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Creative Guidance – Learning from mistakes – Inspirational Educative Articles

Learning from mistakes: If there is any one fundamental factor that determines and differentiates success from failure, it has to be the ability to learn from mistakes. If you think about this a little, you will see how fundamental and crucial is the ability to learn from mistakes if one has to succeed. We are all born with pretty much the same set of abilities. Nobody takes birth as Einstein or Edison. Even Einstein himself must have been very ignorant and stupid when he was a child. If all of us are born with the same faculties, then what is it that separates one individual from another? Ability to learn from mistakes has to be that all-important of factors. Plainly because, nothing teaches us as much as failure; we learn more from our failures than from another process of life. In fact, there is no other process of learning than learning from failures. If we are not learning from failures, then we are not learning at all. This is where one individual gets separated from other. Successful people don’t succeed all the time. In fact successful people fail as much as unsuccessful people, sometimes even more. It is not the number of failures that sets individuals apart. It is rather the individual’s ability to quickly learn from mistakes and never forget the learning. There is nothing worse than making the same mistake again and again. One cannot move towards a goal in any meaningful way without learning from mistakes. If we don’t learn from our mistakes, we simply keep going in circles endlessly. Registering the mistakes deeply in our memory and always remembering to not repeat it is probably the most important skill an individual can develop. Successful people learn so quickly and so fully from their mistakes that they can re-look at problems and situations from a completely new light. They can clearly see their past mistakes and know how to steer away from them. Really, that is all there is to success. Success is all about learning from our mistakes fully. A lot of us think that we are good at learning from mistakes. But when we introspect closely, we will realize that that is not at all the case. Very few of us have mastered the art of learning from our mistakes. Most of us are so adamantly stuck in our egos that we even refuse to learn from our own mistakes. We keep blaming external circumstances and go on making the same mistakes again and again. Learning from mistakes requires a completely objective way of looking at situations and circumstances. There cannot be any involvement of the ego when you are trying to learn from your mistakes. The most important thing one has to remember to learn from mistakes is that there is no other way to become better at something other than through the process of learning from mistakes. We are very far from being naturally good at anything. Life is hard precisely because of this; we have to learn from our mistakes and that too in a hurry. “This article is a part of the creative endeavor of The Ahamo Movement and IASBABA.”

