Dec 9, 2019 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 9th December 2019

IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 9th December 2019 Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) The seas have less oxygen now Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains III–Environment Conservation In News According to the study released by IUCN at Madrid Climate conference, the levels of oxygen in oceans fell by around 2 per cent from 1960 to 2010. Also, the water in some parts of the tropics had experienced a 40 per cent to 50 per cent reduction in oxygen. The deoxygenation of the oceans occurred due to climate change and other human activities (such as the nutrient runoff from farm fertilizers into waterways) The loss of oxygen in the oceans can affect the planetary cycling of elements such as nitrogen and phosphorous which are essential for life on Earth As oceans lose oxygen, they become more acidic, a phenomenon that has resulted in some places in shellfish having their shells degraded or dissolved — the so called “osteoporosis of the sea”. In many parts of the world,fish have been dying en masse — a clear illustration of the ways in which deoxygenation is choking the oceans. Apart from their declining oxygen content, oceans have, since the middle of the 20th century, absorbed 93 per cent of the heat associated with human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, leading to mass bleaching of coral reefs. Paika Memorial Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains I – Modern History In News President Ram NathKovind laid the foundation stone for the Paika Memorial which will come up in a 10-acre plot at the bottom of Barunei Hill in Odisha. The event marks 200 years of the Paika Rebellion of 1817, an uprising against colonial rule that predates the rebellion of the sepoys in 1857, and is sometimes described as the first war of independence. The Paikas (pronounced “paiko”, literally ‘foot soldiers’), were a class of military retainers had been recruited since the 16th century by kings in Odisha from a variety of social groups to render martial services in return for hereditary rent-free land (nish-karjagirs) and titles. The advent of the British and establishment of colonial rule brought new land revenue settlements, which led to the Paikas losing their estatesmostly to Bengali absentee landlords The British changed the currency system, demanding revenue payments in rupees, which increased pressure on the dispossessed, marginal tribals. The British control over salt — which had pre-1803-4 origins, but was extended to coastal Orissa in 1814 — also meant increased hardship for the people in the region. In 1817, some 400 Kondhsrose in revolt against the British under the leadership ofBakshiJagabandhuBidyadharMohapatraBharamarbar Rai, the highest-ranking military generalof Mukund Dev II, and erstwhile holder of the lucrative Rodanga estate Paikas fought bloody battles at several places, but the colonial army gradually crushed the revolt. BakshiJagabandhu escaped to the jungles, and stayed out of reach of the British until 1825, when he finally surrendered under negotiated terms. France protests Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains III – International Affairs In News Since December first week,hundreds of thousands of protesters including railway workers, teachers, and hospital staff, have been staging one of the biggest strikes in France in decades against the government’s pension reform project. The French government spending on pensions is among the highest in the world, at 14 percent of their economic output Through the pension reforms, Macron aims to merge the pension system which currently has 42 sector-specific pension schemes, with different levels of contributions and rewards, into one central points-based system. Each day that a worker works will earn them a point for future pension benefits. Macron maintains that a points-based single pension scheme will be fairer and less complicated At the moment, pension benefits in France are based on a worker’s 25 highest earning years in the private sector, and the last six months in the public sector. The protestors argue that new pension rules will force them to make a choice between working for long hours and receiving lower payments. The protests are the second during Macron’s presidency, after last year’s “Yellow Vest” or “gilets jaunes” protests that were triggered by general discontent, especially high fuel prices and cost of living. Mapathon Keralam Part of: GS Prelims and GS-II – Governance In News As many as 10,130 government offices have already been mapped as part of the ₹4.24-crore-Mapathon Keralam project which is part of the Rebuild Kerala Initiative. The project aims at creating micro-level maps of the entire state for identifying all the natural and physical assets Mapswill be useful for planning and implementing flood control and rehabilitation activities.  A crowdsourcing mapping initiative:The maps are to be created online with public participation, and anyone with a computer/mobile phone and an internet connection can participate in the initiative. About Rebuild Kerala Initiative. After damage caused by floods in the state during August 2018, Keral government launched Rebuild Kerala Initiativewith the objective of building resilience and mitigating risk, adopting the concept of ‘building back better’.  The aim of RKI is to catalyse rebuilding of Kerala in a way that addresses key drivers of floods, natural disasters & climate change risks and strengthens the State’s preparedness against future disasters. It is the government’s vision of converting the crisis into an opportunity by more explicitly embedding the idea of building a green and resilient Kerala. Pyrolysis Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III- Science & Technology, Environment Conservation In News The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has pulled up 270 tyre pyrolysis units in 19 States for employing technology that is polluting and harmful to the health of the workers employed. The CPCB has reported that there were 637 units in 19 States of which 251 units were compliant, 270 non-compliant and 116 were closed. Tyre pyrolysis refers to a technique of breaking down used tyresin the absence of oxygenat temperatures between 250o C and 500o C. Shredded tyres produce liquid oil and gases. While this is considered a safer technique than burning tyres, pyrolysis leaves fine carbon matter, pyro-gas and oil as residue and the inadequate management of these by-products poses health risks Do You Know? India is also a recipient of used tyres from Australia and the U.K., which are sent for recycling and disposal. As of 2016-17, official estimates indicate 127.34 million tyres were produced in India, which was seen to be a 12% increase from the previous year.  The National Green Tribunal in 2014 prohibited used tyres from being burnt in the open or being used as fuel in brick kilns, because of the toxic emissions. However, it allowed for pyrolysis technique to be employed for used tyre disposal. Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains II – Governance In News Almost six years after the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, was signed into law, several key provisions needed for the anti-corruption ombudsman to function have still not been operationalised. The process of constituting the Lokpal’s inquiry and prosecution wings has not yet begun. Section 60 of the Act empowers the Lokpal to make regulations on the manner and procedure of conducting preliminary inquiry. Till now, no such regulations have been made.  While it approved a logo and motto for itself, the Lokpal has not yet notified a format for filing complaints.  The process of setting up of a special wing to prosecute public servants for corruption, as mandated by the Act, has also not moved further The rules for the disclosure of assets and liabilities by public servants have not been notified either The term Lokpal was coined in 1963 but it was not until January 2014 that the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act came into force. It was more than five years later, in March 2019, that the first chairperson and members of the Lokpal were appointed. About The Act The Lokpal Act, which envisages establishment of the anti-graft body Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in states to look into cases of corruption against certain categories of public servants, was passed in 2013. The Lokpal selection committee is headed by the Prime Minister and consists of the Lok Sabha Speaker, leader of the opposition in the lower house, the Chief Justice of India or a judge of the apex court nominated by him, and an eminent jurist who could be nominated by the President or any other member. Composition of Lokpal There is a provision for a chairperson and a maximum of eight members in the Lokpal. Of these, four need to be judicial members. Not less than 50 per cent of the members of the Lokpal shall be from amongst the persons belonging to the SCs, the STs, OBCs, minorities and women. Terms of Office Upon selection, the chairperson and members shall hold office for a term of fiveyears or till they attain 70 years of age. The salary and allowances of the chairman of the Lokpal will be same as that of the Chief Justice of India, and that of members will be same as that of a judge of Supreme Court. The chief and members of the Lokpal are not eligible for reappointments. They will also not be eligible for any diplomatic assignment, appointment as administrator of a Union territory and for further employment to any other office of profit under the government of India. (MAINS FOCUS) INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS TOPIC: General Studies 2: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian Diaspora.. FRANCE PROTESTS Context: Since December 5, hundreds of thousands of protesters including railway workers, teachers, and hospital staff, have been staging one of the biggest strikes in France in decades against the government’s pension reform project. The strike is expected to continue for at least the next few days, and  It will affect intercity commutes as well. Background: The protesters argue that President Emmanuel Macron’s proposed pension reforms will force them to make a choice between working for long hours and receiving lower payments. The protests are the second during Macron’s presidency, after last year’s “Yellow Vest” or “gilets jaunes” protests. Yellow Vest Protests Yellow vest protests were triggered by general discontent, especially high fuel prices and cost of living. The movement was a populist, grassroots political movement for economic justice that began in France in October 2018.  The movement was initially motivated by rising fuel prices and a high cost of living;  It claims that a disproportionate burden of the government's tax reforms were falling on the working and middle classes, especially in rural and peri-urban areas.  The protesters called for lower fuel taxes, a reintroduction of the solidarity tax on wealth, a minimum-wage increase, the implementation of Citizens' initiative referendums, among other things. Rising fuel prices initially sparked the demonstrations.  Yellow high-visibility vests, which French law required all drivers to have in their vehicles and to wear during emergencies, were chosen as "a unifying thread and call to arms" because of their convenience, visibility, ubiquity, and association with working-class industries.  Pension Reforms: Through the pension reforms, Macron aims to merge the pension system — one of his core election promises — which currently has 42 sector-specific pension schemes, with different levels of contributions and rewards, into one central points-based system. The French government spending on pensions is among the highest in the world, at 14 percent of their economic output. As per the reformed pension schemes, each day that a worker works will earn them a point for future pension benefits.  Macron maintains that a points-based single pension scheme will be fairer and less complicated. At the moment, pension benefits in France are based on a worker’s 25 highest earning years in the private sector, and the last six months in the public sector. Additionally, the retirement age in France is 62, one of the lowest among the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. While Macron has not indicated that the retirement age will be pushed back, he has, indeed, said that workers in France will be required to work for longer. This is not the first time that French people are protesting against a change in the pension scheme. In 2007, rail and public transport workers staged a similar strike against then President Nicolas Sarkozy’s plans for pension reforms. Connecting the dots: France Protests are effective on all sides of the political spectrum. Critically comment. ECONOMY TOPIC: General Studies 3: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. The International Financial Services Centres Authority Bill Context: The International Financial Services Centres Authority Bill, 2019 is likely to be taken up by Parliament for discussion. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced the Bill in LokSabha recently.  The Bill provides for the establishment of an Authority to develop and regulate the financial services market in the International Financial Services Centres in India. Who is covered? The Bill will be applicable to all International Financial Services Centres (IFSCs) set up under the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005. The first IFSC in India has been set up at the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) in Gandhinagar. According to a release issued by the government when the Bill was first cleared by the Union Cabinet, “An IFSC enables bringing back the financial services and transactions that are currently carried out in offshore financial centres by Indian corporate entities and overseas branches/subsidiaries of financial institutions (FIs) to India by offering business and regulatory environment that is comparable to other leading international financial centres in the world like London and Singapore”. IFSCs are intended to provide Indian corporates with easier access to global financial markets, and to complement and promote further development of financial markets in India, the release said. Authority to be set up: The International Financial Services Centres Authority will consist of nine members, appointed by the central government. They will include the chairperson of the authority, a member each from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA); and two members from the Ministry of Finance. In addition, two other members will be appointed on the recommendation of a Search Committee. All members of the IFSC Authority will have a term of three years, subject to reappointment. Functions of Authority: The Authority will regulate financial products such as securities, deposits or contracts of insurance, financial services, and financial institutions which have been previously approved by any appropriate regulator such as RBI or SEBI, in an IFSC. It will follow all processes which are applicable to such financial products, financial services, and financial institutions under their respective laws. The appropriate regulators have been listed in a Schedule to the Bill, and includes the RBI, SEBI, IRDAI, and PFRDA.  The central government may amend this schedule through a notification. Among the other functions of the Authorityare the regulation of any other financial products, financial services, or financial institutions in an IFSC, which may be notified by the central government. Another function is to recommend to the central government any other financial products, financial services, or financial institutions, which may be permitted in an IFSC. Need for such an Authority: The release issued by the government explained that currently, the banking, capital markets and insurance sectors in IFSC are regulated by multiple regulators, i.e. RBI, SEBI and IRDAI. It requires regular clarifications and frequent amendments in the existing regulations governing financial activities in IFSCs.  The development of financial services and products in IFSCs would require focussed and dedicated regulatory interventions. Hence, a need is felt for having a unified financial regulator for IFSCs in India to provide world class regulatory environment to financial market participants.  This would also be essential from an ease of doing business perspective.  The unified authority would also provide the much needed impetus to further development of IFSC in India in sync with the global best practices. Connecting the dots: The dynamic nature of business in the IFSCs necessitates a high degree of inter-regulatory coordination. Comment. (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 The levels of oxygen in oceans fell by around 2 per cent from 1960 to 2010 As oceans lose oxygen, they become more acidic that has resulted in shellfish having their shells degraded or dissolved Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.2) Consider the following statements about Paika rebellion The rebellion took place around present day Maharashtra State in 1817 and is sometimes considered as first war of independence. It was led by BakshiJagabandhu who fought the battle against British primarily for its land revenue & land settlement policies which disrupted Tribal way of life. Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.3) Consider the following statements about Yellow Vest movement that was recently in news The protestswere triggered by general discontent, especially high fuel prices and cost of living. It took place in Iran during early 2019 against the ruling government. Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.4) Consider the following statements about Pyrolysis of Tyres It refers to a technique of breaking down used tyres at high temperatures (between250o C and 500o C) in the presence of abundance of oxygen It leaves fine carbon matter, pyro-gas and oil as residue and the inadequate management of these by-products poses health risks Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct? 1only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.5) Consider the following statements about Composition of Lokpal It consists a chairperson and a maximum of eight members of which four need to be judicial members. Not less than 50 per cent of the members of the Lokpal shall be from amongst the persons belonging to the SCs, the STs, OBCs, minorities and women. Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 ANSWERS FOR 07 DEC 2019 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE (TYK) 1 A 2 B 3 B 4 A 5 B MUST READ Constitutional justice is non-negotiable The Hindu An Asian engine driven by India and China The Hindu Demonising the legal system won’t help The Hindu Reform of Personal Income Tax Welcome ET Small and inclusive IE

