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IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 22nd March, 2017

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 22nd March 2017 Archives HEALTH CARE TOPIC: General Studies 2 Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health Development processes and the development industry the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders HIV Bill Introduction HIV is a crucial concern for India and receives highest policy attention. It has seen phase wise attention with NACO as the nodal institution. The new HIV bill has raised interest and concerns simultaneously. Issue: The long-awaited HIV Bill, a crucial public health legislation guaranteeing equal rights to India’s HIV community, was passed by the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. India’s HIV community, however, confessed itself ‘disappointed’ as the Bill places an obligation on the State governments to provide treatment “as far as possible”, making it weak and open to interpretation. “India’s HIV community cannot and will not accept this Bill, if the contentious clause ‘as far as possible’ is not removed. This HIV Bill, instead of protecting and safeguarding our welfare is now protecting the government. The Health Minister’s verbal assurance that no one will be denied treatment is welcoming but this has no constitutional or legal status. The community wants concrete assurance and safeguard of our treatment in the Indian Constitution said a patient-activist with the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC). Concern: There are approximately 21 lakh persons estimated to be living with HIV in India and the percentage of patients receiving anti-retroviral therapy (ART) treatment currently stands at a mere 25.82% as against the global percentage of 41%, according to the 2015 Global Burden of Diseases (GBD). Budget cuts The Bill was approved by the Cabinet in October and was expected to guarantee the rights to treatment but Clause 14(1) of the Bill pertaining to prevention of spread of the virus included a phrase ‘as far as possible.’ The Bill comes at a time when the NATIONAL HIV PROGRAMME has weakened due to budget cuts, with - India currently facing nationwide stock-outs of diagnostic kits and pediatric formulations of anti-retrovirals (ARTs). Conclusion: The government is trying to wash its hands away by giving more responsibility to states and with no clear framework. For a deep rooted concern like HIV which is desiring global action the need is to act at the earliest and with long term goals. A policy framework which looks an eyewash should not be desirable. Connecting the dots: HIV was part of MDGS. India has high incidence of HIV infected patients. Elaborate on the policy actions initiated both at state and central level w.r.t. HIV.   INTERNATIONAL 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 India’s trade: Balancing between two major powers Recently, all founding nations of TPP met barring USA with presence of China. It is evident from the fact that China is trying to step into US’s shoes with the remaining TPP partner developing nations eager to finalise the partnership as they have invested time, resources and political capital—especially on beyond-the-border issues like labour standards, environment rules and intellectual property laws and would like to see them reaping benefits. This will likely see changes in alternative Asia-Pacific trade agreement which is the oldest preferential trade agreement among developing countries in Asia-Pacific. Now there are hopes of a new pact which will be built on the back of Latin America’s four-country Pacific Alliance and South-East Asia’s Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). This shows that USA and China have both crowded India’s geostrategic space. India is now experiencing cramping from both the sides as both seem to dictate separate trade policies which affects India’s economic and trade interests. Picture Credit: http://asiafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/in-asia/2015/09/TPPRCEPChart.png Mongolia will become seventh member soon. Picture credit: https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-6zGQFzL/0/S/i-6zGQFzL-S.jpg India’s global trade prospects India is part of the RCEP trade and investment initiative being negotiated between 16 countries—10 countries from the ASEAN (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Brunei and the Philippines) and six others with which the ASEAN has a free trade agreement (India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand). There are common TPP members too — Australia, Brunei Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and Vietnam. RCEP provides India the platform to market and establish its strategic and economic presence across the Asia-Pacific. It also provides India an opportunity to bring multilateralism back to centre stage. With TPP out of sight for a