Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 06-05-2021

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 06-05-2021

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Indian Economy - RBI announces measures for second wave of COVID-19 - To address the funding needs of the health sector, the RBI launched an on-tap liquidity window worth Rs.50,000 crore. Under this scheme, banks will be able to provide loans to businesses engaged in the area of manufacturing, importing, or supplying vaccines and medical devices. Banks will also be able to lend to hospitals, dispensaries, and pathology labs. To incentivise banks for creating a Covid loan book, the RBI will offer 40 basis points higher than the reverse repo rate for surplus liquidity up to the size of the Covid book. This will help increase funding for the health sector at a lower cost. The RBI will conduct special three-year long-term repo operations worth Rs.10,000 crore at the repo rate for small finance banks (SFBs). The funds will have to be used for fresh lending up to Rs.10 lakh per borrower. This will help small businesses in the unorganised sector. Additionally, SFBs will be permitted to rate fresh lending to microfinance institutions for on-lending to individual borrowers as priority sector lending. This relaxation will be available till the end of the fiscal year. The RBI's focus is on medical sector and SMBs. No general moratorium announced. Banks and other lenders have the discretion to extend benefits.
2. Environment and Ecology - Asiatic Lions tested positive for COVID - Eight Asiatic lions were found positive for COVID-19 at the Hyderabad Nehru Zoological Park. This incident is the first where transmission of virus to animals was detected in India. Asiatic Lions are one of the five Pantherinae cats that are native to India (Pantherinae is a subfamily within the family Felidae). The other four are Indian Snow Leopard, Bengal Tiger, Clouded Leopard and Indian Leopard. The weight of a male Asiatic lion can be more than 200 kg. The Gir National Park is the solely known habitat for the Asiatic lions in the world. The foremost danger for Asiatic lions is their vulnerability to natural catastrophe and unpredictable plagues. But the population of these lions has grown from 2010. In June 2020, the Gujarat Forest Department announced that the Asiatic lions in the Gir wooded area grew to 674 from 523 in 2015. In 2015, numerous lions died due to an outbreak of Canine Distemper Virus (CDV). The first census of the Asiatic lions used to be conducted by using the Nawab of Junagadh in 1936. The normal Asiatic Lion census is carried out once in 5 years. A census was due in 2020, but was postponed due to COVID-19. Protection Status of Asiatic lions - Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1971: Schedule I; CITES: Appendix I; IUCN: Endangered.
3. Science and Technology - Used cooking oil (UCO) based Bio-Diesel - The Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas flagged off the first supply of UCO (Used Cooking Oil) based Biodiesel blended diesel under the EOI Scheme from Indian Oil’s Tikrikalan Terminal, Delhi. To create an eco-system for collection and conversion of UCO into Biodiesel, the Minister had initiated Expressions of Interest (EOI) for “Procurement of Bio-diesel produced from Used Cooking Oil” on the occasion of World Biofuel Day on 10th August 2019. It is a new step in India’s pursuance of Biofuels which will have a positive impact on the environment. Biodiesel is an alternative fuel, similar to conventional or ‘fossil’ diesel. It can be produced from vegetable oils, animal fats, tallow and waste cooking oil. A significant advantage of biodiesel is its carbon-neutrality, i.e. the oilseed absorbs the same amount of CO2 as is released when the fuel is combusted in a vehicle. Also, it is rapidly biodegradable and completely non-toxic.
4. Entertainment and Sports - IPL 2021 suspended indefinitely by BCCI - The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 was suspended indefinitely, by the BCCI. This was after several players across the eight teams tested positive for coronavirus. The IPL 2021 could be later moved to Mumbai and resume after all the players complete their hard quarantine. Officially, the 'bio bubble' had been breached. A bio-bubble is an invisible shield that is used to host sporting events during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The bio-bubbles were initiated for sporting events such as India's tour of Australia, IPL, US Open and so on. The bio-secure environment can be parts of a hotel or stadium and the players are allowed to access only those parts to prevent any physical interaction with the outside world. In July 2020, the West Indies tour of England was the first International cricket tournament that was played in the bio-bubble.
5. World Politics - India UK MoU on Migration and Mobility Partnership - The Cabinet approved an MoU between India and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on the "Migration and Mobility Partnership". It is aimed at liberalising issuance of visas promoting mobility of students, researchers and skilled professionals and strengthen cooperation on issues related to irregular migration and human trafficking between the two sides. The MoU would benefit Indian students, academics, and researchers, migrants for professional and economic reasons and those willing to contribute through various projects to the economic development of both countries without consideration of caste, creed, religion or gender. This MoU can support the innovation ecosystem in both countries by facilitating free flow of talent. Ministry of External Affairs would monitor the effective implementation of the MoU through Joint Working Group mechanism. The Union Cabinet also gave its ex-post facto approval to the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and the United Kingdom on Global Innovation Partnership (GIP).
