Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 03-05-2021

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 03-05-2021

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Indian Politics - Assembly election results 2021 - Broadly speaking, regional satraps did exceedingly well, while the Congress was crushed. The BJP did well in Assam, and rose substantially in Bengal, and won Puducherry. Results of the five assembly elections were declared. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), led by M.K. Stalin, was elected to power in Tamil Nadu after a gap of 10 years. The Secular Progressive Alliance led by it won in 158 seats in the 234 member House in an election held for the first time without the towering presence of the stalwarts — DMK president M. Karunanidhi and AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa. Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee led her party to one of its biggest political victories in the past three decades by singlehandedly stopping the BJP juggernaut in Bengal, paving the way for her return as CM a third time. The West Bengal Assembly poll saw the BJP putting all its might into the State, but failing. TMC won 213, while BJP could win just 77. The electoral history of Kerala saw a watershed event as the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, won again. It dismantled the familiar pattern of the two major fronts led by rivals Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Congress alternately coming to power. The LDF secured continuity of governance, a scenario captured by its campaign catchphrase ‘Urappanu LDF’ (It’s LDF for sure). The LDF won 99 of the 140 seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party and its regional allies retained power in Assam, staving off the challenge of a 10 party Grand Alliance, led by the Congress, and a new regional front sired by the 2019 protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). The BJP won 60 of the 126 seats. The All India N R Congress led National Democratic Alliance was headed towards forming the next government in Puducherry with the alliance winning in 16 seats in the 30 member Assembly. While the Congress secured just two seats, its ally DMK won in three seats. Independent candidates won in four constituencies.
2. Governance and Institutions - Launch of Operation Samudra Setu-II - Indian Navy has launched "Operation Samudra Setu-II" to augment the ongoing national mission for meeting Oxygen requirements for Covid-19 patients. The mission deployed Indian Naval warships will undertake shipment of liquid oxygen filled cryogenic containers and associated medical equipment in support of India’s COVID-19 battle. Two ships INS Kolkata and INS Talwar have entered port of Manama, Bahrain for embarking and transporting 40MT of liquid oxygen to Mumbai. The INS Jalashwa is enroute to Bangkok and INS Airavat to Singapore for similar missions. In 2020, the Indian Navy had launched Operation Samudra Setu as part of the 'Vande Bharat Mission' and repatriated approx 4,000 stranded and distressed Indian citizens from Maldives, Sri Lanka and Iran. This year, the situation is dire as thousands of patients are dying daily, and hundreds of these dying due to sheer lack of oxygen and not necessarily the coronavirus overwhelming their lungs.
3. World Economy - Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) - India, Japan and Australia have formally launched the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) to build resilient supply chains in the Indo-Pacific region as they seek to reduce dependence on China. This is geoeconomic as well as a geopolitical tool. To create a virtuous cycle of enhancing supply chain resilience with a view to eventually attaining strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth in the region. Some of the joint measures shall include: (1) Supporting the enhanced utilisation of digital technology; (2) Trade and investment diversification. It will also focus on sharing best practices on supply chain resilience, holding investment promotion events, buyer-seller matching events to provide opportunities for stakeholders to explore the possibility of diversification of their supply chains. Expansion of the SCRI may be considered based on consensus, if needed, in due course. China has not appreciated this move.
4. World Politics - G7 meeting 2021 - India's external affairs minister S Jaishankar will embark on a four-day visit to London to participate in a meeting of foreign ministers of G7 countries. India has been invited to the meeting as a guest country. The G-7 or ‘Group of Seven’ are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The G-7 nations meet at annual summits that are presided over by leaders of member countries on a rotational basis. The summit is an informal gathering that lasts two days, in which leaders of member countries discuss a wide range of global issues. The G-7 does not have a formal constitution or a fixed headquarters. The decisions taken by leaders during annual summits are non-binding. It had expanded itself to "G-8" by including Russia, but that fell apart after the annexation of Crimea by Putin.
5. Science and Technology - SpaceX gets NASA astronauts back to Earth - A SpaceX capsule with four astronauts returning from the International Space Station (ISS) splashed down safely in the Gulf of Mexico on May 2, 2021. American Space agency NASA said that this return marked the end of 168 days in space for the four astronauts, and the end of SpaceX’s first operational round-trip mission. This return to earth was the first nighttime splashdown for NASA astronauts since Apollo 8, which was the first mission to orbit the moon, in 1968. The mission was part of NASA’s fledgling public-private partnership with SpaceX, the rocket company founded in 2002 by Elon Musk, who is also CEO of electric car maker Tesla Inc. Musk has grand ambitions for colonising the Moon and Mars, soon enough.