while, India has a significant opportunity to spread its outreach to the South East Asian and Pacific countries. The tussle and the result China is keen at assuming the leadership of RCEP and its role is already acknowledged in Asia-Pacific alliance. Thus, it will be important to know the shaping up of new trade and investment agreements, especially who gets to set standards and the nature of standards finalized. On the other hand, TPP which was left to be doomed is expecting a survival chance. However, its insistence on standardized labour, environment and intellectual property right (IPR) regulations and other issues too conflict with notions of sovereignty. With China being a part of both important regional trade partnerships, it is to be known if it will take a similar approach or not while dealing. Though it has endorsed WTO compatible trade agreements, it needs to be known if it will selectively pick rules to suit its own interest. India’s trade relation with:- China India and China share an uneasy geostrategic relationship, especially in trade. The total India-China bilateral trade in 2016 amounted to $70.8 billion, a decline of 2.1%. Also, India’s trade deficit with China mounted to a whopping $46.56 billion in 2016. RCEP is a mega trade deal that aims to cover goods, services, investments, economic and technical co-operation, competition and intellectual property rights. As the domestic industry has apprehensions over a deluge in imports from countries such as China after the duty cut under the agreement, India wants certain deviations for such countries. However, India’s three-tiered tariff proposal for the RCEP has already met with disapproval (India is willing to let go of the three-tier structure for tariff reduction for goods if it gets commitment on foreign direct investment in services from its 15 partners.) and India’s push for inclusion of trade in services faces multiple opposition. USA In recently concluded G20 meeting, US’s intention to pursue protectionism and refusal to commit itself to free trade marks the first step down a dangerous road. US President Donald Trump’s administration has repeatedly emphasized that it prefers bilateral agreements over multilateral compacts. Its 2017 Trade Policy Agenda makes it official: “The overarching purpose of our trade policy…will be to expand trade in a way that is freer and fairer for all Americans…these goals can be best accomplished by focusing on bilateral negotiations rather than multilateral negotiations—and by renegotiating and revising trade agreements when our goals are not being met.” India does not have a free trade agreement with the USA. The negotiations over a bilateral investment treaty between the two countries is stuck. BITs impose obligations under international law on host states to protect foreign investment from the other state. In the IPR norms, India claims its IPR regime is compliant with the WTO’s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) while the US insists on a WTO-plus framework. This has prompted the US to unilaterally include India in its “Priority Watch List” under Special 301. The investor-state dispute system where foreign investors can sue sovereign countries in a third country through international arbitration is also a contentious issue. However, India’s home-grown BITs version — called Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA) — has been revised to allow foreign investors to opt for international arbitration only after exhausting all domestic legal options. The draft model agreement is awaiting finalisation. Conclusion India hopes to have an RCEP membership to keep its geostrategic ambitions afloat. Incidentally, it will have to contend with China’s growing dominance and increasing pressures to further reduce tariffs. China has accused India of blocking RCEP pact, but India will have to find its hold and way through the hard negotiations. India’s trade deficit with China is continuously growing and a reversal seems nowhere near. On the other hand, India will have to also contend with US’ insistence on bilateral treaties and a re-examination of all existing trade relations against India’s choice for multilateralism. Ironically, India enjoys a trade surplus with the US—in 2015, it touched $30 billion. Concludingly, there is a need of some dexterous negotiations to manage these two trade partners and contradictions and maintain and grow India’s presence in the intended regions. Connecting the dots: India faces twin challenges from China and USA in terms of trade and economic relations. Examine. MUST READ A brief history of the past 70 years Hindu   What goes around must come around Hindu   Diplomacy for New India Indian Express   Objection, my lord Indian Express   Why EVMs are win-win Indian Express   On Ganga and Yamuna Livemint   Why India needs a new logistics network Livemint   Monumental efforts to erase history Business Line   Profit or loss? Business Line  

