Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 08-06-2021

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 08-06-2021

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. World Politics - I-Familia Interpol database - The Interpol has launched a new global database named ‘I-Familia’ to identify missing persons or unidentified human remains around the world through DNA of relatives.The International Police Organisation (Interpol) is an international organization facilitating international police cooperation against cross-border terrorism, trafficking, and other crime, with 194 member countries, making it the world's largest police organization. All decisions regarding the activities of INTERPOL are made by the General Assembly which is the supreme governing body meeting annually. It is an independent international organization with HQ at Lyon in France. Founded in 1923, each member country of INTERPOL hosts a National Central Bureau (NCB), which links national police with our global network. In India, the CBI is the NCB. "Interpol notices" are international alert/requests circulated by Interpol allowing police in member countries to share critical crime-related information. There are of eight types, seven of which are colour-coded by their function. An eighth Special Notice is issued at the request of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). INTERPOL is not a part of the UN.
2. Science and Technology - 9.6 crore-year-old dinosaur largest in Australia - A new species of dinosaur in south-west Queensland was officially recognised as the largest ever found in Australia. The Australotitan cooperensis, a plant-eating dinosaur of the family known as titanosaurs, likely lived between 92 million and 96 million years ago. Experts said the titanosaur would have been up to 21 feet tall and 98 feet long. [Australotitan (meaning "southern titan") is a genus of titanosaurian sauropod that existed during the Cenomanian-Turonian age of the Late Cretaceous in what is now southern-central Queensland, Australia.]
3. Environment and Ecology - Black Carbon Report by World Bank - A report titled “Glaciers of the Himalayas: Climate Change, Black Carbon and Regional Resilience” says that the glaciers are melting faster than the global average ice mass. A strong policy on black carbon can sharply cut glacier melt. The Himalayas, Karakoram, and Hindu Kush (HKHK) mountain ranges were covered in the report. Black Carbon (BC) is a short-lived pollutant, the second-largest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide (CO2). Unlike other greenhouse gas emissions, BC is quickly washed out and can be eliminated from the atmosphere if emissions stop. Industry (primarily brick kilns) and residential burning of solid fuel together account for 45-66% of regional man-made BC deposition, followed by on-road diesel fuels and open burning in the region. It acts in two ways hastening the pace of glacier melt: (i) By decreasing surface reflectance of sunlight and (ii) By raising the air temperature. The National Mission on Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) is a mitigating policy adopted in India, one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). Himalayas can benefit from reducing black carbon emissions from – (1) cookstoves; (2) Diesel engines; (3) Open  burning.
4. Governance and Institutions - Haryana’s Pran Vayu Devta Pension Scheme - To avoid oxygen deficit in the future, the Haryana government has launched the “Pran Vayu Devta Pension Scheme (PVDPS)”. The government will honour the trees which are of the age of 75 years and above and have served humanity throughout their life by producing oxygen, reducing pollution and so on. The Forest Department had commissioned a survey to identify these old trees throughout the state. Such trees will be looked after by involving local people in this scheme. For maintenance of trees older than 75 years, a “pension amount” of Rs 2,500 per tree would be given per year in the name of PVDPS. This ‘tree pension’ shall continue to increase every year. The pension shall be given by the Urban Local Bodies department to the village panchayats for the upkeep of the trees, installing plates, etc. To get pure air from the environment and reduce the ‘Heat Island Effect’, Oxy Van will be planted on land ranging from 5 acres to 100 acres in the cities of Haryana. Oxy Vans are identified pieces of land, on which as many as 3 crore trees would be planted. They will occupy 10% of the land across Haryana. This Park will have components named, Chit Van (Forest of Beauty), Paakhi Van (Forest of Birds), Antriksh Van (Forest of Zodiac Signs), Tapo Van (Forest of Meditation), Arogya Van (Healing/herbal Forest), Neer Van (Forest of Waterfalls), Rishi Van (Sapt Rishi), Panchvati (Five Trees), Smaran Van (Forest of Memories), and Sugandh Suvaas/Sugandh Van (Forest of Fragrance).
5. Education - Performance Grading Index on school education - Third Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2019-20 for States and Union Territories of India was released. It was first published in 2019 with reference year 2017-18. It is a tool to provide insights on the status of school education in States and UTs including key levers that drive their performance and critical areas for improvement. The Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL) has designed the PGI to catalyse transformational change in the field of school education. It structured in two categories - Outcomes, and Governance & Management. It comprises 70 indicators in aggregate with a total weightage of 1000. It assesses the States and UTs in five domains - Learning Outcome and Quality; Access; Infrastructure and Facilities; Equity; and Governance Process. Findings - Punjab, Chandigarh, Tamil Nadu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Kerala occupy the highest grade (Grade A++) for 2019-20. Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Puducherry, Punjab and TN have improved overall PGI score by 10%, i.e., 100 or more points. Importance of the PGI exercise lies in propelling States and UTs towards undertaking multi-pronged interventions that will that will bring about the much-desired optimal education outcomes.
6. Energy - World Energy Investment Report 2021 - The International Energy Agency (IEA) has released the World Energy Investment Report, 2021. Global energy investment is expected to rebound in 2021, and increase 10% year-on-year to around $1.9 trillion. Most of it will flow towards power and end-use sectors, shifting out of traditional fossil fuel production. The global energy demand is projected to rise 4.6% year-on-year in 2021, offsetting its contraction in 2020. Energy efficiency sector will see a 10% rise in investment, though the low fossil fuel price may act as a deterrent. Renewable power will have the largest share - around 70% of the total $530 million will be spent on new power generation capacity. Substantial gain of renewable as the future energy outlook has been dependent on technological development, well-established supply chain and demand from consumers for carbon-neutral electricity. Upstream investment in oil is expected to grow 10%. This expansion in fossil fuels was planned with novel technologies like carbon capture and storage (CCS) and bioenergy CCS, which are yet to be attain commercial success. The increment of coal-fired power in 2020, mostly driven by China, is indicating that ‘coal is down but not yet out’. Pandemic recovery strategies in many countries lack the required stimulant towards emission biennial technologies and pathways. The rhetoric around ‘Net Zero’ is gaining momentum but its transition to actual action is not visible. Global carbon dioxide emission is set to grow by 1.5 billion tonnes in 2020, after a contraction in 2020 mainly due to economic slowdown induced by the COVID-19 pandemic.
7. Environment and Ecology - GoI's Jal Shakti Mission - The govt. decided that in the five North-Western States and UTs - Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh - implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission will be expedited. In these, every rural household will be provided with tap water connections by 2022, instead of by 2024. To enable these States/ UTs to achieve this goal by 2022, Union Minister of Jal Shakti has approved Central allocation of Rs.8,216.25 crore in 2021-22. This is more than four times of the allocation to these States/ UTs in 2020-21. With this massive increase in allocation, and speed of implementation, these 5 States/UTs are set to achieve ‘Har Ghar Jal’ status by 2022.  
8. Environment and Ecology - Sustainable Public Procurement SPP - On the occasion of World Environment Day (05 June), a new product category of Green Room Air Conditioners was launched on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM). This was launched by Department of Commerce in association with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The addition of Green Room Air Conditioners on GeM is another step towards sustainable public procurement (SPP). Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) is a process by which public authorities seek to achieve the appropriate balance between the three pillars of sustainable development - economic, social and environmental - when procuring goods, services or works at all stages of the project. In March 2018, the Ministry of Finance constituted a Task Force on Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP). United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is supporting the Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) initiative of the Government of India with initial focus on three prioritized product categories including.
9. Indian Politics - Government pulls up Infosys for the first time - Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 8th June said on Twitter she noticed several taxpayers complaining of grievances and glitches related to the new Income Tax return filing portal, a day after its launch. "Hope Infosys and Nandan Nilekani will not let down our taxpayers in the quality of service being provided. Ease in compliance for the taxpayer should be our priority," Sitharaman tweeted. Note that Infosys is the one handling the entire GST Network portal also, which has been glitch-ridden since day one of its working (01 July, 2017), and millions of taxpayers have suffered hugely for years. Yet, strangely, it just carried on with minor improvements over time.
10. Indian Politics - Covid Update - India reports less than 1 lakh daily COVID-19 cases after 63 days - (a) India has reported less than 1 lakh daily COVID-19 cases after 63 days as 86,498 people tested positive for the virus in the last 24 hours. The last time India reported below 1 lakh daily cases was on April 6, when 96,982 cases were recorded. Further, India has reported 2,123 deaths, which is the lowest one-day rise in 47 days. (b) PM Modi addressed the nation on June 7 announcing that free vaccine will be provided to all citizens above 18 years of age from June 21, 2021. (c) An association of Indian pilots has approached the Bombay High Court seeking schemes for adequate compensation for pilots who died of COVID-19 or got infected by it, priority in vaccination against the disease and insurance coverage for those working during the pandemic. (d) The government has released revised guidelines for Covid-19 vaccine supply to states/UTs, and now vaccines will be allocated to states based on population, disease burden and progress of vaccination. (e) NUMBERS - INDIA - Total cases: 28,996,949; New cases: 86,498; Total deaths: 351,344; New deaths: 2,123; Total recovered: 27,336,799; Active cases: 1,308,806.

