Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 24-03-2021

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 24-03-2021

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Governance and Institutions - 193% rise in cyber attacks in India in 2020 - Cyber attacks in the country rose by 193.5% last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Union Home Ministry told the Lok Sabha, citing data from Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In). As many as 11,58,208 incidents were reportedly recorded in 2020, compared to 3,94,499 in 2019. Cyber experts blamed a lack of cybersecurity awareness for phishing and malware attacks. CERT-In (the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) is a government-mandated information technology (IT) security organization. The purpose of CERT-In is to respond to computer security incidents, report on vulnerabilities and promote effective IT security practices throughout the country. It had warned in March 2021 that Chinese state-sponsored actors had targeted the transport sector in India with cyber attacks. Earlier, Chinese-backed hackers were allegedly held responsible for Mumbai power blackout in October 2020.
2. Governance and Institutions - Covishield vaccine dose change - The government has decided to increase the interval between the first and second doses of Covishield to up to eight weeks in its ongoing vaccination drive against Covid-19. Covishield is Serum Institute of India’s version of AZD1222, the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca in collaboration with the University of Oxford. Some data from global trials of AZD122 suggests that extending the duration between doses to 12 weeks increased its efficacy much more. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare took the decision on the recommendation of two expert groups – the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) and National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 (NEGVAC). The groups, after looking into available scientific evidence from clinical trials of the vaccine, concluded that the protection that it provides against Covid-19 is “enhanced” if the second dose is administered between 6-8 weeks. India is witnessing a serious rise in Covid cases in March 2021, leading to localised lockdowns in some places.
3. Healthcare and Medicine - Diphtheria rising - Studies have found that Diphtheria, a relatively easily-preventable infection, could become a major global threat. The number of diphtheria cases reported globally has been increasing gradually. In 2018, there were 16,651 reported cases, more than double the yearly average for 1996-2017 (8,105 cases). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), India reported 2,365 cases in 2015. However, in 2016, 2017 and 2018, the numbers rose successively to 3,380, 5,293 and 8,788. As per the WHO, India accounted for 60% of all diphtheria cases globally in 2017. In 2018, Delhi witnessed the death of more than 50 children because of Diphtheria. Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR): Diphtheria has started to become resistant to several classes of antibiotics. Antimicrobial resistance is the resistance acquired by any microorganism (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasite, etc.) against antimicrobial drugs (such as antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, antimalarials, and anthelmintics) that are used to treat infections. Covid-19 has severely impacted vaccination schedules in different parts of the world. According to the recently released UN Report on the Impact of Covid-19 on Children, suspension of immunization campaigns will set back the decades-long effort to eliminate various diseases. Misunderstanding of Disease: Parents often misunderstand the disease as usual cough and cold and take medicines from a physician. Since the child has not been given diphtheria shots, with the passage of time, the toxin released from the bacteria starts hampering the functioning of the kidney, heart and nervous system.
4. Governance and Institutions - Delhi government lowers legal drinking age to 21 - Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia announced on March 22, 2021 that the state government has decided to lower the legal age to consume alcohol in the national capital to 21 years. He added saying that no new liquor shops will be opened in the capital and there will be no government liquor stores in Delhi. Previously, the legal drinking age in the national capital was 25 years. The legal age to consume alcohol differs from state to state in India. Among other metropolitan cities, hard liquor is banned for those under 25 in Mumbai allowing only wine and beer. While nearly 60 per cent of the 28 states and eight Union territories in India allow the sale of liquor to those above 21 years old, Delhi is among the five states and Union territories that banned the sale to people below 25 years of age. The others being Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
5. Science and Technology - Indian astronauts for Gaganyaan mission complete training - The Indian astronauts selected for ISRO's Gaganyaan Mission have completed their one-year training in Russia's Zvyozdny gorodok city. The training had begun on February 20, 2020 but it had been temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The astronauts include four pilots from the Indian Air Force, including a Group Captain and three Wing Commanders. They will now receive module-specific training in India. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had signed a contract with Russian launch service provider Glavcosmos in June 2019 to train Indian officers. They will be trained in crew and service module designed by ISRO, wherein they will learn to operate it, work around it and conduct simulations. ISRO's Gaganyaan mission aims to send astronauts to space in an orbital spacecraft. These astronauts are called "Gaganauts".
6. Governance and Institutions - New DFI to get direct access to RBI funding - The National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development Bill, 2021 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 22, 2021. Under it, the government will soon set up a “National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development”. This will also get government guarantee support as well as the direct access to liquidity from the apex bank RBI with the objective of kick-start infrastructure financing in the country. The government is pushing infrastructure creation as a means to lift the economy out of the doldrums it finds itself in, with a historic shrinkage of at least 8% in 2020-21. While demand-side measures have been limited, supply-side interventions including process changes and infrastructure push is the key, going forward. It remains to be seen if this innovative D.F.I. (development finance institution) mechanism bears fruit as desired.
7. Governance and Institutions - UNOPS and JJM - United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) entered into a partnership with the Government of Denmark to support the India’s flagship programme, Jal Jeevan Mission in Uttar Pradesh. Aim is to provide strategic technical support to Jal Jeevan Mission (Water program). UNOPS shall be focussing on instituting scalable delivery models in focused 11 water-scare districts of Uttar Pradesh in Bundelkhand and Vindhya regions. Aim of Jal Jeevan Mission: To provide functional household tap connection to every rural household by 2024. This coincides with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal-6. UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations. It is dedicated to implementing projects for the United Nations System, international financial institutions, governments, and other partners around the world. UN City campus in Copenhagen, Denmark. Established in 1973 as part of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It became an independent, self-financing organization in 1995.
8. Trivia and Miscellaneous - Gandhi Peace Prize - The Gandhi Peace Prize for the Year 2019 and 2020 were announced. The Gandhi Peace Prize for 2019 was awared to (Late) His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman. Gandhi Peace Prize for 2020 went to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Gandhi Peace Prize is an annual award instituted by Government of India since 1995.The award is open to all persons regardless of nationality, race, language, caste, creed or sex. The Jury for Gandhi Peace Prize is chaired by Prime Minister ,and comprises of two ex-officio members, the Chief Justice of India and Leader of the single largest Opposition Party in Lok Sabha. The award carries an amount of Rs. 1 crore, a citation, a plaque and an exquisite traditional handicraft/ handloom item. The present government is a follower of 'non-violence in action' preached by father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi. Its various pronouncements, policies and schemes reflect a deep commitment to Bapu's ideology.
9. Indian Politics - Covid rising sharply - India has reported 47,262 new COVID-19 cases and 275 deaths in the last 24 hours (23-03-2021), as per the Union Health Ministry. This is the most number of cases and deaths reported due to COVID-19 in a day this year. The total active COVID-19 cases in the country stand at 3,68,457, while the death toll has gone up to 1,60,441. Maharashtra Social Justice Minister Dhananjay Munde tweeted that he has again tested positive for COVID-19. Earlier, Munde had tested positive for the virus last year in June 2020 as well. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's wife Rashmi Thackeray has tested positive for COVID-19, days after her son and Environment and Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray tested positive. Both the Chief Minister and his wife had received Covaxin shots at JJ hospital on March 11. Meanwhile, Parbhani district in Maharashtra's Marathwada region will be placed under lockdown from 24 March to March 31, 2021 in view of the surge in COVID-19 cases. District Collector Deepak Muglikar said that the earlier measures such as night curfew didn't prove effective as the infection graph of new cases continued to show an upward trend.
10. Indian Economy - Digital visionary Nandan Nilekani loves cryptos - India's digital visionary, and founder of the IT firm that created the GST Network portal softwar, Nandan Nilekani Indians has said that Indians should be allowed to have them as an asset class. "Crypto as a transaction medium won't work as fast as UPI, but it has enormous capital". The government is expected to introduce a bill in the Parliament to ban all 'private' cryptocurrencies. Nilekani is backing cryptocurrencies as a store of value. In February 2021, India’s billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, often referred to as the country’s own Warren Buffett has called Bitcoin “the speculation of the highest order”. Jhunjhunwala had rubbished the cryptocurrency saying that “I won’t buy it for even $5. In the world, only the sovereign has the right to create currency…I think it is the speculation of the highest order. I don’t want to join every party in town. The hangover will be much worse. I won’t even put my mind on Bitcoin,” Jhunjhunwala had told.

