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DND (Relevant Current Affairs for UPSC Civil Services Examination)

Monthly Compilation

for March 2021

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Also Available: Prelims Crash Course || Prelims Test Series T.me/SleepyClasses Table of Contents 1. Geography ...... 1 1.1.This February among hottest in the Capital since 1901 ...... 2 1.2.Warmer winters in : La Nina events may be getting hotter than El Nino, say experts ...... 3 1.3.IMD rules out heat wave despite warming trend ...... 5 1.4.China gives green light for frst downstream dams on Brahmaputra ...... 8 1.5.ICAR receives King Bhumibol World Day - 2020 Award by FAO ...... 9 1.6.Genomes in Indian Ocean ...... 10 1.7.Martian blueberries ...... 11 1.8.Sangay Volcano eruption ...... 12 1.9.Mullaperiyar dam ...... 13 1.10.Indian monsoon 25 million years ago resembled present day ...... 16 1.11.Crisis of Obtaining Helium in India ...... 18 1.12.Ken-Betwa Link Project ...... 19 1.13. Crisis in Himachal ...... 21 1.14.H2Ooooh! ...... 23 1.15.Indus Water treaty ...... 23 1.16.Suez Canal ...... 25 1.17.Pesticide Pollution ...... 27 2. History & Culture ...... 28 2.1.Ancient church, set to be razed, gets new ...... 29 2.2.The Forgotten Life of Sushila Didi ...... 30 2.3.Sikh fghter pilot memorial in UK to honour Indians who fought in World Wars .31 2.4.PM to fag off march to Dandi today ...... 31 2.5.Kathakali maestro Chemancheri Kunhiraman Nair dead ...... 32 2.6.Ahom general Lachit Borphukan ...... 33 2.7.Shigmotsav ...... 36 2.8.Garhwal Himalayas ...... 36 3. Polity ...... 38 3.1.In , an itch for reviving prickly cages for offenders ...... 39 3.2.DU to issue digital degrees to 2017-19 graduates soon ...... 39 3.3.Election Commission cuts notice period for new political parties ...... 40 3.4. riots: court takes cognisance of sedition charge against 18 people ...... 42 3.5.Use of PM’s photo in petrol pump hoardings violates poll code, should be removed: ECI offcial ...... 44 www.sleepyclasses.com Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses 3.6.Freedom in the world report 2021 ...... 46 3.7.All-women crew of MT Swarna Krishna makes history ...... 47 3.8.Revisiting the quota template ...... 48 3.9.Ahead of Polls in 4 States, SC Needs to Prioritise the Challenge to Electoral Bonds 50 3.10.Vaccine passports, and why you may need one soon ...... 54 3.11.After Mizoram, offers help to Myanmar refugees ...... 55 3.12.TV channels warned against violating code ...... 56 3.13.Centre approves creation of PM Swasthya Suraksha Nidhi ...... 57 3.14.Offcial Panel on India’s Low Press Freedom Rank ...... 58 3.15.LGBTIQ Freedom Zone in EU ...... 60 3.16.Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 ...... 62 3.17.Maths, physics not compulsory for admissions ...... 63 3.18.Allocation of symbols to political parties ...... 64 3.19.Changes to NCT Act revive power tussle ...... 65 3.20.As States Enter Election Season, Important CAG Reports Remain Unavailable to the Public ...... 66 3.21.Many teaching institutes substandard ...... 68 3.22.World Happiness Report 2021: India ranks 139 out of 149 ...... 71 3.23.Right to Health ...... 72 3.24.Rajasthan brings private medical colleges within RTI Act purview ...... 74 3.25.Citizenship amendment act (Wiil discuss in April with updations) ...... 79 3.26.Appointment of Judges ...... 80 3.27.Right to Information (RTI) ...... 82 3.28.Time frame for accident information reports ...... 83 3.29.Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana ...... 86 4. Economy ...... 88 4.1.GST mop-up rises 7.4% in Feb; tops Rs 1 lakh crore for 5th straight month ...... 89 4.2.Why Bihar farmers are looking to sell their sugarcane in Nepal ...... 90 4.3.Revising security act: NITI Aayog ...... 91 4.4.No TDS when Indian frms pay to use foreign software ...... 93 4.5.Purchasing Manager’s index ...... 93 4.6.Purple Revolution (Under Aroma Mission): ...... 94 4.7.PM to receive the CERAWeek Global and Environment Leadership Award 97 4.8.Food waste index report 2021 ...... 101 4.9.RailTel launches prepaid wi-f services at 4,000 railway stations ...... 102 4.10.Central Revenues Control Laboratory gets recognised as a Regional Customs Laboratory (RCL) of the World Customs Organisation ...... 104

www.sleepyclasses.com Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses 4.11.International Women’s Day: 10 million more girls at risk of child marriage due to COVID-19, warns UNICEF ...... 105 4.12.International Women’s day: How Telangana’s women farm hands turned farmers 106 4.13.MSMEs seen as next stress area as banks wary of loan repayments under ECLGS 106 4.14.Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare signs MoU with Central Silk Board, Ministry of Textiles for promotion of Agroforestry in Silk Sector ...... 108 4.15.Only half of government schools, anganwadis have tap water supply ...... 112 4.16.Why private companies are queueing up to set up New Umbrella Entities (NUE) 114 4.17.Govt. to telcos: buy only from ‘trusted sources ...... 115 4.18.How FPOs can help small and marginal farmers ...... 116 4.19.Govt. owning bad bank is more capital effcient ...... 118 4.20.Mera Ration’ mobile app ...... 118 4.21.Mines ministry issues framework for non-ferrous metal scrap recycling ...... 119 4.22.Rising loans help bank credit grow 6.6%; deposits surge 12% ...... 121 4.23.CPI Vs WPI ...... 123 4.24.'Voluntary Vehicle-Fleet Modernisation Programme ...... 124 4.25.UDAN -Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik ...... 125 4.26.Pandemic may have doubled , says Pew study ...... 127 4.27.Challenges for SPACs in India ...... 128 4.28.MGNREGA ...... 129 4.29.Skill certifcation ...... 131 4.30.Ministry slams Oxfam inequality index ...... 133 4.31.GST compensation ...... 135 4.32.Business Responsibility And Sustainability Report (BRSR) ...... 136 4.33.Cost of running ‘Ghost Airport ‘ rises ...... 137 4.34.Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman launches mobile apps of Central Scrutiny Centre and IEPFA ...... 138 5. Social Issues ...... 140 5.1.Gender bias at workplace: 4 in 5 women miss out on raise, promotion, fnds survey 141 6. Environment & Ecology ...... 142 6.1.Elephant traders held in Mumbai ...... 143 6.2.Eviction of Prawn gherries at Chilka ...... 144 6.3.Paris Agreement goals: UN urges countries to update emission targets ...... 145 6.4.IIT-Delhi researchers develop technology to recycle e-waste ...... 146 6.5.How, after 170 years, a ‘lost’ bird was found in the jungles of Indonesian Borneo 149 6.6.Wildfre rages in Similipal ...... 149

www.sleepyclasses.com Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses 6.7.2 years after maneater Avni was killed, her cub, now an adult tigress, walks out into the wild ...... 150 6.8.Fishers in Odisha rescue second whale shark in a week ...... 152 6.9.Olive Ridley ...... 153 6.10.Odisha has most contaminated sites in India: CPCB data ...... 153 6.11.Planet greening negated global warming, show NASA maps ...... 154 6.12.Bihar government bans near river bridges ...... 154 6.13.Energy Effciency Enterprise (E3) Certifcations programme for brick sector .....156 6.14.SC bats for Great Indian Bustard ...... 157 6.15.‘Bee fences’ to ward off elephant attacks ...... 158 6.16.Install transponders in all fshing vehicles to save Olive Ridleys in Odisha, says HC 160 6.17.New method for effcient removal of heavy metals from water ...... 161 6.18.Oceans may emit more ozone-depleting gases ...... 162 6.19.Delhi- World’s most polluted capital ...... 163 6.20.UP: Tigress carcass found ...... 164 6.21.International Day of ...... 165 6.22.GRAM UJALA programme ...... 166 6.23.Rhinoceros ...... 167 6.24.Sundarban ...... 168 6.25.New species of red algae ...... 169 6.26.African Elephant ...... 169 6.27.Net zero emission ...... 170 6.28.New sub-species of six-line blue butterfy ...... 172 7. Security ...... 173 7.1.Surya Kiran Aerobatics Team (SKAT) ...... 174 7.2.Chinese cyber attack ...... 174 7.3.Cyber Crime Volunteer Program ...... 175 7.4.India’s arms imports down by 33% ...... 176 8. Science & Technology ...... 178 8.1.ISRO successfully launches Brazil's Amazonia 1 satellite, along with 18 other passenger satellites ...... 179 8.2.Hyderabad CSIR lab helped develop key molecule for Covaxin ...... 181 8.3.New sensor promises low-cost detection of methane emissions, leaks ...... 183 8.4.Swachhta Saarthi Fellowships ...... 184 8.5.India an over performer in frontier tech among developing countries: UN report 186 8.6.Phylogenetic tools can help track COVID-19 variants faster ...... 187 www.sleepyclasses.com Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses 8.7.Gender bias in medicine and medical research is still putting women’s health at risk Male bias affects clinical studies ...... 187 8.8.New virus hits Europe ...... 188 8.9.Most distant source of radio emission discovered, holds clues about ancient universe 189 8.10.How scientists found rare freball meteorite pieces on a driveway — and what they could teach us ...... 192 8.11.Fukushima decontamination (For more information DNA) ...... 194 8.12.Seven new cases of Kala-azar reported in one week in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur ...... 194 8.13.What is 2001 FO32, the largest asteroid passing by Earth this year? ...... 196 8.14.COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, ACT Accelerator face cash crunch ...... 197 8.15.Aluminium-air batteries ...... 198 8.16. developed by women scientists from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI)...... 199 8.17.Half a million more TB deaths in 2020 due to pandemic disruptions: WHO .....201 8.18.Rare Diseases ...... 204 8.19.TB notifcations fall due to pandemic disruptions ...... 205 8.20.Understanding genes help to adapt trees ...... 205 8.21.Double mutant Coronavirus ...... 206 8.22.N. Korea launches ‘ballistic missiles’ ...... 206 8.23.China cuts Hong kong elected seats (watch 12 March DND) ...... 208 9. International Relations ...... 210 9.1.India and Japan back in New Sri lanka port project ...... 211 9.2.IAF Participation in EX Desert FLAG VI ...... 212 9.3.OPEC+ move to hit recovery ...... 213 9.4.PM inaugurates ‘Maitri Setu’ between India and Bangladesh ...... 215 9.5.US’s Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) ...... 216 9.6.China overhauls Hong Kong’s poll system ...... 218 9.7.India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Women’s Forum ...... 220 9.8.United Nations Peacekeeping Force (UNPKF) ...... 221 9.9.China cuts Hong kong elected seats (watch 12 March DND) ...... 222

www.sleepyclasses.com Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses 1. Geography Click on the links given below to watch the following questions on YouTube Video 1

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www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 1 T.me/SleepyClasses 1.1.This February among hottest in the Capital since 1901 • After a chilly winter, Delhi is now experiencing record high temperatures in the month of February • While February is hotter than normal, Delhi experienced the most number of cold wave days in more than ten years in January. There were as many as seven cold wave days in January, which were the most in the month since 2008. • According to the experts, the weather pattern in the last few months has a lot to do with the lack of western disturbances during the season. These western disturbances make it possible that the maximum and minimum temperatures in the region do not reach an extreme number, as they are known to regulate the temperature. • The IMD suggests that there were fewer western disturbances, with only one witnessed in January and one thus far in February. • However, after March 2, a fresh western disturbance likely to affect western Himalayan region that is likely to decrease temperature

About Western Disturbance • It is an extratropical storm originating in the Mediterranean region that brings sudden winter to the north-western parts of the Indian sub-continent. It is a non-monsoonal precipitation pattern driven by the westerlies. • Extratropical storms are a global phenomenon with moisture usually carried in the upper atmosphere, unlike their tropical counterparts where the moisture is carried in the lower atmosphere. In the case of the Indian subcontinent, moisture is sometimes shed as rain when the storm system encounters the Himalayas.

Formation • Western Disturbance originates in the Mediterranean Sea as extra-tropical cyclones. A high-pressure area over Ukraine and neighbourhood consolidates, causing the intrusion of cold air from Polar Regions towards an area of relatively warmer air with high moisture. • This generates favourable conditions for cyclogenesis in the upper atmosphere, which promotes the formation of an eastward-moving extratropical depression. They gradually travel across the middle- east from Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan to enter the Indian sub-continent.

Impact • Plays important role in bringing moderate to heavy rain in low-lying areas and heavy to mountainous areas of the Indian Subcontinent. • This disturbance is usually associated with cloudy sky, higher night temperatures and unusual rain. This precipitation has great importance in agriculture, particularly for the Rabi crops. Wheat among them is one of the most important crops, which helps to meet India’s food security. • Excessive precipitation due to this disturbance can cause crop damage, landslides, and avalanches. Over the Indo-Gangetic plains, it occasionally bring cold wave conditions and dense fog. These conditions remain stable until disturbed by another western disturbance. When western disturbances move across northwest India before the onset of monsoon, a temporary advancement of monsoon current appears over the region.

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1.2.Warmer winters in India: La Nina events may be getting hotter than El Nino, say experts • The IMD, said most of the north, north-west and north-, along with a few parts of central India and coastal areas of north Peninsular India, may experience above normal day-time temperatures from March till May • The La Niña years may be getting warmer than El Niño events of the past, experts have pointed out. • The current La Niña conditions commenced in October 2020, but have not led to much cooling over India. The IMD has predicted that the moderate La Niña conditions over the equatorial Pacifc Ocean will continue through May. La Niña could be bringing warmer air from the North into India. • The La Niña conditions in the Pacifc are fading, and global agencies forecast that the temperatures will return to neutral and then warm up in the coming months. Hence global temperatures might also rise further in the coming months. • That February 2021 was the warmest month in the recorded history is proof enough, Koll said. • He added that 2020 was one of the warmest years despite a La Niña with cool in the east Pacifc. “The same was observed from January to February, when La Niña was fading from the Pacifc. La Niña typically has a cooling effect on global temperatures, but this is now offset by global warming due to greenhouse gas emissions.

Normal Conditions • In a normal year, a surface low pressure develops in the region of northern Australia and Indonesia and a high pressure system over the coast of Peru. As a result, the trade winds over the Pacifc Ocean move strongly from east to west. • The easterly fow of t h e t r a d e w i n d s carries warm surface waters westward, bringing convective storms (thunderstorms) to Indonesia and coastal Australia. Along the coast of Peru, cold bottom cold nutrient rich water wells up to the surface to replace the warm water that is pulled to the west.

During El Nino year • In an El Niño year, air pressure drops over large areas of the central Pacifc and along the coast of South America.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 3 T.me/SleepyClasses • The normal low pressure system is replaced by a weak high in the western Pacifc (the southern oscillation). This change in pressure pattern causes the trade winds to be reduced == Weak Walker Cell. Sometimes Walker Cell might even get reversed. • This reduction allows the equatorial counter current (current along doldrums) to accumulate warm ocean water along the coastlines of Peru and Ecuador. • This accumulation of warm water causes the thermocline to drop in the eastern part of Pacifc Ocean which cuts off the upwelling of cold deep ocean water along the coast of Peru. • Climatically, the development of an El Niño brings drought to the western Pacifc, to the equatorial coast of South America, and convective storms and hurricanes to the central Pacifc

Effects of El Nino • The warmer waters had a devastating effect on marine life existing off the coast of Peru and Ecuador. • Fish catches off the coast of South America were lower than in the normal year (Because there is no upwelling). • Severe droughts occur in Australia, Indonesia, India and southern Africa. • Heavy rains in California, Ecuador, and the Gulf of Mexico How El Nino impacts monsoon rainfall in India • El Nino and Indian monsoon are inversely related. • The most prominent droughts in India – six of them – since 1871 have been El Nino droughts, including the recent ones in 2002 and 2009 • However, not all El Nino years led to a drought in India. For instance, 1997/98 was a strong El Nino year but there was no drought (Because of IOD). • On the other hand, a moderate El Nino in 2002 resulted in one of the worst droughts. • El Nino directly impacts India’s agrarian economy as it tends to lower the production of summer crops such as rice, sugarcane, cotton and oilseeds. • The ultimate impact is seen in the form of high infation and low gross domestic product growth as agriculture contributes around 14 per cent to the Indian economy.

La Nina • After an El Niño event weather conditions usually return back to normal. • However, in some years the trade winds can become extremely strong and an abnormal accumulation of cold water can occur in the central and eastern Pacifc. This event is called a La Niña.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 4 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • A strong La Niña occurred in 1988 and scientists believe that it may have been responsible for the summer drought over central North America. During this period, the Atlantic Ocean has seen very active hurricane seasons in 1998 and 1999. • One of the hurricanes that developed, named Mitch, was the strongest October hurricane ever to develop in about 100 years of record keeping.

Effects of La Nina • abnormally heavy monsoons in India and Southeast Asia, • cool and wet winter weather in southeastern Africa, wet weather in eastern Australia, • cold winter in western Canada and northwestern United States, • winter drought in the southern United States 1.3.IMD rules out heat wave despite warming trend • India Meteorological Department (IMD) doesn’t expect heat wave conditions to establish though day temperatures are currently above normal by 3-5 degrees Celsius over most parts of the hills of North- West India and by 2-4 degrees Celsius over the plains and some parts of Central, East and West India. • A fresh western disturbance as a trough lay over South Afghanistan and adjoining South-West Pakistan on Thursday evening accompanied by an offspring cyclonic circulation over Central Pakistan and adjoining West Rajasthan. The combined strength makes it an active weather system • Heavy rainfall/snowfall is forecast at isolated places over Jammu & Kashmir, , Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

What is heat wave? • Qualitatively, heat wave is a condition of air temperature which becomes fatal to human body when exposed. • Quantitatively, it is defned based on the temperature thresholds over a region in terms of actual temperature or its departure from normal. • In certain countries it is defned in term of the heat index based on temperature and humidity or based on extreme percentile of the temperatures.

What is criterion for declaring heat wave? • Heat wave is considered if maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40 degC or more for Plains and at least 30 degC or more for Hilly regions • Based on Departure from Normal ✓Heat Wave: Departure from normal is 4.5 degC to 6.4 degC

✓Severe Heat Wave: Departure from normal is >6.40C • Based on Actual Maximum Temperature ✓Heat Wave: When actual maximum temperature ≥ 45 degC

✓Severe Heat Wave: When actual maximum temperature ≥47 degC www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 5 T.me/SleepyClasses • If above criteria met at least in 2 stations in a Meteorological sub-division for at least two consecutive days and it declared on the second day

What is a criterion for describing Heat Wave for coastal stations? • When maximum temperature departure is 4.5 degC or more from normal, Heat Wave may be described provided actual maximum temperature is 37 degC or more.

What is warm night? • It is considered only when maximum temperature remains 40 degC or more. • It is defned based on departures or actual minimum temperatures as follows: • Warm night: minimum temperature departure is 4.5 degC to 6.4 degC • Very warm night: minimum temperature departure is >6.4 degC What is the period of heat wave over India? • It is occurring mainly during March to June and in some rare cases even in July. The peak month of the heat wave over May

What are favorable conditions for Heat wave? • Transportation / Prevalence of hot dry air over a region (There should be a region of warm dry air and appropriate fow pattern for transporting hot air over the region). • Absence of moisture in the upper atmosphere (As the presence of moisture restricts the temperature rise). • The sky should be practically cloudless (To allow maximum insulation over the region). • Large amplitude anti-cyclonic fow over the area. • Heat waves generally develop over Northwest India and spread gradually eastwards & southwards but not westwards (since the prevailing winds during the season are westerly to northwesterly). But on some occasions, heat wave may also develop over any region in situ under the favorable condition

How heat discomfort is determined? • It is determined by a combination of meteorological (temperature, Relative Humidity, wind, direct sunshine), social/cultural (clothing, occupation, accommodation) and physiological(health, ftness, age, level of acclimatization) factors.

What is impact based heat wave warning issue by India Meteorological Department (IMD)? • India Meteorological Department issues following colour code impact based heat warning jointly with National Disaster Management Authority.

Ease of Living Index • The index is released by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs ( MoHUA). • The EoLI strengthens its scope by consolidating the framework with the addition of a Citizen Perception Survey in the index, holding a weightage of 30%.

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• It, therefore, examines the outcomes that lead to existing living conditions through pillars of Quality of Life, Economic Ability, Sustainability, spanning across 13 categories of -, Health, Housing and Shelter, WASH and SWM, Mobility, Safety and Security, Recreation, Level of Economic Development, Economic Opportunities, Environment, Green Spaces, and Buildings, Energy Consumption, and City Resilience, that account for 70% of the overall outcome. • Category: Population more than million ✓Bengaluru

✓Pune

✓Ahmedabad • Category: Population less than million | 10 cities ✓Shimla

✓Bhubaneshwar

✓Silvassa

Municipal Performance Index (MPI) • By Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry • In the million-plus category, Indore topped the list, followed by Surat and Bhopal. • In 'less than million category', New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) emerged as the leader, followed by Tirupati and Gandhinagar. • "The MPI examined the sectoral performance of 111 municipalities (with Delhi being assessed separately for NDMC, and the three Municipal Corporations) across fve verticals which comprise of 20 sectors and 100 indicators in all totality. The fve verticals under MPI are Services, Finance, Policy, Technology and Governance www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 7 T.me/SleepyClasses • The framework covers 20 varied sectors vis. Education, Health, Water & Wastewater, SWM & , Registration & Permits, Infrastructure, Revenue Management, Expenditure Management, Fiscal Responsibility, Fiscal Decentralisation, Digital Governance, Digital Access, Digital Literacy, Plan Preparation, Plan Implementation, Plan Enforcement, Transparency & Accountability, Human , Participation and Effectiveness.

1.4.China gives green light for frst downstream dams on Brahmaputra About • A draft of China’s new Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), which is set to be formally approved on Thursday, has given the green light for the frst dams to be built on the lower reaches of Yarlung Zangbo river, as the Brahmaputra is known in Tibet before it fows into India.

Concerns • China upper riparian country so decision directly impact downstream neighbour like india • China hardly gives information eg In 2010 after several years of denial, it admitted that it’s building Zangmu dam on Brahmaputra • Issue of run of river (Water is released back after use) or storage dam • As per reports china’s dam are large enough to turned into storage dam • India is apprehensive release of water during monsoon season

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 8 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • No water cooperation treaty b/w two, countries signed MoU in 2002 for sharing Hydrological data

• Under MoU China agreed to share data but during Doklam standoff in 2017 china refused Ecological impact • Concern for as water was turning black with pollutants in 2017 in siang river (B’putra’s name in Arunachal Pradesh)

India • Planing 10,000MW Multipurpose project in Arunachal Pradesh • The Upper Siang project on Siang river in Arunachal Pradesh will be able to take the Excess load of water discharge and can even store water in case of defcit.

1.5.ICAR receives King Bhumibol World Soil Day - 2020 Award by FAO • The international recognition was announced by the FAO, Rome on the eve of World Soil Day - 2020 in view of the ICAR’s excellent contributions in “ Awareness” on the theme “Stop soil , save our future” during the last year. • The Institute organized a massive awareness campaign for preserving “SOIL - Our Mother Earth” to commemorate the World Soil Day including March-Past and distribution of promotional materials on soil health to the participants • It organized several programmes with great fervour and enthusiasm for the school students, farming community and general public.

About King Bhumibol World Soil Day Award • Launched in 2018 • The award, sponsored by the Kingdom of Thailand, is named after King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand for his lifelong commitment to raising awareness of the importance of sustainable soil management and rehabilitation for food security, poverty alleviation etc • The Award acknowledges individuals or institutions that raise public awareness of by organising successful and infuential World Soil Day celebrations.

About ICAR • The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is an autonomous organisation under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare , . Formerly known as Imperial Council of Agricultural Research, • It was established on 16 July 1929 as a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 ✓It has played a major role in promoting excellence in higher education in agriculture.

✓ It is engaged in cutting edge areas of science and technology development and its scientists are internationally acknowledged in their felds.

Soil degradation www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 9 T.me/SleepyClasses • Soil degradation is the decline in soil condition caused by its improper use or poor management, usually for agricultural, industrial or urban purposes. It is a serious environmental problem. Soils are a fundamental , and are the basis for all terrestrial life. Avoiding soil degradation is crucial to our well-being. • Ex Water erosion, wind erosion, salinity, loss of organic matter etc 1.6.Genomes in Indian Ocean About • A 30-member team of scientists and researchers from the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) in Panaji and another 30 crew members onboard its research vessel Sindhu Sadhana will spend the next three months traversing the course of over 10,000 nautical miles in the Indian Ocean on a research project to reveal the internal working of the body of the ocean at a cellular level. • The frst-of-its-kind research project in the country is aimed at understanding the biochemistry and the response of the ocean to climate change, nutrient stress and increasing pollution. • The project will take three years to complete. What is the NIO’s research project about? • The research project that will be fagged off at Visakhapatnam — course the Indian Ocean from India’s east coast, all the way to Australia, then onward towards Port Louis in Mauritius and up to the border of Pakistan, off India’s west coast. • They will gathers samples for genome mapping of microorganisms in the Indian Ocean. The researchers will collect samples from various stretches of the ocean at an average depth of about 5 km. • The scientists will map these in the bacteria, microbes found in the ocean. • The mapping of the Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and Ribonucleic acid (RNA) will show the nutrients present in them, and also those lacking in different parts of the ocean

Objective of studying the interactions of trace metals and marine and animal life • Trace metals like cadmium or copper are supplied to oceans via continental run-offs, atmospheric deposition, hydrothermal activities and continental shelf interaction. They are essential for ocean productivity. • For having a holistic understanding about nutrient cycling and productivity of the oceans • Trace metals can be utilised to track the movement of water masses responsible for ocean circulation and as tools to study the biological, geochemical and ecosystem processes and food web analyses. • Help to generate new information about trace metals from underexplored regions of the Indian Ocean.

Signifcance • Will enable scientists to identify the factors controlling the changes in RNA, DNA in the oceans, and various stressors impacting them.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 10 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • The ocean has several micronutrients like nitrates, sulphates and silicates, like iron ore and zinc, and trace metals like cadmium or copper. The genome mapping will show the presence of which these microbes have adapted to, in addition to their reaction to atmospheric carbon dioxide. • This will help in identifying which part of the ocean has a greater concentration of which or element. • Scientists will then use these as tracers to tackle the causative factors for excess or lack of a certain mineral or element and suggest possible solutions for their mitigation. • In addition, the large pool of RNA, DNA library of the oceans will be utilised for using the Indian Ocean to human beneft in the future. • Exploring the ocean genome will enable an increase in the growing number of commercial biotechnology applications, extending from multiple anticancer treatments to cosmetics and industrial enzymes, to antiviral molecules

National Institute of Oceanography • Is a multi-disciplinary oceanographic research institute and is one of the constituent laboratories of the (CSIR), New Delhi

Council of Scientifc and Industrial Research (CSIR) • is a research and development (R&D) organisation in India established in September 1942 • funded by the Ministry of S&T • Operates as an autonomous body through the Societies Registration Act, 1860. • President: (Ex-offcio) • Vice President: Union Minister of Science and Technology (Ex-offcio) 1.7.Martian blueberries About • In 2004, NASA’s Mars exploration rover ‘Opportunity’ found several small spheres on the planet, informally named Martian blueberries.

Evidence of water • Studies noted that blueberries were made of iron oxide compounds called haematites. This caused excitement, as the presence of haematites suggests that there was water present on Mars. • The widely accepted formation mechanism of haematite concretion [hard solid mass] is precipitation from aqueous fuids. • Haematite is known to form in oxidising environments, and based on our experience on Earth, we infer that water must have also played a crucial role in the formation of grey haematite on Mars.

Connection with haematite concretions in Kutchh • The team has been studying the Jhuran formation in which is between 145 and 201 million years old. Detailed geochemistry and spectroscopic investigations of the haematite concretions in this area revealed that they resemble the ones on Mars. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 11 T.me/SleepyClasses • They have similar morphology – spherical, often doublet and triplet – and similar mineralogy – a mixture of haematite and goethite.

Martian oxygen • The haematites on Mars not just show the presence of water, they also indicate that the planet had an atmosphere with oxygen as haematites need oxygen to stabilise. • It is not known if the concentration was high enough to permit lifeforms, but there was indeed more oxygen than the present day scenario.. • About the age of the ‘blueberries’ on Mars, the exact time correlation is not possible. Water is believed to have disappeared from Mars rocks about three billion years ago.

1.8.Sangay Volcano eruption • Ecuador’s Sangay volcano erupted on recently, spewing clouds of ash as high as 8,500 meters (about 28, 890 feet) into the sky. • Sangay volcano is one of the highest active volcanoes in the world and one of Ecuador's most active ones.

Volcano • A volcano is a vent or a fssure in the crust from which lava (molten rock), ash, gases, rock fragments erupt from a magma chamber below the surface. Volcanism is the phenomenon of eruption of molten rock, pyroclastics and volcanic gases to the surface through a vent.

Causes • here is a huge temperature difference between the inner layers and the outer layers of the earth due to the differential amount of radioactivity. • This temperature difference gives rise to convectional currents in the mantle. • The convection currents in the mantle create convergent and divergent boundaries (weak zones). • At the divergent boundary, molten, semi-molten and sometimes gaseous material appears on earth at the frst available opportunity. • The earthquakes here may expose fault zones through which magma may escape (fssure type volcano).

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 12 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • At the convergent boundary, the subduction of denser plate creates magma at high pressure which will escape to the surface in the form of violent eruptions.

Volcanism Lava types • Andesitic or Acidic or Composite or Stratovolcanic lava ✓These lavas are highly viscous with a high melting point.

✓They are light-coloured, of low density, and have a high percentage of silica.

✓They fow slowly and seldom travel far before solidifying.

✓The resultant volcanic cone is therefore stratifed (hence the name stratovolcano) and steep-sided.

✓The rapid solidifying of lava in the vent obstructs the fow of the out-pouring lava, resulting in loud explosions, throwing out many volcanic bombs or pyroclasts.

✓Sometimes the lavas are so viscous that they form a lava plug at the crater like that of Mt. Pelée in Martinique (an island in the Lesser Antilles, Caribbean Islands).

✓Andesitic lava fow occurs mostly along the destructive boundaries (convergent boundaries). • Basic or Basaltic or Shield lava ✓These are the hottest lavas, about 1,000 °C and are highly fuid.

✓They are dark coloured basalt, rich in iron and magnesium but poor in silica.

✓They fow out of volcanic vent quietly and are not very explosive.

✓Due to their high fuidity, they fow readily with a speed of 10 to 30 miles per hour.

✓They affect extensive areas, spreading out as thin sheets over great distances before they solidify.

✓The resultant volcano is gently sloping with a wide diameter and forms a fattened shield or dome.

✓Shield type lava fow is common along the constructive boundaries (divergent boundary).

1.9.Mullaperiyar dam • The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the Tamil Nadu will be “personally responsible” and “appropriate action” will be taken on failure to give information on the ‘rule curve’ for the Mullaperiyar dam to the Supreme Court-appointed Supervisory Committee. • The ‘rule curve’ in a dam decides the fuctuating storage levels in a reservoir. The gate opening schedule of a dam is based on the ‘rule curve’. It is part of the “core safety” mechanism in a dam.

The Mullaperiyar dam • located on the confuence of the Mullayar and Periyar rivers in Kerala’s Idukki district. • Although the dam is located in Kerala, it is operated by Tamil Nadu following an 1886 lease indenture for 999 years (the Periyar Lake Lease Agreement) that was signed between the Maharaja of Travancore and the Secretary of State for India for the Periyar works. • The dam redirected the river to fow towards the Bay of Bengal, instead of the Arabian Sea and provide water to the arid rain region of Madurai in Madras Presidency. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 13 T.me/SleepyClasses • The lease agreement was renewed in the 1970s by both Tamil Nadu and Kerala giving the former rights to the and water from the dam, besides the authority to develop hydropower projects at the site. In return, Kerala would receive rent from Tamil Nadu. • The frst cracks in this agreement surfaced in 1979 when a minor earthquake had resulted in cracks in the dam. • The Central Water Commission, under the Government of India, conducted a study and recommended lowering the water stored in the dam’s reservoir to 136 feet from 142 feet.

Tamil Nadu’s Claim • It has undertaken measures to strengthen the dam, the Kerala government has blocked any attempt to raise the reservoir water level – resulting in losses for Madurai farmers.

Kerala’s arguments • Highlights fears of devastation by residents living downstream in the earthquake-prone district of Idukki.

Scientist’s concern • If there is an earthquake in the region measuring above six on the Richter scale, the of over three million people will come under grave danger.

Supreme Court verdict: • In 2006, the Supreme court gave Tamil Nadu legal sanction to raise the water level to 142 feet. Kerala response • Kerala amended the 2003 Kerala Irrigation and Act, restricting the water level to 136 feet.

Appointment of committee • In 2012, however, an Apex court-appointed committee stated that the dam was “structurally and hydrologically safe” and that the Tamil Nadu government could raise water levels up to 142 feet.

2014 Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 14 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • In 2014, the court event struck down the amendment to the 2003 Kerala Irrigation and Water Conservation Act, calling it unconstitutional.

About Periyar River • Longest river of Kerala popularly known as ‘Lifeline of Kerala’. • It is a perennial river and is used for supplying to the state. • Originates from Sivagiri Hills of Western Ghats and fows through Periyar National Park and reaches the Periyar Lake, and then the water fows into Vembanad Lake and fnally into Arabian Sea. • Major tributaries of Periyar River are Muthirapuzha, Mullayar, Cheruthoni, Perinjankutti and Edamala rivers. • The Idukki Dam on the Periyar generates a signifcant proportion of Kerala's electrical power. Famous places on Periyar river • There are many important places situated on the banks of the river such as the birthplace of Sankaracharya at kaladi, pilgrim centres at Malayattoor and Aluva, Thattekad Bird Sanctuary, Thekkadt etc

Vaigai River • It is an east-fowing river. • The Vaigai river basin is an important basin among the 12 basins lying between the Cauvery and Kanyakumari. • This basin is bounded by the and the Palani Hills on the West and by the Palk Strait and Palk Bay on the East

The rule curve • It divides the storage volume of a reservoir in zones where different strategies for demand supply will be applied • In general, the rule curve has been used as a limitation in the operation: in food control, limiting the level of water stored at a maximum height, and to prevent collapse supply, by reducing the amount of water supplied to users.

Central Water Commission • It was established in 1945 by the Government on the advice of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Member (Labour) in Viceroy’s Executive Council. • The CWC is headed by a Chairman, with the status of Ex-Offcio Secretary to the Government of India. • The organization currently functions as an offce attached to the Ministry of Jal Shakti, under the Department of Water , River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation.

Central Water Commission – Roles • The Central Water Commission of India has the responsibility of initiation and coordination of schemes introduced by the Ministry of Jal Shakti. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 15 T.me/SleepyClasses • They include schemes that are founded to conserve as well as control the water resource usage in the country and the States. • The schemes launched also help in the felds of food management, irrigation activities, drinking water supply, hydroelectricity generation, etc. • The CWC will consult the state government and central government where required 1.10.Indian monsoon 25 million years ago resembled present day Australia • About 180 million years ago, India separated from the supercontinent Gondwana and took a long northward journey of about 9,000 km to join Eurasia. The subcontinent moved from the southern hemisphere, crossed the Equator to reach its current position. • Due to these changing latitudes, it experienced different climatic conditions, and a new study has now tried to map these variations using leaf fossils. • Though recent data indicates that the monsoon system we experience now dates back to about 25 million years, it is still unclear how the climate was during its long voyage

Methodology • Team analysed the morphological characters of fossil leaves collected from Deccan Volcanic Province, East of Meghalaya, Gurha mine in Rajasthan and Makum Coalfeld in Assam. • The four fossil assemblages were found to be from different geological ages and helped to study the climate during 65, 57, 54, and 25 million years ago.

Observation • It has been observed from across the globe that plant leaf morphological characters such as apex, base and shape are ecologically tuned with the prevailing climatic conditions to adapt for all the seasons throughout the year.

Fossil truths

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 16 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • The results indicated that the fossil leaves from India were adapted to an Australian type of monsoon and not the current Indian monsoon system during its voyage. • The reconstructed temperature data show that the climate was warm (tropical to subtropical) at all the studied fossil sites with temperatures varying from 16.3-21.3 degrees C. • All the fossil sites experienced high rainfall, which varied from 191.6 cm to 232 cm. • Since India was the only subcontinent to have crossed from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere, it is a laboratory to study biogeo changes and understand how the fora and fauna changed accordingly. • Future plan is to better understand the evolutionary history of Indian monsoon and its role in the evolution of hot spots in South and Southeast Asia. • This will help in the conservation of modern biodiversity hot spots. Understanding the past dynamics of Indian monsoon will also help in climate modelling for future monsoon prediction.

Carbon dating (C-14) • has six protons and eight neutrons in its nucleus. By contrast, most of the carbon in our bodies and in the outside world, known as carbon-12, has six protons and six neutrons.

• Crucially, those two extra neutrons make the nucleus of a carbon-14 atom unstable so that it decays radioactively into an atom of nitrogen. • More importantly, these decays are relatively infrequent so that it is possible to measure changes in a carbon sample over tens of thousands of years.

What are carbon dating, isotopes and half-lives? www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 17 T.me/SleepyClasses • The nucleus of an element is made up of subatomic particles: protons and neutrons. The number of protons in the nucleus of an element defnes its chemical behavior. But atoms of the same element can possess different numbers of neutrons in their nuclei. These different forms are known as isotopes. • Carbon has three main isotopes: carbon-12, carbon-13 and carbon-14. The frst two are stable but the last decays radioactively. • In any sample, carbon-14 atoms will take around 5,730 years to lose half their number. • Thus carbon-14 is said to have a half-life of 5,730 years. Applications • Over the years, uses of carbon-14 have spread well beyond dating ancient artefacts. • Drugs can be labelled with carbon-14 and followed as they pass through the body in order to test their safety and effcacy. • Other researchers have used the isotope to trace the way in which convert carbon dioxide into sugar, revealing the intricate processes underpinning photosynthesis. • In addition, carbon-14 has been exploited to study plankton and other forms of sea life, revealing how the waters of the oceans circulate in a great interconnected web of currents that sweep round the planet. • The carbon content of a fsh will register what it has been eating, which in turn will refect the chemistry of the surrounding water, which will be infuenced by how the ocean has mixed. • For good measure, carbon-14 is now playing a major role in uncovering how climates have changed on Earth over tens of thousands of years, work of immense importance as scientists struggle to understand how rising carbon emissions are now triggering dangerous global heating.

1.11.Crisis of Obtaining Helium in India • India imports helium for its needs, and with the U.S. appearing set to cut off exports of helium since 2021, Indian stands to lose out heavily.

Indias Helium import • The U.S. became the most important exporter of helium across the world. It was soon realised that U.S. was also the biggest store house of helium. • The U.S., now, is planning to switch off export of helium from 2021. Qatar is a possible exporter but acute political and diplomatic wrangles have made Qatar unreliable. • Every year, India imports helium worth Rs 55,000 crores from the U.S. to meet its needs. Application • It is widely employed in the gas discharge lasers for transfer of energy to lasing gases. • Its low cross-section for nuclear reactions under neutron bombardment and high thermal conductivity makes it suitable for use in plants.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 18 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • One of the most important applications of liquid helium is as refrigerant for superconducting magnets and is also used in diverse felds like magnetic resonance imaging, magneto hydro-dynamics studies etc. • It may well be used widely in future for superconducting power transmission cables. The primary commercial applications of gaseous helium are : welding, purging, pressurization and generation of controlled atmospheres. • Other uses are for leak detection, deep sea diving breathing mixtures, chromatography and as a lifting gas for blimps and balloons. • Helium, therefore, turns to be a commodity with wide potential applications in modern technology and has assumed considerable strategic signifcance.

Helium reserves • Helium is conventionally derived from petroleum gas felds, however, the geographic distribution of helium bearing natural gas deposits is singularly uneven. • The recognized helium rich (> 0.3 vol %) regions include the middle eastern parts of USA. • Nearly ninety percent of the world’s exploitation is concentrated over there and the average helium concentration is around 0.8 vol %. • Helium is also extracted in Canada, Algeria, Poland, Russia and China. The average concentrations of helium in the felds of these countries range between 0.18 vol % to 0.9 vol %. • Since in India such favourable natural gas deposits are not explored yet, it seems logical to look for it in the unconventional terrestrial sources such as thermal spring emanations and monazite • There are nearly three hundred thermal springs scattered all over India. • Preliminary investigations on thermal springs in Eastern India, carried out by the Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC) and Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP) Kolkata, reveal that quite a number of thermal springs emit natural gases containing helium of signifcant measure. • Three distinct belts of thermal springs have so far been identifed in different parts of India: ✓Eastern India: West Bengal, , Assam and Orissa

✓: Ratnagiri, Thane, Colaba and Surat and

✓Himalayan Belt : Jamunotri and Monikaran (Kulu valley)

✓With a mission to extract helium, attention has been focused, initially, on two hot spring sites, one located at Bakreswar (West Bengal) and another, at Tantloi (Jharkhand), 25 km apart from each other and about 250 km away from Kolkata.

1.12.Ken-Betwa Link Project • UTTAR PRADESH and will sign an agreement to implement the Ken-Betwa Link Project on Monday, according to the Jal Shakti Ministry.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 19 T.me/SleepyClasses About Ken-Betwa Link Project • The project aims to transfer surplus water from the Ken river in MP to Betwa in UP to irrigate the drought-prone Bundelkhand region spread across the districts of two states mainly Jhansi, Banda,Lalitpur and Mahoba districts of UP and Tikamgarh, Panna and Chhatarpur districts of MP.

Funding • 90 : 10 funding pattern for Ken Betwa Interlinking Project where 90% of the total estimated cost is to be borne by the centre.

About Ken-Betwa river • Ken and Betwa rivers originate in MP and are the tributaries of Yamuna. • Ken meets with Yamuna in Banda district of UP and with Betwa in Hamirpur district of UP. • Ken River passes through Panna tiger reserve. • Rajghat, Paricha and Matatila dams are over Betwa river.

Concerns • The terms 'surplus' and 'defcit' as used by government agencies are misnomers, environmentalists say, since such anthropogenic measures do not apply to natural resources • Construction of Daudhan dam will result into submergence of 10% of critical tiger habitat of MP’s Panna Tiger Reserve that will adversely affect the tiger conservation efforts. • Height of the dam (77 meters) will affect the nesting sites of vulture. • Construction of one of the barrages inside the Ken Gharial Sanctuary will adversely affect the sustainability of the sanctuary. Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 20 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • Submergence by Daudhan and Makodia reservoirs will result into displacement of 20,000 people of the bundelkhand region and will give rise to rehabilitation issues.

Constitutional Provisions • Article 262(1) of the constitution deals with the adjudication of interstate water disputes. • Article 262(2) holds that neither Supreme Court nor any other court shall exercise jurisdiction in respect of interstate water disputes. • Water being a state subject requires a mutual water sharing arrangement between two riparian states

1.13.Water Crisis in Himachal • Himachal Pradesh is likely to face an acute this summer, State Water Minister Mahender Singh Thakur repeatedly warned the Legislative Assembly this week.

Why is the state with perennial sources of water such as Sutlej and Beas rivers staring at a water crisis? • Himachal Pradesh received less snow and rain this winter. • After winter, melt-water from and the snow cover regularly feeds the as well as other downhill water sources such as springs, wells, bawries, lakes, rivulets, streams and rivers. • But water sources have already started drying up this year due to defcient snowfall • Generally, over the decades, demand for water has been growing due to increasing population in the state, with people now relying more on piped water supply schemes rather than traditional sources such as springs and bawries. • During dry periods, water sources dry up quickly in some areas, especially in the Shiwalik hills where the water-holding capacity of the soil is low. • Himachal had received defcient snowfall in 2018, too, when drinking water shortage in the capital town of Shimla in summer had invited global media attention.

What are the proposed solutions? • As per govt installation of hand-pumps and borewells was stopped last year in view of depleting water table. But it will be resumed now wherever necessary. • Water harvesting tanks will be built throughout the state • A large number of habitations in Himachal Pradesh are not connected by road, but the connected villages will be provided water tankers during periods of shortage, the minister said. • He said that in future, the Jal Shakti department will try to explore the option of snow harvesting in the higher reaches

World water day • Main focus of the day is to support the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030. • First adopted by the UN General Assembly on 22nd December 1992. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 21 T.me/SleepyClasses • After which 22nd March was declared as World Water Day and is being celebrated around the world since 1993. • Theme of World Water Day 2021: ✓Valuing Water - To highlight the value of water in our daily lives.

Global water Crisis : UNICEF (part of UNICEFs Water security for all ) • UNICEF identifed 37 hot-spot countries where children faced especially distressing circumstances in terms of absolute numbers, where global resources, support and urgent action had to be mobilised. • Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Sudan, Tanzania and Yemen were especially vulnerable. • Eastern and Southern Africa has the highest proportion of children living in such areas, with more than half of children 58% facing diffculty accessing suffcient water every day. • It is followed by West and Central Africa (31%), South Asia (25%), and the Middle East (23%). NITI Aayog • 45% of the population in India is facing high to severe water stress. • The report says that nearly 40% of the population will have absolutely no access to drinking water by 2030 and 6% of India's GDP will be lost by 2050 due to the water crisis

Measures Taken by State Governments • Punjab - Pani Bachao Paise Kamao • Rajasthan - Mukhya Mantri Jal Swalambhan Abhiyan • Gujarat - Sujalam Sufalam Yojana • Madhya Pradesh - Kapil Dhara Yojana • - • Andhra Pradesh - Neeru Chettu Programme • Telangana -Mission Kakatiya Program • Uttar Pradesh - Jakhni Village (water village), Bundelkhand What is the ? • Water footprint measures the amount of water used to produce each of the goods and services we use. • It can be measured for any process, like growing crops, for producing clothes, for the fuel we use in our travels, or for a multinational company.

