IAS Baba

Apr 3, 2018

IASbaba’s 60 Day Plan- Prelims Test 2018 POLITY & CURRENT AFFAIRS [Day 24]

Hello Friends, The 60 Days Training has finally begun:) Before any competition, there is a preparatory phase. That phase involves a lot of sessions on strengths and weaknesses. Throughout the preparatory phase, the athletes train in a gradual manner. In the last phase, just before the actual competition, the training is done so as to sharpen their skills. This training requires complete focus and dedication. In this phase, the athletes do not try anything new or train in a new fashion rather focus on sharpening of skills, focusing on strength and precision. Similarly, the upcoming 60 days, is like the last phase (training session), just before the actual competition. Here, the focus should be on sharpening the concepts, consolidating the knowledge base and solidifying the learning with loads and loads of revision. CLICK HERE TO READ FULL DETAILS AND SOLVE QUESTIONS

Apr 2, 2018 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus] - 2nd April 2018

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 2nd April 2018 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) Bringing private banks under the watch of CVC Part of: Mains GS Paper II- Key issues related to governance Key pointers: The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has urged the Prime Minister’s Office to bring private sector banks under its watch, citing the fact that they have been involved in many recent instances of malfeasance. Present system: Vigilance officers in all State-owned public sector banks are required to report irregularities and possible wrongdoing to the CVC, India’s apex body for checking corruption in the government. Private sector banks are out of the CVC’s purview, but are subjected to statutory audits from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Deviating from norms: Private banks have deviated from norms that govern the disclosure of non-performing assets (NPAs), leading to under-reporting. The processes followed for lending decisions among private lenders have also come under the scanner. Article link: Click here Increasing casualties among children in J&K Part of: Mains GS Paper II- Internal security Key pointers: At least 318 children have been killed in J&K in 14 years — from 2003 up to 2017 — and constitute 6.95% of the casualties in the ongoing conflict in the State, according to a study by the J&K Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS). The report, titled ‘Terrorized: Impact of Violence on the Children of Jammu and Kashmir’, says that children (less than 17 years old) “were not viewed differently by armed forces” and have been targeted as part of the offensive. At least 144 children were killed by the security forces and the State police, “which alone accounts for 44.02% of the total [number of] children killed”. Article link: Click here (MAINS FOCUS) DEFENCE/SECURITY TOPIC: General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. General Studies 3: Mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment Indigenization of technology and developing new technology. New Defence Production Policy 2018: Where did we fail in past? Introduction: The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has recently released the draft of a new defence production policy 2018. It seeks to replace the policy announced in 2011. The ministry has asked for comments on the draft from the stakeholders by March 31, 2018. The draft: The goal is to achieve self-reliance in development and manufacture in thirteen major areas of production, a turnover of Rs 1,70,000 crore, involving an investment of nearly Rs 70,000 crore and the creation of two to three million jobs, and exports of Rs 35,000 crore by 2025. The objective is to make India a global leader in Cyberspace and Artificial Intelligence technologies. Issue: The provisions mentioned under the draft policy will not be easy to implement. The proposed increase in the cap on foreign direct investment (FDI) in defence, originally fixed at 26 per cent in 2001, is a case in point. In 2010, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) had suggested the removal of the cap altogether. Subsequently, in 2013, the then Commerce Minister had also recommended raising the FDI cap to 74 per cent. But it was only in 2014 that the cap was raised, that too to 49 per cent, by the present government. There are sharply divided views on raising the cap beyond 49 per cent. The promises contained in the recently released draft are so intertwined that a comprehensive action plan would be required to implement all of them almost simultaneously for achieving the policy objective. Experience shows that policy decisions often get derailed by delays in working out the modality of implementing them or because many loose ends are left untied while notifying the scheme. Disjointed efforts and promises cannot form the basis of a robust policy. Poor progress on past initiatives: New impetus was given to defence production under the ‘Make in India’ programme through initiatives such as the introduction of ‘Make I’ and ‘Make II’ sub-categories in DPP 2016. Introduction of the Strategic Partnership Model in 2017. The increase in FDI to 49 per cent in 2014. The easing of the industrial licensing process during the last couple of years. All the above initiatives have been facing strong headwinds: The process to identify the Indian entities under the Strategic Partnership Model is yet to begin. Just about Rs 1 crore has been received by way of FDI in defence in the last four years. Industrial licenses were held up for a long time because of the row between the DIPP and the Ministry of Home Affairs on the question of jurisdiction to issue the license. Way ahead: The MoD should back up the objectives mentioned in the new policy with adequate budget outlays. If Indian companies must become self-reliant in making fighter aircraft, warships, combat vehicles, and the like, there has to be a market for their products. Defence being a monopsony, MoD will need to sustain domestic production by buying their products in large numbers. The achievability of the stated objectives and goals in the draft policy does not seem to be in sync with the current trajectory of defence budget outlays. The credibility of the new defence production policy is inextricably interlinked with the financial viability of the roadmap envisaged therein as well as the ability of the MoD to take hard decisions to remove programme-specific roadblocks. Conclusion: Self-reliance has been the goal of India’s defence production strategy since the 1960s. The fact is that more than five decades later India has emerged as the largest importer of arms. The problem all along has been that policies, strategies and procedures have seldom been based on lack of understanding about issues afflicting defence production: disjointed efforts, never factoring financial viability, and tardy implementation – all largely because of structural issues within the MoD. The above problems should to be resolved so that the objectives mentioned under the new policy are achieved. Connecting the dots: Self-reliance as a goal of India’s defence production strategy since the 1960s remains unachieved. The problem all along has been that policies, strategies and procedures have seldom been based on lack of understanding about issues afflicting defence production.Discuss. INTERNATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 2: India and its neighbourhood- relations. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests India and Pakistan ties: Improving channels of communication Background: Recently India and Pakistan have not fired at each other across the border in Jammu and Kashmir barring one exception, a welcome calm after several weeks of incessant ceasefire violations. Poor handling of diplomats: Disagreements and spats stemming from these issues, in the generally tense atmosphere of ceasefire violations and the resultant political rhetoric, have led to highly undesirable acts of harassing diplomatic personnel who are protected under the 1961 Vienna Convention. Aggressive surveillance of each other’s diplomatic personnel is nothing new in the India-Pakistan context. Unless the two governments are willing to discuss and resolve the triggers that have in past and in recent times too led to a series of incidents of harassment of diplomatic personnel, we may see a repeat of such incidents. Harassment of High Commission personnel requires critical attention because maintenance of diplomatic courtesies is not just a matter of instrumentality and convenience, but also represents the civility of the host state and its people. Dealing with spies: We must admit and acknowledge that first, our countries spy. Espionage is very much part of statecraft that all modern states engage in, as do India and Pakistan. Those engaged in espionage should be expelled rather than tortured or killed. India and Pakistan should also, therefore, look at the issue of espionage as part of essential statecraft and deal with spies in a professional and humane manner. Enhancing and improving communication: The state of communication between India and Pakistan is at its lowest ebb in more than a decade: The Directors-General of Military Operations (DGMOs) have not considered it appropriate to meet despite constant firing across the J&K border. Contacts between the respective High Commissions and the host governments have been reduced to ‘demarches’, ‘summons’, ‘notes verbale’ and stern warnings. High-level political contacts, such as the visit of Pakistan's Commerce Minister Pervaiz Malik to India, have been called off. Given that the year ahead is critical for India and Pakistan and the bilateral relationship, the focus should be on enhancing and improving communication. Conclusion: Recent statements by Pakistan’s army chief suggests that there is a desire on the part of the Pakistan army to normalise relations with India. The decision-makers in New Delhi should capitalise on this. Pakistan should also initiate tough action against anti-India terrorist groups based in Pakistan. The channels of communication should begin to open up and the two sides must build on it. Connecting the dots: It is time India and Pakistan normalise relations with India keeping the communication channel open and Pakistan taking actions against anti-India terrorist groups based in Pakistan. Comment. MUST READ A rude wake-up call The Hindu The right agri-support Indian Express The unlikely bulwark Indian Express Why the South Indian states must assist the North Livemint India must be practical in managing its trade policies Livemint