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• SECTION 2 - DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

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

India gets new committee for issuing New Bank Licences

• SEAC set up: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has set up a five-member Standing External Advisory Committee (SEAC), headed by former RBI Deputy Governor Shyamala Gopinath, for evaluating applications for universal banks and Small Finance Banks (SFBs). The Standing External Advisory Committee (SEAC) will be comprising eminent persons with experience in banking, financial sector and other relevant areas.

• Points to note: The SEAC will have a tenure of three years. Secretarial support to the committee would be provided by RBI’s Department of Regulation. The applications for universal banks and SFBs will first be evaluated by the RBI to ensure prima facie eligibility of the applicants, after which the SEAC will evaluate the applications.

• Small Finance Banks (SFBs): Small Finance Banks are the financial institutions which provide financial services to the unserved and unbanked region of the country. They are registered as a public limited company under the Companies Act, 2013.

1. Scope of activities - The small finance bank shall primarily undertake basic banking activities of acceptance of deposits and lending to small business units, small and marginal farmers, micro and small industries and unorganised sector entities. It can also undertake other non-risk sharing simple financial services activities, not requiring any commitment of own funds, such as the distribution of mutual fund units, insurance products, pension products, etc.
2. More - The small finance bank can also become an Authorised Dealer in foreign exchange business for its clients’ requirements. There will not be any restriction in the area of operations of SFBs; however, preference will be given to those applicants who, in the initial phase, set up the bank in a cluster of under-banked States/districts, such as in the North-East, East and Central regions of the country.

• Universal Banks: These are the financial entities like the commercial banks, Financial Institutions, Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), which undertake multiple financial activities under one roof, thereby creating a financial supermarket. The entities focus on leveraging their large branch network and offer a wide range of services under a single brand name/Bank’s name.

1. According to the guidelines on on-tap licensing of universal banks issued in August 2016, resident individuals and professionals having 10 years of experience in banking and finance at a senior level are eligible to promote universal banks.
2. However, large industrial houses are excluded as eligible entities but are permitted to invest in the banks up to 10%.
3. A non-operative financial holding company (NOFHC) has been made non-mandatory in case of promoters being individuals or standalone promoting/converting entities who/which do not have other group entities.

• Related development: Earlier, an internal working group of the RBI in 2020 had proposed an overhaul of licensing policy for private banks and suggested allowing large corporate and industrial houses to float banks in India after suitable amendments to the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. However, former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan has criticised the proposal saying it would lead to “connected lending (a situation in which the bank's controlling owner extends loans of inferior quality at lower interest rates to himself or his connected parties)”.