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus] - 29th September 2018

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 29th September 2018 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) All women may pray at Sabarimala Part of Prelims and mains II – Social justice, Rights In news Supreme Court lifted the centuries’ old prohibition on women from the age of menarche to enter the famed Sabarimala temple in Kerala. Why women were not allowed in Sabrimala? The prohibition was founded on the notion that menstruating women are polluted and impure; Women, in this “procreative stage”, would be a deviation from the vow of celibacy taken by the male devotees of Lord Ayyappa for the pilgrimage. Besides, the deity in Sabarimala is himself a ‘naishtika brahmachari’ or an ‘eternal celibate.’ The prohibition was in keeping with the form of the deity and the vow of celibacy of the devotees. It is assumed that the presence of women would deviate the celibacy and austerity observed by the devotees. SC observations The main opinion said that the prohibition reduced freedom of religion to a “dead letter”, and the ban was a smear on the individual dignity of women. Relation with the Creator is a transcending one. Physiological and biological barriers created by rigid social dogma have no place in this. Chief Justice held that the ban was actually a product of hegemonic patriarchy in religion. The social exclusion of women, based on menstrual status is a “form of untouchability”. The notions of “purity and pollution” stigmatised individuals. To exclude women was derogatory to an equal citizenship. The notion that women cannot keep thevratham(vow of celibacy) is to stigmatise and stereotype them as “weak and lesser human beings”. Its effect is to impose the burden of a man’s celibacy on a woman and construct her as a cause for deviation from celibacy. This is then employed to deny access to spaces to which women are equally entitled. To treat women as the children of a lesser God was to blink at the Constitution. The Chief Justice agreed with the view that the “mere sight of women cannot affect one’s celibacy if one has taken oath of it. Otherwise such oath has no meaning.” Devotees did not go to the Sabarimala temple for taking the oath of celibacy but for seeking the blessings of Lord Ayyappa. Maintaining celibacy was only a ritual. On freedom of religion The Supreme Court dismissed the argument that the prohibition was an essential part of religion. The Chief Justice said the inclusion of women, rather than their exclusion, is the essential part of the Hindu religion. By allowing women to enter Sabarimala temple for offering prayers, the nature of Hindu religion would not be fundamentally altered or changed in any manner. The devotees of Lord Ayyappa are exclusively Hindus and do not constitute a separate religious denomination. This temple is a public religious endowment. The right to practise religion, as claimed by the thanthris and worshippers, must be balanced with and yield to the fundamental right of women. The prohibition violated Section 3 of the Kerala Hindu Places of Public Worship (Authorisation of Entry) Act, 1965, which stated that “places of public worship” like the Sabarimala temple should be open to “all sections and classes of Hindus.” The law recognises an idol or deity as a “juristic person which can own property and can sue and be sued in the court of law”. But it “does not mean the deity necessarily has constitutional rights”. Fundamental rights are meant for individuals, not deities or idols. Dissenting opinion Justice Indu Malhotra, the lone woman judge on the Constitution Bench, dissented with the majority opinion. She held that the determination of what constituted an essential practice in a religion should not be based on the “personal views” of judges. She held that essentiality of a religious practice or custom had to be decided within the religion. It is a matter of personal faith. India is a land of diverse faiths. Constitutional morality in a pluralistic society gives freedom to practise even irrational or illogical customs and usages. With Sabarimala verdict, ‘Ghost of Narasu’ is finally exorcised Part of Prelims and mains II – Social justice, Rights In news The Bombay High Court in State of Bombay versus Narasu Appa Mali had held that personal law is not ‘law’ or ‘laws in force’ under Article 13. This 1951 judgment was never challenged in the Supreme Court. The decision in Narasu opined that personal law is immune from constitutional scrutiny. This detracts from the notion that no body of practices can claim supremacy over the Constitution and its vision of ensuring the sanctity of dignity, liberty and equality. The unchallenged 67-year reign of a Bombay High Court judgment that personal law, religious customs, usages and beliefs are outside the ambit of fundamental rights of equality, life and dignity came to an end. Observations of SC contrary to Narasu case SC held that the reasoning given in the Narasu Appa Mali judgment of the Bombay High Court in 1951 was based on flawed premises. Immunising customs and usages, like the prohibition of women in Sabarimala, takes away the primacy of the Constitution. Judge observed that custom, usages and personal law have a significant impact on the civil status of individuals. Custom or usage cannot be excluded from ‘laws in force’. Those activities that are inherently connected with the civil status of individuals cannot be granted constitutional immunity merely because they may have some associational features which have a religious nature. Narasu, in restricting the definition of the term ‘laws in force’ detracts from the transformative vision of the Constitution. India should choose local partner if it chooses Gripen: Swedish Air Chief Part of Prelims and mains III – Defence and security, Economy In news If India chooses the Gripen fighter jet, then the choice of the private Indian company to partner with Sweden’s SAAB to build the aircraft should be the Indian Government’s and “nobody else’s”, Swedish Air Force Chief said. The Gripen is powered by American GE-414 engine, a variant of which is on the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas. The Indian Air Force issued a Request For Information (RFI) in April to procure 114 fighter jets under the Strategic Partnership model and most of them will be built in India by an Indian private partner under technology transfer. Govt. creates high-level group to advise on boosting trade Part of Prelims and mains III – Economy In news: Commerce Minister has approved the constitution of a high-level advisory group (HLAG) to look into the opportunities and ways to address the ongoing challenges in the global trade scenario. The terms of reference (ToR) of the HLAG are to examine the prevailing international trade dynamics, including, but not confined to; The rising protectionist tendencies, especially on the part of major economies, The non-engagement by some countries on outstanding trade negotiation issues and commitments, including the Doha Development Agenda, Insistence by some countries on pursuing negotiating mandates, in many cases prematurely and without efforts, To build consensus and common understanding. The HLAG would meet regularly over the next two months and make specific implementable recommendations in light of the terms of reference, including on each of the areas, to facilitate the formulation of future trade policies. The HLAG will be chaired by, Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council Member Surjit Bhalla. Railways to roll out smart coaches Part of Prelims and mains III – Infrastructure In news The Indian Railways are set to launch their ‘Make in India’ smart coaches with new features like black box and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered CCTVs, matching international standards. Named ‘Smart Trains’, the coaches have been equipped with sensors that can detect defects on bearings, wheels, and the railway track, giving constant inputs to those in the control room to avoid accidents, carry out maintenance, and to improve efficiency of operations. The maiden smart coach was unveiled at the Modern Coach Factory in Rae Bareli as part of launching 100 such trains in a pilot project to improve the safety and security of commuters, and to boost efficiency. Features of smart trains The black box, being introduced for the first time by Indian Railways, has a powerful multi-dimensional communication interface to provide information on passengers and coach condition on real-time basis. The black box will act as a coach control unit with communication interfaces for passenger announcements, GPS-based announcement triggers, emergency intercom for commuters, digital destination boards, train reservation display modules, and CCTVs with remote monitoring. Six cameras installed in the coach will provide live recording. The footage can be accessed from the control room, which will be advantageous for law enforcers. An emergency talk-back system will enable communication between passengers and the guard during a crisis. A Wi-Fi hotspot information system is another innovative feature. The modern infotainment system has been installed to locate the train in real time. AI-powered CCTVs will help those in the control room to keep a tab on untoward incidents and on the behaviour of on-board staff Commuters will also be able to communicate with Railways officials. For wheel, coach and track monitoring, Railways have come up with Internet of things-based system. The vibrating-energy-based sensors will monitor the wheels, bearing and hard spots on the track, and will provide data through GPS/GPRS to the remote server for diagnosis and remedial measures. The Passenger Information and Coach Computing Unit (PICCU), an industrial grade computer, will monitor the coach maintenance and passenger interface. Smart coaches are also laden with water-level indicator technology to know whether the water in the coach is sufficient and when it needs to be filled. An SMS will be sent to the next watering station when the water level falls below half the coach capacity. Centre hikes import duty on select goods Part of Prelims and mains III – Indian economy In news The government released a list of categories of items on which it would be hiking import duties, which include white goods such as air-conditioners, refrigerators and washing machines as well as non-essential items such as gems, travel bags and aviation turbine fuel (ATF). Significance of hikes in import duty The Central Government has taken tariff measures, by way of increase in the basic customs duty to curb import of certain imported items. These changes aim at narrowing the current account deficit (CAD). The significant increases in customs duties of selective items which the government perceives to be non-essential imports appears to be aimed at reducing the drain of currency reserves and boost domestic demand. Curbing imports through tariffs would help in shoring up the rupee to 68-70 levels against the U.S. dollar. India had the right to raise import tariffs within a band under the World Trade Organisation rules, this right can be exercised in the best interest of the country. The messaging seems to be clear that if you want to access the Indian market, then start manufacturing here. The move, though significant, is not surprising with what is happening globally. This increase in duty on imports with the already depreciating rupee would be quite a point of worry for the importers. However, this hike in duty may not impact importers who procure from countries with which India currently has beneficial free trade agreements. Cabinet approves 100% govt. stake in GST Network Part of Prelims and mains III – Indian economy, tax reforms In news The Union Cabinet approved increasing the government’s ownership in the Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) to 100% from the existing 49% and also change the existing structure in line with a transition plan. Do you know? GST Network GST network is a not for profit company incorporated in 2013, under companies act. The Company has been set up primarily to provide IT infrastructure and services to the Central and State Governments, tax payers and other stakeholders for implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). The Government of India holds 24.5% equity in GSTN and all States of the Indian Union, including NCT of Delhi and Puducherry, and the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers (EC), together hold another 24.5%. Balance 51% equity is with non-Government financial institutions. Now it is being made 100% govt. owned. Note: For more details on GSTN visit: https://www.gstn.org/about-us/ ‘MDR reimbursement pending from banks’ Part of Prelims and mains III – Indian economy In news The Payments Council of India (PCI) has said that payment service providers and merchant aggregators are yet to be received reimbursement for merchant discount rates from banks even after nine months. MDR is the fee that a merchant has to pay to a bank for every transaction that is split between the bank which issued the card, the payment service providers, and payment gateways. Payments Council of India (PCI), the representative body of non-banking merchant aggregators and acquirers, have raised serious concerns over non-receipt of reimbursements of MDR by merchant aggregators, from the related acquiring banks since January 2018. This is likely to seriously impact the operating ability of merchant aggregators and dent the efforts to promote digital payments. (MAINS FOCUS) NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 2 Indian Constitution and governance Govt. Policies and issues arising out of their design and implementation Finding an equilibrium Introduction A thicket of Aadhaar litigation has now ended with the decision of a five-judge Supreme Court Bench, which had reserved its order on May 10, after a marathon 38-day hearing. The victory of the right to privacy was presaged by K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2017), but that nine-judge Bench had left open the question of Aadhaar: whether the “national security” perspective (the vital role of surveillance to curb terror and prevent money laundering and crime financing) and “social welfare state” perspective (Aadhaar ensured that subsidies went to the right people) provided constitutional grounds for “reasonable restrictions” (reasonable because non-arbitrary). The Money Bill question: under Article 110(3) of the Constitution Whether this decision disappoints those who had high expectations or remains enigmatic on key aspects is a question which will be debated for long. A very expansive view suggests that any bill which involves recourse to Consolidated Fund of India is a Money Bill and the finality of the Speaker’s decision is virtually unchallengeable. The other view is that the Speaker, like all constitutional functionaries, is bound to exercise the discretion reasonably; purposive as well as strict pragmatic. The scrutiny from Article 14 and 21 must ensue when a large number of bills are tagged with Money Bills. This is dangerous because it removes the rationale for bicameral legislatures, because the Constitution does not foreclose the Rajya Sabha’s collective right to meaningfully deliberate legislative change. Institutions are crucial to democracy. Debasing them can only cause a peril to democratic structures. The Constitution is not a political tactic, it is not a mere ‘play thing’ of a special majority as in Sajjan Singh v. State of Rajasthan (1965), laying the foundations of what became the doctrine of basic structure and essential features. Justice Chandrachud fully dissents and holds the law invalid as a “fraud on the Constitution”, that is a colourable exercise of constitutional power. He maintains that the “notion of absolute power” is offensive to the Constitution and that there is need to “liberate its founding principles from its colonial past”. Its purpose cannot be to shield an excess of power from being questioned before the court, nor to clothe a high functionary with utter impunity. The proportionality test Any conflict of interest requires balancing, keeping in view constitutional first principles and its vision, values, and the mission. This leads to many welcome invalidations and dilutions of some important sections of the Act (See IASbaba current affairs September 28, 2018). But on the main aspect whether the right to privacy is violated, there is now posited a conflict with privacy and dignity, which only ‘harmonious construction’ may reconcile. SC felt that some loss of privacy is constitutionally permissible to achieve the public good to the “marginalised sections of society” and there was a collective right to privacy which may override the individual right. Conclusion The tasks of balancing begin only when all interests are translated as individual, social, or public. The sanctity of privacy lies in its functional relationship with dignity. But this relationship is “functional” only when “undue intrusion” into the “autonomy on the pretext of conferment of economic benefits” is avoided. The majority decision offers a harmonious construction, but the dissenting opinion shows why this is not the only or necessarily the best way. Connecting the dots: The recent SC judgment on Aadhaar Act draws a line between right to privacy and national objectives such as security and welfare state. Critically comment. ECONOMY TOPIC: General Studies 3 Indian economy, macroeconomic issues Govt. Policies and issues arising out of their design and implementation Think big: on import duty hike Introduction The government released a list of categories of items on which it would be hiking import duties. This includes white goods such as air-conditioners, refrigerators and washing machines as well as non-essential items such as gems, travel bags and aviation turbine fuel (ATF). The Centre’s decision to increase customs duty on imports of 19 “non-essential” items amounts to tinkering at the margins to address a structural macro-economic issue. Using tariffs to curb imports of these items will not have a significant impact on narrowing the current account deficit (CAD), which is the Centre’s stated objective. Do you know? Current account deficit The current account measures the flow of goods, services and investments into and out of the country. We run into a deficit if the value of the goods and services we import exceeds the value of those we export. The current account includes net income, including interest and dividends, and transfers, like foreign aid. India’s current account deficit (CAD) is pegged at $13 billion or 1.9% of the GDP in Q4 of 2017-18, which increased from $2.6 billion or 0.4% of the GDP in Q4 of 2016-17. However, the CAD moderated marginally from $13.7 billion (2.1% of GDP) in the preceding quarter. The Reserve Bank of India attributed the widening of the CAD to a higher trade deficit ($41.6 billion) brought about by a larger increase in merchandise imports related to exports. The central bank wants to see the current account gap within 2.5% of the GDP, which is seen as crucial for currency stability. For example, the CAD touched a high of 4.8% of the GDP in 2012-13 on rising gold and oil imports, which also impacted the rupee that depreciated rapidly. Why import duties will not have sufficient impact on CAD? The aggregate value of these imported items was just ₹86,000 crore, constitution a little less than 3% of the country’s merchandise import bill in 2017-18. With the first six months of the current fiscal having elapsed, the impact of this tariff increase in paring the import bill and thus containing the CAD is at best going to be short-term and marginal. On the other hand, the decision to double import duties on a clutch of consumer durables to 20% could dampen consumption of these products, especially at a time when the rupee’s slide against the dollar is already likely to have made these goods costlier. Here, it would be interesting to see if the government’s move turns into a psychological ‘tipping point’ that ends up altering consumption behaviour towards this category of imported merchandise. If it does, that could have the salutary effect of fostering greater investment in the domestic production of some of these goods. The tariff on aviation turbine fuel — which will now attract 5% customs duty instead of nil — may add to the stress of domestic airline operators, the rupee and rising oil prices having already hurt their wafer-thin margins. Way forward A more robust approach in addressing the widening CAD would be to institute wide-ranging measures to boost exports and simultaneously reduce the import-intensity of the economy. Policymakers must renew efforts to ensure that export growth starts outpacing the expansion in merchandise imports. This includes expediting the refunds on GST to exporters — smaller exporters have been badly hit by working capital shortfalls. Also to working to woo some of the labour-intensive supply chains that are moving out of China to countries such as Vietnam and Bangladesh. On import substitution, it is an irony that despite the abundance of coal reserves, thermal coal is one of India’s fastest-growing imports. This is a consequence of under-investment in modernising the entire coal production and utilisation chain and must be addressed expeditiously. With global crude oil prices showing no signs of reversing their upward trajectory, and the sanctions on Iran that may force India to look for other suppliers looming, the government will need to act post-haste to address structural imbalances to keep the CAD from widening close to or even exceeding the 3% of GDP level. Connecting the dots: What is Current Account Deficit (CAD)? Critically analyse the recent fall in rupee value and subsequent rise in CAD. (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) Saab Group is sometimes in news. It is assocaited with - Swedish aerospace and defence company. Coalition of Saudi Arabia and global “Islamic Alliance” of 34 countries to combat terrorism South Africa's largest weapons manufacturer that is offering Make in India, tech transfer and partnership with local companies. Saudi-led intervention in Bahrain . Q.2) To reduce the current account deficit in India, which of the below actions government can take? Reduction in export subsidy Devaluing the domestic currency Adopting suitable policies which attract greater FDI and more foreign funds Select the correct answer using the codes given below 1 and 2 1 and 3 2 and 3 1,2 and 3 Q.3) Twin deficits often in news relates to Revenue Deficit and Budget Deficit Fiscal Deficit and Budget Deficit Fiscal Deficit and Current Account Deficit Capital Account Deficit and Current Account Deficit Q.4) Consider the following statements regarding Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN): It is a non-profit, non-government organization. It will manage the entire IT system of the GST portal. It will provide taxpayers with all services – from registration to filing taxes and maintaining all tax details. Which of the above statements are correct? 1 and 2 2 and 3 1 and 3 All of the above MUST READ The poor are left to themselves The Hindu  Dumping an archaic law The Hindu    How Gandhi was different Indian Express   Reaching for the Mahatma Indian Express   More Equal Than Others Indian Express  Court’s lost chance Indian Express