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• SECTION 2 - DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

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

G7 Global Corporate Tax Deal is big deal

• The story: For years, governments of the world wrung their hands in frustration, as giant MNCs engaged in profit shifting by using tax havens. Now, the tide is turning firmly. The Group of Seven (G7) countries have finally backed the proposal to impose a common global corporate tax.
• Development: The new idea is aimed at preventing multinational businesses from evading taxes, and also to squeeze the tax havens which attract tax evaders due to the low-rate jurisdictions. As per US treasury secretary Janet Yellen, this "race to the bottom" in corproate tax rates had to end now.

• Details: Various decisions were taken -

1. The tax proposal endorsed by the G7 countries (US, UK, Germany, France, Canada, Italy and Japan) has two parts, and the agreement be discussed in detail at a meeting of G20 financial ministers and central bank governors in July 2021.
2. First part - Countries around the world should tax their home companies' overseas profits at a rate of at least 15%. This 15% of global minimum corporate tax would deter the practice of using accounting schemes to shift profits to a few very low-tax countries. Often, these tax havens are the Caribbean Islands such as Bahamas or British Virgin Islands. Or at times, it is countries like Ireland where the corporate tax rate is as low as 12.5%.
3. Second part - This allows countries to tax a share of the profits earned by companies "that have no physical presence but have substantial sales." For instance, this could be though selling digital advertising.

• Logic: The latest G-7 statement echoes an earlier US proposal, where it urged the world’s twenty advanced nations to move in the direction of adopting a minimum global corporate income tax. It urged countries to tax part of the earnings of the largest and most profitable companies if they are doing business within their borders, and also supported awarding countries the right to tax 20% or more of profit exceeding a 10% profit margin.

1. The decision to ratify the 15% floor rate follows from the same route to deal with low-tax jurisdictions around the globe. It is also to address the low effective rates of tax shelled out by some of the world’s biggest corporations.
2. These include digital giants such as Apple, Alphabet and Facebook, as well as major corporations such as Nike and Starbucks.

