Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 16-04-2021

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 16-04-2021

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

• Indian Politics - Second coronavirus wave raging in India - 1,185 people dying of Covid in the last 24 hours pushed the country's death count to 1,74,308. This is the second straight day of reporting over two lakh cases and the sixth straight day of over 1.5 lakh daily cases. Meanwhile, India's health minister said "We are now equipped with everything. We know all the techniques and guidelines. The only challenge is how to overcome the present surge in #Covid cases". Kerala has decided to do mass testing of people for COVID-19. The state is aiming to conduct 2 lakh to 2.5 lakh tests between today and tomorrow. 30 sadhus participating in the mega Kumbh Mela in Uttarakhand's Haridwar tested positive for COVID-19, and some reported that the Mela was cut short. The government on Thursday said 100 new hospitals will have their own oxygen plant under PM-CARES Fund and another 50,000 metric tonnes of medical oxygen will be imported. The centre has given permission to the Maharashtra government-owned Haffkin Institute in Mumbai to manufacture Covaxin, an anti-coronavirus vaccine of Bharat Biotech. This week, India overtook Brazil to become the country with the second-highest number of cases worldwide, after the United States.
• Indian Economy - India's wholesale inflation rises to 8-year high - The Wholesale Price Index-based inflation rose to an over eight-year high of 7.39% in March 2021, driven mostly by high fuel and power prices. In February 2021, WPI inflation stood at 4.17%. The pace of price rise was driven by an 18% increase in the price of what the WPI index categorizes as mineral oils. This category has a weight of 7.95% in the overall index. It includes cooking gas, petrol, diesel and jet fuel. The price of petrol and diesel rose by 18.48% and 18.27%, respectively. This is an impact of the rise in the price of oil. In March 2020, the excise duty on petrol stood at ₹19.98 per litre, but in March 2021, it was ₹32.98 per litre. For diesel, it jumped from ₹15.83 per litre to ₹31.83 per litre. This was done so buoy the tax revenues, collapsing post Covid. The government’s ghas resulted in higher fuel prices, which has led to the latest bout of inflation. Then, the price of manufactured products (64.23% of the WPI index) rose by 7.34% in March 2021, from a year earlier, the highest inflation manufactured products have seen. This is so due to global price rise of basic metals (iron, copper, lead, zinc etc.), which are used in the manufacturing of different products. Global investors have been buying them up, to protect themselves against the massive money printing being carried out by central banks. The question is if this WPI increase will feed into CPI inflation also, and the answer is that if the cost of manufacturing rises, firms will beare bound to pass it on some of it to the end consumer, thus pushing up retail prices. The retail inflation during March 2021 had stood at 5.52%. With the second wave of covid spreading, supply chains are likely to break down, as they did in 2020, feeding into both wholesale and retail inflation.
• Governance and Schemes - The MANAS App - Initiated by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, the Mental Health and Normalcy Augmentation System (MANAS) App aims to promote wellbeing across age groups. The initial version of MANAS focuses on promoting positive mental health in the age group of 15-35 years. It is a comprehensive national digital wellbeing platform and an app developed to augment mental well-being of Indian citizens. It was jointly executed by, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Bengaluru. MANAS app was endorsed as a national program by the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC). The motto is "Uttam Mann, Saksham Jan". It integrates the health and wellness efforts of various government ministries, scientifically validated indigenous tools with gamified interfaces developed by many national bodies and research institutions. This multi-lingual app is based on life skills and core psychological process, with universal accessibility, delivering age-appropriate methods and promoting positive attitude focusing on wellness.
• Governance and Schemes - First floating LNG storage and regasification unit - India’s first LNG storage and regasification unit are in Maharashtra. The unit had arrived at the Jaigarh terminal of H-Energy’s Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra. The launch will help in boosting the opportunities and will help in the development of social infrastructure and port-based industries in India. The firm said it aimed to contribute to the overall development of natural gas value chain, aligned with the Prime Minister's vision of increasing the share of natural gas in India's energy mix from present 6 per cent to 15 per cent by 2030. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas that has been cooled to a liquid state, at about -260° Fahrenheit, for shipping and storage. The volume of natural gas in its liquid state is about 600 times smaller than its volume in its gaseous state.
• History - Lost Golden City discovered in Egypt - The Government of Egypt has announced that a ‘Lost Golden City’ has been discovered which was buried under the sands in Luxor for the past 3,000 years. The latest discovered city has also been identified by archaeologists as the most significant discovery. It will give insight into the life of the ancient Egyptians and the timeline of the empire. This “lost golden city” is from the era of 18th-dynasty king Amenhotep III, who ruled ancient Egypt from 1391 to 1353 B.C., and was found in the southern province of Luxor, near some of the country’s best-known monuments. The city is believed to have been used by Tutankhamun and his successor Ay during a period widely believed to be the golden era of ancient Egypt. The ancient city is located on the west bank of the Nile river, as per the reports, close to the Colossi of Memnon, Medinet Habu and the Ramesseum, or mortuary temple of King Ramses II, all of which are popular tourist destinations.
• Governance and Schemes - Launch of e-SANTA - The e-SANTA portal was inaugurated recently, which is an electronic marketplace providing a platform to connect aqua farmers and the buyers. It was launched by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and will enable the farmers to get a better price. It will enable them to directly purchase quality products from the farmers enhancing traceability. The term e-SANTA was coined for the web portal, meaning Electronic Solution for Augmenting NaCSA farmers’ Trade in Aquaculture. National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture (NaCSA) is an extension arm of Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), Govt. of India, Ministry of Commerce & Industry. e-SANTA will ‘RAISE’ the lives & income of farmers by: Reducing Risk, Awareness of Products & Markets, Increase in Income, Shielding Against Wrong Practice, Ease of Processes.
• Social Issues - State of World Population Report 2021 - The UN Population Fund’s (UNFPA) flagship ‘State of World Population Report 2021’ titled ‘My Body is My Own’ was launched. This is the first time a United Nations report has focused on bodily autonomy, defined as the power and agency to make choices about your body without the fear of violence or having someone else decide for you. Nearly half the women from 57 developing countries do not have the right to make decisions regarding their bodies, including using contraception, seeking healthcare or even on their sexuality. In countries where data is available, only 55% of women are fully empowered to make choices over healthcare, contraception and the ability to say yes or no to sex. It also highlights that only 75% of countries legally ensure full and equal access to contraception. Some examples of violation of bodily autonomy include, child marriage, female genital mutilation, a lack of contraceptive choices leading to unplanned pregnancy, unwanted sex exchanged for a home and food or when people with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities cannot walk down a street without fearing assault or humiliation. Under its ambit also fall people with disabilities stripped of their rights to self-determination, to be free from violence and to enjoy a safe and satisfying sexual life. Women around the world are denied the fundamental right of bodily autonomy with the COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbating this situation.   
• Science and Technology - National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) - The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) inaugurated three initiatives for National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI). (i) IPv6 Expert Panel (IP Guru): IP Guru is a group to extend support to all the Indian entities who are finding it technically challenging to migrate and adopt IPv6. It’s a joint effort of DOT, MeitY & community to promote IPv6. The expert panel group comprises members from government and private organizations; (ii) NIXI Academy: NIXI Academy is created to educate technical/non-technical people in India to learn and relearn technologies like IPv6 which are normally not taught in Educational Institutes; (iii) NIXI-IP-INDEX: NIXI has developed an IPv6 index portal for the Internet community. NIXI-IP-INDEX portal will showcase the IPv6 adoption rate in India and across the world.
• Science and Technology - Monkeydactyl - Researchers have now described a pterosaur species with opposable thumbs, which could likely be the earliest-known instance of the limb. The pterosaur species were reptiles, close cousins of dinosaurs and the first animals after insects to evolve powered flight. They evolved into various species; while some were as large as an F-16 fighter jet, others were as small as paper airplanes. The new pterosaur fossil was discovered in the Tiaojishan Formation of Liaoning, China, and is thought to be 160 million years old. It has been named Kunpengopterus antipollicatus, also dubbed “Monkeydactyl”. What has the team of researchers found? “Antipollicatus” in ancient Greek means “opposite thumbs”, and it was attached to the name because the researchers’ findings could be the first discovery of a pterosaur with an opposed thumb. By studying its forelimb morphology and musculature, they suggest that K. antipollicatus could have used its hand for grasping, which is likely an adaptation for arboreal life.
• Environment and Ecology - National Mission on Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem - Scientists, with support from the National Mission on Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) Programme, have been able to disseminate available scientific information to the farmers to enable sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture in the Leh region. NMSHE is one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). It was launched in 2010 but was formally approved by the government in 2014. It is a multi-pronged, cross-cutting mission across various sectors. It contributes to the sustainable development of the country by enhancing the understanding of climate change, its likely impacts and adaptation actions required for the Himalayas- a region on which a significant proportion of India’s population depends for sustenance.

