Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 05-04-2021

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 05-04-2021

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. World Politics - EU, Covid and Vaccination - The European Union (EU) outlined a mechanism to stop exports of covid-19 vaccine components to countries that do not export to the eu, or already have higher vaccination rates. Underlining the disarray in the EU’s inoculation programme, Austria’s chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, threatened to try to stop the bloc from buying an extra 100m doses of Pfizer’s jab if his country did not get a bigger share. He has begun talks with Russia to buy vaccine. Britain, meanwhile, said a domestic factory would produce the new Novavax vaccine, which will reduce the country’s reliance on overseas production. Meanwhile, despite surging infections Germany recommended that the AstraZeneca jab should be used mostly for the over-60s and limited among younger groups, because of concerns about blood-clotting. Angela Merkel said the country’s inoculation campaign “rests on the principle of trust”. The European Medicines Agency and the WHO continue to recommend the vaccine. Experts are surprised at the lack of coherence in EU policy on Covid-19, in 2021.
2. World Politics - BIMSTEC hosted By Sri Lanka - The 17th BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Ministerial Conference hosted by Sri Lanka has been successfully concluded on April 1, 2021. It attracted the participation of all seven member states, including Myanmar, that witnessed a massive suppression of anti-military demonstrators. In order to integrate the region, BIMSTEC was established in 1997, initially formed with Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand, and later included Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan. BIMSTEC currently includes five countries in South Asia and two countries in ASEAN, and is a bridge between South Asia and Southeast Asia. It includes all major countries in South Asia, except for the Maldives, Afghanistan and Pakistan. One-fifth (22%) of the world's population lives in the surrounding seven countries, and their GDP totals close to US$2.7 trillion. This meet was hosted virtually.
3. Science and Technology - Baikal-GVD (Gigaton Volume Detector) - Russian scientists launched one of the world's largest underwater neutrino telescopes called Baikal-GVD (Gigaton volume detector), in the waters of Lake Baikal, the deepest Siberian lake in the world. Together with IceCube in the South Pole and ANTARES in the Mediterranean, it is one of the three largest neutrino detectors in the world. It attempts to study in detail the elusive elementary particles called neutrinos and possibly determine their source. Neutrinos were first proposed by the Swiss scientist Wolfgang Pauli in 1930. They are the second most occurring particle in the universe, second only to the particle photons that make up light.  In fact, neutrinos are so abundant among us that more than 100 trillion neutrinos pass directly through each of us every second-we never even noticed them. Since some neutrinos were formed during the Big Bang, and some neutrinos continued to be formed due to supernova explosions or the nuclear reaction of the sun, studying this will help scientists understand the origin of the universe.  
4. Governance and Institutions - GoI declares 14th April as public holiday - The central government announced that April 14, the birthday of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, will now be a public holiday. Dr. Ambedkar was the sculptor of the Constitution of India, and the country celebrates his birthday as the Ambedkar Jayanti every year. April 14, 2021 is the 130th anniversary of Ambedkar's birth. Ambedkar's father Ramji Sakpal was a Subedar in the army, and his mother Bhimbai Kapal was a housewife. The family settled in Mumbai in 1897, and Babasaheb enrolled in Elphinstone High School, and later went to Elphinstone College in 1907. He graduated from Bombay University in 1912 with a degree in economics and political science. Ambedkar was a famous social reformer and icon of Dalits, and all depressed classes. He opposed the inherent inequality, injustice and discrimination faced by Indian society's low-caste members. Babasaheb died on December 6, 1956. In 1990, he was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna (Highest civilian award in India). Dr Ambedkar was a noted and trained economist also, having been educated in the US, and gave inputs to the Hilton Young Commission, that finally led to the establishment of the Reserve Bank of India, in 1935.
5. Agriculture - PM-KUSUM - The first farm-based solar power plant under the Prime Minister’s Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) scheme came up in Jaipur (Rajasthan) district’s Kotputli tehsil with a provision for production of 17 lakh units of electricity every year. The PM-KUSUM scheme was launched by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) to support installation of off-grid solar pumps in rural areas and reduce dependence on grid, in grid-connected areas. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) had in February 2019 approved the launch of the scheme with the objective of providing financial and water security. The government’s Budget for 2020-21 expanded the scope for the scheme with 20 lakh farmers to be provided assistance to install standalone solar pumps; another 15 lakh farmers to be given help to solarise their grid-connected pump sets. This will enable farmers to set up solar power generation capacity on their barren lands and to sell it to the grid.
6. Environment and Ecology - New emission norms for Coal-Fired power plants - The Central government has pushed back deadlines for coal-fired power plants to adopt new emission norms by up to three years. It has also allowed utilities that miss the new target to continue operating after paying a penalty. India had initially set a 2017 deadline for thermal power plants to  install Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD) units that cut emissions of sulphur dioxides.  But that was postponed to varying deadlines for different regions, ending in 2022. According to the new order, plants near populous regions and New Delhi will have to comply by 2022, while utilities in less polluting areas have up to 2025 to comply or retire units. A task force will be constituted by the Central Pollution Control Board to categorise plants in three categories “on the basis of their location to comply with the emission norms”. In case of non-compliance, a penalty of up to ₹0.20 will be levied for every unit of electricity produced.
7. Constitution and Law - Judicial vacancies in High Courts - The Supreme Court has asked the government to clarify on the status of 55 recommendations made by the Collegium for judicial appointments to High Courts. As per Article 124(2), the President of India Shall appoint the judges after consultation with such number of Judges of the SC/HC as he deems necessary. For appointment of any Judge of SC (other than CJI), the CJI must be consulted. The three Judges case of 1981, 1993 & 1998 has formalised the collegium system for the purpose of consultation. The collegium for appointing SC judge consists of the CJI and 4 senior-most judges of SC. Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) was set up after the Third Judge Case of 1998 to provide the process of how the Collegium would recommend names to the Executive. The President of India can either accept the recommendation or send it back for reconsideration. The reconsidered advice must be accepted by the President. Slow appointment of judges leads to slower dispensation of justice, in an already overloaded system.
8. Terrorism - Naxals hit again - Twenty-three security personnel were killed and 33 injured on 03-04-2021 in one of the deadliest Maoist ambushes ever in Bastar. On 04-04-2021, when reinforcements reached the encounter site, police found injured jawans, who tried to take refuge in abandoned huts, had run into Maoists lying in wait for this. Wounded troops were stabbed, shot and hacked to death. A fierce battle raged in the jungles of Bijapur district for hours. The area where attack happened is a stronghold of dreaded Maoist commander Madvi Hidma, whose name has cropped up in every major attack in these parts since the massacre of Congress leaders in Jhiram Ghati in June 2013. A survivor of the encounter said that they were attacked by at least 400 naxals, and the ambush lines stretched for 2 km. Naxalism has been a menace for India since long, and ex-PM Dr Manmohan Singh had called it "India's gravest internal security threat". Home Minister Amit Shah stopped his election campaigning, and went back to Delhi to take stock of situation. The CRPF chief said it wasn't an intelligence failure.
9. Social Issues - Covid running amok in India - India recorded 1,03,558 new cases, biggest single-day spike since Covid breakout - The Covid-19 pandemic in India hit a grim milestone on 05 April, 2021, when daily cases crossed the 1-lakh mark for the first time. India added 478 new deaths, raising the total to 1,65,101. The single-day rise in cases surpassed the earlier peak of 97,894 infections reported on September 17, 2020, making it the highest since the pandemic began in India. Registering a steady increase for the 26th day in row, the active cases have increased to 7,41,830 comprising 5.89 per cent of the total infections, while the recovery rate has further dropped to 92.80 per cent, the data stated. The rapid spread of Covid-19 finally forced the Uddhav Thackeray government in Maharashtra to announce lockdown-like restrictions across the state from 8pm on Monday. On weekends, a complete lockdown will be imposed.
10. Infrastructure - Road constrution record set, claims Minister - The Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has claimed that India achieved a landmark milestone in road construction by building more highways than any other countries in FY 2020-21. He said that 37 kilometres of roads have been constructed every day in the year 2020-21. Over thirteen thousand kilometres roads have been constructed in the last financial year. The length of National Highways has gone up by 50 percent from more than 91 thousand kilometres to more than one lakh 37 thousand kilometres in the last seven years. India now holds world record for fastest road construction. India made it to Guinness World Records by building a 2.5 km 4-lane concrete road within 24 hours.