• Who will benefit: The proposal works well for the US government at this time, and for most other countries in western Europe. This is true even as some low-tax European jurisdictions and some in the Caribbean rely largely on tax rate arbitrage to attract MNCs. The second part of the G7 proposal is expected to impact companies that rely on the digital medium to drive their profits. But after the imposition of a common global corporate tax, countries may revoke their respective digital services taxes. This would end up benefitting the Silicon Valley companies. The US considers those unilateral digital taxes to be unfair trade measures that single out the American tech companies such as Google, Amazon and Facebook. It has recently imposed deferred punitive import duties on India, also.
• Limitations: There are challenges in getting all countries to agree for the proposal, especially because it impinges on the right of the sovereign to decide a nation’s tax policy. A global minimum rate would also take away a tool that countries use to push policies that suit them. In the backdrop of the pandemic, developing countries with less ability to offer mega stimulus packages may experience a longer economic hangover than developed nations. Inflows of investments, driven by tax benefits, may reduce.

• Specific cases:

1. China is not likely to have a serious objection with the US call, but a concern would be the impact of such a tax stipulation on Hong Kong. It is notably the seventh-largest tax haven in the world and the largest in Asia. China’s strained relationship with the US could be a deterrent in negotiations on a global tax deal.
2. India had, to revive investment activity, in 2019 announced a sharp cut in corporate taxes for domestic companies to 22%. For new domestic manufacturing companies, it was brought to 15%. The cuts effectively brought India’s headline corporate tax rate broadly at par with the average 23% rate in Asian countries. India will need to carefully assess the impact of new regime.

America hits back at India's DST with 'Retaliatory Tariffs'

• The story: The United States Trade Representative announced (and then immediately suspended) retaliatory tariff imposition on digital service taxes (DST) on six countries including India.
• Proposed tariffs: The retaliatory tariff on digital service taxes (DST) was proposed for a period up to 180 days. It will be on Austria, India, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and the U.K. The US announced 25% tariffs on over $2 billion worth of imports from these six countries. It then immediately suspended the duties to allow time for international tax negotiations. In India's case, 26 categories of goods are in the preliminary list of products that would be subject to the additional tariffs.

• India's digital services tax: The government had moved an amendment in the Finance Bill 2020-21, and imposed a 2% digital service tax, applicable to trade and services by non-resident e-commerce operators with a turnover of over Rs.2 crore. Thisdincludes e-commerce operators involved in supply of services, including online sale of goods and provision of services. The move effectively expanded the scope of equalisation levy.

1. Till 2020, the equalisation levy only applied to digital advertising services. Estimates show that the DST payable by US-based company groups to India will be up to approximately $55 million per year.
2. So, the U.S. proposal, if applied, would collect duties on Indian goods in the range of the same amount of DST that India collects from US companies.

• Why US worried: The digital services taxes in these countries primarily impact Silicon Valley tech giants. The tariff proposed on goods from them was approved following a “Section 301” investigation, and looked into the digital services taxes imposed by the above countries. It found that the taxes discriminated against US digital companies. They were against tech companies like Apple, Amazon, Google and Facebook, and "inconsistent" with principles of international taxation. [The investigation was initiated by the Trump administration in June 2020, and deadline for approving tariff action based on the investigation is around now. Biden continued with it.]
• Rationale for suspension: The Biden administration seems to agree with the findings of the Trump era investigations on digital services tax as being discriminatory. So President Biden is using the tariff proposal as a tool to speed up the international negotiations, going on at the OECD and in the G20 process. In the fragile, post-COVID-19 recovery, the world can hardly afford another tariff war. The digital services sector has enjoyed low-tax or tax-free operations across the world for decades.

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

Rich world needs to help the poor battle climate change

• The story: From his home in Bhutan’s capital of Thimphu, high in the Himalayas, Sonam P. Wangdi has witnessed climate change speed the retreat of glaciers and fuel flash floods in his country. Wangdi, the chair of a group of 47 of the world’s poorest nations that negotiate as a bloc at international climate talks, says that it's the poorest who have contributed the least to the problem, and who suffer the most. The richer countries have the most capacity to adapt to climate change, and they are the most insulated.

• G-7 under pressure: The G-7 leaders are facing pressure to make good on a promise that the United States and others have not kept: that rich nations would mobilize at least $100 billion annually to help developing countries build greener economies and deal with the intensifying catastrophes caused by climate change.

1. The largest and wealthiest countries have promised ambitious new plans to cut their greenhouse gas emissions and slow Earth’s warming.
2. But the issue of whether they also will help more vulnerable countries is now a test of the Paris climate accord’s central rule — that the world will succeed or fail together in fighting climate change.

• UN's stand: U.N. Secretary General António Guterres called the G-7 a “pivotal moment” in which rich countries must follow through on helping fund climate adaptation and mitigation projects in struggling nations. The world has to grapple with profound crises — the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the lack of universal access to vaccines and economies battered by the fallout. And above it all, adequate climate financing for the most at-risk nations must also be a central priority.

• The real culprits: Developed countries, whose greenhouse gas emissions have fuelled climate change, pledged more than a decade ago to begin marshaling $100 billion annually by 2020 to help the most defenseless nations deal with the worsening consequences of sea-level rise, heat waves and other effects of warming — and to transition away from fossil fuels as their own economies grow. Contributions have increased over time, but complex international accounting has confounded getting a clear picture of the total.

1. The OCED analysis says climate finance for developing countries rose to $78.9 billion in 2018.
2. But the developed world has yet to fully back up its promises, and only a small percentage of public funding has gone to the most urgent form of need: financing for countries coping with the catastrophes that are already happening.
3. The humanitarian aid group CARE International released a separate analysis of climate finance plans by developed countries, calling them largely “hollow commitments.” The report found that “developed countries are not on track” to deliver the promised $100 billion annually, and many wealthy nations have yet to detail how they will ramp up such support.

