Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 01-05-2021

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 01-05-2021

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Science and Technology - China launches core module of space station - China has launched the core module of its space station, starting a series of key launch missions that aim to complete the construction of the station by the end of 2022. The Long March-5B Y2 rocket, carrying the Tianhe module, blasted off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on the coast of the southern island province of Hainan. The Tianhe module will act as the management and control hub of the space station Tiangong, (meaning Heavenly Palace), with a node that could dock with up to three spacecraft at a time for short stays, or two for long Tianhe is the largest spacecraft developed by China. The space station will be a T shape with the core module at the centre and a lab capsule on each side. The station will operate in the low-Earth orbit at an altitude from 340 km to 450 km. It has a designed lifespan of 10 years, but experts believe it could last more than 15 years with appropriate maintenance and repairs. ISRO too has plans for an Indian space station. Russia, meanwhile, has planned to move out of the International Space Station (ISS) project.
2. Indian Economy - Andaman and Nicobar gets 'Large Area Certification' - An area of 14,491 ha under the Car Nicobar and Nancowry group of islands in Union Territory of Andaman & Nicobar Islands became the first large contiguous territory to be conferred with organic certification under ‘Large Area Certification’ scheme. The Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW) is working to identify Traditional Organic Areas to transform them into certified organic production hubs. Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare under its flagship scheme of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojna (PKVY) has launched a unique quick certification programme “Large Area Certification” (LAC) to harness these potential areas. LAC is a Quick certification process that is cost-effective and farmers do not have to wait for 2-3 years for marketing organic certified products. Under LAC, each village in the area is considered as one cluster/group. Documentations are simple and maintained village-wise. All farmers with their farmland and livestock need to adhere to the standard requirements and on being verified get certified en-mass without the need to go under conversion period. Certification is renewed on annual basis through annual verification by a process of peer appraisals
3. World Economy - Autonomous vechiles in UK - The United Kingdom became the first country to announce regulation of the use of self-driving vehicles at slow speeds on motorways. The government said that it was working on specific wording to update the country's highway code for the safe use of self-driving vehicle systems. It will start with Automated Lane Keeping Systems (ALKS) - which use sensors and software to keep cars within a lane, allowing them to accelerate and brake without driver input. The use of ALKS would be restricted to motorways, at speeds under 60 km per hour. The UK government wants to be at the forefront of rolling out autonomous driving technology and the transport ministry forecasts by 2035 around 40% of new UK cars could have self-driving capabilities, creating up to 38,000 new skilled jobs. However, the dangers of drivers apparently misunderstanding the limits of technology has been an issue in the United States, where regulators are reviewing about 20 crashes involving Tesla’s driver assistance tools, such as its ‘Autopilot’ system. Concerns exist about driverless or autonomous vehicles, in terms of safety and impact on jobs.
4. World Politics - Karen people in Myanmar capture military base - Ethnic Karen guerrillas said they captured a Myanmar army base near the border with Thailand. The KNU, which controls territory in eastern Myanmar near the Thai border, is a close ally of the resistance movement against the military takeover that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Its armed wing is called the Karen National Liberation Army. There is a similar situation in northern Myanmar, where the Kachin minority claims to have captured several government outposts and been the target of air attacks. The Karen and the Kachin are two of the bigger minority groups that have been seeking greater autonomy for decades, during which there have been periods of armed conflict punctuated by ceasefires. The Karen are an ethnolinguistic group of Sino-Tibetan language-speaking peoples. These Karen groups reside primarily in Kayin State, southern and southeastern Myanmar.
5. Agriculture - Electric Tractors are arriving - The Central Farm Machinery Training & Testing Institute, Budhni (Madhya Pradesh) tested the first-ever electric tractor in the Institute. The institute received the application for an electric tractor under Confidential Test initially. Accordingly, the institute tested the tractor & released the Draft Test Report in February, 2021. The institute has obtained the NABL Certificate of Accreditation for CMVR Test Laboratory on 30th March, 2021. Electric tractor will be more environment friendly than other types of tractors, but large-scale adoption is years away. Cost and availability of reliable charging infrastructure will be key constraints.
6. Defence and Military - Military spending of the world - Total global military expenditure rose to $1981 billion in 2020, an increase of 2.6 per cent in real terms from 2019, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The five biggest spenders in 2020, which together accounted for 62 per cent of global military expenditure, were the United States, China, India, Russia and the United Kingdom. The 2.6 per cent increase in world military spending came in a year when global gross domestic product (GDP) shrank by 4.4 per cent (October 2020 projection by the International Monetary Fund), largely due to the economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020 US military expenditure reached an estimated $778 billion, representing an increase of 4.4 per cent over 2019. As the world’s largest military spender, the USA accounted for 39 per cent of total military expenditure in 2020. It is clear that irrespective of the pandemic, skirmishes and conflicts are pushing military spending up, everywhere. A rather sad sign for humanity!
7. Indian Economy - Spice standards in India - The Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH) has finalised and recommended quality standards for four spices; cloves, oregano, basil, and ginger, during its fifth session held virtually from 20th -29th April 2021. The committee forwarded these four new standards to the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) for adoption at final step 8, as full-fledged Codex standards. The committee also took up the following new work items: to develop Codex standards for small cardamom and turmeric, and to develop the first group standard for spices that fall under the class 'dried fruits and berries'. CCSCH is the youngest of the Codex Commodity Committees. The Committee is Chaired by India and Spices Board India is its Secretariat. This committee is mandated to elaborate worldwide, science-based quality standards for spices and culinary herbs, in accordance with the Codex principles of consumer protection and fair trade practices. Dr M.R. Sudharshan is the current Chairman of the Committee.
8. Indian Politics - Mega vaccination drive stumbles at start - The mega vaccination drive for those 18 years and above began on a dull note in India on 01st of May, amid a huge shortage of vaccines. The Centre had, on April 19, announced a 'liberalised' policy in order to ramp up the coronavirus vaccination drive in India, and made all above 18 years of age eligible to get vaccinated from May 1. But many states flagged the shortage of vaccines and expressed their inability to start vaccination of people above 18 years. As per the health ministry, more than 2.45 crore beneficiaries registered themselves on CoWin portal till Friday (30-April), but due to the delay in procurement of vaccines leading to a shortage, many states said they won't be able to kick off the drive. Delhi, West Bengal, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Goa and Chhattisgarh are among the states low on vaccines. In Uttar Pradesh, one of the worst affected states in the country, the drive started in just seven of the total 75 districts. In Maharashtra, the state government started a nominal vaccination drive on May 1 as CM Uddhav Thackeray believed that it must commence anyhow. The Tamil Nadu government also deferred its roll out the massive vaccination drive for the 18-44 years age group on May 1 as originally planned. Interestingly, while states struggled, private hospitals like Apollo chain went ahead with their paid vaccinations programme across many cities! The Supreme Court had castigated the govt. for this differential and iniquitous approach.
9. World Politics - Covid update - Cases rose unabated across the globe with 15,19,91,828 infected by the deadly contagion. While 12,98,60,707 have recovered, 31,93,050 have died so far. The US remains the worst-hit country with 3.31.02,384, followed by India, Brazil, France and Turkey. However, in the past seven days, India has added the highest number of fresh cases at 24,97,675, followed by the Brazil (4,20,747) and US (3,82,725). Many countries are surprised and worried about the rise in India, and are imposing travel restrictions on Indians. Japan declared a state of emergency in Tokyo and three other prefectures. Unlike previous restrictions, bars selling alcohol and shopping malls were told to close. Chile will keep its borders closed for another month, even though the number of new covid-19 cases is easing. Americans were allowed to receive the one-shot Johnson & Johnson jab again after regulators ended their suspension of the vaccine. They had been investigating claims that it caused blood clots. World's Covid-19 tally was - Total cases: 151,999,293; New cases: 872,991; Total deaths: 3,193,246; New deaths: 14,312; Total recovered: 129,871,723; Active cases: 18,934,324.
10. Indian Politics - Covid update - India became the first country in the world to report more than four lakh coronavirus cases in a day as 4,01,993 people tested positive for the virus in 24 hours. The total number of cases rose to 1,91,64,969. Further, 3,523 coronavirus deaths were reported in India in 24 hours. The world's biggest producer of COVID-19 vaccines has a limited number of shots available locally, worsening a surge in infections that has overwhelmed hospitals and morgues while families scramble for scarce medicines and oxygen. Daily infections have soared since the start of April, easily topping the previous global record of 2,97,430 one day in January in the United States, where infection rates have since fallen sharply after Joe Biden took over as President. The surge in cases led U.S. President Joe Biden to impose new travel restrictions on India on Friday, barring most non-U.S. citizens from entering the United States. Australian officials said residents and citizens who have been in India within 14 days of the date they plan to return home will be banned from entering Australia as of Monday, and those who disobey will face fines and jail. Other countries and territories have also imposed travel restrictions on India, including Britain, Germany, Italy and Singapore, Canada, Hong Kong and New Zealand. Total cases: 19,157,094; New cases: 402,110; Total deaths: 211,835; New deaths: 3,522; Total recovered: 15,673,003; Active cases: 3,272,256.