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• SECTION 2 - DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

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

RBI’s inflation targeting regime - no change is good

• April news: In April 2021, it emerged that for the sixth month in a row, the government collected over Rs 1 lakh crore as GST. Data showed that in March, India’s exports grew by almost 60%. But sadly, the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index ranked India at a lowly 140 out of 156 countries, highlighting the rapid slide of womenfolk in India.

• RBI inflation targeting system: Now, the Central government has confirmed that India’s central bank, the RBI, will continue to target maintaining retail inflation within the band of 2% to 6%. It was expected that perhaps this system may be changed a bit.

• Details: This “inflation targeting” regime (called flexible inflation targeting) was put in place in 2016 for five years. Now in 2021, it has been renewed as it is for next five, i.e. for 2021=2026. The past 5 years were not smooth for the FIT system. This FIT was legislated into existence in 2016. (The other could be "Fixed Inflation Targeting")

1. RBI is the monetary policy authority for India, and being the lender of last resort as well as the regulator for the banking system, the RBI sets the benchmark for interest rates and credit growth.
2. If the RBI sees that its job is to boost growth, then it can keep the interest rates lower while relaxing the regulations to enable quick and easy ways for the banking system to give out new loans. Cheaper loans will make it easier for firms and governments to borrow and spend/invest — thus boosting economic growth.
3. But if the RBI sees that its main job is to maintain financial stability and control prices in the economy, then it would keep a tight leash on the interest rates and the norms determining the provisioning of new loans. That usually constrains economic growth.