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• SECTION 2 - DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

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

Rupee depreciation 2021

• The story: In April, the Indian Rupee depreciated to a nine-month low of 75.4 against the USD, it is one of the biggest losers among the emerging market currencies. Over the last three weeks since 22nd March 2021, Rupee has lost 4.2% against the USD. Interestingly, prior to this the INR had remained very strong, due to constant capital inflows into India. Not anymore.

• Points to note: There are many reasons for this decline. A small list -

1. Sharp second wave of Covid-19 - The rising Covid-19 cases have emerged as a key concern, as many states considered more stringent lockdown measures, so market participants got concerned over delay in the recovery of the economy, which was hit hard in 2020-21 by the pandemic.
2. US Dollar's strengthening - The strengthening of USD in line with expectations of better growth in the US economy, put pressure on the Rupee.
3. RBI's money printing - RBI’s announcement of Government Securities Acquisition Programme (G-SAP) programme to infuse liquidity has also put additional pressure on the Rupee. In the three months to June 2021, the RBI plans to buy government securities worth ₹1 trillion. The RBI will have to print money to buy these securities. This is a kind of quantitative easing policy the global central banks have been following. Here,the RBI will support the government’s elevated borrowing programme through infusion of liquidity.
4. Decreasing FPI investments - The decreasing support of the Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs), who pumped huge inflows into Indian equity markets between October 2020 and February 2021, pushed the INR down. (Why? More dollars flow into the market, relatively less rupees, so rupee appreciates) While the FPIs invested a net of Rs. 1.94 lakh crore between October 2020 and February 2021 (in the Indian markets), in the month of April 2021 they have pulled out a net of Rs 2,263 crore (till date).

• Impact of repreciating Rupee: Those who lose include (a) People Importing from outside, (b) People seeking foreign education, (c) People travelling abroad, (d) People investing abroad, and (e) People seeking medical treatment abroad etc. Those who gain include (a) People exporting from India, especially IT exporters, (b) People receiving remittances from Non Resident Indian (NRI), and (c) Foreign tourists as travel to India gets cheaper.

• Currency depreciation: It refers to a fall in the value of a currency in a floating exchange rate system. In a floating exchange rate system, market forces (based on demand and supply of a currency) determine the value of a currency. Rupee depreciation means that rupee has become less valuable with respect to dollar. It means that the rupee is now weaker than what it used to be earlier. So earlier if USD 1 used to equal to Rs. 70, and now if USD 1 is equal to Rs. 76, it implies the rupee has depreciated relative to the dollar i.e. it takes more rupees to purchase a dollar.

