Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 02-03-2021

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 02-03-2021

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Healthcare and Medicine - Finland emergency amid rising COVID-19 cases - Finland on 01-03-2021 declared a state of emergency amid a sharp rise in coronavirus cases in the country due to COVID-19 variants. The government proposed to the parliament a temporary closure of bars and dining at restaurants from March 8 to 28. "The government sees it necessary that we all have fewer contacts," PM Sanna Marin said. Finland, among the European countries least affected by the virus so far, has recorded 58,064 cases and 742 deaths since the start of the pandemic with 210 people currently hospitalized. Several Finnish regions have seen a rapid rise in COVID-19 infections in the past two weeks, with outbreaks among skiers in Lapland and workers at shipping yards and construction sites. Finland has a population of approx. 55 lakhs, and a nominal GDP (2020) of approx. $277 billion. The per capita income (2020) was approx. $48400.
2. Governance and Institutions - Chinese cyberattack may have caused power outage in Mumbai - The Union Power Ministry responded to a report that claimed China had launched a cyberattack against India's power grid that caused the outage in Mumbai on October 12, 2020. The Ministry said it was aware of a Chinese operation to use malware against India's power network, but that there'd been "no impact" on any facilities due to the "referred threat". New York Times (NYT) has reported that there was a flow of malware, which was pieced together by Recorded Future, a Massachusetts, USA based company that studies the use of the internet by state actors. It had found that most of the malware was never activated. And because Recorded Future could not get inside India’s power systems, it could not examine the details of the code itself, which was placed in strategic power-distribution systems across India. It notified Indian authorities (Computer Emergency Response Team, CERT-In) who didn't respond. Meanwhile, China quashed the NYT report that first indicated a cyber-attack on Mumbai power network. IT said it was 'highly irresponsible' to blame somebody for an incident without sufficient evidence. For India, it's a Catch-22 situation, as even if it's searching for the code, acknowledging its insertion can complicate the diplomacy between China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, and India's counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, in an effort to ease the LAC (border) tensions. Until recently, China’s focus was information theft, but it has now been increasingly active in placing code into infrastructure systems, knowing that when it is discovered, the fear of an attack can be as powerful a tool as an attack itself.
3. Science and Technology - Musk's Starlink internet targets India launch in 2022 - Entrepreneur Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet's says it's targeting India coverage in 2022 and is taking fully refundable pre-orders for $99 (about ?7,300). The service, which promises high-speed, low latency broadband internet, seems to be available in cities including Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai and Hyderabad. During its beta testing phase, Starlink is offering speeds between 50-150 Mbps. Users in the USA, Australia, and Mexico get a Starlink kit for $499, which includes everything users will need to connect to the internet including Starlink, wifi router, power supply, cables, and mounting tripod. Starlink is looking to eventually deliver high-speed internet of up to 1 Gbps downloading or uploading speed to its users. For now, it gives up to 150 Mbps speeds which are reported to double up to 300 Mbps through testing. For relatively better internet connectivity, Starlink broadband needs a clear field of view.
4. Science and Technology - ISRO launches DRDO's satellite for IOR - ISRO has launched DRDO's 'Sindhu Netra' satellite that will help monitor the activities of military and merchant navy ships in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). It was launched as a part of the launch of Brazil's Amazonia-1 and 18 co-passenger satellites onboard PSLV-C51. The satellite can reportedly help in carrying out surveillance in specific areas such as the South China Sea. The Sindhu Netra satellite has been developed by the young scientists of the DRDO and is capable of automatically identifying the warships and merchant ships operating in the IOR. The satellite has also started communicating with the ground systems. Sindhu Netra is one of the first in the series of satellites that would help the nation in enhancing its surveillance capabilities on land in areas such as the Ladakh region with China and the border areas with Pakistan. Seeking to keep a closer eye on the activities of the Chinese military both near the Indian territory as well as in its depth areas all along the 4,000 kilometre Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Indian security agencies feel there is a requirement of four to six dedicated satellites which can help them keep a check on the adversary's moves.
5. Governance and Institutions - Jal Shakti Ministry campaign for water conservation - The Jal Shakti Ministry will launch the ‘Catch the Rain’ campaign that will help in promoting water conservation in the country. The National Water Mission’s (NWM) campaign “Catch The Rain” with the tagline “Catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls” is to nudge the states and stake-holders to create appropriate Rain Water Harvesting Structures (RWHS) suitable to the climatic conditions and sub-soil strata before monsoon. Under this, drives to make check dams, water harvesting pits, rooftop RWHS etc; removal of encroachments and de-silting of tanks to increase their storage capacity; removal of obstructions in the channels which bring water to them from the catchment areas etc; repairs to step-wells and using defunct bore-wells and unused wells to put water back to aquifers etc are to be taken up with the active participation of people. To facilitate these activities, states have been requested to open “Rain Centers” in each district-- in Collectorates/Municipalities or GP offices. During this period, these Rain Centres will have a dedicated mobile phone number and will be manned by an engineer or a person well trained in RWHS. This centre act as a technical guidance centre to all in the district as to how to catch the rain, as it falls, where it falls.
6. Science and Technology - Google and Intel for 5G deployment - Internet monopoly Google said that cooperation across the telecom stack will help it reduce the cost and time to market for the transition to cloud-native 5G in the telecom industry. Google and Intel have thus teamed up to develop cloud-based solutions for communication service providers to accelerate the deployment of their 5G and network edge solutions. When communication service providers provide cloud-native 5G for enterprises, it can also open up new business areas for communication service providers. Under this partnership, Google and Intel will focus on accelerating the deployment of virtualized RAN and open wireless access network (ORAN) solutions. The two technology giants plan to achieve this goal by providing infrastructure and hardware and launching a new laboratory environment for cloud-native 5G innovation. Google said that vRAN can benefit operators by improving network performance and spectrum efficiency, cost efficiency, and flexible deployment models. It will also provide communication service providers with strict network and timing arrangements.  
7. Terrorism - No threat to Ambani from us & old poster was fake - A new poster purportedly shared by Jaish-ul-Hind on Telegram has claimed that there's no threat to Mukesh Ambani from the organisation. It also said that a previous poster shared in its name, where the outfit claimed responsibility for leaving explosives-filled car outside Ambani's Mumbai house, was fake. "We are fighting against secular democracy not Ambani," the new poster said. The Mumbai Police probing the threat to RIL's Mukesh Ambani and his family said it had no record of any outfit called 'Jaish ul Hind'. The first message from Jaish ul Hind which Mumbai Police now claims is fake even had a cryptocurrency (Monero) address. It was on this address that a ransom had been sought, but it was fake.
8. World Economy - Bitcoin gyrations - World's biggest cryptocurrency Bitcoin on 28-02-2021 dropped below $43,500, recording a 25.6% fall from the year's high of $58,354 on February 21. The cryptocurrency lost $2,691 from its previous close and was trading at $43,418. The price of Bitcoin soared this year after Elon Musk-led Tesla, credit card giant Mastercard and BNY Mellon backed the cryptocurrency. Scared by the impending closure of cryptocurrency operations, many Indian exchanges have requested the Indian govt. to not treat BTC as a currency, but as an investment. That has prompted analysts to call the whole BTC mania a "Ponzi scheme" and not a real-world use case. In early March, BTC started regaining the lost ground. Worldwide, equally powerful voices are both supporting and criticising the currency.
9. World Politics - US intelligence report reveals Saudi Crown Prince approved operation that killed Jamal Khashoggi - The United States has imposed sanctions on some of those involved but spared the crown prince himself in an effort to preserve relations with the Gulf kingdom. According to a US intelligence report released on February 26, 2021, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved an operation to capture or kill murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. The United States has imposed sanctions on some of those involved but spared the crown prince himself in an effort to preserve relations with the Gulf kingdom. The Saudi government issued a statement rejecting the US report’s findings and repeating its previous statements that Khashoggi’s killing was a heinous crime by a rogue group, denying any involvement by the crown prince.
10. Indian Economy - Richie Rich growing in India unabated - India added 40 billionaires in 2020 and Ambani remained  the richest, said the latest Hurun list. Forty Indians became billionaires in the pandemic-stricken 2020 to take the total number of billionaires in the country to 177, Hurun Global Rich List 2021 released on 02-03-2021 said. Mukesh Ambani remained the richest in India with $83 billion wealth. He's followed by Gautam Adani & family with $32 billion wealth and Shiv Nadar & family with $27 billion wealth. This is happening when large-scale jobs, livelihood and employment destruction has happened in India due to the pandemic. Experts say that concentration of wealth with the top 1% in India is now reaching epidemic proportions, and breeding historically unseen levels of inequality.

