UPSC Quiz - 2020: IAS Daily Current Affairs Quiz Day 182 Archives Important Note Don't forget to post your marks in the comment section. Also, let us know if you enjoyed today's test :) To take the Test - Click Here
IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 17th February 2020 Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Masood Azhar & family missing, Pak. tells financial watchdog FATF Part of: GS Prelims –Polity and GS-II- International organization In news: Pakistan has informed the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) that Masood Azhar, founder of terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), and his family are “missing”. Listed as a designated terrorist by the United Nations Security Council 1267 Committee The FATF is now reviewing Pakistan’s case to see if it fulfils the global standards criteria to combat terror-financing. The FATF is chaired by China. JeM had claimed responsibility for the Pulwama terror attack on February 14 last year when 40 CRPF personnel were killed in a car bombing. Timeline: Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 17th February 2020 Src: the hindu From Prelims Point of View: FATF (Financial Action Task Force) Established in 1989 by a Group of Seven (G-7) Summit in Paris To examine and develop measures to combat money laundering. Recently in 2012 it expanded its mandate to incorporate efforts to combat terrorist financing, Secretariat is housed at the OECD headquarters in Paris. United Nations Security Council resolution 1267 Adopted unanimously on1999 the Council designated Osama bin Laden and associates as terrorists Established a sanctions regime to cover individuals and entities associated with Al-Qaida, Osama bin Laden and/or the Taliban wherever located NH 66 expansion hit more lives, ecology than estimated Part of: GS Prelims –Economy and GS-III- Infrastructure In news: The expansion of National Highway 66 (NH 66) from Karwar to Kundapura has impacted many more lives and livelihoods of coastal families of Uttara Kannada It was argued that the construction of the highway would bring development in all areas it passed through and led to economic growth of the region The project Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report did not estimate the population that would be affected by environmental impacts, instead giving only the estimate of people who would be affected by land acquisition for the project. From Prelims Point of View: NH 66 Runs roughly north–south along the western coast of India Connects Panvel (a city south of Mumbai) to Cape Comorin (Kanyakumari), Passing through the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Elephantine conflict Part of: GS Prelims –Environment and GS-III- Conservation In news: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change West Bengal, Odisha and Assam — account for about half of both human and elephant deaths in the overall human-elephant conflict in the country,. Past five years 2,361 human deaths were recorded in elephant attacks across the country ,48% fatalities were from these three States, Unnatural deaths of elephants (mainly due to poaching, train accidents, electrocution and poisoning), 53% occurred in these three States alone. Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 17th February 2020 Src: the hindu Baba’s Value addition: The Indian elephant One of three extant recognised subspecies of the Asian elephant and native to mainland Asia Listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List the wild population has declined by at least 50% since the 1930s to 1940s Threatened by habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation. Project Elephant. Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF)flagship elephant conservation programme — Project Elephant. Launched in 1992, Centrally-sponsored scheme Primarily aimed at protecting elephant, their habitats and corridors Addressing issues of man-animal conflict and welfare of domesticated elephants. Recent years project has run aground. Convention on Migratory Species Part of: GS Prelims –Environment and GS-III- Conservation In news: India will host the 13th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS COP13) A major United Nations wildlife conference Theme“Migratory species connect the planet and together we welcome them home”. From Prelims Point of View Signed in 1979 in Germany and is known as the Bonn Convention Environmental treaty of the UN that provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats Only global convention specialising in the conservation of migratory species, their habitats and migration routes. Appendix I of the Convention lists ‘Threatened Migratory Species’. Appendix II lists ‘Migratory Species requiring international cooperation’ (MAINS FOCUS) International Affairs Topic: General Studies 2: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests Indo- US relationship: Developed Tag on India & its implications Context U.S. has removed more than a dozen countries, including India, from its list of countries that are classified as “developing” for trade purposes. These countries will now be classified instead as “developed” economies, thus stripping them of various trade benefits. What is developing country status? The office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) maintains a list of countries that it classifies as developing, developed, and least-developed. Countries that are classified as developing are allowed to export certain goods to the U.S. without being hit by punitive tariffs that are usually imposed on goods from developed countries The “developing country” status owes its origin to the U.S. Trade Act of 1974, which authorised the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) to help poor countries develop faster. These benefits were extended further under the