Apr 2, 2018 PIB

IASbaba PIB Weekly : Press Information Bureau – 25th March to 31st March, 2018

IASbaba Press Information Bureau 25th to 31st March, 2018 ARCHIVES GS-2 Setting up of National Academic Depository (NAD) for Digitalization of School Records (Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources) A 24x7 online store house of academic awards digitally lodged by various academic institutions/school boards/eligibility assessment bodies. CBSE has introduced “Parinam Manjusha” which acts as:- Academic Repository Facilitates Online Verification Students can get digital documents such as Mark Sheet, Pass Certificates and Migration Certificates of CBSE examination through Digi Locker Strategic plan to tackle Dengue and Chikungunya (Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources) Prevention and control of Dengue and Chikungunya is one of the components of National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP). The strategies introduced under the programme are: Surveillance: Disease and Entomological Surveillance Case management: Laboratory diagnosis and Clinical management Vector management: Environmental management for Source Reduction, Chemical control, Personal protection and Legislation Outbreak response: Epidemic preparedness and Media management Capacity building: Training, Infrastructure development and Operational research Behaviour Change Communication: Social mobilization and Information Education and Communication (IEC) Inter-sectoral coordination: Health and non-health sector Monitoring and Supervision: Review, field visit, feedback and Analysis of reports A network of 618 Sentinel Surveillance Hospitals supported by 16 Apex Referral Laboratories have been established where dengue kits are provided free of cost. Advisories are issued to the States for sensitization from time to time. Training is given on dengue and chikungunya case management. Financial and technical assistance are provided to the States. Cabinet Approves MoU between India and Zambia: In the field of Judicial Cooperation which will further enhance good relations between the two countries and add new dimensions in the field of judicial reforms. MoU between India and United Kingdom and Northern Ireland: India and U.K. already have an agreement concerning the investigation and prosecution of crime and the tracing, restraint and confiscation of the proceeds and instruments of crime (including crimes involving currency transfers) and terrorist funds, which was signed in 1995. Both the countries desire to further strengthen cooperation in fighting international criminality and serious organized crime. MoU between India and South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme: For cooperation on the response to Oil and Chemical Pollution in the South Asian Seas Region – the MoU intends to promote closer cooperation between India and other maritime nations comprising the South Asian seas region namely Bangladesh, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka for protection and preservation of marine environment in the region. MoU between India and Canada: The MoU establishes a broad and flexible framework through which both countries can exchange best practices and work together on training programs and technical exchanges to raise awareness on IPRs and better protect intellectual property rights (IPRs). Re-structuring of National Skill Development Fund (NSDF) and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC): Ensure better corporate governance, transparency and accountability in operations of NSDC besides strengthening the oversight role of NSDF The approval would lead to restructuring of composition of Board of NSDF and the NSDC to strengthen governance, implementation and monitoring framework. Enhancing the coverage of Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana: The informal sector workers would get social safety net and there would be more job creation Continuation, strengthening and establishment of Krishi Vigyan Kendras till 2019-20: KVKs would act as knowledge and resource centre in the field of agriculture in the district and would build models of technology uptake and farmers' empowerment leading to support Government of India’s initiative of doubling farmers' income. Union Government’s Special incentives for new Industrial units in Northeast (Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation) North East Industrial Development Scheme (NEIDS) will play a crucial role in promoting new industrial units in the region by providing several special incentives. Central Capital Investment Incentive for Access to Credit (CCIIAC): 30% of the investment in the industrial plant and machinery with an upper limit of Rs. 5 crore will be provided as the incentive amount per unit. Central Interest Incentive (CII) will be available to the tune of 3% on working capital credit advanced by eligible Banks/Financial Institutions for first 5 years from the commencement of commercial production by the Unit. Central Comprehensive Insurance Incentive (CCII): Will provide for reimbursement of 100% insurance premium on insurance of building and Industrial plant & machinery for 5 years from the date of commencement and commercial production by the Unit. Relief on GST and a unique provision has been provided for reimbursement up to the extent of Central Government share of CGST and IGST for 5 years from the date of commencement of commercial production by the unit. Incentive on transportation to the tune of 20% of the cost of transportation including the subsidy currently provided by Railways/Railway PSUs for movement of goods by rail. On the Inland Waterways, there will be 20% incentive for finished goods For transportation by Air freight on perishable goods, it will be 30% of the cost of transportation from the airport nearest to the place of production to any airport within the country. India and China Agree to a Roadmap for Addressing Trade Imbalance (Topic: India and its neighbourhood- relations) The Chinese side: Noted India’s concern regarding the long existing trade imbalance and requests for market access of Indian products and services Reaffirmed their commitment to accelerating the provision of market access for Indian agricultural products pertaining to non-basmati rice, rape-seed meals, soya-meals, pomegranate and pomegranate arils, okra, banana and other fruits and vegetables and bovine meat expeditiously Both the countries: Reaffirmed their aim to promote bilateral trade in the field of pharmaceuticals including resolution of issues of Indian pharma products exports to Chinese markets Agreed to draw-up a medium and long term roadmap with action points and timelines for increasing bilateral trade between the two countries in a balanced and sustainable manner, as the two countries are the largest emerging economies of the world with 35% of the world’s population and around 20% of the world’s GDP but the relative volume of bilateral trade is less than 1% of global trade. Agreed to strengthen cooperation within WTO, and other multilateral and regional frameworks, to maintain their common interest. Both the sides reiterated their commitment to rules based multilateral global trade. GS-3 National Agricultural Research System (Topic: Indian Agriculture) The NARS is continuously developing improved varieties, value added products, production and protection technologies which resulted to increase production and productivity of food crops in the country. ICAR is initiating the new research programme in the areas of Hybrid technology, Transgenic, Molecular Breeding, Gene Editing, Agro-biodiversity and Bio-fortification etc. to fulfil the future food requirement of the ever growing population of the country. Banana & Sugarcane are being cultivated in Tropical and subtropical areas of the country due to suitable agro-climatic conditions and availability of adequate irrigation facility. The Government is encouraging banana cultivation through Sensitization Training Supply of quality planting material and other inputs Govt. has introduced CHAMAN (Co-ordinated Horticulture Assessment and Management Using geoiNformatics) Scheme for 7 horticultural crops (Potato, Onion, Chilli, Tomato, Mango, Banana and Citrus) in 12 major states in 180 districts to carry out research on horticultural crop condition studies, diseases assessment and precision farming. Approval of Integrated Management of Public Distribution System (IM-PDS) (Topic: Public Distribution System) Key objectives To integrate PDS system/portals of States/UTs with Central System/portals Introduction of National Portability De-duplication of ration cards/beneficiary Impact: Will bring more transparency and efficiency in distribution of food-grains as it will improve the mechanism to identify fake/duplicate ration cards and provide the option to PDS beneficiaries to lift their entitled food-grains from the Fair Price Shops of their choice at the national level. Digitization of Targeted Public Distribution System: The scheme comprises digitization of ration cards/beneficiaries, online allocation, computerisation of supply chain management, etc. Guidelines for safe Disposal of Expired Medicines (Topic: Environmental pollution and degradation) Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Requirements of Premises, Plant and Equipment for pharmaceutical products laid down in Schedule M of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 prescribe the requirements for disposal of waste including the rejected drugs. Details are as under: The disposal of sewage and effluents (solid, liquid and gas) from the manufactory shall be in conformity with the requirements of Environment Pollution Control Board. All bio-medical waste shall be destroyed as per the provisions of the Bio-Medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1996. Additional precautions shall be taken for the storage and disposal of rejected drugs. Records shall be maintained for all disposal of waste. Provisions shall be made for the proper and safe storage of waste materials awaiting disposal. Hazardous, toxic substances and flammable materials shall be stored in suitably designed and segregated, enclosed areas in conformity with Central and State Legislations. 