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• SECTION 2 - DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

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• 1. ECONOMY (Prelims, GS Paper 3, Essay paper)

'Make in India' campaign and US-India trade relationship

• The crux: In its 2021 Trade Policy Agenda and 2020 Annual Report, the US Trade Representative (USTR) said that during 2020, the US continued its engagement with India to try to resolve longstanding market access impediments affecting US exporters.
• New government in place: The Biden administration has told the US Congress that India's recent emphasis on import substitution through the 'Make in India' campaign has "epitomised" the challenges facing the bilateral trade relationship. The USTR said that while India's large market, economic growth, and progress towards development make it an essential market for many US exporters, a consistent trend of trade-restrictive policies has inhibited the potential of the bilateral trade relationship. It is basically imports substitution.
• Trump's GSP termination: Effective June 5, 2019, the US had terminated India's eligibility under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) programme, following a review of concerns related to India's compliance with the GSP market access criterion. After that, the US and India resumed intensive work in the fall of 2019 aimed at producing a package of meaningful market access outcomes, and this engagement continued throughout 2020. The objectives of the US in this negotiation included resolution of various non-tariff barriers, targeted reduction of certain Indian tariffs, and other market access improvements, it said.

• Year 2020: The United States also engaged with India on an ongoing basis throughout 2020 in response to specific concerns affecting the full range of pressing bilateral trade issues, including intellectual property (IP) protection and enforcement, policy development affecting electronic commerce and digital trade, and market access for agricultural and non-agricultural goods and services.

