Aug 26, 2019 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 26th August 2019

IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 26th August 2019 Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) India-Bahrain ties Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains II –International relations  In News PM Narendra Modi paid a state visit to Bahrain on 24-25 August 2019, which was the first ever Prime Ministerial visit from India to Bahrain. Both India & Bahrain called on global community to reject use of terrorism against other countries as both sides agreed to further enhance cooperation in the field of security, counter-terrorism and the exchange of intelligence and information They also said that regional connectivity projects should be based on international law, including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, in an apparent reference to China’s BRI project Both agreed to enhance cooperation to strengthen maritime security in the Gulf region, vital for the security and safety of sea lanes and pressed for UN reforms India also welcomed the interest of Bahrain to join the International Solar alliance. India also launched the renovation of Shree Krishna temple in Manama, the oldest in the Gulf region. An MoU was also signed between BENEFIT, a Bahrain company handling ATM and POS transactions among others, and National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) for launch of RuPay card in the Gulf Kingdom. The two countries also signed MoUs on cultural exchange programme, space technology, solar energy Do You Know? India-Bahrain bilateral trade has been on the rise for the last few years, reaching about US$ 1.3 billion in 2018-19 About 3.5 million Indian national reside & work in Bahrain, which is the largest expatriate community in Bahrain. The presence of over 3,000 Indian-owned/joint Ventures in Bahrain indicates the intense economic engagement between the two countries Gulf Cooperation Council: is a regional intergovernmental political and economic union consisting of all Arab states of the Persian Gulf except Iraq, namely: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates Naga Peace Process Part of: GS Prelims and Mains GS-II – Issues related to Federalism In News  A Naga extremist group (NSCN-IM) has for the first time said a “separate flag and Constitution” were necessary for an “honourable solution” to the 22-year-old Naga peace process. Centre ended Jammu and Kashmir’s special status that allowed it to have its own Constitution and a flag, by abrogating Article 370 on 5th August 2019 The Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) had signed a Framework Agreement with Union Government on August 2015. Do You Know The peace process began when NSCN-IM announced cease fire in 1997 and framework agreement was believed to have taken that process to a critical stage. However, both the Centre & the outfit has not divulged the contents of the agreement The Khaplang faction of the NSCN ceased to be a part of the peace process after it walked out of a 14-year-old truce in March 2015. The Khaplang faction is primarily based in Myanmar while most of the leaders and cadres of the Isak-Muivah group are from Manipur. The Centre had a year ago insisted that the peace process would be incomplete if at least six other Naga extremist groups, some of whom are dormant, were not taken on board the negotiations. Akademik Lomonosov Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains III – Science & Technology In News Akademik Lomonosov is a Russian powership to be operated as the world’s first floating nuclear power station  It will be deployed at Pevek, in the Chukotka region in Russia's Far East and is planned to come online in end of 2019 as the nearby Bilibino Nuclear Power Plant is shut. It intends mainly to serve the region's oil platforms as Russia is expanding the exploitation of hydrocarbons in the Arctic. Nuclear agency Rosatom says the reactor is a simpler alternative to building a conventional plant and it intends to sell such reactors abroad. Rosatom plans to store spent fuel onboard of ship and thus any accident involving this fuel might have a serious impact on the fragile environment of the Arctic. Environmental groups have long warned of the dangers of the project, dubbing it a potential "Chernobyl on ice" and a "nuclear Titanic” as it is additionally vulnerable to storms Do You Know? Global warming and melting ice has made the Northeast Passage — which connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific along Russia's northern coast — more accessible. The ship was named after Academician Mikhail Lomonosov who was a Russian polymath, scientist and writer in 18th century The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred at nuclear reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near the city of Pripyat in the north of the Ukrainian SSR on April 1986  It is considered the worst nuclear disaster in history and is one of only two nuclear energy disasters rated at seven—the maximum severity—on the International Nuclear Event Scale, the other being the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan. Swatantra Sainik Samman Pension Scheme  Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains I - Society In News The Supreme Court has slammed the Centre for harassing a 90-year-old freedom fighter who was struggling to get his pension under Swatantra Sainik Samman Pension Scheme  The scheme was introduced with the object of providing pension to freedom fighters and families of martyrs The scheme is not to “reward” patriotic men and women who threw their lives into the Freedom Movement, but to honour them and mitigate their suffering. As of March 2019, a total 1.7 lakh freedom fighters and their eligible dependents have been sanctioned the central samman pension so far. It is implemented by Ministry of Home Affairs (Freedom Fighters Division) Do You Know? Government of India introduced the 'Ex-Andaman Political Prisoners Pension Scheme' in 1969 to honour the freedom fighters who had been incarcerated in the Cellular Jail at Port Blair. In 1972, to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of Independence, a regular scheme for grant of freedom fighters' pension was introduced. Since 1980, a liberalized scheme, namely the 'Swatantrata Sainik Samman Pension Scheme, 1980' is being implemented. (MAINS FOCUS) DATA PRIVACY/SECURITY 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 Privacy no longer supreme Context: Two years ago, this month, a nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court unanimously held that Indians have a constitutionally protected fundamental right to privacy. What the judgement said? It held that privacy is a natural right that inheres in all natural persons, and that the right may be restricted only by state action that passes each of the three tests:  First, such state action must have a legislative mandate;  Second, it must be pursuing a legitimate state purpose;  Third, it must be proportionate i.e., such state action — both in its nature and extent, must be necessary in a democratic society and the action ought to be the least intrusive of the available alternatives to accomplish the ends. Prescribing a higher standard Judgment in Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (Retd) vs Union Of India fundamentally changed the way in which the government viewed its citizens’ privacy, both in practice and prescription. It undertook structural reforms and brought transparency and openness in the process of commissioning and executing its surveillance projects, and built a mechanism of judicial oversight over surveillance requests.  It demonstrated great care and sensitivity in dealing with personal information of its citizens.  It legislated a transformative, rights-oriented data protection law that held all powerful entities that deal with citizens’ personal data (data controllers), including the state, accountable.  Data protection law The data protection law embodied the principle that the state must be a model data controller and prescribed a higher standard of observance for the state.  The law also recognised and proscribed the practice of making access to essential services contingent on the citizen parting with irrelevant personal information.  This law established an effective privacy commission that is tasked with enforcing, protecting and fulfilling the fundamental right to privacy implemented through the specific rights under the legislation. The data protection law also revolutionised the technology sector landscape in the country, paving way for innovative privacy-aware and privacy-preserving technical solution providers to thrive and flourish, and establishing the country as a global leader in the space. The judgment in K.S. Puttaswamy effected little change in the government’s thinking or practice as it related to privacy and the personal data of its citizens. Data use vs. privacy The government has shunned a rights-oriented approach in the collection, storage and processing of personal data and has stuck to its ‘public good’ and ‘data is the new oil’ discourse. In other words, personal data in the custody of the state is for the state to use, monetise and exploit in any manner it desires so long as it guards against security incidents such as breaches and unauthorised access — i.e. unauthorised by the government.  This convenient redux of the idea of privacy to mere information security appears to inform all its policies Justice Sri krishna committee : The committee published the draft Personal Data Protection Bill uses a similar language of ‘free and fair digital economy’, with the digital economy being the ends and the notion of privacy merely being a shaper of the means – not only misrepresenting the purpose of the bill, but also its history and the mischief that it intended to tackle.  The committee made the choices it made despite being aware that the courts are likely to interpret every provision of the legislation purposively, taking note that the purpose is couched in terms of the economy as opposed to the bill having a singular focus on the fulfilment of the right to privacy. Conclusion: K.S. Puttaswamy ages and steps into its third year, the script is still on the table. A rights-oriented data protection legislation — which includes comprehensive surveillance reform prohibiting mass surveillance and institution of a judicial oversight mechanism for targeted surveillance — and which recognises the principle that the state ought to be a model data controller as it deals with its citizens’ personal information; is still possible, one hopes. Connecting the dots: India does not have a legal architecture to deal with data theft and compromise issues. Do you agree? What are the challenges regarding data protection and how can they be addressed? Data security has assumed significant importance in the digitized world due to rising cybercrimes. The justice B.N Srikrishna Committee Report addresses issues related to data security. What, in your view, are the strengths and weaknesses of the Report relating the protection of personal data in cyberspace? Data protection is one of the key elements for a robust cyber policy. Analyse. CLIMATE CHANGE/ENVIRONMENT TOPIC: General Studies 3 Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment How govts set climate targets Context: In their recent joint declaration, India and France have committed to making long-term plans to contain emissions. While most countries set targets against a deadline, there is a case for longer-term planning During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Paris last week, a substantial part — nine out of 34 paragraphs — of the joint statement by India and France was dedicated to the related issues of climate change, biodiversity, renewable energy, and ocean resources The joint statement by India and France It talked about the two countries’ commitment to enhanced climate actions, their support for new low-carbon technologies, and their on going efforts to accelerate development and deployment of renewable energy.  It mentioned the need for sustainable use of marine resources, acknowledging the link between environment and security, and promised to work towards “ocean governance” The two sides also promised to develop, by next year, strategies for containing their greenhouse gases in the long-term period, possibly for the next 30 or 50 years. From India’s point of view at least, a longer-term low-carbon pathway would be a new development. Countries & climate targets Under the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, which will come into force next year, every signatory country is supposed to declare and implement a climate action plan, called Nationally Determined Commitments (NDCs).  Until now, countries have mostly announced their targets for 2025 or 2030.  India’s declared targets, for example, are for 2030. It has said it would bring down its emission intensity, or emission per unit of GDP, by 33 to 35 per cent by 2030 compared to 2005 levels.  It has further promised to ensure that at least 40 per cent of its electricity in 2030 would be generated from non-fossil sources, and to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes through forests.  Each of these actions, and many more for which specific targets have not been declared, would contribute in reducing India’s greenhouse gas emissions. All other signatories to the Paris Agreement have declared similar action plans. NDCs have to be updated every five years.  The first set of NDCs were declared in 2015 ahead of the climate change conference in Paris. Countries will have to update these next year.  The Paris Agreement asks all signatories to ensure that successive NDCs represent a progression from their current targets.  Countries have also been asked to evolve a common time-frame for their action plans. Successive NDCs, therefore, would all be five-year or ten-year action plans. Longer-term vision It has long been argued that countries need to finalise and commit to longer-term climate targets, over 30-year or 50-year time horizons.  This will not just help in bringing more predictability into climate actions but also make it easy to monitor whether the world was progressing adequately to avoid the catastrophic impacts of climate change.  It is argued that short-term targets can lack the urgency of the task, and can delay ambitious action, so that a couple of decades later, the climb could become so steep that it would be impossible to scale. In this context, there is a growing clamour to put pressure on the big emitters – China, the United States, European Union, India, Russia, Brazil, Australia – to come up with long-term action plans, in particular to aim for net-zero emissions in the year 2050.  The noise is strongest in Europe, since it is the biggest combined emitter from the developed country group after the United States, which has announced a withdrawal from the Paris Agreement under the Trump administration. As part of its NDCs, the European Union of 27 countries has set a combined target of 40 per cent reduction in its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 from the 1990 levels.  Last year, however, it also came up with a long-term vision, saying Europe would aim to become climate-neutral, or attain the goal of net-zero emissions, by 2050.  Two months ago, the United Kingdom became the first major economy to legislate a law to make itself climate-neutral by 2050.  It had been previously aiming to achieve an 80 per cent reduction from the 1990 levels. As climate-induced extreme weather events bring in more and more disasters across the world, the demand for longer-term commitments on climate action has been increasing.  Two recent reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – on the feasibility of containing global rise in temperatures to within 1.5°C from pre-industrial times, and another on state of climate-induced land degradation – have also stressed the need for more urgent and ambitious climate action in longer term. Long-term action in India India, being a developing country, is treated differently from developed country parties like the US, European Union or Australia in the Paris Agreement. It is not obligated to take as ambitious targets as the developed world. But India also happens to be the third biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, after China and the United States, if the European Union is not counted as one entity.  As such, there have been demands from India, as well as other major developing economies such as Brazil and South Africa, to also come up with longer-term commitments. In fact, there was a move from France to encourage India to make a commitment like this in the joint statement itself, but New Delhi resisted the pressure.  India says, being a developing country, it was already doing much more than many developed countries, and committing to anything more than that was likely to hamper its development imperatives.  It has also said that it was on course for achieving all its targets under its NDC well in time, and may even over-achieve them.  But New Delhi is also conscious of the fact that the developed countries are far from delivering on their climate promises, especially on their obligation to provide money and technology to help developing and poor countries in fighting climate change Connecting the Dots Discuss the factors responsible for long term climate change. What evidences do we have that support current global warming. Explain. The fight against climate change is more effective at the household level than macro level policy formulations. Do you agree? Substantiate. (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) Akademik Lomonosov recently seen in the news is related to which of the following field ? Russian missile defence system bought by India Russian ambassador to Turkey killed in Ankara shooting Russian floating nuclear power plant None of the above Q.2) Which of the following countries are part of Gulf Cooperation Council Bahrain Kuwait Iraq India Select the correct answer from the codes given below? 1 and 2 only 2 and 3 only 1,2 and 4 only 1,2 and 3 only Q.3) Swatantra Sainik Samman Pension Scheme is being implemented by which Union Ministry? The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Ministry of Labour Ministry of Home Affairs None of the above MUST READ Under the cover of President’s Rule The Hindu A bottom-up approach to conservation The Hindu Why Punjab needs to canalise its rivers Indian Express CACP’s proposed price-deficiency scheme is a bad idea Financal express

