IAS Baba

Dec 1, 2017 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus]- 1st December 2017

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus]- 1st December 2017 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS EXCLUSIVE) Maldives and China enter into Free Trade Agreement Part of: Mains GS Paper II- India and its nieghbours, India and the World, International relations; India-Maldives issue Key pointers: Maldives is the only country in the neighbourhood which has not been visited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last three-and-half years after he cancelled a proposed trip in March 2015 due to the turbulent political situation. Maldives and India do not have a Free Trade Agreement. This is Maldives’s first FTA with any country, and China’s second FTA with any country in South Asia — after Pakistan. Maldives transitioned from Least Developed Country (LDC) to Middle-Income Country status on 1st January 2011. Article link: Click Here Caste lines get blurred in cities: A myth Part of: Mains GS Paper II- Social or Dalit issues, Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States, mechanisms, laws, institutions and bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections. Key pointers: The National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) latest data on atrocities against Dalits shows that urban areas tend to reflect the pattern in their surrounding rural belts. So, while Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have always recorded the maximum crimes against Dalits, the NCRB data on caste-based atrocities in 19 metropolitan cities in 2016 — released for the first time — shows that Lucknow and Patna too top the list. A major chunk of crimes against Dalits involves the violation of women. Crimes against Dalits shows similarity between rural and urban spaces — and is partly against the theory of cities blurring caste lines. Reason behind: Higher incidents of caste atrocities in cities could be because of greater awareness among urban Dalits about their rights, resulting in registration of more cases. NCRB: While the NCRB has been gathering data on caste atrocities in metropolitan cities since 2014, this is the first time that it has released the figures. Since the data only records cases registered by the police, it may or may not reflect the actual ground situation. There is also no data available on the population of Dalits in cities, thus making it difficult to ascertain the proportion of caste atrocities (cases per one lakh population) in urban spaces. Article link: Click Here President's visit to Mizoram Part of: Mains GS Paper II – Development of NE; Inclusive development; Key pointers: President terms the State ‘special’; hails its Assembly as “role model for democracy” Mizoram’s geography can be its biggest asset, and the government is working to ensure that. Role model for democracy- In its 45-year history, it (Assembly) has established a reputation for smooth conduct of business. The behaviour and participation of its members has conformed to the highest standards. The Mizo Accord of 1986 is held as a shining example all over the world- It ended an insurgency situation and a conflict that had divided India and Mizo society itself. Mizoram has achieved admirably in various human development indices such as literacy rate and sex ratio, but the infrastructural deficit remains acute. Act East Policy and Mizoram: The President said the state is the focus of the Centre’s Act East policy that aims at providing access to new markets for the State. The policy will give Mizoram’s agricultural produce and traditional products entry to such markets, as well as strengthen information technology and Internet connectivity in the State Once we the infrastructure is created, the process will have a multiplier effect across a range of industries. Way ahead: The way ahead is to enhance connectivity in all its dimensions — i-ways (information ways), highways, airways, railways and waterways; ‘panch tatva ’. Article link: Click Here Increasing Cybercrime Part of: Mains GS Paper III – Security issues; Cyber Security Key pointers: Charge sheets filed in only 30% cases reported in 2016, shows NCRB data More than 12,000 incidents of cybercrime were reported in 2016 In 2016, 12,317 such incidents were reported and in 2015 the figure stood at 11,592, a jump of 6.3%. Illegal gain (5,987 incidents) and revenge (1,056) were the two top motives that accounted for cybercrimes. Sexual exploitation (686), insulting the modesty of women (569) and causing disrepute (448) constituted 13% of the crimes. Uttar Pradesh with 2,639 cases reported the highest number of incidents accounting for 21.4%, followed by Maharashtra with 2,380, Karnataka 1,101 and Rajasthan 941cases. Crimes against State Tamil Nadu topped the list when it came to booking people for committing crimes against the State, which includes cases of sedition. Of the 6,986 cases registered in 2016, 1,827 or 26% cases were reported from Tamil Nadu, followed by U.P. 1,414, Haryana 1,286 and Assam 343 cases. While 35 cases of sedition were reported in 2016, there were 31 cases related to imputation and assertions prejudicial to national integration. Under the Official Secrets Act, 30 cases were reported and 922 cases were registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. In 2016, the police across India were investigating 12,637 cases of crimes against the State, of this 5,651 had been pending since 2015. Meghalaya with 42 cases registered the most number of cases under Sections pertaining to sedition and waging war against the country. Article link: Click Here SC on Road Safety Part of: Mains GS Paper II- Social and Health issues; Role of Judiciary; Judicial Activism/Overreach? Key pointers: SC directions All States and Union Territories should frame a Road Safety Policy. Should set up lead agencies to work as secretariats of State Road Safety Councils to coordinate on activities such as licensing issues like driving licences, registration of vehicles, road safety and features of vehicles. made it mandatory for States and Union Territories to establish Road Safety Fund, the corpus of which would come from traffic fines collected. The money would be used to meet the expenses for road safety. The court has also directed framing Road Safety Action Plans by March 31 to reduce the number of road accidents, as well as the fatality rate. Cause of concern: 90 percent of the problem of deaths due to road accidents was the result of a lack of strict enforcement of safety rules on roads and strict punishment for those who do not obey rules. There was one death almost every three minutes due to road accidents. Only half the number of families of these victims were compensated. Justice Radhakrishnan committee on road safety: Set up after the Supreme Court intervention. The Justice Radhakrishnan panel would fix the responsibility and functions of the State road safety councils. These councils would periodically review the laws and take appropriate remedial steps wherever necessary. Similarly, lead agencies and district road safety committees should be established by January 31, 2018. Article link: Click Here (MAINS EXCLUSIVE) INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS TOPIC General Studies 2: 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. Background: The reconciliation and rehabilitation of more than 836,000 Rohingya (including 623,000 since August, according to the UN’s International Organisation for Migration) who have fled gruesome violence in Myanmar has become a global issue. In every way, the Rohingya crisis is mammoth, with around a million men, women and children in Bangladesh and Myanmar living perilously. Issue: India has been soft-footed and silent in comparison to other countries like China, U.S., Canada and Singapore. China's involvement: In a rare shift of position from not involving itself in the internal politics of, China decided to play a mediatory role in the issue. The Chinese foreign minister went to Dhaka to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and then to Myanmar. A three-phase solution: Bangladesh and Myanmar announced an agreement to begin the repatriation of Rohingya refugees back to Rakhine province after China's interference in the issue. Biggest nation, smallest voice: No Indian leader has visited Myanmar in relation to Rohingya issue. As the subcontinent’s biggest nation, neighbour to both Bangladesh and Myanmar, as well as the country most likely to be affected if the numbers of Rohingya refugees continue to grow, India, in fact, should be showing the most initiative in this crisis. Even as hundreds of thousands were fleeing violence at home, Indian Government refused to refer to the Rohingya in its press statements in Naypyidaw in early September. Bali declaration- In Bali, India refused to endorse a 50-nation parliamentarian conference’s declaration because it referenced the Rohingya. Every other South Asian country, including Buddhist-majority Bhutan and Sri Lanka, endorsed the Bali declaration. In contrast to India's own record: India has a tradition of rushing humanitarian aid and medical assistance, doctors and volunteers to other nations — for example, after the 2004 tsunami, the 2008 Cyclone Nargis that hit Myanmar, and the 2015 Nepal earthquake. India's half-hearted effort in Rohingya issue is thus in stark contrast. Operation Insaniyat (Humanity): Launched in September, the government began to dispatch humanitarian aid under this operation. Several countries including the U.S., Turkey, Azerbaijan, Malaysia and others were already doing so. Position at the UN: India’s voice at UN has been consistently muted, ceding