennai . Therefore both the pillars of Ayushman . India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Bharat scheme are strengthened. Maldives and Sri Lanka are the countries belonging to the region. Most of these Neighbourhood first? countries were previously ruled by the Introduction: British. They have similar cultures, social . India is one of the fastest growing habits and economic problems. economies in South Asia. It is the seventh- . All these countries face problems arising largest country by area, the second-most out of overpopulation, poverty, populous country (with over 1.2 billion malnutrition, illiteracy etc. people). . It is believed that these countries of South . It shares its land borders with Afghanistan, Asia could progress fast only through Myanmar Bhutan, Burma, Bangladesh, cooperation with each other and by China, Nepal, and Pakistan and in Indian devising common plans for development. Ocean; it is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and . This concept led to the formation of the Maldives. South Asian Association for Regional . India’s government nature toward the Cooperation (SAARC) with the objective of neighbour countries is always peaceful mutual economic and social development. and positive. Government, for this, has SAARC and ASEAN are two main pillars of been making the policies and efforts to Neighbour’s First Policy. make good relation with the neighbour Present scenario: countries. . Suhasini Haider, an International relations Background expert talked about recent changes in . The roots of the policy ‘Neighbour’s First’ Neighbourhood policy of Modi began from Look East policy which was government. initiated by the former Indian Prime . There is gradual shift in the government’s Minister P V Narasimha Rao. neighbourhood policy of 2018, that . The purpose was simple and clear, to resounds closer to the “neighbourhood maintain friendly relations with first” articulation of 2014. neighbouring countries and to cultivate . The government has changed its role from extensive economic and strategic relations playing big brother in the neighbourhood with the nations of Southeast Asia in order to a more generous and avuncular version. to bolster its standing as a regional power Maldives: and a counterweight to the strategic . In mid-November Prime Minister Modi influence of the People’s Republic of China. attended the swearing-in of Ibrahim . The major dispute between India and china Mohamed Solih as the country’s President. began when India gave asylum to Dalai This was Mr. Modi’s first visit to the Lama before indo-Sino war. In spite of Maldives, the only country in South Asia he signing the Panchsheel Agreement, in 1962, had not yet visited in his tenure and the China attacked India in the North-East and first by an Indian Prime Minister in seven occupied a part of Indian Territory. The years. In swearing in ceremony Prime war ended soon but relations between Minister’s gesture was softer as he chose to India and China remained strained for a be one among the audience rather than on long time to come. stage. . The visits of the former Indian Prime . Earlier, Prime Minister cancelled his trip in Ministers Rajiv Gandhi (in 1988) and 2015 to register a strong protest at the Narasimha Rao (in 1993) to China have treatment of opposition leaders, who are improved the situation to some extent. now in government. . Several trade agreements have also been . When emergency was declared by the signed. But it is not an easy task to restore previous regime of Abdulla Yameen, New peace and mutual trust between the two Delhi made no attempt to threaten him countries. militarily despite expectations of domestic . South Asia comprises the countries lying to commentators and Western diplomats. the south of the Himalayas and the . When Mr. Yameen denied visas to Hindukush mountains. thousands of Indian job seekers and naval and military personnel stationed there, Page | 48

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai New Delhi’s response was much softer by . Reason for this change in approach author declaring that every country has a right to cited is receiving of certain backlash from decide its visa policy. some of its smallest neighbours like Nepal Nepal: and the Maldives in recent times. . With Nepal, the government’s moves were . Another could be the conscious rolling back a clear turn-around from the ‘tough love’ of India’s previous policy of dissuading policy since the 2015 blockade. After the neighbours from Chinese engagement to re-election of K.P. Sharma Oli, External now standing back as they learn the risks of Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj went to debt-traps and over-construction of Kathmandu despite of his anti-India infrastructure on their own. campaign. . Since then, Mr. Oli has been invited to Delhi Civil-military relationship: and Mr. Modi has made two visits to Nepal, Preventing another scuffle with a third one planned in December to be Why in News? part of the “Vivaha Panchami” festival. The . In Bomdila, arunachal pradesh there was frequency of visits in 2018 is in stark tussle between military and police. contrast to the three preceding years, when . The police arrested two army men and Mr. Modi did not visit Nepal at all. were mistreated. The battalion of army Afghanistan: scouts vandalised whole police station the . After a policy of more than two decades of very next moment when talks failed refusing to engage with the Taliban, in between higher authorities. November India sent envoys to the Moscow . To sooth the situation Defence minister conference on Afghanistan, where the Nirmala Sitharaman has to visit the area Taliban’s representatives were present. and bridge the gap. The U.S. chose to send a diplomat based in How different are two? Moscow as an “observer”, but the Indian . The Bomdila incident is not the first time delegation of former Ambassadors to the when there was a tussle between civil region represented non-official administration and the military having “participation” at the event. locked horns. There is a delicate thread that . Earlier, the government had stayed aloof links the uniformed and non-uniformed from the process, explaining that any sections meeting outside Afghanistan crossed . The civil administration deals the redline on an “Afghan-owned and Afghan- complicated pressures from social strife, led solution”. economic hardships, and law and order. . Although the change in position was . The uniformed services, on the other hand, eventually achieved by a high-level see themselves as protectors of the nation outreach by the Russian government and even at the cost of their own lives. A soldier Afghanistan President Ghani himself. Ghani puts all his faith in his commander with a had made a strong pitch for backing talks faith that he r is supreme and will always with the Taliban during a visit to Delhi in look after his interests as well as those of mid-September. his family. Pakistan: . This implicit faith of the soldier, makes the . India sent two Union Ministers to Pakistan sailor and the airman best in their to join Prime Minister Imran Khan for the leadership. A commander’s order is ground-breaking ceremony for the sacrosanct and a soldier on the front line Kartarpur corridor, as part of the larger follows it unflinchingly despite knowing pattern of softening towards the that he could lose his life the next moment. neighbourhood. . For military effectiveness this type of With other countries: military culture is required and of course it . During election campaign in Bhutan and is different from that of a civilian’s Bangladesh and during the political crisis Core issues: in Sri Lanka, India has chosen to make no . Both should acknowledge each other. public political statement that could be Military should respect the expertise of the construed as interference or preference for civil administration and the latter should one side over the other. Page | 49

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai respect and ensure that a soldier does feel toward hiring Independent contractors a bit special. and freelancers instead of full-time . This special feeling of solder should be by employees. A gig economy undermines the solving the everyday pressures that a traditional economy of full-time workers soldier and his family face, issues of pay who rarely change positions and instead and allowances, precedence with civilian focus on a lifetime career. counterparts, a lack of good schooling on Transnational issues: account of frequent postings, housing . This reveals an important truth about the issues, land litigation and the like. contemporary, globalised world, issues . This results in healthy civil-military that were earlier resolved within a relations. sovereign state in accordance with its . Respecting is different from worshipping. constitutional system have now acquired a Worshipping the military as God leads to transnational character resentment among certain sections of . For example, because of its attempts to society. We need to understand two core make essential medicines affordable questions: who controls the military and through amendments to its Patent Act, how? What degree of military influence is India has come under pressure from the appropriate for a given society? U.S. and the European Union (at the . Recent use of military in civil activities (like behest of prominent pharmaceutical building bridges, countering local crimes, companies), while finding support and disaster management etc.) makes civil emulation in countries like South Africa employees lose faith in them. and Thailand. . Civil-military relation is an art which . In 2011, the EU seized shipments of life- require delicate nursing through saving Indian drugs that were being statesmanship. transported to Africa and Latin America, on the basis that it could apply its more The case for a progressive restrictive patent and customs laws to goods in transit through its territory. international . The transnational character of these issues Introduction: suggests that the response cannot succeed . In 2018, it was revealed that India is facing if it is unilateral legal claims from international investors in . The issues are not limited to conflicts as many as 23 arbitration cases, before before international forums. Recent various tribunals. months have seen clashes between . It is important to note that these claims, national regulatory authorities and the which are worth billions of dollars, arise corporations that drive the new “gig out of bilateral investment treaties economy”, such as Uber. between India and other states. . Just like in the case of investment treaties, . Further, one striking feature of such it is often difficult for one country to tackle treaties is that they allow international the problem alone especially when the investors (primarily MNCs) to initiate a corporation is global in character, and can dispute directly in an international issue a credible threat of withdrawing tribunal, bypassing the state’s own substantial levels of investment. constitutional system and its courts. The question of accountability: . The disputes revolve around measures that . While global problems cannot be solved were triggered by public health without nation-states, nation-states cannot emergencies, economic crises or other solve their problems on their own. matters directly involving public welfare . India’s battle to preserve affordable access which would therefore be permissible to medicines is part of a larger struggle, under the Constitution, but which a where participation in the global corporation believes have negatively intellectual property regime has severely impacted its financial interests. constrained the ability of countries to What is gig economy? respond to public health crises. . In a gig economy, temporary, flexible jobs . Whatever a country’s Constitution may say are commonplace and companies tend about the right to life and the right to health Page | 50

