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UPSC Quiz - 2020 : IAS Daily Current Affairs Quiz Day 52

UPSC Quiz - 2020 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz Day 52 Archives Q.1) ‘Okjokull glacier’ was in news recently. It is associated with New Zealand Sweden Iceland Russia Q.2) “SATAT” initiative is under the aegis of Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas Ministry of Corporate Affairs Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs Ministry of Commerce and Industry Q.3) The mandate of ‘BASIC countries’ is Climate Change UNSC Reforms Climate Change WTO Negotiations Anti-Protectionism Q.4) Consider the following statements with respect to ‘NISHTHA’, which was recently in news. It is aimed at training non-engineering graduates for jobs in the market. It is launched by the Ministry of Skill Development Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.5) Ashok Chawla Committee is concerned with  Army Pay Scales Long Term Food Policy Banking Supervision Allocation of Natural Resources To Download the Solution - Click here All the Best  IASbaba

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Press Information Bureau (PIB) IAS UPSC – 4th Aug to 18th August – 2019

Press Information Bureau (PIB) IAS UPSC – 4th to 18th August – 2019 ARCHIVES GS-2 Government of India, Govt. of Tripura and National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT- SD) Sign Memorandum of Settlement (Topic: 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.) NLFT has been banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act since 1997 and has been involved in violence, operating from their camps across the international border. NLFT has been responsible for violent activities including 317 insurgency incidents in which 28 security forces and 62 civilians lost their lives during the period 2005-2015. Peace talks with NLFT were initiated in 2015 and there has been no violence by NLFT since 2016. NLFT (SD) has agreed to abjure the path of violence, join the mainstream and abide by the Constitution of India. It has agreed to the surrender of its 88 cadres with their weapons. The surrendered cadres will be given surrender benefits as per the Surrender-cum-Rehabilitation Scheme, 2018 of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The State Government of Tripura will help the surrendered cadres in housing, recruitment, education etc. Government of India will consider the proposals of Tripura State Government regarding economic development of tribal areas of Tripura. Government brings Resolution to Repeal Article 370 of the Constitution (Extremely important) (Topic: 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.) Bills & Resolutions to remember Constitution (Application to Jammu & Kashmir) Order, 2019 {Ref. Article 370(1) of Constitution of India} – issued by President of India to supersede the 1954 order related to Article 370. Resolution for Repeal of Article 370 of the Constitution of India {Ref. Article 370 (3)} Jammu & Kashmir (Reorganisation) Bill, 2019 {Ref. Article 3 of Constitution of India} Jammu & Kashmir Reservation (2nd Amendment) Bill, 2019 Read the comprehensive coverage here: Article 370 Consumer Protection Bill, 2019 (Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation) Aim: To protect the rights of consumers by establishing authorities for timely and effective administration and settlement of consumers’ dispute The Bill will replace the more than three decades old Consumer Protection Act, 1986, and will provide a better mechanism to dispose consumer complaints in a speedy manner and will help in disposal of large number of pending cases in consumer courts across the nation. Proposes setting up of a Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers as a class. The CCPA would make interventions to prevent consumer detriment arising from unfair trade practices. The agency can also initiate class action, including enforcing recall, refund and return of products. The Bill also envisages simplified dispute resolution process, has provision for Mediation and e-filing of cases.  The Consumer will be able to file cases in the nearest commission under the jurisdiction of which he resides. For the first time there will be an exclusive law dealing with Product Liability. A manufacturer or product service provider or product seller will now be responsible to compensate for injury or damage caused by defective product or deficiency in services. Additional swift executive remedies are proposed in the bill through CCPA. There are provisions for deterrent punishment to check misleading advertisements and adulteration of products. Product liability provision to deter manufacturers and service providers from delivering defective products or deficient services. The Bill also enables regulations to be notified on E-commerce and direct selling with focus on protection of interest of consumers. National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill 2019 (Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation) Licence to practice: Section 32 of the NMC Act 2019 allows the proposed NMC, which will replace the Medical Council of India, to grant “limited licence to practice medicine at mid-level as a community health provider”. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) sees it as encouraging quackery. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 30 calling for the Bill to be redrafted, the IMA wrote: “We are deeply concerned about granting non-medical ‘persons connected with modern scientific medical profession’, licence to practise modern medicine… This is nothing but legalising and promoting quackery in India… Who will guarantee that these ‘legalised quacks’ will work in villages only?… National Medical Commission Bill will open the floodgates for licencing 3.5 lakhs ‘legalised quacks’. This amounts to ‘licence to kill’.” Bridge course: Doctors have expressed concerns about the licence mentioned in Section 32 being another name for a contentious “bridge course”. Such a course has been proposed in the original version of the Bill. It would have allowed practitioners of homoeopathy and Indian systems of medicine to go on to practice allopathy. In the new Bill, the bridge course has been dropped as per the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare, which wrote: “The Committee is of the view that the bridge course should not be made a mandatory provision in the present Bill. However, the Committee appreciates the need to build the capacity of the existing human resources in the healthcare sector, to address the shortage of healthcare professionals so as to achieve the objectives of the National Health Policy, 2017. The Committee, therefore, recommends that the State Governments may implement measures to enhance the capacity of the existing healthcare professionals including AYUSH practitioners, BSc (Nursing), BDS, B Pharma etc. to address their State specific primary healthcare issues in the rural areas.” Exit examination The original Bill had proposed a licentiate examination for doctors, and the IMA had expressed concerns about it then too. The new Bill proposes a single exit exam – the final MBBS exam, which will work as a licentiate examination, a screening test for foreign medical graduates, and an entrance test for admission in postgraduate programmes. It also provides for just one medical entrance test across the country In the letter, IMA wrote: “The Bill condenses final year MBBS exam, Licentiate exam. and PG NEET into one examination. This effectively removes the opportunity to reappear for PG selection. Moreover, the examination being objective in nature, increases the workload and stress level of the students manifold. Allowing foreign medical graduates to take the same examination will be an injustice… The current system allows medical graduates to practise irrespective of the status of his/her PG NEET.” Changes in the CSR Act (Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation) The main recommendations include – Making CSR expenditure tax deductible Provision for carry forward of unspent balance for a period of 3 – 5 years Aligning Schedule 7 with the SDGs by adopting a SDG plus framework (which would additionally include sports promotion, Senior Citizens’  welfare, welfare of differently abled persons, disaster management and heritage protection) Balancing local area preferences with national priorities Introducing impact assessment studies for CSR obligation of 5 crore or more Registration of implementation agencies on MCA portal Developing a CSR exchange portal to connect contributors, beneficiaries and agencies, allowing CSR in social benefit bonds, promoting social impact companies, and third party assessment of major CSR projects The Committee has emphasized on not treating CSR as a means of resource gap funding for government schemes.   The Committee discourages passive contribution of CSR into different funds included in Schedule VII of the Act. It has emphasized on CSR spending as a board driven process to provide innovative technology based solutions for social problems.   The Committee has also recommended that companies having CSR prescribed amount below Rs. 50 lakh may be exempted from constituting a CSR Committee.   The Committee has also recommended that violation of CSR compliance may be made a civil offence and shifted to the penalty regime. Cabinet approves  Ratification of the amended Framework Agreement of the ISA for opening up the ISA membership to all countries that are members of the United Nations: Opening of membership of the ISA to all countries that are members of the United Nations will put solar energy in global agenda with universal appeal for developing and deploying solar energy. Expanding membership will make the ISA inclusive, where to all countries that are members of the United Nations could member. It will further lead to ISA initiative benefitting the world at large. MoU between India and Tunisia on Cooperation in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes:  This Agreement shall enable the following cooperation in space science, technology and applications including areas, such as remote sensing of the earth; satellite communication and satellite-based navigation; Space science and planetary exploration, use of spacecraft and space systems and ground system; and application of space technology. The Agreement would lead to setting up of a Joint Working Group, drawing members from Department of Space/ISRO, India and the National Centre for Cartography and Remote Sensing, Tunisia which will further work out the plan of action including the time-frame and the means of implementing this MoU. Prelims Oriented News World Biofuel Day: 10th of August; this year the theme of the World Biofuel Day is “Production of Biodiesel from Used Cooking Oil (UCO)” Founding father of ISRO: Dr. Vikram Sarabhai – Vikram lander will land on Moon as a tribute to Vikram Sarabhai from crores of Indians BASIC countries: Brazil, South Africa, India and China 5th National Handloom Day: 7th August, 2019 – to honour the handloom weavers in the country and also highlight India’s handloom industry. National Handloom Day seeks to focus on the contribution of handloom to the socio economic development of the country and also increase the income of weavers. UNIDO and National Institute of Solar Energy to partner for skill development program: The agreement is part of the ongoing MNRE-GEF-UNIDO project implemented jointly by UNIDO and to support capacity building and skill development of technical manpower in the Concentrated Solar Thermal Energy Technologies (CST) which are being used to replace conventional fossil fuels e.g. coal, diesel, furnace oil etc. and save costs and emissions in the industrial process heat applications. Four New Products get GI Tag PalaniPanchamirtham from Palani Town in Dindigul District of Tamil Nadu State: PalaniPanchamirtham, an abishegaPrasadam, from Palani Town is one of the main offerings in the Abisegam of Lord Dhandayuthapani Swamy, the presiding deity of ArulmiguDhandayuthapaniswamy Temple, situated in palani Hills, Palani Town in Dindigul District of Tamil Nadu. It is a combination of five natural substances, namely, banana, jaggery sugar, cow ghee, honey and cardamom in a definite proportion. It is prepared in a natural method without addition of any preservatives or artificial ingredients and is well known for its religious fervour and gaiety. This is the first time a temple ‘prasadam’ from Tamil Nadu has been bestowed with the GI tag. Tawlhlohpuan and Mizo Puancheifrom the state of Mizoram: Tawlhlohpuan, a medium to heavy, compactly woven, good quality fabric from Mizoram is known for warp yarns, warping, weaving & intricate designs that are made by hand. Tawlhloh, in Mizo language, means 'to stand firm or not to move backward’. Tawlhlohpuan, which holds high significance in the Mizo society, is produced throughout the state of Mizoram, Aizawl and Thenzawl town being the main centre of production. Mizo Puanchei, a colourful Mizo shawl/textile, from Mizoram, is considered as the most colourful among the Mizo textiles. It is an essential possession for every Mizo lady and an important marriage outfit in the state. It is also the most commonly used costume in Mizo festive dances and official ceremonies. The weavers insert the designs and motifs by using supplementary yarns while weaving to create this beautiful and alluring textile. Tirur Betel leaf from Kerala: Tirur betel vine from Kerala, which is mainly cultivated in Tirur, Tanur, Tirurangadi, Kuttippuram, Malappuram and Vengara block panchayaths of Malappuram District, is valued both for its mild stimulant action and medicinal properties. Even though it is commonly used for making pan masala for chewing, it has many medicinal, industrial and cultural usagesand is considered as a remedy for bad breath and digestive disorders. GI is an indication used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin. Such a name conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness which is essentially attributable to its origin in that defined geographical locality. GI products can benefit the rural economy in remote areas, by supplementing the incomes of artisans, farmers, weavers and craftsmen. India’s rural artisans possess unique skills and knowledge of traditional practices and methods, passed down from generation to generation, which need to be protected and promoted.The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade has taken several initiatives in this regard and is actively involved in promotion and marketing of GIs. Expansion of Rotavirus vaccine to the entire country: Government is committed to ending morbidity and mortality in children due to diarrhoea by 2022. Strengthening routine immunization is an essential investment in India’s children and will ensure a healthy future of the country. Why: In India, every year 37 out of every 1000 children born are unable to celebrate their 5th birthday, and one of the major reasons for this is diarrheal deaths. Out of all the causes of diarrhoea, rotavirus is a leading cause of diarrhoea in children less than 5 years of age. It is estimated that rotavirus cause 8,72,000 hospitalizations; 32,70,000 outpatient visits and estimated 78,000 deaths annually in India. Diarrhoea is one of the biggest killers in children and Rotavirus is one of the most common causes of severe diarrhoea in children less than 2 years of age.  