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Oct 24, 2017 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs 24th Oct, 2017

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 24th Oct 2017 Archives ENVIRONMENT TOPIC: General Studies 3: Conservation, Environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment. Determining environmentally-desirable growth rate Background: There is a silver lining to a lower growth rate from the perspective of the sustainability of the economy in the long run. It can bring significant economic welfare through improvements in environmental quality. Economists concerned about sustainable development advocate low levels of economic growth since with large expansions in national income come negative environmental consequences such as pollution. These adversely affect the environmental quality and economic welfare of individuals and households dependent on the environment for their basic livelihood. The Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis: It appears that it is the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis that underlines almost all our development policies, which are directed towards pushing double-digit income growth with little concern for environmental capital. The EKC hypothesis is shown in an inverted U-shaped curve depicting the relationship between per capita income and environmental deterioration. It suggests that during the initial period of economic development, where per capita income is low, deterioration of environmental quality caused by rapid industrialisation and urbanisation is inevitable. Society will have to accept a certain level of environmental damage arising from income-generating activities because large-scale income growth is essential for achieving other development goals such as generation of mass employment and poverty reduction. Once per capita income reaches a higher level, the trade-off between income growth and environmental quality will cease to exist. With increased financial and technological capabilities, we can restore the environmental quality to desired levels. So, income growth on a higher path brings a win-win outcome in the long run where poverty is reduced and environmental quality is improved. Issue with the EKC hypothesis: In reality, the EKC is a near myth since an increase in per capita income does not bring desirable levels of improvement to the environment. In fact, empirical evidence across countries reveals that various attempts to increase per capita income causes more environmental deterioration. The Indian context: Studies that have attempted to estimate the economic costs of environmental damages in India have revealed some striking findings. For example, a 2013 World Bank study highlighted that in India, a higher level of economic growth maintained in the past imposed Rs. 3.75 trillion worth of environmental damage cost, which is equivalent to 5.7% of the country’s GDP at 2009 prices. Another study by the World Bank found that India’s air pollution alone caused welfare loss equivalent to 7.69% (approximately Rs. 31,316.2 billion) of its GDP in 2013. Issues: The values reported by the above studies are underestimates since they do not capture the wide range of economic impacts on the environment due to non-availability of data. For example, the environment generates a range of ecosystem services such as provisioning services (food, irrigation, drinking water), regulating services (climate regulation, water quality regulation), cultural services (recreational and religious services) and supporting services (nutrient recycling, soil formation). Identifying and quantifying them for the purpose of damage assessment is a difficult task in the absence of relevant data. In India, millions of households and economic activities utilise these ecosystem services for production and consumption. Though economically highly valuable, ecosystem services are not traded in the markets and, therefore, their true values are not reflected in the system. Therefore, the actual value of economic welfare lost due to loss of ecosystem services will be much higher than what is being currently estimated. Another issue is that the current method of GDP estimation treats environmental damage costs as income. Since development policies give more priority to income and employment generation, implementation of pollution control policies are very poor. For example, pollution control measures implemented in the bleaching and dying units in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, for more than 25 years did not achieve any pollution reduction. In fact, the measures led to not only the closure of these units in 2011 but had already caused significant irreversible damage to the health, agriculture and livestock sectors in that region. Regional poverty and inequality in income are caused by such ineffective policies. Adequate reforms in the area of pollution control with a larger role for market-based instruments such as pollution tax and tradable pollution permits are yet to be carried out in India. At present, the price of a commodity from a polluting unit covers only the private cost of production, not the damage cost. This makes the commodity relatively cheaper leading to more demand and output, and more pollution and environmental damage cost. Increased output and demand increases the value of GDP, but the corresponding environmental damage cost is not adjusted in the GDP estimation. More environmental damage may lead to an increased level of purchase of market goods contributing to expansion of the GDP. When individuals become sick due to water pollution, the demand for medical services will rise; increase in the purchase of these market goods and services will expand the GDP size. So, more pollution damage leads to higher GDP. The size of environmental social costs is significantly higher than the social benefits being brought about by GDP growth. This means, if we try to increase income and employment in traditional sectors, we lose them in other sectors that are dependent on the environment. Sometimes, the economic losses are much higher than the gains of income growth. Conclusion: Since GDP growth and environmental damage have a strong positive relationship, lower growth in GDP could afford benefits. Though there is an uncertainty in determining environmentally desirable growth rate. Maintaining 5-6% growth rate with strict environmental regulation is supposed to reduce environmental damage significantly. A proper assessment of environmental social benefits and social costs of income growth is warranted so that policies can be directed towards setting environmentally sustainable growth rates. Efforts to develop environmental accounting and green GDP for India can help us achieve sustainable development in future. Connecting the dots: What is the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis. Do you agree that income per capita and environmental degradation relationship can be depicted by an inverted U-curve? In this light discuss the need of determining environmentally desirable growth rate. GOVERNANCE / WELFARE 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. Solving the issue of homelessness Background: One of the most challenging problems of our times is homelessness. The challenges for India are daunting: An estimated 65 million people, or 13.6 million households, are housed in urban slums, according to the 2011 Census which estimated that an additional 1.8 million people in India were homeless. India is urbanising fast. Around 38 per cent of India will be urbanised by 2025. This would mean some 540 million people will be living in urban areas by 2025. Experts estimate that 18 million households in India are in need of low-income housing. This paired with a shrinking supply of land and high construction costs is leading to a growing slum population. Experts estimate that by 2025 more than 42 per cent of India’s population will be urban. Currently, the level of public services offered in slums is seriously deficient. An estimated 58 per cent of slum areas have open or no drainage, 43 per cent transport water from outside communities, 34 per cent have no public toilets, and an average of two power outages occurs each day. Owning a house: Bedrock of possibilities Providing stable, affordable housing is a major first step to establishing and sustaining a basic standard of living for every household. Many who live in slums have little to no control over or ownership of the property they live on. The formal financial sector is unable to serve them. Once titled, they could obtain access to several public benefits including loans. Housing is often the bedrock of other development interventions: owning land boosts health profiles, educational outcomes and gender equality. The converse is equally true. A decent habitat for the poorer sections of society will not only contribute towards their well-being and real asset creation, but also catalyze overall social and economic growth. The priority for housing ought to be higher than education and health. For many people in the developing world, the land on which they live is their only asset. If that property is not publicly recognised as belonging to them, they lose out on social benefits. Giving slum-residents basic property rights would encourage residents to invest in home improvement and encourage municipalities to provide infrastructure and better services. Way ahead: Upgradation rather relocation should be an option. Several attempts to relocate slum dwellers to the city’s fringes have failed because the location restricts the access of residents to employment, schools and other amenities. Slum-dwellers favour upgradation of existing facilities and secure tenancy. The Government should improve the legal and regulatory environment and increase the supply of affordable, legal shelter with tenure security and access to basic services and amenities. The Government should undertake physical upgradation of informal settlements sometimes accompanied by the provision of public services, such as access to roads, electricity, water supply and sanitation. These services create a high level of perceived tenure security. There is extensive need for repair of dilapidated housing stock and the provision of essential services. Property rights: Conventionally, property rights mean the right to use, develop and transfer property. However, a different set of property rights for informal housing, one that gives the owner-occupant mortgageable status can be provided. The Government could also permit the owner-occupant to have only the right to use the property and access basic services as in public housing. Alternatively, it could give property rights on lease. It could restrict use and exchange of such property to only between low-income groups. This can bring unplanned settlement into acceptable relation with the planning norms. Titles could be regularised in exchange for acceptance agreed urban planning guidelines. Case study: The Odisha government recently took a revolutionary decision by providing urban poor residing in 3,000 slums land rights for residential use that are heritable, mortgageable and non-transferable. Endowing slum dwellers with mortgaeable titles can open the gates to many opportunities for improving health, education, employment and providing entitlements to social programmes. Conclusion: The stresses on account of homelessness are mounting. Solutions will come from pairing passion with entrepreneurship and digging deep into the challenge at hand. Connecting the dots: Homelessness is a serious challenge in India. Discuss the importance of owning a house and the ways government can ensure ownership rights for maximum population including those living in slums. MUST READ A different trajectory The Hindu Brinkmanship in Spain The Hindu With or without veto The Hindu The road to partnership Indian Express Colonial Rajasthan Indian Express Turning the poor's assets into capital Livemint