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai for its citizens, it will still be dragged before . For example, what steps a country like an international tribunal if it attempts to India must take to ensure the availability of forestall or mitigate a public health crisis life-saving drugs (and not only during a by lifting patent restrictions upon, for public health crisis) is a decision that must example, a life-saving drug. be taken democratically and politically, . The point is not only about who finally within the constitutional framework. succeeds in litigation — rather, it is that the . At present, however, it always remains final decision is taken by a set of individuals ultimately subject to a “technical decision” who are beyond the structures of (potentially taken by an international accountability that are established in tribunal) about whether India has democratic and constitutional states. breached its obligations under an Example of DiEM25 (Democracy in Europe international intellectual property rights Movement 25) treaty regime. . It is always helpful to look elsewhere, to see . What needs to be done is to reshape that how people in other parts of the world have regime to make it more democratic, an attempted to engage with such issues. effort that, by its very nature, cannot be . An example is that of the Democracy in undertaken by a single country. Europe Movement 25. DiEM25 arose after . The future framework in India should be the debt crisis in Greece had resulted in a that The focus on democracy is particularly wide-ranging “structural adjustment important with respect to a third issue: the programme” imposed upon that country by increasing role of technology in our daily the European Commission, the European lives. Central Bank, and the International . This debate has come to the fore recently, Monetary Fund (or “the troika”). with the long-running conflict over . This included severe austerity measures Aadhaar, and the draft DNA Profiling Bill. (including cuts to public funding, resulting . The relationship between technology and in mass unemployment) and widespread human freedoms will be vital in the future. privatisation, in direct contravention of the . It is therefore particularly interesting that publicly expressed will of the people, through the evolving concept of through both elections and a public “technological sovereignty”, DiEM25 has referendum. drawn a specific link between technology . The central insight of DiEM25 is one of and democracy, which can help us think whose co-founders, Yanis Varoufakis, was through contemporary issues such as Greece’s Finance Minister during the debt platform monopolies, the ubiquity of AI in crisis is precisely that today a progressive public decision-making (including on movement oriented towards social justice public welfare), etc. and fundamental rights cannot succeed if it Way forward: is constrained within national borders. . U.S. politician Bernie Sanders called for a . Many of the fundamental decisions that “progressive international”: “an shape national policy (with wide-ranging international progressive movement that consequences) are simply beyond the ken mobilizes behind a vision of shared of nation-states themselves. prosperity, security and dignity for all . DiEM25 identifies as “pan-European”, and people, and that addresses the massive isolates a range of issues “currently left in global inequality. That exists, not only in the hands of national governments wealth but in political power.” powerless to act upon them” including . Movements such as DiEM25, which have public debt, banking, inadequate sprung up in various parts of the world, investment, migration, and rising poverty. serve as potential blueprints and models . In its manifesto, DiEM25 returns these for what a “progressive international” may issues to democratic control, but also look like. acknowledges that the solutions needed to . It is a conversation that progressive achieve this can only come from movements in India must take heed of, and transnational action. engage with if we are to adequately address Understanding DiEM25 in India’s context: the transnational problems that face us today. Page | 51

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai . But when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, Dire strait:on Russia-Ukraine sea it took over both sides of the Kerch Strait clash and build a bridge connecting Crimea to mainland Russia. Introduction: . Russia said the Ukrainian ships were . Russia’s capture of three Ukrainian naval violating its waters and accuses the ships and over 20 crew members in the Ukrainians of failing to inform it that three disputed Azov Sea has refocussed of its ships were planning to sail through international attention on the conflict on Kerch. Europe’s eastern corridors and Azov sea. . Moscow has also accused Kiev of planning . The incident has drawn strong criticism of the recent confrontation as a provocation Russia by the United States and its allies aimed at convincing Western governments and has fueled fears of wider fighting in the to impose further sanctions on Russia. region. . Ukraine is due to hold a presidential poll . It's part of the long-simmering conflict March 31, 2019 and the very prospect of between the two countries, in which Russia martial law could help boost support for annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in him as a wartime leader. 2014 and supported separatists in . Ukraine said that Russia used a tanker to Ukraine's east with clandestine dispatches block access to the Kerch Strait, which of troops and weapons. That fighting has under a treaty is shared territory. killed at least 10,000 people since 2014 but . Ukraine is demanding Russia to eased somewhat with a 2015 truce. immediately release the Ukrainian sailors Background: and ships captured in recent . Russia has forcibly annexed Ukraine’s confrontation. Crimea Peninsula in 2014, claiming its . Ukraine received a boost from the ethnic Russian majority was under threat international reaction, underscoring both from the Ukrainian government. the isolation of Russia from the West over Immediate crises: the Ukraine conflict, and the desire to . Tensions escalated rapidly recently when protect the international maritime Russia blocked Ukrainian Navy ships from convention that allows for unimpeded entering the Kerch strait, detained 24 shipping through any strait. Ukraine sailors and reopened the Kerch Significance: Strait to civilian ship traffic. . The latest incident coincides with the . Russia claims the detained soldiers include anniversary of the November 2013 Maidan Ukrainian intelligence service members Square protests in Ukraine demanding and Ukrainian boats had illegally entered integration with Europe, which was the Russia’s territorial waters through the prelude to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine’s Kerch Strait. Crimea in 2014. . Meanwhile, a Crimean court ordered five of . If martial law is imposed, it would be the 24 captured Ukrainian sailors to be held in first time since the crisis between Moscow jail for two months for their involvement in and Kiev began in 2014 that such measures the incident. have been taken. Ukraine Martial Law: . Controlling passage from the Black Sea . Ukraine’s parliament voted to approve through the Kerch Strait into the Sea of martial law which gives Ukrainian Azov is a key element in asserting Russia’s authorities the power to mobilise citizens broader claim to Crimea. with military experience, regulate the . The confrontation has raised fears of a media and restrict public rallies in affected wider escalation in a conflict that has killed areas. more than 10,000 people since 2014 and Agreements concerning Azov Sea: prompted international calls for restraint. . Under a 2003 agreement, Ukraine and . The tensions over a shared waterway have Russia took shared control of the Azov Sea escalated into a crisis that has dragged in and guaranteed each other’s ships open NATO and the United Nations. access to it via the Kerch Strait. . At the United Nations, Russia called a session of the Security Council in an Page | 52

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai attempt to force a discussion about what it threat or use of force, exercise or practice called Ukrainian violations of Russian with weapons or any act of propaganda territorial waters. affecting the security of the state. . Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki . Under international law, a country would Haley, on the other hand condemned have the right to seize another warship Russia for its “outrageous violation of only if the warship was acting in a hostile sovereign Ukrainian territory. manner. Sea of Azov: . Also under UN conventions there is a requirement under which all ships needs to be given the freedom to travel through a strait from one part of the high seas to another - known as transit passage. . There are also rules within the UN convention that "ensure that ports which can only be reached by a single route through the strait, as is true of all ports in the Sea of Azov, always remain accessible.

Along the new silk roads Why in news? . At the recent Paris peace forum . It is a sea in Eastern Europe. To the south it commemorating the end of World War I, is linked by the narrow (about 4 km or 2.5 the heads of the International Monetary mi) Strait of Kerch to the Black Sea, and it is Fund and the World Bank made the case for sometimes regarded as a northern a more inclusive multilateralism. extension of the Black Sea. . Drawing comparisons between 1914 and . The sea is bounded in the north and in the today’s situations in terms of inequalities, west by Ukraine, in the east by Russia. they warned against the temptation of a . The Don and Kuban are the major rivers divisive globalisation which could only that flow into it. benefit the wealthiest. . The Sea of Azov is the shallowest sea in the . China’s discourse on a new “connected” world, with the depth varying between 0.9 multilateralism, through the Belt and and 14 metres. Road Initiative (BRI), is building upon . The Kerch Strait is the only connection the same inclusive project now led by a between the Black Sea and the Sea of non-Western and non-democratic Azov, and the only way to reach two superpower. important Ukrainian ports, Mariupol and . There is indeed an ambition to influence Berdiansk. Russia has controlled the strait the world ,if not directly control it by since annexing Crimea in 2014, which has making the rules on which it functions. This made traffic significantly more difficult for normative determination to achieve a far Ukrainian ships. greater objective has hardly been The law of the sea: addressed when analysing China’s BRI and . The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea its impact. (UNCLOS) sets out various scenarios that Belt and road Initiative (BRI) give a state freedom of passage, . The Belt and Road Initiative is a Chinese irrespective of a state's territorial waters. foreign policy initiative promoted by . All ships, including foreign warships, enjoy president Xi Jinping in 2013. the right of "innocent passage" within . Initially the idea of Silk Road Economic another state's territorial sea under Belt (SREB) and Maritime Silk Road international law. (MSR) was put forward. . Russia has disputed whether the passage . Subsequently, the two projects together was innocent. The UN law states that a came to be known as ‘One Belt One Road’ passage is innocent "so long as it is not (OBOR) Initiative. Later, it came to be prejudicial to the peace, good order or known as Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). security of the coastal state". That includes Page | 53