• Non-Operative Financial Holding Company: A NOFHC means a non-deposit taking NBFC. As per the Banking Guidelines, promoter or promoter group will be permitted to set up a new bank only through a wholly-owned Non-operative Financial Holding Company (NOFHC). Such NOHFC holds the Bank as well as all other financial services companies regulated by RBI or other financial sector regulators based on permissible regulatory prescriptions.

• On-tap Licensing of Universal Bank: An ‘on-tap’ facility means the RBI will accept applications and grant licenses for banks throughout the year. The policy allows aspirants to apply for universal bank license at any time, subject to the fulfillment of the set conditions.

• Knowledge centre:

1. US versus India comparison - Public sector Banks (PSBs) dominate Indian banking, controlling over 60 per cent of banking assets. The private-credit to GDP ratio, a key measure of credit flow, stands at 50 per cent, much lower than international benchmarks — in the US it is 190 per cent, in the UK 130 per cent, in China 150 and in South Korea it is 150 per cent. The quality of credit is problematic as well. India’s Gross NPA ratio was 8.2 per cent in March 2020, with striking differences across PSBs (10.3 per cent) and private banks (5.5 per cent). The end result is much lower PSB profitability compared to private banks. Clearly, the rationale for privatisation stems from these considerations.
2. Public role versus Credit creation role - The PSBs in India are better at providing the public good functions, whereas private banks seem better suited for credit allocation. The success of Indian PSBs in implementing the PMJDY while not being able to create high-quality credit highlights a divide between the asset and the liability side of a bank. Banks provide two functions at a fundamental level: Payments and deposit-taking on the liability side and credit creation on the asset side. The payment services function, a hallmark of financial inclusion, is similar to a utility business — banks can provide this service, a public good, at a low cost universally. The lending side, in contrast, is all about the optimal allocation of resources through better credit evaluation and monitoring of borrowers. Private banks are more likely to have the right set of incentives and expertise in doing so. 

 

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

Climate Finance

• Battling climate change: Over the past 100 years, the earth has faced rapidly rising menace of more greenhouse gases, due to industrial pollution. Most of these flows came from the advanced Western world, and some from the developing world (including China and India). The stock of GHGs in the atmosphere is constantly rising due to annual flows. Now, the Finance Minister of India urged the advanced economies to scale up their commitments to climate finance and transfer of technologies - which are important for achieving climate-related commitments and goals. The Minister was addressing the International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (ICDRI).

• Points to note:

1. Climate Finance (Meaning) - It refers to local, national or transnational financing—drawn from public, private and alternative sources of financing. It seeks to support mitigation and adaptation actions that will address climate change. The UNFCCC, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement call for financial assistance from countries with more financial resources to those that are less endowed and more vulnerable. It is in accordance with the principle of “common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities”.
2. Why important - Climate finance is critical to tackle the issues posed by climate change and achieve the goal of limiting the rise in earth’s average temperature to below 2 degree Celsius over pre-industrial levels, something the 2018 IPCC report has predicted.
3. Commitment of Advanced Economies - Through the Cancun Agreements in 2010 developed countries committed to a goal of mobilizing jointly USD 100 billion per year by 2020 to address the needs of developing countries. The Green Climate Fund (GCF) was established in the Cancun Agreement and in 2011, it was designated as an operating entity of the financial mechanism.
4. Promises made - Under the Paris Agreement in 2015, developed countries confirmed this goal and agreed that prior to 2025, a new collective quantified goal from a floor of USD 100 billion per year shall be set. The Paris Agreement reaffirms the obligations of developed countries, while for the first time also encourages voluntary contributions by other Parties.

• Challenges: Almost 75% of the funds raised by the developed countries for climate finance are used domestically, despite developing countries bearing a significant burden of the emissions and loss of natural ecosystems as a result of the industrialisation-drive in the developed world. The total pledges to GCF was only USD 10.3 billion till July 2019, which is highly inadequate considering the estimated cost for developing countries to implement their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) is USD 4 trillion. Most climate funds have flown into mitigation, rather than adaptation (mitigation refers to devising new solutions and way of doing things, while adaptation refers to managing the current issues). Climate finance has mostly concentrated on renewable energy, green buildings and urban transport, because it is easier to estimate their cash-flow cycles. Other sectors which hold implications of equal magnitude to our natural and social ecosystems, like agriculture, degradation of land, water, etc. have seen a muted interest.

• Climate Financing in India: The largest source of climate financing in India is public funding, which is routed through budgetary allocation and several funds and schemes related to climate change established by the Government of India such as National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF) and National Adaptation Fund (NAF). The Government of India also provides funding through eight missions established under the National Action Plan for Climate Change. It has established a Climate Change Finance Unit (CCFU) in the Ministry of Finance, which is the nodal agency for all climate change financing matters. However, public funding in India is inadequate and misused. For example, NCEF funds have been used to meet budgetary shortfalls in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MoNRE). Additionally, there is no assessment of climate relevance of publicly funded projects in India, making it difficult to evaluate financial allocation towards climate action.

• Way forward: Policy and industry action must converge to take climate finance ahead in India. There is a need to mainstream the mind-set of the business community ongoing sustainability in their business models. That would push the demand for alternate solutions on climate issues, thus giving further momentum to climate finance efforts. Climate financing needs to be reported in a way that better reflects its real value to developing countries and the real effort made by developed countries.