Rotavirus vaccine along with proper sanitation, hand washing practices, ORS and zinc supplementation will go a long way in reducing the mortality and morbidity due to diarrhoea in children. Three doses of rotavirus vaccine are provided along with other vaccines, free of cost under UIP at one and half month, two and half moth, and three and half month of age of child. Swachh Survekshan 2020 – To be conducted in Jan 2020; the fifth edition of the annual cleanliness survey conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) Alongside, the Swachh Survekshan 2020 Toolkit, SBM Water PLUS Protocol and Toolkit, Swachh Nagar – an integrated waste management app and AI enabled mSBM App were also launched. Moving beyond ODF, ODF+ and ODF++, the Water PLUS protocol aims to provide a guideline for cities and towns to ensure that no untreated wastewater is released into the environment thereby enabling sustainability of the sanitation value chain. This is in line with the Government’s focus on water conversation and reuse under the Jal Shakti Abhiyan and also aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals on clean water and sanitation   National Policy on Biofuels: Envisages production of biofuel from UCO Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is implementing a strategy to divert UCO from the food value chain and curb current illegal usage. The benefits of transformation of UCO will help bring health benefits as there would be no recycling of the UCO, employment generation, infrastructural investment in rural areas & cleaner environment with reduced carbon footprint. Biofuels have the benefits of reduction of import dependence, cleaner environment, additional income to farmers and employment generation. Biofuel programme also compliments Government of India’s initiatives for Make in India, Swachh Bharat and increasing farmer’s income.  A number of initiatives have been undertaken to increase production and blending of biofuels since 2014. In India, the same cooking oil is used for repeated frying which adversely affects the health due to formation of polar compounds during frying. These polar compounds are associated with diseases such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, liver diseases among others. UCO is either not discarded at all or disposed off in an environmentally hazardous manner choking drains and sewerage systems The National Policy on Biofuels - 2018 envisages a target of 5% blending of Biodiesel in HSD by 2030. In order to achieve the blending target, 500 crore litres of Biodiesel is required in a year. Stubble Burning: There has been a considerable reduction in crop residue burning incidents in 2018. Various efforts under the Central Sector Scheme on ‘Promotion of Agricultural Mechanization for In-Situ Management of Crop Residue in the State of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh & NCT of Delhi’, the paddy residue burning events have reduced by 15% and 41% in 2018 as compared to that in 2017 and 2016, respectively in all these States as per the satellite data.  More than 4500 villages in Punjab and Haryana was declared as Zero Stubble Burning Villages during 2018 as not a single crop burning incident was reported from these villages during the year. DRDO successfully flight-tests state-of-the-art Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missiles against live aerial targets: The systems have been tested in final configuration with RADAR mounted on a vehicle & missiles on the launcher. The systems are equipped with indigenously-developed Phased array radar, Inertial Navigation System, Data Link & RF seeker. The entire mission was captured by various Electro Optical Tracking Systems, Radar Systems and Telemetry Systems. The system is being developed for Indian Army with search and track on move capability with very short reaction time. Samagra Shiksha-Jal Suraksha Drive: It is a time bound campaign with a mission mode approach. This concept of water conservation is essential for students so that they can understand the importance of water and how it is shaping their lives meaningfully, thereby enabling them to participate in water conservation activities in their day to day lives. To educate students learn about conservation of water To sensitize Students about the impact of scarcity of water To empower Students to learn to protect the natural sources of water To help every Student to save at least one litre of water per day To encourage Students towards judicious use and minimum wastage of water at home and school level 66th National Film Awards Gujarati film Hellaro wins Best Feature Film Award Badhaai Ho bags award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment Hindi movie Padman declared Best Film on Social Issues Aditya Dhar wins Best Director Award for Uri: The Surgical Strike Ayushman Khurana and Vicky Kaushal jointly win Best Actor Award for their performances in Andhadhun and Uri: The Surgical Strike Keerthy Suresh bags Best Actress trophy for her performance in Telugu movie Mahanati Marathi movie Paani wins the award for Best Film on Environment Conservation/ Preservation. Kannada film Ondalla Eradalla gets Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration Uttarakhand declared Most Film Friendly State Quit India Movement In July 1942, the Congress Working Committee met at Wardha and a resolution was passed which was termed The Wardha Resolution. It is also known as Quit India Resolution which demanded, “The British Rule in India must end immediately.” And it declared that free India “will assure the success by throwing his great resources in the struggle for freedom and against the aggression of Nazism, Facism and perialism”. Thus, Quit India was about enabling India’s greater participation in the war for peace and in the war of liberation from fascism and nascism. Quit India was a civil disobedience movement launched at the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) by Mahatma Gandhi on August 8, 1942, demanding an end to British rule in India. While message of quit India was loud and clear, the call of ‘do or die’ infused the masses with a life of its own. Factors that led to attitude change of Mahatma Gandhi from non-compromising peaceful Gandhi to aggressive Gandhi: Non-Cooperation Movement: Abrupt end of NCM due to Chauri-Chaura incident and aftermath Split of Congress: Swarajya Party. Simon Commission: Assault against protestors. Salt Satyagraha. Round Table Conferences: Gandhi – Irwin Pact. Individual Satyagraha: Gave confidence about the strength of masses and by then people were prepared for long struggle. World wars: British true intentions were visible during the course of 2nd world war and Cripps Mission. Bengal Famine and Britishers non-empathy towards India and turning away supply to war. Youths turning violent and losing patience. Mass ready for direct confrontation All the above factors slowly one after another turned Gandhian and fellow citizens impatient, also millions perished during the Bengal famine, these things enraged Gandhi and he finally gave a call for direct confrontation with a call for “Do or Die”. Circumstances for the launch of the movement: Failure of Cripps mission: Cripps mission was sent from Britain to negotiate with Indian leaders to support Britain in WW-2. Indian National congress has declared Purna Swaraj as final goal in Lahore session in 1928 and was not ready to concede on this. While British government was promising only dominion that too after war. Escalation of Prices and food shortage: WW-2 has increase demand of goods which lead to escalation of prices. Food and other good were supplied to soldiers from India and common people have bear it repercussion in form of high prices. Public was more ready for mass based movement than our leaders. Advancement of Japan: Japan was advancing toward India after subjugating South East Asia. Indian saw it as opportunities to over-throw the British. The British saw the threat it posed and arrested all the major national leaders before the dawn of the day, the whole movement was carried out by the masses without the leaders. Impact of the movement: QIM demoralized British government to rule India. People participated without any guides and attacked the symbols of British authority. In many places self-rule local governments were established. This pressurized British government to accept demands of congress. So, the British lifted Ban on Congress and National leaders were released from prison. Paved the way for constitutional proposal of the Cabinet Mission. Latter Constituent assembly was organized on the Mission’s recommendations. Relent on INA Trails: The British were in favor to punish every participant on treason charges but due to QIM has forced the British to be relent on trial. What role did students play in India’s freedom struggle? In 1848 Dadabhai Naoroji founded ‘The student’s scientific and historical society, as a forum for discussion. The student’s strike at King Edward Medical College ,Lahore was first student strike against discriminatory practice of English against Indians. With the increased colonizers interference, the student movements also increased between 1906 to 1918 when 184 persons out of which 68 were students were convicted in Bengal in connection with revolutionary activities. Swadeshi Movement organised students and gave a revolutionary outlook such as boycott colleges, British goods, students clubs etc. In 1912 All India College Students Conference nailed the students’ commitment to work for freedom with moto of “Swaraj first, education after”. Student Christian Movement against western colonialism with aim to orient students with Christian faith. When Gandhiji launched his campaign against the Rowlett act and Jallianwala bagh atrocities, students participated in big numbers. Gandhiji called the students to withdraw from school and colleges. Students from all over the country responded promptly and boycotted schools and colleges. Hindu Students Federation and All India Muslim Students Federation also added voice in freedom struggle by putting demands of students on the basis of their religious ideologies. Quit India Movement got largest support of students .They successfully shut down colleges and get involved in most of leadership responsibilities eq- Matagini Hazra, Aruna Asaf Ali, Garimella Satya Narayana etc. They also provided link between underground leaders and movement  The youth of India was not confined to Indian boundaries but also supported freedom struggle from nation abroad eq. Bhikaji Kama, Lala Hardayal etc. Students also played very important role in various campaign launched by Gandhiji against the British such as no tax campaign 1921, the civil disobedience movement, the Dandi satyagraha of 1930 etc.  In 1936, the all India student Federation, the first Student Organisation of India, was born in order to support the Indian National Congress in its struggles. How did Gandhi’s arrival change the discourse of the nationalist movement?  Change in discourse of national movement: Gandhi rejected violent nationalism. Gandhi used terms like swaraj, swadeshi, and Indian civilization instead of nation. Gandhi’s nationalism was based on satya, ahimsa, karmayoga, ramarajya, tapasya, and moksha etc. Class movements to mass movements: champaran satyagraha (1917), Kheda movement (1918), Khilafat movement (1919), non- cooperation movement (1920), civil-disobedience movement (1930), Quit India movement(1942) – these all were mass movements. Gandhiji boycotted foreign goods. Passive resistance and non-violence became motto. Love the enemies and voluntary surrendering to authorities became norm. National movement was inclusive and representative: Women participation: thousands of women came out of their homes and participated in salt satyagraha. Working class and professionals participated: lawyers, teachers, professors also joined the national movement. Students also boycotted class and participated in the movement in large scale. All religion participated: irrespective of religion and caste all people took part in mass movement. Business class participated: gave financial assistance and rejected imported goods. Some of the flaws in Gandhi’s ideology: Alliance with Muslim league on religious grounds during non-cooperation movement strengthened the Muslim league as an independent entity, though it brought leaders together but failed to bring Hindus and Muslims together. Support of Gandhiji to WW-I – British government didn’t do anything substantial instead brought Black act. Failure to commute death sentence of Bhagat singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru to Life imprisonment. Though cause of opposition to communal award was good but system of joint electorate didn’t let true representatives of depressed classes to lead. Gandhi’ arrival was watershed in the national movement; it changed the discourse in significant way. It can be holistically said national movement was inclusive and representative as it covered whole India and its people. Connecting the dots: Analyse the significance of Quit India movement in India’s struggle for independence. During the Quit India movement, the masses were united irrespective of their background. However, today, when India faces much severe challenges, the unity seems elusive. Identify the major challenges faced by Indian society today and how can they be forced to ‘Quit India’? Must Read: Quit India Movement and India Today

Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 19th August 2019

IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 19th August 2019 Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Iran-West tensions Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains II – International relations An Iranian oil supertanker that was seized by the UK nearly a month ago amid escalating tension between Tehran and the West, was released on Sunday and was moving away from Gibraltar. The ship, now renamed Adrian Darya 1, was previously known as Grace 1. It has a cargo of at least $130m worth of light crude oil.  British Royal Marines had seized the vessel in Gibraltar in July on suspicion that it was carrying oil to Syria, a close ally of Iran, in violation of EU sanctions. The decision came after Gibraltar's government said it had received written assurances from Iran that the ship would not be headed for countries "subject to European Union sanctions". Do You Know? Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory and headland, on Spain's south coast.  In 1704, Anglo-Dutch forces captured Gibraltar from Spain during the War of the Spanish Succession on behalf of the Habsburg claim to the Spanish throne. The territory was ceded to Great Britain in perpetuity under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 The seizure of Grace 1 triggered a sharp deterioration in relations between Iran and the United Kingdom.  Tehran subsequently detained the British-flagged tanker in what was seen as a tit-for-tat move. That tanker, the Stena Impero, is still in Iranian custody. US court had issued a warrant for the seizure of the Iranian Oil tanker, on the grounds that it had links to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which US has designated a "terrorist" organisation. Gibraltar's government however said that it could not comply with the US court’s warrant because of European law. http://www.operationworld.org/files/ow/maps/lgmap/gibr-MMAP-md.png India-Bhutan Part of: GS Prelims and Mains GS II – International relations In News PM Modi during his recent visit to Bhutan has said that that India and Bhutan are “natural partners” in bringing prosperity to their peoples The two countries also signed 10 MoUs to expand their bilateral relationship and infuse new energy in their ties. Some of the key MoUs include: Inauguration of the Mangdechhu hydroelectric power plant. Most of the electricity generated by it will meet the energy requirements of Bhutan and the surplus electricity will be exported to India.  Launch of the RuPay Card in Bhutan to further enhance bilateral relationship in digital payments, and trade and tourism.  Currency Swap limit increased: additional $100 million will be available to Bhutan under a standby swap arrangement to meet the foreign exchange requirement. Space cooperation: Inauguration the Ground Earth Station and SATCOM network, developed with assistance from ISRO for utilization of South Asia Satellite in Bhutan.  MoU signed for interconnection between India’s National Knowledge Network and Bhutan’s Druk Research and Education Network.  Geographical indication (GI) Part of: GS Prelims In News The Geographical Indication (GI) under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade has recently registered 4 new GIs. Palani Panchamirtham: Palani Panchamirtham, an abishega Prasadam, is one of the main offerings for the presiding deity of Arulmigu Dhandayuthapaniswamy Temple, situated in palani Hills in Dindigul District of Tamil Nadu. It is a combination of five natural substances, namely, banana, jaggery sugar, cow ghee, honey and cardamom in a definite proportion. This is the first time a temple ‘prasadam’ from Tamil Nadu has been bestowed with the GI tag. Tawlhlohpuan: Tawlhlohpuan is a medium to heavy, compactly woven, good quality fabric from Mizoram. It is known for warp yarns, warping, weaving & intricate designs that are made by hand. Tawlhloh, in Mizo language, means 'to stand firm or not to move backward’  Mizo Puanchei: Mizo Puanchei is a colourful Mizo shawl/textile, from Mizoram. It is an essential possession for every Mizo lady and an important marriage outfit in the state. It is also the most commonly used costume in Mizo festive dances The weavers insert the designs and motifs by using supplementary yarns while weaving to create this textile  Tirur Betel leaf: Tirur betel mainly cultivated in Malappuram District of Kerala, is valued both for its mild stimulant action and medicinal properties. Even though it is commonly used for making pan masala for chewing, it has many medicinal, industrial and cultural usages. Know India programme (KIP) Part of: GS Prelims and Mains GS I – Indian Society In News A group of Indian Origin youth have visited India under the 54th Edition of KIP, scheduled from 1st August to 25th August, 2019 in association with the partner sates of Punjab and Haryana KIP is a 25-day orientation programme organized by the Ministry of External Affairs in partnership with the states of India. The objective of the programme is to make Indian diaspora (aged between 18-30 years) aware about India, its cultural heritage, art and to promote awareness about the progress made by India in various fields such as Industry, Education, ICT, Climate and Power & Renewable Energy etc. Since 2004, the Ministry has conducted 53 editions of KIP with participation of 1821 Overseas Indian youth.  In 2016, the scheme was revamped to increase duration from 21 to 25 days, with a 10-day visit to one or two States and preference given to PIOs from Girmitiya countries.  Since 2016, six KIPs are being organised in a year. A maximum of 40 Indian Diaspora youth are selected for each programme and provided full hospitality in India. Do You Know? “Girmitiyas” or Indentured Labourers, is the name given the Indians who left Indian in the middle and late 19th Century to serve as labourers in the British colonies, where the majority eventually settled. Mauritius, Fiji, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago are known as Girmitiya Countries.  (MAINS FOCUS) ENVIRONMENT TOPIC: General Studies 3 Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment Plastic Pollution Context: Worldwide, 75 per cent of all plastic produced is waste, and 87 per cent of this is leaked into the environment. In his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for freeing India from “single-use plastic”. Concerns: A study by the University of Newcastle, Australia, and published by the World Wildlife Foundation this year concluded that an average person may be ingesting 5 grams of plastic every week.  Over one-third of plastic waste ends up in nature, especially water, which is the largest source of plastic ingestion according to the report.  India ranks number three in terms of plastic fibres found in a sample of tap water – 82.4 per cent of tap water sampled in India contained over four plastic fibres per 500 ml What is the present scenario of plastics? Plastics are organic polymers of high molecular mass and are usually synthetic, mainly derived from petrochemicals. Due to their low cost, ease of manufacture, versatility, non-corrosiveness and imperviousness to water, plastics are used for multiple purposes at different scales. Presently, over one million plastic bags and one million plastic bottles are used every minute worldwide. About 50% of the plastics used are single use (disposable) which constitute 10% of the total waste generated. And of the 7 billion tons of plastic waste generated, only 9% was recycled, 12% incinerated, and 79% accumulated in landfills or the environment. What is the impact of plastics on environment? The plastics, mostly single use plastics are carried down the rivers to the oceans and this accounts for two thirds of the plastic waste present in the oceans. This affects the marine ecosystem as fishes are killed when they swallow plastic particles. Also the economic impact due to plastic pollution is high especially in fisheries and tourism sector. Another direct impact of plastic pollution is on the land, as it degrades slowly and leaches chemicals into surroundings and groundwater. Drinking water samples in different parts of the world including India reveal presence of up to 83% micro plastic concentrations. What measures can be taken to reduce plastic pollution? Plastic use cannot be entirely eliminated from day to day activities, but safe disposal, reuse and reducing the quantity can be done. Policies should be made to restrict plastic production and encourage recycling. Since plastics are used by the common man, a behavioural change is necessary and segregation of household waste must be made mandatory. Awareness has to be created on the dangers of plastics hazards and to opt for sustainable and biodegradable products. Incentives for developing eco-friendly substitutes (cloth/paper/jute bags, leaves/areca leaf plates, paper straws), scientific as well as financial support must be provided. India’s Stand: India went big in their commitment to Beat Plastic Pollution today, with an announcement to eliminate all single-use plastic in the country by 2022. This unprecedented ambitious move against disposable plastic will drastically stem the flow of plastics from 1.3 billion people and business in the fasted growing economy in the world. India has 7,500 km of coastline – the 7th longest in Asia. As part of this commitment, the government will establish a national and regional marine litter action campaign as well as a program to measure the total marine plastic footprint in India’s coastal waters. Partnership between UN Environment and BCCI to ‘green cricket’ across the country – aims to reduce cricket’s environmental impact by greening operations and engaging fans and cricketers in green initiatives Government to begin a five-year exercise to compute district-level data of the country’s environmental wealth. The data will be used to calculate every State’s ‘green’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP) The government has also launched a ‘green skilling’ programme – Green Skill Development Programme (GSDP), under which youth, particularly school dropouts, would be trained in a range of ‘green jobs’. GSDP aims to get 80, 000 people imparted green skills and in filling the skill gaps in the environment sector. Green Skill Development Programme will go a long way in reaping the demographic dividend of the country; GSDP to cover nearly 5 lakh people by 2021. Pledge to make 100 national monuments litter-free. What is the way forward? As individuals: We can reduce our plastic pollution and be more environmentally conscious by avoiding single-use plastics (e.g. straws, cups, cutlery, etc.) and packaging materials (e.g. polybags). Instead we can use jute bags, glass bottles or jars, steel or ceramic cutleries and utensils, and paper-made tetra packs. The private sector needs to invest more in producing alternatives and biodegradable plastics and in phasing out the production of plastic. More research and technology investment and development is required to make alternatives to plastic that are economically viable and affordable. The government should play a leading role by enacting strong policies and regulations that will encourage a more sustainable model for the design and production of plastics – Local bodies mandated under rules to ensure segregation, collection and transfer of waste to registered recyclers have spectacularly failed to fulfil their responsibilities.  The State Level Monitoring Committees provided for under the rules have not been made accountable. The waste management framework is dysfunctional. Technical and financial incentives from the government are instrumental for the transformation of the existing production system to a more sustainable one. Connecting the dots: “India’s environmental diversity and riches are universally recognised but have never been quantified.” Discuss this in context of the decision taken to calculate every State’s ‘green’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP). What do you mean by plastic roads? What are its benefits? POLITY Topic: General studies 2 Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein. Separation of powers between various organs dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions. How states are split into seats Context: With J&K; reorganised, all eyes are on how Election Commission will proceed with delimitation of constituencies Since the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir state into the Union Territories of J&K; and Ladakh, delimitation of their electoral constituencies has been inevitable. While the government has not formally notified the Election Commission yet, the EC has held “internal discussions” on the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, particularly its provisions on delimitation. What is Delimitation? Delimitation is the act of redrawing boundaries of Lok Sabha and state Assembly seats to represent changes in population. In this process, the number of seats allocated to different states in Lok Sabha and the total number seats in a Legislative Assembly may also change.  Objective of delimitation The main objective of delimitation is to provide equal representation to equal segments of a population.  It also aims at a fair division of geographical areas so that one political party doesn’t have an advantage over others in an election. Delimitation is carried out by an independent Delimitation Commission.  The Constitution mandates that its orders are final and cannot be questioned before any court as it would hold up an election indefinitely. How is delimitation carried out? Under Article 82, the Parliament enacts a Delimitation Act after every Census. Once the Act is in force, the Union government sets up a Delimitation Commission made up of a retired Supreme Court judge, the Chief Election Commissioner and the respective State Election Commissioners.  The Commission is supposed to determine the number and boundaries of constituencies in a way that the population of all seats, so far as practicable, is the same.  The Commission is also tasked with identifying seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes; these are where their population is relatively large.  All this is done on the basis of the latest Census and, in case of difference of opinion among members of the Commission, the opinion of the majority prevails. The draft proposals of the Delimitation Commission are published in the Gazette of India, official gazettes of the states concerned and at least two vernacular papers for public feedback.  The Commission also holds public sittings. After hearing the public, it considers objections and suggestions, received in writing or orally during public sittings, and carries out changes, if any, in the draft proposal. The final order is published in the Gazette of India and the State Gazette and comes into force on a date specified by the President. How often has delimitation been done in the past? The first delimitation exercise in 1950-51 was carried out by the President (with the help of the Election Commission), as the Constitution at that time was silent on who should undertake the division of states into Lok Sabha seats.  This delimitation was temporary as the Constitution mandated redrawing of boundaries after every Census. Hence, delimitation was due after the 1951 Census. Pointing out that the first delimitation had left many political parties and individuals unhappy, the EC advised the government that all future exercises should be carried out by an independent commission.  This suggestion was accepted and the Delimitation Commission Act was enacted in 1952. Delimitation Commissions have been set up four times — 1952, 1963, 1973 and 2002 under the Acts of 1952, 1962, 1972 and 2002. There was no delimitation after the 1981 and 1991 Censuses. Why was there no delimitation then? The Constitution mandates that the number of Loksabha seats allotted to a state would be such that the ratio between that number and the population of the state is, as far as practicable, the same for all states.  Although unintended, this provision implied that states that took little interest in population control could end up with a greater number of seats in Parliament.  The southern states that promoted family planning faced the possibility of having their seats reduced. To allay these fears, the Constitution was amended during Indira Gandhi’s Emergency rule in 1976 to suspend delimitation until 2001. Despite the embargo, there were a few occasions that called for readjustment in the number of Parliament and Assembly seats allocated to a state. These include statehood attained by Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram in 1986, the creation of a Legislative Assembly for the National Capital Territory of Delhi, and creation of new states such as Uttarakhand. Although the freeze on the number of seats in Loksabha and Assemblies should have been lifted after the 2001 Census, another amendment postponed this until 2026.  This was justified on the ground that a uniform population growth rate would be achieved throughout the country by 2026.  So, the last delimitation exercise — started in July 2002 and completed on May 31, 2008 — was based on the 2001 Census and only readjusted boundaries of existing Loksabha and Assembly seats and reworked the number of reserved seats. Why is delimitation for Jammu and Kashmir in the news now? Delimitation of Jammu and Kashmir’s Lok Sabha seats is governed by the Indian Constitution, but delimitation of its Assembly seats (until special status was abrogated recently) was governed separately by the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution and Jammu and Kashmir Representation of the People Act, 1957.  As far as delimitation of Loksabha seats is concerned, the last Delimitation Commission of 2002 was not entrusted with this task. Hence, J&K; parliamentary seats remain as delimited on the basis of the 1971 Census. As for Assembly seats, although the delimitation provisions of the J&K; Constitution and the J&K; Representation of the People Act, 1957, are similar to those of the Indian Constitution and Delimitation Acts, they mandate a separate Delimitation Commission for J&K.; In actual practice, the same central Delimitation Commission set up for other states was adopted by J&K; in 1963 and 1973. While the amendment of 1976 to the Indian Constitution suspended delimitation in the rest of the country till 2001, no corresponding amendment was made to the J&K; Constitution.  Hence, unlike the rest of the country, the Assembly seats of J&K; were delimited based on the 1981 Census, which formed the basis of the state elections in 1996.  There was no census in the state in 1991 and no Delimitation Commission was set up by the state government after the 2001 Census as the J&K; Assembly passed a law putting a freeze on fresh delimitation until 2026. This freeze was upheld by the Supreme Court.  The J&K; Assembly has 87 seats — 46 in Kashmir, 37 in Jammu and 4 in Ladakh. Twenty-four seats are reserved for Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The freeze, some political parties argue, has created inequity for Jammu region. Conclusion: This month, the Union government scrapped the state’s special status and turned J&K; into a Union Territory. Under this law, delimitation of Loksabha and Assembly seats in J&K; UT will be as per the provisions of the Indian Constitution. The Act also states that in the next delimitation exercise, which is expected to kick start soon, the number of Assembly seats will increase from 107 to 114. The increase in seats is expected to benefit Jammu region. Connecting the dots: Discuss the problems with Delimitation? suggest the measures to over the problems? (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Note:  Featured Comments and comments Up-voted by IASbaba are the “correct answers”. IASbaba App users – Team IASbaba will provide correct answers in comment section. Kindly refer to it and update your answers. Q.1) Know India Programme is organised by which Union Ministry? Ministry of Human Resource Development Ministry of Culture Ministry of External Affairs Ministry of Home Affairs Q.2) Consider the following statements about Geographical Indication Tag GI is an indication used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin. GI products can benefit the rural economy in remote areas, by supplementing the incomes of artisans, farmers, weavers and craftsmen. Palani Panchamirtham is the first temple ‘prasadam’ in India to have been bestowed with the GI tag. Which of the statements given above are correct? 1 and 2 only 2 and 3 only 1 and 3 only 1,2 and 3 Q.3) Mangdechhu hydroelectric power plant is located in which country? India Nepal Bhutan Bangladesh Q.4) Strait of Gibraltar connects which two water bodies ? Atlantic Ocean Pacific Ocean Mediterranean Sea Red Sea Select the correct answers from the codes given below. 1 and 2 only 2 and 3 only 1 and 3 only 2 and 4 only Must Read: ‘India, Bhutan are natural partners The Hindu What is NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Indian Express ‘The Idea of India’ is failing The Hindu Taking on TB  The Hindu