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

IASbaba Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 142]

IASbaba Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 142] Click here to get all the Tests– Archives Q.1) Which of the following sea does not have a land boundary? Sargasso Sea Laptev Sea Kara Sea Weddell Sea Q.2) Consider the following statements about Shala Asmita Yojana It is launched by the Ministry of Human Resource Development It is world’s largest student tracking system The scheme will be implemented in all government and private schools from Class 1 to Class 12 Select the correct statements 1 and 2 2 and 3 1 and 3 All of the above Q.3) Logistics Performance Index is released by World Economic Forum World Bank United Nations Development Programme World Trade Organisation Q.4) DRR Dhan 45 also known as IET23832 was in news recently. What is it? Short duration cotton variety WikiLeaks file related to CIA High zinc rice variety Technology for sex identification of meat Q.5) Consider the following statements about Anti-dumping duty The Department of Commerce recommends the anti-dumping duty, while Ministry of Finance levies such duty It is imposed on both exports and imports The use of anti-dumping is not permitted by the WTO Select the correct statements Only 1 1 and 2 1 and 3 All of the above Download the Solution- Click here All the best IASbaba

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 21st March, 2017

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 21st March 2017 Archives HEALTH CARE TOPIC: General Studies 2 Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health Development processes and the development industry the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders Tuberculosis and India’s fight against Introduction Tuberculosis (TB) has been a deadly disease for India and the world. The number of lives lost for TB and its increasing spread in spite remarkable success on other disease fronts raises concerns. Issue: At the end of 50 years of tuberculosis control activities, the disease remains a major health challenge in India. As per new estimates, the number of new cases every year has risen to 2.8 million and mortality is put at 4,80,000 each year. These figures may go up when the national TB prevalence survey is undertaken in 2017-18. Against this backdrop, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in its National Strategic Plan for Tuberculosis Elimination (2017-2025), has set a highly ambitious goal of “achieving a rapid decline in burden of TB, morbidity and mortality while working towards elimination of TB by 2025.” How did it come about? Though the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) has treated 10 million patients, the rate of decline has been slow. Providing universal access to early diagnosis and treatment and improving case detection were the main goals of the national strategic plan 2012-17. But RNTCP failed on both counts, as the Joint Monitoring Mission report of 2015 pointed out. Going by the current rate of decline, India is far from reaching the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals — reducing the number of deaths by 90% and TB incidence by 80% compared with 2015. Yet, the latest report for TB elimination calls for reducing TB incidence from 217 per 1,00,000 in 2015 to 142 by 2020 and 44 by 2025 and reduce mortality from 32 to 15 by 2020 and 3 per 1,00,000 by 2025. Why does it matter? Radical approaches are needed to come anywhere close to reaching these ambitious targets. Most importantly, the TB control programme plans to do away with the strategy of waiting for patients to walk in to get tested and instead engage in detecting more cases, both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant. The emphasis will be on using highly sensitive diagnostic tests, undertaking universal testing for drug-resistant TB, reaching out to TB patients seeking care from private doctors and targeting people belonging to high-risk populations. The other priority is to provide anti-TB treatment — irrespective of where patients seek care from, public or private — and ensure that they complete the treatment. For the first time, the TB control programme talks of having in place patient-friendly systems to provide treatment and social support. It seeks to make the daily regimen universal; currently, the thrice weekly regimen is followed by RNTCP, and the daily regimen has been introduced only in five States. There will be a rapid scale-up of short-course regimens for drug-resistant TB and drug sensitivity testing-guided treatment. In 2013, India “achieved complete geographical coverage” for MDR-TB (multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis) diagnosis and treatment; 93,000 people with MDR-TB had been diagnosed and put on treatment till 2015. What next? Though Bedaquiline, the drug for people who do not respond to any anti-TB medicine, is provided in six sites in the country, the number of beneficiaries is very small. The report envisages a countrywide scale-up of Bedaquiline and Delamanid. In a marked departure, the report underscores the need to prevent the emergence of TB in susceptible populations. One such segment is those in contact with a recently diagnosed pulmonary TB. Incidentally, active-case finding is already a part of the RNTCP programme but rarely implemented. It wants to increase active case finding to 100% by 2020. Since RNTCP expenditure has increased by 27% since 2012 and is inadequately funded, the Ministry proposes to increase funding to ₹16,500 crore. Acknowledging that the business-as-usual approach will not get the Health Ministry anywhere close to the goals, it has earmarked critical components that will be addressed on priority. These include - sending customised SMSes to improve drug compliance incentivising private doctors to notify cases providing free medicines to patients approaching the private sector, facilitating nutritional support to TB patients, including financial support, rewarding States performing well in controlling TB, using management information systems to monitor all aspects of TB control. Conclusion: “The ultimate impact of this national strategic plan will be transformational improvements in the end TB efforts of India,” the report says. It plans to take a “detect-treat-prevent-build approach” in its war against TB. Connecting the dots: TB is a growing concern in India which can potentially threaten the health chart of India. Critically discuss the new National Strategic plan especially w.r.t. rising prevalence of MDR and XDR TB.   SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TOPIC: General Studies 3 Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life Indigenization of technology and developing new technology. Awareness in the fields of IT Increasing the adaptability of Digital world Digital India is seeing a growth in acceptance with increasing telecom and internet penetration. A Google report published last year, estimated that the Indian digital payments industry would grow to $500 billion by 2020 and would account for 15% of India’s GDP. It also said that more than 50% of the internet users in the country would embrace digital payments by 2020. The demonetisation move by the government has transformed the entire digital payments scenario almost overnight. And the most visible beneficiaries have been mobile wallet companies whose user numbers have soared. But, there was a drop in active wallet users—after the November-December rise—in January by 50%. The base of using different means of digital payments has widened but there is unmistakable drop in digital payments vis-a-vis the time when people had to. With the incoming of cash, people will resort to more convenient use of it rather than using multiple stages to use digital mains. Challenges faced Low penetration of PoS terminals across India is a problem. There are over 14 million retail outlets in India but barely 1.5 million PoS machines (required to swipe credit or debit cards). In their absence, people tend to withdraw cash. The people are still unable to use the smartphones efficiently to make the mobile payments easily. This is because the smartphone penetration is not enough for people to take advantage of its advanced services. The security of data is foremost concern of using digital medium across all the sections of society-rich or poor, urban or rural. The fear of a security breach leading to money being siphoned off is highly prevailing, especially among new users. Random reports of security date breach heighten concerns regarding usage of digital medium. Lack of adaptability by many vendors is a challenge in having more access to digital systems. This is largely because most are yet not aware of such alternate medium and many are lagging behind in understanding and adopting the technology. Way forward Digital India is one of the 10 major thrust areas in Budget 2017-18. Thus there will be a boost to cleaning up the system, have transformational impact, energise private investment through low cost credit and benefit the common man. PoS terminals Indian banks will be introducing one million PoS terminals by end of March 2017. Also, another two million Aadhaar-linked PoS terminals may be commissioned by September 2017. Smartphone penetration Sale of smartphones needs to be increased so as to increase its outreach as a multiple facilitator- bank/computer/library etc. However, it is easier said than done as India is an extremely price-sensitive market. Hence, more focus should be in innovating and creating low cost technology that enables digital transactions with ease. Stringent security The smartphones and other digital medium have various options which protects user data. However, users generally lack reassurance that all these are fully secure. Hence, the digital payment entities have to significantly enhance security features, whereby hacking such systems becomes nearly impossible. This is possible via multiple layers of protection such as stringent encryption, use of biometrics and multiple software levels that drive near-total secure transactions. Easy entry Many new customers are entering the digital world. For them as well as existing users, digital transaction experiment should be made hassle-free. The entry barriers should be minimised, beginning by keeping the charges minimal. There will be Aadhar Pay wherein it will be useful for people who do not have debit and credit cards, and net banking facility. The cash and digital payments are going to have a tough competition for usability. IASbaba’s views The experience of using a digital payment system should also be simple, safe and convenient to use. Today, multiple digital payment options are used by customers- credit cards, debit cards, mobile wallets, UPI etc. and the system should work seamlessly. The government has an important role to play in furthering its vision of ‘Digital India’. There should be a ‘Digital India year’ or ‘Digital India Decade’ dedicated to the vision of digitising common man’s life. There already exist 9 pillars of Digital India which need to be promoted vigorously. Enormous amount of money—over $200 billion centre and states combined— is spent in delivering benefits to the country. If this money is used through digital means, there are positive chances of the social infrastructure becoming more effective and becoming available to all people of India. Digital transformation is a crucial pillar for efforts to transform, energise and clean India. Connecting the dots: What are the challenges faced in increasing digital penetration post demonetisation. What are possible solutions for the same? Enumerate MUST READ Death of a fisherman Hindu   Crimes of apartheid Hindu   Power And Politeness Indian Express   The non-solution Indian Express   What is the fix for India? Livemint   Farm loan waiver is no solution to farmers’ woes Livemint   Health prescription Business Line   Gender diversity builds businesses Business Line  