6. Environment and Ecology - Financial sector & climate change - The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) joined the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS). It expects to benefit from the membership of NGFS by learning from and contributing to global efforts on climate finance, which has assumed significance in the context of climate change. It is a global network of central banks and supervisory authorities advocating a more sustainable financial system. It aims to analyse the consequences of climate change for the financial system and to redirect global financial flows in order to enable low-carbon economic growth. It was created at the Paris One Planet Summit in December 2017 and its secretariat is hosted by the Banque de France. Climate Finance refers to local, national or transnational financing—drawn from public, private and alternative sources of financing. It seeks to support mitigation and adaptation actions that will address climate change.
7. Governance and Institutions - Lack of fire safety in India - Over the past year, there were deadly fires in hospital buildings, including those treating Covid-19 patients. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) says 330 people died in commercial building fires in 2019, while fatalities for residential or dwelling buildings were much higher at 6,329. The leading cause is electrical faults but State governments are widely criticised for being lax with building safety laws and for failing to equip public buildings with modern technology. Hospital ICUs (intensive care units) are a great fire risk because they are oxygen-suffused, and need to meet high standards. Fire Services is a State subject and has been included as a Municipal function in the XIIth Schedule of the Constitution of India under Article 243 (W). The National Building Code (NBC) of India, 2016: Part 4 of the NBC is titled 'Fire and Life Safety'. NBC, published by the Bureau of Indian Standards, is a “recommendatory document”, and States have been asked to incorporate it into their local building bylaws, making the recommendations a mandatory requirement. All existing and new buildings are classified by nature of use, such as residential, educational, institutional, assembly (like cinemas and auditoria), business, mercantile, industrial, storage and hazardous.
8. Indian Economy - Small Savings Instruments - The central government finally withdrew its orders of reducing the rates on all small savings schemes. Small savings instruments help individuals achieve their financial goals over a particular period. They are the major source of household savings in India, and were initiated in the 1950s. The small savings instrument basket comprises 12 instruments. Collections from all small savings instruments are credited to the National Small Savings Fund (NSSF). Small savings instruments can be classified under three heads: Postal Deposits: (comprising savings account, recurring deposits, time deposits of varying maturities and monthly income scheme). Savings Certificates: National Small Savings Certificate (NSC) and Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP). Social Security Schemes: Sukanya Samriddhi Scheme, Public Provident Fund (PPF) and Senior Citizens‘ Savings Scheme (SCSS). The general reduction in lending rates in banking system has led to the reduction in deposit rates also, though small savings schemes earn their patrons slightly more.
9. World Politics - Covid update - Coronavirus cases rise unabated across the globe with 155,813,366 infected by the deadly contagion. While 133,972,734 have recovered, 3,254,883 have died so far. The US remains the worst-hit country with 33,321,074, followed by India, Brazil, France and Turkey. However, in the past seven days, India has added the highest number of fresh cases at 2,669,597, followed by the Brazil (414,271) and US (346,224). Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte instructed China to take back a donation of 1,000 doses of its Sinopharm vaccine because the company has not filed a formal application to the Philippines Food and Drug Administration to request emergency use authorization. The first nationwide study of coronavirus vaccination, done in Israel, shows Pfizer/BioNtech’s vaccine works far better after two doses. Two shots of the vaccine provided greater than 95% protection from infection, severe illness and death. With its small population, Israel was able to quickly vaccinate much of its population. The study found the vaccine provided 95.3% protection against infection and 96.7% protection against death seven days after the second dose. Walt Disney World will end temperature checks for staff and guests at Walt Disney World Resort. US Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations are at their lowest points in nearly seven months. Deaths from Covid-19 have not been this low since July 2020 - currently averaging 46,656 Covid-19 cases per day, average of 686 deaths per day. Sadly, America's vaccination pace is slowing. To tackle the issue, President Biden announced a shift from mass vaccination drives to utilizing more community clinics and pharmacies in an effort to reach younger Americans, people living in rural areas and those reluctant to get the shot. Total cases: 155,829,137; New cases: 850,234; Total deaths: 3,255,302; New deaths: 14,567; Total recovered: 134,013,058; Active cases: 18,560,777.
10. Indian Politics - Covid update - As many as 4,12,262 new coronavirus cases were reported, the highest-ever one-day rise for any country since the pandemic began. Also, 3,980 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, the biggest one-day jump since the pandemic began. With this, the death toll due to coronavirus in the country has risen to 2,30,168. Maharashtra reported 57,640 new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases and 920 deaths, followed by Karnataka (50,112), Kerala (41,953), Uttar Pradesh (31,165) Delhi (20,000) in the past 24 hours. The five most affected states by total cases are Maharashtra (4,880,542), Kerala (1,743,932), Karnataka (1,741,046), Uttar Pradesh (1,399,348), and Tamil Nadu (1,272,602). India's health ministry denied reports that oxygen concentrators arriving from other countries are pending at customs. India has received the first part of an oxygen-generating plant shipment from Germany, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said. As India's Covid-19 crisis tipped past breaking point last month, dozens of countries pledged critical aid. Planeloads of ventilators, oxygen supplies and antiviral drugs began arriving last week, with photos showing massive parcels being unloaded at New Delhi airport. Total cases: 21,070,852; New cases: 412,618; Total deaths: 230,151; New deaths: 3,982; Total recovered: 17,269,076; Active cases: 3,571,625.