Nations water footprint • is defned as the total amount of water needed for the production of goods and services calculated by adding all the water consumed plus the water inherent in products imported, then subtracted by water in exports.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 22 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses India • India's water footprint is 980 cubic metres per capita, ranks below the global average of 1243 cubic metres. • India contributes roughly 12 % of the worlds total water footprint 1.14.H2Ooooh! • Launched by UNESCO • For school children in India, in partnership with the National Mission for Clean Ganga, the United Schools Organization (USO), Water Digest and India based global animation major Toonz Media Group. • Entitled H2Ooooh! Waterwise program for children of India, this innovative initiative encouraged school students between the age of 6-14 years to submit story ideas for animated short flms to raise awareness on water conservation and its sustainable use.

Ganga Quest 2021 • an an online competitive quiz organized by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and TREE Craze Foundation was also launched at the event. • The online competition conceptualized in 2019, has garnered a stupendous response from students of all ages. • This quiz will encourage everyone to learn more about our rivers and to respect them the quiz can be taken in Hindi or English and this year it is open for international participants also.

1.15.Indus Water treaty • After a gap of more than two and half years Indian and Pakistani delegations have begun the 116th Meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission.

Indus Water treaty • Ever since the in 1947, the Indus River had been a bone of contention between the four countries through which it runs – India, Pakistan, China, and Afghanistan. The river originates from Tibet. • India had blocked water to Pakistan for some time in 1948 but later restored it after the ceasefre. In 1951, Pakistan took the matter to the United Nations (UN) and accused India of cutting the supply of water to many Pakistani villages. • On the recommendations of the UN, the World Bank came up with this agreement in 1954. It was eventually signed on September 19, 1960 • IWT was signed by the then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the then Pakistani President Ayub Khan. Brokered by the World Bank (then known as the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development) • India got control over the three eastern rivers, which are: • Ravi , Beas , Sutlej www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 23 T.me/SleepyClasses • All the waters of the Eastern Rivers shall be available for the unrestricted use of India until the arise of any unwanted situation. • Pakistan got control over the three western rivers, which are: • Indus , Chenab , Jhelum • The treaty gives India 20% of the water from the Indus River System and the rest 80% to Pakistan. • A Permanent Indus Commission was set up as a bilateral commission to implement and manage the Treaty.

Issues Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric power projects • In 2016, Pakistan had approached the World Bank raising concerns of India’s Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric power projects being constructed in Jammu & Kashmir • The World Bank permitted India to proceed with the projects after talks were concluded between both the countries on the technicalities of the treaty.

Tulbul project

• The Tulbul project (which is a navigation lock-cum-control structure at the mouth of the Wular Lake, situated on the Jhelum from Anantnag to Srinagar and Baramulla) was suspended in 1987 after Pakistan objected to it.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 24 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • Recently, the government decided to review this suspension not taking into account Pakistan’s protests.

Permanent Indus Commission • The Permanent Indus Commission is a bilateral commission of offcials from India and Pakistan, created to implement and manage goals of the Indus Waters Treaty, 1960. • The Commission according to the treaty must meet regularly at least once a year, alternately in India and Pakistan. • The functions of the Commission are: • to study and report to the two Governments • to solve disputes arising over water sharing. • to arrange technical visits to projects’ sites and critical river head works. • to undertake, once in every fve years, a general tour of inspection of the Rivers for ascertaining the facts. • to take necessary steps for the implementation of the provisions of the treaty.

1.16.Suez Canal • The maritime world went into overdrive this week to dislodge one of the world’s biggest ships after it got jammed in Egypt’s Suez Canal, laying bare the fresh challenges the industry must navigate as mammoth vessels play an ever larger role in global trade. • Is an artifcial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez; and dividing Africa and Asia.

History • The Suez Canal was built in Eygpt under the supervision of French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps. • The man-made waterway opened in 1869 after ten years of construction and separates most of Egypt from the Sinai Peninsula. At 120 miles long, it connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean by way of the Red Sea, allowing goods to be shipped from Europe to Asia and back more directly. • The 150-year-old canal was controlled by British and French interests in its initial years, but was nationalised in 1956 by Egypt

Suez crisis • After World War II, Egypt pressed for evacuation of British troops from the Suez Canal Zone, and in July 1956 President Nasser nationalized the canal, hoping to charge tolls that would pay for construction of a massive dam on the Nile River. • In response, Israel invaded in late October, and British and French troops landed in early November, occupying the canal zone. • Under Soviet, U.S., and U.N. pressure, Britain and France withdrew in December, and Israeli forces departed in March 1957. That month, Egypt took control of the canal and reopened it to commercial shipping. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 25 T.me/SleepyClasses • Ten years later, Egypt shut down the canal again following the Six Day War and Israel’s occupation of the Sinai peninsula. • For the next eight years, the Suez Canal, which separates the Sinai from the rest of Egypt, existed as the front line between the Egyptian and Israeli armies. • In 1975, Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat reopened the Suez Canal as a gesture of peace after talks with Israel. • Today, an average of 50 ships navigate the canal daily, carrying more than 300 million tons of goods a year.

Concerns • Around the world, ships have ballooned in size because the industry has looked for economies of scale, but these mega vessels have also drawn concerns. • Shipping companies have used them to lower costs per unit, but that’s putting pressure on ports to make their waterways deeper and spend on more crane • The Suez Canal Authority said a lack of visibility due to bad weather and a sand storm led to the ship losing control and drifting. • Global trade in merchandise has recovered to pre-pandemic levels as the coronavirus triggered demand for household goods

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1.17.Pesticide Pollution • Around 64 per cent of world’s used for agriculture and food crops is at risk of pesticide pollution and almost a third of these areas are considered to be at high-risk, a global study of agricultural land across 168 countries has revealed

Key points • Asia houses the largest land areas at high risk of pollution in countries like China, Japan, Malaysia, and the . • Some of these areas are considered ‘food bowl’ countries, feeding a large portion of the world’s population. • Globally, 34 per cent of the high-risk areas are in high-biodiversity regions, 19 per cent in low-and lower-middle-income nations and fve per cent in water-scarce areas. • Although the agricultural land in Oceania shows the lowest pesticide pollution risk, Australia’s Murray-Darling basin is considered a high-concern region both due to its water scarcity issues and its high biodiversity,

Impact • Pesticides can be transported to surface waters and groundwater through runoff and infltration, polluting water bodies, thereby reducing the usability of . • Overuse of pesticides is concerning as it might tip the balance, destabilise ecosystems and degrade the quality of water sources that humans and animals rely on to survive, the study said.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 27 T.me/SleepyClasses 2. History & Culture Click on the links given below to watch the following questions on YouTube Video 1

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2.1.Ancient church, set to be razed, gets new life About • The centuries-old St. George’s Orthodox Church at Cheppad in Kerala faced demolition for widening of National Highway 66, but is now set to become a Centrally-protected monument of national importance with Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) recognition • There are 47 murals and the paintings are of St. Paul with a sword, the birth of Jesus Christ, resurrection of Lazarus, the kiss of Judas, the Last Supper, Christ bearing the cross, Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit, and Noah’s Ark. These paintings, blending Persian and Kerala mural art styles, draw enthusiasts from far and wide.

Quick facts for prelim Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) • ASI, under the Ministry of Culture, is the premier organization for the archaeological research and protection of the cultural heritage of the nation. • It was founded in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham- the frst Director-General of ASI. Alexander Cunningham is also known as the “Father of Indian Archaeology”. • Its activities include carrying out surveys of antiquarian remains, exploration and excavation of archaeological sites, conservation and maintenance of protected monuments etc. • It is the successor of ‘The Asiatic Society of India’, Monument of National importance • The Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 defnes any structure, erection or monument, or any tumulus or place of interment, or any cave, rock-sculpture, inscription or monolith which is of historical, archaeological or artistic interest and which has been in existence for not less than 100 years.

Criteria • The monument or archaeological site is not less than 100 years old. • It has special historical, archaeological or artistic interest, making it worthy of declaration as of national importance. • It qualifes under specifed provisions of defnition of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958. • The interested public do not have major objections to such declaration. • The authenticity and integrity of the ancient monument or archaeological site and remains have not been damaged. • It is free from major encumbrances. • The central government maintains national monuments, while the state government maintains state monuments.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 29 T.me/SleepyClasses 2.2.The Forgotten Life of Sushila Didi Sushila Mohan • popularly known as Sushila Didi. • Born on March 5, 1905, in the Punjab province of • She got her education from the Arya women’s college in Jalandhar where she stayed from 1921 to 1927 • Later she met Bhagwati Charan Vohra and Durga Devi Vohra and joined the revolutionary group. • She also gave her gold bangles to the party in order to collect funds to fght the case for the Kakori accused. • She formed a group of revolutionary women who, led by Subhas Chandra Bose protested against the Simon commission. • Later this group of women activists formed the ‘Bhagat Singh Defence Committee’ and collected funds for the undertrials of the Lahore and Delhi Conspiracy Cases. Sushila Didi also wrote a play titled ‘Mewar Patan’ which was performed by her group to collect funds and spread revolutionary ideology. • Following the arrest of Bhagat Singh and other revolutionaries in the Delhi Assembly bomb case, the HSRA revolutionaries planned to assassinate Viceroy Irwin. Since all other revolutionaries were under heavy surveillance, the task to collect information and details about the train and schedule of the Viceroy fell on Sushila Didi. Dressed up in complete European attire and impersonating a British lady, Sushila Didi was able to fnd out all information related to Viceroy’s journey • After the failure of the aforementioned attempt on Irwin, the HSRA revolutionaries planned to free Bhagat Singh by carrying out a jail break. • Later arrest warrant was issued in the name of Sushila Didi for a letter she had written to Bhagat Singh which was published in a nationalist newspaper Swatantra Bharat. The editor Bhagwat was charged with sedition and slapped with a fne of 10,000 and six years of imprisonmen • After the hanging of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru on March 23, 1931, and the death of Chandrasekhar Azad on February 27, 1931, the HSRA was in complete disarray. It was during this time that Sushila Didi took command of the organisation in Delhi and Lahore and planned the assassination of Sir Henry Kirk, the secretary of the Punjab government. • Known in the inner revolutionary circle as ‘Lahore Kirk plan’, revolutionaries like Dhanwantari, Sukhdev Raj and Jagdish under the leadership of Sushila Didi gathered in Lahore to plan their action • Sushila Didi actively participated in the 1932 Delhi session of the Congress which was banned by the colonial government • Although Sushila Didi had joined the in Delhi, she did not quit her revolutionary ideology • Later she, along with her husband, also participated in the Quit India movement of 1942 and subsequently went to jail.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 30 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • After the British left India in 1947, Sushila Didi started a handicraft school for women in Ballimaran neighbourhood of old Delhi. She primarily worked in the Dalit colonies (then known as Harijan colonies) and trained hundreds of women in small handicrafts technology. She also served as a member of Delhi Municipal Corporation for a brief period and was the president of the Delhi Congress Committee. Today there exists a road in her name, the ‘Sushila Mohan Marg’ in Khari Baoli, Chandni Chowk

2.3.Sikh fghter pilot memorial in UK to honour Indians who fought in World Wars • Recently, England has approved the design for a sculpture of an early 20th century Sikh fghter pilot “Hardit Singh Malik” for a new memorial to be erected in the port city of Southampton. • The memorial is built in memory of all Indians who fought in the World Wars. • The memorial will be created by English sculptor Luke Perry Hardit Singh Malik • First arrived in the UK in 1908 as a 14-year-old to Balliol College at the University of Oxford and went on to become a member of the Royal Flying Corps during World War I. • As the frst Indian and turbaned pilot with a specialised helmet, he became famous as the “Flying Sikh”. 2.4.PM to fag off march to Dandi today • Prime Minister Narendra Modi will fag off a march from the Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi on Friday to kick off celebrations of the 75th year of Independence, Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel said on Thursday. • The Prime Minister would inaugurate cultural and digital initiatives as part of the celebrations and address the gathering at the Sabarmati Ashram as well, the Minister said. • The Culture Ministry had announced last week that the celebrations would begin from Friday, March 12, marking the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s Salt Satyagraha. • It also marks 75 weeks till Independence Day 2022. Dandi March • The 1882 Salt Act gave the British a monopoly on the collection and manufacture of salt, levying a tax in the process. The violation of this act was a criminal offense. Even though salt was freely available to those living on the coast, Indians were forced to buy it from the colonial government • Since the salt tax accounted for more than 8.2 % of the tax revenue and hurt the poorest Indians the most signifcantly. He reasoned that this would hurt the British even more signifcantly. • Salt was chosen to symbolize the start of civil disobedience movement because salt was deemed as something on which each Indian had the basic right • On March 12, 1930, Gandhiji set out from Sabarmati with 78 followers on a 241-mile march to the coastal town of Dandi on the Arabian Sea

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 31 T.me/SleepyClasses 2.5.Kathakali maestro Chemancheri Kunhiraman Nair dead About Chemancheri Kunhiraman Nair • Born to Chadayankandy Chathukutty Nair and Kinattinkara Kunhamnakutty Amma on June 16, 1916 • Chemancheri Kunhiraman Nair’s tryst with Kathakali, the ancient dance drama of Kerala, began at the age of 14, when he left his home to join a kathakali troupe run by Guru Karunakaran Menon. • Honoured with the Padma Shree in 2017 in recognition of his glorious contribution to the art form. • His portrayal of Lord Krishna and Kuchela on stage always left the audience spellbound and his last notable public performance was at the age of 100. • Famous for specialisation in “Kalladikodan” style in Kathakali. Kathakali dance • Dazzling classical dance of Kerala is Kathakali. • ‘Katha’= Story or tale, ‘Kali’= Performance and Art. • Its roots are in ancient ‘Kutiyattam’ (Classical Sanskrit Dance Drama) and ‘Krishnattam’ (Dance- Drama depicting Stories of Hindu God Krishna). • Movements in Kathakali are infuenced by ancient martial arts and athletic tradition. • It is basically a Dance-Drama. • Kathakali was traditionally a male-dominated dance and now females are too welcomed in this dance form. • Kathakali is also famous for its huge elaborate costumes, amazing make-up style, face masks, and ornaments. • Unlike other Classical Dances, Kathakali art form developed in the courts and theatres of Hindu principalities. • The traditional performances were used to be as long from Dusk to dawn. Modern day presentations are short as per the time limit of the program. • The Kerala Kalamandalam is the main center for Kathakali Artists. • Kathakali has similarities with other dance forms like that of the Japanese ‘ Noh’ and ‘Kabuki’ dance forms have similarities with Kathakali

Kathakali Make-up • The costume is elaborate andthe faceis painted in vivid hues. The Vesham or make-up is of fve types - Pacha, Kathi, Thadi, Kari and Minukku. • The pomp and magnifcence of Kathakali is partly due to its décor, part of which is the kireetam (huge ornamental headgear) and the kanchukam (over sized jackets), and a long skirt worn over a thick padding of cushions. The artists completely immerse themselves and the audience into the story they're describing. • Pacha (Green)

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✓Pacha Vesham or the green make-up portrays noble protagonists. • Kathi (Knife) ✓Kathi Vesham portrays villainous characters. • Thadi (Beard) ✓There are three types of beards or Thadi Veshams. VellaThadi or White beard for superhuman monkeys like Hanuman. ChuvannaThadi or Red beard meant for evil characters. KaruthaThadi or Black beard for the hunter. • Kari (Black) ✓Kari Vesham is used for she-demons. • Minukku (Prettying Up) ✓The "Minukku Vesham" is used for female characters and sages. • Mudra ✓Mudra is a stylised sign language used to depict an idea, a situation or a state of being. A Kathakali actor enacts his ideas through mudras. For this the actor follows a systematic sign language based on Hastalakshana Deepika, a treatise on the language of hand gestures. • Kathakali Music ✓Kathakali orchestra is formed of two varieties of drums - the maddalam and chenda; the chengila which is a bell metal gong and the ilathalam or cymbals. • Kathakali Training ✓Students of Kathakali have to undergo rigorous training replete with oil massages and separate exercises for eyes, lips, cheeks, mouth and neck. Abhinaya or expression is of prime importance as is nritya or dance and geetham or singing.

2.6.Ahom general Lachit Borphukan • Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called 17th century Ahom general Lachit Borphukan a symbol of India’s “atmanirbhar” military might..

Lachit Borphukan • Born on 24th November, 1622, Borphukan was known for his leadership in the Battle of Saraighat, 1671 in which an attempt by Mughal forces to capture Assam was thwarted. • On one side was Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb’s army headed by Ram Singh of Amer (Jaipur) and on the other was the Ahom General Lachit Borphukan. • He was the inspiration behind strengthening India’s naval force and revitalising inland water transport and creating infrastructure associated with it due to his great naval strategies. • The Lachit Borphukan gold medal is awarded to the best cadet from the National Defence Academy. • The medal was instituted in 1999 to inspire defence personnel to emulate Borphukan’s heroism and sacrifces www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 33 T.me/SleepyClasses Battle of Saraighat • The battle of Saraighat was fought on the banks of the Brahmaputra in Guwahati in 1671. • It is considered as one of the greatest naval battles on a river which resulted in the victory of Ahoms over the Mughals.

Past News • Amidst the ongoing India-China border tension, Chaolung Sukaphaa has been repeatedly referred to as a Chinese invader. • Chaolung Sukaphaa ✓He was a 13th century ruler who founded the that ruled Assam for six centuries.

✓The Ahoms ruled the land till the province was annexed to British India in 1826 with the signing of the Treaty of Yandaboo

✓He entered the Brahmaputra valley by crossing the Patkai mountain range.

✓Sir Edward Gait, in his book ‘A ’, wrote that Sukapha is said to have left a place called Maulung (Burma which is now known as Myanmar) in 1215 AD with eight nobles and some people. • Chaolung Sukapha ✓He and his people reached Brahmaputra valley and in 1235 AD, fnally settled in in upper Assam.

✓Sukapha established his frst small principality in Charaideo, sowing the seeds of further expansion of the Ahom kingdom • Ahoms ✓They created a new state by suppressing the older political system of the bhuiyans (landlords). • Paik system

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✓The economy of the Ahom Kingdom was based around the Paik system.

✓In this system, able-bodied adult males referred to as paiks, were obligated to provide service to the state and form its militia in return for land.

✓Coinage was frst introduced in the 16th century by Suklenmung although the Paik system was still in effect.

Administrative makeup • Swargadeo: ✓The kingdom was ruled by a king called Swargadeo who had to be from the same lineage as that of the frst king Sukaphaa. • Royal offcers: ✓Two royal offces were added under the reign of Pratapa Singha, the Borbaru and Borphukan.

✓Borabaru was a military and judicial head

✓ Borphukan was a military commander who acted as a Viceroy of sorts to the Swargadeo’s territories in the west.

✓The most famous of the latter was Lachit Borphukan • Patra Mantris: ✓Five positions of importance constituted the Council of Ministers otherwise known as Patra Mantris.

✓They advised the king on important matters of the state. • Paik Offcials ✓Every common subject was a paik, and four paiks formed a got.

✓At any time of the year, one of the paiks in the got rendered direct service to the king, as the others in his got tended to his felds.

Society • Ahom society was divided into clans or khels. A khel often controlled several villages. ✓Ahoms worshipped their own tribal gods, yet they accepted the Hindu religion and the Assamese language.

✓Historical works, known as buranjis, were also written, frst in the Ahom language and then in Assamese.

✓They also learnt the technique of constructing boat bridges in the Brahmaputra.

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2.7.Shigmotsav • With the rise in COVID cases in , questions are being raised over the scale of celebrations for the annual Shigmotsav.

What is Shigmo or Shigmotsav? • Shigmo is the celebration of a ‘rich, golden harvest of paddy’ by the tribal communities of Goa. • Agricultural communities including the Kunbis, Gawdas and Velips celebrate the festival that also marks the onset of spring. Shigmo celebrations last over a fortnight in the months of Phalgun-Chaitra months of the Hindu calendar that correspond with March-April every year. • While the Goa government decided to allow Shigmo festivities this year, the celebrations will be limited to parades in three locations – Panaji, Ponda and Mapusa.

Various activities in celebrations • The festival begins with ‘Naman’ that is the invocation of the local folk deities on the village ‘maand’ or the village stage. • It is held to the beats of percussion instruments like the Ghumat, Dhol, Mhadle and Tashe by the male folk. • This is called the ‘romta mell’ that moves from one village to another. • The celebration is replete with traditional, colourful costumes, mythological installations, painted faces and costumes of various hues. • Folk dances like Ghodemodini (a dance of equestrian warriors), Gopha and Phugadi are among the many dances performed by the participating communities.

Other Names • Shigmo is celebrated all over India but in different names: ✓ - Holi.

✓ - Kamadahan.

✓Assam and Bengal - Dolyatra.

✓Maharashtra - Shimga

2.8.Garhwal Himalayas • A majority of medieval forts in the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand were strategically built to form clusters. These networks of multiple forts enabled the then rulers to easily relay information signals using smoke and fre when under enemy attack, a recent archaeological survey has concluded.

About • The forts, dating back to the 8th century CE, were built at diverse altitudinal zones like valleys, along the ridges and prominent hilltops, some standing more than 3,000 metres above Mean Sea Level (MSL) in the Garhwal Himalayas.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 36 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • A majority of medieval forts in the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand were strategically built to form clusters. • These well networked forts were built either during or after the downfall of the Katyuri dynasty. • Geographically, the forts were built away from one another. But the ruler's back then ensured that they were surrounded with smaller fortalices, which primarily functioned as watchtowers. • Fire, smoke or similar light signals could have been the common means to convey messages particularly when invaded by enemies.

The Katyuri dynasty • Founded by Vashudev Katyuri (sometimes spelled Vasu Dev or Basu Dev). • Katyuri dynasty of Kumaon extended from Sikkim in the east to Kabul, Afghanistan in the west, before fragmenting into numerous principalities by the 12th century.

Garhwal region • History suggests that between 700 CE and 800 CE, the rulers of the Katyuri dynasty divided this region into many small mandals or units for administrative purposes. • Since the Garhwal Himalayas are located en route to many religious places, it often came under foreign attacks and faced enemy invasions, mainly led by the Nepalese and the Tibetans. • The invasion by Askochalla and Krachalla, two Nepalese kings during 1100–1200 CE, is considered among the frst foreign attacks here. • By the 15th century, King Ajaypal, the 37th king of the Parmar dynasty, consolidated all these multiple chiefdoms in the region into a single state. This is the present day Garhwal. • Since the 15th century, the region has been known as Garhwal, a name it gets after the several Garhs (forts) found in this heavily mountainous region

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 37 T.me/SleepyClasses 3. Polity Click on the links given below to watch the following questions on YouTube Video 1

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3.1.In Nagaland, an itch for reviving prickly cages for offenders • It is made of logs of a tree that irritates the pores and skin, these cages are prescribed by customary legal guidelines for shaming law-breakers. • Such itchy cages are known as khujli ghar in Nagamese — a pidgin lingua franca — however every Naga group has its personal identify. The Aos, one of many main tribes of Nagaland, name it Shi-ki meaning fesh-house. • The cage is often positioned at a central spot within the village, often in entrance of the morung or bachelor’s dormitory, for the inmate to be in full public view. • The cage is made of the logs of Masang-fung • A prickly cage often accommodates one offender —invariably a male — who barely has area to take a seat for 24 hours or greater than every week, relying on the gravity of the offence. He could be fed by family members periodically and let loose to reply nature’s name throughout the punishment time period. • The khujli ghar too used to be common until lock-ups came up in police stations to house the offenders and some forms of punishment began clashing with those prescribed by Constitutional laws • Article 371(A) of the Constitution ensures the preservation of the Naga customary legal guidelines. The State additionally funds the customary courts in villages and cities the place circumstances — principally coping with land litigation, money-lending and marital disputes — have a excessive charge of immediate disposal.

3.2.DU to issue digital degrees to 2017-19 graduates soon About • In a bid to clear the backlog and facilitate students in receiving their degrees, Delhi University is expected to issue digital certifcates to those who have graduated between 2017 and 2019 within one month • Academic records and marksheets of those who have graduated since 2017 have already been transferred to the digilocker database, senior DU offcials said.

DigiLocker • DigiLocker is a fagship initiative of MeitY under Digital India programme. • This is government’s effort to create an electronic version of documents, which can be easily verifed and stored in printable format. • Apart from e-documents, DigiLocker can store a Uniform Resource Identifer (URI) link of e- documents issued by various issuer departments key stakeholders in the DigiLocker system • Issuer: Entity issuing e-documents to individuals in a standard format and making them electronically available e.g. CBSE, Registrar Offce, , etc. • Requester: Entity requesting secure access to a particular e-document stored within a repository (e.g. University, Passport Offce, Regional Transport Offce, etc.) www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 39 T.me/SleepyClasses • Resident: An individual who uses the Digital Locker service based on Aadhaar number. The main technology components of the DigiLocker system are • Repository: Collection of e-documents that is exposed via standard APIs for secure, real-time access. • Access Gateway: Secure online mechanism for requesters to access e-documents from various repositories in real-time using URI (Uniform Resource Indicator). • DigiLocker Portal: Dedicated cloud based personal storage space, linked to each resident’s Aadhaar for storing e-documents, or URIs of e-documents.

The platform has the following benefts • Citizens can access their digital documents anytime, anywhere and share it online. This is convenient and time saving. • It reduces the administrative overhead of Government departments by minimizing the use of paper. • Digital Locker makes it easier to validate the authenticity of documents as they are issued directly by the registered issuers. • Self-uploaded documents can be digitally signed using the eSign facility (which is similar to the process of self-attestation).

3.3.Election Commission cuts notice period for new political parties About • The Election Commission on Tuesday said it had reduced the public notice period for new political parties seeking registration from 30 days to seven days due to the delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic • Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 (Registration of political parties) ✓According to guidelines, the applicants are supposed to publish the proposed name of their party in two national and local daily newspapers each on two days, seeking objections, if any, within 30 days. • To be eligible for a ‘National Political Party of India,’ the Election Commission has set the following criteria:

✓If it secures six per cent of valid votes polled in any four or more states at a general election to the or to the legislative assembly; and, in addition, it wins four seats in the Lok Sabha from any state or states; or

✓If it wins two per cent of seats in the Lok Sabha at a general election; and these candidates are elected from three states; or

✓If it is recognised as a state party in four states

2019 Update • The National People’s Party (NPP) has been recognized as the eighth national party by the Election Commission of India, making it the frst regional party of the north-east to be accorded the status

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 40 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • To be eligible for a ‘State Political Party,’ the Election Commission has set the following criteria ✓It secures at least six percent of the valid votes polled in the State at a general election, either to the House of the People or to the Legislative Assembly of the State concerned; and

✓In addition, it wins at least two seats in the Legislative Assembly of the State concerned. OR

✓It wins at least three percent (3%) of the total number of seats in the Legislative Assembly of the State, or at least three seats in the Assembly, whichever is more.

Benefts • Recognised `State’ and `National’ parties need only one proposer for fling the nomination and are also entitled for two sets of electoral rolls free of cost at the time of revision of rolls and their candidates get one copy of electoral roll free of cost during General Elections. • They also get broadcast/telecast facilities over Akashvani/Doordarshan during general elections. • If a party is recognised as a State Party’, it is entitled for exclusive allotment of its reserved symbol to the candidates set up by it in the State in which it is so recognised, and • if a party is recognised as a `National Party’ it is entitled for exclusive allotment of its reserved symbol to the candidates set up by it throughout India. • A recognized National or State party can have a maximum of 40 “Star campaigners” and a registered un-recognised party can nominate a maximum of 20 ‘Star Campaigners”. • The travel expenses of star campaigners are not to be accounted for in the election expense accounts of candidates of their party.

Election commission of India • Since its inception in 1950 and till 15 October 1989, the election commission was as a one-member body with only the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) as its sole member. • On 16 October 1989, the voting age was changed from 21 to 18 years. So, two more election commissioners were appointed by the president in order to cope with the increased work of the election commission. • Since then, the Election Commission was a multi-member body which consisted of 3 election commissioners. • Later on, the two posts of election commissioners were eliminated in January 1990 and the Election Commission was reverted to the previous position. • This was repeated again later in October 1993 when the president appointed two more election commissioners. Since then, the Election Commission functions as a multi-member body comprising of 3 commissioners. • The chief and the two other election commissioners have the same powers and emoluments including salaries, which are the same as a Supreme Court judge • In case of difference of opinion amongst the Chief Election Commissioner and/or two other election commissioners, the matter is decided by the Commission by a majority

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 41 T.me/SleepyClasses • The offce is held by them for a term of 6 years or until they attain 65 years, whichever happens frst. They can also be removed or can resign at any time before the expiry of their term.

3.4.Delhi riots: court takes cognisance of sedition charge against 18 people About • A Delhi court on Tuesday took cognisance of sedition charge against 18 persons, including former JNU students — Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Devangana Kalita, and Natasha Narwal — and others in connection with the north-east Delhi riots

About Sedition law • Sedition laws were enacted in 17th century England when lawmakers believed that only good opinions of the government should survive, as bad opinions were detrimental to the government and monarchy. • The law was originally drafted in 1837 by Thomas Macaulay, the British historian-politician, but was inexplicably omitted when the (IPC) was enacted in 1860. • Section 124A was inserted in 1870 by an amendment introduced by Sir James Stephen when it felt the need for a specifc section to deal with the offence.

Sedition Law Today • Sedition is a crime under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Section 124A IPC • It defnes sedition as an offence committed when "any person by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the government established by law in India”. • Disaffection includes disloyalty and all feelings of enmity. However, comments without exciting or attempting to excite hatred, contempt or disaffection, will not constitute an offence under this section.

Punishment for the Offence of Sedition • Sedition is a non-bailable offence. Punishment under the Section 124A ranges from imprisonment up to three years to a life term, to which fne may be added. • A person charged under this law is barred from a government job. • They have to live without their passport and must produce themselves in the court at all times as and when required. • British used Sedition law to convict and sentence freedom fghters. ✓It was frst used to prosecute Bal Gangadhar Tilak in 1897.

✓Mahatama Gandhi, too, was later tried for sedition for his articles in Young India

Major Supreme Court Decisions on Sedition Law: Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 42 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • The SC highlighted debates over sedition in 1950 in its decisions in Brij Bhushan vs the State of Delhi and Romesh Thappar vs the State of Madras.

✓In these cases, the court held that a law which restricted speech on the ground that it would disturb public order was unconstitutional.

✓It also held that disturbing the public order will mean nothing less than endangering the foundations of the State or threatening its overthrow.

✓Thus, these decisions prompted the First Constitution Amendment, where Article 19 (2) was rewritten to replace “undermining the security of the State” with “in the interest of public order”. • In 1962, the SC decided on the constitutionality of Section 124A in Kedar Nath Singh vs State of Bihar.

✓It upheld the constitutionality of sedition, but limited its application to “acts involving intention or tendency to create disorder, or disturbance of law and order, or incitement to violence”.

✓It distinguished these from “very strong speech” or the use of “vigorous words” strongly critical of the government. • In 1995, the SC, in Balwant Singh vs State of Punjab, held that mere sloganeering which evoked no public response did not amount to sedition.

Arguments in Support of Section 124A • Section 124A of the IPC has its utility in combating anti-national, secessionist and terrorist elements. • It protects the elected government from attempts to overthrow the government with violence and illegal means. The continued existence of the government established by law is an essential condition of the stability of the State. • If contempt of court invites penal action, contempt of government should also attract punishment. • Many districts in different states face a maoist insurgency and rebel groups virtually run a parallel administration. These groups openly advocate the overthrow of the state government by revolution. • Against this backdrop, the abolition of Section 124A would be ill-advised merely because it has been wrongly invoked in some highly publicized cases.

Arguments against Section 124A • Section 124A is a relic of colonial legacy and unsuited in a democracy. It is a constraint on the legitimate exercise of constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech and expression. • Dissent and criticism of the government are essential ingredients of robust public debate in a vibrant democracy. They should not be constructed as sedition. • Right to question, criticize and change rulers is very fundamental to the idea of democracy. • The British, who introduced sedition to oppress Indians, have themselves abolished the law in their country. There is no reason why India should not abolish this section. • The terms used under Section 124A like 'disaffection' are vague and subject to different interpretations to the whims and fancies of the investigating offcers. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 43 T.me/SleepyClasses • IPC and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act 2019 have provisions that penalize "disrupting the public order" or "overthrowing the government with violence and illegal means". These are suffcient for protecting national integrity. There is no need for Section 124A. • The sedition law is being misused as a tool to persecute political dissent. A wide and concentrated executive discretion is inbuilt into it which permits the blatant abuse. • In 1979, India ratifed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which sets forth internationally recognized standards for the protection of freedom of expression. However, misuse of sedition and arbitrary slapping of charges are inconsistent with India's international commitments.

Conclusion • Freedom of Speech and Expression is a fundamental right under Article 19(1)(a). • Article 19(2) imposed reasonable restrictions. Moreover, the frst Amendment to the Constitution on June 18, 1951, imposed further restrictions. • To call for the overthrow of a stale and fearful social system is not sedition. • The argument used against the scrapping of the sedition law is that the Supreme Court has repeatedly observed that the mere possibility of misuse of a provision does not per se invalidate the legislation. • Democracy has no meaning without freedoms and sedition as interpreted and applied by the police and governments is a negation of it. • Hence, before the law loses its potency, the Supreme Court, being the protector of the fundamental rights of the citizens has to step in and evaluate the law. • To uphold the idea of democracy that the founders of the Constitution envisioned, India should deliberately avoid using the word sedition from its statute books and everyday vocabulary. Hoping that reason prevails over politics when it comes to freedom.

3.5.Use of PM’s photo in petrol pump hoardings violates poll code, should be removed: ECI offcial • The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday directed all petrol pump dealers and other agencies to remove hoardings advertising central government schemes that carry photographs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi • The use of the prime minister’s photograph in such hoardings violates the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), the offcial of the West Bengal Chief Electoral Offcer (CEO) said.

Key Points • The MCC is a set of guidelines issued by the EC to regulate political parties and candidates prior to elections. • It helps EC in keeping with the mandate it has been given under Article 324 of the Constitution, which gives it the power to supervise and conduct free and fair elections to the Parliament and State Legislatures.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 44 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • The MCC is operational from the date on which the election schedule is announced until the date of result announcement.

Evolution • The origins of the MCC lie in the Assembly elections of Kerala in 1960, when the State administration prepared a ‘Code of Conduct’ for political actors. • Subsequently, in the Lok Sabha elections in 1962, the ECI circulated the code to all recognised political parties and State governments and it was wholeheartedly followed. • It was in 1991 after repeated fouting of the election norms and continued corruption, the EC decided to enforce the MCC more strictly. • What comes under the Model Code of Conduct? ✓The government usually doesn’t introduce any new ground for projects or public initiatives once the Model Code of Conduct comes into force.

✓Government bodies are prohibited from participating in any recruitment process during the process of election.

✓The contesting candidates and their campaigners are not supposed to disturb the freedom of roadshows of their opponent candidates. The code of conduct exercise control over this majorly.

✓The election campaign rallies and roadshows must not affect the road traffc and the general public.

MCC contains eight provisions dealing with • General Conduct: Criticism of political parties must be limited to their policies and programmes, past record and work. Activities such as using caste and communal feelings to secure votes, criticising candidates on the basis of unverifed reports, bribing or intimidation of voters, etc. are prohibited. • Meetings: Parties must inform the local police authorities of the venue and time of any meeting in time to enable the police to make adequate security arrangements. • Processions: If two or more candidates plan processions along the same route, organisers must establish a contact in advance to ensure that the processions do not clash. Carrying and burning effgies representing members of other political parties is not allowed. • Polling Day: All authorised party workers at polling booths should be given suitable badges or identity cards. Identity slips supplied by them to voters shall be on plain (white) paper and shall not contain any symbol, name of the candidate or the name of the party. • Polling Booths: Only voters, and those with a valid pass from the EC are allowed to enter polling booths. • Observers: The EC will appoint observers to whom any candidates may report problems regarding the conduct of the election. • Party in power: The MCC incorporated certain restrictions in 1979, regulating the conduct of the party in power.

✓Ministers must not combine offcial visits with election work or use offcial machinery for the same.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 45 T.me/SleepyClasses ✓The party must avoid advertising at the cost of the public exchequer or using offcial mass media for publicity on achievements to improve chances of victory in the elections.

✓Ministers and other authorities must not announce any fnancial grants, or promise any construction of roads, provision of drinking water, etc.

✓Other parties must be allowed to use public spaces and rest houses and these must not be monopolised by the party in power. • Election manifestos: Added in 2013, these guidelines prohibit parties from making promises that exert an undue infuence on voters, and suggest that manifestos also indicate the means to achieve promises.

Legal Enforcement • Though MCC does not have any statutory backing, it has come to acquire strength in the past decade because of its strict enforcement by the EC. • Certain provisions of the MCC may be enforced through invoking corresponding provisions in other statutes such as the Indian Penal Code 1860, Code of Criminal Procedure 1973, and Representation of the People Act 1951. • In 2013, the Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, recommended making the MCC legally binding and recommended that the MCC be made a part of the RPA 1951. • However, the EC argues against making it legally binding. ✓According to it, elections must be completed within a relatively short time or close to 45 days and judicial proceedings typically take longer, therefore it is not feasible to make it enforceable by law.

3.6.Freedom in the world report 2021 • Published by USA based human rights watchdog Freedom House Score Parameter • Political rights indicators such as the electoral process, political pluralism and participation and government functioning. • Civil liberties indicators related to freedom of expression and belief, associational and organisational rights, the rule of law and personal autonomy and individual rights.

Findings • India’s score was 67, a drop from 71/100 from last year • The most free countries in the world, with a score of 100, are Finland, Norway and Sweden, while the least free with a score of 1 are Tibet and Syria • Countries are declared as “free”, “partly free” or “not free”. • India’s status downgraded from ‘Free’ to ‘Partly Free’.

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3.7.All-women crew of MT Swarna Krishna makes history About • This is the frst time in the world maritime history that a ship is being sailed by all women offcers. • The initiative is a part of Shipping Corporation of India’s ongoing Diamond Jubilee celebrations and also to commemorate the International Women’s Day (8th March).

About International Women’s Day National woman’s day • Acknowledged by the U.S. on February 28, 1909 because of the labour movement which was started in 1908 where 15000 female employees went on strike in New York City to protest against poor working conditions.

About International Women’s Day • Later it was recognised as International Women’s Day only in 1910 after German women’s rights activist Clara Zetkin suggested at an International Conference. • It was on this day that women in Soviet Russia gained the right the vote in 1917, hence March 8 was declared a national holiday for them. • The United Nations General Assembly invited member states to proclaim March 8 as the UN Day for women’s rights and world peace in 1977 • First time celebrated by UN in 1975 Theme 2020 • Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights”. Theme 2021 • UN has decided to keep the theme as “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a Covid-19 world”. • some groups of women have called for the theme to be “Choose to challenge”, claiming that the world only became alert about such issues if it was challenged.

About Shipping corporation of India • The Shipping Corporation of India was established on October 2nd, 1961, by the amalgamation of Eastern Shipping Corporation and Western Shipping Corporation • The Government of India has conferred “Navratna” status to SCI on 01.08.2008 • Headquaters is located at Mumbai • It is a Government of India Public Sector Enterprise. It operates and manages vessels that service both national and international lines. • The SCI is today the only Indian shipping Company operating: break-bulk services, international container services, liquid/dry bulk services, offshore services, passenger services. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 47 T.me/SleepyClasses The Beijing Declaration • is an agenda for women’s empowerment and considered the key global policy document on gender equality. • During 4th World Conference on Women (WCW), held in Beijing, was one of the largest ever gatherings of the United Nations

3.8.Revisiting the quota template • The Supreme Court, while examining the constitutional validity of the Maratha reservation, said on Monday that it will look into whether the landmark 1992 decision in Indra Sawhney v Union of India needs to be revisited

Why is the Supreme Court considering revisiting the Mandal case? • A Constitution Bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan is currently hearing the challenge to the Maharashtra law providing quotas for Marathas in jobs and admissions in the state. While the Bombay High Court had upheld the constitutional validity of the quota, it said the quota should be reduced from 16% to 12-13%, as recommended by the State Backward Classes Commission. The ruling was challenged before a Supreme Court Bench, which referred it to a larger Constitution Bench.

What is under challenge in the Maratha quota • There are two main constitutional questions for the court to consider in the challenge to the Martha quota law. First, is whether states can declare a particular caste to be a socially and educationally backward class. The second is whether states can breach the 50% ceiling for “vertical quotas” set by the Supreme Cour

What is the Indra Sawhney case that the Bench has referred to? • In 1979, the Second Backward Classes Commission (Mandal Commission) was set up to determine the criteria for defning the socially and educationally backward classes. The Mandal report identifed 52% of the population at that time as “Socially and Economically Backward Classes” (SEBCs) and recommended 27% reservation for SEBCs in addition to the previously existing 22.5% reservation for SC/STs. • In 1990, when the V P Singh led-government set out to implement the Mandal report, it was challenged in court amidst widespread protests against the move. The case came up before a nine- judge Bench and a 6:3 verdict was delivered in 1992.

What did the verdict say? • The court upheld the offce memorandums that essentially implemented the Mandal report. The majority opinion, penned by justice Jeevan Reddy, said the executive orders mandating 27% reservation for backward castes were valid and that the reservation was made not just on the basis of caste, even if it appears so, but on the basis of objective evaluation of social and educational backwardness of classes, which is the criteria previously laid down by the court.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 48 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • The landmark Indra Sawhney ruling set two important precedents. First, it said that the criteria for a group to qualify for reservation is “social and educational backwardness”. Additionally, the court also reiterated the 50% limit to vertical quotas it had set out in earlier judgements in 1963 (M R Balaji v State of Mysore) and in 1964 (Devadasan v Union of India), reasoning that it was needed to ensure “effciency” in administration. The court said this 50% limit will apply — unless in “exceptional circumstances”. • While the social and educational backwardness criteria stemmed from interpretation of various constitutional provisions, the 50% limit is often criticised as being an arbitrary limit.

How does the Maratha reservation relate to the Indra Sawhney case? • Based on the 102nd Amendment to the Constitution, which gives the President powers to notify backward classes, the court will have to look into whether states have similar powers. Also, since this power fows from the Constitution, whether the President is still required to comply with the criteria set by the Supreme Court in the Mandal case. • The relevance of the Indra Sawhney criteria is also under question in another case in which the validity of the 103rd Amendment has been challenged. The 103rd Amendment, passed in 2019, provides for 10% reservation in government jobs and educational institutions for the economically weaker section in the unreserved category. • Similar to the Maratha issue are the cases of Patels in Gujarat, Jats in Haryana, and Kapus in Andhra Pradesh. • Additionally, with the implementation of the Maharashtra law, the vertical quota in the state could go up to 68% which was earlier 52% before the passing of the law. This aspect will also come under question. Since the Indra Sawhney verdict gives a pass to breach of the 50% quota rule only in exceptional circumstances, the court will have to test if the Maharashtra law qualifes to be an exception.

Have any other states breached the 50% ceiling before? • States have breached the 50% ceiling before and intend to bring more reservation. • A notable example is Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Nadu Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and of Appointments or Posts in the Services under the State) Act, 1993, reserves 69% of the seats in colleges and jobs in the state government. However, this was done by amending the Constitution, to place the law in the Ninth Schedule after the Indra Sawhney judgment. • The Ninth Schedule provides the law with a “safe harbour” from judicial review under Article 31A of the Constitution. Laws placed in the Ninth Schedule cannot be challenged for reasons of violating any fundamental right protected under the Constitution. • However, when the Tamil Nadu law was challenged in 2007 (I R Coelho v State of Tamil Nadu), the Supreme Court ruled in a unanimous 9-judge verdict that while laws placed under Ninth Schedule cannot be challenged on the grounds of violation of fundamental rights, they can be challenged on the ground that it violates the basic structure of the Constitution. • A later Bench was to decide whether the Tamil Nadu law itself (breaching the 50% ceiling) violates basic structure, based on the I R Coelho verdict. The Bench has not yet been set up. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 49 T.me/SleepyClasses 3.9.Ahead of Polls in 4 States, SC Needs to Prioritise the Challenge to Electoral Bonds • Funds held by political parties has now become the most important determinant for winning elections, thanks to the frst-past-the-post system.

Political funding in india

❑ Association of democratic reform (ADR)-70% Pol funding in last decade from unknown resources

Legislation-pol funding

❑ Declare source above 20,000 ❑ RPA 1951 ❑ IT act ❑ Comp can’t donate more than ❑ Comp act 7.5% of netprofit ❑ Foreign contribution(regulation) act-FCRA

Amendments • Firstly, it amended the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), by making it legal for foreign companies to ❑ Fin act 2017- donate to political parties through their subsidiaries in India. despite the fact that the main purpose of FCRA ❑ Amendment to RBI act 1934 was to prevent political parties, candidates and public servants from receiving foreign funds. ❑ Amendment to RPA 1951

The second amendment was brought about in the • ❑ Amendment to IT act 1961 Companies Act, wherein the cap of 7.5% of annual profts (in last three years) which could be made by companies ❑ Amendment to Comp act as donation to political parties, was removed.

The third amendment was to the Income Tax Act by way • ❑ Fin act 2016-Amend FCRA 2010 of which the requirement of donor companies to disclose details about the political parties to which such a donation is made was done away with. • However, the most damaging amendment was brought about in the RBI Act that introduced a non- transparent way of donating unlimited amounts to political parties even through banking channels by purchasing electoral bonds • The identity of the person who purchases these bonds is not known to the public or even to the Election Commission, but is known to the State Bank of India and through them, the government.

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❑Who can encash ❑ Party registered under Sec 29A,RPA 1951 electoral bond ? ❑ Secured not less than 1% in General election to HOP or State leg assembly ❑ Account in SBI

Denomination ? (No upper limit)

❑ 15 days from date of issue Validity ? ❑ If not-PM Relief fund ❑ Deposit by pol party credited on same day

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❑ KYC Norms ❑ Online ❑ Cheque,DD ❑ Electronic

❑ Info-confidential ❑ Non refundable ❑ No interest ❑ No stock exchange ❑ 10 days (J,A,J,O) ❑ Additional 30 days LS election ❑ No tax benefit

Issues

Black Money (Shell companies) • RTIs have revealed that both the Election Commission of India and the had strongly objected to the introduction of electoral bonds. • Misuse more particularly through use of shell companies. This can subject the RBI to a serious reputational risk of facilitating money laundering transactions • With respect to the removal of 7.5% cap on political funding by companies, the EC stated that the move “would lead to increased use of black money for political funding through shell companies.