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus] - 28th September 2018

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 28th September 2018 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) Adultery is not a crime, rules SC; strikes it off IPC Part of Prelims and mains II – Social justice, Rights In news A five-judge Constitution Bench held that adultery is not a crime and struck it off the Indian Penal Code. The bench observed that Section 497 (adultery) of the Code “commands” married couples to remain loyal to each other. Court's observations: A matter of choice Two individuals may part if one cheats, but to attach criminality to infidelity is going too far. There is no data to back claims that abolition of adultery as a crime would result in “chaos in sexual morality” or an increase of divorce. How married couples deal with adultery is “absolutely a matter of privacy at its pinnacle”. Loss of moral commitment in a marriage creates a dent in the relationship, but it is left to each individual to deal with the problem — some may forgive while others may seek divorce. Punishing each other or the wife’s lover is unlikely to re-kindle commitment. Section 497 treats a married woman as the commodity of her husband. Adultery is not a crime if the cuckolded husband connives or consents to his wife’s extra-marital affair. Section 497 treats a married woman as her husband’s “chattel”. The provision is a reflection of the social dominance of men prevalent 150 years ago. Do you know? Section 497 in The Indian Penal Code Adultery.—Whoever has sexual intercourse with a person who is and whom he knows or has reason to believe to be the wife of another man, without the consent or connivance of that man, such sexual intercourse not amounting to the offence of rape, is guilty of the offence of adultery, and shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years, or with fine, or with both. In such case the wife shall not be punishable as an abettor. Rajasthan farmers benefited from solar water pumps: study Part of Prelims and mains III – Agriculture, Environment, Conservation In news A scientific study conducted by Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani, has found mismatch between investment in solar energy sources and employment generation in the sector, but has stated that the farmers in Rajasthan have immensely benefited from the solar photovoltaic (SPV) water pumping systems. The study has also found a significant decline in the consumption of fuel in the agriculture sector. A micro-level analysis indicated that the SPV water pumping systems had provided some direct benefits to farmers, including the saving from diesel generators. ICSSR-funded BITS, Pilani project also found a significant decline in the consumption of fuel in the agriculture sector. ‘Greenhouse effect’ Farmers used to operate diesel generators for 6 to 7 hours a day, consuming two litres of diesel per hour. The use of SPV pumps has resulted in a drastic reduction of fuel consumption, which was also a cause of greenhouse effect. While the grid-connected electricity is supplied to agriculture sector mostly during the night, the farmers can irrigate the land during daytime with the SPV system, making their access to water easy. The SPV system has been found to be cost effective because of the State government’s subsidy and the beneficiary’s share is recovered in about four years. Power supply to the agriculture sector in Rajasthan ranges between 5 and 6 hours a day. Facing challenges in the expansion of grid-connected power because of difficult geography, the Rajasthan government has been giving subsidy on SPV water pumping systems since 2011-12. Don’t bring adultery back as crime: CJI Dipak Misra Part of Prelims and mains II – Social justice, Freedom and empowerment In news If Parliament, as it had let adultery continue in the rule book, tries to bring it back, the move would affect Article 21 of the Constitution. It would violate the dignity of husband and wife and the privacy attached to a relationship between the two, the Chief Justice held. The government had argued that adultery should continue to be a crime to maintain the sanctity of marriage. "It [adultery] is better to be left as a ground for divorce,” the judgment observed. Section 497 (adultery) is unlike any other offences relating to matrimonial relationship. Several of these other offences are like Section 498-A (dowry harassment), the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, Section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, Sections 306 (abetment of suicide) or 304B (dowry death) or 494 (bigamy) of the Indian Penal Code. Uzbek President to invite India to join Afghan rail project Part of Prelims and mains II – International relations In news India will be invited to help with a key rail link in Afghanistan, during the visit of Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev early next week. The rail link of approximately 650 km, connecting the Afghan cities of Mazaar-e-Sharif and Herat, which may later be extended to Kabul, is a major project agreed to by President Ashraf Ghani and President Mirziyoyev last year. Uzbek support a greater presence of India in Central Asia, and hope for some benefits of that for Afghanistan. It will open a new page in bilateral relations. India's involvement in railway construction is welcomed because of India’s proven record and experience, and because of its contribution to bringing peace to Afghanistan. The project, for which Uzbekistan has already committed $500 million, could become another major regional connectivity project for India, after its construction of the Zaranj-Delaram Highway in Afghanistan and the Shahid Beheshti port in Chabahar, Iran. India is also committed to building another rail route, from Chabahar to Zahedan on the Iran-Afghan border, and President Mirziyoyev is keen to join the transit trade agreement signed by India, Afghanistan and Iran. The rail route to Herat, if extended to Kabul, would also link to India’s “air corridor”, allowing trade, especially dry fruits and agricultural produce to travel along the routes from India to Central Asia and back in much shorter time. Uzbekistan has held talks with Iran, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and China, which is already running a rail route into Uzbekistan under the Belt and Road Initiative, for the same project in the past few months. Uzbekistan’s role in regional security is likely to grow as it will take over the Secretary Generalship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in January 2019. They expressed that SCO is a good platform for India and Pakistan to talk at and to maybe work with other countries on how to bring peace. President Mirziyoyev is scheduled to arrive in Delhi on Sunday, and will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bilateral talks on Monday. Officials said more than 30 documents and agreements are expected to be signed during the visit, including trade agreements, media and educational partnerships, and MoUs linking Andijan-Gujarat states, Samarkand-Agra and Bukhara-Hyderabad. Short-term rates fall as RBI eases SLR norms Part of: Prelims and mains III – Indian economy, banking In news Rates on short-term paper was eased after the RBI decided to free up funds for the commercial banks to tide over the present liquidity crunch. Rates for three-month commercial paper fell after the RBI eased liquidity coverage ratio norms for banks. Following the fund crunch triggered by the crisis at infrastructure financier IL&FS at the beginning of the month, rates on short-term papers rose by more than 100 bps (basis points) with mutual funds becoming reluctant to lend to the non-banking finance companies. To ease the situation, the central bank had been infusing liquidity through open market operations. Earlier in the day, RBI decided to allow banks to dip into their statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) reserves by another two percentage points to meet liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) norms. Do you know? Statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) is the proportion of funds that banks have to maintain as cash or government securities out of the total deposits that they hold. Open market operations (OMO) refer to the buying and selling of government securities in the open market in order to expand or contract the amount of money in the banking system. Commercial paper is an unsecured, short-term debt instrument issued by a corporation, typically for the financing of accounts receivable and inventories, and meeting short-term liabilities. Maturities on commercial paper rarely range longer than 270 days. Aadhaar gets thumbs up from Supreme Court Part of Prelims and mains II – constitution, govt. services, governance In news The Supreme Court, in a majority opinion upheld Aadhaar as a reasonable restriction on individual privacy that fulfils the government’s “legitimate aim” to provide dignity to a large, marginalised population living in abject poverty. SC observations “The Constitution does not exist for a few or minority of the people of India, but ‘We the People’,” the Supreme Court observed. The majority view declared Aadhaar a “document of empowerment.” An “unparalleled” identity proof. A document that cannot be duplicated unlike PAN, ration card, and passport. “It is better to be unique than the best. The best makes number one, but unique makes you the only one.” Technology had become a vital tool for ensuring good governance in a social welfare state. Schemes like PDS, scholarships, mid-day meals, LPG subsidies, involve a huge amount of money and “fool-proof” Aadhaar helped welfare reach the poor. The majority opinion upheld the PAN-Aadhaar linkage, but declared linking Aadhaar with bank accounts and mobile SIM cards unconstitutional. The Supreme Court, in its majority opinion, said the remedy was to plug the loopholes rather than axe Aadhaar. The court further directed the government and the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to bring in regulations to prevent rightfully entitled people from being denied benefits. Resolution of privacy, Data protection and other issues The statute only sought “minimal” biometric information, and this did not amount to invasion of privacy. Upholding the passage of the Aadhaar Act as a Money Bill, the Supreme Court said neither were individuals profiled nor their movements traced when Aadhaar was used to avail government benefits under Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act of 2016. The court insulated children from the Aadhaar regime. The card was not necessary for children aged between six and 14 under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan as right to education was a fundamental right. Statutory bodies like CBSE and UGC cannot ask students to produce their Aadhaar cards for examinations like NEET and JEE. Permission of parents and guardians was a must before enrolling children into Aadhaar. Children once they attained the age of majority could opt out of Aadhaar. It said it was not trivialising the problem of exclusion faced by the elderly, the very young, the disabled and several others during the authentication process. Authentication was found to be only having a .232% failure, it was accurate 99.76% times. Dismantling the scheme would only disturb this 99.76%. Countering the argument that the Aadhaar regime would facilitate the birth of a “surveillance state”, Justice Sikri wrote that Aadhaar exhibited no such tendencies. Authentication transactions through Aadhaar did not ask for the purpose, nature or location of the transaction. Besides, information was collected in silos and their merging was prohibited. The authentication process was not expanded to the Internet. The collection of personal data and its authentication was done through registered devices. The Authority did not get any information related to the IP address or the GPS location from where authentication was performed. Aadhaar Act: Judicial Scrutiny  (IMAGE) Pic: https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/d6uwi3/article25052999.ece/alternates/FREE_660/TH26-KDR-SC-AADGFR4O86RK2jpgjpg The Supreme Court quashed or read down several provisions in the Aadhaar Act in order to de-fang any possibility of the state misusing data. For one, the court held that authentication records should not be retained for more than six months. It declared the archiving of records for five years as “bad in law.” It also prohibited the creation of a metabase for transactions. G-4 for UN Security Council reform, multilateralism Part of Prelims and mains II – International organisations and groupings In news India and other Group-4 (G-4) countries reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism and called for the early reform of the UN Security Council (UNSC). The current composition of the UNSC does not reflect the changed global realities and they stressed that Security Council reform is essential to address today’s complex challenges. Given the American disinterest in the UN and other multilateral bodies, China, one of the five permanent members of the UNSC, has slowed down the move to expand the body, according to diplomats tracking the process. The U.S. has no active opposition to the demand of these four countries to be included as permanent members of the UNSC, but the Trump administration has taken a benign approach to the proposed reform. G-4 Ministers noted that despite an overwhelming majority of UN member states supporting Security Council reform, the negotiations launched in 2009 have not produced substantive progress over the 10 years. While there is no active American support for reform, Mr. Trump’s call for other countries to step up and share the responsibility of managing the UN might support the reform, even in the face of active Chinese opposition. Germany and Japan contribute one-fifth of the UN budget while the four countries together have one-fifth of the world population. (MAINS FOCUS) NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 2 Indian Constitution and Governance Govt. Policies and issues arising out of their design and implementation Aadhaar survives Introduction In a recent judgement by the Supreme Court of India, four out of five judges on a Constitution Bench ruled that the law enabling the implementation of the unique identification programme (Aadhar) does not violate the right to privacy of citizens. The Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of Aadhaar and clarified areas in which it cannot be made mandatory. The court is of the view that the project empowers marginalised sections and procures dignity for them along with services, benefits and subsidies by leveraging the power of technology. Pic: https://www.thehindu.com/news/f8k550/article25051531.ece/alternates/FREE_615/vbk-aadhaar%20graphic Do you know? It is important to note that the Aadhaar Act was passed as a money bill. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha had classified this bill as a money bill. What is a Money Bill?   According to Article 110 of the Indian Constitution, a Bill is said to be a Money Bill if it only contains provisions related to taxation, borrowing of money by the government, expenditure from or receipt to the Consolidated Fund of India. Bills that only contain provisions that are incidental to these matters would also be regarded as Money Bills. A Money Bill may only be introduced in Lok Sabha. This is done so on the recommendation of the President. It must be passed in Lok Sabha by a simple majority of all members present and voting. Following this, it may be sent to the Rajya Sabha for its recommendations, which Lok Sabha may reject if it chooses to. If such recommendations are not given within 14 days, it will deemed to be passed by Parliament. Concerns related to Aadhaar In recent times, the unique identification programme was projected by sceptics, detractors and activists as an intrusion on citizens’ privacy. Many sceptics were of the opinion that the Aadhar was a grand project to appropriate personal data for commercial exploitation by private parties and profiling by the state. Last year, 2017, a nine-judge Bench had unanimously ruled that privacy is a fundamental right. Ever since this decision by the Supreme Court, opinion began to spread that the unique identification programme was vulnerable in the face of judicial scrutiny. Analysis of the judgment On studying this judgement, one draws the conclusion that the Supreme Court has restored the original intent of the programme, which is to plug leakages in subsidy schemes and to have better targeting of welfare benefits. Over the past few years, the Aadhaar came to play a large role in the lives of ordinary people. The Aadhaar has acquired the shape of a basic identity document that was required to access services, such as: birth and death certificates, SIM cards, school admissions, property registrations and vehicle purchases, etc. The recent judgment of the Supreme Court narrows the scope of Aadhaar but provides a framework within which it can work. This judgement has two views, The majority opinion and The dissenting opinion. The majority opinion: The majority opinion has sought to limit the import of the scheme to aspects directly related to welfare benefits, subsidies and money spent from the Consolidated Fund of India. Relying on official statistics, the majority favoured the scheme’s continuance for the sake of the 99.76% of people included under the scheme, rather than show anxiety over the 0.24% who were excluded because of authentication failure. The Bench made an important statement by saying that “The remedy is to plug the loopholes rather than axe the project.” The various controversial circulars and rules making it mandatory to link mobile phone numbers and bank accounts to Aadhaar numbers have been declared unconstitutional. Further, Section 57 of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery Of Financial And Other Subsidies, Benefits And Services) Act, 2016, has been struck down to the extent that it authorised body corporates and individuals to use the Aadhaar number to establish someone’s identity. Schools have been barred from making the submission of the Aadhaar number mandatory to enrol children. A few other provisions have also been read down or clarified. Dissenting Judgement: Justice DY Chandrachud in his dissenting judgement said that the “Aadhaar allows constructing profiles of individuals, which is against the right to privacy and enables potential surveillance.” Justice Chandrachud said: “Bypassing Rajya Sabha to pass Aadhaar Act amounts to subterfuge and the law can be struck down.” He further observed that the Aadhaar cannot be treated as money bill and passing a bill as money bill which is not a money bill is a fraud on the Constitution,”. Justice Chandrachud said if Aadhaar is seeded with every database then there is chance of infringement of right to privacy. He said there was absence of regulatory mechanism to provide robust data protection. He went on to add that allowing private players to use Aadhaar will lead to profiling which could be used to ascertain political views of citizens. Having said this, he agreed with the majority decision that mobile companies cannot insist on Aadhaar. He also highlighted that biometric authentication failures have led to denial of rights and legal entitlements. He sighted the reason for such failures in the project’s inability to account for and remedy flaws in its network and design. It is important to note that while a dissenting judgement has no force of law, it leaves open the possibility of being referred to a larger bench at a later stage. He further ruled that the denial of benefits arising out of any social security rights is “violative of human dignity and impermissible under our constitutional scheme”. He also observed that there was no institutional responsibility of the UIDAI to protect the data of citizens. Conclusion Finally, it was the arguments in favour of benefits to the poor and the practical consequences of abandoning the scheme that won the day. Aadhaar possibly was simply too big to fail. Connecting the dots: Discuss the verdict of Supreme Court with respect to Aadhar and the implications of the verdict? NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 2 Governance and social justice Government policies and issues arising out of their design and implementation Not a crime: on Supreme Court's adultery ruling Introduction The cleansing of the statute books of provisions that criminalise consensual relations among adults continues, with the Supreme Court finally striking down a colonial-era law that made adultery punishable with a jail term and a fine. Adultery decriminalised In four separate but concurring opinions, a five-judge Bench headed by the Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra, finally transported India into the company of countries that no longer consider adultery an offence, only a ground for divorce. They have removed provisions related to adultery in the Indian Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure. Gender biased provision According to Section 497 of the IPC, which now stands struck down, a man had the right to initiate criminal proceedings against his wife’s lover. In treating women as their husband’s property, as individuals bereft of agency, the law was blatantly gender-discriminatory; aptly, the Court also struck down Section 198(2) of the CrPC under which which the husband alone could complain against adultery. Till now, only an adulterous woman’s husband could prosecute her lover, though she could not be punished; an adulterous man’s wife had no such right. In a further comment on her lack of sexual freedom and her commodification under the 158-year-old law, her affair with another would not amount to adultery if it had the consent of her husband. “The history of Section 497 reveals that the law on adultery was for the benefit of the husband, for him to secure ownership over the sexuality of his wife,” Justice D.Y. Chandrachud wrote. “It was aimed at preventing the woman from exercising her sexual agency.” Significance The challenge before the court was not to equalise the right to file a criminal complaint, by allowing a woman to act against her husband’s lover. It was, instead, to give the IPC and the CrPC a good dusting, to rid it of Victorian-era morality. It is only in a progressive legal landscape that individual rights flourish — and with the decriminalisation of adultery India has taken another step towards rights-based social relations, instead of a state-imposed moral order. That the decriminalisation of adultery comes soon after the Supreme Court judgment that read down Section 377 of the IPC to decriminalise homosexuality, thereby enabling diverse gender identities to be unafraid of the law, is heartening. Way forward It is a matter of concern that refreshing the statute books is being left to the judiciary, without any proactive role of Parliament in amending regressive laws. The shocking message here is not merely that provisions such as Section 497 or 377 remained so long in the IPC, it is also that Parliament failed in its legislative responsibility to address them. Connecting the dots? Refreshing the statute books is being left to the judiciary, without any proactive role of Parliament in amending regressive laws. Comment in context of recent SC judgments of Section 377 and Section 497 of IPC. (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) Route 606, also known as Delaram-Zaranj Highway  connects which of the following countries? India and Myanmar India and Bhutan Iran and Afghanistan China and Pakistan Q.2) Consider the following terms Currency Deposit Ratio- Ratio of money held by public in currency to that they hold in bank deposits. Reserve Deposit Ratio- Proportion of the total deposits commercial banks keep as reserves. Statutory Liquidity Ratio- Policy instrument by RBI, which specifies the fraction of their deposits that bank must keep with RBI. Cash Reserve Ratio- Policy instrument by RBI, which requires the banks to maintain a given fraction of their total demand and time deposits in the form of specified liquid assets. Select the INCORRECT statement/s: 1 and 3 2 and 4 3 and 4 None of the above Q.3) If the RBI implements an expansionist open market operations policy, this means that it will? Buy securities from non-government holders Offer commercial banks more credit in open market Sells G-securities (government securities) in open market Openly announces to the market that it intends to expand its credit MUST READ  Finding an equilibrium The Hindu Should the convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi case be released? The Hindu   Verdict as first word Indian Express  A UN for the People Indian Express  Removing biases Indian Express  A new twist in global politics Livemint  Time for Aadhaar to get back to basics Livemint