Dec 9, 2019 Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz - 2020: IAS Daily Current Affairs Quiz Day 131

UPSC Quiz - 2020: IAS Daily Current Affairs Quiz Day 131 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

Dec 8, 2019 Motivational Articles

Creative Guidance – What is Happiness – Inspirational Educative Articles

What is Happiness? There is a deep connection between the nature of the mind and the nature of happiness. Mind, by definition, oscillates between the past and the future, so where is the experience of happiness? We know that happiness exists—it is something that we experience all the time. Happiness exists because of this oscillation; it doesn't even arise from being in the present moment. Let me share an example to help you understand the source of happiness. Let’s say you wake up in the morning, and there’s a cup of coffee on the table that either your wife has prepared, or your husband has prepared (if you are a lucky woman)! You drink the coffee and realize that it’s cooler than normal. You like your coffee hot, but this time it’s just warm. There is a response to that experience: You are a little agitated, a little perturbed, and you express that emotion. You say, “This coffee isn’t hot, and I like coffee to be hot!” The next day there is another cup of coffee and this time you are expecting the coffee to be warm because of the previous day’s experience. This time when you taste the coffee, it’s the perfect temperature. Now there is a moment of happiness. In this whole episode, where is happiness? Is it in the coffee? The coffee maker? The cup? Is it in your mouth? Where is this experience of happiness? Happiness is a very simple phenomenon. In this example, happiness is neither in the cup, the taste, nor the person who prepared the coffee; happiness is simply hidden in your expectations. In fact, happiness is nothing but another face of expectation. The first time you drank the cup of coffee, there was already an expectation that it would be hot. When it turned out to be cold, the response was unhappiness. What caused unhappiness? It was not the coffee, but your expectation of how the coffee should be. Throughout the day, this plays along in every experience. Unconsciously, we have picked up expectations about who we are, about the nature of people around us, about our social interactions, and society. These expectations have become a part of our daily living, so when the events that support those expectations are happening, you are happy; if not, then you are unhappy. Happiness is a very simple, moment-to-moment response to expectations. “This article is a part of the creative endeavor of Meditation Farm and IASBABA.”

Dec 7, 2019 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 7th December 2019

IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 7th December 2019 Archives Fifteenth Finance Commission Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains II - Polity In News The 15th Finance Commission submitted its interim report on devolution formula for the financial year 2020-21 to President Ram NathKovind. The devolution formula spells out how the Centre plans to share the taxes collected by it with the States. Since, the formula is to be applied in the new Budget, the award has not been made public. Now, the report will first be studied and then a final view will be taken by the Cabinet following which it will be tabled in Parliament just before the Union Budget next year. Only after that will the contents be made public. Normally, the government accepts the award in toto, however, it is free to accept or reject other suggestions in the report. Do You Know? The Finance Commission was constituted by the President of India under Article 280 of the Constitution on 27th of November 2017 to make recommendations for a period of five years from 1st April 2020 to 31 March 2025. However, the Gazette Notification dated 27 November 2019 mandated the Commission to submit the report for the financial year 2020-21 by 30 November 2019 and then the final report for the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2026 by 30 October 2020. This extension has been necessitated after Article 370 of the Constitution was amended. Following this the State of Jammu & Kashmir was bifurcated into two Union Territories, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. Thus, there was a need to change the terms of reference and extension of the term. The last time an interim report was submitted was during the term of 11th Finance Commission (2000-05), when the new States of Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh were created.  India State Level Disease Burden Initiative (ISLDBI)  Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains III –Health & Environment In News Union Environment Minister stated in Lok Sabha that there were no Indian studies that showed a “direct correlation” between pollution and mortality. However, this is in contrast with the report of ISLDBI which was funded by Union Health Ministry India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative is a venture of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Some of the findings of ISLDBI 2018 report are: India, with 18% of the world’s population, has 26% of the global premature deaths and disease burden due to air pollution. One in eight deaths in India was attributable to air pollution in India in 2017. Over half of the deaths due to air pollution were in persons less than 70 years of age. In 2017, 77% population of India was exposed to ambient particulate matter PM2.5 above the recommended limit by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. The disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), attributable to air pollution in India in 2017 for major non-communicable diseases were at least as high as those attributable to tobacco use. The average life expectancy in India would have been 1.7 years higher had the air pollution levels been less than the minimal level causing health loss The highest PM2.5 exposure level was in Delhi, followed by the other north Indian States of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Haryana. Mission Parivar Vikas (MPV) Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains II- Government Schemes In News Mission Parivar Vikas (MPV) was launched by Union Health Ministry in 145 high focus districts having the highest total fertility rates(TFR) in the country These 145 districts are in the seven high focus, high TFR states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Assam that constitute 44% of the country’s population.  The main objective of ‘Mission Parivas Vikas’ will be to accelerate access to high quality family planning choices based on information, reliable services and supplies within a rights-based framework. Data suggests that these 145 districts have TFR of more than/equal to 3.0 and are home to 28% of India’s population (about 33 Crores).  The scheme aims for immediate, special and accelerated efforts to reach the replacement level fertility goals of 2.1 by 2025 These districts also have a substantial impact on maternal and child health indicators as about 25-30% of maternal deaths and 50% of infant deaths occur in these districts Moreover, 115 of these districts (79%) have high percentage of adolescent mothers. Train18 Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Infrastructure In News One of the main reasons the Indian Railways decided to halt the production of Train18 rakes at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai is that the self-propelled train set is heavier and consumes more power compared to Shatabdi Express on the same route and speed Train18 rakes, later launched as Vande Bharat Express, are running successfully connecting New Delhi with Varanasi and Katra, the Railway Ministry is looking at a light weight version that could conserve power Thus, the government plans to float global tenders to procure the train sets and not from the ICF that indigenously built Train18 in a record 18 months. All India Railwaymen Federation (AIRF) has stated that the move to halt production and float global tenders to procure production from foreign players had hit the morale of the skilled workforce in the ICF. About Train 18 It is India’s first engine-less train. It doesn’t have a locomotive to pull the coaches, rather it is a self-propelled trainset. The semi-high-speed trainset can reach a maximum speed of 200 km per hour. The 16-coach trainset has world class amenities such as on-board Wi-Fi to GPS-based passenger information system, ‘touch-free’ bio-vacuum toilets, LED lighting, mobile charging points etc. Blue Water Force Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III- Security In News On December 4, Navy Day, the office of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called Indian Navy is the Formidable Blue Water Force. A Blue Water Navy is one that has the capacity to project itself over a much bigger maritime area than its maritime borders. Simply put, it is a Navy that can go into the vast, deep oceans of the world. However, while most navies have the capacity to send ships into the deep oceans, a Blue Water Force is able to carry out operations far from its borders, without being required to return to its home port to refuel or re-stock. While it is evident that Blue Water navies belong to the most powerful nations, there is no one internationally agreed upon definition. Owning one or more aircraft carriers is sometimes seen as a marker. Navies are classified in terms of colours. A navy whose operations are restricted close to the shore, where the water is muddy, is called a Brown Water Force. A navy that can go farther out is called a Green Water Force. And then there is a Blue Water Force. Palestine-India techno park Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains II – International Relations In News India releases one more tranche of funds worth $3 million, for the construction of a Palestine-India Techno Park. In total, India has made a commitment of investing over $12 million, part of India’s broader framework of capacity building in Palestine. The Indian government pays $3 million on a half-yearly basis. Once completed, the Technopark will serve as an IT hub in Palestine with complete IT facilities offering a one-stop solution to all IT-related service requirements, providing state-of-the-art technology, hosting IT companies and foreign companies benefitting local business, Universities and other institutions The park will be located next to the Birzeit University Academic Campus located in West Bank near Ramallah. In 2017, the park became a member of the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (IASP), a global network of science and technology parks. India-Palestine Relationship In 1974, India became the first non-Arab state to recognise the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. India maintained its support for the two-state solution and championed a “sovereign, independent, united” Palestine with its capital in East Jerusalem.  In 1996, India opened its Representative Office to the State of Palestine in Gaza, which was shifted to Ramallah in 2003.  In July 2017, Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Palestine. Trade between India and Palestine stands at roughly US $40 million and spans automotive spare parts, medical tourism, agro-products, textiles, agro-chemicals and pharmaceuticals among others. (MAINS FOCUS) POLITY TOPIC: General Studies 2: Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism Creamy layer in SCs, STs  Context: The Narendra Modi government’s demand for a review of a 2018 Supreme Court verdict in Jarnail Singh vs Lachhmi Narain Gupta case has brought focus back on the exclusion of ‘creamy layer’ within the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) categories from reservation benefits. Asserting that the creamy layer concept, which distinguishes between the affluent among disadvantaged sections, should not apply to SCs/STs, the central government has demanded that the matter be referred to a seven-judge bench. What does creamy layer mean? The concept has its genesis in a 1992 Supreme Court judgment in the Indira Sawhney vs Union of India case. Since then, two other significant Supreme Court judgments — one in M. Nagaraj vs Union of India and another in the Jarnail Singh case — have laid down the law in this regard The Mandal Commission case The Mandal Commission was set up in 1979 under Article 340 of the Constitution by the Janata Party government when Morarji Desai was prime minister with a mandate to “identify the socially or educationally backwards”. It laid down 11 indicators or criteria for determining social and economic backwardness.  In light of this report, the government provided 27 per cent reservation in central government jobs for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in 1990.  This was challenged in the Supreme Court by several writ petitions. A nine-judge bench in the Indira Sawhney case had upheld reservations for OBCs in 1992, but ruled that creamy layer among the backward class of citizens must be excluded “by fixation of proper income, property or status criteria” by the central government.  The court asserted that on these specifications, people falling in the creamy layer would not get the benefit of reservations. The Supreme Court also held that reservations in appointments — under Article 16(4) of the Constitution — do not apply to promotions. The 1993 creamy layer norms Following the SC judgment, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) had laid down categories under the creamy layer in 1993. According to the 1993 order, sons and daughters of Group A/Class I Officers of All India Central and State Services (direct recruits), Group B/Class II Officers of Central and State Services (direct recruits), employees of Public Sector Undertakings etc. and armed forces fall within the creamy layer, and, therefore, they would not be entitled to reservation benefits.  The order also included within the creamy layer sons and daughters of people with a gross annual income of Rs 1 lakh above or possessing wealth above the exemption limit as prescribed under the Wealth Tax Act for a period of three consecutive years. It, however, clarified that income from salaries and agricultural land will not be clubbed, and asserted that the income criteria in terms of rupee will be modified taking into account the change in its value every three years. However, the ceiling has been revised only four times since 1993 — the last time it happened was in September 2017 when the cap was raised to Rs 8 lakh per annum. The amendments that followed Meanwhile, in order to change the effect of the judgment in the Indira Sawhney case, there were some amendments to enable the government to make laws regarding reservation in promotion for SCs and STs. The first of these amendments was when the Parliament enacted the Constitution (77th Amendment) Act, 1995, inserting Article 16(4A), thereby enabling the government to make laws providing quota in promotion for SCs and STs. Article 16(4B) was also inserted, providing that reserved promotion posts for SCs and STs that remain unfilled can be carried forward to the subsequent year. While the SC judgement in the Indira Sawhney case capped the reservation quota at 50 per cent, the government’s amendment ensured that the 50 per cent ceiling for these carried-forward unfilled posts does not apply to subsequent years. Another instance was when Article 335 of the Constitution was amended during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government in 2001. While Article 335 specified that reservations have to be balanced with the “maintenance of efficiency”, the 2001 amendment stated that the Article will not apply to the government if it relaxes evaluation standards in matters of promotion. ‘Maintenance of efficiency’ is a constitutional limitation on the discretion of the government in making reservation in promotion for SCs and STs. Creamy layer to SCs & STs These amendments led to the 2006 Supreme Court judgment in M. Nagaraj vs Union of India, where a five-judge bench approved Parliament’s decision to extend reservations for SCs and STs to include promotions with three conditions. It required the government to provide proof for the backwardness of the class benefitting from the reservation, for its inadequate representation in the position/service for which reservation in promotion is to be granted and to show how reservations in promotions would further administrative efficiency. The judgment also held that the creamy layer concept was applicable to SCs and STs.  Creamy layer shouldn’t bag all coveted jobs: SC The M. Nagaraj case judgment was challenged in the Jarnail Singh case via two reference orders, the latest one having been issued in November 2017, stating that it needed to be referred to a seven-judge bench. The top court refused to refer it to a larger bench, asserting that even though it had not expressly chosen to apply the creamy layer principle to SCs and STs in its verdict in the Indira Sawhney case, the principle can still be applied in view of the principles of equality enshrined in Constitution. The court also asserted that the SC and high courts would be well within their jurisdiction to exclude creamy layer from getting reservations, rejecting the central government’s submissions that only the Parliament can exclude or include people from SC/ST lists.  Conclusion: “The whole object of reservation is to see that backward classes of citizens move forward so that they may march hand in hand with other citizens of India on an equal basis. This will not be possible if only the creamy layer within that class bag all the coveted jobs in the public sector and perpetuate themselves, leaving the rest of the class as backward as they always were,”  Connecting the dots: Supreme Court’s order on anti-atrocities law is a caution against entering legislative domain. Comment POLITY TOPIC: General Studies 2: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes;  Mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections. Governor’s role during fractured verdicts Context: Governors of many states are breaking the cardinal rules and provoking controversy by entering into the thick of everyday politics.  A combination of several factors has brought on the changing role and functions of the governor.  Today the men who occupy the Raj Bhavans are mostly superannuated politicians and party men unwilling to abandon their loyalties which causes a number of problems. Hung Assembly The Constitution envisages that the Governor act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers, except in those situations in which he is, by or under the Constitution, required to act in his discretion (Article 163).  It is clear that in identifying a candidate who, in his opinion, is in a position to command a majority, the Governor has to make his own decision, subject, of course, to democratic norms.  This is why one often sees the Governor of a State inviting leaders for discussions as part of efforts to explore the possibility of forming a government. When the Governor appoints the Chief Minister in this way, it is accompanied by a stipulation that the appointee prove his or her majority within a specified time on the floor of the House. Is there a preferred order for this process? The Governor may invite the leader of the largest single party first. However, if it is clear that the largest single party has no potential ally or enough independent members to ensure a majority, he may also invite the leader of the largest pre-poll combination or alliance. If there is no combination or alliance, he may invite leaders one by one in the order of their size in the new Assembly. During this process, a post-poll combination may emerge, if any one of them agrees to form a government.  The Governor may insist on letters of support from those outside the leader’s party who are willing to join or extend support to him. The Sarkaria Commission on inter-State relations has dealt with this question.  The Commission’s report suggests the following orders for Governors to follow:  An alliance formed prior to the election;  The largest single party staking claim with the support of others, including independents;  A post-electoral coalition, with all partners joining the government;  A post-poll coalition, with some joining the government, and others extending support from outside. As general principles, the Sarkaria Commission says the Governor should look for a party or combination that commands the widest support in the Assembly, and that “his task is to see that a government is formed, and not to try to form a government which will pursue policies which he approves”. Governor ascertain majority Decades ago, there were instances of party leaders parading legislators supposedly supporting them in Raj Bhavan, and Governors doing a headcount or verifying signatures. This approach has been deprecated by courts, and there is consensus now that the floor of the Assembly is the only place where the majority is to be decided.  The Sarkaria Commission recommends that a person, who has been appointed Chief Minister without a clear majority, should seek a vote of confidence in the Assembly within 30 days. “This practice should be strictly adhered to with the sanctity of a rule of law,” it says. Similarly, when the majority of the Chief Minister is contested by a significant number of legislators, the Governor should not risk a determination of his own outside the House, and it would be prudent “to cause the rival claims to be tested on the floor of the House”. In this, the Governor may advise the Chief Minister to summon the Assembly, if it is not in session, to demonstrate his support.  Normally, under Article 174, the Governor summons the House only on the advice of the Council of Ministers, but will be within his constitutional rights to cause the House to be convened if there is reason to believe that there is a doubt about the incumbent’s majority. Principles evolved by the Supreme Court: Some seminal judgments of the Supreme Court have dealt with these issues. The key principle that ought to guide the Governor is set out in the S.R. Bommai vs. Union of India case (1994).  The proper course, the court said, for testing the strength of a ministry is a floor test. “That alone is the constitutionally ordained forum ...,” it observed.  Even though this verdict was in the context of the imposition of President’s rule in different States, the principle holds good for any situation in which Governors have to decide on the appointment of a Chief Minister or continuance of a regime based on its numerical strength in the House. In Rameshwar Prasad (2005), the court ruled that there was nothing wrong in installing a post-poll combination, and that the Governor could not decline the formation of a government on the ground that it was being done through unethical means.  (Jagdambika Pal vs. Union of India and Ors), the Supreme Court ordered a ‘composite floor test’ involving two rival claimants — Kalyan Singh and Jagdambika Pal. The Governor had dismissed the former and installed Ms. Pal in office. Kalyan Singh won the floor test that day. A significant aspect of the court’s order was that it was made clear that the floor test would be the only item on the agenda of the House. Karnataka (2018) and Maharashtra (2019) are instances of the court ordering a floor test in a situation in which the Assembly had not yet been convened after the general election. Therefore, the legislators were yet to take their oaths. The court directed the appointment of a pro tem Speaker, to be followed by the administration of oath to the new members and, thereafter, a floor test.. Connecting the dots: Governors break cardinal rules, provoke controversy by entering into everyday politics. Analyse (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 about Finance Commission The Finance Commission is constituted by the President of India under Article 280 of the Constitution The 15th Finance Commission has submitted its interim report on devolution formula to President which is the first time in history where a Finance Commission has submitted an interim report. Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.2) Consider the following statements about Mission Parivar Vikas (MPV)  It is being implemented by Union Health Ministry all across India The objective of the mission is to accelerate access to high quality family planning choices based on information, reliable services and supplies within a rights-based framework. Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.3) Consider the following statements about India State Level Disease Burden Initiative’s (ISLDBI) 2018 report It was released by World Bank in association with NITI Aayog According to report, the average life expectancy in India would have been 1.7 years higher had the air pollution levels been less than the minimal level causing health loss Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.4) Consider the following statements about Train 18 It is India’s first engine-less train which doesn’t have a locomotive to pull the coaches, rather it is a self-propelled trainset The Indian-made trainset was completed at Pune’s Integral Coach Factory. Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct? 1only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.5) Consider the following statements about Blue Water Force Indian Navy is not considered asBlue Water Force as it is unable to carry out operations far from its borders because it needs to come back to Indian ports for refuelling or re-stocking Owning one or more aircraft carriers is sometimes seen as a marker of Blue water force. Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 ANSWERS FOR 06 DEC 2019 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE (TYK) 1 C 2 D 3 A 4 C 5 A MUST READ Climate warnings: On unmet emission goals The Hindu Meals that can educate the young The Hindu Retributive justice: On Hyderabad vet rape and murder The Hindu A  law on refugees is what India needs ET Let analytics firms raise GST collections ET