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai . Aim of BRI: Build a trade, investment, and . However, with the world trading system infrastructure network connecting Asia passing through turmoil, the possibility with Europe and Africa along the ancient of regional trade agreements or trade routes. amorphous legal devices such as the BRI Impact of BRI: embracing greater trade liberalisation . There is more to the BRI than the six goals cannot be entirely ruled out. economic corridors spanning Asia, Europe and Africa, of which the $50 billion China- Walking the tightrope Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is Why in news? perhaps the most controversial. . Experts point out that the six-month . The BRI is included in the Constitution of an waiver on sanctions granted by the U.S. to officially socialist China. India and seven other countries importing . The BRI “shared interest” and “shared oil from Iran highlights the importance of growth” hence coexist with Marxism- economic factors in the India-U.S. strategic Leninism and “capitalism with Chinese partnership. characteristics” in a country now said to be . Further, the exemption also puts the more trade-friendly than its protectionist spotlight on the link between economics American rival, the U.S. Beijing has never and strategy. been afraid of contradictions in terms and Background: this capacity to ‘Sinicise’ concepts is a . US has granted waivers for Iran oil imports signature trait. to eight countries namely India, China, . The BRI is a political project and a Chinese Greece, Italy, Turkey, South Korea, Taiwan one no matter the number of other and Turkey for six months. partners joining the effort and . President Donald Trump’s explanation is participating to its funding. that he is going slow on sanctions with the . The BRI indeed develops without any intent of avoiding a shock rise in global oil dedicated law, nor is it a comprehensive prices. trade or economic partnership. It is . Author has observed that US waiver different from conventional trade doesn’t mean that US has opened key agreements that seek to eliminate market energy market. access barriers, harmonise regulations and . Both the country would now cooperate on impose preconditions for entry. India’s oil and gas needs. In 2017, India . The institutional setting of the BRI is imported 8 million barrels of American also rather light. crude. Until this July it had imported more . Joint committees are put in place and the than 15 million barrels of U.S. crude. existing institutions mobilised from the . The sanctions relief for the Chabahar port Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to the is motivated by a mix of politics and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank economics. US sees Chabahar’s utility in (AIIB), which is contributing to the BRI development and humanitarian relief work despite the rather distant position of some in Afghanistan. The U.S. is also aware that of its members and India in particular, China has a stake in developing Chabahar which the largest recipient of AIIB is port and could easily replace India if the funding. latter were unable to maintain its foothold . In this context, China is not challenging the there. existing institutional set-up or proposing What does the waiver imply? something different than what exists in the . Waiver gives India a breathing space of Bretton Woods Institutions. sorts and will help maintain India-U.S. ties . The BRI as it stands is not conceived as a on a balance. tool for economic integration. . However, crucially, the U.S. has not given . The RCEP negotiations between the any special treatment to India. Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Importance of Iran for India: six countries is better equipped to deal . Regional interests: Both India and Iran with market access and integration goals could build a strategic partnership within the Asia-Pacific region. focussing on Afghanistan, Central Asia and West Asia. Page | 54

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai . International North-South Transport billion euros,in a balance trade Corridor (INSTC) agreement: Iran along relationship. with Russia and some other countries are . The European Investment Bank has opened signatories to the INSTC agreement. INSTC an office in New Delhi and has committed transit routes enable India to bypass a 1.5 billion euros for the 2004 financial year. hostile Pakistan by exporting goods via the . The Lucknow and Bengaluru metro sea to Russia and northern Europe. projects and many solar ventures are . Chabahar port: Chabahar port in southern supported by the bank. Iran in a strategic bid to connect to Central . There are strong bonds between the Asia through Iran and Afghanistan. peoples of Europe and India, developed Chabahar provides war-torn Afghanistan a through tourism, education exchanges and crucial link to Indian goods and Iranian oil. civil society cooperations. In December 2017, India made its first . The EU has also been an important shipment of wheat to Afghanistan via the destination for cross border investments port. and overseas acquisitions for Indian . A stronger relationship with Iran could companies. help to counter China. New strategy: Issues between India and Iran: . The new strategy underscores a . India remains opposed to Iran’s alleged transformative shift in Brussels vis-à-vis efforts to acquire nuclear weapon India. capability. A nuclear Iran would disrupt . It talks of key focus areas such as the need the balance of power across West and to conclude a broader Strategic Central Asia, with serious consequences for Partnership Agreement, intensifying India’s economic and strategic interests. dialogue on Afghanistan and Central Asia, . India has had a bilateral trade deficit strengthening technical cooperation on with Iran over many years. In 2017 it was fighting terrorism, and countering $8.5 billion. India’s offer to pay for oil in radicalisation, violent extremism and rupees is unattractive to Iran. Tehran does terrorist financing. not want to buy enough Indian goods to . More significant from the perspective of make acceptance of rupee payment for its the EU, which has been traditionally shy of oil worthwhile. using its hard power tools, is a recognition of the need to develop defence and security Together in an uncertain world cooperation with India. Struggle to build a robust partnership: Why in news? . Despite sharing a congruence of values and . The European Union recently released its democratic ideals, India and the EU have strategy on India after 14 years. both struggled to build a partnership that . The new document is sweeping in its scope can be instrumental in shaping the and lays out a roadmap for strengthening geopolitics and geoeconomics of the 21st the EU-India partnership, which has been century. adrift for a while in the absence of a clearly . India’s relations with individual EU articulated strategy. nations have progressed dramatically . The 2004 EU-India declaration on over the last few years and the EU’s building a bilateral strategic focus on India has grown. partnership, which this roadmap . This is because individual nations of the EU replaces, has not had much of a success started becoming more pragmatic in their in reconfiguring the relationship as was engagement with India; Brussels continued expected. to be big-brotherly in its attitude on Background: political issues and ignorant of the . India is one among 10 selected countries geostrategic imperatives of Indian foreign with whom EU has strategic partnership, and security policies. launched in 2004. . Even as the EU emerged as India’s . EU constitutes India’s largest trading largest trading partner and biggest partner, accounting for more than 100 foreign investor, the relationship

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Officers IAS Academy, Chennai remained devoid of any strategic and India is a natural partner in many content. respects. . It has now become imperative for the two . At a time when India’s horizons are to give each other a serious look. widening beyond South Asia and the Indian Need for the Partnership: Ocean region, Brussels is also being forced . In this age when U.S. President Donald to look beyond its periphery. Trump is upending the global liberal order . As the wider EU political landscape evolves so dear to the Europeans, and China’s rise after Brexit, and India seeks to manage the is challenging the very values which turbulent geopolitics in Eurasia and the Brussels likes to showcase as the ones Indo-Pacific, both recognise the underpinning global stability, a substantive importance of engaging each other. engagement with India is a natural . The new India strategy document unveiled corollary. by the EU, therefore, comes at an . There is a new push in Brussels to emerge appropriate time when both have to as a geopolitical actor of some significance seriously recalibrate their partnership.

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Officers IAS Academy, Chennai General Studies 3

In a spirit of accommodation unwise for government to use Section 7 to Introduction: issue instructions. . The recent spat between RBI and Centre . It would have sent out the wrong signals over various issues like RBI autonomy, both at home and abroad. It is good that the independent payment regulator and other government has desisted from using issues got resolved to an extent after the Section 7. RBI board meeting. . It is important to have continuous and . These issues could have been resolved, sustained dialogue, and an atmosphere of even before it was made public. But the rise give and take is much needed. of the issue highlights two important RBI and board: questions: (i) Regarding the relationship . The second issue is about the relationship between RBI and the Centre (ii)Regarding between the RBI management headed by the relationship between RBI and the the Governor and the board. board. . 21-member central board of directors: the Earlier episodes: governor; four deputy governors; two . Sec 7 of the RBI Act, in a sense shows the finance ministry representatives (usually relationship between government and RBI. the Economic Affairs Secretary and the This section gives the government the right Financial Services Secretary); ten to issue directions to the RBI on public government-nominated directors to interest. represent. . The framers of the act had brought it with . The debate arose because of the intention that the provision has to be used contentious issues between the from time to time. government and the RBI being referred to . In 1957, during JL Nehru Prime the board. Ministership the issue of RBI autonomy . The question that has been raised is came up, Nehru declared that RBI is whether the board as it is constituted today autonomous, but subjected to the Central can discuss such issues and compel the Government’s direction which is Governor to act according to the majority accountable to people for the country’s view. monetary policy. . The board has been given the power of . The monetary policy measures are never general superintendence and directions to announced without the concurrence of the RBI, but over the period of time it has been Finance Minister. reduced merely to a advisory body. . The recent change in the monetary policy . Two things have to be clarified here: (i) In framework setting up the Monetary Policy the past bank rates were fixed only after Committee and giving it full freedom to consulting RBI board, but now this scenario determine the policy rate is a giant step has changed. forward in terms of giving the RBI . (ii)Strictly speaking the the board has the autonomy. powers to discuss and even pass . Literally, the Finance Minister gets to know resolutions, which have been done. But the decision only along with the others. given the nature of the board and the A distinction: interests of the members, it becomes . There is a difference between the difficult to let the board to take binding autonomy of RBI as a monetary authority decisions. and as a regulator. Way forward: . In the first case, autonomy has to be full . It is, however, true that in the case of the once the mandate is given. In the second Federal Reserve System in the U.S., the case, autonomy is somewhat blurred board does take decisions with voting if because the mandate is broad and vague. necessary. But then the nature of the board . However, coming to the issues that were is very different. Section 7 is a mix of things. thrown up in the current spat, these are . First, it gives powers to the board, and mostly operational and it would have been second, it gives powers to the Governor as Page | 57