• When the weak unite: Vulnerable nations have flexed their collective muscle before, notably banding together in 2015 to force more ambitious targets under the Paris agreement. They fought for a more challenging global goal of limiting Earth’s warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) over preindustrial levels — rather than merely 2 degrees Celsius. Their message in Paris was epitomized by a poster created by Caribbean nations that showed a young girl up to her neck in the rising ocean, with the message, “1.5 to stay alive.” The world now has warmed more than 1 degree Celsius (1.8 Fahrenheit) since the late 19th century, and some hotspots around the globe have eclipsed 2 degrees Celsius of localized warming. Scientists have also reported that concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached the highest levels since accurate measurements began 63 years ago, despite the economic slowdown imposed by the pandemic.
• May commitment: Environmental ministers from G-7 nations previewed the climate actions, and agreed that their countries would work to stop international financing for coal projects. They promised to safeguard 30 percent of the world’s land and oceans by 2030. And they set more aggressive climate targets aimed at limiting Earth’s warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The group reaffirmed a commitment to financial aid for poorer nations, without any details.
• Biden's priority: The U.S. government has made climate change a priority after four years in which President Donald Trump dismissed the science on it, withdrew from the Paris accord and called international finance efforts “yet another scheme to redistribute wealth out of the United States.” Biden' proposed budget contains hundreds of millions of dollars for various multilateral initiatives, including a request for $1.2 billion for the Green Climate Fund, the main U.N.-backed conduit to climate projects throughout the developing world. The White House has promised to double U.S. public climate financing for developing countries by 2024, compared with the average level during Obama’s second term, and to triple the amount of financing designated to helping poorer countries adapt to impacts that are causing destruction.

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

Foreign affairs updates

• Canada's deadly schooling system: Protesters in Toronto toppled a statute of Egerton Ryerson, who was one of the key figures behind Canada’s residential school system, which separated some 1,50,000 Indigenous children from their homes. The rally at Ryerson University in Toronto came amid growing anger over the Catholic Church’s refusal to issue an apology for its role in the abuse students faced. News broke in May 2021 that the remains of 215 Indigenous children had been found at a former residential school run by the church in British Columbia.
• 'Killing the Muslims': A man accused of mowing down five members of the same family with a pickup truck in an Ontario city on Sunday, killing four and seriously injuring a 9-year-old boy, targeted them because they were Muslim. The suspect was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. Law enforcement officials are discussing whether terrorism charges should be pursued.
• Malaria epidemic: In Burkina Faso, a deadly menace fills graves on a grimly predictable schedule: Not covid-19, but malaria. Researchers call it a forgotten epidemic, killing more than 400,000 people each year – mostly children in Africa. Scientists in Burkina Faso aim to harness the momentum behind coronavirus vaccine development to end what they see as the region’s more urgent threat.
• Netanyahu going the Trump way: The head of the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service, issued a rare warning about “extremely violent and inciting discourse” aimed at lawmakers opposed to Netanyahu. A Shin Bet official told Vice News that the agency, which is usually far more focused on the threats facing Israel from the Palestinian territories, is alarmed by the upheavals within the Israeli right. “We are seeing threats and schisms within radical groups that need to be closely monitored because of fears extremists could act violently.” In other words, Netanyahu is laying the groundwork for a scenario not that dissimilar from what transpired in the first week of January in the United States. Netanyahu and his loyalists seem undeterred. He has not specifically condemned the demonstrators outside the homes and offices of Bennett, centrist leader Yair Lapid and many others.
• India-Australia meeting: India and Australia reviewed cooperation in the sectors of agriculture and defence. The India-Australia Grains Partnership aims to use Australia’s expertise in post harvest management to strengthen rural grain storage and supply chains so as to reduce losses and wastage. The National Institute of Agricultural Marketing will be the nodal organisation from India. The flagship program of National Innovation for Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) was mentioned and collaboration could be set up with the research organisations of Australia. NICRA is a network project of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) launched in February 2011. The project aims to enhance the resilience of Indian agriculture to climate change and climate vulnerability through strategic research and technology demonstration. The research on adaptation and mitigation covers crops, livestock, fisheries, and natural resource management. Australia is an important player in Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and supports India's membership of the organisation. A Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement between the two countries was signed in September 2014. The Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) and the Extradition Treaty between India and Australia, which were signed in June 2008, have been ratified by both the Governments.

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation - Mass media agreement

• The story: The Indian government approved the signing and ratification of an Agreement on ‘Cooperation in the field of Mass Media’ between all the Member States of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). It was signed in June 2019. It will provide an opportunity for the Member States to share new innovations and best practices in the field of Mass Media.
• Points to note: The areas of cooperation will include the creation of a favorable system for mutual and wide distribution of information via Mass Media in a bid to deepen the knowledge about the lives of the people of their States. Attempts will be made for cooperation among the Editorial Offices of the Mass Media of their States as well as between the relevant Ministries, Agencies, and Organizations in the field of Mass Media.
• Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO): The SCO is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation, and is a Eurasian political, economic and military organisation aiming to maintain peace, security and stability in the region. It was created in 2001, and the SCO Charter was signed in 2002, and entered into force in 2003. The SCO's official languages are Russian and Chinese. Eight countries are part of SCO, which are: Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan. SCO has two Permanent Bodies: the SCO Secretariat in Beijing (China), and the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) in Tashkent (Uzbekistan). The Chairmanship of SCO is by rotation for a year by Member States. The Republic of Tajikistan has assumed chairmanship of SCO for 2021-22. The 20th Summit of the SCO took place in 2020. The Vice President of India launched the first ever SCO Online Exhibition on Shared Buddhist Heritage.