Sec 29C of RPA 1951 • The Election Commission stated that it is evident from the Amendment in Section 29C of the Representation of People Act, 1951 “that any donation received by a political party through an electoral bond has been taken out of the ambit of reporting under the Contribution Report as prescribed under Section 29C of the Representation of Peoples Act, 1951, and therefore, this is a retrograde step as far as transparency of donations

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 52 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses Lobbying

1962 China war Demand-secession of TN

Unlawful activities (Prev) act 1967

❑ Cession or Secession ❑ Disrupt Sovereignty & integrity of india ❑ Disaffection against india

1980-85 Terrorism in Pb & other states

Terrorist & disruptive activities act 1985

❑ Detainee in police custody upto 60 days ❑ 1994-76000 arrested ❑ Lapse 1995-Misuse ❑ March,2019-11 Muslim acquitted

• T h u s , t h e s e a m e n d m e n t s , cumulatively, not only allow u n l i m i t e d d o n a t i o n s b y corporates to political parties, t h e y e v e n a l l o w f o r e i g n companies that get contracts (like Dassault which manufactures the Rafale aircraft) to donate through their subsidiaries, and even allow them to do so anonymously through electoral bonds. Since only the government can come to know the identity of the donors, it is not surprising that the large majority of the donations are coming to the ruling party at the Centre • The Supreme Court, thereafter, directed all political parties to give details of all donations received by these political parties through EBs in sealed cover by May 30, 2019. • However, the matter has not been heard thereafter, despite several applications for staying the EBs

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 53 T.me/SleepyClasses 3.10.Vaccine passports, and why you may need one soon • Last month, Israel became the frst country to introduce a certifcation system that allows those who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 to access certain facilities and events • Israel’s “vaccine passport” is meant for public facilities such as restaurants, gyms, and hotels in the country — but certifcation of this kind has a bearing on the full resumption of international air travel as well.

What are vaccine passports? • The idea is modelled on the proof of vaccination that several countries required even before the pandemic. • Travellers from many African countries to the US or India are required to submit proof that they have been vaccinated against diseases such as yellow fever. • Even though the nomenclature comes from passports, most vaccine passports have been envisaged as digital documents. They are supposed to function as proof that the holder has been vaccinated against Covid-19 and is, therefore, “safe”.

Other Initiatives • The International Air Transport Association — the global trade body representing airlines — is developing an app called IATA Travel Pass that will provide airlines and other aviation industry stakeholders with a common platform to check for the proof of vaccination and its validity. • Non-proft Project has been trying out an app called CommonPass, which contains a passenger’s vaccination record

Whom will vaccine passports help? • The primary beneft will be to the and the hospitality industries, which are both seen as being at the heart of Covid-19 spread and are the worst hit by the pandemic. • This includes international air travel, which suffered massively because of the outbreak. However, a major diffculty in implementation will be the lack of uniformity across jurisdictions in requirement and issuance of proofs of vaccination. • Another key function that vaccine passports will perform is that of digitising vaccination records across countries.

Concerns • World Health Organisation (WHO) last month batted against the introduction of Covid-19 vaccination proofs as a requirement for international travel as unknowns regarding the effcacy of vaccination in reducing transmission. • limited availability of vaccines, preferential vaccination of travellers could result in inadequate supplies of vaccines for priority populations considered at high risk of severe Covid-19 disease. • In addition, several experts have raised privacy concerns. Given that these are mainly digital certifcates that are accessed by a particular service provider to check for proof of vaccination, there is a possibility that they would be used by authorities to track the movement of their holders.

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3.11.After Mizoram, Manipur offers help to Myanmar refugees • Manipur Chief minister N. Biren Singh said on Wednesday that schools may be arranged by the State government for “refugees from Myanmar,” but since it was a bilateral issue, they were awaiting directions from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) • MHA has refused to comment on the future course of action pertaining to the refugees from Myanmar

Basics • Migrant: Migrants are people who move to another place or country attracted by better life prospects. • Asylum Seeker: Persons who seek the protection of the government however the claim of refugee is not yet determined. The government is therefore not obligatory to provide rights enjoyed by refugees. • Illegal Migrant: Illegal migrants are those people who have either entered the country with fake passports, or have stayed after the expiration of their visa

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) • UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is an international organisation working to saving lives, safeguarding the rights and providing a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. • The organisation’s target audience includes refugees, people who are forcibly displaced from their homes, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons and stateless people. • The UNHCR was established in 1950 in the wake of the mass displacements caused due to the Second World War in Europe. • The chief legal document that governs the work of the UNHCR is the 1951 Refugee Convention. UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugee, 1951 • Defnes what the term ‘refugee’ means • Refugee- A person who is outside his/her country of nationality or habitual residence; fears persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion; and is unable or unwilling to avail himself/herself of the protection of that country, or to return there, for fear of persecution.

Fundamental principles • Non-discrimination • Non-penalization • Non-refoulement.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 55 T.me/SleepyClasses UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugee, 1951 • Non-refoulement is a fundamental principle of international law that forbids a country receiving asylum seekers from returning them to a country in which they would be in likely danger of persecution based on “race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion” • India is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention. 1967 Protocol • The Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, alternatively known as the 1967 Protocol, is a major international document for refugee rights. • The protocol expands the defnition of a refugee given in the Convention. • It also removes the Euro-centricity of the Convention. • India is not a signatory to the 1967 Protocol 3.12.TV channels warned against violating code • Acting on the directions of the High Court, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant has issued a general order prohibiting all television channels from airing programmes that are not in conformity with the “Programme Code” notifed under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995. • The order, passed by Mr. Pant on March 9, under Section 19 of the Cable CTN (Regulation) Act, also states that any violation of the order is liable for prosecution under Section 16 of the Act. • The law prescribes imprisonment up to two years or fne up to ₹1,000 or both for the frst offence, and imprisonment up to fve years and with fne up to ₹5,000 if any media governed under the CTN Act violates the provisions and the “Programme Code”. • The code, which contains an elaborate list of don’ts for cable TV channels, states that no programme should be aired that contains anything obscene, defamatory, false, and suggests innuendos and half- truths

Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995. • Object of the Act • The object of the Act was to regulate the ‘haphazard mushrooming of cable television networks’. Due to the lack of licensing mechanism for cable operators • The Act aimed at regulating content and operation of cable networks. Sec 19 • It prohibit any cable operator from transmitting or re-transmitting any programme or channel if, it is not in conformity with the prescribed programme code likely to promote, on grounds of religion, race, language, caste or community or any other ground whatsoever, disharmony or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different religious, racial, linguistic or regional groups or castes or communities etc.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 56 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses Sec 16 (Punishment) • For the frst offence, with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years or with fne which may extend to one thousand rupees or with both; • For every subsequent offence, with imprisonment for a term which may extend to fve years and with fne which may extend to fve thousand rupees

Related News • The Sudarshan News episode came to light after the channel released a promotional trailer, terming the alleged conspiracy “bureaucracy jihad” and “UPSC jihad”. • Information & Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry has said it cannot pre-censor a programme, or stop it from being telecast

Sec 20 • Section 20 of the Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, states that the government can regulate or prohibit the transmission or retransmission of any programme that it feels is not in conformity with the Programme and Advertising Code, which oversees television content in India • It also stated that the government was empowered to withdraw licence under Rule 6 of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994, framed under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, if its directive was violated by the channel.

3.13.Centre approves creation of PM Swasthya Suraksha Nidhi • The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister recently approved the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Nidhi as a single non-lapsable reserve fund for the share of health from the proceeds of health and education cess levied under the Finance Act, 2007.

About Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Nidhi • It is a non-lapsable reserve fund for health in the public account • The proceeds of the share of health in the health and education cess will be credited into. • The accruals into the PMSSN will be utilised for the fagship schemes of the health ministry such as Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, Health and Wellness Centres, National Health Mission, and Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana, • It could also be utilised for emergency and disaster preparedness and responses during health emergencies and any future programmes or schemes that target to achieve progress towards sustainable development goals and the targets set out in the National Health Policy, 2017. • The administration and maintenance of the PMSSN are entrusted to the health ministry Health and Education Cess • In the budget speech 2018, the fnance minister while announcing the ambitious Ayushman Bharat Scheme had mentioned the replacement of 3 % education cess by 4 % cess that was to be applied over health and education in the country.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 57 T.me/SleepyClasses Cess • A cess imposed by the central government is a tax on tax, levied by the government for a specifc purpose. Generally, cess is expected to be levied till the time the government gets enough money for that purpose. • Article 270 of the Constitution allows cess to be excluded from the purview of the divisible pool of taxes that the Union government must share with the States.

Surcharge • Surcharge is a charge on any tax, charged on the tax already paid. As the name suggests, surcharge is an additional charge or tax. The main surcharges are that on personal income tax (on high income slabs and on super rich) and on corporate income tax • A surcharge is discussed under Article 270 and 271 of the Indian Constitution. • Despite both are not shareable with state governments, surcharge can be kept with the Consolidated Fund of India (CFI) and spent like any other taxes, the cess should be kept as a separate fund after allocating to CFI and can be spent only for a specifc purpose.

3.14.Offcial Panel on India’s Low Press Freedom Rank • A committee set up by the government last year to suggest ways of India improving its ranking in the World Press Freedom Index has concluded that the media is doing well and that India’s poor score – which it says is “not in line with the ground situation” – is the product of “western bias” • In 2020, the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranked India 142nd among 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index 2020. India’s rank has fallen steadily over the past decade. And for a country that obsessively compares itself with its western neighbour, it is now merely three places ahead of Pakistan, which stands at 145. In 2006, India’s rank was 106. • Taking note of the RSF report, the Narendra Modi government set up a committee – called the ‘Index Monitoring Cell’ (IMC) – to work on “improving India’s ranking on the freedom of press index

Proposals • Defnition of a journalist and journalism practice: “Setting and following the defnition of a journalist that merges the two viewpoints – the legal and the ethical – is recommended to ensure that the best interests of the public and of the newsroom are served.” • Establishment of Media Council of India: “…the need for a Media Council of India is felt for the entire gamut of media, i.e., newspapers and periodicals in print or other form, e-newspapers, news portals, social media and any other platform of news dissemination besides electronic media. In 2019, the PCI had also recommended enacting a single legislation to include all the aforesaid media in line of the Press Council Act 1978.” • Legal and Administrative Security for Journalists: “consider decriminalisation of the offence of defamation; consider a review various archaic and colonial laws impacting press freedom in India; consent of the Press Council of India may be made mandatory for fling an FIR against a media; time- bound investigation and fling of chargesheet by police authorities may be made mandatory in matters related to journalistic expression

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 58 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • Financial Security of Journalists: “Take the draft ‘Journalists Welfare Fund Act’, proposed by the Press Council of India in 2015, forward; consider enacting a single legislation/scheme for the welfare of journalists • Physical safety of Journalists: “Provision of bullet-proof identifable jackets, helmets, etc. wherever required. The concerned organization should take responsibility for those journalists who are deployed to cover disturbed or confict regions; schemes for media persons working in life- threatening circumstances; Access to welfare measures and schemes announced by Union and State Governments • Engagement with Industry Representatives and Media Associations: organise ‘outreach’ with media houses and Media Associations., consider organizing an annual Indian media conclave • Re-skilling and ups killing of journalists: Online capacity building courses may be offered for journalists; frequent workshops and other short-duration programmes would aid in capacity building of the industry. • Coordination with other line Ministries/Departments: I&B ministry may coordinate with law ministry on legal amendments; with home ministry regarding sensitisation of police; with the Ministry of External Affairs regarding engagement with international ranking agencies and obtaining feedback from foreign journalists in India • Widening the ambit of accreditation: Compile a complete list of working journalists in the feld throughout the country; benefts associated with accreditation may be extended to journalists working in smaller organizations in even Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities and towns. • Engagement with International Media Ranking agencies: “establish a regular engagement with international media ranking agencies to … present the correct factual position of the status of press freedom in India and convey… the unique socio-cultural complexities of India and the national security imperative in light of internal and external threats.” • Communication Strategy: Implement three-pronged communication strategy related to the Press Freedom Index may be implemented by the Ministry featuring “engagement with Industry Representatives and Media Associations, Positive Aspects with regard to Press Freedom in India at national and global level: publicizing reform actions taken towards enhancing press freedom in India”. • Developing an India specifc Index: NITI Aayog has suggested creating certain indices to promote competition amongst the States… more discussion is required for deciding whether such indices for ranking of states would achieve the desired goal.

World Press Freedom Index 2020 • India has dropped to two places on the World Press Freedom Index, 2020 to be ranked 142nd out of 180 countries. • First-Norway • Pakistan -145 • Bangladesh -151 • China -177 • Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF) or Reporters Without Borders. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 59 T.me/SleepyClasses • independent NGO with consultative status with the UNESCO, Parameters • pluralism, media independence, media environment and self-censorship, legislative framework, transparency, and the quality of the infrastructure that supports the production of news and information.

World Press Freedom Index 2020 • Reasons ✓Pressure on the media

✓The "coordinated hate campaigns" waged on social networks against journalists who dare to speak or write about subjects that annoy Hindutva followers.

Improvement • With no murders of journalists in India in 2019, as against six in 2018, the security situation for the country's media might seem, on the face of it, to have improved

3.15.LGBTIQ Freedom Zone in EU • In a resolution adopted recently, the European Parliament symbolically declared the entire 27- member bloc as an “LGBTIQ Freedom Zone” – the acronym meaning lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, non- binary, intersex and queer • The European Union resolution declares that the “LGBTIQ persons anywhere in European Union will enjoy the freedom to live and publicly show their sexual orientation & gender identity without any fear of intolerance, persecution or discrimination”. • The resolution further adds that, the authorities at all the levels of the governance across the European union shall protect and promote the equality and fundamental rights of all including the LGBTIQ. • A majority of countries in the EU (23/27) recognise same-sex unions, with 16 legally recognising same-sex marriage. • Same-sex relationships are not legally recognised in Poland, • The Hungarian and Poland authorities have described LGBTIQ principles of governance as “foreign” ideology.

Sec 377 of IPC • Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) is an act that criminalizes homosexuality and was introduced in the ear 1861 during the British rule of India. • Referred to ‘unnatural offences’ and says whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment for life.

Supreme Court of India • on September 6, 2018, decriminalized Section 377 of the IPC and allowed gay sex among consenting adults in private.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 60 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • The SC ruled that consensual adult sex is not a crime saying sexual orientation is natural and people have no control over it. • It also said that Section 377 remains in force relating to sex with minors, non-consensual sexual acts, and bestiality.

Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019. • Defnition of a transgender person: defnes a transgender person as one whose gender does not match the gender assigned at birth. It includes trans-men and trans-women, persons with intersex variations, gender-queers, and persons with socio-cultural identities, such as kinnar and hijra. Intersex variations is defned to mean a person who at birth shows variation in his or her primary sexual characteristics, external genitalia, chromosomes, or hormones from the normative standard of male or female body • Prohibition against discrimination: prohibits the discrimination against a transgender person, including denial of service or unfair treatment in relation to: (i) education; (ii) employment; (iii) healthcare; (iv) access to, or enjoyment of goods, facilities, opportunities available to the public; (v) right to movement; (vi) right to reside, rent, or otherwise occupy property; (vii) opportunity to hold public or private offce; and (viii) access to a government or private establishment in whose care or custody a transgender person is.

Right of residence • Every transgender person shall have a right to reside and be included in his household. If the immediate family is unable to care for the transgender person, the person may be placed in a rehabilitation centre, on the orders of a competent court. Employment: • No government or private entity can discriminate against a transgender person in employment matters, including recruitment, and promotion. Every establishment is required to designate a person to be a complaint offcer to deal with complaints in relation to the Act.

Certifcate of identity for a transgender person • A transgender person may make an application to the District Magistrate for a certifcate of identity, indicating the gender as ‘transgender’. A revised certifcate may be obtained only if the individual undergoes surgery to change their gender either as a male or a female. • It also requires transgender persons to go through a district magistrate and “district screening committee” to get certifed as a transperson. • Composition: The committee would comprise a medical offcer, a psychologist or psychiatrist, a district welfare offcer, a government offcial, and a transgender person. • Offences and penalties: The Bill recognizes the following offences against transgender persons: (i) forced or bonded labour (excluding compulsory government service for public purposes), (ii) denial of use of public places, (iii) removal from household, and village, (iv) physical, sexual, verbal, emotional or economic abuse. Penalties for these offences vary between six months and two years, and a fne.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 61 T.me/SleepyClasses • National Council for Transgender persons (NCT): The NCT will consist of: (i) Union Minister for Social Justice (Chairperson); (ii) Minister of State for Social Justice (Vice- Chairperson); (iii) Secretary of the Ministry of Social Justice; (iv) one representative from ministries including Health, Home Affairs, and Human Resources Development. Other members include representatives of the NITI Aayog, and the National Human Rights Commission. State governments will also be represented. The Council will also consist of fve members from the transgender community and fve experts from non- governmental organisations.

Criticism • No provision for granting reservations to transgender persons. • It has prescribed punishments for organised begging • Does not mention any punishments for rape or sexual assault of transgender persons as according to Sections 375 and 376 of the Indian Penal Code, rape is only when a man forcefully enters a woman

Important Supreme court judgements • Navtej Singh Johar vs. Union Of India (2018): ✓decriminalised homosexuality. • Shafn Jahan v. Asokan K.M. and others (2018): ✓The Supreme Court observed that choice of a partner is a person’s fundamental right, and it can be a same-sex • Same-sex Marriage: ✓In February, 2021, the Central Government opposed same-sex marriage in Delhi High Court stating that a marriage in India can be recognised only if it is between a “biological man” and a “biological woman” capable of producing children.

3.16.Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 • The Supreme Court asked the Centre to respond to a plea challenging the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 which freezes the status of places of worship as it was on 15th August, 1947. • The Act was passed in September 1991, over a year before the demolition of the Babri Masjid (1992). • Section 4(2) ✓ all suits, appeals or other proceedings regarding converting the character of a place of worship (that were pending on 15th August, 1947) will come to end when the Act commences and no fresh proceedings can be fled. • Section 3 ✓bans the conversion of a place of worship or even a section of it into a place of worship of a different religious denomination or of a different segment of the same religious denomination. • Section 6 ✓prescribes a punishment of maximum three-years imprisonment along with a fne for contravening the provisions of the Act.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 62 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses

✓The Act also imposes a positive obligation on the State to maintain the religious character of every place of worship as it existed at the time of Independence.

Exemption • Section 5 ✓Exempts the legal proceedings in relation to Shri Ramjanmabhoomi from the application of the Act. This is recognised by the Supreme Court itself in Paragraph 80 of the Ayodhya judgment.

✓The Act also does not apply to any place of worship which is an ancient and historical monument or an archaeological site covered by the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.

3.17.Maths, physics not compulsory for engineering admissions • In a major change, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has said that Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics (PCM) are no longer compulsory for students aspiring to pursue an engineering degree in certain courses

About • It permitted higher education institutions to admit students who have not studied Physics and Mathematics in school to streams such as textile, agriculture engineering and biotechnology. • However, the regulator noted that PCM remains mandatory for most engineering subjects like computer science. • The above change is not binding on state governments and engineering schools. Signifcance • The fexibility in the eligibility criteria for admission to B.Tech and B.E. courses has been introduced to encourage students from diverse backgrounds to apply and reduce the pressure on students to study topics that are not crucial to their programme

Technical education • 1943 -Constitution of the Technical Education Committee of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) • 1944 -Preparation of the Sergeant Report • 1945 -Formation of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) • 1987-The All India Council For Technical Education Act 1987 The AICTE Act • Constituted to provide for the establishment of an All India Council for Technical Education with a view to proper planning and co-ordinated development of a technical education system throughout the country.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 63 T.me/SleepyClasses All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) • Set up in November 1945 as a national-level apex advisory body to conduct a survey on the facilities available for technical education and to promote development in the country in a coordinated and integrated manner. And to ensure the same, as stipulated in the National Policy of Education (1986), AICTE was vested with:

✓Statutory authority for planning, formulation, and maintenance of norms & standards

✓Quality assurance through accreditation

✓Funding in priority areas, monitoring, and evaluation

✓Maintaining parity of certifcation & awards

✓The management of technical education in the country

3.18.Allocation of symbols to political parties • The Supreme Court had upheld Kerala High Court’s confrmation of an Election Commission order declaring a group led by Jose K. Mani as the offcial Kerala Congress (Mani) and granting it the offcial election symbol of ‘Two Leaves’.

Election Commission’s powers • The Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968 empowers the EC to recognise political parties and allot symbols. • Under Paragraph 15 of the Order, it can decide disputes among rival groups or sections of a recognised political party staking claim to its name and symbol. • The EC is also the only authority to decide issues on a dispute or a merger. The Supreme Court upheld its validity in Sadiq Ali and another vs. ECI in 1971.

How many types of symbols are there? • As per the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) (Amendment) Order, 2017, party symbols are either:

✓Reserved: Eight national parties and 64 state parties across the country have “reserved” symbols.

✓Free: The Election Commission also has a pool of nearly 200 “free” symbols that are allotted to the thousands of unrecognised regional parties that pop up before elections

Can two political parties in India have same election symbol • Parties having same symbol ✓Federal Party of Manipur and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) use 'Rising Sun' as their symbol.

✓Bahujan Samaj Party and Asom Gana Parishad have 'Elephant' as their party symbol.

✓Samajwadi Party and Jammu and Kashmir Panthers Party contest on 'Cycle' symbol in their respective states.

✓Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Shiv Sena have 'Bow and Arrow' as their election symbol in Jharkhand and Maharashtra respectively.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 64 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses How EC deals with such situations • If the candidates of two parties having the same symbol are pitted against each other in the same constituency then, as per provisions of Para 12 of the Symbols Order, 1968, “free symbols” will be allotted to both the contestants. • While national parties are free to use their 'reserved symbol' across India, the recognised state parties can use their symbols in their states. To use the symbol outside their state, they have to seek the EC's permission. • In the 2015 Bihar Assembly election, Samajwadi Party, Panthers Party, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Shiv Sena decided to feld their candidates. The EC allowed them to use their symbols except when the two parties having the same symbol chose to contest from the same constituency.

3.19.Changes to NCT Act revive power tussle • The Union cabinet earlier this week approved some proposed amendments to the Government of NCT of Delhi Act that sought to give more powers to the Lieutenant , prompting the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government to call it “a murder of constitutional democracy”.

About Union territory of Delhi • The Union Territory of Delhi with a Legislative Assembly came into being in 1991 under Article 239AA of the Constitution inserted by ‘the Constitution (Sixty-ninth Amendment) Act, 1991

Article 239AA • Public Order, Police & Land in NCT of Delhi fall within the domain and control of Central Government which shall have the power to make laws on these matters. • For remaining matters of or , in so far as any such matter is applicable to UTs, the Legislative Assembly shall have power to make laws for NCT of Delhi.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 65 T.me/SleepyClasses • Further, for Offences against laws, Jurisdiction & powers of Courts (except SC) and Fees (except court fees) so far as they relate to Public Order, Police & Land in NCT of Delhi; Central Government would have power to make laws

Issues (239 Vs 239AA) • Union government ✓New Delhi being a Union Territory Article 239 empowers the Lieutenant Governor to act independently of his Council of Ministers. • Delhi government ✓Article 239AA of the Constitution bestows special status to Delhi of having its own legislatively elected government. • Supreme Court judgment (2018) ✓Held that the L-G was bound by the “aid and advice” of the Delhi government and both had to work harmoniously with each other.

Lack of clarity • Article 239AA (4): ✓The court did not very clearly delineate the issues in respect of which the LG can refer a decision taken by the Council of Ministers to the President in the event of a difference of opinion between the LG and the State government. • Interpretation: ✓In the event of referring any matter to the President, the Court enunciated that LG must adhere to the constitutional principles of collaborative federalism, constitutional balance and the concept of constitutional governance. However, these terms are very wide and open- ended. They are subject to different interpretations.

3.20.As States Enter Election Season, Important CAG Reports Remain Unavailable to the Public • Over the next month, millions of voters will exercise their democratic rights in four states and one union territory in what are widely being seen as key legislative assembly elections. • When an elected government fails to present CAG of India’s audit reports in state assembly during its last year in the offce, it short circuits the legislative accountability enshrined in India’s constitution.

Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) • The provides for an independent offce of the CAG. • He is the guardian of the public purse and controls the entire fnancial system of the country at both the levels- the centre and state • He is the head of the Indian Audit and Accounts Department. • CAG helps the parliament/state legislatures hold their respective governments accountable

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 66 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • Dr. B R Ambedkar said that the CAG shall be the most important Offcer under the Constitution of India and his duties are far more important than the duties of even the judiciary.

Historical background • Before Mutiny of 1857 ✓Lord Canning initiating a major administrative drive • May 1858 ✓A separate department was set up for the frst time with an Accountant General, who was responsible for accounting and auditing the fnancial transactions under the . • Government of India Act 1858 ✓Laid the foundation stone of Imperial Audit • 1860 ✓Sir Edward Drummond took charge as the frst Auditor General • 1884 ✓First time used term ‘Comptroller and Auditor General of India

Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) • CAG derives its audit mandate from different sources like ✓Constitution (Articles 148 to 151)

✓The Comptroller and Auditor Generals (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service) Act, 1971

✓Regulations on Audit & Accounts-2007

✓Instructions of Government of India

✓Important Judgments

• CAG (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Services) Act, 1971 www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 67 T.me/SleepyClasses ✓The State Government shall cause every report received by it under sub-section (1) to be laid, as soon as may be after it is received, before the Legislature of the State.

Issue • while DPC Act does not prescribe a rigid timeline for the tabling of the report, it does say the reports should be laid before the state legislature as soon as may be after it is received.

Way forward • Amend the CAG (DPC) Act and prescribe a strict timeline for tabling the audit reports • former CAG Vinod Rais draft amendments included prescribing a time period of seven days for laying the report in the legislature after it is received

3.21.Many teaching institutes substandard • Recently frst volume on teachers & teacher education released by Azim Premji University • With as many as nine million teachers in around 1.5 million schools in India, the quality of education imparted to aspiring teachers is equally important. For education in our schools to improve, teaching has to improve. • The frst paper Mapping the of Teacher Education Institutions in India’ — found that • Out of the 17,503 TEIs in India, more than 90% are privately owned, stand-alone institutions, offering single programmes localised in certain geographies. • Four States, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, account for 54% of all TEIs in the country, said the researchers. • Only 12 States/UTs have at least one TEI in each district. • Equally worrying is the level of corruption, which is the focus of the second paper, Corruption in Private Teacher Education Institutions. There are many substandard, dysfunctional TEIs functioning as commercial shops • TEIs deliberately neglected basic curricular requirements. • Classes are neither conducted seriously nor taken seriously by students. • Almost all private TEIs allowed s t u d e n t s w i t h s h o r t a g e o f a t t e n d a n c e t o a p p e a r f o r examinations. • More than 60% allowed students who had not completed their school i n t e r n s h i p t o a p p e a r f o r examinations. • At least 70% TEIs had an average student attendance below 80%. Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 68 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses

• The fourth paper in the series tackles the increasing prevalence of contract teachers, who are recruited for short periods on inadequate salaries with little or no benefts. This, the authors stated, had caused long-term damage to not just the teaching profession, but has also affected student learning.

ASER Survey 2020 • It is a nationwide survey of rural education and learning outcomes in terms of reading and arithmetic skills that has been conducted by the NGO Pratham .

ASER 2018 • Surveyed children in the age group of 3 to 16 years and included almost all rural districts in India and generated estimates of foundational reading and arithmetic abilities of children in the age group 5 to 16 years.

ASER 2019 • Reported on the pre-schooling or schooling status of children in the age group 4 to 8 years in 26 rural districts, focused on the “early years” and laid emphasis on “developing problem-solving faculties and building a memory of children, and not content knowledge”.

ASER 2020 • First ever phone-based ASER survey and it was conducted in September 2020, the sixth month of national school closures • 5.5% of rural children are not currently enrolled for the 2020 school year, up from 4% in 2018 • The proportion of boys enrolled in government schools has risen from 62.8% in 2018 to 66.4% in 2020, while for girls, that number has gone up from 70% to 73% in the corresponding period. • Patterns show a slight shift toward government schools, with private schools seeing a drop in enrolment in all age groups. • Due to the disruptions caused by the pandemic, families are waiting for the physical opening of schools to enrol their youngest children, with about 10% of six-year-olds not in school. • Among enrolled children, 61.8% live in families that own at least one smartphone which was merely 36.5% in 2018.

What is NAS? • National Achievement Survey is a representative sample of schools from all districts in India aimed at understanding the health of the education system in government and government aided schools

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 69 T.me/SleepyClasses Background • In order to increase focus on quality of elementary education, the Central rules to The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE) Act, 2009 have been amended in February 2017 to include references on class-wise, subject-wise Learning Outcomes. • The Learning Outcomes for each class in Languages (Hindi, English and Urdu), Mathematics, Environmental Studies, Science and Social Science up to the elementary stage (classes 1 to 8) have, accordingly, been fnalized and shared with all States and UTs. Learning outcomes have been translated in different languages and serve as a benchmark for student’s capabilities to be achieved in each subject & class

Key features of the NAS-2017 • The present (2017) survey is linked to the learning outcomes. • NAS at the elementary level was based on the Learning Outcomes developed by the NCERT. • Under the NAS the learning gaps will be identifed in all the districts of the country. • Findings from the NAS will be used for formulating policies, planning and pedagogical interventions to improve student learning. • It is not designed to assess the individual student performance. • This NAS was conducted for the Classes 3, 5 and 8 in government and government aided schools. • The design and implementation of the survey included in its ambit the school leaders, teachers and the whole network of offcials at the Cluster, Block, District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and the Directorates of Education in the different States/ UTs. • The survey tools used multiple test booklets with 45 questions in Classes III and V related to language, mathematics and 60 questions in Class VIII in Mathematics, Language, Sciences and Social Sciences. • The competency based test questions developed, refected the Learning Outcomes developed by the NCERT which were recently incorporated in the RTE Act by the Government of India. • There is no much variation in the scores of children belonging to social categories such as SC, ST, OBC and General. • There is no much variation in the scores of children from schools having government and private management

Signifcance • NAS 2017 has informed us about the learning levels of children at different stages and also about the learning outcomes on which score is very low • The National Achievement Survey (NAS) is the largest ever national assessment survey in the country and is amongst the largest in the world, was conducted throughout the country.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 70 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) • An autonomous organisation set up in 1961 by the Government of India to assist and advise the Central and State Governments on policies and programmes for qualitative improvement in school education. • Registered as society under Societies' Registration Act 1860 3.22.World Happiness Report 2021: India ranks 139 out of 149 • As per recent World Happiness report , India is on the 139th spot in the list. In 2019, India was ranked 140th. • The World Happiness Report 2021, issued by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, focuses on the effects of Covid-19 and how people all over the world have fared

Ranking • Finland has been ranked as the happiest country in the world followed by Iceland, Denmark, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Sweden, Germany and Norway. • Pakistan is on 105th, Bangladesh on 101st and China on 84th. • People in war-torn Afghanistan are the most unhappy with their lives, followed by Zimbabwe (148), Rwanda (147), Botswana (146) and Lesotho (145). • The United States ranks at 19th place for happiness, despite being one of the richest countries in the world.

Methodology • The typical annual sample for each country is 1,000 people. If a country had surveys in each year, then the sample size would be 3,000 people. • There have been both in-person and telephone samples for India, with the in-person responses being lower than telephone responses, while signifcantly higher than in-person responses in 2019 • The rankings in World Happiness Report 2021 use data that come from the Gallup World Poll surveys from 2018 to 2020. • They are based on answers to the main life evaluation question asked in the poll. This is called the Cantril ladder: it asks respondents to think of a ladder, with the best possible life for them being a 10, and the worst possible life being a 0. • They are then asked to rate their own current lives on that 0 to 10 scale. • The rankings are from nationally representative samples, for the years 2018-2020. Factors • Six factors - levels of GDP, life expectancy, generosity, social support, freedom, and corruption - are estimated to contribute to making life evaluations higher in each country than they are in Dystopia, a hypothetical country that has values equal to the world’s lowest national averages for each of the six factors

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 71 T.me/SleepyClasses Dystopia • is an imaginary country that has the worlds least-happy people. The purpose in establishing • Dystopia is to have a benchmark against which all countries can be favorably compared (no country performs more poorly than Dystopia) in terms of each of the six key variables

Sustainable Development Network Solution • The SDSN, launched in 2012, mobilizes global scientifc and technological expertise to promote practical problem solving for the Sustainabe Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement. • It was established under the auspices of the United Nations Secretary-General. • The SDSN and the Bertelsmann Stiftung have been publishing the annual SDG Index & Dashboards Global Report since 2016.

3.23.Right to Health • A Jaipur-based research institution has joined the efforts for bringing a “robust legislation” on right to health in Rajasthan with the emphasis on setting the standards for delivery of services, human resources and medical facilities. The 2021-22 State budget has made a provision for the law along with a new model of public health

Right To Health Includes both freedoms and entitlements • Freedoms ✓include the right to control ones health and body (for example, sexual and reproductive rights) and to be free from interference (for example, free from torture and non-consensual medical treatment and experimentation). • Entitlements ✓include the right to a system of health protection that gives everyone an equal opportunity to enjoy the highest attainable level of health. • International Conventions: ✓India is a signatory of the Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) by the United Nations that grants the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being to humans including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services • Other convetions ✓International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), 1966;(India signed )

✓Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), 1979; (India signed)

✓Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), 1989 (India signed) • Constitution and the Right to Health ✓The Constitution of India does not expressly guarantee a fundamental right to health. Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 72 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses

✓However, there are multiple references in the Constitution to public health and on the role of the State in the provision of healthcare to citizens.

✓Fundamental Rights: Article 21 of the Constitution of India guarantees a fundamental right to life & personal liberty. The right to health is inherent to a life with dignity.

✓Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP): Articles 38, 39, 42, 43, & 47 put the obligation on the state in order to ensure the effective realization of right to health. • Judicial Pronouncements: ✓Supreme Court in Paschim Bangal Khet Mazdoor Samity case (1996) held that in a welfare state, primary duty of the government is to secure the welfare of the people and moreover it is the obligation of the government to provide adequate medical facilities for its people.

✓Also in its landmark judgment in Parmanand Katara Vs Union Of India (1989), Supreme Court had ruled that every doctor whether at a government hospital or otherwise has the professional obligation to extend his services with due expertise for protecting life.

Challenges • Right to health is more inclusive ✓Right to health extends not only to timely and appropriate health care but also to the underlying determinants of health, such as access to safe and potable water and adequate sanitation, an adequate supply of safe food, nutrition and housing, healthy occupational and environmental conditions, and access to health-related education and information, including on sexual and reproductive health. • Government has to focus on all these determinants when it wants to ensure Right to health. • Poor doctors- people ratio ✓India has less than one doctor for every 1,000 people. The condition of primary health care is deplorable. • Notion of a right to health ✓The notion of a right to health itself is problematic. In the case of diseases such as malaria and infectious diseases, one can pin the blame on someone for lack of care • Other ✓Health care is a state subject. Is it possible to have a central law

Benefts of Right to Health for India • Puts a compulsion for the government to take steps toward this. • Enables everyone to access the services and ensures that the quality of those services is good enough to improve the health of the people who receive them. • Reduce Out of Pocket Expenditure

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 73 T.me/SleepyClasses 3.24.Rajasthan brings private medical colleges within RTI Act purview • The private medical colleges in Rajasthan have been brought within the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, following an order of the State Information Commission, which has imposed a fne of ₹25,000 on the principal of Geetanjali Medical College in Udaipur for fouting the transparency law and refusing to provide information.

What information commission says • The Information Commission held in its recent order that the State government had allotted land to the institution at concessional rates and the college was established under a law passed by the State Legislature. • Based on these facts, the college falls within the purview of the RTI Act. The college is governed by the rules and regulations framed by the State government • He also cited a judgment of the Supreme Court in the D.A.V. College case, holding that the institutions like schools, colleges and hospitals which received substantial aid from the government in the form of land at discounted rate were bound to give information to the citizens under the RTI Act.

History of RTI • 1766- First right to information law was enacted by Sweden • 1948-Universal Declaration of Human Rights ✓ Giving everyone the right to seek and receive information and ideas through any media, regardless of frontiers • 1966-International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ✓ Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression, freedom to seek and impart information and ideas of all kinds. • 1986-Supreme Court in Mr Kulwal vs. Jaipur Municipal Corporation Case. ✓Freedom of Speech and Expression provided under Article 19 of the Constitution clearly implies Right to Information as without information the freedom of speech and expression cannot be fully used by the citizens. • 1990-Former Prime Minister of India, Shri. V.P. Singh . ✓The idea of RTI Act in India • 1994-Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS)-Raj ✓Demand for information by the poor instead of expected basic needs like food and shelter • 1996-National Campaign for People’s RTI ✓Formulated initial draft of RTI law for the Government. • 1997-Tamil Nadu ✓First Indian State to pass RTI law

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 74 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • 2002- Freedom of Information (FOI) Act ✓Passed by Parliament, could not be implemented. • 2005-RTI Act ✓Passed on the recommendations of National Advisory Council (NAC) in May 2005, and RTI Act, 2005 became effective from October 12, 2005.

2019- Amendment Objectives • To empower citizens • To ensure transparency and accountability of the government • To contain corruption • To enhance people participation in the democratic process. Section- 2 (f) • "Information" means any material in any form, including Records, Documents, Memos, e-mails, Opinions, Advices, Press releases, Circulars, Orders, Logbooks, Contracts, Reports, Papers, Samples, Models, Data material held in any electronic form and information relating to any private body which can be accessed by a Public Authority under any other law for the time being in force.

Sec 2 (h) • ‘public authority’ means any authority or body or institution of self-government established or constituted, • by or under the Constitution; • by any other law made by Parliament; • by any other law made by State Legislature; • by notifcation issued or order made by the appropriate Government, and includes any • body owned, controlled or substantially fnanced; • nonGovernment Organisation substantially fnanced, directly or indirectly by funds provided by the appropriate Government;

Private body? • Not covered directly • Sec 8 (j) info cant be denied to public authority with which private entity is registered • Hence, Private Entities are covered under the RTI Act through the Public Authority with which they are registered • Co-operative Societies register themselves through Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Society and Banks through the Reserve Bank of India

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 75 T.me/SleepyClasses • M.M. Ansari, Information Commissioner at the Central Information Commission(CIC), told that as long as these companies reported to a regulator or a government department, they were within the purview of the law.

RTI vs OSA • The OSA was enacted in 1923 by the British to keep certain kinds of information confdential, including, but not always limited to, information involving the affairs of state, diplomacy, national security, espionage, and other state secrets. • Whenever there is a confict between the two laws, the provisions of the RTI Act override those of the OSA.

Section 22 of the RTI Act • states that its provisions will have effect notwithstanding anything that is inconsistent with them in the OSA. • Similarly, under Section 8(2) of the RTI Act, a public authority may allow access to information covered under the OSA, if the public interest in disclosure outweighs the harm to the protected interest

Sec 8 (Info can be denied) • Sovereignty & integrity of India • Info prohibited by court • Privilege breach of parli or state leg • Trade secrets or IPR • Endangered lifeImpede investigation etc Exempted list

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 76 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses RTI vs Legislations for Non Disclosure of Information • Indian Evidence Act ✓(Sections 123, 124, and 162) provide to hold the disclosure of documents.

✓Head of department may refuse to provide information on affairs of state and only swearing that it is a state secret will entitle not to disclose the information. • The Atomic Energy Act, 1912 ✓provides that it shall be an offence to disclose information restricted by the Central Government. • The Central Civil Services Act ✓Government servant not to communicate or part with any offcial documents except in accordance with a general or special order of government. • The Offcial Secrets Act, 1923 ✓Any government offcial can mark a document as confdential so as to prevent its publication • Who can seek information under the Right to Information Act, 2005? ✓As per section 3 of the RTI Act any Indian citizen can seek information under the Act • In which language a request may be made for seeking information? ✓As per section 6 (1) of the RTI Act, a request may be made in English or Hindi or in the offcial language of the area in which the application is made • Are there any public authorities exempt from providing information? ✓Yes, intelligence and security organizations specifed in the Second Schedule to the Act are exempt from furnishing information under the Act. However, this exemption does not apply if the requested information pertains to the allegations of corruption and human rights violations. • Has this Commission power to order for penalty while deciding a complaint or an appeal? ✓Yes, this Commission may impose penalty on the CPIO if this Commission is of the opinion that the CPIO has, without any reasonable cause, refused to receive an application for information or has not furnished information within the time specifed etc

✓it shall impose a penalty of two hundred and ffty rupees each day till application is received or information is furnished, so however, the total amount of such penalty shall not exceed twenty-fve thousand rupees. • How do I write my application for seeking the information as per RTI Act 2005? • The text of the application may be written in the prescribed column of the RTI request form. • At present, the text of the application is confned up to 3000 characters only. In case, the text of an application contains more than 3000 characters, it can be uploaded as a PDF attachment in the "Supporting Document" column of the form • How do I make the payment for RTI fee?

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 77 T.me/SleepyClasses ✓The applicant can pay the prescribed RTI fee through the following modes: Internet banking through SBI and its associated banks.

✓Using ATM-cum-Debit card of State Bank of India.

✓Credit/Debit card of Master/Visa.

✓It may be noted that no RTI fee is required to be paid by a citizen who is below poverty line, as per RTI Rules, 2012.

✓ However, the BPL applicant must attach a copy of the certifcate issued by the appropriate government in this regard, along with the application.

Governing of RTI • Public information offcer ✓PIO-every government offce should have someone in them who is designated as the PIO who will be responsible for receiving and processing applications.

✓PIO should be a senior person in the offce so that they have the authority to make decisions on whether to release documents. • PIOs generally have two key responsibilities: ✓Receiving/facilitating requests

✓Responding to requests • Appellate Authority ✓Central Act requires that offcers are appointed to who are "senior in rank" to the Public Information Offcer (PIO) to deal with appeals from requesters who are unhappy with how their request has been handled.

✓These offcers are commonly referred to as Appellate Authorities.

✓Whoever is appointed as an Appellate Authority needs to have the capacity to genuinely review the decision of a PIO and make hard decisions about whether information should be released • Central Information Commission (CIC) – ✓Chief Information commissioner who heads all the central departments and ministries- with their own public information offcers (PIO)s.

✓CICs are directly under the . • State Information Commissions (SIC) ✓State Public Information Offcers or SPIOs head over all the state department and ministries.

✓The SPIO offce is directly under the corresponding State Governor

Section 12(3) of the RTI Act 2005 • The Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners shall be appointed by the President on the recommendation of a committee consisting of

✓The Prime Minister, who shall be the Chairperson of the committee. Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 78 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses

✓The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

✓A Union Cabinet Minister to be nominated by the Prime Minister. • Time period ✓In normal course, information to an applicant is to be supplied within 30 days from the receipt of application by the public authority.

✓If information sought concerns the life or liberty of a person, it shall be supplied within 48 hours.

✓In case the application is sent through the Assistant Public Information Offcer or it is sent to a wrong public authority, fve days shall be added to the period of thirty days or 48 hours, as the case may be • Right to Information (Amendment) Act, 2019 ✓It provided that the Chief Information Commissioner and an Information Commissioner (of Centre as well as States) shall hold offce for such term as prescribed by the Central Government. Before this amendment, their term was fxed for 5 years.

✓It provided that the salary, allowances and other service conditions of the Chief Information Commissioner and an Information Commissioner (of Centre as well as States) shall be such as prescribed by the Central Government.

✤Before this amendment, the salary, allowances and other service conditions of the Chief Information Commissioner were similar to those of the Chief Election Commissioner and that of an Information Commissioner were similar to those of an Election Commissioner (State Election Commissioners in case of States). • It removed the provisions regarding deductions in salary of the Chief Information Commissioner, an Information Commissioner, the State Chief Information Commissioner and a State Information Commissioner due to pension or any other retirement benefts received by them for their previous government service.

3.25.Citizenship amendment act (Wiil discuss in April with updations) • The government has been granted time till April 9 by Lok Sabha and July 9 by to frame rules under the citizenship law.

What is the Citizenship (Amendment) Act? • The act amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 to make Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian illegal migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, eligible for citizenship of India. • In other words, it intends to make it easier for non-Muslim immigrants from India’s three Muslim- majority neighbours to become citizens of India. • Under The Citizenship Act, 1955, one of the requirements for citizenship by naturalization is that the applicant must have resided in India during the last 12 months, as well as for 11 of the previous 14 years.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 79 T.me/SleepyClasses • The amendment relaxes the second requirement from 11 years to 6 years as a specifc condition for applicants belonging to these six religions, and the aforementioned three countries

3.26.Appointment of Judges • The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the government to clarify on the status of 55 recommendations made by the Collegium for judicial appointments to High Courts six months to nearly a year-and-a-half ago • Of the pending recommendations, 44 were made to fll vacancies in the Calcutta, Madhya Pradesh, Gauhati, Rajasthan and Punjab High Courts.

Appointment of CJI 1950-1973 • A convention was formed where the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court was to be appointed as the .

Violation • In 1973, A.N.Ray was appointed as the Chief Justice of India. This violated the convention formed earlier since Justice A.N.Ray superseded three other Supreme Court judges senior to him. • Again in 1977, another chief justice was appointed who superseded his seniors. • This resulted in a clash between the Executive and the Judiciary. First judges case, 1982 • A petition was fled in 1982 in the . • This case is known as the S.P.Gupta Case or First Judges case. • When asked the Supreme Court of India whether the word “consultation” in the constitutional article 124 mean “concurrence”; the Supreme court overruled this and denied saying that Consultation does not mean concurrence. • The President was not bound to make a decision based on the consultation of the Supreme Court Second judges case,1993 Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 80 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • In this case, the Supreme court overruled its earlier verdict and changed the meaning of consultation to concurrence. • Thus binding the President of India with the consultations of the Chief justice of India. • This resulted in the birth of the Collegium System. Third Judges Case, 1998 • The chief justice won’t be the only one as a part of the consultation process. Consultation would include a collegium of 4 senior-most judges of the Supreme court. • Even if 2 of the judges are against the opinion, the CJI will not recommend it to the government. Collegium system • The SC collegium is headed by the CJI and comprises four other senior most judges of the court. • A HC collegium is led by its Chief Justice and four other senior most judges of that court. • Names recommended for appointment by a HC collegium reaches the government only after approval by the CJI and the SC collegium.