World Trade Organization wherein rich countries agreed to grant trade benefits to countries that classified themselves as poor. About two-thirds of countries that are members of the WTO classify themselves as “developing” countries and avail benefits. Benefits of GSP to India Indian exporters benefit indirectly – through the benefit that accrues to the importer by way of reduced tariff or duty free entry of eligible Indian products Reduction or removal of import duty on an Indian product makes it more competitive to the importer – other things (e.g. quality) being equal. This tariff preference helps new exporters to penetrate a market and established exporters to increase their market share and to improve upon the profit margins, in the donor country. Why is India being stripped of this status? India has traditionally been one of the largest beneficiaries under the GSP, with over 2,000 goods having been exempted from import tariffs (until it was stripped off in 2019). This has also been one of the reasons for India having trade surplus with USA, whereby the Trump administration wants to reduce the gap Trump administration has argued that countries like India and China have witnessed significant growth in the last few decades and thus are not more developing countries USA has further cited the share of global trade enjoyed by India and China and their membership in the G20 club to argue that they enjoy significant economic power Impact of US decision The task of reclaiming the lost GSP benefits now becomes even harder. It will increase the overall tax burden on Indian goods entering USA, thus making it costlier than before. It will pressurize India to open its market to US goods Ex: India offered to scale back tariffs on American dairy and other products after the U.S. complained about the restricted access that American companies have. It will add further pressure on the global economy, which has already witnessed a slowing of growth this year. It may further lead to entrenched Trade war if those countries which were stripped off their developing status, also increases tariffs on US goods Conclusion With both the U.S. and its various warring trading partners looking to protect their domestic producers rather than consumers who benefit from lower tariffs, escalations of trade war seem likely. Connecting the dots! US-China Trade war Developing Status – should it be based on mere economic progress or on broader socio-economic indicators? Governance Topic: General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Awareness in the fields of IT Data Encryption: Its impact on Child Safety Online Context After Facebook announced end-to-end encryption for Facebook Messenger and Instagram, a coalition of child protection organisations and experts from all over the world sent a letter to its CEO expressing concerns about company’s proposals. The encryption proposed will not impact Facebook’s main social platform but all its Messaging services like Facebook Messanger, Instagram Direct and Whatsapp. What is end-to-end encryption? It is a system of locking messages wherein only those who are communicating can view them. Encryption kicks in the minute the message is sent, and only unravels for the intended recipient. No third party can decrypt the message, including platform administrators and law enforcement agencies. It can only be shared through screenshots. The advantage with this kind of encryption is that it ensures online privacy. What it is being criticised? Protection to anti-social content: Paedophiles and persons who wish to exchange child sex abuse material are permanently shielded, as are terrorists and an infinite variety of scam artists. It will be difficult to trace distributors of child pornography/terrorist content. Such a move will not allow the due process of monitoring for content that is not safe for children. Contradictory provision of Service: Limiting the ability of companies themselves to detect and prevent behaviour which contravenes their own terms of services is wrong and makes a mockery of the very idea of having terms of service in the first place Conclusion The true test will be to pick that mode of encryption that will ensure privacy but address concerns of online safety too Did You know? The Rajya Sabha ad-hoc committee that went into the issue of pornography on social media and its effect on children has called specifically to permit breaking of end-to-end encryption to trace distributors of child pornography. In 2018, Facebook made 16.8 million reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), leading to 2,500 arrests and 3,000 children being safeguarded in the U.K alone. Connecting the dots! Privacy Vs Ability to monitor anti-social content (Ethical Dilemma for Societies) Justice Sri Krishna Committee on Data protection Facebook’s Free Basics Campaign and Issue of Net Neutrality (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. A present group of nations known as G-8 started first as G-7. Which one among the following was not one of them? Canada Italy Japan Russia Q 2. With reference to Indian transport systems, consider the following statements: Indian railway system is the largest in the world National Highways cater to 45 percent of the total and transport demand National Highway No. 7 is the longest in the country Which of these statements are correct ? 1 and 2 1 and 3 2 and 3 1 , 2 and 3 Q 3. Which among the following National Highway routes is the longest? Agra-Mumbai Chennai-Thane Kolkata-Hajira Pune-Machilipatnam ANSWERS FOR 15 FEB 2020 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE (TYK) 1 A 2 A 3 C 4 D Must Read About Electoral Process and Data: The Hindu About China & its media : The Hindu About restructuring of MEA: The Hindu