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai well. The way the relationship between the . This creates a demand for dollars and thus board and the Governor has evolved over weakens the rupee. time in India is a good one. The board by Fuel price and inflation and large has played an advisory role. . Prices of goods are determined by their . Against this background, while the transportation costs. With increase in fuel Governor can act on his own, he must listen price, the cost of transportation will to what the members feel and the sense of increase and in turn result in the increase the board must be fully reflected in his in prices of goods. actions. . Thus it causes inflation in the economy. . The crux of the problem is that the RBI, the Benefits of low oil price for India board and the government must . The fall in oil price can reduce the current understand the limits to which they can account deficit and fiscal deficit. For every push. A spirit of accommodation must $10 fall in oil price, India’s current account prevail. deficit and fiscal deficit improves by 0.5% and 0.1% of GDP respectively. Breathing space . It will be relief for the Reserve Bank of India . There has been a fall in the global oil prices as it need not worry about depreciating by 30% from $86 to $60. This sharp fall has rupee and oil induced inflation. been the result of a dramatic change in . India can save foreign exchange. mood in the oil market. With the fall in oil . Foreign investors will turn net investors as price, the rupee has appreciated against the investor confidence increases. dollar. . However the fall in prices may not continue Indian crude basket for long as the Organisation of the . It is the weighted average of Dubai and Petroleum Exporting Countries are Oman (sour) and Brent (sweet) crude. It’s meeting on December 6th and may cut the indicator of the price of crude imports production to in response to sharp fall in for India and has a bearing on price rise. prices. Shale companies are also likely to Reasons for fall in crude oil prices respond by cutting production. India . There were concerns regarding supply of should make use of the low prices and oil due to disruptions in arrival of oil from improve its preparedness for an increase in Iran and Venezuela. oil prices. . With the US softening its stand on sanctions on Iran, markets were worried about Soil degradation and solution possible oversupply. What is soil? . A drop in global demand was expected due . Soil is a surface cover which has lot of to slow growth in major economies like nutrients in it and which provides China. mechanical support to crops, plants and . Higher supply and volatility due to trees and resist biotic and abiotic factors. uncertainty about the global economy were . It can be considered as a living entity as it two main factors. comprises of organic carbon, soil flora and . There were fears of the consequences of a soil fauna. trade war between US and China. What is soil degradation? Factors influencing crude oil price . Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) . Global demand for oil has defined soil degradation as a change in . Production raise/cut by major oil the soil health status resulting in a producing nations diminished capacity of the ecosystem to . Global political environment provide goods and services for its Crude oil price and rupee beneficiaries. . India imports more than 80% of its oil Stats on soil degradation requirement and has to pay for it in . Globally around one third of land is dollars. degraded. . When the price increases and there is . India has a total geographic area of 330 volatility and uncertainty in the market. million hectares, of which 120.7 million The refiners in India import more and hectares is facing soil degradation. stock it. Page | 58

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai . In India, roughly two thirds of the . Nutrients and water are supplied near the cultivated land is facing threat of soil active root zone through fertigation which degradation. results in greater absorption by the crops. Kinds of soil degradation process . As water and fertilizer are supplied evenly . Soil erosion to all the crops through fertigation there is . Wind erosion possibility for getting 25-50 per cent higher . Saline soils yield. . Acidic soils . Fertilizer use efficiency through fertigation . Water logging ranges between 80-90 per cent, which Why is soil important? helps to save a minimum of 25 per cent of . Soil is our life support system. nutrients. . Soils provide anchorage for roots, hold . By this way, along with less amount of water and nutrients. water and saving of fertilizer, time, labour . It act as a filtration system for surface and energy use is also reduced water substantially. . It provides habitat for many insects and Soil Health Card other organisms . Every farmer at an interval of 2 years has . Soils can store carbon and help in been launched in 2015 maintenance of atmospheric gases . Government is implementing Soil Health Reasons for agrarian crisis Management and Soil Health Card Scheme . Fertilizer was started being used in large to improve soil health and fertility. quantities after the introduction of high What the card contains yield varieties. . Contains the status of soils with respect to . At present, the fertilizer use in India is 12 parameters, namely – 140kg per hectare which is not high but the . N, P, K (Macro-nutrients), proportion is skewed. Urea comprises 83% . S (Secondary-nutrients), Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, B and remaining 17% is only phosphorous (Micro-nutrients) and potassium. There is an imbalance in the . pH, EC, OC (Physical Parameters). use of fertilizers. Outcomes . This disproportionate use of fertilizers . It also provides crop wise fertilizer affects the micro flora, micro fauna, ph etc. recommendations. . Yield response ratio is reduced because of . Soil Health Card helps farmers to improve imbalance in use of fertilizers. Three productivity by maintaining soil health. decades ago, 15kg of food grains could be . SHC also promotes the judicious use of the produced from 1kg of fertilizer but now fertilizers thus reducing the cost of only 3.5kg of food grains can be produced cultivation. for 1kg of fertilizer . Check the declining fertility of agriculture Major challenges land . We need to prepare for climate change . Enhancing farmers’ income. which causes monsoon variability causing Organic farming extreme weather events. . Organic Farming is a method of farming . The ratio of nitrogen and phosphorus used system which primarily aimed at is not proportionate. It is skewed towards cultivating the land by use of organic nitrogen. It should be restored to 4:2:1 for wastes (crop, animal and farm wastes, and nitrogen : phosphorus : potassium. aquatic wastes) and other biological Solutions materials for sustainable production. Drip fertigation . This farming system avoids the usage of . Drip fertigation is a method of fertilizer synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and application in which fertilizer is livestock additives. incorporated within the irrigation water by . It helps in improving soil health, animal the drip system. In this method liquid husbandry, water conservation, increasing fertilizer as well as water soluble fertilizers genetic diversity etc. are used . However organic farming is not suitable for Advantages all crops and all areas. It can be practiced only in niche areas and crops. Page | 59

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai Integrated Nutrient Management . The mix is then added to molten asphalt . Integrated Nutrient Management refers to . One tonne of plastic waste is used with nine the maintenance of soil fertility and of plant tonnes of bitumen to lay a kilometre of road nutrient supply at an optimum level for sustaining the desired productivity Efforts by government through optimization of the benefits from . Roads Ministry “encourages” the use of all possible sources of organic, inorganic waste plastic in National Highways and biological components in an integrated construction, especially on National manner. Highways within a 50 km periphery of Advantages urban areas that have a population of 5 lakh . Enhances the availability of applied as well or more. as native soil nutrients . The Indian Roads Congress has released . Synchronizes the nutrient demand of the the standard, IRC: SP: 98: 2013, for crop with nutrient supply from native and application of plastic road technology. applied sources . In 2015, the Union government issued . Provides balanced nutrition to crops and guidelines on plastic use with hot mixes for minimizes the antagonistic effects resulting bitumen roads around urban areas. In case from hidden deficiencies and nutrient of non-availability of waste plastic, the road imbalance. developer would have to seek approval . Improves and sustains the physical, from the Ministry of Road Transport and chemical and biological functioning of soil. Highways for bitumen-only roads. . Minimizes the deterioration of soil, water Advantages of using plastics in laying roads and ecosystem by promoting carbon . Asphalt roads last for 3 years but roads sequestration, reducing nutrient losses to with plastic have a life of 7 years ground and surface water bodies and to . The roads ability to carry weight is atmosphere enhanced. . Performance appraisal by the Central Solving bad roads and plastic waste Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed that plastic roads did not develop familiar problems in one shot defects: potholes, rutting, ravelling or edge Plastic Man of India flaw, even after four years. . Dr. Vasudevan is serving as Dean, . The waterproofing quality ensures that the Thiagarajar College of Engineering, water doesn’t seep down, thus reducing Madurai wear and tear. . He and his team conducted research at the . Roads with the polymerised mix also don’t Centre for Studies on Solid Waste crack or melt under extreme heat Management (CSSWM) conditions. . He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2018. . It is one best way by which plastic waste . His process was patented in 2006, which can be removed from the environment involves mixing shredded plastic with hot . The roads are also pothole-proof. gravel and adding it to molten asphalt. Fails to take off Life in plastic . In Tamilnadu, 16,000 km of plastic roads . Globally 8,300 million tonnes of virgin were laid until 2014. Roads are constructed plastics have been produced as of 2017. Of using waste plastic in Himachal Pradesh, this, around 9% have been recycled and 12 Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and Meghalaya. On % incinerated. A total of 79 % have found the other hand, there has been just pilot their way into landfills or the natural demonstration in New Delhi. environment . So far no National Highway has been . Size of India’s plastic industry is ₹1,10,000 constructed using waste plastic and no crore target has been set for it during 2017-18. . 9 million tonnes of plastic waste is . The road contractors show resistance to generated in India per year this move citing that they would lose The process revenue as plastic roads would last for . The plastic waste is first shredded longer duration. . It is then mixed with hot gravel . Shredded plastic is not easily available. Page | 60