space to other countries to take the lead on the issue. At the UNGA’s Third Committee vote, India abstained on a resolution calling for an end to military action, one of 26 abstentions on the proposal to send a UN fact-finding mission to Myanmar — 135 countries voted in favour of the resolution. While India’s vote is consistent with its position on interventionist resolutions, it doesn’t mark itself out for principled leadership of any kind. Being part of the solution to the crisis: All of India’s actions since the outbreak of this round of violence in Myanmar have negated its position as a regional, subcontinental and Asian leader. Regaining that stature will require a more proactive stance in being part of the solution to the crisis. The impression that the government’s decision to push out nearly 40,000 Rohingya living in India since 2012 is guided by its domestic political compulsions is not conducive to India’s international ambitions. India should put its own concerns about repatriation on hold until it is able to work with both Bangladesh and Myanmar on the issue, preferably in a trilateral format. As India has earlier worked on regional issues as a part of BIMSTEC, this would be easier for India. Time to have a refugee policy: The government must also iron out internal contradictions on India’s refugee policy. Even though it is not a signatory to any UN refugee convention, India has a proud tradition of giving a home to neighbours in distress: from Tibetans in 1960s to East Pakistanis in the 1970s, from Sri Lankans in the 1980s to the Afghans in the 1990s. Recently, government even changed its long-term visa rules to help minorities fleeing violence from neighbouring Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. India also has a unique position as a country that is home to every religion practised in the region and must play to this strength. Conclusion: Thus, India, which has high stakes in global and regional governance, must ensure its voice is heard on the Rohingya crisis. Not taking a stand while one of the biggest human tragedies is unfolding across two of India’s borders does not suits to a nation with global leadership aspirations. India’s shyness on the Rohingya crisis undermines its democracy and global standing. Connecting the dots: India, which has high stakes in global and regional governance, must ensure its voice is heard on the Rohingya crisis. Discuss. ENVIRONMENT/ECOLOGY TOPIC General Studies 3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment. Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Conservation of small species Introduction: The below article deals with some important critically endangered and threatened species and concerns with regard to flaws in animal conservation strategy, especially the small animals which are on the verge of extinction. Concern: Most of the stakeholders - such as policymakers, bureaucrats, animal lovers, media, etc - give more priority to certain mega species and ignore small but equally important species. For instance, when a tiger or a rhino or an elephant dies, the tragic news straight away hit front pages of newspapers and attracts all policy actions from different stakeholders, which intent to avert another such death. However, several smaller species die, or are near extinction, or are threatened in India - which does not evoke the same public outcry or action. Some of this list includes – Great Indian Bustard, the house sparrow, the shy Indian pangolin, the caracal, the slender loris and the star tortoise among others Need for a similar action on lines of Project Tiger/Elephant: Conservation of Tiger was given a superior and distinguished position and tigers were kept first among equals. Slogans were heard that ‘in protecting the tiger we are protecting an ecosystem’ (especially the high grasslands). But it is now time those animals in the dry grasslands and the mountains get same elevated position. Excellent conservation work has helped tiger population to prosper again in many tiger sanctuaries and has led to greater siting of the snow leopard in the snowy reaches of Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh. Similar support should be extended to its prey base and the less glamorous species of the region. THE FORGOTTEN ONES Case 1: Hog Deer Pic Link: https://www.zoochat.com/community/media/hog-deer-axis-porcinus.191742/full?d=1341419297 The hog deer, which are prolific breeders, were the principal food of the tiger in the grasslands of Corbett National Park in the sixties. There was an abundance of them and it was a major species of the park, vital for the survival of the tiger. Now there may be just 20 of them in Corbett and no one seems concerned. The Indian hog deer is a small deer whose habitat ranges from Pakistan, through northern India, to mainland southeast Asia, which inhabits much of the Indo-Gangetic Plains of Pakistan, northern India, Nepal, Bangladesh, southwestern Yunnan Province in China, all the way to western Thailand. IUCN Conservation status: Endangered (Threatened) Hog Deer is threatened by hunting and by habitat loss and degradation Case 2: Chital Pic Link: https://media1.britannica.com/eb-media/31/122931-004-434FE200.jpg The preferred food of the tiger is the chital. However, there were not enough of them in the sixties to provide sustenance for the tiger, so the focus was on the hog deer. The chital or cheetal also known as spotted deer or axis deer, is a species of deer that is native in the Indian subcontinent. IUCN Conservation status: Least Concern Case 3: Great Indian Bustard Pic Link: https://whitleyaward.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Great-Indian-bustard.jpg One of the rarest species and undoubtedly one of the most endangered is the Great Indian Bustard, which is the State bird of Rajasthan. Endemic to Jaisalmer and Pokhran, its habitat was severely damaged by the nuclear tests in 1974 and 1998. Once widely spotted across 11 Indian states, but their numbers now stand at 60 in Rajasthan and the world population of the bird may be just 80. In Gujarat, not a single adult male has been sited. Power lines are pushing out the birds. IUCN Conservation status: Critically Endangered Case 4: Chevrotain/Mouse Deer Pic Link: http://images.mentalfloss.com/sites/default/files/styles/insert_main_wide_image/public/istock_000036051332_small.jpg The mouse deer (scientific name Chevrotain) is a miniature, just a foot high species of even-toed ungulates. It lives in rainforests and is nocturnal. It can be found in the Sal forests of south India, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. Mouse deer meat is said to be delectable and before the Wildlife Act came into existence, it cost thrice the price of any other meat. The mouse deer raises its young in the hollow of the fallen Sal, but unfortunately these trees are used as fuel wood. IUCN Conservation status: Least Concern Case 5: Caracal Pic Link: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/2e/3c/f8/2e3cf8c8bfc3e79768520f3f9b35eeb7--bird-hunter-caracal.jpg The caracal has disappeared from the Kuno sanctuary of Madhya Pradesh. However, there are records of it being seen in Ranthambore in Rajasthan and in Kutch, Gujarat. The Indian Chevrotain inhabits most of the India, from Tamil Nadu and Kerala in the far south, north to at least 24°N, i.e. Mandla, Hoshangabad, Palamau and near Udaipur (Rajasthan) IUCN Conservation status: Least Concern Case 6: Malabar civet cat Pic link: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/8c/62/a5/8c62a5e9b324980317300d473be39c78.jpg Malabar civet, is a viverrid endemic to the Western Ghats of India. It is listed as Critically Endangered by IUCN as its population size is estimated to number fewer than 250 mature individuals, with no subpopulation greater than 50 individuals. It is feared that the Malabar civet cat may have gone into extinction. IUCN Conservation status: Critically Endangered Case 7: Pangolin The pangolin, which can be found all over India, seems doomed because its scales, which are said to have medicinal value and are more expensive than gold, are sheared ruthlessly. Its meat too is in demand in China. Illegal trade continues not just in parts where there are tigers but also in parts where there are musk deer, otter, mongoose and other animals. IUCN Conservation status: Endangered Case 8: Slender loris The slender loris, a nocturnal animal found in the Western Ghats, and the tortoise are traded in the pet market. IUCN Conservation status: Endangered Conclusion: Now with reports of nomadic Gujjars making forays into Dachigam, the Hangul, the only deer species of its kind, is down to around 200. Manipur’s State animal, the brow-antlered deer or Sangai, which lives on the floating morass of Loktak Lake, is also fighting for survival with numbers down to around 200. However, with Sangai festivals and Sangai tour services, Manipur is going all out to protect them. With so many small animals on the verge of extinction, it is time we gave priority to animals on the basis of the threat perception to them. Today, we have the expertise to save them but lack the political will. They are perched on a precipice and unless we act, they will become as dead as the dodo. Connecting the dots: Critically analyse government’s conservation policies and discuss with examples the need for extending support to small species and especially the less glamorous species. MUST READ Some animals are more equal than others The Hindu Dealing with data The Hindu Buried in the rankings din Indian Express Responsibility without power Indian Express Indian healthcare's inconvenient truth Business Line Developing on the pharma success story Business Line