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz- 2019 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 76]

UPSC Quiz- 2019 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 76] Archives Q.1) Which of the following statements about “Poona Pact” is/are correct? The Poona Pact was accepted by the Government as an amendment to the Communal Award It abandoned separate electorates for the depressed classes. Select the correct code: 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.2) In 1932, Mahatma Gandhi began a fast unto death in Yerwada Jail against: Communal award of Ramsay Mac Donald Violation of Gandhi-Irwin Pact British repression of Satyagrahis Communal riots in Calcutta Q.3) Consider the following statements with respect to ‘Digi VAARTA’ It is a platform designed to enable Financial and Social Inclusion by educating citizens on various schemes / programmes. It is under the aegis of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Select the correct code: 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.4) Consider the following statements about ‘Centre of Excellence for Data Analytics (CEDA)’ It will help the government offer better services to its citizens by analysing the data generated during the governance process It is jointly developed by NITI Aayog and National Informatics Centre (NIC) Select the correct code: 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.5) ‘Economic Freedom of the World Index’ is released by World Economic Forum World Bank International Labour Organisation None of the above To Download the Solution - Click here All the Best  IASbaba

RSTV Video

RSTV - The Aadhaar Verdict

The Aadhaar Verdict Archives TOPIC: General Studies 2 Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections In News: The Supreme Court upheld the validity of India’s ambitious biometric identity project, ‘Aadhaar’, saying it benefited the marginalized and poor, but sharply reined in a government push to make it mandatory for various services. Aadhaar is meant to help benefits reach the marginalised sections of the society and takes into account the dignity of people not only from personal but also from community point of view. The panel ruled the programme had merits, but struck down provisions in the act that made its use mandatory in applications for services ranging from bank accounts to mobile telephone connections and school admissions. The court also ruled unconstitutional the use of Aadhaar by companies to establish an individual’s identity. Where is Aadhaar going to be required? Section 7 which states Aadhar is mandatory for any government scheme that draws out of the consolidated fund of India. This means that if you want to avail benefits such as ration, LPG subsidy, MGNREGA, you have to furnish your Aadhaar number or your Aadhaar enrollment ID. An individual has to furnish their Aadhaar number or the enrollment ID while filing Income Tax returns. It has made Aadhaar-PAN card linking mandatory as well as the requirement of Aadhaar when applying for PAN card. This is an indirect link to banks, where PAN card number is mandatory. It is this part that, in a way, makes it mandatory for you to obtain an Aadhaar number. What of the Aadhaar Act has the court struck down? Section 33(1) which allows disclosure of information, including identity and authentication records, if ordered by a court not inferior to that of a District Judge. Individuals should be given the opportunity of a hearing. Section 33(2) which allowed identity and authentication data to be disclosed in the interest of national security on direction of an officer not below the rank of Joint Secretary to the Government of India. A Judicial Officer (preferably a sitting High Court Judge) should be associated with it and that the government should bring in legislation to this effect. Section 47 which referred to cognizance of offences. Under this Section, no individual was allowed to file a complaint if he/she felt their data was leaked or misused. The law only allowed the court to take cognizance of a complaint filed by UIDAI or anyone authorised by it. Any individual will now be allowed to file a complaint if he/she feels their data has been compromised. Section 57 refers to the use of Aadhaar data by any “body corporate or person” to establish the identity of an individual. Justice Sikri, in his judgment, found this section to be unconstitutional. It was under this provision that private companies like Paytm and Airtel Payments Bank sought Aadhaar details from customers. The court also ruled that authentication record should not be kept beyond the period of six months and the provision that allowed archive records for five years has been struck down. It has excluded storage of meta-data of transactions by individuals. This banning means UIDAI cannot collect data sets and mine it for more data or analysis. It has also struck down data sharing with corporates. The Supreme Court also called for Parliament to draft and pass a data protection law immediately. “We have also impressed upon the respondents to bring out a robust data protection regime in the form of an enactment on the basis of Justice BN Srikrishna (Retd.) Committee Report with necessary modifications thereto as may be deemed appropriate.” Link: https://www.livemint.com/Companies/cpSHu1fjQ1WvOP8vMi27aL/What-Supreme-Courts-Aadhaar-verdict-means-for-you-10-point.html Conclusion: This judgment should reassure all citizens that Aadhaar has been put into place by this government to ensure that curse of corruption and leakages in use of public money is once in for all removed from our system. The main concerns of rights of citizens and correcting the imbalance in Aadhaar Act vis-a-vis UIDAI has been corrected by Supreme Court and UIDAI will now evolve into a transparent accountable institution. The ban on metadata storage, minimum data and only six months of data storage strengthen the citizens Right to Privacy. Along with Section 66 A, Privacy as Fundamental Right and this verdict on Aadhaar– these three cases mark the basic shaping of the future of a Digital India with solid clear legal rights for Indians. Note: The National ID card project was first conceived by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee which UPA then named Aadhaar. Connecting the Dots: Are privacy concerns over Aadhaar valid? Critically examine.

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus] - 27th September 2018

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 27th September 2018 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) New telecom policy aims to provide broadband access to all citizens by 2022 Part of Prelims and mains II & III – Governance and Technology   In news Union Cabinet approved the new telecom policy The new policy aims to provide broadband access to every citizen at 50 Mbps speed by the year 2022. The last telecom policy was announced in 2012. The National Digital Communications Policy 2018 The policy envisions attracting $100 billion investments into the country’s digital communications sector. Aims at creating at least 40 lakh new jobs in the sector in the next four years and train one million manpower for building New Age Skill. The policy aims at expanding the IoT ecosystem to five billion connected devices, create globally recognised IPRs in India and create a fund for R&D in new technologies. It also pitches for leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Big Data to enhance the quality of services offered, spectrum management and network security while also establishing India as a global hub for cloud computing. The policy has called for a review of levies and fees — including licence fee, universal service obligation fund levy and spectrum usage charges, on the sector. This is expected to help the debt-laden telecom sector. Establish a comprehensive data protection regime for digital communications that safeguards the privacy, autonomy and choice of individuals. Punjab plan to eliminate malaria Part of Prelims and mains II – Health   In news The Punjab government in collaboration with the World Health Organization launched a “'micro strategic plan” to eliminate malaria from the State by 2020. Punjab is the first State in the country where the WHO will collaborate for elimination of malaria. It would provide technical support to the State to achieve the set target. State is committed to micro - level surveillance under which each and every reported case of malaria would be investigated and remedial measures undertaken to prevent its further spread. Boost to SC/ST quota in promotions Part of Prelims and mains II – Polity & Governance, Empowerment of vulnerable sections of the society In news A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court on Wednesday modified a 2006 judgment requiring the State to show quantifiable data to prove the “backwardness” of a Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe community in order to provide quota in promotion in public employment. It gives a huge fillip for the government’s efforts to provide “accelerated promotion with consequential seniority” for Scheduled Castes/ Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) members in government services. Directly contrary The portion of the Nagaraj judgment of another five-judge Constitution Bench in 2006 was directly contrary to the nine-judge Bench verdict in the Indira Sawhney case. In the Indira Sawhney case, the Supreme Court had held that the “test or requirement of social and educational backwardness cannot be applied to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, who indubitably fall within the expression ‘backward class of citizens’.” The Presidential List for Scheduled Castes contains only those castes or groups or parts as “untouchables.” Similarly, the Presidential List of Scheduled Tribes only refers to those tribes in remote backward areas who are socially extremely backward. March ahead The whole object of reservation is to see that backward classes of citizens move forward so that they may march hand in hand with other citizens of India on an equal basis. This will not be possible if only the creamy layer within that class bag all the coveted jobs in the public sector and perpetuate themselves, leaving the rest of the class as backward as they always were. Judgment upheld Nagaraj’s direction that creamy layer applied to SC/ST in promotions. It said that when a court applies the creamy layer principle to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, it does not in any manner tinker with the Presidential List under Articles 341 or 342 of the Constitution of India. The caste or group or sub-group named in the said List continues exactly as before. Package for sugar mills cleared Part of Prelims and mains III – Agriculture economy and related issues In news For the fourth time in the last five months, the Centre has approved incentives to help the cash-starved sugar mills clear thousands of crore in arrears of payment to cane farmers. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs cleared a ₹5,538-crore package which includes higher production assistance to farmers, as well as transport subsidies for mills trying to export sugar. Record harvests over the last two years have led to sugar production levels far above domestic consumption, resulting in a crash in prices and a liquidity crisis in the industry. Currently, the mills owe farmers more than ₹13,000 crore in arrears, down from a peak of more than ₹22,000 crore in May 2018. Production subsidy This package included a production subsidy that is 2.5 times higher, at ₹13.88 per quintal for each quintal of cane crushed in the 2018-19 season, at an estimated cost of ₹4,163 crore, according to the statement. The transport subsidies for exports amount to ₹1,375 crore. So far, none of the previous subsidy announced in May has been claimed by mills or paid to farmers, as several government conditions — including export quotas — had not been met. Enact ‘strong law’ to cleanse politics: SC Part of Prelims and mains II – Elections, RPA acts   In news The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed political parties to publish online the pending criminal cases of their candidates and urged Parliament to bring a “strong law” to cleanse political parties of leaders facing trial for serious crimes. Rapid criminalisation of politics cannot be arrested by merely disqualifying tainted legislators but should begin by “cleansing” political parties, a five-judge Constitution Bench observed. Onus on Parliament The court said Parliament should frame a law that makes it obligatory for political parties to remove leaders charged with “heinous and grievous” crimes, such as rape, murder and kidnapping, to name only a few, and refuse ticket to offenders in both parliamentary and Assembly polls. “The nation eagerly awaits such a legislation,” the court told Parliament. The Bench made it clear that the court cannot legislate for Parliament by introducing disqualification to ban candidates facing trial for heinous crimes from contesting elections. Full disclosures The court directed that candidates should