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• SECTION 2 - DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

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

Covid has pushed 23 crore Indians into poverty

• The story: The one year of Covid-19 pandemic has pushed 230 million Indians into poverty with a 15% increase in poverty rate in rural India and 20% surge in poverty rate in urban India. This was revealed in a report by the Azim Premji University.
• What happened: The report mentioned that mobility restrictions have led to income losses due to decreased economic activity. A 10% decline in mobility was associated with a 7.5% decline in income. The report is titled "State of Working India 2021: One Year of Covid-19". It warned that this could get worse if more lockdowns are imposed in future.

1. Labour market - the report said about 15 million workers continued to be out of job by end of 2020 compared to pre pandemic levels while household incomes remain depressed. Average monthly household income per capita in October 2020 was Rs 4,979 which was below its level in January 2020 at Rs 5,989.
2. Job losses - These were higher for states with a higher average covid case load. Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi, contributed disproportionately to job losses.
3. Informaity - The pandemic has further increased informality and led to a severe decline in earnings for the majority of workers. Women and younger workers have been disproportionately affected while households have coped by reducing food intake, borrowing, and selling assets.
4. Relief measures - The report said the government relief has helped avoid the most severe forms of distress, but the reach of support measures is incomplete, leaving out some of the most vulnerable workers and households.

• System breaking down: The report said that the pandemic revealed a systemic and moral failure that makes the most vulnerable always pay the greatest price for everything. Additional government support is urgently needed to compensate for the losses sustained during the first year and anticipating the impact of the second wave. This can include continuing free rations beyond June, additional cash transfers, an expanded MGNREGA, and an urban jobs programme.

• Summary: The report has estimated that such measures, taken together, will amount to approximately Rs 5.5 lakh crores of additional spending and bring the total fiscal outlay on Covid relief to around 4.5% of GDP over two years. The large fiscal stimulus is justified given the magnitude of the crisis.

Message from RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das's new package

• The story: The RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das announced a Rs.50,000 crore priority lending by banks for hospitals, oxygen suppliers, vaccine importers, COVID drugs by March 31, 2022. He expressed full confidence in Indian resilience against the deadly pandemic.

• Key takeaways:

1. To address the funding needs of the health sector, the RBI launched an on-tap liquidity window worth Rs.50,000 crore. Under this scheme, banks will be able to provide loans to businesses engaged in the area of manufacturing, importing, or supplying vaccines and medical devices. Banks will also be able to lend to hospitals, dispensaries, and pathology labs.
2. To incentivise banks for creating a Covid loan book, the RBI will offer 40 basis points higher than the reverse repo rate for surplus liquidity up to the size of the Covid book. This will help increase funding for the health sector at a lower cost.
3. Normal monsoon forecast to help contain food price inflation as the production is expected to meet the demand in coming times.
4. The RBI will conduct special three-year long-term repo operations worth Rs.10,000 crore at the repo rate for small finance banks (SFBs). The funds will have to be used for fresh lending up to Rs.10 lakh per borrower. This will help small businesses in the unorganised sector. Additionally, SFBs will be permitted to rate fresh lending to microfinance institutions for on-lending to individual borrowers as priority sector lending. This relaxation will be available till the end of the fiscal year.
5. Opening of a second window for individuals, small borrowers having up to Rs.25 crore loans for restructuring loans if not availed earlier.
6. Rationalisation of KYC compliance norms enabling video-based KYC for certain categories.
7. Ease in rules for availing overdraft facility for state governments up to September 30, 2021.

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

Asiatic Lions tested positive for Covid

• The story: Eight Asiatic lions at Hyderabad’s Nehru Zoological Park tested positive for the deadly coronavirus, in May 2021, scaring the zookeepers. It is the first known case of humans infecting the felines, and making them sick, in India. Earlier in 2020, a tiger being infected with Covid-19 was reported in New York (Bronx Zoo).

• Points to note: The Asiatic Lion (also known as the Persian Lion or Indian Lion) is a member of the Panthera Leo Leo subspecies that is restricted to India. Its previous habitats consisted of West Asia and the Middle East before it became extinct in these regions.

1. Asiatic lions are slightly smaller than African lions. The most striking morphological character, which is always seen in Asiatic lions, and rarely in African lions, is a longitudinal fold of skin running along its belly.
2. Distribution - Asiatic lions were once distributed to the state of West Bengal in east and Rewa in Madhya Pradesh, in central India. At present, the Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary is the only abode of the Asiatic lion. In 2020, the Gujarat Forest Department announced an increase in the population of Asiatic lions in the Gir forest region.
3. Threats - Its vulnerability to unpredictable events such as a plague or a natural disaster is high. Poaching and locals near the Gir National Park killing the lions in retaliation for attacks on livestock is not uncommon.
4. Protection Status - IUCN Red List: Endangered | CITES: Appendix I | Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972: Schedule I

• Conservation efforts: The “Asiatic Lion Conservation Project” has been launched by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC). It has been approved for three financial years from 2018 to 2021. It envisages scientific management with the involvement of communities in coordination with multi-sectoral agencies for disease control and veterinary care for overall conservation of Asiatic lions.

• Nehru Zoological Park: It is one of the largest zoos of India and one of the top sightseeing places to visit in Hyderabad, Telangana. Run by the Forest department, Government of Telangana, the zoo has been named after Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of the country. It was opened to the public in 1963, and is situated near the historically important Mir Alam Tank, which is 200 year old and is the first multi-arch masonry dam in the world.