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai Way forward Findings of the report . The rules should be enforced properly so . The average length of heat waves in India that plastic waste is used in laying roads. ranged from 3-4 days compared to the . There should be an incentive scheme that global average of 0.8-1.8 days for the will make people segregate their plastic period between 2014 and 2017 waste . Indians were exposed to almost 60 million . Plastic cannot be banned completely as it heat wave exposure events in 2016 which would affect the common people. Instead is an increase of about 40 million compared there is we need a garbage culture and to 2012 proper collection system in local bodies. . India is amongst the countries which might Collect back system is mandated in the experience high social and economic costs plastic waste management rules, 2016. from climate change The Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 . Almost 153 billion hours of labour were . Increase minimum thickness of plastic lost globally in 2017 due to heat, an carry bags from 40 to 50 microns and increase of 62 billion hours from the year stipulate minimum thickness of 50 micron 2000. for plastic sheets also to facilitate . The number of hours of labour lost also collection and recycle of plastic waste, increased between 2000 and 2017 across . Expand the jurisdiction of applicability India. In agriculture sector, it rose to about from the municipal area to rural areas, 60,000 million hours in 2017, from about because plastic has reached rural areas 40,000 million hours in 2000. Overall, also; across sectors India lost almost 75,000 . To bring in the responsibilities of million hours of labour in 2017, an increase producers and generators, both in plastic from about 43,000 million hours in 2000. waste management system and to . Compared to the industrial and service introduce collect back system of plastic sectors the agriculture sector was waste by the producers/brand owners, as considered more vulnerable because per extended producers’ responsibility; workers there were more likely to be . To introduce collection of plastic waste exposed to heat. This is significant as management fee through pre-registration agriculture employs almost half of the of the producers, importers of plastic carry population and contributes 18% to the GDP bags/multilayered packaging and vendors . A recent World Bank report on South Asia’s selling the same for establishing the waste hotspots predicted a 2.8% erosion of the management system; country’s GDP by 2050, accompanied by a . To promote use of plastic waste for road fall in living standards due to changes in construction as per Indian Road Congress temperature, rainfall and precipitation guidelines or energy recovery, or waste to patterns. oil etc. for gainful utilization of waste and . “Heat hot-spots” should be identified also address the waste disposal issue; to through appropriate tracking of entrust more responsibility on waste meteorological data. Local Heat Action generators, namely payment of user charge Plans should be developed and as prescribed by local authority, collection implemented and it should target the most and handing over of waste by the vulnerable groups institutional generator, event organizers. . It urges a review of existing occupational health standards, labour laws and sectoral Lancet Countdown 2018 regulations for worker safety in relation to Why in news? climatic conditions. . Lancet has released the Lancet Countdown . The reports highlights the importance of Report 2018 on health and climate change. funds for adaptation. About 99% of losses . It was prepared jointly with the public from climate related events in low income Health Foundation of India countries were not insured. . The findings of the report is a reminder to . The reports warns that the rising countries around the globe that enough is temperatures will enable the dengue virus not being done to cut down greenhouse gas and malaria to spread farther and faster. emissions. Steps to be taken by India Page | 61

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai . India should make more ambitious plans to Ten years after the Mumbai attack cut down on carbon emissions. Ten years after the Mumbai attack . It should reduce the mix of coal based Introduction: energy sources and shift to renewable . Ten years ago on 26-11-2008, terrorist energy. Solar photovoltaics should be carried out one of the most monstrous of pushed and a national policy should be terror attacks harmful anywhere in the framed supporting renewable energy. world. The 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, . Fossil fuels based transport should be named after the date in 2008 when the gradually reduced and we need to shift to attack took place, is in some respects electric vehicles. Electric vehicles also help comparable to the September 11, 2001 improve air quality. Air pollution in India terror attacks in the U.S. caused premature death of an estimated Countries that attacked on the same day: half a million people in India in 2015. . The attacks carried out in different corners . India should be prepared for catastrophes of the world by al-Qaeda and its affiliates, and plan to provide relief and the Islamic State, al-Shabaab, and similar rehabilitation as part of its adaptation. terror outfits, are very different from those . The government can seek climate funds witnessed in the previous century. under the Paris Agreement if it can . The tactics employed may vary, but the establish that disasters such as Kerala objective is common, viz. achieving mass floods and Gaja cyclone are linked to casualties and widespread destruction. climate change. The claim should be made Was it planned? along with a perspective plan which . Mumbai terror attack was not based on a identifies the vulnerable regions and sudden impulse or whim. Several years of communities and provides for a planning and preparation had preceded the transparent fund utilization system. attack. Heatwaves . The degree of involvement of the Pakistani . A Heat Wave is a period of abnormally high deep state in the planning and preparation temperatures, more than the normal of the attack is evident from many aspects maximum temperature that occurs during that have come to light subsequently. the summer season in the North-Western . The involvement of the Pakistani Special parts of India. Forces in preparing the 10-member . Heat Wave need not be considered till fidayeen group was confirmed by one of the maximum temperature of a station reaches conspirators, Abu Hamza, arrested atleast 40*C for Plains and atleast 30*C for subsequent to the 26/11 terror attack. Hilly regions . The training regimen dictated by the Health Impacts of Heat Waves Pakistani Special Forces involved . Heatwaves are associated with psychological indoctrination by dehydration, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, highlighting atrocities on Muslims in India increased rates of heat stress and heat and other parts of the globe. stroke, worsening heart failure and acute Who were the targets? kidney injury from dehydration. . The targets were carefully chosen after . Children, the elderly and those with pre- having been under military observation existing morbidities are particularly previously by Headley for maximum vulnerable. impact, viz. the Taj and Oberoi Hotels, . The signs and symptoms are as follows: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, the . Heat Cramps: Ederna (swelling) and Jewish centre at Nariman House, and the Syncope (Fainting) generally accompanied Leopold Cafe, since these places were by fever below 39*C i.e.102*F. frequented by Europeans, Indians and . Heat Exhaustion: Fatigue, weakness, Jews. dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, Horror over four days: muscle cramps and sweating. . The Mumbai terror attack went on for . Heat Stroke: Body temperatures of 40*C i.e. nearly four days, from the evening of 104*F or more along with delirium, November 26 to the morning of November seizures or coma. This is a potential fatal 29. Seldom has a terrorist incident lasted condition Page | 62

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai this length of time, since the Munich . Two foreign firms have written to the Olympics massacre in 1972. Defence Ministry expressing their interest . The Pakistani state was only known to to be part of the nearly $2.5 billion Avro Harbour terrorist groups like the LeT and replacement programme even though they the JeM, and use terror as an had stayed away from the original bidding instrumentality to create problems for process. India. . 2 companies have come forward and made Streamlining security: proposals to replace AVRO approved in . In the wake of the terror attack, several 2012. The proposal to replace the AVRO steps were initiated to streamline the HS748 fleet — the planes have been made security set-up. in India since 1960s — has been in the . Coastal security was given high priority, works for six years, and procurement of 56 and it is with the Navy/Coast replacement aircraft is in the final stages. Guard/marine police. However, HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics . A specialised agency to deal with terrorist Ltd) believes that the Avro fleet still has a offences, the National Investigation lot of life left and can easily be upgraded Agency, was set up and has been with engines and avionics serve for longer. functioning from January 2009. . Airbus proposed to make c-295 . The National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) partnership with TATA. has been constituted to create an . HS 748 AVRO joined IAF in 60s.IAF got the appropriate database of security related nod to procure 56 new TATA transport information. Four new operational hubs for aircraft. the NSG have been created to ensure rapid . The purchase contract with Tata-Airbus response to terror attacks. was expanded from the original . The Multi Agency Centre, which functions requirement of 56 aircraft to include a under the Intelligence Bureau, was further requirement of the coast guard for six a strengthened and its activities expanded. Multi Mission Maritime Aircraft (MMMA) . The Navy constituted a Joint Operations and a final call on the deal will be taken by Centre to keep vigil over India’s extended the defence minister led Defence coastline. Acquisition Council (DAC).