Dec 7, 2019 PIB

Press Information Bureau (PIB) IAS UPSC – 1st December to 7th December – 2019

Press Information Bureau (PIB) IAS UPSC – 1st to 7th December, 2019 ARCHIVES GS-2 Parliament passes  Special Protection Group (Amendment) Bill, 2019 As per the intent of the original law, SPG focusses on Prime Minister's security, as the PM is constitutionally the Head of the Government. It looks after the Prime Minister's personal security, health, communication and secures the PMO and Prime Minister's residence. There is a perception that the amendment in SPG Act is being brought only for the purpose to remove the SPG security cover for the Gandhi family. Opposed to that, the Gandhi family's security level was not being removed but was changed from SPG to Z+ with ASL (Advance Security Liaison) and 24X7 Ambulance provision. This has been done on the basis of threat perception as per the original version of the law and the family’s security cover is at par with that of the HM, Defence Minister etc. Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (Merger of Union Territories) Bill, 2019 This will -  Fruitful utilization of manpower Improve administrative efficiency Reduce administrative expenditure Improve service delivery Facilitate better monitoring of schemes Ensure better cadre management of employees There will be no change in administration and service conditions and reservation. Similarly, there will be no change in the status of Group III and IV employees. The merger would bring about administrative convenience, speedy development and effective implementation of central and state government schemes. The new entity would be called the UT of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu and would be governed under the jurisdiction of the Bombay High Court. Why? Having two separate constitutional and administrative entities in both the Union territories leads to lot of duplicity, inefficiency and wasteful expenditure.  Further, this also causes unnecessary financial burden on the Government.  Besides these, there are various challenges for cadre management and career progression of employees.  Availability of more officers and infrastructure would help in more efficient implementation of flagship schemes of the government Election Commission of India to implement “Political Parties Registration Tracking Management System” (PPRTMS) (Topic: Elections) The Election Commission of India has reviewed the system and process of registration of political parties. The new guidelines will be effective from 1st January, 2020.  Accordingly the “Political Parties Registration Tracking Management System” (PPRTMS) will be implemented through an online portal, to facilitate tracking of status of application by applicants. The salient feature in the Political Parties Registration Tracking Management System is that  The applicant (who is applying for party registration from 1st January, 2020 onwards) will be able to track the progress of his / her application and will get status update through SMS and email.  The applicant is required to provide contact mobile number and email address of the party / applicant in his application if he/she wishes to track the progress of the application. The Registration of Political Parties is governed by the provisions of section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. A party seeking registration under the said section with the Commission has to submit an application to the Commission within a period of 30 days following the date of its formation in prescribed format with basic particulars about the party such as name, address, membership details of various units, names of office bearers, etc., as required under sub-section (4) of the said section, and such other particulars that the Commission has specified under sub-section (6) of Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, as mentioned in the Guidelines for registration. Development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) (Topic: Welfare schemes for vulnerable population) There are certain tribal communities who have declining or stagnant population, low level of literacy, pre-agricultural level of technology and are economically backward. These groups are among the most vulnerable section of our society as they are few in numbers, have not attained any significant level of social and economic development and generally inhabit remote localities having poor infrastructure and administrative support.  75 such groups have been identified and categorized as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). Coverage for activities like education, housing, land distribution, land development, agricultural development, animal husbandry, construction of link roads, installation of non-conventional sources of energy for lighting purpose, social security or any other innovative activity meant for the comprehensive socio-economic development of PVTGs.  Under the scheme, State Governments submits Conservation-cum-Development (CCD) Plans on the basis of their requirement.  100% grants-in-aid are made available to States as per the provisions of the scheme. National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) for 2018-2025 (Topic: Welfare schemes for vulnerable population) The Plan aims at reduction of adverse consequences of drug abuse through a multi-pronged strategy.  The activities under the NAPDDR, inter-alia, include  Awareness generation programmes in schools/colleges/Universities, workshops/seminars/ with parents Community based peer led interactions intervention programmes for vulnerable adolescent and youth in the community Provisioning of treatment facilities Capacity building of service providers INDIA and ADB sign $206 million loan to strengthen urban services in 5 Tamil Nadu cities (Topic: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests) The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $206 million loan to develop water supply and sewerage infrastructure in 5 cities of Tamil Nadu and strengthen capacities of urban local bodies (ULBs) for improved service delivery. This is the second project loan for the ADB-supported $500 million multi-tranche financing for Tamil Nadu Urban Flagship Investment Programme, approved in September 2018 that will overall develop climate-resilient water supply, sewerage, and drainage infrastructure in 10 cities of Tamil Nadu. The first project under the Programme with $169 million financing is currently under implementation. The project is aimed at improving the lives of the urban people in the identified cities of Tamil Nadu by providing universal access to water supply and sanitation, and improving sewage treatment and drainage systems.  The project interventions will benefit residents, workers and industries in the state’s economic corridors thereby building industrial competitiveness and creating good jobs.  It also supports urban reform agenda such as better service delivery through private operators and with quality benchmarking The Plan The project will target four cities — Ambur, Tiruchirappalli, Tiruppur, and Vellore — for developing sewage collection and treatment and drainage systems by setting up or rehabilitating sewage treatment plants, pumping stations, and connecting all households in the project area to the sewerage network, including below poverty line households. Wastewater reuse for industry will also be achieved in at least 4 cities. Improvement to water supply systems would be targeted in the cities of Madurai and Tiruppur through commissioning of over 1,260 km of new distribution lines to connect nearly 190,000 households with metered water supply, including below poverty line households.  In addition, nearly 200 km of new transmission mains and 230 km of feeder mains would be constructed along with two new water treatment plants. The project will also strengthen capacity of the Commissioner of Municipal Administration in Tamil Nadu for new project development, and monitoring and benchmarking quality of services across the 135 urban local bodies in the state. India & Sweden (Topic: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests) India sees Sweden as a key partner in its Make in India, Start-up India, Clean India, Digital India and Smart City programmes. Swedish companies have made significant investment in India. There is potential for them to do a lot more, especially in clean technologies, circular economy, water partnership and next generation infrastructure.  Defence: India’s growth and potential in the defence sector also presents significant opportunities for Swedish companies to manufacture in India for the domestic market and for exports.  Health sector is another area of close cooperation. India and Sweden sign Memorandum for India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre The India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre in collaboration between the Swedish Trade Commissioner’s Office, AIIMS Delhi and AIIMS Jodhpur aims to develop an ecosystem of open innovation that start-ups and the healthcare delivery stakeholders can use to collaborate and address current and future challenges in the healthcare sector.  It will operate on well-defined challenges and services for stakeholders to build capabilities and methodologies and, help socialize and scale up innovative solutions across the country’s healthcare delivery network.   A holistic view of innovation shall be taken which shall include technology, data, protocols and processes, skill development and business models.  The key components of this Centre to drive innovation are innovation challenges, incubation, mentorship, live Centre of excellence, skilling, global reach, conferences, digital showroom, white papers and support to access capital sources. Technology: An impressive number of Indian companies have invested in Sweden especially in the areas of IT and technology solutions. Three agreements in the fields of polar research, science and technology and sea-faring were exchanged in the presence of the President and the Swedish King. Climate Change: Both India and Sweden are committed to tackling climate change. The co-leadership in the Industry Transition Track would be very helpful to the cause. Invitaion was extended to Sweden to join the International Solar Alliance. India is also keen to engage with Sweden in the Arctic region. The world of machine-intelligence must be accompanied by equity, for meeting basic needs of people, to protect our natural resources and to preserve our planet. India wants to engage with Sweden on circular economy, resource efficiency and climate-smart models. GS-3 Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP)  (Topic: Agriculture) Aim: To empower women in agriculture by making systematic investments to enhance their participation and productivity, as also to create and sustain their agriculture-based livelihoods.  Under MKSP, a total number of 36.06 lakh Mahila Kisans have been benefitted through 84 projects in 24 States/UTs in the country, out of which 1.81 lakhs women have been benefitted in the State of Maharashtra.  A total Central allocation of Rs.847.48 crore has been made towards implementation of the approved projects, out of which an amount of Rs. 52.15 crore has been allocated for projects in Maharashtra State. The Department of Agriculture Cooperation and Farmers Welfare is also providing additional support and assistance to female farmers, over and above the male farmers under various Schemes namely Agri-Clinic & Agri-Business Centre (ACABC), Integrated Schemes of Agricultural Marketing (ISAM), Sub-Mission of Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) and National Food Security Mission (NFSM). Measures to Increase Solar Energy Generation (Topic: Infrastructure) Announcement of a target of installing 100 GW of solar energy capacity by December, 2022. Waiver of Inter State Transmission System (ISTS) charges and losses for inter-state sale of solar power for projects to be commissioned up to December, 2022. Permitting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) up to 100 percent under the automatic route. Notification of standard bidding guidelines to enable distribution licensees to procure solar and wind power at competitive rates in cost effective and transparent manner. Declaration of trajectory for Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) up to year 2022. Implementation of Green Energy Corridor project to facilitate grid integration of large scale renewable energy capacity addition. Notification of Quality Standards for deployment of solar photovoltaic system/devices. Launch of various schemes including. Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan Yojana (PM-KUSUM), CPSU (Government Producers) Scheme -Phase II and Solar Rooftop Phase II program. Promotion to Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (Topic: Pollution, Climate Change) National Electric Mobility Mission Plan 2020 (NEMMP) and FAME India has a “National Electric Mobility Mission Plan 2020 (NEMMP)” in place to “achieve sales” of 60-70 lakh units of electric vehicles (that includes buses, two-wheelers and cars) by 2020. In 2015, the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric vehicles (FAME) scheme was launched to fast-track the goals of NEMMP. FAME India Phase II, with an emphasis on electrification of public transport, was also launched from April 1, 2019. In India Electric two wheelers have been the major part of EV sales with sales of around 54,800 in 2018.  Indian market share in electric cars is only 0.06%.  Uttar Pradesh topped the list of the States with highest EV sales of 6,878 units in 2017-18. Phase –II Fame-India Scheme Based on outcome and experience gained during the Phase-I of FAME India Scheme and after having consultations with all stakeholders including industry and industry associations, the Government notified Phase-II of FAME India Scheme on 8th March 2019, which is for a period of three years commencing from 1st April 2019 with a total budgetary support of Rs. 10,000 crore. This phase will mainly focus on  Supporting electrification of public & shared transportation Support through incentives about 7000 e-buses, 5 lakh e-3 wheelers (e-3W), 55000 e-4 wheelers (e-4W) passenger cars and 10 lakh e-2 wheelers In addition, creation of charging infrastructure will be also supported to address range anxiety among users of electric vehicles Under Phase-II of FAME-India Scheme, incentives is being provided to the consumers on purchase of electric vehicles, used for public transport or those registered for commercial purposes in e-3W, e-4W (including Strong Hybrid) segment however, privately owned registered e-2W are also be covered under the scheme.  The demand incentive to these electrical vehicles is linked to battery capacity i.e. Rs. 10,000/KWh subject to capping of 20% cost of these vehicles. Demand incentive is restricted to vehicles with prices less than the threshold value which is Rs 1.5 Lakh for e-2W, 5 lakh for e-3W and 15 Lakh for e-4W. Renewable energy in India India’s adoption of electric vehicles was part of its larger thrust towards increasing the share of renewable energy and reducing carbon dioxide emissions.  The share of renewables (excluding hydro above 25 MW) in total power generation was around 10% in 2018-19 compared with around 6% in 2014-15.  India stands fourth in wind power, fifth in solar power and fifth in renewable power installed capacity. Blue Flag Certification for beaches (Topic: Environment conservation) The ‘Blue Flag’ beach is an Eco-tourism model endeavouring to provide to the tourists/beach goers clean and hygienic bathing water, facilities/amenities, safe and healthy environment and sustainable development of the area. The Ministry has embarked upon a programme for ‘Blue Flag’ Certification for select beaches in the country. This Certification is accorded by an international agency “Foundation for Environment Education, Denmark” based on 33 stringent criteria in four major heads i.e.  (i) Environmental Education and Information (ii) Bathing Water Quality (iii) Environment Management and Conservation (iv) Safety and Services in the beaches 13 pilot beaches that have been identified for the certification, in consultation with concerned coastal States/UTs: Ghoghala Beach (Diu) Shivrajpur beach (Gujarat) Bhogave (Maharashtra) Padubidri and Kasarkod (Karnagaka) Kappad beach (Kerala) Kovalam beach (Tamil Nadu) Eden beach (Puducherry) Rushikonda beach (Andhra Pradesh) Miramar beach (Goa) Golden beach (Odisha) Radhanagar beach (Andaman & Nicobar Islands) Bangaram beach (Lakshadweep) Rushikonda beach (Andhra Pradesh) Tiger corridors in Country (Topic: Environment, Wildlife conservation) The National Tiger Conservation Authority in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India has published a document titled “Connecting Tiger Populations for Long-term Conservation”, which has mapped out 32 major corridors across the country, management interventions for which are operationalised through a Tiger Conservation Plan, mandated under section 38V of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. 3 pronged strategy to manage human-tiger negative interactions: Material and logistical support: Funding support through the ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Project Tiger, is provided to tiger reserves for acquiring capacity in terms of infrastructure and material, to deal with tigers dispersing out of source areas.  These are solicited by tiger reserves through an Annual Plan of Operation (APO) every year which stems out from an overarching Tiger Conservation Plan (TCP), mandated under Section 38 V of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.  Inter alia, activities such as payment of ex-gratia and compensation, periodic awareness campaigns to sensitize, guide and advise the general populace on man-animal conflict, dissemination of information through various forms of media, procurement of immobilization equipment, drugs, training and capacity building of forest staff to deal with conflict events are generally solicited. Restricting habitat interventions: Based on the carrying capacity of tigers in a tiger reserve, habitat interventions are restricted through an overarching TCP. In case tiger numbers are at carrying capacity levels, it is advised that habitat interventions should be limited so that there is no excessive spill over of wildlife including tigers thereby minimizing man-animal conflict.  Further, in buffer areas around tiger reserves, habitat interventions are restricted such that they are sub-optimal vis-à-vis the core/critical tiger habitat areas, judicious enough to facilitate dispersal to other rich habitat areas only. Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs): The National Tiger Conservation Authority has issued following three SOPs to deal with man-animal conflict which are available in public domain: To deal with emergency arising due to straying of tigers in human dominated landscapes To deal with tiger depredation on livestock For active management towards rehabilitation of tigers from source areas at the landscape level. Sl. No. Landscape Corridor States/ Country 1. Shivalik Hills & Gangetic Plains Rajaji-Corbett Uttarakhand (ii) Corbett-Dudhwa Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Nepal (iii) Dudhwa-Kishanpur-Katerniaghat Uttar Pradesh, Nepal 2. Central India & Eastern Ghats (i) Ranthambhore-Kuno-Madhav Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan (ii) Bandhavgarh-Achanakmar Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh (iii) Bandhavgarh-Sanjay Dubri-Guru Ghasidas Madhya Pradesh (iv) Guru Ghasidas-Palamau-Lawalong Chhattisgarh & Jharkhand (v) Kanha-Achanakmar Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh (vi) Kanha-Pench Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra (vii) Pench-Satpura-Melghat Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra (viii) Kanha-Navegaon Nagzira-Tadoba-Indravati Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh (ix) Indravati-Udanti Sitanadi-Sunabeda Chhattisgarh, Odisha (x) Similipal-Satkosia Odisha (xi) Nagarjunasagar-Sri Venkateshwara National Park Andhra Pradesh 3. Western Ghats (i) Sahyadri-Radhanagari-Goa Maharashtra, Goa (ii) Dandeli Anshi-Shravathi Valley Karnataka (iii) Kudremukh-Bhadra Karnataka (iv) Nagarahole-Pusphagiri-Talakavery Karnataka (v) Nagarahole-Bandipur-Mudumalai-Wayanad Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu (vi) Nagarahole-Mudumalai-Wayanad Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu (vii) Parambikulam-Eranikulam-Indira Gandhi Kerala, Tamil Nadu (viii) Kalakad Mundanthurai-Periyar Kerala, Tamil Nadu 4. North East (i) Kaziranga-Itanagar WLS Assam, Arunachal Pradesh (ii) Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong Assam (iii) Kaziranga-Nameri Assam (iv) Kaziranga-Orang Assam (v) Kaziranga-Papum Pane Assam (vi) Manas-Buxa Assam, West Bengal, Bhutan (vii) Pakke-Nameri-Sonai Rupai-Manas Arunachal Pradesh, Assam (viii) Dibru Saikhowa-D’Ering-Mehaong Assam, Arunachal Pradesh (ix) Kamlang-Kane-Tale Valley Arunachal Pradesh (x) Buxa-Jaldapara West Bengal Prelims oriented News Navy Gets its First Woman Pilot: SLt Shivangi India based Neutrino Observatory: Theni district in Tamil Nadu (under discussion) Electricity: Concurrent subject Anaemia Control As per the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) - IV (20015-16), 54.2 percent women (15-49 years) and 59.5 percent children (6-59 months) in rural area of the country are anaemic. As per Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (2016-18), 19% children aged 1-4 years, 17 % children aged 5-9 years and 32% adolescents aged 10-19 years have zinc deficiency in the country. The most common cause of anaemia is iron deficiency, caused by inadequate dietary iron intake or absorption, increased needs for iron during pregnancy or growth periods, and increased iron losses as a result of menstruation and helminth (intestinal worms) infestation. Other important causes of anaemia include hemoglobinopathies such as Sickle Cell anemia, Thalassaemia, etc., Malaria and Flurosis. 1st December: Statehood day of Nagaland Worlds AIDS Day Focus on Three Zeros’ - i.e. zero new infections, zero AIDS-related deaths and zero discrimination In sync with the Ministry’s ‘Digital India’ campaign, NACO has strengthened its monitoring mechanism with more than 35,000 reporting units providing information on completely IT enabled system NACO has not only signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 18 key Ministries/Departments to augment a comprehensive AIDS response but also with more than 650 industries of public and private sectors to mobilize their support. 3rd December:  International Day of Persons with Disabilities Jayanti of the first President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad In office from 1952 to 1962 A supporter of Mahatma Gandhi, Prasad was imprisoned by British authorities during the Salt Satyagraha of 1931 and the Quit India movement of 1942 In his speech before the Constitution was adopted, Dr Rajendra Prasad rightly noted that the successful working of democratic institutions requires willingness to respect the views of others, and capacity for compromise and accommodation. He said, [quote] “Many things which cannot be written in a Constitution are done by conventions. Let me hope that we shall show those capacities and develop those conventions.” [Unquote] Seventy years later, we have reasons to believe that the nation has lived up to his hopes to a fair degree. First Manned Mission – Gaganyaan The Human Space Mission: Gaganyaan is targeted for December 2021. The Gaganyaan Programme has been approved by the Government of India. The design and configuration of major subsystem are finalized. The procurement and system/ subsystem realisation for tests and flight has commenced. GSLV Mk III launcher which is ISRO’s heavy lift launcher is identified for Gaganyaan mission. It has requisite payload carrying capacity for Orbital module in desired elliptical orbit. Process for human rating of GSLV Mk-III is progressing well. Ministry of Culture updates The Government has de-classified all records relating to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Azad Hind Fauj A new museum of antiquities proposed to be opened in Purana Quila by April 2020: Central Antiquity Collection Section is a centre for housing the collection of antiquities explored and excavated by Archaeological Survey of India. These antiquities date backfrom the Prehistoric period to post Independence era. The objective to open newmuseum is to display antiquities such as tools, potteries, terracotta, beads of semi-precious stones, sculptures, architectural fragments, etc. for general public, students andresearch scholars. Exercise Mitra Shakti -VII: 2019 - Aimed at enhancing interoperability and operational efficiency amongst the armies of both India and Sri Lanka when deployed as part of United Nations peace keeping forces MSMEs contribute 29.7% of GDP and 49.66% of Indian Exports. Government has taken various initiatives to enhance the competitiveness of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) through schemes such as Credit Linked Capital Subsidy and Technology Upgradation Scheme (CLCS-TUS), Micro and Small Enterprises – Cluster Development Programme, Procurement and Marketing Support and support for MSMEs to participate in international exhibitions / trade fairs, conferences / summits/ workshops. Compressed Bio-Gas from Paddy Stubble Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) can be produced from biomass and organic waste sources including paddy stubble. Compressed Bio-Gas has properties similar to the commercially available natural gas and can be used as an alternative renewable fuel. Government of India has launched Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) initiative to promote CBG as an alternative, green transport fuel for efficient management of biomass and organic waste.  As part of the SATAT scheme, Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies, Gail (India) Limited and Indraprastha Gas Limited had launched Expression of Interest (EoI) for procurement of CBG from the entrepreneurs at an assured price. Maternity Benefits under PMMVY The maternity benefits under Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) are available to the eligible beneficiaries for first living child. Normally, the first pregnancy of a woman exposes her to new kinds of challenges and stress factors. Hence, the scheme provides support to the mother for safe delivery and immunization of her first living child.     The Government has accorded high priority to the issue of malnutrition and is implementing several schemes like Anganwadi Services, Scheme for Adolescent Girls and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojna (PMMVY) under the Umbrella Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme as direct targeted interventions to address the problem of malnutrition among women and children in the country.  Government has set up POSHAN Abhiyaan for a three-year time frame commencing from 2017-18. The goals of POSHAN Abhiyaan are to achieve improvement in nutritional status of Children from 0-6 years, Adolescent Girls, Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers in a time bound manner during the three years with fixed targets. The Abhiyaan aims to reduce malnutrition in the country in a phased manner, through a life cycle approach, by adopting a synergised and result oriented approach.  The Abhiyaan has mechanisms for timely service delivery and a robust monitoring as well as intervention infrastructure.  It targets to bring down stunting of the children in the age group of 0-6 years from 38.4% to 25% by the year 2022.  The major activities undertaken under this Abhiyaan are ensuring convergence with various other programmes; Information Technology enabled Common Application Software for strengthening service delivery and interventions; Community Mobilization and Awareness Advocacy leading to Jan Andolan- to educate the people on nutritional aspects; Capacity Building of Frontline Functionaries, incentivizing States/ UTs for achieving goals etc. A multi-pronged strategy to address the issue of road safety based on Education, Engineering (both of roads and vehicles), Enforcement and Emergency Care The National Road Safety Policy outlines various policy measures such as promoting awareness, establishing road safety information data base, encouraging safer road infrastructure including application of intelligent transport, enforcement of safety laws with regard to Road Safety. In addition, the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 provides for Road Safety Councils and Committees at National, State and District level to discharge function relating to Road Safety Programmes. The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 focuses on road safety and includes, inter-alia, stiff hike in penalties for traffic violations and electronic monitoring of the same, enhanced penalties for juvenile driving, computerization/automation of vehicle fitness and driving, tests, recall of defective vehicles, extending the scope of third party liability and payment of increased compensation for hit and run cases etc. Advocacy/Publicity campaign on road safety through the electronic media and print media to create awareness.  Issue of Guidelines for protection of Good Samaritans. Setting up of model driving training Institutes in States. Sanction of 24 Inspection and certification Centres for testing the fitness of the commercial vehicles through an automated system Launch of mobile app for highway users i.e. “Sukhad Yatra 1033” which enables highways users to report potholes and other safety hazards on National Highways including accidents. Observance of Road Safety Week every calendar year for spreading awareness and strengthening road safety. Road safety has been made an integral part of road design at planning stage.  The threshold for four laning of national highway has been reduced from 15,000 Passenger Car Units (PCUs) to 10,000 PCUs. Safety standards for automobiles have been improved. High priority has been accorded to identification and rectification of black spots (accident prone spots) on national highways. Ministry has delegated powers to Regional Officers of MORTH for technical approval to the detailed estimates for rectification of identified Road Accident black spots for expediting the rectification process to ensure safety of road users. Guidelines for pedestrian facilities on National Highways for persons with disabilities have also been issued to all States / UTs.  A Certification Course for Road Safety Auditors has been commenced in Indian Academy of Highway Engineers (IAHE) and 42 Auditors are certified. Removal of Liquor Shops as per directions of Hon’ble Supreme Court vide circular Personality in News Mahaparinirvan Diwas: Death Anniversary of Ambedkar Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956), popularly known as Babasaheb Ambedkar, was an Indian jurist, economist, politician and social reformer who inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement and campaigned against social discrimination towards the untouchables (Dalits), while also supporting the rights of women and labour. He was independent India’s first law and justice minister, the principal architect of the Constitution of India, and a founding father of the Republic of India. His autobiography: Waiting for a Visa His books: Annihilation of Caste – It strongly criticised Hindu orthodox religious leaders and the caste system in general, and included “a rebuke of Gandhi” on the subject. Who Were the Shudras? – Ambedkar tried to explain the formation of untouchables. He saw Shudras and Ati Shudras who form the lowest caste in the ritual hierarchy of the caste system, as separate from Untouchables. Reserve Bank of India Ambedkar was trained as an economist, and was a professional economist until 1921, when he became a political leader. He wrote three scholarly books on economics: Administration and Finance of the East India Company The Evolution of Provincial Finance in British India The Problem of the Rupee: Its Origin and Its Solution[98][99] The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), was based on the ideas that Ambedkar presented to the Hilton Young Commission. Ambedkar and Untouchability While practising law in the Bombay High Court, he tried to promote education to untouchables and uplift them. His first organised attempt was his establishment of the central institution Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha, intended to promote education and socio-economic improvement, as well as the welfare of “outcastes”, at the time referred to as depressed classes. For the defence of Dalit rights, he started five periodicals – Mooknayak (the leader of the dumb, 1920) Bahishkrit Bharat (Ostracized India, 1924) Samta (Equality, 1928) Janata (The People, 1930) Prabuddha Bharat (Enlightened India, 1956) Manusmriti Dahan Din: In a conference in late 1927, Ambedkar publicly condemned the classic Hindu text, the Manusmriti (Laws of Manu), for ideologically justifying caste discrimination and “untouchability”, and he ceremonially burned copies of the ancient text. On 25 December 1927, he led thousands of followers to burn copies of Manusmrti. Thus, annually 25 December is celebrated as Manusmriti Dahan Din (Manusmriti Burning Day) by Ambedkarites and Dalits. Kalaram Temple movement: About 15,000 volunteers assembled at Kalaram Temple satygraha making one of the greatest processions of Nashik. The procession was headed by a military band, a batch of scouts, women and men walked in discipline, order and determination to see the god for the first time. When they reached to gate, the gates were closed by Brahmin authorities. Poona Pact: In 1932, British announced the formation of a separate electorate for “Depressed Classes” in the Communal Award. Gandhi fiercely opposed a separate electorate for untouchables, saying he feared that such an arrangement would divide the Hindu community. Gandhi protested by fasting while imprisoned in the Yerwada Central Jail of Poona. Following the fast, Congress politicians and activists such as Madan Mohan Malaviya and Palwankar Baloo organised joint meetings with Ambedkar and his supporters at Yerwada. On 25 September 1932, the agreement known as Poona Pact was signed between Ambedkar (on behalf of the depressed classes among Hindus) and Madan Mohan Malaviya (on behalf of the other Hindus). The agreement gave reserved seats for the depressed classes in the Provisional legislatures, within the general electorate. Due to the pact, the depressed class received 148 seats in the legislature, instead of the 71 as allocated in the Communal Award earlier proposed by British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald. The text uses the term “Depressed Classes” to denote Untouchables among Hindus who were later called Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes under India Act 1935, and the later Indian Constitution of 1950. In the Poona Pact, a unified electorate was in principle formed, but primary and secondary elections allowed Untouchables in practice to choose their own candidates. Must Answer: Examine in detail the ideas and ideals of Dr. Ambedkar to make India a modern nation. How far do you agree with the statement of Dr. BR Amedkar that the CAG is the most important functionary in the Constitution? Substantiate your views. What were the views of Dr. Ambedkar regarding the Indian Constitution? Did in his views the mere existence of a constitution guaranteed the freedoms envisaged by it? Discuss.   During Constitutional debates, Dr B R Ambedkar advocated for reservation of socially and economically backward classes. Now, even after almost seven decades of independence, reservation still exists. Recently demands are being raised for reverse discrimination. What is reverse discrimination? What steps can be taken to check these demands? Quotes The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu ‘International Day of Persons with Disabilities’ must be renamed as ‘International Day of Persons with Special Abilities’, to reflect the enormous potential and capabilities that differently-abled people possess and to dispel the stigma that society attaches to disability. We must build an inclusive society that is respectful and sensitive to the needs of the differently-abled. There is a need to provide right nutrition and care to pregnant mothers and young children and to create good and accessible medical facilities across rural India. Early identification of disability is crucial to undertake effective interventions from the beginning for rehabilitation measures and empowerment of the affected persons. There is also a need to harmonize the immunization and disease prevention programmes with appropriate rehabilitatory models at least at the District level. A change in society’s attitude towards disability is crucial and added that differently-abled persons are not objects of ‘sympathy’ and ‘pity’ and must instead be given ‘empathy’ and ‘support’. There is a need to develop collaborative efforts among all stakeholders for developing barrier free environment for the Persons with Disabilities.