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• SECTION 2 - DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

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

China's warning for large tech firms

• The story: China’s central bank, together with the country’s banking, insurance, securities and foreign-exchange regulators, summoned 13 technology firms and ordered them to delink their payment systems from some financial products. They also demanded the companies bring their online lending and deposit-taking businesses in line with regulatory requirements.

• Which ones hit: The firms included Tencent Holdings Ltd., ByteDance Ltd. and the financial arms of Meituan, Didi Chuxing Technology Co., JD.com Inc. and Trip.com Group Ltd., according to a statement from the People’s Bank of China. The move comes after months in which Beijing halted a record initial public offeringby financial-technology giant Ant Group Co. and imposed a record antitrust fine on Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.

• Financial regulators said many Chinese online platforms have been offering financial services without the proper licenses, using inadequate management systems and engaging in unfair competition. The central bank called on qualified companies to set up financial holding companies and submit them to regulatory oversight—a move that Ant Group made earlier this month following a government probe. The PBOC said the summoned tech firms pledged to comply with the rectification plan and agreed to implement changes based on regulatory requirements.

• Jack Ma triggered it all: Chinese officials’ regulatory campaign, which began late in 2020, was focused at first on entrepreneur Jack Ma’s business empire, which is centered around Alibaba and Ant. Recently, investors have grown concerned that the regulatory scrutiny could spread to other Chinese internet companies. China’s tech giants, whose core businesses range from social media to ride hailing to e-commerce, have in recent years made numerous forays into financial services.

1. WeChat, Tencent’s ubiquitous messaging platform, has more than one billion users, many of whom use its popular payments service, WeChat Pay. According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, 95% of Chinese internet users surveyed last year said they use WeChat Pay, the same as Ant’s equally popular Alipay.
2. Online retailer JD.com sells some wealth-management products and makes consumer loans, while ride-hailing company Didi and other technology firms have also ventured into unsecured lending and other financial services.
3. Ant, which has shelved its IPO and has said it would apply to become a financial holding company overseen by China’s central bank, will also have to correct what regulators describe as unfair competition in its payments business.
4. The Wall Street Journal reported that Beijing is now looking into how Ant was able to win speedy approval last year for its IPO, signaling that regulators were looking more broadly for evidence of malfeasance. Ahead of Ant’s IPO in 2020, China’s central bank issued new rules for financial holding companies that would require them to hold more capital to back payments and loans, a move aimed at mitigating systemic financial risk.

• Summary: The central bank acknowledged the role that tech companies have played in helping improve the efficiency and inclusiveness of financial services, but warned against unfair competition and violations of consumer rights. The explanation for this turbulence lies in the Communist Party's fears about alternate power centres emerging in China, especially with huge data troves. Xi will have none of this!

