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DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 21st January 2021

Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) POWERGRID signs agreement with HPSEBL for Optical Ground Wire (OPGW) Telecom network Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Infrastructure In news  To improve telecom connectivity in hilly areas, Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID), has recently signed an agreement with Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Ltd. (HPSEBL) in Shimla (H.P.) for utilization of 500 Kms of OPGW Telecom network. Key takeaways Through this OPGW Network, Telecom Service providers will be able to provide uninterrupted mobile/Internet services to the people of the state. An optical ground wire is also known as an OPGW or, in the IEEE standard, an optical fiber composite overhead ground wire. It is a type of cable that is used in overhead power lines.  Such cable combines the functions of grounding and communications. Construction of OPGW: OPGW is optical fiber composite ground wire.  This cable contains a tubular structure having one or more optical fiber and surrounded by layers of aluminium and steel wires. This layer of aluminium and steel wires serves to connect the tower to the ground. The optical fiber within the cable is used for the high speed data telemetry between the utilities or sold to some third parties for high speed fiber interconnection between the cities. Do you know? POWERGRID, a ‘Maharatna’ CPSE under Ministry of Power, Government of India and Central Transmission Utility (CTU) of India, is India’s principal power transmission company and also one of the largest power transmission utilities in the world. It is a public limited company. It started its commercial operation in the year 1992-93.  Related artciles: Monetisation of assets of POWERGRID: Click here 28 non-official members nominated to the National Startup Advisory Council Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Start-ups; Entrepreneurship; Innovation In news  The Government of India nominated 28 non-official members on the National Startup Advisory Council, including Byju’s CEO Byju Raveendran, Ola Cabs co-founder Bhavish Aggarwal, Kalaari Capital Managing Director Vani Kola and SoftBank India country head Manoj Kohli. Key takeaways The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) had constituted the council on January 21, 2020, to advise the government on measures required to build a “strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation and startups in the country. The term of the non-official members of this council shall be for two years or until further orders, whichever is earlier. Important value additions Composition of the Council Chairman: Minister for Commerce & Industry. Convener of the Council: Joint Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade. Ex-officio Members: Nominees of the concerned Ministries/Departments/Organisations not below the rank of Joint Secretary. Non-official members, to be nominated by the Central Government. These members shall be nominated from various categories like founders of successful startups, veterans who have grown and scaled companies in India, persons capable of representing the interests of investors into startups, etc.  The term of the non-official members will be for a period of two years. Functions The Council will suggest measures to foster a culture of innovation amongst citizens and students, in particular, promote innovation in all sectors of the economy across the country. It will also suggest measures to facilitate public organisations to assimilate innovation with a view to improving public service delivery, promote creation, protection and commercialization of intellectual property rights. Further, it will suggest measures to make it easier to start, operate, grow and exit businesses by reducing regulatory compliances and costs, promote ease of access to capital for startups. Ratle Hydro Power Project Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Infrastructure In news  The Union Cabinet has given its approval for the investment of Rs.5281.94 crore for 850 MW Ratle Hydro Electric (HE) Project. Key takeaways It will be located on river Chenab, in Kishtwar district of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It will be implemented by a new Joint Venture Company (JVC) to be incorporated between National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) and Jammu & Kashmir State Power Development Corporation Ltd (JKSPDC) with equity contribution of 51% and 49% respectively. The Ratle Hydro Electric Project shall be commissioned within a span of 60 months. The Power generated from the Project will help in providing balancing of Grid and will improve the power supply position. Further, Union Territory of J&K will be benefitted by getting free power worth Rs. 5289 crore and through levy of Water Usage Charges worth Rs.9581 crore from Ratle Hydro Electric Project, during project life cycle of 40 years. 5th India – Singapore Defence Ministers’ Dialogue Part of: GS Prelims and GS-II – International Relations In news  The 5th Defence Ministers' Dialogue (DMD) between India and Singapore was successfully held recently through a video conference. Key takeaways At this 5th DMD, both Ministers witnessed the signing of the Implementing Agreement on Submarine Rescue Support and Cooperation between the two Navies. The Ministers further welcomed the implementing agreement on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) cooperation in August 2020 for the two Armed Forces to have closer operational collaboration in response to disasters. Recently, the Indian Navy and Singapore Navy successfully conducted the 27th edition of Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) and also participated in the second edition of the Singapore-India-Thailand Maritime Exercise (SITMEX); both held in November 2020. Indian Defence Minister reaffirmed ASEAN centrality in the regional security architecture and pledged India’s support to all endeavours of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM)-Plus. The cyber agencies of both armed forces have also stepped up engagements. Dragon Fruit Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Ecology; Biodiversity In news  Dragon fruit was recently in news because the Gujarat government has decided to rename it as ‘kamalam’. Important value additions Dragon fruit is the fruit of a species of wild cactus indigenous to South and Central America, where it is called pitaya or pitahaya. The fruit’s flesh is usually white or red — although there is a less common yellow pitaya too — and is studded with tiny seeds rather like the kiwifruit. Largest Dragon fruit producer and exporter: Vietnam The Vietnamese call it thanh long, which translates to “dragon’s eyes”, believed to be the origin of its common English name. Dragon fruit is also cultivated in Thailand, Taiwan, China, Australia, Israel, and Sri Lanka. It was brought to India in the 1990s, and is grown in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.  It grows in all kinds of soil, and does not require much water. Second Edition of India Innovation Index Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Start-ups; Entrepreneurship; Innovation In news  NITI Aayog, along with the Institute for Competitiveness released the second edition of the India Innovation Index.  The first edition of the index was launched in October 2019. Key takeaways The India Innovation Index 2020 examines the innovation capabilities and performance of the states and union territories. Toppers in ‘Major States’ category: (1) Karnataka; (2) Maharashtra; (3) Tamil Nadu  Four southern states—Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Kerala—occupied the top five spots under the ‘Major States’ category this year. Overall, Delhi retained its first rank, while Chandigarh landed in the second place this year. Under the ‘North-Eastern/Hill States’ category: Himachal Pradesh moved up from the second position to emerge as the top ranker this year. Parameters: The innovation inputs were measured through five enabler parameters, and the output through two performance parameters. Enabler parameters: ‘Human Capital’, ‘Investment’, ‘Knowledge Workers’, ‘Business Environment’, ‘Safety and Legal Environment’  Performance parameters: ‘Knowledge Output’ and ‘Knowledge Diffusion’ Do you know? Reason for Karnataka’s rank: Karnataka’s rank is attributable to its substantive number of venture capital deals, registered geographical indicators and information and communications technology exports. Karnataka’s high FDI inflow has also enhanced the innovation capabilities of the state. Related article: National Innovation Portal (NIP) launched: Click here (Mains Focus) GOVERNANCE / ECONOMY Topic: General Studies 2: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.  Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. IBC’s Section 32A Context: The Supreme Court recently held that the successful bidders for a corporate debtor under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) would be immune from any investigations being conducted either by any investigating agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) or other statutory bodies such as Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). Brief Background IBC was enacted on May 28, 2016 to effectively deal with insolvency and bankruptcy of corporate persons, partnership firms and individuals, in a time bound manner.  It has brought about a paradigm shift in laws relating to insolvency resolution to  Promote entrepreneurship Maximize value of assets Providing a robust insolvency resolution framework  Differentiating between impropriety and business debacle.  The predominant object of the Code is resolution of the Corporate Debtor. IBC is a transformational piece of legislation and has been amended four times to resolve problems hindering objectives of the Code. Prior to insertion of section 32A (introduced by IBC(Second Amendment) Bill, 2019) a successful Resolution Applicant faced the hassle of prosecution and liabilities before courts and tribunals for prior acts of Corporate Debtor Section 32A provides that Corporate Debtor shall not be prosecuted for an offence committed prior to commencement of Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP) once Resolution Plan has been approved by Adjudicating Authority (AA). What did the Supreme Court say in its judgment? Upheld Section 32A of IBC: In its judgment, the apex court, while upholding the validity of Section 32 A of IBC, said it was important for the IBC to attract bidders who would offer reasonable and fair value for the corporate debtor to ensure the timely completion of corporate insolvency resolution process (CIRP). Protection granted: Such bidders, however, must also be granted protection from any misdeeds of the past since they had nothing to do with it.  There is thus extinguishment of criminal liability of corporate debtor. Protection extended to assets of debtor: Such protection, the court said, must also extend to the assets of a corporate debtor, which form a crucial attraction for potential bidders and helps them in assessing and placing a fair bid for the company, which, in turn, will help banks clean up their books of bad loans.  Conditions for Immunity: The protection to successful bidders and the assets of a corporate debtor are provided by the rules under Section 32A of the IBC. The apex court has, however, also said that such immunity would be applicable only if there is an approved resolution plan, and a change in the management control of the corporate debtor “The new management cannot be the disguised avatar of the old management. It cannot even be the related party of the corporate debtor. The new management cannot be the subject matter of an investigation which has resulted in material showing abetment or conspiracy for the commission of the offence and the report or complaint filed thereto,” the apex court held. Why is the SC upholding Section 32A important? Time taken for resolution: Since the IBC came into being in 2016, the implementation of resolution plan of several big ticket cases has been delayed because of various challenges mounted by its own agencies and regulators Example of Bhushan Power and Steel: The debt-laden company, admitted into insolvency in 2017, owes more than Rs 47,000 crore to banks and other financial institutions, and another Rs 780 crore to its operational creditors. After a prolonged bidding battle, JSW Steel won the rights to take over Bhushan Power with a bid of Rs 19,700 crore.  However, before the Sajjan Jindal-led company could move to take over Bhushan Power, the ED swooped in, and attached assets worth Rs 4,000 crore citing alleged fraud in a bank loan taken by the company’s former owners and other cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Merits of SC Judgement Quick Resolution of Insolvency Cases: The SC judgement bring clarity into Section 32A of IBC and ensures the timely completion of corporate insolvency resolution process. With the Supreme Court upholding the validity of Section 32 A, the cases such as that of Bhushan Power are expected to be completed soon. Boosts Confidence in IBC: Experts also said that this will give confidence to other bidders to proceed with confidence while bidding on such disputed companies and their assets Helps new management make clean Start: The extinguishment of the criminal liability of the corporate debtor is apparently important to the new management to make a clean break with the past and start on a clean slate.  GOVERNANCE/ ECONOMY Topic: General Studies 2,3: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment. Power Subsidies Context: India spends about Rs 2.89 lakh crore (~$39.5 billion) annually to subsidise energy production and consumption, according to a recent CEEW and IISD study. This covers electricity, gas, LPG, kerosene and fertiliser. Subsidies are needed either to promote goods and services that have greater social/environmental welfare or to underwrite access to basic levels of consumption for those who cannot afford them. Issues Improper Targeting of subsidies: If the target beneficiaries are not assessed properly, subsidies end up being wasted, thereby distorting the very social welfare they were meant to fix. Continuation of High tariffs: Poorly targeted electricity subsidies (at Rs 63,778 crore) constituted more than a fifth of all energy subsidies. Yet, India has one of the highest electricity tariffs on a purchasing power parity basis. Subsidy structure not aligned with India’s Policies: Government’s programmes indicate that India is, rightly, going through two energy transitions: one towards universal energy access and another a shift toward cleaner energy. But its subsidy structures militate against both objectives, perpetuating distorted prices for dirty fuels and limiting the resources available to target the households needing support. Way Ahead Data based subsidy structure: Improved subsidy distribution data would help identify the groups that benefit, and create the political space to revise electricity tariffs upwards for richer consumers. The Give-It-Up campaign for LPG subsidies followed this principle. Use Census for Proper Targeting: The population needs to be better categorised based on wealth/income so as to better target power subsidies. Census can provide necessary data for such purposes. In order to overcome the limitations of self-reporting of incomes, wealth and social indicators would also be needed to categorise households properly. DBT alternative to Subsidies: A well-targeted direct income transfer could cover all or a portion of nominal electricity consumption. Such an electricity access safety net, during stressed economic conditions, would cost Rs 3,000 crore for three months, less than 5% of annual power subsidies across all states. Proportionate agri-power subsidies: Subsidies for agricultural use of electricity and fertiliser should be linked to farm size. Also, natural farming could save subsidies on fertiliser, and instead cover the costs (within a decade) of shifting farmers to more sustainable farming practices.  Inter-departmental Collaboration: A targeted direct benefit transfer scheme for power could be designed in collaboration with departments responsible for providing non-energy social welfare schemes as well. Subsidies for infrastructure creation: Subsidies for renewables are needed to invest in grid balancing and energy storage so that the wider electrification of many other sectors (transport, cooking, small industries) becomes feasible. Piped Natural Gas in Urban areas: It is estimated that rapid rollout of piped natural gas in urban areas by 2025 could result in LPG subsidy savings of over Rs 1 lakh crore. Restructuring Subsidy structure: Substituting subsidy reforms (such as a direct benefit transfer to poor consumers) for poorly designed cross-subsidies could not only reduce money spent on subsidies but will substantially improve industrial competitiveness. Holistic approach: Adopt principles consistent with social justice, environmental sustainability and new economic opportunity. Conclusion The difference between good and bad subsidies lies in the balance between social welfare and political patronage. The pandemic-induced economic crisis gives one more chance to fix the distortions, increase energy security nets for those who need them, free up resources to invest in clean infrastructure, create more jobs and attract billions more in new investment. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Note:  Correct answers of today’s questions will be provided in next day’s DNA section. Kindly refer to it and update your answers.  Comments Up-voted by IASbaba are also the “correct answers”. Q.1 Second edition of the India Innovation Index was launched by which of the following? Ministry of Science and Technology NITI Aayog Ministry of Commerce National Innovation Foundation (NIF) – India  Q.2 Consider the following statements regarding Dragon fruit: It is indigenous to Vietnam only. It grows in all kinds of soil. It requires lots of water. Which of the above is/are correct? 1 and 3 only 3 only 1 and 2 only 2 only Q.3 Maritime Exercise SITMEX is held between which of the following countries? Singapore and Thailand Singapore, Thailand and India Singapore and India Thailand and India ANSWERS FOR 20th January 2021 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE (TYK) 1 B 2 D 3 A 4 B Must Read On addressing vaccine hesitancy: The Hindu About Removing the creases in housework valuation: The Hindu On cybertac conundrum: Indian Express