• Knowledge centre:

1. Climate equity - "Equity" has been a central concern for international and national climate policy. Climate change poses the greatest threat to those that are the least responsible – generally people that are already vulnerable to deep-rooted challenges such as poverty. Conversely, those who have contributed the most to climate change have much better capacity to protect themselves from its impacts. As the effects of climate change mount, so does the urgency of addressing this equity challenge.
2. UNFCCC - One of the three Rio Conventions, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has an ultimate objective to achieve the stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous inteference with the climate system. The Paris Agreement under the UNFCCC was adopted in December 2015 and entered into force on November 2016. This agreement was the outcome of the negotiations launched in 2011 at the 17th Conference of the Parties in Durban to develop a legal instrument applicable to all Parties to cut greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions and to be implemented from 2020. 

 

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

Reviving the Iran Nuclear Deal

1. Putting life into the dead: Preident Biden of U.S. is facing a challenge in trying to revive the Iran Nuclear Deal, after former President Trump unilaterally decided to discard it in 2018.
2. Iran Nuclear Deal: The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA or Iran nuclear deal) was the result of prolonged negotiations between Iran and P5+1 (China, France, Germany, Russia, UK, USA and EU) nations. It was quietly brokered by Oman in an attempt to repair its mistrust with Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution. The deal obliged Iran to limit its uranium enrichment programme which will be verified by an intrusive inspection regime. In return, US agreed to partially lift its economic sanctions on Iran. However this was not ratified in US Senate and was implemented through periodic executive orders to keep sanction waivers going. Later, Trump administration pulled out from the deal in May 2018 and exerted maximum pressure on Iran to renegotiate through its sanctions.
3. Iran's response: For the first year after the U.S. withdrawal, Iran’s response was silent as E-3 (France, Germany, U.K.) and EU promised to find ways to mitigate the U.S. decision. When the E-3/EU plan failed to materialise, Iran shifted to a strategy of maximum resistance by shedding its strategic patience. It began to move away from JCPOA’s constraints incrementally- exceeding the ceilings of enriching uranium, stepping up R&D on advanced centrifuges etc. After the US strike on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander, Iran said that it would not commit to JCPOA’s restraints but it will maintain cooperation with IAEA.
4. Response from USA: Trump adopted the "maximum pressure" tactic with Iran. US pushed ahead with its unilateral sanctions by widening the scope. It covered all Iranian banks which was connected to the global financial system, industries related to metallurgy, energy and shipping, senior political leaders etc. By end-2020, U.S. had imposed nearly 80 rounds of sanctions targeting close to 1,500 individuals and entities in Iran.
5. Repercussions of these events: The U.S. decision was criticised by all other parties to the JCPOA as Iran was in compliance with its IAEA obligations. Trump’s policy comforted only Israel and Saudi Arabia but failed to bring Iran back to the negotiating table. COVID-19 affected Iran badly & Iran’s economy contracted by 7% in 2019 and another 6% in 2020. Iran was also shaken by a series of unexplained fires and blasts at a number of sensitive sites- Natanz nuclear facility, Khojir- missile fuel fabrication unit. E-3’s promised relief Instrument –INSTEX- did not work well & EU-Iran trade got dropped in the following years. Hence Iranian Parliament passed a bill- seeking to increase nuclear enrichment by 20%, suspending the implementation of some inspection provisions for 2 months if sanctions relief is not given.
6. America's road ahead: If the U.S. waits for Iran to fully comply before lifting its sanctions, it can only lead to the collapse of the JCPOA & Iran will go nuclear like North Korea. But the Biden administration has made a good start by appointing Robert Malley as the U.S. Special Envoy for Iran & positive steps are further required to create a conducive atmosphere. US can help in clearing the Iran’s applications to IMF for COVID-19 relief and for the supply of vaccines under the international COVAX facility. Iran can release of European and American nationals who are currently in its custody. All U.S. sanctions cannot be lifted instantly, it is possible to remove the sanctions on Iranian political leaders which would send a positive signal. The IAEA and E-3/EU should work together to reverse the steps taken by Iran to ensure full compliance with the JCPOA. Brussels now has the opportunity to take a lead role as an independent foreign policy actor.
7. Knowledge centre: (a) Iranian Revolution, 1979 - The Iranian Revolution (Enqelāb-e Eslāmī) was a popular uprising in Iran in 1978–79 that resulted in the toppling of the monarchy on February 11, 1979, and establishment of an Islamic republic. The 1979 revolution brought together Iranians across many different social groups, inluding the clergy, landowners, intellectuals, and merchants. The United Kingdom had helped Reza Shah Pahlavi establish a monarchy in 1921. Along with Russia, the U.K. then pushed Reza Shah into exile in 1941, and his son Mohammad Reza Pahlavi took the throne. In 1953, amid a power struggle, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the U.K. Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) orchestrated a coup. Later, Mohammad Reza Shah dismissed the parliament and launched the White Revolution — an aggressive modernization program that upended the wealth and influence of landowners and clerics, disrupted rural economies, led to rapid urbanization and Westernization, and prompted concerns over democracy and human rights. The program was economically successful, but the benefits were not distributed evenly. Opposition rose in the 1970s, when world monetary instability and fluctuations in Western oil consumption seriously threatened the country’s economy. High rates of inflation and the stagnation of Iranians’ buying power and standard of living prompted a revolution in 1979.

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

India 40th on International Intellectual Property Index

• Introduction: India has been ranked 40 among 53 global economies on the latest annual edition of the International Intellectual Property (IP) Index. It is released annually by the US Chamber of Commerce Global Innovation Policy Centre (GIPC), and evaluates Intellectual Property rights in 53 global economies from patent and copyright policies to commercialisation of IP assets and ratification of international treaties.