Education & Aspiring India Archives TOPIC: General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Education In News: In the Union Budget 2020, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has suggested speedy implementation of the new education policy, besides several measures that will bring in a paradigm shift in the educational systems and creation of employment in India and abroad. By 2030, India will have the largest working-age population in the world Around 35-50 million children are out of school and 40 per cent of adolescent girls are not attending school. It is an integral part of the three themes -- Aspiration, development, compassion – of this year’s budget. According to the Economic Survey, The average annual expenditure of the government for primary education is Rs 1,253 per child, whereas private institutions spend Rs 12,889 per child. It indicates why government schools perform poorly and gradually close down. As per the recent 2019-2020 statistics, the compliance rate for implementing the Right to Education Act is just 12 per cent The Economic Survey has also pushed for Privatisation of education More flexible labour regulation Better connectivity to villages to fast-track entrepreneurship at the bottom of the administrative pyramid Money allocation Earmarked Rs 99,300 crore for the education sector In the previous Union Budget, the government's allocation for the sector was Rs 94,800 crore. Skill Development Earmarked about Rs 3,000 crore from the above mentioned figure for skill development About 150 higher educational institutions will start apprenticeship embedded degree/diploma courses by March 2021 and will start a programme whereby urban local bodies across the country would provide internship opportunities to fresh engineers for a period up to one year. A project preparation facility for infrastructure projects involving young engineers and management graduates will be set up Focus on Healthcare Academics: The Budget took cognizance of the human resource shortage in healthcare — both general practitioners and specialists. It announced a viability gap funding which will be extended to attach a medical college to every hospital through a PPP model. The Skill Development ministry will begin bridge courses including language-requirement courses to address overseas demand for nurses, paramedics and caregivers Infrastructure Steps would be taken to enable sourcing External Commercial Borrowings and FDI so as to able to deliver higher quality education. Foreign funding avenues to supplement the present public expenditure in the sector can help harness the potential of the sector and exploit this demographic dividend to its fullest. Institutions that are ranked within top 100 in the National Institutional Ranking framework will start degree level full-fledged online education programme for students of deprived section of the society. A National Police University and a National Forensic Science University have also been proposed in the domain of policing science, forensic science, cyber-forensics etc. Indian Institute of Heritage and Conversation to be set up as a Deemed University. The computer-based Common Eligibility Test will be rolled out for the recruitment to non-gazetted posts. The online test will be carried by an independent agency, the National Recruiting Agency. Study in India: Ind-SAT examinations would be held in Asian and African countries, so as to enable overseas students to apply to Indian institutions for academic programmes. Must Read: Salient Features of New National Education Policy
UPSC Quiz - 2020: IAS Daily Current Affairs Quiz Day 181 Archives Important Note Don't forget to post your marks in the comment section. Also, let us know if you enjoyed today's test :) To take the Test - Click Here
Controlling Your Chatterbox Mind: My mind is a constant chatter of thoughts. I mean, I can’t stop the mind, and when I sit to meditate, my mind goes on overdrive; there’s a song playing in the background, someone is there with a megaphone, and people are talking. How do I get them to shut up so that I can be still and meditate? When you say, “My mind is noisy,” you are right! You need to understand that the mind is nothing but noise. If you were to take away all the noise, all the distractions, and all the happenings in your mind, then where is the mind? There would be absolutely no mind, what Buddha called the state of “no-mind”. To understand the nature of the mind, first you need to investigate the mind: What does it want? How does it function? What is its motive? The mind has always been the master, and wants to continue to be the master. When you sit quietly, it wants to be in charge, so it tells you to do this or that, and constantly pushes you to think about something. When you tell the mind to keep quiet and say, "This is my time for meditation, why don’t you just relax and be quiet?” you are literally threatening the existence of the mind, or at least that is how the mind perceives it and retaliates with, “No, I don’t want to be quiet. Why are you sitting quietly, anyway? You’re just wasting time. I don’t understand this sitting quiet thing.” This conversation, this noise, is what you need to observe. The objective of meditation is not to run away from this noise, but to understand what it is. Not understanding the mind is the actual fuel that drives the mind. The more time you spend understanding the mind, the less noisy it becomes. The mind loves to function in darkness; it wants to remain elusive, and hidden. The moment you begin observing the mind through meditation, it’s as if you are lighting a lamp in the dark. The mind is like a monster that cannot stand bright light; it wants to remain hidden. In that hidden nature, it wants to make you do a lot of things. Once you begin watching your mind, it reveals its true nature and loosens its grip on you. “This article is a part of the creative endeavor of Meditation Farm and IASBABA.”