Financial markets surge (and fall) amid coronavirus surge

• First 2020, then 2021: Just like the markets surged in 2020 when pandemic struck, they have shown a similar trend in 2021 also. People are surprised how this can happen!
• Real economy versus stock market economy: The basic question is - are the two disconnected? Usually the stock market is positively linked to economic growth in long period cycles of 10-20 years, but that's not the case with short term periods. Over the past year, there has been no linkage between the economy and the market movement, apparently. As on date, there is a huge gap between the ground reality - people focussed on protecting them from coronavirus, corporates diverting their industrial resources towards the manufacture of oxygen, and so on. Despite this, rise in BSE Sensex is an interesting thing.
• The real FPI risk: If the healthcare situation does not come under control soon now, the foreign portfolio investment (FPI) outflow will gather pace in the coming days.
• Some reasons for the rise: The fourth quarter for FY 2021 gave a big positive hope for the markets and investors expected a bright scenario two months ahead. The absence of a nationwide lockdown, and rather limited impact of lockdowns announced by the states and vaccination programme created an optimism in the market. The infection and mortality among people vaccinated is low, and expectations are (were) that following vaccination, more than 35-40 crore people will engage in free travel. The vaccination will be an additional security for industries to continue operations and avoid a full-scale lockdown. There is a sense that it is a pain of one to two months and normalisation will be faster.
• Other indicators: Banks, which are considered a proxy for the economy, did not face asset quality crisis as expected. The fact that most countries with resources are coming to India’s help has boosted sentiment. Over the last few days, US has removed restrictions on export of vaccine raw materials, countries are helping India with oxygen concentrators, ventilators, vaccines and other materials.
• Who are the buyers: The current strength in the market is being provided by domestic institutional investors (DIIs) — mutual funds and insurance companies among others. For the first time in seven months, DIIs has overtaken the FPIs in net investment in Indian equities. FPIs are concerned over the rise in Covid cases around the world (especially in India) and therefore exercise caution.
• Summary: If there is a sharp outflow of FPI money due to worsening healthcare situation, there could be a correction in the markets. But if the situation improves in coming weeks, markets may gain confidence and renewed strength. Investors should not speculate in the market at this time. Profit booking is an option for those who are in need of funds and who want to keep high liquidity with themselves.

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

The Global Forest Goals Report 2021: UN Report

• The story: As per the United Nations’ Global Forest Goals Report 2021, the Covid-19 pandemic has aggravated the challenges faced by countries in managing their forests. It's been prepared by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) of the UN, and provides an initial overview of progress of Goals and targets contained within the United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests 2030.

• Points to note: The Covid-19 pandemic is now leading to systemic vulnerabilities and inequalities. More than just a health crisis, Covid-19 is driving losses of lives and livelihoods, extreme poverty, inequality, and food insecurity, and it has put the ‘Future We Want’ further out of reach. It is estimated that world gross product fell by an estimated 4.3% in 2020. It is the sharpest contraction of global output since the Great Depression.

1. Covid-19 threatening the lifeline forests provide - An estimated 1.6 billion people, or 25% of the global population, rely on forests for their subsistence needs, livelihoods, employment, and income. Of the extreme poor in rural areas, 40% live in forest and savannah areas, and approximately 20% of the global population, especially women, children, landless farmers, and other vulnerable segments of society look to forests to meet their food and income needs.
2. Impact of Covid-19 on forest dependents - On the economic front, forest-dependent populations have faced job loss, reduced income, diminished access to markets and information, and for many women and youth, a contraction in seasonal employment. Socially, many of these populations are already marginalized and vulnerable groups, such as indigenous peoples, least able to access critical socio-economic safety nets.
3. Increased pressure on forests - Pandemic driven health and socio-economic outcomes have increased pressure on forests. To ease their growing vulnerability, many indigenous peoples and local communities, as well as returning migrants and urban workers, have retreated deeper into the woods to seek food, fuel, shelter, and protection from the risks of Covid-19.
4. Biodiversity crisis - Among its many findings, the ‘Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services’ of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) highlighted that one million species were at risk of extinction and that 100 million hectares of tropical forest were lost from 1980 to 2000. Climate change is also jeopardizing the resilience of forest ecosystems and their ability to support ecosystem services worldwide.

• Suggestions: The resilient recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic along with responses to the climate and biodiversity crises must be rooted in the world’s forests. Forests and forest-dependent people are both a casualty and an important part of the solution. Sustainably resourced and managed forests can bolster employment, disaster risk reduction, food security and social safety nets, for starters. Forests protect biodiversity and advance both climate mitigation and adaptation. With regard to global health, safeguarding and restoring forests are among the environmental actions that can reduce the risk of future zoonotic disease outbreaks. The report called for a future course of action that included greater sustainability and a greener and more inclusive economy to tackle the threats of Covid-19, climate change and the biodiversity crisis faced by forests.

• Status of world's forests: According to the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020 (FRA 2020) report, the world’s total forest area is 4.06 billion hectares (bha), which is 31% of the total land area. This area is equivalent to 0.52 hectares per person. Top countries in 'Forest Cover' are the Russian Federation, Brazil, Canada, the United States of America and China constituted more than 54% of the world’s forests.

• Forests in India: According to the India State of Forest Report (SFR), 2019, the Total Forest and Tree cover is 24.56% of the geographical area of India. Forest Cover (Area-wise): Madhya Pradesh> Arunachal Pradesh> Chhattisgarh> Odisha> Maharashtra. The National Forest Policy of India, 1988 envisages a goal of achieving 33% of the geographical area of the country under forest and tree cover.

• United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests 2017–2030: It was created with a mission to promote sustainable forest management and enhance the contribution of forests and trees to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The agreement on the first-ever UN Strategic Plan for Forests was forged at a special session of the UN Forum on Forests held in January 2017 and provides an ambitious vision for global forests in 2030. It features a set of six Global Forest Goals and 26 associated targets to be reached by 2030, which are voluntary and universal. It builds on the vision of the 2030 Agenda and recognizes that real change requires decisive, collective action, within and beyond the UN System.