Oct 24, 2017 Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz- 2017 : IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 67]

UPSC Quiz- 2017 : IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 67] Archives Q.1) Recently, a molecule E2D was in news. Consider the following statements It is found in mammalian blood It gives blood its characteristic metallic odour It is used by predators to locate blood or prey Select the correct statements 1 and 2 2 and 3 1 and 3 All of the above Q.2) Consider the following statements about ‘Paika Rebellion’ It was led by Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar It took place when the British East India company wrested the rent-free land that had been given to the Paiks for their military service to the Kingdom of Khurda Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.3) Consider the following statements about Water fluoridation Low levels of fluoride in drinking water (0.5 to 1 mg/l) protect against dental caries High levels of fluoride in drinking water (above 1.5 mg/l) lead to dental and skeletal fluorosis Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.4) Singur, a rural block in West Bengal's Hooghly district was in news recently due to Butterfly and Frogs Diversity New butterfly species 'Banded Tit' New species of Zingiber with medicinal properties None of the above Q.5) Which of the following statements about Particulate Matter is INCORRECT? It is the sum of all solid and liquid particles suspended in air including both organic and inorganic particles Particulate matter present in air is divided into different categories depending on the size of the particles. PM 2.5 is an atmospheric particulate matter of diameter of fewer than 2.5 micrometres, which is around 3 per cent the diameter of a human hair None of the above To Download the Solution - Click here All The Best IASbaba