Dec 1, 2017 Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz- 2017 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 93]

UPSC Quiz- 2017 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 93] Archives Q.1) SIMBEX is a Maritime Bilateral Exercise between India and Sri Lanka Maldives Singapore South Korea Q.2) Consider the following statements about Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010 The Act is directly applied to all the states of India except for Jammu & Kashmir National Council of Clinical Establishments is chaired by the Director General of Health Services Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.3) Which of the following are vector-borne diseases? Malaria Kala-azar Japanese Encephalitis Chikungunya Select the correct code: 1, 2 and 3 2, 3 and 4 1, 3 and 4 1, 2, 3 and 4 Q.4) Supreme Court judgement in National Legal Services Authority v. Union of India is concerned with Transgender Triple Talaq Section 377 Right to Privacy Q.5) Which of the following violates net neutrality? Vodafone forcing Android mobile phone manufacturers to block Skype and other competing VOIP phone services Jio planning to block streaming video over its 4G network from all sources except YouTube Select the correct code: 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 To Download the Solution – Click Here All The Best IASbaba

Nov 30, 2017 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus]- 30th November 2017

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 30th November 2017 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS EXCLUSIVE) India to implement Hong Kong Convention Part of: Mains GS Paper III- Infrastructure Hong Kong Convention: India has drafted legislation to implement the ‘Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships’. The Hong Kong convention was adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 2009. The Convention is yet to come into force as it has not been ratified by 15 states, representing 40 per cent of the world merchant shipping by gross tonnage (capacity). Only six countries – Norway, Congo, France, Belgium, Panama and Denmark — have ratified it. The IMO Convention does not prohibit the beaching method which is followed in India. Indian context: It will make the ship recycling industry safe for its workers and the environment India follows the beaching method to dismantle ships, which is often criticised for its lax safety and health aspects. Under this method, ships are first grounded and then dismantled. India is upgrading the world’s largest stretch of ship-breaking beaches on Alang-Sosiya in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district through a $76-million soft loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Article link: Click here Municipal Bonds Part of: Mains GS Paper I- Urbanization, their problems and their remedies. Key pointers: Credit rating agency Crisil is expecting proactive urban local bodies (ULBs) raising about Rs. 6,000 crore via the municipal bond issuance market route. The issuance will be on the back of policy and regulatory facilitation. Several ULBs have initiated their bond issuance process by appointing transaction advisors. And, in June this year, the Pune Municipal Corporation raised Rs. 200 crore by issuing 10-year bonds. Benefits of municipal bonds route: Bonds offer ULBs structuring flexibility through longer tenures, annual interest payments, and fixed coupon rates compared with bank loans. Further, the capital market also has a large investor base, and can turn out to be more competitive than bank borrowing. The government’s move to develop civic infrastructure across the country through the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and SMART City missions requires significant capital spending by ULBs. These will have to be funded by market borrowings in addition to government grants. Efforts taken: SEBI has notified guidelines on disclosure of financial information by ULBs at regular intervals. The government has also announced an interest subsidy scheme to make issuances competitive. Article link: Click here India sitting on a malaria volcano Part of: Mains GS Paper II- Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health As per World Malaria Report released by WHO: In India the malaria surveillance mechanism detects a mere 8 per cent of cases, among the lowest in the world. Despite this, India accounts for 6 per cent of all malaria cases reported globally. Countries with weak malaria surveillance systems include India and Nigeria, two major contributors to the global burden of malaria, with 8 per cent and 16 per cent of cases, respectively, detected by the surveillance system. ”India has the highest malaria burden in the world outside sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burkina Faso. India accounted for 58 per cent of all malaria deaths globally. A key impediment to eliminating malaria is a weak surveillance system. In contrast, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Kyrgyzstan achieved malaria-free status in 2015 and 2016 respectively. About malaria: Malaria is a potentially life threatening parasitic disease. It is caused by parasites known as Plasmodium viviax (P.vivax), Plasmodium falciparum (P.falciparum), Plasmodium malariae (P.malariae) and Plasmodium ovale (P.ovale). It is transmitted by the infective bite of Anopheles mosquito. The disease has an incubation period of 10-15 days which means a person may develop symptoms after a fortnight of being bitten by an infected mosquito. The report was brought out by the World Health Organisation noted. Article link: Click here Bilateral naval agreement between India and Singapore Part of: Mains GS Paper II- International relations Key pointers: Under the agreement, India and Singapore on Wednesday agreed on greater cooperation and activity in the Strait of Malacca and the Andaman Sea The agreement includes maritime security, joint exercises and temporary deployments from the naval facilities of each other and mutual logistical support. The bilateral naval agreement has provision for mutual logistical support. The agreement would give the Navy the ability for extended deployments in the region. Singapore had accepted India’s proposal to institutionalise naval engagements in the shared maritime space, including setting up maritime exercises with like-minded countries and other ASEAN partners. The two countries also agreed to explore joints projects in research and development. The agreement is significant as the strait is considered a critical choke point for global commerce and is seen by China as a vulnerability for its energy security. Article link: Click here (MAINS EXCLUSIVE) SOCIAL ISSUES TOPIC : General Studies 2: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections. Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016: Re-introduction In news: The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has decided to re-introduce the original Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016 in the winter session of Parliament. Despite resistance to the 2016 Bill followed by a year-long process to redraft it to reflect the demands of the community, the Ministry has taken the decision, and without a single change. Historical background: In NALSA v. Union of India, the Supreme Court recognised that transgender persons have fundamental rights. The judgment was followed by a private member’s Bill, the Rights of Transgender Persons Bill, 2014, which was unanimously passed in the Rajya Sabha. Instead of introducing it in the Lok Sabha, the Ministry uploaded its own Bill, the Rights of Transgender Persons Bill, 2015, on its website in December for public comments. The 2015 Bill, which was largely based on the 2014 Bill, did away with the national and State commissions for transgender persons and transgender rights courts. The Bill was fairly progressive since it granted a transgender person the right to be identified as a ‘man’, ’woman’ or ‘transgender’. The 2016 Bill, that was finally introduced in the Lok Sabha, was a conservative one instead. A highly diluted version, it also pathologised transgender persons by defining them as “partly female or male; or a combination of female and male; or neither female nor male”. Met with backlash, the Ministry set up an expert standing committee on social justice and empowerment to examine the Bill. Issues: The proposed definition of ‘transgender person’ in the Bill “not only violates the fundamental rights to equality, dignity, autonomy but also freedom of transgender persons guaranteed under Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution". Transgender persons remain at risk of criminalization under Section 377. The Bill doesn't recognize the rights of transgender persons to partnership and marriage. The Standing committee report: The standing committee criticised the 2016 Bill for its stark deficiencies. It recommended: Re-drafting the definition of a ‘transgender person’ to make it inclusive and accurate. Providing for the definition of discrimination and setting up a grievance redress mechanism to address cases of discrimination. Granting reservations to transgender persons. The committee insisted that the law must grant equal civil rights to transgender persons (marriage, divorce and adoption). Provision of separate public toilets, counselling services to cope with trauma and violence as well as separate frisking zones for transgender persons at public places were some other recommendations made by the committee. Conclusion: The decision to re-introduce the 2016 Bill on transgender rights makes a mockery of democratic norms. The Ministry’s decision to re-introduce the 2016 Bill disregards the pre-legislative consultative policy which requires Ministries to grant a minimum of 30 days for public comments and to place a summary of feedback/comments received from the public/other stakeholders on their website. Connecting the dots: The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016 had many flaws which were highlighted by the parliamentary standing committee as well. Discuss the issues and the recommendations of the committee. NATIONAL 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: Science and Technology – developments and their applications and effects in everyday life Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology. Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights. For free and open Internet: Net Neutrality Basics: What is Net Neutrality? Net neutrality is the principle that Internet service providers (ISP) and governments should treat all traffic equally, and not charge differently based on content/site/application. Users should be able to access all websites at the same speed and cost. This principle is considered a cornerstone of a free and open internet that provides equal access to all. The term was coined by Columbia University media law professor Tim Wu in 2003. Why in news? Recently, India's telecom regulator (TRAI) has published recommendations strongly backing net neutrality. It requires that barriers should not be created by telecom and Internet service providers for user choice by limiting their power to discriminate between content providers and different classes of content. Through binding rules and regulations, the power of access providers to selectively price or create technical imbalances is to be corrected. In India, the debate on net neutrality picked speed after Facebook launched the Free Basics program in December 2015. The TRAI (during February 2016) had barred telecom service providers from charging differential rates for data services, thus prohibiting Facebook’s Free Basics and Airtel Zero platform by Airtel in their present form. Note: There are no laws enforcing net neutrality in India. Violations of net neutrality have been common in India. Examples beyond Facebook's Internet.org include Aircel's Wikipedia Zero along with Aircel's free access to Facebook and WhatsApp, Airtel's free access to Google, and RCom's free access to Twitter. TRAI has mandated that ISPs (Internet Service Providers) should not deploy any discriminatory practices such as blocking, degrading or slowing down of certain web traffic while giving preferential treatment to any specific content at the same time. The TRAI paper also suggests the formation of a regulatory body to monitor and deal with any such violation of net neutrality. If the recommendations by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) are accepted by the communications ministry, India will be ahead of the curve in internet rights. It brings the country a step closer to what could be the world's most progressive policy on equal internet access for all. The TRAI’s decision is significant not just in setting a benchmark for other emerging countries that are considering similar regulations, but also in signalling a market-friendly regulatory approach to content providers. Understanding the Net Neutrality debate: When users pay an ISP for an internet plan, they are entitled to be able to access all online content, be it videos, games, news or social media sites, at the same broadband speed they have signed up for. This has been the basic principle guiding internet and ISP since the beginning. However in 2007, US-based ISP Comcast Corp. was reportedly found to be delaying upload of files on Bitorrent. Delay in uploads affected the download speed as Bitorrent is a peer-to-peer service. FCC (Federal Communication Commission), an agency of US government, ordered Comcast in August 2008 to stop the discriminatory practice. The issue of net neutrality gathered momentum in 2015 when then US president Barack Obama pledged support for it and urged the agency to come with a strong rule on it. FCC ruled in favour of net neutrality, prohibiting any ISP from blocking, throttling, or giving special treatment in terms of speed to a content provider who has paid more than others. The FCC’s position on net neutrality has changed under the new regime. The agency plans to repeal the net neutrality rules to regulate ISPs passed under the Obama administration through a vote on 14 December 2017. Indian context: In India, the debate on net neutrality picked speed after Facebook launched the Free Basics program in December 2015, earlier known as internet.org. Free Basics gives free access to basic internet services to users who could not afford 4G data plans and were still using slower 2G networks. Though, Facebook wasn’t charging users anything extra, the notion of favouring access to certain content went against the basic principle of net neutrality. TRAI banned Free Basics and other similar services such as Airtel Zero in February 2016. Concerns: (Case 1) An ISP could make it harder for users to access parts of the internet to drive more traffic on its own content-sharing platform. A lot of ISPs have their own video and music streaming service. Without net neutrality regulation, they can try to throttle access to services of a rival. For instance, during 2014 Netflix accused Comcast of interfering with buffering speed and visual quality on the video streaming platform. The issue was resolved after Netflix agreed to pay for access to CDN networks. (Case 2) In various countries with no regulation on net neutrality, ISPs are already clubbing content into packages, compelling users to pay for apps and websites which were previously free. For example, Lisbon-based ISP MEO has got five different packs—Social (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Messaging (WhatsApp, Viber, Skype), Video (Netflix, YouTube, Twitch), Music (Pay Music, Spotify, TuneIn) and email and cloud (Gmail, Drive, Dropbox). To access these apps, subscribers have to pay an extra amount per month for every pack on top of the fee that they are already paying for the broadband connection to the ISP. (Case 3) If net neutrality is not adhered to, ISPs can use their last mile infrastructure to block Internet applications and content (e.g. websites, services, and protocols), and even to block out competitors. Thus the ISPs will create an exploitative business model playing the role of gatekeepers and being able to control which websites load quickly, load slowly, or don't load at all. (Case 4) Another concern with lack of net neutrality is of different speed lanes and the effect it will have on startups that do not have the resource to pay for faster lanes. Studies have shown that slow loading websites frustrate users and this had a negative impact on the content provider. The study showed that websites which load in 5 seconds against 19 seconds witnessed 25% higher ad views, 70% longer average sessions and 35% lower bounce rates. So content providers who are on slower lanes will miss out to rivals who can afford to pay for the faster lanes. Why Net Neutrality is good? Net neutrality creates rules of the road for a free and open Internet. In a recent judgment on the allocation of natural resources, Supreme Court had observed that “as natural resources are public goods, the doctrine of equality, which emerges from concepts of justice and fairness, must guide the state in determining the actual mechanism for distribution of material resources.” Beyond equality and reasonableness, a more tangible appreciation of Net neutrality is immediately felt on our liberty. The Internet today affords millions of Indians with an immediate audience without the traditional costs of distribution. Tinkering with its character, or carving it up in slices (as would happen in the absence of Net neutrality), would fragment its community and the diversity of choice offered by it. This would impact both the right to speak and the ability to receive knowledge, hence impacting our right to freedom of speech and expression. Net neutrality provides a level-playing field to content providers and startups. Net Neutrality lowers the barriers of entry and operations for entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses by ensuring the Web is a fair and level playing field. We need the open Internet to foster job growth, competition and innovation. Connecting the dots: What do you understand by net neutrality? Critically analyse in light of the recent decisions taken by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). MUST READ The road to an open internet The Hindu Electric cars and us The Hindu Globalisation in retreat Indian Express International Labour Organisation's ommmissions Indian Express How to free Indians from the medical poverty trap Livemint India's deteriorating public discourse Livemint

Nov 30, 2017 MindMaps

IASbaba’s MINDMAP : Issue – Pension Reforms

IASbaba’s MINDMAP : Issue – Pension Reforms 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)

Nov 30, 2017 Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz- 2017 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 92]

UPSC Quiz- 2017 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 92] Archives Q.1) Consider the following statements about Chabahar Port It is located on the Gulf of Aden It is intended to provide an alternative for trade between India and Afghanistan Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.2) ‘The Two State Solution’ is concerned with Spain and Catalonia Israel and Palestine China and Taiwan None of the above Q.3) Ribbon development is building of houses in a continuous row along a main road used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas an area of higher population density lying between Mumbai and Pune a collection of low-cost, temporary changes to the built environment, usually in cities, intended to improve local neighbourhoods and city gathering places Q.4) ‘Towards a Pollution-Free Planet’ is released by United Nations Environment Programme Green Peace Climate Action Network Earthwatch Institute Q.5) Which of the following is/are correct about Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016? Rural areas have been brought in ambit of these rules Responsibility of waste generators has been introduced for the first time Both (a) and (b) Neither (a) nor (b) To Download the Solution – Click Here All The Best IASbaba

Nov 29, 2017 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus]- 29th November 2017