• Criticism: Between 2016 and 2020, there were many times when the RBI’s single-minded focus on keeping retail inflation within the 4% +/- 2% band was blamed for interest rates being too high for businesses, and thus hurting India’s economic growth. Inflation targeting can justifiably be questioned on several counts. One can argue that instead of headline retail inflation, the RBI should focus on the retail core inflation rate, which is the inflation rate without taking into account the fluctuations in the prices of fuel and food items (volatile things). Since fuel and food prices often shoot up in the short-term due to temporary factors — say, excessive rains or some other supply disruption — it is best for the RBI to focus on core inflation (robust indicator of the rate of rise in prices). But some others can argue that the RBI should not be looking at retail inflation at all. Instead, it should look at wholesale inflation.

• Why wholesale, not retail: Because RBI’s move to tweak interest rate affects the credit available to businesses, which, in turn, are affected by wholesale inflation, and not retail inflation. It can be argued that if retail prices of fruits and vegetables spike due to unseasonal rains, thus pushing up retail inflation, then raising interest rates — an action that would make it costlier for all manufacturing and services firms to get a loan — will not help matters anyway. To suppot this, the vast gap between the retail and wholesale inflation rates in recent years is pointed out.

• A new idea: Some say the RBI should neither use the wholesale nor retail inflation rate as targets. Instead, it should create a Producer Price Index — a more focussed inflation rate index to best suit RBI’s need.

• The rate itself: Why should RBI maintain inflation at 4%? Why not 5%? Why should the range be between 2% and 6%? Why not wider or narrower? Each such decision would tweak the degrees of freedom the RBI has in terms of setting the credit policy in the economy. The opposition to inflation targeting regime was also from those who argued that the whole idea was inadvisable. For many, such a singular focus on maintaining price stability is a counter-productive choice for a developing economy such as India. (so there must have been a focus on growth)

1. So instead of being overly finicky about the inflation rate — wholesale or retail — the RBI should be working with the government towards ensuring fast economic growth.
2. If that means reducing interest rates and relaxing lending norms so that borrowers (companies as well as governments) can borrow at easy terms then the RBI should just do it.
3. By applying onerous prudential norms that are used in the West and prioritising price control, the RBI is hurting India’s growth potential.

• Earlier RBI: India’s decelerating economic growth rate since the start of 2017 demotivated policymakers. It also mattered that in the past RBI never had an explicit mandate to target a particular level of inflation. India did avoid being as severely impacted by several global financial crises in the past. So the argument was: Inflation targeting is not the only way to be prudent about macro-financial stability.

• Pandmeic changes so much: Already, since the time current RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das took charge, there has been a clear shift in the RBI’s stance towards doing everything in its power to boost economic growth. This phase has largely coincided with the economic disruption due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the past 12 months, the RBI has either relaxed or suspended several regulatory norms to soften the blow of economic distress. But this is also a phase where the inflation rate has consistently stayed above RBI’s comfort zone. It is important to point out that a high inflation rate is the most regressive kind of tax — the poorest are hit the hardest.

• A bright new year: As India starts a new financial year, there is a tremendous and understandable urgency to grow fast and get back to the days of high GDP growth rate. But it is also true that in the months and year ahead, as banks start recognising bad loans or non-performing assets on their books, macro-financial stability will come into sharp focus. Moreover, with fuel prices staying high and another wave of Covid-induced lockdowns likely, supply bottlenecks could lead to inflation rates spiking again. It is a wise decision by the government to not ask the RBI to give up targeting retail inflation. 

 

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

Biden’s Infrastructure Plan will make electricity carbon-free

• Stimulating carbon-free: The backbone of President Biden's plan to use infrastructure spending to advance climate policy is a clean electricity standard for the power sector, a truly ambitious idea. The $2.3 trillion infrastructure proposal has one idea, with the aim of "achieving 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2035."
• Future: "If we act now, in 50 years people are going to look back and say: 'This was the moment that America won the future,'" Biden said during a rollout of the proposal in Pittsburgh. While details are vague about how the "energy efficiency and clean electricity standard" would be enacted, it remains a significant symbolic milestone in the U.S. push to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Between now and 2035: The United States is currently at about 40% clean energy on the grid. The difference between now and future depends on whether the 2035 goal is mandatory, or simply aspirational. Congress will have a big role to play in determining how much power is behind it. Previous iterations of a clean energy standard have set a goal of 100% carbon-free energy by 2050 so Biden is significantly advancing the timeline.
• If President Biden manages to get the idea through Congress, despite the Republican opposition and infighting in Democrats' camp, he will have the power to mandate standards that would accelerate the closures of coal- and natural gas-fired power plants. Thirty states and the District of Columbia have some version of a clean energy standard, but Biden's proposal outlines a radical shift for the federal government that would see far more solar, wind and other renewable sources come online. Huge investment in transmissions lines would be needed.
• Reaching a 100 percent clean energy future will require new, carbon-free, 24/7 technologies that are affordable for customers. One avenue for bipartisan support could be a rebate and fee program for utilities to build out clean energy capacity. To incentivize the build-out of a green grid, rebates would be given to utilities for expenditures on adding solar, wind and other carbon-free or energy-efficient resources. At the same time, utilities that failed to meet benchmarks would be assessed fees for going too slow. A clean electricity standard would put the United States on a path to get to 80% clean energy on the grid by 2030.
• Currently, the US adds about 2 percentage points of clean energy to the grid annually. The new standard — when combined with hundreds of billions of dollars proposed for the grid built-out — would add closer to 5 percentage points annually. 