PIB

PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU (PIB) IAS UPSC – 9th January to 17th January – 2021

Press Information Bureau (PIB) IAS UPSC – 9th to 17th January, 2021 ARCHIVES GS-2 16th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (Topic: Indian Diaspora) Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 16th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas convention.  Addressing the event, he told Indians across the world that they are connected in minds because of 'Maa Bharti' and lauded the efforts of the overseas Indians in fighting the challenges last year.  He assured the Indian diaspora that the country always stands with them, while mentioning that over 45 lakh people were repatriated under the Vande Bharat mission during the pandemic.  The Prime Minister said the lessons learnt by India during the pandemic have become an inspiration for the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, and this movement for self-reliance is meant to help others as “Made in India” products and solutions will benefit the world.  In this regard, he spoke about the two “Made in India” coronavirus vaccines. He said India will continue to play its role as the world’s pharmacy and protect humanity from Covid-19, adding that the world is not only waiting for India’s vaccine, but everyone is watching how India runs the world’s largest vaccination programme.  Role of Indian Diaspora There are close to 32.1 million NRIs and PIOs residing outside India. They are huge reservoirs of talent and potentiality that India needs to draw upon. The Indian diasporic community are “unnamed ambassadors” promoting and maintaining the rich Indian culture and interests on foreign lands. Indian diaspora as a biggest strategic asset for India: Global labour source: With one of the largest pools of relatively low wage semi-skilled and skilled labour, India can become a critical centre of global labour sources. The past few decades has seen an upsurge of migration from India to the Gulf and, to North America. Given these emerging realities, India take advantage of these future trends to not only maximise the welfare of Indians outside the country, but also those within the country Can international migration and the Diaspora be a strategic asset for the country instead of just depleting its best and brightest. Influential Positions: From Google CEO Sundar Pichai to Nobel laurete scientist Har Gobind Khorana and Microsoft CEO Sathya Nadella to world’s one among the leading music conductors Zubin Mehta, the list of NRIs and their contribution to the world goes endlessly. The President of Singapore, Governor-General of New Zealand and prime ministers of Mauritius and Trinidad and Tobago were all of Indian descent. As a Pressure groups: The influential Indian diaspora affects not just the popular attitude, but also government policies in countries where they live, to the benefit of India. India benefits tremendously through these people in luring large multinational companies as well as entrepreneurial ventures. Example: lobbying for the US-India Civilian Nuclear Agreement Bill in 2008 Agents of change: Diaspora acts as ‘agents of change’ facilitating and enhancing investment, accelerating industrial development, and boosting international trade and tourism. Another tangible long-term advantage in nurturing ties with an active Diaspora is an accelerated technological sector. Soft Power:  The spread of Yoga, Ayurveda, Indian spiritualism, Bollywood, Indian cuisine across the world has made India famous. It has even led to revival of many lost relationships with many countries. Humanitarian Assistance: There are many instances where diaspora has stood up for their Indian kins in times of disaster. Example: during the recent Kerala floods, immense help in the form of men, material and money from diaspora was given. Indian diaspora residing in China’s Shanghai has contributed Rs. 32.13 lakh to the Chief Minister’s distress relief fund for Kerala floods. Political power: Many people of Indian origin hold top political positions in many countries, in the US itself they are now a significant part of Republicans and Democrats, as well as the government. The three ministers Rishi Sunak, Alok Sharma, and Priti Patel have held top roles in the UK government currently. Measures taken by the Government to help the distressed diaspora during COVID-19 Vande Bharat Mission was the biggest evacuation exercise to bring back Indian citizens stranded abroad amidst the coronavirus-induced travel restrictions. It was also considered as the largest exercise to bring back Indian citizens since the evacuation of 177,000 from the Gulf region in the early 1990s at the start of hostilities between Iraq and Kuwait during the first Gulf War. The mission has given priority to Indian citizens with “compelling reasons to return” – like those whose employment have been terminated, those whose visas have expired and not expected to be renewed under the present circumstances and those who have lost family members in recent times. The program named Samudra Setu by Indian navy entails to bring back around two thousand Indians in two ships during the first phase of evacuation. INS Jalashwa and INS Magar are being operated as part of efforts to repatriate Indian nationals from foreign shores. Year End Review: Department of Telecommunications The telecom sector is the backbone for achieving various pillars of Digital India programme. The significant growth in this sector is a result of key reforms and initiatives undertaken by the Government. This has facilitated creation of infrastructure and investment in this sector leading to social and economic growth of all citizens, improved rural digital connectivity and near universal coverage of telecom services. India has the second largest number of telephone connections in the world. Tele-density reaches to 86.37% The number of Internet subscribers stood at 776.45 million at the end of September 2020 Cost of data reduces to Rs. 10.55 per GB, enabling affordable internet access for millions of citizens From more than 10 major Telecom Service Providers (TSPs), the sector now has 3 major private TSPS in addition to two PSUs, BSNL and MTNL. BSNL and MTNL turns EBIDTA positive in first half of FY 2020-21 COVID Quarantine Alert System (CQAS) developed for in-house monitoring and management of the quarantine geo-fence Over 300 crore SMS alerts sent to citizens in 10 vernacular languages in 26 States/UTs for Covid-19 awareness under Covid-19 Savdhaan System Prime Minister's Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (PM-WANI) approved by Union Cabinet to accelerate proliferation of Broadband Internet services through Public Wi-Fi network in the country Revival of BSNL and MTNL: The long pending mater of revival of BSNL and MTNL was approved by the Cabinet. The comprehensive revival plan consists of several measures including reduction of staff cost through Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS), allotment of spectrum for 4G services, monetization of land/building, tower and Fiber assets of BSNL/MTNL, debt restructuring through sovereign guarantee bond and in-principle approval of merger of BSNL and MTNL. Service delivery in villages through BharatNet: For achieving the goal of Digital India programme, the Government is implementing the flagship BharatNet project in a phased manner to provide broadband connectivity to all the Gram Panchayats (approx. 2.5 lakh GPs) in the country.UnderBharatNet project around 1.50 lakh Gram Panchayats (GPs) have already been connected with high speed broadband connectivity which will help in launching various services in the rural areas.  Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) connecting Andaman & Nicobar Islands to Chennai established Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan for North Eastern Region (NER): In order to provide connectivity to uncovered areas of North Eastern Region (NER), the Department is executing a project to install of 2004 towers to cover 2128 villages and National Highways. More than 1,300 towers are now radiating. Mobile connectivity to uncovered villages of and Ladakh: For providing connectivity to uncovered villages of J&K;, Ladakh and other priority areas, the Government is implementing a scheme to provide mobile services on technology neutral outcome based approach in 354 villages. 4G service in Aspirational Districts: A plan has been drawn up for provisioning of 4G based Mobile service in 502 uncovered villages of Aspirational Districts of four states namely, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh & Rajasthan at an estimated cost of Rs.686.71 crore. 5G Technology: The emerging 5G technology has the potential for major societal transformation in India by enabling massive expansion of digital products and services across all sectors. In order to launch 5G services in India, DOT has setup indigenous 5G testbed, a consortium project led by IIT Madras and other leading institutions. A 5G hackathon was also organized for development of India specific use cases. First 5G use case lab has been setup at Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDBRT), Hyderabad in financial sector. Year End Review 2020: Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs As a response to COVID-19, soon after the first phase of the lockdown, a revised version of the existing Swachhata-MoHUA App was launched to enable citizens to get their COVID-related complaints redressed by their respective ULBs. E-sampada- new web portal & mobile app launched on good governance day-- to simplify processes & bring uniformity in systems across India &benefit; in allotment for over one lakh government accommodations in 28 cities E-dharti geo portal launched to ensure ease of living, bring transparency & accountability in management of more than 60,000 l&do; properties Master plan of Delhi 2041 -to foster a sustainable, liveable and vibrant Delhi   The Smart City Mission ensured that the Smart Cities remained in the forefront in leveraging technology to manage COVID crisis. More than 50 smart cities transformed their Integrated Control & Command Centres (ICCCs) into COVID-19 war rooms to enable collaboration with various government departments dealing with COVID response. AMRUT Mission helped in improving public health & hygiene during COVID induced lockdown and around 15 lakh water tap connections and more than 9 lakh sewer connections were provided since lockdown. PM SVANidhi, a unique scheme for the urban street vendors was launched in June 2020for providing affordable collateral free working capital loan to street vendors to resume their livelihoods that were adversely affected due to Covid-19 lockdown. This scheme targets to benefit over 50 lakh street vendors and provides incentives in the form of interest subsidy @ 7% per annum on regular repayment of loan and cash-back upto Rs. 1,200 per annum on undertaking prescribed digital transactions. On timely or early repayment, the vendors are eligible for loans of up to Rs. 20,000 during the second cycle and up to Rs. 50,000 during the third cycle.   An end-to-end solution through an IT platform has been developed in collaboration with Small Industries Development Bank of India. So far, more than 33.6 lakh loan applications have been received. Out of these more than 17.3 lakh loans have been sanctioned and more than 12.7 lakh loans disbursed. National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) coordinated with around 50 thousand SHGs for preparing and supplying about 7 Crore Masks, over 3 lakh liters Sanitizers and 2 lakh PPE kits. The Mission also ensured free supply of 3 meals a day in Shelters for Urban Homeless to over 1 lakh homeless, including migrants.SHGs’also organized community kitchens in 14 States to provide food to about 60 thousand persons each day during lockdown. Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHCs) as a sub scheme under PMAY-U was approved to provide ease of living to urban migrants/poor in Industrial Sector as well as in non-formal urban economy to get access to dignified affordable rental housing close to their workplace. SBM-URBAN: SBM 2.0 is being actively considered to make Swachhtha a way of life.  