Governments role • Judges of the higher judiciary are appointed only through the collegium system and the government has a role only after names have been decided by the collegium. • The government’s role is limited to getting an inquiry conducted by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) if a lawyer is to be elevated as a judge in a High Court or the Supreme Court.

Intelligence Bureau (IB) • It is a reputed and established intelligence agency. It is authoritatively controlled by the Ministry of Home Affairs. • It can also raise objections and seek clarifcations regarding the collegium’s choices, but if the collegium reiterates the same names, the government is bound, under Constitution Bench judgments, to appoint them as judges.

National Judicial Appointment Commission Act, 2014 • The 1993 judgment was the basis on which a fve-judge Constitution Bench declared the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act (NJAC) and the Constitutional (Ninety-Nine Amendment) Act, 2014 unconstitutional in October 2015. • NJAC too would recommend names for the Appointment of Supreme Court Judge and Appointment and Transfer of High Court Judge. • Composition of NJAC: ✓The Chief Justice of India.

✓2 senior-most judges of the Supreme Court.

✓The Law Minister of India.

✓2 eminent members that are chosen by the Selection Committee. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 81 T.me/SleepyClasses 3.27.Right to Information (RTI) • The Centre has only rejected 4.3% of all Right to Information (RTI) requests in 2019-20, the lowest ever rate, according to the Central Information Commission’s annual report

Key Findings • Almost 40% of these rejections did not include any valid reason, as they did not invoke one of the permissible exemption clauses in the RTI Act, according to an analysis of report data. • This includes 90% of rejections by the Prime Minister’s Offce • Public authorities under the Central government received 13.7 lakh RTI requests in 2019-20, out of which 58,634 were rejected for various reasons. Rejection rates have fallen since the 13.9% rate in 2005-06, and have been steadily trending downwards since the 8.4% spike in 2014-15. In 2019-20, they hit their lowest level so far. • Home Ministry had the highest rate of rejections, as it rejected 20% of all RTIs received. The Agriculture Ministry’s rejection rate doubled from 2% in 2018-19 to 4% in 2019-20. The Delhi Police and the Army also saw increases in rejection rates. • The RTI Act allows public authorities to reject RTI requests on a number of grounds, ranging from information which would endanger life and safety to that which involves irrelevant personal information, Cabinet papers, foreign governments, copyrights, or sovereignty, security and intelligence matters. Public authorities are expected to cite the relevant clause of the Act to invoke the exemption • In 38.7% of rejections in 2019-20, however, public authorities failed to cite these permissible exemption clauses, and were classifed under the ‘Others’ category in the CIC data. This is an increase from the 33% seen the previous year. • Of the permissible grounds for rejection, Section 8(1)(j) saw the highest use Section 8(1) • deals with the exemption from disclosure of information: • If it is related to the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security, strategic, scientifc or economic interests of the State, relation with foreign State or lead to incitement of an offence, • Information including commercial confdence, trade secrets or intellectual property, • Information, the disclosure of which would endanger the life or physical safety of any person, • Information which would impede the process of investigation or prosecution of offenders, • Information which relates to personal information the disclosure of which has no relationship to any public activity or interest. Section 8(1) was used in around 46% of the cases.

Section 9 • It empowers the Central Public Information Offcer or State Public Information Offcer to reject a request for information which involves an infringement of copyright.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 82 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses Section 24 • It exempts information related to security and intelligence organisations except allegations of corruption and human rights violations. • Around one in fve (20%) permissible rejections coming under this category

3.28.Time frame for accident information reports • The Supreme Court has directed police stations to send accident information reports to Motor Accident Claims Tribunals and insurers within 48 hours of a road accident.

About • The jurisdictional police station shall report the accident under Section 158(6) of the Motor Vehicle Act (Section 159 post 2019 amendment) to the tribunal and insurer within frst 48 hours either over email or a dedicated website,” the Supreme Court directed. • This is part of a set of eight directions issued by the court to prevent delays in disbursement of compensations to victims. • These directions should be uniformly practised by the police, motor accident claims tribunals and insurers across the country. • It also ordered the Centre to launch a national online platform, which could be operated and accessed across the country for submission of accident reports, claims and responses to claims, etc. This would end the distress felt by victims when accidents happened in places other than their native State.

Motor Accident Claim Tribunal (MACT) • Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal has been created by the , 1988. • It has been constituted to provide speedier remedy to the victims of accident by motor vehicles. • The Tribunals takes away jurisdiction of Civil Courts in the matters which concerns the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal. Appeals from Claims Tribunal lies with High Courts. • The appeal is limited by time and has to be fled in the High Court within 90 days from the date of award of Claims Tribunal. • MACT Courts are presided over by Judicial Offcers from Delhi Higher Judicial Service. Now these Courts are under direct supervision of the Hon’ble High Courts of various States • However, there is no time limit for fling motor vehicle accidents claim. But an unusual delay will demand an explanation by the Tribunal. • According to Section 166 of the Motor Vehicles Act,1988 compensation can be claimed: ✓By the person who has sustained injury.

✓By the owner of the damaged property.

✓By all or any legal representative of the deceased who died in the accident.

✓By duly authorised agent of the injured person or all or any of the legal representatives of the deceased who died in the accident. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 83 T.me/SleepyClasses Motor Vehicle amendment Act 2019 Compensation for road accident victims • The central government will develop a scheme for cashless treatment of road accident victims during golden hour. • It defnes golden hour as the time period of up to one hour following a traumatic injury, during which the likelihood of preventing death through prompt medical care is the highest. • Increases the minimum compensation for hit and run cases as follows: ✓In case of death, from Rs 25,000 to two lakh rupees

✓In case of grievous injury, from Rs 12,500 to Rs 50,000.

Compulsory insurance • The Bill requires the central government to constitute a Motor Vehicle Accident Fund, to provide compulsory insurance cover to all road users in India. • It will be utilised for: ✓Treatment of persons injured in road accidents as per the golden hour scheme

✓Compensation to representatives of a person who died in a hit and run accident

✓Compensation to a person grievously hurt in a hit and run accident compensation to any other persons as prescribed by the central government. • This Fund will be credited through ✓ Payment of a nature notifed by the central government

✓A grant or loan made by the central government

✓ Balance of the Solatium Fund (existing fund under the Act to provide compensation for hit and run accidents)

✓Any other source as prescribed the central government.

Good Samaritans • It defnes a good samaritan as a person who renders emergency medical or non- medical assistance to a victim at the scene of an accident. • The assistance must have been ✓In good faith

✓Voluntary

✓Without the expectation of any reward. • Such a person will not be liable for any civil or criminal action for any injury to or death of an accident victim, caused due to their negligence in providing assistance to the victim.

Recall of vehicles • Allows the central government to order for recall of motor vehicles if a defect in the vehicle may

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cause damage to the environment, or the driver, or other road users. • The manufacturer of the recalled vehicle will be required to ✓ Reimburse the buyers for the full cost of the vehicle, or

✓ Replace the defective vehicle with another vehicle with similar or better specifcations.

Road Safety Board • Provides for a National Road Safety Board, to be created by the central government through a notifcation. • The Board will advise the central and state governments on all aspects of road safety and traffc management including

✓Standards of motor vehicles

✓Registration and licensing of vehicles

✓Standards for road safety

✓Promotion of new vehicle technology.

Increases penalties for several offences under the Act • For example, the maximum penalty for driving under the infuence of alcohol or drugs has been increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 10,000. • If a vehicle manufacturer fails to comply with motor vehicle standards, the penalty will be a fne of up to Rs 100 crore, or imprisonment of up to one year, or both. • If a contractor fails to comply with road design standards, the penalty will be a fne of up to one lakh rupees. • The central government may increase fnes mentioned under the Act every year by up to 10%. Taxi aggregators • Defnes aggregators as digital intermediaries or market places which can be used by passengers to connect with a driver for transportation purposes (taxi services). • These aggregators will be issued licenses by state Further, they must comply with the Information Technology Act, 2000.

National Transportation Policy • The central government may develop a National Transportation Policy, in consultation with state governments. The Policy will-

✓Establish a planning framework for road transport

✓ Develop a framework for grant of permits

✓Specify priorities for the transport system, among other things

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3.29.Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana • Less than 6% of houses sanctioned under the Centre’s fagship rural housing scheme in 2020-21 have reached completion so far this year, with COVID-19 stalling progress, the Rural Development Ministry told a Parliamentary Standing Committee last month

Key points • However, some States, such as Odisha and Jharkhand, used the scheme to provide employment opportunities for migrant workers, who returned to their villages during the crisis. • With a little over a year left to achieve its goal of ‘Housing for All’, the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana- Gramin (PMAY-G) has only completed 55% of its construction target.

Reasons • Implementation was “affected at the ground level due to unavailability of construction materials, labour, delay in inspection of stages of house construction etc,” the Ministry told the Committee.

Efforts • Although the nationwide lockdown in March 2020 brought work to a complete standstill, the Ministry issued an advisory to all States to start house construction activities from April 20, 2020, while adhering to safety protocols such as mask wearing and distancing. • The Housing for All/Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana was launched in 2015 with an aim to provide affordable housing to urban poor by 2022.

PMAY- G • Ministry: Ministry of Rural Development. • The erstwhile rural housing scheme Indira Awaas yojana (IAY) has been restructured into Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana –Gramin (PMAY-G) from 01.04.2016. • Aims at providing a pucca house, with basic amenities, to all houseless householder and those households living in kutcha and dilapidated house, by 2022. • Target: Construction of 2.95 crore houses with all basic amenities by the year 2022. Cost sharing • The cost of unit assistance in this scheme is shared between Central and State Governments in the ratio 60:40 in plain areas and 90: 10 for North Eastern and Himalayan States. • Benefciaries are identifed through SECC2011 data, and verifed by Gram Sabha. • They’re given money to build home. - ₹ 1.50 lakh (plains area), - ₹ 1.60 lakh (hilly states) • Additionally, they can get upto ₹ 70,000 as bank loans Money transferred to benefciary’s bank account via AwaasSoft web platform.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 86 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U) • Flagship Mission of Government of India being implemented by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), was launched on 25th June 2015. • The Mission addresses urban housing shortage among the EWS/LIG and MIG categories including the slum dwellers by ensuring a pucca house to all eligible urban households by the year 2022, when Nation completes 75 years of its Independence • It has four components: ✓ If person owns land: ₹ 1.50 lakh to build / renovate his house.

✓ If a builder is keeping 35% apartments’ quota for EWS then he gets subsidy.

✓ Slum redevelopment

✓Credit-linked subsidy scheme (CLSS):

Depending on the annual income, the benefciaries are classifed into 3 groups:

✓Economically Weaker Section (EWS),

✓Low Income Groups (LIGs)

✓Middle Income Groups (MIGs: i.e. annual income upto ₹ 18 lakhs).

These groups are given 3-4% interest subsidy on loan amounts upto certain amount. • Credit-linked Subsidy Services Awas (CLAP) Portal ✓Govt has setup CLAP Portal where benefciary can track his application status in real-time.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 87 T.me/SleepyClasses 4. Economy Click on the links given below to watch the following questions on YouTube Video 1

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4.1.GST mop-up rises 7.4% in Feb; tops Rs 1 lakh crore for 5th straight month • Goods and services tax (GST) collections in February (for sales in January) rose 7.4 per cent year-on- year to Rs 1,13,147 crore. Though lower than Rs 1,19,875 crore collected the previous month, the February mop-up is the ffth consecutive month of GST collections breaching the Rs 1-lakh-crore mark, in a sign of pickup in economic activity along with compliance measures and action against tax evaders making use of data analytics by the GST authorities

About GST GST Council • The Goods and Services Tax (GST) is governed by the GST Council. Article 279 (1) of the amended Indian Constitution states that the GST Council has to be constituted by the President within 60 days of the commencement of the Article 279A.

Representative • Union- ✓The Union Finance Minister will be the Chairperson

✓As a member, the Union Minister of State will be in charge of Revenue of Finance • State ✓The Minister in charge of fnance or taxation or any other Minister nominated by each State government, as members • Voting power ✓Union- 1/3rd vote in council ✓State- 2/3rd vote in council • Quorum- ✓50% of total membership • Decision- ✓75% vote support

GST 101 Constitutional amendment act 2016 • Replaced indirect tax of union ✓Central sales tax

✓Service tax

✓Excise duty- except 5 hydrocarbon fuel-Apply as GST council decide • Replaced State taxes ✓Purchase tax on vehicle, boats

✓Octroi for entry of goods

✓Advertisement tax for hoarding www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 89 T.me/SleepyClasses ✓Taxes on lottery, gambling

✓Entertainment tax on cinema

✓Luxury tax on hotel

✓State excise on liquor for human consumption- out of GST

GST compensation • GST Compensation Cess” on specifed luxury & demerit goods like tobacco, caffeinated beverages • The Centre promised compensation to the States for any shortfall in tax revenue due to GST implementation for a period of fve years. This promise convinced a large number of reluctant States to sign on to the new indirect tax regime • As per the GST Act, states are guaranteed compensation for any revenue shortfall below 14% growth (base year 2015-16) for the frst fve years ending 2022. GST compensation is paid out of Compensation Cess every two months by the Centre to states.

4.2.Why Bihar farmers are looking to sell their sugarcane in Nepal • • Sugarcane farmers have alleged that these procurement centres were never operational; instead, middlemen opened their own procurement centres and bought sugarcane at a lower price than the market rates. Since the farmers had no other option, they sold the sugarcane to the middlemen at a loss. • The sugarcane commissioner told farmers can sell to any sugar mill, but when farmers try to sell to other mills, they are refusing, citing poor quality sugarcane.

Why Nepal • Sugar mills in Nepal buy a quintal of sugarcane from local sugarcane farmers at 471 Nepali rupees (Rs 297) and in addition, Nepal gives a subsidy of Rs 65 per quintal to its farmers. • People of Nepali origin who carry sugarcane from Bihar sell the sugarcane in the mill and give the receipt to the government and get the subsidy. • Sugarcane production is decreasing in Nepal, so the mill management is always ready to buy sugarcane from Bihar. • Sugarcane is mainly cultivated in 14 districts of the country. However, sugarcane acreage and production have both declined over the years

Issue of Bihar • Bihar has been a pioneer in the sugar industry. The frst sugar mill in the country was opened in the year 1907 at Marhaura in Saran district of Bihar. Altogether, 29 sugar mills were opened, mostly in North Bihar.

• But currently, 20 mills are closed and only nine are running, out of which two are public-sector owned, according to the Bihar Sugar Mills Association. • As per Bihar Sugar Mills Association, there are various reasons for the poor performance of the sugar industry in Bihar.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 90 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • There is no linkage between sugar price and sugarcane price. Price of sugarcane increases every year but sugar prices remain stagnant. If the sugar industry will not earn a proft, how will it run • In Bihar, recovery is very low compared to Uttar Pradesh. In Bihar if 100 kg sugarcane is crushed we get 10kg sugar, but UP mills get 11-12 kg sugar.” • State currently not adopting the latest technology and no capital investment has led to the decline of the sugar industry in the state. • In 2015, sugarcane was cultivated on 2.5 lakh hectares in Bihar, which decreased to 2.2 lakh hectares in the year 2020

Fair And Remunerative Price (FRP) • India is the world’s second largest sugar producer after Brazil and also the largest consumer. • Fair and remunerative price (FRP) is the minimum price at which rate sugarcane is to be purchased by sugar mills from farmers. • The Federal/Central Government announces Fair and Remunerative Prices which are determined on the recommendation of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) and are announced by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, which is chaired by Prime Minister • The State Advised Prices (SAP) are announced by key sugarcane producing states which are generally higher than FRP. • In order to ensure that higher sugar recoveries are adequately rewarded and considering variations amongst sugar mills, the FRP is linked to a basic recovery rate of sugar, with a premium payable to farmers for higher recoveries of sugar from sugarcane

CACP • The Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) is an attached offce of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India. It came into existence in January 1965 • It is an advisory body whose recommendations are not binding on Government 4.3.Revising food security act: NITI Aayog About • The NITI Aayog recently circulated a discussion paper on proposed revision on NFSA 2013 . • recommended reducing the rural and urban coverage under the NFSA 60% and 40% respectively. • Proposed revision of benefciaries as according to latest population (currently done through census 2011)

Past schemes • Targeted Public Distribution System-1997- ✓Panchayats, Self-help Groups, Co-operatives, Individuals are given ‘license’ to open fair price shops / • Antyodaya Anna Yojana (2000) www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 91 T.me/SleepyClasses ✓to give 35 kg subsidized grains per poorest of poor family per month. • National Food Security Act 2013 ✓converted above scheme entitlements into ‘legal rights’

✓It’s a Central Sector Scheme

✓States shortlist the benefciaries & sell them food-grains

✓75% rural population is covered

✓50% urban population is covered. • Pregnant and lactating mothers (upto 6 months) ✓Take home ration" of 600 Calories

✓Entitled to a free meal at the local Anganwadi (including their 0-6 years child)

✓Maternity benefts of min.₹6,000, in instalments • 6-14 aged children entitled to one free hot meal or ‘take home rations’ in Govt schools ✓Both BPL and (slightly) above poverty line (APL) families are covered

✓If State / UT doesn’t want may do Direct Beneft Transfer Chandigarh, Puducherry,

✓If State / UT can’t provide food within stipulated time / quantity then they’ve to pay food security allowance

✓States required to form State Food Commissions for monitoring / implementation.

✓The eldest woman in the household (aged 18/>) shall be considered the head of the household for issuing-ration card. • Shanta Kumar committee (2015) ✓Reduce the number of benefciaries under the Food Security Act—from the current 67 per cent to 40 per cent.

✓Stop bonuses on minimum support price (MSP) paid by states to farmers

✓Allow private players to procure and store food grains.

✓FCI should involve itself in full-fedged grains procurement only in those states which are poor in procurement.

✓Abolishing levy rice: Under levy rice policy, government buys certain percentage of rice (varies from 25 to 75 per cent in states) from the mills compulsorily, which is called levy rice. Mills are allowed to sell only the remainder in the open market.

✓Deregulate fertiliser sector and provide cash fertilizer subsidy of Rs 7,000 per hectare to farmers.

✓outsource of stocking of grains

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4.4.No TDS when Indian frms pay to use foreign software About • Recently Supreme Court on Tuesday held that tax deductible at source is not applicable to Indian companies for amounts paid to foreign software manufacturers and suppliers for use or re-sale of computer software through end-user licence agreements (EULA). • Use or sale of computer software cannot be considered a payment of “royalty for the use of copyright in the computer software”. • Payment of royalty is made only for exclusive use of copyright of a work. • The computer software is sold in the form of a CD to an Indian buyer under a non-exclusive licence. • The Indian buyer only receives the right to use the software. He does not get any copyright on the software. Hence, the amount paid for a computer software from a foreign manufacturer does not qualify as royalty for which tax should be deducted at the source. • Example is the purchaser of a book or a CD/DVD, who becomes the owner of the physical article, but does not become the owner of the copyright inherent in the work, such copyright remaining exclusively with the owner.

About TDS • TDS stands for tax deducted at source. As per the Income Tax Act, any company or person making a payment is required to deduct tax at source if the payment exceeds certain threshold limits. TDS has to be deducted at the rates prescribed by the tax department • The company or person that makes the payment after deducting TDS is called a deductor and the company or person receiving the payment is called the deductee. • It is the deductor’s responsibility to deduct TDS before making the payment and deposit the same with the government. TDS is deducted irrespective of the mode of payment–cash, cheque or credit– and is linked to the PAN of the deductor and deducted

Reason • Usually, the person receiving income is liable to pay income tax. But the government with the help of Tax Deducted at Source provisions makes sure that income tax is deducted in advance from the payments being made by you. • The recipient of income receives the net amount (after reducing TDS). The recipient will add the gross amount to his income and the amount of TDS is adjusted against his fnal tax liability. The recipient takes credit of the amount already deducted and paid on his behalf

4.5.Purchasing Manager’s index • Defnition: PMI is an indicator of business activity- in the and services sectors. • There are three principal producers of Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) namely ✓Institute for Supply Management (ISM) – Established in 1915, Headquartered in Arizona, USA www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 93 T.me/SleepyClasses ✓Singapore Institute of Purchasing and Materials Management (SIPMM) – Established in 1972, Located in Singapore

✓IHS Markit Group – Located in London. IHS was established in 1959, Markit merged with IHS in 2016.

Calculation of PMI • It is a survey-based measure that asks the respondents about changes in their perception about key business variables as compared with the previous month. • It is calculated separately for the manufacturing and services sectors and then a composite index is constructed. • The PMI is a number from 0 to 100. ✓PMI above 50 represents an expansion when compared to the previous month;

✓PMI under 50 represents a contraction, and

✓A reading at 50 indicates no change.

✓If PMI of the previous month is higher than the PMI of the current month it represents that the economy is contracting.

✓The PMI is usually released at the start of every month. It is, therefore, considered a good leading indicator of economic activity. • Purpose: To provide information about current and future business conditions to company decision- makers, analysts, and investors. As the offcial data on industrial output, manufacturing and GDP growth comes much later, PMI helps to make informed decisions at an earlier stage.

4.6.Purple Revolution (Under Aroma Mission): • Around 500 farmers across villages in Doda district in Jammu had their incomes quadrupled after shifting from maize to lavender cultivation which is being called purple revolution. It was possible due to initiatives taken under Aroma Mission. • In 2016, the Centre launched Aroma Mission to boost cultivation of plants like lavender which have aromatic medicinal properties

Medicinal properties of Levander • Lavender oil is believed to have antiseptic and anti-infammatory properties, which can help to heal minor burns and bug bites. • Research suggests that it may be useful for treating anxiety, insomnia, depression, and restlessness. • Some studies suggest that consuming lavender as a tea can help digestive issues such as vomiting, nausea, intestinal gas, upset stomach, and abdominal swelling. • In addition to helping with digestive problems, lavender is used to help relieve pain from headaches, sprains, toothaches, and sores. It can also be used to prevent hair loss. • lavender oil could be effective in combating antifungal-resistant infections.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 94 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • Lavender is possibly effective for treating alopecia areata. This is a condition in which hair is lost from some or all areas of the body • Lavender oil has been shown to reduce the amount of painkilling medicine required after a tonsillectomy.

Aroma Mission • Objectives: The CSIR Aroma Mission is envisaged to bring transformative change in the aroma sector through desired interventions in the areas of agriculture, processing and product development for fuelling the growth of aroma industry and rural employment.

✓The mission will promote the cultivation of aromatic crops for essential oils that are in great demand by the aroma industry.

✓It is expected to enable Indian farmers and aroma industry to become global leaders in the production and export of some other essential oils on the pattern of menthol mint.

✓Making India a hub of opportunities in the domain of aroma products by developing and disseminating aroma related S & T to reach end users/clients of CSIR; farmers, industry and society, leading to creation of business opportunities, rural development and life-quality improvement. All this will be implemented without causing harm to the environment.

✓Attain self-suffciency in the production of a majority of essential oils used by domestic aroma industry and reducing foreign exchange drain due to imports

✓It aims to provide substantial benefts to the farmers in achieving higher profts, utilization of waste and protection of their crops from wild and grazing animals. • Nodal Agencies: ✓The nodal laboratory is CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CSIR-CIMAP)

Additional information • Scientists from Council of Scientifc and Industrial Research- Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CSIR-CIMAP), Lucknow have developed a new low-cost technology to prepare Geranium saplings and make this available for the farmers too. • Geranium plant has huge medicinal value and its essential oil works as an anti-infammatory and anti- septic agent. • The production of Geranium has got boost under the Aroma mission. • Till now the plant of Geranium was saved in aerated glass house, but now with the development of the protective shed technology of the polyhouse, it is prepared at a much cheaper cost on the farmer's farm itself.

About CSIR • Council of Scientifc and Industrial Research (CSIR) is the largest research and development (R&D) organisation in India. CSIR has a pan-India presence and has a dynamic network of 38 national laboratories, 39 outreach centres, 3 Complexes and 5 units. • Established: September 1942 www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 95 T.me/SleepyClasses • Located: New Delhi • CSIR is funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology and it operates as an autonomous body through the Societies Registration Act, 1860. • It provides signifcant technological intervention in many areas with regard to societal efforts which include the environment, health, drinking water, food, housing, energy, farm and non-farm sectors.

Organisation Structure • President: Prime Minister of India (Ex-offcio) • Vice President: Union Minister of Science and Technology (Ex-offcio) • Governing Body: The Director-General is the head of the governing body. ✓The other ex-offcio member is the fnance secretary (expenditures).

✓Other members' terms are of three years. • CSIR Advisory Board: 15-member body composed of prominent members from respective felds of science and technology.

✓Its function is to provide science and technology inputs to the governing body.

✓Member terms are are of three years.

Objectives • The objectives of the Council are scientifc and industrial/applied research of national importance. The activities include • Promotion, guidance and coordination of scientifc and industrial research in India • Establishment and assistance to special institutions or departments of existing institutions for the scientifc study of problems affecting particular industries and trade. • Establishment and award of research studentships and fellowships. • Utilization of the results of the research conducted under the auspices of the Council towards the development of industries in the country. • Payment of a share of royalties arising out of the development of the results of research to those who are considered as having contributed towards the pursuit of such research. • Establishment, maintenance and management of laboratories, workshops, institutes and organisations to further scientifc and industrial research. • Collection and dissemination of information in regard not only to research but to industrial matters generally. • Publication of scientifc papers and a journal of industrial research and development.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 96 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses

4.7.PM to receive the CERAWeek Global Energy and Environment Leadership Award About • Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will receive the CERAWeek Global Energy and Environment Leadership Award and deliver keynote address at the Cambridge Energy Research Associates Week (CERAWeek) 2021 on 5th March at around 7 PM via video conferencing.

About CERAWeek • CERAWeek was founded in 1983 by Dr. Daniel Yergin. It has been organized in Houston in March every year since 1983 and is considered the world’s premier annual energy platform. CERAWeek 2021 is being convened virtually from 1st March to 5th March, 2021.

About the Award • CERAWeek Global Energy and Environment Leadership Award was instituted in 2016. It recognizes the commitment of leadership on the future of global energy & environment and for offering solutions and policies for energy access, affordability & environmental stewardship

Contribution • For commitment to expanding India's leadership in sustainable development to meet the country's, and the world's, future energy needs • In charting its path towards economic growth, poverty reduction and a new energy future, India has emerged at the centre of global energy and the environment, and its leadership is crucial to meet climate objectives for a sustainable future while ensuring universal energy access

Additional information • Schemes to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all Saubhagya (Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana ) • Ministry of Power • Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana – ‘Saubhagya’ scheme was launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on 25th September, 2017. • It provide free electricity connections to all households (both APL and poor families) in rural areas and poor families in urban areas will be provided. • Rural Electrifcation Corporation (REC) has been designated as nodal agency for the Saubhagya scheme. • DISCOMs will organize camps in villages/cluster of villages to facilitate on-the-spot flling up of application forms including release of electricity connections to households • The prospective benefciary households for free electricity connections under the scheme would be identifed using SECC 2011 data • However, un-electrifed households not covered under SECC data would also be provided electricity connections under the scheme on payment of Rs. 500 which shall be recovered by DISCOMs in 10 instalments through electricity bill. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 97 T.me/SleepyClasses • The electricity connections to un-electrifed households include provision of service line cable, energy meter including pre-paid/smart meter, single point wiring. LED lamps and associated accessories in line with technical specifcations and construction standard. • In case of un-electrifed households located in remote and inaccessible areas, power packs of 200 to 300 Wp(with battery bank) with a maximum of 5 LED lights, 1 DC Fan, 1 DC power plug etc. may be provided along with provision of Repair and Maintenance (R&M) for 5 years. • Central Sector Scheme = 100% funded by Union. (100% in the sense that State government is not required to contribute money, although for the remainder project cost-Discom etc. will borrow from Bank/NBFC.) – • As of 31/3/2019: All the States have reported 100% electrifcation of all households except few households in Naxal affected Bastar region of Chhattisgarh.

Deen Dayal Gram Jyotiyojana (2015)- Min of Power • Ministry of Power • Central sector scheme • To provide electrifcation to all villages • Feeder separation to ensure suffcient power to farmers and regular supply to other consumers • Improvement of Sub-transmission and distribution network to improve the quality and reliability of the supply • Metering to reduce the losses Component • Separation of agriculture and non-agriculture feeders facilitating judicious restoring of supply to agricultural & non-agriculture consumers in the rural areas. • Strengthening and augmentation of sub-transmission & distribution infrastructure in rural areas, including metering of distribution transformers/feeders/consumers. • Micro grid and off grid distribution network & Rural electrifcation already sanctioned projects under RGGVY to be completed.

Pratyaksh Hanstantrit Labh (PAHAL-2015) • Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. • Central sector scheme(100% funded by Union) • Direct Benefts Transfer For LPG (DBTL) Who is not eligible? • Restaurants / commercial enterprises; A person with taxable income more than ₹ 10 lakh (and husband/wife of suchperson.) • Recent update • It has been made mandatory to link your Aadhaar card with gas connection to avail the subsidy on LPG cylinder.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 98 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • However, what if your account even when your Aadhaar is not linked. • You can receive the LPG subsidy directly in your bank account even without linking your Aadhaar card by visiting the nearest branch of you gas agency and submit your bank account with the distributor.

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) • Petroleum Ministry • Central Sector scheme (100% funded by Union) • Deposit-free LPG connections + rubber tube + pressure regulator to the women of Below Poverty Line families. • The BPL families are identifed using SECC-2011 data. • Later, the benefciary list was expanded to cover the dwellers, people residing in Islands etc. whose name may not be in SECC-2011 data. • 2019: Himachal Pradeshhad become the frst state in the country to have 100% LPG gas coverage • 2020: Corona Lockdown-poor families (PMUY) benefciaries eligible for 3 FREE LPG cylinders. Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) • The Union government’s Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) and LED Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP), marked their ffth anniversary on 5th January 2020. • Both schemes have been spearheaded and implemented by Energy Effciency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of PSUs under the Ministry of Power, Government of India. • These programmes have bagged global awards like the South Asia Procurement Innovation Award (SAPIA) 2017, CIO 100 award 2019, the Global Solid State Lighting (SSL) award of excellence.

Key Points Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All About • It was launched in 2015 with a target of replacing 77 crore incandescent lamps with LED bulbs and to nullify the high-cost of LEDs that acted as a barrier previously in the adoption of energy-effcient systems. • The scheme was implemented to set up a phase-wise LED distribution. • The objective is to promote effcient lighting, enhance awareness on using effcient equipment that will reduce electricity bills and preserve the environment. • It is the world’s largest domestic lighting project. Achievements • Through the UJALA initiative, over 36.13 crore LED bulbs have been distributed across India. This has resulted in an estimated energy savings of 46.92 billion kWh per year, avoided peak demand of 9,394 MW, and an estimated greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction of 38 million tons of CO2 annually. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 99 T.me/SleepyClasses • The reduced electricity bills add to a household’s disposable income and lifetime savings, thus improving the quality of life, generating prosperity in local communities and in expanding energy access to all. • Apart from this, the Government of India initiated the Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (GSA) in 2018, which was aimed at the promotion of social harmony by appraising rural communities of various government welfare schemes and initiatives. As a part of it, villages with poor households were able to buy LED bulbs for a special price under UJALA programme.

How the model works • Energy Effciency Services Limited (EESL) distributes LED bulbs to households at 40 % of market price • Total upfront investment and risk coverage borne by EESL • DISCOM pays EESL from actual energy savings over 5 years • No subsidy required from government • No impact on electricity tariffs Street Lighting National Programme About • It was launched in 2015 and has been instrumental in replacing over 50 lakh street lights in over 500 cities in India. • Under the programme, EESL replaces the conventional street lights with LEDs at its own costs, with no upfront investment by the municipalities, thereby making their adoption even more attractive. • It is the world’s largest streetlight replacement programme. Achievements • Under the SLNP programme, over 1.03 crore smart LED streetlights have been installed till date, enabling an estimated energy savings of 6.97 billion kWh per year with an avoided peak demand of 1,161 MW and an estimated greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction of 4.80 million tons CO2 annually. • LED streetlights have been installed in various states across the country, helping generate approximately 13,000 jobs to support initiative. • It has enabled citizens to increase productivity at night and made roads safer for pedestrians and motorists due to enhanced brightness and reduced dark spots. • The power utilities of states where the installation of LEDs has been implemented save up to 50% in electricity bills. • By March 2020, SLNP aims to replace 1.34 crore conventional streetlights in India with smart LEDs. ✓This goal will make a huge difference by enabling peak demand reduction of about 1500 MW, annual energy savings of 9 billion kWh and reduction in 6.2 million tons of CO2 per year.

PM JI-VAN Scheme • Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas has targeted to achieve 10% blending percentage of Ethanol in petrol by 2022. Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 100 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • Therefore, an alternate route viz. Second Generation (2G) Ethanol from biomass and other wastes is being explored by MoP&NG to bridge the supply gap for EBP programme. • The PM JI-VAN Yojana is being launched as a tool to create 2G Ethanol capacity in the country and attract investments in this new sector. • The policy allows procurement of ethanol produced from molasses and non-food feed stock like celluloses and lignocellulose material including petrochemical route.

4.8.Food waste index report 2021 • 17 per cent of all food available at consumer levels was wasted in 2019, reveals Food Waste Index • The Food Waste Index Report 2021 released March 4, 2021 has revealed that 17 per cent of all food available at consumer levels was wasted in 2019. That year, some 690 million people had to go hungry. • United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) revealed that food waste was a global problem and not that of just the developed world. The data, though scarce, revealed that food waste was substantial, regardless of income level • Data on all three areas of food waste, namely household, food service and retail was available only for high income countries. The index was prepared by using data from 54 countries and then extrapolated to the remaining countries • on an average, 74 kilograms of food was wasted per capita at the household level. • For India, the waste in kg / capita / year was 50. However, this estimation is based on only three studies, all of which had a sample size or length that was either small or unclear • “Reducing food waste would cut greenhouse gas emissions, slow the destruction of nature through land conversion and pollution, enhance the availability of food and thus reduce hunger and save money at a time of global recession • SDG target 12.3 aims at halving per-capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reducing food losses along production and supply chains.

Food • Any substance – whether processed, semi-processed or raw – that is intended for human consumption. “Food” includes drink, and any substance that has been used in the manufacture, preparation or treatment of food. “Food” also includes material that has spoiled and is therefore no longer ft for human consumption. • It does not include cosmetics, tobacco or substances used only as drugs. It does not include processing agents used along the food supply chain, for example water to clean or cook raw materials in factories or at home.

Inedible (or non-edible) parts • Components associated with a food that, in a particular food supply chain, are not intended to be consumed by humans.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 101 T.me/SleepyClasses • Examples of inedible parts associated with food could include bones, rinds and pits/stones. “Inedible parts” do not include packaging. What is considered inedible varies among users (e.g., chicken feet are consumed in some food supply chains but not others), changes over time, and is infuenced by a range of variables including culture, socio-economic factors, availability, price, technological advances, international trade and geography.

Food waste • For the purposes of the Food Waste Index, “food waste” is defned as food (see defnition, including drink) and associated inedible parts removed from the human food supply chain in the following sectors: manufacturing of food products (under certain circumstances); food/grocery retail; food service; and households. • Removed from the human food supply chain means one of the following end destinations: landfll, controlled combustion, sewer, litter/discards/refuse, co/anaerobic digestion, compost / aerobic digestion or land application

4.9.RailTel launches prepaid wi-f services at 4,000 railway stations • RailTel already provides free wi-f service at more than 5,950 stations in the country, and the facility can be availed by anyone with a smartphone and an active connection after an OTP-based verifcation. • With the launch of these prepaid plans, a passenger can now use up to 30 minutes' free wi-f per day at 1 mbps speed. But for higher speed of up to 34mbps, an user will need to choose a plan at a nominal fee. • The plans include Rs 10 for 5 GB data in a day, Rs 15 for 10 GB data in a day, Rs 20 for 10 GB data valid for fve days, Rs 30 for 20 GB data valid for fve days, Rs 40 for 20 GB data valid for 10 days, Rs 50 for 30 GB data valid for 10 days and Rs 70 for 60 GB data valid for 30 days.

RailWire • has successfully completed the work of providing free public Wi-Fi at 5500 stations across the country. This is a unique initiative as this Wi-Fi network is one of the largest Wi-Fi networks in the world. • Indian Railways mandated RailTel, a Miniratna Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Railways, to provide free high-speed Wi-Fi at the Railway stations for the digital inclusion. • It was started in January 2016 from Mumbai Central station. • RailTel has partnered with Google, Tata Trust, Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) for the project and also got funding from Universal Service Obligation Fund (Department of Telecommunications).

USOF • The Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Act, 2003 giving statutory status to the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) was passed by both Houses of Parliament in December 2003. • Provides subsidies to ensure telegraph services are provided to everyone across India, especially in the rural and remote areas.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 102 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • It is headed by the USOF Administrator who reports to the Secretary, Department of Telecommunications (DoT). • Funds come from the Universal Service Levy (USL) of 5% charged from all the telecom operators on their Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) which are then deposited into the Consolidated Fund of India, and require prior parliamentary approval to be dispatched. • The USOF works through a bidding process, where funds are given to the enterprise quoting the lowest bid. • However, the funds for NOFN were made an exception to this process since BBNL was the sole party involved in the implementation having being specifcally created for it. • USOF money is used for NOFN project National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) • National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) was launched in October 2011 and was renamed as Bharat Net Project in 2015. • implemented by the Department of Telecommunication under the Ministry of Communications. • To connect all the 2,50,000 Gram panchayats in the country and provide 100 Mbps connectivity to all gram panchayats. • existing unused fbres (dark fbre) of public sector undertakings (PSUs) (BSNL, Railtel and Power Grid) were utilised and incremental fbre was laid to connect to Gram Panchayats wherever necessary. • The project is a Centre-State collaborative project, with the states contributing free Rights of Way for establishing the Optical Fibre Network.

The three-phase implementation of the BharatNet project is as follows: • First Phase: Provide one lakh gram panchayats with broadband connectivity by laying underground optic fbre cable (OFC) lines by December 2017. • Second Phase: Provide connectivity to all the gram panchayats in the country using an optimal mix of underground fbre, fbre over power lines, radio and satellite media. It is to be completed by March 2019. • Third Phase: From 2019 to 2023, a state-of-the-art, future-proof network, including fbre between districts and blocks, with ring topology to provide redundancy would be created. • The participation of states became important in the second phase which involved laying of OFC over electricity poles.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 103 T.me/SleepyClasses 4.10.Central Revenues Control Laboratory gets recognised as a Regional Customs Laboratory (RCL) of the World Customs Organisation About • Central Revenues Control Laboratory (CRCL), New Delhi, under the Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs, recognized as a Regional Customs Laboratory (RCL) of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) for Asia-Pacifc Region.

About Central Revenues Control Laboratory (CRCL) • Established in 1939 • CRCL is headquarters of 14 laboratories, including 2 working at Government opium and alkoid works Function • To analyse the samples sent to them by the Revenue Authorities of Customs, CGST & Central Excise for the purpose of classifcation under Customs Tariff, Central Excise Tariff, Export Import Trade Control Policies and for Drawback purposes. • To furnish technical opinion to the Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs and its feld formations with regard to classifcation, duty aspects on various goods etc. • To provide technical support to Opium & Alkaloid Factories for production of Export Opium. • To analyse and certify the Export Opium. • To analyse Narcotic Drug & Psychotropic Substances and Precursor Chemicals etc. • Regional Customs Laboratory: ✓Their traditional work is the chemical analysis to determine tariff classifcation and the level of duties and other taxes.

✓Their role has evolved over time with changes in trade patterns and technical evolution.

✓Modern customs laboratories now play an important part in environmental protection (e.g., controlling the trade of ozone depleting substances), endangered species protection, control of dangerous goods such as pesticides, persistent organic pollutants, chemical weapons, as well as narcotics and drug precursors, etc.

The World Customs Organization (WCO) • Established in 1952 as the Customs Co-operation Council (CCC) is an independent intergovernmental body whose mission is to enhance the effectiveness and effciency of Customs administrations. • WCO is the only international organization with competence in Customs matters • It has its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium Initiative of WCO • The SAFE Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 104 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • Convention on the Simplifcation and Harmonization of Customs procedures • Convention on the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS Convention).- ✓classifcation and coding of goods in international trade

✓To reduce the expenses related to international trade

✓To facilitate the standardization of trade documentation and the transmission of data

4.11.International Women’s Day: 10 million more girls at risk of child marriage due to COVID-19, warns UNICEF Key Findings • At least 10 million more girls are at a risk of being forced into marriage due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, according to a new analysis by United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). • The proportion of young women who were married as children had declined in the last decade — to 20 per cent from 25 per cent.The gain is now under threat, according to the study. • School closures, job losses and increased economic insecurity, the interruption of support services for families and parental deaths due to the pandemic put the most vulnerable girls at increased risk of child marriage • Girls married off in their childhood are more likely to experience domestic violence and are less likely to remain in school • Child marriage increases the risk of early and unplanned pregnancy, thereby increasing the risk of maternal complications and mortality.

Case study-The story of 114 Odisha villages becoming child-marriage free begins with a small victory in Rugudipali • Action Aid, a non-proft that works on child and women’s rights, has been spearheading the campaign against child marriage with the support of UNICEF in 15 districts of Odisha • The villagers have gone a step further to create enabling environment for adolescents so that they can continue their education and pursue a career of their choice. This will ultimately strengthen their voices to say no to child marriage.

Case study-The story of 114 Odisha villages becoming child-marriage free begins with a small victory in Rugudipali • The Women & Child Development and Mission Shakti Department launched the State Strategic Action Plan in October 2019 to end child marriage with an objective to make Odisha child-marriage free by 2030. • Persistent efforts to motivate parents, infuential persons, communities not to marry their girls before the legal age worked. As a result, there is no child marriage in the village Rugudipali and now subsequently in other 113 villages.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 105 T.me/SleepyClasses 4.12.International Women’s day: How Telangana’s women farm hands turned farmers Telangana’s Jagiripalli village • The women are not merely agricultural workers but farmers who have sown the crop collectively and share the cost and the income too collectively. • women are claiming fnancial and social autonomy by forming small groups and doing collective farming on leased land. • The land is either leased from one of the group members or from someone else in the village where a group of women collectively manage a crop from sowing till after harvest • Non-interference of men in group farming is a common narrative across the villages. 4.13.MSMEs seen as next stress area as banks wary of loan repayments under ECLGS MSME • contribute around 7% of the manufacturing GDP • 25% of the GDP from service activities. • It contributes around 45% of the overall exports from India. • MSME ministry has set a target to up its contribution to GDP to 50% by 2025 as India becomes a $5 trillion economy.

Analysis of new defnition • There have been a fear among the MSMEs that if they outgrow the threshold limits. they will lose the benefts they have been enjoying. The fear has been killing their urge to grow in terms of size and turnover.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 106 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • A revision in the defnition of MSMEs with an upward revision in their investment limit will help in the seamless expansion of small and medium businesses in the country • In contrast, some sector experts expressed apprehensions that inclusion of more frms in the MSME category could crowd out the real small-scale manufacturers and dim their chances of availing concessional loans and benefts under various government schemes • On disallowing global companies from participating in government tenders up to Rs 200 crore, • If the same policy is implemented by the state, only then we will see the benefts. Till then, the benefts will be very partial. Because only if the central PSUs follow the norms and states do not, not much will change.

Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) • 100% guarantee coverage to be provided by National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Limited (NCGTC) for additional funding of up to Rs. 3 lakh crore to eligible MSMEs and interested MUDRA borrowers. • Facility during the period from the date of announcement of the Scheme to 31.10.2020. • As part of the AatmaNirbhar Bharat reforms, the GOI extended the Scheme until March 31, 2021 Tenor of the loan under Scheme shall be four years with a moratorium period of one year on the principal amount.

National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Ltd • NCGTC is a private limited company incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956 in 2014, established by the Department of , Ministry of Finance, as a wholly owned company of the Government of India,

Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana • Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) is a fagship scheme of Government of India to “fund the unfunded” • It enables a small borrower to borrow from all Public Sector Banks such as PSU Banks, Regional Rural Banks and Cooperative Banks, Private Sector Banks, Foreign Banks, Micro Finance Institutions (MFI) and Non Banking Finance Companies (NBFC) for loans upto Rs 10 lakhs for non-farm income generating activities.

Eligibility • Any Indian Citizen who has a business plan for a non-farm sector income generating activity such as manufacturing, processing, trading or service sector and whose credit need is less than Rs 10 lakh

Types of loans provided • Under the aegis of Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana, MUDRA has already created the following products / schemes. • Shishu : covering loans upto 50,000/- • Kishor : covering loans above 50,000/- and upto 5 lakh • Tarun : covering loans above 5 lakh and upto 10 lakh www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 107 T.me/SleepyClasses Sectors covered • Land Transport Sector / Activity - Which will inter alia support units for purchase of transport vehicles for goods and personal transport such as auto rickshaw, small goods transport vehicle, 3 wheelers, e-rickshaw, passenger cars, taxis, etc. • Community, Social & Personal Service Activities - Such as saloons, beauty parlours, gymnasium, boutiques, tailoring shops, dry cleaning, cycle and motorcycle repair shop, DTP and Photocopying Facilities, Medicine Shops, Courier Agents, etc. • Food Products Sector - Support would be available for undertaking activities such as papad making, achaar making, jam / jelly making, agricultural produce preservation at rural level, sweet shops, small service food stalls and day to day catering / canteen services, cold chain vehicles, cold storages, making units, ice cream making units, biscuit, bread and bun making, etc. • Textile Products Sector / Activity - To provide support for undertaking activities such as handloom, powerloom, chikan work, zari and zardozi work, traditional embroidery and hand work, traditional dyeing and printing, apparel design, knitting, cotton ginning, computerized embroidery, stitching and other textile non garment products such as bags, vehicle accessories, furnishing accessories, etc

MSME Credit Health Index • To provide a measure of the growth and strength of the MSME sector in India. • By TransUnion CIBIL and Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) • Published quarterly. Parameters • Two parameters growth and strength. • Growth ✓Measured by plotting increase in exposure value (outstanding balances) over time.