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 29th November 2017 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) Net Neutrality Part of: Mains GS Paper II- Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Key pointers: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Tuesday recommended upholding the basic principle of net neutrality. “The use of Internet should be facilitated in such a manner that it advances the free speech rights of citizens, by ensuring plurality and diversity of views, opinions and ideas,” recommended TRAI. Any service provider would be prohibited from discriminating on the basis of content by either blocking, throttling, or “fast-laning” any apps, websites or web services. TRAI also recommended that “specialised services” and content delivery networks (CDNs) be excluded from the scope of “any rules on net neutrality”. The status of specialised services will be given if a service follows two broad principles. First, “such services are not usable or offered as a replacement for Internet access services”. Second, “the provision of such services should not be detrimental to the availability and overall quality of Internet access services”. TRAI had barred telecom providers from charging differential rates for data services in its Prohibition of Discriminatory Tariffs for Data Services Regulations, 2016, effectively blocking such attempts by Facebook and Airtel. CDNs: These are a layer in Internet networks (outside public Internet), used by content generators to store their data at suitable geographical locations. The regulator has exempted CDNs from the scope of net neutrality rules, arguing that CDNs add efficiency to the network by reducing latency, mitigating congestion and freeing up network capacity for other purposes. Article link: Click here Diabetes and high BMI as causes of cancer Part of: Mains GS Paper II- Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources Key pointers: A new Lancet study has found that diabetes and high BMI (above 25 kg/m2) were the cause of 5.6 per cent of the new cancer cases in 2012. Calculated on the basis of an individual’s height and weight, BMI or body mass index (a person’s weight in kg divided by the square of height in metres) is recognised the world over as a measure of obesity. The findings are important for India as, with an estimated 62 million diabetics, it is widely considered the diabetes capital of the world. The National Cancer Registry recorded around 14.5 lakh cancer cases in 2016-17 in the country. For India, the BMI obesity cut-off has been lowered from the global 25 kg/m2 to 22 kg/m2, given the proneness of Indians to truncal obesity, that increases the risk of various ailments. Article link: Click here Welfare Costs due to rising pollution Part of: Mains GS Paper III- Environmental pollution and degradation. Key pointers: India had the highest share of welfare costs (or a loss of income from labour), of about $220 billion, in South and South-East Asia — of a combined total of $380 billion from mortality due to air pollution, according to a report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The global mortality costs from outdoor air pollution are projected to rise to about $25 trillion by 2060 in the absence of more stringent measures. At regional and national scale, China’s welfare costs from mortality were the highest followed by the OECD countries. Solution: The UNEP called for strong high-level political commitment and engagement of the local government, civil society and other stakeholders. To achieve high level political commitment in key economic sectors, there is a need to go beyond the environmental ministries and include other relevant ministries such as finance, agriculture, industry, urban, transport, energy and health. Article link: Click here Improving the share of manufacturing sector in GDP Part of: Mains GS Paper III- Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. Key pointers: The manufacturing sector’s share in India’s GDP has remained stagnant despite the government’s efforts to increase it. Highlighting the issue, the Asian Development Bank suggested that India must do more to integrate with the global value chain. Issues: India currently plays only a small part in the global value chain. Inequality between Indian states. The inadequate investment in the infrastructure sector. The poor planning behind urban development. Absence of a proactive urbanization strategy, what is likely is ribbon development along the highways and haphazard development around the industrial areas. Article link: Click here UN Convention against torture Part of: Mains GS Paper II - Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation Key pointers: India signed the U.N. Convention against Torture in 1997 but has not ratified it yet. Efforts to bring a standalone law against torture have lapsed. The National Human Rights Commission has been strongly urging the government to recognise torture as a separate crime and codify the punishment in a separate penal law. The Supreme Court had described torture as an instrument of “human degradation” used by the State. The Law Commission of India has already recommended the Centre to ratify the United Nations Convention Against Torture and frame a standalone anti-torture law directly making the State responsible for any injury inflicted by its agents on citizens. The Law Commission has suggested that the State should not claim immunity from the actions of its officers or agents. Draft bill against torture: In its 273rd report, the Commission has proposed a new anti-torture law titled ‘The Prevention of Torture Bill, 2017’ which provides a wide definition to torture not confined to physical pain but also includes “inflicting injury, either intentionally or involuntarily, or even an attempt to cause such an injury, which will include physical, mental or psychological in nature.” The draft Bill has recommended punishments for torture ranging from fine to life imprisonment on the perpetrator. In case a person in police custody is found with injuries, it would be “presumed that those injuries have been inflicted by the police.” The burden of proof is on the police to explain the injury on the undertrial. The Bill proposes to give the courts to decide a justiciable compensation for the victims taking into consideration his or her social background, extent of injury or mental agony. The compensation should suffice to pay for the medical treatment and rehabilitation of the victim. Article link: Click here (MAINS EXCLUSIVE) NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. General Studies 3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment. Science and Technology? developments and their applications and effects in everyday life. Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology. Boosting Energy Security: Ensuring primary resources In news: Recently, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has acknowledged India would be the fastest growing energy consumer – and market – till 2040. This applies not only to the hydrocarbon sector, but also for renewable energy (RE), as fast-declining costs turn solar and wind energy into the main drivers of growth in the power sector. The renewables seem to be ruling as prices per unit of solar and wind-based generation are falling rapidly. Prices have dropped from a high of ₹17/unit in 2010 to ₹2.44 per unit by mid-2017 for solar and to between ₹ 3.51 to 5.92 per unit for wind as against coal which stands at around ₹3.20 per unit. With the goal set at 100 GW by 2022, India had ramped up its solar generation capacity to around 13 GW and 32.5 GW for wind by the end of fiscal 2016-17 as against 3744 MW and 17.4 GW, respectively, at the end of 2014-15. Challenges: Poised to be among the top five renewables generators in the world in a few decades, moving up several notches from its current seventh position, renewables can solve India’s energy insecurity. However, the challenges with regard to energy security remain grave: Despite having an installed generation capacity of around 303 GW – the fourth largest – more than 300 million citizens are yet to gain access to electricity. At the same time, a growing economy and rising living standards has seen per capita consumption of energy increasing from a below global average – which means that there is room for even more growth. India is also one of the largest growing passenger vehicle markets. Stagnating domestic oil and gas production has seen import dependency for both growing year-on-year. High imports of solar panel modules- India’s impressive growth of RE generation has led to a vast demand for further growth, which, in turn, has led to huge imports of solar panel modules, mainly because domestically manufactured solar modules were costlier - around 10 to 15 per cent more than imported ones from China, Taiwan and Malaysia. Around 89 per cent of solar modules used in India in 2016-17 were imported, and it is unlikely that domestic alternatives will be able to fill the gap. Moreover, the price of imported solar modules have increased by almost 12 per cent since the second half of 2017, due to the increased demand in overseas markets as well as a shortage of polysilicon, an important component in solar panels. This may lead to an increase in the cost of solar power as the price hike is passed on to the customers. Hence, the very reason for the popularity of solar power may be defeated, leading to a fall in generation. About REE: REE are a special class of 17 elements or minerals that have extensive use across various industries, including computer, healthcare, defence systems and batteries, apart from clean energy systems. As of now, China has the largest reserves of REE and largely controls the market, sometimes even using it as a strategic tool. Manufacture of solar panels and wind turbines depend on access to rare earth elements (REE). Indian context: India too has significant reserves of REE. According to some studies, India has the fourth largest reserves after China, the US and Australia. Despite commencing rare earth mining activities more than five decades ago, India has