1. According to the report, while the United Kingdom remained the largest supplier of services, accounting for USD 62.3 billion of total US services imports in 2019, India was the sixth largest with USD 29.7 billion after Canada (USD 38.6 billion), Japan (USD 35.8 billion), Germany (USD 34.9 billion) and Mexico (USD 29.8 billion).
2. The USTR said that in July 2020, in response to outreach by it, India released US shipments of lactose and whey protein concentrate (WPC) that had been blocked since April 2020 when India began enforcing a requirement that those products be accompanied by a dairy certificate.
3. Prior to this shift in practice, US exports of lactose and WPC to India had grown steadily for years, reaching a high of approximately USD 54 million in 2019 before falling to approximately USD 32 million in 2020.

• India's Atmanirbhar Bharat: The self-reliant India campaign (Atmanirbhar Bharat) launched in response to the pandemic in 2020 has gained pace in India. While the government claims it is not about imports-substitution, but trade partners like the US feel it may not be so.

Karnataka's engineering research and development policy

• An Indian state first: Karnataka unveiled a policy to spur engineering research and development, the first by any Indian state. The policy, which looks to consolidate the state’s position as a global hub for engineering R&D, has been drafted by the Department of IT and Biotechnology and seeks to offer multinational companies the option of either setting up new ER&D units or expanding their existing facilities.
• Spend: The state government is expected to spend about Rs 1,000 crore over the next five years on ER&D, including incentives and funds to develop infrastructure and train manpower. As per the Deputy CM, “We will offer up to 33% investment subsidies and incentives for companies and offerings on a case-to-case basis. We are also investing on students to nurture the talent pool required for the R&D centres. The idea is to leverage on the existing R&D ecosystem in the state.”
• Already ahead: The state capital Bengaluru is already home to R&D units of multinationals such as Google, Microsoft, IBM, GE, Airbus and Samsung. The policy, which was drafted in consultation with industry lobby group Nasscom and top industry executives, envisages government financial aid for creating common testbeds for select technologies. The government’s willingness to partially invest in co-creating common infrastructure for some areas of technology will help. This is similar to what the central government did for software technology parks in the 90s.
• What it proposes: The policy identifies talent as a key factor and the government will offer scholarships for students opting for a post-graduate and doctoral programme to enter the engineering research sector, which requires high quality researchers. The policy proposes to offer the chief minister’s scholarship scheme - funded by the government and industry - to encourage students who want to take up higher studies in engineering.
• State as leader: Karnataka is home to over half of India's aerospace and space companies, half of the country's defence research labs and the Indian Institute of Science. Bengaluru, its capital hosts over 697 leading R&D and global centres of excellence, according to researcher Zinnov.

 

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• 2. ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY (Prelims, GS Paper 3, Essay paper

Air Quality and public health - A raging battle 

• A growing menace: Over time, the no. of ill and dying due to air pollution has posed a major problem for various Indian cities. It is time to take action on air pollution using both technology and awareness as major methods and It needs strong incentive mechanisms to ensure participation both by farmers and clean-energy producers.
• The north India phenomenon: The concentrations of PM2.5 shoots 2 to 3 times (from 81-106 µg/m3 to 193 -270 µg/m3) in the villages of Punjab in November every year (during crop harvesting time) because large amounts of paddy straw are burnt. Nearly two to three times rise in pollution levels are noted both in the farms and in NCR. Interestingly, the concentrations are nearly the same in villages with interventions and without interventions, as the farms adopting interventions are few and closely clustered with stubble burning farms. So, exposure concentrations do not drop significantly, in other words, interventions need to be adopted by large number of farmers and not piecemeal. More respiratory complaints (cough, phlegm, sneezing) are seen in the population, and more number of people complain. A nearly threefold increase is seen in number of older people with complains during high concentrations.

• Children suffer a lot: Further, a significant drop (roughly 10%) in lung function is seen in children during crop residue burning period. Based on studies in villages in Punjab, with large sample size >3600, analysis include several confounders age, gender, cooking fuel, ventilation, distance from road and agricultural field.)

1. A notable increase in clinic visits (~11%) for respiratory illness is noted in Delhi, when PM increases beyond 200 µg/m3, which happen nearly every other day in NCR. Based on time series study of 2y, 85 clinics in Delhi, tracking and analyzing trends of nearly 5 lakh clinic visits, air pollution and meteorology data.
2. Adverse health outcomes are also commonly seen in people exposed to poor air quality in homes using traditional cook stoves, and workers exposed to high vehicular traffic.

• Lancet estimates: Lancet found that over a million {1•67 million (95% uncertainty interval 1•42–1•92)} deaths could be attributed to air pollution in India in 2019 in the country. Most of these deaths attributed to air pollution are from COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) (30%), lower respiratory illnesses (LRI) (24%), Ischemic heart disease/ heart attacks (20%).

• Emerging challenges: The surge of air pollution can now be tracked. However, a silent surge of non-communicable diseases is happening, that makes the situation even more worrisome. According to the recently (Jan, 2021) published LASI study – the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India, (a survey initiated in 2017-18 of population aged 45y and above) shows Kerala, Chandigarh, J&K have nearly twice (43%) the prevalence of self-reported cardio vascular diseases as opposed to the average for India (27%).

1. Self-reported prevalence of diabetes mellitus also shows Kerala (27%), Lakshadweep (22.8%), Puducherry (22%), have twice the (11.5%) prevalence of India. This increases the number of people sensitivity or vulnerable to falling sick because of air pollution in these states.
2. So, would this lead to larger number of population at-risk of showing up at the clinics on high air pollution days, and perhaps at pollution concentrations which are less hazardous? Does it mean, the need for action against air pollution across the country is even more urgent?