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

IASbaba Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 141]

IASbaba Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 141] Click here to get all the Tests– Archives Q.1) ‘The Two State Solution’ is concerned Spain and Catalonia Israel and Palestine China and Taiwan South Africa and Lesotho Q.2) Bolivar is the currency of Venezuela Bolivia Suriname Paraguay Q.3) ‘Market Stabilization Scheme’ (MSS) bonds is a tool to Raise funds from overseas for supporting Make in India initiative Inject excess liquidity in the banking system Absorb the excess liquidity in the banking system Tool available to banks to reduce NPAs Q.4) Consider the following statements about ‘Currency Chest’ They are branches of selected banks authorised by the RBI to stock rupee notes and coins Co-operative banks are not authorised by RBI as ‘Currency chests’ Which of the following statements is/are correct? Only 1 Only 2 Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.5) Consider the following statements about The National Physical Laboratory It is the National Metrology Institute of India It was one of the first National Laboratory to be set-up under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) It is headquartered in Bangalore Select the correct statements 1 and 2 2 and 3 1 and 3 All of the above Download the Solution- Click here All the best IASbaba

AIR

All India Radio - PM Garib Kalyan Yojana, 2016

PM Garib Kalyan Yojana, 2016 ARCHIVES Search 18th December 2016 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. Government came out with PM Garib Kalyan Yojana where black money can be declared to government at 50% tax rate (30% tax, 10% penalty and 33% Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan cess on tax). 25% of the declared income will be locked in for four years under PMGKY and given back without any interest on it. Key features income declared under it will not be included in the total income of the declarant under the Income-tax (IT) Act Declarations made under it will be kept confidential and shall not be admissible as evidence under any Act (ex. Wealth-tax Act, Central Excise Act, Companies Act etc.) But, declarant will have no immunity under Criminal Acts mentioned in section 199-O of the Scheme. Not declaring undisclosed income under the PMGKY will attract a fine of 77.25% if the income is shown in tax returns. Picture Credit: https://www.bemoneyaware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Pradhan-Mantri-Garib-Kalyan-Yojana-example.jpg PMGKY is another opportunity to declare the black money and convert it into white after initiation of Income Declaration Scheme (IDS). IDS offered a four-month window to make declaration till September 30 where the first instalment of 25% tax was to be paid by November 2016 and taxpayers were allowed to make the payment for tax and penalty in three instalments by September 30, 2017. Under this scheme, more than 64000 people did income declaration and government got Rs. 65000 cr. This shows that government is serious about tackling black money and is providing people opportunity to disclose it with minimum punishment. Why PMGKY? Demonetisation is a good measure to unearth black money as most of it was in form of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000. It was hoped that with demonetisation, more such income will be declared after IDS. However, the reality was different. Various money laundering activities were observed during the initial period of demonetisation. People were depositing their black money in others’ bank accounts, converting money into gold etc. People became scared that if they come out on their own with bulk of their demonetised notes, they may face criminal penalties. Hence, keeping such sentiments in mind, government gave another opportunity to disclose income and be a part of progressive India. However, government has observed that hoarding of new currency could not be stopped and also, reports of fake currencies have emerged from few pockets. Thus it might not be possible to completely do away with black money being generated and imported. Tax rates The income disclosure schemes have higher rates than normal income tax. They also add additional revenues to the government in a fiscal year. But, nowhere a person honestly paying taxes should feel that he is not in an advantageous position by paying regular taxes. Thus, whenever such income disclosure schemes are brought up, it should be noted that the highest tax rate is 30% and penalised tax rate is 50% so that honest don’t start dissuading tax. Hence, the tax rates are not high if they are paid honestly. How to stop black money generation? Many believe that tax evasion started when taxes were very high as 98%. So they started evading taxes by not disclosing income. But, as and when there are less tax rates, there is more compliance seen and felt that doesn’t cost much to be a part of system. So, tax rates should be kept low and be wide based. People should not feel incentivised through such income disclosure schemes. Every time government brings out attractive, medium tax rate punishments on black money, people don’t feel penalised and hence they continue to evade taxes by waiting for more lucrative scheme to be announced! Conclusion Many people have misused Jan Dhan Accounts and siphoned off money in illegal ways. They all are being monitored under IT scanner. Those caught foe depositing money in other people’s account illegally will be charged under money laundering act and face jail term. The money collected under PMGKY will be invested in rural infrastructure including roads, electricity etc. it is important to bring rural India in foreground and make it part of inclusive growth. The 2011 census says that 6.4 lakh villages need better roads, electricity, healthcare, education etc. to bring in development. It is for the first time in 70years that government has thought of putting tax structure for rural development. Schemes like PM Swarojgar Yojana, Gram Sadak Yojana also get a boost with money coming from such scheme. Thus, the developments in rural India will connect it to latest developments of urban India and make advancement in health, education, IT more reachable to them. The citizens should consider paying taxes as their fundamental duty and be a part of developing India and reduce gap between urban and rural India. Connecting the dots: What is PM Garib Kalyan Yojana? Does it contribute in development of rural economy