3R - ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ for India (Topic: Environmental pollution and degradation) India is getting ready to host the 8th 3R Regional Forum in Asia and the Pacific: At Indore; Indore was ranked the cleanest city of India according to the Swachh Survekshan 2017, the annual cleanliness survey conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs since 2016. Theme: "Achieving Clean Water, Clean Land and Clean Air through 3R and Resource Efficiency- A 21st Century Vision for Asia-Pacific Communities". The Regional 3R Forum in Asia and the Pacific was launched in 2009 in Tokyo, Japan and since then has provided a strategic platform for addressing the needs and priorities of 3R in Asian countries and sharing best practices from the region, including emerging concerns in waste management. In the last seven years, the Forum has been organised in Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Maldives, Japan and Australia and has been instrumental in providing innovative, effective and smart 3R based solutions. Urban India produces an estimated 54.75 million tonnes of municipal solid waste annually. The Forum comes at an opportune time with the Indian government’s focus on scientific management of 100% municipal solid waste through its ambitious Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban). Through this Forum, India aims to strengthen this focus through its ‘Mission Zero Waste’ approach thereby encouraging cities, industries and other diverse stakeholders to look at waste as a resource. Parallely, the Forum will also recognise and reward industries and civil society organisations carrying out exceptional work in the area of 3R for waste management through the 3R Awards scheduled for April 12. Prelims oriented News: Health: State subject ISRO: Successful launch of GSLV-F08 with indigenous cryogenic stage India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F08) successfully launched GSAT-6A Satellite into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) GSAT-6A is a communication satellite built by ISRO to provide mobile communication services through multi beam coverage. For this, it is equipped with S and C band transponders. Public Financial Management System (PFMS): Provides platform for efficient management of funds through tracking of funds and real time reporting of expenditure and receipts through Treasury and Bank Interface. PFMS is also used for Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) payments under MGNREGA and other notified schemes of the Government of India. Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of 55770 fully covered tribal habitations with the safe drinking water in the country followed by Odisha 52427, Jharkhand 53476 numbers of habitations. SAUBHAGYA (Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojna): Aims to achieve universal household electrification in all parts of the country in a time bound manner. Around 4 crore households are expected to get electricity connections under the scheme. Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY): To provide social security during old age and to protect elderly persons aged 60 years and above against a future fall in their interest income due to uncertain market conditions. The scheme enables old age income security for senior citizens through provision of assured pension/return linked to the subscription amount based on government guarantee to Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC). Regulation of E-Cigarettes: As per a report prepared by WHO, Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) (also known as e-cigarettes) emits nicotine, the addictive component of tobacco products. In addition to dependence, nicotine can have adverse effects on – The development of the foetus during pregnancy and may contribute to cardiovascular disease Although nicotine itself is not a carcinogen, it may function as a “tumour promoter” and seems to be involved in the biology of malignant disease, as well as of neurodegeneration. Foetal and adolescent nicotine exposure may have long-term consequences for brain development, potentially leading to learning and anxiety disorders. Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA): Provides strategic funding to eligible state higher educational institutions. The objective is to achieve the target of Gross Enrolment Ratio of 30% by the year 2019-20 with equity and inclusion. Key findings of NARSS 2017-18: 77% of households were found to have access to toilets during the survey period 93.4% of the people who had access to toilets used them 95.6% of villages which were previously declared and verified as ODF were confirmed to be ODF. The remaining 4.4% villages also had sanitation coverage of over 95% 70% of the villages surveyed found to have minimal litter and minimal stagnant water India’s Representative to the Executive Board of UNESCO: Professor J S Rajput, former Director NCERT Has a four-year term of office and 58 seats One of the constitutional organs of UNESCO and is elected by the General Conference. The executive board examines the work for the organization and the corresponding budget estimates. In practice, the executive board is the main organ responsible for all policies and programmes of UNESCO. Being a member of the board enables us in principle to play a role in shaping and reviewing UNESCO’s policies and programmes corresponding to its five major programs on education, the natural science, the social and human Sciences, Culture and Communication and Information. Down Syndrome: A chromosomal condition associated with intellectual and learning disabilities. e-Tribes India: Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India, (TRIFED), under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, has developed its own e-commerce (electronic commerce) website i.e., tribesindia.com for sale of all its products and to tap m-commerce (mobile commerce) too. Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) Aim: To alleviate rural poverty by organizing the rural poor women into their own institutions like Self-Help Groups and their federations, Producers’ Collectives etc. Ensure their financial inclusion To increase the productivity of farms and promote diversified livelihoods, especially by promoting entrepreneurship Deen Dayal Upadhyay –Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) under DAY-NRLM Aim: A placement Linked Skill Development scheme which seeks to build the skills of the poor rural youth and place them in relatively higher wage employment sectors of the economy. Provides support for establishing Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs) in each district of the country in collaboration with the Banks and the State Governments to provide training to the rural youth from the poor households to take-up economic activities. Mahila Kisan Sahshaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP), as a sub scheme under DAY-NRLM Aim: Promoting agriculture based livelihoods of rural women by strengthening community institutions of poor women farmers to promote sustainable agriculture. MKSP focuses on agriculture, non-timber forest produce and livestock interventions. It provides three kinds of services to the farmers, namely: Extension services Training capacity building and handholding services Facilitation for convergence with other line department to access the benefit from other schemes/ programmes SARAS Aajeevika Mela: An endeavour of DAY-NRLM to provide to the rural women (huge socio-economic transformation) producers a national platform and an opportunity to showcase their products, and seek buyers, either individuals or bulk buyers for sale nationally / internationally. Quotes: The Vice President of India, Shri M, Venkaiah Naidu On Language Language is a living tool - you must use it or you lose it. If we lose a language we lose an important part of cultural identity. Language is a tool for transmission of culture and it is truly the life blood of a civilization. Mother tongue, the language of home, is the root of the huge tree of life. Higher education has a unique role in preparing torchbearers of tomorrow in different fields from medicine to management. It is essential for higher educational institutions to mould the next generation by inculcating the core values of patriotism, honesty, responsibility, discipline, compassion, respect for women and pluralism On Women We need to build coalitions against gender discrimination. Government and the civil society must be active collaborators to achieve tangible results. Adi Shankaracharya opens his beautiful hymn called “Saundarya Lahari” (The wave of beauty) with a clear statement on how Lord Shiva is totally powerless without his wife Shakthi. One complements the other. Mahatma Gandhi: On Women Of all the evils for which man has made himself responsible, none is so degrading , so shocking or so brutal as his abuse of the better half of humanity; the female sex. To call woman the weaker sex is a libel. It is man’s injustice to woman. Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi On Innovation IPPP i.e. Innovate, Patent, Produce and Prosper – lead our country towards faster development Schemes by Government to facilitate research and innovations – Introducing Modern Techniques based on Educational and Learning concepts in Atal Tinkering Labs. Students of class 6th to 12th will be benefitted from this. Prime Minister Research Fellowship to around 1000 best students of BTech, MTech and MSc courses in institutes like IITs, IISc and NIT every year. These students will be given financial assistance of about 70-80 thousand rupees per month over a period of five years. Focus on providing greater autonomy to Higher Educational Institutions. Setting up of 20 world class Institute of Excellence