The focus over the next five years will be to ensure that all cities of Urban India are certified ODF+ and rated at least 3 Star Garbage Free, and all cities with less than 1 lakh population certified as ODF++. Additionally, 50% of cities with less than 1 lakh population to be Water+ certified. With tremendous achievements during the last six years, the Mission has indeed been able to script a new chapter in the journey towards a Swachh’, Swasth’, ‘Sashakt’, ‘Samridhh’ and ‘Atmanirbhar’ Bharat. Over 6.2 lakhs community/ public toilets have been constructed In an effort to make public toilets more accessible to citizens, the Ministry partnered with Google to map public toilet blocks on Google Maps. Solid Waste Management- Door-to-door collection and source segregation of waste, which were almost negligible before 2014, now stands at 97% (83,435 wards out of 86,284 wards) and 77% (66,400 out of 86,284 wards) respectively.  The percentage of waste processing which stood at 18% before 2014 has grown more than three times over and now stands at 68%. The Star Rating Protocol for Garbage Free Citieswas introduced in January 2018 – a framework to promote holistic and sustainable solid waste management and helping cities to progressively move towards higher levels of cleanliness. SBM-U has launched the Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge (on 19 November 2020) with the objective of preventing ‘hazardous cleaning’ of sewers and septic tanks and promotes their mechanized cleaning.  Integration And Mainstreaming Of Sanitation Workers And Informal Waste Pickers- The Mission has integrated over 84,000 informal waste pickers into the mainstream while over 5.5 lakh sanitation workers have been linked to various welfare schemes under the Government. SMART CITIES MISSION Ease of Living Index and Municipal Performance Index: Outcome and performance assessment frameworks to measure quality of life and city performance rolled out in 114 Cities.  Over 31 lakh citizens engaged with as part of Citizen Perception Survey. The Urban Learning and Internship Program (TULIP) aims to match opportunities in ULBs/smart cities with learning needs of fresh graduates. 284 Smart Cities/ ULBs have posted over 13,000 internships out of which 828 candidates are undergoing internships and 81 have completed their internships. DataSmart Cities and Data Maturity Assessment Framework (DMAF) rolled out in 100 Smart Cities to help cities create a data ecosystem for data-driven governance. Second round of annual assessment currently underway.  Centre for Digital Governance (CDG) has been established in NIUA. ClimateSmart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF) rolled out in 100 Smart Cities to help cities look at urban planning and governance from the perspective of climate change. India Cycles4Change Challenge, Streets for People Challenge, Nurturing Neighbourhoods challenge are being implemented by the Mission towards scaling-up transformative projects benefitting citizens and contributing to enhanced quality of life. New transformative initiatives are being planned such as EatSmart Challenge in association with FSSAI. A Challenge called ‘Tech4Mobility’ is being planned to promote technology in enhancing public transportation. The mission has targeted to setup ICCCs in all 100 Smart Cities by 2022. DataSmart Cities Strategy will be scaled up in 500 Cities by the end of the Mission. Open Data Platform / India Urban Data Exchange (IUDX) shall be enabled in 500 cities under the program. 13th India-Vietnam Defence Security Dialogue (Topic: India and Vietnam) Both the sides  Reviewed the progress on various bilateral defence cooperation initiatives and expressed commitment to further elevate engagements between the Armed Forces under the framework of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.  Agreed that in the recent past our respective countries have made notable strides in Defence Industry and Technology cooperation and look forward to even greater cooperation in this field India-Bangladesh Police Chiefs’ Dialogue (Topic: India and Bangladesh) While discussing ongoing bilateral cooperation, issues of mutual concern and the way forward, it was decided to further strengthen the relationship of the Police forces of the two countries.  As a step toward that, designated ‘nodal points’ would be established for timely and effective handling and response to existing as well as emerging security and counter-terrorism challenges.  Both sides Agreed to enhance their work jointly against terrorist entities including the Global Terrorist Groups, as well as other fugitives, wherever they are present and active.   Reiterated the need for sharing of real time intelligence and feedback through the designated ‘nodal points’, while appreciating each other’s ongoing action against insurgent groups operating in the region. Discussed the scope of enhanced coordination to combat trans-border criminal activities, including smuggling of drugs, Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN), arms and ammunition and human trafficking. Cabinet approves MoU between India and UAE for Scientific and Technical Cooperation The MoU provides for sharing of knowledge, data and operational products for meteorological, seismological and oceanic services, such as Radar, Satellite, Tide gauges, seismic and Meteorological stations.  Exchange of experience/visits in term of scientists, research scholars and specialists, etc. for the purpose of research, training, consultation, focused on climatic information services, satellite data utilization for now casting and tropical cyclones forecasting. Exchange of scientific and technical information related to common interest activities. Organization of bilateral scientific and technical seminars/ workshops/ conferences and training courses on problems related to the fields of cooperation mentioned in the MoU and of interest to both countries. Other fields of cooperation as may be mutually agreed upon by the parties. Deployment of Meteorological observation networks on mutual agreement over Ocean waters.    Cooperation in the development of special capacities of Tsunami models researches for faster and more reliable forecasts of Tsunamis propagating through the Oman Sea and Arabian Sea which affect the coastal areas of India and North East of UAE. Cooperation to support the Tsunami Early Warning Centre (TEWC) in the form of forecast modelling software, specifically designed to support the Tsunami forecasting operations. Sharing the real-time seismic data of some of Seismic stations situated in south and west of India and North of the UAE for monitoring the seismic activities which may generate Tsunami in Arabian Sea and Sea of Oman. Cooperate at the field of Seismology which includes the study of Seismic activities having the potential to generate Tsunami waves in Arabian Sea and Oman Sea. Cooperation in Early warnings of Sand and Dust storms through the exchange of knowledge. Weather services make critical contributions in enhancing efficiency of weather dependent sectors of economy; and in managing risk in weather-dependent economic sectors such as agriculture, transport, water etc. which underpin the economic growth in the region. Resilience can be strengthened through regional and global cooperation as countries invest in early warning systems and modernize weather and forecasting services. Due to evolutionary nature of weather, regional collaboration can help improve understanding of changing weather patterns, devise effective response strategies, lower investment costs, and foster regionally relevant technological innovation and address challenges related to modernization and sustainability of weather services. Collaborative participation within MoES (India) and NCM-UAE in terms of activities related to multi-hazard early warning system and climate resilience can significantly contribute to economic growth in the region. India and Japan Sign MoU to Enhance Cooperation in the Field of ICT Department of Telecom, Government of India and Ministry of Communications, Government of Japan will enhance mutual cooperation in the field of 5G technologies, telecom security, submarine optical fiber cable system to islands of India, spectrum management, smart cities, high altitude platform for broadband in unconnected areas, disaster management and public safety etc.  It has been agreed that apart from Ministry level cooperation, Government of India organization such as C-DOT and ITI Limited along with industry partners from Japan will also part of this cooperation. GS-3 Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Topic: Environment) A. Released Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) To assess the efficacy of Protected Areas of 146 National Park and Wildlife Sanctuaries At present, India has a network of 903 Protected Areas in the country covering about 5% of the total geographic area of the country. 70% of the global tiger population, 70% of Asiatic lions and more than 60% of leopards population in India is a certificate of India's thriving biodiversity ,as these big cats sit at the top of food chain and their growing numbers shows the wellbeing of the whole ecosystem Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of Protected Areas (PAs) has emerged as a key tool for PA managers and is increasingly being used by governments and international bodies to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the protected area management systems. The results of present assessment are encouraging with overall mean MEE score of 62.01% which is higher than the global mean of 56%. With this round of evaluation, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change(MoEFCC) successfully completed one full cycle of evaluating all terrestrial National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries of the country from 2006 to 2019. MEE is a very important document that provides valuable guidance on various aspects of wildlife and protected area expand MEE of Marine Protected Areas. A new framework for MEE of Marine Protected Areas has been also jointly prepared by WII and MoEF&CC; and it will be very useful document to implement. B. Launched the Management Effectiveness Evaluation of Indian Zoos (MEE-ZOO) framework which proposes guidelines, criteria and indicators for evaluation of zoos of the country through Management Effectiveness Evaluation Process (MEE-ZOO) in a manner which is discrete, holistic and independent. The assessment criteria and indicators look beyond the traditional concepts, include issues of animal welfare, husbandry and sustainability of resources and finance. The MEE-ZOO exercise is moving towards developing highest standards in Zoos across India and adhering to core values of accountability, transparency, innovation, use of technology, collaboration and integrity to achieve the mandate of conservation of endangered species. C. Announcement: From 2021, 10 best National Parks, 5 coastal and Marine parks and top five Zoos in the country will be ranked and awarded every year. Technology Transfer Agreements to bring country’s first indigenous device for correcting ballooning of brain arteries & device for healing of heart hole (Topic: Science and Technology) Indians will soon have access to the country’s first indigenous flow diverter stent for diverting blood flow away from localized ballooning of arteries in the brain and a device that promotes better healing of the hole in the heart. Nitinol-based occluder devices, which are presently used to heal Atrial Septal Defect(ASD) or hole in the heart that affects 8 out of every 1000 living babies born, are currently imported to meet demands. Besides, currently, India does not manufacture flow diverters stents, which are needed for diverting blood flow away from an intracranial aneurysm or localized ballooning of arteries in the brain, helping reduce chances of its rupture and related stroke. The novel ASD occlude developed by SCTIMST promotes better healing of the hole in the heart and also has softer edge for minimizing the damage to adjacent tissue.  First one to be manufactured in India It possesses kink resistance and improved radial strength through a novel braiding pattern making the device flexible and adaptable to the distortion of the vessel boundaries.  The device is also provided with radio-opaque markers for radiographic visibility.  The associated delivery system allows accurate positioning of the device across the aneurysm. The delivery system has a novel release mechanism to enable smooth release of the device.  