RSTV Video

The Big Picture - Developments in Nagaland

Developments in Nagaland Archives TOPIC: General Studies 1 Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India General Studies 2 Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Nagaland is in turmoil since the state government decided to hold ULB elections with one-third reservation for women in 12 towns. In new developments, Nagaland CM T. R. Zeliang will step down and replaced by Shurhozelie Liezietsu amidst the law and order crisis. Best Solution? Though it is not the best solution, it is to be taken to bring stability to the state. The situation is volatile and it is not known how the change in leadership will help, especially under external pressure. The insurgent groups in north east have been long acting as pressure points in the democracy. If the state continues to bow down to their demands, in this case- insurgents threatened to break ceasefire if Zeliang didn’t step down, the cycle will continue and will see negative developments for democracy. It is very strange as insurgents don’t believe in democracy but they try to topple the government and then side with various political parties. Their non-belief in democracy and yet trying to influence the government sends out dangerous signals for future. Why new CM choice is not appealing? No doubt, Zeliang’s time to go had come. He was Chairman of Select Committee of Nagaland Assembly which passed a unanimous resolution stating that Nagaland should be exempted from Part IX-A of constitution (in 2012). The matter was put to vote in assembly and it unanimously passed that not whole of Part IX-A but only the women reservation part should be exempted. But after Zeliang became CM, he reversed this decision without any discussion and allowed for women’s reservation in ULB elections. Similarly, the new CM Liezietsu was also part of assembly and said no to reservation. But when he became Chairman of ruling party, he took opposite stand like Zeliang and said yes to reservation. Another reason was that Zeliang visited centre too often for small matters, which is case with all north east states do as they are totally dependent on centre for funds. Going to centre all the times brought forward a picture in front of people that the CM was not capable of taking decisions at his level. Nagaland has its own government and all resources belong to people. Thus, the leader and the people have to make plans to make the state prosperous. But instead, the money received from centre goes to few influential people in the state and devoids people of their rightful resources and its uses. Thus, economic independence is equally important for a state to develop. Chance of President Rule? Such a chance does not arise as there was no grim situation demanding the same. President’s rule means centre is trying to run the state and this would infuriate the people more. Here there is a need of efficient leadership which will understand people’s problem. Why no to women reservation? The HC agreed with the view that instead of imposing reservation rule on state, the matter should be discussed in assembly at a length. The state legislative assembly came to a unanimous conclusion that women reservation to ULBs cannot be granted as it is against the customary practice. The Nagas are not saying that women are inferior to them in any sphere. A large section of Nagas believe that if reservation is given, they will be shown in poorer light. Another reason is treating women differently in different places. There are around 1600 village councils whereas 16 town councils and municipalities. In these village councils, there is no reservation for women candidate according to constitution of India. Art 243 (M) says that Part IX is not applicable to Nagaland which means no reservations for women in Panchayat given under art 243D. Art 243 (T) gives reservation to women in ULB elections. This will divide Nagaland into large majority of women living in tribal belts to no reservation and few women in towns will have reservation. The application of reservation violates article 14 of constitution of India which provides right to equality.   Evolving the society collectively A larger picture from looking outside the reservation shows that the fight is also about land and resources. More than elections in ULBs, the tribals feel that women will soon ask share in land and resources which have been under their control for years. Not much can be said though about how much truth lies in this fact about nagas against women reservation. Nagaland has never been ruled by Mughals or Hindu rulers. Even British had limited soldiery in Nagaland. When India got independence, it also sought independence. But India convinced Nagaland that it will be given a special status in constitution and allowed to manage its own resources and protect its customs, practices and laws. Thus, after making such commitments, to try to change their tradition without involving them is not a right way forward and means of letting down people. There is a need of person who understands real problems faced by Nagas in the right perspective without any use of force and neither comparing it with other states. The changes should come from within and society should look forward to develop their women to develop themselves. Connecting the dots: The North East states require economic freedom along with political freedom to truly explore their development options. Comment. Related article Understanding Nagaland Crisis