• The data: The overall global IP environment improved in 2020, with positive score increasing in 32 of the 53 economies measured by the IP Index. This is the ninth IP index released by the GIPC. India's overall score has increased from 36.04 per cent (16.22 out of 45) in the seventh edition to 38.46 per cent (19.23 out of 50) in the eighth edition. India has shown real improvement over the past few years, the report said, adding that it has made a string of positive efforts which resulted in a score increase because of stronger enforcement efforts and precedent-setting court cases involving copyright and trademark infringement.

• Challenging situation: But rights-holders in India continue to face substantive challenges, particularly regarding the patenting environment, in which India's policy framework continues to deny patent eligibility to a broad range of innovations. As one of the world's most innovative and creative economies, a unified intellectual property (IP) framework supports India's competitiveness. This is especially true for many of India's most highly regarded sectors, including advanced manufacturing, biopharmaceutical products, and creative content. Among BRICS nations, India registered the second-highest growth over nine editions of the US Chamber Index hit years with an overall improvement of over 13 per cent.

• What is expected of govt.: Investors have urged the Indian government to build upon the positive momentum of the last nine years to address areas where challenges remain. The ecosystem for innovators and creators could be further strengthened through reforms to clarify trade secrets protection, the removal of bureaucratic barriers, and the passage of clean Cinematographic Law amendments to protect Indian creative content. 

1. The 2021 Index illustrates that economies with the most effective IP frameworks are more likely to achieve the socio-economic benefits needed to combat COVID-19, including greater access to venture capital, increased private sector investment in research and development, and over 10 times more clinical trial activity.
2. Over the last year, transparent and predictable intellectual property rights have also fostered unprecedented levels of highly successful public-private sector collaborations.

• Slowing changing: The international IP system gave the innovative scientific community the capacity to respond to the global pandemic. Countries with the most effective IP ecosystems as measured by the 2021 Index become trusted partners in a mission to develop, manufacture, and distribute the solutions needed to defeat COVID-19 in record time. In what is otherwise a challenging copyright environment in India, a positive trend has emerged over the past few years with rights-holders increasingly being able to defend and enforce their copyrights through injunctive relief, the report said.

• Knowledge centre:

1. Intellectual Property - Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and symbols, names and images used in commerce. IP is protected in law by patents, copyright and trademarks, which enable people to earn recognition or financial benefit from what they invent or create. By striking the right balance between the interests of innovators and the wider public interest, the IP system aims to foster an environment in which creativity and innovation can flourish.
2. WTO TRIPS - The Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) is an international legal agreement between all the member nations of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The TRIPS Agreement, which came into effect on 1 January 1995, is to date the most comprehensive multilateral agreement on intellectual property. The areas of intellectual property that it covers are: copyright and related rights (i.e. the rights of performers, producers of sound recordings and broadcasting organizations); trademarks including service marks; geographical indications including appellations of origin; industrial designs; patents including the protection of new varieties of plants; the layout-designs of integrated circuits; and undisclosed information including trade secrets and test data.

 

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

French Parliament and climate change in Constitution

• A positive move: The lower house of the French parliament, the National Assembly, on Tuesday voted in favour of amending the country's constitution with provisions that include climate and biodiversity protection The 391-47 vote on the climate bill marks the first step towards a referendum on the constitutional amendment.

• President's promise: According to Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti, this bill is a "real chance that [the French] will go to the referendum promised by the president." In December, French President Emmanuel Macron announced his intention to hold a nationwide referendum on constitutional amendments related to the fight against climate change.

• Making it foundational: The amendments are set to add notions of biodiversity, the environment and the fight against global warming to the basic law's Article 1. In late June 2020, Macron voiced his support for the initiative to add provisions on biodiversity and the fight against climate change to the country's constitution. The French leader proposed allowing the lawmakers to discuss the initiative and then hold a referendum in 2021.

Haryana's myopic jobs reservation law

• A new law reserving jobs for locals: The Haryana government has notified a law mandating private companies to reserve jobs for local candidates. The Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act, 2020, requires all companies, societies, trusts, partnership firms, and limited liability partnership firms to provide 75 per cent jobs with a monthly salary of up to Rs 50,000 to local candidates.

• Industry unhappy: The potential impact of the law can be gauged by industry’s reaction, which usually avoids criticising governments. One of the industry chambers rightly noted it would “spell disaster” for the state’s industrial development. In fact, the impact will not be limited to the state alone. The impact of jobs for locals will not be limited to the state.

• Problems with the law: The law is problematic at multiple levels.

1. First, it is unconstitutional! The Indian Constitution does not allow discrimination based on the place of birth. It also gives all citizens the right to move freely and practise any profession. Thus, the law is unlikely to pass the constitutional validity test. However, what is worrying is that Haryana is not the first state to pass such a law. The Andhra Pradesh government got a similar law passed in 2019, which has been challenged and the matter is sub-judice. Besides, the Gujarat chief minister had said in 2018 that 80 per cent of jobs in manufacturing and services should be for locals. Several other states have also talked about bringing in similar laws. In a way, this shows how states look at the jobs issue. Instead of increasing the size of the pie, the idea is to redistribute it in a way that serves the immediate electoral need.
2. It challenges the Union government’s stated position of improving the ease of doing business. To its credit, the Central government has taken several steps in recent times — such as simplifying labour laws and decriminalising the company law — to improve the ease of doing business. But laws in states restricting the pool of labour will significantly worsen the business environment. It would not only make businesses uncompetitive by potentially increasing the labour cost, but will also be a step back to the inspector raj. In any case, India has not been able to take advantage of its large pool of cheap labour. Laws like this will permanently destroy the potential.
3. Along with affecting the overall economic potential, such laws will also increase regional imbalance by shutting down growth centres, which may have developed because of a variety of reasons, for surplus labour from states that have been left behind. It is also disappointing that a state government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has enacted such a law. Unlike a regional party, the BJP is expected to be able to see the bigger picture. Several other states that intend to implement such a myopic law are also led by the BJP.