divulge their criminal past to the Election Commission in “block letters.” Candidates should make a full disclosure of the criminal cases pending against them to the political parties under whose banner they intend to contest the polls. The parties, in turn, should put up the complete details of their candidates on their websites for public consumption. Cry for decriminalisation of politics Part of Prelims and mains II – Governance and Election, Polity In news The N.N. Vohra Committee, which was set up following a public outcry after the blasts, submitted its report in October 1993 after its study of the problem of criminalisation of politics and the nexus among criminals, politicians and bureaucrats in India. The committee had concluded that agencies, including the CBI, IB, RAW, had unanimously expressed their opinion that the criminal network was virtually running a parallel government. The committee report mentioned how money power was first acquired through real estate and then used for building up contacts with bureaucrats and politicians. The voices within Parliament also felt the need to end the bane of criminal politics. The 18th Report presented by a parliamentary committee to the Rajya Sabha in March 2007 expressed a strong “feeling that politics should be cleansed of persons with established criminal background”. It said “criminalisation of politics is the bane of society and negation of democracy”. The Law Commission of India, in its 244th report, succinctly put it that “instead of politicians having suspected links to criminal networks, as was the case earlier, it was persons with extensive criminal backgrounds who began entering politics.” The Law Commission said that in the 10 years since 2004, 18% of the candidates contesting either national or State elections had criminal cases against them (11,063 out of 62,847). The Goswami Committee on Electoral Reforms, as early as in 1990, highlighted the crippling effect of money and muscle power in elections. Peppered with wise words Part of Prelims and mains II & III – Governance and Election, Polity   In news On the rapid rise of criminalisation in politics, the Supreme Court on Tuesday reproduced the words of the freedom fighter and last Governor-General of India, C. Rajagopalachari, R. Prasad and Dr. Ambedkar. Rajagopalachari had said as back as in 1922 that, “elections and their corruption, injustice and tyranny of wealth, and inefficiency of administration, will make a hell of life as soon as freedom is given to us...” Similarly, the judgment quotes Rajendra Prasad, who said, “A Constitution like a machine is a lifeless thing. It acquires life because of the men who control it and operate it, and India needs today nothing more than a set of honest men who will have the interest of the country before them.” Finally, it talks about the limitations of a Constitution through the words of R. Ambedkar. “A Constitution can provide only the organs of State... The factors on which the working of those organs of the State depend are the people and the political parties they will set up as their instruments to carry out their wishes and their politics. Who can say how the people of India and their parties will behave?” (MAINS FOCUS) INTERNATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 2 India and its neighbourhood- relations Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora. A change in the Maldives Introduction Voters in the Maldives delivered a stunning defeat for President Abdulla Yameen in a contentious presidential election, an outcome regarded as a victory for democracy over authoritarianism in the Indian Ocean island nation. The people of the small archipelago in the Indian Ocean voted for change and brought to power the Opposition candidate, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. They came out in huge numbers with the turnout being 89.2%. Importance of Maldives: (10 reasons: IMAGE) How is China engaging with the Maldives? Beijing has made large investments in infrastructure projects in the Maldives during Yameen’s time in office. They include a US$830 million investment to upgrade the Maldives airport and build a 2km bridge to link the airport island with the capital Male, according to the Centre for Global Development. Chinese are also building a 25-storey apartment complex and hospital in the Maldives. Meanwhile, some 306,000 Chinese tourists visited the Maldives last year accounting for 21 per cent of the country’s total number of visitors. When three Chinese naval ships docked in Male in August last year, it only amplified India’s concerns. Tilt towards China: Yameen’s China visit last year, the two nations signed 12 pacts, including a free trade agreement (FTA). Yameen not only fully endorsed China’s ambitious Maritime Silk Road initiative but also made the Maldives the second country in South Asia, after Pakistan, to enter into an FTA with China. The Yameen government pushed the FTA through the nation’s Parliament, the Majlis, stealthily, with the opposition not attending the parliamentary session. Chinese Investments: Massive Debt trap, according to opposition: The opposition accused the Yameen government of allowing a Chinese ‘land grab’ of Maldivian islands, key infrastructure, and even essential utilities. This ‘land grab’ has raised the concerns of Maldives being increasingly falling into an economic neo-colonial influence of China. How have the Maldives ties with India fared under Yameen? Bilateral ties between India and the Maldives have deteriorated during Yameen’s time in power. In March 2015, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi cancelled his state visit to the island nation over the treatment of Mohamed Nasheed, the former pro-India Maldivian president who had been jailed. The Maldives also declined India’s invitation to take part in its biennial eight-day naval exercise, Milan, this year. Yameen’s government has also rejected visa renewals for Indians who were legally working in the Maldives. Concern areas that need to be improved between India and Maldives – No FTA with India; Maldives and India do not have a Free Trade Agreement. However Maldives and China entered into Free Trade Agreement. Maldives growing “closeness” with China; Both China and Pakistan stepping up their strategic inroads into the Maldives Religious radicalization; The Maldives is being radicalized by the Saudi funds and influence ISIS threat; Growing Islamic radicalisation in the tiny island-nation of about four lakh people once known for its tolerant practices has many foreign governments, including India, deeply concerned. Yameen government had asked India to remove its Dhruv advanced light helicopters from Maldives (which India had gifted in 2013). Yameen government has alleged that tensions over the presence of the two Indian helicopters in two strategically important locations in the Laamu and Addu atolls have been growing. Work permits are not currently being issued to Indian Nationals. By changing to more democratic form of government in Maldives, India can engage with Maldives to establish much more friendly relations than previous government era to protect the safety and security of entire Indian Ocean region. Way Forward: For New Delhi, the results are especially heartening as they present a chance to reset ties with Male, which have been on a downward spiral for several years. India can also now renew talks over the fate of Indian Coast Guard and Air Force personnel stationed in the Maldives as well as other Indians in Maldives, whose visas have been pending. Going forward, New Delhi must stay clear of partisan positioning on the internal politics of the Maldives. The larger agenda must be to partner the Maldives in its stability and development rather than engaging in a tug of war with China. Connecting the dots: Discuss the political developments in Maldives in the last two years. Should they be of any cause of concern to India? (UPSC mains 2013) DISASTER TOPIC: General Studies 3 Disaster-management Environment and Climate change Rethinking disaster management Introduction It is time to stop thinking of the extreme weather events hitting us with increasing frequency as unexpected events. Kerala bravely endured the monsoon storms, but it would be a mistake to think that disasters of this magnitude are “once in a hundred year” events. Disaster management: Proactive, not just reactive Weather disasters are being affected by climate change that is caused by humans. The devastation is worsened by the collective failure of governments and businesses to invest in building resilience despite the evidence on runaway climate change. The lesson from the Kerala floods, Hurricane Harvey (Houston, U.S., 2017) and Typhoon Haiyan (the Philippines, 2013) is that responses to disasters must be proactive, not just reactive. Reconstruction First, reconstruction efforts must involve rebuilding in a better way. Climate proofing in Kerala calls for structures to be built with wind- and water-resistant materials. The higher cost will be more than offset by avoided repairs. Relocation Second, people need to relocate out of harm’s way. After Haiyan’s storm surges, distances from coastlines that were considered safe for settling were extended. During the 2015 floods, Chennai illustrated the price of unrestricted urban development. Early warning system Third, early warning is vital. Because of investments in these systems, Cyclone Phailin (2013) claimed less than 40 lives in Odisha, whereas a superclyclone in 1999 in the State had killed 10,000 people. In Kerala, there was no timely forecast from national weather services. The State needs a reliable flood forecasting capability. Tougher implementation of regulations Fourth, there needs to be tougher implementation of logging and mining regulations in fragile ecologies. Deforestation worsened the effects of Kerala’s floods and mudslides, as the report of the Western Ghats ecology expert panel 2011 had warned. Reduction in global footprint Lastly, there is the climate conundrum: Wayanad, which just saw record rainfall, is expecting a severe drought. Kerala by itself has a small carbon footprint, but it can have a voice in helping one of the world’s largest carbon emitters reduce its carbon footprint. Conclusion The economic damage from global warming has global ramifications. The 2011 floods in Thailand’s economic heartland disrupted not just national, but global manufacturing value chains. The Kerala floods are estimated to have shaved off about 2.2% of the State’s GDP. Multilateral agencies including the World Bank and Asian Development Bank may be well-positioned to provide financing, which is vital when budgets are stretched, and, crucially, knowledge solutions to tackle climate disasters. Kerala gets high marks for its participatory approach to relief and rehabilitation. Invaluable as this is, the new climate reality is raising the bar on disaster resilience. Bolstering resilience must be central to recovery. Connecting the dots: With reference to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) guidelines, discuss the measures to be adopted to mitigate the impact of the recent incidents of cloudbursts in many places of Uttarakhand. (UPSC mains 2016) With reference to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) guidelines, discuss the measures to be adopted to mitigate the impact of the recent incidents of floods in many places of Kerala and Karnataka. (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) Which among the following is the first State in the country where the WHO will collaborate for elimination of malaria? Bihar Uttar Pradesh Punjab West Bengal Q.2) Consider the following statements with reference to the special provisions given to certain classes The constitution does not specify the castes and tribes which are to be called the Scheduled castes (SCs) or Scheduled tribes (STs). The expression Other Backward Classes (OBCs) was inserted and defined in the constitution through Sixty-ninth Amendment Act, 1991. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? Only 1 Only 2 1 and 2 None Q.3) Article 341 and 342 of the Constitution of India deals with – Election Commission of India powers, direction and control of conducting the elections to the offices of the President and Vice-President of India respectively. Who would be Scheduled castes (SCs) and Scheduled tribes (STs) with respect to any State or Union Territory. Appointment and term of office of UPSC members. Appointment of a Commission to investigate the conditions of backward classes. Q.4) Which among the following committee was set up to study the problem of criminalisation of politics and the nexus among criminals, politicians and bureaucrats in India? N. Vohra Committee Nagaraj Committee Indira Sawhney Committee Sri Krishna Committee MUST READ Cutting through the white noise The Hindu Opacity in the name of privacy The Hindu  Aadhaar survives The Hindu  Explained: You and your Aadhaar Indian Express  Course correction Indian Express  Trusting Aadhaar Indian Express Biofuels are a sensible option for India Livemint Why economic freedom is important in India Livemint