 

India informs UN coal is integral to its energy needs

• No bye-bye to coal: While India has been focusing on renewable energy as part of its commitment to move towards cleaner fuel to address climate change concerns, coal will continue to be an “integral part” of energy requirements for its developmental needs. India has informed the UN climate body in its biennial report on greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory.
• Indian views: The report, submitted recently to the UNFCCC, underlined that the country would use coal “responsibly” through clean coal initiatives and said its per capita coal consumption was still lower than most developed countries and other emerging economies. The remarks on coal use in the report, carrying details of India’s climate action , assume significance as there is considerable pressure on India to raise its mitigation (emission reduction) goal by pledging either ‘net-zero’ (emission minus removal amounts to zero) target or ‘peaking year’ of its emission ahead of the 26th session of the UN climate conference (COP26) in November 2021.
• Straight talking: Though it is not yet clear whether India will actually deviate from its stated position of not announcing its next climate action target before 2023 when a global stock-take of collective targets of all countries happens, its report to the UN body drops enough hints that it won’t fall in line keeping in view its national circumstances. The report shows what India thinks about the role of big historical polluters such as the US, the European Union nations and the UK among others. “Unlike those countries who are proactive in planning phase-out of coal, only to replace them by oil and gas, India is transparent in its need for coal,” India’s third biennial report to the UNFCCC said.
• Committed to Paris: But this doesn’t mean any deviation from what India pledged as part of its climate action under the Paris Agreement. As against its target of 40% electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based sources by 2030, the share of non-fossil-fuel-based electricity generation has already reached over 38% in November 2020.
• Ambitious goals: In 2015-16, the India had set a target of achieving 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022 which was later enhanced to 450 GW by 2030 – it means nearly five-times increase in next 10 years from 92.97 GW in February this year. Record shows that the power generation capacity share of renewables in India grew from 4.98% as on March 2006 to 23.92% by September 2020.

 

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

17th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting

1. The story: The External Affairs Minister of India participated in the 17th Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Ministerial Meeting, in April 2021. The meeting, chaired by Sri Lanka, was held in virtual mode.
2. Points to note: India clarified that it is her commitment to further build the momentum of regional cooperation under the BIMSTEC framework and make the organization stronger, vibrant, more effective and result-oriented. India highlighted progress achieved in sectors where India is the 'Lead Country' viz. Counter Terrorism & Trans-national Crime, Transport & Communication, Tourism, and Environmental & Disaster management and other activities.
3. Connectivity: Robust connectivity is an essential prerequisite for economic integration of the region with smooth cross-border movement of people and goods. The meeting endorsed the BIMSTEC Master Plan for Transport Connectivity for adoption at the next BIMSTEC Summit, which will be held in Sri Lanka. India’s northeastern states form a key part of the master plan, with several road and river links passing through the region. The meeting called for early adoption of the BIMSTEC Charter. The meeting also endorsed three MoUs/agreements relating to convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal matters, cooperation between diplomatic and training academies and establishment of BIMSTEC Technology Transfer Facility in Colombo (Sri Lanka). It took note that the BIMSTEC Centre for Weather and Climate, being hosted in India, is fully functional with state of the art facilities to provide Disaster Early Warnings.
4. Concerns expressed: Cohesion among the members has been difficult to achieve mainly because of the Rohingya refugee crisis which created bitterness between Myanmar and Bangladesh. This affected the working of the organisation to some extent as it could not develop a common charter. (The latest coup and massive human rights violations may vitiate things more, going forward)
5. BIMSTEC: The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a regional organization, comprising seven countries. Five of these seven - India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Bangladesh - are from South Asia while the remaining two, Thailand and Myanmar, are from Southeast Asia. The group remained dormant for many years till it was revived a few years ago as an alternative to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which despite having the potential, has not been able to move forward due to friction between India and Pakistan. With a focus on intra-regional cooperation, the BIMSTEC has also formed a platform with the SAARC and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries. Currently, the BIMSTEC is involved in 15 sectors including trade, technology, agriculture, tourism, fisheries, energy and climate change among others, for sectoral cooperation. In 1997, it started with just six sectors and later expanded to the remaining nine sectors in 2008. Its secretariat is at Dhaka, Bangladesh.
6. Objectives of BIMSTEC: Creating an enabling environment for the rapid economic development of the sub-region. Encouraging the spirit of equality and partnership. Promoting active collaboration and mutual assistance in the areas of common interests of the member countries. Accelerating support for each other in the fields of education, science, and technology, etc.

 

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

Criminalization of politics

• Sad story: According to the National Election Watch (NEW) and Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), in the Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, at least 1,157 out of 6,318 candidates have criminal cases against them. "NEW" is a nationwide campaign since 2002 comprising more than 1200 Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) and other citizen led organizations working together on electoral reforms, improving democracy and governance in India. ADR is an Indian NGO established in 1999 situated in New Delhi.