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

Afghanistan's women are the guarantee of stability

• The year 2021: This year could be the historic year of peace in Afghanistan. Ending the now two-decades-long war is desirable for all parties involved. But the real threat now is that peace may come at the cost human rights of the Afghan women.

• US withdrawing rapidly: The U.S. President Joe Biden’s slated Sept. 11 withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan will undermine the Afghan government’s ongoing negotiations with the Taliban and deepen insecurity in the country, especially if troops leave before a long-term political solution is achieved. An unconditional U.S. exit will not provide the time needed for negotiating parties to engage in a meaningful peace process. Rushed dialogue risks sidelining Afghan women and all of the gains made over the years.

• Women and the Taliban: Studies show that peace outcomes are more sustainable when women are involved in the peacebuilding process. This is especially true in the case of Afghanistan. When women delegates first met the Taliban in September 2020 for peace talks, the Taliban delegates seemed uncomfortable and avoided making eye contact. Over time, the Taliban’s representatives grew more comfortable around the ladies and started to listen.

• The Doha negotiations may be the only peace talks in recent memory when warring parties have debated women’s rights.
• In February 2020, the United States and the Taliban reached a peace agreement in Afghanistan. But what followed was a disturbing spike in violence. In 2020, Afghanistan recorded 8,820 civilian casualties from armed conflict. Despite the ostensible cessation of war, Afghanistan remains one of the world’s deadliest places to be a civilian.
• Notwithstanding security hardships, Western aid to Afghanistan over the past two decades has created the vital space for Afghan self-empowerment. Few groups have gained as much—and, indeed, have more to lose—than Afghanistan’s women.

• The dark years: In the years before 2001, when the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, women did not have the right to education and work. Now, they serve as ministers in government, perform life-saving surgeries, and manage international nongovernmental organizations. Women comprise half of the country’s population: If they are unsafe or excluded, the nation will suffer, exacerbating the toll of an already long war. Some stakeholders in the Afghan peace talks, however, expect women to give the hard-fought rights, to reach a political solution.

• Status today: So far, the Taliban have not yet clarified their stance on women’s rights. They have not provided these details to the other side of the negotiating table—though sustained face-to-face engagement could get us there. At this watershed moment, it is for the United Nations, United States, European Union, and neighbouring countries with interests in Afghanistan’s stability to press both the Afghan government and the Taliban to reserve at least 30 percent of elected seats and appointments in future political institutions for women. Moreover, international aid should be conditioned on protecting women’s constitutional role in Afghanistan’s democratic systems—a fundamental right that should be on the agenda in both Doha and further negotiations in Istanbul.

Huawei bad for business

• How Huawei came on scene: Over the last few years, the Chinese firm Huawei has become an unexpected symbol of technological threat, with the United States rallying allies to limit the company’s global scope. Although it is a private firm, Chinese law and Huawei’s extensive ties to the state have both raised sharp concerns. But while foreign-policy professionals have warned about the threats Huawei represents to national security and economic integrity, the exact nature and scope of such threats remain largely speculative.
• Genuinely risky: Available evidence suggests Huawei represents a serious risk not only to national security but also to commercial activities, as a report from the Netherlands confirmed. This is important not just for evaluating this one company but as a rubric to approach the threat stemming from the Chinese Communist Party’s techno-nationalist development strategies and its use of nominally private firms—to both national security and commercial enterprises. As the Biden administration prepares for “extreme competition” with China, the conflict over Huawei matters for national security, economic integrity, and supply chain security.
• Links with PLA: Although Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei acknowledges having served in China’s military as a deputy director (a technical rank inside the engineering corps) of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), he adamantly denies that the Chinese government and the army were involved in the founding of his company. Officials who participated in Huawei’s early expansion tell a different story.
• Did he tell the truth: Ren’s rank may have been even higher: A 2012 report from the U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee suggests he was a former director of the PLA General Staff Department’s Information Engineering Academy. That background would have meant he not only had the right experience and qualifications but also the right connections to become an integral part of a paradigm shift in China’s defense industry policy that began in the 1990s to simultaneously advance military and civilian digital, fiber-optics, satellite, microwave, and encrypted high-frequency radio technologies in what the Rand Corp. calls China’s “Digital Triangle” of defense procurement.
• The Digital Triangle: Its three vertices—China’s booming commercial information-technology companies, state research and development institute and funding infrastructure, and the PLA—were developed by techno-nationalist strategies with high-level bureaucratic coordination and significant state fiscal support. In other words, there is a strong possibility that Ren, either prior to the founding of Huawei or during the company’s early beginnings, was directed by Beijing to lead the civilian side of a “dual use” development strategy that would also supply the Chinese military with the latest telecommunications technologies. This wasn’t just a case of the revolving door between government or the military and the private sector that’s familiar elsewhere, in which Ren used his past position to form valuable contacts. Rather, it seems possible that Ren was recruited to develop R&D for the central government’s decadeslong effort to modernize China’s telecommunications for the defense industry.
• Uighurs: In 2020, Lawyers for Uyghur Rights argued, “Huawei plays an integral part in the systematic oppression of the Uyghur and other Turkic people in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region … which amounts to crimes against humanity and a breach of jus cogens norms of international law.” Since then, reports have emerged that Huawei experimented with facial recognition artificial intelligence for ethnic profiling against the Uyghurs. Reports of forced labor exploited by Huawei are numerous and well documented. All this raises the risk of companies that do business with Huawei being caught up in the growing web of sanctions against Xinjiang officials and institutions.
• Summary: The risks of dealing with Huawei are not limited to national security or IT governance, risk management, and compliance. Rather, there are additional and broader risks to the global business community. Put differently, Huawei’s threats to open society are more comprehensive than previously thought.