FASTag Mandatory For All Vehicles Archives TOPIC: General Studies 2 Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes In News: The ministry of road transport and highways has made the use of FASTags—essentially windshield stickers with embedded radio frequency chips that can be read by sensors at toll plazas—mandatory and cash counters will be steadily shrunk at the 500-plus toll plazas around the country to make cashless payments the norm. Now that FASTags are mandatory and new cars anyway come with these attached, road-pricing should actually be easier to implement everywhere. What is FASTag? It is the Electronic Toll Collection program on toll plazas by National Highway Authority of India. Works on the principle of Radio Frequency Identification Process: The tag needs to be affixed to the windscreen of the vehicle in such a way that the sensor at the toll plaza can read it. The tag can be purchased from official Tag issuers or participating Banks and if it is linked to a prepaid account, then recharging or top-up can be as per requirement. As per NHAI, FASTag has unlimited validity. A FASTag is linked to a bank account. When a vehicle passes through a toll, an SMS with date, time and place of transaction will be sent to the owner of the vehicle. In January 2019, state-run oil marketing companies IOC, BPCL and HPCL have signed MoUs enabling the use of FASTag to make purchases at petrol pumps. Benefits: FASTags are likely to reduce the nation’s GDP loss by bringing down loss of fuel while waiting at toll plazas. Doing away with cash collections as cash collections are often used by toll operators to pay off politicians who may have done them some favours. Road-pricing will be easier to implement everywhere. Reduce congestion: If every FASTagged car is charged, say, ₹10 every time it enters or exits a congested zone, money will be generated that will not only fund a small part of the expansion in public transport infrastructure, but also help reduce congestion and pollution. Promotes digital payments and makes it easier to keep tabs on vehicles and the toll booths. Cost of storage and transportation of cash as well as manpower at the toll booths comes down. It helps avoid traffic build-up at toll booths and save fuel expended by vehicles during the wait. Reports indicate that the government plans to use data from the devices used in electronic toll collection to monitor traffic and rework its toll policy as well. The Way Forward The expanding use of FASTags for the payment of toll on highways should be seen as an opportunity to formulate and articulate a clear strategy on road-pricing and public transport. Once the scheme works well with cars, two-wheelers and three-wheelers, too, should be brought within the ambit of city road pricing. Better rules in place: What states ought to do is regulate pricing less and focus more on improving things such as safety and security, including the setting up of call centres to help customers in distress. There also ought to be heavier punishments for drivers refusing to ply when it suits them. Allow private cars that are currently underused to be converted to part-time Ubers and Olas. This will expand the idea of shared mobility at a much lower cost to both customers and drivers—and boost jobs for drivers. Note: The world’s first electronic toll plaza began operations in Norway in 1986. Japan was the first Asian Country to begin it in 2001 and China started in 2014. Connecting the Dots: The future of mobility is shared, tolled and publicly-funded mass transport. Discuss. Can technologies that eliminate human intervention in governance completely obviate the need of establishing a value driven administration? Critically examine.
IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 15th February 2020 Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Following SC rap, telcos asked to pay AGR dues immediately In news: The Supreme Court ordered contempt proceedings initiation against Telcom companies for failing to pay even a “single penny” to the government in Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues, worth ₹1.47 lakh crore, despite an October 2019 judgment. Timeline: Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 15th February 2020 SRC: The Hindu From Prelims Point of view: Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) The usage and licensing fee that telecom operators are charged by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) divided into spectrum usage charges and licensing fees ( 3-8 %) Bone of contention: The definition of AGR has been under litigation for 14 years. As per DoT, the charges are calculated based on all revenues earned by a telco – including non-telecom related sources such as deposit interests and asset sales. As per Telcos, insist that AGR should comprise only the revenues generated from telecom services. AGR is very Important in Mains Perspective too , it will soon be covered in Mains section India’s position on Global Hunger Index alarming: VP In news: Vice president: India ranks 102nd on the Global Hunger Index, Despite high food production. Nutritional security requires measures to improve protein and vitamin deficiencies Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 15th February 2020 SRC: The Hindu From Prelims Point of view: Global Hunger Index (GHI) Report Prepared by the Concern Worldwide (an Irish agency) and the Welt Hunger Hilfe (a German organization) The report is based on four GHI indicators namely, undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting, and child mortality. India’s child wasting rate was extremely high at 20.8% - the highest India’s rank has slipped from 95th position (in 2010) to 102nd (in 2019) Child wasting Child wasting refers to the share of children under the age of five who are wasted, i.e, they have low weight with respect to their height, reflecting acute undernutrition. New structure for Military Affairs In news: The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), procurement cases will be put up as prioritised by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). Formal structure comprising civil and military officials for the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) headed by the CDS (At present, we have an interim structure, they have no financial power) The proposed DMA will have a Secretary, Transformation and Coordination, which will be the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (IDS), Additional Secretary and five Joint Secretaries. Additional Secretary will be a three-star officer while the Joint Secretaries include three officers, one from each service of the rank of Major General or equivalent ,Major Gen. From Prelims Point of view: Department of Military Affairs: The DMA will be the fifth department in the Ministry after the Department of Defence, the Department of Defence Production, the Department of Defence Research and Development and the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare. The DMA’s mandate includes promoting jointness in procurement, training and staffing for the Services; facilitating restructuring of the military commands for optimal utilisation of resources by bringing about a jointness in operations, including through the establishment of joint/theatre commands and promoting use of indigenous equipment The DMA would deal with The armed forces; The integrated headquarters of the Ministry, comprising the Army, Naval and Air and defence staff headquarters; The Territorial Army; and Works relating to the three services and procurement exclusive to them, except capital acquisitions Defence Acquisition Council Highest decision-making body in the Defence Ministry Decides on new policies and capital acquisitions for the three services (Army, Navy and Air Force) and the Indian Coast Guard. Minister of Defence is the Chairman of the Council. Formed, after the Group of Ministers recommendations on 'Reforming the National Security System', in 2001, post Kargil War (1999). Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) (Important for Mains) Link 1: https://iasbaba.com/2020/01/chief-of-defence-staff-cds-the-dual-hatted-role/ Link 2 : https://iasbaba.com/2020/01/chief-of-defence-staff-cds-gen-bipin-rawat-appointed-as-first-cds/ Indian pangolin In news: scientists have radio-tagged the Indian pangolin, an endangered animal Tagging the animal will help understand the habits of the reclusive, nocturnal animal Radio-tagging is part of a joint project by the forest department and non-profit organisation, the Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT). IASBaba’s Value addition Ninth ‘World Pangolin Day’ on 15th February, 2020. Celebrated in February every year to raise awareness of pangolins and bring together stakeholders to help protect these species from extinction. From Prelims Point of view: Indian pangolin: Has thick scaly skin Hunted for meat and used in traditional Chinese