Security scan:AVRO Wage drag: on ILO’s Global Wage What is AVRO? Report . Avro is a British transport aircraft. Its Introduction: designs include the Avro 504, used as a . According to Global Wage Report 2018-19 trainer in the First World War, the Avro published by International Labour Lancaster, one of the pre-eminent bombers Organization (ILO), real wages grew just of the Second World War, and the delta 1.8% globally from 2017. wing Avro Vulcan, a stalwart of the Cold . On average, women are paid 34% less War. than men in India. Globally, on average, Disadvantages in AVRO: hourly wages of women are 16% less than . AVRO does not have the capable of flying those of men. more than 25000 feet . The findings are based on data from 136 . The capacity is exactly 50 people. countries. . It does not have ramp loading which is Hit in real wage growth: required for modern transport. . Real wages are wages adjusted to inflation. . Spare parts for the aircraft are no longer . The report observed that global wage available, so the plan is to fit in a modern growth had slid from 4.8% (2017) to 3.5% engine and new sensors that will give it (2018). extended life, If even engines are changed, . In advanced economies (G20), real wage we cannot achieve better performance and growth declined from 0.9% in 2016 to 0.4% moreover there will be enormous amount in 2017, meaning near stagnation. of wastage of resources. So there should be replacement of AVRO. Who came forward? Page | 63

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai . Emerging and developing economies were need not only jobs, but wage expansion that also not spared where the wage growth is robust and equitable. dipped from 4.9% in 2016 to 4.3% in 2017. Reasons behind the fall in wage growth: Trail of destruction . Though worldwide the economies have . Tamilnadu faced the wrath of cyclone Gaja been recovering and there has been reports (severe cyclonic storm) which made of labour shortage which should actually landfall on November 16th between lead to wage growth. Nagapattinam and Vedaranniyam. The . But we see a reverse situation, mainly districts affected most severely include because the high growth witnessed in 2017 Pudukottai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and was mainly due to increased investment Nagapattinam. and not private consumption. Post disaster relief . The wages were so inadequate that even . The first priority of the government would the basic needs of the workers could not be be to restore administrative systems and satisfied. service delivery in affected areas. Physical . The increased competition in labour sector access, electricity and public health due to globalisation worldwide has facilities will help to carry out relief work decreased the bargaining power of the effectively. workers. . Solar power can be used to run public . This situation has led to decoupling of the facilities at night time. wages and their productivity. . Temporary relief should be provided to . Weakening share of labour compensation farmers from loan repayment and a fair in GDP is a cause of worry because without compensation should be prepared. demand from private consumption the . Farmers need to be compensated under worldwide economy may face standstill. the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana for Way forward: food crops, oil seeds and annual . The protectionist attitude of the West and horticulture crops. Those crops not tight immigrant policy has to go away to covered under the scheme should also be enable free labour movement. compensated. . For India’s policymakers, the message is . Citizens have been contributing money clear: to reap the demographic dividend we and material to aid relief work.

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Officers IAS Academy, Chennai KURUKSHETR- RURAL HEALTH (November 2018)

Introduction nearly 10.34 crore households to obtain . The ultimate goal of a great nation would secondary and tertiary in-patient care. be one where the rural and urban divide Data: has reduced to a thin line, with access to . As per the latest report of the Registrar clean energy ,safe water, health care to all, General of India, sample registration responsive governance and a globally system (RGI-SRS), recognized economy by the way of 1. Maternal mortality rate (MMR) of India has additional infrastructure ,human resources shown a decline from 167/100000 live etc. births in 2011-13 to 130/100000 live . Towards fulfilling this objective, India has births in 2014-16. taken a giant leap towards providing 2. India has achieved the millennium accessible and affordable healthcare to the development goal (MDG) for MMR. common man with the launch of Ayushman 3. Infant mortality rate (IMR): the rate of Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana decline increased from 2.5% in 2013-14 to (AB-PMJAY). 8.1% in 2015-16. . When fully implemented, PMJAY will 4. The under-five mortality rate (U5MR): rate become the world's largest fully of decline increased from 8.2% in 2013-14 government financed health protection to 9.3% in 2015-16. scheme targeting more than 50 crore . At the current rate of decline India will beneficiaries while providing cashless and achieve the sustainable development goal paperless access to services for the (SDG) target of U5MR and MMR by 2023 beneficiary at the point of service. itself. . It is a visionary step towards the agenda of . The country has achieved the MDG 6 which achieving Universal Health Coverage was to reverse the incidence of Malaria, TB (UHC). and HIV/AIDS. . The government now needs to play the role Registrar General of India: of a powerful catalyst by creating an . It was founded in 1961 by the Ministry of enabling ecosystem which draws Home Affairs. investments from both domestic and . It conducts and analyses the results of the international players to achieve the goal of demographic surveys of India including UHC. Census of India and Linguistic Survey of India. Ayushman Bharat Challenges: India’s road to Universal Health Coverage . Despite these outcomes, some challenges . Ayushman Bharat comprises of two pillars. persist viz, the unfinished MDG agenda, of . When the Government of India announced elimination of TB, eradication of malaria, Ayushman Bharat in the union budget of Kala azar. 2018-19 , it intended to promote . Inequality in access to services healthcare by launching: . Forced care seeking in private sector 1. The health and wellness centres (H&WCs) leading to high out of pocket expenses on 14th April,2018 (OOPE). 2. PM Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) on 23rd . The World Bank estimates that 10% of September,2018 medical conditions require more complex . Health and wellness centres (HWCs) are treatment in hospitals or specialist care. the transformed first two tiers of the public . 95.3% of our private health facilities are health system i.e. the sub health centres small facilities that employ less than five (SHC) and the primary health centres workers. (PHC). . Small private provides paper based . Pradhan mantri Jan Arogya Abhiyan prescriptions and it is virtually impossible (PMJAY) is for the provision of health to monitor or regulate the quality of such coverage of up to Rs. 500,000 /family for care provision.

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Officers IAS Academy, Chennai . People besides using their income and . The state governments are expected to savings, borrow money or sell their assets similarly set up state health agencies (SHA) to meet their health care need, thereby to implement PMJAY. pushing 4.6% of the population below the . The agency will provide overall vision and poverty line. stewardship for design, implementation Solution: and management of PMJAY, in alliance with . The delivery of Comprehensive Primary state government, civil society, financial Health Care (CPHC) through HWCs and insurance agencies ,academia, think therefore becomes a necessity. tanks ,national international organisations . The transformation of HWC requires action and other stakeholders. on many fronts and work streams like Way forward 1. Infrastructure . The current legal framework for regulation 2. Community mobilisation and health of medical services is under the clinical promotion establishment (registration and 3. Medicines and expanding diagnostics regulation) Act, 2010, Drugs and cosmetics 4. Point of care and new technologies, Act, 1940 and Medical council of India. 5. Encouraging changes in lifestyle or . Ministry of health and family welfare is physical activity, including yoga, healthy promoting eHealth or digital health i.e. the diet and avoidance of tobacco and alcohol. use of information and communication 6. Expanded service delivery for non- technology initiatives in the direction of communicable diseases, palliative and ''reaching services to citizenship. rehabilitative care, oral, eye and ear-nose- . The payment-based accountability should throat (ENT) care, mental health and first work in sync with the legislation-based level care for emergencies and trauma. enforcement of accountability. 7. Continuum of care-telehealth /referral . The health sector is amongst the largest 8. Financing/provider payment reforms and fastest growing sectors, expected to 9. Mother and child health services reach US$280 billion by 2020. The other component of Ayushman Bharat . The scheme will also help in enriching the . it ensures Universal Health Coverage database of hospitals, registered with the . It will ensure the continuum of care from Registry of hospitals in network of AB-HWCs and substantial reduction in Out insurance (ROHINI) system and the human of pocket expenditure (OOPE) on capital captured under the national health catastrophic healthcare. resource repository (NHRR) project. . This will avoid overcrowding in tertiary . The scheme will have a multiplier impact facilities and makes services equitable, on the health care and allied sector like affordable and accessible. pharmaceutical, diagnostics, medical . It is an entitlement-based scheme. services and overall Indian economy. . This scheme covers poor and vulnerable families based on deprivation and Building clean and healthy villages occupation criteria as per socio-economic Introduction: and caste census (SECC) data. . If the villages are not clean then the . The AB-PMJAY is being managed by development of the villages will remain national health agency (NHA) . incomplete, as a result of which country's . The implementation of this scheme is that development too stands incomplete. 33 states /UTs have signed MoUs or agreed . An initiative that marked a change in the to sign MoU with the centre. Remaining are quality of life of rural people is the Swachh Odisha , Telangana and Delhi and out of Bharat Mission. this 26 states have started with the . It works to make human life cleaner, implementation healthier and dignified as accorded into the National health agency (NHA) Prime minister as the national priority to . It was Established as a society on 11th cleanliness. May,2018 Clean village: healthy life . It is registered under the society . Studies have revealed that in every house registration act 1860. of open defecation free village, about 50,000 rupees are being saved because the Page | 66