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

Dr Anthony S Fauci on India’s Covid Crisis

• A recent interview: Dr Anthony S Fauci, one of Covid’s most trusted global voices, was interviewed by The Indian Express.

• What he said: There are many eye-opening things from Dr Fauci. We are reproducing some, from the interview published.

1. The one thing I don’t want to do and I hope it doesn’t turn out this way, is to get involved in any sort of criticism of how India has handled the situation because then it becomes a political issue and I don’t want to do that since I’m a public health person and I’m not a political person.
2. It just seems to me that, right now, India is in a very difficult and desperate situation. When you have a situation like that you’ve got to look at the absolute immediate.
3. First of all, I don’t know if India has put together a crisis group that would meet and start getting things organised. I heard from some of the people in the street bringing their mothers and their fathers and their sisters and their brothers searching for oxygen. They seem to think there really was not any organisation, any central organisation.
4. The first thing to do is to first look at what is the immediate thing you can do right now. What is the intermediate thing that you can do in two weeks? One of the things that you can do to prevent this prolonging — you’ve got to look at it in multiple different phases.
5. For example, vaccinating people right now, which you absolutely must, must do — it’s essential — is not going to alleviate the immediate problem of people needing oxygen, needing hospitalisation, needing medical care. That’s not going to fix it now because vaccinating people today, it’s going to be a few weeks before you alleviate the prevention of other people getting sick.
6. So take care of the people right now. I would think that you’ve got to get some sort of a commission, or an emergency group to make a plan how to get oxygen; how do we get supplies; how do we get medications, and call — maybe with help from WHO — countries.
7. And the US, thankfully, has now moved to make a major commitment for medications, for oxygen, for PPE, and for ventilators. But we’ve got to get other countries to come in and help India right now because India has been very generous in the past crises in helping other countries. Now is the time other countries to try to alleviate the immediate problem that India has. That’s the first thing.
8. Then the intermediate. I think you need — these emergency units that served as hospitals to take care of people.
9. The second thing, you can mobilise different groups of government. For example, what is the role of the military? Can the military come in and help? I mean, you can immediately get military help the way we, in the United States, have used our National Guard to help us distribute the vaccinations.
10. I think it should at least be seriously considered. The intermediate — to get hospitals built quickly. I mean really quickly, within a matter of — you know, they put up these field hospitals that they built during war. You should think of this, in some respects, like a war. The enemy is the virus. So you know where the enemy is, so I would make it almost like wartime because it’s an emergency.
11. And, finally, in the longer range, in a matter of a couple weeks, I would do whatever you can do to get vaccinated. To have a country like India, where two per cent of people are vaccinated, is a very serious situation. You absolutely have to get more people vaccinated.
12. Address the absolute immediate problem, get the intermediate things going, and then take a look at the longer range in regards to vaccines.

• On the virus itself: It’s a realisation of what the capability of what this virus is. This virus has shown us that if left to its own devices, it will explode in society. It happened to us in the US. You might recall, I am speaking to you as an American. But, in fact, the United States, for a while, was the worst-hit country in the world and the United States is the richest country. We were supposedly the best prepared and we got hit very badly. So you know, the reason is that the virus doesn’t care how rich you are. Or how advanced or developed you are. If you don’t respect its ability to cause serious damage, you are going to get into trouble. I think one of the things that maybe should have been recognised, that victory was declared maybe too prematurely.

• On genome sequencing of Indian variants: We absolutely need to study it intensively to find out if the vaccines that are being used are inducing a response that would be protective against this variant. We heard some preliminary announcements that the vaccine appeared to be okay. But there are another announcements that were saying we aren’t so sure about that. So what I think needs to be done very, very quickly is to get specimens and material outside of India and sent to the CDC of the United States, the NIH (National Institute of Health) of the United States, to the Wellcome Trust in the UK. There are a lot of groups that would like very much to help out and they can help out by doing the sequencing and the surveillance and the determination if the virus is, in fact, sensitive to the antibodies that are induced by the vaccine.

• On vaccines: On vaccines, we have a 50/50 for open market and government ownership. There’s debate over costing. What is your view on this, when you look at the US model? What is the best way to get the public interest served on the vaccination front? How do we ramp it up? You’ve got to get supplies. You’ve got to make contractual arrangements with the various companies that are out there in the world. There are many companies that now have vaccines. I think you have to negotiate with them to try and get a commitment. India is what, 1.4 billion people? You have a lot of vaccines that you need to get, and I would go to multiple different companies and try to get contractual arrangements so that you can get vaccines as quickly as you possibly can.

• On shutting things down: Well, one of the things you really need to do that to the extent that you can — is shut down temporarily the country, I think is important. If we want to time out and go back to what I said. There is the immediate, the intermediate, and the long range. I think the most important thing in the immediate is to get oxygen, get supplies, get medication, get PPE, those kinds of things but also, one of the immediate things to do is to essentially call a shutdown of the country. We know that when China had this big explosion a year ago, they completely shut down. And if you shut down, you don’t have to shut down for six months.

• Summary: Dr Fauci has highlighted all the important steps that India can take urgently. It's upto the government now.

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

Supreme Court warns governments on free speech

• Why suppress voices: The Indian Supreme Court (SC) said that a clampdown on social media messages for help is the worst way to deal with the national health emergency. It warned state governments against taking action against those using online forums to seek help in arranging for oxygen and medicines.

• Specific concern: The SC said it was a matter of grave concern. A clampdown of information is the worst way of dealing with a crisis. The bench was headed by justice Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud, and included justices L. Nageswara Rao and S. Ravindra Bhat. It gave examples of various social media posts asking for help when somebody needed an oxygen cylinder or a bed in a hospital or drugs such as remdesivir.

1. It said that to act against someone who is seeking help for oxygen or a medicine is against the basic precepts
2. It directly cautioned state governments and their directors general of police (DGPs) against taking any action against those seeking help.