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 20th March, 2017

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 20th March 2017 Archives DISABILITY AND INCLUSION TOPIC: General Studies 2 Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health Development processes and the development industry the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders General Studies 3 Inclusive growth and issues arising from it. Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. Disability-Inclusive Development Agenda Introduction Disability is a critical issue especially for an inclusive development agenda. Being a multi-sectoral issue it is important that disability is tackled through holistic policy action in coordination with all stakeholders and ministries. Issue: The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) is formulating a Vision 2030 document. This document is coterminous with the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), all 17 of which equally affect persons with disabilities as they do any other citizen. The National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People conducted a seminar in December 2016. The government, the private sector, and leaders from various development fields participated to take stock of the current situation and deliberate on how disability could be integrated in Vision 2030. A starting point was that the government, the NITI Aayog, and all the associated stakeholders should interpret the provisions of the SDGs in line with the requirements and spirit of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). What may a road map for creating a disability-inclusive development agenda look like? A starting point Disability is still seen as an opportunity for dispensing charity rather than as a development or a human rights issue. The knowledge of MPs and State legislatures must be refreshed on the rights, needs and issues of persons with disabilities based on the changing disability landscape, the UNCRPD, and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. The NITI Aayog must invest effort in building awareness for NGOs, academics, civil society, the private sector, etc., in order to articulate a disability-inclusive development agenda. Disabled inclusive agenda Persons with disabilities must be seen as integral to the decision-making process and not as an afterthought. They must be mentioned in the outcome metrics defined for each goal, target or indicator, and these matrices must elaborate specific strategies for persons with disabilities. There must be seven-year checkpoints for ministries or departments to assess the outcomes. Fair and adequate representation of disability groups during the consultation process is imperative. The NITI Aayog has mapped each goal to a nodal ministry and each target with the government’s key programmes and departments to make these targets accountable and realise them within a specified time period. However, disability is an issue that cuts across several ministries; it is not just a subject for the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Our analysis indicates that there are 26 ministries where there needs to be a dedicated focus towards persons with disabilities and a specific cell to address their concerns. Specific budgets need to be allocated across initiatives and ministries to address the needs of persons with disabilities. The NITI Aayog too must have a dedicated cell which acts as a focal point and works with all ministries to monitor implementation and track progress across all initiatives for persons with disabilities. The document must insist that data for persons with disabilities are appropriately collected, maintained and disaggregated. This must include all government initiatives that capture any data related to population or human resources or human development, including employment, education, poverty and hunger. While reporting from the SDGs’ point of view, the NITI Aayog must ensure that the process of data collection and disaggregation for disability must not be relegated to the silos of seven targets which explicitly mention persons with disabilities, or the additional six targets which mention people in vulnerable situations. In addition, there are universal targets, which must also be achieved for persons with disabilities. Our analysis indicates that there are more than 85 targets across 15 goals encompassing more than 100 indicators where there is a need to collect, analyse, disaggregate and report data for persons with disabilities. All data must be available in the public domain, and published in an an accessible format and in a timely manner. Universal Approach:  It is important for India to have the addition of a universally accepted disability question(s) on all existing data instruments. The UN recommends the Washington Group Short Set of Questions on Disability, while India has been using a different question. A standard question needs to be developed, taking into account the socio-cultural sensitivities of people with disabilities and their families. The NITI Aayog should call for a national-level consultation with cross-disability groups and arrive at a consensus on the right question - This should then be unified across all data instruments of all sources of demographic information, including the impending Unique Disability ID, the population census, civil registration, sample surveys conducted by the National Sample Survey Organisation, Sample Registration System and for all social schemes. Conclusion: The overarching principle of Vision 2030 is to “leave no one behind”. We, as disabled citizens, are anxious to learn how this crucial document, which will encompass the SDGs 17 goals and 169 targets, will be inclusive of our needs and aspirations. Connecting the dots: Disability inclusive development agenda is a inter-ministerial and multi-sectoral challenge. Elaborate w.r.t. recent efforts of the NITI Ayog.   ECONOMY/NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 3 Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. Stayzilla episode: How to treat startups when they fail Background: Arrest of founder of travel portal startup- Stayzilla on charges of non-payment of dues to its vendor has seen the entire start-up ecosystem fuming. Stayzilla was started in 2005 and collaborated with about 8000 homestay properties in about 900 towns. It had also tied up with various state tourism boards including Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha etc. to promote the idea of homestay in India. However, it was facing a stiff competition from Airbnb, Oyo and Treebo for discounts, funds and reliability of services. Besides, it was facing some regulatory issues and had initiated the conversations with Central Government in April 2016 for easing the homestay guidelines. In the meantime, it had raised about $40 million from private investors. But sometime ago it announced that it will shut down and revamp its business model which led to controversies about its non-payment of dues to a media agency start-up, ultimately leading to arrest of founder. The startup road blocks