✓An increasing Growth Index indicates improvement in credit growth. • Strength ✓Measured by decrease/increase in credit risk in terms of non-performing assets (NPA).

✓An increasing Strength Index implies better asset quality and therefore denotes an improvement in the structural strength of the sector.

4.14.Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare signs MoU with Central Silk Board, Ministry of Textiles for promotion of Agroforestry in Silk Sector • To incentivize the farmers to take up sericulture based Agroforestry models thereby contributing to the Make in India and Make for the World vision of the Prime Minister.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 108 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF) • Aims to encourage farmers to plant multi-purpose trees together with the agriculture crops for climate resilience and an additional source of income to the farmers, as well as enhanced feedstock to inter alia -based and herbal industry. • Hence there is a concerted effort to include medicinal, fruits, fodder, tree-borne oilseeds, lac host etc. in addition to the longer rotation timber species • The Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DAC & FW) has been implementing the Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF) since 2016-17 as part of the recommendation of the National Agroforestry Policy 2014. • India was the frst country to have such a comprehensive policy which was launched at the World Agroforestry Congress held in Delhi in February 2014. • At present, the scheme is being implemented in 20 States and 2 Uts • The scheme promotes endemic species or tree species that come with medicinal value • No promotion for Exotic species • Currently it is implemented only in the states having liberalized transit regulations for the transport of timber and will be extended to other states as and when such relaxations are notifed by them • Funding pattern • North East and Hilly states of Himachal and Uttarakhand-90:10 (Centre: States) • UT-100% centre • Other 60:40 (Centre: States) • At least 50% of the allocation is to be utilized for small, marginal farmers of which at least 30% should be women benefciaries/farmers. • 16% & 8% of the total allocation or in proportion of SC/ST population in the district will be utilized for Special Component Plan (SCP) and Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) respectively • Farmers must have a soil health card to get the beneft under the programme • Farmers would be supported fnancially to the extent of 50% of the actual cost of the interventions (limited to 50% of the estimated cost as indicated in the Cost norms) for the respective interventions • Farmers groups/Cooperatives and Farmer Producers Organization (FPO) can also avail the beneft About Soil Health Card What is Soil Health Card (SHC) scheme? • Department of Agriculture & Co-operation under the Ministry of Agriculture. • It will be implemented through the Department of Agriculture of all the State and Union Territory Governments. • A SHC is meant to give each farmer soil nutrient status of his holding and advice him on the dosage of fertilizers and also the needed soil amendments, that he should apply to maintain soil health in the long run. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 109 T.me/SleepyClasses What is a Soil Health Card? • SHC is a printed report that a farmer will be handed over for each of his holdings. • It will contain the status of his soil with respect to 12 parameters, namely • N,P,K (Macro-nutrients) ; • S (Secondary-nutrient) ; • Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, Bo (Micro-nutrients) ; • Ph ,Electrical Conductivity (EC), Organic Carbon (OC) (Physical parameters). • Based on this, the SHC will also indicate fertilizer recommendations and soil amendment required for the farm.

How can a farmer use a SHC? • The card will contain an advisory based on the soil nutrient status of a farmer’s holding. It will show recommendations on dosage of different nutrients needed. • Further, it will advise the farmer on the fertilizers and their quantities he should applyto realize optimal yields

Will the farmer get a card every year and for every crop? • It will be made available once in a cycle of 3 years,which will indicate the status of soil health of a farmer’s holding for that particular period. • The SHC given in the next cycle of 3 years will be able to record the changes in the soil health for that subsequent period.

What are the norms of sampling? • Soil samples will be drawn in a grid of 2.5 ha in irrigated area and 10 ha in rain-fed area with the help of GPS tools and revenue maps.

Who will draw the soil sample? • The State Government will collect samples through the staff of their Department of Agriculture or through the staff of an outsourced agency. The State Government may also involve the students of local Agriculture/ Science Colleges.

What is the ideal time for soil sampling? • Soil Samples are taken generally two times in a year, after harvesting of Rabi and Kharif Crop respectively or when there is no standing crop in the feld.

How will soil samples be collected from a farmer’s feld? • Soil Samples will be collected by a trained person from a depth of 15-20 cm by cutting the soil in a “V” shape. • It will be collected from four corners and the centre of the feld and mixed thoroughly and a part of this picked up as a sample.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 110 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses Other • Village youth and farmers up to 40 years of age are eligible to set up Soil Health Laboratories and undertake testing. • 75% of laboratory costs are proposed to be funded by the Central and State Governments. National Productivity Council (NPC) report • Soil Health Card scheme has led to a decline of 8-10% in the use of chemical fertilizers and also raised productivity by 5-6%.

National Productivity Council • It is a national-level organization to promote productivity culture in India. • Established by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India in 1958, it is an autonomous, multipartite, non-proft organization.

About Silk Samagra • It is initiated by the Central Silk Board. • The scheme comprises four major components viz. (i) Research & Development, Training, Transfer of Technology and Information Technology Initiatives, (ii) Seed Organizations, (iii) Coordination and Market Development and (iv) Quality Certifcation Systems (QCS) / Export Brand Promotion and Technology Up-gradation. • The main objective of the scheme is to maintain Breeders stock, Breed improvement through R&D Projects, Development of mechanized practices, Technology translation through Sericulture Information Linkages and Knowledge System (SILKS) Portal, Mobile Application for Stakeholders and for seed quality monitoring etc. • The main aim of “Silk Samagra” Scheme is to empower downtrodden, poor & backward tribal families through various activities of sericulture in the country including women.

Facts about Silk production • South India is the leading silk producing area of the country and is also known for its famous silk weaving enclaves like Kancheepuram • India is the 2nd largest producer of silk in the world after China. • It is largest consumer of silk in the world. • It is the only country in the world that produces all 5 varieties of silk on a commercial scale– Mulberry, Oak Tasar & Tropical Tasar, Muga and Eri. • Holds the global monopoly for production of the famed golden ‘Muga’ silk The Central Silk Board • It is a statutory body established in the year 1948 by an Act of Parliament. • It is working under the administrative control of Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. • Its headquarter is located in . www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 111 T.me/SleepyClasses 4.15.Only half of government schools, anganwadis have tap water supply About • According to Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources, only half of government schools and anganwadis have tap water supply, despite a 100-day campaign for 100% coverage being launched by the Jal Shakti Ministry in October 2020.

About campaign • launched on 2nd October, 2020 ✓to provide potable piped water supply for drinking and cooking purposes

✓tap water for hand washing and in toilets in every school, anganwadi and ashramshala or residential tribal school.

✓100-day period should have ended on 10th January, 2021 but now extended till 31st March 2021

Jal Jeevan Mission • 55 litres of water per person per day to every rural household through Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) by 2024.

Objectives of the Mission are • To provide FHTC to every rural household. • To prioritize provision of FHTCs in quality affected areas, villages in drought prone and desert areas, Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) villages, etc. • To provide functional tap connection to Schools, Anganwadi centres, GP buildings, Health centres, wellness centres and community building

Funding Pattern • 90:10 (Centre: State) for Himalayan and North-Eastern States, • 100% for Union Territories. • 50:50 for other states Components • Development of in-village piped water supply infrastructure to provide tap water connection to every rural household • Development of reliable drinking water sources and/ or augmentation of existing sources to provide long-term sustainability of water supply system • Wherever necessary, bulk water transfer, treatment plants and distribution network to cater to every rural household • Technological interventions for removal of contaminants where is an issue • Retroftting of completed and ongoing schemes to provide FHTCs at minimum service level of 55 lpcd; Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 112 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • Greywater management • A n y o t h e r u n f o r e s e e n challenges/ issues emerging due to natural disasters/ calamities which affect the goal of FHTC to every household by 2024, as per guidelines of Ministry of Finance on Flexi Funds • Efforts should be made to source funds from different sources/ programmes and convergence is the key • Current situation ✓48.5% of anganwadis and 53.3% of schools had tap water supply.

✓% of schools with tap water supply

✓7.93% in UP

✓10.89% in West Bengal

✓12.99% in Jharkhand • Anganwadis ✓Only 2-6% of anganwadis in Assam, Jharkhand, U.P., Chhattisgarh and Bengal

✓Seven States - Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Punjab - achieved 100% coverage

Greywater or sullage • is all wastewater generated in households or offce buildings from streams without fecal contamination. • By defnition greywater is generally waste water from showers, baths, basins, and washing machines. • Greywater treatment is easier than municipal wastewater treatment, generating a large interest in its reuse and recycling. • Typical applications for greywater recycling and re-use are toilet fushing, irrigation and other non- potable uses. • Generally, any water that is drained from the house other than toilet water can be described as greywater

Budget 2021-22, • Jal Jeevan Mission (Urban) announced under the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry to provide universal coverage of water supply to all households through functional taps in all statutory towns in accordance with SDG- 6

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 113 T.me/SleepyClasses 4.16.Why private companies are queueing up to set up New Umbrella Entities (NUE) About • An idea foated by the Reserve Bank of India to create an alternate mechanism to the existing National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). • The RBI has set a deadline of March 31 for frms to submit their applications for setting up NUEs. About NUE • NUE will be a non-proft entity that will set-up, manage and operate new payment systems, especially in the retail space such as ATMs, white-label PoS; Aadhaar-based payments and remittance services. • In addition to this, they will develop new payment methods, standards and technologies as well as operate clearing and settlement systems. • Monitor retail payment system developments and related issues in the country and internationally to avoid shocks, frauds and contagions.

Framework of NUE • The promoter or the promoter group for the NUE should be ‘owned and controlled by residents’ with 3 years’ experience in the payments ecosystem. • hall have a minimum paid-up capital of Rs. 500 crore. • A minimum net worth of Rs. 300 crore should be maintained at all times • Any entity holding more than 25% of the paid-up capital of the NUE will be deemed to be a promoter. • No single promoter or promoter group should have more than 40% investment in the capital of the entity. • Allowed foreign investment in NUEs as long as they comply with the guidelines. What is the need for NUEs? • Currently, the umbrella entity for providing retail payments system • is NPCI, which is a non-proft entity, owned by banks. NPCI operates settlement systems such as UPI, AEPS, RuPay, Fastag, etc. • 48% of all electronic retail payments in the country pass through the NPCI infrastructure. Issues with NPCI • Players in the payments space have indicated the various pitfalls of NPCI being the only entity managing all of retail payments systems in India. • RBI’s plan to allow other organisations to set up umbrella entities for payments systems aims to expand the competitive landscape in this area. • Any sort of monopoly results in market ineffciencies.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 114 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • Of we have just one umbrella regulator, we will never be sure if transaction costs are as low as they could be, or if the variety of product offerings available to us could be better. • Problem is that the NPCI is expected to both manage the digital payments industry as well as come up with the frameworks necessary to foster innovation.

What is the solution to issues faced by NPCI • One possible solution might be to create a separate and independent standards-setting body. • Such body would come up with the protocols and standards required to foster innovation in the digital payments space. • This is how most successful digital infrastructure systems work. Take the World Wide Web, for example. • Any new standard that this body creates will have to frst be approved by the NPCI, but then it can be rolled out throughout the digital payments ecosystem.

4.17.Govt. to telcos: buy only from ‘trusted sources • Telecom service providers will be able to procure equipment only from ‘trusted sources’ as defned by the government • The notifcation, seen as a step towards excluding Chinese telecom equipment makers such as Huawei and ZTE, will come into effect from June 15. • Service providers have to take permission from the National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC) for upgradation of existing networks utilising equipment not designated as trusted products. “ • The government, through the Designated Authority [the NCSC], will have the right to impose conditions for procurement of telecommunication equipment on grounds of defence of India, or matters directly or indirectly related thereto, for national security,” according to the DoT. • Designated authority shall notify the categories of equipment for which the security related to Trusted sources are applicable. • For the said categories of equipment designated authority shall notify the trusted sources along with the associated telecommunication equipment (trusted products)," according to the amendment. • However, these directions will not affect ongoing annual maintenance contracts or updates to existing equipment already induced in the network as on date of effect. • While the government has not barred procurement of equipment from Chinese companies, it amended the general fnancial rules (GFR) 2017 to enable the imposition of restrictions on bidders in public procurement from countries that share a land border with India on grounds of defence of India, or matters directly or indirectly related thereto, including national security • Public companies need to scrap tenders if a qualifed bidder is from a country that shares a land border with India, which includes China.

National Cyber Security Coordinator • In 2014, the Prime Minister’s Offce created the position of the National Cyber Security Coordinator. • The NCSC offce coordinates with different agencies at the national level for cyber security matters. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 115 T.me/SleepyClasses Past News Tech Sagar (an online portal of India’s technological capability) • By National Cyber Security Coordinator's offce in partnership with the Data Security Council of India (DSCI) • It provides actionable insights about capabilities of the Indian Industry, academia and research across 25 technology areas like Internet of Things (IoT), Artifcial Intelligence (AI), etc.

Data Security Council of India • DSCI is a not-for-proft premier industry body on data protection in India, setup by NASSCOM, • It works in making cyberspace safe, secure and trusted by establishing best practices, standards and initiatives in cyber security and privacy.

NASSCOM • is a not-for-proft trade body and chamber of commerce of the Tech industry in India. 4.18.How FPOs can help small and marginal farmers About • One of the reasons for agrarian distress is the declining average size of farm holdings. • The average farm size declined from 2.3 hectares (ha) in 1970-71 to 1.08 ha in 2015-16. • The share of small and marginal farmers increased from 70 per cent in 1980-81 to 86 per cent in 2015-16. • FPO seems to be an important institutional mechanism to organise small and marginal farmers. About FPO • The concept of 'Farmer Producer Organizations, (FPO)' consists of collectivization of producers especially small and marginal farmers • legal entity formed by primary producers, viz. farmers, milk producers, fshermen, weavers, rural artisans, craftsmen. PO is a generic name for an organization of producers of any produce, e.g., agricultural, non-farm products, artisan products, etc. • It can be a production company, a cooperative society or any other legal form which provides for sharing of profts/benefts among the members • Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) is providing support for the promotion of FPOs. NABARD Report (2017) • Around 5,000 FPOs are operating in the country, which was formed under various initiatives of the Central Government (including Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium), State governments, NABARD, and other organizations. • Of these, around 3,200 FPOs are registered as farmer producer companies and the remaining as cooperatives/societies, etc

Formation and Promotion of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs)

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 116 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • The government has launched a new dedicated Central Sector Scheme titled with a clear strategy and committed resources to form and promote 10,000 new FPOs.

Additional information about FPO • Since 2011, it has intensively promoted FPOs under the Small Farmers’ Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC), NABARD, state governments and NGOs. • The membership of an FPO ranges from 100 to over 1,000 farmers. Most of these farmers have small holdings. • The budget for 2018-19 announced supporting measures for FPOs including a fve-year tax exemption • The budget for 2019-20 talked of setting up 10,000 more FPOs in the next fve years. Case study (International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Maharashtra • Some of the FPOs have organically evolved (OFPOs) when farmers have taken the lead to adopt market-oriented practices, develop cost-effective solutions in production and marketing.

Bihar • Almost all FPOs have been promoted (PFPOs). Result OFPO • 98 per cent of the respondents for OFPOs report an increase in gross income while only 2 per cent indicate decline in the same.

PFPOs • 64 per cent report an increase in gross income while 27 per cent report no change in income. Non Members • Only 32 per cent of the non-members indicate an increase in gross income. Conclusion • These results show that FPOs are doing better than non-FPO farmers • Within FPOs, organically evolved FPOs are more benefcial than pushed or promoted FPOs Challenges and solution • Issues such as working capital, marketing, infrastructure have to be addressed while scaling up FPOs. • Getting credit is the biggest problem. Banks must have structured products for lending to FPOs. • These organisations lack professional management and, therefore, need capacity building. • They have to be linked with input companies, technical service providers, marketing/processing companies, retailers etc. They need a lot of data on markets and prices and other information and competency in information technology. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 117 T.me/SleepyClasses • FPOs can be used to augment the size of the land by focusing on grouping contiguous tracts of land as far as possible — they should not be a mere grouping of individuals. • Women farmers also can be encouraged to group cultivate for getting better returns. FPOs can also encourage consolidation of holdings.

4.19.Govt. owning bad bank is more capital effcient • Amid confusing reports about the control of the proposed bad bank, a brokerage has called for government ownership, saying state-funding was more capital effcient apart from speeding up implementation and also lowering the credit costs for the banks. • As of March 2020, the gross non-performing loans of banks stood at 2.8% or ₹2,89,500 crore, which is 1.3% of the GDP, according to the report. • This would go up to 13.5% by this September, a two-decade high, given the impact of the pandemic on the companies and banks, according to the Reserve Bank of India

About Bad bank • US-based Mellon Bank created the frst bad bank in 1988, after which the concept has been implemented in other countries including Sweden, Finland etc • Technically, a bad bank is an Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC) that takes over the bad loans of commercial banks, manages them and fnally recovers the money over a period of time. • The bad bank is not involved in lending and taking deposits, but helps commercial banks clean up their balance sheets and resolve bad loans. • The takeover of bad loans is normally below the book value of the loan and the bad bank tries to recover as much as possible subsequently.

4.20.Mera Ration’ mobile app • The government of India has just launched the Mera Ration app that’s going to help migrant workers. • Mera Ration has been launched by the ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distribution and the app is a part of the government’s One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) system. • The system was initially started in four states in August 2019 and was then rolled out to 32 states and union territories by December last year • Currently, 32 States and Union Territories are covered under One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) and the remaining four States and UTs are expected to be integrated into the scheme in the next few months • The only states not on the roster right now include Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi and West Bengal and these four are expected to be included over the next few months. • Right now the system covers nearly 69 crore NFSA (National Food Security Act) benefciaries which is about 86% of the NFSA population in India

About the Mera Ration app

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 118 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • The Mera Ration mobile app is only on Android for now. All Indian citizens can register themselves on the app to get food grains at subsidised prices. • It allows users to check what they are entitled to, locate nearby ration shops etc. It also supports biometric authentication. • The app comes with Aadhar-based login and is available in both Hindi and English. Support for 14 regional languages is expected to come soon. • You can download the app from the Google Play Store and once it’s downloaded you need to register using your ration card details.

One nation one ration card • Under the ONORC, the benefciaries from one state can get their share of rations in other states where the ration card was originally issued.

Benefts • It give the benefciaries the opportunity to opt for the dealer of their choice. • If any dealer misbehaves or misallocates, the benefciary can switch to another FPS shop instantly • SDG 2: Ending hunger by 2030. 4.21.Mines ministry issues framework for non-ferrous metal scrap recycling • The Centre has issued a framework for scrap recycling of non-ferrous metals, including aluminium and copper, in a bid to cut down the scrap imports.

Reasons • The non-ferrous metals industry is its heavy dependence on import of metal scrap and a major share of the demand is served by imports owing to the underdeveloped metal scrap collection, segregation and processing infrastructure in the domestic market. • Aluminium is an energy intensive sector, the demand for fuel, i.e. coal, being the main energy source for aluminum extraction and processing, will also increase. • Such dependence on non-renewable resources is not in line with global sustainable development goals and will lead to high carbon footprints. • Meeting the growing demand by imports would lead to a trade imbalance. • Thus, recycling becomes a good alternative as it requires 95 per cent less energy to recycle aluminium than to produce primary aluminium

Copper • The projected demand for copper due to electric vehicles is expected to increase by 1.7 million tonnes by 2027 • The per capita copper consumption in India is expected to increase from the current level of 0.6 kg to 1 kg by 2025. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 119 T.me/SleepyClasses • If India’s per capita copper consumption moves towards the world’s per capita copper consumption of 2.7 kg, the country’s copper market has the potential for signifcant growth • As India is currently a net importer of copper, certain percentage of growing demand of copper can be met domestically through recycling

Guidelines Central Metal Recycling Authority • Facilitate recycling of metals • Developing technical, safety and environmental norms and SOPs for handling and processing of scraps in consultation with MoEFCC, CPCB, etc

Government • Work towards establishing standards for Quality of scrap used for recycling. • MoEF&CC to streamline the regulatory requirements, eliminating multiple clearances wherever feasible, for the recycling units.

Manufacturer: • Ensure that any Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) guidelines/Regulations be strictly adhered to. • Designing products that are easier to recycle and reuse in an effcient and environmentally sound manner.

Guidelines Public • Responsibly dispose of scrap at designated scrap collection centers for their effective and environmentally sound processing.

Other • An Online market platform/ exchange platform for recycled/secondary metal will be developed. • Recyclers may explore the possibility of entering into collection contracts with industrial and commercial establishments • Proposed to set up Urban Mines to collect and hold large quantities of similar materials. • Mechanism for registration of segregators, dismantlers, recyclers, collection centers etc. will be developed to promote recycling to an organized sector

Past News • National Steel Policy 2017: (Ferrous) • Aims to develop a globally competitive steel industry by creating 300 Million TPA Steel production capacity by 2030

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Reason • The country’s steel scrap imports were valued at Rs 24,500 crore in 2017-18, while the defcit was to the tune of 7 MT. • The use of every tonne of scrap shall save 1.1 tonne of iron ore, 630 kg of coking coal and 55 kg of limestone. There shall be considerable saving in specifc energy consumption also.

Steel Scrap Recycling Policy. (2019)-Min of Steel • To reduce dependency on imports and decongest the Indian cities from End of Life Vehicles (ELVs) • Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) • Hub and Spoke model-4 collection and dismantling centres will cater to 1 scrap processing centre. • Principles of 6Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover, Redesign and Remanufacture. • In compliance to Hazardous & Other Wastes (Management & Trans boundary Movement) Rules, 2016 issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

4.22.Rising retail loans help bank credit grow 6.6%; deposits surge 12% • Bank credit rose by 6.63 per cent to Rs 107.75 lakh crore and deposits grew by 12.06 per cent to Rs 149.34 lakh crore in the fortnight ended February 26, as per Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data. • According to analysts, the growth in bank credit is driven by an increase in retail loans. Retail loans • Retail loans in India fall under the larger umbrella of credit given by fnancial institutions to consumers for their fnancial needs such as buying a house, paying for college education, owning a vehicle and personal loans that are short-term in nature

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 121 T.me/SleepyClasses Bank credit • Bank credit consists of the total amount of combined funds that fnancial institutions advance to individuals or businesses

Types of Bank Credit • Bank credit comes in two different forms—secured and unsecured. ✓Secured credit -is backed by a form of collateral

✓Unsecured credit-is not backed by collateral • Bank Deposits ✓Bank deposits consist of money placed into banking institutions for safekeeping

Types of Bank Deposits • Savings Account ✓The savings accounts can be opened by an individual or jointly by two people with an aim to save money.

✓Bank pays you interest for opening this type of account with them. • Current Account ✓These accounts are not used for the purpose of savings.

✓This type of bank account is mostly opened by businessmen. Associations, Institutions, Companies, Religious Institutions and other business-related works, the current account can be opened

✓There is no interest that is paid on such accounts • Recurring Deposit Account ✓Wherein the account holder needs to deposit a fxed amount every month until it reaches the fxed maturity date.

✓The interest rate varies depending upon the bank you choose to open an account with

✓Premature withdrawal of the amount is permitted, provided a sum of amount is deducted as penalty • Fixed Deposit Account ✓It is a one time deposit and one time take away account. Under this type of account, the account holder needs to deposit a fxed amount of sum (as per their wish) for a fxed time period

✓The amount deposited in FD account can only be withdrawn all at once and not in instalments

✓Banks pay interest on the fxed deposit account

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4.23.CPI Vs WPI • Retail infation growth across the country eased to 6.69 per cent in the month of August, the data released by the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) showed.

Retail infation • The retail infation is measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the month of July was also revised to 6.73 per cent from 6.93 per cent. • It has grown beyond the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) upper margin of 6 per cent. The government has mandated the Indian central bank to keep infation within the range of 4 per cent with a margin of 2 per cent on either side.

Reasons for growth in retail infation • The growth in retail infation was primarily due to a rise in meat and fsh prices that saw a 16.50 per cent on-year rise in August. • The pulses and products segment saw a rise of 14.44 per cent, • Oils and fats rose 12.45 per cent and spices prices gained 12.34 per cent. • The vegetables segment also witnessed a rise of 11.41 per cent. WPI and CPI • In India, infation is primarily measured by two main indices — WPI (Wholesale Price Index) and CPI (Consumer Price Index) which measure wholesale and retail-level price changes, respectively.

Wholesale Price Index • It measures the changes in the prices of goods sold and traded in bulk by wholesale businesses to other businesses. • It is the most widely used infation indicator in India. • Published by the Offce of Economic Adviser, Ministry of Commerce and Industry • The base year of All-India WPI has been revised from 2004-05 to 2011-12 in 2017. Major components of WPI • Primary articles is a major component of WPI, further subdivided into Food Articles and Non-Food Articles. • Food Articles include items such as Cereals, Paddy, Wheat, Pulses, Vegetables, Fruits, Milk, Eggs, Meat & Fish, etc. • Non-Food Articles include Oil Seeds, Minerals and Crude Petroleum • The next major basket in WPI is Fuel & Power, which tracks price movements in Petrol, Diesel and LPG • The biggest basket is Manufactured Goods. It spans across a variety of manufactured products such as Textiles, Apparels, Paper, Chemicals, Plastic, Cement, Metals, and more.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 123 T.me/SleepyClasses • Manufactured Goods basket also includes manufactured food products such as Sugar, Tobacco Products, Vegetable and Animal Oils, and Fats.

Consumer Price Index • It measures price changes from the perspective of a retail buyer • The CPI calculates the difference in the price of commodities and services such as food, medical care, education, electronics etc, which Indian consumers buy for use. • The CPI has several sub-groups including food and beverages, fuel and light, housing and clothing, bedding and footwear • It is released by the National Statistical Offce (NSO). • Base Year for CPI is 2012 Types of CPI • Compiled by Labour Bureau in the Ministry of Labour and Employment ✓CPI for Industrial Workers (IW).

✓CPI for Agricultural Labourer (AL).

✓CPI for Rural Labourer (RL). • Compiled by the National Statistical Offce (NSO) in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation

✓CPI (Rural/Urban/Combined). • CPI vs. WPI ✓WPI, tracks infation at the producer level and CPI captures changes in prices levels at the consumer level.

✓WPI does not capture changes in the prices of services, which CPI does.

✓In April 2014, the RBI had adopted the CPI as its key measure of infation

✓Infation measure in the frst stage in WPI and the fnal stage in CPI.

✓The price paid by manufacturer and whole seller in WPI and in CPI it is paid by the consumer

✓Item covered in WPI is fuel, power and manufacturing products and in CPI education, food, transport, communication, recreation, apparel, housing, and medical care are covered.

✓WPI is used by very few countries whereas CPI is used by 157 countries.

4.24.'Voluntary Vehicle-Fleet Modernisation Programme • Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari informed the Parliament that the Ministry is introducing a voluntary vehicle feet modernisation programme, which seeks to create an ecosystem to phase out unft and polluting vehicles. • Proposed Vehicle scrapping policy

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 124 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • Private vehicles be de-registered after 20 years if found unft or in case of failure to renew registration certifcate. • As a disincentive measure, increased re-registration fees will be applicable for private vehicles 15 years onward from the date of initial registration. • It is being proposed that all government vehicles may be de-registered and scrapped after 15 years from date of registration. • The criteria will take into account emission tests, braking and safety equipment, among other tests. A vehicle failing the ftness test may be declared as end-of-life vehicle. • Policy will offer a rebate of about 5 per cent to buyers on new car purchases in lieu of scrapping of the old. • The scrap value for the old vehicle will be approximately 4-6 per cent of the ex-showroom price of a new vehicle. • State governments may be advised to offer a road tax rebate and waive registration fees for the purchase of a new vehicle against the scrapping certifcate. • With a simplifed registration process through a single window, the scrapping facility shall have to comply with environmental and pollution norms and with all applicable Acts

What are the vehicles that would be deregistered? • Older vehicles pollute 10-12 times more than ft vehicles and pose a risk to road safety. Commercial vehicles can be deregistered after 15 years, if they fail to get a ftness certifcate.

Signifcance of policy • Firstly, the policy could provide a major boost to the Indian automobile sector, which is reeling under the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. • Secondly, the policy can reduce population caused by older and defective vehicles. it will help in achieving better fuel effciency, formalising the informal vehicle scrapping industry, and boost the availability of low-cost raw materials for the automotive, steel and . • Finally, it can also improve road and vehicular safety. 4.25.UDAN -Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik • In the hope of providing air connectivity to parts of India where it does not exist, the government had launched the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), more popularly known as UDAN - Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik in April 2017. • But, nearly four years on, just 41 per cent or 325 routes of the 778 routes awarded until now have been operationalized

About UDAN (Ministry of Civil Aviation ) • Aims to make air travel affordable and widespread. • The scheme will be jointly funded by the central government and state governments. • The scheme will run for 10 years and can be extended thereafter.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 125 T.me/SleepyClasses • Airport authority of India, AAI has an ambitious plan to develop at least 100 airports/water dromes/ heliports by 2024 under the Scheme • The frst fight under the UDAN scheme was fagged in 2017 from Bhubaneswar to Varanasi route UDAN 1.0 • 5 airlines companies were awarded 128 fight routes to 70 airports (including 36 newly made operational airports).

UDAN 2.0 • In 2018, the Ministry of Civil Aviation announced 73 underserved and unserved airports. • For the frst time, helipads were also connected under phase 2 of the UDAN scheme. UDAN 3.0 • Inclusion of Tourism Routes under UDAN 3 in coordination with the Ministry of Tourism. • Inclusion of Seaplanes for connecting Water Aerodromes. • Bringing in a number of routes in the North-East Region under the ambit of UDAN. UDAN 4.0 • In 2020, 78 new routes were approved under the 4th round of Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) - UdeDeshKaAamNagrik (UDAN) to further enhance the connectivity to remote & regional areas of the country. • Kavaratti, Agatti, and Minicoy islands of Lakshadweep will be connected by the new routes of UDAN 4.0.

UDAN 4.1 • Focusing on development of required infrastructure at airports, heliports and water aerodromes, allowing operational fexibility • Special round of UDAN 4.1 in respect of cancelled and non-operationalised routes by the second half of 2021 • Will cover cancelled and terminated routes • Few new routes have been proposed under the Sagarmala Seaplane services Sagarmala Seaplane Services • under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways • One such seaplane service is already in operation between Kevadia and Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad, which was started in October 2020.

Issues • Land issues ✓At some of the RCS airports, additional land is required for development or upgradation and is to be provided by the state government or Union Territories free of

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✓In the scenario where the state doesn’t have land, it has to acquire it, which is a time-consuming process. • Diffcult terrain ✓Also many of the far-fung regions, which did not have air service until now and are to be covered under the UDAN scheme, have diffcult terrain

✓SpiceJet the largest player in the scheme, operating 63 daily fights that connect 15 domestic destinations with key metros was unable to start certain routes for these reasons

✓Adverse and unpredictable weather conditions at remote areas don’t allow consistent operations. • Lack of funds ✓Some of the small airlines that have won bids under RCS-UDAN could not mobilise suffcient funds and human crew resources and as a result they could not commence the RCS operations on awarded routes • Covid-19 impact ✓The coronavirus induced lockdown halted the development of RCS airports and delayed acquisition of aircrafts by the selected airline operators.

✓The suspension of domestic operations for two months, followed by a very low scale of operations post restart impacted the collection of the levy

Way forward • Developing a competitive and viable regional aviation ecosystem is critical to support the orderly growth of Indian aviation • Strategic review of regional aviation in India and a re-targeting of planned investment” is required. • Taxes on fuel need to be reduced, which has been a demand in the industry for a long time. 4.26.Pandemic may have doubled poverty in India, says Pew study • India’s middle class may have shrunk by a third due to 2020s pandemic-driven recession, while the number of poor people earning less than Rs150 per day more than doubled, according to an analysis by the Pew Research Center.

Key fndings • Number of poor people ($2 or less/day) ✓From 2011 to 2019, the number of poor in India was estimated to have reduced to 78 million from 340 million.

✓In 2020, the number increased by 75 million. • Low income group ($2.01-10/day) ✓Majority of India’s population fall into the low income group.

✓LIG shrank from 119.7 crore to 116.2 crore per day, with about 3.5 crore dropping below the poverty line. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 127 T.me/SleepyClasses • Middle Class: ($10.01-20/day) ✓Estimated to have shrunk by 3.2 crore in 2020.

✓Likely to have decreased from almost 10 crore to just 6.6 crore. • Rich Population (> $20 /day) ✓Fell almost 30% to 1.8 crore people. • Global scenario ✓The global poverty rate also increased

✓South Asia saw the greatest reduction in the number of middle class and the largest expansion in poverty in 2020.

✓China’s middle class is likely to see a miniscule dip of just one crore, while the number of poor people may have gone up by 10 lakh.

4.27.Challenges for SPACs in India • With SPACs gaining traction and momentum in the USA and other western markets, there has been an emerging requirement for regulated SPACs in India as well, to facilitate and ease the listing of start-ups • Else, they may seek the foreign route for public listing, making India a hub for subsidiaries rather that start-ups.

SPACs & How it works ? • SPACs are companies formed to raise capital in Initial Public Offering (IPO) with the purpose of using the funds to acquire one or more businesses identifed after the IPO. • Commonly referred to as Blank Cheque Companies, SPACs are formed with the sole purpose of acquiring another company (target company) and do not have any other commercial operations. • The group of expert institutional investors, who form the SPAC, are supposed to identify a target within a fxed time frame of two years and invest the IPO proceeds therein, subject to the approval of the shareholders. • Else, the proceeds from SPAC IPO are returned to the investors with interest. • Once the acquisition is complete, the SPACs refect the identity of the target company. • Consequently, the unlisted target gets listed automatically. • Owing to the fact that SPACs allow a private company to go public and get a capital infux more quickly that it would have with the traditional IPO route, such structures have emerged as promising options for start-ups in India, who fnd it diffcult to satisfy the criteria for listing through an IPO. • While SPACs have been in the global domain for quite some time, their massive growth has been witnessed recently due to the market volatility owing to the pandemic. • While many companies postponed their IPO fearing the failure of the public issue, others chose to take the alternative route of merging with a SPAC

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 128 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses Regulatory framework in India • The current regulatory framework of India is not supportive of the SPAC structure. Companies Act 2013 • It authorizes the Registrar of Companies to strike-off the name of companies that do not commence operation within one year of incorporation. • SPACs typically take 2 years to identify a target and perform due-diligence. • If SPACs are to be made functional in India, enabling provisions will have to be inserted in the Companies Act

SEBI act • SPACs do not fnd acceptance even under the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act. The eligibility criteria for public listing, requires a company to have net tangible assets of at least Rs3 crore in the preceding three years, minimum average consolidated pre-tax operating profts of Rs15 crore during any three of last fve years and net worth of at least Rs1 crore in each of the last three years. • The absence of operational profts, net tangible assets would prevent SPACs from making an IPO in India.

Regulatory requirements • Indian legislature has not prescribed any comprehensive regulatory requirements for SPACs. • However, India's market regulator, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has instituted a committee of experts to examine the feasibility of bringing regulations for SPACs in India, which might potentially augment the prospects of domestic listing of start-ups. • Risk factor • SPAC structures in India could enable listing of start-ups on domestic stock exchange without encountering the cumbersome, stringent and expensive listing process. • Since SPAC route is opted by start-up for obtaining faster, easier listing, therefore, retail investors must be cautious of the risk such listing may entail. • Apparently, in the US, investors have the right to redeem their shares and claim a refund of the amount they invested, till the acquisition of a target. • However, in India, redemption of shares of a listed company may not be permissible, in the absence of specifc legal provisions

4.28.MGNREGA • The Union government has also acknowledged the role MGNREGA plays in mitigating rural distress by allowing its implementation, right from the second fortnight of April and subsequently, by allocating an additional sum of Rs 40,000 crore over and above the budget estimate of Rs 63,000 crore • However some inherent faws in the design of schemes under MGNREGA, which limit its effectiveness as a tool of poverty alleviation. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 129 T.me/SleepyClasses Flaws Poverty target • The programme is primarily targeted at the states with high incidence of poverty. • But better-governed states manage to capture a much higher share of the spending under MGNREGA despite their relatively lower levels of poverty. • For instance, in 2014-15, the combined share of the six high poverty states (HPS) Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh in the total expenditure was only half of their share of rural poor

Creation of productive assets with prescribed quality and durability • As one of the core objectives of MGNREGA, a structured quality monitoring mechanism has not been embedded in the programme. • As a result, the programme is overwhelmingly focused on short-term unproductive employment generation, with a marginal contribution to the long-term objectives of soil and water conservation, strengthening the livelihood resource base of the rural poor and drought-proofng

Delays in the payments • Despite the legal requirement of ensuring it within 15 days of closure of the muster roll. • A 2018 study, by Azim Premji University, Bengaluru, based on a large sample survey, found that in 2017-18, only 32 per cent of wage payments were made within the prescribed 15 days.

About MGNREGA • 2005 ✓Parliament enacted MGNREGA Act. • 2006 ✓launched in 200 districts • 2008 ✓launched in the whole country as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme

Key points about MGNREGA • By Ministry of Rural Development • Centrally sponsored scheme (not 100% funded by the Union) • It promises to give minimum 100 days of unskilled manual labour to rural household whose adult members volunteer for it. • Households are eligible for unemployment allowances if employment not been provided within 15 days of demand. • MNREGA labourers are used for creating durable assets as per local needs e.g. ponds, wells, cattle sheds, granary, vermicompost plants, crematorium, renovation of Anganwadi centres, school buildings

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 130 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • No contractors / machinery allowed. • In any project, 60% of amount should go towards wages and 40% towards material. • Union bears 100% wage cost and 75% of material cost. • Wages are linked to Consumer Price Index (Agriculture labour:AL). • Social audit by the gram sabha at least once in every 6 months • Funding: Funding is shared between the centre and the states.There are three major items of expenditure wages (for unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled labour), material and administrative costs.The central government bears 100% of the cost of unskilled labour, 75% of the cost of semi- skilled and skilled labour, 75% of the cost of materials and 6% of the administrative costs.

MGNREGA: Use of JAM-DBT • Aadhar linked Payments (ALP):Biometric data, ghost accounts removed. NREGA Soft • Provides information to citizen in compliance with the right to information Act (RTI Act). • It makes available all the documents like Muster Rolls, registration application register, job card/ employment register/muster roll issue register, muster roll receipt register which are hidden from public otherwise.

Geo-tagging • is a process of adding latitude and longitude to a photo/video. In MNREGA, PM Awas Yojana, Gram Sadak Yojana etc.

JanMnREGA • an asset tracking + feedback app for MGNREGA assets. 4.29.Skill certifcation • All workers executing government contracts must have offcial certifcation for their skills, the government has decided. • Only 2.4% of India’s workforce is formally trained as per the Periodic Labour Force Survey of 2018-19. • Government contractors in particular, prefer to rely on informal workers with low salaries for meeting their labour needs, creating a dichotomy where the government is trying to promote skilling in the workforce without insisting on the use of skilled manpower for its own projects.

Major Skill development schemes Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY): (Min of Skill) • Objective to enable and mobilize a large number of Indian youth to take up outcome-based skill training and become employable and earn their livelihood. • It is being implemented through the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 131 T.me/SleepyClasses PMKVY 3.0 • PMKVY 3.0 envisages training of eight lakh candidates over the scheme period of 2020-2021. • Focus on new-age and COVID-related skills. SANKALP (Min of Skill) • Centrally sponsored scheme including Rs. 3,300 crore loan support from World Bank. • Envisages setting up of Trainers and Assessors academies with self-sustainable models. • Aims at enhancement of inclusion of marginalized communities including women. Scheduled Castes (SCs), Schedule Tribes (STs) and Persons with Disabilities (PWD) to provide skill training opportunities to the underprivileged and marginalised section of the society.

STRIVE (Min of Skill) • Central sector scheme, with half of the scheme outlay as World bank loan assistance. • STRIVE scheme shall incentivize ITIs to improve overall performance including apprenticeship by involving SMEs, business association and industry clusters.

SHREYAS (Launched by Min of edu) • Initiatives of three Central Ministries, namely the Ministry of education, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and the Ministry of Labour& Employment • To enhance the employability of Indian youth by providing ‘on the job work exposure’ and earning of stipend. • Students in degree courses, primarily non-technical, with a view to introduce employable skills into their learning, promote apprenticeship as integral to education.

Aatmanirbhar Skilled Employee-Employer Mapping (ASEEM) portal • Min of Skill • Managed by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) in collaboration • An AI-based portal which will map details of workers based on regions and local industry demands and will bridge the demand-supply gap of skilled workforce across sectors.

Pradhan Mantri YUVA Yojana (Yuva Udyamita Vikas Abhiyan) • Min of skill • Centrally sponsored Scheme on entrepreneurship education and training • Aims at creating an enabling ecosystem for Entrepreneurship development through Entrepreneurship education and training • Advocacy and easy access to entrepreneurship support network and Promoting social enterprises for inclusive growth.

Skill Management and Accreditation of Training Centres (SMART) • It provides a single window IT application that focuses on the accreditation, grading, Affliation and Continuous monitoring of the Training Centres (TC) in the skill ecosystem.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 132 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses Kaushalacharya Awards • Ministry of Skill • To recognize the contribution made by skill trainers and to motivate more trainers to join the Skill India Mission.

4.30.Ministry slams Oxfam inequality index • The 2020 Oxfam inequality index, which placed India at rank 151 in terms of workers’ rights and 129 overall out of 158 countries, lacked clarity and did not take into account provisions of the four new labour codes, Labour and Employment Minister informed the Lok Sabha on Monday.

Key fndings • The Oxfam Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index, which was released in October 2020, put India at rank 141 out of 158 countries in public services and rank 19 in terms of progressive tax. • Overall, India ranked 129 in the CRI index out of 158 countries on government policies, and actions in areas of public services of education, health, social protection, taxation, and workers’ rights. • India slipped from rank 141 in the year 2018 to 151 in the year 2020 with weak labour rights and high incidence of vulnerable employment.

Crticism • Did not take into account provisions of the four new labour codes • The rank assigned to India and methodology adopted is not clear, and does not take into account the entire gamut of provisions in the Indian legislations relevant to protection of labour rights, particularly relating to formation of trade unions

Reasons for poor ranking • Only around 10% of the workforce in India is formal. • Low Health Budget • Several state governments in India have used Covid-19 as a pretext to increase daily working hours from 8 to 12 hours a day and suspend minimum pay legislation, devastating the livelihoods of millions of poor workers now battling hunger. • The migrant workers who lost a job in the manufacturing moved to the rural areas and demanded jobs at very low wages. This made the agriculture sector more crowded and also created Stagnation in agricultural wages.

About Index • The Index ranked countries measuring their policies and actions in three areas ✓Public services (health, education and social protection)

✓Taxation

✓Workers’ rights

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 133 T.me/SleepyClasses Other Reports • Inequality Virus Report (2021) ✓COVID increases the inequalities in india and world • Global Inequality Crisis Report (2021) ✓India’s richest 1% hold more than four-times the wealth held by the bottom 70% of the country’s population.

Code on Wages, 2019 • Replaces four laws ✓ Payment of Wages Act, 1936

✓Minimum Wages Act, 1948

✓Payment of Bonus Act, 1965

✓Equal Remuneration Act, 1976.

Wages include • Salary, allowance, or any other component expressed in monetary terms. • This does not include bonus payable to employees or any travelling allowance, among others. Code on Wages, 2019 • Floor wage ✓Central government will fx a foor wage

✓It may set different foor wages for different geographical areas.

✓Before fxing the foor wage, the central government may obtain the advice of the Central Advisory Board and may consult with state governments.

✓The minimum wages decided by the central or state governments must be higher than the foor wage.

✓In case the existing minimum wages fxed by the central or state governments are higher than the foor wage, they cannot reduce the minimum wages.

Code on Wages, 2019 • Fixing the minimum wage: ✓Notifed by centre or state government

✓Central or state governments may take into account factors such as: (i) skill of workers, and (ii) diffculty of work.

✓This will be based on time, or number of pieces produced

✓Revised and reviewed by the central or state governments at an interval of not more than fve years.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 134 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses Overtime • Must be at least twice the normal rate of wages. Payment of wages • Wages will be paid in (i) coins, (ii) currency notes, (iii) by cheque, (iv) by crediting to the bank account, or (v) through electronic mode. • The wage period will be fxed by the employer as either: (i) daily, (ii) weekly, (iii) fortnightly, or (iv) monthly

Deductions • Wages may be deducted on certain grounds including: (i) fnes, (ii) absence from duty, (iii) accommodation given by the employer, or (iv) recovery of advances given to the employee, among others. • These deductions should not exceed 50% of the employee’s total wage Determination of bonus: • The bonus will be at least: (i) 8.33% of his wages, or (ii) Rs 100, whichever is higher. • An employee can receive a maximum bonus of 20% of his annual wages. Gender discrimination: • Prohibits gender discrimination in matters related to wages and recruitment of employees for the same work or work of similar nature.

Advisory boards: • The central and state governments will constitute advisory boards.

The Central Advisory Board • Consist of: (i) employers, (ii) employees (in equal number as employers), (iii) independent persons, and (iv) fve representatives of state governments.

State Advisory Boards • Consist of employers, employees, and independent persons. • Further, one-third of the total members on both the central and state Boards will be women. • The Boards will advise the respective governments on various issues including: (i) fxation of minimum wages, and (ii) increasing employment opportunities for women.