Oct 24, 2017 AIR

All India Radio (AIR) : SC Decision on NOTA

SC Decision on NOTA ARCHIVES Search 4th August 2017- http://www.newsonair.com/Main_Audio_Bulletins_Search.aspx TOPIC: General Studies 2 Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies. Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary The Supreme Court has asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) to include NOTA on ballot paper in a recent Rajya Sabha elections. NOTA order came in 2013 and since 2014, it became a part of several assembly election as well as Lok Sabha election. Once Art 324 is enacted and ECI takes over conduct of election, and no court interferes in process of elections. Background: NOTA was concept which meant that any other candidate by political party was not to be acceptable to the voter and he/she may reject it as none of above. NOTA was an issue in 2013. Till then, there was an existing rule in 49(O) of Representation of People Act- voter can go to the voting booth and give it in writing the election officer that he/she will not cast the vote and the vote gets cancelled. There was a need to change it as there was no secrecy. The anonymity of voter is an important concept of democracies. There is nothing called as an open voting per se. Earlier, one could exercise NOTA in different form where his identity was known to electoral officer in the booth and then by summation when he exercises it. SC said in the direction that India has a secret ballot and there cannot be any compromise in it. In 2001, The Election Commission of India (ECI) moved the Law Ministry for an amendment to the rules to provide for a button in electronic voting machines in order to protect the identity and secrecy of a voter who does not want to vote for any candidate. That was the equivalent of the unmarked ballot paper of the earlier era. Later, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) an NGO had already moved the Supreme Court to have a button as ‘none of the above’. In 2013, NOTA option was made mandatory by the Supreme Court of India. ECI clarified that if the number of electors who had utilized the NOTA (None of the above candidates) option in the EVM or Ballot paper exceeded the votes polled by any of the candidates, the candidate with the highest number of votes would be declared winner. Long way to go There was a larger perception that this will play a role of cleansing politics. Their expectation was that if the candidates are not upto the certain standard than the large number of voters may exercise their negativity and by that put pressure in the political process. Though it was a noble idea, unfortunately till now, it did not happen in a very large scale. SC called NOTA a fundamental right. In the context of voting right and NOTA, they have virtually equal status. Till now, NOTA averages 1.5% of votes but it is important realm of electoral reform. The voting process today has become largely fair yet nitty gritty of elections remain. Anti-defection and NOTA Anti defection law was enacted when the defection rate was high. It was thought to solve it. But even today, before and after the election, many defections take place. There are all kinds of contradictions involved in running a democratic system. A violation of a whip for election doesn’t amount to defection. At best, the party can expel the member for having voted against party direction, but he/she remains an unattached member of legislature. In this scenario, efficacy of NOTA is being questioned. SC said that MP can abstain and it is legal and permissible not voting or NOTA should be legally considered. Conclusion NOTA has a moral dimension but also a long term reformative aspect. Presently, it will only enable a voter not to vote in favour of any candidate. So the votes recorded against this button will have the same effect as the ‘invalid’ votes of the ballot paper time and would have no role in determining the winner. However, this may result in parties nominating better candidates which strengthens the democracy further. The other forms of democracies like referendum, recall are yet to be exercised in India. Yet, next course of action can be raising the status of the button to that of “negative vote” wherein the political parties are made aware that electorate is no longer going to fall for tainted candidates. Declaration of assets, stopping of fake news, exit polls are monitored by ECI. The process of politics should be made as transparent as possible with time. Connecting the dots: Critically analyse the importance of NOTA in Indian democracy.