• Knowledge centre:

1. Big Cats - There are 38 species of cats on the planet. Most are relatively small, but some — the lion, tiger, leopard, snow leopard, clouded leopard, jaguar, lynx, and cheetah — are big. These big cats are among the most beloved and recognizable animals on the planet. Most big cats are members of the genus Panthera. Small and medium cats, including housecats, are member of Felis. Cheetahs, which do not have retractable claws, are in their own genus, called Acinonyx. Big cats are found around the world in habitats as varied as mangrove swamps in India to wooded forests in the western U.S. The main difference between big cats and most of their cousins is in the noises they make. Smaller cats purr; big cats (with the exception of cheetahs, lynx, and snow leopards) roar. They also squeak, grunt, scream, and make several other sounds, thanks to a ligament in their voice boxes. Lions are the only big cats that live in groups, called prides. Lionesses hunt together, bringing down large prey like wildebeests and zebras. All other big cats live solitary lives, with the exception of mothers and cubs. Some, like the snow leopard, are especially elusive and rarely seen. The largest big cat is the Siberian tiger, which can weigh an astonishing 660 pounds and stretch more than 10 feet nose to tail. It is one of six surviving tiger subspecies.
2. Cats versus Dogs - A joint study between six universities from US, Brazil, Denmark, and South Africa  found that dogs have twice as many neurons in their cerebral cortex compared to cats. Specifically, dogs had around 530 million neurons, whereas cats only had 250 million neurons, which suggests that dogs are more intelligent. Humans have around 16 billion neurons in our cerebral cortex, and orangutans and gorillas only have around 8-9 billion neurons. The research found that larger animals with larger brains such as lions and bears had fewer neurons than smaller ones such as cats and dogs. Furthermore, animals that had similar brain size could have significantly different number of neurons. This suggests that brain size is not the main factor in determining intelligence. Both cats and dogs lived side by side with people long before distinct breeds emerged. Skeletal evidence from western Russia suggests that dog domestication dates to at least 19,000 years ago, while cats were domesticated more recently — about 10,000 years ago, based on remains excavated in the Near East.

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

China's ugly post, and meaning for foreign relations

• The story: Indians reacted with anger and disgust after the powerful body that oversees China’s law enforcement agencies shared an offensive post on its official Weibo account, contrasting images of a Chinese rocket launch with cremations in India during its ongoing coronavirus surge. The post triggered complaints from Chinese social media users who found it tasteless.
• Deleted: The Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission deleted the post within five hours, but the damage was already done. Lower-level official accounts had already shared it approvingly, and other people added comments, such as a prominent university lecturer who wrote that China should “show its fury to India.” India-China relations have deteriorated sharply since border clashes last year that killed dozens of soldiers.
• Larger trend: One post doesn't mean much, but the larger trend is worrisome. The incident follows a pattern of social media aggression from Chinese official institutions and diplomats. Confrontational rhetoric that denounces any criticism of China — “wolf warrior diplomacy” — to please President Xi Jinping.
• Intense nationalistic political mood: The intense political mood in China explains some of this behaviour, with posts aimed at bosses at home rather than a foreign audience. Junior bureaucrats often see jingoistic rhetoric online as a way to get noticed. The bombastic are more likely to be promoted than the careful bureaucrats diplomacy usually requires. What is dangerous in China is the combination of officials adapted for domestic survival with a challenging external environment in which mistakes can wreck international relationships.

Covid-19 & India's Foreign Policy

• The big change: The crushing second wave of Covid-19 has forced India to accept foreign aid after a gap of 17 years. This has far-reaching strategic implications for India.

• First shock: As a direct consequence of the pandemic, India’s claim to regional primacy and leadership may take a major hit. These in turn will impact the content and conduct of India’s foreign policy in the years to come.

• Impact on India's foreign policy:

1. Regional authority - India’s traditional primacy in the region was built on a mix of material aid, political influence and historical ties. Today, India’s political influence is declining, and its ability to materially help the neighbourhood shrinking in the wake of Covid-19, and historical ties alone may not maintain India’s regional hegemony.
2. Chinese pressure - China, due to its chequebook diplomacy has been already pushing India in its strategic space i.e. Indian subcontinent. The second wave of Covid-19 has quickened this process, as India’s ability to stand up to China stands vastly diminished today: in material power, in terms of balance of power considerations, and political will.
3. The Quad - Covid-19 will prevent any ambitious military spending or modernisation plans and limit the country’s attention on global diplomacy and regional geopolitics. With reduced military spending and lesser diplomatic attention to regional geopolitics, India’s ability to project power and contribute to the growth of the Quad will be uncertain.

• US-China relations: With the rise of China and India’s Covid-19-related troubles could prompt the US to normalise relations with China. Other potential impact of COVID-19’s devastating return and the damage it has done would be that India might be forced to be more conciliatory towards China. A post-COVID-19 India might find it harder to resist demands of a closer military relationship with the U.S.

• What next: The Covid-19 will also open up new regional opportunities for cooperation especially under the ambit of SAARC, an initiative that already saw some small beginnings during the first wave of the pandemic. India might do well to get the region’s collective focus on ‘regional health multilateralism’ to promote mutual assistance and joint action on health emergencies such as this. Classical geopolitics should be brought on par with health diplomacy, environmental concerns and regional connectivity in South Asia.