The device is protected through two Indian patent applications, one international patent application, and design registration. DST Scientists find clue to anomalous behaviour of self-propelled fluctuations like fish schools, flocking birds, bacterial colonies (Topic: Science and Technology) Scientists have found a clue to dynamical origin of fluctuations in systems like fish schools, swarm of insects, flocking birds and bacterial colonies, which are called active matter systems.  This understanding can be useful in nanotechnology applications like building small-scale energy-efficient bio-devices as well as biomedical applications like characterizing infection spread in organs, antibiotic resistance and so on. Such systems are made up of self-driven components which extract energy from their surroundings to generate mechanical work.  Due to continuous energy input, such systems are driven far from equilibrium and exhibit, unlike in equilibrium, fascinating collective behaviours, like clustering, “giant” mass fluctuations and anomalous transport.  Particularly, their transport properties (molecular properties, analogous to viscosity, thermal conductivity and mobility that indicate the rate at which momentum, heat, and mass are transferred from one part of a system to another) can be perplexing at times. Prelims oriented News 73rd Army Day: Every year Indian Army celebrates 15th January as ‘Army Day’ to commemorate the day when General (later Field Marshal) K M Carriappa took over the command of Army from General Sir FRR Bucher, the last British Commander-in-Chief in 1949 and became the first Commander-in-Chief of Indian Army post Independence. 8th State to complete ease of doing business reform: Kerala Launch of Khadi Prakritik paint: India’s first cow dung paint Developed by KVIC India’s First Indigenously Designed & Developed Driverless Metro Car: Driver-less metro car for Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA); Has 63 per cent indigenous content which will enhance to 75 per cent in next two to three years Aero India 2021 in Bengaluru: World’s first Hybrid exhibition wherein the Business element of the event will be both physical as well as virtual. India’s First Indigenously Developed 9mm Machine Pistol -  Asmi Jointly developed by DRDO and Indian Army The Machine Pistol fires the in-service 9mm ammunition and sports an upper receiver made from aircraft grade Aluminium and lower receiver from carbon fibre. The weapon has huge potential in Armed forces as personal weapon for heavy weapon detachments, commanders, tank and aircraft crews, drivers/dispatch riders, radio/radar operators, Closed Quarter Battle, counter insurgency and counter terrorism operations etc. This is also likely to find huge employability with the central and state police organizations as well as VIP protection duties and Policing.  The Machine Pistol is likely to have production cost under rupees 50000 each and has potential for exports.  Third phase of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY 3.0) to be launched Spearheaded by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), this phase will focus on new-age and COVID-related skills. Skill India Mission PMKVY 3.0 envisages training of  eight lakh candidates over a scheme period of 2020-2021 with an outlay of Rs. 948.90 crore.  The 729 Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras (PMKKs), empaneled non-PMKK training centres and more than 200 ITIs under Skill India will be rolling out PMKVY 3.0 training to build a robust pool of skilled professionals.  On the basis of the learning gained from PMKVY 1.0 and PMKVY 2.0, the Ministry has improved the newer version of the scheme to match the current policy doctrine and energize the skilling ecosystem affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan Sahab An Indian classical musician in the Hindustani classical music tradition, belonging to the Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1991, followed by Padma Bhushan in 2006 and Padma Vibhushan in 2018.  In 2003 he was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama. His mother was the daughter of the great Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan and music was the legacy of his family. Inayat Hussain Khan was also the court musician during the reign of king Wajid Ali Shah and also the son-in-law of the pioneer of Gwalior Gharana Haddu Khan. Kevadiya in Gujarat Eight trains were flagged off connecting different regions of the country to Kevadiya  in Gujarat Kevadiya as a good example of planned development of economy and ecology while protecting environment Famous for: home to Statue of Unity and Sardar Sarovar The North East Venture Fund (NEVF) What: The first and the only dedicated Venture Fund for the North Eastern Region with an initial corpus of Rs. 100 crores The Venture Fund Scheme launched by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) intended to promote growth of business ventures and skill development in the region. The fund targets to invest in Start-Ups and unique business opportunities to provide resources for new entrepreneurships.  The main focus of North East Venture Fund (NEVF) is for mostly the enterprises involved in Food Processing, Healthcare, Tourism, segregation of services, IT, etc. CBDT launches e-portal for filing complaints regarding tax evasion/Benami Properties/Foreign Undisclosed Assets Taking another step towards e-governance and encouraging participation of citizen as stakeholders in curbing tax evasion, the Central Board of Direct Taxes has launched an automated dedicated e-portal on the e-filing website of the Department to receive and process complaints of tax evasion, foreign undisclosed assets as well as complaints regarding benami properties. The public can now file a Tax Evasion Petition through a link on the e-filing website of the Department https://www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in/ under the head “File complaint of tax evasion/undisclosed foreign asset/ benami property”.  Manipur becomes the 4th State to complete urban local bodies reforms Manipur has become the 4th State in the country to successfully undertake “Urban Local Bodies (ULB)” reforms stipulated by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance. Manipur has now joined the three other States namely, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana, who have completed this reform.  On completion of Urban Local Bodies reform, these four States have been granted additional borrowing permission of Rs.7,481 crore.  Reforms in the Urban Local Bodies and the urban utilities reforms are aimed at financial strenghtening of ULBs in the States and to enable them to provide better public health and sanitation services. Economically rejuvenated ULBs will also be able to create good civic infrastructure. The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yajana (PMFBY) Crop Insurance Scheme- The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yajana (PMFBY) successfully completes 5 Years of operations on 13th January 2021. The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) was launched in 2016.  It is an insurance service scheme for farmers for their yields.  It aims to reduce the premium burden on farmers and ensure early settlement of crop assurance claim for the full insured sum. It was formulated in line with One Nation–One Scheme theme by replacing earlier two schemes National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) and Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (MNAIS). The Scheme covers all Food & Oilseeds crops and Annual Commercial/Horticultural Crops for which past yield data is available and for which requisite number of Crop Cutting Experiments (CCEs) are being conducted under General Crop Estimation Survey (GCES). Implemented by: Empanelled general insurance companies.  Administered by: Ministry of Agriculture The scheme is compulsory for loanee farmers availing Crop Loan /KCC account for notified crops and voluntary for others.  SKOCH Challenger Award: Ministry of Panchayati Raj for Transparency in Governance For IT-led initiatives and transformational reforms leading to outcome-based performance improvement, better transparency and strengthening of the e-Governance in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) across the country Launch of SVAMITVA Scheme: The launch and implementation of SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) Scheme has been one of the milestone and major steps ahead towards ensuring socio-economic empowerment of the rural masses with overriding objective of making the rural inhabitant self-reliant. SVAMITVA Scheme aims to provide an integrated property validation solution for rural India, engaging the latest drone surveying technology, for demarcating the inhabitant land in rural areas. Under the SVAMITVA Scheme, the first ever exercise undertaken to carry out property survey of all villages to provide Record of Rights to millions of rural property owners of inhabited area by issuing property card to them for their immovable residential property. This is expected to pave the way to use their property as a financial asset for availing loans and other financial benefits from banks as in the case in towns and cities. Besides, this will ensure modernised and digitised land records for an easier and efficient method of maintaining and updating the land records and bring transparency in the land records management system. e-GramSwaraj: In order to strengthen e-Governance in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), e-GramSwaraj application has been developed with amalgamating the functionalities of currently available applications in the Panchayat Enterprise Suit (PES) under e-Panchayat Mission Mode Project (MMP). On-line Monitoring Systems of Central Finance Commission (CFC) Funds Flow & Proper Utilisation: The key focus areas of Ministry of Panchayati Raj over the last few years has been to track the fund flow of the Central Finance Commission grants and also to ensure timely payments on real-time basis to the service providers in the Panchayats. The Online Payment Module (erstwhile PRIASoft-PFMS Interface (PPI)) is one of its kind whereby Gram Panchayats are carrying out online payments to the vendors and service providers. The main objective of introducing such a module is to have a sound financial management system in the Panchayats leading to their greater credibility and image. Gram Manchitra – Geo-Spatial Planning Application: Gram Manchitra is a Spatial Planning Application for facilitating and supporting Gram Panchayat users to perform planning at Gram Panchayat level with the use of geo spatial technology. ‘Real time’ monitoring of development work implementation status and progress of execution of various schemes can be easily tracked. SKOCH Challenger Award for Best Performance In E-Governance: Ministry of Tribal Affairs  The Ministry also received 3 Gold Awards for its initiatives namely ‘Eco-Rehabilitation of tribal villages through Innovative design in water management using Ice-stupa’, ‘Swasthya: Tribal Health and Nutritional Portal’ and the Performance Dashboard ‘Empowering Tribals Transforming India.’ Ice- Stupa is a unique project to solve the water problem in the Ladakh region which faces shortage due to climate change and has caused displacement of villagers in search of job opportunities. The structure is built comprising of locally found material with large water retention capacity, which looks like Stupa.  MoTA in partnership with the Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) are making these Ice Stupas through community participation. This yr 26 Ice Stupas were formed saving 60 million litres of water. Tribal health issues are very different from general population and there was lack of authentic and scientific data on tribal health and nutrition.  Swasthya, Health and Nutrition developed  in association with Piramal provides information health and nutrition status of the tribal population in 177 tribal dominated districts.  Ministry of Tribal Affairs is not only implementing its own schemes but also monitoring Central and State Schedule Tribe Component (earlier known as Tribal Sub plan) which has budget of more than 2 lakh crore per annum.  Despite such a huge budget, tribals still lag behind in most of indicators. In last 2 years, to fulfil Digital India goals, Ministry has end to end digitalised all its schemes to ensure that amount spent on tribal welfare is effectively monitored.   Ministry has partnered with reputed organizations to develop innovative models with various Non-Governmental and private sector as partners. The objective is to dismantle inefficient and burdensome practices and encouraging best practices. 