Oct 23, 2017 AIR

All India Radio (AIR) : Review of GST Implementation

Review of GST implementation ARCHIVES Search 17th July 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. General Studies 3 Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. The GST implementation has become a reality. The centre and states have lost their sovereignty in the capacity of power to levy and collect indirect taxes and now are entwined through a unified taxation system. There is a single revenue, neutral rate across the board in every state all over the country. However, the implementation so far has been an issue of turmoil. The GST Council has held the meetings time to time which confronted various views of end users, industrialists, workers, traders to rationalise the rate structure. GST has been framed as a law. It has a common pool of taxes. It is going to have a removal of the cascading effect of tax. In today’s date, the value added tax would be added by the intermediaries. Each person as a contributory will be taken as an intermediary. Any time the government has shifted or changed from a structural set of norms to another structure, that transition has had original kind of hiccups. The small traders are still hesitant and shy of coming into the GST portal. Some problems faced Territorial questions Product classification Rate at which products are to be charged The reverse charge mechanism Goods produced in one state consumed in another state Goods sold through e-commerce How they help small traders? The threshold exemption is 20 lakh for traders. There are 80000 small traders still hesitant to enter the GST. Maybe they are not aware of computer or the taxation or are not willing to leave the traditional way of doing things or are not willing to be transparent. If a trader has business of more than 20 lakhs, but he would be not wiling to make an analytical kind of disclosure, there is a composition scheme which has an ad hoc levy. It doesn’t go into detailed classification and makes a flat payment. With transparency, the supply of GST will increase the output as well. Boost to economy Indian economy closely resembles to Canada. Canada had similar structure and post GST, it reduced taxes by about 40% by rationalising and restructuring. This had generated a jump of 27% in GDP in Canada. Thus, GDP in India is also going to rise more than before. This will happen because taxes are going down eventually and the economy will build up. Once the taxes are going down, the central and state government are collecting less taxes and the business profits are staying in economy. These profits can be rolled into the same productivity and products and services. If there is compliance and transparency, the unorganized economy will soon be brought into the regular economy. Rationalization of tax rates in textile sectors. Textile employs highest number of employees, including handicrafts sector also. Government announced GST roll out, the strike started in various sectors. This was not an organized but a genuine strike which made the government look into the matter. There was a genuine problem so government has been flexible and open to suggestions. The issue was not politicized and constantly tried to find way ahead to reduce taxes. Agriculture Agricultural equipment was up for modernization. That will stimulate the manufacturing sector. There cannot be high tax rate on this sector. So the tax rate on tractors had reduced its demand. Sprinklers, irrigation modes, nuanced agricultural products will see a reduction in taxes. This will stimulate the manufacturing, banking and credit sector. It will create a modernized concept of agriculture. e-way bill Government has granted exemption for any bill or any tax on certain items of mass consumptions including vegetables, fruits, food grains, meat, bread, curd, books and jewellery. Also, e-way bill will also not be required if goods are transported by a non-motorised conveyance and if the goods are being transported from a port, airport, air cargo complex and land customs station to an inland container depot or a container freight station for clearance by customs. E-way bill concerns the ferrying of goods worth more than Rs 50,000 within or outside a state under the GST regime, whereby, transportation of goods will require securing an e-way bill by prior online registration of the consignment. The taxes will have to be paid eventually. How best to use the modern technology to make it easy on daily basis is more important. This will help in faster movement of goods and help keep check on movement of goods. Lower transport costs means lower prices. Cost of production will automatically come down. Removal of octrois and check posts will push the economy to work at a faster pace. If goods and services are able to be transported at a faster rate, that increases pace of development in economy and thus GST can push up GDP by 1-2% in near future. Anti-profiteering law It has come to notice of government that the traders were not passing the benefit of GST to the consumers. The anti-profiteering law is being taken care of. The central and the state government will together start the awareness campaign to educate the traders as well as industry about the measures intended to bring and also pass on the credit to the customer. The government has taken a decision of supplying answer through FAQs. Government should bring more enforcement to make the consumer the bigger gainer. More awareness is the key to have positive effects of GST. The technology is going to drive GST regime. There will not be any interfacing with officers and it will have much impact on the cost of transactions. As long as it is technology driven, there will be confidence in the system. National anti-profiteering authority- All regulatory bodies should have centralized body which will give directions to the state. Unless there is a regulator at centralized level with a clear mandate, they cannot advise anyone and bring strictness into implementation. Connecting the dots: GST is prime example of cooperative federalism. Do you agree? Give reasons for your analysis.

Oct 23, 2017 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs 23rd Oct, 2017

