Apr 2, 2018

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

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 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

Mar 30, 2018

IASbaba’s 60 Day Plan- Prelims Test 2018 ENVIRONMENT & CURRENT AFFAIRS [Day 22]

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

Mar 29, 2018 RSTV Video

RSTV- The Big Picture : Are We Drinking Plastic?

Are We Drinking Plastic? Archives In news: A research conducted by Orb Media (the first global tap water survey of plastic pollution) reveals the presence of plastic fibers 100 microns or greater in size, in the water of nearly every location they tested. New Delhi was a part of this research as well. The findings suggested that a person who drinks a litre of bottled water a day might be consuming tens of thousands of microplastic particles each year. Key Points: India’s water bottle industry regulated by: BIS + FDA 93% bottled water brands contaminated (contain tiny pieces of plastic) globally. Valued at $147 billion per year, bottled water is the fastest-growing beverage market in the world. As per the WHO, packaged drinking water is a lifeline for many of the 2.1 billion people worldwide who lack access to safe tap water. According to WHO officials, there is no evidence that the consumption of microplastic fibers has an impact on human health, but it remains an emerging area of concern. Why should we care – Microplastics have been shown to absorb toxic chemicals linked to cancer and other illnesses, and then release them when consumed by fish and mammals. Plastic is all but indestructible – it doesn’t biodegrade; rather, it only breaks down into smaller pieces of itself, even down to particles in nanometer scale — one-one thousandth of one-one thousandth of a millimeter. Studies show particles of that size can migrate through the intestinal wall and travel to the lymph nodes and other bodily organs. Conclusion: “Since the problem of plastic was created exclusively by human beings through our indifference, it can be solved by human beings by paying attention to it. Now what we need is a determination to get it done — before it gets us.” – Muhammad Yunus, the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Plastic Management: The only way to keep plastic out of the air, water, and soil is to radically rethink its design, uses, sale, and disposal. Creating new non-polluting materials for everyday usage Source: https://orbmedia.org/stories/plus-plastic Must Read: Link 1 Connecting the Dots: People have the right to accurate and relevant information about the quality and safety of any product they consume. Discuss the statement in the context of the recent findings.  