medicine. Pangolins are among the most trafficked wildlife species in the world. Out of the eight species of pangolin, the Indian and the Chinese pangolins are found in India. Both these species are listed under Schdule I Part I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. IUCN Red List Indian Pangolin: Endangered Chinese Pangolin: Critically Endangered (MAINS FOCUS) Governance Topic: General Studies 2: Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies Elections: Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act. Criminalisation of Politics Context A two Judge Bench of Supreme Court delivered a Judgment on the contempt petitions regarding non-compliance of the directions of a Constitution Bench of SC in Public Interest Foundation and Ors. v. Union of India, 2018 The 2018 Judgement had given the following pronouncements There is lack of information about rising criminalisation of Politics among the citizenry Rapid Criminalisation of Politics cannot be arrested by merely disqualifying tainted legislators but should begin by cleansing Political Parties Ordered Political Parties to publish the criminal details of their candidates in their respective websites and print as well as electronic media for public awareness. Increase in the incidence of criminals in politics Year Percentage of MPs with Criminal Cases pending against them 2004 24% 2009 30% 2014 34% 2019 43% The Court in its present judgement issued the following directions in exercise of its constitutional powers under Articles 129 and 142: It shall be mandatory for political parties [at the Central and State election level] to upload on their website detailed information regarding individuals with pending criminal cases, who have been selected as candidates. They also have to mention reasons for such selection over people with clean background The reasons as to selection of candidates shall be with reference to the qualifications, achievements and merit of the candidate concerned, and not mere "winnability" at the polls This information shall also be published in newspaper (one local & one national) and on the official social media platforms of the political party, including Facebook & Twitter. These details shall be published within 48 hours of the selection of the candidate or not less than two weeks before the first date for filing of nominations, whichever is earlier. The political party concerned shall then submit a report of compliance with these directions with the Election Commission within 72 hours of the selection of the said candidate. Non-compliance of these directions shall be brought to notice of SC by Election Commission on the grounds of Contempt of Court Merits of the Judgement It is in line with a series of judgments aimed at preserving the purity of the election process: Asset disclosure, NOTA option, Special courts for quick disposal of cases involving elected representatives It increases the information available for Citizens which enables him to take informed choice while choosing his representative. Helps bring structural changes in electoral system which are long-term in nature Criticism of the Judgement Judicial Overreach: An election is an issue to be decided between parties, candidates and the voters. The courts should have no say in the matter, except in particular cases where the Representation of the People Act is violated Threatens autonomy of Election System: By making them enforceable under Article 142 of the Constitution – failure to produce demanded documents risks attracting Contempt of Court – SC threatens to undermine the autonomy of the system of elections and elected legislature. Infringe on ECI: Candidates are already required to file their details in affidavits with the Election Commission. This order could infringe upon the role of the poll watchdog. Selection of candidates is subjective matter: The suitability of candidates is a subjective matter, and the justification required by the SC can only be an opinion, and not an objective fact, making the court’s order effectively unenforceable. Conclusion SC is in danger of overstepping limits and boundaries, rather it should be limiting itself to exerting moral force on political parties. De-criminalisation of politics cannot be achieved by judicial fiat alone, rather there has to be changes from within the Political parties. Connecting the dots! Internal Democracy of the Political Parties Decline in the institution of Parliament Governance Topic: General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Awareness in the fields of IT Digital ID systems and Algorithmic Governance Context For the first time in world, court in the Netherlands stopped a digital identification scheme for reasons of exclusion. This is of significance especially at a time when identity, citizenship and privacy are pertinent questions in India & worldwide What was the scheme? SyRI (System Risk Indicator) was developed by The Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs in 2014 to weed out those who are most likely to commit fraud and receive government benefits Legislation passed by Dutch Parliament allowed government agencies to share 17 categories of data about welfare recipients such as taxes, land registries, employment