Apr 2, 2018

IASbaba’s 60 Day Plan- Prelims Test 2018 POLITY & CURRENT AFFAIRS [Day 23]

Apr 1, 2018 Motivational Articles

Creative Guidance – Fundamentals of Living – Inspirational & Educative Articles

Fundamentals of Living: As the saying goes, ‘Some things never change’ there is a fundamental reality to life that never changes. There the part that is changing all the time in every age and generation is the most easily recognizable part of life; the outer most layer of life. There is another inner dimension to life that never changes. An individual’s quest to understand his/her life and make the best out of it has been one of the most fundamental driving forces throughout the ages. Individuals in every generation have tried to understand the nature of reality and social circumstances surrounding them and they have tried to master themselves amidst of all the turmoil. Growing conditions, social circumstances, rules and regulations, opportunities and chances, deception and failures have been an integral part of every generation. These things have also been constantly changing depending on various prevailing factors of that time. This is the constantly changing part of life. No two people have ever been presented with the same set of circumstances. The part that is most important for an individual to understand is that the fundamentals of successful living have never changed. Irrespective of the time and age one is born in the core rules of living has never changed. Effort, hard work, intelligence and intent, application and adaptation, awareness and insight, honesty and integrity have always remained the true essentials of successful and contented living. The moment an individual forgets these core principals and tries to adapt too much to the constantly changing, ever deceptive world, by letting go of his fundamental principles of living, he will end up simply drifting here, eventually to live a life of no meaning and purpose. The only thing that can provide a sense of direction to an individual’s progress in the world is the principle on which he basis his life. A man is nothing but his philosophy of life. If his philosophy does not include love, kindness, compassion, intelligence, awareness, hard work and honesty, he is doomed to extinction. A man without principals is virtually non-existential; he exists only for himself, as far as the world is concerned he simply does not exist. This has to be obvious because it is impossible for people to remember you if you don’t have your core integral values. On a longer run nobody cares about how you look and behave. The only thing that matters on a longer run is if people can identify you with certain core set of principles. In this sense, the fundamentals of living never changes. Who you are is infinitely more important than what you are doing. The only thing you will leave back for people to remember from your long life of strive and struggle is your core principles of life. Your fundamental principle of life is your only identity. “The articles are a copyright of The Ahamo Movement and IASBABA.”