not leveraged its advantage. A combination of low-cost Chinese production and lack of R&D, including in extraction techniques and facilities for the separation of individual elements from combined elements, has kept the sector from progressing up the value chain. REE sector: The government has initiated a review of requisite policies to provide a fillip to the sector. In August 2017, the Supreme Court directed the central government to revise the 2008 National Mineral Policy by the end of the year. The SC emphasised the need to encourage scientific mining through proper survey and exploration, as well as the need for adopting better mining practices, advancing R&D, and regulation of unauthorised activities. A new committee has been set up comprising representatives of various ministries and industry – keeping in mind the importance of involving the private sector – as well as representatives of organisations such as Indian Bureau of Mines, Geological Survey of India, Niti Aayog and the Railway Board. One of the main focus areas recommended was improved exploration and scoping of minerals, including rare earth and strategic minerals. Way forward: India needs to ensure that it has the necessary primary resources required to power its energy sector if it is to achieve its goal of energy security. Importing of solar panels does not enhance the country’s basic energy strategy of greater energy independence and security. We need to invest in creating a competitive module manufacturing sector across the manufacturing chain, from procuring primary resources to the finished product. Where China controls the global supply of REE and has even begun stockpiling in preparation for future market demand, efforts to diversify the REE supply chain is critical, both from the economic and security perspectives. India is a latecomer in the sector of REE, but with requisite policy initiatives and implementation, it should join the battle for the soon-to-be-more-competitive renewables market. Connecting the dots: The renewables market is becoming competitive day by day. India needs to ensure that it has the necessary primary resources required to power its energy sector if it is to achieve its goal of energy security. Critically analyse. EDUCATION/SOCIAL SECTOR REFORMS 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. Education in India needs a rehaul Introduction: Rabindranath Tagore's quote on education: “The imposing tower of misery which today rests on the heart of India has its sole foundation in the absence of education.” This is as true today as it was nearly 90 years back. Concerns: While India highlights its ever-improving literacy levels, educationally it is a terrible under-performer, too embarrassed to participate in the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment tests covering reading and computational skills for 15-year-olds. Successive studies have repeatedly established that a majority of those in each class in India have educational attainments much lower than the one they are in. Large majority of students in the university were unemployable because of their inability to apply their knowledge in real-life situations. This is because of a poor foundation in schools, where the emphasis is more on rote learning, rather than testing a student’s creative skills. There has been little attempt by educators in the country to improve rural education, where the motivation among children to attend class is low because of such factors as negative parental pressure, poor facilities, and uninspired teaching. As per UNESCO data, India has one of the lowest public expenditure rates on education per student, especially compared to other Asian countries like China. Education in most schools is one dimensional, with an obsessive focus on marks. Added to this is the lack of availability of trained teachers at all levels. Quality teachers are the missing link in the Indian education system. Although pockets of excellence exist, the quality of teaching, especially in government schools, does not meet the standards. With a literacy rate of 77 percent, India lags behind other BRICS nations, which have literacy rates above 90 percent. All these countries have better student-teacher ratios. So not only does India grapple with poor quality teachers, it also has fewer total teachers in comparison with other countries that do a better job at education. Data from the Ministry of Human Resource Development show that only half of all students who enter primary school make it to the upper primary level and less than half that get into the 9-12 class cycle. In their book An Uncertain Glory: India and its Contradictions, Amartya Sen and Jean Dreze, quoting from an ASER survey conducted in 2011 in rural areas, commented that: Only 58 percent of children enrolled in classes three to five could read a class one text. Less than half (47 percent) were able to do simple two-digit subtraction. Only half of the children in classes five to eight could use a calendar. They were not found proficient in even basic skills; about two-thirds of the students in class four could not master the measurement of the length of the pencil with a ruler. Failures: Study after study has shown that the true indicator of economic development in a country is the education and wellbeing of its people. Although, India has made rapid economic progress over the last three decades, one area that has not received enough attention is the quality of primary education. Lack of good secondary and higher secondary schools: The number of secondary schools is less than 150,000 for a country of 1.3 billion, and even this comes down to just 100,000 at the higher secondary level. While there are around five million primary school teachers, at the secondary level the number is just 1.5 million. India has persisted with a schooling system that has long failed its young. The inevitable shift to private school education along with the Right to Education Act represents a failure of the public-school system. The way forward: It is government schools that should be the drivers of change by becoming the first, not the last, choice of parents to send their children to. For that to happen, our public-school system must be swiftly and radically revamped. Teacher training institutions, under the District Institutes of Education and Training constitute play an important part. Role of the newly-constituted State-Level Quality Assurance Coordination Committee (SLQAC) is important as it will monitor the quality enhancement in educational institutions and provide guidance to them to meet the accreditation standards and ranking parameters. It is time that India began viewing school education as a critical strategic investment and gave it the status of a vital infrastructure project. As all in-country efforts have failed, we should go in for a radical overhaul of our educational infrastructure with the help of countries that have an amazing record in providing quality school education — Finland, for instance. We can surely afford to pay for that. Finland model of providing quality school education (Comparative analysis) Finnish children don’t begin school until age 7. They have more recess, shorter school hours and the lightest homework load of any industrialized nation. There are no gifted programs, almost no private schools, and no high-stakes national standardized tests. Yet over the past decade Finland has consistently performed among the top nations on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Finland built its excellent, efficient, and equitable educational system in a few decades from scratch, and the concept guiding almost every educational reform has been “equity”. Regardless of a person’s gender, background, or social welfare status, everyone gets an equal chance to make the most of their skills. Finland created a “school system based on equality” to make sure we can develop everyone’s potential. There are no mandated standardized tests in Finland, apart from one exam at the end of students’ senior year in high school. There are no rankings, no comparisons or competition between students, schools or regions. Finland’s schools are publicly funded. The people in the government agencies running them, from national officials to local authorities, are educators, not business people, military leaders or career politicians. Every school has the same national goals and draws from the same pool of university-trained educators. The result is that a Finnish child has a good shot at getting the same quality education no matter whether he or she lives in a rural village or a university town. The differences between weakest and strongest students are the smallest in the world, according to the most recent survey by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Conclusion: Providing universal quality education depends not on the performance of teachers alone, but is the shared responsibility of several stakeholders: governments, schools, teachers, parents, the media and civil society, international organisations, and the private sector. If only India had begun revamping school education at the start of economic liberalisation, it would by now have had the world’s largest pool of well-educated and highly trained workers. Fortunately, India continues to have the largest number of young people anywhere. By ensuring they get a world-class education over the next few decades, India will be well on its way towards becoming a developed nation sooner than expected. Connecting the dots: Highlight the challenges and the reforms needed in Indian education policy with respect to primary and higher education. An unacceptably large number of Indian children are attending school but not learning enough. The issue of low learning trap is not just with Indian but is a global epidemic. The need of the hour is planned action and evidence-based policymaking. Discuss. MUST READ Freedom first The Hindu Rethink school education The Hindu Cities at crossroads: Perils of plastic waste Indian Express One giant leap, for all Indian Express Towards a new direct tax system Livemint Making Indian cities more competitive Livemint