AIR

Aatma Nirbhar Bharat-Measures to Strengthen Blue Economy and Sea based Logistics - All India Radio (AIR) IAS UPSC

ARCHIVES Aatma Nirbhar Bharat-Measures to Strengthen Blue Economy and Sea based Logistics Search 9th Nov, 2020 Spotlight News Analysis here: http://www.newsonair.com/Main_Audio_Bulletins_Search.aspx Topic: General Studies 2, 3: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation Indian economy and mobilization of resources The Fisheries sector is responsible for providing nutritional security, livelihood support and employment to millions of Indians.  India is the second major producer of fish through aquaculture in the world. It is the 4th largest exporter of fish in the world.  It contributes 7.7% to the global fish production. Fish constituted about 10% of total exports from India and almost 20% of agriculture exports in 2017-18. The fisheries and aquaculture production contribute around 1% to India’s GDP and over 5% to the agricultural GDP. Around 28 million people are employed in the fisheries sector in India. The importance – It is estimated that the world’s population will exceed 9 billion by 2050. With the increase in the population, the demand for nutritional security also goes on parallel lines. The agriculture and the allied sectors have to contribute the food demand and supply will play an important role combined with other food sectors to meet the nutritional demands of the growing population. The marine capture fisheries of our country has become stagnant and there is a paradigm shift from capture to culture based fisheries. Aquaculture activities have to be taken up in India as the alternative way of meeting the growing demand of nutritional security.  Indian Government’s Effort to Improve Fisheries Sector Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) during 2018-19: It will cater to creation of fisheries infrastructure facilities both in marine and inland fisheries sectors to enhance the fish production in the country.  Extension of Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) facilities to fishers and fish farmers to help them in meeting their working capital needs. Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana: It aims to achieve 22 million tonnes of fish production by 2024-25. It is also expected to create employment opportunities for 5.5 million people. At a total estimated investment of Rs. 20,050 crores, intends to address critical gaps in fish production and productivity, quality, technology, post-harvest infrastructure and management, modernisation and strengthening of value chain, traceability, establishing a robust fisheries management framework and fishers’ welfare. Blue Revolution: It focuses on creating an enabling environment for integrated development and management of fisheries for the socio-economic development of the fishers and fish farmers. The Way Forward There is a need to streamline policies and programs to take R&D benefits to the farmers and fishers for orderly and sustainable utilisation of all potential resources with focus on increasing efficiency and reducing environmental footprint.  We need to diligently explore the resources available in the country such as waterlogged area, wetlands, lakes, reservoirs, canals, ponds, tanks, floodplains, backwaters, lagoons, low saline inland areas for increasing the fish production. Lay special thrust on increasing productivity in inland fisheries along with full utilisation of the country’s deep sea fishing potential.  It is true that China has the innate advantage of more than twice the coastal line of India and has larger areas of inland water resources and reservoirs. But, that should not deter India because it has one of the largest Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) areas of over 2 million sq km compared to China’s 0.88 million sq km. The development of EEZ calls for new systems and large-scale deployment of offshore aquaculture activities of high value species.  Ocean ranching is one area which will yield rich social dividends, without damaging the ecosystem. India also needs a single uniform national data on marine fisheries because authentic data truly reflect ground realities which in turn help in efficient planning for the future.’ Role of logistics Food processing and marketing cannot become complete in the absence of logistics. A robust logistics support requires complementary infrastructural facilities like cold chain and storage facilities to handle peak harvests.  Creation of cold chains can help reduce spoilage losses which are currently at 30-35 per cent. Marketing infrastructure and cloud-based market intelligence should also be put in place. India should also take the lead in empowering the discernible fish fans across the world by allowing them to trace the back history of the fish it cultivates as to how they were grown, what they were fed with and the methods by which they were caught and processed. It means a quality certification authenticating globally accepted good management practices involving the twin elements of sustainability and traceability both for the marine and inland sectors. Sustainability being the pivot of 2030 Master Plan, there should also be efforts to integrate aquaculture and agriculture to boost farmers’ income.  Key takeaways For the first time, the Indian Government will award best performing States in the Fisheries Sector. Best States: (1) Odisha (amongst Marine states); (2) Uttar Pradesh (amongst Inland states); (3) Assam (amongst Hilly and NE states).  Connecting the Dots: Developing entrepreneurship in the field of livestock and fisheries can be a game changer for the rural economy. Elucidate. Scientists consider the oceans to be Earth’s last true frontier and a great resource base for the future. Why? In this light, examine the significance of blue water economy.

TLP Mains Answer Writing

IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 1 – ENGLISH & हिंदी): UPSC Mains Answer Writing – General Studies Paper 2 Questions [21st JANUARY,2021] – Day 10

For Previous TLP (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE Hello Friends, Welcome to IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 1- ENGLISH & हिंदी): UPSC Mains Answer Writing – General Studies 2 Questions [21st January 2020] – Day 10 We will make sure, in the next 100 days not a single day is wasted and your mains preparation is solidified. All your energies are channelized in the right direction. Trust us! This will make a huge difference in your results this time, provided that you follow this plan sincerely every day without fail. Gear up and Make the Best Use of this initiative. We are giving 5 Mains Questions on a daily basis so that every student can actively participate and keep your preparation focused. Do remember that, “the difference between Ordinary and EXTRA-Ordinary is PRACTICE!!” To Know More about the Initiative -> CLICK HERE SCHEDULE/DETAILED PLAN – > CLICK HERE Note: Click on Each Question (Link), it will open in a new tab and then Answer respective questions! 1. Preamble is the philosophical key to the Indian Constitution. Elucidate.   प्रस्तावना भारतीय संविधान की दार्शनिक कुंजी है। स्पष्ट करें। 2. Even though the term ‘secular’ was added to the preamble by the 42nd amendment, the Indian Constitution was already secular in its principles and provisions. Do you agree? Comment.  भले ही धर्मनिरपेक्ष ’शब्द को 42 वें संशोधन द्वारा प्रस्तावना में जोड़ा गया था, लेकिन भारतीय संविधान अपने सिद्धांतों और प्रावधानों में पहले से ही धर्मनिरपेक्ष था। क्या आप सहमत हैं? टिप्पणी करें। 3. Discuss the doctrine of basic structure and its significance in a constitutional democracy. बुनियादी संरचना के सिद्धांत और संवैधानिक लोकतंत्र में इसके महत्व पर चर्चा करें। 4. What according to you have been the two most landmark amendments to the Indian Constitution in the 21st century? Substantiate.  आपके अनुसार 21 वीं सदी में भारतीय संविधान में दो सबसे अधिक महत्त्वपूर्ण संशोधन क्या किए गए हैं? पुष्टि करें। 5. What are the latest amendments made to the provisions related to citizenship. What are your views on these amendments? Discuss.  नागरिकता से संबंधित प्रावधानों में किए गए नवीनतम संशोधन क्या हैं। इन संशोधनों पर आपके क्या विचार हैं? चर्चा करें। P.S: The review from IASbaba will happen from the time the question is posted till 10 pm everyday. We would also encourage peer reviews. So friends get actively involved and start reviewing each others answers. This will keep the entire community motivated. All the Best :)

Ace The Prelims (ATP)

Ace The Prelims (ATP) – 2021– PRELIMS – [21st Jan, 2021] – Day 16

ARCHIVES Hello Friends, Welcome to IASbaba’s Ace The Prelims (ATP) – 2021 – PRELIMS & MAINS – [21st Jan, 2021] – Day 16   UPSC Quiz - 2021 : IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs Quiz 21st January 2021 UPSC CSAT Quiz – 2021: IASbaba’s Daily CSAT Practice Test – 21st January 2021 UPSC Static Quiz – 2021: IASbaba’s Daily Static Quiz (PYQs) – HISTORY [Day 21]   The way ATP molecules provide energy to every single cell of our body and help us in achieving our day to day tasks, similarly, the ‘Ace the Prelims (ATP) 2021’ Programme will help in providing energy and direction to your prelims preparation and push you beyond the cutoff of Prelims 2021. Ace the Prelims (ATP) – 2021 will include Daily Static Quiz (PYQs) Daily CSAT Practice Test Daily Current Affair Quiz 60 Days Plan (starts from 2nd week of March) To Know More about Ace the Prelims (ATP) 2021 - CLICK HERE   Thank You IASbaba

Daily Static Quiz

UPSC Static Quiz – 2021: IASbaba’s Daily Static Quiz (PYQs) – HISTORY [Day 16]

ARCHIVES DAILY STATIC QUIZ (PYQs) It will cover PYQs all the topics of static subjects – Polity, History, Geography, Economics, Environment and Science and technology. Daily 5 questions (Monday to Saturday) will be posted from static topics (PYQs) The questions will be in the quiz format so you will be able to answer them directly on the portal. Schedule Week 1 – Polity Week 2 – Economics Week 3 – History and Art & Culture Week 4 – Geography Week 5 – Environment and Science & Technology Same cycle will be repeated from Week 6. Make the best use of the initiative. All the best! To Know More about Ace the Prelims (ATP) 2021 - CLICK HERE Important Note: Don't forget to post your marks in the comment section. Also, let us know if you enjoyed today's test :) After completing the 5 questions, click on 'View Questions' to check your score, time taken and solutions. To take the Test - Click Here