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

Don't end Covid curbs soon, will be disastrous - WHO

• The story:  The World Health Organization's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has cautioned that with the increased global transmission of variants of concern including the Delta variant, lifting restrictions too quickly could be disastrous for those who are not vaccinated.
• Inequality: Tedros said that glaring COVID-19 vaccine inequality has created a "two-track pandemic" with Western countries protected and poorer nations still exposed. The WHO now sees a two-track pandemic; many countries still face extremely dangerous situation, while those with highest vaccination rates are starting to talk about ending restrictions, but they must be eased cautiously, with viral circulation&response capacities.
• Numbers: As per Tedros, six months since the first COVID-19 vaccines were administered, high-income countries have administered almost 44% of the world's doses. Low-income countries have administered just 0.4%. The most frustrating thing about this statistic is that it hasn't changed in months. Tedros also hoped African COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing sites will be identified and some even close to producing by the end of 2021, in the race to deliver more shots to the continent.
• Senegal: While Tedros has not provided specifics, but signals are that Senegal may begin producing COVID-19 vaccines in 2022 under an agreement with Belgian biotech group Univercells aimed at boosting Africa's drug-manufacturing ambitions. Tedros also called on companies including Pfizer and Moderna whose vaccines rely on so-called mRNA technology to share their knowledge with the WHO's COVID-19 Technology Access Pool, which aims to help speed up transfer of vital pandemic-fighting technologies.

US authorities recover ransom paid to cyberhackers

• The story: US Federal authorities have recovered more than $2 million in cryptocurrency paid in ransom to foreign hackers whose attack in May 2021 led to the shutdown of a major pipeline that provides nearly half the East Coast’s fuel. The seizure of cryptocurrency paid by Colonial Pipeline to a Russian hacker ring marks a major milestone for the Department of Justice (DoJ).
• Paid to whom: The funds were paid by Colonial Pipeline to a Russian hacker ring, DarkSide. This seizure marks the first recovery by a new ransomware Justice Department task force. It follows a string of cyber attacks that panicked consumers and led President Biden to warn Russia that it needed to take “decisive action” against the criminal networks.

• 21st c. challenge: US authorities said that the sophisticated use of technology to hold businesses and even whole cities hostage for profit was decidedly a 21st century challenge. But the old adage, follow the money still applied!

1. The ransomware attack on Colonial in early May 2021 prompted the company to shut its pipeline operation for 11 days, causing panic buying that resulted in gasoline shortages in much of the southeastern United States. The hackers locked up Colonial’s business computer networks by encrypting data on them and demanded millions of dollars in ransom to unlock the system.
2. Victims worldwide paid at least $412 million in ransom in 2020, according to Chainalysis, a firm that tracks cryptocurrency payments. Many victims do not report their ransom payments.

• Talking straight: The problem has become so acute that Biden will raise it when he meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva. National security adviser Jake Sullivan said the subject was raised during the president’s meeting with the leaders of the Group of Seven nations in Britain. Sullivan said he would like the G-7 to come up with an “action plan” to increase resilience to attacks and deal with the cryptocurrency challenge.
• Technical details: Having obtained a warrant granted by a federal judge in the Northern District of California, the FBI seized proceeds from a digital “wallet” that held the ransom collected by the hackers. The ransom was paid in bitcoin, a form of cryptocurrency. The warrant authorized seizure of 63.7 bitcoin, or $2.3 million at the current exchange rate. The bureau obtained the “private key” for the wallet address, basically a password that enabled the FBI to move bitcoin out of the wallet. The hackers demanded and were paid a ransom of 75 bitcoin on May 8, 2021. On that date, the value of bitcoin was higher — worth about $4.3 million.
• A full model: DarkSide operates under a ransomware-as-a-service model in which it provides the malware that a criminal affiliate can use to lock up data on a victim’s computer system. When the victim pays the ransom to free up the system, the affiliate keeps a majority of the payment, while DarkSide gets the rest. In this case, about 85 percent of the payment most likely was to have gone to DarkSide’s affiliate. The FBI has traditionally advised victims not to pay the ransom on the grounds that doing so fuels criminal enterprise. The Biden administration is in the process of determining what the government’s formal ransomware policy should be.
• Formal action: The Justice Department has created a ransomware and digital extortion task force. Its mission is to investigate, disrupt and prosecute ransomware and digital extortion activity.

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

PM announces free vaccines for all adults from 21 June

• The story: India's Covid battle has taken many twists and turn. In one more turn, the PM announced on 7th June 2021 that the Centre will provide free covid-19 vaccines to all adults from 21 June, in a revision of the government’s much-touted strategy of ‘liberalized and accelerated" vaccination. The central government will now buy 75% of vaccines and give them free of cost to states.

• Details: The Supreme Court had taken the govt. to task, calling its vaccination policy arbitrary.

1. No state government would be spending anything for vaccines. Till now, crores of people got free vaccine; now the 18+years segment will be added to this. Government of India will provide free vaccines to all citizens. Just a few days ago, the Supreme Court of India had slammed its pricing policy as "arbitrary and irrational".
2. The PM said “many states" had asked for a return to the system that was in place before 1 May, when the government launched a “liberalized and accelerated" drive for the Centre to buy 50% of all vaccines, and states and private firms to buy 25% each. So it has been decided that the 25% vaccination that was with states will now be undertaken by the government of India. This will be rolled out in two weeks. In two weeks, the Centre and states will make necessary preparations as per new guidelines."
3. The system of 25% vaccines being procured directly by private hospitals will continue. State governments will monitor that only Rs.150 service charge is levied by private hospitals over the decided price of the vaccines.