Nov 29, 2017 Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz- 2017 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 91]

UPSC Quiz- 2017 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 91] Archives Q.1) The government-appointed committee released a white paper as part of its work to prepare a data protection framework. The committee is headed by BN Srikrishna Ratan Watal Rajiv Kumar Arvind Panagariya Q.2) Consider the following statements Ranthambore National Park is one of the Project Tiger reserves The Ranthambore Fort was built by a ruler of the Chauhan dynasty around the mid-10th century Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.3) Consider the following statements about Minimum Age Convention, 1973 It is adopted by the International Labour Organization India is yet to ratify the convention It provides for the possibility of initially setting the general minimum age at 14 (12 for light work) where the economy and educational facilities are insufficiently developed Select the correct statement 1 and 2 2 and 3 1 and 3 All of the above Q.4) Formal sources of credit do not include Banks Cooperatives Employers Money lenders Select the correct code: 1, 3 and 4 2 and 3 2, 3 and 4 3 and 4 Q.5) Consider the following statements Members of parliament other than ministers are called private members and bills presented by them are known as private member's bills. Private members bill can be initiated only in the Lok Sabha Select the correct statement 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 To Download the Solution – Click here All The Best IASbaba

Nov 29, 2017 AIR

All India Radio (AIR) : Alternative Fuel to Check Air Pollution

Alternative Fuel to Check Air Pollution ARCHIVES Search 8th September 2017 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. Every year, all major cites face air pollution, smog and heavy air due to which breathing problem occurs. The growth of diesel and petrol of cars should be slowed down. Though India is moving towards exploring alternative fuels to replace petrol and diesel, more collective efforts are required throughout the world to save the planet. Coping with air pollution Air pollution has impacted health to a great extent. Cost to economy is high and number of man-days, efficiency of average Indian has diminished. In addition, production of GHGs and other toxic gases has led to decrease in lifespan of the average person. Thus, there is no doubt entire planet is reeling on grave issue. Deadly pollution The most concerning pollutant is Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) which is basically dust. Though dust is generally non-harmful, there are very small micro dust particles less than 10 microns and 2.5 microns which deposit in lungs and cause a great respiratory diseases like asthma. CO and CO2 are also causing equal harm. CO mixes with Hb and forms carboxyhemoglobin which is poison and more than 8 hours exposure of CO can even cause death. India has declared that by 2030 there should be only electric cars Pollution amass Three air pollution sources point sources- industry where it caused through chimney line sources- vehicles moving along the roads area sources- use of cow dung, chulha NCR and surrounding region have constant air pollution problem, especially due to line sources as NCR region has pollution industry removed by law.. Government has installed number of pollution monitoring stations and index systems. But they only inform the level of pollution and not reduce the pollution. The odd-even scheme has not given desired results due to many exemptions and exceptions. Industrial pollutants are not that damaging as they release pollution through chimneys which are high and in upper height they throw pollutants which mixes with higher level. Except winter or foggy weather, they don’t settle down in ground. Alternative available to Automobile industry India is going through economic transformation where income levels are increasing and India has got highest growth rate among developing nations. Number of cars are growing geometrically. In 2016-17, 3.17 million cars were sold and 3.59 million two wheelers were sold across the country. This shows the amount of pollution generated in environment. But examples should be taken from countries like Singapore which have strict vehicle and pollution norms. There are various hydrogen cars are at earlier stage of research but commercialising have started taking place in japan. Sweden as cent percent electrical vehicles with renewable sources produced electricity- hydropower, biomas, biomass gasification, solar and wind. Electric cars are not affordable right now but India aims to sell only electric vehicles by 2030. When the technology is more advanced, the electric vehicles will be cheaper and the operating costs will also reduce, which will be an economic incentive for the public to buy the same. Charged by electricity as fuel, battery doesn’t emit emission. Batteries are in build with high capacity. Fuels Fossil fuels are limited in nature as now hardly 30-40 years of stock of fossil fuels is remaining. Hence, switching over entirely into renewable sources for protection of humanity is the only option. The regular ownership policy is emerging throughout the world- US, Japan, Germany are trying to create new means of clean fuels and the people are also eyeing for adopting clean and greener fuel. Alternative fuels are biofuels- biopetrol or ethanol, biodesel from jatropha, tree based oil which is non-edible but can be used in vehicles with proper blending of petrol and diesel etc. Conclusion In India’s energy mix, still larger amount from coal as well as oil which forms 70% of energy mix. There is greater need of saving renewable energy so as to use them when they are not existing, such as solar energy at night, wind energy when there is no wind etc. There is great potential in hydropower which can be explored to the best capacity utilisation of resource. India has to fulfil its commitment of Paris agreement whereby atleast 40% of energy mix should come from non-fossil fuel sources including nuclear by 2030. Also Read Tackling Pollution: Strengthening coordination among states Connecting the dots: What do you understand by alternative fuels? Describe how they will help India to emerge as a cleaner and greener socio-economic country.

Nov 28, 2017 MindMaps

IASbaba’s MINDMAP : Issue – Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

IASbaba’s MINDMAP : Issue – Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) 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)

Nov 28, 2017 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus]- 28th November 2017