Mar 31, 2018 AIR

All India Radio (AIR) : Tuberculosis Free India

Tuberculosis Free India ARCHIVES Search 13th March, 2018 Spotlight here: http://www.newsonair.com/Main_Audio_Bulletins_Search.aspx TOPIC: General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources To Aid Prime Minister’s vision: To end TB by 2025, five years ahead of the World’s Target under SDG’s – Demonstration of political will in eliminating a major health challenge. Why: India’s estimated annual TB burden is 28 lakh, 27% of the global total; our population is only 18%. Every day 1,200 Indians die of TB — 10 every three minutes. According to Health Ministry data, only 63% of the patients infected with the airborne disease are currently under treatment. Further, 1,47,000 patients are resistant to first and second line TB medicines. At the current rate of progress, global targets to eliminate TB by 2030 will be missed by a 150 years. Objective of the Campaign: Take the activities of National Strategic Plan for TB elimination forward in Mission mode The National Strategic Plan for TB elimination is backed by funding of over 12,000 crore rupees over the next three years to ensure every TB patient has access to quality diagnosis, treatment, and support. The new NSP adopts a multi-pronged approach which aims to ‘Detect’ all TB patients with an emphasis on reaching TB patients seeking care from private providers and undiagnosed TB in high-risk populations Why exactly is the TB treatment not bringing down the TB burden? A person with lung TB disseminates TB bacilli over several weeks. By the time treatment stops dissemination, unfortunately, all his close contacts would have been already infected. Reasons for the rising crisis: In addition to the failure of political machinery, the other major reasons for this are as follows: Adult and child under-nutrition Lack of active door-to-door detection Shortage of drugs Increasing Multi-Drug Resistant TB (MDR-TB) and Extensive Drug Resistant TB (XDR-TB) Total Drug Resistant TB acting as an assured death warrant Inadequate prescription by doctors and inadequate follow up of proper prescription by patients is aggravating the problem of antibiotic resistance Disease becoming expensive and difficult to treat Poor quality serological tests for diagnosis; poor quality diagnosis and treatment by medical practitioners Delay in implementation of critical programmes under the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) such as expansion of the GeneXpert pilot programme, scaling up of drug sensitivity testing, and the introduction of a child-friendly paediatric TB drug. India’s War on TB – The Way Forward Countering Delay in Diagnosis: To block transmission, treatment should begin as soon as a symptom shows up. As cough is a very common symptom of many diseases, doctors don’t think of TB until other treatments fail. Partnership with the private sector is essential for early diagnosis of TB. Universal primary health care, a basic human right, and a diagnostic algorithm for early diagnosis are essential for TB control. To retard progression: Employ the biomedical method is drug treatment of latent TB. Experts recommend an age window of 5-10 years when all children must be screened with TST; those with latent TB must be treated to prevent progression. Private Sector: The private sector has a very crucial role to play in checking the rise of TB as it is the first place a patient from an urban area visits. We need to make them a partner in this fight. Strict guidelines need to be followed to report cases of TB to government. Developing a comprehensive set of national guidelines could strengthen private sector engagement in TB Efforts should be made to map and categorise private practitioners based on the nature of their education, experience and services provided. Private hospitals need to be penalised for failure to report early TB cases to government. This will enhance the accountability of the private players. If cannot provide free treatment, it needs to refer the patient to a government clinic. Strengthening research: We urgently require rapid and cost-effective point-of-care devices that can be deployed for TB diagnosis in different settings across the country. Additionally, new drug regimens are necessary for responding to the spread of drug-resistant strains as is an effective vaccine for preventing TB in adults. It is a big challenge in current times, which is due to irregular treatment. Operational research for optimising service delivery is also critical because it is often the case that diagnostics and drugs do not reach those who need them the most. TB with other disease like HIV is difficult to treat and the research needs to be strengthened in this field. The India TB Research and Development Corporation launched in 2016 must play a pivotal role in accelerating these efforts. Technology: Technology has to be introduced and utilized in the most effective manner to ensure early access and monitoring. Ending social stigma: TB is not a health issue alone. It is a broader societal challenge. Patients often hesitate to seek treatment or deny their condition altogether for fear of losing social standing. The consequence is that TB becomes a death sentence for many even though it is a fully curable illness. Women are disproportionately affected with estimates suggesting that 100,000 Indian women are asked to leave their homes every year after being diagnosed with TB. Mass awareness campaigns like ‘TB Harega Desh Jeetega’ can play an important role in breaking social taboos. Local communication channels such as community radios and street plays must also be leveraged. Children should be engaged through anganwadis and schools for disseminating accurate messages about TB to their families. Paediatric TB is often a neglected area. Children come from low socio-economic strata with social stigma and discrimination which needs to be de-stigmatised. Major initiatives taken by India– Shift to Daily regime of medication: With DOT Centres, the treatment will be at individual door level leading to no defaulter. Cash benefit for TB patients & Medical Practitioner: About 35 lakh identified Tuberculosis patients across the country will soon get Rs. 500 every month from the Centre as social support. The cash benefit for social support will cover loss of wages, travel and mainly nutrition. INR 500/- to the private medical practitioner for notification of the disease Will this work: Need to incentivise both the patients and the private practitioners as both the sides will ensure that they stand to gain from the treatment, which, in the long term, might lead to behavioural change. Web-based Application – Nikshay: To enable health functionaries at various levels across the country to monitor TB cases in their areas Patients receive daily SMSes to ensure they continue their medication. The medicines come with a toll free number that is visible only after the medicine has been taken out of the foil pack; patients are required to give the number a missed call. Every missed call is tracked, and when there are too many gaps, the patient is traced, often by treatment supervisors who travel to remote areas on bikes that the programme pays for. Introduction of Cartridge-Based Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (CBNAAT): It is a revolutionary rapid molecular test which simultaneously detects Mycobacterium tuberculosis and rifampicin drug resistance. This test is fully automated and provides results within two hours. It is a highly sensitive diagnostic tool and can be used in remote and rural areas without sophisticated infrastructure or specialised training. Note: March 24th is celebrated as World Tuberculosis Day Connecting the Dots: Tuberculosis can be one of the major hurdles in converting the human capital in India to Demographic Dividend. Highlight the reasons for the rising TB problem and suggest measures to eliminate the problem.