6. Indian Economy - Relief for GST payers - Due to the crushing second wave of Covid-19 pandemic, the govt. has announced various relief measures for taxpayers under GST law including reduction in interest rate and waiving of late fee. The Finance Ministry has issued notification for a lower rate of interest of 9 per cent for the first 15 days from the due date of payment of tax and 18 per cent thereafter, for the tax payable for tax period of March and April 2021 for registered persons having aggregate turnover of over Rs.5 crore. For turnover upto Rs.5 crore, a nil rate of interest for the first 15 days from the due date of payment of tax, 9 per cent for the next 15 days, and 18 per cent thereafter, for both normal taxpayers and those under Quarterly Return, Monthly Payment of Taxes (QRMP) Scheme for March and April, 2021 has been notified. For registered persons having aggregate turnover above 5 crore rupees, the late fee has been waived for 15 days with regard to returns in FORM GSTR-3B furnished beyond the due date for tax periods of these two months. In case of turnover upto 5 crore rupees, the late fee has been waived for 30 days for GSTR-3B returns furnished beyond the due date. Besides, the Finance Ministry has extended the due date of filing FORM GSTR-1 and Invoice Furnishing Facility- IFF for the month of April due in May has been extended by 15 days.
7. Environment and Ecology - Green initiatives of Saudi Arabia - The kingdom has launched "Saudi Green Initiative" and the "Middle East Green Initiative" to combat the threat of climate change. A key pillar of the Saudi G20 presidency was to safeguard the planet. In 2020, G20 introduced initiatives like establishing a Global Coral Reef Research and Development Accelerator Platform and the Circular Carbon Economy (CCE) Platform. Saudi Arabia reiterated that it is committed to lead regional efforts to address climate change and has been making steady progress in this direction. Saudi Arabia established the Environmental Special Forces in 2019. Aim is to raise the vegetation cover, reduce carbon emissions, combat pollution and land degradation, and preserve marine life. 10 billion trees will be planted in the Kingdom. To reduce carbon emissions by more than 4% of global contributions, through a renewable energy programme that will generate 50% of Saudi’s energy from renewables by 2030. Saudi Arabia is working towards raising the percentage of its protected areas to more than 30% of its total land area, exceeding the global target of 17%.
8. Indian Economy - Oxygen Crisis: Covid-19 - The Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) crisis during the second wave of Covid surge has been precipitated by a shortage of tankers and the daunting logistics of transportation from distant locations. Liquid Medical Oxygen - It is high purity oxygen suitable for use in the human body. So, it is used for medical treatments. This oxygen provides a basis for virtually all modern anaesthetic techniques, restores tissue oxygen tension by increasing the oxygen availability, aids cardiovascular stability, etc. The World Health Organisation includes this on their List of Essential Medicines. According to the Drug Prices Control Order, 2013, LMO is placed under the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM). LMO Production in India - India has a daily production capacity of at least 7,100 Metric Tonnes (MT) of oxygen, including for industrial use. Due to the crisis, the production has been increased to 8,922 MT. And approximately daily sale is 7,017 MT. The domestic production is expected to cross 9,250 MT per day by the end of April 2021. Therefore, India appears to be producing sufficient oxygen to meet the current need.
9. World Politics - Covid update - The coronavirus outbreak at Everest base camp in Nepal, controversially opened to climbers despite the pandemic, has infected “many people” amid continuing evacuations and complaints of lack of transparency over the severity of the situation. Moderna will supply 34m doses of its Covid vaccine this year and Sweden has donated 1m AstraZeneca shots to the global Covax programme. The advance purchase contract agreed with Moderna is for up to 500m doses, but the rollout will only start in the fourth quarter, with 34m doses available this year, the Gavi vaccine alliance has confirmed. The European Commission has recommended that foreign citizens fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and those coming from countries with a good epidemiological situation be allowed to travel into European Union countries without additional restrictions. US president Joe Biden and Britain’s Prince Harry were among those calling for vaccine equity at the recording of a fundraising concert in Los Angeles for the global Covax programme. Pakistan has closed land crossings with Iran and Afghanistan for travellers and slashed international flights as the government warned of a “critical” few weeks ahead in the battle against Covid-19. World's Covid-19 tally was - Total cases: 153,480,258; New cases: 680,414; Total deaths: 3,216,170; New deaths: 9,981; Total recovered: 131,483,835; Active cases: 18,780,253.
10. Indian Politics - Covid update - The variant, B.1.617, has reached at least 17 countries, from Britain and Iran to Switzerland, sparking global concern and spurring several to close their borders to people travelling from India. Taiwan became the latest place to ban arrivals from coronavirus-stricken India on 03th May, as it moves to prevent new infections, with more nations reporting cases of a variant first identified in the subcontinent. PMO announced that Medical personnel completing 100 days of Covid duties will be given Prime Minister’s Distinguished Covid National Service Samman. PMO also said that final year MBBS students can be utilized for teleconsultation and monitoring of mild Covid cases under the supervision of faculty. BSc/GNM qualified nurses to be utilized in full-time Covid nursing duties under the supervision of senior doctors and nurses. Citizens continue to suffer shortages of medicines, hospital beds, oxygen and vaccines. The Delhi HC asked Centre to respond to Delhi government’s request for army’s help to set up hospitals with oxygenated and ICU beds to treat Covid-19 patients. PM Narendra Modi had a phone call today with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the Covid situation. Total cases: 19,919,715; New cases: 370,059; Total deaths: 218,945; New deaths: 3,422; Total recovered: 16,281,738; Active cases: 3,419,032.