Dec 7, 2019 RSTV Video

RSTV IAS UPSC – Pharmaceutical Marketing Malpractices

Pharmaceutical Marketing Malpractices Archives General Studies 2 Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. In News: A recent report by a public health group on pharmaceutical marketing practices has revealed widespread use of bribes and inducement by Pharma companies to the doctors in order to increase the sale of their products.  The medical representative respondents also disclosed that the pressure on them was “tremendous” adding to their stress levels as they were “tracked by their supervisors using iPads.” Medical representatives also cited that only 10-20% doctors follow the MCI code of ethics, while in some cases doctors even demand “incentives” to push a product. Medical representatives of not just allopathy, but even ayurvedic and homeopathic companies, reported being under massive pressure to meet high sales targets. The report cited medical representatives as saying that that company officials even monitor business generated by doctors on whom they have ‘invested’ money. Pharma companies are holding training workshops or sessions for medical representatives, focused more on salesmanship and ‘managing customer (doctors) relations’, instead of enhancing their technical knowledge about the product they are handling. The report also noted a new trend – the  propaganda-cum-distribution companies these days float new entities that are franchisees of the pharma companies who buy drugs in bulk from manufacturers, give their own brand names and directly sell them to retailers and doctors at huge discounts and incentives including gifts, cash, hospitality and travel facilities Indian pharmaceutical companies received a third of the warnings the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued for misbranding, selling unapproved medicines and violating Current Good Management Practices (CGMP) so far this year. According to section 501(a)(2)(B) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) violations of CGMP by a drug manufacturer can result in its product being categorised as adulterated. Management oversight, non-conformity to standards, batch failures, contamination are some of the constituents of CGMP violations. An unhealthy alliance between doctors and pharma firms For doctors the Medical Council of India has a code of ethics which bars them from accepting any gifts, cash, travel facilities or hospitality from Pharma companies. However for the pharmaceutical companies there is a voluntary code known as Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical marketing practices or UCPMP which experts says is a not a very effective mechanism to check the prevailing malpractices.  What’s alarming is that there is no law to punish those guilty of the unethical practice; and the government refuses to blink. Result: patients are forced to buy costly medicines. In 2015, the government had notified the Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP), crucial for an industry that until now had nothing to regulate it—neither a law nor any guidelines. The Union government still sits on a 2015 proposal to enforce a uniform marketing practices code for pharma companies, entailing stringent penalties. A year and a half ago, a draft of regulatory codes which was sent to Law Ministry to reign in unethical practices under Essential Commodities Act was rejected. Yet, the Ministry of Health in a reply to a Right of Information (RTI) report said that the draft was being discussed [caption id="attachment_54250" align="aligncenter" width="330"] RSTV IAS UPSC – Pharmaceutical Marketing Malpractices[/caption] Source: DownToEarth The AMR Threat The health threat is posed to millions of unsuspecting people, who fall prey to irrational prescriptions pushing drugs that may be hazardous for health.  Rising use of antibiotics is the main cause of antimicrobial resistance, one of the world’s greatest health threats. Bacteria evolve resistance to drugs naturally over time, becoming superbugs, but mass or inappropriate use dramatically speeds up this process. The Way Ahead There is a need for a mandatory code for identifying and penalizing unethical promotion on the part of pharma companies.  Mandated disclosure by Pharmaceutical companies of the expenditure incurred on drug promotion Ghost writing in promotion of pharma products to attract disqualification of the author and penalty on the company Vetting of drug related material in Continuing Medical Education  Health care isn’t just another consumer product. It is more than that. The Hippocratic ideals of putting patients first are ingrained in our culture and reflected in the regulation of medical licenses and malpractice law. But although Hippocratic ideals have long been the basis of expectations for medical professionals, they haven’t yet been formally applied to health care companies. This is a major shortcoming in an era when the actions of large health systems, pharmaceutical companies, device companies, and insurance companies can have even greater effects on patients than the actions of individual clinicians. Connecting the Dots: Ethical practice can be enforced only through peer pressure. Legislation is no solution to the malady. Discuss. Explain the potential and problems being faced by pharmaceuticals industry in India. What is the socio-economic significance of this industry? How IPR issues have posed a serious threat to this sector? Do you think drug pricing policy in India needs an overhaul? Examine. You are the head of the Ethics Committee on Genetic Engineering. Your job is to examine the ethical dimensions in the field of genetic engineering. One day you receive an application for ethical clearance from a big pharma company which is planning to launch the technology of embryonic gene editing. This technology shall help expecting parents to have children with desired traits and qualities. Moreover, it shall also reduce the risk of chronic diseases in the lifecycle of the newly born. You get a felling that allowing this technology will create a controversy. A section in the society feels that it would be immoral to interfere with God’s creation. Moreover, such decision would also leave the poor and marginalised sections deprived of the fruits of the new technology as it is highly expensive. On the other hand, the scientific community backing this technology believes that such a ground breaking success should not be wasted on moral or ethical grounds. It has always been in the nature of human beings to innovate and invent, thereby, improving the quality of life. Gene editing would be immensely beneficial for humanity as it would open endless possibilities for improving human life and alleviate their sufferings. What decision would you take in this regard? Substantiate your view point with suitable reasoning. (250 Words) (20) (Refer Solution)