Mar 31, 2018 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus] - 31st March 2018

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 31st March 2018 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) New Chinese norms to boost India's pharmaceutical sector Part of: Mains GS Paper III- Indian Economy Key pointers: Indian pharmaceutical and medical equipment manufacturers are set to gain in the China market, thanks to new regulatory norms notified by the Chinese government. China’s General Office of the State Council has released new guidelines that aim at encouraging innovation in drugs and medical equipment. Authorities in China will now accept data collected from clinical trials conducted outside the mainland for applications to register drugs and medical equipment . India has been a major player in clinical trials and has been a destination for many pharma majors from the US and Europe. These new provisions are likely to offer faster drug registration and easier market access for Indian pharmaceuticals and medical equipment in China. Article link: Click here InSight: To explore deep interior of Mars Part of: Mains GS Paper II- Science and Technology Key pointers: NASA will be sending the first-ever mission dedicated to exploring the deep interior of Mars. InSight - a stationary lander - will also be the first NASA mission since the Apollo moon landings to place a seismometer, a device that measures quakes, on the soil of another planet. InSight is like a scientific time machine that will bring back information about the earliest stages of Mars’ formation 4.5 billion years ago. It will help us learn how rocky bodies form, including Earth, its moon, and even planets in other solar systems. InSight or the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport mission, carries a suite of sensitive instruments to gather data. Unlike a rover mission, these instruments require a stationary lander from which they can carefully be placed on and below the martian surface. About Mars: Mars is the exoplanet next door - a nearby example of how gas, dust and heat combine and arrange themselves into a planet. Looking deep into Mars will let scientists understand how different its crust, mantle and core are from Earth, the US space agency said. Article link: Click here (MAINS FOCUS) INTERNATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 2: India and its neighbourhood- relations. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests External balancing: As India's policy toward China Introduction: External balancing, that is, the forging of military cooperation with one state to deter or defeat a threat posed by another, is one of the principal means by which states cause and enhance security for themselves. The security dilemma in India-China relations: India-China relations have continued to be subject to an underlying security dilemma. Since the 1960s, the security dilemma has manifested itself along three dimensions. While China is deeply suspicious of India’s policy towards Tibet, India’s apprehensions have centred on Chinese intervention in an India-Pakistan conflict. India seeks to maintain a dominant position in South Asia, but China has been working to neutralise India’s predominance in the region. While China has successfully used Pakistan to maintain a balance of power in South Asia including through assistance for Pakistan’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes, India has increasingly become a factor in the East Asian equation during the last two decades. The persistence of the security dilemma has, in turn, contributed to the perpetuation of Indian concerns about the conventional and nuclear balance with China as well as to competition between their militaries for positional advantage along the Line of Actual Control. The two prongs of India’s China policy: India has adopted a two-pronged policy for dealing with China. The first prong involves continued engagement, both bilaterally and in multilateral forums such as BRICS, SCO and the Russia-India-China trilateral, in order to maintain overall stability, deepen economic ties, and foster diplomatic cooperation on regional and international issues. At the same time, India has also sustained efforts to enhance its military and deterrent capabilities as the second prong of policy. In fact, it has been devoting considerable resources since the 1990s to acquire nuclear weapons and develop longer-range ballistic missiles as a deterrent against China. Further, in the latter half of the 2000s, India initiated a programme to build ‘strategic’ roads in its border states for improving connectivity and thus enhancing the ability to defend these areas. And, simultaneously, it also began to strengthen military capabilities along the China front by raising a new army strike corps, repositioning frontline aircraft, strengthening air bases and refurbishing advanced landing grounds. An emerging external balancing component: There is an emerging third prong in India’s China policy in the form of an incipient external balancing effort. The evolution of India-US relations in particular but also of India’s relationships with Japan and Australia as well as the budding quadrilateral cooperation among them indicates a growing convergence in their views regarding stability in the Indo-Pacific region. This growth in convergence is because of growing uncertainty about China’s intentions in the wake of its turn towards an assertive foreign policy and disregard for the norms that have come to underpin the international territorial order by advancing territorial claims to more than 80 per cent of the South China Sea as well as to the sovereign territories of India and Japan. Inda-US: In January 2015, India and the United States issued a joint vision for the Asia Pacific and the Indian Ocean region, in which they affirmed the importance of “safeguarding maritime security and ensuring freedom of navigation and over flight throughout the region, especially in the South China Sea”, and proclaimed that their partnership “is indispensable to promoting peace, prosperity and stability in those regions”. India and America have steadily deepened bilateral defence cooperation to achieve their common interests, which include the maintenance of peace, security and stability as well as the protection of the free flow of commerce through support for a rules-based order. Accordingly, there has been a steady increase in both the number and content of joint military exercises to enable interoperability and even coordinated operations. The two countries have concluded a logistics support agreement to enhance the operational capacities of their militaries. Bilateral defence trade has risen from US $1 billion in 2008 to over $15 billion in 2017 and America has elevated India to the status of a ‘major defense partner’. India and the United states have also initiated the Defence Trade and Technology Initiative to transform their current buyer-seller relationship into a partnership that would co-develop and co-produce major defence platforms. There are indications that the US position on issues of key security concern to India is beginning to synchronise with that of India’s. For instance, during the Doklam crisis in 2017, the US expressed its concern about China’s violation of Bhutanese sovereignty and called for a “return to the status quo” through “a negotiated solution” that restores peace in the area.49 With Japan and Australia: In the case of India and Japan, the declaration issued in 2017 affirmed “strong commitment to their values-based partnership in achieving a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region … where all countries … enjoy freedom of navigation and overflight” and pledged efforts to “align Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy with India’s Act East Policy, including through … maritime security cooperation”. India and Australia have also termed themselves as partners in the Indo-Pacific. And they have also agreed to a detailed action plan to deepen and strengthen defence cooperation to give effect to their “converging political, economic and strategic interests”. Conclusion: Deepening of cooperation between India, on the one hand, and America, Australia and Japan, on the other, indicates external balancing as an element in India’s China policy. What form external balancing eventually assumes is likely to be a function of two factors: the scale and intensity of China’s challenge to the security and geopolitical interests of these four countries in the coming years; and, how firmly India and its partners commit themselves to each other and how much support they extend to each other in their respective interactions and conflicts with China. Connecting dots: Describe 'external balance' as India's policy towards China. NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment The ‘conserve and use’ principle: Conserving Floodplains Introduction: Floodplains of rivers can provide a new source of water. They are a local, non-polluting, perennial and non-invasive source of water for urban centres. Features of flood plains: Floodplains are formed over millions of years by the flooding of rivers and deposition of sand on riverbanks. These sandy floodplains are exceptional aquifers where any withdrawal is compensated by gravity flow from a large surrounding area. Some floodplains such as those of Himalayan rivers contain up to 20 times more water than the virgin flow in rivers in a year. Issue: Rivers today are facing problems of abysmally low flows due to an indiscriminate extraction of water for use in cities, industries and agriculture. They are also highly polluted because sewage and effluents are being released into them. Solution: A floodplains ‘conserve and use’ scheme, which is a socio-economic-environmental scheme, can provide water to urban centres along rivers; it can also engage farmers by providing them an assured income and restore rivers to a healthy condition. What is floodplains 'conserve and use' scheme? The ‘conserve and use’ principle demands that no more than is recharged by rain and floods each year can be withdrawn from this aquifer. This ensures that the groundwater level in the floodplains remains steadily above that in the river in the lean non-monsoon months when the river is often polluted. Drawing out any more water than is recharged can contaminate and eventually finish off the resource. If we conserve and use the floodplain, it can be a self-sustaining aquifer wherein every year, the river and floodplain are preserved in the same healthy condition as the year before. Conserving floodplains: Engaging farmers Preserving the floodplain in its entirety is critical for this scheme to work. This can be done by engaging farmers whose land will have to be leased for such an effort. Farmers today have an erratic income and this scheme can be realised through a public-private partnership, where farmers on this land tract of 1 km on either side of the river can be provided an assured and steady income for an acre. In addition, farmers can grow a food forest, fruit orchards or nut trees but not water-intensive crops on this land. It would guarantee not only a good farming income but also great earnings from the water for the farmers without taking the ownership of the land away from them. Conclusion: The ‘conserve and use’ will help curb illegal extraction of water, stop pollution by local agencies and industries and also encourage cities to be more responsible in their waste management. It will also help improve the quality of rivers, quality of life for citizens, and at the same time guarantee farmers a healthy fixed income. It should be seen as a new scheme of living. Connecting the dots: What do you mean by conserve and use principle. The principle should be implemented for conserving our floodplains. Discuss. MUST READ The illusion of participation The Hindu Billed for change The Hindu