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• SECTION 2 - DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

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

No option but to lock things down - Uday Kotak

• The story: When India’s wealthiest banker, Uday Kotak, implored authorities to consider curbing economic activity in a bid to counter the coronavirus crisis, it made news. India has been reporting more than 3,00,000 new coronavirus cases steadily, and on May 3rd it was for a 12th straight day, taking its overall caseload to 20 million (2 crore). More than 3000 are dying daily, and these numbers are gross under-estimation (it is alleged).
• What Kotak said: He said, "At this critical juncture when toll of lives is rising, CII urges the strongest national steps including curtailing economic activity to reduce suffering,". Kotak is the president of the Confederation of Indian Industry and chief executive of Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd, India’s third-largest lender by market value.

• More suggestions: Other CII suggestions included -

1. Deploy armed forces and security personnel for logistics, infrastructure
2. Set up temporary medical facilities with army and other paramilitary forces
3. Tap retired doctors and nurses and trainees who are awaiting exam results

• Safety for everyone: Kotak stressed that unless everyone was safe, no single person was safe. If large parts of India remain unprotected eventually (in terms of vaccination), then newer strains or mutants of the virus will emerge and be a risk even to those vaccinated.

• Pros and cons:

1. Argument supporting a national lockdown - This is the only way to stop mobility, and consequent spread of infection. Since vaccines are in short supply, this is a logical thing to do. If infections can be reduced, the healthcare system may slowly regain balance, and revert to normal.
2. Argument against a national lockdown - The experience of 2020 showed how debilitating a national lockdown is for economic momentum. Plus, there is no plan for a direct income transfer to needy households (must be more than 10 crore, in India). Let regional or local containment and lockdowns continue.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) expenditure

• The story: Given the massive second Covid wave in India, and the amounts that corporates are spending on employees, there are calls for the government to ease CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) regulations to allow corporate expenditure on vaccinations and treatment of employees suffering from Covid to be covered under spending for CSR.

• Present rules: Under the current CSR norms, companies are not permitted to count expenditure incurred exclusively for the welfare of employees as part of their mandatory CSR expenditure.

• Points to note: The term "Corporate Social Responsibility" is seen as a corporate initiative to assess and take responsibility for the company's effects on the environment and impact on social welfare. In India, it is governed by clause 135 of the Companies Act, 2013. India was the first country in the world to mandate CSR spending along with a framework to identify potential CSR activities.

1. The CSR provisions within the Act is applicable to companies with an annual turnover of 1,000 crore and more, or a net worth of Rs. 500 crore and more, or a net profit of Rs.5 crore and more.
2. The Act requires companies to set up a CSR committee which shall recommend a Corporate Social Responsibility Policy to the Board of Directors and also monitor the same from time to time.
3. The Act encourages companies to spend 2% of their average net profit in the previous three years on CSR activities.

• CSR activities: The indicative activities, which can be undertaken by a company under CSR, have been specified under Schedule VII of the Act. The activities include:

1. Eradicating extreme hunger and poverty,
2. Promotion of education, gender equality and empowering women,
3. Combating Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and other diseases,
4. Ensuring environmental sustainability;
5. Contribution to the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund or any other fund set up by the Central Government for socio-economic development and relief and funds for the welfare of the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, other backward classes, minorities and women etc.

• Injeti Srinivas Committee: A High Level Committee on CSR was formed in 2018 under the Chairmanship of Injeti Srinivas. The main recommendations included making CSR expenditure tax deductible, allowing the carry-forward of unspent balance for a period of 3-5 years, and aligning Schedule VII of the Companies Act with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

• Latest: In 2020, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs allowed companies to spend CSR funds on Covid-19 relief, including preventive healthcare and sanitation and on research and development of Covid drugs, vaccines and medical devices. The ambit was expanded further this year to include awareness or public outreach programmes on Covid-19 vaccination and setting up of makeshift hospitals and temporary Covid care facilities.

• Covid-19: Approximately, Rs. 10,000 crore is available with listed companies annually for spending on CSR activities. If the eligible unlisted companies are taken into account, the available sum may be larger. This can be handy in supplementing the expenditure of the Centre and States on vaccination. Many of these companies have a presence in rural areas.This will ensure that the drive goes beyond the large cities and reach the rural population too. This will boost vaccinations for unorganised labour in the manufacturing sector and will benefit the overburdened healthcare system.

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

Beginning of a Saudi 'Green Era'

• The story: In April 2021, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia has launched the Saudi Green Initiative and Middle East Green Initiative to combat climate change.

• Need and necessity: In the G20 summit presided over by Saudi Arabia, one of the main pillars of the agenda was safeguarding the planet. The summit highlighted how climate change had negatively impacted the planet, people’s lives and their well-being. Initiatives like establishing a Global Coral Reef Research and Development Accelerator Platform was announced in the summit. G20 leaders also acknowledged the Circular Carbon Economy (CCE) Platform as a tool towards affordable, reliable, and secure energy and economic growth. Saudi Arabia committed to lead regional efforts to address climate change and is making steady progress in this direction.

• Details: The 'Saudi Green Initiative' aims to raise the vegetation cover, reduce carbon emissions, combat pollution, land degradation and preserve marine life. More than 10 billion trees will be planted which reduces carbon emissions by more than 4% of global contributions. This will be made through a renewable energy programme that will generate 50% of Saudi’s energy from renewables by 2030.

1. It is also working towards raising the percentage of its protected areas to more than 30% of its total land area, exceeding the global target of 17%. As part of the Middle East Green initiative, it will work with the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and regional partners to plant an additional 40 billion trees in the West Asian region.
2. It represents 5% of the global target of planting one trillion trees and can reduce 2.5% of global carbon levels. Saudi Arabia will share its expertise and know-how with its neighbouring countries to reduce carbon emissions resulting from hydrocarbon production in the region by 60% and globally by 10%.