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai family is saving on the expenditure on . counselling families about the importance treatment on various diseases. of feeding practices . The savings helps to acquire new amenities . Healthcare measures including birth and facilities ,to provide better education to spacing, delaying age of marriage, exclusive the children and to improve their standard breastfeeding for 6 months and of living. immunization. . The rural development ministry has taken . Coordination and motivation among the a number of measures through its different frontline workers, Accredited ambitious scheme MGNREGA. social health activists (ASHA), and auxiliary . Mahatma Gandhi National Rural nurse midwife (ANM) and Anganwadi Employment Guarantee Act(MGNREGA), is workers. an Indian labour law and social security 3. Delivery models Examples measure that aims to . In Chhattisgarh, Suposhan volunteers were 1. Guarantee the 'right to work'. assigned to look after a group of 2. Enhance livelihood security to the adults in undernourished children at the community rural areas by providing at least 100 days level. of wage employment in a financial year. . In Bihar, female volunteers take the . The ministry is engaged in construction of responsibility of counselling and linking individual household toilets and soakage families with health-related services. pits, . In Maharashtra the interaction between . Vermicomposting pits, recharge pits, health and nutrition functionaries was toilets in schools and Anganwadis, village institutionalized for addressing issue of drains, construction of water stabilization under nutrition in children through the ponds and water conservation works to child development centres. make grey water(dirty) useful. From the data: . This has been possible with the . A 2017 report published by save the involvement of Panchayats and self-help children indicates that over two third of groups (SHGs)in the villages. the world's stunted children live in 10 Conclusion: countries and among the list India is  MGNREGA the country's most ambitious ranked at number 1 with an estimated 48.2 scheme is being implemented by the million stunted children Ministry of rural development thereby . The World Bank estimates, reducing stunting in the country can raise the GDP of proving its importance and awareness in India by 4-11%. true sense. Way forward . The month of September was celebrated as Poshan Abhiyan: towards holistic the national nutrition month (Rashtriya nutrition Poshan mash) to take the message of . Acknowledging malnourishment as a major nutrition to the last household. challenge, POSHAN Abhiyan was launched . Platforms such as the monthly village by the PM with the aim of improving health and nutrition days need to be nutritional outcomes for children, pregnant utilised for providing counselling services women, and lactating mothers. to mothers and children. Pillars of the Abhiyan . There is a need to promote the ownership 1. Programmatic convergence of nutrition initiatives by Panchayati Raj . Agriculture plays an important role in institutions and urban local bodies. enabling the availability of nutritious food. . Anaemia Mukt Bharat focuses on: . women play a key role in providing good 1. Testing and treatment of anaemia in school care going adolescents and pregnant . sanitation improves health 2. The web portal anaemiamuktbharat@info 2. Services will monitor its mechanism . Focusing on the first 1000 days of a child’s . Home based young child care (HBYC) life by providing health and nutrition has an objective to reduce child mortality services in an intensive manner. and morbidity by improving nutrition status, growth and early childhood Page | 67

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai development through structured and Intelligence (CBHI), under the aegis of the focused home visits by ASHAs with the Directorate General of Health Services. support of Anganwadi workers (AWWs). . It covers demographic, socio-economic, . ASHA will ensure exclusive breastfeeding health status and health finance indicators, till 6 months of life, adequate along with comprehensive information on complementary feeding after 6 months, health infrastructure and human resources iron and folic acid supplementation, full in health. immunization of children, appropriate use . CBHI has been publishing National Health of ORS, appropriate hand washing Profile every year since 2005. This is the practices and age appropriate playing and 12th edition. communication for children during each Key points of the report: home visit. . This year’s budget allocated only 1.3 % of the GDP which is too low as compared to About Accredited Social Health global average of 6%. Activist (ASHA) . The national MMR stands at a rate of 167 per 1000000 births. Key components of healthcare delivery in rural . 1 allopathic government doctor in India, on India an average, attends to a population of . One of the key components of the National 11,082 compared to WHO’s Rural Health Mission is to provide every recommendation- doctor-population ratio village in the country with a trained female of 1:1,000. community health activist ASHA or . Rs.3 per day is spent on an average Indian’s Accredited Social Health Activist who is an healthcare. interface between the community and the . Rabies (it is a virus that is usually spread by public health system. the bite or scratch of an animal) remains . ASHA must primarily be a literate woman most lethal communicable disease with the resident of the village married/ widowed/ highest figure of deaths reported from divorced, in the age group of 25 to 45 years, West Bengal and Karnataka. qualified up to 10th class, which may be . The cases of Influenza A H1N1 (Swine flu) relaxed if no person with this qualification witnessed a 21-time increase compared to is available. 2016. . ASHA is chosen through process of . Japanese Encephalitis (JE), a kind of an selection by community groups, self-help infection of the brain caused by the JE virus, groups, Anganwadis, the Block and district continues to claim lives with 12 % Nodal officer, the village Health Committee mortality rate. and the Gram Sabha. . The figure of dengue cases also saw a rise . They receive performance-based as the cases went up from 1,29,166 in 2016 incentives for promoting Reproductive & to 1,57,996 in 2017. Child Health (RCH) \ services available at

the Anganwadi/sub-centre/primary health centers, Ante Natal Check-up (ANC), Post National Health Resource Repository Natal Check-up, supplementary nutrition, (NHRR) sanitation, prevention of Reproductive . It is country’s first ever It enabled national Tract Infection/Sexually Transmitted healthcare facility and a registry of Infections (RTIs/STIs) and other services authentic and updated geo-spatial data of being provided by the government. all public & private healthcare including . She acts as a depot for provisions like Oral Railways, ESIC, Defense and Petroleum Rehydration Therapy (ORS),Iron Folic Acid healthcare establishments along with the Tablet(IFA), chloroquine, Disposable Central Bureau of Health Intelligence Delivery Kits (DDK), Oral Pills & Condoms, (CBHI). etc. . The vision of the NHRR project is to strengthen evidence-based decision National health Profile 2018 making and develop a platform for citizen . The National Health Profile-2018 is and provider-centric services for over 25 prepared by the Central Bureau of Health lakh healthcare establishments.

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Officers IAS Academy, Chennai . NHRR will cohesively work with Ayushman . Post graduate institute of medical Bharat - National Health Protection Mission education and research (PGIMER), (AB-NHPM) and Central TB Division (CTD). Chandigarh. . The project involves conducting a national . A coronary care unit in Siliguri District census for hospitals, doctors, clinics, blood Hospital, Siliguri, West Bengal. banks, pharmacies; diagnostic labs etc. and . Bankura Sammilani Hospital, Bankura, enable Public-Private Partnerships. West Bengal. . The latest to join is Medanta Medicity Tele-Medicine: A new healthcare Hospital who launched their Medanta E opportunity clinics Website for telecommunication. A tele-medicine delivery is a 3- stakeholder Introduction process . Rural India lacks proper infrastructure . Stakeholder 1: the hospitals and doctors required for setting up a well facilitated generally sitting in big city and offering hospital. Even if they have money to pay services to patients via tele medicine but lack doctors and hospitals. . Stakeholder 2: the technology provider or . 210 out of 550 million internet users today tele medicine facilitator are rural users which make tele- medicine . Stakeholder 3: the patients or a small one of the strongest solutions for India’s clinic or a primary care centre in a rural poor public health infrastructure at rural area. and small city level. Major Challenges What tele-medicine does? . The biggest challenge is the stakeholder 2 . With its use any Indian citizen irrespective as there is a lack of independent of his location can have the access to the faciliatators. best healthcare opinion and treatment as . Poor data communication infrastructure anyone else in the country. . Increased power-cuts in rural areas and Current status of telemedicine even lack of electricity . Accrediated social health activists (ASHA’s) . Large sections of illiterate population who are a part of the National rural health depending on government hospitals. mission (NRHM) are using basic tele- . Lack of high speed bandwidth in India health programs for pregnant women and aggravates the problem. children. . Cost associated with advanced technology. . National e Health Authority (NeHA) and Is it comparable to face to face connect? digital India is using e-health means and . Yes, because, It facilitates:- programs in their campaigns. 1. Taking real time vitals such as 12 channels . Ministry of health and family welfare has ECG, Electronic stethoscope, Pulse undertaken various initiatives using oximeter, height and weight, blood information and communication pressure, Glucose level for diabetes and technology (ICT) for improving efficiency other chronic patients. of the public health care system. 2. ENT camera The telemedicine programs find their support 3. Fetal Doppler for pregnant women. from the following: 4. Optical reader for eye patients. . Department of Information technology 5. Spirometer (DIT) 6. The telemedicine software keeps track of . Indian space research organization the prescription. . NEC telemedicine program for north 7. Some services even use Artificial eastern states intelligence to predict patient’s health. . State governments Conclusion: Hospitals using facilities under tele-medicine . Tele medicine is used across the world as . Apollo hospitals one of the most powerful public health . All India institutes of medical sciences tools. It is practiced in underdeveloped (AIIMS), New Delhi. countries of Africa such as Zambia (during . Sanjay Gandhi Post graduate institute of EBOLA outbreak). medical sciences (SGPGIMS), Lucknow. . From the rural health perspective, telemedicine can add much larger value as Page | 69