• Factors that influence value: Some standard factors are inflation in the economy, the prevailing interest rates, trade deficit of the country, macroeconomic policies being followed, state of equity markets, etc. Currency depreciation increases a country’s export activity as its products and services become cheaper to buy. The RBI intervenes in the currency market to support the rupee as a weak domestic unit can increase a country’s import bill.

• RBI's intervention: There are a variety of methods by which RBI intervenes:

1. It can intervene directly in the currency market by buying and selling dollars.
2. If the RBI wishes to increase the rupee value, then it can sell dollars and when it needs to bring down rupee value, it can buy dollars.
3. The central bank can also influence the value of rupee by the way of monetary policy. It can adjust the repo rate (the rate at which RBI lends to banks) and the liquidity ratio (the portion of money banks are required to invest in government bonds) to control rupee.

• Historically: In the long-term, it was observed that the rupee loses 4-5% against the dollar every year on an average. This is because the inflation in the US is much lower than that in India, and hence, the dollar-rupee exchange rate needs to adjust.  But this doesn’t happen every year. Short term factors dominate.

1. 2021 situation - While the RBI has openly said it'd do whatever it takes to keep government's borrowing costs low, in the US, the return on American government bonds has been going up since early February 2021. If this continues, money will leave India and go to the US. Why? Because here the rates are reducing (RBI policy) and there they are rising. So in the increased demand scenario for US dollar, the foreign exchange market will drive down the value of the rupee. The RBI's desire to make enough INR borrowings available to GoI is also why the RBI is not intervening in the forex markets to buy rupees and sell dollars (from its reserves).
2. Unwinding of Carry Trades - With the rupee depreciating, the carry trades are unwinding. A carry trade involves borrowing money in a currency in which interest rates are very low (as is the case with much of the rich world currently) and investing it in a currency where interest rates are on the higher side (like the rupee). Traders lose money if depreciation of the currency in which money is invested, happens. As the currency in which money has been invested loses value, the total amount of money that an investor makes in the currency he has borrowed goes down. To avoid this possibility, investors unwind the carry trade. Today, this would mean selling rupees and buying dollars, leading to a further depreciation of the rupee.

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

The Danube Sturgeon

• The story: According to a report released by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), illegal sale of Danube Sturgeon, one of the most endangered species in the world, is rampant in the lower Danube (River) region, especially in Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine.

• Danube: River Danube is the second longest river in Europe after the Volga. It rises in the Black Forest mountains of western Germany and flows for some 2,850 km to its mouth on the Black Sea.

1. Sturgeons have existed since the time of dinosaurs, for about 200 million years. Some of the species can grow up to eight metre in length and live more than a century. They are called ‘living fossils’ because their appearance has altered very little over the years. "Living Fossil" is an organism that has remained unchanged from earlier geologic times and whose close relatives are usually extinct. Other than Sturgeons, Horseshoe crab and ginkgo trees are examples of living fossils.
2. Because the sturgeons live for so many years, mature late and spawn with long intervals, they take a long time to recover from environmental and human pressures, according to WWF. This makes them great indicators for the health of the river and other ecological parameters.
3. There are 27 species of sturgeons and paddlefishes distributed across the Northern hemisphere. While some species inhabit only freshwater, most species are anadromous, spawning in freshwater but spending much of their life history in marine or brackish environments. The Danube sturgeons live mostly in the Black Sea, migrating up the Danube and other major rivers to spawn.

• Threats: Over-exploitation and poaching (exacerbated by poor fishery management and insufficient legal enforcement of fishing bans). Blocked migration routes through dams. Loss or degradation of habitats. Pollution that kills.

• Protection Status: (i) IUCN Red list: There are 6 species of sturgeon in the Danube River. Five of them are now listed as critically endangered; (ii)     CITES: Appendix-II.

• World Wildlife Fund for Nature: It is the world’s leading conservation organization and works in more than 100 countries. It was established in 1961 and is headquartered at Gland, Switzerland. Its mission is to conserve nature and reduce the most pressing threats to the diversity of life on Earth. Some of the important initiatives of WWF include the TX2 Goal, TRAFFIC, Living Planet Report and the Earth Hour.

• Black Sea: It is an inland sea located between far-southeastern Europe and the far-western edges of the continent of Asia and the country of Turkey. It connects to the Mediterranean Sea first through the Bosporus Strait, then through the Sea of Marmara and the Dardanelles Strait, then south through the Aegean Sea and the Sea of Crete. The Black Sea is also connected to the Sea of Azov by the Strait of Kerch. The bordering countries are Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, and Turkey.

• Knowledge centre: (a) Longest rivers in Europe = (1) River Volga (River Mouth: Caspian Sea near Astrakhan) – Length: 3790 km, (2) River Danube (River Mouth: Black Sea near Sulina) – Length: 2857 km, (3) River Ural (River Mouth: Caspian Sea in Atyrau) – Length: 2428 km, (4) River Dnieper (River Mouth: Dnieper-Bug Estuary near Kherson) – Length: 2201 km, (5) River Don (River Mouth: Sea of Azov near Azov) – Length: 1923 km, (6) River Pechora (River Mouth: Pechora Sea near Naryan-Mar) – Length: 1809 km/, (7) River Northern Dvina (River Mouth: Dvina Bay in Severodvinsk) – Length: 1803 km, (8)  River Ku (River Mouth: Caspian Sea near Neftçala) – Length: 1364 km, (9) River Dniester (River Mouth: Black Sea near Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi) – Length: 1362 km, and (10) River Elbe (River Mouth: Wadden Sea near Cuxhaven) – Length: 1245 km.

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

New US sanctions on Russia over cyberattacks and poll meddling

• The story: The Biden administration in April 2021 imposed a series of new sanctions on Russia, including restrictions on buying new sovereign debt, in retaliation for alleged misconduct related to the SolarWinds hack and efforts to disrupt the US election.