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 23rd Oct 2017 Archives ENVIRONMENT TOPIC: General Studies 3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment 'Negative Emissions': Too much stress is not good Background: Human activities, the collective choices we have made to deploy fossil fuels and change land uses, are responsible for the release of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and associated global warming. In 2016, the earth’s temperature was 1.3°C warmer than in pre-industrial times. More dishearteningly, even if countries take the action they promised at the Paris climate change conference in 2015, the world would be about 3°C warmer by 2100, well above the 2°C temperature limit to avoid dangerous climate change. Negative emissions: The current pattern of increasing emissions (which reportedly grew at the rate of 2.6% per year during 2000-2015) needs a rapid phase down. The Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicates that the earth can stay below 2°C. The world would somehow make use of significant amounts of ‘negative emissions’. These are ways to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, or even change the earth’s radiation balance through geoengineering. These negative emissions in the models are used in addition to increasing use of renewables and improving the efficiency of energy services. Methods for 'negative emissions': Sequestering Carbon dioxide: Some of the approaches that could remove or absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are better agricultural practices that leave carbon in the ground, use of biochar, undertaking afforestation and reforestation. One method that is bioenergy for fuel in combination with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). This involves the use of plants as fuel. The released carbon dioxide is then captured and safely stored indefinitely. Challenge: Competition for land for food and other purposes, and due to technological limitations, this approach is believed to be inappropriate for extensive use. Other methods to suck carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and increase carbon dioxide absorption by the oceans are also being explored, but their long-term implications are not clear. Some scientists have been discussing the possibility of injecting cooling aerosols at a large scale in the atmosphere, but these geoengineering technologies pose huge risks and are also not long-term solutions. Other issues: If approaches for negative emissions fail, we are likely to see a 4°C increase in global temperatures. These models also fail to consider equity dimensions and social and technological barriers. As a result, they pose a severe risk to society, especially to the poorest countries, which will experience the worst impacts of climate change. Negative emissions also create a moral hazard problem, where we expect (future) others to bail us out while we continue to lead profligate lives. If negative emissions become feasible in future, they could help the world stay on course in reducing warming, but this cannot be assumed while we are running short of the carbon space available to dodge dangerous climate change. Way ahead: Scientists need to speak openly and freely about the dangers of climate change without leaning on euphemisms. Policies therefore to support practices that successfully keep carbon in the ground, prevent deforestation, support agricultural practice that sequesters carbon and promote sustainable land use practices that reduce emissions. We also need a carbon tax. ‘Lifestyle’ and other consumption activities that may have hitherto been outside the radar of climate policy because they disturb the status quo or are difficult would have to be considered. Policies should nudge especially the more prosperous communities towards less carbon intensive lifestyles, either through taxes or incentives or both. Conclusion: Climate change is already in evidence all over the world with several seasons of intense storms, droughts, floods, fires and their aftermath, meaning that any further delay in reducing emissions would put at risk many more lives, livelihoods and investments for decades to come. Thus, priority action is needed to check GHGs emissions in the first place. Otherwise, today’s largely policies would merely shift current problems on to the shoulders of future generations. Connecting the dots: What do you mean by the term 'negative emission'. Discuss why too much stress on it is not a good option and instead the focus should be on checking greenhouse gases emissions in the first place. ECONOMICS 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: Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth; Intellectual Property & Patent related issues Making Indian an innovation hub: Protecting IP rights Background: The government has expressed desire to make India a hub of innovations at several for a. In PM Modis's words: “Innovation is life. When there is no innovation, there is stagnation”. In his budget speech in 2015, the finance minister announced the setting up of the Atal Innovation Mission. But the progress in this respect has been tardy. Efforts taken in past: The UPA government, which constituted the National Innovation Council (NIC) in 2010 under Sam Pitroda, then adviser to the prime minister on innovations. The NIC’s key mandate was to draw a roadmap for innovations between 2010 and 2020. The council submitted three annual reports to the government, the last of which was in 2013. Sectoral innovation councils were set up in 25 major departments of the Union government, including in the ministry of agriculture. State Innovation Councils were also set up. The idea behind the setting up of these councils was to mainstream the idea of innovation in the functioning of the Union and state governments. However, it soon became evident that despite the government’s best intentions, there were hardly any innovative ideas which could be scaled up to the national level. This shows that government organisations are not ideally suited to devise game-changing innovations as they are mired in routine work. The work of the councils proves that innovations are designed in a supporting environment, irrespective of the size or nature of an organisation. The most important support that the government can provide is to protect the innovation itself. Way ahead: The priority task for the government should be to create an enabling environment to safeguard the intellectual property of individuals, private and public companies that develop new products and ideas using their own investments. Poor record on IP protection: India is placed 60th among 127 countries according to the Global Innovation Index of 2017 — an index prepared by Cornell University, INSEAD and the World Intellectual Property Organisation. Switzerland tops the list followed by Sweden, the Netherlands, the US and UK. Singapore is ranked seventh, Japan is at the 14th position, Israel is ranked 17th, and China 22nd. In the Forbes list of the 10 most innovative companies in the world, six come from the US. Interestingly, in a recently released International intellectual property (IP) index that studied 45 countries, India ranked a poor 43rd. It is this poor record on IP protection that is holding India back from being a leading nation when it comes to innovations. Innovations in agriculture: A case study One of the biggest innovations in Indian agriculture in the past 15 years was the introduction of Bt cotton in 2002. The innovation made India one of the top producers of cotton and the second largest exporter of the crop. Mahyco Monsanto Biotech, which released Bt cotton through its 40 or so odd licencees, wanted to release HT Bt cotton as well and applied to the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC). HT cotton is an innovation on Bt cotton, as it takes care of the problem of weeds at a cost much lower than that incurred by farmers in employing labour to take out weeds. But before Mahyco Monsanto Biotech could be granted permission for HT cotton, some unscrupulous elements pirated this cotton variety, probably from countries like the US and Australia, where HT cotton had already been released. These pirated seeds were multiplied in the country and this kharif season, several companies have sold an estimated 35 to 45 lakh packets of HT Bt cotton seeds. About 7 per cent to 10 per cent of the area under cotton in the country is now under this counterfeit crop. In view of the blatant violation of its IPR, Mahyco Monsanto Biotech withdrew its application in 2016. The government of the day did not take action to stop these activities. Conclusion: India cannot aspire to be an innovation hub, if such clandestine activities flourish and innovators suffer. Stern and exemplary action is required in case of violation of IPR rights. Also, regulatory bodies need to clear applications for innovative products on time, lest they are introduced by pirates. Making India an innovation hub will become difficult if piracy is not tackled on war-foot basis. Connecting the dots: For India to become an innovation hub, protecting Intellectual Property Rights is a must. Critically analyze. MUST READ A new vision for India The Hindu In a foreign policy haze The Hindu How to clean air? Indian Express The balancing act that is GAAR Livemint Donald Trump's Iran folly and India's dilemma Livemint Why urban planning is such a joke? Business Line The gap between intent and outcomes Business Line

Oct 23, 2017 MindMaps

IASbaba’s MINDMAP : Issue - Global Hunger Index and India

IASbaba’s MINDMAP : Issue - Global Hunger Index and India 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)

Oct 23, 2017 Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz- 2017 : IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 66]

UPSC Quiz- 2017 : IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 66] Archives Q.1) Consider the following statements about Tawny lark They are found in the arid grasslands and scrub lands of central and west-central India They imitate the calls of other bird species Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.2) ______________ is the first state to formulate an Organic Farming Policy. Sikkim Karnataka Maharashtra Tamil Nadu Q.3) Which of the following is a Russian Ice Shelf? Ward Hunt Ice Shelf Milne Ice Shelf Alfred Ernest Ice Shelf None of the above Q.4) ‘Thermohaline Circulation’ controls large-scale movement of oceanic flow. Thermohaline circulation is driven by which of the following gradients? Temperature Salinity Both (a) and (b) Neither (a) nor (b) Q.5) Hydraulic conductivity is primarily controlled by? Porosity Hydraulic gradient Potentiometric surface Permeability To Download the Solution - Click here All The Best IASbaba