• Winning it: One effective way of reducing exposure in the Indo-Gangetic Plains would be generating Power or bio-CNG from stubble, instead of letting paddy straw be lit-up in the farms in 2021. Essential for this to succeed is establishing supply chains - building stubble collection centers, safe storage and transport of stubble to processing units. However, this needs much more than harvesters and balers, storage, or processing. It needs strong incentive mechanisms to ensure participation both by farmers and clean-energy producers.
• TERI: In a webinar by TERI, practionaires and academicians note the various extent of the effects on human health. Dr Anant Mohan, leading Pulmonologist at AIIMS observes, effect of air pollution on health depends on duration and degree of severity of exposure; recurrence, background immunity and medical conditions of the individual. Dr Dinesh Sethi, radiologist notes Artificial intelligence is the future for accurate monitoring, processing and prediction of air pollution effects on health to take actions for prevention and treatment. Dr Uma Kanga, an immunologist, summarizes the extent air pollution affects health of all ages starting from prenatal to adults to old age. The pollutants act as carriers for various infectious pathogens. Dr Aakash Srivastava from NCDC shares that the Government of India (GoI) is working towards awareness generation through IEC campaigns and workshops along with development of surveillance systems for tracking health effects related to air pollution.

 

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• 3. FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Prelims, GS Paper 3, Essay paper)

Ex-French President Sarkozy’s conviction, and Donald Trump 

1. French treatment: The ex-president of France - Nicolas Sarkozy - was a polarizing figure, a firebrand who relished in ruffling the feathers of opponents to the left. He demonized immigrants and ethnic minorities and aped the rhetoric of the far right. His penchant for shattering norms, including efforts to politicize the judiciary, drew the ire of critics. Abroad, he raised eyebrows after conspicuously courting Middle East potentates.
2. Thrown out of power: But soon, the public tired of his act and the support of a motivated base proved insufficient; he became a one-term president, cast out of power by a national electorate eager for a return to “normalcy.” With presidential immunity gone, he found himself in legal battles. He raged against the “grotesque” witch hunt against him, but could not stop what was coming. A French court found Sarkozy guilty of corruption and influence peddling. He was given a three-year sentence, two years of which were suspended. He may still avoid actual jail time following appeals, but the reputational damage, at the very least, is done — Sarkozy is only the second head of state in modern France to be convicted of corruption.
3. Echoes across the Atlantic: The echoes of what’s happening to Sarkozy ought to be ringing loud for Trump. Despite considerable differences in the political contexts where they operated, the two share elements of a political style. In his memoir, former president Barack Obama described Sarkozy as an incorrigible narcissist, “his chest thrust out like a bantam cock’s … never straying from his primary, barely disguised interest, which was to be at the center of the action and take credit for whatever it was that might be worth taking credit for.” Both Trump and Sarkozy demanded absolute loyalty from those around them, either “allegiance or vengeance.”
4. Nature of allegations: Trump was impeached an unprecedented two times by the House on charges including abuse of power; Sarkozy is now contemplating a spell in prison for the same. The charges against Sarkozy, who was president between 2007 and 2012, were centered around the question whether the former French leader was behind a deal with a magistrate to illegally receive information on inquiries linked to him, using false names and unofficial phone lines. According to the prosecution, Sarkozy and his then-lawyer and longtime friend Thierry Herzog attempted to bribe the magistrate, Gilbert Azibert, by offering him a high-profile position in return for information. The incident took place after Sarkozy had left office.
5. Other allegations: Sarkozy also faces other legal woes, including allegations that he received campaign funding from the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2007, an investigation into whether he fraudulently overspent in his failed 2012 reelection bid and a probe launched January into alleged influence-peddling after Sarkozy signed a lucrative contract with a Russian insurance company. Sarkozy rejected the various charges against him. But prosecutors argued that he was finally facing the consequences for his abuse of power.
6. Trump in trouble: The legal dragnet is tightening around Trump, too. While Republican senators guaranteed his second acquittal on impeachment charges in Feb 2021, Trump as a private citizen still faces a crowded slate of criminal and civil litigation, including his role in stoking the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, his pre-presidency business dealings and defamation claims by women who allege he assaulted them, claims he has denied.
7. Bid at power: Though the stain of illegal activities doomed Sarkozy’s attempt at a political comeback in 2016, Trump seems still in pole position to make a new bid for the presidency in 2024! He took center stage on 28-02-2021 at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference and, unrepentant, once more delivered his customary airing of grievances and falsehoods. The bulk of the Republican Party appears still in his thrall, an unimaginable situation after what has happened!
8. It may be time: That confidence may change as the legal cases against Trump and some close allies start to catch up. He may not be able to just move on, without any consequences.

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• 4. GOVERNMENT SCHEMES (Prelims, GS Paper 2, Essay paper)

India's Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) 

• A major change: The RERA tried to infused governance & cleansed black money in the hitherto unregulated real estate sector.
• What it is: The Real Estate Regulatory Authority Act aims to protect the interests of homebuyers & boost investment in the real estate sector. It aims to bring transparency & efficiency in sale/purchase of real estate by establishing RERA in each state to regulate real estate sector.
• Provisions of the Act: It stipulates that no project can be sold without project plans being approved by the competent authority. Every project has to be registered with the regulatory authority thereby putting end to the practice of selling properties based on false advertisements. This authority also acts as an adjudicating body for speedy dispute resolution. The promoters of the project have to maintain project based separate bank accounts to prevent fund diversion & they have to mandatorily disclose unit size based on carpet area. Either the promoter or the buyer has to pay equal rate of interest in case of default of project thereby reinforcing equity.