• Earlier policy: It came under a cloud after states complained they were unable to procure vaccines from manufactures, who preferred to sell directly to the Centre, with the result that private hospitals ended up with bigger stocks than the states. Controversy erupted in the wake of the Supreme Court’s criticism, demands from opposition-ruled states for free vaccines and reports that the pandemic had spiralled out of control because of an acute shortage for hospital beds, life-saving equipment and vaccines. The SC's observations through April and May put pressure to change the policy.
• Wrong priorities: Allowing political rallies in West Bengal and millions to congregate in Hardwar for the Kumbh Mela were also blamed for a devastating surge in cases. As per the government, till date over 167 million people were administered at least one dose, translating to a 12.21% coverage, including 43% of people who are 60 years of age and older.
• Support needed: Several states have recently asked for more fiscal support, vaccine supplies and a reduction in Goods and Services Tax (GST) on locally produced medical supplies including vaccines. Revenue pressures had already led to fissures in Centre-state relations. Govt. claims that the supply of vaccine is about to increase. Seven companies are producing different types of vaccines. Trials of three more vaccines are in the advanced stage. Trials are on for two vaccines for children and a 'nasal vaccine'.
• Chronology: Starting from 16 January to April end, India’s vaccination programme was run mostly under the Centre. Free vaccination for all was moving forward and people were showing discipline in getting vaccinated when their turn came. But India literally ran out of vaccine doses, due to faulty planning since the start. In the midst of all this, demands for decentralization of vaccination were raised, as states panicked.
• Ideal planning: In a vast country like India, with widespread poverty and job losses due to Covid, it was clear since 2020 that the only sensible vaccination policy would be one that would offer "vaccines for all, for free, with minimum procedural hassles". Now that needs a centralised procurement.

Lakshadweep seething

• The story: The pristine islands of Lakshadweep are seething with anger, ever since Mr Praful K. Patel, a BJP politician from Gujarat, was appointed as Administrator in Lakshadweep in December 2020. His draft Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation 2021 was introduced, and the proposals led to many concerns.
• Controversy: Mr. Patel is the first politician to become the Administrator of Lakshadweep. Since his arrival in Lakshadweep, locals allege that he demonstrated a disregard for the people’s concerns and priorities. In March 2021, the Mumbai police named Mr. Patel as an accused in a case of death by suicide of seven-time Dadra and Nagar Haveli MP Mohan Delkar. Mr. Patel was named in the suicide note.
• Provisions brought: The draft Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation 2021 gives sweeping powers to the Administrator. It offers power to take over land and forcibly relocate people, and proposes harsh punishment to those who resist. The consumption or sale of beef, a part of the food habits of many, could be an offence punishable by 7 years in prison. Those who have more than two children cannot contest panchayat elections. Anyone could be held in prison without reason up to a year, under a new Goonda Act; in a place that has a very low crime rate. The traditional livelihood of fishing communities has been impeded by the regulations that deny them access to coastlines. Their sheds on the coastal areas have been demolished, saying they violated the Coast Guard Act. Dairy farms run by the administration have been shut.
• Concerns: The changes introduced come as a serious threat to the people of Lakshadweep and the fragile ecosystem. Locals feel there is clear absence of any administrative rationale or public good in the above arbitrary measures. There are thus fears of other motivations, like commercial interests at play. The land that inhabitants are forced to part with could be transferred to buyers from outside, and there could also be ill-advised political plans to change the demography of the islands.
• The beauty: Lakshadweep is an archipelago of 36 islands totalling 32 square kilometres in the Arabian Sea, with an idyllic existence as a Union Territory (UT), with a population of around 70,000. The rationale for carving out UTs as administrative units is to protect the unique cultural and historical situations of their inhabitants. This being under threat, people have risen in protest.

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

NASA’s Juno close to Jovian moon Ganymede

• Getting close: No man-made probe has had a good view of Jupiter’s largest moon since 2000, when NASA’s Galileo spacecraft swung past the strange world, which is the largest moon in the whole solar system. On June 7, 2021, NASA’s Juno spacecraft skimmed just 1,038 kilometers above Ganymede’s surface, gathering excellent observations as it did so. Juno carries a suite of sensitive instruments capable of seeing Ganymede in new ways. By flying so close, it will bring the exploration of Ganymede into the 21st century.

• About Ganymede: The Jovian moon is a fascinating world for scientists. Despite its status as a moon, it’s larger than the tiny planet Mercury and is the only moon to sport a magnetic field, a bubble of charged particles dubbed a magnetosphere. Until now, the only spacecraft to get a good look at Ganymede were NASA’s twin Voyager probes in 1979 and the Galileo spacecraft, which flew past the moon in 2000.

1. The massive Jovian moon will be a main target of the European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer mission, known as JUICE, which is due to launch 2022 and arrive in the Jupiter system in 2029. But that’s a long time to wait, and Juno, which launched in 2011, carries significantly more powerful technology than the Voyagers and Galileo spacecraft did.
2. During the Juno flyby, several of the spacecraft’s instruments will observe Ganymede, including three different cameras, radio instruments, the Ultraviolet Spectrograph (UVS), the Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) instruments and the Microwave Radiometer (MWR).
3. That last instrument’s measurements are particularly intriguing for scientists, who hope to use them to identify the different ingredients in the lighter and darker patches of Ganymede’s ice shell.
4. Because the icy moon will appear and fade in just 25 minutes, mission scientists expect the instrument will be able to take only five images of Ganymede during the encounter.

• Next trick: Juno's next trick will be speeding once more over the cloud tops of Jupiter, on its 34th such pass in the intense radiation environment, on Tuesday (June 8). Juno is on a long-term mission to learn more about the planet's interior and weather and was approved for another mission extension, this time to 2025, earlier this year based on its science return since arriving at the Jupiter system in 2016. Juno will zoom by Ganymede at a speed of about 69,523 kph and then whip around Jupiter at a whopping 2,08,571 kph.
• Why do this: The newly accomplished Ganymede flyby will offer crucial information for future exploration of Jupiter's icy moons, where two missions are set to explore in the 2030s: the JUICE mission by the European Space Agency and the Europa Clipper mission by NASA. Icy moons are considered to be promising environments for habitability due to their watery environments and source of energy from the gravitational tug of nearby planets.