• Benefits: Saudi Arabia currently operates the largest carbon capture and utilisation plant in the world, turning half a million tonnes of CO2 annually into products such as fertilizers and methanol. It operates one of the region’s most advanced CO2-enhanced oil recovery plants that captures and stores 8,00,000 tonnes of CO2 annually. Earlier it joined International Solar Alliance to promote cooperation in the renewable energy sector.

1. To ensure momentum and continuity, it proposes to convene an annual summit called the Middle East Green Initiative. The aim is start implementing the plan in the fourth quarter of this year and continue for the next two decades.
2. It also recognised the scarcity of financial resources to irrigate the terrain. So, in partnership with participating countries, it aims to research innovative methods.
3. This includes irrigation from treated water, cloud seeding and other purpose-driven solutions such as planting native trees.

• Vision 2030 plan: In 2016, Saudi Arabia unveiled Vision 2030, a comprehensive road map to improve the quality of life of the citizens of the country. As part of this, Saudi Arabia carried out a comprehensive restructuring of the environmental sector and established the Environmental Special Forces in 2019. With NEOM and The Line, Saudi Arabia has already redefined the idea of sustainable habitats. Recently Public Investment Fund pumped in $15 billion in the NEOM project and another $10 billion in renewable and solar energy projects. This will realise the Saudi Arabia’s goal of Vision 2030 and become one of the major producers of renewable energy with a capacity to generate 9.5 GW by 2023.

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

India-US Green Partnership

• The story: The "Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership" meeting was concluded between U.S. and India in the Climate Leaders’ Summit.

• The need: In a pandemic-stricken world, there is little confidence in transition to green energy. U.S. and China are the top emitters of greenhouse gasses at the global level. India ranks third in global emissions although its per capita CO2 emissions are less than 60% of the global average. The International Energy Agency (IEA) expects a dramatic rise in emissions as countries race to shake off the impact of the coronavirus, as they did after the 2008 financial crisis.

• Goals: In the summit, attention was focused on countries which are responsible for the highest carbon emissions. The U.K. has enhanced its ambition to cut carbon emissions by 78% by 2035 over 1990 levels. It has also advanced the agenda by calling for climate funding by rich nations to exceed the decade-old goal of $100 billion. The US has committed to cuts its emissions by 50% to 52% by 2030 over 2005 levels. US-India have now signed a climate pact which raises expectations that the coming decade will see sustained financial and technological cooperation between the countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

• Details: This pact will transform the energy-intensive sectors in India by incorporating innovative materials and processes to decarbonise industry, transport and buildings.

1. It has the potential to expand renewable power up to 450GWand align future growth pathways away from the fossil fuels.
2. The forthcoming years till 2030 are termed as decisive decade and action are been initiated to enhance funding and innovation in green energy.
3. This can help all countries move closer to keeping global warming well below 2°C or even 1.5°C which the Paris Agreement envisages.

• Future: The climate change crisis originated not in developing nations but in the industrialised world which has used up much of the world’s carbon space. So any forward-looking policy should envision green development, providing funding and green technologies as compensation for the emissions space lost by poorer countries.

1. This will be a win-win game, since it would aid sustainable development, boost employment, clean up the environment and help all countries to emerge healthier from the pandemic.
2. For the India-U.S. agreement to yield results, U.S. has to persuade its industry and research institutions to share knowledge and subsidise transfer of technologies to India.

• Biggest polluters: Developed nations typically have high carbon dioxide emissions per capita, while some developing countries lead in the growth rate of carbon dioxide emissions. These uneven contributions to the climate crisis are at the core of the challenges the world community faces in finding effective and equitable solutions to global warming. The top five polluters in 2018 were - 1) China - 10.06GT, 2) United States - 5.41GT, 3) India - 2.65GT, 4) Russian Federation - 1.71GT, 5) Japan - 1.16GT.

• US pollution: In 2019, about 70 million tons of pollution were emitted into the atmosphere in the United States. These emissions mostly contribute to the formation of ozone and particles, the deposition of acids, and visibility impairment.

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

India's sanitation system - challenges and solutions

• The story: The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed India’s broken system of sanitation. Newly-built “dry latrines” and “hanging toilets” in rural India are the result of the lockdowns of 2020-21. Despite the 'Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013', and a strict ban on dry latrines, about 46,000 new dry latrines were built during the pandemic only.

• Why so: The primary reason for the construction of these illegal toilets is that sanitary toilets have become hotbeds of disease. The lockdowns, being imposed again due to the second wave of Covid-19, have multiplied the sanitation struggle in India, so much so that people are fearing the outcome of using the public toilets every day.