• Implementation at state level: Since RERA came into force, 34 states and UTs have notified rules, 30 states & UTs set up real estate regulatory authorities and 26 appellate tribunals. The web-portal for project information was operationalised by 26 regulatory authorities which ensures full project transparency.

1. Maharashtra - While the 2013 bill was pending in the Parliament, the government in Maharashtra enacted its own law in the Assembly in 2012 by taking Presidential assent under Article 254. The state law was not consumer-friendly & central government approved the law for its political gains which could have caused permanent damage to the home buyers of Maharashtra. Later this anomaly was corrected by repealing the state Act under section 92 of RERA by invoking the provision under the same Article 254.
2. West Bengal - In 2017, West Bengal has enacted its own state law — the West Bengal Housing Industry Regulation Act (WBHIRA) knowing well that there was already a central law on the subject. Despite multiple efforts by the Centre, West Bengal refused to implement RERA, causing irreparable loss to home buyers.

• Cooperative federalism: Though the Act has been piloted by the Central government, appointment of regulatory authorities & appellate tribunals, notifying the rules are done by state governments. These regulatory authorities are required to manage the day-to-day operations, resolve disputes, and run an active and informative website for project information. What SEBI is to the securities market, RERA is to the real estate sector.
• Summary: RERA provisions are transformative in nature, has empowered consumers, helping in eliminating unfair trade practices & rectified power asymmetry prevalent in the sector.

Vivad Se Vishwas scheme - Pass or Fail

• What it is: In the 2020-21 Budget, this scheme was introduced to put an end to pending direct tax disputes at various appellate forums paving way for efficient revenue collection. It waives of the interest, penalty & prosecution for those persons who settle their dues by March 31, 2021. It is modelled on the lines of "Sabka Vishwas scheme" which met with reasonable success in closing numerous litigations in indirect tax demands.
• What was the targeted revenue: As per the Standing Committee on Finance, there are  4,83,000 disputes cases pending before the Commissioner (Appeals), the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, High Courts & Supreme Court. The estimated amount in the above cases was around Rs.9.32-lakh crore towards the end of November 2019. The amount expected to be raised under Vivad Se Vishwas scheme is well below the revenue department’s expectation, as Centre collected only Rs 72,480 crore through the scheme till mid-November 2020.
• What went wrong: There was increased pressure on the revenue officials to increase tax base & to collect more taxes resulting in surging tax demands. These demands were not realised because – assessee is not traceable or not possessing adequate assets, demand stayed by appellate bodies, company is under liquidation etc. Recent Income Tax Department reports identify that over 6,000 assessee income tax return did not match with their assets. But revenue department is continuing its drive to raise tax demands in this fiscal year too. Efforts taken by the centre to check tax evasion, reduce black money has also resulted in too many frivolous demands. The Standing Committee also reported that 95 % of the total outstanding demands will be difficult to recover.
• What next: Though data from GST returns, banks & other investments will help in reducing tax evasion, but liability ca4. nnot be clearly established. This is because the data is subjected to varied interpretations. The Income Tax Department now needs to face the reality and make necessary amendments. It should also keep in mind of a fair, courteous and reasonable treatment of assesse from the tax authority which is highlighted in the recently launched Tax Charter.

 

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• 5. POLITY AND CONSTITUTION (Prelims, GS Paper 2, GS Paper 3)

The Union Territory problem 

• One more government falls: In 2021, in Puducherry, the resignation of ruling party MLAs led to fall of the government. Among other things, this showed the structural issues present in creation of Union Territories (UTs) in Indian federation.
• Structural issues: The issues pertain to legislature composition, nomination of member to the assembly and administrators power. In order to fulfil the democratic aspirations of the people in UTs, Constitution-makers provided legislature and Council of Ministers (CoM) to some of the UTs.

1. In 1962, Article 239A was brought in which enabled the Parliament to create legislatures for the UTs. Analysis reveals that it goes against the policy of the state to promote democracy.
2. In UTs, legislatures can be a body that is elected or partly elected or partly nominated. There can also be CoMs without legislature or there can be a legislature as well as a CoMs.
3. Legislature without a CoM or a CoM without legislature is absurd because in Indian constitutional scheme, the government is responsible to the legislature.
4. A legislature that is partly elected and partly nominated is another absurdity.
5. This is because simple amendment in the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963 can create a legislature with more than 50% nominated members which cannot be a representative democracy.

• Issue with nomination: The purpose of nomination is to enrich the debate in the House by their expertise. In Puducherry, Government of Union Territories Act provides for 33-member House where in three are nominated by Centre. When the centre nominated its members to the Assembly without consulting the state, it was challenged in the Supreme Court. In 'K. Lakshminarayanan v. Union of India' case, Court held that centre is not required to consult for nominating & nominated members have the same right to vote as the elected members.
• More details: Article 80 also has the provision for nomination of members to the Rajya Sabha but it clearly specifies the fields from which they can be nominated. But in case of Puducherry Assembly, no such qualification is laid down. This creates arbitrariness where centre can nominate anyone irrespective of whether he or she is suitable.