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 28th November 2017 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) ISRO’s Solar Mission Aditya-L1 Part of: Mains GS Paper III- Space Technology and achievements of ISRO Key pointers: By 2019 or 2020 India will send ISRO’s solar mission Aditya-L1 to a vantage point in space, known as the L1 Lagrange point, to do imaging and study of the sun. The 1,500-kg class satellite will be programmed to orbit the L1 point and image the sun’s magnetic field from space for the very first time in the world. Scientists hope to capture the close-ups of the sun, uninterrupted by eclipses for years. Aditya-L1 is expected to be the very first to study from space two months from the time of launch, the magnetic field of the sun’s corona. Few other space agencies have successfully placed their satellites at the L1 point, example- SOHO, ACE etc. It will be the first 100% Indian mission which will not only negotiate a challenging orbit, but will also benefit the global scientific community in understanding the sun. There is currently no satellite imaging the sun from space. Aditya-L1 will carry seven payloads. Important terms: Solar cycle - an occurrence in which sunspots form on the face of the sun, growing in size and number and eventually diminishing, all over a period of eleven years. It will be a mission of many firsts. The L1 point is 1.5 million kilometres away. Here, due to the delicate balance of gravitational forces, the satellite will require very little energy to maintain its orbit. Also, it will not be eclipsed from the sun. The corona is the outer layer that we see during total solar eclipses. Article link: Click here 15th Finance Commission Part of: Mains GS Paper III - Indian Economy and issues relating to planning Key pointers: NK Singh will be the chairman of the 15th Finance Commission (FC) The FC will recommend distribution of taxes between the Centre and the states. The Commission will work on the principles which should govern the grants-in-aid of the revenues of the States out of the Consolidated Fund of India and the sums to be paid to the States by way of grants-in-aid of their revenues under Article 275 of the Constitution. The Commission will also suggest measures to augment the Consolidated Fund of a State to supplement the resources of the Panchayats and Municipalities. The government has further tasked the Commission to suggest a fiscal consolidation roadmap for the Centre and the states. About FC: Finance Commission is a body set up under Article 280(1) of the Constitution. It is formed every five years to recommend principles governing the allocation of tax revenue between the Centre, states and local bodies. Its primary job is to recommend measures and methods on how revenues need to be distributed between the Centre and states. The recommendations of the previous 14th Finance Commission, chaired by former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Y V Reddy, are valid from 2015 to 2020. The recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission will be implemented for the period starting 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2025. Article link: Click here Seven principles of a good data protection law Part of: Mains GS Paper II - Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Key pointers: The Justice BN Srikrishna Committee, set up by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, was tasked with writing a draft data protection law. It published a white paper on data protection framework. The seven key principles mentioned on which such a framework could be based upon in the country include: 1) Technology agnostic law. 2) Be applicable to the private sector and the government. 3) Informed and meaningful consent. 4) Minimal and necessary data processing. 5) Data controller must be accountable for any processing. 6) Establishing a high-powered statutory authority for enforcement, supported by a decentralised enforcement mechanism. 7) Penalties for wrongful data processing to ensure deterrence It envisions three main objectives of a data protection authority: 1) Monitor, investigate and enforce the laws. 2) Set the standards. 3) Generate awareness in an increasingly digitised society. Article link: Click here World's smallest data recorder made of bacteria Part of: Mains GS Paper III- Science & Technology Key pointers: Researchers have converted a natural bacterial immune system into the world’s smallest data recorder. This achievement lays the groundwork for a new class of technologies that use bacterial cells for everything from disease diagnosis to environmental monitoring. The researchers modified an ordinary laboratory strain of the microbe Escherichia coli, enabling the bacteria to not only record their interactions with the environment but also time-stamp the events. Micro applications: Such bacteria, swallowed by a patient, might be able to record the changes they experience through the whole digestive tract, yielding an view of previously inaccessible phenomena. Environmental sensing and basic studies in ecology and microbiology, where bacteria could monitor otherwise invisible changes without disrupting their surroundings. Article link: Click here (MAINS EXCLUSIVE) 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 Social Issue – Child labour and related issues Is the world losing the battle against Child Labour? Global child labour estimates 152 million children – 64 million girls and 88 million boys – are in child labour globally, accounting for almost one in ten of all children worldwide. 71% of children in child labour work in the agricultural sector and 69% perform unpaid work within their own family unit. Nearly half of all those in child labour are in hazardous work that directly endangers their health, safety, and moral development. 3 million children in forced labour, a worst form of child labour. Therefore, the international community has declared that the persistence of child labour in today’s world is unacceptable and, in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has renewed its commitment to eliminating all forms of child labour by 2025. Sustainable Development Goal for ending child labour SDG Goal 8 (decent work and economic growth): focuses on promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable growth and full and productive employment and decent work for all. SDG Target 8.7 aims to “take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms.” Under the SDG agenda, UN member states, employers’ and workers’ organizations, as well as civil society organizations urged to eliminate child labour by 2025, and forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking by 2030. Current position: Two years after governments set the above discussed 2025 target to end child labour, delegates from 100 nations at a recent Global Conference on the Sustained Eradication of Child Labour held in Buenos Aires were told that they will miss the deadline. Recently launched International Labour Organization (ILO) reports also caution that the world will not achieve the SDG goal of ending child labour unless society “dramatically” increases its efforts to end modern slavery and child labour. The report hinted that realizing the objective could take well over 20 years after the expiry of the 2030 SDGs. Overall, there was a slowdown in the reduction of child labour, just one percentage point, during the four years until 2016. More worrisome is that there was almost no progress with respect to the rescue of children under 12 years in the four years since 2012. Equally, the decline in child labour among girls was only half the proportion of that of boys during this period. Child labour is declining far too slowly, in the midst of unprecedented growth in migration and forced displacement that aggravate the situation. Failures: ILO report points to four systemic failures that underpin the lack of progress: Absence of an effective national legislation: There is a need for an efficient national legislation to give effect to global conventions on the employment of children in hazardous industries, as well as on the minimum age of work. Lack of harmony between global commitments and domestic priorities. Lack of effective labour inspections in the informal economy: A strong legal framework that mandates punitive action against offending firms and recruitment of youth and adults are important tools to guarantee the protection of children. Absence of strong collective bargaining mechanisms and effective social protection policies from the cradle to the end of their lives. Solution: To end modern slavery, the report recommends: stronger social protection floors to offset the vulnerabilities that push people into slavery; extending labour rights in the informal economy to protect workers from exploitation; and improving migration governance. The report also elaborates on the importance of addressing gender considerations and tackling modern slavery as part of humanitarian actions in areas of fragility, conflict and crisis. Conclusion: The argument that has long held sway is that child labour, however unfortunate, is inevitable as long as households remained poor. Only after parents escape poverty will their children be able to enter school. What these claims ignore is that the reverse is far more true. That child labour is indeed a major cause of persisting poverty. That if a child is trapped in labour instead of being able to attend fully to her schooling, she will never be able to escape the poverty of her parents. The child of a sanitation worker, rag-picker, domestic worker or casual labourer is likely to be trapped in the professions of her parents unless she is able to access quality education. We should not be the generation that will preside over a system when the state dropped the ball – and our children and we pay the price for it, under the garb of doing right for them. Economic development, investment, women and child welfare and job creation should be given their rightful place in budgetary allocation. Amidst the furore over the recent juvenile crimes and release we should be able to think of such positive steps so that another child is not turned into a criminal because of avoidable circumstances. Child is meant to learn, NOT to earn Connecting the dots: Do you think the existing legal and institutional support is adequate to end the menace of child labour in India? Critically comment. 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 General Studies 3: Indian economy and issues related to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. Improving female participation in workforce In news: According to the World Economic Forum’s “Global Gender Gap Report 2017”, India’s ranking has fallen by 21 places from last year. We currently are far below the global average and also behind our neighbours China and Bangladesh. Poor participation in workforce: As per the World Bank report, we have one of the lowest workforce female participation rates, ranking 120th among 131. One of the areas where we have fared poorly is in wages and participation of women in the economy where our rank is an abysmal 139. This is not the first report to highlight the plight of our women. Even in terms of contribution to gross domestic product (GDP), women are currently under-represented. At 17%, India has a lower share of women’s contribution to GDP than the global average of 37%. The participation levels in workforce have been dropping in the last few years. The National Sample Survey found that while in 1999-2000, 25.9% of all women worked; by 2011-12 this proportion had dropped to 21.9%. Explanation behind: A possible explanation is that with rising household income, women now have the opportunity to choose leisure over work, especially in agricultural sectors and on construction sites, and focus on their families. However, research has shown that when women have access to more work opportunities, they gladly take them. Women do seek opportunities: The India Human Development Survey highlighted that the provision of work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) brought more rural women into wage labour. Among MGNREGA workers in 2011-12, a whopping 45% were not in wage labour before the scheme was initiated, which means that women do seek opportunities to earn a stable wage. More participation in informal economy rather than formal one: According to an International Labour Organization study, the participation of women in informal employment and non-standard forms of employment (for eg. part-time jobs or jobs in the informal sector) is higher than men. The share of women in services and industry is less than 20%. Disadvantages: Fewer skilling opportunities and lack of job security. A woman is less likely to find stable job opportunities within the informal sectors. Poor quality and even unsafe working conditions, low wages and denial of statutory benefits like social security. Higher risks of discrimination as compared to male colleagues. Wages not only below the statutory minimum wage but also much less than her male counterparts’ and benefits like maternity leave or related facilities, which are meant to keep women in the workforce, will not be accessible to her in the informal sector. Women opting out of employment: The lack of safe working conditions, social security benefits, and a fair wage that can only be paid by formal sector employers with high productivity and output ratios, induces women to opt out of employment. What needs to be done? To take their rightful place within Indian workforce and society at large, our women need lot more formal sector employment opportunities with better wages. For this formal sector employment need to grow. The existing complex and conflicting regulatory cholesterol and inconsistent legislation are currently impeding formal job creation. A total revamping of the regulatory ecosystem is required. Sustained reforms in labour laws and skilling ecosystems will help in creation of formal jobs. A change in thought process about the role of women in society and the economy is required. Huge investments will be needed in upskilling and educating women and the girl child, financial inclusion of women, encouraging women entrepreneurs and strengthening legal provisions for safety and security of women. Increased availability of stable-wage jobs for women is critical to preventing the socio-economic exploitation of women, improving their quality of life, enhancing a woman’s control over household decision-making and enabling her to lead a life of dignity. Formalization of India’s job market is one the crucial step in this regard. Conclusion: It is estimated that India can potentially boost its GDP by $700 billion in 2025, translating to 1.4% per year of incremental GDP growth, by raising female labour-force participation rate by just 10 percentage points, from 31% to 41%. This can be possible only if formalization of jobs takes place. Connecting the dots: Female workforce participation rates are far below the global average and also behind our neighbors China and Bangladesh. Discuss the reasons behind. Formalization of jobs is the way out. Analyse. Also read: Missing women in India's labour force MUST READ Sink your differences The Hindu Stories of strength Indian Express Message from Pakistan Indian Express Balancing patents and drug prices Livemint India- a middle class nation Livemint China cannot rob us of Brahmaputra Business Line

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