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai compared to any other country in India as family about the pregnancy issues, child it has the best doctors in world and best birth and child care. technology innovators. Conclusion: . Communications interventions are needed Mobile Connectivity for rural health at three stages to turn an initiative into Introduction success. . Today’s rural India is a curious mix of old 1. The first stage is creating awareness. beliefs and brand-new aspirations which is 2. The second stage is reinforcement through more pronounced in the health sector. providing actionable information Challenges 3. The third stage is seeking feedback and re . The old traditions and stigmas attached to orienting effective penetration of services. the age old diseases . Fear of social pressure Financing rural health care . Less or no understanding of a new idea Introduction . The fear of the unknown immunizations. . As per the Indian constitutional . Lack of information assignments, there is a strong and positive Mobile, the great enabler association of public expenditure on heath. . The communication access helps the two Budget 2018-19 and Ayushman Bharat way communication between the service programme: provider and the receiver. . The budget earmarked Rs 1,200 crore to . It has increased efficacy and effectiveness finance 1.5 lakh health and wellness of ASHAs, Anganwadi workers and ANMs centres by bringing health care system (Auxiliary Nurses and Midwifery) in closer to the homes of the needy. covering a lot more houses in a day than . The funds allocated for Ayushman Bharat she used to do in pre mobile days. for 2018-19 is Rs 2000 crores. This is an . WhatsApp groups help communicate with entitlement based scheme where poor and a group of women spreading awareness vulnerable people who belong to sociology about the new government schemes. economic caste census (SECC) deprivation . The app called mSakhi helps to be in criteria are covered. constant touch with the supervisors, track . In addition the existing beneficiaries of and report health related data. Rastriya swasthya Bima Yojana and senior . Similarly Mera Aspatal App seeks patient citizens health insurance scheme who do feedback to create a more responsive and not figure in the SECC database are also patient driven healthcare service. entitled to benefits under the scheme. . Mission Indradhanush (launched in . The identified beneficiaries are entitled for 2016) tracks the immunization of children health insurance coverage of Rs 500,000 and helps parents in carrying out timely per family per year and for hospitalization and complete immunization programme. in empanelled hospitals anywhere in the . Pradhan mantri surakshit Matritva country. Abhiyaan App is an avenue for Conclusion registration of private sector/voluntary . Efficient and effective health services sector/retired obstetricians, radiologists financing within the fiscal responsibility and physicians willing to provide free framework is the need of the hour for antenatal services to pregnant women at ensuring “health for all’’. Government Health Facilities on 9th of every month. Health care for India’s remote tribes . Similarly India fights Dengue, NHP Swasth Introduction Bharat, NHP directory service, has been the . According to census 2011 the tribes of first port of call for generating awareness India constitute 8.6% of its total population among people. and at present there are 705 scheduled . Another extensive intervention is Kilkari Tribes (ST) groups and among them 75 are initiative. It is a 72 message series considered as particularly vulnerable tribal delivered from pregnancy onwards to group (PVTG) and each group vastly systematically prepare the women and her

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Officers IAS Academy, Chennai different from the other from ethnic, 2. it was isolated from a sick monkey from the cultural and geographical stand points. Kyasanur Forest in Karnataka . By proportion population of states in the 3. Hard ticks (Hemaphysalis spinigera) are North east has the greatest concentration the reservoir of KFD virus and infect of STs. Rodents, shrews, and monkeys. . PVTG: According to the Dhebar 4. Humans get affected by the bite of the tick Commission (1960-1961) within the or by coming in contact with the infected Scheduled Tribes there existed an animal. inequality in the rate of development. Way forward Therefore the 4th Five Year Plan introduced . ICMR -National institute of research in a sub-category within Scheduled Tribes for tribal health located at Jabalpur groups considered to be at lower level of demonstrated designing of theatre based development. This sub-category was communication strategy using school named "Primitive tribal group" which got students as agent of change to generate renamed to “Particularly vulnerable tribal awareness and control of diseases. group” in 2006. . As tribal population find it difficult to Issues they face navigate through complexities of medical 1. Illiteracy facilities, health care providers such as 2. Tough physical environments ASHA, AWW, ANM may become the link 3. Malnutrition between the health care facilities and tribal communities. 4. Inadequate access to potable water . There is a need to improve the road 5. Lack of proper hygiene and sanitation connectivity. make them more vulnerable to diseases . During the training of the health care staff, Reason that compounds the issue the issues should be addressed such as to . Lack of awareness reduce the discriminatory behavior. . Their belief system and indigenous . Mechanism should be worked out for more practices fund flow in the tribal areas with proper . Their distance from medical facilities tracking of the fund to reach the targeted population. . The lack of all-weather roads

. Insensitive and discriminatory behaviour Adolescent health by staff at medical facilities Introduction . Financial constraints. . Adolescents that constitute about 21% of . Cultural practices such as high level of Indian population forms a major consanguineous marriages among the demographic and economic force facing the tribes lead to hereditary diseases such as challenges like poverty ,lack of access to sickle cell anaemia,G6PD(A genetic health care services ,unsafe environments disorder causing red blood cells to break etc. . WHO defines an adolescent as any person down in response to certain medication, between the ages 10-19 year. But age is infections or other stresses)and only a simple way to define it; there are thalassemia. many physical and psychological changes . The other widely prevalent health that occur during this phase of life. problems include communicable and 1. Early adolescence: 10-14 years tropical diseases like malaria, parasitic 2. Late adolescence: 15-19 years Challenges diseases, tropical diseases and . Teenage pregnancy: about 47% of Indian tuberculosis. women are married before the age of . Kyasannur forest disease (KFD) is also 18years.One fifth of the pregnant girls reported to be a looming threat to forest below 20 years of age have no antenatal tribes with occasional deaths. checkups. . KFD: . Malnutrition: about 56% of females and 1. Kyasanur Forest disease (KFD) is caused by 30% of males in the 15-19 age groups are Kyasanur Forest disease virus (KFDV) Page | 71

Officers IAS Academy, Chennai anaemic and 2.4% females and 2% males . Rashtriya Bal swasthya karyakram are obese. (RBSK): it covers 4 D's viz defects at birth, . Violence and risky behaviour: sexual deficiencies, diseases, development delays activity, substance abuse, risky driving and including disability. violence cause nearly half of morbidity and . Balika Samriddhi Yojana: it aims to mortality. change negative family and community . Apart from these there are issues of mental attitudes towards the girl child, improve depression and suicides. enrollment and retention of girl children in . Addiction to tobacco and cigarettes. schools and rise the age at marriage of girls. . No schooling . Integrated child protection scheme . Many of the adolescents die prematurely (ICPS): Aims to build a protective due to various reasons that are either environment for children in difficult preventable or treatable and many more circumstances through government-civil suffer from chronic illness of health and society partnership. disability. . Scheme for adolescent girls (SAG): it is to . Adolescent girls often lack social support. facilitate, educate and empower adolescent . Policies and programs are largely aimed girls focusing on age group of 11-14 years. either at children or at women, leaving . SAATHIYA resource kit and Saathiya salah adolescent girls in the gap. Mobile app:It is a part of RKSK which . Taboos attached to use of sanitary napkins. introduces peer educators . Government schemes Way forward: . Kishori Shakti Yojana (KSY): the scheme . Interventions from early childhood. was launched in the year 2000 to improve . Two way interventions on both the the health and nutrition status of immediate environment of family and the adolescent girls via awareness of health, wider interventions created by policies, nutrition, personal hygiene, family welfare social determinants. and management. . Programmes should take consideration of . Nutrition program for adolescent girls similarities and differences between and (NPAG) was launched in 2002-03 for within the various regions of the country. adolescent girls in 51 selected districts to . Ensuring equity between these address under nutrition of girls. heterogeneous regions and human rights. . Later both were merged into one with a comprehensive coverage and launched as Rajiv Gandhi scheme for empowerment of adolescent girls -SABLA . . The scheme includes 1. Making adolescent girls aged 11-18 years ,self-reliant. 2. improving their health and nutrition, 3. awareness on adolescent reproductive and sexual health (ARSH) 4. Vocational training along with mainstreaming out of school adolescent girls (OOSGS) into formal and non-formal education. . To organize and mobilize the adolescent girls, the girls were formed into groups called as ''kishori samooh’’ who would assemble at the Anganwadi centre (AWC) on regular basis for collective action , counseling and guidance activities. . School health programme: it includes a bi annual health checkups and screening for diseases, deficiency and disability.

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