Aug 26, 2019 Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz - 2020 : IAS Daily Current Affairs Quiz Day 56

UPSC Quiz - 2020 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz Day 56 Archives Q.1) Consider the following statements with respect to ‘Gravitational lens’ It has a single focal point It is capable of bending the light from the source as the light travels towards the observer. Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.2) ‘TEMPLATES’ programme is associated with NASA ISRO DRDO JAXA Q.3) ‘Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS)’ was in news recently. It is associated with International Monetary Fund International Solar Alliance World Economic Forum Financial Action Task Force Q.4) Consider the following statements with respect to ‘Girmityas’ They are indentured Indian labourers who left the country in the middle and late 19th century to serve as labours in the then British colonies. They were primarily brought to work in Diamond Mines in Africa Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.5) ‘U.K. Sinha Committee’ was constituted to deal with MSMEs E-Vehicles Corporate Social Responsibility Eco Sensitive Zones To Download the Solution - Click here All the Best  IASbaba

Aug 25, 2019 Motivational Articles

Creative Guidance – What is Success – Inspirational Educative Articles

What is Success? Success is one of the hardest things to define, because success can mean very many things to very many people. Yet, if we have to somehow summarize our different life experiences and come to an understanding of what success is, we can define it as the ability to direct our mind and body towards a certain goal. Pursuing a goal with intelligence, awareness, hard work and problem solving skills, and getting to that desired goal constitutes success. Success is the journey one takes on the path of accomplishing his/her life’s desires and goals. Success is always personal. Although people can recognize your success externally, the real meaning of success is always internal. If you yourself have not accepted your success then it simply doesn’t matter whether people have accepted it or not. Defining the meaning of success, as clearly as possible, is the first step in moving towards your goals. So what exactly is success? How do we define success? More than anything else, success is a mindset. We don’t just succeed or fail in trying to accomplish certain activities; we succeed and fail in life as a whole. Success cannot be simply divided into different activities we are trying to accomplish. We either succeed in everything or fail in everything. This might be a little difficult to understand but spare a moment and give it a thought. Why is it that some people seem to succeed in life again and again, as often as they want, while most others struggle to succeed at even the simplest of things? The reason for this is, success is not an activity; it is a mindset. Once you have truly grasped the mindset of success, the formula of success, you will know how to apply it in different situations. On the contrary if you have not figured out the secret of success, succeeding at even one thing will seem like an herculean task. People who succeed again and again have mastered the mindset of success. Some of the components of this mindset of success are – learning to handle failures, quickly bouncing back from set-backs, using your intelligence and awareness, possessing courage and confidence, ability to take risks, persistence, patience, determination etc. Notice how not a single thing that will help you to succeed has absolutely nothing to do with any particular activity. Success is all about our internal state of being and how we control and direct our mind and body. Mastering this internal state of success is the only way to assure your success. This is why it is so important to pay attention to what is happening within you. You have to learn the art of observing your thoughts and learning from it. You have to pay more attention to the qualities of success than simply slogging through different activities. Get the formula right and you will know how to succeed at anything. “This article is a part of the creative endeavor of Meditation Farm and IASBABA.”

Aug 24, 2019 TLP Mains 2020

TLP Connect 2020: Prelims + Mains+ Interview Mentorship Based Programme (OFFLINE and ONLINE)