records, and vehicle registrations with a private company. The company, called “The Intelligence Agency”, used an algorithm to analyse data for four cities and calculate risk scores. Elevated risk scores were sent to relevant government arms, which stores these on government databases for a maximum of two years. The government, in that time period, could open an investigation on the targeted person. What were the arguments in court? Civil society groups and NGOs launched a legal attack on this case of algorithmic governance The allegation was that the algorithm would begin associating poverty and immigrant statuses with fraud risk. The Dutch government defended the programme in court, saying it prevented abuse and acted as only a starting point for further investigation instead of a final determination. The government also refused to disclose all information about how the system makes its decisions, stating that it would allow gaming of the system. The court found that opaque algorithmic decision-making puts citizens at a disadvantage to challenge the resulting risk scores. Judgement of the Court The court ruled that SyRI was violative of principles of transparency and data minimisation laid out in their General Data Protection Regulation. While the Hague district court found using new technology to control fraud was acceptable, it held SyRI was too invasive and violative of the privacy guarantees Significance of the Judgement This decision sets a strong legal precedent for other courts to follow, especially when Digital ID systems are being rolled out at a fast pace in places like Kenya, Philippines, Nigeria, Mexico, and more This is one of the first times a court anywhere has stopped the use of digital technologies by welfare authorities on human rights grounds Impact on India Similar to the Supreme Court’s Aadhaar judgment setting limits on the ID’s usage, the Hague Court attempted to balance social interest with personal privacy. However, the Aadhaar judgment was not regarding algorithmic decision-making; it was about data collection. India’s pending data protection regulation, being analysed by a Joint Select Committee in Parliament, could learn from the judgement about the need to regulate governments use of digital technologies for welfare activities. Conclusion The ruling demonstrates that parliaments ought to look very closely at the ways in which governments use technology in the social security system, to protect the rights of their citizens. Did You know? Due to General Data Protection Regulation, European tech initiatives have been stalled, including a facial recognition system on students in Sweden and France. However, attempts to ban facial recognition in cities such as San Francisco, USA have not had the same success as in Europe due to loopholes in US regulations A system somewhat paralleling the Dutch SyRI system was a risk-scoring software being used by US court systems to establish bail times. The US Supreme Court declined to hear a related case in 2017. Connecting the dots! Justice B.N.Srikrishna Committee Report Facial recognition used on large scale by China on Uyghurs Algorithmic Governance (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. With reference to India, which one of the following statements is NOT correct? IPCL is India's largest petrochemical company RIL is the largest private sector company in India MTNL is listed on NYSE BSNL is the first telecom service organization in India to launch a nationwide cellular service at one time Q 2. Consider the following statements. The number of post office in India is in excess of 1 lakh. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) was formed in the year 2000. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) was established in the year 1997. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? 1, 2 and 3 1 and 2 1 only 3 only. Q3. Which of the following is/are the indicator/indicators used by IFPRI to compute the Global Hunger Index Report? Undernourishment Child stunting Child mortality Select the correct answer using the code given below. 1 only 2 and 3 only 1, 2 and 3 1 and 3 only Q 4. Consider the following statements: Toothless mammals such as Pangolins are not found in India. Indian Pangolin is the only species of Pangolins found in India. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 ANSWERS FOR 14 FEB 2020 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE (TYK) 1 B 2 D Must Read About Significance of Data: The Indian Express About Fighting Corona Virus : The Hindu About growth of Asian economies: The Hindu
The Analects of Confucius: Confucius Confucius was one of the great spiritual teachers and philosophers of china. His teachings influenced a great spiritual movement which became Confucianism. His teachings are a treasure trove of wisdom and deep insights on life that can open up a new world of experiences to the reader. More than a philosopher, Confucius was a mystic who had deeper understanding of life and people. His wisdom came from the depths of his own inner being which made it more real and practical. The Analects of Confucius is a great collection of this parables and teachings that will offer a new understanding of your life.