Science and Failures

• The story: In October 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first-ever satellite. The Americans knew that their rivals behind the Iron Curtain had been working on satellite technology but never imagined that the Soviets would suddenly beat them into space. The profound shock of realising that it might be possible for another nation to achieve technological superiority over USA unsettled the political class totally.
• Quick reaction: America’s response was swift. Determined never to be outmaneuvered again, in 1958 President Eisenhower approved the creation of a new institution — the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). Its task was to scan the technological horizon and invent the future. Six decades later, ARPA’s modern incarnation, DARPA (the “D” stands for “defence”) has proved itself so useful that several countries around the world want their own versions.

• What DARPA achieved: DARPA’s greatest hits show why it is venerated in technology circles.

1. The modern internet is a descendant of an early project called ARPANET, dreamed up in the early 1960s by Joseph Licklider, a psychologist and computer scientist working at ARPA.
2. In 1960, the Transit project deployed a constellation of five satellites to help US Navy ships to determine their location on the surface of the Earth. That was the precursor to the Global Positioning System (GPS) that many use today.
3. In the late 1970s, DARPA managed to surprise the US Air Force by inventing stealth technology. Their techniques to keep airplanes hidden from enemy radar in the Have Blue project led directly to the development of the F-117A stealth fighter and, eventually, the B-2 stealth bomber.

• Cloning isn't easy: World governments that want to clone DARPA would be well advised to remember something important: a primary reason for the agency’s prodigious success is that, through its history, it has also been allowed to fail. Take stealth technology. After its stunning achievement with the F-117A, DARPA tried to apply radar-absorbing materials to ships. A secret prototype, the Sea Shadow, was built and tested in the mid-1980s. But the US Navy was not interested. DARPA made the project public in 1993, hoping someone would take the project on. No one did, however, and the expensive ship had to be scrapped in 2006. That’s just the cost of doing business in the search for great ideas.
• Funding, acceptance, support: Ultimately, success will come to those who allow their scientific endevours to try everything, and fail. It is only through a steady stream of failures that successes will eventually shine forth.

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

Divorce to be granted on “irretrievable breakdown”

• The story: The Supreme Court has used its extraordinary powers under Article 142 (of the Constitution) to grant divorce in a case of “irretrievable breakdown of marriage”.

• The Hindu marriage law: The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 lays down the law for divorce, and applies to Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs. Under Section 13 of the Act, the grounds for divorce include: (i) voluntary sexual intercourse with any person other than his or her spouse, (ii) cruelty, (iii) desertion for a continuous period of not less than 2 years immediately preceding the presentation of the petition, (iv) ceasing to be a Hindu by conversion to another religion, (v) being “incurably of unsound mind”.

1. Also, Section 13B provides for “divorce by mutual consent”. Section 27 of The Special Marriage Act, 1954 provides the grounds for grant of divorce in the case of marriages solemnised under that Act.
2. But neither of the two Acts provides for “irretrievable breakdown of marriage” as a ground for divorce.

• Court’s observation: “Irretrievable breakdown of marriage” refers to a marriage that is totally unworkable, emotionally dead, beyond salvage and has broken down irretrievably.

1. In a certain case, divorce was granted on this ground, after examining various judicial pronouncements. Such powers are exercised in rare cases, in view of the absence of legislation in this behalf. In the present case, the SC said that it believed that the continuity of the marriage was fruitless.
2. It also observed that continuance of it would cause further emotional trauma and disturbance to both the parties. Thus, the sooner this comes to an end, the better it would be, for both the parties.

• Article 142: It provides a unique power to the Supreme Court, to do “complete justice” between the parties involved. At times when law or statute may not provide a remedy, the Court can extend itself to settle a dispute in a manner that would befit the facts of the case. It is with this objective that the court finds it appropriate to grant divorce in a case of “irretrievable breakdown of marriage”. The Law Commission of India has also twice recommended that this be included as a new ground for granting divorce to Hindus under Hindu Marriage and the Special Marriage Acts. There is a recognition of the futility of a completely failed marriage being continued only on paper.

Seniorcare Aging Growth Engine Initiative (SAGE)

• The story: In June 2021, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MSJE) virtually launched the SAGE (Seniorcare Aging Growth Engine) initiative and SAGE portal for elderly persons. An amount of Rs. 100 crore has been assigned for the promotion of the silver economy.
• Silver Economy: The "Silver economy" is a system of production, distribution and consumption of goods and services aimed at using the purchasing potential of older and ageing people and satisfying their consumption, living and health needs. It is analyzed in the field of social gerontology (study of aging) not as an existing economic system but as an instrument of ageing policy and the political idea of forming a potential, needs-oriented economic system for an aging population. Its main element is gerontechnology (Technology pertaining to aged people) as a new scientific, research and implementation paradigm.
• Points to note: The SAGE portal will be a “one-stop access” of elderly care products and services by credible start-ups. It has been launched with a view to help such persons who are interested in entrepreneurship in the field of providing services for elderly care. The SAGE project aims to identify, evaluate, verify, aggregate, and deliver products, solutions and services directly to the stakeholders. The Ministry will act as a facilitator, enabling the elderly to access the products through identified start-ups.
• Features: Start-ups can apply for being a part of SAGE through a dedicated portal. The start-ups selected under SAGE will be those which will provide new innovative products and services to elderly persons in various areas like health, travel, finance, legal, housing, food among others.
• Why needed: Elders, as a percentage of India's population, will go from around 7.5% in 2001 to almost 12.5% by 2026, and surpass 19.5% by 2050.