• Who is sanctioned: The new measures sanction 32 entities and individuals, including government and intelligence officials, Six companies will be subject to sanctions, and the US will expel ten personnel from the Russian diplomatic mission in Washington, DC. The Biden administration also is barring US financial institutions from participating in the primary market for new debt issued by the Russian central bank, Finance Ministry and sovereign wealth fund. Those limits would take effect from June 14. Russian bonds fell and the ruble dropped the most since December on the news.

• Logic: What President Biden is doing has been termed 'proportionate measures' to defend American interests in response to harmful Russian actions, including cyber intrusions and election interference. The National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan said his goal was to provide a significant and credible response but not to escalate the situation. The sanctions reflect an attempt by the US to balance the desire to punish the Kremlin for past misdeeds but also to limit the further worsening of the relationship, especially as tensions grow over a Russian military buildup near Ukraine.

• Biden and Putin: The latest moves come just days after President Joe Biden warned Vladimir Putin the US would defend its interests but also offered the possibility of a summit meeting in the coming months, drawing a cautiously positive response from Moscow. Biden had also called Putin a "killer" recently.

1. Restrictions blocking US investors from buying ruble-denominated Russian government debt have long been seen as the “nuclear option” in financial markets, where the bonds, known as OFZs, have been a popular investment. Foreigners now hold about a fifth of that debt, worth roughly $37 billion.
2. Russia’s 10-year local bonds fell the most since March 2020 in early trading in Moscow, before paring that decline, while the ruble, which had rallied on the news of the Biden-Putin phone call, was down.

• What Kremlin feels: Kremlin said new sanctions “wouldn’t facilitate” the planned summit but stopped short of saying they would derail it. He said Russia would reciprocate for any new limits but declined to comment on whether Biden warned Putin about impending measures. Though they hit the market, debt restrictions aren’t expected to significantly hamper the Russian government’s ability to finance itself, since state banks can take up much of the slack, analysts said.

India, France agreement for Gaganyaan mission

• The story: Space agencies of India and France on Thursday signed an agreement for cooperation for the former's first human space mission, Gaganyaan, a move that will enable Indian flight physicians to train at French facilities. The move that will enable Indian flight physicians to train at French facilities.
• What all covered: French space agency CNES said under the agreement, equipment developed by it, tested and still operating aboard the International Space Station (ISS) will be made available to Indian crews. The CNES will also be supplying fireproof carry bags made in France to shield equipment from shocks and radiation. The agreement was announced during French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian's visit to the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) headquarters in Bengaluru. ISRO has asked CNES to help prepare for the Gaganyaan mission and to serve as its single European contact in this domain.
• Space medicine: Under the terms of the agreement, CNES will train India's flight physicians and CAPCOM mission control teams in France at the CADMOS centre for the development of microgravity applications and space operations at CNES in Toulouse and at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany. The training of astronauts is a critical aspect of the human space mission project. Flight physicians or surgeons are responsible for astronaut's health before, during and after the flight. Currently, all space physicians are from the Indian Air Force. France has a well-established mechanism for space medicine. It also has the MEDES space clinic, a subsidiary of CNES, where space surgeons undergo training.
• Details: The agreement provides for CNES to support the implementation of a scientific experiment plan on validation missions, exchange information on food packaging and the nutrition programme, and above all, the use of French equipment, consumables and medical instruments by Indian astronauts. This cooperation could be extended in the future to parabolic flights operated by Novespace to test instruments and for astronaut training, as well as technical support for the construction of an astronaut training centre in Bangalore.
• Delayed due to pandemic: The Gaganyaan orbital spacecraft project was kicked off in August 2018. It originally intended to send astronauts from India to mark the 75th anniversary of the country's independence in 2022. However, the mission has been delayed due to the restrictions imposed in view of the coronavirus pandemic. ISRO is targeting the first unmanned mission under the Gaganyaan project in December. This launch was to take place in December last year. This mission will be followed by another unmanned mission. The third leg is the main module.
• History: France and India share robust ties in the area of space cooperation. The first space agreement between France and India dates back to 1964. Existing partnerships between the two nations cover almost all areas of space activity. ISRO will also be launching the joint Oceansat 3-Argos mission this year. In March 2018, India and France had unveiled a joint vision for space cooperation. The two nations have also agreed to work on inter-planetary missions to Mars and Venus. India has already signed an agreement with Russia for the training of four astronauts who have been shortlisted for the Gaganyaan mission. Additionally, it is also in talks with Australia to have a ground station at the Cocos Islands for the Gaganyaan mission.

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

Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland

• The story: In 2021, an apex body of Naga tribes, Naga Hoho has cautioned the Nagaland Government with respect to preparation of the Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN), seen as a variant of Assam’s National Register of Citizens.

• Points to note: The State government had formed a three-member Committee in 2019 for studying, examining, and recommending the implementation of RIIN. The functions of RIIN Committee was to determine - (i) The eligibility criteria to be an indigenous inhabitants, (ii) Authority to authenticate claims of being indigenous, (iii) Place of registration as indigenous inhabitant, (iv) The basis of claims of being indigenous, etc.

• Docs: The nature of documents that will be acceptable as proof of being indigenous. However, the exercise was suspended following protests from community-based and extremist organisations. Since then the Nagaland government has been trying to revive the RIIN exercise that was launched in July 2019 with the objective of preventing outsiders from obtaining fake indigenous certificates for seeking jobs and benefits of government schemes.

• Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland: The RIIN will be prepared after an extensive survey with the help of a village-wise and ward-wise list of indigenous inhabitants based on official records. Also, It will be prepared under the supervision of each district administration. No fresh indigenous inhabitant certificate will be issued after the RIIN is completed except for children born to the State’s indigenous inhabitants who will be issued indigenous certificates along with birth certificates. The RIIN database will be updated accordingly. The RIIN will also be integrated with the online system for Inner-Line Permit, a temporary document non-inhabitants are required to possess for entry into and travel in Nagaland. The entire exercise will be monitored by the Commissioner of Nagaland. In addition, the state government will designate nodal officers of the rank of a Secretary to the state government.

• Naga’s concerns:

1. Exclusion of Nagas - If RIIN implemented the identification process with 1st December, 1963 (the day Nagaland attained statehood) as the cut-off date for determining the permanent residents of the State, it is likely to exclude Nagas who have come from beyond the boundaries of Nagaland.
2. Loss of property - Naga tribes living in Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh in India and in Myanmar have a legitimate claim to their ancestral homeland. There are thousands of Nagas who have bought lands, built houses and settled down in Nagaland for several decades. In the absence of records such as land pattas, house taxes paid or enrolment in electoral rolls prior to 1st December, 1963 many procedural anomalies will crop up even within the so-called pure Nagas of Nagaland.
3. Can Be treated as illegal - The non-indigenous Nagas could be treated as “illegal immigrants” and their lands and property confiscated. The idea of the Nagas as a people to live together and their aspiration to live with self-determination will be irreparably damaged.

• Nagas: These are a hill people who are estimated to number about 2. 5 million (1.8 million in Nagaland, 0.6 million in Manipur and 0.1 million in Arunachal states) and living in the remote and mountainous country between the Indian state of Assam and Burma. There are also Naga groups in Myanmar. The Nagas are not a single tribe, but an ethnic community that comprises several tribes who live in the state of Nagaland and its neighbourhood. Nagas belong to the Indo-Mongoloid Family. There are nineteen major Naga tribes, namely, Aos, Angamis, Changs, Chakesang, Kabuis, Kacharis, Khain-Mangas, Konyaks, Kukis, Lothas (Lothas), Maos, Mikirs, Phoms, Rengmas, Sangtams, Semas, Tankhuls, Yamchumgar and Zeeliang.

• Way forward: In an already volatile region where the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act 1958 is routinely extended, it is best that Nagaland proceeds with caution in this enterprise. The RIIN should not ultimately become a vehicle to make outsiders of insiders. The NRC experiment in Assam witnessed extremely divisive political posturing. Other Northeastern states are sure to be watching with keen interest what is unfolding in Assam and Nagaland. Emotive political issues cannot be allowed to drive the compiling of a registry of citizens.

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

Sitalkuchi shooting incident - CAPFs shooting citizens dead

• The story: The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), deployed to ensure orderly conduct of polls, resorted to shooting (on April 10, 2021) at the polling station in Sitalkuchi, West Bengal, resulting in the death of four members of a mob.

• What had happened: The security forces were allegedly gheraoed by the mob, and it was supposedly with the implicit support of the regional government. The government there had objected to the dispatch of paramilitary forces as mandated by the independent Election Commission of India. The four individuals who were shot by the security forces belong to the minority community. The Chief Minister of West Bengal has already labelled the episode as “genocide”. Both these facts add an additional, dangerous dimension to the incident.

• Implications: The deployment of paramilitary forces and the phased nature of Indian elections to facilitate the movement of troops from one location to another is a routine activity so far. This can no longer be seen as unproblematic. The shooting broke the spell of the symbolism of authority. If actual bullets are to be used to control citizens, the whole chain of authority breaks down.

• How does security infrastructure work: In order to promote and protect the security of the state, territorial integrity and orderly rule in general, the Ministry of Home Affairs of India (MHA) has been accorded vast resources. These are impressive in terms of their military strength, budget, and personnel.

1. These are headquartered in the national capital, so have proximity to the nerve centre of the state.
2. Since 1947, this security infrastructure has evolved with the times and innovated new strategies and linkages.
3. Under the Allocation of Business Rules, nine agencies are listed as components of the Ministry’s order-keeping capacity.
4. There are: Assam Rifles, Border Security Forces, Indo-Tibetan Police, Sashastra Seema Bal, Central Industrial Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, National Security Guard, Civil Defence and Home Guards. The capacity of these forces is reinforced by a network of intelligence agencies.
5. These are coordinated by several committees responsible for inter-ministerial and inter-federal coordination and accountable to Parliament.

• Paramilitary forces: These are organised on the lines of the military, but there is a radical distinction between their respective functions. The main task of the military is to fight foreign enemies of the state. But the insurgents, unruly mobs, and militants with whom the paramilitary forces engage are actually citizens of India. They are legally entitled to due process of the law. The main strategic goal of the paramilitary in this case is to contain the rebellion. They should discipline the mobs and wean the insurgents and rebels away from anti-state violence. It also has the responsibility to persuade the rebels to get back into the normal political process.

• Post-colonial states: Force plays a residual role in all democracies, but the rulers in postcolonial democracies face a dilemma. Not enough force would be self-defeating; too much force might make the system tip over into authoritarianism, or worse. As a legacy of the anti-colonial movement, the distrust of forceful action by the state runs deep in the political culture of modern India. The same mistrust of force leads to the routine protest against the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, which permits military authorities to “assist the civilian rule” in areas considered “disturbed”.

• Sitalkuchi incident 2021: The task before paramilitary forces is multiple, and it requires well-drilled troops capable of taking on imminent danger, as well as winning “hearts and minds” through dialogue and negotiation. They should also extend what welfare and relief they can, within their limited resources. The shooting in West Bengal thus indicates the breakdown of this chain, thereby having consequences far beyond a specific regional election. It sheds light on the serious problem that the Indian state is up against: justifying the forceful presence of the paramilitary in Kashmir, central and eastern India, affected by Maoist violence, and pockets of the Northeast where insurgency is still alive.