Mar 30, 2018 AIR

All India Radio (AIR) : Pan India Expansion of ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ Scheme

Pan India Expansion of ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ Scheme ARCHIVES Search 8th March, 2018 Spotlight here: http://www.newsonair.com/Main_Audio_Bulletins_Search.aspx 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 Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBPS) BBBPS is a centrally sponsored scheme that provides 100% financial assistance to state governments to encourage girl child education. In News: Expansion of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao for a pan India reach, covering all the 640 districts (as per census 2011) of the country to have a deeper positive impact on Child Sex Ratio, based on the successful implementation in 161 districts. The latest reports as per HMIS data of MoHFW for 161 BBBP districts indicate that for the time period between April-March, 2015-16 & 2016-17, an improving trend in Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) is visible in 104 districts, 119 districts have reported progress in first trimester registration against the reported Anti Natal Care registrations and 146 districts have reported improvement in institutional deliveries. Aim: Improving the sex ratio at birth (SRB) in gender critical districts by ten points in a year and preventing gender biased sex selective elimination through an awareness campaign as well as multi-sectoral interventions, which include registration of pregnancies in first trimester, increased institutional deliveries, and prohibition of sex-determination Ensuring survival and protection of the girl child Ensuring education and participation of the girl child (increasing girls’ enrolment in secondary schools and achieving 100% re-enrolment of girls who had dropped out) Against Sex Determination The Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 2003, commonly called PC-PNDT Act, makes it illegal to determine the sex of the unborn child or even use sex-selection technologies. There is a clear need for states to effectively implement the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994 and take appropriate measures to promote the value of the girl child. With governments’ political will there is at least a start of crackdown on such cases. Conclusion: We need continuous, sustained efforts to change social norms and attitudes that ensure preference for the male child and turn a blind eye to discrimination and sex-selective practices. While the government is on the right track, we need continuous monitoring and an independent review of the scheme for future course correction. Lack of policy implementation, diversion of funds and the failure of monitoring mechanisms are some of the reasons that can contribute towards the failure of the BBBPS. To achieve the objectives of the scheme, the government must ensure stricter enforcement of the policy guidelines and improve the monitoring mechanisms it employs. Note: SRB is the number of girls born for every 1000 boys and it is a more direct indicator of the prevalence of gender-based sex selection than Child Sex Ratio which also includes factors such as post-birth mortality. Connecting the Dots: “Investing in women’s lives is an investment in sustainable development”. In the light of the given statement, examine the importance of the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ scheme.

Mar 30, 2018 MindMaps

IASbaba’s MINDMAP : Issue – Organic Farming

IASbaba’s MINDMAP : Issue – Organic Farming Archives NOTE – Instructions to download Mind Maps/Images Right Click on the image and ‘Open in a new tab’ Remove/Delete the resolution part from the URl. Eg. “-1024×869” and Press Enter/Load Again Afterwards the URL will look something like this – “iasbaba.com/…./…/..-IASbaba.jpg” Right Click and Save As/Download (You’ll get the maximum resolution)

Mar 30, 2018 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus] - 30th March 2018