Oct 23, 2017 RSTV Video

RSTV- The Big Picture : New Cyber Law: A Wishlist

New Cyber Law: A Wishlist Archives TOPIC: General Studies 2 Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. General Studies 3 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. The government plans to bring a digital payment bill to strengthen legal framework and enhance surveillance to check cybercrimes in finance sector including frauds, targeting cards and e-wallets. According to reports of inter-ministerial committee, the existing laws will be studied on cybercrimes and then propose a legislation. The need to do this was felt after rising number of complaints especially after demonetisation. The proposed legislation will deal with punishments, fines for those who dupe online and also measures for fixing responsibilities in cases where digital transaction land in any dispute. In last three years, 1,44,496 cyber security attacks were observed in the country. There is a need of strengthening of the surveillance and legal frameworks to check the menace. It was noted that both legal and technological steps need to be taken to address this situation. The types of cyber security incidents included phishing, scanning/probing, website intrusions and defacements, virus/malicious code and denial of service attacks. New cybercrime bill 3 challenges Under which law to make the necessary changes or make new law, especially after privacy challenges Different stakeholders to consult and coordinate with With the law, how to enforce it with the technology In the 21st century, especially after demonetisation, there is a push towards digitisation of everything- government documents, bank accounts, RBI, SEBI details etc. Electronic form is encouraged so as to save paper as well as keep a proper track record. In this scenario, the cyber security set up has to be beefed. Tackling the updates There is always a gap between technology and law. Technology changes very fast, the law takes its own time to change and the gap creates problem. This is the area where criminal elements take advantage of it. The need is to bridge the gap and that to fast. It shouldn’t happen that government brings the law and there is already a technology change. In the past it has so happen that 66A was struck down. However, in that case, the legislation was passed without any discussion in parliament. This is a serious flaw when it comes to making legislations when requisite discussion eludes the process of decision-making. The IT Act was passed to deal specifically with the cybercrimes. It gave legal sanctity to something that was exchanged over internet. From that standpoint, the cybercrimes only dealt with those. It did not include everything. To stay updated, the government should continuously receive feedback from the stakeholders and understand what is the demand and challenges. After law making, there is law enforcement which has to keep pace with law and technology. The government is currently focussing on capacity building in this regard. Even if the law is good but people don’t know how to use it or take its benefit, there is no point in having such a legislation. Non-applicability and non-enforcement of existing laws is another issues. As per the existing rules of RBI and SEBI, there cannot be a financial transaction company without their license. Yet there exist many institutions which donot adhere to them. Many feel that digital platform is beyond law. If there is censor board for movies, the digital shows are not under it even though they have adult / anti-social content. 66A was a bridge between IPC and IT Act. It was struck down because police and enforcement agencies were misusing the IPC provisions. Once there are laws, they should be applicable across the mediums. An ever updating field IT Act of 2000 was a part of initiative by UNGA. There was requirement by the member states to enact the law in accordance to model law provided to facilitate electronic commerce and e-governance. Then there was punishment for those who violated this law. The problem is that India has not gone beyond the model law and the basic. In past 20 years, many things have changed. Cybercrimes are now new threats. Recently, SC is hearing a PIL where rape videos should be blocked online. All the online stakeholders (Google, FB etc.) along with government are deliberating to enforce it. It is a complicated issue from technology standpoint. While drafting these laws, there should be inputs from industry experts those who know technology side of the law. This is not simple IPC or CrPC issue. If there is no knowledge of technical intricacies of law, the law will seem to be obsolete or un-implementable or toothless. The reaction of certain sections shouldn’t guide the framework of certain legislation. Each time responding to one feedback from one sector develops a very narrow vision. We are dealing with information which has many intermediaries. They are subject to your understanding how the industry works. The law may say something, the SC may say something but its application by the layman may not be in consonance with how SC interpreted or law intended. For instance, many policemen still book people under sec 66A of IT Act. Accountability fixation Who is going to enforce the law and against whom is a great challenge In uber rape matter, the Delhi police was not able to locate the office of the company. When google was doing earth mapping, government rejected it on the basis of national security Many developed countries are facing similar problems and may be on larger scale. Yet India cannot adapt much due to nature of cybersecurity law. Indigenous laws and measures have to be taken to establish cybersecurity. Conclusion The easiest way to understand the problem is to come out with a special legislation. But there is a need to justify why there should be a special legislation all the time as after few years, there will be new things and then new legislations will constantly be created which will create unnecessary law-webs. Majority of people are not well versed in technology, there is need to customise the solutions accordingly. Until there is heavy penalty or criminal prosecution, there will be little respect for Indian laws. Each stakeholder in the entire industry should be made accountable and responsible for the actions they initiate. Investigation and trial courts have to be strengthened. Cyber education should start in schools. Get updated about changes in law and technology and pitfalls of it. Connecting the dots: What are the challenges and solutions to cyber security in India? Critically examine.