IASbaba’s Daily CSAT Quiz

UPSC CSAT Quiz – 2021: IASbaba’s Daily CSAT Practice Test – 21st January 2021

ARCHIVES Daily CSAT Practice Test Everyday 5 Questions from Aptitude, Logical Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension will be covered from Monday to Saturday. Make the best use of the initiative. All the best! To Know More about Ace the Prelims (ATP) 2021 - CLICK HERE Important Note: Don't forget to post your marks in the comment section. Also, let us know if you enjoyed today's test :) After completing the 5 questions, click on 'View Questions' to check your score, time taken and solutions. To take the Test - Click Here

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz - 2021 : IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs Quiz 21st January 2021

For Previous Daily Quiz (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE The Current Affairs questions are based on sources like ‘The Hindu’, ‘Indian Express’ and ‘PIB’, which are very important sources for UPSC Prelims Exam. The questions are focused on both the concepts and facts. The topics covered here are generally different from what is being covered under ‘Daily Current Affairs/Daily News Analysis (DNA) and Daily Static Quiz’ to avoid duplication. The questions would be published from Monday to Saturday before 2 PM. One should not spend more than 10 minutes on this initiative. We will make sure, in the next 4 months not a single day is wasted. All your energies are channelized in the right direction. Trust us! This will make a huge difference in your results this time, provided that you follow this plan sincerely every day without fail. Gear up and Make the Best Use of this initiative. Do remember that, “the difference between Ordinary and EXTRA-Ordinary is PRACTICE!!” To Know More about Ace the Prelims (ATP) 2021 - CLICK HERE Important Note: Don't forget to post your marks in the comment section. Also, let us know if you enjoyed today's test :) After completing the 5 questions, click on 'View Questions' to check your score, time taken and solutions. To take the Test - Click Here

TLP Mains Answer Writing

SYNOPSIS [20th JANUARY,2021] Day 9: IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 1): UPSC Mains Answer Writing (General Studies)