• Points to note: Criminalization of politics means the participation of criminals in politics which includes that criminals can contest in the elections and get elected as members of the Parliament and the State legislature. It takes place primarily due to the nexus between politicians and criminals.

1. Legal aspect of disqualification - The Indian Constitution does not specify as to what disqualifies a person from contesting elections for the Parliament, Legislative assembly or any other legislature. The Representation of Peoples Act 1951 (RPA) mentions the criteria for disqualifying a person for contesting an election of the legislature.
2. Section 8 of the Act, i.e. disqualification on conviction for certain offences, according to which an individual punished with a jail term of more than two years, cannot stand in an election for six years after the jail term has ended.
3. The law does not bar individuals who have criminal cases pending against them from contesting elections therefore the disqualification of candidates with criminal cases depends on their conviction in these cases.

• Reasons for criminalization: First is the lack of political will. In spite of taking appropriate measures to amend the RPA Act, there has been an unsaid understanding among the political parties which deters Parliament to make strong law curbing criminalisation of politics. Then comes the lack of enforcement. Several laws and court judgments have not helped much, due to the lack of enforcement of laws and judgments. Then the existence of narrow self-interest prevails. Publishing of the entire criminal history of candidates fielded by political parties may not be very effective, as a major chunk of voters tend to vote through a narrow prism of community interests like caste or religion.

• Use of Muscle and Money Power: Candidates with serious records seem to do well despite their public image, largely due to their ability to finance their own elections and bring substantive resources to their respective parties. Sometimes voters are left with no options, as all competing candidates have criminal records.

• Effects: Over the decades, this criminalisation has eaten into the vitals of the Indian democracy. It is against the basic principle of 'Free and Fair Elections'. It limits the choice of voters to elect a suitable candidate. It directly affects good governance, as the law-breakers become law-makers,  affecting the efficacy of the democratic process in delivering good governance. These unhealthy tendencies in the democratic system reflect a poor image of the nature of India’s state institutions and the quality of its elected representatives.

• Civil services affected: It leads to increased circulation of black money during and after elections, which in turn increases corruption in society and affects the working of public servants. It also causes social disharmony, as it introduces a culture of violence in society and sets a bad precedent for the youth to follow and reduces people's faith in democracy as a system of governance.

• Recent steps by the Supreme Court: In February 2020, the Supreme Court (SC) ordered the political parties to publish the entire criminal history of their candidates for Assembly and Lok Sabha elections along with the reasons that forced them to field suspected criminals. The SC in "Public Interest Foundation vs Union Of India, 2018" had also directed political parties to publish online the pending criminal cases of their candidates.

• Electoral bonds: Sadly, a totally anonymous donation system, where corporates can make unlimited donations to political parties, has been put in place since 2017. The electoral bonds system is under review at the S.C., and till it decides, one can only wait and watch the flow of huge money that affects the entire balance in national politics.

 

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

Role of Universities in India

• The story: Given the distinctive social role played by various universities, they are not comparable to corporations. In this age and time of rampant privatisation, this debate assumes significance.

• Why are universities unique: First, Universities are inimitable social organisations, and are not for-profit corporations. They are not think tanks, research organisations, NGOs, media organisations, government agencies or civil society organisations either. Universities perform roles that may reflect some intentions and goals of these other entities. But they are uniquely situated in the larger context of the society. If at all a practical end must be assigned to a University course, it is possibly ‘training good members of society.’ It is the education which gives them a clear, conscious view of their own opinions and judgements.

• Why are Universities not corporations:

1. Principles and role - Corporations are founded on the principles of profitability and return on investment, which shape most of their decisions. The social expectations from a corporation are very limited. In contrast, universities are founded on the twin principle of creation of knowledge through research and its dissemination by teaching. Regardless of the public or private character of a university, they are universally expected to pursue the vision of a common good. Universities are thus endowed with the responsibility of providing access to education and are involved in the democratisation of knowledge. They provide opportunities for teaching, learning, and research as public service to society, especially to its youth.
2. Assessments - In assessing the social impact of a corporate entity, quantifiable parameters define the level of success. E.g. money invested in CSR initiatives annually, reduction in the carbon footprint, etc. But universities, largely, drive individual-specific intangible outcomes of intellectual growth and holistic development. So, there is a need for a long-term horizon to understand their pivotal role in accelerating socio-economic growth and building a knowledge society.
3. Priorities - Corporations measure sustainability in terms of profit, which requires maximising revenues and minimising costs. Universities, on the other hand, are constantly working on improving their faculty-student ratio. This indicator reflects the importance of specialised attention to students. Another factor is the time at the disposal of faculty members to pursue original and impactful research. For example, two of the oldest universities in the world, Oxford and Cambridge. These two have a tutorial system of learning and mentoring where faculty and students engage, mostly on a one-on-one basis, discussing the written work of the student.