• Summary: The hugely diminished hard power of India will not be able to do business as usual. But Covid-19 may have opened an opportunity for the world’s least integrated region.

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

Women’s health needs in India

• The story: The Vice President of India has called for the highest priority to the health needs of women, who constitute nearly 50% of the country’s population.
• Points to note: In Indian families, discrepancies among males and females occur right from beginning with a pronounced differences in the girl child to boy child ratio. Women, despite working as caretakers both in and outside the household, are the most neglected lot. Promotive and preventive health of females are equally important and must be stressed upon. The health interventions must focus on bolstering and meeting women’s health needs.
• Women and health: The UNFPA State of World Population 2020 estimated the sex ratio at birth in India as 910, which is on the lower side of index. At the adolescent age 70% of the girls are anaemic and their problems related to their menstrual health and hygiene often go unaddressed. The United Nations defines Adolescent Fertility Rate (AFR) as the annual number of births to women aged 15-19 years per 1,000 women. Among 22 surveyed states as per National Family Health Survey-5, Tripura recorded the highest AFR with 69 births per 1,000 women. The lowest adolescent fertility was recorded in Goa with 14 births per 1,000 women.
• Facts on teenage pregnancies: There are 3 times more chances of deaths of girls in teenage pregnancies. Reproductive and sexual health needs of women are often ignored. About 113 women in India every year lose their lives as a result of libels due to teen pregnancies. Moreover, under-reporting of such deaths are also there. Nearly 70% of women of India are suffering from reproductive tract infections which may lead to infertility, abortions and similar kind of problems that are perceived as normal.
• Maternal Mortality Rate: The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) is defined as the number of maternal deaths during a given time period per 1,00,000 live births during the same time period. India's MMR has declined to 113 in 2016-18 from 122 in 2015-17 and 130 in 2014-2016.
• Women amid the pandemic: Women who are working amid the pandemic as frontline workers, many of them don’t have access to simple necessities at such times like PPE kits which makes them more vulnerable to infections. There is an unmet need for women’s menstrual products while wearing PPEs. unmet need for contraception. Women, besides frontline workers, who get infected also have to face double trouble as they are supposed not only have to look after themselves but also other family members who are infected. Even the women suffering from covid-19 who are admitted to the hospital, their mean number of days of admission are much less as compared to their male counterparts. Among the school dropouts, the majority of them are girls.
• Government initiatives: India has about 76,000 health and wellness centres which perform screening of 5 types of health issues; hypertension, diabetes, breast cancer, oral cancer and cervical cancer. Total footfalls in these health and wellness centres is about 46.4 crores. Out of these 24.91 crore i.e. 53.7% are women. The Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram works to sensitise female adolescents about their health. The programme also focuses on reaching out all adolescents including Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ). Auxiliary Nurse Midwife, commonly known as ANM, is a village-level female health worker in India who is known as the first contact person between the community and the health services. The Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY)is a safe motherhood intervention under the National Health Mission (NHM). It was launched on 12th April 2005 and is being implemented in all states and UTs with special focus on low performing states. JSY is a 100% centrally sponsored scheme and it integrates cash assistance with delivery and post-delivery care. The Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY): PMMVY is a scheme for pregnant women and lactating mothers. The scheme has crossed the mark of 1 crore beneficiaries. Is a direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme under which cash benefits are provided to pregnant women in their bank account directly to meet enhanced nutritional needs and partially compensate for wage loss.
• Summary: In order to ensure good health of women, the same should be tackled at multi sectoral level such as eradication of child marriages, access to contraceptives and healthcare facilities at all levels. Maternal healthcare is no doubt important, but healthcare for women across her life span is where the focus should be the most. Women access health facilities if it is available near their homes as they can barely take out time for themselves due to their multiple roles. The mantra to ensure that women access healthcare facilities is to have reliable and good healthcare facilities near women. A healthy society cannot be created if the health needs of women are neglected as they are the bedrock of a healthy society.

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

The Maratha quota verdict by Supreme Court, May 2021

• The story: A five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court finally struck down the Maharashtra law granting reservation to the Maratha community in admissions and government jobs in the state. The court had framed six questions of law on the issue; it unanimously agreed on three of those issues, while the verdict was split 3:2 on the other three.

• Details:

1. Issue 1: On revisiting the Indra Sawhney ruling - A key issue was to examine whether the 1992 landmark ruling in 'Indra Sawhney v Union of India' had to be revisited. The ruling by a nine-judge Bench, in which the Mandal Commission report was upheld, laid down two important precedents. First, it said that the criteria for a group to qualify for reservation is “social and educational backwardness”. Second, it reiterated the 50% limit to vertical quotas reasoning that it was needed to ensure “efficiency” in administration. However, the court said that this 50% limit will apply unless in “exceptional circumstances.” The Maratha quota exceeded the 50% ceiling. The arguments by state governments before the court was that the Indra Sawhney verdict must be referred to a 11-judge Bench for reconsideration since it laid down an arbitrary ceiling which the Constitution does not envisage. Additionally, in some judgements subsequent to Indra Sawhney, the Supreme Court itself had made exceptions to this rule. In a unanimous opinion the court held that there is no need to revisit the case. The court said that the 50% ceiling, although an arbitrary determination by the court in 1992, is now constitutionally recognised.
2. Issues 2&3: On whether the Maratha law can be saved under the exception - Since the 50% ceiling is held valid, the court looked into whether the Maratha quota law falls under the exceptional circumstances contemplated by Constitution Bench in Indra Sawhney’s case. The court also looked into the Maharashtra State Backward Commission report that the Maharashtra government had relied on to see if a case can be made out for exceptional circumstances. The state government’s argument was that since the population of backward class is 85% and reservation limit is only 50%, an increase in reservation limit would qualify as an extraordinary circumstance. All five judges disagreed with this argument. “The Marathas are dominant forward class and are in the main stream of National life. The above situation is not an extra-ordinary,” Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice Abdul Nazeer held. Their view was accepted by the remaining three judges — Justice Nageswara Rao, Justice Hemant Gupta and Justice Ravindra Bhat.
3. Issues 4, 5 & 6: On state’s power to identify SEBCs, and 102nd Amendment - The Constitution (One Hundred and Second Amendment) Act, 2018 gives constitutional status to the National Backward Classes Commission. The Amendment also gives the President powers to notify backward classes. Several states raised questions on the interpretation of the Amendment and argued that it curtails their powers. The Bench unanimously upheld the constitutional validity of the 102nd Amendment but differed on the question whether it affected the power of states to identify socially and economically backward classes (SEBCs). The Attorney General K K Venugopal, appearing for the central government, clarified that this was not the intention of the law. He argued “that it is inconceivable that no State shall have power to identify backward class”, and explained that the state government will have their separate list of SEBCs for providing reservation in state government jobs and education, whereas Parliament will only make the central list of SEBCs which would apply for central government jobs. But the Supreme Court held that “the final say in regard to inclusion or exclusion (or modification of lists) of SEBCs is firstly with the President, and thereafter, in case of modification or exclusion from the lists initially published, with the Parliament”. “In the task of identification of SEBCs, the President shall be guided by the Commission set up under Article 338B; its advice shall also be sought by the state in regard to policies that might be framed by it. If the commission prepares a report concerning matters of identification, such a report has to be shared with the state government, which is bound to deal with it, in accordance with provisions of Article 338B. However, the final determination culminates in the exercise undertaken by the President,” Justice Bhat held. This interpretative reading was preferred by Justice Bhat in his separate opinion, which was concurred by Justice Rao and Justice Gupta. Justice Bhushan and Justice Nazeer, however, preferred a textual reading of the Amendment and said it does not take away the state’s powers to identify SEBCs. The majority opinion on this aspect by Justice Bhat also said that while the identification of SEBCs will be done centrally, state governments retain power to determine the extent of reservation and make specific policy in the spirit of “cooperative federalism”. This raises a question: How does this impact interventions by other states to provide reservations for other communities, for example Jats in Haryana and Kapus in Andhra? The majority opinion by Justice Bhat essentially says that now the National Backward Classes Commission must publish a fresh list of SEBCs, both for states and the central list. This will be hugely troublesome, and quite degrading for the powers of the states.

• Summary: The Commission set up under Article 338B shall conclude its task expeditiously, and make its recommendations after considering which, the President shall expeditiously publish the notification containing the list of SEBCs in relation to states and union territories, for the purpose of the Constitution. Till the publication of the notification mentioned in direction (vi), the existing lists operating in all states and union territories, and for the purposes of the Central Government and central institutions, continue to operate. This direction is issued under Article 142 of the Constitution of India.

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

CSF and Sheep Pox Vaccine

• The story: The ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) has transferred the technology for Classical Swine Fever (CSF) & Sheep Pox Vaccines to an animal healthcare company Hester Biosciences. The technology was transferred through state-owned Agrinnovate India (AgIn), which aims to work on the strengths of theIndian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). AgIn promotes the development and spread of R&D outcomes through IPR (Intellectual Property Right) protection, commercialization and forging partnerships both in the country and outside for the public benefit.

• Points to note: The CSF, also known as hog cholera, is an important disease of pigs. It is one of the most economically-damaging pandemic viral diseases of pigs in the world, caused by a virus of the genus Pestivirus of the family Flaviviridae, which is closely related to the viruses that cause bovine viral diarrhoea in cattle and border disease in sheep. The mortality is 100%.

1. The vaccine - In India, the disease is controlled by a lapinized CSF vaccine (Weybridge Strain, UK) produced by killing large numbers of rabbits. Lapinization means serial passage of a virus or vaccine through rabbits to modify its characteristics. To avoid this, the ICAR-IVRI developed a Cell Culture CSF Vaccine (live attenuated) using the Lapinized Vaccine Virus from foreign strain. The new vaccine has been found to induce protective immunity from day 14 of the Vaccination till 18 Months.
2. Sheep Pox - It is a severe viral disease in Sheep and its virus is closely related to the Goat (capripoxviruses). The virus is also related to the virus of lumpy skin disease, and is very serious, often fatal, characterized by widespread skin eruption. It is confined to parts of southeastern Europe, Africa, and Asia. A live attenuated Sheep Pox Vaccine using indigenous strain was developed by the ICAR-IVRI for preventive vaccination in the sheep population. The developed Vaccine uses indigenous Sheep Pox Virus Strain (SPPV Srin 38/00) and is adapted to grow in the Vero cell line which makes the Vaccine production to be easily scalable. It is potent and immunogenic for sheep aged more than 6 months of age. It protects the Vaccinated animals for a period of 40 months.