For Previous TLP (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE   SYNOPSIS [20th JANUARY,2021] Day 9: IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 1): UPSC Mains Answer Writing (General Studies)   1. How did federalism evolve as a guiding principle in the Indian constitution? Discuss. Approach With the help of multiple examples, you need to discuss the evolution of federalism as a guiding principle in the Indian constitution, especially with regards to judiciary’s interpretation of it. Introduction Federalism is derived from the Latin word “foedus”, which means “covenant, pact and treaty”. Federalism is a principle which defines a system wherein the government divides its power among the National Government and State Government. It is dual machinery system upon which a government works. There is a distribution of powers between the central authority and various state authorities. Body Constitution is a legal document having a special legal sanctity, which sets out the framework and the principal functions of the organs of the government of a state, and declares the principles governing the operation of those organs. The Indian Constitution laid down a political system which is federal in nature—i.e., there are two tiers of government: at the national level, and the state level. However, the Indian Constitution has structurally made the Union government more powerful than the states—therefore the seeming paradox of “centralised federalism.” Article 3 empowers Parliament to abolish or create States and therefore, it is argued that the very existence of States depends upon the mercy of Parliament. Parliament also can change the boundaries of the States. There are high emergency provisions in favour of the Centre, which negate the federalism. After the commencement of the Constitution in 1950, constitutional scholars struggled to find the true nature of the Constitution from unitary to federal to quasi-federal, cooperative federal, etc. When for the first time the issue was raised in the Supreme Court in 1962, by a majority of 6 to 1, it held that it was not true to any federal scheme while the dissenting single judge strongly argued that it was federal. In State of Rajasthan v. Union of India (AIR 1977 SC 1361) it was held that states could not assert any right based on the supposed federal character of the Constitution. Supreme Court said: “The Constitution is amphibian in sense that it can move either on the federal or the unitary plane. When action is taken under Article 356 the movement is on the unitary plane.” In West Bengal v. Union of India, the Supreme Court observed: ‘The Indian Union is not a true federation” Later, a majority of judges in the Kesavananda Bharati case in 1973 included federalism as part of the basic structure of the Constitution. In the SR Bommai case in 1994 and in a number of cases since then, the court has held that federalism is part of the basic structure of our Constitution. The SR Bommai case related to the power of the Centre to dismiss the duly elected government of a state. Following the Bommai case, the Supreme Court, as well as some of the high courts, have invalidated dismissal of state governments after asking a test of the strength of the political parties in the state on the floor of the state assembly and restored the dismissed government to its position. This is a development based on the principle of democracy, which besides being one of the basic features of our Constitution is also one of the three strands of a seamless web that, according to Granville Austin, the Constitution creates along with social revolution and unity of the nation. Article 249 is a well-drafted provision intending to secure greater flexibility in working the federation. The States have exclusive power to legislate on matters contained in the States List.  In India, responsibilities relating to expenditure and tax is distributed among Union government and State Government. Fiscal federalism in India is important for the successful operation of federalism. In this regard, Schedule VII (Article 246) of Indian Constitution lays down three lists on various subjects of national importance. Lists also include entries relating to the power of taxation. Taxation power of Union and State differ from each other.  The Seventy-third and Seventy-fourth amendments to the Constitution in 1992 have fortified the third tier of the governance, i.e., and local bodies like Panchayats and Municipalities. This amendment did not alter the relationship between the centre and states, but tried to create a strong representative polity at third level. It is an encouraging federal tendency.  Conclusion India’s federalism is fundamentally rooted in two simultaneous pursuits of nationhood: an embrace of state-based cultural diversities and a commitment to the larger Indian political community. This idea was politically implemented through organizations during the long freedom movement, which changed the framework within which India’s centre and states bargained after independence and thus ensuring a robust framework for the relations between centre and states in India. 2. The Government of India Act of 1935 was a watershed in India’s constitutional history. Why? Discuss. Approach Students are expected to write about the Government of India act 1935. And highlight on why it was watershed movement in India’s constitutional history. Introduction  With the building pressure of Indian political organizations and parties like congress, the British Government was constantly pressurized to make new reforms in the governance. For this many Indian Councils Act of 1892, 1909 and 1919 were enacted. But the most important act which shaped the contemporary as well as the later polity of India was the Government of India Act 1935. It can be seen as a watershed in India’s constitutional History. Body The Act derived material from four key sources viz. Report of the Simon Commission, discussions at the Third Round Table Conference, the White Paper of 1933 and the reports of the Joint select committees. GoI act 1935 as a watershed in India’s constitutional history: All India Federation: It changed the Federation of India in the aspects of the structure of government, legislation and so on. It provided for the establishment of an All-India Federation consisting of the British India Provinces and other Indian states. The States were absolutely free to join or not to join the proposed Federation. The rulers of Indian states never gave their consent and thus, the Federation envisaged by the Act never came into being. Setting up Provincial Autonomy: One feature of the new Act was that it marked the beginning of the provincial autonomy. The Act divided legislative powers between the provincial and central legislatures and within their defined sphere the provinces they were autonomous units of administration. The Ministers were not absolutely free in matter of running their departments. The Governors continued to possess a set of overriding powers. Setting up of a bicameralism: It introduced bicameralism in six out of eleven provinces. Thus, the legislatures of Bengal, Bombay, Madras, Bihar, Assam and the United Provinces were made bicameral consisting of a legislative council (upper house) and a legislative assembly (lower house). However, many restrictions were placed on them. Setting up of a federal court: A Federal court was also envisaged to be set up under this act so the provisions of the act could be interpreted in case of any disputes. The Federal Court established by this Act has three kinds of jurisdictions i.e. Original, Appellate and Advisory. The court had exclusive original jurisdiction in any dispute between the Federation and its units. Distribution of Legislative Power: The act made a three-fold division of powers between the Centre and the Provinces- federal list, provincial list and concurrent list. The subjects which were of all-India interest and demanded uniform treatment were put in the federal list. Residuary powers: The allocation of residuary powers was unique. It was not vested in either of the legislatures, central or provincial. But the Governor-General was empowered to authorise, either the Federal or the Provincial Legislature to enact a law with respect to any residuary matter. Protection of Minorities: A very significant provision was the safeguards and protective armours for the minorities. It was argued that the minorities needed protection from the dominance of the majority community. Abolition of the Indian Council of the Secretary of State: The Government of India Act 1935 abolished the Council of Secretary of State for India, which was created in 1858. Secretary of State was to have advisers on its place. With the introduction of the provincial autonomy the control of the Secretary of State over Transferred Subjects was greatly diminished. Communal and Separate Electorate and Reservations: The Act not only retained the separate electorate (of previous act of 1919) but also enlarged its scope. The Anglo-Indians and the Indo-Christians were also given separate electorate. Women were granted reservation in 41 seats in provincial legislatures as well as limited reservations in central legislature. But women reservation was subdivided in religious lines. The reservation of seats for the Depressed Classes was incorporated into the act. Conclusion The Government of India Act 1935 established a foothold toward the modern India. The Government of India Act 1935 is important because it is one of the foundation stones of the current Republic of India. All these provisions were so important that there was no return from them but the constitution adopted them, though not in total. Thus it can be said that the act marked a point of no return in the history of constitutional development of India.  3. Discuss the key features of the Indian independence act 1947. How did it create the grounds for partition? Approach-  Question is straight forward in nature. Candidate can start by writing brief background for 1947 act followed by features of the act. Later half of the answer, grounds laid by the act for partition can be given. Introduction After the end of second world war pressure on british government started rising to give political autonomy to its colonies. Independence movement in India was also on high fervour and country was divided on religious lines. Cabinet mission had failed to fulfil demands of major parties, in this backdrop on February 20, 1947 british prime minister Clement Atlee declared british rule would end in India by June 30, 1948 and power would be transferred in responsible Indian hands. Events followed after announcement Announcement of british prime minister was followed by agitation by muslim league demanding partition of country.  On June 3, british made it clear that any constitution made by constituent assembly of India cannot apply to those parts of India which are unwilling to accept it. On the same day viceroy of India lord Mountbatten laid partition plan, known as ‘’Mountbatten plan’’. The plan was accepted by congress and muslim league. Immediate effect was given to plan by enacting Indian independence act 1947. Key Features of the act It ended british rule in India and declared India as an independent and sovereign state from august 15, 1947. It provided for partition of India into two independent dominions of India and Pakistan with the right to secede from british commonwealth  It abolished office of viceroy and provided for each dominion office of governor general to be appointed by his majesty’s government in the advice of dominion’s cabinet Act empowered constituent assemblies of both dominions to frame and adopt any constitution for their respective nations to repeal any act of british parliament including independence act itself. Act empowered constituent assemblies of both dominions to legislate for the respective territories till the new constitutions were drafted and enforced. It abolished office of secretary of state for India and transferred functions to secretary of state for commonwealth affairs. It proclaimed lapse of British paramountcy over Indian princely states and treaty relations with tribal areas. It granted freedom Indian princely states either to join dominion of India or Pakistan or to remain independent. It provided for the governance of each province of dominion by act of 1935, till new constitution is framed. It deprived British monarch of his right to veto bills or ask for reservation of certain bills for his approval. Act designated governor general of India and provincial governors as constitutional heads of state they were made to work on advice of council of ministers in the all matters. It dropped title of emperor of India from the royal titles of king of England. It also discontinued appointment to civil services and reservation of posts by secretary of state for India Partition At the stroke of midnight of 14-15 august 1947, British rule came to an end and power was transferred to the two new independent dominions of India and Pakistan. Indian independence act made partition of India possible. Lord Mountbatten became the first governor general of new dominion of India. He swore in Jawaharlal Nehru as the first prime minister of independent India  Mohammad ali Jinnah became governor general of Pakistan  The constituent assembly of India formed in 1946 became the parliament of the Indian dominion. Conclusion After multiple failed attempts of crrips mission, Wavell plan and cabinet mission, Indian independence act was able to make compromise and suggest a plan which was acceptable to both congress and muslim league. Hence it paved way for partition. But the haste with which the plan was implemented caused huge loss of lives and created a permanent blot on modern Indian history. 4. What role has community engagement by ASHA workers played behind India’s successful COVID response? Discuss. Approach  As the derivative is discuss so it necessitates a debate where reasoning is backed up with evidence to make a case for and against an argument and finally arriving at a conclusion. Introduction  Asha workers (an acronym that translates as “hope” in Hindi), along with the volunteer Anganwadi workers, and the more qualified ANMs, form the backbone of community healthcare in India. They are hired by the states and their salaries paid by funds from the central and state governments. Nearly all of them are women.  Recently the second report of a WHO-established independent panel to study global responses to the pandemic said that Community engagement by ASHA workers has been a successful strategy in enhancing India’s national response to Covid-19. It has highlighted how the deployment of “a cadre of million women social health activists” has helped India’s Covid-19 surveillance. Body ROLE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT BY ASHA WORKERS BEHIND INDIA’S SUCCESSFUL COVID RESPONSE While many Indians have shifted to work-from-home during the lockdown, not much has changed for ASHAS. If anything, they have additional COVID duties over and above their regular tasks. Their core responsibilities such as distributing iron tablets, checking on immunisation schedules of babies and pregnant women, undertaking periodic checks on tuberculosis (tb) patients, among others, have been supplemented with additional duties of contract tracing, spreading awareness on prevention of COVID, keeping a close watch on incoming migrant workers to ensure they follow quarantine protocol and reporting suspected COVID cases. Despite the lockdown and other curbs on movement, ASHAS are performing their duties to the fullest. They are working tirelessly to prevent COVID transmission while also ensuring that the delivery of other health services remains uninterrupted. Asha workers are volunteers who receive honorariums and incentives in lieu of their work. However, 64 per cent respondents claim to have received no incentives for the COVID-related responsibilities undertaken by them. Only 43 per cent ASHAS are receiving their monthly honorariums on a regular basis. In a major exercise, 1.6 lakh accredited social health activists (ASHAS) have tracked in two phases over 30.43 lakh migrants who returned to Uttar Pradesh during the covid-19 lockdown and assisted the state government in contact tracing and community surveillance With the surge in the cases of covid-19 in the country and the influx of migrant population from hotspot areas, one of the major challenges in Uttar Pradesh was to cater to the healthcare needs of returnees and arrest the spread in its rural population. ASHAS have played a critical role in supporting the state’s covid-19 management during this crisis. ASHAS have played a critical role in sensitising the communities about the preventive measures to be adopted such as regular hand washing with soap and water, importance of wearing masks when out in public spaces, and maintaining adequate physical distancing. ASHAS have assisted the Panchayati raj department in development of the community quarantine centres, in buildings like Anganwadi centres and primary schools. They have ensured adoption of Arogya Setu app at the community level through awareness generation and supporting in its installation As a result of their efforts, there has been enhanced awareness about essential and non-essential healthcare services and how to access these. The ASHAS are provided basic protective gear like masks, soaps and sanitizers as they go about their duties. The report cited ASHA workers in India for successfully using community engagement to respond to the pandemic. Community engagement has been a successful strategy to enhance national responses. This has included the deployment of community health workers; for example, India has drawn on a cadre of a million women social health activists. Asha workers were recruited under the national rural health mission (NHRM) that was launched in 2005. These workers act as a bridge between public healthcare and various communities. They are usually tasked with antenatal and care for new-born babies, encouraging immunisation, family planning and treating basic illnesses. Nearly 1 million other accredited social health activists (ASHAS) assigned to rural villages and small towns across India are on the front lines of the country’s fight against corona virus.  Every day, these activist goes door to door in search of potential covid-19 cases, working to get patients tested or to help them find treatment. They are the unsung heroes who are fighting to contain the unfettered spread of the virus in rural areas Conclusion India’s ASHA program is likely the world’s largest army of all female community health workers. They are the foot soldiers of the country’s health system. They have also played an essential role in India’s efforts to eradicate polio and increase immunization, according to numerous studies. 5. What are the key privacy issues emerging with respect to social media platforms? Discuss. Approach: The focus has to be on the privacy issues regarding the social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and other channels. The answer has to largely include the personnel data protection concerns and ways social networking platforms should use to ensure personal data protection. Introduction: Back in 2016, it is claimed that the Trump-Era started at the back of using the data provided by Facebook to Cambridge Analytica forcing people to develop views in sync with their demand. The privacy issues of social media platforms have been raised many times since, till the recent culmination of change in privacy policy of a popular messaging application-WhatsApp (Facebook Subsidiary). In the backdrop of these issues there has been a continuous effort towards data protection in India as well, Government of India also came up with white paper on data protection and a bill on data protection is initial stages of becoming a permanent law. Body: Social networks have become a part of human life. Starting from sharing information like text, photos, messages, many have started share latest news, and news related pictures in the Media domain, question papers, assignments, and workshops in Education domain, online survey, marketing, and targeting customers in Business domain, and jokes, music, and videos in Entertainment domain. Because of its usage by Internet surfers in all possible ways, even we would mention the social networking media as the current Internet culture. While enjoying the information sharing on Social Medias, yet it requires a great deal for security and privacy. Issues with privacy: Data mining- Every one leaves trail behind while using any of the social media networking platform. Every time someone creates a new social media account, they provide personal information that can include their name, birthdate, geographic location, and personal interests. In addition, companies collect data on user behaviours: when, where, and how users interact with their platform. All of this data is stored and leveraged by companies to better target advertising to their users. Sometimes, companies share users’ data with third-party entities, often without users’ knowledge or consent. Phishing Attempts- Phishing is one of the most common ways criminals attempt to gain access to sensitive personal information. Often in the form of an email, a text message, or a phone call, a phishing attack presents itself as a message from a legitimate organization. These messages trick people into sharing sensitive data, including passwords, banking information, or credit card details. Phishing attacks often pose as social media platforms. Identity Theft- Identity theft is a type of attack on social networking platforms which the adversary attempts to collect personal information of social media users so that he can impersonate the victim of the attack in order to gain some benefits or harm the victim.  Cyber terrorism- The biggest challenge for internal security of nation through social networking site is cyber terrorism. Social networking sites also invite fraudsters to take excellent opportunity to become wealthy by applying deceiver schemes. Internet media is a major resource for developing serious crime. As Internet is growing explosively, online criminals try to present fraudulent plans in many ways. Organised crime- Social networking sites also pose major challenge in financial and organized crime which destabilizes the system. The organized criminal groups have found in social networks a forum to position themselves in the popular culture as an alternative lifestyle. Nowadays, the Internet reveals all the things that used to be hidden, and has become the platform of organized criminal groups to prove their power and profits with impunity. Twitter accounts of presumed Mexican drug traffickers have attracted the attention of international media as they give the opportunity to take a look at the lifestyles of the so-called "narcojuniors", that is second generation of drug traffickers that have inherited the leadership of large criminal organizations. Criminal Activity and Money laundering- Internet Media is a major resource for developing serious crime. As Internet is growing explosively, online criminals try to present fraudulent plans in many ways. Social networking sites also pose major challenge in financial and organized crime which destabilizes the system. It creates threat to a company's security because of what employees might disclose and they are on prime target for cyber criminals. Hacking- Hackers use computer programs to attack the target computer. By using Social Media, hackers breach the national security and steal important data of defence or other strategic sectors. This can kneel the whole country without using Arms and Ammunition. Conclusion: In a globalised society media becomes a lethal weapon against the enemy, and the populace as well. Information, as an element of soft power, is a strategic instrument within the context of grand strategy. There should be judicious use of social media. But we will have to mull steps to check its misuse for creating Internal security threat to Nation. Social Media, with all its benefits and the potential for more, is definitely a boon to our world, however misuse or irresponsible usage can have negative effects on an Internal security. We need to guard against the negative impact of the social media, which ought to be used in the correct manner for creative or productive purposes so that it is progressive to mankind and society at large, rather than regressive. TLP HOT Synopsis Day 9 PDF