TLP Connect 2020: Prelims + Mains+ Interview Mentorship Based Programme (OFFLINE and ONLINE) INDEPENDENCE DAY OFFER  - 15%  [On the eve of 73rd Independence Day, we are offering you a discount of 15%. This Offer is valid only for 15 days (it will be valid ONLY for the month of AUGUST, 2019)] To have an outstanding performance at any competitive event, one needs to stand out from the rest. To stand out, one needs to achieve some degree of excellence. To achieve a degree of excellence, one requires right guidance throughout the journey on a consistent basis. A few sparks of excellence can’t sustain the light of outstanding capabilities. But why do we say this to you? Is civil services such a big deal? Do you really need to have capabilities par excellence to crack this examination? The answer is simple and straight- YES. With each passing year, UPSC is reducing the number of seats. However, the candidates appearing in the civil services examination is steadily growing. The end result is the cut-throat competition. Above-average is never adequate for this examination process. Candidates are working their hearts to make their names appear in the coveted list. But is that the solution? Can hard work alone lead to success in this examination? Well, without undermining the significance of hard work, we want to convey a simple message- in the age of social media and internet revolution, you have to be SMART. Smartness should be understood as a way of life. It can also be understood as one’s ability to think and act out of the box, achieve goals faster and reduce one’s cost to benefit ratio. We at IASbaba have always believed in the philosophy of smartness. From Day 1, we have come out with initiatives that are smart, efficient and outcome-oriented. This belief has earned us lakhs of followers and their faith and love. The same faith and love have motivated us to come with better planning, better initiatives and more focused strategies to let us help you write your own success story. The latest in this series of initiatives is our Integrated Prelims+Mains Answer Writing and Mentorship Programme, called the Think, Learn and Perform- Connect (TLP-Connect in short). You are all aware of the quality of TLP which in many ways has become one of our identity brands. The quality of questions, synopsis and feedback in TLP and TLP Plus has been praised by a number of toppers. Rank 1, Rank 4 and many others this year (2018-19) strongly recommended TLP for answer writing practice. Both Prelims and Mains HIT RATIO: Hitting the bull’s eye year after year: 2016 Prelims: 68+ questions 2017 Prelims: 70+ questions 2018 Prelims- 63+ questions 2019 Prelims- 70+ questions Our Hit Ratio in Mains and Prelims- 2017, which is close to 85 % and 70% respectively – How IASbaba was helpful in Mains 2017  and 68+ in UPSC Civil Services Prelims 2017-How IASbaba Helped One to Get MAINS Call! Our Hit Ratio in Mains and Prelims- 2018, How IASbaba was helpful in Mains 2018 and 60+ in UPSC Prelims 2018 82+ UPSC CSE 2018 TOPPER’S from IASbaba TLP-Connect 2020? Is it any other Mains answer writing programme? No! Not at all. While TLP-Connect has all the basic ingredients of an answer writing programme, it has got several features that make it much better and far more focused than the other programmes (Similar to our 1st Phase of C2C which was launched in 2017-18, but with additional features this time). Let us first see the broad features of this programme: Schedule and Detailed Plan is given at the end.  Features of the Programme: 1. CONNECT with IASbaba (TLP- Connect): Prelims + Mains + Interview Mentorship Based Programme. Available both OFFLINE and ONLINE Mode. The Programme will be conducted BOTH at Delhi and Bengaluru Centers. 2. Duration: It is an Incentive-based Programme, which runs in 3 phases. In Total 13 Months Programme. Phase 1: October 2019 - May 2020 [8 Months]  - Common to all students. Phase 2: June 2020 - September 2020 [3 Months] - If you are clearing UPSC PRELIMS 2020, then 2nd Phase will be completely FREE!! Phase 3: Post Mains Results - Interview Mentorship Programme (IMP) -if you are clearing UPSC MAINS 2020, then 3rd Phase will be completely FREE!! The programme starts on 12th October (Saturday) with Prelims Test followed by Mains Test on 13th October (Sunday). 3. Number of Mains Tests: 30 Tests in Total. 12 Sectional Tests (Based on Basics, Conceptual Understanding + Analytical nature) of 2 hours duration each) 2 Tests Exclusively on Ethics Case Studies 8 Essay Tests (3 Tests only on Philosophical Essays, 3 only on Theme Based and 2 (Philosophical + Theme Based). In total, you will be writing 16 Essays. 8 Comprehensive Mock Tests of 3 hours duration each. Each test to have UPSC standard high-quality questions with a focus to let you develop the ability to answer any question asked by UPSC in the stipulated time frame while maintaining the quality of answers. Each test shall be complemented by a high quality of synopsis for easy reference and revision. 4. Number of Prelims Test: 35 GS tests and 10 CSAT tests i.e. a total of 45 Tests to equip you with the skills to crack Prelims without any hiccups. 5. Practical Planning: Do not get trapped/attracted by More Number of Tests. It is never about writing too many tests but quality Tests with quality feedback, proper guidance and revision of the same.  It is much more important for you to be part of this programme to avail Timely Feedback before the next test, so that you improve and follow the learnings. Timely and effective sessions with your Mentors to learn required skills and implement it in the very next test. Post Discussions and Synopsis, you should get to learn important aspects to be utilised in the next test. Most important of all, you need time to prepare and write the tests with confidence (If you write Tests after Tests, will you have time to prepare?) If you have a practical mindset, the preparation will never be a burden on you. You should never get bogged down by the hypes created around it in terms of doing everything.  Think for a while! It is about Quality-Practicality-Correct Guidance-Revision. Our programme gives you all of these!  Prelims tests would be conducted on every Saturdays followed by Mains Test on Sundays. The Schedule is prepared such that your preparation has an integrated approach. For instance, if you have History Prelims Test (Art and Culture /Modern History) on Saturday, it would be followed by Mains Test on the same topics on Sunday. So that you can carry forward the same facts and apply it in Mains as per the demand of the question. We have planned such that, Mains Tests are over by March and the Prelims Tests continues till the month of May 2020.  So you get close to 3 months exclusive for Prelims Preparation and it syncs with IASbaba’s flagship initiative 60 Day Plan as well. You can download the Detailed Schedule at the end of the post. 6. Mentorship Based Programme, available for both Online (on-call) and Offline - the most important component of the initiative. A highly trained mentor shall be assigned to all the candidates registering for this programme. The mentors would be constantly guiding the aspirants, giving them feedback on their performance in the tests, clarifying their doubts, giving tips to improve the quality and structuring of answers and supplying the regular dose of motivation. This is for both Online and Offline. 7. Approach paper, Discussion, Synopsis, Evaluation, Ranking after every Test:  Approach paper - Each test shall be preceded by an approach paper detailing the sources, focus areas, and the overall strategy to approach the subject. (Click here to download the sample) Discussion - Each test will be followed by a Detailed Discussion in the Offline mode and the same will be available in the Online Mode. The post-test discussions shall be taken by the expert faculties of IASbaba. You need not worry about the coverage of the tests and guidance pertaining to relevant content and structuring of the answers. The post-test discussions followed with the synopsis would impart 360-degree preparedness. A few highly specialised sessions under the Series of Interactive Lectures (SOIL) to help you grow your analytical ability in areas like Essay and General Strategy, Ethics, International Relations, Internal Security among others will be taken by People in Services and Toppers on Pro-bono basis. Synopsis – Our synopsis for each test is prepared after extensive research and discussions among the Mentors. It ensures that the best quality content in the most lucid fashion reaches you, which acts as easy reference and revision.(Click here to download the sample). Evaluation and Ranking - Evaluations are done by subject experts and not by novices having 4-5 months of experience as content creators. The marking and feedback that our subject experts give is based on real experience and visible expertise. Evaluation, marking and ranking to be done and list to be published for both Online and Offline Combined. After the weekly test, when the evaluation is done, you can have one - one session with your mentor. These sessions are meant to personally groom your skills, polish the rough edges of your preparation, point out your areas of strength and weaknesses and make sure that with each passing test, your intellect and understanding grows. Babapedia (Prelimspedia + Mainspedia): Access to IASbaba’s compendium of all information relevant for prelims and mains respectively. With Babapedia, forget about the trouble of making daily notes from various sources. It will be the one-stop destination for all your current affairs needs. Click here to see samples. 8. We also have a Study Room facility and we highly recommend it for our TLP followers. It is charged separately. ** Details of the Scholarship Test will be announced in a Separate Post shortly ** EXCLUSIVE FOR ONLINE MODE: Apart from the Features mentioned above in the Offline mode, the TLP Connect- ONLINE will have a Separate platform designed for this initiative. Tests will be uploaded on this Platform on the day of the exam and you will be given a time-domain to write and upload your answer sheets. Evaluated answer sheets will be uploaded back on your profile before the next scheduled test, provided you are submitting the Answer copies within 24 hours. This will help us in timely evaluation and publication of Offline + Online Ranking and will also ensure discipline in your preparation. For those who will be submitting the answer copies after 24 hours from the time of the test, you will get your answer copies within 8-10 days. We shall evaluate and upload the answer copy with detailed feedback and comments/improvements on the same platform. You can talk to the MENTOR weekly once if you have any doubts related to the test or having any difficulties with regard to ANSWER WRITING. Though the Tests are flexible, we would advise you to stick to the schedule to ensure discipline in your preparation. Download the Feedback on our Evaluation  EVALUATED ANSWER COPY EVALUATED ANSWER COPY FEEDBACK 1 FEEBACK 2 SPECIAL FEATURES 1. Super 50– Scholarship Test: The entire programme will be completely FREE for Top 50 Students (both Online and Offline mode). For others, based on your performance you will be given a discount of 50%, 25%, 10%.         ** Details of the Scholarship Test will be announced in a Separate Post shortly ** 2. Students of TLP Connect 2020, who will be clearing UPSC Prelims 2020, TLP Phase 2 (3 months Mentorship Based Mains Test Series) and Post Mains Result, Interview Mentorship Programme (IMP) will be given FREE (both for Online and Offline students)!! Please note that: This 2nd Phase and 3rd Phase of the Programme will be Free, only if you are a part of TLP Connect phase 1 (October 2019– May 2020) and have cleared UPSC Prelims 2020. 3. Babapedia (Prelimspedia + Mainspedia): One-Stop Destination for all your current affairs needs. WHAT DIFFERENTIATES IASBABA FROM OTHERS? Practical Planning to accommodate both GS (Prelims, Mains) and Optional Preparation. Our focus is not on the number of tests but on their quality. Too many tests for Mains will keep you focused on completing the syllabus rather than developing a thought process which is very much essential for building concepts, linking dynamic with static part and tackling analytical nature of the exam – both in Prelims and Mains. Practically speaking, after writing a Test, sufficient time is required for a mentor to evaluate his/her group of students and give you detailed feedback. From a student’s perspective, sufficient time is required to work on feedbacks given by the mentors. There is no point writing tens of tests without investing adequate time on preparation. Moreover, after each test, you need time to recuperate and freshen up before you are ready for the next one. With the quality of questions in TLP, be rest assured that you will be facing the most relevant and standard questions. Our schedule is designed in such a way that the aspirants get ample time to prepare for OPTIONAL subjects and ensure balanced preparation. In a week, there will be 1 Prelims Test and 1 Mains Test, so you get enough time to not only to cover both GS and Optional but also work on the feedback given by your mentors. Some test series available in the market drag the test series till April-May without providing sufficient time for prelims preparation. Out of 4-5 lakhs appearing in the preliminary stage of the exam, only 10-12 thousand will make it to next stage. Due to the increased uncertainty and unpredictability nature, the prelims exam is getting tougher and tougher. Based on the feedback received from toppers, students, subject experts and faculties we believe that 2-3 months of exclusive preparation is required to clear the preliminary stage of examination. So we have planned such that, Mains Tests are over by March and the Prelims test continues till the month of May, So you get 3 months exclusive for Prelims Preparation. Immediately after winding up of the Mains Test, our much famed and free initiative 60 days Prelims Programme begins ensuring continuity and integration in the preparation. Why 2 hours duration in 12 Sectional Tests? The beginners would find it difficult to cope up with 3 hours test schedule right from the first test itself, and would often get demotivated. Our tests will train the beginners to acquire a strong foundation and basics. For veterans, it will help them to streamline their preparation, work on their writing speed to complete the paper and maintain consistency. If you are able to complete 14Q in 2 hours, then you can easily complete 20Q in 3 hours. Standard of Questions - Out of 14 Questions in the 2 hour Test, 6Q will be checking your basic knowledge/conceptual understanding and 8Q will be of analytical nature where you have to link static with dynamic. We believe that there is a learning curve in everybody’s preparation and this is a gradual process. It comes with time, preparation and practice!! So after the first 3 cycles of 2 hours of Test (except for Essay to be 3 hours) which would cover entire GS1, GS2, GS3, GS4, you will leap to the next level of comprehensive Test with 3 hours duration. Special Emphasis on Ethics Case Studies and Essay Tests. Apart from the regular GS4 Tests, you will have 2 Tests Exclusively on Ethics Case Studies and in 8 Essay Tests -3 Tests only on Philosophical Essays, 3 only on Theme Based and 2 (Philosophical + Theme Based). You would be writing 2 Essays per Test=16 Essays in total. Each mentor would know you and your strengths closely and customize the feedback and guidance accordingly. Just imagine the impact that a coach would have on your journey! TLP PLUS 2020: EXCLUSIVE MAINS MENTORSHIP Programme (ONLINE and OFFLINE) Features: 1. Number of Mains Tests: 30 Tests in Total. 12 Sectional Tests (Based on Basics, Conceptual Understanding + Analytical nature) of 2 hours duration each) 2 Tests Exclusively on Ethics Case Studies 8 Essay Tests (3 Tests only on Philosophical Essays, 3 only on Theme Based and 2 (Philosophical + Theme Based) 8 Comprehensive Mock Tests of 3 hours duration each. Each test to have UPSC standard high-quality questions with a focus to let you develop the ability to answer any question asked by UPSC in the stipulated time frame while maintaining the quality of answers. Each test shall be complemented by a high quality of synopsis for easy reference and revision. 2. Discussion - Each test will be followed by a Detailed Discussion in the Offline mode and the same will be available in the Online Mode. The post-test discussions shall be taken by the expert faculties of IASbaba. You need not worry about the coverage of the tests and guidance pertaining to relevant content and structuring of the answers. The post-test discussions followed with the synopsis would impart 360-degree preparedness. A few highly specialised sessions under the Series of Interactive Lectures (SOIL) to help you grow your analytical ability in areas like Essay and General Strategy, Ethics, International Relations, Internal Security among others will be taken by People in Services and Toppers on Pro-bono basis. 3. Mentorship available for both Online (on-call) and Offline - the most important component of the initiative. A highly trained mentor shall be assigned to all the candidates registering for this programme. The mentors would be constantly guiding the aspirants, giving them feedback on their performance in the tests, clarifying their doubts, giving tips to improve the quality and structuring of answers and supplying the regular dose of motivation. 4. Approach paper, Discussion, Synopsis, Evaluation, Ranking after every Test 5. The Tests are flexible. NOTE- Though TLP PLUS 2020 (Exclusive Mains Mentorship Programme) is Open for All, it is specially designed and discounted for ILP/AIPTS 2020, enrolled Students of IASbaba.  DETAILED SCHEDULE  -> CLICK HERE NOTE- The schedule will be slightly modified in the End, for you to have proper experience of writing Full Mocks-Mains. You will be communicated in this regard. PROCESS FOR ENROLLMENT Interested students for TLP Connect -2020, can fill up the Registration Form given below- REGISTRATION FORM  -> CLICK HERE  Please Note: The Programme will be conducted BOTH at Delhi and Bangalore Centers and Online Mode. Registration is a must for enrolling into the Offline Mode Programme.   FEE STRUCTURE TLP Connect 2020 (Both for OFFLINE and ONLINE): 30,000 + Tax = 35,400/-  TLP PLUS 2020- Mains Exclusive Mentorship (Both for OFFLINE and ONLINE): 21,000 + Tax = 24,780 rs (approx.) INDEPENDENCE DAY OFFER  - 15%  On the eve of 73rd Independence Day, we are offering you a discount of 15%. This Offer is valid only for 15 days (it will be valid ONLY for the month of AUGUST, 2019) If you are clear with the Programme Details and want to avail the offer, go ahead and make the Payment!  ** Please Note that, if you clear the Scholarship Test, difference amount will be refunded!! ** After DISCOUNT- TLP Connect 2020 (Both for OFFLINE and ONLINE): 30,000 Rs (approx) TLP PLUS 2020- Mains Exclusive Mentorship (Both for OFFLINE and ONLINE): 21,000 Rs (approx) OFFLINE PROGRAMME PAYMENT LINK -> CLICK HERE ONLINE PROGRAMME PAYMENT LINK -> CLICK HERE Direct Walk-in: You can visit any of the following centres for admissions or related enquiries: And get enrolled.  BENGALURU CENTRE: Vijayanagar Centre: 1737/ 37, MRCR Layout, Vijayanagar Service Road, Vijayanagar, Bengaluru-5660040. Landmark: Behind Vijayanagar Metro, above Aptronix. Chandra Layout Centre: No. 1443/1444, Above Carzspa, 80 Ft. Main Road, Ganapathi Circle, Chandra Layout, Bengaluru- 560040 DELHI CENTRE: 5B, PUSA Road, Opposite to Metro Pillar 110, Karol Bagh, New Delhi -110005 (Landmark: CROMA Store) For any Queries: You can also reach us on Email id: support@iasbaba.com Contact No.: Bengaluru: 9035077800/7353177800 ( Office Timings: 10 am – 5.30 pm) Delhi: +91 11-41678500/+91 11-41672600 ( Office Timings: 10 am – 5.30 pm) NOTE- Do not make calls before or after the given timing ** Details of the Scholarship Test will be announced in a Separate Post shortly ** Thank You  IASbaba

Aug 24, 2019 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 24th August 2019

IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 24th August 2019 Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Composite Water Management Index 2.0 Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains III –Environmental Conservation  In News NITI Aayog has released the second Round of Composite Water Management Index  Gujarat hold on to its rank one in the reference year (2017-18), followed by Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. 80% of states assessed on the Index over the last three years have shown improvement in water management scores, with an average improvement of +5.2 points. In North Eastern and Himalayan States, Himachal Pradesh has been adjudged number 1 in 2017-18 followed by Uttarakhand, Tripura and Assam. The Union Territories have first time submitted their data and Puducherry has been declared as the top ranker. Do You Know? Nearly 600 million Indians faced high to extreme water stress and about 2,00,000 people died every year due to inadequate access to safe water.  NITI Aayog first launched and conceptualized the Composite Water Management Index in 2018 as a tool to instill the sense of cooperative and competitive federalism among the states. The ‘index’ aims at capturing how well States have done on groundwater and surface water restoration, implementing major and medium irrigation projects, watershed development, participatory irrigation management, on-farm water use, rural and urban water supply, and policy and governance. The 16 low-performing States collectively account for 48% of the population, 40% of agricultural produce, and 35% of economic output for India. World Youth Conference on Kindness Part of: GS Prelims and Mains GS-IV - Ethics In News The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the first World Youth Conference on Kindness in New Delhi on August 23, 2019. The conference is organised by UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) and MHRD The aim of the conference is to impart critical competencies (i.e. empathy, compassion, mindfulness and critical inquiry) in global youth to inspire, empower and enable them to transform themselves and build long-lasting peace in their communities.  Youth leaders, representing over 27 countries, are participating in this Conference Do You Know The MGIEP is UNESCO’s category 1 Research Institute that focuses on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.7 towards education for building peaceful and sustainable societies across the world.  Vision: ‘Transforming Education for Humanity’ – to mainstream Social and Emotional Learning in education systems, innovate digital pedagogies and to put youth as global citizens at the centre of the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development. Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains II – International issues In News Terror funding watchdog FATF Asia-Pacific Group ‘blacklists’ Pakistan Pakistan has been placed on the lowest rung, or “Enhanced Expedited Follow Up List (Blacklist) of the Financial Action Task Force’s Asia Pacific Group (APG)  The APG is one of nine regional affiliates of the FATF APG has found Pakistan non-compliant on 32 of the 40 compliance parameters of terror financing and money laundering While the placing does not bring any new punitive measures on Pakistan, it will mean quarterly reporting to the group on improvement in its financial safeguards. In June, the FATF had warned Pakistan that its failure to complete its action plan on terror financing could possibly lead to the country getting blacklisted The Paris plenary of FATF in October will decide whether to remove Pakistan from the greylist, continue the listing, or downgrade it to a blacklist of non-cooperative countries Officials said the downgrade might not occur, given that any three countries in the FATF can veto it, and Pakistan is likely to secure the backing of China, Turkey and Malaysia.  Nevertheless, the APG decision on Friday would make it difficult for Pakistan to extricate itself from the greylist.  Do You Know? FATF is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1989 on the initiative of the G7 to develop policies to combat money laundering.  In 2001 its mandate expanded to include terrorism financing. OCEAN ENERGY Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains III – Energy Security In News Minister of New and Renewable Energy has approved a proposal to declare ocean energy as Renewable Energy. Government has clarified to all stakeholders that energy produced using various forms of ocean energy such as tidal, wave and ocean thermal energy conversion will be considered as Renewable Energy. It will be eligible for meeting the non-solar Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPO). The decision will give a boost to ocean energy in the country.  Total identified potential of Tidal Energy is about 12455 MW, with potential locations identified at Khambat & Kutch regions, and large backwaters, where barrage technology could be used Do You Know? Tidal Energy: The tidal cycle occurs every 12 hours due to the gravitational force of the moon. The difference in water height from low tide and high tide is potential energy Current Energy: Marine current is ocean water moving in one direction. This ocean current is known as the Gulf Stream. Tides also create currents that flow in two directions. Kinetic energy can be captured from the Gulf Stream and other tidal currents with submerged turbines Wave Energy: Wave energy is generated by the movement of a device either floating on the surface of the ocean or moored to the ocean floor. Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC): It uses ocean temperature differences from the surface to depths lower than 1,000 meters, to extract energy. A temperature difference of only 20°C can yield usable energy. (MAINS FOCUS) ECONOMY TOPIC: General studies 3 Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment,Inclusive growth and issues arising from it. Government Budgeting. Nirmala Sitharaman’s measures to revive economic growth Context: The announcements come at a time when the perception that the slowdown has been aggravating in recent weeks and spreading across sectors. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Friday announced a partial rollback of the enhanced surcharge on foreign portfolio investors (FPI) levied in the Budget and indicated a review of the surcharge levy for high net worth individuals as well.  Announcements made by finance minister: Surcharge on long and short term capital gains arising from transfer of equity shares has been withdrawn The CSR violation would be treated as a civil offence, and not a criminal offence.  Apart from these two measures, the FM announced a slew of measures aimed at boosting a flagging domestic economy.  This includes an assertion that ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles will coexist with EVs (electric vehicles) and that there is no phasing out of ICE vehicles, a fear expressed in certain quarters of the auto industry. Banks would also be asked to pass on the full impact of the interest rate cuts to consumers Repo rate-linked loans The Finance Minister did not restrict her efforts to boost the economy to just the private sector. In what should be welcomed by borrowers across the board, including those looking for home and auto loans, she announced that public sector banks have decided to increase their repo rate-linked loan offerings. A major complaint among end-consumers has been that the Reserve Bank of India’s repo rate cuts have not been transmitted onwards by the banks. Repo rate-linked loan products will effectively take the banks out of the rate-setting process. What should also cheer prospective homeowners is that the government has announced an additional ₹20,000 crore of liquidity to the housing finance companies, over and above the ₹10,000 crore earlier announced. What is the surcharge that’s been withdrawn? The surcharge of 3 per cent and 7 per cent on those earning between Rs 2 crore and Rs 5 crore, and over Rs 5 crore respectively had been announced by Sitharaman as part of her Budget proposals.  This had led to different taxation outcomes for FPIs registered as Association of Persons or trusts and companies, even as those registered as companies were spared of this surcharge. Ever since the budget announcement, markets have been seeing a selloff on most trading days, largely in light of the FPI impact. Today’s announcement reverses the levy imposed in the budget. However, tax experts said the surcharge would continue to be levied on business income of the FPIs and unlisted shares. Why was the CSR announcement controversial? The amendment to the Companies Act, passed earlier this month, introduced harsh penalties including jail term for non-compliance on CSR (corporate social responsibility) by listed companies.  This had been slammed by industry as a regressive move, especially given the fact that in the last five years, the total CSR spend of companies has progressively jumped from 70% to over 90% now, according to data sourced from Prime Database. Why have these decisions been taken now? Over the last few weeks, the Finance Minister had chaired a series of meeting with the industry leaders, bank representatives, ministry officials and PSU chiefs to discuss the issues impacting the economy. Last week, she had also held a review meeting with the Prime Minister on the state of the economy. The announcements come at a time when the perception that the slowdown has been aggravating in recent weeks and spreading across sectors.  The ongoing slowdown is not specific to India and is a global issue, Sitharaman said at the media interaction. Conclusion: For an economy that is downbeat in growth and in sentiment, the comprehensive package of measures announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday may just be the right boost. They address growth slowdown concerns; free up funds for investment and spending by banks, housing finance companies and MSMEs; and importantly, undo some controversial proposals, in the budget and outside it, which were affecting sentiment in the markets and the corporate sector. And, importantly, these have all been done without any significant financial burden on the government. Some of the measures promote the ease of doing business and even the ease of living for ordinary citizens. Connecting the dots: Critically examine the reasons for slowdown in the Indian economy CULTURE TOPIC: General studies 1 General studies 2 The salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times. Diversity of India India and its neighborhood- relations. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests Letting the pearl on the Silk Road shine brighter Context: The Dunhuang city has been witness to multiple interactions and mutual learning between China and India Recently, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang city of China to inspect cultural relics protection and research work. About Dunhuang: Dunhuang is a land that has gone through vicissitudes of history with ancient legacies and magic beauty.  Around 2,000 years ago, a Chinese geographer of the Eastern Han dynasty Ying Shao said: “Dun, means grand; Huang, means splendid.”Therefore Dunhuang means the land of grand splendour. Historical changes over the millennium shaped the magnificent landscape of this frontier region west of China’s Gansu province and left colourful and gorgeous cultural treasures. The Mogao Grottoes, located in a desert oasis surrounded by water and mountain, have stood quietly for over 1,650 years and become the most abundant and exquisite Buddhist art relics in China and beyond.  Mogao Grottoes are a treasure house of art, architecture, sculpture and painting with 735 grottoes, over 45,000 square meters of murals and 2,000 painted sculptures.  These works of art are exquisitely crafted, with unique craftsmanship, vivid charm, and combination of form and spirit. Like an amazing and colourful movement, they tell a beautiful and touching legend of magic charm lasting thousand years. Dunhuang is a witness to interactions and mutual learning between China and India, two ancient civilisations. The Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang remind me of Ajanta Caves and Elora Caves in India. All being world-famous, the murals and Buddha figures in these caves tell the historical and cultural ties between Chinese and Indian civilisations, and witness the light of inter-civilisational exchanges and mutual learning. Indian-style sculptures can be seen in the Mogao Grottoes built during the 4th to 6th centuries.  The moves of the most commonly seen Apsara figure in Dunhuang murals are similar to those in Indian classical dances. Dunhuang also keeps many ancient Buddhist sutras written in Sanskrit and Pattra-Leaf Scripture, a wealth of information for China-India cultural exchanges Convergence of cultures Dunhuang is a classical example of convergence of Oriental and Western civilisations. Dunhuang is an important hub where Oriental culture met the Western culture in history, and different cultures met and mingled here, shaping the unique charm of Dunhuang culture. The rich and colourful painted sculptures and murals in the Mogao Grottoes absorb the strength of ancient Eastern and Western art. The splendid Dunhuang culture is a fusion of the best of cultures of various nations. Ji Xianlin, a master scholar on culture in China, said that there are only four cultural systems in the world with long history, vast territory, self-contained system and far-reaching influence Chinese Indian Greek and  Islamic Dunhuang as an important hub city: Dunhuang is known as the “Pearl on the Silk Road”.  For thousands of years, envoys and officials, merchants and caravans, monks and scholars, capital and technology, integrated and communicated through this silk road, nourishing the development and prosperity of countries along the route China and India have also developed close economic, trade and cultural exchanges along the ancient Silk Road of both land and sea.  China’s paper making, silk, porcelain and tea were introduced to India, while Indian singing and dancing, astronomy, architecture and spices were introduced to China, which became the historical witness of the mutual exchanges between the two sides.  Zhang Qian was sent on a diplomatic mission to the Western Regions. Zheng He sailed to the Western Ocean seven times and visited India six times.  Xuan Zang, Kumarajiva, Bodhidharma and other great monks made the expeditions by crossing over mountains and sailing the deep sea Road of friendship-India and China The Silk Road is not only a road of trade, but also a road of friendship and mutual learning among civilisations.  It will certainly further promote the deep inter-connectivity and cultural exchanges between countries along the route.  The Silk Road spirit is about openness, exchanges and inclusiveness. It reveals the truth that there will be no progress without openness, no development without exchanges and no strength without inclusiveness.  People-to-People (P2P)  meeting: The mechanism was set up under the joint initiative of President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar co-chaired the second meeting of China-India High Level People-to-People (P2P) and Cultural Exchanges Mechanism in Beijing Since the first meeting, bilateral people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cooperation have seen a fresh boom. At this meeting, China and India agree to host more colourful P2P and cultural events, work for new progress in P2P and cultural exchanges and consolidate the popular support for the sound development of China-India relations. Conclusion: In the long course of history, China and India, two ancient oriental civilisations, have engaged in exchanges and mutual learning, created two vigorous and charming civilisations, and made great contributions to the development of human civilisation. In the new era, China and India should also adhere to inclusiveness and resolve differences through building common ground. We should transcend civilisation barriers through exchanges, rise above “civilisation conflicts” by mutual learning, and overcome the sense of superiority by promoting coexistence of civilisations Connecting the dots: Discuss Indo-China cultural relations. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Note:  Featured Comments and comments Up-voted by IASbaba are the “correct answers”. IASbaba App users – Team IASbaba will provide correct answers in comment section. Kindly refer to it and update your answers. Q.1) Consider the following statements with regard to Composite Water Management Index 2.0 It is conceptualised and prepared by Ministry of Jal Shakti Karnataka had topped the Index 80% of states assessed on the Index over the last three years have shown improvement in water management scores Which of the statements given above are incorrect? 1 and 2 only 2 and 3 only 1 and 3 only 1,2 and 3 Q.2) Consider the following statements about World Youth Conference The third edition of the conference was recently inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind in New Delhi The conference is organised by UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development and MHRD The aim of the conference is to impart critical competencies like empathy, compassion, mindfulness and critical inquiry in global youth Which of the above statement(s) given above is/are correct? 1 and 2 only 2 and 3 only 1 and 3 only 1,2 and 3 Q.3) Consider the following statements with regard to Financial Action Task Force FATF is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1989 on the initiative of the G7 to develop policies to combat money laundering  India is a member of FATF since 2010 Which of the above statement(s) given above is/are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Must Read: An end to arms control consensus The Hindu The deadly landslides of Malabar The Hindu How BMC’s duct plan can put an end to Mumbai’s pothole problem Indian Express Proliferation of technologies will address many agriculture-related issues Live Mint