• Summary: While the constitutionality of the law would be decided in court, the BJP’s central leadership and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have stopped the Haryana government. The biggest challenge for the Modi government at the moment is to put India on a long-term sustainable growth path. The Manohar Lal Khattar government in Haryana has made a big dent in any such prospect.

 

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

Cyber Security Doctrine

• Changing security narrative: The world over, nations are discovering that strengthening just the conventional military won't work at all. The new challenges are in cyberspace, warranting an altogether new thinking.

• Baby steps: India ranks third in terms of the number of internet users in the world, after the USA and China. Still, India’s cybersecurity architecture is quite nascent and immature. A report in the New York Times that highlighted the possibility that the power outage in Mumbai, 2020, could have been the result of an attack by a Chinese state-sponsored group. Therefore, given the criticality of cyberspace in the military, governance, and economic domain there is a need for a comprehensive cybersecurity doctrine in India.

• Cyber attacks on India: India has been the victim of cyber attacks multiple times in the past. In 2009, a suspected cyber espionage network dubbed GhostNet was found to be targeting, amongst others, the Tibetan government in exile in India, and many Indian embassies. By pursuing the leads from that discovery, researchers found what they dubbed the Shadow Network, a vast cyber-espionage operation that extensively targeted Indian strategic entities. There were a number of subsequent attacks that targeted India, including Stuxnet, which had also taken down nuclear reactors in Iran. Suckfly, which targeted not just government but also private entities including a firm that provided tech support to the National Stock Exchange. Dtrack which first targeted Indian banks, and later the Kudankulam nuclear power plant (Tamil Nadu) in 2019.

• Challenges in India's Cyber Security Architecture:

1. False Flag Attacks: The documents released by WikiLeaks show that groups such as the Central Intelligence Agency’s UMBRAGE project have advanced capabilities of misdirecting attribution to another nation-state (“false flag attacks”) by leaving behind false “fingerprints” for investigators to find.
2. This makes it difficult for India to launch a counterattack.
3. Problems With ‘All of Government Approach’: While seeking to create an ‘all of government’ approach to countering and mitigating cybersecurity threats at the national level, has also resulted in concerns around effective coordination, overlapping responsibilities, and lack of clear institutional boundaries and accountability.
4. Capability Asymmetry: India lacks indigenization in hardware as well as software cybersecurity tools. This makes India’s cyberspace vulnerable to cyberattacks motivated by state and non-state actors. India doesn’t have an ‘active cyber defense’ like the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the US’ Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data (CLOUD) Act.
5. Absence of a Credible Cyber Deterrence Strategy: Further, the absence of a credible cyber deterrence strategy means that states and non-state actors alike remain incentivized to undertake low-scale cyber operations for a variety of purposes — espionage, cybercrime, and even the disruption of critical information infrastructure.

• CyberSecurity Institutions: Over the past two decades, India has made a significant effort at crafting institutional machinery focusing on cyber resilience spanning several government entities. Perhaps too many have been formed, it would seem.

1. The Prime Minister’s Office includes within it several cyber portfolios. Among these are the National Security Council, usually chaired by the National Security Adviser (NSA), and plays a key role in shaping India’s cyber policy ecosystem.
2. The NSA also chairs the National Information Board, which is meant to be the apex body for cross-ministry coordination on cybersecurity policymaking.
3. The National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre established under the National Technical Research Organisation in January 2014 was mandated to facilitate the protection of critical information infrastructure.
4. In 2015, the Prime Minister established the office of the National Cyber Security Coordinator who advises the Prime Minister on strategic cybersecurity issues.
5. India’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), which is the nodal entity responding to various cybersecurity threats to non-critical infrastructure comes under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY).
6. The Ministry of Defence has recently upgraded the Defence Information Assurance and Research Agency to establish the Defence Cyber Agency, a tri-service command of the Indian armed forces to coordinate and control joint cyber operations and craft India’s cyber doctrine.
7. The Ministry of Home Affairs oversees multiple similarly-named “coordination centres” that focus on law enforcement efforts to address cybercrime, espionage and terrorism, while the Ministry of External Affairs coordinates India’s cyber diplomacy push — both bilaterally with other countries, and at international fora like the United Nations.

• Summary: The National Cyber Security Policy 2013 clarified that India needs a National Cyber Security Strategy, but is yet to be released. Therefore, given the criticality of cyberspace, the new strategy should include:

1. Doctrine on Cyber Conflicts: There is a need to clearly articulate a doctrine that holistically captures its approach to cyber conflict, either for conducting offensive cyber operations or the extent and scope of countermeasures against cyber attacks.
2. Setting a Global Benchmark: India should see the National Cyber Security Strategy as a key opportunity to articulate how international law applies to cyberspace. This could also mould the global governance debate to further India’s strategic interests and capabilities.
3. Multi-Stakeholder Approach: To better detect and counter threats from both state actors and their proxies as well as online criminals, improved coordination is needed between the government and the private sector, as well as within the government itself — and at the national and State levels.
4. Specifying Redlines: National Cyber Security Strategy should include positioning on not just non-binding norms but also legal obligations on ‘red lines’ with respect to cyberspace-targets, such as health-care systems, electricity grids, water supply, and financial systems.