4.31.GST compensation • The Centre will release ₹30,000 crore as GST compensation to States this month, from the compensation cess collections during the year. • However, the economic slowdown has pushed both GST and cess collections down over the last year, resulting in a 40% gap last year between the compensation paid and cess collected www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 135 T.me/SleepyClasses • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman termed an unforeseen “act of God”. GST Compensation • Before GST, States had the power to levy some indirect taxes on economic activity. Therefore, after GST regime was introduced (in 2017), the Centre promised guaranteed compensation to the States for the frst fve years, for the revenues they lost after the shift from the earlier system. • The compensation is calculated at a growth rate of 14% keeping 2015-16 as the base year and by levying a Compensation Cess on Sin and luxury goods. • This scheme is valid for fve years, i.e., till June 2022. 4.32.Business Responsibility And Sustainability Report (BRSR) • The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has decided to introduce new requirements for business sustainability reporting by listed entities. • This new report will be called the Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR) and will replace the existing Business Responsibility Report (BRR)

Background • As a frst step towards mainstreaming the concept of business responsibility, the ‘Voluntary Guidelines on Corporate Social Responsibility’ were issued in 2009. • These guidelines were subsequently revised as ‘National Voluntary Guidelines on Social, Environmental and Economic Responsibilities of Business, 2011 (NVGS)’ after extensive consultations with business, academia, civil society organizations and the government. • The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) through its ‘Listing Regulations’ in 2012 mandated the top 100 listed entities by market capitalization to fle Business Responsibility Reports (BRRs) from an environmental, social and governance perspective. • These BRRs enabled business to demonstrate the adoption of the NVG principles and the attendant core elements with the intent of engaging businesses more meaningfully with their stakeholders going beyond regulatory fnancial compliance. • This was extended to top 500 companies in FY 2015-16 and further extended to top 1000 companies in December, 2019. • Taking into account the national and international developments in the arena of business and human rights since 2011, the NVGs have been updated and released as NGRBC (National Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct) in March 2019 to reveal alignments with the UNGPs, UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Paris Agreement on Climate change etc. • In furtherance to updation and formulation of the NGRBCs, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs had constituted a ‘Committee on Business Responsibility Reporting’ to develop new BRR formats.

About Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR): • BRSR, which is from an Environmental, Social and Governance perspective, is intended to enable businesses to engage more meaningfully with their stakeholders. • It will encourage businesses to go beyond regulatory fnancial compliance and report on their social and environmental impacts. Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 136 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • The BRSR will be applicable to the top 1000 listed entities (by market capitalization), for reporting on a voluntary basis for FY 2021 – 22 and on a mandatory basis from FY 2022 – 23. Environmental, Social, and Governance Goals:

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals • are a set of standards for a company’s operations that force companies to follow better governance, ethical practices, environment-friendly measures and social responsibility. • Environmental criteria consider how a company performs as a steward of nature. • Social criteria examine how it manages relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities where it operates. • Governance deals with a company’s leadership, executive pay, audits, internal controls, and shareholder rights.

4.33.Cost of running ‘Ghost Airport ‘ rises New species of red algae • The cost of running 27 ‘ghost’ airports across the country has gone up from ₹36 crore in 2018-19 to ₹51 crore in 2019-20. • These airports were built with the objective of improving regional connectivity, but have been lying idle over the past few years. Most of them are located in remote and unconnected areas such as Donakonda in Andhra Pradesh, Deesa in Gujarat, Dhalbhumgarh in Jharkhand, Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh and Balurghatin in West Bengal. • Under the Airports Authority of India (AAI), these airports have not operated a single fight so far Reason • Widespread of the covid-19 pandemic, the revival of these airports has taken a toll. • The overall domestic air traffc reduced from 10.8 crore passengers in April-December 2019 to a mere 3 crore between April-December 2020. • Industry experts point out that there is no demand for air travel at these airports. Better connectivity • To expand the reach and utility of the smaller airports, the Ministry had also launched RCS (Regional Connectivity Scheme) Udan (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) in October 2016 to stimulate regional air connectivity and make air travel affordable to the masses.

Airport Authority of India • It is a statutory body under the aegis of Ministry of Civil Aviation. • It is responsible for creating, upgrading, maintaining and managing civil aviation infrastructure in India. • It was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in New Delhi. • It also provides Air traffc management (ATM) services over Indian airspace and adjoining oceanic areas. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 137 T.me/SleepyClasses • It manages around 125 airports in India, which include 18 International Airport, 07 Customs Airports, 78 Domestic Airports and 26 Civil Enclaves at Defense airfelds.

4.34.Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman launches mobile apps of Central Scrutiny Centre and IEPFA • Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman has launched Central Scrutiny Centre (CSC) and Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority’s (IEPFA) mobile apps as part of the government's journey towards digitally empowered India.

Central Scrutiny Centre • is an initiative of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. • It aims to scrutinize the forms flled by companies under straight-through processes • The objective is to ensure that data quality is free from faws. • Further, It will communicate the data quality issues to the concerned Registrar of Companies. Then the corrective steps can be taken to restore the authenticity and correctness of data.

Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority(IEPFA) App: • It is a mobile app. It aims to achieve the goal of fnancial literacy, spreading awareness and education among investors. • The IEPFA App will have the facility of tracking the status and progress of the IEPF claim and refund process. • The app will also provide a mechanism for investors and common citizens to report on suspected fraudulent schemes. • It also provides a mechanism for investors and common citizens to report on the suspected fraudulent schemes

Investor Education and Protection Fund (IEPF) • Established under the Companies Act,1956 by the Companies (Amendment) Act,1999. Help in promotion of investors awareness and protection of the interests of investors. • If the amounts such as dividends, applications money, matured deposits, etc. remained unpaid or unclaimed for a period of 7 years, then they will be transferred to the IEPF. • The amounts credited to IEPF are maintained under the consolidated fund of India (Article 266 of the Constitution).

Utilisation of Fund • The fund is utilized for promoting investor awareness and protection of investor interests. • Based on the order of the court, the Fund can also be utilized for distribution of any disgorged amount among eligible applicants who suffered losses due to wrong actions by any person.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 138 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses IEPF Authority • Set up under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs as a statutory body under the Companies Act 2013. • It aims to administer the Investor Education and Protection Fund. • Secretary Ministry of Corporate Affairs is the Chairperson of the authority.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 139 T.me/SleepyClasses 5. Social Issues Click on the links given below to watch the following questions on YouTube Video 1

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5.1.Gender bias at workplace: 4 in 5 women miss out on raise, promotion, fnds survey Key fndings • As many as 85 per cent women missed out on a raise, promotion or work offer because of their gender in India, according to Linkedin Opportunity Index 2021. • While 37 per cent of India’s working women said they got fewer opportunities than men, only a quarter of the men surveyed agreed with this. More women (37 per cent) said they get paid less than men; 21 per cent men share the sentiment. • More than half working women as well as working mothers in India expect organisations to offer reduced or part-time schedules (56 per cent) and robust maternity leaves and policies (55 per cent) to make the transition smoother.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 141 T.me/SleepyClasses 6. Environment & Ecology Click on the links given below to watch the following questions on YouTube Video 1

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6.1.Elephant traders held in Mumbai • After a four-month search, forest offcials accused V. from Kollam district in Kerala on charges of offenses, including elephant trade. Shaji is arrested.

About Asian Elephant • Asian Elephants: There are three subspecies of Asian elephant which are the Indian, Sumatran and Sri Lankan. • Global Population: Estimated 20,000 to 40,000. • The Indian subspecies has the widest range and accounts for the majority of the remaining elephants on the continent. • There are around 28,000 elephants in India with around 25% of them in Karnataka. • IUCN Red List Status: Endangered. • Wildlife protection Act 1972: Schedule I About Wildlife Crime control Bureau • 2007-Statutory body. WLPA 1972 (MoEF) • HQ- New Delhi • Regional offces – Delhi , Kolkata , Mumbai , Chennai , Jabalpur (MP) • Goal – To combat organised wildlife crime.

Function • Collect intelligence about organised wildlife crime activities. • Establish Centralised organised crime data bank. • Advise govt on wildlife crime issues. • Operation Wildnet- To drag attention of enforcement agencies to focus attention on increasing illegal wildlife crime over internet.

Wildlife protection act 1972 • There are six schedules provided in the Wildlife Protection Act. Schedule I • This Schedule covers endangered species. • These species need rigorous protection and therefore, the harshest penalties for violation of the law are under this Schedule. • Species under this Schedule are prohibited to be hunted throughout India, except under threat to human life. • Absolute protection is accorded to species on this list. • The Trade of these animals is prohibited. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 143 T.me/SleepyClasses • Examples: tiger, blackbuck, Himalayan Brown Bear, Brow-Antlered Deer, Blue whale, Common Dolphin, Cheetah, Clouded Leopard, hornbills, Indian Gazelle, etc

Schedule II • Animals under this list are also accorded high protection. • Their trade is prohibited. • They cannot be hunted except under threat to human life. • Examples: Kohinoor (insect), Assamese Macaque, Bengal Hanuman langur, Large Indian Civet, Indian Fox, Larger Kashmir Flying Squirrel, Kashmir Fox, etc

Schedule III and IV • This list is for species that are not endangered. • This includes protected species but the penalty for any violation is less compared to the frst two schedules. • Examples: hyena, Himalayan rat, porcupine, fying fox, Malabar tree toad, etc Schedule V • This schedule contains animals that can be hunted. • Examples: mice, rat, common crow, fruit bats,etc. Schedule VI • This list contains plants that are forbidden from cultivation. • Examples: pitcher plant, blue vanda, red vanda, kuth, etc. 6.2.Eviction of Prawn gherries at Chilka • Odisha government has started evicting illegal prawn in chilka lake to improve health of asia’s largest brackish water lagoon.

About Chilka lake • Chilika is Asia's largest and world's second largest lagoon • t lies on the east coast of India in the state of Odisha, separated from the mighty Bay of Bengal by a small strip of sand. • It spreads over Puri, Khurda and Ganjam districts of Odisha on the east coast of India, at the mouth of the Daya River, fowing into the Bay of Bengal, covering an area of over 1,100 square kilometers. • It is the largest wintering ground for migratory birds on the Indian sub-continent and is home to a number of threatened species of plants and animals. • In 1981, Chilika Lake was designated the frst Indian wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. • Major attraction at Chilika is Irrawady dolphins which are often spotted off Satpada Island.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 144 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • The large Nalabana Island (Forest of Reeds) covering about 16 sq km in the lagoon area was declared a bird sanctuary in 1987. • Kalijai Temple - Located on an island in the Chilika Lake Irrawaddy dolphin • Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) are found in coastal areas in South and Southeast Asia, and in three rivers: the Irrawaddy (Myanmar), the Mahakam (Indonesian Borneo) and the Mekong (China). • Dolphin distribution in Chilika is considered to be the highest single lagoon population • IUCN Status- Endangered Census • The dolphin census in Odisha coast was taken up by the Chilika Development Authority (CDA). • According to last year’s census, the Irrawaddy dolphin population in Chilika was 151, by which Chilika is considered as the highest single lagoon dolphin population in the world.

Hydrophone • The census was conducted using hydrophones. • A hydrophone is a microphone designed to be used underwater for recording or listening to underwater sound. • Most hydrophones are based on a piezoelectric transducer that generates an electric potential when subjected to a pressure change, such as a sound wave. • A hydrophone can detect airborne sounds, but will be insensitive because it is designed to match the acoustic impedance of water, a denser fuid than air. Chilika Development Authority (a Government of Odisha Agency) • It has been created under Forest & Environment Department of Government of Odisha in the year 1991 with an objective for conservation of ecology of Chilika lagoon and to bring an all round development in and around the lagoon which calls for multi-dimensional and multi-disciplinary development activities

6.3.Paris Agreement goals: UN urges countries to update emission targets About • The United Kingdom and the European Union are the only regions among 18 of the world’s biggest emitters that have signifcantly increased their greenhouse gas reduction targets • Of the 197 Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), only 75 have submitted new or updated nationally determined contributions (NDC) till December 31, 2020. These Parties account for 30 per cent of the global greenhouse emissions

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 145 T.me/SleepyClasses • UNFCCC called for more ambitious climate action plans by the countries in order to achieve the Paris Agreement target of containing global temperature rise to two degrees Celsius (ideally 1.5°C) by the end of the century. • While a majority of countries increased their individual levels of ambition to reduce emissions, their combined impact will help achieve only a 1 per cent reduction by 2030 compared to 2010 levels. Global emissions, however, need to reduce by 45 per cent in order to meet the 1.5°C goal, according to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Paris agreement • Adopted in 2015 • Legally binding international treaty on climate change • Objective ✓Keep the global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above the pre- industrial level.

✓Pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius ✓ Strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change.

About NDC • Nationally determined contributions (NDCs) are at the heart of the Paris Agreement and the achievement of these long-term goals. NDCs embody efforts by each country to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. • The Paris Agreement (Article 4) requires each Party to prepare, communicate and maintain successive nationally determined contributions (NDCs) that it intends to achieve. Parties shall pursue domestic mitigation measures, with the aim of achieving the objectives of such contributions

6.4.IIT-Delhi researchers develop technology to recycle e-waste About • To deal with one of the fastest growing waste streams, researchers at Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi have developed a zero-emission technology to manage and recycle e-waste to wealth. • It adopted a methodology that uses e-waste as an “Urban Mine” for metal recovery and energy production. Researchers said using their method, e-waste is shredded and pyrolyzed to yield liquid and gaseous fuels, leaving behind a metal-rich solid fraction. • On further separation using a novel technique, the leftover solid residue yields a 90-95% pure metal mixture and some carbonaceous materials. The carbonaceous material is further converted to aerogel for oil spillage cleaning, dye removal, carbon dioxide capture, and use in supercapacitors • The technology is an outcome of a Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, funded project and developed technology will cater to the need of “Smart Cities,” “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan,” and “” initiatives of the government,

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 146 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses E waste • Electronic waste or e-waste refers to electronic products which have become unwanted, obsolete and have reached the end of their useful life. It refers to all electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and its parts that have been discarded by its owner as waste without the intent of reuse • The government has reported that the recycling rate of 10% in 2017-18 has risen to 20% in 2018-19 India’s initiative • Until 2011, E-waste was dealt with under the Hazardous Waste Management (HWM) Rules. • In 2011, the E-waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011 was enacted under the Environmental Protection Act 1986. • In 2016, the E-waste (Management) Rules, 2016 was enacted which replaced the 2011 rules and was eventually amended in 2018.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 147 T.me/SleepyClasses

E-waste (Management) Amendment Rules, 2018 • The e-waste collection targets under EPR have been revised and is being applied from October 1, 2017. • The phase-wise collection targets for e-waste in weight is 10% of the quantity of waste generation as indicated in the EPR Plan during 2017-18, with a 10% increase every year until 2023. The target from 2023 onwards, shall be 70% of the quantity of waste generation as indicated in the EPR Plan. • The quantity of e-waste collected by producers from the October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017 shall be accounted for in the revised EPR targets until March 2018. • Separate e-waste collection targets have been drafted for new producers, i.e. those producers whose number of years of sales operation is less than the average lives of their products. • Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) shall apply to the Central Pollution Control board (CPCB) for registration to undertake activities prescribed in the Rules. • Under the Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) provisions, cost for sampling and testing shall be borne by the government for conducting the RoHS test. If the product does not comply with RoHS provisions, then the cost of the test will be borne by the producers.

International effort Basel convention • Adopted on March 22, 1989 at Basel, Switzerland • It is an international treaty that aims to reduce the movement of hazardous waste between countries • It particularly focuses on preventing transfer of hazardous waste from developed to less developed countries. • It included clinical waste, minig waste, agriculture waste etc 2019 amendment • includes plastic waste in a legally-binding framework, which would make global trade in plastic waste more transparent and better regulated, whilst also ensuring that its management is safer for human health and the environment. However, it does not bar countries from exporting various categories of plastic waste. • India’s laws currently don’t allow electronic and plastic waste to be imported into the country.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 148 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses Rotterdam Convention • The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for certain hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in international trade provides Parties with a frst line of defence against hazardous chemicals

6.5.How, after 170 years, a ‘lost’ bird was found in the jungles of Indonesian Borneo About • Between 1843 and 1848, a German naturalist by the name of Carl Schwaner, trekking through the dense equatorial forests of Borneo, came across a small brown-grey songbird with a distinctive broad, black eye-stripe running all the way around its head.

• On October 5, 2020, a solitary black-browed babbler (Malacocincla perspicillata) was spotted and captured alive by two local residents in southeastern Kalimantan, the part of Borneo that is administered by Indonesia.

• No Asian bird has been missing for as long as Indonesia’s Black-browed Babbler Malacocincla perspicillata,” the authors of the short paper wrote. [‘Missing for 170 years — the rediscovery of Black-browed Babbler Malacocincla perspicillata on Borneo’

Past News • New capital ✓Indonesia's President has announced that the country's capital (currently Jakarta) will be relocated to East Kalimantan province on Borneo island • Reasons ✓Jakarta was built on a marsh, (already a few meters below sea level), thereby prone to be submerged.

✓Due to climate change, the water levels in the Java Sea are rising and weather events are becoming more extreme

✓Jakarta is among the world’s fastest sinking city • Concern ✓Kalimantan is one of the few places on earth where orangutans live in their natural habitat

6.6.Wildfre rages in Similipal • Similipal Reserve lies within two biogeographical regions: the Mahanadian east coastal region and the Chhotanagpur biotic province of the Deccan peninsular zone. • Volcanic sedimentary rocks . • The highest peak in the Similipal hill range is Khairiburu (1,168 metres). • Numerous waterfalls and perennial streams fow into major rivers, such as the Budhabalang, Baitarani and Subarnarekha. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 149 T.me/SleepyClasses • The biosphere reserve has the largest zone of Sal in all of India. • Tropical monsoon climate • Two endemic Orchid species are Eria meghasaniensis and Tainia hookeriana • Royal Bengal Tiger and Asiatic Elephant • Famous for melanistic tiger Tribes • Approximately 73% of all inhabitants are Aboriginals. • Two tribes, the Erenga Kharias and the Mankirdias, inhabit the reserve’s forests and practise traditional agricultural activities (the collection of seeds and timber). • Other dominant tribes include the Ho, Gonda and Munda, among others. Culture • Similipal’s cultural signifcance is characterized by stories and paintings that date back to the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas, many of which mention local sites linked with specifc mythological stories. • For example, a sacred grove called Shami Vrikhya is said to have been the secret hiding place of the bow and arrow of the hero Arjuna. • Writings -Goddess Ambika, or mention a sacred bathing place of Lord ShriRam. 6.7.2 years after maneater Avni was killed, her cub, now an adult tigress, walks out into the wild About tiger estimation National Tiger Conservation Authority • It was established in December 2005 following a recommendation of the Tiger Task Force which was constituted by the Prime Minister of India for reorganised management of Project Tiger and the many Tiger Reserves in India. • The Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 was amended in 2006 to provide for its constitution. • It is responsible for implementation of the Project Tiger to protect endangered tigers. • It is set up under the Chairmanship of the Minister for Environment and Forests 4th All India Tiger estimation 2018 • Entered the Guinness World Record for being the world’s largest camera trap wildlife survey. • India is home to nearly 75% of the global tiger population. • It has already fulflled its resolve of doubling tiger numbers, made at St. Petersburg in 2010, much before the target year of 2022. • Madhya Pradesh saw the highest number of tigers (526) followed by Karnataka (524) and Uttarakhand (442). Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 150 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • Increase in Tiger population: Madhya Pradesh (71%) > Maharashtra (64%) > Karnataka (29%). • Worst Performers: Chhattisgarh and Mizoram saw a decline in tiger population. • Best managed -Madhya Pradesh's Pench Sanctuary and Kerala’s Periyar sanctuary • Maximum Improvement-Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu • Bottom-The Dampa (Mizoram) and Rajaji reserves (Uttarkhand) • No tiger has been found in the Buxa (West Bengal), Palamau (Jharkhand) and Dampa (Mizoram) reserves. • Dampa had one of the highest population densities of clouded leopards, among the sites surveyed Clouded leopard • Named after cloud shaped pattern on its skin. • It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. • It is the State animal of Meghalaya. Conservation efforts- • M-STrIPES-(Monitoring System for Tigers – Intensive Protection and Ecological Status) by NTCA a mobile monitoring system for forest guards. • Petersburg Tiger Summit in 2010, leaders of 13 tiger range countries resolved to do more for the tiger and embarked on efforts to double its number in the wild, with a popular slogan ‘T X 2’. • The Global Tiger Initiative (GTI) program of the World Bank, using its presence and convening ability, brought global partners together to strengthen the tiger agenda. • Over the years, the initiative has institutionalised itself as a separate entity in the form of the Global Tiger Initiative Council (GTIC), with its two arms –the Global Tiger Forum and the Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Protection Program. • The Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP) ✓The GSLEP is a range-wide effortthat unites range country governments, nongovernmental and inter-governmental organizations, local communities, and the private sector around a shared vision to conserve snow leopards and their valuable high-mountain ecosystems

✓The GSLEP is a high-level inter-governmental alliance of all the 12 snow leopard range countries.

✓The snow leopard countries namely, India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

✓It majorly focuses on the need for awareness and understanding of the value of Snow Leopard for the ecosystem.

✓The GSLEP Program (2019) was organized by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change at New Delhi.

Pench tiger

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 151 T.me/SleepyClasses • Pench Tiger Reserve, Seoni (Madhya Pradesh) is one of the major Protected Areas of Satpura-Maikal ranges of the Central Highlands, which is among the most important tiger habitats of the world. • included in the Project Tiger in 1992-93. • Got name from Pench river that fows through it. • Pench Tiger Reserve is among the sites notifed as IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS of India. • It has one of the highest herbivores densities in India. • It has a contiguous forest cover with Kanha Tiger Reserve and Pench Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra). • The area of the Pench Tiger Reserve and the surrounding area is the real story area of Rudyard Kipling's famous "The Jungle Book". • The forests found in Pench Tiger Reserve are divided into three parts: southern tropical wet dry forest, southern tropical dry deciduous teak forest and southern tropical dry deciduous mixed forest. • The Pench National Park and Pench Sanctuary were renamed as Indira Priyadarshini Pench National Park & Pench Mowgli Sanctuary in 2002.

The Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP) • The GSLEP is a range-wide effortthat unites range country governments, nongovernmental and inter- governmental organizations, local communities, and the private sector around a shared vision to conserve snow leopards and their valuable high-mountain ecosystems • The GSLEP is a high-level inter-governmental alliance of all the 12 snow leopard range countries. • The snow leopard countries namely, India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. • It majorly focuses on the need for awareness and understanding of the value of Snow Leopard for the ecosystem. • The GSLEP Program (2019) was organized by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change at New Delhi.

6.8.Fishers in Odisha rescue second whale shark in a week About • Fishers in Odisha rescued a whale shark for a second time in a week in Odisha • The Odisha coast is very important for marine megafauna like turtles, whales and sharks. The dotted whale shark is the largest fsh in the ocean and often called ‘Gentle Giant’ in fshing parlance. • The largest whale shark aggregation in India is along the Gujarat coats. On the Bay of Bengal coast, the only whale shark aggregation is in Andhra Pradesh. • non-proft Wildlife Trust of India who is working for the conservation of whale sharks on the Gujarat coast the last 17 years.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 152 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses Whale shark • The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is a slow-moving, flter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known extant fsh species. • The whale shark is found in open waters of the tropical oceans and is rarely found in water below 21 °C (70 °F). • They are found in all the tropical oceans of the world. • Protection Status: • IUCN Red List: Endangered • CITES: Appendix II • Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule 6.9.Olive Ridley • The Olive ridley turtles are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world, inhabiting warm waters of the Pacifc, Atlantic and Indian oceans. • They are best known for their unique mass nesting called Arribada, where thousands of females come together on the same to lay eggs. • The species is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List, Appendix 1 in CITES, and Schedule 1 in Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. • Olive-ridleys face serious threats across their migratory route, habitat and nesting , due to human activities such as unfriendly turtle fshing practices, development, and exploitation of nesting beaches for ports, and tourist centers.

6.10.Odisha has most contaminated sites in India: CPCB data • Odisha topped the list of states and Union territories with the maximum number of contaminated sites, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data

Key Findings • Of the 112 sites in India contaminated by toxic and hazardous substances, 23 were in Odisha followed by Uttar Pradesh (21) and Delhi (11), the CPCB data released March 7, 2021 said.

Contaminated sites • are delineated areas in which constituents and characteristics of the toxic and hazardous substances, caused by humans, exist at levels and in conditions which pose existing or imminent threats to human health and the environment • Contaminated sites often pose multi-faceted health and environmental problems. Dumping or spillage of hazardous wastes or chemicals would adversely impact / affect the surrounding environment, particularly soil, and groundwater and subsequently the people in impact zones. • CPCB had in 2017 identifed Paradip port as one of the most polluted areas of the state www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 153 T.me/SleepyClasses • Black layers formed in felds owing to and cause damage to crops. • The groundwater and surface water are equally contaminated, and several people suffer from skin diseases, kidney ailments, cancer and other diseases • The coal dust generated at Paradip port was not just confned to the port and its nearby areas. Fanned by the winds, the dust spreads to distant areas causing respiratory, skin, kidney diseases and cancer in the populace. The chemical wastes released by plants pollute the air, water and soil. • The presence of high alkalinity, high ammonia, heavy organic load and a high presence of Biological Oxygen Demand contributed to the death of fsh in Paradip

6.11.Planet greening negated global warming, show NASA maps • The greening of the planet changed the movement of air near the land surface between 2000 and 2014 in ways that offset some warming, the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has shown in its latest maps.

Key Findings • Remote sensing scientists from at the Boston University had found in 2019 that vegetation cover increased globally by fve per cent since the early 2000s • The planet has been getting greener in the last 40 years. • Until now, scientists believed vegetation could alter temperatures at the surface by the way the leaf area changed how much it absorbed or refected. • More greenery can also change how well water can penetrate and be retained by soil and leaves • In the latest research, however, scientists found that the strongest cooling effect was how the increasing leaf cover led to increased or decreased drag and turbulence in the air above. This meant that the aerodynamic resistance was less with more vegetation • Extra leaves may also increase the amount of water transpired by plants, thereby allowing even more water to be transferred. The moisture helps carry away a signifcant amount of heat from the ground level and lead to cooler surfaces

Way forward • In the fght against climate change, plants are the lonely-only defenders. Stopping deforestation and ecologically sensible large-scale tree-planting could be one simple, but not suffcient, defense against climate change.

6.12.Bihar government bans sand mining near river bridges Impact of Sand mining River degradation • Excessive instream sand-and-gravel mining causes the degradation of rivers. Instream mining lowers the stream bottom, which may lead to bank erosion. Depletion of sand in the streambed and along coastal areas causes the deepening of rivers and estuaries, and the enlargement of river mouths and coastal inlets.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 154 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses Ecosystem • All species require specifc habitat conditions to ensure long-term survival. Native species in streams are uniquely adapted to the habitat conditions that existed before humans began large-scale alterations. • These have caused major habitat disruptions that favored some species over others and caused overall declines in biological diversity and productivity. • In most streams and rivers, habitat quality is strongly linked to the stability of channel bed and banks. • Unstable stream channels are inhospitable to most aquatic species Groundwater • Apart from threatening bridges, sand mining transforms the riverbeds into large and deep pits; as a result, the groundwater table drops leaving the drinking water wells on the embankments of these rivers dry. • Bed degradation from instream mining lowers the elevation of streamfow and the foodplain water table which in turn can eliminate water table-dependent woody vegetation in riparian areas, and decrease wetted periods in riparian wetlands. • For locations close to the sea, saline water may intrude into the fresh waterbody Water Quality • Impacts include increased short-term at the mining site due to resuspension of sediment, sedimentation due to stockpiling and dumping of excess mining materials and organic particulate matter, and oil spills or leakage from excavation machinery and transportation vehicles. • Recently Ministry of Environment released guidelines to monitor and check illegal sand mining in the country. (2020) • The previous Sustainable Sand Management Guidelines (SSMG), 2016 focus on the management of sand mining, but there was a need to have guidelines for effective enforcement of regulatory provisions and their monitoring. • Sustainable Sand Mining Guidelines, 2016, require the preparation of District Survey Reports (DSR), which is an important initial step before grant of mining lease, the government has found that the DSRs carried out by state and district administrations are often not comprehensive enough, allowing space for illegal mining. • The new guidelines, therefore, list a detailed procedure of how the DSRs are to be made, including the development of an inventory, for the frst time, of river bed material and other sand sources in the district.

Key guidelines • States to carry out river audits • Monitor mining with drones and night surveillance of mining activity through night-vision drones • Online sales and purchase of sand and other riverbed materials (RBM) for transparency in the process • Directions to states to set up dedicated task forces at district levels. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 155 T.me/SleepyClasses • In cases where rivers become district boundaries or state boundaries, the districts or states sharing the boundary shall constitute the combined task force for monitoring of mined materials, mining activity and participate in the preparation of District Survey Reports (DSR) by providing appropriate inputs. • No riverbed mining will be allowed during the monsoon. Basics • Minor Minerals (Eg building stones, ordinary sand) ✓Notify by Central Government notifes from time to time for which the absolute powers for deciding on procedures of seeking applications for and granting mineral concessions, fxing rates of royalty, dead rent, and power to revise orders rest only with the State Government. • First schedule Minerals (eg coal, Uranium, Thorium etc) ✓Minerals specifed in the First Schedule to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 approval of the Central Government is necessary. • The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 has empowered state governments to make rules to prevent illegal mining, transportation and storage of minerals • State list ✓Mandates the state government to own the minerals located within their boundaries. • Central list ✓Mandates the central government to own the minerals within the exclusive economic zone of India (EEZ).

✓ In pursuance to this Mines & Minerals (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Act of 1957 was framed.

6.13.Energy Effciency Enterprise (E3) Certifcations programme for brick sector About E3 Scheme • E3 Certifcation Scheme seeks to accelerate brick sector modernization, using market incentives to create customer demand to fulfl the vision for Aatmanirbhar Bharat. • By availing E3 Certifcation, the brick units shall shift towards adoption of more effcient technologies for making energy effcient bricks. Such bricks will be useful in complying the requirements of Energy Conservation Buildings Code (ECBC) • The E3 Certifcate will be awarded to those enterprises whose specifc energy consumption will be 25% lower than the national baseline. • The enterprises can qualify for E3 through adoption of energy effcient brick manufacturing process and technology and Production of lower density bricks (hollow, perforated or porous bricks). • Adoption of the E3 Certifcation is currently voluntary for the Brick industry.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 156 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • This will push towards phasing out of ineffcient technology in Brick production and enhance awareness and access of energy effcient bricks and technology.

Bureau of Energy Effciency (BEE) • Statutory body, set up in 2002 under the provision of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001. ECO NIWAS • Ministry of Power has launched the Energy Conservation- New Indian Way for Affordable & Sustainable Homes (ECO Niwas) Samhita 2018, an Energy Conservation Building Code for Residential Buildings (ECBC-R) to give a further fllip to India’s energy conservation efforts • Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) was launched in 2007 by the BEE to set energy effciency standards for design and construction of buildings as a frst step towards promoting energy effciency in the building sector.

6.14.SC bats for Great Indian Bustard • The Supreme Court on Monday intervened on behalf of the critically endangered Great Indian Bustards over the birds falling dead after colliding with power lines running through their dwindling natural habitats in Gujarat and Rajasthan.

About • The court found further that an alternative mechanism — to install fight bird divertors — to guide the birds away from the power lines would be expensive. • The divertors, with their recurring costs, would end costing more than installing and maintaining underground lines. But the court suggested treading the middle path

Middle path (Court) • Wherever there is high voltage power lines, they can use fight bird divertors even if the recurring costs are high. • Wherever there are overhead low voltage lines, these lines can be placed underground Past News • The Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) along with the Society (WCS) India has come up with a “frefy bird diverter” to protect the endangered Great Indian Bustards from power lines (2020) • Bird fight diverter is a device with refectors which moves with wind pressure. It is mounted on the conductor using a strong snap clamp. They are designed in a way such that they refect light while rotating. • Device glows in the dark, spins, refects light to get birds’ attention from a greater distance, and guides them to veer away from the power lines. • The Great Indian Bustard is one of the heaviest fying birds in the world. ✓Scientifc Name: Ardeotis nigriceps

✓Habitat: Dry grasslands and scrublands on the Indian subcontinent; its largest populations are found in the Indian state of Rajasthan. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 157 T.me/SleepyClasses • Protection Status ✓Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List

✓In Appendix I of CITES,

✓In Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. • Population ✓The largest population of around 169 GIB occur in Thar landscape of Rajasthan (Desert National Park in Jaisalmer alongside Jodhpur) • Around 15 GIB each, occurring in Gujarat (Lala-Naliya Sanctuary and itsneighbourhood in Kachchh), Maharashtra (Bustard Sanctuary and its neighbourhood in Kurnool) and Karnataka (Bellary). • Threat ✓The greater threat to the birds was from their diminishing habitat, fattened for agriculture

6.15.‘Bee fences’ to ward off elephant attacks • A pilot project launched in Kodagu entails installing bee boxes along the periphery of the forest and the villages with the belief that the elephants will not venture anywhere close to the bees and thus avoid transgressing into human landscape. This idea stems from the elephants’ proven fear of the bees.

About Initiative • An initiative of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Project RE-HAB (Reducing Elephant-Human Attacks using Bees) intends to create “bee fences” to thwart elephant attacks in human habitations using honeybees. • Spots are located on the periphery of the Nagarahole National Park and Tiger Reserve, known confict zone. The total cost of the project is ₹15 lakh and Project RE-HAB is a sub-mission of the KVIC’s National Honey Mission.

Signifcance • The biggest advantage of Project RE-HAB is that it dissuades elephants without causing any harm to them. • It is extremely cost-effective as compared to various other measures such as digging trenches or erecting fences • Between 2015 and 2020, nearly 2,500 people have lost their lives in elephant attacks across India, of which 170 human fatalities have been reported in Karnataka alone, says the KVIC.

About Nagarhole National Park (Rajiv Gandhi National Park) • Established as a wildlife sanctuary in 1955 • Upgraded as national park in 1988. • Declared as tiger reserve in 1999. • Part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 158 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses River • Nagarahole River fows through the park, which joins the Kabini River which also is a boundary between Nagarahole and Bandipur Ntional Park.

Flora • Mainly of moist deciduous forests with predominating trees of teak and rosewood. Fauna • Asian elephants, chital (spotted deer), Indian mouse deer, gaur, stripe-necked and ruddy mongooses, grey langur, bonnet macaque, Asian wild dog, leopard, tiger, sloth bear among others • National Beekeeping and Honey Mission ✓Announced as part of the AtmaNirbhar Bharat scheme.

✓NBHM aims for the overall promotion & development of scientifc beekeeping in the country to achieve the goal of ‘Sweet Revolution’ which is being implemented through National Bee Board (NBB).

The main objective of NBHM • To promote holistic growth of beekeeping industry for income & employment generation for farm and non-farm households. • Aims to create awareness about scientifc bee keeping under Mini Mission-I • Post-harvest management of beekeeping, beehive products, including collection, processing, storage, marketing, value addition, etc. under Mini Mission-II • Research & Technology generation in beekeeping under Mini Mission-III. • Rs 150.00 Crores has been allotted to NBHM for 2020-21. • It is a Central Sector component under the existing vertical “Mission on Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH)”

National Bee Board • Registered Society under Societies Registration Act 1860 on 19th July, 2000 & promoted by the Small Farmers' Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC). • In May 2005, Beekeeping has been included as a supplemental activity under National Horticulture Mission (NHM) for promoting cross pollination of Horticultural Crops.

Small Farmers' Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC) • Established in 1994 under Societies Registration Act, 1860 as an autonomous body promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare.

Objectives • Promoting agribusiness by encouraging institutional and private sector investments and linkages to ensure the empowerment of all farmers in the country • Organising FPOs, FIG etc www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 159 T.me/SleepyClasses About Khadi & Village Industries Commission (KVIC) • Statutory body established by an Act of Parliament (Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956). • In April 1957, it took over the work of former All India Khadi and Village Industries Board. Functions • An apex organization under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, with regard to khadi and village industries within India, which seeks to – • Plan, promote, facilitate, organise and assist in the establishment and development of khadi and village industries in the rural areas in coordination with other agencies engaged in rural development wherever necessary.

Past News • Plan Bee ✓By Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR)

✓It involves setting up of devices (an amplifying system imitating the buzz of a swarm of honey bees) near tracks, which emit the ‘buzzing’ sound of swarming bees, considered as a natural repellent of elephants

✓First one was installed near the Guwahati railway station.

6.16.Install transponders in all fshing vehicles to save Olive Ridleys in Odisha, says HC • The Orissa High Court directed the state government March 16, 2021 to install transponders in all mechanised fshing vessels to track their movements and save Olive Ridley sea turtles from fshing nets..

Reason • 800 Olive Ridley turtles had died since January this year due to negligence of the state’s forest and fsheries department

Efforts • The court directed that the following measures suggested in the report of the panel constituted to look into the issue should be immediately put in place by the state:

✓The prohibition of fshing activities by trawlers in the area of the Devi river mouth

✓The Coast Guard must enforce the ban stringently

✓No-fshing zones should be clearly demarcated.

✓The boundary of Gahiramatha Marine Sanctuary, with its geo-coordinates, should be uploaded in GSP systems of all fshing boats by the fsheries and animal resources department

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 160 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses Olive Ridley Turtles • The Olive ridley turtles are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world, inhabiting warm waters of the Pacifc, Atlantic and Indian oceans. • They are best known for their unique mass nesting called Arribada. ✓An arribada is a mass-nesting event when thousands of turtles come ashore at the same time to lay eggs on the same. • The enormous number of Olive ridleys nest in Odisha (namely at three river mouths: Dhamara, Devi and Rushikulya) in India. • The species is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List, Appendix 1 in CITES, and Schedule 1 in Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Dhamara River Mouth • The Brahmani river (second largest river in Odisha) enters into the Bay of Bengal along with a combined mouth with the Mahanadi (the largest river in Odisha) known as the Dhamara.

Devi River • Devi river is one of the principal distributaries of Mahanadhi. • It fows through Jagatsinghpur district and Puri district across Odisha state in India and joins the Bay of Bengal.

Rushikulya River • It originates from Rushikulya hills of the Eastern Ghats in Phulbani district. • It is 165 kms. long with 8900 sq.kms of catchment areas. • It covers entire catchment area in the districts of Kandhamal and Ganjam district of Odisha. 6.17.New method for effcient removal of heavy metals from water • A research team at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi has developed a fbrous membrane flter using a biopolymer-based material that helps to separate out the heavy metals from water samples.

About Fibrous membrane (IIT) • Membranes contain adsorbents — materials that attract and hold the metals. • It also contain a large amount of a biopolymer, Chitosan, derived from crab shells that is mixed with a well-known polymer, Nylon

Benefts • While normally, the fbres used to make regular cartridge flter-assemblies are processed by a method called melt blowing, the IIT Mandi researchers have used a process called “solution blowing”.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 161 T.me/SleepyClasses • Solution blowing produces fbres that are nanometres in diameter — a hundred thousand times thinner than a single human hair. When the fbres get fner, their surface area increases tremendously, which results in better adsorption of heavy metals. • Solution blowing processes can enable blending of natural polymers like chitosan and lignin with synthetic polymers like Nylon, • The replacement of synthetic polymers with natural polymers is a welcome move in this era of environmental consciousness • while normally absorbent fbres bind to the target metal only at their surface, in their nanofbre membranes, the adsorption was seen to happen at the sub-surface scale as well, which translates to higher metal removal effciency. • The membranes could be reused at least eight times before there was considerable reduction in the effciency of metal adsorption. Recovery of the adsorbed metal in a metal-hydroxyl nitrate form was also easy, which is a value-addition to the membrane flter.

Melt blown Vs Solution blown • Melt blown is a special technique for manufacturing nonwovens with very fne fbers, down to 0.5 μm. The fbers are elongated by blowing hot air at high speed concentrically along the fbers • Nonwovens are currently manufactured nearly exclusively of fossil-based raw materials, which is not long-term sustainable. • By using solution blown, which is a technique similar to melt blown but where the polymers are dissolved instead of melted, it is possible to manufacture nonwovens also from renewable resources, such as cellulose.

Heavy Metals (NCBI) • Heavy metals are naturally occurring elements that have a high atomic weight and a density at least 5 times greater than that of water. • Their multiple industrial, domestic, agricultural, medical and technological applications have led to their wide distribution in the environment; raising concerns over their potential effects on human health and the environment. • Their toxicity depends on several factors including the dose, route of exposure, and chemical species, as well as the age, gender, genetics, and nutritional status of exposed individuals. • Because of their high degree of toxicity, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, and mercury rank among the priority metals that are of public health signifcance.

6.18.Oceans may emit more ozone-depleting gases • Oceans may start releasing chlorofuorocarbons (CFC), a class of ozone-depleting chemicals, at a faster rate due to rising global temperatures, according a recent study • The research, carried out by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences and published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 15 March, 2021 centered on CFC-11 (trichlorofuoromethane)

Findings Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 162 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • Oceans, which are a vast repository for gases, would emit more CFC-11 by 2075 than they absorb. • They would emit detectable amounts of the chemical by 2130. The shift will occur 10 years earlier due to climate change. • If the planet warms by fve degrees Celsius by 2100, the ocean will become a net emitter of CFC-11 by 2065 and release detectable levels by 2140. • Climate change stands poised to change average temperatures and circulation patterns in the ocean, thus facilitating this outgassing process. Climate change is however expected to start impacting ocean circulation patterns in the Northern Hemisphere frst, meaning outgassing will likely start here. • CFCs are more soluble when sea surface temperatures are low, according to the researchers. About CFC • Chlorofuorocarbons (CFC) are gases used for various purposes including solvents, refrigerants and aerosol sprays. • Chlorofuorocarbons (CFCs) are a group of odourless manufactured chemicals. Because they damage the earth’s ozone layer, CFCs have been banned since 1996

Ozone Layer Depletion • This refers to the thinning of the protective ozone layer in the atmosphere. • This happens when certain chemicals come into contact with ozone and destroy it. • Chemical compounds that cause ozone layer depletion are called Ozone Depleting Substances (ODSs).

Montreal Protocol • The Protocol was signed in 1987 and entered into force in January 1989. The protocol gives provisions to reduce the production and consumption of ODSs to protect the ozone layer.

6.19.Delhi- World’s most polluted capital • Delhi has been ranked as the world’s most polluted capital in a new report that placed India as having the third worst air quality out of 106 countries in 2020 • The World Air Quality report by Swiss technology company IQAir, mentions that 22 of the top 30 most polluted cities globally are in India • The Report aggregated PM2.5 data from 106 countries • Most polluted Country ✓Bangladesh followed by Pakistan and India • Least polluted country ✓Puerto Rico • Most polluted Capital ✓Delhi followed by Dhaka (Bangladesh), Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), Kabul (Afghanistan), Doha (Qatar). www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 163 T.me/SleepyClasses • Most polluted city ✓Hotan in China followed by Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh

Indian Scenario • Ghaziabad is the second most polluted city in the world followed by Bulandshahar • Delhi listed as the 10th most polluted city • Compared to north Indian cities, the cities in the Deccan recorded relatively better air quality • However, every city in India observed air quality improvements compared to 2018 and earlier • Major sources of India’s air pollution include transportation, biomass burning for cooking, electricity generation, industry, construction, waste burning, and episodic agricultural burning, • It is estimated that as much as 20% to 40% of Delhi’s air pollution originates from Punjab farm fres • Delhi experienced average PM 2.5 levels of 144 µg/m3 in November and 157 µg/m3 in December, exceeding the WHOs annual exposure guideline by more than 14 times. • The annual exposure limit of PM2.5 set by WHO is 10 µg/m3, lower than 40 µg/m3 set under the Indian National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

6.20.UP: Tigress carcass found • A day after the carcass of a fve-year-old tigress was found in the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, a search was launched on Tuesday to trace four of its cubs that “were possibly spotted by a forest offcial”.

Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (UP) • Pilibhit Tiger Reserve was declared in September 2008 based on its special type of ecosystem with vast open spaces and suffcient feed for the elegant predators. • The Pilibhit Tiger Reserve is one of the fnest examples of the exceedingly diverse and productive Terai ecosystems. • The northern edge of the reserve lies along the Indo-Nepal border while the southern boundary is marked by the river Sharada and Khakra. • The study done by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) shows that Dudhwa-Pilibhit population has high conservation value as it represents the only tiger population with the ecological and behavioural adaptations of the tiger unique to the Tarai region. • The area of Pilibhit Tiger Reserve has a dry and hot climate which brings a combination of dry teak forest and Vindhya mountain soils • One can also see largest Indian deers i.e sambar, nilgai, chital, chousingha and chinkara in the vicinity. As far as bird species is concerned, there are about 200 avifauna found in the area

Past News • Pilibhit Tiger Reserve got international award TX2 for doubling the number of tigers in the past four years.

TX2 Award

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 164 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • Global award which was set up in 2010 in St. Petersburg, Russia by international organizations working for tiger conservation like WWF, UNDP, IUCN, Global Tiger Fund (GTF)

TX2 goal • The goal has been set by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) through the Global Tiger Initiative, Global Tiger Forum • Global commitment to double the world's wild tigers by 2022. Conservation Excellence Award for 2020 • Transboundary Manas Conservation Area straddling the India-Bhutan border has received the TX2 Conservation Excellence Award for 2020. • Transboundary Manas Conservation Area or TraMCA comprising the 500 sq. km. Manas National Park in Assam and the 1,057-sq. km. Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan. • Conservation Excellence Award: This award recognises one site that has achieved excellence in two or more of these fve themes:

✓Tiger and prey population monitoring and research (tiger translocation/prey augmentation),

✓Effective site management,

✓Enhanced law enforcement & protection & ranger welfare improvement,

✓Community based conservation, benefts and human-wildlife confict mitigation and

✓Habitat and prey management.

6.21.International Day of Forests • The United Nations observes March 21 as the International Day of Forests, commemorating the green cover around the world and reiterating its importance. • The Day is celebrated by the United Nations Forum on Forests and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with governments, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests and other relevant organisations in the feld • The theme of the International Day of Forests for 2021 is Forest restoration: a path to recovery and well-being. • Themes of the International Day of Forests are aimed to ft into the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), which calls for the protection and revival of ecosystems around the world

Objective • Day celebrates and raises awareness of the importance of all types of forests. • On this day, countries are encouraged to undertake local, national and international efforts to organize activities involving forests and trees, such as tree-planting campaigns.