IASbaba’s Flagship Mains Answer Writing Programme: Connect to Conquer (C2C)-2019: ONLINE and OFFLINE (Admission Open)

  Dear Friends, It doesn’t take much to dawn upon a Civil Services candidate that it takes a lot of practice to master the craft of answer writing. It requires dedication, perseverance and patience to master answer writing for UPSC. In a span of 180 minutes, one has to answer 20 questions. That leaves 9 minutes per question and if one subtracts the time taken to end the questions, flip the pages, sigh the attendance sheet and recollect thoughts, the actual time in one’s hand reduces further. It is hardly new that 90% of the candidates, despite being well prepared can’t put their knowledge into words during those 3 hours. We at IASbaba launched the offline Mains Answer Writing Programme last year by the name of ‘Connect to Conquer (C2C)’. A trend which has caught up with online websites/coaching institutes is that most of them trying to claim their credibility based on their manufactured "outputs". Aspirants must have seen in the process few institutes/websites have lost considerable reputation for its  not become hard for an aspirant to distinguish between their real and perceived abilities! You should assess the utility and credibility of it by acknowledging the quality input. And this is where IASbaba has made the difference! Iasbaba has transformed into an input and output organisation! We focus on inputs! Anyway, in the last 3 years, we have captured all the ranks that needed to be captured!! Yes, we want to build the best input organization and in a mere three years, we are at the forefront of it! C2C is one such venture. Each mentor spends through discussions/interactions at least 50 hours with each of the aspirants. And this is unparalleled across the spectrum of mentorship! C2C is where you find nearly 200-300 people writing mains, slogging in our study rooms, discussing most of them, exchanging ideas and answers. And as a testimony to the same! Click here to download the sample test Approach paper (Click here to download the sample) given in advance to streamline your preparation. Same day high-quality synopsis (Click here to download the sample) And we are glad to announce the next edition of this programme i.e. C2C-2019. What is great about this edition is that we are also going ONLINE with this initiative now. YES. You read it right. This time, C2C will be offered as an online course also. This decision was inspired by the countless requests that we have been getting to start Mains Answer Writing in Online mode. We are keeping things simple and straight here. The following paragraphs will briefly outline the features and other details of this programme: ART OF ANSWER WRITING   Before you read further, download this document and read it patiently. This will surely be the game-changer for most of you :)  DOWNLOAD THE DOCUMENT FEATURES OF C2C OFFLINE: 12 Part Tests and 4 Full-Length Tests and 4 Essay Tests. Total = 20 Tests Each Test will be of 3 hours Duration Tests will be conducted as per the schedule in two slots- Morning and Evening. Synopsis on the day of the test itself. Detailed classroom discussion of each Test (Next Day of the Test) Evaluation, marking and ranking to be done and list to be published for both Online and Offline combined. Each candidate to have a mentor for individual doubt clearance, feedback and support. Study Room support. (PAID) Best possible peer group. Must Follow for Offline Students: For the best possible support and quality management aspirants are required to appear for the respective tests on the given date (whatever slot they wish to). This will help us in timely evaluation and discussion. In no case, IASbaba will be responsible for non-timely evaluation if the tests are not taken as per the schedule.   FEATURES OF C2C ONLINE: 12 Part Tests and 4 Full-Length Tests and 4 Essay Tests. Total = 20 Tests Synopsis on the day of the test itself. Evaluation, marking and ranking to be done and list to be published for both Online and Offline Combined. Tests will be uploaded on the day of the exam and you will be given a time-domain to write and upload your answer sheets. We shall evaluate and send it back to you with detailed feedback and comments/improvements. Must Follow for Online Students For the best possible support and quality management aspirants are required to appear for the respective tests as per the schedule. For Online Students, Question Paper will be uploaded on the test date (Morning) and you will be given a duration of close to 48 hours to submit your test papers in order to get it evaluated. Evaluated answer sheets will be uploaded back on your profile before the next scheduled test. This will help us in timely evaluation and publication of Offline + Online Ranking. In no case, IASbaba will be responsible for non-timely evaluation if the tests are not taken as per the schedule. SCHEDULE: Both offline and online C2C will run in sync. Programme Duration- 4th November 2018 to 17th March 2019- 5 Months Programme. Click here to download the detailed schedule. ADMISSION PROCESS:  Go ahead and pay the fees, ONLY if you have covered the complete syllabus once or twice atleast ! We have decided to keep the numbers very limited which means that not all will get the opportunity to become a part of C2C (Online/Offline). But we can’t do much about that now as we know that taking too many candidates would dilute the very purpose of this programme. Payment Channel is active now and will be open until we get the required number of registrations. It will be closed after the seats are full. This is applicable to both ONLINE and OFFLINE. That means it is on the basis on first come first serve. We cannot consider future requests in case seats are full. OFFLINE  Offline C2C will be conducted in Bangalore (ONLY) You can contact at our Vijayanagar Center for admission. Office Address is given below. All the candidates are required to make arrangements for their accommodation and living here. Candidate is required to have finished his/her Mains syllabus at least once or twice. This is not a classroom mode teaching programme but Mains Answer Writing Programme where your answer writing enrichment will be the main agenda. There is always an upper hand in OFFLINE Mode because of physical presence. ONLINE One can join online sitting at home and be part of Mains Answer Writing Programme in case not able to shift to Bangalore. Candidate is required to have finished his/her Mains syllabus at least once or twice. This is not a classroom mode teaching programme but Mains Answer Writing Programme where your answer writing enrichment will be the main agenda. We will try our best to provide the quality support through Reviews, Synopsis and Feedback. It is expected that a candidate is sincere and taking the exam in real-time scenario to get the proper assessment of his/her learning and effort. Fee (OFFLINE) For Offline, we have two different Fee Scheme (With/Without Library Facility) C2C Offline+Library (6 Months October - March)+GST= 35,500/- C2C Offline+GST = 29,500/- Fee (ONLINE)  C2C Online+GST=16,500/- Kindly select the programme accordingly from the given payment link. PAYMENT LINK- CLICK HERE WHAT TO DO AFTER MAKING PAYMENT? Offline Aspirants- Come to settle down in Bangalore as soon as possible and start preparing for the first test. Online Aspirants- Start the preparation as per the schedule. You will be sent a login ID and Password 3-4 days before the first test. For Queries: Office Address: No. 1737/37, MRCR Layout, Vijayanagar Service road, Vijayanagar, Bangalore – 560040. Landmark: Vijayanagar Metro station or Above Apple Showroom Office timings: 10.30 am – 4.30 pm E-Mail:  C2C ONLINE: support@iasbaba.com C2C OFFLINE- offline@iasbaba.com Mobile No: 9035077800/6362224637 (10 AM to 5 PM) All the very best :) IASbaba