• Contempt of court: The bench said that this message must go very clearly to all states and their DGPs; it will treat this as a contempt of this court if they want a clampdown on communication. The bench concluded its discussion on the issue by making it unequivocal: "Let information flow freely. Let us hear the voices of our citizens and not a clampdown on them."

• Where it started: The court’s observations were significance in the wake of a recent case lodged in Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi against a 26-year-old man for allegedly spreading “false information" on social media over the supply of oxygen. Shashank Yadav made an appeal on Twitter for an oxygen cylinder for his critically ill grandfather, which the police claimed was false. Mr Yadav was booked under the charges of the Epidemic Act and the Indian Penal Code for spreading false information with an intent to create panic in society. Activist Saket Gokhale has moved the Allahabad high court seeking to restrain the UP government from taking coercive action against such persons who appealed for oxygen supply and other medical assistance on social media.

• Summary: It is perhaps the worst kind of suppression that any system can unleash on its citizens, when they, dying from a pandemic, seek help from fellow citizens. When the system begins acting thus, it is a moment to pause and rethink.

SC questions Centre's vaccination policy and approach

• The story: The SC said that a national immunisation policy must be followed in India, for the Covid-19 vaccination programme. A three-judge bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, L Nageswara Rao and Ravindra Bhat raised questions regarding the procurement of the vaccines as well and asked why the central government cannot buy 100% of the requirement.

• The basic question: 'Why can't the Centre follow national immunization program policy with respect to Covid vaccines', was Justice Chandrachud's query.

1. The court was worried about the exclusion of marginalised communities from the vaccination drive, and said that fifty-nine crore Indians in 18-45 age group constituted a large segment. The ability of poor and marginalised people to find money to get vaccinated was suspect. The private sector model won't work well.
2. On the government's pricing and procurement policy, the court said that vaccines that states have to procure are overpriced. AstraZeneca was providing vaccines at a far lower price to the US citizens. Manufacturers are charging the Centre Rs.150 but are charging Rs.300 or Rs.400 to states. Why should a nation pay this, as the price difference becomes 30 to 40,000 crores.
3. Centre should show investment by it to ramp up the manufacture of vaccines. This will be the most important intervention by the central government when private manufacturers have been funded to produce vaccines.

• Broad concern: The Supreme Court also asked what has been done to provide treatment to healthcare professionals who are contacting coronavirus infection. The court insisted that there should not be any presumption that the grievances raised on the internet by citizens are false.

• Summary: The second coronavirus wave has hit India with full force, and state and central governments have been caught unprepared. The judiciary is stepping in, at the right time, to try and rectify some issues with a constitutional bearing.

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

China’s permanent space station

• The story: China launched an unmanned module of its permanent space station that it plans to complete by the end of 2022. It is named "Tianhe", or "Harmony of the Heavens", and was launched on the Long March 5B, China's largest carrier rocket. India has also set its eye on building its own space station in low earth orbit to conduct microgravity experiments in space in 5 to 7 years.
• Points to note: The only space station currently in orbit is the International Space Station (ISS), from which China is excluded. A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting crew members, designed to remain in space for an extended period of time and for other spacecraft to dock. The ISS is backed by the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada. China has been a late starter when it comes to space exploration. It was only in 2003 that it sent its first astronaut into orbit, making it the third country to do so, after the Soviet Union and the US. So far, China has sent two previous space stations into orbit. The Tiangong-1 and Tiangong-2 were trial stations though, simple modules that allowed only relatively short stays by astronauts.
• China’s own: The new, 66-tonne, multi-module Tiangong station is set to be operational for at least 10 years. Tianhe is one of three main components of what would be China’s first self-developed space station, rivalling the only other station in service – the ISS. It forms the main living quarters for three crew members in the Chinese space station.

1. The Tianhe launch is the first of 11 missions needed to complete the space station, which will orbit Earth at an altitude of 340 to 450 km. In the later missions, China will launch the two other core modules, four manned spacecraft and four cargo spacecraft.
2. China aims to become a major space power by 2030. It has ramped up its space programme with visits to the moon, the launch of an uncrewed probe to Mars and the construction of its own space station. The ISS is about to expire by 2024, and in contrast, the fate of the ageing ISS – in orbit for more than two decades – remains uncertain. The project is set to expire in 2024, barring funding from its partners. Russia has said recently that it would quit the project from 2025.

• Russia’s ties with China: Russia is deepening ties with China in space as tensions with the US rise. It has slammed the US-led Artemis moon exploration programme and instead chosen to join China in setting up a lunar research outpost in the coming years.

Antimicrobial Resistance: Threat to global health security

• The story: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global problem to which the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic may further contribute. With resources deployed away from antimicrobial stewardship, evidence of substantial preemptive antibiotic use in Covid-19 patients and indirectly, with deteriorating economic conditions fuelling poverty potentially impacting on levels of resistance, AMR threat remains significant.
• Points to note: Antimicrobial resistance is the resistance acquired by any microorganism (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasite, etc.) against antimicrobial drugs (such as antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, antimalarials, and anthelmintics) that are used to treat infections. So, standard treatments become ineffective, infections persist and may spread to others. Microorganisms that develop antimicrobial resistance are sometimes referred to as “superbugs”.
• How it builds up: Some bacteria due to the presence of resistance genes are intrinsically resistant and therefore survive on being exposed to antibiotics. Bacteria can also acquire resistance. This can happen in two ways: (i) By sharing and transferring resistance genes present in the rest of the population, or (ii) By genetic mutations that help the bacteria survive antibiotic exposure.
• Reasons for spread: The misuse of antimicrobials in medicine and inappropriate use in agriculture is directly contributing to it. Contamination around pharmaceutical manufacturing sites where untreated waste releases large amounts of active antimicrobials into the environment.
• Serious state: AMR is already responsible for up to 7,00,000 deaths a year, and is a threat to prevention and treatment of infections - medical procedures such as organ transplantation, cancer chemotherapy, diabetes management and major surgery (for example, caesarean sections or hip replacements). It is putting the gains of the Millennium Development Goals at risk and endangers achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. No new classes of antibiotics have made it to the market in the last three decades, largely on account of inadequate incentives for their development and production. Without urgent action, an antibiotic apocalypse is brewig slowly – a future without antibiotics, with bacteria becoming completely resistant to treatment and when common infections and minor injuries could once again kill.
• Indian situation: India, with its combination of large population, rising incomes that facilitate purchase of antibiotics, high burden of infectious diseases and easy over-the-counter access to antibiotics, is an important locus for the generation of resistance genes. The multi-drug resistance determinant, New Delhi Metallo-beta-lactamase-1 (NDM-1), emerged from this region to spread globally. Africa, Europe and other parts of Asia have also been affected by multi-drug resistant typhoid originating from South Asia. India has undertaken many activities like Mission Indradhanush — to address low vaccination coverage — strengthened micro-planning and additional mechanisms to improve monitoring and accountability. India has also launched the National Action Plan on AMR resistance 2017-2021.
• Summary: Since microbes will inevitably continue to evolve and become resistant even to new antimicrobials, we need sustained investments and global coordination to detect and combat new resistant strains on an ongoing basis. To track the spread of resistance in microbes, surveillance measures to identify these organisms need to expand beyond hospitals and encompass livestock, wastewater and farm run-offs.