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz - 2020 : IAS Daily Current Affairs Quiz Day 51

UPSC Quiz - 2020 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz Day 51 Archives Q.1) ‘Cher Chera festival’ is associated with Chhattisgarh Odisha Jharkhand Telangana Q.2) Which of the following are recognised ‘Sikh takhts’? Akal Takht (Amritsar) Takht Hazur Sahib (Nanded) Takht Patna Sahib (Bihar) Select the correct code: 1 only 1 and 2 2 and 3 1, 2 and 3 Q.3) Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) is often in news in the context of India and USA Israel Japan France Q.4) Consider the following statements about Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) It was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International IBAs are places of international significance for the conservation of birds and other biodiversity A site can be listed as an IBA only if it holds a population of a species categorized by the IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered Select the correct statements 1 Only 1 and 2 1, 2 and 3 2 and 3 Q.5) Consider the following statements about Nuclear Command Authority (NCA) Executive Council is chaired by the Cabinet Secretary Political Council is chaired by the Prime Minister The directives of the NCA are to be operationalised by the Strategic Forces Command under the control of a Commander-in-Chief of the rank of Air Marshal Select the correct statements 1 and 2 2 and 3 1 and 3 None of the above To Download the Solution - Click here All the Best  IASbaba

Motivational Articles

Creative Guidance – Creative Thinking – Inspirational Educative Articles

Creative Thinking: One of the greatest tools we all possess as human beings is our ability to think. At the same time since everybody thinks, it does offer any unique advantage unless one is willing to learn, unlearn, relearn and alter the process of thinking. In this sense, thinking is not power, thinking about thinking in the right way is! Is there any right way of thinking? If there is, then what is it? Certainly there can be right and wrong way of thinking. To give a simple example, positive thinking is good and negative thinking is obviously bad. There is no arguing about the benefits of positive thinking, we all know it. So we know that there are different types of thinking, some good and some bad. There is positive and negative thinking, there is thinking focused on the past and thinking focused on the future, there is thinking about your strengths and thinking about your weakness, there is thinking about success and worrying about failure. Above all this one of the most advanced way of thinking is ‘thinking creatively’ Firstly, what is creativity? Creativity is the very process of creation. Creativity is not any isolated department of life. Creativity is the energy through which existence creates. It is an effortless form of creation. What is the fundamental difference between nature creating and a human being creating? The fundamental difference is in the effort involved. While nature creates without any effort man has to put in a lot of effort to create. This is mainly because we have forgotten that we are also a part of nature and the creative force that is flowing through us is the same force through which even nature is creating. When we forget that we are the source of our creativity, everything we create becomes an effort. Now back to creative thinking. Creative thinking is an approach to life where you truly believe that your thinking is a part of existence and it is simply happening through you. In this understanding, you don’t create thoughts rather existence creates it for you. All you do is acknowledge a thought. Seriously, think about this for a minute. Is it really possible for you to create a thought? We never create a thought. A thought happens and we simply acknowledge it. Throughout the day we have countless thoughts but we only remember a handful of them. Creative thinking is knowing fully that your thoughts are a part of the existential process and there is absolutely no effort involved in generating them. When you let go of the effort of thinking, it becomes a lot easier to let go of thoughts that are not useful for your progress. The single biggest problem with us is, just because we think that we have created a thought and it belongs to us, we find it very difficult to let go of it. When we acknowledge the fact that thoughts simple happen, just like the movement of clouds, it becomes a lot easier to pick and choose thoughts that are beneficial for us. This way of thinking without thinking is creative thinking! “This article is a part of the creative endeavor of Meditation Farm and IASBABA.”

Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 17th August 2019

IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 17th August 2019 Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Reservations in Chhattisgarh Part of: GS Mains II – Social issues Chhattisgarh government announced an increase in reservations for OBCs and Scheduled Castes in state government jobs and education It will increase the quota for SCs by 1 % while nearly doubling reservation for OBCs from 14 % to 27 %. The quota for STs remains at 32 %. Once in effect, Chhattisgarh will have a total of 72 % reservation (32 % for STs, 13 % for SCs and 27 % to OBCs), the highest in the country and far above the 50 % cap on quotas mandated by the Supreme Court The state government is still considering the 10 % centre mandated EWS quota for the general category. if implemented, it would take the reservation to 82 %. According to government, this has been done to keep it in line with the population demographic in the state. The percentage of OBCs is close to 47 %, who along with STs form the major chunk of the population. Space Commerce Part of: GS Prelims and Mains GS III – Science and Technology In News NewSpace India Ltd launched a formal search for industry consortia which can regularly manufacture and deliver entire PSLV satellite launch vehicles for its parent organisation, ISRO NSIL is looking for experienced companies or consortia to produce the launchers end to end: their job starts from component procuring, electronics, to large stages and finally the assembly, integration and testing (AIT) of the vehicles NSIL is a public sector space business company formed in March 2019 to promote Indian space commerce.  NSIL will initially outsource five PSLVs — Indian rockets that can lift light payloads to ‘low earth orbits’ some 600 km in space.  The four-stage PSLV is needed to place both Indian remote sensing satellites and small satellites of foreign customers to space. ISRO currently sources separate rocket parts from around 500 big and small vendors and does the AIT itself at its facilities in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. For almost a decade, ISRO has been planning to hand the production over to public and private industries and itself focus on its core job of space R&D. National Essential Diagnostics List (NEDL)  Part of: GS Prelims and Mains GS II – Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health In News India has got its first NEDL finalised by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) It aims to bridge the regulatory system’s gap that do not cover all the medical devices and in-vitro diagnostic device (IVD) as the current system is equipped to manage only few notified devices. India has become the first country to compile such a list that would provide guidance to the government for deciding the kind of diagnostic tests that different healthcare facilities in villages and remote areas require. NEDL would enable improved health care services delivery through evidence-based care, improved patient outcomes and reduction in out-of-pocket expenditure NEDL would also lead to effective utilisation of public health facilities; effective assessment of disease burden, disease trends, surveillance, and outbreak identification; and address antimicrobial resistance crisis too. NEDL builds upon the Free Diagnostics Service Initiative and other diagnostics initiatives of the Health Ministry to provide an expanded basket of tests at Public health system Key challenges anticipated during implementation of the National EDL include — Adoption by States and harmonisation with local standard diagnostic protocols and treatment guidelines, provision of requisite infrastructure, processes and human resources. Do You know? WHO released first edition of essential diagnostics list (EDL) in May 2018 which acts a reference point for development of national EDL To improve the availability of accessible and quality diagnostics in public health facilities, Union Health Ministry under the aegis of National Health Mission (NHM) launched the Free Diagnostics Service Initiative (FDI) in July 2015 Under this initiative, the NHM is supporting all states to provide essential diagnostics – laboratory and radiology at their public health facilities, free of cost Fertility rate Part of: GS Prelims and Mains GS I – Social Issues In News During his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi underlined challenges posed by population growth in the country Total Fertility Rate (TFR), defined as the number of children born to a woman until the end of her child-bearing age For four successive years (2013-2016) the TFR had stagnated at 2.3. The latest data estimates (2017) show the TFR dropping to 2.2. This figure is only marginally higher than the fertility rate (2.1) required for replacement of the existing population. TFR is calculated from data of the Sample Registration System (SRS) undertaken by the Office of the Registrar General of India. Even the states that have a higher TFR — Uttar Pradesh (3.0), Bihar (3.2), MP (2.7), Rajasthan (2.6), Assam (2.3), Chhattisgarh (2.4) and Jharkhand (2.5) — have been witnessing a declining trend in fertility rates. Two more states, Gujarat and Haryana, recorded a TFR of 2.2, which is above the replacement rate but is equal to the national average. Taken together, these nine major states account for 52 per cent of the 2011 population. This means that in the states barring these nine, and accounting for almost half the population, the replacement level is either 2.1 or has gone below it.  States with a lower TFR include Kerala (1.7), Tamil Nadu (1.6), Karnataka (1.7), Maharashtra (1.7), Andhra Pradesh (1.6), Telangana (1.7), West Bengal (1.6), Jammu and Kashmir (1.6) and Odisha (1.9). Do You Know? The SRS also looks at other indicators such as crude birth rate, general fertility rate, age specific/marital fertility rate, gross reproduction rate along with sex ratio at birth.  While Census figures provide the total population every decade, the regular SRS estimates provide dynamic trends underlying the population growth. (MAINS FOCUS) WATER MANAGEMENT/CONSERVATION TOPIC: General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. General Studies 3: Conservation, Environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment. A jan andolan for water Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Jal Jeevan Mission, which plans to supply water to all households by 2024.  Concern: For many years, the central and state governments have been making efforts to increase access to safe and adequate drinking water. While states like Sikkim and Gujarat have managed to achieve high levels of HWS, a relatively low percentage of rural Indian households have access to this service The strategy so far to increase access to HWS faced obstacles, including not paying enough attention to sustaining or recharging groundwater, the primary source, and treating service delivery primarily as an engineering solution, without adequate involvement of the users. Challenges and solutions: At policy level: The institutional landscape for water at both the Centre and state government has been somewhat fragmented, with several ministries in Delhi and departments in states dealing with different aspects of water management, with overlapping roles and responsibilities. Solution: The creation of the Jal Shakti Mantralaya in the Government of India to integrate the management of India’s water resources and supply of drinking water is a landmark step in diagnosing and addressing the problem. At implementation level: The inadequate attention to taking concrete measures to sustain the source of the water, in most cases groundwater.  Instead of taking simple and local measures, like creating rainwater harvesting structures and point recharge structures in the vicinity of borewells, the emphasis has been more on maximising the pumping of water and distributing it through pipes.  This led to many of the systems either shutting down or functioning sub optimally due to the groundwater source having dried up.  Solution: The proposed Jal Jeevan Mission will make source sustainability measures mandatory prior to pumping and distributing water to households. Traditional approach to service delivery: The provision of drinking water was viewed primarily as an engineering solution, with schemes being planned and executed by the public health and engineering departments. water is an ideal sector for the applicability of the principle of subsidiarity — the idea that a central authority should have a subsidiary function, performing only those tasks which cannot be performed effectively at a more immediate or local level. Solution: The Jal Jeevan Mission’s first preference will be to have single village ground water-based schemes, wherever sufficient quantity and good quality of groundwater exists.  These schemes would be managed by the community itself through the setting up of a village water and sanitation committee, a sub-committee of the gram panchayat. It is, therefore, planned to include a mandatory provision under the Jal Jeevan Mission for the effective channeling and treatment of household waste water (known as grey water), through appropriate and low cost drainage and treatment systems.  On the lines of the Swachh Bharat Mission, extensive information, education and communication will be needed to create a jan andolan for water management.  The ongoing Jal Shakti Abhiyan will help in creating awareness about the importance of integrating source sustainability and water reuse with the provision of household water supply Key notes: Jal Shakti Ministry The new ministry has been formed by merging the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. All water related works will be merged under one ministry. The new ministry will encompass issues ranging from providing clean drinking water, international and inter-states water disputes, to the Namami Gange project aimed at cleaning Gang and its tributaries, and sub tributaries. Conclusion: This integrated approach to decentralised, community managed, and sustainable water management is the backbone of the government’s plan to ensure that every household gets the benefits of water supply. The Jal Jeevan Mission will be a major step towards improving our people’s ease of living and meeting their aspirations of a New India. Connecting the dots: India’s traditional water harvesting techniques provide a sustainable water management alternative. Do you agree? Critically examine Why has water become a stressed resource in many parts of the world? Analyse. Many parts of the country are facing severe water crisis and drought conditions. There are many traditional water harvesting and conservation practices in various parts of India which can be employed locally to fight the ongoing crisis. Can you identify few such practices? Also mention the states where they are more prevalant. HEALTH/YOGA TOPIC: General Studies 2: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation How yoga can boost exports Context: Linking to the wellness carnival of the International Yoga Day (IDY) on June 21, many yoga studios are opening up both in India and globally. Statistics: As estimated by the ‘2016 Yoga in America Study’, the US continues to lead with the rise in number of yoga practitioners from 20.4 million in 2012 to 36.7 million in 2016.  Over the same period, the spending by such professionals on yoga classes, clothing, equipment and accessories has increased by $6.1 billion ($16.8 billion during 2016).  Conversely, Asia is leading in wellness trips, where China and India are the top countries, adding over 12 million and 17 million trips, respectively, during 2015-17, as per the Global Wellness Economy Monitor 2018.  Till December 2016, India had trained and certified 799 yoga professionals as reported by the ministry of AYUSH. India is the second-largest exporter of Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) products with permission of 100% FDI therein.  But the government is yet to fully utilise the trade potential in yoga industry, which exists in both services and manufacturing. Growing trends in Yoga Trends suggest a growth in cross-border movement of yoga professionals (teachers, practitioners, trainers, instructors), which can be referred to as the ‘software’ part of yoga. Another growing segment is trade in yoga accessories, dealing with the ‘hardware’ part of yoga (technically considered to be part of sports goods sector). With growing need for yoga services mainly post-IDY, the demand of and spending on accessories has risen. Broadly, yoga accessories are the tools that support yoga, such as mats, bricks, blocks, clothes and other equipment.  Several foreign brands, too, have introduced special yoga mats, and various manufactures are shifting to recyclable, renewable or eco-friendly sources for making such equipment. Where India is placed in terms of trade of yoga services and equipment, as compared to the US, Europe and East Asia? The government has been opening centres in such regions to promote cultural exchange on yoga, music, dance, etc. For example,  India and Japan committed to liberalisation, under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in 2011, across all services modes to cover provisions relating to movements of teachers and contractual service providers in the field of yoga, among others.  In July 2018, under India-Korea CEPA, both the countries agreed on certain terms related to export of yoga from India—Indian trainers/teachers/instructors to be sent to Korea for imparting lessons or providing guidance to Korean hospitals, etc, and instructors as well as Indian yoga institutes allowed to set up centres in South Korea . In its foreign trade policy Statement 2017 Mid-Term Review, the government emphasised on using branding/marketing campaign to facilitate exports “of commodities and services in which India has traditional strengths, such as handicrafts and yoga.” Conclusion: The challenge, though, remains for researchers and policymakers to verify the accuracy of data and information available on private websites with official government sources. Nevertheless, investment in promoting yoga exports and value addition under Make in India can support growth of concerned manufacturers and give the country a required export boost. Connecting the dots: In the Indian medicinal system, Yoga is the most popular and widely accepted form. Can you describe the benefits of Yoga? Also discuss it’s branding potential for India. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Note:  Featured Comments and comments Up-voted by IASbaba are the “correct answers”. IASbaba App users – Team IASbaba will provide correct answers in comment section. Kindly refer to it and update your answers. Q.1) Consider the following statements about New Space India Ltd (NSIL) NSIL is a public sector space business company formed in 1992 to promote Indian space commerce.  Its parent organisation is ISRO NSIL is planning to outsource production of PSLVs to private players Which of the statement(s) given above is / are correct? 1 and 2 only 2 and 3 only 1 and 3 only 1,2 and 3 Q.2) Consider the following statements about National Essential Diagnostic List (NEDL) India has become the first country to compile such a list  NEDL will lead to effective assessment of disease burden, disease trend and helps address antimicrobial resistance crisis too. 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 Total Fertility Rate (TFR), defined as the number of children born to a woman until the end of her child-bearing age The latest data show that TFR in India has dropped from 2.3 to 2.2. The replacement fertility rate for India is 1.9. Which of the statement(s) given above is / are correct? 1 and 2 only 2 and 3 only 1 and 3 only 1,2 and 3 Must Read: India gets its first national essential diagnostics list The Hindu ‘No First Use’ nuclear doctrine is not rigid The Hindu Popular anxiety Live Mint The challenges for one nation, one ration card Financial express