Aug 23, 2019 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 23rd August 2019

IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 23rd August 2019 Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Amazon Wildfires Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains II- Environmental Conservati In News Man-made fires in the world’s largest rainforest have sent smoke to populated cities and the Atlantic coast It is not unusual to see fires in Amazon forests at this time of year due to high temperatures and low humidity which creates dry favourable conditions for natural wild fires. However, wildfires raging in the Amazon rainforest have hit a record number this year, with 72,843 fires detected so far. Forest fires in the region have doubled since 2013, and increased by 84% compared to the same period last year. Environmental activists blamed President Bolsonaro for the current situation, saying he encouraged loggers and farmers to clear the land by burning down the forests. The largest rainforest in the world, the Amazon is a vital carbon store that slows down the pace of global warming.  The Amazon rainforest produces approximately 20% of oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere. It is also home to about three million species of plants and animals, and one million indigenous people, which is now under threat due to encroachment by the Brazil government, foreign corporations and governments with economic interests in the resource-rich region, and local farmers https://www.ibtimes.com/brazils-bolsonaro-blames-amazon-fires-ngos-twitter-erupts-2816406 Sabka Vishwas Scheme Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains III – Indian Economy In News Union Government had announced the Sabka Vishwas (Legacy Dispute Resolution) Scheme in its 2019-20 budget, which will be operationalised from September 1 till December 31, 2019. The two main components of the scheme are dispute resolution and amnesty The dispute resolution component is aimed at liquidating the legacy cases of central excise and service tax that are subsumed in GST and are pending in litigation at various forums The amnesty component of the scheme offers taxpayers the opportunity to pay any outstanding tax and be free of any other consequence under the law It provides substantial relief in the tax dues for all categories of cases as well as full waiver of interest, fine, penalty and complete amnesty from prosecution The scheme offers a relief of 70% from the duty demand if it is less than ₹50 lakh and 50% if it is more than ₹50 lakh for all cases pending adjudication or appeal in any forum. The scheme aims at reducing tax litigation and improving ease of doing business, needed at this time where businesses are facing an economic downturn. Ordnance factory Board (OFB) Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains III – Indian Economy In News More than 80,000 workers of the 41 ordnance factories across the country are on strike, protesting against the proposed restructuring of the OFB The OFB established in 1775 is currently a department under the Defence Ministry.  These factories manufacture weapons, ammunition, explosives and other equipment like armoured vehicles for the defence forces as well as foreign clients OFB in its present structure of a departmental organisation is not efficient in utilization of resources and competing with rivals in the private sector who have all the managerial and technical flexibility The government plans to convert it into one or more corporate entities fully owned by the government, like the other public sector units At least three expert committees — T K S Nair Committee (2000), Vijay Kelkar Committee on Defence Reforms (2005), and the Raman Puri Committee (2015) — had suggested such a move The argument is that corporatisation would improve efficiency, make products cost-competitive, enhance quality, provide operational freedom and flexibility to the OFB  One of the fears of employees is that corporatisation is a step towards privatisation and they fear job losses One Nation, One Ration Card (ONORC) Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains II – Issues relating to Public Distribution System In News Last week, the government launched the pilot project for the inter-state portability of ration cards between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and between Maharashtra and Gujarat, as part of its ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ scheme  A ration card is issued to the head of the family, depending on the number of members in a family and the financial status of the applicant. It is used by households to get essential food grains at subsidised prices from designated ration shops (also called fair price shops) under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS). Over the years, different types of ration cards were issued depending on the level of deprivation However, in 2013, when the National Food Security Bill was passed, different ration cards were compressed to just two — priority and Antyodaya (for the most poor).  The responsibility of identifying eligible families and issuing ration cards to them rests with the state/UT government. This implied that beneficiaries could procure food grains only from the designated ration shops within the concerned state ONORC scheme has been launched keeping in mind the internal migration of our country, since people keep moving to different states in search of better job opportunities and higher standards of living. ONORC scheme helps the beneficiary to buy food grains from ration shops located in any part of the country Do You Know? Ration shops can be privately owned or owned by cooperative societies or by the government.  Ownership licenses are issued by the concerned state government.  Presently, commodities including wheat, sugar, rice and kerosene are being allocated as part of the TPDS. State governments have the discretion to provide additional commodities (MAINS FOCUS) FORESTS/ENVIRONMENT Topic: General studies 3 Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment Disaster and disaster management. Why Amazon fires are worrying Context: Man-made fires in the world’s largest rainforest have sent smoke to populated cities and the Atlantic coast.  Concern: Over the last several days, the Amazon rainforest has been burning at a rate that has alarmed environmentalists and governments worldwide. Mostly caused by farmers clearing land, the fires have thrown the spotlight on Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro’s policies and anti-environment stance Where are the Amazon fires happening? Started in the Amazonian rainforests, the fires have impacted populated areas in the north, such as the states of Rondonia and Acre, blocking sunlight and enveloping the region in smoke.  The smoke has wafted thousands of miles to the Atlantic coast and São Paulo, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) has reported that forest fires in the region have doubled since 2013, and increased by 84% compared to the same period last year.  This year alone there have been 72,843 fires, it said, and more than 9,500 of those have happened over the past few days. How did the Amazon fires start? The weekly Brasil de fato reported that Bolsonaro’s anti-environment rhetoric has emboldened farmers, who organised a “fire day” along BR-163, a highway that runs through the heart of the rainforest. The weekly quoted a report by local newspaper Folha do Progresso, that local farmers had set fire to sections of the rainforest a few days ago to get the government’s attention. “We need to show the President that we want to work and the only way is to knock it down. And to form and clear our pastures, it is with fire,” Folha do Progresso quoted one farmer as saying. Alberto Setzer, a researcher at INPE, told Reuters that this year, the region did not experience extreme dry weather. “The dry season creates the favourable conditions for the use and spread of fire, but starting a fire is the work of humans, either deliberately or by accident.” The Amazon fires are so large that they are visible from space. NASA released images on August 11 showing the spread of fires and reported that its satellites had detected heightened fire activity in July and August. Why are the Amazon fires a cause for concern? The Amazon rainforest is a repository of rich biodiversity and produces approximately 20 per cent of oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere.  It is also home to indigenous communities whose lives and homelands are under threat due to encroachment by the Brazil government, foreign corporations and governments with economic interests in the resource-rich region, and local farmers. In a 2017 study, the University of Leeds found that carbon intake by the Amazon basin matches the emissions released by nations in the basin. The burning of forests, therefore, implies additional carbon emissions. Research by scientists Carlos Nobre and Thomas E Lovejoy suggests that further deforestation could lead to the Amazon’s transformation from the world’s largest rainforest to a savanna, which would reverse the region’s ecology. A National Geographic report said the Amazon rainforest influences the water cycle not only on a regional scale, but also on a global scale.  The rain produced by the Amazon travels through the region and even reaches the Andes mountain range. Moisture from the Atlantic falls on the rainforest, and eventually evaporates back into the atmosphere.  The report said the Amazon rainforest has the ability to produce at least half of the rain it receives. This cycle is a delicate balance. What environmental protections do Brazil’s laws provide, and what has changed in recent times? Under Brazil’s Forest Code of 1965, farmers could purchase Amazon land but could farm only 20% of it. Following the collapse of the military dictatorship in 1988, a new constitution gave indigenous populations legal ownership of their land and the right to reject development of their land.  In 2012, the Forest Code was revised to reduce the area of deforested land required to be restored, and to reduce penalties for illegal deforesting. In 2018, Brazil’s Supreme Court upheld these changes. Bolsonaro, who took office in January 2019, had promised during his election campaign that his government would open up the Amazon region for business. The Amazon has large reserves of gold and other minerals. Along with aggressive policies of promoting agribusiness, Bolsonaro has opposed protections for indigenous tribal land. A few months before he won, The Washington Post reported that Bolsonaro had recommended exploiting the country’s natural resources by tapping into the Amazon basin.  After the victory, he was quoted as saying: “Brazil should not sit on its natural reserves because a handful of Indians want to conserve it.” Since the 1960s, the Amazon has witnessed large-scale deforestation because of cattle-ranching, logging, power projects, mining and farming. Agribusiness products in 2016 represented 46% of Brazil’s exports. Conservationists believe that for Brazil’s government, short-term economic interests pushed by lobbies take precedence over environmental concerns. How has the government reacted to the concerns over the fires? Bolsonaro has dismissed the INPE findings and said it was the time of the year when farmers burn the land for farming.  In July, he fired INPE scientist Ricardo Galvao for publishing agency data that showed the accelerated rate of deforestation, calling the figures a lie and the images manipulated. Al Jazeera English quoted Bolsonaro as saying that “a report like this one that does not match the truth can cause a great damage to the image of Brazil”. INPE has defended its data How has the international community reacted? Germany and Norway have suspended funding for programmes that aim to stop deforestation in the Amazon and have accused Brazil of doing little to protect the forests. Indigenous groups and environment activists have led protests and criticised Bolsonaro for his comments and policies. Connecting the dots: What are the causes for forest fires. Discuss the measures to prevent Forest fires ECONOMY Topic: General studies 3 Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment.Inclusive growth and issues arising from it. Government Budgeting. New FPI norms by SBI Context: SEBI has relaxed the FPI norms to check the outflows of FPIs from India. SEBI relaxes Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPI) norms by easing the regulatory framework for FPI with simplifies KYC requirements for them and allow FPIs to carry out an off-market transfer of securities. Apart from this SEBI classified FPIs into two categories instead of three. SEBI relaxes the norms on the basis of a committee headed by H R Khan (Former RBI Deputy Governor). Who are Foreign Portfolio Investors? FPI are those investors who hold a short term view of a company, unlike Foreign Direct Investors who invest with a long term view.  They participate in the stock markets in the economy. FPI doesn’t have direct control over the businesses. FPIs are easier to sell than the FDIs due to high liquidity. Generally, the FPI route is preferred for laundering black money. In India, FPIs are regulated by SEBI. Need of Committee: Both the FPIs and the investors had serious concern over the SEBI norms and want to review the norms by SEBI. FPIs shows concern over that the FPIs norms will result in restrictions on investments however SEBI dismissed any such fears. Accordingly, SEBI constitutes H R Khan Committee to review FPI norms and concern raised by the investors. Recommendation of H R Khan Committee: The committee categorized the recommendation into four buckets i.e. FPI Registration process, KYC and documentation, Investment permission and limits and other aspects. The committee recommends that OCIs, NRIs, and RIs should be allowed for holding a non-controlling stake in FPIs and no restrictions should be imposed on them for managing non-investing FPIs or SEBI registered offshore funds. The committee recommends for easing KYC requirements for beneficial owners in case of government-related FPIs. The committee recommended that erstwhile PIOs should not be subjected to any restrictions and clubbing of investment limits should be allowed for well regulated and publicly held FPIs that have common control. The committee also suggests that the time for compliance with the new norms should be extended by six months after the finalization and the non-compliant investors should be given another 180 days to reconcile their existing positions. According to the committee, NRI will be allowed to invest as FPIs if the single holding is under 25% and group holding under 50% in a fund. The panel also recommends that the new rules should be equally applied to the investors using participatory notes (P-notes). The panel also suggested for changes in the norms pertaining to the identification of senior managing officials of FPIs and for beneficial owners of listed entities. New FPI norms by SEBI: SEBI rationalizes the requirements for issuance and subscription of offshore derivative instruments (ODIs). SEBI said that the offshore funds floated by the mutual funds would be allowed to invest in the country after the registration. Those entities which are established under the International Financial Services Centre must meet the criteria for FPIs. SEBI permits FPIs for off-market transfer of securities which are unlisted, suspended or illiquid to a domestic or foreign investor. Structure for Multiple Investment Manager also has been simplified. Those central banks who are not the members of Bank for International Settlements would be eligible for registration as FPIs to attract more overseas funds to the market. The FPIs are classified into two categories earlier it was two. SEBI said it would rationalize the framework for issuance of participatory notes (P-notes) The board also clarified on the debt to equity ratio, companies need to maintain it as 2:1 to be eligible for buybacks however the Non-banking financial companies (NBFC) arms would be exempt from the rule. To crack down insider trading a new whistleblower mechanism will be implemented. Rewarding informants up to Rs. 1 crore for providing “credible and original information” on insider trading. Mutual funds are now allowed to invest in unlisted non-convertible debentures. Reasons for Outflow of FPIs from India: India is the fastest-growing country in the world and there are certain issues which stress the overall economic performance of the country.  One of the main challenges recently is the outflow of FPIs from India. Reasons for the outflow of FPIs are: Introducing Higher tax surcharge in the Budget 2019 by the government. Continue Depreciation of Indian Rupee The trade war between the U.S and China Reduced rating and default of NBFCs Rising of crude oil prices Differences between FPI and FDI FPI lets investor purchase stocks, bonds or other financial assets in foreign country. In this case, investor does not actively manage investments or companies that issue investment. It also does not have control over securities or business. In contrast, FDI lets investor purchase direct business interest in foreign country. The investor also controls his monetary investments and actively manages company into which he puts money. FPI is more liquid and less risky than FDI. Conclusion: Easing of FPI norms could give a boost to the overseas investment in the country which is an important source of economic growth and development in India. These changed norms will make the regulatory framework more investor-friendly for FPIs and a multidimensional approach is needed to resolve the concerns of FPIs and reasons of outflows. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Note:  Featured Comments and comments Up-voted by IASbaba are the “correct answers”. IASbaba App users – Team IASbaba will provide correct answers in comment section. Kindly refer to it and update your answers. Q.1) Consider the following statements with regard to Amazon Rainforest The Amazon rainforest produces approximately 20% of oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere The largest rainforest in the world, the Amazon is a vital carbon store that slows down the pace of global warming.  Wildfires in amazon forests have decreased by 44% compared to the same period last year due to el-nino effect. Which of the statements given above are correct? 1 and 2 only 2 and 3 only 1 and 3 only 1,2 and 3 Q.2) Consider the following statements The responsibility of identifying eligible families and issuing ration cards to them rests with Panchayats/Urban Local bodies The One Nation One Ration Card scheme helps the beneficiary to buy food grains from ration shops located in any part of the country Which of the above statement(s) given above is/are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.3) Consider the following statements with regard to Sabka Vishwas Scheme The two main components of the scheme are dispute resolution and amnesty The scheme aimed at reducing tax litigation will be operationalised from September 1, 2019 till March 31, 2020. Which of the above statement(s) given above is/are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Must Read: SC refers Oxytocin ban to larger bench The Hindu Microplastics in drinking water not a health risk for now: WHO  The Hindu India-U.S. 2+2 meeting being held in California The Hindu FATF Asia-Pacific Group may blacklist Pakistan The Hindu