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

Vaccines shaping a new world order

• The story: The pandemic has vastly worsened the global north-south divide, with wealthy Western states moving steadily toward herd immunity while a majority of Africa, Asia, and Latin America wait for vaccines to trickle down. Only a small number of countries produce their own coronavirus vaccines, but the rest of the world depends on them for their immunizations.
• A new world order: This raises the specter of a new geopolitical arrangement—one in which patron-client relationships are determined by the asymmetry in vaccine supply versus demand. There are indications that "vaccine have-nots" are vulnerable to diplomatic coercion and enticement. Russia and China have begun supplying vaccines in exchange for favorable foreign-policy concessions, as has Israel. Western countries, meanwhile, are focused on their own domestic vaccination programs—although the United States has recently declared its intention to offer vaccine aid to hard-hit countries, especially India.
• Market solution: For the non-vaccine producers, there’s always the market. The European Union has begun to round the corner, administering millions of doses among its 27 member states. Israel continues to be an early success story; rather than employing its own considerable pharmaceutical base, it has imported millions of Pfizer-BioNTech doses and administered them rapidly and efficiently. With no domestic production capacity, Canada is now third in the league of vaccination rates for the top 34 largest countries, behind the United Kingdom and the United States. Its tens of millions of doses have all been imported from Europe and the United States. Similar success stories can be found in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain.
• What about the others: Rates of vaccinations in most other countries continue to be very low, and notwithstanding the U.S. pile of AstraZeneca doses, this is a result of supply limits. Intellectual property laws and infrastructure constraints mean a near-total monopolization of production capacities in a small handful of countries and a hierarchy of trade advantages and preferences in which a handful of non-producing countries receive priority while others are left wanting.
• What COVAX did: To overcome these challenges, the World Health Organization set up COVAX, an initiative to coordinate vaccine research and license production in order to guarantee fair and equitable distribution worldwide. These efforts have fallen desperately short. Few vaccines have been distributed through this collaborative effort. Instead, facing domestic shortages, the EU and the United States have imposed restrictions on vaccine exports, limiting supply.
• The linking: China and Russia have both actively engaged in vaccine diplomacy, linking vaccine exports to policy concessions and favourable geopolitical outcomes. Russia recently brokered the release of an Israeli citizen held in Syria in exchange for Israel financing Sputnik V vaccines to be sent to Syria. Russia has supplied vaccines to Central and Eastern European countries, drawing them closer to its orbit. China declared that its Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines are a “global public good” and has begun supplying them to nearly 100 countries, in many cases at no cost. If this is a seize-the-moment, one-time thing, then Russia and China will likely come out ahead. India, too, once it has confronted the rapidly escalating second wave.
• Annual needs: If boosters or regular vaccinations are not needed more than once every several years, then the world is unlikely to see a significant geopolitical reorientation. But if a yearly shot is needed, as leading epidemiologists have warned may be necessary, it could be another story.
• Building hegemony: One of the main hegemonic goods that aspiring powers provide is national security. Geopolitical dependencies have typically manifested from the provision of military instruments through arms deals, bases, and collective security commitments. During the Cold War, vast quantities of weapons, training, and troops flowed into the global south as the United States and the Soviet Union competed for client states and as those client states  opportunistically sought the most generous patron. In the global pharmaceutical market, the United States faces stiff competition from several potential rivals. In Western Europe, Germany and the U.K. enjoy disproportionate influence, as does Russia in its former spheres of influence, Central and Eastern Europe. China and India both have massive production capacity and, most importantly, dominate export markets for generics outside the West.
• Summary: The global north has begun to crawl out of the crisis with the machinery needed to provide boosters as necessary—while the global south continues to battle an increasingly ferocious plague.

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

Legal giant Soli Sorabjee passes away

• A giant passes away: Mr Soli Sorabjee, 91, former attorney general of India, a staunch proponent of freedom of speech and an eminent lawyer associated with a series of landmark judgments, died on 30th April 2021.

• Life and times: Sorabjee joined jurist Nani Palkhivala and veteran lawyer Fali S. Nariman to fight the 1973 Keshavanand Bharti case in the Supreme Court that eventually led to the legal doctrine of “basic structure" of the Constitution. It was the only time a bench of 13 judges, the full strength of the apex court at that time, sat to decide a case. It was the longest heard case before the court—69 days from 31 October 1972 to 23 March 1973.

1. The judgment, by a majority of 7:6, said amendments should not alter the “basic structure" of the Constitution, and has become the bedrock of Indian constitutional law.
2. Sorabjee was the petitioner’s lawyer in the landmark S.R. Bommai case, which resulted in the SC’s 1994 verdict that held the power of the President to dismiss a state government is not absolute and subject to judicial review.
3. He was also involved in the Prakash Singh case in which the SC directed the Centre to appoint the National Police Commission and paved the way for key police reforms.