• Government initiatives:

1. Integrated Programme for Older Persons (IPOP) - The main objective of the scheme is to improve the quality of life of older persons by providing basic amenities like shelter, food, medical care and entertainment opportunities, etc.
2. Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY) - This is a central sector scheme funded from the Senior Citizens’ Welfare Fund. The fund was notified in the year 2016. It aims to provide aids and assistive living devices to senior citizens belonging to Below Poverty Line (BPL) category who suffer from age-related disabilities such as low vision, hearing impairment, loss of teeth and locomotor disabilities.
3. Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY) - PMVVY was launched in May 2017 to provide social security during old age. It is a pension scheme for senior citizens that comes with guaranteed returns on monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or on an annual basis for a period of 10 years. It is exclusively available to those who are 60 years of age and above.
4. Vayoshreshtha Samman - Conferred as a National award, and given to eminent senior citizens & institutions under various categories for their contributions on International day of older persons on 1st October.
5. Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens (MWPSC) Act, 2007 - To ensure need-based maintenance for Parents and Senior Citizens and their welfare.

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

Income Tax Department's new e-filing portal

• The story: The Income Tax Department has launchced its new ITR e-filing portal, accessible through the website "www.incometax.gov.in".
• ITR e-filing portal: This portal has been brought with aim of providing a modern, seamless and more convenient experience to taxpayers. Portal has been integrated with immediate processing of Income Tax Returns and quick refunds to taxpayers.
• Features: The portal will act as one-stop centre and display all interactions or pending actions on a single dashboard for follow-up action by taxpayer. It will offer a free-of-cost Income Tax Return (ITR) preparation software with interactive questions to help taxpayers. It will also enable taxpayers to proactively update their profile to provide certain details of income to be used in pre-filling their ITR, and will enable pre-filling with salary income, interest, dividend and capital gains after TDS and SFT statements. To response to queries of taxpayers, portal includes a new call center and also provide detailed FAQs, chatbot or live agent etc. It has options for filing Income Tax Forms, add tax professionals and submit responses to notices in faceless scrutiny or appeals.
• Dedicated Mobile App: The IT department will also launch a mobile app subsequently after launching the portal which will enable taxpayers to get familiar with several features.
• FM to Nilekani: On day 1 of the launch, India's foreign minister openly asked Nandan Nilekani of Infosys to ensure that services were given properly, because there were many complaints of the portal not working. A similar experience was recorded since July 2017 with the GST Network portal also, where persistent glitches hurt confidence a lot.

BIMSTEC story

• The story: Extending greetings on 24th BIMSTEC Day on June 6, PM Narendra Modi said that BIMSTEC had emerged as a promising regional grouping and made progress on several factors including finalisation of master plan for connectivity.
• BIMSTEC: It is the acronym for “Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation”. As a regional multilateral organisation established on June 6, 1997 in Bangkok under the name BIST-EC (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand Economic Cooperation), it has come a long way. Myanmar was included in 1997 following which group was renamed as ‘BIMST-EC’ (Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation). After Nepal & Bhutan become full members in 2004, BIMSTEC was renamed to its current form.
• Regional integration: Seven members of BIMSTEC are littoral and adjacent areas of Bay of Bengal constituting a regional unity. 5 are South Asian countries namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal & Sri Lanka while 2 countries- Myanmar & Thailand- are from Southeast Asia.
• Aim of BIMSTEC: It connects South and Southeast Asia besides ecologies of Great Himalayas and Bay of Bengal. It was established with the aims of creating an enabling environment for rapid economic development and accelerating social progress. Since SAARC has been dysfunctional since 2015, BIMSTEC is the largest regional grouping today.

Goa to restore Shivaji forts

• The story: Goa government released a short film on Chhatrapati Shivaji on the occasion of anniversary of Maratha king’s coronation day highlighting history of Goa and Shivaji’s role in fighting Portuguese.
• Points to note: The film titled “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Shivrajyabhishek Divas” was released on social media in Konkani and Hindi version. Movie highlights hundreds of true stories that future generations need to be aware of. Film speaks about royal tax imposed by traitorous landlords in Pernem, Maneri, Bicholim,and Sattari in North Goa to oppress locals, after which they betrayed the land and state and revolted against Portuguese.
• Shivaji Bhonsale I: An extremely dynamic Indian ruler, also referred as Chhatrapati Shivaji, he was a member of Bhonsle Maratha clan. He carved out an enclave from declining Adilshahi sultanate of Bijapur and formed genesis of Maratha Empire. He was  crowned as Chhatrapati (emperor) of his realm formally in 1674, at Raigad.
• Alliances and hostilities: During his life, Shivaji got engaged in alliances as well as hostilities with Mughal Empire, Sultanate of Golkonda and Sultanate of Bijapur besides European colonial powers. His military forces expanded influence of Maratha sphere and he captured & built forts. He established the Maratha navy, with help from Kanhoji Angre. He revived ancient Hindu political traditions and promoted Marathi language.

Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2019-20 released

• The story: India's Education Minister, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, approved release of the Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2019-20.
• PGI 2019-20: It provides grading to States and Union Territories on the basis of 70 parameters to assess and catalyse transformational change in education. Five states & union territories namely Chandigarh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Kerala attained highest grade (Grade A++) for 2019-20. In comparison to previous year, report has improved across most of the states. This year, 5 states attained Level II score of 901-950 which is Grade A or 1++. Ladakh was graded for first time and was placed in Grade VII. Meghalaya attained score of 601-650 which is Grade VI. Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Punjab and Arunachal Pradesh improved their score by 20%. 11 states or UTs have improved their score by 10% – 20%. 10 states including Karnataka & Delhi have improved their score by 5% to 10%.
• Background: The PGI was first published in 2019 for 2017-2018. This exercise is done with the aim of undertaking multi-pronged interventions which could help various states and administration to reach desired goals in education. This report acts as a good source of information of best practices which are followed by States and UTs. Report seeks to help states or UTs to pinpoint areas of concerns & gaps and helps in effectively bridging them.

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9.1 Today's best editorials to read

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

CLICK HERE TO OPEN AND 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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