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus] - 26th September 2018

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 26th September 2018 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) India ranks 158th in ‘human capital’ score, behind Sudan Part of: Prelims and mains II – Health, Education and Human resource In news The study is conducted by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the request of the World Bank. It is the first of its kind to measure and compare the strength of countries’ “human capital”. The study underscores that when a country’s human capital score increases, its economy grows. Rank of India and its neighbourhood India ranks 158th in the world for its investments in education and health care, according to the first-ever scientific study ranking countries for their levels of human capital. It is an improvement from its position of 162 in 1990. The nation is placed behind Sudan (ranked 157th) and ahead of Namibia (ranked 159th) in the list. The U.S. is ranked 27th, while China is at 44th and Pakistan at 164th. South Asian countries ranking below India in this report include Pakistan (164), Bangladesh (161) and Afghanistan (188). Countries in the region that have fared better than India in terms of human capital include Sri Lanka (102), Nepal (156), Bhutan (133) and Maldives (116). India is falling behind in terms of health and education of its workforce, which could potentially have long-term negative effects on the Indian economy. The study is based on analysis of data from sources, including government agencies, schools, and health care systems. Stimulating economy As the world economy grows increasingly dependent on digital technology, from agriculture to manufacturing to the service industry, human capital grows increasingly important for stimulating local and national economies. The study underscores that when a country’s human capital score increases, its economy grows. Components measured in the functional health score include stunting, wasting, anaemia, cognitive impairments, hearing and vision loss, and infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. And Learning is based on average student scores on internationally comparable tests. Ranking of other countries and improvements; an overview The study places Finland at the top. Turkey showed the most dramatic increase in human capital between 1990 and 2016. Asian countries with notable improvement include China, Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam. Within Latin America, Brazil stands out for improvement. All these countries have had faster economic growth over this period than peer countries with lower levels of human capital improvement. In addition, the greatest increase among sub-Saharan African countries was in Equatorial Guinea. Unemployment among educated youth at 16%: study Part of: Prelims and mains III – Unemployment In news With higher growth rates not having translated into more jobs and increases in productivity failing to spur a commensurate rise in wages, the government ought to formulate a National Employment Policy. Confirming the spectre of jobless growth, the study contends that this divergence between growth and jobs had increased over time. In the 1970s and 80s, GDP growth was around 3-4% and employment growth was about 2%. Currently, the ratio of GDP growth to employment growth is less than 0.1.” That means that a 10% increase in GDP results in a less than 1% increase in employment. The study uses government data to show that total employment actually shrank by seven million between 2013 and 2015, and cites private data to posit that an absolute decline has continued in the years since. Unemployment has risen to more than 5% overall, and the study slices the data to show that in geographic terms, north Indian States are the most severely affected, while in demographic terms, young people with higher education levels suffer an unemployment rate as high as 16%. While wages are rising in almost all sectors, hidden within the positive data is the worrying fact that rural wage growth collapsed in 2014, and has not risen since. In the organised manufacturing sector, though the number of jobs has grown, there has also been an increase in the share of contract work, which offers lower wages and less job security. Labour productivity in manufacturing sector is six times higher than it was 30 years ago; however, managerial and supervisory salaries have only tripled in the same period, while production workers’ wages have grown a measly 1.5 times. Women’s participation in the paid workforce is still low, but the situation is unequal across States. In Uttar Pradesh, only 20 women are in paid employment for every 100 men, while that figure jumps to 50 in Tamil Nadu and 70 in Mizoram and Nagaland. With regard to earnings, the caste gap is actually larger than the gender gap. Dalits and Adivasis are over-represented in low-paying occupations, and severely under-represented in higher-paying ones, the study reveals. They earn only 55-56% of upper caste workers’ earnings, the data shows. SC forms prison reforms panel Part of: Prelims and mains II – Judiciary, Social justice In news The Supreme Court on Tuesday formed a Committee on Prison Reforms chaired by former apex court judge, Justice Amitava Roy, to examine the various problems plaguing prisons in the country, from overcrowding to lack of legal advice to convicts to issues of remission and parole. The judgment came on a letter from former Chief Justice of India R.C. Lahoti highlighting the overcrowding in prisons, unnatural deaths of prisoners, gross inadequacy of staff and the lack of trained staff. Issuing a slew of directions, the Bench has directed the committee to examine the extent of overcrowding in prisons and correctional homes and recommend remedial measures, including an examination of the functioning of Under Trial Review Committees, availability of legal aid and advice, grant of remission, parole and furlough. The panel would also probe the reasons for violence in prisons and correctional homes and recommend measures to prevent unnatural deaths and assess the availability of medical facilities in prisons and correctional homes and make recommendations. It would assess the availability and inadequacy of staff in prisons and correctional homes, suggest training and educational modules for the staff and assess the feasibility of establishing open prisons. The committee has been asked to recommend steps for the psycho-social well-being of minor children of women prisoners, including their education and health. Further to examine and recommend measures for the health, education, development of skills, rehabilitation and social reintegration of children in observation homes, places of safety and special homes established under the provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. The court asked the committee to complete the collection of data and information and make submit it in a year. The Amitava Roy Committee need not confine itself to these four issues but can comprehensively examine and respond to the dire necessity of reforms in prisons. Mosquito population made extinct with genetic tweak Part of: Prelims and mains II & III– Health, Biotechnology In news Scientists succeeded for the first time in wiping out an entire population of malaria-carrying mosquitos in the lab using a gene editing tool to programme their extinction. So-called gene drive technology works by forcing evolution's hand, ensuring that an engineered trait is passed down to a higher proportion of offspring — across many generations — than would have occurred naturally. In experiments with the species Anopheles gambiae, scientists at Imperial College London tweaked a gene known as doublesex so that more females in each generation could no longer bite or reproduce. After only eight generations, there were no females left and the population collapsed due to lack of offspring. The next step will be to test the technology in a confined laboratory setting that mimics a tropical environment. It will be at least five-to-ten years before it would be considerd to test any mosquitoes with gene drive in the wild Need to eliminate malaria causing mosquitos This breakthrough shows that gene drive can work, providing hope in the fight against a disease that has plagued mankind for centuries. Malaria sickened more than 200 million people worldwide in 2016 and killed nearly 450,000. It remains one of the most deadly of infectious diseases. 2016 marked the first time in over two decades that malaria cases did not fall year-on-year, despite aggressive and well-funded anti-malarial campaigns. Traditional approaches to controlling mosquitoes — especially the use of insecticides — is becoming less effective, mainly due to the build-up of resistance. Previous attempts by the same team and others to induce the genetically programmed extinction of mosquitos in the laboratory ran into "resistance" in the form of mutations that fought back against the high-tech engineering. Doublesex gene? The doublesex gene targeted in the experiments is deeply "conserved", meaning that is formed tens or even hundreds of millions of years ago and is today shared by many insects with only minor variations. Calls for a moratorium Some scientists and technology watchdog groups have called for a moratorium on gene drive research. According to critics, the ability to eradicate species and natural populations at will with synthetic gene drive is not to be celebrated but should rather sound an alarm. There are ecological risks from manipulating and removing natural populations, such as destroying food webs and shifting the behaviour of diseases, as well as social risks of disrupting agriculture and enabling new weapons. The issue will be squarely on the agenda in November in Egypt at a UN Biodiversity summit, which has mandated one of its technical committees to assess gene drive's potential risks and benefits. Amazon arm backs data localisation Part of: Prelims and mains II & III– Privacy and national security In news Amazon invested in data centres in India so that it can assure the government that all the data stays in the country. There is opposition from experts and foreign firms over proposed data localisation norms in India. The policy The draft ‘The Personal Data Protection Bill, 2018’ proposes that critical personal data of Indian citizens be processed only in data centres located within the country, while personal data may be transferred outside India. However, at least one copy of the data will need to be stored in India. The proposal has been termed as “regressive” and a “trade barrier” by experts. Data accessibility Amazon assured that they provide customers with the access to tools so that they can determine where the data is located, they can monitor. It is all about data security, it comes down to whether one can be assured that if one hosts data in a particular location, that’s going to stay secure and people don’t have access [and] who shouldn’t have access to it. In India, an application called ReUnite uses Amazon Rekognition to find lost children. (MAINS FOCUS) NATIONAL/HEALTH TOPIC: General Studies 2 Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, etc. Health and Social Security Long road ahead: on Ayushman Bharat scheme Introduction Ayushman Bharat has been rolled out as a health protection scheme that will provide guaranteed access to treatment that is free at the point of delivery to about 40% of the population. It is the essential first step on the road to universal health coverage. Since the Centre has announced that 10.74 crore families identified through Socio-Economic Caste Census data will be given an annual ₹5 lakh cover under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (the insurance component of the scheme). Challenges The late start makes it virtually impossible for all those who are technically insured to avail of the services that state agencies must make available, within a reasonable time-frame. The allocation of just ₹2,000 crore during the current year to the PMJAY cannot provide the promised cover to the large population sought to be included. Not all States and Union Territories are in a position to raise their own share, and a few have not even joined the scheme. The challenge of funding, therefore, remains. Without adequate budgetary commitments, the implications of pooling the financial risk for such a large segment of the population through insurers or state-run trusts or societies make the outcomes uncertain. Solutions Guaranteeing health-care access using private or public facilities presumes tight cost control. In the case of the PMJAY, this is to be achieved using defined treatment packages for which rates are prescribed. Costs are a contested area between the care-providers and the Centre, and many for-profit hospitals see the government’s proposals as unviable. In the absence of adequate preparation, the Ayushman Bharat administration is talking of a rate review. The State governments should have been persuaded to regulate the hospital sector under the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010. The law broadly provides for standardisation of facilities and reasonable rates for procedures. Apprehensions of fraud have prompted Ayushman Bharat administrators to announce that some key treatments should be availed through public sector institutions. But public facilities have been neglected for long. It is essential to reduce the pressure on secondary and tertiary hospitals for expensive treatments by investing in preventive and primary care facilities. Conclusion The 150,000 health and wellness centres of the National Health Protection Mission can play a valuable role. The first-order priority should be to draw up a road map for universal health coverage, through continuous upgradation of the public sector infrastructure. Connecting the dots: Ayushman Bharat is the essential first step on the road to universal health coverage. Comment. SCIENCE TOPIC: General Studies 3 Science and technology, Biotechnology Editing our genes Introduction American biochemist Jennifer Doudna, one of the pioneers of the gene editing tool Crispr-Cas9, woke up in a cold sweat after she dreamt of Adolf Hitler. He was wearing a pig mask, and wanted to understand the tool’s uses and implications. She acknowledges the “truly incredible power” of the technology, “one that could be devastating if it fell into the wrong hands.” Crispr-Cas9 Crispr, an acronym for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, harnesses the natural defence mechanisms of bacteria to alter an organism’s genetic code. It’s likened to a pair of molecular scissors, a cut-and-paste technology, that can snip the two DNA strands at a specific location and modify gene function. The cutting is done by enzymes like Cas9, guided by pre-designed RNA sequences. This pre-designed RNA sequences ensure that the targeted section of the genome is edited out. The elegance of this editing tool has transformed medical research, and gives rise to the question: can a faulty gene be deleted or corrected at the embryonic stage? Examples of gene editing or corrections Researchers in China used a variation of Crispr. Instead of snipping strands, they swapped DNA letters to correct Marfan Syndrome, an inherited disorder that affects connective tissue. It was done on 18 viable human embryos through in-vitro. Two of the embryos, however, exhibited unintended changes. All were destroyed after the experiment. In 2017, American biologist used Crispr to repair a genetic mutation that could cause a deadly heart condition. It was done on embryos in such a way that the faulty gene would not be passed down the family tree. The findings are the focus of an ongoing debate, with several scientists sceptical of whether the gene was corrected. Can accuracy be guaranteed in early stage embryos? Significance of gene editing As our understanding grows, we will have the potential to edit out genes that cause fatal diseases. We will perhaps one day have the potential to use the very same mechanisms to edit out undesirable traits in human beings. This raises the spectre of eugenics. Concerns Bioethicists expressed concern over the clinical application of such research. Can we — and should we — control or dictate evolution? These are still early days in a new frontier of genome engineering. Researchers are only beginning to understand the power — and fallout — of gene editing. Studies have shown that edited cells can lack a cancer suppressing protein. Bioethicists fear abuse of gene editing, not just by misguided governments hoping to create a ‘superior’ race, but also by the private sector preying on a parent’s desire to create a perfect child. Conclusion For now, it remains a distant prospect, but silencing science or hijacking the debate is not an answer. The burden of this knowledge cannot be borne by science alone. Connecting the dots: What is gene editing? Elaborate in the light of Crisper cas9 and respective examples of application of gene editing technology. (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) The CRISPR-Cas system often in news is related to? Rice Intensification Gene Editing Space Research Cyber Attack Q.2) Graphical curve which advocates a relationship between inflation and unemployment in an economy is called Laffer's curve Phillips curve Friedman curve Rahn curve Q.3) About various types of unemployment, consider the following statements: If in an economy, there is surplus workforce in one sector and there is short supply of workforce in the other sector then it is known as disguised unemployment. Disguised unemployment is found in agriculture sector in India. Frictional unemployment is caused by periodical increase and decrease in the growth of economy. Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect? 1 and 3 only 2 and 3 only 2 only 1, 2 and 3 MUST READ A change in the Maldives The Hindu   A blueprint by bureaucrats Indian Express  Building from debris Indian Express  Doable and daunting Indian Express The Supreme Court can’t stop criminal politicians Livemint  Does trade retaliation make sense? Livemint