• Present scenario:

1. State-Wise condition - Small pits filled with human excrement near construction sites in Uttar Pradesh highlight the re-emergence open-defecation pattern in India. In West Bengal, more toilets are found to be constructed as “raised beds with small holes” at the centre, known as hanging toilets, built by families who do not want to use sanitary toilets as they are always filled with excrement and faeces. In Delhi, the extension of Ghazipur, Bhalswa and Okhla landfills serve as a big defecation ground for nearby communities. In Tamil Nadu, locals claim that unused toilets often become playgrounds for wild animals and snakes, just as in Goa. In Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, the toilets in villages have become “death traps” because of the usage of substandard material for construction. In Mizoram, there is a prevalence of unique “tree house” toilets which are like the hanging toilets, but three times higher. Excrement keeps getting filled in open pits on the ground throughout the day.
2. Toilets in rural India - Sanitary toilet usage has declined in rural India due to the Covid-19. Currently, more than six lakh toilets in rural India have acute water shortage. Around 1,20,000 toilets have no water supply and thousands of toilets are completely abandoned, with collapsing roofs, water pipes in poor shape and soggy, broken doors.
3. Open defecation - As toilet usage becomes a problem, another trend is the four-fold increase in open defecation in rural India with defecation sites being close to garbage dumps and local water bodies. These dumps contain a large number of used masks, PPE kits and effluents. The pandemic has also forced India’s sanitation workers to discard plastic bags filled with excrement and infected COVID-19 gear found on the periphery of community toilets even in the remotest areas.
4. Manual scavenging - According to the National Commission of Safai Karamcharis (NCSK), a total of 53,598 people (29,923 in U.P. alone) had been identified as engaged in manual scavenging after surveys in 2013 and 2018. Tamil Nadu reported the highest number of deaths due to manual scavenging. Gujarat has the highest number of cases where the compensation amount was not paid for deaths due to manual scavenging, followed by Maharashtra.
5. Biomedical waste generation - According to a Central Pollution Control Board report, released in November 2020, India generated around 33,000 tonnes of Covid-19 biomedical waste between April and November. Before the pandemic, regular biomedical waste generation in India was at 610 MT per day, but now, the waste has gone up to 765.5 MT per day. Maharashtra has been the biggest contributor to biomedical waste including Uttar Pradesh and Delhi among the top 10 waste generators.
6. Gender-Based sanitation insecurity - There is a disproportionate burden faced by women regarding shortage of or the non-availability of sanitation facilities. Women face threats to their life and feel unsafe while seeking a toilet facility or while going out for open defecation. This leads to the consumption of less food and water by the women to minimize the need to exit the home to use toilets.

• Steps needed: The dependence on unimproved water sources in rural India even within sanitary toilets increases the need to re-evaluate the obsession with toilet construction in India. The maintenance systems need to be tackled immediately which can be done by re-surveying the state of the toilets that were built more than 5 years ago. The sanitation system needs to go hand in hand with the water system, combined with an assessment of sanitation behaviour and sanitation labour reforms in India, at every single step.

• Legal step: Bringing the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (Amendment) Bill, 2020 into force and completely eradicate manual scavenging in order to mechanise the scavenging and prevent further deaths due to the same.

• Practical steps: The usage of both dry latrines and hanging toilets puts the communities around them at high risk of illness, beyond Covid-19. Therefore, both the construction and usage of these units needs to be eradicated. Urban local bodies must provide separate waste bins, and push citizens to segregate waste at source. The government must also augment the capacities of biomedical treatment units with appropriate monitoring strategies and work with all stakeholders such as doctors, innovators and medical items and equipment manufacturers to come up with a plan to reduce the waste burden.

• Behaviour: Information, education, and communication, which aims at behavior change of the masses towards toilets and other sanitation facilities specially for women.

• Summary: With no escape from COVID-19, the toilet traditions have highlighted major loopholes in India’s sanitation system, where the focus is majorly on building new infrastructure rather than surveying the existing ones. The government shall stringently respond to the problem of open defecation, manual scavenging and lack of toilet and sanitation facilities for women.

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

The West Bengal elections - Didi versus Modi

• The story: The Trinamool Congress (TMC), led by Mamata Banerjee, India’s only woman chief minister, swept the West Bengal assembly polls for the third time, winning 213 of the 292 seats that went to polls in the state, in a sign of the continued assertion of regional parties in Indian politics, and a major setback to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP had thrown in everything at West Bengal, in a bid to win it.

• Bengali sub-nationalism trumps BJP's push: Riding on a mix of welfare delivery, Bengali sub-nationalism, Banerjee’s own popularity and connect with the grassroots, and substantial minority consolidation, the TMC won.

1. Mamata Banerjee lost her own fiercely fought assembly battle in Nandigram by a narrow margin, to her former colleague and aide-turned-BJP leader, Suvendu Adhikari.
2. She is returning as CM, so will have to contest and win an election within six months, as constitutionally stipulated, to remain CM. The TMC has sought a recount in Nandigram, and alleged that local returning officer was threatened to not go for a recount.

• Nature of Bengal polls: They were marked by intense competition, political violence, charges of partisanship of institutions, and crowded rallies even as the second wave of Covid-19 hit India. The BJP, despite a well-resourced and high-profile campaign led by PM arendra Modi himself, the promise of greater industrialization and welfare and strategy of majority Hindu consolidation, fell way short of its projected claim of winning 200 seats. It emerged as the primary opposition, winning 77 seats (a jump from 3 seats it won in the 2016 assembly polls, but a dip from its tally in the Lok Sabha polls of 2019, which translated into leads in 121 assembly constituencies). The Left parties and the Congress failed to win a single seat.

• What about other states: Among other states, the results were marked by both continuity and change.