• Sensitive times: In the 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases, he worked with Citizens Justice Committee and took up cases pro bono for the victims. He also led the fight in the Maneka Gandhi case in which the SC expanded the meaning of personal liberty to mean life with dignity, and ruled against any arbitrary action not only of the executive but also through any legislative act.

• Global engagements: In 1997, Sorabjee was appointed as a special rapporteur on human rights in Nigeria. He later became a member of the UN Sub Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, and went on chair the commission from 1998 to 2004. Since 1998, he was a member of the UN Sub Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities. He also served from 2000 to 2006 as a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague.He was decorated with the Padma Vibhushan in 2002.

• Summary: He served as the solicitor general of India from 1977 to 1980 and became the country’s attorney general first from 1989 to 1990, and then from 1998 to 2004. Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana issued a statement paying homage to Sorabjee. “I am deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Shri Soli Jehangir Sorabjee, former attorney general of India. In his nearly 68-year-long association with judicial world, he made immeasurable contribution in enriching the global jurisprudence of human rights and fundamental rights."

400th Prakash Purab of Guru Tegh Bahadur commemorated

• The story: On May 1, 2021, India is celebrating four hundredth Prakash Purab of Guru Tegh Bahadur. He was the ninth Sikh Guru.
• Guru Tegh Bahadur: He was born in Amritsar, Punjab in 1621. He was the youngest son of Guru Hargobind Sahib, and wrote 115 hymns that were included in Guru Granth Sahib. He was executed on the orders of Aurangazeb. The Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib marks the execution place of Guru Tegh Bahadur and the Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Sahib marks the cremation place of Guru tegh Bahadur.
• Shaheedi Divas: His martyrdom (the suffering of death on account of adherence to a cause) is commemorated as Shaheedi Divas of Guru Tegh Bahadur. It is commemorated on 24th November every year.
• Guru Granth Sahib: It is the religious scripture of Sikhism. According to the Sikhs, it is the final, sovereign and eternal guru, and its first rendition is called the Adi Granth. It was compiled by the fifth guru Arjan Dev. He completed the Adi Granth in 1604 and installed it inside the Golden temple in Amritsar. Later Guru Har Gobind Singh added Ramkali Ki Vaar. Finally, Guru Gobind Singh added the hymns composed by Guru Tegh Bahadyr. Guru Gobind Singh was the tenth guru of the Sikhs.

Germany to return Benin Bronzes to Nigeria

• The story: The Government of Germany announced that it is to return the artefacts called the “Benin Bronzes” to Nigeria. The “Benin Bronzes” are currently held in the museum of Germany.
• Benin Bronzes: They are a group of thousand metal sculptures. These sculptures once decorated the royal palace of Kingdom of Benin, the current Nigeria. Some of these sculptures were looted by the British during the Benin Expedition of 1897. Though they are named as bronzes, they are mostly made of brass. They are also made of mixtures of brass and bronze. Some of them are even made of ivory, wood or ceramic. The golden ages of the sculptures occurred during the reigns of Esigie and Eresoyen.
• How made: They are made using lost-wax casting process. It is a process of making copies from a model. The method had been used in Indus Valley Civilisation as well. The Benin Expedition of 1897 was a punitive expedition of British force under Sir Harry Rawson. The troops captured Benin city and put an end the Kingdom of Benin. It was then absorbed into colonial Nigeria.
• Indian Sculptures in other foreign countries: (i) Kohinoor Diamond in UK, (ii) Jagadamba, the Sword of Shivaji Maharaj [Shivaji had three swords. They were Jagdamba, Bhawani and Tulja. The sword Jagdamba was presented by the Prince of Wales, Edward VII when he visited India. The sword is now in Buckingham palace], (iii) Tipu’s Tiger [It is a wooden toy created by Tipu Sultan in the 18th century. It depicts a tiger injuring a European man brutally. When the handle in the side of the toy is turned the tiger makes a roaring sound and the man wails lifting his arms up and down. It in now in Victoria and Albert Museum, London]; (iv) Ambika Statute [It is a marble statue of Goddess Ambika. It was discovered in the late 19th century. It is now in Britain. There has been huge demand to bring back the statue to the Saraswati temple in Madhya Pradesh.] etc.

Russia's COVID-19 vaccines for animals

• The story: Russia produced the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines for animals. The name of the vaccine is Carnivac-Cov. The World Health Organisation recently confirmed the possibility for transmission of virus between humans and virus.
• Evidences: In 2020, Denmark killed more than 17 million minks after the country concluded that the virus has passed from humans to minks. In Denmark, the virus transferred to mink from humans. It then transferred back to humans as mutated strains.
• Carnivac-Cov: It was produced by Rosselkhoznadzor, a federal service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance in Russia. The Russian scientists believe that the use of the vaccine will help to prevent virus mutations. The results of the vaccine trials say that it has good immunogenic effect.
• Response: According to Russia, countries such as Lebanon, Kazakhstan, Poland, Greece, Germany, Austria, Iran, Argentina, South Korea have expressed interest in purchasing the vaccine. COVID-19 mainly spreads through human-to-human transmission. However, there is evidence of human to animal transmission. This is possible mainly because it is a zoonotic virus. Zoonosis is an infection caused by pathogens such as virus, bacteria. Zoonotic infection are mainly those infections that jumped from animals to humans. Apart from COVID-19, the other zoonotic diseases are Ebola virus disease and salmonellosis. Earlier HIV was a zoonotic disease. However, it has now mutated into a human only disease. Other zoonoses such as swine flu and bird flu occasionally recombine with human strains to create pandemic such as 2009 Swine flu and 1918 Spanish flu.

9.1 Today's best editorials to read

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• SECTION 3 - MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions)

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