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz- 2019 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 75]

UPSC Quiz- 2019 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 75] Archives Q.1) ‘Punch Tantra’ was recently in news. What is it related to? Guidelines to double farmers’ income by 2022 Tribal handlooms and handicraft Air-to-Air Missile developed by DRDO Indigenously developed Supercomputer Q.2) Consider the following statements about ‘WAYU’ It is developed by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) It works by converting pollutants such as PM2.5 and PM10 particles, carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds into carbon dioxide using a filter. Select the correct code: 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.3) Consider the following statements about ‘SDG Media Compact’ It is an initiative marking a new drive to advance awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that were unanimously adopted by all world leaders at the United Nations in 2015. India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is one of the founding compact members Select the correct code: 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.4) Consider the following statements about ‘Tx2’ It was launched by CITES at the 2010 St Petersburg Tiger Summit. It is an ambitious and visionary species conservation goal set by the governments of the tiger range countries to double the number of wild tigers by 2022. Select the correct code: 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.5) Project UNNATI is associated with Allocation of coal mines Digital Literacy in Rural India Improving operational and financial performance of Ports Monitor high value transactions and detect tax evaders To Download the Solution - Click here All the Best  IASbaba

RSTV Video

RSTV - Bank Mergers: Need & Implications

Bank Mergers: Need & Implications Archives 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 Indian Economy – Financial Inclusion and Inclusive Growth In News: State-owned Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank will be merged to create the country’s third largest lender as part of efforts to revive credit and economic growth. The decision to merge the three banks was taken under the ‘alternative mechanism’ that was formulated in November last year to consider and approve amalgamation of public sector banks. Bank of Baroda, the largest among the three with total business of ₹10.3 lakh crore, is more than five times the size of Dena Bank — the weakest of the three with business of ₹1.73 lakh crore. Dena also faces certain operational restrictions as it is currently under the Reserve Bank of India’s prompt corrective action framework after a rise in NPAs resulted in the lender’s return on assets turning negative. Vijaya Bank, also smaller with business of ₹2.8 lakh crore, is, however, a relatively healthy bank. The Bengaluru-based lender is one of only two public sector banks that reported a profit in the last financial year, the other being Chennai-based Indian Bank. Perceived Benefits: Will make the banks stronger and sustainable Will increase their lending ability Improvement in operational efficiency Perceived Challenges: Handling of human resources & cultural differences – There is a cost to managing complexity that management tends to overlook in weighing the benefits of merger. Which general manager reports to which general manager, how portfolios will be assigned to executive directors and so on. Branch rationalisation without shedding any staff is quite a task. Further, the multiple posts that exist in the three banks will have to be reconciled as there can be only one head of risk, treasury, credit, HR, etc. Customer retention Technology integration - putting all the three banks in the same platform; Systems and processes could be different and would have to be harmonised. Ensuring accountability Rationalisation of physical infrastructure which is also linked with the headcount and existing hierarchy. All bank mergers will lead to multiplicity of branches and ATMs that will have to be reviewed. There would be redundancies of the same in the combined entity. When the policy is to retain the headcount, accommodating them in a smaller set of branches will not be possible. The Way Ahead: Investors and bankers will be keen to see if this may end up serving as a template for further mergers among state-run lenders, especially given the asset quality issues plaguing several of these banks. In particular, the proposed merger is seen as a test of the capacity of a large bank, which itself is facing pressure on asset quality, to absorb a weaker peer. It is important to ensure that such mergers do not end up creating an entity that is weaker than the original pre-merger strong bank. That said, the fact is that mergers are one way of managing the problem and therefore cannot be discounted totally. However, the trick lies in ensuring that the merger fallout is managed prudently; identifying synergies and exploiting scale efficiencies will be crucial here. Also, unless there is a change in the operating structures, mergers will only be symbolic and may not deliver the desired results in the long run. Counter intuitively, if we are willing to change the way in which public sector institutions function by giving them autonomy along with accountability, we may not require such mergers. The long-term solution outlined by Raghuram Rajan, former RBI Governor, mentioned in his note to the estimates committee of Parliament: ‘Improve governance of public sector banks and distance them from the government’ and ‘delegate appointments entirely to an entity like the Banks Board Bureau’, should be taken up for discussion. Connecting the Dots: With greater concentration comes higher systemic risk: the failure of a large bank is a bigger problem than the failure of a small one. Concentration also means lesser competition and less choice for customers. Discuss w.r.t. the recent merger. The merger must be judged by the touchstone of performance. Do you agree? Discuss.

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