Oct 22, 2017 AIR

All India Radio (AIR) : Skill Development in India

Skill Development in India ARCHIVES Search 16th July 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. Background: Every year World Youth Skills Day is celebrated all over the world to raise awareness about the issue of unemployment among youth. The United Nations General Assembly in November 2014, declared 15th July as World Youth Skills Day. The theme of 2017 is ‘Skill for All’. Importance: Today, the statistics say that youth are almost three times more likely unemployed when compared to adults. Most of the youth are exposed to the lower quality of jobs. Hence, they require short professional and internship courses which will help them to earn their livelihood in an honourable way. Education and Training plays a vital role to get success in the labour market. World Youth Skills Day 2017 will help the students to enhance their skills and gives them a chance to contribute their skills to the society. Government of India initiatives Govt. of India already started Skill India Mission on 15th July 2015 to overcome the problem of youth unemployment and youth unemployability by equipping youth with industry need specific skills. 100 GST training centres were inaugurated recently Ministry of skill development will promote apprenticeship training and increase the engagement of apprentices to 50 lakh by cumulatively by 2050. Generating meaningful employment is now the important task of the government. Historically, in the pre-independence age, there used to be debate in the national movement itself. Most important step was ‘Wardha scheme of education’ 1937. Following Wardha conference, a committee under Dr. Zakir Hussain was appointed to formulate the scheme of the basic education, which was later called as Zakir Hussain scheme of education. Many of these schemes were tried to be implemented post-independence. But due to economic constraints, lack of administrative structure and shortness of the ministry, not much had been done. The most important plan- Nehru mahanalobis plan also thought of creating employment. But there was too much of deterministic idea about being scientific without exposing or leading to the solution to the problem. With fewer jobs, many were left unemployed. (Nehru-Mahanalobis Model= The objective of the economic policy in the 1950s was to raise per capita income in the country via industrialisation. This was through building machines as fast as possible as capital goods were seen as a basic input in all lines of production. But this strategy was incomplete as there was absence of a serious effort to build human capabilities via education and training.) Present situation There was a general understanding that there were two modes of employment- capital intensive and labour intensive. In context of India, capital intensive couldn’t be depended upon totally as such industries have less job creation. IITs and IIMs became top priority and are now world class. But the intermediaries, the ITIs did not get the support of the government to the extent they should have. Every month, one million people join the labour market. The large percentage is well educated. India produces one million engineers every year and only about 25% of them are employable and get reasonable employment. 75% do either ordinary job or remain unemployed for a long time. Study by Indian confederation industry says that requirement of skilled workforce by 2030 will be 30 crores in India. We are nowhere near the target. The output and the input ratio has increased by not substantially. Thus the employment exchanges queues are ever growing, thus there is a need to think in a multi-dimensional approach. Overall picture of India- there is gap between education, employment and employability. Educated people were not getting employment because they were not skilled. Now, the present government has moved in right direction, understanding the immense nature of the problem. If nothing concrete is done in this regard, the demographic advantage will be lost. Data- Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has trained 1.17 crore people in 2015-17 under PM KVY. More than 6 lakh apprentices engaged by the industry under national apprenticeship programme post comprehensive reforms in apprenticeship act 1961. These figures show that things have moved though more needs to be done. Entrepreneurship It is not possible in the context of today’s globalisation and liberalisation and competitiveness, and compulsion to limit the fiscal deficit that government has to provide full time jobs. It can provide initiatives in education but cannot provide entire education. So PPP model is the best way to kickstart reforms in education. The government and the private have to come together to increase the workforces. The spirit of entrepreneurship needs to be extended and developed and India should become a nation of entrepreneurs. There are some important problems Inequality in education is the fundamental problem in education in society, There is need for quality education Education in India being uneven, the government must address it. Many fraudulent institutes are coming up all the time in name providing quality education. Different development levels of different states has to be looked out and then create a unified model where every Indian will get benefit. Accessibility, desirability and social alleviation of BPL families will automatically alleviate by providing meaningful education and skill government. Conclusion It is a beginning. There is a need to enhance skill and its scale. The technological changes have to be incorporated and then there is need train people for organised job and bring out their entrepreneurial qualities. With the ever-changing markets, the workforce has to be trained to adjust to quick change and development. Now is the time to move ahead of lower quality of jobs, labour market inequalities, and longer and more insecure school-to-work transitions. In addition, women should be encouraged for more employment and properly-paid, and not just resort to undertake part-time jobs or work under temporary contracts. Connecting the dots: Skill India is the first step towards economic empowerment. Substantiate

Oct 22, 2017 RSTV Video

RSTV- The Big Picture : Can India Leverage its Forex Wealth?