1. Tamil Nadu - In the first state elections held after former chief ministers M. Karunanidhi and J. Jayalalithaa died, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led alliance, under M.K. Stalin, won 133 (DMK alone) out of the state’s 234 seats. The DMK returns to power after a decade, riding on a degree of anti-incumbency, Stalin’s leadership, alliances, and severe unease with the BJP. The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam performed better than expected with 66 seats, with chief minister E.K. Palaniswami winning his seat.
2. Kerala - Breaking a four-decade-old trend, where power has alternated between the two of the state’s major political formations, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by Pinarayi Vijayan made history by comfortably returning to power for a second consecutive time. The win was likely due to the government’s focused management of Covid and Nipah outbreaks, as well as floods, during its term. The Left won 99 of the Kerala assembly’s 140 seats, with the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) a distant second with 41 seats. Former Congress president, Rahul Gandhi, is a parliamentarian from the state and had extensively campaigned for the UDF.
3. Assam - The BJP did well here, and returned to power despite a united opposition, for a second time, under the leadership of CM Sonowal and Himanta Biswa Sarma. The BJP relied on the government’s welfare schemes and communal polarization, where it accused the Congress and the All India United Democratic Front of being sympathetic to illegal Muslim immigrants.
4. Puducherry - The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) also crossed the majority mark in the Union territory of Puducherry, and the BJP will be a part of the coalition government in the UT for the first time.

• Overall meaning: The results are being seen as a setback for both national parties (BJP and INC), with the BJP failing to achieve its stated aim in West Bengal and the Congress failing to win a single state on its own and witnessing a further erosion of its base.

1. The BJP’s eastern march has been significantly challenged.
2. Despite her loss in Nandigram, Mamata Banerjee has secured her place as a potential leader of opposition in 2024.
3. Regional satraps rule - the Left’s win in Kerala, the DMK’s triumph in Tamil Nadu, and Trinamool’s victory in Bengal show the sheer diversity of India's opposition.

The real status of BJP today

• The story: The BJP added to its state count and seat count in May's election results. However, in the last three years, the number of states that it rules has dropped from 20 to 16, and its share of MLAs across India has fallen from 36% to 33%.

• Data: Seen over a longer time-frame, the BJP juggernaut is stuttering. During its golden phase, the party expanded its portfolio from having 25% of all 4,030 MLAs in India at 2014-end to 36% at its peak in May 2018. Since then, the party has ceded ground in several large states and its seat share has dropped to 33%. By itself and through its nationwide network of allies, the BJP was in power in seven states in 2014. This rose to 20 in March 2018, but is now down at 16.

• Regional is the way: Regional parties matter in Indian politics, be it at the state or national level. Despite losing seats and power to the BJP, other parties control 45% of assembly seats across India. With the Congress stumbling, it is the regional parties that are presenting themselves as a stronger counterpoint to the BJP juggernaut.

• BJP in retreat: A central plank of the BJP’s march since 2014 has been that of breaking new ground. A good example is how it went about the North-East, tying up with regional parties and forming governments. Of the 251 Assembly seats gained by the BJP between 2014 and 2020, as many as 156 came from states in the North-East, on the back of wins in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Tripura.

1. Elsewhere, the first part of this seven-year period was marked by decisive mandates in the BJP’s favour in large states.
2. The three-fourths majority in Uttar Pradesh in 2017 was a good example.
3. But in the second part of this period, the party saw losses, such as in Rajasthan, or got outsmarted by the opposition, such as in Maharashtra.
4. West India is where the BJP has lost the most. The party formed governments not through elections, but only by breaking the opposition, as in Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.

• Stagnation of Congress: The other significant national party, Congress, has stagnated. In latest elections, its notable achievement has been to win seats as a junior partner to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu. It lost Puducherry, finished second in Kerala and Assam, and failed to win even a single seat in West Bengal. Its all-India assembly seat share has dropped from 22% in December 2014 to 21% now.

1. The Congress made gains in western and central India, notably returning to power in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra.
2. These were offset by losses in the south, where it lost out to regional parties in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It has also seen a sharp and consistent drawdown in its bastion, the North-East, which also corresponds to the BJP’s rise. In 2014, the Congress, through its alliances, was in power in nine states. Now, it’s in power in six.

• Assam: Between 1996 and 2011, the BJP’s vote share in the state hovered at 10-12%. In 2016, it poached Himanta Biswa Sarma of the Congress, hit a 30% vote share, and formed a government in alliance with the Asom Gana Parishad. Even in the 11 states where the BJP has never won, or has not been a significant player on the winning table, it’s been chipping away. In nine of these, its vote share has increased over the last two elections. In Odisha and, now, West Bengal, it’s the number two party.

• UP is the acid test: The next big electoral test for the BJP is protecting territory in Uttar Pradesh, which accounts for 10% of all assembly seats in India, in 2022. The horrible second Covid wave in UP, and the rising death toll, is going to make it very tough indeed.