• Issue in Administrator’s power: The Article 239 AA states that administrator or Lieutenant Governor can disagree with the decisions of COMs and refer it to the President for final decision. Then it is the President who decides based on the advice given by the Union government. So it is the Union government which finally determines the disputed issue. The administrator of UTs can in fact disagree with all crucial decisions taken by the State when the territory is ruled by a different political party.

1. In 'NCT of Delhi v. Union of India' case, Court said that the administrator should not misuse the power provided in Article 239 AA & use it if all other methods fail to reconcile the differences.
2. But the reality is very much different from the court’s verdict.

• Summary: No Union government will like the idea of a free and autonomous government in the UTs and it tries to control UTs with an administrator. But experience shows that the UTs having legislatures with ultimate control vested in the central administrator is not workable. Hence the legal and constitutional provisions which enable the administrator to stand over the elected government needs to be removed.
  

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• 6. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

School students discovering new asteroids

• Young blood rising: The International Astronomical Union (IAU), an organisation which assigns official names and designations to celestial bodies, has confirmed the discovery of 18 new asteroids by Indian students as part of a global science programme. In the project, the students from India, and across the globe analysed the high quality astronomical data provided by IASC -- an online scientific program for kids to discover Asteroids and Near Earth Objects (NEO).
• Nature of project: The International Asteroid Discovery Project was conducted by STEM and Space, an organisation working towards the learning of astronomy and space science in India, along with the International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC) as part of a NASA citizen science project. Over the last two years, 150 students from all around India participated in this two month long campaign to find asteroids, making this the largest asteroid discovery project in India.

• Details: In the project, the students from India, and across the globe analysed the high quality astronomical data provided by IASC — an online scientific program for kids to discover Asteroids and Near Earth Objects (NEO).

1. NEOs are rocky objects in an orbit between Mars and Jupiter, which pose a challenge to Earth as they may get perturbed out of their orbit and pose a threat of impact.
2. NASA has initiated programs like IASC to track such asteroids regularly, also open to citizen scientists and students to enable the discovery and tracking of more asteroids.
3. Students use advanced software analysis, “spending nearly two-three hours each day” to look for asteroids and report their findings.
4. Of the 372 preliminary asteroids flagged by the students, 18 were finally declared to be “provisional” or confirmed discoveries of asteroids, Mitra noted.

• The future: Such programs can bring the experiential learning of science, technology, engineering and medicine, or STEM, via the domain of space with a  gamut of hands-on learning workshops. More efforts need to be taken to extend the reach of such programs to government-run schools and those in rural parts of the country to make the citizen science projects more equitable.

 

The Bhuvan Portal

• New development: Recently, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and MapmyIndia have partnered to come up with an indigenious geospatial portal known as ‘Bhuvan’. This was in line with the new guidelines for the Geo-Spatial Sector in India, announced by government.

• Points to note:

1. Geospatial Portal (Bhuvan) - It is a web portal to find and access geographic information (geospatial information) and associated geographic services (display, editing, analysis, etc.) via the Internet
2. Collaboration - MapmyIndia’s database will be connected with ISRO’s high-end satellite catalogue and earth observation data, which it generates through a constellation of its satellites. The collaboration will enable them to jointly identify and build a holistic geospatial portal utilising earth observation datasets, Navigation in Indian Constellation (NavIC), Web Services and APIs (application programming interface) available in MapmyIndia.
3. API is a software intermediary that allows two applications to talk to each other. It is a computing interface that defines interactions between multiple software intermediaries

• Significance of the portal: Its services will reflect the true borders of the country as per the information available from Government of India. By using MapmyIndia maps and applications instead of the foreign map apps, users can better protect their privacy.  As foreign search engines and companies claim to offer ‘free’ maps, but in reality, they make money by targeting the same users with advertising, by invading the user’s privacy and auctioning private location and movement data. However there is no such provision of advertisement in MapmyIndia. Being an Indian platform, it is well aligned with the government's Mission of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
• MapmyIndia: An Indian technology company that builds digital map data, telematics services, Global Information System and Artificial Intelligence services, it's an alternative to Google Map, which covers as many as 7.5 lakh Indian villages and 7,500 cities. The database has a road network connected by 63 lakh km and the organisation claims to consist of the most exhaustive digital map database of the country. Almost all the vehicle manufacturers in India who come with built-in navigation systems are using MapmyIndia.

• Navigation in Indian Constellation (NavIC): It is an Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). IRNSS consists of eight satellites, three satellites in geostationary orbit and five satellites in geosynchronous orbit. It works just like the established and popular U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS) but within a 1,500-km radius over the sub-continent. It has been certified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a global body for coordinating mobile telephony standards.

1. Objective - The main objective is to provide reliable position, navigation and timing services over India and its neighbourhood.
2. Uses - Terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation; Disaster management; Vehicle tracking and fleet management (especially for mining and transportation sector); Integration with mobile phones; Precise timing (as for ATMs and power grids); Mapping and geodetic data capture.