RSTV Video

RSTV IAS UPSC – Motor Vehicle Amendment Bill

Motor Vehicle Amendment Bill Archives TOPIC: General Studies 2 Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. In News: The Bill seeks to amend the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 to provide for road safety.  The Act provides for grant of licenses and permits related to motor vehicles, standards for motor vehicles, and penalties for violation of these provisions. Background: The past two decades have witnessed a huge rise in road accidents, fatalities and other safety concerns in India. A government committee estimated that road accidents rose by about 50% between 2005 and 2015. However, it was only in 2014 that the National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP) committee proposed a new legislation, incorporating all modes of transportation, multi-modal integration, road safety, etc. Following that, the Road Transport and Safety Bill was drafted in 2014. Finally, it was redrafted with the Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill in 2019. The bill suggests a new National Transportation Policy, which may replace the existing National Urban Transport Policy, 2014. Compensation for road accident victims:  The central government will develop a scheme for cashless treatment of road accident victims during golden hour.  The Bill defines golden hour as the time period of up to one hour following a traumatic injury, during which the likelihood of preventing death through prompt medical care is the highest.   The central government may also make a scheme for providing interim relief to claimants seeking compensation under third party insurance.   The Bill increases the minimum compensation for hit and run cases as follows: (i) in case of death, from Rs 25,000 to two lakh rupees, and (ii) in case of grievous injury, from Rs 12,500 to Rs 50,000.  Compulsory insurance: The Bill requires the central government to constitute a Motor Vehicle Accident Fund, to provide compulsory insurance cover to all road users in India.  It will be utilised for: Treatment of persons injured in road accidents as per the golden hour scheme Compensation to representatives of a person who died in a hit and run accident Compensation to a person grievously hurt in a hit and run accident Compensation to any other persons as prescribed by the central government.   This Fund will be credited through:  payment of a nature notified by the central government,  a grant or loan made by the central government balance of the Solatium Fund (existing fund under the Act to provide compensation for hit and run accidents) any other source as prescribed the central government Good Samaritans: The Bill defines a good Samaritan as a person who renders emergency medical or non-medical assistance to a victim at the scene of an accident.  The assistance must have been (i) in good faith, (ii) voluntary, and (iii) without the expectation of any reward. Such a person will not be liable for any civil or criminal action for any injury to or death of an accident victim, caused due to their negligence in providing assistance to the victim.  Recall of vehicles: The Bill allows the central government to order for recall of motor vehicles if a defect in the vehicle may cause damage to the environment, or the driver, or other road users.  The manufacturer of the recalled vehicle will be required to: (i) reimburse the buyers for the full cost of the vehicle, or (ii) replace the defective vehicle with another vehicle with similar or better specifications.   National Transportation Policy: The central government may develop a National Transportation Policy, in consultation with state governments.  The Policy will Establish a planning framework for road transport Develop a framework for grant of permits Specify priorities for the transport system, among other things.  Road Safety Board: The Bill provides for a National Road Safety Board, to be created by the central government through a notification. The Board will advise the central and state governments on all aspects of road safety and traffic management including: Standards of motor vehicles Registration and licensing of vehicles Standards for road safety Promotion of new vehicle technology Offences and penalties: The Bill increases penalties for several offences under the Act.   For example, the maximum penalty for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs has been increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 10,000.   If a vehicle manufacturer fails to comply with motor vehicle standards, the penalty will be a fine of up to Rs 100 crore, or imprisonment of up to one year, or both.   If a contractor fails to comply with road design standards, the penalty will be a fine of up to one lakh rupees.   The central government may increase fines mentioned under the Act every year by up to 10%.  Taxi aggregators: The Bill defines aggregators as digital intermediaries or market places which can be used by passengers to connect with a driver for transportation purposes (taxi services).  These aggregators will be issued licenses by state. Further, they must comply with the Information Technology Act, 2000. Conclusion: The government needs to ensure better ways to implement and enforce the new rules and regulations to its fullest. There is no point of making a bill that requires huge amount of risks in enforcement, if the government fails to make it practical.

Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 16th August 2019

IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 16th August 2019 Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Chief of Defence Staff Part of: GS Prelims  PM Narendra Modi announced that government has decided to establish the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDF) for the three services -- the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force. CDS is a post that will act as the single-point advisor to the Government of India. CDS will be in a position to advise on matters related to all the three services -- Army, Navy and Air Force -- thus making India's armed forces integrated. CDS will be a 'first among equals', a fourth four-star officer who will be senior to the three other service chiefs The post is aimed at ensuring better coordination between the three services. The intention is to "reconcile possible differences" in service-specific opinions to enable the government to arrive at considered military decisions. The institution of a CDS will also foster inter-services jointness in terms of budgeting, equipment purchases, training, joint doctrines and planning of military operations- necessary for strategizing a robust and cost-efficient national defence policy. Do You know? The recommendation for creating the post of CDS was first made after the 1999 Kargil War. A group of ministers that was formed in 2001 to explore necessary reforms required to improve India's national security had also favoured creating the post of CDS In 2012, the Naresh Chandra Task Force recommended that post of a permanent chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC) should be created.  The CoSC comprises chiefs of the Indian Army, Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force. The senior-most among them would act as the chairman. Tax Administration Part of: Mains GS-II - Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. In News All notices and orders of Income Tax Department issued on or after the 1st of October, 2019 shall carry a computer-generated Document Identification Number (DIN) It was found that majority of IT notices/orders have been issued manually, without maintaining a proper audit trail of such communication The initiative of DIN is intended to maintain proper audit trail of all such communication from IT department Under exceptional cases where manual communication is required to be issued, the reason for issue of manual communication without DIN has to be specified alongwith the date of obtaining written approval of the Chief Commissioner / Director General of Income-Tax. This is step taken by CBDT will bring greater transparency in the functioning of the tax-administration and improvement in service delivery Competition Law Review Part of: GS Prelims and Mains GS II - Governance In News The Government constituted a Competition Law Review Committee on 1st October, 2018 to review the existing Competition law framework and make recommendations to further strengthen the framework to inter alia meet new economy challenges. The Committee was chaired by Shri Injeti Srinivas  The committee has submitted its report and some of its key recommendation are: Introduction of a ‘Green Channel’ for combination notifications to enable fast-paced regulatory approvals for majority of mergers and acquisitions having not much adverse effects on competition. Introducing a dedicated bench in NCLAT for hearing appeals under the Competition Act Introduction of express provisions to identify ‘hub and spoke’ agreements as well as agreements that do not fit within typical horizontal or vertical anti-competitive structures to cover agreements related to business structures and models synonymous with new age markets. CCI to issue guidelines on imposition of penalty to ensure more transparency and faster decision making which will encourage compliance by businesses. Strengthening the governance structure of CCI with the introduction of a Governing Board to oversee advocacy and quasi-legislative functions, leaving adjudicatory functions to the Whole-time Members. Merging DG’s Office with CCI as an ‘Investigation Division’ as it aids CCI in discharging an inquisitorial rather than adversarial mandate. However, functional autonomy must be protected. Opening of CCI offices at regional level to carry out non-adjudicatory functions such as research, advocacy etc. and interaction with State Governments and State regulators. Do You know? Competition Act, 2002 provided for the establishment of a Commission to prevent practices having adverse effect on competition, to promote and sustain competition in markets, to protect the interests of consumers and to ensure freedom of trade carried on by other participants in markets, in India. The 2002 act replaces “The Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Act, 1969” Microplastics Part of: Mains GS III- Environmental Conservation In News Tiny pieces of plastic (shreds less than 5mm in length ) was found in Arctic snow and the Alps The research predicts that microplastic particles are transported tremendous distances through the atmosphere. These particles are later washed out of the air by precipitation, particularly snow. The team’s hypothesis for airborne transportation builds on past research conducted on pollen, where experts confirmed that pollen from near the equator ends up in the Arctic. Similarly, dust from the Sahara desert can cover thousands of kilometres and end up in northeast Euro. The study raises concern as to whether and how much plastic we’re inhaling. (MAINS FOCUS) DEFENCE/SECURITY TOPIC:  General studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. General studies 3: Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate. Office of the Chief of Defence Staff  Context: In his Independence Day address Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff to provide “effective leadership at the top level” to the three wings of the armed forces, and to help improve coordination among them. What is the office of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)? The CDS is a high military office that oversees and coordinates the working of the three Services, and offers seamless tri-service views and single-point advice to the Executive (in India’s case, to the Prime Minister) on long-term defence planning and management, including manpower, equipment and strategy, and above all, “joints manship” in operations. In most democracies, the CDS is seen as being above inter-Service rivalries and the immediate operational preoccupations of the individual military chiefs. The role of the CDS becomes critical in times of conflict. Most countries with advanced militaries have such a post, albeit with varying degrees of power and authority. The United States Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), for example, is extremely powerful, with a legislated mandate and sharply delineated powers. He is the most senior military officer and military adviser to the President, and his remit extends to the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council, and the Defence Secretary. Why had India not appointed a CDS until now? India has had a feeble equivalent known as the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC); but this is a toothless office, given the manner in which it is structured.  The senior most among the three Service Chiefs is appointed to head the CoSC, an office that lapses with the incumbent’s retirement. The current Chairman CoSC is Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa, who succeeded the former Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba on May 31.  When ACM Dhanoa retires at the end of September 2019, he would have served as Chairman CoSC for a mere four months. In 2015, then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had described the CoSC arrangement as “unsatisfactory”, and its Chairman as a “figurehead”. The post did not further tri-service integration, resulting in inefficiency and an expensive duplication of assets The CoSC system is a leftover from the colonial era, with only minor changes being carried out over the years. Apprehensions in the political class about a powerful military leader, along with inter-Services bickering, have long worked to dis incentivise the upgrade of the post. Background: The first proposal for a CDS came from the 2000 Kargil Review Committee (KRC), which called for a reorganisation of the “entire gamut of national security management and apex decision-making and structure and interface between the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces Headquarters”.  The Group of Ministers Task Force that studied the KRC Report and recommendations proposed to the Cabinet Committee on Security that a CDS, who would be five-star officer, be created. In preparation for the post, the government created the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) in late 2002, which was to eventually serve as the CDS’s Secretariat. However, over the past 17 years, this has remained yet another nebulous department within the military establishment. But what happened to the proposal? No consensus emerged among the Services, with the IAF especially opposed to such a move. The Congress, then in opposition, was against the idea of concentrating too much military power in the CDS’s post.  The Ministry of Defence (MoD) too, opposed it subtly for the same reasons, and because it could disrupt civil-military ties in the latter’s favour. The smaller Air Force and Navy fear that the CDS would be from the Army, by far the largest Service. The IAF has long argued that unlike the United States and other western militaries, the Indian Services are not an expeditionary force, for which a CDS is a necessity.  The appointment of a CDS would also lead to theatre commands, another aspect that the IAF opposes, fearing a diminution of its operational role. In 2011, more than a decade after the KRC Report, the UPA government, led by the Congress, which had opposed the CDS proposal when in opposition, set up the Naresh Chandra Committee on defence and security.  The 14-member Committee, comprising retired Service Chiefs and other defence experts, suggested a watered-down version of the CDS proposal, in which the Chairman CoSC in the rank of a four-star officer would have a fixed tenure of two years.  He would have significantly more authority and powers than the Chairman CoSC, and would be a CDS in all but name. What is the case for having a CDS? Although the KRC did not directly recommend a CDS — that came from the GoM — it underlined the need for more coordination among the three Services, which was poor in the initial weeks of the Kargil conflict. The KRC Report pointed out that India is the only major democracy where the Armed Forces Headquarters is outside the apex governmental structure. It observed that Service Chiefs devote most of their time to their operational roles, “often resulting in negative results”. Long-term defence planning suffers as day-to-day priorities dominate.  Also, the Prime Minister and Defence Minister do not have the benefit of the views and expertise of military commanders, in order to ensure that higher level defence management decisions are more consensual and broad based. The CDS is also seen as being vital to the creation of “theatre commands”, integrating tri-service assets and personnel like in the US military. India has 17 Service commands at different locations and duplicating assets. In 2016, China integrated its military and other police and paramilitaries into five theatres from the earlier seven area commands, each with its own inclusive headquarters, one of which has responsibility for the Indian border. In contrast, India’s border with China is split between the Eastern, Western, and Northern Commands. What are the arguments against? Theoretically, the appointment of a CDS is long overdue, but there appears to be no clear blueprint for the office to ensure its effectiveness. India’s political establishment is seen as being largely ignorant of, or at best indifferent towards, security matters, and hence incapable of ensuring that a CDS works. Militaries by nature tend to resist transformation. In the US, the 1986 Goldwater-Nichols Act elevated the Chairman from first among equals to the “principal military advisor” to the President and the Secretary of Defence. In the Indian context, critics fear, the absence of foresight and understanding might end up making the CDS just another case of “jobs for the boys”. Who at present advises India’s Prime Minister on military matters? In effect it is the National Security Adviser. This has been especially so after the Defence Planning Committee was created in 2018, with NSA Ajit Doval as its chairman, and the foreign, defence, and expenditure secretaries, and the three Service Chiefs as members. Connecting the dots: To what extent do you think India needs a chief of defence staff at the apex level to take the responsibility of decision making under critical and necessary conditions. Differentiate between defence forces, paramilitary forces and central armed police forces. Discuss the Pros and Cons for the creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff? HEALTH TOPIC: General studies 2: Governance | Issues relating to development & management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources Measles Context: India ranked 4th and, according to WHO, has around 2.3 million children who remain unvaccinated for measles. Concern: Globally, 20 million children did not receive measles vaccination in 2018. India had the highest incidence rate—76.4 per million population—for measles amongst children under the age of one between July 2018-June 2019. However, the overall number of children having the disease fell to 24,076 (January-June 2019) from 69,391 in 2018. Spread of Measles and Rubella in India According to latest Global Measles and Rubella Update, India had 56,399 confirmed measles cases and 1,066 confirmed rubella cases in 2018. As per WHO, measles is a leading cause of death in children, with one-third (around 56,000 in 2011) of all measles deaths worldwide happening in India. Rubella causes birth defects, such as irreversible deafness and blindness in nearly 40 thousand children in India every year. At least 220 million children from 30 states and union territories have already been vaccinated under the nationwide campaign that started in 2017. Key notes: The disease is commonly known as German measles (or three-day measles) and is symptomatically similar to measles. It can have devastating consequences if a pregnant mother is infected with it and the foetus may be born with incurable congenital anomalies. Symptoms of the infection can include cataracts and deafness. It can also affect the heart and the brain. The congenital rubella infection is believed to affect approximately 25,000 children born in India every year. Measles vaccine is currently provided under Universal Immunization Programme (UIP). However, rubella vaccine will be a new addition to it. What is Measles? Measles is a deadly disease and one of the important causes of death in children. It is highly contagious and spreads through coughing and sneezing of an infected person. It can make a child vulnerable to life threatening complications such as diarrhoea, pneumonia and brain infection.  What is Rubella? Rubella is generally a mild infection, but has serious consequences if infection occurs in pregnant women, causing CRS, which is a cause of public health concern. CRS is characterized by congenital anomalies in the foetus and newborns affecting the eyes (cataract, glaucoma), ears (hearing loss), brain (mental retardation, microcephaly) and heart defects, causing a huge socio-economic burden on the families in particular and society in general.  Recent issues: Delhi High Court put on hold the govt plan for a measles rubella vaccination campaign in schools across the capital, saying the decision did not have the consent of parents. The court’s order introduced a dimension to vaccination — the question of consent — that had not been adequately dealt with earlier. Court’s order said that ‘measles vaccination cannot be administered “forcibly” and without the consent of parents,’ it introduced a dimension to vaccination — the question of consent — that had not been adequately dealt with earlier. Different views on consent Parents: It is settled principle that choice of an individual, even in cases of life-saving medical treatment, is an inextricable part of dignity which ought to be protected. Government: Consent in routine immunisation is implied because it is the parents or members of the family who bring the child to the hospital or healthcare centre. For public good and for a vaccine that is tried and tested, there is ample evidence on safety and efficacy and something which is already a part of the universal immunisation programme, written consent should not be essential. Schools were consciously chosen, rather than health centres or hospitals, because nowhere else can such large numbers of children in the relevant age group be targeted. Global practice: Parental consent should be obtained prior to vaccination. This is the standard practice around the world. Although, World Health Organization recognises oral, written, and implied consent for vaccination, but countries are encouraged to adopt procedures that ensure that parents have been informed and agreed to the vaccination Why India ranks 4th in terms of measles outbreak? Vaccination rates must rise at a large scale, especially, in conflict ridden and poor areas—the worst-hit by plummeting vaccination rates The migration from these regions to other countries, the problem of missing vaccination could truly become universal Poor healthcare infrastructure and awareness The ‘anti-vaxx’ propaganda is emerging as the biggest obstacle. Concrete steps to negate and curb the spread of such propaganda also need to be taken. Connecting the dots: The reported cases and deaths due to the measles are on the rise in comparison with previous years’ records. Discuss the reasons behind it. Also elaborate on what preventive steps should be taken by the government. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Note:  Featured Comments and comments Up-voted by IASbaba are the “correct answers”. IASbaba App users – Team IASbaba will provide correct answers in comment section. Kindly refer to it and update your answers. Q.1) Consider the following statements about Competition Law Review Committee constituted in October 2018 The Committee was chaired by Bimal Jalan The committee proposes introducing a dedicated bench in NCLAT for hearing appeals under the Competition Act The committee also proposes opening of CCI offices in every state to carry out non-adjudicatory functions such as research, advocacy etc. and interaction with State Governments and State regulators. Which of the statement(s) given above is / are incorrect? 1 and 2 only 2 and 3 only 1 and 3 only 1,2 and 3 Q.2) Consider the following statements about Document Identification Number It is an initiative of GST Council  It will bring greater transparency in the functioning of the tax-administration and improvement in service delivery 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 Tiny pieces of plastic (shreds less than 5mm in length) are found in Arctic snow The presence of microplastics in such places suggests that they are being carried around the planet in atmospheric winds, and that we’re breathing them in.  Which of the statement(s) given above is / are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 MUST READ: Micro plastics in Arctic snow point to widespread air contamination  The Hindu Lessons after the great deluge  The Hindu Why WTO needs an interim arbitration body Financial Express Lessons after the great deluge The Hindu

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz - 2020 : IAS Daily Current Affairs Quiz Day 50

UPSC Quiz - 2020 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz Day 50 Archives Q.1) ‘Operation Golden Victory’ is associated with Yemen Djibouti Sudan Venezuela Q.2) Yemen borders which of the following countries? Saudi Arabia Oman United Arab Emirates Select the correct code: 1 and 2 2 and 3 1 and 3 All of the above Q.3) ‘Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha’ was established by Mahatma Gnadhi Sardar Vallabhai Patel Jawaharlal Nehru Lokmanya Tilak Q.4) ‘Nalbana Bird Sanctuary’ is located near Kolleru Lake Dal Lake Chilika Lake Nal Sarovar Q.5) ‘Lambahraun lava field’ was in news recently. Where is it located? Iceland Chile Japan New Zealand To Download the Solution - Click here All the Best  IASbaba

Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 15th August 2019

IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 15th August 2019 Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Swachh Survekshan Grameen Part of: GS Prelims and Mains GS-II - Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. In News Government launched the 'Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2019', which will be three times bigger in scale than the previous edition of the rural sanitation survey. It's not just a survey but an opportunity to encourage behavioural change and take sanitation to the secondary level, beyond the concept of ODF villages In the first edition in 2018, the survey covered over 6,000 villages across the country. This year the survey aims to cover 18,000 sample villages — approximately 30 per rural district — and take feedback from over 2.5 crore villagers.  The effort is to look beyond toilets and to kick off the Open Defecation Free Plus (ODF+) phase — focussing on solid and liquid waste management The ODF-Plus programme has four verticals -- biodegradable waste management, plastic waste management, greywater (household waste water) management and faecal sludge management. For Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2019, Citizen feedback will account for 35% of the ranking of districts.  Another 30% weightage is being given to direct observations by surveyors from third party Ipsos, who will look at the prevalence of plastic litter and water-logging as well as the availability and usage of toilets.  The remaining 35% will be drawn from service-level progress measuring the final activities of the original Swachh Bharat mission. Do You know? Ever since the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was launched on Gandhi Jayanti in 2014, its main focus has been on eliminating open defecation by constructing toilets and promoting their usage through widespread behaviour change programmes.  With the October 2, 2019 deadline looming near, and the original goal is almost achieved and the mission is moving on to its next phase (ODF+) Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN). Part of: GS Prelims and Mains GS III – Issues in Indian Federalism In News A joint committee of Naga civil society groups has warned the Nagaland government against changing the cut-off date for including people in the RIIN The Nagaland government had, through a notification on June 29, 2019, decided to undertake the exercise to update the RIIN with December 1, 1963, as the cut-off date for inclusion of people in the register. RIIN is a master list of all indigenous inhabitants of the State of Nagaland with the aim of preventing fake indigenous inhabitants’ certificates. Based on detailed survey, it will have records of indigenous residents from rural and urban areas The process will be done as part of the online system of Inner Line Permit (ILP), which is already in force in Nagaland. This provisional list will then be collated and published on the government websites by September 11, 2019 Unique Identity: All indigenous inhabitants of Nagaland would be issued a barcoded indigenous inhabitant certificate Do You know? Nagaland was carved out of Assam as a State on December 1, 1963.  The State government had in April 1977 issued a notification that laid down the criteria for issuing indigenous inhabitant certificates to the residents when the State was formed Inner Line Permit (ILP) is an official travel document required by Indian citizens residing outside certain “protected” states while entering them.  ILP’s origin dates back to the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulations, 1873, which protected the British Crown’s interest in tea, oil and elephant trade. It prohibited “British subjects” or Indians from entering into these protected areas.  After Independence, in 1950, the word “British subjects” was replaced by Citizens of India and the focus of the ban on free movement was explained as a bid to protect tribal cultures in north-eastern India. India’s water scarcity challenge Part of: Mains GS III- Environmental Conservation In News India, the world’s largest groundwater user, is seeing levels declining across the country with farmers in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan facing the prospect of having no groundwater left for irrigation by 2025. More than 90% of the rice-wheat areas in north-west India are irrigated using groundwater. Groundwater, the source of 40% of India’s water needs, is depleting at an unsustainable rate, according to Niti Aayog, India accounts for 12% of global groundwater extraction, pumping some 230 billion cubic metres each year. At this rate, by 2030, nearly 60% of the aquifers will be in a critical state. Consecutive years of weak monsoons, massive deforestation, poor rainwater harvesting and pollution of rivers and lakes have led the country to depend on groundwater. https://www.graphicnews.com/en/pages/39416/ENVIRONMENT_India_groundwater_stress Paddy stubble burning Part of: GS Prelims and Mains GS-III – Environment In News Burning of paddy crop residue, one of the major causes of air pollution, declined by 41% last year over 2016-level in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi-NCR with the help of a ₹1,151 crore central scheme. 23 million tonnes of rice residue were being burnt in rice-wheat cropping system (around 4.1 million ha) in this region to clear the field for conventional wheat sowing because of the narrow window (about 10-20 days) between rice harvesting and wheat sowing. Crop residue burning in north-west India contributes to air pollution, health hazards, disruption of transportation, school closures and soil degradation. To tackle this issue, government launched Central Sector Scheme - ‘Promotion of Agricultural Mechanization for In-Situ Management of Crop Residue in the State of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and NCT of Delhi’ The scheme involved  Distribution of in-situ crop residue management machinery to the farmers on subsidy Establishment of Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) of in-situ crop residue management machinery Undertaking Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities for creating awareness among farmer  ICAR is implementing the scheme through 60 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) of Punjab (22), Haryana (14), Delhi (1) and UP (23). More than 4500 villages in Punjab and Haryana were declared as Zero Stubble Burning Villages during 2018 as not a single crop burning incident was reported from these villages during the year. In addition to the above Scheme, separate funds are being allocated to the States for crop residue management under Sub-Mission on Agriculture Mechanization by the Department of Agriculture Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) HEALTH TOPIC: General studies 2 and 3 Public Health issues Science and technology: medical research Notifiable disease  Context: A month after Union Health Minister Dr HarshVardhan asked the Delhi government to make malaria and dengue notifiable diseases, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has initiated the work to notify malaria in the capital. What is a Notifiable disease? A Notifiable disease is any disease that is required by law to be reported to government authorities. The collation of information allows the authorities to monitor the disease, and provides early warning of possible outbreaks. The World Health Organization’s International Health Regulations, 1969 require disease reporting to the WHO in order to help with its global surveillance and advisory role. Making a disease legally notifiable by doctors and health professionals allows for intervention to control the spread of highly infectious diseases.  Registered medical practitioners need to notify such diseases in a proper form within three days, or notify verbally via phone within 24 hours depending on the urgency of the situation. Advantages: This means every government hospital, private hospital, laboratories, and clinics will have to report cases of the disease to the government. The process helps the government keep track and formulate a plan for elimination and control. In less infectious conditions, it improves information about the burden and distribution of disease. The Centre has notified several diseases such as cholera, diphtheria, encephalitis, leprosy, meningitis, pertussis (whooping cough), plague, tuberculosis, AIDS, hepatitis, measles, yellow fever, malaria dengue, etc. The onus of notifying any disease and the implementation lies with the state government. Any failure to report a notifiable disease is a criminal offence and the state government can take necessary actions against defaulters. Key notes: According to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) report titled “India: Health of the Nation’s States”, contribution of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) to total death in the Country was 61.8% in 2016, as compared to 37.9% in 1990. Some examples of common NCDs, i.e. diabetes, hypertension and cancers (Oral, Breast and Cervical cancer) are on the rise in India. Risk factors for NCDs inter alia include ageing, unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol and overweight Also In the States of Kerala, Goa and Tamil Nadu, due to epidemiological transition, fewer deaths are recorded for communicable, maternal, neonatal and nutritional diseases, thereby raising the share of NCDs in total deaths Epidemiologic Transition The epidemiologic transition is that process by which the pattern of mortality and disease is transformed from one of high mortality among infants and children to one of degenerative and man-made diseases (such as those attributed to smoking) affecting principally the elderly. Though public health is a State subject, Central Government supplements the efforts of the State Governments.  For example: National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) is being implemented under the National Health Mission (NHM) The objectives of the programme include health promotion activities and opportunistic screening for common Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) including cancer Key components of population-based screening include community-based risk assessment, screening, referral, and follow up of all individuals of 30 years and above for common NCDs The initiative will help in early diagnosis and will generate awareness on risk factors of NCDs. Citing growing occurrence of cancer in India, the Union government sought to enhance the facilities for tertiary care of cancer. The Central Government is implementing Strengthening of Tertiary Care Cancer facilities scheme to support setting up of State Cancer Institutes (SCI) and Tertiary Care Centres (TCCC) in different parts of the country. Oncology in its various aspects has a focus in case of new AIIMS and many upgraded institutions under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY). Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) Deendayal outlets have been opened at 159 Institutions/Hospitals with an objective to make available Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases drugs and implants at discounted prices to the patients. Jan Aushadhi stores are set up by the Department of Pharmaceuticals to provide generic medicines at affordable prices. Conclusion: There is a greater need to tailoring strategies not just State by State but in some cases district by district to end the disease. It is also high time that a collective demand for timely provision of amenities is made at the community level and a sense of shared responsibility by the citizenry to ensure that the gains from government’s efforts to reduce the incidence of vector-borne diseases bear fruit. Connecting the dots: Diseases like Dengue and Chikungunya claim many lives every year. The panic generated and the scales of response there on give these diseases the essential characteristics of a disaster. Discuss. Also examine the areas that require immediate attention to address such medical disasters. RIVER/POLLUTION TOPIC: General Studies 3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment Legal rights to water bodies Context: Giving legal rights to water bodies a great leap forward  There are many more than seven rivers in India.Since there is no proper definition of a river, it is impossible to answer this question. One way to list is in terms of river basins, so that the main river and its tributaries are both included. For Himalayan Rivers, one will then list Indus basin, Ganga basin, Brahmaputra basin, Barak basin and so on. Similarly, in the south, one will list basins of rivers flowing east (Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Mahanadi) and those flowing west (Narmada, Tapti). This still leaves some loose ends, minor rivers along the coast and rivers that don’t drain into oceans. Depending on what is included, there can be more than 100 river basins and more than 600 rivers in the listing. Rivers now have legal rights. Background: In a way, it started with some rivers in Victoria. Then, in 2017, we had the Whanganui river in New Zealand and Ganga and Yamuna.  Because of news reports, most people know what the Uttarakhand High Court said in March 2017, though there is now a stay because of an appeal before the Supreme Court.  All the Hindus have deep Astha in rivers Ganga and Yamuna, and they collectively connect with these rivers Accordingly, while exercising the parens patrie jurisdiction, the Rivers Ganga and Yamuna, all their tributaries, streams, every natural water flowing with flow continuously or intermittently of these rivers, are declared as juristic/legal persons/living entities having the status of a legal person with all corresponding rights, duties and liabilities of a living person in order to preserve and conserve river Ganga and Yamuna The Director NAMAMI Gange, the Chief Secretary of the State of Uttarakhand and the Advocate General of the State of Uttarakhand are hereby declared persons in loco parentis as the human face to protect, conserve and preserve Rivers Ganga and Yamuna and their tributaries.  These Officers are bound to uphold the status of Rivers Ganges and Yamuna and also to promote the health and well-being of these rivers.” Ganga and Yamuna obtained legal rights, but as minors. They needed guardians. Granting legal rights to rivers (and water bodies) opens up a new area of environmental jurisprudence. Why did Ganga and Yamuna need legal rights? The core issue is pollution.  Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) brings out reports on water quality in our rivers. Strictly speaking, these are measures of water quality along stretches of rivers. There is actually a hierarchy of pollution, based on levels of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). One can legitimately argue BOD is at best a partial indicator. T There are other measures of a river’s well-being. If BOD values exceed 8 milligrams per litre, the river will be regarded as severely polluted. Between Wazirabad and Okhla, Yamuna has a BOD level of 32, 55 and 70, at three different places. Between Kala Amb and Narayan Garh, Markanda river in Haryana has a BOD value of 590.  Similarly, there are also lists of most polluted rivers in India and these lists will typically include Ganga, Yamuna, Sabarmati, Oshiwara and Damodar. More often than not, these lists are based on CPCB findings and therefore mean stretches of rivers, not entire rivers.  Somewhat more rarely, there are also lists of cleanest rivers in the world and cleanest rivers in India. For instance, stretches of Chambal, Narmada, Brahmaputra, Umngot, Teesta and Tuipui are remarkably clean. What is the reason of Ill-being of rivers? Ill-being of rivers is primarily due to raw sewage and industrial waste. Neither problem is new. In Britain, a Royal Commission on Sewage Disposal was established in 1898. Between 1901 and 1915, this produced ten reports Kashi Ganga Prasadini Sabha, established by concerned citizens of Varanasi in 1886. The Sabha’s objective was to introduce drainage and clean up the river.  The Royal Commission and Namami Gange are primarily about what government does. (Namami Gange does have a public awareness component.) The Sabha was about what citizens did and in addition to the government bit, the citizen bit is also needed. Connecting the dots: Why haven’t the efforts to clean the polluted rivers in India succeeded so far? Examine by taking the case study of the river Ganga? Do you think according the status of ‘living entity’ to rivers would help in their rejuvenation? Critically analyse. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Note:  Featured Comments and comments Up-voted by IASbaba are the “correct answers”. IASbaba App users – Team IASbaba will provide correct answers in comment section. Kindly refer to it and update your answers. Q.1) Inner Line Permit is operational in which of the following states Mizoram Nagaland Manipur Arunachal Pradesh Tripura Select the correct answer from the codes given below 1,2 and 3 only 1,2,4 and 5 only 1,2 and 4 only 1,2,3,4 and 5 Q.2) Consider the following statements about Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN) RIIN is a master list of all indigenous inhabitants of the State of Nagaland with the aim of preventing fake indigenous inhabitants’ certificates. The list was published when the state of Nagaland was carved out of Assam in 1963  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 Groundwater is the source of 40% of India’s water needs  More than 90% of the rice-wheat areas in north-west India are irrigated using groundwater. Consecutive years of weak monsoons, massive deforestation, poor rainwater harvesting and pollution of rivers and lakes have led the country to depend on groundwater. Which of the statement(s) given above is / are correct? 1 and 2 only 2 and 3 only 1 and 3 only 1,2 and 3 Must Read: Whether we will survive ought to be our foremost concern Live Mint A reality check on India’s renewable energy capacity The Hindu How does negative rate policy work? Indian Express Let’s draw lines in water The Indian express