• Challenges to Universities: A big challenges that universities around the world face today is in relation to their governance. Indian universities are no exception. University governance has become complex due to the multifaceted nature of the organisation. There are social expectations on it from different stakeholders. These include staff, students, parents, accrediting bodies, government departments, regulatory agencies, international partners, and donors. It is in this context that the need to recognise the role of universities in society arises. They are to be governed in a manner that will fulfil these expectations from a diversified set of stakeholders.

• What are the priorities now: It is important for universities to reimagine their role and impact in society. India needs to make its universities, public or private, more committed to their stated mission. This requires a different paradigm of recognising their contributions to the society. The three ways to accomplish this are:

1. promoting excellence in teaching and research
2. creating favourable regulatory structures
3. financially empowering universities to fulfil their mission

• Universities should strive to - improve their faculty-student ratio, establish more research centres and schools, and generate more socially relevant knowledge. They must provide an interdisciplinary learning environment.

• Summary: So, universities cannot function within binding organisational structures that breach the very academic freedom and autonomy that drive them. While public universities receive government funding, private universities to a large extent depend on private, philanthropic funding. Corporations can provide resources through CSR initiatives and philanthropic donations for universities. But, the dependence on financial resources should not weaken the autonomy or independence of the university. This has also been underscored in the National Education Policy 2020. The pursuit of excellence in teaching and research ought to be the most important objective of a university. The students remain at the centre of institutional governance and all efforts need to be taken with a view to fulfilling their goals and aspirations. The accountability of a university is to be achieved on the basis of its own commitment and capacities to fulfil its stated mission. This, in turn, must be benchmarked against global standards of quality.
  

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

Covid-19 reinfection

• Reinfected by SARS-CoV-2: A team of scientists from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) examined the cases of 1,300 individuals who had tested positive for the corona virus twice. It was found that 58 cases of the 1,300 individuals or 4.5% could be classified as possible reinfections.
• Points to note: The first such confirmed case was reported from Hong Kong. A couple of cases from the United States and Belgium also emerged. But there have been several cases of people testing positive for the virus multiple times, even in India, but not all such cases are considered reinfections. Such cases are the result of what is called “persistent viral shedding”.
• Persistent Viral Shedding: When an individual gets infected by a respiratory virus like SARS-CoV-2, the virus particles bind to the various types of viral receptor. Thus, recovered patients can sometimes continue to carry low levels of virus within their system for up to three months. These levels are no longer enough to make the person sick or transmit the disease to others, but it can get detected in diagnostic tests. The disease developed from such persistent virus is what is called Persistent viral shedding.
• Significance: It is crucial to make it clear whether a person who has been infected once develops permanent immunity against the disease, or can get reinfected after some time. This understanding of the possibility of reinfection is crucial to the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. It will help decide the intervention strategies required to control the spread of the disease. It will also help assess how long people would have to depend on masks and physical distancing. It will have implications on the vaccination drive as well.
• Determination of reinfection: Genome sequence analysis of the virus sample is done by scientists for conclusive proof of reinfection. Because the virus mutates continuously, the genome sequences of the two samples would have some differences.However, virus samples from every infected person are not being collected for genome analysis. So in most of the cases there is usually no genome sequence from the previous infection to compare with. The scientists of ICMR looked at cases in which patients had reported positive results at least at the gap of 102 days. That would not include the disease from persistent viral shedding. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the USA, viral shedding continues until only about 90 days.
• Symptoms in reinfection: The majority of the disinfectant patients remained asymptomatic during the intervening period, while few reported mild symptoms.
• Some had symptoms such as intermittent fever, cough, or shortness of breath.
• Implications of reinfection: The scientists point out that permanent immunity cannot be assumed. Reinfection might very well be happening and could be confirmed if it was possible to do genome analysis of every infected person. If reinfection is the case, then use of masks and social distancing would be a new normal.
• Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR): It is the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research. Its mandate is to conduct, coordinate and implement medical research for the benefit of the Society; translating medical innovations into products/processes and introducing them into the public health system. It is funded by the Government of India through the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

 

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

Dalit politics in Tamil Nadu

• The story: Tamil Nadu’s Dalit politics has reached a crossroads. While mainstream parties go the extra mile to accommodate Dalit icons, and are receptive to Dalit concerns, they also slowly whittle down the voter base of independent Dalit parties in the state. Mainstream parties in the state are wary of an independent Dalit political identity, and would prefer to subsume them using a mixture of co-option, corruption and at times coercion.

• Three major castes: In Tamil Nadu, there are three major Dalit castes. Firstly, the Parayar caste is predominantly in the northern and central parts of the state, and is represented by the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, the VCK led by Thirumavalavan. Pallars and associated castes who are now termed as Devendra Kula Vellalar are in the south and in the coastal delta districts of the state and is partly represented by Puthiya Tamilagam (PT) led by Dr Krishnaswamy. The Arundhathiyars are much smaller in number compared to the other two and lack an established political outfit representing them. Both the VCK and PT have fairly established political party structures in their respective regions of influence and are active all through the year. Estimates put Tamil Nadu’s total Dalit population at around 20 per cent, while tribals form around one per cent of the population in the state.