India • As per the biennial State of Forest Report, 2019, India's forest cover has increased by 3,976 sq km or 0.56% since 2017. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 165 T.me/SleepyClasses • For the second consecutive time since 2007, the report recorded a gain an impressive 1,275 sq km in dense forest (including very dense forest with a canopy density of over 70%, and moderately dense forest with a canopy density of 40-70%).

6.22.GRAM UJALA programme • Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ministry of Power and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Minister of State, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship ,Shri R K Singh launched the GRAM UJALA programme in Arrah, Bihar through a virtual event today .

GRAM UJALA programme • Under the programme, 7 watt and 12-Watt LED bulbs with 3 years warranty will be given to rural consumers against submission of working Incandescent bulbs • LEDs will be available for only Rs 10 each for each household, in exchange for working condition old incandescent lamps. Each household will get up to 5 LEDs. • The Gram Ujala programme will be implemented in villages of the 5 districts only and consumers can exchange a maximum of 5 LED bulbs • These rural households will also have metres installed in their houses to account for usage. • Implemented by Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL), is a wholly owned subsidiary of Energy Effciency Services Limited (EESL), a PSU under Ministry of Power. • In the frst phase of this programme, 15 million (1.5 crore) LED bulbs will be distributed across villages of Aarah (Bihar), Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Vijaywada (Andhra Pradesh), Nagpur (Maharashtra), and village in western Gujarat. • Gram Ujala programme will be fnanced entirely through carbon credits and will be the frst such programme in India • The revenue earned from carbon credits will contribute Rs. 60 per LED bulb piece, with the balance Rs. 10 to be paid by the rural consumer.

Carbon credit • A carbon credit is a-permit that allows the company that holds it to emit a certain amount of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases. One credit permits the emission of a mass equal to one ton of carbon dioxide. • Further on, carbon credit documentation will be sent to UN accredited validators for inclusion into the Shine Program of activities. • Carbon credits will be prepared under the Shine Program of Activities with an option for verifying under the Voluntary Carbon Standard, depending on the needs of buyers. • Carbon Credit Buyers will also be sought through an open process based on initial discussions with the market. • The balance cost and margin on the LED cost will be recouped through the carbon credits earned.

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6.23.Rhinoceros • The one-horned rhino appears to have strayed into Assam’s poll rhetoric ✓In India, rhinos are mainly found in Assam, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. • Assam has an estimated 2,640 rhinos in four protected areas ✓Kaziranga National Park (2400)

✓ Pabitora Wildlife Reserve

✓Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park

✓Manas National Park

The New Delhi Declaration on Asian Rhinos 2019’ • Signed by fve rhino range nations (India, Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia and Malaysia) for the conservation and protection of the species

Indian Rhinoceros (Greater one-horned rhinoceros)-Vulnerable • The greater one-horned rhinoceros is the largest of all rhino species (Habitat- India and Nepal). • The Indian rhinoceros is regionally extinct in Pakistan • State Forest Department say poaching has reduced by 86% in the last three years. • Kaziranga National Park in Assam, India, holds about 70% of the world population

African Rhinos • In Africa, Southern white rhinos, once thought to be extinct, now thrive in protected sanctuaries and are classifed as near threatened. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 167 T.me/SleepyClasses • They are also known as the Square-lipped rhino • Black rhinos(hook-lipped rhinoceros) are the smaller of the two African species. • Black rhinos are Critically endangered whereas white are Near threatened Javan Rhinoceros (Lesser one horned rhinos)-CE • Also known as the Sunda rhinoceros • A small population of Javan rhinos is found in only one national park (Ujung Kulon NP) on the Indonesian island of Java

Sumatran Rhinos (CE) • Also known as the hairy rhinoceros or Asian two-horned rhinoceros Past News • Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, which has the highest concentration of the one-horned rhinoceros, has 58 species of waterfowls, the annual survey of the birds, conducted on February 7, has revealed. • Pobitora Sanctuary had an estimated 102 rhinos in 2018. At 6.375 rhinos per square kilometre, the concentration of the herbivore in the sanctuary is higher than that in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve • The sanctuary is often referred to as ‘Mini Kaziranga’ because its landscape and fauna are similar to that of the national park.

6.24.Sundarban • The comprises hundreds of islands and a network of rivers, tributaries and creeks in the delta of the Ganga and the Brahmaputra at the mouth of the Bay of Bengal in India and Bangladesh. • Cyclone Amphan hit on May 20 with heavy rains, a massive storm surge • Indian Sundarban constitutes over 60% of the country’s total mangrove forest area. • It is the 27th Ramsar Site in India, • The Indian Sundarban met four of the nine criteria required for the status of ‘Wetland of International Importance’ presence of rare species

✓Threatened ecological communities

✓Biological diversity

✓signifcant and representative fsh and fsh spawning ground and migration path. • The Indian Sundarban, also a UNESCO world heritage site • Sunderbans was designated as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2001 • Critically endangered northern river terrapin (Batagur baska), the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris), and the vulnerable fshing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus).” • Two of the world’s four horseshoe crab species, and eight of India’s 12 species of kingfsher are also found here.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 168 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses Mangroves • Mangroves are the plant communities occurring in inter-tidal zones along the coasts of tropical and subtropical countries. • New species of red algae • Two new species of seaweed have been discovered by a group of marine biologists from Central University of Punjab, Bathinda. Named Hypnea indica (after India) and Hypnea bullata (because of the blisterlike marks on its body – bullate), the seaweeds are part of the genus Hypnea or red seaweeds.

6.25.New species of red algae • Two new species of seaweed have been discovered by a group of marine biologists from Central University of Punjab, Bathinda. Named Hypnea indica (after India) and Hypnea bullata (because of the blister like marks on its body – bullate), the seaweeds are part of the genus Hypnea or red seaweeds.

Key points • They grow in the intertidal regions of the coast, namely the area that is submerged during the high tide and exposed during low tides. • The genus Hypnea consists of calcareous, erect, branched red seaweeds. “There are 61 species of which 10 were reported in India. With our two new species, the total number of species now would be 63, • While Hypnea indica was discovered Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, and Somnath Pathan and Sivrajpur in Gujarat, Hypnea bullata was discovered from Kanyakumari and Diu island of Daman and Diu.

Signifcance of Algae • Food: Algae are a healthy source of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and vitamins A, B, C, and E as well as the minerals like iron, potassium, magnesium, calcium, manganese, and zinc • Fodder: Algae are also used as fodder to feed livestock such as cattle and chickens. • Pisciculture: In fsh farming, Algae plays a very important role because it helps in the production process. Fish used plankton and zooplankton as food. It helps in maintaining the health of the marine ecosystem because algae are naturally absorbent of carbon dioxide and also provide oxygen to the water. • Fertilizer: Algae are rich in minerals and vitamins. So they also used as liquid fertilizer which helps in the repairing level of nitrogen present in the soil • Binding Agent: Algae act as binding agents against natural processes such as erosion. • Biological indicator: Algae are very sensitive. If there is a slight change in the environment their pigments changes or might get died

6.26.African Elephant • Africa’s forest and savanna elephants are now ‘critically endangered’ and ‘endangered’ due to population declines caused primarily by poaching and habitat loss, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said March 25, 2021. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 169 T.me/SleepyClasses • Both species were earlier listed as ‘vulnerable’. • The population of African forest elephants plummeted by 86 per cent in the last 31 years while that of the savanna elephants dropped by 60 per cent in the last 50 years, according to the IUCN.

About Elephant • There are two subspecies of African elephants, the Savanna (or bush) elephant and the Forest elephant. Savanna elephants are the larger of two • Elephants are matriarchal, meaning they live in female-led groups • They have two fngerlike features on the end of their trunk while Asian elephants have just one. • Elephants have a longer pregnancy than any other mammal—almost 22 months. • African elephants are the largest land animals on Earth. They are slightly larger than Asian elephants. • African elephants are keystone species, meaning they play a critical role in their ecosystem. Also known as “ecosystem engineers,” elephants shape their habitat in many ways.

6.27.Net zero emission • Recently, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and Shell have released a report titled “India: Transforming to a Net-Zero Emissions Energy System''. • India must phase out its coal-fred power plants by the middle of this century to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by that time, according to a new report on the challenges that’ll be posed in setting more ambitious climate targets.. • It illustrates a pathway to steer the domestic energy system towards net- zero emissions by 2050, while achieving India’s sustainable economic development ambitions. Net zero emission • Net zero emissions’ refers to achieving an overall balance between greenhouse gas emissions produced and greenhouse gas emissions taken out of the atmosphere.

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About The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) • TERI is a non-proft research institution that conducts research work in the felds of energy, environment and sustainable development. • Established in 1974 as Tata Energy Research Institute and was renamed The Energy and Resources Institute in 2003. • It aims to focus on formulating local and national level strategies for shaping global solutions to critical issues. • It conducts research work in the felds of energy, environment and sustainable development. • Its key focus lies in promoting clean energy, water management, pollution management, sustainable agriculture and climate resilience.

Initiatives by TERI • World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) ✓An annual summit which facilitates the exchange of knowledge on diverse aspects of global sustainable development. • LaBL (Lighting a Billion Lives) ✓An initiative to provide clean lighting access to bottom of the pyramid communities. • Green Olympiad ✓Conducted annually for middle and high-school students in association with MoEF.

GRIHA: Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) • Was conceived by TERI and developed with Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, is a national rating system for green buildings in India. • GRIHA is a national rating tool that helps people assesses the performance of their building against certain nationally acceptable benchmarks.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 171 T.me/SleepyClasses • It evaluates the environmental performance of a building holistically over its entire life cycle, thereby providing a defnitive standard for what constitutes a ‘green building’. • The rating system, based on accepted energy & environmental principles, will seek to strike a balance between the established practices & emerging concepts, both national & international. • It incorporates a holistic, life-cycle approach to buildings 6.28.New sub-species of six-line blue butterfy • A new sub-species of the six line blue butterfy named Nacaduba sinhala ramaswamii has been discovered from the south Western Ghats • The new butterfy species is named after Lord Rama, signifying the connection across the sea to Sri Lanka. It is also a coincidence that the one of the authors whose efforts led to the discovery is named Ramasamy • He also added that this was the frst time a new species was discovered by an all-Indian research team from the Western Ghats. New species in the past were discovered by the British or Japanese researchers or in collaboration with native researchers, • The distribution of line blues butterfies range from India and Sri Lanka, to the whole of southeastern Asia, Australia and Samoa

Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) • The BNHS, a pan-India wildlife research organization, has been promoting the cause of nature conservation since 1883. • BNHS Mission: Conservation of nature, primarily biological diversity through action based on research, education and public awareness • BNHS Vision: Premier independent scientifc organization with a broad-based constituency, excelling in the conservation of threatened species and • State butterfies ✓Maharashtra- Blue Mormon

✓Uttarakhand -Common Peacock

✓Karnataka -Southern Birdwing

✓Kerala -Malabar banded peacock or buddha butterfy

✓Tamil Nadu - Tamil Yeoman

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 172 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses 7. Security Click on the links given below to watch the following questions on YouTube Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

Video 4

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 173 T.me/SleepyClasses 7.1.Surya Kiran Aerobatics Team (SKAT) • The Surya Kiran (meaning rays of the sun) team has continued to be at the centre of attraction in the with its dazzling and thrilling air formations. The Surya Kiran Aerobatics Team (SKAT) was formed in 1996, with the Kiran MK-II aircraft. • The Suryakiran AerobaticTeam (SKAT) and the Saranghelicopter display team,along with the light combataircraft, of the Indian AirForce will perform at an airshow at the Galle Face inColombo from March 3 to 5as part of the 70th anniversary celebrations of the SriLankan Air Force (SLAF)

7.2.Chinese cyber attack About • Chinese state-sponsored threat Actor group known as Red Echo is targeting Indian Power sector’s Regional Load Dispatch Centres (RLDCs) along with State Load Dispatch Centres (SLDCs).

Malware • Malware is the collective name for a number of malicious software variants, including viruses, ransomware and spyware. Shorthand for malicious software, malware typically consists of code developed by cyber attackers, designed to cause extensive damage to data and systems or to gain unauthorized access to a network.

CERT-In • was established in 2004 as a functional organization of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. • In recent IT amendment act 2008, CERT-In designated as national agency to perform functions like collection, analysis and dissemination of information on cyber incidents , forecast and alert of cyber security incidents etc

Quick facts for prelim Budapest Convention on Cybercrime: • It is the frst international treaty that seeks to address Internet and cybercrime by harmonizing national laws, improving investigative techniques and increasing cooperation among nations. It came into force in 2004.India is not a signatory to this convention

Cyber Swachhta Kendra (Botnet Cleaning and Malware Analysis Centre) • It provides for the detection of malicious programs and free tools to remove such programs Cyber Surakshit Bharat Yojana • It was launched in 2018 by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in association with National e-Governance Division(NeGD) and industry players.It includes awareness programs on cyber security; workshops on best practices and enablement of the offcials with cyber security health tool kits

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 174 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre(I4C) • It was established in 2018 to combat cybercrime in India in a comprehensive and coordinated manner.It functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Other Recent attacks • WannaCry ✓Ransomware attack had hit banks in India including few enterprises in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. • Mirai Botnet Malware Attack ✓affected 2.5 million IoT devices including a large number of computer systems in India. • Petya ✓Ransomware attack halted work at one of the terminals of India’s largest seaport causing computer lockdown and serious consequences for the country’s exports. • Dtrack ✓New spyware tool attack Kudankulam . • Pegasus ✓Pegasus is the fagship spyware of Israel-based NSO Group. It is believed to be known by other names as well, like Q Suite and Trident

7.3.Cyber Crime Volunteer Program • aims to bring together citizens having passion to serve the society in making the cyber space clean and safe to access. Good Samaritans are welcome to register as cyber crime volunteer and report unlawful content for facilitating law enforcement agencies in getting such content removed/disabled for access. • Any citizen can register himself/herself under one of three categories: ‘Cyber Volunteer Unlawful Content Flagger’, ‘Cyber Awareness Promoter’, and ‘Cyber Expert’. Post-registration, the individual can directly report “unlawful content” being circulated over the Internet, which presumably includes social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, among others. • Under the programme, I4C (The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre) and the MHA have allowed a person to register as a ‘Cyber Volunteer Unlawful Content Flagger’ without fulflling the requirement of any prior verifcation (KYC). Since no verifcation is required and the nature of the position itself is voluntary, it absolves the I4C and the MHA of any liability or guilt in cases of misuse • The offences included in the scope of this programme in the ‘National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal’ are already cognizable and can be reported to the police by any person. Therefore, there is confusion as to the necessity of this programme • This is a violation of the fundamental right to privacy. On what basis is the government asking people to spy on each other • The programme has been launched without having any underlying legal framework or Standard Operating Procedure in place which would regulate the functioning of this programme and defne its parameters. In the absence of such a framework, the possibility of misuse and arbitrariness increases www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 175 T.me/SleepyClasses 7.4.India’s arms imports down by 33% • Arms imports decreased by 33% between 2011–15 and 2016–20 while India continues to remain the second largest arms importer after Saudi Arabia, according to a report from Swedish think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Reasons • The overall drop in arms imports between 2011–15 and 2016–20 seems to be mainly due to its complex and lengthy procurement processes • India’s attempts to reduce its dependence on Russian arms by diversifying its network of arms suppliers

Largest supplier • Russia was the largest arms supplier in both years. However, Russia’s deliveries dropped by 53% between the two periods and its share of Indian arms imports fell from 70 to 49%. • France and Israel were the second and third largest arms suppliers in 2016–20. “India’s arms imports from France increased by 709% while those from Israel rose by 82%,” the report said adding that combat aircraft and associated missiles made up more than 50% of arms imports • The U.S. was the second largest arms supplier to India in 2011–15 but in 2016–20 India’s arms imports from the U.S. were 46% lower than in the previous fve-year period, making the U.S. the fourth largest supplier in 2016–20.

Reason for largescale import • India perceives increasing threats from Pakistan and China and as its ambitious plans to produce its own major arms have been signifcantly delayed, it is planning large-scale programmes for arms imports

Pak. imports • Arms imports by Pakistan between 2011–15 and 2016–20 decreased by 23%. China accounted for 61% of its imports in 2011–15 and for 74% in 2016–20.

Past News • SIPRI Report on Nuclear Stockpiles (2020) ✓The nine nuclear-armed states — the U.S., Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea — possessed an estimated 13,400 nuclear weapons at the start of 2020.

✓This marked a decrease from an estimated 13,865 nuclear weapons at the beginning of 2019

Reason • Dismantlement of old nuclear weapons by Russia and the U.S., which together possess over 90% of the global nuclear weapons. • Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) ✓Independent international institute established in 1966 at Stockholm (Sweden).

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✓It is dedicated to research into confict, armaments, arms control and disarmament.

✓It also provides data, analysis and recommendations, based on open sources, to policymakers, researchers, media etc

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 177 T.me/SleepyClasses 8. Science & Technology Click on the links given below to watch the following questions on YouTube Video 1

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8.1.ISRO successfully launches Brazil's Amazonia 1 satellite, along with 18 other passenger satellites About • India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C51 (PSLV-C51) rocket loaded with 19 satellites from Brazil, USA and India lifted off from the rocket port at Sriharikota • Amazonia-1 is the optical earth observation satellite of National Institute for Space Research (INPE). • Amazonia-1 is optimized to peer at the cloud-covered region of its namesake, the Amazon forest, since it has infrared capabilities that allow it to look at the forest cover regardless of the weather. Brazil plans to use the satellite for "alert deforestation" in the region, • The satellite is also Brazil's frst independently designed, built and operated satellite, which country offcials hailed after it reached orbit. • The 18 other satellites include a mix of Indian and American craft. The Indian-built satellites include Satish Dhawan SAT (which studies radiation, space weather and communications), the UNITYsat trio (for radio relay) and a technology demonstrator satellite called SindhuNetra • The 18 'co-passengers' include four of IN- SPACe and 14 of ISRO's commercial arm, NewSpace India (NSIL). • An e-copy of the Bhagavad Gita, saved on an SD-card, is also part of the package Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) • PSLV was developed in 1990s by ISRO to place satellites (mostly remote sensing satellites) in polar and near polar (e.g. sun-synchronous orbit) Lower Earth Orbits. • However, over the last decade, several PSLV missions were successful in sending satellites towards geosynchronous transfer orbit. • E.g. Chandrayaan-1 – 2008 and Mars Orbiter Mission or Mangalyaan – 2014 were launched using PSLV. • PSLV’s frst stage and third stage are solid-fuelled stages • PSLV’s second stage and fourth stage are liquid-fuelled stages. • The second stage engine, Vikas, is a derivative of France’s Viking engine. Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) • The GSLV project was initiated to launch geosynchronous satellites (most of them are heavy for PSLV). • GSLV uses solid rocket booster and the liquid-fuelled Vikas engine, similar to those in PSLV. • GSLV has solid-fuelled frst stage, liquid-fuelled second stage and a cryogenic third stage. • A Cryogenic rocket stage is more effcient and provides more thrust. • Stage I: It uses solid rocket motor with 4 liquid strap-ons. • Stage II: It uses liquid rocket engine (similar to vikas engine of PSLV stage II). www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 179 T.me/SleepyClasses • Stage III: It uses India’s frst cryogenic engine (CE-7.5) in the upper stage. It enabled the launching of 2000 kg of communication satellites • Capacity - It can take up to 5000 kg of pay load to Low Earth Orbits, 2500 kg of payload to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) which are primarily INSAT class of communication satellites. • GSLV rockets using the Russian Cryogenic Stage (CS) are designated as the GSLV Mk I. • GSLV rockets using the indigenous Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS) are designated the GSLV Mk II. Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV MK III) • GSLV Mk III is a three-stage heavy lift launch vehicle which has two solid strap-ons, a core liquid booster and a cryogenic upper stage. • The cryogenic upper stage C25 is powered by CE-20 which is India's largest cryogenic engine. • It is designed to carry 4000 kg classes of satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) or about 8000 kg classes to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), which is about twice the capability of GSLV Mk II. • Recent Launches -GSLV Mk III-D2 / GSAT-29, GSLV MK III D1/GSAT –19 and LVM-3 /CARE (Crew module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment) mission. • It is the designated launch vehicle for India’s upcoming second moon mission and the frst human space fight scheduled for 2022

Cryogenic engine • Cryogenics is the science that addresses the production and effects of very low temperatures. • A cryogenic rocket engine uses a cryogenic fuel or oxidizer, which are gases liquefed and stored at very low temperatures. • Notably, these engines were one of the main factors of NASA's success in reaching the Moon. • Amongst all rocket fuels, hydrogen is known to provide the maximum thrust. • But hydrogen, in its natural gaseous form, is diffcult to handle, and, therefore, not used in normal engines in rockets like PSLV. However, hydrogen can be used in liquid form. • The problem is hydrogen liquefes at very low temperature, nearly 250 degrees Celsius below zero. • To burn this fuel, oxygen also needs to be in liquid form, and that happens at about 90 degrees Celsius below zero. • Creating such a low-temperature atmosphere in the rocket is a diffcult proposition, because it creates problems for other material used in the rocket.

ANTRIX Vs NSIL • In the 2019 Budget, the government had announced the setting up of a New Space India Limited (NSIL), a public sector company that would serve as a marketing arm of ISRO. • NSIL’s main purpose is to market the technologies developed by ISRO and bring it more clients that need space-based services. • That role, incidentally, was already being performed by Antrix Corporation, another PSU working under the Department of Space, and which still exists.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 180 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • It is still not very clear why there was a need for another organisation with overlapping function. • The government now had clarifed the role of NSIL that it would have a demand-driven approach rather than the current supply-driven strategy. • Essentially, what that means is that instead of just marketing what ISRO has to offer, NSIL would listen to the needs of the clients and ask ISRO to fulfl those.

In-SPACe • IN-SPACe is supposed to be a facilitator, and also a regulator. • It will act as an interface between ISRO and private parties and assess how best to utilise India’s space resources and increase space-based activities. • IN-SPACe is the second space organisation created by the government in the last two years. • In the 2019 Budget, the government had announced the setting up of a New Space India Limited (NSIL), a public sector company that would serve as a marketing arm of ISRO.

8.2.Hyderabad CSIR lab helped develop key molecule for Covaxin • The process technology developed by the Council Of Scientifc and Industrial Research and Indian Institute Of Chemical Technology for the agonist molecule is playing an important role in the production of adjuvant for Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin • The vaccine is formulated with Algel-IMDG, which contains chemisorbed TLR7/8 agonist onto aluminium hydroxide gel to generate the requisite type of immune responses.

• Owing to the signifcant role played by TLR7/8 agonist molecule in the performance of a vaccine, CSIR constituent lab, IICT based in Hyderabad, was approached by Bharat Biotech to develop the synthetic route for the agonist molecule with indigenous chemicals at an affordable price and with highest purity. • This agonist molecule has aided in scaling up the production of the adjuvant About Vaccine • A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease.

About Covaxin • It is India’s only indigenous Covid-19 vaccine. • Developed by Bharat Biotech, Hyderabad in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research’s National Institute of Virology, Pune • It is an inactivated vaccine which is developed by inactivating (killing) the live microorganisms that cause the disease. • This destroys the ability of the pathogen to replicate, but keeps it intact so that the immune system can still recognise it and produce an immune response. • It is expected to target more than just the spike protein. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 181 T.me/SleepyClasses • It also aims to develop an immune response to the nucleocapsid protein (the shell of the virus that encloses its genetic material).

Types of Vaccine Live-attenuated vaccines • Live vaccines use a weakened (or attenuated) form of the germ that causes a disease. ✓Because these vaccines are so similar to the natural infection that they help prevent, they create a strong and long-lasting immune response. Just 1 or 2 doses of most live vaccines can give you a lifetime of protection against a germ and the disease it causes. • Limitation ✓Because they contain a small amount of the weakened live virus, some people should talk to their health care provider before receiving them, such as people with weakened immune systems, long- term health problems, or people who’ve had an organ transplant.

✓They need to be kept cool, so they don’t travel well. That means they can’t be used in countries with limited access to refrigerators.

✓Eg-MMR, Smallpox,chickenpox

Inactivated vaccines • Inactivated vaccines use the killed version of the germ that causes a disease. • Inactivated vaccines usually don’t provide immunity (protection) that’s as strong as live vaccines. So you may need several doses over time (booster shots) in order to get ongoing immunity against diseases • Eg-Hepatitis A, Polio, Rabies Subunit, recombinant, polysaccharide, and conjugate vaccines • Subunit, recombinant, polysaccharide, and conjugate vaccines use specifc pieces of the germ — like its protein, sugar, or capsid (a casing around the germ). • Because these vaccines use only specifc pieces of the germ, they give a very strong immune response that’s targeted to key parts of the germ. They can also be used on almost everyone who needs them, including people with weakened immune systems and long-term health problems. • One limitation of these vaccines is that you may need booster shots to get ongoing protection against diseases • Eg Hepatits B, Pneumococcal disease Toxoid vaccines • Toxoid vaccines use a toxin (harmful product) made by the germ that causes a disease. They create immunity to the parts of the germ that cause a disease instead of the germ itself. That means the immune response is targeted to the toxin instead of the whole germ. • Like some other types of vaccines, you may need booster shots to get ongoing protection against diseases • Eg- Diptheria, Tetanus Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 182 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses Agonist Vs Antagonist • An agonist is a drug that binds to the receptor, producing a similar response to the intended chemical and receptor. Whereas an antagonist is a drug that binds to the receptor either on the primary site, or on another site, which all together stops the receptor from producing a response • Small molecule Toll-like receptor (TLR) 7/8 agonists have demonstrated potential as vaccine adjuvants, since they directly activate APCs and can enhance both humoral and cellular immune responses,

8.3.New sensor promises low-cost detection of methane emissions, leaks About • An accurate detection of very low concentrations of methane (CH4) gas — a major contributor to global warming and air pollution — can be possible through a new sensor. • The sensor uses an inter-band cascade light emitting device (ICLED) to detect methane concentrations as low as 0.1 parts per million.

ICLEDs • are a new type of higher-power LED that emit light at mid-infrared (IR) wavelengths, which can be used to measure quantity of several chemicals. • These sensors can be used to better understand methane emissions from livestock and dairy farms and enable a more accurate monitoring of the climate crisis. • The new sensor measures infrared light transmitted through clean air with no methane and then compares it with air that does contain methane. • To boost sensitivity, the researchers sent the infrared light from the high-power ICLED through a 1- meter-long hollow-core fber containing an air sample. • The inside of the fber is coated with silver, which causes the light to refect off its surfaces as it travels down the fber to the photo detector at the other end. This allows the light to interact with additional molecules of methane in the air, thereby resulting in higher absorption of the light. • The design also provides an alternative to commonly used laser-based sensors. The device could potentially be mass-produced, which could be a big stride toward the development of ICLED-based sensors that cost less than $100 per device. • Current laser-based sensors — the gold standard for methane detection — cost between $10,000 and $100,000 each.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 183 T.me/SleepyClasses 8.4.Swachhta Saarthi Fellowships About • The Offce of the Principal Scientifc Adviser to the Government of India under its “Waste to Wealth” Mission launched the “Swachhta Saarthi Fellowship” to recognize students, community workers/self- help groups, and municipal/sanitary workers who are engaged in tackling the enormous challenge of waste management, scientifcally and sustainably. • The Waste to Wealth Mission is one of the nine national missions of the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC). • The fellowship is an initiative to empower young innovators who are engaged in community work of waste management/awareness campaigns/waste surveys/studies, etc. as Swachhta Saarthis and implement actions to reduce waste for a greener planet • Targeted to encourage community participation, the Swachhta Saarthi Fellowships invites applications from students and community workers who have done previous work or are currently engaged in waste management activities, including awareness campaigns, surveys & studies. • The three categories of awards under the fellowships are as below: ✓Category-A – Open to School students from 9th to 12th standards engaged in waste management community work

✓Category-B – Open to College students (UG, PG, Research students ) engaged in waste management community work

✓Category-C – Open to Citizens working in the community and through SHGs, municipal or sanitary workers working beyond specifcations of their job requirement/descriptions

About PMSTIAC • An overarching council that facilitates the PSA’s Offce to assess the status in specifc science and technology domains, comprehend challenges, formulate interventions, develop a futuristic roadmap and advise the Prime Minister accordingly.

Objective • Synergizing Science & Technology collaborative research with various stakeholders both in central and state governments. • Facilitating future preparedness in science and technology emerging domains • Formulating and coordinating major inter-ministerial Science & Technology missions • Ensuring an enabling ecosystem for technology-led innovations and entrepreneurship • Solving socio-economic challenges for sustainable growth by innovations and technology based solutions • Fostering effective public-private linkages for driving research and innovation • Developing innovation clusters with multiple stakeholders including academia, industry and government

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 184 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • Skilling in current and futuristic technologies Waste to energy technology • Thermochemical ✓Thermochemical processing is the use of heat to promote chemical transformations of biomass into energy and chemical products • Incineration ✓Incineration is a thermal decomposition of organics in the presence of oxygen at higher temperatures • Pyrolysis ✓Pyrolysis is the process of heating organic material at high temperatures in the absence of oxygen. • Gasifcation ✓It occurs in a higher temperature with very little air or oxygen • Torrefaction ✓Torrefaction is a thermal process to convert biomass into a coal-like material, which has better fuel characteristics than the original biomass. • Process ✓Heating of biomass in the low or absence of oxygen to a temperature of typically 200 to 400°Cmaterial becomes brittle, and more hydrophobic • Benefts ✓Moisture evaporate

✓Low calorifc component (Volatile) driven out

✓Low quality fbre into high quality fuel

✓Mass loss 20-30%

✓Can convert 150-200 kilograms of paddy straw to bio-coal every hour and reduce CO2 emissions by 95%.

Biochemical process Fermentation • is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defned as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. • In a fermentation process sugar (glucose, fructose or other monosaccharides) is converted to ethanol by microbes (mostly varieties of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae), which are inoculated to the feedstock.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 185 T.me/SleepyClasses • The monosachharides originate either directly from disaccharides, which are broken up via invertase enzymes, or from starch which is hydrolysed with amylase enzymes. In addition to ethanol, water and carbon dioxide are prdouced also.

Anaerobic digestion • is a process through which bacteria break down organic matter—such as animal manure, wastewater biosolids, and food wastes—in the absence of oxygen. Anaerobic digestion for biogas production takes place in a sealed vessel called a reactor

Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) study • According to a recent study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), nearly half of India’s waste-to-energy (WTE) plants, meant to convert non-biodegradable waste, are defunct. • Moreover, the existing plants are functioning at low capacity. • The key reasons for closure are the plants’ inability to handle mixed solid waste and the high cost of electricity generated by them that renders it unattractive to power companies. • MSW (municipal solid waste) in India has low calorifc value and high moisture content. • As most wastes sent to the WTE plants are unsegregated, they also have high inert content (inert materials like soil, sand, grit, etc). • These wastes are not suitable for burning, and therefore to burn them, additional fuel is required which makes these plants expensive to run.

8.5.India an over performer in frontier tech among developing countries: UN report • India is the top "over-performer" in terms of readiness in using, adopting and adapting frontier technologies like artifcial intelligence, big data, block chain and robotics, as per the Unctad global index • The global index rates 158 countries on their readiness for frontier technologies based on fve building blocks: information and communication technologies (ICT) deployment, skills, research and development (R&D), industry activity and access to fnance. • Frontier technologies are those that take advantage of digitalisation and connectivity. They include artifcial intelligence (AI), the internet of things, big data, block chain, 5G, 3D printing, robotics, drones, gene editing, nanotechnology and solar photovoltaic. • The greatest over performer is India, whose actual index ranking was 43, while the estimated one based on per capita income was 108. Hence, India over performed by 65 ranking positions. • over-performance is measured as the difference between the actual index rankings and the estimated index rankings based on per capita income. Ukraine, Vietnam and China are also in the top fve over- performers. • Outliers like India and China exceeded expectations by performing well for R&D. This refects their abundant supplies of qualifed and highly skilled human resources available at a comparatively low cost. They also have large local markets, which attract investment by multinational enterprises. Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 186 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses

8.6.Phylogenetic tools can help track COVID-19 variants faster About • Over 600,000 sequences of the novel coronavirus have emerged since the beginning of the pandemic • Phylogenetics was key to public understanding that air travel was riskier than many understood,” the authors wrote in the paper. • The paper outlines two ways, apart from tracking transmission, genome sequencing data can be utilised by public health offcials: To identify key mutations and estimating reproduction number, or R. • The scientists proposed that computed genomic data of the virus should be read along with results of lab experiments of the variants to best understand the extent and pattern of spread

What is the R value? • It is a key measure of how quickly the virus is spreading. In simple terms, it is the average number of people who become infected by an infected individual. • If the R value is above 1, the virus will spread quickly. • If it is below 1, the virus will slow. • R stands for reproduction number. • It had risen from 0.86 the week before. • R needs to be sustained below 1 for an epidemic to come to an end. • For example, if R equals 2, it would mean that an infected person could spread the infection onto two people

Herd Immunity • Herd immunity (or community immunity) occurs when a high percentage of the community is immune to a disease (through vaccination and/or prior illness), making the spread of this disease from person to person unlikely. • Even individuals not vaccinated (such as new borns and the immunocompromised) are offered some protection because the disease has little opportunity to spread within the community. • For Corona virus 60-80% 8.7.Gender bias in medicine and medical research is still putting women’s health at risk Male bias affects clinical studies • Genetic and hormonal factors are likely to be involved. Historically, however, medical research has often excluded women. • Another reason given for excluding women in clinical studies is that, depending on where a woman is in her menstrual cycle, the variation of her hormones “complicates” the results • Every cell in a person’s body has a sex. This means diseases and medications used to treat them will affect women differently — as we have learned, often at a cost to their health. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 187 T.me/SleepyClasses • Eight out of ten of the drugs removed from the US market between 1997 and 2000 were withdrawn because of side effects that occurred mainly or exclusively in women • Lack of funding for women’s health remains a huge issue • Autoimmune diseases, for example, affect approximately 8 per cent of the global population, but 78 per cent of those affected are women. • Women are less likely to experience the “classic” symptoms of a heart attack — symptoms that were discovered in research led by men, in which most of the participants were men. • Women’s most common heart attack symptom, as with men, is chest pain or discomfort. But women are more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting and back or jaw pain. • But because the diagnosis method still favours male biology, many women experience a delayed diagnosis or a misdiagnosis.

8.8.New virus hits Europe Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) • including respiratory disease, abortion and neonatal death. • Neurological problems, leading to paralysis and in some cases, death. • It is contagious and spread by direct horse-to-horse contact via the respiratory tract through nasal secretions. • This virus can also be spread indirectly through contact with physical objects that are contaminated with the virus. • Treatments include anti-infammatory drugs About herpes simplex virus • also known as HSV, is an infection that causes herpes. • There are two types of the herpes simplex virus • HSV – 1: It causes blisters primarily in mouth and face. Children are easily prone to this infection from general interactions with adults that are it may involve sharing same dining utensils, lip balms, toothbrush or kissing. • HSV – 2: It is a sexually transmitted infection. It mainly causes genital infections. Risk factors arise due to having multiple partners, immature immune system, having AIDS/HIV and female also are more prone to this disease.

Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpes-virus (EEHV) • killed fve elephant • EEHV is a type of herpesvirus that can cause a highly fatal haemorrhagic disease in young Asian elephants. • The disease is caused by a virus called EEHV, or elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus. • EEHV is lethal for young elephants between the ages of one and 12. Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 188 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • There is no true cure for herpes-viruses in animals or in humans beings 8.9.Most distant source of radio emission discovered, holds clues about ancient universe About • An international team of astronomers have discovered the most distant ‘radio-loud’ quasar with the help of E u r o p e a n S o u t h e r n Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT). It took 13 billion years for the quasar’s light to reach earth • Named P172+18, the quasar emitted wavelengths which had a redshift of 6.8. Only three other ‘radio-loud’ sources with redshift greater than six have been discovered so far and the most distant one had a redshift of 6.18. The higher the redshift of the radio wavelength, the farther away is the source.

Quasars • are very luminous objects in faraway galaxies that emit jets at radio frequencies. • They are only found in galaxies that have supermassive blackholes which power these bright discs. • However, 90 per cent of them do not emit strong radio waves, making this newly-discovered one special

Signifcance • T h i s p a r t i c u l a r quasar appears to Chandrashekhar the scientists as it limit w a s w h e n t h e universe was just around 780 million y e a r s o l d . T h e glowing disc around a b l a c k h o l e 3 0 0 million times more massive than our Sun, thus, holds clues about the ancient star systems and astronomical bodies.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 189 T.me/SleepyClasses • It is also one of the fastest ❑ Smallest accreting quasars, which Primordial Black ❑ Size-atom with mass of mountain means it is accumulating hole ❑ Formation after big bang objects from the galaxy at an ❑ Not much of evidense enormous speed. This has ❑ Medium led team that discovered it ❑ Size-20 times mass of sun to infer that the blackhole at Stellar Black hole ❑ Formation-Collapse of star- supernova explosion its centre is consuming from ❑ Indirect evidense its galaxy at a stunning rate ❑ Massive The scientists think that the ❑ Size-of solar system • Supermassive ❑ Every glaxy contain BH at centre powerful radio jets shooting black hole ❑ Indirect evidence out of the quasar fuelled the ❑ Sagitarius A star (Milky way),BH in M-87 appetite of the blackhole. The jets are thought to be capable of disturbing the gas around the black hole, increasing the rate at which gas falls in • A detailed study of these ‘radio-loud’ super-bright objects can lead astronomers to understanding how the supermassive blackholes in their core grew to be as big so rapidly since the Big Bang.

Nothing can escape from Black hole

Newton law of ❑ Escp vel of BH>Speed of light escape velocity

Einstein special ❑ No object can travel faster than theory of speed of light relativity

Nothing can escape from Black hole

Is There a quasar behind every black hole, and a black hole behind every quasar? • There is a black hole behind every quasar, but not every black hole is a quasar. So yes, in a way, a quasar is simply one face a black hole may show. If you are looking at a quasar, you are absolutely looking at a black hole. • To become a quasar, a black hole must meet a few criteria. ✓It must be supermassive: millions or billions of times the mass of our Sun.

✓Such black holes are found in the centers of most large galaxies, but even then, not every galaxy hosts a quasar. Specifcally, a quasar is a supermassive black hole that is actively feeding on material.

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✓The infalling matter has swirled into a disk that has heated up, and it shines so brightly that its light drowns out the rest of the galaxy around the black hole.

What about supermassive black holes that aren’t feeding so voraciously? • These are not quasars. Some are relatively dormant, like our own Milky Way’s central black hole. • Others are active, but not active enough to outshine their host galaxies. • Astronomers call them active galactic nuclei, and they come in a variety of favors. Quasars simply top the list for the brightest active galactic nuclei. • What’s more, a quasar seems to be a relatively short-lived phase of a black hole’s life. So, a black hole that is quiet today may have once been a quasar, and the quasars we see in the distant past will eventually “turn off” after they’ve eaten everything around them.

ESO’s VLT • The Very Large Telescope used to observe the P172+18 is located at Paranal Observatory in the Atacama Desert. • According to the European Southern Observatory it is the world's most advanced optical telescope. Redshift Vs Doppler effect • Red shift' is a key concept for astronomers. The term can be understood literally - the wavelength of the light is stretched, so the light is seen as 'shifted' towards the red part of the spectrum

Doppler effect • Doppler effect' after Christian Andreas Doppler, an Austrian mathematician who discovered that the frequency of sound waves changes if the source of sound and the observer are moving relative to each other. • If the two are approaching, then the frequency heard by the observer is higher; if they move away from each other, the frequency heard is lower. • There are many everyday examples of the Doppler effect - the changing pitch of police and ambulance sirens, or train whistles and racing car engines as they pass by. In every case, there is an audible change in pitch as the source approaches and then passes an observer.

Redshift Vs Doppler effect • However, to be accurate, the red shifts observed in distant objects are not exactly due to the Doppler phenomenon, but are rather a result of the expansion of the Universe. • Doppler shifts arise from the relative motion of source and observer through space, whereas astronomical redshifts are 'expansion redshifts' due to the expansion of space itself. • Two objects can actually be stationary in space and still experience a red shift if the intervening space itself is expanding.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 191 T.me/SleepyClasses 8.10.How scientists found rare freball meteorite pieces on a driveway — and what they could teach us • It was February 28 when a meteorite fell on a driveway in the UK. This meteorite is being described as extremely rare by scientists and will be the target of research to get new insights into the early history of our solar system and life on Earth

Types of Meteorites Primitive • The primitive ones come from the solar nebula that gave birth to the Solar System, preserving the composition of this original material.

Processed • Samples have been altered by heat. They are from larger bodies and contain information about planetary surfaces and interiors. • The stones that fell over Winchcombe are from the former group – and not only that, they are of a sub-category, known as carbonaceous chondrites – the most pristine (or unchanged) of all meteorites, carrying records of the earliest stages of Solar System history. • They are rich in organic compounds: the molecules that form the building blocks of life. They also contain tiny specs of dust from stars that have died and are older than the Sun

Traditional classifcation of Meteorites • Divided into three broad categories, depending on their structure, chemical and isotopic composition and mineralogy.

✓Stony meteorites are rocks, mainly composed of silicate minerals

✓Iron meteorites that are largely composed of metallic iron-nickel

✓Stony-iron meteorites that contain large amounts of both metallic and rocky material. • Carbonaceous chondrite is divisions of stony meteorites) The difference between asteroids and meteorites • While these rocks originate from space, they have different names depending their location—i.e. whether they are hurtling through space or hurtling through the atmosphere and impacting Earth's surface.

✓Asteroid: a large rocky body in space, in orbit around the Sun.

✓Meteoroid: much smaller rocks or particles in orbit around the Sun.

✓Meteor: If a meteoroid enters the Earth's atmosphere and vaporizes, it becomes a meteor, which is often called a shooting star.

✓Meteorite: If a small asteroid or large meteoroid survives its fery passage through the Earth's atmosphere and lands on Earth's surface, it is then called a meteorite.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 192 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses Asteroids • Asteroids are found mainly in the asteroid belt, between Mars and Jupiter. Sometimes their orbits get perturbed or altered and some asteroids end up coming closer to the Sun, and therefore closer to Earth. In addition to the asteroid belt, however, there have been recent discussions among astronomers about the potential existence of large number asteroids in the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud. • Asteroids are sometimes referred to as minor planets or planetoids, but in general, they are rocky bodies that do not have an atmosphere. However, a few have their own moons. Our solar system contains millions of asteroids, many of which are thought to be the shattered remnants of planetesimals – bodies within the young Sun's solar nebula that never grew large enough to become planets. • The size of what classifes as an asteroid is not extremely well defned, as an asteroid can range from a few meters wide – like a boulder—to objects that are hundreds of kilometers in diameter. The largest asteroid is asteroid Ceres at about 952 km (592 miles) in diameter, and Ceres is so large that it is also categorized as a dwarf planet. • Most asteroids are made of rock, but as we explore and learn more about them we know that some are composed of metal, mostly nickel and iron. According to NASA, a small portion of the asteroid population may be burned-out comets whose have evaporated away and been blown off into space. Recently, astronomers have discovered some asteroids that mimic comets in that gas and dust are emanating from them, and as we mentioned earlier, there appears to be a large number of bodies with asteroid-like compositions but comet-like orbits.

Meteors, Meteoroids and Bolides • Space debris smaller than an asteroid are called meteoroids. A meteoroid is a piece of interplanetary matter that is smaller than an asteroid and frequently are only millimeters in size. Most meteoroids that enter the Earth's atmosphere are so small that they vaporize completely and never reach the planet's surface. When they burn up during their descent, they create a beautiful trail of light known as a meteor, sometimes called a shooting star. • Mostly these are harmless, but larger meteors that explode in the atmosphere – sometimes called bolides—can create shockwaves, which can cause problems. In February 2013 a meteor that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia shattered windows with its air blast. This meteoroid or bolide was estimated to be 18 meters (59 feet) in diameter. In 1908, a rocky meteoroid less than 100 meters in diameter is believed to have entered the atmosphere over the Tunguska region of Siberia in 1908 and the resulting shockwave knocked down trees for hundreds of square kilometers.

Meteorite • If any part of a meteoroid survives the fall through the atmosphere and lands on Earth, it is called a meteorite. Although the vast majority of meteorites are very small, their size can range from about a fraction of a gram (the size of a pebble) to 100 kilograms (220 lbs) or more (the size of a huge, life- destroying boulder). Meteorites smaller than 2mm are classifed as micrometeorites. • Meteorites have traditionally been divided into three broad categories, depending on their structure, chemical and isotopic composition and mineralogy. Stony meteorites are rocks, mainly composed of silicate minerals; iron meteorites that are largely composed of metallic iron-nickel; and, stony-iron meteorites that contain large amounts of both metallic and rocky material. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 193 T.me/SleepyClasses • Meteorites have also been found on the moon and Mars and conversely, scientists have traced the origination of the meteorites found here on Earth to four other bodies: the moon, Mars, the asteroid 4 Vesta, and the comet Wild 2. Meteorites are the source of a great deal of the knowledge that we have have about the composition of other celestial bodies.

How Often Do Meteorites Hit Earth? • According to the Planetary Science Institute, it is estimated that probably 500 meteorites reach the surface of the Earth each year, but less than 10 are recovered. This is because most fall into water (oceans, seas or lakes) or land in remote areas of the Earth that are not accessible, or are just not seen to fall.

Summary • In short, the difference between asteroids and meteors all comes down to a question of location. Asteroids are always found in space. Once it enters an atmosphere, it becomes a meteor, and then a meteorite after it hits the ground. Each are made of the same basic materials – minerals and rock – and each originated in space. The main difference is where they are when they are being observed.

8.11.Fukushima decontamination (For more information DNA) • Just 15 per cent of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant’s core area in Japan has been decontaminated a decade after it suffered a catastrophic triple reactor meltdown March 11, 2011, according to a report by non-proft Greenpeace International.