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 20th January 2021

Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Janshatabdi Express from Ahmedabad-Kevadia to have a Vistadome coach Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Infrastructure In news  Indian Prime Minister recently flagged off eight trains from different parts of the country to Kevadia in Narmada district, Gujarat.  Out of these eight trains, the Janshatabdi Express from Ahmedabad-Kevadia has a Vistadome coach. Key takeaways The Vistadome coach is a state-of-the-art coach made by Indian Railways, designed to provide passengers with travel comfort as well as an enhanced viewing experience of their surroundings. The Vistadome coach in the Janshatabdi Express has been manufactured at the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It is for the first time that the Vistadome coach has been made on the Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) platform, made for passenger coaches for trains in India. Some of the features of the Vistadome coach are an observation lounge with a large window for passengers to experience the scenic route to Kevadia. The 44 recliner-180 degree rotatable seats ensure people can enjoy the view from both windows to their right and left, there are automatic sliding doors at both gates of the coach, glass rooftops offer a panoramic view, while there are five large windows on each side. Related articles: Indian Railway completes successful speed trials of the new design Vistadome Tourist Coaches: Click here Market Infrastructure Institutions (MIIs) Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Economy In news  The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has floated a discussion paper on review of ownership and governance norms to facilitate new entrants to set up stock exchanges and depositories, otherwise called as market infrastructure institutions (MIIs). Key takeaways As per the key proposals, a resident promoter setting up an MII may hold up to 100% shareholding, which will be brought down to not more than either 51% or 26% in 10 years. A foreign promoter from Financial Action Task Force (FATF) member jurisdictions setting up an MII may hold up to 49% shareholding, which shall be brought down to not more than either 26% or 15% in 10 years. Foreign individuals or entities from other than FATF member jurisdictions may acquire or hold up to 10% in an MII. Any person other than the promoter may acquire or hold less than 25% shareholding. At least 50% of ownership of the MII may be represented by individuals or entities with experience of five years or more in the areas of capital markets or technology related to financial services. Important value additions The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) It is the regulator of the securities and commodity market in India owned by the Government of India.  It was established in 1988 and given statutory status through the SEBI Act, 1992.  SEBI is responsible to the needs of three groups: Issuers of securities Investors Market intermediaries Functions:  Quasi-legislative – drafts regulations  Quasi-judicial – passes rulings and orders  Quasi-executive – conducts investigation and enforcement action  Powers: To approve by−laws of Securities exchanges. To require the Securities exchange to amend their by−laws. Inspect the books of accounts and call for periodical returns from recognised Securities exchanges. Inspect the books of accounts of financial intermediaries. Compel certain companies to list their shares in one or more Securities exchanges. Registration of Brokers and sub-brokers Related articles: Mutual Funds (MF) Risk-o-meter becomes effective: Click here SEBI eases Fund-raising norms for firms: Click here 1st National Conference Of States On Logistics Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Economy In news  Union Minister of Commerce & Industry recently addressed the 1st National Conference of States on Logistics. Key takeaways National Logistics Policy, which is under consultation, along with the National Logistics Council and State Logistics Coordination Committee, will work as a template for better coordination and integrated development for logistics centre. Logistics consists of 5R's: Getting the Right product - In the Right condition - At the Right place - At the Right time - To the Right customer. Do you know? India has a $200 billion logistics ecosystem.  A good part of it is supported by the Indian Railways. About 13-14% cost of a product is logistics, and Ministry shall work towards bringing it down to about 8%. Volcanic eruption at Mount Semeru Part of: GS Prelims and GS-I – Geography In news  Indonesia's Mount Semeru has erupted, pouring ash an estimated 5.6km (3.4 miles) into the sky above Java, the country's most densely populated island. Important value additions Semeru - also known as "The Great Mountain" - is the highest volcano in Java and one of the most active.  It is located in the subduction zone, where the Indo-Australia plate subducts under the Eurasia plate. It is also one of Indonesia's most popular tourist hiking destinations. The volcano previously erupted in December, when about 550 people were evacuated. Do you know? Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent volcanic activity as well as earthquakes. Within the last week, Indonesia has endured multiple landslides, a deadly earthquake on Sulawesi island, and the loss of a Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737 with 62 people on board. Related article:  About Sulawesi: Click here SBI raises $600 million of ‘Regulation S’ bonds  Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Banking; Economy In news  State Bank of India (SBI) recently raised $600 million of ‘Regulation S’ bonds — via its London branch — at a coupon rate of 1.8%. Key takeaways The bond is priced at a spread of 140 basis points over the 5-year U.S. Treasury rate and will be listed on Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (SGX-ST) and India International Exchange Limited (India INX). The issuance represented SBI’s return to the international public bond markets after a gap of close to two years. Regulation S offerings are typically referred to as “Offshore Offering” because they mainly have to either do with a foreign company creating an offering, or an US company that is offerings its debt or equity overseas, i.e. outside the United States. A Regulation S offering is typical of many European offerings and the larger clearing firms in Europe, often grant access to their systems via a Regulation S offering. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) may introduce new monsoon models  Part of: GS Prelims and GS-I – Geography In news  The India Meteorological Department (IMD) may introduce new monsoon models in 2021 to better forecast changes in rainfall. Key takeaways There were three different models that could be tested this year.  Two of them were dynamical models and one a statistical model. In the former, the climate on any particular day is simulated on supercomputers and meteorologists observe the changing daily output. The other is the traditional statistical model that equates relationships of physical parameters, such as for instance sea surface temperatures, snowfall, the temperature of landmass etc, with the actual observed rainfall in the past. The three models under consideration are: 12 global circulation models (dynamical) whose outputs would be combined into a single one; a model that gauges rainfall based on the sea surface temperature in the tropics (developed by Professor Sumant Nigam, University of Maryland, U.S.) and the statistical model based on climate variables observed during the pre-monsoon. All of them are smaller models which are combined to arrive at an average value. The traditional statistical model would continue to be used this year. Do you know? The monsoon that concluded in 2020 was unique, in that with monsoon 2019, it was only the third time in a century that India saw back-to-back years of above normal rainfall. In both years, the IMD failed to forecast the magnitude of the excess and only indicated that the monsoon would be “above normal”. Related articles: Subdued Northeast Monsoon: Click here Why predicting monsoons in India is a tricky job? Click here Birthday of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose to be celebrated as Parakram Diwas Part of: GS Prelims and GS-I – Modern History In news  Government of India has decided to celebrate birthday of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on the 23rd day of January every year as ‘PARAKRAM DIWAS’. Key takeaways Government of India has decided to celebrate the 125th Birth Anniversary year of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in a befitting manner at national and international level, beginning from 23rd January 2021. A High Level Committee, headed by the Prime Minister has been constituted for deciding the programs, and to supervise and guide the commemoration. Objective: To remember Netaji’s indomitable spirit and selfless service to the nation and to inspire people of the country, especially the youth, to act with fortitude in the face of adversity as Netaji did. Important value additions Subhash Chandra Bose was twice elected President of the Indian National Congress, (1938-Haripur and 1939-Tripuri). Owing to political differences, he resigned from the Congress Presidentship in 1939 and organised the All India Forward Bloc a faction within the Congress in Bengal. In Calcutta, Bose organised mass protests and was arrested.  He was later put under house arrest from where he escaped.  He went to Germany via Afghanistan. However, in 1943 Bose lost hope that Germany could be of any help in gaining India's independence.  He then turned to Asia where he finally came at the helm of the Indian National Army (INA). INA found support among expatriate Indians and Bose formed the Azad Hind government which came to produce its own currency, postage stamps, court and civil code.  It was recognised by Axis states. During the final two years of the war, Bose with considerable Japanese backing- led the forces of the Indian National Army into battle against the British. The I.N.A. was essentially non-communal, with Muslims quite prominent among its officers and ranks, and it also introduced the innovation of a women’s detachment named after the Rani of Jhansi. Miscellaneous Exercise Desert Knight-21 Indian Air Force and French Air and Space Force will conduct a bilateral Air exercise, Ex Desert Knight-21 at Air Force Station Jodhpur from 20 to 24 Jan 2021.  The exercise is unique as it includes fielding of Rafale aircraft by both sides. (Mains Focus) INTERNATIONAL / SECURITY Topic: General Studies 2: India and its neighbourhood India-Nepal Developments Relations Close cooperation between the two sides in combating the COVID-19 pandemic Early provision of vaccines to Nepal. Expansion of the Motihari-Amlekhganj petroleum products pipeline to Chitwan Establishment of a new pipeline on the eastern side connecting Siliguri to Jhapa in Nepal Upgraded first passenger railway line between India and Nepal from Jaynagar to Kurtha via Janakpur Cross-border rail connectivity projects, including a possible Raxaul-Kathmandu broad gauge railway line Joint hydropower projects, including the proposed Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project Nepal expressed support for India’s permanent membership of an expanded UN Security Council (UNSC) to reflect the changed balance of power. Way Ahead Need for facilitating cross-border movement of people and goods Recently inaugurated Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) at Birgunj and Biratnagar have helped in the seamless movement of people and trade between the two countries. Nepal relies on India’s seaports in a big way for trading, and goods are transported by road, the integrated check posts are expected to ease trade and transit. India’s support to two more cultural heritage projects in Nepal, namely, the Pashupatinath Riverfront Development and the Bhandarkhal Garden Restoration in Patan Durbar. India’s Nepal policy is heading very clearly towards deeper engagement with all sections. GOVERNANCE/ ECONOMY Topic: General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA) Provisions The Act stipulates that no project can be sold without project plans being approved by the competent authority and the project being registered with the regulatory authority, putting to an end the practice of selling on the basis of deceitful advertisements. Promoters are required to maintain “project based separate bank accounts” to prevent fund diversion.  The mandatory disclosure of unit sizes based on “carpet area” strikes at the root of unfair trade practices.  The provision for payment of “equal rate of interest” by the promoter or the buyer in case of default reinforces equity. Benefits These and many other provisions have empowered consumers, rectifying the power asymmetry prevalent in the sector. RERA has infused governance in a hitherto unregulated real estate sector.  Along with demonetisation and GST, it has, to a large extent, cleansed the real estate sector of black money.  It has transformational provisions, conscientiously addressing issues which have been a constant bane for the sector. Cooperative Federalism RERA is a seminal effort in cooperative federalism.  Though the Act has been piloted by the Central government, the rules are to be notified by state governments, and the regulatory authorities and the appellate tribunals are also to be appointed by them. Conclusion RERA is to the real estate sector what SEBI is to the securities market. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Note:  Correct answers of today’s questions will be provided in next day’s DNA section. Kindly refer to it and update your answers.  Comments Up-voted by IASbaba are also the “correct answers”. Q.1 Consider the following statements regarding Vistadome coaches: These coaches shall have 360-degree rotatable seats. It was recently installed in Janshatabdi Express from Ahmedabad-Kevadia. Which of the above is/are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2  Neither 1 nor 2 Q.2 Mount Semeru was recently in news. Where is it situated? Singapore Japan Vietnam Indonesia Q.3 Which of the following is related with the Southern Oscillation? El Nino Jet Stream South-west monsoon Western Disturbance Q.4 Exercise Desert Knight-21 is being held between which of the following countries? France and China India and France Russia and Pakistan USA and India ANSWERS FOR 19th January 2021 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE (TYK) 1 A 2 C 3 B 4 D Must Read About ongoing farmer agitation: The Hindu About stress test for American Democracy: The Hindu

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