• Whom do they vote for: Dalits in Tamil Nadu vote predominantly for established political parties like DMK, AIADMK, Congress and the Communists, but they also vote in smaller numbers for Dalit-led parties like the VCK and PT. There are also some single leader-led Dalit political parties with influence in only one or two Assembly constituencies. But they do not matter much electorally.

1. The Parayar in Northern and central Tamil Nadu are politically facing up to the Vanniyars (designated as Most Backward Caste), with a political party of their own, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), while the Devendra Kula Vellalar face up to the Thevar community in the south, who are well represented in both the AIADMK and DMK. The Arundhatiyars are less numerous, politically marginal and are not facing up to any major OBC community.
2. Mainstream political parties in Tamil Nadu are all OBC community-led and are well represented in the party structure. Dalits leaders within the mainstream parties have but a marginal presence, but due to a strong party structure in the DMK and AIADMK and charismatic leadership, Dalits in the state have voted mostly with the mainstream parties.

• Strategies: Dalit parties mostly fight in alliance with established and mainstream political parties as whenever they contest on their own, they fail to make an impact. This is partly because of a paucity of resources in fighting expensive elections and also because other communities have not accepted Dalit-led political alliances or formations. In the 2016 Assembly polls, the VCK was part of a third front, contested around 25 seats and could not win a seat. Puthiya Tamilagam too drew a blank despite being a part of the DMK alliance. Moreover, the two leading Dalit parties in the state, do not see eye to eye on many issues and also do not choose the same alliance partners. In the 2011 Assembly elections, while the VCK was in the losing DMK alliance and drew a blank, PT was in the winning AIADMK alliance and won two seats. This time, VCK has got six seats in the DMK alliance, while Puthiya Tamilagam, seen in alliance with the AIADMK in the 2019 parliament polls, does not find a place in the alliance now and is contesting on its own.

• Reclassification: In 2021, the Union Government went ahead with announcing that the Pallar and other associated castes would henceforth be named as Devendra Kula Vellalar. This was a festering aspirational identity issue with the community for long and they seem to be happy with both the AIADMK and BJP governments for taking it forward. However, it is not clear how it will affect their voting, given that Puthiya Tamilagam is contesting independently.

1. While VCK, apart from its Dalit politics, talks about Tamil pride, Dravidian issues and has an agitationist anti-centre approach, and is closer to the DMK politics, Puthiya Tamilagam talks of how being in the Scheduled Caste list has not helped the community politically, and would like to move to the OBC list. While VCK shuns the BJP, Puthiya Tamilagam is seen with the BJP and is thankful to the saffron party for being sympathetic to their cause.
2. Given that Dalit politics in the state is fractured, these parties also face a new threat that many small parties seem to face in the state. It is the insistence by the mainstream parties that the smaller parties including the Dalit parties, contest on the symbol of the mainstream parties. If there is one way to lose political identity, this is it. Mainstream parties like DMK and AIADMK argue that given the tight contests, smaller parties contesting on not-so-popular symbols run the risk of being overrun.

• VCK story: Even though VCK leader Thirumavalavan are well known across the state — VCK has tried its best to expand its footprint as a pan-Tamil party growing beyond its Dalit roots — it has not paid enough dividends. While VCK has been articulate on various issues affecting the state, and is seen as a fellow traveller by a mainstream political party like the DMK and the Communist parties, the fact remains that Thirumavalavan finds it difficult to win elections, and wins by very thin margins, if at all. In the 2019 parliament elections, he won from Chidambaram constituency in the DMK alliance with a margin of around 3200 votes, while neighbouring constituencies saw DMK candidates winning seats with margins of more than 2,00,000 votes.

• What is Dravidian politics: Dravidian Nationalism was based on three ideologies - (a) dismantling of Brahmin hegemony; (b) revitalization of the Dravidian Languages (Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Tamil) and (c) social reform by abolition of existing caste systems, religious practices and recasting women's equal position in the society. Dravidian politics has developed by associating itself to the Dravidian community. The original goal of Dravidian politics was to achieve social equality, but it later championed the cause of ending the domination of North India over the politics and economy of the South Indian province known as Madras Presidency. 

 

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

National Policy for Rare Diseases, 2021

• The story: Union Health Minister approved the “National Policy for Rare Diseases 2021” on 30th March 2021. The Rare Diseases Policy aims to lower the high cost of treatment for rare diseases with increased focus on indigenous research with the help of a National Consortium to be set up with Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare as convenor. Increased focus of research and development and local production of medicines will lower the cost of treatment for rare diseases.
• Details: The policy also envisages creation of a national hospital based registry of rare diseases so that adequate data is available for definition of rare diseases and for research and development  related to rare diseases within the country. The Policy also focuses on early screening and prevention through primary and secondary health care infrastructure such as Health and Wellness Centres and District Early Intervention Centres (DEICs) and through counselling for the high-risk parents.
• Procedure: Screening will also be supported by Nidan Kendras set up by Department of Biotechnology. Policy also aims to strengthen tertiary health care facilities for prevention and treatment of rare diseases through designating 8 health facilities as Centre of Excellence and these CoEs will also be provided one-time financial support of up to Rs 5 crores for upgradation of diagnostics facilities. A provision for financial support up to Rs. 20 lakhs under the Umbrella Scheme of Rastriya Arogya Nidhi is proposed for treatment, of those rare diseases that require a one-time treatment (diseases listed under Group 1 in the rare disease policy).