• Conclusion: A clear public posture on cyber defense and warfare boosts citizen confidence, helps build trust among allies, and clearly signals intent to potential adversaries, thus enabling a more stable and secure cyber ecosystem.
  

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

Women in India unsafe in public

1. Disturbing findings: About 29% of Indian women have faced molestation or sexual advances in public places. Of these, over 75% did not even file a police complaint, according to the findings of a survey conducted by LocalCircles, a community social media platform, released on the occasion of International Women’s Day 2021.
2. Not safe at all: The survey focussed on the vulnerability of women in public places in India, the effectiveness of the complaint registration system and interfacing with police. It also sought to understand actions victims took to book perpetrators.
3. Places: Trains, stations, public gatherings, and streets are top locations where Indian women have to face molestation or sexual advances, according to the findings of the survey. The survey focussed on the vulnerability of women in public places in India, the effectiveness of the complaint registration system and interfacing with police. It also sought to understand what actions victims took to book perpetrators.
4. Data: Of those who faced molestation or sexual advances in public places, only 23% filed a police complaint or First Information Report (FIR), while 15% said “though we tried hard to file an FIR or police complaint, the police did not register it and did not take any action." About 3% said, “police did not register an FIR or police complaint but the culprits were beaten up or harassed by the police." The absence of fast-track court, inadequate investigation, lack of effective vigilance, police inability, or, even the patriarchal mindset of most Indian families, are among the reasons that Indian women have remained unsafe.
5. Summary: The way forward, the survey said, includes introducing the concept of mutual consent early in the school curriculum so that children are better educated about its importance vis-à-vis gender equality. An effective monitoring system, such as CCTVs in public places such as train stations and bus stands, and an urgent need to sensitise police forces at the ground level.

Women's unpaid work

1. Introduction: Women bear a disproportionately high burden of unpaid domestic work and care work in India. They take care of unpaid domestic services as well as unpaid care of children, the old, and the disabled for their respective households.
2. Why they do it: Women do this job not necessarily because they like it or are efficient in it, but because it is imposed on them by patriarchal norms, which are the roots of all-pervasive gender inequalities. Though this work contributes to overall well-being at the household level and collectively at the national level, it is invisible in the national database and particularly in national policies. By excluding this work from the economy, macroeconomics shows a clear male bias.
3. Don't ignore, acknowledge: Therefore, in order to adhere to the principle of gender equality and justice, it is imperative to recognize this unpaid work and make provisions to rectify this problem.
4. Recognise it: The invisible labor that a woman puts into household work is a 24-hour job without remuneration, promotions, or retirement benefits. Further, it restricts opportunities for women in the economy and in life. It is due to this female labor force participation rate in India is around 25%. The household produces goods and services for its members, and if GDP is a measure of the total production and consumption of the economy, it has to incorporate this work by accepting the household as a sector of the economy. Unpaid work is a privately produced public good that is critical for the sustenance of the mainstream economy. At the macro level, unpaid work subsidizes the private sector by providing it a generation of workers (human capital) and takes care of the wear and tear of labor who are family members. Similarly, unpaid work also subsidizes the government by taking care of the old, sick, and disabled. The state would have spent huge amounts in the absence of unpaid work.
5. Challenges in Compensating Unpaid Work: The Economic Survey 2019 recognizes this unpaid work, is a positive development. However, its implementation may create problems such as the affordability of the government and calculation of the amounts. Paying monetary benefits carries with it the possible danger of formally endorsing the social norm that domestic and care work is ‘women’s work’, for which they are being paid. The term salary, wage, or compensation is indeed problematic as it indicates an employer-employee relationship, i.e., a relationship of subordination with the employer having disciplinary control over the employee.
6. Summary: Public policy should aim at closing the huge gender gap in unpaid domestic and care work through ‘recognition, reduction, and redistribution. Paying a wage is a formal recognition of the fact that unpaid domestic and care work is no less important than paid market work, as the latter is parasitic on the former. What governments could do is recognize this unpaid work in the national database by a sound time-use survey and use the data in national policies. Women’s burden of unpaid work can be reduced by (a) improving technology (e.g. better fuel for cooking), (ii) better infrastructure (e.g. water at the doorstep), (iii) shifting some unpaid work to the mainstream economy (e.g. childcare, care of the disabled, and care of the chronically sick), (iv) making basic services (e.g. health and transportation) accessible to women, etc.

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

World Tuberculosis Day 2021

1. Introduction: The World Tuberculosis Day is observed each year on March 24. Theme of the day for this year is “The Clock is Ticking” which marks the urgency to take measures against the disease. It has become more important to act right now in the light of ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which has led to negligence towards TB patients.
2. Points to note: This day is celebrated to raise public awareness regarding the debilitating impact of TB on health, social and economic wellbeing of the person. The day also works to step up efforts to end the global epidemic of Tuberculosis. It is on March 24 to commemorate the discovery of bacterium causing Tuberculosis that is “TB bacillus” in the year 1882. This bacterium was discovered by Dr Robert Koch at the University of Berlin’s Institute of Hygiene. This discovery opened ways for diagnosing and curing the disease.
3. Proclamation of TB Day: The proposal to proclaim March 24 as World TB day was put forward by International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IUATLD) in the year 1982 which also marked the one-hundredth anniversary of Robert Koch’s presentation. This proclamation was a part of year-long centennial effort by IUATLD and World Health Organization under the theme “Defeat TB: Now and Forever.” The first ever World TB Day was hosted by WHO and Royal Netherlands Tuberculosis Foundation (KNCV) in the fall of 1995 in Den Haag, Netherlands.
4. Tuberculosis (TB): It is an infectious disease which is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) bacteria. The disease generally affects lungs and it can also affect other parts of the body. Most of the infections have no symptoms. In this case, the disease is called as latent tuberculosis. The global epidemic remains one of the deadliest infectious killers. It causes the death of around 4000 lives to TB each day and 1.5 million lives each year while around 28,000 people fall ill each day and 10 million people each year. Half of the TB cases are found in 8 countries namely, India, China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, Nigeria, Philippines and South Africa.