• Cell Culture: Cell culture is the process by which cells are grown under controlled conditions, generally outside their natural environment in especially designed conditions and precise conditions of temperature, humidity, nutrition, and freedom for contamination. Cultured cells are excellent hosts for the propagation of many types of viruses. The ability of cell culture systems to produce large quantities of attenuated viral particles has served as the basis for the production of both human and veterinary vaccines.

• Vero Cell: These are lineages of cells used in cell cultures. The Vero lineage was isolated from kidney epithelial cells extracted from an African green monkey. Vero cells are used for many purposes, including, Screening for the toxin of Escherichia coli, first named "Vero toxin". As host cells for growing viruses. The Vero cell lineage is continuous and aneuploid. A continuous cell lineage can be replicated through many cycles of division and not become senescent (i.e. not deteriorates with age). Aneuploidy is the characteristic of having an abnormal number of chromosomes.

• Live-attenuated Vaccines: These use a weakened (or attenuated) form of the germ that causes a disease. As these vaccines are similar to the natural infection that they help prevent, they create a strong and long-lasting immune response. Just one or two doses of most live vaccines can give one a lifetime of protection against a germ and the disease it causes. The limitation of this approach is that these vaccines usually cannot be given to people with weakened immune systems. Live vaccines are used against: Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR combined vaccine), Rotavirus, Smallpox among others.

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

Big questions about India's second Covid-19 wave

• The story: India was taken aback in April 2021 by the ferocity of the second Covid-19 wave. With several lakh infections per day, and thousands perishing in the most degraded conditions, the country's health system was brought to its knees. What went wrong?
• Advance warning: Did no one inform the political masters of the coming danger? It seems that the government was warned by scientific advisers as early as March about a more contagious variant of the virus. Rakesh Mishra, director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, said that health secretary Rajesh Bhushan was informed about it and it’s impossible to believe that the Prime Minister would not have been told. But, the Centre allowed the Kumbh Mela and conducted election rallies in West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Assam.
• New variants: On 24 April, 2021, the National Centre for Disease Control director Sujeet Kumar Singh said mutant variants were becoming dominant, with the UK variant (B.1.1.7) becoming the primary variant in Punjab, the Indian variant (B.1.617) becoming prominent in Maharashtra, and both the variants becoming dominant in Delhi. A new strain first discovered in Andhra Pradesh, may be even more virulent than two prominent variants discovered in India, B.1.617 and B.1.618 that was first discovered in West Bengal. Will the vaccines protect against these?
• Detecting these variants: The agencies said test kits are able to detect the new variants but have not provided any data to substantiate their claims. They, as well as testing kit manufacturers, have said the mutations are happening in the spike protein gene of variants and as most RT-PCR kits do not use the spike protein gene, there is no cause for concern. The increasing number of false negative test results has been blamed on human errors by lab technicians who are overworked.
• Who is keeping a track of real Covid deaths: With the number of false negative results and delays in testing itself increasing, there are concerns that the number of covid-19 cases across the country might be undercounted despite being at a record high. This is also the situation with deaths, especially with the number of cremations in various parts of the country indicating massive underreporting of deaths due to the coronavirus disease. In such a scenario, an audit of the situation is needed, especially about deaths.
• Rural areas under threat: There has been less focus on areas other than metropolitan cities, especially rural India. Covid-19 has made inroads into rural regions, but the government has not provided updates on the spread of Covid-19. Most tests conducted in rural regions are antigen tests and not the more accurate RT-PCR tests.
• Lack of information on protocols: The ICMR has not informed the public about the change in transmissibility and mortality caused by mutant variants. Less is known about whether this would entail a change of treatment. Instead, the Centre has mixed up its messaging. AIIMS director Randeep Guleria has asked people to not overuse oxygen and drugs such as remdesivir even as the government recommends use of hydroxychloroquine for mild covid-19 despite the WHO’s comments on its lack of benefits.
• Vaccine efficacy: There are in-vitro studies by Bharat Biotech International that shows Covaxin is effective against the double mutant variant found in India and the UK variant. Studies with Covishield have shown positive results. But, it is not known how much the efficacy of these vaccines is reduced in the real world. Covishield has been shown to be only 10% efficacious against the South African variant. The Centre has not provided details on the serious and severe adverse events following vaccination. Only 13 final reports on serious adverse events are publicly available even as independent experts have tracked over hundreds of such cases. These events are extremely rare.
• Oxygen supply issues: There is an acute shortage of oxygen in India. The Centre said this is primarily because of inadequate facilities to transport oxygen from surplus states to deficit states. The shortage continues despite using ‘Oxygen Express’ trains and Air Force planes to fly back empty trucks. There is also a massive difference between the Centre and states over demand. Courts got involved at micro operational levels, finally.
• Supply of vaccines: The government approach to buying vaccines was piecemeal, unlike countries such as the US and the UK, which have placed large advance orders with companies such as Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca. Sadly, India's rate of vaccinating its people is reducing for a long time now, right when it needs to grow rapidly.