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

Amending IPRs for vaccines - a great help

1. The story: As the second wave of covid-19 rages in India, it is essential to speed up vaccinations. With universal adult vaccination involving states and the private sector having started on 1 May, vaccine shortages came up.
2. Why shortage: Up to 30 April, India administered 149.32 million doses (123.84 million Dose 1 and 25.48 million Dose 2). Effective 1 May, opening up of vaccines for everyone above 18 and for achieving universal vaccination India required 1,878 million doses at the rate of two doses per person (approximately 939 million adults). India has only two vaccines, one locally developed and another with a licence. These two manufacturers can make 80-90 million doses per month, which may expand to approximately 160 million doses per month by July; hence, a demand supply gap was inevitable.
3. Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs): Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) have agreed to provide patent protection for any invention, be it a product (say, a medicine) or a process (method of producing it). Previously, the IPRs of products used to be protected through the Process Patent under Indian Patent Act, 1970, allowing the manufacture of a patented product by others by a different process. This is how Indian medicines once were the cheapest until the WTO regime in the mid-1990s. Currently, the WTO’s strict patent rules prevent firms other than the inventor from manufacturing the same product using a different process.
4. Economic significance of vaccination: Vaccination may not end the pandemic, but has a big impact on human psychology. Despite supportive fiscal and monetary policies, India’s economy is yet to return to normalcy due to both demand and supply constraints. Behavioural factors have been impacting both sides and the vaccine, by reducing the number and severity of cases, is expected to have a positive impact.
5. Licensing provisions can help: Given limited domestic capacity, it is advisable to involve other drugmakers in vaccine manufacturing by invoking the "compulsory licensing" provision under the original Indian Patent Act, which has become defunct since mid 1990s. The government should invoke the provision to allow other manufacturer to produce the patented product or use the process without the permission of the patent-owner. The licence can be given to another manufacturer as the society’s right is predominant.
6. Other option: With every country suffering, pressure should be built upon the WTO so that original promoters of the product patent idea should be persuaded to relax patent norms in view of the crisis, with a condition that the vaccines would strictly be used for domestic use and cannot be exported without the approval or involvement of the original patent holder. This would help ensure that universal vaccination against the virus is completed at the earliest.
7. Summary: India botched up badly in under-estimating its own need for vaccines, and did not place orders with local manufacturers in 2020. Now it is scrambling for vaccines from all over the world. But making vaccines takes a lot of time, and from Adar Poonawalla's latest letter (03rd May), it's clear that India will have to wait a long time before universal adult vaccination for Covid becomes a reality.

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

May 1 - International Labour Day

• An important day: Every year, the 1st of May is observed as May Day and is also known as International Labour Day worldwide. It is observed as an occasion to commemorate the contributions of labourers and the working class. The International Labour Organization, a United Nations agency, works towards setting international labour standards.

• Points to note: The Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement in the United States in the 19th Century. But the USA and Canada celebrate Labour day on the first Monday of September, every year. The Labour day was designated as a day in support of workers by trade unions and socialist groups in the memory of the Haymarket affair of 1886 in Chicago, USA.

1. The Haymarket Affair was a peaceful rally in support of workers which led to a violent clash with the police, leading to severe casualties. Those who died were hailed as “Haymarket Martyrs”.
2. Workers’ rights violations, straining work hours, poor working conditions, low wages and child labour were the issues highlighted in the protest.
3. The May Day was first celebrated on 1st May, 1890, after it was declared by the first International Congress of Socialist Parties in Europe in July 1889.

• USSR: The Soviet Union and the Eastern bloc nations started celebrating the Labour day after the Russian Revolution, 1917. New ideologies such as Marxism and Socialism inspired many socialist and communist groups and they attracted peasants and workers and made them an integral part of national movement.

• India: The first Labour’s Day was celebrated in 1923 in Chennai. This day was observed by the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan. On this day, communist leader Malayapuram Singaravelu Chettiar asked the government that 1st May should be considered as a national holiday to symbolise the efforts and work of the workers. This day is also known as Kamgar Divas, Kamgar Din and Antarrashtriya Shramik Divas in India.

• Constitutional provisions: The Indian constitution provides numerous safeguards for the protection of labour rights. These safeguards are in the form of fundamental rights and the Directive principle of State policy.

1.  Article 14 commands the State to treat any person equally before the law.
2.  Article (19) (1) (c) grants citizens the right to form associations or unions.
3.  Article 21 promises protection of life and personal liberty.
4.  Article 23 prohibits forced labour.
5.  Article 24 prohibits employment of children below the age of fourteen years.
6.  Article 39(a) provides that the State shall secure to its citizens equal right to an adequate means of livelihood.
7. Article 41 provides that within the limits of its economic capacity the State shall secure for the Right to work and education.
8. Article 42 instructs the State to make provisions for securing just and humane conditions of work and for maternity relief.
9. Article 43 orders the State to secure a living wage, decent conditions of work and social and cultural opportunities to all workers through legislation or economic organisation.
10. Article 43A provides for the participation of workers in Management of Industries through legislation.

• New questions: Over the past decade, new technologies and methods of working have raised some serious questions about the future of labour, and labour rights. The rise of Industry 4.0 has meant fewer human workers are now needed to run large factories, with robots linked with computers doing most of the work. The use of artificial intelligence is further reducing the need for workers in repetitive jobs. What happens to workers' rights in such a scene, is a matter of consideration.