Lesson for India • India’s nuclear establishment had not learnt any lessons from Fukushima or from Three Mile Island and Chernobyl for that matter. • Newer units are being added to Kudankulam, Jaitapur, Kaiga, Tarapur and Kalpakkam without popular debate or public consultation. The more units we have, the more possibility of accidents like Fukushima. • India’s ability to handle such situations was really bad. If Japan, a scientifcally advanced and politically stable country could struggle, one could hardly fathom what the situation would be like in India if something happened here

8.12.Seven new cases of Kala-azar reported in one week in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur • Seven new cases of Kala-azar or Visceral Leishmaniasis have been reported in the last one week in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district, casting serious doubt on the state government’s efforts to eradicate the disease in the state by 2022. • Bihar has already missed the Kala-azar elimination target four times since 2010.The frst deadline was 2010, under the National Health Programme, followed by 2015. It was later extended to 2017 and 2020 due to the government’s failure to eliminate Kala-azar. • This is a disturbing development as the spraying of insecticides (for killing sand fies) is going in about 380 villages spread across all blocks of the district under the Kala-azar elimination plan.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 194 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses About Leishmaniasis • Leishmaniasis is caused by the protozoan Leishmania parasites which are transmitted by the bite of infected female phlebotomine sandfies.

Transmission • Leishmania parasites are transmitted through the bites of infected female phlebotomine sandfies, which feed on blood to produce eggs.

Types of leishmaniasis • Visceral leishmaniasis (also known as kala-azar, black fever, and Dumdum fever) which affects multiple organs and is the most serious form of the disease. • Cutaneous leishmaniasis, which causes skin sores and is the most common form. • Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis, which causes skin and mucosal lesions. • Signs and symptoms include fever, weight loss, fatigue, anemia, and substantial swelling of the liver and spleen

Affects • The disease affects some of the poorest people on earth, and is associated with malnutrition, population displacement, poor housing, a weak immune system and lack of fnancial resources. • Leishmaniasis is linked to environmental changes such as deforestation, building of dams, irrigation schemes, and urbanization

Past news • The only drug available against leishmaniasis, miltefosine, is rapidly losing its effectiveness because of emerging resistance to this drug due to a decrease in its accumulation inside the parasite, which is necessary for the drug to kill the parasite. • Specifc types of protein molecules, called transporter proteins, play a major role in carrying miltefosine into and out of the parasite’s body, which comprises a single cell. • A protein called ‘P4ATPase-CDC50’, is responsible for intake of the drug by the parasite, and another protein, called ‘P-glycoprotein’, is responsible for throwing this drug out from within the parasite’s body. • A decrease in the activity of the former protein, and an increase in the activity of the latter results in less amounts of miltefosine being accumulated inside the parasite’s body, thus causing it to become resistant to the drug. • The research group used computational methods to design small molecules, called peptides. • The peptides were designed to modulate the transporter proteins “allosterically”, i.e. by interacting with the protein molecule at a location other than the specifc location where miltefosine binds to it.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 195 T.me/SleepyClasses 8.13.What is 2001 FO32, the largest asteroid passing by Earth this year? • Recently, the largest asteroid predicted to pass by Earth in 2021 will be at its closest. It won’t come closer than 2 million km to Earth, but it will present a valuable scientifc opportunity for astronomers who can get a good look at a rocky relic that formed at the dawn of our Solar System.. • It was discovered in March 2001 by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) program in Socorro, New Mexico.

About 2002 F032 • The speed of Asteroid is faster than the speed at which most asteroids encounter Earth. • due to its close approach to the earth • It is in a highly eccentric orbit around the Sun. • It completes one orbit every 810 days (about 2¼ years). • The orbit is tilted 39° to Earth’s orbital plane. • This orbit takes the asteroid closer to the Sun than Mercury • The near-Earth asteroid will make its closest approach at a distance of about 2 million kM or 5 1/4 times the distance from Earth to the Moon. • The distance is close in astronomical terms, that's why it has been designated a “potentially hazardous asteroid”.

Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) • are comets and asteroids that have been nudged by the gravitational attraction of nearby planets into orbits that allow them to enter the Earth’s neighborhood. • Composed mostly of water ice with embedded dust particles, comets originally formed in the cold outer planetary system while most of the rocky asteroids formed in the warmer inner solar system between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) • are currently defned based on parameters that measure the asteroid’s potential to make threatening close approaches to the Earth. Specifcally, all asteroids with a minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) of 0.05 au or less and an absolute magnitude (H) of 22.0 or less are considered PHAs. • In other words, asteroids that can’t get any closer to the Earth (i.e. MOID) than 0.05 au (roughly 7,480,000 km or 4,650,000 mi) or are smaller than about 150 m (500 ft) in diameter (i.e. H = 22.0 with assumed albedo of 13%) are not considered PHAs. • This “potential” to make close Earth approaches does not mean a PHA will impact the Earth. It only means there is a possibility for such a threat. By monitoring these PHAs and updating their orbits as new observations become available, we can better predict the close-approach statistics and thus their Earth-impact threat.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 196 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance is a method for calculating the minimum distance between two almost overlapping elliptical orbits

Lagrange Points • are positions in space where objects sent there tend to stay put. At Lagrange points, the gravitational pull of two large masses precisely equals the centripetal force required for a small object to move with them. • This mathematical problem, known as the "General Three-Body Problem • There are fve special points where a small mass can orbit in a constant pattern with two larger masses. • Of the fve Lagrange points, three are unstable and two are stable. The unstable Lagrange points - labeled L1, L2 and L3 - lie along the line connecting the two large masses. The stable Lagrange points - labeled L4 and L5 - form the apex of two equilateral triangles that have the large masses at their vertice

Signifcance • These points in space can be used by spacecraft to reduce fuel consumption needed to remain in position • The L1 point of the Earth-Sun system affords an uninterrupted view of the sun and is currently home to the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory Satellite • L2 is ideal for astronomy because a spacecraft is close enough to readily communicate with Earth, can keep Sun, Earth and Moon behind the spacecraft for solar power and (with appropriate shielding) provides a clear view of deep space for our telescopes. • The L1 and L2 points are unstable on a time scale of approximately 23 days, which requires satellites orbiting these positions to undergo regular course and attitude corrections. • NASA is unlikely to fnd any use for the L3 point since it remains hidden behind the Sun at all times. The idea of a hidden planet has been a popular topic in science fction writing. • Objects found orbiting at the L4 and L5 points are often called Trojans after the three large asteroids Agamemnon, Achilles and Hector that orbit in the L4 and L5 points of the Jupiter-Sun system.

8.14.COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, ACT Accelerator face cash crunch • ACT-Accelerator, a global coalition formed in April 2020 to fght the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic with new vaccines, tests and treatments, is facing a severe fund crunch to meet its goals for 2020-21 • WHO COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund March 16 — on completing a year — launched a renewed call for action for funds to contribute $1.96 billion required in 2021 to respond to the new challenges in the fght against the pandemic. More than 60 per cent of this will go towards requirements for the access to COVID-19 tools, including diagnostics, treatments and vaccines

ACT-Accelerator www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 197 T.me/SleepyClasses • ACT-Accelerator from a broad coalition of public (87 per cent), private (6 per cent) and multilateral (7 per cent) donors • The Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, is a groundbreaking global collaboration to accelerate development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines. • Launched at the end of April 2020, at an event co-hosted by the Director-General of the World Health Organization, the President of France, the President of the European Commission, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator brings together governments, scientists, businesses, civil society, and philanthropists and global health organizations • Germany contributed the most (23.9 per cent) to the contribution, followed by the United States (22.8 per cent) and United Kingdom (10.1 per cent).

The COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund • was established by the World Health Organization(WHO) with the help of the United Nations Foundation and the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation. • Aim: To raise money from a wide range of donors to support the work of the World Health Organization(WHO) and partners to help countries respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

UN Foundation • It was founded in 1998 by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner to support the UN and serve as a strategic partner and resource for the UN in solving global problem

8.15.Aluminium-air batteries • State-owned Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. has entered into a joint venture with Israel-based battery technology startup Phinergy to develop aluminium-air technology based battery systems for electric vehicles and stationary storage, as well as hydrogen storage solutions.

Aluminium-air battery • Aluminium-air batteries utilise oxygen in the air which reacts with an aluminium hydroxide solution to oxidise the aluminium and produce electricity.

Li-ion batteries • They use an intercalated (Intercalation is the reversible inclusion or insertion of a molecule into materials with layered structures) lithium compound as one electrode material, compared to the metallic lithium used in a non-rechargeable lithium battery. • The battery consists of electrolyte, which allows for ionic movement, and the two electrodes are the constituent components of a lithium-ion battery cell. • Lithium ions move from the negative electrode to the positive electrode during discharge and back when charging.

Aluminium-air battery Vs Li-ion batteries • Aluminium-air batteries are said to be a lower cost and more energy-dense alternative to lithium-ion batteries which are currently in widespread use for electric vehicles in India

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• Aluminium-air batteries is that they cannot be recharged like lithium-ion batteries. Therefore, large scale use of aluminium-air battery based vehicles would require the wide availability of battery swapping stations. • Aluminium-air battery-based electric vehicles are, however, expected to offer much greater range of 400 km or more per battery compared to lithium-ion batteries which currently offer a range of 150-200 kilometres per full charge. • Aluminium-air based batteries are also expected to be signifcantly cheaper than lithium-ion batteries, thereby reducing the cost of electric vehicle usage and boosting electric vehicle adoption in the country. • Experts have noted that the aluminium plate in an aluminium-air battery is converted into aluminium trihydroxide over time and that aluminium can be reclaimed from aluminium trihydroxide or even traded directly for industrial uses.

Why is this technology important for EV push? • Currently, India is largely dependent on imports of lithium-ion batteries from China for electric vehicles. • While some Indian companies have started manufacturing lithium-ion batteries in the country, metal- air battery solutions including aluminium-air batteries could offer a viable alternative to lithium-ion batteries and boost the domestic manufacture of batteries to meet Indias growing demand for energy storage.

8.16.Innovations developed by women scientists from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI). • Recently a potentially -changing innovations developed by women scientists from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI).

The Pusa-Farm SunFridge (Pusa-FSF) • An on-farm green energy refrigeration system, is a 100% solar-powered battery-less cold store that can preserve around 2 tonnes of freshly-harvested produce at 3-4°C during the day and 8-12°C at night time. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 199 T.me/SleepyClasses • The 10x10x10 ft cold store structure can stock enough vegetables and fruits to fully load a Tata 407 mini truck. This can be taken in a single trip to the market when the prices are right. • The Pusa-FSF has rooftop solar panels that generate 5 kilowatt power, of which 3 KW is used to run a 1.5-tonne air-conditioner and bring down the temperature inside the structure to 3-4°C. • This has been done by dispensing with the thermostat that limits the normal cooling in ACs to 16-17°C. • The panels also power a 105-watt submersible pump circulating about 1,000 litres of water from a tank through overhead PVC pipes. • The Pusa-FSF, built on dismantlable mild steel frames and plates, has been installed at IARI’s New Delhi campus and two villages – Picholiya in Rajasthan’s Ajmer district and Chamrara in Panipat, Haryana

Gluten extraction technology from Wheat • Technology for extraction of gluten from wheat dough and its regeneration in bajra (pearl-millet) and makka (maize) four, which can be easily kneaded to yield soft rotis, pooris and a variety of bakery products. • Wheat has roughly 13% protein content. Up to 80% of that comprises glutenin and gliadin. • These are proteins that bind to each other and form a network whenever water and energy (through kneading) is added to the wheat four. • The gluten formed by the combination of the two proteins creates the elastic texture in the dough that allows the breads to come out light and fuffy. • Bajra, maize, jowar (sorghum), ragi and other millets contain comparable levels of protein and more vitamins, minerals, crude fbre and other nutrients than wheat. But they don’t have any gluten proteins, which results in poor dough quality. • The proteins extracted and dried into powder should also have the capacity for regeneration or forming gluten networks in non-wheat dough. • Soft atta requires the gluten proteins added in the four to achieve proper networking for retaining their original viscoelasticity and water-absorbing properties.

Gluten • The two main proteins in gluten are glutenin and gliadin. Gliadin is responsible for most of the adverse health effects of gluten • When four mixes with water, the gluten proteins form a sticky network that has a glue-like consistency. • This glue-like property makes the dough elastic and gives bread the ability to rise during baking. It also provides a chewy, satisfying texture. • Interestingly, the name gluten derives from this glue-like property of wet dough. • Most people can tolerate gluten with no adverse effects. • However, it can cause problems for people with certain health conditions.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 200 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • This includes celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, wheat allergy and some other diseases 8.17.Half a million more TB deaths in 2020 due to pandemic disruptions: WHO • Fewer cases of tuberculosis (TB) were notifed in 2020 because of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and this led to half a million excess deaths from the disease globally, according to data released by World Health Organisation March 21, 2021.

Key Findings • There was a 21 per cent decrease in TB notifcation owing to lockdowns and other disruptions caused by the pandemic. • While 6.3 million TB infections were notifed in 2019, the fgure fell to 4.9 million last year. • This means, 1.4 million people did not receive treatment for TB in 2020. • This led to half a million additional deaths caused by the disease, according to a WHO modelling • The biggest shortfall in average monthly notifcation compared to 2019 was in Indonesia (42 per cent). • This was followed by South Africa (41 per cent), Philippines (37 per cent) and India (25 per cent). • India has the highest TB burden in the world. • Symptoms of both the diseases cough, fever, and breathlessness, are same, a more rigorous TB testing becomes all the more important • Tuberculosis ✓Caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) • Transmission ✓Spread from person to person through the air.

✓Like cough, sneeze or spit, they propel the TB germs into the air. • Symptoms: ✓Cough with sputum and blood at times, chest pains, weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats. • Treatment ✓ TB is a treatable and curable disease.

Issues • Multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) ✓Form of TB caused by bacteria that do not respond to isoniazid and rifampicin, the 2 most powerful, frst-line anti-TB drugs.

✓MDR-TB is treatable and curable by using second-line drugs • Extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 201 T.me/SleepyClasses ✓ Serious form of MDR-TB caused by bacteria that do not respond to the most effective second-line anti-TB drugs, often leaving patients without any further treatment options.

Pretomanid • is the third new drug developed for the treatment of people with Extensively Drug-Resistant TB (XDR-TB) or Multi Drug-Resistant TB (MDR-TB) affecting the lungs. • It is a part of three-drug, six-month, all-oral regimen treatment along with the other two drugs namely, Bedaquiline, Linezolid.

Annual Tuberculosis (TB) Report 2020 (Min of Health) State TB Index: • Category of states with 50 lakh population ✓Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh best performing to control TB • Category of states with less than 50 lakh population ✓Tripura and Nagaland were best-performing

UT • Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu were best performing Rising Tobacco Consumption • It also revealed that Tobacco consumption is rising among Indian TB patients. • 8% of TB cases can be attributable to tobacco usage. HIV-associated TB • India accounts for 9% of all HIV-associated TB deaths in the world, the second-highest number globally.

Diabetes Associated TB • The other such group is patients suffering from diabetes. • According to the report, 20% of all TB cases in India also suffer from diabetes. Lower Reporting than WHO

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 202 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • India notifed the highest number of 24.04 lakh tuberculosis cases last year (2018) as against an estimated 26.9 lakh cases by WHO, indicating that around three lakh patients missed out from the national TB programme.

Low Fatality • It stated that 79,144 deaths due to tuberculosis were reported in 2019, which is much lower than the WHO estimate of 4.4 lakh fatalities.

Treatment Success Rate • It is around 70-73% in the last two years. From 2014-2016, it was between 76 and 77% Eliminating TB by 2025 • India is committed to eliminating tuberculosis from the country by 2025, fve years ahead of the global target by the World Health Organisation (WHO) i.e. 2030.

India efforts • India started its TB program with National TB Control Project in 1962 • India launched Revised National TB Control Program on the backdrop of WHO recommended DOTS strategy after piloting tests from 1993 to 1996.

RNTCP • is a fully Central Sponsored Scheme and works for free from diagnosis to treatment. • It uses DOTS strategy of WHO and all component of STOP TB strategy of WHO. DOTS: Direct Observatory Treatment Short-course • It is a key component of the WHO campaign to Stop TB strategy. India's RNTCP is premised upon DOTS. • It involves the volunteers (trained health professionals) based health services to patients, drugs and services are provided at the doorstep of patients and service provider keeps a track on the diseased.

Key elements • Sustained political and fnancial commitment • Diagnosis by quality ensured sputum-smear microscopy test • Standard short course anti TB treatment given under direct and supportive observation • Regular and uninterrupted supply of anti TB drugs. • Standardized treatment and reporting Other Initiatives • The Nikshay Ecosystem ✓It is the National TB information system which is a one-stop solution to manage information of patients and monitor program activity and performance throughout the country. • Nikshay Poshan Yojana (NPY) www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 203 T.me/SleepyClasses • This scheme is aimed at providing fnancial support to TB patients for their nutrition. • TB Harega Desh Jeetega Campaign ✓Launched In September 2019 it is showcasing the highest level of commitment for the elimination of TB. • The Saksham Project ✓It is a project of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) that has been providing psycho-social counselling to DR-TB patients.

8.18.Rare Diseases • The Delhi High Court has asked the Centre to fnalise and notify the National Health Policy for Rare Diseases by March 31.

Rare disease • Defned as a health condition of low prevalence that affects a small number of people when compared with other prevalent diseases in the general population • While there is no universally accepted defnition of rare diseases, countries typically arrive at their own descriptions, taking into consideration disease prevalence, its severity and the existence of alternative therapeutic options. • In the US, for instance, a rare disease is defned as a condition that affects fewer than 200,000 people • Prevalence of 1 or less, per 1000 population is defned by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a rare disease • According to the ICMR, a disease or disorder is defned rare in india if affect fewer than 1 in 2500 people • According to the policy, rare diseases include genetic diseases, rare cancers, infectious tropical diseases, and degenerative diseases. As per the policy, out of all rare diseases in the world, less than fve per cent have therapies available to treat them. • In India, roughly 450 rare diseases have been recorded from tertiary hospitals, of which the most common are Haemophilia, Thalassemia, Sickle-cell anemia, auto-immune diseases, Gaucher’s disease, and cystic fbrosis. • The term “orphan diseases” is often used for these as less than fve percent of rare diseases have treatment therapies available, most of which are prohibitively expensive.

Issues • India does not have a defnition of rare diseases because there is a lack of epidemiological data on their incidence and prevalence. • The small pool of patients has remained an impediment for drug and treatment development. • The absence of data should not be confused with a lack of cases.

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8.19.TB notifcations fall due to pandemic disruptions • In 2020, there were 18.05 tuberculosis notifcations, which was a fall of 24% from 2019 due to the disruptions caused by the pandemic, according to the India TB report released by the Health Ministry • As a result of the lockdown, notifcations in the public sector fell by 38% and 44% in the private sector in April and May. Of the reported 24.04 lakh TB cases in 2019, treatment success was 82%, mortality rate was 4%, 4% patients were lost to follow up and treatment failure and regimen change after initiation of treatment was about 3%,’’ said the report. • As per the report over 95% of all cases reported were initiated on treatment in 2020 and the treatment success rate for patients reported in 2019 was 82% (83% among patients in the public sector and 79% in the private). • The report said 20,892 (42%) of patients were initiated on a shorter MDR-TB regimen at the time of diagnosis.

8.20.Understanding genes help to adapt trees • Climate change can transform the time when trees sprout leaves; understanding plant’s genes can help tide over the problem

Need to Understand genetics of Bud break • Bud-break — which is when trees leaf out — has undergone a change. Several trees initiate bud-break too early or too late, which affects the harvest. • Spring, for example, arrived earlier than usual in Kashmir this year due to higher temperatures in February and March. Gul-tour, a spring fowering herb started blooming in mid-February in Kashmir. Its yellow fowers would usually blossom in March, heralding Spring. • This is why understanding the genetics of bud-break helps scientists modify or select crop varieties that can be more resilient to climate threat.

Role of transcription factors • The properties of transcription factors — genes that regulate other genes by binding to deoxyribonucleic acid and giving activation instructions — help scientists determine what other genes might be involved in a process such as a bud-break • Researchers of the study had earlier identifed transcription factors for early bud-break 1 (EBB1) and short vegetative phase (SVL), which directly interact to control bud-break. EBB1 is a positive regulator of bud-break, whereas SVL is a negative regulator of bud-break. • Now, the research team has identifed and characterised the early bud- break 3 (EBB3) gene. EBB3 is a temperature-responsive, positive regulator of bud-break that provides a direct link to activation of the cell cycle during bud-break.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 205 T.me/SleepyClasses 8.21.Double mutant Coronavirus • Recently health Ministry said a unique “double mutant” coronavirus variant — with a combination of mutations not seen anywhere else in the world — has been found in India.

Mutation • an alteration in the genetic material of a cell of a living organism or of a virus that is more or less permanent and that can be transmitted to the cell’s or the virus’s descendants

Mutations in the virus • Mutations in the virus per se are not surprising but specifc mutations that help the virus evolve to thwart vaccines or the immune system, or are linked to a spike in cases or in disease severity, are of interest. • While the two mutations have been individually identifed in other variants of SARS-CoV-2 globally, and have been associated with a reduction in vaccine effcacy as well as infectivity, their combined effect and biological implication has not yet been understood.

• In the days ahead, the INSACOG will submit details of this variant to a global repository called GISAID and, if it merits, classify it as a “Variant of Concern” (VOC)

Variants • Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG), revealed the presence of two mutations, E484Q and L452R together, in virus samples from states such as Maharashtra, Delhi, Punjab and Gujarat. • Till date only three global VOCs have been identifed: the U.k variant (B.1.1.7), the South African (B.1.351) and the Brazilian (P.1) lineage

Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG) • Multi-laboratory, multi-agency, pan-India network to monitor genomic variations in the SARS-CoV-2. • It helps in the understanding of how the virus spreads and evolves. GISAID • It is a public platform started by the WHO in 2008 for countries to share genome sequences 8.22.N. Korea launches ‘ballistic missiles’ • North Korea fred two suspected ballistic missiles into the sea on Thursday in its frst substantive provocation to the new U.S. administration of Joe Biden.

✓North fred two short-range missiles into the Sea of Japan, known as the East Sea in Korea, from South Hamgyong province.

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8.23.China cuts Hong kong elected seats (watch 12 March DND) • China passed sweeping changes for Hong Kong’s electoral system that will give Beijing-appointed politicians a greater say in running the Special Administration Region (SAR), marking the biggest change since the handover in 1997. • Currently, only half of the 70 members of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council (LegCo) are directly elected and the rest are nominated. • With this change, the number of LegCo members will be increased to 90, with the additional members also nominated, thereby reducing the share of elected representatives.

One Country Two Systems • the Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions, both former colonies, can have different economic and political systems from that of mainland China, while being part of the People’s Republic of China.

Sino-British Joint Declaration • On December 19, 1984, signed between China and the U.K. which set the terms for the autonomy and the legal, economic and governmental systems for Hong Kong post 1997. • the Joint Declaration on the Question of Macau ✓Similarly, on March 26, 1987, signed between China and Portugal in which China made similar promises for the region of Macau after it was handed over to Beijing.

One Country Two Systems • Both regions became Special Administrative Regions of China. The regions would have their own currencies, economic and legal systems, but defence and diplomacy would be decided by Beijing. • Their mini-Constitutions would remain valid for 50 years — till 2047 for Hong Kong and 2049 for Macau.

China has passed a wide-ranging new security law for Hong Kong • It will make changes in the Basic Law, the mini-constitution which defnes ties between Hong Kong and Beijing (China’s capital).

Basic Law • It allows Hong Kong to enjoy executive, legislative and independent judicial power, including that of fnal adjudication, barring matters of defence and foreign affairs. • Under Article 23 of the Basic Law, Hong Kong has to enact a national security law • Article 23 aims at preserving national security but it will also allow China’s national security organs to formally operate and set up institutions in Hong Kong. • Basic law makes it clear that only Hong Kong’s Legislative Council (LegCo) can make and repeal laws. • However, Beijing can bypass LegCo if it chooses to and make the national security law applicable to Hong Kong by inserting this legislation in Annex III of the Basic Law.

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The new law's key provisions include that • Crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces are punishable by a maximum sentence of life in prison • Damaging public transport facilities can be considered terrorism • Companies can be fned if convicted under the law • Beijing will establish a new security offce in Hong Kong, with its own law enforcement personnel - neither of which would come under the local authority's jurisdiction • This offce can send some cases to be tried in mainland China - but Beijing has said it will only have that power over a "tiny number" of cases

Concern • It is clear that the law will have a severe impact on freedom of expression, if not personal security, on the people of Hong Kong.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 209 T.me/SleepyClasses 9. International Relations Click on the links given below to watch the following questions on YouTube Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

Video 4

Video 5

Video 6

Video 7

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9.1.India and Japan back in New Sri lanka port project About • Sri Lanka on Tuesday said it will develop the West Container Terminal (WCT) at the Colombo Port, along with India and Japan. • Recently, the Sri Lankan government cancelled the contract with India and Japan for the Eastern Container Terminal (ECT).

China • China is building state of the art gigantic modern ports all along the Indian Ocean to the south of it, in Gwadar (Pakistan), Chittagong (Bangladesh, Kyauk Phru (Myanmar) and Hambantota (Sri Lanka). • Recently, a Chinese company has won a contract to set up hybrid wind and projects on three Sri Lankan islands off the northern Jaffna peninsula 45 km from Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu. • Asian Development Bank (ADB) will fund the project, which will come up on Delft, Nainativu and Analativu, three islands in the Palk Strait off Jaffna peninsula. • Delft, the largest of the three islands, is the closest to Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, which lies to the island’s south west • Between the two is Kachchativu , the tiny island that India ceded to Sri Lanka in 1974 • The waters around these islands are an area of contest and rivalry between Tamil Nadu and Jaffna fshers.

India and Sri Lanka Fishermen Issue • The constant and frequent issue of fsherman and recently Indian fshermen were picked up by the Sri Lankan Navy. The fshermen dispute is inevitable between neighbours. Indian Fishermen entering Sri Lankan water is not with any particular intention. What is important is that the two governments and the fshermen associations of both the sides must take care of these incidents and can be contained. • Both countries have signed an MOU to equip the fshermen and give them nets and necessary things to help them carry out their trade better and more peacefully

Economic Cooperation • India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement was signed in 2010. India is Sri Lanka’s largest trading partner Defence and Security Cooperation • India and Sri Lanka conducts joint Military (‘Mitra Shakti’) and Naval exercise (SLINEX). • India also provides defence training to Sri Lankan force • In April 2019, India and Sri Lanka also concluded agreement on countering Drug and Human traffcking. • Cultural and Educational Cooperation: • India and Sri Lanka signed a cultural cooperation agreement back in 1977 www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 211 T.me/SleepyClasses • India cultural centre in Colombo promotes Indian culture by providing courses in Indian music, dance, yoga etc • Sri Lanka is also a partner in Nalanda university project of India Signifcance of the relations • India shares a common cultural and security space with the countries in the South Asian region especially Sri Lanka. • Sri Lanka’s location in the Indian Ocean region as an island State has been of strategic geopolitical relevance to several major powers. • India should shed its big brother image and actively take part to rebuild the war-torn country. • China’s string of pearl’s strategy is aimed at encircling India to establish dominance in the Indian Ocean.

Conclusion • Despite some of the pending issues, the relations between the two neighbors in IOR look to be going forward. Trade between the two has grown rapidly after the entry into force of FTA in 2000. India is planning to develop regions beyond the drefence assistance provided to Sri Lanka which are welcome steps. It may be hoped that the ethnic and fshermen issues may also get resolved in near future with better relations being on track.

9.2.IAF Participation in EX Desert FLAG VI • Ex Desert Flag is an annual multi-national large force employment warfare exercise hosted by the United Arab Emirates Air Force. The Indian Air Force is participating for the frst time in Exercise Desert Flag-VI along with air forces of United Arab Emirates, United States of America, France, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Bahrain.

Other Exercises • India has In-UAE BILAT (bilateral naval exercise) as well as Desert Eagle-II (bilateral air force exercise).

Other important exercises • GARUDA VI-It is a bilateral air exercise between Indian Air Force and French air force. The latest edition was held in France • AUMX-ASEAN-US Maritime Exercise • SITMEX-(Singapore India Thailand Maritime Exercise) • SAMUDRA LAKSAMANA- The and Malaysian Navy • India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT) between the Indian Navy(IN) and the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) was held • Shakti-2019-It is a biennial joint exercise between India and France • DANX-19-second edition of Defence of Andaman & Nicobar Islands 2019 (DANX-19),a large scale joint services exercise, was recently conducted by Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC).Carried out by , Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 212 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses • Nomadic Elephant It is Indo –Mongolian joint military training. • Tiger Triumph-It is a India-U.S. joint tri-services Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR). • SAMPRITI-It is a bilateral defence cooperation endeavour between India and Bangladesh • Malabar Exercise-trilateral maritime exercise between navies of India, Japan and the US recently began off the coast of Japan.

9.3.OPEC+ move to hit recovery About • The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, a group known as OPEC+, agreed on Thursday not to increase supply in April as they await a more substantial recovery in demand

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) • is a permanent, intergovernmental organization, created at the Baghdad Conference in 1960, by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela. • It is headquartered in Vienna, Austria • Its membership is open to any country that is a substantial exporter of oil and which shares the ideals of the organization. • Later joined by Qatar (1961), Indonesia (1962), Libya (1962), the United Arab Emirates (1967), Algeria (1969), Nigeria (1971), Ecuador (1973), Gabon (1975), Angola (2007), Equatorial Guinea (2017) and Congo (2018) • Ecuador suspended its membership in December 1992, rejoined OPEC in October 2007, but decided to withdraw its membership of OPEC effective 1 January 2020. • Indonesia suspended its membership in January 2009, reactivated it again in January 2016, but decided to suspend its membership once more in November 2016. • Gabon terminated its membership in January 1995. However, it rejoined the Organization in July 2016. • Qatar terminated its membership on 1 January 2019. • This means that, currently, the Organization has a total of 13 Member Countries. Why Qatar left Reason • To focus on its gas industry rather than on oil, in which it was in any case a small player. • Qatar’s riches are due to its natural gas reserves, and it is the world’s largest exporter of liquefed natural gas (LNG).

What is Saudi’s problem with Qatar? • Qatar has long showed an independent mind in foreign policy that does not always align with the priorities of its regional Arab neighbours. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 213 T.me/SleepyClasses • This includes having a close economic and diplomatic relationship with Shia Iran, Sunni Saudi’s great regional rival. • Riyadh claimed Qatar had refused to end ties with “terrorists”, after Doha declined to fulfl 13 demands that were presented to it, including cutting diplomatic relations with Tehran and military ties with Turkey, shutting down the TV station Al Jazeera, and aligning with other Arab countries “militarily, politically, socially and economically” • Qatar said the demands amounted to surrendering our sovereignty. Qatar left & impact on India • Qatar is a tiny player that pumped 609,000 barrels a day in October, only 2% of OPEC’s total output of 32.9 million barrels per day • Qatar has limited infuence on OPEC’s pricing decisions. • From India’s perspective, its position as the world’s top LNG exporter (annual production of 77 million tonnes per year) and an infuential player in the global LNG market is more pertinent. • Qatar is one of India’s oldest LNG suppliers, with Petronet LNG among the companies that have contracted to buy LNG from Qatar. • But LNG pricing is not in OPEC’s domain, so Qatar’s decision is unlikely to impact these trends OPEC+ • In 2016, OPEC allied with other top non-OPEC oil-exporting nations to form an even more powerful entity named OPEC+ or OPEC Plus. • OPEC plus countries include Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Russia, South Sudan and Sudan. • The cartel's goal is to exert control over the price of the precious known as crude oil.1 OPEC+ controls over 50% of global oil supplies and about 90% of proven oil reserves. • If OPEC+ countries are unsatisfed with the price of oil, it is in their interests to cut the supply of oil so prices rise. • In March 2020, Saudi Arabia and Russia, the second leading exporter and, arguably, the 2nd most important player in the recently formed OPEC+, failed to reach an agreement about cutting production to stabilize the price of oil.

Benchmarks • There are 3 main crude oil benchmarks worldwide; ✓Brent crude oil Benchmark

✓WTI (West Texas intermediate) Benchmark

✓Dubai and Oman Benchmark

Dubai and Oman Benchmark:- • Oil extracted from Arab countries is sold by referencing this benchmark. India imports primarily from OPEC countries, Brent is the benchmark for oil prices in India.

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9.4.PM inaugurates ‘Maitri Setu’ between India and Bangladesh About Maitri Setu • The bridge ‘Maitri Setu’ has been built over the Feni River which fows between the Indian boundary in Tripura State and Bangladesh. • The 1.9 Km long bridge joins Sabroom in India with Ramgarh in Bangladesh. • The construction was taken up by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd.

Signifcance of the bridge • Tripura is set to become the ‘Gateway of North East’ with access to Chittagong Port of Bangladesh, which is just 80 kms from Sabroom. • It will help ease the movement of goods and passengers between the two countries provide new market opportunities for products of North-East states and assist the seamless movement of passengers to and from India and Bangladesh. • The project is being taken up by the Land Ports Authority of India. About Feni River • Feni is a river in southeastern Bangladesh and Tripura. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 215 T.me/SleepyClasses • It is a trans-boundary river with an ongoing dispute about water rights. • It originates in the South Tripura district and fows through Sabroom town and then enters Bangladesh. • The question of sharing the waters of the river between India and Pakistan was frst discussed in 1958.

Other Initiatives • PM Modi also laid the foundation stone for setting up an Integrated Check Post at Sabroom. Signifcance • It will help ease the movement of goods and passengers between the two countries provide new market opportunities for products of North-East states and assist the seamless movement of passengers to and from India and Bangladesh. • The project is being taken up by the Land Ports Authority of India. 9.5.US’s Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) • Ever since India formally signed up for the $5.5 billion S-400 purchase in October 2018, it has been under the incipient threat of being penalised under the US’s Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

What is CAATSA? • Enacted in 2017, it is a US federal law that imposed sanctions on Iran, North Korea and Russia. • Includes sanctions against countries that engage in signifcant transactions with Russia’s defence and intelligence sectors. • The Act empowers the US President to impose at least fve of the 12 listed sanctions on persons engaged in a “signifcant transaction” with Russian defence and intelligence sectors

Background of CAATSA • The Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act came against the backdrop of three events that would have serious implications regarding geopolitics. They are as follows:

✓Iran’s Nuclear Missiles Program: The United States Government believed that any progress in Iran’s nuclear missile program would further destabilize the Middle-East as Iran has repeatedly made threats against Israel

✓. The CAATSA gives authority to the President of the United States to impose sanctions against any party involved in the sale and transfer of military technology to Iran.

✓Curbing Russian infuence: The Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 and allegations of interventions in the US polls of 2016 was the catalyst for the CAATSA against Russia.

Background of CAATSA • The Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act came against the backdrop of three events that would have serious implications regarding geopolitics. They are as follows:

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 216 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses Iran’s Nuclear Missiles Program: • The United States Government believed that any progress in Iran’s nuclear missile program would further destabilize the Middle-East as Iran has repeatedly made threats against Israel • The CAATSA gives authority to the President of the United States to impose sanctions against any party involved in the sale and transfer of military technology to Iran.

Curbing Russian infuence: • The Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 and allegations of interventions in the US polls of 2016 was the catalyst for the CAATSA against Russia.

North Korea and weapons of mass destruction: • North Korea has a nuclear weapons military program What sanctions will be imposed? • prohibition on loans to the sanctioned person. • prohibition of Export-Import bank assistance for exports to sanctioned persons. • prohibition on procurement by United States Government to procure goods or services from the sanctioned person. • denial of visas to persons closely associated with the sanctioned person

India’s concern • India to buy the S-400 Triumf long-range surface-to-air missile systems from Almaz-Antey Corporation of Russia in October 2018 and the delivery is expected to start in 2021 • The CAATSA contains 12 types of sanctions • There are only two sanctions that may impact either India-Russia relations or India-US relations. ✓) Prohibition of Banking transactions

✤This would mean diffculties for India in making payments in US Dollars to Russia for the purchase of the S-400 systems.

✓Export sanction

✤It will effectively bar India from buying any major defence equipment from the US, putting a stop to any Defence and Strategic Partnership between India and the US

Analysis • This Act, which has neither international legitimacy nor sanction from the United Nations (UN), applies to all Russian military and defence-related entities.

www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 217 T.me/SleepyClasses • The Act, which also covers other Russian sectors like data processing, petroleum and crude oil, has so far been invoked against China, and more recently Turkey, for receiving two S-400 systems each, similar to the fve ordered by India. • CAATSA, however, does not incorporate provisions for sanctioning any country simply for ordering the S-400s; it embargoes them once system deliveries begin, going by the Chinese and Turkish instances • Some analysts take this to indicate that the threat of CAATSA emanates principally fover the IAF opting for the S-400 instead of rival systems like Lockheed Martin’s Patriot Advanced Capability PAC-3 or the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, • India’s majority, over 65%, of Indian military platforms in all three services, are of Russian origin. Way Forward • The Acts Section 231 states that a sanctions waiver can be granted if the concerned country – • Takes steps to reduce its inventory of major defence equipment and advanced conventional weapons produced by the defence sector of the Russian Federation…over a specifed period’ • A follow-on clause requires that particular country to cooperate with the US on other security matters critical to its interests.

India qualifes on both counts • According to SIPRI, India’s share of Russian materiel buys had declined from 70% in 2010-2014 to 58% in 2014-2018 while conversely • Between 2008-2017 Indian military platforms and defence kit procurements from the US had increased a whopping 557%. • Additionally, India had substantially increased defence procurements from the US’s strategic partners France and Israel.

9.6.China overhauls Hong Kong’s poll system • China on Thursday passed sweeping changes for Hong Kong’s electoral system that will give Beijing- appointed politicians a greater say in running the Special Administration Region (SAR), marking the biggest change since the handover in 1997. • Currently, only half of the 70 members of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council (LegCo) are directly elected and the rest are nominated. • With this change, the number of LegCo members will be increased to 90, with the additional members also nominated, thereby reducing the share of elected representatives.

One Country Two Systems • the Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions, both former colonies, can have different economic and political systems from that of mainland China, while being part of the People’s Republic of China.

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 218 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses Sino-British Joint Declaration • On December 19, 1984, signed between China and the U.K. which set the terms for the autonomy and the legal, economic and governmental systems for Hong Kong post 1997.

The Joint Declaration on the Question of Macau • Similarly, on March 26, 1987, signed between China and Portugal in which China made similar promises for the region of Macau after it was handed over to Beijing.

One Country Two Systems • Both regions became Special Administrative Regions of China. The regions would have their own currencies, economic and legal systems, but defence and diplomacy would be decided by Beijing. • Their mini-Constitutions would remain valid for 50 years — till 2047 for Hong Kong and 2049 for Macau.

China has passed a wide-ranging new security law for Hong Kong • It will make changes in the Basic Law, the mini-constitution which defnes ties between Hong Kong and Beijing (China’s capital).

Basic Law • It allows Hong Kong to enjoy executive, legislative and independent judicial power, including that of fnal adjudication, barring matters of defence and foreign affairs. • Under Article 23 of the Basic Law, Hong Kong has to enact a national security law • Article 23 aims at preserving national security but it will also allow China’s national security organs to formally operate and set up institutions in Hong Kong. • Basic law makes it clear that only Hong Kong’s Legislative Council (LegCo) can make and repeal laws. • However, Beijing can bypass LegCo if it chooses to and make the national security law applicable to Hong Kong by inserting this legislation in Annex III of the Basic Law.

The new law's key provisions include that • Crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces are punishable by a maximum sentence of life in prison • Damaging public transport facilities can be considered terrorism • Companies can be fned if convicted under the law • Beijing will establish a new security offce in Hong Kong, with its own law enforcement personnel - neither of which would come under the local authority's jurisdiction • This offce can send some cases to be tried in mainland China - but Beijing has said it will only have that power over a "tiny number" of cases

Concern • It is clear that the law will have a severe impact on freedom of expression, if not personal security, on the people of Hong Kong www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 219 T.me/SleepyClasses 9.7.India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Women’s Forum • The Sixth India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Womens Forum meeting was held virtually on 16th March, 2021. Led by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, the event witnessed participation of Ministers and offcials responsible for Women Affairs of IBSA Countries

Key points of meeting • Recalled that the Year 2020 marked- ✓A Decade since UN WOMEN was established which was established in 2010

✓The 20th anniversary of UNSC RESOLUTION 1325 on women, peace and security.

✓Fifth anniversary of SDG (Goal 5-to eliminate violence against women)

About IBSA • Formalized during meeting in Brasilia (Brazil) in 2003 and issued Brasilia Declaration. • Does not have a headquarters or a permanent executive secretariat • The IBSA Dialogue Forum is a tripartite grouping (India, Brazil, South Africa) for promoting cooperation among these countries.

Efforts of IBSA • Fund for Alleviation of Poverty and Hunger (2004) to execute development projects with IBSA funding in fellow developing countries. • IBSAMAR (IBSA Maritime Exercise) is an important part of IBSA trilateral defence cooperation, the latest one being off the coast of South Africa in October, 2018.

Downfall of IBSA • In 2011 onwards, BRICS, the larger group comprising IBSA countries, China and Russia, started to overshadow IBSA.

Signifcance of IBSA • South - South Cooperation It is the champion of South-South Cooperation, and the advocate of a coordinated response by developing economies to secure the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). • Solidarity among developing countries IBSA is the true inheritor of solidarity among developing countries, which was nurtured from the Bandung Conference (1955) through UNCTAD and G-77 to the BAPA+40 Declaration (2018). • Shared Values The glue that binds IBSA countries together is their faith in democracy, diversity, plurality, inclusivity, human rights and rule of law.

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9.8.United Nations Peacekeeping Force (UNPKF) • India on Saturday delivered on its promise of 2,00,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines for the United Nations Peacekeeping Force (UNPKF) worldwide, sending a shipment bound for Copenhagen. • The cargo of AstraZeneca Covishield vaccines produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII) in Pune was sent despite the government’s decision to reduce exports in view of the need for vaccines domestically, honouring a commitment made by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar at a UNSC meeting in February.

About United Nations Peacekeeping Force (UNPKF) Background • United Nations peacekeeping was initially developed during the Cold War as a means of resolving conficts between states by deploying unarmed or lightly armed military personnel from a number of countries, under UN command, • The end of the Cold War precipitated a dramatic shift in UN and multilateral peacekeeping. In a new spirit of cooperation, the Security Council established larger and more complex UN peacekeeping missions, often to help implement comprehensive peace agreements between belligerents in intra- State conficts and civil wars

Composition • UN peacekeepers (often referred to as Blue Berets or Blue Helmets because of their light blue berets or helmets) can include soldiers, police offcers, and civilian personnel. • Peacekeeping forces are contributed by member states on a voluntary basis. • Civilian staff of peace operations are international civil servants, recruited and deployed by the UN Secretariat.

UN Peacekeeping is guided by three basic principles • Consent of the parties; • Impartiality; • Non-use of force except in self-defence and defence of the mandate. Funding • Every Member State is legally obligated to pay their respective share towards peacekeeping • The General Assembly apportions peacekeeping expenses based on a special scale of assessments under a complex formula that Member States themselves have established. • This formula takes into account, among other things, the relative economic wealth of Member States, with the fve permanent members of the Security Council required to pay a larger share because of their special responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. Decision making power • Decisions about the establishment, maintenance or expansion of peacekeeping operations are taken by the Security Council. • It is for the Security Council to determine when and where a UN peace operation should be deployed. www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store Call 6280133177 and Play Store 221 T.me/SleepyClasses • The Security Council responds to crises around the world on a case-by-case basis and it has a range of options at its disposal. It takes many different factors into account when considering the establishment of a new peace operation

Past News • The Indian peacekeepers serving in South Sudan have been awarded the United Nations (UN) medal for their service and contribution to building peace in the country. • India has a long tradition of sending women on UN peacekeeping missions. In 2007, India became the frst country to deploy an all-women contingent to a UN peacekeeping mission

9.9.China cuts Hong kong elected seats (watch 12 March DND) • China passed sweeping changes for Hong Kong’s electoral system that will give Beijing-appointed politicians a greater say in running the Special Administration Region (SAR), marking the biggest change since the handover in 1997. • Currently, only half of the 70 members of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council (LegCo) are directly elected and the rest are nominated. • With this change, the number of LegCo members will be increased to 90, with the additional members also nominated, thereby reducing the share of elected representatives.

One Country Two Systems • the Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions, both former colonies, can have different economic and political systems from that of mainland China, while being part of the People’s Republic of China.

Sino-British Joint Declaration • On December 19, 1984, signed between China and the U.K. which set the terms for the autonomy and the legal, economic and governmental systems for Hong Kong post 1997. • the Joint Declaration on the Question of Macau ✓Similarly, on March 26, 1987, signed between China and Portugal in which China made similar promises for the region of Macau after it was handed over to Beijing.

One Country Two Systems • Both regions became Special Administrative Regions of China. The regions would have their own currencies, economic and legal systems, but defence and diplomacy would be decided by Beijing. • Their mini-Constitutions would remain valid for 50 years — till 2047 for Hong Kong and 2049 for Macau.

China has passed a wide-ranging new security law for Hong Kong • It will make changes in the Basic Law, the mini-constitution which defnes ties between Hong Kong and Beijing (China’s capital).

Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com 222 and Play Store Call 6280133177 T.me/SleepyClasses Basic Law • It allows Hong Kong to enjoy executive, legislative and independent judicial power, including that of fnal adjudication, barring matters of defence and foreign affairs. • Under Article 23 of the Basic Law, Hong Kong has to enact a national security law • Article 23 aims at preserving national security but it will also allow China’s national security organs to formally operate and set up institutions in Hong Kong. • Basic law makes it clear that only Hong Kong’s Legislative Council (LegCo) can make and repeal laws. • However, Beijing can bypass LegCo if it chooses to and make the national security law applicable to Hong Kong by inserting this legislation in Annex III of the Basic Law.

The new law's key provisions include that • Crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces are punishable by a maximum sentence of life in prison • Damaging public transport facilities can be considered terrorism • Companies can be fned if convicted under the law • Beijing will establish a new security offce in Hong Kong, with its own law enforcement personnel - neither of which would come under the local authority's jurisdiction • This offce can send some cases to be tried in mainland China - but Beijing has said it will only have that power over a "tiny number" of cases

Concern • It is clear that the law will have a severe impact on freedom of expression, if not personal security, on the people of Hong Kong.

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