The travel marketplace in India does not have local network effects and, therefore, could not take a focused city-by-city approach in terms of matching supply and demand. This resulted in investing extensively in both sides of the marketplace, creating Homestays as well as guests who would choose a homestay across the country. Though it was successful, the costs of the same deteriorated the company's ability to expand quickly and cost effectively. Also, as India does not have necessary public goods like logistics, tech savvy suppliers and online user demand which is oftently present in mature markets. Besides there is lot of discounting game in the travel segment which force companies to also slash prices. This requires a lot of funds but is highly unsustainable. Issues that need a solution There is a need for collateral-free working capital assistance through the organised banking channels so that startups have cushioning effect in the initial years due to availability of funds. This also reflects the absence of a proper foundation for the start-up ecosystem to effectively address the ups and downs of business. There also arose a need, looking at the Stayzilla episode, to educate the entire stake-holders in the start-up ecosystem - right from investors to entrepreneurs and vendors besides the law-enforcing authorities - on their rights and responsibilities. Treating the startups right On the face of it, it seems to be a civil case between two parties which has been turned into a criminal case with police arrest. A civil case to claim unpaid monies stretches for years before a final order is passed. Hence, now individuals and institutions choose to file criminal cases alleging fraud. Such change of nature of case is possible because technically there is nothing in the law that prevents a person from pursuing criminal action in cases where there is an alternative civil remedy available. This has brought forward some crucial questions like if the investors could have bailed the start-up entrepreneur out of an ugly situation? or if more vendors will now take criminal actions against failing start-ups? According to data from start-up tracker Tracxn, 314 start-ups downed shutters in 2016 and 5 till now in 2017. However, there is a need to look at the larger picture - the issue of accountability, role of private equity players and the available mechanism to settle such disputes. What should be done? The parties involved should consider building alternative dispute resolution mechanisms such as arbitration in their contracts. This is helpful as it gives direction to solve the issues and also the rising number and heavy backlog of cases in civil court. What is important noticing here is that under law, even if Stayzilla were to undergo voluntary winding up, it would have to first set off its liabilities towards its creditors. The shutting down party should try to clear dues to the greatest extent possible – whether it is employee salaries, vendor payments or office rents. In this case, if Stayzilla had raised money, it should have focused on paying off dues first rather than completely shutting down which has now initiated a legal battle. The promoters have a moral responsibilities towards settling liabilities, even if the company structure gives leeway. Today, most start-ups prefer having a structure of private limited companies or limited liability partnerships as they help promoters limit their liabilities. A CIBIL-like system to measure credibility of the organisation as well as the founder should be explored. (CIBIL is India’s first Credit Information Company that collects and maintains records of an individual’s payments pertaining to loans and credit cards.) Advertisement agencies operate on economics of trust and the business model is essentially one of a pass-through of the client’s payments to the media house after deduction of the agreed margins, which are miniscule. To withhold the entire payment due to poor ‘services’ which constitutes only the small agency media commission of between 2-4% is unethical. It is the responsibility of the vendors, promoters and media agencies to sort out their differences without court intervention in startups as it may affect the confidence of entire startup ecosystem. Conclusion Stayzilla is a prime example of a start-up malfunction and not meeting with its vendor obligations. The startups have a funding structure based on tranche funding from venture capitalists (VCs) and they broadcasts the funding figures even before the capital is received. However, VCs place certain pre-conditions to be met for such disbursements and thus, the funding does not accrue in toto. This creates an uncertain environment in the start-up ecosystem which inflates the apparent creditworthiness of a start-up. There are no quick-fix solutions in such disputes as the current legal process is cumbersome even though it allows for winding-up. The newly enacted Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code could go a long way in addressing such situations. But for now, a start-up ecosystem is needed that practices fairness. Connecting the dots: India needs an encouraging startup ecosystem which is currently unavailable due to sloppy nature of government start up programmes and unorganised private help. Do you agree? Examine. MUST READ GST bills and rate fitment process Hindu   Talent, not tokenism Hindu   None For The Road Indian Express   The fifth province Indian Express   Win some, steal some Indian Express   Moving towards a larger formal economy Livemint   Low, stagnating female labour-force participation in India Livemint   Managing water conflicts Business Line   Fix it with data Business Line  

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

IASbaba Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 140]

IASbaba Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 140] Click here to get all the Tests– Archives Q.1) Almatti dam was chosen for the World Bank’s Award of Excellence for best utilisation of funds for renovation to enhance the strength of the dam. The dam is located on which of the following rivers? Godavari Krishna Brahmaputra Cauvery Q.2) Himawari 9, a weather satellite was launched by Japan China USA Russia Q.3) ‘Leptin’ was in news recently. It is a A hormone produced by human body’s fat cells that helps to regulate energy balance by inhibiting hunger A dark bluish or brownish pigment containing iron in the ferric state A main constituent of tough epidermal structures such as hair, nails, hooves, feathers, and claws A compound that is found in the muscle tissue of vertebrates mainly in the form of phosphocreatine and that is involved in the storing and supplying energy for muscle contraction Q.4) Recently, which of the following lakes was declared as a Biodiversity Heritage Site? Loktak Lake Wular Lake Ameenpur Lake No water body is declared as Biodiversity Heritage Site in India Q.5) Bandar-e ‘Abbās is locted in which of the following countries? Afghanistan Tajikistan Iraq Iran Download the Solution- Click here All the best IASbaba

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