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

NASA: Ingenuity begins a new phase

1. The story: The Ingenuity Helicopter of Mars 2020 project of NASA recently performed its fourth of its five planned flights successfully. With this, it has completed its month-long technology demonstration. Now, it is to begin its new phase. This new phase is called operation demonstration phase. So far it was in its technology demonstration phase.
2. Details of new mission: Under this new phase, the Ingenuity helicopter is to explore how aerial scouting will benefit future explorations of Mars. Aerial Scouting is gathering information. This is to begin after two flights of the helicopter. NASA had initially planned to conduct only five flights. This operation demonstration phase was planned after Ingenuity completed its flights successfully.
3. Under this phase, Ingenuity will support the Perseverance rover as it begins its flight. It will make aerial observations and help Perseverance rover in its mobility on the Martian surface.
4. Learnings: Ingenuity Helicopter is to make greater use of its aerial observation capabilities. It is to face more risks flying in a low atmospheric condition. The fourth flight of Ingenuity helicopter was postponed to April 30, 2021 due to a software glitch. It was earlier planned to the be held on April 25, 2021. However, the fourth flight has now been completed successfully. In its fourth flight Ingenuity climbed five metres and crossed 84 metres of distance. During its flight, Ingenuity captured more images than its previous flights. The issue was around the watchdog timer. Watchdog timers are used to detect and recover from computer malfunctions.

P8I Patrol Aircraft: India ready to buy

• The story: The United States Department recently approved the sale of P-81 Patrol aircraft to India.

• About P-8I: It is a long range patrol aircraft, manufactured by Boeing for Indian Navy. It is a variant of P-8A Poseidon. The Poseidon is operated by the US Navy. The P-8I is capable of conducting maritime patrol, anti-submarine warfare, reconnaissance missions and surveillance.

• India-US Defence deals:  India and US have signed five major defence deals. These are

1. GSOMIA - The General Security of Military Information Agreement was signed in 2002. The agreement was signed to facilitate sharing military intelligence between India and the US.
2. LEMOA - The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement was signed in 2016. According to the agreement, the countries can use each other’s military bases mainly to carry out repairs and resupplies.
3. COMCASA - It is Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement. Under the agreement, the countries share information during training exercise and operations.
4. BECA - It is the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement, signed in 2020. According to the agreement, the countries can share geospatial information.
5. 123 Agreement - Out of all the defence agreements signed between the countries, this agreement is considered as the most important. The agreement is also called 123 Agreement. Under the agreement, India agreed to place all its civilian nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards.

• India-US Militay Exercises:

1. Yudh Abhyas: Started in 2002
2. Tiger Triump: It is the major military exercise carried out by India with the US. All the three forces namely Indian Air Force, Indian Army and Indian Navy participate in the exercise.
3. Vajra Prahar: It is an exercise held between the Special Forces of US and India.

SII's Adar Poonawalla goes to London

1. The story: The Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla announced that he will return to India in a few days, from London. He claimed that he was meeting potential partners and stakeholders in the UK. He also said that Covishield's production was in full swing in Pune, and that he'd come back to India soon to oversee the same.
2. Why leave India: This statement came after he indicated in an interview with ‘The Times’ that he was in London due to business plans to expand vaccine manufacturing to countries outside India, which may include the likes of the UK. Poonawalla spoke out about the pressures he was under over the production of Covid-19 vaccines to meet the demand in India as the country battles through a devastating second wave of the coronavirus.
3. What kind of pressure: Several states in India flagged concerns of a shortage of vaccines as India kicked off the third phase of its inoculation drive on May 01st. Delhi, Odisha, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Punjab had said they do not have adequate doses to start vaccinating individuals in the 18-44 age group. Some states announced the third phase of the immunisation drive in selected districts, while some announced vaccination for only those above 35 years of age. Meanwhile, India's daily coronavirus tally crossed the grim milestone of four lakh, while the death toll rose to 2,11,853 with 3,523 fresh fatalities, according to date updated by the Union health ministry. The infection tally rose to 1,91,64,969 with 4,01,993 new cases, while the active cases crossed the 32-lakh mark.
4. Vaccine supply: Poonawalla explained the various sizes of orders he had received from the Indian government over time, and that today he has some orders pending but vaccines take time to supply. In his public letter published on twitter on 03rd May, 2021, it became clear that orders were of a low volume, and that for many months, vaccine supply will remain a big issue in India.

Civil servants falling sick, Work stuck

1. The story: The top rungs of India’s bureaucracy is facing a major manpower challenge, with key officials across central government departments and ministries indisposed following the surge in coronavirus infections. Some of these officials were managing critical healthcare matters, according to multiple officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
2. Facts: It was found that as the second wave has affected every section of society in the country, including the bureaucracy, nearly one in every two officials was either affected by the infection or had a family member who was affected. The explosion of cases is straining the healthcare system, which requires not only more frontline workers but also experienced administrators. The staffing challenge comes at a time when authorities are working to ensure delivery of essential services and facilities such as hospital beds, intensive care units, vaccines, oxygen and ventilators.
3. The result: A sharp prioritization of work has been done, with core and routine functions not affected as protocols for file movement are in place. Even officials who are unwell are clearing files from home. However, new ideas and proposals will have to wait unless they are meant to ameliorate the present situation. A large number of tax officials and field staff have contracted covid. In the industry department, many senior officers have fallen ill.
4. Minisers: Since 16 April, at least four Union ministers—Prakash Javadekar, Ramesh Pokhriyal, Kiren Rijiju and Jitendra Singh—have tweeted that they are covid positive. Officials can access files in the eOffice platform of the National Informatics Centre from their home computers, though some files have to be physical.

9.1 Today's best editorials to read

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• SECTION 3 - MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions)

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

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