Aug 23, 2019 Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz - 2020 : IAS Daily Current Affairs Quiz Day 55

UPSC Quiz - 2020 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz Day 55 Archives Q.1) Consider the statements regarding Indian Ocean Dipole and select the correct one Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is when the western Indian Ocean becomes alternately warmer and then colder than the eastern part of the ocean Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is when the eastern Indian Ocean becomes alternately warmer and then colder than the western part of the ocean Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is when the western Indian Ocean becomes alternately colder and then warmer than the eastern part of the ocean Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is when the eastern Indian Ocean becomes alternately colder and then warmer than the eastern part of the ocean Q.2) National income does not include Income from government expenditure. Payments by the households to firms for the purchase of goods and services. Undistributed profits. Earnings of shareholders from the sale of shares. Q.3) ‘Koodiyattam’, a Sanskrit theatre form performed in the state of  Karnataka Kerala Tamil Nadu Andhra Pradesh Q.4) Which is the Indian classical dance form that got revitalised as a result of the fusion of Mughal influence with Indian culture? Kathak Kuchupudi  Manipuri Odissi Q.5) Under the constitution of India, which one of the following is not a fundamental duty? To develop the scientific temper.  To safeguard public property.  To abide by the constitution and respect its ideals. To vote in public elections.  To Download the Solution - Click here All the Best  IASbaba

Aug 22, 2019 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 22nd August 2019

IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 22nd August 2019 Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Kutch Desert Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains I – Ancient History In News A recent study has shown that the hot arid desert of Kutch was once a humid sub-tropical forest with a variety of birds, freshwater fish and possibly giraffes and rhinos. The fossils, consisting mostly of ribs, and parts of teeth and bones, were unearthed from Palasava village of Rapar taluk in Kutch, Gujarat. Overall, the fossil finds from Palasava suggest that a rich diversity of fauna and flora sustained in warm, humid/wet, tropical to sub-tropical environmental conditions during the Middle Miocene (14 Million years ago) The bulk of fossils unearthed in Kutch have so far been mainly marine organisms, due to their proximity to the Arabian Sea.  Geological changes eventually closed off the salt-flats’ connection to the sea and the region turned into a large lake, eventually becoming salty wetlands. Significance of the findings Kutch is a potential treasure trove of mammal fossils with possible continuity to vertebrate fossils in the Siwalik, spanning Pakistan to Nepal. It also points to clues on how mammals dispersed between Africa and the Indian subcontinent when part of India was in the Gondwanaland supercontinent that existed nearly 300 million years ago. State rooftop solar attractiveness Index (SARAL) Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains III – Environmental Conservation In News SARAL Index evaluates Indian states based on their attractiveness for rooftop development It has been designed collaboratively by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (SSEF), Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and Ernst & Young (EY). SARAL currently captures five key aspects – Robustness of policy framework Implementation environment Investment climate Consumer experience Business ecosystem The Index would incentivise rooftop solar by creating healthy competition among the States. Do You know? India has set a target of 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022, of which 100 GW solar power is to be operational by March 2022, of which 40 GW is expected to come from grid connected solar rooftops.  Karnataka has been placed at the first rank in SARAL Index. Telangana, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh have got 2nd, 3rd and 4th rank respectively. NISHTHA Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains II – Issues relating to Education In News Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister launched NISHTHA to build capacities of 42 Lakh government teachers across the country. National Mission to improve Learning Outcomes at the Elementary level (NISHTHA) is the world’s largest teachers training programme of its kind Under it, teachers will develop their skills on various aspects related to Learning Outcomes, School Safety and Security, ICT in teaching-learning including Artificial Intelligence, Environmental Concerns and School Based Assessment in a joyful learning manner.  Training will be conducted directly by 33120 Key Resource Persons (KRPs) and State Resource Persons (SRP) identified by the State and UTs, who will in turn be trained by 120 National Resource Persons identified from NCERT, NIEPA, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), CBSE and NGO.  It objective is to motivate and equip teachers to encourage and foster critical thinking in students.  (MAINS FOCUS) CITIZENSHIP TOPIC: General Studies 2 Refugee issue; Citizenship Amendment Bill. 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. Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora. How an Indian citizen is defined Context: In the run-up to the publication of the final National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, citizenship has become the most talked about topic in the country. Concerns: The Assam government has been taking various steps in relation to those who will be left out of the NRC, while the Supreme Court last week rejected a plea to include those born in India between after March 24, 1971 and before July 1, 1987 unless they had ancestral links to India. In any other Indian state, they would have been citizens by birth, but the law is different for Assam How is citizenship determined? Citizenship signifies the relationship between individual and state. It begins and ends with state and law, and is thus about the state, not people. Citizenship is an idea of exclusion as it excludes non-citizens. There are two well-known principles for grant of citizenship. While jus soli confers citizenship on the basis of place of birth, jus sanguinis gives recognition to blood ties. From the time of the Motilal Nehru Committee (1928), the Indian leadership was in favour of the enlightened concept of jus soli. The racial idea of jus sanguis was rejected by the Constituent Assembly as it was against the Indian ethos. Citizenship is in the Union List under the Constitution and thus under the exclusive jurisdiction of Parliament.  The Constitution does not define the term ‘citizen’ but gives, in Articles 5 to 11, details of various categories of persons who are entitled to citizenship.  Unlike other provisions of the Constitution, which came into being on January 26, 1950, these articles were enforced on November 26, 1949 itself, when the Constitution was adopted. However, Article 11 itself confers wide powers on Parliament by laying down that “nothing in the foregoing provisions shall derogate from the power of Parliament to make any provision with respect to the acquisition and termination of citizenship and all matters relating to citizenship”. Thus Parliament can go against the citizenship provisions of the Constitution. The Citizenship Act, 1955 was passed and has been amended four times — in 1986, 2003, 2005, and 2015. The Act empowers the government to determine the citizenship of persons in whose case it is in doubt.  However, over the decades, Parliament has narrowed down the wider and universal principles of citizenship based on the fact of birth. Moreover, the Foreigners Act places a heavy burden on the individual to prove that he is not a foreigner. So who is, or is not, a citizen of India? Article 5: It provided for citizenship on commencement of the Constitution. All those domiciled and born in India were given citizenship. Even those who were domiciled but not born in India, but either of whose parents was born in India, were considered citizens. Anyone who had been an ordinary resident for more than five years, too, was entitled to apply for citizenship. Article 6: Since Independence was preceded by Partition and migration, Article 6 laid down that anyone who migrated to India before July 19, 1949, would automatically become an Indian citizen if either of his parents or grandparents was born in India. But those who entered India after this date needed to register themselves. Article 7: Even those who had migrated to Pakistan after March 1, 1947 but subsequently returned on resettlement permits were included within the citizenship net. The law was more sympathetic to those who migrated from Pakistan and called them refugees than to those who, in a state of confusion, were stranded in Pakistan or went there but decided to return soon. Article 8: Any Person of Indian Origin residing outside India who, or either of whose parents or grandparents, was born in India could register himself or herself as ab Indian citizen with Indian Diplomatic Mission. 1986 amendment: Unlike the constitutional provision and the original Citizenship Act that gave citizenship on the principle of jus soli to everyone born in India, the 1986 amendment to Section 3 was less inclusive as it added the condition that those who were born in India on or after January 26, 1950 but before July 1, 1987, shall be Indian citizen. Those born after July 1, 1987 and before December 4, 2003, in addition to one’s own birth in India, can get citizenship only if either of his parents was an Indian citizen at the time of birth. 2003 amendment: The then NDA government made the above condition more stringent, keeping in view infiltration from Bangladesh. Now the law requires that for those born on or after December 4, 2004, in addition to the fact of their own birth, both parents should be Indian citizens or one parent must be Indian citizen and other should not be an illegal migrant. With these restrictive amendments, India has almost moved towards the narrow principle of jus sanguinis or blood relationship. This lays down that an illegal migrant cannot claim citizenship by naturalisation or registration even if he has been a resident of India for seven years. Citizenship (Amendment) Bill: The amendment proposes to permit members of six communities — Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan — to continue to live in India if they entered India before December 14, 2014. It also reduces the requirement for citizenship from 11 years out of the preceding 14 years, to just 6 years. Two notifications also exempted these migrants from the Passport Act and Foreigner Act. A large number of organisations in Assam protested against this Bill as it may grant citizenship to Bangladeshi Hindu illegal migrants. What is different in Assam? The Assam Movement against illegal immigration eventually led to the historic Assam Accord of 1985, signed by Movement leaders and the Rajiv Gandhi government.  Accordingly, the 1986 amendment to the Citizenship Act created a special category of citizens in relation to Assam.  The newly inserted Section 6A laid down that all persons of Indian origin who entered Assam before January 1, 1966 and have been ordinary residents will be deemed Indian citizens.  Those who came after 1 January, 1966 but before March 25, 1971,and have been ordinary residents, will get citizenship at the expiry of 10 years from their detection as foreigner. During this interim period, they will not have the right to vote but can get an Indian passport. Identification of foreigners was to be done under the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act, (IMDT Act), 1983, which was applicable only in Assam while the Foreigners Act, 1946 was applicable in the rest of the country.  The provisions of the IMDT Act made it difficult to deport illegal immigrants. On the petition of Sarbananda Sonowal (now Chief Minister), the Act was held unconstitutional and struck down by the Supreme Court in 2005. This was eventually replaced with the Foreigners (Tribunals of Assam) Order, 2006, which again was struck down in 2007 in Sonowal II. In the IMDT case, the court considered classification based on geographical considerations to be a violation of the right to equality under Article 14. In fact, another such variation was already in place. While the cutoff date for Western Pakistan is July 19, 1949, for Eastern Pakistan the Nehru-Liaquat Pact had pushed it to 1950. Constitutionality of Section 6A A five-judge Bench of the Supreme Court is yet to examine the constitutionality of Section 6A under which the current NRC has been prepared.  The Bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur did hold its hearing on April 19, 2017, but it was dissolved on the retirement of Justice P C Pant in August 2017. The Supreme Court, in its order last week, refused to extend restrictive provisions of amendments to Assam in view of a different dispensation for them in Section 6A. In Assam Sanmilita Mahasangha (2014) where the constitutionality of the 1986 amendment was challenged (the Mahasangha argues that the cutoff year for Assam should be 1951 instead if 1971), the court referred the matter to the Constitution Bench.  While Section 6A was inserted in 1986 as a result of the Assam Accord, which has been discussed at length by the court, the court accepted the challenge to its constitutionality in 2014 and referred to the Constitution Bench 13 questions such as whether Section 6A is constitutional and valid though it prescribes a different cutoff date for Assam (1971) from the one prescribed in the Constitution for the rest of the country (1949). But then, this provision was about citizenship on commencement of the Constitution. Conclusion: Assam has borne the brunt of migration in ways that unsettled so many identities and created distributive conflicts.  The process of completing the National Register of Citizens is on, and either way its results are going to leave large numbers of people disaffected and vulnerable.  The real challenge for India will begin after the process of identifying immigrants is done. What do we do with people we will have declared stateless? How do we address these concerns without a disproportionate burden falling on Assam Connecting the dots: Assam has excluded four million people from its National Register of Citizens (NRC). Now, it doesn’t know what to do with them. Comment. Modern nations are products of migrations and cultural diffusion and all the richer for it. NRC process doesn’t seem alive to this reality. Discuss. Political parties must stop feasting on the complexities of Assam’s demography. Examine. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 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. The ‘Kerala Model’ is unsustainable Context: Over the years, parties have responded to commercial interests over the welfare of people Concerns: In 2018 Kerala was overwhelmed by an unprecedented natural event. Flooding combined with landslides caused many deaths. Floods were not new to Kerala, which receives high rainfall. What was new compared to the times of equally high rainfall in the early part of the last century was the flooding due to inept dam management and the vulnerability of the terrain induced by the pattern of land use.  In 2019 we have seen some of this repeated. This year it is the landslides that have caused most deaths. They are a relatively recent phenomenon, pointing to the role of uncontrolled economic expansion. Kerala Model of Development: The positive side, -Kerala has Comparatively low levels of basic gender inequality (reflected, for instance, in a high female-male ratio), Relatively equitable educational opportunities (indeed, near-universal literacy, especially among the young),  Extensive social security arrangements (e.g. broad-based entitlements to homestead land, old-age pensions and the 'public distribution system Limited incidence of caste oppression (e.g. few violent crimes against scheduled castes),  Low rural-urban disparities. The role of basic education (and. particularly of female literacy) in promoting basic capabilities The favourable position and informed agency of women crucial to a wide range of social achievements;  The access to public utilities;  The role of public action in a wide sense, involving the State and the public at large.  Lauded for the high human development indicators it is believed to have bestowed upon the State Failures: The foremost is the inability to meet the employment aspirations of the people, pushing them to live under authoritarian regimes overseas. Second, the laudable public provision of health and education has been financed by borrowing. Kerala has the highest per capita public debt among States, implying that we are passing on the bill for our own maintenance to future generations. Kerala has not done so well when viewed through the lens of gender justice. High levels of female education have not led to an equally high participation of women in the labour force or in governance, even though they participate equally in elections. The extraordinary events that we have witnessed this year range from fountains sprouting out of the earth due to the hitherto unknown ‘water piping’ to constructed structures shifting, physical phenomena not yet widely understood.  There has been overbuilding in Kerala, with absentee owners having invested in luxury houses they do not always occupy. As a result poorer households are crowded out of safe locations on the plains to precarious ones on the hills. Public policy has failed miserably to regulate land use including rampant quarrying, which destabilises the earth’s surface, with political patronage. Truth is that public policy is part of the problem The floodgates were opened in 2015 when the Congress party did away with environmental clearance for quarries in existence for three years.  Then in 2017 the Pinarayi Vijayan government relaxed the rules for quarrying further.  It also weakened the provisions of the legislation governing conversion of agricultural land into construction sites.  The rice paddies had both produced food and served as gargantuan sinks for rainwater. Kerala’s principal political parties, irrespective of their ideologies, have responded to commercial interests over the welfare of ordinary people. Conclusion: To come out of this morass the people of Kerala would have to rely on themselves. They need to acknowledge that their consumption pattern must change as it has adversely impacted the natural environment, the consequences of which have begun to hurt them. In this task they are unlikely to be guided by the State’s politicians and intellectuals who led them into this cul-de-sac in the first place. Connecting the Dots: Compare the kerala model of development with Gujarat model? (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) Palasava recently seen in news is associated with which of the following fields? Fibre crop grown in Manipur which got GI tag recently Ancient Ayurveda medicine found to be useful in cancer research Village in Kutch area where fossils have been discovered None of the above Q.2) State rooftop solar attractiveness Index (SARAL) is designed by which body/organisation? NITI Aayog The Energy and Research Institute (TERI) Ministry of Power None of the above Q.3) NISHTHA scheme is being implemented by which Union Ministry? Ministry of Minority Affairs Ministry of Women and Child development Ministry of Human Resources development Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship MUST READ: The risks of legalising cannabis The Hindu Privacy rights, wrongs Indian Express SEBI simplifies norms for foreign investors The Hindu Content management The Hindu