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

'Double mutant' most common Indian Covid variant now

• It got time, it mutated: The so-called double mutation coronavirus found in Maharashtra may be becoming the most prevalent among all mutant variants in India, genome sequencing data submitted by Indian scientists to a global database indicates, according to a recent analysis that takes into account when they were detected. Analysis shows for the first time how the detection of various variants of the coronavirus may have changed.

• Its story: The double mutation virus – now classified as B.1.617 – was the most common in the samples sequenced in the 60 days prior to April 2 at 24%. The variant was first detected on October 5 and was relatively obscure till it began popping up on increasing number of samples January onwards, the India situation report on outbreak.info showed. On April 1, it accounted for 80% of all analysed genome sequences of mutant variants sent by India to the global repository GISAID.

1. The second most-commonly found variant in the last 60 days was the UK variant, or B.1.1.7, at 13% of the samples, according to the assessment by scientists from Scripps Research.
2. Both trends could be worrying for India, and, at least to some degree, explain the outbreak pattern. B.1.617 was first found in a large number of samples in Maharashtra, the first hot spot region of the second wave of infections that, till April 7, added more than half the new cases being recorded.
3. The researchers at outbreak.info added that this data may not reflect the true prevalence patterns. “SARS-CoV-2 (hCoV-19) sequencing is not a random sample of mutations. As a result, this report does not indicate the true prevalence of the mutations but rather our best estimate now.”
4. The data may also be skewed depending on whether all genomes sequenced were uploaded, although the trends -- where B.1.617 has steadily grown in comparison to others variants among samples -- supports the overall pattern. The findings were consistent with what has been observed by them at the ground.

• Spread: Nearly 60 to 80% of the samples from Maharashtra have the variant; the prevalence must be similar in Gujarat. Elsewhere, it is under 10 to 20%. From barely existing in December 2020, it is now found pretty much everywhere. This was disclosed by the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, one of the ten labs under Insacog.

• Regional variation: The B.1.617 variant is prevalent towards the West in Maharashtra and Gujarat. The B.1.1.7 variant is prevalent in the North in Punjab. In South India, the one with N440K mutation is prevalent but that seems to be quiet. Eventually, one of the other variants will reach there. And, in the East, no particular variant exists but the South African variant is fairly common in Bangladesh, causing almost 80% of the cases so that might cross over to India. That will be troublesome for the AstraZeneca vaccine.

• What exactly is it: The double mutation refers to specific changes, among some others, that are denoted by E484Q (glutamate is replaced by glutamine at the 484th spot of the spike protein) and L452R (substitution of leucine with arginine at the 452nd position). Both are being investigated for giving the virus an ability to evade immunity from a past infection, even vaccines. L452R has also been found in a variant spreading in California, US, where it was implicated in a large outbreak earlier 2021. So perhaps B.1.617 could now be considered a “variant of concern”, or VOC. The UK variant, B.1.1.7, has been confirmed to be more transmissible and was similarly implicated in a large resurgence of cases across the UK.

• Disagree: Some scientists say that the rise in cases cannot be attributed solely to the mutated variants. Human behaviour plays a very important part in transmission; in the UK when the new variant started spreading a lockdown controlled the spread. A large number of B.1.617 samples were detected in West Bengal. The 117 B.1.617 samples in Bengal accounted for 9% of the all genomes sequenced in the state till now. In Maharashtra, at 120, there were more samples but these accounted for 6% of the 1,931 samples sequenced.

• Summary: In all, the B.1.617 variant has been found in 408 sequences sampled across the world. Of these, 265 have been found in India from among the 8,455 sequences analysed in the outbreak.info report.

Embryos that are part-human and part-monkey

• The story: The ancient Greeks were good at inventing fantastical animals. The "chimera" was “a thing of immortal make, not human, lion-fronted and snake behind, a goat in the middle”. But not all chimeras are mythological.

• Modern science: To modern biologists, the term describes organisms whose bodies consist of cells from two distinct lineages. In twin pregnancies, for example, one twin can occasionally absorb the other. The resulting individual is built from cells with separate genomes. A 2019 forensic-science conference discussed the case of a man who had received a bone-marrow transplant. Since bone marrow produces blood cells, subsequent DNA tests on the man’s blood matched his donor’s genome, not his own. (More unexpectedly, the donor’s DNA also turned out to be present in swabs taken from the man’s cheeks, and in his semen.)

• Cross-species experimentation: For many decades, scientists have been experimenting with cross-species chimeras, organisms which, as in the Greek myths, are composites of different animals. They have created mouse-rats, sheep-goats and chicken-quails. Now, in a paper published in Cell, Tao Tan, a biologist at Kunming University of Science and Technology, and a team of American, Chinese and Spanish researchers, report efforts to extend the principle to humans. They have managed to create embryos that are part-monkey and part-human.

1. The work builds on earlier endeavours by many of the same researchers. In 2017 Juan Carlos Izpisúa Belmonte, a biologist at the Salk Institute in San Diego, announced the creation of chimeric human-pig embryos. But quite how successful those efforts were is uncertain. Only about one cell in 100,000 in the embryos were human, and it was unclear whether they contributed to the organism’s growth. This time things are different. The human cells seem happy to co-operate, at least some of the time, with the monkey ones.
2. The researchers began with 132 embryos of the crab-eating macaque. Six days after fertilisation these were injected with human extended pluripotent stem cells, which can develop into any other cell type found in the body. Tagging the human cells with fluorescent markers allowed the researchers to track where in the developing embryo they, and their descendants, went.
3. In the early stages of development, mammal embryos develop into four distinct cell types. Epiblasts go on to form the organism itself; hypoblasts develop into the yolk sac; trophectoderms become the placenta and extra-embryonic mesenchyme cells make a membrane that surrounds the embryo. The chimera’s human cells made their way into all four types of tissue, though they were outnumbered in every case. No more than 7% of the epiblast was made up of human cells, and just 5% of the hypoblast (in other areas the numbers were lower still).