Can India Leverage its Forex Wealth? Archives TOPIC: General Studies 3 Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. India’s forex reserve crossed the 400 billion dollars mark strengthening the hopes that India will be able to withstand an expected reduction in stimulus by the US central bank later in the year. This is a long way since reserves bottomed out at USD 275 billion in August 2013, at the worst point of the Fed taper tantrum. The reserves stock has increased on the back of strong foreign portfolio inflows, net investment flows and a narrower current account deficit. The forex surged by 6.2 billion dollars which is likely to help the rupee volatility that may be seen on exodus of foreign funds on India’s debt and equity markets. Foreign investors have pumped in more than 1 lakh crore rupees in Indian debt and equity market in last one year. This in one sense is the validity and success of the economic reform process that began in the wake of the BoP crisis in 1990-91 when the reserves had fallen to less than $1 billion. It also portrays the good quality of overall macroeconomic management, especially of the external sector, in the post-reform years. Why higher reserve needed? India is a supply constrained economy. There is always current account deficit. Now it is 2.5% of GDP in first quarter of 2017-18. Lot of forex reserve is required to meet India’s demand. The export-import ratio has stagnated. The global market is still volatile. India will not be able to increase export trajectory as demand may remain subdued. Geopolitical conditions are constantly being strained and there are risk to global growth. That’s why reserve at this juncture is needed. What high reserves mean? It is an insurance against any kind of external shock which can impact the rupee as India runs a current account deficit. It exports far less than it imports. Moreover, the current account deficits are financed by capital flows which are most difficult in nature. It is described as hot money and can reverse any time. There is a loss of confidence or increase in risk aversion in the west. It took a decade to move from 300 million dollar reserve to 400 million dollars. The increase in reserve is due to increase in portfolio investments, equity and investments in debt market. There is now higher degree of import coverage of 13 months of imports. This gives confidence in the Indian currency. This is attracting it as a good investment source and there is increase in FDI. All these advantages can be wiped away if there is a foreign currency crisis. There is no proof to the contrary that a huge amount of reserve can withstand against a major currency crisis. This is unlike china which has 3 trillion dollars reserve which it has earned the surpluses coming from higher exports and lower imports, India is borrowing and accumulating it from portfolio capital inflows and therefore there is a cost it incurs. These reserves are accumulated from the surpluses of the capital account. So there is a cost incurred by holding these reserve. Volatility in rupee Rupee prices keep fluctuating all the time. Sometimes we need more rupees to buy one unit of foreign currency and sometimes we need fewer rupees to buy one unit of foreign currency. This change in rupee price is known as rupee appreciation or depreciation Appreciating rupee- when value of rupee increases (becomes expensive) and fewer rupees can buy one unit of foreign currency. Also called as strengthening of rupee as now INR is worth more than foreign currency. (Import is favourable) Depreciating rupee- when rupee value decreases (becomes less expensive) and more rupees can buy one unit of foreign currency. Also called as weakening of rupee as now INR worth is less than foreign currency. (Export is favourable) Appreciating rupee brings other kind of problems- the exports aren’t increasing at all. Instead of leveraging the reserves that are rising, there should be composition of the reserves. Much of the money has come through the debt route with 2017 having inflow of 1 lakh crore compared to Rs. 45000 crore in 2016. However, rupee appreciation and depreciation is not entirely related to export growth. When rupee was appreciating in 2004-05 and 2006-07, the export growth was more than 25%. These are the global demand conditions on which export of the country is based on. There is need to take a hard look at exchange rate policy not from export perspective but a rapidly appreciating rupee always endangers and carries the seed of macro-economic instability. It happens because the more rupee appreciates, the imports become cheaper. Over time, the trade deficit on structural basis, the difference between merchandise exports and imports have continuously expanded for more than a decade. The more the imports takes place, the wider is the CAD. The moment portfolio capital investment comes to a sudden stop, there will be a reversal. Here forex will help to check the path of depreciation. But eventually is unsustainable as seen in 2011, 2012 and 2013. If there is an exchange rate policy where the rupee is getting stronger, the tradeable import sector is easy to import. So the tradeable import sector is facing competition from manufacturing side and foreign exchange management side. If the exchange rate policy is relaxed and RBI can moderate it, things would be better and there would be better quality of forex reserve. China and India They are significant differences between China and India. When China started liberalising, they followed export led growth model of industrialisation in late 1970s. The key difference is china managed to relax the FDI rules and managed to attract FDI into the exporting sectors and therefore was able to generate substantial surpluses. Through same mechanism, it was able to lift out its surplus labour from agriculture into industry and thereby achieve reduction in poverty. India has been much slower in opening up and liberalising FDI flows. Moreover, even after liberalisation, there is less FDI in exporting sectors. India also embarked upon opening its capital account side in parallel to trade liberalisation whereas china never gave up much control on capital account but it now it has begun to relax the capital account a bit. Conclusion Forex reserves are likely to increase further in the coming years, although the accumulation being driven by current account surplus may not happen soon. Nonetheless, the focus henceforth will possibly be on the quality of portfolio management of reserves, especially on the risk-return profile and performance of foreign currency assets (FCA). Demonetisation has had effect on the liquidity. There has been monthly 30% rise of non-oil non-gold import from February. Hence RBI has a major currency management challenge. Also, there is a need for domestic demand to build up to encourage investments. The stagnation in IT services, its export is not a favourable circumstance for India. And thus, domestic demand is one way forward to sustain the macro economic conditions. Connecting the dots: India’s high forex reserve is due to India’s economic policy post BoP crisis. Do you agree with the statement? Discus. Critically analyse how current account deficit affects India’s economic growth.

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