Mar 29, 2018 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

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

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 29th March 2018 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) 'e-Tribes:Tribes India' Initiative Part of: Mains GS Paper II- Government interventions Key pointers: The government has recently launched 'e-Tribes:Tribes India', an initiative for digital commerce at Tribes India outlet at Mahadev Road. It included launch of e-commerce portal of TRIFED, www.tribesindia.com and M-commerce, android app 'Tribes India'. The Tribes India banner was launched on Snapdeal, Amazon, Paytm and GeM for the marketing of tribal products through these e-commerce portals. With this, more than 55,000 tribal artisans connected to TRIFED will get access to local as well as international markets. TRIBES India organisation has set up an ambitious retail sales target of Rs 100 crores to be achieved during 2018-19 with the help of e-commerce. Article link: Click here India signs the Host Country agreement with the ISA Part of: Mains GS Paper III- Energy Security Key pointers: The International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) have signed the Host Country Agreement. The Agreement will give ISA a juridical personality and gives it power to contract, to acquire and dispose off movable and immovable properties, to institute and defend legal proceedings. Under this agreement, ISA shall enjoy such privileges, applicable tax concessions and immunities as are necessary for ISA's Headquarter to independently discharge its function and programmes. Background: The main objective of ISA is to undertake joint efforts required to reduce the cost of finance and the cost of technology for massive deployment of solar energy and pave the way for future technologies adapted to the needs of 121 countries lying fully or partially between the Tropics. ISA has presently four ongoing programmes: Scaling Solar Applications for Agricultural Use, Affordable Finance at Scale, Scaling Solar Mini Grids and Scaling Solar Rooftop catering to the needs of solar energy in specific areas. The ISA is the first international intergovernmental treaty based organization to be headquartered in India. Article link: Click here (MAINS FOCUS) HEALTHCARE TOPIC: General Studies 2 Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health Development processes and the development industry the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders Eliminating TB in India by 2025: Is possible Introduction: With about 2.8 million cases, India is unfortunately the tuberculosis capital of the world. While the annual incidence has reduced from 289 persons per 100,000 in year 2000 to 217 per 100,000 in 2015, eliminating TB would necessitate a dramatic reduction to less than 1 person per 10,00,000. The ‘End TB Summit’: The Prime Minister launched a campaign to eliminate the disease by 2025, five years ahead of the global deadline. Steps taken by the Government to escalate the fight against TB: Launch of a new National Strategic Plan in 2017. The thrice-weekly treatment regimen has also been changed to a daily fixed-dose drug regimen. In Budget 2018-19, Rs. 600 crore was allocated for providing nutritional support to TB patients. What more needs to be done? Apart from scaling up access to new diagnostics and drugs, we need to- Address the determinants of TB. Combat social stigma. Engage private practitioners. Strengthen research. Addressing the determinants of TB: Various factors, including overcrowding, poor hygiene, malnutrition and lack of access to clean cooking fuels, contribute to India’s enormous TB burden. According to the National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS-4), the prevalence of medically treated TB increases with more people sleeping in a room. Similarly, among households that depend on straw, shrubs or grass for cooking, TB prevalence was as high as 567 persons per 100,000 compared to 206 per 100,000 for households that use clean fuels. How to address? Several flagship programmes of the Government including the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Housing for All, and the National Nutrition Mission have a critical role to play in preventing TB. Communities will also need to be engaged for reversing tobacco use and alcoholism, key drivers of the TB epidemic, through the health and wellness centres announced in the budget. Integrating private sector Over 50 per cent of TB patients are treated by private practitioners. Patients often visit multiple private providers before reaching a Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course (DOTS) centre. Issue: Delayed diagnosis and initiation of treatment not only jeopardises the patient’s chances of making a timely recovery but also increases the risk of transmission to others. Further, there is considerable heterogeneity in the knowledge levels of private practitioners about the protocols for TB diagnosis and treatment. Step taken: TB was declared a notifiable disease in 2012, following which reporting by the private sector increased to 14.8 cases per 100,000 population in 2015, compared to only 0.3 per 100,000 in 2013. To increase the notification rates further, the Health ministry has taken a landmark decision to make non-reporting of TB patients a punishable offence. Moving ahead: 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. 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. 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. The India TB Research and Development Corporation launched in 2016 must play a pivotal role in accelerating these efforts. 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. What needs to be done? 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. Conclusion: Eliminating TB by 2025 is a stretch goal no doubt but one that is not impossible if the public and private sectors come together to make the requisite investments in financing, research, human resource and technology. If anything, setting a target that is five years ahead of the global deadline signals much needed intent and ambition. Connecting the dots: The government has launched a campaign to eliminate TB by 2025, five years ahead of the global deadline. Despite the challenges involved, it is possible to do so. Discuss. NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 1 Social empowerment 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. Dilution of the Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989: SC judgement In news: The Supreme Court in its recent judgement has diluted the stringent provision of denial of anticipatory bail in the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. The judgement states that public servants and private employees can only be arrested after a preliminary inquiry — that in the case of a public servant the appointing authority must give permission in writing (in the case of the public in general, the SSP’s permission is needed) — and that a magistrate can extend arrest only after written permission is secured and anticipatory bail must be given unless a prima facie case of crimes is made out. Issue: The appointing authority is hardly expected to give in writing permission to arrest his junior. If the appointing authority happens to be of the same caste or if the employee concerned enjoys a good rapport with him, he may not give permission at all. Political pressure may also be brought on the appointing authority or the SSP not to give permission to arrest the accused. Situation of Dalits in India: India has over 180 million Dalits. A crime is committed against a Dalit every 15 minutes. Six Dalit women are raped every day. Over the last 10 years (2007-2017), there has been a 66% growth in crime against Dalits. The NCRB data show that the rape of Dalit women has doubled in the last 10 years. The figures represent only a tip of the iceberg since most Dalits do not register cases for fear of retaliation by higher castes. Even if a case reaches court, the most likely outcome is acquittal due to caste biases at every stage. Rationale behind exclusion of anticipatory bail: In the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Prevention of Atrocities Act, Parliament had clearly noted that when Dalits assert their rights, vested interests try to terrorise them. Accordingly, keeping in view the special nature of crimes against Dalits, anticipatory bail was excluded. Moreover, constitutionality of this exclusion had been upheld by a five-judge bench of the apex court in Kartar Singh. Issues with the judgment: The court has deviated from the established judicial opinion on the subject. The Supreme Court had clearly said that anticipatory bail provision for the first time was introduced in 1973 and it is merely a limited statutory right and not part of right to life and personal liberty under Article 21. Also, Section 22 of the SC/ST Act already protects public servants from prosecution if they acted in ‘good faith’. If there is concern about the ‘presumption of innocence’ of the accused, the protection of anticipatory bail should be extended to the accused in all cases and under all statutes. Conclusion: The judgment will have a chilling effect on the already underreported crimes against Dalits. And thus, must be reviewed. Connecting the dots: The Supreme Court has recently diluted the SC and ST Act, 1989. Discuss the rationale behind. DO you think the judgement needs a review? Analyze. 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