 

Shantir Ogroshena, 2021

• The story: On April 4, 2021, the multinational military exercise “Shantir Ogroshena, 2021” was begun at Bangabandhu Senanibas, Bangladesh. The exercise is being held to commemorate the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He is the Father of Bangladesh.
• Shantir Ogroshena: The exercise was held between April 4, 2021 and April 12, 2021. The Indian Army contingent of thirty personnel participated in the exercise. The other participants were the Sri Lankan Army, Royal Bhutan Army, Bangladesh Army. Also, military observers from UK, USA, Turkey, Kuwait, Singapore and Saudi Arabia participated. The main objective was to enhance interoperability among neighbourhood. This will help in peace keeping operations. The armies of the participating nations shared their experiences in peace keeping during the exercise.
• Theme: The theme of the exercise was "Robust Peace Keeping Operations”.
• Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: He was a Bangladeshi politician, who became the first president of Bangladesh. He is popularly called “Bangabandhu”, and was the leading figure in Awami League political party that was founded in 1949. The party played a major role in the Bangladesh Liberation war in 1971. His daughter Sheikh Hasina is the current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. 1975, Rahman and most of his family members were killed by a group of young Bangladesh Army soldiers. On March 17, 2020, the Bangladesh Government celebrated the 100th birth anniversary of Bangabandhu. The Indian Government conferred the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2020 to Bangabandhu.
• Other Military exercises: SAMPRITI is a joint military training exercise held between India and Bangladesh. India and Bangladesh Navies hold CORPAT exercises annually. In October 2020, the countries held BONGOSAGAR Naval exercise.

 

Police and Crime Bill: Why are people protesting in UK

• The story: In the United Kingdom, thousands are protesting the new legislation introduced in the British Parliament. The new legislation is called "The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, 2021". The protests against the bill have been named as “Kill the Bill” protest.
• Why is it being legislated: The British Police is using public order legislation called the Public Order Act passed in 1986 to manage the protests in the country. However, according to the British Government, this legislation is no longer fit to manage the current types of protests. The “April Uprising” is being cited as an example where the protests went out of control. The British Police spent 16 million USD to control the April Uprising.
• Police and Crime Bill features: It widens the range of conditions that the police shall impose on protests. They can impose conditions such as start and finish times. Also, they can fix maximum permissible noise in static protests. The bill will introduce a statutory offence of public nuisance. This means that it will provide clarity on forbidden conducts such as producing smells or noise, dangerous behaviour in public (like hanging from bridges, etc). If the protestors fail to follow police directions in conducting the protests, they shall be fined up to 2,500 Euros. Maximum sentences for assaults against the emergency service workers. The bill provides powers to closely monitor offenders released from prison.
• Why protest: According to critics, the provisions of the bill will provide more rights to the police to control and monitor the protests. The Labour Party of UK opposes the following provisions of the bill - (a) The bill criminalises protestors even for making noise; (b) It also accuses persons for creating serious annoyance or serious inconvenience. Such persons can be imprisoned for a period for ten years.

 

Climate Change: Japan sees the earliest Cherry Blossoms ever

• The story: The Japan Meteorological Agency recently announced that the Cherry Blossom season of Japan is in full bloom. Usually, the Cherry trees of Japan reach their full bloom in April. This time the Cherry Blossom has occurred ten days earlier.
• Earliest Cherry Blossom: According to Osaka University of Japan, the flowering of the Cherry trees was this earlier in 812 AD. This is mainly due to Climate Change and global warming. The average temperature of Japan increased from 47.5 degrees Fahrenheit in 1953 to 51.1 degrees Fahrenheit in 2020.
• Cherry Blossom in Japan: The emergence of Cherry blossoms in Japan is often a sign that the spring season is in its full bloom. Cherry Blossom in Japan is called "Sakura". During the Cherry Blossom season, Japan organises Hanami or flower viewing. Hanami has a long history in the land of Japan, since 710 AD.
• How climate change affects Cherry Blossom trees: The leaves of the Cherry trees secrete a hormone that stops the flowers from blooming further. The secretion of this hormone stops when the temperature increases. After the weather becomes warm, the flowers bloom completely. This year, due to climate change, the flowers reached this stage earlier than usual as the hormones stopped secreting. Cherry Blossom trees are found throughout the world. They are usually common in Northern Hemisphere, especially in regions with temperate climate. This includes Japan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, China, Korea, USA, UK, Indonesia, etc. In India, Cherry Blossom is common in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Garo Hills and Khasi Hills in the north east. Cherry Blossom festivals in India are held during autumn, that is, in October and November. Shillong is known for its Cherry Blossom.

 

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• SECTION 3 - MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions)

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