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• 7. SOCIAL ISSUES (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

Khap Panchayat - Ancient meet the New

• India as a welfare state: A key function of a welfare state is to work for social upliftment and deliver justice. One of the functions of the State under the Directive Principles of State Policy is to separate the judiciary from the executive as given under Article 50 of the Constitution. Article 40 gives power to the panchayats to form self-governments. The 73rd Amendment of 1992 introduced Panchayats in Part IX and gave them the constitutional power to organize themselves into self-governments.
• The Panchayat story: A panchayat was a council of members or a body of religious people or caste members who exercised exclusive jurisdiction over the rural areas that existed even before the British rule. Their main function was to decide internal disputes in accordance with the prevalent customs, usage or traditions in the community. The people did not object when these customs were changed or modified for the purpose of internal administration (Baxi, 1976). For example, under the UP Panchayat Act of 1920, the principle function of the panchayat was to act as a petty court so that revenue could be collected by imposing fines as punishment (Galanter, 1989). Panchayats are mainly found at village level, gram level and district level.
• The Khaps: This is a system of administration peculiar to the Jat community of Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. It is a concept of the patriarchal society and is based on principles of Bhaichara (brotherhood) and HukkaPaani (community living and eating together). Each individual carries the name of his/her village and gotra. Two people belonging to the same gotra or two people belonging to a different gotra but falling under the jurisdiction of the same Khap panchayat cannot get married. Such a marriage is considered incestuous.
• Why the exclusions: This is because members of the clan share the same patrilineal descent. The existence and role of the Khap panchayats was first recognised during the Mughal period in clearer terms. Emperor Akbar even granted freedom to the Khaps in matters of religion and internal administration. They were exempted from taxes and the Khaps were allowed to perform their internal functions with full freedom (Pradhan, 1966). They were formed because the sufferers of armed conflicts and wars settled together and organised themselves into clans. It provided them a sense of belongingness and identity.
• Concept of Nyaya Panchayats: These have the judicial power to deliver justice in villages falling under their jurisdiction. They mainly administer civil jurisdiction and are usually established for a group of seven- ten villages (Pradhan, 1966). The members are selected through the system of voting and they have to follow proper rules and regulations as prescribed under law.

1. The Nyaya Panchayat Bill was passed in 2009 is still pending before the Parliament which clearly lays down the role, functions and powers of these panchayats.
2. The 114th Law Commission Report exclusively discussed Nyaya panchayats and their positive role in India. They get greater support from the locals and lessen the burden on the judiciary. Similar to a Nyaya panchayat, a Khap panchayat governs a group of five or more villages and organise themselves into a council of members elected by voting. Their main work involves resolving civil disputes relating to marriage, property etc.

• Role of customs and its effect in Law: A custom is a practice prevalent in an area for a significantly long period of time. For such a custom to become a rule of law, it should be in practice continuously for a long duration, it should not be against public policy and it has to be reasonable. Such customary laws are more acceptable in the society than radical changes brought by law. Thus, in short, for a custom to become a codified law, it has to be established that it is ancient, reasonable, continuous and certain (Arpanjot, 2010). Khap panchayats are institutions following age old customs in some parts of the country over generations. However, their customs vary from society to society. What is followed in North India is different from Tappa in South India.
• Categories of Khap Panchayats: A Khap Panchayat can be broadly classified into four categories Sarv Khap Panchayat, Khap Panchayat, Tappa Panchayat. Tappa Panchayat is mainly found in parts of Tamil Nadu and the omnipresent village panchayat which is most commonly found. The Sarv Khap is the largest panchayat which solves disputes of Khaps within its jurisdiction. It is an amalgamation of many Khaps within neighbouring areas in a district which have been living collectively since ages. One major criticism of the Sarv Khap Panchayat is that the participation of women at the administrative level is negligible. The origin of Khap Panchayats can be traced back to the Vedic period. Originally, they provided a secured living for people of the same clan and worked for the social upliftment of the community. The panchayats were expected to ensure a high level of justice, fair play and efficiency, in the absence of which the panchayats could not command respect from the villagers. The leaders of Khaps passed resolutions for banning female foeticide, preventing the evil practice of dowry, abolition of sati, imposing a limit on the costs involved in marriages and restricting the number of people invited in a marriage so that the girls' family is not burdened with extra expenditure.
• Limits to power: The Khap panchayat is neither a binding authority nor do they have the knowledge of law to give verdicts on matters of honour killings. These honour killings are punishable in the court of law and tried in accordance with the provisions of law. Even the political parties work as a team with these panchayats. The main criticism of Khap panchayat is that rights of an individual are not respected. Rights of liberty, dignity, freedom to choose own life partner are jeopardised. Women are abused and their issues are never addressed. Most of the Khap rules seemingly are against law. Rule of men rather than rule of law prevails! Khap panchayat bans inter-gotra marriages which is highly debatable. According to the law, every person who has attained the age of 18 years incase of a female and 21 years in case of a male, has the right to marry out of their free will. Under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955; only 'sapinda marriages' are prohibited and if they have a common lineal ascendant.
• Summary: These panchayats do not have the authority to enforce or declare the law under the Constitution yet it is a common practice. In reality, they only have the power to form self governments and uplift the rural areas and bring them at par in matters of opportunities, jobs, education and economic growth with the urban areas. Generally, the Khap leaders are senior citizens who lack flexibility in approach, but through education they can be made aware of the existing law and work in accordance with it. Participation of women should be encouraged at the core level and everyone should be given a fair hearing before deciding a matter.