Dec 6, 2019 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 6th December 2019

IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 6th December 2019 Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Extra Neutral Alcohol (ENA) Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains III- Economy In News Anticipating shortage of domestic supplies, Alcohol manufacturers have sought a reduction in import duty to make it cost-effective for them to import Extra Neutral Alcohol from global markets. Extra Neutral Alcohol (ENA) is the primary raw material for making alcoholic beverages. It is a colourless food-grade alcohol that does not have any impurities.  It has a neutral smell and taste, and typically contains over 95 per cent alcohol by volume.  It is derived from different sources — sugarcane molasses and grains — and is used in the production of alcoholic beverages such as whisky, vodka, gin, cane, liqueurs, and alcoholic fruit beverages. ENA also serves as an essential ingredient in the manufacture of cosmetics and personal care products such as perfumes, toiletries, hair spray, etc.  Given its properties as a good solvent, ENA also finds industrial use and is utilised in the production of some lacquers, paints and ink for the printing industry, as well as in pharmaceutical products such as antiseptics, drugs, syrups, medicated sprays. Like ethanol, ENA is a byproduct of the sugar industry, and is formed from molasses that are a residue of sugarcane processing RBI keeps interest rate unchanged Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains III - Economy In News The Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) announced that it would not cut the repo rate (presently at 5.15%) in its last monetary policy review for the current calendar year Repo rate is the rate at which India’s central bank loans money to the banking system.  It is also the rate to which all new loans in the economy are benchmarked.  A cut in the repo rate would have signalled a further reduction in the interest rate new borrowers — hoping to avail loans for homes and cars etc. — will be charged by the banking system. Most economists and bankers expected the RBI to cut the repo rate in a bid to boost India’s sharply decelerating economic growth. In the first five bi-monthly policy reviews of 2020, the RBI had cut repo rate by 135 basis points.But only about 44 bps have been passed on to the consumers of new loans. The RBI believes that with more time, the monetary transmission will deepen. RBI also pointed to the fact that there is money in the market if one wants to borrow but credit off-take has been weak and it is unlikely to improve by another rate cut. When it comes to monetary policy, the RBI’s most important mandate is to maintain price stability. With rising inflation, RBI is worried that further cut in repo rate would further fuel inflation. Do You Know? The RBI is required by law to maintain retail inflation — which is based on Consumer Price Index (CPI) — at the 4% level (with a band of variation of 2 percentage point) Retail inflation rose to a 16-month high in October and breached the RBI’s target level of 4% even as India’s GDP growth decelerated for the sixth consecutive quarter to just 4.5% in Q2 (July to September), which is a new six-year low. The reason for the rise in inflation is the spike in food prices, as agriculture sector suffered from the unexpected weather shocks such as unseasonal rains (in Karnataka, Maharashtra & Kerala) [caption id="attachment_54222" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 5th December 2019[/caption] Src: Click here Uighur issue Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains II- International Relations In News On December 3rd, the US House of Representatives passed by a 407-1 vote a Bill -The Uighur Human Rights Policy Act 2019 -  that seeks to impose sanctions on senior Chinese officials for their involvement in the detention of Muslims. The billalso calls for the United States Secretary of Commerce to consider prohibiting the sale of US-made goods or services to any state agent in Xinjiang. The Uyghurs are a Turkic ethnic group who live in East and Central Asia.They live primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, where they are one of 55 officially recognized ethnic minorities. Uyghurs primarily practice Islam. China has detained at least a million Uighurs and other Muslims, including ethnic Kazakhs and Uzbeks, in “re-education camps” in the country’s northwesternXinjiang province. The crackdown against the Muslims in the region — who are ethnically and culturally closer to central Asia than to the mainland Han Chinese — intensified after riots broke out in the regional capital Urumqi in 2009, in which over 200 people were killed. Do You Know? President Trump signed into law on November 27 The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act 2019. Under this law, the US government must impose sanctions against Chinese and Hong Kong officials responsible for human rights abuses in Hong Kong. Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Economy In News IEPFA signed a MOU with Bank of Baroda for Investor Awareness. In 2016, Government of India established IEPFA under the provisions of section 125 of the Companies Act, 2013. The Authority is entrusted with the responsibility of administration of the Investor Education Protection Fund (IEPF), make refunds of shares, unclaimed dividends, matured deposits/debentures etc. to investors and to promote awareness among investors. Zero FIR Part of: GS Prelims and GS-II – Polity& Governance In News In the context of the Hyderabad Veterinary doctor rape& murder case, her family alleged that the Shamsabad police station delayed the filing of an FIR citing jurisdictional issues FIR which stands for First Information Report has serial number, date of occurrence, time of occurrence, place of occurrence, contents of complaint etc. and it is lodged because of commission of cognizable offence (an offence in which police can take suo moto action and no prior approval from court is required).  Every police station has jurisdictional area for which they can take up the investigation if commission of cognizable offence area found under their jurisdiction. But in Zero FIR, any police station can register FIR irrespective of jurisdictional area but the investigation will be taken up the police in which place of occurrence reported in FIR.  The police station can register the zero FIR marking it serial number zero and transfer to the competent jurisdictional area which can carry out the investigation. The sanctity of legal process remains same in zero FIR. It is very helpful for people as it facilitates them by not allowing to make rounds of different police station for lodging the FIR. Do You Know? A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in LalitaKumari v. Govt. of U.P held that registration of FIR is mandatory under Section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, if the information discloses commission of a cognizable offence. Inspite of the Justice Verma Committee report and also the multiple advisories issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on the registration of Zero FIR, the police are still reluctant to register a case of cognizable offence especially in cases relating to heinous crimes against women.  Nirav Modi now a fugitive economic offender Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains III- Economy In News A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court declared diamond trader Nirav Modi, an accused in the Punjab National Bank scam case, a fugitive economic offender. Nirav Modi is the second person to be declared a fugitive economic offender, under the new Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, after liquor baron Vijay Mallya. Now, the Union government can confiscate his assets. The declaration would also help in the extradition proceedings pending before a United Kingdom court About Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018 The objective of the act is to deter economic offenders from avoiding the process of Indian law by remaining outside the jurisdiction of Indian courts. FEO is defined as an individualwho has committed offences involving an amount of 100 crore rupees or more and has ran away from India to avoid criminal prosecution. (MAINS FOCUS) INTERNAL SECURITY TOPIC: General Studies 3: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights. Personal Data Protection Bill The Personal Data Protection (PDP) Bill, 2019, has been approved by the Cabinet and is slated to be placed in Parliament this winter session.  What do we mean by data? Data usually refers to information about messages, social media posts, online transactions, and browser searches. The individual whose data is being stored and processed is called the data principal in the PDP Bill.  This large collection of information has become an important source of profits, but also a potential avenue for invasion of privacy because it can reveal extremely personal aspects.  Companies, governments, and political parties can use it to find the most convincing ways to advertise online. Who handles data and how? Data is stored in a physical space similar to a file cabinet of documents, and  It is transported across country borders in underwater cables that run as deep as Mount Everest and as long as four times the Indian Ocean.  To be considered useful, data has to be processed, which means analysed by computers. Data is collected and handled by entities called data fiduciaries.  The fiduciary controls how and why data is processed,  The processing itself may be by a third party, the data processor. For example, in the US, Facebook (the data controller) fell into controversy for the actions of the data processor — Cambridge Analytica. The physical attributes of data — where data is stored, where it is sent, where it is turned into something useful — are called data flows.  Data localisation arguments are premised on the idea that data flows determine who has access to the data, who profits off it, who taxes and who “owns” it.  However, many contend that the physical location of the data is not relevant in the cyber world. How does the PDP Bill propose to regulate data transfer? To legislate on the topic, the Bill trifurcates personal data.  The umbrella group is all personal data — data from which an individual can be identified.  Some types of personal data are considered sensitive personal data (SPD), which the Bill defines as financial, health, sexual orientation, biometric, genetic, transgender status, caste, religious belief, and more.  Another subset is critical personal data. The government at any time can deem something critical, and has given examples as military or national security data. The approved Bill requires individual consent for data transfer abroad.  The Bill also requires sensitive personal data to be stored only in India.  It can be processed abroad only under certain conditions including approval of a Data Protection Agency (DPA).  The final category of critical personal data must be stored and processed in India. The Bill mandates fiduciaries to give the government any non-personal data when demanded. Non-personal data refers to anonymised data, such as traffic patterns or demographic data.   The Bill requires social media companies, to develop their own user verification mechanism.  While the process can be voluntary for users and can be completely designed by the company, it may decrease the anonymity of users and “prevent trolling”. The Bill includes exemptions for processing data without an individual’s consent for “reasonable purposes”, including security of the state, detection of any unlawful activity or fraud, whistleblowing, etc.  The Bill calls for the creation of an independent regulator DPA, which will oversee assessments and audits and definition making.  Each company will have a Data Protection Officer (DPO) who will liaison with the DPA for auditing, grievance redressal, recording maintenance and more.  It also grants individuals the right to data portability, and the ability to access and transfer one’s own data. It legislates on the right to be forgotten. With historical roots in European Union law, this right allows an individual to remove consent for data collection and disclosure. The two sides of the debate: For data localisation A common argument from government officials has been that data localisation will help law-enforcement access data for investigations and enforcement.  As of now, much of cross-border data transfer is governed by individual bilateral “mutual legal assistance treaties” — a process that almost all stakeholders agree is cumbersome.  In addition, proponents highlight security against foreign attacks and surveillance.  The government doubled down on this argument after news broke that 121 Indian citizens’ WhatsApp accounts were hacked by an Israeli software called Pegasus. Many domestic-born technology companies, which store most of their data exclusively in India, support localisation. Eg: Paytm and Reliance Jio. Many economy stakeholders say localisation will also increase the ability of the Indian government to tax Internet giants. Against the Bill Civil society groups have criticised the open-ended exceptions given to the government in the Bill, allowing for surveillance.  Moreover, some lawyers contend that security and government access are not achieved by localisation.  Even if the data is stored in the country, the encryption keys may still be out of reach of national agencies. Technology giants like Facebook and Google and their industry bodies, especially those with significant ties to the US, have slung heavy backlash.  Many are concerned with a fractured Internet (or a “splinternet”), where the domino effect of protectionist policy will lead to other countries following suit.  Much of this sentiment harkens to the values of a globalised, competitive internet marketplace, where costs and speeds determine information flows rather than nationalistic borders.  Opponents say protectionism may backfire on India’s own young startups that are attempting global growth, or on larger firms that process foreign data in India, such as Tata Consulting Services and Wipro. Conclusion: Without an enabling law, the exemptions provided in the bill will fall short of securing accountability from the state for activities such as dragnet surveillance. The grey areas must spark public and parliamentary debate before a final legislation comes to fruition. Connecting the dots : The data protection bill ticks many boxes. Critically examine  ECONOMY TOPIC: General Studies 3: Money-laundering and its prevention Fugitive Economic Offender (FEO) A Mumbai PMLA judge declared jeweller Nirav Modi, a “fugitive economic offender” (FEO) on a plea by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Background: Diamantaire Nirav Modi is wanted in the Rs13,570 crore-fraud caused to the Punjab National Bank.  He left the country to avoid criminal prosecution,  After getting him declared a Fugitive Economic Offender (FEO), way has been paved for the premier probe agency to confiscate his offshore assets. He is the second citizen to be declared FEO under the special law.  Embattled liquor baron Vijay Mallya was the first Indian national to be declared earlier this year. Both Mallya and Nirav Modi are in the United Kingdom, and fighting extradition to India. Fugitive Economic Offender (FEO): An FEO is defined by The Fugitive Economic Offenders (FEO) Act, 2018 as “any individual against whom a warrant for arrest in relation to a scheduled offence has been issued by any court in India, who (i) has left India so as to avoid criminal prosecution; or (ii) being abroad, refuses to return to India to face criminal prosecution”. The FEO Act aims “to provide for measures to deter fugitive economic offenders from evading the process of law in India by staying outside the jurisdiction of Indian courts, to preserve the sanctity of the rule of law in India and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.”. The FEO Bill came into effect in 2018. Why was such a law required? Economic offences relate to fraud, counterfeiting, money-laundering, tax evasion, etc.  Among the laws available for prosecuting these offences are The Prevention of Money-Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, The Benami Properties Transactions Act, 1988, and The Companies Act, 2013. Sections of The Indian Penal Code, 1860 and The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, also cover offences such as forgery and cheating. In 2017, Finance Ministry released a draft Bill to address cases of high-value economic offenders fleeing the country to avoid prosecution.  It was observed that existing civil and criminal laws did not contain specific provisions to deal with such offenders, and that a new legal framework was needed to prosecute them. The ministry also argued that procedures under these laws were time-consuming, led to roadblocks in investigation and impacted the financial health of banks. In March 2018, the Ministry of External Affairs stated that over 30 businessmen, under investigation by the CBI and the ED, had absconded to avoid facing prosecution before Indian courts. What is the process for declaring an individual an FEO? Under the Act, an application must be filed in the special court asking that a particular individual may be declared an FEO. The application must be accompanied by “reasons for the belief that an individual is a fugitive economic offender; any information available as to the whereabouts of the fugitive economic offender; a list of properties or the value of such properties believed to be the proceeds of crime, etc.” The special court may then issue a notice to the individual to appear at a specified place, and drop the proceedings if the individual complies. If, however, the special court is satisfied that an individual is an FEO, it may, record so in order, along with reasons.  The court may then order the confiscation of the properties of the accused individual in India or abroad. In the case of Nirav Modi, the ED filed an application under the FEO Act in July 2018. In the case of Mallya, the application was moved in June 2018, when the Act was still an Ordinance. Connecting the dots: With new rules, ‘fugitive economic offender’ law has more teeth. Comment. (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 about Extra Neutral Alcohol It acts as the primary raw material for making alcoholic beverages It serves as an essential ingredient in the manufacture of cosmetics and personal care products such as perfumes, toiletries, hair spray Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.2) Uyghurs often seen in news is predominantly associated with which country?  South Africa Australia Myanmar China Q.3) Consider the following statements Repo rate is the rate at which Reserve Bank of India (RBI) loans money to the banking system  The RBI is required by law to maintain retail inflation — which is based on Consumer Price Index (CPI) — at the 2% level (with a band of variation of 1 percentage point) Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.4) Consider the following statements about Zero First Information Report (FIR) in Zero FIR, any police station can register FIR irrespective of jurisdictional area but the investigation will be taken up the police in which place of occurrence reported in FIR.  It is very helpful for public as it facilitates them by not allowing to make rounds of different police station for lodging the FIR. Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct? 1 and 2 only 2 only 1 and 3 only 1,2 and 3 Q.5) Consider the following statements about Fugitive Economic Offender (FEO FEO is defined as an individual who has committed offences involving an amount of 100 crore rupees or more and has ran away from India to avoid criminal prosecution. Only after theSupreme Court declares the person as FEO, the Government can confiscate all his properties. Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct? 1 and 2 only 2 only 1 and 3 only 1,2 and 3 ANSWERS FOR 05 DEC 2019 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE (TYK) 1 B 2 D 3 C 4 C 5 C MUST READ Bail basics: On Chidambaram case The Hindu A strategic pause: On RBI holding interest rate The Hindu A potential seedbed for private profits The Hindu  Behind the rage, Iranians dream of democracy  The Hindu Two-nation Citizen IE