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 30th March 2018 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) Mobile internet users in India to reach 478 million by June Part of: Mains GS Paper III- Inclusive growth Key pointers: The number of mobile Internet users in India is likely to reach 478 million by June said the report titled “Mobile Internet in India 2017”, published jointly by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and KANTAR-IMRB. The report attributed the popularity of mobile Internet in the country to its affordability. It said: “Urban India witnessed an estimated 18.64 per cent year-on-year rise, while rural India witnessed an estimated growth of 15.03 per cent during the same period (December 2016 to December 2017).” The report estimates that there are 291 million urban mobile Internet users and 187 million rural users as on December 2017. NTP (National Telecom Policy) 2018 with focus on new technologies like 5G is expected to promote better quality data services at more affordable prices and can be expected to help address the digital divides and promote internet penetration in the rural areas via mobile internet. Article link: Click here (MAINS FOCUS) ECONOMY/INFRASTRUCTURE TOPIC: General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. General Studies 3: Infrastructure Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. Making Inland Water Transport viable by engaging private sector Background: India has nearly 14,500 km of navigable waterways, yet inland water transport (IWT) accounts for less than 1 per cent of its freight traffic, compared with ~35 per cent in Bangladesh and ~20 per cent in Germany. This is despite IWT’s better cost arithmetic and materially less polluting nature. The cost of transporting one tonne freight over 1 km by waterway is Rs. 1.19 compared with Rs. 2.28 and Rs. 1.41 by road and rail, respectively. And the cost of developing an inland waterway is barely 10 per cent of a four-lane highway of similar capacity. Recent moves by the government: The government has passed an amendment to the Central Road Fund Act, 2000, proposing to allocate 2.5 per cent of the funds collected for development of waterways. The budget for next fiscal has allocated Rs. 228 crore to the sector and allowed the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) to raise Rs. 1,000 crore from the capital market. Challenge: The sector’s investment requirements are ~ Rs. 90,000 crore over the next few years to develop navigable routes, connectivity infrastructure to and from hinterland, terminals, vessels and repairing facilities. Way ahead: Public private partnership is the need of the hour. Given IWT’s nascence, the government and IWAI need to work on two channels to draw private players in- Development of physical infrastructure: The government should focus on developing navigation, channel operation and maintenance, and external connectivity infrastructure. Private players can undertake terminal development, cargo and passenger handling, and building low-draft vessels and related repair facilities. Policy level interventions: Incentivizing cargo transport through inland waterways is required to ensure there is enough freight to make physical infrastructure development viable, the following measures can be taken: Offering incentives, including tax subsidies, for transporting a portion of industry cargo through IWT. The Government can mandate/incentivise industries in the proximity of national waterways to use this mode for a portion of their shipments. Public sector entities such as Food Corporation of India, power plants and refineries can be similarly mandated. Higher road taxes can be levied on transportation of coal and inflammable material over longer distances because they are harmful to environment or pose a danger to those in proximity. Many waterways run parallel to transportation corridors and urban centres. For synergy, the government can promote industrial corridors along riverbanks and foster waterways-based industrialisation. Capital dredging, along with different waterways, will also offer opportunities to reclaim land along riverbanks. In many States, there are ferry services on national waterways, but these are mostly unorganised country boats. Terminal facilities are also woefully inadequate. Along with passenger terminal development, the government needs to offer financial support to ferry operators to improve safety and facilitate insurance coverage. The Centre and States need to join hands to package and market river tourism in a big way to trigger a virtuous cycle. Resolving the protocol route issue with Bangladesh: This is critical to the sector’s development. Indo-Bangladesh joint dredging projects in on river Yamuna and on river Kushiyara in Bangladesh have been long delayed. Completion of these projects will enable movement of larger vessels from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to Sadiya in Assam through Bangladesh and crank up waterways cargo traffic. Conclusion: A holistic and concerted effort can change India’s transportation landscape, de-congest arterial roads, and even improve quality of life across geographies. The above-mentioned policy interventions thus should be done on priority basis. Connecting the dots: The government has taken various steps for the development of Inland Water Transport system. However, to make it viable the private sector should be engaged. For this adequate policy interventions should be made. Discuss. NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 2: Development processes and the development industry the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders. General Studies 3: Indian Economy and issue Inclusive growth and issues arising from it. Happiness in India: World Happiness Report Introduction: In the UN’s World Happiness Report, published a few days ago, reveals Finland, Norway and Denmark bagged the first three positions, the remaining Scandinavian countries (Sweden and Iceland) found themselves in the top ten rankings. India on the other hand is ranked terribly low (133 out of 156 countries) alongside some Sub-Saharan African countries, dropping 11 spots from last year. Most of the emerging economies — Mexico (24), Brazil (28), Argentina (29), Malaysia (35), Russia (59), China (86) — are placed far ahead of India. All the South Asian countries also ranked better compared to their big brother. Measuring happiness: The World Happiness Report cannot correctly measure the subjective feeling of pleasure and comfort, let alone happiness. This index is basically an appraisal of the general well-being of a nation rather than an indicator of personal happiness as many misunderstand. Besides measures of prosperity such as income and healthy life expectancy, the key variables that are used to ascertain happiness are generosity, having social support in times of trouble, and freedom to make life choices. Another important variable is trust, which is measured by the absence of corruption in business and government. Unhappy India How could we explain India’s awful performance among otherwise comparable countries? There is no single or simple explanation, but it is worth taking a critical look at the underpinning reasons through the prism of happiness variables. The following five points are not answers, but pointers to the making of the ‘Great Indian Happiness Tragedy’. Despite being one of the fastest growing economies, India remains a non-egalitarian country, with burgeoning levels of economic inequality. An Oxfam survey in 2017 has revealed that India’s richest 1 per cent has cornered almost 73 per cent of the total wealth created in the country. India’s public health spending is well below the global average (just 1.4 per cent of GDP), leaving the deprived millions to pitiable public healthcare facilities. Oddly enough, even the well-off Indian professional class, who can afford expensive private healthcare, are not guaranteed a long, healthy and happy life. The shocking case of the early fading physicians in Kerala, the so-called most socially advanced State in India, signifies how scary the emerging situation is. India has failed in building a trustworthy social support system, helping people when they are in real trouble. An atrocious incident was recently reported from Uttar Pradesh, where a team of patrolling policemen lets two teenage victims of an accident bleed to death as they “didn’t want blood to stain their car seats”. A perfect example of how little people can trust the state machinery. India’s political system and business establishments are unable to manage big cash flows in a sustainable, responsible and transparent way. Corrupt and fraudulent practices still hold the key as exemplified in the Nirav Modi episode and similar occurrences. The timid Indian response towards the Asia’s most vulnerable refugees, despite being a country that once welcomed Tibetans and Sri Lankans, illustrates that generosity and altruism are giving way to pseudo-nationalism and self-obsession. Conclusion: Certain conceptual and methodological lacunae do exist in the Happiness Index. But it clearly exposes the deep-seated flaws in our social foundations making any grand claim for an imminent ‘advanced’ India as nothing more than a wild fantasy narrative. Connecting the dots: UN's World Happiness Report though has few flaws exposes deep seated flaws in our social foundations. Discuss. MUST READ Should gambling be legalised The Hindu Time to reach out across the border The Hindu Tackling prejudice The Hindu The working class in the gig economy Livemint Is the NEXT panacea for medical education? Livemint CBSE needs to redeem itself, right now Business Line

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