 

Social Justice Ministry to launch Poshan Abhiyan for Elderly

1. Poshan Abhiyan for elders: Under the mission, support will be provided to poor and destitute elders who are not staying in Old Age Homes and are victims of malnutrition. Mission will focus on procuring healthy food material which are available locally to serve hot-cooked mid-day meals. Scheme will be implemented by “Gram Panchayats and Urban Municipalities”. ‘Senior Citizens Welfare Fund’ will be utilized to fund & implement the mission.
2. National Action Plan for Senior Citizens: Government of India has been implementing several schemes and programmes under an Umbrella Scheme for Senior Citizens called “National Action Plan for Senior Citizens”. This scheme provides for financial security, shelter & welfare, healthcare & Nutrition, protection of life & property, awareness generation and active & productive ageing.
3. Poshan Abhiyan or National Nutrition Mission (NNM): The multi-ministerial initiative called NNM was launched in 2018 to tackle the malnutrition problem which is prevalent in India. It was launched to improve nutritional outcomes of children, adolescents, pregnant & lactating women. Key objective of the mission is “to reduce the level of under-nutrition”. It was launched for children to enhance their nutritional status. The mission seeks to eliminate malnutrition by 2022. It specifically targets towards reducing stunting, undernutrition, anaemia and low birth weight.
4. National Council on nutrition: This council has been set up under Poshan Abhiyan. Vice chairman of NITI Aayog is the chairperson of the council. It offers policy directions in a bid to address ‘nutritional challenges’ and review its programmes.

National Biopharma Mission

• Introduction: The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has initiated cabinet approved National Biopharma Mission with the objective of strengthening emerging biotechnology enterprise across India. Mission is entitled as “Industry-Academia Collaborative Mission for Accelerating Discovery Research to Early Development for Biopharmaceuticals – Innovate in India (I3) Empowering biotech entrepreneurs & accelerating inclusive innovation”.

• National Biopharma Mission: It was launched to support small and medium enterprises in order for them to overcome the risks associated with early stages of development of products. It promotes entrepreneurship by supporting enhanced industry-academia inter-linkages. It also provides mentoring & training for academia, innovators and entrepreneurs. The mission further promotes domestic manufacturing by shared national facilities like GLP Analytical facilities, cell line repositories and setting clinical trial network.

• Goals: The mission was launched to

1. develop products from leads which are at advanced stages of product development lifecycle.
2. strengthen and establish shared infrastructure facilities to validate & manufacture the products.
3. develop human capital by providing specific training in order to address ‘critical skills gaps’ in researchers and nascent biotech companies.
4. create & enhance technology transfer and intellectual property management capacities across public and private sector.

• Targets: Specific targets of the mission are

1. To develop 5 biopharma products like biotherapeutics, Vaccines, medical devices and diagnostics.
2. To establish the shared infrastructure and facilities like GLP Validation and Reference Lab.
3. Med-Tech validation facility.
4. Translational & interdisciplinary research, process development and development of cell lines.
5. To set up and establish technology transfer offices in public and private sector.
6. To impart technical and non-technical skill development.

• Innovate in India (I3): I3 is an industry- academia collaborative mission by Department of Biotechnology (DBT) which was launched in collaboration with World Bank to accelerate discovery research. It will be implemented by Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).

SC waives interest in Loan Moratorium Scheme

• Introduction: The Supreme Court of India has refused to interfere with the decision of the government and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on the loan moratorium scheme declining to extend moratorium period of six-months.

• Points to note: The court has also highlighted that the additional reliefs like total waiver of interest cannot be allowed because it will affect the depositors. The apex court also added that no interest on interest will be charged on the borrowers during moratorium period irrespective of loan amount. If any amount has been collected will be refunded.

• Events: The Supreme Court pronounced its verdict following a batch of pleas by several trade associations from the real estate and power sectors who were seeking an extension of the loan moratorium and other reliefs in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The bench headed by justice Ashok Bhushan had reserved the verdict on December 17, 2020. 

1. The Centre had submitted in the court that, if it were to consider the waiving interest on all the loans & advances of all the categories of borrowers for six-month moratorium period, then the amount foregone will account for more than Rs 6 trillion. If banks were to bear the burden of this amount then, it would necessarily wipe out the substantial part of their net worth. It will also render most of the lenders unviable.
2. Loan Moratorium - It is the period of time wherein the lenders do not have to pay an EMI on the loan they have taken. This period is also EMI holiday. Such breaks are offered to help the individuals who are facing the temporary financial difficulties to plan their finances in a better manner. In India, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had announced the loan moratorium scheme which allowed the lending institutions to grant the temporary relief to the borrowers in their installments of term loans amid the covid-19 pandemic. This was announced with the aim of providing the borrowers more time to pay their EMIs because of the economic fallout.

 

9.1 Today's best editorials to read

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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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