• Joint venture: The cells’ location seemed to influence which proteins they produced. Human cells in the chimera’s epiblast behaved more like those found in human embryos than those found in monkey embryos. But that was not true of human hypoblast or extra-embryonic mesenchyme cells, both of which behaved more like monkey cells. The monkey cells, in turn, were affected by the presence of the human ones. The researchers found 126 different sorts of cell-to-cell interactions among monkey cells in the chimeric embryos, compared with just 19 in non-chimeric ones, as well as differences in the activity levels of many genes. The cells were grown in a lab, which imposed limitations. The number of surviving embryos began falling by day 15. By day 20 none was left. But that was enough time for a process called gastrulation to take place.

1. Gastrulation is a vital development stage in which embryonic cells become primed to form different organs and tissues. The human cells took longer to reach this point than the monkey ones did. But they managed nevertheless, providing more evidence that the human cells were not merely passive passengers, but were “mucking in” to help with the process of embryonic development.
2. The researchers hope this biotechnological wizardry will help with two goals. One is to shed light on the complicated process of embryological development, which might eventually lead to treatments for some congenital diseases. Chimeras may offer a way around some of the ethical difficulties involved in experimenting on human embryos.

• Source of organs: The other is the hope that chimeric animals might one day provide a source of organs to be transplanted into sick humans. In 2017 Japanese researchers demonstrated the principle by transplanting parts of a pancreas that had grown inside a mouse-rat chimera into a diabetic mouse, curing it. Whether that can work in people is, for now, unclear. And research into human chimeras is ethically fraught. America, for instance, forbids federal funding of such work. Most of the work reported in this latest paper happened in China. But if chimeric human organs do become a reality, macaques are unlikely to be the animal of choice, says Dr Izpisúa Belmonte. The most likely donor would probably be pigs (this is why his 2017 experiment focused on the animals). Their organs are roughly the size of their human equivalents, and, fairly or unfairly, they seem to provoke fewer moral qualms. (Pigs already provide thousands of people with replacement heart valves, for instance.) 

• Why monkeys: The advantage of working with monkeys, at least for now, is that they are much closer, in evolutionary terms, to humans. That may have helped smooth out any compatibility issues between the two sets of cells. The hope is that lessons from experiments with humanity’s close cousins might allow the researchers to revisit their work with its more distant, porcine relatives—and get better results.

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

MANAS Mobile App launched

• The story: The government has launched a mobile app, MANAS (Mental Health and Normalcy Augmentation System) to promote mental wellbeing across age groups.

• What it is: MANAS was endorsed as a national program by the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC). The PM-STIAC is an overarching Council that facilitates the Principal Scientific Adviser’s Office to assess the status in specific science and technology domains, comprehend challenges in hand, formulate specific interventions, develop a futuristic roadmap and advise the Prime Minister accordingly.

• Points to note: It is a comprehensive, scalable, and national digital wellbeing platform and an app developed to augment mental well-being of Indian citizens, that integrates the health and wellness efforts of various government ministries, scientifically validated indigenous tools with gamified interfaces developed/researched by various national bodies and research institutions. It is based on life skills and core psychological processes, with universal accessibility, delivering age-appropriate methods and promoting positive attitude focusing on wellness.

1. It is built by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) Bengaluru, Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) Pune and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing(C-DAC) Bengaluru.
2. Its goal is catering to the overall wellbeing of people of all age groups, the initial version of MANAS focuses on promoting positive mental health in the age group of 15-35 years.
3. Aim is to build a healthier and happier community, to empower it to nurture its innate potential for building a Swasth and Atmanirbhar Bharat.
4. Motto of MANAS is "Uttam Mann, Saksham Jan"

• Mental health in India: A report published in The Lancet Psychiatry in February 2020 indicates that in 2017, there were 197.3 million people with mental disorders in India. The top mental illnesses were depressive disorder (45.7 million) and anxiety disorder (44.9 million). The contribution of mental disorders to the total Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) in India increased from 2.5% in 1990 to 4.7% in 2017. Depressive disorder and anxiety disorder contributed the most to the total mental disorders DALYs.

1. DALYs - The burden of disability associated with a disease or disorder can be measured in units called DALYs. DALYs represent the total number of years lost to illness, disability, or premature death within a given population. Other Indian Initiatives to Improve Mental Health:
2. The Mental Health Care Act (MHCA) 2017 - The Mental Health Care Act (MHCA) 2017 came into force in 2018 to meet the requirements of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which India ratified in 2007.
3. KIRAN - The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has launched a 24/7 toll-free helpline to provide support to people facing anxiety, stress, depression, suicidal thoughts and other mental health concerns.
4. Manodarpan Initiative - Manodarpan is an initiative of the Ministry of Education under Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. It is aimed to provide psychosocial support to students, family members and teachers for their mental health and well-being during the times of Covid-19.
5. NIMHANS RAAH APP - It is a one-stop source of data on mental health centres and professionals. It is developed by the NIMHANS.

• Summary: Although developing apps to cater mental well-being of citizens on scalable, secure and digital platforms is the need of the hour the app must be integrated with the public health schemes like the National Health Mission, Poshan Abhiyan, e-Sanjeevani and others so that it is used widely. Besides, the application must be made multi-lingual. Increasing the number of psychologists and psychiatrists, and Apps alone won’t help. Stigma and awareness are two separate issues although interlinked. They need to be addressed in parallel in order to tackle the burden of mental illness.