Government Initiatives and Preparedness for Corona Virus ARCHIVES Search 3rd Feb, 2020 Spotlight here: http://www.newsonair.com/Main_Audio_Bulletins_Search.aspx TOPIC: General Studies 2 Government’s response to global emergency Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora. Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health. Corona Virus Global death toll rises to 427 as confirmed cases reach more than 20,000 in mainland China According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Coronaviruses (CoV) are a "large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. There is no specific medicine for treating and preventing coronavirus till now. The WHO is currently studying cures and is working with partners for better research and development. To protect yourself from coronavirus, it is important to wash hands regularly with soap and water, especially after contacting pets. Doing this can offer protection from bacteria like E.coli and salmonella. The strains of Coronavirus Coronaviruses were first discovered in the 1960s, belonging to the family of viruses called coronaviridae. They consist of a single-strand of the largest ribonucleic acid (RNA) — a macromolecule that converts the genetic information encoded by DNA into proteins — among viruses. Each virus has spike-like structures called peplomers. Under a microscope, this makes the virus resemble sketches of the sun. The name coronavirus is derived from this reference to the gas-like plasma visible around the sun during solar eclipses. The newly discovered strain is designated as 2019-nCoV and commonly referred to with the placeholder term ‘novel strain’. Before the new strain was identified, there were six other coronavirus strains — including Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Among humans, three other strains of coronavirus continuously circulate and cause pneumonia, bronchitis, respiratory tract infections, and even common cold. Coronaviruses are zoonotic — they get transmitted from humans to animals and vice versa. SARS and MERS, for example, were transmitted from horseshoe bats to humans through an intermediary animal — civet cats and dromedary camels, respectively. These viruses are transmitted when they enter a cell and deposit the RNA genome into the cell’s fluid, called cytoplasm, which holds all the cell material. In here, a protein called ‘replicase’ enables the RNA to replicate itself, all within the respiratory tract, and spread through the body. What sets the new strain apart is its ability to spread even during the incubation period before the appearance of any symptoms. This immediately increases its risk of spreading, making it much harder to contain. When symptoms do appear, they include dry cough, fever, and breathing difficulties, but this could quickly escalate to a fatal condition. Kerala declares emergency: An emergency has been declared in the southern state of Kerala after it was confirmed that a third person had contracted China's deadly coronavirus. Steps taken so far The Indian government has suspended online visa facility for China. This was after the second case was confirmed in (Kerala) India. A second special Air India flight brought 323 Indians from Wuhan. The evacuated people have been quarantined at a special army facility in Manesar near Delhi. So far, 20,000 people from 115 flights at 7 international airports have been screened. According to the health ministry, the National Institute of Virology is fully equipped to test the virus. The government has set up a 24x7 helpline (+91-11-23978046) to attend to public queries on the virus strain which has killed 41 people and infected more than 1,300 people in China so far and is reported to be spreading to several other countries. 11 people, who returned to India from China in recent days, have been put under observation in Kerala, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad for possible exposure to the virus. Held a meeting with medical device manufacturers to check the availability of personal protective equipment including masks and gloves in India Exports of all varieties of personal protection equipment, including clothing and masks used to protect the wearer from air-borne particles, and/or any other respiratory masks or any other personal protective clothing has been prohibited. India does not manufacture examination gloves because of low value and is dependent on imports for the same. China’s coronavirus crisis is an opportunity for India to ensure epidemic preparedness: To prevent nCoV from reaching its shores or, at least, contain it there if it does, India needs to make sure its entry points—airports and ports—are fortified with screening, and quarantining facilities. Heat scanners that can detect fever, a symptom of infection, at airports are a great start, but the first-line of medical intervention needs to be beefed up. Apart from making sure diagnostics and treatment facilities are bolstered, fighting or preventing an epidemic will require significant public awareness, on methods of transmission, handling of patients and everything in between. The frontline of the fight against communicable diseases is vaccination, and India must engage with vaccine research in a concentrated manner, more so since every warning of the climate change ramifications for India talk of a spurt in tropical, communicable diseases. Do You Know? SARS (Severe Acute respiratory Syndrome), another coronavirus that originated in China, came from bats and the civet cat, which in turn passed it on to humans. The early cases of this new infection were traced to the South China Seafood Wholesale Market. It thus emerged in China in 2002 and spread to 30 countries with 8400+ cases and nearly 800 deaths Study on bats and bat hunters in Nagaland: The government has ordered an inquiry into a study conducted in Nagaland by researchers from the U.S., China and India on bats and humans carrying antibodies to deadly viruses like Ebola. Filoviruses are a family of non-segmented negative-stranded RNA viruses, with Marburg virus and Ebola virus constituting two different species. e-Visa: The India e-Visa is an electronic authorization to travel to India for business, tourism, or medical visits. When applying for an e-Visa, it is not necessary to submit your passport or other personal documents to the consulate. The e-Visa approval will be issued in advance electronically before your departure to India. At the immigration checkpoint the actual visa will be placed inside your passport. Connecting the Dots: Elaborate: “When there is an unknown, people try to fill in the void.”
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