Dec 6, 2019 Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz - 2020: IAS Daily Current Affairs Quiz Day 130

UPSC Quiz - 2020: IAS Daily Current Affairs Quiz Day 130 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

Dec 6, 2019 RSTV Video

RSTV IAS UPSC – Climate Change & India

Climate Change & India Archives TOPIC: General Studies 3 Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation In News: The 25th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will be held in Spain from 2nd December this year. CoP 25 holds a lot of significance as countries prepare to move from pre 2020 period under Kyoto protocol to post 2020 period under Paris Agreement.  India is all set to stress upon the need for fulfilling pre 2020 commitments by developed countries and that pre 2020 implementation gaps should not present an additional burden to developing countries in the post 2020 period.  The Situation According to the 2019 WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have reached another new record high. This continuing long-term trend means that future generations will be confronted with increasingly severe impacts of climate change, including rising temperatures, more extreme weather, water stress, sea level rise and disruption to marine and land ecosystems. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has warned, in its 2019 Emissions Gap Report, that greenhouse gas emissions reductions of 7.6 per cent per year from 2020 to 2030 are needed to meet the internationally agreed goal of a 1.5°C increase in temperatures over pre-industrial levels. Scientists agree that’s a tall order, and that the window of opportunity is growing smaller.  The 25th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, more commonly known as COP25, will be the “the COP of implementation”. At the summit, countries will finalize the mechanisms for meeting their climate commitments, and at least try to stave off the worst-case scenario. Because the UNFCCC had non-binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions for individual countries, and no enforcement mechanism, various extensions to this treaty were negotiated during recent COPs, including most recently the Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, in which all countries agreed to step up efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial temperatures and boost climate action financing. COP25 is the final COP before we enter the defining year of 2020, when many nations must submit new climate action plans. Among the many elements that need to be ironed out is the financing of climate action worldwide. Currently, not enough is being done to meet the three climate goals:  Reducing emissions 45 per cent by 2030 Achieving climate neutrality by 2050 (which means a net zero carbon footprint) Stabilizing global temperature rise at 1.5°C by the end of the century Setting rules for international carbon markets A carbon market allows countries, or industries, to earn carbon credits for emission reductions they make in excess of what is required of them. These credits can be traded to the highest bidder in exchange of money. The buyers of carbon credits can show the emission reductions as their own and use them to meet their own emission reduction targets. A carbon market already existed under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the earlier climate agreement that will expire next year and get replaced by Paris Agreement. In the last one decade, as several countries walked out of the Kyoto Protocol and no one was feeling compelled to meet their emission reduction targets, the demand for carbon credits had waned. As a result, developing countries like India, China and Brazil had accumulated huge amounts of carbon credits. These credits are now in danger of getting redundant. What happens to the carbon credits already accumulated? Brazil has been arguing that these accumulated carbon credits should remain valid under the new carbon market to be instituted. But the developed countries have been resisting this, claiming that the weak verification mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocol had allowed dubious projects to earn credits. India, which has accumulated 750 million certified emission reductions (CERs), is backing Brazil’s position on this. Resolution of this tussle is key to the success of the Madrid meeting. But there are other pending issues as well, like those related to ensuring transparency in the processes, and methods of reporting information. Developing countries will also try to ensure that there is greater appreciation and recognition of the issue of loss and damage. They are trying to institute a mechanism to compensate countries that suffer major losses due to climate change-induced events like cyclones or floods. Many countries plan to meet their climate goals in part by buying carbon credits to offset their own emissions, paying to prevent deforestation in other countries, or planting trees.  Changes in land use, including deforestation, currently accounts for around a quarter of global emissions. While long-lived trees in diverse, native ecosystems have the potential to store tremendous reserves of carbon, trees planted for offsets are often temporary.  In some cases, eucalyptus or palm oil plantations can be counted as “reforestation,” despite the fact that they are planted only to be cut down (eucalyptus) or have measurably devastating impacts on the environment (oil palms). Cabinet approves India's stand at upcoming UN COP 25 on climate change India is a Party to the  United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Kyoto Protocol (KP) Paris Agreement (PA): Has mechanisms like global stock-take and ratcheting up action every 5 years to address climate change and avoid adverse consequences. For addressing the challenge of climate change, India adheres to the paramountcy of the UNFCCC processes. It has proactively contributed to multilateral efforts to combat climate change and continues to do so while undertaking its own independent, enhanced initiatives in climate mitigation and adaptation besides meeting all its commitments under the UNFCCC, its KP and PA. Independent studies rate India’s efforts highly and compliant with the requirements under PA. Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure: Will serve as a platform to generate and exchange knowledge on different aspects of climate and disaster resilient infrastructure 'Leadership Group for Industry Transition' launched jointly by India and Sweden, will provide a platform for government and the private sector in different countries to work together on accelerating low carbon growth and cooperation in the area of technology innovation. India will also insist upon the principle of ‘equity and common but differentiated responsibilities’: It means that while all countries should do their best to fight global warming, developed countries – with deeper pockets, who were primarily responsible for the climate mess – should take a bigger share of the burden than the developing and under-developed countries. Conclusion Because the clock is ticking on climate change, the world cannot afford to waste more time, and a bold, decisive, ambitious way forward needs to be agreed. The Madrid meeting will determine how, or whether, the promises of the Paris Agreement will be turned into action. Note: The abbreviation ‘COP’ expands as ‘Conference of Parties’ and here the word ‘parties’ refers to the countries that were parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). These ‘parties’ generally meet every year and next week’s meeting will be the Silver Jubilee conference. COP 22: Marrakesh, Morocco COP23: Bonn, Germany COP24: Katowice, Poland COP25: Madrid, Spain – The effort would be to get the ‘Paris rulebook’ all done and dusted so that all rules are in place for the agreement to kick-in. Clean Development Mechanism (CDM): The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), defined in Article 12 of the Protocol, allows a country with an emission-reduction or emission-limitation commitment under the Kyoto Protocol to implement an emission-reduction project in developing countries.  Such projects can earn saleable certified emission reduction (CER) credits, each equivalent to one tonne of CO2, which can be counted towards meeting Kyoto targets. The mechanism is seen by many as a trailblazer. It is the first global, environmental investment and credit scheme of its kind, providing a standardized emissions offset instrument, CERs. A CDM project activity might involve, for example, a rural electrification project using solar panels or the installation of more energy-efficient boilers. The mechanism stimulates sustainable development and emission reductions, while giving industrialized countries some flexibility in how they meet their emission reduction or limitation targets. Zero Carbon Law New Zealand’s Parliament passed The Zero-Carbon Act, which will commit New Zealand to zero carbon emissions by 2050 or sooner, as part of the country’s attempts to meet its Paris climate accord commitments. This is the first legislation in the world to make a legally binding commitment to living within 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming. The key aims of the Act include:  Reduce all greenhouse gases (except methane) to net zero by 2050, Reduce emissions of biogenic methane (produced from biological sources) up to 24-47 percent below 2017 levels by 2050 and to 10 percent below 2017 levels by 2030 Establish an independent Climate Change Commission  Establish a system of emissions budget. About Biogenic methane  It is emitted by livestock, waste treatment and wetlands. The Act proposes separate targets for biogenic methane because methane is a short-lived gas and degrades into the atmosphere over the decades even though it is a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide Must Read:  60 Crore Indians at Risk Rising Oceans, Sinking Cities Connecting the Dots: a) What does this canvas of global climate politics mean for India? b) Discuss the factors responsible for long term climate change. What evidences do we have that support current global warming. Explain. c) Which of the following are the possible impacts of Climate Change? Decline in average yield potential of maize and rice  Rise in infectious diseases High frequency of deadly heat waves Select the correct answer from the codes given below. 1 and 2 only 2 and 3 only 1 and 3 only 1,2 and 3

Dec 5, 2019 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 5th December 2019

IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 5th December 2019 Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Nod for Data Protection Bill Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains III- Security In News The Union Cabinet approved the introduction of the Personal Data Protection Bill in Parliament. The draft bill, the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2018, was prepared by a high-level expert committee headed by former Supreme Court judge B.N. Srikrishna. Some of the features of the proposed bill are: The bill classifies ‘sensitive personal data’ as including passwords, financial data, health data, sex life, sexual orientation, biometric data, genetic data, transgender status, intersex status, caste or tribe, and religious or political belief or affiliation.  The draft Bill says that such sensitive personal data can be processed only with the explicit consent of the person, and this consent needs to be informed, clear, and specific, as defined by the Bill itself. The draft bill also has a provision for the right to be forgotten, where the person “shall have the right to restrict or prevent continuing disclosure of personal data”. There is also a provision for the central government to notify categories of personal data as critical personal data, which will then be only processed in a server or data centre located in India. Personal data is to be stored in India, but can be processed outside with the consent of the person. The draft Bill also specifies penalties for not following its provisions, including a penalty of ₹5 crore or 2% of turnover, whichever is higher, if no action is taken on a data leak. World Malaria Report 2019  Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains II- Health In News World Malaria Report 2019 was recently released by the World Health Organization (WHO). Globally, there were 228 million cases of malaria in 2018, down from 251 million cases in 2010 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and India accounted for 85 per cent of the global malaria burden in 2018 Compared to 2017, India reported 2.6 million fewer cases in 2018. This makes India the country with the largest absolute reductions among the countries that share 85% of the malaria burden. The major challenges in India remains decreased funding, treatment failures and vector resistance to pyrethroids, the insectides used against the vectors Do You Know? Malaria is mainly caused by Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax parasites. It is transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. Malaria is transmitted by blood, so it can also be transmitted through an organ transplant, a transfusion and use of shared needles or syringes. It is preventable and curable. Delhi to get 11,000 hotspots across city Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains III- Infrastructure In News Delhi government announced the installation of 11,000 hotspots across Delhi as part of the free Wi-Fi scheme promised by the AamAadmi Party in its 2015 manifesto. Of the 11,000 hotspots, around 4,000 would come up near bus stands and the remaining 7,000 across marketplaces with each constituency to get 100 hotspots each The total expenditure on the installation will be around ₹100 crore, The people of Delhi will be able to locate a Wi-Fi connection after every 500 metres, with the hotspot connections supporting a radius of 100 metres.  Every user will get free 15 GB data per month, with a data limit of 1.5 GB per day.  On an average, the maximum speed of the connection will be 200 Mbps, but the estimated speed will be between 100 and 150 Mbps Each hotspot would be able to support 150-200 users simultaneously.  The Delhi government will pay the rent every month to the company for each hotspot installed Political Parties Registration Tracking Management System (PPRTMS) Part of: GS Prelims and GS-II – Polity In News The Election Commission of India has reviewed the system and process of registration of political parties. Accordingly, the PPRTMS will be implemented through an online portal, to facilitate tracking of status of application by applicants.  The salient feature in the PPRTMS is that the applicant (who is applying for party registration from 1st January, 2020 onwards) will be able to track the progress of his / her application and will get status update through SMS and email.  The applicant is required to provide contact mobile number and email address of the party / applicant in his application if he/she wishes to track the progress of the application. The Registration of Political Parties is governed by the provisions of section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. HAJ Part of: GS Prelims and GS-II – International Affairs In News India has signed the bilateral annual Haj 2020 agreement with Saudi Arabia With this agreement India has become the first country to make the entire process for pilgrims going on Haj completely digital. An online application, e-visa, Haj mobile app, 'e-MASIHA' health facility, "e-luggage pre-tagging" providing all information in India itself regarding accommodation and transportation in Mecca and Madina will be provided to 2 lakh Indian Muslims going for Haj in 2020.  E-MASIHA (E-Medical Assistance System for Indian Pilgrims Abroad), an online system to maintain the health database of Indian pilgrims has been developed to deal with any emergency in Mecca and Madina. For the first time facilities were provided for digital pre-tagging of pilgrims' baggage. A portal of Haj Group Organisers (HGOs) – http://haj.nic.in/pto/ – has been developed which contains all the details of HGOs and their packages. Water regulation Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains III- Environment Conservation In News Punjab Cabinet approved the creation of the Punjab Water Regulation and Development Authority in a bid to check the depletion of groundwater in the State The authority would be empowered to issue general directions related to extraction and use of groundwater, besides ensuring optimal and efficient utilisation of all water resources in Punjab State, including canal irrigation.  It will also issue guidelines on recycling and reuse of water and its conservation. It cannot impose any restrictions or tariff on extraction of water for drinking, domestic and agriculture purposes It would, however, be required to issue tariff orders for use of water for industrial and commercial use. The step is therefore aimed at development, management and regulation of water resources of the State for ensuring their judicious, equitable and sustainable utilisation and management. PM-AASHA scheme Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains II –Governance In News Less than 3% of this season’s sanctionedamount of pulses and oilseeds have actually been procured so far under the PM-AASHA scheme, Agriculture Ministry data show A total of 37.59 lakh metric tonnes of procurement had been sanctioned under the Centrally-funded scheme.However, only 1.08 lakh tonnes have been procured so far. The PM-AASHA or Pradhan MantriAnnadataAaySanrakshanAbhiyan, was announced in September 2018, as an effort to ensure that farmers growing pulses, oilseeds and copra actually get the minimum support prices they are promised for their crops each year. Apart from initiatives to allow cash payment to farmers or procurement by private traders, PM-AASHA’s main feature was a price support scheme whereby Central agencies would procure pulses and oilseeds directly from farmers. The Centre had budgeted ₹15,053 crore over two years to implement the scheme apart from an additional government credit guarantee of ₹16,550 crore for agencies undertaking procurement. Global Climate Risk Index 2020 Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III- Environment Conservation In News The Global Climate Risk Index analyses the extent to which countries and regions have been affected by weather-related events such as severe rainfall, storms, floods and heatwaves. The Index stresses on the level of vulnerability of nations to severe climate events, which they should view as warnings for more frequent or severe events in the future. The Global Climate Risk Index 2020 is published by International Environmental think tank Germanwatch. India was the fifth most climate-affected country in 2018, which suffered water shortages, crop failures and worst flooding, Japan, the Philippines and Germany were found to be the most climate-affected countries in 2018 followed by Madagascar, India and Sri Lanka The heatwave was one of the major causes of damage in 2018. Across Europe, extreme heat spells are now up to 100 times more likely than a century ago, says the report. The impact of heatwaves on African countries may be under-represented due to a lack of data. The index results showed that the “signs of climate crisis”, on all continents, could no longer be ignored. Bharat Bond ETF Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III- Economy In News The Union Cabinet approved the government’s plan to create and launch India’s first corporate bond exchange traded fund (ETF) — Bharat Bond ETF. Bharat Bond ETF will only holdbonds issued by public sector undertaking (PSUs) The ETF will comprise a basket of bonds issued byCentral Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs), Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), Central Public Financial Institutions (CPFIs), and other government organisations and all will be initially AAA-rated bonds. The aim is to create an additional source of funding for the CPSEs, CPSUs, CPFIs, and other government organisations. The unit size of the bond has been kept at just ₹1,000 so that retail investors can invest and deepen India’s bond market Each ETF will have a fixed maturity date and initially they will be issued in two series, of three years and 10 years. Bond ETF will provide safety (underlying bonds are issued by CPSEs and other government-owned entities), liquidity (tradability on exchange) and predictable tax efficient returns (MAINS FOCUS) POLITY TOPIC: General Studies 2: Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure. Citizenship Amendment Bill The Union Cabinet recently cleared the contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill for Parliament to take over. The Citizenship Bill is now likely to be tabled in the LokSabha for clearance. Background The Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister NarendraModi today cleared the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, paving way for its introduction in Parliament during the ongoingWinter session.  In its amended form, the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 (CAB) seeks to provide Indian nationality to six minority communities — Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Parsi, Jain and Buddhist — fleeing “persecution” from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Ever since it was first tabled in the Parliament in July 2016, the Bill has been mired in controversies for granting citizenship rights to specific communities.  History/Backgeound While illegal migrants cannot become Indian citizens, the government had exempted specified groups of illegal migrants in 2015 and 2016 from provisions of The Foreigners Act, 1946 and The Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920.  The Centre’s intervention meant that these particular categories of illegal migrants would not be deported or jailed for being in India without valid documents. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was tabled in LokSabhain  2016 during NDA-1 to amend The Citizenship Act, 1955 so that these people could be made eligible for citizenship of India. However, massive protests erupted in the North East and acted as a deterrent for the introduction of the Bill in RajyaSabha.  RajyaSabha adjourned sine die in 2019, without the Bill being tabled.  The Bill lapsed as the 16th LokSabha was dissolved. Highlights : The bill amends the Citizenship Act, 1955 to make illegal migrants who are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, eligible for citizenship. Under the earlier proposed Act, one of the requirements for citizenship is that the applicant must have resided in India during the last 12 months, and for 11 of the previous 14 years.  The Citizenship Bill 2019 relaxes this 11-year requirement to 6 years for applicants belonging to these six religions, and the aforementioned three countries. The Bill allows that registration of Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders may be cancelled for violation of any law, including minor offences such as parking in a no-parking zone. Why the concern in Northeastern states? The North-eastern states have flagged concerns over the Citizenship Amendment Bill time and again.  The prospect of citizenship for massive numbers of illegal Bangladeshi migrants has triggered deep anxieties, including fears of demographic change, loss of livelihood opportunities, and erosion of the indigenous culture in the north-eastern states.  Massive protests had erupted in anticipation of the introduction of the Bill. What is the controversy around the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019? The government has maintained that the bill has significance equivalent to its decision on Article 370.  The government argued that the Bill aims to grant citizenship to minorities who have faced religious persecution in Muslim-majority foreign countries. The Opposition has attacked the government for leaving out Muslims, terming it in violation of Constitutional provisions. Article 14 of the Constitution guarantees the right to equality.  The BJP leaders have pitched the NRC and the CAB as a package that will root out illegal migrants but will provide citizenship to persecuted communities from the neighbouring Muslim-majority countries. Connecting the dots: Like NRC, the Citizenship Amendment Bill is flawed in conception. Analyse. POLITY TOPIC: General Studies 2: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections. Transgender Persons’ Bill, 2019 RajyaSabha has passed Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019. The bill has already been passed in LokSabha in the ongoing Winter Session. What is this bill about? The bill seeks to provide a mechanism for social, economic and educational empowerment of transgender persons in India. The Bill prohibits the discrimination against a transgender person, including denial of service or unfair treatment in relation to education, employment, healthcare, access to, or enjoyment of goods, facilities, opportunities available to the public, right to movement, right to reside, rent, or otherwise occupy property, opportunity to hold public or private office, and access to a government or private establishment.  The Bill also seeks to provide rights of health facilities to transgender persons including separate HIV surveillance centres, and sex reassignment surgeries.  The Bill also has a provision of certificate of identity for a transgender person by making application to the District Magistrate for a certificate of identity, indicating the gender as ‘transgender’. A revised certificate may be obtained only if the individual undergoes surgery to change their gender either as a male or a female. It also calls for establishing a National Council for Transgender persons (NCT). Offences against transgender persons will attract imprisonment between six months and two years, in addition to a fine. Why the transgender community is protesting against it? The Bill, which is supposed to protect the rights of transgender people, was drafted and passed without approaching anyone from the community. As a result, assumptions were made based on stereotypes.  It requires a transgender person to approach a District Magistrate to obtain a certificate stating that they are transgender. It’s only after this that they will be able to change their gender to either Male or Female on government-issued identification cards. The process to obtain this certificate is to show proof of sex reassignment surgery, which A) is not something all transgender people want B) is a very expensive procedure, which many aren't able to afford C) does not have a clear definition regarding how the District Magistrate will actually examine the person or their documents D) is a violation of privacy.  It also does not specify the kind of surgery they are expecting, because there is more than one type. This also contradicts the 2014 NALSA (National Legal Services Authority of India) judgement by the Supreme Court, which gave transgender people the right to self-identify, and did not mandate surgery. The bill also says that a transgender person is someone with intersex variations. However, not every intersex person identifies as transgender, and not every transgender person is intersex. The Bill makes sexual abuse against a transgender person a punishable offence. However it fails to clearly define what constitutes sexual abuse. Also, the minimum sentence is six months and can extend to a maximum of just two years. The Bill does not provide any reservations to transgender people, who often come from disadvantaged backgrounds and find it hard to get mainstream jobs or quality education.  If the family of a transgender person is unable to take care of them, the person may be placed in a rehabilitation centre, with orders from the court. This denies the right of a person to join other transgender communities, such as the hijra community. The Bill does not have any provisions to apprehend those who discriminate against, bully, or harass transgender people at educational institutes, workplaces or anywhere else.  The Bill also has no mention of things like marriage rights, adoption rights, property rights, social security, or pension. This deprives the transgender community of some of the most fundamental rights. Conclusion: It’s true that not all problems can just be legislated away. At the heart of the issue here is social prejudice and trans-phobia. Unless this is addressed at a basic societal level, no law will be able to empower the marginalised and persecuted transgender community. Connecting the dots: The Transgender Persons Act should have factored in suggestions from the community. Justify. (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 Political Parties Registration Tracking Management System (PPRTMS) has been introduced by NITI Aayog which will enable applicants to track the status of their application of registration with Election Commission of India. The Registration of Political Parties is governed by the provisions of section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.2) Global Climate Risk Index is released by which of the following organisation/body? United Nations World Economic Forum Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change International Environmental think tank Germanwatch Q.3) Consider the following statements about Bharat Bond -ETF It is India’s first corporate bond exchange traded fund  It will hold bonds issued by public sector undertaking (PSUs) and also Corporates having market Capitalization of more than 10000 Crore Rupees. It will provide safety, liquidity (tradability on exchange) and predictable tax efficient returns Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct? 1 and 2 only 2 only 1 and 3 only 1,2 and 3 Q.4) Consider the following statements about World Malaria Report 2019 It is released by World Health Organisation 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and India accounted for 85 per cent of the global malaria burden in 2018 Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct? 1 and 2 only 2 only 1 and 3 only 1,2 and 3 Q.5) Consider the following statements India has become the first country to make the entire process for pilgrims going on Haj completely digital. E-MASIHA (E-Medical Assistance System for Indian Pilgrims Abroad), an online system to maintain the health database of Indian pilgrims has been developed to deal with any emergency in Mecca and Madina. Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct? 1 and 2 only 2 only 1 and 3 only 1,2 and 3 ANSWERS FOR 04 DEC 2019 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE (TYK) 1 B 2 D 3 A 4 C 5 B MUST READ Rape, impunity and state of denial The Hindu Close encounters: On faking anti-Naxal fight The Hindu Another quota question: On creamy layer for SCs The Hindu In a WTO Without Dispute Settlement ET The current economic slowdown needs a multi-pronged response IE