Aug 22, 2019 Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz - 2020 : IAS Daily Current Affairs Quiz Day 54

UPSC Quiz - 2020 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz Day 54 Archives Q.1) Chogyal Dynasty is associated with Sikkim Karnataka Nagaland Haryana Q.2) Consider the following statements with respect to ‘Biosimilars’ They are also called as ‘Generic Drugs’ They are copies of synthetic drugs. Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.3) Which one of the following statements appropriately describes the “fiscal stimulus”?  It is a massive investment by the Government in manufacturing sector to ensure the supply of goods to meet the demand surge caused by rapid economic growth It is Government’s intensive action on financial institutions to ensure disbursement of loans to agriculture and allied sectors to promote greater food production and contain food inflation It is an extreme affirmative action by the Government to pursue its policy of financial inclusion It is an intense affirmative action of the Government to boost economic activity in the country Q.4) The Amazon rainforest is spread over which of the following countries? Brazil Peru Colombia Uruguay Select the correct code: 1 and 2 1, 2 and 3 1, 3 and 4 2, 3 and 4 Q.5) Doyang Lake, famous as a roosting site for longest travelling raptors Amur Falcons is located in which state?  Nagaland Manipur Meghalaya Arunachal Pradesh To Download the Solution - Click here All the Best  IASbaba

Aug 21, 2019 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 21st August 2019

IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 21st August 2019 Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Aadhaar-social media profile linking Part of: GS Mains II - Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability In News There is growing demand to link social media profiles of users with their Aadhaar numbers to check circulation of fake, defamatory and pornographic content, as well as material that is anti-national or related to terror activities. As a result, petitions - to link aadhar & user profile - have been filed against Social media platforms (like Facebook) in different High Courts of India Facebook has in turn filed a plea in Supreme Court, to transfer all such petitions pending before different high courts to Supreme Court for adjudication. Facebook contended that there were four petitions - two in the Madras High Court and one each in the Bombay and the Madhya Pradesh High Courts - on the issue. There was a risk that the different High Courts may arrive at conflicting decisions on the issue of Aadhaar linkage. It would be better to have the SC take the final call.  The Supreme Court stressed the need to find a balance between the right to online privacy and the right of the State to detect people who use the web to spread panic and commit crimes. Governments response on the issue is crucial given that SC has upheld the right to privacy as a fundamental right in 2017 Electric Vehicles Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains III – Economy In News Low-quality Chinese batteries could slow down India’s EV drive Chinese government has nudged its battery makers to move up the value chain by recalibrating its subsidy regime. China used to provide subsidies to e-scooters with small batteries of short range and with 25kmph speed. Now they have stopped the subsidies on those low-technology EVs and are providing subsidies only to high-range, high-density batteries and to EVs with a longer range As a result, manufacturers of older models unable to sell their products in their domestic market (China) are exporting their low quality batteries to India As batteries dominate costs of electric vehicles, some Indian developers tend to buy poor quality Chinese modules to meet cost pressures and timelines. This comes against the backdrop of India’s FAME 2 scheme—to expand commercial vehicle fleet—announced with an outlay of ₹10,000 crore in March. It is imperative to get cell cost and parameters like energy density (size and weight), lifecycles, safety, temperature tolerance right, so that its batteries are manufactured in India and suited to Indian conditions. Do You know? India is currently giving final touches to a plan to build Tesla-style giga factories to develop its own domestic battery manufacturing ecosystem.  This involves a raft of incentives such as concessional financing options, friendly tax regimes and a suitable basic customs duty safeguard According to NITI Aayog, India will need six such gigawatt-scale facilities (of 10GWh each) by 2025 and 12 by 2030.  Besides electric vehicles, such battery storages will cater to electricity grids, given the intermittent nature of electricity from clean energy sources such as solar and wind.  Lake Conservation Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains III – Environmental Conservation In News The Odisha Wetland Authority has approved implementation of an integrated management plan for Chilika and Ansupa lakes at an estimated cost of Rs 180 Crore. Chilika, country’s largest brackish water lagoon, is spread over 1,100 sq km. Lakhs of tourists visit the lake to watch endangered Irrawaddy dolphins and migratory birds during winter Ansupa, Odisha’s largest freshwater lake, is spread over almost 2 sq km. Ansupa is famous for its sweet water fish and is also the wintering ground for 32 species of migratory birds. The five-year management of lakes is intended at strengthening livelihood of thousands of fishermen relying on the two water-bodies. Besides, tourism promotion and conservation of ecology will be taken up. Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) & Extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) Part of: GS Prelims and Mains GS III - Science and Technology In News Treating drug-resistant tuberculosis – like MDR-TB and XDR-TB - got a boost after U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new drug Pretomanid.  Pretomanid is only the third new anti-TB drug approved for use by FDA in more than 40 years. The drug was developed and tested in clinical trials by New York-based non-profit organisation TB Alliance The duration of treatment for drug-resistant TB can be drastically cut from 18-24 months to just six-nine months when pretomanid drug is used along with two already approved drugs — bedaquiline and linezolid.  The all-oral, three-drug regimen can also vastly improve the treatment success rate (presently it is 30% -50%) and potentially decrease the number of deaths due to better adherence to treatment. Do You know? Worldwide, TB has surpassed HIV-AIDS as the leading cause of death due to infectious diseases. In 2017, over 13 lakh people died of the disease. People with TB who do not respond to at least isoniazid and rifampicin, which are first-line TB drugs are said to have MDR-TB.  People who are resistantto isoniazid and rifampin, plus any fluoroquinolone and at least one of three injectable second-line drugs (amikacin, kanamycin, or capreomycin) are said to have XDR-TB.  According to WHO reports an estimated 4.5 lakh people across the world have MDR-TB and nearly 37,500 people have XDR-TB.  India has 24% of MDR-TB cases in the world. (MAINS FOCUS) URBANISATION  Topic: General studies 2 Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections Urbanise India to eliminate poverty CONTEXT: Sustainable urbanisation can mobilise India’s potential. The world is at 55.3% urbanisation on average, whereas India lags at 34%. India must systematically urbanise and provide mass-employment to its large population in high-growth sectors like industry and services.  Can we grow enough food with a reduced agriculture workforce? World Bank data shows that with only 1.3% of its workforce in farms, the US produces enough food to feed double its population.  In 2017, median farming household income was $75,994, which exceeded the $61,372 US household median.  China, with 27% of its workforce involved in farming, produces 500 million tonnes of food every year with less arable land than India. India, in comparison, produces 290 million tonnes of food with a 43% agriculture workforce when 20% would suffice.  With higher yield and productivity, a smaller agriculture workforce will earn comparably with industry and services. The case for urbanisation is evident when we examine state-wise data.  The accompanying graphic shows urban percentage, per-capita GSDP, higher education Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), and Total Fertility Rate (TFR) for representative states.  GER is an indicator of human capital development; crucial for high-growth sectors like services.  TFR indicates whether a population is shrinking or expanding and is vital to policy planning,  States in the South-West zones: These states are more urbanised. All above the 31% all-India average. These states also have low TFR, considerably below the national average of 2.18. Low fertility and high GER has resulted in better educated, smaller populations that are earning more than their northern counterparts. Tamil Nadu (TN): It has India’s highest GER, at 48.6, and one of the lowest TFRs, at 1.7. In 2011 itself, we can see TN is most urbanised at 48.4%, with an already-high GER of 40. No other big Indian state attained a GER of 40 even in 2017-18. Rapid urbanisation has boosted TN’s enrolment in higher education. However, regressive focus on caste politics has taken away from growth.  Though TN had the second-highest per-capita GSDP in 2011-12, growth is lower compared to states like Karnataka and Telangana, which are driven by services.  The TN government must converge on using high GER and urbanisation to drive its strong industry legacy and build a large services sector. Karnataka: Karnataka is an intriguing case. With one of the highest per-capita GDPs at Rs 2 lakh in 2017-18 and a reasonably high urban percentage at 38%, a reality check indicator is its lower GER of 27.8.  Data from RBI and the Economic Survey show 60% of Karnataka’s GDP comes from Bengaluru and the services sector—driven by IT and other technological drivers.  Like most southern states, TFR is low; but, the state sees significant immigration. Despite its large services sector, by defocusing on human capital  Karnataka’s government is placing natives in an unfortunate situation of being unable to compete for the best jobs in their state.  Karnataka must focus on urbanisation and development of human capital to remedy this, which will further boost the state’s impressive growth trajectory. Gujarat: Gujarat is another unusual case—high urbanisation at 43% but lower-than-average GER of 20.1. Gujarat’s steady growth and high per-capita GSDP of Rs 2 lakh are driven by its phenomenal industry sector, which accounts for more than half of GVA.  High dependency on industry, and not services, which contribute only 35% of GVA, means Gujarat’s growth will start slowing down when automation and other factors kick in.  With a TFR of 2.03, Gujarat’s population downturn is not as steep as southern states. Without the development of human capital, Gujarat is in danger of lagging in the future.  The answer to this is investing in higher education and building a strong services sector to complement its industry. Northern states  Punjab: Punjab stands out among northern states. It boasts a high urban percentage (37.5%), high GER (30.3) in 2017-18, and one of the lowest TFRs (1.62).  Despite this, Punjab still relies heavily on agriculture; its services and industrial output is lower than that of southern states.  With indicators of high urbanisation, high GER and low population growth, Punjab can easily make the transition to a high-growth economy focused on services, with the right policies. North-Central-East zones  Other states in the North-Central-East zones mostly have low urbanisation and low GER. The lack of urbanisation has resulted in a shortage of industry and services sectors and low per-capita GDP.  The populations in these states will keep growing in the foreseeable future, indicated by higher TFRs. Without employment options in high-growth sectors, these large populations cannot rely on agriculture or industry alone for growth. Services are a must. Uttar Pradesh has made a valiant effort to develop human capital—GER rose from 17.4 to 25.9 in six years.  Now, policies to boost output with labour-intensive industries (LIIs) and services to provide formal employment can increase growth. Bihar : Bihar is a troubling case study on the effects of low urbanisation and human capital. Only 11.3% of the population is urban. GER is the lowest in India and hardly growing—from 12.5 to 13 in six years. Per-capita GSDP is lowest, at `42,000 in 2017-18. Despite having fertile land, Bihar’s agriculture sector cannot grow because it is disorganised with a large number of dependents.  With India’s highest TFR—3.41—Bihar’s expanding population is condemned to a sub-aspirational existence due to the state’s stagnant economy.  Bihar needs special attention from the Centre, with focused schemes to organise the agricultural industry, urbanise and educate the masses, and provide mass employment through LIIs. Madhya Pradesh has set a good example here by prioritising agrarian growth as well as instituting LIIs to provide mass employment Conclusion: It is clear that every state—irrespective of prosperity or geographical location—is diverse. We are now in an era where the role of the Centre is increasingly limited, and state spending is growing. Each state must evaluate its economy—workforce distribution, sectoral contribution, demographics, formal employment, higher education and specialisation, unique growth drivers—and set a development plan. Connecting the dots: For India to make urbanisation sustainable, it must first tackle the problems of multiplicity of jurisdictions, weak revenue base and human resource capacity deficit that impact most of its cities. Analyse. How to harness the benefits of Urbanisation for more economic development. Discuss AADHAAR 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 Aadhaar –social media link Context: The Supreme Court on Tuesday stressed the need to find a balance between the right to online privacy and the right of the State to detect people who use the web to spread panic and commit crimes. A Bench of Justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Ghose expressed concern over the dangers of the dark web. The Bench’s comments were in response to submissions by Attorney General K.K. Venugopal, appearing for the Tamil Nadu government along with advocate Balaji Srinivasan, about the need to link social media profiles of registered users with their Aadhaar numbers, and if required, have platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp share the 12-digit unique identity with law enforcement agencies to help detect crimes. Arguments of Mr.venugopal in favour of linking Aadhaar with social media profiles: The linking of social media profiles with Aadhaar is needed to check fake news, defamatory articles, pornographic materials and anti-national and terror contents in the online media. He said the government found it a challenge to trace the ‘originator’ of such online content. The services of social media platforms, which were used to circulate such content, was the need of the hour. Senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Kapil Sibal, representing social media platforms, said they had moved the Supreme Court for the sole purpose of transferring the proceedings pending in High Courts to the apex court for adjudication. Multiple cases: Facebook contended that there were four petitions — two in the Madras High Court and one each in the Bombay and the Madhya Pradesh High Courts — on the issue.  The court, as the highest court in the country, and not the High Courts, should decide the issue that affected the privacy of an online user.  A decision of the top court would cover the entire span of the country and would uniformly apply to all the States. Mr. Sibal said a decision of the Indian courts would have global ramifications. Both lawyers pointed out that a nine-judge Constitution Bench had declared privacy as a fundamental right associated with life and dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution. Mr. Venugopal asked why social media platforms have decided to approach the Supreme Court at this point of time.  Aadhaar : It is a 12 digit individual identification number issued by UIDAI (Unique identification authority of India) on behalf of Government of India  It will serve as identity and address proof anywhere in India.  It is available in 2 forms, physical and electronic form i.e. (e-Aadhaar).  Any resident (a person who has resided in India for 182 days, in the one year preceding the date of application for enrollment for Aadhaar) of India irrespective of age, sex, class can avail it.  The UID authority will authenticate the Aadhaar number of an individual, if an entity makes such a request.  A requesting entity (an agency or person that wants to authenticate information of a person) has to obtain the consent of an individual before collecting his information. Benefits of Aadhaar  JAM trinity –  Jan DhanYojana, Aadhaar and Mobile numbers – This will make the government support to poor more targeted and less distortive. Identification of the beneficiaries of the government’s welfare schemes – Aadhar will help to remove fake and duplicates identities. It can be used to filter the list of beneficiaries and stop the leakage of public money. To tackle the black money issue – Use of Aadhar in financial transactions can reduce the menace of black money in the country. In Income tax return – Use of Aadhar in income tax filing will reduce the number of documents needed. It can make the process more efficient and cost-effective way. In Opening a bank account – There is no need to collect multiple identity proofs or run around for documentation. Your humble Aadhaar Card is ample proof of your identity and address. In getting subsidies directly to the bank account – By linking Aadhar with bank accounts, subsidies like LPG will get credited to bank account directly. To get pension money on time – By just registering with the Aadhaar number, pension-related documentation process will be eased and a timely payout of pension money can be ensured. The issue of digital Life certificate – Aadhar number can be used to get a digital life certificate. It will help pensioners without the hassle of physically going to the bank and submitting the life certificate. Easy Provident Fund disbursement – The Aadhaar will ensure that the Provident Fund money is not diverted and is disbursed directly to the pensioner’s account. Accepted as a proof of address by Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for investing in stock market. Mapping development parameters – In critical sectors of the country like healthcare and education, Aadhar can be used to map the development process. It can help to map skilled manpower, based on the vocational training acquired by the individual, to suitable job vacancies/ skill requirements of the State.  Legislative Backing for Aadhaar: How will it help? The Narendra Modi government introduced the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill, 2016 in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. The legislation seeks to provide statutory backing to Aadhaar and enable targeted delivery of subsidies and other benefits to the intended beneficiaries. The Bill was introduced as a money Bill in the Lower House as it can be tabled and passed only in the Lok Sabha. However opposition parties have expressed concerns about calling Aadhar as Money bill. The issue of privacy has also been one of the sticky points in this regard. The article briefly deals with the issues involved. What makes the Aadhaar platform suitable for direct benefit transfer? It is transparent and has the potential to eliminate leakage. It does so by assigning a unique identity number to each resident. The identity remains unique because of the inclusion of biometrics like finger prints and iris. The platform offers benefits like portability to the beneficiaries. There are three important issues that are debated around: Tabling the Aadhaar as money bill the government is setting up a dangerous precedent. With this, the Rajya Sabha cannot make amendments to money bill passed by the Lok Sabha and can only make recommendations. It also has to return money bills to the Lok Sabha within 14 days from the date of their receipt, thus ensuring a time-bound process. Privacy concerns around the Aadhaar project have been numerous, given that it requires the use of biometric information such as fingerprints and iris scans of citizens. Critics claim that without appropriate checks and balances, this information isn’t secure, and that it can be misused by the state itself—to profile people. There needs to have a effective robust law to protect privacy of the citizens. The efficacy of biometric finger print is another issue that is not properly addressed. UIDAI in its various reports has come up with certain glitches that it faced during taking biometric details of a person. There are instances where people (especially in Villages) fail get proper thumb impression, apparently making them not eligible for subsidies. The government should come up with innovative solutions to address this issue 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.” Connecting the dots: Are privacy concerns over Aadhaar valid? Critically examine. Recently government tabled Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill, 2016 as a money bill in the Lok Sabha thus completely bypassing Rajya sabha. Do u think this act of the government is harmful for the fedarilism of India. Comment. Address the outstanding issues associated with converting Aadhar in to an Act of Parliment? (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) In which case did Supreme Court ruled unanimously that privacy is a constitutionally protected right in India? K.S.Puttaswamy v Union of India. Kesavananda Bharati Vs State of Kerala. Indira Sawhney & Ors v. Union of India. None of the above Q.2) Pretomanid, bedaquiline and linezolid often seen in the news is related to which of the following? News vaccines for Malaria Banned drugs used in Poultry industry Treatment of drug resistant Tuberculosis None of the above Q.3) FAME India scheme is being implemented by which Union Ministry? 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