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

Oldest Human burial in Africa discovered

• The story: Scientists found the oldest human burial in Africa, at a site 78,000 years old. The cave site was discovered near Kenyan coast, and is called “Panga ya Saidi”. The remains of a child whose age was two to three years led to the discovery of the cave. The child was put to rest with a pillow.
• Who was the child: Scientists have nicknamed the child “Mtoto”, and he was buried in a residential site. The gender of the child is still unclear. It was placed in a flexed position. The pillow used to rest the child was made of perishable material.
• The location: The community that lived near the site belonged to hunter-gatherer culture. This is because remains of different types of antelope species and other prey were found at Panga ya Saidi. These people used stone tools to scrap and bore holes.
• Ancient humans and funerals: Both ancient Homo sapiens and Neanderthal practised funerals. The oldest Neanderthal burial site was discovered in Israel, and was 1,20,000 years old. It was discovered in the Kebara Cave, situated on the western escarpment (steep slope) of the Carmel Range. Kebara is a limestone cave.

New species of duck-billed dinosaur

• The story: An international team of Palaeontologists (study of fossils) identified a new genus and species of hadrosaur. Hadrosaur is also called duck-billed dinosaur. The species has been named as Yamatosaurus izanagii.
• The discovery: The new fossil discovery has provided information about the hadrosaur migration. According to the discovery, they migrated from Asia to North America and vice versa. The discovery also indicates that these giant creatures evolved from walking upright to walking on four legs.
• Hadrosaurs: These are the most commonly found species of all dinosaurs, and are plant eating dinosaurs. They lived in the late Cretaceous period, 65 million years ago. The fossil remains of Hadrosaurs have been found in Europe, North America, Asia and Africa. The Hadrosaurs are uniquely adopted to chewing. They have hundreds of teeth closely spaced in their cheek. Their ability to chew vegetation was the major factor that led to its diversity.
• How Yamatosaurus different from Hadrosaurs: In Hadrosaurs, new teeth grew in the dental battery as their teeth wore out or fell out. These new teeth grew next to the older teeth. However, the dental structure of Yamatosaurus was different from that of Hadrosaurs. The Yamatosaurus had one functional tooth in several battery positions and no branched ridges. This shows that they evolved to devour (eat hungrily) different type of vegetation. The Dental Batteries of dinosaurs have three hundred to four hundred teeth. They are formed by the teeth stacking in rows to process foods.

S&P cuts India’s GDP growth forecast to 9.8% for FY22

• The story: The US based rating Agency Standard and Poors cut the growth forecast of India to 9.8% for 2021-22. In March 2021, the agency expected 11% GDP growth but as the second wave might derail the recovery, new estimates have been given.

• Recent RBI measures: The RBI has provided Indian banks with the freedom to borrow Rs.50,000 crores at a repo rate of 4%. These loans are to be classified as COVID loans. The credit risks of these loans are to be borne by the banks.

1. The Small Finance Banks (SFBs) have been given an option of borrowing Rs.10,000 crores at repo rate. This is mainly done to help the informal sector that comprises of daily wage labours and vendors.
2. RBI introduced Resolution Framework 2.0 to help the small businesses and self-employed individuals. Under this framework, people who did not avail the benefit of restructuring earlier are now eligible. The second rounds of G-SAP 1.0 were announced.

• Second Wave: The middle class of India was already hit by lockdown induced job losses and salary cuts. The second wave is to deepen these losses. Restaurant and hospitality businesses in major cities were hit badly. The travel and tourism are the largest employers in India. They contribute to 9% of the country’s GDP. The lockdown restriction and travel restrictions due to the second wave during the recovery phase might increase bankruptcy.

Facebook’s oversight board says keeps Donald Trump off the platform

• The story: On May 5th Facebook’s independent content-review body, the Oversight Board (OB), issued its most anticipated ruling since it began hearing cases in 2020, upholding the company’s decision to suspend Mr Trump’s accounts but saying that doing so indefinitely was inappropriate.

• What it means: In essence, the OB has returned the burden to Facebook, telling it to devise clearer rules and more consistent penalties, and giving it six months to make a final decision regarding Mr Trump's access to the platform. It also asked Facebook to review its role in helping spread Mr Trump's lies about November's election being stolen, and in fomenting the riot of January 6th.

• What this means: It points to the difficult three-way balance online platforms must strike between free speech, online misinformation and real-world harm — a quick calculus made by too few people with too little transparency. It also highlights the influence that the OB is trying to exert by speaking snark to power.

1. “In applying a vague, standardless penalty and then referring this case to the Board to resolve, Facebook seeks to avoid its responsibilities,” the OB wrote.
2. The OB was conceived in 2018 by Facebook’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg, as a “supreme court” for content decisions. Cynics view it as an attempt to deflect responsibility for the company’s thorniest decisions, but it is a worthwhile experiment in creating a middle ground between corporate autonomy and government intervention.
3. The 20 members of the board have an independent streak. Of the nine cases on which the OB has ruled, it has overturned Facebook’s initial decision six times.

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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