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• 8. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, GS Paper 1, GS Paper 2)

Jan Aushadhi Diwas celebrations

• What it is: The Third Jan Aushadhi Diwas celebrations started on March 1, 2021. This is a one-week-long celebrations and the celebrations would conclude on March 7, 2021.
• Highlights: To mark the celebrations, the Jan Aushadhi Kendras conducted the Health Check-up Camps. The health check-up activities include Sugar level check-up, blood Pressure check-up, free doctor consultation and free medicine distribution.  The camps informed the educated the general public who visited there regarding the price, benefits and quality of the medicines which are sold at the Jan Aushadhi Kendras.
• Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP): The PMBJP campaign was launched by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, in order to provide the quality medicines at the affordable prices. Under this scheme special kendras named as “Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana Kendra” have been set up in order to provide generic drugs at lesser prices but equivalent in quality and efficacy of branded drugs.
• History: This scheme was launched by the UPA government in 2008. In the year 2015, the scheme was rechristened by Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi. This campaign was started by the sale of generic medicines through “Jan Aushadhi Medical Store” across the country. The ‘Jan Aushadhi Scheme’ was renamed as the ‘Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Yojana’ (PMJAY) in September 2015. This was further renamed as “Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana” in November 2016.

Global-Bio India 2021

1. What it is: A three-day event (March 1 to March 3, 2021) under the Theme– ‘Transforming Lives’ along with the tagline ‘Biosciences to Bio-economy’. This is a virtual event on a digital platform by the Department of Biotechnology under the ministry of Science & Technology.
2. About the event: The Global-Bio India event will bring firms and professionals together, to facilitate acceleration of innovation ecosystem in India. The event was organised with the aim of providing India the recognition of an emerging Innovation Hub and the bio-manufacturing hub globally. It will facilitate Biotech innovation ecosystem, Make in India and India’s investments for the Atma Nirbhar Bharat initiative and global networking & collaborations.
3. Biotechnology sector: The sector has become a significant part of the Indian economy. The Indian government is also playing a major role in building the bio-economy worth USD 150 billion by 2025. This sector is considered as a major driver for India to achieve the target of USD 5 trillion targets.

LinkedIn Opportunity Index 2021

• The Index: LinkedIn Opportunity Index 2021 was published, with a focus on the manner women perceive their opportunities. It also focuses on how gender gap is slowing down the career progress for working women in India in the midst of Covid-19 pandemic.
• Key points: As per the index, the Covid-19 pandemic has hit the working women in India the most as compared to working women in other countries. The index maintains that working women in India continue to battle strongest gender bias with respect to equal pay and opportunity across the Asia Pacific countries. About one in five women, which accounts for 22% of the working women in India, is unhappy with the opportunities to advance in their career. These women said that, their companies are favourably biased towards men.

1. (a)85% of working women claim that they have missed out on raise, promotion, or work offer in India (in Asia-Pacific region this figure stands at 60%)
2. (b)37% of working women in India get fewer opportunities than men, and 37% of the women are paid less than men!
3. (c)women now seek the employers who treat them as equal. 56% of the women look for recognition at work for their work.

• Career development: In India, lack of required professional skills and lack of guidance through networks & connections are the barriers that hinders the career development for working women. Because of these, women feel that organisations should step up in order to provide maternity policies and other flexibility & developmental programmes.

Indian assistance to drought-hit Madagascar

1. The help: On March 1, 2020 India announced that it will deliver a consignment of 1,000 metric tonnes of rice and 100,000 tablets of Hydroxychloroquine as a humanitarian assistance to the drought-hit Madagascar in line with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of SAGAR.
2. Highlights: The humanitarian assistance will be delivered by the Indian Naval Ship Jalashwa. This ship will be sent on March 3, 2021 containing food and medical assistance. It will reach the Port of Ehoala, Madagascar in between March 21 and March 24. This consignment is being sent to the Madagascar after the government of Madagascar appealed for the international solidarity and assistance to tackle the humanitarian crisis in South of Madagascar. INS Jalashwa will also carry an Indian Naval training team which will be deployed in Madagascar for the purpose of capacity building and training of Malagasy Special Forces for two weeks.
3. Humanitarian Crisis in Madagascar: The southern part of Madagascar is undergoing the challenge of drought for the three consecutive years. The drought has damaged the harvests and has hampered access to food for the people amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Hunger has increased in the southern Madagascar because of drought. According to the World Food Programme (WFP), the “famine-like conditions” in southern Madagascar have increased the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance by two folds, to more than 1.3 million.
4. India-Madagascar relations: India had sent a consignment of 1,000 metric tonnes of rice in September 2018 which was delivered through the Indian Naval vessel to Madagascar. Further, Indian Navy was the first who respond when Cyclone Diane had made its fall in Madagascar. The army’s carried its assistance programme under the “Operation Vanilla” by INS Airavat in January 2020. Later, INS Shardul reached to the port of Antisiranana and delivered 600 tonnes of rice as HADR assistance to Madagascar to tackle the heavy floods in the Northern Madagascar in March 2020.

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• SECTION 3 - MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions)

Solve the online quiz given, right now. Check scores, and relative performance!

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