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

PM CARES Fund: Oxygen Plant for 100 new hospitals

• The story: Under fire for mismanaging health resources in a raging pandemic, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced that around hundred new hospitals are to have their own oxygen plant under the PM CARES Fund. PM CARES Fund is Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund.
• What is the plan: The Government has sanctioned 162 Pressure Swing Adsorption Plants to manufacture oxygen. This is to make hospitals self sufficient in oxygen. Around hundred of these plants were sanctioned under PM CARES Fund. The Health Ministry will identify hundred hospitals in far flung locations to sanction installation of Pressure Swing Adsorption plants.
• Pressure Swing Adsorption: It is a technology that is used to separate gas species from a mixture of gases under pressure. The plant operates at near ambient temperatures. It uses adsorbent materials such as activated carbon, zeolites and molecular sieves to adsorb the target gas. Adsorption is the process in which a solid holds the molecules of gas or liquid.
• PM CARES Fund: It was set up in 2020 to deal with any kind of emergency of distress situation like that of COVID-19. The Prime Minister is the chairman of the charitable trust of the fund. The other members of the trust include Home Minster, Defence Minister and Finance Minister. It is not auditable under CAG, nor is subject to any RTI etc. The contributions to PM CARES fund will qualify CSR (Corporate Social Responsibilities). Under the Companies Act, 2013, the companies with a minimum net worth between Rs 500 crores and Rs 1000 crores are required to spend at least 2% of their average profit on CSR activities.

Facebook Inclusive Internet Index

• The story: The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) along with Facebook recently released the Inclusive Internet Index. According to the index, India is at the 49th spot when it comes to internet inclusion and gender equality in accessing the internet.

• Details: The Facebook Inclusive Internet Index looked at 120 countries. These countries represented 96% of global population and 98% of global GDP.

1. Along with India, Thailand was also at the 49th position
2. As of 2020, there were 687.6 million internet users in India. The number of internet users in India is set to reach one billion by 2025.
3. Around 77 of the 120 countries showed improvement in internet inclusion.
4. People in low-income and lower-middle-income countries relied on online education more than the high-income countries during the pandemic.
5. The school children in lower-middle income countries and low-income countries lost sixteen weeks of schooling by October 2020 due lower internet access as compared to loss of six weeks in high-income countries.
6. Sweden ranked first in the ranking followed by US and Spain. In Inclusive Internet Index, 2020, the US was ranked first followed by Sweden and New Zealand.

• Rankings: The rankings were done based on availability, affordability, relevance and readiness of internet. Based on availability of internet India was ranked 77th. Based on affordability of internet, India was ranked 20th. Based on relevance, India was ranked 49th. Based on readiness to access the internet, India was ranked 29th. India was ranked at 52nd on Inclusive Internet Index, 2020.

Forest fire season

• The story: In April 2021, Uttarakhand recorded 361 forest fire incidents in just five days. During this period, over 567 hectares of forests have been destroyed. This includes 380 hectares of reserve forest areas. Though forest fire seasons occur every year, the damaged caused this year is high.
• What is this: Every year forest fires begin in mid-February in the state of Uttarakhand. This happens on the onset of spring when the trees shed their dry leaves. Also, during this period the soil loses moisture due to increase in temperature. The forest season continues till June.
• However, this year, the forest fires that began in October 2020 are still burning even in April 2021.
• What causes it: The three main factors that cause forest fires are oxygen, fuel load and temperature. The dry leaves are the main fuel for the forest fires. They are in higher quantity during this period of time as compared to the rest of the year. The surface of hilly areas gets dried faster than the plains. This is mainly due to the lower accumulation of rainwater in the hills.
• Current scenario: Uttarakhand has 38,000 square kilo metres of forests. This is around 71% of its geographical area. Since 2000, the forest fires have affected more than 48,000 hectares. (Uttarakhand was formed in 2000). As the forest fires began to increase in the state, the Chief Minster of Uttarakhand Tirath Singh Rawat sought help from the Union Minister Amit Shah. To this, the centre has sent two MI-17 helicopters to fight forest fires. These helicopters have been deployed in the Kumaon and Garhwal regions.
• Summary: The Van Panchayats should be given incentives and rights to protect forest areas. The Forest Act, 1988 dissociates local community with forests. The local community villagers do not initiate dousing fires in the absence of a sense of belonging. More water holes should be developed to recharge groundwater and to maintain moisture in the soil.

Adenovirus vaccines

• The story: The US health authorities recently paused the rollout of one-shot Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine uses similar technology as that of the Astra Zeneca vaccine. Both the vaccines are developed from adenoviral vectors.
• Why US stopped adenovirus-based vaccines: Around six women in the US suffered from blood clots out of seven million administered doses. The vaccine has been found to have a link with a very rare vaccine induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia. The AstraZeneca Vaccine uses Adeno virus from Chimpanzee. Other companies use Adenovirus from humans to develop COVID-19 vaccine.
• Adenovirus: It causes wide variety of illness in humans. This includes from gastrointestinal infections to common cold. Scientists use these viruses as “Viral Vectors” in making vaccines. Viral vectors are tools used to deliver genetic material into cells.
• How is Adenoviral vector made: The Adenoviral vector is made by removing the genetic material that could allow the virus to replicate or spread disease. This adenoviral shell is then inserted with genetic instructions on how to target another virus (like COVID-19 virus). An adenovirus looks like a serious vector to the immune system of human body. Thus, the immune system responds seriously. This is why people have been reporting fatigue, fever or sore arm after receiving vaccine dose.
• Why mostly single shot vaccines: The Adenovirus infections are common in humans. Thus, human immune system would have already developed certain antibodies against them. This limits the number of administered doses. This is why several Adenovirus based COVID-19 vaccines are stopped with single shot. For instance, the Johnson and Johnson vaccine and Casino vaccine of China are both single dose vaccines.

9.1 Today's best editorials to read

• We offer you 7 excellent editorials from across 10 newspapers we have scanned. 

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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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